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(OOC: Oi. First threads are always the hardest... ; )
The bar crowd was slim. But it wasn't anything new... It seemed like business had come to a screeching halt as things in the world seemed to get worse. Especially after Shinra had unveiled its next greatest failure as a strange virus had taken over the town. Now, it seemed like the citizens wanted nothing more than to stay quietly indoors and keep to themselves, afraid of what else Shinra might do. But it only encouraged her more to put an end to it. The kind people here in the slums had taken her in and taken care of her after her village had been wiped off of the map. And now, they needed her help.
But helping wasn't as easy as it sounded. Shinra basically had control of everything and had eyes and ears everywhere. So recruiting those to join a rebel group was becoming a harrowing task. You never knew when someone asking about joining was part of Shinra.. So their group was very small. The rumor that her bar was home to such a base had probably also caused some of the townspeople to steer clear. After all, who wanted to go somewhere that could possibly get overrun with Shinra soldiers seeking out rebels?
But the peace int he bar almost seemed as though the world wasn't in the state it was in. Like the air outside wasn't ridden with smog and toxins and that the fighting and wars were just a thing of the past. But the sound of passing citizens arguing over Shinra and its decisions. The young bartender sighed as she finished wiping down the already clean counter. Perhaps she'd close down early and go help around town?
What had brought him to Midgar? Noel had yet to work this one out, but it was almost as if something had guided him here. Was it some kind of instinct or gut feeling, or had Etro herself intervened in his fate? Perhaps he would never know, but right now he wasn't too impressed. Whilst the other cities he had visited had been large and grand, with a well taken care of population, this place in contrast was a lot grimmer. These people definitely lived in a much higher state of poverty, and the polluted air was beginning to make him feel a rather queasy! No wonder the world had ended up the way it did if this was what the people of this time were doing to their planet! Had they not thought of their children or grandchildren? Or even those, like Noel, who would be born hundreds of years into the future? It didn't seem to be the fault of the people living in this 'slum', but something was very, very wrong here.
With the unclean air giving him a headache, the hunter furrowed his brow and rubbed his temple as he looked for a place to hopefully take some deep, relatively clean, breaths. The air quality wasn't exactly great where he had come from, but this was certainly worse!
One building seemed to stand out in particular. It wasn't the largest in the place, but the sign over the door made it stand out a little more. 7th Heaven huh, he thought as he made his way into what turned out to be a bar. The layout was rather small and basic, but not exactly cosy. Only one person currently seemed to be occupying the place, a girl with dark hair behind the bar. At first glance, he thought that maybe he had run into Rinoa yet again, but this girl was different. The physical similarities ended in the hair colour, and he watched as she cleaned the counter.
Having possibly already drawn attention to himself simply by entering, he smiled as he approached the young woman at the bar.
"Hey", he greeted her as he took a seat in front of her. She appeared to be bored and a little lonely, so it certainly couldn't hurt to talk to her. Especially seeing as he was using her bar to get out of the open, but then he remembered too late that he wasn't good at small talk. Noel rubbed his temple once more as his head continued to thump.
TAG Tifa, any NOTES agreed. anyway, hope you don't mind me joining you! TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.
Last Edit: Mar 6, 2013 22:19:49 GMT by Noel Kreiss
Tifa got lost in her thoughts for a few moments, not noticing at first the young man that had entered her bar. Letting her mind wander about home. Back when life was much simpler. After Cloud had left she had taken up a job as a tour guide for those visiting the mountains in Nibelheim. Life was simple and not much happened in their sleepy little village. But one day her home was just gone. Wiped off the face of the map. The next thing she knew, she was in Midgar. Her mentor had brought her here in order to get the medicines required to heal her nearly fatal wounds. But as her teacher went to leave, she had decided to stay behind. Seeing the poor condition in which this town was reduced to had broken her heart and the least she could do was attempt to save it. But.. what would life be like if Cloud hadn't left? If her hometown was still there?
Her attention was brought back to reality as she finally noticed that there was someone in the bar other than her. The bartender smiled warmly as he came to sit down at one of the many bar stools. She gave him a quick look over, a little curious as to why she had never seen him here before.. From the looks of it he wasn't from Shinra. So she could put that fear to rest. She was typically a good judge of character and he seemed like a nice enough guy. And from the way he was dressed he clearly wasn't from the slums. He even looked a little ill as he sat.
"Hello and welcome~" She greeted kindly.
She shuffled through the shelving behind the bar for a few moments before returning to her new guest."Here." She set down a cool glass of ice water on the counter just in front of him and a few pain relievers to help with what looked like a splitting headache from the way he was acting. "The air is a bit hard to get use to. Especially after what Shinra has been doing.. But that should help." She smiled warmly as she leaned on the bar top and folded her arms.
"So what brings you here? It's not exactly the best tourist area around." She laughed lightly as she joked with him in order to make him feel a little more at ease. But she was very curious as to why he had come to Midgar of all places.
[/size] , Noel replied as he raised his hand in a wave in response to the bartenders kind greeting. There didn't seem to be too many folk around here that had been overly friendly, but then seeing the state of this place meant he wasn't all that surprised. Living in his world was hard enough, but to see it in creation hundreds of years earlier and not be able to do a thing about was just pure torture. Surely there was a reason he had been sent back here when fate could have just as easily left him to die, most likely taking with him the last of humanity. Perhaps there had been others out there, in fact he had wanted to leave with Caius and Yeul, to find others who might still be alive out there. The former had disagreed rather strongly with the possibility, but still...
A small thud, that hadn't emanated from his pounding head returned him to reality and a glass of what appeared to be iced water. The smaller objects however, had left him rather puzzled. Where they for him? What were they exactly?
"Thanks", Noel bade her with a smile that reflected his gratefulness as he took a sip of the ice water. Had his discomfort been that obvious, he wondered? Normally, he was pretty good at keeping himself reasonably in check, but then he had never encountered anything quite like the murky, smog filled air of this place.
Pondering the answer to the woman's next question, the hunter honestly had no idea. Did he just come out with it? Well, why not.
"To tell you the truth, I really don't know", he answered honestly. "Just a feeling I guess."
He then turned his attention to the small objects that had been passed to him with the water.
"So what are these", he asked as it then occurred to him that he would need to pay for the drink he held in his hand. "Thanks for the water, how much though?" Even in his time, nothing came for free and the other always expected something in return. Not necessarily gil of course, they didn't use it after all, but there was usually something. [/color][/div]
[STYLE=width: 100px; height: 100px; border: 10px solid #111111; float: left; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 5px;][/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; margin-top: 20px; padding-top: 30px; font-size: 18px; font-family: arial; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: -3px;]NEVER FORGET, NEVER REGRET —[/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; font-size: 10px; background-color: #212121; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: arial; width: 450px; padding: 1px;]NAIVE NO LONGER, I WILL MAKE MY OWN PATH.[/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; font-size: 10px; font-family: arial; color: #606060;] MUSE Advancement! TAGGED Tifa, Noel, open. NOTES Hooray for Tifa.[/style]
[STYLE=font-size: 10px; background-color: #f3f3f3; text-align: justify; width: 430px; padding: 5px; border-left: 7px solid #111111; border-top: 7px solid #111111;]I would say that it's good to be back...but I'd just be kidding myself. Cloud walked around the slums of Midgar as he used to, not really having much of a place to go right now. His hands were in his pockets while he moved, it was nice since no one really bothered him with the blade in the holster at his back.
Something he wasn't quite sure of had brought him back here after having met Karrl and Squall out in Balamb. He didn't have much of a way to get around, so finding a ride would be nice. Though, there was something else nagging him. It was almost like a little voice in the back of his head saying that he had to do something important still in Midgar. ShinRa needed to be taken down...that was for sure, yet he knew he couldn't do it alone.
He'd caught wind of some whispers about a group that based themselves in the 7th Heaven bar that were trying to take the corporation down. In fact, that's where he was walking toward. He looked up, though instead of sky he found himself staring at the underside of the plat above them. He sighed, stopping in front of the establishment.
The chocobo-head walked in through the front door, turning so that his blade made it through the portal without cutting anything. He looked around the room, and saw only two people. A guy sitting at the counter with a glass of water, and then a girl that looked to be tending the bar.
On a second glance, Cloud froze. That woman...
"T...Tifa?!" he asked, probably louder than he had actually intended to.[/style] [style=font-size: 10px; text-align: center;]TEMPLATE BY SAMARECARM OF OTE + BTN[/style]
So he wasn't from around here. At least that suspicion had been laid to rest even if it had been obvious from the start. But why he had even thought to enter the city was a whole other question. Most passing travelers didn't even dare to glance at the slums below the plate. And, honestly.. She didn't blame them. Nothing here but poverty and pollution.
"Where are you from then? There must be some reason you're all the way out here." Her curiosity was piqued. After all, it wasn't often she got visitors from out of the slums and travel was difficult. Nor did she have any real reason to leave. The only other home she knew was now gone.
She tilted her head slightly to the side as he asked about what the small objects she had laid out on the counter were for. "It's medicine. It'll help that headache you obviously have." She kindly teased. One didn't work at a bar all day and not learn when something is wrong. It was almost like a sixth sense. But the small subtle clues he had left were enough to tell her he was at least not feeling one hundred percent.
Her smile only widened as he asked about how much his beverage would run him. Her head shook lightly from side to side. "No charge. It's on the house. And no 'buts!" She wagged a finger at him as she finished out her sentence. She had a strange feeling he'd still offer to pay, so she made sure to settle that dispute before it was even presented.
"I don't think I introduced myself yet, either. I'm Tifa Lockhart." It seemed a bit rude to start conversation with a stranger without even offering her name..
The young martial artist began shuffling through cabinets to fetch a glass for herself as she heard the front door open with a light creak. Oh, another customer had wandered into her bar? Well she had already had one surprisingly different guest visit today, so maybe someone else new had stepped through her doors.
She curiously turned back towards the door as her name had been clearly stated in the nearly empty bar. But it wasn't of the usual sort when regular came in. This one seemed more shocked that she was there.. Then who could it have been? But after deep maroon eyes had found the source, she stopped for a moment. Almost in shock. A man with short blond spiky hair jetting out in every direction, almost resembling that of a chocobo. She only knew one person with hair like that.
"..Cloud?" She couldn't believe it! How long had it been? She'd lost track of how many years had passed since she had last seen her dear friend. Without needing much more of an invitation, she quickly removed herself from behind the bar lifting the small door that doubled as a table as nearly running through the rest of the small bar. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm so glad to see you! I hadn't heard anything about you since you left to join SOLDIER." She'd almost thought the worst had happened. But she was more than happy with seeing him still alive and in one piece.
As she let her arms return back to her sides, she looked briefly over to the bar. "Come sit down. Do you want something to drink?"
"Where am I from? Let's just say it's pretty far from here"
[/size] he answered cryptically with a half smile as he took another sip from his glass. No reason to bore the barmaid with his story, even if the place was empty. At least the iced water was making him feel a little better, but he still eyed the small objects with suspicion. So that was medicine huh? He'd heard of it, but no such thing had existed in a long time from his point of view. Still, if they were used to heal the sick, then it couldn't hurt to try, right? He felt that he could trust this woman anyway, so with a shrug, he downed the pills, only after realising that he would need the water to help them go down!
Noel's eyes widened as the woman announced that he wouldn't be charged. Without the chance to argue, he smiled gratefully as the barmaid introduced herself.
"Thanks! Name's Noel, Noel Kreiss,"the young man introduced himself as before taking a sip from his water. strangely enough, the medicine stuff already seemed to be having an effect as his headache began to finally subside. He was impressed, although he didn't want to rely too much on modern luxuries.
Setting his glass back on the counter, Noel continued.
"As for why I'm here, who knows. Ever felt like you were begin called somewhere?" He paused as he glanced around before continuing. "I don't get it though, how can people live like...this?" The plate above meant that no one could even see the sky, never mind feel the sun or wind. More importantly, there only light was the dim glows of buildings and the odd light across the underside of the upper plate. Who would want to live like this?
The hunter was broken from his thoughts as another entered, a spiky haired man who looked like he'd been on the wrong end of some kind of power source! The man obviously knew the newly introduced Tifa, and again obviously the memory was mutual! Watching as she ran from the bar to embrace him, Noel couldn't help but wonder what he was sat in the middle of. Taking another sip from his drink, he chose to let them get on with it. He'd leave them to it once he'd finished his drink, and then maybe he could figure out why he was even here.[/color] [/div]
TAG tifa, cloud, any NOTES don't mind me, lol TEMPLATE BY OH SO COOPERNATURAL ! @ CAUTION.
[STYLE=width: 100px; height: 100px; border: 10px solid #111111; float: left; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 5px;][/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; margin-top: 20px; padding-top: 30px; font-size: 18px; font-family: arial; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: -3px;]NEVER FORGET, NEVER REGRET —[/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; font-size: 10px; background-color: #212121; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: arial; width: 450px; padding: 1px;]NAIVE NO LONGER, I WILL MAKE MY OWN PATH.[/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; font-size: 10px; font-family: arial; color: #606060;] MUSE Tifa’s Theme TAGGED Tifa, Noel, open. NOTES Sorry it took so long guys @_@.[/style]
[STYLE=font-size: 10px; background-color: #f3f3f3; text-align: justify; width: 430px; padding: 5px; border-left: 7px solid #111111; border-top: 7px solid #111111;]What am I supposed to say? Cloud was in a word: dumbfounded. Tifa was probably the last person he expected to encounter in Midgar, and running a bar no less. Not to mention that this bar housed an anti-ShinRa group? Was she involved? So many thoughts ran rampant through his mind so he spaced, just standing there in silence. It figured, he hadn’t seen her in years and he couldn’t think of a single word to say.
He was brought back down to Gaia when Tifa’s arms wrapped around him. Any trepidation he had about speaking or trying to find words melted away. He wrapped his arms around her as well, returning the hug before letting go. This was also when he realized that there was another person in the bar. Knowing that he wasn’t alone made the chocobo-head flush a light shade of pink. The invitation by Tifa for a drink was a welcome distraction.
Cloud, being Cloud, merely nodded to her and walked over to the bar to take a seat at one of the stools one or two down from where Noel sat. His eyes scanned the room; looking around at the various decorations…it didn’t look like a secret organization could be based here. His eyes settled on Tifa, and a light smile crossed his lips. When he had heard about the Nibelheim incident he was worried for her. He was glad she was safe.
“I never made it into SOLDIER” he admitted, crossing his arms to lean forward on the bar.[/style] [style=font-size: 10px; text-align: center;]TEMPLATE BY SAMARECARM OF OTE + BTN[/style]
Last Edit: Mar 21, 2013 18:32:16 GMT by Cloud Strife
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[/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; margin-top: 20px; padding-top: 30px; font-size: 18px; font-family: arial; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: -3px;]NEVER FORGET, NEVER REGRET —[/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; font-size: 10px; background-color: #212121; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: arial; width: 450px; padding: 1px;]NAIVE NO LONGER, I WILL MAKE MY OWN PATH.[/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; font-size: 10px; font-family: arial; color: #606060;]