Inheritance (Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth)

꧁ XXIII ꧂

At the top of the hill where the memorial was, Cisnnei sat on her knees and placed the flower she picked with the others. She clasped her hands in prayer and Cait Sith did the same as he stood next to her. Tifa, Aerith, and Lailah did the same while Cloud, Barret, and Red closed their eyes and lowered their heads in silence.

Yuffie, being confused, looked around in panic. She glanced at her friends before unsurely clasping her hands together, still not knowing what was going on.

Cissnei opened her eyes and lowered her hands, casting a gentle smile in Cait Sith's direction. "Thank you."

Now that everyone was finished praying, Yuffie rushed forward to ask, "So, what is this?"

"Three years ago, the reactor here suffered a catastrophic failure. It was old and couldnae handle the stress," Cait Sith explained.

"It needed maintenance, which Shinra never provided. And then one day..." Cissnei's voice trailed off.

"So they're cheap as well," Yuffie growled in anger.

Cissnei gazed at the memorial. "This was the company's way of trying to make amends."

"I'm surprised they even made the effort," Barret commented.

"And thanks to the hard work of her people, Gongaga rose from the ashes! Right?" Cait Sith glanced at the redhead.

Cissnei smiled at the feline as she stood up.

"That's nice and all...but one memorial doesn't buy absolution," Barret said.

The redhead crossed her arms. "You guys must be tired. I know you've got things to do, but if you wanted to rest up..."

"Wouldnae say no!" Cait Sith replied.

Cissnei pointed to one of the buildings in the village. "My house is just down there. Got an open-door policy, so feel free."

"Woohoo! Don't mind if I do!" Yuffie cheered. She took off, almost barreling straight into Barret.

"I'm, uh...gonna take a look around," Aerith said before walking off.

Lailah was worried about the florist, but there was something she wanted to ask Cissnei. "Thank you for your kindness, Cissnei. You wouldn't happen to know an elderly gentleman by the name of Dennet Sunbrooke, would you?"

"Old Sunny? Yeah, I do. If you're looking for him, he left for Costa del Sol a week ago. He should be back soon though," Cissnei said. "Friend of yours?"

"Yeah. I owe him for everything he's done for me."

"If you want, you can wait until he gets back. Or you can check out his house. It isn't far from mine."

"Thanks again, Cissnei."

Leaving the memorial, Lailah headed to Dennet's house. She entered the building and smiled once seeing just how messy it was. He was the craftsman/merchant who helped her while she was in Tellus. He gifted her the chakrams and delivered her letters for her while also providing her with food every now and then. From what he told her, he thought of her as his granddaughter. He was the first person she trusted to allow entrance into Tellus.

Looking around Dennet's house, she found the various contraptions he was working on. On top of crafting weapons, he would often make small statues out of metal and sell them on the side along with a few other goods.

Hearing a knock on the door, Lailah turned around and saw Tifa. She smiled at her. "Hey."

"Hi," Tifa smiled back. "I couldn't help but overhear what you asked Cissnei. You mentioned Dennet in your letters and I was curious about him. Can I...?"