The Many Lives of Claudia Strife
Chapter one
The Stranger
Claudia Strife was sure she didn't want children. As a child growing up in Nibelheim, she had believed the propaganda from the adults of the village, that a woman's place was to get married, have children, and care for the home, and she believed it for a while. As she entered her teens, this changed. Why should she throw her life away for a man and his offspring? Why should she let some fucking parasite ruin her body and then dedicate her life to caring for it? Nah, no way. She was going to explore the world.
Nibelheim was backward. They lived in the past, in a world where women existed for men, and there was no way she was going to fall into that trap. Of course, since she challenged the status quo, the people of the village didn't like that, but every disapproving look cast her way and every nasty comment spoken behind her back only solidified her belief. If they thought it was wrong, then that just proved she was right!
Claudia had heard of the fantastic places in the world. The sparkling beaches of Costa Del Sol, the gaudy playground known as The Gold Saucer, and the ski slopes at the Icicle Inn all spoke of luxury and excitement, but she didn't just want that, she wanted adventure! How would it feel to camp under the stars, where the closest settlement was miles away, her trusty chocobo as her only companion? How big was the ocean? How cold was the coldest night, how would she cope with the heat of the desert? So many questions raced across her mind as she lay in her bed at night, each one as exciting as the last but nothing compared to her final fantasy.
Midgar.
The wonder of the modern world.
The city that never sleeps.
Claudia Strife couldn't think of anything more exciting or anything less Nibelheim.
It's not that she hated her village. Nibelbeim was... nice. Quaint. Picturesque even with the jagged and menacing spikes of Mt. Nibel jutting out from all angles. In her mind she could hear city dwellers deciding to visit for a weekend break: "let's go to Nibelheim" they'd say, "will be very relaxing, escaping the rush of the modern world."
Fuck that.
So, every day of her teens was spent saving up for the day she could leave the Nibelites and be free. The Inn seemed like the natural place to work. Visitors would come and she could speak to them and ask them about their travels. Hell, maybe one of them would offer to take her with them! It was an absolutely fool proof plan. Her parents disapproved but she'd long since stop listening to that noise.
"Claudia, stop with this nonsense! Why don't you just settle down with a nice boy? This is just a phase, don't ruin your life!"
Blah blah blah, whatever mum, go back to your knitting.
However, the fool proof plan turned out to be less than fool proof. It turned out that the only people who visited Nibelheim were hikers, who had zero interest in fielding questions from a 16-year-old girl and only wanted to know the hiking routes, businessmen who were super creepy and invited her back to their room "for a drink" that she knew would end with her trying to escape from their wandering hands (not that they didn't wander already, bastards), and families that were as boring as the Nibelites. Total loss.
Until he came, striding through the doors with a gust of wind, glowing like a god. Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but it was very windy and the sun was quite low in the sky so the effect was there. He wasn't striding either, more like wrapped up and bent over as he tried to shield from the harsh winds careening down Mt. Nibel. Look, it didn't matter how he came in, she could tell he was amazing, okay?
He released his firm grip on his coat, allowing it to drop and end above his ankles while he stood straight.
Oh damn.
He wasn't the tallest man, but what he lost in height, he made up for in intensity and sheer attractiveness. Dirty blond hair, pulled back in a ponytail, partially falling free of his hair tie as a result of the wind and hanging around his bearded face. His eyes were the deepest blue, darker than her own, set in a face that briefly made her think she was going to pass out, his high cheekbones and chiselled face carving itself into every nerve in her body. Was it fair for a man to look that handsome? No one in Nibelheim looked like that. Wait, what was that noise?
"Hello? Are you okay?"
Oh shit.
"Eh, yeah, hi, I'm fine, it's just the wind!" she giggled nervously.
He smiled at her politely, but Claudia could see the bemusement in his eyes. The wind? What kind of ridiculous excuse was that? If he hadn't been looking at her, she would've banged her head on the desk.
"Anyway, how much are your rooms?" He said, presumably returning to his original question. Damn his voice was like honey.
She put on her best customer service face, remembering her speech, smiling as wide as possible.
"Our rooms are 200 gil a night, the best deal anywhere around!" Also, the only deal because there weren't any other inns nearby, but there was no need to mention that. "We boast the most comfortable beds, most delicious food, and the warmest atmosphere this side of Mt. Nibel that will make any stay feel just like home!"
He lifted an eyebrow at her and quipped, "aren't you the only inn around?"
Claudia dropped the fake smile and turned it into a smirk and leaned forward on the desk to whispered conspiratorially, "yeah, but most people don't figure that bit out."
He suddenly laughed, and she jumped back, startled and pleased.
"Okay", he began, still chuckling to himself, "you've convinced me. Can I get a single room please?"
Single. He wanted a single. Did that mean he was single? He was probably married. Uh oh, she was getting lost again.
"Yeah sure, how long would you like it?"
He looked up to the ceiling for a minute and then back at her, briefly giving her a cardiac arrest.
"I'm not sure", he mused, "can I just pay by the night?"
She nodded and he reached into his bag, digging through it until he found a small pouch with intricate patterns in gold thread and pulled out some coins. He placed them in front of her and as she started counting, she frowned and pushed some of the money back towards him.
"No, it's only 200. You gave me 300."
Claudia Strife was pretty sure she must've died because next thing she knew he winked at her, lifted her hand, and placed the money she had given back to him in her palm, and then closed her fingers around it with his own.
He leaned in closer, and in a voice that made her legs melt into the goddamn floorboards, whispered softly in her ear, "call it a tip... for your excellent customer service."
Holy shit.
Holy.
Shit.
In her dreams, she had always wished for a handsome stranger to come in and fall madly in love with her. She had dreamt of the flirting and all the things he would say, the way she'd touch his arm and flutter her lashes, he would shiver, undone by her flirting, and they would kiss, and fall to the ground and have hot, passionate sex right there on the floor.
Now that the handsome stranger had arrived and he was flirting with her, his beard tickling her ear and his hand still holding hers, her brain stopped. Dead. Nothing. All that emerged from her mouth was a squeak and then, like some godawful joke, a single phrase came to her mouth and she blurted it out, far too loud and very high pitched,
"Welcome to Nibelheim and enjoy your stay!"
He pulled back, mirth in his eyes, seemingly undeterred by her COMPLETE INSANITY.
He placed her hand on the desk so she could put the money down and then moved to shake her hand, softness entering those intense dark eyes.
"I'm Ross", he smiled, although he had never really stopped smiling in one way or another, "what's your name?"
She shook his hand slowly, trying to draw her brain back together to remember her name.
"Oh, eh, Claudia", she was stuttering and she could feel it, "nice to meet you."
He grinned, exposing his teeth.
"Hello, Claudia" and she had never heard her name sound so beautiful in her life.
Thus began the whirlwind romance of Claudia Strife.
Thank you for reading! I posted this on AO3 too. I hope it's okay.