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 Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 9:06 am
Healin Lodge
A quiet location set amongst trees and waterfalls, possibly located somewhere in the mountain range running between Midgar and Junon. Deemed "Geostigma Sanatorium in love of silence," the Healin Lodge is a safe haven for the ill, and was created shortly after the outbreak of Geostigma.
[x]
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Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 11:01 pm
I'll let you hear my new appointment speech. Old man tried to control the world with money. It seems to have been working. The population thought that Shinra would protect them. Work at Shinra, get your pay. If a terrorist attacks, the Shinra army will help you. It looks perfect on the outside. But, I do things differently. I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man. A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them.
A light flicked on, the buzzing sound hummed for a moment or two, as if it were lingering to stay in the darkness for a while longer. The noise of a door clicked, it echoed, bouncing back a moment later. There came a soft sigh as the man in white moved into a room, the shades drawn, just as he had asked Reno and Rude to take care of it. Fabric of the curtains was rather dull, and scratchy against his worn down hands, as he ran them up along the lining.
People are ignorant. They'll feel better as long as someone is punished
Pursing his lips he moved from the window to a object that caught his eye. Tracing his fingers over the metal bars, that connected with padding, as if it were shaped perfectly to fit the man’s arm. He smiled a touch, moving to the seat of the chair, brushing off the specks of dust that were so dormant since the Geostigma times. The President himself sat in the wheelchair, shifting his weight into it.
The nightmare returns... the Lifestream courses through our planet back and forth across the boarders of life and death. If that cycle is the very truth of life then history, too, will inevatibly repeat itself. So go on, bring your Jenovas and your Sephiroths.It won't matter. We'll do as life dictates and stop you every single time.
Rufus slipped in and out of memories, touching each one like a child would with toys. Some were smooth, comforting, round, and others… pointy, sharp, painful and dark, nothing compared to the thoughts of his Turks. His hand meeting to rest under his chin as he sat, as if he were crippled once more, staring at the furthest wall.
"You’re telling me you’re giving up--giving everything you’ve worked so hard for up…you’re just going to abandon us because you’ve been bested by a woman?”
"You groomed us to the point where we would have done anything for you. But it didn’t matter, because you still made us feel like we mattered. That we had a purpose. We thought that we were more than just the murderers and the lash of Shin-Ra that everyone else saw. You left us our humanity, but now? Now you’re taking away our dignity. You both are. You’re leaving us.”
"I still want to be a Turk... I want to wear my s-suit."
The man sat lost, confused, and lonely more than ever. All the past years memories lead to the one point, the point of him falling to his knees, throwing in the towel for good. He raised his hand from his chin and up to his eyes, were he shielded them for whatever means. Rufus leaned over in the wheelchair as his other hand came forward to cover his mouth, small and gentle sobs?
‘I heard no one has ever seen him bleed or cry…’
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:02 pm
There was an effort to be made by the Heavens, sometime during the moments in which it took for the clouds to settle over the Healin Lodge. But however brightly the sun would shine, it could not pierce the dense downfall that so steadily lengthened the night. It would have been silent... if it weren't for this rain.
There were gentle steps. So faint they could but barely be heard as they moved down the grey hallway, taking a small turn, coming out and into the drenching downpour again. And then... up a few flights of stairs. And then, a door, softly opened underneath a slow touch.
There was no resistance, no creak of announcement. There was only a miserable, broken form in the room, sitting in a wheelchair. Which... probably had more use for him now, than ever it did in the past years.
She was soaked through completely. Her body was dripping, pools of water collecting at her feet. And she stood silently in the doorway now. And she did not step inside. Only staring in from the door, waiting... for once... just waiting. And her eyes were solemn.
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:05 am
The blonde sat silently in the wheelchair as he suddenly felt a cold draft of air, which made his hair stand on end as he shifted his weight in the chair. There was silence as he listend to the water drops hitting the floor, just around the woman. It was rather sudden, but the mand stood, something he wouldn't of been able to do a few years back when he was confined to the chair. He approached the large window, running a hand along the curtain that protected him from everyone outside.
"You're dripping." Was all that Rufus could offer to say to her. She was the least likely person he would have liked to seen, but yet... Kilik was most likely to come and visit him, knowing the Turks were either still furious with him, or still utterly confused of his actions.
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 12:38 pm
There was a mournful curve of dark, wet brown, a gently glistening lock of hair falling over her face, blocking out an edge of suddenly dimmed, pink irises. Where was their brilliance? To where had the vicarious gleam fled, leaving behind in its stead such mournful and disheartened a gaze? There was no pale flame of discontent there. No anger flared beneath those lowered lids.
Her arms hung limp at her sides, gleaming trails of rain running over them with the same slow process that divided them into smaller segments of dry, once temperate gold… very much like the thin cracks that skimmed heart, steadily breaking under such gentle persuasions.
But this heart had yet to be broken.
She lowered her eyes to the floor and dipped her head, in a heart-felt apology… for so many things. “I can clean it up, if you’d like… Rufus,” she gently offered. Not so much a query as an olive branch. She knew… he would not accept it. He felt she had done all this. Broken him, torn him down from his seat of power over the world, taken everyone he cared for from him, and left him miserable here. Here to spend the rest of his days, until he chose her instead.
And that was precisely what she had aimed for.
And now? She had the gall to apologize? And to seek his forgiveness? She really was shameless, as ever she had been.
She wanted to touch his shoulder. Wanted to reach out and assure him she would not hurt him this time. Wanted… so much, from him, for him. But, as someone else had once observed. There is no such thing as remaking a man. You must persuade him. Kilik… would do anything in her power to do such. My… how far she had come in these years. That face was no longer crude, but gentle and compassionate, enthralling and compelling, by all means losing the whispers of dissent and inner chaos it had once held.
Such things… she wanted to banish from his heart as well. And, if he must be forced to find such regardless what happened to her…
…she would see it done.
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 1:01 pm
"Don't." Rufus shook his head in reply to her offer. He only stated it to Kilik to break the long silence that seemed to cling to the two of them. Though... if his memory served him right, it wasn't always that way between the two of them, and yet... some how it turned up to be that way. His eyes glanced from the soft light pouring into the curtain, and then moved towards the door, where she stood.
A frown crossed his face as the man took a few steps from the window, and back towards the chair. "Tell me, how did it come to this? I know, and I understand this day would come... but not like this. No, I had seen it differently, much more different." At first it seemed as Rufus was having a rhetorical conversation with himself, untill he turned the questions and statements to the woman at the door.
"Is this what you wanted? You broke Shin-Ra apart, you broke the Turks apart... you even broke us apart. All those years boiled down to this very point in time, where you could proudly say, 'Rufus ShinRa, is no more!'" The man stopped and turned his attention away once again and to some where off in the room.
'Remember, I did all I could for you. Wouldn't you do the same?' Rufus thought to himself and ran a hand through the blonde strands of his hair, the frame of this body seemed weak as he leaned against the wheel chair.
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 2:46 pm
“I destroyed it.”
It was almost a numb answer. There was nothing for it. Careless at first, misunderstanding her own intentions, she had rent everything she had ever cared for, made sure not a thing could be linked to her. Everything that had burst in her chest, a resultant from the most fickle of things, the slightest tender comment, to the most ridiculous stunt of bravado, she had shaken them from her with the fear a horse would of a snake at its leg.
Nothing to bind, to contain, to restrict her. Oh, she had suffered years under the hands of those she had boasted would never come within a hundred feet of her. Long moments that had no end, and fused so smoothly within their concepts and purposes, creating together an infinitely unworthy concept of praise and conception. Here, within such walls as yet untainted by any such miseries as this, there stood now perhaps the two most broken creatures of the world.
And such harmony to be found, to be so swiftly tread on… Oh, please do not touch such! If anything at all… leave his heart intact. In the suffrage she offered, there was every last tender thought for his sentiments. One mind to another. There was nothing else for it. As had been previously stated. A sudden gentle curl of a curious warmth in her soul. Perhaps, then, this was the way after all. Perhaps… this could work.
“I didn’t want to be hurt,” she pressed forward. Like setting a small paper boat to sail on a puddle of water in the city streets. How long could it keep afloat before the water would seep through and sink it? How many more moments? The gazes thrown furtively over shoulder, to keep an eye out for the car that would come, and maybe just miss it… but in the heart, the child had already separated itself from its creation, made with hope and dreams both in mind. So that when the vehicle came speeding and crushed the small vessel, the child would not cry, but only look on in tender silence at the loss of its toy.
“If you broke through… if you and I were together… if I let myself love you… if for the first time I allowed myself to fall in love with someone… I would not be able to live if something was to happen to you… if I could not keep you… if you ever stopped loving me… if you were… like every other person I have ever met.”
So such a heart was finally bourn up to him. Locked away behind countless walls of bone, of steel, of poison. Encased in gold, protected with teeth and strength and cunning mind. Suddenly every key had been thrown away, every lock opened, no more veils to conceal the truth that lay there, so long hidden away for fear of rejection, of sudden death brought by a loss of hope.
But many years had passed, and she had learned more within every passing moment than perhaps she could have had she lived many lifetimes with the same mind as she once possessed. Today, that was all wiped clean. There would be nothing left of those hurts and pains. She would be herself. She would live on.
Even if here and in this very next moment her heart was destroyed by the man she loved.
“I’ve done terrible things to save myself from what could have been the best thing I’d ever known,” she said softly. “And I probably will do so again. Because some things take time to learn, and some things I don’t think I’ll ever completely banish. But… this time, I’m going to try.”
And suddenly, there was a gentle flicker in her eyes, and what solemn expression had settled there before his questions, was giving way to a growing light. No longer from the flames of passion or contempt, sorrow or bitterness. There was an honesty in her gaze that bespoke suddenly… she was at last being truthful with him, and herself.
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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 1:35 pm
Finding the center, searching within. Simple tasks, effortless realms of casualties, hapless fingers flickering throughout nameless files and countless dreams, lost to heaven, hidden behind trembling, drenched puzzles—those dying pups. There was a cruel glint that glanced over her solemn, heavily laden pink eyes. A shudder of recognition that rippled through her form, and perhaps would display one sight to the blonde beyond her reach. She would not explain it away, would not attempt to reconnect now.
There was disillusionment painted across the room, and curse her very breath should she spend but a moment more in its presence. There was no simple pause, no effort to make a gentle farewell press into the thick atmosphere of despair. There was a glowering of some momentarily forgotten song in her heart and she smiled carefully, lashes fluttering down to contain the brilliance of sunset pink in her irises behind golden strands.
A soft chuckle fell from her lips—as water, as a sudden miraculous cascade of versatile and glorious nourishment—an audible waterfall of enchantment and pure fidelity. There was ever one she would stop the world for. And it was his distained form, wrapped in the loneliness of the room, and unwilling to separate himself from the trials and despairs of his past, that she left in gallant silence.
Yet unlike other times, and against all the nature of the human race’s tell-tale studies of a person’s actions, here she presented him with the most vivid strain of evidence of her avid freedom of him in purest finality. She turned slowly, without raising her eyes to his, and pressed open the door gently, allowing the slick rain to pelt her still soaked form.
And then—unfounded miracle of time—she turned and glanced over her shoulder at his vibrant eyes, searching for the icy flame that had once flickered proudly in them, and smiled benevolently.
“Goodbye, Rufus Shinra.”
And then—she was gone—lost in the trails of the world’s desires once again. Searching ever and again, for what she was not sure she could possibly find. Her last hope had been taken from out of his hands. If he would not come to her… she would no longer seek him. For the first time in a lifetime, she had freed herself from him.
And now, she turned to her home, to the inner ruins of Midgar.
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Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:51 am
It had traveled through time, through years of forlorn memories, of times gone by. It was enduring. Unlike the humans of the Planet, this creature was complacent with but one thing, and that satisfaction brought to its soul by the love of a master was all that would ever matter. And was, by far, enough to keep it going.
Timeless had been the years it whiled away in the ruins of first the Shin-Ra Electric Power Company’s headquarters. And then the years spent in the wilderness, until the Meteor Fall that threatened to destroy the Planet had been countered and revoked defiantly by the very forces of Nature that it itself embodied in silken black form.
And, also unlike the human inhabitants of the Planet, it was not now shivering, even with the chill in the air after the long rains. Instead, sleek and glimmering black fur, akin to the pitch of utter darkness, was thick and smoothly kept the creature warm on its long, amiable stroll through the world. Yet, even now, its journey had come at last to an end. And though the years of aimless venturing had done nothing to brush off its untamed appearance, and it had grown quite large indeed in the free reign of the forests and plains of the continent than ever it had been able to in the confines of the Shin-Ra Headquarters… Tame it still was, under the only person’s touch it had ever been so willing to act.
Soulful yellow eyes glinted ambiguously as the large feline silently climbed the rain slickened stairs, winding steadily and slowly, not enjoying at all the wetness of the after-shower that still remained upon the ground. Until, at last, it came before a door.
It paused before it, crouched and then rose up, a paw against the wall, and another cleverly opening the door. Hooking the large, silent paw against the door, it pulled it even further open, managing to squeeze its chiseled and kingly head through, the rest of its body soon following. And then onwards it moved, silent as though it was not there, merely a hallucination of the mind, this large black panther-esque beast that so invaded the otherwise somber and lulled Healin Lodge.
One other door had to be passed, and as the feline mimicked its previous actions, the paw hooking the door, before the head and body slid through with little trouble, it began steadily to purr. The sound was low and strong, and the eyes were narrowed in obvious delight at finding what it sought at last.
Careless of the blonde man’s condition, the large beast sidled alongside the man in his wheelchair, sitting down at his side and rubbing its head affectionately against his legs. The long tentacle that adorned its head waving eerily in quiet contentment.
Dark Nation was home.
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Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:58 pm
'Kitty?'
A childish thing to say, or rather thought in this case, but none the less it was something that had crossed his mind as he saw Dark Nation. Was it truly the feline that he had known and loved all along? No... it couldn't be, he was dead, wasn't he?
"Though, everyone thought I was dead too." He stated aloud, glancing down at the feline with his blue eyes. Rufus reached forward and rested a hand ontop of the animals head, stroking it gently as he did. A gentle simle curled his lips as he began to scratch around it's ears.
'Maybe... you are my Dark Nation...
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Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 12:40 pm
What purpose had a beast of such rarity and feral descent in a place where humans thrived? In the healing halls of this place of respite—separated from the rest of the world, a creature such as this had no place here. It was a long way from home, and the country native to its breeding. Then how had it come here?
The deep rumbling only increased in volume as the foreign panther heard its master’s voice—so long it had been without those lulling words of his human to comfort him, appease the occasional desire for warmth and presence that it had so long done without in the wilderness.
His master could have said anything in that moment, even bid the feline leave his presence, and still it would have pleased Dark Nation to have heard him. And—surely as the rising of sun and moon—the large cat would not have left his side.
As a hand settled atop his head, Dark Nation raised the volume of his purring yet another notch, tilting and weaving his chiseled head so that it bumped against his master’s leg, rubbing cheek there, leaning heavily. The long tentacle upon his head waving steadily in easily apparent pleasure. The large cat squeezed its eyes shut and purred away.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 3:00 pm
Silence filled the Healin Lodge once more, days had gone in the lodge... where Rufus ShinRa now found refuge. No one visited, no one made contact with the man, it was as if the world had finally closed its eyes and had forgotten about the dirty deeds of ShinRa. Little did he know the days and things to come before him, something would test him, something would break him...
'Kilik...'
Never said aloud, though his loyal feline looked up as he thought the womans name. Dark Nation replied with a gentle rub against his leg as he looked from the animal.
'What are her true intentions for us? For the world? What is she up to? And why can I not remove her from my memories?
"She's like a bad stain." Rufus muttered. Dark Nation growled a bit at his comment as if he were sticking up for the woman. The man gave a childish look to his friend and stood from his chair. There was something that had to be done, Rufus was not the president of anything any more, nor did he have his Turks. "Come, my friend... let me introduce you to someone that has been slumbering for sometime. Yes, I'm sure she would love to see the horrible world I have created. With that, Rufus removed an ID card from his pocket and moved to a steel door. He slid the car into a side machine, it beeped and then opened for the man. Making his way down the stairs he entered what looked like to be some Hojo-crazed lab, that had been collecting dust.
"Time to work, Dark Nation."
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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:09 am
'Sir, the data is being uploaded at twenty percent.' A female, yet computerized voice spoke to the blonde. "That's as fast as you're able to go?" Shinra seemed a bit irritated by the matter but waved a hand. "That'll do for now. Please pull up all ShinRa Employee files since the first date of filling."
'Yes sir...One moment please...' A few beeps were heared as the computers screen began sorting files and seperating into categories. 'What would you like to start with President?'
"Beta, please pull up all Turk files on the main screen." Rufus removed his long white coat, drapping it on the back of a chair. Rolling up the sleeves to his long sleeved white shirt he leaned towards the computer, scanning the faces of the Turks he had come to work with over the long years. "There." His index reached forward, as he pointed to a brunette on the screen.
'Searching... Searching...' Beta's voice came once more. 'Cissnei; the youngest person to be recruited for the Turks-'
"Spare me Beta, I know her details, I need to know her contact information."
'Sorry sir, there is no new information on the female... other than a cellular phone number. Though the number could be out dated.'
"Run it through, I want to know if it has been used recently." The blonde took a seat, studying the computers screen. Over and over again he skimmed through Cissnei's file, untill Beta spoke once more. 'There has been activity in the past month, though a sixty percent chance that it may be in use by someone else.'
"Well it's my only option." He retorted and turned to look at another computer screen that read 'Project O' across the type. "I need 'O' to be up and running right away Beta."
'Sir, I'm doing my best. Project O still needs constant care and attention. Not to mention O needs your guidence and trust in order for her to blend in with... well people.'
"Are you my mother? I grew up a long time ago Beta, I can manage." There was a snappy sort of tone within his voice. Rufus didn't like it when people assumed he wasn't an adult. Then again he did run his fathers company into the ground, he stilled blamed himself for every event that took place. Yes, one big chip on his shoulder and even then he wouldn't let a soul know the pain he felt.
'Project O is at sixtythree percent and rising. Estimated time untill all files downloaded, thirteen minutes. Shall I run a History Program on 'O'?'
"Yes, make sure she is up to date with her age and began the feed of ShinRa documents. I want to make sure O knows her enemies and allies." Rufus gave a soft yawn and stood from the chair, just below him sat Dark Nation, he gently wagged his tail and followed the blonde.
---
Two hours later...
A soft snoozing noise came from the blonde that was sprawled out on the countertop. His head came to rest on a stack of what looked like files, and many at that. Dark Nation was curled up at his masters feet, and he as well was sleeping. The two had been running back and forth for some time trying to prepare for Project O's first step into the new world, and now they were beat.
"She's dying...are you just going to let that happen?"
"I-I don't know... I don't know what's even going on... I thought Jenova... she was the only one of her kind!?"
"Hmm... well I guess we proved that false, didn't we?"
"W-What am I going to do?"
"Heh, you're right Rufus Shinra, what are you going to do? Here... let me answer that for you."
"NO!" Rufus Shinra jumped from the computer chair, knocking Dark Nation aside, the feline a bit confused at his masters actions. "It was... just a dream... yes, just a dream." The man panted as he sat once more trying to calm himself from the nightmare. Dark Nation stretched and yawned, made his way to Rufus's hand and licked it a few times to comfort the blonde.
'Sir, Project O is finished... awaiting your comand to start waking her.'
"Hold off on that Beta, I want to show this to someone." Shinra picked up the phone and dialed a number from the computer screen. Placing the phone to his ear he listened, and waited... in hopes that Cissnei would answer his call.
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Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 4:03 pm
There was no answer to the number that he was given. Infact, Rufus polietly left a message on the Turk's phone and said that he'd be available when ever she was ready. The man had a task of her and what an interesting one that would be for her. He snapped his cellphone shut and placed it on the desk that he had been working at. As the blond reached for a pen to jot a memo, he noitced the lights had flickered. Was it his mind playing tricks on again? No. Then it happened once more before finally the lights along with Beta had compeletly shut down. "What the hell?" Rufus had been left standing the dark. Dark Nation whimpered lowly and rubbed his head against his masters leg.
"What? You scared of the dark?" He chuckled lightly. "C'mon we'll have to get to the circu-" The man was abruptly cut off as the sound of metal hitting glass and shattering it, exploded in the room. "********, was that!?" Rufus stumbled back into the darkness. His hand caught the edge of the desk, pulling a drawer open he shuffled through it and removed a pack. Written on it in large green letters, 'Emergency'. Ripping the package open he pulled out two of the long clear sticks and cracked them over the desk. A sudden bright green light glowed from the sticks, as he waved them around.
Rufus placed the pack of emergency sticks in his jacket pocket, the lit one was thrown in the corner of the room. He squinted and noticed the green light glinting off a smashed metal frame door. "Holy..." He muttered as he tossed another stick in the other corner of the room. The glass littered the entire tile floor and a trail of smaller shardes led to a closet door. "Stay here." Pointing a single finger to Dark Nation and giving him a controlling look. The creature growled as a disagreement to the command given to him.
The blonde removed another stick from his pocket and broke it with his hand. Once more a green glow came from the plastic emergency stick. He crept towards the closet door, all the while glass seemed to give away his element of surprise. A small thumping noise was heard from behind the door, as if someone were tapping against it. Rufus held the stick in one hand, while the other was placed on the door knob. Okay, I can do this. 1...2...3... As Rufus went to open the door, it suddenly opened on its own. Moving the stick in front of him and waving it once more, the green light caught something.
In the darkness, small red glowing lines were seen. The small child stepped forward and the lights grew brighter and brighter. Finally there was a soft giggle from the child and the lights in Healin' Lodge suddenly turned on once more. There, in the doorway of the closet stood Ophelia and she was grinning. "You found me!" The five year old exclaimed. As she stepped from the closet her bare feet came to touch the tile floor.
"How did you...?" He trailed off. How in the hell did A. She get out, and B. Turn the Lights on. Rufus composed himself once more and tossed the glow stick aside. "I'm glad to see that I did find you dear." The man remembered what Beta had told him, he needed to gain her trust. Though his mind seemed to lead off of the subject as he noticed the suit she was wearing. He had seen it before... but it had been some time. "Is that a Mako suit?" The blond asked Ophelia.
"You're silly!" She giggled once more. Ophelia pointed at the form fitting white suit that covered her arms to her legs. Strange bright neon red lines pulsed in the suit and ran along each arm and leg and met in the center of her chest. There was a circular metal object placed in the center, as the lines seemed to feed into the device. "It's a Materia Suit, desigined just for me!" The child picked at a short strand of her cropped silver, almost white looking hair. "I'm getting hungry now!" Nearly demanding that she get something to eat.
A Materia Suit? He looked at the child once more and rubbed one of his temples. Rufus knew he'd have to check Betas files once more to see exactly what he was getting himself into. "Right..." Finally anwsering to her food comment. "I'm sure you're very hungry. Come, we will get you something to eat." He took the little girls hand and directed her around the broken glass and metal door frame. A mess that had been created by her. His only remaining thought before heading up the stairs, was that he hoped the Turk had gotten his message. Rufus was no babysitter.
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