open ✨ life can be harsh, it can be bitter.

[starshower]

Who: Tifa Lockhart feat. Cloud Strife & YOU
What: September catch-all. Tifa tries to find something else she enjoys outside of Heavenly Blanc, and drags Cloud along for the ride.
Where: Where the threads happen
When: When the threads happen
Content Warnings: N/A

𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 '𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚍 & 𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚊 ★ 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚙 ★ 𝚋𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 ★ 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚍 ★ ♫

Comments

[starshower]

[Before things can escalate like she fears they might, because Cloud's confidence is being put in the hot seat right now, she waves a hand between the two of them, as if that will diffuse some of the tension that she can feel there. This is almost like being between Cloud and Barret... It's not as bad, but she can feel that need to intervene in her gut.]

No problem at all! [She just casually cuts in to answer for Ren, sorry!] And I wouldn't say a modern take, just our own take on sushi! Hmmm. Like a sushi salad, yeah?

[She says it with such confidence that it might as well be a real thing.]

[forethinking]

(... His Japanese pride is hurting... A little... This is really not sushi, guys... But at least he does find something nice to say when he grabs chopsticks (?) and pops some of the contents of place into his mouth.)

Tastes good.

(That's a sincere compliment, though!)

How are things with you two?

[halloflamer]

Oh! My mistake, [Blue laughs, waving an apologetic hand at Cloud.] Well, thanks for your hard work in advance, then! [He gives him an enthusiastic salute to boot] I bet it'll taste great!

[Famous... last words??]

[Well, he'll soon see. Eevee happily wags his bushy tail as Tifa feeds him, and Blue watches to see what Eevee- that spoiled little brat- thinks of the cooking as he eagerly snaps up the first taste. From his cheerful reaction, it seems like a hit!]

Okay, if it's good enough for 'vee, I guess it's good enough for me, [Blue chuckles, and rests his cheek in his palm.] Lay it on me! What's available?

[starshower]

That'll make this way more fun.

[Raising her fists, Tifa positions herself, planting her feet firmly on the ground shoulder-width apart, preparing to push off in Ahsoka's direction.

If they can take what the other can dish out, then there's no need for a countdown, so after flashing the other woman a smile brimming with confidence and adrenaline, she sprints forward at her with only that brief warning, projecting her first mid-height punch as soon as she reaches the other side of the bridge]

[forwearemany]

(They look down at their chesthole.)

All items placed inside our internal cavity are consumed.

(They can fit anything in there. Even large items, like whole cakes ... or body parts, if one were dumb enough to reach inside.)

[memorate]

Don't say items...

[ It implies that they'll eat anything, which is... certainly possible. More now than ever, but everyone should still just stick to consuming food and food only.

As for the answer itself, Cloud wasn't sure what he was expecting, but they have no choice but to accept it. ]

So, Tifa, got any recommendations for the chest hole?

[ This one's all on you, partner! ]

[memorate]

[ Cloud happily soaks in whatever encouragement he gets from this, but he also makes it seem like he knew what he was doing all along. ]

There's nothing to it, just takes some skill.

[ He says, as he hands Blue an overloaded meat skewer, dripping with too much sauce. Apparently what's "available" is literally everything, all rolled up (skewered) into one. ]

Here, don't let it get cold.

[ Is Tifa still proud of him?? ]

[memorate]

[ Cloud is so used to being asked what his relationship with Tifa is that he immediately assumes that's what Ren is inquiring about, and his brain already defaults to his usual awkward reply. ]

What? No, Tifa and I... we're, uh, I...

[ He quickly starts preparing another sushi roll, trying to keep himself busy while he hopes that she takes the lead on this one. ]

[memorate]

[ Cloud's concern for the tongs is completely overshadowed by his concern for their screaming customer now. Her overly animated reaction surprises him, but he can't exactly blame her. Some people are afraid of ghosts, while others are scared of creepy-looking chicken.

Either way, Cloud will rise to the occasion and be a hero every time. ]

HEY, get the hell off our--

[ Just as he leaps forward, the nug points it's ass at Cloud and fires off another egg... right into his open mouth. It immediately breaks, leaving Cloud to choke on eggshells and yolk. Please hold. ]

tdm threads ✨

[starshower]

noctis 🌙

[starshower]

( ⇄ )

[All she'd like to say is "you'll see", but he deserves a little more of an answer than that.]

Not sure how it happened, but... it's got different parts from both places. Like someone saw the ideas in a magazine, but couldn't decide what they liked more, you know?

[Ah, that just makes it sound even crazier.]

... That probably doesn't answer much, does it?

[anciently]

[ Aerith accepts the fork, nodding approvingly as Tifa speaks. ]

We've all gotta eat, right? I'm just glad someone's preparing it who knows what they're doing! [ It can't be that bad, right?? ] And I'm sure, if we need something, the people you've helped out would be happy to return the favor. You just have to ask!

[ This isn't Midgar; the people here are...different. Really different, in some cases, but generally more willing to help strangers than those from their home.

Aerith pauses for dramatic effect before spearing the sushi and raising it. ]

Here goes! [ Please revive her if this knocks her out, okay?

The brunette takes a bite, and there's a thoughtful pause as she chews, trying to keep her expression neutral. ]

Well... [ Finally, she unveils a big grin, and offers the pair a thumbs-up. ] Gotta say: you really did a great job! It tastes great! No matter how it looks.

[ It's got the Aerith Seal of Approval, at any rate! ]

sephiroth 🔥

[starshower]

( ⇄ )

[His question seems to unwind Tifa's posture a little. If there's one thing this world is good at, it's putting them all at the same level, and as much anger as she feels for him right now, she's not going to withhold that kind of information. Guess she'll have to play nice, too.]

We don't know. Time doesn't work the same here as it does anywhere else. [She points to the sky, but her eyes never once leave his.] There's no sun, and no night. No way to tell the time but to count it yourself.

[And even then, unless someone's been keeping track of time right down to the second, there's no way of knowing for sure how long it's been. It feels like weeks, maybe months. Part of why she and Cloud thought this was their fault, or Sephiroth's...]

Pretty sure everyone's perception's skewed without sleep.

[starshower]

Don't say it like that...

[She mutters under her breath. Calling it a chest hole makes it sound so... weird.

Tifa shakes off that feeling in favour of turning her attention to the menu, trying to find something that would be easy digesting for Legion.]

How about some sashimi, then? [She points to that portion of the menu, where there are pictures of cut up raw fish, fresh and pink and garnished with some greens.] No seaweed or rice, just some nice fresh fish!

[starshower]

[She is very proud of him! Look at Cloud go, getting all confident about his cooking skills, even though... hm.

Chicken, beef, even some grilled fish in there... well, at least Blue will be able to taste everything on the menu, rather than them having to recommend one to him. The sauce drips all over the counter as Cloud hands it over, and Tifa is quick to follow it, wiping it clean with a napkin.]

Everything! [Tifa says with some forced enthusiasm as she picks up a second napkin for Blue. He's going to need that, especially as the stick that's holding the meat begins to bend and droop from the weight of the sauce.] A whole sample skewer, on the house!

[Please eat it quickly...]

[starshower]

[And Tifa, who's never been asked this before, goes red in the face when Ren asks, and even redder when Cloud stumbles with his answer. There's nothing to get so flustered over! Why is he doing this! She drops the knife she'd picked up, and gasps as it clatters against the counter.]

We're, uh... you know...! Same as usual.

[Long-time friends, that's all! Oh no wait, she's doing it too. Pull yourself together, Lockhart! She looks over to Cloud while he busies himself with the sushi, and that seems to calm her down enough that she can formulate a calm answer.]

Happy... [she says with an exhale. Phew, Tifa to the rescue.] Business is going good, I think.

this escalated so quickly

[starshower]

[She will not hold!

The moment Parsee falls back and an egg flings itself into Cloud's mouth, Tifa springs into action. While Cloud chokes on the egg, she leaps out from beside him and slides over the counter action-movie style to try dragging the nug off Parsee while she dodges one egg... two eggs... as the animal shoots them out like bullets.]

I got this, and I've had enough of you!

[She wrenches the bird free from Parsee's arms to allow her some time to recover but just as she picks it up, it shoots a third egg and nails her right in the face, shell breaking against her forehead from the force of the impact, and dripping yolk down her face.

Tifa drops it out of surprise and it resumes its fighting, pecking at the two girls now, trying to pull down Tifa's socks and pluck out Parsee's hair.]

[forethinking]

(Oh, you two. Ren is biting his lip discreetly not to laugh, how did they twist such a simple question about their well-being to their relationship status? The laugh may have been successfully swallowed, but the smile he has on the corners of his lips may still be visible for those who are looking.

When Tifa finally speaks, Ren nods and busies himself with food. That's what he was doing before this, so might as well return so that the vibe calms down a little...)

Heavenly Blanc is fine too.

So so quickly! Naughty Nug!

[bridge_princess]

[Nope, nope, she was totally done with this. Her hands went for the nughiken's legs, grabbing hold of them as it squawked and flapped at her, firing more eggs. She just closed her eyes and kept a death grip on the stupid thing.]

Thhhhbppppt! ACK! Even real chickens don't have this many eggs in them at a time!

[Cough, ok, luckily its aim wasn't perfect with those, but still. She'd sacrifice her appearance to keep it still so they could grab the little bastard.]

DEFINITELY CHICKEN!

memory swaps ✨

[starshower]

[realway]

[ tifa's stance is met with one of her own, a few yards of distance between them. she smiles and waits, but is momentarily surprised to see tifa make the first move. beaten to it!

ahsoka doesn't wait for her though. she kicks off the ground and rushes to meet her, but as tifa makes the first punch ahsoka responds with a side-step to dodge. both hands grab the wrist of the punching hand, and her foot sweeps at the ground toward her ankles. a disarming technique to try and get her to fall, defensive. ]

[halloflamer]

[Well, that sure is... everything. Blue blinks at it once before he reaches out to take it carefully- with both hands- cupping to accommodate the weight and dripping sauce as it trails over the counter. Whoops....]

Woah, I'm feeling pretty VIP, here! [He beams, tugging off a piece of chicken with his teeth. Heavy as the skewer may be, at least the sauce was delicious, and the meat seemed-- well, it was... a little charred in places, but the inside was pretty good! The char gives it more flavor, right? Blue chews thoughtfully and makes an approving sound.]

It's good! [Blue gives an approving thumbs up around his delicate hold on the skewer, deciding to eat it like a corn on the cob- that should be easier, right?] You sure are a jack of all trades in the kitchen, ain'tcha?

Oh, and I guess you too, since you helped, [See Cloud, you get recognition, too! Blue pries another piece of meat off for Eevee, feeding it from his sticky fingertips.] I used to make stuff like this camping out, once in a while. It's easy making veggie ones like this!

[king_in_dreams]

[He frowns, trying to work through her explanation - and then tilts his head a little.]

No, actually it does. Like... you know those building kits - Legos. Like someone took two different kits and just put them together?

ren ✨ a guy can change

[starshower]

"How sweet. When did you get so thoughtful?"
"A guy can change. Has been five years."

★☆★

[This particular new memory that Tifa's acquired isn't difficult to pin down. Some of them are and some aren't, but there was one tell that gave it all away. It wasn't the strange outfits that did, though she wonders about that, nor was it the memory of the hot heat under her soles or the harsh desert sun beating down on her head while a structure collapsed all around her while she made a daring escape. Nothing in Nibelheim or Midgar was like this, and she doesn't recognize the people or the place... no, this isn't supposed to be here.

What does give it away is the cat. Or rather, what she thinks is supposed to be a cat. A talking cat that's yeeted into the sky and transforms into a car on landing... Or is it a bus?

Not that a technicality like that matters too much at the end of the day, so to speak, when she's rapping on Ren's apartment door hoping that he's home.]

Ren? You in there?

[Yeah, she's figured it out and Tifa has a lot of questions for you!!!]

damien ✨ chopper's gonna chew you up

[starshower]

"Leading man sticks around until the credits roll!"

...

"Plate separation authorized. Awaiting confirmation."

★☆★

"You ever think about hitting that place?"

[Of course she has. With Shinra—no, Blume moving people in and out of the Merlaut so often, they'd be dumb not to... is what Tifa tells herself at first, when she recalls it. Talking to Aiden... wait, no. That's not right either. It should be Barret. And since when did Merlaut have anything to do with Shinra? Everything about this memory is wrong, and it takes Tifa playing it out in her head to remember where she'd heard those names before, or rather, from who.

Damien was the one who told her about Blume, and the Merlaut was a place local to his world, not hers.

This isn't the first time she's had to deal with a memory that didn't belong, and fortunately, many of them haven't been difficult to place. Hints from past conversations were there, almost like this was her subconscious trying to create something out of them, like a dream in a waking state. Maybe the lack of sleep is finally starting to get to them.

Maybe that's why she hasn't been able to recall some of her own memories.

There's a slow knock on the door of room 109.

Please be home...

And when Damien does open the door, Tifa's head tilts, hand pressed to her chest.]

Hey... I think I have something that belongs to you.

[There really is no good way of starting this conversation.]