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[ Her end-of-day duties mostly include cleaning and preparing things for the next day. At the moment she finds herself in the kitchen, water running in the sink as she finishes scrubbing it down. The knock does exactly what it needs to do and gets her attention immediately. Her head turns as she twists the faucet off.

Tifa gets a tired smile in return. One that is less bright than one she would give a customer, but it's also far more genuine. ]

Oh, no. I just finished, actually. [ Even if she hadn't, she would've said no. Her eyes flicker to Tifa's necklace briefly. She wonders if she needs something. ] How were things at the bar?

They were good. Busy evening, as usual, but nothing I can't handle.

[If anything, she enjoys it when the pub gets traffic. It reminds her of her simpler bartending days.]

You should come join me out there, once you're finished getting cleaned up. I can make you something. [... A beat, and she waggles a playful finger at Susato.] Non-alcoholic beverages only.

[ Nothing new there. Tifa has always been able to handle whatever rowdy clients this place had to offer. Susato admired it, really. There's a laugh as Susato wipes her hands on a nearby hand towel.

Sure looks like she's done, but she feigns disappointment. ]

Drat, you've ruined my plans. [ A regular party animal over here, always drinking behind dad's back. (Not.) ] I suppose your fruitiest mocktail will have to do.

...if you don't mind.

[ It was a genuine offer, wasn't it? Susato feels obligated to give her an out, just in case. ]

Always one step ahead.

[Tifa gives her a wink and beckons Susato to follow her out from the back.]

I wouldn't have offered if I minded. As long as you don't make a complete mess of my bar, what with your rowdy spirit and all.

[And she slips behind it with ease, as if it's right where she belongs, and searches around.]

Grab a seat. You looking for something sweet or sour?

[ Super rowdy. Just look at how rowdy she is, climbing into a wooden seat at the bar far too properly. She even takes care to smooth out the skirt of her kimono, and her sleeves that hang. There's a playful smile, though. She's can't remember the last time she made a mess that she didn't clean up herself. ]

Sweet, please.

[ By now Tifa would probably know her preference for berries, but whatever she decides to mix, she will trust her. ]

May I ask what this is about? I feel like I am about to receive bad news. [ She was just joking about the whole "leaving the Harvest" thing, OK? ]

[It'll be a mocktail with raspberries, apples, and a splash of lime to help bring out the flavours of both. She throws a scoop of both into a tumbler, squeezes the lime, and pours in the soda and ice all in a few swift, experienced movements. And as she shakes it with the ice, she responds with a laugh.]

Nothing terrible at all, actually.

[And into the glass it goes, smooth and fizzy. She slides it over the counter with a worried tip of her head and a sheepish smile.]

I hope that wasn't the vibe I was giving off...

[ The movements are well-practiced. Idly, Susato watches her with admiration and idly wonders how long it would take for her own movements to seem that natural. After a hum, there's a quiet shake of her head. Those are reassuring words. If Susato's suspicions are correct, what she's about to receive is quite the opposite of "terrible." ]

Maybe not, then.

[ She'll play along for a little longer. She eagerly (but politely!) reaches for the glass once it is offered, taking her first sip as she waits for Tifa to continue. ]

[Susato can probably (definitely) guess with the way a flush settles into Tifa's cheeks in a colour that matches the bright, vibrant red of the drink, but she silently appreciates the girl's patience as she works through in her head how to tell her. She could come right out and say it and that would be the simplest way, but that was never the Tifa way.

So, she takes a moment to clean up the tumbler, popping the lid on and moving it aside before she leans over the counter to prop her chin up on her hand. The glass moon at her neck dangles and rests on the bar, and its yellow glow flickers brighter, feeding off the joy and anticipation and the jitters that she's feeling right now.]

Guess there's no point in beating around the bush, huh?

[Don't think she hasn't noticed Susato's eyes occasionally moving to look at her necklace! As much as she'd like to ask for her verdict on the drink—

Her fingers curl around the dog tag and she lifts it, sliding it along its silver chain.]

I wanted you to be one of the first to know, but... Eustace and I are getting married... [A beat, and her smile spreads.] You already knew that, didn't you?

[ The drink really is delicious. Hopefully that would show in the way her face lights up upon drinking it. By now, Tifa would probably know her tastes and preferences, after all. Susato watches as Tifa washes the tumblr, then glances to meet her eyes when she speaks again.

Rather than surprise, Susato looks kind of relieved (that she no longer has to pretend not to know). A giggle.

Finally. ]

Ah. Well, I certainly won't insult you by pretending I don't. I saw Eustace's dream. [ There is a bit of a shudder. Only happy thoughts now, Susato. No dead Tifa. ] Forgive me, but after I confirmed that he actually asked, I already offered him my congratulations.

I figured as much.

[But Tifa looks far from upset about it, even if it wasn't the way she would have liked Susato to find out... but it is what it is and she'd rather not dwell on those memories if she can help it.

Instead, she mirrors Susato's relief with her own at finally being able to get it off her chest and tell the people she cares about most in this world, although there is still a bit of a nervous buzz around her, even now.]

He gave me this when he did... this dog tag of his. [She laughs quietly.] Funny timing, because I had gotten him something too.

[The little glass moon clinks gently against the metal, and she turns it over so that they both rest in her palm.]

[ Susato admires the dog tag and the attached charms with a fond smile. There's a brief sound of ice clinking against glass as she takes another sip, listening to Tifa speaking so earnestly. ]

I saw the way you held it at the beach. [ Was that a tease? ] But what did you get him?

[ Curiously, she leans in for the answer. She wonders if Tifa knows that he still has a ring in the works as well, but if not, she won't be the one to ruin that particular surprise. ]

[Her fingers take the moon carefully in between them, holding it delicately like the glass that it is. It glows and sparkles, leaving behind a soft yellow light on their faces as Tifa also leans in a little closer so she can offer Susato a better look.]

I gave him a matching one like mine. A star, actually.

[Beneath its glow, Tifa's smile warms.]

I know it's silly, but... the jeweler said that if you imbue these with your love, they'll protect your loved one from harm. [Embarrassed, she laughs.] Probably just some little thing he told me to get me to buy it, but... I thought they were pretty.

[ Susato catches its faint glow, and a smile begins to warm on her face as well, because that's exactly the kind of romantic story that girls like them fall for. One might even say the jeweler had rehearsed such a thing.

Regardless, ]

They are gorgeous. It's not silly. [ What else can she say? She can't help but feel a sense of deja vu as well. She reaches at something hanging from her own neck, but it's hidden beneath her kimono. ] When Mr 76 was hurt a few months ago, I... I gave him something similar, actually. But it was something I made myself. A charm...

[ Speaking of deja vu, Susato trails off slightly. She's fairly certain she mentioned this in the context of Gina and Toby. Stop her if you've heard this one? ]

[Deja vu indeed. There's that flicker of recognition on Tifa's face, and she perks up slightly when she remembers the conversation they had on the shore of the beach that day, and there's a blanket of warmth that ripples over them, a happy, nostalgic sort of feeling that's just tangible enough that they can both feel it.]

Oh! You mentioned those before.

[Back then, she hadn't thought too much of it, but now... They really are very similar, aren't they? Which begs the question—]

Do you think... in a place like this, something like these could actually work?

[ There is a distant look on Susato's face for a moment, like she is thinking about it. It's still not her place to go into the details about what happened, but 76 and Kazuma were both absent from the Harvest at the same time, for at least a couple weeks. In the end, Susato gives a nod, and an easy, nostalgic smile. ]

I think they do. I gave one to Kazuma as well, you see. He once told me that... that he could feel my presence. Though in the end, I still can't be sure what that did for him.

[ He still got hurt. There's a pause. ]

...Um, would you like to see what they look like?

[Tifa tips her head a touch, curious about that sudden shift in Susato's expression, but she doesn't question it, and instead waits with a patient smile.

She thinks that whatever that charm did for Kazuma in the end, knowing that Susato was always going to be nearby would have been enough for him. She's at least confident in that much, and she hopes that Eustace would feel the same if it ever came down to it.

Her face does light up at her question.]

Yeah! Let's see them.

[ Well... in truth, Tifa would have to ask Kazuma, or 76. Even Gina. But Susato can at least give her the general idea behind it. Susato's hand slips beneath the fold of her kimono, and she pulls out a small rose-shaped bottle that fits into the palm of her hand. She dangles it from its chain, and it shines a pale pink, but it might be difficult to tell with the rainbow of origami cranes stuffed within, and the green goose feathers she added, meant to represent "leaves."

...... ]

It's... Well...

Have you ever heard what they say about the crane?

[Tifa leans over the counter to get a closer look, her fingers reaching out for the little bottle but she never quite touches it. The low, dim lights of the bar catch the pale pink tint of it, and cast a warm glow over the little paper cranes inside, and after a moment of examining it with a soft look in her eyes, she glances up at Susato with a gentle shake of her head.]

No, I haven't. Are they good luck?

[ Susato opens her mouth, likely to say something like "Not quite," but you can practically see the exact moment she stops herself. Are they...? ]

Hm. To be honest, I haven't really thought about their luck. But.... in Japanese culture, it's said that the crane lives for a thousand years. If you're able to make one for each year of its life, you're supposed to be granted a wish.

At the time, mine was for Mr 76 to have a swift recovery. Now my hope is that they'll always be protected.

[ Someway. Somehow.

Wherever they are. ]

[ She pauses, allowing Tifa to take in the explanation, and then there is a soft laugh. ]

Of course, these don't hold anywhere near one thousand. But at least this way, they can carry it with them.

[There's a warm flutter in the air, a buzz that might make Susato's drink taste a touch sweeter the next time she sips it, and that will rustle the leaves of the plants and the branches that sit nearby. She shares the same wish, not just for Eustace, but for all of the others she's come to know and cherish here, and as she looks at the cranes inside the little bottle, she repeats that wish to herself again.]

It might not hold a thousand cranes, but in this case...

[She leans on her elbows again.]

I think maybe the cranes hold more than you think. [She thinks of the little moon hanging around her own neck.] Feels like anything can hold onto what you want, if you wish for it hard enough.

[ Susato does take another sip, and by the looks of it, she does notice a subtle change in flavor. For now though, she thinks she's just imagining it. She leans forward slightly, closer to Tifa. ]

Hehe. Well, I have seen them at work. It appears they are used up somehow. When the magic activates... they burn, until there are no more. So now I keep a large jar of them in my room, just in case.

[ No one's ever really overtly asked for a refill, though. She refilled Kazuma's, once.

...Anyway. ]

Come to think of it, that would be... [ a good wedding gift? she thinks, but she stops herself short of saying it. ] Hm. What kind of bottle shape would you like best, Tifa? If I were to make you one...

Hypothetically...

Oh...

[Tifa's eyes go round, and she lifts her head from her hand a little to look across the bar at Susato, the flush in her cheeks evident.]

You'd really...?

[Of course she would. Susato is, without a doubt, one of the sweetest people she's had the pleasure of meeting in Reverein. So, she'll humour the idea, and she would never say no if she were to make her one.]

Hypothetically... Something like... [There's a pause, and her eyes flit across Susato's face.] Like a little flower.

[ Of course she would. Susato glances at her own rose-shaped bottle before she tucks it back in her kimono. It hadn't been a gift; she made it for herself on a whim, but she still keeps it close to her heart.

Tifa has good taste. ]

A flower! Perhaps I can find one shaped like a lily.

...Hm, although you are marrying Eustace, not Aerith. [ Maybe Eustace's can be a dog bone or some such. ]

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