Cloud stared blankly at Barrett
Barrett stared blankly back at Cloud
"What the hell is planetology?" The big man asked in confusion.
'Okay, he definitely doesn't remember me.' Cloud thought. Another bust, another friend turned into a stranger. It wasn't great but he could roll with the hits. It was more or less what he had expected after all.
'Put your business face on, Strife.' The blonde scolded himself, trying to recover. "Time to stick it to Shinra and get yourself a ticket off the continent.'
"Planetology," Cloud repeated, as if he hadn't just ran through an entire dialogue in his mind. "It's the idea that all life returns to the Gaia as energy – People, plants, animals. All of it into a river of consciousness that will one day result in rebirth. The Lifestream some people call it. And some believe that mako is its physical manifestation."
Barrett was now looking at him like he had grown a second head but at least Dyne and the village elder were trying to keep an open mind. Even if they looked just as confused as their friend. But since Strife Delivery was basically the biggest business to come through North Corel outside of coal mining, they were probably trying to be practical and not insult the crazy thirteen year old.
"Where….are you going with this Mr. Strife?" The elder named Fritz asked, trying to be polite but just as confused as his companions.
"The other countries have different names for it but that's essentially the jist," Cloud continued, hoping to keep their attention for just a little longer. "As you can tell it has very religious and spiritual connotations behind it. Outside of Shinra, most superpowers don't mess with it due to the backlash they'd receive for touching the stuff. So they look towards other means of getting power."
That seemed to strike their interest at least. Due to Shinra's propaganda, most people in the western country weren't even aware that there were other sources of energy besides mako. Now that Cloud dropped the bait, it was time to reel in the hook.
"The different methods they use vary, of course." The blonde continued, mind racing a thousand miles a second. Even after spending weeks preparing for this little presentation, he still felt like he was coming in half-assed. It wasn't do or die, but it certainly would go a long way in pushing his plans forward. "Some used solar power, like in Cosmo Canyon." That got some surprised looks, that he ignored, pushing onward. "The continent of Valhalla's main source of energy comes from the use of natural bodies of water. To make 'hydro-power' as it's called there. Spira's fond of natural and magical air to fuel their airships and floating islands. Eos is in a state of constant territorial war among competing kingdoms over magical crystals that provide unlimited mana. So much energy is generated from one, that a single crysta could light the city of Midgard for years by itself."
This caused silence among the men, as Cloud let them digest his words. He was going to lead them towards the right conclusion but it would go a long way if they arrived at it on their own. Made him seem less like a manipulator that way. As he took a breath to continue, a voice across the table spoke up.
"And that's why you're here," Dyen stated, not questioned. Clearly reading a few chapters ahead of Cloud's smoke show theatrics. Damn he was sharp! The former merc would have smiled, if he didn't think it'd make him look like a sleazebag before the miners. "That's the whole reason you're giving us the economics lesson. You're about to drop the other shoe. We got something comparable to what these bigshots have and you want it." Putting his hands on the table and leaning his full weight forward, he had an inscrutable look about him. "As a mining town, that answer is obvious. Question is, why should we give it to you?"
"Whoa, Dyne! He's just a kid, relax a little," Barrett admonished his friend, with a hand on his shoulder and giving him a shake, nearly throwing the man off his chair. Annoyed, Dyne shook him back with equal force. Good old Barrett, the friend to all children, even the fake kids like Cloud. He'd feel honored, if the former merc didn't see right through their good-cop bad-cop act. "He's coming to us in good faith, no need to think he's trying to get one over on us. Let's just hear the rest of what Cloud's got to say. And if we don't like it, we'll kick his ass."
Ah, good old Barrett.
"Please ignore them and continue," said the Elder politely, interrupting the roughhousing going on beside him with a quick swat of his cane. Shaking his head slightly at the failed 'sugar and vinegar' tactic, he gestured for Cloud to resume his spiel. Though the older man still had a confused look in his eyes. That was fine, because it told him he needed to change tactics. Which was good, because as much as he was enjoying the horseplay in front of him, it was time to get things back on track.
"As you gentlemen have already guessed, Corel's famous coal mines are a source of energy," Cloud decided to drop the lead early. He made a mistake getting too fancy with his presentation, the miners were getting suspicious of him because of it. It was better to be more direct with them. He had almost forgotten what it was like to not have to lie all the time. "You guys have an abundance of the black rock and I know a few people that would love to pay top dollar for it. So let's make a deal, that'll make everyone happy."
Back in his timeline, Barrett had dedicated a significant part of his later life to finding alternative sources of energy to use. Anything to help ease the consumption of mako without throwing modern civilization back into the stone age. And the man had been very successful in that endeavor. Shinra, after all, had a detailed record of all the alternative energy sources that they tried burying over the years.
Corporate monopoly was scary thing
Seven years researching the vast oil fields and its suppositories in Mideel for machinery. Which became a veritable goldmine for Cid and Shera once they got their hands on it. Nanaki would inform them of the solar energy panels in Cosmo Canyon that were used to make clean energy, which almost got the gunman spitting mad at the time and caused some fists and paws to go flying. Hydroponics in Wutai, much to Yuffie's confusion, which they found out was one of the reasons Shinra attacked the far western country in the first place. And finally, secret development of coal and steam powered energy for Corel. By its teengers of all people, which is why Barrett didn't know anything about it at the time. It turned out to be the real culprit behind why the mega-corporation burned the town in the first place, the terrorist attack just being a good excuse.
The last part gave a bit of closure to the big man, helping him realize that no matter what decision he made, Shinra would have always brought ruin to his home, and that the tragedy wasn't really his fault.
While his main reason for all this work was to provide Marlene a better world to live in, the revelation of what happened to his hometown would light a fire in Barrett. The man would spend years researching the application of coal as a kind of posthumous middle finger to the fallen company. And a would give Rufus Shinra an actually "fuck you" when his hard work began to eclipse the blonde man. It was depressing to realize years later that burning coal was pretty bad for the planet. Not as bad as using the souls of the dead to fuel you coffee machines, but still not great.
But hey, alternative energy was still alternative energy.
"And in broad terms, what kind of deal are you offering," Dyne asked, looking like he was relaxing a little after Cloud got to the point. Definitely a better way to approach this. Honest men required honest responses.
"Fifty-fifty." Cloud said promptly, not mashing his words. "Your town mines it, as usual, and Strife Deliveries ships it. Clean and easy. Each group eats the overhead costs that may come up on their side of the fence. And everyone walks away happy."
"Sound like it's more in your favor then ours, spikey," Barrett grumbled, eyeing him a little more closely now. "A little too lopsided in your direction, I reckon. Seems like we got the resources you need, so all the cards are in our hands. Better yet, why not just cut out the middleman and sell it ourselves?"
All three men look at the blonde expectantly. It would have been intimidating, if their intentions weren't so clearly written on their faces. They were just trying to play hardball with him. And they weren;t masking it well. It was a problem that plagued Barrett at every poker game, which was apparently why the man wore sunglasses in the first place. His eyes were just too expressive. They probably thought the deal was extremely fair, to be honest, and any unexpected windfall for their poor town was a blessing. It was why the leaders of their community were meeting with Cloud in the first place, his little company dangled potential jobs for their youths.
Still, these men weren't stupid. Coal was a known resource, and they were already selling it for its highest value. But Cloud was implying it could go higher. They didn't know by how much but knew enough to try and fight for every percentage.
You didn't become the leader of your people by being a gullible schmuck, after all. In the countryside, whole towns were known for getting wiped out because of weak leadership. It was just a natural consequence of living in a country where monsters were known to roam the land eating people for food. Or in the case of the Tonberries, just killing for fun. It wasn't all life and death though. This survival instinct and strong leadership carried into other aspects of leadership to ensure their towns survival. In this case, business transactions, and by extension the town's finances.
All the same, Cloud needed that money, so he was going to have to be a bit of a dick.
"I think I'm being too generous," he opened, watching as the men's backs stiffened. "I'm bringing more to the table after all. As far as I know, I'm the only game in the region when it comes to transportation, especially in bulk. Have you seen my ship? Just imagining how much money you'd have to spend to hire out individual merchants, just to move everything one at a time. Makes me dizzy imagining all the gil. Sure, you can ask Shinra to ship you goods, but I don't think they're going to look very kindly on you trying to muscle in on their energy monopoly. Pretty sure they started a war with Wutai because the country was cutting into their bottom line."
A bit of a scare tactic, but it definitely rang true. One thing people will never underestimate is Shinra's capacity to screw people over.
Cloud let his words sink in, before he put the cherry on top.
"Do you guys even know who you're supposed to sell the coal to?" He asked rhetorically, knowing his current advantage was only due to old world Barrett's hard work. It was also the reason why he was going to have to sell the mineral instead of using it himself. One, he knew the basic mechanics, and some of the higher functions. But knowing and doing were not the same. He could kick himself for not paying more attention to the WRO's later research into the stuff when he had a chance. But man was the gunman boring when he was trying to explain the innovations! And two, he really didn't have the time or patience to be messing around with the stuff, and building the necessary infrastructure. Who knows? The world might blow up next week after all. He had better things to do. "Because the people I'm thinking of, don't exactly advertise their interest to the general public. Here's a hint: they don't exactly live in the same vicinity as us westerners."
"All good points," Fritz acknowledged, but not exactly agreeing. Cloud had to blink at that, wondering what the old man was playing at. He had thought they would keep trying hard to get, maybe throw in some other gripes to wear him down and get him to agree to concession out of sheer annoyance. It had been Barrett's favorite method of getting him to do things in the past, after all. Turning to his fellow townspeople, he continued. "What do you boys think? Should we still try to go at it on our own?"
Oh, they were going to rebut his arguments but to each other. Tifa sometimes did this when she thought he was being intransigent, asking the kids what they thought Cloud did wrong and making sure he was close by to hear their answers. It was a way to call him out on his words and actions but not be confrontational about it. It was surprisingly effective most of the time, usually leaving him feeling like an ass. These miners really had this team work aspect down pat.
"It'd take us longer, but it would be worth the effort in the long run," Dyne mused slowly, keeping one eye on Cloud's reaction. Seeing that he wasn't blowing his top or falling to his knees ready to compromise, the older man continued. "And Shinra wouldn't bother with us, there in the middle of a war, like he said. Even if every shipment was worth a million gil, it'd still be just a drop in the bucket for them. What's valuable to us, wouldn't be worth the effort to them."
Not at all true. Even in a world where Shinra wasn't top dog because of all the global superpowers on the other continents, they fought pretty hard to maintain their position on Gaia. Which basically meant hoarding all profitable business ventures and squishing any potential upstarts under foot. As usual. Somebody tries to restart the government? Send in the Soldiers. Someone becomes rich who wasn't part of Shinra? Send in the Soldiers. A town saying they don't want to use mako because they don't believe in lightbulbs? Send in the Soldiers.
The conglomerate did not suffer rivals or agitators to nip at their heels. Especially if it has anything to do with renewable power. It was petty as hell, but it wasn't like they could just strong arm the empires of the world into letting them corner the energy market.
Although it would be funny to see them try and fight the Niflheim Empire.
"It'd be hard, but we can figure it out," Barrett pretened grit out towards his friends, although Cloud could see through the bullshit. The man was being all huffy but kept glancing sideways at him, waiting for him to speak up. Why interrupt? Cloud was enjoying the byplay. If the teen didn't know better, he'd think they had rehearsed beforehand. "And transportation? Maybe we'll make our own company? If a kid like him can get it done, why not us? And if his friends are that interested in our coal, then they'll find us."
If anything Cloud would be genuinely impressed if they went down that route, the blonde could barely afford to get his own company started. It took the combined effort of his future knowledge and experience, Brian Lockhart's love for his daughters being stronger than his dislike of Cloud, and the Highwinds loaning out their ships to get him this far. Even then it was pretty touch-and-go, only recently were they finally in the green. He really didn't want to know how much his sister and Tifa were spending at the arcades right now, how much they'd write off as "company expenses".
North Coral might literally bankrupt themselves trying to buy the vehicles alone.
"You let me know how that works out," the former Champion said seriously. It was time to end the forum and begin the boring parts of negotiation. A little game of chicken to see who caved in first. Cloud wasn't on any particular timetable, so he could afford to have some patience. He just hoped that whoever kidnapped him into the Supercannon wasn't gearing up to set the world on fire any time soon. "I'm not one to shun a little competition but if you change your mind or want to talk, you got my number. I'll be in the area for a few more days at least. In the meantime, I got a couple of pretty ladies up on the Saucer expecting me. I'll see you fellas."
Cloud figured it'd take a day or two.
Standing up, he stretched his back a little, making a show of how little he thought of Dyne's and Barrett's little puppet show.
Giving the men a brief handshake and smile, he stepped out the front door and onto the street. He nearly knocked over a pimply faced teen who had been leaning by the porch. Looking up he saw the sun was near high noon and the building was surrounded by curious town folks. Not too surprising, any stranger was a cause for commotion. Any stranger meeting with the village leader, would be doubly so. Giving the young man and the rest of the curious stragglers a wave he made his way down the main road.
Cloud wondered if he should get something to eat before riding the gondola, or meet up with the girls first and then find something filling. Nah, it'd be better if he met up with them. While food up by the amusement park was more expensive and the food down here more delicious, there wasn't much in the way of restaurants in Corel. You had to be invited to someone's dinner table to get to the good stuff. Plus, he needed to see what kind of trouble Lighting might have gotten herself into. The blonde girl was damn near hyperventilating when they first saw the bright lights, and he wouldn't put it past her to cause trouble once she realized you had to wait in lines to get to some of the rides.
As Cloud whistled a little on his jaunt to the rope pulley, he wondered if he had time to go to the speed square.
000
Thalia couldn't believe what was happening.
Why did she just spend the last forty minutes of her life, watching her friend and sister make moogles have babies. In a video game? The Golden Saucer was the stuff of dreams of every young person, to live out their childish fantasy with abandon. They should be testing their might at the battle square, getting tickets and awesome prizes. Or enjoying the new sights and dazzling lights of the park, from high up on the skywheel. Maybe pigging out at the buffet, till their stomach bursted and gleefully burning through Cloud's money.
Yet, here she was, still watching them. Observing as they tried to turn this family of four moogles into a family of five.
Why the hell was she so invested in this!? It was like someone used a Confusion spell on them and kept reapplying it every couple of minutes. Thankfully, their failed attempt at the third baby snapped the brunette out of her dazed stupor. Wiping the bit of drool on her lip, as turned to her companions before they could shove more money into the machine and make another go at it.
"Alright, that's enough for you two." She spoke up, trying to cut into the younger girls' game induced vegetative state. From the glassy look in their eyes and the slow way they turned their heads towards her in acknowledgment, it wasn't super successful. "Grab your tickets and let's go. We got a whole city to explore and only three days to do it. We'll come back to this if you're interested but for now I want to ride the rollercoaster!"
Thalia tugged at both their sleeves, to get the lazy butts going.
"Why would you want to ride on that thing, when we came here on an airship?" Lighting asked petulantly, though she let herself get slid out of her seat and led away. That didn't count. The Little Bronco was smooth sailing for the most part, barely even hitting turbulence. From the way the blonde was rubbing her lumbar though, she was probably secretly grateful to be up and standing."We literally crossed half the country, at four times the speed! Seems kinda like a downgrade to hop on that thing."
"Yeah! Let's go to the battle square instead. I want to test out my Dolphin Blow." Tifa said, already phantoming the uppercut in front of her. She couldn't help rolling her eyes at her little sister's antics. Ever since Cloud started teaching them the more advanced fighting techniques, their little group had gotten noticeably more bloodthirsty. Sometimes at night, Thalia would catch the little brunette trying to sneak out of their home to go fight monsters in the mountains. Lighting developed an unfortunate habit of wearing her saber everywhere and walking with her chest puffed out and arms swinging, as if to egg someone into challenging her to a fight. "I want to work up an appetite before we get lunch. I heard they serve chocobos here! How freaky is that?"
"Wha….why would you want to eat them?!" Lighting exclaimed, looking at Tifa in a new light as they made their way to the speed square and rollercoaster. These two really weren't paying attention to where Thalia was leading them. It was a good thing she wasn't a malicious person or she would have led them off a cliffside for giggles. Still, as they queued up in line for their turn on the ride, it did have its benefits. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I have empathy for the goofy animal but I thought you loved them?"
"We're farm girls, raising animals we love and eating them is expected," Thalia said absentmindedly, as she leaned on her toes to count how many people were in front of them. There were sixteen, twelve adults and four kids. Not too bad. Seeing her neighbor shake her blonde mane in disbelief from the corner of her eye, she could help but grin. "What? It's not too different from you eating bacon. Even though you claim pigs are your favorite animal, I don't see you giving up pork any time soon. And you shouldn't. Once everything is chopped up, it's all just meat."
It was a bit of an oversimplification to say the Lockharts were farmers. They certainly owned farms, but the family weren't the ones working it. They had land renters who tended the fields and took care of the animals, in exchange for a cut of the profit. The chocobos behind her house were purely for recreational use, actual pets. Or transportation for Strife Deliveries now, she supposed. Not that Lighting ever paid attention to the details, saying that she didn't need to hear "rich people" problems.
'The hypocrite,' she thought, as she looked over at the blonde's outfit, a newly bought dress with sequences. Really? Sequences in the mountains?
"Your psychopaths," Lighting said in disbelief, looking at both Lockhart sisters in turn as they took a step forward in line. Oh, this drama queen. Still, it was always fun pushing the sword woman's buttons and seeing how she reacted. What's a little harmless bullying between friends? "How do you spend all that time raising something, only to look it in the eyes as you eat it? Being a farmer is crazy!"
"You know, you just insulted ninety percent of our village, right?" Tifa laughed, as they got closer to the front. By the attendant, there was a cardboard sign that apparently denoted a height requirement. Turning a critical eye towards her companions, Thalia decided they made the cut-off. Barely. That was good, they didn't just waste their time. Why wouldn't they leave that sign up front, instead by the ride where nobody can see it? "And I'm pretty sure your grandparents were farmers too. You're dissing your own family lineage. Besides, where do you think your food comes from?"
"Meh, everyone's got a sordid past," Lighting said, waving the reasonable point away. They watched as the cart was emptying of people and pulled out their money. "It's all about what we do with our current selves that matter. Which is why I am not a farmer." She said in faux wisdom. "And I chose not to think too hard about where my food comes from. Adorable pigs, with their sweet button eyes and the delicious bacon that come from them, have no correlation in my mind. Thus, I eat guilt free."
"That is some crazy mental gymnastics," Thalia quipped, as she handed some GP to the operator. As the three girls got settled into their seats at the front, and watched as the worker secured their safely harness, she couldn't help but get giddy with excitement. She always wanted to ride on one of these! All those advertisements about the Golden Saucer said it was one of the great attractions of the amusement park. Right up there with the Sky Wheel and Battle Square. In all her research it was listed as one of the top five roller coasters in the world!
A hundred feet high, over two thousand tracks, and going at a speed of two hundred miles per hour. It took two construction companies and almost three years to make the monstrosity. There were rumors that someone died during the planning phase, and their cadaver was incorporated into the foundation. It was a marvel of modern engineering and science! And it was a beauty to look at. Deep red painting with shining lights on the side that formed into alternating patterns for the crowd's amusement. This one was so famous for its looks, a man was apparently trying to get permission from its owner Dio, to marry the machine.
Weird but the infamy made her more excited.
Their cart started to slowly move forward for a distance, then beginning an incline at the junction. Foot by foot, they moved upwards and climbed. And kept climbing. And climbed even higher still. Cold dread started to fill Thalia's veins as they kept gaining height. Was it supposed to go this high? Shouldn't they have dropped by now? How tall was a hundred feet, exactly? Because it felt like they passed two hundred already.
Then they dropped.
"AHHHHH!"
000
Cloud was encountering the strangest sight.
There were the girls sitting on a bench and looking very pale and worn. In each hand, they clutched a bottled soda and a fried pastry stick covered in brown sugar. Each girl was staring out into the horizon with a thousand-yard stare and would occasionally mumble something to each other or themselves. They stayed in that state of near catatonia for a few minutes, hardley moving a muscle. He walked over to them, till he was standing in front of the bench and blocking their view of the scenery. Cloud thinks Lightning blinked once in hello.
What the hell happened to them?
"Hey slackers, why so glum?" Cloud asked, trying to get to the bottom of their despair. They all looked like they had been through a war, and were the sole survivors of a slaughter. "Shouldn't you guys be playing games or something? Don't tell me you all sat around like old ladies the whole morning."
It was just a joke, but from the way they barely even acknowledged his presence, it truly did look like the youth had been sucked out of them.
"We were on the big rollercoaster in the middle of the plaza." Tifa whispered to his right. She turned her head to look vaguely in his general vicinity, eyes unfocused. "It was going so fast, I thought I might have swallowed a gallon worth of air and bugs. "Looking down at the untouched food in her hands, and then her stomach, she whimpered. "I'm so full."
"We went so high up, the sky started to turn dark." His sister added placidly, when the brunette went silent. She lifted her drink above her blonde head and jiggled it around, as if that was an accurate scale model of what she experienced. "Then we went down so suddenly, I think I left a piece of myself up there. I literally feel three pounds light now."
"It was amazing." Thalia finished quietly, the only one to have some semblance of intelligence returning to her eyes. Realizing she had a soda in her hand, the oldest girl took a big gulp and stood to face him. A wide grin was growing on her face as she looked at him straight on. "We went up on it three times! And we're gonna go back, for a forth. You should ride with us!"
The other two, finally being knocked out of their daze by the sudden movement, nodded along enthusiastically.
"You gotta come with!"
"I bet you'll puke your guts out!"
Cloud couldn't help but laugh at all the enthusiasm, even as he shook his head in the negative. He might go on it later to humor them, but he's been to the Golden Saucer too many times to count to get excited. Most of the attraction had lost its luster to him over the years, and he was happier to just see everyone enjoy themselves. Kind of an old man thing to say, but going at fast speeds lost its charm when you used to be able to fly.
"Maybe later, let's get lunch and you guys can tell me all about your first day." Cloud said, waving for them to follow. Thankfully, they didn't put up too much of a fuss as they followed him back to the hotel. "We can watch a show as we eat. They got a play of the 'Golden Chocobo and its Three Wishes' or the 'Little Goblin's Journey to the West'."
"What are we five?" Lighting said, as she inhaled her food, trying to keep up with his strides. "How about the 'Six Warriors of Wutai'? I heard Shinra's been trying to put pressure on the park owner to take it down because of the war, but he's been refusing. It's the hottest show right now!"
"I want to see 'Loveless'." Tifa chimed up, tossing her trash into a bin and dry rubbing her hands on her clothes. Thalia gave her a scolding and forced a napkin into her sister's hands at the sight. The younger brunette told it with an eye roll before continuing. "We can't watch a play and not see the most famous story of the century! I heard they even let audience members play bit parts on slow nights. That could be us!"
"No way! Romances are dumb. I'd rather watch the cheesy story about the two sisters, than that."
"Why don't you learn some culture, you hillbilly!"
That got the two younger girls bickering with each other.
"Quite you two!" Thalia admonished them. A look of embarrassment on her face, as a few strangers turned to look at the commotion. "We're in public! Do you want us getting tossed out for misbehaving?" That got some guilty looks. "Now hug and make up!"
The two neighbors reluctantly embraced, fiercely whispering something to each other that definitely wasn't an apology. Cloud almost laughed at the nasty things they said to each other, only hearing the remarks due to his enhanced hearings. The blonde had heard the two of them had mended bridges before their trip, but it didn't seem to have lasted long. Still, the appearance of them reconciling seemed to have satisfied the oldest girl.
"So how was the meeting?" Thalia asked, turning back to him and polishing off her own pastry. Sipping on her drink daintily, she looked him up and down curiously. "Did it go as well as you hoped? You didn't get tossed on the street by your ear, did you?"
"So-and-so. Barrett doesn't remember anything, so he's moved into the 'watch but do not disturb' category for now." Cloud said nonchalantly, still smiling at the girl's attempts to kill each other through the hug. The two of them restarted their walk to the theater, the others trailing behind. "The coal agreement is pending, but I got a good feeling about it. I give them two days tops, before they call. And I made sure that the Nilfheim spy device got a front row seat to the meeting."
Thalia gave him a hard look, before sighing.
"I still think this plan to get yourself kidnapped is so stupid." She said, letting her disapproval known once more. Yikes, this girl was unrelenting. "What makes you think they won't just slit your throat and toss the evidence in a ditch? You're banking a lot on them wanting to talk to you. You may not feel like it, but you are only thirteen."
"You worry too much. At the very least, they're gonna want to interrogate me." Cloud said offhandedly, the group arriving at the theater. It was true, Nilfheim would try and pry out who these other buyers of his were first. He looked over their casual dining experience package. A meal and a show. Why didn't they have this back in his world? It was genius! "Alright you lot, pick a show so we can get a balcony seat. And nothing violent." He told his sister sternly. "You had a nightmare for a week, that one time."
"I was eleven!" The blonde girl protested with red cheeks, hands wringing the hem of her blouse, eyes shifting. Behind her the Lockhart girls were trying to hold back their giggles. Cloud was having trouble keeping the stern expression on his face. "And ma's too descriptive with the scenes. Who the heck tells their kids ghost stories before bed?!"
In the end, they decided on 'Detective Marlene and the Haunted bar.'
"I hope you don't start a global crisis over this." Thalia said, once they got settled in their seats. "I've heard terrible things about the empire. The crimes they committed against the other kingdoms in Eos. They are not the kind of people who do things by half measure. And no matter how strong you were in your old life, that's not you now."
Ever the practical one.
"Relax, he knows what he's doing." Lighting said, tucking a napkin in the collar of her dress. Waving a fork at Cloud, she continued. "The risk is worth it. He succeeds and we become the richest teenagers on Gaia. Literally on top of the food chain. As far as the normies are concerned. And if he doesn't, well…." She trailed off, a bit of a sour expression on her face.
"Then he blames it on Shinra and lets them take the fall. Two of the evilest organizations on the planet, trying their best to destroy each other." Tifa finished, looking over her menu and selecting her meal. Looking up at him, an unimpressed look on her brow, then at Thalia. "And I agree it's not a great plan, but the risk is worth it. If half the stuff he told us is true, we might be saving the world, after all. The fact that he's probably the only person in the world who can get away with pretending to be a Soldier, makes it slightly better."
Thalia rolled her eyes at the consensus being against her. Turning her attention back to him, she said. "At least try to make it work before starting a war between Nilfheim and Shinra. I'd rather have money than bloodshed. I get enough violence from those two." She indicated the girls across from them.
"No promises." Cloud smiled, shrugging a shoulder. It was true, the blonde didn't want any unnecessary deaths on his hands. A lifetime of conflict didn't make him coldhearted or ignorant to the suffering of others. That being said, It wouldn't be the worst outcome for Shinra to be annihilated.