Blossoms in Midgar
Written by Whimsical Symphony
Genesis finally arrives in this chapter, although Cloud won't for a while. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated as well as regular reviews.
Chapter 2- The Turks and the Flamboyant Poet
When Zack had led her through the Plate, she was amazed and disgusted all at one time, at how contrasting it was to the areas beneath it. They were in Sector 8 currently, Zack had told her. It was the main entertainment sector in Midgar. The houses were neat and tidy, and there was a large marble statue in the middle of the circular area. Zack had said that a lot of the people who came here were a part of Shinra, or of SOLDIER more specifically, as days off were rare, and sometimes they were called when they were off duty. People preferred to stay near to the Shinra building, and Sector 8 provided entertainment and convenience when it came to this factor. Though, he said, regular people came here as well, if they were well off enough to get on the Plate.
"See that place over there?" Zack asked her. Tifa looked to the place in which he was pointing. It was a heavily lit street, with many banners and posters of one play in particular. She looked at the sign for the street name: 'LOVELESS Avenue.' "That play's gotten famous to the point where it has a street named after it. One of my mentor's friends, Genesis, is obsessed with LOVELESS. He quotes it every day, at least once an hour. Angeal once said it was worse than my whining." He grinned. "Genesis rubs it in face that his favourite play now has a street, which apparently proves that he's not the only one who loves it."
"I've read LOVELESS once as a child. One of the old books on my shelf," Tifa told him, feeling in a very nostalgic mood ever since she came to Midgar. "It's interesting, though I've only read it once." She paused. "By Angeal and Genesis, do you mean Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos?" Those two were incredibly famous First Class SOLDIER's.
"Yeah," he confirmed, and then smirked mischievously. "Don't tell me you're going to join their fan-clubs now?"
"Not interested," Tifa said, while scowling. "I'm not going to be some simpering girl who'll go chasing after some guy. As I said, I'm here to see Cloud."
"That's great." Zack grinned. "Most of the girls I know who've said they liked LOVELESS, were usually in the 'Study Group' or the 'Red Leather' fan-club." He smiled then. "Angeal has one too, called the 'Keepers of Honour' or something, his sounds the coolest."
"Something just tells me you have a bias towards Mr. Hewley," Tifa told him while grinning. "It's alright to admit it, you know?"
Zack pouted, childishly. "No I don't."
Then they continued to walk to the Shinra building. When they arrived, Tifa could only stare in awe. The building was 70 floors tall, Zack had told her. It was huge, white, with glass windows, and very oddly shaped. Banners, red ones, were on it, which read 'Shinra'. It was the largest office building she had seen in her life, larger than the Nibelheim Mansion, which was as large as things ever got in Nibelheim. Compared to this monstrosity, Nibelheim buildings must have been like ants. She certainly felt like less than an ant when she was standing in front of the Shinra building. Tifa felt insignificant; maybe that's why they built it this way. Shinra had to feel superior.
"It's… big," Tifa exclaimed in awe. She wasn't quite sure what else to say when she was shocked into speechlessness.
Zack laughed at her wide-eyed expression. "It is, no denying it. It's 70 floors, where the topmost floor is where President Shinra is. I usually don't go beyond Floor 49 unless I have to; it's a pain beyond that point, special key-cards and all that junk. Floor 49 is the SOLDIER floor, with lounges and everything; it's a lot more relaxing and better looking than anything beyond that point." He took her wrist, and dragged her to the front door. "Let me take you to Tseng. I hope it goes well for you."
To that he held. He led her to the elevator in the reception area, and walked inside with her. Zack tapped number '67' on the keypad, and the elevator began to travel up. Tifa took deep breaths, and told herself that she should be doing this to see Cloud, even if it meant joining the Turks. It was understood that they were fiercely loyal members of Shinra, whose main duty was to protect the President, and Vice President Rufus. According to Zack though, they also dealt with assassination, which means Shinra probably had a dark underbelly, not that she didn't already suspect it. The President didn't really seem like the most pleasant man. Could she spend her life working for Shinra, under the President, more specifically, without any qualms? Could she do all the terrible things the Turks did in Shinra's name, without any qualms? Tifa wasn't sure how to answer these new questions that had popped up. She knew that once she made it as a Turk, getting out wouldn't be easy at all if she wanted to.
The elevator beeped, and Zack stepped out going toward the door and taking a key-card out of his pocket. He inserted it into the slot beside the door and it beeped; a green light turned on. He gestured for Tifa to follow him as they walked down a long, sterile, white corridor. He kept a hand on her shoulder, sensing her nervousness. "It's alright, don't be nervous. Tseng may be really stiff and professional, but he's a nice guy."
"Wouldn't really say that if I were you, yo," a voice called. Tifa turned around, and saw a man with flaming red hair tied in a messy ponytail. Goggles sat on top of his head, and he was dressed in a plain black suit worn in a rather sloppy manner, tie untied and all. "Tseng's from Wutai, you know? That automatically makes him the scariest Turk, 'round, since we were at with them, and he didn't care much."
"Yo?" Tifa replied, confused. Tseng already seemed frightening to her, but to hear that, it almost seemed as if the Turks were meant to be heartless.
"Reno, don't scare her," Zack said, disapprovingly. "She's hoping to join you guys."
"This girl wants to become a Turk, yo?" Reno questioned. "Sure she can handle it?"
"She kicked a guy into a wall when she was threatened, Reno," he described to Reno, vividly. "First time in Midgar, and she completely owned this guy."
"I guess so, yo," Reno spoke uncertainly. Tifa understood now, this man was a Turk, and despite his obvious carefree nature, he did seem like he could pull off intimidation without breaking a sweat. Reno looked at her, and she did feel a spark of fear travel up her spine. "She seems a lot tougher than Laney, yo. Should've seen the way that girl stuttered when she wanted to become a Turk." He continued to look her over. "She's pretty hot as well, yo."
Tifa glared at him. "I'm not interested, sorry. I'm here for another reason." She should have predicted that this 'Reno' was a flirt, just by looking at him, and not a classy one at that. Tifa remembered then, that Zack had described him as an 'ass'. "So you're the Reno that Zack called an 'ass'."
Reno looked at Zack then, in amusement. "You called me an ass, yo?"
"Don't I always," Zack replied, pouting. "Anyway Tifa, Reno can take you to Tseng from here. He hits on anything in a skirt, and he's harmless. Don't worry too much."
Zack waved to her, and walked back to the elevator. Tifa wanted to call him an ass for leaving her with this womanizer, but decided against it, seeing as how Zack did get her this far. She was grateful for meeting Zack in those slums. She didn't expect getting any assistance in the slums.
"Follow me," Reno spoke, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Tseng's this way."
Tifa followed him down the long corridor of offices, to one at the very back. He knocked twice, and then opened the door. Once inside, Tifa saw who Tseng was. On the desk in the room, in a revolving chair, sat a Wutaain man with dark shoulder length hair tied up into a ponytail and a stern face. His suit was immaculate, and he had not a hair out of place.
Without looking up from his work, he addressed Reno. "Reno, who's this guest you have with you?"
"This girl here's hoping to join the Turks, yo," Reno told him, gesturing to Tifa with his thumb. "So I brought her to you."
"What's your name?" He looked at her, and Tifa was on guard. His voice was commanding, fit for the leader of the Turks.
"Tifa Lockhart, sir," she replied, making sure to be extra respectful. "I want to join the Turks."
"Reno, you may leave," Tseng said, his gaze settling on the redhead. "Find Elena on your way out, would you? I have a feeling she's scrambling to get that last report done, and I need it immediately."
"Laney's in trouble, yo?" Reno questioned. "Man, don't be such a tight-ass; she'll get it done eventually."
"That's not the point. If she needs help with it, it would be better to approach me." Tseng raised an eyebrow. "You shouldn't be talking Reno; I haven't gotten yours either."
"I lost mine, yo," Reno said, shamelessly. Tifa could only wonder how this man could speak this way to his superior. "Probably left it on my desk somewhere after I went out for drinks with Rude, I'll find it. I always do, don't I boss-man?"
"Reno, shut up. You're giving me a headache," Tseng muttered, on the verge of snapping. He pointed toward the door. "Out now, Reno, and go find Elena as I instructed."
Reno yawned and made his way out the door after lazily and sluggishly saluting Tseng. "Alright, man. I'll go find Laney for you, yo."
He shut the door behind him and Tseng sighed in disbelief. Tifa observed him as he walked out the door, wondering how he had the gall to talk to his boss that way. "I apologize for that man's behavior. Reno has never been the most mature of the lot, but he does his job extremely well."
When Tifa heard the word 'job', she wondered what exactly he was referring to. Was Reno particularly skilled when it came to killing people? Then that aura that she felt from him wasn't all a joke. He probably was a dangerous person when he tried, no not dangerous; he was probably capable of obliterating people and taking lives without remorse. He could probably force people to tell him what he wanted to hear with just one icy glare. "It's no big deal. I could kind of feel that he does his job well." She muttered the last part, but Tseng heard anyway.
He looked at her in curiosity. "What do you mean?"
It was unnerving to have Tseng look at her. It was almost as if he was peering into her soul. It was more discomforting than having Reno look at her. "It's the feeling I get when I see you two, sir." He remained silent, implying that she must continue. "Intimidation without the other party trying too hard: that's what I feel."
He nodded. "I'm sure you don't know everything the Turks do. No one does, unless you're a Turk yourself." He shuffled the papers on his desk once before continuing. "You'd have to take a written test, but I'm considering skipping that altogether. I might just test you two in one?" He paused. "Before I decide on that, I want you to answer me one thing. If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be?" Tseng was looking at her, attentive to her answer.
It was a strange question to be asking was what Tifa was thinking, but of course she wouldn't tell him that. There must have been a reason. She thought on it for a moment before looking Tseng in the eye, fiercely. "Stubborn because I sure as hell am going to get into the Turks, I won't give up."
"Seems like we have another who probably won't give up, even on their death bed," Tseng said, matter-of-fact. "It's a necessary trait for a Turk, I'll give you that." Tifa's heart was pounding, reluctant and anxious all at one time to hear what he was about to say. "Hmm, you see, I don't have time to supervise a whole Turk test at the moment, so it seems you'll take a different one. I'll send you on an assignment in a few days, with a high class member of SOLDIER, maybe two, and a few cadets. You'll be an official Turk in training if you do your job well," he looked at her, "and if you file a proper report after."
"Where will the mission be, sir?" Tifa asked, nervously playing with her fingers behind her back.
"I'm considering it to be an assignment to clear out the area around the incomplete Modeoheim reactor; the place has been left unattended for far too long. We'll have to wait and see what SOLDIER personnel say, however," Tseng said, bored. He opened his drawer and pulled out a key-card. He then rose and handed it to her. "This is Cissnei's room. You can be her temporary roommate for a while, until we know if your stay is permanent. The room is on this floor."
Tifa took the key-card without question, and stared at. It said room 12, Floor 67. She had remembered that Zack said Cissnei was a nice person, which was good. "Thanks, sir. Will I receive notice on when the assignment is?"
"Of course," he said, dismissively. "Cissnei or I will tell you about it. It would be best if you head to your room now."
That was slightly rude, she thought, but it seemed as if he was a busy man. Better to not get him pissed off and keep her chances of getting into the company. Cloud was already so close; she was unwilling to lose it all now. "Yes, sir," she said, and walked out the door taking deep breaths. That Tseng really seemed like a leader, and he had quite an unnerving presence to boot. Tifa really wasn't the type of girl to get scared, but seeing these people now was a little different. There really wasn't much in Nibelheim to be afraid of but the monsters who lived on the mountainside – she wasn't afraid of them, so why now?
Walking down the corridor, she hardly noticed when she collided into something hard. Balancing herself, she didn't fall over, but when she looked at the floor, a white, well kept novel lay there, thankfully undamaged. She picked it up and scanned the front cover which said 'LOVELESS' across it in a grey colour. Designs were painted on it in the same colour, a frame around the lettering, and a border. Tifa somewhat remembered the contents of the book she'd read when she was young. She remembered the wording was rather metaphorical, and impossibly difficult to decipher.
"I would like my book back, please," a voice demanded.
Looking up, Tifa saw an auburn haired man garbed in red leather. He seemed arrogant of course, or maybe just confident, as it didn't seem misplaced. His tone was refined, and his features had something aristocratic about them, something definitively appealing. His eyes were glowing. Her eyes widened as she realized this was Genesis Rhapsodos, the SOLDIER in love with LOVELESS.
"I apologize, sir," Tifa told him while passing it back to him. "The cover of the book just caught my attention. It's rather nice."
"LOVELESS is beautiful both inside and out," he stated, with passion. He looked at her for a moment. "I haven't seen you around here. Civilians aren't permitted on this floor, unless I'm mistaken?"
"I'm joining the Turks," she replied cautiously. "So I'm not any normal civilian."
"Tseng gave you a test then, did he?" he asked, arching one thin eyebrow.
"It's not finished yet. I'm supposed to go on an assignment to the Modeoheim reactor in a few days with SOLDIER," Tifa said, dully. It was a shame that it would take this one mission to decide her future, whether she would crawl back to Nibelheim or not. "He said if I do well on that, then I could get into the Turks."
"Tseng always was more interested in the practical more than the theoretical," he told her, smiling slightly. "But, where are my manners? I'm SOLDIER First-Class Genesis Rhapsodos, pleasure to meet you."
"Zack told me of your love for LOVELESS, so I already suspected it was you." Tifa chuckled.
"So the puppy has already met you, and told you of myself," he exclaimed while scowling. "That boy has no taste in good literature, falling asleep while I was reading LOVELESS aloud. He doesn't understand the beauty of these words, it's awfully tragic." He sighed.
"Puppy?" she questioned. "Is that your nickname for him?"
"No, it's Angeal's. When he first became his student, Angeal described him as 'easily excitable', and then proceeded to call him puppy. It's stuck, I suppose. Now I call him that as well," Genesis said, carelessly brushing his bangs out of the way of his eyes. "But about the mission, I may join you. I speculate that the superiors want me to go, as Sephiroth and Angeal are both busy. The puppy may come along as well, as he hasn't really gone on a more relaxing mission for quite some time; he is under a little stress."
"That's nice, I think," Tifa said, smiling. "It will be nice having two people I've met beforehand joining me, sir."
"Genesis is fine," he said, gesturing to himself. "Sir really doesn't seem all that classy. I assume you called Tseng that, so I truly don't want to be placed in the same boat as him."
"Genesis then," Tifa said, doubtfully, testing the name on her tongue. It sounded strange, which was for certain, main reason being because of his high rank. Calling a higher ranked individual by name seemed slightly wrong. "It sounds kind of strange calling you Genesis."
"It's much better than sir. I only accept that from cadets." He sniffed. "But, perhaps I should leave now. I must see Tseng."
"It's been nice meeting you then," Tifa said, clasping her hands behind her back.
"Hold on one moment. I never received your name," Genesis stated, smirking. "I wouldn't want to refer to you as 'girl' next time I see you. That would be impolite, now wouldn't it? And you would only be encouraging it."
"Tifa Lockhart," she said, sighing from exhaustion, or what else, she wasn't quite sure. Genesis had quite the tongue, but his voice was rather nice to listen to.
He took her hand and lifted it to his lips, giving her palm a soft kiss. Genesis looked at her, with his sultry, heavily lidded eyes. "Then Miss Lockhart, I'll remember your name for next time. Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return." His voice was like dark chocolate; a voice truly fit for poetry.
"LOVELESS Act III?" she questioned, snatching her hand back and hesitantly wiping it on her shorts, much to his amusement. Even if she hardly remembered the play, she would remember a famous line like that.
"My friend: you and I shall get along splendidly," Genesis stated with a smirk, confirming her answer, before walking toward Tseng's office, his nose buried in the LOVELESS book.
There was definitely more class apparent in Genesis than crass and untactful Reno.
Walking into room 12, using the key-card Tseng had given her earlier, Tifa had finally faced her roommate, Cissnei. She was definitely a very pretty girl, brown wavy locks, large eyes, and a warm smile pasted on her face. Tifa felt from that smile, that she could get along with this girl.
The room she was in was quite cozy as well. The white walls and two small beds reminded of her of Nibelheim. The floors were carpeted though, unlike her own room in Nibelheim. There was a bathroom attached, small, but usable, and quite state of the arc and a large arched window to let in light so the area didn't seem like a prison. Shinra had definitely invested money on the Turks. Cissnei sat on top of one of the beds, polishing a weapon Tifa wasn't familiar with, though she was exceptionally concentrated. When she heard the door open though, she looked up and saw Tifa.
"Hello, I'm Cissnei," she stated, her voice a little confused, "but who are you?"
"Tifa Lockhart," she introduced. "I'm actually set to be in this room for a little while before the next assignment, which is pretty much my make-shift test to enter the Turks."
"So you're going to become one of us, huh?" Cissnei noted. Before continuing, she noticed the drab state of Tifa's being due to travel. Grime covered her face, and her clothes were filthy. Cissnei immediately stood up and grabbed clothes from the dresser and a towel before passing them to Tifa. "You look like you've been travelling for days, are you okay? Not from here?"
Cissnei really was like a mother hen, Tifa thought, amused. Funny how she wasn't embarrassed that she'd just met Tseng, Zack and Genesis in her unruly state. Reno as well, but she really cared less about his opinion. "I'm fine Cissnei," she said, taking the clothes, gratefully. "I'm from Nibelheim, and I decided to join Shinra for a pretty strange reason, to be honest."
"Nibelheim, huh?" she started, "I've heard of it. It's a small town, right? And about you deciding, at least you had that choice; a ridiculous reason is still a reason." She smiled. "It's not as though I dislike Shinra or anything, but I was raised here. I had no choice on whether or not I could join the Turks. I was born into the role, I suppose."
Tifa didn't know what to say, but hearing Cissnei's words made her resolve to stay here stronger. Even though the Turks may have done questionable things, it still brought her closer to Cloud. "I think you're right," she agreed. "About your Turk test, was it hard?"
"I did a mission as well, it wasn't all that difficult. Just stay sharp and don't be nervous. Remember you have allies as well, you're not alone," Cissnei advised.
"I'll keep that in mind." Tifa nodded, seriously. After this, she walked into the bathroom to take a shower. She looked back at Cissnei, grinning. "Thanks, Cissnei."
The girl smiled widely. "No problem, Tifa."
Final Word Count: 3 829
