This is the transcript of a Skype role play, and the characters are as follows; Tseng/ Veld: pressdottocontinue, Reno: lickmysparkstick, Elena: flava-proelium, Cloud: chocobobutt, Rufus: theshinraheir, Vincent: sanguinesaint, and Shotgun/ Knife: me, knifeofshinra/ hey-shottyshotty. All can be found on Tumblr.
...Part One...
Shotgun, known to her fellow Turks as Shona, knew this was gonna be a shitty day. Cold shower, no cereal, low on gas and having to walk to work... She had no idea how correct she would end up being, as everything went to hell during the company meeting, which she ended up late for. Shotgun peered through the crack in between the door and the jamb, not wanting to get yelled at. Tseng, for once, didn't look angry, he looked... Concerned didn't quite fit the bill, but it was close. Worried was too light a term. The fact that Cloud was there couldn't be good. Joining them were Reno, as well as Knife.
Tseng was the first to speak as he had called the meeting. "I called you here today because you are close to the President, or-" Here, he looked to Cloud with that same expression. "Important in a different manner." The leader of the Turks leaned against his desk with his fingers tented. "Let us skip the how-you've-been's and go to the crux of the matter: the President is ill with Geostigma. We don't know how long he has left to live. Now I want to see hands. Who has kept this information from me?"
Cloud shifted uncomfortably, and stared at Tseng with a look of distress and pulling at the material over his arm. "And why am I here, again?"
Knife's brows knit together at the former mercenary, and says, "I am just back from the Nibel mountains after four months there, and knew nothing."
Reno leans back in his chair, the keeping of his secret not even in the forefront of his mind as he also replies. "Take it up with the President, Director. I didn't even find out until this morning."
Tseng knits his eyebrows into a frown that is topped by the dot. Light disappears from his eyes, and then he slowly lifts his chin. "I want to determine for how many months he's already been dealing with this. Have you seen anything? Noticed anything unusual?" He wanted this solved today. Not tomorrow, not next week. Today.
Reno purses his lips as the room grows silent yet again, and Elena looks over to him in confusion. "He's been tired an' shit, but I chalked that up to the injuries from the fall of the Tower. I think he was hopin' we would."
Tseng looked to his second in command for a few moments, then replies, "Cloud... you are here because you are a Geostigma survivor too, and an expert on Sephiroth." A pause. "I think Sephiroth is trying to take over my-... our President's body."
Cloud snorts and crosses his arms, glaring ever so slightly at the Director. "I'm not an expert on him. He just won't leave me alone. Besides if he takes over Rufus' body then I can get rid of two monsters."
Tseng glares right back, as cold as the Nibel mountains, and Reno bristles. "That's the man that saved my life when I had nothin' you're talkin' about there, Strife. He ain't a monster. An' Sephiroth wasn't always a monster. Hojo did that shit."
Shotgun chose the moment to finally burst through the doors of the office, "Hey hey hey, no starting fights! Save that for the field, boys!"
Tseng sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, "Indoors voice, Shotgun," like he'd said it a million times before, and would a million times more. Shotgun glares to her boss, but says nothing and settles into the last chair.
"What keeps coming back isn't Sephiroth. I knew him before then too. That Sephiroth died in the reactor. The one we keep seeing is the monster, "Cloud says, leaning forward in his seat, staring straight into the Director's eyes.
"So did I. I know th'monster you're talkin' about too. Too well," Reno says, finally dropping his chair back to the floor.
"But I still don't see why I'm needed. Bring him to the church if he has the stigma" He took out a pair of gloves and slid them on. "Sephiroth on the other hand will keep coming back as long as I'm alive...unless you Turks still have pieces of Jenova hidden somewhere," Cloud says, again tugging at the cloth over his arm.
Tseng smirks, because it's not all days that Shotgun settles down this easily. "Shotgun, this concerns the presidential matter I informed you about prior to this conversation." Because he knew she'd be late. Then, his good mood disperses, and he stares blank faced at Cloud. "That's classified."
"...Oi..." Shotgun mutters, rubbing her forehead. That just had to come up today, didn't it?
Cloud gave a rather formidable glare at the older Wutain man. "You want my help but won't tell me anything? Typical. No help then."
"I just disclosed highly sensitive critical information to you about the welfare of the most influential man on the planet, information which could wreck the current power dynamic on a worldwide scale. Please do re-evaluate your own worth, Strife." Is what Tseng snaps back, as Reno shudders at the mention of the Calamity. "But seeing your history, also realize why I tell you so little." That was said in an icy tone.
"Now, please tell us how Sephiroth tried to take you over," continued the Director as he once again tented his hands and leaned back in his chair.
Tseng was really going about this the wrong way, at least in Cloud's opinion. "No. I'm not helping you. I hope Rufus does get infected."
Tseng made an annoyed gesture at the other Turks; get information out of him, offer him a drink or something.
Reno was the first to step up to the plate. "Cloud." Reno's tone goes quiet. "Aerith wouldn't want you to let this happen." He invoked his cousin's name.
But Cloud really didn't like that Aerith was brought up and while Reno was right, he still didn't want to help them. "If you are hiding more parts of Jenova I can't help you. I won't."
"Think how you would feel in our shoes, yo. That'd be like us letting your family die. Rufus is our family." Reno replies.
"Rufus is truly family. We can't lose him..." Shotgun says. Not again.
Damn the Turks. He hated how well they knew him, how big of a file they probably all had on him. They knew how important family was to him, how badly he fought to keep what little a one he had. He knew they were lying to him though. When the Turks avoided questions it was because they were lying and no one would mention if they had more of Jenova. They could use that against him, they could use it for who knows what. All of her needed to be destroyed and yet they wanted to control her for some reason. When would they learn their lessons?
He looked away, the longer bangs that fell over his face blocking it off for a bit. "I can't. If you have Jenova I can't help you."
Reno himself does not even know if they have Jenova in the building, and he certainly wants nothing to do with her. "Look, I know what you're afraid of, Cloud. Trust me, I know, because you know what I am, but I will tell you something. If our positions were reversed, I wouldn't turn you away. We wouldn't turn you away."
A ceratin brown eyed blonde poked her head in, though remained quiet for a moment. Had she walked into the middle of a important, older members only meeting? And wasn't the one blond male from somewhere? Reno gestured Elena in, his own face serious. She nodded slightly, though merely slipped into the closest seat.
"You say that now Reno, but one mistake or if something doesn't go your way you'd all be after my head next," Cloud says.
Reno's serious look remains. "I wouldn't do anything that would upset the last blood I had left in the world before he killed her. I may not get along with you a lotta the time, and I may follow orders because I got no choice in the matter, but I respect what she'd want, and she cared about you. Still does."
"But what if I had the Geostigma? Don't tell me a hit wouldn't be put on my head instantly. Rufus has never been a good man. Why should I save him?"
"Because you are better than him," Tseng said. Cold. "Aren't you?" Oh, now he was playing with the never was a SOLDIER man.
"Whoa, boss! Please, think of your own health as well? Leave Cloud be..." Maybe her concern was misplaced, but there was a good reason for it.
"If we were gonna put a hit out on you we woulda done it last time." Reno pointed out.
Cloud was silent for a bit before he looked up. "If I see anything I don't like I'm out."
"Sounds good to me!" Shotgun said, once again forgetting her 'inside voice'. Tseng jerked his head a centimeter to the side at the volume of her voice. He closed his eyes to shush his annoyance.
"And I want someone making sure Marlene and Denzel are okay while I'm busy," Cloud continues, and Shotgun raises her hand.
Reno nods sharply. "I can make sure of that, yo. I promise they won't be hurt." The look he gave Cloud said he knew he owed Denzel at least that, and he liked Marlene
His eyes locked onto Reno and he shook his head. "I need someone who isn't going to give them candy and keep them up past their bedtimes."
Tseng gave a nod. "Volunteers for babysitting?"
Shotgun raises her hand a little higher, and then lowers it to slap Reno, who had snorted.
Elena sat blinking. Mostly confused. "I don't know if I should babysit? I didn't put this in my job description..." Tseng sees Elena and Reno sit very close, and makes a mental note to inquire about that later, because this is quite unusual.
At the little snort, Cloud's stern look seemed to ease a bit and he didn't look as uncomfortable as before. "So am I signing something for this?"
"Protocol would be paper upon paper." Elena mutters softly under her breath.
"Shotgun, you are assigned the safety of Denzel and Marlene when Cloud is away."
Tseng whipped papers out of his inside jacket pocket, and handed them to Cloud along with a pen. It was a contract, along with a separate contract about keeping his silence about Rufus' condition. "Reno, Elena, what are your plans - and I am not inquiring about dinner, but about the investigation." Shotgun heard this and promptly began to choke on her own saliva.
Somehow he knew he shouldn't be surprised that the contract was already written, but it did still get him. He took it and looked over at it, reading every single word. "You knew I'd sign this anyway...didn't you?"
The female blond perked up at this. "We never said anything about having a dinner, sir..." She was quiet a moment. "I could likely go search and snoop around."
"Shotgun, you're supposed to swallow saliva, not breathe it in. Please do so quietly. And Cloud, please sign." Tseng glares at his subordinate.
"I'm gonna try to hunt for more signs of Jenova an' Sephiroth. Ya know I am normally pretty good at finding 'em. Might try to go talk to Aerith too." Reno said that as if talking to the dead was not in the least strange.
"I'm still reading." Cloud would never admit that he was actually a slow reader. "And I'd like to leave with Reno" Honestly, he just wanted to be around when Reno talked to Aerith. Cloud saw one thing in the contract he didn't like and crossed it out until it was unreadable before signing it. "Here."
At Reno's mention of Aerith, Tseng stilled. He squeezed his eyes shut as if he had a headache or heartache, and then he said nothing for a while. Turks could manage themselves while he digested the old hurt. Funny, how it always continued to hurt.
Reno gave Tseng only one assurance, one he knew for sure was true. "She still thinks about you. She never wanted you to think she wasn't grateful for you tryin' to protect her, Director."
"Reno!" Shotgun hissed.
Not now. Not now, Reno. Tseng could not handle talk about Aerith well, so he just stilled and clenched his jaw. He avoided his eyes and looked a while at the bottom of the door. He'd have to give Reno another talk about not publicly mixing public and private matters. Tseng wordlessly took the pages from the man that had been in a relationship with Aerith, in a fucking bloody real relationship with her. He pulled the document from his fingers, and glanced at the crossed-out paragraph. Then he signed them himself, and put them in his jacket pocket. "Done. No word about the President's physical condition will leave this room."
"There was a condition with the President...?" The blonde Turk asked, puzzled. Then again, maybe it was better as a rookie that she had no idea.
"President has Geostigma," the lead Turk said flatly. "We don't know how many months he has left to live. No one knew. I found out this morning. Cloud Strife will help our investigation to a cure. Pay attention and be on time." The blond's face flushed slightly. She hadn't meant to miss a unnoticed meeting. Shotgun flushes just as brightly, hanging her head in shame.
Cloud didn't like any of the Turks that much to begin with but even he could see that the comment about Aerith had hurt more then helped. He had seen first hand how Tseng cared for her. "Sure..." He walked over to Reno and took a pair of keys out of his pocket. "I didn't get a no, so you are coming with me. "
Reno's shoulders slumped. He could tell he'd hurt Tseng, there were some drawbacks to being what he was, being slightly emphatic being one of them. He'd take whatever yelling Tseng had for him later, he deserved it, but then his attention and eye is on the mission again. No more distraction. "Let's get moving." He wants out of here.
"Clear the room. Everyone knows what they should be doing. If you're not handed a mission, find a partner to join. I'll be in my office to..." To grit my teeth, Tseng thinks. "...to manage everything. We meet at the Flying Duck Restaurant at six to talk over our progress." He opens the door.
Elena nods quietly, taking herself up and quickly out into the large city. "Yes sir." and Reno nodded his head at Cloud as he heads smoothly toward the door. He'd be taking a helicopter out to the Forgotten City, that and the church were where he heard her best, but the flight out would give him an excuse to clear his head.
He'd been really worried about Rufus, the man was the closest thing to a brother he had, and losing him, as he'd lost Zack, and Sephiroth as well, would hurt him in ways that he could not even predict. Tseng looks at Reno's legs as he leaves the room, not because he wants to, but because he can't look away. When everyone's out of the room, Tseng closes and locks the door, then he rests his back against it. He sighs. He runs his hands over his eyes, and then pinches the bridge of his nose. He must continue, not let this get to him. This he will endure for Rufus.
He gets to work.
When they left, Cloud had expected for Reno to ride with him but instead he was met with the helicopter. "So...you plan on blowing down the church with this then?"
"Better. c'mon. I'm goin' to the city. I need to think an' flyin' helps."
I'm not getting on that unless you want me to vomit all over you," Cloud crossed his arms, set on taking his bike. "Where in the city are you going? I'll just meet you there"
"Goin' to the ancient city, the house by the spring. " and he chuckles. "Like Yuffie then. "
To follow was only one's choice as Elena vanished. She was practically flying the sidewalks and the inner workings of some of the deepest buildings. To say the least, Elena would be hungry when and possibly if, she returned. To get information also had meant breaking a few things.
Hey, everyone, Faith here! Thank you for clicking on my shiny new story, that is actually based on a In Character Skype chat I have going with some friends. It's being split into part, because it got long as hell, but please leave a review to tell me what you think! I own nothing, my group owns the ideas.