Healin Lodge, Wednesday Evening
Today was officially the third or fourth worst day in the life of Reno of the Turks.
Normally, bad days rolled off his shoulders. He'd go home, he'd have a drink or four, and everything would be right as rain again come morning. But this time, morning would bring packing, and not-quite-sissy, snotty goodbyes to his coworkers and the people he'd served ShinRa alongside for as much of his life as was worth remembering. Morning would also bring frustration, the start of a long, boring helicopter ride to some place that he'd never heard of, and, of all things, high sch-- No. No, he didn't even want to think it. It was degrading. Degrading and stupid. Degrading, stupid, and a waste of his time.
Which was why he was standing at the door of his partner, Rude's, not-quite-office, threatening to beat the damn thing down as he knocked.
"Open," Rude called.
Good old Rude. Best buddy he ever had. And a freakin' lousy conversationalist.
Reno nearly stormed the door down as he plowed inside, stomping over to Rude's desk and dropping the pamphlet that Tseng had presented to him on top of a stack of papers.
"It's official, Rude. The boss has gone totally nuts, yo."
Rude looked up casually from the magazine he was reading. "You say that every week," he said. He glanced with only mild curiosity at the stack of papers next to where his feet were propped up on the desk.
Reno wasn't gesturing furiously at the paper, really. For Reno, anyhow. "He's sendin' me away, pal."
Rude lifted an eyebrow. "What did you do?"
Reno shook his head and gave a shrug of his shoulders, pulling up a nearby chair simply so he could lean against it.
"Nothin' that I can think of. But I'm gonna be gone for months, at least. Might be longer, yoto." He was scowling again. This was so, so... stupid.
Rude's face didn't change expression, but he sat up, taking his feet down from the desk. "No."
Reno was forever enthralled by Rude's eloquence. Except for this exact moment, as he pushed the chair aside and started pacing back and forth, his hands in his pockets and his mouth moving a mile a minute.
"Yes, Rude. It's stupid. Like I don't have better things to do here, yo? And! And! And, to top it off, just guess where it is I'm goin', Rude. Just take a guess."
Rude lifted the pamphlet, examining the front of it, and looked up. That was almost a smirk. "You're going to high school?"
"I hate the world." Reno was going to kick that chair. It would pay for this horrible wrongdoing. Yes. It was the chair's fault. That was good enough.
Rude set the pamphlet down again. "Sure this isn't some kinda joke?"
"Chopper leaves tomorrow so I can be on this island, which, by the way, I've never freakin' heard of, by Friday, yo."
"Island?" Rude lifted the pamphlet again, paging through to see the back. He frowned at it. "Where the hell is Virginia?"
Reno shrugged. "Beats the hell outta me, Rude. Some place called 'Amereekah.' Ever heard of it? Must be a freakin' hole in the ground, like Gongaga or something." He cringed and resumed pacing. "They're sendin' me to high school in a freakin' hole in the ground, yo!"
"Is that in Wutai?" Rude examined the map, shaking his head again. "They find out about that chocobo thing?"
Reno paused for a moment, a moment of concern almost grasping at him before he shrugged and shook his head. "Couldn't be. Buried all that. Nobody's findin' any evidence it ever happened."
Even Turks got bored sometimes, okay?
"They're not still mad about Mideel?" Rude asked, flipping back through the pamphlet again.
Again, Reno paused, looking very nearly thoughtful for all of a half a second. "Doubt it." He grinned. "Not when I got blackmail photos hidden away somewhere that they aren't gonna be seein' for a long while, yo."
"Should give me those if you're going away," Rude said, trying to sound casual. "Safe-keeping and all."
"I'll send you the negatives," the redhead replied with a shrug of his shoulders, then he straightened his posture, his eyes wide. "You don't think someone found out about that thing I did with those potions that time?"
Rude actually laughed. "They find out about that, it's gonna be a whole lot worse than high school."
He looked up from the papers at last. "They tell you why?"
Reno shrugged his shoulders and jammed his hands into his pockets in a huff.
"Nope. Tseng just told me where to go an' how to get there, and that was that." He tilted his head slightly, looking between Rude and the pamphlet, almost curious. "Why. Anything interesting in there?"
He couldn't be expected to read these things. Honestly.
Rude held the pamphlet out. "It's some kinda transdimensional nexus point."
...
"Say what?" Reno grabbed the paper back from his partner and leafed through it, one eyebrow raised. "That's the biggest load of bull I've ever--" Oh. Apparently it was. Huh. "Doesn't change the fact they're sending me off to high school, though."
Rude leaned back in his chair again. "You're supposed to investigate this place?"
Reno gave a nod of his head, his expression still sour. "See what I can see, or whatever. Report anything interesting. Basic recon crap, yoto."
At high school. Freaking high school.
"How long?"
Reno had to kick at the chair again. It had been giving him a funny look and he had to put it in its place. Really.
"At least a whole semester. See what's up. Come back if nothin' catches the boss' eye."
Rude blinked. Most people wouldn't have been able to tell, behind those sunglasses. Reno wasn't most people. "A semester?"
"Told you. Too freakin' long."
"He has lost it," Rude said, tossing the pamphlet down again. "Not doing your work for that long."
Reno snorted and finally, finally took a seat in the long-suffering chair.
"Aw, you sayin' you're gonna miss me?"
"I'm sayin' you slack plenty enough right here."
"I'll miss you too, pal."
[[NFI, NFB, preplayed with the ever-awesome the_merriest, OOC is love, I shall stop spamming your friendlists now, la!]]
Normally, bad days rolled off his shoulders. He'd go home, he'd have a drink or four, and everything would be right as rain again come morning. But this time, morning would bring packing, and not-quite-sissy, snotty goodbyes to his coworkers and the people he'd served ShinRa alongside for as much of his life as was worth remembering. Morning would also bring frustration, the start of a long, boring helicopter ride to some place that he'd never heard of, and, of all things, high sch-- No. No, he didn't even want to think it. It was degrading. Degrading and stupid. Degrading, stupid, and a waste of his time.
Which was why he was standing at the door of his partner, Rude's, not-quite-office, threatening to beat the damn thing down as he knocked.
"Open," Rude called.
Good old Rude. Best buddy he ever had. And a freakin' lousy conversationalist.
Reno nearly stormed the door down as he plowed inside, stomping over to Rude's desk and dropping the pamphlet that Tseng had presented to him on top of a stack of papers.
"It's official, Rude. The boss has gone totally nuts, yo."
Rude looked up casually from the magazine he was reading. "You say that every week," he said. He glanced with only mild curiosity at the stack of papers next to where his feet were propped up on the desk.
Reno wasn't gesturing furiously at the paper, really. For Reno, anyhow. "He's sendin' me away, pal."
Rude lifted an eyebrow. "What did you do?"
Reno shook his head and gave a shrug of his shoulders, pulling up a nearby chair simply so he could lean against it.
"Nothin' that I can think of. But I'm gonna be gone for months, at least. Might be longer, yoto." He was scowling again. This was so, so... stupid.
Rude's face didn't change expression, but he sat up, taking his feet down from the desk. "No."
Reno was forever enthralled by Rude's eloquence. Except for this exact moment, as he pushed the chair aside and started pacing back and forth, his hands in his pockets and his mouth moving a mile a minute.
"Yes, Rude. It's stupid. Like I don't have better things to do here, yo? And! And! And, to top it off, just guess where it is I'm goin', Rude. Just take a guess."
Rude lifted the pamphlet, examining the front of it, and looked up. That was almost a smirk. "You're going to high school?"
"I hate the world." Reno was going to kick that chair. It would pay for this horrible wrongdoing. Yes. It was the chair's fault. That was good enough.
Rude set the pamphlet down again. "Sure this isn't some kinda joke?"
"Chopper leaves tomorrow so I can be on this island, which, by the way, I've never freakin' heard of, by Friday, yo."
"Island?" Rude lifted the pamphlet again, paging through to see the back. He frowned at it. "Where the hell is Virginia?"
Reno shrugged. "Beats the hell outta me, Rude. Some place called 'Amereekah.' Ever heard of it? Must be a freakin' hole in the ground, like Gongaga or something." He cringed and resumed pacing. "They're sendin' me to high school in a freakin' hole in the ground, yo!"
"Is that in Wutai?" Rude examined the map, shaking his head again. "They find out about that chocobo thing?"
Reno paused for a moment, a moment of concern almost grasping at him before he shrugged and shook his head. "Couldn't be. Buried all that. Nobody's findin' any evidence it ever happened."
Even Turks got bored sometimes, okay?
"They're not still mad about Mideel?" Rude asked, flipping back through the pamphlet again.
Again, Reno paused, looking very nearly thoughtful for all of a half a second. "Doubt it." He grinned. "Not when I got blackmail photos hidden away somewhere that they aren't gonna be seein' for a long while, yo."
"Should give me those if you're going away," Rude said, trying to sound casual. "Safe-keeping and all."
"I'll send you the negatives," the redhead replied with a shrug of his shoulders, then he straightened his posture, his eyes wide. "You don't think someone found out about that thing I did with those potions that time?"
Rude actually laughed. "They find out about that, it's gonna be a whole lot worse than high school."
He looked up from the papers at last. "They tell you why?"
Reno shrugged his shoulders and jammed his hands into his pockets in a huff.
"Nope. Tseng just told me where to go an' how to get there, and that was that." He tilted his head slightly, looking between Rude and the pamphlet, almost curious. "Why. Anything interesting in there?"
He couldn't be expected to read these things. Honestly.
Rude held the pamphlet out. "It's some kinda transdimensional nexus point."
...
"Say what?" Reno grabbed the paper back from his partner and leafed through it, one eyebrow raised. "That's the biggest load of bull I've ever--" Oh. Apparently it was. Huh. "Doesn't change the fact they're sending me off to high school, though."
Rude leaned back in his chair again. "You're supposed to investigate this place?"
Reno gave a nod of his head, his expression still sour. "See what I can see, or whatever. Report anything interesting. Basic recon crap, yoto."
At high school. Freaking high school.
"How long?"
Reno had to kick at the chair again. It had been giving him a funny look and he had to put it in its place. Really.
"At least a whole semester. See what's up. Come back if nothin' catches the boss' eye."
Rude blinked. Most people wouldn't have been able to tell, behind those sunglasses. Reno wasn't most people. "A semester?"
"Told you. Too freakin' long."
"He has lost it," Rude said, tossing the pamphlet down again. "Not doing your work for that long."
Reno snorted and finally, finally took a seat in the long-suffering chair.
"Aw, you sayin' you're gonna miss me?"
"I'm sayin' you slack plenty enough right here."
"I'll miss you too, pal."
[[NFI, NFB, preplayed with the ever-awesome the_merriest, OOC is love, I shall stop spamming your friendlists now, la!]]