Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)
Author's Note: Chapter Ten...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)
Chapter Ten: Thoughtful Evenings and Quiet Decisions
A mile or so from Seventh Heaven, inside an apartment complex...
The flat itself was relativity larger than one might expect and rather more stylish, for its outward appearance seemed to imply quite the opposite, with its slightly paint chipped door, and the peeling wallpaper which surrounded it, with its bobbly texture that always seemed to fascinate children, causing them to poke and run their hands over it, in much the same fashion as they insisted upon touching every bollard they walked by in the street.
In fact, the entire complex left little to be desired in the way of appearance, and seemed somewhat slightly out of place within such an area, true the street wasn't full of millionaire brokers and movie stars, but still, it wasn't exactly full of homeless cripples and deadbeat druggies either, and yet no one seemed to mind the building's tired structure, or its uncared for quality, instead choosing to either ignore, or accept it as cheap housing for those that had found themselves in financial difficulty and in need of a temporary stop.
It was most likely due to this assumption, that people had always been rather surprised when they heard a Turk chose to live there, after all Shin-Ra workers were known to make a fair bit of money, and with a Turk's work being so dangerous and sensitive when it came to the skill aspect, there was no need to doubt the number of zeros at the end of their pay-check would be rather more increased.
The red head though, didn't seem to bothered by his living arrangements, in fact, he had admitted on one or more occasions to Tifa and his fellow Turks that he preferred to live somewhere a bit more inconspicuous, not to mention very affordable, after all, he did happen to get wasted on many an evening, and the amount of damage he'd no doubt end up doing to a flashy home and the sums of gil it would cost him each week for repairs, well...it would probably bankrupt him in a matter of months, plus, there was no denying that the place seemed to suit the young man to a tee, down to the various stains, electrical faults, and the rather more than a tad unhinged neighbours.
Although he wasn't the type to hold dinner parties, movie nights, or any sober events for that matter, the interior of his apartment had been seen by both his co-workers, the young brunette bartender, and many an unnamed drunken female.
The place was somewhat dull in the way of décor, with the walls and carpets being either a natural cream, or a darken brown black, and the rooms seemingly barren of any decorative hints, like paintings or ornaments, though again with was all very Reno-ish, as while he might have been outlandish and outrageous in his own appearance and behaviour, he was little bothered when it came to something as unimportant as home style issues.
Though he did put some effort into creating a pleasant living area, as many a friend had noted with surprise, his kitchen was not piled with dirty dishes and aged food as most had suspected, but rather clean, and untouched, with nothing but a few empty pizza boxes waiting by the trash to be recycled.
His lounge had a somewhat similar feel, with the shelves lining the walls, filled equally with bits and pieces he owned, and with his sofa centred perfectly within the middle of the room, just the right amount away from the electronic screen, which covered a large section of the opposite wall.
It was in that room and on that precisely arranged piece of furniture that the red head now lay, the curtains drawn apart, though not through want of light, as the sun had set quite a few hours before, and yet the lamp which hovered just below the ceiling remained dormant, with the only source of illuminating rays seemingly coming from the Television set, which was blaring out at a considerable volume, creating a whitish, grey light to stream across the coffee table and onto the sofa in an unseen V direction, whilst also reflecting upon the glassy surface of the window pane, causing an mirror image to be imprinted upon it.
The young Turk's form was sprawled across the cushioned material, head resting against one edge, whilst his legs were cocked up upon the neighbouring arm, with one out stretched arm, whose shirt sleeve brushed upon the wooden surface of the coffee table, as its fingers traced the tumbler's smooth rim almost rhythmically.
He'd been stroking it like that for too long now, as if his body had somewhat forgotten that it was even carrying out the action, and yet part of his mind was still nagging at him to take another swig of the warming, amber liquid, that burned his throat with a fiery smoothness, and although rather painful in its effect, it passed quickly, managing only for a moment to pull him out from his headache worthy thoughts, and bring him back to reality.
Though of course this only lasted for the briefest of moments, resulting in an almost forceful urge to do it again and again, until he either stopped thinking altogether and passed in to unconsciousness, or became so unaware of his own thoughts that they no longer mattered, allowing him to forget for a at least a short while, the decisions he'd been left to make.
The red head seemed unaware or unable to hear the booming voices which emitted from the Television's speakers with a soft vibrating rumble, as his eyes focused themselves upon one of the shelves bordering the wall directly in front of the sofa arm on which his feet were propped.
He allowed his aquamarine gaze to roll over the shelf's surface, which was littered with a few personally valuable items, among which were his apartment keys, his goggles, his digital watch that Tseng had given to him with the hope he would use its alarm to help himself get to work on time, though in hindsight it wasn't the best gift, as instead the red head had set the alarm to go off not at getting up time, but rather going home time, and a framed photograph, of him and Tifa Lockhart, taken in the summer months of the previous year.
Reno's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he studied the captured moment, whilst the memories flooded back; it had been one of those glorious summer weeks, were the weather never faltered, and the air always seemed to smell warmly fragrant, with only the gentlest of cooling breezes presenting itself when needed. She'd invited him to go with her to the music festival that was held ever year upon on of the commons, they weren't especially great friends at the time, but they were in that middle process of getting to know one another, plus the young brunette had insisted he joined her because he looked like he needed a good dose of sunlight, and an even larger dose of fun entertainment.
Although he didn't end up getting a tan, the young Turk did rather enjoy himself, of course it would be fair to say he messed around a lot during working hours as well, but when he was on that common with her, he wasn't a Turk, and neither Tifa nor the festival's other inhabitants seemed to view him as one.
True enough, he did love his job, though it would also have been fairly accurate to say that he didn't love how the general public seemed to treat or act around him; after all, he was a Turk, and while they respected him in that 'please don't kill me' sort of way, they also looked at him as if he were no better than the dirt underneath their shoes for the things he did for money.
He'd become almost used to the idea that no one would ever treat him any differently, though when he and the young brunette had spent many a evening in her bar, just chatting about the most ridiculous things, he'd been rather pleasantly surprised that she seemed to overlook the Turk label, and although she'd make the odd comment every now and then, the honestly of her genuine interest and willingness to socialise was there.
Tifa hated his work, no doubt about it, but she also trusted him, as she probably would do with any other known friend, to be honest with her.
She trusts me...
If he didn't tell her what he knew, it was a betrayal of their friendship, and yet, if he did tell her, it was a betrayal of the company. With whichever way he decided to go, he would lose something, he knew that with a rather considerable degree of certainty, whether it be Tifa, or his job, or maybe even his life, but then again, maybe not, as whilst it was true that Rufus was rather the master at making threats...and carrying them out, Reno was a damn good Turk, and maybe, just one 'mistake', would be ok, well...not ok, but a liveable offence.
His brow contorted further as he focused upon the printed, glossy image, held behind that thin sheet of glass; her captured laugh, frozen in the height of its euphoria, his serene smirk, and the chocolaty ice cream stain dribbled upon his white, blue pinstriped shirt.
She trusts me..
The red head's eyes proceeded to flash with some sort of sudden realisation, whilst his fingers subconscious forced him to down the rest of the tumbler's amber contents, before allowing to to swivel up, and around to an upright sitting position.
He quickly made to grab a notepad which lay upon the coffee table's polished surface, ripping a small, long piece of paper out of the nearest page, just lager than a credit or id card, before rather hurriedly scribbling something down upon the blank material, while groaning at having to shake the Biro every so often to loosen the ink within, so as to allow it to glide upon the dry surface with an unseen ease.
Whilst he had been carrying out this dramatic performance, his free hand had been rummaging around, deep within the soft cotton lining of his jacket's inside pocket, and soon he brought out a wrinkled leather wallet, whose edges bulged and overspilled with old receipts and tokens he never bothered to throw away, with each one possessing a history or memory all of its own, with some being rather more important than others.
He swiftly parted the opening, so the notes within divided themselves, allowing him to nestle the piece of paper, which now held valuably important words, between their creased folds, before snapping it shut with a dull thump, and proceeding to exit the room and the apartment, leaving the Television still blaring out into the now empty, darkened room, keeping a somewhat illusion of remaining life.
More than an hour away, and a couple of miles from Shin-Ra HQ...
The young blonde strode through his bedroom door, his face somewhat showing a tired relief at being able to finally relax, even if it was only to the smallest degree, as he slipped off his jacket, ever so carefully, and proceeded to hang it perfectly upon the hanger hooked against the wardrobe door.
As he glided across the room, and into the en suite, he pulled gently at his collar, loosening the uppermost buttons, something he never did in front of others, not for a moment fearing unexpected company, after all he had never, in all his time living there, had any visitors.
It was one of those estates away from the city, yet still quite close to his precious company, and had the distinctive air of unadulterated authority, even in its design and construction, with every brick just oozing with unnervingly powerful wealth, and its interior was so clean, almost ordered in a way...that was how he liked things...controlled and exactly where they should be...
It was his place, for of course, he hadn't lived there when his father had been alive, oh no...this was something all of his own, well something else anyway, after all, he owned nearly everything within the city and in Gaia itself, not that people knew, well they did, they just didn't want to admit it, for to do so would be having to come to terms with the fact they had no real control over anything in either their world or their life.
He lowered his hands towards the sink bowl, cupping them together so as to gather a fair amount of the cold, flowing water, which was descending from the taps metallic rim, and proceeding to splash the icy, clear liquid upon his face, before running it through his white blonde locks.
The young man was quick to once again turn the tap's handle, causing it to cease its flow, after which he raised his concentrated gaze to the mirror held firmly above the sink, and seemingly proceeding to study his own reflection; his perfectly placed hair, which now shone with the odd reflective bead of dewy water, his sharply defined features, those lips able to smile smugly, arrogantly, confidently, though never genuinely, not in front of others anyway, and in fact, now he thought about it, he'd never seen himself smile as such. Then he came to his eyes, their cold, blue depths which seemed able to frost over with such an icy hardness...they would never change, they would always be unwarmed, perfectly cool and yet somewhat dead...that wasn't his fault, but then, what was wrong with looking so cold, so emotionless? He had often wondered whether people would ever perceive them differently, like the way they perceived Tseng's, or Reno's or Miss. Lockhart's.
Her eyes were warm, there was no doubt about that, from the moment he'd met his own penetrating gaze with her's, he had always thought so; those deep, chocolaty brown rings, that glinted with crimson flecks, making them appear to him, as a blaze, like tree wood being set aflame, and its complicated, fibrous material, that entwined and grew beneath the toughened, textured bark, glowing with a dangerously heated fire, that sparked dangerously with every unwanted movement.
Her eyes were seen to be open, friendly, kind, and as such, it seemed she was able to attain things, like his own, but in an opposite almost; she could get people to like her, love her even, whilst he got them to hate him...fear him.
Though did he even want his own icy gaze to be looked at differently? Wasn't the whole point of his image that he was stable and unchanging? But then...was that a weakness? To stay put and grounded, after all, he had always liked to bring in new ideas and new techniques, unlike his father whom had been seemingly stuck, choosing to stay with the tried and tested rather than the new and different, so in hindsight, the young President was really quite adventurous...though not that he appeared as such to anyone, well not under the category of adventurous anyway...
Rufus took another look at his own, hollow, piercing, almost deadly gaze, the icy shade so able to strike fear and hatred into so many, and yet he still seemed somewhat unfulfilled.
And let out a self-irritated huff, before proceeding from the room, and shaking his head with an almost light amusement, clearly bot h confused and baffled by his own mind track of pointless stupidity.
He was quick to make his way downstairs and into the kitchen, whose metallic style seemed equally as cold as the water he had thrown upon his face, and soon he had pulled open the refrigerator and lifted out a large, clear purifier, from which he poured himself a glass of crystal clear water, focusing upon the rim, with the glass material becoming chilly as it filled, the fingers pressed against its surface seemingly becoming numb, as the glass was coated so perfectly, and yet it still appeared untouched.
After replacing the item, and shutting up the door to the icy piece of equipment, the young blonde glided through to the living room, where, after taking a small sip from it, he proceeded to place his glass down upon a small mat, and sat down upon a largely comfortable ,office-style chair, placed directly in front of a computer, which the President was quick to awaken with a single push to the large, blue power button upon its hard drive.
Its started process was finished up as quickly as it had begun, after all, it was one of the best systems around, and before long he'd worked his way onto and around his desktop, clicking on a few dull yellow folders, though soon coming to a recognised folder, which was labelled with four distinctive capitalised letters.
''Let's see what you are up to tonight Miss Lockhart...'' The young man gave the item a quick click with the mouse, which focused the files to process and open up into the desired windows.
The young bartender was busy serving a customer when the image first flickered up, though after a few seconds, she had finished, and had returned to her previous action of tidying the various bottles and glasses behind the bar top.
Rufus watched intently at the delicately soft movements she used when polishing the clear, hard items...it was moments like this that she managed to reminded Rufus more of himself; she loved that bar, like he loved his company, true he'd never really admit how much it meant to him, but he cared for it, he needed it, and without it, he felt he would lose every single thing he'd worked for, the fear, the persona, the power, and this seemed to be what she felt, obviously not the same in context, but the idea still stood.
Tifa halted suddenly in her organizing, and seemed to be staring somewhat thoughtfully into the dark wooden shelving, lost in some sort of dream...the only thing Rufus could not view.
He had wondered if what he was doing was right, and if in fact, like Reno had said, it was all a terrible invasion of privacy...but then, he basically owned her, though she'd hate to admit it, and he had a right didn't he? To keep an eye on what was his. He liked that thought, of her being his, though he wasn't sure why, not really anyway, he seemed somewhat unable to understand his own feelings to even the smallest degree.
Of course through all these thoughts and actions, he never did quite understand or realise, just how socially weakened he had become; in his younger years he was able, to some extent, see what was right, and what was acceptable for him to do, though now, after everything, his father, the company, Sephiroth, the weapon attack...well it was like he'd been damaged, with only parts of him remaining.
The brunette on the screen spun around, and her face lit up, making Rufus's lip threaten to curl upwards in a half smile of enjoyment, though the motion soon ceased as he spotted the focus of her delight.
The familiar red headed male had entered, and was now focusing his way to the bar, an equally beaming smile seemingly plastered upon his face, as he enjoyed the shared vision of friendship.
Rufus's brow furrowed ever so slightly, though he wasn't entirely sure as to why...he'd never had to experience a feeling like this before, he'd didn't even know what jealously felt like, after all, he'd always got what he desired, with no one ever having something he wanted...well not for long anyway.
But did he really care about this anyway? She was just a girl, and shouldn't-didn't matter to him; women were merely pretty play things that offered some light relief and entertainment, like a good film, or a cigarette.
''Now, now...what do we have here...?''
As he watched their cheerful conversation, Rufus noticed something, something distant, yet noticeable, to him anyway, within the young Turk's demeanour, as though his body was unsure...nervous even... if still deciding upon something difficult, which both perked and somewhat concerned the blonde, whom although sure he had scared the red head, was also equally unsure as to whether or not he would be capable of keeping something so personally important, from a friend to whom he had grown undeniably close to, and whether his loyalty lay to her or the company.
The blonde continued to observed the picture displayed upon the screen, though this him he focused all his attentions upon the red head, rather than the young female.
Meanwhile over at 'Seventh Heaven'...
It hadn't taken the young Turk as long as hoped to arrive at the comfortingly familiar bar, and the walk had been somewhat less than desirable; it was one of those horribly damp nights, being neither especially chilly, or humid, but just rather normal...and damp, coupled only with the occasional ribbon of wind and the dense, rather quiet atmosphere, that filled the empty streets, whose lack of threatening movement should have made the red head feel somewhat safer, yet it just seemed to inflame his senses, making him feel an increase in uneasy tension, as if he was the focus of some planned trap.
Of course the atmosphere inside the brunette's bar, was quite different, and it was only when Reno entered, that his mind seemed to decide on a rather clear explanation as to why the outer areas had been so void of life; because all of the city's inhabitants seemed to be inside 'Seventh Heaven'.
His journey from the door to the bar top had been a rather strenuous affair, and although Tifa had spotted the red head almost immediately, she didn't seem to keen on helping him, but rather more keen on the idea of watching his struggle as some form of laughter inducing entertainment.
By the time the young Turk had pushed, pulled, bashed and bumped his way over to the bar the brunette was in a fit of unbreathable giggles.
Reno raised an eyebrow, before allowing an sigh of mock unimpressed exhaustion to escape past his lips, ''I think Yuffie's been a bad influence on you...''
The young bartender could see through his play acting instantly, but that didn't stop her from placing two rather firm hands upon her curvaceous hips and letting out a huff of teasing annoyance, ''Hmph...you're the one who laughed at me last week because for ten solid minutes because I accidentally flipped that pancake onto my face!''
The red head snorted rather comically as his body reacted to the remembrance of such an amusing image, though he quickly tired to hide it with a cough, before pulling his serious Tseng-style face back on, ''Yeah but that was funny, and anyway, I've always been like that! But you Tifa...'' he paused for effect, as he allowed himself to lean ever so lightly upon the bar top, while shaking his head in mock disappointment, ''...you've changed.''
The pair proceeded to stare at each other defiantly for quite a few seconds, before neither could stand it any longer, and they both fell into a wave of deep chuckles, though it wasn't long before they recovered enough for Tifa to raise an eyebrow of sarcastic amusement, airing her question through a rumbling throat which still threatened laughter, ''I'm guessing you'll be having the usual...'oh so never faltering Reno'?''
''What else?'' Both his eyebrows ascending slightly, as he too tired to hold back the rolls of breaking amusement which were attempting to air themselves.
He proceeded to watch her glide over to one of the shelves and unscrew the tightly fitted lid from a bottle filled with a darkened amber; of course he'd already had three of the same at home, but it would be to suspicious and almost impossible for him not to take a drink, plus Tifa's were always the best anyway, and he needed the reason of payment for his oh so simple, yet fault riddled plan,
She returned quickly, and Reno was swift in wrapping his own fingers around the tumbler, and taking a warming, confidence boosting sip, whilst somewhat enjoying the bracing prickle that danced down his throat and yet rush up and through his head like a low level electrical current.
His mind seemingly blanked as he lowered the small glass container, now only partly filled, back down to the smooth wooden surface, and soon found himself staring deeply into the one of the many beverage filled bottles, which balanced upon one of the brunette's shelves hanging behind the bar, though not thinking about it at all, but rather his purpose, his reason for being there, not that he needed one that is, but tonight was special, tonight he had something specific to do and he had to do it soon before he either lost his bottle or his state of consciousness.
He'd been so lost in his own thoughts, that Reno hadn't realised the young bartender had actually been talking to him, clearly unaware of his wandering mind, with her voice being nothing but another buzz of raised jubilation, that sounded from most of the customers filling the bar.
When he looked up to meet her image, he was met with a beaming smile and a rush of actions, as she talking whilst also serving another demanding customer, ''You know business has been really good lately! I'm rushed off my feet! I was thinking of getting some extra help in-''
''Tifa I-'' He was cut off immediately, his quiet interruption being drowned out so very easily.
''Oh, and there's the new Materia displays Yuffie wants to send round and hang up in here...I'm pretty sure they're just pictures of her with her collection, but you know Yuffie, she never listens to a word anyone else says-''
Reno spotted and opening, and even raised a few fingers as if to enforce his desire to speak, ''Listen I really need to-
The red head slumped back slightly, and gave a tired sort of growl as he was cut off yet again, proceeding to prolong the next attempt, instead choosing to give his forehead an ache releasing rub, before downing the rest of his order in one pleasing bitter sweet shot.
After laying his glass firmly back upon the bar top, the young Turk reached into his interior jacket pocket, proceeding to draw out the battering looking wallet, and tapping it thoughtfully against the palm of his hand.
Before he realised what he was doing, Reno had allowed his head to turn ever so slightly, out of some subconscious, unwanted impulse, towards the flowered corners of the bar, causing him to cringe and quickly adjust his focus, muttering angrily inside his head, clearly annoyed at his own stupidity at nearly completely giving himself away, not that he truly believed he hadn't done already, and that the blonde wasn't going to be suspicious enough at his mere presence there; after all; Rufus Shinra never missed a trick.
Tifa was still rambling on when the red head had finally prepared himself, and with a sharp, yet muted call, that was neither angry or annoyed, he tried his luck for the third time that evening, ''Tifa!''
The brunette stopped immediately, and looked at him with some degree of shocked embarrassment, her crimson-tinted eyes wide and confused with the realisation of what she'd been doing, and it wasn't long before she muttered, whilst flashing a shy smile ''Sorry...''
His eyebrow quirked at the corner in a way of forgiven acceptance, before he flipped open his wallet and searched within its contents, much to the obvious distress of the brunette, who's eyebrows reacted with a deep, almost disappointed arch, ''You're going already?''
''Yeah babe, got work in the morning...just thought I'd pop in...see how things were going...''
She gave a sigh of questioning defeat, somewhat unconvinced by his reasoning, as the idea of Reno actually wanting to be on time for work was a rather unheard, though he seemed intent on leaving, so she decided not to push the subject.
Reno lifted out his arm, with his hand soon coming into a comfortable reaching distance, and as the brunette went to release the folded, five gil note being held perfectly between his two closed fingers, her hand brushed against his own, and although the moment of contact was so insignificant compared to the tickle attacks and joyous hugs they had shared, it seemed to carry rather more weight, as though some lingering, unaired desire or comment was forcing an uncomfortable tension between them.
Tifa's brow furrowed slightly, as she studied his aquamarine gaze, which was oh so serious, silently pleading, seemingly hopeful, and yet also blank.
His expression soon became unfocused, his gaze swiftly leaving her own as he muttered quietly, yet also warmly, ''Keep the change...''
''Re are you-''
Before Tifa could finish airing her question, she was stopped by the young Turk, whom suddenly shone her one of his wide, trademark smirks, ''Now try not to laugh so much this time!''
As he tried to fight his way back out again, he found the journey to be as equally difficult, if not more so, as his original attempt, and although he received a smile of amusement from the brunette, her eyes flashed with a mix of confusion and concern, not knowing whether the uncertain fear that was creeping upon her skin was worthy of attention, and as she put his note within the bar till, her focus never shifted from the Turk, her eyes remaining in place, even as the door swung shut behind him.
Meanwhile, back at the President's house...
The blonde's brow furrowed ever so slightly, whilst his thoughtful smirk gracefully shifted into an a half scowl, as he continued to focus his gaze upon the computer's motioning screen, seemingly playing the images, and possibilities over and over within his sculptured mind.
With not preconception or warning of any kind, the young man quickly rose from his nicely warmed chair, before exiting the room equally swiftly, and strolling silently into his kitchen, proceeding to pour himself a rather stronger drink than his previous choice of water, his mind now somewhat needing the sharpness to bring him to a decision.
After consuming to short, but strongly awakening, volume of brandy, Rufus slipped the small mobile device from his trouser pocket, and flipped it open with a motion of soft perfection, before gliding precisely through his contact list, stopping not long after the action's start, and proceeding to dial the easily recognised, yet not overly familiar number.
The young blonde couldn't be entirely sure of what he had seen, but something about that played out encounter was off, and if the young Turk hadn't in fact already cracked, there was no denying he wasn't that far off. So that left the President with a few opinions, though the rather more violent ones seemed somewhat unnecessary, at least for now anyway, and the simple action of taking the red head out of the picture, until Rufus had finished with his employee's female friend, sounded much better, and made things a hell of a lot lighter in the paperwork department.
A blunt sort of click reverberated around his eardrum, as the called decided rather simply, to receive the message from the known caller, and soon Rufus was hearing the calm, unfaltering tone of his raven haired employee, ''Good evening Sir, what can I do for you?''
The President never hesitated with his answer, whilst allowing an unseen smirk play across his thin lips, ''Tseng, that new temporary placement we were talking about...I think I've found you the perfect candidate.''
A/N= *Phew* it's like 5 in the morning, and I'm officially beat...but I was determined to get this chapter out before I went to bed!
Anyway, a lot of Rufus in this...thought I hadn't really been paying a lot of attention to just him, and his life...he seems very...one sided if you will, like...he doesn't exist beyond Shin-Ra, so I thought I'd show something we never see, him alone, at home, in non working hours! Plus you can't always develop a character through conversation...so I thought some quiet time might work...especially with someone like Rufus...
Also a lot of Reno in this... but he was needed for plot development and future stuff...little scamp manages to sneak into everything! And again don't worry, there will be some TifaxRufus focused chapters soon! I know I haven't really been doing a lot of just her and him...but their time will come! Promise XD
And I know this chapter was mostly descriptive etc, and not much action, but the last chapter was nearly all talking and there just seemed so much to say in this...
Oh and talk about me mentioning alcohol a lot! I swear I had in so many times in this chapter...I wasn't trying to go into either's dependence on it, not that they have one at all, of any kind of alcoholic tendencies...it just came up a lot!