http://lady-turk.livejournal.com/ (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
lady-turk.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tampered2006-08-10 11:04 pm
lady-turk.livejournal.com) wrote in tampered2006-08-10 11:04 pm
Log: Complete
When: Early today, near the beginning of the day.
Rating: PG-13, for Jr.'s language and a kiss between the two.
Characters: Jr.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
red_dragon_666 & Elena lady_turk
Summary: After this comment thread, Elena and Jr. go out, though things don't go as planned.
Blowing a lock of hair out of her face, Elena mused on what she’d just done with a small smirk on her face. Normally, she’d never have agreed to going out with someone who seemed to be so young, but she was feeling reckless. Perhaps it was due to all the stress relief that fighting with that rubber-guy had brought her. Workouts were always a good way to get a person’s heart pumping and to get the blood flowing and Elena certain did consider that something of a workout. Or maybe it was an effect of the city. One of those random curses. It did seem that the normal limits Elena placed on herself were lifted. She mused that she might feel rather guilty about it tomorrow, but at the same time, it was rather liberating. Oh well, more thinking about it later. Right now, she had a ‘date’ to get to.
This will certainly be interesting, Elena thought as she got up and went to change into the only other piece of clothing she had besides her suits. When was the last time I went out on a date anyway? … Too long… Now that was a depressing thought. The blond quickly pushed it out of her mind though, and changed into her dress in no time at all. It was a simple sleeveless, black dress with a box collar that showed off the top of her chest, without being too immodest. It came down to just a bit past her knees and she a simple pair of black-heeled shoes to match. One thing she certainly had no lack of were black shoes.
Straightening the hemline of her dress, Elena checked out her overall appearance as best she could. It certainly wasn’t her best, but it would do. She hadn’t thought to go out and buy any make-up or anything else, so all she had was a brush and her normal work clothes. Running her fingers through her hair to fix it up a little, Elena grabbled the small purse she’d gotten alongside the dress. Even if she wasn’t wearing her suit, there was no way the blond was going anywhere unarmed.
Closing her purse after putting in a few final items, Elena exited the apartment, paying no mind to the noises she heard in the background. Least she wouldn’t have to ask for the day off now. In no time at all, even with all the craziness that was normal to this city, Elena made it to the carouse. Picking a location that she deemed safe, Elena stood back and waited for her ‘date’s’ arrival.
After having convinced Gaignun to give him some spare cash (and a lot of it), Rubedo had tried to be quick about getting dressed up and finding his date. But considering he had only been there half of a day, he had yet to really know his way around. Earlier he had been so distracted with all the oldschool gadgets that he really hadn't been memorizing the map of the place.
So he had to find a nice clothing shop to find a suit, and ended up settling on a simple black and white one with a red tie. Gaignun had told him to bring back change, but...it looked like he wasn't going to be getting any.
Especially after the flowers he purchased, and if he was going to be buying dinner later... Damn did he just want to skip dinner, but this lady sounded like she was hard to impress. He hoped she wasn't prejudiced about his...situation.
When he finally found the carousal, Rubedo was fresh out of breath, and probably not looking his absolute best. His earring glittered in the lamplight as he stopped in front of one side, leaning over to catch his breath. When he glanced up and saw a tall blonde standing off to the side in a simple black dress, he nearly collapsed right there.
He hadn't seen such a fine piece of work in, well... Since Mary and Shelley! Oh how he missed them.
Straightening his shoulders, he walked up to her, offering a rather practiced, dashing smile and holding out the bouquet, which held a mixture of forsythia, lilies, and white sprigs of ivy. "Elena?"
Hearing someone call out her name, Elena turned to see the bouquet of flowers and the person offering them to her. The blond smiled and nodded. This must be Jr. then. “And you’re Jr., I’m assuming,” Elena responded, accepting the flowers and offering him a small smile. Bringing them up to her face, Elena inhaled softly, Jr. might have looked like a child, but he was certainly winning points with the blond with the flowers. They were certainly a nice touch.
Not even bothering to hide the fact that she was checking him out, Elena observed Jr. from behind the bouquet. He certainly looked different. Elena would be hard pressed to simply call him cute, though that was high on the list of words she could have used. He would certainly be a heart breaker once he grew up. Or rather, once his body caught up with his age, Elena amended, if Jr. was to be believed. She dismissed the fact that he was a little bit out of breath, but that was probably due to his rushing to get here. But even with his rushing, his outfit was very neat and handsome. And all in all, at least she hadn’t agreed to go out with someone she couldn’t say was attractive.
Lowing the flowers, Elena smiled. “So Jr. How are you going to prove that you’re a man to me?
Especially on a day like today, there was no chance that Rubedo could have hidden his lecherous grin. He at least held his tongue a bit from saying quite a number of things that he knew probably would have gotten him slapped or shot at. He also tried not to be very blatant about checking her out, but... Hot damn.
"Well first off, simple and black suits you nicely. It shows off your figure, if you don't mind my saying." God, sometimes being this height was a curse. I mean, sure it gave him a nice view, but it also meant he had to triple his efforts to not make her think of him as some twelve-year-old.
...Unless that sort of thing was her kink, but he doubted that. She seemed like a very direct, honorable woman. Hell, he hoped this curse was getting to her, too, or he was shit out of luck and she was just playing around with him.
"And now that we've met and are away from everyone seeing, you can call me Rubedo." He held out his hand. "Do you like Italian?"
Elena resisted the urge to blush, though only by a very slim margin, at the compliment. It really had been too long since she had received any sort of positive male attention. And like she had told him, Jr. was being a gentleman. Being a Turk, while the job commanded a lot of respect, wasn’t the best for promoting a social life outside of work. Instead of blushing though, Elena graced Jr. with a wider smile.
“Thank you. It’s been a while since I’ve worn a dress, so I wasn’t sure if I could still pull them off.” That one day when everyone had acted opposite of how they normally did not counting. After all, people were acting opposite of how they normally did. And opposite for Elena seemed to be wearing a dress.
Taking his hand, Elena couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Rubedo, hm? All right then.” She wasn’t on the job and it would be bad manners to pry. Besides, they had just met. It probably wasn’t anything, anyway. It was probably like how Elena didn’t let people call her any nicknames until she knew them better. “And Italian does sound nice.”
Her hands were slender and beautiful, but he noticed her fingernails weren't especially long, and they had that certain type of callous.... And she never wore dresses? Hm...
Oh, even in his especially hormonal state, Rubedo was still keen on noticing certain things. And apparently she was a lot more than just a pretty, stern woman. She had obviously handled a gun on many occasions. He glanced to her handbag and wondered if one was there.
The very idea made him smile knowingly, and he glanced back up to her face. How interesting. A chick that knew how to handle a gun... Was it a 20th century gun? Or before that? He wanted to ask, and there was no way he would hold back a question like that today.
"Awesome. Elena, do use a gun professionally, or just for sport?" He led the way to a restaurant he had spotted on the way to the carousel.
Of all the questions he could have asked her, that certainly wasn’t high on her list of possibilities. Hm… Perhaps there was some measure of truth to what he had said about being older than he looked. A 12-year-old certainly wouldn’t have asked a question such as that. Or made the correct observations to do so. Still, Elena would hold back her judgment for the time being.
Deciding to indulge in a little bit of whimsy, especially since by the sound of Rubedo’s voice, he was more than just a little interested, Elena reached into her bag and pulled out her standard issued Turk gun. It was a little harder to handle and packed more heat than a regular gun, but it made sure the job got done. It didn’t exactly look like something your normal woman would carry around though. Not even for self-defense. She had acquired one or two regular guns as well, but this thing went with her everywhere and was generally her first choice.
Letting Rubedo take a good look at it, but not quite handing it to him just yet, Elena let a small, prideful smile make it’s way onto her face. “Mostly professionally, but I have been known to pay a visit to the range for fun.”
If Rubedo had just been convincing Elena that he was an adult, his childish reaction probably quickly made her change her mind again. Both eyes widened, and his eyes glittered with childish excitement. He stopped walking and reached out to touch, but stopped just short, instead letting his hand hover and then caress above it mid-air.
"Cooool! This is so neat! You gotta understand... This place is so bizarre for me. Where I'm from, this place is like two thousand years behind! These types of guns are impossible to find. I collect them as a hobby. Here, see?"
He reached into his blazer and pulled out the two pistols he had slipped into the holsters strapped beneath it. Expertly flipping them around, he held them both out by their barrels. "Makarovs! They were originally built in Soviet Russia, built after World War II. .380 calibur, but I've souped them up a bit so these bastards will knock you DOWN," he bragged proudly.
When he realized he had gone off on his own little tangent, he quickly slipped them back beneath his holster, stuttering. "We--well... Not YOU. I mean, I wouldn't shoot you. You're too fine. Er.. Italian, was it?" His voice was a little strained as he laughed nervously and turned to lead the way again.
Once at the restaurant, he was glad to find it was open. Hell, it was after midnight and these places were open? He LOVED this place! There didn't seem to be a wait, either, and they were seated quickly.
Elena let out a small laugh at the way Rubedo’s eyes widened and he went on like a kid, talking so animatedly. It was endearing. He must have really liked guns to treat hers the way he was. Maybe she’d invite him to the shooting range next time if things went well between the two of them. She was always looking for a way to keep her skills sharp and better herself somehow.
“Well, this place is strange for a lot of people here. Myself included,” Elena replied with a smile. “And that’s not even including the time periods that people come from.” And how. Elena listened attentively as Rubedo went on and she found herself impressed. Upgrading guns wasn’t as easy as it was made to seem. She placed her gun back into her purse and examined the ones that had been brought out for her to see. They were certainly something that was for sure. But, they also weren’t anything she’d ever laid eyes on either. There was nothing like that back where she came from.
Shaking her head, Elena couldn’t help but shrug slightly. “I’m certainly impressed, but I’m afraid that part of your excitement might be lost on me. Not for lack of interest though. Where I come from, there’s no such place as, Soviet Russia, you said? And the last war between countries that people talk about couldn’t even be considered a world war, given that it was between the only two powers that were left. But I can understand customizing a gun. Especially an old one. That takes some fair amount of skill.”
Elena smiled at Rubedo’s slip up about shooting her. Truthfully, she wasn’t the least bit insulted. It’d take a bit more than that to cause any worry in Elena about her physical health and safety. And she wasn’t insulted since it wasn’t a comment on her skills or perceived lack of them. “Thank you, but are you sure that my looks are a good enough reason to count me out?” Elena teased, smirking slightly.
Elena found herself enjoying the time spent so far. Rubedo might have looked like a child, but he was certainly keeping up his end of the conversation at a level that was pleasantly around her own. Elena wasn’t surprised about find a restaurant open at this hour or anything like it. She’d been here too long for that. She merely looked around, assenting things subconsciously, and letting her mind wander down the paths it would take, all the while listening to her date with a full ear.
"Really? So you're from a completely different world then, not just time line? So bizarre... It's hard to believe this place is real, you know? I mean, here it's like..." He should have been thinking his words over more carefully, but he just found them tumbling out unrestrained instead.
"It's like I'm not important in the same way. Back home I lie and say I'm still twelve, because hey that's easier for people to believe, right? Yet I get more respect there, still, just because I'm a director of the Kukai Foundation. Here I can be honest about my age, because it seems like people are used to stranger things...but my title is useless here. The name Gaignun Kukai doesn't carry any special meaning, but I mean that name was based off of a cat anyway. So I guess I can start introducing myself as Rubedo if I want, but damnit I don't want that! That name has such bad memories, I don't know WHY I told you to call me that, you really should call me Jr instead... It just seems to much better when on a date. Jr. isn't that sexy of a name at all. I mean I bet you already have plenty of guys kicking down your door for your number, right? You're hot, you know guns, and you seem so smart, and here you got someone who looks like a kid hitting on you, but shit, I'm just so tired of...uh...where was I?"
When he realized just how much he was rambling, Rubedo's cheeks reddened, and he sunk down a bit more in his seat in light embarrassment, his mouth snapping shut.
The menu was snagged as soon as it was offered, and he found himself hiding behind it, mentally kicking himself for acting like such a retard. How was he supposed to impress anyone like this when he just kept talking about himself? Daaamn...
He waited for her to order before placing his own order, which was plain old fettuccine alfredo with shrimp.
Elena found herself blinking with no small amount of surprise at the stream of words that just poured out of Rubedo’s mouth. It…certainly was a bit to take in. She had no idea what might have brought about this sudden bit of admittance and stream of truth; however, it did pretty much prove one thing in Elena’s mind. Whatever he might have wanted to be called, he certainly wasn’t a child, no matter what he looked like. As such, Elena was going to have to work her way around this carefully.
Taking the menu offered, Elena scanned over the foods listed as she chose her course of action. Eventually she decided to just speak and hope for the best. Sure, she might be spilling some secrets, but it was common knowledge back home, so it wasn’t all that bad. Or at least, that was what she kept telling herself.
She placed her order, a smoked salmon roma pasta dish, and then began picking her words slowly, gaining confidence as she went along. “In the world that I come from, and believe me, it took me a while to get used to the idea of different worlds being connected too, but that aside, where I come from my job kept most of the men away from my door. I’m proud of my job, but it’s not exactly a job with the best intentions. Our official title is the Investigation Division of the General Affairs Department of ShinRa, which is a company that doesn’t exactly exist anymore due to a madman destroying countless things in his quest to bring back his mother. But the unofficial title is what everyone more commonly refers to it by. Turk. Everyone knew who a Turk was by their uniform and I wear one.“
“Officially, the Turks protected the president of ShinRa with their lives, but unofficially, we do a bit more than just that. And even though it’s extremely difficult to get into the Turks, once you’re in, you don’t leave except by death. I’m going to assume that you can understand what kind of job it is from that…”
“And I don’t care what name you choose to go by. I work with a man named Rude, for Planet’s sake,” Elena finished, meeting the Jr./Rubedo’s gaze levelly. Her eyes were serious because she was proud of her job, even if it involved doing things that weren’t to be proud of in the past, but there was a small hint of a smirk on her lips. Spending too much time with Reno, she supposed.
Rubedo felt himself relax a bit the more she spoke. It was relaxing to hear somebody else talk about themselves. It reminded him that he wasn't the only one under the curse.
"Yeah? Sounds to me like a complicated profession." A lot like organized crime, but he didn't say that. He was too busy saying other things. "So that explains why you know your guns and why you don't wear dresses. You're a tough lady, huh? Well, I can respect a woman in a suit... But that doesn't mean you should ignore that you are a woman, and enjoying that part of you on occasion is probably good for you. Trust me, I know. With my role where I'm from, especially with my 'age', I can hardly be allowed to just act like a man."
He folded his arms across the edge of the table, his expression occasionally switching from an easy smile to a sour look of frustration, back to the occasional blush.
"See, where I'm from there's an organization that goes by the name U-TIC. After some, um, shit happened when I was twelve in a war that I don't even want to get into, me, my younger brother, and some comrades decided to subjugate what remained of it. My brother took on the name Gaignun Kukai, and I took on Gaignun Kukai, Jr., and we started the Kukai Foundation. We started out more military based, but now it's branched off and works with civilian corporations now. We're based at The Foundation, which is like a space colony, but it's more like a small civilization by now. I'm mostly on the Durandal though, the ship I command. Seriously though, so much political shit has been trying to tear our peace treaties apart, it's not even funny. I wish war was easy, but Hell I've been tasting it since I was born. I think my books and my guns are the only things keeping me sane at this point, and damn, I want to kiss you, and it's not just because you look hot anymore, but I bet that would make you want to put a bullet through my head, and I'm not sure even knowing that is enough to stop me."
“That all depends on who you’re talking to,” Elena quipped back smiling. It seemed as if she had chosen the right things to say. “But either way, I can take care of myself. Maybe I’ve become a little bit out of touch with the more feminine side of myself, but it’s still there. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be out on this date, now would I?”
As Elena listen, she resisted the urge to break in and ask questions, filing them away and saving them for later instead. She couldn’t help but feel excited about hearing all this new sort of information though. She always did have a bit of an interest in learning, proven by her drive to be the best. “The Kukai Foundation sounds like what ShinRa was, only in reverse. It started out as a business, and then it expanded until it was the strongest power in my world. It ran everything from the military to the business to the way people lived their lives. It never quite managed to make it to space though. There was only one other competing power, which was a country called Wutai, and even that one was eventually subdued. Now though, everything is being built anew and ShinRa is only a shell of what it was. It certainly doesn’t control the entire world now. The current president wouldn’t dare and I don’t know if the people would let him besides. Basically, you could say that ShinRa destroyed itself with its own power and creation. People learned from that and they wised up.”
“I’ve lived a somewhat sheltered life, I’ll admit that, but that doesn’t mean I’m any stranger to fighting or danger either. In Midgar, the city where I was born, being sheltered meant that you had food to eat everyday, you had a roof over your head, and the air you breathed wasn’t going to make you mutate into something horrible or poison your lungs. I suppose, because of that, you could say that learning was one of my releases as well.”
Hearing the last thing Jr./Rubedo, she’d really have to get that cleared up soon, said, Elena couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “I don’t know if I would shoot you if you tried… Hell, I don’t really know what I would do! It’s been far, far too long since anyone shown that sort of interest in me.”
Knowing that Elena seemed to have also dealt with a lot, knew just what she was talking about, and seemed to be under appreciated on the feminine side of things... Well, shit. It was almost sexier than her figure.
Almost.
"Yeah?" He stood. Damn if they weren't in a restaurant, but any worries he might have normally had about the public eye just vanished out the window as he stepped around the table and caught one of her hands. His thumb grazed just under her forefinger, or what he affectionately liked to call the trigger finger, while his free hand caught her chin to make sure her gaze didn't stray.
Body of a twelve-year-old or not, his voice was a seductive purr as he spoke, and there was nothing childish about the glint in his eyes as he leaned over her a bit. "Well now I'm showing it. You're a sexy woman, Elena, in every possible way I can think of."
He ignored the clatter of the plates being set down at their table, and the waiter walking briskly off as he closed the short distance between them in a kiss that shouldn't have felt so sudden with all the build-up, but still somehow to him it did, and he didn't let his eyes slide shut until he was sure she wasn't going to shoot him.
A part of Elena was surprised by the sudden boldness of Jr.’s, probably best since with the other name he had said the name was one he’d rather forget, anyway, but the sudden boldness of Jr.’s next moves. A small part of her mind was telling her that their conversation had been sort of leading up to this point, but the larger part of her mind couldn’t believe it. Her eyes had widened and she sat still in shock, even as Jr. took hold of her chin. She had registered his voice and the look in his eyes with a sort of detached mind; too stunned from having registered his words instead. It seemed that her brain couldn’t handle all of this at once and was working on basic emotions to cope. And when she felt Jr.’s lips on hers…
At first Elena tensed and just stared straight at Jr., not moving an inch, but slowly as her brain caught up with everything and put the pieces together, finally running at full capacity again, the blond finally relaxed. It was nice. Not to say that if it had been bad she would have shot Jr. or anything, but it certainly didn’t feel like a kiss from a child. Which is what made it so easy for Elena to forget and just close her eyes instead. And she probably would have continued to just enjoy the kiss, but a rather familiar sound caught her ears and not even a kiss with a charming date was going to stop her trained mind from reacting to it. Albeit, slower than usual.
Breaking off the kiss with a sheepish and reluctant smile, Elena held up a hand. “I’m sorry, but I need to check this.” After having been in the city for a while, Elena had figured out how to rig her PHS so that it alerted her whenever either Rufus or Reno, and now Tseng, updated with anything. She knew that Reno and Rufus would be busy for pretty much the entirety of the day, if the sounds coming from their room were any indication, so that only left one person. Still, she had to check just to make sure. If it were Reno though, she’d probably just forget about it and check out what he wrote later. Reaching for her purse, Elena dug a bit until she found her PHS and, pressing a few buttons, she pulled up the alert she had set up.
Biting the bottom of her lip when she saw who it was, Elena frowned slightly. Tseng had really updated? Then it probably wasn’t a good idea to ignore it. Elena swatted at the part of her mind doing little dances and spewing hearts at the mere thought of the other man. She was a professional damnit. Not a rookie with a crush. Still though… With a sigh, Elena snapped shut her PHS and gave Jr. an apologetic look. She really didn’t want to end this date, but… “That was my alert telling me someone I worked with updated. Turns out it was my boss.” She gave Jr. a truly sorry look and hoped he’d understand. She had really enjoyed his company.
He had just been contemplating deepening the kiss when he felt Elena pull back, and simply on reflex he also leaned away to give her space. When she gave her reason, he straightened and stepped back, resting one hand on the table while glancing off to the side as she checked her...whatever that was.
Had he really just macked on a woman in a restaurant? He hadn't kissed anyone in so long, but it had been nice... He hoped she hadn't hated it. Or something.
Absently, he glanced down to their food which had been served during their kiss, only to sharply look up when she insisted she needed to leave. "What? ...Oh." Her boss? Right.
Drumming his fingertips against the tabletop, he unfortunately couldn't hold back his expression, which was a bizarre combination of fury and devastation...and just brimming with irritation. "Yeah, sure." Knowing he couldn't handle rejection smoothly on a day like today, he turned away to glare down at his pasta.
"Go ahead. It must be important, right?" Probably just an excuse, though. He should have known better. Damn women
Biting once more into her bottom lip, Elena felt absolutely terrible about leaving, but she knew that Tseng wouldn’t have updated without some kind of reason… It was only her professionalism that kept her from acting in any way that might have been horribly embarrassing later on. Still, it was hard.
Getting up from her seat, Elena hesitated a moment before straightening her stance. She’d have to make it up to him, somehow…. Later.
“I really am sorry. Believe me,” Elena said, trying to keep her voice level. She unconsciously straightened her dress as an act to keep her emotions under control. Maybe things had been better when she forgot about being more than just a Turk. Though… “Maybe another time? I would love spending some more time with you. I’ll even ask for the whole day off so there’ll be no interruptions.”
Elena decided to leave before she could further invoke Jr.’s wrath or before she made an even bigger fool of herself. Acting on impulse, the blond leaned down and placed a quick kiss on the top of Jr.’s head before turning around and walking off. With each step, her demeanor changed from that of a woman on a date, to that of a professional once more. Sighing mentally to herself, Elena wondered what it could have been that Tseng had updated about.
Rating: PG-13, for Jr.'s language and a kiss between the two.
Characters: Jr.
red_dragon_666 & Elena lady_turkSummary: After this comment thread, Elena and Jr. go out, though things don't go as planned.
Blowing a lock of hair out of her face, Elena mused on what she’d just done with a small smirk on her face. Normally, she’d never have agreed to going out with someone who seemed to be so young, but she was feeling reckless. Perhaps it was due to all the stress relief that fighting with that rubber-guy had brought her. Workouts were always a good way to get a person’s heart pumping and to get the blood flowing and Elena certain did consider that something of a workout. Or maybe it was an effect of the city. One of those random curses. It did seem that the normal limits Elena placed on herself were lifted. She mused that she might feel rather guilty about it tomorrow, but at the same time, it was rather liberating. Oh well, more thinking about it later. Right now, she had a ‘date’ to get to.
This will certainly be interesting, Elena thought as she got up and went to change into the only other piece of clothing she had besides her suits. When was the last time I went out on a date anyway? … Too long… Now that was a depressing thought. The blond quickly pushed it out of her mind though, and changed into her dress in no time at all. It was a simple sleeveless, black dress with a box collar that showed off the top of her chest, without being too immodest. It came down to just a bit past her knees and she a simple pair of black-heeled shoes to match. One thing she certainly had no lack of were black shoes.
Straightening the hemline of her dress, Elena checked out her overall appearance as best she could. It certainly wasn’t her best, but it would do. She hadn’t thought to go out and buy any make-up or anything else, so all she had was a brush and her normal work clothes. Running her fingers through her hair to fix it up a little, Elena grabbled the small purse she’d gotten alongside the dress. Even if she wasn’t wearing her suit, there was no way the blond was going anywhere unarmed.
Closing her purse after putting in a few final items, Elena exited the apartment, paying no mind to the noises she heard in the background. Least she wouldn’t have to ask for the day off now. In no time at all, even with all the craziness that was normal to this city, Elena made it to the carouse. Picking a location that she deemed safe, Elena stood back and waited for her ‘date’s’ arrival.
After having convinced Gaignun to give him some spare cash (and a lot of it), Rubedo had tried to be quick about getting dressed up and finding his date. But considering he had only been there half of a day, he had yet to really know his way around. Earlier he had been so distracted with all the oldschool gadgets that he really hadn't been memorizing the map of the place.
So he had to find a nice clothing shop to find a suit, and ended up settling on a simple black and white one with a red tie. Gaignun had told him to bring back change, but...it looked like he wasn't going to be getting any.
Especially after the flowers he purchased, and if he was going to be buying dinner later... Damn did he just want to skip dinner, but this lady sounded like she was hard to impress. He hoped she wasn't prejudiced about his...situation.
When he finally found the carousal, Rubedo was fresh out of breath, and probably not looking his absolute best. His earring glittered in the lamplight as he stopped in front of one side, leaning over to catch his breath. When he glanced up and saw a tall blonde standing off to the side in a simple black dress, he nearly collapsed right there.
He hadn't seen such a fine piece of work in, well... Since Mary and Shelley! Oh how he missed them.
Straightening his shoulders, he walked up to her, offering a rather practiced, dashing smile and holding out the bouquet, which held a mixture of forsythia, lilies, and white sprigs of ivy. "Elena?"
Hearing someone call out her name, Elena turned to see the bouquet of flowers and the person offering them to her. The blond smiled and nodded. This must be Jr. then. “And you’re Jr., I’m assuming,” Elena responded, accepting the flowers and offering him a small smile. Bringing them up to her face, Elena inhaled softly, Jr. might have looked like a child, but he was certainly winning points with the blond with the flowers. They were certainly a nice touch.
Not even bothering to hide the fact that she was checking him out, Elena observed Jr. from behind the bouquet. He certainly looked different. Elena would be hard pressed to simply call him cute, though that was high on the list of words she could have used. He would certainly be a heart breaker once he grew up. Or rather, once his body caught up with his age, Elena amended, if Jr. was to be believed. She dismissed the fact that he was a little bit out of breath, but that was probably due to his rushing to get here. But even with his rushing, his outfit was very neat and handsome. And all in all, at least she hadn’t agreed to go out with someone she couldn’t say was attractive.
Lowing the flowers, Elena smiled. “So Jr. How are you going to prove that you’re a man to me?
Especially on a day like today, there was no chance that Rubedo could have hidden his lecherous grin. He at least held his tongue a bit from saying quite a number of things that he knew probably would have gotten him slapped or shot at. He also tried not to be very blatant about checking her out, but... Hot damn.
"Well first off, simple and black suits you nicely. It shows off your figure, if you don't mind my saying." God, sometimes being this height was a curse. I mean, sure it gave him a nice view, but it also meant he had to triple his efforts to not make her think of him as some twelve-year-old.
...Unless that sort of thing was her kink, but he doubted that. She seemed like a very direct, honorable woman. Hell, he hoped this curse was getting to her, too, or he was shit out of luck and she was just playing around with him.
"And now that we've met and are away from everyone seeing, you can call me Rubedo." He held out his hand. "Do you like Italian?"
Elena resisted the urge to blush, though only by a very slim margin, at the compliment. It really had been too long since she had received any sort of positive male attention. And like she had told him, Jr. was being a gentleman. Being a Turk, while the job commanded a lot of respect, wasn’t the best for promoting a social life outside of work. Instead of blushing though, Elena graced Jr. with a wider smile.
“Thank you. It’s been a while since I’ve worn a dress, so I wasn’t sure if I could still pull them off.” That one day when everyone had acted opposite of how they normally did not counting. After all, people were acting opposite of how they normally did. And opposite for Elena seemed to be wearing a dress.
Taking his hand, Elena couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Rubedo, hm? All right then.” She wasn’t on the job and it would be bad manners to pry. Besides, they had just met. It probably wasn’t anything, anyway. It was probably like how Elena didn’t let people call her any nicknames until she knew them better. “And Italian does sound nice.”
Her hands were slender and beautiful, but he noticed her fingernails weren't especially long, and they had that certain type of callous.... And she never wore dresses? Hm...
Oh, even in his especially hormonal state, Rubedo was still keen on noticing certain things. And apparently she was a lot more than just a pretty, stern woman. She had obviously handled a gun on many occasions. He glanced to her handbag and wondered if one was there.
The very idea made him smile knowingly, and he glanced back up to her face. How interesting. A chick that knew how to handle a gun... Was it a 20th century gun? Or before that? He wanted to ask, and there was no way he would hold back a question like that today.
"Awesome. Elena, do use a gun professionally, or just for sport?" He led the way to a restaurant he had spotted on the way to the carousel.
Of all the questions he could have asked her, that certainly wasn’t high on her list of possibilities. Hm… Perhaps there was some measure of truth to what he had said about being older than he looked. A 12-year-old certainly wouldn’t have asked a question such as that. Or made the correct observations to do so. Still, Elena would hold back her judgment for the time being.
Deciding to indulge in a little bit of whimsy, especially since by the sound of Rubedo’s voice, he was more than just a little interested, Elena reached into her bag and pulled out her standard issued Turk gun. It was a little harder to handle and packed more heat than a regular gun, but it made sure the job got done. It didn’t exactly look like something your normal woman would carry around though. Not even for self-defense. She had acquired one or two regular guns as well, but this thing went with her everywhere and was generally her first choice.
Letting Rubedo take a good look at it, but not quite handing it to him just yet, Elena let a small, prideful smile make it’s way onto her face. “Mostly professionally, but I have been known to pay a visit to the range for fun.”
If Rubedo had just been convincing Elena that he was an adult, his childish reaction probably quickly made her change her mind again. Both eyes widened, and his eyes glittered with childish excitement. He stopped walking and reached out to touch, but stopped just short, instead letting his hand hover and then caress above it mid-air.
"Cooool! This is so neat! You gotta understand... This place is so bizarre for me. Where I'm from, this place is like two thousand years behind! These types of guns are impossible to find. I collect them as a hobby. Here, see?"
He reached into his blazer and pulled out the two pistols he had slipped into the holsters strapped beneath it. Expertly flipping them around, he held them both out by their barrels. "Makarovs! They were originally built in Soviet Russia, built after World War II. .380 calibur, but I've souped them up a bit so these bastards will knock you DOWN," he bragged proudly.
When he realized he had gone off on his own little tangent, he quickly slipped them back beneath his holster, stuttering. "We--well... Not YOU. I mean, I wouldn't shoot you. You're too fine. Er.. Italian, was it?" His voice was a little strained as he laughed nervously and turned to lead the way again.
Once at the restaurant, he was glad to find it was open. Hell, it was after midnight and these places were open? He LOVED this place! There didn't seem to be a wait, either, and they were seated quickly.
Elena let out a small laugh at the way Rubedo’s eyes widened and he went on like a kid, talking so animatedly. It was endearing. He must have really liked guns to treat hers the way he was. Maybe she’d invite him to the shooting range next time if things went well between the two of them. She was always looking for a way to keep her skills sharp and better herself somehow.
“Well, this place is strange for a lot of people here. Myself included,” Elena replied with a smile. “And that’s not even including the time periods that people come from.” And how. Elena listened attentively as Rubedo went on and she found herself impressed. Upgrading guns wasn’t as easy as it was made to seem. She placed her gun back into her purse and examined the ones that had been brought out for her to see. They were certainly something that was for sure. But, they also weren’t anything she’d ever laid eyes on either. There was nothing like that back where she came from.
Shaking her head, Elena couldn’t help but shrug slightly. “I’m certainly impressed, but I’m afraid that part of your excitement might be lost on me. Not for lack of interest though. Where I come from, there’s no such place as, Soviet Russia, you said? And the last war between countries that people talk about couldn’t even be considered a world war, given that it was between the only two powers that were left. But I can understand customizing a gun. Especially an old one. That takes some fair amount of skill.”
Elena smiled at Rubedo’s slip up about shooting her. Truthfully, she wasn’t the least bit insulted. It’d take a bit more than that to cause any worry in Elena about her physical health and safety. And she wasn’t insulted since it wasn’t a comment on her skills or perceived lack of them. “Thank you, but are you sure that my looks are a good enough reason to count me out?” Elena teased, smirking slightly.
Elena found herself enjoying the time spent so far. Rubedo might have looked like a child, but he was certainly keeping up his end of the conversation at a level that was pleasantly around her own. Elena wasn’t surprised about find a restaurant open at this hour or anything like it. She’d been here too long for that. She merely looked around, assenting things subconsciously, and letting her mind wander down the paths it would take, all the while listening to her date with a full ear.
"Really? So you're from a completely different world then, not just time line? So bizarre... It's hard to believe this place is real, you know? I mean, here it's like..." He should have been thinking his words over more carefully, but he just found them tumbling out unrestrained instead.
"It's like I'm not important in the same way. Back home I lie and say I'm still twelve, because hey that's easier for people to believe, right? Yet I get more respect there, still, just because I'm a director of the Kukai Foundation. Here I can be honest about my age, because it seems like people are used to stranger things...but my title is useless here. The name Gaignun Kukai doesn't carry any special meaning, but I mean that name was based off of a cat anyway. So I guess I can start introducing myself as Rubedo if I want, but damnit I don't want that! That name has such bad memories, I don't know WHY I told you to call me that, you really should call me Jr instead... It just seems to much better when on a date. Jr. isn't that sexy of a name at all. I mean I bet you already have plenty of guys kicking down your door for your number, right? You're hot, you know guns, and you seem so smart, and here you got someone who looks like a kid hitting on you, but shit, I'm just so tired of...uh...where was I?"
When he realized just how much he was rambling, Rubedo's cheeks reddened, and he sunk down a bit more in his seat in light embarrassment, his mouth snapping shut.
The menu was snagged as soon as it was offered, and he found himself hiding behind it, mentally kicking himself for acting like such a retard. How was he supposed to impress anyone like this when he just kept talking about himself? Daaamn...
He waited for her to order before placing his own order, which was plain old fettuccine alfredo with shrimp.
Elena found herself blinking with no small amount of surprise at the stream of words that just poured out of Rubedo’s mouth. It…certainly was a bit to take in. She had no idea what might have brought about this sudden bit of admittance and stream of truth; however, it did pretty much prove one thing in Elena’s mind. Whatever he might have wanted to be called, he certainly wasn’t a child, no matter what he looked like. As such, Elena was going to have to work her way around this carefully.
Taking the menu offered, Elena scanned over the foods listed as she chose her course of action. Eventually she decided to just speak and hope for the best. Sure, she might be spilling some secrets, but it was common knowledge back home, so it wasn’t all that bad. Or at least, that was what she kept telling herself.
She placed her order, a smoked salmon roma pasta dish, and then began picking her words slowly, gaining confidence as she went along. “In the world that I come from, and believe me, it took me a while to get used to the idea of different worlds being connected too, but that aside, where I come from my job kept most of the men away from my door. I’m proud of my job, but it’s not exactly a job with the best intentions. Our official title is the Investigation Division of the General Affairs Department of ShinRa, which is a company that doesn’t exactly exist anymore due to a madman destroying countless things in his quest to bring back his mother. But the unofficial title is what everyone more commonly refers to it by. Turk. Everyone knew who a Turk was by their uniform and I wear one.“
“Officially, the Turks protected the president of ShinRa with their lives, but unofficially, we do a bit more than just that. And even though it’s extremely difficult to get into the Turks, once you’re in, you don’t leave except by death. I’m going to assume that you can understand what kind of job it is from that…”
“And I don’t care what name you choose to go by. I work with a man named Rude, for Planet’s sake,” Elena finished, meeting the Jr./Rubedo’s gaze levelly. Her eyes were serious because she was proud of her job, even if it involved doing things that weren’t to be proud of in the past, but there was a small hint of a smirk on her lips. Spending too much time with Reno, she supposed.
Rubedo felt himself relax a bit the more she spoke. It was relaxing to hear somebody else talk about themselves. It reminded him that he wasn't the only one under the curse.
"Yeah? Sounds to me like a complicated profession." A lot like organized crime, but he didn't say that. He was too busy saying other things. "So that explains why you know your guns and why you don't wear dresses. You're a tough lady, huh? Well, I can respect a woman in a suit... But that doesn't mean you should ignore that you are a woman, and enjoying that part of you on occasion is probably good for you. Trust me, I know. With my role where I'm from, especially with my 'age', I can hardly be allowed to just act like a man."
He folded his arms across the edge of the table, his expression occasionally switching from an easy smile to a sour look of frustration, back to the occasional blush.
"See, where I'm from there's an organization that goes by the name U-TIC. After some, um, shit happened when I was twelve in a war that I don't even want to get into, me, my younger brother, and some comrades decided to subjugate what remained of it. My brother took on the name Gaignun Kukai, and I took on Gaignun Kukai, Jr., and we started the Kukai Foundation. We started out more military based, but now it's branched off and works with civilian corporations now. We're based at The Foundation, which is like a space colony, but it's more like a small civilization by now. I'm mostly on the Durandal though, the ship I command. Seriously though, so much political shit has been trying to tear our peace treaties apart, it's not even funny. I wish war was easy, but Hell I've been tasting it since I was born. I think my books and my guns are the only things keeping me sane at this point, and damn, I want to kiss you, and it's not just because you look hot anymore, but I bet that would make you want to put a bullet through my head, and I'm not sure even knowing that is enough to stop me."
“That all depends on who you’re talking to,” Elena quipped back smiling. It seemed as if she had chosen the right things to say. “But either way, I can take care of myself. Maybe I’ve become a little bit out of touch with the more feminine side of myself, but it’s still there. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be out on this date, now would I?”
As Elena listen, she resisted the urge to break in and ask questions, filing them away and saving them for later instead. She couldn’t help but feel excited about hearing all this new sort of information though. She always did have a bit of an interest in learning, proven by her drive to be the best. “The Kukai Foundation sounds like what ShinRa was, only in reverse. It started out as a business, and then it expanded until it was the strongest power in my world. It ran everything from the military to the business to the way people lived their lives. It never quite managed to make it to space though. There was only one other competing power, which was a country called Wutai, and even that one was eventually subdued. Now though, everything is being built anew and ShinRa is only a shell of what it was. It certainly doesn’t control the entire world now. The current president wouldn’t dare and I don’t know if the people would let him besides. Basically, you could say that ShinRa destroyed itself with its own power and creation. People learned from that and they wised up.”
“I’ve lived a somewhat sheltered life, I’ll admit that, but that doesn’t mean I’m any stranger to fighting or danger either. In Midgar, the city where I was born, being sheltered meant that you had food to eat everyday, you had a roof over your head, and the air you breathed wasn’t going to make you mutate into something horrible or poison your lungs. I suppose, because of that, you could say that learning was one of my releases as well.”
Hearing the last thing Jr./Rubedo, she’d really have to get that cleared up soon, said, Elena couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “I don’t know if I would shoot you if you tried… Hell, I don’t really know what I would do! It’s been far, far too long since anyone shown that sort of interest in me.”
Knowing that Elena seemed to have also dealt with a lot, knew just what she was talking about, and seemed to be under appreciated on the feminine side of things... Well, shit. It was almost sexier than her figure.
Almost.
"Yeah?" He stood. Damn if they weren't in a restaurant, but any worries he might have normally had about the public eye just vanished out the window as he stepped around the table and caught one of her hands. His thumb grazed just under her forefinger, or what he affectionately liked to call the trigger finger, while his free hand caught her chin to make sure her gaze didn't stray.
Body of a twelve-year-old or not, his voice was a seductive purr as he spoke, and there was nothing childish about the glint in his eyes as he leaned over her a bit. "Well now I'm showing it. You're a sexy woman, Elena, in every possible way I can think of."
He ignored the clatter of the plates being set down at their table, and the waiter walking briskly off as he closed the short distance between them in a kiss that shouldn't have felt so sudden with all the build-up, but still somehow to him it did, and he didn't let his eyes slide shut until he was sure she wasn't going to shoot him.
A part of Elena was surprised by the sudden boldness of Jr.’s, probably best since with the other name he had said the name was one he’d rather forget, anyway, but the sudden boldness of Jr.’s next moves. A small part of her mind was telling her that their conversation had been sort of leading up to this point, but the larger part of her mind couldn’t believe it. Her eyes had widened and she sat still in shock, even as Jr. took hold of her chin. She had registered his voice and the look in his eyes with a sort of detached mind; too stunned from having registered his words instead. It seemed that her brain couldn’t handle all of this at once and was working on basic emotions to cope. And when she felt Jr.’s lips on hers…
At first Elena tensed and just stared straight at Jr., not moving an inch, but slowly as her brain caught up with everything and put the pieces together, finally running at full capacity again, the blond finally relaxed. It was nice. Not to say that if it had been bad she would have shot Jr. or anything, but it certainly didn’t feel like a kiss from a child. Which is what made it so easy for Elena to forget and just close her eyes instead. And she probably would have continued to just enjoy the kiss, but a rather familiar sound caught her ears and not even a kiss with a charming date was going to stop her trained mind from reacting to it. Albeit, slower than usual.
Breaking off the kiss with a sheepish and reluctant smile, Elena held up a hand. “I’m sorry, but I need to check this.” After having been in the city for a while, Elena had figured out how to rig her PHS so that it alerted her whenever either Rufus or Reno, and now Tseng, updated with anything. She knew that Reno and Rufus would be busy for pretty much the entirety of the day, if the sounds coming from their room were any indication, so that only left one person. Still, she had to check just to make sure. If it were Reno though, she’d probably just forget about it and check out what he wrote later. Reaching for her purse, Elena dug a bit until she found her PHS and, pressing a few buttons, she pulled up the alert she had set up.
Biting the bottom of her lip when she saw who it was, Elena frowned slightly. Tseng had really updated? Then it probably wasn’t a good idea to ignore it. Elena swatted at the part of her mind doing little dances and spewing hearts at the mere thought of the other man. She was a professional damnit. Not a rookie with a crush. Still though… With a sigh, Elena snapped shut her PHS and gave Jr. an apologetic look. She really didn’t want to end this date, but… “That was my alert telling me someone I worked with updated. Turns out it was my boss.” She gave Jr. a truly sorry look and hoped he’d understand. She had really enjoyed his company.
He had just been contemplating deepening the kiss when he felt Elena pull back, and simply on reflex he also leaned away to give her space. When she gave her reason, he straightened and stepped back, resting one hand on the table while glancing off to the side as she checked her...whatever that was.
Had he really just macked on a woman in a restaurant? He hadn't kissed anyone in so long, but it had been nice... He hoped she hadn't hated it. Or something.
Absently, he glanced down to their food which had been served during their kiss, only to sharply look up when she insisted she needed to leave. "What? ...Oh." Her boss? Right.
Drumming his fingertips against the tabletop, he unfortunately couldn't hold back his expression, which was a bizarre combination of fury and devastation...and just brimming with irritation. "Yeah, sure." Knowing he couldn't handle rejection smoothly on a day like today, he turned away to glare down at his pasta.
"Go ahead. It must be important, right?" Probably just an excuse, though. He should have known better. Damn women
Biting once more into her bottom lip, Elena felt absolutely terrible about leaving, but she knew that Tseng wouldn’t have updated without some kind of reason… It was only her professionalism that kept her from acting in any way that might have been horribly embarrassing later on. Still, it was hard.
Getting up from her seat, Elena hesitated a moment before straightening her stance. She’d have to make it up to him, somehow…. Later.
“I really am sorry. Believe me,” Elena said, trying to keep her voice level. She unconsciously straightened her dress as an act to keep her emotions under control. Maybe things had been better when she forgot about being more than just a Turk. Though… “Maybe another time? I would love spending some more time with you. I’ll even ask for the whole day off so there’ll be no interruptions.”
Elena decided to leave before she could further invoke Jr.’s wrath or before she made an even bigger fool of herself. Acting on impulse, the blond leaned down and placed a quick kiss on the top of Jr.’s head before turning around and walking off. With each step, her demeanor changed from that of a woman on a date, to that of a professional once more. Sighing mentally to herself, Elena wondered what it could have been that Tseng had updated about.