7. Mr. Cool Customer

"Have you noticed that Reno hasn't been eating very much these days? His appetite has really shrunken by a lot! …Come to think of it, he hardly sleeps, he hardly talks…he's hardly himself! Honey, do you have any idea what could be wrong with him?"

Mrs. Strife was a little slow on the uptake; it was already three weeks after the Battle of the Bands and she had barely noticed that Reno was acting strangely. Of course by this time, Reno's mood had subsided significantly, though not to the extent of being 'normal' again. Cloud looked up from his history homework at his mother, who stood there with troubled, uneasy eyes, anxious for a response. But he wasn't quite sure how to answer. He thought he knew what was wrong: someone died because of Reno, and naturally, he was taking it badly. But somehow it didn't seem like the problem was as simple as that, even with an idiot like Reno. Cloud really hadn't thought about it much, though. So he just told his mother exactly what he had excused it as:

"I think he's just going through a phase."

It sounded very cliched for Cloud to say, as if he were a father or something. Fathers were like that; they were always laid back, never overly concerned, and in a way, they kept worrywart mothers in check. And besides, the way his mother had phrased the question even sounded like she was addressing his father.

Anyway, his mother had frowned slightly at his explanation, but accepted it without much further question. Though she still eyed Reno apprehensively whenever he entered or exited a room she was in, or she often spoke to him with wary cautiousness. She basically treated him like a time bomb: very slowly and delicately.

And that may have not been the worst course of action to take at the time.

On Thursday afternoon, Aeris went on her first outing with Cloud, Reeve and her new "friend." At Zack's suggestion, they decided to go to the discount movies and see The Guns of Junon. It was one of those old war films that encompassed both the adventure and romance genres, so it appealed to pretty much everyone except Reeve. So to keep himself entertained, Reeve decided to intersperse some commentary on the apparent phallic subtext within the movie.

"That guy sure likes to talk about his machine gun a lot…"

"Reeve, will you shut the hell up and let us enjoy the movie!"

"Well excuse me, but when they show a guy constantly blabbing on about how he's gonna single-handedly fuck up all the enemy soldiers up the ass with his Big Bertha, then you gotta wonder what the hell-"

"Shut up!"

The movie continued on like that, which didn't really make it enjoyable for Reeve's friends. Or the rest of the audience. When he had gone out to use the restrooms, Cloud could've sworn that he heard some of the ushers outside muttering to each other about possibly kicking the "obnoxious punk" out of the theater. Fortunately they never went through with it.

"That was a really good movie," said Zack afterwards, when they found themselves standing outside the theater. Some of the movie staff and audience members were mad-dogging them viciously as they passed by.

"Well, I wouldn't know, Aeris said sarcastically, "because someone kept having the urge to mutter color commentary about it in my ear."

"Hey, I enhance the movie-viewing experience," Reeve declared.

"Right, more like ruined it!"

"Aww, you guys knew that guy was gonna bite the dust in the end! Aside from the obvious foreshadowing, he was too much of a goody-goody to live."

"Well, I think it's obvious we won't plan on seeing another movie with you anytime soon," Cloud told him. He glanced over at the clock hanging over the ticket booth; one of the only working public clocks in the Slums. It was a quarter till seven. A quartet of freshmen roaming around any time after seven was certain to meet up with some of the Slums' more unfavorable residents. "It's getting late. We probably should get home."

"Yeah, good idea," said Zack. "I'm starving."

And this was the point during which someone would have offered to walk Aeris back home to sector five. But no one did so. Zack didn't want to seem too forward, while the thought never even occurred to Reeve or Cloud because they were woefully lacking in the field of general courtesy towards ladies. Finally Aeris decided to bring it up herself.

"Yoo hoo, girl here!" she said, as the boys were about to walk away. "I don't live here, remember? Would one of you mind walking me home?"

The only person Cloud and Reeve thought would volunteer was Zack. However, Zack apparently had other plans in mind. "You know, Reeve lives closer to sector five than we do," he noted. "Why don't you walk her, Reeve?"

Zack received a strange look from Reeve, one that effectively and concisely combined 'what the fuck' with 'what are you on' in a single gesture.

"Uh, I guess…I could," Reeve said, still watching Zack with wary eyes.

"Great," said Aeris, satisfied. And to Zack and Cloud she said, "See you guys tomorrow, then?"

They answered affirmatively, and Reeve and Aeris walked off west towards sector five. As soon as they were far enough away, Cloud turned to Zack and gave him a good long look.

"Where is Zack, and what have you done with his hormones?" He asked seriously.

Zack grinned mischievously, and then started walking in the direction opposite of Reeve and Aeris. Cloud followed. "I'm still here," Zack told him. "But I've decided that I'm going to have to take another approach to this whole predicament. Especially after that talk she gave me, you know? So I'm planning on taking some time on this."

Cloud laughed. That'll be a first. So does this have to do with where we're going, then?" He had noticed that they just walked by the street they were supposed to turn at.

"You could say that. We're going up to Wall Market, that's why I wanted you to come with me, not Reeve."

"Wait a minute." Cloud stopped, pulling Zack to a halt. "You want to go where?"

"Wall Market."

He stared at him in terror. "Good god, you act like it's the arcade!"

"And you act like it's the cemetery," Zack answered, annoyed.

"No, it's worse," Cloud started, "at the cemetery they at least say a prayer and then leave you alone when they're done with you."

"Aw, you're not talking about the freaks at the Honeybee Inn, are you? Dude, those pervs just go to the brothel."

"And when they can't afford the brothel, they find other means of diversion. Zack, you don't know what the hell you're talking about-"

"-Look, we're going nowhere near the inn, okay? And it's only gonna be a few minutes; we'll be out of the by 7:20, 7:30, tops."

Cloud sighed. "God, you're an idiot. …And I guess I am too, cause I'm coming."

"Thanks, man."

"…You do know that you pretty much owe me your soul for this, right?"

"Remind me to give you an IOU later."

They started walking again, the streets not quite empty but nearing that point. Cloud realized that he wanted to know what exactly they were going to be doing. "Why do we need to go to Wall Market, anyway?"

"Well, Wall Market is the place for anything, I'm told. But what we're going to go get is an essential part of my plan. You'll see."

Zack and Cloud stood in a small, overcrowded materia shop sitting in a small corner of Wall Market. It was one of those questionable shops that sold both materia and junk made up to look like antiques. Like the cheese grater that allegedly belonged to Douglas Harrison Shinra, President Shinra's great-grandfather. Or the pick-ax that was used in Midgar's ground breaking ceremony a hundred years ago. But there were useful items, too. Like the item Zack was presently eyeing.

"A flower?" said Cloud, staring at the delicate white daisy nestled in a glass on the counter. "A fucking flower? You dragged me all the way over here to pick up a stupid weed for Aeris!"

"Hey man, that is not weed," said the salesman, a strung-out young guy who sat planted on the counter. Then he said in a low voice, "There's a procedure for that kind of transaction though, if you know what I mean."

Cloud ignored him. "Zack, this is the essential part of your plan?"

"Well come on, Cloud, this is a real flower!" said Zack, marveling at the daisy. "You can't find this anywhere in the slums. Or in Gongaga, for that matter. Everything's way too dead over there. But man, Aeris'll love this."

"How the hell would you know? She barely stopped avoiding you."

"There are certain things in a woman you can always tell on sight," said Zack, who talked as if he were discussing a fine science. "Playfulness, confidence, insecurity, flirtatiousness…You can see stuff like that. With Aeris, I see someone who's down to earth. She's sensible, very practical…yet simply beautiful. Just," he held up the daisy, "…like a flower. See?"

The salesman snapped his fingers enthusiastically. "Right on, man, that is so deep."

"Thank you."

Cloud could've laughed right then and there. "You know, she told you to get a life the last time you compared her to a flower."

"Don't mock me," Zack snapped. "Anyway, we're on better terms now. She'll like it, you'll see. …Hey, how much for the daisy and the glass?"

A stupid grin spread across the salesman's wrinkling face. "Hey, for you man, 20 gil."

Zack gave the guy a look. "20? Geez, I'd hate to think what the regular price is."

"It's cuz I think you're a cool cat, my brother. Anyone with that much insight on women can't be that bad. Come back when you lose your virginity, alright?"

Zack made a noncommittal sound in response, then quickly ducked out of the shop with Cloud. Once outside they exchanged glances, and then suddenly burst out snickering.

Once he calmed down, Zack checked his watch. "7:16," he told Cloud. "See? Fourteen minutes to get home."

"Whatever man, let's just get out of this dump."

They set off down into the marketplace, encountering more of the same generic shady-types they had seen upon entering. A lot of them wore the same combinations of clothes: long bum coats, faded t-shirts, worn out sneakers or boots, tight skull caps that made them look all the more questionable. And every other creep was carrying a bottle of some type. But like creatures on an amusement park ride, the shock factor came at first sight, then went away just as soon as you did.

Eventually they made it to the entrance. There were no 'please come again' signs here, just an empty alleyway leading off into the dark street. That was the exit sign. The lack of light. But they were ten minutes away from the neighborhood, so the trip wouldn't be so bad from there on.

"So you still up for watching the playoff game next week?" asked Cloud, feeling a little more comfortable for talking now that they were out of Wall Market.

"Oh, of course," Zack answered with mock enthusiasm, "because I totally didn't bored at the last three games. Look man, basketball really isn't my thing."

"So I take that as a no, then?"

"Yep, that's a negatory there, buddy." There was a silence. "Hey, I never knew you were so into b-ball, Cloud."

Cloud shrugged. "I actually wanna join the team next year. It's good to be well-rounded."

"What, like Sephiroth?" Cloud hesitated to make a response. Fortunately Zack didn't wait for one. "Damn man, that guy's ripped like a Soldier," he said. "A real Soldier. And I have no idea when he trains and everything, especially since he's at the top of the class, too. …Hmm, and he doesn't seem like the type to take steroids, either…"

"Maybe he was just born like that," Cloud suggested casually.

"Yeah, maybe. That could be it. Did you know that his dad's one of Shinra's top brass? He's the head scientist or something. So of course, his family's rich as hell. He doesn't like talking about it, but damn. What a lucky bastard."

Something suddenly occurred to Cloud. "I wonder why Seph goes to our shitty school then? If he's pretty well off and everything? Why can't he just go to some boarding school up on the plate or something?"

"Huh. Who knows? Maybe his dad's stingy and doesn't-"

Click. Click.

The boys paused. The noise sounded like it was coming from the alleyway ahead. Exchanging glances, they approached cautiously, posting themselves behind a dumpster. Voices sounded from within.

"…Shit's the best stuff you can get this side of the Eastern Hemisphere, my man," a fast talking guy was saying. A freshly-lit cigarette was dangling from his mouth, and he presently waved a small plastic baggie in front of another man's face, swinging it back and forth like a hypnotist would.

The customer eyed the baggie, a look of intense craving shining in his face. "Is it pure?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course it's pure! Check it yourself."

Zack looked over at Cloud. "Dude, it's a dealer."

"Yeah, no shit," said Cloud, watching. "You never seen one before?"

"Not around the neighborhood."

"Some of em hang around the Bunko Mart after school. That's why it's a pothead haven." The customer had apparently verified the authenticity of the goods, because he was forking over a good amount of gil for it. "You know, I think we'd better get outta here, dealers are known to be carrying when they're out this time of night."

Zack agreed. "Yeah, alright. It's just kinda weird…I've just never seen any of them before. All righty, we can go around the back way through-"

"Can I help you out, gentlemen?" asked a raspy voice.

Zack and Cloud jerked around to find a tall stick of a man smiling down at them; an unruly mass of shrubby hair vegetating from his head and spreading over his reeking old military jacket. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of the two boys' faces. "The fuck is this?" He said aloud.

The dealer within the alley noticed the man. "Hey, Spud! Who's that?"

'Spud' continued to stare at the nervous Zack and Cloud, as if the two were specimens. "Too young to be out…" he started, "Too clean to be customers…Too…scared to know what kind of shit they're in right now." Spud licked his lips threateningly.

The guy couldn't have phrased it better.

"Hey! Who the fuck is it?"

Spud broke away from his glare at the boys, looking pissy. "Bitch, you wanna let me handle this myself!" He yelled.

The dealer's brow furrowed, upset with Spud's mouthing off. Without turning, he said to his customer, "Get outta here."

"I need change, I gave you 800 and you said it was 765-"

A pistol whipped out of the dealer's jacket and halted right at the guy's forehead. "You want a bullet with that change? Fucking vamoose, now!"

The guy didn't have to be told twice. He took his purchase and split faster than a fat guy's pants. The dealer again looked over at Spud. "You know, maybe, just maybe, I might have wanted to know who you were talking to because the bastard might've been a cop! You ever think about that?"

"I can tell the difference between a person and a cop, jackass," said Spud.

"Not an undercover cop!"

"Shit, like a pair of kids are gonna be undercover cops?"

The dealer blinked. "What did you say?"

Spud pulled Zack and Cloud from behind the dumpster into view, creating a crack in Zack's flower glass as he was tugged against the wall. "They're kids, idiot!"

"Kids?" he repeated, using the nozzle of his gun to scratch his head. "…Well, what the fuck are kids doing out here?"

"Shit, I don't know! They were watching you!" And for some reason, he looked over at Zack and Cloud. "What the fuck are you doing out here anyway?"

There wasn't a single thing either of them could say. And even if either boy could think of something brilliant, both were way too freaked out of their minds to speak.

"Goddamn, I knew it!" yelled a voice.

Spud jumped, and his eyes darted behind him. By the entrance to the alley stood a figure in a denim jacket, with a green hood pulled over his head to hide himself. The stranger watched Spud with interest from under the hood.

"God fuckin' damn, I knew it," he said with an exaggerated cockney accent. "I leave this sector for a lousy noight, and already someone's taken over my spot."

The dealer took offense. "What the fuck are you talking about? This is our spot, we've been here!"

"You weren't ere last week."

"We got busted!" he said furiously. "We were in jail for a few days, what do you expect?"

"Well, I wen' and claimed the spot," the stranger said simply. "And now I want it back."

"Look," Spud started, glaring at him, "don't you get it asshole? We were here first."

"Well, I can't bloody help it if you stupid fucks went and got yourselves caught. In fact, if I were you two, I would've moigrated already! No use operating where they know where to find-" He stopped, noticing Zack and Cloud. He gestured towards the flower still in Zack's hand. "Shit, what's the deal wi' you two? You a couple of fags or something?"

Cloud didn't know what to say. He wished the guy hadn't noticed them. But as the stranger neared him and Zack, Cloud suddenly realized what was up.

The stranger was Reno.

Spud looked severely pissed. "They're…our customers, dickhead!" he fumed.

"A bit young, don'cha think?" Asked Reno, still maintaining the accent. "Or have you gone into kiddie porn, too? Oh yeah, that's a bloody brilliant plan-" But the dealer had had enough. He raised his pistol once again. "Oh, another brilliant maneuver!" said Reno. "Tack murder onto your rap sheet, and then be sent up to Corel for 40 years! Oh, that's great."

"Count of three, fucker," he said, cocking his gun. "One."

There was no wavering on Reno's part. He was Mr. Cool Customer. "All roight, all roight, I get it. Don't bother. You blokes can have your spot, no violence. Come on." The dealer eyed him suspiciously, but finally put down his gun. "That's it. No violence. I'll just leave, and you all can get on with it." He turned, and a marble of some type fell out of his sleeve.

Spud saw it. "What the-"

Before he could finish, the marble exploded, emitting a thick orange fog into the alleyway. Cloud started to cough, but his arm was suddenly tugged at, and he heard Reno's voice yelling, "Run!" He could just make out his older brother delivering a punch to Spud's jaw.

All three of them scrambled out of the alley, turning towards their neighborhood. But before they continued on, Reno quickly snatched up a rock from the ground and hurled it at a nearby window. It was the local police precinct. He rushed back to Cloud and Zack and hustled them away from the sirens and noise.

Zack had hurried to his house, while Cloud and Reno quickly ducked into their front door, slamming it shut as soon as they were in. No one was home. Their mother had apparently stepped out. The TV was on, turned to 'World Sports Weekly.' In about an hour or so, news of the captured drug dealers would likely be on the same channel.

Exhausted, Cloud fell on the couch, starving but about ready to sleep. Reno was making for the stairs.

"Reno?" said Cloud. His brother turned around. Cloud hesitated to ask, once he saw the wariness in Reno's eyes. It was a total contrast from his cockney act in the alley. "Did you know we were there?"

Reno shook his head. "No. I was in the neighborhood."

"Where'd you get that thing from?" He was referring to the marble.

"A friend," Reno said simply. He turned around once again for the stairs, but Cloud had one more question.

"Reno," he started. Once again his brother halted, but did not turn around. "Are you alright?" It was a question he had not asked since the night of the concert. Frankly, he hadn't wanted to ask. But curiousity had just gotten the better of him, especially after what had just happened.

His brother didn't say anything, for a while. Finally, he muttered, "That's something I oughta be asking you, right?

"I'm just…concerned," said Cloud. That word sounded strange jumping off of his tongue. It was like a mystic word from some foreign tongue.

"Yeah, well, nobody needs to be." His brother ascended the stairs, and that was that.

Well, I'm making progress with updates. Hopefully I'll have another one up by next Sunday. Some notes:

-Yes, I stole a line from "From Dusk Till Dawn." Oh, hush.

-Cockney accent from Lower Junon. …Really! Really, truly, why would I lie? …Okay, really? I just wantedto write someone talking in cockney. Even though I doubt I got all the terminology. Ah well.

-The guy in Wall Market (in the game) should be a pothead.

-Assume that Reno was talking about Corel Prison.

-No lyrics? I couldn't find any. Heh.