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Groaning, Vincent turned over on his side and pulled the blanket over his head. Voices and the sounds of activity echoed outside his door. Annoyed, he tried to get back to sleep only to have the smell of brewing coffee peak his attention.
"Now, I don't quite understand this part of the form." Tifa gestured to the bottom of the business license. Reeve grabbed it and looked it over.
"It is merely stating that you need to dictate how many people you tend to serve. And that you have proof of a valid liquor license at the time of completion." Reeve handed the form back over.
Tifa frowned briefly. "This is much more complicated then I have last remembered." She rubbed at her bangs.
"I know. I have been trying to clear some of this red tape for a long time, perhaps now that things are changing, I can make a few adjustments." Reeve broke off a piece of his toast and ate it.
"Liquor license form!"
Tifa blinked and looked down at the left and found Caith Sith holding a white form with a pink form attached to the back. Smiling, she thanked the doll and looked it over. Tifa glanced up and waved.
"Good morning!"
Vincent nodded and pulled up a stool to the bar top. He looked around and found they were almost done with their meals. He could smell food and the coffee, but he was not too sure where it was coming from, especially the coffee. 'Where's the coffee pot? '
"Is there something you are looking for by chance?"
Vincent blinked and looked down. "Something to drink would be nice." He swallowed.
"The meds?" Reeves asked as he walked over to a stainless steel machine near the sink. Vincent looked up and nodded.
"Tastes like I have been sucking on a cotton ball."
Reeve dug around in the cupboard and removed a small box. "I have coffees, lattes, cappuccinos, teas..."
Vincent stood up and walked around. "I do not care much what it is, as long as it is strong."
Reeve handed him the box. The gunman held it with an amount of uncertainty and confusion. How was this supposed to make a drink? He looked inside and found shallow, paper sealed cups. The name of the drink was printed on the bottom. Vincent's brows furled in thought. 'Do I place one of these in a cup?' Finding something suitable drink, he pulled it out and placed down next to the designated cup. Reeve stood back and rubbed at his goatee.
"You do know how to use that, don't you?"
Vincent looked over. "Of course, I do. You just pour hot water over this and let it soak?"
It suddenly became clear to Reeve that Vincent did not have a clue about the machine that sat near his elbow. Emptying what was left of his drink, Reeve selected a coffee pouch from the box. Pressing a large flat button on the top of the small machine, he opened the door and dropped the cup pouch inside and pressed the start button. Vincent stood back and crossed his arms. Reeve then slid his mug underneath the spout.
"That is the strangest coffee pot I have ever seen." He commented as the machine began to gurgle.
Reeve smiled. "How long were you in that coffin again?"
Vincent scowled.
Reeve's eyes slid back to the drink maker. "Apparently too long." He mumbled. A small-timer ding sounded the completion. The mug was quickly filled with the instant coffee drink. Removing it from under the spout, Reeve held it up.
"That's how it's done." Almost striking a heroic pose.
Vincent was short of rolling his eyes. "Perhaps I will get something to eat first." He glanced around unsure where to begin his search.
"The pantry is right behind you." Reeve gestured. Vincent turned and found the door. Turning the knob, he found a small room lined with shelves and drawers. The room itself was large enough to allow one to full step inside. Curious, Vincent moved in closer and inspected boxes and canned items available. The door hung open for a moment before slowly swinging shut.
'Probably should have warned him about that door.' Reeve considered briefly before turning his attention back to the paper he was reading.
Vincent straightened out as the light faded. He turned in time to find the door latching shut. His eyes went wide in panic.
Tifa looked up at the shut door. "Isn't Vincent in there?"
Reeve looked over his shoulder. "Yeah, that door does it all the time. I have yet to remember to get it fixed."
A roar shattered the quiet of the apartment. The door creaked and groaned as something slammed into it from inside of the pantry. Reeve could hear things breaking and shattering.
"We got to let him out of there!" He ran over and taking a deep breath, he threw the door open and slide back into the kitchen as a purple furred beast stormed from the small room. It finally came a stop in the middle of the room. Galian beast sat down on his haunches and looked around in the room as though he had forgotten the reason he had fled. The beast shook releasing purple fur into the air. Reeve glanced down at the pantry floor and balked. More fur lay on the floor and formed a small trail out to where the beast sat sniffing the air. Tifa had moved into the main room hoping to avoid the creature.
"Tifa, throw him a biscuit." Reeve called from the kitchen. Tifa stared at Reeve. She knew better then to make any sudden moves while the beast approached and began to investigate her leg. She looked down and then backs up.
"I don't have anymore. I ran out when we reached Wutai." The beast's nose inched toward her knee. Recalling the same beast dismembering creatures and breaking skulls with it's jaw, she feared if she tried to shoo it away, she may come back with a bloody stump. "Down boy!"
Reeve looked around and found the small can of kitty treats. "Heads up!" He tossed the can over to Tifa. Catching it, she looked it over and shrugged. She opened the top and removed several pieces.
"You've been a good boy?" The beast sat down and looked up at her hand expectantly. "You want this?" He snapped his jaws. Tifa tossed the small cat treat into the air. The beast lurched up and snapped the food with little effort. His red eyes focused on the can that Tifa held.
Reeve came running around the corner and found Tifa flat out on the floor holding the can out as far as she could. But instead of the Galian beast, it was Vincent. Suddenly Vincent realized he was no longer in beast form, he found himself sprawled out over Tifa. Vincent scrambled off and away as fast as he could. Tifa sat up and tossed the cat treats back at Reeve.
"Sorry about that Tifa." Obviously feeling very uncomfortable. However, his attitude changed when he swallowed. "What did you give me?" He tried to swallow again, but found the salty greasy feeling would not go away. Seeing the can, Vincent frowned. "You didn't. Look, the dog biscuits are bad enough, but your cat's food?"
Reeve shrugged. "Not that we had much of an option." He looked back at his pantry and sighed. "Stress shed? I hope you intend to clean up your fur."
Vincent looked away briefly. "My apologies. Apparently I do not react well to small spaces." He was still trying to fight the bad taste in his mouth.
Reeve looked over the large gouges on the inside part of the door. He then rubbed at his goatee in thought. During those last fights before facing Sephiroth, Reeve recalled Vincent transforming into a great dark demon named Chaos. However that was not Chaos that just appeared. "Didn't you use to turn into Chaos?"
Vincent blinked. For the past year, during battles, he would transform into the ever-impulsive demon form. It had been a while since he reverted back to Galian beast. Why did he do so just now? "I do not have an answer to that." He walked over and sat down.
"Maybe because that was not a battle?" Tifa offered as she walked back toward the kitchen.
"Perhaps." Vincent folded his arms. "Why the beast though?"
Everyone fell quiet.
"Who wouldn't like a large, big jawed beast?"
Vincent looked at Reeve. "Funny." His eyes drifted down as he continued in his thoughts.
"Well when was the last times you transformed into Galian?" Tifa inquired. Vincent frowned briefly.
"There were the initial months when I first joined your group. Then, I eventually gained other transformations..." Vincent's voice dropped as he recalled his memories out in the field. "The only times after that...were outside of battle."
"There was that time when you got defensive about the ship with the one guy..." Cait sith piped from below. Vincent looked down and growled. The doll squeaked and hid behind Tifa's leg. "Don't eat me!"
"I don't eat stuffed toys." 'Rather I would like to dismember you one little limb at a time.' Feeling the growing presence of Galian beast in his mind, Vincent knew he best leave his ire for the doll alone before the beast came out to play.
Author's note: I thought with Vincent's transformations, especially Galian and Chaos to treat them as thought they were personifications of his primal impulses, Ids as Freud would call them. Galian beast would cover the basest of the impulses, the basic needs of a given person while Chaos operated on more complex impulses, but the major difference would be that Beast is more easily distracted.
I figured the whole acting on impulse thing is yet another remnant of Hojo's sick sense of humor.
Chapter 7 will be posted shortly. I am working on fixing a few minor things and giving Vincent a well deserved moment of silence with a drink and a soft chair to relax in.