Cloud & Tifa

[Cloud Strife]

Cloud remained stoic throughout the entirety of Tifa's attempt at explaining, the blond's face, if anything, was growning graver as she spoke of the possibility that these people were after the group as a whole. A sigh escaped him as he leaned against the door, watching her as she paced back and forth. Mako blues shut as he thought, reviewing what had transpired, what had been said, and what Tifa was saying now. Reopening, he pursed his lips and pushed off of the wall, walking forward so that he could put his hands on her shoulders and look her dead in the eye.

"The others must not know of this. Vincent only, simply because he was already here. I personally think that they want all of us to conglomerate into one group and attack us accordingly. I don't know why, and I don't know what their cause for doing such a thing is....hell, I don't even know who 'they' are. But I do know that someone is out to get one, or all, of us. We can't let that happen." He stated soundly, before finally pulling Tifa into an embrace which he knew she needed. It was gentle so as not to disturb her injury, his hand gripping the back of her head and running his hand through it - the children briefly forgotten. Mako blues lifted to regard the children then, a touch of a smile upon his features as he did so. "You don't need to go at this alone, Tifa. I am here now, and I have no intention of leaving anytime soon." The blond stated this as if it were fact - directing it at the children as well even though he only mentioned Tifa in it.

Amidst that little conversation, Vincent had picked up the corpse and tossed it over his shoulder, crimson gaze shifting to land upon Reno. "Mm. I find it to be severely disturbing." The man of mystery commented, before departing and doing what had been silently asked of him. Upon his return a little while later, he would also begin helping Reno with fixing everything up, at least to some extent. They weren't workers here, but they could at least fix what the bastard had fucked up, eh? "The fact that this man was so intent on killing Tifa just to see the reactions of her friends is what bothers me the most. The mania he seemed to hold within him..." He would turn to regard the redhead. "..what do you think that means? Could he be just a radical? I doubt it."

[Tifa Lockhart]

Reno finished picking up the smashed bottle he was dealing with before he turned to face Vincent, well used to the peculiarity of THIS particular friend. His question regarding Tifa's attacker mimicked his own curiosity.
"Definitely maniacal... i was there when he was speaking to Tifa and he got very nasty very suddenly..." Reno frowned lightly and ran a hand through his hair in thought.
"He was devoted to say the least... and intent on finding out where all your other buddies are..." He shrugged and picked up another broken bottle, pouting to discover it was his favourite drink that had been lost.
"I'll see what i can dig up for you... till then i'd watch your backs, not that you don't anyway but... there's someone out to get you folks."

Tifa was very much afraid... even with Cloud there... and Vincent... she was terrified for the children's safety.. these people seemed to be intent on aiming for weaknesses within their group in order to cripple them. And the children were a dire weakness for nearly all of them. She refused to break under the building pressure though, Tifa had always been one to lock things away to such an extent that anyone who didn't know her better could have sworn she didn't care.
So now she leaned into Cloud's embrace, hoping to calm herself down and conceal her panic. Cloud's decision to not alarm the others sounded like a good one to her. Her wound ached dully, reminding her of Reno.
"Shouldn't-... shouldn't we go down and thank Reno and Vincent?" She suggested.

[Cloud Strife]

Vincent listened as Reno spoke, nodding every so often but finding little to comment on. After all, this was Vincent, after all. He talked less than Cloud...and that was an accomplishment. Crimson gaze regarded the red-head for a time, only to lean against the wall suddenly and frown. "I am sure you know that we appreciate any help you might offer. Perhaps you should contact Rude, as well?" He idly inquired before shrugging and emitting a sigh. This did not bode well at all. If there were people after their lives, as Tifa expected, it seemed like they would be going after weaknesses within the group. So far that meant the children, Tifa, maybe the church that Cloud was rather fond of.

He wasn't sure, but he did know that they needed to cover all bases...and even though they thought it was better to keep everyone else uninformed...

Vincent thought differently.

Gaze shifted to land on the stairwell, then, lips pursing as he fell deeper into thought.

Cloud, on the other hand, held Tifa in that embrace for a moment longer before finally releasing her and nodding. "Yes." His only comment considering the fact that he usually spoke less than he had all day. Ha ha. Either way, he took a step back, awaiting for Tifa to pass, and once she did he would turn to the children and extend his hands towards them. "Come. I'm not willing to leave you both alone right now." D'aw. The blond offered up a reassuring smile, his paternal side beginning to shine through. These kids were important to him and Tifa...as well as Vincent and the rest of their group of friends. Either way, if the kids chose to take his hands he would then lead them downstairs in order to do as Tifa mentioned - thank Vincent and Reno for their help...and then question Vincent as to WHY he was here and just HOW he got here so fast. Lol. xD The man was...unbelievable. Always nearby when you needed him and never close by when you just wanted to chat.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Denzel looked at Marlene with a reassuring expression, the young girl still clinging to his arm. Once she seemed content that everything really was alright, her and her adoptive brother walked forward hand in hand, parting only when they reached Cloud to take one of his hands in theirs.
"Tifa's alright isn't she Cloud?" Marlene then asked, "it sounded terrible from up here... and she was bleeding quite a bit..."

Tifa withdrew from Cloud's embrace slowly and then made her way towards the door and out down the stairwell back into the bar. She found Vincent leaned against a wall, looking in her direction, she gave him a thankful smile before he crimson eyes roamed to find the suited Red head, who had still managed to tackle her attacker while mildly intoxicated, something she considered an achievement.
It seemed the Turk had tidied a little of her mess.
"Thankyou Reno..." She said gently as she approached him. The Turk seemed more than happy to lap up her thanks.
"Anytime. I just love knocking guys down." He had a chuckle at his own joke before he glanced towards to door and then over to where Cloud had just appeared at the bottom of the staircase, children in tow.
"I'm thinkin' of dashin' off and talking to Rude and Tseng. This sorta stuff just isn't DONE anymore... these creeps need to keep up with the times." There was a sort of crude smirk, Reno still found it so ironic that the Turks now found themselves opposing everything they'd stood for in the days of Shinra.

[Cloud Strife]

Cloud glanced down to Marlene as she inquired about Tifa once the woman had departed, a sigh escaping him as he watched her as she left. "Yes, she is fine. She was bleeding, but it was not a critical injury and Vincent got to her in plenty of time." He reassured, hand giving hers a gentle squeeze before leading the kids down the stairwell. Upon doing so, he spotted the trio, his own lips quirking upward in slight at Reno and Vincent.

"Sounds like a smart idea, Reno." The blond stated offhandedly before continuing. "Thank you both." A nod followed, finding that his random thanks was better than none...and his antisocial personality wouldn't have called for anything else. Hell, god forbid he go up one on one and give them a hug or something. He was perfectly content with spouting it off and letting them acknowledge it accordingly. Besides, Cloud had two kids holding his hands - thus his excuse. Ha ha.

Vincent, meanwhile, nodded towards Reno and then to Tifa, before spotting Cloud. His own words were precise and to the point, not bothering to acknowledge the thanks for he knew that they realized he would do it for any one of their 'group'. "I am going to check out around the bar and make sure that nobody is planning an ambush." In a billow of crimson cloak and silent mystery, the pale man departed promptly, only to utter as he left. "You're welcome."

[Tifa Lockhart]

Tifa didn't stop to think for even a moment now. She was completely nerved ridden as she bustled about finishing off what Reno had started, glancing up every now and again to check on Cloud and the children, ensuring they were still present. It seemed Tifa would have a hard time letting any of them out of her sight for the time being. As it was she watched Vincent leave with a nervous eye.

"I'll be back." Reno said, straightening his suit again as he headed for the door. "I'll be in contact." He then left muttering something about society.

Tifa watched him go before she turned back to Cloud and the children. She went to say something, but then decided against it and fell silent.

((Just so you know, these guys are pretty smooth. So there'd be attacks on the gang whenever they seize an opportunity.))

[Cloud Strife]

(So, basically they'll go after them when they're by themselves? Gimme some insight as to what these dudes are capable of. :3)

Vincent continued checking the perimeters, idly muttering to himself about aggrivating people and uncooperative criminals.

Cloud nodded again as Reno left and once he was out of earshot he frowned, glancing down at the children then with warm, mako blue eyes. "Why not go help around the area and fix things up. I've got to talk to Tifa." He stated, and once they wandered off he would walk over to the obviously worried woman. "How is your injury?" The blond inquired as he snatched up a broken bottle and began sweeping up the pieces surrounding it. "Did Vincent say one way or the other how bad it was? He's rather efficient in the medic department, being a former Turk and all." The man stated, attempting to take her mind off of the immediate worries.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Tifa watched as the children released Cloud's hands and moved off to do as their father figure bid them. She then rung her hands once and turned to Cloud, giving him a quick smile before she stooped to help him with the glass.
"It hurts a little.... Vincent didn't say anything about it i'm afraid..." She gave him another sad smile and placed a hand on her side where the nicely stitched wound was. "I'm sure i'm alright."

((OK so these guys have some major ass vendetta against the gang, i haven't quite worked out EXACTLY why yet (Suggestions welcome) but lets just consider that the gang have done a LOT that could earn them enemies XD. Anyway, this group is likely to take them out individually if a chance crops up, but they'd do it QUIETLY and subtly. These lot make no mistakes. Their MAIN goal however is to get everyone together and take them all out at once, and they're fanatical enough to do WHATEVER it takes to cause that. Their main target is Cloud though, hence the attacks are more likely to occur on people AROUND him, rather than on himself, that doesn't mean they wont take a VERY CAREFULLY PLANNED shot at him from time to time XD
Basically, they're subtle, they make no mistakes, which makes them very hard to track.))

[Cloud Strife]

Cloud nodded as he listened to what Tifa had to say, emitting a sigh when she stated that Vincent hadn't really said anything about it...Either way, he trusted the man so he figured that it must not have been too serious. "Take it easy, alright?" He stated, while continuing to clean up the room to the best of his ability. The wall went forgotten for the time being, finding that being closer to Tifa was probably making her a little more at ease...

...at least, at ease until shots were heard outside of Seventh Heaven.

BLAM BLAM BLAM. Pause. BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM. Silence.

Cloud immediately darted up the stairwell, grabbing his big ass blade, before turning around and hauling ass outside of the bar. He knew those shots anywhere. He knew Cerberus' particular ammo and the way it sounded when it went off...

And all seven of those shots belonged to someone else.

"VINCENT!" He hollared, making sure to stay in the doorway so that he didn't leave the children and Tifa defenseless. Sure, Tifa could hold her own easily enough, but she had the children to take care of. The blond would not leave her to defend them alone...and Vincent was also extremely capable of defending himself. Hell, he was probably more capable than even Cloud, himself was. Mako blue eyes searched the now darkened sky desperately, only to glance towards the left and spot something shining in the dim light that the bar gave off.

A weapon.

Pursing his lips, he called again. "Vincent! Vincent?!" He yelled for the man, only to suddenly feel a hand on his shoulder. Whirling around he saw the crimson-clad man - a sigh of relief emitting forth at the sight of him. "What happen--?" No sooner had Vince touched him that the man crumpled, kneeling there while clutching his side. Teeth grit as he looked up at Cloud, crimson gaze wracked with what definitely could only be described as agony. What was going on...?

"Vinc..ent?" He murmered, hand extending as if to help the man up...only to suddenly have it swiped away - a gutteral snarl erupting forth from the usually silent mystery. Looking up at Cloud again, the color of his eyes changed - Chaos.

Chaos had answered Vincent's unspoken screams. "Shit!" All at once, Cloud knew that he had to leave Vince alone, dart into the bar, and let the man heal. Chaos' form usually solved any injury problems for the ebony haired man, and thus why it often took over when he was hurt. The blond ran inside, slamming the door behind him and locking it - glancing towards Tifa and shaking his head. "This is not good. Take the children and go upstairs. Vincent was injured and Chaos is taking over so we need to let him calm down on his own time. In other words, we don't want an accidental casualties." Hint hint. Ultimately, if Vincent lost complete control over himself.....he would go hunting.

[Tifa Lockhart]

The moment the shots were fired Tifa had to clap a hand over her mouth to stop herself screaming. Marlene was not so successful at stifling her fear, she began to cry and Denzel grabbed her into a hug. As Cloud rushed out to see what had happened Tifa gestured the kids over, hugging one under each arm.
They crouched behind the bar, wrought with terror.
"Everything will be just fine... you'll see... Vincent's tough..." Tifa repeated, more for her own benefit than the children's. This was her fault... Vincent had come to her aid and now it was possible that something had happened.

It was only when she heard Cloud reentered that she came out from behind the bar, clutching tightly to the children's hands, keeping them behind her protectively.
"C-Chaos?" She stuttered, eyes wide as Cloud told her what had happened. Vincent had been hurt... and badly enough to need Chaos. She'd seen him heal as a normal human before, smaller scale wounds didn't seem to be a problem... he must have been hurt pretty badly.
Silence being the only sure sign of Tifa's terror she did not speak again. Her eyes remained wide and glassy as she turned to pick Marlene up, still clinging to Denzel's hand as if she was afraid to let go.
Her dream seemed like it might just come to fruition.
She crossed to the foot of the stairs and looked at Cloud, biting her lip.
"You think they'll attack Reno and the Turks?" She asked him before she began climbing the stairs. Reno had helped her... could that possibly make him a target?

[Cloud Strife]

Vincent snarled outside of the Seventh Heaven, not turning completely. He had swiped at Cloud specifically for the reason that he did not wish to turn while he was around - rather ashamed by the beast that lurked within him. Gutteral snarls continued to exit his mouth as he fought against Chaos' inevitable control..until at last he succumbed. Beast form erupted forth - cape of crimson still adhorning Vincent in an almost eery manner. Creature soon found itself climbing up the side of the building, heavy footfalls sounding atop the roof as it sought out its attacker - nose lifting into the air in order to catch any form of lingering scent that remained in the area. Nothing. They knew what they were dealing with.

Golden orbs scrutinized the surrounding vicinity - hulking form remaining atop the roof in order to act as sentry. He could not contain himself around the children, Tifa, and Cloud...but when away from other humans...Vincent had slight control over his actions. Should another barrage of bullets come his way..this time Chaos would be ready; skulking along the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Cloud remained inside with Tifa - regarding the door with a seemingly calm expression on his face. Mako blues shifted to land on her though when she spoke - inquiring about Chaos and whether or not Reno and the Turks would be alright. A frown appeared upon his features, a sigh following shortly after. "Yes, Chaos...and I don't know what will happen to Reno, Rude and the rest of the Turks. I'm sure that they will be fine. After all, they are well-trained professionals. This is their job." He stated, before finally hearing the footsteps on the roof. Tense, he waited...until they grew silent.

"...It seems that Chaos has found its roosting point for the evening. He'll probably be up there until he changes back." He informed, before returning his attention back to Tifa and the children. "Until then, none of you are to go outside. Stay here and close up the bar. We don't want Chaos killing a customer or five." Sigh. Such trouble.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Tifa sat the children down on the bed and nodded to Cloud acknowledging his instructions.
"We'll stay here." Tifa said, nodding her head gently. She then took a seat between the children and pulled them into a hug. Marlene was crying softly.
"C'mon Marlene... you're a brave girl." Tifa comforted, looking up at Cloud in a forlorn way.
"I want Papa to be here." The young girl cried.
Again Tifa looked at Cloud. "I guess it's a good thing that we don't know where Barrett is right now... it's probably better everyone stayed right away...." She sighed and stroked Marlene's hair in a comforting way.
Denzel sat beside her, silent and ghostly pale.

Reno had got quite some distance away by the time Vincent was attacked, and so he did not know any further harm had befallen any more of the crew. He was in his car, on his way to heilan to meet with Tseng and the others. He decided to notify them via his radio, which SOMEONE would be monitoring... hopefully.
"Reno to Headquarters." He said boredly, though there was a note of seriousness in his tone that would surprise anyone who knew him well enough.

[Cloud Strife]

Cloud nodded when Tifa acknowledged and listened to his instructions, a sigh escaping him as he took a seat directly next to the three. An arm moved to encircle Tifa's shoulders in an embrace while his other arm moved to tug Marlene into his lap - hoping that this rare affection he was expressing would reassure them all. Denzel would be regarded, a smile (though small) offered towards him gently before he motioned for him to come on over. "Mm...I swear to you all that everything will be fine. But again, Tifa, I think we should keep tonight out of our conversations. As soon as we let it slip that we were attacked, every one of our friends is going to come running. We can't let that happen.." He murmered softly, knowing that it would be the perfect opportunity to pick them off in one fell swoop. Sigh. Mako blues shifted to glance upward when he heard footsteps on the roof again - lips pursing. Perhaps Vincent was back to normal, finally?

"I'm going to go lock up and check on Vincent. You three should probably try to sleep. Okay?" He would state, giving them all a light squeeze to reassure them again before rising and heading downstairs. Sure enough, that familiar crimson-clad man opened the door. "Vincent! Are you alright? How badly were you hurt?" The blond asked sharply, worried for his friend's health.

The pale man moved his cape out of the way to reveal a massively blood-stained shirt and pants. "I was shot twice from behind - I had no time to react. These guys are not your average fanatics. They are good. Very good. Professional good." He informed, before Cloud chimed in again. "....Great. Just great." A sigh. "Well, there is nothing we can do about it right now. Are your injuries still...you know...there?" A nod followed. "Yes, but they are mostly healed at this point. Chaos' recovery time takes very little effort and is extremely efficient. I will be fine." The ex-SOLDIER heaved another sigh of relief before nodding. "It's best you come inside then. Locking up." Vincent promptly walked in and headed upstairs to let Tifa know that he was fine while Cloud finished locking up.

Meanwhile, Rude picked up the radio. "Copy that Reno. What's your status?" Precise and to the point, as always.

[Tifa Lockhart]

"En route to headquarters. Have some messy buisness i need to discuss. Everyone in? Over." The red head shifted gears casually, eyes pinned on the road ahead. Things were troubling him, the attack on Tifa.
Of course he was unaware of any further threat to the groups safety, had he known there'd been more he would have been a little more efficient in his driving.

Tifa leaned in the Cloud's embrace, enjoying it while it last, but when he stood and moved away she simply watched with concerned eyes. Cloud gone she stood and gestured to the children.
"Let's put you two to bed huh?" She suggested, kissing their foreheads and helping them settle in. Denzel was still pale and had not uttered a word since before Tifa was hurt, Marlene wished Tifa a quiet goodnight before she snuggled up in her bed, hugging the covers tightly.
Tifa did not go far from their room, she checked the window was locked tighter than ever and then moved to stand outside the door, leaving it slightly ajar.
Here she would wait for Cloud to return, hopefully with Vincent in tow. She was worried about their mysterious companion.

Seeing the scarlet caped man walking up towards her relaxed Tifa's heart a little.
"Oh Vincent you're alright." She whispered, not leaving her post by the children's door but expressing her relief through her eyes.
"You don't need me to return the favour?" She asked, gesturing to her side where he had sewn up her wound earlier. She assumed that the man did not, but if there was any way of her repaying his kindness, she wanted to know.

[Cloud Strife]

"Copy that, Reno. Group's all here and ready when you are. See you soon. Over." Replied the red-head's partner, before glancing over at Tseng and the others. "Looks like we've got some issues to take care of, eh?"

Cloud finished locking up with relative ease and no problems to speak of, only to follow after Vincent a short while later - a sigh escaping him. Geez. Today uh...sucked. A lot.

Vincent regarded Tifa in kind, emotionless features staying devoid of any form of uh...emotion. Lol. Crimson gaze fixated upon her as she spoke, a shake of his head following her kind words. "No, I am alright. My injuries are almost completely healed. I will be in my quarters." He stated, only to walk past her and into the room that he had claimed as his own. Ha ha. After all, Vincent was a common appearence within the Seventh Heaven. Whenever Cloud wasn't around, Vince was lurking nearby. The blond had specifically requested it, asking him and therefore the crimson-clad man had no way of denying it. S'not like he had anything better to do, either.

Cloud got up the stairs just in time to see a part of Vincent's cloak disappear around the corner, a shake of his head following before glancing to Tifa. "Kids in bed?" The ex-SOLDIER inquired calmly, mako blues seeking the ajar door and peering inside himself just for the sake of doing it.

As Reno was driving, he had no idea that he was being followed - the sleek black vehicle remaining inconspicous and keeping a fair distance between himself and what the red-head was driving. Cruel smirk was on the man's face as he continued driving, three other men in the seats inside. One held some sort of extravagently created gun, another had a sword, and the other two seemed to be carrying nothing. Ah, what lie ahead for the Turks?