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FF7 Restore - Ch.1.1
I still have no title. Hmm. Maybe when I've got more of the fic figured out.
Chapter Archive.
"Tifa!"
The barmaid put a glass to dry on the rack and turned to face the door, smiling at her charge. "Hey. I was getting a little worried..."
The expression on Denzel's face brought her short. There was no trace of the sullen misery she would have expected him to show after getting dumped -- of course she knew, Marlene couldn't keep a romance-related secret around Tifa to save her life. But the teenager's expression was grave -- worried, even.
"Is there a problem?" she asked, voice dropping, as she quickly moved to the end of the bar to meet him. Denzel's expression didn't lighten up any, and her fingers clenched on the counter.
He checked that the few regulars were out of earshot before he answered. "Maybe."
"What happened?"
"I met this guy, and he was alright, you know? Kinda annoying but -- well, not aggressive or anything." Denzel's low voice dropped to a whisper. "And then he goes and drops Cloud's name out of the blue. And I've never seen him in my life. And if you tell me Cloud makes tons of good friends on his trips and he shows off pictures of me and Marlene at rest stops--"
Tifa frowned. "So -- he knew that you knew Cloud? I see. Maybe there's an innocent explanation..." She picked up the phone and dialed the garage extension. "But you're right, that sounds a little suspicious," she added as Denzel made an offended noise.
"A little! Did I mention he was buck naked?"
Tifa stopped in her tracks, eyes widening. "--He was what?"
"... Tifa, mind explaining why you're calling me in the middle of a conversation about naked men?"
The woman groaned and closed her eyes. "Sorry, Cloud. It's just, Denzel met someone and he might be ... suspicious."
"The naked kind of suspicious?"
Tifa's cheeks reddened at his dry comment. She could imagine the raised eyebrow accompanying it. "Cloud! Just -- come to the bar, please. I don't think it's anything urgent, but Denzel was worried and he usually has good instincts."
The teenager briefly puffed up with pride, and then, as he noticed his lapse, went on to gazing at the rest of the bar with haughty indifference. Ahh, teenagers. The dial tone prompted her to put down the phone, and she picked up another just-washed glass to dry, to give her hands something to do that wasn't nervous fidgeting. So far, the couple of regulars in the far corner hadn't really paid any real attention, beyond a few glances; she didn't want them to start now.
Cloud was there a minute later, solid and calm. He had grease smudged on his hands and cheek, and his grey t-shirt wasn't much cleaner. She smiled.
"What is this about?" he asked, looking first at her, and then at Denzel.
Denzel's expression immediately went back to its serious, concerned look. "I was at the old church, you know..."
Cloud's expression tightened a little, and Tifa took a step closer to him.
"There was a guy there who wanted me to find him clothes 'cause his and his girlfriend's had disappeared, I'm not too sure how, and -- well sure it's weird and all, but..."
Denzel licked his lips nervously. Cloud watched him steadily, waiting, even though his shoulders were tensing up. Tifa put aside the towel to free her hands, seized by a prickle of foreboding.
"He said, 'Anything of Cloud's would do, we're the same size', and the funny thing is, I never said anything about you."
Tifa and Denzel stared at the blond man together, waiting for a reaction. Even accounting for Cloud's usual faint reluctance to speak, it came a little too late to be casual.
"What did he look like?"
"Dunno, it was dark." Denzel frowned and stared at the floor, eyes unfocused. "Under forty for sure, probably less, and kinda in good shape. White or Wutaian -- prolly white. Brown or black hair, I think, and kinda longish, but it was all plastered to his neck so I can't really tell. And I didn't see the girlfriend at all, but she didn't sound like a chain-smoking old hag."
Tifa tried to recall anyone she knew who was roughly Cloud's size and fit the description. There were Vincent, and Reeve, and Ferguson from the used parts shop, but Denzel knew them. There were a couple of Cloud's employers and her suppliers, but they didn't know Denzel. No one amongst Cloud's acquaintances that she didn't also know should recognize her adopted son on sight.
"You're right. That's suspicious."
Denzel straightened up proudly.
"They're still waiting at the church?"
"Yeah, unless they find some other way to get shoes, I don't see them crossing the Sector Five ruins anytime soon."
Cloud nodded thoughtfully and turned away. "Tifa, can you get some clothes and shoes for the woman?"
She nodded quickly and stepped toward the door to follow Cloud. "Denzel, please mind the bar, I'll be right back."
She wasn't sure the other girl would like miniskirts all that much, and since Denzel hadn't seen her there was no way to say if they were the same size, so Tifa quickly found clean sweatpants with a drawstring waistband and sandals. She hoped she'd get them back; out of the five pairs of footwear she owned, they were the only one that didn't qualify as being sensible -- or in other words, ugly.
The probability that the woman had a bigger chest than Tifa's was rather low, so she chose a t-shirt at random. She added a shawl, just in case, and then went to find Cloud in his room. He was strapping on a sword harness, and her heart clenched.
"Do you need help?"
He shook his head without looking at her. "Can you pack the clothes on my bed with yours?"
She did, wrapping everything in the shawl, as he selected a sword from the rack on the wall and sheathed it. She took some comfort from the fact that it wasn't one of the Materia-covered ones. They were all razor-edged, though, so the comfort was minimal. "Do you really think this is another enemy?"
Cloud didn't answer for a few seconds, but eventually he turned to face her, eyes soft. "It can't be too bad of one. He let Denzel go."
"... Right. You're right," she replied, and tried to pretend that she was convinced. They'd had a few people coming after Cloud in the last five years -- oh, none quite as powerful and scary as the trio of clones, but a couple had been bad enough.
"As introductions go, it's awkward, but not all that threatening."
Tifa didn't say anything. Cloud sounded about as convinced as she did.
"At least Marlene is with Barret..." He paused, then looked up suddenly.
Tifa shuddered. "I'll call them." Cloud stepped closer to pick up the clothes; Tifa reached for his sleeve and tugged gently, unable to look up. "You... Be safe, okay?" she whispered.
Cloud inclined his head toward her, and rested a hand over hers briefly. "I'll be careful," he promised gravely.
And then he was leaving, with a sword across his back and a bundle of clothes under his arm, and she was alone in his bedroom with a hundred worries.
Chapter 1.2
Chapter Archive.
"Tifa!"
The barmaid put a glass to dry on the rack and turned to face the door, smiling at her charge. "Hey. I was getting a little worried..."
The expression on Denzel's face brought her short. There was no trace of the sullen misery she would have expected him to show after getting dumped -- of course she knew, Marlene couldn't keep a romance-related secret around Tifa to save her life. But the teenager's expression was grave -- worried, even.
"Is there a problem?" she asked, voice dropping, as she quickly moved to the end of the bar to meet him. Denzel's expression didn't lighten up any, and her fingers clenched on the counter.
He checked that the few regulars were out of earshot before he answered. "Maybe."
"What happened?"
"I met this guy, and he was alright, you know? Kinda annoying but -- well, not aggressive or anything." Denzel's low voice dropped to a whisper. "And then he goes and drops Cloud's name out of the blue. And I've never seen him in my life. And if you tell me Cloud makes tons of good friends on his trips and he shows off pictures of me and Marlene at rest stops--"
Tifa frowned. "So -- he knew that you knew Cloud? I see. Maybe there's an innocent explanation..." She picked up the phone and dialed the garage extension. "But you're right, that sounds a little suspicious," she added as Denzel made an offended noise.
"A little! Did I mention he was buck naked?"
Tifa stopped in her tracks, eyes widening. "--He was what?"
"... Tifa, mind explaining why you're calling me in the middle of a conversation about naked men?"
The woman groaned and closed her eyes. "Sorry, Cloud. It's just, Denzel met someone and he might be ... suspicious."
"The naked kind of suspicious?"
Tifa's cheeks reddened at his dry comment. She could imagine the raised eyebrow accompanying it. "Cloud! Just -- come to the bar, please. I don't think it's anything urgent, but Denzel was worried and he usually has good instincts."
The teenager briefly puffed up with pride, and then, as he noticed his lapse, went on to gazing at the rest of the bar with haughty indifference. Ahh, teenagers. The dial tone prompted her to put down the phone, and she picked up another just-washed glass to dry, to give her hands something to do that wasn't nervous fidgeting. So far, the couple of regulars in the far corner hadn't really paid any real attention, beyond a few glances; she didn't want them to start now.
Cloud was there a minute later, solid and calm. He had grease smudged on his hands and cheek, and his grey t-shirt wasn't much cleaner. She smiled.
"What is this about?" he asked, looking first at her, and then at Denzel.
Denzel's expression immediately went back to its serious, concerned look. "I was at the old church, you know..."
Cloud's expression tightened a little, and Tifa took a step closer to him.
"There was a guy there who wanted me to find him clothes 'cause his and his girlfriend's had disappeared, I'm not too sure how, and -- well sure it's weird and all, but..."
Denzel licked his lips nervously. Cloud watched him steadily, waiting, even though his shoulders were tensing up. Tifa put aside the towel to free her hands, seized by a prickle of foreboding.
"He said, 'Anything of Cloud's would do, we're the same size', and the funny thing is, I never said anything about you."
Tifa and Denzel stared at the blond man together, waiting for a reaction. Even accounting for Cloud's usual faint reluctance to speak, it came a little too late to be casual.
"What did he look like?"
"Dunno, it was dark." Denzel frowned and stared at the floor, eyes unfocused. "Under forty for sure, probably less, and kinda in good shape. White or Wutaian -- prolly white. Brown or black hair, I think, and kinda longish, but it was all plastered to his neck so I can't really tell. And I didn't see the girlfriend at all, but she didn't sound like a chain-smoking old hag."
Tifa tried to recall anyone she knew who was roughly Cloud's size and fit the description. There were Vincent, and Reeve, and Ferguson from the used parts shop, but Denzel knew them. There were a couple of Cloud's employers and her suppliers, but they didn't know Denzel. No one amongst Cloud's acquaintances that she didn't also know should recognize her adopted son on sight.
"You're right. That's suspicious."
Denzel straightened up proudly.
"They're still waiting at the church?"
"Yeah, unless they find some other way to get shoes, I don't see them crossing the Sector Five ruins anytime soon."
Cloud nodded thoughtfully and turned away. "Tifa, can you get some clothes and shoes for the woman?"
She nodded quickly and stepped toward the door to follow Cloud. "Denzel, please mind the bar, I'll be right back."
She wasn't sure the other girl would like miniskirts all that much, and since Denzel hadn't seen her there was no way to say if they were the same size, so Tifa quickly found clean sweatpants with a drawstring waistband and sandals. She hoped she'd get them back; out of the five pairs of footwear she owned, they were the only one that didn't qualify as being sensible -- or in other words, ugly.
The probability that the woman had a bigger chest than Tifa's was rather low, so she chose a t-shirt at random. She added a shawl, just in case, and then went to find Cloud in his room. He was strapping on a sword harness, and her heart clenched.
"Do you need help?"
He shook his head without looking at her. "Can you pack the clothes on my bed with yours?"
She did, wrapping everything in the shawl, as he selected a sword from the rack on the wall and sheathed it. She took some comfort from the fact that it wasn't one of the Materia-covered ones. They were all razor-edged, though, so the comfort was minimal. "Do you really think this is another enemy?"
Cloud didn't answer for a few seconds, but eventually he turned to face her, eyes soft. "It can't be too bad of one. He let Denzel go."
"... Right. You're right," she replied, and tried to pretend that she was convinced. They'd had a few people coming after Cloud in the last five years -- oh, none quite as powerful and scary as the trio of clones, but a couple had been bad enough.
"As introductions go, it's awkward, but not all that threatening."
Tifa didn't say anything. Cloud sounded about as convinced as she did.
"At least Marlene is with Barret..." He paused, then looked up suddenly.
Tifa shuddered. "I'll call them." Cloud stepped closer to pick up the clothes; Tifa reached for his sleeve and tugged gently, unable to look up. "You... Be safe, okay?" she whispered.
Cloud inclined his head toward her, and rested a hand over hers briefly. "I'll be careful," he promised gravely.
And then he was leaving, with a sword across his back and a bundle of clothes under his arm, and she was alone in his bedroom with a hundred worries.
Chapter 1.2