Cleaning up Heaven [Shelke, FFVIIers]

[Tifa Lockhart]

Tifa ran her fingers through the filmy layer of dust that resided atop the counter of Seventh Heaven's bar, bringing them up to her face to observe the thickness of the lightly-coloured annoyance.. She grimaced, because she had secretly hoped that she would have come back to the bar exactly as she had left it; unfortunately, being attended by none other than Heartless, she should not have been surprised that the establishment had acquired a run-down, abandon chic to its once homey, comfortable atmosphere.

She rubbed her fingers together, causing the dust to dissipate into smaller particles and she instantly regretted the decision, because she promptly sneezed lightly. She shook her head disdainfully, and took in the rest of her surroundings. Sunlight streamed in through the opened blinds in the windows, illuminating the otherwise dark room, and the paint upon the wall had acquired a dreary, run-down look to it. Many of the bottles she had put up for display were shattered, the liquor that had been inside of them pooling together upon the cracked tile floors.

The land-line phone was ripped from the wall, a reminder of what had been going on with her life before the Heartless had invaded; in her haste to bring Denzel and Marlene to safety, she had sprinted towards the door with the phone still in her hand, dropping it onto the floor only after she had ripped the cord.

She giggled slightly to herself; presence of mind was usually a forte of hers, and yet, when her loved ones were endangered, it was so easy to forget simple things like that. Placing her hands upon her hips, she glanced around the bar with a big smile upon her face. No time to clean up like the present! And it was her intent to get the bar functioning again. An idea dawned upon her, and she hurried over to the front door to implement it; the crushing of glass beneath her feet being but a minuscule worry at the time.

She flicked both light switches on, but was mildly disappointed when this action did not produce a direct result that she could observe, but a sparking sound from above the doorway outside caused her head to raise, and she promptly exited the establishment in order to view the sign for her bar. It flickered a few times, and then shorted out. She grumbled momentarily to herself about slacking electricians, but considering the world had been veritably absorbed by darkness, she could understand why they weren't exactly maintaining the electrical systems in town.

Tifa shook her head, but was not entirely disheartened from the revelation that the dilapidated bar was not one hundred percent up to snuff. She went inside; careful not to step upon the glass so carelessly this time, and opened a small work-room door hidden by the refrigerator behind the bar. The contents were jarred, and strewn about haphazardly, but Tifa knew them well enough to be able to find what she desired. She emerged from the small closet a moment later with a trash bag, and a broom with a dustpan, determined to begin somewhere as she aspired to restore her home to its former glory.

She opened the trash bag quickly, draped it over the handles of the cabinets underneath the counter-top, and, holding the broom in the nook of her arm as she put on her gloves, she prepared herself to begin the arduous task of housecleaning. Setting the dustpan upon the floor, she braced it with her foot, and began sweeping up the glass that made the floor treacherous to walk upon. If you're going to move a mountain, you've got to start somewhere.

[Genesis Rhapsodos]

If it wasn't the Heartless, then it was usually the Nobodies. If it weren't the Heartless or Nobodies, then it was often those of the 'neutral' faction getting up to no good. If neither of those three, then perhaps ShinRa was getting up to no good again. If not ShinRa, The Heartless, Nobodies or the Neutral, then was it Sephiroth? The forces of Light and Darkness at each others throats once more? There was just so much to keep check of these days, and no matter how much the mountain of work grew bigger, the words of a white-haired man sharing the genes of 'G', rung though the ears of an auburn-haired, crimson coated man. 'If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for everything...'. Why those words seemed to mean so much to him, he couldn't put a finger on. Not just yet anyway, the answer simple eluded him for the time being. But what The Immaculate had spoke that day had seemed to rallied the Crimson SOLDIER into fighting harder for what he believed in, for what he wanted to achieve. It had been starting to drawn on him though that he would not be able to complete his tasks alone. Fortunately that was where the alliance with the Keybarers and with a few other certain individuals came to play... providing that they were indeed still in agreement with this alliance matter. It mattered not. Everyone would soon see the threat that was approaching and then everyone would band together, to fight together.

But today was a different day. The man with the gigantic black angel wing was just utterly exhausted. All this travel from one world to the next, fighting against and working hard to build new alliances, explaining the reasoning for his actions and for what was coming and what was going to happen. It didn't matter right now, even if Weiss The Immaculate just showed up right now and talked his ear off, the Crimson SOLDIER, Quoter of LOVELESS, Genesis Rhapsodos just didn't care. He needed a drink and that was exactly what he was going to do, Sephiroth be damned if he materialized out of thin air and cast Meteor upon him. He didn't care.

Such thoughts actually caused a small smile to spread across his lips, closing his eyes a second later as he decided to take the chance to enjoy the feeling of the winds of his home world blowing through his hair as he flew through the skies. He took note to stay above the clouds to stay out of view of any civilians who may have decided to look skywards and spot him. A lot of bad memories were still lingering in the minds of the people of Gaia, what with Sephiroth summoning Meteor, he having his own infamous black angel wing. There was no reason to cause more trouble and frighten the people of this world anymore. Granted that he would be recognized more so for his strong passion of LOVELESS and all the followers he gained at his fan club, Red Leather, over being associated with that of being Sephiroth for having the wing... but, it was better to play safe then sorry. There was only one location he was heading as well, in the new town of Edge in the outskirts of Midgar.

As the clouds started to break up from where the sun had been shining upon them, the auburn-haired man smiled as he noticed he was now flying over Midgar. The massive city built in it's large circular design of eight districts with the ShinRa HQ building stuck in the middle. The sight of such a thing brought back several old memories, but before he could dwell on what had happened in the past, the Crimson SOLDIER tucked in his legs and pivoted his body within the air, turning himself to start flying downwards. A few heavy beats of his wing and his speed increased and before he knew it, the quoter of LOVELESS landed down beside a familiar location he had visited a few months back with a dear old friend. Landing within the alley next to Seventh Heaven, the Crimson SOLDIER took the chance within the shadows to dispel his wing, removing it from sight to return his stature to it's usual self. There he walked about to the front of the bar and raised an eyebrow at how run down the place looked.

That's odd... It hasn't been that long since Angeal and I came to see Cloud here... What's happened?
Thought the Crimson Champion as he tucked his crimson gloved hands into the pockets of his long leather trench. He raised an eyebrow curiously as he ran his bright blue eyes over the building, noticing movement from within as he peered at one of the windows. Was the bar open, regardless? Leather boots carried the SOLDIER 1st Class across the dusty road and up the wooden steps of Seventh Heaven's entrance. His hand gripped the handle of the wooden door and turned it, pushing the door open to hear the soft jingle of the bell hanging overhead. Fortunately, it didn't fall and smack him on the top of his head, but his eyes set sight upon the beautiful woman within the bar as she must have heard him enter. Why did this woman feel so... familiar? He could have sworn he had never met her before. Though it didn't take long for the SOLDIER to glance about the bar and notice the destruction and chaos. What on earth had happened here?
"Sorry... are you closed...?"
Was all the auburn-haired man said to break the silence.

[Vincent Valentine]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; background: url(http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs18/f/2007/150/0/a/background_by_cottencandydioxide.jpg); border: 1px dashed #FF0000, b Table] I'm another KING AND ROBBER, I'm a brother trampling on your dreams, BEFORE THEY STAND IN THE WAY OF MINE

[atrb=style, font-family: Tahoma; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #000000 ; border: 1px dashed #FF0000; color: 2f405e; opacity: 0.9; padding: 10px;] The disappearance of Weiss's destructive exit in the construction lot had proved fruitless, as well as the vanishing of the mysterious man that he had been conversing with. The Immaculate had made his re-appearance quite clear from the last time Vincent had disposed of him, and his scent had completely disappeared as if snuffed out, most likely having returned to Deepground for whatever sinister plan he was hatching. It was not of any concern anymore, as WRO had reported clearly that the underground had been flushed out, following in the wake of the reawakening of Omega Weapon several years back. All that remained was the identity of the enigmatic stranger in the red coat, and one thing was certain; he had a black wing and the scent of darkness and Jenova's taint added to his own personal fragrance. But the black-winged man had flown off into parts unknown, leaving Vincent to return alone with no answers back to ground level. He tried sensing where the auburn-haired man had gone, but any trace had been lost to the winds, black feathers and all. While the rising of a individual with one wing was initially disconcerting, the Crimson Demon knew better. Cloud had JENOVA's cells as part of Hojo's last sick and twisted experiments to prove the Reunion theory, but JENOVA cells did not make Cloud evil, unless Sephiroth gathered control over them. Living in a world where Heartless had invaded, the man in the shadows had taken his time learning all too well it was the heart of an individual that dictated it's actions, and not of the Light or Darkness they wielded or fought for. He was prime example of that, a humble servant of the deepest darkness that had been plucked from the stagnant depths of the Lifestream, along with other horrific nightmares grafted into his body. He didn't give faceless identity another thought, however, as he considered if he was any man worthy of his attention be it friend or foe, he would soon hear about it. The more pressing manner, other than locating his fellow family members of Cloud's original party and related associates, was finding out what exactly had been happening in the past several months he himself had gone missing. All he could recollect was being a consciousness suppressed by Chaos' rage; the events that had transpired beyond were a continuously fading blur, something beyond what his senses could properly access to form any coherent thought attached to the gap in history or even an image. There was also the growing concern in the back of his mind about the events that had transpired concerning the keybarers such as Cloud's friend Sora and their continuous struggle with the forces of evil. Had he come back in time to make a difference from the shadows that safely enveloped him now, or was he already too late? Where to go from here? Now on the streets, he decided the best course of action; to return to where he had woken up in Seventh Heaven to see if he could make contact with any AVALANCHE members there along with possibly finding clues to why the other man with the crimson cloak was coincidentally present in the immediate vicinity at the time of his awakening. If he could not find anyone from the dark and apparently abandoned place, he'd start combing over Edge to the ruins of Midgar, and check Aerith's church, before leaving for worlds unknown outside the borders of the sky. The idea came that he could sit and wait for someone to return, but he had been lodged in the current of time's river for far too long, even if he was the only man he knew of who no longer had to fear of death from old age. He crossed the road back through the square of the meteor memorial, no-one recollecting the trademark tattered red cape of the fallen hero as one of many who had saved Edge from Bahamut SIN many years ago, turning a corner to go back down the alleyway to the dark and cold tavern. Or at least, it was. Movement now, and his senses detected him before the back of the man in the red coat appeared before his blood-red eyes once more, and luck seemed to have favored him. Was he returning to the scene of a crime? In realization, he quickly noticed the man was looking into the window of the establishment before he opened the familiar bell-jingling door, and Vincent peered past him through the windows as to what his curiosity was exploring to be sated. Low and behold, things must have changed rather dramatically having just missed it after he had left, but across the floor of the bar that for some unknown reason had become trashed in his absence was Tifa Lockhart herself. Cleaning things up as if she had never left, for he had not seen the owner for months, and wondered where she may have been all this time along with Cloud's sudden disappearance. So as not to dwell on the stranger he was more intrigued about by standing behind him in the doorway, he glided past him into the building, crimson tattered cape wafting after him and fading into thin air as if on some chilling demonic wind. And he spoke only one word. "Tifa." His golden armored boots came to a rest on the floor just before the counter, as did his lofty cloak falling around his shoulders, finally turning to look from her finally to the face of the man he had been pursuing. Green eyes and a SOLDIER's black uniform, he regarded the unknown solider with interest and reminisced any possible memories of him until such a time Tifa would reply in kind with regard to his name.

[atrb=style, font-family: Garamond; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #000000 ; border: 1px groove #FF0000; color: 2f405e; opacity: 0.9; padding: 10px;] TAGGED: Tifa, Genesis. MUSIC LYRICS: Anyone Anymore by Lovex. CREDIT GOES TO: Hana of OTE AND BS + Jawn's tutorial

[Tifa Lockhart]

Tifa Lockhart had been lost in thought, sweeping up the shards of broken glass amidst the pools of both soft and hard drinks, mostly an exercise in futility as much of the glass was just barely floating upon the surface of the liquids, and was just floating around haphazardly. Tifa might have missed the question entirely had she not been alerted to the mysterious man's presence by the jingling of the bell of the front door. She turned her head around, still sweeping, but pausing momentarily when she saw the glint of Mako energy from his orbs.

Her mouth was agape for but a moment, and she shook the hesitation instantly; Cloud also had mako eyes, and while he was particularly grumpy at times, he wasn't at all like Sephiroth in his motivation. She put on her brightest smile, and held her broom off to the side of her chest and leaning slightly upon it while brushing away an errant strand of hair.


Tifa responded to him as cheerfully as she could manage; which was a great deal considering the fact that the establishment that had been her home for a great deal of time was dilapidated almost beyond recognition. She wasn't certain how it transpired, but it had. Pressing her gloved fingers to her chin and pondering, she said, "Well... It's not exactly the lap of luxury, but I can whip something up if you'd like. What's your preference; do you want a soft or hard drink?

[/color]"

She had begun to cross over to the refrigerator, turning away from her potential customer, in order to survey its contents when a single spoken word halted her advance; her own name! She pivoted quickly, turning to face the man who had vocalized her name, as the voice was incredibly familiar. Then it should not come as a surprise that she recognized the gloomy spectacle that glided upon chill winds into her bar, walking with purpose until he stood just before the counter. Then he turned around.

"Well, my word! If it isn't Vincent Valentine![/color] Tifa said, placing her hands on her hips and admiring the lack of differences in his appearance. "Would you like a drink, too? I'm not sure what I've got, but I'll be happy to supply anything I can!" She resumed her trek to the refrigerator, pulling it open and leaning forward to observe its contents.[/blockquote]

[Genesis Rhapsodos]

No reaction was returned to the apparent shock and surprise that had spread across the delicate features of the young woman who was cleaning up some broken glass upon the floor of this half destroyed bar. No reaction was given because the man in the long crimson coat knew not who this young lady was. He didn't recognize her and neither her face nor her voice alerted the Crimson SOLDIER into believing he knew this lady... though why was it he still had that strange feeling he had still met this woman before? It wasn't anything on a personal scale, perhaps he may have just seen her from a distance once before and no matter not much the auburn-haired man tried to think about it, no answer rose and for that, the tall man simply dropped the train of thoughts and allowed his brow to narrow a fraction upon wondering if she was a possibly anti-ShinRa resistance member. Sure, Genesis still wore his infamous SOLDIER uniform as well as his trademark leather coat. Even if ShinRa were working with the WRO to restore Midgar to it's formerly glory, there may still have been some civilians hell-bent on wanting ShinRa gone for good.

The young woman's bright smile and cheerful reply erased all doubt that she was hostile and the SOLDIER 1st Class simply took a small step forwards, his leather boots stepping upon and snapping a piece of glass that crunched further underfoot. The subtle noise forced the fan of LOVELESS to glance down at his feet to see what had happened, only for him to then feel the cold breeze of Vincent Valentine glide past him. It was that same feeling he had felt just before he left the construction site after meeting with Weiss the Immaculate. So... he was being followed? The bright blue eyes of the Crimson Champion peered up in a glare, glancing through the auburn strands of hair that fell before his face slightly. A matching coloured cloak belonging to a man with the darkest coloured hair, who seemed to carry a somewhat similar vibe to that of the Turks, was now joining both himself and the young bartender within the room. The newcomer mutter a name, Tifa, which undoubtedly was that of the bartender. The name wasn't familiar.

As the mysterious man, whose own name was revealed to be one Vincent Valentine, turned about to lay eyes upon the SOLDIER, the tension within the room grew thick. No words were shared between either man and all sound seemed to stop entirely until the wooden creaking of the floorboards broke the silence as Genesis walked forth. Subtle splashes of spilled liquor and the tinkling of broken glass joined the creaking of the wooden floor boards as the Crimson SOLDIER walked onwards. His mako-infused eyes didn't move from the orbs of the ex-Turk as he walked up to him, where he paused for but a moment, continuing to stare at Valentine until he finally blinked and turned away. Genesis stepped to his left and turned his attention down to a bar stool, the same one he sat upon when Angeal and he came to ask Cloud about Sephiroth and Zack. Leather bound fingers creaked as the material tightened about them, as he reached down and picked up a glass shard from the stool. It was placed upon the bar top before the SOLDIER placed himself upon the stool, flicking his long coat out from underneath him as if he were a pianist sitting down before a grand piano.

"A glass of wine, red, if you have any."
Genesis finally spoke up to break the silence, asking the lovely bartender for a drink if she had any left in stock. The glowing eyes of the SOLDIER 1st Class were not returned to the figure of Vincent, no matter how much the ex-Turk himself stood and stared. Peering across the bar top and to the shelves of shattered spirit bottles, the question returned to his mind on what exactly had happened here. Vandals? Thieves? This world was known for some of it's ferocious monsters, but surely no one would have allowed them to waltz into town and destroy this place? Maybe it was Heartless, or had Cloud come back here, manipulated by Masked Man, and destroyed this place himself in a moment of madness? Surely not... it hadn't been long since Rhapsodos and Strife were together at Beast's Castle.
"... What happened here? Last time I came here only a few weeks ago, the place was in fine condition..."

[Shelke Rui]

It seemed like forever...

Since she had last set foot in Edge... She has been discreetly avoiding the premises, hoping that her current studies would keep her away from the others. Her thoughts worried her as of late and she was beginning to slowly doubt her sanity. In a way she felt as though her progress with Vincent Valentine and the others would give her more of her humanity back. However as time went by she found herself falling back into old habits.

It was then she realized- maybe she wasn't cut out for this? Maybe she just wasn't ready to live among the others of the light? If anything she felt safer alone, left collecting her thoughts- and memories she had during her times before and after Deepground.

But no matter what she did- her mind returned back to her home world, back to Edge as she found herself slowly becoming worried... or possibly 'homesick'? Whatever the case she felt an undeniable urge to return... What she came back to shocked her slightly. 7th Heaven was destroyed?!

What could of caused this? The Heartless? It was plausible... Blue eyes stared quietly as a man who looked highly familiar appeared- could he be- no he couldn't be... But was it possible? Could this man be 'G'? Barely able to think much on it, Shelke's attention turned to someone she hadn't seen for quite some time.

Deciding it was best to come out of her 'hiding place' she walked into the light he small frame casted in part light and shadow. "Vincent Valentine." She murmured as her glance turned past the auburn male's and onto Tifa. "Tifa Lockhart." She finally moved a bit to the left side of the area. "It's good to see you again."

[Blah post, really forced.]

[Vincent Valentine]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; background: url(http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs18/f/2007/150/0/a/background_by_cottencandydioxide.jpg); border: 1px dashed #FF0000, b Table] He's a fighter with a hunger for disaster A DECIDER Chained to the fate of the world BUT WORDS ARE LEFT UNHEARD

[atrb=style, font-family: Tahoma; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #000000 ; border: 1px dashed #FF0000; color: 2f405e; opacity: 0.9; padding: 10px;] Tifa offered him a drink; it was very casual and flamboyant of her, considering her leave of absense. He didn't answer at first; still looking at the strange man, he watched as he gave him an intense look as he gradually graced across the length of the floor. The man did not break his glare towards him until he turned to take a stool at the bar, throwing away a piece of glass that was balancing precariously on the cushioned seat. He perhaps read the stare's intention well; if he was anything like Cloud or Sephiroth, the man sensed or even saw him when he was confronting Weiss. What had they been talking about, and why so far out of the way from eardrop from Seventh Heaven where he had first caught glimpse of him? Did they share a connection, somehow, and what was their relationship? He only glanced for a moment longer as the man requested his drink, and then looked away to turn to look after Tifa as she fetched the drink for the stranger. Whoever he was, he sure had a good taste in liquor. "The usual; same as his." he requested politely to the barmaiden. He would pay no mind to the enigmatic man with the same vibrantly colored crimson cloak, as while he wore the SOLDIER uniform, he and Tifa could more than handle themselves if trouble started. But he got the strong sense of an air of elegancy and manner in how this man spoke, as if he was of the upper class of citizen that used to live on the top plate of Midgar, but without being looking too much down his nose upon him. This he could tell as much as the man inquired about the state of disrepair the place was in; this also told him the man had been here before. Did Tifa know him? He had been fighting alongside her for a long time, and whenever people binded through battle that closely, they seemed to pick up each other's mannerisms and habits. He could tell she did not in this case, as she did not state his name; she would have said otherwise. Looking over the bar at the damage, comfortable with standing next to the bar to lean on it if he had to, he continued to listen. Another reason came along for Vincent not to be as concerned, or perhaps given the circumstances to come, even more concerned. Out of the shadows came a familiar small girl, and Vincent nodded only once in recognition as she approached. "Shelke." he replied, his hands hanging beside him, letting his cloak fully hang around his shoulders to curtain around his body. Well, that was one more member of what he considered family that he had to worry about. He followed her eyesight, seeing how she was also curious of the other man in red, deciding to see how this would play out. Instead, he turned his attention to Tifa as she got them their requested drinks, his foot crunching glass on the other side of the counter. Despite the state of disrepair she was in, she was suddenly a bartender again, and it was like she never left and the bar was never in a state of obscurity. The man he had been intrigued to learn the identity of seemed wary and perhaps annoyed buy his presence, so he would leave his attention away from him for the moment, and let the women do their thing as he focused on Tifa. He thought of asking Tifa what she knew of the current events; but the topic of the conversation seemed to be lead by the black-winged angel, and asking anything in addition might seem too obvious or insincere. Not glancing at him but instead diverting his attention to the collection of red wines stored behind the counter, luckily not along the collection of messy shards and spills that were smashed in the raid upon the business. If there was anything he could take from the man's last words, is that he was merely observing what event had transpired since he was here last; his tone was hard to read if there was any sincerity underneath the curiosity for knowledge. But if he had to guess, the man meant no harm to them like Sephiroth would instantly make clear; perhaps this could be a potential ally? But there was doubt in that he knew Weiss, so was he connected to Deepground? Only time would be able to tell. He said nothing further, and looked to Tifa for answers.

[atrb=style, font-family: Garamond; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #000000 ; border: 1px groove #FF0000; color: 2f405e; opacity: 0.9; padding: 10px;] TAGGED: Tifa, Genesis, Shelke. MUSIC LYRICS: Anyone Anymore by Lovex. CREDIT GOES TO: Hana of OTE AND BS + Jawn's tutorial

[Tifa Lockhart]

Tifa's mouth had been slightly open only briefly as the tension in the air grew, ready to say something in the hopes that, should they somehow escalate things into a conflict, a quickly spoken word would dissuade their attempts to combat one another in close proximity to a human settlement. Luckily, such an action was not required, as both of the crimson garbed men seemed to be less interested in asserting their dominance over one another and more interested in appearing more classy than the other.

The auburn-haired man was the first to move after what seemed like an eternity after they had (presumably) locked eyes; whatever transpired seemed to not intimidate him, as he took his place at the bar. Nonchalantly, he requested a glass of red wine, also the favoured drink of one Vincent Valentine; whatever their qualm with one another, they couldn't argue with the others' taste. Tifa pivoted, and walked away from her the counter, towards the collection of red wine that she kept solely for the purpose of pleasing whatever classy people might actually happen upon her bar; in general, that niche of clientele consisted of Vincent.

Possessing a plethora of vintage wines (Which she had selected based upon the palate of Mr. Valentine), she was hardly surprised whenever Vincent had also requested a drink of the same kind. She was surprised that they had managed to avoid the obvious devastation that had torn through the bar, but it was her assumption that the tightly enclosed spaces of the wine rack had kept the bottles from shattering and joining the cesspool of liquor now adorning the Seventh Heaven's floor.

Checking the cabinets, it took Tifa a few tries to find the appropriate glasses for the wine that were not cracked or shattered, and, making certain that they were appropriately cleaned at the sink below the cabinets, she poured each of them a measured amount of wine; enough to sate the palate, but also providing ease of arm movement without the fear of causing unwanted spills or unseemly manners.

It was just as she set the drinks down in front of the newcomer and Vincent that from the shadows walked forth Shelke, a young girl that she had met as a result of Vincent's commando actions against Deepground; Tifa had never heard the full story about her involvement in the situation, but she trusted Vincent's judgment enough to know that if he approved of her, she was not evil at heart.

Tifa smiled brightly at Shelke as she approached, and called out as Vincent acknowledged her presence with a casual nod. "Hello there! I'm glad to see you're alright, too.

[/color]" It was at about that time that Genesis had inquired about the state of the bar. Tifa's eyebrows furrowed with consternation, and she placed a finger to her chin, casting her head to the side in deep thought, crossing one hand across her to support the other arm.

"You know, I'm really not sure! I spent so long chasing after Mr. Chocobo head after the Heartless had taken the world that I hadn't really been attending to it, but somebody must have kept it out of disrepair.[/color]" Closing her eyes, turning away from them and wagging her finger, she facetiously declared, "It must be those punk kids that Cloud's always hanging out with; you know, the ones who try to make themselves look like Sephiroth and caused that huge commotion a few years back.[/color]"

Quickly turning back around to her patrons, she indicated Shelke with a gesture. "Would you like me to find you something to drink?[/color]" After giving the girl adequate enough time to respond, she moseyed her way on over to the counter, under the watchful eye of Vincent. She wasn't all that good at communicating with him (Truthfully, the only person she knew that could do so effectively was Cloud, possibly because they had this aura of depressed cohesion when they were together.), but she assumed that he meant she wanted to pry the auburn-haired man for more information.

Leaning forward on the counter as she reached it, she watched the men drink in semi-unperturbed silence, and then breaking the silence with a question. "Have you been here before, sir? I don't believe I was here the last time you were, and I didn't catch your name, either, Mr...?[/color]"[/blockquote][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote][/sub]

[Genesis Rhapsodos]

The air still felt thick with tension between both the men dressed in similar coloured clothing. Even though Genesis had turned his attention away from the ex-Turk beside him, there still felt like the black-haired man was waiting for something. Perhaps for 'G' to speak to him? Maybe he was expecting him to suddenly attack? There was little information available about whoever this crimson cloaked man was. Even though he used to be a member of the Turks, back when he too was part of ShinRa, Genesis had never recalled laying eyes upon this individual. Tseng, Reno, Rude, Cissnei and more besides, but not this one. It was only a second later that something clicked within the mind of the Crimson SOLDIER, something that linked this man's face to his name. The urge to turn and glance back at Vincent was great, but the SOLDIER 1st Class remained clam and complex as he nodded his head to the young bartender subtle as she fetched a wine glass and poured him his requested drink.

Genesis reached forth with a gloved hand, the crimson coat covering his arms tightening as he extended his arm, creaking as it did so. Taking the glass, the SOLDIER brought it towards his face where he softly took in a small breath through his nose, smelling the deep red liquid as he swirled it about the glass a few times. The sound of footsteps halted the man from taking a sip, for he first attuned his senses to try and recognize whoever had just arrived, but it was virtually impossible to tell. Instead, he ended up glancing off to where the young girl had appeared from and watched her closely with his brightly glowing mako-infused eyes as she herself acknowledged both Vincent and Tifa.
"......."
Why did this girl feel so familiar? It wasn't like how Tifa felt familiar, despite never seeing her before. No, it was much more like how Weiss the Immaculate felt 'familiar'. She was one of these 'Tsviets'? Genesis knew of both Weiss and Nero, for they were the ones who came to retrieve him after Zack Fair defeated him in combat. How many more of them were there...? Speaking of the Tsviets, it was now that he was reminded of his train of thoughts from before being served his glass of wine.

Turning back to the bar, Genesis gathered the wine glass within his hands once more and successfully managed to take a sip of the fruity, soft liquid. A pause, then he glanced down at the glass as the smallest of smiles spread across his lips. The subtle 'tink' of the glass being returned to the bar top cut the silence for a second before the SOLDIER now turned his head once more and cast his attention back to that of Vincent Valentine. This was the man Weiss spoke of. This was the man who defeated Weiss and Omega WEAPON. Pity that was all he currently knew about this character. He wondered how much the crimson cloaked individual knew of himself. Tifa's voice, answering the Crimson SOLDIER's question, brought his attention off Vincent and back to the bartender herself, where she explained the bar must have fallen into disrepair as she went off to find one 'Mr. Chocobo Head'. It took a second, but Genesis made the connection swiftly and he chuckled when realizing who she was talking about. Then came something about kids wanting to be like Sephiroth. This was new to him.

"Kids wanting to be like Sephiroth?"
Genesis asked, his tone was curious as well as it's normal poetic self. Many years has passed from entering and emerging from the Flooded Cavern. These 'kids' must have shown up during that time. The quoter of LOVELESS took a moment to run a few things through his mind, specifically anything to do with what Tifa just mentioned. Nothing came of it though, no answers, only more questions. His bright blue eyes flicked back to Tifa as she spoke to to him once more.
"..... Rhapsodos."
He answered, picking up his glass of wine and taking another small sip so he could enjoy the fine drink over a length of time. Unlike Cloud who ran the bar last time he came here, Tifa was being a considerably better host.
"A few weeks, perhaps a month ago, I came here seeking Cloud Strife. I found him, but the idiot was his usual ignorant self, no doubt from stories he may have heard about me. He refused to listen to anything I had to say to him and swiftly asked me to leave the building. Back then, the bar appeared to be in good condition. Nothing was broken, no dust, no damage. I assume it was Strife who kept the place in check."
Genesis explained, his not leaving Tifa at all as he stared at her throughout.

[Shelke Rui]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=style, width:450px; border-radius:30px 30px 0px 0px; background-color:#fff; border-bottom:#222 solid 4px; box-shadow:0px 0px 5px #000;] [style=height:100px; width:100px; border-radius:100%; background-image:url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2llzy1g.jpg); margin:5px; border:#aaa solid 4px;][/style] [style=float:center; text-align:right; font-family: arial; font-size:21px; color:#555; font-weight:bold; text-transform:lowercase; margin:5px;]regrets collect like old friends,[/style][style=float:right; text-align:justify; width: 430px; border-radius:10px; background-color:#eee; padding:3px; font-family: arial; font-size:10px; margin-right:6px; margin-top:-12px; color:#222; margin-bottom:-7px;]Shelke remained quiet, her eyes however seemed trained on the auburn man near her. Her mind was rushing with thoughts- was it possible this man was, the 'donor' for the cells in which most of not all the tsviets held? Of course Shelke was an exception from this, but it still weighed on her mind. This man... first class SOLDIER, A former friend of Sephiroth, yes- she had did her research yet it meant nothing to her right now. She thirsted for answers and she felt this man could provide them. Her train of thought was cut short when she heard Tifa's melodic voice ring out to her, turning her head towards the source, the emotionless young girl, locked eyes with the busty brunette. "...Water, if that's okay." She stated quietly yet loud enough to hear. It held the same flat tone monotonous tone. Even after all this time- she could not break away from her past habits. She told herself she would work in making herself be more 'human', however this seemed to fall flat on it's self as she seemed to just fall back into her usual routine... Her thoughts were once again broken when she heard the reply of the LOVELESS addict. Her eyes widened slightly as she stared at him slightly shocked, before reigning control over her facial features. "Rhapsodos..." She murmured. There was no doubt about it! This man was Project "G"... Still she couldn't formulate something to say, she was unsure on what she wanted to ask... Instead she turned back to the bar stool and awaited for her drink of water. Maybe someone would strike up conversation if she waited? Besides... she wasn't really the conversational type.[/style][style=float:center; text-align:left; font-family: arial; font-size:21px; color:#555; font-weight:bold; text-transform:lowercase;margin-left:5px; margin-bottom:5px;]here to relieve your darkest moments[/style]

[style=font-family:georgia; font-size:9px;]made by river! of BV, CTL and OTE![/style]

[Vincent Valentine]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; background: url(http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs18/f/2007/150/0/a/background_by_cottencandydioxide.jpg); border: 1px dashed #FF0000, b Table] Feel the weight ON YOUR SHOULDERS Is there ANYONE ANYMORE

[atrb=style, font-family: Tahoma; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #000000 ; border: 1px dashed #FF0000; color: 2f405e; opacity: 0.9; padding: 10px;] Red eyes left the body of the woman they had been following, now looking at the pattern in the varnished wood of the bar top. Those crimson orbs of one Vincent Valentine did not move until Tifa set down a cleanly washed glass before him that reflected in the dim light, having heard Tifa clean them underneath the counter and (presumably) clean dishwater running down the glass itself, watching as she poured the red liquor into the wide wine vessel. He reached forward with his gloved black hand, keeping his clawed gauntlet settled on his lap, and took himself a sip. The fresh, vibrant flavor of one of his favorite wines greeted deathly pale lips, giving warmth to them if that was even possible. The drink itself tasted as if made several decades back - and Vincent decidedly realized he himself was still older than the distilled red wine had grown over time. Tifa was not one to pull punches, not literally speaking, and started to explain honestly and directly to the stranger a reference about Cloud Strife as well as her interest in him, two details he wasn't so sure he should be giving to a newcomer SOLDIER. But perhaps she was being her usual barmaid self, telling a little to her clients in order for them to loosen their tongue and reply in kind, to take their mind off their troubles after a little bartending psychiatry. She also made mention of Remnants indirectly and by relation, Sephiroth, and his eyes dart over to the man after she had spoken to register his facial expression in reaction. Before he did, Tifa glanced his direction with what he interpreted as a hint of uncertainty; he always felt he communicated well with the bar maiden after fighting together so long and their communication by example on board the Shera during Cloud's fight against Kadaj. But perhaps he had been away far to long that his 'dreary' persona that had considerably lifted since his redemption at Deepground no longer matched that of Cloud's own stoic personality, that Tifa had distanced herself from him, and all he could do was watch as she took a hint without him asking regardless to ask the mysterious man's name. He felt a pair of eyes upon him even as he looked forward, not turning his head, but his own crimson irises side-glancing over to the man. If there was any tension in the room, he did not feel it, but he wondered if the man knew who he was based on his previous conversation with Weiss. What had his mortal enemy told the one in the crimson coat about him, did he know enough to know what he had done, even any venomous hints Weiss may have given off in description in anger of his own defeat at his hands? The crimson-coated man chuckled at the chocobo-head reference before he spoke, who hinted he knew Sephiroth... cutting down the population by a few million. Sephiroth was a renounced hero, true, but since his disappearance during the Nibelheim incident, his appearances since then had not attracted media attention claiming him as the source of the cause. Obviously this man was not new to the world having been part of SOLDIER that did not collapse until Shinra did, but this meant he was not part of any new faction like Deepground, either. A pause, taking a another sip of his drink to savor the flavors of the grape vine, and the nameless figure finally gave his name. Rhapsodos? He had never heard of the name before today, and couldn't quite figure out if it was meant to be a first or last name... then again, Sephiroth had no last name as the adopted son of Shinra, either. Then Rhapsodos confirmed that he had found Cloud here around a month ago, turning Genesis away at the bar, because of some stories Cloud had heard about him. So, he was around or before Cloud's time, then? He didn't look any older than Cloud did, and if Cloud had turned him away it would have been for good reason, but what could it possibly have been? This must have happened after he had gone to sleep within the Shinra mansion and before he had woken up, a time span of forty years and a new generation. Whatever other clues could answer this would not be given for the moment, as the man went silent, staring at the buxom boxer on the opposite side of the counter. Shelke was just as with as few choice of words as he was; she only asked for a glass of water, and repeated the man's name. It only helped to make Vincent wonder further what exactly had happened in the past that had made Strife so defensive against the man, and he consider it would perhaps be wise that he needed to get both sides of the story, as Cloud had a history of getting his own order of events muddled up in his mind about his past. And so, he did something he had not done since Cloud had found and awoken him from his self-anguished slumber in penance to Lucrecia; he felt it best to put his cards on the table so he was not coming across as hostile by introducing himself in a civilized manner. "Cloud... is a mutual friend of ours. I... was once with the 'Shinra Manufacturing Department in Administrative Research', otherwise known as the Turks. But I no longer consider myself one of the Shinra ilk... Vincent." he spoke up, washing down the wine he had been tasting upon his tongue to moisten his mouth once more beforehand, his head turning to face Rhapsodos finally so sincere crimson-colored eyes could meet his. He had intentions to honestly give his preferred name of reference, despite Tifa already giving it away, as it was only common courtesy and good manners regardless if not to also confirm what the Feint Brawler has spoken. "You wear SOLDIER uniform, is that why you came to this bar when he was here? Do you know where he is now?" It was a questioning tone not of intimidation or accusation; more curiosity and intrigue towards the black-winged angel more than anything.

[atrb=style, font-family: Garamond; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #000000 ; border: 1px groove #FF0000; color: 2f405e; opacity: 0.9; padding: 10px;] TAGGED: Tifa, Genesis, Shelke. MUSIC LYRICS: Anyone Anymore by Lovex. CREDIT GOES TO: Hana of OTE AND BS + Jawn's tutorial