Reno glowered angrily at Rufus from his seat, his shoulders hunched over. How dare he humiliate him like that? He was a Turk, god-damnit! He didn't take that from anybody, not even asshole President Shinra. Elena reached a hand over, her eyes not leaving Rufus' face, to touch Reno's shoulder gently, and he forced himself, slowly, to relax. All right. He'd play this game. He'd play along.
"Now then," Rufus spoke into the ensuing silence, "Meet me here...at eight o'clock this evening. I should be ready for you then. Don't say anything to anyone. You have been warned. The one who leaks gets left behind. And let me say right now; that's the last thing you want. You're better off with me. Much better." He turned his head around to look at each of them in turn. Reno stood his ground, and just looked back. What the heck was going on here, anyway? This was the craziest thing he'd ever heard.
"It's your job," Rufus said, looking directly at Reno. "To protect me. That's why you're being paid. If you want to desert, you do it. Right now. Just get up and leave. I won't follow you. But I say again, you're better off with me. You'll know soon enough. So go. If you want." He waited. Reno stared. Rufus stared back.
Elena's small cough broke the tension very suddenly, and Reno eased himself back to lean into his chair. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," he muttered. Rufus smiled.
"I thought you'd see it my way." Turning away from them, he waved a hand. "You're all dismissed. Eight o'clock. Be here. Whoever isn't gets left behind." He said no more, and Reno rose, striding quickly from the room. He didn't care that his three partners were probably sharing odd looks behind his back. He didn't care all that much. The anger was ebbing away now. Yes, he would do his job. Rufus was right, stupid bastard. He was paid to do this job.
Rude came up behind him. "...Everything ok?" He asked, sounding a bit concerned.
Reno let out a long breath. "Yeah," he muttered. Then he laughed wryly. "Sure, everything's fine. Only, at the end of the day, we're leaving, going somewhere, don't know where, with a man I don't trust, who keeps emphasizing how we're loyal to him, and how we don't want to stay here. Everything seems pretty normal, doesn't it?"
"I don't know," Elena murmured, slipping into step with them as they stalked down the hall. "It seems odd. I don't mind moving. We move all the time. We're used to this. Secrets, I mean. But...if I didn't know him better..." and Elena looked frankly skeptical, "I'd say he was scared."
Reno snorted. "Rufus? Scared? Seen any flying pigs lately, hon?"
Elena frowned. "I'm serious!" She slowed down, so that Reno and Rude had to stop walking and wait for her to catch up. "He was worried, just then. About something. I mean, sure, he acted cool and everything, but...you could see it in his eyes, couldn't you? There's something really wrong here, really wrong, to be bothering Rufus Shinra like that."
Reno shook his head. "What, you're reading his thoughts now?" He was disgusted with her. "Taking his side? Go running back to Rufus, why don't you? Go ease his pain!"
Elena sighed. "That's not what I meant," she mumbled, looking away.
Feeling guilty, Reno reached out and clapped her on the back. "Yeah, I know. Sorry."
He watched as Elena looked up at him, smiling slightly. "'K."
They walked on in silence for a short while, until Tseng, who had apparently lingered in the conference hall with Rufus, ran to catch up with them. He gave Reno a long, odd sort of look, and then sniffed. "I don't like to say it...but I haven't got a very good feeling about this."
The confession from Tseng only added to Reno's discomfort. Tseng didn't usually admit to his own concern. Was there any substance behind Elena's previous statement? He hoped not. He didn't like the man, but if Rufus was scared, it had to be pretty damn bad. Everything had been going just fine...why, all of a sudden, just packing and leaving?
"So...I guess I'll see you guys at eight?" Elena was trying to sound cheerful. Tseng nodded, and muttered something.
"...Yeah," Rude whispered, shaking his head, as if to clear it. Reno watched him and Tseng move off in separate directions. They were all nervous. Then, only he and Elena were left in the hall.
"Hey, it's gonna be fine," he said, putting on a cocky smile for her sake. "You're worrying over nothing, again. I bet he's trying to scare us, you know?"
"That wouldn't be like him," Elena contradicted, shaking her head sadly. That bothered Reno. How did she suddenly think she knew so much about Rufus? Why did she care? That bastard was putting them through all of this, and there she was, frowning and bothering because she was afraid Rufus Shinra would get hurt.
"Yeah, I guess you'd know," Reno muttered, moving off down the hall at a quicker pace.
"Reno!" Elena called after him, but Reno didn't stop. Why should he? No one gave a shit about him. No one gave a shit at all.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Elena wandered back to her room, and collapsed unhappily on her bed. Damn that Reno. Didn't he get it? And that stupid stunt in the conference hall...he knew they didn't have the authority to contradict President Shinra. He knew that well.
That's probably why he did it, she thought ruefully. He always wanted to be a rebel, always showing off to the world. He was going to get himself hurt someday. He and Tseng, they were always trying to be the macho-men. Rude didn't work like that. He seemed so much more sensible. Rather taciturn, perhaps, but they'd all grown so close over the years, that she could basically tell what he was thinking, even when he didn't want to say it. She could read most of them like a book, now...that was her gift. Sympathy. And how wasted it was.
Rufus was very different from all of them. Calculating, quiet, and patient. It was harder to read him, much harder than Reno, who wore his emotions on his sleeve. But he had been scared today, she knew it. And that made her scared, screaming scared, pants-wetting scared, scared fit to burst.
Oh, she'd be there at eight, just like the others. He'd meant it when he said they'd be better of with him. But why? And why not tell anyone? If there was danger, real danger, was he going to leave all the rest behind? That seemed unlikely. Maybe that was it, maybe he was setting up defenses, and he didn't want them to talk about it, because maybe the traitor was in the building, and...
No. Elena stopped that train of thought abruptly. Her imagination was getting away with her again. Before she knew it, she'd be convincing her self of something that was blatantly untrue. She would work with the facts. But what facts? He hadn't given them any facts! And how were they to protect him, if they didn't know what to protect him from?
This was by far the weirdest mission she'd even taken part in, or ever been on. And was it really a mission? Or an escape? Or attack? Or a joke? It could be a joke, for all she knew. But that was unlikely. His voice had been too steely, too desperate, for humor. No, this was serious. And she was going to need sleep, if she was going to be traveling at eight in the evening.
She curled up on her pillows and blankets, closing her eyes, and hoping that when she woke, Reno would laugh at her, and tell her she was being silly, just like he had earlier. Stupid Reno. He didn't understand. She didn't care that much about Rufus, did she? No, she cared about...
Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.
"Now then," Rufus spoke into the ensuing silence, "Meet me here...at eight o'clock this evening. I should be ready for you then. Don't say anything to anyone. You have been warned. The one who leaks gets left behind. And let me say right now; that's the last thing you want. You're better off with me. Much better." He turned his head around to look at each of them in turn. Reno stood his ground, and just looked back. What the heck was going on here, anyway? This was the craziest thing he'd ever heard.
"It's your job," Rufus said, looking directly at Reno. "To protect me. That's why you're being paid. If you want to desert, you do it. Right now. Just get up and leave. I won't follow you. But I say again, you're better off with me. You'll know soon enough. So go. If you want." He waited. Reno stared. Rufus stared back.
Elena's small cough broke the tension very suddenly, and Reno eased himself back to lean into his chair. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," he muttered. Rufus smiled.
"I thought you'd see it my way." Turning away from them, he waved a hand. "You're all dismissed. Eight o'clock. Be here. Whoever isn't gets left behind." He said no more, and Reno rose, striding quickly from the room. He didn't care that his three partners were probably sharing odd looks behind his back. He didn't care all that much. The anger was ebbing away now. Yes, he would do his job. Rufus was right, stupid bastard. He was paid to do this job.
Rude came up behind him. "...Everything ok?" He asked, sounding a bit concerned.
Reno let out a long breath. "Yeah," he muttered. Then he laughed wryly. "Sure, everything's fine. Only, at the end of the day, we're leaving, going somewhere, don't know where, with a man I don't trust, who keeps emphasizing how we're loyal to him, and how we don't want to stay here. Everything seems pretty normal, doesn't it?"
"I don't know," Elena murmured, slipping into step with them as they stalked down the hall. "It seems odd. I don't mind moving. We move all the time. We're used to this. Secrets, I mean. But...if I didn't know him better..." and Elena looked frankly skeptical, "I'd say he was scared."
Reno snorted. "Rufus? Scared? Seen any flying pigs lately, hon?"
Elena frowned. "I'm serious!" She slowed down, so that Reno and Rude had to stop walking and wait for her to catch up. "He was worried, just then. About something. I mean, sure, he acted cool and everything, but...you could see it in his eyes, couldn't you? There's something really wrong here, really wrong, to be bothering Rufus Shinra like that."
Reno shook his head. "What, you're reading his thoughts now?" He was disgusted with her. "Taking his side? Go running back to Rufus, why don't you? Go ease his pain!"
Elena sighed. "That's not what I meant," she mumbled, looking away.
Feeling guilty, Reno reached out and clapped her on the back. "Yeah, I know. Sorry."
He watched as Elena looked up at him, smiling slightly. "'K."
They walked on in silence for a short while, until Tseng, who had apparently lingered in the conference hall with Rufus, ran to catch up with them. He gave Reno a long, odd sort of look, and then sniffed. "I don't like to say it...but I haven't got a very good feeling about this."
The confession from Tseng only added to Reno's discomfort. Tseng didn't usually admit to his own concern. Was there any substance behind Elena's previous statement? He hoped not. He didn't like the man, but if Rufus was scared, it had to be pretty damn bad. Everything had been going just fine...why, all of a sudden, just packing and leaving?
"So...I guess I'll see you guys at eight?" Elena was trying to sound cheerful. Tseng nodded, and muttered something.
"...Yeah," Rude whispered, shaking his head, as if to clear it. Reno watched him and Tseng move off in separate directions. They were all nervous. Then, only he and Elena were left in the hall.
"Hey, it's gonna be fine," he said, putting on a cocky smile for her sake. "You're worrying over nothing, again. I bet he's trying to scare us, you know?"
"That wouldn't be like him," Elena contradicted, shaking her head sadly. That bothered Reno. How did she suddenly think she knew so much about Rufus? Why did she care? That bastard was putting them through all of this, and there she was, frowning and bothering because she was afraid Rufus Shinra would get hurt.
"Yeah, I guess you'd know," Reno muttered, moving off down the hall at a quicker pace.
"Reno!" Elena called after him, but Reno didn't stop. Why should he? No one gave a shit about him. No one gave a shit at all.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Elena wandered back to her room, and collapsed unhappily on her bed. Damn that Reno. Didn't he get it? And that stupid stunt in the conference hall...he knew they didn't have the authority to contradict President Shinra. He knew that well.
That's probably why he did it, she thought ruefully. He always wanted to be a rebel, always showing off to the world. He was going to get himself hurt someday. He and Tseng, they were always trying to be the macho-men. Rude didn't work like that. He seemed so much more sensible. Rather taciturn, perhaps, but they'd all grown so close over the years, that she could basically tell what he was thinking, even when he didn't want to say it. She could read most of them like a book, now...that was her gift. Sympathy. And how wasted it was.
Rufus was very different from all of them. Calculating, quiet, and patient. It was harder to read him, much harder than Reno, who wore his emotions on his sleeve. But he had been scared today, she knew it. And that made her scared, screaming scared, pants-wetting scared, scared fit to burst.
Oh, she'd be there at eight, just like the others. He'd meant it when he said they'd be better of with him. But why? And why not tell anyone? If there was danger, real danger, was he going to leave all the rest behind? That seemed unlikely. Maybe that was it, maybe he was setting up defenses, and he didn't want them to talk about it, because maybe the traitor was in the building, and...
No. Elena stopped that train of thought abruptly. Her imagination was getting away with her again. Before she knew it, she'd be convincing her self of something that was blatantly untrue. She would work with the facts. But what facts? He hadn't given them any facts! And how were they to protect him, if they didn't know what to protect him from?
This was by far the weirdest mission she'd even taken part in, or ever been on. And was it really a mission? Or an escape? Or attack? Or a joke? It could be a joke, for all she knew. But that was unlikely. His voice had been too steely, too desperate, for humor. No, this was serious. And she was going to need sleep, if she was going to be traveling at eight in the evening.
She curled up on her pillows and blankets, closing her eyes, and hoping that when she woke, Reno would laugh at her, and tell her she was being silly, just like he had earlier. Stupid Reno. He didn't understand. She didn't care that much about Rufus, did she? No, she cared about...
Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.