"What about that one?" Reno asked
"Is this all you think about? I mean Jesus." Rude responded
"I want to know. I gotta' nail you down a type, Rude. You're way too uptight."
Reno and Rude sat on a bench in Wall Market near the Honey Bee Inn. Whenever a woman walked by Reno would nudge his companion and ask the same question over again. Rude was becoming quite aggravated.
"Fine, sue me for trying to get you in the spirit of having a good time." Reno flung his hands up in defeat
"You just seem to be picking out the pretty, loud, busty ones, Reno." Rude shot his red haired companion a look behind his sunglasses
"What's so wrong with that?" Reno smirked
"Those kind of girls aren't my type."
Reno just looked at Rude for a moment.
"I understand." He muttered
"Understand what?" Rude questioned
"Nothing."
"C'mon, you said it. Finish it."
"Can't."
"Tell me."
"Fine," Reno smiled as he shifted to where he was looking his partner in the eyes, "It's cause you're bald."
Rude sat dumfounded for a moment.
"First of all... how the hell does that have anything to do with my type or... whatever?"
"When guys go bald they know they aren't as attractive as they used to be so then they start going for girls they know they can get."
"This is just disturbing on so many levels." Rude shook his bald head
"It's just an observation." Reno shrugged
"Well, I got an observation for you." Rude now shifted to look at Reno
"What's that?"
"Most of the girls you are pointing out..."
"Yeah..." Reno trailed off as his gaze went to a stunning blond to his left
"Most of those girls are guys in drag." Rude finished
Reno's head whipped around, his ponytail coming around to slap himself in the face.
"What?!" Reno yelled
"You haven't been to the slums that much, have you?" Rude commented
Reno sat, wide-eyed, at this mental image that now plagued his mind.
"And you said my observation was disturbing...?"
Reno and Rude stepped through the door to the dress shop. As they walked in the owner rounded the counter to come and talk to them.
"Hello, gentlemen. How can I help you today?" the owner greeted them
"Hi there." Reno smirked as he walked more to the center of the store
Rude walked off to the side and leaned up against the frame of the front door.
"Are you looking for something for the wife, girlfriend? Whatever it is, I have some of the best things you'll see here in Midgar." The owner advertised
"No... this is something different." Reno stated
"What then?" the owner asked
"I want a dress for me."
"Excuse me??" the owner acted as if he had never heard the request before
"Yeah, I want a nice frilly dress. I want to be one pretty mother fucker. I want to be the prettiest mother fucker out there. Can you do that for me?" Reno raised an eyebrow
"Wel... we do have some nice dresses... and..."
"Hey, I have a question." Reno cut him off
"What is it?"
"If I were made up all pretty and everything... would you fuck me?"
Suddenly the owner heard a click behind him. He turned to see Rude had locked the door to the shop. He was trapped with these two lunatics.
"Well?! Answer my question!" Reno exclaimed
"N... N... No..." the owner finally answered
"Why not?!" Reno flung his arms out to the side, "You fuck other guys don't you?"
"No!" the owner yelled
"Oh, yes you do. I know you do. You like to fuck other guys."
"No I don't!!!"
"Well... what about Don Corneo?" Reno scratched his chin as if he were contemplating something
"What?!"
Without warning Reno drew his staff and slapped the storeowner with it. Suddenly he was surging with electricity. Reno pulled the staff away from him.
"I was saying that you fucked Don Corneo, cock sucker!" Reno spat at the owner
"I didn't!" he choked out in between gasping for air and having small seizures from the electricity
Again, Reno slapped the owner with the staff and pulled it away a few seconds later.
"So you're saying you've haven't been forgetting to pay the Don, asshole? I thought you didn't do guys cause you're trying to fuck me right now!"
Reno electrocuted him again.
"Oh God!" the owner screamed with pain, "I'll get him his money! I'll get it to him! OH GOD!"
"That's more like it you bastard." Reno turned his staff off and put it back under his coat
He spit on the owner and then walked over to Rude.
"Our job here is done."
Rude nodded and unlocked the door. They both walked out into the Wall Market streets. Before the door closed all the way Reno stuck his head back in. He turned the sign on the door from saying "Open" to "Closed". The owner would want some time to recuperate.
Rude scowled at Reno when he walked out of the store.
"What?" Reno inquired
"Nothing..." Rude replied
"No, c'mon. Something's wrong." Reno pressed
"What? I can't even disagree with your methods anymore?" Rude let sarcasm take over
"Look, it had to be done. Sides, this is the last on the list. Let's get back to Corneo and give him a status report... or something."
Jean was moving around the kitchen from the fridge to the stove to the cupboard. She couldn't stand still. As much as she didn't want to and as much as she knew Vincent was just going to blow up at it she knew she had to make a big dinner tonight for Paul. She paused a moment to look at her eldest son. He was sitting at the table reading the newspaper. She just had to wonder why such a good kid had turned into the very thing his own father had despised even before he had gone into the business. Vincent never liked law enforcement and their politics. The fact his son became a Fed was repulsive to him. Jean undid her apron and walked over to where Paul was sitting. She pulled a chair out from under the table and sat down. Paul lowered the newspaper so he could see his mother.
"Yeah?" he questioned
Paul had felt the tension that radiated in the house when he was there.
"How's it going?" Jean asked
This was the first real conversation Paul was going to have since he arrived.
"Pretty good, I guess... I just got a raise..."
"That's good."
Jean could just imagine what Vincent would say to that.
Rufus parked the car at the front of the towering Shinra Building. The father and son duo stepped out of the car and into the building. They trotted over to the elevators and used their keycards to ascend to the Shinra offices and board-room. The table in the center glowed with the green lights that were mounted on it's wooden surface. The room was empty upon their entrance but they knew it would become quite busy from then on. Vincent, never the one to wait for others, strolled right over to a small cabinet and pulled out a glass and some bourbon.
"What do you think they're going to blab about today?" Rufus questioned as he opened the small fridge beside the cabinet and pulled out a beer
"Whatever it is they think is wrong with the way I'm running things." Vincent replied
Rufus just nodded with a grim look. Then the doors opened and the party began.
The first of all to walk in was Scarlet, the stunning blond that seemed to do nothing important but they all kept her around anyway. Most of them just kept her around because she was a superb piece of ass. Next was the fat Heidegger. He really had a lot to do with the enforcing aspects of the business. Next was Palmer. This fat man had many a contact in Midgar and all over the world. He was followed by Weaver, the head of the Urban Development Dept. of Midgar. At least, that's the title people that were out knew him by. Lastly, Shinra's most trusted hitman, Tseng, wandered into the room and closed the door.
"Hello, everyone." The president greeted
"Let's cut the formalities today, Mr. President. We have business to get to." Heidegger cut to the chase as he sat down
They all sat down, with the exception of Tseng. He made his way from the door to standing behind President Shinra.
"I have to agree... this is no time for chit-chat." Palmer spoke up
"No disrespect, but I do have better places to be, Mr. President." Weaver informed
"Let's just get on with it." Scarlet finally entered into the discussion as she lit a cigarette
"Yes... Let's." began Heidegger, "Firstly, Mr. President, the situation of the Mayor is a matter in dire need of being addressed."
"What about him?" Vincent questioned
"It seems to us he is given too much liberty in the choices he makes."
"His decisions for the city are becoming harmful to our own priorities." Palmer explained
"What's he doing?" Rufus asked
"He's selling dope on our roots. He's giving businesses cheaper protection. He's going nuts. Plus, the fact is he wants to renovate the slums. This would get him reelected so fast our heads would spin." Weaver laid out their case
"Well what is it I can do?" Vincent inquired, "He has his freedoms just as I have mine. Plus, I couldn't very well off a government official like that quietly. It would cause too much noise. Has anyone tried to talk with Mr. Mayor?"
"I tried to set up and appointment." Palmer answered, "His secretary said he would be out all this week. I think he's avoiding us."
Vincent rubbed his temples. He was beginning to get a splitting headache.
"Tseng...?" he called for his enforcer
"Yes, sir." He heard Tseng's voice behind him
"You got anyone good? And I do mean good."
"Yes, the Turks are the best."
"Good. I want you to send two of them over to talk to the mayor. See if he'll listen to reason."
"Yes, sir." Tseng accepted his assignment
"As for the status of the company, Mr. President, we have more business to talk about." Palmer explained
"And that is?" Vincent lay back in his chair. He would be here for a while.
"Well... ever since the Midgar-Wutai War there have been controversial views on Mako energy... Right now, however, the feelings against it are becoming strong. They know how it's hurting the Planet. They are beginning to lose sight of the face that Mako is what's making their cars run. Nevertheless, I've heard things about environmental extremists going against Mako and against SOLDIER." Palmer added on to his previous statement
"Well, what do you expect me to do about this?" Vincent asked, "You're the one with the eyes and the ears out there."
"I'll keep listening to the voices but they are slowly ascending from that of pure rumors. We may have environmental terrorists on our hands soon. That won't be a good thing."
"Just come to me with anything new, Palmer. Okay? We've all heard about the possible threat of terrorists opposing our organization before. It's nothing new." Vincent gave up pressing into the situation
"Yes, sir." Palmer stopped
"There is one more order of business, sir." Heidegger remarked
"And that is?" Vincent listened
"It's about the current running of the Gold Saucer."
"What about it?"
"As you know, the Gold Saucer has become a large chunk of our income. However, the way it is being run at the current time is disturbing to us all." Heidegger explained
"How so?" Vincent asked
"For starters, he's been falling down on paying us our share. Next, I find his desert prison at the base of the casino strange."
"First of all, I want someone sent to make sure we get what's coming to us. Second, the prison is fully endorsed by me. It's secure and holds everyone from murders to losers who never came up with the money they lost. It doesn't matter if they survive or not. They're all scum."
"I see your viewpoint on the prison but there have been many things going on at the Saucer that I feel warrant an investigation."
"Very well." Vincent spoke, "I will send some of my people to investigate how the casino is being operated. Will that set your mind at ease?"
"Yes. It shall."
With that Vincent rose from the table. As he did all of the others sitting at the table did as well. Tseng walked around back to the front door and opened it allowing all of the people to file out. Rufus was, again, standing by the fridge opening a beer after they all left.
"Tseng..." Vincent called
"Sir?" the long-haired Turk walked over to him
"Do you have anyone you can put on this Gold Saucer thing?"
"I don't know if I can spare anyone now but I'll find someone. Don't worry."
"Tseng, listen, I want this handled quietly. If anyone in that casino gets wind of us not trusting them they'll go straight to the top with it and we'll lose the Gold Saucer in an all-out war. I own the place but the man who runs it is sensitive to these things. He knows that he has power and influence and he would use it to take all I've built down." Vincent explained sternly"I'll find someone." Tseng uttered
With that he too followed the others out the door.