The warm atmosphere of the cozy and broken in bar was anything but comfortable in this moment. Silence hung between her and the two inn patrons who had flipped her day on its head, the only noise was the television and the clinking of plates and silverware in the small dining space. The two had led her to a booth in the far back of the familiar bar to talk over who knows what.
She still wasn't over the searing, dull pain of the gunshot wound, her hand kept moving up to feel her shoulder to be sure it was gone. Damien had returned with the medic, but it was unneeded. He lent her his shirt for the meantime, her clothes soaked with her own blood. Whoever the two in front of her were, they were dangerous and they meant business. Too scared to tell them to leave her alone, she obliged to coming with them across from the inn to have a "talk", whatever that meant. She was certain that the blonde was going to hold healing her over her head to try to get something out of her. He was interested in her little project she had been working on, and she was anticipating him asking for her to make more.
She didn't want to be involved.
The woman, who introduced herself as Tifa, Stella had no clue what to think of as she seemed sweet and quiet. However, Cloud was most definitely part of SOLDIER and that was terrifying to her. There was no way with the way he fought those Shinra soldiers without a scratch on him that he wasn't.
"So, it's Stella, right?" Cloud spoke up, pulling his soda close and taking a sip through the straw. She didn't answer and resorted to looking down at her lap, her hands clasped together as she fidgeted. There was a drawn out silence as he waited for her response but continued anyway.
"That contraption you made, it took down that soldier in seconds. Did you know it would do that?" he asked another question and Stella nodded, her eyes still on her hands.
"Yes. That was close to ten amps of current. If he hadn't died, he would be severely burned." she whispered, closing her eyes.
She had really done that. She had really killed a man with her invention. If they found out it was her, she'd be a criminal and she'd have to face the consequences. With friends like Damien, she would be ratted out in a second. She wanted to cry, but she was still numb. Still in shock. She wanted to leave behind her routine and step out of the mundane, but not in handcuffs.
"Do you make things like this a lot? Do you have others like that?" Tifa then asked, leaning forward. Stella looked up for a moment before she gave another answer, her own voice feeling foreign to her. She wasn't sure why she was answering these people, but she was going along with it anyway as if she were a kid in trouble with her parents.
"The other things I have are more developed." her hushed words came out and Tifa spoke again, her voice soft and encouraging.
"I know you're shaken up, but we both appreciate that you're talking to us, right Cloud?" she said and elbowed the blonde. He gave her a look and rubbed his arm. The brunette gave him a hushed whisper through her teeth but Stella still heard what she said. "She's upset and scared, maybe you should cut to the point." With her words, Cloud took a breath.
"Okay, look. Since you don't have anything but a prototype for that one contraption, I wanna hire you to make more for my team. Do you know how long that would take?" Stella looked up and decided to start her own questioning.
"Why do you need something like this? Someone like you…" She motioned at him, the first time her hands left the comfort of her lap. "Besides, it fried itself on use so it's garbage right now. I have no clue how long it will take to fix that quirk." she gave, waving her hand beside her as she talked. The blonde leaned forward and his eyebrows quirked in confusion.
"Someone like me?" He asked and Tifa rubbed her temples. Maybe that wasn't the best choice of words.
"Well… yes. Like you." She said, uselessly trying to wave better words to herself. "You can take care of yourself, with your background and all. I don't want to be involved in that." Her words came out and she cringed. It was really none of her business, but someone who was at some point involved in SOLDIER hardly needed a janky device made by a novice like her.
Cloud nodded and leaned back, sucking in his cheeks. He folded his arms over his chest and gave her a calculating look.
"Okay, I can take care of myself. It's obvious. So then why did you throw that device at that guard? Why not at me? Why at all?" His questions caught her off guard. She hadn't really considered it that way. She didn't know why she had chosen to help him instead of run away or hide until it was over. She made the decision in the spur of the moment and maybe she shouldn't have but it was what she did.
"Short answer, I'm impulsive." she shrugged and gave a nervous laugh. "I guess I have more of a personal beef with those Shinra blueber- I mean, assholes. I've never had a member of SOLDIER trash a room or yell at me for making them pay for a lost key. I couldn't just watch you get shot in my lobby. Not if I could help it." She finished and Cloud shot Tifa a look.
"You didn't help a member of SOLDIER today either. I'm not part of them, never was." he responded sharply, his eyes shut before he changed the subject. "That's not the point. So you have beef with Shinra? So do we. I have three thousand gil for you if you agree to help us."
Three thousand gil? That was over two months' pay for her. As much as she wanted to be tempted for the gil alone, she was put off. Who could trust two people who were against the Shinra. Everyone had some kind of grievance with the Shinra, but it was only super crazy people who did anything about it. Stella wasn't keen on being hunted down and "silenced" by the Turks. Horror stories had been told about it and it was always a cautionary tale from travelers and elders in the town. She didn't want to get involved but… she couldn't help but wonder. She had the slightest inkling of a clue as to who the two in front of her were working for. Still, she had to address the elephant in the room.
"Everyone has beef with the Shinra, but I'm in enough trouble already. Look, when they find out what I've done, I'm toast. I don't wanna get involved." her statement made the three linger in silence. The two looked at each other, as if having a silent conversation she couldn't hear. Tifa opened her mouth but Cloud spoke up before she could.
"You're already involved. I hate to say it, but the only way we can help you is if you decide to come with us. Maybe you can stay here and no one will figure out who killed that soldier but your buddy at the inn isn't the best at keeping his mouth shut, is he?" He stated, his words sounded like a threat but something made her feel like it was more of a warning than a threat. Maybe it was the way his brows pinched together in some understanding semblance of concern.
Of course, it could all be an act and he could very well be threatening her. She really had no clue and at this point, she had no real choice. They saw what happened and they didn't seem to be under the thumb of authority. They, whoever they were, didn't seem like they would rat her out but Cloud was right about Damien. He was a coward and wouldn't hesitate to tell on her. She didn't know what to do, but she had to know who she was dealing with. Already, she had her suspicions as to who would be in trouble with the Shinra, the ability to fight back without trouble a telling sign.
She stared at him, summoning the courage to ask. Dipping her head low and casting a look over her shoulder, she whispered to him.
"You say "we". Who are you exactly?" her question came out and the two looked at each other. Tifa nodded and Cloud gave her a knowing look. The brunette leaned in, placing her hand on the table.
"Have you ever heard of AVALANCHE?" she asked with a knowing smile.
Stella stared at her and looked to Cloud, who gave her an expectant gaze. With the mixed opinions that most people had with AVALANCHE, their reputation was a strong one for sure. Some people blamed them for the meteor and claimed they were a dangerous band of crazed misfits that were completely unhinged. Others claim with all their hearts that AVALANCHE were modest heroes and the only way the people's voice could be heard and enacted against the Shinra. Stella wasn't sure what to think, but she was inclined to be hopeful.
"Are you serious?" she asked, her voice lowered. "You better not be playing with me. I've had a bad enough day already." her warning held no heat and Tifa nodded in response.
"If you come with us, it'll be dangerous for you but all you'll have to do is make more of those. Cloud just thought that your invention would help keep our members more safe from a distance. We know you don't want to get involved and your job is important to you, but that's why we're offering to pay you. We understand if you don't want to put yourself into this situation, but we still want to give you a chance."
"Are you kidding, I hate my job. Today was the icing on the cake." she interjected and the brunette gave the man a victorious grin. "But… I didn't say that I've made any sort of decision. Three thousand gil is great but I..." she trailed off, a server dipped in from behind her, a plate balanced on the server's tray.
She set the plates down and despite being a face that Stella saw all the time, she had no comment on Stella's current company. She was gone as quickly as she came and there was a small period of silence as the two surveyed their meals. Tifa reached over and took a fry from Cloud's plate, unapologetically popping it into her mouth. He gave her a look and opened his mouth to retaliate before Tifa spoke up.
"But you don't know, right?" She gave, empathetic to Stella's thoughts.
"Yes, I don't know. I need to think about this, it's so much and I'm still not over what just happened. I think your intentions are...nice but I really can't see how anything I can make would be helpful. I don't think a single person wouldn't like the opportunity to get back at the Shinra but I'm already in trouble..." she trailed off and paused, an important thought came to her.
"How exactly are you planning on helping me, with this notoriety thing? If they find out it's me, how can you help that? You want me to come with you, you said? Where are you going?" she asked, having to slow herself before she overcame them with questions. She felt like her mind was spinning. Cloud grabbed a few fries and took a bite, answering through his mouthful.
"Well, you're in a pickle right now. It's just a matter of whether you wanna be in a pickle by yourself and hope for the best or be in a pickle with us." he gave unhelpfully, Tifa shooting him a look.
"Cloud." she scolded. He returned with a 'what did I do?' look and the brunette shook her head.
"What he means to say is that we'll protect you. I know you have a lot of questions, but we don't really know the answer to a lot of anything yet. We're still figuring everything out, that's kinda why we're meeting here. One of our buddies knows where we're heading next, but we don't know yet. If you're in, you'll find out when we do." Tifa mediated, letting her in on a tidbit that was extremely important.
She was indeed in a pickle.
"Oh that's just great. It's a wild goose chase, is that what you're telling me?" she asked, her exasperation beginning to show. Cloud nodded and Tifa looked down. "Okay, okay. I get it, I think. I don't know what I'm gonna do. I don't have an answer right now." she gave in a defeated whine, frustration and confusion mingling.
"That's okay. You have a little time to think about it. For now, you mentioned having other things more developed. Do you have any of that with you?" Cloud asked, rubbing his temple.
"Yes, I do have more things at my house." she answered, crossing her arms and letting her mind focus on her situation, still at a loss for what to do. She couldn't think clearly.
"At your house, huh? What if you go gather some things up and give yourself time to think alone. How does that sound?" the blonde suggested, for once a good voice of reason.
Removing herself from the situation would help tremendously. She could mull over it and decide for herself. If she decided to decline, she'd just lock her door and not answer them. It was simple enough. It was a good idea and she jumped at the chance.
"Yea, that's a good idea. I'll go do that. My house is two doors down and is the one with green shutters." she gave, pulling herself from the booth, feeling as if nothing was real.
"Just think about it, okay?" Tifa gave and Cloud looked down at his burger. He took it in his hands and Stella took that as her cue.
Her mind still raced as her feet took her from the bar and across the cobblestone to her house, the mid-afternoon sun warmed the air slightly. She had walked the same path this morning, feeling so much different than she did now. Now Stella had a new opportunity to go somewhere, to do something that mattered. No one had ever really taken any interest in her inventions before and now a group like AVALANCHE was invested in her work. It didn't seem real, it felt like a dream. She wasn't sure if it was a nightmare yet, but she knew she would be over her head whatever she did at this point.
Everything was about to change and there was hardly a chance that the Shinra wouldn't find out that she had killed one of their foot-soldiers. Especially one that was killed trying to take down a member of the group that competed with them most. She wanted to think logically, to wonder if the two strangers had lied to her about their position but it didn't seem probable. The way the blueberries were demanding to know where they were, having described both Cloud and Tifa with too much detail. The one soldier was ready to scare her into talking, pulling his gun on her. They wouldn't do that unless it was a big deal. It just wouldn't make sense otherwise.
As she approached the familiar door to her home, a small mew pulled her into the present. Stopping in her tracks, the familiar, scrawny black cat padded up, arching its back in a greeting against her leg. The cat's round amber eyes stared up at her expectantly, it's white whiskers twitching.
"Hello, miss Penelope." Stella cooed, a bit of her normal life greeting her with a purr. The cat was a stray that just came up one day and she had fed her for about a year. Stella could have considered the cat her pet now, as she had named her and let her cozy up in her house on cold nights. Opening the door, the cat streaked inside, tail held high. The lack of invitation suggested too heavily that Penelope was in fact her pet now, but Stella would still deny it as long as she could.
Stepping inside, she realized how much comfort her home brought her. She grew up here, her family still visited every once in a while and her dad stayed in the house during the summer when he wasn't manning a chocobo farm to the east. It was warm, cozy, and had a way of making her feel safe. Even with her current predicament, stepping inside and shutting the door was enough to clear her head. Penelope darted over to the kitchen, where she would often linger just in case she got the chance to steal Stella's lunch as she was making it or to snoop.
Watching her absently, Stella walked towards the back of the house that served as a mini garage, stepping down into the room that lead to the back door. There was no carpet present and the concrete floor was littered with half finished projects and tangled of copper wires, boxes of sensors, microprocessors, input and outputs motherboards, and arduino components, and a mess of tools and parts scattered on every surface. She had one shelf in the corner of the room that had a few things that were completed.
Sighing, she decided she would do a few more tests in the time she had to think. It would be easier that way and she wanted to make sure for certain what she had worked.
Taking a deep breath, she began her period of self reflection and pulled one of her finished pieces of tech from the shelf.