Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 44: In Wutai

“Come on, Boss… gimme a little direction here. I’ve never been to Wutai,” Reno grumbled as he sorted through his options. Uniforms were a given, of course. But they’d be there for a week. There was going to be plenty of off-duty time as well, and he wanted to make good use of it… without looking like an idiot.

His mentor chuckled quietly and joined him in front of the closet.

“Reno… your off-duty wardrobe is comprised almost entirely of t-shirts and jeans. Exactly what sort of ‘direction’ are you looking for?”

“Tch… I dunno. I mean… is it gonna be like… Costa del Sol hot? Or just Midgar hot?”

“It will be hot… but likely not overly so in the capitol. It’s towards the northern end of the island, which tends to be a bit more temperate than the southern regions. The mountains will likely still be fairly cool, and the lowlands… will depend largely on how much rain they’ve gotten this season. If it’s been a particularly wet year, you can count on both heat and humidity.”

“So… Mideel hot?” the redhead ventured, drawing a laugh from Tseng.

“Not quite that bad. You should be fine with whatever you would wear here at home this time of year… and perhaps a light jacket for the more mountainous locales,” he replied, before smiling teasingly, “Now… are we having lunch or not?”

It was Saturday… and his mentor had invited him to join him for the afternoon, both to spend a little time together and to go over the candidates for promotion. Over the last month and a half, and much to his surprise, Reno had been called in twice more to give Tseng his opinion on potential new rookies. In that time, Tseng and Veld had narrowed the pool down from fourteen to six. Now he was being asked, again, for his input.

In addition to that, though, the team was preparing for the trip to Wutai, which would be taking place next week, for the new reactor opening. The last few weeks at the office had been something of a frenzy as last minute details were seen to and itineraries were finalized. Veld and Remy would be on the President’s security detail, while Tseng and Reno looked after the Vice President. The others would see to general security.

Reno was… excited. Somehow, none of his assignments in the last three years had ever taken him to his mentor’s homeland, and he was looking forward to seeing it for himself. And by this time Monday, that’s exactly what he’d be doing.

“Yeah, yeah… Let’s go,” he snickered in response to the senior Turk’s inquiry, “Heh… ya know, it’s usually me askin’ that question…”

“The irony is not lost on me,” Tseng teased, smiling slightly as he ushered the younger man towards the door. They headed downstairs and out into the parking lot, where the senior Turk’s car sat, shiny and black, in the afternoon sunshine.

“Soooo…” the redhead began, eyeing the vehicle.

“No,” Tseng replied, pointedly.

“You’re really never gonna let me drive it again?”

The Wutaiian Turk snorted softly. “I didn’t let you drive it the first time, as I recall.”

Reno grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he made his way over to the passenger side door.

“Yeah… I kinda hopped you’d forgotten that little detail by now.”

“Not likely,” Tseng snickered, “Get in. I think, for once, I may actually be hungrier than you are.”

“Not likely,” Reno parroted, grinning widely as he obliged and settled himself into the seat. He pulled the seatbelt across his body and Tseng started the engine. Soon, they were flying down the road towards Sector 4. “So… Who’s your top pick at this point?”

“I’m still rather impressed with Miss Latchley… though Veld isn’t quite as convinced. He seems to think she may be a bit too immature.” He shook his head and took a sharp right. “And I’ll admit… that little stunt she pulled a few days ago doesn’t exactly help her case.”

At only seventeen, Zephyr Latchley was easily the youngest recruit under consideration. Apparently, the young woman had accidentally flooded most of the Turks’ recruitment center’s first floor in a badly executed prank last week. The damage wasn’t extensive… but it was going to take quite some time to dry things out, and a number of training programs had to be put on hold or relocated to other facilities as a result.

The redhead laughed quietly. “Yeah… well… if we promote her, it’s not like she’d be the first rookie to ever do somethin’ stupid,” he replied in a somewhat self-deprecating tone.

“No… she most certainly wouldn’t,” Tseng smirked in response, shooting him a knowing look.

“Hey! Ya weren’t s’posed to agree with me…”

“Given your history, how could I not? Shall we start with your first arrest? Or the zoo incident? Or, perhaps, your eviction?” his mentor jokingly deadpanned. Reno snorted softly in laughter.

“Yeah, okay… I don’t need an itemized list of all the dumb shit I’ve done over the years, Boss.”

Tseng smiled as they pulled into a parking lot outside one of the redhead’s favorite pizza chains.

“Thankfully, you grew out of that phase,” his mentor added, “And so will Latchley. I think, if given the opportunity, she will very quickly prove herself, just as you did. She’s certainly eager to please.”

“Yeah… She’s in my top three,” Reno acknowledged, “And we’re gettin’ pineapple on this, right?”

Tseng sighed. “You may get pineapple on your half, if you absolutely must… Frankly, your preferred topping combination turns my stomach a bit.”

Reno laughed and climbed out of the car. Okay… so maybe pineapple, jalapeños, and onions was a little… odd… on a pizza. But he liked it. It had been a drunken accident that he’d even learned that he liked it, but the combination had very quickly become his favorite. Even sober. He seemed to be the only one who enjoyed, it, however. Rude found it as disgusting as Tseng did, and Lira wouldn’t even let him order it when she visited. He hadn’t yet tried introducing it to the rookies.

Soon enough, the pair were seated at one of the tables outside, enjoying the sun and a soft breeze beneath a large patio umbrella. Tseng sorted through the remaining candidates’ files while they waited for their order to arrive.

“You said Latchley is in your top three?” he queried, glancing up. Reno nodded.

“Yep. Her, Taiko, and Reese.”

Victor Reese, in particular, stood out from the group… at least in Reno’s opinion. At twenty-four, he was a bit older and more experienced than the other candidates. He’d served in Shinra’s army during the Meaningless War – as the war with Wutai had widely come to be known – before being honorably discharged and applying to the Turks’ recruitment program last spring. He was a demolitions expert – something the team was notably lacking with Sato gone – and also had experience with heavy ordnance, including the large cannons on board Shinra’s airships.

Ryuunosuke Taiko, on the other hand, hailed from Wutai, originally… but his family had come to Midgar when he was still a very small child, and his father had had a hand in the design of the more modern mako reactors, including the one that was being prepped to come online in his homeland. At nineteen, he was a serious, quietly observant young man who didn’t really stand out much… which was, oddly enough, what had caught Reno’s interest. Sykes was good when it came to stealth… but Ryuunosuke was practically invisible when he wanted to be. In fact… the redhead was all but certain the kid used materia to aid him in that, as materia was also his primary weapon… another major benefit. The Turks hadn’t had a member who used materia to that extent in the entire time Reno had been on the team. Apparently the last time they had, Tseng hadn’t even been promoted to Second yet.

The Turk leader pulled the three files from the stack, and made a small note on each of them. Reno frowned slightly and cocked his head to one side.

“Hey… Boss?”

“Mmm?” Tseng acknowledged without looking up from the folders in front of him.

“I mean… I know ya already told me that you ‘n Veld just want an extra set of eyes on the newbies, but… sure seems like you’re puttin’ a lot of weight on what I got to say about ’em…”

The Wutaiian Turk finally returned his gaze to his lunch companion and chuckled.

“Is it really so shocking that I value your opinion?”

“… No. I mean, I know ya trust me ‘n shit. Just… why me ‘n not any of the others? I don’t ever see ya askin’ Remy or Kai or Rude to weigh in on this.”

“Having everyone present their arguments for and against each candidate would very swiftly devolve into a free-for-all,” Tseng stated, “We’d never get anywhere… which is why it has always been just myself and Veld evaluating candidates previously. This time around, we decided that an additional voice would be beneficial and I chose yours. It’s as simple as that.”

Reno eyed him somewhat skeptically, to which Tseng responded with a quiet laugh.

“You’re not forever beholden to your past mistakes, Reno. Youthful foolishness aside, you’ve proven yourself a capable and responsible member of the team. You’ve grown up. I can see that, and so can Veld.” A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. “Actually… I think at least some of those mistakes might just give you a rather unique perspective when it comes to evaluating new Turks, in addition to your innate ability to judge a person’s character. And after all, what’s the sense in having such a tool in our arsenal if we don’t put it to good use whenever we can?”

Before Reno could respond, their waiter arrived bearing the pizza they’d ordered… Half with Reno’s toppings, and half with plain old ordinary sausage. Tseng sighed and shook his head.

“Your judgment on Turk matters I know I can trust implicitly… You judgment on lunch, however…” He grimaced as the redhead selected a slice from his half, grinning as the cheese oozed and stretched as it was pulled away from the main body of the pizza.

“Aw, come on, Tseng… Ya might actually like it if ya tried it.”

“It might also make me violently ill…” Tseng replied, with a teasing smirk.

“Tch… oh, please,” the redhead said, rolling his eyes, “I mean… sure my cooking is shit, but I don’t think even I’m bad enough to poison someone just by orderin’.”

Tseng laughed and reached for one of the smaller slices on Reno’s side of the pie. “Fine… I’ll try it. But if I end up in the hospital having my stomach pumped at some point this weekend, you’re going be the one explaining to Veld why I missed our flight on Monday.”

---

“Whoa…”

Liam gazed upwards that the massive airship that was tethered with steal cables as thick as his arm to the tarmac at one end of the Junon base. It was like… a floating city! He’d seen the hulking behemoths many times before, but it had always been from a distance. Standing right underneath one now, he could hardly believe something so huge could remain airborne.

“Seconded…” Sykes breathed, coming to a halt beside him. A moment later, both rookies jumped slightly as something poked them squarely between the shoulder blades.

“Come on, guys… Ya can’t spend all day starin’ at that thing. We gotta get on it,” Reno said, prodding them forward with a finger in each of their backs. He glanced back over his shoulder. “Tch… You, too, Petra. Move it!”

Liam grinned and quickened his pace towards the airship’s gangway. Sykes and Petra weren’t far behind. The redhead snickered and hurried after them. He couldn’t blame them for being excited. It wasn’t every day you got to take a trip on one of those bastards. Hell, he’d only been on one twice before… and never for journey as long as the one they were making today.

Veld and Tseng had left early that morning, accompanying the President and Vice President to Junon. The senior Shinra had wanted to get settled in on the airship ahead of time… and Rufus wanted a tour. The Highwind was the newest, most advanced ship the Company had, having just been completed six months ago. It was the new flagship of Shinra’s fleet, and, even Reno had to admit, it was pretty goddamned impressive.

With the Turks’ two highest ranking members otherwise occupied, Remy had been put in charge of getting the rest of the team to Junon in a timely fashion, as well as ensuring that all supplies were on board and any last minute preparations were taken care of. In turn, she had placed Reno exclusively in charge of ensuring that the rookies made it on board, appointing him to wrangle all three of them and keep them out of trouble while the others saw to any unexpected issues – of which there had been more than a few. He didn’t really mind rookie-sitting. They weren’t particularly hard to keep in line, and besides… he kind of liked being in charge of them. It was like having his own little mini-team.

They made their way up the steep ramp that led to the open deck of the Highwind, and Reno looked around in curiosity. This one was definitely bigger than the last airship he’d been on. Shinra had four of the damn things… though the oldest was due to be retired and scrapped in the near future . Highwind was taking its place. Apparently it had been designed by one of Palmer’s guys over in Rocket Town and was absolutely state of the art.

Liam, by then, had dashed across to the railing on the far side and was peering over it, looking down at the ocean below the military base.

“Watch it, rookie. You fall overboard, I’m not jumping off after ya,” the redhead teased as he made his way over.

“Yes, sir,” Liam replied, grinning.

“Sir? What’s Wutai like?” Petra queried, joining the pair near the railing, “I’ve never been.”

“Me neither,” Reno replied with a shrug. He elbowed Liam. “You have, though… right, kid?”

“Yes, sir… I lived there for about a year when I was twelve. Actually, my dad got reassigned there when construction on the reactor started, so my whole family’s there right now.”

“Oooh… a family reunion!” Petra squealed, “Why didn’t you tell us?!”

Liam sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and grinned. “Well… I don’t really know if I’ll get to see them while we’re there. I mean… even if we’re in the same general area, I’ll be working, and Mom and Dad’ll both be working, and Cassie’ll be busy with school…”

“In the summer?” Sykes cut in. Liam snickered.

“She’s… kind of an over-achiever. She’s taking summer classes so she can graduate early and then she’s planning to enlist and go into engineering like my dad.”

“Tch… I’m sure you can find some time to visit. We’re not gonna be on duty twenty-four seven, ya know…” Reno pointed out.

“Well, I know what I’m looking forward to seeing…” said Sykes. “The Turtle’s Paradise.”

“What’s that?” the redhead asked, and Liam grinned.

“It’s a bar in the Wutaiian capitol city. They’re pretty famous, actually. You’ve never heard of it?”

Reno shook his head. “Nope…” he replied with a shrug, and laughed, “Buuuuut to be fair, there’s probably still a lot I’ve never heard of. Hazard of growin’ up in the Slums ‘n droppin’ outta what passes for school down there at twelve or so… What’s so special about it?”

“For one thing… they brew some of the best sake on the planet,” a voice interrupted, and Reno smirked as he turned and found Remy standing directly behind him.

“You plannin’ on payin’ a visit there, too?” he teased. To his surprise, the senior Turk smiled slightly.

“At the very least I plan on bringing a bottle or two home with me,” she replied… before pointedly looking at the rookies, “And I would strongly recommend partaking in moderation if you three are going. This isn’t a vacation.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the trio quickly chorused, drawing a faint laugh from the redhead.

“Man, Remy… you really got these kids trained,” he snickered. Remy smirked.

“Tseng asked me to inform you that we’ll be leaving in ten. You should get settled in your cabins. The deck is going to get busy very quickly, and the crew doesn’t need passengers underfoot.”

Reno grinned and turned to the rookies. “Well? You heard the lady… Get out from underfoot!” he commanded, laughingly. The trio hurried to comply, scurrying off towards the lower decks where the passenger cabins were located. Remy chuckled softly, shaking her head as they disappeared.

“Headin’ out to a bar soon as we get there, huh?” Reno teased. “You takin’ me with ya?”

“Hmph… considering what’s happened every other time I’ve been in a bar with you? No,” the senior Turk deadpanned. The redhead’s grin widened, and Remy rolled her eyes. “And don’t you give me that look… Like I told the rookies, this isn’t a vacation. We’re there in a professional capacity, and we will behave as such.”

“So… no drunken orgies, then?”

“Reno…” she warningly intoned. He laughed and headed off in the same direction the rookies had just vanished in.

“I know… Not when we’re on duty,” he chuckled. “But, uh… if ya happen to get a little lonely when we’re not workin’, ya know where to find me.”

Remy rolled her eyes again and followed him towards the staircase leading down into the ship. “Drunken orgies, indeed,” she scoffed, “Just who else were you planning to invite?”

---

Reno gazed out of the narrow window in his cabin, eyes roving the landscape far below them. For several hours, the scenery had consisted primarily of open water and clouds… with the occasional shoreline or island coming into view, and, every once in awhile, a flock of birds could be spotted in the distance. But now… now they were over land again.

And he didn’t have to ask where they were. The huge faces carved into the mountains overlooking the Wutaiian capitol city made their location pretty obvious. The Da-Chou statue, along with its fellow stone deities, was famous the world over. Even growing up isolated from much of the world, Reno at least knew of the monument.

A knock at his cabin door pulled his gaze away from the sights below.

“Come in,” he called out, and a moment later, Tseng stepped inside. Reno grinned and glanced back out the window. “I never knew they were that fuckin’ big. How the hell’d they carve ’em?”

His mentor joined him at the window, smiling faintly as he, too, took in the sight.

“Many decades and many artisans. I agree… it’s hardly fathomable. They truly are breathtaking, aren’t they?”

“So… stupid question,” Reno said looking over at his mentor. “Um… Who exactly was this Da-Chou guy, anyway?”

Tseng chuckled quietly. “It largely depends on which legend you subscribe to. In some versions – particularly those favored in the regions around the mountain itself – he was nothing short of a god of the sea. In others, more of a demi-god… mortal, but with strength and powers far beyond those of normal men. Whichever you choose to believe, however, Da-Chou is regarded as the one true master of Leviathan and an ancient protector of Wutai.”

Reno cocked his head to one side, studying the monument.

“How come he’s bigger than the others?”

“Wutai is an island nation,” Tseng said, simply, “The sea is the lifeblood of Wutai… It’s only natural that the sea god is the most revered. But I’m afraid the history lesson will have to wait for another time. We’ll be landing shortly, and are needed at Rufus’ side for the welcoming ceremony.”

He reached out and straightened Reno’s tie… an accessory that the younger Turk had begrudgingly agreed to wear for the many public appearances he’d be making as part of the vice president’s entourage. The redhead heaved an exaggerated sigh.

“Can’t believe you’re makin’ me wear this thing again…”

“I haven’t made you wear one since you were a rookie,” his mentor chuckled, “In fact… as I recall, you stopped wearing one after, what… two months on the job? If that…” He gently tugged it to the center and tightened it slightly against his protege’s throat, before smirking slightly. “Which would explain why you still haven’t mastered tying it…”

Reno sorted softly. “I learn how to tie the damn thing, all I’m really doin’ is givin’ you an excuse to make me wear it.”

Tseng laughed and, finally satisfied with the redhead’s appearance, gestured towards the door.

“Come on. We can’t keep the vice president waiting.”

---

“Festive…” Rude commented as he trailed the executive party down the gangway. The Highwind had set down just outside of the city, where a delegation from Wutai – as well as a rather significant crowd – had gathered to welcome them. Even from a distance, he could see that the city streets had been decorated with streamers and paper lanterns – both for the occasion and for the mid-summer festival that was currently taking place – and he could hear the faint strains of music wafting in on the breeze.

“I wonder how many of them are really that happy to see us…” Kai commented. Rude made a faint sound of agreement in response. After all… this was a country that, not all that long ago, Shinra had trounced in a war. And as the losing side, Wutai had been forced to make several concessions before the treaty was signed, probably the biggest being the surrender of about ninety percent of the country’s materia and the agreement to allow the construction of the reactor. The former was precautionary. Wutai’s main defenses came in the form of ground troops and materia wielders. Taking away their materia significantly crippled their fighting force and ensured that hostilities would be unlikely to reignite. The latter was merely Shinra’s prize for winning.

Shinra had largely let Wutai be once the hostilities had ended. They’d taken their materia and built their reactor… but otherwise had allowed the island nation to go back to the way things had been before. Well… as much as possible in the aftermath of a war, that is. Casualties in Wutai had been heavy. Shinra had lost men as well, of course, but proportionally, Wutai was far worse off in the end.

Somewhat ironically, the only thing that had prevented their loses from being truly catastrophic had been Sephiroth’s victory over the summoned Leviathan. That single blow had crushed enemy morale and forced Lord Godo to see reason before things could get worse than they already were. Even so, the ceasefire had come too late for many. Being that Wutai had no standing army, and their forces were largely made up of volunteers and conscripted citizens, huge swathes of Wutai’s workforce had been wiped out leading up to that final confrontation. Farmers… merchants… engineers… artists… So many dead. It would be a long time before the island recovered.

Still… there was a tangible excitement in the crowd. Not the restless sort of excitement one might associate with impeding danger… but more of curiosity. Or perhaps it was just that they knew that Shinra Company, if it really wanted to, could ruin them. One wrong move… one unfortunate incident… and what was left of the Wutaiian economy could end up blacklisted worldwide on Shinra’s say-so. They were welcoming and friendly because the alternative would almost certainly have dire consequences.

Kai suddenly elbowed him and nodded to the road leading into the capitol. The crowd was quickly parting, allowing Lord Godo himself and his retinue past. The Wutaiian leader was perched atop a covered sedan carried by four rather intimidatingly large men. At his side was a young girl, maybe ten or eleven years old, who looked thoroughly annoyed with the pomp and circumstance surrounding her. Godo’s daughter, Rude surmised, Yuffie Kisuragi. The sedan was accompanied by a full contingent of servants and guards.

Rude glanced further down the gangway at the vice president’s detail… and at the redhead who seemed rather enthralled by the fancy procession… and snickered quietly. Reno was definitely going to get to see the more traditional side of Wutai on this trip. Rude had only been to Wutai a few times before today. The first time, though, was perhaps the trip he remembered best. He’d been ten at the time, and had been allowed to join his father on a rare freight delivery to the island that just happened to coincide with the spring cherry blossom festival. They’d spent the day seeing the sights, sampling the local cuisine, watching performers… just… acting like a father and son. It was one of his favorite memories, in fact. A time before the pain of his mother’s death had driven them apart.

It still stung. Being rejected by your only living parent… all because you reminded them too much of the person they’d lost. Oh, his father had never come right out and said it, of course. But Rude knew. He’d felt his father pushing him away for years, and had struggled for so long to understand why… but eventually it had clicked. By then, though… it was far too late to do anything about it.

He didn’t bother going home anymore.

It made his return to Wutai today somewhat bittersweet, having that happy memory juxtaposed with the current state of his relationship with the man.

At last they reached the ground and he and Kai hung back, watching the crowd while the President dealt with the formalities. Rude largely ignored the short speeches from the pair of leaders in favor of keeping an eye out for trouble… but no one seemed interested in interrupting the meeting. In short order, the President and Vice President had boarded a second sedan chair and were being carried towards the imperial residence, flanked by their security details.

Thankfully, today was going to be a short day. The real celebration wouldn’t be starting until tomorrow, when the parade took them through the city and back to the sacred mountain… where the President would make a speech regarding the future and Wutai’s role in it. That would be followed by a tour of some of Wutai’s most important cultural sites, conducted by Lord Godo himself. And then a formal dinner with the imperial family and their guests of honor.

Followed by the rest of the week, each day of which had events planned. They had a very full schedule. It would culminate with a trip into the southern mountains to officially open the reactor at the end of the week, yet another formal dinner, and finally their departure the following morning.

“Hmph… If everything this week is as over the top as this, I’m going to need a vacation when we get home,” Kai snickered. Rude snorted softly and glanced over at her as they followed the procession back into the city.

“Think anyone would notice if we accidentally missed the flight back to Midgar on Sunday?” he joked. Kai smirked.

“I won’t say anything if you don’t…” she replied, with a teasing grin.

---

Wutai was… beautiful. Everywhere he looked, Reno could see lush greenery, and amazing architecture. It was old-fashioned, but not in the provincial way Kalm was old-fashioned. The city had a feeling of culture and pride to it. Kalm was a quaint little mining town. Wutai’s capitol was… something else entirely. He wasn’t quite sure how to describe it. It was as if he could literally feel the history of the place oozing from the very ground.

As they entered the city proper, however, he could see the vestiges of the all-too-recent war. Buildings near the shore still bore the scars of the battle waged there between Sephiroth and Leviathan, and some had yet to even be rebuilt. Most of the city, though, was still intact, and the procession was pointedly steered away from the damaged sections. As they walked, Reno could see dozens… maybe even hundreds of people… peering at them from houses and storefronts. More still lined the streets, vying to get a good look.

He glanced up at Rufus, seated in the strange little man-powered… vehicle? He supposed it could be classified as a vehicle of some sort. He had no idea what the hell it was called, but it was kind of cool. Very ornate, and painted a vibrant red and gold, carried by four of the Wutaiian emperor’s men. He was actually just the tiniest bit jealous he didn’t get to ride in it. It looked like fun.

They wound their way through the streets, and it quickly became apparent that they weren’t taking the most direct route to wherever they were going. Instead, they seemed to be giving everyone in town ample opportunity to get a good look at their guests.

The crowd waved and called out to them as they passed by, though the redhead couldn’t understand a word of it… which, frankly was more than a little disconcerting. For all he knew, they could have been threatening to kill him with a smile on their faces… Tseng didn’t look particularly concerned, however, so he could only assume that the ongoing chatter was benign.

Ahead of them, Reno could see some sort of tower rising above the other buildings. They seemed to be heading straight for it now.

“Hey, Boss,” he said, nudging Tseng, “What’s that?”

“The Pagoda of the Five Gods,” his mentor replied, “Challenging it is something of a right of passage for young warriors. On each floor, they must face and defeat a master. Very few have ever made it to the top…”

“You ever do it?” Reno asked, and Tseng chuckled.

“Once… many years ago, and entirely on a dare from my bother, Jian, on my first visit ever to the capitol. I was very quickly put in my place by the first master. Jian dared my eldest brother to try his luck as well, but Hisao was a bit more… realistic… than I was back then.”

The redhead grinned. “You mean smarter?” he teased.

“In my defense, I was only nine at the time.”

Reno snorted a quiet laugh, and glanced over at the senior Turk. “Ya know… It’s surprisingly comforting knowin’ that you apparently fucked up as much as I did as a kid…”

Tseng merely rolled his eyes in response… but the redhead caught a brief glimpse of a smile on his face before both men turned their attention back to their current assignment.

He wasn’t kidding about that, either. When Tseng had first brought him Plateside, he’d been somewhat in awe of the man. Tseng was poised… polished… deadly. And yes, for a time, the redhead had truly believed that his new mentor was virtually infallible, and must have always been that way, despite the man’s occasional claims to the contrary. As time passed, however, Reno had come to understand that Tseng was just as human as anyone else… complete with flaws and failures, just like himself.

A part of him felt like he should have been disappointed to learn that his hero was far from perfect… but he wasn’t. Knowing that even Tseng made mistakes, made his own – of which he’d made plenty – seem so much less damning. He still idolized him, of course… perhaps now even moreso than when they’d first met, in fact. Tseng was everything Reno wanted to be one day – minus the tie and tea addiction. The fact that he wasn’t perfect made that dream seem more… attainable.

At last, the procession stopped in front of an ornate building not far from the Pagoda.

“The imperial residence…” Tseng explained without being prompted. “Lord Godo and his family’s home.”

Reno nodded his understanding. They weren’t doing much today. In fact… the Turks weren’t really going to be doing much of anything at all, beyond general security. The President and Lord Godo, as well as Rufus, would be meeting behind closed doors for much of the day, going over the week’s plans, and then a private dinner with Godo and his daughter before turning in for the night.

The Turks weren’t invited.

The President and Rufus exited their transport, following their host into the building, their security details trailing at a distance. The doors closed behind them, and Reno looked around at the interior of the place. Like the outside of the structure, the inside was ornately decorated with rich woods, intricate pottery, and… very much to his surprise, a huge water garden in the indoor courtyard.

“I hope you’re looking forward to tomorrow as much as we are, Godo,” the President boomed as they pair of leaders made their way towards a large sitting room. Reno didn’t hear the Wutaiian emperor’s reply, as Tseng and Veld hauled the doors shut as soon as their charges were safely inside.

“Well,” Veld said, breathing a quiet sigh, “That certainly went smoothly.”

“I, for one, am not going to complain about that, sir,” Tseng chuckled in reply, drawing a laugh from his mentor. He subtly nodded towards Reno and Remy. “Sir?”

“Ah… yes,” Veld replied, turning his gaze on his subordinates, “I don’t think we’ll need the entire executive detail for the afternoon meeting. The two of you can join the others for awhile. No sense in all of us standing around, bored out of our minds. Come back and relieve us in a few hours.”

“Yes, sir!” Reno replied, with a wide grin. Remy snorted quietly, shaking her head.

“Thank you, sir,” she replied, grateful for the reprieve, “We’ll see you later.”

“Reno, check in on the rookies once in awhile, if you would,” the Turk lieutenant added, “Barring a significant security breach, there’s really very little that could go wrong on backup security duty, but…”

“On it, Boss,” the redhead snickered, “I’ll make sure they’re stayin’ outta trouble.”

---

“Hey, Liam… How do you say “where’s the Turtle’s Paradise” in Wutaiian?” Sykes asked. The trio were technically only acting as backup security. They had no specific position they’d been assigned to watch, and were, instead, systematically patrolling the area around the emperor’s residence and the Pagoda.

“Turtle’s Paradise wa doko desu ka?” Liam responded, laughing softly. “Is that all you can think about?”

“I just want to be ready for when we’re off duty. I’ve always wanted to visit the Turtle’s Paradise. You know the posters they put up? The ones you’re supposed to collect? There used to be one up at the ski lodge in Icicle Inn. I’d see it every time I went into town.”

“So, you’re saying that your greatest childhood ambition was… to visit a bar?” Petra giggled. Sykes rolled his eyes.

“No. I wanted to visit some place… different. Not like home. Wutai is about as different from the Great Glacier as it gets. The bar was just the X on the treasure map. It won’t feel like I’ve really done it until I get there, you know?”

“Never took you for the fantasy type, Sykes…” said Liam.

“Hey, everyone’s got dreams,” the other rookie replied, grinning.

“What happened to the poster?” Petra suddenly queried.

“Huh?”

“The poster at the ski lodge… You said it used to be there. What happened to it?”

Sykes’ cheeks reddened and he awkwardly cleared his throat.

“… It… went missing,” he said, shiftily avoiding eye contact.

“Oh… so ya stole it…” a voice cut in, startling all three rookies. They turned in unison, coming face to face with a very amused looking Reno. Liam was the first to recover from the fright, and he glanced over at Sykes… who was looking decidedly guilty. The youngest rookie sniggered, shaking his head.

“Is something going on, sir?” Petra asked, snapping back into a more professional demeanor.

“Nah… The President ‘n Rufus are in their meeting with Godo, so Veld cut me ‘n Remy loose for awhile. Just makin’ sure you three are behavin’…” Reno replied, “I miss anything interesting? Ya know… besides learnin’ ’bout Sykes’ criminal history…”

“They were just going to throw it out anyway…” Sykes grumbled, still blushing.

The senior Turk laughed, and slung an arm around the rookie. “Relax, rookie… I’m just bein’ an asshole. Don’t take it personally. Seriously, though… anything goin’ on out here?”

“Not really, sir,” Liam answered, “It’s been quiet. The crowds started dispersing as soon as the VIPs went inside, and it’s just been us and the city guards. Rude and Kai said to stick close to the Pagoda courtyard. They’re heading to the hotel to make sure everything is secure there.”

Reno nodded. “… ‘Kay. I’m headin’ out into the city to take a look around. Remy’s gonna be hangin’ out at that restaurant down the main road, keepin’ an eye on the street. Ya need anything, she’ll probably be closest.”

“Yes, sir,” the trio replied in unison. The senior Turk snickered and shook his head.

“Seriously… You guys gotta stop doin’ that. It’s freakin’ me out.”

“Sorry, sir,” came the reply, again, as a chorus… which resulted in all three of them breaking down into poorly hidden laughter.

“… Yeah, okay… that’s much better,” the redhead groaned, with a heavy hint of sarcasm in his voice, “Just stay outta trouble, okay?”

“Yes, sir,” the three rookies replied a third time, grinning widely as they did so.

Reno sighed, and threw his hand in the air, defeated.

“Fine. I give up. Have it your way, ya weirdos,” he laughed. He turned, and headed off towards the main part of town with a wave, leaving the trio to their own devices.

“… We should definitely start doing that more often…” Liam said, still grinning.

~end chapter 44~