Cloud cocked his head, looking at the boxed package Yuffie had asked him to pick up at a WRO facility in the city, and deliver it...to himself. He felt a little nervous while waiting in the building, hoping that there weren't any guard dogs; trained for werewolves or not, they'd know and respond. Fortunately there weren't, and he booked it out of there with the package under his arm. He wondered if one day they'd store his corpse here, scientists prodding him in their experiments. Cloud shuddered at the thought.
The place he was visiting was somewhat sterile and grey, the walls made of metal with blue lights gleaming here and there, and the sparse population of personnel ignored the swordsman as they went about their workday and as he left. He didn't come to this building often, and he hoped to not do so in the future if he could help it. Cloud pondered if the hysteria would get so bad that he'd have to quit deliveries altogether, though perhaps a visit to Reeve would help in the end, the former Shinra executive being the president of the WRO.
It was the last package of the day, and to his great luck it'd have him home by three, considering his early start this morning. The delivery boy placed the package in one of the compartments on Fenrir, and revved the bike up as he sat upon it. As he drove off he remembered that he had promised himself to confront Evan, wanting to get to the bottom of the detective's meddling; he knew Evan knew he was the werewolf. But what's stopping him from going to the WRO, or just outright telling Barret?
He snorted as he drove towards his street, that he would have to trust this acquaintance more than one of his older friends at the moment. Then again, he was being forced to by circumstance more than by his own whims; he didn't fancy the confrontation but he couldn't risk Evan getting the wrong idea about him, even if he did help save Vits. He'd open Yuffie's package later, he wanted to know what Evan was thinking, it being the more curious and pressing of the two.
Pulling up Fenrir in front of The Mireille Detective Agency, he shut off Fenrir and took off his dark goggles and put them in the small front compartment then slid off the black bike. The street was busier, people going this way and that in the warm afternoon; no doubt the bar was getting a good amount of business right now. He walked up to the new door and knocked, hearing a "come in" after the third wrap. He opened the door and let himself in.
Evan sat at his desk with a surprised look on his face, obviously not expecting Cloud to be the one to come to him; his surprise turned to dread as the swordsman clicked the lock to the front door. Cloud looked back towards him, then made his way to the chair in front of the wooden desk piled with papers. Both of them knew instinctively this was the day both had wanted and also wanted to avoid, as if it would ruin some delightful impasse.
"Evan..." He greeted. "Barret told me to come to you for information on the second werewolf." His arms were crossed and his face was neutral, attempting to not escalate an already possibly explosive conversation.
Evan blinked; despite anticipating the discussion his face still drained of color. "...Did he?"
Cloud nodded. "Yeah. You're a detective, right? You've been on the case since the rampage the other month..."
"I have." Evan steadied himself.
Cloud leaned his hands on his knees, looking straight into Evan's eyes. "Right. So, I figure you've put everything together by now." He rubbed his collar. "With the clothing scraps..." He took out his WRO card. "With this...Thanks for returning this, by the way..." Before he could continue, Evan interrupted him.
"...You didn't go on an overnight delivery that night. V-You were seen going to the alley that night by a witness. I didn't understand why your clothing was everywhere, until that night I overheard Nanaki talking to you. You're the one who followed me from Valdt's building, and he followed your scent. And when he kidnapped Vits and you came over, you were a little slow in covering those...teeth of yours." Evan narrowed his eyes at Cloud, finally at the dreaded reveal.
Cloud leaned back, poking a canine with his gloved finger with a frown. "Didn't know you noticed..." He mumbled. Looking up and slightly to the side, he added, "Yeah, I passed Vits that night, didn't I?" Evan tensed at the child's name, the werewolf being rather casual about everything. Cloud shrugged, and looked back into his eyes. "He's not here, is he?"
"...No."
"Good." Cloud didn't need more ears than Evan's. "You probably want to know why I killed Valdt's men, don't you?" He raised a brow, and Evan nodded slowly in response, still tense. "Because, like you uncovered...They were after Yuffie. She was tazed, hard, right in front of me. Then they started talking about what they were gonna do to her." His face warped into an expression of disgust.
"I saw Yuffie running from that direction, not too long after you had passed by." Evan put a hand to his chin.
Cloud nodded. "She's not good at playing charades. Can't really talk when I'm like that."
Evan raised a brow. "...And that's why she called off the search. She knows. Tifa knows."
Another nod. "Yeah. Zeph's the only one in the house that doesn't know..." Cloud turned his head, a guilty look on his face. "I don't think he's ready for that."
The detective relaxed some, the tension diffused somewhat. "You stayed inside the house the night of the Full Moon, didn't you?"
"Not much choice, after they sweeped the whole damn area."
Evan snorted. "You're the complete opposite of Valdt...You always were, but..." Evan grabbed some papers, reading them. He jammed them into the paper shredder next to his desk, the machine ripping them apart. "I guess the second werewolf met his end by Cloud Strife a week into the future, with help from Evan Townshend."
Cloud's face relaxed, a smile forming on his face. "I owe you. A lot."
Evan shook his head. "You came to help rescue Vits despite my work on the case. I didn't know if you had some sort of ulterior motive, since most information on werewolves is...Negative to say the least." He lifted himself up, his fine silver gun hanging from its leather holster. He remembered back to the first time he met Nanaki, his violent reaction to the beast taking out his own vehicle. Despite it, the wise creature came to their rescue when Kyrie needed it the most. That memory stuck with him the most as his investigation went into the fantastic, keeping his opinions of Cloud open, even if he was worried.
Cloud lifted himself up as well, nodding. "I've heard the same." He sighed, putting a hand to his hip. "I just want to live in peace with my family. I don't know if I'll get that wish, but I'm gonna try for it at least."
The detective came from behind his desk, raising an arm. "I hope you do. I'll keep you up to date if anything seems out of place."
Cloud took his hand, giving a smile. "Call me if you need anything involving a sword..."
Evan chuckled. "Maybe, Vits has no idea how to use his blade."
The swordsman groaned. "Fine. I'm teaching Denzel and Zeph, bring him over tomorrow afternoon." He paused a moment, looking down; he then looked back up at the detective with a furrowed brow. "Make sure he knows not to swing that thing wildly..."
"...So, what did Yuffie send you?" Tifa asked, hands on her hips and her head cocked to the side. Cloud had come home during a slump, and he had told her of his talk with Evan, and the strange package. She was happy that they could reform their usual relations with the detective, the man having been both a help and a pain since they met him several years ago. She mused that it must be some sort of cycle with him.
Cloud shrugged, looking at the package as he sat on the edge of the bed. He silently opened it up, and peeked inside to some dark grey material; slipping it out of the box it seemed to be something to wear. He rolled it out, and it was some sort of oversized, robe-like thing with a flawed materia over the chest piece. Cloud frowned, unsure what to make of it. Tifa looked into the box, and noticed a piece of paper stuck inside. She took it out, and began to read with a slight imitation of Yuffie's voice.
Hey Furball!
After the WRO collected that freak's robe, I wanted to have a better one made for you! Don't worry, it was made in Wutai. It's got some protective padding and the fabric breathes so you won't overheat when you want to scare sweet little ninjas again. Yep! It's so you can walk around and change and stuff. Vincent mentioned it when I got to talking to him while you were busy talking with Tifa...Anyway! The materia equipped is sort of like an altered Transform materia...Okay, I cracked it, but the mini spell works enough to shrink it to about your size. I tested it a lot! Consider it a really early birthday present. Text me when you get it!
Yuffie
Cloud raised his brows as he stood up, the fabric trailing on the ground. "Huh." He looked down the hall, the bedroom door open; he heard and smelled no one, the children out playing. He looked back at Tifa. "I want to try it." She blushed, but nodded in agreement that he should test it out. Cloud began to strip, Tifa closing the door in case the kids came rushing into the house. Naked, he looked at the outfit, finally deciding he was supposed to slip through the oversized neck hole.
The whole thing was much too large for him, the neck hole showing part of his chest as he stood there, feet through the Wutaian style pant legs and hands covered by fabric. He frowned a moment as he struggled with it, finally situating himself and focusing on the damaged materia Yuffie had placed in the chest shield. 'Please don't shrink me instead...'
The outfit shimmered, and soon he had a very comfortable outfit that he could easily walk in, not too tight, not too loose, shoulder pads accentuating his upper body and belts hanging from his torso. He tried on the hood, and it was loose and kept his spikes from being noticeable. The pantlegs still covered his feet softly, but if he were to wear this for its intended purpose, he wasn't going to be wearing footwear...The thought brought his eyes to Tifa, a slight blush on his face. "I...want to try it out..."
"You don't want me here?" Her face was red.
Cloud matched her blush, turning his head. "It's still embarrassing in front of you..."
Tifa smiled. "It's okay if you don't want to, in front of me. Just tap on the door when you want me back in." She gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek, then left the room, closing the door behind her.
"Right..." He focused, and soon a familiar heat rose up to greet him, and he grunted softly as it gleefully twisted his body under the loosening fabric, a short muzzle appearing from under the hood, his body growing to properly fit the original length of the garment as his muscles grew and ankles elongated, and lengthened arms and claws poked out of the armholes. The noise of humans outside came to his pointy ears, and he blocked it out; there would be time to hunt animals soon enough.
Cloud looked at the mirror on the bedroom door, studying himself. He certainly looked sinister enough, a tall, deadly looking monster with a lankier build than Valdt, but his concerns months ago seemed to have dissolved recently; this form was becoming a second body to him. Done investigating himself, he lightly tapped a claw on the door, and Tifa quietly came in.
"Hmm..." She walked around him, putting her hands here and there to test the fabric, feeling his furry body underneath. "It looks like it fits pretty well, I think..." Tifa thought a moment in front of Cloud, then looked up at him, his head cocked. "...You said you could understand me in the garage...Cloud, nod if you understand me." She waited for his response.
He slowly nodded after a moment, as if making sure he had heard her properly.
"Great! Can you, um, get on all fours...?" She was blushing at the request, swinging her hips shyly.
Cloud looked at her and released a snort, complying with her request. The hood got in the way of his sight, and he tried shaking it away with a grumble. Tifa moved it off his head, glancing her fingers through blonde fur as she did so; she swore a hum came from his throat as she did so.
"Well, that seems to be the only issue... Can you walk in it?" Her hands were on her hips now.
He took a few tentative steps, then went a little faster with the short amount of space he had. The fabric was raised too high for him to stumble. Cloud got up, and tried walking on two legs, the hunched creeping used to pacing the room. No issues, the fabric made very little noise. Was this stuff used for Wutai ninjas? Tifa came back up to him again, double-checking the outfit and then studying Cloud's face, finally seeing it properly in the light. He tried to move, but she held her hands firmly.
"Let me see you for once, not in a picture or in the dark..."
His face wasn't all that scary once you got used to it and he wasn't looking to kill you, Tifa decided. The snout wasn't very long, but still broad and wolfish, fangs sticking out slightly from his closed mouth. His face was a dark yellowish brown and devoid of fur, but all around were familiar blonde spikes, some facing downward on the sides of his head and poking by his pointed ears on the top of his head. He was obviously frowning at her, his familiar cerulean irises swimming in pitch black sclerae looking back into her warm, ruby eyes. His dark nose seemed to be softly sniffing the air, as if unsure of her reaction.
"You aren't that scary to me...Not anymore, anyway." She said lowly, brushing her palm on his leathery forehead. Tifa gave him a shy smile, thinking about how far they'd come in such a short while. The werewolf closed his eyes, as if in thought, as she stood next to him.
The next thing she knew, Cloud was back to his old self, as if his bestial visage had simply deflated quickly. He opened his eyes, then blinked a few times. Looking at Tifa, he nodded his approval of the garment, ignoring her surprise. "It feels really nice. I guess the hood is the only trouble, but I can pull that back first." He unceremoniously removed himself from the outfit, wearing only the necklace with his ring dangling from it.
"It was really thoughtful of Yuffie to get this made for you...I wonder how she got the dimensions right, though?" Tifa pondered her question to herself as Cloud dressed himself, leaving his pauldron and side sash off, not needing them around the house.
"I have no idea, but this was a great gift from her...If I need to go out, I can wear this instead of ruining my clothing." He tied his boots up, a small smile on his face. Maybe he'd wear it tomorrow morning, wanting to release that pent up desire to kill something with his claws and teeth...
Tifa nodded. "Well, I better get downstairs. I'm surprised no one's come in yet..." She paused a moment. "Are you teaching the boys today? I'm helping Marlene some..."
Cloud shook his head. "Not today, Teef. Tomorrow afternoon I'm gonna train them again, and Vits." He hoped to Gaia Vits wasn't as excitable as Zeph when it came to learning about weapons. Yesterday had been slightly painful to the man.
"Hm, well if you think you can handle three at a time." She turned to leave, Cloud shaking his head as he left with her.
"I know I can't, but I'll try anyway."
As they reached the bottom of the stairwell Zeph, Denzel and Marlene came in through the front door, The adults asking about the children's afternoon, and the children asking when they'd practice more. "Tomorrow afternoon, guys. Vits is joining us."
"Vits?" Zeph remembered him; he was Evan's child, the one kidnapped by Valdt that lead to the daring rescue.
Cloud nodded. "Yeah. hopefully you guys are a little safer tomorrow, if just for my sake."
Denzel let out a giggle, remembering accidentally cracking the delivery boy in the knee yesterday. "After you train him not to, maybe."
"...Just try and not horseplay with those things."