1 PM, Gongaga Village, The Fair's home...
Cloud, with his shades still on, stood nervously in front of the humble home. Which he personally never introduced himself to the Fairs before, it still made the butterflies in his stomach go wild. Either way, he found some courage, swallowing his nerves, and knocked on the door. Now, He waits.
"I'll get it!" A woman yelled out very excited. Other than that he heard things fall and crash inside, that got him worried and nervous all over again. Suddenly, the door flew open, nearly hitting his face if not for his reflexes.
"OH, IM SO SORRY YOUNG MAN!" The shocked woman apologized rapidly. "I thought you were my son."
"It's... fine..." Cloud answered confused; he didn't recall telling the Fairs about Zack. As a matter of fact, no one other than his group currently knows. Unless his friend actually called them. "This letter's for you."
"Oh? whose it from?" he could see the sparks in her eyes; she must have thought it was from Zack.
"Sorry ma'am, I'm just the delivery boy." He clearly lied, but it's not his business to share his clients' info. Back to business, he respectfully said his goodbye and left the front yard. But as he was boarding his motorcycle, Mrs. Fair came out again.
"Excuse me! Wait! Have, we met before young man?"
"... Once, it was nice seeing you again Mrs. Fair." With that Cloud drove out of the village.
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1 PM, 7th Heaven bar, Bar level...
Tifa hustled around the floor, serving food and drinks to the many customers. It was rush hour, and she had to do all the work on her own, just like years ago. The busy brunette barely had time to think about her missing friend or even how she disappeared. Other than the large black feathers that were scattered about the roof and the lone wheelchair, there were no clues for her to go by. It's not like Aerith could just fly off the roof. Or even float, the materia was still with Reeve after all.
Customer after customer kept calling her attention, whether it was for placing or receiving their orders. Back and forth she speed walked from the customers to the kitchen what seemed endless. Her hair was occasionally blocking her view, so she huffs it off since her hands were full at the moment. This was followed by her sometimes bumping into the tables or chairs, and apologies profusely right after.
With the customers eventually thinning down, she was able to get back behind the counter for a little breather. Her long hair was starting to get in the way again, brushing it aside wasn't helping her much, So next time, she planned on getting a hair band or scrunchy for sure.
"Excuse me, is Cloud available?"
"Hu? Sorry but he's currently ou-" Tifa pause after realizing the familiar tone of the stranger asking. Her tired eyes soon met his.
"Long time no see, Tseng."
"And I you Tifa. So he's still out?"
"Yeah, should be back any minute now. Oh man." She complained, alarming the Turk leader but he won't dare ask, it's a personal matter, he could tell.
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Meanwhile, The Western Continent...
Zooming down the empty road towards Costa del Sol, Cloud was hoping to catch the next sea fair to Junon. He was running late for his meeting with Tseng. And He had promised Tifa that he'd be back by now.
In his head, he was calculating how much time he needed to get to Costa del Col, get on the ferry available, depart from Junon, then cross the eastern continent all the way to Edge. That's about a 5-hour drive, by then it would be too late to do anything sadly. Cloud had to give up on getting anything done today, so he reluctantly pulled out his cell phone to cancel his plans with Tseng.
"Cloud!"
A loud yell called out to him, surprising him enough to jerk up and stop his motorbike in a panic. The heavy vehicle skidded to a halt to the side; thankfully the driver wasn't thrown off from the force. Cloud was frantically looking around him for the source, and mentally he debated if he should arm himself or not. But the area was barren and empty, same for the trees and wildlife of course.
"Cloud!"
And there it was again, just who was it that was calling him. Now that he thought about it, the voice was familiar. The sky got dark suddenly, which caused him to look up finally. Overheard was the Shera, Cid's pride and joy. Then, he finally found the source of the yelling. The young delivery man took a deep breath, exhaling it in relief as he continued to hear his large friend telling about his trip to Mideel.
"Not to interrupt you Zack, but can it wait till I get on the airship first?"
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3 PM, 7th Heaven bar, Bar level...
Tifa had enough downtime to rest after all the rush of the lunch hour, now that the customers had thinned out. She had time to understand Tseng's reason for visiting, which she found interesting.
"So you held onto these letters for all this time? You could have given them back to Aerith."
"True, but I'm sure you understand that the timing wasn't right." He casually chatted, as he sipped his drink. A Dark and Stormy, a Classic drink for a classy man, suits him well.
"Understandable, but then, why didn't you call up Cloud to make the delivery?" Zack was alive, and well, She knew that Cloud knew that. But others outside their little group didn't. She was debating whether or not to tell Tseng.
He was still part of Shinra, so there is a chance that They'll be after both Zack and Aerith. There was also the fact that Shinra is no longer the same organization it was before. But he was a close friend to Zack. This was a very complex issue indeed. Would Tseng get mad if they kept this a secret from him? She wondered for a while. Though the sound of motorbikes caught her attention, she was about to find out soon enough.
The garage door opened and there entered both her boyfriend and of course the of the hour, Zack. The two were oblivious to the surprised looking Tseng. He, at one point, dropped his glass with a loud shatter. Yet he did not jerk, nor tare his sights from the black haired man. It was as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Hey boys, I didn't know you were coming in together." Tifa casually called out the two, disregarding the bewildered Tseng.
"Found Cloud on the way back."
"Costa del Sol was no were near your route. So I find it hard to believe."
Cloud's remark caught Zack's little lie, causing the older man to itch the back of his neck. The later soon took notice of Tseng. With his usual big grin and optimistic attitude.
"Tseng! Long time no see. How have you been?"
Tseng was still reeling back from the shock. The young brunette carefully patted his shoulder to rock him back to the reality of the situation, which worked quite well. He steadied his breathing, as well as fix his suit.
"I'm... Fine... Zack..."
"You don't sound like it. You know, it looks weird seeing you with your hair down though."
"And you, on the other hand, have not changed much apparently." Zack's mannerism somehow calmed his nerves, to the point that he forgot all about the fact that his friend was supposed to be dead, which reminded him. "How... Are you still alive?"
At first, Zack was confused; his expression soon changed to realization. "Oh... Right. Well, do you have time? it's kind of a long story."
As Zack and Tseng continue their discussion at one of the vacant tables, Tifa stationed back at the counter with Cloud taking a seat at the table.
"Zack as some 'interesting' friends."
"He can make friends easily; it has always been that way since I met him." Cloud casually answered, his head resting on his hand while his eyes came to a close slowly. Tifa found it hard to ignore the dark circles under his eyes.
"Why don't you go up and get some sleep? Zack can help me out."
"I dunno, it's still early for sleep. Though..." Cloud fixed his posture; his eyes wandered around the bar. "Is Aerith sleeping in?"
The brunette physically jerked in surprise; she had utterly forgotten about Aerith. She can thank the rush hour for draining her of energy and concentration. Her hand instinctively reached for her hair, brushing it nervously while trying to piece together an excuse.
"Well..." She was drawing a blank, not a very good thing to have with her very observant boyfriend. Who, while suspicious of her actions, was considerate enough to give her a chance at explaining. Though he's tired, stare got her even more nervous.
"To be honest, I..."
A loud Thud suddenly interrupted the conversation for both the owners and customers of the bar floor. The first one to react to the sound was Zack, as he immediately left the table and climbed up the stairs. As Cloud tired to follow, Tifa quickly grabbed his muscular arm.
"W-wait Cloud" She hesitated in the beginning but hiding the fact that their friend was missing wouldn't help her find Aerith. She needed to tell Cloud.
"Its... about Aerith..." as she tried to explain the situation, they heard Zack coming back down the stairs. In his arms was Aerith, looking well. Tifa was astonished to say the least.
