(no subject)

[teifua]

Characters: Tifa, and you
Setting: Random Encounter (your choice)
Format: Prose
Summary: Tifa is in the Tower!
Warnings: Freaking out over her missing Cloud.


Dorm

Something pinged in her head, and Tifa sat up, placing hands on either side of herself. What was that? Was she just paralyzed? She remembered she couldn't move for what seemed like a long time, and then-

Where was she? This was not Kalm, she could tell because that town didn't have any buildings like this in it. Slowly, she shifted off the bed and discovered she was wearing an odd white suit.

What in the world...

About twenty minutes later, and after discovering her own clothing packed away in a trunk, she stared at the offerings it had. Her old SOLDIER uniform. The last thing she remembered, she had been wearing it.

It was a reminder of Shinra, of another time and definitely another life. Anger surged even as she pushed it underneath everything else, burying it. Instead, she chose a miniskirt and one of the tank tops she favored in off duty times.

Finally, feeling a little bit better and not quite so odd in that white suit, she spotted the little letter addressed to her.




Wandering the Tower

Waking up in a strange white suit was nothing compared to the oddness of the letter, and that honestly didn't worry her so much as the matter weighing on her mind right now.

The shock of ending up in a strange place that claimed your planet had died was nothing to the fact that no matter where she went in this place, Cloud, Barret and the others weren't around. Where was she, exactly? Midgar? Had they been captured? Was this some sort of experiment? She had just escaped from one, and without explanation she now found herself in an entirely different one. That didn't even matter so much as that Cloud wasn't there.

Either way, a deeply unsettled feeling grew along with her panic. Soon enough she was running through the hallways and staircases, looking everywhere she could.

She had to find him.

Comments

[atouchofstrife]

The white spider was on this floor when the boy was killed. Cloud stood in place as he surveyed the gravestones and the dusty area that made up the floor, frowning with his arms crossed and his right foot tapping the ground.

Somewhere Zack was busy mapping out more the floors and rooms, making a list of stuff that they may need for their weapons. Sephiroth was probably reading books in the library - something that had Cloud tensing in thought before he shoved it aside as shit he had no time to think about. Too much was happening now that all he could do for the moment was to focus on the immediate threat.

Huffing silently to himself about everything, he unfolded his arms and started walking. If that white spider appeared right now, it would be facing a very pissed off SOLDIER wannabe with a year's worth of frustrations needing to get worked out. The poor critter.

[teifua]

Tifa was still running, still so worried that she didn't notice the figure on this floor. It didn't look like Cloud to her, not from this distance, and she wasn't watching closely.

"What... what floor." She muttered, trying to look for a number, or a sign, anything that could tell her where she was. There were so many, and she had already lost count.

[atouchofstrife]

He was starting to get use to the random appearances of people. Honestly he was. from two Renos to a sane Sephiroth to Hojo, he was getting use to all these people showing up, each one slightly different from the ones in his memories. Tifa though, Tifa looked the same from the back - the same fall of hair, the same short skirt and white top. Cloud stood for a long second looking at her then shook himself out of it.

"Tifa?"

Well. At least he didn't ask her why she was there.

[teifua]

That voice. Turning around, her heart beating fast, she could hardly believe her eyes. It was Cloud! He was here after all!

Although he looked sort of odd. What was with that getup? Oh, that didn't matter! It was Cloud! She ran toward him and tackled him in a hug.

"Cloud! I was so worried when I woke up and you weren't there!" Then she pulled back and started checking him over for any injuries, her bright mako eyes full of worry.

[atouchofstrife]

He just blinked yet again. Tifa... hugging him? Well, he imagined it happening but the honest fact was that he grown touchy about people invading his space and she knew and kept things light between them,unless they were sparring. As it was, he stood there, muscles tensing as the need to get away fought against the fact that it was Tifa holding him.

And then she was looking him over. He took a step back because he was unsure as to why she needed to do so. He had been fine for a while - well, fine save for the stigma. since that was gone, there was no reason to look for any injuries.

"Tifa... what's wrong?"

sorry for the repost!

[chainsawn]

At the moment where Tifa would go to leave the room she woke up in and open the door for that, she'd find a girl standing on the other side of the door in the hallway. Apparently she was just going to enter the room and judging from her surprised (yet slightly blank) expression she did not quite expect anyone to leave said room when she was right about to enter.

Even so, it took a moment or two before she fully spoke up. ".. You're new?"

[teifua]

Startled, Tifa stepped back from the door, pulling her hands up in a defensive posture, but relaxed when she saw it was another girl. It had a calming affect, knowing there was someone else here, someone alive and maybe could answer questions.

"I'm... new?" The idea felt strange, but that seemed the norm in this place. She didn't even know where she was. "I suppose so... are we in Midgar?"

[chainsawn]

That kind of question just got a curious look from the girl and she started to slowly shake her head. At least, she was pretty sure this place wasn't named Midgar, someone would have told her that if it was the case, right?

"It's a tower." That was her meaningful answer to all of it - clearly it wasn't very helpful or descriptive though, even if it was the truth. But the girl seemed to genuinely try to provide help in her.. own special way.

[teifua]

Frowning, Tifa didn't like the sound of that. A tower to her meant Shinra HQ, and she wasn't at all wanting to go back there, not when she had just escaped from it with her motley crew.

"Do you know what it's called?" Tifa asked, trying to sound more positive, calm.

[chainsawn]

"... I don't." The girl only answered after a slight thinking pause. She actually thought about it seriously for a few moments, but the only conclusion she could reach was that she just plainly didn't know in the slightest, nobody had bothered to tell her if there truly was a name to it.

"Does that mean we can make up a name..?"

[happygolucky]

He couldn't deny that he enjoyed the sight of a woman in a tank top and miniskirt, but right now, he was much more concerned by the expression on her face. It wasn't hard to guess what she was feeling, and it was just as easy to guess why. He knew that feeling. He'd been trying hard not to panic himself.

"Hey, you all right?"

[teifua]

Tifa stopped when she heard someone talking to her, looking confused for a moment before she focused on him. She had been through a good chunk of the floors in this tower already, and it couldn't hurt asking. "Oh, no, I'm looking for someone. Have you heard of anyone named Cloud?"

[happygolucky]

Zidane didn't have to think long. He shook his head. "No, sorry, never heard of a Cloud." Well, he'd heard of a cloud, but not of a person by that name. "Wish I could help."

Although, why couldn't he? "Or maybe I can--I'm looking for somebody, too. Two sets of eyes'll look better than one!" He could keep an eye out for this Cloud while he searched, or team up with her. Either option would likely help their efforts.

[teifua]

Shifting awkwardly, Tifa didn't know this boy and didn't know if he was with Shinra or if he was just another one like her, lost and confused in the strangeness. She didn't know if she wanted to take the risk, but he had a point.

Instead, she deflected by asking a question. "Oh? Who are you looking for?"

[happygolucky]

If she wanted to deflect, that was okay with Zidane. He was glad to answer any of her questions, just as he was glad to help.

"His name's Kuja. He's my brother," he said earnestly, without hesitation, concern clear in his own tone. Kuja'd been dying, and he needed to find him. "But--uh, he doesn't look much like me. Tall guy, silver hair, no tail." Describing someone who was his exact opposite, Zidane curled his tail around to illustrate what Kuja did not have (not visibly, anyway). "Wears a lot of purple and feathers. You'd know him if you saw him. What's Cloud look like?" Zidane was already planning to keep an eye out for him for her.

random hallways 58

[syncingdoll]

Murphy's law is practically the one rule of the tower, and it decides that it's Kohaku's luck that she doesn't think fast enough to get out of the way of a speeding Tifa. _{You mean public institutions had 'no running in the hallways' rules for a reason?}

Re: random hallways 58

[teifua]

Luckily for them both, Tifa stopped short of just barreling into the other girl, thanking her lucky stars her reflexes were better than the average person's, and started backing up. "Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you."

[syncingdoll]

Kohaku lets out an audible breath, blinks a couple times - she was clearly startled by the close call, but doesn't seem accusatory or even that especially unnerved.


"--Well. That's alright, then! I know it's a boisterous sort of day, but there's a few people here that would be even harder to spot than me. So be careful."

[teifua]

"Oh, yes, of course." Tifa blinked, calming down a bit more and leaning against a wall. "Sorry, I'll keep an eye out... I mean I'm looking for someone, so I guess I should."

[syncingdoll]

With pink hair and a dark kimono, Kohaku doesn't actually consider herself all that hard to miss in a sterile corridor - that means there's not such high hopes for speedy's search, huh...

"Oh, really? Maybe I've met them. But only a tiny little maybe. I've not been in this place all that long."

random hallway for the win!

[pauldrons]

Zack had been busy lately, throwing himself into his project of mapping the tower and finding the materials Doc Brown needed to make and fix their swords, and so he was out looking for more things they needed. As such, he wasn't really paying attention to his surroundings and only just managed to avoid crashing into Tifa from behind, hopping back and nearly falling flat on his butt in the process.

"Sorry, sorry! Didn't see you there."

She is so happy to see you

[teifua]

Blinking at yet another close encounter, Tifa turned around and took a step back, focusing her attention on him.

"Excuse me, I- ...Zack?" She whispered, not quite believing it. It was him, and he was all right. The army hadn't cut him down after all! "Zack! You're alive!"

the feeling is mutual!

[pauldrons]

The voice is different. Older. Sure, he'd only heard Tifa speak a little as she guided them up to the Reactor, but he can tell that much in the second it takes him to realize that this is Tifa. The stubborn little mountain guide who insisted on leading the way for them, even when a dragon had flown overhead.

"Tifa!"

He couldn't stop the grin that overtook his face; if she was here and she was older, then that was another notch in his "our world survived" column. The grin didn't even fade as she made her second comment, and he chuckled.

"Course I'm alive. What made you think I wouldn't be?"

Oh boy oh boy is he in for a surprise

[teifua]

Swiftly, Tifa gave him a good kick with her boot. "The army of people shooting at you, that's what! You had me terrified they'd gotten you when you didn't show back up!"

This Tifa was different from the mountain guide. For one, she seemed stronger somehow, taller. The way she carried herself was more like Zack, and she had muscles, just enough to notice. Then there were her eyes. "I had to take Cloud by myself and find someplace to hole up in the slums. Why didn't you try finding me? You told me we should stick together."

just don't break his nose and he'll live with it......mostly.

[pauldrons]

It's the kick that clues him in first; not much can make a SOLDIER with a near full dose of Mako hurt like that, and Zack actually hisses in pain, jumping around and rubbing his shin. That's going to leave a bruise and he looks at her as he rubs, finally noticing that it's not just the age that changed. She was confident and muscled back then, sure, but never like this. Never like she's had actual training, training that only ShinRa can give. He knows the signs, but can't come to terms with it. Tifa? A SOLDIER? And talking about an army shooting at him? And holing up in the Slums? ...Gods what had he missed?!

"Tifa, slow down! I don't know what you're talking about, okay? Last thing I knew, I was in Nibelheim and you were taking me, Sephiroth, and Cloud up to the Reactor. I don't know what happened in our world after that."

But if it's this bad, then they need to find a way back and fast. He can't leave people he calls friends to that kind of fate. It's just not in him.