Sheepish and anxious, a multitude of emotions stirring into a melting pot of shameful helplessness while mako tainted eyes refuse to meet familiar rubies. Five years isn't nearly enough time to mend the wounds of a bumbling eighteen year old's failures to simply do his job and yet it seems Zack doesn't exactly get a choice in the matter - though in life it doesn't seem he's ever had much of a choice in anything.
It doesn't matter much though, not since he's found his own freedom and finally had a taste of what true autonomy is; what he really wants to do is offer something far better than silence, there is no making right what happened in Nibelheim but he felt Tifa deserved an apology, one he didn't even expect to be accepted, all things considered. Leather clad fingers twitch, pointing awkwardly at nothing while he tries to get his thoughts in order beneath her gaze and he becomes so terribly irate with himself.
( You call yourself a SOLDIER? Get it together man... )
What help his thoughts manage to be. “ Uh... Hey there... ” Angeal would be rolling in his grave to see his fool of a student fumbling so gracelessly, even more embarrassing as he toys with long raven spikes before just allowing himself to vomit his thoughts out. Tact isn't something Zack Fair is well known for, hasn't been his forte as a child and most certainly not as an adult. “ I just... I wanted to apologize, for uh... What happened back then. I'm sorry I didn't do more when I should have. ”
@myristicisms
It was late in the evening when Tifa heard a knock on the door; 7th Heaven had closed not long before. At first, she believed it was a drunkard or someone who had left an item behind until she noticed their shadow hadn't left the frame. It certainly wasn't someone she expected; but she ushered him in as she allowed the surprise to process. She sat at one of the hightops as she watched him stumble over his words, blinking more than a few times when his apology made it from his mouth. Her mouth opened at first, words stuck on the tip of her tongue, but took another moment as she brushed hair behind her ear. With a deep breath, she started with the first thing that came to mind,
"It's good to see you." She couldn't hold back the smile that twitched at the edge of her lips.
Five years had passed and she didn't even realize. She placed a hand to her chest, recalling one of the worst days she'd somehow survive; and in that, the memory of Zack was the brightest part. When he finished his apology, she stood from her feet and took his nervous hands into her own. Her eyes glued to the cracked leather gloves he wore, but when they moved to meet his mako-infused gaze, it was like every emotion from that day had rushed through her.
Tifa shook her head, her long raven ponytail swaying with the movement. She wanted to say that it was okay, everything is where it's meant to be, and that she knew he had done his best. Instead, she decided to keep it short and offer him that smile as she spoke. "I'm glad to see you're alive, and well, and in one piece."
Then, her shoulders dropped, and her eyes dimmed at the recollection. The slew of feelings crashed against her forgiveness but it was long past. And that was just that --
The past.
The monk could have lingered, blamed, and allowed it to haunt her.
"Apology accepted," she finally replied, placing a single pointer finger in the air. "The past is the past. What matters now is what we do next, right?"