Chapter Thirty-One: Unexpected Siege

Aralyn reentered the kitchen, balancing a gray tub filled with dirty dishes in one hand and clutching the other to her cheek. She smiled sheepishly at the confused look Tifa gave her. "I um…dropped a glass."

"On your cheek?" Tifa asked, taking the dishes and immersing them in warm, soapy water. "How did you manage that?"

"It wasn't the glass…and I need a dustpan."

Sighing, Tifa handed her a small hand broom and the dustpan, knowing that Aralyn wouldn't let her take care of it. She was a voracious worker, and was stubborn to a fault to take care of herself, by herself. Often, she would work the full eight hours and then plead for overtime. Tifa had to draw the line at 10 p.m. and had insisted on paying her for the extra hours.

"What were your other jobs like?" Yuffie asked, directing the question at Aralyn but speaking so Tifa wouldn't turn and see her fist buried in the cookie jar.

"I worked a lot longer than this, and for a lot less," she said softly. "You are too generous with me."

"No, the others were just abusing you," Tifa interrupted. "You couldn't work for a big company or something?"

"No one would take me, so I took any chance I got."

Aralyn turned and exited the kitchen, kneeling and gently gathering the sparkling shards of glass safely into the dustpan. Yuffie noticed that the man at whose feet she worked was shouting at her, scolding her harshly while she meekly apologized again and again. As her hands were occupied, Yuffie and Tifa could see that the wound she had clutched before was a bright red patch in the shape of a human hand.

There was a strength in the way she held herself. Though humbly apologizing for an accident she probably hadn't even caused, and though she was bent over to sweep the floor, she was composed, serene, and soft-spoken.

"That woman has the patience of a saint," Tifa sighed. "Yuffie, take over her job and send her back here to cook with me."

"Ooh! Can I throw something at him? Please?"

"Aralyn would never forgive you. Just send her back."

"Meh," Yuffie spat disgustedly, but she did as she was told.

"I'm so sorry, Aralyn," Tifa said as she pulled a clean towel from a drawer. She filled a bowl with cool water and soaked the rag, gently dabbing her cheek with it.

"I'm fine, really." Aralyn seemed uncomfortable with the attention, so she looked around for a job she could complete. "What do you need done?"

"I want some company," she said simply. "Yuffie's no good for holding a conversation with and the stoic vampire," she gestured to Vincent, who was passing through the kitchen, "is even worse."

Vincent ignored the comment and continued on his way. Aralyn couldn't hold back a smile.

"All right," she said. "If that's where you need me!"

Aralyn's hands flew with the goal of being occupied every second. Dishes were cleaned quickly, but thoroughly, and loaves of dough were set out and stored to be baked when the oven was free. She spoke only when Tifa started a conversation, but was not stubbornly silent or unpleasant to be around.

More than once, Aralyn got a far away look in her eyes and Tifa heard her humming a melancholy tune that she recognized as a love ballad.

"You still love him, don't you?"

Aralyn raised her head from cleaning a large soup pot, looking panicked. Tifa continued, eager to soothe her. "I mean, I don't know who he is, and I promise I won't investigate unless I have your consent, but when you look like that, I know you're thinking of him."

Aralyn shrugged sadly and began to rub away at a grease stain. "Pathetic, isn't it?" She smiled grimly, silently laughing at some morbid joke. "You'd think I'd want to part ways after he left me…especially after he left me like he did…" She fingered her wedding band. "Yes, I still love him. He was…he is everything to me."

Tifa turned away after Aralyn remained silent for a while, but she thought she heard her whisper once more.

"…Does that make me as bad as he is…?"

"Hey, I need an order for five people! Two want barbeque wings and the others…"

Yuffie brought them back to work, and the pair began working side by side for the next few hours, neither speaking more of their past conversation.

It was always a relief when the customers trickled away gradually until the entire dining area was cleared, occupied only by close friends that had been allowed to stay. Aralyn baked the last of the dough, and as her final duty for the day, served her handiwork to all who lingered.

Marlene and Denzel thundered down the stairs, enjoying their release from the upper floor and using their freedom to frolic around the nearly deserted restaurant. When their bursts of energy had been spent, Marlene pulled Aralyn over to a table where Cloud, Cid, Barret and Vincent were playing a game of cards. Marlene pushed her into a chair, and then snuggled into her lap so she couldn't escape.

Yuffie peered over Vincent's shoulder, then compared whatever she had seen to Cid's cards. When she opened her mouth, Cid promptly opened his. "Keep yer findings to yerself!"

"Can I play?" Denzel asked, pulling up a chair beside Cloud. The blonde nodded and drew a small handful of cards and handed them to the boy. He gathered another deck and offered it to Aralyn.

"You want in?" he asked.

"What game?"

"Just 'go fish'. Cid and Barret get lethal with anything else."

"Spoons was the worst," Denzel groaned, gesturing to Barret's built in gun of an arm. "He nearly crushed Cloud's hand into powder."

Aralyn chuckled, but Marlene answered for her as she prepared her polite refusal. "She doesn't want to play because she knows she'd beat you hands down, and she wants to be a proper lady and preserve your dignity!"

"Suit yourself," Cid said, yelling out a very foul sounding insult as Vincent laid down a card. "Why you little…I'll git ya for that one!"

Vincent casually laid down another card, causing Cid to rise from his seat and pound his fists on the table. "That ain't fair!"

"You guys are boring," Marlene complained. She turned her large, expressive eyes up to Aralyn. "Could you play dolls with me?"

Aralyn smiled and brushed a stray lock of hair out of the girl's eyes. "I'd love to."

Skipping, Marlene took Aralyn's hand and pulled her up the stairs, already talking about the dolls that awaited them upstairs.

The game continued, Cid sending ineffective glares at the ever-emotionless Vincent. Tifa sat down, not joining the game but enjoying the watching.

After a minute of tense silence, Vincent calmly laid down another pair, causing Cid's most explosive reaction yet. "HE CHEATED! HE'S GOT LASER VISION OR SOMETHIN' CAUSE THERE AIN'T NO WAY…"

A knock on the door to the Seventh Heaven stopped Cid's outburst. Vincent was the first to react. Quickly, his three-barreled gun Cerberus was in his hand, his form tense and poised to react. "Vincent," Yuffie complained. "It's probably just a…"

Verian peered in through the glass, paling as he met Vincent's stare, but he did not retreat. Vincent frowned dangerously, opened the door, dragged the boy in and pinned him to the wall by his throat, using his clawed hand. Cerberus was pressed to his temple.

"Hey, ain't ya that kid that won't stop chasing Aralyn?" Cid asked. "'Cause I don't think I've ever seen anyone make him so mad before…"

"I…came to talk…"

"Aralyn will not speak with you," Vincent said, not releasing his grip. Aralyn, who had been returning down the stairs with Marlene's hand in hers stopped as she heard this. She faltered as she saw Verian, and when Vincent waved her away, she quickly gathered Marlene and retreated upstairs.

"So…you won't bargain?"

"At least let the guy down," Cloud urged. "He won't be going anywhere, and he can speak more coherently when his life isn't flashing before his eyes."

Vincent's eyes narrowed to burning slits but he complied. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"Can I just talk with her?" Verian pleaded. "Please, you can all stay here and watch but I need to…what was that?"

Some turned, but Vincent's eyes remained focused on Verian. "I'm serious!" he cried. "Someone was outside your window!"

Tifa opened the window he had gestured to and searched to her left and right, then below her in the bushes and above her in the sky. "No one."

"It was that silver-haired man, I know it!"

Cloud sat up straight, suddenly on edge.

"Very funny," Yuffie said. "None of those guys are stupid enough to come and attack while we're all gathered here."

"Not attack! He's after…"

Vincent silenced him with a threatening wave of Cerberus. "Hold your tongue, boy."

"Tifa? Tifa!"

Tifa stood, responding to Marlene's voice. "Yes?" she asked, somewhat disturbed by the sudden tension in the air.

"There was someone here and Aralyn…Aralyn…"