It had started off the same as any other night, really. Me serving drinks to a group of inebriated misfits had become my 'trade-thing' as of late. Although it had to be said that the little bar was doing well. People came from far and wide, dropping into Kalm (which was a rather long drop) simply because of the extraordinary cocktails that we served. To me making them, they didn't taste that spectacular, but I suppose years of serving alcohol had begun to take their toll. It was odd that I was here, serving up drinks which I normally wouldn't ever think of drinking myself, but if these people wanted to drink themselves silly, then that was their problem. The new bar had fast become one of the most popular throughout the lands.
So, naturally, but probably rather foolishly, I hadn't expected anything out of the ordinary to occur. The usual serving up drinks, the usual males offering drunken comments to 'dish them up drinks in a more private place' and the like. Normally, this would never have happened, if Cloud was here. However, Cloud wasn't here. He had left several days ago to hunt down the monsters around the area. Recently, there had been problems with wild monsters hunting down the chocobos at the ranch not too far away. And what better person to dispose of them then one of the former AVALANCHE members, one of those credited with saving the world? Granted, the enemies around here weren't overly strong, but nobody seemed to realise that. And, good Shiva, it was a nice income as well.
As I finish serving the last drink on my tray to the man sitting (or should I say balancing precariously) on his chair, the door suddenly bangs open, hitting the wall with the sheer force used to open it. A tall man steps into the bar, sitting down on the furthest bar stool away from the rest of the customers, and promptly orders some strong whiskey. Slightly surprised, I serve him the drink anyway. Perhaps he was already drunk? I hardly knew of any people that could drink a full serving of whiskey as strong as I had served him. He nodded in thanks, before downing the entire glass without so much as a cough or gasp. Briefly wondering who he was, I hesitated. When he looked up, however, I was the one to gasp. The telltale eerie scarlet glow was a dead giveaway.
"Vincent? What are you doing here?" I asked, too shocked to conceal my surprise. He looked at me, almost as if he was pondering a response, before shrugging nonchalantly. Then I noticed why I didn't recognise him immediately, with the absence of the crimson cloak that was usually there, it made him look a lot different. Currently he was dressed in black pants and top, with a long black leather coat, unruly hair tied up in a ponytail, but held back with an equally black bandanna. It was an understatement to say that he looked monochromatic. Only the crimson glow of his eyes and the shining gold of his prosthetic claw which caught the light occasionally were any change to the neutral appearance.
"Another, please?" he asks in his ever neutral voice. It would surprise me greatly if he was ever anything but neutral. Even still, it is my job as the bar hostess to serve him drinks, no matter who he is. He passes me money for the two drinks as I serve him more whiskey, which he drinks gratefully. I am about to ask him a question but am interrupted by a sudden noise of yelling between two of the customers. One of my usual customers has tried to order an occasional customer out of his seat, with the latter rather reluctant to the idea. Leaving Vincent to his own devices, I sigh before going over there to break up the potential fight.
"Please, gentlemen. If you continue acting with this behaviour then I am afraid that I will have to ask you to leave," I smile my best professional bar-hostess smile, although in no mood to smile. Dazzling as a light bulb it is, but lacks any meaning whatsoever. Perfect for business. The occasional customer turns to me, anger visible in those bloodshot irises of his, before pulling out a flick-knife. Truth be told, nothing has ever managed to get that ugly in this bar or my previous one in Midgar, so it comes totally by surprise. Of course, I didn't bring my gloves for a harmless night of bartending. Who would have thought that it would come to something like this?
Finally! A new Final Fantasy 7 story! Have you guessed the couple yet? *Winks* (Yeah, I know it's obvious…) Anyway, I'm experimenting with couples right now and this story idea just came to me… hope it's original (or as original as it can be with so many FFVII stories) and you enjoy it! Reviews are always welcome! :)