Silencing the Chaos
Chapter 4
The three men looked nothing alike.
Phil was a slim man with dark completion. His dark chocolate skin was smooth with a clean-shaven jaw and his hair was soft waves. It was his eyes that deceived people. Where his words could be kind and his body sensual, his eyes were hard, cold and calculating.
James Rothsburg was not one to be considered handsome. He was stocky, with a double chin created by weight and age. Originally, he had red hair, but it turned blonde as he got older and did nothing to help his appearance.
Alexander Green looked crazy. Wild hair stuck out in all directions, he had a scruffy beard and eyes like a rat. His general lack of cleanliness was evident by his blackened nails, greasy hair and yellowing teeth.
Both Vincent and Yuffie took in these features in a blink of an eye.
"Ah, Mr. Lucian Travers, Ms. Rose Aoyama," Phil stood and gestured for them to step closer. "May I introduce my friends. Mr. James Rothsburg, owner of this fine establishment and many others like it, and Doctor Alexander Green of Practical Sciences, Inc."
"A pleasure to meet the close friends of Mr. Phil," Vincent gave a half bow to the seated men. "I am Lucian Travers, my assistant, Rose."
Yuffie gave a polite nod to the men, but stayed silent.
"Welcome to Ebony, Mr. Travers," James spoke with a rumble that sounded like a bear, "Have a seat, relax a little."
Vincent pulled out a chair and gracefully sat. Behind him, Yuffie stood like a servant, waiting for his order.
"Ms. Rose, please sit," Phil pulled out a chair between his seat and Vincent's. At Vincent's nod, Yuffie swept into the chair and sat straight, ankles crossed. Phil's lips brushed Yuffie's hair as he said, "I'm glad we are able to see each other again."
"Thank you for extending your invitation to my assistant tonight, Mr. Phil," Vincent spoke for Yuffie who was trying not to gut the man with her mental powers. "Have you not brought companions for yourselves?"
As if on cue, three women, for they were a far cry from being ladies, sashayed into the room amidst a bubble of giggles. One for each Overlord. Each woman seemed to fit the type of man. Tall, beautiful and slightly dimmer than the average person.
"Our…executive assistants," James said as he pulled his, barely legal, partner in for a kiss. She giggled prettily when he pulled away. "Introduce yourselves."
"Ruby."
"Emerald."
"Sapphire."
"Hooker names," Yuffie thought to herself. There was a nudge at her foot and she widened her peripheral to see the minute shake of Vincent's head. It was as if he knew what she was thinking.
"Lovely to meet you, ladies," Vincent's voice and appearance was clearly better than what the girls were used to, since they all but melted at his words.
"Girls, this is Lucian Travers. Hopefully, we will be doing lots of business together, so be on your best behavior with him," Phil told the simpering women. "And be good to Rose, too. I'm sure you will all get along well."
Doubt, sarcastic doubt, filled Yuffie's mind and she felt the pressure on her foot again. The three women all hid their glares behind fake smiles. Yuffie gave them one of her own. One that said, "That's right, my boss isn't a cow. And if you try anything fishy I'll rob you blind and dumber than you already are."
As if connected to each other, the three women moved their eyes to Vincent.
"If there's anything we can help you with, we'd be more than happy to offer our services," they all looked like they were about to strip off their clothes to get the most attention from Vincent.
"Thank you, for your offers, but Rose does her job perfectly," Vincent stared straight at Yuffie, though she did not return it. She was too busy watching the energy leave the women to pool on the floor in a pathetic mess.
"Well, now that everyone is introduced, let's get some food out," James rang a bell and servers entered the room with carts of food.
Vincent did very well, chatting with the men and ignoring the looks the women gave him. The meal was delicious and Yuffie spent much of the time admiring it as she checked for drugs. Yuffie regulated the food and drink Vincent consumed, flying under the façade of "doctor's orders," but mostly so she could watch the women become steadily unhappier with the man at their side.
They could be important. As airheaded as they might be, they could be their best allies or worst enemies. Yuffie's goal would be to find their reason for being with the Overlord. Money, status, sex or even true feelings. Knowing the answer would either open or close doors.
Doctor Green was a silent man, eating steadily through the evening. He would respond to direct questions in complete sentences, but offer no more than the answer. When asked what he did, he responded with, "I research a variety of things to make our world a better place."
Vincent had prodded lightly for the philosophical discussion of what a 'better place' would be like, but the men brushed it off and the girls just gave him bedroom eyes.
After dinner, the men shook hands and made loose promises to call for dinner again. The friends went off to one of Phil's clubs and Vincent and Yuffie went home.
"Total of six," Yuffie mused to herself as she turned onto the road for home.
"What are you talking about?"
"The number of times those girls came in their mind when they looked at you. Twice for each. You must be losing your looks or something, boss man. The women on the street came in under three minutes after seeing you," Yuffie didn't beat around the bush.
"I should not even ask how you can tell," Vincent's curiosity was about the kill the proverbial cat. He of course knew that it was not just in the women's mind. His nose still itched from the smell that lingered throughout the course of dinner.
"I told you before about my other missions. You tend to notice things about men and women when you're around them as they have sex and… stuff," she figured she didn't need to go into all the kinky details.
"Ah," was all Vincent managed to say.
"So, what's your reading on the Doc?" Yuffie drove slowly. There were still workers at the house.
"Secretive. We need to find out what he is so keen on hiding."
"Roger."
When they got out of the car, Fitzroy was opening the door.
"Welcome home, Mr. Travers," Fitzroy had blocked Yuffie from the car door. "How was dinner?"
"Good," Vincent caught the suspicious twitches in Fitzroy's movements.
"I need to report that the chef has fallen ill and will be taking sick leave. What—"
"Those small matters shall not waste Master Luc's time," Yuffie interrupted harshly, her emotions bristling at the obvious and blatant refusal to acknowledge her position. "Matters like this will go through me."
"So says you, Rose," Fitzroy looked down his sharp nose at Yuffie with distain. His piercing green gaze dared her to confront him.
Struggling, Yuffie smothered the urge to beat him into an unidentifiable lump.
"If you believe it deserves Master Luc's time, then by all means. I shall put the car in the garage and will return for today's debrief, sir," Yuffie waited for Vincent's nod before climbing behind the wheel.
"Has she always been so selfish, sir?" Fitzroy asked like he was commenting on the blueness of the sky. He failed to notice the cold sheen, glinting momentarily in Vincent's crimson depths.
"Rose and I go back," Vincent collected himself, drawing on their false identities. "Because of the circumstances of our meeting, she feels…obligated to fulfill the role of assistant to the fullest. She is merely protective of what she feels is her duty. To put it simply, you were a threat to her doing her job."
"So, she's insecure," Fitzroy commented, lightly, as if not ever aware of how proper stewards should address such a topic.
Vincent swept up the stairs to the door, through it and up to his study, unable to be polite. "I suggest that you start to feel insecure, Fitzroy. If you do not correct some of your behavior."
The resounding 'click' of the door shutting was as final as a shot from the triple barrel of Cerberus.
"He did warn you. First day. Do a good job and you'll never talk, don't and wish you had," Yuffie was leaning against the banister. Fitzroy hadn't heard her come in. "If you were wondering; breakfast will be oatmeal, fresh fruit, coffee and a newspaper. I've already informed Betty. You are excused."
And he was. Dejectedly, the steward went downstairs to yell at the remaining maids. Yuffie waited for the raised voice before knocking and entering the study.
"Master Luc."
"I do not like oatmeal."
"It's good for you," Yuffie sat at her desk and kicked off her heels. She was still dolled up for dinner. Her longer tresses were pulled back in a bun that was finally coming loose, but looked even better than the perfect twist. Her lips shined and her eyes shimmered from the make-up, making her look like the twenty-one year old woman she was. The dress was appropriate; modest in the front with a hint of skin in the back and a skirt that allowed Yuffie the mobility she desired.
In Vincent's eyes, she was stunning. Even more so as she kicked off her shoes and propped her feet on a low drawer handle as she droned on about client lists, deals, agreements and contracts. He only half listened as he leaned on the edge of his pristine desk. There were shadows beneath Yuffie's eyes. She had tried to hide it with some make-up, but he could tell.
"Tomorrow, you have a phone conference with Shin-Ra company at 10 am," Yuffie had begun to read off the schedule for the next day.
"Is that my first meeting?"
"Yes," Yuffie blinked up at him as he strode over and closed her book. He never interrupted.
"Then you can tell me the rest of my schedule at breakfast. Go to bed early tonight," Vincent spoke in his normal tone, but a flicker of something else crossed his expression.
"Yes, sir. Shall I tell the staff to go home?" Yuffie asked as she slid her feet back into her shoes.
"Yes. And tell the maids to put any complaints against Fitzroy into his file."
"Yes, sir. Good night, Master Luc," Yuffie went to the door.
"Good night," Vincent said. Then added silently, "Yuffie."
000000000
"They don't seem right."
"Explain."
"He cares about her feelings, emotions."
"People are like that."
"And she's always around him. I haven't been able to get much data for you."
"Never fear. We have bugs. All of us."
"Some of them may have been found. It's always silent."
"Idiot."
"I will check them, replant them. I will find everything you want to know on Lucian Travers."
"Do not fail me, Fitzroy. Or I will not include you."
"I will not fail you, Doctor."
Beady rodent eyes glinted through glasses at the steward before turning back to his work, illuminated by a soft green glow.
0000000000000
Yuffie stared at her reflection. She never really liked having to care about her appearance, yet there she was, business woman, who had to dress for the part.
When she went to Vincent for inspection, he had a very curious expression on his face. The simplest description was puzzlement. Almost like he could not quite comprehend if Yuffie was in the dress or if Reeve had been sick enough to make human shaped robots. He nodded his approval and they did not speak about it.
She twirled like a little girl in her first ballerina tutu. Maybe it wasn't all too bad, growing up. After all, growing up did not mean she had to completely change.
Ruefully smiling at her reflection, Yuffie stripped off the dress and hummed as she went to shower off the aches of the day.
Her thoughts did not slow as she lathered her hair. Even though they met the three faces of power in the city, it did little to reveal their intent. Or the reason why the entire WRO retrieval team disappeared after bringing the Gelnika to the surface. What could a sunken ship do to help them with this 'Revival' project? Or if it was connected at all.
Shutting off the water, Yuffie went about drying off. As she played with her near-shoulder length hair, Yuffie thought of the weird feeling she got from Alexander Green. He reminded Yuffie of another dangerous scientist.
Hojo was a crazy bastard that played a major role in making the world a hellhole of a planet. If Green was even the slightest percentage of Hojo's level of insanity, they were in for a whirlwind of problems.
As much as Yuffie hoped for it not to be so, she was doomed not to have it granted.
Somewhere upstairs in back recesses of Vincent's mind, his demons shifted uncomfortably like animals before a storm. In particular, Chaos growled at an invisible threat upon the tides.
