Breaking Into Heaven

“Mmm…” He hums softly. He doesn’t enjoy Rufus’s overly polite tone; he doesn’t trust a word he says. 

He tips his head to the side; perhaps an endearing action if not for the wide, slitted eyes and the smile seeped in mania. Everything about him screams unhinged, dangerous, inhuman, unstable…

“I’ll admit I am not entirely educated on my predecessor. It’s like a dream I can’t quite get hold of… Why don’t you tell me something about him? Anything you like. A truth, please.”

A bemused chuckle escapes his lips at the question. Hell, he almost feels pity for the remnants. Almost. None of them knowing what they, or Sephiroth for that matter, are truly capable of seemed to be for the better. Ultimately, he’d prefer to keep it that way. Aside from the fact, he chooses not to remember in order to keep his conscience clear - if such a feat could be achieved.

   ❛  Oh? About your predecessor… well now, that’s easy. A mistake, our mistake.  ❜

He stops short of admitting Sephiroth’s creation was on ShinRa’s head, on his head, given he’s still President of the company. Opting instead to implicate humanity as a whole. It’s not a lie, yet he figures Kadaj already knows as much.

“My brothers have their own work to do.” Kadaj hates lies but that does not mean he speaks entire truths. “Besides… They aren’t as understanding as I am. They wouldn’t like you.”

Reasons, both true, but not the real core of the matter. His brothers don’t know who they are, what they are, and he prefers to keep it that way. His own hatred for Sephiroth is so hard to see past… He rounds on the President with a smile, his unsettling gaze taking in his plight once again. He does not control who the Stigma might infect but there’s a spark of pride within him that Rufus Shinra had taken ill - though it mixed with his hatred. He does not deserve Reunion, and will not be allowed it.

“Ah, but it’s because you pose no threat that I speak with you alone. Your dogs pose no threat to us either. Are you so eager to meet them? Could you handle having all of his pieces together?”

    ❛   Eager ? Hm, I’m not so sure eager is the word I’d use… call it a piqued curiosity,           perhaps, given I’ve always wondered if they too harbour the same sense of                     compassion  towards me as you Kadaj. But I suppose, it’s like you say – I ought           to be thankful for your small graces.  ❜

As if on instinct, he reaches for the edge of the very blanket covering his upper half. Subtly edging it further down over his face to obscure himself that little bit more from Kadaj’s view. The only sign he’s not entirely enamoured with the others presence.

    ❛   Your brothers do not worry me,  ❜  He replies, in a rather matter of fact tone, seizing the opportunity to ignore his actual question entirely. His next words, however, are a lie. 

      ❛   Tell me something… why is it, I wonder, that you never bring your brothers to visit?                  The three of you do seem rather inseparable, after all. And yet it’s only ever you who              drops by.   ❜

The answer is seemingly obvious, and yet he’s curious as to the remnants’ reasons all the same. One remnant is easier for him, works in his favour even, given the severity of his current condition. His gaze, while adverted at first, returns to his present company. There’s silence, only briefly, as Rufus pauses for the man to respond. That is until he opts to continue regardless.

     ❛   Surely,  ❜    he muses, fingers tapping lightly against the side of his chair for illustration, 

Chasing shadows is tiresome, infuriating even, especially knowing that’s precisely where the majority of his precious resources have been wasted. The sheer frustration of it all, it’s etched into his features as he observes what he’d refer to as yet another shadow.  Only this time it’s different, of course it is. He’s assured of the fact. Why else had Rufus taken it upon himself to do the dirty work?

The corners of his lips curl upwards, settling into a smug all-knowing smile, as his eyes settle upon the only non shadow.

// @immunitybound

      Footsteps.

She can hear them from deep within her crystal casing and even if she couldn’t, the crystals surrounding the path underfoot from the cave entrance captured each step with perfect symmetry. The steps created a deafening twinkle, broken every now and then as a crystal cracked under the increasing weight. The twinkling she was used too, the piercing sharp edged sound as crystals cracked? Not so much.

Each piercing crack drove a wedge into her peaceful thoughts long enough for her to be gifted with visions of who approached - immaculate white fabric, a young male sitting atop his throne, the Shinra building… 

Her heart skips a beat as she whispered her pleas through the will of the crystal.  

     ❛ Leave, please, you’re not welcome here. Please go back. I beg of you.❜

With each step he takes toward the woman encased in crystalised mako, a cold shiver runs down his spine. It’s the same uneasy shiver he gets when dealing with particular Shinra scientists back at the office. Exactly the same. He ignores it, you get used to it. He does the same with the soft, yet distinct, echo resonating within the cave.  

    ❛   Lucrecia, isn’t it? Or do you prefer Dr Crescent? ❜   

Rufus stands before the former Shinra Class A biotechnologist, his gaze set firmly upon her crystalised figure. It matters not if she chooses to answer, after all he doesn’t intend on leaving until he gets a response. There’s nowhere else he’s required, far as he’s concerned. Besides it’s doubtful their conversation will be interrupted… his men, among others, sought Cetra’s descendant and to some extent the fabled Minerva. 

Call this move, an insurance policy. A potential solution he’s intent on exploring, that little bit closer to home. He knows Lucrecia can hear him, knows she can communicate from within the crystal prison. Rufus has seen the personnel file - she’s very much alive, Jenova made sure of it.