Tifa sat silently outside the bar overlooking the beach, feeling the warmth of the wooden bench beneath her bare legs as she absent-mindedly stroked her finger around the rim of the tall glass in front of her. Her eyes focused on nothing in particular, but rather gazed endlessly into the clear azure sky. The gentle sound of the waves and childish laughter provided a perfect ambience for her as she allowed her mind to wander, as it so often did at times like this.
She had never expected such a drastic change in her life to occur so easily over the space of a few years.
Her childhood in Nibelheim seemed nothing but a distant memory as her eyes scanned across the golden sand below her, shimmering slightly under the light of the blazing sun. Of course her father had been unhappy; deep down she knew she would always be his little girl. But he also knew his daughter well enough to know that when she set her heart on something, there was little if anything he could do to influence her decision.
And so it had been on that dreary morning three years ago that Zangan, her martial arts tutor, had arrived in Nibelheim in a chocobo-drawn carriage. She remembered the expression on her father's face as he shook hands with the guardian of his child as she set off into the world, and a tinge of selfish desire to stay had briefly embraced her. But then she felt his hand upon her shoulder. She knew then that it would be alright as she turned to bury her face into the chest of her blonde companion.
She jolted herself awake as the wave of exhaustion washed over her once more, forcing her body to maintain awareness of her surroundings. Ever since she had arrived in the Costa Del Sol three years ago, she had found it impossible to fall asleep in public. Deep down, she realised she was still an insecure child taking their first step into the frightening reality of the real world.
"Excuse me, is anybody sitting here?" A friendly voice drifted through Tifa's mind, taking a few moments to circulate before she realised the question was directed towards her.
"Mm?" she mumbled questioningly as she glanced up to discover the identity of the person who had distracted her from her silent reflection. The young lady smiled awkwardly, shifting her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. She looked slightly overwhelmed by her surroundings, suggesting immediately to Tifa that she was a tourist; indeed, the slight sunburn on her arms and largely over-packed suitcase seemed to support this theory. Tifa smiled warmly, though secretly reluctant to being withdrawn from her solitude. "No. Please have a seat."
"Thank you," smiled the brunette as she set herself down delicately on the opposite side of the table to Tifa. She looked visibly tired, but attempted to hide it beneath an outwardly positive exterior. "I hope I didn't distract you from anything. You seemed quite lost in thought."
"Oh, don't worry about it." Tifa was certain that the awkward apology was genuine. "Are you here on holiday?"
"Oh, well…" The other girl seemed to pause to consider the most appropriate response. Tifa noted in the momentary silence that the girl appeared to be roughly the same age as her, and wondered if she was setting out into the world for the first time much like herself. "It's kinda complicated…"
Tifa smiled supportively, convincing herself that the stranger was indeed like herself, moving out into the world. It created a sense of compassion and empathy within her. "Are you here on your own?"
"Yes. I could only afford one ticket…" She trailed off; cautious of revealing too much to somebody she had only just met. Tifa sensed this, and hastily changed the subject by picking up empty glass from the table before her.
"I think I'm going to get another drink. Do you want one?" The brunette smiled appreciatively as Tifa went to stand, but a familiar hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"Shall I get the next round?" The reassuring deep voice drew a smile from Tifa as she turned in her seat to look up at Cloud, his blonde hair bold against the backdrop of the clear sky. Noticing the stranger on the opposite side of the table who was avoiding his gaze, he glanced questioningly down at Tifa.
"She's new in town," she explained patiently. Cloud nodded with an understanding expression as he picked up the empty glass from the table.
"Can I get you anything? Miss…?"
"Gainsborough," the stranger smiled, finally making eye contact with Cloud. "Aeris Gainsborough."