Of course there was a reason Reno spared Tseng so little time to get ready and join him at the helicopter. If he gave his boss too much time to prepare himself then he might start to rationalize and rethink the whole trip-that was one possibility anyway. Of course Tseng could always blame him latter if they suffered repercussions from the trip, but he wasn’t one to think that far ahead into the future even though he could. Right now he was trying to be…well…nice. Can’t be a dick and a jokester all the time.
Reno took very little time to pack, just some clothing and basic toiletries-the hotel would provide the rest. He brought his Mag, of course, that was simply out of habit and though it was unlikely they’d run into trouble one could never be too careful. He was still a pro, first and foremost. As an afterthought he decided to grab his phone as well, not so much for business reasons, but the Gold Saucer was rather large and if he and Tseng got separated for some reason they could use the phones to meet up. Also for emergencies.
Stuffing all of his belongings into a duffle bag Reno headed out to the helicopter thinking about their destination. Sure the Gold Saucer was on another continent, but thinking about it distances wise is was probably about as far by copter as Bill’s Chocobo Ranch so they could be back in no time if needed. The world was a much smaller place when you were a Turk, nothing seemed out of reach.
Tseng was a bit at a loss when he reached his room and stared into his closet. After a few moments, he pulled out a suitcase and packed a pair of jeans and a sweater, folding them carefully. He put an extra box of bullets in the suitcase out of habit, and some toiletries.
Then he paused, staring at himself in the mirror.
He checked his watch, glanced at the closet again, then quickly pulled off his tie and hung it up.
By the time he walked over towards the helicopter, he was wearing his jeans and a crisp golf-style shirt. His hair was down, and it whipped around his face in the wind. He climbed into the helicopter and sat down beside Reno, not quite looking at him. "Okay, I'm ready."
He definitely anticipated some kind of remark about his clothing.
Reno wouldn’t say it out loud, but he took a certain amount of pleasure in seeing his boss in more casual wear with his hair down. It was actually refreshing, like seeing an entirely different person even though he wasn’t really a different person. He’d probably hold on to a lot of his reserves throughout the whole trip, but that didn’t matter. He reached over and toyed with the collar of Tseng’s shirt, everything so neat and so pressed he just wanted to mess the man up sometimes…just to see if he could, “reminds me of that time at the bar, remember? Still so tidy…alright let’s go~”
There wasn’t too much talk during the ride; though Reno did try it was difficult to talk over the blades whirling over their heads. Most of the trip, which was moderately brief, was spent in a companionable silence with Reno making gestures every now and then just to keep up the momentum. He had to land the helicopter in Corel; there was no way he’d be able to take it up to the Golden Saucer as the only true means of getting up there was by way of a gondola ride.
“We’ll have to hike it from here…I’ll just make some arrangements with Mr. Coates and we should be ready to go,” Reno said with a certain amount of confidence. He seemed quite familiar with the underbelly of the world so he had no doubt that the helicopter would be taken care of during their weekend absence.
Tseng had his own level of familiarity with the underworld - as a Turk, one had to cultivate such contacts - but he knew he wasn't nearly so friendly with them as Reno was. He stayed in the background while Reno negotiated, letting people draw their own conclusions about his presence there and trying not to look disapproving.
Soon they sat in the gondola, making their way high over the desert towards the flashy gaming pavilion.
He was trying not to feel...itchy. The ride over in the helicopter had given him more time to think - well, brood - and not being able to talk to Reno hadn't helped keep him distracted.
"Am I really so transparent?" he asked suddenly, without quite realizing he was going to speak aloud.
On the gondola ride up to the Gold Saucer, Reno took a seat beside Tseng, his arms draped over the back of the padded booth. Fortunately they were the only people around, which was a good thing in terms of privacy. He knew Tseng guarded his privacy well, even when the redheaded Turk took measures to violate this sanctity often and with purpose. Still, there were things that even his boss was horrible at hiding, and when he was brooding it made the other man’s worries all the more obvious-even to someone like Reno.
“Hm?” Reno said craning his head away from the window so that he could look at Tseng instead. Reno looked at his boss with some mild surprise before reaching over to brush the other’s dark hair out of his eyes. Sensitivity wasn’t his specialty so he wasn’t sure if he could tell the other man what he wanted to hear, he could only tell him what he honestly thought, “well…not normally…no, but when your brooding then everyone knows there’s somethin’ on your mind,” Reno said with a grin before reaching for Tseng’s left hand tapping the man’s ring finger with his index finger, “you don’t have to tell me what the deal is with this finger…but I’m all ears if you just wanna get it off your chest.”
Tseng's eyes widened faintly at the unexpected - and affectionate - gesture as Reno brushed his hair back. His eyes cut away with sudden vulnerability as he felt a pain in his chest. This was ridiculous. He shouldn't be letting this bother him. It was all fake, and it was obviously affecting his job if people like Zechs and Reno had noticed.
Thank god Lazard didn't seem to have noticed, at least.
He started as Reno drew attention to his ring finger. He stared down at his own hands - until that moment, he hadn't even realized he was making the telling gesture.
With a sigh, he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, still not looking at Reno. "I'm sure...it will seem silly to you," he said awkwardly. "I don't even know why I can't get it off of my mind." He swallowed, completely unable to figure out how to put it into words.
"I suppose it's that... since I joined the community, the viruses...that is to say." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "First I thought I was in some kind of relationship with the Marquises. That they...wanted me as a part of their marriage. And then I thought I was married to Lazard."
But really I'm alone, he thought, and winced at how pathetic he sounded, even in his own mind.
Brooding was one thing, but seeing Tseng down in the dumps was another thing entirely. Maybe one of the functions of that community was to show others the “what ifs” about life, or so he assumed. Hey, Reno had a kid at one point, which was pretty traumatic…but he could understand to a certain extent how the other man could become attached. Some of these things seemed a little bit shocking too, Reno would never have children which wasn’t a problem since there was no family line. He was pretty much just a no one with even less to offer, that’s why he was perfect for this sort of lifestyle. It didn’t bother him at all, not really anyway, but Reno suppressed most things so it was hard to tell. Tseng had more depth so maybe these events had more impact.
“Sounds to me like you were really getting into the committed side of relationships…which is a little different from the occasional screw, huh?” Reno said with a hearty chuckle, referring to their own convenient relationship. He had to wonder if it was a relationship of convenience for Tseng, or if his boss was seriously thinking about looking for something more. Tapping his lips thoughtfully with his index finger he mused, “do you want ‘im? The Director I mean, I can’t see you being so worked up if it didn’t mean somethin’ to you even after the viruses are over…or is it something else?”
This was, of course, the problem. Tseng had never had a committed relationship before these viruses - had thought, like Reno, that such things weren't needed or wanted in his life. He preferred no strings, aware that his lifestyle didn't really lend itself to commitments.
Look at Zechs, for example. Anytime things went sideways, he was busy dealing with his own problems, while the other Turks could focus exclusively on their jobs. No attachments, that was best, and if Tseng needed to feel another's hands on his body, there was always Reno.
But what he had never realized before was how truly lonely it was. To have that kind of emotional connection snatched away like that had made him aware of a hole in his heart that he'd never even known was there.
His head jerked up and he gave an incredulous look to Reno. "No, no, I don't want Lazard - nor the Marquises, for that matter. It wouldn't work, at all." He ran a hand through his hair and slumped back in his seat. "There isn't anyone in particular, and besides I don't need or want attachments. I am busy enough without dealing with a...mate."
But even though he said it, it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.
Reno looked a bit skeptical at first, but he changed his tune soon enough, he was supposed to be taking Tseng’s mind off of his troubles not making him think about them even more. Unfortunately there wasn’t all that much he could do about the holes in Tseng’s life, it was the mark of a Turk. All Reno could really do was offer what he could, friendship and loyalty first and physical satisfaction from time to time. Since they were going to be alone for the next day or so the redhead could spoil the other man just a bit.
Reno offered Tseng a mischievous smile, the only warning his boss would get before he pinned the other man in a bear-hug and pulled him back to lie against the full length of their bench while the gondola was still climbing the heights. Reno was pretty sure they were close now, but he wanted to take advantage of their empty ride before getting off. There was plenty of time to comfort Tseng, of course, right now he was just ruffling the older man a bit, “well, it’s like you told me, can’t be a Turk and a family man…”
Before Reno could say anything else the gondola came to a jerky stop, rocking a bit before settling down. Turning his gaze up to the ceiling Reno pointed out the obvious, as usual, “looks like this is our stop…how ‘bout we get a room, pardner? Then we can take your mind off your troubles for a while.”
Tseng wasn't expecting the bear hug and he stiffened a little as Reno grabbed him and pulled him down. After a moment, he curled his fingers in Reno's wrinkled shirt, aware that Reno was just trying to comfort him in his own awkward way and appreciating the gesture even if it wasn't terribly effective.
He didn't even want a family. And he had no right to expect more than this. Besides, the Turks were his family. Wasn't that enough?
The gondola jerked to a stop and he looked up at Reno's words, his lips twisting wryly.
"That sounds..." He drew a deep breath and let it out, rolling his shoulders as he sat up, trying to regain his dignity. "That sounds very good."
“Yeah?” Reno said giving his fellow Turk a pat on the back while Tseng was straightening himself up. Reno too, disentangled himself and climbed to his feet grabbing both of their luggages. As he squeezed past Tseng he gave the man a meaningful smile that was different from the usual grin, “then let’s go check in, there’s so much to do and so little time!”
Hopping out of the Gondola Reno’s senses were assaulted, in a good way, by music, lights and the smell of food from somewhere--but it was potent enough to waft all the way to the entrance. There was also the constant sound of people enjoying themselves on rides and the endless fireworks. From experience Reno knew the hotel was a quieter place.
He showed the man at the entrance his lifetime pass, it had cost him a pretty penny too, but it was worth it because for him this place was the ticket. Costa del Sol was a very close second and he’d probably spirit Tseng there for their next brief, spontaneous vacation. After showing his pass and listening to the man at the door talk about GP limits Reno guided Tseng into the station hub, a round room with with seven chutes and an information center. Left of the information center was the chute that led to Ghost Square, “ready to go?”
Tseng had been here before, but unlike Reno, he didn't find the place soothing. It was loud and obnoxious, and an assault on his senses. It wasn't a place he would go on his own initiative.
On the other hand, it was extremely distracting, and forced his mind down a different track, allowing him to push his emotions to the background once again. It was oddly touching that Reno had dragged him all the way here to make him feel better - certainly Reno wouldn't get anything out of it, other than a weekend of pleasure. Despite his cynicism, Tseng didn't think that he'd done it just for a chance to screw Tseng for a weekend.
By the time they reached the hub, he found himself smiling, and he nodded. "I'm ready. This one, right?" he pointed to the Ghost Square chute. So far as he knew, the haunted inn was the only hotel of any quality in Gold Saucer.
Reno knew that this probably wasn’t Tseng’s usual scene; much like every other place Reno had dragged him along to, including bars. The other Turk seemed to tolerate it for some reason or another and he indulged Reno’s childish whims. Of course he wasn’t merely doing this for himself; he was absolutely thinking of his boss, Reno just had specific tastes. No matter who wanted to change him, for whatever reason Reno was still very much the same.
Still, when Tseng finally cracked a smile the entire excursion seemed to have a more optimistic outlook. This wouldn’t be so bad, not at all, “yup, that’d be the one right there,” Reno said with a happy lilt before trotting over towards the chute where he deposited the bags and a moment later they were gone. Turning around he offered Tseng a wink before heading in after their things, “well…geronimo.”
Tseng let Reno go first, then climbed into the chute. He hated these things with a passion - one couldn't look intimidating and dignified when you're sliding down a chute. Still, he managed to get to the bottom and straighten up, tugging on his shirt and smoothing his hair back as he looked around.
He actually didn't mind indulging Reno in his childish whims. Though he complained and sneered at much of it, when he was at a bar boggling at Reno and drinking perhaps a bit too much, he felt a little less like himself and was able to loosen up more then he otherwise would have been able to.
Perhaps that was why he was willing to follow along. "Lead the way."
Once they’d reached Ghost Square, Reno proceeded to heft their belongings over his shoulder once more. He rather enjoyed the ride; though he thought that it was unfortunate that the Gold Saucer didn’t offer to take pictures of peoples’ rides in the chutes…he would have liked to have seen Tseng’s face. Of course, it was probably fortunate for his boss and knowing Rufus, the president would probably make a thousand copies and use them for greeting cards or something.
When prompted to by Tseng, Reno led the way to the hotel…there wasn’t much else in Ghost Square-just a cobblestone path marked by fake headstones on either side leading up to a spooky looking castle. The inside had that same, creepy medieval and yet cozy feel to it. The carpets were red, the stone walls were covered with ornaments, there were holographic ghosts without heads floating around.
Reno was able to get a room for the two of them without much trouble at all, he filled out a little bit of paperwork, something he normally hated doing, but this was the exception. They were given their key and their room number and then they were all set for their stay. Reno nodded to his fellow Turk before heading up the stairs. They had to go down a few halls and take some turns, but they finally reached their room.
Reno managed to unlock the door and toe it open without too much trouble and without having to set their things down until they were tucked away inside. Reno thought the rooms were amazing in spite of the twin-size beds. It was like a refined torture chamber with candles in the chandeliers and a torch on the wall…there was a miniature guillotine on the table as well, “haaaaa! Now why can’t our rooms look like this?”
Tseng let Reno handle the arrangements for the rooms, but he was frankly a little surprised when they reached them, looking around curiously.
"Separate beds?" he asked, glancing at Reno sidelong and giving him a smirk. "That doesn't seem like you."
He dropped his suitcase next to one of the beds and then turned towards the redhead. In a sudden gesture, he grabbed Reno's ponytail and dragged him forward into a kiss.
Reno took very little time to pack, just some clothing and basic toiletries-the hotel would provide the rest. He brought his Mag, of course, that was simply out of habit and though it was unlikely they’d run into trouble one could never be too careful. He was still a pro, first and foremost. As an afterthought he decided to grab his phone as well, not so much for business reasons, but the Gold Saucer was rather large and if he and Tseng got separated for some reason they could use the phones to meet up. Also for emergencies.
Stuffing all of his belongings into a duffle bag Reno headed out to the helicopter thinking about their destination. Sure the Gold Saucer was on another continent, but thinking about it distances wise is was probably about as far by copter as Bill’s Chocobo Ranch so they could be back in no time if needed. The world was a much smaller place when you were a Turk, nothing seemed out of reach.
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Then he paused, staring at himself in the mirror.
He checked his watch, glanced at the closet again, then quickly pulled off his tie and hung it up.
By the time he walked over towards the helicopter, he was wearing his jeans and a crisp golf-style shirt. His hair was down, and it whipped around his face in the wind. He climbed into the helicopter and sat down beside Reno, not quite looking at him. "Okay, I'm ready."
He definitely anticipated some kind of remark about his clothing.
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There wasn’t too much talk during the ride; though Reno did try it was difficult to talk over the blades whirling over their heads. Most of the trip, which was moderately brief, was spent in a companionable silence with Reno making gestures every now and then just to keep up the momentum. He had to land the helicopter in Corel; there was no way he’d be able to take it up to the Golden Saucer as the only true means of getting up there was by way of a gondola ride.
“We’ll have to hike it from here…I’ll just make some arrangements with Mr. Coates and we should be ready to go,” Reno said with a certain amount of confidence. He seemed quite familiar with the underbelly of the world so he had no doubt that the helicopter would be taken care of during their weekend absence.
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Soon they sat in the gondola, making their way high over the desert towards the flashy gaming pavilion.
He was trying not to feel...itchy. The ride over in the helicopter had given him more time to think - well, brood - and not being able to talk to Reno hadn't helped keep him distracted.
"Am I really so transparent?" he asked suddenly, without quite realizing he was going to speak aloud.
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“Hm?” Reno said craning his head away from the window so that he could look at Tseng instead. Reno looked at his boss with some mild surprise before reaching over to brush the other’s dark hair out of his eyes. Sensitivity wasn’t his specialty so he wasn’t sure if he could tell the other man what he wanted to hear, he could only tell him what he honestly thought, “well…not normally…no, but when your brooding then everyone knows there’s somethin’ on your mind,” Reno said with a grin before reaching for Tseng’s left hand tapping the man’s ring finger with his index finger, “you don’t have to tell me what the deal is with this finger…but I’m all ears if you just wanna get it off your chest.”
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Thank god Lazard didn't seem to have noticed, at least.
He started as Reno drew attention to his ring finger. He stared down at his own hands - until that moment, he hadn't even realized he was making the telling gesture.
With a sigh, he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, still not looking at Reno. "I'm sure...it will seem silly to you," he said awkwardly. "I don't even know why I can't get it off of my mind." He swallowed, completely unable to figure out how to put it into words.
"I suppose it's that... since I joined the community, the viruses...that is to say." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "First I thought I was in some kind of relationship with the Marquises. That they...wanted me as a part of their marriage. And then I thought I was married to Lazard."
But really I'm alone, he thought, and winced at how pathetic he sounded, even in his own mind.
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“Sounds to me like you were really getting into the committed side of relationships…which is a little different from the occasional screw, huh?” Reno said with a hearty chuckle, referring to their own convenient relationship. He had to wonder if it was a relationship of convenience for Tseng, or if his boss was seriously thinking about looking for something more. Tapping his lips thoughtfully with his index finger he mused, “do you want ‘im? The Director I mean, I can’t see you being so worked up if it didn’t mean somethin’ to you even after the viruses are over…or is it something else?”
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Look at Zechs, for example. Anytime things went sideways, he was busy dealing with his own problems, while the other Turks could focus exclusively on their jobs. No attachments, that was best, and if Tseng needed to feel another's hands on his body, there was always Reno.
But what he had never realized before was how truly lonely it was. To have that kind of emotional connection snatched away like that had made him aware of a hole in his heart that he'd never even known was there.
His head jerked up and he gave an incredulous look to Reno. "No, no, I don't want Lazard - nor the Marquises, for that matter. It wouldn't work, at all." He ran a hand through his hair and slumped back in his seat. "There isn't anyone in particular, and besides I don't need or want attachments. I am busy enough without dealing with a...mate."
But even though he said it, it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.
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Reno offered Tseng a mischievous smile, the only warning his boss would get before he pinned the other man in a bear-hug and pulled him back to lie against the full length of their bench while the gondola was still climbing the heights. Reno was pretty sure they were close now, but he wanted to take advantage of their empty ride before getting off. There was plenty of time to comfort Tseng, of course, right now he was just ruffling the older man a bit, “well, it’s like you told me, can’t be a Turk and a family man…”
Before Reno could say anything else the gondola came to a jerky stop, rocking a bit before settling down. Turning his gaze up to the ceiling Reno pointed out the obvious, as usual, “looks like this is our stop…how ‘bout we get a room, pardner? Then we can take your mind off your troubles for a while.”
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He didn't even want a family. And he had no right to expect more than this. Besides, the Turks were his family. Wasn't that enough?
The gondola jerked to a stop and he looked up at Reno's words, his lips twisting wryly.
"That sounds..." He drew a deep breath and let it out, rolling his shoulders as he sat up, trying to regain his dignity. "That sounds very good."
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Hopping out of the Gondola Reno’s senses were assaulted, in a good way, by music, lights and the smell of food from somewhere--but it was potent enough to waft all the way to the entrance. There was also the constant sound of people enjoying themselves on rides and the endless fireworks. From experience Reno knew the hotel was a quieter place.
He showed the man at the entrance his lifetime pass, it had cost him a pretty penny too, but it was worth it because for him this place was the ticket. Costa del Sol was a very close second and he’d probably spirit Tseng there for their next brief, spontaneous vacation. After showing his pass and listening to the man at the door talk about GP limits Reno guided Tseng into the station hub, a round room with with seven chutes and an information center. Left of the information center was the chute that led to Ghost Square, “ready to go?”
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On the other hand, it was extremely distracting, and forced his mind down a different track, allowing him to push his emotions to the background once again. It was oddly touching that Reno had dragged him all the way here to make him feel better - certainly Reno wouldn't get anything out of it, other than a weekend of pleasure. Despite his cynicism, Tseng didn't think that he'd done it just for a chance to screw Tseng for a weekend.
By the time they reached the hub, he found himself smiling, and he nodded. "I'm ready. This one, right?" he pointed to the Ghost Square chute. So far as he knew, the haunted inn was the only hotel of any quality in Gold Saucer.
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Still, when Tseng finally cracked a smile the entire excursion seemed to have a more optimistic outlook. This wouldn’t be so bad, not at all, “yup, that’d be the one right there,” Reno said with a happy lilt before trotting over towards the chute where he deposited the bags and a moment later they were gone. Turning around he offered Tseng a wink before heading in after their things, “well…geronimo.”
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He actually didn't mind indulging Reno in his childish whims. Though he complained and sneered at much of it, when he was at a bar boggling at Reno and drinking perhaps a bit too much, he felt a little less like himself and was able to loosen up more then he otherwise would have been able to.
Perhaps that was why he was willing to follow along. "Lead the way."
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When prompted to by Tseng, Reno led the way to the hotel…there wasn’t much else in Ghost Square-just a cobblestone path marked by fake headstones on either side leading up to a spooky looking castle. The inside had that same, creepy medieval and yet cozy feel to it. The carpets were red, the stone walls were covered with ornaments, there were holographic ghosts without heads floating around.
Reno was able to get a room for the two of them without much trouble at all, he filled out a little bit of paperwork, something he normally hated doing, but this was the exception. They were given their key and their room number and then they were all set for their stay. Reno nodded to his fellow Turk before heading up the stairs. They had to go down a few halls and take some turns, but they finally reached their room.
Reno managed to unlock the door and toe it open without too much trouble and without having to set their things down until they were tucked away inside. Reno thought the rooms were amazing in spite of the twin-size beds. It was like a refined torture chamber with candles in the chandeliers and a torch on the wall…there was a miniature guillotine on the table as well, “haaaaa! Now why can’t our rooms look like this?”
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"Separate beds?" he asked, glancing at Reno sidelong and giving him a smirk. "That doesn't seem like you."
He dropped his suitcase next to one of the beds and then turned towards the redhead. In a sudden gesture, he grabbed Reno's ponytail and dragged him forward into a kiss.
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