A/N: A silly idea I've had in my mind for a while now...
Summary: Edge is holding its first ever 'Beauty of the Slums' competition and both Yuffie and Marlene seem to think they've got a chance at winning – in the form of the sultry barmaid, Tifa Lockheart, that is. Post AC/DoC, hints of CloTi.
Barmaid Blues
Chapter One:
The Beauty of the Slums; Do YOU Know her?
The posters seemed to be decorating the walls of every single building in the city of Edge. Not only were they massive pieces of paper, but there would always be multiples of them posted on the same wall, enclosing as much brick and cement as possible. To miss them, and the event they were advertising, would have just been ludicrous. The entire population of Edge was familiar with them at this point and there wasn't a soul who wasn't excited about the whole thing.
However, to a certain barmaid, the advertisements served only to be a complete nuisance when they started decorating the walls of her bar and restaurant. It became part of her daily chores in the morning to step outside and inspect the exterior of her store. After she'd spot them flapping away in the wind, she'd go about eradicating them and crumpling them up into a big heap, muttering all the while under her breath. Not many things were able to burrow their way underneath her skin, but after two weeks of the nonsense, the dark haired woman was just about fed up.
Shivering and hugging the wrinkled balls of paper in her bare arms, she stepped inside of the bar with the remnants of wind still tugging at her long, chocolate tresses before the door slammed shut. The fair haired man sitting on a stool at the bar with his back to her, jerked at the sudden sound, gloved fingers grasping the handle of his infamous sword reflexively.
Cerulean eyes were turned to her, shining eerily with the glow of mako that had been infused into him in the past. Familiarity settled into his features when he recognized her, and his grip loosened in response. She stalked on past him, unfazed by his reactions and still mumbling something to herself, dark brows furrowed in agitation. His gaze followed her silently, watching as she left a wake of paper balls on the floor trailing after her. While she busied herself with getting them all into the recycling bin, he stared at the nearest crumpled up piece of paper and made to pick it up, his intention being to help her.
Curiosity got the better of him, though and instead of giving it to her, he unfolded the wrinkled paper and examined the contents of its advertisement. There was a picture of a shadow of a woman, evidently very curvaceous and blowing a kiss to no one in particular. His eyebrow shot up in question, but his eyes scanned the rest of the text:
THE SHINRA COMPANY IS HOLDING ITS FIRST ANNUAL 'BEAUTY OF THE SLUMS' COMPETITION IN THE CITY OF EDGE!
MANY BEAUTIFUL MAIDENS WILL ENTER BUT ONLY ONE WILL BE CROWNED A WINNER...
IT COULD BE YOU!
Amidst all the destruction and all the anger and hate through the course of the last few years, unhappiness has abounded. Yet, in the darkness there has been light; it comes in the form of the maiden, the true beauty of the slums.
Among all the horror, she has shone bright and true; her personality is contagious and when she smiles, the stars envy the way she sparkles.
Not only is she beautiful, she is also optimistic and a role model for everyone. All who are loved by her long to protect her, and those whom she does not know, strive for her affections. It is because she leads her life in such a way that all women are envious while the men long to be a part of it...
Someone so rare and special deserves a prize equally so.
Do you know her?
Nominations are being accepted now! Submit them via mail and see if YOU are lucky enough to know the true BEAUTY OF THE SLUMS.
Understanding his friend's plight after reading it, he squished the piece of paper in his hand and tossed it into the trash and over the bar counter, picking up his sword and organizing his delivery products right after.
"Those Turks have some kind of nerve! Here I am, giving them free drinks and being friendly and how do they repay me? By plastering my entire house with these...these...ridiculous papers!" She motioned to the garbage that was now heaping full with a legion of the aforementioned papers.
His eyes widened when he noticed them but he said nothing, knowing not how to comfort his clearly distraught housemate. The barmaid stood huffing and puffing, delicate hands placed on her hips while she glared heatedly at the trail of paper that had escaped her and now littered her bar's wooden floors. The blonde haired man swung his sword over his back and adjusted it so that it remained in place before picking up the heavy load of boxes and making his way towards the door.
"I'll see you later, Tifa." He said nonchalantly, not bothering to cast a glance at the fuming younger woman.
He would have helped her deal with the Turk problem except he was already running late with his deliveries and his set of priorities told him that Reno and Rude were something Tifa could handle all her own.
"Take care of yourself, Cloud!" She cried after him almost too late.
Just as he exited the door, an ecstatic little girl bounced down the stairs, a huge grin playing on her ribbon shaped lips and her light brown hair waving around her dainty face. She was still wearing her soft pink nightgown but the way she was almost jumping off of the walls made Tifa believe something had possessed the child.
"Mornin, Tifa!" She cried, smiling toothily up at her guardian.
After having such an unnerving morning so far, Tifa hadn't thought it possible for her to smile. And yet, upon seeing the cheery little girl so full of joy for absolutely no reason, she couldn't help but feel as if the attitude was contagious.
She returned the affection with a soft smile before replying, "Good morning, Marlene. How did you sleep last night?"
Marlene hopped up onto the bar stool where a warm breakfast awaited her. She licked her lips excitedly as she took in the sweet smell of freshly fried eggs and bacon. It was always nice whenever Cloud made some distant deliveries; he'd bring home ingredients that Edge just never really managed to have.
"Really good!" She replied with another smile.
It didn't take her long to dig into her meal, still in a chipper mood. Tifa couldn't help but feel better just by watching her eat; it was still too early to open up the bar and she normally used this free time to feed the kids (and Cloud) and set up for the usual morning rush. Her meals were starting to become quite notorious these days.
Just as she was about to start on washing the dishes, a creak echoed into the restaurant, causing both Tifa and Marlene to pause and look in the direction of the stairs where the sound had originated. A young boy with ruffled up caramel coloured hair trudged in, rubbing at his half closed eyes. Indigo blue in colour, he peered through them at the two smiling girls before him. His pajama top had found a way to spin around on him and was revealing a bit of his tummy while his pants had rolled up to reveal slender and pale ankles.
Tifa shook her head when she took sight of the boy, "Denzel! What do you do in your sleep? Take on monsters?"
Marlene giggled in response, a sweet sound that echoed through the room and made Tifa want to laugh with her. Denzel looked up at his guardian with innocent large eyes, looking bashful as her hands moved about, adjusting his clothing.
"There!" She cried victoriously, standing tall with her hands at her hips and looking down at her work.
Marlene spun around on the stool top, kicking out her short and little legs about as she did so, her cotton dress spilling around her knees. She nibbled on a piece of bacon as she observed Denzel with large hazel eyes. Noticing the food, the little boy made his way next to Marlene and took his seat, mouth watering at the sight of the warm toast, tall glass of white milk, Tifa's infamous scrambled eggs and deep fried bacon. He looked forward to the mornings if only because he was always treated to some of Tifa's lovely breakfast.
"Well don't just stare at it! Dig in! I have to open up soon." Tifa urged, glancing at the large black clock hanging on the wall, ticking each and every second away.
She sighed and went on to finish her final preparations before it was opening time. The kids played around a little but when they ate, they became seriously dedicated to the food. Soon, all Tifa would hear was the crunching of toast and the slurping of milk. She smiled to herself when she washed the licked-clean dishes before getting ready to unlock the doors. Marlene and Denzel, having finished their meals, dashed up the stairs to clean up and change as Tifa had ordered them to do.
Looking up at the clock one last time and watching as the final second ticked on by, proclaiming that it was indeed eight in the morning, Tifa sighed and made her way to the doors, where she unlocked all the bolts. She flipped the CLOSED sign to OPEN in the window and headed towards the bar counter right after. Halfway there, the expected chime of the door echoed through the room, indicating the arrival of her first customer. She rolled her eyes in response without turning to even look, knowing full well who it was that had come in...
"Mornin, sunshine!" A happy male voice boomed loudly from behind her.
"You're late this time, Reno. Don't you usually knock on my door at seven forty-five every morning?" She chided, getting herself situated behind the counter where she started working on his order already.
"Nah. Too cold today. Dontcha feel that wind? It's absolutely freezing. Don't care how pretty the woman is; nothing is worth braving that for an extra fifteen minutes." He answered, running a hand through crimson red strands of his messy hair.
"Oh, so it has nothing to do with the fact that that's when Cloud leaves, right?" She asked rather innocently.
"Of course not! Why should I care when old spikey leaves for work anyways? Psh." Reno adamantly cried.
Tifa sighed, smiling to herself as she shook her head, still fixing up Reno's breakfast order with his favourite alcoholic drink in the morning. She poured the vodka first and then followed with the orange juice and settled it next to his plate of steaming food on the counter. His face lit up like a child's when he saw it.
"Aw, Teefs! Like a kid on Christmas mornin'! Damn, you're good." He cried, taking his seat at the bar.
Tifa looked around, waiting for her next guest of honour, but when he didn't walk through the door like she was expecting, she glanced at Reno, "Where's your partner in crime?"
Too busy enjoying the amazing quality of his food, Reno barely paid any attention to the barmaid or her rather suspicious question. It took him a moment before he realized she had asked him something in the first place. With his mouth still very much full, he looked up at the brunette with devilish green eyes and gave her an honest answer before going back to work on his eggs, "Outen uuf bothterth."
Her delicate and feminine features scrunched up in disgust as pieces of egg and bacon came flying her way from Reno's already busy mouth.
"What? And this time, swallow before you answer, please." She demanded, wiping at her face in case anything had landed on her.
She cringed when her finger came away with something slimy and wet. She flicked her hand in disgust and felt the piece of food fly somewhere else. She didn't know how to feel about the fact that Reno's saliva was now marking her face and hand.
"I said, he's putting up posters." Reno clarified after swallowing a large chunk of toast, egg and bacon all in one go.
He took a swig of his spiked orange juice and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his suit jacket. When he looked up at Tifa, he noticed that her burgundy coloured eyes were trained on him in what looked like to be hatred.
He watched her expression curiously; pink lips were tightly set in a frown and her complexion was now pale, accentuating her dark eyebrows that had shot up due to the shock. He wondered if it would kill her to smile at him once in a while.
When she spoke, her voice came through gentle and soft but there was a venomous undertone to it as well, "Reno. Are you telling me Rude is putting up more of those advertisements that I'm always taking off and throwing in the trash?"
Reno's eyes traveled over to the piled up pieces of paper falling over and out of the garbage bin in the Seventh Heaven bar and restaurant.
"Ahhh, so that's where they've been going." He stated, finally figuring out what had happened to all his hard work.
Before he could say anything more, the bald Turk stepped into the bar, sunglasses and goatee still intact. Because he wore those glasses all the time, Tifa could never really tell where he was looking and it bothered her. At the same time as he had stepped inside the bar, the excited and playful cries of the kids filtered into the room as they came running down the stairs. They took Tifa's attention away from the Turk duo long enough for Rude to take his seat next to his erratic, redheaded friend.
"Denzel, Marlene, how many times have I told you not to run down those stairs? Remember what happened the last time you two did that?"
The two children immediately stopped their giggles and hung their heads low with shame as they recalled an unpleasant memory. They looked at Tifa with their large, pleading eyes and pouted innocently in her general direction. Tifa merely shook her head in response, her resolve firm and unmoving.
"Oh, no you don't. Those puppy dog looks will not work on me today." She stated.
"How come it works when Cloud does it, then?" Denzel asked.
Reno smirked while Tifa clammed up at the accusation; her cheeks became rosy with a blush and she started stammering.
"Y-You...I...Th-that..." She attempted.
"I can tell ya kids why he gets away with everything..." Reno said, a devilish grin on his face.
Tifa turned her attention to the Turks once again and glared venomously at the redhead. Marlene ran towards him, taking a seat on the empty stool beside Reno and looked up excitedly at him. Denzel followed closely behind and took his seat next to Marlene, scrutinizing the two strangers with a gaze so similar to Cloud's, one might have thought he was related to him.
"That doesn't matter! You two," Tifa started, finally finding her confidence again and pointing a single slender finger at each Turk respectively, "aren't getting off the hook at all!"
Reno pretended to be shocked while Rude adjusted his glasses, his expression still unreadable. Reno pointed at himself innocently when he posed his next question in a high pitched and dramatic tone, "Who? Me? What could I have possibly done wrong?"
This got him some giggles out of Marlene, but Tifa was very much unamused by his antics; "Don't act cute with me, Reno. I'm getting sick of you two covering the walls of my restaurant with your ridiculous ads and not even asking me first!"
"Okay then, can we put up posters on your bar, Tifa?" The redhead replied.
"Absolutely not!" Tifa bellowed.
"If you two keep putting them up, I will keep taking them down and throwing them into the trash!" She pointed out her overflowing garbage bin again and the effect was not lost.
"Wow! That's a lot of paper, Tifa!" Marlene cried, bouncing off of the stool and running around the counter to pick up one of the advertisements.
When Tifa spoke, her eyes were still focused on the Turks sitting before her, "Marlene, leave it be. It's garbage."
She accentuated the last word, her eyes narrowing in a glare at the men. However, this did not stop the little girl from opening up one of the papers and looking it over. She then ran to where Rude was and handed it over to him.
"Can you read it for me, please?" She asked coyly, a cute smile playing along her little mouth.
Tifa was about to say something but instead, simply sighed before getting to work on the bald Turk's usual breakfast order. Maybe doing something productive would calm her nerves down and bring her back to a peaceful state of mind, especially now that she knew she'd have to go back outside and rip the ads off of her walls again. The next time they did it, she would make sure there would be more than just a verbal warning.
Surprisingly enough, the usually quiet Turk took the piece of paper from Marlene's smaller hand and into his gloved one, reiterating its contents verbally in his deep and roughened voice. There were probably only a handful of times that Tifa could recall having ever heard Rude speak at all; it was usually his redheaded friend who loved to do most of the chitchat.
As Rude read it, Denzel had officially lost interest and Tifa seemed to be ignoring her surroundings, too focused on her task instead. Reno was nodding his head in the affirmative the whole time, as if to be agreeing with something, while Marlene was falling victim to his plight; her eyes widened as she took it all in and her face brightened when she learned of the event that was taking place. As Rude finished, he handed the piece of paper back to the little girl and watched her as she stared at it.
"That's so awesome! So is it like a beauty pageant?" She asked excitedly, looking up to Reno for an answer.
"Well, yeah I guess so. But there's more to it than looks, I s'pose. But beauty counts, that's for sure. We're lookin' for some real sexy ladies." Reno winked, his red tattoo scrunching up as he did so.
This seemed to get Tifa's attention, and over the frying pan, she said, "Reno, don't speak like that around a seven year old girl!"
Reno rolled his eyes and Marlene snickered. Tifa didn't hear them over the sound of the frying egg in her pan and it was lucky that she hadn't; she was already in a sour mood and was practically looking for a reason to kick the boisterous Turks out of her bar for good. When she was done and was serving Rude his breakfast, though, Reno didn't hesitate to lean over the counter and look up at her with mischief in his emerald green eyes.
"Speaking of sexy ladies...why don't you go for it, Teefs?"
The tall brunette raised a single brow in question but Marlene spoke up before she could even get a word in, "You should do it, Tifa! I think you'll win for sure! I mean, they basically wrote that thing with you in mind! Please do it, Tifa! Please?"
Tifa looked over at the little girl, her face so full of hope and her eyes shining with such a sudden and fierce admiration that the older woman was suddenly unaware of how to respond. Tifa opened her mouth to reply but, at a loss for words, closed it and looked back at Reno who was gazing up at her with a smirk now.
"Yeah, Tifa. Don't break the little girl's heart; do it for her, why dont'cha?" Reno taunted.
He was rewarded with another glare and it only made his smile widen; he was making a hobby out of tormenting the beautiful barmaid of the slums and was clearly enjoying every passing moment of it. Rude took a sip of his black coffee; he was the only customer who still seemed to remember his table manners when it came to Tifa's food these days. He wasn't trying to scarf as much of it down as he possibly could in a short amount of time, unlike how his friend had been doing only moments before.
Just as Tifa readied her response to Reno's little jibe, Rude found his tongue again and, upon placing the china cup onto the polished wooden counter, he stated his opinion, catching everyone in the entire room off guard, including his own partner.
"I'll have to agree with the little girl; if she enters, Tifa would win with barely any competition. It wouldn't even be fair."
A silence came over the entire room as everyone stared at the bald Turk with the goatee and sunglasses; the latter of which still succeeded in obscuring any form of emotion that would have been easily read through his eyes. Reno's mouth was wide open in response as he stared at his partner while Tifa was, although...pleasantly surprised by the quiet Turk's sudden confession and blushing, still unsure of what the heck she should say about the entire scenario.
Had she just been...nominated?
A/N: Any type of feedback is welcome. It won't be a super long story seeing as how the concept is pretty simple. It was originally going to be a one-shot but the concept doesn't qualify for that, either. So we'll just have to wait and see what happens.