Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Interludes – Scene 11

Scene Notes: In Chapter 21: Where There’s Smoke, Reno seriously misjudges someone’s character.

“Asshole turned up on a security camera. Never get a real good look at him, but I’ve seen the guy enough times to recognize him. Works on nineteen… and he’s been botherin’ ‘Lena in the gym practically since her promotion.”

Tseng frowned. “And you never thought to mention this?” he replied, a little more snappishly than he’d intended.

“… I… honestly didn’t think he was dangerous,” Reno reluctantly admitted, “Neither did ‘Lena.”

“Find him, bring him in, and then contact me before you do anything further” Tseng replied evenly. He’d deal with Reno’s lapse in judgment later.

---

“Reno… Do you have a moment?”

The redhead grimaced before turning to look over at Tseng. He’d been waiting for this most of the day. Not looking forward to it… but most definitely expecting it. He suspected Tseng had waited until it was nearly quitting time just to set him farther on edge.

“Yeah, boss. I’m not busy.” He stood as the Turk leader gestured to his office, and obeyed the silent command. The door shut behind him with a foreboding thud. This was never a pleasant experience.

“I assume you already have an idea of what I wish to discuss…” Tseng said as he rounded his desk and took a seat, calmly resting his elbows on the dark wooden surface and steepling his fingers in front of him. Reno swallowed sharply… That posture was never a good sign. He opted to remain standing rather than claiming the chair opposite the Wutaiian, falling into a stiff, formal stance.

“Yes, sir,” he replied. It was odd how he felt such a driving compulsion to address his friend so formally when he was in trouble… as if he would be any less in trouble because of a little added respect. Tseng had been much more than a mere leader to him for so many years… He’d become almost a surrogate parent to him in many ways. Right now, however… Tseng wasn’t his friend, and he wasn’t his mentor. He was head of Shinra Company’s Turks… and he wasn’t especially happy with his second in command.

“Elena could have died.”

Reno felt his chest tighten at that simple statement. It certainly wasn’t that he hadn’t realized that – the thought had been in the back of his mind all day, piling guilt on top of more guilt, and would probably stay there all weekend until he finally saw her back at work. Somehow, though, hearing it made it worse.

“Yes, sir.” He let his eyes close for a brief moment, unable to meet the other man’s gaze. This never seemed to change. No matter how old he got, no matter how many times he stood in this very spot… knowing that he’d disappointed the man always managed to reduce him to feeling like a fresh recruit again.

“You said you knew about Carson March beforehand. For how long?”

“Months,” Reno reluctantly admitted. “‘Lena… mentioned it to me barely three weeks after she was promoted. I kept an eye on him for awhile, but he didn’t strike me as the type who’d do anything more than look and maybe make the occasional suggestive comment. ‘Lena was more annoyed by the guy than afraid of him, and I… I thought it would better for her if I let her deal with it and only step in if it got out of hand. It… kinda turned into a joke. The creepy gym guy from nineteen. If I’d ever thought he was even remotely capable of pullin’ what he pulled, I’da beat the shit outta him as soon as she told me about it.”

That was perhaps what most made him feel like this was entirely his fault. Usually, Reno prided himself on being an excellent judge of character and reading the intentions of others. Somehow though… March had slipped under his radar. And Elena had been the one to pay for it.

“I see.” There was no emotion in words… but neither was there judgment. Tseng was silent for a few moments before continuing. “I very much doubt there is any need to impress upon you the magnitude of your choice not to take such behavior more seriously, but I’m going to, regardless. Particularly given that you yourself behave in much the same fashion at times. Your intentions may be harmless… that’s not true of everyone.”

He really had no response to that. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know that. The fact was that he knew it all too well, and still had largely ignored the situation until had unexpectedly spiraled out of control. Thankfully, Tseng seemed to take his silence for acknowledgment.

“I don’t need to remind you that Elena is your responsibility.”

Had the subject matter not been so serious, Reno would have laughed. Tseng didn’t need to remind him of that… but he’d intentionally just done so, anyway. The fact that he’d so thoroughly failed in that responsibility had been weighing heavily on him all day. That Elena had be out on mandatory leave since her release from the hospital didn’t help, either.

“No, sir. You don’t,” he replied, dropping his gaze to the floor.

“Reno… sit down.”

He repressed the urge to sigh and let himself settle into the chair beside him. Tseng stood and slipped behind him, placing his hands on the younger man’s shoulders, and kneading gently at the muscles. The redhead hadn’t even realized just how tense he’d gotten until that tension was so suddenly released.

“Don’t think for moment that I don’t understand just how upset you are with yourself. I doubt I could say anything right now that would make you feel much worse about what happened than you already do… and, in any case, I wouldn’t wish to. I’ve made my share of mistakes over the years, as you well know. You’re not perfect, and you never will be. You can only do your best.”

“So what if my best isn’t good enough?” Reno asked, voicing the question that had seemed to plague him ever since the rookie’s promotion.

Tseng chuckled softly. “Welcome to my world.” He gave the back of Reno’s neck one final squeeze before drawing away. “I think you’ve had enough for one lecture. And I believe we are now officially off duty. Let’s go and see if Elena has managed to keep herself entertained today, shall we?”

~fin~