"I'm sorry."
Tifa didn't reply for a moment. She wasn't sure that I'm sorry made up for the things Brent had said to her. Only for a moment though, and then she relented. She couldn't stay mad at him, especially after his apology. It wasn't her nature.
"It's okay," she said. "I know things have been tough on you with our job, with the move and everything. Forget about it."
"That's great Tifa. You're an angel. Still, I'd like to make it up to you. You have work tonight, right? What to you say to an early dinner at the Blue Crab?"
"The Blue Crab?" she repeated, surprised. It was one of the most exclusive, not to mention expensive, restaurants in Junon. "Well, sure, I'd love to, but what about reservations?"
"Already taken care of, my dear," Brent replied. "Dinner for two in the Waterfall Room at three PM sharp."
"You already made them?" she questioned. She had heard it often took months to get reservations there.
"But of course," he replied, and she couldn't help but notice the smugness in his voice. "Being Vice President of South West Operations for Sci-Co. does have its perks you know."
"Okay, I'm impressed," she said.
"I thought you would be," he responded. "So, I'll pick you up around two?"
Tifa looked at the clock on her VCR.
"Oh my god! It's already twelve thirty? I've got to feed Karisa and find a sitter and get ready to go! Ack, what do I have to wear? What did I do with my heels?"
She heard Brent laugh at the other end of the line.
"I'm sure you'll work it all out," he told her.
"Yeah," she said distractedly. "Okay, I'll see you then. Gotta go."
She hastily hung up the phone. Just like a man to ask her out to a really nice place and give her almost no time to get ready.
Okay, she had to admit Brent asking her to got to the Blue Crab bugged her a little. It almost seemed like he felt like he could just buy his way out of any problems they had. Going to the Blue Crab impressed her, but it didn't impress her that much. Still, she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. That was just his way of doing things and she supposed she should be grateful. She hadn't asked him to take her there, right? It had been his choice. And besides, she had to admit to at least a little bit of excitement to be going someplace nice like that. Certainly she'd never be able to afford it on her own.
It wasn't that easy to get a babysitter. Priscilla was already sitting for her later when she went to work, and she didn't think it right to ask the young girl now on top of that. She called Delphine, but she wasn't home. Eventually, Tifa got one of her neighbors in the apartment complex to agree. Tifa didn't really know her that well, but she had babysat for Tifa a few times before. She seemed nice, and she had a child of her own close to Karisa's age.
After getting Karisa fed and over to the neighbors it was time to get herself ready, and she realized she had woefully little to chose from in the way of clothes. In a way that made things easier. She only had a few things that were suitable to wear to a fancy restaurant so she didn't have to spend much time deciding. Even so, she had barely gotten herself presentable when Brent knocked on the door.
She let him in, then retreated to the bathroom to put the finishing touches on her make up. Even when she was done, she still looked at herself critically in the mirror, not completely satisfied. Had she used too much blush?
The door to the bathroom was open, and Brent came up outside and stood there looking at her looking at herself.
"Are you ready?"
"I guess. I wish you would have given me a little more time," Tifa said, fussing with her hair.
"Oh stop, you look beautiful."
Her dress was ice blue, the bodice fit snuggly, leaving smooth, bare shoulders to view. It molded to her waist and hips, the material falling in a sheen of silk that nearly brushed the floor. A slit parted one side only, the front edging ending in row of gentle ruffles, swaying with an easy motion as its wearer moved in matching, strappy heels. She wore a tiny, fragile silver chain around her neck, accompanied by silver tear drop earrings.
"Thanks," she replied with a grateful smile.
Tifa paused for a moment to look Brent over. He was dressed in a gray suit with a black tie and gold tiepin under a black trench coat. As usual, not a hair on his head was out of place. It wasn't a surprise. This was how he always looked. Even when he was dressed casually he still managed to look good. She was a little worried. It seemed to her his clothes were much nicer than hers. She had never been to the Blue Crab, but she suspected most everyone else there would be dressed as well as Brent. She was afraid they'd take one look at what she was wearing and know right away that it didn't compare, that she didn't belong.
Too late to worry about it now, not that there was anything she could do about it anyway. Finally conceding that she was as ready as she would ever be, they left Tifa's apartment and got in Brent's vehicle, a late model luxury car. Just like everything else of Brent's it exuded class and money. As Tifa settled herself into the leather front seat she couldn't help but think of how strange it was that they had ever become a couple in the first place. It wasn't like they both moved in the same circles.
It had just been coincidence really. She had just gotten out of an interview at a martial arts academy across town, in a much nicer part of town than where she lived. The interview had ended early, and she had a little time to kill waiting for the bus to take her back home. There had been a clothing store right next to the academy, and just for the hell of it she had wandered in. Almost everything there was much more than she could afford, but she figured there was no harm in looking.
She had been looking at skirts, a pleated red one with a slit up the back to be precise, when a man behind her commented that it was a good choice for her. She had turned around and there he had been. They had engaged in some small talk. When she told him she was waiting for the bus he had offered to drive her home. She had been hesitant. She didn't really know the guy. He seemed nice but that didn't really mean anything. Still, she was capable of handling herself if anything untoward happened. Even so, that wasn't the main reason for her hesitation. It was obvious from the look of him he was from a much better part of town than she was. Frankly she had been a little embarrassed to tell him where she lived. In the end she hadn't. She'd accepted his ride, but had him drop her off in a nicer part of town, though closer to where she actually lived, then had taken a taxi the rest of the way. He'd asked for her number, and she'd given it to him. It wasn't something she ordinarily did. There had just been something about him. She had a feeling his blue eyes had a lot to do with it, not just for their color, of course, but the way they had looked at her.
You couldn't hear a sound from the outside of the car with the windows up. Tifa stared through the window at the buildings passing silently by. The sky above them was overcast, filled with gray clouds. It wasn't raining, but the threat was there. More like snow, actually, considering how cold it was. Except for those few hours the other day when she had taken Karisa to the beach, she couldn't remember the last nice day they had had here.
Of course, once they had started going out, she had had to tell Brent the truth about where she lived. He had been angry. Not because of where she lived, but because she had lied to him about it, or so he claimed. She had a feeling where she lived did indeed play some part in it. Still, she supposed she couldn't really blame him. They had had a fight, their first one, and she hadn't been sure she'd see him again, but in the end they had made up.
They seemed to be fighting more and more lately. Not a good sign, she was sure. She wasn't sure whose fault it was. It just seemed the more they got to know one another the more critical he became of her. He knew what she was like, and at first he had seemed to accept that, but now it seemed like he had just been biding his time, expecting her to come around to his point of view about things, and was getting frustrated when that didn't happen. Or at least, that was how it seemed to her. She had her faults, she was well aware of that. She wasn't Miss Perfect. Far from it. Still, she wasn't going to change just because someone else felt that she ought to. She had a right to live her life as she saw fit.
Besides, it wasn't like he was all that perfect either. He had his own faults, in her opinion. He was vain, and she found his habit of judging his own worth by how much gil and influence he had (not to mention his obvious pleasure in flaunting those attributes in front of others) more and more disturbing. There was nothing wrong with wanting to be successful, but pursuit of that in disregard to all else was not a healthy thing, in her eyes.
She also wasn't thrilled with the way he treated Karisa. Not that he was ever nasty to her or anything. He always brought her nice gifts on her birthday or holidays. He said hello to her politely when he came over, but that was about it. Most of the time he just ignored her, and she could tell he got annoyed whenever the child interrupted them. It was obvious from his attitude that he really didn't want her around, that he just wasn't interested in her. He acted exactly the way Tifa had expected Reno to act toward her, as a matter of fact. Yet the Ex-Turk had surprised her. He treated Karisa a lot better than Brent did.
She made a face, realizing how ironic that was. Never in her life would she have thought she would ever compare Reno favorably with anyone.
Brent must have noticed the look on her face.
"What?" he asked.
"Huh?"
"What's that face mean?" he asked.
Tifa hesitated a moment.
"Nothing," she replied. "Just... thinking."
He didn't pursue it. Tifa was grateful. She could just imagine what his reaction would be if he knew he was being compared to someone like Reno and coming up short.
Was that what she really thought though? She could hardly believe she was thinking like this. Abruptly she chided herself. Yes, Reno might have treated Karisa well the few times they'd been together, but that didn't mean he would act that way over a prolonged period. For all she knew it was just an act. For all she knew everything he did was just an act. Yeah, he was being nice now but that didn't mean he didn't have his own selfish motives for acting that way, and even if he had changed did that make up for what he had done in the past? Sure, Brent wasn't perfect but he had his good qualities. Yes, they had had a fight but he had apologized and here he was, taking her to a nice restaurant, and instead of being grateful she was sitting here picking him apart.
Abruptly she decided she was being stupid. Brent would have to sink a lot lower to drop to Reno's level. A lot lower. There was no sense in comparing the two. There was no sense in thinking about this at all. She was tired of thinking gloomy thoughts, of gloomy weather, of gloom in general. They were going out to dinner, to have a good time, and she decided she was just going to relax and enjoy herself for once.
The restaurant appeared on their right. Brent pulled into the parking lot, then up to the door. They got out and Brent gave the keys and some gil to the valet, telling him to take good care of the car. Brent took Tifa's hand and they walked into the restaurant.
Tifa hadn't heard all that much about the place, just that it was gorgeous and expensive. She had to admit it lived up to that reputation, the gorgeous part anyway. The first thing she noticed as they entered the lobby/waiting room was the place was filled with light. A row of crystal chandeliers ran along the ceiling, the light from the bulbs refracting off the crystals looking like a glittering sea of stars above their heads. Matching candelabras ran along both walls, adding their own diffuse light to the mix. The most extraordinary thing, however, was the long ornately decorated carpet beneath their feet. There was a pattern of lights that had somehow been woven into the carpet itself, which flickered beneath them as they walked. Tifa had never seen anything like it but she had to admit the effect was strikingly beautiful. The place reminded her of the Gold Saucer, only less gaudy and more... ostentatious? She wondered for a moment if ostentatious was just a fancy way of saying gaudy. Did they mean the same thing? She wasn't sure, but for some reason gaudy just seemed too plain a label for a place like this.
Tifa gripped Brent's arm.
"It's beautiful here," she said.
"Yes it is," Brent replied, sounding much more blasé about it than she did.
Plush chairs and couches with small tables in front filled most of the room around them, where people could relax and wait for their table to become available. It reminded Tifa more of a comfortable living room in someone's mansion than a waiting room in a restaurant. In any case, they walked past all those people to a man standing behind a dark mahogany desk by the entrance to the dining room. Brent gave his name, the man glanced at a list on the table in front of him, then with a nod he led them immediately into the dining room.
The dining room was, well, just as ostentatious as the lobby, if not more so. Smaller versions of the chandeliers in the other room hung from the ceiling here as well. There was no carpet here, the floor was highly polished wood instead. In the center of the room stood a round fountain surrounded by a garden. In the center of the fountain stood a large mound of rock with water cascading down around it on all sides. It was all very outdoorsy, Tifa thought, but very pretty. Along a portion of each wall ran some kind of web, or at least, that's what it looked like at first. Upon closer inspection Tifa saw that there was liquid running slowly down each strand, dripping down and into the framework the web was stretched from. At first she thought it was water but then she realized it was some kind of oil. She was tempted to reach out and touch it as they walked by, but contained her curiosity.
They reached their table and sat down. Tifa looked around at the other customers and saw that, as she had feared , she was indeed woefully underdressed, at least in her eyes. She didn't see one woman there who wasn't loaded down with more jewelry than you could ordinarily find in an small store. She noticed one woman with a diamond on her finger that she barely looked able to lift. Still, it didn't seem as bad as she had thought it might. Although she felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb, no one else really seemed to have noticed. In fact, no one seemed to be paying attention to them at all.
"It's like a dream here," she said to Brent.
Brent nodded.
"And you haven't even tasted the food yet."
The waiter approached, gave them menus and asked if they'd like anything to drink. Brent ordered a bottle of champagne. Tifa, working in a bar, knew her liquor, and she knew that the brand Brent ordered would cost a weeks worth of her salary.
They'd been to nice restaurants before, but none quite as nice as this one. Tifa began to regret all the not so nice things she had been thinking about Brent on the way here. She might not completely agree with him, or his methods, but she didn't think they'd be here if he wasn't genuinely sorry. He was trying to make amends, and this was the best way he knew how to do it. She had to give him credit for that.
"Thank you for bringing me here," she said.
"You're welcome."
The waiter came back a short time later with their champagne. He poured their glasses, then asked if they were ready to order. Not at all surprisingly Brent ordered the most expensive item on the menu. Well, actually Tifa just assumed that was true, for the price of that particular item wasn't even listed. She supposed it was one of those, if you have to ask, you can't afford it things. She selected something considerably more modest in price, relatively speaking of course. To her, there wasn't anything on that menu that could even be vaguely construed as modestly priced.
The waiter left once again. Brent engaged her in some small talk, mostly about what was happening at his job, and the traveling he would have to be doing. Tifa listened politely but soon found her mind wandering. No matter how much she tried, she just couldn't bring herself to be all that interested in the inner workings of Sci-Co. The place was packed, every table seemed to be full, even though it was a Monday and still early. Okay, you didn't have to be rich to come here. She was sure they didn't run background checks on people who called to place reservations. If the average person was determined enough to come here and saved up enough gil, there wasn't any reason they couldn't. She suspected that a least a few of the customers were stretching their budget just for the prestige of being seen here, but probably not most of them. Most of the people who came here came for the simple reason that they could afford it. Well, looking around, it seemed to her there were a lot of people who fit that description. There were always going to be people with more than others, there were always some who were rich. She just didn't realize there were so many of them. She had to wonder what they all did for a living.
Their food arrived and as soon as she tasted it, she could see that Brent had been right, it was delicious. She looked around again. Maybe, just maybe, some of the people here actually did come for the food and not just the opportunity to be seen.
They ate mostly in silence, concentrating on their food. When they were done the waiter appeared once again. They didn't have to wait at all, as if he had been loitering in the wings, just waiting for them to finish. It was almost like they were the only guests there, even though the place was packed. Again she was impressed.
He asked if they were interested in desert. Brent gave Tifa a questioning look, but she glanced down at her watch and shook her head. She would have to get home soon in order to be to work on time.
"We have to get going," she said reluctantly.
She wasn't anxious to leave. She wished she could stay longer, maybe go out somewhere else afterwards. She wished he would have picked a day where she wasn't working, so they could have more time together. Still, she was happy he had called. She wouldn't have wanted to wait, given the choice.
Brent paid the bill, they retrieved their coats, and the car, and were soon on their way back to Tifa's. The sky was still overcast, but it didn't look like it was ready to rain anytime soon. Tifa didn't care if it did. She felt a lot better than she had in a long time and she wasn't going to let a little rain bother her. She wasn't going to let it rain on her parade, she thought, amused.
Brent pulled up and stopped the car in front of Tifa's flat. She turned to look at him.
"Thank you," she said. "I had a wonderful time."
"I'm glad," Brent replied. He sat there looking at her for a moment. "You know, you really do look beautiful."
Tifa felt her cheeks redden. What else could she say but; "Thanks."
He slid his arm around her, pulling her closer and kissing her. She wrapped her arms around him. He looked down at her.
"I wish you didn't have to go to work," he commented.
"Me neither," she readily agreed.
"I don't suppose there's any way you could..."
She hesitated a moment, then shook her head.
"I'm sorry, I really need to be there. If you had just given me a little more warning maybe I could have done something. Not that I'm complaining or anything. It was a nice surprise."
He kissed her again, this time his lips lingering on hers for quite some time.
"You're absolutely sure?" he asked when they were done.
She sighed. She had to admit he made it tempting. Bernard was just a big softie at heart, she knew he wouldn't be too annoyed with her if she called in, but by the same token, the fact that he was actually a nice guy made it that much more difficult to makes things hard on him by not showing up. She knew they'd get by there without her, but they certainly wouldn't have a good time.
"Sorry," she said, and she was. "I'd like to, but I really can't. I'm off Thursday though."
Brent seemed to ponder this for a moment.
"Thursday eh? Okay, I suppose I can survive that long."
Tifa smiled.
"All right, I have to go," she said.
Brent nodded. He kissed her again.
"I love you."
"I love you to," she replied, and this time, she almost meant it.
She got out of the car and watched as Brent drove away. When he was out of sight she returned to her apartment, changing into her work clothes. At least she didn't have to do her make up. Then she went over to the neighbors and picked up Karisa. The woman there told her Karisa had been no trouble at all, in fact, she seemed to have a calming influence on her own son, who normally ran her ragged, but for some reason he hadn't been his normal self with Karisa there, or so it had seemed to her. At any rate, she told Tifa she'd be happy to babysit for her anytime.
Tifa thanked her and returned to her own apartment. A short time later Priscilla showed up and she headed off to work.
The night at the Halo and Horns seemed particularly dreary to Tifa. It wasn't that busy and it seemed to drag. Tifa suspected her visit to the Blue Crab had a lot to do with the way she felt. She just wasn't into work tonight. She kept thinking she should have called in.
But there was nothing she could do about it now. She had had a wonderful time but it was over now and time for her to return to reality. She spent most of the time in the early hours, when it wasn't busy, filling Delphine in on how she had spent the day.
Eventually it did get busy, later in the night and tending bar kept her occupied and her mind off things. Later that night she thought she saw Reno approaching through the crowd, but someone else was calling her for a drink and when she turned back he was nowhere to be seen. She paused for a minute, looking around. Was that a redheaded guy she saw walking out the door? She couldn't be sure. It seemed strange to her if it had been him. Why would he come in and then turn around and leave? Oh well, he wasn't there and there was no sense pondering it. It was probably just someone who resembled him.
It wasn't. Reno had been in the bar quite some time before Tifa spotted him, sitting in a far corner, trying not to be noticed, waiting and watching.
The pale guy had been there when Reno had entered, standing not to far from the bar, in almost the exact spot Reno had seen him the last time. He had gotten one drink from Tifa, but he didn't seem that much interested in it. Instead he just stood there looking at Tifa, turning away whenever she looked in his direction.
A short time before the place was about to close, the man turned and walked out. Reno got up a moment later and followed. The night was cloudy, just as the day had been Reno didn't mind, the darkness helped conceal him. Not that it mattered, the man didn't seem to be paying attention to anyone else. He stopped a short way down the block and stood there in a doorway. Reno faded into a dark alcove himself and waited.
Reno could still see the entrance to the Halo and Horns down the block, as he was sure the other man could. People slowly filtered out of the place as closing time approached and then passed. Eventually, the employees emerged as well, Tifa among them. They stopped and talked for a moment before parting. Reno was too far away to hear what they were saying. Not that it was important. He was more interested in what the man he was shadowing was doing. A couple of Tifa's coworkers came down the road in their direction, passing both Reno and his quarry without noticing them. As soon as they had passed the pale man emerged from the darkness, walking down the road in the direction Tifa had taken. He walked right past Reno's hiding place, but his eyes were focused ahead of him. He didn't glance to either side. He didn't see Reno standing in the shadows.
Reno let him get a bit of a lead, then followed. It didn't take any skill on his part. The man never even bothered to look behind him. Reno had a pretty good idea where he was going in any case.
Just as Reno suspected, the man followed Tifa all the way home. She didn't notice him this time, just as the man didn't notice he was being followed himself. Tifa reached her apartment. She opened the door and disappeared inside. The pale man walked ahead and took up a position on the opposite side of the street. Reno moved in as close as he dared, where he could see the man clearly. He didn't seem to be doing much of anything, just looking at Tifa's apartment.
The door opened again and Priscilla emerged. Reno could see Tifa standing in the doorway behind her. Tifa stood there and watched as her babysitter ran home. Reno had to drop back to a darkened doorway so as not to be seen. Priscilla passed by, oblivious. When the young girl disappeared from view Reno reemerged in time to see Tifa close her door again.
Reno looked over to where the pale man had been, hoping he hadn't moved. He hadn't. He still stood there, in the darkness of an overhanging awning above a closed deli. For a long time he didn't seem to be doing anything at all. Reno saw the light go on in Tifa's bedroom. The man crossed the road, standing on the sidewalk right in front of Tifa's apartment now, just opposite her window. Reno crept a bit closer. He looked at the window as well, but the curtain hid all but a faint shadow as Tifa passed by it occasionally.
Good thing for her she kept them closed, Reno thought. He wondered how she would feel if she knew someone was out here staring at her window. He also wondered how many nights this guy had been doing this.
Reno was beginning to believe his first assessment of this guy was apparently true. The ex Turk half expected the man to go up to the window and plaster his face against it, hoping to see through some small crack, but he didn't, he just stood there looking at the window, until the light abruptly went out.
Almost immediately afterward the man turned and walked toward Reno, who retreated once more into the shadows until the man had passed, then started on his trail once more. Again it was pathetically easy to follow him, for he never once looked behind him, as if he thought of himself as the hunter, and couldn't possibly be the hunted himself. Or perhaps he was just stupid. Reno didn't care one way or the other, frankly.
The man headed east, cross town, back toward the Halo and Horns. They passed nearby but the guy continued on. They were not far from the railroad station when the man finally arrived at his destination. This area of town was an even worse area then where Tifa lived. The building around them were in disrepair, quite a few of the windows broken. Trash littered the streets. When people said someone came from the wrong side of the tracks, this was the area Reno thought of.
The man disappeared into a dark building ahead. Reno ran to catch up. He was afraid he'd have to pick the lock, which would delay him, but as he came up in front of the building he realized it looked abandoned. There was a lock on the door, but it looked as if it had been broken for a long time.
He entered the building, finding himself in a long dark hallway. It wasn't abandoned. He could hear a baby crying somewhere down the hall. The paint on the walls was chipped, and in places scrawled with graffetti. There was plaster that had fallen from the ceiling onto the floor. It was hard to picture anyone living here at all. He stood there for a moment, then heard footsteps near the back of the hall. There was a stairway near there. He hurried over to it, trying not to step on the loose plaster. He looked up and saw the man walking up the stairs ahead of him.
He went up to the second floor, then down the hall and opened the second door on the right, Reno observing this from the stairwell.
The ex Turk stood there for a minute, pleased with himself. He had found out where the guy lived with no trouble at all. The man hadn't even tried to cover his tracks. The possibility that someone might follow him had obviously not even entered his head.
Reno turned and started down the stairs again, but as he did so he heard a door open back the way he had come and footsteps approaching. Had the man come out again, or was it someone else? Either way, he couldn't chance it. He didn't want the man to see him until he knew exactly what was going on. He quickly made his way down the steps, then turned into another hallway that ran along the back of the building to another exit. If the man came this way there was no way he could avoid being seen, but there was no place else to go.
The footsteps came down the stairs, then, to Reno's relief, headed off in the other direction, back toward the front door. Reno glanced around the corner and saw that it was indeed the pale man again. He opened the front door and left the building.
Reno frowned. Where was he going this time? It was a bit late at night to be strolling around town. Was he going back to Tifa's again?
That didn't make much sense. If he was going back there, why had he walked all the way here in the first place. Reno strode quickly down the hallway toward the front door. There was a window beside it, the glass broken and long fingers of cold air creeping in through it. Reno glanced out and saw the man walking down the street, in the opposite direction from Tifa's.
Well, wherever he was going, it seemed obvious it wasn't back to Tifa's. He had no idea where else the man would go, but maybe he could turn this to his advantage. He wanted to get into the man's apartment to see what was there, but he had to wait for the man to be gone. He had planned on returning tomorrow and just waiting for the man to leave, but now, well, no sense in wasting the opportunity.
He retraced his steps, walking up the stairs and stopping in front of the man's door. This did have a functional lock on it, but it wasn't even a dead bolt. Given some time Reno could have picked it even without his burglar tools. With them, he had it open in under a minute.
It smelled bad. That was his first impression. The room was lit by a dim bulb in a small desk lamp that stood on a table to one side. It was a small apartment, the living room and kitchen combined and Reno could see a short hallway leading to the bathroom and what was undoubtedly the bedroom. Trash littered the floor. An old pizza box stood on the table beside the lamp, a half eaten leftover piece still on it. There was a couch behind the table, the cushions ripped open in places. A small television stood on a metal stand opposite. Reno just stood there looking around him for a minute.
Damn, this place was even worse than where he lived.
Still, there was nothing incriminating here. He walked into the short hallway. The bedroom door was open just a crack. He reached out and pushed it open all the way.
And stopped.
There was a bed in the center of the room. A single blanket lay crumpled upon it. No surprise there. What did hold his attention was the opposite wall, and the small table in front of it. The wall itself was covered almost completely with pictures. Even in the dim light from the other room he could see they were pictures of Tifa. {NOTE FROM FRANK: No, my apartment does not look like this! I swear it!}
He walked slowly over, looking at the table beneath the pictures. It contained a number of common everyday objects. A pen, a napkin with the words Halo & Horns impressed upon it, a few torn envelopes containing old bills to Tifa Lockheart, a broken chocobo keychain, a crumpled piece of paper, Reno opened it and looked at it, a grocery list? A number of other small items, and in the center, a picture of Tifa and Karisa in a silver frame, with a key lying in front of it.
Reno wasn't really surprised. This was sort of what he had half expected to find. This or something similar.
He picked up the picture and the key and walked back into the other room. He looked around a bit more. There were some bills on the table, with the name Thelodius Baxter on them. Thelodius? What kind of name was that, he thought. No wonder the guy was such a loser.
Finally he plopped himself down on the couch. He knew pretty much all he needed to know now. The time seemed right for a little chat.
He didn't have to wait long. From the pack of cigarettes the man was clutching in his hand as he opened the door, Reno assumed he had gone down to the convenience store. Why he hadn't done that when he had been out earlier was a question that Reno wasn't really interested in having answered.
The man didn't notice him at first, so Reno decided to be polite and announce his presence.
"Those things will kill you, you know."
For a moment Reno thought the man was going to have a heart attack and die right then and there. The man's whole body shuddered, and the pack of cigarettes tumbled to the floor as he jerked backwards, his back hitting the wall with a thud.
"Who the..." the man started, then stopped, staring at Reno.
"I see you remember me," Reno stated. "Did you really think you could stalk Tifa without anyone ever noticing?"
"I... I wasn't stalking her," the man replied eventually, his voice quivering.
There was a wild look in his eyes, but he didn't look ready to attack. Reno saw only fear there. He hadn't been sure what to expect, he didn't know how the man would react to an intruder, or that fact that his little lifestyle had been discovered. Reno was ready for a fight, his Mag-rod held in one hand, but the man didn't seem like a threat at all.
"No? Sure seems that way to me. I've been in your bedroom, you see."
He held up the picture that had been lying on his lap.
"If this isn't stalking, then I don't know what is."
The man sank down farther onto the floor, looking defeated and scared.
"What are you going to do?" the man asked. "Are you going to hurt me?"
Reno stood up. The man cringed. Reno frowned. Was he really that afraid? He had been concerned the man might be dangerous, but he didn't seem like that now, he seemed like a wuss, in fact.
"That depends," Reno replied. He walked over to the man, his Mag-rod out. "What was it you had in mind?"
The man just looked at him.
"I don't understand. I don't know what you mean," he whined.
"What were you planning on doing? Why are you following Tifa?"
The man didn't reply for a moment, just sat there, his mouth moving but no words coming out.
"I... I wasn't planning anything," he stuttered. "I just... I just wanted to be near her, you know. Just... wanted her to look at me. Wanted to share the things she shared, wanted to...."
He trailed off, just looking at Reno.
Man, this guy really was sick, Reno thought. However, it seemed that he didn't mean Tifa any harm. Still, that didn't necessarily mean anything. Reno was no psychologist, but he knew obsessions like this might not start out violent, but they could escalate easily enough, especially if the guy was rebuffed somehow. If he was going to stay away from her, he would need some strong incentive.
Reno wasn't adverse to supplying it.
The Mag-rod crackled. The man screamed. He writhed on the floor as if he had been stricken, as if he had been given a lethal dose of electricity.
"Please, please, no more!" the man shrieked. "Please, I'll do anything you want. I'll stay away from her. I promise. Just no more!"
Reno just stood there looking at him, frankly shocked at his reaction. Reno had only used the rod for a moment. A dose like that was only enough to get someone's attention. In fact, some people he had know would have shrugged that off as if it were nothing. This guy was screaming as if Reno were cutting his fingers off one by one.
Someone pounded on the wall.
"Shut the hell up in there! I'm trying to sleep for chrissake!"
Reno stepped up until he stood right next to the man. He didn't need this kind of attention.
"You heard the man, shut up!" he snapped.
For a moment Reno didn't think the guy was going to listen, but then the man's cries slowly sank to whimpers. Reno had felt good about his little sleuthing job tonight. He had gotten the best of this man, and he felt a right to gloat about it, even to the man's face, but the guy was ruining it. Reno wasn't exactly the most empathic person in the world, far from it, but he had expected they guy to be a little bit more of a man about this. Anger he could live with, even a fight would have been better than this. He had thought he might get some satisfaction from teaching this guy a lesson, but frying this pathetic excuse for a human being would just be a waste of his time.
He hadn't been sure of his plan when the night had started. He had only wanted to find out what the guy was up to and stop him. How, exactly he was supposed to accomplish that he had just thought to play by ear. If he became convinced the guy might be a danger to Tifa he had been more than ready to kill him, but looking at the man now, he couldn't see the guy possibly being any threat at all. If he caused any trouble, Tifa would be more than capable of kicking his ass on her own.
Reno shook his head, disgusted.
"You're pathetic, you know that," he said. "You're not even worth killing. Get some help. And in the meantime, stay away from Tifa, do you understand me?"
The man nodded his head.
"Yes, I understand. Just please, no more. I am pathetic. Yes, I am."
Reno glared at him, just to emphasize his point. He stood there for a moment, then sighed
"Sheesh," he muttered.
He was done here. No sense in hanging around. The neighbors might come to investigate all the noise. He had a feeling they wouldn't but there was no sense in taking the chance. He stepped over the man, who cringed once again, and out into the hallway. He turned and looked at the man once again.
"Stay away from her. Don't forget. If I find you around her again, I'll be back, and you'll get a lot stronger dose of this!"
He closed the door without waiting for a response.
He made his way back to his own apartment, feeling like he had been cheated. He had expected to feel triumphant, but that moron had left him just feeling disgusted. Why people like that existed he couldn't even fathom. Just more proof of what a screwed up world this was. Well, that was nothing new to him. He reached his place. He tossed the picture and the key casually onto the top of his television after he entered, then walked into the kitchen and poured himself a stiff drink. Maybe that would make him feel a little bit better.