bartending!

[antishinra]

Tifa likes to show up a little early on nights when she's tending, and until she's supposed to officially go on duty, she spends some time wiping down the bar, humming under her breath. She has a cup of berry tea for herself behind the bar, and once she's done, she stops to take a long sip of it

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[antishinra]

She can feel the surprise on her face. "Gold Grain? I--"

...didn't see a label that said anything like it, but she takes another look. She can't not. She hardly expected someone she doesn't know personally to come up and request a beer she's had before herself, and it'd be worth the trouble if it just so happens that she overlooked it.

She ends up shaking her head a little sadly when she's sure they don't have it behind the bar, but there's eagerness in her smile anyway.

"It looks like we don't, but you should try asking the bar itself for it sometime. It may be able to give it to you even though we don't seem to have it in stock." Not having the Gold Grain, she goes ahead and fills a glass with the Icicle Run as requested. "I'd do it right now, but the bar's supposed to be taking a break when you see one of us behind it."

With the glass full, froth kept to the minimum possible with this particular brew, she places it on the bar. "I was thinking you looked familiar. We must have--"

Abruptly, she stops, all thoughts of possible meetings or the sad fate of Gold Grain now that Mideel's been effectively wiped off the map or anything else gone from her mind.

It's been a year since she's seen her, and even then she wasn't seeing her like this. But now she knows who she's talking to.

"--run into each other before somewhere."

It has to be Lucrecia. She's... a lot less encased in crystal than last time she saw her.

[naiad_burial]

The supposition that Milliway's could provide or surprise her with anything and everything no longer held. Not when it did not possess the only beer she ever found noteworthy to remember. Maybe she would try asking the Bar for it sometime, just to see. In the meantime, she gave the other woman a small nod of thanks before taking the pint to try. It would take her some time to nurse it away even if it was as good as she had said it was.

"Maybe we have," Lucrecia agrees quietly, lowering her eyes to sample the beverage. It's beer, but the froth distracts from the bitter taste of it and its refreshing as it cools her throat. Especially after walking through the long day outside.

"I'm afraid you might need to remind me of your name, though," Lucrecia smiles, somewhat sheepishly. Introductions like this are rare. She carefully sets the heavy glass down again. The small ripple of recognition from one to the other, along with the momentary reaction to something as ancient as Gold Grain, and now the bartender's eyes, tells her that she is aware of her, too, but never before in person.

[antishinra]

She can't possibly expect Lucrecia to remember her, can she?

Vincent said she knew him in an omniscient way and that would mean the remnant of her left in crystal is -- was? -- aware enough of what's gone on in that cave behind the waterfall. But unless he's gone to the cave and recounted stories of their adventures to her, she doubts Lucrecia will know her by name.

But... she did work in Nibelheim. It's possible she's heard the name Lockhart before. Or maybe even met one or both of her parents in passing.

"I'm Tifa Lockhart." She doesn't have any choice but to smile back. She can't help it. "And you?"

[naiad_burial]

Tifa. She couldn't help but to reprimand herself for not realizing it sooner, even if she did not know it directly. She blamed the lapse of connections on the displacement of the bar itself. Tifa Lockhart. Of course, Shelke had quite a liking for this young woman. Even this soon, Lucrecia could begin to understand why. In some ways she probably reminded the growing girl of her elder sister. But this time she was much more careful not to mention Shelke immediately.

"I'm Lucrecia Crescent." She returned. "It's a pleasure to meet you like this. One of Vincent's friends." So she knew. Sometimes, somehow, Vincent would make his way back to her and talk to her, not knowing if she could or would ever hear him. She did. He never spoke more than when he was in her tomb, when once upon a time, she was so used to doing most of the talking.

"Those are lovely earrings, by the way," Lucrecia commented, if only to make the sudden transition of not knowing, to not quite sure, to knowing, slightly more casual. She had spotted them since the light first caught the pearls from beneath her dark hair. Even in a place like Milliway's she had an eye for pretty trinkets.

[antishinra]

She's a little surprised to be recognized but not as surprised as she could've been, and she feels a detached sort of relief at the idea of how shocking this meeting might have been if Vincent hadn't told her about talking to Lucrecia here first.

"I guess we're even: we know of each other, but this is the first we've really met. I'm glad to have a chance to."

There's a softer smile on her face this time, she gives a slight nod to being called one of Vincent's friends. She certainly considers him one, and even at this point it makes her oddly proud to think of him feeling the same way.

If she could only pick three people to be at her side for the direst of battles, Vincent would be one of them. There's no question about it.

"Thank you." At the compliment, one of her hands instinctively rises and her fingertips touch one of the teardrop-shaped earrings. "They were passed down to me," she confesses with obvious fondness creeping into her voice. "I almost never wear any other pair."

She glances at Lucrecia's glass. "How do you like the beer?"

It's no Gold Grain -- the color's not as warm and there's a crispness to the flavor -- but hopefully it's a decent substitute for now.

"I can always get you something else if you'd like."

[naiad_burial]

Lucrecia's gaze had been lingering thoughtfully on the much loved pair of earrings Tifa responded to. She had expected them to be something of antiquity, and her words support that theory. They were of a fashion that preceded, even somewhat predominated her own time period, if the near translucent crystals she sported then and now were any testament to her own era. Even after the brief exchange, however, something still lingered as a thought that she couldn't quite grasp at the moment. In the meantime it was better to attend to the beer that she had acquired.

"The beer?" For a moment she had almost forgotten why she had come to settle down for a drink to begin with. Meeting with Tifa had become quite intriguing. "Oh, it's good! Really!" Lucrecia laughed lightly. She brought the rim up to confirm her words with another taste, nodded, and brushed her lips with her knuckles. She doubted she even could remember or recall the difference with Gold Grain. "You really don't have to. I'll be working on this one for a while."

She did notice that there were a number of other patrons at the bar. Despite how much she would have liked to keep the bartender, there would be more ideal opportunities to talk. "Go ahead, I'll let you know if I think I can take another," Lucrecia tells her, and tries not to think about the effects of alcohol on her body in particular.

[antishinra]

"Good."

She's glad it passes muster.

She's always glad when she can serve somebody a drink they end up liking, but it means a little more to her in this instance with familiar beer names being thrown around and the air of not-quite-familiarity with Lucrecia and the odd solidarity she feels toward her since she knows very well what it's like to find yourself here suddenly and unwillingly.

(The way Lucrecia's hair hangs to each side of her face reminds her just a tiny bit of Aerith.)

Casting a glance down the length of the bar, she knows she'll have to excuse herself to take other orders, so she smiles warmly and nods in reply. "I'm on duty for a while longer. Just catch my eye if you wind up wanting anything else, and I'll be happy to help."

Hopefully she'll be able to catch her around soon without being behind the bar. She'd love to have a chance to talk without distraction.