"Cloud?" Aeris called as she nudged the door open. No response and no one in sight. She stepped into the room and jumped as a loud creak split the air. In her panic she slammed the door against the wall. One of the windows flickered white for a second and a roll of thunder sounded somewhere above her. No sign of Cloud, Barret or Cait Sith. Disappointing. She glanced at the door. Likely there was a new hole in the wall of the Ghost Hotel thanks to her. Aeris pulled the door towards her and peeked behind it. A slight dent in the wall; hopefully no one would notice. Best to make sure though. Was there something to shuffle or lean in front of the damage? Nothing obvious - aside from maybe that lamp.

She pushed the door to and stopped as it creaked again. Wait. The creak had clearly not come from the hinges. Aeris frowned and opened the door slowly. The sound seemed to be coming from an almost concealed speaker set into the wall. She moved the door back and forth a few times and produced a succession of loud, identical creaks each time the door reached a certain position. Were only some rooms set up like this, or was hers broken?

Pushing the door all the way open caused another flash of lightning and a new rumble of thunder. Aeris frowned and ventured over to the only window seemingly affected by the weather. She peered closer. It was fake; the view of the surrounding graveyard offered was nothing more than a slightly blurred photograph. The rumble of thunder faded away leaving the faint sound rain and dripping water in it's wake. They were really doing a good job with the atmosphere here, gimmicky as it was. Aeris sighed. As much fun as the design of the room was, it did not quite make up for her oh so cunning date plan falling at the first hurdle; namely actually asking the other person out. Perhaps it would be better to just wait until this whole thing with the Black Materia was over? Maybe.

Aeris headed back to the door, now intent on seeing what she could distract herself with in the Gold Saucer for the rest of the evening - she might run into one of the others along the way for company. The muted, but still clearly audible splash from the bathroom made her pause. Unless giving the impression of some aquatic horror emerging in the bathroom was on the same level as thunder and creaking hinges, it was unlikely to be part of the room's atmosphere. The faint sound of what seemed like rain and dripping water stopped - had that been the shower? The light was on in the bathroom, the door not quite closed; steam drifted through the gap. It could be Barret of course. Or Cait Sith- Aeris blinked and shook her head. Why would a robot take a bath?

Fifty-fifty then; Barret or Cloud. Her seemingly foiled plan was now back on the table. Aeris tip-toed across the carpet with slow, careful steps, the deep plush muffling her movements. For all the other enhancements, the hotel was curiously lacking in creaky floorboards. She grinned at the memory; Cloud trying to sneak out of her house in the early hours of the morning and treading on one of the many warped boards in the hallway.

Aeris took a deep breath and peered through the gap, her eyes widening at the sight. Cloud was leaning back in the large, square bath as water dripped down from his slicked-back blonde spikes and pooled on the floor. He looked something close to contented, facing the door with his eyes closed and his posture relaxed, his legs spread. And of course he was not wearing a thing; Aeris swallowed awkwardly.

Various old injuries marred his otherwise perfect skin. The worst was a large, ugly scar in his shoulder; she had missed that one before. Had he hidden it from her while dressing in Wall Market? Perhaps. But what could have possibly caused such an injury but not proven fatal? Aeris shook her head. As much as Cloud was wonderful to stare at, the best thing to do would be to leave and let him relax. The date could wait. Shame; it would have been nice to go around the Gold Saucer with him, go on some rides, wrap her arms around Cloud much later on, kiss him and see where things went. She might have even suggested going back to his room, and now having a bath together seemed a tempting inclusion to proceedings.

Well, she did not have to give up on her plan - not if she did not want to. There was even a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the inside of the door. Another second of debate and Aeris moved to hang the card on the outside and push the door fully closed. Raiding the mini-bar in any other inn ran the risk of bankruptcy, but here Cait Sith should be either picking up the tab or at least would be able to do something about the disproportionate costs. Either way, she was not going to let such a minor detail stop her now as she plucked two tiny bottles of wine from the fridge. There were better wines, better settings and better timings but in the end this would do just fine. Aeris nudged the bathroom door open with her foot. Cloud opened his eyes and sat up startled.

"Aeris!" His hands covered his groin as he blinked at her, his cheeks reddening at her approach. "D-did you want something?" His voice sounded slightly strangled.

"I was just passing and I had a thought," she said, letting her gaze drift from his eyes to his neck, his chest and lower to where his hands currently converged. She met his gaze again. "I wondered if you might like the date I owed you?"

"Oh," Cloud said. "Sure. Um." He glanced around helplessly. "Just let me get dressed and we can go wherever you want."

"No need to get dressed," Aeris replied and took two of the three plastic glasses from the sink. "We can just have a drink here. I don't mind." She shrugged her bolero jacket from her shoulders.

"If that's what you want," Cloud said unsure of himself.

"It is," Aeris replied as she slowly and deliberately undid the top two buttons of her dress. Cloud's eyes widened as she took hold of her dress and pulled it over her head. He looked away - his cheeks flushing a deeper red - as she dropped the garment behind her. "And it's been too long since I last had a bath," she added as she undid her bra and added it to the rumpled pile on the floor. Cloud chanced another look and returned his attention hurriedly to the water. "Could you please pour the wine?" Aeris asked as she slipped her underwear and socks off.

"Sure," Cloud said, his hands trembling as he unscrewed the first bottle and half-filled the first glass with the wine. He held it up, only looking up at her when she did not immediately take it. She ignored the glass for now, preferring to watch as his mouth fell open. He looked away and she took the opportunity to step into the bath at the opposite end to him and sit down.

The bath was gloriously, wonderfully hot; she could not have stopped the moan of appreciation even if she had wanted to. Water sloshed over the edge of the bath as she sat down; the resulting wave took one of the plastic tumblers with it and unbalanced the second wine bottle. It fell to the floor with a loud clink and Cloud peered after it. "Didn't break. But we only have one cup now."

"It's fine," Aeris said and took the open bottle from his hand. "I'll just have to drink straight from this." Cloud hastily took a sip from the glass he held and chanced quick, furtive glances at her as she took a long swig. She smiled at him. "I won't bite, you know," she added.

"I didn't think you would. It's just you, um-"

"Surprised you?" Aeris asked. Cloud nodded, his gaze carefully focused on the door. His hands no longer covered his crotch and her lack of clothes did seem to have had rather an interesting effect on his anatomy. "We have the room all to ourselves - just the two of us, undisturbed." She took another swig. "Do you mind?"

Cloud glanced at her and then immediately down at the water again. He seemed to notice his body's reaction and drew his legs up to cover himself. "No. I don't mind at all," he said quietly.

"But you seem tense," Aeris countered, enjoying the light teasing. "Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"A little," Cloud admitted.

Aeris let out an exaggerated sigh. "I guess I should leave you to your bath in peace then-" She put the bottle down and gripped the sides of the tub-

"No," Cloud said quickly and loudly as she started to stand. "I mean," he continued in a quieter voice when she paused. "I was just a bit surprised, but-" He swallowed hastily. "I do like this. Please. Stay."

Aeris stayed on her haunches and kept her face carefully neutral. Cloud's gaze threatened to slide down to her chest as much as he earnestly tried to stay focused on her eyes. She took another swig from her bottle, and smiled at him. "I gladly accept your invitation." Cloud frowned as Aeris shuffled forward, one leg carefully placed between his, her knee brushing against him. "Might I suggest a few ideas on what we can do to pass the time while we're here like this? If you're interested of course," she murmured as she leant towards him.

Cloud stared up into her eyes, his breathing fast. "What did you have in mind?" he whispered. She smiled and kissed him.