Hello again! ...Mm, tis a stressful real life to be sure... Have fun :)
Part 6 : Tea for Six
"I suppose he just wants to be out there, changing the world."
"Tifa..."
"Mmm?" Tifa looked up. Shera's anxious eyes were on her.
"You're not drinking your tea... Is it alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's fine," Tifa said absently. Everyone else seemed to be actually drinking it to avoid talking.
"Would you prefer hot chocolate?"
Tifa shook her head, smiling slightly. Where had the Shera of a couple days ago gone? Where had the take-command-competent-medic-life-saver got to? Just a crunch-time reflex maybe... well, at least it's there. "Shera, you know I love your tea. You know everyone loves your tea. Stop worrying."
"I'm sorry..."
Cloud looked at Tifa and nodded towards Shera, head down again. His look was something along the lines of Nothing's changed then?
Yuffie skipped out of the kitchen. "Cookie anyone?" she said hopefully and bounced around distributing them by throwing them from ever increasing distances. It was accurate throwing of course, but just a little unnerving.
She leaned against Cid's sofa and munched on her own cookie.
"Look, guys," she said, "if we're going to go get Red and Cait and Barret, shouldn't we do it soon? I mean, it's kinda pointless just waiting around and doing nothing, and it might be really dangerous!"
"You mean you're just impatient," translated Vincent.
"Yeah, that too. So how about it?"
No one said anything.
"Aw, come on, wake up guys!"
"OK," said Tifa, shaking herself. "Barret's in Corel, Nanaki and Reeve... well, they shouldn't be too hard to get hold of."
"Them being top politicians and all," grinned Yuffie.
Cid gave a snort. "I still think they only got voted in for novelty value... I mean - a cat who rides on a stuffed moogle for Urban Development guy?"
"They did vote for Reeve, not Cait Sith specifically," Cloud reminded him, finally looking up from the staring contest he'd apparently been having with his cup of tea. "Anyway, it's basically the job he had before."
"Yeah, yeah," Cid waved it aside. "A talking red dog for Environment Minister then, that's pretty £(&ing novel."
"Yeah, it kinda surprised me that he wanted to go for it... I thought he was just going to stick to Cosmo Canyon." Cloud shrugged. "I suppose he just wants to be out there, changing the world."
The moment hung.
"I still say it's novelty value," muttered Cid.
"Well I didn't see you running for office," said Shera,
"Of course I didn't run! One town and one woman's quite enough for me!"
Shera smiled. "You're not exactly in a position to moan then - you voted for him, didn't you?"
"Yeah, course, we all did. Yeah -"
"I didn't!" said Yuffie chirpily. "I voted for Neo-Shinra, didn't I?"
"What?" exclaimed Cloud, and the others all stared.
"Joke!" Yuffie rolled her eyes. "I'm 17, can't vote, remember? Sheesh, you guys act like you've been living in a crypt!"
"Hmph, I resent that."
"No special offence to you, Vinnie, honest."
"None taken. But don't call me Vinnie."
"Oh, alright, Vincent..."
"Thank you."
"...ee-kins."
"Yuffie!"
Tifa's laugh exploded. Then she said, "Look, OK, I think Yuffie had a point somewhere back there... about how we should get on with this?"
"Oh yeah," said Yuffie happily, "My point. I did have one, didn't I?"
"Yes... Anyway... None of them should be hard to find, so... Can we take the Highwind?"
"Sure, whatever you like!" said Cid, "Y'know, go nuts, drive it into craters, destroy the bloody thing, see if I care! ...NO."
"Pweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-" started Yuffie.
Cid reconsidered hastily. "Alright! But only if you shut up. And only if I'm in command of it."
"-ease. Thanks Cid." She grinned at the others. "See my cool negotiation skills?"
"Alright," said Cloud, sighing as he made another attempt to make the group make sense. "But I think it would be quicker if we split up, take the Highwind to the furthest away place and get another team to wherever else..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Yuffie, and then looked nervous. "Look, we don't all need to go at all, do we?"
"Yeah we do," said Cid suddenly. "We'll need at least five of us on the Highwind - dunno if the crew'll all be ready to go just now."
"Uh-unh!" Yuffie walked slowly backwards, shaking her head for emphasis. "No WAY are you getting me on that! Look, the rest of you get on that stupid, ugly, sadistic thing that can hardly fly," - She watched Cid flinch at every insult - "and I'll go wherever else by myself."
"You're not walking."
"Vince, it'll be fine..." she moaned.
"It might not be."
"I've been out on my own since I was fourteen!"
"Not with Jenova creatures on the loose."
"It might not be Jenova... And anyway, it was just one."
"There might be more."
"Man, you are such a pessimist!"
Everyone else was just watching this dialogue, waiting for it to play out.
Vincent sighed. "I've got reason to want you to be careful."
Yuffie sighed too. "Well, OK, if you're so smart, how do you think I should travel without that stupid plane?"
"You could use Cid's sports car, couldn't you?" suggested Tifa
Yuffie raised her eyebrows. "Cid?" she asked innocently.
"No!" Cid hobbled over to the upturned car and put his arms around the hood. "Don't anyone touch my baby!"
"Besides," put in Shera, "the engine sort of exploded a couple days ago, while you were asleep, Tifa."
"Huh?" said Cloud.
"Never mind. But - not the car, then..." said Tifa.
"See?" said Yuffie.
"A chocobo," said Vincent, unexpectedly.
"Erm..."
"I'd let you use my Golden," said Cloud.
"You would?" asked Yuffie, stunned.
"-if it weren't the other side of the continent at Bill's."
Yuffie shrugged. "But otherwise you'd let me?"
"Er, no. But it sounded good, right?"
"Man, shuddup."
"Hey!" yelled Cid, at last letting his darling car go, "There something wrong with the chocobos round here?"
"That's a point," said Tifa. "They're decent enough near Rocket Town. Yuffie - you have a Chocobo Lure?"
Yuffie gave her a look that sufficed to say: 'Name me any one materia that I don't have and I'll drop dead... or possibly just go get it.' But all she said was: "Mastered."
"Well there you go then!"
Yuffie turned to Vincent. "That good enough for you? D'you think chocobos can run fast enough or should I just practice sprinting?"
Vincent smiled, slightly, but he still smiled. "I think a chocobo would do," he said.
