"Are you going to interrogate me?" Rufus asked as he watched the woman walk over to the small leather sofa and take a seat.
"Would that work on you?" Liv asked as she looked at the man over her shoulder.
"No,"
"Then no," Liv replied as she reached for her clutch and took out her cellphone. Rufus sipped his champagne and casually walked over to the sofa and sat down next to her.
"Don't let it go to your head," Rufus said as he placed his champagne flute on the small table in front of them.
"Or what?" Live asked demurely, her gaze was low as she looked at him. "I'm your soon to be wife and currently your security personnel, there's no need to be afraid of me,"
Rufus scoffed and laughed at his fiancée's boldness, he admitted to himself that he was curious enough to play into the woman's so-called plan.
"You're such an amusing woman," Rufus said as he leaned back into the sofa.
"I know," Liv replied and placed her champagne flute onto the table and turned her attention back to him, a small smile on her lips. Unfazed, Rufus silently looked over Liv as she sat in front of him, just from the smile alone he could tell that she had something planned.
"So, Rufus…where would you like to have our wedding? Do you want it to be plastered all over the world or would you like to have something small, private, intimate?" Liv began.
"I should be asking you that…" Rufus trailed off.
"I asked first…" Liv trailed off as she glanced at the vase of flowers placed on a small table behind the sofa.
"Wherever you choose is fine," Rufus replied with a shrug. Liv's seafoam green eyes flicked back to the man who clearly watched her every move.
"Private, small, intimate. I'm sure you'll want a huge photoshoot to…show me to the whole world," Liv said, echoing his words.
"You catch on quick," Rufus commented as he draped an arm along the back of the sofa. Liv slowly, gently placed a hand on his forearm, her fingertips gliding over on the soft fabric of his coat as she moved closer and closer into him.
Their eyes on each other.
She had no intention of going further than just a simple tease, but his lack of response to her made her want to see how far he would allow her, how much she needed to push his buttons, to see his limit. She had moved close enough to the man that if anyone would walk into the suite it would seem as if they were sharing an intimate moment.
Just as she reached for the button of the man's coat the click of the door sounded through the room, Rufus grasped the hand on his chest.
"Mr. President I—" Heidegger began, in mid-sentence, the man abruptly turned around as he saw the couple seemingly intimate on the small sofa. "I apologize for the sudden intrusion sir!"
The couple remained silent as they stared at each other, not moving to acknowledge the man. Methodically, Rufus brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss to her knuckles, wordlessly he leaned into her.
"You will need to try harder than that," Rufus murmured softly as he released her hand and turned towards the waiting man.
"Come in Heidegger. I suppose it's time to go over the details for Costa Del Sol," Rufus said as he stood from the sofa.
"Yes Sir," Heidegger replied as he still cautiously turned around. "Will Miss Donovan join as well?"
"Yes. Though she is my fiancée, she is still a Turk and will remain that way for quite some time," Rufus replied as he unbuttoned his coat and shrugged it off.
"Yes sir," Heidegger replied as he looked down at Liv in distaste before he followed Rufus over to the desk. "For your security details sir…"
Liv completely brushed off the man's look as she leaned back into the sofa, still pulling herself together from her experiment that backfired on her and to be hit with another surprise from the man. It was apparent that her latent worries and concerns could be seen by the man, the fact that he mentioned that she would remain a Turk despite knowing she would give her life up to protect the man if she needed.
He knew the risks and still allowed her to remain.
"Do you plan to visit your parents Liv?" Rufus asked.
"That wouldn't be a problem, would it? I am sure my mother would love to meet you," Liv replied, Rufus nodded.
"I'm sure," Rufus replied as he looked at Heidegger expectantly knowing that she did not need additional security to visit her own home.
"That should be no issue—" Heidegger began as he began to pull up a grid.
EMERGENCY ALERT! REPORTS OF SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER FOUND! THOSE NOT ON DETAIL SEARCH THE SHIP! REPORT WHEN FOUND! I REPEAT!
Immediately Liv was on her feet and at Rufus' side in an instant, Heidegger looked at the two and then to the door. Rufus was seated at the desk centered towards the back wall of the room, Liv made sure to position herself at the side that was exposed to the port side window, she would use her body as a shield if need be.
"I will look into this sir—" Heidegger said as he quickly exited the suite. Rufus nodded to the larger man and watched as he quickly exited.
"Would you like me to investigate sir?" Liv asked softly. She had placed her evening bag on to the man's desk but in reach, if she needed her gun. Though not in uniform, she had means on her to protect herself and the President if needed, a gun in her clutch bag, a knife strapped to her thigh.
"No and nor should you," Rufus replied firmly.
Liv remained silent as she heard the faint disappointment in the man's voice.
"Um…well I recommend staying away from the windows,"
"You think they'll be able to shoot through the reinforced glass at close range, if they do manage to pierce the glass the blowback would maim them, " Rufus replied haughtily.
"Just an innocent precaution. You can never be too sure," Liv replied as she sat on the edge of the desk, still using her body as a shield for the man. She caught a quick glimpse of his annoyance as she situated herself on the desk, she was more concerned with his safety than his happiness at the moment.
"Besides what do you think you'll do in that dress?" Rufus commented underhandedly.
"More than you can imagine but I can also take it off if you prefer," Liv replied cheekily.
"Your choice," Rufus shrugged.
Ten, twenty minutes had passed since Heidegger had quickly exited the suite leaving the two alone. Liv knew that something had happened for the man to take a long period of time to return. Liv could also tell that Rufus could sense that something was amiss as they waited. Their only signs that the search was still in place were the hurried footsteps of the Soldier cadets and the blurred image as they hurried by.
"What's taking him so long?" Rufus sighed annoyed.
"I don't know…but it seems as if they're still searching though," Liv replied softly and suddenly shivered.
Without warning a gradual chill crept and settled into the suite, starting around their feet, and crawled up their form as they sat silently in the suite. Rufus sighed and immediately noticed a chill in the room at the transparent cloud exuded from his lips. Rufus quickly looked to Liv and saw that she was shivering, he quickly stood.
"H-he's here…" Liv murmured as she attempted to control the chattering of her teeth. Liv turned as if someone had passed her and finally she focused ahead of her as if someone stood in front of her.
"Who—"
"Sephiroth," Liv replied as her heartbeat quickened, she quickly stood. Rufus stood close to her as he looked around the room and saw no one.
"Explain," Rufus demanded.
"Before you arrived at HQ…this same feeling…biting coldness..." Liv trailed off. "I felt it when I touched his sword. I—" Liv stammered on her words as an image of Sephiroth flashed in her mind nearly causing the woman to stumble, Rufus quickly reached out to steady her but an abrupt shock shot through his body as he saw an image of Sephiroth appear in his mind.
"What…was that?" Rufus began as he looked at his hand and then to Liv, her attention was focused on the port side of the ship. As he looked, he saw him, Sephiroth standing before them.
"Sephiroth…" Rufus murmured.
The legendary war hero, Sephiroth stood silently in front of them, void of emotion until he focused on Liv. Liv stepped in front of the Shinra heir to protect him if need be despite being afraid of the man in front of them, she was still a Turk she couldn't falter.
A harsh and biting cold pressure had suddenly dropped into the room, pressing heavily on to their chest as the man stood motionless. The sudden coldness, and pressure in the room could have only originated from the man in the center of the room. Liv could see the man looking at her from head to toe, he was studying them as they stood frozen.
They both knew it was impossible for the man to be in front of them, he was dead, he was impossible. Liv watched as the man smirked and slowly began towards them, despite the overwhelming foreboding energy the man exuded, Liv forced herself to retreat slowly towards the door gently but urgently pushing Rufus with her. In a blink of an eye, the man was in front of them instantly causing Liv to tense and the man behind her.
"It is inevitable to stop the reunion…don't be frightened. It'll be ok…just like I promised,"
His emerald feline-like eyes bore into Liv as he looked down at her and then glanced at the man behind her before he stepped back and vanished. With the man's sudden appearance and disappearance, the harsh and biting cold pressure seemed to vanish along with him.
"So…he...is alive," Rufus sighed.
"Y-Yes…or at least it seems like it," Liv replied as she too sighed in relief.
Liv turned to look up at Rufus despite being completely shaken up at Sephiroth's sudden appearance. She knew she would not stand a chance against the man despite the gun in her hand, but she would sacrifice herself regardless, it was what she was trained to do.
"Um—Sir-" Liv began, Rufus was silent behind her but seemed to be deep in thought, he sighed again and finally realized that she was staring at him.
"You did good," Rufus murmured as he turned away from and pulled out his cellphone.
"Thanks…?" Liv trailed off and watched as he made a phone call.
"Tseng…" Rufus began.
As the man spoke, Liv willed herself to move, she felt as if she was still frozen in place from when Sephiroth had appeared to them. She took a cautious step forward and hurriedly made her way towards her bag that Elena prepared for her. She looked through the bag, an overly sexy pair of black underwear and matching silk cover-up was on top, hygiene products, a white dress and heels she had purchased before the dinner, and finally at the bottom was her navy blue suit and shoes.
Without hesitation, she pulled her hair into a bun and began to undress.
"The last sighting of Sephiroth was documented the day I arrived correct?" Rufus began.
[Yes sir. We have not heard of any additional sightings of the man since his disappearance in Nibelheim and the sudden appearance at HQ]
"Including the reports of him being seen across the ocean…" Rufus trailed off as he heard shuffling behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to catch the black and white dress slip from Liv's form and pooled around her ankles revealing a form-fitting bodice and shorts, and the knife strapped to her thigh.
[Sir?]
"Could you repeat that?" Rufus said as he turned away for a moment. Just as quickly as he looked away, she had already slipped on her trousers and was buttoning up her shirt.
[There have been multiple sightings of the man from our agents…but he had been seen…]
Rufus sighed softly as he watched the woman don her signature Turk uniform, as he looked over her there was a bitter feeling as she pulled her hair from the bun and turned to face him.
"I'm going to go check outside to make sure—" Liv began when the man waved her off and turned to continue with his conversation with Tseng.
Liv exited the suite and made quick rounds of the area, on the last round she sent a message to Rufus about her findings, she found nothing out of the ordinary but found a SOLDIER cadet gazing out at the ocean.
"You—" Liv began when an unexpected feminine squeak came from the cadet. Immediately, Liv knew that the individual in front of her was not a Shinra SOLDIER. "Report,"
"Um-!" The SOLDIER cadet began and cleared their throat, deepening their voice in the process.
"Y-Yes ma'am there are n-no signs of the suspicious character,"
As the cadet spoke, Liv studied the cadet, the way they stood, their mannerisms, the way they spoke, Liv could tell the cadet was female.
A woman whose floral scent lingered the first and last time she met her.
"Aerith…what are you doing?" Liv began, as soon as the name left her lips, she could see the cadet stiffen.
"N-No I'm just shaken is all," The cadet replied.
Liv narrowed her eyes at the cadet and sighed, she distinctly remembered the sweet floral scent that clung to the woman when she escorted her to Professor Hojo. Ever since that day, she had felt she had done something horrible when she had given Aerith over to Professor Hojo.
She felt guilty ever since that day.
"Aerith…" Liv trailed off.
"It's…" The cadet sighed "It is me…it's a long story but," Aerith trailed off and sighed again.
"I…I'm not gonna turn you in but this also means that Avalanche is here right?" Liv began. The woman stood defeated and sighed again.
"You saw right through me…you're good," Aerith sighed.
"Your disguise is fine. It was the scent of flowers that gave you away…" Liv trailed off.
"Oh… Well, that can't be helped," Aerith chuckled.
Liv stood quietly in front of the nervous woman, she did not expect to see the woman again, let alone in the situation, here and now. She did not know if the universe was giving her a sign about the woman, and their meeting again but she made no move to apprehend the woman
"So, um…what are you doing here? Are the others with you?" Aerith began.
"No. It's just me…" Liv trailed off a bit stunned at how casual the woman was with her despite being a Turk.
"Protecting the Shinra President?" Aerith asked.
"Something like that—"
"Miss Donovan"
Liv turned towards the large man that quickly approached her, immediately Aerith straightened up. Heidegger looked the unsuspecting cadet from head to toe before he turned his attention to Liv and frowned.
"Despite being the President's fiancée, you still can't stay away from the job," Heidegger scoffed. "It's unbecoming of you,"
"Sir," Liv replied with a head nod, completely brushing off his insults. "I was questioning this cadet here for information as there was no check-in for twenty minutes,"
Heidegger clicked his tongue in annoyance as he looked at the Cadet and then back to Liv.
"There is no threat," Heidegger replied confidently.
"A false alarm? To keep the President on his toes? Let alone delay that information," Liv began.
"Do not think you can belittle me because you're his fiancée, you have a place. Learn it well, girl," Heidegger hissed.
"I am doing my job when it is required…sir," Liv bowed slightly. The man scoffed as he walked past the woman and back to the suite.
Once the man was out of earshot, Aerith relaxed and spoke.
"He's such a terrible man…he has no right to talk to you like that," Aerith huffed. Liv remained silent for a moment before she spoke, she was sure that Tseng was aware but the man was going to be a problem in the future.
"He's technically my boss still…well one of them," Liv replied.
"I see…he mentioned a threat…" Aerith trailed off.
"Based on your disguise I highly doubt you or anyone else was caught," Liv replied. "But I'm sure you're aware of…" Liv hesitated "Sephiroth,"
Liv noted Aerith's silence when she mentioned the man's name.
"Oh...I've heard about him," Aerith replied. Liv caught the woman's sudden change in demeanor and tone as she replied. She foolishly assumed that Aerith had any idea about the silver-haired man but her foolishness paid off as the woman seemed to know something about the man.
"Ah…once we arrive at Costa Del Sol visit the planetarium and ask for Sumire," Liv began and looked over Aerith once again. Aerith nodded quietly as she watched Liv walk away.
When Liv arrived back at the Presidential Suite Heidegger stood silently in front of the dark cherry wood desk, his head held high as if he was being scolded.
"Before you arrived, I was informed by Liv that there were no signs of a suspicious character…" Rufus trailed off.
"Yes sir, I had my men search the entirety of the ship," Heidegger replied."And they are still actively searching and will continue to search until we reach Costa Del Sol,"
"And yet it took you twenty minutes plus to report in…you forced my hand Heidegger," Rufus stated.
"What do you mean Mr. President?" Heidegger asked.
"As you can see Liv had to leave and do the job that you were supposed to do," Rufus replied clearly knowing that she heard them.
"My apologies sir. I understand that she is a Turk and her job is to protect you at all costs," Heidegger began.
"You are correct but what image does that project if I am putting my fiancée in danger when I supposedly have security personnel?" Rufus added.
"I understand sir," Heidegger replied.
"As for your report…what caused the alarm to be triggered?" Rufus asked
"Our search produced no suspicious character; I still have my men searching and also we are checking the systems to see if there was malfunction…" Heidegger began.
Liv silently grabbed her travel bag and discarded dress and shoes before she disappeared into the bathroom.
"What am I even doing?" Liv murmured to herself as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She stood in the face of the perceived enemy, spoke to them as if she was not a Turk that sought them out at the orders of the Shinra President, her superior.
She knew she would be killed, and mercilessly by Tseng. Liv sighed heavily as she leaned on the sink running her hands through her hair, she needed to tread lightly.
Once Liv had finished her shower, she peeked her head out from the bathroom to see if the man was still around.
"He's gone, you can come out now," Rufus said as he typed on the holographic keyboard in front of him.
"Thanks," Liv replied as she exited from the bathroom dressed in the black silky cover-up. She situated herself on the black sofa and stole a quick glance of the blond, he was seated at his desk deep in the papers and tablets scattered but neatly placed on his desk. He continued to work uninterrupted by her entrance back into the room.
Liv picked up her cell phone and began to review the messages and emails she had received when suddenly the man spoke.
"We will arrive at Costa Del Sol in six hours," Rufus began. Liv glanced over to the man as he spoke.
"Review the security detail before we arrive," Rufus pushed a tablet towards the edge of the desk. Liv silently stood and walked over the man's desk and picked up the tablet.
The schedule was straightforward and seemed mostly as downtime for the man before he continued towards Rocket Town. There wasn't much talk about it, but his trip to Rocket Town could only mean one thing, many years ago the late President Shinra had started a space exploration plan but it suffered many budget cuts and the program fell into the dark. Reeve had mentioned it to her nearly a month ago, which meant there could have been talks about restarting the program.
"I'm aware that you've lived in Costa Del Sol for the majority of your life, I'm sure you're more than accustomed to the city," Rufus began.
"Yes," Liv replied as she placed the datapad back onto his desk.
"How do you view his security measures for travel?" Rufus asked as he finally looked up at her. He leaned back in his chair as he slowly looked at her from head to toe.
"You're asking for my opinion as a Turk?" Liv questioned as she saw the man's eyes fall from her and slowly take in her form.
"I am curious to know as a Costa Del Sol native, my personal security, my fiancée," Rufus replied as he took off his glasses.
Liv nodded as she picked up the datapad again and took another look at the detailed security plan that Heidegger created, she sat on the edge of the desk despite what she wore. His crystal blue eyes slowly roamed over her form and features as she studied the details, he was silent but appreciative of the display.
"Costa Del Sol is a rich coastal city and surprisingly crime is low in the city and of course the area where you will be staying is secure along with most of the city," Liv began, Rufus nodded silently.
"Once you start to travel out of the city that is where things become questionable," Liv continued.
"And where do your parents live?" Rufus asked. Liv glanced up from the datapad at the man, he looked at her before he picked up a datapad that had a map of Costa Del Sol already pulled up.
"You're adamant about meeting my parents…" Liv trailed off.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Rufus asked simply.
"Doesn't seem like you have the time nor interested," Liv replied.
"Why wouldn't I make time for my fiancée?" Rufus looked smugly at the woman.
"Your sarcasm is showing," Liv replied.
"You think this is sarcasm?" Rufus replied. Liv sighed, Rufus caught a glimpse of the woman's annoyance before he too sighed.
"Go on, you have my attention," Rufus shifted in his chair and crossed a leg over the other.
Liv placed the tablet onto the man's desk as she slid from his desk and crossed her arms. She didn't want to admit that he had caught her off guard by being so willingly ready to listen to her complaints.
"I understand that you're more interested in getting this over with but this farce or just walking blindly is tiring…if you want to be married and go our separate ways just tell me," Liv sighed.
Rufus watched as she spoke, he could tell that he had caught her off guard. He could sense when she was annoyed with him about other things but this caught him off guard as well.
"Your confidence in assuming you know what I'm thinking is humorous," Rufus began. He stood up from his chair, shrugged off his coat and placed his glasses onto the desk. Liv watched as the man rounded his desk and stood in front of her.
"I'm not the heartless bastard my father was," Rufus began. I will admit marriage is foreign to me, let alone a low priority,"
"Then why all the pomp and circumstance?" Liv questioned.
"To let everyone, the world, know about the marriage," Rufus replied. "To serve as a reminder,"
"I am not a trophy," Liv replied.
"You are giving yourself that title, not me," Rufus replied.
"You treat me like one," Liv added.
"Do I?" Rufus countered.
"Don't—" Liv shook her head annoyed at how nonchalant his responses were.
Rufus sighed and placed a hand on his hip as he looked Liv from head to toe again before he walked away from her and over to the starboard windows.
"My father was stuck in the old ways of technology…old-fashion if you will. What Shinra needs is a more progressive, forward-thinking approach," Rufus began. "To be married to the world's sweetheart, the Green Princess, would send a message to the world, make a long-lasting impact. The President of the Shinra Electric Company and the Green Princess to be wed means progressive and forward-thinking advancement…"
Liv was silent as she listened to the man speak, he was correct. For the two of them to be wed would send a clear message to everyone around the world of change, or hopeful change.
"But tell me…what would you think of the world's most powerful man being engaged and wed to one of his clandestine agents?" Rufus began.
Immediately Liv knew where the man was going with this conversation. She too had the same concern but remained silent about it.
How would the world feel if the Green Princess was working for the company that was claimed to be damaging, nearly killing the planet?
How would they view her…
How would they view him if they knew?
It would be a scandal for both.
"We both walk a fine line of work invading in our personal lives," Rufus continued. "How would you handle that?"
He was more than aware of the situation that they were in, of course, she was aware of their situation but there were times where her career clouded her judgment and he made it explicitly clear. Liv stood silently as the man turned to look at her, she knew that she couldn't answer him, how could she?
Quietly he walked over to her and looked softly down at her, hesitantly she looked up at him, her lips pursed together as she waited for him to speak.
"Liv…no…Sumire…" He began softly, almost tenderly that it nearly caught her off guard. "Stop being a Turk,"
"No," Liv replied and immediately felt tense as if she had said the wrong thing. Rufus nodded slightly with a slight laugh and a wry smile, despite the smile on his face she could tell that he was disappointed in her response.
"Perhaps…" he began as he gently caressed her cheek brushing away a stray piece of her hair from her face. "One day your answer will be different," Rufus murmured.
"Rest. I will see you in a few hours,"