[ Is she holding up okay. It's a loaded question, isn't it? The simple answer is that she's probably doing about as well as he is, but... ]
I'm doing okay. Now that my magic is more under control, I've been able to practice with more consistent results. I definitely don't have Aerith's natural talent for it, but I'm getting better!
[ Which actually makes her think... Along with the bottles she's got lined up for making various cocktails and mocktails are some smaller bottles, results of her alchemy practice. When she's finished preparing drinks for both of them, she adds a small blue vial to the tray, bringing it out along with the rest before she sits down across from him.
The drink she hands him is a vibrant pink, soft with the scent of flowers. ] This one's new. I don't have a name for it yet, but you can probably guess where I got the idea~ Maybe you can help me think of something!
And this... [ She slides the vial over the tabletop too, a slightly more hesitant smile on her lips now. ] It'll help with the ache.
[ While Zack doesn't know enough about Tifa to imagine what sort of magic she's specializing in, he figures now is a good time to learn. Just like how he's now learning she can apparently mix a mean drink.
Or... well, a nice drink? With how colorful it is, he wouldn't dare to call it anything else. Nor is it hard to guess at where the inspiration for it came from. ]
Flower Girl? [ It's the first suggestion that leaps to his mind. Soon enough, he takes a sip. The sweet, floral flavors hit his tongue immediately, but then it's followed by the sharpness of the liquor. All in all, a very well-balanced and delicious drink. ] Man, this is tasty!
[ But then the vial follows, something that looks more like it might be a medicine or potion. To help with the ache? For a moment Zack's confused, not sure what ache Tifa's referring to, but then it clicks. ]
Oh, you mean... [ He sets the drink down so that he can lay his hand against his chest, where the throbbing pain is centered. ] You feel it too?
[ The grin that finds Tifa's lips when Zack names the cocktail is the easiest so far, the most natural. Admittedly, "Flower Girl" had been the first name to spring to mind for her, too - but where she's inventive with drinks, inventive with names is something with which she struggles, and she often ends up naming her creations directly after their inspiration - so a second opinion is never harmful in her eyes. ]
I'm glad you like it! I've been experimenting with a few different things. I'm thinking about opening a bar here, actually...
[ She trails off though when he goes for the vial, eyebrows lifting in response to his confusion, and then settling again a moment later. She'd assumed without proper knowledge it was the same for him, but to see him treat it almost like an afterthought...
Tifa can't help but wonder how many times Cloud has felt this kind of pain here.
She nods. ]
Yeah. It's a lot, you know? And it's hard to deal with when he's not really talking to people right now. So I made this to make the day-to-day a little easier...
[ A guilty expression crosses over her face momentarily. ]
I should've thought to offer it to you sooner. I'm sure it's been a hard time for you too.
[ Tifa wants to open a bar? As it turns out, she's way more into this whole drink-making thing than Zack realized, but that probably shouldn't come as such a surprise. Five years have passed since he last saw her, and it's clear she's grown a lot in that time. Taking up bartending must just be a part of that.
As much as he wants to encourage her, though, the subject's already shifted and both of them need to talk about what's going on with Cloud, difficult as it might be. ]
He's pretty out of it. I can't get much of a word in myself. [ He knows that won't actually make Tifa feel better, but it's also the truth. After a moment, Zack picks up the vial and turns it around in his hands a few times. If Tifa seems to think this will help, then he'll give it a shot. ]
And nah, don't worry about it. I've been managing. I do appreciate this, though. Thank you.
[ With that, he turns his attention to the drink again, taking another sip before he makes an offer of his own. ]
If there's any message you want me to pass along to him, anything you want me to tell him or ask him, just say the word.
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no subject
I'm doing okay. Now that my magic is more under control, I've been able to practice with more consistent results. I definitely don't have Aerith's natural talent for it, but I'm getting better!
[ Which actually makes her think... Along with the bottles she's got lined up for making various cocktails and mocktails are some smaller bottles, results of her alchemy practice. When she's finished preparing drinks for both of them, she adds a small blue vial to the tray, bringing it out along with the rest before she sits down across from him.
The drink she hands him is a vibrant pink, soft with the scent of flowers. ] This one's new. I don't have a name for it yet, but you can probably guess where I got the idea~ Maybe you can help me think of something!
And this... [ She slides the vial over the tabletop too, a slightly more hesitant smile on her lips now. ] It'll help with the ache.
no subject
Or... well, a nice drink? With how colorful it is, he wouldn't dare to call it anything else. Nor is it hard to guess at where the inspiration for it came from. ]
Flower Girl? [ It's the first suggestion that leaps to his mind. Soon enough, he takes a sip. The sweet, floral flavors hit his tongue immediately, but then it's followed by the sharpness of the liquor. All in all, a very well-balanced and delicious drink. ] Man, this is tasty!
[ But then the vial follows, something that looks more like it might be a medicine or potion. To help with the ache? For a moment Zack's confused, not sure what ache Tifa's referring to, but then it clicks. ]
Oh, you mean... [ He sets the drink down so that he can lay his hand against his chest, where the throbbing pain is centered. ] You feel it too?
[ Of course she does. It'd be hard to miss. ]
no subject
I'm glad you like it! I've been experimenting with a few different things. I'm thinking about opening a bar here, actually...
[ She trails off though when he goes for the vial, eyebrows lifting in response to his confusion, and then settling again a moment later. She'd assumed without proper knowledge it was the same for him, but to see him treat it almost like an afterthought...
Tifa can't help but wonder how many times Cloud has felt this kind of pain here.
She nods. ]
Yeah. It's a lot, you know? And it's hard to deal with when he's not really talking to people right now. So I made this to make the day-to-day a little easier...
[ A guilty expression crosses over her face momentarily. ]
I should've thought to offer it to you sooner. I'm sure it's been a hard time for you too.
no subject
As much as he wants to encourage her, though, the subject's already shifted and both of them need to talk about what's going on with Cloud, difficult as it might be. ]
He's pretty out of it. I can't get much of a word in myself. [ He knows that won't actually make Tifa feel better, but it's also the truth. After a moment, Zack picks up the vial and turns it around in his hands a few times. If Tifa seems to think this will help, then he'll give it a shot. ]
And nah, don't worry about it. I've been managing. I do appreciate this, though. Thank you.
[ With that, he turns his attention to the drink again, taking another sip before he makes an offer of his own. ]
If there's any message you want me to pass along to him, anything you want me to tell him or ask him, just say the word.