open 🌠 hello world! i'm your wild girl

[starshower]

Who: Tifa Lockhart & YOU
What: December catch-all!
Where: Where the threads happen
When: When the threads happen
Content Warnings: N/A

𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘪'𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳. 𝘪'𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘹 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳. 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌 ★ 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚌 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖 ★ 𝚐𝚢𝚖𝚗𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚞𝚖 ★ 𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 ★ 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚍 ★ ♫

Comments

☁ closed to cloud

[starshower]

[Of course it was Cloud who Tifa dragged along with her to one of the newer locations. The Hammerhead Book Stop and Garage was one of two things it touts being—a garage was not one of them. Hearing about it and seeing it for herself, at first she imagined it having all kinds of vehicles. She didn't expect them to work, much like a lot of things here, but she wouldn't have minded a few fixer-uppers... ones that they could find a way to rev up eventually. Calling this a garage is a bit of a disappointment...

She's rummaging through one of the tool kits when she stops and turns to Cloud.]

Too bad there're no cars around. Even bikes would've been nice...

[With a wrench in hand, she waves it around.]

We could've expanded Strife's Bites! Make it a delivery service.

[memorate]

[ Cloud agrees silently. If he's going to be delivering service for both Tifa and Aerith, he's definitely going to need some kind of vehicle. ]

Bring the business to them instead of making them come to us? Not a bad idea.

[ She's always been good at expanding business... he certainly picked up a few mercenary tips from her, too! He wonders what else she could have up her sleeve as he stares at the wrench in her hand. ]

You know your way with a tool, too?

[starshower]

I know how to use one. I was no match for Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge, though. You ever needed a fix, you called them.

[They could probably work through this tool kit with their eyes closed. Maybe it's high time she learns now that the rest of AVALANCHE isn't here, but she suspects Zack is good with them.]

We should bring some of these back. Never know when a wrench or a hammer'll come in handy.

[Nothing up her sleeve besides trying to think ahead. If anything breaks in their apartment or the food stands, at least they'd have the tools to fix it on hand. And she's already moving to pack it away into a dusty toolbox in the corner of the garage, blowing away the dirt coating on the lid before popping it open when she hears a loud stomping and then a clatter from outside.

Without turning, she calls out.]

Cloud?

[memorate]

Really... I thought all they knew was how to make a mess.

[ Especially Jessie in the form of explosions, but it makes sense that the trio was handy in other parts, too. They even offered to modify his weapon, now that he recalls...

The trip down memory lane is cut short when she calls out to him, though. ]

Huh? You need me to carry some parts?

[starshower]

[She would have laughed at that were it not for the sounds still coming from outside. She turns and is surprised to find Cloud right behind her—with all the noise, she thought that he might have wandered off to take a look around the outside of the garage, but if he's here, then that means—]

No... I thought that was—

[Her train of thought is interrupted again by the sound of something falling, followed by low grunts near what she assumes are the gas pumps... She can't see them from where she is.]

If that wasn't you...?

[Tifa is already on her feet and beckoning for him to follow her, slowly and carefully, back to the garage door... but when they peer around the walls, all they'll be able to see is a pump hanging from its tank. Not where it was when they came in, that's for sure.]

[memorate]

[ Normally, Cloud wouldn't care where the noise is coming from, it's not like it's their garage or their business to investigate it. If it's a looter, they're no better either.

However, what he doesn't like is the possibility of being followed by anyone. He had been looking over his shoulder for so long, and with Sephiroth's presence, one can never be too relaxed.

Suddenly growing tense, his hand reaches for the hilt of his sword as he stands his ground. ]

If anyone's here, you have one chance to show yourself.

[ He's open to talk... but not for much longer. ]

[starshower]

[As if responding to Cloud's threat, there's a loud bang from behind the gas tanks, and the pump swings violently against it, clanging loud like a war drum in the otherwise silent pitstop, but it's not loud enough to drown out the low grunts coming from that direction.]

Doesn't sound like a person...

[Not anyone here, at least. No one grunts like that unless they're Barret Wallace.

Tifa slides out from behind Cloud and approaches carefully, steps light as she tiptoes over the dirt.]

Hello? We're not gonna hurt you... promise.

[Unless it hurts them first.

And then she spots it: a pair of low-lidded eyes peeking out from behind the gas pump, and above them, three massive yellow feathers jut out from the top of its head. It wanders out, revealing its oddly shaped body and featherless wings.

It's... kind of cute...

Until it snaps its beak and kwehs the moment it makes direct eye contact with Cloud.]

[memorate]

[ Cute as it may be, the eye contact doesn't do much to sway Cloud's opinion of it. A few weeks ago, he would have just mindlessly attacked it, as that was the norm back in their homeworld. He has learned since then that some creatures here are docile, even if they don't look like any animals that he knows of. ]

It's just one of the monsters around here. Might be a pokemon for all we know.

We should leave it alone.

[ Why does it look kind of familiar though... ]

[starshower]

[It sounds familiar too... minus the grunting, it reminds Tifa a little of...]

Wait a second...

[It's small eyes dart between the two of them as Tifa approaches further, her steps still slow and careful as it starts to puff the plume of feathers atop its head.]

Cloud. I don't think that's a Pokemon. I think it's a— [kweh!!!!] Chocobo!?