Let me explain a lot to you right now. My life is a small mess right now, and ff7 fanfiction has slipped down to the bottom of my list along with stamp collecting and dating (laugh it up XP). but i'd gotten such nice feedback for this story, even though i've had such problems with it.. i figured at least i owed people an end. so this is the beginning of the end. The thing is that I actually have like ten more chapters with a whole different (and the aforementioned darker) storyline, involving a lot of the game's mythology.. but I have such little time to concentrate on it. Right now i figure, better just finish this with the little pride i have left than just keep drawing the story out. maybe one day i'll finish it properly. *bows* domo. *
Chapter 8.. Earth Shifts I
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The restaurant was packed.
Full to the rim. Every table taken. People waiting outside to get a table. Waiting impatiently like all hungry people do.
Tifa couldn't blame them. She was also a dangerous person when hungry.
As it was, she was asking people seated at tables with extra space if they minded sharing their table with another couple of diners.
'It's our theme night, "Make New Friends",' Tifa joked hopelessly to an older pair of guests. They were dressed in expensive-looking eveningwear.
They smiled blandly at Tifa, who was feeling rather haggard in their overwhelmingly fashionable presence, but nonetheless the two allowed another chique older couple (Tifa had picked them out; she assumed this would at least give them clothing to talk about) to seat themselves at their table. Tifa hid a smile and whooshed off to the next table. Cloud was doing the same as she; they grinned at each other in passing.
Tifa'd even put to use the little breakfasting room for the inn; a few young, regular guests had asked if they could sit there, apparently having no problem with wooden benches and lanterns lit along the wall. It was a nice atmosphere, Tifa decided. She and Cloud loved to have breakfast there.
'I'm feeling a little embarrassed,' she confessed in a mutter to him as they hurried by each other.
'At the rate you're going you'll have to add another wing to the building,' Cloud said, making a mock-professional assessment face, 'no reason to be embarrassed.'
An hour later, things had settled a little. There were barely anymore people waiting. Tifa stood at the door between the dining hall and the kitchen. Her chefs were being marvelous and her waitresses and waiters too. It was no easy feat to deal with such an overload. She wiped a sheen of sweat from the bridge of her nose and went over to the bar to set things up. It would open soon, and she had the first shift; nine through one.
As the kitchen closed and the restaurant cleared, the bar seeped full of people. Tifa was cheerful enough to cope with the humdrum, but felt more than slightly relieved when Cloud appeared by her side to help.
'If I still owned my own soul I'd give it to you right now,' she told him fervently, as she threw together a B-52 shot.
'How is it you don't own your soul?' he asked, lightly frowning. He poured out a clear green poisonous-looking liquid and mixed it with orange juice.
'Lost it in a poker game last year,' she said, winking at a customer who left a generous tip.
'Hey Lockheart! Since when do you make your boyfriend help at the bar?' one man shouted.
'He's not my boyfriend!' Tifa shouted back. 'He's way better than any boyfriend!' 'Your husband?'
'No, he's my assistant-manager!'
And she saw Cloud shake his head and grin at her.
Finally, Cliff the bartender arrived. Cliff was a big chunk of a man, curly brown hair covering his head, a frizzy brown beard extending in all directions. He always reminded Tifa of Barret Wallace, except Cliff was more.. lumberjacky. But he could handle any crowd perfectly; not to mention he made a mean Bloody Mary.
Cliff clapped Cloud on the shoulder and tugged him out of the bar; then he grabbed Tifa in a great big bear hug. She squealed in surprise, narily balancing the expensive mix in her hands.
'It's Tifa's bedtime! Bedtime for Tifa!' he said cheerfully, not putting her down. From the corner of her eye she saw Cloud's face close up. For some reason he and Cliff never got along.
'Cliff.. Cliff, I've got to give this to the nice man down there..' Tifa said, holding the drink at an arm's length.
All Tifa saw when Cliff put her down was the relieved look on Cloud's face.
As they walked away, Cliff behind them ruling the bar like his palace, Tifa looked up to her friend and poked his arm. 'Hey, what is it?'
Cloud gave her a look. 'I don't like how he treats you. Like you're some little girl.'
She smirked. 'To him I am, I guess. He's so huge.'
'Not much taller than me,' Cloud grumbled.
'I never said you were short or anything,' she rolled her eyes.
'Sure.'
She hid her grin without success. 'Men are such babies.' 'You mock me, Lockheart.'
'Never!' 'Right.' He ruffled her hair and stepped ahead to open the door to their shared kitchen. She rolled her eyes again, but this time at herself.
She sat down on a chair and watched him move around the kitchen, making tea.
'Green, jasmine, or chrysanthemum?' he asked her, holding up three packages.
'Whatever doesn't have caffeine in it,' she said back, feeling sleepy now she was finally sitting.
'Green tea it is,' he replied, and tossed the teabag into the thermos.
'Cloud Strife, I don't know what I'd do without you.' Cloud gave her a sidelong grin. 'You'd make your own tea, for one.'
'I'm serious,' she smiled.
'So am I!' he exclaimed, waving the empty package of tea at her.
'You've been here only two months and already I can't remember what it was like before you. It's like my inn's history is divided in two eras: b.c. and a.c. -before Cloud, and Anno Cloud. And b.c. was a very dark age indeed.' She said, standing up and going over to the counter. She got down the cookie jar and took out two.
He raised his eyebrows. 'Somebody's got too much free time on their hands..' and he held out his hand for one of her cookies.
She put them both in her mouth, and got a third one from the jar for him. 'These are the best cookies in the world,' she said with her mouth full. 'I baked them myself, you see.'
He smirked, 'So I gathered. Now go back to what you were saying about how indispensable I was.'
She laughed. 'You're so indispensable it hurts my head to think about what I'd do alone all day. Like get really bored.'
'What about Cliff? Is he just as indispensable as me?' Cloud asked suddenly.
'Oh,' said Tifa. And without a second thought she sidled up to Cloud and slipped her arms around his neck, a smirk on her face.
'Well, if you must know..'
'Tifa!' Came Malien's voice from the stairwell.
'Be right there, Malien,' Tifa shouted back, not letting go of Cloud.
'You were saying,' Cloud said softly, his eyes on Tifa.
'I was saying.. Cliff is also indispensable.'
'Figured,' Cloud said, but seemed preoccupied with the fact of Tifa's arms around him.
'Tifaa!' Malien shouted again, sounding impatient. Cloud grinned at Tifa.
'Malien, give me a moment!'
'Go on,' murmured Cloud.
'Now, as I was saying, Cliff is indispensable.. but you're cuter.'
'Sounds reasonable,' Cloud seemed pleased with her answer. Tifa knew she was certainly pleased with it.
Cloud's face was awfully close by, wasn't it? She could feel his warm breath on her face, and she suddenly realized his arms were around her waist..
'Tifa! What are you-'
Before anything good could happen, Tifa and Cloud pulled apart, blushing like adolescents.
Malien stood at the bottom of the stairs, her face a curious mixture of anger, embarrassment and something that strongly resembled amusement.
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