[It had been a long time coming. Even longer than before they agreed on it, but over the past few weeks, it was always one thing or another that would force Tifa to put their date on hold. The kids' school projects, a leaky faucet in the bar, babysitting plans falling through... She was starting to wonder if the universe was doing this on purpose. That by some strange, divine judgement, Tifa and Cloud were about to overstep the lines laid down by fate.
It's been frustrating, to say the least. Tifa was never one to take things lying down, but these were all situations that couldn't be helped. They would have to surrender to the whims of the universe for a little while longer, to fix that leaky pipe, or reschedule their plans, and in that time, she and Cloud fell back into the same old tired routine. They would wake up, she would kiss him goodbye as he left for his daily round of deliveries, and then worked Seventh Heaven from open to close, until her feet were sore and her hands dried and rough from the water and dish soap. There was little time for her to catch her breath in-between. Tifa never had complaints about routine—it allowed them more time to spend with Marlene and Denzel, but she would be insincere to say she wasn't also longing for the day when it would just be the two of them again.
So, the moment the opportunity presents itself in a complete stroke of luck when Barret returns to Edge for a surprise visit, Tifa snatches it. He, of course, had no objections to watching them while Tifa shut the bar down for a few days so that she and Cloud could have a break of their own. After saying their goodbyes, it's on the back of Fenrir that they travel, their bags slung over and tied to the back behind Tifa, her arms wrapped tight around his waist to hold on for dear life, and her face burying into his back to shield it from the biting wintery air of the countryside.
Fortunately for them, the stars have all started to align. Their room in the haunted inn had been set up without a single hitch, the hearth burning bright for them already by the time they arrive, and Tifa had offered the bathroom up to Cloud first before she occupied it for some time, to clean themselves up for their "night out", so to speak.
For their matching scheme tonight, Tifa had picked blue, and left it up to Cloud to find something for himself that he thought might go with what she would wear, and she'd left her trust implicitly in his hands. Her own attire for the night is perhaps a touch overdone for the Gold Saucer—a short, deep blue dress with heels to match, and a gold pendant earring for that small dash of colour—something reminiscent of an old favourite of hers. Coming out of the bathroom fresh from a shower and now dressed, her hand palming through her hair, Tifa pauses in the doorway to peer around its frame, feeling the flush of anticipation already rising in her cheeks.]
Cloud? You almost ready? Figure we could grab a bite first before we checked out the rest of the attractions.
["The rest of the attractions" being the new ones the Gold Saucer had added since Meteor. With the loss of many cities across Gaia, they took it upon themselves to improve on the place, adding new attractions made specifically to appeal to adults. It still had its games, shows, the battle arena and gondola, but there was a new myriad of rides, restaurants, booths, and even a small shopping centre of fancy boutique shops all lined up. She'll be hard-pressed to pick which places to go, but she had booked them in for two nights for a reason.
🌠mercedis
It's been frustrating, to say the least. Tifa was never one to take things lying down, but these were all situations that couldn't be helped. They would have to surrender to the whims of the universe for a little while longer, to fix that leaky pipe, or reschedule their plans, and in that time, she and Cloud fell back into the same old tired routine. They would wake up, she would kiss him goodbye as he left for his daily round of deliveries, and then worked Seventh Heaven from open to close, until her feet were sore and her hands dried and rough from the water and dish soap. There was little time for her to catch her breath in-between. Tifa never had complaints about routine—it allowed them more time to spend with Marlene and Denzel, but she would be insincere to say she wasn't also longing for the day when it would just be the two of them again.
So, the moment the opportunity presents itself in a complete stroke of luck when Barret returns to Edge for a surprise visit, Tifa snatches it. He, of course, had no objections to watching them while Tifa shut the bar down for a few days so that she and Cloud could have a break of their own. After saying their goodbyes, it's on the back of Fenrir that they travel, their bags slung over and tied to the back behind Tifa, her arms wrapped tight around his waist to hold on for dear life, and her face burying into his back to shield it from the biting wintery air of the countryside.
Fortunately for them, the stars have all started to align. Their room in the haunted inn had been set up without a single hitch, the hearth burning bright for them already by the time they arrive, and Tifa had offered the bathroom up to Cloud first before she occupied it for some time, to clean themselves up for their "night out", so to speak.
For their matching scheme tonight, Tifa had picked blue, and left it up to Cloud to find something for himself that he thought might go with what she would wear, and she'd left her trust implicitly in his hands. Her own attire for the night is perhaps a touch overdone for the Gold Saucer—a short, deep blue dress with heels to match, and a gold pendant earring for that small dash of colour—something reminiscent of an old favourite of hers. Coming out of the bathroom fresh from a shower and now dressed, her hand palming through her hair, Tifa pauses in the doorway to peer around its frame, feeling the flush of anticipation already rising in her cheeks.]
Cloud? You almost ready? Figure we could grab a bite first before we checked out the rest of the attractions.
["The rest of the attractions" being the new ones the Gold Saucer had added since Meteor. With the loss of many cities across Gaia, they took it upon themselves to improve on the place, adding new attractions made specifically to appeal to adults. It still had its games, shows, the battle arena and gondola, but there was a new myriad of rides, restaurants, booths, and even a small shopping centre of fancy boutique shops all lined up. She'll be hard-pressed to pick which places to go, but she had booked them in for two nights for a reason.
Tifa Lockhart always comes prepared.]