A time to heal.

[te-dirige.livejournal.com]

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.

Comments

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

"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."

[te-dirige.livejournal.com]

"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."

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

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."

[te-dirige.livejournal.com]

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.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

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.

[te-dirige.livejournal.com]

"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."

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

"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.

[te-dirige.livejournal.com]

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."

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

"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."

[te-dirige.livejournal.com]

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.

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

"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?

[te-dirige.livejournal.com]

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."

[flyboy-red.livejournal.com]

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."