Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Interludes – Scene 39

Scene Notes: Arrest number six takes place not too long after Reno had been forced out of his first apartment (and arrested) due to the use of explosives.

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“… So are you gonna tell me?” Rude asked, pulling into the parking lot of Reno’s new place. The redhead had been sulking the entire way home.

“Are you gonna tell Tseng?” he responded, and his fellow rookie snickered.

“That your way of asking me not to?”

“… Come on up. After the night I had, I need a drink before I start in on the play by play…” the redhead said with a sigh. He shoved open the door to the truck and hopped out. Rude grinned and did the same, following him into the building. His friend was stubbornly silent as they boarded the elevator and road it up to the fifth floor, and remained so as he ushered him inside.

“You want a beer?” Reno finally asked, walking into his kitchenette and opening up the fridge.

“I want to know why I had to come bail you out of jail at eight ‘o clock on a Friday night. You haven’t even had time to get drunk yet. Quit stalling.”

Reno extracted a bottle for himself and popped it open, downing about half of its contents and wiping his mouth on the back of his hand as he leaned back against the appliance.

“… So… you know how Tseng keeps sayin’ I need to work on tailin’ people… right?”

“Yeah…”

“I’ve… ya know… kinda been practicing. On my own time.”

“Tailing who?” Rude asked, curious now. The redhead shrugged.

“Just… anyone. I pick someone, follow ’em for awhile, and try not to let ’em see me.”

Rude smirked. He had a sneaking suspicion this was going to be good. He shooed his friend out of the way and opened the fridge, helping himself to the previously offered beer.

“And?”

Reno rolled his eyes. “And… tonight I decided to tail this really fuckin’ hot-as-shit brunette. Followed her for about two blocks… annnnd walked straight into her boyfriend. Who was about three times my size and not real thrilled by the idea of some little punk stalkin’ his lady.”

Rude choked on the sip he’d just taken, laughing.

“You’re lucky he just had you arrested. Sounds like you could’ve ended up wrapped around a streetlight.”

“Oh, no… He didn’t call the cops. He tried to wrap me around a streetlight. Lucky for me, I was a hell of a lot faster than he was. I took off outta there like a fuckin’ chocobo on speed.”

One eyebrow shot up from behind his sunglasses. “Then how’d you end up getting arrested?”

“I’m gettin’ there…” Reno replied and took another swig of his beer. “So I was runnin’ like hell down the street with this massive asshole chasin’ me, and his smokin’ hot girlfriend chasin’ him, and I knew if I didn’t shake ’em pretty quick I was gonna be in a shitload of trouble. So I ran down an alley to the next block and ducked into this little materia shop ‘n waited for ’em to run past.”

“… And they saw you?”

“Nah… they were runnin’ full tilt down the block screamin’ like idiots,” the redhead said grinning. “Never saw ’em again after that.”

Rude shook his head, confused. “Then why did you get arrested?”

“Quit interruptin’ and you’ll find out,” he shot back. “So there I am… hidin’ out behind this big ass rack of materia spheres, watchin’ these lunatics run by… when the shop owner sneaks up behind me. Scares the shit outta me. So… ya know… I reacted like any Turk would.”

“You shot him?” Rude teased. Reno glared at him.

“Her. And no. I took her to the floor ‘n pinned her, you fuckin’ psychopath.”

“And she had you arrested for assault.”

“No.”

“But…”

“I’m gettin’ there!” Reno reiterated. “Anyway… I’ve got this poor woman on the floor and I suddenly realize who she is… So I just start apologizin’ profusely, tryin’ to explain why I’m a complete asshole and askin’ if there’s anything I can do to make it up to her. She was actually real nice about it in the end… asked me to give her a hand movin’ some shit outta the back room, and we called things even. Then I left, figurin’ I’d try ‘n salvage what was left of the evening, so I started headin’ for the Phoenix Nest for a drink…”

Rude shook his head. “Well, you’re sober and you’re still in one piece… so I guess that rules out a bar fight.”

“… Yeah. I didn’t make it to the bar,” the younger Turk replied, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. “I… was a block away, crossin’ the street, when some asshat damn near runs me down… so I swore at him and slammed my hand down on the hood of his car. His… uh… patrol car.” Reno sighed and hung his head in shame. “I basically got arrested for jaywalkin’.”

Rude stared at him, incredulously, for a moment, and started to laugh.

He was still laughing several minutes later, after his friend shoved him out the door and slammed it behind him.

~fin~