Final Fantasy 7
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Thirteen
Finally the curtain of the changing room twitched and Cloud came out. Everyone in the shop stopped and gasped at the result, for it was a very good transformation, and if they didn't know any better, they would have been convinced that Cloud was in fact a girl.
Despite his strong build the dress that Cloud wore managed to cover up pretty most of his muscles, and left him looking quite delicate and feminine. The dress ran all the way down to his feet, leaving only a small part of his boots visible so he could walk easily. The wig also managed to cover up most of his hair apart from the odd blond spike, but the overall effect was quite good and very convincing. The owner looked at Cloud up and down, rather impressed by the transformation.
"Hmm, not bad," he said. "This may be a new business for me."
His daughter nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. Should we try it?" she suggested. She turned to Aeris and Cloud, the weary and desperate smile now gone from her face and replaced with a smile of happiness. "Thanks for showing us something new. My father's got his motivation back now. So the dress is on the house."
Aeris turned to Cloud. "Walk more nicely like... this. Miss Cloud," said Aeris, and walked delicately across the floor of the Clothes Shop.
Cloud just stared. "...What do you mean 'nicely'?" he asked her.
He also then walked across the shop, his movements slightly altered because of the dress. Aeris watched him for a moment, and figured that his walk was okay enough to be convincing. She clasped her hands together tightly, unable to contain her excitement.
"Oh you're so cute, Miss Cloud," she said teasingly, amused by Cloud's glare. "Aaah, I want one. Do you have one that'll look good on me too?"
All at once the owner and his daughter began to choose some beautiful dresses from their long racks, choosing the ones they thought would suit Aeris best. Unfortunately their ideas were clashing.
"How's this?"
"How about that one?"
"Father, what are you talking about? This one's much better."
"No, what are you saying? This one."
Aeris then walked towards the clothes rail, directly between the shop owner and his daughter. She reached out and picked one particular dress that caught her eye.
"...I want THIS one," she said.
She pulled the dress off the rail and placed it over her to see how it looked. It was a long red silk dress with a slim shape, and shimmered in the light. Aeris seemed quite pleased with it, while the shop owner and his daughter just stared in amazement.
"Huh?" they gasped, astounded.
Aeris turned, holding the dress. "I'm going to change," she said plainly, and walked towards the changing room to change into the dress she had chosen. Before she walked in however, she stopped and turned back to the people in the shop. "...No peeking!" she warned them, and then entered the changing room.
A minute or so later she emerged from the changing room wearing the dress, her original clothing in a bag that she could carry around with her. She had untied the pink ribbon that bound the ends of her plait together, letting her thick brown hair spread out across her back, long and wavy. As she came out she twirled in the dress elegantly.
"So? How do I look?" she asked excitedly, looking to Cloud for her answer.
Cloud stared vacantly for a moment or two, unsure of how he should reply to Aeris's question. In the end he looked down at the ground and shook his head pitifully, sighing heavily. Aeris looked at him and put her hands on her hips indignantly.
"Oh, you're no fun!" she told him.
Once everything was ready Cloud and Aeris stepped out into the streets of Wall Market and headed towards Don Corneo's mansion. Cloud stared uncomfortably as he felt the gazes of many men looking over him and Aeris dreamily, but stopped advancing as they saw Cloud's angry glare looking back at them. Aeris, of course, seemed to like the attention that he was receiving, for she was very proud of her creation. Cloud was not at all comfortable with the attention, for he found it quite scary to think that he made quite a convincing girl.
It was convincing enough for the guard outside Don Corneo's mansion at least. As Cloud and Aeris walked towards him his eyes lit up tremendously, looking them both up and down dreamily. He was especially interested in Cloud, much to his dismay.
"Damn! Your friend's hot, too!!" he exclaimed. Cloud put his hands together nervously. "Come in, come in!!" He turned and knocked loudly on the door of the mansion. "Two ladies coming through!!"
There was a pause before the large doors of the mansion opened up in front of them. The guard moved aside and motioned for Cloud and Aeris to go through into the mansion. The two 'girls' did and walked into the mansion, bowing gently to the guard politely as they went passed and into Don Corneo's mansion.
The inside of the mansion was just as they expected it to be considering the kind of place it was. It was very elaborately decorated, with red carpets covering the floors and smooth wood on the stairs. There was a desk for people to make appointments on the ground floor, while upstairs there were the more 'private' rooms. There was one small door at the top of the stairs, while at the other end of the balcony there was a doorway with no door, probably leading down into some kind of wine cellar. The largest door was in the middle of the upper level, and was a set of double doors that were intricately patterned. No doubt that was the room of Don Corneo himself, and most likely contained his private chambers. As the two entered an assistant walked out of a back room behind the desk, and grinned as he saw Cloud and Aeris standing in front of him, waiting.
"Hey, ladies," he said cheerfully and cunningly. Cloud and Aeris turned to him and walked up to the desk. The assistant looked at them for a moment, seeming satisfied. "I'll go and let the Don know you're here. Wait here. Don't go wandering around..."
He turned and headed off into the back room, going to tell the 'Don' that there were two more ladies waiting to see him. Once he was out of view, Aeris turned to Cloud.
"Now's our chance," she said to him. "Let's find Tifa."
Cloud nodded, and together he and Aeris began to search the mansion for Tifa. The hall was the only room downstairs so they headed upstairs to search. The smaller room was locked, and there was no way they were going to enter Don Corneo's personal chamber, so that left only one place to search. Cloud led the way to the final doorway and headed down the old stone steps.
The last room was not a wine cellar as he expected, but rather another 'private' room, and clearly for the use of those with their own personal tastes. Right in the centre of the room there was an altar of sorts, with handcuffs positioned in places where the wrists and ankles would go. Cloud felt a little sick as he saw it, for he was getting a better image of what Don Corneo was like, and he didn't like it at all.
As he reached the bottom of the steps, he saw a figure at the other end of the room, standing with her back to him. It was Tifa. She turned and looked at Cloud, who stopped and looked back at her. Cloud then turned away and quickly ran back towards the stairs, slightly embarrassed to be near Tifa in the condition he was in, even though it was clear that Tifa did not recognise him as he was. Aeris then came down the stairs and saw the two separate from another. She glanced at Cloud, who had lowered his head to the ground in his awkwardness, and then looked at Tifa. She headed over to the woman.
"...Tifa?" she asked, just to be sure. Tifa nodded and walked over to Aeris, who smiled gladly. "Nice to meet you. I'm Aeris. Cloud's told me a lot about you."
Tifa tilted her head and looked at Aeris closely, puzzled. "...And you are?" she asked. She then blinked as she realised where she had seen Aeris before. "Hey, you're the one with Cloud in the park..."
Aeris nodded. "Right, with Cloud."
"Oh..." Tifa muttered quietly, and turned away from Aeris.
"Don't worry," Aeris added quickly, shaking her head. "We just met. It's nothing."
Tifa turned back sharply. "What do you mean, 'don't worry' ...about what?" she asked, obviously trying to be evasive to the point that Aeris was making. "No, don't misunderstand. Cloud and I grew up together. Nothing more."
Aeris giggled joyfully, and Tifa again tilted her head, confused as to what Aeris found funny. "Poor Cloud," said Aeris through her humorous giggles. "Having to stand here and listen to both of us call him nothing." She turned knowingly and put her hands behind her back. "Right, Cloud?"
Tifa turned to where Aeris was looking, and looked at what she saw was just another girl standing shyly at the other end of the room with her back to them. She stared as the 'girl' slowly turned her head to glance at them, before turning away again.
"Embarrassed?" asked Aeris, still suppressing her giggles. "Come on, speak up!"
Finally Cloud sighed and turned, walking with his head down and stopping in front of Tifa. The girl leaned over to look at his face more closely, for she just saw him as another girl. But as she looked into his face she could see his familiar features, and his glowing blue eyes. She immediately jumped back in complete surprise and amazement.
"Cloud!?" she exclaimed loudly. She then began to speak fast in her desperation to get all her words out in one go. "Why are you dressed like that!? And what are you doing here!? Forget that, what happened to you after the fall!? Are you hurt!?"
Cloud shook his head calmly, finally finding the courage to speak to Tifa. "Hey, give me a chance to answer," he said to her. He sighed. "I'm dressed like this... because there was no other way to get in here. I'm all right. Aeris helped me out."
This caught Tifa's attention. "Oh, Aeris did..." she said, sounding sad and disappointed once more. Before she could say anything else, it was Cloud's turn to ask a question.
"Tifa, explain," he asked her. "What are you doing in a place like this?"
Tifa turned back and scratched her head nervously, feeling a little caught out. "Yeah, ummm..." she stammered, unsure of how to put her predicament to Cloud. She looked down so Cloud couldn't see her face, although he was sure she had gone red.
"Ahem!!" Aeris coughed loudly. Cloud and Tifa both looked at her while she smiled. "I'll just plug my ears," she added. So she walked away from Cloud and Tifa and stopped at the other end of the room, where she placed her palms firmly over her ears so she could not hear anything, since she could sense that this was going to be a private conversation.
Once she was out of earshot, Tifa smiled with relief. "...I'm glad you're okay," she said truthfully. Cloud smiled a little and nodded his head.
"Thanks," he replied. "What happened?"
Tifa nodded. "When we got back from the Number 5 reactor, there was this weird man," she explained to him. "So Barret caught him and squeezed some information out of him."
"That's when the Don's name popped up," Cloud presumed, feeling certain that Tifa meant it literally when she said Barret 'squeezed' some information out of the weird man prowling around Sector 7.
"Right," said Tifa. "Don Corneo. Barret told me to leave the lech alone... But something's been bothering me."
Cloud nodded. "I see. So you wanted to get the story straight from Corneo's mouth," he presumed, piecing together the rest of Tifa's story, which was self-explanatory.
Tifa nodded, but she still looked a little concerned. "So I made it here, but now I'm in a bind," she told Cloud. She began to rub her hands together anxiously as she spoke. "Corneo is looking for a bride. Everyday he gets three girls, chooses one of them, and then... ...And, well..." She began to stutter nervously, not wanting to say it. She finally shook her head. "Anyway, I have to be the girl or I'm out for tonight."
Aeris looked up. "Sorry..." she apologised. "But I overheard." In actual truth she had been listening to the conversation the whole time, turning and peeking occasionally while the two spoke, but she didn't want them to know that. She walked back to Cloud and Tifa. "If you know the three girls, then there's no problem, right?"
"I guess so, but..." Tifa said hesitantly.
"We have two here, right?"
"No, Aeris!" Cloud exclaimed suddenly. Aeris looked at him. "I can't have you get involved." Aeris indignantly put her hands on her hips and glared at Cloud.
"Oh?" she asked him shrewdly. "So it's all right for Tifa to be in danger?"
That caught Cloud out. "No, I don't want Tifa in..." he stammered, scratching the back of his head nervously.
Tifa looked at Aeris, trying to piece together what kind of person she was. Aeris looked quite delicate and feminine, but from the way she spoke and the things she said made Tifa think that there was more to Aeris than meets the eye. Even though she seemed open and trusting there was an air of mystery around her that Tifa could sense, but she seemed all right. She walked over to Aeris while Cloud struggled to find an answer to Aeris's remarks.
"Is it all right?" she asked Aeris. She and Aeris both walked slowly towards the stairs and out of Cloud's earshot, to make their conversation a little more private. Tifa wanted Aeris's personal opinion.
"I grew up in the slums..." said Aeris. "I'm used to danger." She turned to Tifa and looked at her closely. "Do you trust me?"
"Yes," Tifa replied without any hesitation. "Thanks, Ms. Aeris."
Aeris smiled. "Call me Aeris."
Tifa smiled as well. Even though this was the first time she had ever met Aeris, she had seen enough of her to know that she could trust her. Cloud also seemed to trust her, even if he was a little hesitant to let her get involved in affairs that were of no concern to her. That didn't seem to stop Aeris at all, for she would have gone along even if Cloud and Tifa had told her to go home where she was safe.
"He---y!!" came an angry voice from upstairs. Everyone in the cellar turned and looked at the top of the stairs to where Corneo's assistant was standing and glaring down at them. "It's time, ladies. The Don is waiting." He turned and began to walk off, muttering loudly. "I told you not to wander around... I tell ya, women nowadays... Hurry up, will ya!"
Cloud walked up to Tifa and Aeris nervously. "I probably don't need to ask," he said. "But the other girl is... Me... right?"
Tifa and Aeris both looked at each other with knowing smiles on their faces.
Tifa nodded. "You're right, there was no need..."
Aeris nodded. "...To ask."
Cloud sagged heavily, already fearing the worst. It was all right for Tifa and Aeris to an extent – they were women and could easily extract the information they wanted from Corneo. He, on the other hand, was a man, and if Don Corneo chose him that night he would be put in a very difficult position. He tried to be more positive, thinking that with Tifa and Aeris both beside him there was only a one in three chance that Corneo would choose him.
The three headed back upstairs and saw the assistant standing by the entrance to Don Corneo's chamber. He grinned slyly as they walked up, and pointed to the closed door.
"The Don's waiting in his room..." the assistant said, his grin wide on his face. "Ha ha ha..." The door opened in front of them, and Cloud and the two girls walked into Don Corneo's chamber.
The inside of Corneo's personal chamber was just as they had expected it to be. Expensive items lined the walls and the floor was lined in a thick red carpet. At the far end of the room there was a desk covered in papers, with two hired guards standing on either side. Like everyone else in the mansion the hired guards were merely punks, inhabitants of the slums who had luckily managed to get a job working for Corneo.
Don Corneo himself was sat at his desk, sat back in his throne-like chair patiently as he waited for the three girls to enter. Just from looking at him it was possible to see why he had not yet found a decent bride. He was not very attractive, and clearly had a very high opinion of himself. He was bald and fat, with a long red robe covering his bulbous body, and a crown on his empty, shiny head. For the moment he had his eyes closed as though awaiting something.
Cloud, Tifa and Aeris all entered the chamber nervously, unsure of what to expect. They looked around as they entered, wondering what they should do. They got their answer as Kotch, one of Corneo's hired slum guards who was also just a random punk pulled in from the streets, stepped forward and waved his hand to the three. As they looked at him he motioned to the rug in the middle of the room in front of the desk.
"All right, ladies!" he said. He sounded excited himself as he looked the three over. "Line up in front of the Don!"
The three did as they were told and lined up on the rug in front of Don, with Cloud standing in the middle and right in front of Don Corneo. Once they were all stood silent Don Corneo finally opened his eyes and gazed upon the three girls. All of a sudden he leaped up out of his chair and landed on his desk, his eyes bright and dancing as he looked the three over hungrily.
"Hmmm! Good, splendid!" he said, his eyes darting from one to the other as he looked them over. He clambered over his desk and began to give the three a closer inspection. He first inspected Aeris, looking closely at her face and eyes, and Cloud could almost see his mind racing with ideas just from a first glance. "Now, let's see..." Corneo muttered to himself as he looked Aeris over. "Which girl should I choose? Hmm... hmm...!"
He then walked over to Cloud and began to examine him more closely. As he leaned in for a closer look at Cloud's face Cloud quickly turned his head away a little, half-closing his eyes so Corneo could not see his glowing Mako eyes, for that would give the game away completely.
"This one?" he wondered aloud. He blinked a little as Cloud turned his head away, but didn't seem to mind. He then went to Tifa and began to examine her closely. "Or this one?"
Having examined all of the three 'girls', Corneo went back to Cloud, curious by Cloud's shyness. He leaned in to Cloud's face again, but Cloud quickly turned his head the other way to deny Corneo a closer look. Corneo tried to look at the other side, determined to get a look, but Cloud again turned his head away. It was comical to watch Cloud continuously turn his head again and again, trying to avoid Corneo's hungry glare. Finally Don Corneo jumped, his mind made up.
"Whoo-hoo!" he cheered merrily. "I've made up my mind!! My choice for tonight it..." He paused for a moment to raise the suspense, before he held his arms open... to Cloud. "This healthy-looking girl!"
Cloud stepped back, completely horrified. "Wa, wait a sec!" he protested, before he realised what he was doing. "I mean, uh, please wait a moment!"
Corneo clapped his hands excitedly, pleased at Cloud's reaction. "Woo-hoo! I love chickies who play hard-to-get!" he said. "Yeowza!" He turned towards his two guards by his desk. "You can have the other ones!"
Kotch and the other guard both saluted gladly at Corneo. "Yes, sir!" they cheered. "Thank you, sir!"
Corneo grinned and looked back at Cloud, who was still petrified. "Well then, shall we go my pretty!?"
Cloud turned his head and glanced at Aeris. Aeris looked back at him and nodded her head, but from the smile on her face it looked as though she was trying to stop herself from laughing. When Cloud turned his head and looked at Tifa he saw that she was trying hard not to laugh as well, but she also nodded her head to advise Cloud to go with Corneo. Cloud sighed heavily and began to follow Don Corneo towards his bedchamber at the back of the room, leaving Tifa and Aeris at the hungry hands of the guards.
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Thirteen
Finally the curtain of the changing room twitched and Cloud came out. Everyone in the shop stopped and gasped at the result, for it was a very good transformation, and if they didn't know any better, they would have been convinced that Cloud was in fact a girl.
Despite his strong build the dress that Cloud wore managed to cover up pretty most of his muscles, and left him looking quite delicate and feminine. The dress ran all the way down to his feet, leaving only a small part of his boots visible so he could walk easily. The wig also managed to cover up most of his hair apart from the odd blond spike, but the overall effect was quite good and very convincing. The owner looked at Cloud up and down, rather impressed by the transformation.
"Hmm, not bad," he said. "This may be a new business for me."
His daughter nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. Should we try it?" she suggested. She turned to Aeris and Cloud, the weary and desperate smile now gone from her face and replaced with a smile of happiness. "Thanks for showing us something new. My father's got his motivation back now. So the dress is on the house."
Aeris turned to Cloud. "Walk more nicely like... this. Miss Cloud," said Aeris, and walked delicately across the floor of the Clothes Shop.
Cloud just stared. "...What do you mean 'nicely'?" he asked her.
He also then walked across the shop, his movements slightly altered because of the dress. Aeris watched him for a moment, and figured that his walk was okay enough to be convincing. She clasped her hands together tightly, unable to contain her excitement.
"Oh you're so cute, Miss Cloud," she said teasingly, amused by Cloud's glare. "Aaah, I want one. Do you have one that'll look good on me too?"
All at once the owner and his daughter began to choose some beautiful dresses from their long racks, choosing the ones they thought would suit Aeris best. Unfortunately their ideas were clashing.
"How's this?"
"How about that one?"
"Father, what are you talking about? This one's much better."
"No, what are you saying? This one."
Aeris then walked towards the clothes rail, directly between the shop owner and his daughter. She reached out and picked one particular dress that caught her eye.
"...I want THIS one," she said.
She pulled the dress off the rail and placed it over her to see how it looked. It was a long red silk dress with a slim shape, and shimmered in the light. Aeris seemed quite pleased with it, while the shop owner and his daughter just stared in amazement.
"Huh?" they gasped, astounded.
Aeris turned, holding the dress. "I'm going to change," she said plainly, and walked towards the changing room to change into the dress she had chosen. Before she walked in however, she stopped and turned back to the people in the shop. "...No peeking!" she warned them, and then entered the changing room.
A minute or so later she emerged from the changing room wearing the dress, her original clothing in a bag that she could carry around with her. She had untied the pink ribbon that bound the ends of her plait together, letting her thick brown hair spread out across her back, long and wavy. As she came out she twirled in the dress elegantly.
"So? How do I look?" she asked excitedly, looking to Cloud for her answer.
Cloud stared vacantly for a moment or two, unsure of how he should reply to Aeris's question. In the end he looked down at the ground and shook his head pitifully, sighing heavily. Aeris looked at him and put her hands on her hips indignantly.
"Oh, you're no fun!" she told him.
Once everything was ready Cloud and Aeris stepped out into the streets of Wall Market and headed towards Don Corneo's mansion. Cloud stared uncomfortably as he felt the gazes of many men looking over him and Aeris dreamily, but stopped advancing as they saw Cloud's angry glare looking back at them. Aeris, of course, seemed to like the attention that he was receiving, for she was very proud of her creation. Cloud was not at all comfortable with the attention, for he found it quite scary to think that he made quite a convincing girl.
It was convincing enough for the guard outside Don Corneo's mansion at least. As Cloud and Aeris walked towards him his eyes lit up tremendously, looking them both up and down dreamily. He was especially interested in Cloud, much to his dismay.
"Damn! Your friend's hot, too!!" he exclaimed. Cloud put his hands together nervously. "Come in, come in!!" He turned and knocked loudly on the door of the mansion. "Two ladies coming through!!"
There was a pause before the large doors of the mansion opened up in front of them. The guard moved aside and motioned for Cloud and Aeris to go through into the mansion. The two 'girls' did and walked into the mansion, bowing gently to the guard politely as they went passed and into Don Corneo's mansion.
The inside of the mansion was just as they expected it to be considering the kind of place it was. It was very elaborately decorated, with red carpets covering the floors and smooth wood on the stairs. There was a desk for people to make appointments on the ground floor, while upstairs there were the more 'private' rooms. There was one small door at the top of the stairs, while at the other end of the balcony there was a doorway with no door, probably leading down into some kind of wine cellar. The largest door was in the middle of the upper level, and was a set of double doors that were intricately patterned. No doubt that was the room of Don Corneo himself, and most likely contained his private chambers. As the two entered an assistant walked out of a back room behind the desk, and grinned as he saw Cloud and Aeris standing in front of him, waiting.
"Hey, ladies," he said cheerfully and cunningly. Cloud and Aeris turned to him and walked up to the desk. The assistant looked at them for a moment, seeming satisfied. "I'll go and let the Don know you're here. Wait here. Don't go wandering around..."
He turned and headed off into the back room, going to tell the 'Don' that there were two more ladies waiting to see him. Once he was out of view, Aeris turned to Cloud.
"Now's our chance," she said to him. "Let's find Tifa."
Cloud nodded, and together he and Aeris began to search the mansion for Tifa. The hall was the only room downstairs so they headed upstairs to search. The smaller room was locked, and there was no way they were going to enter Don Corneo's personal chamber, so that left only one place to search. Cloud led the way to the final doorway and headed down the old stone steps.
The last room was not a wine cellar as he expected, but rather another 'private' room, and clearly for the use of those with their own personal tastes. Right in the centre of the room there was an altar of sorts, with handcuffs positioned in places where the wrists and ankles would go. Cloud felt a little sick as he saw it, for he was getting a better image of what Don Corneo was like, and he didn't like it at all.
As he reached the bottom of the steps, he saw a figure at the other end of the room, standing with her back to him. It was Tifa. She turned and looked at Cloud, who stopped and looked back at her. Cloud then turned away and quickly ran back towards the stairs, slightly embarrassed to be near Tifa in the condition he was in, even though it was clear that Tifa did not recognise him as he was. Aeris then came down the stairs and saw the two separate from another. She glanced at Cloud, who had lowered his head to the ground in his awkwardness, and then looked at Tifa. She headed over to the woman.
"...Tifa?" she asked, just to be sure. Tifa nodded and walked over to Aeris, who smiled gladly. "Nice to meet you. I'm Aeris. Cloud's told me a lot about you."
Tifa tilted her head and looked at Aeris closely, puzzled. "...And you are?" she asked. She then blinked as she realised where she had seen Aeris before. "Hey, you're the one with Cloud in the park..."
Aeris nodded. "Right, with Cloud."
"Oh..." Tifa muttered quietly, and turned away from Aeris.
"Don't worry," Aeris added quickly, shaking her head. "We just met. It's nothing."
Tifa turned back sharply. "What do you mean, 'don't worry' ...about what?" she asked, obviously trying to be evasive to the point that Aeris was making. "No, don't misunderstand. Cloud and I grew up together. Nothing more."
Aeris giggled joyfully, and Tifa again tilted her head, confused as to what Aeris found funny. "Poor Cloud," said Aeris through her humorous giggles. "Having to stand here and listen to both of us call him nothing." She turned knowingly and put her hands behind her back. "Right, Cloud?"
Tifa turned to where Aeris was looking, and looked at what she saw was just another girl standing shyly at the other end of the room with her back to them. She stared as the 'girl' slowly turned her head to glance at them, before turning away again.
"Embarrassed?" asked Aeris, still suppressing her giggles. "Come on, speak up!"
Finally Cloud sighed and turned, walking with his head down and stopping in front of Tifa. The girl leaned over to look at his face more closely, for she just saw him as another girl. But as she looked into his face she could see his familiar features, and his glowing blue eyes. She immediately jumped back in complete surprise and amazement.
"Cloud!?" she exclaimed loudly. She then began to speak fast in her desperation to get all her words out in one go. "Why are you dressed like that!? And what are you doing here!? Forget that, what happened to you after the fall!? Are you hurt!?"
Cloud shook his head calmly, finally finding the courage to speak to Tifa. "Hey, give me a chance to answer," he said to her. He sighed. "I'm dressed like this... because there was no other way to get in here. I'm all right. Aeris helped me out."
This caught Tifa's attention. "Oh, Aeris did..." she said, sounding sad and disappointed once more. Before she could say anything else, it was Cloud's turn to ask a question.
"Tifa, explain," he asked her. "What are you doing in a place like this?"
Tifa turned back and scratched her head nervously, feeling a little caught out. "Yeah, ummm..." she stammered, unsure of how to put her predicament to Cloud. She looked down so Cloud couldn't see her face, although he was sure she had gone red.
"Ahem!!" Aeris coughed loudly. Cloud and Tifa both looked at her while she smiled. "I'll just plug my ears," she added. So she walked away from Cloud and Tifa and stopped at the other end of the room, where she placed her palms firmly over her ears so she could not hear anything, since she could sense that this was going to be a private conversation.
Once she was out of earshot, Tifa smiled with relief. "...I'm glad you're okay," she said truthfully. Cloud smiled a little and nodded his head.
"Thanks," he replied. "What happened?"
Tifa nodded. "When we got back from the Number 5 reactor, there was this weird man," she explained to him. "So Barret caught him and squeezed some information out of him."
"That's when the Don's name popped up," Cloud presumed, feeling certain that Tifa meant it literally when she said Barret 'squeezed' some information out of the weird man prowling around Sector 7.
"Right," said Tifa. "Don Corneo. Barret told me to leave the lech alone... But something's been bothering me."
Cloud nodded. "I see. So you wanted to get the story straight from Corneo's mouth," he presumed, piecing together the rest of Tifa's story, which was self-explanatory.
Tifa nodded, but she still looked a little concerned. "So I made it here, but now I'm in a bind," she told Cloud. She began to rub her hands together anxiously as she spoke. "Corneo is looking for a bride. Everyday he gets three girls, chooses one of them, and then... ...And, well..." She began to stutter nervously, not wanting to say it. She finally shook her head. "Anyway, I have to be the girl or I'm out for tonight."
Aeris looked up. "Sorry..." she apologised. "But I overheard." In actual truth she had been listening to the conversation the whole time, turning and peeking occasionally while the two spoke, but she didn't want them to know that. She walked back to Cloud and Tifa. "If you know the three girls, then there's no problem, right?"
"I guess so, but..." Tifa said hesitantly.
"We have two here, right?"
"No, Aeris!" Cloud exclaimed suddenly. Aeris looked at him. "I can't have you get involved." Aeris indignantly put her hands on her hips and glared at Cloud.
"Oh?" she asked him shrewdly. "So it's all right for Tifa to be in danger?"
That caught Cloud out. "No, I don't want Tifa in..." he stammered, scratching the back of his head nervously.
Tifa looked at Aeris, trying to piece together what kind of person she was. Aeris looked quite delicate and feminine, but from the way she spoke and the things she said made Tifa think that there was more to Aeris than meets the eye. Even though she seemed open and trusting there was an air of mystery around her that Tifa could sense, but she seemed all right. She walked over to Aeris while Cloud struggled to find an answer to Aeris's remarks.
"Is it all right?" she asked Aeris. She and Aeris both walked slowly towards the stairs and out of Cloud's earshot, to make their conversation a little more private. Tifa wanted Aeris's personal opinion.
"I grew up in the slums..." said Aeris. "I'm used to danger." She turned to Tifa and looked at her closely. "Do you trust me?"
"Yes," Tifa replied without any hesitation. "Thanks, Ms. Aeris."
Aeris smiled. "Call me Aeris."
Tifa smiled as well. Even though this was the first time she had ever met Aeris, she had seen enough of her to know that she could trust her. Cloud also seemed to trust her, even if he was a little hesitant to let her get involved in affairs that were of no concern to her. That didn't seem to stop Aeris at all, for she would have gone along even if Cloud and Tifa had told her to go home where she was safe.
"He---y!!" came an angry voice from upstairs. Everyone in the cellar turned and looked at the top of the stairs to where Corneo's assistant was standing and glaring down at them. "It's time, ladies. The Don is waiting." He turned and began to walk off, muttering loudly. "I told you not to wander around... I tell ya, women nowadays... Hurry up, will ya!"
Cloud walked up to Tifa and Aeris nervously. "I probably don't need to ask," he said. "But the other girl is... Me... right?"
Tifa and Aeris both looked at each other with knowing smiles on their faces.
Tifa nodded. "You're right, there was no need..."
Aeris nodded. "...To ask."
Cloud sagged heavily, already fearing the worst. It was all right for Tifa and Aeris to an extent – they were women and could easily extract the information they wanted from Corneo. He, on the other hand, was a man, and if Don Corneo chose him that night he would be put in a very difficult position. He tried to be more positive, thinking that with Tifa and Aeris both beside him there was only a one in three chance that Corneo would choose him.
The three headed back upstairs and saw the assistant standing by the entrance to Don Corneo's chamber. He grinned slyly as they walked up, and pointed to the closed door.
"The Don's waiting in his room..." the assistant said, his grin wide on his face. "Ha ha ha..." The door opened in front of them, and Cloud and the two girls walked into Don Corneo's chamber.
The inside of Corneo's personal chamber was just as they had expected it to be. Expensive items lined the walls and the floor was lined in a thick red carpet. At the far end of the room there was a desk covered in papers, with two hired guards standing on either side. Like everyone else in the mansion the hired guards were merely punks, inhabitants of the slums who had luckily managed to get a job working for Corneo.
Don Corneo himself was sat at his desk, sat back in his throne-like chair patiently as he waited for the three girls to enter. Just from looking at him it was possible to see why he had not yet found a decent bride. He was not very attractive, and clearly had a very high opinion of himself. He was bald and fat, with a long red robe covering his bulbous body, and a crown on his empty, shiny head. For the moment he had his eyes closed as though awaiting something.
Cloud, Tifa and Aeris all entered the chamber nervously, unsure of what to expect. They looked around as they entered, wondering what they should do. They got their answer as Kotch, one of Corneo's hired slum guards who was also just a random punk pulled in from the streets, stepped forward and waved his hand to the three. As they looked at him he motioned to the rug in the middle of the room in front of the desk.
"All right, ladies!" he said. He sounded excited himself as he looked the three over. "Line up in front of the Don!"
The three did as they were told and lined up on the rug in front of Don, with Cloud standing in the middle and right in front of Don Corneo. Once they were all stood silent Don Corneo finally opened his eyes and gazed upon the three girls. All of a sudden he leaped up out of his chair and landed on his desk, his eyes bright and dancing as he looked the three over hungrily.
"Hmmm! Good, splendid!" he said, his eyes darting from one to the other as he looked them over. He clambered over his desk and began to give the three a closer inspection. He first inspected Aeris, looking closely at her face and eyes, and Cloud could almost see his mind racing with ideas just from a first glance. "Now, let's see..." Corneo muttered to himself as he looked Aeris over. "Which girl should I choose? Hmm... hmm...!"
He then walked over to Cloud and began to examine him more closely. As he leaned in for a closer look at Cloud's face Cloud quickly turned his head away a little, half-closing his eyes so Corneo could not see his glowing Mako eyes, for that would give the game away completely.
"This one?" he wondered aloud. He blinked a little as Cloud turned his head away, but didn't seem to mind. He then went to Tifa and began to examine her closely. "Or this one?"
Having examined all of the three 'girls', Corneo went back to Cloud, curious by Cloud's shyness. He leaned in to Cloud's face again, but Cloud quickly turned his head the other way to deny Corneo a closer look. Corneo tried to look at the other side, determined to get a look, but Cloud again turned his head away. It was comical to watch Cloud continuously turn his head again and again, trying to avoid Corneo's hungry glare. Finally Don Corneo jumped, his mind made up.
"Whoo-hoo!" he cheered merrily. "I've made up my mind!! My choice for tonight it..." He paused for a moment to raise the suspense, before he held his arms open... to Cloud. "This healthy-looking girl!"
Cloud stepped back, completely horrified. "Wa, wait a sec!" he protested, before he realised what he was doing. "I mean, uh, please wait a moment!"
Corneo clapped his hands excitedly, pleased at Cloud's reaction. "Woo-hoo! I love chickies who play hard-to-get!" he said. "Yeowza!" He turned towards his two guards by his desk. "You can have the other ones!"
Kotch and the other guard both saluted gladly at Corneo. "Yes, sir!" they cheered. "Thank you, sir!"
Corneo grinned and looked back at Cloud, who was still petrified. "Well then, shall we go my pretty!?"
Cloud turned his head and glanced at Aeris. Aeris looked back at him and nodded her head, but from the smile on her face it looked as though she was trying to stop herself from laughing. When Cloud turned his head and looked at Tifa he saw that she was trying hard not to laugh as well, but she also nodded her head to advise Cloud to go with Corneo. Cloud sighed heavily and began to follow Don Corneo towards his bedchamber at the back of the room, leaving Tifa and Aeris at the hungry hands of the guards.
