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[supersoldier]

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[supersoldier]

[Well and good, perhaps. However, he wonders if such a sentiment extends all the way around.]

And Rufus Shinra’s intentions?

[Which will be the most prevalent of the two.]

[detao]

( Tseng deduces that has not been discussed between the two of them. Which is why Sephiroth is asking him about this. In any case, Rufus had no involvement with Sephiroth's creation and would likely leave well enough alone here, especially given the mindset Sephiroth is in now. However, Tseng is loyal to Rufus' rule. )

To live comfortably here.

( He's quite certain that says enough about Rufus' Shinra's intention with Sephiroth. Stirring the general's feathers was not going to bode well for comfort. )

[supersoldier]

[It is strange to imagine Rufus Shinra, in all his grand ambition, to simply be content with living on a foreign planet and to neglect the responsibilities of a company that Sephiroth believes he left behind. But years have passed for the other man, where it has not for him — things have changed, in ways that he cannot hope to know, not quite yet.

Even so. He wonders just how true Tseng’s statement is, or will be.]

I find it difficult to believe that he will be content resting on his laurels. You cannot believe that completely either.

[detao]

( Tseng huffs through his nostrils. His head moves into half a roll then back again. He rolls his shoulders as well. Rufus doesn't quite have a throne here, Tseng reflects, but all the same - even if he did have a small army, this world did not belong to any of them. Coming after Sephiroth for whatever purpose would be ill-advised. Tseng doesn't believe Rufus has any stock in Sephiroth, not here and not now. If Sephiroth's status changes in the future, then perhaps, there would be an investment worth accumulating from the perfect soldier.

Tseng can't reason the value in pursuing the rogue general.

However, perhaps Sephiroth means in a more general term. Rufus does not intend to idle, there's too much to learn, and they need to find something to invest in if they expect to grow to their usual standards of comfort and power. )

A certain amount of familiarity will facilitate a sense of comfort. The rest will come through labor and investment.

All endeavors that have no foreseeable reason to do with you.

[supersoldier]

[That aligns closer to what he expected. “Labor and investment” to facilitate comfort where familiarity could not. Shinra’s propensity to grease its shrewd business wheels and palms. There’s mild satisfaction in knowing some things remain the same, woefully so, when so much of Gaia has apparently changed in the years beyond what he knows.]

We will see, won’t we?

[A beat, and then:]

I need to know something, however.

[detao]

What is it?

[supersoldier]

Did you know about Jenova before Nibelheim?

[detao]

No.

[supersoldier]

[Though there is not an answer that would completely appease Sephiroth, that is the closest in this moment. If the other man isn’t strategically lying about it, or course.]

So even Shinra’s most faithful, left in the dark.

[detao]

Shinra's different divisions have their own closets to bury their skeletons.

[supersoldier]

Yet that is a particularly large skeleton to keep buried between departments.

[detao]

Perhaps even the foundation in which all of Shinra's closets were built on.

[supersoldier]

And yet your sense of duty to the company seems as steadfast as ever. What does that say about you, Tseng?

[Perhaps that's an unfair comparison, given that Sephiroth was far more affected by that particular Calamity-shaped skeleton hidden in Shinra's belly. But he is dissatisfied, and angry, and still wheeling in his own mind. It is hard to hold back the bite in his words.]

[detao]

Whatever you think it says about me won't be quelled by my answer.

[supersoldier]

Answer it anyway.

[detao]

Not my division.

[supersoldier]

And therefore beyond the boundaries of your moral concern.

You're correct. An unsatisfying answer.

[detao]

Any other disappointing messages you'll have from me?

[supersoldier]

No.

We're done here.

[detao]

Until next time, then.