[INCOMPLETE]

[besteer]

Who: Tseng, Reno.
When: before Tseng meets with Hojo, after Elena's post.
Where: near the clock tower.
Rating: PG-13ish; subject to change.
Warnings: Two very worried, armed Turks searching for their beloved rookie~? Language.
Summary: Elena's been captured. Tseng and Reno meet up, 'cause they need to talk some shit out. And... idk, they're Turks,

Comments

[cataclysmicly]

A lot could change in a few years. One's boss, for instance. Rufus didn't seem all too bad, but Cissnei needed some time to feel him out, get used to him and his way of thinking. (And she'd need to learn fast to avoid getting shot. That was how she'd died, after all - taking a bullet point-blank in the face; not something she cared to repeat, thankyouverymuch.) Even the entire world that she'd woken up in was different from where she'd last seen, though a place like this would have fit in well enough back home anyway...

But some things didn't change, and apparently Tseng and Reno were two of them. They were easy to spot even from a great distance. Truth be told, despite that she'd technically last seen them only a few days prior, it... did feel like longer. A lot longer, and it sort of warmed her to see them now and a little fluttering in her chest had her feeling unmistakably happy.

Not that this was the best time for smiles, it would seem - what with the look on Reno's face and... yes, Tseng, too; she knew them both well enough to read even the subtle body language.

But, bad time or no, there would be time for proper greetings and the like later. For now, work. She'd do what she good, despite still a little foggy on some aspects of what was going on.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting long!"

lol sappy sap sap sappyyyy tseng alert

[besteer]

He had been on the verge of explaining his conversation with Hojo - and his rather quickly thrown together plan - to Reno when that voice (so familiar, so light and feminine, just as he remembered it) had him pausing, had his jaw relaxing, going a bit slack as his heel dug into the soft dirt below him. Turning, it took only a moment to catch sight of Cissnei coming toward them, looking the same as she always had before - always the same, never different, and it made something tug, made something ache, deep in the pit of his stomach. A bit of guilt (he always had guilt when it came to the female Turks, it seemed), and a bit of nostalgia, and then it was a bit of her, too, and he paused again. Hesitated, as his breath caught in his throat, because she wasn't dead anymore. No, no. She was alive. Breathing, with warmth and an air of compassion, an air of hope and gentleness, surrounding her, and he couldn't help it.

Couldn't help it, even if they had other matters to attend to. He was stepping forward, once, twice, then again and again until he was mere feet from her, within reaching distance, and his arms were moving up. Pulled her close against his chest as his head dipped down, and a gloved hand moved to press gently against the middle of her back. Cissnei. She felt real, felt solid and warm, and not dead. Not dead. Not dead. He had to keep telling himself that, over and over and over. She wasn't dead. Not anymore. That was a long time ago.

"You always keep us waiting," he murmured softly, fondly, against her hair. "That's your job."

He pulled back a moment or two later, glancing over her quickly to ensure that, yes, that was her. Definitely her. Couldn't not be her.

"You came just in time, too."

lol, Reno is holding off for the moment. Sappiness will come all at once, when they rescue Elena.

[off_duty_turk]

There was a part of Reno that hadn't ever really accepted Cissnei's death. It couldn't be right. Couldn't be real. She'd been a Turk longer than himself; she was cunning, fierce, and fiercely loyal. She was a friend, and something of a mother figure (though not always in a good way). Most of all, though, she was herself. All those things, but more. Not just the sum of her parts. She was Cissnei. She was immortal.

He very much wanted to copy Tseng's move, to give her a hug right then and there; however, that was a gentle act, and Reno, at that moment, was in a mood that was anything but gentle. He'd calmed down considerably, but not completely; the only thing that would calm him completely was Hojo's corpse.

Well, then. They needed to get on that.

"It's great to see you, Ciss," was all he could manage. It didn't even begin to cover it, but... well, it was all he could do, at that moment. There would be time, later, for more.

Turning to Tseng, his eyes turned hard. "You said you spoke with Hojo."

Re: lol, Reno is holding off for the moment. Sappiness will come all at once, when they rescue Elen

[cataclysmicly]

For all that Cissnei knew Tseng could be affectionate in his own, quiet way - she'd honestly not been expecting a hug. Not just then, anyway, when there were so many other things to occupy his mind that she suspected were more important. It took her a moment to respond, and when she did it was with a smile and arms around him, squeezing tight.

"Hey, now..." she sighed, smoothing a hand over his back, nails scritching through fabric soothingly. "I've missed you, too... But I'm not going anywhere; there's time for a proper reunion later, right?" And she meant that. It was all right if they didn't flutter around her or hug her just then. Someone they cared about was in danger - someone who, while Cissnei didn't know (she'd not put two and two together yet that 'Elena' was the same little sister of another Turk, years past), was still a member of their little family now. Like it or not, awkward or not, Cissnei didn't appreciate Hojo taking anyone away from that family.

More importantly, she didn't like that Tseng and Reno were hurting because of it.

Her gaze diverted to Reno and she grinned, wriggling her fingers at him in a sort of wave. He'd get his affection from her later, when the time was more appropriate. For now, she kept quiet to listen to whatever Tseng had to say, but did keep her hand touched to his back even after he drew away. Perhaps as a means of comfort - though whether for his or her own, it was hard to say.

[besteer]

There was something about having Cissnei there that always made every situation seem so much better than it actually was. He relaxed a bit with her hand at his back, turning his attention to Reno once more. Right. They had work to do. He'd be damned if he kept Elena waiting any longer than she had to. What happened before wasn't going to happen again -- even if he had a feeling it already was happening. That made something tug again, uncomfortable and firm, within his chest, and he grit his teeth for a moment, glancing down to the dirt below him to refocus his attention. No. He couldn't think about things like that.

"I spoke with Hojo," he repeated slowly, looking back up again. "As I'm sure you already know, he has Elena. You two aren't going to like this, but he requested that we meet. Alone. And that I bring no weapon or bug."

The gun was slid from his holster once more, and he slid one finger over the safety, pushing the solid steel into Cissnei's hands.

"Since I know you both will give me hell about this if I go completely alone, I'm going to have you two come with, in case anything happens. But you need to stay hidden. If he knows you're there, and if he has Elena with him... I can't take that risk. Reno, that means I need you to be especially quiet."

[off_duty_turk]

The last statement stung rather badly; to think that, even if it meant the life of a comrade, he would be incapable of NOT running his mouth? It was downright insulting. But... well, Tseng was worried. They all were. Reno would forgive an accidental insult or two... especially if this meeting led them to Elena. "Of course. If you aren't able to strike a deal for her safety, or something else comes up... given the opportunity, do you want us to tail him? If we can stay hidden, we could find out where he's keeping her..." And that plan was most likely to involve hitting Hojo hard and fast, and perhaps multiple times. Therefore, that plan was ideal.

Okay, actually, the plan that had Elena in the best shape possible was ideal. But, Hojo getting beaten all to hell would be good, too.

"Either way, we should head out first. Get to the meeting site, and find a place to hide, before he gets there..."

[cataclysmicly]

For a moment, Cissnei held the gun a bit awkwardly, resisting her initial urge to drop it. Dammit - not even twenty-four hours since she'd taken a bullet to the face (as she remembered it, anyway) and already she was going to have to handle the thing that'd killed her?

Still. No time for dwelling on that right now. And if it came down to firing at Hojo to save Tseng (or Elena) she'd do it without a second though. As such, she blocked the memory of staring down the barrel of a gun as it went off, double-checked the safety at least three times before tucking it away inside her coat for the time being.

"You know..." she started, folding her arms loosely once the gun was safely away, "call me crazy, but I think keeping the Professor alive might be a wise idea this time around, if at all possible."