plate_builder | [Open Post]

"You would," Reeve assures Rufus. "For someone, when you're ready for that sort of thing. I can't imagine you intend to be the last of your name. Save your attempts to be suave and to woo people for someone you're interested in."

As for the rest, with the growth of things and a lot of things he's dealt with, he finds himself growing less concerned. Barret, yes. The others? Who knows.

He shrugs softly. There are times he wonders about being the last, and letting Shinra fall. Besides that, he would have to adopt, and no one would wish him to raise a child. He truly has no interest in women in such a way, and he wouldn't dream of chaining someone to him merely for an heir; he knows what dismissal and lack of caring is...

Focusing on what he's doing, Rufus only glances up briefly when Rude and Tseng knock and let themselves in quietly to gather up the food. Glancing maybe briefly to make sure there's no trouble brewing between their boss and Reeve.

And here Reeve was assuming that Rufus welcomed attentions in either direction. Still, he senses that he might have said something wrong. He does wait for Tseng and Rude to leave before he speaks again.

"Are you even interested in women?"

Not a question of if Rufus is interested in him. He knows that would be ridiculous.

"No." He doesn't seem offended, just busy trying to pick up various items that might be more difficult than materia, including any papers he's not shooed away from. Those he would be trying to read with the unit, obviously considering it to be a challenge. "Even before... Those incidents, I never had an interest in the girls I met.

"Still, I did try at least once or twice when I was older, thinking maybe my apathy had been due to my father and what had been happening. But I just didn't feel a thing."

Reeve will happily let Rufus pick up just about anything other than architectural sketches, because those need to be kept pristine.

"I never bothered to try. And Scarlet always made it worse," Reeve chuckles, shaking his head. He watches as Rufus reads a supply report. Stays quiet for a while, then he speaks the question he isn't certain is appropriate.

"Are you even the relationship sort, Rufus?"

Perhaps Reeve should poke at Tseng, see if he can't figure out if the man has any leanings in that direction and point him back at Rufus. For Rufus's sake.

"That woman would flirt with anything that had a dick." Vulgar? Yes. Accurate? Completely. She also would sleep with anything that let her, but Reeve would know that.

Setting the report down, Rufus begins to navigate towards what he believes to be a kitchen, considering how to answer. "I don't know. I recall trying once or twice to connect with people more my age, maybe when I was thirteen or fourteen, and was basically told not to. Didn't try after that.

"And I doubt you can call being out with those men as dating."

"You don't have to date men your own age," Reeve dismisses. "Typically I prefer older men, as it is. Tseng I suppose should be considered an exception as he is a bit younger. You don't have to want people from the same age range. And I think you're on your way toward being a good man. You can make some man happy someday."

But no, they weren't dating.

"Someday you'll manage to find someone, and with the kind of man you are, you'll do very well at wooing them. Because you've got that sort of mind," he smiles. "But in the meantime, I'd appreciate if you ceased hitting on me. I am only entertaining serious offers these days. For a relationship."

"It seemed best to try with my own age, logically. They could tell me how normal teens acted, at least." Now in the kitchen, he's attempting to get on the counter, just like a real cat. "I suppose I could stop, but I have to ask... if I were serious with my comments and you were still casual, would I really stand a chance, or are you just trying to be kind?"

If he were still open to such an arrangement and Rufus were seriously trying to get him into bed? Well, that gets a smirk.

"I told you, Rufus, it's not like I could get the attentions elsewhere given what I've been through," Reeve answers, and there is a teasing curl to his lips, almost challenging. "I'd enjoy having power over you in a bed. Or even to be pinned under, looking up at that arrogant curl on your lips. So yes, Rufus, I would entertain you in your bed were I not looking for something more than simply carnal relations."

Would probably take a touch more than a come hither look and verbal sparring, but he would have enjoyed the exchanges once he considered Rufus a bit more seriously.

Rufus glances at Reeve long enough to give him a smile, before looking back to what he can see and do; apparently he is trying to get the drawers open from an angle above. Anything to find all the tricks he can.

"Let me know if you ever need a one off. Maybe I'll give you that power. Yet, since you've said stop, I will unless you bring it up again."

"I will," Reeve shrugs, because what's the harm of agreeing? "If you ever choose to get serious, I can absolutely give you advice."

It can be taken two ways and Reeve doesn't seem to care about correcting that. No point because he knows Rufus wouldn't do it.

He just smirks a little, and then makes a pleased sound when he gets the drawer open."The range you've programmed is impressive."

Well of course it is. "I've been working on Cait and the preceding models since my dears as an undergraduate. He was just a theory then. Didn't get serious until Shinra."

He is soft when he says that, and there is definitely pride here. He's not preening, but he's definitely proud of Cait.

"So a long while." He idly sees about grabbing a spoon up. "I know you never intended him for battle, but did that or these "simpler" commands cause more problems for you?"

"Simpler commands were harder to program," Reeve answers as he watches Rufus have Cait handle the spoon. "But the battle stuff was worse. I couldn't always be be there to manage that with meetings, even with the time you allowed me. The insistence that Scarlet and Heidegger not know was difficult. So I had problems with that. And a weapon. The machine to tap into the materia was easier, of course. Thank you for getting your hands on that for me."

He nods as he listens, somehow suspecting that to be the case. What little he knew about programming told him that the commands that seemed the most simple were often the ones that were the most difficult; hit and attack were simple compared to grab and handle items without losing them or destroying them.

"You're welcome." He sets the spoon down, and then maneuvers Cait to sit on the counter and just relax there. "What other things do you hope to do with the unit? I'm sure you're not finished yet."

"I don't have time to work with him," Reeve answers. "So my current movement is toward making redundant units. When I have time I make more support code, causing it to react more like the noise when he fell off of the bed. The text to Cait Sith linguistic patterns. Other things along those lines. I hope one day to use them as autonomous units in whatever way I can. To be my hands from further out."

Reeve considers the man carefully and smirks.

"An army of Cait Siths." He seems done for the moment, setting the control into his lap and looking at Reeve; not asking about that smirk, though he gives one back. "I could just see this cat army of yours, wandering the city and handing out notifications for events, or other information. Maybe even a parade, or a play."

"Not an army," Reeve corrects. "The vast majority of them will not have the ability to fight. I will reserve one for that, lest things get bad enough and I am not there to help on a personal level."

He didn't risk nearly enough against Sephiroth, but given all that had been going on in Midgar he had to be there. As a counter-balance.

But a parade or play does sound wonderful, and Reeve smiles very warmly at the idea. "Give them all different degrees of funny voices, costumes. It would be a wonder. For now, though, I think I'll have some chance to do my work and have Cait make people smile too."

Of course he means Rufus.

"Perhaps by then I'll be able to leave the house, since you seem to believe I need to." Control down, he now removes the headset and begins to set them aside, letting a more serious look come to his face. "For now, let me go make you that list of names, then maybe you can operate the unit a while. Let me see what I can learn from you regarding it."

"If that's what you wish," Reeve smiles, he will be pleased to show Rufus some of what he knows about Cait. And there are ways to get out there without getting out there.

Which is part of why Reeve is offering this.

Rufus nods a little, his old nod showing that it's what he wants Reeve to do, even as he's standing to move to the small bedroom he's been occupying. Cait may be a way out, but it's still nothing like truly being outside, which he rarely does anymore.

It takes him a few minutes, but he finally returns with a list, the paper folded neatly so that it can be looked at later, and offers it to Reeve. His look is very serious. "Hide this well. I don't need any of the Turks seeing it and trying to delve into what these names mean."

The list immediately gets tucked into a pocket out of sight. No one need know about it. Not even Reeve. When Rufus returns Reeve already has the Cait control unit in his lap. Clearly he is ready to show Rufus things.

“I suppose I would need to know what you want me to show?”

"Anything you found that you didn't expect the unit to be able to do?" He sits once more, half leaning over so he can watch what Reeve decides on doing.

"He can cartwheel easily," Reeve answers, but he's not sure that's really all that interesting for Rufus. But Reeve takes the controls and within moments has Cait standing on the counter again, opening a cabinet. Look, there is a bag of coffee beans. Reeve's going to show Rufus the series of fine tasks to make coffee. Well, he's going to get the coffee pot ready, not actually brew.

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They would make a very interesting couple lol

The would, and Reeve could probably be talked down from that stance. He's lonely

Yet Rufus is probably going to behave as promised

Oh, Rufus can totally behave. Reeve will trust that, but he's a bit lonely.

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