capeandcowllogs | (no subject)

WHO: Kaiba and Ruka
WHERE: Kaiba Corporation
WHEN: Sometime during the work day
WARNINGS: Lots of denial
SUMMARY: Kaiba finds out that Ruka has been trying to get into university. He offers his help in his unique Kaiba way.
FORMAT: I'm starting prose but will match whatever.

Kaiba had made plans involving Ruka and her continued education some time ago. He had managed to avoid the paranoia of the City while the 'skrulls' or whatever were present up until a certain point. Once his logo had been involved he had started a search through his company to find any potential leaks. Going through personal files on his employees computers had found a number of things. One of them was Ruka's plans to get a higher education.

At the time he'd been impressed by the amount of work she'd already done. He was more impressed by her lack of scruples in using the fake IDs he had procured for her and her brother towards her goal. Still when it came to higher education in this country there were many hoops to jump through, none the least of which was money.

Yes, he'd had it planned out and had worked on it on the back burner. It wasn't until this week that he'd put everything into overdrive. His reasons were that there was no reason to wait. The real reason was that with Mokuba gone he was looking for anything and everything to distract him. He'd told enough other people to just get over what ever was wrong in their lives enough times to take his own advice. Even if it wasn't working that well.

He had sent an email earlier advising Ruka of a meeting time but had not included what it was about. He was sitting behind his desk, no sign that anything was wrong beyond the circles under his eyes from lack of sleep.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Not being given specific information as to the nature of the meeting, Ruka predictably had the wrong idea about it. On the side of 'worst that's plausible, but somewhat unlikely' was being fired outright. From a business standpoint, she couldn't really see what she might have done to cause it -- she met all her quotas before her deadlines, she'd avoided taking any unnecessary or extended time off after that one incident, and due to her age and other legal restrictions, hiring someone else more qualified to take her position would be a hell of a lot more expensive, anyway.

And knowing Kaiba, she really doubted he wanted to speak to her about his brother. Not this soon -- not ever, she thought, and probably not without the subject being dragged out of him.

As far as she was concerned, all that really left was general business-related matters. So when she arrived, right on time for their meeting, she had her briefcase with her. It would be easier to pull out samples and progress on her current projects than it would be to explain every little thing, after all.

She entered his office on the dot. As she crossed, she was unsurprised by the otherwise empty room, and eventually greeted him with a polite bow and a "Mister Kaiba."

His expression may have been impassive, but it was hard to miss the evidence printed there.

"Right on time," Kaiba said, in what could have been considered praise if it wasn't said so evenly. He gestured at the chair in front of his desk and moved his computer monitor to the side so they could talk. "Whatever you brought you won't be needing it," he said in reference to the briefcase.

"I'll get right to the point," he folded his hands on the desk and regarded her sternly. "Several others in card development have expressed concern with working under someone younger than them." That was a half-truth some had made the comment in personal communications that had been found during the security search but none had expressed it beyond quiet grumbling. "They don't say that outright. Instead they try to get promotions because they have degrees in some bullshit field."

"I don't really care, but if they start asking too many questions about your background and certain legalities, it might cause embarrassment to the company."

With greeting enough out of the way, Ruka took the appropriate seat and at her feet set down the case with care. Her hands folded neatly in her lap, her back held straight; her appearance and poise were made of a dozen tiny pins to look as professional as possible while simultaneously exerting as little energy as possible.

As he spoke, she listened, reevaluating. It didn't sound like an outright termination, but... there was definitely some sort of change here, wasn't there? They wouldn't bother having a private meeting if that were the case.

She leaned forward just a little, bracing her weight on her hands. "What do you need me to do?"

"I thought that was obvious," Kaiba said. He kept his gaze hard and voice even, as though she were in trouble. After all Seto Kaiba didn't give anyone a favor, so if he was taking time out to deal with something it was only to avoid further inconvenience or further his own gain. He had kept that firmly in his mind while he was filling out the paperwork he was now presenting to Ruka.

"You are the first recipient of the Kaiba Corporation grant for higher education. This folder contains all of the information," he said as he slid it in front of her. "To keep your job you will attend a college or university and earn an appropriate degree."

This... was not at all what she was expecting. She met his works first with a wide, surprised stare. Was he serious?

Then she remembered who she was talking to. Of course he was serious.

Clamping down on that surprise, Ruka also had to hold back the sudden surge of disbelief and excitement that that realization sparked, instead moving to take the offered folder.

Of course attending a university was something she'd been trying to do, and certainly she did have a decent amount of funds to help that along. (As much as she missed them, there was an advantage to making friends with wealthy adults who later ported out forever and left chunks of their estate to her.) But this...

Pieces quickly began slotting into place in her head. It wasn't as though she had been keeping her pursuit a secret -- conversations on the Network would have been an easy alert, but she had used her work computer to compile some information during lunch breaks every few days. It was far more likely that Kaiba knew exactly what she was planning than coincidentally offering her this in complete ignorance.

He did have that strange tendency to help her out when she needed it most, disguising it one way or another behind their work relationship; this was, she realized, no different than that. Personal gratitude, as much as she felt it, would damage that facade.

She kept her smile hidden completely, taking the news with all the neutral weight of any other project. "I understand."

It was good that she was able to keep her expressions so schooled as Kaiba studied her to reaction. He was expecting anything from blank incomprehension to anger that he had clearly gone through her personal files to get this information. He was pleased with the reaction he got. The non-reaction was the one he had hoped for.

"Good," he replied simply. "You said before that you did not attend regular school. The grant can be used for tutors or online education instead. I don't care how you this is completed as long as it's done."

She had to resist the urge to flip through the folder right then and there; if she gave in now, then she'd be sitting there all afternoon reading through documentation and resisting the urge to scream in giddy excitement.

Which, fun as that would be for her, would be a terrible waste of the rest of the day for anyone else. Besides, reading it elsewhere meant she actually could take breaks to flail her hands and cry like it was Christmas morning (that hadn't already been ruined).

Ruka may not have needed the contents of her briefcase, but it could serve a purpose now, keeping that folder safe. She spoke as she fastened it securely within. "I'll be sure to choose one that won't embarrass the company, Mister Kaiba."

"Hn," Kaiba responded to that with a curt nod. It could mean anything from 'I'm sure you will', to 'you'd better.' He felt he couldn't just leave it at that even though she obviously understood what was going on already. It wasn't that he cared about her, but she had passed two of his three requirements for respect; she was a good sibling and wasn't a complete idiot. He hadn't seen her duel to know if she would qualify for number three.

"See that you don't," he started again after a pause. "There's no other reason to go. Anything you accomplish won't do you any good anywhere but here."

The statement was tailored so that it could either be describing her current job and the power he held over her getting a job anywhere else with the information of her true age, or the City and the power the porter held over all of them to keep the lives they'd built.

If the words were meant to wound her--such a blunt assessment of her worth and potential--the effect showed only in a blink that lasted a second too long. Maybe it was true that she wouldn't be allowed to finish, or wouldn't have that knowledge long enough to put it to use, or wouldn't grow old enough or skilled enough that she could work elsewhere independently. And maybe those maybes had a near one hundred percent chance of occurring, judging by the longevity of other tenures in this world.

But even this much was better than laying down to die.

Her reply came with a bowed head and an "of course," steady as ever. Knowing him, any questions she might have would already be answered in the files, so it would be redundant to ask now -- and changing the topic to his brother would practically amount to suicide.

"Is there anything else?"