"Auntie Tifa!" an overly excited Marlene squealed as she wrapped her
small arms around one of my legs.
I gently reached down and pried her off then lifted her into my arms. She giggled as she wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed me.
"It's good to see you too, Marlene," I said, as she squeezed the life out of my neck.
"Well, I'll be damned! If it isn't Tifa!" Barret's low baritone said from the front door.
With Marlene still in my arms I walked over to Barret and gave him a warm hug.
"Well, how the hell are ya, Tifa?" he asked me lifting Marlene out of my arms.
"I'm good."
"Are ya gettin' along awright? I mean with the Cloud issue an' all?" he asked, concern in his big brown eyes.
"Yeah, I'm doing better. I'll probably never fully recover from it, but it's getting a little easier."
"Well, that's good," he said, setting Marlene down on the ground. "Do ya need a place to stay? I have an extra guestroom."
"That'd be great, Barret. Oh, and can I put Seraph in one of your chocobo stalls?" I asked, pointing my finger over my back to the gold chocobo that was tied up to Barret's fence.
"Of course. It's right around back," he said, pointing in its direction.
"Thanks, Barret," I said, turning around and untying Seraph from the fence then leading her out back.
After putting Seraph into a stall and feeding her some greens, I went inside and visited with Barret for a while.
"Oh, yeah, Tifa, that Vincent guy called here wonderin' where you were. He said he wanted to talk with ya or somethin'."
"Yeah, Reeve said the same thing. What did you tell him?"
"Well, I never really liked the guy that much so I told him I hadn't seen you since we split. Then he said he'd try Red XIII and hung up. Weird, if ya ask me," Barret said, sitting back in his chair.
I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees. Why would Vincent suddenly want to contact me? Whenever I talked with him it seemed like we were a bother to him or something. So I figured he just wanted to be left alone so I left him alone.
"Have you talked to Red XIII?" I asked, shocked that Vincent's name had been mentioned to me twice in the last forty-eight hours concerning me.
"Naw, I haven't. Red's busy now because he found another one o' his kind. He did tell you that they're going to have babies, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I guess Red doesn't know where I've been staying. The message was addressed to Yuffie. To tell you the truth, I wasn't surprised. I didn't tell anybody where I was going, well except you Barret."
"Yeah, well, I gotta get Marlene ready for bed. She's got school tomorrow and I don't want her to stay up too late," Barret said, getting up.
"Okay, Barret. Is it alright if I use the shower?" I asked, getting up as well.
"Sure. Feel free. After you leave here, I really want you to visit Red. It sounded like in his last letter that he was having a bit of trouble with Seta. I want ya to, ya know, stay with Red until the babies are born."
"I could do that. It just depends on how long it will be," I said, turning on the light in the bathroom.
Just like the previous night I took a shower then went to bed. I helped Marlene get ready to school and took her there on Seraph. Barret and I shared a cup of coffee then I left.
I arrived in Cosmo Canyon about midday. I rented a chocobo stall for Seraph then entered the canyon. I walked up to Bugenhangen's Observatory and knocked on the door. Red XIII's face appeared in the doorway and a bright smile crossed his animal features.
"Tifa! It's so good to see you! Come in, come in!" he said, pushing the door open wider.
"Thanks, Red," I said, stepping inside.
"Gosh, Tifa, it feels like I haven't seen you in forever. How have you been?"
"I'm getting by. Working at the bar has been keeping me busy."
"Where have you been staying?" he asked, cocking his head to the right.
"Oh, I've been staying in Wutai with Yuffie." I paused. Red opened his mouth to say something but I put mine up and interrupted him. "Don't say it! Vincent called you asking where I was, right?"
"Yes, but how did you know?" A look of confusion crossing his features.
"Well, Barret and Reeve told me. They said that he said he 'misses me' and 'wants to talk with me.' I'm shocked that I would even cross Vincent's mind."
"Yes, it is a mystery to me as well. Anyways, please, come see Seta," he said, getting up and entering his grandfather's observatory.
Seta was lying on a blanket in the back of the room, sleeping.
"Wait right here," Red whispered to me as he walked over to Seta's side.
He gently nudged her with his paw, jarring her from her slumber. She looked around with a sleepy gaze in her eyes before looking at Red.
"What is it?" she asked before yawning.
"One of my friends that was in AVALANCHE with me is here. I want you to meet her."
"Okay," she said, getting up and stretching. "Where is she?"
"Tifa," he called out, motioning for me to come closer. "This is my mate, Seta. Seta, this is Tifa Lockhart."
"Nice to meet you, Tifa," Seta said, walking up to me and smiling.
"Nice to meet you too, Seta. So, tell me, when are they due?" I asked, sitting down on the floor in front of her.
"The doctor told me they were due in a few days, much to Nanaki's excitement," she said, looking back at her mate.
"Do you know how many you're going to have?" I asked, leaning forward.
"Our species usually has five to eight cubs in a litter. Hopefully it'll be the lesser," she said, a slight sparkle in her yellow eyes.
"Well, that's great," I said, getting up and looking at Red XIII. "I going to make the trip to Nibelheim tonight then come back tomorrow. I'm kinda curious about what Vincent wants to talk with me about. Is that okay with you two?" I asked, looking from Red to Seta.
"Of course. Are you sure you want to travel to Nibelheim tonight?" Red XIII asked, padding forward and sitting next to Seta.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I could always stay in my old house. I'll come back tomorrow alright?" I asked, stepping towards the doorway and looking back at them.
"Sure, see you then," Red said, before I walked out.
I gently reached down and pried her off then lifted her into my arms. She giggled as she wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed me.
"It's good to see you too, Marlene," I said, as she squeezed the life out of my neck.
"Well, I'll be damned! If it isn't Tifa!" Barret's low baritone said from the front door.
With Marlene still in my arms I walked over to Barret and gave him a warm hug.
"Well, how the hell are ya, Tifa?" he asked me lifting Marlene out of my arms.
"I'm good."
"Are ya gettin' along awright? I mean with the Cloud issue an' all?" he asked, concern in his big brown eyes.
"Yeah, I'm doing better. I'll probably never fully recover from it, but it's getting a little easier."
"Well, that's good," he said, setting Marlene down on the ground. "Do ya need a place to stay? I have an extra guestroom."
"That'd be great, Barret. Oh, and can I put Seraph in one of your chocobo stalls?" I asked, pointing my finger over my back to the gold chocobo that was tied up to Barret's fence.
"Of course. It's right around back," he said, pointing in its direction.
"Thanks, Barret," I said, turning around and untying Seraph from the fence then leading her out back.
After putting Seraph into a stall and feeding her some greens, I went inside and visited with Barret for a while.
"Oh, yeah, Tifa, that Vincent guy called here wonderin' where you were. He said he wanted to talk with ya or somethin'."
"Yeah, Reeve said the same thing. What did you tell him?"
"Well, I never really liked the guy that much so I told him I hadn't seen you since we split. Then he said he'd try Red XIII and hung up. Weird, if ya ask me," Barret said, sitting back in his chair.
I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees. Why would Vincent suddenly want to contact me? Whenever I talked with him it seemed like we were a bother to him or something. So I figured he just wanted to be left alone so I left him alone.
"Have you talked to Red XIII?" I asked, shocked that Vincent's name had been mentioned to me twice in the last forty-eight hours concerning me.
"Naw, I haven't. Red's busy now because he found another one o' his kind. He did tell you that they're going to have babies, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I guess Red doesn't know where I've been staying. The message was addressed to Yuffie. To tell you the truth, I wasn't surprised. I didn't tell anybody where I was going, well except you Barret."
"Yeah, well, I gotta get Marlene ready for bed. She's got school tomorrow and I don't want her to stay up too late," Barret said, getting up.
"Okay, Barret. Is it alright if I use the shower?" I asked, getting up as well.
"Sure. Feel free. After you leave here, I really want you to visit Red. It sounded like in his last letter that he was having a bit of trouble with Seta. I want ya to, ya know, stay with Red until the babies are born."
"I could do that. It just depends on how long it will be," I said, turning on the light in the bathroom.
Just like the previous night I took a shower then went to bed. I helped Marlene get ready to school and took her there on Seraph. Barret and I shared a cup of coffee then I left.
I arrived in Cosmo Canyon about midday. I rented a chocobo stall for Seraph then entered the canyon. I walked up to Bugenhangen's Observatory and knocked on the door. Red XIII's face appeared in the doorway and a bright smile crossed his animal features.
"Tifa! It's so good to see you! Come in, come in!" he said, pushing the door open wider.
"Thanks, Red," I said, stepping inside.
"Gosh, Tifa, it feels like I haven't seen you in forever. How have you been?"
"I'm getting by. Working at the bar has been keeping me busy."
"Where have you been staying?" he asked, cocking his head to the right.
"Oh, I've been staying in Wutai with Yuffie." I paused. Red opened his mouth to say something but I put mine up and interrupted him. "Don't say it! Vincent called you asking where I was, right?"
"Yes, but how did you know?" A look of confusion crossing his features.
"Well, Barret and Reeve told me. They said that he said he 'misses me' and 'wants to talk with me.' I'm shocked that I would even cross Vincent's mind."
"Yes, it is a mystery to me as well. Anyways, please, come see Seta," he said, getting up and entering his grandfather's observatory.
Seta was lying on a blanket in the back of the room, sleeping.
"Wait right here," Red whispered to me as he walked over to Seta's side.
He gently nudged her with his paw, jarring her from her slumber. She looked around with a sleepy gaze in her eyes before looking at Red.
"What is it?" she asked before yawning.
"One of my friends that was in AVALANCHE with me is here. I want you to meet her."
"Okay," she said, getting up and stretching. "Where is she?"
"Tifa," he called out, motioning for me to come closer. "This is my mate, Seta. Seta, this is Tifa Lockhart."
"Nice to meet you, Tifa," Seta said, walking up to me and smiling.
"Nice to meet you too, Seta. So, tell me, when are they due?" I asked, sitting down on the floor in front of her.
"The doctor told me they were due in a few days, much to Nanaki's excitement," she said, looking back at her mate.
"Do you know how many you're going to have?" I asked, leaning forward.
"Our species usually has five to eight cubs in a litter. Hopefully it'll be the lesser," she said, a slight sparkle in her yellow eyes.
"Well, that's great," I said, getting up and looking at Red XIII. "I going to make the trip to Nibelheim tonight then come back tomorrow. I'm kinda curious about what Vincent wants to talk with me about. Is that okay with you two?" I asked, looking from Red to Seta.
"Of course. Are you sure you want to travel to Nibelheim tonight?" Red XIII asked, padding forward and sitting next to Seta.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I could always stay in my old house. I'll come back tomorrow alright?" I asked, stepping towards the doorway and looking back at them.
"Sure, see you then," Red said, before I walked out.