Reading as he wrote Aerith gives a little nod when he finishes and takes up the pencil once again. "So something like–"
How can we speak privately? I'll follow your lead.
Her heart fills with hope, that this is really a way out, that he's not going to betray her and turn out to be just like his father - a heartless ally of a monstrous man like Hojo. It's impossible to tell, Aerith won't be sure of Rufus until she has a chance to really speak with him, one on one, when they're not being scrutinized by Hojo or his father.
Trying not to think about just how many people were likely watching this, she cocks her head at the paper again and looks at Rufus.
"I prefer red, like this," Rufus reaches towards one of the colored pencils, hoping they're at least selling the perception that they're just coloring together. Let Hojo think that his test subjects are cooperating, it will hopefully give them a little more freedom to find a way out of this.
We won't be able to until we get out of this lab- everything is monitored. Once we're out I know where we can talk privately before we meet with my father.
He has to put some trust in her but Rufus knows that she's the one who has the most to lose- Hojo isn't exactly one to compromise when it comes to his work. He looks at her as he hands the paper over, giving her the colored pencil.
We play along so we can get out of here as soon as we can.
It's difficult to look casual after he stops writing, but Aerith forces herself to wait for a second before putting pencil to paper again.
"What about with some corals, like this?"
Tell me what I have to do. I have to get out of here.
Now that the prospect of leaving the lab had been dangled so temptingly close to her, Aerith was impatient to seize the chance. Even if it meant playing along with Hojo and President Shinra's very weird, still very unpleasant sounding 'experiment'.
Rufus smiles as if they aren't passing notes to each other, laughing as he picks up another color. He raises his voice so that the cameras and audio monitors can pick up what he's saying. He hopes Aerith will continue to give him some measure of trust to play along now that she knew that he's in a similar place as she is.
"Very nice, I like it. I think we're going to get along well. President will be pleased you're making the right choice to help Shinra." He picks up another pencil before writing again, his expression shifting into something more serious once his back is to the camera once more.
Hojo wanted to introduce us today and finish running some samples to make sure we're 'compatible.' He told me he'll allow us to leave once he's done.
Once we leave, I promise we can talk alone.
He holds out the pencil for her to take, letting her decide if she's going to trust him for now.
But before she has a chance to take it the door opens to reveal a very pleased Hojo standing there, his eyes practically sparkling with delight and triumph. "Such a lovely couple! What beautiful children you will have. Now run along, you wouldn't want to miss your own wedding, now would you?"
She couldn't write the words fast enough, the pencil shaking in her hand as she worked to keep that pleasant, neutral expression affixed to her face and not reveal the deep underlying dismay she felt at the prospect of even one more night in the labs.
"Are you pleased?" Aerith did her best to sound teasing and flirtatious when she asks, even going so far as to let her hand rest gently, but briefly on Rufus's arm.
It's the perfect moment for Hojo to enter, and though what he's got to say makes her stomach turn in disgusted knots, somehow the look on her face still holds. It's a terrible thing, that life has forced her to become so good at putting on a face like this, but she's spent years never giving Hojo the satisfaction of seeing her crack like his words and his actions make her want to, and even though the prospect of freedom makes her feel so hopeful she's vulnerable, she has no intention of starting now.
"Here, keep this if you want," Rufus holds out the 'drawing' for her to take. He hopes by handing her evidence of his true feelings on the matter will be enough to convince her to follow his lead to get out of the labs.
Rufus feels his stomach turn at Hojo's words, barely resisting the urge to show how much the scientist disgusted him. He wasn't going to give Hojo any more satisfaction than the man was enjoying at the moment. He has to admire her own control in not allowing Hojo see her own disgust but the sooner they are out of the lab and away from that man the better.
"Well, then I'm leaving. We might as well get this done with- come on," he tugs Aerith slightly to follow him to the door. "I would hate to keep the President waiting on this very important endeavor."
"Of course, go go! I look forward to what you both will create!" Hojo crackles behind them but Rufus doesn't look back, he wants to be out of there as soon as possible. No one stops them as they make their way to the door, Rufus keeps his gaze forward, encouraging her to keep going and not look behind either.
Taking the paper from his hands she looks past him to Hojo and back again, smiling at Rufus as she folded it up and slid it into the pocket of her jacket.
"Thank you. I'll use it to draw you some wonderful flowers."
She recognizes it for what it is. He can't use what's written on the paper against her this way, it's a show of trust, and as she's on the verge of leaving the lab and going along with this in a bid for freedom, it's appreciated.
Staying quiet until they were out of the lab, eager to accommodate Rufus as he seemed to want to make this a quick exit she looked up at him as they headed through the corridor, speaking in a whisper.
They only encounter a few Shinra employees who pass them in the hall, some of them pretending that they aren't watching Rufus and Aerith making their way down the hall. He doesn't look at any of them, he wants to get away from the labs as soon as possible.
"This way," he doesn't stop before they're in a deserted side corridor on the next floor, opening the door of a small storage closet and pulling her inside before anyone comes across them. He had used this particular storage closet on the floor of Urban Development since he had learned no one really used it first to get away and escape for a few minutes and then to plot his father's downfall.
The storage closet isn't big, there are cleaning and office supplies stacked against the wall and he turns on the one dim lightbulb hanging above on a wire so they don't trip over the mops propped up against the water heater. "No one can hear us here but we don't have long before we have to meet my father."
Following Rufus's lead, Aerith kept her eyes trained ahead, letting him lead her towards the elevator until he takes a detour. She tries not to let her confusion show, relieved when he ushers her into the closet and away from prying eyes and ears. It wasn't the exist she's been dreaming of, but it's a great place to start.
"What is this place?" Then, as her eyes narrow in hesitance. "Are you really going to help me?"
From the notes they had exchanged while still in her quarters within Hojo's lab, Aerith felt she had more reason to be hopeful than she had in a long time, but after so long in Shinra custody it was hard to trust so easily. She wanted to trust him, but if she couldn't, it was better to find that out now, when she still stood a chance of knocking him out with a mop and making a run for it.
"It's the closet where I plotted to overthrow my father and have him murdered." Rufus's expression is serious- this is one of his spots where he can be alone and he's taking the chance to show her it. One of the phones he used to contact Avalanche is tucked into a tub bin full of cleaning rags and bottles of furniture polish among the many other things hidden around.
"Yes, I'll help you. At least, I can try. As Vice President, I have little to no power so I can't put a stop to this but I think we can use this to our advantage." The words were out and he can't take them back but at this point, he has nothing left to lose.
"I have a feeling we share the same opinion of the President since you aren't fond of Hojo either."
"What?" That's a lot of information that, if true, he would be, at the very least, kicked out of Shinra and at worst 'taken out' or something equally brutal over. His choosing to tell her that right off the bat does something for putting her mind at ease, even if she looks at him skeptically as he speaks.
"We do, Hojo wouldn't be able to do what he does without your father." Hurt flashes in her eyes and Aerith crosses her arms over her chest tightly, frowning as she looks off to the side. "To me or my mother. Or anyone else."
Lifting her head she studies him before giving him a nod. "What's your plan? We get married to save me from the lab, and I work with you? What do you want? To run Shinra like your father did?"
"I'm thinking we join forces. Hojo and the President think we're going along with this so it gives us privacy to plan, gather allies, secure funding all while doing what we can to weaken my father and Hojo along the way." It was a daring plan that he had put together as they had passed notes in the lab but his mind was already working through the possibilities.
It was a lot to risk but seeing her expression as soon as Hojo wasn't looking had been enough to convince him that maybe they could both get something out of this.
"My father is a short-sighted idiot. The way he's running things now is not only going to destroy the company but take the rest of us down at the same time. What he and Hojo are doing needs to be stopped." It was a lot at once to cover in the few minutes they had but he's laying out for her as a show of trust so when they meet his father they're on the same page.
"If you help me take my father and Hojo down, help me take down everything they've done, I will give you your freedom without any strings attached."
The more he speaks the wider and more hopeful her eyes seem to grow. She nods, and for a second she almost reaches her hand out, as though she intended for them to shake on it in agreement, before–
"What are you going to do with Shinra, once you've taken your father down?"
As eager as she was to be free, and no longer hunted or otherwise looked after by Hojo or the Turks, Aerith still wasn't sure what Rufus wanted from this power grab, apart from, well, power. Nobody had to tell her what Shinra and Mako energy were doing to the planet, if she tried hard enough she stood a good chance of being able to feel it herself. There were still forces at work in this world bigger than her, and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she caused more harm than good all for her own sake.
"You have to know what Mako energy is doing to the planet, I, I can't be responsible for more damage than is already happening. If given the choice I want to fix it, not be complicit in it."
Rufus hesitates for a moment but he knows what she says is true about mako energy. He's not about to admit to her that while he was funding Avalanche a lot of his motivation was just to see his father murdered out of his own hatred before thinking about what he would actually do once he took the throne.
But being caught and faced with either disappearing or being exiled under house arrest made him realize that he had to have a clear goal of what he needed to do and why. And if he was going to be pulling her into this, he definitely had to know.
"I do know. My first thing will be to get rid of Hojo and the things that he and my father are doing. And yes, mako energy will have to end."
He's realistic enough to see that it's not sustainable for many reasons. That's something that can't be avoided.
Frowning thoughtfully Aerith looks Rufus over, making up her mind before she sticks a hand out for him to shake. "Hojo has hurt so many people. I'm in."
It didn't mean the idea was any less perplexing. What Rufus wanted to accomplish was a massive undertaking, one that Aerith wasn't entirely sure how to begin.
"But, what do we do? Make your father think we're happy together, going along with this experiment of Hojo's, and then? Do you have any help in this, or is it just you and me?"
"The Turks- I saved their lives and they support me. They have to play their part, I can't save them a second time." Now it's not just his life on the line but exposing the Turks was dangerous. But if what Tseng had told him was correct, she wouldn't sell them out.
"And Avalanche. They didn't get the codes and funding from nowhere- being able to nearly kill the president wasn't just luck. It's what my father is using against me to get me to go along with this- the alternative is indefinite house arrest or just vanishing."
He takes a breath as he watches her reaction, relieved as she holds out her hand. He takes her hand in his, shaking it firmly. There was no going back for either of them. "We play the happy couple, it will give us time and opportunity to do what we need to."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
How can we speak privately? I'll follow your lead.
Her heart fills with hope, that this is really a way out, that he's not going to betray her and turn out to be just like his father - a heartless ally of a monstrous man like Hojo. It's impossible to tell, Aerith won't be sure of Rufus until she has a chance to really speak with him, one on one, when they're not being scrutinized by Hojo or his father.
Trying not to think about just how many people were likely watching this, she cocks her head at the paper again and looks at Rufus.
"How's this? What colors do you want them?"
no subject
We won't be able to until we get out of this lab- everything is monitored. Once we're out I know where we can talk privately before we meet with my father.
He has to put some trust in her but Rufus knows that she's the one who has the most to lose- Hojo isn't exactly one to compromise when it comes to his work. He looks at her as he hands the paper over, giving her the colored pencil.
We play along so we can get out of here as soon as we can.
no subject
"What about with some corals, like this?"
Tell me what I have to do. I have to get out of here.
Now that the prospect of leaving the lab had been dangled so temptingly close to her, Aerith was impatient to seize the chance. Even if it meant playing along with Hojo and President Shinra's very weird, still very unpleasant sounding 'experiment'.
no subject
"Very nice, I like it. I think we're going to get along well. President will be pleased you're making the right choice to help Shinra." He picks up another pencil before writing again, his expression shifting into something more serious once his back is to the camera once more.
Hojo wanted to introduce us today and finish running some samples to make sure we're 'compatible.' He told me he'll allow us to leave once he's done.
Once we leave, I promise we can talk alone.
He holds out the pencil for her to take, letting her decide if she's going to trust him for now.
But before she has a chance to take it the door opens to reveal a very pleased Hojo standing there, his eyes practically sparkling with delight and triumph. "Such a lovely couple! What beautiful children you will have. Now run along, you wouldn't want to miss your own wedding, now would you?"
no subject
She couldn't write the words fast enough, the pencil shaking in her hand as she worked to keep that pleasant, neutral expression affixed to her face and not reveal the deep underlying dismay she felt at the prospect of even one more night in the labs.
"Are you pleased?" Aerith did her best to sound teasing and flirtatious when she asks, even going so far as to let her hand rest gently, but briefly on Rufus's arm.
It's the perfect moment for Hojo to enter, and though what he's got to say makes her stomach turn in disgusted knots, somehow the look on her face still holds. It's a terrible thing, that life has forced her to become so good at putting on a face like this, but she's spent years never giving Hojo the satisfaction of seeing her crack like his words and his actions make her want to, and even though the prospect of freedom makes her feel so hopeful she's vulnerable, she has no intention of starting now.
no subject
Rufus feels his stomach turn at Hojo's words, barely resisting the urge to show how much the scientist disgusted him. He wasn't going to give Hojo any more satisfaction than the man was enjoying at the moment. He has to admire her own control in not allowing Hojo see her own disgust but the sooner they are out of the lab and away from that man the better.
"Well, then I'm leaving. We might as well get this done with- come on," he tugs Aerith slightly to follow him to the door. "I would hate to keep the President waiting on this very important endeavor."
"Of course, go go! I look forward to what you both will create!" Hojo crackles behind them but Rufus doesn't look back, he wants to be out of there as soon as possible. No one stops them as they make their way to the door, Rufus keeps his gaze forward, encouraging her to keep going and not look behind either.
no subject
"Thank you. I'll use it to draw you some wonderful flowers."
She recognizes it for what it is. He can't use what's written on the paper against her this way, it's a show of trust, and as she's on the verge of leaving the lab and going along with this in a bid for freedom, it's appreciated.
Staying quiet until they were out of the lab, eager to accommodate Rufus as he seemed to want to make this a quick exit she looked up at him as they headed through the corridor, speaking in a whisper.
"What now?"
no subject
"This way," he doesn't stop before they're in a deserted side corridor on the next floor, opening the door of a small storage closet and pulling her inside before anyone comes across them. He had used this particular storage closet on the floor of Urban Development since he had learned no one really used it first to get away and escape for a few minutes and then to plot his father's downfall.
The storage closet isn't big, there are cleaning and office supplies stacked against the wall and he turns on the one dim lightbulb hanging above on a wire so they don't trip over the mops propped up against the water heater. "No one can hear us here but we don't have long before we have to meet my father."
no subject
"What is this place?" Then, as her eyes narrow in hesitance. "Are you really going to help me?"
From the notes they had exchanged while still in her quarters within Hojo's lab, Aerith felt she had more reason to be hopeful than she had in a long time, but after so long in Shinra custody it was hard to trust so easily. She wanted to trust him, but if she couldn't, it was better to find that out now, when she still stood a chance of knocking him out with a mop and making a run for it.
no subject
"Yes, I'll help you. At least, I can try. As Vice President, I have little to no power so I can't put a stop to this but I think we can use this to our advantage." The words were out and he can't take them back but at this point, he has nothing left to lose.
"I have a feeling we share the same opinion of the President since you aren't fond of Hojo either."
no subject
"We do, Hojo wouldn't be able to do what he does without your father." Hurt flashes in her eyes and Aerith crosses her arms over her chest tightly, frowning as she looks off to the side. "To me or my mother. Or anyone else."
Lifting her head she studies him before giving him a nod. "What's your plan? We get married to save me from the lab, and I work with you? What do you want? To run Shinra like your father did?"
no subject
It was a lot to risk but seeing her expression as soon as Hojo wasn't looking had been enough to convince him that maybe they could both get something out of this.
"My father is a short-sighted idiot. The way he's running things now is not only going to destroy the company but take the rest of us down at the same time. What he and Hojo are doing needs to be stopped." It was a lot at once to cover in the few minutes they had but he's laying out for her as a show of trust so when they meet his father they're on the same page.
"If you help me take my father and Hojo down, help me take down everything they've done, I will give you your freedom without any strings attached."
no subject
"What are you going to do with Shinra, once you've taken your father down?"
As eager as she was to be free, and no longer hunted or otherwise looked after by Hojo or the Turks, Aerith still wasn't sure what Rufus wanted from this power grab, apart from, well, power. Nobody had to tell her what Shinra and Mako energy were doing to the planet, if she tried hard enough she stood a good chance of being able to feel it herself. There were still forces at work in this world bigger than her, and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she caused more harm than good all for her own sake.
"You have to know what Mako energy is doing to the planet, I, I can't be responsible for more damage than is already happening. If given the choice I want to fix it, not be complicit in it."
no subject
But being caught and faced with either disappearing or being exiled under house arrest made him realize that he had to have a clear goal of what he needed to do and why. And if he was going to be pulling her into this, he definitely had to know.
"I do know. My first thing will be to get rid of Hojo and the things that he and my father are doing. And yes, mako energy will have to end."
He's realistic enough to see that it's not sustainable for many reasons. That's something that can't be avoided.
no subject
It didn't mean the idea was any less perplexing. What Rufus wanted to accomplish was a massive undertaking, one that Aerith wasn't entirely sure how to begin.
"But, what do we do? Make your father think we're happy together, going along with this experiment of Hojo's, and then? Do you have any help in this, or is it just you and me?"
no subject
"And Avalanche. They didn't get the codes and funding from nowhere- being able to nearly kill the president wasn't just luck. It's what my father is using against me to get me to go along with this- the alternative is indefinite house arrest or just vanishing."
He takes a breath as he watches her reaction, relieved as she holds out her hand. He takes her hand in his, shaking it firmly. There was no going back for either of them. "We play the happy couple, it will give us time and opportunity to do what we need to."