Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor do I own Teavana Co.

--

Vincent locked the door and closed his bookstore for the night. In his small kitchen, he had water boiling in a teakettle. A headless porcelain teapot sat on the counter next to the stove with a generous but careful amount of Darjeeling inside. The bag he bought from Tifa's was safely put away in the pantry.

The teakettle began to whistle, but Vincent waited another minute before turning the stove off. He carefully poured the water in and put the top back on with a gentle clank. The smell of the tea was intoxicating.

Vincent heard the bell toll at his front door, the entrance to his shop. But he could've sworn that it was locked it! He rushed through the door of his kitchen and back to the entrance, but he saw no one. And yet, someone was…

He turned on the main light, and tall bookshelves appeared from the darkness. By the corner of the shop there was a large window, covered by dark purple curtains. At the window, there was a small couch, an armchair, and a round table with a lamp, all dark brown. It was meant for lingering customers.

Vincent saw something move at the corner of his eye and turned abruptly. No one was there. He headed towards his bookshelves and looked between them carefully. No trespassers. Vincent frowned irritably.

"I know you're here!" he announced. "So you might as well show yourself!"

No answer. Vincent sighed and turned away from the bookshelves, only to jump in startled surprise. A man had suddenly appeared, now sitting on armchair by the window. He sat there with his arms folded on his lap, eyes glued onto the shopkeeper. He didn't appear to be a thief or anything of a sinister nature, even though he wore all black.

Vincent recognized the man and recovered himself. He grunted in exasperation and leaned on a bookshelf.

"What are you doing here?" Vincent asked bluntly.

"Is that any way to greet a friend?" the man replied, with another question.

"Are you my friend?"

The man shrugged his shoulders. "I always thought I was."

Vincent refused to smile and headed for the kitchen. The man rose from the chair gracefully and followed, much to Vincent's annoyance.

"What are you doing?" the man asked curiously.

"Making tea," Vincent answered. "Now go away!"

"May I try some?"

"What?"

"I've never had tea before. May a try some?"

Vincent felt his temper rising, but out of politeness, he nodded and made his "guest" wait outside the kitchen. He waited quietly for the tea to steep and tried to pretend he was alone again. It was no use. He could feel the man sitting outside in that dark colored armchair, staring at his precious bookstore, invading his space so suddenly. As soon as the tea was done, he poured it quickly and rushed out the kitchen with teacups in both hands.

His guest had taken the liberty of picking out a book and read it curiously. Vincent felt his temper flaring up again.

"That's merchandise," he said.

"Merchandise?" the man asked. "You mean something that it bought?"

"This is a store," Vincent revealed. "You browse a book…you buy it…and then you read the whole thing…"

The man closed the book and put it on the table with the lamp.

"But what happens when you finish it?"

"You put it on your own shelf…you might want to read it again…"

"Why would you want to read a book you've already read?" the man questioned.

"Because you liked it."

"What does liking it have to do with anything?"

Vincent thrust a teacup into his guest's hands, and the tea almost spilled. Vincent sat down on the couch. The man slowly put the cup to his lips and jerked his head back.

"It's hot!" the man cried in surprise. "Does it have to be like this?"

"It can be cold too," Vincent replied. "But you don't drink cold tea in the winter."

"Where did you get it?"

"I bought it from a teashop."

"You have to buy that too?"

Vincent slammed his teacup on the table and stood up.

"What are you trying to do?!"

"Why are you being so hostile?" the man asked with a chuckle. "I was only asking questions."

"What did you come for?!"

"Just to have a look. It's not fair, you know. You're having all the fun in this town, and never once did you invite me! I feel betrayed…"

"What did you really come for?!"

"To have a look."

"At what?!"

"At whatever you've been doing…"

"I don't believe you!"

"Have I ever lied to you before?"

The man could see Vincent's face grow red. Vincent trudged to the front door, now unlocked and pointed to it

"The door is here!" he shouted. "Now, beat it!"

"I haven't finished my tea," the man replied. "And I don't feel like leaving."

"Get out!"

"But why? Aren't we friends?"

"I can't trust in you anymore!"

"Am I asking you to trust me?"

Vincent froze in thought. The man inched his way back to the teacup and took a small sip. He lightly smacked his lips and bobbed his head up and down.

"Tastes healthy," the man replied. "But you'd have to acquire a taste for it."

"What do you mean you're not asking me to trust you?"

The man took a braver sip and set it next to the other teacup on the table.

"Let me work for you in this shop," the man said.

"I don't need help," Vincent answered.

"Many of your books are not in alphabetical order," the man answered. "And some are in the wrong genre. I'll keep it organized for you."

"And then what?"

"Then you can decide what I'm here for. And if I cause any trouble, feel free to throw me out."

The man stretched his hand out towards Vincent, as if wanting to shake hands.

"So? Do we have a deal?"

Vincent hesitated to answer. He examined the man's face and saw no traces of insincerity. The memory of their past came to him. The man waited in anticipation. Vincent sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You need a name."

--

For the past three days, Tifa had said nothing about the doctor's last visit. Neither did Cloud. Yuffie was still left clueless and oblivious, as her usual nature dictated.

Tifa woke up early and dressed at five-thirty, only to find that Cloud had woken up earlier. When she peaked through the door of her kitchen, he was already boiling water and had taken two tins from her shelf, now sitting opened on the kitchen counter. Without turning his head, he gave her a cheery good morning and she came in.

"I really would like it if you didn't touch my teas without permission," Tifa scolded.

"Sorry…I'll ask next time."

Tifa read the tin labels: Maté Vana and Rooibos Chai respectively. There was a small container behind them. Cloud scooped two doses of each tea into the container, closed the container up, and shook it vigorously. Tifa gaped in surprise.

"What on earth are you doing?" she asked.

"You'll see," Cloud replied.

He opened the container and urged her to smell it. The results: an energizing, spicy aromatherapy that Tifa had never experienced before.

"Gracious!" she cried. "How did you…"

"I followed my nose," he answered. "That's all."

"But you need head knowledge too," Tifa argued.

"You need more than head knowledge," Cloud replied. "You need a good set of nose and taste-buds."

The water came to a boil and the kettle whistled. Tifa retrieved it and turned off the stove. She carried the kettle to the sink. Cloud dumped the odd tea mixture into the teapot and put on the screen. He followed her with the teapot and set it inside the sink. He took the kettle from her and poured.

"You have four different kinds of milk," Cloud said. "Get out your favorite."

"Honey or sugar cane?" Tifa asked. Cloud could sense the skepticism in her voice.

"Honey brings it out more," he replied. "And don't worry. I'm very, very good at this."

He closed the teapot and looked at his watch. "Give it five minutes."

Cloud turned and saw Tifa holding out a carton of half-and-half. "I'm not worried."

Tifa gave him a friendly wink and went for the honey. Cloud sat down at the table. She set the honey on the counter and joined him.

"There's been something on your mind?" Cloud asked.

"No!" Tifa replied quickly.

Cloud mentally bored into her with his eyes. Tifa groaned and gave in.

"I know an ounce of tea, but I don't know an ounce of Latin," Tifa confessed. "What does 'quidam' mean?"

"Nameless," Cloud answered. "Or 'nameless passerby' to be more specific. Unless you prefer 'unidentified'."

Tifa glowered for a moment and stared at her hands on the table.

"They all sound pretty lonely to me," she replied.

"Nah!" Cloud replied. "Actually, there's a whole lot of 'nameless' people from where I come from. Towns of us…cities of us…in fact, you could say that there's a whole world of us…"

"And what exactly is supposed happen now?"

"After what?"

"After you've come to live here?

Cloud shrugged and checked his watch. Three minutes to go…and not enough time.

"Good things will happen," Cloud responded carefully. "Many good things…wrongs will be righted…people will live happy lives…those sort of things…of course, that's not completely general…but things will get better around here."

"Because you're here now?"

"I guess so…but I won't puff up my chest about it…"

For some reason, Tifa smiled and believed him. It was going to be a good day today, and she could smell it from the tea. It was cold, but she was feeling warm. She had few friends, but she wasn't alone. She was an outcast, but she felt as free as a bird.

"Actually, I'm not the only nameless passerby who left my 'village'…"

Tifa felt her back tense. "More of you are coming?"

"No," Cloud answered. "They're all going to find their own villages…and their own towns…the rest will even leave the mountain and go into the cities. One person per area."

"But why?"

"To make good things happen."

"But why do you have to do it? Why not someone else?"

"Because no else is supposed to do it but us…that's the way it is."

Tifa checked her watch as well. Still not ready.

"But my job doesn't come without its… hazards. You'd imagine that people would want me to come, right?"

Tifa gave him a half smile, not quite sure how to answer him. Sure, lots of people want lots of luck, unless they were a masochist. But no one but her—or perhaps Dr. Hojo—would possibly believe that strange men came to town as human good luck charms. Of course, if that's the name for it.

"I'd suppose so," Tifa replied carefully. "Why?"

"Think about it for a while," Cloud said. "It'll come to you."

He checked his watch again and nodded. The smell of the tea, though strong, lightly permeated the room. Cloud got up and walked over to where Tifa was sitting. He offered his hand to her and said:

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Tifa smiled in a twisted, charming way and gingerly laid her hand on his. She stood up quickly and let him lead her to the counter. He poured the tea for her, and put it in her hands, and as she lifted the teacup, he covered her eyes with his hands. She giggled in surprise.

"What about the honey and milk?"

"Try it first, lovely…"

Tifa felt the flush on her face again. She put the cup to her nose first and took a generous sniff. The effects almost made her drop it to the floor. She grinned in excitement, and with great courage, she sipped heaven out of teacup.

"Maté Vana never did that," Tifa muttered. "Mmmmmmm."

Cloud removed his hands. She took another whiff of it and a pleasant feeling went down her spine. If the tea was that good already, she could only imagine what it was like with milk and honey!

"Cloud…teach me?"

--

Yuffie was thankful that Tifa had given her a spare key. December weather got colder by the day, and it was one awful wait after a knock at the door. She ran to the back door, holding her hat down on her head. She pulled out her key from her coat and stuck it into the lock. As she cracked the door open, Yuffie could hear laughter coming from the kitchen.

"This one smells a bit funny," Tifa complained. "But I absolutely love the flavor—Maté Vana and…that new one I got from my source...I keep forgetting the name…"

"Cloud 9 Rooibos," Cloud replied with a snicker.

"No, it is not named after you. You're last name is Strife…not 9."

Yuffie stayed behind the crack door and listened, despite the cold. Tifa was putting her black kettle back on the stove to re-boil the water. The door towards the shop was half open. Cloud came through it with another tin and sat it down on the counter.

"Is that another red tea?" Tifa asked. "Do matés only go well with red teas?"

"Some white and black teas do fine," Cloud replied. "Some herbal infusions and oolongs too. By the way, do you say oolong or wu-long?"

"Oolong," Tifa said. "Which red tea did you get?"

"The Rooibos Caramel Créme…and tomorrow, I have three more ideas…or maybe four…"

Tifa pouted her lip and frowned. "Why not today?"

Cloud gave her a disbelieving look, as if she had spoken pure ludicrousness. Tifa stopped and scolded herself with a slap on the forehead.

"I forgot!" Tifa whined. "Maté is a hunger suppressant! How'll we eat lunch?"

"We could have a late lunch," Cloud answered sympathetically. "At three perhaps?"

"With a non-caffeinated tea," Tifa warned. "Those are dangerous after three…you'll never sleep at night."

Tifa opened up the tea he had brought in and prepared the next blend. Yuffie was beginning to freeze outside, but she couldn't resist.

"Maybe," Cloud said (after a bit of thinking), "I could try another one I thought of…"

"Non-caffeinated!" she reminded.

"I heard the first time…"

"So which ones are you using?" she asked curiously.

Cloud gave her a furtive smirk and said nothing. Tifa waited for a moment, but Cloud began to walk out of the kitchen. She caught him by the arm before he could get away.

"Aren't you going to tell me?" Tifa asked.

"It's a surprise," Cloud replied simply.

"Tell me!"

"No."

Tifa growled and held back a tantrum. Her maturity wouldn't allow her to do anymore. Cloud enjoyed every second of it. He put his hand on her shoulder and patted it.

"Just trust me," Cloud replied. "If I told you, you'd think I've gone mad."

Tifa folded her arms and jerked her head away from him.

"Alright," she muttered. "But I get to pick the next time…and I'll be nice enough to tell you…Haute Chocolate and Almond Biscotti…"

"A red tea and flavored black tea," Cloud said. "But why not Pistachio Apple Pie and Haute Chocolate?"

"Two red teas?" Tifa asked.

Cloud nodded confidently. Tifa thought for a moment, and something came to her. She gasped and grabbed his arms to draw him close.

"Pistachio Apple Pie with Almond Biscotti!"

"Why not all three?" Cloud asked.

"You can do three? Oh, why course we can. If you can use two…why not three?"

"But never do four. That's just overdoing it."

Cloud leaned slightly and finally noticed Yuffie at the door. Tifa saw that his eyes were looking elsewhere and turned to see her as well. Yuffie blushed in embarrassment and knocked at the door, announcing her "recent" arrival.

"Yuffie, you're early!" Tifa cried.

"It's seven," Yuffie replied.

Tifa glanced at her watch and laughed at herself.

"I lost track of time," she decided. "I'll go turn the closed sign to open. Put on your apron, Yuffie."

Tifa walked out of the kitchen with her heels clicking all the way. Yuffie felt that she was at Cloud's mercy and shrank before him. But Cloud reached for a cup and poured in a blended tea for her. She accepted it graciously.

"Had a good time outside?" Cloud teased.

"Why isn't she mad at me?" Yuffie asked.

"Because she has nothing to hide from you."

--

The oven was hot with wheat loaves baking, and Tseng wouldn't allow it. He absolutely wouldn't allow it. Not now and not ever again! Reno and Rude grimaced underneath their boss as he kept his hawk eyes on them.

Reno busied himself mixing pumpkin bread ingredients into a large bowl. Over the years, he developed a strong wrist, and the mix went round and round like butter in a churn. The vigor he put in it this morning was not a result of enthusiasm. There was no joy on his face.

Rude, silent and taciturn, was making sugar cookies. All of his holiday cookie cutters were before him: angels, bells, Christmas trees, etc. He pressed them in, one by one, and pulled them up gently. He pressed them out onto the non-stick pan and smoothed them out with his flour-laden fingers.

"It's our morning routine!" Reno protested. "Just ten minutes! Why are you so uptight about it?"

"Because you burnt a whole batch of French bread yesterday!" Tseng answered.

"You took it out of our wages," Reno recalled. "And we said we were sorry!"

"You can go to Tifa's on your lunch break from now on! Now get back to work!"

Tseng left the baking room in a huff, while Reno muttered under his breath. Rude tended to his dainty cookies without interruption. A smile was on his face.

--

Zack walked casually down the street. It was nearly midday, and all the shopkeepers were preparing to close up for lunch, except for the restaurants, pubs, and one simple bakery. He disliked the snow. It made his boots unstable and wet, and it made the world seem much colder than it actually was. He preferred spring and summer.

The Gainsborough Floral Shoppe was up ahead, and he went inside to see if his girlfriend was there. The bell sounded his entrance. Aerith was not at the counter, so he figured that she was down in the underground cellar. He leaned on the counter and waited, supposedly because he did not want to bother her.

Her small feet could be heard faintly, and she came up the stairs, dying her hands with a towel. Aerith saw her boyfriend waiting for her, and she quickened her steps. Aerith wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on both cheeks.

"I haven't seen you in two days," she said. "How's your father?"

"Not too good," Zack replied. "His ulcer's rather bad, but Dr. Hojo says that with a little bed rest and quiet, he'll be fine."

"Doctors aren't psychic," Aerith warned.

"But they are reliable."

Aerith raised her arm like a flag and handed him a flower that was growing in her cellar. He picked it from her fingers with his gloved hands and looked at it for a moment. He placed it on the counter.

"I want to put it on your coat," Aerith insisted.

"Nah," Zack replied. "I don't look good with pinned flowers. Are we going to lunch?"

Aerith nodded and turned around, urging him to untie her apron strings. Zack had thick fingers and short nails, so he found it difficult to undo the strong knot. Aerith waited patiently and tolerantly.

"By the way," Zack said. "Would you mind going to the teashop with me."

Aerith took a steady gulp. "What for?"

"I didn't go this morning," Zack replied. "Reno and Rude never showed up, so I never went…I thought we'd go together and have it with lunch…"

"I…sure! I don't mind."

The strings finally came down, and Aerith put her apron on the counter. She took her keys from a drawer at her counter. Zack grabbed her coat and scarf from the rack and helped her put them on.

"I heard another rumor about her," Aerith said. "Some say that…"

"Leave the poor girl alone," Zack interrupted. "Why are you so hung up on her?"

Aerith shrugged innocently and put on her mittens.

"Stay away from that Scarlet woman," Zack commanded. "She's feeding you nonsense."