Chapter Text
tseng had wondered where rufus shinra was taking him. after the punishment of the turks had been lifted, he expected to be sent back to midgar to resume his duties. instead, he was summoned by the vice president to accompany him to some place.
tseng didn't recognize where they were going. he knew it wasn't the vice president's residence, as he had been tasked to survey him there once. instead, they were going in the opposite direction towards a residence much smaller than rufus'.
they entered, immediately greeted by maids and a butler bowing to rufus. tseng could only assume the person inhabiting this place was another rich and powerful person.
the two ascended the stairs, stopping in front of what tseng could only guess was the master bedroom. he watched rufus knock on the door, waiting patiently before hearing a soft "come in".
his eyes immediately gravitated towards the woman sitting by the windowsill. her white hair fell down her back like a silky sheet. tseng thought that length of it could probably rival the former war hero's own length. he watched as she turned towards them, sparkling blue meeting his own brown; his breath hitched in his throat. he felt drawn to the woman before him, even when she hadn't done anything but turn to them. not even to him, but to the man standing beside him. though even while distracted, he was able to notice that her eyes and a bit of her features were similar to said man's.
as quickly as he had been mesmerized, just as quickly did he snap out of it. he composed himself, noting that neither rufus nor the woman had taken notice of his brief trance. it was only then that he realized there was another woman in the room with them. she had brown hair and eyes, her hair tied in a bun while sporting a maid outfit. unlike the maids outside, this one stuck close to the one seated.
the white-haired woman stood up and approached them slowly. tseng had wondered if it was deliberate but realized upon her getting closer just how frail she was. her skin was pale, paler than rufus' own. her body was covered in loose-fitting clothes, perhaps as a way to hide her body from anyone who looked. though if he were to take a guess, he'd say she was too slender for the average person.
he watched as rufus smiled at the woman, exchanging pleasantries with one another. the two turned to him, the smile on the woman's face falling into a blank look. "tseng, i'd like you to meet my sister, lumi."
"it's a pleasure to meet you." he said, bowing as a sign of respect.
"likewise," short and to the point, her face not giving out an ounce of emotion for him to discern. she was similar to rufus—guarded—but dissimilar enough in the way that she was more stoic than him.
"while i'm stuck here in junon, i'd like you to take her to midgar. make sure no one finds out about this." tseng accepted the task, not bothering to know the reason for it. knowing his boss, he would eventually tell him what he needed to know.
"i trust that no harm will come to her."
"yes, sir."
"hold on, i never agreed to this."
the two men turned to lumi, her eyebrows furrowed as she glared at her brother. her maid started to look at the siblings with nervousness, her gaze flicking back and forth between them. tseng couldn't help but wonder why, though that was immediately answered.
"it's for your own safety, lu."
"from who? the staff that tried to kill me?!"
tseng's eyes widened in surprise, not sure if he was supposed to hear that. both he and the maid watched as the siblings argued with one another, some curse words and insults dropping here and there. the tabloids would have a riot if they ever found out this was how rufus shinra spoke in private.
"they'll immediately find out that no one's here."
"your maid can stay behind and act as you. you don't even leave this room, and the other staff don't come here. a foolproof plan, don't you think? at least until i'm president."
after a while, lumi sighed before accepting rufus' proposal. rufus smiled, placing his hand on top of her head and patting it gently. the two exchanged more words before he pushed lumi towards tseng. tseng held out his hand, to which lumi placed hers hesitantly. as quietly as they could, the two left through the window, leaving behind her maid and her older brother to take care of the rest.