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]

"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?"

Re: Yup I am dumb

[plate_builder]

Aim and accuracy was not enough to explain a role with the Turks. Or perhaps it was, in the old days.

"Exactly," Reeve agreed. "He never trusted Shinra to boot. My mom helped me scrimp and save for college."

[emovampboy]

It was the only answer Reeve would get, and if he felt there was more, he was welcome to ask, but it had been a majority of the reason... anything else could be blamed on potential, or the fact little to do also meant kids made trouble...

"Did he ever get to the point of understanding your desire to go?"

[plate_builder]

"I like to think so," Reeve admitted, and there was a pained breath as he switched out cards. "They moved to Midgar at my request. I don't know that he liked it. He died of a heart attack when the Sector Seven plate fell."

[emovampboy]

"I see..." A small frown, and Vincent lays down his cards; another three of a kind, all 9s. "It is still sometimes hard to believe that Shinra had such little regard for others that they would take out such a large population for a few people... despite knowing the company was always so aggressive."

[plate_builder]

Vincent wins this hand, which doesn't shock Reeve. His mind isn't entirely in it. Two pair.

"I... would rather not think of the plate fall," Reeve admitted. His greatest nightmare was still of that.

[emovampboy]

Vincent merely nods, and shifts the used cards to Reeve to shuffle. "What would you have asked, had you won this hand?"

[plate_builder]

“Now that would be misusing the raised stakes,” Reeve countered.  Instead he started a new hand. It was easier.  “I went to school in Junon. When I started there I thought I would be an accountant. I am glad I chose not to. Who knew what the world would be like now.”

[emovampboy]

Vincent just chuckles softly, apparently amused that Reeve doesn't take the offer, before deciding to be a little bit evil. "You should be glad since your poker is also bad. One tends to need luck in finance."

[plate_builder]

"Well that was rude," Reeve countered, a playful pout on his lips. "I pay my employees, I get the funds I need. I just don't do well at poker. Totally different thing."

Right? Of course he's right. Teasing means he's not going to kiss you. See, there's a punishment. Except as Reeve is the only one to know the punishment is there it isn't very effective, now is it?

[emovampboy]

"You seem to like when I'm a little mean." Is Vincent's own counter, as he lays down a straight. And he can always do the kissing, so there! "Perhaps you should just ask your question."