[Voice / Action] backdated a bit to the 13th. Action can be the 14th as well though.

[wingenvy]

Hey, Aerith! I think you owe me a story about Wall Market, huh? It's way overdue, even. I hope you're not hiding it on purpose!

...Oh, and while you're- actually, nevermind. I still want that story, though! You promised!

[Serious business can wait until they meet in person, anyway. It's better that way.]Never thought I'd be so happy to see a

Comments

[gardenerofgaia]

[Oooh. He definitely knows what it is then. Aerith nods.] See, anyone would worry! The whole reason she went like that was because Don Corneo was working with Shinra, and she was going to corner him for some information. But she had to trick him first! So she got in through his dumb bride's hunt.

Cloud and I didn't know that, though, and he was really concerned. It was pretty sweet of him, actually. But guys aren't allowed in the mansion at all. Probably the Don couldn't handle competition. So, I told Cloud I could go in myself to tell Tifa he was there.

He didn't like that. "Oh man..." [She folds her arms and puts a hand to her forehead a la Cloud, obviously hamming this up.] "Can't let you go in alone because you're a girl, can't sneak in because I'm a guy, can't start a fight at the door with Tifa in there... oh man, oh man..."

[She keeps the head in hand position for a moment longer, but now she's looking up through it at Zack with a wicked smile.] So I say to him... [Now her arms clasp behind her back as she leans toward Zack with one foot forward, all innocence.

Yeah, right.]

"Cloud, why don't you dress up like a girl? It's the only way."

[wingenvy]

[.......Oh. Dear. Shiva.

He knows where this is going and it makes him grin like an idiot.]

You got Cloud to wear a dress!?

[gardenerofgaia]

[Oh, the giggling.] A pretty, purple silk dress. And a wig, too! It was for Tifa, after all.

[wingenvy]

[Oh god. Oh god he can't even respond, he's already lost it to hysteria. LAUGHING. SO. HARD.]

[gardenerofgaia]

[Okay she can't feel even a little bad for selling Cloud out like this when it gets Zack to laugh that much.] Breathe, Zack!

[wingenvy]

W... [PFFFFFT A DRESS HAHAHA...] Working on it...!

[Oh god that's amazing. So hilarious. This story's only going to get better from here, isn't it? He finally manages to settle down enough to ask.]

So what happened next?

[gardenerofgaia]

After we got Cloud's costume together? That took us a good few hours, actually. We put a lot of hard work into it! Rounding up dressmakers, competing for wigs at the gym, doing favors for weird guys--oh, and Cloud got some of the Honey Bee Inn girls to do his makeup. I guess they're used to strange requests!

...But it all paid off. Cloud's disguise worked like a charm. Corneo's guard thought Miss Cloud was kind of hot. And Tifa did a doubletake when she realized the timid girl hiding her face was actually her brave, brave friend.

...I think we did too well, actually.

[wingenvy]

Too well? Just how well did you do with him, then?

[Oh god this is a beautiful story, he had no idea Cloud was so adventurous.]

[gardenerofgaia]

Okay, so... [She starts giggling, so much it takes her a while to start again.] You know how Don Corneo was choosing a bride? The whole pick was really sleazy. Not a surprise for him. He'd line up three girls, then decide who he wanted to spend the night with. So Tifa thought she had to be the one picked, but since all three of us were working together, it wouldn't matter who he chose! Tifa or I could question him, and Cloud being there meant we didn't have to worry about a third girl catching that pervert's eye.

...But the Don didn't pick a girl out of that night's line-up.

[Spot the implication, Zack.]

[wingenvy]

[IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO MISS.]

He picked Cloud!? That old lady's man who ran Wall Market couldn't even tell he was a guy!?

[gardenerofgaia]

He didn't have a clue until Cloud took off the dress! It's a little depressing, actually. I thought Tifa and I looked good, but Cloud beat us both out! [She pouts a little, but she's not all that put out by it and it shows. The whole thing was downright hilarious, after all.]

[wingenvy]

Maybe he just likes girls with a little more muscle on 'em. [He's trying hard not to laugh again, but this is really, really hard.] But hey, I bet you both looked amazing, anyway.

[gardenerofgaia]

I think we did! Cloud just got lucky. Or not-so-lucky.

[wingenvy]

Yeah, I don't know if I'd call anyone picked by Corneo lucky.

[gardenerofgaia]

He almost got kissed. [Small horrified face of disgust because eeewwww Corneo cooties on Cloud. No.] But me and Tifa came just in the nick of time!

[wingenvy]

Oh, that's nasty. So the girls are the heroes of the story, and the boy is the damsel! Talk about a role-reversal.