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Fictional families never seemed to bear much relevance to Marlene’s. The ones on TV always seemed so rigid, so defined. So small. Marlene’s family grew by the year. Mostly. A few painful times it contracted to leave her and others in distress. This too was another part of her life as her father knew it.
Avalanche was her earliest memory of a family. Father and Tifa and Jessie and Biggs and Wedge. If she became upset, if she wanted something, if scared she would rush to whoever was nearest. Father would win out in the end if all things were equal naturally. The others would fall back and let him deal with her on his own when the moments came. Seventh Heaven was her home and Avalanche-
So hard to put labels to them now older and aware of how the world might view them. What was Tifa to her? A member of her family. Marlene had never given any more thought to her role or her place within the group. Jessie too was another family member. The outside world seemed to want labels placed on the people within the grouping; declare Tifa and Jessie a mother or an aunt or a sister. Biggs and Wedge another matter entirely; always Uncles or distanced further as friends of the family. Never as brothers.
Only on reflection could Cloud’s introduction into the group have completed reconfigured everything. There was an argument he did anyway, though from her own perspective, it was clear life would have been shorter or far worse had Cloud not arrived. Marlene still lost three members of her family, but thanks to Cloud gained three new ones in quick succession and a further seven after. A shame she lost one.
There seemed little faith Cloud would be part of the family at first. Jessie, Biggs and Wedge swiftly reached assumptions about everything not said between Cloud and Tifa – assumptions kind of right ultimately, but were, at the relevant point in time and space, not accurate. The elements of basic attraction between the couple clear for many to see. But Cloud carried too many secrets and laboured under a false sense of self; Tifa was not sure of truth or her own memories. For the two of them to split off, to become – as Jessie suspected – a smaller family would have been disastrous and impossible for them.
But Cloud had no family of his own. The only person of note from his past was Tifa. And Tifa was part of Marlene’s family. Far better ultimately Cloud join Marlene’s and not have him pull away to start some smaller one – and deprive her of a member of hers. For a time the family felt perilous; Cloud’s presence drawing Tifa’s attention away to him alone. When Marlene first encountered Aeris it seemed perhaps if Cloud was going to drive a wedge into her family it would be best if he found someone else to do so with. Aeris seemed a good replacement.
Only- To leave Cloud with Aeris for their own family would mean Marlene lost Aeris from hers. Again, not someone who Marlene could label easily. Less a mother figure than Tifa. Aunt possibly fit her better. She was if nothing else personable and would not sugar-coat anything for Marlene in the brief window they spent together. That Cloud and Tifa and father would go to get her back after the loss of Jessie and Biggs and Wedge felt right. Her family needed to regrow. Elmyra was now part of it; older than any other member.
And Aeris and Cloud and Tifa and father sort of span-off into another family. But father and Tifa were still her family, so the new family was still hers. The new members would take time for her to meet. Reeve was in two places at once; with Cloud and Tifa, but also able to appear at Elmyra’s door to tell them both their family was shrunk again. Cid stank of cigarettes and rocket fuel. Vincent smelt of death and roses. Yuffie was forever in trouble and Nanaki’s fur was irresistible. And these new family members brought more with them. For Cid there was Shera; for Nanaki a thousand denizens of Cosmo Canyon. Yuffie’s family ruled Wutai.
After Meteor left the sky, some of the group held a discussion regarding shrinking the family. The notion Cloud and Tifa would still become a smaller family, separate, smaller, the two of them for now. But Tifa said no. Avalanche were a family now; whatever happened between her and Cloud (and something significant had changed between the day they left to rescue Aeris and the day they arrived in Kalm once Meteor was gone), they would still be Marlene’s relatives. Damn the official labels.