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It said something about how unsettled Rufus was after Fandom's latest... adventure... that he'd voluntarily opted for going home when no one and nothing was expecting him, or needed him, there. Dark Nation came along, of course, and the half-grown dog anxiously haunted Rufus' footsteps as Rufus went through the motions of being the useless, worthless heir. Someone was always watching, after all. But while normally he made it challenging for the watchers, if only because it was their fault if they got lazy watching him and he hated lazy workers, on this visit, he didn't bother.
Rufus lingered near the shooting ranges, watching the Academy students practice but never making any move to do any himself. When he wasn't there, he was in his room. Usually, Rufus despised such empty predictability and routine, but he had a lot of think about and there was something comforting about the near constant sound of guns going off and Dark Nation's presence as he brooded.
And it was brooding.
Unusual, that.
[For a Turk!]
Rufus lingered near the shooting ranges, watching the Academy students practice but never making any move to do any himself. When he wasn't there, he was in his room. Usually, Rufus despised such empty predictability and routine, but he had a lot of think about and there was something comforting about the near constant sound of guns going off and Dark Nation's presence as he brooded.
And it was brooding.
Unusual, that.
[For a Turk!]
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Date: 2016-12-15 12:39 am (UTC)After a good twenty minutes, he decided that there wasn't anybody promising in the range now who wouldn't still be promising tomorrow, and he turned to approach Rufus, hands still clasped behind him, expression mild, if curious.
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Date: 2016-12-15 12:40 am (UTC)He wasn't doing anything wrong. He was permitted to be here. If he'd wanted, he was entirely permitted to waltz into any class and sit in on it, even participate if the urge took him.
Which meant Tseng wanted something. Rufus waited.
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Date: 2016-12-15 12:41 am (UTC)Tseng cleared his throat a little. Not because he didn't think Rufus had noticed him, mind. More because... it was as effective a conversation starter as any.
"What would you say," he said, turning his head slightly toward the range. "Any that look promising to you?"
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Date: 2016-12-15 12:43 am (UTC)He kept his eyes on the class, though it was really more about the sound of it than the visuals. "Not in this level," he said, after a moment. "There's a couple in the lower levels who have talent."
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Date: 2016-12-15 12:45 am (UTC)Not that he was boasting to himself or anything.
"I've seen them," he said, thoughtfully. "They'll serve your family well in time, provided they get the proper training here."
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Date: 2016-12-15 12:46 am (UTC)He made an indistinct noise in the back of his throat that could've been agreement anyway.
Though Rufus despised Lazard, and the feeling was mutual, technically the infantry were still serving the family.
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Date: 2016-12-15 12:47 am (UTC)"Shame they're likely to be wasted on the Infantry."
Or SOLDIER. Tseng almost, almost rolled his eyes at the thought.
"ShinRa's biggest folly always has been allocating resources to places where they'd be wasted." Now he wasn't talking about the people training in the range, no. He suspected Rufus was bright enough to catch on to that. "Places that do them more damage than they can do good, in some cases."
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Date: 2016-12-15 12:49 am (UTC)"Some waste is always going to happen in a large corporation," he said, finally. "And damage as well."
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Date: 2016-12-15 12:50 am (UTC)They were damage control in every sense of the word. Often in the ugliest sense.
Caring about whatever the hell was eating at Rufus right now was literally the job.
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Date: 2016-12-15 12:53 am (UTC)Except that Peridot had cared about him. Cared so much that his death had contributed to breaking her entirely. Possibly she did care, in the present time. He hadn't spoken with her since the island had righted itself.
"All hail the Turks," Rufus said, though the sarcasm was muted. His heart wasn't in it. Tseng was being oddly polite. It was disconcerting. "Not even they can mitigate everything."
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Date: 2016-12-15 12:54 am (UTC)He looked back toward the range.
"But that doesn't keep us from trying."
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:05 am (UTC)Rufus still hadn't actually looked at Tseng. The range wasn't that interesting but he kept his eyes on it.
"What are you trying to fix now?"
Him? That was a laugh.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:07 am (UTC)"I suppose that depends on what's damaged."
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:09 am (UTC)To hell with pretending they weren't talking about him.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:11 am (UTC)He made no move to leave.
"I would rather not."
You know. With all due respect, kiddo.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:12 am (UTC)Rufus changed tactics. He was adaptable, if nothing else.
"The President's teenaged son being in a funk is hardly something that requires intervention of your calibre."
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:14 am (UTC)"I beg to differ," he said, tone almost deceptively light. "I've been assigned to see to your personal well-being, after all. And 'a funk' is... decidedly out of character, from what I've observed of you so far."
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:16 am (UTC)He didn't really care but it was better than the other option.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:17 am (UTC)He let that hang in the air between them for a moment. When he spoke up again, it was in a much quieter tone.
"Which belies the flashes of brilliance that you show when you're confident enough that nobody will notice. And neither of those aspects of you have ever suggested that you're the sort to mope. Either you don't care enough about anything, or you have more important things to care about."
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:21 am (UTC)He was going to have to be more careful, he supposed. No one was supposed to have caught his 'flashes of brilliance' as Tseng put it.
"Well," he said wryly. "You've got me there."
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:24 am (UTC)"It's my job."
You were brilliant, Rufus, there was no doubt about that. Tseng was still a Turk.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:25 am (UTC)"There really is nothing you can do about this," Rufus said finally. "It's something I need to think about."
Dying. Peridot crazed. His empty guns. Being eaten alive. A willing sacrifice to save someone else...
There was a lot to think about.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:35 am (UTC)"I know it's... unorthodox, sir," he said, finally, "but if at any point you feel that an outside opinion would be useful in the thought process... I have been known to omit information from reports to your father in the past already."
He was a professional storyteller at this point. The President didn't need to know any of what went on over on that damn island.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:38 am (UTC)He glanced sideways at Tseng. "Shall I take it as read that you attempted to gain the information from the island and were denied it?"
Radio wasn't running. There were no squirrels keeping track of his movements.
There was no easy way for Tseng to listen in on his going-ons. It must be driving him crazy.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:41 am (UTC)"While it wouldn't be an inaccurate assessment," he allowed, "and I don't tend to broadcast the fact, I am capable of taking an interest in matters that aren't directly influenced by my ability to follow orders."
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:44 am (UTC)Tseng hated him!
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:47 am (UTC)"You're interesting," he settled on.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:49 am (UTC)It was rather an ominous statement, coming from a Turk. But Tseng didn't seem... malicious... about it.
That was interesting in and of itself. He didn't say anything flippant like 'interesting enough for you to want to talk to me' since that was obvious from this very conversation. Reaffirming it would be pointless.
"I try not to be," Rufus said.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:51 am (UTC)It was possibly one of the smartest things that Tseng had seen Rufus do to date. Play off young and impetuous, play off the disrespectful teen who craves attention, all while hiding from the important kind of attention right there in plain sight. And it would have had him fooled, too, if he wasn't left contending with the boy. Rufus' cover was the biggest thorn in Tseng's side, and worse still, it hindered his ability to do the job. Of course he was going to put two and two together eventually. He had to.
"We'll work on your cover."
Sorry, Rufus. You were stuck with him now.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:52 am (UTC)What an asinine mistake.
"I see." He doubted this was the start of a new and beautiful relationship. "What did you know of the island that you didn't tell me when I left for it?"
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:53 am (UTC)"Unfortunately, not much," he said, finally. "The assignment was presented to me not long before it was shoved at you, and while I did use all of my available time to prepare, there wasn't much beyond the basic, 'interdimensional nexus' available to me until I had more opportunity to investigate."
He'd listened to a lot of drunken squirrel blather after the fact.
He'd beaten his forehead against a wall a lot while he did so.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:53 am (UTC)If Tseng had known that, Rufus was going to hit him.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:55 am (UTC)"You presume correctly," Tseng confirmed. And then his tone went dry again. "I did come across some similar information a few months later, in radio reports that made me wonder if there was some sort of hallucinogenic drug in the water." Tseng had found the Soap Opera Weekend recordings. "But I'm certain you can guess at why I was unable to deliver that information to you then."
So, so many hours spent trying to get a gods-be-damned call through.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:57 am (UTC)A valid one, even.
"I understand," he said. Another mistake on his part in assuming the Turks would have nothing useful to offer him.
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Date: 2016-12-15 01:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-12-15 01:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-12-15 02:01 am (UTC)"I would be interested in working on our professional relationship. Not just for my sake."
Because yes, Rufus, Tseng had plenty of intel on the island that you were going to want. He could guarantee it.
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Date: 2016-12-15 02:03 am (UTC)"I'll consider it," he said.
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Date: 2016-12-15 02:05 am (UTC)Well, that wasn't strictly true. Tseng could ask anything he damn well pleased. That didn't mean he was going to get any of it. He turned his attention back toward the shooters, and fell back into silence.