( open ) experience has made me rich and now they're after me

[unionized]

WHO: Rufus Shinra (unionized) and various (including YOU)!
WHEN: April
WHERE: All around Etraya!
WHAT: Open top-levels for various prompts including dreamshare, general interaction, and potentially mission-related things once those become available.
NOTES\WARNINGS: The usuals for FF7: potential discussion of shitty parenting, parental death, mass murder, unethical human experimentation, less mass-y but still severe murder, ecoterrorism (both ways) etc. etc.

Comments

[venatoris]

Nope, nope - I'd agree with you there.

[ He's still a safe distance enough away and while he would absolutely like for Rufus to turn that terrifying beast loose, he shakes his head, holds a hand up to wave it off. He still remembers what it was like when he threw Cas out of the bunker because that prick Gadreel made him.

It doesn't feel good, sending your best friend away to get hunted down by angels like an innocent doe.

Not the exact same, but still. ]

Nah, it's fine. She's fine. Um, what's - what's her name?

[unionized]

Dean. I've got her.

[It's reassurance, of a sort — measured, calm, steady. He half-turns, continuing to keep himself carefully positioned between where Dean is standing and where Darkstar remains patiently waiting, signaling with a slight but practiced motion.]

— D, to me.

[A command he could've given with the hand motion alone, but he figures that adding the verbal will be more for Dean's benefit than his dog's — the better to reinforce that impression that he's got control of her, so that she comes off as responding to his commands and not just to subtleties that a casual observer might have missed.

She trots over briskly, coming to a halt at his side, and he deliberately leans down a little to greet her when she arrives, taking her muzzle into his hands and stroking affectionately behind her ears.]

Her name is Darkstar. Mine since she was a puppy.

[venatoris]

[ He clears his throat and takes a sip of his coffee - cold, by now, but it does give him something to do with his hands when the canine trots over.

Jesus Christ. ]

Darkstar. Cool name, very Star Wars. [ His eyes flick between the hound and Rufus, forcing himself to stay calm. She's very obviously well trained and at this point, seems fairly disinterested in Dean. Personally, he'd prefer to keep it that way. ]

So how old is she, then? [ he's starting to low key wonder if Rufus is some kind of demon ]

[unionized]

[Funny thing about growing up in the environment of the Shinra Corporation — you learn pretty fast not to confirm information like "she was genetically engineered by a mad scientist and he's not the type to share around the formula". It tends to make people nervous for some reason.]

Her breed is long-lived.

[SHE HAS A PREHENSILE TENTACLE ON HER BACK, WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE YOU PICKED HER UP AT THE RESCUE SHELTER.]

I suppose it must be five or six years now. It's hard to maintain friendships alongside corporate responsibilities, so she proved a good fit for companionship and security both.

[venatoris]

Oh, I'm sure. She's, uh - quite the deterrent.

[ In SO many ways and Dean has so many questions that he is not sure where to even start. What in the seven rings of hell created this creature?

Now he HAS to ask. ]

And still pretty young, too. So was she like, a rescue....stray....demonic gift from hell...?

[unionized]

From my father. So, you're not far off.

[In This Thread: Rufus Shinra accidentally suggests to Man Who Might Not Take This Figuratively that he may or may not be the son of some administrator of actual hell. Which, strictly speaking, better describes Sephiroth but it's not like he's that far off himself, given the givens.

Either way, possibly a good idea to start sidestepping the subject a little.]

You've seen something like her before, I gather. [And evidently it spooked him so bad that he has a terror reaction to it now.] Did you used to hunt something like her?

[venatoris]

...Huh.

[ Well that. Is information. is Rufus a demon? Is big daddy Lucifer? They're clearly not from the same 'world', but a guy has to wonder. ]

I have, yeah. But we didn't hunt them. They were invisible unless, uh - [ You'd sold your soul and were hellbound, but that's not information he's quite ready to share. ]

Just in certain circumstances. They don't make appearances all that often.

[unionized]

...Which is why the first thing you asked is whether I could see her. Circumstances.

[But he doesn't sound like he's going to press it, either. Just putting two and two together like the clever thing he is.]

We call them guard hounds, not hellhounds. She's a fairly unique pedigree; there's an extensive selection process that goes into finding one suitable for her particular duties.

[The best of the best, he doesn't say, because he doesn't have to. It's more than implied as-is.]

[venatoris]

Yeah. Exactly.

[ He peers down at her, still apprehensive, but less cowering in abject terror. Thankfully. Pull it together, Dean. ]

I can see why she's unique. [ Honestly wtf ] How'd she get here? You ask for her?

[unionized]

More that I found her.

[He waves a hand in the direction of the Shinra Building, which at seventy stories tall is fairly distinguishable no matter where you happen to be standing at any given time.]

When the companion bots finished that building, I went to go have a look around. She was guarding one of the rooms inside. Waiting for me, ostensibly.

[venatoris]

[ Yeah that's a big fuckin' building, my man. Compensating? ]

Was that building here when you got here? Cause I kinda stumbled across one - my home, actually, a couple days ago.

[unionized]

They were building it when I got here. Not altogether surprising that it took them a while to put up.

[It is a WHOLE LOTTA DICK TO WAVE, after all.]

...Your home?

[venatoris]

[ yeah it is lmao bruh ]

Sorta. Yeah.

[ not me fucking up and not realizing until the event went up that the bunker doesn't show up til the 15th that's fine, shh ]

[unionized]

Well. Here's hoping it's only a striking imitation of the real thing, or I suspect someone's going to miss that.

[Etraya just keeps getting susser and susser.]

The tower is an imitation, at least. The companion bots seem to have done some creative rearranging.