Even's usual aloof expression was softened by a slight, almost courteous smile as he approached. Helios kept his posure, bowing his head slightly. “Good day, Sir Even,” Helios said, his tone polite. “I was actually just looking for some friends to help me find Cid’s pce. Merliioned he wanted me to meet him, but… I’m not sure where he lives.”
Even chuckled softly, an oddly restrained sound. “Cid doesly have a home address that he shares. He tends to set up his workspace wherever he sees fit. At the moment, he’s andeered a small workshop not far from the city’s outskirts.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “I could guide you there myself. It’s along the path I was headed on, in fact.”
Though Helios hesitated, aware of the potential dangers of spending too much time aloh Even, he couldn’t turn down such a straightforward offer. “Thank you, Sir. I’d appreciate that.”
They walked side by side through Radiant Garden’s winding paths, which grew quieter as they moved toward the city’s edge. Even maintained a dignified pace, his steps measured and his eyes everything around them with a critical, calg gaze.
“So, Helios,” Even started, his tone casual yet probing. “Tell me, how are you finding Radiant Garden? Adjusting well, I hope?”
Helios kept his response cautious, as always. “It’s a beautiful pce. I’ve been weled warmly, which has been… more than I expected.”
Even nodded, his expression impassive. “Radiant Garden is a bea, in some ways,” he said, more to himself. “A city brimming with light… even if it has its fair share of shadows.”
They reached a cobbled path lined with modest homes and workshops, and Even motiooward one of the rgest buildings, its walls covered in ivy and its door slightly ajar. “Cid should be inside,” Even said, gesturing toward the workshop. “Please, go on in. I’d love to stay and chat further, but I have my own duties to attend to.”
Helios ined his head in thanks. “Thank you for your help, Sir Even.”
With that, Eve, striding down the cobbled path with his usual air of detached curiosity. Helios watched him go, his mind rag. Even’s veiled curiosity was almost uling—there was something more to his ihat Helios couldn’t yet pinpoint. Shaking off the feeling, Helios pushed open the door to Cid’s workshop.
The spaside was cluttered but funal, a chaotic mix of tools, gears, and what Helios guessed were spare gummi ship parts scattered across the tables and shelves. Cid was hunched over a particurly plicated-looking device, his goggles pulled over his eyes as he squi a small, sparking wire.
“Hello, Sir Cid,” Helios greeted, making his way through the maze of maery.
Cid looked up, lifting his goggles with an exaggerated grin. “Ah, there’s my helper! Good, ’cause I’m gonna need all the extra hands I get today. Also, drop the polite talk kid just call me Cid.” He motioned Helios over to a desk piled high with parts. “See that over there? That’s the start of a prototype engine I’ve been workin’ on for a new gummi ship model. Thought I could use a sed set of hands to get it up and running.”
Helios eyed the various bits and pieces, an array of metal pos that looked both fn and fasating. Though he had little experieh maes, he’d always been ied in learning.
“Sure, I’d be happy to help. Where do you wao start?” he asked.
Cid handed him a small wrend a handful of bolts. “Here—take these. We’re gonna start by attag this der to the main frame.” He gestured to a piece of equipment that looked like a turbis metal surface gleaming in the dim workshop light.
They worked in fortable silence for a while, Cid giving Helios guidance as they went along. Though unfamiliar with the work, Helios found himself quickly adapting, his hands growing steady as he tightened bolts and secured parts. The occasional spark flickered between them as they assembled each piece, bringing the maery to life.
As they worked, Cid suddenly spoke up, his voicharacteristically subdued. “So… word’s gettin’ around about you, kid.”
Helios g Cid, keeping his expressioral. “Oh? What sort of word?”
“Mostly folks just curious about the new face around here. But… Even’s been asking questions,” Cid said, his voice ced with a hint of caution. “He’s the type who gets real ied in anything that’s even a little out of the ordinary. Not a good thing to have that one’s eye on you.”
Helios tightehe bolt he was w on, sidering Cid’s words carefully. “He did seem… curious when we spoke earlier.”
odded, a grim liling on his mouth. “That he is. Even’s a brilliant stist, but he’s got a mind that won’t rest till it’s poked and prodded at every mystery it finds. Just be careful around him. He doesn’t always have people’s best is at heart, if you catch my drift.”
Helios met Cid’s gaze, feeling a surge of gratitude for the man’s . “Thanks for the warning, Cid. I’ll keep that in mind.”
They tinued w, the rhythmig of metal and the hiss of maery filling the room. After a while, Cid stepped back, admiring their progress with a proud nod.
“There we go! Not bad for a day’s work,” he said, wiping his hands on a rag. “With any luck, this baby’ll be ready for a test run soon.”
Helios grinned, feeling a sense of satisfa from the day’s work. “I’m looking forward to seeing it in a. So you never expined what a Gummi Ship is or what it does.”
Although Helios obviously knew what a Gummi Ship was he couldn’t have Cid or anyone else w why he didn’t hing expined.
Cid’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he leaned back, clearly pleased to expin. “Gummi Ships are somethin’ special, kid. They’re not just any regur ships—they’re built from these rare, magical Gummi Blocks that let you fly between worlds. Yep, you heard right, between worlds. Apparently, Ahe Wise got it from a friend, some explorer. He tried it, and it sent him somepce far off, but the thing is, he couldn’t steer it. So he gave Ahe Wise another piece so he came to me and asked if I could make the idea practical, something ya could actually pilot, and I thought—why not make it into a proper ship? That way, you decide where yoing, not just get tossed around.”
Helios leaned forward, pying the part of a curious newer. “So once you get it w, people could really… visit other worlds?”
“Exactly,” Cid replied, nodding. “Most folks here think all that exists is Radiant Garden. If they knew how vast things really were, they’d probably be in shock. The Gummi Ship is our way to break those barriers. But let me tell ya, it’s no simple feat. The energy aloo power somethin’ like this is almost beyond what we have.”
“So how close are you to getting it funal?” Helios asked, keeping his tone casual, though the prospect of inter-world travel intrigued him.
Cid chuckled, scratg his head. “That’s the thing, kid. We’re close, but it’s the fiuning that’s tricky. Just o make sure it doesn’t shake apart mid-flight or crash into somethin’ we’d rather avoid. I tell ya, building a ship to travel the stars ain’t no walk in the park.”
Helios nodded, abs Cid’s enthusiasm. He khat wheime came, having access to a Gummi Ship might be crucial. Cid’s project would be very crucial to the main story. When Xehanort starts crating the emblem heartless and Malefit es to tak over Leon’s group piled in Cid's Gummi Ship and ran away to Traverse Town. But Cid’s genuiement made Helios almost made him want to warn the guy and fet his rger mission for a moment.
The rest of the afternoon passed with Cid expining the teical aspects of Gummi Ships and their underlying meics, his knowledge vast and his passion unmistakable. Helios learned a lot, not just about the Gummi teology, but also about Cid’s programming skills as he showed him the g he used with the ship and answered any question Helios had on the issue. When they finally ed up, Helios felt a deeper respect for Cid’s work and a newfound appreciation for the man’s dream of seeing worlds. Before his memories awakened as a kid he had wao travel through space.
“Alright, kid,” Cid said, g him on the back. “Thanks for the help today. And remember, keep a. If you’re ever in need of a pce to go, just swing on by here.”
“Will do, Cid,” Helios replied with a genuine smile. “And I’ll definitely want to see how the Gummi Ship turns out.”
