starshower: (temp 280)

[personal profile] starshower 2022-06-18 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[She smiles when she hears it. Long, long ago, before he even knew her name here, before they even arrived in Reverein, Tifa had vowed to accept him—all of him. She had been so afraid of the feelings that had recently surfaced because she didn't know what to do with them, but most of all, she was scared that they would frighten him away.

But then he says something else—something that echoes the very thought that's been passing through her mind since she had woken up from that dream, or perhaps even before, and it wrenches Tifa back down to the present—to here and now as she lays there in his arms.

...?

She pulls back far enough to look at him, her eyes wide with confusion and surprise, and she isn't even sure if she heard it right.]


Do I want to...? Eustace...?

[Did he really just ask what she thinks he asked?]
starshower: (temp 281)

[personal profile] starshower 2022-06-18 06:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[She isn't sure if she's relieved or disappointed by that, but she does a good job at hiding it behind the onslaught of other emotions she's feeling right now.

There's a stretch of silence that follows—not because she doesn't have an answer, but because she isn't sure how to. It hadn't been something they've ever talked about before, but she'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it during all the times they spoke about forever...

And to top it all off, she had dreamt of a wedding... Not to her, but that had to be a sign as well, and there was no getting around it.

Tears start to burn in the corners of her eyes, and she sighs out a breath, sharp and airy, and her hand moves up his arm to grip him by the shoulder, and she squeezes.]


Yes... [Her answer comes quietly but firmly, with no room left for any doubt or hesitation.] I do...

[She knows that this isn't a proposal and that there is still so much to think about and talk about before they can take any steps forward, but...]

I meant it when I said forever...
starshower: (temp 207)

[personal profile] starshower 2022-06-18 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[If he had said it now, today, in a week, she would say yes in a heartbeat. If this were his proposal to her, she would say yes. But if he had asked her instead to wait, Tifa would wait forever and a hundred days for him if it meant that at the end of that road, they could be together. It was in that dreamscape, as Romeo and Juliet, as they sang together on that terrace that she had decided that.

On the other hand, however, she knows too well—better than most, she thinks—how fickle this place is. One second, he could be here and the next, gone. Or next time, it could be her.

The way she sees it, there are more things pushing them forward than there are holding them back, but it's those few small things keeping them from taking that leap that they should consider, no matter how badly she wants to say screw it all...

Her own eyes search his face, mirroring the same look in his. That desire to throw all caution to the wind. It's all technicalities at this point, but as they exchange the same fervent, unfettered yearning, there is not a shred of doubt in Tifa's mind that she wants to marry him. That she wants to make that final vow to him that she and Eustace belong to one another...

When he speaks, she closes her eyes, tears streaking her cheeks. She isn't sure if they're made up of relief, joy, or sadness, or perhaps a combination of all three, but her heart is soaring so high right now that she has troubles focusing on his words at first, so her answer comes slowly, breathlessly, as she flutters her eyes open.]


No, I get it... [While she doesn't know much about the Story Eater, she knows enough to understand that it's a very real threat.] Feels like things are starting to settle down, but it's... still a little crazy around here sometimes.

[Less so in terms of them compared to before, but more everything else.]
starshower: (temp 066)

[personal profile] starshower 2022-06-19 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
[Her hand rests on his cheek, her thumb tracing lazy, adoring lines across his skin, and her lips part with a sigh.]

I'll wait.

[Just so that he knows where she stands with that. There's a beat, and she leans forward to press a light kiss to his lips, and he'll be able to feel her smile behind it.]

You're worth it. You're worth the wait.

[But there's something else that ghosts across her expression—it's hard to see, difficult to catch because it's so fleeting. Sadness? Fear? But she recalls both times that Eustace had left and wonders... is that something they need to worry about, too?]
starshower: (temp 115)

[personal profile] starshower 2022-06-19 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
[...

She really shouldn't. She doesn't want to push the issue any more than she already has, what with the dream and all, but... maybe it is important that he knows how she feels about it. That it's something that will always be on her mind, even after they say their vows.]


I... [Tifa hesitates for a moment, but she steels herself with a sharp breath, and continues.] I'm still scared... about what might happen to us. Tomorrow, or the next day. Next week...

[She dips her head, burying a kiss on his shoulder.]

It's happened so many times now...
starshower: (temp 213)

[personal profile] starshower 2022-06-19 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
I know...

[She repeats his words. She had been the one to say that a long time ago—that they couldn't live in fear of what might happen next, when he had started having doubts about their future together. And now here he is, echoing the sentiments back at her, and she can't help the little laugh that rides out of her on a breath.

Her hand finds his, and she threads her fingers through them, shifting so that she can watch as they weave together so easily, as if his hands were shaped only to fit hers.]


I know that we can't... But I also don't want to lose the chance. I know I said I'd wait forever, and I will, but... Until then, I don't think I can help but worry.

[Her smile turns sheepish and crooked.]

I know we'll make the best of it anyway. We always do.
starshower: (temp 121)

[personal profile] starshower 2022-06-19 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
[His grin provokes a peal of small, giddy laughs out of her, and she finally relaxes a little more, stretching out a little so that she can slip her legs through his.]

So, what you're saying is...

[Tifa bites down on her lip, but her smile spreads regardless.]

That we're already basically married...

[She already knew this, but hearing him say it and talk about them like this is making her heart flutter.]
starshower: (temp 269)

[personal profile] starshower 2022-06-19 06:23 am (UTC)(link)
[The way that he holds her gaze captive, she can't ever seem to look away. She never wants to, but there's something pooling deep in the blues of his eyes that becomes clearer the longer she stares into them. It's as if she can see her whole future flashing before her through them—a life that she never dreamt of having until she met him, but a life that she yearns for.

It's so much more than just the same peace and quiet that he wants. It's a forever she knows would be filled with happiness and love. Those happily ever afters she read about in books when she put Marlene to bed. The kind girls dream about... That Tifa dreamt about as she looked up to the stars at night.

This is Tifa's very own fairy tale turned reality...

Tifa never quite believed in destiny until she saw it for herself and now, looking back, she has to wonder... did everything they did have a hand in this? It wasn't long after that she was thrust into another universe where she met him, and then straight into the next where they came together a second time. Coincidence is easier to believe when it's only once, but by the second, third, fourth times... it becomes a pattern.

In some strange way, she wonders as he deepens their kiss, if everything they've done, together and apart, has led them right to this very moment.

When he says her name, a deep flush of colour rises in her cheeks, a heat of passion pooling and rekindling inside her all over again, and at first, she just sighs in response—a low, eager, breathless sound of approval. That is, until his words finally register, but she doesn't pull away from him. It only compels her to press closer, that need to breach any space between them overwhelming as she practically wraps herself around him.]


Yes...

[It's all she can manage past her lips with a shudder, and she almost wants to beg him to stop talking as he takes her lip between his teeth. She captures him instead with a fiery kiss, her nerves and her heart set ablaze all over again as she grips the sides of his face to keep him right where she needs him. It's with a smile that she parts for air, but she doesn't go very far.]

Your wife, your mate... [She brushes her lips over his again, this time so feather-light that it aches.] Call me anything... as long as you know I'm yours...
judicialassistant: (embarrassed-mysterious)

Sender: Susato Mikotoba

[personal profile] judicialassistant 2022-07-10 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It hasn't been long since she saw that Tifa was back at work. And just in time, too. Susato is dressed up today and just about to leave for the beach with everyone else.

She has stopped checking on the dogs quite as much with Ori, though it was still a shock to find two of them at Ferran's. Considering everything that happened in the moonscape, she supposes she can understand, though she still can't be sure if sending the dogs was Eustace's doing. ]


I've found Rhonwhen and Iris.

[ Her handwriting is as neat as ever. After a small pause, she adds: ]

At Ferran's house
judicialassistant: (sad)

[personal profile] judicialassistant 2022-07-11 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's a bit of a relief to hear that she wasn't the only one Ferran was ghosting. She looks down at the two dogs, who seem well-behaved, but still unsatisfied, and she can't say she blames them. ]

He is alive. Unfortunately, I don't think he will be joining us, but I've made sure he has food and drink until I can come back.

Iris was raining. Have you already left?
judicialassistant: (deduction dance)

1/2

[personal profile] judicialassistant 2022-07-12 01:55 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, that's what I meant.

If you'd like to see to them before you leave, I am taking them back to their respective treehouses.
judicialassistant: (think)

[personal profile] judicialassistant 2022-07-12 01:56 am (UTC)(link)
If that is alright with you. [ And why wouldn't it be... ]
judicialassistant: ([fa] hair do 2)

[personal profile] judicialassistant 2022-07-13 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well she's not gonna let him walk all the flower pups over by himself, even if he totally could. ]

I will be with the Flowers.

[ That's all she needs to say, right? With a sigh, she takes a few steps to lead the way as Iris shakes off some excess water. She watches as Rhonwhen takes up the rear, nudging little Iris along.

Once they get to the Flower pups' tree, she immediately slips inside for a towel, fighting off the other pups in the process. ]
Yes, hello! Dahlia. Del. Val... h, hold on for a moment now. [ She tries to speak calmly as not to set them off any worse than she already has!

When Eustace finds them, Rhonwhen will be outside keeping Iris company as Susato emerges with a towel. She starts wiping her down--

Good thing she's already in beachwear. ]