"You are only allowed to drink beer now, don't forget there's still proper business." Tifa glared at him, speaking word by word.
Barret was stunned for a moment, but seeing that Tifa seemed to be really angry, this hot-tempered burly man unexpectedly didn't argue. Instead, he thought, 'Beer is fine too, at least it's not juice.'
At this moment, Marlene, who had finally calmed her racing heart, threw herself into Aerith's arms.
"Sister Aerith, you haven't come to see Marlene for so long." Marlene rubbed hard in Aerith's embrace.
"Because sister had things to do." Aerith liked Marlene very much, pinched her nose, and continued, "Just like you, you also have to go to school during the day."
"But last time uncle came, was he very free during the day?" Marlene asked.
"That's not it, when I have time, I also have to help your Sister Aerith take care of the flowerbed." Aiden said as he took the wine Jessie handed him and took a big gulp.
Then, he almost spat out the wine in his mouth, immediately looking at Jessie in confusion.
"Don't worry, it's just strong liquor, nothing strange added." Jessie covered her mouth and chuckled, then hugged the tray and went back to the bar.
"If you're not used to it, just pour it out. I'll go make you a Starfall Canyon." Seeing Aiden frown, Tifa turned to walk toward the bar, but halfway there, she turned back and said to Aiden, "You sit first, I'll be right back."
Aiden nodded and pulled Aerith and Marlene to sit opposite Barret.
Barret looked at the wine Aiden placed on the table and couldn't help licking his lips, but thinking of Tifa, the organization's biggest funder, already being angry, he held himself back.
"Just now from what Tifa said, it sounds like you're looking for me for something?" Aiden held the wine cup with both hands and asked.
Although Barret's tongue was already thick from drinking, he still remained somewhat clear-headed. Hearing Aiden's words, he remembered his purpose.
"Have you heard of Avalanche?" Barret and the others were sitting in a relatively secluded corner, with only one table and no outsiders around, so after glancing around, Barret spoke in a normal tone.
"Heard a bit." Aiden nodded.
Aerith, who was whispering with Marlene beside them, looked up at them. She grew up in Midgar and often interacted with the Turks, so she knew quite a bit too.
"Then, what do you think about what Avalanche has done?" Barret continued asking.
Hearing this question, Aiden didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Of course he knew Avalanche appeared to resist Shinra Corporation's endless exploitation of the planet's Lifestream, and in fact, that was a good thing. However, regarding Avalanche's actions, especially the series of things Barret did after leaving Avalanche, he somewhat disapproved.
Too extreme. Even more extreme than real-world radical environmentalists.
For the so-called ideals, they were even willing to sacrifice the lives of ordinary Midgar citizens. That was no different from Shinra exploiting common people.
However, Aiden also knew Barret and the others did this for the planet, so that life on the planet could continue to thrive. So after a moment of silence, he still didn't know how to respond.
Looking at the silent Aiden, Barret wasn't in a hurry, just stared at him.
After a while, Aiden sighed slightly, took a sip of wine, and said, "Regarding what Avalanche has done, I do not oppose it."
Hearing this, Barret's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on his face.
"But…" Aiden suddenly said, "I also do not support it."
Barret's expression immediately returned to its original state.
"Why?" Barret thought for a moment and asked.
"Very simple. To the current citizens of Midgar, they rely on Shinra for everything, rely on the Mako reactors to provide an endless supply of cheap electricity. Like this bar, without the cheap electricity from the Mako reactor, the costs would definitely be sky high." Aiden said.
"That part is true." Tifa, who brought over wine, nodded at Aiden's words, "I heard others say that the electricity bills used to be very expensive."
"Then do you mean you support Shinra?" Barret asked again.
"That's not it." Aiden shook his head, "Actually, I also can't stand Shinra's exploitation of the planet, it's too ruthless."
"Exactly because it's too ruthless." Barret sighed, "Midgar can't even grow weeds now."
"That's why we're resisting Shinra's rule." Barret added.
"So how do you plan to resist?" Aiden asked knowingly.
Barret glanced around again. Though there were still no outsiders nearby, he still lowered his voice and said, "We've decided to blow up Midgar's Mako reactor."
"That's a bit difficult, just with the few of you." Aiden shook his head, "Your strength is too small."
"That's why I want to ask if you're willing to join our Avalanche?" Barret said, "Fight to save the planet."
This question didn't surprise Aiden, he knew Barret would ask this in the end.
"For now, I don't have plans to join any organization." Aiden neither refused directly nor agreed.
Sure enough, Barret was dissatisfied with this answer, and was about to ask why, but Tifa patted his shoulder.
"Alright, Barret, let Aiden think about it carefully." Tifa said.
Regarding the opinion of the organization's funder, Barret had no choice but to obediently nod.
"Aiden, I hope you'll seriously consider it. For the planet, and for our future generations." Barret said seriously.
"I'll think about it." Aiden smiled, raised his wine glass, and said.
Then Barret called his team over to the bar, leaving only Aiden, Aerith, and Tifa behind. And Marlene in Aerith's arms, the two of them were talking about something and didn't even glance at Aiden.
Aiden finished the wine in his glass and then fell into deep thought.
In truth, he personally leaned more toward neutrality. To him, whether it was Shinra or Avalanche, he didn't want to join either.
But if he had to choose one, he would still help Avalanche, because no matter how extreme they were, compared to Shinra, they still had a bit of conscience.
Of course, in the past few days, he had also thought about ways to resolve the conflict, but relying on individual strength alone, all ideas ultimately remained just ideas.
Seeing Aiden propping his chin with one hand, holding the wine glass in the other, frowning in thought, Tifa walked behind him, placed both hands on his shoulders, leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Aiden, don't force yourself. We never force anyone to join us, just do what you think is right."
"Mm." Aiden nodded. He turned to tell Tifa to bring him another Starfall Canyon, but happened to turn face-to-face with Tifa who was still close to his ear.
The distance between them was very close, nose to nose, lips to lips.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. They could clearly see all the emotions in each other's eyes.
Maybe it was the alcohol's effect, driven by a strange force, Aiden's upper body leaned forward slightly, and their lips touched.
"Ah..." Tifa was caught off guard by the sudden kiss, which stirred her heart into chaos, making her do something she slightly regretted… she stepped back, let out a soft gasp, then covered her mouth and sneaked a glance at Aerith.
Fortunately, Aerith was still whispering to Marlene with her head lowered. She hadn't heard the gasp or noticed their actions, which made Tifa feel a little relieved.
"Ahem… another glass, please." Aiden cleared his throat. He didn't know whether he felt regret or pity, but to cover up his embarrassment, he handed Tifa the empty glass.
"You… wait a moment, I'll bring it right over." Tifa's heart was pounding like a deer as she hurriedly fled the scene.
At the bar, Tifa started mixing Aiden's drink. But because her mind was in turmoil, she didn't even know what she added. With a dazed look, she shook the shaker as her thoughts drifted.
She didn't know how long she had been lost in thought until a hand patted her shoulder, bringing her back to reality.
"Tifa, what's wrong?" Jessie asked curiously, "You've been shaking that shaker for so long, twice the usual time."
"Nothing, Jessie." Tifa quickly shook her head, poured the drink into a glass, placed it on a tray, and walked toward Aiden.
Jessie scratched her head in confusion as she watched Tifa's back.
"Aiden, your drink." Tifa placed the drink in front of him.
Aiden immediately took a sip, then looked at Tifa in confusion.
"The taste… seems a little off." Aiden smacked his lips and said.
Tifa's face turned slightly red. Her heart had been too chaotic earlier, so even the flavor of the drink turned out messy…
———
Seventh Heaven, being the most popular slum bar in Sector 7, often stayed open until late at night. Normally, it was run by Tifa alone, so it could get busy. But with Jessie and the others helping tonight, Tifa was able to enjoy a rare moment of leisure and sat across from Aiden with a low-alcohol drink to drink with him.
No one knew how much time passed. The number of people in the bar gradually decreased. Even Marlene, Jessie, and the others had left with Barret.
Now only the three of them were left in the bar.
After a while, Aerith, watching the two clinking glasses nonstop, also asked for a drink. But after her last experience, she didn't dare to drink strong liquor. Like Tifa, she drank low-alcohol fruit wine.
Maybe she liked the taste too much, without noticing, she drank more and soon started to feel tipsy again. She said she envied Tifa, then tilted her head to look at Aiden, muttering things no one could hear clearly.
Watching Aerith muttering to herself, both Aiden and Tifa felt helpless. They had tried to persuade her, but clearly, it didn't work.
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