::Chapter 1::
-Just a Thursday-
There was an eerie silence flowing throughout the town of Nibelhiem. The street lights flickered constantly, barely illuminating the roads outside of the bar. Years had passed since meteor and the demise of Sephiroth and not knowing really what else to do - I had returned home. With the old sector 7 long destroyed, I tried to consider that whole part of my life closed. Nothing but memories. The old AVALANCHE crew was spread all over the world now, each making their own lives and me hardly speaking to any of them. Funny how time can drift anyone apart, isn't it? I spent the time renovating my father's old house at first.. A project I found completed much sooner then I'd anticipated. So I went back to the only other thing I knew besides fighting, and that was running a bar. From the ground up that was my next project, I managed the whole thing until it was finished and it became my life's routine. Work, sleep, work, work, sleep. Anything to keep busy.
This night was slow though. It had only been a Thursday evening so I wasn't that surprised but I couldn't shake the feeling that ... it was too quiet. I sat behind the bar, idly wiping the counter top, and staring out the open window. Mount. Nibel was clearly visible in the distance, the lights of station and cave entrances shining in the dark. It was a odd sight at first, lights in the reactors. Once the dust had settled, news broke that Rufus Shinra had somehow been found alive after the Junon explosion. How it happened, no one at ShinRa would dare explain. But he was in the flesh, and he quickly set to rebuilding Midgar, and rebuilding the stature of his corporation. They were taking over again as if they'd never been destroyed. And there was no AVALANCHE now to stand in their way.
I cast my eyes back to the counter, focusing them on the latest news paper. There was nothing new there, only the latest garbage the ShinRa felt like feeding us. It amazed me how little our journey did to free the world from ShinRa's stronghold. President Rufus had re-stationed himself in the old mansion up the road for personal reasoning. He wasn't often in town though, being the important man he was, but the Turks could often be seen lurking around and as much as I hated to admit it.. It was kind of unnerving.
11:55pm. The clock fixated above the entrance was glowing, calling my name. Throwing my cloth down, I stood and turned around to close the cash for the night. As I was counting I felt the unmistakable chill of the Nibelhiem evening air surround me; the bells above the entrance shattered the previous silence. Someone had come in.
I rolled my eyes. "Listen... I'm about to close up so don't even bother..." I warned, irritated that people always seemed to want to drink at the last minute. Ignorant footsteps replied, followed by the distinct scraping of a stool across the floor behind me, and the low cough of a male voice.
"I said we're closed!" I said a bit louder then before. Was leaving five minutes early really too much to ask for? Turning around I froze, meeting the eyes of ShinRa Turk himself: Reno. I folded my arms then, knowing perfectly well it was useless to turn him away. It wasn't the first time he'd been in my bar, in fact he and the others were quite regular. What was strange was that he was alone.
"The usual," he said. I nodded, not really surprised at his bluntness. I quickly fixed his drink and slid it across the counter top into his waiting hands.
"Slow night?" Reno drawled. My eyes snapped up to him. It was extremely rare for someone with any relation to ShinRa to associate with the bartenders; aside from orders and terrible drunken compliments. The first few times of course I tried to fight them, throw them out. But it was just me now, not a whole team of terrorists, and they had set up shop in town. They usually came in now, clad in their suits, and had no trouble having a corner to themselves.
I blinked, remembering he had asked me a question.
"Yeah.." I said to him, "But it is only a Thursday... You know how the weekends get." I said with a shrug, giving him the usual banter I would to any customer. He nodded to my response.
"So, then it's quiet like this... Every Thursday?" My brow furrowed as I considered his words. Maybe I had made a mistake in telling a Turk when I would be alone. But curiosity overwhelmed my worry quickly. Why would he want to know when it was quiet around here?
"Well... Yeah, for the most part." I answered him still, deeming myself paranoid. What was a Turk but an asshole with a gun, anyway? They were nothing but a nuisance compared to the nightmares I'd seen in the past.
Reno nodded again, and downed the rest of his drink in one swig."Thanks, sweetheart." he chirped. His smile reminded me of the damned Cheshire cat. I watched him with slightly narrowed eyes as he left a few gil on the counter and left, the cool air rushing in again after him.
