[Day 1, close to midnight] All that glitters...

[diamond_edged]

Who: Rufus. Potentially the Turks? Completely open.
Where: Arcadia, Central City
What: Under the cover of night, the vanguard arrives.
Rating: To be advised! G for starters.
Warnings: Nup.

Comments

[diamond_edged]

Seated by the fountain, Rufus mechanically peeled the orange, consuming it wedge by wedge. It took the edge off his hunger - he'd travelled a while to get to the city, and he wondered if he should ask for another.

Footsteps made him look up, and suddenly there was a familiar face rushing towards him. His heart leapt for a single, confused moment, which made him frown to himself - he wasn't actually happy to see them. Quite the opposite. If not for them he might have been able to stay with Mother...

...But now was the time for such thoughts. He mentally shook his head, wiping the frown away. Tseng's smile, however, went unreturned. Rufus was dimly aware that he had never been quite so cold to his Turks - not after Weapon, not after Meteorfall - but fresh from his separation from his family, he felt unable to dredge up a more convincing performance.

In fact, Tseng was the one person he had hoped to avoid for a while, damn uSUC and its intervention. Tseng was the one who knew him best, who would be attuned to any slip up. He had hoped to meet the newest one - Elena, was that her name? - first. To find his feet, as it were, to fall back into the role that he had once played.

"Tseng," he said evenly. "Where is this place?"

[turks_honor]

Situations as they were, he was certain Rufus would be business before familiarity, though it did concern him to see him act almost indifferently. The blood on his shirt took Tseng's attention from the initial question a moment, though he did answer automatically.

"...A planet names Arcadia, a city named Central." His eyes glanced from the blood on his shirt to his eyes. Rufus looked rough and his initial surprise turned to suspicion. "...What happened to you? Are you alright?" Damn, the only two people that had qualified enough knowledge to be doctors were the likes of those he'd rather not subject Rufus to.

"How did you get here...?" He was asking too many questions, most of them blurted on a moment's notice. Shaking his head to center himself he gestured toward the fountain. At least he could clean himself off with the water. Then they could gather the extent of his injuries. Tseng knew enough field medical skill to at least tide him over until he could be looked at.

"I'll ask uSUC for some bandages, are you in pain?"

[diamond_edged]

No, he was the one supposed to be asking the questions here. "A planet. A planet that's not Gaia..." he looked around the city again, recalling Midgar, and the Edge. They had been slightly different from this place, it seemed. "What happened to Gaia?"

Gaia doesn't exist any more, Kadaj had whispered to him. Mother consumed the planet as she originally planned.

"Why are we here?"

They seemed like the right questions to ask, even if he knew the answer to the first, and didn't care about the answer to the second.

Cool aloofness, wasn't that what he was famous for? "I am ... unable to recall how I got here." When crafting a lie, the less detailed it was, the better. The less details you could trip up on.

Tseng's query about his wellbeing caught him by surprise, however. And the offer for bandages...

"I..." his hand found his injured shoulder. "That will not be necessary. I am well. My injuries have been tended to."

[turks_honor]

"By who?" he asked, eyes narrowed and suddenly much more suspicious. Rufus must have lost a considerable amount of blood, he seemed much more unattached than he'd expect.

There was something off about Rufus, because though he'd been witness to the destruction of his world in the most literal form without being removed from the Earth itself, he'd never experienced being removed from his world completely.

Even the Lifestream had the ability to replicate Gaia with a convincing realism. His own questions aside, Rufus may become more alert with the more information he possessed. "... Gaia has evidently been destroyed by Jenova. We-- Reno, myself, and Elena as I've found them, are here as refugees. Elena arrived sooner, Renoa nd myself were on a ship that brought us here."

He gave Rufus a once over, checking for further injuries he couldn't see with his eyes, a brief 'excuse me' mumbled as he checked. Nothing more than a few scuffles... he'd been roughed up by someone, and not Sephiroth. Had it been, Rufus wouldn't be standing here and alive before him.

"...Let me take you to Elena," he began, gesturing for him to follow before holding out his hand. Concern was evident there... mainly from the lack of reactiveness, lackof the drive he'd come to familiarize himself with in Rufus Shinra. He seemed vaguely absent...

[diamond_edged]

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "Maybe by the same people who brought me... us... here. The computer seemed friendly enough."

He endured the scrutiny, the quick check that Tseng performed. The Turk seemed... angry about something. Perhaps it was protectiveness, because Rufus didn't think his performance thus far was that bad. His memories of the earlier time were admittedly still hazy, but they were returning slowly, and he tried to relax, to recall mannerisms that had once been so natural to him.

He'd been sitting. He stood, absently pocketing the orange rind to discard later, and peered at Tseng's hand, before shaking his head at the assistance. "I can walk," he said. "It's alright." Truth to be told, he didn't exactly want to get close to these people. Besides, it was beneath the President's dignity to take someone's hand, wasn't it?

"Gaia... destroyed." The regret that painted his voice was real. It might have been Mother's will, but it had been the place where everything had started, and he missed it. "It seems... it seems incredible. Meteor must have struck, then? I don't see how we could have survived that..."

[turks_honor]

"... It appears that way. Though truth be told some odd occurances have happened here. Professor Hojo is alive, apparently." he let his hand fall to one side and instead moved to lead Rufus. Just in these instances would he intentionally turn his back to him.

"Elena and Reno are with us as well, thankfully." he glanced over his shoulder and smiled a little. "Let's clean up your clothes, get you a nice place to sleep. This place isn't entirely different from Gaia, but... it's not Gaia." The I'm glad to see you're alive and well went unspoken from him. But it was evident in his expression.

"... Do you mind if I ask what happened to you?"

[diamond_edged]

...He was starting to remember, albeit through the twisted filter on his memories, why he stayed with these people. The care, the concern, the way they respected him, followed his orders - it was like an addictive drug that nearly drowned out the siren song that was Mother's will. Here, he could have anything he wanted, without the abuse, without the constant fear and the need to prove himself...

But it was a test. He knew it was. He would not break his chain and run again. He would not give in to temptation.

"What of Rude?" he asked. "And anyone else from our world? Cloud Strife? The rest of Avalanche?"

He glanced at a computer screen, which blinked happily at him. Mother hadn't told him anything about this new world, or what his brothers were doing, where they would be. All he knew was they would find him, when necessary.

"I already told you." He was aware that he was being more brusque than usual - perhaps he could put it down to fatigue? "I don't know. I woke up. There was a computer. It asked me for my name, and told me to come here, because there were people looking for me."

[turks_honor]

"Rude is as of yet unaccounted for. I placed a bulletin on these computers they handed each of us..." he fished his out, showing it to Rufus. He was fairly certain that as thorough as customs would be, Rufus was likely to receive one. "... If Rude can receive the signal, he'll come. When he arrives. Or if he does." He really hoped he would.

Well, probing Rufus for information proved to be a task in and of itself, and Tseng thought better of it for now. He seemed tired, and that was entirely understandable. "The nice thing is we supposedly receive our own rooms and such... You wouldn't mind staying close to us, would you?" he was leading him to their location anyhow, a spot located not exactly centrally, but a bit out of the way.

Solitary enough for them to feel like they were in control of something in their lives, at least. "... Oh, and also. Mind the city at night. Apparently there's some sort of beast that roams. They've taken your shotgun, right?"

You called?

[sunglasses_turk]

As if a calling a spirit forth from some dark chamber, Rude emerged from the melting shadows, immaculate and seemingly in perfect health. A certain weariness touched his shoulders like a ghost, though the Turk walked as if ready for imminent battle. This territory was as yet unexplored, and as such, might hold untold dangers in overwhelming numbers. Mentally mapping the area while walking, Rude’s gait was careful and regular.

Definitely newly landed.

Hyper-alert as Rude was, Tseng and Rufus stood out amidst the decidedly foreign surroundings - a beacon of familiarity in a brave new world. A smile brushed Rude’s lips and decided to stay when he realized his comrades would not vanish on the next eyeblink. A mild pain itched at his eyes, but the feeling was undoubtedly the newness of the air combined with lack of sleep.

Right.

Grateful for the thousandth time for the shield of his glasses, Rude approached the pair and hoisted a hand aloft in greeting. With a voice that was as careful as his pace had been, he nodded to each in their turn and spoke: “Good evening, sirs. It’s….good to see I’m not the only Turk in this place.” Unconsciously including both in the familial grouping that had long since become central to Rude’s life, genuine relief colored his latter statement with the simple joy of finding family once thought lost. Tension eased out from his back slightly, though a weary distrust of his own senses remained.

This was too easy.

Who knew what manner of feigned personage Rude was certain this place could have produced, with its vast computerized mind and seemingly unlimited resources? These two might just as easily be clones or AI programs as hallucinations brought on by a mechanical mind with delusions of grandeur. Best to wait, and see.

[diamond_edged]

"My shotgun..." Rufus hadn't seen it, for a long time, and it troubled him that the absence of its familiar weight hadn't registered before now. He shook his head. "I awoke without it. I assume it's gone."

If there was anything loose in the city, and it dared to attack him, he would kill it with his bare--

--A muscle jumped in his clenched jaw. No, he hadn't been gifted with the strength of his brothers. He was still pathetically human.

They'd barely taken a few steps when a newcomer approached. In the darkness, the black suit was... even blacker, and it was only when Rude stepped into a puddle of light from a streetlamp that Rufus recognised him. "Rude," he acknowledged. His tone was not exactly cool, but there was no warmth in it either.

Rude, he thought, frantically trying to recall what he could of the Turk. Stoic, extremely loyal, professional, hand-to-hand and demolitions specialist, unflappable...

Dangerous, some instinct prompted him. It was always the quiet ones. The ones who watched, and observed. He would have to be extra careful around this one.

[turks_honor]

"... Well, at least you have us..." and his voice trailed into silence as he felt more than saw a figure moving toward them. Large but not necessarily... bad. He'd moved to shield Rufus, but realised how unecessary it was when he saw the familiar gait, the broad shoulders. And he couldn't help butsmile, just a bit, as he recognised Rude.

"... Where have you been?" he asked, his shoulders relaxing but not entirely. He appeared to be Rude, just as Rufus and Tseng appeared to be their respective selves. But there was a suspicion from the man that he couldn't quite get rid of. "I imagine you'll be looking for Reno, right?" using the portable computer uSUC had provided them with, Tseng sent a message to Reno and Elena about the finds they'd made.

It was rather nice to have reliable-- or so he hoped-- team members together once more. "Let's not stay out here if we can help it. Rude, there's something odd about Reno that I think I should inform you about anyway..."

[sunglasses_turk]

Tseng's automatic movement to shield Rufus did not go unnoticed, and it prompted a small confirmation to Rude that things were as they should be. It was the way of the Turks to protect their leader with a practice that was, by now, as instinctual as breath. Though attempts on Rufus' life had been rare in later years, with a few spectacularly notable exceptions, it was usually the eternal vigilance of the Turks that kept any danger away.

Rufus' aloof reply struck Rude as odd, considering the circumstances, as his Prince and his more immediate boss did not seem to be in any argument that might prompt such an alienated greeting. Cocking his head minutely as if in concideration, Rude gazed frankly into Rufus' cerulian eyes, searching. Surpressing a frown, Rude realized he would find no answers there. Still, stress was definately a probable factor, if everything was as it seemed.

It was an awfully big 'if' for Rude to swallow.

The 'if' only got bigger when Tseng seemed happy to re-make his aquaintance, but not unduely so. Admitedly, it was rare for the Turks to indulge in back-slapping shows of sentimentality, but this strange new place was hardly business as usual. It took a moment for Tseng's words to filter through the haze of Rude's doubts, but when they finally did so, Rude's eyebrow cocked in ernest. All of them?

Here?

Possible, but not probable. Hopefully such overwhelming coincidence would explain itself further in the near future. "I was unavoidably detained, sir." It was a mild way of putting the hours of hell Customs had put him through for his many kits (bomb and lockpicking had caused the most trouble). In the end, though, Rude had gotten his way on most of the valuable tools. Though he was practiced at protecting his Prince with naught but his hands, long range defense was far more conveniant, and more than a little safer. As was his way, Rude did not uselessly inquire as to what, exactly, was odd about Reno, as it was clear Tseng was in the midst of elucidating the point.

[diamond_edged]

Convenient that they should all be here. It would save him the trouble of looking for them. Which meant that he had to get round to the next phase of his mission--

--Rude was looking at him. He returned the gaze briefly. It was uncomfortable, knowing, as he did, that the most recognisable sign of Mother's influence lay in his eyes. Fortunately, though, Tseng began speaking, which gave him an excuse to glance over at the Turk.

Something strange had happened to Reno? Interesting. The Turks were still the greatest threat to Mother, or so she perceived - since they knew of her, and had fought her and his brothers before. Which begged the question of why she hadn't killed them off by now, but that piece of information, he wasn't privy to.

"Detained?" he asked. "Whom by? Why?" There didn't seem to be anyone around to detain the Turk, nor any reason to.

[lil_rookie]

There was a bitterness when she had woken up, something that might have been anger if only she had been able to sleep more, let her internal batteries recharge enough to feel that strong of emotion. Elena had tried to pull the pillow over her head to shield out the message, but it only sunk in through the feathers and cotton, the message taking root inside her skull and nesting there.

...Rufus Shinra...

It was at that moment that she sat up, brown eyes wide, and rushed to get dressed while stumbling out of her apartment.

Hiding the yawn behind one small hand, Elena approached the group in a quick rush, slightly berating herself for being the last one here. Last... Rude! Well, another one had made it after all! Did that make all the Turks now, even though she hadn't seen Reno at all in this mess? There was a sense of elation at their company being reunited, comfort, like maybe, maybe things could almost be some shade of normal just because they were together.

I am such a sap.

Her gaze snapped to Rufus, the smile blatant and wide on her lips. "Sir! It's so good to see you! Are you all right?"

[turks_honor]

"Well, this certainly makes things easier. Though now I'm not entirely certain what she would be doing beyond keeping ourselves safe..." Elena came up over the corner, and Tseng waved her over. There was something peculiar about the way Rude was eyeing Rufus, but he turned his attention back to the matter at hand of moving to a secure location.

It would be best to have a base of operations, in any case.

"Elena, have you seen Reno?" he asked, suddenly a bit alarmed. Had he turned into Axel again? His eyes scoured the horizon, but the redhead was no where in sight. Frowning a bit, he turned to Rude.

"Reno apparently is having episodes where he's another individual. His physical appearance is different. But he's recognizeable, just not... Reno." he knew this wasn't something of a hallucination on his part. But Kanda and Youko weren't around to verify his story.

"He calls himself Axel, and he's not particularly cooperative."

[sunglasses_turk]

Rude's mirrored gaze took in the woman's bouncing, bubbly form, and smiled inly. Her passion would surely be difficult to fake for any computer, and the effervescent enthusiasm was all Elena. Though, even in this, their chance meeting was coincidental enough to be suspicious.

Rufus' question made a dark eyebrow raise minutely. "Customs, sir. The computers kept me engaged for quite some time." From the snatches of conversations Rude had gleened from various passers by, he gathered that only the system computer would have both the authority and volition to keep anyone in this place detained.

Already, the resourceful Turk was trying, in the dim depths of his mind, to design a way around that little truism.

Tseng's elucidation made Rude pause in shock. A body double? Reno version 2.0? Heaven knew the universe could only handle ONE redheaded Turk at a time; what possible reason could there be for this? Frowning in immediate concern, Rude resisted the urge to crack his knuckles.

"Not cooperative? Something might have to be done about that." Whever Reno was, Rude would ensure that this....Axel person....explained themselves sufficiantly.