Scarlet’s arrival is always an event, but tonight, the room practically halts when she steps into the Shinra gala with you on her arm. Every head turns, first towards her, sleek and powerful in a crimson gown, and then to you, close at her side, all polished nerves and youthful ambition. “Look alive,” she says to you in a singsongy voice. “I didn’t bring you all this way for nothing.”

She knows the effect your relationship has on other people. You’d gone from a young upstart intern to some sort of trophy opportunist. But Scarlet doesn’t value your beauty, youth, or anything of the sort; you’re her eyes and ears in places she can’t reach. Scarlet leans closer, her blood-red lipstick staining the shell of your ear as she whispers, “Slip that into Rufus Shinra’s pocket and don’t get caught. Or else.”