Stairway

Twins: Cat and mouse: A Shinra's boon

People are predictable." Tseng had once told him in their rare" we're inside the car going nowhere and it's private" conversations. "They are creatures of pattern, and I'd go so far to classify the bulk of them as a heard beast if that weren't prudent."

"Because if you told it to someone who didn't like to think it through they'd get mad." Rufus nodded to indicate that he both understood and appreciated the trust Tseng was showing him.

"Exactly." With only a glance at the Shinra heir to convey whatever emotion he was thinking of Tseng looked to Rufus than went back to staring at the road. His eyes never left it, or the people walking along side it. Black slanted eyes, always flicking here and there, never still yet never leaving their target.

When the light turned green Tseng only nodded and set his foot over the gas. With a hum that was more felt in the bones than actually heard the Turk's car eeled forward. Like Tseng, it was quiet, dark, and probably deadly. Rufus remembered the first time he'd been bored –they'd been trapped in a traffic jam an hour or so- and had thoughtlessly reached for the glove department to pull out a map to go over. A map wasn't what had fallen out. Tseng had dropped his Wutian reserve to look panicked at finding Rufus happily playing with the long grey canister that had tumbled out. After a sharp reprimand and a light smack –barely a tap really- Tseng had firmly snatched the canister out of the whining heir's hands. Making sure that nothing had been moved –Rufus only caught a few words about a pin, whatever that was- Tseng had oh-so carefully set can into the glove box.

"Don't dig around in my car, Rufus. Never again. Or I'll give you more than a smack." Tseng had informed the young child coldly.

Hurt, Rufus had been sulky for the rest of the day, in school and out of it. Much to the Turk's chagrin he had found the blame lain upon him, and had even been reprimanded by Rufus' mother. So, to stave Rufus' boredom and better cow in those wandering hands Tseng would occasionally offer Rufus a few observations while driving, and Rufus would respond.

Gnawing on his lower lip the ten year old considered his Turk's words, then suddenly an alarming thought came to him. He actually jerked a bit in his seat, and that motion sent one of those night black eyes to focusing on him.

"Rufus, is something the matter?"

"I… I'm not predictable, am I?"

"Hardly." Tseng's lip quirked a bit and the Turk bit on the inside of his check to keep the gesture from spreading. Adverted his face, Tseng strove to refrain from showing the boy too much affection. A smile was a rare gift amongst his people, the gesture was not to be given out often or even expected. "You are hardly predictable, and that is quite a boon Rufus."

His words once spoken in innocence were fast -how did the Continentals' put it?- biting him in the ass. They didn't dare bull their way though the crowd they'd created. To do so might have the authorities set on them. So they waded, and the flash of blond, the glimmer of grey clothes was lost in a heartbeat. Cursing, Tseng grimly went forward, all but dragging Elena behind him. With a yalp of shock the younger Turk had accepted the iron grip on her wrist, had followed. Or rather, the truth was that she staggered behind him, still she was there, and that was all that mattered. Rufus, set upon flight, would be hard to apprehend. Grudgingly Tseng realized he'd need her help…

A cry of shock on her part made his hand spasm, Tseng whirled. The press of people made each motion slow, as if he were immersed in morasses.

"Hey there sweet heart." A drunken adolescent had set his hands on Elena and the young Turk stiffened in outrage. "Bet if you'll kiss a Wutian bastard like that you'd do more than that for a Con-"

Lips locked in a stiff smile Elena slid her hand behind the bore's head, and with a slight touch sent him to his knees howling in pain. A sharp kick on Tseng's part actually flipped the boy over and left him back first on the dirt. Their foe fully dispatched Tseng offered Elena his hand once again, the Turk took it, grumbling all the while.

"Goddamned punk touch my…" Face flaming Elena rubbed her rear.

Tseng politely pretended not to hear a word she was saying and just dragged her behind him.

X

Instinct made him run like a startled hare into the crowds, at first he recklessly bulled into people, 'Nation picking up on his owner's need had taken the lead. The occasional snarl on the panther-hound's part did wonders for parting the crowd. With laughs and shouts the gathering parted from his charge, a good natured turning that was marked only by a rare curse. Seeing their goal Dark Nation skidded to a stop, his black claws easily sliding through the dirt and lightly scraping the cement underneath.

"Damn it 'Nation, run!" Rufus snarled.

With a growl of his own the panther hound loped behind his master for a few more feet, when the smell hit his nose however all twelve claws were promptly imbedded into the dirt and the tentacle grabbed at the nearest tent post. One sharp tug only prompted an odd sound that was half hiss half bark of purest outrage. Letting the leash drop Rufus all but danced in impotent frustration.

Realizing Nation wasn't going to come any closer Rufus had hit head first upon a dilemma. Leaving the Panther-hound just standing there was the same as spray painting an arrow to his goal Rufus nearly panicked. He'd let curiosity lure him almost right into Tseng's custody, and the Turk wasn't going to risk making another scene to try to lure him out again. After all, the fine line between "making a scene" and getting arrested for public disorder was a slender one and if a Turk got busted here… Hiedagger and worse Rufus' father would know.

"Damn it 'Nation, fine, sit!" The Shinra heir growled.

With a relieved sigh 'Nation happily sat, and looked up at his master with curious navy blue eyes.

Ditching 'Nation, Rufus grimly advanced on the squat blue porti-potties. With a muttered "cheapskate" Rufus began to curse the event's organizer. Despite what the praises sang for them even he knew just how vile open ceiling restroom facilities were. Wind dispersed what heat mercilessly magnified and the poignant smell of urine and feces was a nauseating miasma that hung over everything around the public hygiene quarters. Hence why the food and most other tents were placed so far away from them, Rufus supposed. Nation mewed hopelessly after his master, in his animal way he was telling Rufus not to do it, not to go to the bad smelling place…

Taking a deep breath of fresh air Rufus broke out into a quick trot. Knowing Tseng as well as he did the Shinra heir figured that he only had a few minutes at best.

X

"Rufus! He's here!" Tseng snarled, dropping Elena's hand Tseng charged up to the large hound shaped creature. It looked up at the Turk, wagged its tail waved in a lazy cat like wag, then saw Elena. Black lips pulled back and the blue eyes thinned to slits.

More alarming than that came the claws, metal sheathed claws. Oh shit… Fingering her gun Elena took a weary step back.

"Sir…"

She said only that, but Tseng understood.

"Easy, Dark Nation." Setting his hand over the panther-hound's head the older Turk ruffled the feline's neck scruff affectionately. "She's a new guard."

"Grrr…"

Ignoring the hostile science experiment gone wrong Tseng waved at Elena to stand down. Wearily the young Turk did so, though those blue eyes never left her for a second. Nor did the claws bother to sheath.

"You seriously think he had to go?" Elena asked meekly. "I mean, he wouldn't try hiding from us in one of those stalls, would he?"

"The fact he ran worries me." Tseng countered.

"And did the fact he's an adolescent ever cross your mind? Seriously sir, I have to wonder. Were you even human before the Turk's picked you, or does Wutian have such clamps down on its kids that they don't go through the rebellious teen stage?"

"Since you're being so free with your opinions you clearly don't have enough to occupy your time. My suggestion is that if you want to live to see the end of today is that you should get to work. Take the right, I've got the left." Tseng snapped over his shoulder.

Yet another growl from Dark Nation encouraged Elena to just shut up and do her job. An occurrence that probably made Tseng very happy. Not that the Wutian bastard would have bothered to show it… Two doors, and one annoyed occupant hollering about perv suits, later and Elena had her breakthrough. Flipping her phone open Elena hit the speed dial and Tseng picked up one ring later. Excitement made her voice rise, though she strove to keep it down so not to give away her position.

"Sir! He's been here!"

"I'm on my way."

With a click Tseng hung up and a few seconds later he came pounding in. Wrinkling his nose in distaste Tseng shoved her aside and considered the mess in the bathroom. Yellow tinged liquid best left unidentified slicked the floor around the toilet seat, but besides that was a scattering of fair parnaphillia. Merchandise had been dropped… no thrown about the small chamber in a random manner, as if someone had come in and dropped everything they were carrying and had bolted.

But save for the door there wasn't any other way out…

Tseng, braving the dubious floor, was on his knees picking though some of the rumpled lumpy items thrown about. Elena though had gotten something of an idea and scanned the room's walls. Mutely she reached for Tseng's shoulder, and at her touch he stopped his search and followed her gaze.

"He's good." Elena breathed. "Damn good."

Tseng only cursed, for above their heads was a scuff mark, as if a booted foot had kicked off of something –probably the sink, it was the most elevated fixture in the cramped room- the wall and gone over.

"The next room." Tseng snarled, then he was gone. There was a curse as the Turk realized that door was locked, quickly followed by the sound of fist striking the stall's plastic door.

"Damn it Rufus, this isn't a game! Come out right now!"

Elena though, remembering the scuff mark, had a different idea. With some effort she scrambled onto the sink and reached up…