plate_builder | [Open Post]

"Oh, but I have Reno under my command. All I'd have to do is ask him to stand naked at the door so you wouldn't want to leave for fear of seeing that." It's not a bad idea, truly, but he isn't quite that cruel. Just enjoying himself, if he's quite honest. "However, I suppose you are intent to leave, no matter what I say.

"Are you sure you won't allow a Turk to shadow you, at least so far as the edge of town?"

“I’ve seen him naked,” Reeve dismisses. That isn’t much of a threat. And it isn’t that he insists on going.

“Rufus, if I stay here I will go mad. I can’t... I can’t not do things. I have to be doing something.”

"You sure? I'm sure he would love to show off again." He seems to mean this as the end of that tack, instead focusing on Reeve's reasoning. "Again, can I convince you to allow a shadow? If you want to work, I get it, I'm not great at being idle either. Yet I'm not comfortable letting you wander out without some form of protection this soon after an attack."

“If you insist and there is someone you can spare then I suppose I can agree to an escort. Even so far as my door if you require. Or a cursory examination to make sure it is alright in my place. I will reach out to Barret once I am settled, see about letting people know I was attacked. I would entertain suggestions for security. I trust your teams evaluations more than anyone I would otherwise have access to.”

None of AVALANCHE ever really covered that but Vincent and Reeve doubted the man would even recognize him if he called.

"Tseng and Reno are the most stealthy, so I'll ask one of them. Probably Tseng, though, as he can give you information on security." Rufus doesn't try to hide the look of relief that Reeve is agreeing to take a Turk along. However, he isn't sure about Reeve's choice of contact. "Are you sure Barrett is the best choice of your old contacts, however? All reports say he's got the biggest temper, and is likely the one who be least pleased to hear from you."

"He's also the only one who could help," Reeve explains. "Cloud has his delivery service and is rather hard to contact. Cid would have no real contact with someone to serve the purpose I need. Tifa isn't necessarily good in that area too, she'd find people, but they'd be the sort of men to hover around her bar. And Yuffie?"

That would be a laugh. She's good for many things, but not this. All of her contacts are Wutain. Not much use here.

Finally there are Nanaki who doesn't leave the canyon as much anymore and... Well, Vincent's just impossible. Really, Barret is the only choice. Which he expects Rufus could come to the conclusion of if he really works at it. Or maybe he really doesn't know.

"Keep it up, Rufus, and I might think you're really interested in my well being and not just as a tool."

He listens, and supposes the reasoning makes sense. Honestly, he would have suggested Tifa as she could get hold of Cloud, and the guy had this need to protect things. Yet he can also acknowledge that Reeve would know them better than he does, even with very good dossiers on each.

Of course, then Reeve has to add that last, and Rufus gives him the strangest look, as if he's not sure what remark to send back; although that only lasts an instant, the blind leaning on his palm and chuckling.

"Keep that up, and I'll make you uncomfortable again. You know very well I'm not so cold as to not care somewhat for the safety of a former employee."

"I doubt you would make me feel much of anything," Reeve returns. He's got his wits about him now. No, Rufus would have to do far more to make him uncomfortable. It would be a rather professional level of chicken before he would flinch.

"The former employees you care about are the Turks," Reeve counters, and it's not out of lack of kindness he says it. He's come to realize that maybe Rufus really has changed some. But caring for a former employee like Reeve? A man who worked to undermine him and his authority? A man who had fought for the 'wrong' side. Well, not so wrong, but definitely against his contract with the company. "I'm just a troublesome rebel."

He could easily play processional level chicken if he wanted; was well versed in it, actually. After all, he was a Shinra, and something one learned as such was to find what people wanted and use it to get what you were after while giving them the bare minimum of their desires.

Reeve may have been older, but Rufus had plenty of knowledge. Would have been more than happy to share if it wasn't for the fact he was just enjoying himself and knew Reeve took it as him being a bray.

So he doesn't respond to the first remark, as much as he wants to, but does respond to the second.

"Admittedly, they are my favorites. But I do have a healthy respect for you, Reeve, which means I do worry to some extent."

A healthy respect? Reeve just looks at him, a look that clearly says 'I don't understand why.' The ShinRa were never good for returning kindness for betrayal. No, he can't quite get what Rufus respects him for. But he ends up coming to his own conclusion for that. Simple: Rufus respects what he can use Reeve for, which is gaining power over Edge in time and respect for the company he intends to rebuild. Anything else. doesn't seem too sensible to Reeve. There will be time to learn to trust Rufus a bit more. For now he accepts what he has here. A reason to start believing.

"I suppose I should give you time to arrange things with Tseng. Which is reasonable. I'll need some time to put a few more spells into my leg."

It always amused Rufus, in the wrong way, how much people believed he was identical to his Father in certain areas. No, he didn't take betrayal much better than his old man did, expected it just as that fool had, but he could respect what Reeve had done. He could even respect AVALANCHE and its members. After all, they were guided by a certain will he realized he had been lacking, and maybe still was?

ShinRa had messed up the planet. Knew they were messing it up, but continued their path for the sake of money and power. Even when it became obvious that their damage would end the world, it was still more important to retain that power than fix anything. To die on top, he supposed, if it came to that. Above the people they considered fools and sheep.

Even after his father had been killed, when Rufus could have truly changed things, he kept on the path that had been programmed in him. Rule, retain an iron fist, do not let anyone be better than you. A rule he had followed to the point of trying to prove that the company could clean up the mess it had made, and which had almost ended his life when Weapon attacked.

Ever and always, he did things for his sake, for the sake of being above. It wasn't until after things occurred with the building and his abduction that Rufus let himself honestly realize something he'd been adept at fighting back; true strength wasn't about money, or how many people you controlled, but about how you held yourself and what you did. True power was being able to sometimes look past yourself onto something else.

Reeve? Avalanche? They had always understood this, and so he respected them. Reeve had betrayed Shinra, but he had not betrayed himself or the things around him. A year or so ago, Rufus would have made remarks about this, but now...

He shrugs a little, not ready to divulge all this. "Let me get Elena to scrape together a few more Potions. You'll need to conserve your materia just in case."

"I'll be fine," Reeve assures Rufus with a smile. "I've got quite a reserve of magical energy, believe it or not. Your Turks may need the potions more and can't acquire them as easily if you're trying to keep a low profile. In this much, Rufus, you can trust me to handle myself. But I thank you for your hospitality."

Whether he had a right to expect it or not from Rufus, he had benefited and it was worthwhile to keep a positive relationship here. "Would you like me to keep you appraised about my recovery?"

Potions weren't the hard part to get without discovery, but Rufus isn't going to remark on that, and so he just takes the offer as it is offered; kindly. He also nods a little to Reeve at his question. "At least, let me know if anything gets worse. Can't have both of us useless."

"I intend to be useful until the day I die," Reeve lets him know. He does, though, turn his attention fully back to his meal. It would be rude not to finish this. "I suppose this would be a good time to arrange our next meeting date?"

He chuckles at the remark, so tempted to say something, but nods instead. "Probably should give it a few weeks for you to heal and get secuirty set up."

If only he spoke up. But probably best that Rufus be professional.

“I will agree on the security,” Reeve agrees. “Not that they will escort me all the way here. For the sake of your privacy I believe from now on my appointments should be escorted by one of your team.”

What he had in mind to say was far more old Rufus than anything, and although it might have made Reeve happy to kn ow he hadn't changed so much, he simply thought it best to keep it to himself for now.

"Then we should probably decide on a mid point that's safe for one of the Turks to pick you up from your security.*

"My home isn't midpoint enough?" Reeve asks. But he shakes his head. He gets that it isn't. Thanks. "We can arrange it over the phone. I'm holding you back from Elena, correct? I'm sorry to have prevented you from doing so."

Work. He's looking forward to getting back to work. And seeing if anyone missed him. Doubts it, in fact some of his hired construction teams should be glad he was gone for so long. But he'll get things straightened out soon enough anyway.

"You want Turks at your front porch?" It's a bored threat, more space filler than anything. "And Elena can wait on tending to me a bit longer if need be. Still," he stands to move towards the door. "I should go speak with Tseng. One of us will be back shortly."

"If it's one like Tseng then at the very least my neighbors will compliment me on my taste,* Reeve chuckles to himself. "The little old lady downstairs thinks I'm alone too much and it would spare me her attempts to set me up with her nice grand daughter."

But he waves Rufus off and returns to his cold meal. Better to finish it and argue that it's good for energy.

"So, send Reno and see how quickly she worries instead, right?" Yeah, he likes getting in the last word, still. Some things never change, after all.

Yet he's good to his word, and after a time Tseng will find his way up to escort Reeve home, all while giving the man any information he might need for hiring protection for himself. He'll even do a cursory check of Reeve's place before heading back to the lodge.

Rufus may even be nice enough to send him and not the Marx Brothers when it's finally time to meet again.

There is definitely a touch of gratitude at the more reasonable man being sent to keep him safe while he goes, no doubt there. He'll even thank Tseng quietly for the escort after the man has made himself certain that Reeve's home is safe. While there he does take advantage of the Turk's presence to hand over a few documents he had been intending to send to Rufus. Better now than later.

By several hours later, Reeve almost wonders if he shouldn't have left. At least Rufus had been concerned about him, to whatever end he had. Reeve had quickly found upon checking in with a number of contacts that he hadn't been missed. Sure, he had expected it, but that didn't make it better. And, of course, by the end of the night he had rededicated himself to his work, falling even deeper into it. There is, after all, some comfort to be taken in work for work's sake. At least, though, his kitten missed him. Mittens doesn't even seem annoyed over the food situation.

It's well over a week and a half later before Reeve reaches out to Rufus again. Just a comment saying he would be ready to speak to Rufus at his convenience.

And by that point he might even accept the Marx Brothers.

Tseng was always through, so Rufus is quite content to send him along with his business partner. Let Reeve believe it was because Rufus didn't want to lose his investment into the man and his ideas, ignoring what the truthful reason actually is.

When the message arrives that Reeve is alright enough to speak with him again, Rufus even sends Tseng to the meeting spot to collect him and drive him back to the lodge.

Another day, another meeting. The healing is mostly completed by this time, enough so that Reeve doesn't bother with the cane the physician he had met with had given him. Better not to appear weak. Then Rufus might believe he was right about the whole thing. He does arrive with a whole sheathe of papers, a bottle of wine as a way of thank you for the Turks, and a choice Gongaga coffee blend from his personal collection for Rufus.

Unless, of course, he wants to take a bit of the wine.

"Good afternoon," he greets when he's brought into Rufus's presence. "Thank you for allowing one of your men to escort me. How are you doing?"

He intends to keep this meeting professional. The last had gotten a bit too personal for his taste.

Considering their last meeting featured Rufus getting angry enough to dump water all over Reeve, maybe professional would be for the best. Or as professional as it can get when Reno, who had been inside tending to the President, got a hint of presents being brought.

Not that he and Reeve aren't used to that.

"How's your pain? Any left?"

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