[ Rufus would go for the big fish first, so Alec's hardly surprised when he zeroes in on the biggest bounty. Funny how there is also a "we" now, but Alec won't argue that point right here and now. There will be plenty of time for that on their way over to Sector 4.
Bobby shrugs, making a gesture with his fork that sends a bit of gravy dangerously close to spattering on Rufus. It hits the edge of the table instead. ]
It's a living.
[ Alec, for his part, simply grins right back at Rufus. ]
Maybe I was. Doesn't matter now, does it?
But anyway, it's been fun, but we'd better go while there's still daylight. Don't drown in all that gravy, you old bastard.
[ While Bobby gives him a mock salute and sets into his meal in earnest, Alec makes a motion for Rufus to get up so they can leave. Though before he exits the booth, Alec drops a handful of gil on the table - enough to cover the food plus a little extra, which Bobby scoops up in in his free hand without looking.
Alec ushers Rufus out of the restaurant after that. The midday air in Wall Market isn't exactly fresh, but it sure feels it after being in that place. ]
[The gravy lands too close to him, but then again, these are Alec’s clothes so he doesn’t care quite as much. It’s more the smell that gets to him. But what else is there to say? They’ve a lead on the job, and Rufus isn’t inclined to extend this conversation further.]
Right. Thanks.
[The words are more dismissal than actual gratitude, and soon he’s following Alec out, but not without noting the payment left behind.
The lower plate scent of smog fills his lungs, and he decides that it’s far better than the inside of that questionably greasy establishment.]
But Alec likes Bobby. The man may be lacking in table manners, but he's been around the block and remains well connected despite Alec never not seeing him in that dingy hole of a diner. ]
Wow, I'm surprised you're asking instead of just assuming I'm coming along. Did you breathe in too much grease in there?
[ Alec spreads his hands. By all accounts, he looks perfectly average, and he doesn't seem to carry any sort of visible weapon. It would be difficult to tell that Alec spent a pretty good chunk of his life as a merc. ]
I'll go, but only so someone's around to call for help when you're getting your ass chewed on.
[Some SOLDIERs didn't look like much, all lithe body mass, but underestimate them and their enemies were in a world of hurt. Materia, too, can lend magical might to someone otherwise useless in a fight.]
But if you want to join me just so you can enjoy the show, I won't say no. Either way-
[He turns, choosing to leave Wall Market through the south entrance.]
[ True, Alec is hiding an awful lot, but it's certainly not something he's going to show to Rufus Shinra of all people. That's a surefire way to land himself in a lab, and he does not want that at all.
Rufus starts off, the big man in charge again, and Alec gives another roll of his eyes before jogging a few paces to catch up. ]
I didn't realize you knew where you were going. By all means, lead on, oh fearless leader.
[He has a very vague idea of where he’s going, but Rufus knows the general framework of Midgar, especially the fact that the trains will be the easiest way of getting from point A to point B if you’re living on the lower plate.]
My namesake [his “namesake”, meaning Reeve] is a man who won’t let you go five minutes without going into great detail about the layout of this city. I’ve had it drilled into my head at this point.
[Though Reeve usually prefaces all of that with some ongoing project of his — an interstate, the upkeep of the pillars, the balance of what is built on the plate versus what supports it beneath — which has Rufus constantly trying to direct him to his father instead. The man’s priorities were all askew, even for an urban planner.]
Guess I should thank him at least once after all this, though.
[ Alec would have figured that the lower plate would be beneath (ha) pretty much everyone in Shinra, so learning that its layout was brought up with Rufus rather frequently is something of a surprise. Alright, so maybe Rufus isn't going to get himself lost if they stay on the beaten path, as it were.
The second they venture out of the Sectors proper and into the more wild areas, well... all bets are off. ]
Thank him twice, since you're borrowing his name and all.
[ Not that he expects Rufus Shinra to say thank you to anyone for any reason, ever. ]
[Said in a way that means that Rufus doesn't care if he does or doesn't. Really, the man should be flattered that his name is the first that came to mind.
It doesn't take too long to locate the train station, nor to wait for one going in the right direction that'll take them to Sector 4. Onboard, Rufus finds a nice corner to himself and stays there, unwilling to pay the other passengers any attention. A usual security system scans their IDs a handful of times on the way, and as the lights flash across them all in a thin beam, he has no doubt that he's being registered as "Rufus Shinra" in the system after a bit of code-wrangling. He wonders who has high enough clearance at HQ to see it ping in their operations, and what they might be thinking; if this is amusing to them, if they think it's a proper comeuppance, or if they're ignoring it with without a second thought.
Either way, this thought process threatens to send him into another irritable mood, so he breaks the silence sometime before they arrive to entice it away.]
[ Alec does kind of wonder how Rufus' ID is being flagged as they zip along through scan after scan on their way over. No doubt his dear old dad has that well in hand, making sure the proper people are aware and pay it no mind. Idly, he wonders if Rufus is going to want a fake ID to avoid the embarrassment, but that's way more effort than he's willing to put in for the fallen prince, so he won't bring it up. ]
I sure didn't.
[ Nor does he seem to be offering that information. ]
[Information that Alec's not willing to share, that much is obvious. But it’s information that might be pertinent to know for a variety of reasons, given Rufus’ new situation, and so he begins the process of trying to reel it out of him, one inch at a time.
He glances over at him with a faint cant of the head, corners of his lips tugged up into a tilted smile.
Hmm.] You know, at the end of all this monster-slaying, I’m still going to need a place to stay. Until I have enough income to stand on my own two feet again.
[Does making himself seem lesser and in need of help feed Alec’s ego in such a way that’ll make him more amenable? Rufus’ pride might sting a little at the attempt, but it’s worth testing the waters for. Playing the game comes easy to him.]
[ You can't play a player, Rufus. Especially when Alec is already well-acquainted with Rufus' ego and attitude. There is no sympathy to be found in this well that has long run dry. ]
Then you better hope this monster-slaying pays really well.
[ Alec has already made it abundantly clear that he's a very private person, and it doesn't get much more private than his own home. ]
[Rufus' smile doesn't fade, doesn't even falter. He'd be a poor businessman, indeed, if he gave up after one try -- and didn't at least attempt to sweeten the pot a little.]
You realize that I'd owe you? Not many people can say that they can call in a favor from a Shinra, and I won't forget how much help you are in this very trying time.
[ He'd love nothing more than to smack that smile right off Rufus' face, but starting a brawl on the train is never an option, no matter how tempting it might be.
Likewise, Alec keeps his expression on the vaguely amused side of neutral, unwilling to show Rufus just how annoyed he is over this whole affair. Not enough that Rufus is here, dragging him around, acting like he's in charge, now he wants what Alec absolutely refuses to give.
He clicks his tongue, unimpressed. ]
See, you're not making a great case for me telling you where I live.
[A brow arcs, eyes fixed on the other as if there might be a clue on how to make him more willing to bend.]
So then what'll it take? You seem to be adverse to mutually beneficial arrangements, so I'm willing to make it work slightly more in your favor. You just have to give me something to work with, Brennan.
"Mutually beneficial", that's rich. How do I know you won't just decide I wasn't "helpful" enough? Or that your old man isn't gonna bring the hammer down on anyone who knows you were here?
[ Any hint of amusement that Alec had been keeping in his expression is swiftly abandoned, as he leans down into Rufus' space. ]
I don't want you, or your suits, anywhere near my house.
[He doesn't lean away, but his brow angles and his smile slips off of him like it were a mask -- perhaps that isn't too far from the truth.]
That so. Maybe you should consider that you're already tangled up in this mess whether you like it or not. Ever since day one, when you agreed to funnel information for me.
[There's no real distancing himself from it all, not when he's seated right next to him on some godforsaken train on its way to Sector 4 so he can work a tedious job to scrounge up some extra gil. What a lark.
Rufus lets that hang for a moment, but then he nearly shrugs and leans right back in his seat.]
I'm only tangled up in this mess again because you decided to drag me back in. Remind me again which one of us got caught, Junior.
[ Rufus does have a point, as loath as Alec is to admit it. Alec didn't have to show up when Rufus called, he didn't have to shove a change of clothes at him or introduce him to Bobby or get on this train.
But here he is, for some mind-boggling, stupid reason that he doesn't even know himself.
Alec leans back as well, arms crossed and looking none to happy with... anything, pretty much. Maybe Rufus will get eaten by a brood of angry drakes and put an end to his troubles here and now. ]
[Rufus deigns to ignore Alec for the rest of the train ride, else conversing with him threaten to bring back that shitty mood. The truth is that they’re both in this mess together, whether they like it or not, even if most of it is Rufus’ fault — he had instigated the whole plan from the start, and he was the one who got in touch with the info broker once more after he was caught.
Doesn’t matter. He’ll figure a way out of this mess, he’ll claw himself all the way back up to the upper plate again if he has to.
The train reaches their destination, and Rufus doesn’t wait for Alec before he exits. Stepping onto the platform, here they are. Sector 4. Doesn’t look too different from what he’s seen so far, but maybe everywhere beneath the plate has the same lean-to, thrown-together apperance as the rest.
He pulls away from the crowd, and only then does he wait for Alec to catch up to him.]
Time for you to lead the way.
[Yeah, he’s unfamiliar with the Sectors themselves, the streets, the alleyways, what leads to where. And definitely where monsters might be hiding in abandoned nooks and crannies.]
[ He's definitely been on more pleasant train rides in his life. The pair of them must be putting off quite the vibe, because their fellow passengers seem to want to leave them alone.
That suits Alec fine.
For the second time today, Alec considers just ditching Rufus. He could stay aboard and let the train carry him to the next Sector over. Or maybe two or three or however long it takes him to find a decent bar. But again, he simply can't. Forgetting any lessons that will or will not be learned, if Rufus dies down here? Shit rolls downhill as they say, and it will land squarely on the people of the slums.
The wizard pinches the bridge of his nose, inhaling deeply. He may be pushing 70, but it's Rufus who's going to make him go gray.
Once the crowd has thinned some, he steps off the train finally, locating Rufus fairly easily. Probably the annoyance he's radiating. ]
Oh, may I? Keep up, then, and try not to let the notion of following someone else make you nauseous.
[ And away he goes, away from the train station and into the winding streets beyond. Wall Market is a maze of alleys and establishments of all stripes piled on top of each other, but it's a different beast from the other Sectors with their winding, narrow roads of cobbled-together homes and businesses. Nothing seems to have a rhyme or reason apart from things having just sprung up as needed. There are kids playing here, pets roaming around, and fewer open-air stalls.
Alec seems to know where he's going, following the twists and turns of the streets until at last he comes to a fence bordering the livable part of the Sector. A pair of men, armed and looking anxious, on either side of the large gate there, perk up and step forward, not with any sort of hostility, but more to warn them. ]
Hey there, if you're lookin' to go out, better you turn around. There's a nest of drakes that--
[ Alec holds up a hand. Perhaps the train ride wore his patience thinner than he'd like. ]
We know. My associate here means to take care of that for you.
[Seems like Alec’s mood has taken a dip for the worse, but that’s fine by Rufus. It just means that it’s straight to business with him, heard in the terse way he replies to the guards after their winding trek through the Sector.
Rufus gives the armed men his usual grin, confident despite himself.]
It’ll only take a minute or two.
[He gestures at the closed gate barring their way.]
Then my associate and I will be back before you know it, and you’ll be down a couple of drakes. So go on, open up.
[ The men exchange glances, apparently not reassured despite Rufus' attempt, but ultimately they decide it's not any business of theirs if a couple of ill-prepared hot-shots want to get themselves killed. The one nearest the latch on the gate even shrugs as if to say "your funeral" before opening up and waving them through. ]
Appreciate it.
[ Alec steps through the gate and waits for Rufus, allowing him to take point again. The gate is closed and locked behind them. Back here, the trails are broader and dustier without constant foot traffic to keep the dirt packed. All manner of abandoned lean-tos and straight up garbage, stuff discarded from the plate above, line their path.
Once they're well out of earshot of the men behind them, Alec turns to ask, ]
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finalflight2020-04-22 12:49 pm
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Bobby shrugs, making a gesture with his fork that sends a bit of gravy dangerously close to spattering on Rufus. It hits the edge of the table instead. ]
It's a living.
[ Alec, for his part, simply grins right back at Rufus. ]
Maybe I was. Doesn't matter now, does it?
But anyway, it's been fun, but we'd better go while there's still daylight. Don't drown in all that gravy, you old bastard.
[ While Bobby gives him a mock salute and sets into his meal in earnest, Alec makes a motion for Rufus to get up so they can leave. Though before he exits the booth, Alec drops a handful of gil on the table - enough to cover the food plus a little extra, which Bobby scoops up in in his free hand without looking.
Alec ushers Rufus out of the restaurant after that. The midday air in Wall Market isn't exactly fresh, but it sure feels it after being in that place. ]
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Right. Thanks.
[The words are more dismissal than actual gratitude, and soon he’s following Alec out, but not without noting the payment left behind.
The lower plate scent of smog fills his lungs, and he decides that it’s far better than the inside of that questionably greasy establishment.]
You keep interesting company.
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[ He wouldn't necessarily call the old man "interesting", but maybe they don't have gravy connoisseurs up on the plate. ]
Paying for a shitty breakfast is easier than hopping around, sector to sector looking for work, wouldn't you agree?
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Wasn’t complaining, was I? Though you might suggest that your friend Bobby invest in a bib.
[Because gross.]
So, Sector 4; got a ways to travel. Coming with?
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[ """Charms"""
But Alec likes Bobby. The man may be lacking in table manners, but he's been around the block and remains well connected despite Alec never not seeing him in that dingy hole of a diner. ]
Wow, I'm surprised you're asking instead of just assuming I'm coming along. Did you breathe in too much grease in there?
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Won’t ask twice. I can go it alone if you think a few drakes are too much for you to handle.
[Honestly, he could. Though the job would get done faster, more efficiently, if Alec hung around — assuming the man can fight.]
Unless you don’t know how to defend yourself? What a shame that’d be.
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[ Alec spreads his hands. By all accounts, he looks perfectly average, and he doesn't seem to carry any sort of visible weapon. It would be difficult to tell that Alec spent a pretty good chunk of his life as a merc. ]
I'll go, but only so someone's around to call for help when you're getting your ass chewed on.
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[Some SOLDIERs didn't look like much, all lithe body mass, but underestimate them and their enemies were in a world of hurt. Materia, too, can lend magical might to someone otherwise useless in a fight.]
But if you want to join me just so you can enjoy the show, I won't say no. Either way-
[He turns, choosing to leave Wall Market through the south entrance.]
-it's time to get moving. Don't lag behind.
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Rufus starts off, the big man in charge again, and Alec gives another roll of his eyes before jogging a few paces to catch up. ]
I didn't realize you knew where you were going. By all means, lead on, oh fearless leader.
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My namesake [his “namesake”, meaning Reeve] is a man who won’t let you go five minutes without going into great detail about the layout of this city. I’ve had it drilled into my head at this point.
[Though Reeve usually prefaces all of that with some ongoing project of his — an interstate, the upkeep of the pillars, the balance of what is built on the plate versus what supports it beneath — which has Rufus constantly trying to direct him to his father instead. The man’s priorities were all askew, even for an urban planner.]
Guess I should thank him at least once after all this, though.
[He... probably won’t.]
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The second they venture out of the Sectors proper and into the more wild areas, well... all bets are off. ]
Thank him twice, since you're borrowing his name and all.
[ Not that he expects Rufus Shinra to say thank you to anyone for any reason, ever. ]
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[Said in a way that means that Rufus doesn't care if he does or doesn't. Really, the man should be flattered that his name is the first that came to mind.
It doesn't take too long to locate the train station, nor to wait for one going in the right direction that'll take them to Sector 4. Onboard, Rufus finds a nice corner to himself and stays there, unwilling to pay the other passengers any attention. A usual security system scans their IDs a handful of times on the way, and as the lights flash across them all in a thin beam, he has no doubt that he's being registered as "Rufus Shinra" in the system after a bit of code-wrangling. He wonders who has high enough clearance at HQ to see it ping in their operations, and what they might be thinking; if this is amusing to them, if they think it's a proper comeuppance, or if they're ignoring it with without a second thought.
Either way, this thought process threatens to send him into another irritable mood, so he breaks the silence sometime before they arrive to entice it away.]
You still never told me which Sector you live in.
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I sure didn't.
[ Nor does he seem to be offering that information. ]
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He glances over at him with a faint cant of the head, corners of his lips tugged up into a tilted smile.
Hmm.] You know, at the end of all this monster-slaying, I’m still going to need a place to stay. Until I have enough income to stand on my own two feet again.
[Does making himself seem lesser and in need of help feed Alec’s ego in such a way that’ll make him more amenable? Rufus’ pride might sting a little at the attempt, but it’s worth testing the waters for. Playing the game comes easy to him.]
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Then you better hope this monster-slaying pays really well.
[ Alec has already made it abundantly clear that he's a very private person, and it doesn't get much more private than his own home. ]
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You realize that I'd owe you? Not many people can say that they can call in a favor from a Shinra, and I won't forget how much help you are in this very trying time.
[A beat.]
Or how much help you won't be.
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Likewise, Alec keeps his expression on the vaguely amused side of neutral, unwilling to show Rufus just how annoyed he is over this whole affair. Not enough that Rufus is here, dragging him around, acting like he's in charge, now he wants what Alec absolutely refuses to give.
He clicks his tongue, unimpressed. ]
See, you're not making a great case for me telling you where I live.
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So then what'll it take? You seem to be adverse to mutually beneficial arrangements, so I'm willing to make it work slightly more in your favor. You just have to give me something to work with, Brennan.
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[ Any hint of amusement that Alec had been keeping in his expression is swiftly abandoned, as he leans down into Rufus' space. ]
I don't want you, or your suits, anywhere near my house.
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That so. Maybe you should consider that you're already tangled up in this mess whether you like it or not. Ever since day one, when you agreed to funnel information for me.
[There's no real distancing himself from it all, not when he's seated right next to him on some godforsaken train on its way to Sector 4 so he can work a tedious job to scrounge up some extra gil. What a lark.
Rufus lets that hang for a moment, but then he nearly shrugs and leans right back in his seat.]
But have it your way. I'll make do.
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[ Rufus does have a point, as loath as Alec is to admit it. Alec didn't have to show up when Rufus called, he didn't have to shove a change of clothes at him or introduce him to Bobby or get on this train.
But here he is, for some mind-boggling, stupid reason that he doesn't even know himself.
Alec leans back as well, arms crossed and looking none to happy with... anything, pretty much. Maybe Rufus will get eaten by a brood of angry drakes and put an end to his troubles here and now. ]
You do that.
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Doesn’t matter. He’ll figure a way out of this mess, he’ll claw himself all the way back up to the upper plate again if he has to.
The train reaches their destination, and Rufus doesn’t wait for Alec before he exits. Stepping onto the platform, here they are. Sector 4. Doesn’t look too different from what he’s seen so far, but maybe everywhere beneath the plate has the same lean-to, thrown-together apperance as the rest.
He pulls away from the crowd, and only then does he wait for Alec to catch up to him.]
Time for you to lead the way.
[Yeah, he’s unfamiliar with the Sectors themselves, the streets, the alleyways, what leads to where. And definitely where monsters might be hiding in abandoned nooks and crannies.]
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That suits Alec fine.
For the second time today, Alec considers just ditching Rufus. He could stay aboard and let the train carry him to the next Sector over. Or maybe two or three or however long it takes him to find a decent bar. But again, he simply can't. Forgetting any lessons that will or will not be learned, if Rufus dies down here? Shit rolls downhill as they say, and it will land squarely on the people of the slums.
The wizard pinches the bridge of his nose, inhaling deeply. He may be pushing 70, but it's Rufus who's going to make him go gray.
Once the crowd has thinned some, he steps off the train finally, locating Rufus fairly easily. Probably the annoyance he's radiating. ]
Oh, may I? Keep up, then, and try not to let the notion of following someone else make you nauseous.
[ And away he goes, away from the train station and into the winding streets beyond. Wall Market is a maze of alleys and establishments of all stripes piled on top of each other, but it's a different beast from the other Sectors with their winding, narrow roads of cobbled-together homes and businesses. Nothing seems to have a rhyme or reason apart from things having just sprung up as needed. There are kids playing here, pets roaming around, and fewer open-air stalls.
Alec seems to know where he's going, following the twists and turns of the streets until at last he comes to a fence bordering the livable part of the Sector. A pair of men, armed and looking anxious, on either side of the large gate there, perk up and step forward, not with any sort of hostility, but more to warn them. ]
Hey there, if you're lookin' to go out, better you turn around. There's a nest of drakes that--
[ Alec holds up a hand. Perhaps the train ride wore his patience thinner than he'd like. ]
We know. My associate here means to take care of that for you.
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Rufus gives the armed men his usual grin, confident despite himself.]
It’ll only take a minute or two.
[He gestures at the closed gate barring their way.]
Then my associate and I will be back before you know it, and you’ll be down a couple of drakes. So go on, open up.
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Appreciate it.
[ Alec steps through the gate and waits for Rufus, allowing him to take point again. The gate is closed and locked behind them. Back here, the trails are broader and dustier without constant foot traffic to keep the dirt packed. All manner of abandoned lean-tos and straight up garbage, stuff discarded from the plate above, line their path.
Once they're well out of earshot of the men behind them, Alec turns to ask, ]
Have you ever actually fought a drake before?
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dusts this off...no obligation to continue if you don't wanna!
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