[thread] After Epitaphs...

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

Characters: Tseng, Elena, Reno and Rude
Progress: Complete
Summary: Regrouping after the Epitaph ordeal
Location: Dali
Date: January 1804
Warnings: Violence, swearing... Turks?


After what his friends had done, and after seeing Cissnei and Yuffie, Reno was in the worst shape imaginable. He was probably in equally as bad a state as when the building had collapsed on him. His nose was bloodied (probably broken), his right eye was blackened, left wrist snapped again, a gash on his stomach, one on his back... yeah, none of that compared to how angry he was.

How Rude and Tseng could turn on him, like they had... it was painful. It was worse than any injury he could get. They were two of his three best friends and getting no answer from them as to why they did that...

Broken wrist hanging at his side, his good hand holding that rather deep wound Yuffie had given him, Reno made his way slowly through Dali, trying to maybe find Elena and see what the Hell had made Rude and Tseng and even Cissnei attack him. He didn't even stick around to wait for the others to get out of the Pyramids.

Reno had lost a lot of blood but he was still standing, despite how oddly grey his skin was going. He wasn't in a good shape. He'd barely escaped death at the hands of his partner and it was a sheer fluke mixed with adrenaline that he'd managed to take Tseng down.

Long story short; Reno didn't trust his partner or boss. They'd tried to kill him. Elena (if she didn't damn well finish him off) was his only ally.

Comments

[piercedgloves.livejournal.com]

Any argument Rude could have (not to say that he would have) died at Tseng's last sentence. Still having the occasional violent twitch from the electric shocks he had received, part of Rude's mind hoped Tseng wouldn't notice or think any more of his twitch at the man's words, though he was smart enough to realize that it was unlikely. He wasn't going to lie to him, either, and... well, if the man already knew (or suspected, and Tseng's suspicions were often correct), there wasn't, in Rude's mind, much of a reason to deny it to his boss.

"...He didn't want you to know. Or Elena and Rufus." Of course, Rude hadn't either; they had wanted to figure it out for themselves, without overwhelming outside influences. But then statues had started spitting out copies of friends, and everything had turned ugly. Even now, though, Rude was putting Reno in front of him: he was hurt, yes, but he was already trying to protect his partner anyway. In fact, if the problem between the two of them because of the epitaphs wasn't treated correctly, he would continue to put Reno ahead of himself, and it would only lead to more trouble in the future.

[te-dirige.livejournal.com]

Tseng nodded slightly. Of course Reno hadn't - and neither would have Rude, for that matter. It wasn't that it was a private matter - it was simply that neither of them were particularly good at interpersonal relationships at the best of times. Something with that much implied meaning would have been difficult to reconcile - which was why it had taken them so damned long to even get to this point. He'd honestly expected it to come about after the whole mess with the clones, and when it hadn't...

Well, it was about time. Although possibly also ill-timed...

"Understandably." Tseng offered, voice quiet. "And I don't intend to mention it - now. It's been a difficult day for you both. For all of us." Tseng decided that was enough, and made his way towards the staircase. "Just be aware, that no matter what may or may not happen between you two - or anyone else: the choices you make are your own. The only thing I expect of you, both of you, is to be Turks."

He climbed the stairs. 'only Turks' was, in many ways, a gross understatement. That didn't matter - it wasn't any less true. Reno and Rude would sort matters out between them once they'd had time to settle and heal.

And if they didn't, Tseng would fix them.

Hopefully.