Broken Wings - Chapter Thirty One
When lunch hour came, Zack made his way to the small restaurant that was Shinra's most reliable establishment that didn't serve food out of a vending machine. He sat at a table, collapsing on the chair as he routinely did, and draping his feet across another. Drumming his fingers on the table, he waited for one of the nearby waitresses to take his order. It took a moment longer than usual; the women were involved in what was doubtless a riveting conversation. He took a moment to enjoy the classic white, black, and silver checkered décor, but soon became bored by it.
A girl with flaming red hair trimmed at her ears finally decided to attend to him. "Can I help you?" she asked, handing him a menu, which he returned. He knew what it held, and he wasn't here for any of it.
"Yes. I'm looking for a friend of mine. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and is about six inches shorter than you are. Know of anyone?"
"Sir, there are hundreds of girls in Shinra that…"
She was interrupted by a loud crash, followed immediately by the sound of shattered glass falling. A shrill cry sounded, though Zack was relieved to know that it seemed to be more out of surprise than actual pain. The waitress slammed the menu down on the table angrily, leaving him to attend to the matter. "Aralyn!" she shrieked.
The girl was sprawled out on her back, shards of porcelain and glass sprinkled around her, a server's tray abandoned near her head. Her eyes were hazy, and she seemed confused and disoriented. "Aralyn!" the red headed server screamed again. "Can't you do anything right? I just had to get a new set from the last time this happened!"
Zack stepped in, deftly maneuvering so he was between the waitress and the girl on the floor. "She may be injured, and all you can care about are a few dishes?" Zack waved her away. The waitress's cheeks flamed, and she pivoted and strolled away haughtily, huffing incoherent words as she left.
Zack turned to the girl, kneeling beside her and offering a hand. He smiled warmly, and kept his tone light. "Hey, you need a hand? Your name's Aralyn, right? I'm Zack Fair."
He gripped her hand firmly and pulled her up. She wavered, clutching her free hand to her head and moaning softly. "Hit your head?" Zack asked, supporting her and helping her to her feet. "Quite a fall you took. Could have been worse, though. You're lucky."
As her golden hair fell away from her face, his eyes widened. "Wait, you're Sephiroth's…" he stopped abruptly.
Aralyn gripped the wall to hold her up and Zack pulled away. "Thank you, Zack." She blushed red and averted her eyes.
"Hey, if I'm the only one with the decency to help, this place has got some issues."
"Aralyn!" the waitress's shrill voice called. "Get in here! Break's not for another hour!"
"I have to go," she said apologetically. "It was nice meeting you. And please don't tell anyone about…us. He wants it to be a secret."
Zack dragged two fingers across his lips and then tossed an imaginary key over his shoulder. "I will see you again, maybe after I file a complaint for that waitress. Has she always treated you this way?"
"It's nothing, really," she insisted, beginning to gather the shards with a broom.
"Is Sephiroth aware of how you are being treated?"
Aralyn blanched. "It's good for the waitress that he doesn't." She smiled wryly. "I might not have a manager the next day."
"Oh, you'd have her, but she'd be missing a few vital body parts and come to work in a particularly small cardboard box."
Aralyn smiled, and then laughed. He laughed along with her, then clapped her on the arm lightly and winked. "Catch you later."
She smiled and returned to her work. "Wait!" she called, looking up from her work. "You'll see Sephiroth later, won't you?"
"I could run into him, why?"
"Could you tell him I said hello?"
Zack nodded. "Will do."
A/N: To clear up some confusion, this is a SephirothOC fic...NOT ZackOC or VincentOC. I'm doing my best to portray Zack and Vincent as friends, not romantic interests. Maybe I'm not doing it enough...I'll work on that. This story, as I'm looking over my notes for future chapters, will turn out to be between 50 and 60 chapters...absolute max of 75. I am proud of myself! This is my 2nd longest fic to date, with the first being so abominable that I dare not post it. It has by far the most hits, favorites, reviews, and alerts (most of those are at least trippled from my second highest). Thank you for reading! I enjoy your feedback as much as I enjoy writing!