White Desire
Chapter 23
"Masquerade? Masqueraaaade?" Marlene was dancing around Tifa and speaking in a rather sing-song tone. The brunette had looked so happy when she had returned from a long day at work, and the younger female had no choice other than to playfully interrogate her. More than likely, she was certain that president of the company, Rufus Shin-Ra, had something to do with her good mood. At least, she hoped so. When things were going good between those two, it meant that Tifa would come home with that beautiful smile. Her younger companion tugged upon the bottom of her longer skirt in the back. "Tiiifaaaaa, what does 'masquerade' mean?" Her curiosity was too great. There was no way she could resist the question.
She hadn't even been given the chance to sit down and take a load off of her feet. Her younger companion was right there waiting for her. Tifa was well aware she had been worried when she was called back to the company. She remembered thinking that Rufus implied that her presence there was absolutely dire. Fortunately, it wasn't anything as bad as the 'what-if' game that had been playing in her mind earlier. She chuckled and turned quickly to wrap the young girl up in an embrace before sitting upon a stool and setting Marlene upon her lap. With a sweeping gesture, Tifa reached out her left arm. "A masquerade is a celebration of the Renaissance time. A long, long time ago, on the world existed dragons, and princesses, princes, elves, and creatures of mythological tales and legends. Whenever there was a union or a coronation, a kingdom would throw a masquerade where all of these people would attend. However, the invitation was often only extended to those of the higher end of social heirarchy." She gave a rather dreamy sigh and squeezed Marlene affectionately. "The girls would go dressed in frilly outfits with lace, long sleeves, and velvet corsets. Boys would dress in dashing uniform, tunics and other things of the like." Her left hand's forefinger shook back and forth, trying to keep the young girl's attention. "The point behind having a masquerade is that all of the attendees needed to disguise their identities, so everyone would wear a masque. Sometimes they would have games where they guessed on who the people were. Sometimes there would be great dances and beautiful music, and lots of food!"
From the way she was talking, Marlene thought Tifa sounded like she enjoyed those sort of parties. Perhaps she had been to one or two in a past life or so. It was difficult to say. She liked the idea of what she was talking about. She'd read a lot of fairy tales and they always talked about things like that. She didn't think they were myths, though. She believed that somewhere in the world, there were still dragons and elves and things of that nature. And the more she thought about it, the more she thought Shin-Ra Electric Company seemed more like a kingdom than a public service. If that was the case, then wouldn't that have made the president the king? But...there couldn't be a king without a queen, if she remembered correctly. And therefore, without a queen, the president was merely a prince. At least, she thought so. It was time to ask Tifa that, "Tiiiifaaaaa, a prince needs to marry a princess before he can become a king, right?"
Now, Tifa didn't often spend her time in this alternate reality, but when she did, she was really lost in there. However, the question Marlene had asked instantly brought her back to the matters at hand. She tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips thoughtfully. What an interesting question. Since when was her companion so interested in such tales of fantasy? She was too old to believe in things like that. At her current age, she was required to believe that there were no such things like that anymore or ever in the history of the world's existence. There was no such thing as a prince or a princess and no relationships ever ended in a 'happily ever after'. She wanted to believe in happiness, but unlike Marlene, her eyes were no longer innocent. She lost that innocence once her mother had passed away, and then again when she found her father, silenced by Sephiroth and his sword. "...I think that's right. Don't hold me to that, though, alright?"
If the younger girl didn't know any better, she would have thought Tifa sounded more than just a little sad. That wasn't a good sign. It was time to get back onto the original subject. If she was going to this masquerade thing, Marlene kind of wanted to go too, and she wondered if she could possibly accompany the older female there. "So! Ummmm...does this mean you're going to masquerade thingie, Tifa?" Those brown eyes looked so big and the thick veil of eyelashes fluttered as she waited patiently for an answer. If she was indeed attending, she was going to beg and plead to go too.
The elder female raised her left hand to her lips and remained quiet for a few moments. She had told Rufus she would attend with him. Even though she was going to have to dress up, she still wanted to go. She was changing herself, whether she was aware of it or not. She wondered if he appreciated that. Then again, knowing him, he probably didn't notice. So why was she so concerned about her appearance all of a sudden? She was pretty, right? Right? Yes, yes. Of course she was. She turned her attention back onto Marlene and nodded slowly, "Yes. President Shin-Ra did request that I attend with him. I would not like to...disappoint him by turning him down. Why do you ask? Would you prefer that I did not go?" If Marlene had not wanted it, Tifa would have immediately called Rufus and cancelled. She hoped that wasn't the case, though.
A shake of the head and Marlene thought she had heard a sigh of relief come from the older one. Frankly, she was glad that Tifa was going. And too enwrapped in her companion, she hadn't noticed that Vincent was slowly making his way into the bar. Then again, he was most often undetected. It was a gift. "No, no, nooooooo! I want you to go! In fact...actually...ummm..." She gave a girlish giggle and batted her eyelashes at Tifa innocently, which she knew wasn't necessary. "I...was wondering if I could go with you. Please? I won't get in the way! And we can bring someone else for me as well! Or...umm...what about those people in blue? The Turkey people?"
Ah, the Turks, those lovable people. They really were something else. Strangely enough, Tifa really was all right with that group now. And it certainly seemed that Marlene was fond of them. It had to be Reno. The others were either too serious or annoying. As her eyes scouted over the room thoughtfully, they passed Vincent once and continued. Then the brown eyebrows furrowed and she turned her attention onto the cape-donning man. "Vincent. How long have you been sitting here?" She wondered just how much she had said while he was in their midst. She was already aware that he worried about her, so the idea of going to the masquerade would probably not fly well with him. She really didn't want him to be concerned either. She would just have to reassure him...and perhaps Marlene would be able to win him over in that respect.
There was an odd look of amusement that was spread over his face. It looked like Tifa was squirmig in the wind and that was something he could enjoy immensely. A vague smile tugged at one corner of his lips and he lifted his claw to dismiss the time. "That isn't important. So Shin-Ra's having a masquerade celebration." He certainly didn't need to have the situation explained to him. Apparently he had known where Tifa was going and now he was informed that Marlene wanted to go as well. Personally he wasn't sure if he wanted to leave the young girl in Tifa's care. It wasn't that she was a bad person; he was just afraid that something would happen to one of them, or both. Shin-Ra was a shady company and therefore, it was only natural that he should feel a little nervous. "So you intend to go and Marlene wants to go with you. Surely you already know how I feel concerning the subject."
Indeed she did. She knew his feelings and thoughts quite well. She looked down to Marlene and then back to him before planting the young girl upon her feet. She slipped her hands behind her back and tilted her head to the side. This was one of those times that she felt Vincent was treating her like his daughter rather than his friend and comrade in arms. He couldn't help it, though. That was the way he was with others. "I would...really like to go. Can I, Daddy?" A goofy-looking grin popped over her face and she imitated Marlene's Bambi eyes.
"Take that back, young lady." It was nearly as humourous to play along with her than it was to tease. She did look like she wanted to go. The way things were going, it seemed as though Tifa was perfectly protected by the company and its workers. Rufus had given her a vacation to be with her friends and family. And he had even waited until the last minute before he would call her back. Besides, Tifa was beginning to resemble a normal female, which was nice for a change. She was beautiful and strong-willed, but she was also becoming more graceful and docile. Rufus had the power to tame the wild beast within. Vincent had to commend the young man for that. "If you take Marlene with you, I may rest easier, knowing that no one in Shin-Ra will do anything to her, especially since she's under your care. That also means nothing will happen to you." He finally gave a consenting nod and a defeated sigh. "Very well then. You have my permission to go. And so do you, Miss Marlene."
The two girls giggled happily (although from that moment on Tifa would adamantly protest that she was most definitely not doing any such thing) and then turned to Vincent before throwing their arms around him. With affectionate cuddling, they were finally shoved away and the dark-haired male rose to his feet, brushing himself off to regain his composure. "One condition." He turned to Tifa and lifted a hand to push his hair over his right shoulder, "Tifa, I will pick out the apparel you shall attend in." Before she could protest, he lifted a hand to silence her (how familiar!) and continued, "The idea of such celebrations interests me and I believe I would excel in such a field." In all reality, he wanted to be able to later on gloat to Cloud and Rufus (if available) that he got to see her in the dress before the others. It was a competition, after all. He still had a chance to capture her heart. He just needed to be a little more clever. With competition like the spoiled, bratty president and the identity-crisis boy...well, that wasn't really competition at all.
Marlene and Tifa exchanged glances and then the older nodded slowly. She wasn't sure she was entirely comfortable with this, but what choice did she have? If she didn't consent, Vincent would tell the others what she had been hiding, and she just couldn't have that. "All right. Fine. You can pick out my dress, but I'm picking out Marlene's and I'm doing her hair." As the one deemed her older sister, Tifa wanted to be the one to gussy Marlene up. She would remain quite firm on this situation as well. A hand rested upon her hip and she gestured at him for a reply with the other. She was feeling a little impatient or nervous, perhaps both. It was difficult to say at the time.
She received a nod from him as her reply and he excused himself to explain to the others down in the basement that he was joining Tifa and Marlene for some 'sister'-bonding moment in a few days. Of course, at the time, the others were faintly skeptical, but unable to come up with a way to confront him, they dismissed the disturbing idea. All the while she waited, Tifa couldn't help except to ponder on what was to come. Would the masquerade banquet bring good tidings, or Scarlet and Heidigger schemes?
