"Man I'm super pissed that I have to do this the hard way." Yuffie mutters to herself as she approaches the Hall of Records.
Going to such a place at one in the morning will be a difficult task for the petite woman, or at least she thought so. When she was finally able to see the area in front of her, she notices a small security booth. She slowly approaches the booth carefully and smiles when she notices an old man leaned back in the chair sound asleep. Over to his right are three monitors that displays a horrible image of three hallways in the building, none of which is a direct path to the room Yuffie needs to go to in order to collect the records she needs. Satisfied that her mission is now one hundred times easier, Yuffie went to the back of the building and enters carefully. Even though there are only three cameras, she doesn't want to be noticed by the cameras. She takes a glance at her homemade map that she drew at home before continuing through the building. One left turn and three right turns later, she finds herself in the filing room.
Yuffie glances up to find the letter R. Assuming that the files are filed by the user's current last name, and not the old one, finding Genesis's shouldn't be a problem. It only takes Yuffie five minutes to find Genesis's file and she smiles with glee when she immediately discovers that Genesis did in fact changed his name some time ago. She doesn't want to waste any time in reading the file so she swiftly shoves the file in her bag and closes the cabinet. She slowly makes her trek out of the building until finally she is out and home free.
Vincent just finished getting dressed for the day. He walks downstairs into the kitchen where he sees Yuffie plating a stack of pancakes on a plate.
"So, our little friend used to go by the name of Genesis Marshall," Yuffie speaks in a rather loud tone. "And get this, he was raised in an upscale place in Junon. He moved to Nibelheim when he was 11 after his father's death."
"Any reason why?" Reno's voice echoed from the phone on the counter. Yuffie scans the file more closely as she motions for Vincent to grab a plate. Before doing so, he went into the fridge and grabs the jug of orange juice and pours himself and Yuffie a glass and returns the jug in the fridge. He then grabs himself a plate and sits down at the island.
"Hmmm. It doesn't really specify why he and his mother relocated to Nibelheim after his father's death, but it does look like his father served in the armed forces in Junon." Yuffie comments as she continues to study the file.
"Anything noteworthy?" Vincent asks as he took a bite of his pancakes that Yuffie placed on his plate moments ago. "Something had to happen for him to change his name."
"Maybe he didn't have a close relationship with his father and wanted nothing to do with him?" Reno suggests.
Yuffie shakes her head. "It has to be more than that. The answer is in my face. I just don't have all of the pieces yet." Yuffie shuts the file shut. "I'm gonna enjoy my breakfast and come back to this later. How's Elena?"
"Still upset that Genesis is giving her the cold shoulder. Come to find out, her father abandoned her and her mother when she was very young. Typical damaged woman with daddy issues."
"Got her opening up to you already?" Yuffie questions in a surprised tone.
"Not exactly. When alcohol is in your system, you'll spill your guts to anyone who would listen."
"Keep her talking. If you keep her talking, we may be able to find out more about Genesis." Vincent comments.
"Will do." Reno agrees. "You two make sure Genesis doesn't try a solo project without Elena. That screw up may have rattled him the wrong way."
Yuffie ends the call and begins to eat her breakfast with Vincent. After the two finished their breakfast, Yuffie makes a quick call to Sephiroth to update him on the situation while Vincent cleans the kitchen.
"Block any and all attacks that Genesis may try to do. Also, blend in with the town. Meet people and get familiar with your area without blowing your cover." Sephiroth comments as he jots down a few notes on his notepad. He likes to keep track of small details in case his trio may have forgotten something. It may not seem like much, but it has helped them execute their targets in the past.
Yuffie hangs up the phone and reads the microwave clock. "I'm gonna try to find some fresh meat in town to cook later on, and maybe just walk around."
"Fine." Vincent answers as he wipes away crumbs from the counter. Moments later, he hears Yuffie leave out of the front door, leaving Vincent to himself. I guess I should canvas the area as well. Vincent thought.
He grabs his keys that are on the table and heads out of the door. He hops into his car and started driving, with no destination in mind. As he drove around, he takes notice to other landmarks such as schools, gas stations, and playgrounds. Children are bustling in the park as their parents chats amongst each other, but keeping a careful eye on their children. Since it is a huge crowd, Vincent pays more attention to his driving. Out of the corner of his right eye, he sees Tifa getting out of her car. He looks up and notices that he is in front of a youth center. Vincent slowly pulls into the parking lot and pushes a button in his car to make the window go down.
"Is this where you work?" Vincent asks, hoping he didn't startle her.
Tifa turns around, slightly surprised but is relived when she sees Vincent. "Hey Alex. Yep I work here. Thankfully the weekend is almost here. I'm dying for a break."
Vincent nods and begins to drive off when Tifa waves her hand and stops him. "I want to thank you again for everything. How about a thank you dinner at Ray's Cafe tomorrow? Bring Naomi as well."
Vincent is reluctant to accept her offer. He's here to kill someone, not get involved with anyone. He nods, against his better judgment, and Tifa smiles. She reaches into her bag, grabs a pen, and scribbles something on a piece of paper and hands it to him.
"That's my phone number. Call me later when you have time and we'll iron out the details. Oh, and I'll give you back your pajamas as well."
She smiles brightly and waves Vincent goodbye before doing a slight jog towards the entrance of the building. Vincent places the piece of paper on the passenger side of the car and slowly starts to pull off. His brakes comes to a screeching halt when sees a blur of red hair get out of a car. Vincent's brows furrows when he sees Genesis and a young boy approach Tifa. The two converse with one another, while the boy looks down. Genesis opens the door and allows Tifa to enter into the building first, followed by the younger boy, and then himself. Vincent drives off and heads home. That dinner with Tifa will definitely happen.
Tifa places her belongings on her desk, while Genesis and Tyler occupies the two chairs in front of her. She slowly calms her mind. At first, she was against the idea of meeting with Genesis face to face since the day she witnessed his atrocities, but she also needs to help Tyler. Taking another inaudible breath in, Tifa sits down in the chair behind her desk, while facing the father-son pair in front of her.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice, Mr. Rhapsodos."
"It's fine, Ms. Lockheart." Genesis responds. "Tyler really wanted me to be here."
Glancing at Tyler, who is staring at the floor, Tifa continues. "Yes. Tyler has really been struggling with the recent loss of his mother, which I'm sorry for your loss as well." Genesis nods and Tifa continues. "But I wanted to personally meet with you to see if I can help close the distance between the two of you."
Genesis again nods and turns towards Tyler. "Well Tyler, let me start by saying, I do miss her alot, but I can't change what's undone. I wish she was here too but she's not. Not anymore. She wouldn't want us to mope like this."
Tyler shakes his head. "I don't believe she would hang herself, Dad. Mom was a caring woman. She wouldn't do this to us."
Genesis frowns. "You think someone killed her?"
Tyler hesitates before responding. Tifa quietly awaits his response as well. "I don't know. What I do know is that Mom loved us, and she just wouldn't abandoned us like this."
Genesis shakes his head. "You have to face the facts, Tyler. She….hung herself."
Tyler jumps out of his chair and huffs loudly, causing Genesis and Tifa to flinch. "Why?! Why is it that you don't care?!"
"Watch your tone!" Genesis growls. "I do care but I can't change anything! I have to move on just like you!"
Fresh, hot tears seeps away from Tyler's eyes. Without a word, he slowly steps back and runs out of the door. Genesis sighs and looks at Tifa, who is observing what just transpired in front of her.
"I'm sorry to have waste your time, Ms. Lockheart."
Tifa waves her hand. "It was no trouble."
Genesis wishes her a good day before walking out of the room to look for Tyler. Behind Genesis is a woman who isn't convinced by his performance. "And the Worst Acting Award goes to you, Genesis Rhapsodos." Tifa grits as her eyes narrows at the red-haired man.
"Was Tifa able to give you anything to build on?" Reeve's voice echoes through Cloud's hotel bathroom.
"No but she did seem to like my theory. She said all I have to do is prove it. I should go out and canvas the town more for suspicious activity." Cloud answers as he dries his hair off with his towel. He wraps another towel securely around his waist before exiting the bathroom.
"That's a good idea. I'll do the same as well. Keep me posted."
Cloud hits the 'End' icon on his phone and plops on the bed.
"I got here a few days ago, and I'm already exhausted." Cloud murmurs to himself.
Aeris decided to stay at Amanda's house while Cloud decided to check into a hotel. For some reason, Aeris has been acting strange lately. He knew he had made her upset a few weeks ago by spending more time on the case than with her, but after a while, she had become withdrawn and more into her phone. Every time she would get a phone call, she would step away from Cloud and take it privately. Could she be cheating on him or planning something? He doesn't want to ponder on it too much. Aeris isn't above surprising him. A few months ago for his birthday, she was acting suspicious for weeks up until his birthday. She had planned a surprise party at the office for him. Maybe that's what she's doing now? He doesn't want to ask to blow anything she's planning. Aeris is the type of woman who wants to see everyone happy. Maybe she's planning something to lift Amanda's spirits? Regardless, he hopes there's nothing other than a surprise going on with her.
Cloud turns completely on his back and stares at the ceiling for a few minutes. Thoughts of Amanda and the murders fills his head. He sighs as he turned off his lamp. Tifa's beautiful eyes and warm smile begins to creep into his mind for what feels like the twentieth time of the day. Inhaling heavily and squeezing his eyes shut, he tries his damnedest to dismiss those thoughts.
Yuffie checks over her outfit one last time before turning off the bathroom light. She walks downstairs and into the kitchen, where she finds Vincent drinking a glass of water. Vincent's eyes trails up and down Yuffie's attire.
"You wanna take a bite, Big Daddy?" Yuffie smiles wickedly at Vincent's cringe.
"Why are you so dressed up?" Vincent asks, changing the subject.
"I could ask you the same thing." Yuffie shoots back. "You got on your contacts, hair pulled back with some bangs hanging out, nice button up shirt, jeans, and shoes."
"I'm going to a cafe to meet Tifa." Vincent places his glass in the sink.
"Finally! It's about time you went on a date!"
Vincent frowns. "It's not a date. She's just thanking me for helping her out. I was gonna ask if you wanted to join, but it seems you are otherwise preoccupied."
"Yes I am." Yuffie smiles gleefully. "I just got off the phone with Reno and he said Elena is dormant. He's taking her to a bar and hopefully he can squeeze some more info out of her. In the meantime," Yuffie grabs her purse that is on the counter and grabs her lip balm that's inside of it, and put a coat of it on her lips before returning the product in the bag and continues with her sentence. "I'm going back to the bar where I met Reeve to see if I can squeeze anything out of him."
"Finally. It's about time you went out on a date." Vincent mimics.
"Jokes on you, Douche. We haven't made plans to meet."
Yuffie shoves her tongue out at Vincent and walks towards the entrance, with a little extra sway in her hips. "How do you know he'll be there?" Vincent shouts out at her.
"It's a Saturday night and I'm sure Mr. Sheriff has had a rough week." Yuffie shouts back before closing the door behind her.
Vincent arrived at the cafe fifteen minutes earlier than the original time him and Tifa agreed on. He wanted a back booth to better observe his surroundings with his back against the wall. Nibelheim is a different town once the curfew is in effect. The older crowd keeps Nibelheim bustling and the alcohol selections are nice for such a small town. Vincent didn't expect the cafe to have wine so he opts for a bottle of red wine and two glasses. The waiter came back with the requested items and pours Vincent's drink.
"Hey Alex." Tifa's warm smile greets him.
"Hello Tifa." Vincent answers back as he gestures a glass of wine for Tifa. "Yes please! Im dying for a drink." Tifa hurriedly pulls out her ID and places it back in her bag as the waiter pours her a glass as well. The waiter nods and give the two a moment to look over their menus.
"I have your clothes in car." Tifa comments as she glances over the menu. She frowns a little when she doesn't notice Yuffie. "Where's Naomi?"
"She had a date." Vincent answers as he glances over the pasta section.
"You sound relieved." Tifa inquires as her eyes caught the panini and sandwich section of the menu.
"She's my sister. My younger sister to be more accurate."
Tifa giggles. "Can't say I understand what you're going through. I'm an only child."
"Be grateful." Vincent's tone is firm, but Tifa senses the humor in his tone.
They took a few more minutes to look at the menus and ordered their food. Vincent sips his wine and observes Tifa. As usual, she's stunning. Her hair is down and swooped over her right shoulder. She wore a bright, red blouse and black jeans. He notices that she's a little distracted about something.
"Something on your mind?"
Tifa looks away from her glass and up at Vincent. "No. Well, I mean, yes, but…..."
The waiter comes back with their food before Tifa could utter another word. Vincent decides to drop the subject for now and begins to eat his food. A few minutes went by and the door chime from the entrance catches Tifa's attention. She exasperates heavily as she returns her focus on her meal. Vincent frowns and glances at the pair that just walked in. A brunette smiles happily at her blond-haired companion, who cerulean eyes seems to be deeper than a sea. As the couple walks by, the blond haired man deviates his attention towards Tifa. His eyes met with Vincent's eyes and quickly looks away and continues to follow the hostess and the brunette to a table that is further along the same wall Vincent's and Tifa's table is at.
"Ex?" Vincent questions as he sips his wine.
Tifa sighs. First outing with this man, and exes are already the topic. Way to go, Tifa. "Man you're good."
"Your body seems tense."
Tifa nods and shakes her head rapidly. "I apologize for my behavior. It's a long story. Gaia reintroduces people in your life for a reason, though, I'm not sure why Cloud is reintroduced."
"Cloud?" Vincent questions.
Tifa shakes her head again while taking a bite of her panini and swallows before continuing. "It's not important. Besides, it's a long story. My mind have been everywhere since yesterday." She pauses to take a sip of her wine before continuing. "I feel like I'm failing in my profession."
"What do you mean?" Vincent interest is genuine. Tifa seems pretty bummed, which also shows her passion in her work.
"One of the kids is struggling with the death of his mom. She died a few weeks ago and his grades are starting to slip and so is his participation." The situation really did bother Tifa. Tyler's situation is the hardest situation she has taken on so far.
Vincent takes a bite of his salad before answering. "It's common among children when they lose their parents."
Tifa takes a long hard look at Vincent before carefully responding. "Experience?"
Vincent simply nods and Tifa continues. "I'm sorry, Alex. Anyway, he believes that someone killed his mother, even though she was found hung to death and no signs of foul play."
I've read that in Genensis' file. Vincent thought to himself. His interest has really peaked with this new information. Tifa continues after she took a sip of her wine. "I had a meeting arranged with the boy and his father and the father was so empty…..so…..fake."
"You think it's a front?" Vincent questions as he shoves some of his salad in his mouth.
"Definitely." Tifa answers in a 'no doubt about it' tone. "During the meeting he was all like 'she's gone and there's nothing I can do' but not a single tear came from eyes. Didn't even come passion. No shaky voice. Nothing."
"Maybe he's still in shock." Vincent replies dishonestly.
"Or maybe he killed her himself and staged the suicide." Tifa shoots back.
Her eyes grew at her words. Her wine colored eyes looks back at Vincent's off colored eyes in shock. She didn't mean for that to be said out loud and so blunt. In unison, the pair picks up their glasses of wine and takes a sip and sits their glasses back down.
"Maybe he did." Vincent finally breaks the silence.
Tifa waves the waiter down for the check and pays for the bill, leaving the waiter grinning because of the generous tip Tifa left him. Tia exhales loudly and looks up at Vincent. She leans in closer to him and lowers her voice. Vincent mimics her motion, giving her his undivided attention.
"Cloud is a homicide detective from Midgar. He's here to help Reeve, the sheriff in this town, solve an attack on his friend that happened last week. Cloud seems to think that the murders in Midgar and the attack are connected. I don't know about the murders in Midgar, but I'm certain that the boy's father killed his wife."
"Have you told Reeve about your theories?"
"No. I can't go to Reeve with theories. I need cold, concrete evidence. Without it, he has nothing to go on."
Vincent silently agrees. The waiter came back with to-go containers and leaves the pair alone again. Tifa and Vincent both gets up from the both at the same time and Vincent motions for Tifa to go in front of him. Tifa walks out first, with Vincent right behind her. Tifa walks over to her car and opens it. She reaches inside the back seat and grabs a plastic bag and hands it to Vincent.
"Thank you for everything, Alex."
Vincent nods and notices that she is gnawing at her bottom lip. "Ask whatever you want." Vincent pushes.
Tifa smiles sweetly. "How is it that you've known me for a few days and know when something's on my mind?"
Vincent shrugs and Tifa smiles. "Yes you do know!" She playfully hit his shoulder. He is starting to get mesmerized by her smile and laugh. Tifa is truly a kind-hearted, remarkable person.
"Ask whatever you want." Vincent repeats.
"I….would love to do this again sometime…..when my mind isn't occupied."
Vincent pauses before answering. "How about tomorrow? A movie maybe? This time, I'll pay. Don't think I didn't notice you paying the tab."
Tifa smiles and playfully rolls her eyes. This wasn't a date so what's the harm, right? "I'd love that. Do you know where the movie theater is?"
"No, but I'll find my way. You pick the time and the movie."
Tifa nods, wishes Vincent a good night, and walks towards the driver's side of her car. Vincent turns and walks towards his car, but turns around when he hears footsteps approaching him. It's Tifa and she stops in her tracks when she meets Vincent's eyes.
"I know that's not your real eye color. Your red eyes doesn't scare me." When Vincent doesn't respond, she smiles softly and kisses him on the cheek before running back to her car and drove off, not even letting the engine idle.
Vincent stands still for a mere moment before heading to his car and starting it up, recounting what just happened.