World Refugees Final Mix

Tifa was on the other side of the bar, casually chatting with a few of her regulars. They were busy updating with the latest gossip of the town, like what trouble Yuffie had gotten into the other day, a few more of the amusing sights Star Market's cursing had caused.

Politely interrupting the steady steam of what everyone was up to, she made her way back to the bar, talking to a few more people on her way.

It wasn't for a few minutes until after taking a few new orders and refilling even more drinks she noticed something a bit odd. "Where did you come from little guy?" She exclaimed quietly, leaning over the bar for a better look

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Oh there she was. So far, so good as she didn't seem to have recognized him. Now it was time for the cute act. He put his front paws up on the bar and mewed softly.

'Ok,' He thought to himself, 'Tail up, purr...'

This was actually a little embarrassing, but he supposed it was better than winding his way back through town to the Restoration Committee's house and bugging whoever was available that already knew what his curse was. He could put up with a little bit of embarrassment for now. It wasn't like anyone knew it was him. So he put on the best 'I'm cute, feed me' act he could muster.

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Luckily, cats had been one of Tifa's major weak spots. "So I'm getting you're hungry?" She asked, petting him gently. "I think we still have something I can give you."

A few minutes later she returned with a small dish of heated fish and smiled gently. "Here you are. Enjoy~"

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Well, this was working out nicely. Roxas wasn't really surprised that Tifa seemed to like cats. Tough she might be, but as far as Roxas could tell, all females had a soft spot for cute things. Amusingly, that had seemed to apply to the lionesses in the Pride Lands too.

Still, the plan worked. He wouldn't tell anyone except maybe Sora and Kairi, but he did actually like fish, preferably flour dredged and lightly fried, with lemon and/or tartar sauce. Grilled was nice too, but that was a little beside the point. He had his snack. With another happy mew, he dug into the fish.

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Tifa spent a few minutes watching the kitten eat, not realizing at all that it was Roxas. In a way she couldn't quite help it, for he was the most adorable thing she had seen all night. And with her customers for the moment content with their drinks, she was free to watch him for now.

She may have hummed a bit as well but there was no way she would admit that.

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She was humming, he was purring. Ah well. He was in a good mood, so it really didn't matter. He finished the fish and made a show of kitty clean up, though he really hadn't gotten anything on him. He'd been called a neat freak a few times and all he'd had to say to that was 'So?'

He supposed it could hurt to hang around and be cute some more. Where was the harm in it?

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Tifa couldn't help but be amused by cleaning of the dish, and she petted his head. "I guess it was good, hmm?" She asked, softly massaging behind his ears.

Noticing more customers headed for the bar, she quickly removed the dish to her side of the bar and smiled at Roxas. "Sorry kitty, you're gonna need to give up your seat now." She sat and picked him up, cradling him close to her chest.

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Yes, it was good. The rubbing behind the ears was oddly pleasant it made him purr just a bit louder.

However, he was not expecting to be picked up and especially not expecting to find himself cradled against Tifa's ample bosom. If cats could, he would have been blushing. As it was, his expression was best described with the text emote 'o.O'. It took him a considerable bit of willpower to keep from flailing. He doubted she'd find him so adorable if he scratched her.

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"Hey, Tifa," Cloud's distinctive voice came calling as he appeared from another room, "Do you kn--" But he cut himself off as he noticed the kitten Tifa was holding. His mouth quirked into something of a smile, "Hey, little guy..."

"Where did he come from?"

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Tifa turned at his voice, still petting the kitten in apology for picking him up so suddenly. "Know what?" She asked, her mouth curving into another smile at his distraction by the kitten.

"He was sitting on the bar stool when I found him." she explained.

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Roxas was really not amused. What had that one website called this? Marshmallow Hell? Even though he couldn't blush, per se, his face felt hot and he just felt odd in general. It bugged him and he really wanted to go hide somewhere. And as if it wasn't bad enough, now Cloud was here.

Actually, Roxas really did feel odd and he was starting to think it wasn't just his discomfort at being pinned against the barkeep's notable assets. But what else could it be? Sure, he was cursed into feline form at the moment but... but... maybe...

He had a second to mutter "Oh hell..." under his breath before the magic of the curse quite suddenly let him go. The next few seconds were fuzzy at best and ended with him still held to Tifa's chest. Only now, he was human again and... well... considering that the curse had left him as a cat sitting in the middle of a pile of clothes... and those clothes were in his room now...

Was it possible to die from embarrassment and if so, was he about to find out the hard way?

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She hadn't quite paid attention to the first few seconds of squirming, although she gripped slightly tighter so the kitten wouldn't fall out of her arms. With all the magic she had been exposed to over the years, Tifa paused when she felt the slight tingle of magic in the air.

There was almost a audible popping sound and suddenly the kitten in her arms was a face getting quite smooshed into her chest. There was a pause, and she resisted the urge to pound the boy through the wall before letting go of him. Without a word, she unbuttoned her apron skirt and dropped it in his lap for at least a bit of coverage.

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The gentle smile was wiped off of Cloud's face in a flash and replaced with one of pure confusion. Cloud had seen a lot of wierd things in his life, but somehow this took the cake. Appearently being a kitty was Roxas's curse. Okay then.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the words just didn't come. A few snickers here and there did though, but he was trying to kept himself from bursting out in to laughter. This was just too ridiculous.

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Right about now, Roxas wanted a rock to crawl under or something. Having been turned into a cat had been bad enough. Having the curse break while he was squished against the busty barmaid in the middle of her bar on a busy night threatened his sanity.

He hadn't missed Cloud's desperate attempts not to laugh, but he really couldn't hang around to comment. For one thing, he was naked and for another, Tifa was probably about ready to kill him. Still blushing furiously, he grabbed the apron to make sure he didn't lose it and made a dash for the back room. By the gods, if those stupid Refugees found out about this, he'd never hear the end of it.

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Her mouth twitched, wanting to scold Cloud for laughing (abet muffled) even though she herself could help but wanting to giggle as well. If not for the utter strangeness of this situation, the expression Roxas made after returning to his human form.

Once he had fled to the back room did she left herself chuckle softly, before casting out a eye onto the crowds. Everyone seemed busy doing whatever they came here for and from what she could see, no one had noticed their slight laughter. Making sure everyone was still content for the moment, she slipped into the back room to deal with this a bit more.... privately.

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Cloud just silently followed Tifa into the back room, relieved that there hadn't been a huge scene in here. Rather than sticking around, Cloud dissapeared into the apartment that was connected to the bar. However, moments later, he reamerged holding a set of clothes.

"Here," He said, shoving them at Roxas, he couldn't have the boy running around the town naked.

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Roxas hadn't really expected to be alone for long. He just hadn't wanted to stay out in the bar long enough for any of the customers to notice him. He didn't pay Cloud any mind at first... until the man shoved the clothes at him.

Well, that was a nicer gesture than he was expecting. He took the clothes without comment and dressed quickly. Black wasn't exactly his favorite color in clothing, but for some odd reason it looked good on him. Not that that even mattered at the moment. He was reasonably certain Tifa was angry with him and he doubted he was getting away without talking to her...

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Tifa waited until after the guys were finished to reappear, arms crossed. "And what have we learned from this Roxas?" she scolded gently, a mock frown appearing on her face.

It held for a few seconds before she couldn't hold back the giggle any longer and relaxed. "I'm not really angry." She said. "It's more like surprised." Her face broke out into a grin and she smirked the slightest. "Besides. You make an adorable kitten."

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Why did Tifa have to go and say that? It was everything Cloud could to not to start laughing again. Cloud wasn't in the mood for a Keyblade upside the head, or anything like that.

So he turned his back to Roxas, and started staring at the ceiling like it was the most intresting thing ever.

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Roxas wasn't sure if he should be relieved or annoyed that not only was she not angry with him, but she was teasing him. He was still blushing a bit and really, she could've fooled him. He'd thought she was going to bash his head in initially.

"Just... uh... don't tell any of the Refugees," he said, trying not to sound like he was begging. It was hard when he actually was begging, but hopefully he managed... or at least Cloud and Tifa would be kind enough not to let him know they'd noticed, "I'll never hear the end of it if they find out... You might not either, come to think of it."

He didn't miss Cloud's sudden interest in the ceiling after Tifa's comments. There was no doubt that the blond emo bastard was trying not to laugh, but Roxas held his tongue on that for now. Tifa may not have been angry with him over the cat thing, but her tolerance probably didn't cover a random brawl in the back room of the bar and he really didn't want to find out the hard way if she was capable of kicking his ass. Maybe at the coliseum some time, but not here and not now...

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Tifa's lips twitched again, trying to suppress her giggling again. And Cloud wasn't helping at all with his ceiling watching. ~~Which actually reminded her that it needed a new paint job. That crack in the corner was really beginning to bother her.~~

"I won't" She promised. However, just because she promised didn't mean she'd might not mention it to Aerith who might just innocently pass it off to any one else and suddenly everyone would know anyway - but she wasn't quite that mean. Yet.

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