{Open, In progress}

[takexcontrol]

Characters: Rufus Shinra (takexcontrol) and anybody who wants to visit that can get security clearance from Sephiroth friends and employees, except you, Basch XP.
Date/Time: November 18 & 19, various times
Location: Rufus' hospital room
Rating: PG-13 in case of Agon or Kanda language
Summary: Lonely Rufus wants company. Visitation log

Comments

[ryuu_oyakata]

[ooc: Am totally still on hiatus but this was itching at me and I should probably get it out of the way before my muse interrupts my work anymore. X_x]

Seto approved of the way Sephiroth ran things. The silver-haired man was a no-bullshit sort of guy and a rather intimidating one to boot. There was no beating around the bush, no sniveling little man behind a desk with tons of paperwork for him to sign. There was a simple yes or no answer, and though he expected it, Seto was pleased to receive the go-ahead.

Not wanting to be bothered by fangirl nurses or any members of the media that might draw inappropriate conclusions from his visit, the KaibaCorp CEO had dressed in a dark navy trenchcoat without his usual logo on his collar or on his belt. He wore dark, semi-transparent blue sunglasses over his eyes, therefore hiding his most recognizable feature and keeping any curious bystanders away from the sheer chill that radiated from his body. (When Seto Kaiba didn't want to be bothered, you could just tell from the air around him.)

Leaning against the doorway of Rufus's hospital room, he took a quick glance around, not even caring if the blond noticed him or not. "Well well, how the great have fallen," he commented dryly. "You should've at least gotten a bigger room."

[takexcontrol]

(ooc: Oy, let the lady work, Kaiba!)

That voice.

Rufus had figured Seto would show up sooner or later, if only to admonish him for not listening to him sooner. It wasn't a big surprise to see him, though Rufus had hoped he'd wait until he wasn't looking so weak and frail in a hospital room crowded with machines. Well, if the time was now, the blonde was prepared to admit his mistake.

"I see you're," he paused to stop the cough that wanted out, "your usual self." Dry. Supposedly witty. Teasing. Rufus pulled his glasses off his face to casually clean them, wondering if the other would notice he had them on for more than reading. He hoped not. The thought of getting into a discussion over exactly what this had cost him with Seto wasn't something that caused him to jump with joy.

[ryuu_oyakata]

If Seto noticed the glasses, he didn't mention it. He made no motion to remove his own sunglasses, despite the fact that he was inside and had been inside for quite a while. With the silent grace of a man half his size, the abnormally tall CEO moved over to the counter where Yukari's roses were tucked in the corner. He nonchalantly reached out with one hand to flip open the small little note that was attached to the roses' stems. "Fangirl?" he questioned, disdain clear in his voice.

He turned and glanced at the blond from over the rim of his sunglasses. "One would've thought that you died already." The words were said casually in an even, silky tone, but there was a sharp bite behind them. Did Seto himself not tell Rufus to stop relying on his Turks? In Kaiba's experience, nothing good ever came out of trusting too many people.

[takexcontrol]

"A dear friend," he corrected, not liking Seto's tone at all. Why had he come here? Was it simply to be angry at Rufus for nearly getting himself killed?

"If you want me to admit I was wrong," Rufus began. He paused to take a small drink. "...I won't say otherwise. You were right." Blue eyes followed the other man's movements carefully, his hand feeling ready to lunge for the call button should Seto get out of hand. What was wrong with him, coming in and sounding like he was about to snap at a sick man?

How annoying.

[ryuu_oyakata]

[ooc: Seto has weird ways of showing he's worried. XD;;]

Seto was suddenly torn between rolling his eyes and being worried. Some part of him had expected Rufus to put up more of a fight than that. "Of course I was," he snorted, as if it was obvious. "If you had listened to me, you might not be here being bored out of your mind watching the Wheel of Fortune and eating pudding, or whatever it is that they force fed people in hospitals nowadays."

Pulling something out of his back pocket, he tossed it at Rufus's lap before making his way over to a chair by the window and settling himself into it like he owned it. Even though Rufus was probably the closest thing he had to a childhood friend, Seto was not one to get close to anyone but his brother. Simply sitting in the room with Rufus was closer than he normally allowed most people to get to him.

Pulling off his sunglasses briefly as if studying a smear on one of the lens, Seto didn't meet Rufus's eyes. "It's a new prototype we're thinking of marketing. I figured you'd want something to fiddle around with."

It was a super-thin Gameboy of sorts, but instead of having a slot to insert a game, there was a thin mini-CD drive that popped out the side. There was already a game inside, one that Seto had designed himself. It wasn't complete yet, but it was a mind game filled with mazes and puzzles loosely based off the childhood story of "The Little Prince", the boy that traveled across the cosmos to visit multiple little planets. Each planet held a puzzle that got increasingly harder and changed with every attempt, so there was no way to predict how the game would work --unless, of course, you were the designer.

[takexcontrol]

As though getting to lay down and rest--and well, not eat pudding, really, but the resting, that was the important part--was a bad thing for Rufus. Of all his friends, he'd expect Seto to understand the most about how hard he worked himself for his company, and the long hours and lack of sleep that accompanied it.

Rufus really needed to name a vice-president.

He frowned at Seto. "You say that as though it's bad." Blue eyes tracked his friends movement still, studying him as he threw something into Rufus' lap before retreating to a chair a ways away from him. That was just like him, this avoidance to closeness. It made Rufus smile a little, glad to see he was still the same.

The light weight of the object on his leg made Rufus glance down and he picked it up. It appeared to be a sort of miniature game console. He'd seen Reno with one once, though it hadn't been like this one. Rufus flipped it open, turning it on. The title screen for the game came up, and he turned his attention back to Seto.

"What is this?" he asked.

[ryuu_oyakata]

Seto slid the sunglasses back on and leaned back in the chair, studying Rufus like the shorter CEO had just grown a second head. "You like watching the Wheel of Fortune and eating pudding all day? I've clearly overestimated your abilities," he snorted, frowning. He disapproved of Rufus looking as tired as he did --looking tired was a weakness, and that was the first sign that a company wasn't running as it should. It was probably a good thing that Shinra Inc. was a family-owned and family-named company or otherwise there would be a board of directors eager to take over while Rufus was stuck in the hospital.

At the mention of the gameboy, he gave a light-shrug with one shoulder, though there was a spark of pride in his eyes that was neatly hidden by his sunglasses. "I haven't named it yet, but it's a portable game player. Lightest of it's kind, 2 GB memory. Probably faster than most laptops." He clasped his fingers over his stomach and fell silent, clearly expecting Rufus to figure out the rest himself.

There were, of course, multiple purposes of showing Rufus the prototype. For one, someone trustworthy besides Mokuba could have a chance to gauge how well it worked. Two, the opinion of someone with the same age and intelligence would be indensipensible if KaibaCorp was going to attempt to target older gamers. And three... Well, it wouldn't help to keep Rufus entertained. Kaiba knew how much damage a boring white room could do to someone as young and active as themselves, so he took pity and brought one of the prototypes along.

He'd never admit aloud that he did it out of sympathy, though. He'd rather be shot and tossed off a bridge.

[takexcontrol]

"There's nothing wrong with resting occasionally," Rufus said. His voice was soft, but his eyes were hard. The look he gave the other clearly conveyed his thought that perhaps Seto too was guilty of overworking himself. Men their ages should be out at bars with their friends or enjoying weekends at parties, not working day and night to keep their companies afloat.

Turning his attention back to the device at hand for fear of starting an argument that might make him lose his voice, Rufus checked it over, noting the way it felt in his hands. It was easy to hold, and his thumbs didn't have any trouble reaching the buttons. The quickness of it showed in that, unlike the one Reno had shown him, it didn't take any time at all to load up the game.

The blonde played through the first level, paying attention to the details. The puzzle was fairly easy, but it was nice to be able to slowly get his mind moving again. It had been awhile since he'd just sat and thought through something simple like this.

The change was refreshing.

"This is an interesting game," he said. "And I like the way this feels in my hands. Easy to hold--important, especially now."

[ryuu_oyakata]

Seto didn't even bat an eyelash at the other's glare. It wasn't as if his brother didn't shoot him that accusing look every day. "Too much rest is money lost," he replied with a smooth wave of his hand, as if the conversation topic was nothing important.

His flashing blue eyes watched as Rufus leaned over the gameboy and began to fiddle with it, clearly surprised at every turn about the speed and abilities of the little device. Unlike Seto, who's natural childhood had died with his parents and was then pummeled out of him by his stepfather, Rufus still had a spark of childish delight here and then that made him look like the younger of the two, not the older. "I think you've been away from a good old thing called a pen for too long," Seto murmured, more in amusement than anything else.

Standing swiftly, he adjusted his coat and fixed his sunglasses, though neither needed any fixing. "I should go. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes." He made no move to take the prototype away, though there was an awkwardness in his movements now that made it seem like... well, after giving away the toy, he simply had nothing else to say. Seto was never the sociable type anyways.

[takexcontrol]

Rufus, for his part, understood. Between the two of them he was definitely the most... conversational and charming. Seto seemed to lack the natural charm and conversational ability Rufus was naturally gifted with, and so he felt that in a conversation with Seto he needed to either say things to get him to react, or carry the whole weight of it himself.

Not that he was in a state of mind to do that right now. Seto had come to visit and though it wasn't long, it meant a lot to Rufus. Seto didn't do this for just anybody, he was sure.

"Thank you," he said, looking up at him. "For everything." The toy, the company, the advice... the rebuke. Rufus was sure he'd been in need of all of them. Trust Seto to show up and tell him when he was wrong.

[ryuu_oyakata]

"Hn," Seto grunted, as if the apology was nothing. He was too proud to be kind in return, though he supposed Rufus would be used to it by now. "I would've never forgiven you if you didn't wake up."

The words slipped out like second nature and they startled even himself. Seto's hands paused briefly on his collar, but it was the only outward gesture of surprise. He tsk-ed to himself and quickly made way for the door, not bothering to look back. His pride didn't want to know what Rufus's reaction was. It wasn't every day that Seto even showed a smidgen of care for anyone outside his brother and his company.

[takexcontrol]

(ooc: Finished?)

[ryuu_oyakata]

[ooc: Sure.]