Fandom Final Fantasy VII Refrain

[aggravatedspacedolphins]

The security systems? Would they be offline...or would they be heightened? Tifa looked at Aerith, ruby red eyes glimpsing into the emerald green and silently wishing that she could see what would happen next. What would happen in this city? They had to be back here for a reason. Tifa hadn't had much of a religious bone in her body, but...something kept tugging at her, like Fate and Whispers were keeping them locked in place. Fate was angry they had left the city behind, and wanted them locked in place. Both of them. Security or not, they had no safe way to wiggle their way down to the Slums. The tunnels could be filled with the odd monster or wildlife that had crept in.

"I mean, I would have suggested a train, but..."

That would be worse. They didn't know anybody topside, at least Tifa didn't know much....

"I mean...there's always Avalanche. Actual main brain Avalanche, but...I don't think they like Barrett or Cloud...of me very much at this point. I don't know if they would be even willing to help. I'm sure they have smuggling tunnels all around that we could use." Tifa put her hands back her back and leaned against the nearby alley wall, listening to the wall of the city. She hated how familiar it smelled, how haunting it felt, and how at home she actually felt. Had she really been homesick? She would have thought perhaps Nibelheim would have given here these vibes, but here...Of all places.

"We better move soon, but...Are you okay? I mean...you aren't...seeing things anymore? Now that we are back? There's no signs of Sephiroth still here, you don't think, right?" Tifa bit at her lip. "This isn't some brilliant plan of his to seperate us? I just....I have a bad feeling Aerith, and usually, I trust them, and I'm worried about you. I'm worried about me. I'm worried about being here because...it doesn't feel right. It feels like, we aren't supposed to be here, and...something wants us to stay here. Like a magnet on my boots, or a weight on my chest. I don't feel good? But I don't feel bad? Like, I shouldn't feel like this, Like the universe wants me here."

Tifa leaned over to the woman, and grabbed her hand, her fingers tugging gently at hers. "We can head down to the nearest tunnel and at least scope it out, but...I don't want you getting hurt, okay? I just wish we could jump on a car...but I get this bad feeling that a car is going to break down before we even get out of Midgar, or another tornado is going to show up. Maybe it's my anxiety. That's gotta be it, right?"

 

[ReaperMelia]

While it hadn't been difficult to tell that her friend was nervous and struggling to figure out what to do, a silent glance shared between the two women made it clear to Aerith that Tifa had a strange feeling about everything they had just experienced. Gazing into Tifa's eyes, Aerith could see that the bartender was also wondering what fate had in store for them... And perhaps there was a faint bit of hope that Aerith might know something about what it was? Maybe Aerith was just imagining it.

She did wish that she had some clue. That the Lifestream would wind its way through this crumbling cityscape as it did around the planet and give her a vision of what was to come. Or even just a Whisper trying to tug them along so she'd have an idea of why they were here. She wished that she'd had a dream about what they'd do here rather than that ancient city... But nothing would come to her.

The flower girl gave a nod in response to Tifa's first question and followed it up with a faint smile. "I'm fine. No visions, no Whispers, and no Sephiroth as far as I can tell. I don't think we have to worry about him here in Midgar." Of course, Aerith was still worried about him... Though those concerns related to whatever the fallen SOLDIER had planned for the planet. And for Cloud. She had to have faith in her bodyguard, of course, but it wasn't difficult to tell that he had been acting a little strange. What if he had one of his own visions or lashed out?

Barret and Red would stop him. They were tough. And so was Cloud. They were fine. For all she knew, they were all enjoying the sand and sun in Costa Del Sol while waiting for Aerith and Tifa to catch up. She felt a slight twinge of jealousy as she wished they were all together on the beach... or really anywhere but Midgar.

Pushing that thought aside for now, Aerith returned to her conversation with Tifa. She had a bad feeling as well... But who wouldn't have one here in the heart of Shrina territory? They watched the city get torn apart, and now they were all wanted. The mention of the main branch of Avalanche was at least a lead they could follow, but who knew if they'd even be willing to help? For now, Aerith figured it was best to calm her friend's nerves.

Aerith gently gripped Tifa's hand back and met her friend's eyes once again. "It doesn't feel right being here, and it does seem like we keep getting pulled back for something... But we'll get out. We did it once, we can do it again. Whatever the universe wants with us doesn't matter, right? We beat the Whispers before, so nothing can hold us down here!" Her smiled widened as she pumped a fist up in the air. A little bit of positive energy went a long way, and Aerith knew that was what they desperately needed right now.

With that little pep talk done, she returned her focus to their current plan. "That's fine with me. A little recon mission sounds like our next best move, anyway." She glanced around, uncertain as to where they'd even find the nearest tunnel. She had never had an opportunity to explore the upper level of Midgar; she had come to know parts of the Shinra building very well, but that was pretty much it. All the rubble around the city would make it difficult to navigate, too, but she was sure they'd find their way eventually. She then brought her free hand up onto Tifa's shoulder, a warm smile still on her face. "And I'm sure it's just your nerves. We've been through a lot lately, but we're still fine. No matter what comes our way, we'll face it together."

 

[aggravatedspacedolphins]

She squeezed the palm of her hand back, holding that feeling close to her, even offering a smile as Aerith threw her hand in the air, cheering them forward. They had done it once, a feat that she had originally determined impossible, simply based on the funds that Seventh Heaven brought in, and the fact that Midgar felt like a black hole that sucked everything in. It had been so easy to sink back down, into the depression that was the city, especially when it felt like they had only made the black hole worse. The pit in her stomach didn't feel any worse. In fact, it actually felt lighter, especially with Aerith near. Tifa patted her hand.

"Nerves. Yeah. You could say that."

Nerves. It was all nerves. Something dug into the back of her skull, as she watched Aerith pull her hand away, and they started to make their way through the streets of upper Midgar. Apartment buildings towered the sky. Most of these buildings were built with the intention of touching the stars. There was never any fear of running out of room, unlike the slums, where space was precious. While some of the rubble from the tornado lay scattered to waste, many of the people were still going about their day, as if nothing had happened or that there was an impending doom upon them. It was as if....they didn't realize how much danger they were in. Some people watched a monitor, much like others did in the slums, but instead, they scoffed, waved their hands, and walked away, mumbling about Wutai.

"I don't think they'd ever believe the truth...even if we told them." she mumbled, ducking her head into an alley as a group of people passed on their way to a nearby train station. She glanced up at the sky, watching the little bit of sun starting to peak at the top. She sighed. They'd come back to the top....They had too.

"The people in the slums must be terrified. Do you think Shinra is threatening to drop more plates on them?"

The nearby service tunnel for one of the train was flagged out of service, the outer lighting red and flashing. A few guards stood outside, gripping their guns as they watched the crowds. Tifa grabbed Aerith and motioned to her. Aerith didn't have her staff, or Materia. Tifa had only the little bit in her gloves. She frowned.

"I think we could take them. What do you think? Do you have anything on you?" If one of them got hurt...they had no medicine, no potions, no healing materia. It would be a risk, but that might be their best way back to Wall Market. Tifa didn't like the haunting imagery that she'd have to carry a bleeding Aerith on her back all the way down the tunnel...but...her stomach felt better the longer she looked at the guards...as if she was being tugged in that direction. If the Whispers weren't here...what was telling them to go this way...and if the Whispers could lead them out of Midgar the first time...then something else could too, right?

 

[ReaperMelia]

Despite the debris scattered all across the city by the whirlwind, it seemed as though the people of the upper level were totally uncaring. In a way, Aerith wasn't too surprised. Every time she went topside to sell her flowers, she always felt as though the atmosphere was more cold. Shinra suits and ordinary citizens alike went about their business as if nothing was wrong in this city. As if there weren't people suffering below their feet. Aerith hadn't expected this oblivious nature to extend towards the disaster that had struck before, but she supposed it was the only way anyone made it through life here. Just keep your head down and stay in line.

Or find some sort of distraction. Bitter murmurs of Wutai and Avalanche escaped the lips of a few civilians they passed. There were people in the slums who directed their ire towards these foes as well, but at least the slums felt like a community. Everyone came together to help each other out. Everyone on the upper level seemed so distant. So uncaring. She'd been ignored plenty of times during her mission to spread flowers throughout the city. It wasn't anything new, but it stung a little more to see that even Sephiroth's assault didn't change anything here.

Her head snapped over to face Tifa as her friend voiced her own feelings. "Neither do I. Especially not with Shinra telling them who to blame for it." She ducked into an alley with Tifa to avoid an incoming group. On the bright side, everyone being so oblivious to anyone around them made it a little easier to remain unnoticed.

She felt her stomach twist into knots at the thought of Shinra dropping any more plates. It wouldn't make sense, right? Shinra did that to try to take out Tifa, Barret, and the others. They could point a finger at them, but now they were all on the run. Besides, as heartless as they were, losing even more sectors would probably just cut into their profits too much for them to find it worth attempting. Not to mention the change in leadership. Rufus was just as cruel, but he had a completely different approach from his father. Still, she couldn't shake that fear. Shinra had already done it once... There was no guarantee it wouldn't happen again. "I really hope not... I guess it depends on whether or not the main branch is doing anything to scare them into it." It only made her more anxious to get into the slums and make sure everyone was fine.

Before she could dwell on it too much, a sudden grab from Tifa stole Aerith's attention. The Cetra followed her friend's gaze towards the blocked-off service tunnel nearby. Aerith had hoped Shinra would just find some way to lock out-of-service tunnels off or something; they never seemed like the types to care enough about safety to station guards at them as well. And the flower girl was totally unarmed now. She'd need to resupply when they got the chance, but that wouldn't be until they found their allies. They'd need to figure out some other way around this encounter.

"I don't have anything on hand, but we don't really have much of a choice..." She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced at the soldiers again, trying to come up with some sort of idea. Her eyes lit up after a moment, and she turned back to face Tifa with a bit of a mischievous smirk plastered on her face. "Maybe a less direct approach would work? We ditched the uniforms, but we could try to trick them into thinking we're just ordinary civilians and attack them after they lower their guard." She lifted a finger to her chin as she thought it over. "What if we convinced them one of us is really hurt or sick and tell them we need help? If we really make a big panic out of it, they might get startled just long enough for us to strike."

Between their infiltration of Don Corneo's mansion and the whole stunt they pulled in Shinra uniforms just a little bit ago, they'd already had some experience using espionage to get out of sticky situations. It was the only idea she had, but there was no way they'd even get close enough to attack these guards if they tried to rush them. Tifa still had her gloves, and Aerith had to improvise for their fight back in Wall Market. It was a little scarier with the possibility of rifles being waved in their face, but with the right act, she was sure they could pull it off.

 

[aggravatedspacedolphins]

A less direct approach? Tifa looked at the smirk on Aerith’s face, the gears grinding in her head as she was coming up with some kind of plan on how to get back underground. She looked back at the make-shift security checkpoint. How lenient would these guards be? How would they know? What about their faces? Well, it wasn’t like most of them had paid attention to their faces even when they were wearing the Shinra uniform. Tifa lifted a hand to her jet black hair, and tugged at the ends, freeing the small bit that was secured with a hair clip and letting it free flow down her back. She looked at Aerith, staring at the braids in her hair, the loose ones that had been tangled in the helm previously, but seemed to have fallen back into place. She made an awkward face as she tried to suppress a laugh at the thought she just had,

“And what if we…swapped hair styles, to make it less obvious who we actually are? Not that I really expect them to be paying attention, but it can’t hurt, right? I think you would look really pretty with your hair fully down.”

Her cheeks lightened as she remembered Aerith in the bright red perfect dress at Don Coneo’s, her hair immaculate as she wore it down past her shoulders, the pink ribbon tied around her wrist. Tifa hadn’t done braids in her hair since she was a little girl, and it reminded her slightly of Nibelheim, but…that was the past.

She sat down on the concrete and looked quickly past the guards again, and then back at Aerith.

“So, who should be hurt? We should get our story straight before we try this?” She turned her back to the girl as she stretched her legs out. It didn’t help that even if Aerith wanted to play pretend that one of them was injured, her own legs were aching sore, and that solid kick she had aimed at Heidegger was after she had been cramped in a closet with barely any stretching. Her ankle felt a little sore. It shouldn’t have bothered her. They had been walking for days with barely any resting. She should be used to this, but was her body giving up?

A cold breeze blew through the alley, as Tifa grabbed at her calves and rubbed them, looking back at Aerith and then back at the security checkpoint. The air felt stale, and chilly, as if no life was left in it. The soldiers even seemed to shiver at it, huddling back and keeping close to the entrance.

“It doesn’t feel…safe here. I don’t know…I feel like once we step into that tunnel, things might even be worse inside. I don’t know. I think I’m being paranoid again. We just need to come up with a solid plan, and…it’ll be okay, and then we can figure out a way back to Kalm, and then…Costa Del Sol.”

She turned back to the tunnel for a second before turning her back to Aerith and continuing to massage the sore muscles in her leg from being cramped up so tight.

“Do…Do you think Sepiroth would come back here? I know we keep following those men in black, but…he was a SOLDIER. He could be anywhere, and how is that nobody has found him yet, even all over the world? You think there would be a sighting, a news story, something…right? I have this feeling…he’s right behind us…even now. He knows what you and me are doing, and....”

She stopped and bit at her lip, “Nevermind.”

 

[ReaperMelia]

Aerith noticed as her idea made Tifa start scheming as well, and she couldn't help but smile a little bit as she waited to find out what Tifa's next idea was. She was a little confused as Tifa removed her hair clip, but it all made sense when she heard her friend's plan. The flower girl did her best to suppress her own laughter as she nodded. "That should help! I'd love to see how you look with braids." Aerith stifled another chuckle as she pictured the two of them walking over to the guards copying each other's hair style. It was a great idea!

Before she could get to work, Tifa's next question made the Cetra pause. Ordinarily, Tifa would be their best bet to have ready for an up-close encounter. While they'd both be fighting, Aerith knew the one who wasn't pretending to be injured would likely need to be the first to land a strike. Of course, her friend still seemed a little exhausted after everything. She had been the one to launch the last surprise attack, too. Aerith smiled before giving her answer. "You can pretend to be the one who's injured. Besides, of the two of us, you're the one who looks tougher, so they'd probably be less likely to raise their guards if I was the one who seemed to be in better shape. We can tell them some loose rubble fell on you and pinned your leg down." Judging from all the debris and unstable structures everywhere, the flower girl was certain it wasn't exactly an uncommon story. They'd just need to make their acting convincing.

A sudden cool gust of wind blew past, and Aerith hugged her shoulders and shivered in response. An uneasy feeling crept back into Aerith's mind as the wind passed by the women. Midgar really did feel different, even if it seemed plenty of the civilians were oblivious or just in denial. Something sinister seemed to hang in the air... Of course, it was hard for her to relax after everything they had just gone through. It was all just nerves. She had to keep repeating that to herself.

"We don't know what's in that tunnel, but I think it's our only shot at getting back to the guys... But we'll make it through. Nothing can get in our way, right? We'll get to Wall Market, find help getting out of here, and be on the beach before we know it!" Aerith's hands gently reached for Tifa's as the flower girl returned her friend's usual soothing gesture. As long as they were together, everything would be fine. That's what Aerith knew deep down, and she knew the thought of it helped Tifa calm down as well.

And of course, there was still Tifa's question about Sephiroth. Aerith knew they'd meet him again. If there was one thing the Lifestream was telling her, it was that Sephiroth wasn't done with them yet... But she couldn't think of any reason why he'd be here. She knew their encounter was still further out. If anything, she was more worried about Sephiroth going after Cloud... though she knew it would be best to not bring that up right now. Instead, she shook her head and smiled at Tifa. "I don't think he's here. He got what he was after, so I think he's done with Midgar for now. We've still got to worry about Shinra, but I think these guys will be a lot easier to handle than he was." A quiet chuckled passed through her lips as her eyes drifted back over to the shivering troops.

"So... hair, right?" Aerith peeked around before finding some nearby rubble to hide behind. While the soldiers hadn't seemed to notice them yet, she knew there was no such thing as being too safe. Plotting things out in the open was too risky. Once they were hidden, she reached up to her ribbon and gently removed it. Her hair spilled down her shoulders as she gripped the ribbon in one hand. "Want some help?"

 

[aggravatedspacedolphins]

Tifa didn’t know how Aerith did it, with her peppy optimism despite that cold breeze that snaked through the debris of broken Midgar. Even as Tifa looked up at her, her hand gripping onto hers as she watched her smile, she had a feeling there was something deeper, something worse coming, and no matter how much Aerith spoke of it, or willed it away, Tifa didn’t know how much more the poor girl could take. Everyone had their breaking points right? When would Aerith break?...and if she broke, would any of them be able to take her place? The day that Aerith broke…might be the day the world would end.

“Y-yeah. I guess, I’m just being silly.” Tifa sighed, thinking back about Sephiroth. Her stomach ached and pulsed at the thought, but she tried to ignore it. It was just her anxiety getting the best of her…because…of course, it was. She thought back to that night in Kalm, and when Cloud told his version of events…and how she had found Aerith shortly after and hadn’t felt exactly comfortable with what he was saying…because it hadn’t felt right. She felt like she was losing her own mind, even now, and that scared her…because what if it wasn’t just Cloud.


Tifa rubbed at her arms as she followed Aerith to some nearby rubble, and plopped herself down, twisting at the loose ends of her own hair before she grabbed a handful, and clenched and unclenched it, trying to will herself to start.

“Yeah…please? I wouldn’t mind.” She started on the right side, her fingers twisting the hair in knots, her anxiety getting the best of her. It tangled around her fingers, even as she did her best to make a makeshift small braid with the little part in her hair. It was the best she could do without a brush, even as Aerith sat down beside her and started to work on her hair.

She twisted it further, and eventually gave up, sighing and throwing her hands down.


“What if…What if they didn’t care? What if they don’t care? Aerith…what if we get out of here…and they went on without us…and ... .what if we can’t ever find them again?”


Tifa felt her heart clench, “And…what if something worse happens to them? Even if…Even if he doesn’t show up here….who is to say that Cloud…no…I…I’m being silly. He…I’m worried about him but I’m worried about you.” Tifa frowned, “You haven’t bee the same either since we’ve left…and I get that. I do…I just…I’m worried so much more about everyone…that going to the beach seems so silly at this point.”

She stretched her leg out, and started to pull her boot off, laying her ankle against the cold ground, and pulling her tights up to expose her ankle. She rubbed it again the ground to give the illusion of scuffed marks, and bit at her lip.


“We could go out on our own…but even that feels wrong because…if they’d abandon us…we’d be abandoning them. There’s gotta be the others down in Wall Market who just know…maybe more than the boys do, right? Right…Wait…Avalanche…do you think…do you think we could find Avalanche? I mean…Barrett knew about the Planet…and if…Avalanche knows, you think…well…they would know, right? They might not be the biggest fan of me…or you…but…we could try them?

 

[ReaperMelia]

Aerith could tell Tifa was trying to act calm, but she was clearly still feeling uneasy about Sephiroth. Of course, it was hard to blame her. They'd all seen what he could do first-hand. With the party now separated, who knew if they could stand against him? Especially with Aerith and Tifa being the smaller group now. If he really did come back to Midgar... What could they do? It took all five of them everything they had to defeat him the first time. Of course, Aerith really couldn't see any reason Sephiroth would stick around here. Maybe if he really needed a Cetra for something... but he seemed to have other plans in mind for now.

The flower girl decided to let the subject be for now since Tifa was trying to move on as well. She'd just have to be ready to support her friend no matter how worried she felt. Whatever came their way, they'd conquer it together. For now, they'd just need to focus on their goal of getting to the slums. They'd figure out what to do from there.

With her friend's request made, Aerith knelt down by Tifa and got to work on braiding her hair. Her hands kept working as Tifa gave up on her own braiding attempt and expressed her concerns. "They do care, Tifa. I bet they're all just as worried about us as we are about them. Especially Cloud. He likes to act cool, but you know how he really is." She chuckled a bit as she kept working. "They'll want to find us, and we'll all get back together... I promise."

Tifa's mention of being worried about Aerith made the flower girl feel a bit of guilt. Of course, she was also feeling worried about Tifa. She'd been so stressed and worried, especially after being separated from the others... It was hard to blame her with how dire things were, of course. Still, Aerith knew she had to do her best to ease Tifa's nerves. "Then we'll think about the beach later. We've gotta get out of here to get to the others, right? Let's focus on that. Besides, the boys are pretty tough. I'm sure they'll handle themselves just fine. I'm worried about them, too, especially with Cloud acting weird... but I have a feeling they'll be fine. We'll get back to them as soon as we can. And, well... I'm fine too. I appreciate your concern, though."

Aerith kept working as Tifa worked on making herself look injured while brainstorming some more plans. Aerith wasn't exactly familiar with Avalanche outside of Barret's group, but she'd heard stories about their differing ideals. Either way, if they could win over whatever remained of Avalanche in the city, that would certainly give them an advantage. They'd just need to convince them to help, and it seemed like that could be an uphill battle.

"We're on our own right now, but we're not going to abandon them. We'll find them... Even if they have to keep moving, I'm sure they'd leave signs for us so we can catch back up. No one's getting left behind. As for Avalanche, that sounds like our best bet to me. Hopefully someone there will know how to get back to Costa Del Sol... I think we should try it!" The Cetra let out another chuckle as she finished working on Tifa's hair. "There, all set!"

Aerith got back up on her feet and peeked around the corner to glance at the guards again. Both were still totally unaware of the two women, thankfully. "Ok... you ready?"

 

[aggravatedspacedolphins]

Avalanche would be their best bet. Right. Her dark curl that she had been braiding easily fell, the waves lasting for just a bit longer in the gentle breeze. She tried not to wince or cry as Aerith tugged at her hair and started to pull it into a beautiful braid. She had to get her mind off of this. Her anxiety was starting to spiral. Aerith was right, and as she felt her gently tug and twirl at her curls, it seemed to spiral into a little bit of calm. They'd get out of this. They would. The boys would be fine.

Avalanche would also be very tempted to not help her. It had been her face on the poster right next to Barret. It had been her face on the television. It had been a face that Avalanche had told several times to quit messing around and stealing their names and ideals. It was a war that Barret had started, one that she had been in the middle of, and now essentially, she would be asking for a truce...for help, and she wasn't entirely sure they would give it to her...or Aerith. It was even possible they would capture them both and offer their heads to Shinra on a silver platter.

"I think there's someone down there...Someone we can contact. Just gotta figure out who. We know plenty of people. We just have to start."

Tifa nodded, and looked over to where multiple pieces of rubble and debris had been left, partially as part of the clean up. She pulled at the braids, and smiled. "We should do this more often." she laughed a little, trying to ease her own worries, before she nodded. She scooted down, towards the rubble, and pressed her ankle against and underneath two pieces that were especially tight. She winced, feeling the stone and metal scrape against her shin, but perhaps that was for the better, and would give them some help with the illusion. She twisted her ankle a little, and flipped her body over, looking up at Aerith and nodding.

"Ready as ever...." She winced a little again, and nodded. "Ow. Yeah. Ready."

 

[ReaperMelia]

Getting in touch with Avalanche would definitely be difficult... While Aerith knew plenty of people in the slums, she didn't know of any with ties to Avalanche. It would help if either one of them knew someone who could put in a good word... Otherwise, who knew if Avalanche would be willing to help? But even if not, Tifa was right that they knew plenty of people. Avalanche or not, there had to be someone who knew a way out of Midgar.

"There has to be. Maybe back home... Or maybe in Wall Market... We'll find them, whoever they are. We've just gotta make it down to the slums first..." She cast her eyes back in the direction of the tunnel again. Getting into the slums would definitely be the tricky part... But their plan would work. It had to, anyway. And Aerith had to believe it would if there was any chance of them pulling it off.

Thankfully, before she could let any doubt settle in, Tifa's light remark helped Aerith relax. "We'll do it plenty after we get out of here!" The Cetra didn't know how she'd make it out of this without Tifa around. It was hard enough to keep thinking positively with everything they had gone through, but without her friend... She didn't want to think about it. She wasn't alone, and she wouldn't be alone again.

Aerith winced as she watched Tifa twist her ankle in the rubble. It would certainly help their act look more convincing, but she didn't want Tifa to get hurt in the process. Besides, while Aerith had managed to pull off some close-quarters melee combat back at Don Corneo's mansion, that was a different situation. Taking on armed Shinra guards would be tough, and she hoped Tifa wouldn't push herself too far in her attempt to look the part.

"Let's get started, then." Aerith gently lifted Tifa and made sure she was secure while her seemingly injured leg would be clearly visible. After giving her friend a quick smile, she began running over to the guards, huffing with each step. She glanced between them frantically. Thankfully, they seemed a bit too startled to immediately raise their weapons, but it seemed like they were beginning to move their rifles up.

"Please, you have to help my friend! She's hurt! I need to take her to a doctor!" Aerith choked the words out between frantic breaths, still approaching as she begged the soldiers. They stopped and looked at Tifa, noting her scuffed ankle. Still, both sighed and one began to respond.

"Get away from here. We're just guards, not doctors. Go find a--"

"No, listen to me!" Aerith's voice rose as she cut the guard off, and the two soldiers jolted back in shock. The Cetra did her best to stifle a chuckle at the sight of their surprised faces before continuing. "She needs attention now! You've gotta take a look at her yourselves, there's no time! I think her leg's broken!"

The soldier who had given the previous order stammered a few noises out, not entirely sure how to respond to the impatient woman before him. He took a moment to glance at his partner for an idea, though his companion seemed just as clueless. They both looked at each other for just a second, trying to think about what to do...

And it was the exact opening Aerith needed.

She swept a foot at the first guard's ankle, catching him by surprise and tripping him. His grip on his rifle loosened as he tried to regain his balance, causing it to clatter onto the pavement next to him while he fell face-first. The other guard practically jumped out of his own skin and began to fumble with his rifle. There was a tight window to attack him before he had it ready, and Aerith was busy redirecting her focus from the guard she knocked over...

 

[aggravatedspacedolphins]

It was hard to keep a straight face, even as Tifa laid down in the batch of rocks and rubble, scuffing her ankle slight in the process. Every stifled laugh she tried to make look like a wince, as she watched Aerith rush over to the guards and try and give a convincing story. Tifa even let out of a fake moan as one of the guards turned to look at her, her fingers flailing at the ground as she tried to yammer the part.

"Don't...bother them....I'll be fine..." she huffed, "Just...come back."

She watched as Aerith gained her voice, yelling right back at them, and she tried hard not to smile, to grin that the poor girl was gaining enough confidence for both of them. She coughed and groaned, closing her eyes and wiggling at her foot. She laid there, waiting, but the soldiers never made it. Tifa opened her eyes to see what was taking so long, only to see Aerith sweeping her leg at one, sending him and his rifle flying, and the other one struggling with his rifle, ready to aim...

Shit.

The jig was up. She stumbled, scraping her ankle against the rock as she struggled to free herself in a hurry. She went to the second guard, the one that Aerith hadn't taken down, and flew into him, her sore ankle hitting a soft spot in his back. The guard let out a grunt, falling face first next to his friend. Tifa winced. Her ankle twisted as she reached down to grab the rifle, cocking it and aiming at both of the soldiers on the ground, before looking at Aerith.

"Tie them up."

She smiled, but let out another wince as she put pressure against the sore ankle. Maybe she had really hurt it in the process...but...she didn't have much of a choice, did she?

 

[ReaperMelia]

Thankfully, Tifa managed to catch up and take out the other one before he could do anything. Aerith thought she had more time to act, but she was unfortunately wrong on that front. She couldn't help but wince at the sight of Tifa clearly feeling some pain from her attack. It did the job, but it looked like it might have put Tifa in more harm than expected. Aerith wanted to hurry over and make sure Tifa's foot was fine, but her friend had the right idea. They had to deal with these guys first.

The guards, of course, were cowering at the sight of having their own weapons turned against them. They steadily lifted their arms over their heads and huddled close together. While their eyes were obscured by their goggles, Aerith could only imagine the looks on their faces.

"Right." She smiled back at Tifa, taking note of another wince from her friend. She'd have to check on her once they were clear. Aerith found a cable in a nearby pile of debris and used it to tie the two guards up. She carefully wrapped the cable around them, paying close attention to see if either one tried to make any sudden moves out of desperation. Thankfully, they were too afraid of the thought of drawing Tifa's ire, and Aerith was able to finish tying the knot without any issues. With their foes tightly bound up and unable to move their arms, they had an opening to get moving. Aerith took a quick moment to grab the remaining rifle before chuckling at the guards. "Thanks for the weapons!"

She then turned to Tifa. As much as she wanted to treat Tifa's wound now, she wasn't sure if it was safe to do that here in the open. If any other guards walked through, they'd be easily spotted and thrown back into trouble... And Aerith didn't want to put them at additional risk when Tifa was already injured. The tunnel might have its dangers, but it would at least give them some cover to stop and recover for a moment.

The Cetra turned to look at Tifa, holding her rifle close in case she needed to use it. It wasn't the sort of weapon she'd like to use, but she'd be unarmed otherwise, so it would have to do. She cocked her head to the side and gave Tifa a concerned look, though she did her best to keep an even tone and not let the guards catch on to her concern. "You ready to get moving again?" Aerith was worried Tifa would try to tough it out even if she wasn't feeling up to it, but it would be best to at least see how she was feeling before making any final decisions.

 

[aggravatedspacedolphins]

Aerith took care of cleaning up the guards, both of who were on the verge of praying for their own lives. That left Tifa with watching behind her as Aerith continued to make sure they were secure. If the commotion had brought about the wrong attention, they might need to ditch the guards and run, but so far they stayed quiet, clearly terrified of the two young girls. Aerith had a weapon now. Tifa laughed along with Aerith, giving her a quick high five and twirl, which only compounded her ankle. She stumbled a little, and shrugged it off.

"Yeah. Let's get going. See ya later, boys." She put weight on her good ankle, twirling the rifle in her hands before smiling. As she brought her other leg down, the pain intensified, and she grimaced, before turning to Aerith and trying to twist her face into a smile.

It would be a long way down. Tifa wasn't even sure how far they would go before they would start getting hungry, or need to rest. Her own stomach was growling. Wall Market was below them, and there would be plenty of food...hopefully down there, but Tifa had a feeling that no. Things were probably not what they seemed. There was probably poverty galore, extra mouths to feed since Sector 7....


She simply nodded to Aerith, and started to stumble into the tunnel. She was limping, although she kept trying to appear not to, swaying too far to the left or right every now and again, or pretending to stumble over an invisible rock. Her ankle burned and ached. She didn't think it had been that bad, but the further that she didn't rest, the further that she pushed, the further that it hurt.

"So I guess we follow the opposite of Scout, huh?" Tifa said, trying to distract herself. "We follow him but in reverse order."

 

[ReaperMelia]

Aerith silently took note of Tifa's little stumble after their high-five. Her ankle definitely wasn't doing fine, and this was further confirmed when the flower girl noticed the pain that flashed on her friend's face for a just a moment as they started walking to the tunnel. It was becoming more and more clear that Tifa wouldn't make it very far if this kept up. Even if she did, she'd be in danger if there were still any creatures lurking in the dark tunnels... Or if they came across any unstable areas.

The tunnels certainly weren't in great shape, especially compared to when they had cut through them before. While the structures were still standing, debris from the ceiling had shaken loose and fallen to the ground. It wasn't much different from the streets on the top of the plate after all the buildings had been damaged. The lights that normally illuminated the tunnels were either dim, flickering, or completely out. Aerith only hoped that there would be enough light for them deeper down the path. While she could still make out any obstacles in their way near the entrance, if it became too dark later on, they wouldn't be able to proceed. She didn't exactly like their odds going back the way they came and potentially facing vengeful guards, either.

Tifa's pain was getting impossible to ignore the more she walked. Aerith frowned and crossed her arms as she watched her friend sway and stumble, trying to pass it off like it wasn't anything serious. She couldn't just leave it be anymore. Tifa tried to suggest a plan for moving forward, but that wasn't Aerith's primary concern in the moment. She swooped over to her friend's side before getting into position to help take some of the weight off of her ankle. Supporting Tifa was the least she could do in the moment. "That sounds good to me, but I think we need to find somewhere quiet so we can check on your ankle."

Guilt bubbled in the Cetra's stomach as she realized this wouldn't have happened in the first place if it wasn't for her plan. She put Tifa at risk and fumbled on the execution, only making things worse. If an emergency came up and Tifa got hurt, it would be on Aerith. She had to find a way to make up for it... Of course, she didn't have many options in the dingy tunnels of Midgar. She didn't have any of her materia on hand. She didn't even have a potion. They'd have to improvise or hope to get lucky.

"I know you want to get moving, but we can't be too reckless, either. If something's wrong, I want you to let me know. We'll find a way to fix it together. We're a team, remember? I don't want you to hurt yourself for my sake. We'll both pull through together." Her usual upbeat tone had faded to something more serious, but Aerith still gave her friend a warm, reassuring smile. It was perhaps a bit forced--she was still fighting through her own guilt, after all. But Aerith wanted to make sure Tifa knew she was ready and willing to help where she could.