When Tseng checked his e-mails the next morning according to his habit, he found a message from Chief Veld, asking him to stop by in his office after he had finished his "immediate duties" for the morning. Flabbergasted as to the unclear nature of this notification, he made his way to the Turks' headquarters, paid Rufus a quick visit and then moved on to meet with Chief Veld with the uncertain feeling that something was wrong. He knocked at the door and was bid to enter, where he was offered a seat, which was quite unusual, only reinforcing his idea that he was in trouble. Naturally, his bad conscience about what he had been doing with the captive vice president did not at all help put him at ease.
"I have considered your request and relayed it to the President", Chief Veld began, which caused Tseng to breathe a sigh of relief on the inside. He had asked the Chief for permission for Rufus to travel to Rocket Town for the Shinra 26 launch (of course, all complete with good reasoning for why it would benefit the company if he went), and it was well within Veld's liberty to outright deny such a request. Him passing it on to the president was a good sign because the president usually trusted him in such matters. He looked at Tseng inquisitively, but his eyes betrayed little as to the president's response.
"Did the president say anything?", Tseng finally asked, but instead of answering, the Chief leaned slightly forward and rested his hands on the desk, his fingers locked with each other. "I want you to know that I trust you, Tseng. And I believe that you know that there is no way Rufus could get away from Rocket Town." Tseng did not really know what to say to that, or if it was even necessary to say anything, and so he responded: "Why would the vice president get away from Rocket Town?" After continuing to stare at him for a few seconds, Veld pushed himself up and prompted Tseng to accompany him. "The president wants to talk to you." Tseng hurried to follow him out of his office. "Why is that, sir?" The President hardly ever dealt with people outside of his close circle of executives and a few people beyond that, one of whom was Chief Veld. Tseng had been in the President's office a few times, but he was hardly a regular there, and certainly was no part of his circle of trustees. Veld shrugged. "I think he wants to know how his son is doing, and who would be more qualified to comment on that than you?"
Again, this statement did nothing to calm down the queasy feeling in Tseng's stomach, but he had no choice other than to follow Chief Veld onboard a helicopter, which was to take them all the way over the bustling city to the roof of the Shinra headquarters, where only the president and the executives were allowed to land. As well as Veld, naturally, whose level of authority as the president's shadow was almost akin to the president's own. Veld appeared to notice how uncomfortable Tseng was, and after the helicopter took off with them on board, he continued their earlier conversation: "You know, I was young once, too. I have an idea how you feel." Tseng looked up, but the Chief went on, looking out the window: "You try to do everything by the book, but we're human, too, you know?" He chuckled softly. "And don't believe that will ever go away." He made a short pause as the helicopter rose above headquarters and turned around to land. He finally looked at Tseng again. "And then you realize the actual mistakes that you made a long, long time after the fact, and they are not always what you think they are." Tseng blinked twice and raised his voice: "Sir, what…" When the helicopter touched the ground only a moment later, the chief opened the door and, before getting off, closed: "For now, I trust that you will make the right decision when the time comes. But don't forget to live."
This cryptic message did not do anything to dispel Tseng's uneasy feeling. And what was the chief referring to when he talked about mistakes that were made? Nevertheless, he followed Chief Veld out of the helicopter, walking just behind his right shoulder, toward the tall glass window pane separating the President's office from the helipad. Only the president's personal living space was beyond there on the highest floors of the building, far removed from everything else in the city and the whole world. He spent most of his time there, rather than in his mansion down in the city. The entrance led them to the president's secretary's office, where a young woman in a black suit, who had her hair tucked up in a tight bun, nodded, and announced their arrival to the president over the phone. She sent them onward, as President Shinra was already expecting them. No one knew what he was doing all day anyway, because the executives handled all everyday business in the company. But Tseng had no intention of asking.
When they entered, the President was standing by the window, facing away from them, smoking a cigar as he usually did. Chief Veld stopped a few feet away from the desk and Tseng stopped behind him, looking over his shoulder. They waited patiently until the president finally turned around to face them. "Good morning, Mr. President", the Chief began, but the President only waved his hand holding the cigar as he sat back down. "Well?", he demanded, as if that was a whole sentence. Veld waved Tseng forward, and President Shinra continued: "How is my son?" Tseng had not really had the time to think about what to say when he met the president and would have to answer his questions, so he had no immediate answer for him. He studied the president's face for a brief moment. After having spent so much time with Rufus Shinra, he could not help but see the resemblance in their faces. Their pale blue eyes in particular, although the President's were watery and sunken in, surrounded by deep wrinkles in his skin, and his brows were constantly furrowed. With his shorter stature and significant amount of overweight, his body looked comparably disproportionate. Tseng had seen photos of young President Shinra, and he had been a dashing fellow at some point in his life, but only the sharp look in his eyes reminded Tseng of these days long in the past now. Still, he reminded himself not to underestimate this man, who had not only discovered the use of mako in energy production, but also single-handedly built his very own empire around it from almost nothing, a feat that was not easily copied.
"What's the matter, boy? Cat got your tongue?", the President reminded him that they were still in a conversation. "He is doing well, the circumstances considered", Tseng responded as generally as he possibly could, just to gain time. President Shinra, apparently displeased with the answer, sighed and pushed his cigar into the gold ashtray on his desk "Does he regret what he did?" Regret? Was the president talking about the same Rufus Shinra Tseng was thinking about? Did he not know his own son? Or was that a trick question? "No, sir, I do not think that he regrets what he did", Tseng answered truthfully, which drew a scoff from the president, which was all too familiar to Tseng. Perhaps they were more alike than either of them realized. "I heard that you get along well with him. I'm surprised that you're so honest." Tseng glanced at Chief Veld, but his expression betrayed nothing about what he had told the president. "He's the vice president, sir. But you are still my superior."
The President got up and turned toward the window, grumbling to himself. "I gave that boy everything while he grew up. He's too used to having everything he wants now and even that is not enough for him. And now he can't even wait for his turn. Lazard, too. Just what is going on with these boys?" He turned back to them. "He's not ready to take over." He sat back down. "Maybe he'll never be." Tseng swallowed hard before he forced himself to speak: "Sir, I've been wondering, if I may." The president looked up. "What is it?", he said impatiently. "What do you think keeping him locked up will accomplish, sir?" The President furrowed his brow in disapproval. "He's bored out of his mind, sir. At least give him something to do." The President's expression darkened further, and now Veld, too, was looking at him. But Tseng was quick to continue, before either of them could interrupt him: "He did a really good job at Wutai." That he thought that the president himself or any of the executives could not have done any better was a piece of opinion he kept to himself. "How can he ever be ready if you keep him in a room by himself?" The president opened a metal case sitting on his desk, took out another cigar and lit it while Tseng was talking on: "If you won't let him go, at least allow him to use his abilities to the benefit of the company."
"Tseng, that's quite-", Veld began, but the President interrupted him with a wave of his smoking cigar. "I will overlook this transgression", he growled. "If you speak like that to me ever again, rest assured that my son's boredom will be the least of your worries." Tseng could not hold eye contact with him any longer and averted his eyes to look at the ground in front of him. The president tipped his fingertips on the top of the desk for a moment until he sighed: "Fine. He'll go to Rocket Town and look pretty for TV and newspaper." He scoffed with contempt again. "That's the only thing he's really good for anyway." He waved his free hand at Tseng. "You're dismissed. Not you, Veld", he added as Tseng turned around to leave.
When the door closed behind him, he leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. He clenched his fists to keep them from shaking with anger. He was all of a sudden less astonished about Rufus' aspirations. It was only natural that President Shinra would be a difficult man to deal with. He, who had single-handedly laid the cornerstone for the greatest empire to ever have existed since the dawn of humankind. What an arrogant prick he was. And the contempt he was treating Rufus with was simply infuriating. When he noticed the secretary's piercing stare on him, he forced a smile, nodded at her and turned to leave for the elevator. His phone beeped as soon as he was in. He swiped his keycard to get to floor 63 and pulled out his phone. "What did he want?", the message from Rufus read. Tseng typed as quickly as his shaking hand allowed: "I have news. I'll be with you in a minute."