"Flowers? How nice..."
"You almost never see them here in the slums."
"But..."
"A flower for me? Oh Cloud, you shouldn't have..."
Scene 6
-Welcome Home, Cloud! - A Childhood Promise -
(Barret runs into Tifa's bar, the Seventh Heaven, and chases all the patrons out. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie go inside.)
Barret
"Ok! Go on ahead."
(If Cloud waits around outside)
"Yo! Cloud!! Get off your slow-movin' ass!"
(Cloud enters the Seventh Heaven.)
(Marlene jumps up.)
"Papa!"
(She sees Cloud and hides in the corner. Tifa goes over to her)
"Marlene! Aren't you going to say anything to Cloud?"
(She walks over to Cloud.)
"Welcome home, Cloud.
Looks like everything went well."
"Did you fight with
Barret?"
<CHOICE>
Yeah
Not this time
***Cloud
Yeah
Tifa
"I should have known."
"He's always pushing
people around, and you've always been in fights ever since you were little."
"I was worried."
***Cloud
Not this time
Tifa
"Hmm. You've grown
up."
"When you were little
you used to get into fights at the drop of a hat."
<//>
(The PLAYER names Tifa)
Tifa
"Flowers? How nice..."
"You almost never
see them here in the slums."
"But..."
"A flower for me?
Oh Cloud, you shouldn't have..."
Cloud
"No big."
<CHOICE>
Give it to Tifa
Give it to Marlene
***Cloud
Give it to Tifa
Tifa
"Thank you, Cloud.
It smells wonderful."
"Maybe I should fill
the store with flowers."
***Cloud
Give it to Marlene
(Marlene grabs it and hides behind Tifa)
<//>
People in the bar
Tifa
"Sorry, Cloud. Marlene
seems a little shy."
Marlene
"............"
Wedge
"Oh. Cloud!"
"Tifa realls knows
how to cook. Mmm, mmm......."
"Anyway, let me tell
you somethin'."
<CHOICE>
About what?
I'm not interested
in your stories
***Cloud
About what?
Wedge
"Tifa always lets
me taste her cooking."
"And look at me now,
I'm rolly-polly."
"Don't know whether
I should be happy or sad. But it's the good food and drinks that make this
shop famous."
***Cloud
I'm not interested
in your stories
Wedge
"Cloud...... ........forget
it."
<//>
Jessie
"Careless..... You're
getting all excited."
"Wonder what for.....?"
Biggs
"Aah!! Nothin' like
that first drink after a job."
"Hic!!"
"Why don't you have
one too?"
<CHOICE>
No
Yeah, why not?
***Cloud
No
Biggs
"What!? you tellin'
me you're too good to drink with me?"
"Don't act big-headed
jus' because you were in SOLDIER!"
***Cloud
Yeah, why not?
Biggs
"Oh!! That's more
like it!"
"Even if you were
with SOLDIER, you're still a rookie here. So you'd better listen to whatever
I tell ya!"
Biggs
"Hic...!!"
"Oh..... Don't tell
Barret what I jus said."
<//>
(Cloud tries to exit, but Barret crashes into the bar.)
Marlene
"Papa, welcome home!"
(Barret lifts her up on his shoulder.)
<If you gave the flower to Marlene>
Barret
"Yeah."
"Huh? Where'd you
get that flower?"
Marlene
"Cloud gave it to
me."
Barret
"Oh...."
Barret
"Did you thank him?"
Marlene
".........."
"Thank you, Cloud."
"We'll take care of
you."
<//>
Tifa
"You all right, Barret?"
Barret
"Great!!"
"Get in here, fools!!
We're startin' the meetin'!!"
(He descends a hidden elevator in a pinball machine. Everyone follows but Cloud and Tifa. Cloud walks to the bar.)
Tifa
"Sit down."
(He sits.)
Tifa
"How about..."
"...something to drink?"
<CHOICE>
I don't feel like
it
Give me something
hard
***Cloud
Give me something
hard
Tifa
"Just a minute. I'll
make one for you."
(She mixes Cloud a drink.)
Tifa
"You know, I'm relieved
you made it back safely."
Cloud
"What's with you all
of a sudden? That wasn't even a tough job."
Tifa
"I guess not..."
"You were in SOLDIER."
(Cloud sets down his drink.)
Tifa
"Make sure you get
your pay from Barret."
Cloud
"Don't worry. Once
I get that money, I'm outta here."
***Cloud
I don't feel like
it
Tifa
"OHH!!"
"I can make a drink
just as good as anyone else."
"Everyone says, my
drinks taste the best!"
<//>
(Cloud gets up from the bar.)
Tifa
"Cloud, are you feeling
all right?"
Cloud
"...yeah... Why?"
Tifa
"No reason. You just
look a little tired I guess."
"You'd better go down
below."
(Cloud walks to the elevator in the pinball machine and goes down. Everyone is busy
downstairs. Barret is punching a bag.)
People downstairs
Wedge
"You think I'm a litte
too uptight?"
<CHOICE>
Yeah...
No...
***Cloud
Yeah...
Wedge
"The next mission
will be to blow up the Sector 5 Reactor."
"Cloud, you're great!
Don't you ever get nervous?"
"Or are you like,
impervious to feelings? Naw, that couldn't be it."
***Cloud
No...
Wedge
"Well, that's ok.
Don't worry about me. I don't look like it, but I'm a coward at heart."
<//>
(Jessie is working on the computer)
Jessie
"Oops..."
"Hey, look at the
news... What a blast."
"Think it was all
because of my bomb? But all I really did was just make it like the computer
told me."
"Oh no! I must've
made a miscalculation somewhere."
Barret
"Yo. Cloud! There's
somethin' I wanna ask ya."
"Was there anyone
from SOLDIER fighting us today?"
Cloud
"None. I'm positive."
Barret
"You sound pretty
sure."
Cloud
"If there was anyone
from SOLDIER you wouldn't be standing here now."
Barret
"Don't go thinkin'
you so bad jes cuz you was in SOLDIER."
Cloud
"......."
Barret
"Yeah, you're strong."
"Probably all them
guys in SOLDIER are."
"But don't forget
your skinny ass's working for AVALANCHE now!"
"Don't get no ideas
'bout hangin' on to Shinra."
Cloud
"Stayin' with Shinra?"
"You asked me a question
and I answered it... that's all."
"I'm going upstairs.
I want to talk about my money."
Barret
"Shucks!! ........money...."
Marlene
"Papa. you're so great!"
(Cloud moves to leave. Tifa runs in.)
Tifa
"Wait, Cloud!"
Barret
"Tifa! Let him go!"
"Looks like he still
misses the Shinra!"
Cloud
"Shut up!"
"I don't care about
either Shinra or SOLDIER!"
"But don't get
me wrong!"
"I don't care about
AVALANCHE or the Planet for that matter!"
Tifa
"Straighten things
up with everyone for me."
Television
......today the No.1
Reactor was bombed. The terrorist group AVALANCHE has claimed responsibility
for the bombing.
It is expected that
AVALANCHE will continue its reign of terror.
But citizens of Midgar....
there is no need to fear.
I have immediately
mobilized SOLDIER to protect our citizenry against this senseless violence.
Thank you and good night.
Wedge
"...Cloud."
"You say you don't
care, but you came to talk to me."
"Cloud.... you just
want friends."
"Isn't that right?"
<CHOICE>
Blow off
I really don't care
***Cloud
Blow off
Wedge
"Yeah, well. You look
kind of lonely to me."
If you ever got anything
you want to get off your chest, you can always talk to me."
***Cloud
I really don't care
Wedge
"You're terrible.
Real cold blooded."
<//>
(Cloud goes back up the elevator and goes to leave. He is followed by Tifa.)
Tifa
"Listen, Cloud. I'm
asking you. Please join us."
Cloud
"Sorry Tifa..."
Tifa
"The Planet is dying.
Slowly but surely it's dying."
"Someone has to do
something."
Cloud
"So let Barret and
his buddies do something about it."
"It's got nothin'
to do with me."
(He moves to leave)
Tifa
"So! You're really
leaving!?"
"You're just going
to walk right out ignoring your childhood friend!?"
Cloud
"What......?"
<CHOICE>
How can you say that!
...Sorry
***Cloud
How can you say that!
***Cloud
...Sorry
<//>
Tifa
"You forgot the promise,
too."
Cloud
"Promise?"
(Tifa looks down.)
Tifa
"So you DID forget."
"Remember.... Cloud.
It was seven years ago..."
(Cloud looks up.)
(Cloud and Tifa are standing by a well. The sky is full of stars.)
Tifa
"Look, the well."
"Do you remember?"
(Cloud nods.)
Cloud
"Yeah.... back then."
"I thought you would
never come, and I was getting a little cold."
(The scene changes. Cloud and Tifa, as children, appear. Cloud is sitting swinging his legs on the well cover. Tifa enters from offscreen.)
Tifa
"Sorry I'm late."
(She sits down.)
Tifa
"You said you wanted
to talk to me about something?"
Cloud
"Come this spring....
I'm leaving this town for Midgar."
Tifa
"........All boys
are leaving our town."
Cloud
"But I'm different
from all of them. I'm not just going to find a job."
(He stands.)
"I want to join SOLDIER."
"I'm going to be the best there is, just like Sephiroth."
Tifa
"Sephiroth.... The
Great Sephiroth."
(Cloud climbs to the top of the well and looks at the stars.)
Tifa
"Isn't it hard to
join SOLDIER?"
Cloud
"...I probably wont
be able to come back to this town for a while."
(Tifa makes a motion.)
Cloud
"...huh?"
Tifa
"Will you be in the
newspapers if you do well?"
Cloud
"I'll try."
Tifa
"Hey, why don't we
make a promise?"
"Umm, if you get really
famous and I'm ever in a bind....."
"You come save me,
all right?"
Cloud
"What?"
Tifa
"Whenever I"m in trouble,
my hero will come and rescue me."
"I want to at least
experience that once."
Cloud
"What?"
Tifa
"Come on--! Promise
me----!"
Cloud
"All right.... I promise."
(The camera pans up to show the starry night sky. A falling star streaks
its white trail across the dark blue.)
(Back at the Seventh Heaven.)
Tifa
"You remember now?
...Our promise?"
Cloud
"I'm not a hero and
I'm not famous. I can't keep.... the promise."
Tifa
"But you got your
childhood dream, didn't you? You joined SOLDIER."
(Cloud looks down.)
Tifa
"So come on! You've
got to keep your promise......"
(Barret climbs up the elevator.)
Barret
"Wait a sec big-time
SOLDIER!"
"A promise is a promise!
Here!!"
(He tosses Cloud 1500 Gil.)
Cloud
"This is my pay? Don't
make me laugh."
Tifa
"What? Then you'll...!!"
Cloud
"You got the next
mission lined up? I'll do it for 3000."
Barret
"What....!?"
(Tifa whispers to him.)
Tifa
"It's ok, it's ok."
"psst, psst..... (We're
realy hurting for help, right?)"
Barret
"Uh..... ugh.....
(That money's for Marlene's schoolin'......)"
(Barret turns.)
Barret
"2000!"
(Tifa walks to Cloud.)
Tifa
"Thanks, Cloud."
phoenixgenesis@game-developer.com
Continue to Part 1 Scene 07