White Desire

Chapter 15

She'd been looking forward to it since Rufus had invited her. The day that the fund raiser had come, Tifa forgot all about it and had to be reminded by the president when she left to go home. She nodded to him and quickly headed for the slums. Since she had something to look forward to, she was more inclined to rush herself along.

Upon her return to the bar, she wanted to make it a stealth entry and escape. If the others found out where she was going, they probably wouldn't let her go at all and hold her against her will, which really wasn't something she wanted. She was a little frustrated as she looked through her closet. This was one of those times she wished she had a female input...like Aerith's. She was never the type of female to attend something that was sophisticated. She liked things that were simple, not complex. Being Rufus's 'date' would make things quite difficult for her. And after getting more than a little agitated, she finally decided on a sleek black dress that fit her form quite well. The blouse was done in a corset fashion and the skirts were composed of three layers of ruffles. It seemed a rather Victorian style and she wondered if it would be too fancy for what she was going to. At first she'd wanted to take the dress with her rather than changing when she got to the headquarters, but she was feeling a tad lazy and really didn't want to go through that.

On her way out, she tried to be as careful as possible, although it was quite difficult with the high-heeled shoes she was wearing. It was more than apparent that the 'click-clack' sound was abnornal, and sure enough, just as she had reached the door she was stopped by Vincent, who seemed more than a little overcome by the way she was dressed. She wasn't really sure what to tell him and if she had remembered about the date, she wouldn't have had to deal with the predicament. However, here she was, and she needed to come up with some kind of alibi, no matter how false or flakey it sounded. Finally, she explained to him that she had to take care of some extra curricular events and she had decided to have some pictures taken, something of a special present for Cloud and the others. She was hoping that Vincent would forget about that later on, because she really wasn't fond of having her picture taken...unless it was by her and for her own use. She didn't trust others too terribly much with anything, especially if it dealt with her.

Finally given the permission to leave and the consent that Vincent would not inform the others of her whereabouts, she handed him her cellular phone, insisting that she wouldn't need it where she was going. And without waiting for him to say anything else, she quickly ducked out the door, her hands lowering to the skirts of her dress as she eagerly skipped down the stairs. She really was most excited, but she was also most late and wondered how long Rufus would wait for her.

The president folded his arms over his chest. When he had entered the banquet room, he was careful to avoid the eyes of others and steered clear of attention or of those who would disturb him. He was actually hoping to meet Tifa and wander in with her, but he knew that would bring too much attention his way and later decided against it. Still, he wondered where she could be. It wasn't like her to be late and whenever she was, she would flip out about it no matter what he said to reassure her. Of course his presence had not escaped the eyes of Scarlet and Heidigger. The two were on the floor dancing with one another, but if one was close enough, he (or she, for that matter) would find that they were discussing the finishing steps to their plan. Both were surprised that Tifa had not arrived yet, but seeing how it had little to do with them personally, they did not allow the temptation to question Rufus arise.

As his midnight-blue eyes peered over the others Rufus found himself deep in thought, wondering why he had exactly invited Tifa along. She was nice company, right? Yes, yes. She was. She was so different from the others that he was often relieved to have her around. Somehow, he felt that his burden was lighter when she accompanied him to other places. He also knew about the chatter, though. No one had enough courage to question him on the truth, and he wasn't going to volunteer that information either. Until one or the other came up, it would be a subject that remained only with him. He had no intentions of discussing it with Tifa. The young lady...interested him and piqued his curiosity. She was much better than Scarlet...and that was really good enough for him.

He was still thinking when the brunette had arrived and although she had paused by his side, he was so locked into himself that he had yet to acknowledge her. Only when he heard the faint laughter did he turn to look her over. She looked rather nice. That was an understatement. She looked beautiful. She was wearing a little too much colour for his taste, though. That would definitely bring some attention (as if the white didn't). Farthest back in his mind, he was thinking that it signified the difference between the two. White was often the colour of something that symbolised 'light' or 'purity', while black was a sign for 'sorrow' and 'evil'. It was vaguely humourous that the two were complete opposites, much the way he and Tifa had been. However, the two were beginning to fight for a common goal...or so he thought. As his gaze passed over her again, they rested finally upon the smile of her lips and then he spoke. "...Miss Lockhart."

Tifa at least looked a little comfortable while she was standing beside him, but on the inside she was probably much more nervous than she thought she could ever be. She'd seen the members of the Turks before and that hateful blonde who shot daggers from her eyes, and then the obnoxious horse-man. All of those people, plus a lot of others she'd never seen before. She wondered if all of Shin-Ra's parties were like this. It was a high class event. Everyone was dressed so nicely (even Rufus, although he didn't look too different). And there was soft music playing in the background. It wasn't something she was used to, but it was a nice change. She could honestly say that she was fairly glad to be there...at least with Rufus, who she knew wouldn't let anything happen to her. He was probably just as concerned on the impression she made. She hadn't thought she'd started out correctly and quickly brought her hands together as she bowed to him, her hair falling over her shoulders. "I'm so sorry that I'm late, President Shin-Ra!" Then she softened her tone and lifted her head slightly for her gaze to find his. "...I was actually caught on my way out and had to come up with a convincing alibi. I am very, very sorry to have kept you waiting."

He shook his head at her, trying to dismiss the subject. He didn't mind that she was late. He really didn't. Sometimes he felt that Tifa worried too much for her own good. She worried about how she looked. She worried about what she thought. He was actually getting a little annoyed with her for that. If she continued, he'd have to discourage her from thinking such absurdities. "It is quite all right. Think nothing of it." His gaze looked over her and it seemed a small smile had taken his lips. It was so small, though, that he was reasonably certain his companion would be unable to see it. "You look very nice, Miss Lockhart. That dress compliments you quite well. It suits you." He still liked her in regular outfits more. Then his eyes found his empty wine glass he had been holding and he shook it back and forth gently.

She was about to respond to the handsome young man, but at the glass gesture she tilted her head to the side and gave a soft chuckle. Sometimes he reminded her of a young boy with the way he acted. It didn't take a lot of observation to notice that he was absolutely bored out of his mind. He wanted to go as far from here as he could. Tifa wished she could help him out some, but there wasn't anything else she could think of. "Ummm...is that your way of saying you'd like some more?" A hand rose to her lips, concealing the growing smile and she held out her other hand to take his glass for him.

He nodded to her and that small smile grew by just a little. "Yes, please." It was kind of her to offer. In fact, the two had both been acting rather considerate towards each other. Perhaps it was because they had reached a level of common understanding. Tifa had found that Shin-Ra was completely innocent of the lies Cloud had spread through her mind. And Rufus had found that Tifa had been misled and therefore could no longer be held accountable for AVALANCHE's previous actions. There was still more, though. More questions that had yet to be answered on both parts. Time would help that, given they were allowed that time. The young blonde-haired president had not been allowed to respond when Tifa took his glass and headed to the refreshment table to refill it. He had half a mind to stop her, but rather in the process of doing so, he was confronted by Heidigger.

"President, Sir! I couldn't help but notice that you were graced by Miss Lockhart's company! Isn't she simply peachy, Sir?" Heidigger personally had a lot of glowing things to say about Tifa. He couldn't quite understand why Scarlet was so dead set against her. Of course, if it turned out that Rufus and the brunette were into each other, it meant that Heidigger had no chance with her. He wanted that chance, especially since Scarlet had ruined it the first time. He turned from the president to watch Scarlet approach Tifa. It was the first step to that plan the two had spoken of. So far things were working rather well. He hoped that Scarlet wouldn't damage her too much. "She's absolutely radiant tonight. I am most positive that all of the young men here will wish to dance with her."

Rufus hadn't been paying attention to the obnoxious man who had decided to interrupt his important thoughts. In fact, he'd been trying to look past the bearded companion as soon as he had seen Scarlet and Tifa. He knew the two weren't a compatible couple and he should probably intervene. If Scarlet had even touched the brunette...he didn't want to think about it. "Yes, yes. Of course she is. A lovely young lady." He turned to Heidigger and then nodded to him rather sharply. "Excuse me." He left the other there and quickly escorted himself across the room to where Scarlet had leaned into Tifa. It seemed the fighting had begun, except it was more a one-sided fight. The president looked between the two, and he could see the confusion spread over Tifa's face. He shook his head at the blonde-haired female. "You are dismissed, Scarlet." His tone was firm and it caught her off guard. She began to protest and he gestured back to Heidigger. "I believe your better half is over there. Attend to him, if you would and leave Miss Lockhart in peace."

After she had left (quite reluctantly), Tifa turned to him and she was quiet for a moment. A hand rose and she poked herself in the cheek thoughtfully. She wondered what would have happened if Rufus had not interfered. "O-oh...thank you. You always save me, in little and large ways. It sure seems that I owe you a lot." When he shook his head at her, she turned to the table and gestured between two bottles. "I would have brought you something quicker, but I didn't know if you wanted red or white." She didn't want to pick the wrong kind. In her own opinion, white wine should have been more common. It was light and elegant. The red attracted attention and signified passion. She could learn a bit about Rufus depending on what type of wine he preferred.

When he gestured to the red, she filled his glass until about an inch from the rim before handing it to him with a rather shy smile. As he took it, his voice softened and he leaned forward in a vague manner. "Thank you, Miss Lockhart." And without even thinking too terribly much, he placed a chaste kiss against her neck as a means of gratitude. He was fairly certain that no one else had seen and even if they had, he would not have cared. When he pulled away, he offered her his free arm. "Come. Let us go out to the terrace. I believe we could both use the...escape from this infernal prison."

Tifa hesitantly curled her arm around his as he led her from the elegant banquet room to the outside balcony. Her head lifted as she released him and leaned against the railing. The sky was a blanket of lusterful diamonds. She had always been fond of star-gazing. It made her feel like she was miles away, perhaps even to the point where she felt like she was fourteen again. The last time she looked at the stars was with Cloud, before they thought meteor would come and wipe Gaea out. It brought many memories to her, but she couldn't quite place if they were good or bad to hold onto. It had yet to occur to her that even as they stood there in silence together, they were both making new memories, probably to replace those older ones. Her wine-coloured eyes turned onto him and she tilted her head to the side. "What was that...kiss for?" It was the first time anyone had done something that way and she hadn't stopped it. Whenever Cloud had tried to do things of the sort, she had to prevent it in one way or another. The same went for Reno when he had tried to be sly.

Rufus had to think about what she had said before he could even begin to answer. She'd sounded so surprised, and he couldn't understand why she was making such a big deal out of things. "It was merely to thank you." He was thanking her for much more than the wine, whether she realised that or not. Tifa had brought him something. She had brought him variation, interest, entertainment, amusement, so many things that he had not been allowed to have before. "Is it so...important to you, Miss Lockhart?" He watched her with curiosity, something that he was hiding less and less now. Perhaps he was becoming more comfortable with her. Perhaps he was feeling that she was trustworthy (and that was not something that he felt with other people).

His dark-haired companion laughed softly after they had merely looked at each other for a few moments. Strangely enough she always lost her words when she looked into his eyes. It was a feeling as though she was being pulled into him. It was like she was falling and she didn't know where she would land or if she would ever land at all. And perhaps that was the moment she realised she was weakening for him. Unlike the others in the former AVALANCHE group, she finally understood that Rufus had stopped giving her prices and she was doing things of her own accord for him. She wondered if he too, noticed this and was merely taking advantage of her. "I've told you before. You can just call me Tifa. We're not even at work anymore. Besides...you're being too formal with me." Another small chuckle was released. He'd once said the same thing to her and she was hoping he'd recall and understand how she found it comical.

If he had been paying attention, he would have realised that she hadn't answered his question. They were both rather good at that. He personally often thought that those type of questions were the ones that neither wanted to discuss and therefore, he let them remain that way, never pushing the subject. "Miss Lockhart." He couldn't bring himself to say her name just yet. Eventually he might get there. "I think I have enjoyed this night much more with you as my company. Perhaps this should become a more common occurrence." It was sort of his way of ensuring that in the future, they would attend these together. Although he was beginning to understand himself, he still had a lot of conflict with expressing it. In fact, he was refusing to do so until absolutely necessary.

As Tifa began to respond to him, she heard the familiar softened voice come from the doorway to the banquet. "Tifa, you should have just been honest with me. You know I wouldn't have said anything." Vincent's arms were enfolded over his chest as he looked between the two. The situation could have been anything and he vowed at that particular moment not to assume or even ask. He finally approached the brunette and reached out a hand to affectionately ruffle her hair. "I'm sorry, Princess, but we need to head back to Edge. Cloud is out looking for you and I'm fairly certain you probably don't want him to know you were here." Then he turned his gaze onto Rufus and examined the young man. He did look seemingly different, but he couldn't quite place what it was about him. "I'm not even going to ask, but if you so much as hurt Tifa, you'll suffer serious consequences, Shin-Ra. And I don't mean just you."

Before he could add onto his idle threats, Tifa shook her head quickly as she pulled Vincent back from the other young man. "Vincent, stop it. President Shin-Ra has in no way attempted to harm me. You can't possibly understand, but please...give me a little time to explain things. And...please don't say anything to the others. Not yet anyway." Then she turned back to Rufus and gave a fairly apologetic smile to him. "I'm so sorry. I'll see you when I come into work tomorrow. Don't let Scarlet and Heidigger get the best of you. I...don't think you should be too trusting with them. Don't let your guard down." There was a faint wave given and then Vincent quickly rushed her out the door. The last thing they wanted was for Tifa to get caught in a place like this. That would certainly cause some of that chaos Rufus wanted so badly...but...it still wasn't a good thing.

As he watched the two leave, the blonde-haired president's eyebrows furrowed together thoughtfully. She sounded slightly concerned and he wondered why that could have been. Was she warning him about the two people directly below him in the company ladder? He knew Scarlet and Heidigger were always up to something, but he didn't take it to heart. Their plans never really worked out anyway, and that was just fine with him. On the other hand, he was more worried about his companion. Tifa was playing a very dangerous game. He hadn't thought about how she was dealing with everything. Now that he began to think that way, he wondered if he was asking too much of her. She was continuously hiding herself from the others, just to do things for him. That same level of loyalty she had shown for Marlene and her allies was finally being experienced by him...but he had absolutely no idea how to react. Perhaps he would receive an idea later on.