Reunion Time!

[luckyturk]

Who: Cissnei | Tseng | Rude | Reno
When: Morning, Day 62
Location: Gongaga
Rating: PG-13 for !SURPRISE attack?
Summary: In which Tseng re-recruits Cissnei in a completely over-complicated way.

Comments

Hey Rude...tag and you're it! *runs* (again xD)

[winchester300]

Two Saws at his command and all it cost Tseng was a minor smudge on his dignity. But no matter - dignity had never been as important as duty to a Turk. Over the years - though certainly it took a good long time - Tseng had come to realise that very little was.

Alliances were formed where convenient; the only loyalty was to the company and its seats of power. Black and white judgement, Reeve had accused, but the ability to think in and act on shades of grey was a luxury only the higher officials could afford, not their men, their living instruments. Eight years ago, Tseng might have thought differently, but in this profession one learned fast that the best way to survive was simply not to feel at all.

Cissnei...had seemed so promising.

He was thinking more and more like Veld these days. Or, rather, like what Veld used to be.

The sky was clear above her; the rough wind sweeping the planes where she parked her motorcycle did not reach under the cover of the forest, where he was waiting, with Rude and the Saws. Tseng inhaled, touched the remote to the machines resting in his pocket, and turned to his partner with a small smile.

"Remember - once the Saws start moving...don't interfere unless I give the word." He started to walk slowly out of the greenery towards Cissnei, trusting Rude to follow. "But before that, a few words should be exchanged, if only out of politeness, don't you think?"

[ooc: Late Crim is late. ^^; Sorry Cissy!]

[tacit_turk]

To Tseng's words, Rude simply gave a nod. He was still mildly uncomfortable with this plan--not because he didn't think Cissnei could take care of herself or anything remotely like that, but more that he didn't quite see the point and tricking a former ally didn't entirely sit well. But, he supposed, she wasn't an ally now, not anymore. And it made sense to test her in some way if she were to become one again.

Either way, this was Tseng's plan and he knew better than to even try to talk him out of it, so he'd said nothing when it was first mentioned to him and he said nothing now. As he emerged from the brush, he gave the girl a nod in greeting and just a hint of a smile, not betraying any uneasiness he felt in the slightest.

[luckyturk]

Cissnei couldn’t stop the light shivers that rose up her spine as she saw the Turks approaching her. They emerged from behind a bunch of trees and bushes, and although the area was pretty much covered in greenery, it still looked really unconvincing on their part.

She couldn’t help but feel wary of them, even if they did agree to meeting on peaceful terms. Turks were a sneaky bunch; she knew that better than anyone. It was hard to trust people with a reputation like that, even if they were old comrades and friends. She had little control over the situation at this point, she couldn’t judge the outcome.

Folding her arms over her mid-section, she began a slow walk forward. She tried to smile, but she didn’t try hard. The added effort on her part would have just been a waste; she knew how easily they’d be able to see through it. She felt unease walking through the outskirts of land she once tried so desperately to avoid.

She just didn’t know what to expect.

[winchester300]

Two black suits walked into the afternoon sun, which hung high above their heads but gave little heat. The wind swept past and encircled them, bridging the gap between the woman and the men, the past and the present.

Cissnei didn't look much older, but something in her eyes seemed to have dulled and Tseng wondered how long the change had been present. Her posture was guarded - arms carefully folded and expression mild and controlled - so things were as they should be. They had risked their lives for each other once upon a time, on more than one occasion, but once upon a time they had served a common purpose.

He would regret what he was about to do, and delay it if he could. But time was extremely pressing, so Tseng was forced to resort to this rather cruel and crude tactic to attempt to regain an ally.

...or punish a traitor. Either way, pleasantries first.

"Cissnei," he said, giving the smile she couldn't. The Turk director's hands were neatly tucked behind his back as he drew nearer. "You're looking well... if slightly apprehensive. Are you... afraid of something?"

The smile grew a little wider, and did not reach beyond his lips.

[luckyturk]

Afraid? Apprehensive? Was it that obvious? Or were the Turks still just as perceptive as she remembered? It had to be the latter; Cissnei was trying her best to remain calm. It couldn’t be obvious, she hadn’t lost that much of her touch.

“Tseng,” she replied in an even tone, keeping her expression cold and hardened, professional. “Should I be?”

That smile he had, his choice of words. Pleasantries? Yeah, right. He was toying with her. It really wasn’t giving her a reason to trust them, not that she had one to begin with. She was naively hoping for a casual meeting between friends, hugs and catching up, it didn’t seem like it would turn out that way. It looked like this meeting would be one of strictly business.

What kind of business? Well, she was once again hoping for the civil kind. Hoping, but she knew better. Things were never civil, never simple. The idea that she was walking straight into a trap, the idea she so desperately tried to push to the back of her mind, was starting to be considered.

Lights and camera...Tseng's act is on. >D

[winchester300]

A few steps away, Tseng paused. Drew both feet together and stood a little straighter, letting her question drag on the silence around them, the self-evident answer. The smile was faded now - his expression was neutral, bordering on regretful, nostalgic, reluctant - a score of subtle emotions which meant absolutely nothing in the longrun.

"You've come, alone, to meet with the Turks of Shinra," he replied slowly, looking straight into her eyes. "While knowing exactly what sort of organisation we are, and what we are responsible for. Should you be apprehensive or afraid?"

Tseng drew a deep breath of the oncoming wind, and tucked his hands into his pockets, feeling the small remote control on his left.

"Under different circumstances, maybe I would be able to say I was glad to see you, Cissnei," a more sombre edge to the conversational tone now, the smile more a smirk. "You never did find out what happened to Director Dragoon, did you? If you had...perhaps you would've been more cautious about accepting my invitation to meet."

[ooc: I'M SORRY I'M SO LATE ._. *FAIL*]

[luckyturk]

“When you put it like that,” she said, trying her best to return the look Tseng was giving her. “You make me sound inexperienced.”

She was trying her best to not flinch at his words. He was trying to be intimidating, smug in his state of obvious superiority. At this point if Cissnei didn’t know any better, she would’ve drawn her weapon on him. An act of self defense such as that, in the end, would only worsen her situation.

At this point, because she knew better, all she could do was stare at him and mentally process what he was saying.

Had he just confessed to killing Veld? If so, then was Tseng implying that he was going to do away with her in the same way? If that were the case, and she had just walked into a trap, then there was nothing she could do but stand her ground.

“I came here because I was sick of running,” she stated with a confident tone, devoid of all fear. It was the truth; running was no longer an option. This meeting had been postponed for too long already, and in turn her consequences as well. “So just get to the point.”

[winchester300]

"Sick of running," Tseng repeated, taking a small step backwards towards Rude, who had not said a word. The tension was palpable above them, the remote warm in Tseng's hand. "I hope you won't regret your decision."

A brush of the activator, and the forest groaned suddenly behind them. The roar of machinery overrode the sound of the wind as Scarlet's weapons geared into life, their metallic blades slicing through the vegetation as they spun closer, to come to a clunking halt near Tseng, one on either side.

The Saws' propellers could slice clean through an average man's torso. They were about to see whether Cissnei had retained her status as one truly above and beyond the average.

"Director Dragoon defied the company, and was executed for his treachery," he spoke over the clicks and whirrls of the monsters, perspiration starting to break on his brows. "And though Shinra has changed, the way it deals with traitors has not. Good luck, Cissnei."

And with a flick of his wrist, the machines screamed, and charged.