Day 56: Twin Pines Restaurant (late afternoon)

[lookitmemama]

Window shopping--no, that was too lofty a word to be used with this quaint town. Looking at things all day (yeah, that worked much better) was all well and good until the chilly air became less than bearable. With the sun sinking into the earth, the shadows grew across the sidewalk and made pockets of frigid air. The redhead groused with each

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[36_24_35]

After successfully blowing all her money on booze, Tifa was glad to know the institute had put a failsafe on the patients accidentally starving themselves for the day: coupons! Tasty Burger was a bit too heavy if she was thinking about the night to come. Two pounds of greasy beef wouldn't help her outrun zombies, as unfortunate as that was. Sometimes taste had to be sacrificed for the greater good.

But Twin Pines promised just as much guilt in their dishes as Tasty Burger, so Tifa kept the complaining to a minimum. Anything was better than the pink snot that waited in her room. Giving her name to the hostess, Tifa waited in like the others for a table.

It was a little depressing to eat by herself, but perhaps she would see someone she knew inside.

[Cloudface]

[bigdamnzero]

After parting ways with Zack, he'd hit up store after store in his search for Tifa, not really bothering to buy anything just yet. His first idea had been to go to every place they'd received a coupon for, even venturing a moment into the nail salon, but each try was met with no luck. In frustration, Cloud had shoved his hands in his pockets and noticed that he... still had one last unchecked slip of paper. Well

[36_24_35]

She straightened at the sound of her name, assuming her table was already waiting for her. What she found waiting was more than she expected. "Cloud!" Surprise melted into a warm smile as he moved closer to her seat. Words came to mind five at a time and lodged themselves in her throat, but the young woman kept her smile sealed shut until she felt she could talk without embarrassing herself

[bigdamnzero]

"Dinner sounds good

[36_24_35]

"It's been almost two weeks for me..." It was hard to tell time in this place, which was probably what the staff wanted. This was her second time in Doyleton, however, and they only did it once a week so it was safe to say that nearly two weeks was a good estimate

[bigdamnzero]

Two weeks

ack missed this notif /)_(\

[36_24_35]

With the onslaught of questions, Tifa wondered if it would have been better to have said nothing. Could he handle the truth--well, as Tifa told it? She was rather at a loss for what exactly was going on in this false institute herself. There were theories, sure, but beside random kidnappings throughout time and space, who knew what the staff wanted from them. It probably didn't matter in the end. People did diabolical things for no better reason than to prove that they could.

So what should she say? Was she afraid that Cloud might react badly? Maybe, but was there time for delicacy? If this continued, they would all disappear sooner or later. Tifa couldn't let that happen anymore.

"You were just like you are now. Nothing seemed wrong, like you were brainwashed or anything. It was you, and then... A few days ago you disappeared. Now you're back. Apparently, it's kind of common.

"Have--What was the last thing you remember before coming here?"

lj's been stupid /punts it also i'm so sorry for the late ;;;;

[bigdamnzero]

A quiet exhale as she confirmed that he hadn't been behaving anything other than his usual. It wasn't in relief, not exactly, not when the implication was that he'd been taken back by the staff or whoever was responsible for the mess they were all in, and had his memory meddled with. But at least he hadn't been, as Tifa was saying, brainwashed -- made to do something against his normal self