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Where did Tifa stash Cloud after she found him at the train station?

Erotic Materia

[CONFUSED SCREAMING]
I'm sure someone has already asked this question, but I can't find a reference to it anywhere.

When Tifa finds Cloud, he's a hot mess. Head flopping all over, moaning like a zombie on ecstasy. Then he sees Tifa and pops up, in full Cloud/Zack glory. She decides to take him in to keep an eye on him. Ok, so far so good. My problem is that there's like a 1-2 month gap between that scene and the bombing of reactor 1, according to the timeline. And in the bombing mission at the start of the game, everyone is interacting with Cloud like they only just met him a period beforehand.

Someone help me reconcile this, it's been bugging me for a while.
 

ForceStealer

Double Growth
The timeline is generally a bit of a mess, but I suppose he might have not immediately gone with her until the raid was finished being planned. Maybe did some smaller scale mercenary-ing in the meantime?

Alternatively, maybe Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie weren't around much over that time, preparing for the mission and so weren't really back to meet him?
 
I always assumed it took him a long time to recover from his mako poisoning to the point where he could pass as a functioning human being, and that Tifa kept him secluded in 7th heaven while he was recovering. She wouldn't have introduced the rest of Avalanche to him until she was pretty sure he was willing to join them. Tifa was taking a HUGE risk. As far as she knew, he'd been working for Shinra ever since he left Nibelheim seven years earlier. She didn't know why he was sick, she didn't know why he was all alone at the train station. She didn't know that he'd abandoned his loyalty to Shinra. For all she knew, the moment he recovered he'd be back off to rejoin his regiment. After he, he was a SOLDIER 1st class; his dream had come true. Tifa hadn't exactly had many positive experiences with First Class SOLDIERS. Despite all of this, she took him in anyway and, one assumes, nursed him back to health.
 

Erotic Materia

[CONFUSED SCREAMING]
I always assumed it took him a long time to recover from his mako poisoning to the point where he could pass as a functioning human being, and that Tifa kept him secluded in 7th heaven while he was recovering. She wouldn't have introduced the rest of Avalanche to him until she was pretty sure he was willing to join them. Tifa was taking a HUGE risk. As far as she knew, he'd been working for Shinra ever since he left Nibelheim seven years earlier. She didn't know why he was sick, she didn't know why he was all alone at the train station. She didn't know that he'd abandoned his loyalty to Shinra. For all she knew, the moment he recovered he'd be back off to rejoin his regiment. After he, he was a SOLDIER 1st class; his dream had come true. Tifa hadn't exactly had many positive experiences with First Class SOLDIERS. Despite all of this, she took him in anyway and, one assumes, nursed him back to health.

I agree with all of that. But 7th heaven was AVALANCHE's headquarters; you'd think that Barret and the others would have noticed the weird, sickly dude hanging out all the time. But they were clearly meeting for the first time during the bombing mission.
 

fancy

pants
AKA
Fancy
I always did find it odd that Jessie was apparently surprised to find out that Cloud is "SOLDIER" and that Biggs didn't even know his name.

I assumed that Cloud was kept in a separate part of Seventh Heaven, out of it for most of the period leading up to his helping out the team and in no state to speak with anyone in AVALANCHE. Tifa might've given as little information as saying he was just a "childhood friend," if anyone knew and inquired after a stranger she was keeping hidden away given how unforthcoming she can be—especially on matters close to the heart. Or maybe she did give a name and it was forgotten because AVALANCHE had more pressing matters to worry about, and trusted Tifa not to bring in someone who'd fuck things up for them. Maybe they didn't catch onto to the whole SOLDIER thing because Tifa took him out of those clothes...

When he recovered, he was presumably cut off from the group still, or kept to himself, having no interest in speaking with the others. He barely pays them mind when he's working alongside them, so I can totally see him ignoring them or keeping out of the way when he was back to full health. Mayhaps he even left Seventh Heaven and did a few odd jobs before Tifa asked for the favour to help Barret.

?‍♀️
 
What's even odder is that he wandered around everywhere dressed like a SOLDIER 1st class and nobody remarked on this or thought it was odd in any way.

I mean, many of these apparent discrepancies are due to the fact that we're playing a video game. The action starts in media res and the characters have to be introduced somehow. We only have one field model for each character. I think (hope) they're going to think all these things through much more carefully in the Remake.
 

Makoeyes987

Listen closely, there is meaning in my words.
AKA
Smooth Criminal
Wait wait wait...

Don't get it confused. Cloud being found by Tifa doesn't happen right after the Turks destroy Zirconaide in October. The time frame is approximate. It has no fixed date. It's between the destruction of the first AVALANCHE and beginning of FFVII. Between the two months.

And presumably there would have to be some down time for Cloud to introduce himself, allow AVALANCHE to strategize, and for Cloud to pretend to establish himself as a mercenary.

And Jenova's mimicry takes effect quickly. Cloud wouldn't need long to portray himself as the "new" Cloud. Once he saw Tifa, he was back to "normal" because the Jenova cells read her mind and knew what to do to give Cloud the exact personalty he needed.
 

Erotic Materia

[CONFUSED SCREAMING]
I imagine Cloud didn't stay the Seventh Heaven at all after Tifa found him, but rather just generally doing mercenary work staying at an inn whilst keeping in touch with Tifa. Tifa comes to Cloud with the AVALANCHE job after he makes intentions to leave Midgar.

Ok, this I like. This works well with my head-canon.
 

Makoeyes987

Listen closely, there is meaning in my words.
AKA
Smooth Criminal
Is this a thing I didn't know about?

I'm not sure how, because Sephiroth and Ifalna explain that Jenova has the frightening ability to read its target's mind, and take the shape of loved ones dear to them along with absorbing knowledge of them from their memories.

That is Jenova's mimicry ability. Jenova can shapeshift and mimic loved ones and other people. Sephiroth can do it and those under Jenova's control through her cells can manifest the ability to a degree as well. That's why Cloud was able to seemingly turn back to normal upon contact with Tifa. It used the missing parts of her memories and idea of a "cool SOLDIER" to become the ideal "Cloud" he wanted to be.
 

Erotic Materia

[CONFUSED SCREAMING]
I remember the bit about taking on the shape of dead loved ones, but I don't think Jenova can read minds, unless it's infected the person in question.
 

Makoeyes987

Listen closely, there is meaning in my words.
AKA
Smooth Criminal
I remember the bit about taking on the shape of dead loved ones, but I don't think Jenova can read minds, unless it's infected the person in question.

Nope! It 100% reads minds and memories.

Sephiroth
Cloud... Don't blame Tifa.
The ability to change one's looks, voice, and words, is the power of Jenova.
Inside of you, Jenova has merged with Tifa's memories, creating you.
Out of Tifa's memory......
A boy named Cloud might've just been a part of them.

Ifalna
That's when it appeared!
It looked like... our... our dead mothers... and our dead brothers. Showing us spectres of their past...

He first approached as a friend, deceived them, and finally...... gave them the virus.
The Cetra were attacked by the virus and went mad... transforming into monsters.

Then, just as he had at the Knowlespole.
He approached other Cetra clans...... infecting them with... the virus...

Jenova

The “life form excavated from the earth” mentioned in the “Ancients Project Outline” document in Scene 03-18 refers to “Jenova”, an intelligent life form known as the “calamity from the skies” which crashed into the Knowlespole on a meteorite approximately 2000 years before. Jenova has an instinctive drive to destroy planets, and utilising its abilities to inject a virus into its target and transform them into monsters, and to mimic other forms according to its opponent’s thoughts, it drove the Ancients to near extinction. It was later sealed away by a counter-attack by the Ancients, and remained dormant in the ground until it was exhumed 30 years ago.

Its relation to Sephiroth is like that of a parent and child, and in “FFVII” it continued to work with Sephiroth to summon Meteor and destroy the planet. After the final battle it was defeated by Cloud’s team and lost its physical body, but its mimetic legacy lived on within the Lifestream, and in “AC” it created remnants such as Kadaj.

That's from the CC Complete Guide.

*Jenova's mimic ability*
Jenova has a mimic ability which allows it to read the memories and feelings
of others, then adjust its appearance, speech and behaviour accordingly to
immitate what it has seen. Jenova once used this ability to get close to the
Ancients and infect them with its virus, which killed many of them.

This ability is not limited solely to Jenova itself, for those who have its
cells within them possess it as well, though in an incomplete form.
Immediately prior to the start of the game, when Cloud's mind was shattered,
he ran into Tifa and seemed to immediately return to "normal" (-->P.13); this
was because the mimic abilities of the Jenova cells inside Cloud read her
mind, seeing her memories of him, which were then combined with his own ideal
vision of himself, fashioning a new personality for him.

That's from the FFVII Ultimania Omega.

So with complete certainty, I can tell you that yes. Sephiroth, Jenova and even Cloud had the ability to read minds and "mimic" their targets.
 
I imagine Cloud didn't stay the Seventh Heaven at all after Tifa found him, but rather just generally doing mercenary work staying at an inn whilst keeping in touch with Tifa. Tifa comes to Cloud with the AVALANCHE job after he makes intentions to leave Midgar.

It's a neat solution, but I don't know... I can't imagine Tifa being willing to take her eyes off him. He could get into all sorts of trouble if he were left to his own devices. Or he could simply disappear. She knows there's something really profoundly wrong with him, that he's not right in the head.
 

Cannon_Fodder

Pro Adventurer
Where do Tifa and Barret even live at the start of FFVII? Do they live together in Seventh Heaven? Do the rest of AVALANCHE live there with them?

I always assumed that Tifa lived in Seventh Heaven by herself, and the rest had their own places in the slums and came to Seventh Heaven for meetings and stuff. If that were the case, it'd probably be easy to house Cloud in her area of the bar; I expect no one else would go in there because it'd be like trespassing in her house. I may be way off on all this though.
 

Roger

He/him
AKA
Minato
It's a neat solution, but I don't know... I can't imagine Tifa being willing to take her eyes off him. He could get into all sorts of trouble if he were left to his own devices. Or he could simply disappear. She knows there's something really profoundly wrong with him, that he's not right in the head.
To the best of our knowledge, he got up as soon as she addressed him, and was walking and talking just fine from then on. She sent him on that superdangerous mission, assured everyone that she works with that he is hot stuff because i assume, he has seemed to be fighting shape this whole time. She caught a glimpse that something was wrong, that combined with their conflicting story is what compelled her to keep him around.
 

Ite

Save your valediction (she/her)
AKA
Ite
To the best of our knowledge, he got up as soon as she addressed him, and was walking and talking just fine from then on. She sent him on that superdangerous mission, assured everyone that she works with that he is hot stuff because i assume, he has seemed to be fighting shape this whole time. She caught a glimpse that something was wrong, that combined with their conflicting story is what compelled her to keep him around.

This is a good point. I have a really strong belief that Cloud's sickness continued after that train scene, and that Tifa helped him find his feet again... but upon looking for a quote, I found that there's no actual text evidence to support that, unless I'm missing something.

Tifa
Actually, it's been seven years. You got your wish and joined SOLDIER, quit after the Sephiroth incident, and now you're a mercenary... You told me a lot about what happened after you left Nibelheim... But... ...Something's wrong. I felt there was something strange about the things you talked about. All the things you didn't know that you should, And other things you shouldn't know that you did...I wanted to make sure... But then I heard... you were going far away... And I didn't want that... ...I didn't know what to do. So, I thought I needed more time. And that's why I told you about the AVALANCHE job. I wanted to be with you, watch you.

There's nothing about this quote that implies anything other than a single conversation. Huh.
 
It doesn't gel with my headcanon, and it's not in line with how people recover from serious illnesses that nearly kill them, but who knows, maybe the Jenova cells are at work. I prefer to think Tifa was keeping him like some mad wife in the attic, slowly nursing him back to health; others prefer to think he was out and about taking mercenary jobs and totally not drawing attention to himself with his SOLDIER first class uniform and his sword twirling and his boastfulness, even though the entire infantry and all the Turks know they only killed one escaped specimen and the other's still on the loose somewhere in or near Midgar.
 

Erotic Materia

[CONFUSED SCREAMING]
Nope! It 100% reads minds and memories.







That's from the CC Complete Guide.



That's from the FFVII Ultimania Omega.

So with complete certainty, I can tell you that yes. Sephiroth, Jenova and even Cloud had the ability to read minds and "mimic" their targets.

Ok, ok, I yield! I stand completely and utterly corrected. :monster:

But seriously, thank you. I'm quickly learning that I'm painfully uneducated in the realm of the FF7 universe.
 

Clement Rage

Pro Adventurer
They talk about how his memories are weird, not his state of health. I think he must have filled in blanks somehow. Tifa says he told her about his post Nibelheim life, and it didn't add up, not that five years were blank.

There could be a few more ex SOLDIERs in the mercenary trade for all we know.

Jenova related illnesses seem to come in short sharp attacks. Cloud collapses in reactor cores, then gets up and keeps moving. Lucrecia collapses, but mistakes it for exhaustion, then gets up and keeps working.
 
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