Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 33: A Pretty Fucking Good Day

Rufus stared blandly at the wine remaining in his glass as the executive helicopter streaked across the sky, en route to Costa del Sol. He swirled it for a moment, and then downed it in one go before reaching for the bottle and pouring himself another.

“Sir… Don’t you think it’s a bit early for that?” Tseng asked, raising an eyebrow. Rufus really wasn’t much of a drinker. He liked wine with meals, as well as the occasional brandy at the end of the day… but he was on his second glass and it wasn’t even nine in the morning yet. It was… rather unusual for him.

“Frankly, I see no other way of getting though this idiocy…” he muttered, unhappily.

“I… was under the impression that this was a meeting concerning a new investment…” the Turk lieutenant said, uncertainly. Apparently he’d been given the wrong impression, judging by the young man’s demeanor. Rufus snorted loudly and drained the second glass.

“Oh, it’s an ‘investment‘, alright. Father has invested in a bride for me. She’s from a rather well-to-do family in Costa del Sol. The daughter of an old business associate of his,” he said, and suddenly smirked as he reached for the bottle yet again and filled his glass all the way to the rim. “We’re meeting to determine… ‘compatibility’… and so that her father can render his final approval of the match.”

“Ah… That explains the day drinking, then,” Tseng replied, and gently plucked the wine glass from the Shinra heir’s hand, much to Rufus’ displeasure. “Forgive me, sir… But I’m not about to let you make a drunken fool of yourself.”

Rufus glared at him.

“If I wish to be seen by my would-be in-laws as a lush, that is my own Ramuh-forsaken business!” he replied, snatching it back, and in the process dumping nearly half of its contents onto his white overcoat. He swore softly and groaned at the sight of the stain. “It would have to be a merlot…”

He sighed and divested himself of the jacket, flinging it onto one of the empty seats with a loud snort.

“It was likely going to be far too hot to wear the damned thing, anyway…” he muttered.

“Sir… there are better ways of getting out of this than jeopardizing your public reputation,” Tseng said, taking the opportunity to seize the bottle and re-secure it in the wine cooler. “And while I certainly don’t support your father’s methods, you have yet to even meet the young lady in question…”

“Hmph… if you’re saying that I may grow to like her, save it, Tseng. If she has agreed to this arrangement then it’s either because she wants me for money and power, or because she is a weakling who bows to the whims of her father. I’m not interested in either.”

Tseng shook his head. “Your father cannot force you to marry.” Rufus opened his mouth to reply, but the Turk cut him off. “He can pressure you, certainly, but he cannot force you to agree to it.”

“He can make my life miserable if I refuse…” Rufus muttered.

“Perhaps.” Tseng shook his head and sighed. “I empathize with you, Rufus. I truly do. I, too, lived in my father’s shadow for far too long, and I, too, let him control me. But it’s not impossible to free yourself from such control.”

“Hmph… yes, well, I don’t have the option to steal off in the middle of the night and flee to another country like some people,” Rufus groused, folding his arms over his chest in a huff. Tseng chuckled.

“No… I would most assuredly not recommend that course of action in your case, sir,” he lightly teased, “… if only because I’m fairly certain it would drive me to a nervous breakdown. Please, for the sake of my sanity, don’t entertain that idea for any longer than you may already have.”

Rufus barked a quiet laugh and shook his head.

“What am I going to do, then, Tseng?” he asked, somewhat pleadingly, “This cannot continue. I’m running out of excuses.”

“Have you tried simply talking to your father?” The Wutaiian Turk asked, and Rufus rolled his eyes.

“Of course I’ve tried. The man doesn’t listen.”

“Then perhaps it’s time you made him listen. He is your father… and you show a great deal of deference to him when you speak to him. It’s only natural for a child to do so with a parent… but perhaps it’s time you reign that submission in a bit. One can be both respectful and firm. In fact, I’ve seen you do just that on more than one occasion in the many negotiations I’ve accompanied you on… including in meetings with your father. You might gain a better response if you speak about this to him in such a manner, as well.”

The younger Shinra sank back in his seat, apparently pondering Tseng’s advice.

“I… suppose I really have nothing to lose,” he said at last, “But what in Ramuh’s name do I do about about this meeting?” He gestured in the general direction of Costa del Sol, and shook his head. “I’m stuck spending the day with some money-grubbing harpy.”

Tseng frowned thoughtfully and finally sighed. “I am only offering because I can relate to your predicament… but I suppose, just this once, should things prove too distasteful, I can engineer some sort of vague threat to your safety that would require a timely evacuation.”

Rufus breathed a sigh of relief and flashed Tseng a truly grateful smile.

“Let’s at least try and tolerate the situation for a short while, though, if only to make the report I’ll inevitably have to write convincing. And for Leviathan’s sake, don’t ever tell Veld about this. I’d likely be relegated to guarding Hojo for a month if he found out.”

---

“So… that’s it?” Sykes queried as he and Rude made their way towards the Wall Market train station. Rude smirked slightly. He hadn’t thought that things would go quite that smoothly, either. He’d half expected to be denied an audience with Don Corneo entirely… today, at least. Typically, when the Don knew why the Turks were paying him a visit, he made them wait.

It was a blatant power play on his part… and supremely annoying… but that’s just how the relationship between Corneo and the Turks worked. Today, however, he and Sykes had been shown right in… and Rude was pretty sure he knew why. The Shinra employee in question was high enough on the company totem pole that, if he wanted to make trouble for Corneo in retaliation for the attempted blackmail, he could have. He was a junior executive who had the ear of the head of the Transportation department, and Corneo did a lot of business with people from the Plate. Cut off or even just slow down transportation, and Corneo took a sizable hit. Rude doubted he was willing to risk it over a subordinate’s demand for a measly fifty thousand gil that wasn’t even going directly into the Don’s pocket.

“We got lucky today. Corneo wasn’t in the mood to argue,” Rude stated. “Hmph… guess that frees up the rest of my morning.” He glanced over at Sykes. “Feel like making a side-stop before we head back to headquarters?”

“Fine by me, sir. Is it a new lead on the Zenshou?”

Rude shook his head. “No. It’s… sort of a personal matter. A favor for a friend.”

“Sir?” the rookie replied with a puzzled expression.

“… I promised I’d help them find some information. Got a lead I haven’t had time to check out yet. Probably oughta be doing it on my own time, but since we finished up earlier than I thought we would…”

Sykes shrugged and followed him into the station. They scanned their train passes and walked through the turnstile and onto the platform, waiting for the next train topside.

“So… what’s this favor, exactly?” the rookie asked.

“… It’s… private. A friend is looking for information on a family member. I said I’d see what I could find.”

A train whistle sounded before Sykes could inquire further, and Rude glanced up to see the engine pulling into the station.

---

Petra was… nervous. Or at least that’s what Reno assumed the frantic pacing meant. He’d actually never seen her quite so worked up. Usually the rookie from Cosmo Canyon had an almost zen-like demeanor. Not today, however.

Reno, Liam, and Petra had spent a couple of hours in the training hall, per Tseng’s schedule, going over improvised weapons. And then the redhead had called for a break, since the older rookie was due to be picked up by Kai for her piloting certification… which seemed to be the source of her anxiety. Reno shook his head, and stepped into her path just as she turned to make another pass across the gym floor.

“Would ya relax already?” he snickered, “You’re gonna do fine. The certification exam’s not that bad.”

Petra groaned, and exhaled a long breath. “Is it that obvious?”

“That you’re completely freakin’ out?” the redhead laughed, “Uh… yeah. Yeah I kinda got that impression. Think ya might actually be wearin’ a hole in the floor at this point.”

She groaned again, shaking her head in dismay, just as Liam returned from wherever he’d vanished to after Reno had cut the pair loose for their break. He held a can out to her. Chai latte, Reno noted. Odd… he didn’t recall that one being in the vending machines up here. The ones on the exercise floors were stocked with a rather disgustingly healthy selection. No sugary drinks to be seen. The kid had to have gone on a bit of a scavenger hunt to find it for her.

“Here, Petra… It’s your favorite,” he said, and the other rookie smiled, accepting the drink.

“Thanks, Liam…”

“Heh… Seriously, it’s not a big deal. Ya don’t do anything ya haven’t already done a hundred times. ‘Sides… you think you got it rough, when I certified, Tseng told me I’d be takin’ my first solo flight soon as I was done. To Junon. With classified tech for the war in the cargo hold. I half didn’t wanna pass at all just to get out of it,” Reno said, grinning.

Okay… that was maybe a little bit of an exaggeration. He doubted much of anything would have really convinced him to fail the exam on purpose. But he hadbeen more than a little nervous about knowing he’d be soloing so soon if he passed. Petra’s eyes went wide.

“Oh, thankTypoon I don’t have to do that,” she breathed, looking vaguely horrified, and the younger rookie stifled a laugh.

“Come on, Pet… You got this,” said Liam. Reno looked up as the doors leading into the training hall opened, admitting the familiar figure of Kai.

“And it looks like you don’t have to wait any longer…” the redhead added with a nod.

“All set?” the senior Turk asked as she approached.

“Aside from bein’ a nervous wreck?” Reno teased, draping an arm over the rookie’s shoulders, “Yeah, she can’t wait!”

Petra took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Um… Wish me luck?” she said, in a somewhat small voice.

“Good luck!” both Reno and Liam chorused, grinning, which prompted a soft laugh from the other rookie. Kai snickered and escorted her out of the training hall. Liam shook his head and took a seat on one of the benches that lined the walls of the room.

“I hope I’m not that nervous when I have to take my exam…”

Reno shrugged. “Everybody freaks out a little. It’s normal. Tch… ‘cept maybe Tseng. The boss never freaks out over much of anything. Doubt he was too worried about a piloting test back in the day,” he snickered, “So… We got some time to kill before Petra’s done ‘n Rude’s back with Sykes. Anything ya wanna work on that’s not on the training schedule? ‘Cause I’m fine with stickin’ to the hand to hand shit Tseng had planned for ya, but if there’s somethin’ ya want more one on one practice with while ya got me to yourself…”

“Well, actually… If it’s alright with you, sir, I wouldn’t mind hitting up the pool,” Liam said, “I… er… don’t really need the practice, but…”

The redhead grinned. “But hoppin’ in the water for awhile sounds a lot more enjoyable than tryin’ to break one of my holds?”

Liam sheepishly smiled. “Yes, sir.”

“Fine by me,” Reno said, “We’ll pick up where we left off when the others get back.”

The pair made their way out of the training hall on thirty-three and down one floor to the Shinra Building’s company pool, quickly changing in the locker room.

“Sir… um… why is it that you don’t do this more often? Training us, I mean…” Liam asked, and the redhead glanced up from stuffing his clothes into a locker in surprise. “It’s just that… well… you’re so much better at it than everyone else…”

Reno laughed, rubbing the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed by the unexpected compliment.

“I am, huh?” he replied, chuckling. “I’ve only been a Turk for like three years, ya know. And about half that time I was still in training.”

“Yeah… but you’re better at explaining the stuff I have trouble with. I always seem to catch on right away when you take over…”

“Ya know, if I didn’t know better, I might think you were suckin’ up to me…” he teased, turning and closing the locker door.

Liam’s eyes widened and he shook his head in denial. “N-no! I… I’m not, I swear!”

The redhead grinned. “Relax, kid… I was kiddin’,” he snickered, “Heh… ‘sides… that would definitely be a first for me. No one’s ever really had a reason to wanna get on my good side before. Never really had anything other than jack ‘n shit to offer.”

Liam laughed quietly. “Well… I think you’re a pretty great teacher.”

“Heh… yeah, well… Apparently Tseng feels the same way, ’cause he’s gonna have me start workin’ with you guys more often. Just found out this mornin’.”

“Really?” the rookie beamed, “That’s terrific!”

Reno snickered loudly and started towards the pool. “Geez… ‘n I thought I was excited ’bout that…”

---

Rude frowned at the drab wooden door in front of him. There had been no answer to his first knock… and his second, he was almost certain was being ignored, as he had distinctly seen the curtains in the front window twitch slightly a moment ago. He supposed it was his own fault for not setting up a meeting ahead of time, but this had been rather spur of the moment. He sighed and turned to the rookie beside him.

“… Guess I’ll have to try again another time.”

“But… sir, there’s definitely someone in there…” Sykes pointed out, nodding to the window, where the curtains were, once again, moving slightly. Rude shook his head.

“I know. But we’re not here in any official capacity… or even an unofficial one. Can’t exactly just kick the door in.”

It was irritating… but he was used to being patient. He’d get them to talk to him eventually. It just, apparently, wasn’t going to be today. He turned away from the door of the condo and walked down the small sidewalk, back towards his truck, the rookie trailing behind him. They climbed in, and Rude started the drive back to Shinra headquarters.

“So… this family member your friend’s looking for. Is it like… a missing person or something?”

Rude snorted softly in laughter. “No. Nothing like that. Just… someone they haven’t seen in a very long time and want to reconnect with.”

Which, he supposed, was true enough, even if it wasn’t reconnecting in the sense that was implied. But Rude didn’t want to blast Reno’s personal business all over the office, and the rookies tended to talk… at the very least, to one another. And then they’d get curious and ask the redhead about it directly. Reno was getting better about talking openly about his mother… but not to the point that he’d be comfortable sharing with just anyone.

Besides which… he hadn’t even told his friend that he was still looking into his mother’s history. Reno likely assumed that, when he hadn’t managed to find anything by his birthday, Rude had simply given it up as impossible. He’d already gotten Reno’s hopes up once and failed to deliver. He didn’t want to put him through that again… because even though the redhead had outright told him he wasn’t surprised by the lack of information, Rude knew he’d been disappointed that he’d ultimately ended up being right.

It was a matter for another time, however. Right now, he was on duty and couldn’t afford to devote any more of his day to the search.

---

Rufus bit back the annoyed sigh that threatened to escape his lips at the sight of the long table laid out with quite a large luncheon spread given that there were only four people in attendance at this little meeting… one of whom was expected to do nothing more than silently stand guard over him for the duration. He and Tseng had been greeted at the door by the family’s manservant and ushered out onto the veranda where his father’s old business acquaintance and his daughter met them.

“Ah… Rufus! It’s been ages since I saw you last. You’ve grown!” a balding man nearer to sixty than fifty proclaimed, climbing to his feet and striding over to the Shinra heir. He grasped the younger man’s hand, shaking it enthusiastically.

“Yes, well… one tends to do that as one gets older,” Rufus replied. Silas Vasquez had known the elder Shinra since before Rufus had even been born, and was one of Shinra Company’s earliest investors. They’d met more than a few times over the years, but this was the first time he’d seen him since taking over as vice president of the company.

“Indeed… indeed,” Silas prattled, before turning his attention to the young woman seated at the table. “Serena, come over her and say hello!”

The girl unabashedly rolled her eyes.

“If I must…” she said, in a very put-upon tone, and Rufus very nearly laughed out loud at the sputtering reaction her reply generated from her father. She calmly stood up and, in an unhurried, graceful almost-glide, she walked over to Rufus and his bodyguard. “Hello,” she stated blandly, and then, in that same graceful fashion, turned on her heel and returned from whence she came.

“Serena!” her father hissed, anger and embarrassment very obviously fighting for dominance on his face. Rufus allowed himself a small smirk.

“I get the impression your daughter isn’t all that impressed with me,” he said.

“Oh, no… No, no… Serena is just a bit.. shy… That’s all. Please! Have a seat. You must be starving after your flight.” He escorted the young executive to the table, placing him in the seat directly across from his daughter, and rubbed his hands together. “Blast… the chef hasn’t sent out the wine yet. I’ll just go and see what’s keeping it.”

He swept from the room, a bundle of nervous energy, and Rufus shook his head. The moment her father was gone, Serena fixed him with a glare.

“I want to make it perfectly clear that I have no intention of entertaining this ridiculous notion my father has of marrying me off to… you,” she stated, and the force of her gaze quite literally rendered the Shinra heir speechless for a moment.

“Oh, thank Ramuh,” he breathed, rolling his eyes. In response, the girl blinked owlishly, clearly not expecting the reaction she’d gotten.

“I… beg your pardon?” she stammered.

“Believe me, I have no more desire to be here than you do. This was all my father’s idea, not mine.”

Serene suddenly laughed. And kept laughing for several seconds as Rufus glanced, rather mystified, back at Tseng. The Turk smiled slightly and shook his head, but said nothing.

“Oh… oh, my…” she managed, still giggling, “And here I was all set to be an absolute horror to you until you finally gave up and went home. I had no idea we were in the same boat, so to speak!”

Rufus, too, was struck by the sheer idiocy of the revelation.

“I had actually intended to show up quite drunk in the hopes of being turned away at the gate. Unfortunately, my plan was foiled,” he replied, shooting a pointed look at the Turk standing behind him. Serena sniggered loudly.

“Pity… I would have loved to have seen Father’s face if you had…”

Rufus’ lips curved into a smile. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and steepling his fingers in front of him. “Well, then, Miss Vasquez, as it seems that… sabotaging… this arrangement would be mutually beneficial… what do you say to a little cooperation?”

Serena leaned forward, mirroring his smile.

“Go on…” she replied, and Rufus was quite certain he heard Tseng quietly groan.

---

“Hey, Reno… I need you for a minute,” Kai said as she was escorting a very pleased-looking Petra into the Turks’ lounge. He and Liam had returned upstairs to see if the other rookies were back yet. Sykes had been waiting for them when they arrived.

“Only a minute?” the redhead replied, “Come on, Kai… I can’t even get undressed that fast…”

“Keep it in your pants you little, pervert,” the senior Turk snickered, rolling her eyes amid a chorus of muted laughter from the rookies, “Now, please? Sato’s back with my interrogation subject and Veld wants me wired since the cameras have been a little iffy on the audio lately and I.T. hasn’t gotten around to fixing them yet.”

“Oh, so ya just want me to feel ya up a little…” Reno grinned, setting his coffee aside and standing up from his comfortable position on the couch.

“Can’t you pull your mind out of the gutter for two seconds?”

“Nope,” he replied, grin widening, and followed her to her office, calling over his shoulder to the rookies, “Back in a minute, guys…”

“Hmph… What’s got you in such a good mood today?” Kai asked. She picked up a small case and handed it to him before slipping out of her jacket and tossing it over the back of her chair. Reno shrugged.

“Tseng’s gonna let me start spendin’ more time with the rookies. Oh, yeah… and Liam told me I’m a way better trainer than you,” he said with a teasing smirk. Kai snorted softly.

“Yeah, right. Keep dreaming, Baby Turkling,” she chuckled, unbuttoning her shirt. “So… he’s finally making you a proper trainer, huh? Took him long enough…”

Reno grinned and looped the wire for the microphone around her torso, securing it in place with a few pieces of tape. Kai plugged in the recording unit and tucked it into her back pocket. She suddenly snickered and shook her head.

“You’re suck a dork sometimes…” she laughed. Reno cast her a confused look.

“What the hell’s that s’posed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing… Just that you always get that same goofy look on your face when you know you’ve done something to please Tseng…”

“Tch… I do not,” he shot back with a slight glare, which only seemed to amuse Kai further.

“Oh, yes you do,” she said, giggling quietly. Reno scoffed and rolled his eyes, folding his arms over his chest. Kai smiled and pushed herself up onto her toes in order to reach over and ruffle his hair. “It’s okay to proud of yourself, Baby Turkling. You’re adorable when you are. And dorky. Really, really dorky.”

“Cut it out, already, will ya? I hate it when you do that…” he groaned, ducking out from under her hand.

“No you don’t,” she replied cheerfully, “And for Titan’s sake, quit growing already… You’re getting so tall I can barely reach anymore.”

He rolled his eyes again. “We done here? I got another hour I’m s’posed to be in the training hall with the rookies today.”

Kai grinned and buttoned her shirt back up, before grabbing her jacket. “Better get used to it. Tseng spends more time than anyone with the Turklings, you know…”

“Well, yeah… that’s kinda his job,” Reno replied. He shook his head and made his way back to the lounge where the trio of rookies were waiting for him. Of course, Tseng spent a ton of time with them. Rookies were pretty much the second in command’s biggest priority when he wasn’t actually in the field. Everyone knew that. He didn’t know what the hell Kai thought that had to do with him,though. Unless, of course, Rude had somehow dragged her into his weird little Reno’s gonna be the next Second fantasy…

He almost laughed out loud at that thought. Somehow he doubted Kai would get suckered into that idea. She still called him Baby Turkling, for fuck’s sake.

“Alright guys…” he said, at last making his return and turning his attention back to his trio of trainees, “Who’s ready for a gauntlet run before lunch?”

The question was met with a chorus of unenthusiastic groans.

“… And then we can go grab a pizza. My treat,” he said, adding with a grin, “Best time picks the toppings…”

Because… why not? He was having a pretty fucking good day… why not share it? The prospect of food not from the Shinra cafeteria seemed to perk them up almost immediately.

---

“Was all of that really necessary, sir?” Tseng sighed. The pair made their way down the cobblestone path that led to the Vasquez manor. A warm breeze was blowing in from the ocean, carrying with it the sharp scent of salt. Rufus gazed out at the tiny triangles that floated amongst the waves… distant boats carrying tourists over the water. He smiled.

“Necessary? Perhaps not. But I fail to see why I shouldn’t have a little fun every now and then. And besides… Serena was quite a good sport about it…”

“I’m fairly certain you ruined that lovely dress of hers…”

“And I’m fairly certain she ruined one of my favorite vests,” the Shinra heir returned, gesturing to the large brown stain that coated most of his left side. A food fight had, admittedly, been just a bit childish – as had the feigned screaming match that had preceded it – but it had been undeniably… amusing. And freeing. His father would not be pleased when he learned how abysmally the meeting had gone… but for once in his life, he didn’t care. Let the son of a bitch be angry. Rufus was fed up with having his life dictated to him. Putting up with the obnoxious and frequent pressure to find a woman to conceive an heir with was one thing… It was irritating, but tolerable. But he absolutely would not stand for an arranged marriage.

Though, as potential partners went, he supposed his father could have chosen far worse than Serena. He’d decided that he actually quite liked her by the time the various foodstuffs had started flying. She was, however, already taken, as it turned out… hence her ardent refusal to adhere to her own father’s demands. A local boy, apparently, not nearly as well-off as she was and, if her father’s furious commentary was to be taken at face value, very much beneath her… but Rufus couldn’t help but admire her loyalty to her beau. And the tenacity with which she refused to back down from her position on the matter.

“Incidentally…” Rufus added, “Aren’t you meant to protect me from dangerous projectiles.”

Tseng chuckled. “Forgive me for not being in time to throw myself in front of that potentially deadly chocolate pie, sir… I will, of course, include it in my report so that I may be properly reprimanded.”

“See that you do,” the younger Shinra snickered, “But first… as it seems my lunch is now largely decorating Mr. Vasquez’s veranda… let’s find something to eat. I’m rather in the mood for something spicy, and Costa del Sol does spicy exceptionally well.”

“Independence seems to agree with you, sir,” the Turk stated, and Rufus paused, turning to face him.

“I must admit, I was beginning to feel rather trapped,” he replied, before hesitantly adding, “I… owe you my gratitude, Tseng. I’m not sure today would have turned out quite so well had you not accompanied me.”

The Turk lieutenant smiled, but shook his head. “I suspect you may be withdrawing that gratitude after you have to explain this to your father…”

“No… I don’t think I will be,” Rufus said, in a tone not to be argued with, “I am an adult, and it’s about damned time he started treating me like one. You gave me the push I needed to realize that myself. I won’t forget it.”

Tseng had, in some ways, at least, been more of a father to him than his own father had ever even attempted to be. It was something that Rufus didn’t like to admit, even to himself… but at times like this, it was next to impossible to deny it.

He knew his father loved him… in his own way. But the constant push to conform to his vision of what Rufus should be – whether his son liked it or not – had made it hard for them to ever be close. Rufus was his father’s legacy, and while that made him one of the most important things in the elder Shinra’s life, it was a… cold… importance.

Tseng had, for years now, been the one he confided in. The one he turned to for advice. The one who encouraged him to think for himself and not just do as he was told.

… And who hounded him to never forget his phone. That lesson had been drilled into him on repeat for nearly a decade, much to his annoyance. But unlike his father’s constant nagging… Tseng’s goal had always been to keep him safe and whole. His father merely wanted him to follow commands and not embarrass him.

Which was probably why it was Tseng’s lessons that had eventually stuck.

---

By the end of the day, Reno was still in the best of moods. He didn’t even care that the latter half of his afternoon had been devoted to finally getting around filing his report on the Junon mission… after Veld had outright demanded he do it immediately when he’d returned from the last of his training sessions with the rookies. He’d had a great day, and even paperwork couldn’t put a damper on it.

On top of that, he had Sykes’ Hell Week to look forward to – not to mention the rest of this week, which he planned to spend pointedly not telling Kai when Tseng was planning on holding it.

Rude walked into their shared office just as he finished up the mission report.

“Hey, partner, what are you doin’ tonight?” he asked, grinning widely. Rude snorted a laugh.

“I’m guessing we’re going out for a drink. Why are you in such a good mood?”

“No reason. Just a good day. And if the rest of the week goes even half as well, it’s gonna be an awesome week, too. Why not enjoy it while it lasts?”

Rude snickered and settled into his chair. “Fair enough,” he replied, “I really could go for a beer right about now…”

“Heh… so what are we waitin’ for? Clock says it’s quittin’ time.”

“I literally just sat down…” the older Turk teased.

“Then ya haven’t had time to get comfortable yet,” Reno reasoned. Rude laughed and got to his feet.

“How in Titan’s name do you still have so much energy by the end of the day? Especially after spending most of it in the training hall…”

The redhead shrugged and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. “Don’t know… don’t care. Now let’s get outta here, already!”

The pair stepped out of the office and bid a friendly good night to Sato as they passed him in the hallway…

… only to be told to “wait fer it”. Reno eyed the Mideelian Turk.

“Okay, what’s gonna explode?” he asked, and Sato grinned impishly. A moment later, there was… not so much an explosion, as a very loud pop. It was followed by a cloud of black smoke billowing out of Kai’s office and harsh coughing as Kai herself staggered into the hallway.

“Sato! Goddammit!” she shouted as her eyes locked onto the snickering Turk.

“That’s fer makin’ fun ‘o my plans this mornin’…” he teased.

“Ugh! You Shiva-be-damned lunatic…” she growled, her face coated in black soot. She stormed up to him, and punched him in the stomach. Sato, took the hit and staggered backwards, still laughing. “You’re cleaning up that mess. First thing in the morning!”

“Sato!” Remy’s voice shouted, before he could respond, “For Leviathan’s sake, what in the Nine Hells is wrong with you?!”

Reno watched as she angrily stomped towards them, pausing only when she was inches from the deeply amused Turk.

“I have had enough of this! You can’t just keep planting explosives in people’s offices. It’s not funny, and someone is going to get hurt!”

“Aw, calm yer tits, Remy… ‘Twas just a wee smoke grenade. Wouldnae hurt a fly.”

“You and I will be speaking to Veld first thing tomorrow,” Remy ground out, narrowing her eyes as she poked him in the chest. With that, both she and Kai turned on their heel and went to survey the damage. Reno shook his head, but couldn’t stop the soft laugh that escaped.

“Ya know, Sato… one of these days, you’re gonna piss ’em off so much they finally just chuck you ‘n all your bombs off the roof.”

Sato smirked and brushed some invisible dirt off his sleeve. “Aye… but ’til then I plan on enjoyin’ myself,” he chuckled, “‘Night, boys… I’ve a date with a lovely wee lass who’s finger’s in desperate need ‘o a new ring.”

“Heh… Good luck, man,” the redhead snickered.

“Maybe try not to blow her up,” Rude added, jokingly. Sato laughed, and beat a hasty exit to the elevators. Reno turned to Rude.

“Uh… think we oughta help ’em clean shit up before we go?”

“Hmph… Let Sato do it in the morning. It’s his mess, after all.”

“Yeah… I know,” he said, glancing back at the still-smoking office, “But I mean… the guy’s gettin’ engaged tonight. And Veld’s gonna be pretty pissed when Remy tells him about this…”

Rude shook his head. “Fine. We’ll see if they need some help.”

---

It was close to an hour later before they found themselves happily seated at a bar in Sector 0 called The Phoenix Nest. They’d helped clean up a few things that couldn’t wait, but eventually Remy had sent them off, telling them that it wasn’t their responsibility and that Sato would see to it tomorrow. Or else.

Reno sighed in content as he sipped his first beer of the evening. Rude, meanwhile, was quietly snickering into his own.

“What?” the redhead asked. His friend shook his head.

“You.”

“Tch… what about me?”

“You get happy over the weirdest things sometimes…” Rude teased, “Tseng essentially told you that he’s gonna be increasing your workload permanently this morning, and you’re thrilled about it.”

“I don’t mind hard work,” Reno replied, shrugging, “‘Specially when it’s somethin’ I enjoy doin’ anyway.”

“And when it comes with the added bonus of hearing Tseng say how proud he is of you…” his friend added, smirking.

Reno rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well… I didn’t get to hear shit like that real often before Tseng came along. So excuse me if it’s somethin’ that makes me feel good.”

Rude chuckled and slung an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “I’m just teasing you…”

“I have told ya before that you’re an asshole, right, pal?” Reno laughed.

“Once or twice,” the bald Turk said, smiling. He turned back to his beer and was about to take another swig when the familiar sound of Reno’s PHS made itself known from his jacket pocket. Less than a second later, his own phone echoed the shrill cry. He glanced at the redhead, who was already reaching for his, and frowned, following suit. Reno’s face took on a serious expression as he read the text message that had appeared on the screen.

“Well, fuck. Shoulda known today was goin’ a little too good…” he said. Rude grunted in agreement as he scanned the short missive… an emergency summons to an address in Sector 2. No additional details. Just a foreboding ‘Get here now‘.

~end chapter 33~