Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 41: Darkest Before the Dawn

“Yes, sir… They’re shippin’ in the part on the evening ferry. We’re gonna be here overnight,” Reno sighed, as he gazed out the window, towards the ocean. The docks were just barely visible through the palm trees, but he couldn’t quite make out the helipad from his present position.

It had started as a slightly irritating vibration shortly after leaving Gongaga… but by the time they’d crossed the Corel desert, it had become an ominous shudder that had forced them to land in Costa del Sol for the second time that day. The pilot and the mechanics on duty at the docks had determined that a bearing was going bad. The aircraft probably wouldhave been fine for the trip back to Midgar, but no one… not even Scarlet, who had seemed anxious to get back to her weapons lab after she’d finally deigned to make her way back to their transport… had wanted to risk it.

Which had left them little choice but to stay the night in the resort town. The part they needed was in Junon. It wouldn’t get here until later tonight, which meant it wouldn’t be installed until morning. Thus, they’d adjourned to the Shinra vacation home, and settled in for their short stay.

“Alright… we’ll expect you back tomorrow. Let me know if there are any further delays,” Veld replied.

“Will do…” the redhead said, before hesitantly adding, “Um… One other thing I should probably mention…”

“What?” the Turk leader asked, somewhat suspiciously. The redhead exhaled a long breath.

“Scarlet’s here, too.”

“… Did I mishear you, or did you just tell me that Scarlet… whom you are specifically not supposed to interact with on your own, for your own safety… is in Costa del Sol with you?”

Well… this wasn’t going to be an overly pleasant conversation.

“Yeah, uh… She kinda muscled her way onto the copter before we left this mornin’. She had some kinda special project running over in Gongaga. Guess she cleared things with the president, directly. Rufus was pissed, but… we didn’t have any other choice. Had to bring her along.”

He had to physically move the phone away from his ear as Veld’s voice thundered “WHY DIDN”T YOU SAY ANYTHING THIS MORNING?!”

The redhead cringed.

“I know… I know. I shoulda. But the VP was in a hurry ‘n by the time I had the chance, we were already in the air. I just figured there’s fuck all anyone can do about it… so why worry Tseng? He’s got his hands full with Sykes right now, ‘n… ya know… I wasn’t expectin’ to get stranded for the night…”

He could practically hear the senior Turk pinching the bridge of his nose, the same way Tseng always did when he was particularly exasperated. Reno honestly wasn’t sure who had picked up that habit from whom… but it was obvious that the shared trait was contagious, because he’d even caught himself doing it once or twice now.

“Just… do your best to stay away from her,” Veld said with an irritated, heavy sigh, “We’re going to have a little chat about this when you get back.”

“… Yes, sir. I kinda thought we might be.”

He’d seen that one coming. Veld didn’t like to be out of the loop any more than Tseng did. Finding out that not only had another executive taken off on a joyride with the vice president, but also that Reno hadn’t bothered to mention it was almost certainly going to irk him more than slightly.

“Beyond the obvious, did the trip go smoothly?” Veld queried.

“More or less. Gongaga isn’t too thrilled with Shinra at the moment, but the worst we got was some food thrown at us. Uh… think we were on camera at the time, so… just a heads up on that, if it hasn’t already made the news. Other than that, it was pretty textbook.”

“Good. In that case, Tseng and I will see you as soon as you get in tomorrow. For that chat.”

“Yes, sir. Goodnight,” he replied, biting back a groan. It wasn’t quite a formal reprimand… but the informal ones weren’t much fun, either. He ended the call and tucked his PHS away. It was his own fault… He really should have said something sooner. But like he’d told Veld, he hadn’t planned on being stuck here overnight. He’d thought he’d be back in Midgar by now, and far, far away from Scarlet and her grabby hands. Which just went to show… luck didn’t give a crap about his plans.

But… there was nothing he could do to change that now. He might as well at least try and enjoy himself. After all, he was in a gorgeous house in fucking Costa del Sol, it was a warm, tropical evening, and dinner was in the process of being prepared for them by the staff the family kept on retainer for last minute visits just like this. All things considered, this could be a lot worse.

---

“Tseng… a moment if you please,” Veld called out from his office just as the Turk lieutenant was leaving his own for the night. Tseng obligingly altered course and crossed the hall, stepping into his mentor’s space. “Close the door.”

He wondered if there was some new development with the Gongaga situation. He shut the door, and hurried to take a seat in front of Veld’s desk.

“Sir?” he queried. Veld shook his head and sighed.

“Your protege is currently stuck in Costa del Sol. Mechanical issues with the executive helicopter.”

Tseng’s eyebrow rose, curious as to why that would merit a closed-door meeting, and was about to voice that question when Veld cut him off, already having anticipated it.

“He’s stuck in Costa del Sol with Scarlet.”

“… What?” the Wutaiian Turk managed, feeling the color drain from his face.

“Apparently she decided to tag along at the last possible moment. Something about a project she was using the reactor to conduct. He didn’t have time to notify anyone until after they’d already taken off.”

“His message to me said nothing about Scarlet,” Tseng pointed out, supremely annoyed by the omission. “How long have you known about this?”

“About five minutes,” Veld responded, sounding equally as annoyed. “I’ve informed him that we will be sitting down with him as soon as he returns, to discuss this. It’s not the first time he’s withheld information in such a fashion. I trust you recall the incident with Hojo entering our offices after hours?”

“Yes. I do…” Tseng said. And the redhead had been explicitly told not to do so again.

“To his credit, he acknowledged the mistake immediately. But I believe a reminder is in order. I’m assigning him as security for a materials transfer to Junon next week. A day or two of utter boredom guarding a few dozen loads of building supplies ought to get the message across.”

“Yes, sir.” He was right. That would certainly make an impression on the redhead. There were few things his protege hated more than having nothing to do. Reno was the type of person who inherently needed something to occupy his mind. Even when he was off-duty, at home, ostensibly doing nothing… he was seldom truly doing nothing. Usually, he filled his downtime with video games, ear-splittingly loud and unintelligible music, or those positively awful low-budget horror movies he enjoyed so much. Having nothing to entertain himself with was borderline torture for the hyperactive redhead.

“Now that that’s settled… try not to worry too much. Reno reported that the trip has gone relatively smoothly thus far. I’m sure he’ll be fine. Scarlet seems to be on her best behavior for the time being… likely because Rufus is present.”

“Let’s just hope she remains on her best behavior,” Tseng replied, some of the anger he felt towards the woman slipping into his voice. What she’d done to Reno was unforgivable. He didn’t much care that he’d luckily been in time to intervene before it could go any farther than it did… Just the fact that she felt entitled to do whatever she liked to the younger man was enough to place her permanently on the list of people Tseng wouldn’t mind seeing fed to a Nibelwolf. Preferably one piece at a time.

---

A few hours later, Reno was settling down to get some sleep. As both Rufus and Scarlet had taken the two largest bedrooms upstairs, he’d opted for the one on the ground floor instead, in order to keep his distance from the Weapons head. Had they asked, he could very reasonably have said it was for security purposes, as it placed him closer to the entrances, and given how lightly he slept, any kind of intrusion would wake him up immediately. But neither had asked, and so he wasn’t forced to make excuses.

He could finally just… relax a little.

The last time he’d visited the Shinra Villa in Costa del Sol had been for the family’s annual vacation. It had been just him and Tseng and Kai. Well… and the President and Rufus, of course. And the President’s latest mistress at the time. Even though it had been a “working vacation” for the Turks, the redhead had still had a blast. Costa del Sol was beautiful. The drinks flowed freely, the women were as hot as the weather, and dear Ifrit, the food. Resort life was definitely something he could get used to.

Could have done without the sunburn, though.

Which, in retrospect, he ought to have seen coming a mile away, after the first time it had happened. Come to think of it, the first time had been in Costa del Sol, as well. It had been just a month after the end of the Meaningless War. They’d still been reeling from the deaths of so many of their compatriots. Both Tseng and Cissnei had more or less recovered from the attack – physically, at least – and his mentor had put in for some vacation time. Veld had insisted that Reno do the same.

He’d resisted the idea initially… At the time, the full weight of what he’d had to do to Rodney had finally decided to hit him face first. There had been a few glorious weeks where he’d been able to tell himself that he was only following orders. That if he hadn’t done it, someone else would have had to. That even Rodney had known it was coming. And then, without warning, the reality of the fact that he’d murdered a fellow Turk had settled over him. He’d thrown himself into his work to avoid thinking about it too hard… which probably had something to do with just how insistent the Turk leader was that he take some time off.

And that was how he’d found himself in the company of Tseng and Viridia in Costa del Sol… feeling like a total third wheel, but none the less enjoying himself in the sun. Well… for the first day, anyway. By the time he’d returned to his room at the resort that afternoon, his skin was the same color as his hair, and he’d felt as though he’d been flayed alive.

Living in the slums nearly his entire life, the possibility of roasting himself to death under the sun had just… never occurred to him. Sunscreen? What the hell was that? Tseng and Viridia had found him, writhing in pain on his bed, a few hours later when they’d come to see if he wanted to join them for dinner. Reno still felt a little guilty for fucking up the next few days for the pair. They’d spent entirely too much time taking care of him, rather than enjoying their own vacation.

Since then, he’d been a lot more careful to avoid the sunniest parts of the day when he visited… or at the very least douse himself in half a gallon of sunscreen before taking the risk. He’d later learned that it was pretty much universally a redhead thing, due to their naturally fair skin. People with his complexion didn’t tan… they just straight up cooked.

He kinda wished someone had thought to warn him ahead of time about that…

Still… it hadn’t been all bad. Agonizing pain and peeling skin aside, once the burn had subsided a little he’d gone right back to enjoying all that Costa del Sol had to offer. Just not so much during the day, on that trip. The resort’s nightlife, though, was great, too. He’d become something of a quasi-vampire – though he preferred a nice Bloody Mary after a long night of drinking over actual blood – by the time they were due to head home.

The redhead smiled slightly to himself as he settled back in bed, letting his eyes drift shut. It was a pleasant memory, on the whole. The sunburn had sucked for a little while, but it hadn’t ruined the trip. It was kind of like his entire life as a Turk up to this point, really. Yeah, it had its shitty moments every once in awhile, but overall, things were pretty fucking good.

Scarlet was just one of those shitty moments. But tomorrow, they’d be home, and she’d go lock herself in her weapons lab like she usually did, and he wouldn’t have to deal with her anymore for awhile. That thought in mind, Reno yawned and rolled over, hugging a pillow to his chest, and finally allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

---

When his eyes snapped open again, it was pitch black, and for a brief moment, he wasn’t entirely sure what had woken him up. It became very… very… clear, momentarily, as a pair of arms wrapped around him followed by a loud moan much too close to his ear for his liking. He could smell the distinct odor of tequila on the warm breath that caressed the side of his face.

For a very brief moment, he welcomed the attention… still fuzzy from sleep, and not fully aware of where he was or who he was with. That moment, however, dissipated rather quickly as his brain finally kicked into gear and his eyes went wide. Reno struggled to untangle himself – both from the sheets and from Scarlet – staggering out of bed, and groping for the lamp beside the bed. He grimaced as the light blinded him temporarily.

“What the fuck?!” he breathed, once his vision had adjusted enough that he could make out the scantily dressed form in his bed. Scarlet leered up at him as she floundered to her feet, quickly closing the distance between them.

“I’ve been waiting all day to get you alone…” she purred, seizing him by both arms and forcibly capturing his lips before he could twist out of her grip. Cold dread seized him as he simply stood there in shock, while her hands roamed his body with abandon and her tongue probed his own. He hadn’t slept nude – thank Ifrit he hadn’t been stupid enough to risk that tonight – but his options had been a little limited, seeing as he hadn’t packed for an overnight trip. His boxers and an old Costa del Sol t-shirt that had been left, folded in a drawer in the bureau, were presently all that stood between Scarlet and his bare skin.

Her fingers slipped under the shirt, lacquered nails trailing over his belly and making him shudder… and not in the way he did when Lira did that. His chest tightened in panic, and he suddenly realized that no one was here to save him this time. Not Tseng. Not Remy. And hell, if he was putting his faith in Rufus, he had a feeling that he was going to be in for a long wait. He was on his own.

When her hand dropped below the waist, he knew he didn’t have a choice. A moment later, she was face down on the bed, pinned in place with her arm behind her back.

“Don’t. Touch. Me.” the redhead ground out, angrily. To his surprise, Scarlet only cackled.

“I love it when they play rough…” she laughed, and the next thing Reno knew, their positions had been reversed and she was on top of him, a knee between his legs as she pressed him down into the mattress. Where the fuck had Scarlet learned that move?

“Get off!” Reno shouted, escaping from her easily enough, and darting across the room. She’d caught him by surprise… but the weapons researcher didn’t have nearly the amount of training he did. Scarlet grinned somewhat drunkenly at him, and dove at him from the bed… and promptly face-planted about two feet away from him. The redhead took the opportunity to slip out of the room, and slam the door, holding it shut once she recovered enough to regain her feet and try to free herself.

Now what the fuck was he supposed to do? He couldn’t stand there all night holding onto the doorknob to prevent her from escaping. The door rattled loudly against its frame as she tried to free herself. Well… he supposed that technically he could… but he didn’t especially want to.

“What in Ramuh’s name is going on down here?” a tired-sounding voice demanded from the staircase. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“Ask Scarlet, sir,” Reno said, with a grunt as the woman managed to finally turn the knob just enough to yank the door open for a split second. The redhead pulled back, hard, and it shut again with a loud bang.

Rufus merely stared at him in vague confusion, apparently not having expected quite that response. A moment later his eyes narrowed angrily.

“Let her out,” he commanded. Reno hesitated, knowing that the moment she was loose, she was going to come after him again… either to try and grope him some more, or in a rage for locking her in the bedroom. Or both. “Now,” Rufus amended.

He swallowed sharply and released his deathgrip on the doorknob. Scant seconds later, a none-too-pleased looking Scarlet stormed out, and snatched hold of his shirt.

“You are going to do whatever I say…” she said, smiling coldly, as leaned in again, intent on laying claim to his lips once more.

“What in the Nine Hells do you think you’re doing?!” Rufus, who apparently had gone unnoticed by the lustful executive until just then, bellowed. Scarlet froze, shock etched plainly on her features, gaping at him. “Well?!”

“I… I… He locked me in a room!” she wailed, pointing at the Turk. The vice president snorted loudly.

“I noticed. And just what were you doing in said room?” he shot back, and before the woman could answer, he continued, “On second thought, I don’t care. Go back to your own room and leave my security detail alone!”

Scarlet looked, for a moment, as though she were going to argue… but it seemed she wasn’t so drunk that common sense had been entirely overridden, because eventually she wordlessly slunk off, back upstairs to bed. Rufus watched her go, glowering furiously at her retreating form. Once she was out of sight, he crossed the room and picked up a decanter of brandy that sat on a nearby sidetable, pouring himself two glasses of the amber liquid. He snatched them up and stormed back over to the redhead, thrusting one into his hand.

“Drink that.”

Reno raised an eyebrow. “I… can’t, sir. I’m on duty.”

“Drink it anyway!” he snapped. The redhead blinked in surprise, and silently obeyed the order, downing the glass’ contents in one shot. Rufus rolled his eyes and took a seat on the overstuffed sofa against one wall, calmly nursing his own drink.

“Of course it would be you…” he muttered, “I should have known.”

“Uh… sir?” Reno queried, not sure where that comment had come from… and vaguely concerned that he was going to be in a shitload of trouble for having the audacity to defend himself from Scarlet.

“Tseng mentioned some time ago that one of his subordinates was having an issue with Scarlet. I should have suspected it was you immediately. It’s always you, somehow. First Heidegger, then Hojo… now Scarlet. Is there a member of the board or senior staff you haven’t managed some how become embroiled with to the point of me having to intervene?”

“Uhh…” the redhead stammered somewhat nervously. “I don’t think I’m on Palmer’s shitlist, yet, sir…”

Rufus snorted in contempt. “Palmer doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going half the time. I doubt he even realizes you exist.” He eyed the Turk for a moment, before shaking his head. “Sit down, for Ramuh’s sake.”

Reno hesitantly dropped into a nearby leather chair, eyes remaining firmly on the scowling vice president. Rufus was ticked. Oddly enough, however, the redhead was fairly certain it wasn’t actually directed at him, in spite of the annoyed rant regarding his penchant for getting on executives’ bad sides.

“Given my father’s general attitude towards her, I doubt it will actually go anywhere, but I will be entering a formal complaint against Scarlet on your behalf. It should at least get her to back off,” Rufus stated after an extended silence. Reno opened his mouth to reply, but he found himself shocked into silence.

“… Why?” he finally managed. Rufus rolled his eyes.

“Because I would prefer you not sue the company over a harassment claim, for one thing – which, if tonight is anything to judge the situation by, you’d be well within your rights to do. I’ve already got one PR nightmare brewing,” Rufus replied, “For another… as I’ve already made clear to Hojo, I will not have a valuable company asset damaged, degraded, or destroyed for no reason. You are the single most irritating creature in existence, and you annoy me, personally, endlessly. But you’re worth far more to Shinra Company than that useless witch even thinks she is.”

“… That’s… legitimately the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Reno said, somewhat floored by the admission, “Not even jokin’ this time.”

“Don’t let it go to your head. You’re obnoxious enough as it is,” Rufus said with a faint sneer… though his heart didn’t really seem to be in it. “I’m going back to bed, and I swear to Hades, if that woman wakes me up again, I will give Tseng leave to hurl her off the Plate at his earliest convenience…”

He downed the remaining liquid in his glass, and stood up, heading for the stairs.

“Um… sir?” the redhead called after him, and he paused halfway up. “Thank you.”

The executive gave him a curt nod and continued on his way. When he was gone, Reno breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He honestly hadn’t expected Rufus of all people to come to his rescue. Or to even give a shit, really. In hindsight, he realized… that was a little harsh. Rufus could be an asshole, but this was hardly the first time he’d stuck up for the Turks, or, for that matter, for Reno specifically. And sure, he’d justified his actions as being due to the fact that he placed value on the Turks as a whole as a “company asset”… but the brat almost never said what he really meant when it contradicted his carefully crafted persona.

Which begged the question… when the hell had Rufus decided that Reno actually mattered on some level? He knew the guy didn’t hate him or anything… Hell, there were occasions where he was almost openly friendly towards him. But going out of his way to protect him? Without it being a request from Tseng?

The redhead yawned, and set his empty glass aside. He was way too tired to start pondering that question right now. With the adrenaline wearing off, the late hour was becoming entirely too apparent. He stood up and dragged himself off to bed again… but not before firmly wedging a chair underneath the doorknob. Just in case.

---

When Reno stepped out onto the helipad on the roof of the Shinra Building shortly before ten in the morning the next day, it was with a wide grin plastered across his face. Scarlet had all but pretended he didn’t exist for the entire flight home… and he was one hundred percent fine with that. The abrupt change in behavior likely had something to do with the withering looks Rufus kept shooting her every time she so much as glanced in the redhead’s general direction before they’d left Costa del Sol.

Said grin faded slightly when he was greeted at the elevator the moment he stepped off of it and into the Turks’ offices. Both Veld and Tseng were waiting for him… and neither man looked to be in a particularly good mood.

“Join us, won’t you?” Veld said.

It may have been phrased like one, but it was definitely not a request. Reno somewhat sheepishly followed the pair back to Veld’s office, where the door was summarily shut behind him. He took the seat offered to him and sighed as the two senior Turks loomed over him.

“… ‘kay, before ya both take turns layin’ into me… I know. I shoulda let someone know soon as I could about Scarlet, even if there wasn’t anything you coulda done about it. I fucked up. That’s on me. I didn’t want Tseng to worry… ’cause… ya know… he’s busy with other shit this week.”

“It is my job to worry,” Tseng replied, pointedly looking at the younger Turk.

“Yeah… I know that, too. Old habits die hard,” he said, ducking his head.

“Recognizing the mistake is one thing…” Veld interjected, leaning back against his desk, “Learning from it is another. You’re going to be escorting cargo next week. It should be a fairly mind-numbingly dull assignment. Use that time to consider the fact that those in command need to be kept up to date to do their jobs effectively.”

Reno cringed slightly in response. Cargo escort? Ugh… That essentially involved sitting on a truck for hours on end, doing nothing. That… was gonna suck.

“Yes, sir,” was all he said. He’d screwed up. He had to accept the consequences. It was as simple as that. Veld nodded in approval and rounded his desk, taking a seat, while Tseng remained standing beside his protege.

“In that case… let’s have a report. Any further issues since we last spoke?”

Reno blinked in surprise. “W-wait… That’s it? Guard duty and a don’t do it again?”

“You think you’re getting off too easily?” Veld queried, raising an eyebrow in challenge, and the younger Turk vehemently shook his head.

“Nope… I’m totally good with that.”

He distinctly heard Tseng snort faintly in laughter before he could stop himself.

“As I said… you already know you made a mistake. Now you can take some time to think about what consequences that sort of mistake means to the rest of the team. Someone was going to be handling next week’s assignment, regardless. Under the circumstances, it may as well be you. Now… that report?” the Turk leader replied, almost dismissively.

“… Well… aside from wakin’ up in bed with Scarlet, things went okay,” Reno replied… and almost laughed at the twin expressions of horror that appeared on both men’s faces the moment the words left his mouth. Horror quickly morphed into fury on Tseng’s part… and Veld didn’t look any happier. His mentor’s eyes narrowed.

“… I am going to –” he began, the words slowly ground out through clenched teeth, only to be cut off by the Turk leader.

“Tseng!” Veld snapped. Tseng grudgingly silenced himself, but the angry expression remained. Veld turned his attention back on Reno. “What happened?”

“Pretty much what I just said. Woke up sometime around one with Scarlet in my bed. She’d been drinkin’ at dinner. I figured she’d be out like a light by the time everyone went to bed. Apparently not. I got away from her ‘n trapped her in my room. All the noise from her tryin’ to get out woke up Rufus ‘n he came downstairs ‘n put her in her place. Things were quiet the rest of the night.”

Tseng shook his head, and glared at Veld. “This is utterly absurd, sir. It cannot continue! I don’t care if she is a member of the board. This is entirely unacceptable and it’s directly interfering with Reno’s ability to do his job. If you’re not willing to make a formal complaint, then I will.”

Veld sighed, and pressed his fingertips together, looking down at his desktop.

“It’s not that simple, and you know it. Scarlet is a vindictive shrew. A complaint will very likely just make things worse. Especially if she involves Heidegger… which you know she will.”

“Umm…” Reno began, only to be talked over by his mentor.

“So we do nothing and hope that she simply finds another employee to target?”

“Hey… Boss?” he tried again.

“We need to be diplomatic about this. I know you’re frustrated, but –”

“She attempted to rape my protege! Twice! We are long past diplomacy!” Tseng hissed.

The redhead rolled his eyes. He pressed his fingers to his lips and blew. The result was a piercing shriek of a whistle that silenced both senior Turks.

“Can I say somethin’ here?” he asked, when he finally had their attention again.

“Of course,” Veld replied, somewhat chastened.

“You can quit arguin’ about what to do. Rufus was pretty pissed off when he caught her in the act. He’s gonna be makin’ a complaint to the board. Said she probably wouldn’t be punished, but she’d have to back off.”

Neither man said anything for a long moment. Finally, though, Tseng’s hand came to rest on the younger Turk’s shoulder.

“Are you alright with that?” he asked.

“Tch… Long as she leaves me the hell alone? Yeah. Yeah, I can live with that.”

“… I… suppose that’s that, then,” Veld said, “It’s out of ours hands, and firmly in the vice president’s.”

Tseng didn’t look entirely happy about the comment, but he said nothing.

“You may go,” the Turk leader added, with a nod to the door. “If you’re up to it… there is a rather nervous rookie who’s been eagerly awaiting your return.”

Reno cocked his head to one side, curious.

“Sykes?” he asked, and receiving a nod from both men, frowned. “He still freakin’ out over Hell Week?”

“I… think he simply needs a sympathetic ear,” Tseng replied, his expression softening. He smiled faintly, “I would gladly offer one, but I can’t, for obvious reasons… Not the least of which being the fact that, at the moment, he flees in terror any time he sees me.”

The redhead snickered, and glanced up at his mentor.

“Geez… I leave town for day or two and you got the poor kid traumatized…” he grinned, getting up from his seat. Tseng followed him out into the hallway, and not so subtly escorted him across to his own office, ushering the redhead inside, and closing the door behind them. The next thing Reno knew, he’d been pulled into a tight embrace.

“Heh… soooo… worried ’bout me, huh?” the younger Turk snickered. Tseng released him a moment later.

“As I said… it’s my job to worry. Are you alright?”

“Yeah…” Reno said with a soft sigh, “I’m fine. Not thrilled that Scarlet’s gonna get off with a slap on the wrist, but… ‘long as she keeps her claws to herself from now on…” He trailed off, shrugging.

“I’m sorry. Were it up to me –”

The redhead laughed. “If it were up to you we’d probably never find the body…” he snickered.

“That is because there would be no body left to find…” Tseng stated, and the younger man grinned.

“I feel like I really oughta be a lot more disturbed by that statement than I am…” he chuckled. “Seriously, though… I’m okay. I… didn’t just stand there takin’ it this time. Heh… ‘n then Rufus, of all people, showed up ‘n had my back. Guess it kinda made me realize… I’m not alone ‘n the only way she’s gonna fuck me over is if I let her. So I’m not gonna let her.” He smirked slightly and added, “I’d tell her to kiss my ass, but I’m kinda afraid she might try ‘n take me up on it.”

---

“Send him in,” Rufus said, holding down the button on the intercom. A moment later, the door to his office opened admitting his visitor. He didn’t bother glancing up as he calmly poured two cups of tea from the pot that had been sitting on the corner of his desk in anticipation of the arrival. “You’re late. I expected you to turn up nearly two hours ago. I’ve had to re-brew this pot three times now.”

“My apologies, sir… it’s been a busy day, and you did kidnap my assistant for over 24 hours,” Tseng replied, settling himself in front of Rufus’ desk. He gladly accepted one of the cups, inhaling the subtle aroma and smiling. It was his favorite, imported from Wutai.

“I assume you’ve been updated on my trip by now?”

“Yes, sir… and… thank you.”

Rufus waved a hand, dismissively. “The Slum Rat has already expressed his gratitude for my intervention. There’s no need for you to do so, as well. Besides… that woman has been a thorn in my side since day one.”

“I wish to thank you, anyway. The Turks are… my family. They mean a great deal to me. Reno, in particular.”

“That uncouth little street vermin of yours is a perpetual irritation,” Rufus replied, haughtily. “But… he’s a trustworthy irritation that has been a reliable addition to your team and to whom I, personally, likely owe my life several times over at this point. I… would not be pleased if the Company lost him.”

“Yes, sir,” Tseng replied, trying very hard to keep his expression neutral, and succeeded in holding back the laugh that made a valiant attempt at making itself known. A flicker of a smile still managed to escape, however. Rufus noticed it immediately.

“Don’t expect me to start inviting him to join me for tea, as well, or any other such ridiculous notion. Just because I extend you the courtesy of my company now and then doesn’t mean I have any desire to spend more time than needed with that idiot.”

This time, Tseng did laugh. “Reno… doesn’t much care for tea anyway, sir,” he said, taking a sip from his cup before pointedly peering at him over the rim. “Though, come to think of it… neither do you. And yet you still invite me at least once a week…”

“Ah… so the Slum Rat doesn’t enjoy this swill either?” Rufus asked, casting his own cup a disapproving glance, and nudging it off to one side. “Perhaps he does have some minuscule amount of taste after all…”

Tseng chuckled softly and drank his tea.

~end chapter 41~