spiritingaway | snowblind style angst

snowblind style angst

[They're in one of the nicer houses at the moment. Whoever lived here must have been rich, and while the place is looking a little worse for wear, it's still huge. That makes it a pain to search, but they're also more likely to find something useful.

Royce used to collect weapons almost obsessively, but Tifa doesn't think there's much point to that now. To be fair, weapons were never at the top of her list, but now there's no one to use them against. It's not like they do anything against the anomalies, after all. Personally, Tifa always holds out hope that she'll find something silly. It's fun to tease Royce, and she's secretly trying to find something even more hideous than that sweater that she can give him.

There's a big, ornate dresser pushed up against one wall that Tifa is rifling through. She's long since stopped wondering how it's possible that they can search a house and find something that they're certain wasn't there a few days ago. It's just another mystery of the town, like what keeps restocking the supply points or how the tablets stay charged. This drawer mostly seems to be a bunch of paperwork, full of bills and things she doesn't see any use in stopping to read. At the bottom, though, she finds a fake, glittery pink flower, slightly crushed but still intact. She snorts softly, pulling it out and then glances over at Royce.]

Hey, Royce.

[He should probably know by now from that tone that she's going to do something stupid.]

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[ Okay, so yes, definitely a cat. He leans against the counter and sink and lets her comb, eyes shut. He hums his agreement, and look, he'll just stay there until she's done. He might fall asleep standing up. You never know. ]

[She laughs quietly, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his when she's done.]

Hey, are you falling asleep on me?

Maybe. [ He says after a moment, corners of his mouth twitching up again. A beat, and then he leans up to press a kiss to her cheek. ] ... I'm comfortable. With you.

[She grins, hands going to his waist to tug him a little closer. She knows how much that means, coming from him.]

Good. This is... nice, isn't it?

Mm. [ He agrees, resting his head against her shoulder. ] Better than before. When you... I thought...

[ He doesn't know if he wants to talk about it, so he just quiets, closing his eyes. ]

I know. I'm sorry.

[She just lets him stay like that for a moment, one hand rubbing circles on his back, before she continues more quietly.]

Royce? Do you remember... before... you said you didn't... [She pauses.] You said you didn't have anything back home.

[ He shakes his head, because she doesn't need to apologize. He's also quiet for a beat more, and then he sighs. ] I don't.

Hadrian is dead. [ His throat tightens up. ] He was - all that I had.

[She wraps her arms around him properly now, settling her chin on his shoulder.]

If we ever figure out a way back... Maybe you could come home with me. [And then, a little more quickly:] I mean, if you want.

[ Oh. Oh, that's - quite the offer, and he goes a little tense at it. ]

You'd want that? [ Because he does. ]

[She nods, then hides her face in his shoulder. It feels like quite the offer, and she's not sure what he thinks of it.]

I know things might be a little strange at first, but I could help you adjust, and...

[And what? She doesn't know what. They could figure it out, right?]

I don't have anywhere else to go. [ Royce reminds her. He brings his arms up to hold her close, resting a hand on the back of Tifa's neck. ] I would go with you. If there was any chance, I would.

[ She's practically home, now. ]

Oh.

[It's a relief and somehow exhilarating at the same time. There's no guarantee they will get home, but... still. The thought of never seeing him again is heartbreaking. But if he could just come with... She smiles, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck.]

Marlene and Denzel would love you.

[ Snort. ] Would they? [ People don't typically tend to love him, Tifa! He finally pulls away, but not before taking her face in his hands and kissing her gently. Sorry, not sorry.

And then he's going to slide around her to pick up the scissors. ] Tell me about them.

[When he breaks the kiss, she's got a silly little smile on his face. He doesn't have to be sorry!]

Of course they would.

[She takes the scissors from him and grabs the comb, too.]

Denzel is from Midgar. His family used to live on top of the Sector Seven plate. [He'll know what that means, so she doesn't elaborate.] He's a sweetheart. Sensitive, but still tough. And Marlene... She's one of the most perceptive kids I've ever met. She can read people, you know? You'd like her.

[ He listens, letting her take the comb. Shifting, Royce just... waits for her to direct him, since he figures she'll do a better job of cutting his hair than he will. He doesn't know what she needs him to do; all of Royce's hair cuts in the past have been him hacking at it clumsily in the mirror. ]

... How old are they? [ Royce doesn't know what to do with kids, a lot of the time, but he'd try. ]

[Tifa hops off the counter and gestures for him to sit on the edge of the bathtub. She's silent for a moment, then continues more quietly:]

Marlene was six and Denzel was ten when I left, so... Eight and twelve, now.

[It's hard to think about. They must think she's dead, now, and they've already lost so much.]

[ He settles where she gestures to with almost sleepily. ]

Did they have anybody to take care of them without you there? [ He asks, tilting his head back to look at her. ]

Barret. Barret would've. And everyone else would have watched out for them too.

[Tifa runs her fingers through his hair one more time before gently tilting his head forward again, then combing his hair out properly. She's at an awkward angle—it would be so much easier if they had a chair—but she'll make due.]

How short do you want it?

Short. [ Royce tells her, eyes lidding closed. He's actually relaxed, and he's surprised that he has the ability to be. ] Out of my face.

[ He pauses, and then reaches up to give her an indication of how short he's aiming to go. ] ... Tell me about the rest of them. I only ever met Cloud.

[Tifa bites her lip as she starts to snip. It's strange, talking about the rest of AVALANCHE. They'd become like her family, and she misses them more than she can put into words. She's realizing, though, that she's never really told Royce much about them. Maybe it was just easier that way.]

Barret came to Midgar after Corel was destroyed. We'd both lost everything because of ShinRa, so... I guess it was natural that we stuck together. After he became the leader of AVALANCHE, I offered up my bar for him to use as our headquarters. He has a temper, and he doesn't always think things through, but... He's sweet. Those first few years in Midgar would have been a lot harder without him.

[ Royce is a little more uptight about her cutting his hair, but it's just instinct. He can't help the tension; it's been beaten into him more times than he can count. ]

Sounds like ShinRa destroyed a lot of places. [ Royce says quietly, watching what he can of her without moving. He's like weirdly still, statue-like. ] Who else was in AVALANCHE?

[ He trusts her to tell him to stop asking if she's uncomfortable. ]

[Tifa brushes a few snips of hair from his shoulder, fingers lingering in an attempt to get him to relax, even just a little.]

Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie at first. They died when we tried to stop ShinRa from dropping the plate. Then Vincent, Yuffie, Cid, Nanaki, and Reeve. And Cloud and Aerith.

[Those last two names are said more softly. She still misses them.]

[ He does relax. Just a little, but it's enough.

And he picks up on that tone. He tilts his head a little to glance up at her. ] You miss them.

... I've heard you mention Aerith.

Yes.

[Tifa is silent for a moment as she keeps snipping, focusing on keeping the length even.]

Aerith was killed by Sephiroth. We got there just in time to see it happen.

[She still hates talking about it, even all these years later.]

She was one of the kindest people I've ever met. She didn't deserve it.

[ There's a long pause, as Royce thinks about that - he's not completely apathetic about other people, he knows there's an appropriate response here. And with Tifa, he won't let that just go.

He lifts a hand to rest on Tifa's to stop her from cutting for a second, and then catches her gaze. Softer, sincere: ] I'm sorry.

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