(Disclaimer: Plata-Azul Firebird does not own Final Fantasy 7, only her OCs… Otherwise, we might end up having a not-so-epic battle with the lawsuits.)
Altering Rhythm
Crossplay
Silver: And the moment you been all waiting for! And I was really waiting for this! Don't you think that title is fitting? And dang, I only got two votes! One for Mira and the other for Cloud, which is a tie... so I talk with a fellow FF fan in school and she gave me a vote... I'm not saying who... XD! Just enjoy!
Crossplay
Getting to the Wall Market, Mira spots Aerith not too far and went after her. "Aerith!" she calls.
The flower girl turns to see the songstress running towards her and seems to brighten up a bit. "Mira!" she response back and trots toward her. "Where's Cloud?" she asked.
'… Seriously stop replacing Zack with Cloud, that won't help with his mental issue right now.' the songstress thought. "He'll follow soon and you… what comes into your mind on going after the cart?"
"I just want to make sure of the place where Cloud's friend going to."
"And you found it?"
"No… the chocobo is a bit too fast for me."
And Mira sighs. "Aerith, I know you want to help but try not to act first like Riley does, kay?"
"Okay… Um Mira?"
"Yeah?"
"Um…"
"Mira! Aerith!" the two turns to see Cloud running towards them.
"Cloud!" both of the girls stated as he stops in front of them.
"This place is scary in a lot of ways." the flower girl said.
"Actually, I've seen more scary places than this in my travels with Riley." the songstress quips. 'Well… it is half true and half false… most of the scary places are back in my home world.' she thought and sniffs a bit. "We better find Tifa fast."
"Right, let's start asking someone here who saw the chocobo and the cart pass by." the blonde said.
"You're looking for the chocobo and the cart?" the three turns to see a slick-looking man just nearby. "Well, that cart belongs to the Don of this place, so it either on Honey Bee Inn right other there or at the Don's place further up there… Are you ladies going apply to find your lucky guy there or taking a chance with the Don?"
Ignoring him, the three heads to the Honey Bee Inn first since it is nearby. On arriving there, Mira's eyes twitch on the sight of too much pink and neon lights, which is way more bright than in the game she remembers. Also there are men who are crowding around and trying to make up their minds if they are going in or not. The girls decided to stay out in a safe distance while Cloud goes there to get information on Tifa.
"Welcome! Even dweebs like you may find your destiny here! Looking for a special someone too?" the doorman greets cheerily at Cloud.
"Do you know a girl named Tifa?" the blonde asked… well, more like demanded.
"Ah, so you've heard the news. Tifa's our newest girl, but unfortunately she is having an interview right now." the doorman said and explains that all girls must go to the Don's place before they are sent here in Honey Bee. He also noted that the Don is looking for a bride to settle down with.
On hearing that and knowing about the Don's reputation, he briskly walks away towards the other place where Tifa is.
:::^*^:::
While waiting for Cloud, Mira knows that only girls can get into the Don's place. For their male friend to get in… he have to…
"Let's go." the two are slightly startled on the blonde's sudden appearance and they somehow sense his anger… and Mira knows why. The trio then heads up to the central edge of the Sector and there they find what looks like a pagoda-like entrance to the Don's place. Entering they saw some stalls on the way which made them weave around it, till they find the door of the mansion.
Unfortunately, there's a guard at the front and stops them.
"This is Don Corneo's mansion." he stated, as he reaches for his weapon. "He's a big shot here in Wall Market. Listen, the Don's not interested in men, so just get the hell outta here." then he notices two girls behind him. "Hey, you got some cute ones with you!"
Cloud wants to make sure Tifa's okay, he is getting impatient, annoyed and reaching for his blade when he is suddenly drag away by the two girls. Mira is also disgust at this, but considering barging in will only cause for the Don to run away… 'Come to think of it, since I know what's going to happen… I would agree on barging in.' she thought. 'But I made a promise to Riley to record the cross-dressing Cloud, along the fact that Tifa will get mad at him since she is spying on the… greasy, perv pig.'
"Hey, we'll go take a look. We'll tell Tifa about you." the flower girl said and is about to head in, but he stops and pulls her back. While Mira remains on where she is standing.
"No! You can't!" he stated firmly.
"Why?"
"You DO know…what kind of…place this is, don't you?"
"So, the rumors about the Don is true, huh?" Mira asked and the blonde nodded at her.
"Then what as we supposed to do?" she asked, looking at him straightly. "You want to go in with us?"
For some reason, Mira's mind is bombarded with images of the Wall Market Cloud in different designs from different fan arts, which causes her mouth to twitch into a silly grin before turning away. This is her favorite part of the game since she first played it, and now she understands why Riley doesn't want to miss messing up the blonde's masculinity. Looking at Cloud… she can definitely can tell that despite looking like a tough guy, soften him a bit, he can be labeled as androgynous.
'Seriously! No wonder Square used Cloud as a base for Lightning!' she thoughts and turns away, trying to stop herself from laughing out loud.
"Well being a man, that'll be pretty hard." he said as he crosses his arms and thinks. "Besides if I bust in there, it'll cause too much commotion." the flower girl also thinks of a way in, but she stares at the songstress' shaking shoulder and wonders what's wrong with her. "But, I just can't let you go in alone… Oh man… First…we need to find out if Tifa's alright… What's so funny, Mira?" he asked, noticing his companion is stifling a laugh.
And the ravenette froze as a line of 'Shit, shit, shit' runs across her mind. 'Ack, crap, this is suppose to be Aerith's idea…! Stupid! Crud… might as well put it in motion.' she thought and turns to look at him. "Well… I'll tell you later." she then turns at the guard. "Hey, you don't mind if we come back, we got another cute friend who we want to bring."
Both Cloud and Aerith looks at her as the guard agrees and reminds her that they can't bring the male blonde. She miffs at this because… she's bringing back the blonde.
But not as a male.
:::^*^:::
Once they are pulled outside, Mira explains the plan and… well, the blonde does not take it lightly as Aerith covers her giggles.
"NO. Just no." the blonde stated sternly as the songstress looks at him. "There is no way we're doing your plan, there has to be another way in."
"Got any brighter ideas? Obviously, you're a guy, you can't barge in and cause an uproar." the songstress points out. "Tifa may have a reason why she's in this place, but to make a ruckus is out of a question."
"Mira's right, the only ones who can get in are females." Aerith agreed after she calms down a bit. "Me and Mira can get in… but you…?"
"But!" the blonde protested.
"Cloud." the songstress snaps at him. "I know this will not bode well on your… status as a guy, but staying here and debating about this will not help you get in that place and help Tifa."
He glares at her, she stares back, the staring contest went for a minute or two and then… "Ugh… fine, I'll do it." he replied and slumps his shoulder in resignation.
Aerith can tell that he's under the blue while Mira smiled a little and pats his shoulder. "Hey, if this make you a little better, Riley and I used to cross-dress to get ourselves out of trouble or to get in some places." she then trots ahead to the Clothes Shop as the blonde looks at her retreating figure.
'Well… it is partly true, but it one major difference' Mira thought, as both Aerith and Cloud follows her. 'We're not cross-dressing, we're crossplaying.' she giggles at the memories of her high school and college years where she and her friends dress up as their favorite characters. 'Now I wonder what's Cloud's reaction when he finds out I used to cosplay as him during his trooper days or his 2 years future-self?'
Arriving at the Clothes Shop, Aerith is the one who asked the girl on the counter about making a dress. Cloud looks uneasily on the dresses around the shop as Mira calms him down with a simple tune of FF8. Then the flower girl turns around with a bit of a bad news… the father of the shopkeeper, who is the dressmaker, is slump out of ideas and is drinking away at a bar near the Don's area.
Seeing that they need to convince the father, the three heads out for the bar up north. On finding the bar and entering the place, Mira easily finds the dressmaker, who right there getting drunk because of the lack of inspiration.
'Might as well, put my Fine Arts degree to use.' she thought, as she taps the man on the shoulder and he turns to face her. "Excuse me, are you the one who owns the Clothes Shop?"
"Yeah… but I don't feel making one right now." the man replied with a hint of alcohol in his breath which causes Mira to turn away for a moment.
"Make me some clothes." Cloud said firmly and the dressmaker looks at him.
"I don't make men's clothes."
"Cloud, you wait over there for a second, we'll try talking to him. Why don't you go over there and have something to drink." Aerith said and shoos the blonde away, once he's near a table… "You know, Mister. He always said that just once, he'd like to dress up like a girl. So, that's why we wanted a cute dress for him…"
"What! A tough lookin' guy like that?" he hissed and points at the blonde.
"Actually, he's slender enough to make a passable female, don't you think Aerith?" the songstress quips.
She giggles a bit. "So, how 'bout it? Will you make him one?" she asked.
"Hmmm… might be interesting. I was gettin' a little bored just makin' regular clothes." he stated and the two seems to brighten up.
"Then you'll do it for us?"
"Yeah, all right. What kind of dress you want?"
"Something… That feels soft." the flower girl said and then looks at the songstress. "How bout you, Mira, got anything to add?"
Mira stares at her for a moment before she pretends to think and then… "How bout something…that shimmers." she added, deciding she would go for the best items. "Oh and…" she adds in a few inspirations and some suggestions to improve on his designs for future businesses.
"Hmm, got it. Y'know I got a friend that has the same taste as him. I'll go talk to him and thanks for those suggestions." he said, drinks his last booze before leaving the bar.
With the dress in the way, the three heads out and is about to head back for the dressmaker to get the blonde's measurements. "Hey, you guys don't mind if we split a bit?" the songstress asked.
"Eh why?" Aerith asked.
"I'm going to search for a few more items that would help make him a very convincing girl." she replies and the blonde looks at her.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he deadpans.
"There is a saying that one should enjoy the little things in life, no matter how ridiculous or outrageous it is." she stated with a shrug and tilts her head a bit at Cloud. "After all, you're only going to do this once." and then she runs off to get the tiara and cologne.
:::^*^:::
First she went to the Inn, where the innkeeper is happy to see her again. Although, the songstress denied on renting a room, he seems to brighten up when she stated that she wants to buy something from the vending machine. Counting her money and making sure she have enough for the coupon, she bought a protein drink set and left. She then quickly heads to the Materia Shop, where in there is a man lying down and seems to be troubled.
"Excuse me, is there something wrong?" Mira asked.
"Nope, it's nothing to be concern about…" he replies.
"Is this about the fight you have with the innkeeper?" she asked, remembering that this guy told Cloud that he fought against the innkeeper in the game.
"Yea-WAIT! How do you know that?" he demanded, as he sits up fast.
"I heard it in the passing…" she lied.
"Ugh… yeah, that's right… now I will never know what they sell in that machine."
"What happen?"
"Sorry but I can't tell"
"Well… I guess you don't want this."
"Don't want what?"
"The thing I got from the vending machine in the inn, I was planning to sell it to you."
This time he jumps up and looks at her with eyes wide and gaping. "Are you serious?" he asked.
"Yeah, I have no interest with a set of protein drinks anyway." she gives the set of cans to the shopkeeper.
"How much is it?"
"200 gils."
"That jerk. I'll gonna do more business than him, it will make his head spin." he stated firmly as he stands and looks at Mira. "Thank you, girl. I'm motivated now, you can have this which you would like." he then turns, reaches on the top of the shelf and picks a Diamond Tiara, and then gives it to her.
"I'm glad I could help." as she takes it and places it in her pouch.
"Yeah… well it would help me a bit more if you keep the fact that you help me to ourselves." he stated and his face is a little red.
'I guess he is not used on having a girl to help.' Mira thought as she agrees to keep the whole thing to herself. She then left the shop and heads to a diner, where she is welcome warmly and she finds the only seat available. She takes a seat and then orders a Sushi Plate, wanting to know some difference between the sushi here and the ones back in her home world. After she orders, she first pays for the meal and then she waits for it to be prepared. When it is place in front of her, she takes the chopstick and picks one of the 'Wutainese' delicacies. She pops one in her mouth and chews on it… and then…
'Ugh… it tastes like those sushi you like buy in a supermarket…so plain.' she thought and swallows. "… it's alright." she stated and the waitress thank her and gives her the last coupon, stating that she can get any medicine with it. Thanking the waitress, she then exits the diner and heads for the pharmacy, where she gave the shopkeeper a bit of a fright when she tries to get his attention. Once he calms his heart, he notices the coupon and asked what medicine she wants with it.
'Hmm… although, the Sexy Cologne is the best item, it might be too strong… should I go with a Flower instead?' she thinks, weighing out the scores of the best and the second best item… but she decided to get the Digestive, out of pity for the woman in the bathroom… 'Maybe, I could ask her for the Flower instead of the Sexy one? After all, I do got a make-up kit to add some points on his… feminine side.' she thought as she give the coupon to the shopkeeper and she receives a Digestive.
She then runs out and heads to the bar, where the stomach-sick woman is… but before she enters the place, she heard some cheering from the gym. 'It seem like Cloud is fighting for his wig.' she thought amusingly before she slips into the bar. There she heads directly to the restroom, where on the side is a man who seems trying to hold it, and she knocks on the door.
"THERE'S SOMEONE IN HERE!" the lady shouts from within and groans, as the songstress jumps out of shock at her shout.
"Um… I got something that would help with your stomach flu." Mira offers a bit meekly still a bit stun on the loud yell before.
"… Really?"
"Yeah." and she takes out the digestive and knocks once more. "Is it okay for you to open, so I can give it?"
At first, there is silence and then there is a click. The door opens slightly and she slips the medicine into the lady's hand. And then it closes and the songstress just stands there for a moment… till the lady comes out.
"Thank you, I really needed that." the lady said and then takes out a deep pink bottle with a red cap and the label 'Sexy' on it. "This is for your kindness."
Mira takes the bottle, opens it and takes a good whiff of it… she then cringes. 'Ugh! Too strong! And so fake… Bleagh! I think I smelled something spicy on my nose and it burns! They call this Sexy?' she thought as she rubs her itching nose.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Ugh… it's a bit strong…" she utters and the lady seems to understand. She didn't mind taking back the 'Sexy' and replaces it with 'Flower' which doesn't smell too strong and is subtle yet gives off the fragrance of cherry blossoms, jasmine and a hint of green tea. This bewilder her a bit, but she would guess that this came from Wutai… considering it's the only country close to resemblance to Japan or China. Overall, she likes this fragrance best than the other since it is soft to the nose and… well, flowery.
Then it comes to the issue about Cloud's… hygiene…
"Okay, I got the tiara and the cologne, but now I have another problem which I didn't think ahead of…" she groans and face-palms herself. 'Man… I did promise to myself and Riley that I would avoid the Honey Bee Inn for Cloud's sanity. But with all the fighting and monster hunting, I don't think this cologne will cover all that stink.' she sighs and then made an attempt to find anything in her pouch that would help avoid the pink, neon inn.
And it seems luck is on her side.
After she fails to find anything in her pouch, she takes out her make-up kit to see if she got the cosmetics she needs. And there she found a pack of wet wipes, half-full, which are use to remove make-up after the event or occasions. She manages to smile as this solves her problem for the blonde's hygiene…
"… Mira… a fitting name indeed…"
"Huh?" she utters and looks around, seeing no one near her and she scratches her head. "Is…?"
"Mira!" a familiar voice called and she turns to see Aerith and Cloud walking towards her. "Did you get what you need?"
"Yeah, now come on, we better dress him up and get back there." Mira quips, and she does notices the blonde wig on the Ex-SOLDIER's hands.
"But, he looks a bit of a mess." the flower girls points out and they looks at him, who is covered with dried slime, blood and a bits of guts in his uniform. But Mira waves it off and shows them the wet wipes and the cologne, which the flower girl approves on after giving it a good look.
With the stuff they got, they heads back to the Clothes Shop with Cloud seems to be following behind them with a dreaded feeling. And as they go back, Mira quickly sets her touch phone on her breast pocket and ready to record.
:::^*^:::
"Okay…"
"You ready?"
"… I ca-"
"Cloud, drag this issue around once more, I'll hit you with a note from my Orchestra Ai." and then she winces on what she said, remembering his future self's self-guilt on his inability to save Zack and Aerith which he carries and drags around him for 2 years.
Back to the issue at hand, the blonde swordsman is hesitating on changing into the dress and is dreading on what the girls will do to him after he gets into it. After throwing the dirty wet wipes into the trash and taking deep breaths, he enters the changing room and gets into the dress. A moment later… "Um… Aerith? Mira? How do you put this on?" he called out.
"Can you unlock the door so I can see?" Mira answers and he obeys. Peeking in and then freezes, the songstress sees his slight dilemma on his light purple, strapless dress with a big bow at the front, a bit of stuffing on the chest part to mimic the breast and the zipper open on the back. But what made her froze is the fact that Cloud is topless… although he holds the top part of the dress like holding a towel to cover the front, his back is absolutely…
'MIRA CALLIOPE! SNAP BACK TO EARTH!' her mind mentally yells at her, causing her to hit herself on the door's edge and slips to her back.
"My goodness! Mira! Are you okay?" Aerith asked out of surprise and worry, as she went to the songstress' side and the blonde is surprise on this sudden movement.
Immediately, the ravenette is able to pull the door close for a moment as the flower girl helps her up. The shopkeeper apologizes to them since she waxed the floor a day before, thus it is a bit slippery. The songstress thanked who ever is up in the sky, as she gets up and immediately helps the blonde with his dress. This time, she is not so flabbergast on his back and she easily zips up the dress. But she stops for a second, where she spots the scar on his back…
The very scar where Sephiroth stabs Cloud… it is slightly faint but with the right light it can be seen.
"Cloud…" she stated, decided that she'll try getting the blonde to remember. "Where did you get this scar on your back?"
"Huh?" he asked.
"The scar, where did you get it?" The blonde then turns around, his back at the mirror and sees the slightly closed zipper and the said scar. He furrows his bows together and tries to remember where he got it. 'Come on Cloud, try remembering although it is painful to remember…' she mentally encourages him.
But… "Sorry… I don't know how I got it." he answers and she slumps a bit on that one. After zipping up the dress, she then left him in the changing room as he puts on the wig as she turns on the record. The songstress sighs as she leans on the wall of the shop, she knew it is a daring move to remind him about the scar. But she guesses that it will take some time for him to remember of his real past, and she have to ease it up or else a certain ex-general will break him.
Again she sighs, she also taken account of Tifa who is also a Nibelheim Incident witness. If she sees either her or Riley trying to make Cloud remember, she definitely interfere and keep the blonde safe.
"Mira." the songstress turns and looks at Aerith. "Is there something wrong?"
"Uh… nothing, I'm just thinking what kind of mess Riley is making right now that the bar." she replied, steering away from the topic in her mind. The two talk about friends and stuffs until the door opens and 'she' comes out. The two of us takes a good look on him and Aerith seems to be glee on seeing him all dolled up, while Mira turns away with a brief surprise on her face.
'Holy… Skrits…' she think slowly as her mind seems to work sluggishly on seeing what she saw on blonde before looking away. 'It's Lightning…! He looks exactly like her except he's missing the female… parts…' she trails her thoughts away and looks back at him. True to what she sees, the blonde wig is styled similarly to Lightning's instead of pigtails like she have seen in the game, long and wavy part on one side and the short on the other. His dress is design similar to what she saw in the FF wiki, with a light purple choker and long gloves to match and instead of the brown boots he always wears, he wears a 3 inch heel, purple, ankle boots… which is much more fitting to the looks. 'Wow… If I ever get back to my world, I have convince Square about this design for the Wall Market scene on the FF7 remake.'
"Hmmm… not bad." the dressmaker said, looking at his work with approval. "This my be a new business for me."
"Yeah, you're right. Should we try it?" his daughter asked and he nods, then she looks at them. "Thanks for showing us something new and inspiring. My father's got his motivation back now. So the dress in the house."
"It's not a problem." Mira quips.
"Walk more nicely like…this." Aerith stated and shows him how to walk, then looks at him teasingly. "Miss Cloud."
"Actually, it's more of Miss Claire Strife." the songstress teases the blonde, as she mentally laughs at the fact that she named his disguise after Lightning's real name. "After all, Cloud sounds a bit moody."
"… What do you mean moody?" he asked, both embarrass and annoy at the songstress… it is her idea after all. He tries walking but he nearly stumbles over, luckily he manages to catch his balance as he moves from the changing room to Mira's side. "Ugh… how do you walk on these things?"
"One advice: when walking in this, heels first, then toe." the songstress stated and shows him how to walk properly on heels. It didn't take long for him to get a hang of it and is able to walk without stumbling. "Not exactly the catwalk, but it's passable… also relax, you need to be fluid and flexible to look feminine."
"Wow, you know everything about this stuff don't you?" the flower girl asked.
"When you're a songstress, you don't just stand on one place and sing, it gets boring." the ravenette said with her hands on her hips. "Plus you need to be presentable on stage, as a songstress sings an hour or 2 straight with a few water breaks to wet the throat."
"I see." she said and looks at Cloud (AKA Claire). "Oh you're so adorable, Miss Claire." and the blonde rolls his eyes at his new codename. "Ah… I want one. Do you have one that'll look good on me too?" she asked the father and daughter, which causes them to go on a short debate on what dress she'll look good in till she picks a red dress that catches her eyes.
"Hey, Aerith, once you're done the make-ups are right here with me." the songstress noted at the flower girl, as she place her keytar on the counter and the brunette nodded at this.
So as she dresses up, Mira adds the finishing touches on Cloud which will convince the Don and the guards that he's a female. Cloud wants to protest on this one, but to get in where Tifa is, he needs a convincing cover. She did not add eyeliners because it will sharpen his mako eyes and they need to hide that from exposing their cover. Putting a layer of foundation and face powder, she then brush a pink blush on and keeps brushing till it's a bit faded. She then sprays the Flower cologne lightly and place the tiara on his head. She then debates on herself on adding eye shadows, but decided not to because of the mako eyes and shifts the debate of the lipsticks. So far, she only got 4 lipsticks and is wondering which color would fit on the blonde.
"You're really enjoying this?" the blonde asked, as he scowls on his situation.
"Hey, it's not everyday I put make-up on men, now stop scowling." she quips and she once more checks the color again. "Dang, I know pink is suited with this dress, but I don't know which tone." she mutters.
"Oh wow!" a familiar voice gasped and they turn to see Aerith, now in a red dress that reminds Mira of Ada Wong from Resident Evil without the slits. "Miss Claire is even more prettier!"
"Let me hear my props! I'm good right?" Mira stated with hands up and the blonde rolls his eyes once more. "But I need some help, can you tell which pink tone would fit for him?"
"Hmmm… how about this one?"
"… I think it will do, plus the slight dark shade makes the lips look full."
And once she finishes with the blonde's cover…
"… Well, I have to say… that is one pretty woman, you really did a good job on him." the dressmaker stated and his stun daughter nodded in agreement, the songstress pumps her fist in victory.
"Oh my! You did a wonderful job on him!" the flower girl squeals as Cloud turns away both red and embarrass on this. Mira felt proud and pity on this… proud that she is able to twin the looks of Lightning on Cloud, but she also felt pity on the blonde since she just downgraded his masculinity. "Okay… it's your turn to dress up." and the songstress looks at her.
Mira would protest since they are going to the Don's and it is Aerith's idea on also joining in dressing up… but since the idea of dressing up Cloud became hers… well, she had expected a bit of side effects. Restraining a sigh, she then walks to the rack to find a dress that suits her taste as she stops recording for a while.
She then spots a black and white dress that pique her interest and pulls it out. It's a turtleneck, sleeveless cocktail dress: the main dress is white with black, laced turtleneck, the front skirt short and the back is long and black ruffle skirt beneath. It have additional white, soft and smooth sleeves with black ribbons straps and spots a matching black slippers with long ballerina straps. The frilly underskirts reminds her of the long sash-like cloth on Yuna's dress-sphere.
'Oookay… this reminds me a bit of the songstress sphere in FFX-2...' she thought but before she returns the dress on the rack.
"That!" the songstress nearly jumps a good feet on Aerith's sudden outburst and takes the dress out of her hand. "This fits you!" she stated and looks at the dress, then at Mira and then compares the two as Mira is frankly stupefied on the sudden action.
After snapping back to reality, the flower girl have already pushed her into the changing room with the dress and shoes on her arms. 'She scared the heck out of me on that one… but…' she thought and looks down on the dress. 'Aye… I like this dress, but I would rather wear this on a date or a performance… not in front of a perv.'
Still, they need to get in and help Tifa, she changes into the said clothes and comes out. "Wow, I knew it suits you." the flower girl quips as the songstress blows her bangs away and walks to where Cloud is. She then grabs her belt bags and wears it under the frills, thus adding a bit of shape on her dress. She does not know where to place the touch phone, but thankfully the shopkeeper gives her a handheld purse that matches her dress. After adding a light make-up on and tie a white ribbon on her hair, she then packs her makeup kit. Secretly, she make a tiny hole on the purse for the camera, starts recording again and looks at the two.
"You know it would be wrong to say this since 'Claire' here is not that… girl-girl." Mira quotes as Aerith stifles a laugh and Cloud rolls his eyes. "But it's a Girls Outing, shall we head to the mansion, find our friend, scare the wits out to those pervs and have a fantastic day out?"
"Sure, 'Claire'?" the flower girls asked the blonde as the songstress picks up her instrument.
"… Once we find Tifa, we get the heck out of there." he deadpan.
'Uh… I don't think we'll get out of there with style though.' the songstress though as she thank the dressmaker and the shopkeeper, then they left for the mansion.
:::^*^:::
Arriving at the mansion, one good look at Cloud (AKA Claire), the guard felt like he is struck by the cupid's arrow. He only slumps when he realizes that 'she' too is a candidate for the Don, yet he hopes his boss chooses someone else. The guard then turns and signals the doorman to open the door for three lovely ladies.
'Two ladies and a cross-dresser.' Mira jokes in her thoughts as the doors opens.
They then enters the place and there they meet another man behind the counter, who tells them to wait in the hall as he informs the Don. Once he left…
"Now's our chance, let's go and find Tifa." Aerith whispers and the two nodded. They head up the stairs and checks the doors, only to find them lock but Mira heads straight away to the door-less room. She carefully climbs down the stairs and on reaching at the bottom, there she finds the bar maid in one side of the room… which happens to be a torture room, of sorts.
She is about to greet her when she heard a yelp and manage to catch the blonde from stumbling down the stairs. She manages to balance herself and push him back standing, as she winces on the pressure on his weight on her legs and feet. He mutters an apology as the songstress waves it off. "I'm fine, I'm fine." She utters as Aerith came to their side. "Looks like I failed a little on explain how to climb stairs with heels on." she joked dryly.
Then he sees Tifa and he immediately remain on Mira's side, who's near the door. Seeing this, Mira motions the flower girl to talk to the bar maid, then made a mental note to fix that lipstick and to tone down the hooker look. 'She may have the assets for those, but her own personality and strength contradicts it.' she thought.
"Don't worry." they both heard Aerith and looks at the other two. "We just met. It's nothing."
"What do you mean, 'Don't worry'…about what?" Tifa asked. "No, don't misunderstand, Cloud and I grew up together. Nothing more. Mira and Riley are good friends, I should thank her for finding him when I thought he is dead."
"Hey don't mention it, just don't think negative next time." the songstress quips and Tifa nearly jumps on seeing her.
"Mira! You're here too? Where's Riley?"
"Yeah, she went back to the bar and we wanted to know if you're okay… and why the heck you decided in that get up?" then looks at the blonde, who's trying to be invisible in one corner. "Oh come on, you don't have to be that embarrassed… I mean, not all men can pull off a convincing gender swap, Cloud."
"Cloud?" Tifa asked and the blonde stiffens a bit. It takes a nudge from the songstress to get the blonde move in front of the bar maid. When he is now in front of her, she takes a peek and she jumps about a foot high. "CLOUD! Why are you dressed like that! And what are you doing
here! Forget that, what happened to you after the fall! Are you hurt?" she shoots out the questions like javelins.
"Hey, give me a chance to answer." Cloud stated and slumps a bit. "I'm dressed like this… because there was no other way to get in here. I'm okay, Aerith helped me out, Mira and Riley found me after.
"Oh thank goodness." she said in relief, and Mira look at her.
'What? No comment on having rivals to Cloud's heart? Weird…' the songstress thought.
"Tifa, explain." he stated. "What are you doing in a place like this?"
"Yeah, ummm…"
"Ahem! I'll just plug my ears." Aerith announce and goes to one corner, covering her ears.
'It's not like it's going to block the sounds, you know.' the ravenette thought and looks back at the two.
"I'm glad you're okay and thank you for finding him." the bar maid stated and Mira just nodded at her.
"Thanks. What happened?" he asked.
"When we got back from the Number 5 reactor, there was this weird man loitering around the Sector. So Barret caught him and squeezed some information out of him."
"That's when the Don's name popped up."
"Right, Don Corneo. Barret told me to leave the lech alone... But something's been bothering me."
"I see. So you wanted to get the story straight from Corneo's mouth."
"So I made it here, but now I'm in a bind. Corneo is looking for a bride. Everyday, he gets three girls, chooses one of them, but now he raise the numbers up to four and then… …and, well… Anyway, I have to be the girl…or I'm out for tonight."
"Oh crap shit." Mira whispered when she heard that the number of girls just increased to one more.
"Sorry…but I overheard…if you know the four girls, there's no problem, right?" Aerith said, as she looks at them and they look back at her.
"No, Aerith! I can't have you get involved." he said sternly at the flower girl.
"Oh? So it's all right for Tifa or Mira to be in danger?"
"No, I don't want Tifa or Mira in…"
"Is it all right?" Mira butts in and mentally smack herself again. 'This is suppose to be Tifa's line!' she thought angrily at herself but she doesn't show it.
"I grew up in the slums… I'm used to danger." as she walks across till she's near the staircase. "Do you trust me?"
"Yes." Tifa said, with a friendly look and smiles. "Thanks, Ms. Aerith."
"Call me Aerith." the flower girl replied with a smile.
"Heyyy!" the four the turns to see the man behind the counter before up the stairs. "It's time, ladies. The Don is waiting!" then he turns and walks away, saying about women straying around the place nowadays.
"… Well, since there are four girls that the Don allows…" Mira said offly and looks at the blonde.
"I probably don't need to ask but the other girl is… Me… …right?" he asked, looking so uneasy and is really dreading over his dilemma. The other two looks at him before looking at one another.
"You're right." Mira quips
"There was no need…" Tifa added.
"…to ask." Aerith finishes.
:::^*^:::
Both Tifa and Mira have to pull and drag a stun 'Claire' to get to the office, once arriving in there…
"All right ladies! Line up in front of the Don!" one of his lackey ordered the four and they line up in front of the table. Both Mira and Cloud are in the middle of the line, and Tifa and Aerith are on the ends. And there, Mira saw what the Don looks like…
'Oh man… have he not heard of exercise? Or Facial wash? Ewww! His face is oily! Not to mention his Mohawk is a mess' the songstress thought as she restrains herself from saying it out loud.
Looking at her companions, she knew they feel the same way as she does yet they hid it well.
"Hmmm!" The Don mutters and leans on the table to look at the four. "Good, splendid!" he stated with glee and the songstress have to stomp her disgust and annoyance, not to blow their cover. "Now, let's see…" Jumping out from his table and looks at the girls closely, one by one. "Which girl should I choose?" he looks at Aerith. "Hmm-hmm-!" then looks at Cloud who looks away to hide his glowing eyes. "This one?" then looks at Mira, who restraint her urge to smack the Don with her keytar. "Or this one?" he eyes on Tifa then he looks at Cloud again, only he looks away once more.
"Woo hoo, I've made up my mind! My choice for tonight is… GAH! I'm still in a dilemma!" he then turns around and leans on he table like he have a heart attack.
'… Oookay… this wasn't suppose to happen.' the songstress thought. 'Not that I mind the slight delay.'
"These two!" the fat boss stated and points at Mira and Cloud, who slightly panics on this. The blonde opted to beat him out right now, but she stops him by holding his hand and squeezing it for him to relax. "These two beauties… the healthy-looking girl looks so attractive and naïve, it's so cute and adorable!" the blonde got irk on the last part, while the songstress have to restrain on laughing. "And this lovely swan looks so mysterious yet mesmerizing, almost if I take her she'll vanish the next day!"
The ravenette stares incredulously at the fat guy on how he describes her. 'Weirdness… wait, don't tell me that he sees something off about me…?' she thought with a bit of panic there.
"Argh…! Yes! I made up my mind! I pick…!"
He then takes the songstress' hands and looks at her, totally love-struck. "The lovely swan!"
'Well… crud…!' she thought, looking surprise and looks at the three who looks back at her, nodding that she must go with him and get the information. "It's an honor to chosen, sir." she replies and stomps on her flight or fight feeling in her.
"So humble… I think I'm starting to like this." the Don stated rubbing his hands together and looks at his men. "You can have the other ones!"
"Yes sir! Thank you sir!" his lackeys saluted, looking thrill to have fun with the remaining three girls.
"Well then…" the Don looks back at Mira. "Shall we go my pretty?"
Giving one more look at the three, she follows the fat man to his bedroom.
:::^*^:::
Inside the bedroom…
'Gold! Bright! Too much!' her brain alerted her on the sudden brightness of the room, causing her to cover her eyes for a moment and readjust her sights.
"Ahh, we're finally alone…" the Don said, with a hint of excited and husky tone as he sits on his bed. "All right, my lovely swan… Come to daddy!" he then pats on the bed motioning to sit beside him. "You're so alluring, I never get tired of looking at you. Do you…like me, too?"
"Well… can you be honest?" she asked, reaching for her keytar.
"On what, my dear?"
"I will sing and can you tell me honestly how my music is." she stated. "If you do…" she gives out a hint that would excite the fat man, yet she restrains on vomiting on the bed itself.
"Oh! Of course! Of course! I, too, want to hear your lovely and mesmerizing voice." he said and lays on the bed on his front like a high school girl on the phone.
'Oh… it is going to be mesmerizing alright.' she thought and arms her keytar. She begins playing a soft melody in a guitar setting and she hums a little then…
We could just go home right now
Or maybe we could stick around
For just one more drink.
Oh yeah.
She sings.
Get another bottle out
Let's shoot the breeze, sit back down
For just one more drink.
Oh yeah.
Here's to us.
Here's to love.
All the times that we've messed up.
Here's to you.
Fill the glass.
Cuz the last few days have gone too fast.
Oh let's give 'em hell.
Wish everybody well.
Here's to us.
Here's to us.
Then she hears a snore and she stops, then she looks at the sleeping Don with a victory smile. "Who needs to use force when you can sing them to sleep." she stated cheerily and hugs her keytar. "I'm so happy to learn Lullaby." then she left the room for a moment to change her clothes. Once she finds a good, secure corner to change, she then packs the dress and place the phone on her breast pocket again. After that, she is going back, to smack the Don awake and starts the interrogations…
"Mira!" she turns back to see Cloud, Aerith and Tifa running to her. "Are you okay? Did that lech do anything?" he asked, seems relief to see her out of the room yet a bit worry for her.
"Yeah, he did not because I put him to sleep." the songstress quips and points her thumb at the room. "If you want to interrogate, one of you have to smack him up."
"Oh let me do the honors." Tifa stated and cracks her knuckles, as she marches into the room followed by Aerith, and then Cloud and Mira. On entering, they hear a loud yelp of pain and then yells in surprise, they see the fat man at one corner of the bed wincing in pain and is bewilder on the groups' appearance.
"Wh…what the hell's going on? Where's my lovely swan?" the Don demanded, but cringes back then all four glares at him.
"Shut up, we're asking the questions now…" she snaps. "What did your assistants find out? Talk! If you don't tell us…"
Then Cloud places his left leg on the bed, looking very threatening. "…I'll chop them off." he stated.
"No! Not that! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" the fat man pleaded and explains that he was ordered to find a man with a gun-arm in the slums.
"By who?" the bar maid demanded.
"No…! If I told you that, I'd be killed!"
"Talk! If you don't tell us…"
"…I'll rip them off." Aerith threaten him with her left leg on the bed and Mira looks at the flower girl with a brow raise. She expected for her to that that, but it still weird her out since the brunette is a flower girl… she then shrugs a bit over it.
"Waaaaaaaaaaah…! It was Heidegger of Shinra! Heidegger, the head of Public Safety Maintenance!" he squealed.
"The head of Public Safety Maintenance!" Cloud said out of surprise.
"Did you say the Shinra! What are they up to! Talk! If you don't tell us…" the bar maid then place her left leg on the bed. "I'll smash them." she threatens.
"…You're serious, aren't you… …ohboy, ohboy, ohboy." he hyperventilate and shakes. "…I'm not fooling around here either, you know. Shinra's trying to crush a small rebel group called AVALANCHE, and want to infiltrate their hideout. But they couldn't find where it is so they decided do the only way to get rid of them."
"What way?" Cloud demanded and Mira is a bit surprise at this… it looks like she got herself a line.
"I can't-"
"Hey." Mira interrupted and he looks at her. "If you don't say… do you really want to know the horrific and mutilating methods I would do on them, it's not exactly nice and sunshine after all." she threaten him, despite the cheery look on her face, her tone is dark and she have an air of something dangerous around her.
With that he squeaks like a frighten mouse and spills everything. "And they're really going to crush them…literally, by breaking the support holding up the plate above them."
"Break the support!" the bar maid yell out in surprise and Cloud and Aerith looks shock that this, while Mira seems to be calm.
'After all, me and Riley have known that this is going to happen.' the songstress thought as she secretly press the record off.
"You know what's going to happen? The plate will go PING and everything's gonna go BAMMM! I heard their hideout's in the Sector 7 Slums... I'm just glad it's not here in Sector 6." he babbled on.
"They're going to wipe out the Sector 7 Slums!" Tifa said and looks at Cloud and Mira. "Cloud, Mira, will you two come with me to Sector 7?"
"Of course." the Ex-SOLDIER replied.
"Same here." Mira stated and they are about to get out, when she remembers that the floor they are going stop on is…
"Just a second!" the Don calls out and they all stop on that 'specific' floor.
"Shut up!" Cloud snaps at him.
"No wait, it'll only take a second." then the songstress notices his hand is slowly reaching for the lever just beside the bed post. "How do you think scum like me feels when they babble on about the truth?"
Cloud is about to say his opinion but Mira quickly interrupts. "They asked a question like that and pulls a cheap trap to delay the ones who learnt the truth." and the Don looks at her with silent shock. "Seriously, that's so cliché." she stated and immediately strikes at the Don with her keytar, knocking him out effectively and preventing him from pulling the lever. '… I just don't want to get sewer stink.' she thought.
"Thanks... but how did you know there's a trap door below us?" Tifa asked.
"… haven't you heard the floor here sounds hollow?" the songstress asked, hoping it would cover up her slip-up. They look at one another and taps the floor with their heels, which turns out to be true… it's sounds hollow. 'I'm safe!' she thought.
"Wow, you have good ears." Aerith said.
"Thanks, but back to the topic, we better mosey to Sector 7 before they drop death on it!" the songstress reminds them quickly, they nod at this and dash out of the mansion heading straight back to Sector 7.
Silver: I know, it's long! Anyway, I'm planning to make omakes where Cloud is chosen instead and either Mira or Cloud is chosen. It's going to be post along with Riley's side story, and the song! It's Here's to Us by Halestorm but in Glee version! Not mine but belongs to the original artist itself! Read and review!