Seven Chapter 5
ENVY: Rude
By Asyria
Envy is a feeling of discontent or covetousness concerning another's advantages, success, possessions.
Rude was famous for being the silent type. Artfully nicknamed 'The Enforcer', he was the big, muscle bound fighter of the Turks. Always obedient, always loyal, and always quiet. Even when he frequented the local pubs with Reno, he was never out of line. Rude was the man who could get things done, with no complaint or questioning. He was often called the perfect Turk. What many didn't know was that on the inside, he was far from silent. Always with him was inner turmoil and conflict.
Rudolph Weiss, like so many, grew up in the slums of Midgar. He was the only child of his young mother. He had never known his father, having left his mother before his birth. His mother was always working, trying to support her and Rudolph. When he was old enough, he tried to help his mother where he could. He became an errand boy for some of the upper class families of Midgar, living on the upper plates.
"Rudolph, here's the shopping list and the gil. There should be 20 extra to give to your mother."
He was jealous of their children, with their fat bellies and wasteful ways. He was jealous of how his mother worked so hard for so very little, and how the people he worked for had so much and did hardly nothing at all. None of it made sense to young Rudolph, and that made him angry. But he said nothing, for he knew that his envy would help nothing. He would be angry, but still poor. He wanted to grow up fast, to get a job so his mother would never have to lift a finger again. So she would never come home tired and drained again.
Rudolph Weiss got his wish.
He was 16 when they came to his home one night. He had been waiting up for his mother to tell her the good news. He had made it into SOLIDER. They came to his door to tell Rudolph that his mother had been killed during a robbery at the bar where she was a waitress.
"It was some rich guy who'd just lost his money at the chocobo track, so he went and got drunk and started shooting up the place…I'm sorry son."
After that, the shy boy known as Rudolph left to live with the other Shinra SOLDIERS. He grew and rose in recognition in Shinra. But it wasn't until he met another young SOLDIER by the name of Reno that he knew what it meant, again, to envy. Reno had grown up much like himself, poor in the Midgar slums. But Reno was far more wild and unruly than himself. The two quickly became friends, which was a mystery to others. And it was Reno, who had given him the nickname that stuck to him for the rest of their days in Shinra.
"You, my man, are a huge, overgrown, badass and Rudolph is not a badass name. But don't worry, I got the perfect name for you!"
From that day on, he was known as Rude. The ever present, but silent buddy of Reno. The two of them would go out on the town every night. Rude was jealous of Reno. The way women would so easily fall for his corny charm. But he always considered Reno a friend.
The years past and the Rude, along with Reno, made it into the elite force of Shinra known as the Turks. Even after this change, his life hadn't changed much. A change didn't occur until one night when Reno wanted to check out a new bar in Sector Seven.
"I heard this place is pretty cool. It's called the 7th Heaven, or something."
Rude was in love the moment he laid his eyes on her. Her long brown hair and beautiful eyes. The way Tifa Lockheart carried herself amongst the drunkards was most interesting to Rude. Even the way she simply rolled her eyes and smiled towards men's intoxicated advances had intrigued him. His first reaction when she had laid her eyes on him was enough to make his heart stop. His second reaction when he saw her eyes turn cold at the recognition of the Turk uniform was enough to kill him. Rude would find out later of her involvement in AVALANCHE, but even that was not enough to extinguish the fire that burned for her. It wasn't until Cloud Strife had started coming around, when he had lost all hope.
When Rude saw the love and affection radiating from her eyes at the sight of the former SOLDIER, he felt his heart break. What did some stupid punk do to deserve such feelings from a wonderful woman like Tifa? Jealousy filled his heart at the sight of the two, especially since he seemed to want nothing to do with her.
But things would again soon change.
"Since Reno is out of commission for the time being, I need you to help Tseng to show this young lady the ropes. Elena is your new Turk."
Again, his heart stopped at this sight of this young, proud blond. She was beautiful and strong, a lot like Tifa. But Tifa was AVALANCHE, the enemy. Elena was on his side, a Turk. She was skilled but too headstrong. Rude could see her stubbornness but she would outgrow it with enough time and training. But when Tseng had shown up to ask about her progress, Rude saw that same look in Elena's eyes that he'd seen in Tifa's. She wanted Tseng. Now he was jealous of his leader, a man he respected and admired.
Rudolph Weiss.
You have been found guilty of one of the seven deadly sins.
Envy.
Prepare to burn.
.