[Open Post]

[plate_builder]

Does it need to be said? You can find this poor civil engineer in any sort of situation you want. Put up a starter and let it run free. No Scarlets welcome, though. He can't stand them.

Comments

[plate_builder]

"So are you implying this is the real Rufus Shinra, or am I just a particularly amusing target because you never expected me to be comfortable with such things?" Reeve asks. Again, he's serious. Does Rufus throw sexuality around as a new weapon now that wealth and authority aren't there at his command?

[afterlaborday]

"Hm..." He glances away, though Reeve might recognize it as considering the question and not ignoring it. It's a very good question, after all, and is owed a proper response.

No, he's not throwing it around as power. If he had wanted to do that, he would have tried to find a way to keep from being contained away from the Turks for almost six months; he might have been able to use it at least against one of the two captors he had.

And he wouldn't do this to just everyone. Not even Reeve, not to get a response and throw him off balance. Or, maybe he did the first time, but since then?

Blue eyes turned back to Reeve, his smile more relaxed than usual. "The first time I did it to you, I suppose I did want to see your response. Now, it's just kind of fun."

As he continues to speak, Reeve will notice Rufus begins to swish the water in his bottle almost playfully, watching the contents only half-heartedly. "Honestly, I've never flirted just for the hell of it, except maybe with Reno, and that doesn't quite count.

"And before you ask, the one time I tried with Tseng, he looked at me like I'd grown a second head." A chuckle. "Which I guess means he's not interested in me."

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"I expect he gives everyone that look," Reeve sighs. But really, that's a nice smile. Reeve has to hand it to the man, he's got a great smile. And charm. Things his father had never possessed.

"At least I can provide you amusement."

Strange, should it sting to hear that it's just fun? Reeve quashes that thought and takes another bite. He needs to think of another question. Except he can't.

[afterlaborday]

"You don't seem so glad." He sets the bottle down, and goes back to eating as well, watching Reeve for a moment, before deciding he does want to ask a question. "What of you, Reeve? I admit I didn't expect you to keep up with my commentary, but you seem to know your way."

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"I've been around the block more than a few times," Reeve says, and there is absolute confidence in what he says like that. "I was a bit of a... free spirit in college. And my early days with Shinra. More often than not my partners appreciated such language and I grew adept with it."

He has more than a bit of experience with that, truly. But he still looks a bit forlorn. "In fact, Jasper was one of my partners back then. But times change, as you well know. You got freer with it. I have not."

[afterlaborday]

"Mm, I see. Sorry to hear that. However, perhaps it will ultimately be for the best." Rufus stands to get a little bit more of the food Reeve brought. "Though now I'm curious even more. Did they only appreciate your tongue?"

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Really? Reeve raises an eyebrow at that. "Are you asking whether I'm all bark? I'm not, Rufus, though I reserve biting only for when I'm asked. And I've got other talents with my tongue."

He's almost amused at the question, and he would thank Rufus for that question. "I've had nearly a decade to build my skills."

[afterlaborday]

"Only that long?" He glances at Reeve as he sits back down. "Didn't you say you roamed free in college? Are you not much older than I am?"

hahaha forgot his age, oh well, make it deliberate

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"I guess I'm not going to get away with playing myself off as younger than I am," Reeve sighs. But is clearly overly dramatic. Look at how put upon he is. "I am a decade older than you. And I've been aware of my sexuality and seeking partners since college. So three fifths of your life. I have plenty of experience to speak of. Granted less of that achieved in recent years between a number of factors before and after Meteorfall."

Mostly he's just tired. He's too busy for flings these days, mostly in that he can't see himself making time to try and seduce someone.

XD it's okay. Kind of works

[afterlaborday]

"Huh..." It's all be says, but it didn't seem like all he could.

[plate_builder]

"It seems I've managed to render Rufus Shinra speechless. I'll put that on my resume," Reeve muses as he finishes his own bottle of water. "Of course it's more complicated these days, in light of someone trying to kill me. My preferences were not exactly a secret. I could not seek anyone at this point without quite a serious bit of vetting, and no one would put up with such a thing. The exception would be people associated with the charities I work with or the WRO, but that would be an ethical issue with me having authority over them."

There had been a faint hope that... But no. He gives a bemused little shrug. He has been rendered celibate not only by his work schedule but also by the fact that his life might actually depend on it.

[afterlaborday]

"It won't count for much in this day and age." He retorts, before chuckling a little at Reeve and giving him a devilish look. "You could always ask me, or maybe Reno. I'm sure he wouldn't say no. Might get Rude to join in too."

[plate_builder]

No, it would not count. But now Reeve is just staring at Rufus, caught up in the other thing that was said.

"I would not desire Reno anywhere near me in such a situation," Reeve points out curtly. Nor is Rude really his type. Really, he's not going to touch the other one. No doubt that is a larger joke than the suggestion of Reno.

Reeve, stop... He will totally keep this shit up xD

[afterlaborday]

"Ok, I get no to Reno, and he'd naturally drag Rude along into any insanity, but no direct 'no' on me? Worried a younger man would be better than you, or just tired of my harassment already?"

Reeve is just shocked that Rufus keeps doing this. He thought the joke was robbed of power.

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"Reno would actually attempt to get into my bed if that joke was uttered before him," Reeve points out. "He may not recognize it was something you said for a laugh. You, however, know that your point is to make yourself laugh, thus I see no need to dismiss the ridiculous statement."

But he does give Rufus a look that says he is rising to some of the bait. "And I would not be worried. I would applaud a younger man with experience. However, I find that they frequently over-estimate what they have."

Not so long as he reacts... and bombshell time? xD

[afterlaborday]

"Don't worry, I'd offer you my gun to shoot his ass if he did." He then laughs a bit, but it doesn't sound amused. "Say, Reeve... What if I said I have more experience than you do?"

Reeve's going to be pitying you soon Rufus

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"I'm a poor shot with a shotgun," Reeve dismisses. "But I have taken pleasure before with a high level materia blast when he annoys me. Gongaga was a true pleasure."

But the statement makes Reeve shake his head. "The way you carried yourself at Shinra, Rufus, I highly doubt that. Add in your admitted time as a 'guest' of the Turks... well, unless you got it all with then, I will consider myself incredulous."

Haha... once his jaw comes off the floor

[afterlaborday]

"I have a handgun now. Easier to conceal." He leans on the table with his arm again, cradling his head in it, and seems to be contemplating something. Watching Reeve while he does, and seeming as if he may not speak, just stare, before finally closing his eyes.

"You can ask Veld on this, as I'm sure he suspected or knew..." Slowly, that horrible smirk of his crawls to Rufus' lips, his eyes opening with a look that says he can't be joking in the least; a deadly, twistedly amused look. "As you know, I'm twenty-six now, Reeve. If you subtract seventeen years from that, you'll have my age for the first time I was with a man."

Oh there is no jaw on the floor. There is rampaging behemoth levels of rage instead

[plate_builder]

Sevent...

There is immediately a look of fury flashing over Reeve's face. How could there not be. That math is instant, and the connotation of it has him on his feet, his chair fallen behind him. There is fire in his eyes, disgust twisting his mouth, and his fists leaning against the table are clenched so tight that there is a distinct possibility that his nails are cutting into his palms.

"A man?" Reeve asks, and there is such cold disgust in his voice, nothing like Reeve normally sounds like. The man normally keeps himself so composed. Except, apparently, around Rufus. "There is no one that would qualify for such a term when a child is involved. That isn't being 'with' someone, that is rape, pure and simple. I may ask him, just so I know where Veld disposed of the vile slug so I can desecrate the grave."

Whoops ... and yay, tag before work

[afterlaborday]

He's honestly a little surprised at Reeve and his motions. Had expected start, maybe a little anger, but not this burst of rage. The man was, despite some of their meetings, generally laid back. Even the times he had become angry were a far cry in appearance from this.

The surprise is probably why Rufus doesn't consider his next words very well.

"You had best be prepared to look up several graves, as I doubt even the Turks know about it all, and most of those men died during the Meteor incident."

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There is a sparkle of light at Reeve's wrists at that revelation, his anger so deep that for half a second he considers tapping into his materia to set fire to something. But he calms himself at least enough to prevent that. He steps away from the table, still furious, still disgusted.

Most. Most, not all.

"Rufus, I need the names of those not likely to have passed."

Because he needs to make sure that people are safe in Edge. There are so many children without caretakers, without homes. They're too likely to be victims of such... scum.

[afterlaborday]

Reeve has a larger temper than Rufus knew of, and he is close to saying something about not worrying, when he pauses as Reeve's way of thinking clicks in his head. And he knows from the Turks and his own experiences about the kids, about all of the displaced, and he nods softly.

"Only if you promise not to go after them yourself." He sighs a little. "And not to tell the Turks here with me."

[plate_builder]

A far larger and hotter temper, and one Reeve had been rather disconnected from for years. By the time Rufus had known Reeve as part of the company, he had truly evened out. Perhaps not mellowed, but definitely had grown more adept at controlling his emotions. Even now it can sometimes be a bit of a pain to try and allow himself emotional reactions rather than just channeling it into his work.

"I will not tell the Turks here with you," Reeve promises. "And I do not use magic against people except in self-defense."

There is no such promise about giving information to a certain retired Turk who is still keyed into a network of other exiled Turks.

"I find myself even happier that Sephiroth ran your father through," he finds himself continuing as he paces, one hand stroking the materia set into the bangle on the other wrist. He's still quite worked up at the idea that someone might facilitate such a thing with a child. And he has absolutely no doubt what led to such encounters. No one would dare risk crossing the late President Shinra like that. Not with all the resources at his beck and call.

[afterlaborday]

Blue eyes watch the man pace, the touch to the bangle - a comforting move, like Shinra's smirks - and agrees on the statement regarding Sephiroth. The ,an had ridden him of a great deal of trouble, although by the time he had, it wasn't as if hu s father would even dare to risk such deals; putting aside the fact Rufus had already tried to off his old man, the Turks would not have stood for it. After all, even in their "recruitment drives" for the company, children had been well and truly off limits.

And although Rufus wants to say something, that it's done with or that he's learned more of Reeve than Reeve has of him, he knows better. Even if it's easier on him to be flippant, he could already see the angered response he'd get for doing so. So he remains quiet, letting Reeve choose when next to speak.

[plate_builder]

Reeve ends up pacing all the way to the couch where he sits down quietly for a moment. Then he looks up at Rufus, a pained look on his face.

"I don't know if you know it, but I wasn't born in Midgar. I didn't end up there until I was nine. My mother up and moved us after an... incident in the village we were from. There was a girl there, she... was found after being missing for a few months. Buried near a hunting lodge owned by the mayor."

Surely there is implication enough there, along with Reeve's reaction, to fill in enough blanks for what happened to her. Perhaps Rufus needs to know why Reeve reacted with a touch more than just disgust.

"She was my best friend. And she was just gone. My mother never told me exactly how the man was punished, just that he was."