INNOCENCE

Cinque; Class Zero Private roleplay blog affiliated with Oriensu

[machinan-blog]

“B-behind you?” He shuffled over to where she requested him to stand, but his eyes were on his shoes. “Um…okay, so let’s try this again…slowly now-”

He lifted his head when he heard her cheer, and he let out a soft bout of laughter. Mounting a chocobo for the first time was an accomplishment worth celebrating; it definitely wasn’t easy…especially if you didn’t have the time or opportunity to practice. “Hey, that’s great!” He returned her grin and watched Bubbles kick up some hay. “Alright, now onto the actual riding part.”

[destructiveditz]

That’s right. There was more to riding a chocobo than just bestriding it, wasn’t there? Much more. Now, Cinque had to take control of the situation--because she was the only one that could. The idea of it began to give the cadet the smallest bout of anxiety, but when she remembered Machina’s advice, she pulled herself together, sat up straight and nodded with confidence. 

“Okay!” she exclaimed, determination scrawled upon her face. “Let’s do it!”  

[machinan-blog]

He half-turned away when she patted her bottom, his cheeks slightly pink with embarrassment. Awkwardly coughing into his first, he managed a small, albeit crooked smile.

“Well…as long as you’re not hurt or anything.” Machina patted Bubbles’ side, and the chocobo crooned in response. “Alright, let’s try again. Push off with a little more force this time. That should be enough to get you on board. Er…I’ll be…here…if you need help, or anything.”

[destructiveditz]

“Will you stand behind me? Just in case,” she asked, smiling sheepishly. Cinque felt a bit more confident, knowing exactly what to do this time, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Once more, her tiny hands braced the chocobo’s saddle as she slid her left foot into the stirrup. Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself off with more gusto and sprang up into the air. Her right leg swung over the chocobo and landed on the saddle. 

“M-Machy! I did it!” she grinned with excitement. Giving Bubbles a gentle pat on the neck. “We did it!! 

[machinan-blog]

“C-Cinque!”

He scrambled over to her, but he was too late; she toppled off and landed flat on her bottom. Fortunately, Bubbles didn’t look too disturbed by the incident; the chocobo merely twitched in surprise, but he didn’t make any more sudden movements. He was probably used to the sight of falling humans by now.

Machina knelt by her side. He felt a little guilty for not being more thorough with his instructions…maybe he should have showed her how to do it first. “Are…are you alright?” She didn’t seem to look like she was in serious pain, which was a good thing. “I’m sorry - if you don’t want to try again, I understand.”

[destructiveditz]

“Cinquey’s ooookay~,” the ginger insisted pulling herself up off the ground. “Just a little bump on the booty!” The girl then proceeded to giggle, giving herself a quick pat on the behind to ensure everything actually was okay. 

“You don’t have to be sorry, Machy. I guess I just didn’t push off right or something.” Her lips gave way to a toothy smile, her proof to the other that she really was okay. A little startled, maybe, but nothing too serious. “I wanna try again!” 

[machinan-blog]

“Y-you think so?” Cinque’s acceptance of the chocobo’s name threw Machina off a bit. It obviously wasn’t a bad thing that she liked the name, it’s just…well, no one ever really approved of his name choices before - not even Rem.

He cleared his throat and stepped closer, gesturing to the stirrups. “Alright, well…first thing’s first: you stick your foot in the stirrup here…and you just hoist yourself up on him. Doesn’t sound too hard, right? Just…take it slow. Remember…if you’re scared, Bubbles will know, and then he’ll get scared too.”

[destructiveditz]

She nodded happily, giving the chocobo another gentle pat on the beak. “Uh huh! I think Bubbles likes it too~,” she responded. Truth be told, the name also sounded like something she could have come up with, too. Making up cute, unique names was one of Cinque’s favorite things to do, and people weren’t her only victims. 

The cadet listened intently to the other’s instructions, nodding every now and then to prove she was listening. It sounded easy enough, but the hardest part was yet to come--convincing herself not to be afraid. 

“O-Okay, Machy,” she stammered, swallowing the lump that was developing in her throat. She could do this. Her hands braced the saddle as she put one foot into the stirrup. Unfortunately for her, the push off to get up there didn’t go as well as she had planned, and poor Cinque ended up falling flat on her bum.

“O-Owwieeeee.”

[machinan-blog]

“Uh,” He felt his cheeks turn red, and he quickly cast his gaze to his shoes. “his name’s Bubbles.” Machina mumbled the last part, but it was still loud enough to hear. Rem always teased him for giving the chocobos silly names…but he thought Bubbles suited this one! She just didn’t understand, that’s all.

“S-so,” He coughed into a fist, clearing his throat, “do you think you’re ready to ride now?”

[destructiveditz]

“Bubbles?” She paused for a moment, her brows knitting together pensively. It only lasted a few seconds before she nodded and smiled brightly. “I think it’s a nice name. Bubbles~ It fits him well!”

When Machina asked her if she was ready to ride she looked at Bubbles, back to Machina, then back to the chocobo once more before nodding confidently. “I’m ready, Machy!”

[machinan-blog]

“See?” He smiled as he watched her reach out to the chocobo’s beak. “It’s not so bad, is it?”

He crossed his arms. “I think he likes you.”

[destructiveditz]

Any fear, anxiety, or embarassment that Cinque was harboring had melted away the moment the chocobo steed gave a happy chirp and affectionately bumped her hand with its beak. A chuckle of relief escaped number five’s lips as she leaned into the bird’s touch.

“I think he likes me too~,” she cooed, gently bumping her head against the chocobo’s beak. “I wonder what his name is.”

[machinan-blog]

“Ah, I see.” Machina unlocked the gate and stepped inside, glancing over his shoulder to give her an inviting grin. He patted the chocobos side, and the animal warked happily in response. “It can be a little scary at first, but if you show that you’re afraid, the chocobo can sense it…and that’s when things can go wrong…because then, it’ll get scared too.”

He took a quick around and found a saddle hanging by the wall; he reached for it and took a few moments to buckle it onto the chocobo. After checking the stirrups, he raised to his full height and turned to face her once more. “The trick is to just take a deep breath and take things one step at a time. If you trust it, it’ll trust you right back, and the both of you can have a lot of fun together.”

The chocobo chirped again, and Machina smiled. “I think he wants you to come over here, Cinque.”

[destructiveditz]

“...”

She continued to face the other direction for several moments, trying to hide the embarrassment. Her pale cheeks glowed a fain red as she idly kicked at the ground. However, her curiosity was piqued when she heard the chocobo ‘kweh’. 

“He does?”

Cinque turned around and sheepishly approached Machina and the chocobo. When she reached the two of them, she took a deep breath and extended her hand to the chocobo’s beak, gingerly brushing her fingers along its muzzle. 

[machinan-blog]

He sensed the uncertainty in her body language and he curiously cocked his head to the side, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. This sudden change in her demeanor was a little off-putting. She wasn’t afraid of riding chocobos, was she? She was excited about learning how to ride one not too long ago.

“Is…something the matter?” He took a quick look around. Maybe she was too shy to approach the ranch handlers.

[destructiveditz]

“Ehehe~ Cinquey is just a little nervous about it,” she retorted before turning away. While riding a chocobo was something the cadet had always aspired to do, the fear of falling kept her from ever doing it. Cinque couldn’t remember ever falling off a chocobo steed before, but for some reason, she felt like she had. 

[machinan-blog]

He watched her for a few moments, smiling at her gentle demeanor with the chicks. He couldn’t help but chuckle when she made her rounds to each one so none of them would feel left out. It was a small, but meaningful gesture. It said a lot about her character.

When her attention switched over to the adult chocobos, Machina raised his head towards the direction she was running in. He made his way over in a few quick strides and peeked into the stall.

He couldn’t help but chortle again. “I thought you’ve been here before, Cinque. You sound like you’ve never seen a chocobo.”

“Hm, well, if you wanna ride one, you can talk to one of the ranch handlers and they can get you set up.”

[destructiveditz]

“I know I have~. They’re just so....cool! I can’t help but get excited. Teehee!” 

She pulled herself away from the stable she had been standing at, directing her eyes toward the corralled area where the chocobos roamed. A little nervous at the idea, she tapped her fingers together. As much as she wanted to ride the bird, it definitely made her feel uneasy. 

“Eeeh, I don’t know, Machy. Maybe another time,” she said sheepishly.

[hieloreaper-blog]

“We were cadets together. Though we had different classes we spent a good deal of of our free time together.” Kurasame responded. He thought he should asked questions of his own. The commander’s students tended to surprise him and he didn’t know much about twelve of them aside from what Dr.Arecia summarized, doting included.

“What about you and the others? I trust you’re getting along with Machina and Rem as well.”

[destructiveditz]

“Us? We’ve been together for a long time~,” she answered, “Mother brought us together and taught us everything we know.” 

It was obvious some of her classmates had disdain for their new CO. Especially since they never had to take orders from someone other than the archsorceress. They weren’t used to dealing with anyone other than each other and her. 

“Machy and Remski~? I like them~.”

[machinan-blog]

The sudden shift from indoors to outdoors was a bit jarring, and Machina had to briefly shield his eyes from the blaring sun so his eyes could adjust to the light. When he recomposed himself, however, he was surprised to see that the ranch was empty. It was usually littered with students sprawled across the grass…especially on such a nice day like today.

The young cadet breathed in the air, taking in the scent of grass, soil, and chocobo. He turned his head towards Cinque, who was bent over a small group of the chicks. Smiling, he made his way over to them.

“They love meeting new people.” He chuckled and placed a hand on his hip. “They have a habit of following you around the ranch.”

[destructiveditz]

“Hello, little chicklings~,” she sang to the flock of baby chocobos. 

Cinque was sure to give each one a little pet and a cute sentiment before standing up and looking over at the stables. Her eyes grew wide in excitement as she zoomed over to an occupied stall, cooing at the chocobo that was inside. 

“Woooow~. He’s so big, Machy!” she exclaimed, resting her hands upon the gate. For someone who had visited the stables prior to this, Cinque still had the enthusiasm of someone who was visiting for the first time. “I wanna ride one~.”

[machinan-blog]

“Heh, I was actually going to make my way there myself.” He turned on his heel and began to make his way back towards the portal. “It’s a nice day out…so spending the afternoon at the ranch sounds like fun. After everything that’s been going on lately…it would be nice to get a bit of sun.”

[destructiveditz]

“Yeah~! The sky is beautiful again~ I bet it’s a really nice time to be outside.”

Cinque waited for Machina before doing a little jump onto the portal. Moments later, they had arrived at the ranch, which was surprisingly empty, considering the weather. Still, that didn’t quite bother the cadet, who began to giggle as the chocobo chicks scurried over to the pair. 

“Look, Machy! They’re happy to see us~,” she sang, crouching down to the chicks’ level before gently petting one on the head with her index finger. 

[machinan-blog]

He sheepishly ran a hand through his hair. “It’s no problem. I can sorta understand what you’re going through - we were all new cadets at one point.”

Machina tucked his chair back into the table and took a quick look around the room again. “Well…if you want, I can show you around sometime…so you have an idea where everything is. It can be a little confusing during your first week here. The dorms aren’t super difficult to locate - they’re organized by class, so Class Zero probably has a wing of its own.” He blinked a couple times, his expression slightly confused. “I wonder if that means Rem and I will move dormitories…”

He shook his head, saving the thought for later. “So, what are you going to do now?”

[destructiveditz]

Cinque grinned at Machina, giving him a nod. “Cinquey will have to take you up on that! Mother didn’t have time to show us around, she had a meeting with the consortium and chancellor today.” The thought of getting lost in Akademia was definitely a frightening one, but it was comforting to know that someone would be there to help if she needed it.

“I was thinking about going to the chocobo ranch~,” she said with a smile, turning back toward the portal. “All that talk about chocobo chicks, riding them, and breeding them made Cinquey extra curious.” She stopped in front of the portal looking back over her shoulder. “If you aren’t busy, you should come too~.”

[machinan-blog]

“Well, we are in the same class - we’re probably going to be spending a lot of time together.” He chuckled and stood up, grabbing both of their trays with him. He made his way over to the deposit area and dropped off their plates.

Completely oblivious to her embarrassment, Machina quickly made his way back to their table. “I know this place can be a little intimidating, especially when you don’t really know anyone here…but if you never need help with anything - like, if you get lost, or whatever - don’t hesitate to ask me, okay?” He smiled and placed a hand on his hip. “We’re teammates now - we gotta look after each other.”

[destructiveditz]

The cadet stood up from her seat, smoothing the wrinkles from her skirt as she crossed one leg behind the other. Her cheeks began to fade back to their normal peachy color, trying to move past her bout of embarrassment. She had only known Machina for a few hours now, but she already had that fluttery feeling in her chest. It was probably rather naive of her, but that was just who Cinque was. 

“Thank you, Machy!” She grinned, slowly swaying from side to side. “Cinquey’s kinda nervous about living here at Akademia without Mother. It’s soooo big here! I don’t even know how I’ll find my room later,” she said with a laugh.

[machinan-blog]

“Sounds like she’s quite the chef,” Machina chuckled, dropping his fork to rub the back of his neck, “you guys probably never went hungry.”

“Well, having a pet can be fun but it also has a lot of responsibility. You have to look after it, give it attention, make sure it eats properly and gets the right amount of exercise, give it a bath when it gets dirty…and you gotta clean up after it when it goes to the bathroom!“ He grinned. “That’s probably why she didn’t want you guys having a pet. It can be a lot of work.”

He took a quick glance around the room and noticed that it wasn’t as crowded anymore. The lunch rush finally died down, and there was breathing room. He stretched his arms and pushed his plate away from him.

“I am too.” He smiled at her. “Uh…it was nice, um…spending time with you, and stuff.” He could feel the embarrassment burning the tips of his ears, and he awkwardly cleared his throat. “Maybe being in a new class…won’t be as hard as I thought.”

[destructiveditz]

Cinque’s cheeks flushed bright pink. She lifted a hand to one of her ringlets and began shyly twirling it between her fingers. A nervous chuckle escaped her lips as she shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.

“It was fun~,” she replied, smiling at him. “I, uh, would like to spend time with again soon, if that’s okay.” Her face was now scarlet, bringing a hand up to her face in a sad attempt to cover it. 

[machinan-blog]

He returned the smile, though his was noticeably smaller than hers. “Your childhood must’ve been interesting with all those siblings. What kinds of food did your mother cook for you guys?”

His eyes warily followed Cinque’s hand as it landed on his forearm; once she came in contact with him he visibly twitched, but he was able to restrain himself from flinching altogether. He really had to stop doing that. He swallowed hard before continuing. “Y-you’re right.” His smile returned, though there were signs of remaining strain on his face. “I mean…a new class also means new beginnings. I’m going to be stuck with all of you for a little while, so I might as make myself comfortable, right?”

Machina felt the tension in his chest disappear when she returned to her food, and he decided to do the same. He picked at his potatoes when she suggested having chocobos in his youth.

“Maybe,” He replied with a shrug, his eyes still cast on his plate, “I mean, I do remember growing up with animals.”

[destructiveditz]

“She made us stuff like roast chocobo with string beans, lasagna, cakes, cookies, pies...everything, really. Mother always had to cook lots for all of us~.”

“I’ve never had any pets,” she admitted, looking a little bummed out over the fact. “We always wanted to keep one, but Mother always said no. I wonder why...” Cinque’s thoughts lingered upon the thought for several moments before eventually dimissing it with a shrug.

She fed herself the last bite of her meal, picking up her napkin to wipe her mouth. A satisfied sigh came from the small girl as she her stomach pat. 

“Ugh, Cinquey’s fuuuuuullllll.”

[machinan-blog]

He watched her dart from place to place, and he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. This girl literally had no attention span. Machina stared at his food for a moment before digging in; he was hungrier than he thought.

“Doctor Arecia makes food for you?” He tried to picture the enigmatic doctor with an apron and oven mitts, and he suppressed a snort. His expression faltered, however, when Cinque mentioned being an orphan.

“I don’t remember much about my parents either.” He frowned, staring down at his food. “I think…I saw my mom die. I remember hiding somewhere, with Rem, just as the Empire stormed into our village. I remember someone telling me that I had to protect Rem…and then I heard a gunshot.” He blinked and furrowed his brow. “After that…it was like someone turned off a switch. I suddenly couldn’t remember her…or even what she looked like.” Realizing how depressing he must have sounded, he awkwardly cleared his throat. “But hey - you still have a mom, and you’ve got all those brothers and sisters. I’m sure you never get lonely.”

When Cinque asked if he had any chocobos, his chest suddenly began to feel heavy…like he was about to cry. “Chocobos…” He raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering if he actually owned any. “For some reason, I want to say yes…but I don’t remember owning any.”

[destructiveditz]

“Mmmhmm!” she replied, mouth filled with beef and potatoes. Cinque swallowed the bite she had taken, smiling at Machina. “This is really good! Not as good as Mother’s but it’s close!” Eagerly, she took another bite, satiating the hungry pangs coming from her stomach. 

Her expression softened, however, when she learned the tragic tale of Machina’s village and losing his mother. With a slight grimace, she extended her hand and rested it upon the other cadet’s forearm, in an attempt to try and offer some comfort. “Cinquey’s lucky she has Mother and the rest of Class Zero,” she began, looking down at her plate. “But, Machy has Remski! You can lean on her...a-and me, too, even though you haven’t known Cinquey for very long.” Her eyes shyly looked back up at Machina, her cheeks flushed ever so slightly before quickly moving her hand back and shoving another fork-full of beef and potatoes into her mouth. 

“Maybe you had chocobos growing up?” Cinque queried with a blink, tilting her head to the side. “The Crystal probably made you forget them.”