Note: Based on a drabble I wrote on a picture game thread over on the Genesis Awards where you write something based on an image. The picture was a shattering martini glass. I'm going to post this on AO3 and actually have the picture, Ao3 is much better website in a lot of ways...
Rufus Shinra looks around the room from his corner. This party is for him, to celebrate his appointment as Vice President of Shin-Ra EPC. Far from being the center of attention he stays in one side of the room, surveying the scene. The venue is gorgeous, one of Midgar's finest new restaurants, no doubt chosen because it projects an air of youth and glamour. Rufus Shinra, new blood in an old company. The newspapers are abuzz, what will the Shinra heir do now that he's been appointed as VP?
If they only knew.
Rufus holds his drink, but barely touches it. He is more engrossed with his own thoughts than the idle conversation with some well born young lady who's desperate to keep his gaze. He watches the scene, the smoke from cigars and people with fancy drinks. He watches his body guard, and knows Reno would probably wants a smoke, a drink, and to be anywhere else.
This isn't the sort of bar Reno would enjoy, even if he was here off duty, it's a place built on pretense. When you're wealthy, there are special words for your behaviors. No one is crazy, only eccentric. The wealthy don't have vices, they have indulgences. Drink and smoke, but with class so it's not a low pass time, but something glamourous. Even if the martini in his hand tastes as much of liquor as any shot from a dive bar. The point is the same: drink it fast.
The only difference is appearance. Appearances are everything, but Rufus believes he can see through most people. Fancy glasses and fancy clothes don't hide the fact this room is full of scoundrels, more so than the worst under-plate dive. At least down there they're honest about what they are, they wear their colors and declare exactly what ilk they're from. Here, it's hidden behind suits and gowns. His father's suit is the color of blood, but then again, blood is the color of money.
Rufus Shinra sees through it all, and smirks at the thought that no one will ever see through him. Across the room a giant mirror takes up most of the wall, to make the large room seem larger. He catches his reflection there, pristine suit unblemished as though nothing could ever stain that clean white silk. When they spoke of him, Rufus knew, that would have an image of a man who never cried or bled, never dirtied or at a loss of control. Crystal martini glass in hand, it is a perfect image.
A waitress trips and falls against him, Rufus stumbles and the glass falls from his hands. It shatters and the world stops at the sound. Everyone is watching. The waitress apologizes profusely, her face awash with embarrassment and fear.
"No, it's quite all right," he says. Rufus Shinra was never one to lose his temper over little things. At once he kneels down beside her to help gather the glass. Rufus Shinra, heir to the thrown of the very world, stoops to help a server, without a second thought. He winces as a shard of glass cuts his thumb.
Blood stains the glass, and there's a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, boss, let's get that cleaned up," says Reno. The Turk was probably at his side the moment the waitress bumped into him, but Rufus hadn't noticed him until that moment.
Rufus rises and he can feel every set of eyes in the room boring into him. The woman apologizes again, fear and panic still in her voice. Rufus thinks she's fighting tears, but to her credit she's doing a good job of it.
He returns from the bathroom, cut washed and bandaged, because there's no sense wasting a potion on something so trivial and Turks always carry small first aid kits. As he makes his way out of the bathroom, he sees the girl being berated by Heidegger.
"How could you be so clumsy?" he asks. "What kind of incompetent morons does this place hire? Huh?"
The room had gone silent when the glass shattered, and everyone had seen what happened. Rufus wants nothing more than for the whole thing to be ignored.
"It's fine," says Rufus. Loud enough to silence Heidegger and get all attention back to him. "No harm done. Now lets get on with the party, shall we?" He gives a pleasant smile. It is a well rehearsed expression that he is, in fact, quite good at.
The waitress had finished cleaning up the remains of the glass, and another server has appeared with a broom to clean up any remaining shards. The party goes on. The drone of voices resumes.
His father comes to his side. "I'll see to it that woman is fired," he says.
"I said it wasn't a problem," says Rufus. "No need to make such a fuss."
His father ignores him and continues on speaking. "And what do you think you were doing? Bending down like that? Are you a Shinra or not? I've given you a very important position Rufus," his father says. He reached into his jacket pocket for a cigar and light. "A chance to prove yourself. I thought you'd at least try not to disappoint."
"Oh don't worry father," says Rufus, "many opportunities lay before me and believe me, I'm not going to disappoint you. I'll prove my qualities." A waiter appears offering him another drink to replace the one he'd lost. Rufus lifts his glass and makes a silent toast to the future, and his father's coming death. His father wants him to be worthy of an empire, what better way than to take it than by force, or perhaps destroy it along the way.
His father had always said Rufus was weak, a loser. Well they would see soon enough. Rufus would humiliate the old man and kill him, then rebuild, and all of it in his own name. Yes, Rufus would show his qualities soon enough.
Out of the corner of the eye Rufus sees the waitress meet her manager who pulls her aside. Her head is down as she follows the older woman through the door marked employees only.
When his father moves off Rufus gestures to Reno. "That girl," said Rufus, "I want you follow her when she leaves. I want to speak to with her. Have her wait for me in my car, if it's not too much trouble."
When Rufus reaches his limo the girl is siting in the passenger seat. When you're told by a Turk that Rufus Shinra wants to speak with you you wait, no matter the inconvenience.
She looks up at him, and he can tell at once she's been crying. He's not sure if she was crying from humiliation, because she lost her job, or if perhaps having a Reno approach her put her in fear for her life.
Her dark eyes hold uncertainty but there's as much determination as fear.
"Relax," says Rufus. "I'm not in the habit of having people killed for bumping into me." He offers a smile, but the truth is he likes that she's afraid. He likes that she knows he's dangerous, because it gives him power.
"Then what do you want?" she asks. She glances to Reno.
Rufus fights the urge to laugh. She's afraid of him, or rather knows he's a threat the same way a rabbit knows to avoid a fox. Reno looks to him. He's probably annoyed at being used as an errand boy and takes no pleasure in frightening hapless young women. Reno was probably very polite to her, in his way, but he scares her all the same by just being what he is.
The phrase: "I want you to come with me" is intrinsically threatening when it comes from a Turk. Rufus likes the idea that the phrase, "Rufus Shinra wants to speak with you" is unsettling as well.
"You're in market for a new job, I presume," said Rufus. "As it happens, I've recently been given a job and am in the market for someone to fetch my coffee, along with other things."
The woman crosses her arms. "Listen," she says. "I don't mean any disrespect Mr. Shinra."
"Rufus," he corrects. "I don't like being called by my father's name. Call me Rufus, or Mr. VP if you like titles."
"Sir," she says. "I know who you are, and I assume you're used to getting whatever you want. But I'm not that kind of girl, if that's what you're thinking."
"What?" Rufus asks.
"I don't care that you're rich and powerful and famous and really good looking. I'm not going to sleep with you. So if that's what you want, you're wasting your time. Besides, if you want a toy you can probably find someone better looking than me."
"What?" Rufus actually looks shocked, but only for a moment. Once that moment is gone he breaks out laughing. "No, you misunderstand me, and are far to quick to judge, I might add. I honestly just want to hire you, and I can promise you, absolutely no sexual harassment."
She stares at him, eyes narrow, mouth open. "Why?" she asks. "I'm sorry to seem ungrateful here, but why would you want to hire me?"
"To rectify a wrong," said Rufus. "You didn't do anything to warrant being fired and I said that it was fine. I wanted the matter dropped and that should have been the end of it. Since my father didn't agree and you are now jobless I'm making a gesture to prove that what happened was fine, just as I said it was. Now do you want the job or not?"
Reno's staring at him. Reno knows him well enough to roll his eyes. Rufus is being petty and he knows it. Hiring an unqualified waitress just to spite his father isn't exactly mature. However, Rufus Shinra is eighteen years old and thinks that having power means getting whatever he wants.
"I...uh...yes," she says, "of course...it would...it would be an honor."
Rufus smiles, there's another reason to keep her. She'll take this as kindness, and he can already tell she'll go above and beyond because he's been her savior of the moment. Rufus likes that sort of loyalty. He doesn't expect the girl to be of that much use, but she can be trained to be a useful enough gofer and coffee girl. Besides, she's got spunk and isn't smitten with him because he's the great Rufus Shinra. That alone is refreshing.
Reno sighs, this stunt is going to mean background checks and paper work. Fortunately, Rufus can tell Reno's not in the mood to argue, although he expects Tseng to question what he's thinking.
Rufus doesn't like being questioned, but he'll allow it from Tseng. At times he even appreciates it. The truth is, Rufus actually likes his Turks, a few of them he might even love, but that's impossible and he is not a 's no one he can trust, and so there is no one he can allow himself to love. Caring about them can only hinder him, especially if they become a threat to his plan.
Rufus's understanding of the world is that life is cruel and there is no room for something as weak as sympathy, not if you wanted to win. Besides, it's not as though any of them truly cared for him. To a Turk nothing is more important than orders and their mission. Tseng looks after him because he is assigned to, Reno...hmm...Reno might actually like Rufus but the young Vice President knows Reno's loyalty is to Shin-ra, to his father. That Rufus can not stand.
So if his ambition makes the Turks his enemies he'll destroy them, but hopefully it won't get that far. The only blood Rufus wants is his fathers, the Turks he'd preferred to keep. Unfortunately, things are rarely ideal.
My waitress OC is named Heather, she's inconsequential but now exists in my head