[She doesn't want to talk about it. The only place her mind is going is to Aerith, and Sector 7, and ShinRa. It's like her thoughts are stuck on grief and loss and she can't shake it, even if what happened was an illusion.
There's a long pause from her end as she struggles to think of what to say.]
I was...
[The owner of a bar, she wants to say, but she isn't anymore. Seventh Heaven is gone along with the rest of the sector, and all those people. She bites her lip, faltering.]
I lived in a city called Midgar, but we left. We were... Things weren't... going well before I got here.
[It's probably the most candid response he could get out of her at this point. She doesn't have the energy to cloak it in something pleasant, and she doesn't know what else to say.]
[Zach, after a moment, sighs. Then he laughs again, a little softer this time. Tired.]
I guess neither of us feels like talking, huh? I hope you have someone around who - gets it. Gets you. Helps you. If you need it, of course, I'm not saying you do, I'm just - I just hope you got friends.
[Because he doesn't. Maybe he will, someday, at some point, but right now, he has weird strangers, and nice strangers. But all strangers all the same.]
[She's never been good at talking about herself, and she's always preferred listening to others talk about their lives, but if he really needs her to... She bites her lip, silent for a moment longer.]
I'm sorry, Zach. I just don't know what to talk about. [There's another quiet pause, shorter this time.]
I used to run a bar in Midgar called Seventh Heaven. I was helping my friend raise his daughter, Marlene, there. She's only four, but she's so smart and brave, and...
[She trails off, not sure if she's rambling about something he doesn't want to hear. She's so homesick, suddenly.]
[While Tifa was talking, Zach closed his eyes, just letting her voice soothe him a little. It ended way too fast, but for a moment, for a second there, it felt nice.]
Do you miss home? [He scratches his throat.] Sorry if it's making you sad or uncomfortable or anything. You don't have to tell me.
[It is hard to talk about, but if it's distracting him, maybe it's worth doing. It's easier to just talk about her friends anyway, she thinks.]
I'm not from Midgar. Cloud and I grew up in a town in the mountains called Nibelheim. I met Barret -- Marlene's father -- after I found a job at the bar. He's done a lot for me, and he loves Marlene so much. He and Cloud have never really gotten along, though.
No? Can't imagine why... [It's just a tease - Zach doesn't really know Cloud, but he sounds like kind of a downer.]
How's your world? I like to think my world's beautiful and all, but we're totally fucking it up. It's totally going to implode under our feet one of these days.
Cloud doesn't seem like the easiest guy to get along with?
No offense. You obviously like him a lot.
[And doesn't that burn, a little. But...whatever, right? Tifa's way out of his league anyway. And also totally holding a candle for Cloud and, like. Whatever.]
[She knows Cloud isn't easy for everyone to get along with, at least when he decides he doesn't care for someone. But. But. Her nerves are already frayed, and her automatic response is to be defensive, because whatever his faults, Cloud is her best friend, crush or no crush. That fake video of him is still fresh in her mind along with his very real death.]
He's only been back a few days. Did you even give him a chance?
[Nope. No, Zach is not going there. He's not getting into a fight with Tifa over Cloud. He's just - he's not in the mood. Under other circumstances, he'd be happy to dig in and get more reactions like this from her, tidbits of information that says a lot more than she's willing to admit, but.
Zach is way too tired. He's not gonna apologize, though.]
Allllllllllright, thanks for the chat, but I'm out. Didn't come to you to make you angry, or to feel even worse than I did beforehand. [His voice softens.] I'll talk to you later.
Hey, look, I'm sorry I was an asshole. I didn't mean to upset you.
[He says the words quickly and don't really expect an answer; he's not sure he wants one. He just wants to stop feeling guilty about making her angry at him. He's already fucked enough, he doesn't need to screw up whatever kind of tentative friendship they could be building.
So, he's sucking it up, and apologizing, and he's embarrassed about it. He doesn't want pity or condescension, so he hangs up as soon as he's done.]
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There's a long pause from her end as she struggles to think of what to say.]
I was...
[The owner of a bar, she wants to say, but she isn't anymore. Seventh Heaven is gone along with the rest of the sector, and all those people. She bites her lip, faltering.]
I lived in a city called Midgar, but we left. We were... Things weren't... going well before I got here.
[It's probably the most candid response he could get out of her at this point. She doesn't have the energy to cloak it in something pleasant, and she doesn't know what else to say.]
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I guess neither of us feels like talking, huh? I hope you have someone around who - gets it. Gets you. Helps you. If you need it, of course, I'm not saying you do, I'm just - I just hope you got friends.
[Because he doesn't. Maybe he will, someday, at some point, but right now, he has weird strangers, and nice strangers. But all strangers all the same.]
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I'm sorry, Zach. I just don't know what to talk about. [There's another quiet pause, shorter this time.]
I used to run a bar in Midgar called Seventh Heaven. I was helping my friend raise his daughter, Marlene, there. She's only four, but she's so smart and brave, and...
[She trails off, not sure if she's rambling about something he doesn't want to hear. She's so homesick, suddenly.]
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[While Tifa was talking, Zach closed his eyes, just letting her voice soothe him a little. It ended way too fast, but for a moment, for a second there, it felt nice.]
Do you miss home? [He scratches his throat.] Sorry if it's making you sad or uncomfortable or anything. You don't have to tell me.
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[It is hard to talk about, but if it's distracting him, maybe it's worth doing. It's easier to just talk about her friends anyway, she thinks.]
I'm not from Midgar. Cloud and I grew up in a town in the mountains called Nibelheim. I met Barret -- Marlene's father -- after I found a job at the bar. He's done a lot for me, and he loves Marlene so much. He and Cloud have never really gotten along, though.
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How's your world? I like to think my world's beautiful and all, but we're totally fucking it up. It's totally going to implode under our feet one of these days.
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"Can't imagine why"? What do you mean?
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No offense. You obviously like him a lot.
[And doesn't that burn, a little. But...whatever, right? Tifa's way out of his league anyway. And also totally holding a candle for Cloud and, like. Whatever.]
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He's only been back a few days. Did you even give him a chance?
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Zach is way too tired. He's not gonna apologize, though.]
Allllllllllright, thanks for the chat, but I'm out. Didn't come to you to make you angry, or to feel even worse than I did beforehand. [His voice softens.] I'll talk to you later.
[later, still private, still voice]
[He says the words quickly and don't really expect an answer; he's not sure he wants one. He just wants to stop feeling guilty about making her angry at him. He's already fucked enough, he doesn't need to screw up whatever kind of tentative friendship they could be building.
So, he's sucking it up, and apologizing, and he's embarrassed about it. He doesn't want pity or condescension, so he hangs up as soon as he's done.]