White Desire
Chapter 24
About a week after the confession of the masquerade to Marlene and Vincent, Tifa and her companions left Edge and took the Sierra to the next best place for clothing, the reconstructed Wall Market in Sector 7 of Midgar. The rebuilding process for Sectors 1 through 5 was going slower than anticipated. Rather than working from the front to the back, the Shin-Ra Company felt it would be most appropriate to start from the bottom and work their way up. In such a company, that type of thinking made sense. After all, one couldn't build the top unless there was something beneath to support the rest. Tifa understood some of this, but that was only because she had taken the time to read through the contracts she often filed.
Their trip to Wall Market was a short one indeed, and rather, the two spoke of memories that both had encountered those few years ago. It seemed as though Vincent had been all over Gaea. He certainly had done a lot of traveling his life. Perhaps it was required because he was a Turk at one point in time. That was something he spoke very little upon. He was not proud of his past, but he would not judge his future by those actions taken then. After all, his training had led him to be a better protector for those that he cared for. He could ask for nothing more. And now, he was getting to spend his time with two of his favourite females. Frankly, Yuffie's very existence annoyed him, and the fact that she liked him (for lack of a better term), aggravated him even more so.
Upon their arrival, Tifa was taken to a flashback in her memory. It was one that she had not personally experienced, but the picture was painted by Aerith. When she had gone under cover to expose Don Corneo and his plans, Aerith and Cloud had been so kind to pursue her and join her cause. She'd heard the story about Cloud dressing as a female. It was a famous one, indeed. If only everyone in Gaea knew that the leader of the group who saved them was once a closet cross-dresser, then that might've changed everyone's opinion of him. Not even the rest of their party members had been informed of such a situation. It was one of those mafia subjects, the ones where the rule 'no questions asked' was applied.
In any case, the older brunette knew where they were going and it was nice to see that the layout of the town had not changed at all. Once she had led them into the dressing parlour, she quietly groaned to Marlene while those two left Vincent to research tasteful dress designs for Tifa. She leaned over to her younger companion and shook her head slowly. "Never, ever let your father pick out your clothes, all right? Guys don't have good taste in clothes unless they have some type of streak. Normally that streak means that they like other guys and not girls. And if you're with a guy like that, he won't pay attention to you." A hand rose and she ruffled the younger girl's hair with a vague smile.
There was a funny grin that pervaded over Marlene's lips as she looked up at Tifa. Tat was followed by a faint giggle that came from her. She knew what it meant to like others of the same gender. With some thought, she came to realise what Tifa was implying and she found it quite humourous. "Ummmm...does that mean Vincent likes boys? That would explain why he looks so different from Cloud." She stopped looking among the dresses in her size and looked about as thoughtful as a young child could. What other traits could Vincent possibly possess that would suggest such an outlandish and fangled idea? The long hair; that was a big one. Marlene had so rarely seen men with long hair. Yazoo and Kadaj didn't count, because the entire time she had seen then, she thought they were females. The other was Vincent's facial structure. He had these luscious lips and high cheekbones, and lovely eyelashes that made her think of deer and caribou. He was, indeed, a very beautiful man...if he was really a man. "It's the long hair, Tifa. The long hair and the way his face looks. He's too pretty to be a boy, isn't he?"
Tifa had silenced herself when she saw Vincent approach Marlene from behind. She didn't want him to get mad, but she was having trouble concealing the chuckles breaking through her lips. "A-ah, Vincent, how nice of you to join us..." The look upon his face said it all. He wasn't idiotic. In no way was he foolish or naive. He knew what they had been speaking of and he probably knew it was her doing. Tifa had a tendency for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. That was her curse. She gave him an apologetic shrug and then reached out a hand to tug Marlene into her arms. If she did that, then Vincent couldn't get any ideas. "I'm sorry. I was only teasing, you know. I'm not serious. I remember about your past. I think if I were you, though, dealing with something so traumatic would have made me change my orientation." The idea that he could still be around females even after what Lucrecia had done to him was admirable. Tifa felt very bad about that entire situation and wished she could have been there to slap some sense into that blonde-haired female. She was as bad as Scarlet...if not worse (and that was rather harsh to say).
The dark-haired male used his right hand to pull his cape up to shield his face from the lips down. He was still lacking the amusement to see the humour in the situation. And after hearing her seeming...compliment, he decided to excuse it, but just for the time being. He'd bring it up later when he felt it was necessary. As he looked between the two for a few moments, his eyes found Tifa's, "Have you found something for our princess?" Receiving a shake of the head from the two, his eyebrows began to knit together again. If they had not yet found a dress, what had they spent all of their time doing? Debating and contemplating the possibilities of him having homosexual tendencies? Somehow, that possibility did not float well with him. His left arm lifted and he showed the dress folded over. "Take a break from searching then and come try on what I have taken the liberty of procuring for you."
After releasing Marlene from that grasp, Tifa began to follow Vincent, who led the two to the dressing rooms. Without waiting for a response, the male handed the dress to the older female and quickly rushed her into one of the rooms, pulling the curtain to the side. He thought he had picked something that would fit her quite well and be tasteful. He wandered off beside one of the full-length body mirrors and leaned against the wall, raising his arms to enfold over his chest. "Marlene, are you looking forward to the masquerade?" His demon-like eyes met hers and the irritation upon his face had completely washed away. He could never be upset with her. She was so sweet, so nice, so...cute, and innocent. She was a young girl. Girls needed to be savoured because she was a piece of the future for everyone. It was only proper to treat her well and to think so highly. He wanted to think she would take care of the planet, as it had taken care of her. He wanted to assume she would follow in the footsteps of AVALANCHE and try to right the wrongs of the world. And he felt that by having great respect for her and treating her as an adult, she would do those things he wanted her to do.
Marlene nodded in an eager manner to him and she smiled brightly. Unlike most people, when she smiled, her entire face lit up. When others saw that in someone as young as her (and the other orphans in the city), they hoped that it would never change. She quickly wandered over beside him and examined herself in the mirror. Even at her age she was interested in the way she looked. She thought Tifa was beautiful; not only in physique, but in mentality as well. She wanted to be so much like Tifa when she grew up. Little did the elder female know just how much of a role model she was. Hearing Vincent chuckle she looked over at him and then nodded again, her smile softening a bit. "I'm really excited! It'll be so much fun! Tifa told me all about the things that people have at them. Food, and music, games, and dancing! It's going to be great!" And secretly, she had the intentions to push Rufus and Tifa together, in some way. She didn't have a plan yet, but she would make one soon enough. Children were often good at those types of things.
Before Vincent could respond to her, the red polyester curtain had been tugged to the side. A very feminine-looking Tifa had escaped from the dressing room, and paused for a moment in the doorway. "Um...I don't think this is going to work." She had been tugged out by Marlene, who wanted to see her entire outfit before letting her get off so easily. Vincent did have good taste. Tifa's dress was very Renaissance style. The corset top was coated in a black lace, intricately woven to make a forest of patterns. Beneath it was a blue silk material. It laced up in the front, where it was tied into a vaguely noticeable bow at Tifa's bust. The skirts of her gown were of black velvet and held together by a series of clasps in the back that scaled down her spine to the beginning point of her tailbone. And her sleeves here lengthy, each falling over the first set of knuckles, also the material of that top layer which had been used for the corset.
It was in no way unattractive. Tifa's form pulled off the dress perfectly. Even Vincent had to pull himself off the wall to approach her and analyse her figure closely. His gaze passed over each curve and as he approached her front, he paused for a moment. That was the problem with that age. Women were not so well endowed as the brunette was, hence the creation of corsets. Tifa...did not need that corset, but it wasn't to say she didn't give off a nice view. Everything she showed off was absolutely beautiful and the world deserved to see it. He knew it was the dress he wanted her to wear. "Yes. Yes, indeed. That's the one, Tifa. That is the one you will wear. You look absolutely beautiful." He wandered past her to one of the decorative end tables and examined a vase filled with lilies and camellias. It wasn't often that one saw flowers anywhere other than the outside world of Gaea and the church in Edge. And these were lilies. With some intricate finger work, he weaved the stems of the lilies together and planted the tiara upon Tifa's head. "Well, what do you think of that, Marlene?"
The younger female was really getting into the spirit of things, although Tifa was beginning to turn a rather beet-red colour. Marlene nodded quickly and wanting to help as well, she pulled up a chair and stood upon it as she pulled her fingers through the ends of Tifa's medium-length hair. "We should pull some of the hair in the front back, so that it'll stay behind her shoulders. If we keep some in front, though, it'll make her face look a little more rounded and not so long." Marlene really was most observant for a child. Perhaps it was because she had spent a lot of time looking at things like that. There was no doubt in either's mind that she would do great things for Gaea and the other worlds out there, as well as the inhabitants. She demonstrated what she had meant to Vincent who nodded in agreement.
This really wasn't what Tifa had in mind when she was going to come to Wall Market for a dress. She had only hoped to find a dress for herself and instead fool around with Marlene's look. It didn't seem that was going to happen for a while, though. Her companions were much too interested in the endless torture of the older brunette. "…C-can we stop this now, you guys? I'm really not comfortable standing out in the open like this. With my luck, someone we know is going to see me and…and…my life will be over as I know it. And if it isn't, then I'm going to want to end it. I don't want anyone to ever see me like this." That was only half true. The only person she would dress up for at this moment was Rufus. That would have said a lot had anyone known about it and her typical opinion on such things. Shaking off Marlene and Vincent, she hurried herself back into the changing room, harshly pulling the curtain to conceal her form.
The dark-haired man turned to the younger female and he smiled. "Well, that was amusing, don't you think?" Receiving a nod as his reply, he couldn't help except to agree. He really did enjoy making Tifa squirm. She was so often wound tightly (although she protested against such things), that the way she overreacted to trivial things was vaguely fascinating and…needless to say, cute. Of course, when she got angry with someone, she only turned more beautiful. Perhaps that was why Vincent had grown so attached to her. Lately, she'd been horrendously angry at Cloud for one reason or another and therefore, he could lose himself in the narrowing of her wine-hued eyes. "She did look very nice, though. She pulls off that dress magnificently."
Before he could continue pummeling her with compliments, the older brunette began to whine and a few rips and tears could be heard. "Viiiinceeeent! Needing your help right about now!" Normally she would have asked Marlene, but in her current situation, Vincent would be more useful. He was taller and his fingers were more delicate, meaning he could do intricate work without causing too much trouble. The curtain was pulled briefly, before Tifa's pale arm reached out, grabbing him by the cape and pulling him. The problem with such an action was that she had not taken the time to calculate the amount of room the two would take together in the dressing room. On Marlene's end, the young girl was audience to much shuffling around and a few smacks along with the words, "Don't touch that! What the hell is wrong with you!" to which she merely keeled over in laughter.
It seemed that Tifa's medium-length hair had gotten caught in a couple of the clasps while she was trying to unfasten them from the back. This led to a little tugging, which eventually began to hurt her head something terrible, causing her to rely upon the red-caped man. And poor Vincent, it seemed that although he was trying to be careful, the lack of room behind the counter was proving to make things quite complex. Tifa kept screaming at him and he kept cringing, thinking any that in any moment she'd pop him in the jaw with a rather powerful left or right hook, whichever was farthest from his face.
All the while, Marlene was quietly heeding the two, wondering what Cloud would do in that particular position. He'd probably bust in and rip the two apart, thinking there was something dirty going on. He seemed to be a little jealous of the older man. Maybe it was because Vincent was older. And perhaps…Tifa liked older men? She didn't understand too much about that and try as she did, she couldn't resist being slightly curious over the ordeal. While her eyes scouted over the rest of the shop, a quick glance into the mirror and she saw the familiar flash of a white coat. When she turned, Rufus was standing in the doorway. What…could he be wanting? Maybe he's here to see Tifa? It was strange how happy she was to see him and to know she knew something he didn't. It caused the temptation to giggle to arise, but when he beckoned her to come to him, she pushed the urge aside and complied. Stopping before him, she smiled happily, her head tilting to look up at him. She couldn't really imagine why her father was so heavily set against the man before her. He was cute. No wonder Tifa liked him. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to recall what Tifa had taught her concerning good manners and polite etiquette. "Salutations, Mr. President Shin-Ra!" And a hand lowered to the skirt of her sundress and she gave a curtsying gesture.
A blonde eyebrow rose and he edged to one side of the doorframe, in the case that others wished to pass him. He hadn't the intents of blocking anyone. Seeing the young girl here on her own, however, concerned him slightly. He had yet to understand why. He was certain, though, that it had something to do with his secretary. His voice was low, making it apparent that their conversation was for the two alone and no outside ears. "Miss Wallace, were you left here upon your own?" Unknown for her and the other two, he had wandered by earlier, faintly amused by Tifa's modeling extravaganza and the temper tantrum she seemed to have been performing. He couldn't imagine Tifa leaving Marlene behind, however, and was perplexed by the situation.
Marlene shook her head and pointed over to the last dressing room curtain by the full-length body mirror. Another shriek from Tifa was heard, followed by a chuckle from her companion who was promptly slapped. "Noooope. Tifa and Vincent are here with me, but Tifa's having trouble." She couldn't conceal her glee, since it was…pretty funny, even if the older brunette didn't agree. Then in a familiar stance, she slipped her hands behind her back and grinned. "What are you doing here? Are you shopping too?" She wondered if Rufus was possibly suffering from that same streak Tifa implied Vincent had. Did Rufus like other boys? If that was the case, why did Tifa like him? Did she think she could change him? If it turned out that badly, Marlene wasn't going to let him hurt her and she'd have to kick him in the knee (or shin).
Rufus shook his head at her, raising a hand to sweep his bangs back from his eyes. They were really getting to be quite troublesome. "No…I cannot say that I am." If he wanted to shop, if he needed to, he would normally get someone else to do it for him. He had only popped into Midgar to check the rebuilding process firsthand. He could have had one of the Turks check it for him, but he wanted to see everything with his own eyes. He didn't have a personal hand in anything except the contracts and proposals and he wanted to make sure things were being done the way he wanted them. His eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head to the side, "You and Miss Lockhart are shopping then?" He gestured to the dresses and raised that same hand to his chin. He should have known. Marlene must have been helping her pick out a dress for the masquerade. "The banquet, is that correct? I did see her earlier. She has picked out something quite tasteful." This was the most he had carried on a conversation with someone other than a business associate. That must have had to do with Tifa as well.
A nod was given to him and she was having trouble hiding that excitement. She really was most eager to be going. She could pull off all sorts of things and if she was lucky, she'd see that her efforts were paid off once Rufus and Tifa were alone together. "Right! Tifa said I could come with her! I want to look pretty, just like her!" Had she been given the impression that Rufus Shin-Ra was an evil man, she wouldn't have been so open. So far, though, even when the Turks had taken her away, she was never mistreated. She was beginning to doubt everything her father had said before. That was the main reason she wanted Tifa to strive for the man in front of her. "I haven't found a dress yet, though. Tifa's going to help me and she'll do my hair too. I really can't wait."
"I see…" That was interesting, wasn't it? Tifa had planned on bringing the young girl as well? Rufus wondered if perhaps he was opening himself up to a trap. He had yet to find a reason to distrust her, but there was always an opportunity. If he let down his guard, she could possibly infiltrate and do something quite detrimental. He hadn't figured out exactly what it was he felt, and had avoided doing so whenever possible. He had almost considered sending her on vacation again, just to get rid of those nagging voices, but he realised that even doing that would only cause him to think more. His head turned and he looked out the window thoughtfully. He still had other places to check in Midgar. He didn't have time to spend the entire day here. As he wandered past Marlene, he was looking over the selection of masques and within moments, a particular one was placed within the young girl's hands. It was of a lighter blue hue gifted with a metallic luster and cerulean feathers sprouted from each side. Indeed the price was a pretty penny indeed, but he would take care of the expenses. It was a gift after all. "This is for Miss Lockhart. I am certain it will make her feel less vulnerable." Then he raised his index finger to his lips, a smile playing there…perhaps. "Do not tell her of our meeting today. It shall remain a secret between us."
He had left as quickly as when she had seen him and Marlene really couldn't think of what she was supposed to do. Wandering back over to the mirror, she examined the masque that Rufus had given her and raised an eyebrow. He seemed a little uncertain about the entire ordeal and it made her think he must have been a little shy. That was cute too. If Tifa found out she was certain the older female would agree. When Tifa stumbled out of the dressing room along with Vincent a few minutes later, Marlene held up the masque. "Look, Tiiiifaaaa!"
That damn sing-song voice again. It meant Marlene knew something that she wasn't going to share. The older brunette lowered her hands to brush herself off, a gesture that was currently being mimicked by Vincent as well. Her pale hands reached out to take the masque and she pursed her lips. It was quite beautiful. Had Marlene picked it out for her while she was indisposed? If she had, Tifa was grateful. She turned her attention to the younger girl, gesturing to the masque. "Where did you get this?" As far as she knew, the object she was holding was much too expensive for their budget. Tifa would have had to be quite a successful mercenary in order to afford something of that nature.
"It was a present." Tifa's female companion raised a hand and gestured to the sky, as though to indicate an angel or someone from above had left it for her. Her hands slipped behind her back and she passed Tifa to go look through some other dresses for herself. She knew she couldn't say anything more. It would break the unspoken promise she'd shared with Rufus.
Tifa exchanged glances with Vincent and then followed after the other. It felt a little strange that she was being held at the mercy of a young girl. Marlene was too smart to be bribed, though, so the brunette would have a little trouble cracking information out of her. "A present? But from who?" Studying her face wasn't getting Tifa any closer to the truth. She bit her lip thoughtfully and gave a defeated sigh. Who would have gone all the way to Wall Market to seek them out? And who could have possibly known she was going to be there on that particular day? Did she have some type of stalker? One of the Turks perhaps? Knowing her luck, it was probably Reno. Swell. "Do I have a secret admirer, Marlene?"
A shake of the head was given and that ponytail in the back began to sway back and forth. "I can't tell you! I promised!" Then she was thoughtful for a moment on the last inquiry. She could probably answer that, although she didn't know for sure. By the way Rufus had acted earlier, it wasn't completely out of line for that type of thinking. "I think you do have a secret admirer, but I'm not positive. You have a lot of admirers though, Tifa. Like Cloud. And Vincent too." She giggled as she pointed to the longhaired male who looked like he was pretending not to listen. She'd seen him squirm, though, and she knew he had heard every word. Poor Vincent. It was so much fun to tease him. At least he knew how it felt every time he was poking at Tifa.
Ohoho…so that was it. Tifa reached out a hand and leaned her body weight against one of the many racks and gave a rather slow nod. She still wasn't completely sure of anything, but at least she wasn't left completely in the dark. It still would have been nice if Marlene had offered more information. What could she do, though? Again, the bribing trick wasn't going to work, so any effort exerted would result in fruitless product. "A secret admirer, huh…?" That was going to tear at her brain continuously now. It was best for her to put it to the side, and that was exactly what she did. Handing her masque to Vincent, she turned her full attention to Marlene and helping her pick out an outfit for the masquerade, which was finally beginning to become as equally exciting for the older brunette.
