Cloud didn't know where Tifa had gone. He had gotten in the habit, as of late, to wander into the bar. It was always open. She had bartenders working every hour of the day, but the proprietor, herself, was almost never around.
He had wondered in regards to her whereabouts, but never really asked where she had gone. It didn't really matter, anyway. After all, he had been gone for the better part of a year, and knew that sometimes, it was just needed.
Sitting behind the bar, Cloud would absently slide the bottle of beer that he was drinking across the bar top, one hand, to the other. He watched it as it slid. Having sent the bartender on duty on a break, he was glad that the patrons were sparse.
A young and youthful head of hair poked itself into the bar, and seeing no one to stop him, in walked the Ma--er, boy....Cid Highwind! He walked up to the bar and immediately noticed Cloud. Oh boy...."Hey fucker!" He hollered in Cloud's ear as loud as he could.
Ow. Ear drum. Shatter. Or, just ringing. Nevertheless, what was said next, was said at lower than normal conversational volume. "What the fuck?" Cloud looked up at Cid, quite calm for someone who had just gotten his ear screamed into. Almost sedate.
"Cid?" He asked, after a moment. Well, this was interesting. "Aww, can't call ya 'old man', anymore."
Cid shot Cloud a glare. "Shut up, fuckbag." He muttered as he reached over the counter and grabbed an empty mug. Now what to--"Oh Gawd, Cloud is that you?!?" Cid winced....please....not....the....brat. Cid dared not turn around for fear it was true and merely resumed his mission to score some beer.
"Fuck bag! That's a new...oh hey, Yuffie!" Cloud couldn't help but chuckle, both at Cid's insult, and at his reaction to hearing Yuffie's voice. "Yeah, it's me, Yuffie. How have you been?"
Cid began to fill up his mug as Yuffie sat on the other side of Cloud, not yet realizing that Cid was the kid trying to score the beer. "I've been okay I guess." She said cheerfully, brushing back some of her hair, which she surprisingly let grow some, so it was slightly longer. She nodded to Cid. "Since when didja start babysitting?" She asked with a snicker.
Cloud looked over at Cid, and filled the mug with whatever it was that Tifa had on tap. He had no moral qualms about serving a minor, especially when that minor was supposed to be, what, 40? Some old geezer, at the very least. He set the mug in front of Cid, and smirked at Yuffie. "This is my first day on the job, but this one doesn't really cause much trouble."
Cid smacked Cloud in the back of the head. "Fuck you, you goddamn bastard!" He grumbled, which caused Yuffie's eyes to widen. A twitch of a smile appeared as her eyes asked Cloud if it was who she thought it was.
Cloud raised his eyebrows...just...slightly...to indicate that Yuffie was right, and then turned back to Cid. "You want me to slap you back, boy?" A snicker.
Cid was about to say something when Yuffie suddenly burst with laughter, Cloud's question to Cid causing her to fall to the floor in giggles. Sure she was getting older, but nothing could ever stop her from having fun at Cid's expense. Cid however, looked as though he were about to explode. "Man, you guys fucking suck!" He complained, his tone cracking a bit.
Yuffie started hooting.
Cloud laughed, and pounded his fist onto the countertop, as if to emphasize exactly how amused he was. It WAS funny when it was someone else. Even funnier that the someone else was Cid. "Don't worry about it, Cid." Cloud shrugged, though, he couldn't keep much of a straight face.
Yuffie tried to stop, and only did so after several failed attempts. "Oh man....so kiddo, how'd that happen?" She snickered as Cid took a gulp from his mug. After wiping his mouth he explained, "Some fucking storm did this bullshit to me and I don't know how the fuck to change back....fucking brat." Yuffie snorted.
"A storm?" Cloud raised his eyebrow. Having only frequented Spira, and the bar, he had, sadly, fallen behind on a few of the world tragedies. It was getting tiresome to keep up.
Cid nodded as Yuffie fiddled around with her hair, the young ninja contemplating whether or not she should snag her a drink too. After all, the midget got some. Heh, Cid was more of a brat than she was. "Some fucking storm in some damn world I know next to shit about."
"Um...sucks." Cloud didn't know what to say to that. He was just glad that he wasn't involved in it. Looking over at Yuffie, he correctly translated the expression on her face, and drummed his fingers on the counter. "What do you want to drink, Yuffie?"
Yuffie grinned a bit. "I want....the strongest one!" She said eagerly, earning a chuckle from Cid. Yuffie rolled her eyes and gave Cloud a puppy dog look.
"The strongest one?" Cloud echoed. Puppy dog eyes had long since been pointless to use on him. He'd give Yuffie something to drink, but he had bad visions of a puking ninja. "You sure you can handle yourself?"
Yuffie hopped off of her seat and struck a pose, reminding her of the good ol days when she was younger. "Of course, I'm the Gr--" Cid interrupted her proclamation and finished it in his own way. "Great Annoying Brat!" He finished, taking another gulp from his mug.
"Well, I've never seen the Great Annoying Brat, drunk, so..." Cloud picked up a bottle of, yes, tequila, and set it in front of the ninja. "This stuff can get you sick for days"
Yuffie bounced on her heels and grabbed the bottle and opened it up eagerly. "Thanks Spikes!" She sqealed happily, Cid stopping any movement so he could watch this. He knew Cloud wanted to see this too.
Heh. Cloud almost felt...no, he did feel bad about this, but he'd stop Yuffie before she drank too much. Right? He took out two shot glasses, and filled them, and then set out lemon wedges and a salt shaker. "Like this, Yuff." He said, demonstrating.
It was then, that he turned to Cid and raised a third shot glass, to ask him if he wanted to join in. Cloud had gotten well trained over the past year, in regards to alcohol tolerance. He didn't even wince as he took the shot.
Cid happily accepted, grabbing the shot glass and easily doing what Cloud had done, he himself quite experienced in this area too. He took the shot and also didn't wince. He sort of liked tequila anyway. Yuffie had watched Cloud and did the same thing except the moment she swallowed it, her face made many different shapes and she started waving her hand in the air like a fan. "Oh gawd! Ugh!" She started hopping up and down, making funny little noises. This stuff sucked.
Wonderful. "Come on, Yuffie, you said that you wanted the strongest stuff. You didn't think it would taste GOOD, did you?"
Yuffie shook her head. "Whaddya mean?!? It tastes great, gimme some more!" Cid just sighed.
Cloud poured another glass for Cid, and one for himself. "I guess, since Yuffie can't handle herself, it's just us, drinking, now, right?'
Cid smirked and nodded, taking the shot and smacking his lips while Yuffie poked Cloud in the head. "More!" She demanded.
"But, you didn't like it." Cloud shrugged, holding the bottle up.
Yuffie snagged it and poured herself another shot. "I bet you didn't like it the first time you had it." She countered, Cid silently agreeing with her, though he'd never agree out loud. She took the shot, only she forgot the lemon and salt, and that made her lips pucker worse than probably anyone had ever seen, but she was doing her best to not cough or anything, so she merely kept her lips puckered as she swallowed the drink.
Cloud thought about that. "I think we broke the salt shaker, the first time I had it." He recalled, as he poured the three of them another round. "Oh, and this stuff hits you all at once, so...be careful."
Cid grinned as Yuffie nodded and swayed a bit. "Sure Sphikes." She slurred, taking the shot that Cloud poured. Cid took it and leaned back and watched. Oh yeah, this hit the spot nicely, but....Damn, this body wasn't as tolerant as Cid's old one was....Fuck.
As he looked from Cid to Yuffie, Cloud realised that his younger companions were getting...drunk. Already? This wasn't fun. He was supposed to be the drunken imbecile, right?
Ahh, fuck it. It would be fun to observe, at the very least. "Or...it'll hit you now."
Cid wasn't very happy. "Dammit, this shit isn't fair! Cloud you know I don't get drunk like this!" He fell off of his stool as Yuffie started giggling.
Cloud's eyes widened. "But, it was only three shots." He said, looking over the countertop, at Cid, sprawled on the floor. "Need help?" Oh, man, he was the adult! Shit! This sucked!
Cid blinked and started to giggle a little bit. "Nah, this damn floor feels sort of....nice...." Mumbling a few cuss words incoherently, he fell fast asleep. Yuffie looked down at Cid and poked him.
Cid didn't move.
"He passed out from three shots." Cloud's face fell deadpan. Then, he tried to get the boy's attention. "Cid." He said, loudly. Not waiting for a response, Cloud began to rummage through the keys to the rooms upstairs, for a spare one that Cid could stay in.
"Gawd, you wouldn't think...." Yuffie mumbled a bit, checking Cid's spear to see if it held any Materia.
"Yuffie, don't steal from friends." Cloud groaned.
Yuffie hopped up and whistled innocently. "Dunno whatcha mean." She mumbled in embarrassment.
Clearing his throat, Cloud pointed at Cid's spear. Yeah, he knew what Yuffie was up to.
Yuffie pouted. "He's just a--" She snickers as she looks at him, "kid, he wouldn't notice, I swear! Nyuk nyuk!" Some odd habits just don't go away.
Grunting, Cloud grabbed a key, and handed it to Yuffie. "Follow me." He said, before hopping over the top of the bar, and hoisting Cid over his shoulder. "Having a passed out kid in the bar's probably bad for business."
Yuffie held the key and snickered a bit, still amused at Cid's predicament. Man, this was so cool, she was like, older than him and everything! She could probably kick his ass, and her eyes held that belief as well.
Cloud noted the expression, and simply shook his head, as he continued to haul Cid up the stairs. "Third door on the left, open it up, we'll stash him there." He paused, and looked down at Yuffie. "You drunk too, right?
Yuffie nodded and walked to open the door, but instead walked right into it, a grunt escaping as she fell on her bottom. "No!" she exclaimed in answer to his question.
Tossing Cid...relatively gently...onto the bed, Cloud turned, and regarded Yuffie with a smirk. "Right." He said, holding his hand out for the key.
Cid bounced a couple of times, but otherwise didn't move, because he pretty much couldn't. Yuffie hopped to her feet a bit wobbly, and handed Cloud the key. "D'you havea gf?" She mumbled, actually abbreviating the word girlfriend instead of just saaying it.
Cloud's eyes widened after he made sense of Yuffie's question. Sighing, he put an arm around her waist to steady her, and lead her down the stairs, remembering to lock the door behind him. "No, Yuffie, I don't."
Yuffie blinked. "No way! What about Tifa an all of em?" She couldn't believe that....she always thought Cloud looked cute, especially the way the Mako brought out his eyes.
"Um...no." Wow, touchy ground, here. Technically he was 'with' Tifa, and 'with' Aeris, right? But, it wasn't really them? Cloud looked down at Yuffie, and smiled awkwardly, before leading her over to a booth in the bar.
He didn't know why he felt so strange bringing up Tidus in front of Yuffie. There really was no reason for it.
"OooOOooo, what about....me?" Clearly the alcohol was affecting her, and clearly she didn't care. Actually, she reached for the bottle and took a couple of swigs, which of course, resulted in her coughing and waving her arms about.
Cloud managed a chuckle, somehow, though he still had that strange stare. His eyes bugged as he shook his head quickly. "Yuffie, I am with someone, you didn't know?" Okay, that wasn't too bad.
Yuffie smacked her forehead and shook it. "Hee hee, sowwie Clouds....no....gf?....so.........holy shitballs!" She stared at him for a moment, her eyes getting even more of a glassier look to them.
Yes, Yuffie, you were really barking up the wrong tree. Cloud sighed. "I'll be sure to announce it more clearly next time."
Yuffie bounced on her heels, which she didn't realize was a no no to do while getting terribly drunk. "Uh....sooooooooo, who's da lucky manz?"
"A guy named Tidus. You met him before, right?" Cloud couldn't be sure anymore.
Yuffie thought for several long moments before nodding....slowly. "Shure haff!" She exclaimed happily.
"Good." Cloud nodded back, and managed a lopsided smile. "How've you been, Yuffie? In Wutai all this time?"
"Actally....I wass wit a chick too!" She admitted with a giggle.
"You were?" Yay, the whole world was gay! Cloud's eyes darted over to the bar, and he stood, grabbed the bottle, lemons, shaker, and two glasses, and carried them over to the table. "More?"
Yuffie nodded happily and followed him, weaving slightly as she plopped down into a chair. "Yup!"
"Who?" Cloud asked, now curious.
Yuffie arched an eyebrow. "Rikku!" She blurted out, giggling after the name was spoken.
Rikku? Cloud blinked. Wow. Smirking, he poured them another shot. "That's good." He said softly, and then asked, motioning to the shot glasses. "How're you holdin' up?"
Yuffie held a finger up to answer, but her head fell onto the table with a loud bump, which oddly enough, woke her right back up. "....Guud." She mumbled, rubbing her head as she winced.
"Okay." Cloud took that as a 'put the bottle away. "She's been in Spira for a while, were you just passin' through to see her?"
Yuffie blinked. "Shuuuuuuure." She replied with another giggle
Looking around suddenly, Yuffie sighed. "Man, I gotta pee...." She mumbled to herself as she made the mistake of standing with a possible concussion while being drunk. The result of said combinations caused her to fall the moment she stood, her consciousness having left her as her body thudded against the floor.