"Beware the cunning wrath of the Ruby Dragon! Try to deceive her outright, and your affronts will come back to haunt you. Subvert her own trickery with careful timing, and yet you may defeat her." —Loveless; Act I, Scene 7, Verses 25-27

         They came sometime that Thursday, while she was away at work, moving various things into the vacant apartment next door to hers, on the eighth floor of an unremarkable apartment building located on the upper plate of Midgar's second sector. She first encountered them on her way home, as she stepped out of the building's elevator and into the hallway.
         As she approached one of them, a square-jawed worker wielding a clipboard and pen, she asked, "Is someone moving in?"
         "What do you think? That we lugged these crates all the way up here for our health?"
         She rolled her eyes. "I was just asking a question. Who's the new tenant?"
         "Works for Shinra, that's all I know."
         She nodded and continued on to her own door, the next one over. "Hope it's not another boring office drone," she muttered under her breath.
         Taking no further notice of her, the movers finished their job and walked back down the hallway. Just as she started working on the finicky top lock of her door, she heard the elevator open. She instinctively turned her head, expecting to see one of her dull neighbors, and did a double take. It was someone entirely new to her, and he was stopping to talk to the movers. Her latest next-door neighbor perhaps?
         Sure enough, when this newcomer came down the hallway, he stopped in front of the door of the apartment the movers had just left. He appeared to be in his thirties; his exhausted slouch and the small bags under his eyes hinted at a long, tough week at the office. His blue suit was rumpled, and looked like it needed pressing, and his otherwise impeccable brown hair and beard showed some small signs of neglect. As he sorted through his keys, he looked over at her. She froze, realizing for the first time that she had been staring.
         "Am I really all that interesting?" he asked.
         "Uh, what do you mean?"
         "I mean, me, standing here, going through my keys."
         "Well, it's just that it's been awhile since anyone new moved in…"
         "Ah, I see," he replied, a small smile forming on his face. "A welcoming committee." He walked over to her and held out his hand. "Forrest Reeves, but everyone just calls me Reeve."
         "Elena Terry," she said, taking his hand and shaking it. "Um, I guess 'Elena' is fine."
         Reeve nodded. "All right, Elena. It's nice to meet you, but I can't stick around and chat. Must start unpacking, you understand."
         "Okay. If you need anything, just let me know."
         "I'm sure I'll be fine, but thanks."
         Elena started to retreat into her apartment, when a spark of recognition struck her. She turned back to her new neighbor and looked at him quizzically. Reeve raised an eyebrow.
         "What's wrong?"
         "There's something familiar about you, but I'm not sure what it is…"
         "Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Good night."
         "Good night," Elena said, closing the door behind her. Strange, she thought. Where have I seen him before?

         While she was at work the following day, Elena had to go to the office of her supervisor, one Scarlet Hanover, the Shinra Electric Power Company's Chair of Weapons Development. Elena worked in the Explosives subdivision as a technician and did some training on the side as a Turk cadet. That afternoon, she and another technician were in Scarlet's office to receive a set of blueprints for a new projectile-launching mecha that was currently in the design phase; Elena's task was to create custom grenades for this machine. It was a fairly routine assignment, but one made special by the fact that this particular mecha was of Scarlet's own design.
         During this meeting, something on Scarlet's desk caught Elena's eye. It was a framed photograph, obviously a studio portrait, of a younger-looking Scarlet and a brown-haired, clean-shaven man in wedding finery. Careful not to let her gaze look too suspicious, she only spent an idle moment's attention on the photo, before turning away to gaze blankly at the bookshelf behind Scarlet's desk.
         "Elena! Do you understand the assignment?"
         Elena was broken out of her trance. "Y-yes ma'am!" Looking at Scarlet, she noted that her boss appeared to be a little bit more high-strung than usual.
         "Very well," Scarlet replied. "I expect a report on the grenade specs to be turned in to my office a week from today. You two are dismissed."

         After work, Elena took the train back to her building, her mind swarming with speculation; she had so many questions to ask him. Upon walking out of the elevator onto the eighth floor, she spotted him down the hall, jimmying his key in an effort to get the door to his apartment to open. She strode toward him briskly, finding herself right in front of him just as he turned the knob on his now-unlocked door.
         "Oh, hi Elena. Do these locks always take five minutes to open?"
         "Um, Reeve? Remember when I said that there was something familiar about you?"
         "Yes. Ever figure out what it was?"
         "Actually, I did. You're in a wedding portrait sitting on my boss' desk. You see, my supervisor is—"
         Cutting her off sharply, Reeve's tone became more ominous. "Don't say her name. Please. I don't want to hear it."
         "I almost asked her—"
         "You didn't tell her I was here, did you?"
         "No."
         "Good. Don't."
         Elena looked at Reeve's face; the tumultuous emotions displayed on it were too numerous to name, but they all seemed to be connected by a single thread of agony. He leaned back against the doorjamb.
         "Listen. One day, maybe I'll tell you the story of what happened between me and my…"
         "Wife? Ex-wife?" Elena offered.
         "As far as I'm concerned, I never had a wife."
         Elena paused in thought before quietly replying, "I'm sorry if I—"
         "No, no, that's all right. You don't know what's going on, so I can't fault you for a simple faux pas."
         Elena nodded. For a moment, they stood there in silence. Then, Reeve spoke up.
         "Hey, I'm going out for a drink about an hour from now. Would you like to join me?"
         Finding herself on the spot, and with no idea of what she was getting into, she replied, "Uh, sure!"
         "All right. I'll come by and knock on your door when I'm ready to go."
         "Okay."
         Reeve nodded and smiled, then started to enter his apartment.
         "Oh, one last thing," Elena said quickly, before Reeve could close his door. "Which bar are we going to?"
         "McAllister's, two sectors over. It's a dive, but at least it's friendly."
         Elena gave her new neighbor a sidelong glance. "We're going to a dive bar?"
         "If that's not a problem," Reeve replied. "There'll be someone there that I want you to meet."

         Tucked away on one of Sector Eight's side streets, McAllister's was dark and dimly-lit, but as Reeve said, it was also somewhat friendly. Reeve and Elena made their way through the crowd to sit down at a well-worn booth along the back wall. Reeve ordered their drinks, then momentarily glanced at the Chocobo Races on the television before continuing his conversation with Elena. Soon, a man in a rumpled grey suit came by their booth, where he leaned in close to Reeve and whispered something. Reeve nodded, and the man handed him a small piece of paper. Reeve looked at it, giving out a low whistle as he did.
         "Nice. I'm definitely selling now. Now if only the IPO would get under way."
         The man in grey gave Elena a suspicious glance, then said, "They're still delaying that, eh?"
         "For yet another month. The whole thing's been a big pain in the ass." Reeve slipped something out of his pocket and into the man's palm. "I'll contact him later. Thanks for the information."
         The man nodded, then disappeared back into the crowd.
         Completely clueless as to what had just happened, Elena leaned toward Reeve from her side of the table. "What was that all about? That wasn't the guy you wanted me to meet, was it?"
         "To answer your first question: I can't tell you," he said with a smile. "And to answer your second question: No, that wasn't him. 'He' will be here shortly. Now, if you will excuse me for a moment, I have to make a call."
         With PHS cellular phone in hand, Reeve walked over to a remote corner of the bar, away from the other patrons. While he was gone, Elena sat patiently and waited, only to find herself being pushed further into the booth by a tall young man with fiery red hair.
         "Hey, watch it!"
         The redhead gave her a sidelong glance and smirked. Without saying a word, he lit a cigarette and offered one to Elena.
         "No thank you," she replied coldly.
         At this moment, Reeve came back to the booth. Elena started to feel a little relieved.
         "Reeve, can you tell this guy to get lost?"
         "I would, but he's the person I wanted to introduce you to."
         "Reno Cerise," the newcomer said, holding his hand out to her. "Sorry if I startled you."
         Elena stared at him in disbelief. "You—you aren't—the Reno Cerise… of the Shinra Turks?"
         "I might be. And who are you?"
         "E-Elena Terry, sir!"
         "Elena Terry…" Reno murmured, rubbing his chin. Then all of a sudden, he burst out into a peal of laughter. "Elena Terry! No kidding! I think I've heard of you—you're a cadet, right?" Leaning over to Reeve, he whispered, "These cadets always get so nervous when they meet real Turks!"
         Reeve laughed, then presented the note to Reno. "Check this out. Not bad, eh?"
         "No shit…" Reno said, taking the note and scanning it with his eyes. Then, he suddenly pulled out a cell phone. "I have to call Del Sol."
         "Too late. I called the office just as they were closing up for the day, while you were busy annoying Elena."
         "Damn. You didn't, by any chance, tell them that I'd be interested too?"
         "Reno, who do I look like, your fucking secretary?" he said, before catching Elena out of the corner of his eyes. "Oh, excuse my—"
         She waved it off. "It's all right. I'm not that easily offended."
         Reno leaned back and deadpanned, "Fuck, shit, ass, bitch." He took one look at the amused Elena, then back at Reeve. "Nope, she's right. She's not offended at all. Hell, maybe she is cut out to be a Turk."
         Elena beamed.
         "So anyway, Reeve, why did you want me to meet her, anyway? You think she has any more skills for Turkdom besides a tolerance for cussing?"
         "Actually, I didn't even know she was a Turk cadet until you mentioned it. I just thought I'd introduce you to her, that's all. I know you've been looking."
         "Like hell I've been," Reno scowled.
         Elena raised an eyebrow at Reeve. "How did you know I was single?"
         "Educated guess," he said, shrugging. "There was just something about you. You just seemed like you were, so…"
         Reno cut in, "Pphht, yeah right. 'Educated guess' my ass."
         "Okay," Reeve countered, "so it was more like intuition."
         "You know, you've gotta be pretty bold to outright assume that she's single without so much as asking beforehand," Reno said, offering Reeve a smoke.
         Reeve took the cigarette and lighter from Reno, he then wedged the former between his lips and lit it. "I thought I'd take my chances."
         Reno leaned in close to Elena and whispered, "You better watch this guy; he's a bit of a gambler."
         Elena replied, "He relies on his luck, eh?"
         A thin smile emerged on Reeve's face. "What Reno said may be true, but that doesn't mean I believe in luck. The more you know about how the world works, the more you realize that what we call 'luck' is simply just a matter of coincidence."
         Reno took a puff from his cigarette and stared into space for a moment before changing the subject. "So. What are you going to do now that you've finally managed to sneak away from the Ruby Dragon's lair?"
         "I haven't completely sneaked away yet, Reno. There's still a few more steps I need to take before I can truly call myself a free man."

         The three of them left McAllister's about an hour later and strolled out into the streets of Sector Eight. They soon found themselves in the heart of the city's theater district, where large billboards for Loveless and other plays loomed over their heads.
         "Hey Elena," Reno said. "Ever see Loveless?"
         She shook her head, causing her two male companions to stop dead in their tracks.
         "You've never seen Loveless?" Reeve asked her in disbelief. "How long have you been living in Midgar?"
         Elena laughed. "Not long enough, it seems. I've heard it's quite popular, but I'm not much of a theatergoer to begin with."
         Reeve started to reply, but paused, his gaze now fixed on something just ahead of them. By this time, they were near the Palace Theater, which was letting out after a performance; among those in the Palace's crowd was Scarlet. Apparently, she had spotted Reeve as well, as she was now walking toward them.
         Reno put a hand on Reeve's shoulder and murmured, "Let's get out of here," but Reeve continued staring straight ahead as Scarlet approached. She was dressed in a black satin evening gown, diamond jewelry, and a cold smile.
         "Reeve, dear, I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you," Scarlet said in a seemingly false tone. "I had to go to tonight's performance all by myself."
         His eyebrows pinched close together, the scowling Reeve said nothing in reply.
         "Oh, by the way, when you… vacated… you forgot something." Scarlet reached in her purse and pulled out a solid gold ring.
         Reeve crossed his arms. "I don't want it. It means nothing to me."
         His wife frowned and shoved the ring back into her purse. "It really is over, isn't it?"
         "I'm meeting with my lawyer tomorrow to complete the paperwork, so it will be official."
         It was then that she took her eyes off of her husband to take note of his companions, arching an eyebrow upon seeing Elena. Scarlet sniffed; not a surprising gesture, as all three of them reeked of beer and tobacco smoke.
         "So, you've met one of my technicians."
         "Yes. I just met her yesterday."
         "I see," Scarlet said. "Well, I better be going. Our—my chauffeur's waiting." She turned, but not without first giving a suspicious glance to Elena, and disappeared back into the crowd.
         When she was gone, Reeve heaved a heavy sigh. "That slimy bitch..."
         "But doesn't it seem like she wants you back?" Elena asked.
         "She doesn't love me. What she loves is the illusion of a successful marriage."
         Elena pondered this for a moment. "I don't get it."
         "Neither do I. We should get going."

         Reeve, Reno, and Elena rounded the next corner, toward the avenue that would take them back to Sectors One and Two. Just ahead of them was a girl in a pink dress, selling flowers out of a wicker basket.
         "What's she doing out here at this time of night?" Elena wondered.
         "The after-theater business is good for her," Reno replied.
         "You know her?"
         "Sort of."
         The flower girl looked up from her basket and saw the three. When her eyes lit on Reno, she pulled a long metal staff out from behind her and got in a defensive pose. The redheaded Turk lit himself a fresh cigarette and held out his empty hands.
         "Aeris, chill. I'm off-duty. And if you don't know my off-duty policy by now, then maybe you should."
         The flower girl, Aeris, lowered her staff. "That's a relief. I thought you would have had me this time."
         As Reno walked closer to the girl, Elena whispered to Reeve, "What's going on here?"
         "Long story—and highly classified, I'm afraid. You'll probably find out all the details if you ever do become a Turk."
         Elena nodded, and patiently waited alongside Reeve as Reno conversed with Aeris in hushed tones. After about a minute of conversation, the flower girl smiled and bid Reno farewell before continuing on her way.

         They reached Sector Two an hour before midnight. Reno left Reeve and Elena at the front door of their apartment complex, then continued further along the street; his own building was another four blocks away. Reeve and Elena rode the elevator up to the eighth floor in silence. Once Reeve reached his door, he turned to Elena and asked her, "Would you like to know the story behind me and Scarlet?"
         She stood there, blinking. "Are you sure you want to tell it to me now?"
         "I think…" Reeve started, "…I think it might be beneficial for you to know the whole story before you go back into work on Monday morning. I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me, and you should gain a different perspective on your boss. It might help to avoid some potentially unpleasant situations."
         Elena nodded. "How she looked at me tonight…"
         "That whole incident was completely unjustified, you know that." Reeve unlocked his door and held it open. "Come inside?"

         With Elena sitting on the couch, listening attentively, Reeve leaned against his broad window ledge and told her about how he came to be married to Scarlet Hanover.
         "It was an arranged marriage," he started. "I was born into an upper-middle class family of merchants. We were quite well off, but lacked any sort of social standing. Scarlet's family wasn't much wealthier than ours, but they had real status. To this day, the Hanovers hobnob with all sorts of important people from around the world."
         "They're socialites, in other words."
         "Exactly. Anyway, after I graduated college with an engineering degree, I was married off to Scarlet. I had only met her a few times previous to the wedding, but I had no objection to it. You see, my parents were an arranged couple themselves and lived very happily together for many years. I thought that the same would hold true for Scarlet and I, but it didn't. I think the trouble started when she wanted to keep her last name, for professional reasons. I originally agreed to this idea in principle, but thinking back on it now..."
         Reeve stepped away from the window and walked over to the sofa. He sat on the floor with his back against the wall, opposite of Elena, where he took a deep breath.
         "Are you all right?" she asked him.
         "I'm fine. Now, to continue…
         "We did our best to get along with each other during those first few years, but after awhile, it seemed like instead of being a husband and wife, we were just roommates who happened to sleep in the same bed and go out together every so often. We both worked at Shinra, but because of her social connections, she rose higher in the company faster than I did. I always knew that she was talented in her field, but she was never that talented. On the other end of things, whenever I got a promotion, she attributed it solely to her connections, and not to any of my actual work."
         "But which was it, really?"
         "What do you mean?"
         "Did her connections really help you get promoted?"
         "I doubt it. I've been an acquaintance of the Vice President's for a couple of years now, but he's never gone beyond a simple recommendation on my behalf. As for her own social circle, they could hardly care less about me."
         "So, what happened next?"
         "Many things. We tried to have children, but she miscarried twice. A couple of years later, I mentioned adoption to her but she was against the idea, so we never had any kids. At our parents' urging, we sought counseling a few times. I tried psychiatry on my own. Then two things occurred: I got promoted to Senior Planner, which is the second-highest post in my department, and I met Reno for the first time.
         "The Urban Development Chair at the time was a man named Juno; the Junon Military Complex, which he designed, was named after him. It was while working under him that I took over the Midgar Regional Redevelopment Project. The city was only half-built at the time, but once I came on board, I saw to it that that was changed. I managed to get done in four years what took previous Planners more than three times as long."
         For the first time since they had left the bar, Reeve broke out into a smile. He stood up and walked back to the window. "My work on Midgar, though its construction is ongoing, is my crowning achievement."
         "And what about Reno?"
         "Oh yes. I met Reno entirely by chance, and somehow we ended up becoming good friends. There was just something about hanging out with him that all those therapy sessions couldn't replicate. Because of Reno, I began to enjoy life again.
         "As it turned out, for some reason or another, Scarlet wasn't too happy with either my most recent promotion or my new friend. At the time I simply assumed she felt that I had no right to be happy if she wasn't involved. Then, two years ago, when Juno retired, I was promoted to his post, as Chair of Urban Development, which is the title I currently hold. By that time, Scarlet had been Chair of Weapons Development for the past year. As a result of my promotion, we started to see a lot more of each other at the office. Her behavior, both at home and at work, started to change. Then one evening, I accidentally found out exactly what was going on with her. You see, Scarlet was… she was…"
         Reeve found that he was unable to continue. Elena lowered her head and finished his sentence. "Having an affair?"
         "…Yes. And evidentially she had been for quite some time…"
         She shook her head. "I'm sorry… if you don't want to go on—"
         "No, no. I have to. If you don't mind."
         Elena eyed him worriedly. "All right, if you say so…"
         "I mean, even though we didn't really see things eye to eye, she was still my wife. Naturally, I felt violated, insulted. That was about a year ago."
         "That long? Why did you wait until recently to leave her?"
         "Planning. I needed to make various personal arrangements before setting out on my own."
         "And Scarlet never found out about your plans?"
         "We'd always had separate bank accounts in addition to separate names, so certain expenses of mine were never an issue. As for her affair, she never gave any hint that she knew what I knew, but I got the impression that she was at least suspicious. Then yesterday, after I had this furnished apartment purchased and all my other personal arrangements made, I had some movers pack and bring all of my belongings&mdash except for my wedding band, of course—from the penthouse Scarlet and I shared to here, my new home."
         "And that's it?"
         "That's it. The short version, anyway." Reeve stood up and looked at his watch. "It's getting late. Sorry if I rambled on for too long."
         "No, that's all right", Elena said, stifling a yawn. She stood up and stretched. "I should really get going though."
         "All right. I'll see you to the doo—"
         His words were cut off by a loud explosion coming from outside. Bright light streamed into the living room. Reeve rushed to the window and slid it open. A blast of warm air rushed into the room as he leaned out of the window, staring at the giant fireball that was formerly the Sector One mako reactor. Elena stood behind him, clinging to the arm of the sofa, frozen in shock. As the noise subsided, they continued standing where they were while the reactor smoldered. Then, a shrill ringing broke the silence; Reeve closed the window and pulled a PHS cell phone out of his front trouser pocket, answering it on the second ring.
         "Hello? Yes Mr. President… Yes, I saw what happened… Yes… Will you excuse me for a moment?"
         Putting one hand over the receiver, Reeve looked at Elena, who whispered, "Is that really President Shinra?"
         "Yes, and you should go home now. This call is going to take some time."
         He quickly walked her to the door and bade her good night. After he had shut the door, she could hear him resuming his conversation with the President of the Shinra Electric Power Company. Still stunned by what had just happened, Elena walked to her own door and unlocked it. Upon entering her apartment, she collapsed on her couch, where she lay awake for an hour or so before finally drifting off to sleep. For her, it had been a long night, but for her new neighbor, the night was surely just beginning.