"Girl Talk"

Night had fallen over the quiet town of Kalm. It was barely past nine, but most of the town's residents had already retreated to their homes for the night.

For two young women used to the late night action of Midgar, it was boring as all hell.

Aeris sighed and turned away from the window, having identified all the constellations she knew at least four times. She glanced around the small room she shared with Tifa. The room was barely big enough to hold two beds and a dresser, but it was still comfortable. Her rod stood in the corner, and a pair of fighting gloves lay on top of the dresser. The owner of the gloves was sprawled across one of the beds, head hanging off the edge as she looked up at Aeris.

"I'm bored," Tifa announced, stretching her arms over her head. Aeris nodded.

"I know… it's not like I really went out and did much in Midgar, but… at least there was something to do."

"The nine o'clock rush would be starting about now… all the married men who'd gone home from work, fought with their wives, then stormed out to the bar." Tifa sat up, running a hand through her hair. "I can't believe that's all gone…" she muttered. An awkward silence fell as Aeris tried to think of something comforting to say. Suddenly, Tifa bounced to her feet.

"That's it. We're going out," she declared. Aeris raised an eyebrow.

"Where to?"

"There's a bar down the street from here. We can go, I can complain about incompetent bartenders, we can flirt with the only two single young men in this whole town--" Aeris chuckled, and Tifa paused, frowning. "Hmm… I'm being awfully generous towards the population of Kalm, assuming there's two men who meet that description."

"True. Well, if there's only one, we could tag-team him," Aeris suggested.

"Or we could just get a little drunk and leave this poor guy alone," Tifa laughed.

"Why not?" Aeris agreed with a shrug, following Tifa to the door. Tifa walked down the hall, then knocked on the door down the hall from the girl's room. After a few moments, the door opened slightly and a bemused-looking Cloud stuck his head out. "What?" he asked.

"Aeris and I are going out," Tifa informed him. Cloud blinked, glanced at the two women, then asked, "Out where?"

"Tifa spotted a bar down the street," Aeris said. "We're just going to go hang out."

"Okay…see you later then." Cloud closed the door, and Tifa rolled her eyes at it. "At least Barret didn't answer… he'd probably have given us a curfew or something," she said, heading for the stairs.

Ten minutes later, the pair had settled in at a corner table at the half-full bar. Most of the other patrons were middle-aged men, nursing beers and avoiding conversation. Nine o'clock rushes, apparently, were the same everywhere.

"Whaddya gonna get?" Tifa asked, trying to remember if Kalm was known for any really good drinks. Aeris shrugged. "I don't know… you're the bartender, what do you recommend?" Tifa grinned. "Well, that depends on what you like. Something sweet, fruity, sour-- don't tell me you like mint, though."

"Why?"

"Because then I won't be able to resist the temptation to tell you to order peppermint schnapps, and that'll knock you out quick."

Aeris laughed. "Just imagine the look on Cloud's face if you had to drag me back to the inn, stone drunk." Tifa shook her head, smiling. "It'd be priceless."

"Why don't you get something for me? I trust you not to order anything too terrible," Aeris said. Tifa nodded and stood, walking over to the bar. She flashed the bartender a smile and leaned forward on the bar, chatting as he mixed the drinks. Aeris saw her wince and start to comment at one point, then shook her head and accepted the drinks with another smile.

"Screwdriver for me, strawberry daiquiri for you," she said, setting the glasses on the table and taking her seat. "I remember someone telling me Kalm has pretty good daiquiris," Tifa continued, taking a sip of her drink. She coughed slightly and shook her head. "I knew he added too much vodka," she rasped, clearing her throat. She chuckled. "You might be dragging my drunken self back to the inn instead of the other way around."

"And what am I supposed to tell Cloud?" Aeris asked. Tifa shrugged, taking another drink. "I doubt he'd notice. He found me in a bar, you in a church. He'd expect it from me." Her voice was even, only slightly strained over the bitterness. Aeris raised an eyebrow at her companion.

"I thought you two were childhood friends… sweethearts, even."

Tifa choked on her drink and set the glass down. "Childhood sweethearts?" she repeated, shaking her head. "Hardly. We were friends, back then… but he's just so different now. Incredible, how much a person can change in seven years."

"Seven years? I thought Cloud said it had been five years since you last saw each other…"

Tifa blinked, then smiled nervously. "Right, of course. What'd I say, seven? My mistake." She took another drink, then glanced at Aeris' glass.

"C'mon, we came out to have fun. Have you even touched your daiquiri?"

Aeris smiled and took a drink.

Cloud lay on his bed in the inn, trying to sleep. This was a task that was looking more and more impossible. Between Barret's snoring and Red's glowing tail, it didn't look like he'd be getting much sleep that night. He sighed and rolled over onto his side, hoping that he could block out the light from Red's tail. Instead, he just got an interesting shadow display. He sighed and shook his head, closing his eyes. A few seconds later, he opened them again, looking at the door. The sound of feminine giggling echoed in from the hallway, along with the occasional thump. Finally, Cloud's curiousity got the best of him and he stood, opening the door and looking outside. He blinked at the sight that greeted him.

"Sshhh, we'll wake everyone up," Tifa stage-whispered to Aeris as they staggered down the hall, arms across each other's shoulders. Aeris looked up at Cloud and giggled.

"Too late," she replied. Tifa looked up as well, then grinned and waved at Cloud. "Hi Cloud," she said, still whispering loudly. "We're a little bit drunk," she informed him. Aeris nodded slowly.

"So you have to be nice to us tomorrow, 'cause we're gonna be hung over," Tifa continued. Cloud nodded slowly, looking back and forth at the two women. "…Right," he said.

"We're gonna go to bed now," Aeris said, pointing at their doorway. Cloud nodded again. "Okay. See you two in the morning," he said, wishing he hadn't gotten out of bed. Tifa nodded, and the pair stumbled off towards their room, giggling again. Cloud watched to make sure they made it safely into their room, then shook his head and closed the door.