Comments | clairbournlogs: It started out all innocence

agentmoreau in clairbournlogs

It started out all innocence

May 28, 2008 02:50

Who: Elena and Tifa
When: Very late Sunday night, into the early Monday hours
Where: The Lantern, the local 24-hour diner
What: Clearing the air, and then...

( The calm before the storm )

plotting, tifa, elena

Comments 28

foldedsteel May 28 2008, 08:16:12 UTC

She was, standing around and looking a little out of place. She'd told the waiter or host or cook or whoever the man was that'd approached her that she didn't have any money, and that she was waiting for a friend and she didn't want to take up a table when she didn't have money. So she'd ended up just standing around awkwardly up front, waiting for Elena to arrive and hoping the girl didn't decide to stand her up. That would look pretty pathetic.

So when Elena arrived, Tifa looked up with a welcoming, if hesitant, smile--...shit, she looked...pretty upset. Hopefully that wasn't all her doing. "...Hey," she greeted. "Glad you made it--are...you okay?"

agentmoreau May 28 2008, 08:20:05 UTC

Elena took a shaky breath and glanced at the waiter, who wore a concerned, friendly smile, before turning to Tifa. "Not really," she said. "But that's not your fault. I got into an absolutely horrific fight with my mother on my way out the door, and she said some things... I said some things I had been meaning to for a long time.

They followed the waiter as he sat them in a booth near the back, apparently sensing their need for relative privacy.

1stclassfair May 28 2008, 08:25:14 UTC

Wow, lucky night, Zack thought to himself, smiling brightly at the second pretty girl to walk into the diner in as many minutes. His smile turned concerned when he saw that she was upset, and downright sympathetic when she mentioned a 'horrific fight' with her mother - Zack had a fair share of those with his father.

"I'll put you girls in the back so you can talk," he said, leading them to a booth in his section. "Don't you go to Clairbourn? I think I've seen you two around the network - anyway, my name's Zack, and if you need anything just yell. If you want, I'll go ahead and take your orders so I can get out of your way." His smile never faltered, and how he managed to convey so many emotions with a single expression had mystified many people.

cynicalnevada May 28 2008, 08:21:20 UTC

『 TIFA HAS ONE NEW TEXT MESSAGE 』

foldedsteel May 28 2008, 08:24:51 UTC

Tifa slipped out her phone as she sat, reading the text message with a bit of a smile. I'm fine, she punched out. Hooked up with Elena to talk. Be home soon. Love you. That boy and his worry--he'd really puked? Twice? Goddamn.

foldedsteel May 28 2008, 08:36:04 UTC

A fight with her mother...? Wow. Sounded rough--Tifa hadn't ever fought with her mom. She'd died before they'd ever had the chance. And...Tifa found herself envying Elena that privilege. It wasn't fair, really--Elena clearly didn't enjoy fighting with her mom. "...Thanks, Zack," Tifa found herself murmuring, her eyes much sadder than she really intended for them to be. "I'll just have a water; I'm sorry. I'm...broke, have nothing on me. But I can eat at home later." He seemed like the kind of guy who might...do something stupid, like offer to buy her dinner, or swing her something free. You know, something against the rules and dumb like that. She wasn't gonna get him fired for her sake. "I'm Tifa, by the way. Just escaped here from Las Vegas--it's a...long story."

agentmoreau May 28 2008, 08:41:47 UTC

Elena noticed Tifa's sudden shift in mood, but decided not to comment on it until the waiter walked off "Zack, huh? I'm Elena. I'm just going to have a cup of coffee and an order of fries," she said. "I already ate dinner, and I'm really not that hungry." She paused. "On second thought, bring two cups and leave the pot."

Zack grinned - did he ever stop grinning? - and went off to get their food, and Elena turned to Tifa. "It's really no big deal," she muttered. "Just some things about... well, some things. That have been bottled up for some time." She paused. "I guess I should start with that, huh? Well, my sister Diana was in the Marines, and her unit was ambushed in February. IED. Five casualties, Diana included." Elena paused. "My parents... liked her better." It was an understatement of all the problems they had, but she had to start small. No sense in dumping the whole life story right away ( ... )

foldedsteel May 28 2008, 08:58:16 UTC

"...I was an only child," Tifa murmured instead of offering something stupid and sugary like 'oh I'm so sorry' or 'you must miss her a lot'. "I can't imagine what it's like to lose a sister--you fought, a lot? I'd imagine...sisters on TV always do that." She tried to smile, but it came out weak and trembling. "But you never got to...make up, huh? That's--that's got to be rough." Dammit, her voice was starting to tighten up; this wasn't about her. This wasn't supposed to be about her. This was Elena's time. Hell, if anyone needed to talk about her family it was this girl. "Someone I cared about died, right after I fought with her. She--we--...never saw it coming. I insulted her and...next thing I knew ( ... )

agentmoreau May 28 2008, 13:16:04 UTC

Elena looked up at Tifa, kind of stunned and a little guilty. She was obviously carrying so much pain of her own, and here Elena was dumping hers on top of it. But... but the last person Elena had talked to about this had been Reno, and he'd almost been to guilty about not being there for her to really listen. "We had a non-speaking truce," Elena said slowly. "When we were younger we got along a lot better; she was always better than me in school, but it wasn't so pronounced until she got accepted into Annapolis, and then went out for the Marines. My parents were so proud of her - and meanwhile I was barely scraping by in my classes. I called her and... well, I tried to congratulate her but I just ended up screaming at her. So, the truce."

Elena shook her head, remembering how patient Diana had been with her. Diana had always understood in a way that Elena kind of wished she didn't - it was easier to hate her that way. "But we did talk. Over Thanksgiving, the last time I saw her, I was living with Zero but I slept at home every once ( ... )

Thread 15

agentmoreau June 5 2008, 03:24:34 UTC

Elena smiled sheepishly to herself as she walked out into the parking lot, shaking her head at her own absentmindedness. Even if I was upset - really, forgetting my purse? At least I didn't lock the keys in the car. Two or three times of doing just that had taught her to keep her car keys in her pocket instead ( ... )

foldedsteel June 5 2008, 04:11:24 UTC

"She wouldn't do that," Tifa assured him with a little smile. "And if she did then I'd cover it. I'd have to call someone to bring money over here. I don't have any." Yeah, my bank account's frozen... "No worries, though--"

BLAMM BLAMM BLAMM

"ELENA!" Tifa jumped up from the table so fast she banged her knee on the underside, the jolt knocking over her nearly empty mug of coffee.

Her eyes met Zack's for a brief moment, panicked terror in her gaze, and then a muffled scream clawed its way down her spine; she bolted outside toward the sound of the gunshots, almost as if she thought she might have been able to do something about it.

There was no doubt in her mind as to who was out there with her. The only question she had was, Why Elena? They knew Tifa better; they hated her more personally--if Reno cared about both of them then logically taking her would have been the better idea ( ... )

1stclassfair June 5 2008, 04:25:23 UTC

Zack's head snapped around as soon as Tifa leaped up from the table, promptly scattering all the dishes he had just picked up and balanced on his arm. "Hey wait-!" he called after her. "You shouldn't-!"

But she was running outside without listening, and from the sound of the scream coming from outside, someone was in trouble. Zack ignored the mess he had just made of the table and booked it outside, arriving just in time to see Tifa shout at the men trying to force Elena into the van.

"Hey, get off her!" He yelled, disregarding all thoughts of danger and charging headlong into their midst with all the weight of a star quarterback. He tackled one guy right into the van, stunning both himself and the guy, before shaking his head and going for the ones holding Elena. He didn't even see the guy move, but the next thing he knew someone's elbow was planted solidly in his diaphragm, and he reeled back, winded.

foldedsteel June 5 2008, 04:44:26 UTC

Tifa recognized the guy bleeding on the ground--Doug, his name was--and for a moment was just sort of frozen as a bitter fear gripped her. It was the cartel; any doubts, any hopes she'd had were dashed as she watched a man haul up Doug's body and pitch it into the van, only to be decked by Zack in the process.

And then she launched into action, perhaps bolstered by Zack's display of heroics. "It's me you want!" Tifa shrieked, though really the last thing she wanted was to be abducted by the cartel. But she had to save Elena; this had nothing to do with her. "Let her go--!"Her demand ended in a thick grunt as she swung a hard kick into one guy's side--the one who'd elbowed Zack seemed to be fielding them back from the van, keeping them from getting to Elena as the other two wrestled her into the back with Doug's body ( ... )

Thread 8