White Desire
Chapter 33
A couple days into their trip and it seemed all three were enjoying their time and the festivities. They'd spent their second day in Midgar while Rufus explained the rebuilding process. It sure seemed like a lot of work was being put into everything. Tifa wondered if that satisfied the president's finicky tastes. Even a day later, she was still thinking about everything. Their last day in Junon the three started out wandering the streets and watched the vendors put away their items. At the last minute Marlene ran to the beach to play with the young girl they'd all met those couple years before. That left a fairly uncertain Rufus and Tifa alone together.
The two were walking in silence down by the shore where the Junon canon had been before. Each was thinking of their own issues at the time. At least, that's what they would have said. It was impossibly not to be together and think about anything else. One was thinking about the other. It seemed sweet, yet extremely discreet. Then again, that was the only way their relationship could be. If the wrong people found out, Rufus would be shunned. The brunette did not want that at all.
Tifa had slipped her hands behind her back. She'd spent the last three days thinking about the first night. Rufus and her beneath the stars and the feeling of his fingertips curling around her shoulder. It was absolutely wonderful, but it also caused her to space out a lot, which Marlene and Rufus had probably seen enough of. In fact, when she thought about it some more, she spotted the azure eyes looking her over. Wine turned onto the blue pools and she smiled, "Yes? What is it, Rufus?"
He had noticed how thoughtful she'd been recently and wondered if he had done something wrong. He looked over her face, a little closer this time. She certainly seemed happy. Was it just him or did he detect the rose hue upon her cheeks…? She was…blushing? It must have been the first time he really noticed it. How beautiful… He instantly scorned himself for even thinking of that word. Watching her for a few moments longer, he turned his attention to the sunset. "Nothing at all. I was just thinking, I suppose." He wasn't having the easiest time bringing up any subjects like the ones he was thinking about.
She knew that wasn't true at all. How could she get him to be open with her? That was no easy task. A hand reached out and nudged him gently. Then she gentle took one of his into her own and with her free one, she gestured to the sun sinking into the deep blue water, "It's so beautiful. I wish I could live in this moment forever." She gave the softest sigh before tenderly squeezing his hand. What she wouldn't give to stop time.
Fascinating it was to find that she had just voiced what it was he'd been thinking. Tifa Lockhart had a gift, whether she knew it or not. He hoped she would never lose it, because it made it easier for him to cope with his feelings. He turned his head and looked over her. Pursed ruby lips and the Cabernet Sauvignon gaze reflected the colours of the lavender and gold combination temporarily staining the sky. There was never a time he had noticed the beauty of the world to this extent. What an effect she had on him. He turned his attention to their hands and allowed his fingers to entwine with her own. How at peace he was at this moment. How at peace he was with himself. He finally forced himself to speak, "…Yes." An uncertain nod was his reply.
Silence. Sometimes that bothered her. Sometimes it didn't. She wasn't sure what she thought at the time. It was a little odd when she thought about the situation. Here she was, standing with a former enemy and how she felt about him now was that for a loved one. She would not have pictured this a few months ago and yet…here she was. Was it okay to speak? Would it ruin the moment? Their trip was nearly at an end and she was feeling a little sad. She didn't want to go back to Edge just yet. "Thank you, Rufus. I have enjoyed this vacation a lot. I wish that it could be a couple days longer. It's not fair to Marlene, though. She probably misses her father a lot." Speaking of him, she had an odd feeling that she would be hearing some lecturing when she returned. That was nothing new, though. Not anymore, anyway.
It seemed they were sharing sentiments still. Rufus nearly found himself chuckling over this. He nodded to her and lifted his free hand to pull his fingertips through his bangs. "These things are mostly enjoyable. It depends on the company." As he looked to her again, he gave the vaguest smile. It must have been the first time he didn't push it away. It was no secret that he enjoyed both her company and Marlene's. In a fit that was quite unlike him, he tugged her posture to face him, before gently sliding his other arm around her curvaceous frame. "We shall simply need to do this again." He spun her once as one would during a waltz and brought her down in a dipping motion. This was not typically something he found interest in, but with her presence, she seemed to change many things.
Her imagination…or was his smile growing? So quickly she found herself falling for this man. Could it be that Rufus Shinra was a romantic at heart? She did not picture that too well. How unexpected. As she gazed over those handsome features, a hand rose and her fingertips grazed over his hairline gently. It seemed such an intimate moment, which caused her to withdraw into her emotional shell, where her feelings had lain for so long. What was a normal reaction to something like this? When Tifa got nervous or anxious, she would laugh. It was her way of avoiding the subject. "Y-you're too much, Rufus."
That was a heavenly sensation. Any time she showed affection towards him, it made the oddest type of flutter to take hold. Looking over her once more, he went in for the kill and was most pleased when she'd allowed him to kiss her. He'd wanted to do that since the masquerade banquet. So many wishes, so many desires; she sparked them left and right. He'd had no intentions of pulling away until he heard a series of giggles. He turned his attention in that direction and nearly cringed when he met the sparkling eyes of Marlene, the deemed younger sister. Blonde eyebrows furrowed as he watched her for a few moments, out of the faintest curiosity. What is she giggling about? Returning Tifa to her posture, he couldn't resist muttering beneath his breath, "Eavesdropper."
The older brunette lowered her hands to brush herself off. It was her attempt to regain composure. "M-Marlene!" How embarrassing. It wasn't anywhere as bad as when Vincent had caught the two of them together. Then again, if she remembered correctly, he'd yelled at her and that not only humiliated her, but it made her feel pretty bad as well. The worst Marlene could do was giggle. She was probably going to tease Tifa about it later and comment on how "cute" the two looked together. Of course, unable to see it from anyone else's eyes but her own, she was incapable of looking at it in that type of light. Her relationship with Rufus was not one that she was meant to speak of out loud. If only she had powers of telepathy. In that case, she could say a lot of the things on her mind rather than bottling them up. Trying to fill her dignity metre back up, she approached the youngest member of the party and ruffled her hair gently, "How long have you been watching? Don't you have anything better to do?" One never would have known it by her chuckling, but Tifa was dead serious about that comment. Really. How was she supposed to get anything to progress if a little girl kept watching them?
The other female looked between the two and gave a schoolgirl shrug of the shoulders. She started to pace back and forth before making a trail around Tifa. "Since Mr. Shinra started dancing with you. It was sort of like the way you guys danced at the masquerade thing.' Her hands reached up and gently tugged on the darker hair, "What is it like when you two kiss? You both look so serious. Are you not happy when you guys kiss? I thought happy people were supposed to be happy when they kissed. Does that mean you were angry when you kissed then?" She could continue this as long as she wanted to.
Before she could say any more, Tifa quickly tugged her into an embrace before picking her up. Were her future children going to be the same way? What humiliation. She looked over to Rufus, wishing she could hide away from everything at the moment. I'm sorry, Rufus. Marlene doesn't know any better." She received a shake of the head from him and the three fell into silence. What to do, what to say? She was now carrying a young girl in her arms and slowly walking over the sand beside the dashing president. Marlene must have been waiting for answers to those questions. An exasperated sigh later and she spoke again. "It's not bad, Marlene. I like it. And it's not possible to kiss and smile. It would feel weird. I am very happy when I kiss Mr. Shinra. Don't ask anymore strange questions, okay? You'll make him feel weird."
On the other hand, Rufus was watching them with interest. He'd never gotten to see such things between people and he found it vaguely amusing. He didn't mind listening to their conversation either. He was learning a lot that he would not have admitted lacking the knowledge previously. The blonde-haired man was careful to remain quiet. That was his plan, at least, until Tifa had silenced the other female. Marlene was asking the type of questions he couldn't ask, so he had been using this situation to his advantage. "Is it not common for young children to follow their curiosity? Rather than discouraging them, they should be enlightened." This coming from a man who knew absolutely nothing about children.
Even Tifa had to take another glance at him and her eyelashes fluttered a couple of times. Did he really want to get involved in this? Could it possibly be that he was not in the least bit embarrassed? She was oh-so-horrifically at this point, so the idea that he wasn't surprised her. "Well..it's not that…" She shook her head slowly at him. He really didn't understand what he was getting himself into. She was more than positive that if he had been perfectly aware, he would not have carried it this far. Then again..there was a chance that he had anyway, because it was a way of testing himself out. Before he could question her, she looked over to Marlene and lifted an eyebrow, "Well, it looks like Rufus doesn't mind you asking questions, so let's make a deal here: you can ask him anything you want, but don't ask me anything. I can't handle it, really." It wasn't like it was some kind of weakness. She just didn't want to become a tomato with hair (no matter how pretty she would have been).
Her younger companion squeaked with glee at this. This meant she could ask as many annoying questions she wanted and no one was going to stop her. She knew Tifa was embarrassed and that really was part of the fun. For far too long, the older brunette had acted as though it didn't matter what she thought or how she felt. Now she was being allowed to experience those other types of emotions. It was a little odd how Marlene knew so much about this sort of thing at her age. On one hand, it seemed a little eerie, on the other it made her appear much more mature than her fellow peers (which wasn't too terribly off the mark). Squirming a little, she was finally replaced back upon the soft sand and she edged over to Rufus, where she began to tug upon the bottom of his first white jacket. It was actually a nice cotton material, which was appropriate for the warmer weather in Junon. Being by the water meant that the air had a tendency to change from holding a chill, to not..holding much of anything else. His outfit allowed him to breathe, so he wouldn't be feeling the effects of the weather too terribly much.
Rufus looked over to the new appendage, whom appeared as though she couldn't picture herself being any other place at that particular moment. It made him raise an eyebrow with a questioning expression that passed over his face. He really didn't understand children. Children..and females. He didn't understand either one. Come to think of it, he didn't understand anyone outside of himself. He'd never taken the time to do such a thing, and he wasn't about to start now. If people couldn't compromise to his needs then they didn't need to be around him. It was as easily stated by the man. He'd never actually say that to someone, but it was most definitely his outlook. What he failed to see was that Tifa had somehow managed to slip through that. She must have had some power he was incapable of sensing. He shook his slowly and hesitantly reached out a hand to ruffle Marlene's hair, idly wondering when the last time she washed it was. He absolutely loathed getting dirty. He needed to remain clean, and that meant his clothes as well. In fact, the more she tugged, the more irritated he seemed to become. Finally he shook his head at her and pulled away, "Please..cease. I would prefer it if my clothing were to remain in tact."
The older brunette couldn't resist a chuckle. That was something she had expected. She was surprised Marlene had gotten away with it for so long. Then again, she had this childish charm that most couldn't turn down. Surely Rufus knew that as well. He was an observant man. Such things would not escape his keen sight. She helped pull the younger girl from their companion and wrapped an arm around her for a temporary moment. "It's so easy to quiet you down, Marlene. You're so silly!" She was met with a smile from the fellow girl, which made her own grow. Like her laughter, the smile was infectious, and it led to that juvenile spark that was always brought up when Marlene came about.
Marlene pulled away from Tifa, took one of her hands, and with the other, took one of Rufus's as a victim. Ha, ha. Now he wouldn't be getting away! If only he'd known what he'd gotten himself into beforehand. Oh, well. It was too late for that now. As she looked around, she was quiet, and then she looked between the two and gave that dazzling smile again, "Great! Now we're like a family! Don't you think so, Mr. Shinra, Tifa?" A mostly blank expression was given from the other two. She didn't think it was that difficult a question at all. It was rather simple, really. A yes, or no would have sufficed. From the looks of it, though, she wasn't going to receive an answer from either one. At least, not one that she wanted to hear. She was probably going to get scolded by Tifa again, and this time, it didn't look like Rufus was going to defend her. Oh, poopie.
A family..? Rufus had never had one. His father..or that man who was supposed to be his father, wasn't considered to be part of his family. He wanted to consider his mother and Dark Nation as family, but both were gone to him now. Rufus Shinra had no family. He was the very last of his line. It was a bit of sad future for him, wasn't it? Just a little. He'd grown a little more serious at Marlene's inquiry, but that was to be expected. After all, what could he really say? How did he think of Tifa and Marlene anyway? Tifa was his secretary, a woman with whom he had become increasingly fond of. Marlene was like Tifa's younger sister, and in some ways, he imagined that might have been what it was like to have a younger sibling of his own. He'd never had one of those either, though, so he very well could have been mistaken in thinking such absurd ideas. Still, though, he wasn't sure if he could consider those two as family. Not yet anyway. There was still room for that to change, though..
Was it just her, or did the conversation just take a turn for the most awkward feeling ever? Children, children, children. They were so complicated sometimes. Out of the mouth of babes. This was another moment made weird by Marlene. She was often good at that and Tifa was beginning to regret spending so much time talking with her and what not. That was only half of Tifa's mind, though. The other was silently thanking her for making things this way. She often got uncomfortable because she didn't know what to say and silence seemed to bother her when she was around the president. Finally she shook her head slowly and forced herself to laugh. After a few moments, it became natural and she squeezed Marlene's hand gently, "Perhaps you should be careful of what you say, Marleeeene. People will look at us funny. Let's just enjoy this last day with each other okay? No more strange questions." Another soft squeeze and with the other hand, Tifa gestured to the horizon before tugging Marlene after her. After all, all she really wanted to enjoy the last of this time. When she came home, surely things wouldn't be so peachy and she was looking to avoid that..if possible.
