timeandtides_backup | A time to heal.

Current Location: Treno

Entry tags:

A time to heal.

Characters: The Turks
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: Tseng needs to talk to his men one on one- and vice versa.
Location: Treno
Date: January, 1804
Warnings: Angst, most likely. Snark. Reno's involved, so swearing. Tseng is probably kicking their emo up around their ears.

Turks were made to withstand a lot of things, Tseng knew. It was really a shame no one had thought to prepare them for this.
'This' being the catch-all he was forced to use when he attempted to reconcile that he and his men had been transported here, with Rufus, to another world where others from yet other worlds had also arrived - and not only people, but whole cities and landmarks as well. In addition, there wasn't any sort of timeframe being employed by their mysterious force of arrival - unless one wanted to count 'any time within a decade' as a timeframe. There was no materia, though magic seemed to be still in supply to some. Old friends - no, allies were here along with enemies - and even more threats lurked around virtually every corner. There were no answers that could be given, only more questions to be found.
And ShinRa had little to no power here - low funds, no base of operations, and little respect. Even so, Turks had been taught to work and thrive in almost any situation....

But they'd failed to even consider something like this.

Tseng was still proud of his men, that they'd done so well on so little as it was. The issues now were more... emotional. More based on poor choices made in heated moments, and the repercussions that held. He'd given Reno and Rude time to settle things between each other but they'd made little progress - and the sort of applied distance couldn't be afforded, here and now especially. Thankfully, Tseng had more than a little experience in both this situation - and in helping the pair remove their heads from their collective asses when necessary. This was why he'd waited until they'd separated (not a difficult task at the Inn, surprisingly) and sought them out for a private conversation.

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Glad that the majority of his wounds had been healed by Fran, and that the left overs were surface marks like little bruises or the small aches he could with, Reno was currently avoiding going back to his room. If Rude was there, it'd just be hours of not talking and staring at the wall in an awkward silence. He didn't feel like just sitting there and watching Rude brood. He was his best friend, his partner... his, well, his whatever and with his own stupid mistake (regardless of concussions) he'd ripped apart whatever friendship they'd had.

Sighing, and sipping his bottle of beer a second later, Reno was seated at the end of the hall upstairs, his cat curled in a small, scruffy ball on his lap. So, he was camped out on the floor? So what? It beat sitting in the quiet with Rude. In fact, he figured the cat was better company right now, even if it didn't have a name. It was his replacement partner for now. He was pretty damn glad he'd found it before they headed off to Dali.

Tseng had expected to find Reno at the bar - it was his usual place to drown sorrows, or complicated situations in. He'd reckoned without the cat, however; the stray had stayed with Reno through Dali and back, and the innkeeper wasn't interested in the creature downstairs at his bar.

Thankful that his own injuries had responded well to Fran's healing spells, Tseng walked to Reno's space, and sat down opposite the red-head, facing him and back against the wall. He was still favouring his ribs, but bruises were far easier to handle than breaks, and it only took a moment to be comfortable, floor or not.

"Have you named it yet?"

Blinking up at Tseng, the redhead smiled slightly. So, it was Tseng to the rescue, like always. He couldn't fault the man for his skills and how well he took care of them all. Kind of like a brother, rather than a boss, sometimes. In fact, Reno refused to ever consider his debt to Tseng as repaid. Tseng had picked him out of a bad spot and pulled him up through the ranks.

Smile still in place, he ran his hand down the feline's spine. "Nah... nearest I got is calling him 'little bastard' every time he bites or scratches me." Thankfully, he hadn't had to use that name too many times.

Tseng chuckled, returning Reno's smile and giving the feline a thoughtful look. "A not entirely unfamiliar reaction to Turk hospitality. He seems content for the moment though - bribed with food, I'd assume?" And of course, somewhere warm to rest while being pet was probably a benefit to the creature.

The smile had been a good sign, and Tseng had been glad to see it. Then again, Reno was often just as capable of reading his own actions as he was of reading Reno's. Familiarity and observation worked both ways.

"Something like that..." Taking a long drink from his beer, Reno set the bottle aside, eying Tseng for a moment. "I... uh, about what I did... It was stupid. I should've thought things through and given it better logic, concussion or not." With a slightly sigh, he shifted his position, the cat digging his claws in.

He had to apologise properly. Tseng deserved that respect. Damnit, Tseng deserved a lot more respect than he tended to receive at times, or at least Reno thought so. "I've been in this gig long enough t'know you and him wouldn't do something like that. I was a dumbass and... well, I'm sorry."

"Yes." Tseng agreed to the apology amiably, keeping his voice light and easy. Reno should have - because that was what Turks were expected to do - to work through pain, to think through injury.
"Your apology is nonetheless accepted, and I'll consider the incident dealt with - considering that you were so injured, in combination with the shock of seeing people you trusted turn on you - I don't think this is something I need to worry about from you. And even moreso - now we know it could happen again, and we can act accordingly. All of us."
He wrapped one large hand around Reno's ankle (one of the few places the red-head hadn't been injured over the past few weeks). "As I told Rude, seeing someone close to you choose betrayal... is a difficult thing to handle. Even I have trouble with it, epitaphs or no."

At Tseng's grasp, Reno scooped the cat up, ignoring its angry whining as he moved to sit next to the Director, snatching up his beer as he did, taking a swig before offering the bottle to Tseng. "Yeah... I think I got a lot of work coming if I want Rude to put up with me again."

Holding himself back from simply leaning on Tseng both physically and for moral and emotional support, the redhead watched the unnamed cat prowl around before making Reno's jacket (which he'd removed before Tseng showed up) its new bed.

"Kinda tough to just talk at Rude when he ain't listening... and I figure it'll be like that this time."

Tseng accepted the bottle with grace, taking a healthy drink. (Even the beer was different here, less alcoholic, more woody.) He returned it after a moment to Reno's grasp - and if it put his arm in contact against the red-head's, it was a quiet invitation to lean without any statement of implied weakness. "You've never been afraid of hard work - contrary to the persona you keep - as long as you felt the outcome worthwhile. I would propose that your relationship with Rude is more than worthwhile."

Relationship - not partnership - and Tseng never chose words without thought.

Reno took the bottle back, listening to what Tseng had to say. A slight smile came as he recalled how he'd had to 'earn his right to not wear a tie' but that word, relationship, had caught him slightly. Blinking at Tseng, Reno's blue eyes shimmered in confusion for a moment before it clicked.

He knew.

Frowning at Tseng like he'd just done something really gross, Reno's face changed a moment later, tinged with rebellion and a little smile. "You know then? Did he tell you...? Or are you using Wutian mind tricks?" It was a joke. Of course it was. And Reno knew Tseng wouldn't take offense or find racism in his words.

It was just the same as how he teased Rude and, likewise, Rude teased him for where they were born and raised.

"Entirely mind control." Tseng deadpanned, face stoic except for the tiny lines at the corner of his eyes - something only someone like Reno would see for what it was (an attempt not to smile). "Learned at a young age to use against all foreigners. I don't usually need to employ it of course. Foreigners are so very easy to read."
He sniffed, haughtily - and then lost the battle not to smile at Reno's expression. "It happens between good partners, Reno. I'm not surprised."

"God damn Wutians..." he chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned against Tseng slightly. He had caught the earlier offer of a shoulder to rest against and was going to take it now. Now that everything was at least in the open.

Sighing slightly, Reno rubbed his right tattoo a little, watching the cat. "You're not? I sure as hell was. But... I don't know, I guess it was kinda bound to happen. He's a real handful, though. I never met anyone so... difficult." Rude really was difficult. As much as he adored his best friend, there were times he just wished the man talked more.

Tseng debated on possible responses, before settling for the obvious. "You're both well suited to one another." Which was a polite way of saying Reno was just as complex a character as Rude (and just as difficult, if in rather different ways).

Tseng slipped a hand into his pocket, considering, and pulled out a strip of dried meat which he tossed towards the stray. It landed a few inches from the cat - who looked at the meat with a sort of careful air of disdain, managing to convey without words that it didn't need any handout, thank you, but it could suppose to accept it - for Tseng's sake. Point made, it devoured the scrap and returned to it's bed without even a glance at the man who'd fed it. "Proud creature, that." He remarked, amused at the display.

Reno was leaning against him and the comraderie was just as appreciated by Tseng. It was good to have at least some things remain the same. "In Rude's case, I would suspect he's not unlike your feline. He's only going to listen if you say something he wants to hear. You'll have to decide what it is that will catch his attention."

"Proud's one word for him. Another would be vicious. The nasty little guy keeps hissing at Rude..." He shook his head slightly, but decided to simply stop at that when it came to discussing the cat. It was a grumpy animal and while Reno figured it was only a few years old at most, it was definitely having trouble adjusting to being a house cat and not an alley cat. At least he'd done a good deed by bringing the thing in from the rain. It actually looked clean now, rather than grimy.

Glancing at Tseng, Reno smiled yet it was a rather empty, bitter smile, compared to the usual happy expression he wore. "Oh yeah? How am I supposed to do that, huh? It's hard to tell if I've got his attention at the best of times."

Tseng could only shake his head. "I'm quite certain you're going to need to discover that yourself - unless you had the impression this would be the only quarrel the two of you would face in the scheme of being lovers, instead of simply partners. If that's the case, perhaps it's best you don't reconcile."
They were both people who took most things in stride - and could still take immense affront at specific slights. If Reno needed to be told in detail how to fix this now... there'd be little hope he'd be capable of handling Rude long term.
"I would say that speaking to him, while in the same room, is usually a good start to get someone to listen to you. They find it surprisingly harder when being avoided - no matter who is doing the avoiding. I believe, in this case especially, you will need to lead by example."

In other words, Reno, suck it up and talk to the big guy. He certainly couldn't expect Rude to speak to him first.

"You always verbally slap me about when you give me advice, man..." Reno laughed lightly and stretched his long legs out in front of himself. Well, Tseng was right. He needed to get up and do something... but a few drinks downstairs might give him the courage to do that first. After all, it took a lot to get Reno drunk. Aside from the hint of mako that refused to let him be quickly intoxicated, there was the fact that he was a seasoned veteran when it came to alcoholism.

Giving Tseng a playful dig in the side, making sure it was gentle enough that he wouldn't cause him any pain from their lingering aches, Reno gave him a smile. A proper one this time.

"What about you, huh? How're you doin', pal? Don't give me that 'Nothing affects me because I am Tseng' crap. I want the truth." And with that demand stated, Reno draped a lazy arm around Tseng's shoulders. Honestly, he was probably the only Turk who pushed their boundaries with the Director so shamelessly. Then again, since when did Reno have shame?

Since when indeed.
Tseng returned the smile, though his was far less bright than Reno's (and quite possibly less manic as well). "Because you have always reacted well to a verbal slap, when needed. I've hardly ever had to resort to beating sense into you - something I look for in my men - after all, it saves on wear and tear." The glint in his eye could possibly be considered demonic, but Tseng's sense of humor was always more morbid than most.

He didn't reject the arm over his shoulder - in fact, it was hard not to relax slightly at the comfort. It had been a hard set of weeks and Tseng was, if he attempted to be honest with himself, holding on by proverbial fingertips. Leaning back, not overtly enjoying the warmth from Reno's arm (but something the Turk could read anyway) Tseng shrugged slightly. "Everything affects me, Reno. The point is that I am Tseng, and I do not allow such things to influence me. At the moment..." He considered the question - making sure Reno realized that he was answering truthfully, not simply as The Director. (Things had changed once Midgar Fell, and Tseng relied on his men for more these days than simply following orders.)
"I'm handling it rather well, considering. I'll be happier when we have a secure position, proper defences and weaponry, and a materia replacement that will work to heal what wounds we collect. Elena is working on making potions more potent for us, which I hope will prove useful - I dislike relying on others for assistance. Rufus has plans in mind, and soon we'll need to set them in place. I don't like this world - and I like even less the utter lack of knowledge to the force that brought or keeps us here, the dark-age mentality to the people, the lack of industrialism. This is going to be difficult."

The man sighed, finally, meeting mako-tinged eyes with black and sombre ones. "I dislike the thought of what we will need to do here, knowing our work at Edge is years from complete."

Listening to Tseng without butting in, Reno could see the stress in the man and that sombre look in his eyes was something he didn't like at all. So, it was time to step up into his Second position and take care of the First. Simple enough. He knew how Tseng worked better than anyone else. He could often predict things Tseng would say or do, but he never pretended to know how his mind worked. Tseng's mind was definitely one place he didn't want to look in.

"Yeah... it's a real bad hand we got dealt but we can manage it." He made a point of the word 'we'. It wasn't just Tseng who had to worry, since he was Tseng's Second and would back him the whole way. "Treno's a heck of a place though, and sure the rest of Gaia ain't exactly home but we can build ShinRa back up from the ground. We can do it the right way, this time."

Sighing noisily, Reno kept his arm around Tseng, giving him a friendly and affectionate squeeze. "Elena's good with making stuff and Rude's got weapons covered... well, bombs at least. We could have a meeting later, if you want, and talk it all out."

Even if the two of them hadn't been fighting, Reno would likely have been asked to leave their room anyway. Rude had been taken off-guard by creatures that he stood no chance at defeating alone twice now (the stone statue would have just kept spitting copies out at him if Elena hadn't been there with a Soft). He had had to make a rush-job of a bomb in an abandoned house the time before that, because there was no way he could punch a Midgar Zolom accompanied by Marlboros and Tonberries into submission. Rude was therefore in the room, doing one of the things he did best: making explosives.

Various items, both from shops and defeated monsters, were strewn across the table. Rude's sunglasses were to the side, as were his gloves. His fingers had been healed enough for him to handle this, though he wouldn't be punching anything unless he really had to. The door was unlocked, but the 'Do Not Disturb' sign was on it -- though as Turks, and especially Tseng as his boss, Rude was fairly certain that no one would pay any attention to it but the workers at the inn.

Rude was a very different man than Reno - and was therefore someone to handle equally differently. Tseng knew that the Turk was working on explosives, and consideing their need - allowed him as much time to himself as possible. Still, it was past due that the issue was handled - and so Tseng knocked lightly on the door to announce his intent, and stepped inside.

A plate of cold meat and fresh bread appeared at Rude's elbow on the table, followed by a bottle of the inn's beer. Tseng took a seat on the opposite side of the desk, and looked over Rude's work with an appraising eye.
"These look excellent." Said praise was followed by a pointed look at the food. "You haven't paused all day."

Flickering his gaze away from the bomb at his side to see who it was coming through the door, Rude gave Tseng a slight nod before going back to his bomb. This one was experimental, equipped with a Marlboro tentacle so that any caught within the blast radius would have to deal with poison as well as any injuries they sustained. Without materia, they would have to be more creative; luckily, Rude's bombs had always been his creative outlet.

"There are some experimental models, hopefully with Poison, Blind, and Silence as after-effects of the explosion. I think I'll ask Elena for help on these; she has a knack for it, and may have some materials that I don't." Recognizing the look for what it was, Rude finished up the bomb and set it aside before heading to the bathroom to wash his hands up. He was in no hurry to accidentally poison himself, or to infect his hands thanks to any possible breaks in the skin.

Returning to the table, Rude took the plate with a grateful nod toward Tseng. He thought about putting his sunglasses back on, but that would almost be rude... and it wasn't as though Tseng wouldn't be able to read him fairly well, even with his eyes hidden.

Tseng nodded in return, settling into the chair and doing his best to relax. "They sound useful. Once you have a working build, see about making varying powers of them. We'll need devices that will work in smaller settings - especially within the city." Rude was the best at explosives, and if anyone could figure out how to make their own tech work with what this new world brought, it was he. Tseng knew he'd keep working until he finsihed, however - no matter how long that took. Hence why he'd interrupted.
It was good to see Rude take the needed break, and Tseng let the silence between them stay comfortable for a while longer, waiting for the other to actually eat some portion of what was brought before he broached the main reason of his visit - "Have you considered what you intend to do in regards to your partner?"

The bombs weren't only useful for their usual purpose in a world where they had limited abilities. Without a project, a focus, Rude probably would have snapped harder than he had. Making explosives was a form of meditation -- one so intense that he, as Tseng knew well, often forgot about things like eating. He would stop when his focus was significantly impaired, because then the bombs weren't up to the correct standard, and if there was one thing Rude hated, it was sloppy explosives.

Finishing the food he was chewing, Rude took a drink of the beer as he thought over his answer. The problem wasn't really with Reno. The problem was with himself. He knew this, intellectually, but it would be work. "Forgive him, if he can see the problem with what he did." The slight squeeze on his arm had been a start, but Rude needed to hear him say it, because... well, it was Reno, and he didn't just throw the words "I'm sorry" around. He would mean it, if he said it.

Conversations had, discussion with Rufus complete - Tseng needed to sit down with his men and make sure everyone was clear on their plans for the foressable future.
Thankfully, they were easy to collect together.

Now, waiting for their arrival in the rented rooms above the cheap tavern, Tseng attempted not to pace.

Making his way into the room, Reno's hands were buried deep within his pants pockets and a smug little smile was on his face. Yeah, he knew it was going to take a while for him and Rude to be on top marks again but they were at least happy with each other.

That was something to be smug about.

Eying Tseng, and knowing instantly that he wanted to pace, Reno smirked a little and seated himself at the table, kicking his feet up onto it, crossing his arms over his chest.

Hopefully the meeting would be over soon. He wasn't particularly interested in it at the moment... other things were buzzing in his mind that needed more... personal attention.

Rude came into the room shortly after Reno, nodding to Tseng once and making sure the door was securely closed behind them. He hadn't followed after Reno, but he'd known the redhead was already there, and it was a force of habit that had him swatting at the redhead's feet to get them off the table as he sat down.

His own distractions could wait; Tseng had called a meeting and so that took priority. Even if he and Reno had just made-up. He was good at ignoring distractions when he had to, even if he didn't necessarily want to.

That said, knowing their plans was something he did want to know.

Elena was the last to slip in, pausing just inside the door to look around at the others. It felt rather...well...tense. Which wasn't something she particularly enjoyed from her companions, but she supposed it made sense.

She once again closed the door behind her and then leaned against it lightly, hands folded behind her back, but didn't say anything, waiting to see what was going on.

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A time to heal.

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