Stella really regretted not trying harder to sleep last night.

With such a bad headache, she wasn't sure how she would get through the second half of the day. It was lucky that the inn hadn't had a ton of guests and there were only minor inconveniences. A family who had already checked out argued with her for half an hour before they finally paid for their key, Damien had already taken an impromptu nap when she needed him, and yes how could she forget the Shinra soldiers who were doing who knows what to their room before the local bar opens. These particular three men, however, were quieter this time and weren't loudly causing a ruckus in the lobby as the soldiers of the past had. She didn't question it too much and instead tried to forget about it.

There was another woman who had checked out a room for several people, but she was polite and quiet, leaving a list of people to allow access to the room.

With business at a crawl in the early afternoon, the dark-haired girl took advantage of the empty desk in front of her. She zoned out and pulled her project from her bag. She knew it wouldn't help with her headache, but she indulged in it anyway. She pulled out the rounded, metal shell to her latest idea. She pulled all of the components out and ran a few tests to make sure her coding worked. She shook it first, using a small light at an output to test the motion sensor and then tested it again with the actual rotation device. Just as she hoped, the device spun with a shake and she could continue with the finishing touches.

With it almost finished, she planned to use it later on in her back yard to see how well it worked. Screwing pieces of it together, it was beginning to take shape. The very last thing she would attach is the circuit she built and she had just begun to do that when…

Ding!

The sound caused her to jump in her seat, and when she did, she happened to lower her screwdriver right onto her open circuit. A bolt of electricity shot through her and she was tossing the screwdriver to the side before she could process what happened. Her hand burned and tingled, but it wasn't the worst shock she had gotten. Muttering a swear under her breath, she blinked and looked up over the counter to see a man with the messiest blonde hair she had ever seen. He looked from her to the screwdriver on the ground, his face was tinged a shade of pink from the cold air outside. He carried a large sword on his back and the collar of his long, black leather jacket was flipped up against his neck. He had the look of a soldier, of someone who fought a lot and it wasn't just the sword he carried. It was his stance and his sharp expression as if he was angry for having to breathe.

She didn't like this. Customers with weapons tended to be a hassle, especially with weapons as big as that. She couldn't count how many holes were put in the ceilings or walls by patrons, but there was still no rule against it. She might as well make a mental note to tell Damien to go buy some plaster to fix the wall later.

"Um… I need to know which room my friend booked. Her name is Tifa." He gave, looking off towards the staircase. His voice was low and soft, contrasting his outward appearance. She sat up in her chair and cleared her throat, project forgotten.

"Yes, of course. She left me with a list of names. You'll have to tell me your name before I disclose what room your friend is. It's our policy." She said, giving her best fake smile and cheery customer service voice. Pulling the small notepad close, she waited for the man to tell her. He gave her a strange look, but gave his name regardless hoping to get it over with.

"Cloud." He muttered and it was then that she noticed something familiar and somewhat alarming. The man's eyes gleamed in a telling way, the blue color his eyes glimmered brighter than any normal person's eyes could. She frowned and looked down at the paper.

"Lucky you." she gave flatly, sliding the paper away. "She's in room number three. I will be right here if you have any questions or concerns. I hope your stay is pleasant and inviting." she recited from too much practice, the words flowed out as if she were breathing. He lingered there for a moment before he placed his hand on the desk.

"Wait a second, I need a key." his request was one she heard too many times. She pressed her lips together to be the bearer of what some customers considered horrible news.

"An additional key will cost you five gil." She again recited, expecting some kind of argument or frustrated groan. To her relief, he said nothing and pulled a wallet out from under his coat. It was then that she noticed the materia slotted into his belt. It was as if the day couldn't get any worse. He handed the notes over to her and she counted them, reaching under the desk to find the spare key drawer.

"Here you go, one additional key. Please note that a lost key will be a fee of 10 gil, so do your best to hang onto it." She stated, her memory tainted by the yells of customers who were outraged to have to pay the fee. She held it out and the blonde took it, his gloved hand curled around the key.

He muttered a thanks and was about to be on his way, taking a step towards the staircase before she opened her mouth. It was probably best to not say anything, but it was the policy of the inn and she could handle another customer's outrage at having to pay for damages.

"Just a moment, sir!" She said and mentally kicked herself when he turned back to give her a look. "We have another policy here that I need to make sure you understand." she began and he crossed his arms, waiting for her to continue. She couldn't back out now and maybe it was for the better.

"Kalm Inn is in no way responsible or liable to personal property damages caused by materia related accidents and we would like to inform you that any property damages to the inn caused by materia will be made out to the renter responsible." She finished and gave a fake, sweet smile. The blonde man sighed and pressed his fingers into his temple, giving her a tired look.

"Wow Stella, why are you messing with people?" A voice asked from behind her. She cast a glare over her shoulder at her coworker, a cleaning rag in his hand. What was he teasing her for? If anyone hated cleaning up after materia, it was Damien.

"Messing? I'm not messing at all. That is the policy and everyone needs to be aware of it!" she insisted through her teeth. She turned back towards the blonde customer. "That is our policy and I hope you understand it. Nothing personal, just doing my job. We don't want another fire." she rushed and snapped her fingers at Damien with a glare, pointing at the back of the inn as a silent command. She was expecting disagreement from the brown-haired guy, but the customer spoke instead.

"You're worried about me starting a fire? I'm the one you're worried about?" he accused, his hand fell from his head to motion at her project setting on the desk. That was a fair point. She was working with high voltage when she was supposed to be watching the desk but… it was different.

"You have a point but I know that I'll have to pay for damages. It's just my job to share the policies." she made the same point and watched as the man shook his head and decided he had enough. He turned away and left the desk, his frustration apparent. Finally.

Once he had disappeared up the stairs, her coworker slapped his hand on her shoulder. He looked over the counter again to be sure that the man wasn't coming back before he said anything.

"Did you see that guy? He was bad news! He had to be in SOLDIER. You can't mess with people like that, Stella. We're always joking about the blueberries, but he's…" he trailed off into a whisper. "He's a blackberry." his concern was real and Stella had noticed it too. She knew she shouldn't have said anything, but she was sure no one would threaten her. No Shinra soldiers in the past had done her any harm despite heated exchanges and she didn't think that it would start today.

"Yeah, I noticed his eyes too, but I'll be fine. Just let me do my job." she shrugged his hand off her shoulder and bent down to pick up the screwdriver she had tossed. He tsked and disappeared into the back, leaving her to recall where she had been on her project.

Stella didn't let herself zone out as she had before, keeping her ears sharp. If she heard the approaching footsteps of anyone, she would snap her attention up. She wasn't on edge, no. She just needed to keep a better eye on things and make sure she didn't hear any suspicious noises from upstairs.

The ticks and tocks of the grandfather clock was her gauge for how quiet it should be as she once again worked on finishing up her project.

The room was warm and inviting and he was surprised to find his friend curled up on the bed, taking a mid-day nap. Perhaps Tifa had laid down for only a minute to rest and had fallen asleep or maybe she intended to have a nap. It explained why his phone wasn't blown up with calls when she arrived at the inn and he was more than okay with that. Tifa worked so hard all the time, so he didn't want to risk waking her. She deserved her rest and Cloud wanted to make sure she got it.

He tried sitting silently in the room for a while, staring out the window and into the streets of Kalm, but he got restless too easily. As much as he wanted to enjoy the warm comfort of the room, he didn't think he could stand to sit around for much longer. Besides, he remembered that the bar across the street had really good food and it was calling his name.

Taking each step with care, Cloud snuck from the room and closed the door behind him. The small area outside the rooms was dimly lit and had a small mirror hanging in front of the staircase. Taking a step down, he paused when he heard the innkeeper on the first floor say something in an exasperated tone. What was she going on about this time, he wondered?

"The answer is no! I'm not allowed to tell you other information about the other guests here. That's just my job." It was her for sure, but what she said gave Cloud a sick feeling. Who wanted to know the other guests. Had someone followed him? Had someone followed Tifa? The next thing she said, this time was alarming.

"Put that gun down! I'm not changing my mind." Her voice was sharp and tough, but not convincing enough. If someone had a gun pulled and was demanding information, he had the distinct inclination that it was exactly who he thought it was.

Cloud took a few steps down the stairs and peered over the guard rails. Just as he suspected, three Shinra foot soldiers in their full uniforms were standing in the lobby. One had his gun drawn, the other two were standing back and letting the other one do the talking. The innkeeper was standing up at the desk, her arms folded. Her dark hair was now pulled up in a bun as opposed to when he first saw her when he walked in.

In the lobby, the brown-haired guy who was also at the front desk before now peered out at the soldiers from a supply closet. He was hiding and held the door close to its casing in case he had to shut it quickly. The coward looked up towards the staircase from where he hid, locking eyes with Cloud. His eyes widened and the man pointed up at Cloud.

"There he is! That's the one you're looking for!" He shouted and the innkeeper and three soldiers all snapped their eyes up to Cloud. Great.

"Damien!" the innkeeper snapped, her mouth hung open in shock and anger at her coworker.

Cloud didn't have much time to debate running back up the stairs to wake Tifa or taking on the soldiers before the one with the gun aimed at him. Just in time, he whipped his sword out from over his shoulder and held in front of him as a temporary shield. The gunshots exploded and echoed in the lobby accompanied by the metallic pings of the bullets hitting his wide blade. His decision was made. He was going to stop the three soldiers here so that they didn't run for back up. The gunshots would be enough to wake Tifa.

He grabbed the guard rail and vaulted over it, using his fall to swing into the first soldier, who held his rifle up to catch the brunt of the swing. It was the wrong move for him, as the gun was split in half, the sparks off the metal barrel flared out and fizzled away. Cloud used his closeness to the soldier to elbow him in the face, knocking his metal helmet off. In the time he had taken to attack the first, the other two had drawn their rifles and were moving around to circle him.

Not waiting for anyone to make the first move, he grabbed the helmet and flung it at one soldier, making him stumble back, and was already on top of the other one, using the side of his blade to push him off his balance. The soldier without a helmet lunged into Cloud's side, knocking him against the side of the front desk counter. Both on the ground, Cloud slung his arm over the man's head and locked him in his grip, shoving the handle of his sword into the man's skull. Like a dead weight, the man fell limp on top of the blonde and he hastily shoved him away. One down, two to go.

He used the desk to pull himself up, steadying his blade in his hand. One soldier had taken position in the back of the lobby, taking aim at Cloud while the other rushed him. An object flew over Cloud's shoulder from behind the desk, thudding weakly off the soldier in the back. It was… a stapler? Cloud sidestepped the charging soldier and held his blade up again to shield himself from the bullets from the second soldier. This time, he stole a glance at the front desk, where the innkeeper was ducked behind, rummaging around for something to throw.

He shouldn't have looked, because he didn't see the first soldier pull his rifle over his head from behind, baring the gun against his throat. He pulled back from behind Cloud, choking him and pulling him down, but Cloud knew what to do. He too pushed back, shoving the soldier against the front door and pinning him there, using his weight to bash the man against the wooden door until he dropped his rifle.

The soldier in the back of the lobby once again pointed the barrel of the gun at Cloud, but this time he didn't have time to struggle to bring his sword up. His plan was to jerk around and use the soldier clinging to him as a shield, even if that was risky, but he didn't have the need to. The innkeeper threw another thing from her hiding spot, but this was no stapler, paperweight, or waste bin.

The metallic ball flew through the air and spun out a wire mesh in all directions, like a trap for animals. The soldier looked up and dropped his aim as the mesh clung to him, the wire folding around his metal helmet as if it were magnetic. He dropped his gun and took a step back, even if nothing seemed to be happening. After a moment, however, a blinding light and a sickening crackle erupted from the mesh, each strand glowing a hot blue. The electricity arced and surged over the soldier. The man couldn't even scream. As soon as the blue light faded, the man fell over, steam rolling off his body.

The soldier behind him squirmed away and stumbled to the side, pulling his rifle up. Cloud prepared himself, but it wasn't him that the man aimed at. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger and the bullet pierced through the woman's shoulder, sending her falling back. It was a low blow, a cowardly move to shoot a person not involved in this.

Cloud jumped forward and swung his blade up, knocking the gun into the air. Bringing the blade back down, he bludgeoned the last gunless soldier on his neck and took advantage of the man trying to duck away as the opportunity to knee him in the face. He fell over curling up on the ground before Cloud delivered a quick kick to his face. He fell against the wall and stayed motionless.

Looking around, he surveyed the damage. The two soldiers he knocked out were crumpled on the carpet of the lobby floor, the first guy's nosebleed being the only real scratch or mark visible yet. They both would be fine, but the other guy Cloud knew was gone. No one steams after being electrocuted and gets up afterward. The sound of someone rushing down the stairs caught his attention and he looked up to see Tifa, her eyes wide.

"I take a nap for an hour and you've already gotten into trouble." she observed, looking over the railing at the three motionless men. "Are you okay?" she asked, even though she could see he was fine.

Before he could answer, a voice called from behind the front desk.

"Damien!" she yelled, her voice strained. She was leaning against the doorframe that led to a room behind the front desk, her hand cupped over her shoulder. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her shirt was soaked on one side with bright red, her hand doing little to stop the flow. Tifa continued down the stairs and stepped over the fried soldier, who was still steaming.

The supply closet door opened, and the brown-haired man peaked out, his eyes wide and troubled. The one who ratted Cloud out. He stepped out carefully, looking from the fallen men to Cloud and Tifa, his hands pressed together. He stood there as if deciding whether or not to go back into his hiding spot or help his friend, but he dipped his head and rushed over to the front desk.

"Oh no, oh no Stella. What are you gonna do?" he asked, placing his hands over his mouth, stepping in place with nervous energy. Cloud watched and gave Tifa a look before fastening his sword back in its place on his back.

"What am I going to do?" she asked, slumping against the wall. Her voice raised in desperation and pain "I don't know! Don't just stand there and stare at me! Go get the doctor!" she yelled and the man jumped and spun around in a frantic dance, going out of his way to avoid Cloud as he shoved through the front door.

Tifa had made her way over and jumped over the front desk, bending down to where "Stella" was propped.

"Oh dear, they got you. Can you stand up? We'll help you out." Tifa said before turning towards him, "Cloud, go check the supply closet for some towels or something to stop the bleeding." He snapped out of it. He had just been gawking when he could have been helping.

"Right." he confirmed and strode over to the closet, finding a stack of fresh hotel towels. He grabbed two of them and took a step back, a crack sound crunched from under his boot. Looking down, he had stepped on a piece of the wire contraption that Stella had thrown. He recalled her working with something at the desk. This had to be it. She had to have made this. He has never seen anything like it before and it took out that soldier in a second.

Remembering that he had towels to stain, he rushed back to the desk and handed the towels over to Tifa, who took them with haste and pressed them into the dark-haired woman's wound. He too hopped over the counter, kneeling down to the woman's level. His current question needed to be answer

"Did you make that contraption? Was that what you were working on?" he asked and the woman looked over at him, taking her eyes off her blood-soaked shirt. Her brown eyes squinted at him and she frowned.

"What, do you like my fire hazard now?" she asked sarcastically and looked over at Tifa, who was wrapping the towel around her arm. "Yes, I made it. Why are you asking? I don't have any more to sell." she breathed out, her sarcasm left her voice.

"Cloud, is this a good time to be asking this?" Tifa asked, looking over at him. He didn't blame her for being confused, but he needed that contraption, whatever it was. He was willing to buy it. He rummaged through the small pouch on his side and pulled out what he was looking for. A small, green ball of materia. This one was rare and it was lucky that he had it with him. He held it tightly in his hand and leaned over the woman. She gave him a distrusting look and tried to jerk away, wincing immediately.

"Stop squirming, I'm helping you." he muttered and held his free hand out over her. Green whisps swirled around his hand, pooling in the air and coiling down towards the woman. Tifa leaned back and took her hands away from the towels to allow the magic to spread over the woman. She closed her eyes and looked away as the magic got more vivid, glowing brighter until it faded.

Cloud pulled his hand away and put the materia back in his pouch. The girl peeked her eyes open and looked down, giving her shoulder and experimental roll. She gasped and pulled the towel away, sitting up against the wall. Her shirt and the towels were still soaked red, but the bullet hole showed her unaffected, healed skin beneath. She reached her hand up and prodded it, stunned that she was no longer wounded. Cloud stood up from his kneel and Tifa placed her hands on her knee and stood up too. She leaned towards him and whispered.

"Cloud, you could have told me you had that with you before I tried to stop her bleeding." her point was good and he hadn't thought of it like that. He gave a small smile as if to say sorry. She shook her head and they looked down at the woman, who was still sitting on the floor in her shock.

"If you feel better, I want to talk to you."