Chapitre 49: Rationale

"You're Tifa, right?" asked Andrew, even though he already knew the answer.

"That depends. Who's asking...?" replied Tifa, narrowing her eyes slightly with furrowed brows.

Pointing to himself, Andrew explained, "Long story short, my name is Andrew Ashford Alexandros. I'm an envoy from a different world, and I came to this one to prevent tragedy and establish trade relations with the people of this world."

Pointing to Tifa, Andrew added, "You're Tifa Lockheart, a talented martial artist from Nibelheim, a childhood friend of Cloud Strife's, and a member of the underground resistance organization, Avalanche."

Furrowing her brows deeper, Tifa's hands gradually formed fists as she firmly asserted, "I have no idea what you're talking about..."

Raising his hands to show they were empty, Andrew said, "Relax. I have no intention of joining your organization, but I'm definitely not an enemy. Rather, if you're willing to hear me out and accept my assistance, we can take down Shinra and save this world without jeopardizing the livelihoods of millions..."

"I think you've inhaled too much Mako..." remarked Tifa, a reference to Andrew's stark, slightly glowing blue eyes.

While Aerith giggled off to the side, Andrew rolled his eyes and surprised both women by abruptly disappearing. A few seconds later, he returned with an expensive bottle of whiskey, setting it on the bar as he explained, "That was my popping over to another world. If you still don't believe me, I can take you there and let you experience it directly."

Recovering from her momentary stupor, Tifa picked up the foreign bottle of whiskey, inspecting its label before removing its crystal stopper to give it a whiff. Just from the smell alone, she could tell it was worth way more than anything she served in the bar.

"Okay, you're clearly not someone ordinary..." conceded Tifa, her eyes shifting to the tail swaying conspicuously behind Andrew's back. He was also correct about her being a childhood friend of Cloud and belonging to Avalanche, so she tapped the bar with the index finger of her right hand a few times before looking to Aerith and asking, "What about you? Are you also from a different world...?"

"Nope! I was born and raised on this planet and will return to it once I die," replied Aerith, narrowing her eyes and pushing up the corners of her smile with her index fingers.

Though she was tempted to point out that Aerith 'behaved' like an alien, Tifa focused her gaze on Andrew and said, "You said you could help. How so?"

"Well, that depends on you and the others charged with protecting this world from destruction," replied Andrew, preempting Tifa's next question by adding, "But, if you want some examples, I'm capable enough that I could conduct a direct assault on Shinra's HQ, kill the President, and escape without too much trouble. Beyond that, I possess tremendous personal wealth and represent a coalition of nations and kingdoms that span several worlds..."

While speaking, Andrew passed his hand over the counter, materializing a row of gold bars as if unfurling a deck of cards. Tifa's and Aerith's eyes lit up as they saw them, but as tantalizing as the sight was, it wasn't enough to cloud the former's reason, her expression turning serious as she asked, "What's the catch? Nobody offers the things you're proposing for free..."

Leaving the gold bars atop the table, Andrew nodded and explained, "We would want this world to become a member of our coalition, first focusing on trade and eventually laying the foundation of inter-world migration. To that end, this world would need a representative, a Proxy that represents the interests of the planet and its people..."

Staring at the thirteen bars of gold Andrew had laid out, Tifa felt slightly overwhelmed, but her heart was racing as innumerable thoughts filled her head. She didn't know what being a Proxy entailed, but if Andrew became their patron or sponsor, they would be able to do a lot of good for a lot of people.

Not as captivated by the wealth before her, Aerith asked the question at the forefront of her mind, specifically, "What's a Proxy? And, can any one person represent an entire planet...?"

"Generally speaking, no," replied Andrew. "However, as we're discussing trade between nations and other worlds, there has to be 'someone' acting as a representative. Ideally, someone who cares about the planet and its people, not the profitability their status affords. As for what a Proxy is..."

Since it wasn't something he could keep a secret, not without it biting him in the ass later on, Andrew dutifully explained was a Proxy was, the boons that came with being one, and the requirements to hold the position long-term. Tifa and Aerith were understandably taken aback by his explanation, but as both had intense desires to help others, neither outright dismissed the possibility of becoming a Proxy. Especially after a brief stopover in the other worlds, confirming Andrew wasn't just talking out of his ass or trying to deceive them...

...

"They drop the entire plate? How horrible..." expressed Tifa, reaching up but not quite covering her mouth with her hands.

"Yeah, and it ends up strengthening their public image due to the actions of other Avalanche groups and a handful of Wutai operatives," revealed Andrew, referencing the events of INTERmission, a game whose plot ran concurrent to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the apparent/presumed setting for the world he was in.

"Damn that Shinra...!" groaned Tifa, slamming her right fist on the counter, causing the assorted bottles of alcohol Andrew had lined up to jump a bit.

"They're definitely not the nicest group of people..." muttered Aerith, shaking her head as she asserted, "But not everyone at Shinra is bad. And only a few, like Professor Hojo, are truly evil. Some are working hard to fix the system from within, so we shouldn't do anything 'drastic' like blowing up their HQ or bombing the Mako Reactors..."

Crossing her arms in a way that inadvertently accentuated her 32 DDD breasts, Tifa exhaled a long sigh and said, "Yeah, I get that...but Barret and the others won't be convinced so easily. Even if we can prove you're from another world, it won't change his drive to save this one..."

"Blowing up reactors isn't 'saving' anything..." remarked Andrew, staring intently into Tifa's carmine eyes as he said, "The most immediate threat to this planet is Sephiroth. As for Shinra, it would be more reasonable to take out their executives or disable their systems 'without' blowing them up. In the end, so long as the central reactor is operational, they don't care what happens to the others as it they can use it as an excuse to increase taxes and divert the public's anger toward their enemies."

"Then, what if we destroy the central reactor...?" asked Tifa, her stance making it increasingly difficult for Andrew not to look down.

Shaking his head, Andrew asserted, "That's impossible with the means at your disposal. Reactor 0 is where Shinra conducts most of its experiments and keeps its most dangerous SOLDIERs. I have the means to destroy the entire building. But, as Aerith pointed out, not everyone in Shinra is evil. If Reactor 0 goes down, it will also disable power to the entire city, resulting in chaos, rioting, and millions of innocent people losing expedient access to food, water, and critical medical infrastructure..."

Hanging her head, Tifa wore an expression of shame and indignation as she muttered, "We have to do 'something'..."

"Did you forget about the boons I explained previously...?" asked Andrew, garnering Tifa's attention as he added, "Even if you decide not to become a Proxy, I can personally facilitate moving vast distances in an instant. So long as we station points of contact around Midgar or have them conceal themselves in nearby cities, we can utilize guerilla tactics to assail Shinra's HQ and teleport away when things get sticky. As a Proxy, you wouldn't even need my help. You could charge in, beat up as many people as you want, and then teleport away in the blink of an eye."

Though it wasn't quite a blink, Andrew snapped his fingers and vanished to show how quickly they could retreat. When he returned, he found Tifa staring at him with a frown, unenthused by the prospect of Proxihood but understanding how advantageous it would be...

Inserting herself into the conversation, Aerith surprised Andrew and Tifa alike by declaring, "I'll do it. I'll become a Proxy," with a look of conviction. She would have preferred being with the person she loved, but more than five years had passed since they saw one another. She also knew better than Andrew what the future held, so she had a personal responsibility to ensure Sephiroth's ambitions didn't come to pass...

Recovering from his momentary stupor, Andrew replied, "I'll gladly have you...but don't you think you're jumping into things a little too quickly? It won't be too late to change your mind later, but there are some things you can't get back..."

Understanding what Andrew was referring to, Aerith narrowed her eyes and grinned differently from her usual smile as she said, "You don't have to worry about that..." in a faint, meaningful tone.

'It's always the quiet ones...' thought Andrew, subsequently putting Tifa on the spot by simply looking at her. Unlike Aerith, who was calm to an almost uncanny extent, Tifa's face became bright red as she averted her eyes and stammered, "W-why are you looking at me all of a sudden...?"

Shaking his head, Andrew replied, "No reason. But, as it's getting late, I should head back and give the two of you a chance to speak privately. If there are any issues or you want to discuss something, just message me with the chat function. If it's an emergency, I can teleport over instantly. Just don't take advantage of it..."

"You're leaving?" asked Aerith, giving Andrew goosebumps as she tilted her head to the side and asked, "What about making me your Proxy? You wouldn't happen to be running away, would you...?"

Exhaling a scoffing chuckle, Andrew retorted, "Keep that up, and when I 'do' make you my Proxy, you might find yourself unable to walk without a Potion or healing magic..."

Punctuating his statement, Andrew gave a curt salute before promptly disappearing. In his wake, Aerith and Tifa stood in awkward silence for several seconds before the former narrowed her eyes and asked, "Are you still a virgin, Tifa?"

"So what if I am...?" Tifa inquired, crossing her arms with a moderately 'miffed' expression.

Shaking her head, Aerith remarked, "It's just a little strange, that's all. We appear to be around the same age, and I feel you're more attractive than I am. You must have had men throwing themselves at you, especially as a barmaid just a stone's throw from Wall Market..."

"They have thrown themselves at me," revealed Tifa, raising her right fist as she added, "And I gave every single one of them a hard lesson with my fist."

"What about Andrew?" asked Aerith, her voice taking on a notable sing-song quality as she appended, "Why didn't you fist him~?"

Furrowing her brows, Tifa hesitated for several seconds before stating, "Andrew is strong...I could tell from the moment our eyes first met. If the two of us were to fight seriously, I wouldn't stand a chance..."

"I got the same impression," affirmed Aerith, recalling how easily Andrew dealt with the monsters on their way to Sector 7. She had witnessed high-ranking SOLDIERs and prodigious members of the Turks fight, but none of them handled monsters as effortlessly as Andrew. Even when he seemed to be in a daze or focused on other things, he would dispatch monsters as soon as they appeared, almost like a machine...

Interrupting Aerith's reverie, Tifa carefully asked, "Are you serious about becoming a Proxy...?"

Adopting a sad smile, Aerith casually revealed, "I've lived in captivity or under close observation for most of my life, Tifa. So, trust me when I say that having the option to 'run away' is a luxury that, at times, no amount of money or prayer can afford..."

"..."

Though Aerith's words made Tifa curious about her past, she decided not to pry into the unquestionably touchy subject. Instead, another awkward silence descended upon the bar as her head was filled with thoughts like how much of a nightmare she could become for Shinra if she could sneak into their facilities, drop off explosives from her Item Box, and teleport out instantly, negating the need for a countdown timer...

...