No Longer A Memory! – Chapter 3: Matchmaker Sephiroth
Chapter Summary: Sephiroth and Tifa on a date…
Author: Illusor Meaneld
Rated T: for Descriptive violence and injuries, No Adult Situations, No Cussing.
Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7. They are owned by Square-Enix, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) amusements.
I DO however own, the revised conceptual designs for some clothing, demons, and monsters, and "Namir" completely belongs to me so no stealing…
He picked up the sponge for the fifth time that evening, scrubbing the already spotless stove absent-mindedly. His thoughts poured over the events of the afternoon, not having managed a satisfactory explanation for the unique occurrences. He paused, looking down at the counter he was working over, and the sponge that was nearly as clean and practically worn through by his repetitious strokes. I really need to find something better to do with my hands… while I'm thinking… The swordsman decided wryly.
More than an hour had passed since Sephiroth and Vincent's attempts to 'meditate'. Though neither of them had been able to coax any more from the gunman's fifth voice 'Namir', both had been relieved that JENOVA had not interrupted again either. They'd given up trying to attain that mental 'calm'. Sephiroth was far too intrigued, and unnerved though he'd never admit it, about their newfound mental 'sharing' to wipe his mind clean of questions. So he'd decided to busy himself with something productive while his mind turned over the possibilities.
He still had yet to come across an answer when the phone rang. Slender fingers removed the receiver from the wall, and a calm "Valentine Residence… may I help you?" broke the stillness of the room. The voice on the other end was not at all what he was expecting.
"Tifa?" He paused for several moments as she spoke, "No that's… not a problem, Sure I can manage that. … Tonight? … Alright… I'll be there." Hanging up the phone Sephiroth turned to see Vincent standing in the doorway, one eyebrow raised in silent curiosity. Sephiroth had to chuckle, so many of the gunman's other friends had missed the stoic man's subtle expressiveness. A detail that amused the Ex-General to no end.
"Tifa wishes to speak to me…" He explained with a shrug, "It shouldn't take too long… but don't wait up alright?"
Vincent replied with a smirk, turning around and disappearing into his own room with a dismissive wave.
Half an hour later found Sephiroth standing outside a particularly intriguing establishment. There were small groups of well dressed people, mostly couples walking in and out leisurely. The front was decorated in small paper lanterns and climbing vines elaborating the spiraling pillars. The front doors were made of a beautiful mahogany with brass inlay and handles. A smartly dressed man was greeting the visitors as they passed. Feeling slightly under-dressed Sephiroth stepped forward, presenting his name to the door man. He was welcomed genteelly to the "La Cave", quietly ushered inside and informed that Tifa was waiting for him. Sliding past the candle-lit tables the Silver-haired man found himself standing before a booth with a certain brunette martial artist smiling up at him. Taking the opposite seat with remarkable grace he returned the grin.
"Not exactly what I was expecting… Miss Lockheart." He murmured softly with another glance at his elegant surroundings.
"Please, Call me Tifa." She responded with a shy smile.
"Tifa then… You wished to speak to me?"
"You've done an amazing job…" She began quickly, ignoring the slowly rising silver eyebrow. "I wanted to thank you."
"I do well at a good number of things…" Sephiroth returned with an amused chuckle, "but exactly which of my accomplishments are you referring to?"
"Vincent of course!" Tifa returned, rolling her eyes at his boast. "I've never seen anyone else pull him so completely out of his shell before. It's really quite remarkable. He's engaged in all sorts of activities these days, and visits far more regularly than before."
Sephiroth held up a forestalling hand, "Miss Lockheart… Tifa… while I can fully appreciate your … gratitude, is this not just a bit… much perhaps, for a simple thanks?" He pointedly eyed their surroundings, the upper class restaurant with foreign waiters and cooks.
Tifa had the frame of mind to flush slightly, "I also wanted to talk…"
"About what?"
"Well… I guess I just don't know you very well. I mean, after all you've done and been through, I only really knew your clone right? It seems a little… unfair."
Sephiroth smiled patiently, "Alright… I suppose that works."
Tifa sighed in relief, twitching her lip back into a smile, "Good. Now then, can I call you 'Seph'?" the swordsman nodded, "So Seph, You and Vincent do mercenary work for a living correct?" at another affirmative indication, she continued. "How has that been working for you?"
"I admit it's very enjoyable work, and it pays pretty well all things considered. Allows both Vincent and myself to stay in shape and release any pent up frustrations at the same time. It's something we're both good at."
"I see…"
"May I have a turn Tifa?"
"Of course Seph, what would you like to know?"
"How has Zackary been settling with you and Cloud?"
Tifa flushed darkly, her gaze dropping quickly to her plate, she was saved from answering immediately by their waiter who stopped by to collect their orders. The "La Cave" was rather famous for its steaks, a fact which Sephiroth did not miss, and took full advantage of. After the waiter disappeared, and while they waited for their food, the small-talk continued, Sephiroth responded politely, not quite certain exactly why Tifa seemed so flustered, and when the meal came it really was quite delicious, Living up to the reputation it had earned for it's steaks. Once they had finished the Idle conversation picked up where it had left off, Though Sephiroth was quickly becoming suspicious after Tifa dodged the fifth question having to do with Cloud.
"You know, … this isn't going to work." Sephiroth interrupted her stammering.
"What?" Tifa jolted slightly in her seat, "What's not going to work?"
"This… Cloud is just a little dense to be Jealous Tifa."
Her eyes widened in shock before her gaze dropped with her hands to her lap. "Am I that obvious?" she asked in a small voice,
"I know what to look for." He murmered with a smile,
"Oh…" Tifa met his gaze once more, "But I really am grateful for what you've done with Vincent!"
"Of course…" Sephiroth allowed patiently, "And I'm not mad that you're doing this… Cloud is awful clueless."
"Sorry." Tifa muttered sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it." Sephiroth chuckled, "Now … there are better ways to catch his attention."
Tifa's eyebrow raised, "What would you suggest?"
"Firstly, Cloud is just about as dense as any young man. You can't expect him to notice you by hinting, even if it's incredibly blatant. Just go out and say it!"
"But I HAVE said it!" Tifa protested in exasperation.
"Beat it into him." The swordsman continued.
"That will work?"
"It worked when he was a Trooper…" the general responded with a shrug. "Just don't aim for his face, that tends to make him MORE addled instead of less-so."
"mmmm" the brunette responded softly, mulling over the information.
"Be attentive too, more so than usual. He'll probably enjoy a good listener, and be insistent with date suggestions. Don't let him wheedle out for anything if you can help it. Pick HIM up if you need to. That works better on cold-feet than any other cure devised."
"Wait… wait…" Tifa interrupted suddenly, "How do YOU know all of this? You don't date do you?"
Sephiroth laughed aloud. "No, no… but you can't be the GENERAL of an entire army without having to listen to all the young men. You wouldn't want them going into a battle with their minds on the girls they left behind would you? I had to be able to multitask just about everything during the wars."
"Multitask?" the martial artist repeated curiously,
"I know something about nearly any subject you could name."
"ANY subject?" Tifa inquired, her eyes filling with mischief.
Sephiroth smirked, leaning forward to rest his chin on his entwined fingers, "Try me."
"Alright then…" She paused for the barest of moments, "Sewing?"
Sephiroth snorted, "Oh Please… we were in a war! It's not like we had maids running around to sew up our uniforms! Give me some credit!"
"Sorry… you're right." Tifa relented, laughing, "Cooking?"
"I do lunch, Vincent does dinner."
"Broken Bones?"
"Emergency surgeons can't be everywhere… I even set one of my own in the middle of a siege once."
"Dang… I thought that one had just been a rumor…"
"Nope…" Sephiroth chuckled, "Next?"
"Interior decorating?"
"You think I'd let Shinra put furniture in my office?"
Tifa paused to consider the colors and styles used in the majority of the Shinra tower, "Point…" she admitted, "Makeup?"
"I'm assuming you're discounting the army slap-dash?" Tifa nodded with a snicker, and Sephiroth returned a grin. "Well I had to do stage makeup for a lot of Shinra's promotional pieces. It wasn't too hard to learn to do it myself… faster that way."
"Okay okay…" Tifa's smiled wickedly, "I think I've got one… Birthing! Have you ever had to stand by while a Mother was giving birth?"
"Ha!" Sephiroth half-shouted, startling several other nearby tables, "Stand by? I delivered THREE!"
"WHAT?" Tifa yelped, half-rising from her seat.
Sephiroth shrugged, still grinning, "Well we were occupying the town, and the local doctor had been killed by shrapnel three months back, I was the only one available with any qualifications."
The young woman gaped at him for several long moments before slowly sinking back into her seat, "Wow… I can't believe it… three?"
"Three."
"Okay, okay… I give up!" Tifa raised her hands in surrender, "You've done everything. So what am I supposed to do to get Cloud to notice me?"
Sephiroth sat back, his eyes narrowing in thought, "By the way, where is Cloud right now?"
"Oh I asked Zack to keep him occupied." She responded dismissively.
"Wait… Zack?" Sephiroth raised one eyebrow in disbelief.
"Yeah…" Tifa frowned, "why? What's wrong?"
Sephiroth didn't answer, instead his gaze traveled slowly around the room, settling on a mirror behind the bar. "Tifa?"
"Yeah?" she hesitated brows drawn in suspicion.
"Can I borrow your cup of coffee?" He gestured to the half-full, and still steaming mug resting before the young woman.
"Um…"
But before she could respond, Sephiroth had snatched up the cup and emptied it's contents over the plant divider beside him with a practiced toss. Tifa half stood in shock arms reaching in futility for her now empty cup.
"AAAAAAUUUUGHH!!" Two male voices cried out in unison, as the two occupants of the booth adjacent sprung up, attempting to fling the hot coffee from their clothing.
"Good evening Zack." Sephiroth responded evenly as the raven-haired man glared at him.
"CLOUD???" Tifa half-yelped, staring at the sheepish and very red spikey-haired blonde.
Zack realized the trouble he would no doubt be in momentarily, "RUN CLOUD!! Run For your LIFE!!" He cried, already sprinting for the door, ignoring the protests of the other guests and waiters.
"CLOUD!!!" Tifa growled, the anger in her voice audibly rising. Cloud decided to take his friend's advice. Tifa sighed dejectedly, watching her should-be boy friend's undignified dash towards the door. "This ruins everything" She murmured in a choked voice,
"Actually not…" Sephiroth returned reassuringly, "If anything I think your chances just went up."
Tifa raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "How??"
"He's dense Tifa… but not blind or deaf. He KNOWS you came here to make him jealous, and it'll take him at least a weak to figure out why, but he WILL figure it out." He chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head at the image of the two young men booking it to the exit. "Come on, I'll take you home. And I'll send you an e-mail of pointers in the morning. 'Matchmaker Sephiroth'… I'll show you I AM good at everything."