Thoughts Read Unspoken - Prompt #37 Cloud, Tifa, Denzel, and Marlene
Title: Thoughts Read Unspoken
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII Compilation
Characters: Cloud, Tifa, Denzel, and Marlene
Prompt: #37 - Butterfly
Word Count: 1,497
Rating: T
Summary: It was an introduction that changed Tifa's life forever.
Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy VII Compilation does not belong to me.
Table of Prompts: Qwi_Xux's FFVII Prompts
Prompt #37 - Butterfly
The bar was crowded and loud. When night fell, it brought all manner of people--some of them very unsavory characters--into Tifa's Seventh Heaven. It had only been open for three months, but word had spread around like wildfire that this particular bar was run by her. Her name was quickly becoming well-known in Midgar, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that--but at least it brought more business. She had worked herself half to death to scrape together the gil and materials necessary to start this place, and she was proud of her work. She had already made enough gil in the months that it had been open to continue to buy supplies for the bar and to cover half the expenses it had taken to open it.
Tifa swept her hair behind her ear and surveyed the room with a sigh. This certainly hadn't ever been where she expected to be. Running a bar in the slums of Midgar? Her father was probably rolling over in his grave. Her mother...what would her mother have thought of her sweet baby girl serving alcohol to sweaty, foul-mouthed men who quite often sauntered in with cocky attitudes, thinking maybe they would be the one to "tame Tifa Lockhart?"
Life at eighteen and a half was a lot different than she had imagined it at fifteen and a half. But her fifteen-year-old self had been a naïve dreamer who roamed mountain paths under bright sunlight. Her eighteen-year-old self often wondered if it was possible to dream. The paths she walked were on dirty, dangerous streets, and the giant plate hanging overhead blocked out any sunlight.
The door to the bar opened, admitting yet another world-weary soul probably intent on drowning his troubles in a bottle or in a warm body--even though it wouldn't be hers. Tifa glanced over and paused, and even the other customers fell silent for a moment when they saw the size of the man framing the doorway.
Then the noise picked up again, and Tifa quickly sized the man up as he stepped toward the counter. She knew from experience that appearances certainly weren't everything. Sometimes she could get the dirtiest, smelliest man in Seventh Heaven and he would be the one who talked politely to her, who looked at her eyes and not at her chest, and who tipped her generously. Meanwhile, the well-dressed, smooth-talking fellow beside him could be crude and spend the evening trying to get under her skirt.
Tifa knew her own appearances were deceiving. Young, pretty, usually wearing a miniskirt--it brought her tips, but it also gave people the false impression that she was easy or defenseless. Fortunately for her, as quickly as word had spread around about her and her bar, it had also spread around that she was an expert martial artist and that anyone who caused trouble would be kicked out on their ass.
The man now at the edge of the counter was the largest person she had seen come into Seventh Heaven, with a huge barrel chest and arms three or four times the size of her own. One of those arms was half-prosthetic, but instead of a hand, he had a gun attached. Dark eyes, a scarred face--she pegged him as a fighter in a heartbeat, though his body language suggested he hadn't come in looking for a fight. He just looked tired.
Then she noticed the tiny bundle he held in his real arm. At first she had just thought he had a rough blanket thrown over his shoulder, but the blanket moved and slid down, revealing a small child.
Tifa's eyes softened as the child's head turned. It was a little girl with soft brown hair falling down to her chin and sleepy brown eyes peering out. She looked as though she had just been awakened--probably from all the noise in Seventh Heaven. Her lower lip trembled, and Tifa thought she was going to burst out crying, but instead, she clutched at a small toy and peeked cautiously at Tifa.
Tifa leaned her arms onto the counter and surveyed the man and girl with a friendly smile. "What can I get you?"
"Somethin' strong," the man said gruffly.
Tifa turned and grabbed a bottle of alcohol, pouring a shot into a glass. "I don't usually see kids in here," she said conversationally, smiling again at the little girl. The child hid her face in the man's shoulder.
The man bounced the girl gently in his arm. "Don't need to be shy. Jus' a nice lady here."
Tifa set the man's drink down in front of him. "You new in town?"
"Yeah, jus' got here. Been lookin' for work an' somewhere to live. Got a room for tonight, but I got more lookin' to do tomorrow. Ain't easy, 'specially with a kid. Gets her tired out real fast."
"Just the two of you, then?"
"Yup. Been jus' the two of us for a couple years now. Marlene here's 'bout to turn three." He shifted little Marlene from his real arm to his gun arm so he could pick up his drink and down the shot. The movement made Marlene drop the toy in her hands. It hit Tifa's arm and bounced onto the counter. Marlene's head snapped around, her eyes widening.
Tifa picked up the soft plush toy. It was a butterfly, multi-colored with plastic eyes and a wide, stitched smile. It had been three years since she had seen a real butterfly. She had always loved watching them flutter from flower to flower in Nibelheim, but seeing them had always been something she took for granted. So many things she had taken for granted--the flowers and grass, white clouds and golden sunsets.
"Here you go, sweetie," Tifa said softly, handing the butterfly back to Marlene. "I like your butterfly. It's beautiful."
This time, Marlene didn't hide her face. She held her toy tightly in her arms and smiled shyly at Tifa. Then she wriggled in the man's arms and said, "Papa, I'm thirsty!"
"I have juice," Tifa offered. She used it in some of the mixed drinks.
He nodded, and Tifa turned to try to find a cup--all she had were glasses, nothing kid-friendly. She finally settled on a glass with a wide bottom, then poured some juice into that, also refilling the man's shot glass. "I'm Tifa Lockhart, by the way."
"Barret Wallace. This here's my daughter Marlene." Barret set Marlene on the barstool beside him.
She looked positively tiny in the seat, and she placed her butterfly beside her and carefully picked up the cup of juice with both hands. She managed to drink most of it without spilling, but some of it trickled onto her pink shirt. She tugged on Barret's arm and whispered in dismay, "Papa, I made a mess!"
"'s okay. We'll get ya cleaned up."
Barret stayed in the bar for a while. In between serving other customers, Tifa drew his story out of him. She found out how his hometown of Corel had been destroyed when Marlene was a baby because of the Shinra and the Mako Reactor, and that was something that struck her to her very core. It was something she understood--they shared a very painful foundation in the way both of their hometowns had been destroyed because of Shinra. It wasn't something that she talked about with people; she didn't like to talk about Nibelheim, especially with strangers. But here was someone who knew exactly the kind of loss she had suffered, and she found herself telling him far more than she had ever intended about her own past experiences.
"Somethin' needs to be done 'bout them. About the damn fool Shinra," Barret told her in a low, angry voice, and she couldn't disagree.
When their talking had finally stopped and he was gathering up Marlene to leave, Tifa spoke up. "Mr. Wallace."
"Pshaw, I ain't no mister. Barret," he said firmly.
"Barret. If you want, I can always look after Marlene while you're looking for work and somewhere to live. If you're comfortable with that."
Barret paused and looked at Marlene, propped in one of his arms. "Whaddya say, Marlene? You wanna come see Miss Tifa tomorrow?"
Marlene turned her eyes to Tifa for a moment and then silently held out her butterfly toward her.
Something in Tifa's chest constricted at the gesture, so giving and innocent. She slowly took the butterfly from Marlene, brushed a finger lightly over the soft fuzz on the toy, and smiled. "Thank you, Marlene. I think your pretty butterfly would be happier getting lots of hugs from you, though. How about you hold onto it and when you come to visit me, you can bring your butterfly to visit, too?"
Marlene smiled again and nodded. "Okay."
Tifa tucked the butterfly back into Marlene's arms. "I'll see you and your butterfly tomorrow, then."
:--:--:
Tifa carefully poked her needle and thread through Marlene's butterfly. It was old and worn, the colors faded. One of the antennae was missing, and she was sewing up the second rip that the tattered toy had received during the four and a half years since Tifa had first seen Marlene holding it.
The sudden sound of laughter brought Tifa's eyes over to the table where Marlene and Denzel were helping Cloud go through his delivery slips. Both children were laughing and Cloud had a small smile on his face. She watched them contentedly for a moment before returning to stitching up the butterfly.
It was funny how the years could change a person. At twenty-three, she was different than she had been at both fifteen and eighteen, but there were some things that were the same. She wasn't as naïve as she had been at fifteen, but she wasn't as disillusioned as she had been at eighteen. Her dreams might not be as farfetched and lofty as they had been at fifteen, but she had learned how to dream again. The paths she walked now could still be dirty and dangerous, but she quite often saw the sunlight. She might still be running a bar, but this was a different Seventh Heaven and she had plenty of cups that couldn't be broken by children's small hands.
She could have never known that the small girl she met one night in her bar would have ended up being someone she introduced as her daughter. Sometimes the twists and turns life threw at her were amazing and beautiful. The very fact that she could look across the room and see Marlene, Denzel, and Cloud happily spending time together was a testament to that.
She tied off the thread and snipped it neatly before calling, "Marlene."
Marlene looked over, and Tifa held up the butterfly. Beaming, Marlene jumped up from her chair and skipped over, carefully taking it from Tifa. "Thank you, Tifa!"
"You're welcome." Tifa stood up and put away her small sewing kit before walking over to the table to join her family. Cloud pulled up a chair for her and she sat down to be welcomed with their smiles.
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII Compilation
Characters: Cloud, Tifa, Denzel, and Marlene
Prompt: #37 - Butterfly
Word Count: 1,497
Rating: T
Summary: It was an introduction that changed Tifa's life forever.
Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy VII Compilation does not belong to me.
Table of Prompts: Qwi_Xux's FFVII Prompts
Prompt #37 - Butterfly
The bar was crowded and loud. When night fell, it brought all manner of people--some of them very unsavory characters--into Tifa's Seventh Heaven. It had only been open for three months, but word had spread around like wildfire that this particular bar was run by her. Her name was quickly becoming well-known in Midgar, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that--but at least it brought more business. She had worked herself half to death to scrape together the gil and materials necessary to start this place, and she was proud of her work. She had already made enough gil in the months that it had been open to continue to buy supplies for the bar and to cover half the expenses it had taken to open it.
Tifa swept her hair behind her ear and surveyed the room with a sigh. This certainly hadn't ever been where she expected to be. Running a bar in the slums of Midgar? Her father was probably rolling over in his grave. Her mother...what would her mother have thought of her sweet baby girl serving alcohol to sweaty, foul-mouthed men who quite often sauntered in with cocky attitudes, thinking maybe they would be the one to "tame Tifa Lockhart?"
Life at eighteen and a half was a lot different than she had imagined it at fifteen and a half. But her fifteen-year-old self had been a naïve dreamer who roamed mountain paths under bright sunlight. Her eighteen-year-old self often wondered if it was possible to dream. The paths she walked were on dirty, dangerous streets, and the giant plate hanging overhead blocked out any sunlight.
The door to the bar opened, admitting yet another world-weary soul probably intent on drowning his troubles in a bottle or in a warm body--even though it wouldn't be hers. Tifa glanced over and paused, and even the other customers fell silent for a moment when they saw the size of the man framing the doorway.
Then the noise picked up again, and Tifa quickly sized the man up as he stepped toward the counter. She knew from experience that appearances certainly weren't everything. Sometimes she could get the dirtiest, smelliest man in Seventh Heaven and he would be the one who talked politely to her, who looked at her eyes and not at her chest, and who tipped her generously. Meanwhile, the well-dressed, smooth-talking fellow beside him could be crude and spend the evening trying to get under her skirt.
Tifa knew her own appearances were deceiving. Young, pretty, usually wearing a miniskirt--it brought her tips, but it also gave people the false impression that she was easy or defenseless. Fortunately for her, as quickly as word had spread around about her and her bar, it had also spread around that she was an expert martial artist and that anyone who caused trouble would be kicked out on their ass.
The man now at the edge of the counter was the largest person she had seen come into Seventh Heaven, with a huge barrel chest and arms three or four times the size of her own. One of those arms was half-prosthetic, but instead of a hand, he had a gun attached. Dark eyes, a scarred face--she pegged him as a fighter in a heartbeat, though his body language suggested he hadn't come in looking for a fight. He just looked tired.
Then she noticed the tiny bundle he held in his real arm. At first she had just thought he had a rough blanket thrown over his shoulder, but the blanket moved and slid down, revealing a small child.
Tifa's eyes softened as the child's head turned. It was a little girl with soft brown hair falling down to her chin and sleepy brown eyes peering out. She looked as though she had just been awakened--probably from all the noise in Seventh Heaven. Her lower lip trembled, and Tifa thought she was going to burst out crying, but instead, she clutched at a small toy and peeked cautiously at Tifa.
Tifa leaned her arms onto the counter and surveyed the man and girl with a friendly smile. "What can I get you?"
"Somethin' strong," the man said gruffly.
Tifa turned and grabbed a bottle of alcohol, pouring a shot into a glass. "I don't usually see kids in here," she said conversationally, smiling again at the little girl. The child hid her face in the man's shoulder.
The man bounced the girl gently in his arm. "Don't need to be shy. Jus' a nice lady here."
Tifa set the man's drink down in front of him. "You new in town?"
"Yeah, jus' got here. Been lookin' for work an' somewhere to live. Got a room for tonight, but I got more lookin' to do tomorrow. Ain't easy, 'specially with a kid. Gets her tired out real fast."
"Just the two of you, then?"
"Yup. Been jus' the two of us for a couple years now. Marlene here's 'bout to turn three." He shifted little Marlene from his real arm to his gun arm so he could pick up his drink and down the shot. The movement made Marlene drop the toy in her hands. It hit Tifa's arm and bounced onto the counter. Marlene's head snapped around, her eyes widening.
Tifa picked up the soft plush toy. It was a butterfly, multi-colored with plastic eyes and a wide, stitched smile. It had been three years since she had seen a real butterfly. She had always loved watching them flutter from flower to flower in Nibelheim, but seeing them had always been something she took for granted. So many things she had taken for granted--the flowers and grass, white clouds and golden sunsets.
"Here you go, sweetie," Tifa said softly, handing the butterfly back to Marlene. "I like your butterfly. It's beautiful."
This time, Marlene didn't hide her face. She held her toy tightly in her arms and smiled shyly at Tifa. Then she wriggled in the man's arms and said, "Papa, I'm thirsty!"
"I have juice," Tifa offered. She used it in some of the mixed drinks.
He nodded, and Tifa turned to try to find a cup--all she had were glasses, nothing kid-friendly. She finally settled on a glass with a wide bottom, then poured some juice into that, also refilling the man's shot glass. "I'm Tifa Lockhart, by the way."
"Barret Wallace. This here's my daughter Marlene." Barret set Marlene on the barstool beside him.
She looked positively tiny in the seat, and she placed her butterfly beside her and carefully picked up the cup of juice with both hands. She managed to drink most of it without spilling, but some of it trickled onto her pink shirt. She tugged on Barret's arm and whispered in dismay, "Papa, I made a mess!"
"'s okay. We'll get ya cleaned up."
Barret stayed in the bar for a while. In between serving other customers, Tifa drew his story out of him. She found out how his hometown of Corel had been destroyed when Marlene was a baby because of the Shinra and the Mako Reactor, and that was something that struck her to her very core. It was something she understood--they shared a very painful foundation in the way both of their hometowns had been destroyed because of Shinra. It wasn't something that she talked about with people; she didn't like to talk about Nibelheim, especially with strangers. But here was someone who knew exactly the kind of loss she had suffered, and she found herself telling him far more than she had ever intended about her own past experiences.
"Somethin' needs to be done 'bout them. About the damn fool Shinra," Barret told her in a low, angry voice, and she couldn't disagree.
When their talking had finally stopped and he was gathering up Marlene to leave, Tifa spoke up. "Mr. Wallace."
"Pshaw, I ain't no mister. Barret," he said firmly.
"Barret. If you want, I can always look after Marlene while you're looking for work and somewhere to live. If you're comfortable with that."
Barret paused and looked at Marlene, propped in one of his arms. "Whaddya say, Marlene? You wanna come see Miss Tifa tomorrow?"
Marlene turned her eyes to Tifa for a moment and then silently held out her butterfly toward her.
Something in Tifa's chest constricted at the gesture, so giving and innocent. She slowly took the butterfly from Marlene, brushed a finger lightly over the soft fuzz on the toy, and smiled. "Thank you, Marlene. I think your pretty butterfly would be happier getting lots of hugs from you, though. How about you hold onto it and when you come to visit me, you can bring your butterfly to visit, too?"
Marlene smiled again and nodded. "Okay."
Tifa tucked the butterfly back into Marlene's arms. "I'll see you and your butterfly tomorrow, then."
:--:--:
Tifa carefully poked her needle and thread through Marlene's butterfly. It was old and worn, the colors faded. One of the antennae was missing, and she was sewing up the second rip that the tattered toy had received during the four and a half years since Tifa had first seen Marlene holding it.
The sudden sound of laughter brought Tifa's eyes over to the table where Marlene and Denzel were helping Cloud go through his delivery slips. Both children were laughing and Cloud had a small smile on his face. She watched them contentedly for a moment before returning to stitching up the butterfly.
It was funny how the years could change a person. At twenty-three, she was different than she had been at both fifteen and eighteen, but there were some things that were the same. She wasn't as naïve as she had been at fifteen, but she wasn't as disillusioned as she had been at eighteen. Her dreams might not be as farfetched and lofty as they had been at fifteen, but she had learned how to dream again. The paths she walked now could still be dirty and dangerous, but she quite often saw the sunlight. She might still be running a bar, but this was a different Seventh Heaven and she had plenty of cups that couldn't be broken by children's small hands.
She could have never known that the small girl she met one night in her bar would have ended up being someone she introduced as her daughter. Sometimes the twists and turns life threw at her were amazing and beautiful. The very fact that she could look across the room and see Marlene, Denzel, and Cloud happily spending time together was a testament to that.
She tied off the thread and snipped it neatly before calling, "Marlene."
Marlene looked over, and Tifa held up the butterfly. Beaming, Marlene jumped up from her chair and skipped over, carefully taking it from Tifa. "Thank you, Tifa!"
"You're welcome." Tifa stood up and put away her small sewing kit before walking over to the table to join her family. Cloud pulled up a chair for her and she sat down to be welcomed with their smiles.