Chapter 28: The Big Night
March 10, 0008
The night before the election, Tobin and I went on a date. It was the underground bowling alley in Nibelheim. He clearly had been traumatized watching his cousin poisoned like that, so I figured he needed to get his mind off of it. I dressed super-sexy, wearing my boots, striped crop top, and a pair of tight low-rise leather pants. They were quite uncomfortable, but, given the fact that I was also wearing vanilla perfume, which is known to get men horny, I figured it would be two hours tops before we went back home and our clothes came flying off.
We made out all the way down the escalator. I liked how Tobin was on the step above me; it made me feel shorter compared to him. I also liked how he ran his hands on the skin on my lower back left exposed by my crop top; it sent chills up my spine. This was going to be a good night.
And then, the first person I saw at the bottom of the escalator was Yuffie.
"Wow," she said. "That was sexy."
I knew she would interrupt our date with her Yuffie-banter.
"Hey, Yuffie," I politely greeted.
"What brings you here?" Tobin asked.
"Just here to bowl," she replied.
"By yourself?" I asked her.
"Okay," she confessed. "I'm also here to scout out the guys."
"And those posters," Tobin began.
I quickly saw what he meant.
All along the wall, there were posters advertising The Yuffie Show.
"What's The Yuffie Show?" I naturally asked.
"My own stand-up," Yuffie replied. "I've decided to quit stealing for good and instead do comedy. I'll be fuxy!"
Tobin and I looked toward each other in bewilderment.
"Fuxy?" I asked, allowing my skepticism to be audible in the tone of my voice.
"It means funny and sexy at the same time," she clarified.
"Did you make that word up yourself?" I asked.
Yuffie nodded.
"Copyright it," I commanded.
"You guys plan on voting?" she then asked.
I don't know why she asked. Yuffie was, of course, below voting age.
"Of course," I replied.
"So how does this thing work, anyway?" Yuffie asked. "Whoever gets the most votes wins?"
"There's eight official districts," I answered. "Gongaga, Costa del Sol, Nibelheim, Rocket Town, North Corel, Cosmo Canyon, Wutai, and Xing."
"I'm aware," Yuffie said.
"If Tifa gets half the population eighteen and up to vote for her, she gets the district. If Jack Balen gets half the population eighteen and up to vote for him, he gets the district. And whoever gets a majority of the districts, that's five, by the way, wins the election."
Yuffie continued to stare at me blankly.
"What happens if neither of them gets half the adults to vote for them?" she asked.
"Then that district abstains," I replied.
"And what happens if neither gets a majority of the districts?" Yuffie asked.
"Then the Lower House decides the next president," I explained.
"Wow," Yuffie said. "This is complicated!"
I again spotted the posters for The Yuffie Show. It was to be held at the Nibelheim Playhouse, next to the diner. It read how it started the great Yuffie Kisaragi and that admission was 200 gil.
Then, at the bottom, read, underlined, capitalized, and bold:
BY PURCHASING A TICKET, YOU HAVE AGREED NOT TO SHARE THE SHOW'S HILARIOUS DETAILS, IN PERSON OR ON SOCIAL MEDIA. CELL PHONES AND CAMERAS ABSOLUTELY NOT PERMITTED!
Tobin look at me, as if to say:
"What the hell is she up to?"
THE NEXT EVENING…
March 11, 0008
I voted for Tifa, of course; it's no big secret. Everyone in our group voted for Tifa except for Sage and Yuffie, who were below voting age.
Once the voting was done, everyone went home to watch everything unfold on TV. There were few exceptions, one occurring in the double house on the western side of the square.
Tifa was standing in the kitchen, looking out the back window. Outside was the back patio. Beyond that was the pool. Beyond that was a series of apple trees. Beyond that was where the grass grew taller, signifying the boundary of Nibelheim, and safety.
And, there was a chance that this would shortly no longer be her home. Of course, her father was alive, due to the changed timeline, so technically, it was his house.
Cloud approached behind his wife, and wrapped his arms round her.
"What's on your mind?" he asked.
"Ever been on a night swim?" she suddenly asked.
"Not that I remember, he replied.
She turned around, and smiled at him.
"How would you like to change that?" she asked.
A few minutes later, the two of them were out back in their swimwear. Cloud was in his black trunks; Tifa had changed into a light-blue bikini. It was brand-new; she had burned her previous bikini bottoms on her wedding day, as they read "Lockheart" on the butt. I now have my own of those, FYI.
"Follow my lead," she commanded as she led him to the pool, reminding him gently that she wore the pants in that relationship. Cloud didn't mind, of course, as he got a generous view of his bikini-clad wife.
The pool was not nearly as cold as he had expected. They swam around for a few minutes before Tifa swam up to her lifelong friend and placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Kiss me," she commanded.
"You think anyone will see us?" Cloud asked.
"One, nothing's coming off in the pool," Tifa replied. "Two, polls are closed. Three, I'm on my private property with my husband."
He pressed his lips against hers.
"And four, all the lights are off," she said before kissing him again, putting her tongue against his.
They spent the next two hours making out in the pool. True to her word, nothing came off in the pool, but neither of them minded. I mean, what's wrong with just making out? It happens between Tobin and I all the time. It's a great way to express your love without letting your lust get the best of you. Still, they ran their hands up and down each other's bare skin, which alone was a hot moment, regardless of the fact that their private parts remained covered.
The bond was deep, and that was what mattered.
And, as Tifa had predicted, nobody else noticed.
Eventually, they did get out of the pool. They dried themselves off and walked, hand in hand, back into their house.
Tifa shut and locked the door. She then began closing all the curtains.
"What's going on" Cloud asked.
"Need to free my girls," she said.
With a smile, Tifa reached behind, undid her bikini top, and tossed it aside.
"I mean, everyone says my boobs are pretty nice, so why not show them off for my husband?"
Cloud smiled.
Then, the smile faded.
"I've been told my butt's pretty nice, so why not show it off for my boyfriend?"
Tifa immediately noticed something was amiss.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "You okay?"
"Just fine," he said.
"You need a hug!" she announced with a smile.
Tifa hugged him, pressing her exposed breasts against his chest.
"Your skin feels good. Let's go to the couch," she said as she began to lead him again. "I want to hold you."
She did just that. The bikini bottoms stayed on the whole time.
Disappointed? Well, don't be surprised. Cloud was in no mood; Tifa had accidentally reopened an old wound.
I'll get to that later.
