What Happens in 7th Heaven... (Tifa)

[mafemale]

It had been an hour since Maiah had decided that she investigated the portals situation long enough. All morning, she had been at it and all afternoon. It was an endless business concerning the portals. Nothing really changed except the reports of unknown beings coming through them. They were a major concern since no one knew the reason behind it. Still, they weren't getting anywhere near where the portals were coming from.

All they learned was about the L'cie and Fal'cie or whatevers. These things had been showing up all around Gaia wreaking havoc and giving others a brand mark, threatening to turn them into the creatures if they didn't do a Focus. It wasn't exactly a good thing either when they completed it too because it entrapped the being in crystal.

Anyways, Maiah was looking for a quick break. She had been all business lately, no time to herself. Today felt like the kind of day to enjoy a drink. Martial Arts hardly drank but she did on occasion. Like right now, she felt it would be a good way to loosen herself up after a long week of working hard. She would've hung around one of the other Turks but everyone else was nearly just as busy these days. Even her usual buddies were busy.

It had been a long time since she did anything like this in Edge. As she walked around, she ignored the looks people were giving her as she passed. All of the Turks were quite used to the looks they got as of late. Normally, it was of fear and respect but there was a mixture of hatred on people's faces. Maiah could understand why they would feel that way. Shinra hadn't exactly been everybody's friend and had still quite a ways to go to repent for everything they did.

As she walked, she came across what was called the 7th Heaven. It was a well known bar here. Now, Maiah had never encountered Cloud Strife's gang so she didn't think anything of it as she stepped inside. She didn't know of the new AVALANCHE and only remembered the more hostile one back in the day concerning Elfe. At that time, Turks were viewed as less of a threat and more so as the heroes of the day but that time was long done and over with.

Walking over to the bar, she sat at a barstool and patiently waited for the bartender. She was in no rush so as far as she was concerned, she wouldn't mind how long the bartender took anyway.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Things had been…rather fast paced lately. If that made any sense. Tifa was trying to gather all of her thoughts together at the moment, trying to cope with everything. She was happy, yes, but she was also a bit fearful of things going on. She was alive, Zack was alive as well, they had a nice trip in Costa de Sol, but the arrival of Sephiroth…that was more than enough to make those happy feelings chill and shatter. Shaking her head for a moment, Tifa was upstairs in Seventh Heaven, everyone seemed to be okay for the moment before she had trailed upstairs, she wanted to try and have a moment to herself, not only that, but she had wanted to figure out who she was supposed to get a hold of. Cloud of course, and with Reno having been here, someone within ShinRa had to know of Sephiroth’s return, if he hadn’t told anyone, then he really was stupid. Maybe he didn’t tell the other Turks, but…he was sure to have told the President, right? Tifa could only hope.

After a small sigh to herself, Tifa heard the doors downstairs open and close in a matter of seconds. Either someone left and there would be a mess to clean up, or someone arrived. She wasn’t about to keep anyone waiting, or leave a mess laying all across her small bar, so turning swiftly and trotting down the stairs, she noticed a new face, one she didn’t recognize, but the suit…that was oh so recognizable. Red eyes looked the long haired woman over, and Tifa was sure she had never seen her before, or at least not that she remembered, oh well, she was on…better terms with ShinRa as it was, even the turks, so there was no need to make a fuss over anything. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she put a smile on her face and slipped behind the bar, gazing at the woman with a sincere and friendly smile. “Hi, welcome to Seventh Heaven, is there anything I can get for you today?” Tifa asked in the most polite voice she could possible muster…so like, her usual voice.

Watching as a few patrons left money on their tables and trotted out of the bar, Tifa did a usual ‘thanks and come again’ routine for them as she gazed over the Turk sitting at the bar. After having been hospitable for those leaving, she took a step back and leaned against the back of the bar, folding her hands together and waiting for the newcomer to talk. Was this a new recruit? Was ShinRa out there taking in new blood? Well, she looked pretty serious, and like she knew what she was doing, whatever that was…but perhaps…no, Tifa shouldn’t mention anything about Sephiroth, if she did want to strike conversation with this Turk she could always ask about Reno and see if anything came from that. Whatever she could do I guess. She wasn’t too concerned about anything right now, just trying to make a living like any other human being here in Edge.

“You’re one of the…ShinRa Turks aren’t you?” Tifa bluntly asked, her tone still polite and a small smile still lingering on her lips as she rested her hands back on the back of the bar, still leaning back as she kept her eyes on the other woman in the room, the bar was practically empty by now aside from the occasional ‘take your time’ drinker in the back corner. Hopefully this woman, whoever she was, didn’t get hostile of her asking or anything, the last thing she needed was a pissy Turk in her bar, otherwise…well…she’d never had to throw a woman out of her bar before, but then again, she never thought Sephiroth would waltz right through her bar doors as well. Guess there was a first time for everything, huh?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:[/color] 755
Muse:[/color] Great!
Tagged:[/color] Maiah
Wearing:[/color] >>Click<<
Listening To:[/color] Stuff!
Notes:[/color] Hope this was okay :3

[mafemale]

Maiah didn't wait very long, not that she would've minded waiting anyway. If anything, she was just looking for some time to herself and taking a break. Here in Edge, she had heard about this bar. Rumor had it, it was a pretty great bar to relax in. A good few of her fellow Turks had come here a time once before and always had good compliments about the place. So, why not pay it a visit and see for herself? It wasn't like Maiah here was looking for any kind of trouble despite the general hate or fear or respect her uniform imposed. If she had time to change beforehand, she would have just to be any other person in the crowd rather than "that Turk" everyone saw.

Martial Arts had noticed there was a stairway leading upward. Most likely, it was the office up there and probably living quarters of the patrons here. Not like she was going to go nosing where she didn't belong anyway. As she glanced around the bar, some glances had been her way but had looked immediately in another whenever she looked curiously back at some of them. Really, she wasn't looking for any kind of trouble so even if someone's gaze had lingered on her, she didn't mind it.

Noticing movement in the corner of her eye, Martial Arts turned to find the female bartender. It was none other than Tifa Lockhart. Maiah had heard about her. The woman was a cheerful person and great at what she did. She didn't know though that she was a part of the new AVALANCHE or like Maiah, she too was a physical fighter. Neither of them relied on weapons to fight with. All they relied on was their bodies to fight. Maiah would have a respect for her since she too was a woman that proved to the male gender that women could be just as bad ass as they could. In a way, they were alike.

"Good evening, ma'am." She had greeted Tifa with a friendly smile. Even if she was a Turk and appeared to be serious, she was friendly. Her expression, though usually serious in appearance, only came from long hard years of serving as a mercenary back in the day. Her entire life had been strict but that didn't mean she was a bitch, just professional. She was one that carried herself with pride but not arrogance. "I would like some bud light, if you have any, unless there's anything you'd rather recommend?" she spoke. Really, she wouldn't mind trying something else since she didn't drink often like her other companions in Shinra HQ.

As she sat there, she couldn't help but notice how Tifa was looking back at her. Did she make her nervous in any way? 'Well, I am wearing my uniform and people do view us as something to be feared!' she reminded herself, not feeling the least bit offended. Maybe it had been a wrong idea to come adorned in her suit? The last thing she wanted to do was cause anyone alarm where she was just simply trying to just have a good time herself.

Then, the question came. Maiah didn't get it often but it was one that she knew would be coming anyway. Was she a Turk? "Yes, I am." Her tone was just as polite, she didn't think anything of the question nor did she find any offense to such a thing. Really, why would she find offense to something she was? Even if she were drunk, she wouldn't have found insult to it. Granted Ethan, Rod and Reno were known to get themselves so drunk they would cause a ruckus where they went but Maiah wasn't as wild as they were. She was well mannered. As she had before, she gave Tifa a friendly smile. At least she was showing to the girl that she was approachable and not one to be too wary of.

"I take it that you must be Tifa? Nice to meet you, I'm Maiah." Maiah wasn't her real name just like it had been for the other Turks but she always went by it. Either that or her alias, Martial Arts. Of course, so as others didn't get confused with her, they would sometimes refer to her as Martial Arts Female so as to not get her confused with her male counterpart that had the same alias as herself. The way she had a leg crossed over the other and how perfectly poised she was seated there made it obvious she was a woman that held herself with class.

"I've heard about your bar, it's really nice here compared to the places I have been to," she complimented. Hopefully, she eased whatever tension Tifa thought there was going to be between them and just showing her that she wasn't looking for trouble. Unlike Ethan, Rod and Reno that got themselves thrown out of bars, Maiah wasn't the sort.

[Tifa Lockhart]

It was always nice to have a fresh face within the bar, so long as they didn’t cause any trouble, and from the looks of this woman, this obvious Turk, Tifa didn’t think there would be any trouble coming from her. Then again, people were so unpredictable these days, looks could be deceiving, and you were supposed to start expecting the unexpected. After having greeted the woman, Tifa waited around and figured things would go well after she saw her smile and seem very polite. Those were always the best kinds of people, the polite and friendly ones that didn’t demand everything be handed to them on a silver platter, or those who just came around to raise hell. Those types of people didn’t last in the bar very long, not with Tifa around.

With a small nod towards the woman as she ordered, Tifa whipped around to take care of the order. “It all just depends on the types of things you like, everything here seems to go pretty well, so…I suppose I could recommend just about anything within the bar.” She said with a chipper tone as she turned back around to face Maiah – she didn’t know her name yet, but introductions should come soon – and placed the cold and open beer bottle onto the bar, easing it closer towards her newest customer before stepping back and leaning against the back of the bar, her arms folded, but her fingertips tapping against her arm as she felt the need to ask about her being a Turk. Not that she minded, but it was a good start to a conversation, should one ever want to arise. “If you need anything else, just let me know.” Tifa said with a small nod, glancing past Maiah at the bar to the remaining patrons, she noticed everyone seemed to be okay for now. So…what to do in the meantime? Well, Tifa went ahead and asked that oh so curious question of hers, hoping for a reasonable response.

A reasonable response was exactly what she got. Smiling slightly, Tifa gave a small nod as if to acknowledge the response. She didn’t have issues with the Turks nearly as much as before, in fact, Tifa was starting to learn to let go of ShinRa as the main reason for her father’s death, the cause of everything bad…aka Sephiroth going crazy. That was him as an individual, it wasn’t like the President at the time had ordered Nibelheim be destroyed in a flurry of flames. Gesturing to the suit, Tifa felt the corners of her lips turn upwards. “I figured as much.” She commented before nodding to Maiah’s assumption, there came the rather brief introductions, sort of. “Yes, I am Tifa, it’s nice to meet you too, Maiah.” Kind of funny, AVALANCHE and the Turks could get along, not that AVALANCHE was really around these days as it was, that all really came to an end after things with Sephiroth had been settled, meteor and what not. Right now, everyone was just trying to get back on their feet.

“Thanks, I’ve put a lot of work into it, especially after having to move it after the chaos in Midgar happened. It may be small, but it’s home.” Tifa shrugged slightly, feeling anxious about asking this woman about Sephiroth, if Reno had spoken with Rufus or anyone else about his return. Had anything been said? “You know Reno no doubt, being a Turk and all…has he…mentioned anything crazy lately? I mean, something that would put people on edge a little bit?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:[/color] 700
Muse:[/color] pretty good!
Tagged:[/color] Maiah
Wearing:[/color] Already linked.
Listening To:[/color] FF Stuffs
Notes:[/color] Sorry for the wait

[mafemale]

Maiah watched as the bartender turned her back to her to get the order up. She was rather quick about it and was quite obviously a natural. She listened as the woman spoke, saying that she could suggest just about anything in her bar. It was true that people had different tastes. So, she could see Tifa's point there. Maybe that had been a rather stupid question for her to have asked Tifa? Oh well, Maiah didn't drink often so it showed. The frequenters amongst her fellow Turks would've probably laughed at her if hey had been here.

As Tifa placed the beer bottle in front of her, even already popped open for her, Maiah inclined her head. "Thank you." While Tifa looked over at her other customers, Maiah took the bottle and sipped it. It was very good, the quality of the beers here seemed much fresher than anywhere else that Maiah had been to. She had wonderful hospitality.

When Tifa had asked her if she had been a Turk, Maiah gave her a reasonable response. No offense was taking and there was no sense in lying to her about her profession. Everyone knew the Turks here. That and Maiah never lied about that sort of thing. It was as plain as day what she was and she was proud to be a Turk. Granted, there were things that were asked of her in the past that she didn't agree with half the time but she still prided in being one. Not many people got to join the Turks. They were people on pure talent that made it to this position. As Tifa smiled and gestured at her suite, Maiah nodded her head with a smile in return. It didn't take long for Tifa to confirm that she was who Maiah had assumed she was.

Things were pretty friendly between them for now but Maiah couldn't help but notice a hint of anxiousness in Tifa. It was very subtle but Maiah was picking up something. She was genuinely friendly with her, just it seemed like something was bothering her. Maybe she was wondering what to say or ask? Maybe something pertaining to the Turks? Maiah could only guess.

Tifa liked the compliment about her bar. Stating that she had put a lot of work into it. Maiah nodded solemnly at this. She knew what it was like to have to work hard on something. As a mercenary, she worked just as hard as she did a Turk. Her whole life was hard work. This bar was Tifa's home. "Yeah, glad you managed and now have a place to call home. It's been rough on all of us." Maiah remembered what it had been like trying to locate a new place for her to live until Edge was built and then back again. Everyone here had been going through a rough time. Maiah was glad that now people were getting back on their feet and out of the tight spots they were in.

The subject turned to Reno, the Turks' Second in Command. Maiah had been taking a drink from the beer she was given as she listened to Tifa. Had Reno been saying anything crazy lately that would put people on edge? Settling the bottle onto the counter, Maiah thought for a moment. She hadn't really seen the other Turks a lot considering how often everyone was sent out on a new assignment as soon as they returned to headquarters. Reno, she didn't exactly recall saying anything. The Turks knew that he was an L'Cie though. Is that what she meant? Why would Reno go saying that to people outside of the Turks though? Oh well, no use wondering over it.

"Hm...not that I can recall. Has he been problematic here? If so, all respects to the Second in Command but I wouldn't be surprised if he had!" she mused. "Haven't had the chance to speak with the other Turks. We're busy lately with the things going on as of late. Anyone that heads back to headquarters after completing one mission is usually sent right back out on another one. Everyone's been working double." She looked at Tifa for a short moment. "Is there something you're worried about?" she inquired.

[Tifa Lockhart]

So far so good! Tifa already seemed to like this girl, even if she was a Turk. She seemed polite and not hostile by any means, of course she didn’t seem like a troublemaker, like some Turks tended to come across as. With a smile still lingering on the bartender’s lips, she stood back and tried to make small conversation with Maiah, but what was there to talk about between a ShinRa employee and a former AVALANCHE member? Well, Tifa would leave out the bits of her being a part of the former eco-terrorist group for now, it wasn’t important. She was simply a business owner these days, trying to make a living and keep her place up and running, no need to ruffle any feathers. She always tended to avoid angering someone if she could help it, besides, it wouldn’t be good for business to anger a Turk. People were still inside the bar, it was good to keep up an image.

“Tough…yeah I know what you mean. Times have always been rough, but it seems like lately everything was going down the drain for awhile, I mean…the geostigma…the things before that, it’s a miracle that things are turning out better than anyone would’ve expected.” Tifa commented as she folded her arms now across her chest, shaking her head slightly, that word ‘home’ got to her. She did consider this place her home, she’d put a lot of work into it to make it what it was today, but still…her heart was longing for her old hometown of Nibelheim, it was a shame things turned out the way they had with Sephiroth, had he not gone completely psycho, well, who knows how things would be right now. “I used to live in Nibelheim…well I’m sure you know how things went there.” She shrugged a bit before jumping into the subject of Reno. He was one to have a mouth, but had he not said anything regarding Sephiroth, then he really was stupid. If anyone needed to know, it was ShinRa, after all, most people had a vendetta against them, one might say Sephiroth would fall into that category of people as well.

Smirking a bit, Tifa nodded slightly at Maiah’s words. “Isn’t he always problematic?” She asked tilting her head slightly, finding humor in her words before she decided it was time to be a bit more serious on the matter. She’d trust Maiah to relay the message about the lingering danger that had just come up. Her face went completely serious as she looked Maiah in the eyes, was there something she was worried about? Definitely. “Yes, there is. I’m just not sure where to begin, or to expect you to believe me. Should you ask Reno though, he’ll hopefully back up my story.” Tifa took in a deep breath and exhaled just as deep as she moved from behind the bar, moving to sit next to Maiah, she didn’t need the other customers in the bar hearing her conversation and becoming worried, such news would worry just about anyone, it worried Tifa down to her very core. “I had an unexpected visitor in my bar not too long ago. I am not sure if Rufus ShinRa is aware, but I’m trusting you with this information. Sephiroth is back…he’s alive, as are his remnants. I fear…for this city, for the people, you know? I figure if anyone deserves to know ahead of time with warning, it’s ShinRa.” And with that spoken, Tifa blinked, waiting for Maiah’s response, to see if she’d believe her or not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:[/color] 710
Muse:[/color] Good!
Tagged:[/color] Maiah
Wearing:[/color] Already linked
Listening To:[/color] Evanescence
Notes:[/color] Sorry for the blahness xD

[mafemale]

Maiah had to agree with Tifa. Everything had seemed to be going downhill. No one expected things to be this way. In fact, back with Meteor, people had thought they were all going to die. Plenty of people made a lot of stupid mistakes then. Maiah, thankfully, hadn't been one of them. She had enough dignity in herself to just accept what came to her. No need for her to worry about trying to enjoy the last bit of life like she did. In fact, she didn't think she deserved to. She had been a Turk and a part of Shinra once upon a time...and today. It was not hard to realize the company she was working with had been terrible for the things it had done. She had helped do some of the things they did and she felt it would be repentance enough to just die accepting her fate with Meteor.

When the lifestream returned and had given everyone a chance to continue on with their lives, she had seen it as a second chance and had done her best outside to be a better person. Now, here she was back with Shinra again. She really hoped it turned a new leaf. Her main reasons though were returning to her Turk family. The Turks were more like family than her biological family. Surely, someone could understand that?

As she sat there, she heard Tifa mention that she had come from Nibelheim. Maiah's stomach did a bit of a flip. She remembered that day and had even snuck in to see what Sephiroth was doing. It had been her that phoned the other Turks in on what had been going on. It had been a dangerous risk but a necessary one. That was when Cloud and Zack had been taken in by Hojo. The Turks didn't like that arrangement but they couldn't argue. The former President had pretty much tied their hands behind their backs.

"I do...I'm sorry for the things that had happened then. No one expected that to happen..." she trailed off. In fact, she thought she remembered seeing Tifa now more clearly. She had been that cowgirl that had been injured by Sephiroth. That was a subject not discussed in detail but she could understand if Tifa held any hatred towards Shinra for it. That had been one of the biggest screw ups in history. No one knew why Sephiroth went mad. All that was known was that he had discovered the truth behind his creation and snapped from that and developed a god and mother complex. It had been sickening to see the damage he had done that day.

Maiah was relieved the subject changed to Reno. A smile appeared on her face then. "Yes, our second in command can be quite the...prankster now and then!" she mused. When it came down to what was bothering Tifa, Maiah watched her closely. She was being polite in giving her, her full attention. If it was something she could help her out with then she would do what she could. She wasn't beyond trying to help someone.

Martial Arts female gave Tifa a questioning look when Tifa stated that she wasn't sure how to begin but believed that Reno should be able to back up her story. Well, she most certainly had Maiah's attention. Just what was going on?

Well, Maiah certainly got her answer and not in a way that she had expected. It was so sudden that it could easily bowl her over if she wasn't made of tougher stuff. Sephiroth and his remnants were back! Maiah had seen what Sephiroth could do and she had heard what the remnants had done, one even transforming into Sephiroth again. If they were back, this was very bad news! Maiah didn't think Tifa would lie about this sort of thing. The look on her face was pretty serious and it wasn't something someone would joke about unless they wanted a beating. Maiah felt that Tifa wasn't lying and that disturbed her greatly. If Sephiroth was back, Shinra was going to have its hands more full than it ever had before.

"...So he's back..." she trailed off, letting her mind process it as she tried to recover from the serious shock. Her brown eyes were wide. "H-How-?" she stammered, not really knowing what else to say or even able to form a sentence.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Tifa had been talking about Nibelheim and all the hardships she’d been through over the years a lot more lately. She’d forgiven some people for the things they had done and realized that it was time to be an adult and not hold grudges against those who had no part in all of that chaos. She couldn’t be mad at Zack, or even ShinRa in general. The person she had to loathe and hate was Sephiroth. It was he who set her hometown aflame, he who had slain her father…it wasn’t Maiah, it wasn’t Rufus ShinRa or even Zack…it was Sephiroth. Waving a hand softly towards Maiah’s words, Tifa shook her head as well, a small sincere smile on her face as she decided it wasn’t worth hearing any apologies from those who didn’t need to recite them. “Don’t apologize please, it wasn’t your fault, nor ShinRa’s…if there’s anyone that needs to be blamed…well, I’m sure we can both think of that person pretty easily.” She said with a small shrug, the topic of Sephiroth was never a happy one.

Moving the topic along to Reno, Tifa felt a larger smile appear on her face. “Ha, I can imagine. I mean…I won’t say I enjoy it, but I may or may not have had to toss him out once or twice.” She said with almost a sheepish smile as she lifted a hand to rub the back of her neck. But the more chipper topic couldn’t remain there much longer. There was information of importance that needed to be passed along, and if Tifa couldn’t count on that prankster of a Second in Command to pass it along, then she’d trust Maiah to do it. Rufus ShinRa needed to be aware, as well as the rest of the Turks, anyone that ShinRa knew…people just needed to be aware of the threats that were now arising.

With a deep breath, it was a hard thing to talk about, but Tifa had spoke up about the fact that Sephiroth was alive, as well as his remnants, one of which she’d had a rumble with at the Icicle inn – and thankfully she lived after having ate snow and watched her Eidolon get pummeled to a nice pulp. She shook her head, she wasn’t sure how…but the expression on Maiah’s face told her that this was serious, and she took this seriously. Nodding her head to confirm her words, Tifa cleared her throat, placing her hands across her chest as she folded them. “Yep. He’s back, alive, and with his remnants wandering about Gaia…” her voice trailed, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the outcome of everything. It was bound to be difficult and unpleasant, but hey, since when had things been easy anyways? Never.

“As for how? I’m not sure really. All I know is people seem to come back to life, escaping the lifestream…I’m just as confused as anyone else out there.” Tifa shrugged her shoulders, gazing around the bar and noticing all other patrons had left. That was okay…for now she didn’t mind the lack of foot traffic through her bar, it was nice to get certain topics off your chest, and Maiah seemed nice enough to let her speak, even when it came to bad things such as Sephiroth. “Zack Fair is alive, Aerith Gainsborough…Sephiroth and his remnants…I’m just…so lost as to what is going on lately…next thing you know my parents…ha, forget I said anything, that’s wishful thinking right there. But…has ShinRa looked into any of these sudden appearances? Like…Aerith or Zack?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:[/color] 722
Muse:[/color] Blahhhh
Tagged:[/color] Maiah
Wearing:[/color] Already linked
Listening To:[/color] Tifa’s Theme
Notes:[/color] Sorry for the wait ><

[mafemale]

Maiah watched as Tifa waved away her apology. Honestly, Maiah couldn't blame her though if she did hate Shinra for it. They had, indirectly, helped with the creation of Sephiroth. Hojo, one of their top scientists, had created him after all. In a weird, twisted and creepy way. Maiah wasn't even sure how the woman that helped with Sephiroth's creation could put herself through that sort of thing. Dismissing the disturbing thought, she gave a slow nod. "Yes, I'm sure we can."

As Maiah sat there, she couldn't help but feel a smirk creep up on her face when the topic of Reno came up again. The imagery of Reno being thrown out of the bar once or twice was amusing. If Rod or Two Guns heard about this one, they'd be tormenting him with it so badly. Well, maybe Rod more so than Two Guns. Two Guns got along better with Reno and Rod. Reno and Rod, on the other hand, fought a heck of a lot. "That is very amusing to think about." Oh, it certainly was. Luckily for Reno, she wasn't one to spread rumors unless he went and mad her mad.

The topic returned to Sephiroth and his remnants. They were definitely alive and were back. With all four of them on the loose, it was known that one Sephiroth was enough trouble as it is. With one full Sephiroth and three remnants, that was like having almost two Sephiroths. The Planet wouldn't be able to handle that. As she listened to the rest of what Tifa said, it sounded alarming that people were coming out of the lifestream that were once dead. Did this mean the Planet was dying? Or was it because of the instability of these strange portals leading to other worlds?

Maiah wasn't exactly told a lot though about the subject. She had heard rumors that strange people were up and about but nothing to the extent of people being alive once more. "Actually, people being alive again is something new to me. I've only just recently returned to the professional field of being a Turk. There's still a lot I don't know..." she trailed off as Tifa spoke. It would be something to see one's deceased parents. Still, Maiah couldn't help but wonder if that was really a good thing unless the Planet felt it was healthy enough, which she doubted. Sephiroth had damaged it enough the last two times.

"For all I know, they could have. I'm still learning as I go what things have been going on since returning as a Turk. I will look and see though if we did. Chances are, if they know of them, they would have."

[Tifa Lockhart]

Thinking about Sephiroth, the past, it was painful, but something that could be done. Tifa wasn’t weak when it came to painful memories, in fact, it was those memories that made her stronger, it made her more determined than ever to do what she could for other people. Shaking her head a bit and adding a saddened smile to her face, she gazed at Maiah, her only remaining patron within the bar. “Oh well, memories…that’s all they are, and they should stay in the past.” Thought that wouldn’t be possible with Sephiroth waltzing around Gaia once more. The thought sent a shiver down the bartender’s mind, but she didn’t show any discomfort, or at least she tried not to. If she did, she was sure Maiah would understand, even though she spoke that memories should stay in the past, and she meant it, any sort of haunting memories such as Nibelheim would stay with someone forever and torture them forever.

Moving onto the topic of Reno did bring a real smile to Tifa’s face. She’d enjoyed the company of some fun people, but sometimes those people needed to be given the boot from time to time, not because they were bad people or anything, but because when people got crazy drunk…they were exactly that. Crazy as hell. “It becomes a good source of entertainment, Maiah, it really does. I just am amazed how much he can take before it comes to the point of me throwing him out.” She said honestly with a laugh at the end of her words, remembering her astonishment she felt when Reno first came into the bar after the geotstigma crisis had been taken care of, call it a celebratory visit. He’d drank so much and been able to handle it all, functioning like a perfect gentleman…sorta, but it all fell to pieces. It left Tifa both confused, speechless and of course…astonished. How interesting, hm?

Sighing and turning the subject to a darker light, Tifa had moved and sat at one of the barstools. Talking about Sephiroth again and his remnants, it made her genuinely scared. With a shake of her head, she questioned the Turk, wondering if there was anything she knew about people waking up from the dead – so to speak of course – but ultimately there was nothing new information wse coming her way, it was slightly disappointing, but at least she and Maiah were on the same page about something. “I see, oh well. I’m just glad some people are back, like…Zack and Aerith, Sephiroth I could definitely live without.” She said with a huge nod as if to agree with herself. “I wonder if the lifestream is falling to bits and pieces. Is the planet going through some sort of weird change with these portals going on that’s making people come back to life? I know you don’t have the answers Maiah, but…it’s certainly something to think about. Looking at the big picture rather than just what’s happening today, you know?” she said tilting her head, rubbing a hand against her scalp and putting on her thinking face. Oh the joys of over thinking things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:[/color] 619
Muse:[/color] Great!
Tagged:[/color] Maiah
Wearing:[/color] Already linked
Listening To:[/color] Something!
Notes:[/color] --

[mafemale]

Maiah gave a nod when Tifa mentioned that such memories should remain in the past. She was strong emotionally. Even still, the memory of what destruction Maiah had seen when she went there was not something to forget. She could understand why someone would hate Shinra for that. Shinra was behind a lot of things that screwed with people's way of life and the Planet's life. Understandably, it would take a while before others could simply put the past behind them like Tifa was showing here. Honestly, Maiah was hoping that they could turn a new leaf and stay that way. That's why she had returned as a Turk but also to return and see her Turk family. It had been lonely out there in the real world by herself. Everything had just been the same old boring routine but thanks to Rod, it helped her decide on finally making a comeback.

"You're right...but never forgotten." She had said that solemnly. She would never forget that incident. She owed it to the victims of that fateful day to never forget.

Now that the subject was on Reno, it was difficult not to laugh. "I'm sure it must have been. It's amusing whenever someone gets too tipsy. I'm sure Reno has quite a reputation about him when it comes to the bars!" she said with amusement. Oh yes, she had heard plenty of rumors. One of them, Ethan and Reno had gotten themselves so drunk that they had ended up in a brawl in a bar only to find themselves moments later out on the streets wondering how the hell they had gotten there. It was a very funny thing. Cissnei never knew what Reno and Ethan ever did. If she had, Ethan would not have asked Maiah to keep that story quiet in front of Cissnei. Cissnei was known as the mother of the Turks despite being their youngest member.

Now that their conversation turned to a darker light, Maiah quietly took a sip from her drink, listening closely to what Tifa had to say as she took a seat in one of the bar stools nearby. No other patrons were in here except them,now that Maiah had glanced around. She hoped that she hadn't been responsible for causing Tifa to lose business unless people had just left for the night.

"I'm sure we all could do without Sephiroth." She, too, gave a nod at this. The return of the One Winged Angel was scary. The whole SOLDIER program had been a bust, in Maiah's eyes. It seemed like ever since Genesis went berserk, the others followed in his footsteps. The only one that hadn't gone insane was Zack but Shinra had him eliminated. It was a pity that the Turks couldn't get a hold of him first before Shinra got to him. They would've let him live. Now, Zack was back according to Tifa and so was Aerith. Maiah had never met Aerith but she had heard about the last Cetra. She had been responsible for the Planet waking up in time to stop Meteor from destroying them all and it.

Maiah listened as Tifa spoke wondering about what was happening with the Planet. Honestly, everyone was wondering the same thing. The portals had Maiah wondering if their world was becoming unstable once again. If that were the case, she wondered how and why. She gave a nod when Tifa mentioned that she knew Maiah didn't have all the answers. Shinra still had yet to discover what laid behind everything. All they knew right now was some sort of mysterious organization that called itself PSICOM was responsible for people becoming L'Cie and wreaking havoc whenever they were here.

"We're not exactly sure what's going on either. The portals does worry us, making us think our Planet might finally die off on us. Since the portals though, we've discovered an organization going by the name of PSICOM. It's because of them that a lot of trouble has been afoot. They're said to be behind the whole L'Cie thing back from their world Cocoon. Frankly, I'm not sure if that's the whole truth but they're definitely a nuisance. A few of us Turks have encountered them numbers of times already. In one case, they had been attempting to mind control a whole town in Wutai."

[Tifa Lockhart]

This just wasn’t the most cheerful of meetings, not that Tifa met most of the people in her life due to calm and quiet meetings like this, just the topic of conversation was more of a downer. Tifa wasn’t going to make a deal about it though, this was simply sharing information that needed to be passed on to someone else who needed it. Of course ShinRa would want to know about Sephiroth and anything else that could be potentially dangerous not only to themselves but the rest of Gaia, it wasn’t like Tifa would lie about those sorts of things as it was. She had responsibilities as a former member of AVALANCHE, as a monk, and just as an all around honest person to warn people of these things, Turks included, especially since she was trying to mend those ties to a few people.

As grateful as the brunette was for the lives of Aerith and Zack being well restored, she would rather not deal with Sephiroth nor his remnants. It just seemed that anytime you got rid of Sephiroth, he’d simply come back time and time again, wasn’t it about time that he was eliminated for good? Shaking her head with a bit of a sigh attached, she began to wonder, he was something like…a cockroach. You could cut its head off but it would still be able to walk around, that’s the only analogy she could accurately come up with, and it sent a shiver down her spine. Folding her arms loosely across her stomach, she was just…not sure what to make of it, how to prepare for more fights, she had children to look after here, Denzel and Marlene were not going to come to any harm, it just worried her that something bad would make its way here to the bar and they could be in danger. Tifa was strong, but she wasn’t SOLDIER strong…it made her once more grateful that there were people like Zack and Cloud in her life, though she was hardly a damsel in distress, a few extra hands on the battlefield never hurt.

Now switching gears and talking about the portals, Tifa was just as curious as to their existence, why they were appearing now instead of a few years ago, what about the Planet had changed in those few years? Well, there was Sephiroth, the near destruction of Gaia altogether, and the geostigma, but how could you tie something like that to portals? Speaking of PSICOM, Tifa jerked herself out of her thoughts and gave Maiah a knowing look. “PSICOM…a lovely bunch.” She said rather sarcastically and it was clearly shown in her voice that she didn’t care for the foreign military group that was stalking around her own world’s streets. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was their fault for creating these new gateways between worlds. It’s a shame we can’t just shove them back through one of those portals back to where they belong. Don’t people know when to leave well enough alone anymore?” It was because of those portals that PSICOM appeared, and with them came those Fal’Cie that disguised themselves through the city and the rest of Gaia, it was their fault that Tifa and Zack had been branded L’Cie, though that time was behind her now, still…it would’ve been nice not having to go through it at all, oh well…that was in the past, it was best to just leave it there for now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:[/color] 678
Muse:[/color] Good
Tagged:[/color] Maiah!
Wearing:[/color] Already linked
Listening To:[/color] The Fray
Notes:[/color] Nada!

[mafemale]

Maiah could tell by Tifa's voice that she didn't like PSICOM one bit. Obviously, she had encountered them a few times, if not just once. Most of those that encountered PSICOM always had a bad experience with them. Maiah hadn't met many herself but they weren't a good bunch at all. There had even been a report from Ethan, Two Guns, that a unit of them had been trying to make some sort of mind control device. Whether such a thing could ever work or not, Maiah was glad that attempt had been thwarted. There was no telling what the foreign military would do next but she hoped they wouldn't try something like that again. It was difficult enough defending their world against Sephiroth and his remnants in the past already. The planet and its inhabitants needed a break. Unfortunately, fate had something else in store for them all it seemed.

Listening to what Tifa was saying about PSICOM, Maiah had nodded her head in agreement. Indeed, she wouldn't doubt it either if PSICOM was behind everything. There were just so many of them appearing out of the blue lately and interfering with the way of things that Maiah guessed it was some sort of invasion. Now that she thought about it, she could mention the thing she came up with to either Rod, Ethan or Reno. The three would just get a good laugh at the idea of PSICOM being "aliens" invading their world. Honestly, it was technically true even though they didn't have green skin and big, bulbous eyes that one would expect of an alien. Maiah mentally scolded herself for letting her mind wander towards that as she refocused on Tifa once more.

"Agreed. We suspect, considering the wide number of PSICOM members we have found, that this is no mere accident. There are far too many of them just happening upon the planet to be a mistake of walking through a portal in their own world. Everything they do is organized and along with their arrival, odd creatures had appeared. It's a pity we have not yet figured out a means to invade their world in return and teach them a thing or two about invading another world and meddling with it like they do. Shinra has thus far thwarted their attempt at a mind control device and have been locating tracking devices left and right. One device had even sent Leviathan berserk. PSICOM needs to be taught a lesson but just defeating them here on our own turf is not enough. Hopefully,a scientist will be able to come up with a way for us to travel between worlds on a safer level so that we may finally pay PSICOM a visit on their own turf and possibly eliminate them for their wrong doings."

She gave a sigh then, glancing at her glass before taking another sip of it. "I have to wonder just how many other worlds are out there and just how large of a picture this all is. If there are other worlds involved, it could mean more enemies like Sephiroth. We need to figure out how to eliminate PSICOM and also seal all of the portals popping up."