For backwatertrooper

[afterlaborday]

There was a saying about "idle hands," wasn't there, and how they related to the devil? It wasn't a saying Rufus had paid much attention to in the past, and it didn't entirely fit the situation at hand, yet it still came to mind somehow as he poked around the staff record he had in hand.

Honestly, he didn't really care who was coming in and out of ShinRa on a small scale, but on a larger scale he kept track of what he would be inheriting if his father finally bit the dust - something he was actively working on handling - as well as what, or who, he might be up against.

This particular record he had landed on, however, was of quite a curious nature; not an entirely unexpected one, but curious nonetheless, and he honestly had to thank the incessant gossip of the office ladies for once.

It had also led to his having to pull a few strings to have the person on the staff record assigned as one of his guards for this meeting he had to attend, and, as he knew the other guards assigned to him at least somewhat, Rufus had sent for this particular one and was now waiting for him to show up.

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[backwatertrooper]

Cloud was a little annoyed. Okay, maybe more than a little, but he felt he had the right to be, when he'd been all set to enjoy Zack's company for a few days, even if he'd still have to work for most of them. It was something, and then all too quickly snatched away by a random assignment he didn't understand how he'd been placed on.

Random, probably. Maybe they pulled Infantry from several squads for things like this? And it's last a few days, too. Ugh. At least he'd had his two days off, luckily, and the only thing he was immediately missing was another training session with Zack.

Still, Cloud grumbled the whole way up... and was then thoroughly surprised to find himself alone in front of Rufus Shinra, instead of with at least a handful of people there as he'd expected.

Coming to a stop, Cloud tipped his helmet back a little before he thought better of it and came to proper attention.

"... Sir?"

Didn't stop that from probably sounding as confused as he was and maybe a little annoyed, instead of a simple acknowledgment.

[afterlaborday]

It was fortunate for Cloud that Rufus had decided to be on his best behavior, even if he was sure that rumors of his hot and cold temperament had proceeded him. For now it at least meant Cloud wouldn't get a scolding, or a look of minute exasperation at the obvious lack of a proper soldier standing in front of him.

What Cloud gets instead would be a very faint smile, and Rufus standing from where he had been sitting with one leg drawn up to balance some reading material, to move over and speak to him directly.

"Don't seem so confused. Is it so strange for the person you're protecting to want to know who it is protecting him?"

[backwatertrooper]

Honestly, he could have taken either and just accepted it... if with some more annoyance, even if it'd have been his own fault. Sometimes, Cloud was graceful about things, others... not to much.

"... No, sir." Cloud tried, really, truly tried, to let that be all he said, but then he twitched his shoulders in a tiny shrug. "Expected there to be... more people here, though."

Unless Rufus really had gone through the trouble of asking up everyone in his detail up one after the other, for some unearthly reason.

[afterlaborday]

At least this boy had some sort of sense, or perhaps he just spoke the obvious. Whatever option it was, Rufus chuckled softly at the remark, shrugging his own shoulders gently.

"I know the others. I do not know you." It wasn't intentional, but his tone held a hint of distrust, a hint of challenge, as if trying to draw some specific answer from Cloud.

[backwatertrooper]

Well, of course he didn't, and a few minutes wasn't going to change that, and surely he didn't think that? Cloud stared flatly, expression mostly hidden thanks to the unwieldy top of the helmet, and after a beat of silence rattled off his name, rank, squad and platoon.

Information Rufus already had, of course, but what else he was expecting, Cloud couldn't imagine... or imagine telling him, either.

"Unless you wanted my home town too, sir," Cloud finished, hovering somewhere between flat and snarky.

[afterlaborday]

The tone wasn't very appealing but was accepted for now; no need to pull rank or cause trouble when he was just curious.

"If you would like, but that isn't quite what I am looking for." He gives Cloud a look that implies the other blond should consider the reasoning behind his tone, but supplying the answer in case it's missed. "I have had the others as guards before. I know what sort of people they are, where their loyalties lie, what I can expect of them. I want to know those things about you, as well, and sometimes it's easier to find by asking about a person and seeing how they react and what they say."

[backwatertrooper]

"I'm... here, aren't I?" Cloud frowned, trying to figure that out; sure, maybe there was some things that seemed odd, or not quite right, but he had goals he still wanted to realize and ShinRa was the best way to get that. Even if that wasn't the biggest of his ambivalence he would be very, very stupid if he said so.

"Not sure what you're expecting of me, here, sir." No sass this time, just Cloud shrugging his shoulders. It wasn't as if he had any opinion on the president and his son, really. He didn't know them, so the only nebulous loyalty came from where he was getting paid, wanting to do a good job, and trying to get strong enough for SOLDIER.

... Whether he was supposed to say any of that, though, Cloud wasn't sure, and wasn't sure he wanted to say that. Rufus could always pick someone else from Infantry if he didn't like his answers, couldn't he? He was hardly special, no matter what he had been hoping to have attained at this point.

[afterlaborday]

It was interesting. Usually people in this position would be nervous, for one reason or another, but this Cloud seemed more bored and confused, even somewhat aloof. It made Rufus chuckle, even if he had not had any intention to do so.

"Why not start by taking off that helmet so I can see you, then tell me what it is you want by working in this company?"

[backwatertrooper]

Squinting at the chuckle, Cloud couldn't decide if that was bad or good. He hated it when he couldn't easily figure out why people laughed at him. Sure, considering who it was, he couldn't actually do much of anything, but he'd survived so far, even with the occasional too-sharp snarking done.

"Um... Yessir." That... wasn't what he'd expected - the helmet part, that was, not the latter - though maybe it made sense if Rufus wanted to know who was around him. With a little shrug, Cloud pulled his helmet off and tucked it under an arm as he returned to a more properly alert stance. "I want to join SOLDIER."

Better to just... cut it down to that. That was easy, and true.

[afterlaborday]

If Cloud hung around long enough, he would find that Rufus found amusement quite often, and quite often where he shouldn't; it was a guard against dealing with people on an even level, finely tuned over years of dealing with, and listening to, his father; which, quite ironically, also amused him.

This was something he kept to himself, however, eyes watching as Cloud removed the helmet, and managed not to smirk at what he saw. Aside from the terrible hair, he could see exactly why the rumors he had heard got started; blond hair, blue eyes, just like he and his father, and probably other bastard children the old man hadn't told him of. Even the will, or arrogance, or whatever it was called by people, seemed to fit.

The question was, were these things all coincidence or was there a lot more about his family he had to uncover? Did it matter, or did he care enough to find out, or go beyond the bit of curiosity he'd shown so far? This was something yet to be discovered.

For now, Rufus focused on the situation at hand, and the answer to the question he had given. "SOLDIER, huh? That's a hard position to attain."

[backwatertrooper]

Better not say anything about terrible hair Rufus. There was nothing wrong with it, and at least he came by his naturally, compared with those who went through the extra effort of basically dumping a lot of gel in their hair to get the same effect... and then usually still made fun of the natural spikes.

"I don't mind working for it." Which he didn't, even if he was, by this point, pretty disheartened, even if Zack insisted he'd get it next time. Which, maybe he would. Training was something he could do, so he could get to the point of testing for mako sensitivity. He'd just hoped he'd be further along by now. "I just... want more than this."

Clamping down on anything else that might slip out, Cloud shrugged and looked away with a little grimace, burying his chin in his uniform scarf. Too late to take that back, though.

[afterlaborday]

Rufus is not Zack, Cloud; his hair doesn't spike up, even naturally... It's also too bad that Cloud hates being laughed at, as his remarks and his look earn an actual laugh rather than the previous chuckles he had been receiving.

"You mean more than guarding the president's son?"

[backwatertrooper]

Scrunching his nose, Cloud scowls briefly at the laugh, though his annoyance turns into awkward embarrassment when he realizes how that sounded thanks to Rufus' comment. On the other hand...

Cloud straightens up, even if his cheeks are still a little pink, and shrugs slightly.

"Doesn't make me any less of of a grunt, sir." He's not even an officer, so, well... yes, definitely more than this, regardless of his current assignment.

[afterlaborday]

"Not everyone gets to the top quickly." Still smiling, he shifts so he can clasp his hands together between his legs. "Some never will ascend to that height, but let me offer you some advice; moping and crying won't do anything</> to get you there, so rather than do these things, find some advantage in this situation."

[backwatertrooper]

Cloud shifted on his feet and shrugged. He'd noticed that, thanks. He didn't like it, but what was there to do about it? Nothing, really. Not until he got stronger... which he was, so hopefully next time he'd make it past the physical portion of the exam.

That wasn't all, of course, and Cloud gritted his teeth - what did Rufus Shinra know about any of that, anyway? Cloud was, just barely, not stupid enough to spit that out though. Remembered at the last possible moment with an angry pink tinge to his cheeks all ready to burst out, that the man in front of him could easily not just have him dismissed from the mission, but from the company as a whole.

"Advantage?" He didn't quite manage not to sound sullen, though. "Where? The only thing that's gonna get me into SOLDIER is passing the exams. Sir."

He was... working on that. Even if he'd needed Zack's encouragement to start again.

[afterlaborday]

Rufus would have been somewhere between amused and pissed off if Cloud had asked him. Amused due to the fact it would show Cloud had a backbone, pissed because he rather hated the fact everyone assumed his life was easy, even if he did sometimes use that assumption for his own purposes and to his own advantage.

Mostly, though, there was a part of him who truly disliked that assumption, and that he had no real way to deny it without showing the one thing he had been trained and berated not to show; weakness. Or what his father considered weakness.

That line of thought was one Cloud would probably never be privy to, and so he would only get the results of everything Rufus had learned, even the gem he was about to deliver; which was also a test of who Cloud was.

"Knowing someone so high in the ranks can always be an advantage. Every company has strings that can be pulled."

[backwatertrooper]

He has plenty of backbone, thank you! Just because he can't know Rufus would be partially amused by that doesn't mean it's not potentially a career-ending line to voice.

Staring for a beat, Cloud probably looked as incredulous as he felt before he snorted loudly.

"... Maybe, but even if... that'd get me past the physical exam, it's not gonna magically make the mako test a positive. And I want to do this on my own merit." Pausing, he shook his head, eyes narrowing. "Besides. There's no reason for you to do something like that."

That was the thing he didn't get. Why were they even having this conversation, in this way? Rufus had no reason to be less implicitly and more explicitly implying these things were possible and within reach, if he wanted them. He was literally nobody, and it'd give Rufus absolutely nothing to do something like that.

[afterlaborday]

If Rufus had actually been serious about the offer, he would have found a way to make it worth his while. He had learned his lessons about people and his position very quickly, and how if he didn't use them, they would use him. Most of the people who were "loyal" to him were only so because he gave them things they wanted, and be wasn't stupid enough to believe otherwise.

No, this was all curiosity on his part. A game of cat and mouse; or maybe scientist and mouse? And Cloud was certainly keeping Rufus curious enough to keep playing. Indeed, his mind was already working hours and days ahead, though he was still also fully immersed in the now.

"That's a rare answer..."

[backwatertrooper]

"Guess that's not so surprising," Cloud muttered, shrugging. He wasn't stupid, that sort of offer was good, if it was honestly made, but he didn't trust it. And even if Rufus could have actually helped him...

That wasn't the sort of help he wanted. He did want to do this on his own merit, with his own strength. The sort of help he wanted was closer to Zack helping him train and get more combat-related knowledge than anything else.

"Was that it?" Frowning, Cloud cocked his head. Was that the test Rufus had called him up here to pass before the mission? He couldn't see any other use, even if that, in itself, seemed like a dumb test. It wasn't like Rufus really had (or would have) to acknowledge him at all while he was on duty, so all this seemed... excessive.

[afterlaborday]

To mind read would be amazing, as Rufus could have told Cloud how such a test could be useful, if that was the true purpose behind this meeting. He was arrogant, perhaps too much so, but was learning that he couldn't expect to be safe merely based on his name; which left needing to know, and control, as many factors as he could.

So perhaps the meeting was in part for that reason, but perhaps not. He was still more interested in the rumors, as compared to a ShinRa grunt who had never shown any sign of working against the company. That the rumors and said grunt were linked was just coincidence in his mind, and since he'd attained what he wanted for the moment...

"That was it." His voice is dismissive, though anyone looking could see the amusement hidden in his eyes. "You may go back to the unit now."

Rufus could imagine that in Cloud's mind this would seem like the end. The son of the president would have no more call to speak with such a lowly creature outside of orders given, and that waiting patiently until the trip was over would be more than enough.

Unfortunately, he would be very wrong on the thought if it was truly there, as Rufus was far from done. Curiosity piqued, he'd make sure Cloud was stuck babysitting most of the trip, and barring other trouble, he might just convince a few of the others on his guard detail to discreetly repeat some of the rumors which caused him to want to meet Cloud in the first place where the boy could hear them.

[backwatertrooper]

Cloud left almost as confused as he came. He wasn't surprised that that was it, but at the same time... it seemed like way too much effort and attention given to something that'd last no more than a few days.

A few days that were more exhausting than they had any right to be, since what he mostly did was standing around, either behind Rufus or at the door of whatever current room he was in. Far more annoying though, was being talked about as if he wasn't there by some other in Rufus' detail, and what they said...

Cloud had to catch himself from turning to look at Rufus every time he thought about that after he'd heard it that morning. It seemed... utterly stupid. Why would anyone believe that? There were lots of blond people in the world!

... It was just, his mother had always steadfastly refused to talk about it, and while he didn't know what the mansion near the town had been used for, it'd been owned by the Shinra family before it'd been put into the company's service, everyone knew that.

Another glance he caught just in time, and Cloud suppressed a growl, fantasizing about going back in time and throwing his breakfast at the gossipers. It was really hard to focus on his job like this!

[afterlaborday]

Rufus was highly amused by the frequent glances and the desire to say something, both of which he knew about due to watching Cloud back, although he was not at all shy if he got caught, may have even smirked at Cloud for no other reason than to do so if caught.

At least, up until the last day or so of the meetings he had.

Never one to be idle, Rufus had continued to dig after meeting Cloud. He knew everything similar to he and his father, even the determination the other young man showed, applied to more people than the Shinra family, but something just told him to dig.

A few days, several records, and a handful of calls later, he'd found his answer; and he wasn't entirely sure what to think about it. It had even crossed his mind to call and ask his father if he knew, try to get a rise out of him, but had decided it would end up going the wrong way.

The old man didn't care in the least about things like that, considering he barely seemed to care about the child he had bothered to keep around as his heir. So anything said to him would have been met with some slight or offense, and he wasn't in the mood for that sort of game. It was why he hadn't been returning Cloud's looks the whole day, why he had summoned the boy to his room a time after dinner that same night.

[backwatertrooper]

Being asked to Rufus' room after he was off duty wasn't what he wanted to do. At least he'd gotten to eat before he had to take off, but being only in regular civilian clothes right then made him feel... weirdly exposed as he shifted on his feet in front of the door.

Rufus probably already knew he was there, because he'd passed at least one of the other guys on the detail (and Cloud was pretty sure there were at least three Turks involved, so what Rufus needed a couple Infantry for, he wasn't sure.

Maybe it was about not looking like he had as much security as he did, though. The Turks were smartly dressed, but honestly wouldn't look weird in an office, and none of them were visibly armed, compared to the uniformed and definitely visibly armed Infantry (or SOLDIER, but there were no SOLDIER here).

Huffing, Cloud straightened up and knocked on the door.

[afterlaborday]

Rufus was too much like his father in the sense that he enjoyed the spectacle of proving he had power, and he would have been happy to keep showing off if he had any reason to; and if the conversation which was going to occur wasn't so personal and bad for the Shinra image.

The knock earns a moment's silence before Rufus opens the door, giving Cloud a small nod and moving aside to let him in. "Have a seat, I've got something to speak with you about."

[backwatertrooper]

That was never a good thing to hear, and Cloud's eyes narrowed, going from Rufus to the rest of the room then back. There was nothing weird in the room and there were only the two of them here, though, so Cloud couldn't really come up with a reason to protest and slipped inside instead.

"... That's usually never good, when someone says that," Cloud said, feeling reasonably bold even if he still also felt awkwardly exposed without the uniform and the helmet and the uniform scarf. They were layers he'd become used to, in some ways.

Still, with another look around the room, he found a chair to sit in, if a little hesitantly.