002

[fightforastar]

Who: Tifa and anyone
Where: Middle district shop
When: Afternoon
Style: I'll match
Status: Open!

Sometimes it was the little things that did it.

Tifa had done her best since her arrival to distract herself from the situation back home. There was nothing she could do about it until she found a way back, so worrying just wasn't practical. She'd volunteered almost immediately to help look for answers in that lab on the island. When she wasn't doing that, she'd had plenty of the bubble to explore and familiarize herself with. There'd been all the necessities of living to see to, people to talk to, and she'd even tried going to that ball last week.

She could feel it pressing on her, like something closing in out of the corner of her eye. It was pretty common for conversations to turn to home, or for people to bring up things that reminded her of it in spite of herself. The past few days had been the worst of it. Someone murdered, Rinoa's best friend disappearing...

But she'd forced everything out of her mind then, and she managed. It was the little things.

She was out shopping. As uncomfortable as it was taking things for free, she'd been here for weeks now and she could use more than a few changes of clothes. And there was one shirt, hung up in the wrong section, that looked so very much like Cloud's uniform.

That was all it was. Just a shirt. One stupid, unexpected little thing that made her think of him.

She didn't know where he was. Her whole world could be coming to an end, but what got to her the most was that her best friend was missing. Probably he was dead. And she didn't even know, maybe she never would know, if he was really Cloud or just some science experiment who'd tricked the both of them into thinking he was her childhood friend. She wouldn't know if it made a difference in how she felt.

She was crying before she realized it. Crying there in the middle of the store over some stupid shirt.

Comments

[fightforastar]

[Gods, where would she even start? Her world is coming to an end. An end brought about by the same man who burned her home to the ground, a man who'd murdered another of her friends hardly a month ago. But she could have handled all that, if only she knew he'd be there through it all.

She presses her face into her hands.]

Rinoa, I think he might really be dead.

[sorcery_fledgling]

[Being a Squeenix character is pain.

Rinoa watches as she struggles, and she can't help but feel horrible for her. What could have happened that would weigh on her so much? Sure, she's been through her share of hardships, but hopefully that was just mostly bad luck and circumstances on her part.

...Oh.]

Who might be dead?

[fightforastar]

...Cloud.

[Her tears were starting to abate before, but now it all comes back again.]

If he even- is Cloud...

[sorcery_fledgling]

A friend of yours? What happened to him?

[She hates pressing questions like this on her while she's upset, but there's no way she can help her out otherwise.]

[fightforastar]

[She has to take a few moments before she can even answer.]

He was... right in the middle of it. In the Crater, and... It was all falling apart and we just left him there.

[sorcery_fledgling]

[She's gonna give Tifa a minute to try and collect herself a bit more. So there was a Crater and it was falling apart. Okay, she can see how that's bad. And this Cloud was left inside...]

Was there a reason he was left behind?

[fightforastar]

There wasn't time...

[Practically speaking, there hadn't been. He'd been too far out of reach and with no inclination of escaping himself.

She probably would have gone to him anyway, if it hadn't been for Barret. And she'd be dead, too.]

[sorcery_fledgling]

...I see.

[She's thought for a moment. It's hard to really speak of the situation, knowing so little, but she can try.]

He may have gotten out on his own. Or survived. I've heard of people surviving some pretty crazy stuff that's happened to them.

[fightforastar]

I want to think so. That he's still alive and.. I'll see him again.

But... [She shakes her head.] I can't see it anymore.

[sorcery_fledgling]

[Their conversation over the SFC the other day suddenly takes on a whole new meaning.]

I wish I could tell you for sure if he'll be okay. But I can't. I can tell you, though, that you're not wrong to hope. You need to believe in him.

[fightforastar]

[The tears have stopped and she just feels empty. She stares ahead at something across the way from the bench.]

I could be here for months. I just don't know... if I can keep it up for that long.

[sorcery_fledgling]

See being here as a break of sorts. Maybe you can take the time to help yourself see that hope. And who knows, he might show up here and can tell you what happens.

[fightforastar]

A break... [She lets out a shaky breath and smiles wryly.] Who takes a vacation before the end of the world?

Gods... I'm sorry I'm such a mess right now.

[sorcery_fledgling]

End of the-

[Mouth drop.]

I'd be a mess, too, if my world was gonna end. Geez, Tifa. You need to give yourself a break. It's okay to feel messed up over something like that.

[fightforastar]

There wouldn't be time for it if I was still there.

[Everyone was handling it better than her, too. Focused on what to do next.]

[sorcery_fledgling]

But there's time here, and that's what counts for now. Things will work out. It'll all be there when you go back.

[fightforastar]

...I hope you're right.

[sorcery_fledgling]

Me too. I guess I'm not really one to talk about being optimistic after how I acted, but everyone told me to hold out hope.

[fightforastar]

...I guess everyone needs help with that sometimes.

[She just proved it, apparently.]

[sorcery_fledgling]

It's easier to be optimistic for someone else, I guess.

[She gives her a light nudge with her elbow.]

So chin up.

[fightforastar]

[Tifa closes her eyes, smiling very faintly.]

I'll try.

[sorcery_fledgling]

You can do it! Now come on.

[She gets up on her feet, beckoning Tifa to do the same.]

Let's go do something that'll cheer you up.

[fightforastar]

[Tifa looks up at her, tilting her head, before she follows suit.]

...what've you got in mind?

[sorcery_fledgling]

Well, we can go with the standard ice cream thing. But maybe it's better if you decide. What usually gets you feeling better?

[fightforastar]

[She could suggest a drink, but she didn't think it would exactly lift her spirits right now.]

Ahh... Ice cream's fine.