Chapter 5: His Job
"So, do tell how you met our Zachary." Genesis smiled behind the rim of his glass, they were at Tifa's bar after she told them where she worked and that they could talk there undisturbed. Johnny was helping her anyhow so she was mostly free to chat with the men before her.
Angeal smirked and Sephiroth looked quite interested as he leaned forward slightly, his eyes curious and filled with mirth.
Tifa briefly glanced at Zack's spirit, he shrugged and said:" Uh…just make something up! Tell them we…met at a park or something!" Tifa rolled her eyes at the comment and answered with a smile:" Oh, well you see, we…he was at a mechanic's shop, I used to work there aside from running my bar, a friend of mine was willing to employ me. And…he was looking for some new parts for his motorcycle so I helped him with getting what he wanted."
Tifa blushed in embarrassment from making up such a cliché story, thankfully the men interpreted it as shyness on her part.
She cleared her throat and continued:" Well, he came back the next day and he asked for my number, I found him really attractive so I-I gave him my number and we met up to go to the movies. He…was a real gentleman, he even paid the tickets and food for me but I told him not to. He was so stubborn. In the end we often met up and were good friends, almost the best. After a while he asked me to be his girlfriend so…I said yes."
She nervously fiddled with her fingers, oh hell she was nervous. What if the story was so cliché and weird that they didn't believe her? I mean, come on, a mechanic shop?
"You can do better than that Lockhart!" she scolded herself, watching closely as smiles grew on the men's faces.
Angeal chuckled and said:" That sure sounds like our puppy. I'm still surprised how he managed to court you, I mean he's known to attract the female population a lot but..." Sephiroth and Genesis laughed at the remark.
Zack shook his head and rubbed his face with his hand, he muttered in exasperation:" Great, now I'm a womanizer and a pervert to boot…" he wished he could kick Angeal's shin for that. Tifa giggled at hearing the teasing remarks.
Suddenly Zack remembered about something Tifa said while she was telling Angeal, Sephiroth and Genesis about how they first "met". With crossed arms he bumped his shoulder against hers lightly and said with wiggling eyebrows:" Hoho, so you think I'm attractive huh?"
His grin was positively devilish as he asked her that, his blue eyes twinkling in mirth. Tifa thought her face took on several shades of red, she turned her back to the trio of men who were conversing with each-other quietly while she pretended to wipe a glass clean.
She hissed under her breath:" S-stop it! I-It was just an a-act!" she was even more embarrassed at the heating of her cheeks, she tried hiding it with her hair but it was no use, he kept trying to meet her gaze. He teased her with a mock tone:" Weeeeell, I'm not so sure about that you see. I'm handsome after all…" he rubbed his knuckle against his chest and Tifa shot him a small, playful glare.
Men…
Her thoughts on the SOLDIER were interrupted when Angeal suddenly asked her seriously, in a hushed whisper:" Tifa…I'm sorry to ask but, you do know what Zack's…occupation is…right?"
Tifa found herself being stared down seriously by the three sitting men, she swallowed. Was she allowed to say she knew however limited her knowledge was? Would that get her into trouble?
She looked at Zack from the corner of her eyes, his arms were crossed and he was leaning against the bar counter on her side, he sent her a reassuring nod, his face serious. She took a calming breath and also said in a hushed tone:" He told me…but not everything."
Genesis' eyes narrowed and he asked:" What exactly did he tell you?" Tifa's nervousness skyrocketed, but she forced herself to calm down.
She answered almost hesitantly:" He said he was a First Class SOLDIER working for Shinra, he didn't tell me anything else." She sighed in relief when it was surprisingly Sephiroth whose expression softened and he said:" Don't worry, we won't arrest you or anything. We just wanted to know if he already told you or not, to know not to surprise you if you hear us talking about it."
Tifa smiled at Sephiroth's explanation, nodding her thanks to him. Angeal smirked and said with a eye roll:" Well, that only means that we will have to protect and take care of you in Zack's stead." Tifa sent him a warm smile and said:" Well, I do hope he recovers soon."
Tifa had to ask in curiosity:" Do tell what is Zack's position in Shinra really? I mean, I know about SOLDIER but what exactly do they do there?" she rested her elbows on the counter top as she listened intently.
Angeal supplied helpfully:" You see, Zack, along with us, is a First Class SOLDIER. There are three ranks one can achieve when he's been accepted into the SOLDIER program; Third, Second and First Class.
The Thirds are usually the new recruits, most of them are 18 or even older they are trained by the Seconds so they can do easy missions and earn a living. The Seconds are the more powerful, experienced members, they usually already worked for Shinra for at least two till three years by the time they get promoted. Of course, it could also last a lot longer before you get promoted.
Lastly, there are us, the Firsts. We are the strongest, a small elite group of SOLDIER. In the past there were only me, Genesis and Sephiroth but not too long ago, Zack also joined our rank." He said that with a hint of pride in his tone when he mentioned Zack.
Tifa's eyes widened slightly as she took everything in. Only four of them were elites? She suddenly had a newfound respect for Zack, said man was grinning sheepishly and rubbing his head when she quickly looked at him.
The barmaid asked:" How comes there are only four of you? That's pretty small compared to the company's actual number of members." Was SOLDIER really so difficult?
Genesis nursed his drink before he answered nonchalantly:" Not everyone is cut out to join SOLDIER, milady. SOLDIER is a difficult paramilitary institution, is difficult enough to even pass the entrance exams for SOLDIER let alone rise up in rank. Zack wasn't always the best of the best, in fact, none of us would have thought the pup would even make Second." He smirked when he said that.
Tifa heard Zack grunt from beside her in annoyance. He said:" Well, damn, no sooner am I in a coma and my friends start trash talking me." Tifa sent him a quick, reassuring smile though she knew he was just joking…mostly.
Angeal's expression sobered slightly as he rose a glass and announced quietly:" Let's all hope Zack recovers soon." The four raised a glass and drank on Zack's recovery, Tifa smiled when she saw Zack had also raised a glass, seemingly from nowhere, and drank too.
Her eyes narrowed when she noticed Zack tensing all of a sudden and turning around abruptly, the muscles in his arms bulging.
Tifa followed Zack's gaze and in turn the three males before her also turned to look. There was a man that had caught Zack's attention and it seemed to have shocked him to the core.
Zack's blue eyes widened in shock at the man that was making his way towards Tifa, he almost choked on the next words as he said the name of the man who used to work with him for Shinra:" Cloud."
"Cloud?" Tifa exclaimed in surprise when she saw Cloud, far too early in her bar. His shift wasn't due till ten, now it was barely seven.
The blonde's blue eyes narrowed when he saw the familiar faces sitting opposite of Tifa, he asked in a low almost threatening voice:" What are you doing here?"
Cliffhangeeeer! *.* I do hope you forgive me ladies and gentleman! Sometimes suspense is the best kind of feeling to give a reader when another chapter is successfully updated! Don't worry, THIS time, I shouldn't take so much time to upload another chapter, though I won't make any promises! Please review and tell me what you think! ;)
DISCLAIMER: The movie this story is LOOSELY based on belongs to its rightful owner! The characters of the game Final Fantasy 7, Crisis Core, AC all belong to Square Enix! I just own the plot!
