[ it's clear that there's some idea beginning to take shape in the recesses of rufus' mind—tseng can read that expression clear as day. the sort of careful movements that rufus makes when he's thinking about suggesting something and isn't sure how it'll be received, which is an uncommon state for him and all the more noteworthy for it.
tseng uses the time that rufus is thinking to take another couple careful bites of food, this time mindful that anything rufus says might make his bite want to go down the wrong pipe.
when rufus speaks again, it's—ah. tseng can practically read the map of his vision, can see what it is he's suggesting even before he suggests it. but still, part of working with rufus means letting him lay his ideas out from beginning to end, and so tseng just sets his glass down again and sits up a little bit straighter. ]
[It's about the closest Rufus Shinra, man categorically known for getting ahead of himself, has ever come to suggesting that they not get ahead of themselves. But Tseng isn't wrong about the look on his face, or the ideas churning behind his eyes; in the course of a single conversation, he's gone from frustrated and chafing to finding a direction for his ambition, and that's always a dangerous thing to witness.
Well. Unless you're the type who's into that sort of thing, of course.]
But if it is poker hands. And if there is a way that ranks can be manipulated...
[He smiles, one of his subtle, enigmatic looks that's sharper in the eyes than about the corners of his mouth.]
Then a ten might not be quite the insult it seems on its face.
[ dangerous, yes, but also beautiful. there's something ruthlessly vivacious about rufus when he has a plan, making his expression electric and filling him with a familiar restless energy, the same energy that would drive him to swallow the world whole. tseng has borne witness to this side of rufus many times, but has rarely seen its genesis; he thinks, briefly, that it's a privilege to witness, much like it would be a privilege to witness the birth of a new star. ]
How do you mean?
[ tseng thinks he knows how rufus means. a ten of hearts, a jack of hearts, a queen of hearts, a king of hearts, an ace of hearts—a perfect royal flush. what better way to test the whims of the house?
it's both an excellent idea and a terrible one. excellent, in that it's straightforward and easy to test, with results that will become immediately apparent; terrible, in that the prospect of fucking rufus four more times fills tseng with an unbearable combination of longing and dread. ]
They hate you in the casino, don't they? Don't tell me you don't count cards.
[He's aware that Tseng has likely already spotted the heart of the plan, pun very much intended. But the thing about Rufus Shinra is that too often, moderation isn't nearly enough — that one good idea will spin into another, and another, more and more and more until he's had every cake in the world and eaten it all while he's at it.
Later, the ramifications and connotations will catch up. He'll be alone in his room and really think about it, what it asks and what it means and what trajectory he's mapping out for the both of them. Right now, it's all numbers and strategies, the unparalleled pleasure of seeing an obstacle that the two of them, lever and fulcrum, might together exploit.]
Several promotions is a heavy undertaking, but no one will think twice about your motives. Stopping at every rank along the way would seem a natural consequence of the endeavor.
[He motions idly at the dossier, its careful notes and meticulous suits. Poker hands.]
There are a lot of hands one can build out of five ranks of cards. Why settle for just the obvious one?
[ but he says it with enough of a smile at one corner of his mouth that rufus should know that what he means is, yes, all the time. tseng is a smart poker player and an even smarter card-counter—he plays normally and only wins what he needs, not nearly often enough to draw the attention of the house. even if a jack is under far less scrutiny at the tables than someone of a lower rank would be, tseng's pathological refusal to allow himself to be noteworthy is more than enough to keep him playing conservatively.
the plan rufus is laying out is far from conservative. not because he thinks the house is likely to notice—no, in fact, tseng is fairly sure that the house would be delighted they're engaging so fully with the game. in that regard, it's a safe play. but in other regards—such as tseng's ability to compartmentalize—the plan is absolute madness.
which is why tseng thinks it's likely to work. it's always rufus' most audacious plans, the ones with the highest associated risk, that have the biggest payoff. and if rufus is unconcerned about how often he and tseng will have to have sex to make his plan a reality, then far be it from tseng to raise any kind of concern. ]
Yes, sir. [ tseng nods, agreeing. ] It'll be a long game.
[ not that rufus has ever wanted for patience, not when it matters. ]
[His word choice is subtle but conspicuous: because there was a time when Tseng and his Turks weren't a part of Rufus's schemes, but they are now, and to be his now is as good as to be with him always. His plans are their plans, and this one is no exception.]
And it'll keep eyes on me, while you shepherd the benefits.
[He pauses, seeming to resurface from the depths of his preoccupation, and fixes Tseng with a slow, thoughtful look. Back home, this is a question he would never need to ask, but with things ever so slightly unbalanced between them —]
[ it's not completely strange, that rufus would ask for tseng's input on a plan. they've been doing this for years, going back and forth on the finer details and the finicky dependencies of any idea that rufus starts to formulate.
but there's something different about it, this time. something that feels less like an employer asking his subordinate's input on a work task, and more like—like...
not a friend, certainly, but something that might be twice removed from it. one person asking another. it sets tseng on the back foot, makes him pause briefly before he can gather himself enough to answer the question. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
tseng uses the time that rufus is thinking to take another couple careful bites of food, this time mindful that anything rufus says might make his bite want to go down the wrong pipe.
when rufus speaks again, it's—ah. tseng can practically read the map of his vision, can see what it is he's suggesting even before he suggests it. but still, part of working with rufus means letting him lay his ideas out from beginning to end, and so tseng just sets his glass down again and sits up a little bit straighter. ]
I believe so, yes.
no subject
[It's about the closest Rufus Shinra, man categorically known for getting ahead of himself, has ever come to suggesting that they not get ahead of themselves. But Tseng isn't wrong about the look on his face, or the ideas churning behind his eyes; in the course of a single conversation, he's gone from frustrated and chafing to finding a direction for his ambition, and that's always a dangerous thing to witness.
Well. Unless you're the type who's into that sort of thing, of course.]
But if it is poker hands. And if there is a way that ranks can be manipulated...
[He smiles, one of his subtle, enigmatic looks that's sharper in the eyes than about the corners of his mouth.]
Then a ten might not be quite the insult it seems on its face.
no subject
How do you mean?
[ tseng thinks he knows how rufus means. a ten of hearts, a jack of hearts, a queen of hearts, a king of hearts, an ace of hearts—a perfect royal flush. what better way to test the whims of the house?
it's both an excellent idea and a terrible one. excellent, in that it's straightforward and easy to test, with results that will become immediately apparent; terrible, in that the prospect of fucking rufus four more times fills tseng with an unbearable combination of longing and dread. ]
no subject
[He's aware that Tseng has likely already spotted the heart of the plan, pun very much intended. But the thing about Rufus Shinra is that too often, moderation isn't nearly enough — that one good idea will spin into another, and another, more and more and more until he's had every cake in the world and eaten it all while he's at it.
Later, the ramifications and connotations will catch up. He'll be alone in his room and really think about it, what it asks and what it means and what trajectory he's mapping out for the both of them. Right now, it's all numbers and strategies, the unparalleled pleasure of seeing an obstacle that the two of them, lever and fulcrum, might together exploit.]
Several promotions is a heavy undertaking, but no one will think twice about your motives. Stopping at every rank along the way would seem a natural consequence of the endeavor.
[He motions idly at the dossier, its careful notes and meticulous suits. Poker hands.]
There are a lot of hands one can build out of five ranks of cards. Why settle for just the obvious one?
no subject
[ but he says it with enough of a smile at one corner of his mouth that rufus should know that what he means is, yes, all the time. tseng is a smart poker player and an even smarter card-counter—he plays normally and only wins what he needs, not nearly often enough to draw the attention of the house. even if a jack is under far less scrutiny at the tables than someone of a lower rank would be, tseng's pathological refusal to allow himself to be noteworthy is more than enough to keep him playing conservatively.
the plan rufus is laying out is far from conservative. not because he thinks the house is likely to notice—no, in fact, tseng is fairly sure that the house would be delighted they're engaging so fully with the game. in that regard, it's a safe play. but in other regards—such as tseng's ability to compartmentalize—the plan is absolute madness.
which is why tseng thinks it's likely to work. it's always rufus' most audacious plans, the ones with the highest associated risk, that have the biggest payoff. and if rufus is unconcerned about how often he and tseng will have to have sex to make his plan a reality, then far be it from tseng to raise any kind of concern. ]
Yes, sir. [ tseng nods, agreeing. ] It'll be a long game.
[ not that rufus has ever wanted for patience, not when it matters. ]
no subject
[His word choice is subtle but conspicuous: because there was a time when Tseng and his Turks weren't a part of Rufus's schemes, but they are now, and to be his now is as good as to be with him always. His plans are their plans, and this one is no exception.]
And it'll keep eyes on me, while you shepherd the benefits.
[He pauses, seeming to resurface from the depths of his preoccupation, and fixes Tseng with a slow, thoughtful look. Back home, this is a question he would never need to ask, but with things ever so slightly unbalanced between them —]
Objections?
no subject
but there's something different about it, this time. something that feels less like an employer asking his subordinate's input on a work task, and more like—like...
not a friend, certainly, but something that might be twice removed from it. one person asking another. it sets tseng on the back foot, makes him pause briefly before he can gather himself enough to answer the question. ]
None, sir.