tabularasa_rp | open ✨ tell me, is something wrong?

[Another advantage of being the barmaid at the hottest place in town? She hears everything, and recently, she's heard something about new buildings materialising around The Void. A church, from what she's learned, and upon checking it out for herself, she discovers that it's not just any church, but one that Tifa's been to before—the one in the Sector Five where she, Cloud, and Barret had retrieved Johnny's stolen wallet. Guess Seventh Heaven wasn't the only thing they dragged down here. She wonders if the other two know about this being here... meanwhile remaining unaware that this is the church of a certain flower peddler.

As she passes through the front doors, she keeps her eyes sharp for anything that might look out of place, but so far, everything is just as it should be: the tall windows, the patch of flowers decorating the ground, and even the giant hole in the ceiling, which she pauses to stare up at before continuing to the altar. Or rather, where the altar should be.

Getting closer, she sees that it isn't an altar at all, but—]

Cakes?

[She leans in, hands on her hips, with an amused quirk to her lip.]

These seem a little too good to be true, don't they?

[Darkness be damned, Tifa is finding this so-called "Market". First Seventh Heaven and now the church, this place hidden away in the caves sounds a little too familiar to not be what she thinks. It takes her a while to find her way through the tunnels of Mount Silver, but at least it gives her vision time to adjust enough that she can make out where she's going. Still, she loses her footing here and there along the way, until she reaches the cave where it stands.

Even now, there's no mistaking it. Wall Market—she'd recognize it anywhere, with its run-down aesthetic. She doesn't need the neon lights to work to know that there's a sign right in the middle of its entrance with its name, and a Supergirls one to her right.

Her exploration leads her to a food stand—one she's never been to before, though she never did spend much time in Wall Market. This one is a barbeque stand, and while the barbeque itself isn't working, it was still the smell of food that drew her here. Not that she's hungry—she can't remember the last time she felt like she needed to eat—but it's still strange that there's food in the first place.

Of course, wandering through food stands and an entire sector in almost pure darkness isn't easy, but who was she to ever wait for someone to figure shit out? That still doesn't change the fact that she's being very, very care—bang!]

Crap.

[Anyone who happens to be exploring the area at the same time (or with her) will hear a clattering followed by a very tiny gasp of surprise, and then her speaking from somewhere inside.]

Guess not even the best of us can beat the dark...

Edited 2020-08-03 15:39 (UTC)

[Most days—if you can call them that—are pretty normal around Heavenly Blanc. The bar is always open to those who would like to stop by for either a place to relax or drink, or have a quiet place to talk or think, and Tifa is, more often than not, somewhere nearby. Right now, she's behind the bar, starting another shift as normal as any when the bell on the door jingles.

She greets whoever enters with a smile.]

Hey! The usual?

[By now, she can easily remember the favourites of the people who frequent the place (what'll it be?) and she's already grabbing the supplies before they've taken a seat. Everything is normal up until... something breaks in her hand when she reaches for a glass beneath the counter. It's wet, and kind of slimy, and when she lifts it back up, her fingers are covered in... egg!?

She'd be more surprised... if this was the first time this has happened.]

... Not again.

( Want to do something else with Tifa? Leave a prompt here, or hit me up via PM or at

crystariums if you'd like to plot something specific! )

[It isn't that she's not grateful that there's a place to stay now, but there is certainly a lot left to be desired in terms of aesthetics in the new apartments that have sprung up near the lake. Her nose wrinkles as she leads Cloud inside the room that she's claimed for him, conveniently located right next door to hers, and she offers him a crooked smile when she turns to him, gesturing at the room and trying to come off as enthusiastic as possible.]

Well? [But it's short-lived when she catches sight of the dirty sink... Her shoulders slump.] I know it isn't much, but I think it'll be better once we get them cleaned up.

[She wanted to be quick about grabbing him this one, so she hasn't had the chance to tidy either her room or his. That would come after.]

It's no Stargazer Heights, that's for sure.

[And that's saying something. Those apartments weren't the most luxurious in Midgar, but they were... homey.]

Edited 2020-08-03 02:35 (UTC)

[ Even if there's no need for sleep in this world, it's good to have a "home base", so to speak. He no longer has to carry a giant sack of inventory if he can just leave his things here, so that's a plus! To be so close to Tifa's living quarters brings him comfort, too.

Honestly, he can't complain, even if it seems like she's expecting him to. ]

It'll have to do, right?

[ Setting both his sword and bag of belongings aside after he enters, he takes another inquisitive glance around the room. She... wasn't kidding about the cleaning thing, huh. He waves his hand near his face, trying to fan some of the stench away. ]

Let me guess... the manager isn't around.

You're taking it better than I would have.

[There was light. Not much of it, but just enough for the person to avoid banging their feet on something. It came from glowing green eyes that gave the blonde a sort of eerie look in the surreal dark of this place. She'd heard a rumor there was something in the caverns, and finally curiosity had gotten the better of her. And, well... living underground for centuries had some uses, not to mention that if her powers weren't working, at least the eyes could do a spooky glow.

Besides, being in the caverns meant fewer people around, right? Fewer people was ... easier to deal with. She was feeling drained by the sheer amount of socializing she'd been doing lately. But she caught sight of Tifa in here and started to walk closer.]

You're the barkeep aren't you? The one that had the party.

[She had expected him to have something to say about the rooms—honestly, who could blame him?—but when he sets his things down, she's relieved, even as he fans the air around his nose.]

No Marle this time to keep everything in tip top shape, so we'll have to do it ourselves.

[If she were the landlady here, she wouldn't be standing for any of this. She'd be up in a jiffy to scold whoever left the messes and wouldn't ease off until it was cleaned. For now, this will have to do, and she doesn't mind helping Cloud clean up and getting settled. They may not need to sleep, but having a place to call home for now, that isn't the bar, would be kind of nice.

Tifa crosses the room to open the fridge, only to find yet another jug of spoiled milk inside. Making a face, she shows it to him and tosses it into the trash can.]

See? Already off to a great start. I'll help you with the rest of it, promise! [She claps her hands.] And we should try and get one of these rooms for Aerith, too.

[That way, they can all be together...]

[ while Raihan isn't as much of an alcoholic as some people from his world are, he's dropped into Heavenly Blanc every so often to see what's new and chat with Tifa. he'd heard about some of the new buildings from her; obviously they sound like they're worth checking out, so he suggests that they give it a shot together. there's strength in numbers, and they've already proven that they make a decent team, so why not?

Raihan isn't a particularly religious person, but he takes care to walk through the building with respect when the doors creak open. he makes sure to remind Duraludon to do the same; his large body means that he has to take care not to crush any flowers, but he's determined not to!

he looks up, noticing the hole in the ceiling. Hammerlocke Stadium had something similar... interesting. he opens his mouth to mention it, but Tifa's question cuts it off. ]

Cakes?

[ well that's clearly more important! he jogs up to her side, letting out an amused chuckle when he sees that yes, she wasn't kidding there are cakes here, displayed neatly in a glass case. ]

They've got to be. Do you think they've got traps rigged up to them or something?

Knowing her, she'll claim a room before anyone can even ask.

[ But that's a good idea regardless, and he agrees. Who knows what kind of dangers followed them here, from Sephiroth to Shinra and the Whispers... it's best that they all stick together as much as possible.

But, ah, first they'll have to make this place pretty nice, huh? With a deep sigh, knowing the amount of work they have ahead of them, Cloud rolls up his metaphorical sleeves and gets to work. ]

Right, then... guess we better get started.

[ Cue a boppy musical montage as Cloud and Tifa bring cleaning gear to their apartment rooms. ]

[ Cloud holds Tifa up as she tries to dust and clean the ceiling - apparently this is more efficient than having to move the chair she stands on each time. Thankfully he's pretty strong and she's not that heavy either! However, when some of the dust comes down and he accidentally breathes it in, Cloud can't hold back his sneeze and ultimately loses his balance while trying to hold Tifa up.

They both hit the floor as they fall, but all things considered, they think it's a little funny. And then a bookshelf falls on Cloud. ]

[ Cloud brings in a chalkboard that he found in the trash heap and hangs it on a wall near the exit to his apartment. He seems to have already written something on it before placing it, and he looks at Tifa for approval.

"Lesson #1: Get some rest." ]

[ As Cloud starts to zone out when trying to sort the books by color (since there are no words to sort them by??), a feather floats by Cloud's face and instantly it triggers a severe internal panic attack. Did Sephiroth follow them all the way here?! Tense and sweaty, Cloud turns around, expecting to see the man that haunts him, only to find Tifa cleaning the pillows. Right, that's where the feather came from...

Feeling silly about his reaction, Cloud quickly goes back to his task, hoping she didn't catch that weird moment. ]

[ In Tifa's room, Cloud decides to craft a makeshift punching bag for her. If there are any at the beach, he hasn't found them yet, but until then this will probably have to do. The punching bag itself is just an old potato sack filled with sand, which hangs off the ceiling pretty nicely.

Before he can surprise Tifa with it, he tries punching it lightly, but he ends up accidentally tearing the sack and the floor of Tifa's room is suddenly filled with sand. Ah.... this cleaning montage got extended...... ]

[ Later, Cloud adds more lessons to the chalkboard, although this time it seems to have some doodles, map directions and "gathering" (in place of shopping) lists written around it. It helps Cloud remember to focus on his objectives every time he leaves the apartment!

"Lesson #2: It's not what you know, but who you know."

He gives Tifa a nod and a smile. ]

[ On their lunchbreak, Cloud and Tifa enjoy some fresh bbq meat (courtesy of the Wall Market!) as they share a desk in his room. Across the apartment, there are piles of paper planes on the ground... apparently they're taking turns on who can make and throw the best paper airplane out of all this useless blank paper. They're enjoying it enough to not care who's winning or losing, although every once in a while, Cloud catches Tifa deep in thought about something. Before he can ask her what's up, she moves their topic of conversation in another direction. ]

Edited 2020-08-04 13:16 (UTC)

[ Cloud puts some flowers (courtesy of Aerith) in a vase and takes a step back to admire the sight. He's never been one for flowery decorations, but there's something calming and peaceful about it whenever he looks at them.

Until a stubby robot comes out of nowhere and the piranha plant inside it takes a big chomp of the flowers. Nani the fuck-- ]

[ Back to the chalkboard! This time, Cloud doesn't write a lesson or quest objective - just a short phrase that he appears to be reluctant to add. Is she making him write it??

"Be nice."

He gives Tifa a nod and a forced smile!! ]

[ In this clip, Cloud is chasing that stubby robot around the apartment - it apparently came with him when he brought things back from the beach, but it only "activated" once he dropped his bag of belongings. The chase, while comical, ends up making more of a mess than whatever they cleaned up, but Cloud eventually grabs hold of it and throws it out of the window. ]

[ More cleaning and wiping!! While Tifa is on window and glass duty, Cloud wipes a dirty mirror that he picked up for Tifa from the junk beach. They seem to be in jovial conversation, talking about all the weird things they've encountered so far. When Cloud begins to see a reflection in the dirty mirror, he catches Tifa frowning again, but when he turns to look at her, she's all smiles again. Was that a trick of the eye...? ]

[ Later, after thoroughly cleaning much of Tifa's room instead of his own, he attempts to make a punching bag again. This time, the potato sack is placed inside a large duffel bag for more stability. Even when he tests it, it's a success! But then again, time will tell how long it's gonna last once Tifa starts pummeling at it. ]

[ After what feels like a four-minute musical track or a 10 hour work day (it's hard to tell in this world), they decide that their work is done for now! Cloud dusts his hands as he appraises their work, feeling proud of their progress so far. Of course, there's always more work to be done on it, but it's feeling pretty homely so far, all things considered.

Maybe now he can ask her about how she is without any of the distractions... but first he'll let her enjoy this moment of victory, too. ]

Whew, guess we can call it a day for now.

[ Then again, there is only "day". ]

[At least Raihan and Duraludon are good company. She learns more and more about them and their Pokemon every day and is grateful for them answering the hundreds of questions she always seems to have about them. If anything, it makes for a decent conversation topic on their journey, but now they've found themselves standing together at a cake display in the middle of the Sector Five church.

She taps carefully on the glass, but nothing happens.]

Whoever left 'em here, I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt, but...

[Her brow wrinkles.]

Things haven't exactly always gone smooth around here. I mean, isn't it a bit strange that they're just here on display like this? Almost like they're trying to get us to reach in there and grab one...

[The green glow that appears is definitely appreciated—having some light is better than the alternative that they've been suffering through. Her own eyes, while adjusted, still can't see several feet in front of her, so she's been knocking things over and walking into them left and right since she got here. Not even the most agile can get around that.

She snickers at the comment, a little embarrassed by her blunder, but she is taking it all in stride. If she took it any other way than being able to laugh about it, this entire sidequest into The Void would be far worse for her than it is.]

The one and only! [Well, Ren too, but he's not allowed to serve alcohol at the bar.] Tifa Lockhart, at your service.

[She gestures with a wave, hoping that Parsee can see it.]

Not sure what I was expecting when I came all the way out here, to be honest. I can hardly see a thing... but this is definitely Wall Market...

[However long it was, they've made decent progress within that time, tidying their suites and turning them into their own. There's still a long way to go, but thanks to the cleaning supplies from the bar, the rooms smell fresher and feel cleaner—enough that she's happy to sit down for a breather and to accept the small victories as they come.

They're in Cloud's room when she slumps on the bed, so fast that she bounces once before stretching and getting comfortable. She beams up at Cloud, wide and satisfied, then gives the apartment a once-over, making sure they didn't miss anything obvious in all of the chaos. The paper planes are still scattered on the floor in one corner, and there are leftovers of their barbecue meat on the desk, but besides that, she's happy with their progress.]

Yeah. Told you it'd be better once we got this place cleaned up! Doesn't look so bad now, huh?

[Her arm slides under the bed and from there, she pulls out two bottles of beer. While Cloud was busy crafting her a surprise punching bag, Tifa had snuck off to the bar to grab them. Lucky for him, she's oblivious to the fact that there had been a pile of sand in her room...]

How about we celebrate!?

[She's all smiles now, but the earlier looks were no trick of the eye. Tifa caught his small, subtle sideways glances, but for his sake, she prefers to keep herself this way.]

open ✨ tell me, is something wrong?

✨ lemon cello church

✨ wall market

✨ heavenly blanc

✨ wildcard

☁ closed to cloud

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