plate_builder | [Open Post]

If only Reeve had spoken aloud, he would have received quite a reaction; ridicule, distaste, anger. Rufus was no grand help to anything which happened, could admit he'd caused some of it, but the man who stood mostly to blame was six feet under, killed by Sephiroth's sword.

Yet Reeve did say enough, and any amusement Rufus may have had faded momentarily, replaced with a look which would speak volumes to a trained eye, before replacing it again with a self-satisfied smile. "Come, now... If I had any intention to use the companies I've been helping, would I be investing in such small-scale, useless businesses, and putting no name to where the funds are coming from?"

"One can claim credit after the fact, after people are pleased with the companies," Reeve countered immediately, not taking another step forward. At the moment he had no intention of lingering here once he had more information. In time, though, he would no doubt seek out a seat.

"In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that was an intention of yours."

In his own defense, Reeve had no positive interactions with the man since he had come to take over the company. The closest thing to a positive was Rufus allowing him to use Cait to 'spy' on Avalanche. Which had, of course, almost gotten people killed a number of times. But it had also put him into the position where he could ultimately help Cloud and his team. Earning their trust, even after the fall of Meteor, had taken a bit more time. Surprisingly he'd had support from Vincent, who rarely had anything positive to say about the ShinRa company. And Yuffie. What a support team to have to rely on.

"After everything that has happened, do you really think anyone has a reason to trust what you say, Shinra?"

Edited (Forgot icon hahaha) 2017-10-12 02:00 (UTC)

"Admittedly, no." A simple answer for a simple question. "Yet I have no intention to take credit, or use those companies to my advantage. There's no point to it."

He shifts, careful of the casted arm, and uses his good left one to indicate a couch at the other side of the room. "Now, sit. I'm sure you have questions of me, and I myself have things I wish to discuss with you.

"And, please, don't say you're not interested. You wouldn't have put out feelers if you didn't truly wish to see me." A pause, that self-satisfied smirk growing wider. "Correct?"

Not correct. In fact, the look that passes across his face illustrates that very clearly. Reeve Tuesti was not a man who was very good at sneering, but for Rufus's assumption, he manages to trot one out.

"My intention was to prove to myself that my fears were not correct. I am disappointed to find myself wrong," Reeve corrects his former boss, his voice near icy. "That fear was what kept me from applying Vincent or Cloud to the search for the source of the income going into Edge. Or, for a lot more amusement, Barret Wallace. He has a far more personal gripe with you."

Tifa might pummel the man for her own benefit. Yuffie wouldn't care too much except for the fact that he was a ShinRa and they had hurt Wutai so deeply. Of course, with the company out of power they could start to truly recover. Nanaki was a forgiveness sort of person, so no violence there. but the three in question were the right ones to offer.

That said, he intends to let the man have his say, so Reeve does move to the indicated couch and perches upon it. Lightly. And he makes sure his coat sleeves pull up just enough to show the pair of bangles he wore. One was his means of protecting himself, a mythril bangle studded with materia. The other perhaps more familiar to Rufus, as it was one of a set of custom bangles the Turk had once worn, the Ziedrich stolen from him during a fight against the Turks in the Midgar Subways. Between the pair he was more than adequately protected and armed.

There were people that didn't like his slowly growing WRO, or more likely didn't like that it was him in charge. Protecting himself had become important.

He's not usually one to hold back his laughter, especially when he finds the person in front of him amusing to his arrogant personality, but he keeps from it this time. He's trying hard to not be the bad guy anymore, even if Reeve has no way of knowing it. Even if everything in his history says there is no way in hell he'd be any different now than in the past.

No, he spares the laugh, letting his eyes note the defenses Reeve has decided to wear, before shifting them up to watch the man. "Is that all which spared you sending them? I would think it was more you don't wish to get your friends involved because they have their own lives to deal with.

"Not that it matters. I didn't call you here to discuss that. I wanted to know what your thoughts are on rebuilding, and what should be the next step, because whether you believe it or not, I'm not so interested anymore in trying to rule the people. I actually wish to help."

Friends. No, he isn't certain he counts as that to most of them. But he tries. Reaches out and hopes that someday they will take him seriously.

The question, though, is one that makes Reeve's expression soften. So much of his time is spent considering that very question. His apartment, a tiny little thing in Edge, was covered in plans. At his core, Reeve was a civil engineer. He was trained to plan cities, to see to the delivery of power and water and heat. He was an expert on this, and that was why he had been turned to for Midgar in the first place. Maybe he didn't trust Rufus's word at this moment, but he had plans. So many plans.

"You're just having the people that you pay build almost anywhere. It's causing me problems, Rufus. You don't know a single thing about a city. You've been lucky so far, you haven't ruined my attempts at infrastructure work. Right now we need to build stable but short term housing. But it needs to occur out of the intended main area. Streets need to be laid out, power lines put up. And the water systems, both piping into facilities as well as drainage, needs dealt with. I believe you've got contractors out preparing to set up work on a complex in the Northwest quarter of the current city structure. It's going to go right over an area I need to get drainage systems into. I have to get that work done BEFORE the structure goes up."

He has plans. So many plans. If only he'd had a chance to bring any of them with him.

Rufus just listens, noting only the change in how Reeve speaks with the faintest of smiles - an honest one, brief, but there - before his face becomes that of an intent listener. No anger or annoyance crosses his face, even when Reeve's words seem to imply that the young Shinra is inept at city building, and aside from a shift to lean his face on his hands, the blond says nothing until Reeve has finished speaking.

"I may be paying into the city, but I'm not setting up most of the buildings or deciding their locations." This seems to be the only correction he'll give, no denial that he hasn't a clue about any of this on the level the former Director of City Planning does. "Most of that is going through others I've paid to assist. If they are doing a pitiful job, however, I'm more than happy to ask them to work with you."

There is no denying that when Reeve speaks about the planning, there is passion in his voice, in his words. Reeve cared. Deeply. Perhaps too deeply.

"I need them to work with me. I don't care where if they can't do anything else, but I need a chance to get the other work done too," Reeve sighs, shaking his head. It's frustrating. But people don't want to work together. They want it done now, not done right. He'll probably have better luck with the areas not near the center of where people live now. But first he has to get people to listen to him.

He's been tainted by trying to work with Shinra back in the day.

"So you'll get them to talk to me. That's all, right?"

This time, he doesn't bother to hide his laughter, or the fact this conversation seems to amuse him quite some bit. Hand raising, he indicates the door Reeve came in. "If I had any intention of harming you, Reeve, do you think I would leave my Turks outside when I was so obviously injured?

"Or are you more concerned I might be trying to get into your good graces, merely to strong arm you later to follow my goals?" He paused, as if to let the black-haired man respond, then spoke again, obviously deciding against it. "Nevermind. That is likely what you think. And it would be a suiting thing for a Shinra. But I'm sorry to disappoint, it isn't my intention."

Edited (Phooooone) 2017-10-13 21:05 (UTC)

Reeve opens his mouth to respond to the question, only to have Rufus talk right over him. It's annoying, but he knows the man is right anyway.

Truth be told, though, it isn't his only concern. He wouldn't let Rufus strong arm him anyway, not anymore. It would get people hurt and he won't allow that. As for harm to himself, he doubted that Rufus would try. He's not concerned about the Turks at this point. No, his worry is about what ulterior motive Rufus has.

It had never been Reeve's gift to scheme. Or see schemes coming. His plans were made in ideals and with straight edges on paper. Rufus had shown an ability to be subtle and patient in the past. Reeve was afraid the trap he was walking into would come far down the line.

"What is your intention, then?"

"To help." Just a simple response, but it sounds bored somehow, tired, and for just a moment he lets his eyes focus on nothing at all, before returning them to Reeve with a steely look. "I won't expect you to trust my word, not after everything that's happened, but my only intention at this time is to help rebuild.

"Should I decide to bring ShinRa back into the light, its goals will be different than they were. Promised Lands and Mako Energy have been nothing but a burden since they were discovered."

Somehow he doesn't believe it. But, honestly, it made sense. Who was going to trust Rufus ShinRa? How would Reeve?

"It's never been your practice to help people, Rufus, except where it served you," Reeve countered, getting to his feet. "Help. It's not going to come from you. ShinRa are full of ulterior motives. You are just like your father. Everything I did for this world was in spite of that man. In spite of you. And now you expect me to believe you want to help?"

"No. I expect you will distrust me as long as I live, and as long as you do. To do otherwise would only make you naïve and idealistic." Cold words, but his tone is chiding, not without emotion, and finally he sits up a little straighter than he had been. "You believe everything I do has ulterior motives, and maybe that's true, but if there is one here it's for my own sake. Maybe even the sake of the Turks.

"Or do you think almost dying had no effect on me?"

Almost dying changed a person, Reeve supposed that was true. But Rufus Shinra? Not likely.

"Give me any reason to believe you," Reeve counters, his voice flat. "You're the most pampered, spoiled, self important asshole I ever had the displeasure of working with. Working for. Your father didn't destroy lives nearly as quickly as you did. And I'm to believe you're helping these people and it's not for your own benefit?"

It was almost laughable. He shakes his head and stands there, arms crossed over his chest. "In my position, what would you do?"

In a way, it was amusing that Rufus took the blame for most of the problems of the world, considering he wasn't the one who did half of it. Sure, he wasn't without blood on his hands, but much of what had occurred, had taken many lives... well, if you ignored the fact he let the Mako reactors keep running, hunted for Sephiroth and the Promised Land - which did quite some bit of damage on its own - he was actually far less dangerous than his old man. At least he didn't go carpet bombing villages all the time, or dropping plates on slums; though he certainly never stopped it, either.

Not that it mattered to the current conversation one iota. He knew what Reeve was saying, could even understand his anger at a certain level, and certainly could understand his trepidation. Yes, Rufus had used him, kept track of AVALANCHE through his devices, but even if the man didn't know it, he respected him and his dedication to the people. Even Rufus, in his own way, had tried to protect Midgar when Meteor came, though his attempts were fairly useless. Even having sent the Turks to do what they could, Reeve was far more successful in protecting the citizens.

So how to convince a man who believes you to be the devil, with good reason, that you were a different man than you were before? Words from a silver-tongue would offer no soothing, even spoken in gold.

Somehow, though, he finds an answer to the question posed to him. "In such a position, I would ask you to beg forgiveness. Something I would be willing to do."

[OOC: Final Fantasy canon, which can't decide who has done what. According to data, but the Turks AND Reeve saved the Midgar citizens xD]

"Forgiveness," Reeve says, rolling the word over in his mind. In the end it actually makes him laugh. "Forgiveness isn't easily gotten, not from anyone, Rufus. Trust me, I know."

The man deflates a little at that. Even he hasn't won that yet, and people KNEW what he was doing. He too was tainted by the name of ShinRa. There was talk that he was a right hand of Rufus, that the President was alive. Or that Reeve was trying to take power. Which was great. He REALLY needed that right now.

"People don't forgive, Rufus."

For once, Rufus seems to have no rebuttal, and instead merely sighs faintly. Words are words, he knows, and mean very little coming from him. So instead of using his words, he holds his good hand out in a gesture which seems to be asking Reeve what it would take to at least earn a fraction of trust.

"Depends who you want it from," Reeve says, reading the gesture. "It's the people out there that you need to figure out. Ask them."

If he can figure out how to get people who weren't idealists like Reeve himself was, he will let Rufus know how to do it. Well, probably not.

"I don't want those people's forgiveness, Reeve." He knew the words would imply he hadn't changed much at all, but they were the truth and nothing could alter that. "Or even their trust. I haven't changed so much that the view of every Tom, Dick and Harry out there matters to me. Especially since they will never be happy, and will always find someone to blame for their unhappiness.

"Honestly, you wonder why the ShinRa name isn't all over those infusions of Gil into Edge? It's because no one, yourself included, would take money from ShinRa at this point in time even if it kept them alive. Every single one of you blames only me for what occurred. Don't you think that's rather unfair?"

"There is a lot of what happened that can be laid at your feet. The Weapons come to mind," Reeve counters. "I'm not foolish enough to fail to acknowledge what your father did. He's the one that unleashed Hojo. But you didn't make it better. I can't even say that you tried."

And Rufus wants his forgiveness? Or at least implied such. It was almost funny. Would be if it wasn't so sad.

"My mother moved to Midgar," he says after a moment. "She lived on the Sector Five plate. After the plate dropped, after your father massacred those people, she found herself raising an orphan named Denzel. His parents were killed in the drop. Never occurred to her to think about what would have happened to her if I'd agreed to that place on the Sector Seven plate that was a bit smaller. But she asked me, after the plate fell, about the people that were hurt. About how we were going to help."

Before that board meeting he had hoped maybe Rufus had gotten better as he got older. Instead... Obsessions with fairy tales and completely ignoring the pains of other people. And now here they were, his mother dead and Rufus not. How was that okay? Good people died and this asshole lived. And Rufus wanted forgiveness?

At least Reeve acknowledges that it wasn't Rufus who dropped the Sector 7 plate. A lot of people had never been able to understand that he had no input into that decision, and rather thought it to be one of his father's stupidest acts; not only because of the repercussions it was bound to bring, but precisely because it was a waste of life, all in an attempt to take out some small group of rebels who could have been hunted down in other ways.

He also understands, somewhat, Reeve's frustration over the lack of ShinRa moving in to assist the people. For a company who claimed to be making peoples lives better, they hadn't bothered to do anything for the affected Sectors, merely continued on as is. Even if he could not be blamed entirely for the first bit after the collapse, he was still not in charge then, there was the fact Rufus could have done more once his father had been slain. But he had other things on his mind then.

So it's perhaps this which causes him to take in a deep breath, letting his voice slide back to its usual calm and powerful tone, before he speaks again. "No, I didn't. I understand that."

"You didn't bring down the plate, but afterward, you decided to instead focus our time, our resources, our power into another bad idea," Reeve says, glaring at him. "You didn't have to put money toward Heidegger and Scarlet at that point. You could have brought it back. You could have helped people. But instead you left on a fool's errand and I stayed behind and got to see how people were hurt. Ruined. Broken."

And they looked at him with open hands, asking for money, asking for support, asking for something. And he couldn't do anything. His budget had been cut. All his energy had to go into maintaining what was functioning. It had hurt. And now, Edge. NOW he was putting money toward the people. And it was going in the most stupid manner possible.

"I can't forgive you, Rufus, because I can't trust you," Reeve sighs after a moment. He shakes his head and sits back down on the couch. "I've got no reason to believe you want to help people. None. I can't see the grand scheme here. I don't have a way to monitor what you're doing. All I know is that it's getting in the way of my work, and I finally have a chance to help people. Which was why I joined ShinRa. I wanted to help people."

Instead they'd just left him broken.

It might surprise Reeve when Rufus doesn't respond to his remarks. Usually, the man would latch onto the idealistic words and turn them back at a person, trying to make himself feel superior and the other inferior. Yet that isn't his goal, much as Reeve might think it would be. No, he's being honest.

One could remain a fool only so long, before they either died or changed their ways. His father had never changed, had always remained a fool of a man, but Rufus was different. He'd had time, and support. Those who had been given the worst assignments, whose hands would never be clean, had stayed beside him even when they could have left. And for every fault they had, the Turks did have compassion and loyalty.

Loyalty brought them back to him. Compassion, shown now for many years, though not in so dire of circumstances, kept him alive. Its lessons had finally been learned, even if they were not complete. Perhaps his words were wrong. Or perhaps it was just his past?

Yes. The past. Words. Words were useless here. Yet he kept trying to use them. Words were all Rufus knew, the only power he had of his own if his name was stripped away. Actions supposedly spoke louder, but what action should he take? Reeve would not trust him, would not forgive or forget all he had done, but at the minimum... At the minimum...?

Rufus scowls, a childish look of one who has been reprimanded crossing his face, before he stands, movements obviously painful to him and the steps he takes towards Reeve shuffling and without threat.

"At the minimum," Thought turned to word, Rufus manages to kneel before Reeve. "I will do as I said, and beg you to at least give me a chance."

What... Reeve watches in a combination of shock and something almost like horror as he looks at Rufus. The man is clearly more than just injured. He's...

Geostigma. Another victim. Perhaps the only one who deserved it. Still, Reeve felt bad for that alone. His own mother had died from the disease, he'd seen the suffering, and it made him feel... awkward. Like he wanted to help the man.

Then it gets worse. Rufus moves to him, and while Reeve doesn't feel remotely threatened, he's shocked to watch the man kneel.

"I..." How did you respond to this? "God, get up off of the floor. You look like you're hurting yourself. Do you have medication you're supposed to be taking?"

He should get Reno. Or Rude. The Turks should put this guy back in his chair.

Neither Reno or Rude would come in, even had Reeve called. They'd been ordered to remain outside unless absolutely needed, and even if he was in a great deal of pain, Rufus still retained enough strength - or perhaps stubbornness - that he would be fully able to get back to his chair.

Not that he wanted to at this moment, as it would defeat the point and make this all look like a stunt. Not that he didn't doubt such an idea would cross Reeve's mind, but anyone who knew Rufus one bit would quickly realize he bowed to no one, let alone a man who had been several ranks below him. And especially not for any length of time.

I noticed my phone auto-corrected stuff ><

Silly Phone

Yup. Rude is now Dude

The Rudest of Dudes

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... I'm going to quote "The Turks should put this guy back in his chair" randomly