damned_institute | Day 27: Lunch

Either Rufus didn't know what he was blaming him for, or he was simply getting in a dig to piss him off more. Instead of the usual threats, waving of fists and looks that could melt steel, Barret instead filled his mouth with another large bite of his sandwich, his jaw pulsing and effortlessly chewing. It amazed him briefly how eating could calm the nerves. He wished he had some bloody steak instead, though...

After he swallowed, which seemed to take much effort given all the muscles in his neck were tense as could be, he decided to speak, "What do you think I'm blaming you for, Mr. President?"

"If I knew what it was, I wouldn't have to ask."

Rufus sat aside his fork, putting his whole attention on Barrett Wallace. Something was up. As easily as an animal can scent a forest fire coming, Rufus could (usually) catch it when something was off. Whatever was going on with Wallace was enough to raise his curiosity. This sort of behaviour was quite out of the ordinary. The question was if Wallace were trying to be polite for the sake of the 'alliance' or not. For all he knew, Reno might have suggested the man stay close to him.

If Wallace got any tenser, the man was going to sprain something. Rufus was relatively impressed at this point that the man's shirt was giving way under that sort of tension beneath it.

"Is there something I can do for you or have you come to some realization that my company is desirable enough for even AVALACHE to tolerate me?"

Had there been any food left in Barret's mouth, he surely would have choked on it. Instead, he merely clenched his teeth and averted his eyes down to his food. If looks could set aflame, his food would be charcoal.

"You're tryin' to fuck with me on purpose, aren't you? You must be bustin' a gut on the inside, you and Reno's sick and twisted humor. Well it bugged me earlier, but I ain't about to let you tug my strings no more. Say what you want to say to me, I ain't gonna be bothered by it no more. What you and your little Turk do is y'all's business, but I ain't ever gonna let you see me in no compromising position, so you can get those sick fantasies out of your head." His hands were fists as he continued to try and keep his cool. He wasn't prepared to surrender it, least of all to Rufus.

Rufus blinked. And then blinked again. Rarely was he ever caught off-guard, especially in a verbal sparring, but he had been this time.

What?

Today was simply not making sense at all in any way, shape, or form.

Pushing aside his own plate, Rufus eyed the gunman. Something had Barrett, spun up. With Reno mentioned, the gods only knew what the Turk could have said or did.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to start over and tell me what's wrong from the beginning. I'm not following you. I had thought we were allies, not me wanting to get you into a 'compromising position'. We are supposed to be watching each other's backs, yes?"

What. The. Fuck. Barret was beginning to think either everyone around him was going insane, or perhaps it was just him. If it was the latter, he was ready to just be put down and out of his misery. His head was beginning to ache with the tension in his body and the obvious confusion that suddenly fluttered his mind.

Rufus had a point, but he also didn't seem to know what kind of compromising position he was talking about. Anger was so much easier to deal with, but as the discomfort reared it's ugly head yet again, he just didn't know what to say or do, so he hesitated several moments before figuring something out.

"You actin' like you don't know what you said to me last night. For some reason I doubt it, considering this is Rufus Shin-Ra I'm talkin' to, someone who don't let somethin' leave their mouth without thinkin' about it first and making sure they remember when it's thrown in their face later down the road." He stopped and took a deep breath. Perhaps he was just paranoid given Shin-Ra's past, fearing old habits died too hard, unable to relinquish even when knee deep in an alliance. Mustering enough control to keep from backhanding Rufus, he went for his sandwich again and resumed consumption, his eyes never leaving the blond man across from him.

"Oh. That."

Rufus nodded, more to himself than to Barrett as he dragged his own lunch back over and took an experimental stab at it. The food didn't look any the more appetitizing.

"You will have to forgive me for that. I tend to lose control of myself when under chemical or alcoholic influence as you can tell from last night. Reno had no way of knowing I would say something that out of line to anyone, muchless you."

For his part, Rufus didn't look the least bit ashamed or shy about getting on an intimate subject. His concern seemed to focus more on whether or not his Landel's lunch was safe to consume. His gaze lifted back up, locking with Barrett's without wavering.

"This alliance is important to us all, especially with Sephiroth and two of the three remnants moving about. It benefits us all to be part of it, not just Shin-Ra or AVALANCHE. I do hope you will keep that in mind despite what I said last night."

A sliver of a smile that didn't reach his eyes came and went.

"After all, you on the side of 'good', so to speak, do value truth, do you not?"

Barret was rather surprised by Rufus' ease about the subject as well as his admittance to not regretting the comment in the slightest. That irked him greatly, and still battled to keep a somewhat decent composure in front of the man. He would not break, not in front of him. As Cloud had mentioned, 'don't let it get to you'. It was, but he'd make a stab at trying to hide it.

"On that subject..." then seemed a fabulous time to switch the conversation to more serious matters, "Kadaj found Cloud, and wants to fight him one on one. It wouldn't be a big deal if folks like Kadaj could be trusted to follow the unspoken rules of those kind of battles, but they don't. I expect his brother might tag along, and I don't trust Sephiroth not to try and get in on the fun. Plus, all the other shit runnin' around here don't make it a safe environment for sparring."

This was harder for him than he thought it would be. It wasn't that he didn't trust in his or Cloud's capability, it's just he didn't trust their odds. There were too many surprises around every corner, and getting caught by one was bad enough. Couple that with twisted momma's boys and a freak hellbent on vengeance, and you have a recipe for disaster. Barret was simply trying to play it safe, "Supposed to happen tonight. Cloud's tough, can probably take 'em on by himself, but I don't feel right leavin' him to it. I ain't properly armed, either. I can throw a good punch, but it ain't much for distance. Don't know what the opposition is carrying either, you know. Guess I'm askin'...well..."

In the end, he just couldn't say it. He hoped Rufus had the decency to quietly fill in the blanks.

The tip of Rufus' pink tongue ran along his upper lip, nodding thoughtfully to Barrett's words although he didn't say anything just yet. Who knew what was going on in his mind, either running logistics or smut. Steepling his hands before him, Rufus looked that he belonged back in his boardroom, deciding on the fates of everyone in Edge with the tip of his hand.

"You want Reno and myself to come make sure with you that Strife doesn't end up being ganged up on and killed again?"

It sounded like a question even though there was none in Rufus' face. He was mentally calculating odds, how it would serve himself and those of Shin-Ra to enter this conflict, and what the possible losses were or could mean to him.

"Did you know that back when the remnants began, I contacted Strife and asked him to help me, to help Edge, to help the world? I wanted him to learn what it was I could tell him about the remnants and help to destroy them."

A bitter smile graced his lips, eyes cold and merciless on Barrett's. Hard to believe sometimes this was the same man that spoke of sweat and skin one moment and potential death another.

"However,I'm not him, and thank the gods for that. I'll speak to Reno. While I can say I will be there, I cannot speak for him or Elena. Is that what you want?"

Even though he was no stranger to past grudges, finding himself on the other end of it in regards to Shin-Ra was a bit disorienting. He wasn't in the least surprised to hear Cloud had declined to be an aid to the President and his people. He was going through a rough conflict at the time, one only they really were able to grasp onto after the fact.

He frowned at Rufus, "Both sides did a lot of shit, some we ain't too proud of. If you're gonna bring something like it up every time your help is needed, maybe you ought to rethink this alliance and decide if you really want to be apart of it."

Rufus' tongue play wasn't completely lost on the dark man, he just chose to ignore it. One think he wasn't sure he was ready for was to know what was going through his mind. He already caught a glimpse, and he didn't like it.

Rufus smiled faintly at Barrett, amusment passing through his eyes before both it and the smile were gone.

"Isn't very pleasant, is it? Sins being brought back up? However, I wasn't bringing up the past. I was thinking outloud. I tend to do that around people I trust. It helps my thought processes."

Rufus made another game stab at his food before apparently deciding that it wasn't worth it. Or that he just didn't like cheese. One or the other.

"You asked what they were carrying? Kadaj has a sword but not his one from before, not his twin bladed one."

Rufus' hands spread apart, measuring the distance of something like a claymore. That distant look returned, eyes narrowing some as he mentally reviewed the night he had ran into the two.

"It's Yazoo you'll have to watch out for. He's the one with the daggers. They're fast too still. Not as, but fast, I think. I can't be sure. I never saw them in combat really, and a wheelchair lends a different perspective to things. Sephiroth has that damned pipe too. That's about three or four feet long, I think."

A slyness came to Rufus' face before quickly smoothing over, that distant look leaving completely as he focused back on Barrett.

"Reno and I found a room the other night where there's medical supplies as well as a host of other things that could be used as weapons. There were even flashlights and batteries. There wasn't anything guarding it that night, but who knows about other nights. It might help us later, especially if tonight goes bad. There's only one door, so worse to worst... retreat may be an option with someone treating Strife and the others keeping the door secure."

Rufus shrugged, evidentally spinning ideas around his mind and seeing what came out.

Barret watched and listened to him carefully, forgetting about his now cold food. He couldn't tell if Rufus was playing a game with his mind or being sincere. It was difficult to put any sort of trust in a person you once thought to be your sworn enemy. A lot had changed since then, and it was fair to give him to benefit of the doubt that perhaps he had as well. Still, he wasn't comfortable to relax around him just yet--for many reasons now.

The details in regards to their opponents was a little unsettling. They were all much more equipped than he was, considering his stroke of bad luck since his arrival. He would have loved to keep that katana that sliced him through, but things just didn't work out too well that night.

"Sounds like it might be a good idea to tackle that room again. I'd like to keep a distance from those guys until I can be sure our people are prepared for 'em, but I don't know how well that'll pan out. I'm sure Kadaj is already biting his fingers raw with anticipation to put Cloud in his place. Maybe if we just blindside him now he'll be too banged up to bother...heh."

He wiped a fleshed palm down his face with the thought. While he knew it was unlikely considering the security of the institute during the day, it didn't stop the idea from blooming and raking him with the desire to make it happen. He needed to beat the shit out of someone anyway. "Guess we gotta establish a meeting place. Your room might be best, since I already know the way, and all your folks must, too."

Rufus stopped there, glancing up to Barrett. He was well aware that most people considered him a monster, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted anyone, muchless the leader of AVALANCHE, seeing how his mind worked and just how many cornres Rufus Shinra tried to see around before making a move. In the end, it couldn't be helped, not right now. If Cloud Strife died, that could cause quite a few problems for him as well as Shin-Ra, not to mention leave Sephiroth without an enemy to fight which could in turn lead the monster to himself and his people.

"It may be, yes. I ran into the pyramid headed creature there once."

Rufus shuddered involuntarily. If it scared him, it couldn't be good for anyone else. Frowning, Rufus' eyes moved down to his plate, needing something to look at instead of to Barret. Only when he was plotting did Shinra's emotional mask slip without his meaning it to. The last thing he needed was for Wallace to think he was plotting something else.

"We have a gun, or rather Reno does, with three or four bullets. If we can get the remnants into that tight doorway..."

That viciously cold and calculating expression was back on Rufus' face as he tilted his head to the side, running that possibility through his mind.

"We need to cut them apart though, lessen their numbers. Kadaj is jealous of Sephiroth, hates him to be exact. I've heard him rant on it many a time. We need to drive a wedge there to keep all three of them from banding together to go after Strife. If we're lucky, maybe we could start a war between Sephiroth and the remnants, let them all kill each other and we wipe out the survivor."

Rufus blinked out of his thoughts, needing to rewind what Barret said before nodding.

"My room is fine. We of Shin-Ra usually meet there every night."

It was awfully intriguing to Barret how Rufus worked out his strategies. He and his team were always on the receiving end of such things, and he was grateful that seemed to no longer be the case. He couldn't help but admit the man was highly intelligent and focused, sighting each problem and nailing it was a potential solution. The alliance might be worth it after all.

His plan made sense. Turn them against each other and allow them to go away with the opposition, leaving one standing. That one would become their ultimate target. However, if it was one thing he knew well it was that plans didn't always flesh out as one hoped they would. Such was life, and such would probably be their luck.

For the moment, Wallace was satisfied, giving a nod and an approving 'umph'. He also decided to trek backward, "Don't worry 'bout it, man. Seeing that Pyramid thing that night didn't do me no favors either." He grinned a little, seeing a sliver of a side he didn't think he'd see from Rufus--fear. Even when he charged at him that first night to deliver a fist to his face did he not allow his emotions to flash like a neon sign. The President was nothing if not cool and collected at all costs at all times.

"If they rush Strife tonight, we grab him and head up to the storage area where the pipes and medical supplies are. We get in one of those two rooms and wait them out if necessary. There's only one door in and out. We wedge ourselves to the back of the room and we shoot them as they come through. The door is too narrow for them to come through in a pack. They'll have to come in one by one. We take them out single-file. Unfortunately, the place is on the second floor. We'd have to get out of our block of cells, down the hall, turn left, go down to the second set up stairs, then up. First hallway on the right. First left and right doors. Left is medical. Right is janitor's."

As he spoke, Rufus lifted a fingertip and traced a line in the air to illustrate his point of the path needed to get to the two supply closets on the second floor. It was a show of trust in a way, giving Wallace the pathway to get there before (or without) them if necessary.

The chill came and went with the mention of Pyramid Head, fear and disgust flashing on Rufus' face. A hand rose to rub at his cheek where he had been licked.

"I'd... rather not talk about it."

Barret could have easily been an asshole and laughed at Rufus' obvious distaste at the memory of a mutual foe, but he knew how it felt. He'd faced off with his fair share of crazy, slimy, disgusting, terror-wrenching vermin in his years, and the Pyramid Head was just one more notch on his wall of baddies he'd encountered. Instead, he appeared to be all business as he remained attentive to his directions, straining to lock it away to memory lest there come a time he is not escorted. Hopefully it wouldn't come down to all that.

"Wish they was our only problem. Still gotta worry about all them weird creatures that come out." He poked his fork around in the cole slaw with disinterest, simply needing to do something with his hands, "Cloud also mentioned something about a basement. Didn't have much time to ask him what the hell he was talkin' about. Heard of anything useful down there, or is it a fool's errand?"

If Rufus noticed that Barret was sparing him teasing, he gave no sign of it. That thoughtful look came back to his face, mentally reviewing all the places he had been even as the shadow of the monster haunted him.

"I don't know if I could handle meeting it a second time. Not with my mind intact."

He had screamed when he had. Screamed.

That was as close as Rufus would come to admitting weakness. Brushing that aside, he moved on to the problem of the basement. The haunted look on his face faded finally, mind possessed with other things now.

"As I told Reno, I have no idea where the entrance alone might be. If we knew, I would suggest going for it. I've not heard of anyone going down there yet."

Rufus was certainly full of surprises. Barret always thought him to be very deliberate in everything he did, making sure not to show weakness to anyone lest they might use it against him. What he was witnessing was something he didn't think he'd ever be shown willingly. Perhaps it wasn't willing, that he was so horrified he couldn't bring himself not to hide it. It was clear Rufus hadn't seen the horrors of misshapen creatures and monsters ready to tear your head from your body like he had. Rufus was the brains behind the operations, and then placed behind a steel wall so he didn't have to battle his way through the terrain to get to his goal--that's what the Turks were for.

It was enlightening if nothing else. While Rufus was strong and sharp in the mental department, he was also a bit frail and delicate in the brawn and in regards to physical battle experience. The institute seemed to be an education in more than one regard, "Hopefully if we have to face that thing again, maybe we'll be well enough equipped to take him out." He didn't know why he was trying to be a comfort, but it just felt right to do.

"Guess we can make that another thing to investigate on the agenda," he said, switching his attention to the conversation about the basement, "if all goes well enough with the silver-haired dumbasses. Fuckin' clowns belong in a padded cell. Surprised they haven't earned themselves a spot with a straight jacket."

"You can't 'take it out'. It's not possible. I know. It's... not."

That evasion came again. Rufus' fingers curled, scratching briefly at his temple. It had to be a trick of the light or an old bruise that cast a shadow that stained the same places as Geostigma had. The next second, there was nothing but perfect pale skin.

A horrible death was something Rufus Shinra could have easily accepted, even expected given who he was and what he did. Pain ended eventually and damage to one's body healed. The destruction of Shin-Ra Tower had taught him that if nothing else. What he couldn't stand was mental invasions, having the weaknesses of his mind stripped down and laid out. Death was preferrable. Trying to shake off the cold chill, he made himself stay with what Barret was talking about. That thing couldn't find him again.

The mention of a straight-jacket brought a thin smile to Rufus' lips.

"I know where the straight jackets are stored if we need one. So where do we head first tonight or try to accomplish? Look for the basement? Get upstairs? Split up or stay together as a group of four?"

It was obvious the conversation of Pyramid Head was a distressing topic, so Barret simply let it lie. No point in talking about it anyway. If they were lucky, they'd face no obstacles. If they were unlucky, they'd run into something worse. There was no telling.

"Guess that depends. If I can get ahold of Yuffie and Cid, it'll make six of us. We can split as threes and check out each area." He paused, a slight frown darkening his features. He'd forgotten the deal of their alliance--mostly keep to themselves unless information was uncovered. However, with Kadaj and his crew looming too close to Avalanche's leader, togetherness seemed almost unavoidable. "...One of us is gonna have to suck it up and stick it out with y'all." He chuckled softly, half tempted to force Yuffie in with their partners in alliance to watch her bitch and squirm.

"The thief does not go with me."

Rufus eyed Barret warningly on that, any traces of fear long gone and the expression of I-Am-Shin-Ra-President-Obey-Me back in place.

"I will take Cloud or yourself, but not her. Highwind is probably an equally bad idea. The man probably hasn't quite gotten over the fact that I was not about to waste good Shin-Ra gil on him and his little space travels."

Far be it from Rufus to admit that he had attempted to steal Cid's plane or that Shin-Ra hadn't exactly dealt with the pilot fairly. Most of that had been before his time as President, but there was a better than average chance he had his hand in those denials as Vice President.

"I have no idea if Elena is going or not tonight. I'll have to ask Reno. If she is, perhaps in the spirit of cooperation, I should trust you with her or Reno while one of you goes with me. That way, both sides are assured that there will be no betrayals."

Leave it to Rufus to take the paranoid angle.

Barret actually burst into laughter at Rufus' demand. It was like the guy read his mind! Much of the tension left him in light of that, feeling a little more relaxed. It was a tempting thought, but he wasn't going to push for it. After all, he wasn't looking to get Yuffie killed.

"All right, all right, fine," he said with lingering amusement in his tone, "I get ya. If Elena tags on, that'll be four to three." He took a moment to decide how he favored the groups should consist of, "Cloud bein' the leader of Avalanche, and if all members get accounted for, it can be Cloud, Cid, Yuffie and Elena, and I'll stick it out with you and Reno, since you head Shin-Ra." He briefly thought over the decision, and nearly hesitated with confirming it. However, the positioning was necessary. Reno and Barret were experienced fighters, while Elena seemed not much more than sixteen and he wasn't completely sure of her capability. Being with the rest of his crew would ensure a greater safety.

Rufus was another factor. He wasn't exactly physically inept. Being in a group with Reno and Rufus did leave him feeling a little...odd, but for the moment it seemed the best way to go. He nodded to confirm it.

While Rufus did not laugh, he allowed a small smile through briefly. It was better than the near-paralyzing fear that the memory of Pyramid Head brought.

"If Cid is unable and Elena is with someone else tonight, we may be best with the four of us and letting the thief go annoy someone else. I am sure she can find someone else to rob blind while the nightshift lasts."

Rufus didn't add that with any luck on his part, one of the clawed and vicious things might eat the girl. Opinions and views like that probably wouldn't reflect well on this alliance. Still, one could hope. He didn't appear to hesitate on the groups, most likely because it still left him paired with Reno. Were a problem to arise, Rufus had faith that Reno could beat down most, if not all, members of AVALANCHE.

"I was incapacitated last night as you'll recall, but did they take people then or not? I know they switch off most nights with one or the other."

Barret suddenly began to wonder if keeping Yuffie out of the mix might be the best idea at the moment. She expressed a fair share of resistance to the idea of an alliance, she still didn't seem to happy with Barret around, and she'd feel betrayed in the sense that the condition of the alliance changed within 48 hours. He was half tempted not to bother.

Still...safety in numbers. Besides, she'd really never forgive him if he didn't tell her her leader was being threatened.

"I dunno. Guess it won't hurt to ask her. She didn't really wanna be in an alliance with you guys in the first place though, so maybe keeping her out of this might be a good idea. But I still need to let her know, since Cloud is bein' directly targeted and I'm sure she'd wanna know about it. Sure she'll wanna fuck 'em up if she gets the chance, jus' like the rest of us would like a piece of 'em."

He took a moment to sort out his memory of the night before. He didn't like thinking about it, considering certain events that transpired, "I don't know. I didn't really hear anything about it. Then again I wasn't payin' much attention either. But they do it every night, don't they? I would think they'd probably do it this comin' night too..."

"Understandable for her. I doubt Reno would want to be with her either after she clocked him with a pillowcase full of whatever she had managed to steal. I do believe that was one of the few times I had seen him surprised. If nothing else, a bit of flattery that you may need her to make sure nothing bad happens probably would not hurt."

Rufus tactfully didn't mention that right before that, Reno had shot him. Or that he had enjoyed seeing that moment of shock when Yuffie had whipped that filled pillowcase around and whacked the Turk hard with it. He nodded to the information that neither of them knew whether tonight was special counseling or experiments.

"I doubt I need to say it, Wallace, but should I be taken, do ensure that Reno doesn't do anything foolish like try to mount a rescue mission or the like. Get what needs to be done done, and I will take care of myself. He should listen to you."

Well, Rufus hoped he would and that Barret would understand that mission was more important than the individual. Few did, but Barret had that hard quality in him to Rufus' eyes.

Barret grinned at the small story, the image that presented itself too amusing for words. He wished he'd been there to see that, "With all her faults, she's quick and can kick some ass. I think I might leave the flattery to Cloud--she'll listen to him." He held back on telling him his relationship with Yuffie was more strained than usual. Perhaps by the time they all got together she'd have gotten over it completely.

Barret nodded, but he internally stumbled. He always thought of Rufus to be the self preserving sort, but instead he was hearing that he felt it necessary to sacrifice himself if the time came and continue on with what he felt was most important. He wasn't at all keen on the idea of leaving anyone behind for any reason, but this time they might not have a choice. "Can't make no promises, especially after hearin' some of the stories on the wind about what they do." He shrugged simply, "I doubt Reno is about to listen to any of us when it comes to his people, but I'll give it a shot, if it comes to that."

Day 27: Lunch

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