Chapter 3: *Sir*
Tifa gritted her teeth, continuing to curse every single thing or person who had to do with the creation of Rufus Shinra with venom. What did he have against her? First off, he seemed to be a total jerk, not to mention the fact he had no respect for people, let alone *women*, and he had seemed amused when she had been defiant toward him. Did anyone else see anything wrong with this? The most wanted criminal was currently mocking her, and she was thinking of ways to turn him into a bloody pulp, though not like that would happen. She shivered when she remembered the ice cold glares that both men, presuming they were body guards, had given to her, washing her over with ice. She'd had to get past them, and a lifetime in jail for murder wasn't what she wanted. Though maybe she'd get rewarded for strangling the most wanted outlaw in the West? Oh well, she didn't want to get her hands dirty over things like that. She would just bear this Rufus Shinra until he decided to let her go back to Cloud. Tifa stopped her vigorous scrubbing of dishes, her chocolate strands falling to veil her face, though being restrained a bit with a leather hair tie she had made herself, her throat constricting again. Would she return to Cloud? Even if he was completely more pleasant than Rufus, he wasn't as. interesting. Yes, that was the word. Interesting. She blinked, looking up as she heard her name being called again.
"Tifa! Oh, there ya are!" Aeris said breathlessly, pulling her heavily skirted self in front of Tifa, who blinked, looking at her with an eyebrow raised. The look on Aeris's face was that of obvious distress, and Tifa blinked, feeling herself start to nibble her lower lip, a nervous habit she had inherited from her father. Or so her mother claimed.
"Yes, are you all right? You sound a bit frantic." Tifa said, continuing to wash the pristine dishes all over again, not noticing how Aeris sighed, sighing herself.
"We're a little short staffed at the bar front. Would you mind terribly if ya covered a bit?" Aeris almost begged, looking a bit frantic, her green eyes wide, her breathing labored as she continued to almost stifle sobs. Tifa blinked, biting her lip more vigorously now. She had never touched a bottle of liquor in her life, since it wasn't required, and she knew next to nothing about drinking, let alone bar tending.
"Aeris I don't-" Tifa was cut short while Aeris instantly burst up, nearly shedding tears of joy it seemed, while Tifa blinked, instantly feeling things were going down the drain, like the soapy water was.
"Thank ya so much!" Aeris cried, while Tifa blinked, instantly backing off, while Aeris instantly grabbed Tifa's arm, babbling her thanks and some other things like that.
"Aeris! I don't know anything about this kind of stuff!" Tifa complained, while Aeris blinked, on the verge of opening the door into the room where the bar, Heaven Saloon, was, the rowdy costumers already heard. Aeris blinked, tilting her head to the side, frowning slightly, then brightened.
"It's okay, I'ma sure Rude or Reno can help you out! They know liquor by heart!" Aeris chirped, while Tifa groaned, following Aeris to the bar counter, already receiving interested glances from the men. Reno! She had only known the man for two minutes it seemed, and he already seemed to enjoy tormenting, not to mention flirting. Rude she could put up with, but he was too silent for her liking, like Cloud was too out with the chocobos. She blinked, already the smell of cigars and liquor assaulting her nostrils, far worse than the chocobo smell, and she blinked, making a disgusted face when she realized her handkerchief was no where to be found. Why did she have to do this bar tending bit if Reno or Rude knew what they were doing?
"Hey there little lady." Reno drawled in front of her, already grinning at the sight of her, or rather, her assets. Tifa rolled her eyes in semi-annoyance, putting her hands on her hips as she glared at him
"Why am I doing this?" Tifa demanded, forgetting lady like behavior with Reno. It was no use to dance around the subject with people like him. Reno just tilted his head to the side and smiled innocently.
"Because ya too nice?" Reno offered, and Tifa's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You know perfectly well what I mean, *sir*." Tifa snapped, drawing out the word while Reno chuckled, tipping his hat mockingly to her.
"Well little lady, because I'da drink all the contents in the purty little bottles 'hind ya till Ah was six feet under." Reno said smugly, while Tifa groaned, shaking her head. She had a feeling this was going to be a very long night.
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Rufus Shinra stood tall and proud, looking out to the balcony around the small dusty town. His town, his hometown. The town his old man had given to him in the sad state it was in now, and he would revive it. He trusted his men, knowing they wouldn't turn on him like they had his old man, because he didn't buy them with the town's resources. He struck fear into them, a useful little tool that helped him keep his town in check, the officials not worrying him a bit. He didn't need to fear anything really, hadn't feared much since the days his old man had finally kicked the bucket. He had won the town's people's respect from simply being who he was, cold and aloft, unreachable cold ice that was only there physically, none of his thoughts ever reflected in his harsh eyes.
"Sir?" He turned his gaze back to Tseng, his almond eyes cold and emotionless, something he was used to from the stony man. The panther next to him purred slightly in contentment as she rubbed her head against her master's had. It was a weird story, on how he had gotten his beloved Dark Nation. It was supposed to be a routine train robbery, but instead of nuggets of gold, it housed exotic animals, one of them being the ferocious Dark Nation, a rare black panther imported from some foreign land. The large creature had tickled his fancy, so he had taken the creature in. He turned his gaze back out the window, face expressionless as he closed his eyes.
"What is it Tseng?" He asked his loyal follower, one of his old man's servants during his short life time.
"I have the information you requested." Tseng said matter of factly, though with respect as he strode and slid the papers over to his polished wooden desk to Rufus, who picked up the papers, scanning them quickly. He did not know what had possessed him to get the dirt on Ms. Lockheart, but his curiosity in him had sparked as soon as the fire in her eyes blazed as she glared at him defiantly. It would be fun to break her spirit, not to mention a challenge that Rufus hadn't had in a long time.
Tifa Lockheart Hometown: Nibelhiem Age: 20 Status: Engaged to Mr. Cloud J. Strife Family: Father - Matthew Lockheart, Mother - Tiffany Lockheart (deceased),
He continued reading with interest, blue eyes flickering over the page quickly, until they stopped, and he raised an eyebrow in interest, scanning the paper to make sure he wasn't mistaken. He then lifted his gaze from the pale surface of the paper to Tseng, who was almost as pale as the former. He set the papers down, not even bothering to read the rest.
"She knows martial arts?" Rufus asked in amusement, his interest in her rising a bit, while Tseng shrugged.
"I'm not sure sir, but you did say she tried to attack you." Tseng said in monotone, distain over the way he thought about the whole matter evident in his voice. He didn't like to think his fearless, emotionless leader might be befuddled by a mere woman, not to mention the fact that she was engaged. However, he supposed nothing like that could stop Rufus Shinra after all. Rufus nodded his head slightly, stroking his chin with a somewhat thoughtful look on his face.
"Tseng," he started slowly, turning his icy gaze back to his follower, "I think I might need a hard drink."
~*Author's Notes*~ *sighs in depression while fiddling with Rufus plushie* How was it, and be honest. I don't think I have Rufus's character down at all, not to mention the fact that I have no clue what I'm doing. *blinks* Right. Well, anyway, if anyone has any constructive criticism about the characters, since I think most of them are OOC, please drop them off. Oh, and thank you Ah-choo for helping me with the southern drawl, though I have to say it didn't go so well. Anyway, next chapter, will some conversation spark? *grins evilly* Well, read and review please. *smiles* Review = Happy Fudgie. Happy Fudgie = Faster Updates. *bobs head* Pretty simple ne? Well, see you around.
Tifa gritted her teeth, continuing to curse every single thing or person who had to do with the creation of Rufus Shinra with venom. What did he have against her? First off, he seemed to be a total jerk, not to mention the fact he had no respect for people, let alone *women*, and he had seemed amused when she had been defiant toward him. Did anyone else see anything wrong with this? The most wanted criminal was currently mocking her, and she was thinking of ways to turn him into a bloody pulp, though not like that would happen. She shivered when she remembered the ice cold glares that both men, presuming they were body guards, had given to her, washing her over with ice. She'd had to get past them, and a lifetime in jail for murder wasn't what she wanted. Though maybe she'd get rewarded for strangling the most wanted outlaw in the West? Oh well, she didn't want to get her hands dirty over things like that. She would just bear this Rufus Shinra until he decided to let her go back to Cloud. Tifa stopped her vigorous scrubbing of dishes, her chocolate strands falling to veil her face, though being restrained a bit with a leather hair tie she had made herself, her throat constricting again. Would she return to Cloud? Even if he was completely more pleasant than Rufus, he wasn't as. interesting. Yes, that was the word. Interesting. She blinked, looking up as she heard her name being called again.
"Tifa! Oh, there ya are!" Aeris said breathlessly, pulling her heavily skirted self in front of Tifa, who blinked, looking at her with an eyebrow raised. The look on Aeris's face was that of obvious distress, and Tifa blinked, feeling herself start to nibble her lower lip, a nervous habit she had inherited from her father. Or so her mother claimed.
"Yes, are you all right? You sound a bit frantic." Tifa said, continuing to wash the pristine dishes all over again, not noticing how Aeris sighed, sighing herself.
"We're a little short staffed at the bar front. Would you mind terribly if ya covered a bit?" Aeris almost begged, looking a bit frantic, her green eyes wide, her breathing labored as she continued to almost stifle sobs. Tifa blinked, biting her lip more vigorously now. She had never touched a bottle of liquor in her life, since it wasn't required, and she knew next to nothing about drinking, let alone bar tending.
"Aeris I don't-" Tifa was cut short while Aeris instantly burst up, nearly shedding tears of joy it seemed, while Tifa blinked, instantly feeling things were going down the drain, like the soapy water was.
"Thank ya so much!" Aeris cried, while Tifa blinked, instantly backing off, while Aeris instantly grabbed Tifa's arm, babbling her thanks and some other things like that.
"Aeris! I don't know anything about this kind of stuff!" Tifa complained, while Aeris blinked, on the verge of opening the door into the room where the bar, Heaven Saloon, was, the rowdy costumers already heard. Aeris blinked, tilting her head to the side, frowning slightly, then brightened.
"It's okay, I'ma sure Rude or Reno can help you out! They know liquor by heart!" Aeris chirped, while Tifa groaned, following Aeris to the bar counter, already receiving interested glances from the men. Reno! She had only known the man for two minutes it seemed, and he already seemed to enjoy tormenting, not to mention flirting. Rude she could put up with, but he was too silent for her liking, like Cloud was too out with the chocobos. She blinked, already the smell of cigars and liquor assaulting her nostrils, far worse than the chocobo smell, and she blinked, making a disgusted face when she realized her handkerchief was no where to be found. Why did she have to do this bar tending bit if Reno or Rude knew what they were doing?
"Hey there little lady." Reno drawled in front of her, already grinning at the sight of her, or rather, her assets. Tifa rolled her eyes in semi-annoyance, putting her hands on her hips as she glared at him
"Why am I doing this?" Tifa demanded, forgetting lady like behavior with Reno. It was no use to dance around the subject with people like him. Reno just tilted his head to the side and smiled innocently.
"Because ya too nice?" Reno offered, and Tifa's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You know perfectly well what I mean, *sir*." Tifa snapped, drawing out the word while Reno chuckled, tipping his hat mockingly to her.
"Well little lady, because I'da drink all the contents in the purty little bottles 'hind ya till Ah was six feet under." Reno said smugly, while Tifa groaned, shaking her head. She had a feeling this was going to be a very long night.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rufus Shinra stood tall and proud, looking out to the balcony around the small dusty town. His town, his hometown. The town his old man had given to him in the sad state it was in now, and he would revive it. He trusted his men, knowing they wouldn't turn on him like they had his old man, because he didn't buy them with the town's resources. He struck fear into them, a useful little tool that helped him keep his town in check, the officials not worrying him a bit. He didn't need to fear anything really, hadn't feared much since the days his old man had finally kicked the bucket. He had won the town's people's respect from simply being who he was, cold and aloft, unreachable cold ice that was only there physically, none of his thoughts ever reflected in his harsh eyes.
"Sir?" He turned his gaze back to Tseng, his almond eyes cold and emotionless, something he was used to from the stony man. The panther next to him purred slightly in contentment as she rubbed her head against her master's had. It was a weird story, on how he had gotten his beloved Dark Nation. It was supposed to be a routine train robbery, but instead of nuggets of gold, it housed exotic animals, one of them being the ferocious Dark Nation, a rare black panther imported from some foreign land. The large creature had tickled his fancy, so he had taken the creature in. He turned his gaze back out the window, face expressionless as he closed his eyes.
"What is it Tseng?" He asked his loyal follower, one of his old man's servants during his short life time.
"I have the information you requested." Tseng said matter of factly, though with respect as he strode and slid the papers over to his polished wooden desk to Rufus, who picked up the papers, scanning them quickly. He did not know what had possessed him to get the dirt on Ms. Lockheart, but his curiosity in him had sparked as soon as the fire in her eyes blazed as she glared at him defiantly. It would be fun to break her spirit, not to mention a challenge that Rufus hadn't had in a long time.
Tifa Lockheart Hometown: Nibelhiem Age: 20 Status: Engaged to Mr. Cloud J. Strife Family: Father - Matthew Lockheart, Mother - Tiffany Lockheart (deceased),
He continued reading with interest, blue eyes flickering over the page quickly, until they stopped, and he raised an eyebrow in interest, scanning the paper to make sure he wasn't mistaken. He then lifted his gaze from the pale surface of the paper to Tseng, who was almost as pale as the former. He set the papers down, not even bothering to read the rest.
"She knows martial arts?" Rufus asked in amusement, his interest in her rising a bit, while Tseng shrugged.
"I'm not sure sir, but you did say she tried to attack you." Tseng said in monotone, distain over the way he thought about the whole matter evident in his voice. He didn't like to think his fearless, emotionless leader might be befuddled by a mere woman, not to mention the fact that she was engaged. However, he supposed nothing like that could stop Rufus Shinra after all. Rufus nodded his head slightly, stroking his chin with a somewhat thoughtful look on his face.
"Tseng," he started slowly, turning his icy gaze back to his follower, "I think I might need a hard drink."
~*Author's Notes*~ *sighs in depression while fiddling with Rufus plushie* How was it, and be honest. I don't think I have Rufus's character down at all, not to mention the fact that I have no clue what I'm doing. *blinks* Right. Well, anyway, if anyone has any constructive criticism about the characters, since I think most of them are OOC, please drop them off. Oh, and thank you Ah-choo for helping me with the southern drawl, though I have to say it didn't go so well. Anyway, next chapter, will some conversation spark? *grins evilly* Well, read and review please. *smiles* Review = Happy Fudgie. Happy Fudgie = Faster Updates. *bobs head* Pretty simple ne? Well, see you around.