tabularasa_rp | closed 🌠 pick a star on the dark horizon

[Tifa still hasn't had much of a chance to look around the Shibumenosaki Underground Academy, between trying to get Strife's Bites and helping Aerith's flower business off the ground, and trying to get people their memories back, it's left very little room for exploration. A shame, because it's her favourite part about being here. Learning about new places, new worlds, new foods, and everything in between, it's been one of the few highlights of being here when she isn't thinking of how to fight their way home.

Of course, when she's made the decision to wander the underground mall, it's with Cloud. "Come on, it'll be a good break. Stretch the legs and all!" she had said to him like it were any other lesson. So, here they are, at the capsule machines with a few gems in each of their hands.

Before she plunks one of hers into a machine, she wonders aloud:]

What do you think we can win from one of these? Cute little figurines we can maybe decorate the sushi stand with?

Edited 2020-10-07 00:21 (UTC)

A working materia orb would be nice.

[ Something practical, at least, although he's aware that the chances of that are slim. She's right, if it would be anything, it's probably some collectible souvenirs. ]

I'm surprised we never saw these things in Midgar. Must be an Upper Plate thing.

[ And if so, he definitely doesn't remember seeing it. ]

...Looks more like gambling to me.

[Working materia would be nice, and him pointing it out has her looking down to her own gloves, where the broken orbs remain nestled safely in their slots, waiting to be used again, before her eyes are drawn back to the gem between her fingers.]

It does sort of remind me of a slot machine... Hopefully we'll at least get something useful out of it.

[Collectible figures are totally useful! They're always cute and can be put just about anywhere!]

Make sure you win something for me, okay? [No pressure, Cloud!] On three, then. One, two...

[She pauses her countdown to peek over at him to make sure he's ready before—] Three!

[Tifa pops her gem into the slot and turns the crank, and lo and behold, a capsule comes tumbling out!! NEAT!]

It worked!

What, you gonna win something for me, too?

[ He doesn't look back as he smiles, but he knows that she's watching him, which means he doesn't dilly-dally as he turns the crank on his end, too.

Success! He reaches for his capsule to pick it up, but it appears to be stuck in the mechanism. Uh-oh... ]

...Why isn't it coming out?

[Maybe she will... and she's about to say as much as she prepares to pop the lid off her own capsule but pauses when Cloud doesn't have his. They're supposed to open them at the same time, too!]

It's stuck?

[She sets hers down on top of the machine.

Her smaller hands might be able to free it if she can wriggle it into the slot, but... the worry of it getting stuck is very, very real. It's upsetting... she just wanted to see what they would win, not try to fix a broken machine...!]

We can try shaking it a little? See if it rolls out that way.

[Between the two of them, it might work, and it's less likely to break, too.]

[ This doesn't bode well for his gacha luck, does it? ]

I saw Barret punch a vending machine one time. How are your gloves holding up these days?

[ Hey, it's her chance to win him something! But he's fine with just taking the shaking route, too, if they have to... ]

[It's definitely not as good as some people's...

Tifa raises her closed fists to show them off.]

Better than ever, coach. [Minus the broken materia, but that's neither here nor there.] Maybe if I just punch it gently, though...

[She doesn't want to break it!

With that said, she nudges Cloud aside to get into a better position. On three, she tells herself in her head, and she bounces on her feet as she counts herself down before—WHAM!

Lo and behold, after a few seconds of silent anticipation, the small capsule comes tumbling out of the machine and drops to the floor... and then another, and then another, and then... The glass case of the machine cracks and shatters, letting loose dozens and dozens, if not a hundred, small plastic capsules all over the floor.

Tifa watches as they cascade down like a waterfall and make a mess at their feet. Uh oh.]

Maybe a little too good...?

[At least she... won him something????]

Edited (😔😩😔😩) 2020-10-19 17:30 (UTC)

[ The real reward was seeing Tifa beat the crap out of a gacha system - those things had it coming for a long time! This was for all the nerds out there who couldn't pull their desired SSR prize. ]

You call that gentle? I'd hate to catch you on a bad day.

[ His tone is ambiguously flirtatious as usual when he's around Tifa, but he's really just thinking of ways to sound cooler than he really is. He thinks it's oddly emasculating having her technically win both of the prizes, but that's not going to stop him from picking a capsule that he thinks is a winner!

He rummages through the capsules around her feet, finally rising back up when he thinks he found the one he likes. ]

How about this one?

[ Yeah... this is the one, he's feeling it! ]

[Hopefully the machine will be magically fixed by the time the next person comes around...]

That one looks like a winner.

[With her own capsule in hand, she lights up with excitement the moment he shows her the one he's chosen. That's definitely the lucky one! This is it! Whatever is inside these capsules is going to be great, no matter what it is. She knows it's not going to be anything big, but the real fun is in getting them.]

On three again? One, two— [And when she pops the lid off of hers, her excitement quickly droops into disappointment.] Oh. Nothing...

[And such is the life of gacha... Throw yourself at it as hard as you can and get nothing.

She peers over at Cloud's expectantly, waiting for something bigger and better.]

[ Likewise, he shares her disappointment when he reveals that his capsule doesn't contain anything either. Not that he was expecting much in the first place, but failing to win her anything is starting to feel like a personal failure. They were so sure that this was the one!

Quick to hide his indignation, he squats down again to open up a few more of the capsules, but so far every one of them is turning out to be worthless. ]

The hell is this? Some kind of scam?

[Tifa does the same, pocketing her empty capsule to free up her hands for pulling more. One, two, three, four, five... She's guessing that they're all the same too, and she drops them back into the pile, but her disappointment is quick to wane as an amused laugh comes from her side of the capsule heap.

She lifts another and grabs Cloud by the hand, slapping it into his palm.]

Could be, or maybe we just used up all our good luck.

[Or someone got to the winning capsules before they did! At any rate, she's still having fun and that's what matters, right? And neither of them had to spend a single gil to do it.]

Hold onto this anyway. Maybe something'll show up in there later, kinda like the fridge at Strife's Bites.

Yeah, well, I never relied on luck anyway.

[ A true SOLDIER gets by on their skill alone! Nevermind the fact that he's definitely survived some things by sheer luck. ]

Everything I ever won was by my own hand.

[ From Jules' challenges to Rhodea's... earrings... but she doesn't need to know about any of that. ]

[Well, she doesn't have to know about it, sure... but she does.

Tifa's hands clasp around his for a moment before she steps away, careful not to slip on any of the "prizes" covering the floor, her grin only widening as she looks away—anywhere but at Cloud.]

By your own hand? [ ... ] Not your hips?

Huh?

[ Since he has no reason to suspect she's referencing that incident, he appears to be confused as he checks his own hips after her comment. Is there something going on with his hips?

He would ask her, but that would mean admitting that he doesn't know what she's talking about. He never likes to admit that he's clueless! ]

What kinda merc do you take me for?

[Besides Strife's Bites down in Wall Market, the Lemon Cello Church has become one of Tifa's favourite hangout spots. With Aerith trying to start up her business and Cloud helping out too, she finds herself gravitating towards it more and more. It just so happens that... so does Zack!

She's in the middle of cleaning up the outside, picking out any weeds, trimming trees, and organizing loose stones and bricks that have fallen loose from the structure itself when she spots Zack near the door.]

Hey! [Tifa calls out to him from where she is near the corner of the church, bent over and in the middle of yanking—or trying to pull—out a particularly troublesome weed.] Help a girl out? Think you can bring me that garbage bag over there?

[There's a lumpy plastic bag between them that she left when she this weed caught her attention rustling in the wind, and she's put too much work into trying to free it from the dirt that she doesn't want to move her feet from where they're planted firmly in the dirt.]

Edited 2020-10-07 00:39 (UTC)

[Of all the strange places all mashed together in odd ways around this place Zack is, unsurprisingly, attracted to the Cello Church the most. The church back in Midgar was one of his main hang out spots, after all. So he finds himself wandering that way when he's too bored and too full of excess energy which is never a good combination.

Luckily when he approaches he spots the girl and gives a wave and a grin. And when he's immediately put to work Zack is more than happy to hear it.]

Sure thing, one garbage bag coming right up!

[He goes to fetch it and heads her way, opening it up for her with both hands proper.]

This looks like a lot of work but it's looking great around here.

Part one of running a successful business? Keep it tidy. No one's gonna want to come if it looks like a jungle outside.

[With one last hard pull, Tifa manages to yank the weed out of the dirt, and the recoil almost sends her reeling backwards off her feet. Thankfully, her balance keeps her upright, and she instead tosses it into the bag once Zack's brought it over.]

It's not too bad around here but figured it wouldn't hurt getting my hands a little dirty. Help Aerith out when—

[There's a small rustle that comes from inside the bag, cutting the thought off.]

[It's really cute knowing that the girls are working together in this place. And knowing that Aerith is getting this place set up as she had back home is another comfort. He's pretty proud of them.]

Well put me to work too, I wanna see this place-

[Spic and span...? He'd been about to say that but suddenly there is a rustle in his bag and he looks down at it like it's about to shapeshift into a monster.]

The hell?

[He opens it up to peer inside?!]

[Just as Zack opens the bag, something small and prickly tears through the sides of the bag and leaps out from inside of it, almost colliding into his chest before it corrects itself. Weeds, dried up leaves, and garbage follow along with it, flying everywhere as well as creating a mess on the ground as the bottom opens up.

Tifa gasps as it runs up to her, and she hardly gets a good look at it before it dashes back to the bag to pick up the weeds.]

What is that!?

[Another creature ruining their day. Here they go again.]

Aughgh!?!

[The prickly creature nearly stabs him in the chest with its spines and Zack nearly knocks his fist into it before he's spattered by garbage and dried weeds. He flings the bag in surprise and anger and then grabs for the handle of his broadsword!]

Some kinda monster!

[It's another weird mash-up between two different things. Zack squints as the creature suddenly spins on the spot. This bear-like ... spiny... THING.]

The hell it looks like a... cactuar?

[Cactuar??? Bear???]

Not... quite...

[The head above the spines on its neck turns, its empty eyes glaring at them as if they'd just done something wrong, and a low noise comes from its wide, open mouth. It has cactuar-like qualities, but... it's so, so wrong in so many ways.

But before she can get that thought out into words, it zips around the church with the weeds from the bag, and starts to dig up holes in the dirt near the walls with its needles, as if... wanting to replant the weeds back into the ground where she pulled them from!?

She follows, expecting Zack to come along with her.]

HEY!

[Are they really going to get into a fight with a prickly teddybear!?]

[They're really going to get into a fight with a prickly teddybear! Because that thing is now running around at high speed, digging its ugly little paws into the ground and shoving weeds back into the ground where they don't belong. And no way in hell is Zack going to stand around while the church gets uprooted like this.]

Get back here, you little bastard-!

[Zack already has a hand on the handle to his simple broadsword (he'll get a better one eventually?) and he starts chasing after the creature at a sprint. He has no issues with killing some sort of monster creature that is being a pest. It's time to smash. He lunges forward and slashes at the creature with sharp dexterity.

It somehow makes a squeaky noise as it jumps up and spins around in the air before it lands a few paces away, weeds still in hand!]

[Besides the empty stare and the thin, sharp needles, these things share another trait in common with their Gaia counterparts: they're quick and hard to catch and will run away the moment you turn your eyes on them.

When it leaps away, it's already starting to dig another hole in the ground, but rather than plant one of the weeds in it, something pops out from under the dirt. A second, slightly larger one of these beartuars with more weeds clutched in both of its hands.]

Where are they coming from?

[It's all she says before she leaps into action behind Zack, but just as she's about to land a punch, her knuckles come dangerously close to one of its needles, and she stops short of punching right through it, exchanging a look with the creature.]

We're gonna need another plan.

[He's really not expecting more of these things to start multiplying from the ground. Zack lets out a grunt as he turns and tries to swing at the other creature only for it to leap away from him yet again. Tifa definitely has speed on him but they need a better plan.]

This wasn't my idea of gardening or clean up for the day!

[He clicks his tongue.]

Can we lure them away?

[Cactuars are jumpy stupid things but they do tend to like to play or tease too. So it might work... If these bear things are anything like the real deal.]

Mine neither.

[She was under the impression that gardening was supposed to be relaxing, even if it is just pulling weeds and cleaning it up!

Tifa looks around them, and her eyes land on the torn bag several feet away, with dead leaves and weeds spilling out of it.]

Maybe. Think we can use what's left to get them to move?

[Away from the church, preferably. They're free to stick these weeds back into the ground anywhere else.]

Sounds like a good a plan as any.

[Zack makes the move by jogging quickly over to the bag of spilled weeds and rubbish. He hauls it up and taunts the creatures one more time.]

Hey! Is this what you're looking for, you little pests?!

[He's waving a stalk of weeds in his hand...!! But then he quickly starts for the path away from the church as they look at him curiously and wobble forward.]

Come on, time to go!

closed 🌠 pick a star on the dark horizon

cloud. 🌠

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zack. 🌠

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