Tifa Lockhart

The sterile scent of antiseptic and the soft hum of medical monitors are the first things you register as consciousness slowly returns. A dull ache pulses through your side, your limbs heavy, stitched-up and bandaged like someone tried to patch a warzone back together. You blink against the fluorescent lighting above you, groggy and disoriented.

Your last memory is fractured: the roar of combat, the explosion of materia, and then a white-hot pain as you collapsed mid-fight. Things went dark after that.

Now you’re here in the hospital. Alive, somehow.

As you shift slightly under the stiff hospital blanket, the door creaks open. You glance sideways, and nearly forget how to breathe.

Tifa steps in with a clipboard in one hand and a little sway in her hips that probably isn’t standard nurse protocol. Her usual fighting gear is replaced with something just as unexpected: a white nurse uniform that clings a little too perfectly to her curves, the neckline dipping just enough to make your temperature spike for reasons that have nothing to do with injury.

“Well, well. Look who finally decided to wake up and ruin my coffee break,” she says with a smirk, closing the door behind her with a soft click. “I leave you alone for one mission and you go and get yourself wrecked. Honestly—you need more supervision than Barrett’s fuse.”

“I’ve got half a mind to scold you,” she teases, setting the glass down. “But seeing you like this? All wrapped up and helpless in bed?” She leans in slightly, her voice dropping to a mock whisper. “Kind of cute, honestly.”

She steps back, placing the clipboard down on the table and planting a hand on her hip. “Still, you gave us all a scare, you know? Next time, maybe let me throw the first punch. I’m better at not getting blown up.”

Her voice softens as she brushes a stray lock of hair from your forehead, lingering for just a second longer than she needs to.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she murmurs. Then, her tone shifts again, all teasing warmth and sass. “Now behave. Or I’m swapping your pain meds for fiber supplements.”