studyingfear | An Academy Shooting Range, ShinRa Building, Midgar, Gaia, Wednesday Afternoon

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!]

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Tseng's posture didn't waver. He did nod at the occasional instructor as they passed by, not about to draw more curiosity by ignoring them outright. When the room was all but silent, he replied with a simple, almost desert-dry statement.

"It's my job."

You were brilliant, Rufus, there was no doubt about that. Tseng was still a Turk.

It would be interesting to see which one of those won over the other, in another time and place.

"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.

Tseng nodded faintly. That, at least, was a fair enough answer. They were hardly friends, after all. Rufus went out of his way to antagonize Tseng, and there were days when the boy was lucky he wasn't on Gaia, because he'd find a deranged Turk strangling the life out of him in short order if he was.

"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.

What... Ah, yes. That made sense now why Tseng wouldn't leave him alone. He'd been a fool not to see it before.

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.

Tseng's expression didn't waver, no. His eyebrow edged up on his face just slightly, perhaps, but besides that... No, he didn't show much of a reaction at all.

"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."

"Yes, but... in me?" Rufus said incredulously. He sounded as he felt, in that comment.

Tseng hated him!

Tseng was silent for a moment before, biting back a sigh, he decided to lay a few of his cards on the table.

"You're interesting," he settled on.

Rufus considered that.

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.

"I know."

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.

Rufus didn't grimace though he felt a surge of distaste for the idea. He suspected he knew how he'd been caught. He'd gotten too tangled up in being vindictive and petty and yanking Tseng's chain. That sort of emotional involvement likely had led to him making basic blunders elsewhere. It was hard to be on guard against someone you treated as stupid most of the time.

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?"

Tseng considered his answer carefully at that, frowning just the slightest bit.

"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.

"So then, you had no idea that a person could meet another version of themselves, I presume?"

If Tseng had known that, Rufus was going to hit him.

If Tseng had known that, he'd probably have that hit coming to him.

"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.

... Point.

A valid one, even.

"I understand," he said. Another mistake on his part in assuming the Turks would have nothing useful to offer him.

"I thought you might, yes," Tseng agreed, though to his credit, he didn't roll his eyes.

Rufus let that comment linger, watching as the next class came swooping in with a clamour. Once the class had gotten into their practice, and the shooting had started up again, Rufus felt almost... relieved.

Tseng allowed that silence to reign until the shooting had started anew. And then he looked at Rufus and simply raised an eyebrow.

"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.

It didn't last long, not once Rufus realized that Tseng was speaking again, but for a second there was something tired and... fragile, almost, in Rufus' expression as he watched the shooters. It made him look as young as he was. He rarely acted his age, except when deliberately acting out, but this wasn't planned and it was gone the moment he realized it was there.

"I'll consider it," he said.

"That's all I can ask."

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.

An Academy Shooting Range, ShinRa Building, Midgar, Gaia, Wednesday Afternoon

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