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year 5, quarter 3
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[attr="class","ayab-text"] There was almost a skip to her step as she followed Cloud's lead. Finding her friend in this new world had been sheer luck for her, but to now know she was going to reunite with another? Aerith was almost giddy from the excitement alone! Oh, she loved each and every one of her friends with her entire heart, but she had an especially soft spot within her heart for Tifa. The other woman could be so soft-spoken and almost shy when first meeting her, but she saw the protective and strong woman beneath that veneer. At least, Aerith certainly liked to believe that she could! Of course, she tried to remind herself that things were not that simple and from what Cloud had told her the others believed her to be dead. [break][break]
Or, well, she had died at some point in a different moment in time. It really was still quite a lot to wrap her head around. Aerith was burning with questions on that particular scenario. She would never ask about those details, though. Not at the present moment, anyway! The experience was a sensitive and traumatic one for Cloud and no doubt for the others as well. Honestly, she only wished to ask because there was a morbid curiosity towards the entire situation for her. Aerith felt quite alive and well and now she knew she had died in a future event that had never taken place for her. What did that mean now that she was here? What would happen to their world in the meantime? [break][break]
Aerith realized that she had been quite silent during their walk as she mused over her own situation. Quickly, the young woman perks herself up as she pivoted on her foot to walks backwards in front of Cloud with a bright smile. "Is there anything I should know before meeting Tifa? What I should or shouldn't say? I don't want to upset her if I can help it." That is her first concern! There is still so much she doesn't know as well. How long has it been since Cloud and Tifa arrived here? It must have been awhile if they had already established a place to stay and a way to earn gil. [break][break]
Well, there was only one way to find out for sure!
Post by Cloud Strife on Jan 31, 2021 22:47:40 GMT -6
They walked the streets of Sonora, him and Aerith, following the city's wealth gradient from metropolis to urban decay to slum. He tried to force his mind off the unreality of the situation, the feeling of two images projected on top of each other and battling for his focus. Midgar and Sonora. Death and Life. Home and... here. Though they'd already tried to cobble together some measure of sense out of this world, it hadn't sunk in enough for Cloud to accept without the nagging feeling that he would wake up and she would be gone again.
In the long gap of silence Cloud's thoughts drifted. His feet walked an automatic path to Seventh Heaven, and his mind turned over the question of how to explain all this to Tifa. How to even approach the subject. He got nowhere, second guessing every thought before he even finished thinking it. Nothing new, then.
He returned to the present moment when Aerith broke into his line of sight, stepping in front of him to speak. Scratching the back of his head, he wished he had a good answer for her but the look on his face said he didn't. There was so much he and Tifa hadn't spoken about. Settling in to life in Sonora seemed like the more pressing matter than dredging up the past.
It was a fine strategy, at least until that past started showing up again.
"I don't know," he said. "I don't wanna try and predict anything. Let's just play it by ear."
Seventh Heaven sat in the midst of Sonora's gray slums, in the shadows of highrises under a dull slate sky. In Cloud's eyes the ramshackle bar had a subtle warmth to it, that where the life had been drained from the rest of the environment, that little bar held firm. Maybe he was just projecting, trying to conjure something tangible out of the things in his head. He had a knack for it.
Cloud motioned with his hand for Aerith to let him enter first. He shouldered open the door, sweeping his mako-eyes across the interior of the bar from his place in the doorway. It was still quiet but for a couple of regulars nursing their drinks in that way regulars do, silent and still like a piece of furniture. If it weren't for the fact that Tifa kept a neater bar than that, Cloud might check them for dust and cobwebs.
At least they wouldn't care if this whole thing turned into a scene.
He stepped forward, leaving space for Aerith to follow him inside.
"Tifa?" he said, tentatively, still debating on how to explain the situation up until the words fell out of his mouth. "I, uh, ran into somebody while I was out."
t was to be another day of drink mixing and woe listening. The usual routine, but if Tifa minded it certainly didn't show. It was a slow moment and quiet, which was sometimes a nice reprieve from the constant jumping from one table to the next. Though if it was always like this it might drive her mad with boredom. Right now Tifa was busying herself with wiping down the glasses so they were ready in case a wave streamed in. It could happen in an instant and one always needed to be prepared for that possibility. The sudden rush of crowds looking for that alcoholic reprieve from their low class lives and the withdrawals from the day's abstinence weighing heavily on their souls. Grumpy and demanding, she didn't want to make them wait for their sweet relief. She needed to be that light at the end of the dark tunnel. The hope of some enjoyment in their life was what got them through the day and she provided some of that enjoyment. For some it was all they had. Tifa wished she could provide more than a happiness placebo, but it was all she had. And at least it was something.
Tifa carefully placed the glasses upside-down in their place on the shelf and began adjusting the bottles on the shelf behind the bar so all of the labels faced out and were readable by anyone who might need some ideas on what they wanted. Then the door opened, letting in the slight breeze and metallic scents of the city for a moment. As Tifa turned to see her new patron she caught the familiar voice speaking her name. She smiled at Cloud as he walked in.
"Hey!" she greeted. She stepped around the bar and walked closer as he explained that he had run into someone while he was out. 'Someone'? What someone? Someone they knew?
"Uh, okay? Who?" Tifa replied, looking at him curiously.
[attr="class","ayab-text"] Play it by ear? Yes, that seemed to be the best option at present! Aerith followed behind Cloud once more as she memorized the path he took for later use. It seemed to her that Sonora would become her new home for the foreseeable future and she had every intention of learning the ins and outs of this city. But her first priority was reuniting with Tifa and settling into this world as best as she could. Her emerald eyes soon took in the bar Cloud and Tifa called home. In her mind's eye, her memory soon overlapped this Seventh Heaven with the one she had briefly seen back in Midgar. A homely place lit beneath a backdrop of smoke, fire, and falling metal from the destroyed pillar. A place she would have enjoyed visiting before such things had happened and it had been buried beneath the rubble. [break][break]
What was lost could be found again with time. Or, in this case, rebuilt anew to bring back a semblance of familiarity and that feeling of home. As Cloud entered the bar first, Aerith made sure to keep a slight distance behind him. As much as she wished to just rush in and announce her presence to Tifa, she knew she should be a little more tactful for once. Instead, she allowed her eyes to settle upon the interior of the bar and the few patrons nursing their drinks. Her attention settled back onto Cloud as she stared at the back of his head with a raised brow. Ran into someone? Aerith stifled the urge to snicker at his awkward wording before she heard Tifa's familiar voice. [break][break]
Seeing Cloud had given her such happiness, but the warmth she felt from hearing Tifa nearly eclipsed it. It had not been all that long in Aeirth's mind since she had seen her friend last, but now it felt as if it had been a lifetime. "Should I shout surprise?" she asked with an impish smile as she stepped out from behind Cloud. Her gaze was warm and she could not contain the urge as she rushed forward to clasp both of Tifa's hands within her own. "Hey, Tifa! How's it going?" Her entire being nearly vibrated as she had to hold herself back from throwing herself into Tifa's arms bodily. [break][break]
Even just holding her hands was a lot of restraint on her part! Aerith let her smile soften around the edges as she squeezed Tifa's hand gently. "It's been awhile, right? I'm so glad to see you again."
Post by Cloud Strife on Apr 11, 2021 15:13:01 GMT -6
Cloud scratched the back of his head and hoped in the few seconds it took for Tifa to close the distance between them that he might think of some way to tell her about Aerith that didn't involve him stumbling awkwardly over every word. It was a good sign that he was still capable of hope. It didn't change the fact that he wasn't capable of answering her question like a normal human being. Who, she asked, and he suddenly felt very thirsty. When was the last time he had a drink?
Okay. Don't make it more complicated than it is. Just tell her. It's Aerith.
I can't just say it like that without--
What? Is this really the strangest thing that's happened to either of you? Let Aerith explain it.
...
In Midgar, long after the plate had fallen and the mourning voices went silent, two children played in the flowers blooming in a crumbling slum church. Between them Cloud watched Aerith tending the flowers beneath the shaft of warm yellow light shining down through a hole in the roof. He took a step towards her. The old floorboards creaked. She disappeared.
Maybe he didn't know what to say because he still hadn't accepted it was real. Not really.
"It's, uh..." he started, and he fell gratefully silent when Aerith stepped out around him and saved him the further embarrassment.
Cloud's boots scuffed against the floor as shuffled back a step to give Aerith and Tifa some space. As if answering Tifa's question, finally, he made a halfhearted gesture with his low hanging hands. Ta-da.
Better not to say anything else, he decided. He studied Tifa's reaction instead.
ifa just stared at Cloud with a bemused expression as he stood there, awkwardly trying to answer her question. What exactly was so difficult about it was a mystery to Tifa. He ran into someone and...? Why couldn't he just say it? The answer became resoundingly obvious as the subject of his earlier statement decided to stop waiting for the seemingly never to come introduction and popped out from behind his back. Tifa's eyes widened as she gasped, her left hand raising to her mouth, before settling on her chest. Aerith. Though Tifa still had many muddled memories, this woman's stood out in them for some reason. It was odd, as Tifa didn't remember anything triggering those memories, but she did know who Aerith was.
She also knew she was dead.
Tifa remembered mourning her and having to move past it. But now here she was as if all of that had been a lie, acting as casual as she could be. Not a ghost, but a friend who had been busy for a week and forgot to call. If she wasn't so stunned, Tifa might have laughed at it all. It was so Aerith to die, come back to life, and then act like it had all just been a big inconvenience. As Aerith took Tifa's hands in her own, the tactile contact was like proof this wasn't an illusion. Aerith's warmth radiated through her and overwhelmed her shock and any resistance she might have had to getting emotional. Her eyes welled and spilled over as she started crying. With zero of the resolve Aerith had shown to hold back, Tifa threw herself at the woman to wrap her arms around her in a tight embrace and sob into her shoulder. Maybe she should be questioning things a bit more, but her heart just wanted to believe Aerith was back and right here in front of her.
[attr="class","ayab-text"] The playfulness of her demeanor softened considerably as Aerith took note of the series of emotions warring within Tifa's eyes and face. Shock, disbelief, and sadness she had only recently learned from Cloud. It had never been her intention to die, nor had it happened to her in the first place. All of it felt surreal to Aerith in a way, because the others had experienced a tragedy she had not. But that did not make their emotions or experiences any less real or important. The warmth of Tifa's hands was very real within her own, and so she squeezed them once more when she saw those tears well up in her friend's eyes. [break][break]
And soon she found herself embraced quite tightly as Tifa wept so openly into her shoulder. Aerith did not hesitate to hug her friend back just as tightly and fiercely. Her own eyes burned with tears as a soft laugh bubbled against her lips. A sound of reassurance as she began to run her hand through the thick tresses of Tifa's hair. "I'm here, I promise," she said softly, pressing a kiss against Tifa's temple. All she wished was for time to stand still so she could keep Tifa's familiar warmth and comfort against her. Aerith had not realized just how much she had missed her best friend after she had set off for the Forgotten City. [break][break]
She continued to run her hands through Tifa's hair as she allowed the other woman to cry. The young woman could recall what she had told Cloud in that dream she had sent to him. How she would come back when it was over and she supposed she had been able to. This was not how she had envisioned her meeting with her friends again, but the bittersweetness of this reunion did not mar the joy she still felt. "Everything's alright now. I'm real and I'm not going anywhere, Tifa." Hopefully, these reassurances would be enough for Cloud and Tifa that she had no intention of leaving again.
ifa nuzzled into nape of Aerith's neck and just accepted the returned affections. It had been too long. Far, far too long. While Aerith had only a few hours to miss her, Tifa had lived with the loss for years. And while she had learned to live with that pain, suddenly be standing right in front of her destroyed all resolve to remain strong against it. After a few minutes the flood of emotion passed and she was able to calm down enough to get past the shock of it all. She lifted her head again and wiped her face off with one arm, but kept the other around Aerith. Once she had finished cleaning the tears off her arm went back the embrace, keeping her arms around Aerith's waist. She wasn't ready to let go quite yet. Just in case.
"How is this possible?" she asked, looking from Aerith to Cloud, then back again. Would they even have an answer? Tifa didn't know much about what was going on in this world, she'd just been trying to survive it so far. So what was the answer to any of it? Why were any of them there in the first place? Whatever the answers, whatever great power that had decided to bring them all here. In this moment, at least, Tifa was thankful for it. They must have been brought here for a reason though. She kinda wished said reason would just come out and and make it's desires known. It'd be kind of nice to pay them back for this. But when all was said and done, would they even be allowed to stay together? Was this all just one big tease? That was a horrible thought. Tifa pushed all those possibilities away. Letting theories run rampant was not good for ones sanity. Instead, she wanted to just focus on living in this moment. This one moment of happiness that they had all been allowed. After all, who knew how long it would last. Best to enjoy it while she could.
Post by Cloud Strife on Jun 13, 2021 0:25:56 GMT -6
Cloud watched the shock cross Tifa's face in a sudden rush, disappearing beneath the cascade of tears as the dam of memory burst. He felt a constriction in his chest, in his throat, at the sight of her crying. It was stupid, the way he handled this, springing it on her so suddenly, and now he grasped helplessly for something to say or do to make it right and came up empty handed. Aerith took care of that instead, and he was grateful and ashamed in equal measure.
The entire rest of the bar was silent, the kind of thick silence that tickled at the back of your skull, and only Tifa's sobbing and Aerith's quiet comforting words cut through it. Cloud glanced past them, meeting eyes with one of the hunched regulars at the bar. The man stared, one hand on his forgotten beer, and Cloud felt the back of his neck begin to burn. He glared. His fury was silent but spoke as loud as it needed to. Not a show, pal. The man spun on his stool and put his back to the group.
The tension eased out of Cloud's shoulders and he returned his attention to the two women as Tifa composed herself. She asked the obvious question, the same question Cloud asked, the same one he wondered if he really wanted answered.
"I don't know," Cloud replied with a halfhearted shake of his head, "Nothing about this place makes any sense."
But the truth of it was he hadn't bothered to search very hard for answers since he made it to Sonora. He'd gotten comfortable living here with Tifa. Complacent, even. What did it matter if he understood the nature of this new world when he was helping to pay the rent?
What did it matter how, as long as they were all together again?
"Hey, let's sit down," he suggested gently, nodding his head towards an empty table in the corner. Less of a point of interest for prying eyes. Out of the way if someone else came through the door.
[attr="class","ayab-text"] Aerith was more than content to stay within Tifa's arms for all of eternity as far as she was concerned. There was a comfort she found in her best friend's arms that words failed to convey. Had it truly been so long for both Cloud and Tifa? Time was such an odd thing to contemplate. What had been years for them had only been a short instance for her, and she could feel guilt over leaving them both like this. It was a situation that could be helped--no matter how much she wished she could change things. Sometimes, things just happened as they were meant to, and all that could be done was to enjoy the time that was given to them. [break][break]
Her green eyes settled onto Cloud as Tifa took a few moments to wipe away her tears and grasp at her emotions. She kept her arms around her friend even as that simple question was asked. A simple question with an unknown, complicated answer. Why were any of them here? How was any of this possible at all? Aerith wished she could think of some explanation for this phenomenon. If only she could commune with the lifestream, but this world did not have one. It was another stark reminder of how a part of her felt cold and isolated within this world. Would she ever grow accustomed to this feeling? For so many years of her life, she had taken to ignoring the voices of the lifestream but it had always been there. And now there was no comforting lull from it. An absence that would not go away any time soon. [break][break]
"I can't be sure. I was in the Forgotten City when I went to sleep, and then I woke up here," she answered with a slight frown on her lips. Her head tilted to the side as she took in the empty table in the corner before glancing around to take in the regulars. One refused to look at them, which she surmised was from Cloud glaring at him. But there were a few curious onlookers, so she took her chance of smiling at them all brightly with a slight edge to said smile. Most quickly glanced away while a few eyed her as if she were a little crazy. Just a little, though! [break][break]
"Yeah, that would be for the best. I'll save a seat for you right next to me, Tifa!" The edge around her smile disappeared when she looked back to Tifa. Shifting herself from the embrace, she kept one arm around her friend's waist before leading the way forward. Sitting down in the secluded corner, she tugged Tifa towards the seat beside her while simply keeping that arm around her. This almost reminded her of how they had spent time together back at the bar in Cosmo Canyon. The brief feeling of nostalgia brought another smile to her lips as she recalled somewhat happier memories. "So, what questions do you have? I'll try to answer them as best as I can, Tifa."
