Chapter 3
Once more, I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters except Tarae
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Tifa found Tarae in a phone conversation with whom ever she called. She waited patiently as Tarae finally said something.
"Oh, okay. Thanks Elmyra. Bye." Tarae said, then she put her phone in the pocket of her baggy brown pants.
"Who was that?" asked Tifa.
"I was trying to reach a friend in sector 5 to help find Cloud, but she's not home." she explained, "I'm sure he's still alive. …Where are the others?"
"Out to find some information. I wonder if Cloud's okay." A smirk formed on Tarae's lips.
"What?"
"Nothing. Cloud might get a few scratches, but there is no way he could've died. The ground is polluted with soft materials."
"But what if he doesn't know how to get to back sector 7?"
"Jeez Tifa, can you say 'obsessed'? You told me you haven't seen him in seven years and I figured you would have been all over him already." Tifa blushed. A thud was heard upstairs.
"Oh! Customers. I-I better go back to the bar." she said while running to the pinball machine. Tarae shook her head and looked behind the table.
"Did you get that recorded Marlene?" she asked as the little girl crawled out of her hiding place.
"Uh-huh! Too bad Tifa didn't say 'I love Cloud very much' or anything." Marlene said in a disappointed tone.
"Yeah, I know, but its good enough black mail for now. Thanks Marlene." Tarae tinkered with the tape recorder for a while and then placed it on the table.
"GET OUT OF MY BAR!!!" Tifa shouted from up stairs. Tarae quickly tied her hair back with her blue scarf and ran to the pinball machine.
"Marlene get back to your hiding place and don't come out until I say so!" she ordered as the machine ascended.
When Tarae reached the bar she found 4 men there. One was restraining Tifa as she struggled to get free and two of the men were on either side of that young man who attacked her before.
"This isn't funny Stanley!" Tifa shouted at the rusty haired man.
"Don't worry sweetheart we might let you go once you tell us the whereabouts of your friend. She owes me." Stanley said while he ran his hand through his hair. Tarae turned away a little so that her short sword wasn't showing.
"Let Tifa go! I'm right here."
"Well, if it isn't angel face. You want me to let your friend go? What's the word I'm looking for? Uuuuhhh no! Get her boys!"
The bulky men beside Stanley started walking towards Tarae, but she held her ground. When the thugs were close enough, she unsheathed her sword and swiftly brought it down on one and ducked the other. The one she slashed now had a bloody scar on his face. The two men tried to attack at the same time, but she dropped down and swung her leg causing them to fall down. Then she quickly got up and cast a lightning spell on them. Meanwhile, Tifa used the distraction to her advantage by ramming her head back causing the man to let go of her. She then punched him in the face and side kicked him. He flew over the bar and landed on Stanley. Soon gunshots were heard as Barret thundered in the bar and chased the men out. Tarae summoned a fireball in her hand and followed Barret outside.
"Hey Stanley! Here's something to remember me by!" she shouted as she threw the fireball at Stanley. It hit him in the ass and he ran around in circles screaming.
"Looks like ya took care of dat guy!" Barret commented before he went back inside. Tarae sheathed her sword and followed him back inside.
"So what the word on the street?" Tarae asked Barret as she sat in a chair.
"Something about this guy named Don Corneo. Some merchant from sector 6." Jessie answered in Barret's place.
"Don Corneo? Lately Shinra has been restricting this area, forcing me to strike deals with the Don for good scrap metal for my factory workers." Explained Tarae.
"So do you think you could get more info from Corneo himself?" Tifa asked from behind the bar.
"Tifa, leave da leach alone. He can't do nothin'." Barret said.
"I don't know. He works for Shinra." Tarae warned.
"So how could we near him? He lives in a guarded mansion." Asked Wedge.
"I know!" Tarae exclaimed scaring Biggs in the process, "The jerk wants to settle down with a wife so every night he picks a girl to sleep with. We can send a girl to go in get the info and leave."
"I'll go. I can take care of that guy." Tifa announced, "I need to do something." Jesse looked doubtful.
"Are you sure Tifa? I can go if you want."
"Don't worry I will go with her. I need to get a shipment to my factory anyway. Besides, do you really want to wear a dress Jesse?" Tarae laughed when Jesse got a disgusted look on her face.
"Awright you can go." Barret grumbled as he sat down on a stool. Marlene came up on the pinball machine and climbed into his lap while Jesse and Biggs went downstairs to work on the computer. Wedge strolled over to the nearest table to eat some snacks he bought before he got on the train.
"I'll arrange for a Chocobo Carriage so we can go in style. And if my memory is correct, you will have to apply for a job at the Honey Bee Inn to see the fat ass." Tarae said while pulling out her blue business suit and cell phone.
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"So all you have to do is sound like a slut. Most men like that. …A least in the slums" Tarae explained as the Carriage rode through sector 7. Tifa was wearing a beautiful blue velvet dress that reached mid thigh and showed a lot of cleavage. It was quite a battle to get Tifa to wear the revealing dress, but once Tarae mentioned that Cloud would probably love to see her in it made her at least consider it. Tifa was watching the 7th Heaven fading away as the carriage slowly rolled away while Tarae was hiding inside.
"Why do you say that?" she asked while straitening out her dress.
"Some men have better sense and are better gentlemen, like Cloud."
"Or do you mean Rufus?" Tifa chuckled.
"Change of subject!" was Tarae's immediate reply.
"Hmm. But what if I still don't get picked?"
"Don't worry, I'll make up stuff during the meeting." She answered, "Hey look! There's the gate!" After they passed the gate they saw some familiar faces at the playground.
"Look its Cloud! He's okay!" Tifa shouted happily, "Who is that with him?"
"Looks like my friend already found him." Tarae said as she gave a mock salute to Cloud.
Tarae and Tifa looked at the entrance to Corneo's mansion. Tarae sighed and straightened out her business suit.
"I hope he doesn't over price his products." Tarae grumbled as she walked up to the guard.
"Hello, I'm Tarae Destine, president of Mystic Magic Inc.. I was wondering if I could speak with Don Corneo about scrap metal shipment to my factory. I also brought a young lady who wishes to get a job at the Honey Bee Inn, and I understand that Corneo has to interview them first."
"Well we haven't received early notice, but we could arrange a meeting since your leaving the Don a lady to choose for the night." The guard said as he grabbed the door handle and shouted, "Two ladies coming through!" Tarae and Tifa walked pass the guard and to the front desk inside.
"Why Miss Destine, what a pleasant surprise," said a man with dark hair and a seductive smile, "Are you going to try to see if you have a chance with the Don?"
"You and I both know that will be a cold day in hell. Now can you arrange a meeting please? You used to work at my factory and you know how important scrap metal was for the experiments." Her answer wiped the smile off his face.
"I will go inform him now." He muttered then glanced at Tifa. His smile returned before he reached the elegant stairway. Tifa finally spoke when he was gone.
"I don't like the look he gave me."
"Don't blow it yet. I'll try to scare him, but if threats won't work then use this as a last resort." Tarae gives her a small throwing dagger.
"Tarae…I won't need it. Believe it or not, I do know my way around men. After all I do own a bar." Soon the man appeared again and motioned them to follow.
"The Don is free right now, so follow me and I will take you to his office." He led Tarae and Tifa up stairs and stopped at the middle door.
"Here is the Don's office. Now I will take you to the waiting room." He was about to grab Tifa's arm, but she moved away, acting like she was not paying attention..
"Sir, I'd appreciate it if you do not touch the lady while she is waiting." Tarae said while glaring before she entered.
The Don's office was a brightly lit, over decorated room. Behind the desk was a very fat and not to mention very ugly man. "He's looking at me as if I'm not even wearing clothes." Tarae thought as she assumed her nonchalant appearance. She sat down in a large black chair, wishing she didn't have to look at the man.
"I hear you need some scrap metal for your factory." He said in a breathy voice.
"Yes, 50 pounds. How much does would that cost?" she asked, displeased with his behavior.
"For you, it would cost a night with me."
"Excuse me?"
"If you want 50 pounds of scrap metal then you must spend the night with me." Corneo said seductively.
"You should know that I am close friends with President Shinra and when he finds out how you are treating me, I will make sure he sends his Turks after you." She answered in a stuck up manner. For a moment Corneo's eyes widened in fear.
"Your underage anyway. How about 10,000 Gil?" She believed she must have really scared him if he was going to offer such a ridiculously cheap price for it.
"Deal. When will I be expecting it to come in?"
"Oh about a week. Now I also heard you left me a lady to play with."
"Yes, I thought she would be a good gift for you. Normally I don't like to hear such things, but I heard she's the best at pleasuring men." she said with a snobbish grin on her face. She began to describe Tifa to Corneo and the more she talked about her, the longer his tongue got as it hanged out of his mouth. Tarae thought she was going to throw up at the sight of all that drool dripping out of his mouth.
"She sounds lovely Miss Destine, thank you very much for bringing her here. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to see her and two others who wish to witness my manliness." Tarae nodded and gratefully left the room.
"All right ladies, this way." Said the man as three women approached the Don's office door. Tarae saw Tifa in the lead, then her friend Aeris, who was in a red dress, and finally Cloud. She chuckled at the sight of Cloud in a dress. She gave Tifa the thumbs up, waved to Aeris, and told Cloud, "Make sure you give him a kiss for me Miss Strife!" "'Cause I sure as hell won't." Cloud looked horrified as he entered the office.
"Miss Destine, I assume you know the way out." The man said as he walked to the door near the staircase. Tarae nodded and left trusting that everything will be okay.
About five minutes later, Tarae was wearing her usual form fitting, off-the-shoulders white shirt and baggy brown pants, waiting outside Corneo's mansion for someone to come out. Twenty minutes later she sensed everybody was in danger. She couldn't barge in there without a disguise, so she ran out of Corneo's market place to find a Shinra soldier wandering around by himself. She hid in the shadows and called the soldier over. He smirked from behind his mask and began walking towards her. Tarae was one smirking after knocking him unconscious with the hilt of her sword. Soon she was back at Corneo's mansion door with a Shinra uniform on. After finding the doors locked, she used her small gold hairclip as a lock pick to get in. She ran all the way to his bedroom only to get nauseated again because he was wiggling his hips in a stupid victory dance.
"Who goes there?" He bellowed when he noticed Tarae. She walked up near the end of his bed and tried her best to sound like a man.
"Don Corneo you are under arrest for spilling secrets to the enemy." Corneo started to smile, making her think she didn't do a good job at sounding like a man.
"Oh I don't think you can arrest me." he laughed as he pulled a lever causing her to fall in a trap door. Once she regained her senses she saw a radio in front of her.
"It must've fallen out of my pocket. Now Shinra H.Q. knows what Corneo did." she thought as she destroyed the device and took off the uniform. After a moment of silence, she heard Cloud and the others talking. With nothing else to do, she followed the sound of their voices so she could get out of the sewer.
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Sorceress Myst: Okay so Aeris didn't have that much of an appearance in this chapter, but she will next chapter. C ya!
