vivi (misunderstands) wrote in drawpoints, @ 2015-02-01 17:32:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !narrative, vivi ornitier |
WHO: Vivi Ornitier
WHAT: Vivi's Esthar trip.
WHERE: Esthar
WHEN: January 28 to February 01
WARNINGS: N/A
With four whole days to spend in Esthar, anyone would have found so much to do. Shopping would only be one of them, the science museum another. There was also Esthar’s gastronomic experience with their spinning restaurants and liquid nitrogens and even their hotel-like hospital rooms for the health conscious who wanted a full-blown medical check-up.
In Vivi’s case, that last one was the only thing he got to do. In the mornings, he would commute from his private room in the hospital to the crematorium so he could look at his grandfather again. Everyday, he talked to him about the things he did the previous day. He ate in his favorite restaurant, he was sad to learn that they’d lost Quan’s apartment, he hung out with his friends from the lab who were surprised to see him. They all talked about his grandfather and how he passed away. It was so sudden, he died in his sleep, they couldn’t tell Vivi because they didn’t want him to be distracted from his new life. It’s what Dr. Quan would have wanted. Vivi forgave them.
Later, Ina brought him a new set of gowns to wear in the duration of his stay in Esthar and said it was okay for him to look at some of Quan’s old stuff in the lab. He missed his grandfather and he wanted to remember how he used to be. The next day, he did just that: commuted to the crematorium in the morning, had lunch in his favorite restaurant, then browsed through his grandfather’s writing, his personal effects, the stuff he used to see in his office whenever he hung out there.
“Don’t you have plans to go around, Vivi?” Ina asked when she brought him back to his room that evening. “You’re rarely back home and you spend it all cooped up in the lab. Why don’t you watch a film? Buy souvenirs? How old are you again?”
“Fifteen.”
“Oh,” Ina brushed that thought aside with her hand, “not the bars, then.”
“Actually…” Vivi began, seated at the side of his bed, chewing his lip. “...actually, Ms. Ina, I don’t know what to do. Instructor Xu and Mr. Nanaki thought I should go home, and they’re right. I wanted to go home to see Grampa. But...I didn’t really think about what else I wanted to do here. I’m happy being in the lab. I know my way around...and you’re right. I haven’t been back for a long time.”
“Hmm…” Ina clicked her tongue and sighed. “There’s nothing to do down there, though.”
“I, it’s okay, Ms. Ina.” Vivi offered her a smile. “I’ll watch a movie tomorrow and buy souvenirs.”
Ina smiled back to him. “Okay,” she said, clearing her throat, “Tell you what: come back to the lab after your movie and after you get all the souvenirs and we’ll do some things together.”
“Like?”
“It’s not as fun as it sounds but,” Ina shrugged, “we figured with you being back after six years, we’d take this opportunity to update your medical records. It’ll be for your own good. Dr. Quan would have wanted to do just that. Anyway, you’re not afraid of needles, right?” Vivi shook his head. “See? It all works out. You get to spend an afternoon and a day with us and we’ll get to make sure you’re a healthy piece of mancake.”
“Huh?”
“Just say yes.” Ina winked.
Vivi liked Ina. He trusted her, too. If this was what his grandfather would have wanted then he’ll do it. “Okay, Ms. Ina!” he said, grinning.
They started with his samples the next day, then a brief interview, some more needles, a full X-ray and 15 minutes in the treadmill. That was also how long Vivi took to spoil Ina about the movie he saw from opening to after credits.
“That sounds really exciting,” said Ina as she peeled the tapes and the wires attached to Vivi’s chest while he sat on the flattened bed that faced the treadmill in that tiny white room. “Too bad I couldn’t see it with you.”
“We can go tomorrow--!” He coughed.
“What about your morning tests, though?” Ina asked him with a pair of raised brows while she disposed the ball of crumpled tape in the empty bin. “Did you forget about that again?”
“I...I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s not serious.” She proceeded with the rest of Vivi’s connections. “At least it’s not a date...or a person. You know, we were all really shocked you still remembered a lot of us!”
“Of course I would,” Vivi stated. “You’re my family.” He looked down to his hands on his lap. “Since Mom and Dad left me to Grampa, you became my new family.”
“But…” The last tape came off. Ina looked pensive as she rolled it with the others, lips slightly pursed, brows curled. “I thought it was because of an earthquake?”
“Grampa never said anything about an earthquake,” Vivi answered, slipping on the sleeves of his gown again when Ina collected the wires. “Just that my parents left me to him. That’s all.”
“Must be a different kid, then.” Ina binned her second ball of tape.
“Ms. Ina?”
“Hm?” She looked at the young man over her shoulder.
“Am I alone?” Vivi shrugged. “Do I have any brothers or sisters that I never knew? Did Grampa Quan say anything about them?”
“Mmm...none that I’m aware of.” Ina looked confused, the wires looped around her hand. “Why, did you see anyone who looks like you?”
Vivi shook his head. “But when we went to Trabia--”
“Trabia?” Ina gasped.
“Yeah!” Vivi nodded. “There was a Tri-Garden Tour, and we went around the three Gardens on Hynemas. Some students there went to Balamb, too. And…” His brows wrinkled in thought. “Some of them thought they knew me. They know my name, anyway. And they keep asking me if I’ve been to Trabia but…” He shook his head. “I’ve never been to Trabia until the Tri-Garden Tour.”
“How many people asked you?”
“Three, I think…” He trailed off. “...or four, or five...something like that. I can’t remember exactly.”
“But when you arrived in Trabia,” Ina abandoned her wires next to Vivi so she could cross her arms and look into the younger man’s eyes closely, “did...did anything look familiar to you? Did you remember anything?”
He shook his head again. “No...although…” Vivi frowned. “W, when I saw the fountain in the courtyard...I thought it didn’t look right.”
Ina’s hand flew to her mouth.
“But I think I just got dizzy, then. My head really hurt after.”
“Why didn’t it look right?”
“I just thought it didn’t.” Vivi shrugged. “But I’m okay now. It never happened again.” He smiled at Ina, and she smiled back.
Tests began early the next day and lasted late into the night. By the time they had finished, he was coughing and exhausted.
“Come on, Vivi. Time to go back to your room.”
“W, wait,” Vivi coughed again, turning wide eyes to Ina. “Th, that’s it?”
“Yeah?” Ina returned the same look to her charge. “What, you’re looking for more test?”
“What about my magic? Remember what I said?” Vivi jumped off the MRI machine. “I still smoke. They said it could be dangerous.”
“O, oh that?” Ina laughed, but Vivi would not have been able to detect the nervous quality in it as she looked past his shoulder to see the technician behind the booth shake his head at her. “It’s not. A, and this test we just took is exactly for that. We’re going to use the results of this test to find out exact details about it.”
Even the vagueness was lost on Vivi, who only nodded appreciatively because he finally understood. “Thanks, Ms. Ina. I’m glad you remembered.” Lie or no lie, it at least gave him a good night’s sleep, thinking that the problem would finally soon be solved.
He rose early the next day to visit the crematorium again, then packed up his things before he went to the lab to say goodbye. It was time to go back to Balamb. He still had class the next day.
“Don’t let it be another six years before you visit again!” said his friends as they embraced and took selfies. As their farewell present, they gave him a box loaded with Dr. Quan’s desk articles, something Vivi should have received a long time ago. He had to cry while he carried the box of his grandfather’s belongings out the lab and into the cab. Vivi may not have seen his grandfather one last time, but at least he got some of his most precious possessions.
He went through them with fondness as he sat in the train, waiting for it to depart. There was a fountain pen, his name plaque, a glass paperweight with a carving of the Presidential Residence. But what brought the biggest smile on Vivi’s face was a tiny spinning globe which had been his favorite toy before he was sent to the Garden. He always loved flicking a finger on it, then pointing at a spot and asking his grandfather, “What’s that?” and Quan would answer, “Oh, that’s Albrook! Remember what I told you about the ships?”
It had been detached from its crescent stand in the process of being packed. Vivi worked to install the globe onto it again when a clumsy twist had split the globe in two. Crap! What had Vivi done?!
“Oh no, Grampa, I’m so sorry!!” Panic pumped his heart while he hastened to repair the damages. There was a tiny scroll inside the black hollow halves which he shook off while he made the globe whole again. Then more carefully now, although he broke the globe twice more after, he returned it to its black crescent, exhaling in relief when he felt the ends click. He put it back inside the box, never to be touched again until he was back in his room in the Garden…then found the scroll.
“Huh?” Overhead, a female voice informed them that the train would be departing in two minutes while busy fingers unrolled the off-white sheet. What it revealed to him was a sketch of a device which looked like a mix of a bean and a lighter. There was a tiny screen on one side of it, two strings of wire, and brackets and measurements all around the drawing. At the lower right corner was Dr. Quan’s signature, as well as the words: PROTOTYPE : BLK MAG
“Bulk Mag?” Vivi read to himself just when an attendant asked him to stow his belongings under his seat or in the top compartment for safety. He hastily apologized, sealed and zipped everything and did as he was told.
He would not remember the note again until he would be unpacking from his Estharian trip later evening in Balamb Garden.