Well, I just posted On What Wings? and decided, in my glowing mood of 'I actually posted something like I've been wanting to do for, I don't know, forever' so I'm going to post this as well.
I wroteit awhile ago, when Vincent kept surfacing in my mind and begging me to write him. Yes, it does contain a love triangle of sorts, with an OC, but I don't think she's Mary Sueish. For one thing, Rynn's almost nothing like me (and you're going to have to take my work on that), and for another, she is far from perfect. If you even remotely like Hojo, be warned: I can't stand him…he's a great character, I just can't help but portray him in the worst light.
Speaking of light, any flames will be happily used as stress relief from finals. Also, style: the writing felt very light, almost hyperbolic, overly descriptive, but it fits the story's thematic and dramatic sense. Or, that's the comforting illusion I place over my eyes each night. Along with the daydream that I actually DO own anything I am about to write about except for Rynn, a few minor details, and the plot.
Poetry Glace
'Do you love me?' Lucrecia asks me, lying in my arms. 'The future could hold anything for us.'
I don't reply at once, trying to think of a proper response. 'There could be someone else, Lucrecia.' I feel wounded at her choosing to play with my heart, and I figure it is time to strike back.
Vincent awoke glassy-eyed from his daydream in front of the mirror in his office as Tseng slunk in. "Hey boss, what are you doing? Doesn't your plane leave in an hour? You might want to be on it when it takes off, you know."
"Watch it," warned Vincent, fiddling with his spilling ink-black hair. What the hell was that all about? There is no one else, Lucrecia, and there never will be. "Don't you have a President to bodyguard?"
"Um, yes, well, I wanted to verify the length of your vacation. You took a month's leave on semi-official duty?"
"I have to check on Hojo out at Nibelheim." Vincent's lip curled. Why is Tseng questioning my actions? He has no clue about what is going on out there, and I know too much; I have to go see if Lucrecia is okay.
"Are you sure it's Hojo you need to-"
Vincent was clearly not in the mood for hassling. "Quiet, Tseng, if you know what's good for you."
I know exactly what's good for you, Valentine, and it's NOT her, thought Tseng. Vincent had never taken a vacation before; he hardly even took a sick day. But here he was, scraping away an entire month of his life- and all for what? At least now I know for sure why he's going.
"I'll be back," said Vincent. "Take care of yourself, and of my Turks. I want them all in one piece when I return, right?" He walked off without further reply.
So now I've bothered him. Well, it was for Rynn's sake, to see if his motive for leaving really was Lucrecia. She was so worried about him when she asked me this morning...speaking of which...
"Tseng!" The elegant blue Turk uniform was anything but uniform on her slender body. "Have you seen Vincent?" Rynn's hair was a dark mist against her navy blue jacket. She loved her boss to the point of blind adoration, but the dark-haired woman in his fantasies was not one of his subordinates.
Tseng pointed sadly Vincentward. All the romantic notions in the world wouldn't help; Rynn was firmly set in her attraction to Vincent. I suppose I should move on instead of hoping that one day she'll realize that I'm the one for her. After all, we're only friends. He sighed at the cruel twist of fate that had him wishing she would give up on Vincent while he refused to give up on her just as stubbornly. I guess I should call the President. He stepped back inside his office as Rynn marched on, completely unaware of his inner turmoil.
His misguided boss had given Tseng the other office that Shinra had allotted the Turks; since their jobs were usually more hands-on, offices were not necessary. However, Vincent did occasionally need a place to mull over all the super-secret affairs he presided over, and Tseng, being the second banana (or, the second most misled person in our department, thought he with a smile) had been lucky enough to land the smaller office down the hall. Which means absolutely nothing except extra cleaning each week.
Rynn pursued Vincent on the strength of her heart's desire. "Vincent! Is it true that you're going away?"
"For awhile, yes. One of those arcane things called vacations." He smiled at her, loved her cutesy toughness, hard as a Turk and to hell with innocence but underneath still sugar-coated with laughter. She was the privileged one, had grown up pampered and volunteered to join. Whereas Vincent was crazy to see how the upper crust functioned, Rynn was willing to slum it and see what the lower classes did. No wonder Tseng loves her. What a phenomenal choice. She's beautiful, sweet, vivacious, sassy...He felt a pang of guilt even admitting that. The pang's name was Lucrecia. Why, oh why, if I love Lucrecia, would I be jealous of Tseng? Oh yes. It's because Lucrecia is herself, and Rynn just seems more wonderful sometimes. If I had to do it different...no. I still would've chosen this way. Don't even think about Rynn. It's too dangerous for your sanity.
"Do you have to go?" she asked.
"I must." I can't fail Lucrecia. She's been out there with Hojo for too long. The man's a demon; who knows what he could be doing to her, probably fiddling with her brain...speaking of which, why is Rynn so upset?
Rynn was clearly upset about something, but he couldn't tell what it was. He thought it was connected to his pending vacation, and that whatever it was, it was powerful enough to consume her. "I'll miss you," she said. Vincent caught the love behind the statement, realized why she had always been eager to go on missions with him, no matter how bad the job was, why she, unlike the others, physically presented herself to him each day for her orders, why she always tried to know me as a person, not just a Turk...
Turning away with enough elegance to make a dancer weep, she walked off silently. But she loves...me? The most unworthy man in all of Midgar? And of course, she probably feels like an idiot walking off right now..."Rynn, wait!" he called.
Meanwhile, Tseng rolled his eyes into a phone. "Yes, Mr. President, I can understand that, but as a security precaution..." The voice on the other end became more insistent. Tseng dealt with Shinra because he understood that his boss had no patience for protocol. If he cared about something, he could wait forever, but otherwise he wanted it NOW. So Tseng was the conduit of communications, brought Shinra's orders to Vincent, who in turn parceled them out among the group. But that doesn't mean I don't get my fair share of the grunt work. Although I'd rather do grunt work than be in charge. If the boss quits or something happens, I'm the next in line for the throne. He didn't think anything overly tragic would soon befall the young and vibrant Turk. Still, I'm about to get my first taste of leadership...
It then occurred to him that he should be listening, not ruminating. "Security my ass! I'm perfectly safe as long as I'm with you. If Valentine trusts you, then who wouldn't?" It was apparent that this rant had been going on for some time.
The problem is that Vincent is a better Turk than I am. Hell, he's better than all of us put together. Sure, he taught us all we knew, but he's still a damn sight better at it. Rynn could be his equal in the technological sphere; maybe I'm as good in close-quarters combat, but his gunning skills and espionage are unrivaled. Well, I wish I could rival them. "Sir," Diplomat Tseng volunteered, "Although we are the elite, it isn't wise to provoke trouble. Secrecy is the best way to avoid disaster." This is going to take a long time, and it's not even like we're bickering over something of importance! The President wanted to ride out to inspect one of his new weapons factories in full Shinra splendour. It was Tseng's job to worry about the splendid danger of this undertaking.
"Get the hell down here and we'll work something out," the President said. "Ask Valentine what he thinks."
"Yes, Mr. President. I'll be down right away." Well, I should go hunt down Valentine. Besides, it won't do to have him mad at me for a month. I might need him to advise me! He hung up the phone and left the office, shuddering as he passed through the doorframe. He didn't like being trapped in there; it was an eerie reminder of the fate of most other Shinra employees- desk bound. He could see Vincent ahead in the hallway, talking with Rynn, so he proceeded to ambush them.
"What is it?" Rynn asked Vincent. Caught between anger and anticipation, she didn't know what to think, and turned to face the crimson darkness which embraced her in turn.
"I never knew..." Vincent's eyes, the colour of wonder, held the look she'd always envisioned them holding.
How lucky am I? he wondered. I can't believe I didn't know! For once the glowing sun of Lucrecia was eclipsed by the shadows of Rynn. She broke against him like rocks on waves as he kissed her in some long deep hard and typical Valentine fashion.
"Where are you headed?" he asked when their eyes melded apart.
"To help Tseng, I thought."
"Screw it. I'm your boss, and you have the day off." I'm going to miss my plane. Fuck it. Lucrecia just didn't seem as important, or Hojo as menacing. If an old sicko can seem menacing. "Come on."
"Sir?" asked Tseng as his heart sunk with the weight of Rynn hidden in the shadows of Vincent's cloak. "The President-"
"If he objects to security, remind him that it is all too easy for one man with a sinister intent to shatter the dream of Shinra he has put together. While it is his responsibility to represent our company, he cannot do so if he is dead."
Tseng nodded and swirled away abruptly. He felt the burning wetness plague his eyes and refused to shed them, to ease the pain. In a fit of masochism, he watched as they got on the elevator. When they were gone, he blinked Rynn-visions from his eyes, retreated into his office and reshaped his desk into shards of something that vaguely resembled his wooden, hard, Turk heart.
Yeah. It has to be divided, since it's pretty long, and so I'm going to use this to brighten a week of 'studying for finals.' Also, I have a writing seminar essay due in two days, so procrastinationgood. Tell me what you think? Should I even bother with the rest of it? Should I kill myself for writing such drivel? Tune in next time, for another dose of sarcasm! (which is probably unneeded.)