White Desire
Chapter 22
The talk with Rufus had gone on much better than the one with Scarlet and Reno. That was to be expected. Scarlet had a tendency not to listen to others and the red-haired Turk was much the same way. In fact, putting those two in the same room was just asking for conflict. Knowing that, Rude was feeling envious that he didn't get to be the audience for such a show. Speaking with Rufus, on the other hand, was something that he wouldn't get too annoyed by. In the end, it was best for him to follow Tseng's orders. If only it could have been easier to frame the blonde-haired female and her rather heavy companion.
A few more days had passed since the shade-clad young man and the young president had exchanged words. Normally Rufus would not have waited so long to contact Tifa, but he still had allowed her a vacation and wanted her to enjoy that time until it was absolutely necessary to bring her back. Another request from Tseng led him to calling the brunette and summoning her to the headquarters, his office in particular. How would she feel about being docked some time from her vacation? Would she be angry? Would she be upset? He wasn't sure what to think of the situation. He couldn't pretend that he wasn't relieved she was coming back. She would be doing his work again and he wouldn't have to worry about such petty things. Still, there were plenty of uncertainties that he had at this moment. Soon they would be carrying out these plans and he would have to keep a close watch on his secretary.
It hadn't been too long of a wait when he heard the familiar voice come over the monitor in front of his office. Allowing Tifa instant access, she stopped before his desk, raising a hand to rest upon her hip. As she spoke, she made gestures with the other free hand, and there was a quaint small smile at the corners of her lips. "President Shin-Ra, such a pleasure to see you. What do I owe for this type of...meeting?" She most certainly was in a good mood. She had needed that vacation, but she didn't mind coming back to see him at all. Rufus was a good-looking young man and he was kind to her. It was a comfortable environment, and it was beginning to feel better there than at her own bar. If only Cloud wasn't causing so many problems...
The president's azure eyes raised to look over her and he was fairly surprised to see her react in such a manner. She didn't seem angry at all. In fact...it looked more like it was the opposite. What possibly could have happened that would make her act this way? He couldn't put the pieces together. Not yet, anyway. He cleared his throat, concealing the confusion he felt and then responded. "I apologise for calling you back on such short notice. It seems that the Turks are having an issue that they require my presence for. I would appreciate it most greatly if you would complete my work for today. I will pay you for an entire working period, if that will compensate for the trouble I have caused." What in the world was he saying? Did he just say he had caused trouble for her? Had he just implied it? He really wasn't the type of person to say anything like that. He had gotten so far in life by just focusing upon himself. Somehow his concern for her was beginning to show and it perplexed him. He had to find a way to hide that, just had to!
Tifa shook her head at him, as she chuckled a little. She was beginning to feel like it was all right to be light around him, even though the chances of him ever being so were close to nil. "Why are you so worked up?" There was a soft sigh that she gave that made it sound like she was a little exasperated with him, or perhaps it was disbelief. It must be something really important. He's acting a little strange. She took a seat in the chair she often frequented and waved off his worrisome comments. "Really, it's okay! Truth be told, I'm glad to be here. So don't think anything of it, President Shin-Ra." She gestured to the stack of papers before him and two thoughts crossed her mind. Either he was given so much work that he was having trouble completing it, or she'd had such an impact on him that he could no longer do his work himself, even when he had to. It actually looked like he hadn't done any work at all and merely waited for it to pile up. She never thought of him as lazy, so stubborn was probably a better way to describe it. If he didn't want to do something, he wouldn't. And that, was that. "So you need me to take care of this, right? That's fine with me. Go do what you need to and I'll finish your work for you."
Not really given the chance to protest, Rufus was hurried out of his seat, only to be replaced by the young female instead. He was picking his brain, making sure that she wouldn't need to be informed of anything else. He really had no intentions of divulging the plans and happenings to her. If she found out, she could get scared, or cause a scene, or even worse--she could quit. He didn't want her to quit. She was becoming a valuable asset to him as well as the company, and he couldn't let her go quite that easily. (He just wouldn't admit anything like that.) Heading towards the door to leave, he turned back to her and merely watched for a few moments. She had said she was glad to be there, hadn't she? Did that mean she liked working at Shin-Ra? He didn't know how to take that, and while he normally wouldn't have cared a bit, he was beginning to grow more curious with each passing moment, almost painfully so. He'd have to question her on it later, though. Right now, Tseng needed his undivided attention, and he needed to comply. "When I return, I will complete anything that is left over and you may return to...your home." Without waiting for a response, he left her in peace, wondering just what would come out of this meeting he was to have with the others.
His entrance into the Turks office created a chorus of relieved sounds, mostly coming from Reno and Tseng. Rude was situated in one of the corners, beginning to resemble a bouncer in more ways than one. Elena sat in the chair beside Tseng's desk, which was becoming more common to see. It was possible there was something between the two, not that Rufus would ever find out or that he even wanted to. He was a little too concerned with himself to worry about anyone else (Miss Lockhart being the exception, of course). The blonde-haired young man's gaze passed over the others and he took the other chair before Tseng's desk before turning his attention to the long-haired male. "All members of this particular discussion are present. Let us get to business. I do have things that need to be done." His tone didn't sound as annoyed as it typically did, so the others assumed that he was probably just too tired to let himself become irritated with the current situation.
Tseng looked around to the others and gave a nod before he would continue. It made things a lot easier, knowing that he had three other people to back him up. There were more Turks, of course, but they didn't bother to bring them in until one of the others was indisposed for some reason (which was rare to occur). He handed one of the familiar laminated sheets for the upcoming masquerade banquet to the man before him and then gestured to it. "From what I gathered with Reno and Scarlet's conversation, she has plans to use the masquerade ball as a way to get Miss Lockhart on her own, in which Reno is to enter the scene, escort her away, and in one way or another, do away with her." It was the simplest way explain the situation. He was certain the president would have his own plans anyway. At least, he hoped so.
Rufus remained quiet as he listened. What was he supposed to say anyway? This whole thing would not have happened if the he could just dismiss Scarlet and her no-good deeds. If he got rid of her, then Heidigger would stop trying to overthrow him as well. His whole idea was to take down the mother ship and then assume that her army would crumble to pieces. He finally gave an exasperated sigh, raising his left hand to sweep his bangs from before his eyes. "This is completely ridiculous. Scarlet is causing trouble again and all we can do for now is play into her hands. Surely one of you has thought up a plan. It has been a few days since you found out, after all." He turned his attention to the red-haired man, the one he didn't really want to rely on. "Reno, please inform me of what you plan to do in this particular matter." It was easy to see that at this point, he didn't want an uncertain reply.
The addressed Turk couldn't conceal his hesitance. Dammit! He'd been put on the spot. He really hated these type of things, especially when they happened to him. Usually he tried to pin the blame on someone else, but it was more than obvious it wasn't going to work this time. After all, he had been the one who was officially hired by Scarlet. He was the one who was to do the dirty deed. Everything was really in his court. He slipped a hand into his right pocket of his pants, the other gesturing here and there quite randomly. "Welllll, ya know, I figured someone else would come up with somethin' for me, yo." The looks he received made him duck his attention to the hard wood floor. It was probably best that he did some thinking. Clearly no one else was going to help him out of the rut. It might have been for the best, though. Finally he spoke up again, raising his free hand to point his forefinger at Rufus. "You're her boss, so you're gonna' havta watch over her. She wants to get Tifa at the masquerade thing, right? First thing you gotta' do is invite her to go with you. We'll all be in costume, yo? Masquerade thing and all?" His hand drew back and caressed his chin thoughtfully. He had part of it down, but he still needed a little more help. "I'm thinkin' that if she's with you, boss, Scarlet probably won't go near, since you know, you're all intimidatin' an' all. If that's the case, then her plan will fall through, yo."
There was a strange amount of logic attached to his idle babbling, which Rufus normally would have tuned out. However, because this time it was really up to Reno, he didn't have a choice except to listen. Besides, if he got everything the first time, he wouldn't have to hear about this again from him. The red-haired Turk really was quite annoying when he spoke. His tone was whiney and obnoxious and the president wanted to avoid hearing it at all costs. Although he had faintly explained the situation and the possible turnouts, he wanted more. A blonde eyebrow arched out of vague irritation, which was beginning to grow on him, and he continued, "And if I somehow manage to lose Miss Lockhart within the crowds of people?" That didn't seem likely to happen since Rufus wasn't fond of big groups anyway, especially being among them. He didn't like having his personal space violated and preferred to just have one person by him if any at all.
"Don't worry, yo." Reno was dismissing his concern as though it meant absolutely nothing to him. In all honesty, he knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to Tifa. It wasn't because she was Rufus's secretary. It was because that one date for them had been ruined by Rude and he wanted another chance. This could very well be that chance for him. And if not, as long as the brunette was alive, he'd have more of those moments with her and her...jugs. Then an interesting idea came to him and a smirk played upon his lips as he looked to the president again. "How 'bout this? You don't even havta go to the masquerade thing, so just leave Tifa with me. I'll keep an eye on her, yo." If Rufus didn't want the job, he'd gladly take it. Any time with the female was good time, whether they were squabbling or not. "Whaddya think, boss?"
If the lack of amusement had not been noticed before, it definitely was at this point. Rufus wasn't an idiot. He knew what Reno was thinking and for some very odd reason, it struck a rather angry note within. It was almost like he was...jealous. That couldn't be it. No way. There was just no way! He had to push those thoughts aside as he shook his head rather quickly, still disagreeing with Reno's idea. "No. Not at all. I will escort her. Assuming you are correct in your hypothetical situation..." he was not at all pleased thinking that was possible. "...then a conflict should not arise." He really did prefer his way of thinking to anyone else's. He'd always been that way, though and he probably always would be. He had no desire to change himself. He was just fine the way he was.
A few more minutes of silence and Rufus felt it was time to make his exit. He rose to his feet and began to escort himself to the door. Turning to the others a final time, he looked at each one, searching for something more. Perhaps he was looking for a protest or a question, or some kind of response. It was difficult to know what they were thinking when their faces seemed so blank, so expressionless. Another sigh was given, "Is there anything else that I possibly need to be around for?" He was beginning to sound tired again, which probably meant that he really just wanted to go on his way. After all, he'd need to go encourage himself to ask Tifa to the masquerade banquet. Since she had been on vacation, she probably hadn't even heard of it, so it would catch her by surprise, he thought.
Tseng shook his head to the man in the doorway. In all of the years that he had worked for Rufus and his father, he had never quite seen the younger man the way he was now. There was indeed something off about him, but he had no idea what it was. It was a subtle difference, of course. Something too big would have set off the entire company and knowing him, Rufus was probably trying to avoid something like that. The leader of the Turks thought it had something to do with Tifa. Since she had come into Shin-Ra, though, everyone had been acting a little strange. She'd brought something with her to the company, something that they couldn't quite identify. She always looked so radiant and happy. Perhaps that's what it was. Tifa had brought some kind of happiness to the others. It was damn near impossible not to smile when she turned, that dark brown hair flipping over her shoulders, and her lips upturned into that rather small schoolgirl grin. Tseng shook his head again. There wasn't any time for him to start getting sappy just yet. He could leave that for Rufus later on...or Reno and Rude. He knew those two equally liked the female. "No, no, Sir. You're excused. I appreciate the time you have taken out of your day...and Miss Lockhart's. Please extend to her our thanks for enduring these difficult times."
A very faint nod was given from the young president and he dismissed himself from the office. It felt a little strange having gone to someone else's office. It wasn't as though he hadn't been to Scarlet's office many times before, but he considered that more of a demon's lair. He wondered if the way he was feeling at that exact moment, was the same feeling others had when they went to his office. How did they feel? Were those type of people nervous to speak with him? Was he so intimidating to those within his company? ...How did Tifa feel? She certainly seemed different than when they had first sat down together. That was something else he wanted to eventually interrogate her on. It wasn't his intention to scare people off. Well, not her anyway. He could really care less about anyone else (outside of his precious Turks, of course). His head was beginning to hurt from all of the thinking. How convenient it would be if he could just ignore everything. The more he looked at everything, though, the more it made him think, the more it reminded him of the things he was trying to push aside.
After standing outside the door to his own office, he finally realised it didn't matter how long he stalled. He needed to go in and talk to the secretary who was probably hard at work. She was always a good worker. She was efficient and quick and her desire to learn made her...interesting to be around. She was so vastly different from those around him, that he liked being around her. It was an odd feeling to have, because he didn't want to be around anyone else. While she wasn't professional, she wasn't exactly a slacker either. She knew what needed to be done and did something about it. She took matters into her own hands and solved problems her own way. And she so rarely let anything get to her, from what he had seen. Tifa was definitely something else, a mystery that he wanted to solve.
He waited for his doors to open and at a slow pace, he approached the desk. Tifa's head was ducked, her dark hair falling over random contracts here and there. He merely stood and watched her for a few moments. Although she was sitting there right in front of him, her gaze seemed so focused on what she was doing that she looked as though she was in her own little world. He wondered if she liked the type of work she did, if she was pleased with the way her life was turning out in the company. The temptation to smile began to sprout within, but with most of the other things that he'd had the urge to execute, he pushed the thought to the side and cleared his throat. "Miss Lockhart."
She hadn't been ignoring him. In fact it was quite the opposite. Whenever she was looking through the contracts, she always thought of him. Since he had left for the meeting, she couldn't help except to be curious. He looked a little concerned and she wondered exactly what was going on. She knew she wouldn't be getting an answer anyway. It wasn't any of her business and she wasn't going to question him on it. And if he really needed to talk about it, he probably would (or so she hoped). Her head rose and tilted to the side with that smile, a lighter version than the one Tseng had been thinking about earlier. "O-oh. President Shin-Ra...I didn't hear you come in." That was true. She hadn't been paying attention and wondered if she would be reprimanded for such a thing. She straightened her composure and slipped her hands upon her lap. "I take it your meeting went well? You are back here in one piece, after all."
Always the optimist. Rufus could rely upon her for that. No matter what the situation was, Tifa always tried to see the lighter side of it. He envied her for that, or so he thought. He'd never lived in any other way and therefore was quite vulnerable to the outside world. He shook his head, the want to smile arising again, before gesturing to the lack of leftover paper work for him to complete. She'd done what would have taken him at least another day to finish in...what? A couple of hours at the most? He didn't realise how much he had missed her until that moment. "I was originally going to return and send you home, so that I might finish my work, however, it seems you have already done so." Then he looked around his office, trying to think of a way to work the masquerade banquet into the conversation. He could always discuss it with her over a game of chess, which the two seemed to grow rather fond of since their first game together. Then again, he could have taken her out for another walk or lunch again. There were a few different ways to do this, and he hadn't decided which one he wanted. "Perhaps I should escort you back to your bar perhaps, Miss Lockhart?" All he wanted to do was buy himself some time. He wasn't good at having conversations like this, but he would be the last to admit such a thing.
Tifa's thick veil of eyelashes fluttered as she looked up at him. Her lips were pursed in an expression that must have been full of question. She wasn't certain, but she thought there was something on his mind. Of course with him being the president of such a successful company at such a young age, she expected no less. She used her hands to help bring herself to her feet and then paused momentarily, "Are you feeling all right? You look a little ill. Perhaps I should bring you something to drink." She was well aware that he really did rely upon coffee and other things of the like. Every morning when she came in, she made sure to get his drink first, that way she wouldn't be speaking with someone who was less than thrilled to be up so early. She began to approach him, but when he shook his head, she stopped herself and rather gestured to his chair, trying to get him to take a seat.
It wasn't such a bad idea really. He finally sat down and lifted a hand to his forehead, cradling it for just a moment. All of this thought really was beginning to take its toll on him. He always did a lot of thinking, but most of the time, the things he thought about made sense. This must have been the first time that he didn't understand the situation fully and therefore, he was unable to cope, lacking the necessary experience. He shook his head again and then gave a rather soft sigh, perhaps one of relief. If it had been anyone else, he was certain he would have rushed them out of his office. Tifa, on the other hand, seemed genuinely concerned about him, which was something else he couldn't quite grasp. Regaining his composure, he turned his gaze back onto the lovely young lady who was now sitting before him. "I apologise for that. I am between being quite mentally preoccupied and feeling the necessity to return to my own home for some type of rest." He wouldn't have a chance to talk about this later. He probably should bring it up at this point. He might lose his opportunity if he stalled on it any longer. The last thing he wanted was for Heidigger to invite her. Or worse yet, Reno. He didn't want her going with either of those two if he could help it. Then again, maybe he just didn't want her going with anyone other than him.
His eyes lowered to the surface of his desk and he shuffled through a rather small pile of papers and withdrew one of the fellow announcements that Scarlet had been so kind as to spread around. He slipped it forward and as he watched her read, he spoke. "There is a masquerade banquet in the future. This is a yearly event that is in celebration of Shin-Ra's progress with weapon, urban, science, and space development. It isn't uncommon for us to meet during, the day before, or the day following the event itself and discuss our current and future plans. Are you interested in attending? This is a soiree by invitation only." That meant if she wanted to go, she had to be cordially invited. And of course, he was the one doing the inviting. He hoped she could read through between the lines and understand that.
Her eyebrows furrowed in thought as she looked over the sheet he had given her. When her eyes finally found his, she remained quiet for a few moments. A masquerade banquet, hm? It sure sounded like fun. It meant that she'd probably have to dress up again and she wasn't sure if she wanted to do that. Then again, 'masquerade' meant having a masque. And if she wore a masque, she was less likely to be recognised. She didn't want any more of that attention she had gotten, like at the fund raiser. She wondered if he would give her an invitation to go. She had heard about the banquet, but didn't quite know what it was. It was nice that he had taken the time to go into more depth about it. He was busy, though, wasn't he? And he didn't like those types of parties anyway. She chuckled weakly and handed the paper back to him. "Well...as much as I might like to go, the person...well...I wouldn't really want to go alone, you see. As comfortable as I am in the company, I don't really want to handle that type of pressure. And I caused a lot of ruckus the last time I went to something like that. It's best that I not attend. Thank you for the invitation, though."
Was she turning him down? Rufus didn't think she had been thinking quite clearly. She hadn't put two and two together...yet. That made it a bit harder for him. He was fairly certain that any moment now, a pink hue would take his cheeks and he'd be forced to look away. He decided to do the latter before the former could have a chance to be seen. "Perhaps you would attend with me then. Although I am often not required at this particular celebration, that is not to say they will not need me this year. I would enjoy it if you would grace us with your presence that night." He wanted to finish that in a different way, but he didn't know what type of phrase to use. Surely he could be charming if he tried to be. Again, when it came to women, he was a little lost. There was Scarlet, but then...she wasn't so much a woman as she was an annoying beast of burden. He preferred not to have any involvement with her. "I will not be too busy," he added as reassurance. He was fairly certain she would use that as an excuse. Could it be that she, too, was a little doubtful?
The brunette was trying to remember how she had gone to the fund raiser with him in the first place. Had Rufus asked her that time as well? She couldn't recall. When she had heard about the banquet, her first thought was to ask Rufus to go with her, but not knowing how he would respond, she had planned to put the request aside. After all, it wasn't necessary for her to attend, no matter how high up in the company she was. Even if she hadn't, Rufus would have included her in any of the important notices or plans. She'd been caught speechless and it took her a few moments to realise that he was waiting for some type of response. She hesitantly nodded to him at first, and then gave a sharper nod, as though to confirm her response. "Yes. Yes, all right. It will be okay if we go together. I'll make sure not to leave your side this time." She chuckled when she thought about the run-in with Scarlet. Like the president, she really didn't want anything to do with the blonde female. She wasn't scared. That was far from the case. She just didn't want to waste her time with petty conflict.
The answer she gave seemed to satisfy him. He now had something to look forward to, not that he would admit it (well, not out in the open or freely). The first part of their plan had been completed. He could only hope that Reno was coming up with something better than what he'd had at the meeting. If anything did happen where he was forced to take the secretary away, they needed a clean way to hide Tifa and to confront Scarlet. If they could prove it, then she really would be gone for good. Rufus wasn't sure what he was looking forward to more, the masquerade banquet with Tifa, or the thought that he could get rid of one of his greatest enemies.
