A Day Off Finally (Tifa)

[Cloud Strife]

Cloud was calm again..... odd.

Just an hour earlier he had confronted his nightmare. The demon that haunted his dreams... Sephiroth.. in the flesh. Only an hour earlier he had showed up at the 7th Heaven, and began his normal series of taunts and jeers towards the blond haired warrior. Under normal circumstances, he and his eternal enemy would have come to blows, and battled back and forth until one eventually gained the upper hand on the other, and sent him to his demise. This time it had been different... Sephiroth had only taunted him, not quite attacked, and this time around Cloud didn't have to respond with violence. Any other time right now, he'd be tending too his wounds after the transpiration of an epic battle....

Instead he was at the swimming pool. Sitting beside it, and gazing out on the open water. There weren't many others around... a couple teenagers here and there, an old couple or two. That was lucky... he didn't deal well with huge crowds, preferring the company of a handful of close friends, rather than a throng of strangers. He had to admit, Tifa had chosen well. He preferred this almost impossibly more than he would have a crowded amusement park, and even more than... a strip club. His eyebrow twitched at the the thought. Never had he expected that suggestion to come from the brown haired female's mouth... and he was still uncertain whether or not she was joking about it. He smiled at the thought of watching sexily dressed women remove their already revealing clothes with his childhood friend. It left some wonders in his mind about the stage of their relationship, but that was a conundrum that could be solved later...

For now he waited, sitting back in his chair and observing the people in the water silently. He was still mostly clothed, unlike everyone else here, his shirt still on, though he was wearing swimming trunks. He'd jump in the water and pull of his shirt when Tifa got here, but not before... instead his mind wandered aimlessly, drifting from subject so subject like always. Life was changing for him again, just as he had settled into an area of comfort, he was dragged out of it again. Was it too much to ask for some semblance of normalcy in his life? Maybe the others could deal with this life style... guys like Barret and Vincent were born warriors, people like Yuffie lusted for adventure... but despite the fact that he was like that once, he no longer craved for that life style. His thoughts drifted back to his childhood, back when he wished nothing more than to be just like the SOLDIERs that represented the elite class of warrior throughout Midgar. Initially he had failed at this dream... then he had surpassed it... now he wished none of it had ever happened. The pain that he had experienced during his travels made him wish that he had never dreamed of being great as a youth.

But no. He had recovered... finally he was whole again. And those pains had made him who he was today. He would move forward now..., with no regrets. Hell, maybe soon he would recapture the Cloud of old, the ambitious joking youngster. Even now, he still thought of Zack as the ideal personality, care-fee... nonchalant, but still retaining a serious air when the situation called for it. That was how he'd been before, and being serious all the time was starting to wear on him. He looked around and yawned...

No more serious thoughts... he'd enjoy the rest of his day off. God knew he deserved one. The joys of his delivery service were great, but every once in awhile it was tiring. And besides, he could see Tifa's need for contact every time he was home. They were slightly estranged, seeing as he only saw her and the kids every once in awhile. He'd take more time off in the future, if not for himself, then for her benefit. And eventually he'd get a job in Edge, so he could be closer to her and Denzel and Marlene. Or maybe he'd attempt to hire an employee to do more of the nonessential delivery's, while he only took those he'd get personal pleasure out of.

He yawned again, slightly tired from work and such... what was taking Tifa so long?

[Tifa Lockhart]

Tifa was taking a long time in getting ready. She had asked for Cloud to go on ahead and make his way to the pool. He seemed less affected than her by the incident. After Cloud had left the bar, Tifa has a silent break down, though she cried no tears. Sephiroth had come and gone in her life many times now, and she knew that it was her fate to continuously to encounter him for the rest of her life. Her blonde-haired friend was the reason why, though it was not his fault at all. Every time that he had left, she had always understood why. There was too much at stake, and she knew that Cloud could never live with the guilt of losing more people in his life. She feared that one more death would cause him to break.

The brunette sighed, her hands shaking against the bar, each tremble driving her fingernails against the bar. The tapping noise was grating, so she decided to get up and try to have a pleasant day. Cloud would always be there to save the kids, right? She slowly made her way up the steps into her room, the bright rays of sun beaming in through the windows. To an outsider, it would appear as if nothing had happened. And there she went again, her thoughts spiraling. That bastard just wouldn't stay dead, and it was the most aggravating shit that could ever happen. It was more aggravating than Cloud's mood swings, Yuffie being Yuffie, and Barrett and Cid's loud obnoxious mouths. Well, that was enough of thinking on that. He was gone for now, and why not live every second of life to the fullest?

Now she needed to think of what to wear. The girl was naturally big-busted, and very curvaceous in general. It was hard to find something to wear that wasn't overly revealing. That was going to be very hard with her girls. Placing a finger to her lip, she made her way over to the closet. She opened the door, her brown eyes meeting the vast array of clothes that she had; normal for any woman. Humming despite the earlier confrontation, she slowly sifted through all of the bathing suits. Luck would have it that she had no one pieces. When swimming when Cloud wasn't around, she could care less what anyone thought of her, but with him around, she wanted to be more classy. Sadly, that something very hard to do since she had nothing that was even close to appropriate. Sure, it covered everything, but because of her damn body she had to live with being called a slut every time she walked around in a bathing suit. However, she would be in the water...

Tifa smirked once she realized that. She could simply throw her towel to the side as she jumped into the water. A mischievous smirk spread across her face. Going against her original thoughts, she decided to go on ahead and pick out one of her sluttier bathing suits. It gave little coverage, the strings that tied around her neck being very small. The string connecting the bottom of her bra-like top was thin as well, and spread out. Her bottom half was small as well though it covered all of her girly bits, showing a bit more of her but, but all well. The strings on that went around her hips and tied into a knot on the right side. All black. This was a sexy outfit indeed.

Once all of her clothing was removed, Tifa spread a small amount of sun lotion on her chest, shoulders and face, making sure to massage very well on her breasts. Those would hurt like a bitch if they got burned. Slowly she put the bikini on, her long hair giving her trouble with tying the knot in the back. After all of that was done, she walked over to the mirror and stood staring at herself for a good few minutes. Well, it wasn't all that bad. It still covered her breasts pretty good. Turning to the side, she took a glance at her butt. That revealed a bit more than what she wanted.. but what the hell. At least it wasn't a thong. Having more decency than to walk around the street like this, she put on a pair of black jogging capri's and a white t-shirt. Slipping into a pair of black flip-flops, she decided against putting her hair up.

Now that the long ordeal of picking out an outfit was over, she quickly made her way through the busy streets. It was very rare for someone to dress like this, she received a few odd looks, but once they saw her towel in hand, they looked away. Naturally, she ignored everyone, her mind focused on the task at hand. Swimming with Cloud. This put a little pep into her step, and within no time she was there.

It didn't take her very long to spot Cloud. She was approaching him from behind, so maybe she could pull a sneak on him. Raising her eyebrow, she quietly slipped her sandals off, once again not minding the other people who were around. An elderly couple and a few kids here and there, no biggie. Yet, her bathing suit would cause a biggie. Elderly people surely wouldn't appreciate that, and horny teenage boys would love it. But for once, she finally said to herself, 'who gives a damn? Not me!' With that, she quietly removed her clothes, leaving her in nothing but her bathing suit. Ignoring everyone else, she quickly ran up behind Cloud, jumping high into the air over him, her laugh booming out over the water before she was engulfed into the cold waters. Holy shit, that was cold.. And holy shit, the pool wasn't as deep as what she had thought. Her toe was hurting now, but it would be even more of a pain later.

No worries. Rising to the top to catch her breath, her hair blocked her vision. She really had no clue of where Cloud was at until she pulled her hair away. Right there in front of her, of course. "Hiya Cloud," she spoke, a large grin on her face. She still kept herself underwater for the most part. "Sorry it took me so long. I was having clothing difficulties," she spoke once more, being very secretive about those difficulties. He probably already knew with his comments from earlier.

Looking up at the sky, she began to float on her back, forgetting all about being conservative in the water. By now, she had given up. It wasn't her fault, though she wished she could be more like Yuffie. Thinking again, she never wanted to be a stick. "Aren't you going to get in the water?" she questioned, her eyes still up at the sky. Once again, she was in her own little world. She was speaking out to the Cloud that she had in her mind whenever she was pissed at him and needed to yell at him without calling his phone.

By now her hair had turned black and fanned out all around her, creating circular black halo around her head. At least she was here with Cloud so she could unwind. Yuffie was fun to be around when playing pranks on people and other various activities, but it was to relax for once with someone who just wanted to do the same.

[Cloud Strife]

It certainly did take women a long time to get ready. For Cloud's part, all he had done was grabbed a pair of white and blue trunks, a towel, and a shirt and he was off. But Tifa... at least he wasn't the impatient type. He sat still, no longer allowing his mind to wander freely as he had been moments earlier. He didn't want to be too melancholy or serious when his friend actually turned up... besides, this was his day off. After today, who knew what chaos would begin in the world. Sehpiroth was back... what else could go wrong?

"Live in the now...."

That was what Zack would say right now, if he were still alive. He couldn't mope around too much about what had already transpired... as guilty as he often felt, there was no real way to rectify the past… and he could sit and mope about the future, but there was need thinking that far all the time. If only for today, he’d attempt not to worry or feel guilty about anything. Spontaneity… a quality that he lacked, but admired in Zack, Tifa… even in (dare he say it?) Reno. He didn’t that sometimes. What was the point of living if he was unhappy all the time?

He was beginning to zone out, when he felt a rush of air blow over him. In surprise he glanced up, in time to see a vaguely familiar form speed over him. The laugh confirmed his first guess. Tifa… at the sound of her clear laughter, he felt a surge of happiness flow through his own person, and he had to crack a smile at the woman antics. His eyes followed the blur until it hit the water with a splash. Well that was one way to make an entrance. He chuckled softly, and glanced around at the other pool goers, and found amusement in their reactions. Some of the older people just looked miffed, the younger men were laughing, and the few teenage girls that were around were talking and staring in Tifa’s direction.

“Hey there, Tifa.” He said, the small smile from her actions still on his face. Someone was in a good mode, and that put him in a good mode. He stood up, and walked to the edge of the pool, gazing down at the brunette. “Clothing troubles?” He said, raising an eyebrow at the thought. He couldn’t exactly see exactly what she was wearing, her body was largely obscured by the water, but he assumed it was nothing more than a normal bathing suit.
“What kind of trou-” He started, but stopped when she began to float on her back. Immediately his composed nature drop, and he blushed, if only very slightly and only for a moment. Her outfit was a swimming suit for sure, but a little more than just a normal one. Or to be more specific a little less… slightly revealing… and it exacerbated her already nicely sized feminine features. He had no words for a moment, more in awe than anything else. For se second his eyes wandered a bit, but he quickly gathered himself. “Trouble getting it to fit?” He said teasingly, before pulling off his own shirt.

He actually had come with the intent of not swimming, but eh… if he was going to take the more spontaneous approach to life, this would be a good first step right? Without another word he stepped into the water himself. There wasn’t much of a splash, and his own entrance was rather comparatively dull next to Tifa’s dive into the pool, so he didn’t garner much attention… but that was swell, he preferred it that way.

He swam over to where she was floating on top of the water, and treaded next to her. The mood was mellow… he liked it that way, but to share it with another person made it a little more satisfying than usual. “You look great,” He said sheepishly, the only real compliment he could muster up, and he didn‘t really have much to say other than that. Better than his usual silence at least…

[Tifa Lockhart]

Taking a small peek around, Tifa could spot that there were a few who were not satisfied with her approach to 'testing out the waters'. Ignoring the teenage boys, Tifa's eyes caught the gossiping girls and decided to flip her middle finger to them. That should teach those hateful little bitches. "Kids these days," she smirked, looking over at Cloud, an innocent and joyful look on her face despite her previous actions. The splash, much to her dismay, did not affect him at all. Meaning that he did not get wet when that had been half of the plan. Closing her wine-colored eyes, she dipped herself under water, holding her nose with her head tilted back before she resurfaced. It was the most effective way of getting all of that hair out of her eyes. Smoothing back her hair just to make sure, she plopped her arms back into the water before she decided to float.

The cool water soothed her heated body, as well as her racing mind. With every second that passed, she could feel more water gush into her ears, but she didn't care. Her feet -or her toe more than anything- were hurting, and the relaxing movements of the pool calmed her, body and spirit. Clothing troubles, he asked? Well, now he was able to see her clothing troubles. Her breasts were barely held by the small cloth. A bad mistake if she ever wanted to dive into the pool. "Why yes I did," she responded with a wink. It had been quite difficult to fit into. She was so well at ease that she didn't even notice that Cloud was feeling better, and that he was having a quick look at her.

Tifa smirked at him as he took his shirt off. He was not very muscular, but hell, he looked a lot better than Reno. His body had a lovely flow to it, his small rippling muscles amusing her for the time being. Her brown eyes glanced away as if she hadn't been staring at all. Who could blame her though? Finally she had this great man before her. Shirtless and getting back to his old self. As he slid into the pool, she had an interesting idea. Her balls fisted, arm reaching back and then jutting out as quickly as she could through the water. However, that was not fast at all. The water was breaking her speed, and making her practice punch useless. Well, that sucked. She had never noticed how much water could slow down the momentum of a forceful hit before. This would be a nice way to train though.. She would have to keep that in mind for later.

She looked great. The almost reluctant sound in his voice made nearly made her blush. And the more she thought about it, the more she was getting close to blushing. Ah shit, she was blushing. "Thanks," she replied nervously, turning her head away from him. Clearing her throat, she looked back at him, her brown eyes meeting his blue one's though he would probably just look away. "You look awesome." A cheesy grin crossed her lips, her thumb raising into the air at him, giving her best 'awesome' pose. Hell, her stupid talks was one way to get the conversation rolling. Eyes rolling over to the mini bar, she contemplated for a moment. Once she started to consider it, she decided against it; for now. Wasting money wasn't exactly her thing. In fact, she would mix and match her clothes and make the oddest of things work together.

Scanning the area again, she saw a few floating mats in the water. Perfect. Her mind concocted the perfect scheme. Quickly moving over to the edge, though the water slowed her down again, she climbed out and ran around the edge of the pool. Screw the rules, it was fun time. Running back to the fence, she stopped for a moment, eying her target. Yes, that blue one looked quite nice, and it was in a wonderful position. Once more she took off, her feet flying at a slow speed. She forgot in those few moments about the bathing suit she was wearing, and while nothing was slipping out, it sure was bouncing around a whole hell of a lot.

Nearing the edge, her feet touched for a split second against the edge of the pool. After that, she was air born. She also didn't notice how close the mat was to the side of the pool, but that would be an issue for when it arrived. For now, she was slightly fearful of it and having fun at the same time. Within seconds her feet touched the mat. And another second after that she was falling face first into the water. POP! The left side of her cheek stung like a bitch. Her chest and stomach weren't feeling the best either. That however, was the price of fun.

Surfacing from the bottom, she came up gasping for air. Her left cheek was a little red, but it was all worth it. No longer trying to hide her body because of her shameful bathing suit, she made her way back over to Cloud. She knew he would never want to make a game of something like that, so she didn't ask. She stopped right in front of him, her body close enough to his that she could feel the heat emanating from him. Her eyes lowered, falling half-lidded as she sighed. Slowly she looked up at him. "That was somewhat enjoyable. You have any ideas?" she questioned. While she was happy to just sit back, relax and talk, she didn't really know if he wanted to do that. He was tricky at times, so she would test the waters and see what would come of this day at the pool.