Prompt: #40 Mistake

Summary: We all make them.

Mistake

In a house with an energetic boy and a man who was powered with Jenova cells, there were already plenty of instances where accidents happened. Denzel, now fully healed from the Geostigma and able to enjoy simply being a kid, ran around for just about any reason while Cloud sometimes didn't realize his own strength when moving about. She's also used to having plenty of accidents while her friends were visiting too. They were a riotous bunch and she loves them dearly, so she's learned to prepare for any clean up of any mistakes that would most likely happen. Not to mention, she owned a bar. Bars were not synonymous with calm and accident free zones. This made the phrase, "Oops" a very common place in her life. She just wasn't the one who was usually saying it.

The night had started out busier than normal. There were a few more patrons than was typical for a Wednesday night. One group in particular was new and had only been coming for the last couple of nights. The first night, they had been a little careful around her but their eyes had often wandered to her in that way she was used to. That, appreciative and lustful kinda look. But again, she was barmaid and those kinds of looks were part of the job too. So long as it stayed to just the looks and not touching, she was okay with that. Groups like these weren't unusual given that her and her friends were sort of famous. People tended to come from long distances to get a good look at them. Then, the second night this group came in, they were a little more bold in watching her. Not that they were out right disrespectful, but there was just a vibe coming from them that told her that they would eventually become trouble. Now, it was their third night at the bar and they were looking like they were going to try something that would get them all into trouble. Working in the occupation that she has, for as long as she has, she has a sense about these things and she hoped that she was wrong. She usually wasn't wrong and she had not been wrong this time either.

The thought had occurred to her to call Cloud to let him know, just to give him a heads up, except that these guys were nothing she couldn't handle on her own. If these guys were smart, they would already know that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. They weren't smart. They didn't get that she didn't need a bodyguard to show them how not to act in her bar and they started getting rowdy and belligerent. Not to mention they decided to get handsy.

She tried to warn them. She tried reason with them, hoping that they would get the hint. Of course they didn't. Alcohol and male testosterone are seldom a good mix and before long, one had grabbed at her bottom while the others had jeered their encouragement. Then the trouble began. Not just a little bit of trouble, but a lot. When another had tried to grab her breast, she had reached out and viciously twisted his arm, popping his shoulder from it's socket. The others did not like that and while a couple of regulars had tried to diffuse the situation, it quickly got even more out of control. Those would be protectors had been thrust aside rather painfully before the group had decided to try and corner her against the bar.

Then, it was on.

Bully her customers would they?

Disturb her bar would they?

Grab her ass, would they?

In that moment before she got serious, she reasoned that it was about time to reassert her reputation and let everyone else know that she was not to be messed with. Not because she was living with Cloud Strife. Not because she was a member of AVALANCHE. But because she was not to be trifled with, and no matter if Cloud was there or not. Yes, Cloud had her back but that was the point. He was at her back. He was not in front and everyone needed to know that. So, with a long suffering sigh, she reached into her apron and expertly slide on her gloves.

She gives them some credit in that they didn't all go down too easily, but down they went and not softly. She made sure of that too. During the course of their scuffle, a couple of them found themselves thrown through a wall and into the outside bumpster, resulting in more damage than she preferred to have in her place of business. Not that she could have prevented it because once the adrenaline got going, there was no stopping it and she was not in the mood to be kind any longer to these lechers. By the time all the trash had been taken out, there were several large holes decorating her walls, a couple of ceiling lights that needed to be replaced and about a handful of chairs, stools and tables too. She was just taking in all this damage when Cloud made his entrance from the back, finally returning from a long distanced delivery. She watched his sharp eyes take in the scene before him.

"I'm home," he greeted, turning a questioning gaze to her.

Then, it was finally her turn to look at him with a guilty smile and say, "Oops."