Days of Exile
Chapter 16 – What Are You Fighting For?
20 December 0007
Reeve Tuesti's office was unlike the immaculate, pasty white offices that one would expect. That was how Heidegger's office looked like when Meia stood inside some years ago. Reeve's office, although large, was messy. It was definitely not neat, neither was it uncomfortably messy. Meia liked the way the office did not look stripped of personality but it had a cozy feel. There was a slight scent of paper, accurately depicting the stacks of paper adorning his room. Big rolls of paper, normal office paper, some unrolled and filled with drawings, some crumpled and tossed at the corner for the unlucky janitor to tidy up later.
"… I like your office." Meia smiled.
"Many complained that it's too messy." Reeve pointed at a cabinet. "Go ahead and have a look." Without waiting for her, Reeve went to his desk to sort out some papers.
The glass cabinet was filled with various sorts of trinkets. From planes to machine parts, Meia's eyes lit up as she saw the display. Tihan would be so delighted to see this if he were here. She thought.
From the corner of her eye, she heard a distinct ring. She turned to see Reeve picking up the phone and clicking a button. On a screen on the wall, the image of a robotic cat, now standing on top of a large Moogle, appeared. Cait Sith! She thought. She did not expect to see Cait Sith at all because she had forgotten that Reeve was the man responsible for creating and controlling the robot spy.
"Hello Reeve, I'm back for my report." Behind Cait Sith was a picturesque scene that Meia knew could only be Wutai. Then, the cat noticed Meia behind. "Hello pretty," said the robotic cat. "Cait Sith, at your service!"
Meia stood, a little unsure how to react. She wasn't too sure as to whether Cait Sith recognized her, she was also a little surprised to hear that Cait Sith did not rhyme. Mistaking her hesitation as discomfort, Reeve assured Meia that it was a robotic cat that he created. "He calls many girls 'pretty', so don't take offence," he said somewhat sheepishly. Giggling, she assured him that she didn't. Turning back to Cait Sith, Reeve said, a little uncomfortably, "Cait Sith, call me a while later. I'm with a guest."
"No problem!" With that, the video call ended.
Figuring that some light conversation was in order, Meia asked Reeve how long he had had Cait Sith. "Oh," replied the middle-aged man. "It depends on which generation you're talking about. I had it for close to a decade, but I've made many modifications here and there." Reeve shrugged. "It didn't used to have a Moogle for transport." He turned his chair left to right leisurely and gestured Meia to take a seat in front of him.
"I see." Meia supposed that Cait Sith must've lost his rhyming speech during one of his modifications too. She was quite put out by that conclusion – she enjoyed it very much. "You seem to like Cait Sith a lot." She remarked, choosing a seat to sit on. The leather chair was nice and soft; Meia refrained from bouncing on the chair like a child.
"How can I not like something that I've created?"
"Then… I guess… you really like your job? I mean, you've created Midgar with your bare hands… almost." Meia quickly added to make her sound less like a bootlicker. "Many people will be envious of you – they want a job where they can do something they like."
"You'll be much surprised to find that your opinion is scarce, Matilda… once you stay here long enough." Reeve chuckled. "Many people work for power, for ambition, for wealth…" There he trailed off and refused to offer more. Reeve stared out of the window of his office. He had particularly like the view of the city below, but now the view seemed to be asking him the question that he had been asking himself: Are YOU working for power, ambition and wealth too?
A short distance away, Meia wrinkled her nose. "I know that working isn't as simple as it looks, but must people really work for these things? Are they so important?" As the man looked at her in mild interest, she quickly added, "I just don't really get it, despite my efforts to try… and understand." Meia's explanation felt weak and silly in front of his questioning gaze. "I sound really naive and dumb, don't I?" She asked sheepishly.
"Matilda…" Reeve narrowed his eyes at her. "Where do you come from?"
"… Midgar." Meia couldn't lie. She had already written it so in her particulars. "After my friend died," She said, fiddling with Tihan's metal bird. "I moved away at a young age … To Bone Village." She hastily made up details of her life, hoping that Reeve wouldn't see through her lies. "I've only returned recently."
"Such a great distance." Reeve sighed and for a moment Meia thought that Reeve wasn't going to answer her question. "Matilda, what are you fighting for?"
Meia blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"You said that people shouldn't be aiming for power and ambition." Reeve propped his elbows on the table and crossed his fingers. He peered at her curiously. "If not these things, then what should one live and work for?"
Having the question thrown back at her, Meia hesitated. "Wouldn't one work for love and peace?"
To her surprise, Reeve laughed. Meia stared at him with surprise. For the past hour, his laughter had been controlled chuckles but now he suddenly cracked up. Seeing the calm man laughing was unexpected, even for Meia who had met him for the first time. Meia smiled too; now that the man was laughing genuinely, it was clear that he was not as sinister as his counterparts. Much better than Gya ha ha and Kya ha ha, as how Rod would say it. She thought, stifling her smile now.
Reeve peeked at her and when he realized that she wasn't joking, he guffawed again. "Matilda, you ARE a very interesting girl." He managed to say after he was done laughing.
Meia pouted to the side of her mouth. "What did I say that is wrong?" She asked.
"Well, you-" Reeve stopped abruptly, then he hesitated. Finally, he spoke, his voice resuming a mild manner, "I apologise. Indeed, there is nothing wrong with believing in working for love and peace. Your ideas are very idealistic and surreal, at best."
"Idealistic and surreal, at best?" Meia repeated his words with incredulity. "I have lived my life wishing and believing that everyone is a good man at heart, and I am not going to let anything change that. Even if it's Shinr…" Meia quickly kept quiet, but it was too late.
"Shinra, isn't it? Did Shinra take away someone from you?" Reeve asked.
Meia was surprised by the honesty in his question. From the way he asked, it sounded like it was common knowledge that Shinra was responsible for the deaths of many. Meia wondered just what was going through this man's mind. I'm on dangerous grounds, doing the tango with the lion. She thought. One wrong move and my position here will be perilous.
Finally, she gave the answer best suited for her. "Yes… and no."
Reeve threw her a questioning look. "Care to explain?"
"Not too much, I'm afraid." Meia answered. "While Shinra has taken away many things in my life, they also gave me many things to be thankful for, among which is a job." Meia relaxed when Reeve chuckled. "Shinra isn't a complete entity for good or bad. Then again, no one can be completely good or bad."
"You're right, Matilda." Reeve agreed. "You've answered really well."
The brunette stared at the head of Urban Development in apprehension, wondering if his response was any indication of his loyalty to Shinra. She couldn't tell. But courage within her threw out the question that she later on regretted. "Then all these that you are doing, Mr. Tuesti… why? And to what end?"
For a while, Reeve did not answer her question. He calmly poured himself a glass of scotch and furrowed his brows. Meia studied his profile. Reeve Tuesti was, among the Turks, the least repulsive Shinra executive. The Turks had always appreciated his understanding of not meddling with others' business. Reeve mainly delved into his planning and designing, less on administration and research. It was only with Cait Sith that he did spywork. Reeve barely poked his nose in any other department except his own. Yet, there was something in his expression that spoke more than just your average businessman. Meia was too afraid to ask.
Finally, Reeve answered her question. "I want people to enjoy the things I've designed. The things that I create should create convenience, not sorrow and trouble. I wanted a happy life for the people around me." Suddenly, his face lit up with understanding. Turning to Meia, he asked, "Would you give up all monetary benefits, erm… I mean… money…"
"Yeah, I know the meaning of 'monetary'." Meia answered for him, grinning.
"Okay then… Do you desire to work for your 'love and peace' so much that you can do these work without hopes of getting paid or getting any recognition?"
Meia grinned. "Are you testing or interviewing me?" She looked around jokingly.
"Humour me, please. Miss Ederfeld." Even when Reeve was being playful, he had a sense of dignity that reminded Meia not to treat him lightly.
"Alright, here's my answer," answered Meia politely, like in an interview. "Yeah, if the job I'm doing can save the Planet or something… I wouldn't mind doing it."
Reeve pressed on eagerly, though with his straight face, it's hard to tell. "Even if you don't get any money, and the world would never know of your deeds?"
"Well, I gotta admit, this deal IS quite a stretch." Meia mockingly considered the offer. "But I say that for the sake of the people I love, I don't mind not receiving any of these." Meia grinned. "I love the people I love. If I have the power to sustain their lives, of course I would do all I can to make it happen."
"I see." Reeve said thoughtfully. "Thank you for your insight."
"It was really not much." Meia replied shyly. "Just some naïve and dumb girl's wistful thoughts."
"Naive, yes you are. But dumb? No, not really." Before Meia could respond, Reeve checked his watch. "I'm afraid I can't keep you entertained any longer, I have other business to attend."
Meia's eyes widened with shock. "If I have been taking up your time, I'm very sorry! I am going to go right now!"
Reeve nodded. "I suppose that would be good. It has been a pleasure meeting and talking to you, Miss Ederfeld." He stood and stretched his hand. Meia politely reached her hand forward and gave him a warm handshake.
"Goodbye, Mr. Tuesti." She said. "It was wonderful seeing your creations!" She smiled. "They look so alive and real… my friend would've loved them. Have a good rest!" With a wave, she excused herself from the room.
Reeve sat back on his chair, thinking hard about the things that had happened. There were things that needed to change. Looking at his metal pieces, Reeve smiled. No doubt I need to make some changes here and there.
On the top of Da Chao mountain, Reno was triumphant.
Reno was sure to take his time to walk towards the man that he previously had been chasing for some time. He would've ensured that he caught him earlier, but Rufus decided that chasing Sephiroth was more important.
Sephiroth can wait now… He thought, his eyes mad with glee. I have to settle this once and for all, yo.
He walked past Cloud and his party, barely noticing them. He did not even take as much of a second glance at Tifa Lockhart. For now, they will not get in his way, just as how he wouldn't harass them. After all, they now had a common enemy.
The hand of the Da Chao statue was bumpy; a single misbalance can send any man plummeting hundreds of metres to his doom. Not that it was a problem for Reno. Finding a suitable location to stand on, he flipped his hair and stared at the obese man. Barely weeks after he last saw him; already the man had lost weight. However, his greasy blond hair didn't change. Neither did he swap out of his distasteful clothing.
Don Corneo almost stuttered on his words. "… The Turks!" He squeaked. Suddenly, all his magnificent boasting about having "the last laugh" faded into nothing.
A surge of satisfaction burst in Reno as he realized how close he was to finally pinning Don Corneo down. Don Corneo cannot be forgiven, even if he had been cooperating with Shinra as an informant for the past five years.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Elena and Yuffie Kisaragi hanging upside down on the eyes of Da Chao. Reno tried to keep his surprise. He should've guessed, when Cloud was explaining to him that they had to save their comrade in order to get their stolen Materia back. The Wutaian princess alone had caused much trouble to Shinra with her childish death threats and failed assassinations. All SOLDIERs were told to be extra careful with their Materia whenever they work outfield in Wutai.
Why Yuffie decided to join the AVALANCHE's cause and how Don Corneo managed to get the girls there, Reno could not guess. But he didn't really have much time to think about that anyway. He couldn't allow Don Corneo to run away anymore. Not when he leaked out the plan to destroy Sector 7 to Cloud and his people. Not when he had been flippantly using his authority as a Shinra partner to satisfy his lusts.
Not when he and his men captured Meia and almost violated her, though that was years ago. No, Don Corneo's death will be barely a sacrifice, but more of a blessing to the Planet. One less pervert to worry about.
Reno swallowed his outright fury, allowing his alter-ego, the mask he wore to work, show instead. "You knew this was gonna happen ever since you leaked that secret." He tutted, as if chiding a child. "We're going to take care of you… personally."
Don Corneo swore loudly, flailing his flabby arms. "DAMMIT! Then they're all goin' with me!"
The redhead rolled his eyes. Did he honestly think that he can win us?
From a distance, Rude ran out from his hiding place. With a swift flick of his dagger, Rude expertly threw his weapon at the man. The strong wind prevented the dagger from killing Don Corneo instantly, instead it found its way into his stomach.
Which was all fine with Reno, since he desired to kill Don Corneo personally.
With a loud choke, Don Corneo staggered back and fell off the edge of Da Chao's hand. His quick thinking made him grab onto the edge of the statue's hand, where he was now hanging for his dear life.
"Good timing, Rude." Reno approved with a grin. He thought he saw Rude give a signal but couldn't care less. Rude was always reminding him to do his work quickly in case they got themselves into a situation that they couldn't get out of.
"… Let's get to work." Rude shouted over the howling wind.
With a light jump, Reno went to where Don Corneo was hanging. He placed his feet on his fat fingers, but applied no pressure. Reno smirked and savoured every ounce of pure terror in the crimelord's eyes. He was enjoying this. He was relishing every moment of being able to torture this man, but he knew he had to work fast. He didn't want Don Corneo to fall before he could do anything to him.
"All right, Corneo. This'll be over quick, listen up." Reno sniggered. "Why do you think we went through all the trouble of teaming up with those guys-" He jerked a thumb at Cloud's party, who still stood dumb-founded at the change of events. "1. Because we were ready to die. 2. Because we were sure of victory. 3. Because we were clueless." Reno almost laughed as he said those. The irony of listening to your own annoying riddles before your death.
"Two… Number two?" Don Corneo answered hopefully. Little by little, his fingers were losing friction.
The problem with Don Corneo's lousy riddles was that all his answers will not grant the victim the salvation he needed… Reno had just the intention to do the same.
"All wrong."
With a devilish smirk, Reno stepped and twisted his shoe against the man's chubby fingers. He could hear Tifa Lockhart gasping in shock. "No…! Wait, sto…" Finally, the fingers slipped out from the stony edge and felt air. With a shriek, Don Corneo plummeted, hundreds of feet down. Reno observed the entire scene serenely. He didn't recall that there was ever a sound of his body making impact on the ground.
Finally. He flipped his fringe with a sigh. "The correct answer was…" He shouted over the edge.
Rude caught Reno's voice and continued. "… because it's our job."
Behind Reno, he heard the young voice of Elena talking. Her voice cracked with emotion and fear. "Oh, thank you very much!" Her voice almost fell into a murmur. "I never expected you'd to come help…"
Reno realized that Elena was on the verge of crying. Poor girl. He thought. Nothing in military school can emotionally prepare you enough for being kidnapped. In this manner, Alana exceeded her. He could not let her show her weakness, not in front of people who could exploit her in the near future. "Elena," Reno said sternly. "Don't act so weak. You're a Turk!"
Luckily, she did not take offence. "Y… Yes, sir!" She shouted.
There was a short silence. Then, one of the AVALANCHE, whom Reno didn't recognize, took a deep puff with his cigarette and said with a rather awkward air, "I guess, thanks for today." Neither Rude nor Reno replied. Indeed, their alliance was effective only today. After this, they would return to becoming fellow competitors chasing Sephiroth. Worse still, if Shinra wanted Cloud back…
Reno's PHS rang, breaking the silence. Surprised that there was reception even up in the mountain, Reno picked it up. "Yes… this is Reno."
On the other side of the phone, Tseng spoke, "The President has ordered the capture of AVALANCHE."
Dread sank as Reno glanced at the mentioned group. "Yes…"
"Priority is still to get Sephiroth's whereabouts, but if you see AVALANCHE, do not hesitate to apprehend them." Tseng paused a moment. "We cannot allow them to hinder our plans."
"Yes…"
"Don't just 'yes' me, Reno," said Tseng. "I want your word that you'll get down to it as soon as possible."
"I'll get on it right away." Reno quickly promised.
"Was that the company?" Elena asked.
"Yeah, they want us to find Cloud…" Flipping his PHS shut, Reno turned to Cloud, who immediately readied himself to draw his large sword.
In Reno's head buzzed hundreds of options weighing each other. Should he really capture Cloud back? They did help them weaken Don Corneo and his awful monster, Rapps. Surely he wasn't that inhumane as to turn against the group of people who had helped the Turks, albeit not willingly?
He could almost hear Meia's disapproving tone in his head. He hated to hear her disappointment on his involvement with Sector 7. At the very least, he could spare themselves the trouble of fighting them – of which even Reno himself was not sure of complete victory – he could also treat this as a compensation for killing their comrades back in Sector 7.
As for Tseng, it's not like he will be surprised to hear that I had let them go. Besides, we ARE off duty today.
He noticed Rude scratching his head. "Are we on?" Rude asked.
I can't be bothered with these duckies. Reno thought. Today I shall do them the favour.
With a flip of his hair, Reno answered, "No, today we're off duty." He saw the party visibly relax, glad that they did not have to strain themselves with another fight. Reno thought he saw Tifa threw a grateful look for keeping his word to not bother each other.
An awkward silence ensued, which was quickly broken by an irritating whine from Yuffie Kisaragi, "Hey! Who cares about that? Get! Me! Down!"
Wutai was quiet in the evening sun. Orange rays smearing across the oriental buildings, lending the last bit of light on barter advertisements and runaway posters of the Wutai princess. Soon the artificial light from the oil lamps will replace the sun's glow.
"Reno."
"Yeah?"
"What was that all about?"
Reno turned to face his partner with a puzzled look on his face. "Rewind, Rude. I'm not understanding this a single bit." Beside him, Elena paused in her steps and looked at them, frowning.
"Good job on taking out Don Corneo… but you've taken it a little too far today."
Reno scoffed. "Hello? Have we met? Is this the first time you're my partner?" He spread his hands towards Rude. "You know I do this all the time."
"No, not all the time. Not in the last few years." Rude shook his head. "I sense something personal behind this."
Reno chuckled. "As if you could sense anything, standing at such a distance from us."
"I'm not joking about this, Reno." Rude frowned.
The redhead took a step closer towards his partner. "So what if I am taking it personally?" He spread his arms out. "It's not like I'm killing someone that I shouldn't kill. Shinra wanted that fatso dead, I want him dead too. Mutual understanding? BAM." Reno smacked his fist against his palm. "Instant, efficient results."
Rude pressed a palm against his forehead. "Don't tell me… Are you still fuming over Don Corneo kidnapping Meia? That was literally years ago!"
"What? All this serious talk just to bring in girls again?" Elena complained. "Come on, we got to get back to the airship, Mr. Tseng's waiting in the HQ."
"Elena, mind your own business." Reno spat back venomously.
Rude turned to Elena. "Go and rest over there." He said. "We'll be done shortly." Elena pouted and stormed off to the nearest bench to sit. "Reno, you know very well that we don't do our task with emotions."
"Oh, says the one who fell for Chelsea."
Rude's face darkened. "You're crossing the line." He growled, cracking his knuckles dangerously. "Who is the one that you serve? Shinra or Meia?"
"Both."
"It doesn't seem that way. You already know the dangers of being too personal in the case. Surely you didn't forget your trainings? Veld had told us many times."
"Well, look what Veld has become." Reno shrugged. "Oh, the irony."
"He is dead because of his inability to separate his family issues from his own work."
"Don't talk to me as if you know everything, Rude." Reno glared. "We both were there when Tseng told Veld to go after Elfe. And then for listening to us, Veld got into trouble with the higher ups. You and I, we have been serving this damned company for a decade." Reno exclaimed, pointing the ground for emphasis. "What did we get in return?"
"Work, accommodations, partners-"
"Who left because their own employers want them dead!"
"Only because they've sided with Veld."
"Come on, but we all know that they did nothing wrong."
"Wait, what?" Elena suddenly spoke from beside them. She sat up straighter in the bench. "What do you mean, did nothing wrong? I thought my sister and the others were banished due to fraud."
"Technically," Reno answered. "It IS fraud." Looking at Rude again, he continued. "Look, working in Shinra is cool and all, but things have changed."
"They've only changed because your Meia is no longer in Shinra. We've talked about this before, Reno. Didn't we agree that we will remain here because of Tseng?"
"Indeed, I'm still here in Shinra because of Tseng. Apparently, it doesn't look like Tseng is going to snap out of it. Face it, Rude. Tseng is not like himself anymore, yo."
"Yet," Rude emphasized. "We are not going to leave him in Shinra, are we? Or is it that you've decided to abandon your loyalty to Shinra for freedom too?"
"No." Reno frowned. "You know that I remain loyal to Shinra. It's just that… maybe I feel the loss of our comrades a little bit now. I see how important they were, especially now that we are terribly shorthanded. I kinda miss them."
"Yeah…" Rude's tone softened too, but not for long. "Nevertheless, we don't mix our emotions and work together, for reasons that have been stated and made clear to us from the very beginning. This rule applies regardless of what you think towards the company." Without another word, Rude began to walk off.
"Hey, don't get me wrong," Reno tried to explain. "I know that you just don't want me to get emotional in my work. I still remember why we shouldn't."
Rude paused in his steps. "Reno…" he spoke in a quiet voice. His tone carried an air of sadness, as if mourning for someone who had changed into a completely different person. "What are you fighting for, now?"
"…" Reno looked away. "Years back, I would say for Shinra's goals and for money. Now, I know I'm fighting to keep Meia safe and sound." He heard a soft grunt of resignation from Rude. "But I am not going back against my word." Reno insisted, swinging his arm to the side to make his point. "I've said that I'll stay by Tseng's side until he explains himself, and so I will stay right here in Shinra, protecting Tseng's sorry butt until I get my answer."
"… And that is all the answer I need… for now." Rude said solemnly. He turned to Elena, whose face was full of bewilderment. "… Let us go." Without another word, the two of them walked away, silence only filling in the conclusion of their discussion.
Elena quickly got up from her seat, wincing as she did so. The pain from being hung at Da Chao Mountain was still aching in her arms and thighs. "Wait you two!" She complained. "Explain to me about Alana, what happened? Why is she out of Shinra? Hey! HEY! Wait up! …"
Hello! This week is published a little early. Let's just say that in case it is true that 21st December is the end of the world, at least you got the second part of this chapter, isn't it? Well, it's already 21st over here in Singapore, so far so good.
In the last week I went to Genting, Malaysia (a 6 hour drive from Singapore) and so therefore I've prepared nothing much for this chapter's author's notes. I'll just say everything over here.
The Don Corneo scene was another of those scenes that was first incepted when I first started the story and now finally it is birthed. However, the scene that followed after was definitely not planned for till a few months ago. Really glad that I had some opportunity to meld those two scenes together, since it's another of those moral-conflicting scenes that I seem to love writing so much.
I really like the scene between Meia and Reeve. Who would've thought that there can be so much to write about Reeve? I hope everyone has been liking Reeve too, because he will appear much more often in the future chapters.
Now for some review replies (covering Chapter 14 and 15)!
Takara: Gee, a little too early to say whether any of them will die. Guess you'll have to keep reading ^^
TWA: TWA, you MUST show me the metal bird if you can get a picture of them! When I wrote about Tihan and the metal bird, I did not even know that it is possible! I just wanted to show Tihan as an extremely clever toymaker. If I could see the metal bird, maybe it can help me visualize it better for future chapters too :D (I'll also listen to the song soon!) I believe you're the only supporter of Kunsel. Writing him in the last year and a half makes me like him even more. Perhaps someday if the community is accepting of a KunselxOC… *wiggle eyebrows*
Jefri: Cissnei will not get a boyfriend. After all that crap she went through I admit she needs some love, but I simply cannot imagine her with anyone else. If you had played Crisis Core, you might agree :P Zack didn't write about Aerith in the letter because he mentioned it in the last letter many years back. Think he didn't expect her to ever leave Midgar too, so there was nothing that he needed his parents to know, even though he loved Aerith. (We can always talk again this Saturday!)
Rachel: YES! Hojo is a MEGA MEANIE! This will not be the last of Meia's sufferings, for sure!
Thank ye once again! Be sure to read and review!