LitShark
Predator
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2002
- Posts
- 3,447
“It’s not enough!” Cloud shouted, slamming his fist against the table and toppling the almost empty mug of beer across the table he sat at the head of. “Shinra needs to pay for what they’ve done, we need to break their stranglehold on Midgar, otherwise what happened five years ago is going to happen again.”
“Cloud, we’re with you man—to the bitter end—but maybe we should lay low for a while.” Ronny muttered sheepishly from his place across the table. “I mean, they know us all, they’ve got pictures of all of us on the news. You’ve got a wife—a family to think about now. Don’t you think it’s time—“
“No! Damnit!” Cloud stood up abruptly, knocking his chair back with a loud clatter that echoed in the nearly empty 7th Heaven Bar. “I can’t ever feel safe as long as those monsters are calling the shots. You ain’t seen the things I’ve seen Ronny!”
There was no disputing the intimacy of Cloud’s knowledge of the seedy underbelly of the Shinra Corporation, at least not since Barrett moved to Costa Del Sol and gave up the fight to raise world-class black chocobos. No one could question that Cloud knew better than anyone what the evil, corporate menace could inflict on those who crossed them—but if those who knew less about the threat were worried, what did that say about Cloud’s frame of mind?
No one really understood Cloud, not since the crisis was averted and the slums were rebuilt. He married his childhood friend and fellow adventurer Tifa, the jewel of the slums, the angel of 7th Heaven. Every able-bodied man from Midgar knew about her and would have killed to be in Cloud’s place—would sacrifice limbs for one night with the brawling beauty—but Cloud only seemed interested in reliving the glory days and acting as if AVALANCHE was more than a thin shell of its former self.
Tonight, like far too many nights, Cloud was drunk off of free beer from his wife’s bar and inconsolable in his rantings.
“If Aerith were here, she’d help me. She always saw things my way, that poor, sweet girl. They killed her, you know?” Cloud seethed, standing behind the table, suddenly on the verge of tears. A collective grumble issued from the thin group of AVALANCHE fighters left, they’d all heard this story too. “Stabbed her with a sword! Right through her middle… She was a beautiful flower. We went on a date once… Golden Saucer. Did I ever tell you guys that I used to race chocobos at Gold Saucer?”
“Yes!” Everyone muttered in unison, many pushing away from the table in disgust.
Perhaps even worse than the disintegration of AVALANCHE was the decline of its legendary leader Cloud, once a man to be feared by even the most fearsome rivals, was now a raving, fanatical drunk that even middling Shinra troops didn’t take seriously.
As the collection of rag-tag rebels left the table in the back, each made their way to the bar, paying their tabs and respects to Tifa, who had suffered in silence for years, watching her beloved husband self-destruct—dragged into the abyss by the weight of their shared past. Most tipped well, as much as they could, because it was an open secret that the bar wasn’t doing well. 7th Heaven’s co-owner was drinking through all the margins and driving away any and all legitimate business with his ravings and drunken antics. Some even speculated that he may have suffered from Post-Traumatic-Stress, but none ever voiced these concerns out loud.
Just as the last of the AVALANCHE fighters left, two rough looking thugs from the inner slums strode through the swinging front doors. Even behind their Turk-Inspired shades, it was clear that their eyes were moving over Mrs. Strife’s body. The legends of her beauty and taste in clothing was well circulated after the Meteor incident.
“Looks like another busy night ‘round here, eh barkeep?” The first hired Collector smirked, a toothpick poking out from the corner of his grin. “I don’t suppose you got room for the Gil you owe us in that tanktop you’re wearin’. Maybe in the register.”
The first thug leaned over the bar, placing his face right before Tifa’s chest, nearly burying his face between them as he turned the key on the register and slid the drawer out with a chime. He quickly fished out the stacks of bills in each compartment.
“You’re late again, Mrs. Strife. Our employer’s patience is running thin, you see.” The other, larger thug said, leering from his monstrous height and cracking his knuckles. “You’re going to need to make a payment. Tonight.”
“Of course, there are always… Other ways of making payments.” The first guy chuckled, licking his lips lasciviously as his face hovered above the bartender’s chest for longer than needed. “That is, if your husband can’t help you.”
The thug who’d leaned over the bar leaned back, thumbing through the Gil he’d pulled from the drawer, shaking his head as he counted.
Don Corneo leaned back, his mouth craning open as he let go of a hearty laugh. The high rollers were all gathered around the craps tables, each with two or three working girls hanging off of them. In spite of the festive atmosphere, the Don was not pleased. These high-rollers knew their way around betting games, clearly Gold Saucer trained ringers who had a knack for betting big and winning bigger.
The Don needed to get them back into their rooms fucking his little Honey Bees’ brains out back in their suites rather than bashing his balls in on the gaming floor. But it was important not to seem desperate. He was reliving his own tale of his salad days to these new clients while operating the stick for their craps game.
“And then, the little twink just hops up and runs out of the room, tripping over his dress and screaming ‘No Papa, it’s too huge!’” With a few minor details changed for his vanity. “That little cross-dressing twerp went on to save the world and marry that fine piece I almost had it with—guarantee things would be different if I’d gotten a chance to lay my pipe. She’s into me for some money I think…”
The guests laughed heartily, these new clients having never heard this story about the famous Cloud Strife of SOLDIER and the Meteor crisis—the girls laughed politely to avoid punishment. All of the working girls knew this story about as well as Tifa knew the story of Aerith’s death. In spite of their tittering laughter, they caught the intimidating arch of an eyebrow from The Don—the infamous high-sign—that meant he wanted them to turn on the honey.
Some grabbed the outline of the clients’ cock’s through their slacks, rubbed their breasts on the clients’ arms, nibbled on their earlobes—but no matter what they did, the clients seemed hell bent on cleaning out the casino’s safe.
“You’re hilarious Don, and your dice roll almost as hot as your little Bees are.” The client who’d been rolling numbers for three hours laughed, slapping the ass of the girl on his right and rubbing in circles to warm up his shooting hand. “Push it, Don. All the hard ways.”
“Whoa! Hear that ladies? Shooter wants to push it, all the hard ways!” The Don shouted, gyrating with his hips and making a big show of shaking the layers of gold chains around his neck, many adorned with jeweled bee medallions and silhouettes of nude women.
It was imperceptible to most, totally unnoticed by the shooter or his friends—but as the shooter reached for the dice, Don Corneo turned the stick over as he finished passing the dice, swapping the regulation dice for a loaded set. With over ten million Gil sitting out on the table in chips, Don Corneo wasn’t going to take any chances.
No one except for the betters was surprised when the dice clattered to a stop, reading five and two. The Don breathed a silent sigh.
“Tough luck shooter!” The Don wailed, playing the part of genuine disappointment as he racked up stacks of chips. “Pushed it one time too many. Speaking of pushing it, you fellahs look like you might be ready to drop the hammer again, yes? Come right this way, the Honey Bee Inn can service all of your desires.”
“Cloud, we’re with you man—to the bitter end—but maybe we should lay low for a while.” Ronny muttered sheepishly from his place across the table. “I mean, they know us all, they’ve got pictures of all of us on the news. You’ve got a wife—a family to think about now. Don’t you think it’s time—“
“No! Damnit!” Cloud stood up abruptly, knocking his chair back with a loud clatter that echoed in the nearly empty 7th Heaven Bar. “I can’t ever feel safe as long as those monsters are calling the shots. You ain’t seen the things I’ve seen Ronny!”
There was no disputing the intimacy of Cloud’s knowledge of the seedy underbelly of the Shinra Corporation, at least not since Barrett moved to Costa Del Sol and gave up the fight to raise world-class black chocobos. No one could question that Cloud knew better than anyone what the evil, corporate menace could inflict on those who crossed them—but if those who knew less about the threat were worried, what did that say about Cloud’s frame of mind?
No one really understood Cloud, not since the crisis was averted and the slums were rebuilt. He married his childhood friend and fellow adventurer Tifa, the jewel of the slums, the angel of 7th Heaven. Every able-bodied man from Midgar knew about her and would have killed to be in Cloud’s place—would sacrifice limbs for one night with the brawling beauty—but Cloud only seemed interested in reliving the glory days and acting as if AVALANCHE was more than a thin shell of its former self.
Tonight, like far too many nights, Cloud was drunk off of free beer from his wife’s bar and inconsolable in his rantings.
“If Aerith were here, she’d help me. She always saw things my way, that poor, sweet girl. They killed her, you know?” Cloud seethed, standing behind the table, suddenly on the verge of tears. A collective grumble issued from the thin group of AVALANCHE fighters left, they’d all heard this story too. “Stabbed her with a sword! Right through her middle… She was a beautiful flower. We went on a date once… Golden Saucer. Did I ever tell you guys that I used to race chocobos at Gold Saucer?”
“Yes!” Everyone muttered in unison, many pushing away from the table in disgust.
Perhaps even worse than the disintegration of AVALANCHE was the decline of its legendary leader Cloud, once a man to be feared by even the most fearsome rivals, was now a raving, fanatical drunk that even middling Shinra troops didn’t take seriously.
As the collection of rag-tag rebels left the table in the back, each made their way to the bar, paying their tabs and respects to Tifa, who had suffered in silence for years, watching her beloved husband self-destruct—dragged into the abyss by the weight of their shared past. Most tipped well, as much as they could, because it was an open secret that the bar wasn’t doing well. 7th Heaven’s co-owner was drinking through all the margins and driving away any and all legitimate business with his ravings and drunken antics. Some even speculated that he may have suffered from Post-Traumatic-Stress, but none ever voiced these concerns out loud.
Just as the last of the AVALANCHE fighters left, two rough looking thugs from the inner slums strode through the swinging front doors. Even behind their Turk-Inspired shades, it was clear that their eyes were moving over Mrs. Strife’s body. The legends of her beauty and taste in clothing was well circulated after the Meteor incident.
“Looks like another busy night ‘round here, eh barkeep?” The first hired Collector smirked, a toothpick poking out from the corner of his grin. “I don’t suppose you got room for the Gil you owe us in that tanktop you’re wearin’. Maybe in the register.”
The first thug leaned over the bar, placing his face right before Tifa’s chest, nearly burying his face between them as he turned the key on the register and slid the drawer out with a chime. He quickly fished out the stacks of bills in each compartment.
“You’re late again, Mrs. Strife. Our employer’s patience is running thin, you see.” The other, larger thug said, leering from his monstrous height and cracking his knuckles. “You’re going to need to make a payment. Tonight.”
“Of course, there are always… Other ways of making payments.” The first guy chuckled, licking his lips lasciviously as his face hovered above the bartender’s chest for longer than needed. “That is, if your husband can’t help you.”
The thug who’d leaned over the bar leaned back, thumbing through the Gil he’d pulled from the drawer, shaking his head as he counted.
*-*-*
Don Corneo leaned back, his mouth craning open as he let go of a hearty laugh. The high rollers were all gathered around the craps tables, each with two or three working girls hanging off of them. In spite of the festive atmosphere, the Don was not pleased. These high-rollers knew their way around betting games, clearly Gold Saucer trained ringers who had a knack for betting big and winning bigger.
The Don needed to get them back into their rooms fucking his little Honey Bees’ brains out back in their suites rather than bashing his balls in on the gaming floor. But it was important not to seem desperate. He was reliving his own tale of his salad days to these new clients while operating the stick for their craps game.
“And then, the little twink just hops up and runs out of the room, tripping over his dress and screaming ‘No Papa, it’s too huge!’” With a few minor details changed for his vanity. “That little cross-dressing twerp went on to save the world and marry that fine piece I almost had it with—guarantee things would be different if I’d gotten a chance to lay my pipe. She’s into me for some money I think…”
The guests laughed heartily, these new clients having never heard this story about the famous Cloud Strife of SOLDIER and the Meteor crisis—the girls laughed politely to avoid punishment. All of the working girls knew this story about as well as Tifa knew the story of Aerith’s death. In spite of their tittering laughter, they caught the intimidating arch of an eyebrow from The Don—the infamous high-sign—that meant he wanted them to turn on the honey.
Some grabbed the outline of the clients’ cock’s through their slacks, rubbed their breasts on the clients’ arms, nibbled on their earlobes—but no matter what they did, the clients seemed hell bent on cleaning out the casino’s safe.
“You’re hilarious Don, and your dice roll almost as hot as your little Bees are.” The client who’d been rolling numbers for three hours laughed, slapping the ass of the girl on his right and rubbing in circles to warm up his shooting hand. “Push it, Don. All the hard ways.”
“Whoa! Hear that ladies? Shooter wants to push it, all the hard ways!” The Don shouted, gyrating with his hips and making a big show of shaking the layers of gold chains around his neck, many adorned with jeweled bee medallions and silhouettes of nude women.
It was imperceptible to most, totally unnoticed by the shooter or his friends—but as the shooter reached for the dice, Don Corneo turned the stick over as he finished passing the dice, swapping the regulation dice for a loaded set. With over ten million Gil sitting out on the table in chips, Don Corneo wasn’t going to take any chances.
No one except for the betters was surprised when the dice clattered to a stop, reading five and two. The Don breathed a silent sigh.
“Tough luck shooter!” The Don wailed, playing the part of genuine disappointment as he racked up stacks of chips. “Pushed it one time too many. Speaking of pushing it, you fellahs look like you might be ready to drop the hammer again, yes? Come right this way, the Honey Bee Inn can service all of your desires.”