"Tiiifffaaa! Where the &^#%$ do you want this @$$%^@! ribbon!"
"Just leave it on the counter Cid. I'll get Barret to help you put it up when he arrives." Tifa tied the last balloon in place then ran her fingers through her hair. Or started too, her hair was tied back too tightly for her to do so.
It was the five year anniversary of the defeat of Sephiroth. The first two years had been primarily getting over the shock of Meteor and rebuilding after the destruction of Midgar. After that, AVALANCHE had scattered, going back to their old lives or building new ones. Vincent had returned to Nibelheim, Yuffie to Wutai and Nanaki to Cosmo Canyon. Barret had returned to Corel, and brought Marlene and Elmyra with him. They were working with Gongaga Village, researching for ways to revitalize their town. Even today, most of their income came from export labor or, in Gongaga's case, the leftover Materia from the reactor explosion. Reeve, along with a significant portion of Midgar's inhabitants had gone to Junon. The Turks had followed him; the only other surviving Shinra executive had been Scarlet, and their was really no contest between who they'd rather serve. Cid and his crew had hung around Reeve, but last year they had restarted the aeronautics program. He had returned to Rocket Town at that point.
The first two years had been a struggle, there were power shortages all over the world. The second year, however, the remnants of the Shinra Scientific Bureau, combined some of the researchers from Cosmo made a breakthrough, discovering a way to run generators on a discreet flow of Mako then returning the Mako back to the Planet. Unfortunately, there were only a few places that Mako was readily accessible to the surface, so only a few plants were built, in Mideel, Gongaga Nibelheim, Icicle, the outskirts of Midgar and near the Ancient Ruins. Other places like Cosmo, Kalm, Wutai or Junon relied on elderly designs for wind or water current generators. The Golden Saucer, Rocket Town, and Corel broke out old solar panels. However, even today, electricity was still at a much higher price, matching the worst of Shinra's price-gouging.
This was the first time in six months they'd been able to get together. The last time was at Cid and Shera's wedding. Before then had been, the opening of Tifa's new bar in Kalm, Take 5, before that, the repopulation of the Ancient Ruins (now called Aeris by popular, or at least AVALANCHE acclaim). Not that they didn't see each other in between those times, but full scale reunions were rare enough to make this a treat.
Tifa slowed and stopped polishing the table. Six months ago was the last time she had seen Cloud. While he had stuck around to help her start the bar, he hadn't returned with her after the wedding. He said he had been feeling "restless and needed to find himself". What he meant, she knew, was that he needed to find Aeris, in her Promised Land. It still hurt, that he couldn't accept that she was dead after all this time. Aeris had been her best friend, but Cloud took it to extremes. Even if he didn't return her affection, couldn't he have just stayed friends with her instead of going off in a wild goose chase?
She sighed. Well, she was going to see him tonight. Maybe things would have improved over time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The party was in full swing. Tifa smiled. She couldn't believe how much they had all changed over the past five years. Cid and Shera looked the same, of course, just happier after their marriage. So did Barret and Nanaki, but both Reeve and Elmyra had grey streaks in their hair. Yuffie had grown taller, and gained some curves, but mentally acted the same age as Marlene. Maybe even younger than the 10 year old. Vincent had gotten rid of his long red cloak, but retained his all black clothing, knee-length hair and red bandanna. The Turks, who had come with Reeve, all seemed to have slightly mellowed, though Reno's vocabulary was beginning to match Cid's.
Tifa herself knew she hadn't changed much. Her hair had grown longer until she finally couldn't stand it and had cut it short, short to her ears. That had been a year ago, but it had regrown until it was halfway down her back. She pulled it back into a loose ponytail usually. And since it was so cool up in Kalm, she had taken to wearing less skimpy clothing, although she made sure she could still practice her martial arts in them.
And Cloud . . . Cloud hadn't changed at all. Still the same electric-shock-hairstyle. Same devil-may-care attitude. Same shadows in his eyes, the same ones he had since Aeris had died. Tifa looked at him and her resolve to talk to him disappeared. What would be the point?
Across the room she saw Nanaki perk his ears, looking away from the poker game between Yuffie, Cid, Reno and Reeve. He turned towards the door, then jumped off his seat and made his way over to her. "Tifa" he said. "You closed the bar for tonight, didn't you?"
"Yes, why?"
"Because there's someone knocking at the door." Tifa listened carefully, and there! - it was very faint, but she could hear the sound of someone knocking haphazardly outside. From out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vincent straighten up and turn towards the front of the bar. She got up and walked to the door, by the time she got there, Vincent and Nanaki had taken up protective positions behind her. She was pretty sure Vincent had already unholstered the Death Penalty. Tifa opened the door.
It was dressed in rags, with blood soaking through the shoes. It's hands and arms had scratches all over them and it's hair was long and so filthy that Tifa couldn't tell what color it was. It turned it's face up to her, so begrimed that she couldn't read it's expression, but the desperation in it's dull violet eyes was clear. "Please . . . " It's voice was so hoarse, she couldn't tell if the figure was male or female. "Please help me . . . "
"Just leave it on the counter Cid. I'll get Barret to help you put it up when he arrives." Tifa tied the last balloon in place then ran her fingers through her hair. Or started too, her hair was tied back too tightly for her to do so.
It was the five year anniversary of the defeat of Sephiroth. The first two years had been primarily getting over the shock of Meteor and rebuilding after the destruction of Midgar. After that, AVALANCHE had scattered, going back to their old lives or building new ones. Vincent had returned to Nibelheim, Yuffie to Wutai and Nanaki to Cosmo Canyon. Barret had returned to Corel, and brought Marlene and Elmyra with him. They were working with Gongaga Village, researching for ways to revitalize their town. Even today, most of their income came from export labor or, in Gongaga's case, the leftover Materia from the reactor explosion. Reeve, along with a significant portion of Midgar's inhabitants had gone to Junon. The Turks had followed him; the only other surviving Shinra executive had been Scarlet, and their was really no contest between who they'd rather serve. Cid and his crew had hung around Reeve, but last year they had restarted the aeronautics program. He had returned to Rocket Town at that point.
The first two years had been a struggle, there were power shortages all over the world. The second year, however, the remnants of the Shinra Scientific Bureau, combined some of the researchers from Cosmo made a breakthrough, discovering a way to run generators on a discreet flow of Mako then returning the Mako back to the Planet. Unfortunately, there were only a few places that Mako was readily accessible to the surface, so only a few plants were built, in Mideel, Gongaga Nibelheim, Icicle, the outskirts of Midgar and near the Ancient Ruins. Other places like Cosmo, Kalm, Wutai or Junon relied on elderly designs for wind or water current generators. The Golden Saucer, Rocket Town, and Corel broke out old solar panels. However, even today, electricity was still at a much higher price, matching the worst of Shinra's price-gouging.
This was the first time in six months they'd been able to get together. The last time was at Cid and Shera's wedding. Before then had been, the opening of Tifa's new bar in Kalm, Take 5, before that, the repopulation of the Ancient Ruins (now called Aeris by popular, or at least AVALANCHE acclaim). Not that they didn't see each other in between those times, but full scale reunions were rare enough to make this a treat.
Tifa slowed and stopped polishing the table. Six months ago was the last time she had seen Cloud. While he had stuck around to help her start the bar, he hadn't returned with her after the wedding. He said he had been feeling "restless and needed to find himself". What he meant, she knew, was that he needed to find Aeris, in her Promised Land. It still hurt, that he couldn't accept that she was dead after all this time. Aeris had been her best friend, but Cloud took it to extremes. Even if he didn't return her affection, couldn't he have just stayed friends with her instead of going off in a wild goose chase?
She sighed. Well, she was going to see him tonight. Maybe things would have improved over time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The party was in full swing. Tifa smiled. She couldn't believe how much they had all changed over the past five years. Cid and Shera looked the same, of course, just happier after their marriage. So did Barret and Nanaki, but both Reeve and Elmyra had grey streaks in their hair. Yuffie had grown taller, and gained some curves, but mentally acted the same age as Marlene. Maybe even younger than the 10 year old. Vincent had gotten rid of his long red cloak, but retained his all black clothing, knee-length hair and red bandanna. The Turks, who had come with Reeve, all seemed to have slightly mellowed, though Reno's vocabulary was beginning to match Cid's.
Tifa herself knew she hadn't changed much. Her hair had grown longer until she finally couldn't stand it and had cut it short, short to her ears. That had been a year ago, but it had regrown until it was halfway down her back. She pulled it back into a loose ponytail usually. And since it was so cool up in Kalm, she had taken to wearing less skimpy clothing, although she made sure she could still practice her martial arts in them.
And Cloud . . . Cloud hadn't changed at all. Still the same electric-shock-hairstyle. Same devil-may-care attitude. Same shadows in his eyes, the same ones he had since Aeris had died. Tifa looked at him and her resolve to talk to him disappeared. What would be the point?
Across the room she saw Nanaki perk his ears, looking away from the poker game between Yuffie, Cid, Reno and Reeve. He turned towards the door, then jumped off his seat and made his way over to her. "Tifa" he said. "You closed the bar for tonight, didn't you?"
"Yes, why?"
"Because there's someone knocking at the door." Tifa listened carefully, and there! - it was very faint, but she could hear the sound of someone knocking haphazardly outside. From out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vincent straighten up and turn towards the front of the bar. She got up and walked to the door, by the time she got there, Vincent and Nanaki had taken up protective positions behind her. She was pretty sure Vincent had already unholstered the Death Penalty. Tifa opened the door.
It was dressed in rags, with blood soaking through the shoes. It's hands and arms had scratches all over them and it's hair was long and so filthy that Tifa couldn't tell what color it was. It turned it's face up to her, so begrimed that she couldn't read it's expression, but the desperation in it's dull violet eyes was clear. "Please . . . " It's voice was so hoarse, she couldn't tell if the figure was male or female. "Please help me . . . "