[Rude just listens. Of all the people to have been left with the company, Scarlet and Heidegger were the most problematic. Even Reeve and Hojo would be better for Midgar than those two. He takes a deep breath, and finds he's giving away his thoughts on things without words simply from how he breathes.
He's not surprised the Turks looked for him, though. He'd always been loyal to Rufus first and Shinra second. So far it hadn't gotten them into too much trouble, and it kept the paychecks coming. Thankfully at his last point in time Rufus was the one in charge now.]
I see.
[Rude pushes his sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose, still listening intently as though if he missed a single word of Rufus' his whole life might end. He frames this next part a very specific way and Rude can already tell he's going to hate what happens even before he hears it. His body is stiff and sitting upright when he makes himself drink some more just to calm himself.]
Just tell me. I can handle it. [It hadn't occurred to him that what would come next wasn't the death of himself, Tseng, or even Rude. It was something else that Rude couldn't have predicted or seen coming. Rufus wasn't dragging it out to keep him in suspense, he was trying to keep himself emotionally separated from what happened.
It had to have been something bad happening to Rufus, and now he's unsure how much he really wants to hear.]
no subject
He's not surprised the Turks looked for him, though. He'd always been loyal to Rufus first and Shinra second. So far it hadn't gotten them into too much trouble, and it kept the paychecks coming. Thankfully at his last point in time Rufus was the one in charge now.]
I see.
[Rude pushes his sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose, still listening intently as though if he missed a single word of Rufus' his whole life might end. He frames this next part a very specific way and Rude can already tell he's going to hate what happens even before he hears it. His body is stiff and sitting upright when he makes himself drink some more just to calm himself.]
Just tell me. I can handle it. [It hadn't occurred to him that what would come next wasn't the death of himself, Tseng, or even Rude. It was something else that Rude couldn't have predicted or seen coming. Rufus wasn't dragging it out to keep him in suspense, he was trying to keep himself emotionally separated from what happened.
It had to have been something bad happening to Rufus, and now he's unsure how much he really wants to hear.]