Chapter 3

Job Opportunities

Summary:

A chance meeting leads to a possible job opportunity.

Cloud was sat in a bar feeling sorry for himself. He had taken to crashing at this place ever since he had put the job hunt into full force. Going home empty handed was a burden he didn't want to focus on, even if the relief of pushing aside his troubles only lasted 30 minutes a day. Cloud would order the cheapest drink he could get and just sip it and observe the life around him. The bar was located on the outskirts of the city and was quiet yet not too quiet, so that he could blend in with the furniture and hopefully be ignored.

It had been almost a week since they had settled into their 'home'. Cloud felt weird just thinking of any place as 'home' but Roxas had always insisted they label their lodgings as such, even though of late he wasn't quite as persistent. Cloud sometimes worried about what all this instability was doing to Roxas. He definitely thought the traveling around was the worst, as Roxas often just shut down. It always made Cloud feel better when they had settled in somewhere, as he could see a change in Roxas. It's like he came alive again, which gave Cloud the strength to go on. But lately… Roxas seemed to be having a harder time than usual and Cloud could also feel that being the case for himself as well. He still had little to no luck finding anything more substantial than a few odd jobs here and there. It had at least made the money stretch out a bit longer but the stress and pressure was getting to him. Numerous times Roxas had offered to help with earning an income but every time Cloud refused and snapped at him, basically barring him from even attempting it.

Cloud mulled the last few days over in his head. Roxas' cheerful personality seemed to have fizzled out completely. Not even hot pancakes for breakfast had made a dint. Cloud had built up the courage to ask Roxas what the matter was. The two of them were close, but probably just because of survival needs. They hadn't really had a heart to heart since the day they decided to leave. So even asking Roxas the simple "How are you doing?" and actually meaning it was tough.

They had sat in silence for a long while, letting their pancakes get cold. Roxas finally looked up from his shredded and stabbed to death pancakes. "I'm sick of this" Roxas let out tentatively, seeing how Cloud would react. Cloud just sat there looking back at him with a soft expression. Roxas told Cloud that he wanted to feel like he belonged somewhere, like he could make a life somewhere. He hated all the moving. Hated all the restrictions. Cloud didn't interrupt a single time, but he felt like each reason was a stab to his heart. He hated it all too. He hated how deeply it was affecting Roxas. He also didn't want to live like this, but he saw no reason to tell Roxas any of it. He'd rather bare the brunt of Roxas' frustrations and anger than have a mute and devoid of all life Roxas sit in front of him any day.

That day Cloud had thought long and hard about what he could do to make things better. He had resolved to give Roxas an illusion of them settling down here. Cloud hoped they would be able to settle but he promised himself that he wouldn't think twice to pack up and go if his suspicions were raised. In the end he enrolled Roxas in a school while looking for a cleaning job at a nice establishment. Seeing all the kids there being active and socializing with each other had given him the idea. Cloud felt trepidation over the whole venture, not wanting Roxas to be so exposed to other people. But then again he had figured that two years of running was bound to have set Roxas back academically, despite the younger boy having tried to school himself while they had been on the road. Plus what better way to make someone feel like they were settling down for the long haul than to sign them up to a commitment like schooling?

"Can I get you anything else?" came the now familiar voice of the bartender and evident manager or owner of the bar. Cloud looked up at that kind face which was always smiling back at him. Cloud found her quite pretty to look at and she was no doubt a key reason why this bar had as many men visiting as it did. She seemed like someone who could handle herself, and could handle her job, and Cloud liked that quality about her. Cloud responded to her question with a subdued "No. I'm alright" and returned his full attention to his drink and his thoughts. She always asked him the same question, and he always replied the same way and that would be that.

"You know, each day you come in here and each day you look more down. So I have to wonder if you really are alright." Cloud could sense her shifting closer before he even saw her dark hair come into his field of vision. "I see a lot of guys coming in here with that same look on their faces every day. But you seem much too young to be wearing it." Cloud looked up from his drink to be met with intense auburn eyes brimming with concern for him. "Names Tifa, by the way." She stuck out a gloved hand and Cloud took it hesitantly. "Cloud" he responded, not knowing what else to really say, but feeling like she was expecting him to definitely say something.

The reprieve from having to answer came due to a loud clutter in the kitchen area behind the counter and through a side door. Tifa let go of Clouds hand and released him from her searching eyes. She uttered a quick "excuse me" before launching into the back.

Cloud glances around the bar to see if anyone else was getting unsettled with the clanging and sounds of a heated argument emanating from the kitchen. An old man who was on his third glass of whisky noticed Clouds distress. "Pay that no mind lad. Happens all the time," he said with a wave of his hand and a chuckle in his voice.

Fiery and wild red hair atop a very thin frame came flying out of the back room and with it the argument followed. "Don't blame me! I'm not responsible for our deliveries being all messed up. I just cook here." Tifa followed the slender guy out trying to calm his temper. "Just go out and get what you need and I'll sort the deliveries out next time I see him."

"What he needs is more help, not a talking to from you, Tifa," the red head spat as he furiously stormed over to the till to grab some money so he could go out to get what he needed. Cloud thought this guy looked very familiar and was trying to place him when the redhead caught Cloud out of the corner of his eye while he was busy at the till. He looked up, straight at Cloud. The vivid green eyes narrowed and both Cloud and the redhead were left staring at each other trying to place the other in their memories. The recognition was simultaneous as they both exclaimed "The grocery store!" The redhead slammed the till shut for some kind of emphasis and made a passing remark about how good the ice cream had been.

Earlier in the week Cloud had the great displeasure of meeting this guy while looking for work and simultaneously getting his shopping done. The two had fought over who got to bag the last box of sea salt ice cream. Cloud had wanted to get it as a treat for Roxas in an attempt to cheer him up. He adored that flavor, while Cloud couldn't care less for it. The redhead had won out but purely because Cloud hadn't wanted to possibly screw up his chance of landing a job there, and this was the moment that he let the arrogant beanpole of a redhead know that.

The redhead stopped in his tracks half way across the bar. "If you need a job that badly you should go help out our hopeless delivery driver. And the name's not beanpole," he said with a glower as he slowly turned around to face Cloud. "It's Axel. Got it memorized?" Axel tapped this side of his head with his finger before swaggering out the door. Cloud gave the back of the beanpole known as Axel his best death stare as he watched him leave.

The sound returned to the bar like waves crashing on the shore as the door swung shut. Cloud could feel the heat in his face and sat back down on his bar stool. He hadn't noticed that he had gotten up but something about that guy just really irritated him. Tifa appeared in front of him after a few moment with a card in hand. "Don't let Axel bother you. His tempers as fiery as his hair," she said with a sigh. "He has a point though. It looks like our delivery guy could use some help. If needing a job's gotten you this down then give him a call." Tifa slid the business card towards Cloud. "Tell him Tifa referred you. He trusts my judgement in people." Tifa gave Cloud a wink and walked away after he muttered a "Thanks."