Merc ficlet: At the bar.
So, this little piece is all Icedark's fault. She came up with the Merc AU. I'm just drabbling in it. But it's words and words are good.
The Merc Origins
“You know, you don’t have to say it like that,” the young dark haired girl pouted, blowing an errant strand of hair out of her eyes.
Tifa looked up from where she was restocking some of the more expensive liquor. “So you’re saying… you’re not a thief?”
Yuffie squirmed a bit on the barstool, tucking her slender legs all the way under her chin. “I’m just saying you don’t have to say it like… that.”
“Yuffie, your family’s been shaking down this neighborhood for protection money for eight generations. Thief is as about as polite as I’m going to get.”
The young woman gave Tifa a mournful look. “We did protect our turf your know. Kept a lot of things out.”
Tifa nodded, the Kisaragis may have been extortionists and ruled over their turf with a controlling fist, but there had been some things they wouldn’t do. The turf war with the corp-backed Italians though had cut hard into the Kisiragi family. They might have been beaten back down to their core territory, but not even Shinra weapons could beat a Kisaragi nin on her home soil. They’d spent generations ensuring that the land favored them.
And say what you would about the Kisaragis, they did take care of the land. Unlike the Italians and their “business” affiliates. Which is why weakened as they were, Tifa still paid homage to them and occasionally lent her own skills in keeping undesirables out.
Tifa sighed. “Look, I’m just saying I don’t need to have the wallets lifted from ninety percent of my patrons tonight. I need to make some money too, and you know that. So give me and the band a break, kay?”
Yuffie stuck her tongue out a bit and sighed. “Party pooper.”
"I mean it Yuffie. I don’t need the cops called and Aeris sure as hell need her cut of the cover. You do too much again and there will be cops... Or Turks.”
Yuffie’s eyes narrowed. “They wouldn’t dare!”
Tifa glared right back. “Yes they would. I know there’ll be at least one here tonight, watching the band, hoping that my security will slip. And you tangle with the Turks and I’ll be shut down, permanently Yuffie. Ask your dad. Hell, ask anyone.” Tifa liked Yuffie, she really did, but the girl was way too impulsive sometimes.
“… well, can I least lift the Turks wallet then?”
Tifa very gently threw her out of the bar. She only bounced once on her way across the street, and the bartender was pretty sure the kunoichi was just showing off.
The Merc Origins
“You know, you don’t have to say it like that,” the young dark haired girl pouted, blowing an errant strand of hair out of her eyes.
Tifa looked up from where she was restocking some of the more expensive liquor. “So you’re saying… you’re not a thief?”
Yuffie squirmed a bit on the barstool, tucking her slender legs all the way under her chin. “I’m just saying you don’t have to say it like… that.”
“Yuffie, your family’s been shaking down this neighborhood for protection money for eight generations. Thief is as about as polite as I’m going to get.”
The young woman gave Tifa a mournful look. “We did protect our turf your know. Kept a lot of things out.”
Tifa nodded, the Kisaragis may have been extortionists and ruled over their turf with a controlling fist, but there had been some things they wouldn’t do. The turf war with the corp-backed Italians though had cut hard into the Kisiragi family. They might have been beaten back down to their core territory, but not even Shinra weapons could beat a Kisaragi nin on her home soil. They’d spent generations ensuring that the land favored them.
And say what you would about the Kisaragis, they did take care of the land. Unlike the Italians and their “business” affiliates. Which is why weakened as they were, Tifa still paid homage to them and occasionally lent her own skills in keeping undesirables out.
Tifa sighed. “Look, I’m just saying I don’t need to have the wallets lifted from ninety percent of my patrons tonight. I need to make some money too, and you know that. So give me and the band a break, kay?”
Yuffie stuck her tongue out a bit and sighed. “Party pooper.”
"I mean it Yuffie. I don’t need the cops called and Aeris sure as hell need her cut of the cover. You do too much again and there will be cops... Or Turks.”
Yuffie’s eyes narrowed. “They wouldn’t dare!”
Tifa glared right back. “Yes they would. I know there’ll be at least one here tonight, watching the band, hoping that my security will slip. And you tangle with the Turks and I’ll be shut down, permanently Yuffie. Ask your dad. Hell, ask anyone.” Tifa liked Yuffie, she really did, but the girl was way too impulsive sometimes.
“… well, can I least lift the Turks wallet then?”
Tifa very gently threw her out of the bar. She only bounced once on her way across the street, and the bartender was pretty sure the kunoichi was just showing off.