Like many people, Tifa Lockhart can take a moment to gain her bearings. Whether it means keeping her eyes from drifting back shut or imagining her bed infested with demon ladybugs from hell, her mind can, and often does, hover between reality and dreams. So when she first began to wake, there was nothing strange in hearing the shower running. Nor was there anything strange about hearing someone singing. The unearthly notes caressed her ears, bringing a lazy smile to her lips as she heard the voice drift from the bathroom as if carried by the shower steam. Opening her eyes, Tifa wondered if the voice belonged to a human being. After another moment of listening, she decided that it was not, in fact, human, but rather, a mermaid. Thus, her sleepy mind clung to this thought, though it had no real evidence to support it, and the fighter wondered if the sea creature would mind her joining it in the shower. She couldn't imagine how it would find reason to protest. After all...this was a mermaid, and mermaids didn't have legs, so it couldn't very well leave the bathtub. There for, it would not stand to reason that this creature, who couldn't even move if it wanted to, would deny Tifa, a woman who could walk and who needed to shower, use of the bathroom. At the very least, the woman needed to use the toilet. If the mermaid couldn't take that, then it shouldn't have gotten itself stuck in the bathtub to begin with. But as Tifa gazed toward the bathroom door, the door ajar just enough to allow a sliver of light to fall onto the cheap, mustard yellow carpet, a thought occurred to her. What the hell was a mermaid doing in her motel room? Squinted eyes slowly opening, memories of a brazen-hearted ninja resurfaced, and the woman lay there blinking for a moment before slowly sitting up. Sighing wearily, Tifa rubbed at her right eye, wondering how it was she came up with things sometimes. "Mermaids? Hades likes to play with my head..." Dropping her hand, she looked back toward the bathroom, where Yuffie's voice continued to drift from. Tifa recognized the song she was singing. That ridiculous song, she couldn't remember the name to it, from the artist named...what was he called again? The woman scratched her head. "Guile? ...No. No, Gooly." She scrunched her nose. "Geez, that doesn't sound right at all!" The sound of the shower cut off, and the woman jerked her head up, her eyes wide. "What should I do?" she thought, momentary panic setting in as she heard the stall door slide back. "Should I pretend to still be asleep?" She twisted around and looked at her pillow as if seeking approval, but when the pillow gave no response, the woman slouched, feeling ridiculous. "What am I thinking? 'What should I do?' There's nothing to do! All I have to do is say-" The bathroom door pulled back all the way, letting out a rush of steam as Yuffie appeared in the doorframe, a towel wrapped around her body. Tifa stiffened, and the younger girl paused at the sight of the fighter, a surprised look on her face. After a moment, the ninja smiled. "Geez, didn't think you'd be awake yet, Rusty." Tifa swallowed, her cheeks going red. "G-Good morning, Yuffie..." ---------- The diner was alive with a jovial din that had Tifa staring, baffled. The seats were filled with bodies, large and small, old and young, grinning in eager anticipation of the food promised them, while others faces lit up with satisfaction as they enjoyed their warm meals. Softly, in the background, an old time favorite song was playing, the lyrics provoking a sense of welcome and good nature. Vera could be seen, flitting about from table to table, tending to the needs of customers. When the woman spotted them, she gave them a wave and finished her business with the customer she was speaking with. Hurrying over, she smiled. "Good morning, ladies! You planning on heading back on the road today?" Vera asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Yuffie, her face aglow, said with a grin. "That's the plan!" The woman nodded, smiling in return. "So where you going to next, Kid?" "No idea. But there's still plenty of..." Tifa's attention wandered, the atmosphere injecting a sense of nostalgia in the fighter; the scents, the voices, the clatter of plates and silverware...it reminded her of Seventh Heaven. Of nights filled with humor, as well as intrigue as she, along with Barret, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge, conspired against the tyrannical rule of Shinra. But memories of these times did not sadden her...in fact... She smiled. Vera clapped her hands so that Tifa's attention was once again drawn back to the woman. "Why don't I show you ladies to your table? You're just in luck, we've got one left in the back...and no it's not the run-down booth, Yuffie, so stop giving me that look..." The woman turned and began to lead them to the right side of the restaurant. When they reached the farthest booth, Vera indicated for them to sit, so Tifa slid into the seat facing the door, while Yuffie sat across from her. Laying their menus before them, Vera asked, "So what'll you girls be having?" Yuffie, without having to pick up her menu, said, "The pancake combo, please!" Vera chuckled as she whipped out a notepad. "Shoulda known you'd ask for that..." she said as she jotted down the ninja's order. "And for a drink?" "Orange juice'll be fine." "All right..." Looking to Tifa, the woman raised her eyebrows expectantly. "An' what'll you have?" Tifa, feeling flustered, reached for the menu, giving it a quick look over. "Um..." she bit her lip. "What about an Eastern omelet with a side of hash browns? And I'll just have some coffee, if that's all right." Vera nodded, smiling as she jotted down the woman's order. "That Eastern omelete's new. Mal picked it up from Yuffie." Tifa smiled across at her friend. "Really?" Yuffie scratched her head. "Well, I don't remember ever telling him how to make anything. I just told him about the different things we ate back at Wutai. I guess he just played around with the different ingredients those dishes used. ...Is the omelet any good?" Yuffie asked, turning to Vera. Vera shrugged, "If it were bad, I couldn't say. Not too good for business to be speaking ill of our own menu, if you know what I mean." Yuffie nodded with a grin. "Yeah, I guess so." The woman tucked her notepad in her apron and took the menus back. "Okay ladies, Mal will have your orders ready soon. I'll be back in a bit with your drinks." "Thank you." The two girls said simultaneously as the older woman walked away. Tifa sat back, looking around the restaurant with raised eyebrows. "It's crowded today. I'm surprised there was still a table left." Yuffie smiled as she leaned forward, propping her chin up on her fist. "Yeah...this place is pretty popular. People don't mind the drive from Corel to here." Tifa smiled quietly as she looked down at a brown spot on the table. Idly, she rubbed at it. "So..." Yuffie began, looking up at the ceiling. "What do you think we should do from here?" Tifa thought for a moment. "Um...we could just go to Costa del Sol." The ninja nodded leaning back again. "We could. But there's a place or two I think we can stop at before we head there." The older woman looked at her curiously. "Where?" she asked. "You'll see." The girl said, smiling cryptically. Vera came back, setting down Yuffie's orange juice and Tifa's coffee mug. Other hand holding the coffee pot, the woman poured the fighter's coffee before nodding to them and moving to another table. The woman frowned, pulling her mug closer to her. "Yuffie, you aren't planning anything eccentric are you?" "Eccentric?" Yuffie took a sip of her orange juice. Wiping her mouth, she said with a small amount of exasperation, "Tifa...this is a road trip." "When you say that, I only worry more." But the woman was grinning, her eyes lighting up as she saw Yuffie laugh lightly. The girl had a way of bringing light to anything. She took away the sting of reality, not by numbing, but by healing. She was thawing the ice that had kept Tifa locked, frozen in place, and she was dusting the dirt away from the fighter's sense of adventure. Fingers holding the butterfly pendant so that it caught the morning light, Tifa let the laughter escape her lips. And just like that, their meals were ready. Vera came, a grin on her face as she laid the girls meals down before them. "Here you girls are!" Yuffie eyed her stack of pancakes with a grin. "It's been too long since I've had this," she said, licking her lips. Tifa's omelet looked delicious as well, shrimp and mushroom swimming in the fluffy eggs, the golden hash browns steaming next to them. The woman's mouth watered. The younger girl looked at her plate and leaned forward. "Hey, that looks pretty good!" Vera winked. "See? Have faith in Mal. He can be a lump sometimes, but other times he does pretty darn good. ...Anyways, enjoy your meals, you two." "Thank you, Vera." Tifa said, as the woman walked away. Picking up her fork, the fighter cut off a piece of the omelet. Taking a bite, she sighed in satisfaction. Yuffie, already chewing a large piece of pancake, looked at the woman with a smirk. "Betta tha Barett'sh?" she said through mouth full of food. Tifa nodded vigorously, and the other girl giggled slightly. Eating half of her omelet, the woman decided she wanted some of the hash browns. Reaching for the ketchup she shook it a bit before pulling back the cap and turning it over. She squeezed it forcefully... ...But nothing came out. Blinking, the woman squeezed it again, this time giving the bottle a bit of a shake. Yuffie watched as Tifa turned the bottle over, as if accusing it for conspiring against her. "It's clogged." The younger girl said after swallowing the food in her mouth. Tifa sighed with a frown. "But it looks clear to me! Look! You can see down the little hole thing and everything!" "Maybe you're not squeezing hard enough?" Tifa grit her teeth as she shook it again. Turning the bottle over, she gave it another squeeze. "Come on..." she muttered. When the ketchup still refused to come out, the woman scowled angrily. "Oh for Ifrit's sake!" The fighter shook it down violently this time, squeezing the bottle as hard as she could, and with sudden force, ketchup came bursting out, splattering all over the hash browns...and Tifa's shirt. Blinking, the woman looked down at herself. Yuffie bit down on her lip hard to stop herself from laughing. ---------- After Tifa went back to the motel room to change, the two girls went to say their goodbyes to Vera and Mal, who took a moment from their work to say farewell. "You take care, Kid." Mal said, rustling Yuffie's hair. Yuffie smiled, punching the man lightly in the arm. "You try not to drive Vera crazy, okay?" Vera smiled giving the girl a hug, "Be safe, dear." Tifa smiled as the woman turned to her next. "And you," the older woman said, pointing at Yuffie, "Make sure she doesn't get into trouble, all right?" Tifa nodded, laughing at Yuffie's indignant expression. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on her." Vera chuckled and gave Tifa a hug. As she pulled away, Mal stepped forward, his eye appraising. "You're an okay woman by me, Lockhart. You're the only other person aside from Yuffie here who can beat me at a chugging contest. That's a rare and special thing! Make no mistake about it!" Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Mal." The man laughed a deep, throaty laugh, patting Tifa on the shoulder. "I think we'd better get going, Tif." Yuffie said, looking up at the sky. The sun was nearly overhead. Tifa nodded, "All right." She turned to look back at the Kruvics. "Well, I guess this really is goodbye." The two girls climbed onto Yuffie's bike, which was already loaded with all their things. After strapping on their helmets, Yuffie started up the bike. "All right, we'll see you two soon!" she cried. The Kruvics waved as the girls drove away, the bike roaring loudly as they went. Vera sighed a dubious smile on her face. Mal looked at her, puzzled. "What?" he asked. The woman shook her head. "Nothing...it's just..." she looked up at her husband. "I've never seen Yuffie look at anyone the way she did that girl. She must be something real special to her..." ---------- The wind was roaring. Tifa held onto Yuffie, feeling excited about all the things they still had left to do together. The thoughts brought a smile to her lips. Winding through the valley of the Corel region, the fighter was able to appreciate the long sea of rolling grass, the wind moving it about whimsically and to a rhythm only it understood. In the distance, the sight of Gold Saucer slowly began to sprout from the horizon like a grand castle. But as they neared, the sight revealed the surrounding desert, desolate and oppressive. None could enter, unless they wished to be devoured by quick sand. Memories of Corel Prison entered Tifa's mind as she squinted her eyes at the wavering dark shapes at Gold Saucer's base. Silently she watched them for a moment before turning her head and gazing instead at the oncoming road. Several miles on, the sun was well overhead, the heat pressing down Tifa's head like a weight. They were fast entering the Costa del Sol region, famous for its hot, sunny weather and cool nights. The on ramp that joined the highway leading towards Costa del Sol was just ahead, but as they neared it, Yuffie instead continued onward, passing the on ramp as if it weren't even there. Tifa turned and gazed after it, startled that the ninja didn't take the turn. But then she remembered that Yuffie had wanted to visit some places before going to Costa del Sol, so she settled back and said nothing. It was when the ninja, turning down a lonely road and into a dried up ravine, stopped at a two-story building, the front of it showing a faded sign reading, "Taxidermy Museum" that Tifa found reason to protest. "Um...a taxidermy museum?" the woman asked slowly, un-strapping her helmet slowly as Yuffie climbed off the bike. Yuffie nodded, grinning as she looked up at the building, the metal roof rusted and the windows dusty. "This eccentric enough for you?" the girl asked brightly. Tifa climbed off the bike, an uneasy look on her face. "That building is filled with dead things..." she said in a low, repulsed voice. "Stuffed dead things!" Yuffie said, camera already out. She grabbed Tifa's hand, leading her forward, "Come on, don't be scared, I'll be there with you." And at the warm feel of Yuffie's hand on hers, the woman smiled and felt some of her unease disappear. Following Yuffie into the building, the fighter was immediately greeted with the sight of a monstrous bird, its piercing gaze boring a hole into her head. A light shined over it, the glossy feathers of the bird's large and powerful wings giving it a menacing look as it stood, reared back as if aiming to lash out with it's powerful, clawed feet. Tifa gulped and shuffled closer to Yuffie, who was already at the counter. The fighter tried to ignore the strong smell in the air. The odor reminded her of almonds, pickled walnuts, and brand new leather. A woman with dark hair and bold eye shadow sat behind a counter near the door. She looked up as they came in. "Oh, hullo there!" she said, looking pleasantly surprised. "What can I do for you ladies?" Yuffie indicated down the aisle, where the large bird could be seen. "Just want to take a look around, that's all." The woman's smile widened. "You don't say! Well it's five gil a person, if you don't mind." "Not a bit," the girl returned, handing the woman the money. The woman let out a happy sigh as she took the gil. Handing Yuffie two brochures, she pointed down the aisle, "Well, first floor is pretty much you're local animals and monsters, and up stairs are where are two main attractions are." Yuffie nodded, "All right, thank you." The girl turned to Tifa, "Ready?" Tifa nodded and Yuffie took her hand as she led her toward the monster bird. The fighter gave a shudder as her friend stopped in front of it, bending over to look at the plaque in the corner of the display. "A 'cokatolis'." Yuffie said tilting her head to one side. "It's found around Mt. Corel...oh hey!" she straightened and grinned. "I remember these things!" She frowned suddenly. "They always did that weird chirp that made my muscles freeze. It stunk on ice." A giggle bubbled up Tifa's throat as she recalled a memory of Yuffie when AVALANCHE had been traveling through Mt. Corel. Once when navigating the treacherous paths, they had encountered a cokatolis, and as luck would have it, Yuffie had been the first to be taken out of the battle, a comical look of outrage frozen on the girl's face, her arms at 90-degree angles and her knees bent as if she had been aiming to jump away from the cokatolis' attack. The ninja in question gazed at Tifa questioningly, not understanding the woman's sudden outburst. Tifa simply shook her head and tried to stifle her laughs with a hand. "It's nothing!" she said between giggles. Yuffie frowned. "No fair! Come on, if it's got you laughing, I wanna know!" Tifa gave the girl a light push, a grin playing at her lips. "Are you suggesting I have no sense of humor?" "Well..." the girl said, playfully pulling at Tifa's hand. "Maybe." Tifa stuck her tongue out. "Well 'foo' to you too." Yuffie giggled and turned her eyes toward the next exhibit. This time, on display was a monster with bluish skin, a squashed head and large white eyes. Gripped in its dark hand was a chain, which in turn was connected to a large metal ball. It's barreled chest had a large diamond shaped mark, which on closer inspection, Tifa realized with a shudder, revealed the organs inside of the creature. Yuffie leaned forward and read the plaque. "This thing's a 'screamer'. Found in the Nibel Mountains. ...I passed a few of these on my way to your place, Tif." The girl added, turning to Tifa. Tifa squeezed the girl's hand. "I remember these...I had to watch out for them each time I guided travelers through the mountains. ...Oh. Did I tell you? I used to be a guide at Nibelheim." Yuffie straightened up and looked at the woman. Then, she squeezed her hand in return. "No, Tif. I don't think you ever told me that." "You weren't there when me and Cloud told the story about what happened at Nibelheim." the woman turned to look at the screamer again. "I guess there's still some things you don't know about." Yuffie, watching her for a moment, pulled the woman along gently. Tifa allowed the girl to lead her, and when she turned her head, she was met with a blast of green. At least nine or ten cactuars were displayed in the next exhibit, some running up the walls, others even on the glass. Tifa laughed at what was in the center of the exhibit, where three cactuar were stacked on top of each other, turned at ridiculous angles. "Wow!" Yuffie exclaimed, letting go of Tifa's hand and pressing herself against the glass. "Cactuars! I've never seen one in real life!" Tifa smiled. "That's because they're always running away." Yuffie turned to look at her over her shoulder. "You ever fight one, Rusty?" "No," The fighter shook her head, her smile turning sheepish. "Like I said, they're always running away." The girl chuckled, stepping back for a moment to take a picture with her camera. Reaching for Tifa's hand again, the girl looked around her. Making a face, she gave a dismissive wave. "Let's skip all of this other stuff. I wanna look at the 'main attractions' up stairs." Tifa shrugged. "If you want." Together they continued walking down the aisle, passing other exhibits that included: desert sahagins, gagighandis, and jokers. At the last monster, the woman couldn't help but do a double take. A skeletal monster garbed in a jester costume that used magic to hover in the air, the woman wondered how it could possibly find place in a taxidermy museum. But her silent inquiries were left there on the first floor as she and Yuffie ascended up the staircase to the second floor. Here, Tifa felt the breath rush from her lungs. To her left, behind a large pane of glass was a monstrous creature with scythes for feet, it's long, powerful legs bending like spiders and rising over it's own body. The head, an angular, and fierce-looking thing, was turned down so that the four small eyes placed on either side could gaze forward at the onlookers. Yuffie let out an exclamation of excitement as she rushed forward, palms pressed against the glass excitedly. "Shiva!" the girl turned to look at Tifa. "Look at it, Tifa!" Tifa nodded, her eyes wide. "Oh, don't worry, Yuffie. I'm looking." The girl stood back and snapped a shot of the monster with her camera, the flash playing off of the beast's exoskeleton. The fighter moved forward, her eyes squinting to read the plaque before the monster. "A 'stilva'. These monsters are found on Gaea's Cliff." She looked up at the monster again, frowning at it. "It looks like the materia keeper from Nibelheim...doesn't it? Only not as big..." Yuffie smiled, waving her camera. "Well now we have a picture to remember it!" Tifa nodded, stepping back some to once again look the monster over. It was when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a large red mass, that she turned her head and gave a surprised shout. Curled up like a cat caught in a box much too small to contain it, an enormous scarlet-colored dragon glowered through the glass, its vicious green eyes causing the color to drain from Tifa's face. Yuffie, following the woman's line of vision, also let out something of a yell. "Gawd!" the girl cried, walking over so that she stood in front of the dragon, her eyes wide with amazement. "How...How do you think they managed to get this in here?" the girl asked in a somewhat breathless voice as she raised her camera to take another shot. Tifa shook her head, not even daring to come closer. "No idea." The ninja took a few steps forward, looking at the information plaque. "It's an 'ark dragon'...you find these in the Mythril Caves." She looked back toward the dragon, her face screwed up in thought. "Come to think of it...this is a pretty small dragon, isn't it?" Tifa shrugged. "Well, consider where it lives." Yuffie nodded, "Yeah..." her head snapped toward the woman, a frown suddenly appearing on her face. "Hey! What're you doing all the way over there?" Tifa shook her head, pointing nervously at the dragon. "I'm not going anywhere near that thing!" Yuffie stared at her. "But Tifa...it's dead." The woman's cheeks flared slightly, and she crossed her arms. "So?" she asked huffily. The ninja gave an incredulous laugh. "You're scared of a stuffed animal?" "You said monsters weren't animals!" "Well...they aren't. But dead is dead, Rusty." Tifa shook her head, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I don't care, I'm not going anywhere near it!" Yuffie bowed her head and sighed, placing her hands on her hips as a dubious smile spread across her lips. Looking up at Tifa, the ninja raised her camera and asked with a crooked smile. "Seeing as how there's no point in asking you to take a picture in front of the thing, you wanna take a picture of me instead?" Tifa gazed at her, a small frown on her face. Then, with a sigh, moved forward, taking the camera away from the girl. "All right, go. Get in front of it." Yuffie, a large smile on her face, skipped over to the exhibit and stood to the side so that the dragon could be seen. The woman, the corner of her lips twitching, raised the camera. "Okay...now make a funny face!" The ninja, eyes twinkling, turned her knees inward, crossing her eyes as she puffed out her cheeks and pulled at her ears. Tifa managed to take the picture before she burst into a fit of laughter.
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