Author's Note: Okay, so the first chapter wasn't all that good. I'm still
getting used to the whole thing. But fear not! My stories usually start
out kinda lame, but pick up later on, so if you care to stick around for
the rest, I'll try not to disappoint you. Please R/R! ^_^
Disclaimer: Yadda yadda yadda, I don't own any of it, you know the drill.
This Chapter rated PG-13 for language. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Things Unexpected
Chapter 2: New Challenges
It was a beautiful morning in Junon. The sun was hovering over the horizon, the sky was clear, and the air was crisp and cool as Tifa walked briskly down the street. The chilly morning air hit her face and made her nose run as she went. She was on her way to "Easy Cuts", the hair salon where she had managed to find a job. She didn't like cutting hair, it seemed a futile practice, but it was all she could find. She had to admit it wasn't really all that bad. The hours were good, the pay was reasonable, and she got the opportunity to meet some very interesting people. Probably the worst thing about it was her boss. Cathy. Cathy's job was to make sure everyone who worked at the salon was miserable. Or, that's what it seemed to Tifa. She would always interfere when someone was getting a haircut, insisting that the person doing the cutting was doing it wrong. Then she would tell them to work harder or find somewhere else to work. Tifa had nearly had it with her, but she supposed it could be a lot worse.
After about ten minutes of walking, she finally reached her destination. She entered, took off her coat, and began to set things up for the day.
"Mornin', Tif." A woman's voice said. Tifa turned to see a large black woman enter the salon, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand.
"Oh, good morning, Sheryll." She answered pleasantly. Sheryll was another employee at Easy Cuts. She was a very jolly person who got along with almost everyone. She was the customer's favorite.
"Nice day, huh?" Sheryll mused.
"Very. I love days like this." Tifa flipped the sign on the door so it read, 'Yes, we're open!' Sheryll began taking things out of her bag and setting them up on the counter. They were usually the first two to arrive in the morning, so they almost always had time to sit and chat about things. Tifa enjoyed their conversations greatly. They took her mind off everything else that was going on.
"Do you think Cathy's Bitch-o-Meter is on high today?" Sheryll asked with a chuckle. Tifa laughed. Sheryll was always able to make everyone laugh.
"I hope not." Tifa answered. "But if it is, she'd better keep it away from me, or my hand may go berserk with the scissors."
This time, it was Sheryll's turn to laugh. She sat down in one of the parlor chairs and sipped her coffee quietly.
"Hey," She looked at Tifa solemnly. "Did you read about that drug bust downtown in today's paper?" Tifa looked rather surprised.
"No. What happened?"
"Well, apparently there's a cartel in the city. They don't know just how many people are in on it, but the police said it was likely that they were in connection with some dealers in Costa del Sol."
Tifa looked skeptical. "Costa del Sol? Are you for real?"
Sheryll nodded. "Yeah, since it's a big tourist place and all, the cops say that it would be an ideal place to deal. Lots of different people coming and going all the time. But like. Two days ago I think, they caught three different dealers, all said to be connected to some major underground drug lines."
Tifa couldn't believe it. Well, she could, but it was still quite a shock. Hearing this made her remember something she'd read in the newspaper a few weeks ago. Something about a shooting. Apparently there had been a dispute over some heroine sales, and it had led to violence. Two people had been killed. She assumed that the two incidents were connected. She wanted to ask Sheryll more about it, but a customer entered before she could say anything. She would just have to read the newspaper when she got home.
Hours past, and soon it was two o'clock. Time for Tifa to head home. She took her time. Enjoying the afternoon air. It had warmed up considerably, and so she carried her jacket as she strolled down the street. She decided to take a detour through the park. It wasn't very big, but there was lots of shade, a few nice fountains, and plenty of benches to sit on. She inhaled the sweet smelling air, and listened to all the high-pitched chirps and whistles of the birds overhead. She wished she were a bird. Then she would leave this dreary city, and live somewhere away from all the killings and cartels. Somewhere up in the mountains. Of course, that would never happen.
She suddenly noticed someone sitting on a bench not too far ahead of her, reading a newspaper. She couldn't see all of their face, but she was able to see a pair of blue eyes, hidden partially behind a shock of red hair.
Oh no. She thought. She hoped he wouldn't see her. Maybe it wasn't even him. Lots of people have red hair. No. She was fooling herself. It was him. It was Reno.
She walked quicker, and turned her head away from him as she passed so that he wouldn't notice her. But it was too late.
"What's the rush?" She heard his voice say from behind the paper. She stopped and turned around. It was too late to just walk past, and she didn't want to be rude. Wait. What was she thinking? This was Reno. Why did it matter if she was rude to him or not? It didn't, she supposed, but she had to say something.
"What do you want?" Was what she finally decided on.
He put the newspaper down and put his hands behind his head. "What do you mean? Is it a crime to inquire as to why someone would be walking, perfectly contently, then suddenly speed up as if to avoid something?"
Tifa rolled her eyes. She didn't want to get into this. She had been having such a nice walk, too. But suddenly a thought hit her. If she left, she would eventually have to go home. That was something she was not eager to do.
With a heavy sigh, she sat down on the opposite end of the bench.
"You look happy." Reno said sarcastically. Tifa glared at him.
"Don't even start with me today."
He chuckled lightheartedly. "What's the matter? Don't want to go home?"
She turned and looked at him sharply. "What makes you say that?
"Well, it seems to me that people usually go home after work." He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Tifa continued to stare at him.
"How do you know I just got off work?"
He pointed to her shirt. It was blue, and it said "Easy Cuts" on it in cursive lettering. Her nametag was also still on.
"Oh." She felt rather uncomfortable. Why had she even sat down? She must be crazy. "Well maybe I just wanted to go for a walk. It's a nice day, after all."
Reno raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh yeah? I guess you're right."
They sat in silence for a few minutes as he puffed his cigarette. She didn't know he smoked. Finally, she broke the stillness.
"You know, those things'll kill you."
He took another puff, and then extinguished the rest on the edge of the bench. "Is that better mother?"
She chuckled a bit under her breath. She hated cigarettes. Every time she told someone to put one out, they always came back with some sort of retort about her acting like their mother. Reno picked up the newspaper and opened it again.
"Did you hear about the raid?" He asked.
"Yeah. Although I don't know too much about it. I didn't get a chance to read the paper today."
"Here." He handed her his copy. "You should read it, it's pretty interesting."
She took the paper and looked at the picture on the cover. It was of a tall, dark haired man being arrested by the police.
"Thanks."
"I want it back when you're done with it." He told her. She looked up at him awkwardly, but he just laughed.
"Idiot." She stood up and prepared to leave. He stood up also.
"Maybe, but at least I admit it. Catch ya later." He turned and began to walk away. She looked at him as he left. She didn't like him much at all. But she had to admit he was charming.
Still, that didn't matter. He was still a bad person. Wasn't he? He had killed her friends. Had he just been doing his job? Of course, but he still did it willingly. It would take a helluva lot for her to even come close to forgiving him. Like, maybe if he saved the universe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Ok, this chapter was a bit longer. Still not too much happening yet, but what's up with this cartel business? Nothin' good's gonna come of it. *Shakes her head vigorously* I still appreciate your input! ^_^
Disclaimer: Yadda yadda yadda, I don't own any of it, you know the drill.
This Chapter rated PG-13 for language. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Things Unexpected
Chapter 2: New Challenges
It was a beautiful morning in Junon. The sun was hovering over the horizon, the sky was clear, and the air was crisp and cool as Tifa walked briskly down the street. The chilly morning air hit her face and made her nose run as she went. She was on her way to "Easy Cuts", the hair salon where she had managed to find a job. She didn't like cutting hair, it seemed a futile practice, but it was all she could find. She had to admit it wasn't really all that bad. The hours were good, the pay was reasonable, and she got the opportunity to meet some very interesting people. Probably the worst thing about it was her boss. Cathy. Cathy's job was to make sure everyone who worked at the salon was miserable. Or, that's what it seemed to Tifa. She would always interfere when someone was getting a haircut, insisting that the person doing the cutting was doing it wrong. Then she would tell them to work harder or find somewhere else to work. Tifa had nearly had it with her, but she supposed it could be a lot worse.
After about ten minutes of walking, she finally reached her destination. She entered, took off her coat, and began to set things up for the day.
"Mornin', Tif." A woman's voice said. Tifa turned to see a large black woman enter the salon, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand.
"Oh, good morning, Sheryll." She answered pleasantly. Sheryll was another employee at Easy Cuts. She was a very jolly person who got along with almost everyone. She was the customer's favorite.
"Nice day, huh?" Sheryll mused.
"Very. I love days like this." Tifa flipped the sign on the door so it read, 'Yes, we're open!' Sheryll began taking things out of her bag and setting them up on the counter. They were usually the first two to arrive in the morning, so they almost always had time to sit and chat about things. Tifa enjoyed their conversations greatly. They took her mind off everything else that was going on.
"Do you think Cathy's Bitch-o-Meter is on high today?" Sheryll asked with a chuckle. Tifa laughed. Sheryll was always able to make everyone laugh.
"I hope not." Tifa answered. "But if it is, she'd better keep it away from me, or my hand may go berserk with the scissors."
This time, it was Sheryll's turn to laugh. She sat down in one of the parlor chairs and sipped her coffee quietly.
"Hey," She looked at Tifa solemnly. "Did you read about that drug bust downtown in today's paper?" Tifa looked rather surprised.
"No. What happened?"
"Well, apparently there's a cartel in the city. They don't know just how many people are in on it, but the police said it was likely that they were in connection with some dealers in Costa del Sol."
Tifa looked skeptical. "Costa del Sol? Are you for real?"
Sheryll nodded. "Yeah, since it's a big tourist place and all, the cops say that it would be an ideal place to deal. Lots of different people coming and going all the time. But like. Two days ago I think, they caught three different dealers, all said to be connected to some major underground drug lines."
Tifa couldn't believe it. Well, she could, but it was still quite a shock. Hearing this made her remember something she'd read in the newspaper a few weeks ago. Something about a shooting. Apparently there had been a dispute over some heroine sales, and it had led to violence. Two people had been killed. She assumed that the two incidents were connected. She wanted to ask Sheryll more about it, but a customer entered before she could say anything. She would just have to read the newspaper when she got home.
Hours past, and soon it was two o'clock. Time for Tifa to head home. She took her time. Enjoying the afternoon air. It had warmed up considerably, and so she carried her jacket as she strolled down the street. She decided to take a detour through the park. It wasn't very big, but there was lots of shade, a few nice fountains, and plenty of benches to sit on. She inhaled the sweet smelling air, and listened to all the high-pitched chirps and whistles of the birds overhead. She wished she were a bird. Then she would leave this dreary city, and live somewhere away from all the killings and cartels. Somewhere up in the mountains. Of course, that would never happen.
She suddenly noticed someone sitting on a bench not too far ahead of her, reading a newspaper. She couldn't see all of their face, but she was able to see a pair of blue eyes, hidden partially behind a shock of red hair.
Oh no. She thought. She hoped he wouldn't see her. Maybe it wasn't even him. Lots of people have red hair. No. She was fooling herself. It was him. It was Reno.
She walked quicker, and turned her head away from him as she passed so that he wouldn't notice her. But it was too late.
"What's the rush?" She heard his voice say from behind the paper. She stopped and turned around. It was too late to just walk past, and she didn't want to be rude. Wait. What was she thinking? This was Reno. Why did it matter if she was rude to him or not? It didn't, she supposed, but she had to say something.
"What do you want?" Was what she finally decided on.
He put the newspaper down and put his hands behind his head. "What do you mean? Is it a crime to inquire as to why someone would be walking, perfectly contently, then suddenly speed up as if to avoid something?"
Tifa rolled her eyes. She didn't want to get into this. She had been having such a nice walk, too. But suddenly a thought hit her. If she left, she would eventually have to go home. That was something she was not eager to do.
With a heavy sigh, she sat down on the opposite end of the bench.
"You look happy." Reno said sarcastically. Tifa glared at him.
"Don't even start with me today."
He chuckled lightheartedly. "What's the matter? Don't want to go home?"
She turned and looked at him sharply. "What makes you say that?
"Well, it seems to me that people usually go home after work." He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Tifa continued to stare at him.
"How do you know I just got off work?"
He pointed to her shirt. It was blue, and it said "Easy Cuts" on it in cursive lettering. Her nametag was also still on.
"Oh." She felt rather uncomfortable. Why had she even sat down? She must be crazy. "Well maybe I just wanted to go for a walk. It's a nice day, after all."
Reno raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh yeah? I guess you're right."
They sat in silence for a few minutes as he puffed his cigarette. She didn't know he smoked. Finally, she broke the stillness.
"You know, those things'll kill you."
He took another puff, and then extinguished the rest on the edge of the bench. "Is that better mother?"
She chuckled a bit under her breath. She hated cigarettes. Every time she told someone to put one out, they always came back with some sort of retort about her acting like their mother. Reno picked up the newspaper and opened it again.
"Did you hear about the raid?" He asked.
"Yeah. Although I don't know too much about it. I didn't get a chance to read the paper today."
"Here." He handed her his copy. "You should read it, it's pretty interesting."
She took the paper and looked at the picture on the cover. It was of a tall, dark haired man being arrested by the police.
"Thanks."
"I want it back when you're done with it." He told her. She looked up at him awkwardly, but he just laughed.
"Idiot." She stood up and prepared to leave. He stood up also.
"Maybe, but at least I admit it. Catch ya later." He turned and began to walk away. She looked at him as he left. She didn't like him much at all. But she had to admit he was charming.
Still, that didn't matter. He was still a bad person. Wasn't he? He had killed her friends. Had he just been doing his job? Of course, but he still did it willingly. It would take a helluva lot for her to even come close to forgiving him. Like, maybe if he saved the universe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Ok, this chapter was a bit longer. Still not too much happening yet, but what's up with this cartel business? Nothin' good's gonna come of it. *Shakes her head vigorously* I still appreciate your input! ^_^