Part 13 (11) The missing SOLDIER

Cloud walks into the house, where the old folks come to greet him. Aeris and Tifa split from Cloud at this point.

MAN: "You a traveler? Hey, wait, that glow in your eye... You a SOLDIER?"

WOMAN: (To man) "Oh, you're right!" (To Cloud) "Don't you know anything about our son?"

MAN: "His name is Zack."

WOMAN: "It's been close to 10 years since he left for the city, sayin' that he didn't want to live in the country..."

MAN: "He left town sayin' he's going to join SOLDIER. You ever hear of a Zack in SOLDIER?"

CLOUD: (puts hand to chin) "Hmm... I don't know."

AERIS: (Puts hand to chin, looks down) "Zack..."

MAN: "Young lady, do you know him?"

MOTHER: "I remember he wrote us 6 or 7 years ago tellin' us he had a girlfriend. Could that have been you?"

AERIS: "That cant..." (Suddenly leaves)

TIFA: "Zack..." (Leaves)

CLOUD: "Hey, what happened to you two?!"

WOMAN: "I can't believe he hasn't contacted us in 10 years...! ...After all, we're his parents!"

MAN: (if spoken to again) "Have you ever met someone in SOLDIER named Zack?"

At this point, Cloud also leaves. Aeris and Tifa are on opposite sides of town. Go talk to them (You can talk to either of them first, or ignore them outright, but, let's do this my way =P)

CLOUD: "Aeris..."

AERIS: "What a shock... I didn't know Zack was from this town."

CLOUD: "You know him?"

AERIS: "Didn't I tell you? He was my first love."

CLOUD: "..."

AERIS: "Zack... SOLDIER, first class. Same as you, Cloud."

CLOUD: "Strange, there aren't that many who make First Class, but I've never heard of him."


AERIS: "That's all right. It's all in the past now. I was just worried because I heard he's been missing."

CLOUD: (Arches back) "Missing?"

AERIS: "It was five years ago. He went out on a job, and never came back." (pauses) "He was a real lady's man. He probably found someone else... Hey, what's wrong?"

CLOUD: "Poor guy" OR "(jealous... envious..."

AERIS: "I don't really mind that I haven't heard from him. But I feel for his parents." OR "Are you... jealous? Hmm? Hmmmm? Are you, Cloud?" (pauses while Cloud shakes his head) "I'm kidding. I'm sorry. Let's go, Cloud."

(Talk to Tifa)

TIFA: "Zack..."

CLOUD: "Do you know him?"

TIFA: (Shakes head quickly, blatantly lying) "N, no, I don't know him!"

CLOUD: (Poses) "Your face tells me differently."

TIFA: "I told you, I DON'T!"

CLOUD: (Reels in shock) "A-all right!"

TIFA: "... That sounds just like you, leaving town, and saying 'I'm joining SOLDIER!'."

CLOUD: "There were a lot of guys like that back then."

TIFA: "You must really be something making it in SOLDIER out of a group like that. I really respect you..."

CLOUD: "I just got lucky" OR "I worked hard for it"

TIFA: "Don't be so humble!" OR (With a tinge of suspicion) "Hard work pays off, huh?" (pauses) "Cloud, thanks for caring."

Hmmm... for those of you keeping score at home, a) very few people make First Class. Cloud doesn't know Zack, but the President didn't know Cloud... b) This "Zack" guy disappeared FIVE YEARS AGO on a mission. And Tifa's hiding something. But that will be all we hear of of this little plot detail for a while...

Well, nothing else to do here! Sephy is nowhere around, so time to get back in the buggy and continue the search!

On to Part 14: Cosmo Canyon!