Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 52: Materia 101

“Good news!” Reno crowed as he walked through the front door of Tseng’s apartment. It was early Saturday afternoon, and the Turk lieutenant had spent most of the morning in blissful silence, the redhead having left at the crack of dawn on some unknown errand. Tseng had assumed that a visit to his friend in Wall Market had been the purpose of his early departure.

“Oh?” he replied, glancing up from the letter he’d been reading. He really didn’t need details, if that were the case – though he suspected he’d be getting them anyway. Reno grinned widely as he kicked his shoes into the corner and plopped down on the couch.

“Yep. Sato actually came through for me. I got a new place to live over in Sector Three startin’ in a few weeks. Just need ya to sign the lease for me, since the stupid rules up here say I can’t do it myself ’til I’m eighteen.” He pulled a small bundle of papers out of his back pocket and handed them to his mentor.

Tseng scanned over the first page, slightly surprised. Not only had Sato managed to find his ward a new apartment in record time, he’d managed to get him what looked to be an exceptionally fair rent for the place… and all from Junon, where he’d been sequestered with Saya and Remy for the last week. Which begged the question – what was wrong with it?

The Wutaiian Turk raised an eyebrow. “Have you seen this apartment?” he asked, cautiously.

“Tch… ‘course, I’ve seen it. Where the hell ya think I’ve been all day? It’s a little on the small side, but it’s a nice building… right down the street from the train station, so no problems gettin’ to work,” he said, and then added with a teasing smirk, “It’s just about perfect. Only downside is that it’s only like eight blocks away from Kai’s place.”

That, in Tseng’s mind at any rate, was a pro… not a con. He’d feel better knowing that one of the more responsible Turks… generally speaking… was nearby. He chuckled and shook his head. “Put your shoes back on. I want to see this allegedly perfect apartment with my own eyes before I sign anything.”

---

Try as he might… Tseng couldn’t find anything seriously wrong with place.

As Reno had mentioned, it wasn’t exactly huge… but it was hardly the closet he’d expected for the rent stated on the lease. It boasted a tiny kitchenette instead of the full kitchen of his previous home – hardly a major issue for someone who didn’t cook anyway – and laundry would have to be done in the communal laundry room on the first floor, and the narrow balcony off the living room overlooked a rather mundane collection of similar buildings rather than one of the more impressive views the city had to offer. On the whole, however, those were fairly minor complaints. Even the neighborhood was undeniably nice, with a little park several blocks over, and a selection of shops and restaurants nearby.

“So?” the redhead prodded as his mentor emerged from his inspection of the bedroom and attached bath.

“I… have to admit. Sato did indeed come through. If you’re certain you wouldn’t prefer to continue looking for something a bit larger, I’ll sign the lease.” The redhead grinned and handed him the papers. Tseng snorted a quiet laugh. “You certainly seem eager to be out from under my roof…”

Reno shook his head in denial. “Nah. I told ya, boss… I like stayin’ with you. But… we both know I oughta be out on my own by now. ‘Sides… I promised Lira she could come spend the weekend with me soon as I got moved in.”

“Ah… That explains the rush,” the senior Turk teased. Reno shrugged and glanced over at the door to the bedroom.

“… You think I could get a waterbed in there?” he asked, “It’s not as big as the bedroom in my old place.”

“Hmm… One of similar size may make things a bit cramped. But we can probably find something that will fit.”

“Oh, good,” Reno breathed in relief. “I miss it. Seriously… those were some of the best nights’ sleep I ever had.”

The senior Turk laughed and guided him towards the hallway. “I’m sure at least one of the stores in Midgar will have something suitable. Let’s go and get your paperwork turned in.”

They boarded the elevator, and Reno hit the button for the ground floor, where the manager’s office was located. He grinned slightly.

“Come on, Tseng, admit it. You’ve gotta be a little happy to see me go.”

“It would be more accurate to say I’m happy to see you growing up. I could never be happy to see you go,” Tseng replied, “Though I will concede that the timing is rather fortuitous. I received a letter this morning from home. My sister, Mayu, is coming to visit me next month. It will be nice to have her stay with me instead of putting her up in a hotel.”

Reno glanced up in interest as the doors slid open on the ground floor.

“Oh, yeah? Do I get to meet her?”

“So long as you refrain from blowing anything up between then and now… I’ll consider it,” Tseng smirked.

---

When Reno and Tseng arrived at the office on Monday morning, the redhead discovered a new vehicle on the parking deck, parked in one of the spaces that had been unofficially commandeered by the Turks… a large, heavily modified motorcycle that made Kai’s little crotch-rocket look like a child’s toy. He looked it over wondering just who that monstrosity belonged to, before he remembered… today was the day.

Two new rookies were joining their ranks.

He took one final glance at the custom bike and then hurried to catch up to his mentor, joining him in the elevator.

“So… What are the new guys like?” he asked.

“Exceptional,” Tseng replied, “I wouldn’t have chosen them otherwise. Beyond that… you’ll just have to wait and see.” He smirked slightly, as they stepped out onto their floor. “Incidentally… you came dangerously close to losing your status.”

The rookie froze momentarily and blinked. “What status?”

“As the youngest of the Turks,” Tseng clarified. “As it happens, one of them is just shy of a month older than you are.”

The redhead snorted softly. “Can we lie about his age?” he deadpanned. Honestly… youngest was a designation he could do without. “Ya know… give Kai someone else to call ‘baby Turkling’ for a change?”

The Turk lieutenant chuckled as they rounded the corner. “The rookie in question is female, actually. And even if she went along with such a scheme, I wouldn’t get your hopes up. I’m quite sure that Kai’s nickname for you is more in reference to your appearance than your actual age. Unless you start looking considerably older, I have a feeling you’re going to be her ‘baby Turkling’ for many years to come.”

He pushed open the lounge door, ushering his rookie inside. Reno groaned and walked in, only to stop short a moment later at the unfamiliar figure that greeted him… if by ‘greeting’ one meant giving him a decidedly unimpressed once-over and shaking his head with a quiet snort of contempt.

“Who’s the little kid?” the young man asked from the couch by the window.

He was probably only a bit older than Reno… likely Rude’s or Rufus’ age, or close to it… dressed in a standard Turk uniform, and largely unremarkable in appearance. His brown hair was spiked and somewhat unkempt, as though it had been blown into some semblance of a style by a powerful wind. He had dark, cobalt eyes and a slightly bored expression, as though he were just killing time before being allowed to show them what he could do.

“Reno,” Tseng began, gently nudging him forward, “Allow me to introduce you to Rodney.”

“Ooooh… Right. I heard about you,” the new rookie drawled, “You’re the slum kid we recruited last year.”

Reno crossed his arms over his chest, annoyed by the superior tone in the new rookie’s voice. “Yeah. What of it?”

Rodney shrugged. “Nothing. Word around the recruitment complex is that you’re some kind of prodigy that Tseng insisted on pulling straight into the ranks. I suppose I just expected you to be more… impressive, considering.”

“That’s Rodney for you. Always likes to make a first impression,” a voice behind the redhead stated before he could respond, “Usually, not a good one, but it’s always an impression.”

He turned to see a teenaged girl strolling calmly through the door behind his mentor. Like the other new recruit, she was dressed in the standard Turk uniform, though unlike Rodney, she looked liked she’d just hopped out of a photoshoot for Turk of the Year. Every crease was pressed, every wrinkle ironed, shoes polished… even her tie was picture perfect. The only thing not standard issue were the black, fingerless gloves she wore.

Her chestnut hair fell in soft waves to her shoulders, framing a notably pretty face. She gazed back at him with warm brown eyes and a cheerful expression as she strode up to him and held out her hand. Reno shook it and she smiled even wider. The redhead couldn’t help but grin back.

“I’m Cissnei,” she stated, “Nice to meet you, Reno!”

“… Uh… likewise,” he managed, caught slightly off-guard by the bubbly greeting. The pair of rookies seemed to be, at least at first glance, polar opposites. Where Rodney was confrontational and full of himself, Cissnei was friendly and outgoing. Reno was already pretty sure which of them he was going to like more.

“Are you excited?” Cissnei continued, fingers still firmly holding onto his hand, “I’m excited… I only really learned the basics of materia-based combat during recruitment, and honestly, the lessons were more of a general overview than practical application. I can’t wait to start working with it for real.”

Reno blinked for a moment, trying to process the abrupt shift in topic and figure out how it applied to him. Tseng laughed quietly.

“I had intended that to be a surprise… for all of you. Though I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked that you’ve already heard we’ll be starting today. Shay is… not precisely the best when it comes to surprises.”

Cissnei gasped softly and and finally released the redhead’s hand, raising her own to her mouth and blushing faintly.

“Oh! I-I’m so sorry, sir… I didn’t realize the others hadn’t been told yet!”

Rodney snickered loudly from his position on the couch. “That’s Cissnei for you… little miss big-mouth,” he said, in perfect mimicry of her tone a few minutes earlier. Cissnei glared back. He ignored it. “So… materia training, eh? Sweet.”

“Really, sir… I’m very sorry if I’ve overstepped…”

Tseng waved her off and shook his head slightly.

“No harm done. Though, in the future, it may be wiser to spend a bit more time considering your words before actually speaking them, lest you come to share Shay’s reputation,” he replied. “The morning briefing is in half an hour. I’ll leave you to get to know one another until then.”

With that, the Turk lieutenant took his leave, and the three rookies fell into a brief silence. It was Rodney who finally broke it.

“What he was saying was maybe try keeping your mouth shut once in awhile, Cissy,” Rodney snorted. The other new rookie groaned softly and sat down at the table across the room.

“What a dumb way to start my first day as a Turk,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Hey, Rod… You always this big a dick, or is today just a special occasion?” Reno shot back. The other rookie smirked.

“Oh, no… I’m always this big a dick. Ask anyone. Right Cissy?”

“Ugh… I’ve asked you before to quit calling me that, you jerk,” Cissnei responded. “Knock it off. Or else.”

“Or else what?”

“Or else I’ll cram that EMR of yours so far up your ass you’ll never see it again. And don’t think I can’t. You haven’t beat me yet in armed sparring.”

Rodney grinned and snickered again. “Bet that’d go over real well with Tseng. Out to ruin your perfect record already… Cissy?” Cissnei glowered at him, but didn’t say anything further. Rodney smirked and stood up. “Well… been great getting to know you and all, Reno, but I think I’m going to go have a look around headquarters before the day really gets started.”

With that, he strode past both of his fellow rookies, and disappeared into the hallway.

“… Wow. What a jackass,” the redhead commented when he was gone. Cissnei, to his surprise, laughed out loud.

“Yeah… He can be,” she said, smiling sweetly, “But I think he’s just nervous. He’s always at his worst when he’s worried about something, and this is a big day for him. Well… for both of us, really. He’s not so bad once you get to know him. Seriously, though… I hate being called Cissy, so don’t go getting any ideas about that. After all… I hear you’re an EMR user, too.”

Reno sniggered. “Ya know… I think you ‘n me are gonna get along just fine.”

“Why?” she giggled, “Did you make an ass of yourself in front of the second in command on your first day, too?”

“… My first day, I ended up goin’ for an unexpected swim during the building tour. Fully clothed. And takin’ the vice president in with me. Trust me… you’ve got nothin’ on my ability to look like an idiot,” the redhead said with a snort of laughter. Cissnei joined him in laughing hysterically.

“I think you’re right… We’re going to get along just fine,” she managed between gasps.

---

“Tch… Where the hell ya been?” Reno asked as his friend slid into a seat mere moments before the morning meeting was due to start.

“… Stuck in traffic,” Rude replied, clearly annoyed by his own tardiness. “There was an overturned semi on the freeway, blocking all lanes. I finally had to pull a U turn and backtrack to the Sector 4 exit, and then come in to work on the city streets. Took forever. I miss anything earlier?”

“Nothin’ important. Just meetin’ the new guys,” the redhead teased, grinning. “They’re over there.” He pointed across the room to the pair of new rookies, currently speaking with Tres and Kai. “Rodney’s an asshole, but Cissnei seems pretty cool. Oh yeah… and apparently we’re all startin’ materia trainin’ today.”

“I know… Tres gave me a heads up on that on Friday and then swore me to secrecy,” Rude replied, “Glad he did. Gave me a chance to dig this out of storage.” He pushed his sleeve back to reveal a coiled metal armlet that varied in hue from silver to gold to a deep copper from one end to the other. The metal was patterned in delicately engraved scales.

“What’s that?” Reno asked, curious. Whatever it was… it looked old. And expensive.

“Zeidrich.”

“Gesundheit,” the redhead snickered, earning a quiet laugh from his friend.

“It’s… a family heirloom. Not really sure where the name comes from. It nullifies certain kinds of spells cast with materia. Thought it might come in handy,” he said, and suddenly smirked, “Especially if I’m paired up with you.”

“You sayin’ you don’t think I’m gonna be awesome at this?” the rookie demanded, in a mock-insulted tone.

“… Remember your first day on the gun range?”

“Tch… I hit the target, didn’t I?”

“Yeah,” Rude snorted, “… and it only took you four boxes of ammo before you managed to do it. Plus it was my target that you finally hit. Shiva only knows what your aim with magic is going to be like.”

“Asshole.” The redhead elbowed him and snickered. He couldn’t really argue, though. It had taken ages to get him zeroed in with a firearm. He was a lot better at it now, but… materia was something wholly different, and something he didn’t have the faintest idea how to use. Hell, he’d only even seen it used once. Maybe Rude had the right idea. “Uh… Don’t s’pose you got another one of those layin’ around?”

Rude shook his head. “Sorry. One of a kind.”

“Figures.” The redhead yawned and stretch his arms out behind his head, leaning back in his chair. A moment later, Rodney made his way over.

“Well… Since this one’s Reno, I guess that’d make you Rude. Rodney Galena,” he said, holding out his hand. Rude shook it, with a sharp nod. “I hear you’re training under Tres in intelligence.”

“Yeah.”

“He speaks pretty highly of you… which is good. My placement scores say I’m best suited for field command, so I expect we’ll be working together a lot in the future. I look forward to it.”

“… Same,” Rude replied. Rodney gave him a quick nod of acknowledgment, and, ignoring the other rookie, made his way off to the next Turk in the room. Rude glanced over at Reno and shrugged. “He didn’t seem so terrible.”

Reno, meanwhile, was staring after the son of a bitch with a slightly mystified expression on his face. The Rodney who’d just left them was completely different from the Rodney who’d been such a dick in the lounge a little while ago.

“… What the crap was that?” he asked.

“Told you he’s not really that bad,” a voice behind him stated, and Reno’s head whipped around to see that Cissnei had joined them while he’d been distracted. “He was just a little on edge earlier.” She turned her attention on Rude. “Um… In case no one’s mentioned it yet, I’m Cissnei.”

“Hey,” Rude replied, with a welcoming smile. Reno gestured to the empty chair beside him.

“Saved ya a seat,” he said. Cissnei grinned and sat down. Further conversation was abruptly curtailed, however, as Tseng and Veld made their way into the room and the other Turks began to settle. Reno had expected Rodney to head back in their direction… but instead, he plopped himself down to Tseng’s left and sat there, looking up at him attentively. The redhead snorted softly.

“Suck up…” he muttered under his breath. If either of his companions heard him, they didn’t comment.

“Happy Monday, everyone,” Veld stated, “It’s going to be a busy week, so we’ll get straight to it. After last week’s… incident… with Professor Hojo, I’ve decided to have some upgrades made to office security. Sleeping quarters will now require you to use your ID to scan yourself in. Additionally, you will need to deactivate a silent alarm upon entry. This information is classified, M-beta-seven. Turk and building security only. Upgrades will be complete by the end of the week, and you’ll be seeing some security personnel and members of the IT staff in the office for several days.”

“What incident?” Cissnei whispered. Reno shook his head.

“Tell ya later.”

“And, of course, we’re welcoming our two newest members today. I expect everyone has met by now, at least in passing, but I want to introduce Rodney and Cissnei. Welcome to the team.”

There was a short round of applause for the new arrivals, before Veld quieted them down again.

“Saya and Sato will be returning from Junon today, and are, in fact, en route back to Midgar now. They’ll be replaced by Luca and Tres. Reno… you and Kai will be stationed down at the new office next week.”

“… Sir, just so I know… are you tryin’ to kill me off now that we got new rookies to take my place?” the redhead queried, glancing over at the female Turk. Kai grinned wolfishly, and several other Turks snickered in response. Even Veld chuckled.

“Reno… if I’d planned to have you eliminated once our new rookies were confirmed, you’d already be dead,” he jokingly shot back. “Junon. Next week, with Kai. In the mean time, all four of the team’s rookies will begin materia training with Tseng and Shay this week.” He turned and glanced over at Luca. “And yes… both Maintenance and Medical have been alerted.”

The rest of the meeting was largely just a rehash of ongoing assignments from the previous week. Nothing new on the table just yet. Soon, Reno, Rude, and Cissnei made their way out into the hallway where Tseng and Rodney were already waiting for them. Shay joined them a moment later.

“I hope you’re all prepared for a very difficult day of training,” Tseng intoned. “Materia takes a great deal of strength and concentration to use, and a long-term commitment to truly master. Today, we’ll be covering the basics, as well as gauging your natural affinity for it.”

---

A soft, green glow swirled beneath the smooth surface of the sphere, almost living in its slow, endless motions. Reno eyed it curiously. The sphere was warm to the touch and seemed to grow hotter the more he concentrated on it… it was almost as if he could sense the flames within, wanting to get out.

None of the rookies had been told what they were being handed. Rude was staring at his, looking slightly perplexed by it. Cissnei looked a bit more confident, but there was still some uncertainty in her gaze, as though she were second-guessing herself. Rodney, meanwhile, looked nothing short of smug.

Tseng paced slowly in front of the four of them, and finally paused in front of the redhead.

“Well?”

“… Pretty sure it’s fire materia,” he replied, looking up from the gently dancing lights within the sphere.

“Correct,” the Wutaiian Turk replied, smiling approvingly. He moved on to Rude. “And yours is… ?”

Rude blinked in reply and hesitated. “… I’m… not really sure.”

His sphere, unlike Reno’s, was yellow in color… but contained the same lazily swirling glow. Before they’d been handed out, Shay had explained that materia came in different classes, or ‘types’. The green spheres allowed the user to cast magic spells… primarily elemental. Blue support type spheres could be paired with other types to augment their abilities. The purplish ones were independent type, and augmented the users themselves in various ways making them stronger, faster, more resilient… Red – of which there were none present, and probably for good reason – was reserved for summoning materia. Reno somehow doubted they’d be getting their hands on any of that type in the near future. Aside from being incredibly rare, it was also extremely dangerous.

And then there were the yellow spheres… command type. An unusual class of materia that gave its user less… noticeable… abilities, such as subtly absorbing the knowledge of how to use a spell cast against you. Rude rolled the materia between his fingers, still uncertain of its purpose.

“What does it make you feel when you’re holding it,” Tseng prompted.

“… Like… there’s something I desperately want to know.”

The Turk lieutenant chuckled softly. “An apt description. It was, admittedly, a little unfair to give you that one, as it’s not the most intuitive for a novice to simply guess with no prior experience… but I thought you might appreciate it,” he explained, “That is Sense materia. Useful for detecting weaknesses in opponents as well as estimating their overall strength before actively engaging them.”

He moved on to Cissnei next, and she frowned slightly.

“I can tell it’s defensive magic… and I think it’s meant to block something… but I’m not sure what,” she said. Reno glanced down the line. Her materia was green as well, but beyond that, there was no outward indication of what it might be. “It feels like… it’s more than one thing.”

Shay grinned widely from over Tseng’s shoulder.

“That’s because it is,” he replied. “Well… sort of. It’s been mastered, and it’s developed abilities beyond what it started out with.”

“Oh!” Cissnei suddenly cried, as though something had clicked into place. “It’s Barrier materia, isn’t it!”

Tseng nodded, and stepped up to Rodney.

“And yours?”

The new rookie smirked and tossed the sphere into the air before catching it again.

“You can’t trip me up, sir, even with something like this. I know my materia. This is Contain,” he replied, with a superior grin.

“I’m impressed. Not many would recognize a materia capable of casting spells based in multiple elements so easily.”

“My family has always shown an aptitude for materia, sir,” Rodney said, and Reno was forced to roll his eyes. He was starting to get the feeling that the rookie was one of those assholes who always had to be the best at everything.

“Then you should do well with our next exercise,” Tseng mused, and motioned to Shay, who collected all but Reno’s sphere, and then replaced the others’ confiscated materia with a new magic type. “For the sake of consistency, you’ll all begin with the same type of materia… which, as Reno has already established, is fire materia.”

Shay handed each of them a wristlet with a single slot to hold a materia sphere. It took the redhead a moment to snap it into place but soon he was admiring the little sphere as it glimmered faintly in it’s metallic frame. He was so distracted by it that he almost missed what the senior Turk was saying about needing to focus on both the materia and the target.

“Reno… you’re up first,” Tseng’s voice interjected, and the rookie jumped slightly in surprise. Shay grinned as he walked up to the line that had been marked on the floor several yards from a collection of targets.

“Just relax and focus on what you want to have happen to the target,” the senior Turk encouraged him. Reno looked down at the materia for a moment and then out at one of the targets. He pictured it bursting into flames. The sphere’s glow seemed to intensify momentarily and… nothing happened. Not so much as a flicker.

He heard a soft snort of laughter from behind him… and he didn’t have to wonder which of his fellow rookies it had come from.

“Don’t worry… Not everyone gets it on the first try,” Shay said, before calling Rude up.

Apparently ‘not everyone’ didn’t mean the majority… because after Rude’s target was quickly set alight, so was Cissnei’s. Rodney’s was practically incinerated. The redhead scowled at the elitist look the new rookie shot him as he was returning to the lineup.

“Alright. We have an hour before lunch,” said Tseng, “Let’s see how much you can all improve by then.”

---

He felt drained.

In all seriousness, Reno felt as though just the effort of lifting the fork to his mouth was too much to deal with. On the other hand, he was absolutely starving… so he forced himself anyway. He hadn’t felt this hungry since his slum days. And the worst part of it was that he really hadn’t done anything to justify being this exhausted and desperate for food.

Materia training had been a complete failure. Well… for him, at least. He hadn’t managed a single spell. Not one. An hour of staring at targets and seeing them just sit there. The others, meanwhile, seemed to have no problem at all lighting theirs up.

And Rodney hadn’t been the least bit subtle in his opinion of the redhead’s abilities, either. Every time Reno had looked over at him, he was standing there, with that goddamned look of smug superiority plastered across his face. If he’d had the energy by the end of the training session, he’d’ve smacked it right off.

“Hey… You okay?”

Reno glanced up from his lunch… which he belatedly realized he’d already devoured every last crumb of.

“… How are you not as dead on your feet as I am?” he asked as Rude took a seat across from him. The older rookie just shrugged. Reno groaned and let his forehead hit the table.

“I looked like a complete moron out there…” he sighed. He peered over at Rude’s plate. “You gonna eat all that? I still feel like I haven’t eaten in days.”

Before he could answer, another plate was set down beside him.

“That’s what they call depletion,” Cissnei said, dropping into the seat next to him. “I read that it happens when you go overboard with materia before you’re ready for it. Here… I got you some of the barbequed pork. Protein is supposed to help.”

“Thanks,” the redhead replied, reaching for the plate. “… but how the fuck am I ‘depleted’ or… whatever? I didn’t do anything.”

Cissnei shrugged. “Sorry… I haven’t had time to finish the chapter yet. You can borrow my book when I’m done, if you want.”

“What in Odin’s name happened ta yeh?” a familiar voice suddenly asked, and Reno turned to see Sato and Saya walking towards the group of rookies, their own lunches in hand.

“Materia training,” Rude replied for him. The twins looked at one another and grinned.

“Ooooh,” they chorused.

“Aye… I remember that,” Sato added. “Never much cared fer materia myself. Too much of an investment. Takes ages ta buld up yer mana pool ‘n shite enough ta be good at it. I’d rather just chuck a bomb at the enemy.”

Saya snorted softly. “Yeh’d rather just chuck a bomb. Full stop.”

“… True,” Sato replied, and grinned widely. His gaze fell on Cissnei a moment later. “Ah… Yeh must be one o’ the new rookies.”

“Heh… Cissnei, meet the twins. Saya and Sato,” Reno said, gesturing toward the pair.

“‘Course we’re not really twins…”

“We’re cousins,” Sato clarified.

“Second cousins,” Saya hurriedly added.

“Twice removed,” Reno cut in before before Sato could speak again. Saya giggled at the annoyed look that crossed her relative’s face.

“That was my line, yeh little imp,” Sato muttered, and the redhead could hear Cissnei next to him trying somewhat futily to contain her own snickering.

“Nice to meet you both,” she finally managed.

“And yeh, too,” Saya replied. “But aren’t there supposed ta be two of yeh?”

“Tch… Rodney stuck around for extra practice with Tseng before he takes the newbies on the building tour after lunch.” Reno rolled his eyes at the memory. The fucker couldn’t have been more blatantly brown-nosing the Turk lieutenant if he’d tried. Saya laughed softly and teasingly ruffled his hair.

“Sounds like someone’s a wee bit jealous of the new Turkling…”

The redhead sat up and shoved her hand aside.

“I am not jealous of Rodney!” he growled… and then groaned faintly as the room spun and he pressed a hand to his eyes. “But I am dizzy as all hell now…”

“Reno?” Saya queried, her voice suddenly serious. The rookie shook his head slightly, which turned out to be a very bad idea, as it only made the unexpected vertigo worse. Thankfully, it eased a moment later. Saya sharply clucked her tongue in a manner that reminded him far too much of Dr. Ward. “I think yeh need a wee lie down. That materia trainin’s got yeh licked. Come on. Hurry ‘n finish that. I’ll take yeh upstairs fer a bit ‘n let Kai know that yeh’ll be skippin’ out on hand ta hand this afternoon.”

“Tch… I’m fine,” the redhead groused, but Saya wasn’t about to be argued with. As soon as he’d finished his second helping of food, she hauled him out of his seat and off towards the elevators.

---

Tuesday’s training didn’t go much better. Nor did Wednesday’s. By Thursday, Reno was dreading even looking at another piece of materia, and by Friday, he was praying that Tseng and Shay somehow got themselves stuck in the elevator all afternoon just so he could get out of it.

At first, Tseng hadn’t been overly concerned with his protege’s lack of progress… but by the time the end of the week rolled around, he seemed to share the redhead’s frustration. On top of that… Rodney, of course, was at the top of the class, and he made sure to remind Reno of that every chance he got.

His exhaustion was starting to show in other aspects of his training as well. His range performance was slipping, and in both armed and unarmed sparring matches, he started getting his ass thoroughly handed to him… which he was sure Tseng had noticed. Thankfully, it was nearly the weekend… and next week, he’d be in Junon where he wouldn’t even have to think about the Ifrit-be-damned materia for awhile.

First, though… he had to survive Friday.

Which, as he found himself flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling of the training hall yet again, was beginning to look less and less likely. The redhead groaned and staggered to his feet, rubbing at the still twitching spot on his thigh where Rodney’s EMR had made contact. Sure, it had been on a pretty low setting… but that shit still hurt! He glared at Rodney’s smirking face as he prepared his next attack.

“Okey dokey, my little Turklings… That’s enough for today. Go hit the showers,” Kai suddenly called out, and Reno breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh, thank fuck.”

Rodney snickered and followed him as they trailed Rude and Cissnei towards the locker rooms. Reno was already stripping down before they even made it inside.

“Well, that was fun.”

“Haven’t you been a Turk for nearly a year now?” Rodney asked, opening his locker and shoving his sweatshirt inside. “You fight like the newbies back in recruitment.”

“Fuck you,” the redhead muttered, dragging himself over to a shower stall and turning the water up to his preferred near-scalding temperature.

“Don’t get me wrong… you’re not totally hopeless. I’m just trying to figure out why in the nine hells Tseng chose to fast track you. You’d have been better off spending a couple years as a recruit… like the rest of us.”

Reno ignored him, instead bending his head forward and letting the water massage the back of his neck.

“I mean… I can understand a man like Tseng wanting a challenge, but –”

“Seriously not in the mood,” Reno cut him off through gritted teeth. Rodney was mercifully silent for the remainder of his shower. Several minutes later, the rookie reluctantly shut off the water and reached for a towel, drying himself down. All he wanted to do right now was go home and sleep… and fortunately, given that it was a quarter to five, that was precisely what he was about to do.

“I’m just saying…” Rodney picked up again, apparently not content to drop the subject. “You’re supposed to be a First Rookie. Don’t you think you’re a little… disappointing… as a protege?”

Reno glowered and started pulling his clothes on. “Yeah, well… doesn’t really matter what you think, or what I think. It’s Tseng’s choice.”

Rodney shrugged. “I suppose. But like you said… it’s a choice. Who’s to say he can’t change his mind and make a new one.”

The redhead froze at that proclamation. Was there any reason Tseng couldn’t do exactly that? To be honest, he hadn’t ever really questioned this whole first rookie thing in depth. What were the rules, anyway?

“You know… It hasn’t exactly escaped my notice how much you and I have in common, skills-wise,” Rodney went on, his casual tone hardly masking the intent of his words, “Ever wonder if maybe Tseng is looking to upgrade to… a better version of you?”

Reno didn’t answer… nor did he wait for Rude to finish his own shower. He simply finished dressing and stormed out of the locker room, ignoring the look of forced innocence on the other rookie’s face as he left.

---

The car ride back to Tseng’s apartment was spent mostly in silence… largely because Reno kept drifting off. It wasn’t until they were pulling into the parking lot that he finally managed to rouse himself enough to function again.

“It’s been a long week, hasn’t it,” Tseng said as they made their way inside.

“Tch… Now there’s an understatement…” the rookie sighed, kicking his shoes off and faceplanting onto the couch in the living room.

“It will get easier. You simply need more practice. I’m going to ask Viridia to work with you while you’re in Junon next week. She’s a member of the Junon Materia Corps… She’s better equipped than I to determine where you’re going wrong.”

Reno groaned loudly, the sound muffled by the couch’s cushions, and Tseng couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I know… You were probably looking forward to a week away from materia practice. But I think it’s for the best. You still have time to catch up to the others if we act quickly. I don’t want you falling behind any more than you already are.” He walked over to the couch and rested a hand between his rookie’s shoulder blades. “Really… there’s no need for melodramatics.”

When the teenager didn’t move, Tseng frowned slightly.

“Reno?”

It took him a moment to realize that the redhead was out cold. Tseng shook his head slightly. He probably should have expected that. Materia training wasn’t easy, especially when one was first starting out, and he knew that, despite the lack of progress, the rookie had been putting a lot of effort into it. Reno was probably completely exhausted after a week of trying so hard – and failing repeatedly – to produce even a simple spell. He rolled him onto his back, and hefted the younger Turk into his arms, carrying him off to his guest room.

A little rest and Reno would be ready to try again.

Though, Tseng had to admit… he was a somewhat surprised by the difficulty he was having. Usually, the redhead picked up new skills with very little effort. It occasionally took him awhile to perfect them, but he seldom had so much trouble with the basics. He set his ward down atop the sheets and tucked a blanket around him and decided not to worry about it just yet. A week with Viridia would get him up to speed, he was sure.

~end chapter 52~