Chapter 25: The Problem with Secrets
I'm so high that I'm practically floating to the elevator. The doors close around me, and I stare up at the ceiling, grinning stupidly to myself. Nothing can get me down. How can it? Last weekend I spent almost 3 incredible days in Costa del Sol. Friday was one of those nights where Rufus decided he felt like whisking me away in the middle of the night unannounced. All I had were the clothes on my back, it all happened so fast. Thank goodness for his black card, otherwise I would've had to wear my pajamas all weekend. It was so amazing—dare I say magical even, that even the monotony of the first day back at work can't get me down.
The elevator comes to a smooth stop at the Weapons floor and I do a little spin on the way out, almost hitting a random employee in the process. I don't care. They didn't have an amazing 2 and a half day on an island off Costa del Sol yachting, speed boating, fire dancing (okay I'm the one who jumped up and took one of the dancer's little torches) and swimming and enjoying quality Rufus ShinRa time. No ma'am, that honor went to me and me only.
As a couple Weapons workers in grey lab coats pass me by, I work hard not to skip down into their work area. I beeline through the desks and workers. No one pays me any mind, I'm just a member of the elite unit of ShinRa that the company refuses to publicly acknowledge the existence of. Yep. Don't mind me. Just a Turk chillin'.
I reach Sierra's office, situated at the front of the worker area, just below Scarlet's. They're both made more of glass than wall, both with blinds shut and doors shut. I float over to the door labeled Sierra Lorcan, Chief Weapons Design Specialist, knock, but don't wait for an answer. She just has to know how great everything was last night. I'm sure she'll appreciate the distraction.
"Sierra! Hey! Miss me?! I'm sure you did because I had my phone off. Why, you ask? I was in Costa del Sol all weekend with—are you OK?"
Sierra looks up from her desk, still holding a fistful of her dark hair, her face tense. "Elena...close the door."
"I...okay," I say, my voice lower. I shut the door and come over to the desk.
"Elena...gah I don't know what to do..." she says, dropping her face into her hands and sighing heavily, laughing humorlessly as if she's on the edge of a meltdown.
I reach my hand out to her shoulder but pull back, hesitant.
"What's wrong?" I say instead, perching halfway on the corner of the desk near her. My ramblings about Rufus and the beach can wait. "Sierra?"
"It's….maybe it is good that you're here actually," she says, removing her hands from her face and looking up at me. "Maybe. Gah Elena, I don't know…I don't want this to escalate. I don't need this kind of drama and attention. Don't report this to your commander. Let me figure it out first."
"Whoa…what? What's going on?" Intrigue and accusations swirl in my head.
"Never mind. You…it…ok," she says, taking a deep breath. Her red lips are quivering and her perfectly shaped eyebrows are knitted together, causing a valley between them. "I can't find the original blueprints to the Prod Clod."
"You're upset because she misplaced some files? Well Scarlet will just have to—"
"No," Sierra says sharply, rising from her desk, "No, Elena. Not misplaced. I have been doing this for a very long time; I don't misplace anything here."
"Well there was that one time you left those files in the meeting—"I start to say, stupidly, only to realize that my comment is a mistake. Her brown eyes flash at me. Now is not the time to try to be a smart ass. "I'm sorry."
Her annoyance fades as quickly as it came, but her fear is still there. "No, it isn't your fault. But the fact remains that they are missing. The blueprints. All the schematics, all relevant information on that mega weapon—Scarlet's pet project with Heidegger—all gone. The last person it says checked them out was me, which is impossible because I wasn't here at 5:50 a.m., and other than Scarlet, Heidegger and me, no one has access to that project's files because they want it to be a big deal when it is revealed. Oh damn, Elena what am I going to do?! Elena!"
She grabs me by the shoulders, shaking me.
"Does anyone else work on the project?" I manage.
"Seven other developers, but I'm the lead developer, so they have to get access through me." Her nails are digging into my shoulders.
"Well, maybe Scarlet has them—"I say, prying her off.
"She doesn't! She doesn't. Heidegger neither, they never…" her eyes are wide.
"Sierra, calm down. I've never seen you like this."
"You don't understand," she says, her voice desperate, her breathing erratic and short.
Before I know it, I bring my hand across her face with a sharp slap. Just enough to knock her head back on straight. She swallows her words and looks at my raised hand in stunned silence.
"The hell, Elena?"
I wince and try to play it off with a shrug. "You were about to have a panic attack or hyperventilate or something."
"You slapped me," she says, vibrant red lips in an 'o' as she is holding her face. "And pretty hard, too."
"Sorry. Come on. Sit down," I steer her onto the couch in the corner of her office and ease her onto the couch. "Breathe…"
Sierra obeys, closing her eyes and inhaling and exhaling as deeply as possible. I watch her. Should I reach out to her? Put my hand on her shoulder? On her hand? On her knee? This comforting thing isn't my strong suit.
"Hehehehe, this is new. I'm usually the one freaking out," I say, awkwardly putting one hand on her knee and the other on her shoulder.
She gives an anxious laugh, staring at her lap, covered in a deep blue pencil skirt. "What am I going to do?"
"You'll be fine. Just tell me what happened."
She is quiet for a very long time. Her gaze unfocused as she's lost in her own thoughts. She finally drops her shoulders in a dejected sigh. "Let me figure it out, OK?"
"But…what you're telling me is we may have a security breach. I can't not tell Tseng. I'm a Turk. ShinRa policy—"
"We're friends, right?" she says, taking one of my rougher hands in her smooth, manicured ones. She turns to me, her knees bumping mine, her face turned down to me. She holds my gaze. "Right?"
Are we? Does she see me as a friend?! I glance at where our hands are connected, and a blush reaches my cheeks. Friendship isn't my strong suit—especially not with women. "Yeah, sure, I…I wasn't sure we were. I thought maybe we—"
"—we like each other, that's good enough, right?"
I bite my lip, nodding. "Right."
"So you can hold off on reporting to your boss? It may not be a security issue. Let me do an internal investigation, okay? I don't want to raise a false alarm."
I think about it. This smells like an assignment in the making, but I also don't want to jump the gun and it turns out to be absolutely nothing. Then I'd feel like a fool for ruffling Tseng's feathers. "Okay, but call me immediately with any results."
"You will be the first to know," she says, squeezing my hand and letting it go. "I better…get back to work. Sorry about that. I have to file some reports."
"Sure," I say, lingering near the couch even as she rises from it and goes to her desk. She produces a box of cigarettes from the desk and tosses them to me. "Since when do you smoke?"
"I don't. Those are Reno's. Can you get them back to him?"
Now I'm confused. "Yeahh….sure."
"Just…please don't tell your commander. I would be held responsible. I could get fired or worse: accused."
I hold her intense gaze, faltering. "I'll…definitely…"
"Two days. Just give me two days to find out what's what, ok?"
"Ok," I say, nodding, holding the cigarettes tight almost for stability. She seems so earnest, so desperate. Wow, Scarlet must really have a tight leash on her. "I'll see what I can do. I have a job to do too, you know."
She frowns slightly, smoothing her hands over her hair and looking away for a moment. "I know. Like I said, you'll be the first to know."
"Okay."
She lets out a heavy sigh and turns away from me, her shoulders slumped. She sinks back onto the couch, leaning against the back of it, her legs extended in front of her. I hover there for a moment, uncertain of what to do or say, so I back away and leave.
Well, my high's effectively ruined.
On my way back to the Turk floor, I drop Reno's cigarettes into the trash and get on an elevator. When I reach our floor, I make a beeline to the lounge, needing to eat something to get my mind off what just happened with Sierra.
Reno and Rude are already occupying the space. Reno's lying on the couch with his feet propped up on the arm. He's tossing something in the air and caching it over and over again—I think it is his cigarette lighter. Rude is sitting in a chair across from him, reading something—a magazine. They're not talking at all, just enjoying each other's company. There's drinks and snacks between them on the coffee table.
"Hey!" I shout, causing both of them to start. Reno looks over at me, rolls his eyes, and goes right back to what he was doing. Rude puts the magazine on his lap and gives me a slight casual wave. "Shouldn't you two bums be working?"
"We are," Reno says, "Right?"
Rude flips another page of the magazine, "Right. Where were you, Elena?"
"Went to see Sierra," I say with a shrug. I want to go on and tell them about the breach, but I don't. Instead, I go to the fridge, open it and examine its contents. Rude brought stuff in from their apartment it seems. Lots of healthy looking stuff—I love when he cooks. Someone has to. "Hey….did you guys see a brownie in here?"
"That was yours?" Reno says.
"My name was on it! With a smiley face on it and everything," I growl, slamming the door. "Reno, that's the second time you did that."
"Rude did it," he says, peering around the back of the couch at me.
"She knows you're lying, Reno," comes Rude's reply; he puts the magazine down, leaning against the back of the chair to watch.
"Reno, you will buy me another brownie and —"
"You can whine about it later," he grins. "Tseng was looking for you. He wanted to speak with you immediately."
I look to Rude for confirmation.
"Yeah, Reno's telling the truth."
"Why didn't he call me then? What did he want?"
"Hey Rude, maybe she was off doing her mysterious boyfriend in the stairwells..."
"No I wasn't. Rude! Tell him I wasn't."
"How am I supposed to know if you were or weren't?" Incredulous humor laces Rude's tone.
Good point.
"..I don't even..."
"Of course you don't. It's obvious. That's why you're so uptight." Reno winks.
"That...I am not uptight. Where is Tseng? I need to run something by him anyway."
"He said he was going to talk to the president about a few things for an upcoming assignment," Rude says before Reno can torture me anymore. "So he's probably still up there."
"Dammit Rude!"
"Thanks, Rude!" I say, and as I pass the couch I pat him on the shoulder and then head to the door. At the door, I stop and turn around towards them. "By the way, Reno, Sierra gave me your cigarettes back. I threw them in the trash."
"What?!"
He jumps up off the couch, heading for me. With a burst of speed and a laugh, I run for the nearest elevator and push the button, jumping in just in time before he reaches it. As it climbs up, I hear him banging on the door. I laugh to myself and lean against the wall. Payback feels great.
When I reach the 70th floor, Chaminade is standing in front of me at the elevator. She frowns and sighs impatiently. "Going to lunch, so you'll have to announce yourself on your own."
I step out of the elevator and let her by, shrugging. She mutters something to herself as the doors close. I head down the path to Rufus' office and press the little button near the security panel; it should notify him that someone is at the door.
After a few seconds, the door slides open, revealing his office. Taking in a breath, I remind myself to be professional, and hold my hands in front of me as I step into his office. Rufus is sitting at his desk, watching me, and Tseng is sitting in a chair across from him; he's looking over his shoulder at me.
Is it hot in here or is it just me?
"I'm sorry, sirs. I hope I'm not interrupting," I say, trying to sound as serious as possible.
"Nonsense," Rufus says, a slight smirk crossing his lips as he watches me from under his lashes. "We were just discussing you. Come. Sit."
Tseng doesn't say anything. He just frowns slightly and turns to Rufus. Adjusting my tie, I make my way across the office, each step seeming painfully loud on the marble floor. I pull out the chair next to Tseng and sink down into it, holding on to the arms for support. Seated, I place my hands in my lap and straighten my spine to sit up as straight as possible.
Then I meet Rufus' eyes, and a blush rises in my cheeks.
"Something wrong?"
"Um...no sir. President, sir...nothing is wrong," I shake my head stiffly and stare at the desk top. Ugggh awkardawkward.
"As I was saying, Tseng," Rufus says smoothly, "I agree, why don't you take Elena as your partner?"
What?! What does he mean by partner? What is he implying? What isn't he implying? Why is he implying or not implying something?
I glance at Rufus, catch his eye, and quickly look to Tseng for an answer. He looks away to Rufus. Silence. I find myself chewing on my bottom lip and digging my nails into my legs. I'm going to scream if someone doesn't say something!
"Partner for what?" I ask, quietly. I hope I sound calm. A threesome?! What?! NO!
"The Temple of Ancients," they reply at the same time. For a moment, I'm taken aback by just how eerie it is to hear them speak at the same time, their distinct voices melding.
"Oh...really? Me?" I look from Rufus to Tseng, trying to contain my excitement and seem super professional. An assignment? An important assignment?! With Tseng?!
"Well," Rufus nods in my direction. A smirk still dances on his lips. "You did say you wanted more assignments."
"Oh...well...true." I break our gaze and stare at my lap. It's safer than looking in his eyes. Or Tseng's for that matter.
"So why are you here Elena?" Tseng asks.
My head snaps up. Rufus smirks. Tseng's mouth is a flat line, and his frown lingers on his brow. "Well, I was told you were looking for me."
"True, I was, but that could've waited until I returned to our floor," Tseng says lightly. "Is there something else?"
My mouth falls open. I look at Rufus, his gaze as cool and calculating as ever. He's still wearing a smug little smirk on his face, sitting back against his chair and bringing his index fingers and thumbs together in the shape of a triangle. I sink back into the chair, face burning. Tseng clears his throat next to me.
I can't. I can't keep it a secret. It could be important. What would my sister do? She would report it immediately, regardless of who was involved. If I want to be serious here, taken seriously here, I have to do the same thing. I am a Turk first.
Keeping it short and to the point, I explain what Sierra told me. It isn't much information, but it is all I have. I don't tell them that Sierra asked me to withhold information from her superior or from mine. When I'm done, Rufus is looking at me thoughtfully and Tseng has a hand curled around his chin, thinking.
"Do you think it is worth…worrying about?" I ask.
"Of course," Tseng replies before Rufus can, "It may be nothing, but it sounds like a breach of security. Especially for such an important project, wouldn't you say so, Rufus?"
"Certainly," Rufus says, sliding his gaze to Tseng. "Do you think she can handle it?"
"Of course I can handle it," I snap before Tseng can answer. I catch his gaze; he's watching me from the corner of his eye, one brow raised and a disapproving line drawn on his lips. "Sorry."
Rufus, on the other hand, looks amused at the fact that I snapped at him.
"Well there you have it," Rufus says, "I want you to head up the investigation."
"Yes sir," I say. I should feel elated about having an assignment like this, but I'm not. But at least I can keep tabs and make sure nothing gets out of hand—if this is bigger than it seems right now. In the back of my mind, irritation niggles at me towards Rufus. Can I handle it? What the hell does that mean?
"So, this is great. I'm excited. When do we go to the Temple of Ancients anyway?" I ask, looking to my commander and rubbing my palms against my pants. As I wait on Tseng to reply, I can feel Rufus' watchful gaze searing into the side of my face.
Tseng straightens his posture just a bit, but his expression reveals nothing. "Tomorrow morning."
"So excited," I say, clapping my hands together before I can stop myself. This gets an amused look from Tseng. "Um…should I go now?"
"By all means," Rufus says. I find myself looking to him again. His smirk is gone now, his expression unreadable, his tone curt, businesslike. Nothing warm and romantic about it. "I expect results on this situation in Weapons. Don't let it escalate."
"Of course sir," I say, trying to match his tone and be equally as serious. Never mind that just about 24 hours ago we were on an island off Costa del Sol together. Nope. "I'll see myself out."
Without looking back, I head for the door as quickly as possible while trying not to break out in a run. The entire elevator ride down, I focus on breathing and not freaking out. Sierra's gonna hate me. What was Rufus up to in that office?
I need some air.
On the Turk floor, I step out of the elevator and beeline to the balcony. The air is cool and pleasant against my still hot skin. I go to the edge of the railing and grip it, looking over the sky. What just happened? I feel like something just happened up there.
Resting my elbows on the rail, I cup my face in my hands and slowly pass my palms over my face and push my fingers through my cropped, uneven hair. "What the hell am I doing?"
The sound of the sliding door opening and closing is barely perceptible. The next thing I know, Reno's sidled up next to me, a cigarette in his mouth, filling the air with its scent. "You look like crap, Laney. Bad meeting with Tseng and Rufus?"
"Not really, I'm going to the temple with Tseng," I say, feeling my excitement building again. At least that's something good that I got out of it. "But…"
"What?"
"I feel…my brain hurts."
"Why? Headache? Period?"
"No," I slap him on the arm, "I…don't know."
"Ohhh I know what happened," Reno grins, "You've been mindeffed."
"What?" I think about it. "I think I may have been…you don't wanna know."
"C'mon try me." He sounds so convincing. "I may be a bastard on the outside, but I have a soft, chewy inside."
"Bastard coating with bastard filling is what I've heard."
He gives a short laugh, sending out a puff of smoke into the atmosphere. "Aww, are you being cute?"
"I'm never cute," I scrunch my face up at him and cross my arms.
"That's so cute," he says, and before I can stop him, he flicks the tip of my nose.
"Ah!" I reel back, "You're such a jerk."
He laughs and looks outward over the city. "So what's bothering ya?"
"I'm just a bit confused is all, sometimes things are great…really really great and other times they're so fricken confusing. And then there's this assignment that I've been given. I think Sierra's gonna hate me."
He gives me a look from the corner of his eye, curious.
"Just that, I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone about the possible security breach in Weapons because it involves files that she is responsible for. She wanted to see if she could find out herself first, but up in the president's office it all kinda…came out."
Reno lets out a low whistle and taps his cigarette against the rail, sending ashes into the air. "A little advice?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't make promises you aren't prepared to keep," he says with a shrug. As careless as his demeanor is, there's a slight frown creeping up on his face, and his gaze is a little unfocused, as if he's lost in his own thoughts.
Before I can ask him what he meant by that, the door opens again. I look back to see Rude standing behind us. "Reno, we've gotta go."
"Ugggh, fine," Reno says, tossing the remains of his cigarette off into the air. "Gotta go to Costa del Sol. Too bad you can't come, Laney. You'd like it there."
You have no idea, Reno. No. Idea.
"Have fun picking up our neighborhood mad scientist," I say, giving a half-hearted grin.
Reno gives me a lazy wave of his shoulder and follows Rude inside. I linger outside for a few more minutes and then make my way down to Weapons to deliver the news to Sierra. She'll just have to understand.
-oooo-
Cold air blasts like a slap in the face. The streets are slicked with the most recent bouts of rain, and thunder rumbles in the distance. A few animals trot here and there freely. Most of the buildings are dark except for the ShinRa building, which is visible from almost every part of Midgar. It stands tall against the cloudy late night sky. It's quiet. All I can hear is my breathing.
I don't want to think; I just want to run.
Stepping down from the entrance of my building, I hit the streets running. Soon cool wind is rushing past me, rustling my jogging pants and short sleeved top. Energy buzzes through my veins, and all I can hear was my own breathing and the sound of my feet hitting the pavement. Soon, I'm in the zone, my mind free and clear as I focus on my body's response to running.
I rush past a jogger in all black heading in the opposite direction.
Wait...I know that guy...
Narrowly avoiding hitting a city tree, I skid to a halt and spin around. The guy stops as well, turning around and heading toward me.
"Rude? Hey!" I spring up and down on my feet and wave a little too enthusiastically.
Surely enough, it is the second half of the RenoRude outfit, jogging. He jogs up to me, glistening with a good run. He doesn't have his sunglasses on tonight. He's in loose, black jogging pants and a black, sleeveless workout shirt that's clinging to him, outlining defined muscles in his broad chest, his arms…
….
…..
Well, well well, Rude.
Ahem.
I pull my gaze back up to his face. Under the glow of the streetlight, his light brown eyes are finally visible, though I can't get a perfect look in this lighting. "Whatcha doing?"
"Jogging…" Rude says, letting out an amused breath. Fine. That was a stupid question. "I was about to go back in, but I can stay out if you want."
"Yay!" I say, jumping up and down. "Let's before our hearts slow down. I mean, if you have any more miles left in you."
"Please," Rude scoffs, "try to keep up."
"Oh whatever! You try to keep up."
This gets a quiet laugh from him.
Together we start off again, taking a path down another street and in between some cars parked on the side walk. We were silent for a while, just enjoying each other's company. I look over at him a few times, admiring his form. He has a type of grace on his feet, unlike me.
After a while, we slow to a brisk walk. I take in a heap of air and glance up at the ShinRa building again, the tower gleaming and immense, dominating the skyline, making me feel so small. A lone car passes by us, sending a breeze in its wake.
"I know what my nickname for you will be?"
Rude looks over to me, raising a brow. "Do I want to hear this?"
"Rude the Great and Powerful."
Rude laughs. That nice rumbling laugh he has when he really finds something funny. A big grin tugs at my lips. After he sobers, he gives me a semi-serious look. "Don't call me that."
"Fine," I say. We start heading back to the building. He walks next to me, quiet, lost in his own thoughts. "Hey Rude?"
"Yeah?"
"You know that guy I was telling you two about?"
"Uh huh?"
I take in a deep breath.
"Well, I wanted to tell you…because I like you and you won't tell anyone—including Reno—but um…the guy I've been seeing is our boss. And not just our boss, but our boss boss. Rufus ShinRa. Yes, the one and only. We've been seeing each other for months now. In fact, this past weekend? I was in Costa del Sol with him. I don't know how it happened. It all started when I dropped some stuff in a hallway and it just escalated. But yep, there it is. There, I said it. Judge away."
I close my eyes tight, waiting for judgment to rain down from the Tower of Rude. He'd tell me everything I already know, like how it is a horrible idea to date your boss, how I shouldn't be dipping my pen in the company ink, and how things can get pretty complicated when you're dating a superior—especially a guy like Rufus who always gets what he wants when he wants it how he wants it whenever he wants it and has never in his life probably been told no about anything. Ever.
"I figured." That's his response? That's it?
"Huh?" I stop, turning to him, my hands on my hips. "What do you mean, 'I figured'?" I say the last part in a sad attempt to mimic his deep, melodious voice.
"I've known for a while," he says with a shrug, ignoring my attempt to mock him.
"How?! I don't even!" I practically shout, throwing my hands up in the air.
This gets a slight grin from him, flashing pearly whites in my direction. "Not much gets past these eyes."
"That's what it is! Those shades have super powers!"
Rude chuckles lightly and starts toward the building again, now it is just two doors down. "You're not gonna scold me and demand that I stop dating him?"
"No. It is your business."
I expected a more dramatic reaction, to be honest. Maybe even an interrogation. Heck, I think I kinda wanted that kind of reaction. Instead, he acts like we're talking about the weather.
"I just had to get it out, and you seemed like the best choice."
"Because I'm quiet?"
"Yeah? And unlike Reno, you won't tease me about it. I like that about you. You're cuddly and straightforward."
Rude makes a sound of disapproval. "I'm a Turk, not a teddy bear."
"Turk or no, Mr. Tall, Dark and Gorgeous, you're cuddly," I grin up at him. I feel relieved. It's out—somebody finally knows for sure. For definite.
"Careful, if your boyfriend gets wind of those comments, with an ego like his, he's liable to have me shot in a fit of jealousy and make you pull the trigger," he says in a deadpan tone.
"Rude, he wouldn't do that. Would he?"
Naaaaaah.
"I'm kidding," he says, nudging me lightly in the side with his elbow. I grin. "Your secret is safe with me. Hey, it could be worse. You could be dating a spy." He says it in a self-deprecating way that peaks my interest.
I snort. "Yeah, this is true. You need to fill me in on that."
"Just read the report," he says, waving it off.
"I'd rather hear it from you."
"Not tonight you won't," is his remark on the subject.
I grin, letting it go. I move closer to him and link my arm through his; he doesn't instantly move away or knock me out, so I guess this is progress. "I'm glad you know. I'm relieved."
We make our way back into the building, parting ways, bidding one another good night.
Now that I've told someone, this thing with Rufus feels real.
-oooo-
I'm running across the helipad, out of breath, rain sprinkling around me. I reach the waiting helicopter and slide the door open. Tseng's already in the pilot's seat, looking at me and sliding his gear over his ears. He raises a brow, a frown of disapproval already creasing his brow. Yes. I'm late. And why was I late? Because Rufus decided to escort me to the helipads and right at the door that would take us to the roof, he pulled me into a deep, lingering kiss, setting my nerves on fire, and then pulled away from me, having the nerve to tell me good luck on the assignment.
I have to say something though. Otherwise he'll think I'm nonchalant about it or something.
"Sorry I'm late, sir. I was um...detained." I pull myself into the cockpit, put on my headgear and strap myself in.
"Is that right?" I can't tell if he was being funny or serious, so I say nothing. "I'm sure it was important."
"Yep," I mutter, hoping in vain that I was somehow drowned out by the sound of the propellers whirring to life, but I know that's impossible given that our headsets allow us to hear each other in spite of the noise.
Detained indeed.
We're flying out of Midgar's airspace and into the desolate plains around it. I sigh to myself and stare out of the window. We haven't spoken in exactly—I check my watch—five minutes. How am supposed to explain that? Why I'm late—the person who's the most gung-ho about this assignment being late?
He's busy with the controls, a frown seemingly permanently etched into his face as he guides the chopper. His brown gaze slides toward me and I look away to the horizon.
"So...um this is will be very good for ShinRa if we're right. For Midgar and the entire planet too...if the theories about the Promised Land are right..."
"This is true," comes his terse reply.
I fidget. Why am I the kind of person that can't stand drowning in perpetual silence? Why can't I be more like the quieter people I know? Like Rude? He doesn't seem to have the need to fill every moment of silence with his voice. "Um...how has your day been going sir?"
"I've had better days."
"Can I ask you a personal question?" I stare at the scene in front of us.
"Only if I get to ask you one in return," he replies without bothering to meet my gaze.
We're now flying over an open body of water, and no land masses are visible around us. I swallow my excitement.
"What do you think of me sir? Well, I mean...when you first saw me, just based purely on appearance, did you…what did you think? First impression?"
As soon as the words tumble out of my mouth I winced inwardly. I hope he doesn't compare me to my sister. I know they worked together, though I'm not sure how much.
"That you are a bit disarming," he replies in a matter-of-fact way. "Don't take that the wrong way. It is a good thing. People will never see you coming, which is a good thing."
I consider his words. Sure fine. I'll take it as a compliment.
We remain silent after that. Something seems to linger in the air. The same something that was there when he drove me home after Reno and Rude ditched me when we all hung out that night. I bite my lip and concentrate on my lap and try not to think about what Rufus did after he almost made me melt in a puddle.
It is time to focus up. I don't care if this is just a research and retrieval mission. It is important to ShinRa, and it is my chance to impress everyone that matters. No more foolishness.
This time I'm going to get it right.