Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 35: Moving On

Reno hit the floor hard, flat on his stomach and coughed faintly as he fought to regain his breath. The person who’d put him there, however, didn’t seem overly inclined to allow him to recover, and seconds later, his arms were twisted behind his back, pushing his face into the vinyl covering of the practice mats.

“Ya know… I’m not sure they’re gonna learn a whole lot from this demo if ya just keep beatin’ the crap outta me, Boss…” he managed to get out, and heard a chorus of barely suppressed snickers from somewhere to his left. Tseng chuckled and released him, before pulling the younger Turk to his feet.

“If nothing else, it will teach them what not to do…”

The redhead scowled and brushed himself off. He hated that move. And it didn’t seem to matter how many times Tseng showed him how to counter it, he could never quite get the timing right. It annoyed him to no end… especially when his mentor used it against him specifically for that reason. The Turk lieutenant definitely took some amount of pleasure in it, no matter how much he denied it.

Still… Reno was rather enjoying his new routine. Not only because he liked being a more involved trainer… but also because it afforded him more time with Tseng. It was quite a bit more work than he was generally used to, particularly since he was not only responsible for helping with the actual training sessions he shared with his mentor four times a week, Tseng had also put him in charge of the training schedule itself… which meant coordinating with everyone on the team to see who was available when, finding out when the various training spaces were free, and then amalgamating all of that information into something resembling a logical timetable. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded, and he suspected that his mentor wasn’t overly upset to be handing off the job. In fact, Tseng had looked downright gleeful for a brief moment between setting him the task and schooling his expression into its usual professional mask.

But… on the bright side, it had provided him with a much needed distraction. Sato’s memorial had come and gone, as had his actual funeral back home in Mideel. Remy, having family in the region she could stay with, had gone as something of a representative of the team… and as something of an escort for Victoria. He’d been buried next to Saya, on land owned by their family for generations. Tseng had ensured that there were fireworks for both services… after ensuring that the powder keg of a closet in Sato’s office had been safely emptied.

Somehow, though, now that it was over and done with, the loss felt far more real… well… to Reno, at least. It probably hadn’t helped that his annual visit to his mother’s grave had fallen during the interim, and he was immensely glad that, for once, he hadn’t opted to go alone. He’d been more than a little upset at the time, and if Rude hadn’t been with him, he probably wouldn’t have fared well trying to get home when it was done.

He’d spent the night at Rude’s place, just… talking – Probably more than he ever had on the subject, in fact – while his friend simply listened. And cooked. He definitely hadn’t gone to bed hungry that night. It had been easier to talk about her this time. Not easy, but easier. Even though it had hurt, and even though his mind strayed to her death for more often than he would have liked, there had been good moments, too. Things he hadn’t thought about in years. Hadn’t even realized he’d forgotten.

It had… given him hope that it wasn’t a lost cause… that one day he’d be able to just talk about her and think about her and remember her and not picture her the way he’d seen her last. That there was more buried in his brain than just that one moment, if he was just brave enough to search for it.

But at the same time, it put Sato’s death in stark contrast to hers. Really, he’d known Sato almost as long as he’d known his mother, when it came right down to it. Memories of Sato were so easy to recall… and so untainted by heartache. Even with his loss being so fresh in his mind, it didn’t sting the way his mother’s still did.

He didn’t think he could say the same for Victoria. Reno hadn’t seen the late Turk’s would-be fiance since the night it had all happened, but according to Remy, she’d… well… she’d been kind of a wreck at the memorial service. After that, they’d returned home to Midgar, and she hadn’t contacted any of them since. And though he didn’t like to speak ill of the dead… Reno couldn’t help but wonder what in the Nine Hells Sato had been thinking. After all… he knew as well as anyone how deadly their job was, but he’d still dragged some poor, unsuspecting civilian into it… let her fall in love with him… even gone so far as gotten ready to propose. And then he’d up and died on her. And yeah, he hadn’t intended for it to happen, but still…

It just seemed… unnecessarily cruel.

And then there were the rookies… They still had days when they struggled with the reality of being a Turk. Especially Liam. The youngest of the three had stopped by his office to talk to him privately several times now. He was a good kid… and he couldn’t blame him for having his doubts. Reno had certainly had his share of his own when he’d first started out. It wasn’t easy being a rookie, by any stretch of the imagination.

He hadn’t been shy about telling the kid as much, either, sparing no details when asked what his first few months on the job had been like, and the losses he’d experienced before he was ready. If you could ever really be ready. Liam had seemed… reassured, at least… by the knowledge that it hadn’t been any easier for the redhead than it was for him.

“That’s all for today,” Tseng announced, “I believe all of you have assignments this afternoon?”

“Yes, sir,” the three rookie’s acknowledged, and the Turk lieutenant nodded. “You’re dismissed, then.”

As they made their way out of the training hall, Tseng turned to the redhead and smirked slightly.

“You, however, still need more practice with that counter.”

Reno groaned, and rubbed his somewhat sore ribs. “Boss… ya know I don’t give up easy, but I think I’m gonna have to beg ya for mercy on this one. My ribs would really appreciate a break… and not the kind that means I end up havin’ to go see the Doc again.”

Tseng chuckled and guided him off towards the locker rooms. “After lunch, then,” he replied, ignoring the repeated groan that emanated from his protege. “Incidentally… I’d like your opinion on something, as well.”

Reno raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Uh… ‘kay. What?”

“Promotions. We are, after all, a man down… and Veld and I have been considering the possibility of more than one, given that even with our current crop of rookies, our numbers are still considerably lower than they really should be.”

“W-wait… you want me to help pick our next rookie?” Reno replied, blinking, and Tseng nodded.

“In so much as I’d like an unbiased opinion on the options Veld and I have already narrowed the field to, yes. I want you to join me for the next round of observations, and let me know what you think.” He shook his head, frowning. “We… would like to do everything in our power to avoid another situation like the one with Rodney. Veld and I have decided that the best way, going forward, would be to have another set of eyes on the recruits.”

“And, again, I gotta ask… You want me to do it?” the redhead choked, taken aback. Tseng laughed, and placed an arm around the younger man’s shoulders as they walked into the locker room.

“Yes, I want you to do it. You’re very good at reading people, Reno, and the more data Veld and I have on potential new rookies, the better prepared we will be when we make our final decision.”

Reno looked over at him uncertainly. “Yeah… but… what if I, ya know… pick wrong?”

“I trust your instincts, and so does Veld. I’m asking for your input so that I can make the most informed decision possible,” he replied, and laughed softly, “You don’t need to personally handpick the next member of the Turks for me. That… is a just bit more responsibility than I think you’re ready for.”

“Tch… you ‘n me both, Boss,” Reno snickered.

“Though speaking of new responsibilities… you seem to be enjoying yours.”

The redhead grinned as he reached his locker and stripped off his sweatshirt.

“I could do without the bonus paperwork every week… but other than that… yeah,” he replied, teasingly, drawing a chuckle from his mentor.

“I’m glad. You’ve been doing a very good job of it. It seems to suit you. And insofar as paperwork is concerned… you can take next week off. Liam and Petra will be joining Kai for survival training until Tuesday morning, and then will be kept on assignment elsewhere for the remainder of the week… while Sykes’ Hell Week finally proceeds as planned.”

The evaluation had been put on hold temporarily following Sato’s accident. Tseng and Veld had both agreed that putting so much strain on a rookie so soon after a loss was not only much too cruel, but would also almost certainly skew the results.

“Ha… ’bout time. You put it off any longer ‘n Kai’s liable to lose her shit.” Reno’s grin widened. “Ya know… assumin’ she doesn’t lose it when ya tell her that she’s gonna miss the beginning of it.”

Tseng smiled mischievously. “Which is why I don’t plan on telling her until she returns on Tuesday, lest she murder me in my sleep on her way out of town. Though it’s hardly my fault she decided to postpone and reschedule her training session at the last moment simply because of a little rain in last week’s forecast.”

“So I guess that means I shouldn’t take her up on the offer of a bribe ‘n accidentally let it slip, huh…” Reno snickered.

“Only if you value your life…” Tseng said, pointedly staring him down.

“I really hope that was a joke,” the redhead teased.

“Well, there is one way to find out. Though if it wasn’t,I can assure you that I will at least do you the courtesy of making it quick and painless.”

Reno laughed and headed for the showers. “Ya know somethin’, Boss? I’m pretty sure ya’d never legit try ‘n kill me, ‘n still don’t wanna risk pissin’ you off…”

“Always a wise choice,” Tseng replied with a smirk.

---

It was lunch time… but Tseng was making his way upstairs, ostensibly to check in with Remy on some interrogation transcripts he wanted to look over before they were filed. Really, though, he was simply avoiding the cafeteria. Reno might be able to happily consume what passed for food there… but the Wutaiian Turk had his limits to what he was willing to risk. Today the Shinra Cafeteria had advised the various departments that they would be serving “traditional Wutaiian cuisine”. Something told him that it was going to be a blasphemy he simply didn’t want to witness, much less taste. Frankly, he’d prefer to starve.

“You’re going to be late,” a voice called out to him before he could step into his office, and he turned to find his mentor approaching him, a rather badly disguised smirk on his face.

“For what, sir?” he queried, forcibly refraining from rolling his eyes. He already knew where this was headed.

“Why, for lunch, of course!” Veld chuckled, “I hear they’re serving some of your favorites today… I’m surprised you’re not first in line!”

Tseng scowled. “Whatever comes out of that kitchen, it will not be something I have any desire to eat. They can barely manage a ham sandwich that doesn’t make half their customers nauseous. I refuse to subject myself to their ill-conceived take on Wutaiian dishes.”

Veld’s smirk morphed into a wide smile before he burst out laughing.

“Calm down, Tseng… I was only joking,” he replied. “Actually, I was just coming to see if you’d care to join me for lunch. I’m in the mood for some of your homeland’s delicacies myself… though certainly not whatever the cafeteria may be dishing out.”

Tseng allowed himself a small smile. “That would be far preferable to enduring the utter revulsion I’m sure awaits me downstairs, sir…”

An elevator ride to the first floor concourse and a short walk found the pair seated inside of a busy Wutaiian restaurant not too far from the office. It was one that Tseng was quite intimately familiar with, as it had been there at least as long as he’d been a Turk himself. In fact, he’d spent a rather significant chunk of his paycheck here every week as a rookie.

Veld chuckled softly.

“You know, back in the day, I never had to wonder where you disappeared to at lunchtime… because you were almost always right here.”

“Hmph… right up until I ate myself out of an apartment…” he replied, chagrined. To say that he hadn’t been very good at budgeting as a younger man barely even scratched the surface of how irresponsible he’d been with his funds as a rookie. He’d ultimately had to move in with Veld for awhile. It was either that or beg his father for a loan… a humiliation that to this day he wasn’t certain he would have survived.

Veld laughed and took a sip of the tea their waitress had brought them.

“Well… To be fair, you were a remarkably sheltered child,” he teased, “You never had much experience with looking after yourself on your own before you arrived in Midgar. Though you certainly opted to learn things the hard way.” He smirked, and jabbed a finger at him. “You learned a lot of things the hard way, as I recall.”

Tseng, this time, did not resist rolling his eyes. “Sir… are we here for lunch, or simply to revisit the many follies of my youth?”

“I wouldn’t mind a bit of both, really,” Veld teased, “But to be honest, I wanted to ask after your own protege. How is Reno acclimating to his new duties?”

“He’s settling into the responsibility quite nicely,” Tseng replied, his earlier irritated expression replaced with a slight smile. “And I plan to involve him in Sykes’ Hell Week where possible, as well.”

“And the other matter we discussed?”

“I informed him this morning, sir. He was… hesitant. Concerned he wasn’t up to the task of weighing in on something so important.”

“Not surprising. He’s young and he’s still learning… and to his credit, he knows it,” Veld said with a shrug. “You weren’t exactly confident the first time I asked your opinion on potential rookies, either, and if you’ll excuse me for saying so, you were considerably less… humble back then… than Reno is.”

“Yes, sir,” Tseng agreed, laughing softly. A part of him would much prefer to forget some of the stupidity and arrogance of his younger years. Veld refused to allow that, however… and perhaps rightly so. As the saying went, those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. And there were plenty of moments from his rookie days that Tseng would never wish to repeat.

“You have an exceptional future Second on your hands, Tseng. He has the potential to be nearly as good as you, I think.”

“Nearly?” Tseng challenged, and his mentor’s smirk returned.

“Well… I’m almost certainly biased, but I find it hard to believe anyone could surpass my protege,” he teased, “I did far too good a job with him.”

Tseng groaned faintly and shook his head.

“Have you discussed that with him yet?” Veld continued, ignoring the response, “After all… it’s been your intention for quite some time now, hasn’t it? Don’t you think he ought to know just what it is he’s being trained for?”

“I know. And you’re right,” Tseng replied, “I just… think it may be too soon. He may, for all I know, already suspect, but being told that he’s expected to take over for me one day makes it much more… real. It’s a lot of pressure to put on someone so young. Especially when, as you yourself noted, he knows he doesn’t have the required experience yet. He will inevitably assess himself for the job as he is now, rather than as he will be when the time finally comes. I’d prefer to simply let him continue to learn and grow without that hanging over his head for awhile.”

“It’s up to you,” Veld said, “He’s your successor, after all.” He chuckled softly. “Try not to wait too long, though… Knowing how protective you are of him, he may not find out about his impending promotion until the day I decide to step down.”

Tseng snorted softly in amusement.

“I assure you, sir, I will tell him before then. Perhaps the day before you step down…” he joked, winning a hearty laugh from his mentor.

---

“Uhhh… okay, I give. How the fuck do you do this?” Reno asked, as he attempted to prod one of the overdone noodles out of the bowl with a pair of chopsticks. Rude and Kai both snickered loudly across the table from him.

“For Titan’s sake,” Kai grinned, shaking her head. “You lived with Tseng for almost a year, and I know exactly how often he orders from that little hole in the wall Wutaiian restaurant six blocks over from his place… How is it you’ve never learned?”

The redhead scowled at the alleged “eating utensils” and set them aside before simply picking up the bowl and tilting its contents into his mouth. He refused to take her bait today. Besides… Tseng had always just let him use a fork like a normal human being.

Rude rolled his eyes, and reached across, gently gripping his wrist and forcing him to set the bowl back down.

“It’s really not that hard…”

“I’m hungry…” Reno moaned, “I don’t have to to learn how to eat with couple of hunks of wood. I’m gonna starve to death.”

“Oh, please. You starving to death is about as likely as me ending up in bed with Rufus Shinra,” Kai snarked in response.

“You tryin’ to ruin my appetite?” Reno shot back, a slightly smug look on his face. In response, the senior Turk merely flipped him off and then expertly extracted a dumpling from her bowl with her own chopsticks, popping it into her mouth.

“You know… considering the source, this isn’t half bad…” she commented. “I’ve definitely had better… but I’m counting today as a rare win for the Shinra Crapateria.”

“That’s it. I’m gettin’ a fork,” the redhead muttered, abandoning his meal temporarily to make his way over to the counter. He returned a minute or so later with the aforementioned utensil, and happily dug into the food in earnest.

“You won’t be able to do that if you’re on the detail to Wutai for the reactor opening, you know,” Rude pointed out, “It’s considered uncouth, especially at formal dinners.”

Reno paused, and looked up. “Wait… what?”

Kai snorted softly. “Tseng didn’t tell you? The security detail for the opening will be joining the President and Vice President for the formal dinner after the parade. If you’re on it, you’ll be dining with Wutaiian nobility as a representative of the Company. And Wutaiian culture puts a lot of emphasis on etiquette. Did you know there’s something like forty rules just regarding chopsticks?”

“What?!” the redhead cried, blinking in surprise. He glanced over at the abandoned chopsticks and groaned. “I’m gonna have to learn all that shit just to eat in Wutai?!”

His reaction prompted immediate laughter from his two dining companions. Of course… there was always the possibility that he wouldn’t be tapped to go. But banking on that was probably more than a little foolhardy, given that Tseng would almost certainly be on the Wutai detail – for obvious reasons – and where Tseng went, the redhead was often assigned to follow. Particularly if babysitting Rufus for an extended period of time was involved. They’d be in Wutai for almost a week.

Besides… his mentor’s homeland was still on his list of places he needed to see.

“I really am gonna starve…” he moaned, as Remy made her way over to the table, tray in hand. She raised a curious eyebrow, but said nothing… merely took a seat next to the younger Turk, and set her meal in front of her.

“I’m not even going to ask…” she stated. Rude snickered softly.

“He’s freaking out because he can’t use chopsticks. For the Wutai reactor assignment.”

“Oh, for Leviathan’s sake…” Remy sighed, rolling her eyes. “It’s not difficult. It just takes a little practice.”

“Tch… yeah. ‘Cause I got so much free time to practice that right now, with all the new stuff Tseng’s givin’ me to do. You got any idea how much time I gotta put into the Ifrit-forsaken training schedule to make sure there’s no overlaps or conflicts or shit?”

The half-Wutaiian Turk shot him a knowing smirk.

“Yes, I know precisely how much time that takes. I did it while Tseng was on his leave of absence… remember?”

“… Fuckin’ know-it-all…” Reno muttered, and speared some sort of grilled vegetable with his fork, stuffing it angrily into his mouth. Kai giggled and finished off her lunch.

“Well… as much fun as it is watching you panic over formal dining etiquette… I have a courier assignment to get to.”

“And I’m leaving to take Liam on a tour of Junon in a little while,” Rude added, getting to his feet.

“Gee, thanks,guys… Tell me about all this shit ‘n then just abandon me.”

“Happy to help!” Kai teased, as she sauntered off. Rude quickly followed. Reno rolled his eyes, and went back to his lunch with an irritated grunt. He continued eating in silence for a few minutes until he finally heard a quiet sigh from the woman to his right.

“What are you doing tonight?” Remy asked. The redhead glanced up and grinned slightly.

“You?” he asked, hopefully. It had been awhile. His part-time lover hadn’t really… been in the mood… in the weeks following Sato’s death. Not that he could blame her. But he’d be lying if he said that he hadn’t missed being with her. The senior Turk shot him an annoyed glare. Reno sheepishly grinned. “I know… no discussin’ that on clock… Sorry.”

Remy shook her head. “There’s a nice, quiet place that serves some very tasty Wutaiian cuisine near my apartment. If you want a little help, I suppose I could be persuaded to give you a quick lesson.”

“Really? That’d be awesome… Thanks, Remy!”

The senior Turk cleared her throat and subtly glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot. “You can… thank me… by coming back to my place after dinner.”

The redhead’s grin widened noticeably.

“So… How hard do ya want me to thank you?” he teased, earning a sharp smack to the back of his head.

---

Later that night, Reno found himself, thoroughly satiated, in Remy’s bed, the sounds of a city that seldom truly slept muffled beyond the curtains of her bedroom. His lover slept peacefully in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, arms coiled almost possessively around his slender frame.

He’d been a little surprised she’d asked him to stick around. It was something they just… didn’t do… when there was work in the morning. Not that he was complaining. It saved him the trouble of driving home in the dark, half-exhausted from both the long day at work and the sex.

Dinner had been… nice. She had, indeed, lived up to her promise of a lesson in the finer points of picking food up with pointy sticks – which, he’d been informed repeatedly, were not under any circumstances to be used to skewer the contents of his plate – and though he had a long way to go before he mastered it, it wasn’t quite as tricky as he’d initially thought it to be.

But it was more than just the alleviation of some of his anxiety that had made for a pleasant evening. The company had been equally as enjoyable. Remy was… different outside of the confines of the office. When she was off-duty, she let her hair down a little, and was warmer and more talkative… almost flirty at times. Though, to be fair, that may have only been because they were definitely alreadyplanning on fucking later. Still… it was a side of her that he didn’t really see all that often, and he kind of liked it.

He sort of hoped this wasn’t going to be a one-off thing. After all, Remy had been pretty fucking clear about the nature of their relationship. It was purely physical. And it’s not like he was looking to date her or anything, but to be honest, he could get to like hanging out more with Remy like they had tonight. You know… more of the friends part of friends with benefits. They really never had before, other than times when the whole team was together – like the Christmas party, or Veld’s surprise birthday party awhile back – and he was finding her to be a lot of fun just one on one. And not just because the evening always ended with sex. Remy was a pretty cool person, something he’d never had the opportunity to realize before now.

Not really, anyway. She was all business on the clock, and since their off-duty interests had never intersected much before now, he just… hadn’t spent much time alone with her. Hell, until they’d started sleeping together, he’d never even reallypictured her as having much of a life outside the Turks, for some reason. Of course, he could have said the same of Tseng before he got to know the guy… and met Vir.

Reno snickered softly to himself. People in general just seemed a lot more… human… to him once he knew a thing or two about their sex lives. Remy stirred in her sleep and the redhead forced himself to settle down. He didn’t want to disturb her with his own wakefulness. As much as he enjoyed having a beautiful women lying naked in his arms, he’d always had a lot of trouble falling asleep like that unless he was dead tired. Lira had teased him about it for years, saying he was just too protective to let himself drift off.

And maybe that was part of it. At least where Lira was concerned. Until she’d moved to Wall Market, he’d been her protector. It was how they’d first met, and it was what he’d been until the day he’d escorted her all the way over to the Honeybee Inn. It was almost laughable to think of himself that way, as puny and pathetic as he’d been back then… but he’d done his best and he had rescued her from some pretty dicey situations over the years.

He’d failed on occasion, too… and still berated himself for every last time it had happened.

Remy, though, didn’t need his protection. The woman was tough as nails, and he had no doubt that she could deliver a pretty thorough ass-kicking to anyone who threatened her before Reno could even get a punch in. She was beautiful… and deadly.

Annnnnnd he was going to end up waking that beautiful, deadly woman up if he didn’t fucking try and get some damn sleep. Reno relaxed and let his eyes close, reveling in the warmth of the soft body pressed so deliciously against his own, and gradually allowed sleep to claim him.

---

“They finally got one,” Rude reported to him the moment he walked into their shared office the following morning. Reno’s gaze flicked towards him, eyeing him over the cup of coffee he’d been moments from sipping, and blinked.

“Who finally got one?” he asked. It was too fucking early to play the pronoun game. He wasn’t even properly caffeinated yet.

“The Zenshou,” his friend elaborated, “They got one of the items on their list last night.”

“Crap. Somethin’ of ours?”

Rude shook his head. “No. It was a museum piece from the Gold Saucer. Rumor has it, Dio’s beyond pissed about the theft.”

“Heh… any chance on gettin’ sent over to… ya know… check things out? ‘Cause I’d totally volunteer for the assignment…” he said, grinning. Rude snorted in laughter.

“I’m pretty sure it wasn’t stolen from the roller coaster. Or the arcade. Or the buffet,” he snickered.

“Too bad. I’d investigate the hell outta the buffet…” Reno joked. “Seriously, though. Think they’ll send someone out?”

“Don’t know. Not really a Shinra matter, and Dio’s not exactly the Company’s biggest fan, from what I hear.”

The redhead raised a curious eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? How come?”

“Dio had an arrangement with Corel for years. Got most of the power for his park from their coal. Then they hit a mako vein, shut down their biggest mine, and Shinra swooped in and made a deal with the town to build the Corel Reactor on top of it.”

“Oh… I get it. He got shut out, ‘n now he’s stuck buyin’ power from Shinra at a premium instead of gettin’ it on the cheap from what they were minin’ in his backyard.”

Rude nodded.

“Tch… fuckin’ business bullshit. Glad dealin’ with that shit’s not in my job description,” he laughed, “Anyway… What went missin’?”

“A claymore sword from Mideel. Supposedly belonged to some ancient king back when they still had such a thing. I’d venture a guess that the Mideelian Historical Society’s not real happy about the theft, either. They’ve been trying to get it back for years, but Dio wouldn’t sell.”

Reno shrugged. “Or maybe they’re they ones who put out the contract in the first place. We still don’t know where all these… requests… are comin’ from. Maybe it’s not just one source. Or maybe there’s a middle man, coordinatin’ shit with the Zenshou for the smaller players.”

“Thought crossed my mind, too,” Rude replied, “It’s definitely a possibility… but it’s going to be hard to prove, since I still have no idea who the Zenshou are actually dealing with. Might be heading out to Mideel myself to talk to someone from the Society in person… if I can arrange a meeting. Wanna come as backup?”

The redhead had to stop himself from immediately agreeing. The closest he’d ever gotten to Mideel was a brief flyover and touchdown to pick up Sato and Kai following a mission about a year ago. He didn’t count that as actually “visiting” Mideel… so it was still very much on his list.

“Uh… When, exactly were ya plannin’ on goin’?” he asked. Tseng had told him that he might need his help during Sykes’ Hell Week. He didn’t want to up and vanish on his mentor. Rude shrugged.

“Depends when I can arrange a meeting. Monday, hopefully. Sometime next week, for sure.”

Reno mentally groaned… and his fellow Turk suddenly grinned.

“Tseng’s doing it next week, isn’t he?” Rude said, having little trouble reading his friend’s reaction.

“I’m sayin’ nothin’…” the redhead replied, ignoring the other man’s snickering, before rolling his eyes and muttering, “Fuckin’ nosy son of bitch… alright, fine. Yeah, it’s gonna be next week.”

“Knew I’d break you eventually…” Rude teased, calmly taking a seat at his desk as the annoyed redhead flipped him off.

~end chapter 35~