Tseng claims that he hasn’t heard from you, Rude claims you’re not feeling well, and Elena claims you’re holing up in your room. Rufus chalks this up to a slew of unusual behaviour that didn’t make sense for you given your impeccable work ethic and the fact that he’d been with you this entire time, night and day. You’d come to Junon with him, spent most of the weekend glued to his side leading up to the parade, and hadn’t let on that anything was wrong. It was suspicious.

That’s what brings Rufus all the way to your hotel room. He knocks once, waits, and when you open the door, forces his way inside without seeking permission. He steps right up to you, lifting your uniform tie as he fiddles with it between his thumb and forefinger. “What is this about?” he asks, tightening his grip on it. “Are you pregnant?”