Guys... GUYS.
I'm back.
Again.
How are we all holding up? Everybody good? Guess what. Here's another chapter. Because I love you dearly.
FFVII belongs to Square Enix. Not me. No money is being made from this work of fiction.
As always, Enjoy!
~V
She sighed into his mouth as he hovered above her, engulfing her with his whole being. She felt so safe and warm in his arms. Everything fit together perfectly.
"How come it's always gotta be a fight, yo? Can't we just stay like this?" His nose tickled her neck as she batted him away, "You smell really good…"
"I'm a fighter not a lover. Not anymore," she teased.
"I beg to differ," he nuzzled her a bit more roughly, holding her firm against him. "You're both."
She deliberated before speaking, "…Maybe."
They lay together a bit longer before Tifa felt the inevitable pull: A dreadful pain behind her eyes that signaled something undesirable -something that she didn't have the energy to face -something that would tear them apart again. (Not that she should be sneaking around with him like this anyhow…)
"You're not really fighting me, Teef, yanno? You're fighting you."
"Bongo!"
A particularly pesky, rainbow-colored Macaw greeted Tifa from her open-air window as she recovered from another fleeting dream of Reno. Dreaming of him had become a habit of hers as of late. He was a bad habit that she couldn't quite shake. It seemed that the harder she tried to push Reno from her waking-mind, the more he graced her subconscious.
She stretched from head to toe in the comfort of her fluffy new bed before greeting her visitor: "Morning Bongo," she sucked in a breath before letting out a big yawn.
'Bongo' was a very large, very colorful, very intrusive parrot who putzed around the building that she and Marlene now inhabited: "Good Morning Bongo!" he squawked in return.
"Yes," she agreed. "It is."
The sun shone brightly above azure skies, fluffy ocean clouds, and palm trees. Now that Tifa was back above ground, she felt blessed to be living in what so many others had dubbed 'Paradise'. Mideel was a pristine island covered in tropical vegetation, hot springs, and waterfalls - as well as offering some of the most gorgeous beaches in the world.
Upon returning from Edge, the girls relocated to the southwest side of Mideel. Tifa, Barret, and a handful of helpers from the underground militia, as well as some helpful townsfolk, had assisted in renovations of this particular building, which had been a small tavern before the Lifestream disaster and Meteorfall. Harrison had provided them with the necessary startup capital, as well as all of the hardware she required to upgrade the dilapidated bar and dining area. Everything had been covered in moss, and island animals like Bongo, some feral cats, and a handful of pesky monkeys had taken up residence in the abandoned building. Tifa felt bad chasing them out of the joint but this was her home now. They'd just have to go back to the jungle where they belonged. All except for Bongo, of course. He simply refused to vacate the premises, so Tifa eventually gave in and let him stick around. Marlene and Janice liked to play with him and teach him new phrases, so he quickly became their new pet, in a sense.
The kitchen was still in working condition, thankfully, and all of the supplies that Tifa repossessed from Seventh Heaven definitely saved her time and money. The bar's "soft opening" would take place in less than two weeks, so she had to hustle to get everything ready in time.
"Tifa!" Marlene's voice rang from outside her bedroom door, "Captain and Misses Harrison are here! They brought Janice, too. Can we play outside?"
Tifa rubbed the rest of the sleep from her eyes before she shot up in bed. 'Shit!' -She forgot that the captain and his wife were coming over for morning tea – and to go over some more start-up plans for the new business. She quickly hobbled out of bed, breezing past the talking bird that was skipping about on her floor to grab a t-shirt and jeans from her bamboo dresser.
"Please tell them I'll be right down!" she hollered to Marlene as she struggled to get into her jeans.
"Okay! But what about Janice?" Marlene hollered back.
"Sure," she said as she slipped the shirt over her head. "Just don't go too far. And be back in time for lunch, okay?"
"Yep yep!"
Tifa pulled a brush through her hair as she heard Marlene's footsteps retreating down the hallway.
"Bongo!"
Tifa whirled to glimpse the bird perched on her bamboo bed frame now, staring at her intently before cocking his head to the side, blinking a few times in the process. Tifa concluded that she definitely liked Chocobos better than Parrots. Chocobos didn't try to reel you into one-sided conversations…
"I'll be back later, Bongo. How about you go outside and play with the girls?" she tried.
"The girls, the girls!" he mimicked, followed by a whistle.
"Okay," she didn't really care if he stayed or went or even understood what she said as she checked her image in the mirror. "Good enough," she concluded before quickly slipping on flip-flops and exiting the room.
"Ah Miss LockhaRTT, so good to see you!" Dinah quickly gracefully rose from her seat and strode over to Tifa as she entered the unfinished dining area. The older woman pulled Tifa into a warm embrace, pecking her on the cheek in an island greeting. Dinah was an affectionate woman who practically oozed with caring and compassion. Tifa blushed from the attention as she was fairly unaccustomed to it. She wondered, too, where Janice got her brash attitude from. She was nothing like Dinah. 'Probably her biological father…' Tifa thought to herself. That, and being raised inside a military organization probably rubbed off on her a bit.
"Good morning," Tifa smiled. "Sorry I kept you waiting. We were finishing the floors last night, so I got to bed a bit later than anticipated."
"No worries, ma dear," Dinah assured her. "We are just happy ya still in working order. Tis lots of labor opening a business like diss -and in such a short amount ah time."
They turned toward Harrison now while he stood next to the table, waiting to greet her. "Good morning, Miss Lockhart, you're looking well." He extended his hand in a formal greeting, to which Tifa responded as he gave her a firm handshake. Tifa noted that tea had been served as Harrison pushed in her chair as she sat down, before tending to his wife and sitting down himself. He was quite the gentleman.
"Your little Marlene is quite the hostess," Harrison mentioned as he lifted his tea in an informal toast before taking a sip.
Marlene. Of course! She made the tea while Tifa snoozed (dreaming of a Turk, no less).
"She really is," Tifa smiled in agreement as Dinah poured her a cup of the Nibel Breakfast Blend that she kept stashed in the kitchen. She maintained a thoughtful look as her mind wandered to Marlene: That little girl kept her sane, kept her in check, kept her from making a fool of herself in front of important guests. She made a mental note to take Marlene into town for the new bicycle she wanted as a reward for all of her help. Not just for this, but for everything. The girl had been through so much. She deserved something special for putting up with Tifa and their 'wacky life' together.
The trio chit-chatted about the weather, Tifa's hometown and her life in Midgar and Edge, the new business that they all had a stake in, their children, the global state of affairs…
In the two months after the incident at Junon and her trip to Edge, it seemed that Shinra had come into the media again as a harbinger of catastrophes around the globe. The president's cancelled speech sparked rumors of his possible motives, another wave of geostigma due to the increasing oil spills, and the future of his proposed underwater oil pipeline.
After finishing his tea, Harrison leaned forward to lead the conversation into a more 'intimate' discussion.
"We are very pleased that you are helping to revive Mideel's economy, further-more reviving its place in the world by investing in its future. Relocating your business here, even if it wasn't what you had in mind, is a joy to all of Mideel's citizens, Miss Lockhart." He looked at her in deep gratitude, "You and your comrades have done so much for the planet, for the common people. We all owe you a great debt."
Tifa smiled, "Thank you, Captain. But please, you can call me Tifa. You and your wife have been more than kind to Marlene and myself. You've done so much for us. We're happy to be here," she smiled at Dinah before taking another sip of tea.
"Of course," he sat back, lighting up a cigarette before continuing. "We should put formalities aside. Please call me Harrison. Barret does. My first name is Ronan, but all of my friends call me Harrison," he took his wife by the hand, holding it tight while smoking with the other.
"Certainly," Tifa smiled, fidgeting a little. She knew something else was coming, something more to be said, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"I've come to speak to you about a project we have been working on, and we'd like for your business to be an integral part of it," he continued, snuffing out his cigarette before folding his hands on the table in front of him.
There it was.
Dinah sat up straight, unmoving, appraising Tifa with her onyx eyes.
Tifa said nothing, which signaled for Harrison to continue with his request.
"We've had some reports of suspicious activity near our main tunnel entrance, which was the entrance you utilized when you first arrived here. We are in the process of barricading that tunnel – The South Tunnel, and looking to open up an alternate route."
Tifa understood what he was getting at right away. "So you would like the new tunnel to come out here," she said matter-of-factly,
Harrison smiled wide, "Precisely."
Tifa sat back in contemplation. If the tunnel entrance happened to be underneath her bar, that may put she and Marlene at a greater risk for danger.
"How do I know this won't bring unwanted "suspicious activity" to my place of work? To my business? To my home …and Marlene?" she challenged. She didn't want to come across as ungrateful. Harrison had done so much for her by giving her asylum and a chance to start over, but at what price? She wanted to live in peace, but being the host of an entrance to an underground tunnel system for a covert Militia Organization didn't exactly put her at ease.
Harrison sighed, "Unfortunately there is no guarantee of complete safety, but we will do everything in our power to keep you and your girl out of harm's way, should any situations arise."
Tifa rubbed the bridge of her nose. She didn't like this at all. "And if I refuse? …This request?"
Harrison visibly tensed at this, while Dinah's eyes widened. Harrison stood up, followed by his wife, "Refusal is not an option. This is not a request. The tunnel is already underway."
Tifa stood up now too, pretty much shooting up from her seat, "What?"
Well, this pleasant conversation had certainly taken an unpleasant turn.
"I'm sorry that this may not be something that you agree with, but like said, the plans are underway. The main tunnel will begin here."
"You'd been planning this all along and I didn't even have a say? Does Barret know about this?" she fired back.
Harrison was on his way out the door, followed close behind by Dinah, before turning back to answer, "He was the one who suggested it."
Tifa was floored.
"We will speak again soon, Tifa," he softened a little before exiting. Dinah offered her a soft smile before walking out the rickety front door.
"Janice!" she heard Dinah call to her daughter. "Gitcha muddy feet over here right quick! We going back now, my love."
Tifa was fuming. Barret was due back that night, and boy, was he going to get a piece of her mind.
"Listen! I didn't think it would be such a big 'ol stink!" Barret tried reasoning with a still-fuming Tifa. She was currently pacing back and forth in front of him as he sat awkwardly in a kitchen chair -which was entirely too small for his hulking form.
She stopped in her tracks to look at him, "OH? Is that ALL it IS? A 'big old stink'?!"
"Teef," he warned defensively.
"No! ...No. You're not gonna downplay this, Barret! This is a BIG deal. Harrison thinks he can just own us because he was so generous? That's low," she crossed her arms.
"Teef", he tried again, "Harrison don't think he owns us. I offered. It's my fault. I wan't thinkin', I s'pose. Listen, I'm tryin' my best here!" he pleaded. "I guess I was jus' nostalgic fuh da old days. Back with Biggs, an Wedge, an Jessie. Guess I thought'd be excitin' to have a 'secret underground' again…" he rubbed the back of his neck.
Tifa softened a little, letting out a small sigh before sitting down at the table with him. "B," she began, "this isn't something I signed up for."
"Yeah I know," he huffed. "But I'm a part a dis now." He looked up at her, "I wish you'd reconsider joinin'. We really need a pair-a-fists like you."
Tifa hung her head in defeat. The tunnel was happening. Barret was committed to the cause. She'd just have to deal with it as best as she could. She should have figured she couldn't avoid having some role in his new job. Not if she planned on keeping Barret and Marlene together.
Speaking of which:
"Daddy!" Marlene giggled as she ran in from the doorway, dropping her knapsack as she leaped toward him.
"Ayyyy Babygirl!" Barret scooped her up into his arms, hugging her tight.
"Guess what!" she giggled.
"Whassat?" he pulled back to look at her.
"Janice and I taught Bongo how to sing the flower petal song!"
"I'll be damned! How'sat one go?" he was intrigued by everything his little girl had to say, hanging on her every word. Tifa watched as they joked and giggled and hugged. Barret really did love his daughter. Tifa knew that. And if sucking it up and going along with Harrison's plan kept them together, then she'd do it. Still, she wondered what other demands he might make at the expense of her business and well-being. She was too tired to start over again somewhere else.
Mideel was her home now. Her bar would be open soon and she'd have to take everything else one day at a time.
'I can do it,' she resolved. 'I'll make it happen.'
"I apologize fuh any harsh feelings we may have caused," Dinah said as she walked alongside Tifa through her Orchid garden. She invited Tifa for lunch in a peace-offering shortly after her meeting with Harrison. "My husband can be very set in his ways. Once his mind made up, it's made up."
Tifa nodded her head, "I understand. I was just upset that I wasn't informed sooner. And that I don't have any say in the matter."
"Ah," Dinah sympathized, "Even if yah did, Ronan would do wut he wanted ta do anyhow. He runs dis island now, so he gonna do what he sees fit."
Tifa made no comment.
"So," Dinah continued, doing her best to fill the silence, "Yoo excited fuh ya opening?"
Tifa tried her best to look enthusiastic, "Yes, it will be a nice change of pace to get back to work."
Truth be told, she was extremely nervous. There was still so much left do; all little things like checking the wiring and light bulbs, making sure the new floorboards had settled, hanging pictures, oh and not to mention that there was a secret underground tunnel being blasted and dug out underneath her building, and an iron door was being delivered and installed by fifteen of Harrison's workers at the end of the week.
You know -little things like that.
Tifa couldn't help but be annoyed that she had to adjust the pictures on her bedroom wall every twenty minutes or so. The underground blasts had been getting more intense that night as she was frittering around hanging curtains in the bedrooms, folding laundry, and going through supply order forms.
"Bongo!"
Since Barret had taken Marlene underground with him until the next day, her companion for the evening was a large Macaw who preferred to only say one word. Repeatedly. Even giving him biscuits and crackers didn't seem to appease him.
"Well, Bongo, I seem to have a dilemma," she divulged. She was speaking to a bird. She knew what she was doing. She didn't really care anymore. "I need a name for my new bar. Any thoughts?"
The bird blinked before speaking, "Bongo!"
"I love it!" she smiled. "But I need something with a bit more …flair. How about 'Final Heaven'?"
"Final Heaven," Bongo repeated, followed by a whistle.
"I knew you'd agree," Tifa smirked.
The following night…
"Final Heaven?" Marlene read aloud as she looked at a piece of paper with funny drawing of a Parrot holding a Margarita on it.
"What do you think?" Tifa looked hopefully at the younger girl.
Marlene wrinkled her nose, "Why not Seventh Heaven?"
Tifa's heart sank a little before explaining, "Well, sweetie, I wanted to try something new. Kind of like, this is the final place that we'll end up. Hopefully we won't have to move again after this. Finally, you know? And we can even have Bongo be our mascot, see?" she pointed to the parrot logo she drew up the night before. Marlene turned back to the paper in front of her, studying it a bit further. They both giggled at the funny parrot picture before being interrupted by a loud knock at the apartment door. Tifa glanced at the clock: 10:04pm.
"Who could it be at this hour?" she wondered aloud before walking over to put her hand on the latch. "Who is it?" she said loudly.
"Captain Harrison. May I come in?"
Tifa's eyes widened as she ran a hand through her hair before unlatching the door, opening it to reveal Harrison in civilian clothes on the other side.
"Harrison," she forced a smile. "What a surprise! Please… come in," she extended a hand, motioning towards the living area.
"I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour," he looked sheepish and out-of place.
"It's alright. Oh!" She noticed that Marlene popped her head out of the kitchen.
"Hi Captain Harrison!" Marlene smiled from the Kitchen doorway.
"Hello Marlene," he smiled down at her.
"Please have a seat," Tifa led him to a small sofa in the living area. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"No, I'm fine, thank you," he waved his hand dismissively before sitting down.
"Captain, Tifa's been working on a new name for the bar. What do you think?" Before Tifa could stop her, Marlene handed the piece of paper to the older gentleman.
"Ah," he took the paper, studying it, "I was wondering when the name would be revealed! 'Final Heaven?" he read aloud. "I like it," he nodded in approval before handing the paper back to Marlene. "I see you've met the resident parrot who likes to roam around this place, then, hn?" he smiled, referring to the parrot drawing with a twinkle in his eye.
"We certainly have," Tifa rolled her eyes. "He's our unofficial mascot."
Harrison let out a chuckle at this, "You know Bongo has been around a long time. I first came here over ten years ago and he was around even back then! Parrots like him live for a very long time, you know. I've been told that some can even live to be a hundred! Much longer than Chocobos, even," he laughed.
"I never knew that," Tifa said with all honesty. Bongo was the first parrot she ever got up-close-and-personal with, and he was pretty chill as far as parrots go. He liked to walk around and survey everything. He could serve to be a low-cost alarm system, too. This also meant that Bongo could potentially outlive them, so Tifa figure she'd have to learn to enjoy her nonsensical nightly conversations with him. He was going to be around for a long time, it seemed.
"Tifa," he segued into a more serious tone, "I came to let you know about the progress we've made so far with the new entrance. The door will be put into place tonight, within the hour. How are you ladies holding up? I can imagine that all of the blasting must have been a nuisance to you. I just want you to know how much that I and the rest of the MMC appreciate your cooperation in the matter."
Tifa refrained from rolling her eyes, 'Not like we had a choice in the matter.'
Instead, she smiled and said, "We've managed. I've had to wait to hang pictures on the walls downstairs, but other than that, it hasn't been too bad."
"Ah, good," he smiled back.
Tifa figured that Harrison was here running damage control at the request of his wife. She'd play nice for now, but if anything happened to compromise her business or the well-being of her family, Harrison would have hell to pay at the mercy of her fists. She had been training hard each morning at dawn to redirect her frustrations, and to keep from turning soft. She didn't want to have any repeats of her failure at Junon, in case things went awry with their relationship with Harrison and the MMC, or heaven forbid if Shinra came to town.
"That's one of my favorite restaurants," Harrison said out of the blue.
"Hm?" Tifa looked at him in complete confusion.
"Port Junon Trading Company. Your shirt," he explained.
Tifa forgot that she was wearing Reno's shirt again. Dang.
"They have the best crab cakes! And a damn fine bar if I say so myself. I hope the bar you'll be opening here will rival that place, Tifa," he smiled. "I'm looking forward to my first drink from you. What's your specialty?"
Tifa reflected upon Priscilla's words. She said that the only other person she ever saw with tattoos like Reno's was a 'Scary-Looking Mercenery from Mideel'. It had to be Harrison, so Tifa filed that away in her brain before returning her attention to him. "My specialty? Hm… Marlene? What's my specialty?" she turned to the little girl seated beside her now.
"Vanilla cola!" Marlene bounced in her seat.
Tifa turned back to Harrison, "There you have it: Vanilla Cola."
Harrison let out a laugh, "That sounds delicious. I can't wait to try your spin on it."
With tensions eased ever so slightly, Tifa and Harrison chatted a bit longer before she hinted that it was well past Marlene's bedtime. Harrison bid them both a warm goodbye, returning to the basement level of the establishment to oversee the last stage of the tunnel excavation and door placement.
After Marlene was sound-asleep, Tifa turned her lights down to sit in her wicker chair with her feet up on her window frame. She sipped on a glass of chilled blush wine as she watched the stars twinkling above. Everything was so clear here: The air, the ocean, her frame of mind.
Tifa felt clarity for the first time in ages.
And it felt nice.
"That is some damn good whiskey!" Cid whistled as he looked at his glass. "Damn good."
"I'm glad you like it," Tifa said as she shook up a drink in a tumbler before pouring it into a Martini glass for another patron. "It's from a cask I picked up in Icicle last year. The barrel is made from a dark wood, so it richens the flavor."
The soft opening of the bar gathered a fair amount of patrons, as well as a few of of Tifa's close friends who had come to visit. Cid and Shera came for the weekend with Denzel, whose presence put Marlene over-the-moon with joy. Yuffie was currently helping Tifa behind the bar, while Barret unofficially ran crowd control. Harrison, Dinah, and a handful of other people from the Militia graced them with their presence early in the evening, but left before midnight.
Word-of-mouth had brought people from all over the island to see what this new place was all about, and Tifa didn't disappoint. She hired a local musical troupe to play bongos, steel pan drums, and wooden flutes, as well as fire spinners and fire eaters performing out front to draw attention to the new establishment. The night went on with lots of singing and general merriment, and the last customer didn't leave until nearly dawn.
Tifa slept the entire next day. Her apartment was full of people, too, as Cid, Shera, Denzel, Yuffie, and Barret all stayed with her and Marlene for the weekend. Her friends had departed on Sunday after a fun-filled weekend exploring the 'New Mideel'. Poor Denzel had to go back to Rocket Town with sunburn because Janice kept him on the beach until he was nice and crispy. The young girl effectively sent him back with a soothing oil concoction that Dinah had made from the plants in her garden to help speed up the healing process.
Tifa didn't open again until the following Tuesday, which was a much more manageable night.
In the meantime, Harrison had visited her again to go over the intake process if people came directly into the bar looking for access to the tunnel. Essentially, if anyone came or went, it was though an entrance in the back of the building. That way her business wouldn't be disrupted by anyone raising suspicion by coming into a bar, not ordering anything, and then disappearing, basically. However if someone came to her seeking access there was a special set of phrases, questions, and answers that needed to be said correctly to gain access. Code speak, basically. This would only happen in the event of new recruits, diplomats, or spies seeking to gain access, so she had to be very careful in how she handled said people looking for access.
There was to be a guard placed at the entrance at all times, so if they got past Tifa and had ill-intent, they still had another round of code speak and testing before they could access the tunnel.
Thursday night was quiet. Which was fine. Tifa didn't mind a breather after a busy Wednesday night. Marlene spent the afternoon and evening underground with Janice, so she figured she would close up early and pay everyone a visit while retrieving her little lady. After she wiped the bar down, swept the floors, and locked up, Tifa made her way around the back of the building to knock on the underground entrance. She was greeted by a no-nonsense woman in military fatigues. "Miss Lockart," she acknowledged Tifa and stepped aside.
"Good evening," Tifa said as she entered the basement area. The guard typed in a passcode on the new door, which caused it to decompress and open slightly. The guard hoisted the large metal door back to grant Tifa entrance.
This tunnel was much shorter than the old tunnel, which was situated on the opposite side of town in a more run-down area. She figured Harrison's schematics planted the main bunker not far from her building, so he was probably ecstatic when he learned he could connect a much closer, more secure, more convenient tunnel via the sub-level of her building.
'Go me,' she rolled her eyes.
As she ventured underground, however, she heard a bit of a commotion further down the tunnel. Alarmed, she began to run toward the opening. As she reached the entrance to the bunker she heard a man's voice yell, "Down on the ground!" followed by boots scuffling in the gravel and more voices yelling in confusion.
About ten guards were gathered around something or someone who she couldn't quite see, and Harrison stood at the opposite end of the open gathering area of the bunker. Tifa spied Marlene in the distance with Janice, who were intently watching the scene together behind a railing just a few meters back .
Marlene caught Tifa's eye as she tried to mouth something that Tifa couldn't quite understand.
"I never thought I'd see this sorry face again," Harrison said with an air of contempt. He was speaking to or about the person that was being pinned to the ground by two guards.
Tifa stealthily rounded the perimeter of the commotion to get to Marlene.
"So you're the one who's been sneaking around my tunnels. Fancy that!" Harrison laughed. "And what is it you expected to achieve in coming back here, hm? Who sent you? Was it the maniac who turned you against me? Did he send you to kill me? And even then, could you honestly do it?"
Tifa got close to Marlene and grabbed her by the hand, "We have to go now."
"But Tifa-!" she looked up at her caretaker.
"Now Marlene," she warned, not preferring to get mixed up in Harrison's affairs.
"Tifa it's-!" Marlene tried.
"Pick his sorry ass up," Harrison boomed, prompting the two guards to hoist the perpetrator off the ground, holding him up roughly with his arms still pinned behind his back.
At that moment, a number of things happened: Tifa read somewhere once that a 'Quantum Moment' is a life-altering moment when time stands still -and even has the power to rearrange itself. Quantum moments are the most important moments of our lives. They redefine our future from a single pinpoint in time.
This was one of those moments.
Tifa glanced briefly to catch sight of the person who Harrison was about to unleash hell upon.
There was no denying it. No denying who she saw with her own eyes.
Tifa's heart stopped.
"Reno," she formed his name on her lips, but no sound came out. Her entire body went into a state of momentary shock.
He noticed her too, not long after he lifted his head up. He had the most incredulous look on his face as he stared at her from a distance, his brow cocked and mouth slightly agape. That didn't last long, however, as Harrison's hand slapped him straight across the face. In typical Reno fashion, he bounced back with a shit-eating grin meant just for Harrison.
"I missed you, too, pal," Reno challenged.
Harrison scoffed at his defiance. "Let him go," he ordered the guards. They released Reno and stepped back.
Reno rubbed his wrists and arms as he looked at Harrison, "Sheesh what a welcome home."
"This is not your home," Harrison warned. "You made your choice a long time ago."
Tifa stood dumbfounded, unable to peel her eyes from Reno. He looked thin, gaunt; Much thinner from when she saw him last. Gone was the typical Turk tailored-suit. Now he wore black cargo pants covered in dust, muddy black combat boots, and a gray t-shirt riddled with holes. He had deep welts on his arms and neck. He looked like he'd been through hell.
"I'm here seeking asylum. From Shinra," he said reluctantly.
Harrison walked right up to him, staring him down, to which Reno didn't flinch, "And how do I know that you're not just here gathering intel for The Illustrious Rufus Shinra?"
Reno narrowed his eyes, speaking lowly, "Because I'm now listed as AWOL, and if I go back to Shinra, Rufus will have me shitcanned. Permanently."
"Not convinced," Harrison stated simply.
Reno swallowed his pride, which was something Reno never did, before looking at the Captain with pleading eyes, "Harrison," he lowered his voice, Tifa noticed it cracking slightly, "I have nowhere else to go."
Harrison hovered over him, stuck in a bind. He obviously had a prior relationship with Reno. What kind of relationship? Tifa had yet to find out.
Harrison made up his mind, and with extreme displeasure in his tone, as if he felt he was making a huge mistake, replied, "You will have a trial probationary period. If you misstep in any way, you will be terminated. Report to my ready room at oh nine hundred hours to go over your daily itinerary. You'll sleep here in the holding area tonight. We will have a more permanent room ready for you tomorrow."
Reno looked up in shock and gratitude. He looked to Tifa who had the same look of shock upon her face.
"Everyone else is dismissed. Hendricks, see to it that our new recruit has a mat to sleep on tonight," Harrison ordered.
"Sir," the guard complied.
The rest of the guards scattered, leaving Tifa, Marlene, and Janice in the background.
In a split-second decision Tifa grabbed Marlene by the wrist, darting out of the place as quickly as possible, not bothering to look back. They raced through the tunnel, Marlene's feeble protests barely registering as they made their way above ground again. They exited the tunnel, barreling past the guard, racing out into the night, then running up the stairwell on the exterior of the building to reach their cozy apartment above the bar.
Tifa collapsed in a heap on the kitchen floor, breathing near the point of hyperventilation, fighting back tears while Marlene got her a glass of water from the kitchen tap.
"It's okay, it's okay," Marlene repeated as she handed the glass to Tifa, encouraging her to take a drink as she attempted to calm herself down. Tifa obliged by taking small sips, breathing deeply.
"I'm… sorry… I just…. had to…" Tifa struggled between breaths.
"I know," Marlene sat next to the older girl on the floor now, leaning up against the counter.
So many thoughts raced and swirled around Tifa's head: Reno. It was definitely him. Only a few minutes prior, Reno was just meters away from her. Why? It had been nearly two months since she saw him last …since Junon. What was he doing here? ...of all places? He went AWOL from Shinra? From the Turks? Why? Did it have something to do…with her?
She had too many questions for her brain to process at the moment.
She was not prepared for this.
Reno was here.
That's all she knew. For now.
She and Marlene sat in silence for a bit longer before she found the will to stand up and make her way to bed. Marlene hopped in bed beside her, both girls still fully-clothed, before Tifa drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
She'd work on this mystery tomorrow.
Her heart couldn't handle this just yet.
To be continued…