themognet | News Broadcast + Private Action

[Anyone able to get power to their televisions or radios are treated to a special news bulletin around noon on the 16th]

We have received reports that former President of ShinRa Electric Power Company and current CEO of ShinRa Tech Rufus Shinra collapsed on the way to his helicopter after a meeting in a Costa del Sol hotel today. No one knows where he was rushed to, but our sources say it was not to any public hospital. Could someone have planned this, or is Rufus Shinra just the latest victim in the rash of collapsed citizens plaguing the Planet? More at eleven.

[And if you're a ShinRa employee or otherwise familiar with Rufus at all, you will find him in his Edge apartment, one of the few buildings with fully functioning AC. He has it on full blast as his doctors said it might have been heat exhaustion combined with stress from his work lately.

Rufus is pretty sure that's bullshit, as what he vaguely remembers about being passed out is too much like when he was sick with the stigma to be simply exhaustion. But if it makes them stop nagging, whatever.]

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[He looks down and adjusts his tie. Of course Rufus knew. He expected no less of him.]

Some punk wrote "ShinRa Sucks!" on the back of my head.

[It was true, and nothing else had happened that time. But when Elena had found him... that was a different story.]

And the time before that?

[He turns to face the window. Talking about this is too difficult for him to do it while facing Rufus.]

I watched the rival loan shark's lackey shoot my mother point blank mere feet away from me.

[And he'd been so terrified at the time that he hadn't been able to do anything to stop it. Rude takes a deep breath and walls closer to the window, covertly peeking through the blinds to make certain no one had figured out where Rufus was in hopes of getting a story. The coast is clear an he takes a deep breath before turning to face him again.]

[Rufus takes a moment to stare at Rude in shock while his back is turned;he knows, more or less, where his Turks came from but he's never heard anyone talk about it and it's shocking to hear Rude of all people be so blunt about it. When Rude turns back around, Rufus has schooled his expression into one mostly of mild surprise]

I see. It seems whatever is causing this string of faintings likes to make the victims relive their trauma.

[The only indication that Rufus, too, saw something he'd have rather not]

[There wasn't any point in beating around the bush about it with Rufus. He knew that it was better to say it straight out than to make Rufus work for it.

Besides, he trusted the man more than anyone. Well, other than Reno. Even with his big mouth, he knew Reno wouldn't let it slip to anyone, and neither would Rufus. He didn't think Tseng or Elena would either, but he wasn't as close to them as he was to Reno. Personal life aside.]

Trauma.

[He repeats, then pauses. He may not know every little detail of Rufus's life, but he knows well enough that if there's anything more traumatic than facing the loss of a loved one, it was facing one's own impending death.

If whatever was behind these faintings was making them experience the most traumatic thing in their life, it left only one conclusion to come to. Geostigma. That's what Rufus had to have experienced when he fainted.]

It was cured.

[It's all he says about the matter. A reminder to them both that Rufus wasn't - couldn't be suffering from it again.]

[...of course. Everyone always assumes it's the stigma. Rufus waves Rude's reassurances aside.]

Yes, yes, I know. Trust me, I know better than anyone what that feels like and the doctors even ran their tests. It isn't the stigma.

[It doesn't even occur to him that Rude thinks that's what he saw when he passed out. It was miserable, yes, but hardly traumatic for Rufus.

At least, compared to other things.]

That's not-

[He stops and purses his lips. Okay, maybe he had been a little - more than a little - worried about the possibility of it resurfacing, but it wasn't what he'd meant.]

[That gets him to look over at Rude, actually surprised]

It wasn't? What did you mean, then?

What you saw.

[He won't push to know what it was Rufus saw even if he really wants to know. Just because he shared his own, doesn't mean Rufus owes him anything in return. Besides, he had needed to say it out loud, to someone who would care, but not try to coddle him over it either. And he can't say he wouldn't be able to keep from getting overly concerned over Rufus's trauma.]

...oh. No, it wasn't that at all. Hard to see something you felt, anyway.

[Rude nods.]

You feeling better?

[It had taken him awhile after each of the times he fainted to really feel fully with it again. But he'd also been out for long periods of time each time. Too long to keep seeing the same thing over and over.]

Well enough to work, though the doctors insisted on bedrest.

["Well enough to work" means different things for Rufus than for other people, though. He compares it to how he felt with the stigma; if he feels that bad, he won't work.

He never feels that bad.]

[He could offer to get him some of his work to let him doit from bed, but he's not going to enable him. He needs his rest. Rude was fairly certain that if he hadn't kept trying to push himself after the first time, he wold have stopped with fainting only once.

It's not going to be his fault if Rufus faints again.]

Hm. A day off won't kill you, sir.

And working after fainting won't either. I'd rather have something to do, anyway.

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