"That thing," the woman growled, baring her teeth just like the animal she was spearing with an accusing finger, "is not stepping inside my establishment."
Nanaki sat on his hunches, leveling a blank gaze on the small restaurant's owner. He curled his tail gracefully around his paws, trying to appear as tame and harmless as possible. He had been faced with this kind of situation countless times before.
"Nanaki won't hurt a fly," Aerith put in gently, trying to sound soothing and reasonable. They had all faced this situation countless times before.
The woman crossed her thin wiry arms under her bosom, chin tilted upwards obstinately. "I'm not putting my customers in any danger," she stated flatly.
Cloud sighed imperceptibly, moving his arm over his shoulder to readjust the leather straps holding his sword to his back. The restaurant's owner caught the movement and narrowed her eyes at the large weapon, but she dismissed it quickly in favor of glaring at Nanaki. It seemed to her that he was more dangerous than a group of warriors with mostly large and ostentatious weapons and bracers packed full with materia that glowed in the neon lights. Those could almost be considered customary.
"I assure you, they will not be in any danger," Nanaki pointed out, staring her in the eye.
The woman started in surprise, eyes wide and unbelieving. Nanaki was used to that as well.
"It can talk?" she finally said, voice hoarse.
"Yes, and I can think on a level with humans," Nanaki nodded, keeping a polite tone despite the annoyance slowly trickling to the surface. Being used to this never lessened the irk. "We've traveled a long way and are tired. Kindly let us in," he continued with more authority.
The woman, however, did not seem altogether convinced. She ignored the others as Barret and Cid both swore loud and clear with Yuffie whining and cursing in the background of their booming voices. Rather, she concentrated her attention on the silent ones, Cloud and Vincent, with all the instinct of a person used to working around dangerous characters of doubtful honesty.
"And if I don't?" she challenged, recollecting her wits enough not to let Nanaki's sudden show of intelligence upset her any more than it had already done.
"We won't do anything if you still refuse," Cloud said evenly, shrugging one shoulder wearily. It had been a long journey.
Following a sort of unspoken pattern they had adopted in this kind of situation, Nanaki watched passively as Tifa stepped forward, leaning closer to the owner conspiratorially. She whispered a few words in her ear –they all knew what it was- and pressed something in the owner's hands. With the 7th Heaven bar, Tifa was used to working around gil and knew how it could so easily sway another's mind. Nanaki smelled the restaurant owner's scent change from wary and obstinate to wary and delighted in a matter of seconds, and if he had thought it could help their situation, he would have copied Tifa's disgusted scowl when the owner turned around and reluctantly admitted them inside.
"You keep it under close watch," she hissed as Nanaki passed through the doorway, and he felt the fur along his back start to bristle despite himself. No matter how many times he heard it, faced it, this sort of association with a mindless, bloodthirsty beast was always very frustrating. He missed Cosmo Canyon just for that.