final fantasy vii · costa del sol · cloud strife · tifa lockhart · barret wallace · yuffie kisaragi · aerith gainsborough · zack fair · nanaki · cait sith
The salt-heavy air of Costa Del Sol clings to the skin as the Shinra-8 groans, its massive hull settling against the dock with a metallic sigh. The sun hangs low, bleeding gold and deep violet across the turquoise horizon, while gulls wheel in frantic circles above the masts of docked fishing boats. On the pier, the atmosphere is a dizzying blur of leisure—tourists in vivid linens and locals shouting their wares—a celebration of carefree existence that feels like a hallucination to the group stepping onto the weather-beaten planks. Cloud leads the way, the massive weight of the Buster Sword wrapped and secure on his back, his sea-green eyes scanning the crowds with a cold, analytical stillness. Behind him, the rhythmic thud of Barret's boots punctuates the seaside melody, the low hum…