Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 3: Pursuit

THIRTY-THREE

Esther led Cloud and I over to an elevator on one side of the Gold Saucer's thick trunk, keeping a wary eye on the inmates as she did. But word of Dyne's fall must've already spread through the prison, because nobody tried anything. The elevator wasn't far from the trailer, which I was glad for, and I wasn't the only one. Esther's nervous gaze drifted to the inmates wandering around the yard as they leered hungrily at both her and me. And she had come down here to this place all by herself to help us? She was a lot braver than I thought.

"Stay close, okay?" I whispered to her. "We'll look after you."

Esther nodded. "Thanks. Most of the guys down here know I work for Dio and that he'd tear them apart if they ever... well, you know. He really has fought in a lot of battles. When he was younger, that is. He's a good guy, very protective of me. Joe is, too."

I stopped with her and Cloud by the doors. "Who's that?"

"Dio's top jockey," she smiled, her cheeks turning a little pink. "And a friend of mine. You guys'll meet him soon enough."

"A special friend?" I giggled.

Esther sighed longingly as she unlocked the elevator and motioned for us to head inside. "Not yet... I'd like that, though. He doesn't know I came down here alone—normally Dio sends a few of his guards with me just in case, but there wasn't time today, so I left without them. He's probably worried about me, but... I didn't want you to be stuck in here any longer than necessary, especially with Rufus and Heidegger leaving soon and that black-cloaked man on the loose."

"Any idea where he's headed?" Cloud wondered.

"I'm not sure," she said as we all went into the elevator. "Dio might know, but that'll have to wait until after the race. I'll talk with him after I get you guys set up and see if I can find out."

I nodded. "Thanks, Esther."

"No problem, Jessie," she replied. "Just focus on the race and leave the rest to me. And speaking of that, there are all kinds of jockeys—it's not just for getting out of prison. Some people do it for fame, others for money and glory, and others just want to have fun and compete. Kinda like you, I think. Now let's go over a few things..."

Cloud and I listened closely as Esther explained to us about racing and how it worked. The track was just a basic winding loop with one of two courses, short and long, set inside a massive holographic simulator that was used to create all sorts of colorful scenery around the racers as well as obstacles to overcome. It went all over the park, with some of it even going outdoors, where the chocobos and their riders could easily be seen from different areas of the Gold Saucer.

When we finally stepped out of the elevator a few minutes later, we found ourselves in the waiting area for the jockeys. There were several, all milling about the room or sitting at long table in the middle talking with each other and going over diagrams of the race track. Lights lined the base of the walls, and there were a few booths lined up on one side with lockers for storage. One of the jockeys was sitting nearby working on a console going over what looked like different charts listing all the different bets going on for the chocobos.

He stood up and came over to meet us when we entered the room, and I could see right away why Esther fancied him. He was young and cute, not to mention very dashing in his jockey's uniform—white pants with a deep red silk shirt, black shoes, and a matching round hat with a wide yellow band. His tousled brown hair and soft, dark eyes gave him a boyish, debonair charm, and I didn't miss how Esther ran her fingers through her fiery hair and nervously straightened the hem of her dress when she saw him walking over to greet us.

"You two must be new here, am I right?" he asked.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. We are."

"Hi, Joe," Esther smiled.