Next Time You Call
Chapter 21: Absence Word Count: 90,793 (total) Fandom: Final Fantasy 7 (post Advent Children) Pairing: Cloud Strife/Rufus Shinra Rating: Explicit
Midday, when the sun is high and the sky is clear, Kalm’s clock tower is plainly visible from the highest functioning stretch of roadway still standing post-Meteorfall. Cloud sits atop Fenrir, silently searching because it’s the easiest waypoint to utilize in order to find WRO HQ, Reeve’s preferred base of operations.
Once oriented, he fires up the engine again and closes the short distance to the exit ramp that leads down into the winding streets below. The building itself is fairly nondescript, but it stands apart from most structures in Edge by looking like it had a blueprint to begin with and not like it only came to be thanks to tireless remodeling and salvage.
After pulling into the roundabout that leads to the main entrance, he parks the bike and spares it a backward glance on his way through the revolving glass doors. The headquarters staffing may appear scant upon first blush, but he’s come to learn that the building is practically teeming with armored guards at all times, they simply monitor from behind closed doors and deploy minimal security on the ground floor. The overall effect is somewhat eerie, as if it's been made to look purposefully liminal.
Cloud approaches the information desk at the center of the lobby, a perfect circle encased in tempered glass that seems to rise straight up to the ceiling. A single young woman in a pencil skirt mans the computer there, typing away with her deep brown eyes glued to the monitor before flicking them up and flashing him a smile at the last second. She greets Cloud warmly, likely remembering his face from prior visits, and radios Reeve’s security detail before sending him off to the elevators.
Reeve fancies the WRO a more egalitarian, more moral alternative to Shinra, so the headquarters is meant to be more welcoming, less exclusive. However, he still can only be found at the top floor, hidden behind a gaggle of guards and passcodes.
“Cloud!”
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