~Reno~
----
It was getting later in the day, and the blood red sunset could be seen along the horizen in the east. The way that it settled against the buildings was like a painting. A very industrial painting. To some it could be considered breathtaking and beautiful, but to others it was a simple reminder to the dead that could still be with them. A reminder of the blood shed for the planet and all of the life within it. For the twisted tale that led to the very moment they lived in. After all, it had been almost four years since everything happened. It would take longer than that for some to heal.
There was the chance, though, that some already had. That some people, as in a certain redhead, didn't give a rat's a** what had happened since it was over. As long as the checks kept getting signed, which they did, he didn't care. There were very few things that he did care about, and the planet was one of them. Only recently had his boss even began his concern, which was mainly publicity. A little guilt, but mainly publicity. Those checks to the WRO helped, though. People were suckers for charity, and Rufus certainly had enough to go around.
Despite the destruction of ShinRa and his public image, the company had made so much money prior to the incident that the young President was set for life. At least, he still had money to donate and pay the Turks. The man was a burn victim and in a wheelchair, for God's sake. Plus, there were still some people after him. He needed some help, and who better than the people who had done it nearly his whole life? No one would be better, and that was the truth. There was also the fact that nearly no one else would want to. He wasn't a well-liked man, after all.
So they stuck with him. Through the aftermath of Meteorfall. Through the Remnants. Through almost everything. He was healing, though, and that meant that he would have to have less people around him. More than likely, that would be Tseng. As much as they tried to hide it, the fact that they had a relationship was obvious to the people who worked with them. It was unusually non-professional of the two men, who were viewed as leaders and, for Rufus' sake, businessman. This was something that would have been viewed as scandalous in their previous lifestyle, so it made sense that they would want to keep it to themselves.
As for Elena, she would more than likely stay a bodygaurd, there when Tseng couldn't be, or when Rufus needed something taken care of. It seemed that Rufus was fond of the chatty blonde. Maybe she reminded him of himself, since he seemed to talk a lot also. Birds of a feather flock together, or so they say. He probably kept her there because Tseng was more of a serious person. Elena was the humor that he just didn't have, except when it came to sarcasm.
It was untelling with Rude. He was a good worker and obedient, so he might be kept around for security purposes. He could also be trusted on getting something done. Plus, he was a big guy. Very intimidating if Rufus went out in public. People tend not to mess with the Turks in the first place, but Rude's appearance was an added bonus. Then there was the fact that he could make one nasty bomb. It was safe to say that his job was secure.
But then there was Reno. He mouthed off and was quite annoying at times. He was fast and sly, but tended not to think things through. Most of the time, his jobs did not get done. Most of all, he tended to get himself and his colleagues in situations that were better avoided. Injuries happened that could have not. It was truthful to say that he was the most expendable person Rufus had. While he had his assets, there were more flaws.
So when Rufus told him he would be put on stand-by, he nearly freaked out. If he wasn't working, he wasn't going to get paid! When he had voiced his fear, the man had merely chuckled and told him it was taken care of. That made it not so bad, but now he had no idea what he was going to do until his boss called for him. He was getting paid, but he wasn't getting paid enough to keep a place and go party all the time. Eventually he'd run out of money and be bored until the next paycheck showed up in the mail.
Then the idea popped up in his mind. A vacation. Reno had no idea where he wanted to go to get away from Midgar, but anywhere would do. It was on his way to a store to buy some sunscreen for the vacation that he ran into Cloud. The man obviously was on a delivery, and by the gil in his hand, Reno made the guess that he had just finished it. A smirk came to his face and he greeted the man, expecting to annoy him. He was surprised, though, when Cloud gave him something other than a sword in the face as a reply. The last time they had met, he was lucky his nose was still there.
As they stood there beside Fenrir, Cloud seemed to be dancing around something and, as discreet as he usually was, he was being obvious about it. Like he was waiting for Reno to ask what was going on. And he did. That was when the blond told him what exactly he wanted, and the reason why. It was then that Reno was certain that he was going to die soon, and it would either be by the sword of the man before him....or the gun of Vincent Valentine.
Apparently, Cloud was more caring than he let the people around him believe. He wasn't emotional about it, but he explained to the redhead how he was worried about Vincent. As Reno already knew and Cloud didn't mention, he had felt the same emotional sting that Vincent had when it came to the women they loved. What he did mention, though, was that he thought his friend needed someone new to help him heal. It had been thirty years, after all, and it was only fitting that he moved on. He wanted Reno to be the one that helped Vincent move on.
Reno stopped himself from laughing. He had thought that Cloud hated him, which he was almost right about. He just had a strong dislike for the redhead that bordered on the line between hate and forced tolerance. That didn't stop his opinion that Reno would actually be good for Vincent. They were opposites, and sometimes that was good for two people. They were what the other person was missing. Reno was the optimism that Vincent needed and Vincent was the solid personality that Reno lacked. Maybe it would make them even and, in some cases, become a public spectacle worth watching. Cloud told the Turk that Vincent would be paying a visit to the Seventh Heaven in about a week to see Tifa, Denzel, Marlene, and himself.
It was because of that conversation that Reno found himself at the Seventh Heaven after a week. He had no idea why he had accepted Cloud's offer, the only excuse being that he had nothing better to do and liked the challenge. The only think that made him want to back off was the possibility of Vincent pulling out his gun and shooting him right in front of everyone. So when he saw the dark mysterious man sitting at a booth at the back of the bar, he hesitated.
Reno had no idea why he was getting cold feet. He had dressed nice, in a pair of black dress pants and a bright red, silk dress shirt, which matched his hair and was tucked in, not loose. He wanted to make an impression, and Vincent seemed to command excellence. Despite how prepared he looked, he had no idea what he was doing. He had no idea how to approach the man, and a pick-up line would definitely not work. For one, Vincent wasn't one of those drunk women that are found in bars and clubs. Sighing, he forced himself to walk over and sit across from Vincent, as bold as that was. He didn't mind if it bothered the other. "Hey Vince."
Probably not the best greeting, but it would have to do.
~
----
It was getting later in the day, and the blood red sunset could be seen along the horizen in the east. The way that it settled against the buildings was like a painting. A very industrial painting. To some it could be considered breathtaking and beautiful, but to others it was a simple reminder to the dead that could still be with them. A reminder of the blood shed for the planet and all of the life within it. For the twisted tale that led to the very moment they lived in. After all, it had been almost four years since everything happened. It would take longer than that for some to heal.
There was the chance, though, that some already had. That some people, as in a certain redhead, didn't give a rat's a** what had happened since it was over. As long as the checks kept getting signed, which they did, he didn't care. There were very few things that he did care about, and the planet was one of them. Only recently had his boss even began his concern, which was mainly publicity. A little guilt, but mainly publicity. Those checks to the WRO helped, though. People were suckers for charity, and Rufus certainly had enough to go around.
Despite the destruction of ShinRa and his public image, the company had made so much money prior to the incident that the young President was set for life. At least, he still had money to donate and pay the Turks. The man was a burn victim and in a wheelchair, for God's sake. Plus, there were still some people after him. He needed some help, and who better than the people who had done it nearly his whole life? No one would be better, and that was the truth. There was also the fact that nearly no one else would want to. He wasn't a well-liked man, after all.
So they stuck with him. Through the aftermath of Meteorfall. Through the Remnants. Through almost everything. He was healing, though, and that meant that he would have to have less people around him. More than likely, that would be Tseng. As much as they tried to hide it, the fact that they had a relationship was obvious to the people who worked with them. It was unusually non-professional of the two men, who were viewed as leaders and, for Rufus' sake, businessman. This was something that would have been viewed as scandalous in their previous lifestyle, so it made sense that they would want to keep it to themselves.
As for Elena, she would more than likely stay a bodygaurd, there when Tseng couldn't be, or when Rufus needed something taken care of. It seemed that Rufus was fond of the chatty blonde. Maybe she reminded him of himself, since he seemed to talk a lot also. Birds of a feather flock together, or so they say. He probably kept her there because Tseng was more of a serious person. Elena was the humor that he just didn't have, except when it came to sarcasm.
It was untelling with Rude. He was a good worker and obedient, so he might be kept around for security purposes. He could also be trusted on getting something done. Plus, he was a big guy. Very intimidating if Rufus went out in public. People tend not to mess with the Turks in the first place, but Rude's appearance was an added bonus. Then there was the fact that he could make one nasty bomb. It was safe to say that his job was secure.
But then there was Reno. He mouthed off and was quite annoying at times. He was fast and sly, but tended not to think things through. Most of the time, his jobs did not get done. Most of all, he tended to get himself and his colleagues in situations that were better avoided. Injuries happened that could have not. It was truthful to say that he was the most expendable person Rufus had. While he had his assets, there were more flaws.
So when Rufus told him he would be put on stand-by, he nearly freaked out. If he wasn't working, he wasn't going to get paid! When he had voiced his fear, the man had merely chuckled and told him it was taken care of. That made it not so bad, but now he had no idea what he was going to do until his boss called for him. He was getting paid, but he wasn't getting paid enough to keep a place and go party all the time. Eventually he'd run out of money and be bored until the next paycheck showed up in the mail.
Then the idea popped up in his mind. A vacation. Reno had no idea where he wanted to go to get away from Midgar, but anywhere would do. It was on his way to a store to buy some sunscreen for the vacation that he ran into Cloud. The man obviously was on a delivery, and by the gil in his hand, Reno made the guess that he had just finished it. A smirk came to his face and he greeted the man, expecting to annoy him. He was surprised, though, when Cloud gave him something other than a sword in the face as a reply. The last time they had met, he was lucky his nose was still there.
As they stood there beside Fenrir, Cloud seemed to be dancing around something and, as discreet as he usually was, he was being obvious about it. Like he was waiting for Reno to ask what was going on. And he did. That was when the blond told him what exactly he wanted, and the reason why. It was then that Reno was certain that he was going to die soon, and it would either be by the sword of the man before him....or the gun of Vincent Valentine.
Apparently, Cloud was more caring than he let the people around him believe. He wasn't emotional about it, but he explained to the redhead how he was worried about Vincent. As Reno already knew and Cloud didn't mention, he had felt the same emotional sting that Vincent had when it came to the women they loved. What he did mention, though, was that he thought his friend needed someone new to help him heal. It had been thirty years, after all, and it was only fitting that he moved on. He wanted Reno to be the one that helped Vincent move on.
Reno stopped himself from laughing. He had thought that Cloud hated him, which he was almost right about. He just had a strong dislike for the redhead that bordered on the line between hate and forced tolerance. That didn't stop his opinion that Reno would actually be good for Vincent. They were opposites, and sometimes that was good for two people. They were what the other person was missing. Reno was the optimism that Vincent needed and Vincent was the solid personality that Reno lacked. Maybe it would make them even and, in some cases, become a public spectacle worth watching. Cloud told the Turk that Vincent would be paying a visit to the Seventh Heaven in about a week to see Tifa, Denzel, Marlene, and himself.
It was because of that conversation that Reno found himself at the Seventh Heaven after a week. He had no idea why he had accepted Cloud's offer, the only excuse being that he had nothing better to do and liked the challenge. The only think that made him want to back off was the possibility of Vincent pulling out his gun and shooting him right in front of everyone. So when he saw the dark mysterious man sitting at a booth at the back of the bar, he hesitated.
Reno had no idea why he was getting cold feet. He had dressed nice, in a pair of black dress pants and a bright red, silk dress shirt, which matched his hair and was tucked in, not loose. He wanted to make an impression, and Vincent seemed to command excellence. Despite how prepared he looked, he had no idea what he was doing. He had no idea how to approach the man, and a pick-up line would definitely not work. For one, Vincent wasn't one of those drunk women that are found in bars and clubs. Sighing, he forced himself to walk over and sit across from Vincent, as bold as that was. He didn't mind if it bothered the other. "Hey Vince."
Probably not the best greeting, but it would have to do.
~
