Part 2.
The aftermath of the Gala and a . . dress up day?
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Part 2 has arrived! I shall say no more.
Disclaimer: Any characters recognized belong to their respective owners.
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Chapter 22: Unexpected Theatre Dates (Part 2)
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Shinra was both anticipating and dreading the interview that the local papers would print about the Gala. They had invited several reporters, and they were certain the 'incident' involving Don Corneo would be mentioned.
In a followed up interview with Genesis regarding the matter, many asked about his date and how he had even been able to attend since they were quite sure that he hadn't been given an invite. Genesis promptly turned to Sephiroth (who had also been included in the interview), who informed the journalist that he gave his invite to Genesis as he knew his fellow colleague was a well devoted thespian, and for the company to not give him an invite was quite strange.
The written interview had to be cut short as many local news reporters had wanted to get the scoop on the 'crazy gala' (as it was being referred to), and the next reporter entered the room.
Sephiroth and Genesis had been quite aware that several 'news reporters' *cough-cough gossip mongers cough-cough* had bullied their way among the invited press, and since most would be tuned into that particular show, decided to drop a bombshell on them instead of the scripted answers the company had provided him with.
Of course, this led to a rather catastrophic outcome.
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Midgar Entertainment, or M.E. for short, had claimed the first slot for the tv interviews, and Irene was dead set on getting the best of the lot. This wasn't her first interview, but with Shinra's General involved, it could either go splendidly, or become an absolute nightmare. Sephiroth was well known for his reticence in the TV industry.
She managed to get through the basic summary of the event, and once that section was over, it was time for the questions most were dying to hear answered.
"So, the Silver General mustn't have been able to attend the opening Gala?" Irene asked, clearly interested in any sort of scandalous activity.
"I did, in fact, attend. However, due to my outfit and hairstyle at the time, no one seemed to notice me. Corneo even tried to pressure me into working as one of his 'escorts', claiming that he could pay me more than I make as a SOLDIER First-Class."
"He did? And did you see the scene with Lady Sakura?"
"I got a front row seat to that sleazy rat attempting to remove the Lady's kimono, yes."
"And, how exactly did you get into the Gala without being announced? It is well known that Genesis had your invitation"
"Well, I knew that Genesis absolutely loves the theater. He is infamous for his love of the theater, in fact. I really didn't understand why SHINRA wouldn't send him an invite, when I got one and am known for being reclusive. The policies in the company forbids any sort of interaction that could be constructed as homosexual in nature. . ."
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The SOLDIER's were gathered around the TV in the Rec Room, watching the show that starred their beloved General, when a blur was presented on the screen.
". . . so I couldn't just waltz in there with Genesis on my arm, and since so many were asking to be their date, I simply gave Genesis my invite and went as a plus one myself."
The image cleared up to show Genesis, with a silver-haired female on his arm.
A very recognisable silver-haired female, at least, to the SOLDIERs milling around that is.
Everyone burst into laughter. Not show up with Genesis on his arm indeed.
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The host, Irene, was certainly perplexed at this, glancing between the two SOLDIERs as she tried to understand what Sephiroth had just said (since she didn't have the picture on hand herself), and was about to ask her next question but was cut off as riotous laughter rang through the building, strong enough to make lights shake.
Sephiroth had an unholy smirk on his face, Genesis covered his mouth and chortled while looking to the side, both knowing how their comrades were reacting.
Irene glanced to the cameraman, Mike, who was just as confused as she was, but she regained her composure and turned back to the two SOLDIERs in front of her. The Turk waiting by the doors was tapping at the watch on their wrist, and Irene was dismayed to see that it was time to wrap the interview up.
"And that's all for Midgar Entertainment tonight. Thank you for watching, and we'll be with you tomorrow for more news. Goodnight."
Irene and Mike were hurried out of the building in the following minutes, but the laughter they had heard had still not died down. On their way from the broadcasting studio, they couldn't help but notice that the SOLDIER nearby any tv were cracking up with howling laughter, while other employees stared at them in total bewilderment.
SHINRA was a weird place, that's all they could say.
It didn't get any better when the infantry assigned to escort them out of the building wouldn't stop snickering to themselves. Something about Lady Sakura, and how well known she was among the SOLDIERs? Something involving her designs and several SOLDIERs trying to feel like actual humans by cross-dressing was definitely mentioned.
But they were booted from the building before they could get their queries answered.
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When a smirking Sephiroth and a snickering Genesis entered his office, Keith could only offer them an exasperated sigh.
Of course his little brother had to cause a ruckus, he was sure to get a headache by the time the SOLDIER's and infantry had stopped laughing.
And he was sure Omael would be calling him up when the normal employees began to ask if the military needed to see a shrink.
But that wasn't the end of his pain, and it certainly wasn't the end of this particular matter either.
The result would end up with the current president in a LOT of hot water.
"Big Brother, you have a copy of the President's schedule, right?"
Going by the look on Sephiroth's face, his little brother was well aware he knew everyone's schedule, and he wanted his help for a large scaled shenanigan.
Letting out a deep breath, Keith rubbed his forehead before staring at the gleeful silverette with narrowed eyes.
"Is this going to interfere with my work?"
" . . . . . ."
He raised an eyebrow.
"It . . . might? But only for a day?"
A day, he could deal with.
"Fine. What do you need?"
If the triumphant expression was any indication, he was going to be very busy.
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The President was due to be inspecting the Junon base for . . . reasons (they all knew he just wanted to get out of Midgar and party it up on the coast), and that was the day Sephiroth's plan was put to work.
Using the 'separate' SHINRA network, under the Midgar branch, Sephiroth had opened up a new topic and sent it to every employee in the building that wasn't devoted to the President (which was basically everyone besides the snotty executives, the exceptions being Reeve, Lazard, and Scarlet), about a special event.
A dress up day, and the best dressed (meaning the most outrageous) would win a prize.
The theme was 'freedom', and when asked what exactly that meant, Sephiroth added the following description.
Employees will be free to wear whatever clothes they feel comfortable in as long as it does not impede their work and is decent to be worn in public. I do not condone public indecency, and it would paint the company in a bad light. If this 'dress up day' is successful, there may be more in the future.
Keep your private areas covered people, no one wants to see your unmentionables on display.
Once the date was posted, many employees began to prepare for said day as the President's standards of uniform were quite gender set, and there were many secretaries who felt uncomfortable wearing skirts that ended mid-thigh. Especially since the president was known to try and look up said skirts on occasion.
While Keith was looking forward to seeing what people came up with, he certainly wasn't expecting the lengths people were willing to go to in order to qualify for the mysterious prize.
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Sephiroth, himself, caused quite a stir when he walked in. Then again; seeing the Silver General wearing one of the 'secretary length' skirts, along with glimpses of satin when he turned too fast, was sure to break anyone's brain. Not to mention the sparkly crop tank that had the back cut away that finished the, rather revealing, outfit off.
There were many nosebleeds.
Angeal, who was confirmed to be on teaching theory to Cadets, showed up in a full length navy-blue ball gown complete with elbow length gloves, claiming that he wasn't going to be the loser in the First-Class betting pool.
Angeal had a competitive streak apparently.
Genesis kicked it up a notch when he turned up in stilettos.
Stilettos.
And did I mention he was in a bright red number with frills, which, strangely enough, worked on him?
The spaghetti straps were a nice touch, Genesis had surprisingly slim shoulders for a man with his frame.
But that was only just the Firsts.
The other SOLDIER's turned up in a wide variety of outfits, from dresses to skirts, even a few kilts. Some of the more outrageous ones showed up in little more than a loincloth and bandage wraps. (Keith scolded those ones as some normal staff members became blushing messes, but couldn't do anything to cover them up, as the 'keep your privates covered' rule was being followed).
However, none of them could compare to how badass the outfit Cloud, little Cadet Cloud, came up with.
Turns out he had some clothes from Nibelheim and in Midgar, they were quite the eye catcher.
Cloud walked into the break room wearing a fur lined jacket and combat boots, which looked normal from a distance, but once you got a good look at said items, it was clear to see they were made from dragon skin (the scale pattern was unmistakable). It didn't help that, when asked about how he had obtained said skin, Cloud confirmed that he had taken the dragon down personally before becoming puzzled at how no one would believe him until Keith backed him up. The biker leather pants were a nice touch (apparently a present from Keith from being accepted into the Cadet program), and he had used a bit of gel to spike his hair up so it wasn't as soft looking as it usually was, plus a little eyeliner made his blue eyes seem to glow like a SOLDIER Third.
No one was expecting Scarlet to turn up in overalls and a shirt with rolled up sleeves, but they did notice the smattering of oil and grease stains, causing some to come to the conclusion she wore those for actual work with the machines.
Apparently so as Keith didn't bat an eyelash when he saw the woman (few were aware that he sometimes tinkered with her in her workshop).
Omael had decided to opt out of the costume day, but merely sat and watched the outrageous spectacle unfold.
Keith turned up to work in his usual overall blues, but slipped away for a few minutes and when he returned, some people had to take a double look.
It seemed like he had borrowed a Turk's suit, but on closer inspection said suit was made of dragon hide and there was a slight fur trim on the collar (Nibel Wolf of course), and the red shirt underneath smelled of cherry blossoms (he had it specially imported from Wutai). His hair had been getting decently long, the ash blonde hair woven back with a warrior braid (courtesy of Cloud) and some eyeliner to make his eyes appear to glow finished the look off.
Keith got his kicks scaring people who thought he was a Turk as he wandered the floors with narrowed eyes and a sultry smirk, the small short sword strapped to his hip didn't help either.
When it came time for the votes though, there was a clear landslide victory in the polls.
Then the Firsts announced that there was a second vote, consisting of the Firsts themselves, and the reason for them not being included in the prize voting.
The popularity vote was close, but in the end Angeal's ball gown was the favorite. Surprisingly enough, Genesis came second in his red frills (kudos to him for walking around in stilettos, even Scarlet applauded him when she saw him), which left Sephiroth in last place.
No one saw that coming, and it took awhile for the results to sink in.
When the prize was announced as Sephiroth spending the day with the victor, while still in his sparkly tank and short skirt, there was a shocked silence before said winner fainted.
Tseng had to revive poor Kicker, whom was still in training.
Although his outfit showed he was well suited for espionage as none had realised the Turk was a male. The Junior Turk had worn a flattering pale blue blouse and dress pants, looking like a rather demure secretary, and had won the prize vote because of his attitude and not because of his clothing choices.
No one besides Tseng and a rather observant Keith knew the Turk was a man.
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The dress up day was a success, and a good majority of the company (Scarlet was very vocal on the matter) wanted to have another one in the future. It was very easy for the papers to be 'informed' about the day and journalists quickly approached the President as soon as he returned.
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OMAKE
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When President SHINRA did arrive back in Midgar, and was questioned about his thoughts on the day that became quite popular among his staff on live TV, the President had a mental meltdown. And proceeded to show just how much of an asshole he was when it came to pretty much anyone that wasn't in his social circle, had his amount of money, had his skin colour, wasn't of the same sexual orientation, and pretty much wasn't him by default.
SHINRA's public image plummeted, and even the slums dwellers pitied the SHINRA employees for having to put up with the man.
Keith, who wasn't constrained by the President's authority, often pissed the man off by flouncing about in his Turk-like outfit, and the President had seen him wearing said outfit in a commemorative photo.
It was needless to say Keith was trying to drive the man loco, and it further emphasised to the public that said President didn't deserve his position.
Something the company's customers became very vocal about when certain 'experiments' became public knowledge.
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A/N: And that's all the updates for this week! It will be at least a week until the next updates (I've been given more hours but that means less time to write).
LiulfrLokison out!:3