For Reeve

[emovampboy]

When it came to use of his phone, Vincent was very much like Cloud. He left it on, received messages and listened to or read them, but quite rarely responded. The few times he did respond tended to be if he deemed an actual answer to be required, or when from time to time Marlene got hold of Cloud or Tifa's phone and contacted him. Since it was so rare for her to do so, he always took it as a good thing to answer.

Which meant he had answered when she called him a few days after a message from Tifa asking him to come to a party for the girl, which he had ignored; his first mistake. Once answered, the girl had spent several minutes speaking to him, until suddenly springing the question of if he were coming to her party and making it quite impossible for him to really say no without seeming like a total heel, and so he agreed to go; his second mistake. And then he had made his third mistake - actually going.

At first, it really wouldn't have seemed to have been a bad idea. He knew everyone who was invited, how they acted around one another, and that Tifa would keep the whole group from going completely crazy over the course of the night, but he had not expected having to assist in breaking up one of Cloud and Barrett's squabbles when the woman had to leave for a short time to fetch something, and honestly he was glad that Reeve was invited and could help diffuse the situation with; especially when Yuffie and a very unhelpful Cid decided it would be a great idea to bet on who would win if they actually took to fistacuffs over whatever stupid thing it was this time which set them off.

All of this had left him rather done with company, and as soon as Tifa was back to be the adult in the situation, he'd snuck outside for some relative peace and quiet.

Comments

[emovampboy]

"That is wny someone always keeps an eye on the car." Vincent sete his hand down; three queens.

[plate_builder]

Two pair. Reeve was doomed to lose it seemed. Once Vincent has his winnings Reeve antes again, before cards were even dealt.

“I am well aware. One of the attempts on my life had to do with tampering with a vehicle. To have t break down in an area rich in Kalm Fangs.”

[emovampboy]

Vincent shuffles, looking at Reeve briefly as he speaks, before placing his initial amount in and dealing. "You were lucky to get out of the area."

[plate_builder]

“I had my materia, a few ethers, and an acquaintance in the area that assisted me as I recovered,” Reeve shrugged. It was easy to look back now and see how bad it had been. And easier to chalk it up to progress.

[emovampboy]

"An aquaintance so far out?" He looks curious as he takes a card. "It seems others had the idea to move out of the citiee, then?"

The implication being aside from himself.

[plate_builder]

“Some moves more toward Kalm. But yes, there are those displeases with Edge. The area my parents were from has new farms growing up actually.”

The old ways were returning. How strange.

[emovampboy]

"It makes sense. Any cards?" Vincent indicates his meaning as being does Reeve need any.

[plate_builder]

“Three,” Reeve answered. His luck truly left something to be desired.

“I do my best to encourage it really. Living outside of cities that is. I have grown to appreciate such places more now. Perhaps too late.”

[emovampboy]

Vincent deals the cards out, nodding a little.

"Without Shinra, people returning to the land makes sense. They know, to some extent, what to expect."

[plate_builder]

“I don’t know that you are right about that. Many people have lived a good bit of their lives tied to Midgar. The idea of farming of making for themselves? Living with the land? Hard to process. Even I have trouble considering it sometimes.”

The idea of that muh open land... it was almost unnerving at this point.

[emovampboy]

"Midgar ties to Shinra, to bad memories, to expecting something for little. The land, at least, is away from all that, and by doing farming on their own, whatever happens is of their own volition." He reaches over to get a drink of water. "Don't you feel a bit the same?"

[plate_builder]

A complicated question, given he still has ties to the Shinra heir. The question leaves Reeve thoughtfully silent as he considers his cards. It takes a while but he finally offers one over to be changed.

"Shinra has bad memories, I will agree to that. But I left the life of farming. I hated it."

[emovampboy]

"Peehaps you did, but for others it's cathartic." Vincent deals the card to Reeve. "Also, with the Stigma, it may feel safer."

[plate_builder]

Ah, yes, the Stigma. Reeve sighed and raised the bet. It was a good hand, he'd managed a straight, 10 high. Fun.

"I do my best with people with the Stigma. But there isn't too much that can be done. I've had one person suggest that one survives the Stigma by staying positive and keeping in the fight. I don't know what to do with that. So I help them set up farms."

[emovampboy]

"Keeping positive?" Vincent matches the bet. "That is a strange thing to say."

[plate_builder]

"Indeed," Reeve allowed. And yet it seemed to be working.

He offers his cards and smiles. He did well, very well. Hopefully he even managed to win.

"Who knows what is real or not."

[emovampboy]

"True. It has to be difficult for anyone studying it." He doesn't frown, but instead passes Reeve's winnings as he lays down pretty much nothing.

[plate_builder]

That made Reeve smile. He had managed to win a hand against a stoic man. Sure, he got the nice hand, but he'd move on from that.

"What say we spice this up a bit?"

[emovampboy]

Vincent raises a brow curiously. "Spice things up?"

[plate_builder]

"Of course. If I win I get to have a prying question. I promise not to have it be about what led to your sleep," Reeve mused. He would tell anything vincent wanted about himself, except about his current work with Rufus.

[emovampboy]

Vincent seems to consider the wager, and what Reeve might ask. He is promising nothing about his sleep, and knowing Reeve, if it makes Vincent too uncomfortable, he will let the man forgo answering.

So he nods, grabbing up the cards. "Agreed."

[plate_builder]

Reeve offered to take the cards and was soon shuffling them. Soon he has more cards out, and is leaning back.

"So, about me. I'm a farm boy from an area near the chocobo farms where Cloud keeps his birds. We did a lot of root vegetables and greens. Oh, and we had some fruit trees, mainly pears and apples."

Then I leave my tablet at home

[emovampboy]

Vincent lets Reeve shuffle, listening quietly, before making a small noise, almost a laugh. "At least you had things to do, even if it was farming.

My town was so small we only had a few farmers and a few businesses, so finding much to do could sometimes be difficult. Part of the reason I ended up in the Turks, that."

Oh my.

[plate_builder]

"I could understand how that would end you with Shinra, but not with the Turks," Reeve admitted. He'll save that as a question for later.

"My dad wasn't happy when I went off to college, to be honest."

Yup I am dumb

[emovampboy]

"Natural aim and accuracy." It wouldn't be a question he had to ask, as Vincent put down two cards for exchange. "He wasn't happy you were not taking over the farm, I suppose?"