'What a day… what a day.'
Bunched fingers were shoved deep within the confines of the pockets belonging to a pair of black slacks sized a little larger than necessary. Things had gotten a little more than confusing as of late, and despite popular belief, he wasn't ignorant to the fact. Things were strangely comfortable when AVALANCHE and the Turks nearly worked as allies. It didn't stop there. Suddenly, Shin-Ra was rebuilt. Suddenly, they were aligning with the World Restoration Organization in which Reeve had poured his entire being. Almost instantaneously, Edge was looking more and more like a metropolis. Definitely a change.
'What a day? What a year, is more like it.'
Shoulders hunched lightly, sending fiery red strands slipping from the perch on his shoulders to streak down the center of his back. Turquoise depths peered forward from pallid features, studying nothing in particular, yet finding interest in the cracks of the cement sidewalk as he avoided stepping on said cracks. His mind was studying the events, making sense of this and that. Did Rufus decide upon the ventures of alignment to benefit himself in this new found purpose? The Turks were still around, but less useful than in the 'glory days.' They'd more or less become body guards aiding in Rufus' new purpose. Just today they were told a new person was to be joining them. Four was a nice number, but five?
'Man… what's Rufus thinking?'
He'd know by tomorrow morning. For now, Reno was set on drowning the issues in a bottle of liquor. A few blocks later, fingers encircled the steel handle that controlled the barrier between him and that liquor he was after. He practically haunted the Seventh Heaven Bar. With things relatively peaceful, it didn't take long for him to grow on certain inhabitants. He had been help, and had even tried to save a couple kids in the process, Tifa appreciated this. Aside from Tifa, Cloud also had a slight appreciation, though he'd never let Reno on to that fact. The rest of their group just managed to tolerate his charming presence.
Lanky form slid through the door as he pulled it away, surveying the scene upon arrival. Tifa was at the counter, wiping tirelessly at old stains. Cloud apparently was out on delivery, since he was no where to be seen. Such was the usual case whenever he came around. He strolled over to a stool near Tifa, settling himself with elbows perched against the counter top.
"Reno!" A little voice piped up from beside him, causing a sidelong glance. Marlene was bouncing over to him, and he didn't mind. She had taken a liking to him, at first much to her family's dismay. Now he was a part of her afternoons and she was always happy to chat him up. Tifa had noticed Marlene's exclamation, and had come over as well.
"Hey kid." He was usually excited to see her as well, but today he felt indifferent. Marlene wasn't satisfied with his reply, and concern shone in her bright eyes.
"What's wrong, Reno?" Came her childish tone.
"Yeah, Reno, what's wrong?" Tifa brought herself into the conversation. Reno chuckled, watching as Marlene mimicked Tifa's stance with her hands upon tilted hips.
"Nothing's wrong, ladies." Reno donned a grin to further his explanation. Marlene seemed to believe him since she grabbed a cookie and bounced back up the stairs after giving him a quick hug. Tifa, on the other hand, was less than convinced.
"Reno… are you really okay?" She asked, grabbing a glass from beneath the counter and setting it a few inches from the edge. She grabbed the ingredients to throw together the strong version of his usual drink.
"Of course. Just… y'know, I'm annoyed I guess." He confessed, watching while she mixed together the various sorts of alcohol.
"Annoyed? About what?" Once she had finished mixing his drink, she slid it the small distance it needed to travel to be within his reach.
"Tif, it's business." The drink was lifted from the counter, a healthy amount downed quickly.
Business usually meant she couldn't know and he wouldn't tell her. He received a glare and a huff, before she was off to tend to some of the other customers. Turquoise rolled heavenward as he noticed her annoyance, she always got that way when he shut her out. He figured it had something to do with that habit she carried of always being everyone's confidant.
To his left, he couldn't help but overhear the conversation being had between to older men. Their gruff appearance said enough, but their words really didn't help. "Yeah, what a face… I mean, look at that rack though." One of the men mumbled. The other laughed at the comment.
"Or lack there-of. Have you seen 'er before?" The beer bellied companion questioned.
"Nope. She's been here all afternoon on that damned laptop typing away. Probably one'a them business women with a stick up 'er ass." The balding man commented.
Reno felt annoyed by their presence, but compelled to find out who they were talking about. He kept his drink in his left hand, one foot pushing against the bar to turn himself toward the rest of the room. He searched for a laptop, and found one nestled atop the table in the corner. Turquoise rested upon the woman behind the laptop, her fingers beneath her chin and a strange expression on her face.
For a moment, blue eyes flickered up in his direction from behind the thin frame of glasses, but she paid him no mind. Thereafter, she looked as though she'd come upon a revelation, hands jumping back to the keyboard and returning to her project. Her head tilted down for a better view of the small screen, sending auburn lengths to dance loosely around pale features.
She seemed a little on the plain side, but Reno could imagine what the men beside him were thinking. She had a very pretty face, but who could tell what she might look like beneath the heavy fabric of the pant suit she wore. She wasn't quite as endowed as a certain other woman in the bar. He didn't want to hear what the men would say about Tifa.
A set of tugs came against the back of his head, sending him whirling around to face the guilty dark haired woman who had pulled his ponytail. He nearly spilled his drink in the midst of his startled turn, but managed to set it safely on the counter. She had already begun giggling at him, and he gave her a look that said enough. 'Crazy woman.'
"What were you daydreaming about?" She settled her composure, staring at him with interest.
"What?" He really didn't know what she meant.
"You were staring." 'What do you mean, what?'
"Was I?" 'Maybe I was…'
"You were. It's nothing new, though. Everyone's been trying to figure out who she is." Tifa paused thoughtfully, "Even Cloud got curious when he was in for lunch."
"Who brings work to a bar?" Reno gave a legendary smirk.
"Be nice." Tifa chided. "I'm surprised you haven't hit on her yet."
"Hey, hey! And here you are telling me to be nice…" Reno trailed off, shaking his head and laughing. "What makes you think I—"
"Shh." Tifa interrupted him, and his mouth hung open awkwardly. 'That was rude.' He noticed the familiar smile she used with customers slip over pastel lips and he turned to follow the path of her gaze.
The click of heels resounded against the flooring, the tweed fabric loosely swishing about her ankles. 'If it isn't miss workaholic.' She was between him and the next stool in seconds, placing the glass she had used on the counter with her free hand, the other hand busy holding a black leather briefcase.
"Thank you, Miss Lockhart. I appreciate your hospitality." She nodded politely, slender fingers now free of the glass and traveling upward to tuck strands of auburn behind a dainty ear. Reno noticed the glint of several small earrings from the bottom of her lobe and four studs high. One particular diamond stood in the delicate portion in the cartilage at the tip-top of her ear. 'Maybe… not so workaholic.' His thoughts halted as she turned a quick glance toward him, "Reno." Another nod, this time in his direction.
With that, she turned upon her heels and headed in the direction of the door. Reno sat with a baffled look, watching as she exited the bar into the evening. 'What the hell..?' He looked at Tifa who had an equally curious expression displayed across her face. Tifa returned his look of astonishment.
"You know her?" She questioned.
"No, but apparently she knows me." He shrugged his shoulders.
"One of those women you forgot all about?" Tifa's expression became almost sisterly, as if she were about to scold him for his past.
"Huh… I don't think so. She's not my type."
"Right." She shrugged and slipped away to refill some of the drinks the other patrons had finished. He watched her with little interest, easily distracted when the door opened. A certain blonde had finally returned, and his eyes followed him while he wound through the crowd to the side of the bar near the staircase leading up to the apartment. Tifa had taken care of the customers by now and met Cloud at the staircase with a faint kiss on the cheek.
Cloud smiled but appeared more interested in the disappearance of the woman. He was always suspicious of new people, a quirk he held. Reno could hear him mention that he noticed she left, listening as Tifa explained that she had been very polite and seemed to know a certain redhead.
"She was here for a long time… then she just thanked me, acknowledged Reno and left." Tifa explained.
"I wonder who she is. Why would she know Reno?" Cloud replied.
"You know how he is." The comment left Tifa giggling and Cloud mildly amused.
'Sure… laugh about it. Geez.' He slapped the gil down on the counter and left the stool, wandering through the crowd and back to the door. The liquor just wasn't helping at all, and with more on his mind than before, he just wanted to go home.
His hands were back in his pockets while he headed for the apartment he called home. His mind was still on the situation, and he scolded himself for letting so much of that show. This pouting and thinking wasn't his normal behaviour. Maybe once Rufus announced his little plan tomorrow, he could go back to normal.
'I hope so.'
----
A screaming alarm clock broke the heavy silence that rested over the dark room. The form tangled beneath the sheets rolled in the direction of the nightstand, one hand reaching from beneath the covers in attempt to stop the incessant noise. Fingers brushed the face of the clock, sending it further back. Another try resulted in the same. Finally, he pushed his entire body into it and the last reach sent him tumbling from the bed in a jumble of blankets.
Both hands thudded hard against the carpet in order to keep from face-planting into the floor. A rather frustrated growl emitted from thin lips, while he worked to disengage from the blankets. Upon freeing himself, he brought a fist down upon the alarm clock, managing to hit the correct button and end the annoying sound. A moment was spent on the floor, gathering his composure. He didn't usually wake up this early, but he felt the sudden desire to be on time today.
The lankiness that was Reno finally rose from the floor and blankets to shuffle into the bathroom. He paused a moment, peering into the mirror at the disheveled mess of red atop his head. He always felt naked without his goggles. Though he'd risen earlier than usual, he still didn't manage to leave himself any time to shower. Not that it mattered; he usually did that each evening. The 'uniform' he'd hung on the hook the night before was quickly applied to his body. Hands went about fixing his mane into a manageable ponytail, goggles placed in their usual manner.
'Stud…' He gawked at himself in the mirror before sauntering back into the bedroom. At least his cocky nature had returned since yesterday. Shoes and socks were on in minutes and he hurried out the door without a thought about breakfast. He was living just a short distance from the monstrosity that was the W.R.O/Shin-Ra building. His pace was brisk as he made it down the deserted sidewalks, watching as the sun began to peek over the horizon at the late hour of six-o-clock in the morning.
He entered the glass doors, flashing a grin to the familiar staff that stood watch. They didn't take much interest in showering him with the normal attention they gave those who entered; there wasn't much need to send him through the metal detector. He greeted the receptionists as he passed the front desk, easing past another security point to the elevators. He'd no sooner pressed the button displaying the up arrow, when the ding resounded overhead. The heavy doors parted and he found himself within the elevator.
As he turned, he noticed a familiar face. Rude looked almost in shock when he saw Reno in the elevator at this hour. Usually it was damn near seven-o-clock by the time he showed his face. Rude entered the elevator alongside Reno, and nodded toward him in his usual silent manner.
"I saw that look." Reno threw out the accusation as he pressed the '60' button.
"You're early." Rude stated simply.
"You heard Rufus yesterday. I have no idea what's going on and I wanted to find out."
"I know what you mean."
The brief conversation ended as the elevator reached the proper floor in a hurry. The doors parted once more and the two exited, approaching the waiting area where Rufus' assistant waited. She greeted them both, and they merely nodded.
"Rufus will be in momentarily." She always had that nervous tone of voice. Reno was cocky enough to think this was because she had a crush on him.
Elena and Tseng were over in the corner visiting quietly when they caught sight of Reno. Elena looked like she was nearing an emotional outburst when she blurted out how proud she was of Reno for being early. 'Is it that big a deal?' Tseng must have been in a mood, because he barely acknowledged his partners.
They remained in place for a small amount of time before the ding of the elevator resounded. All four sets of eyes landed on the parting doors as Rufus stepped out. Reno didn't expect that the person following would be a woman, nor did he expect who she was. 'Oh god… it's her.'
Eyes went wide as he looked over the auburn haired woman from the bar. She appeared different this morning. She wore dark eye shadow, resulting in a sultry but subtle beauty. Her lips were glossed, appearing more plush and inviting than the pale form they had yesterday. The white of the tailored dress shirt stopped at a crucial point in the neckline, left open and teasing, though not revealing too very much. Below the bottom hem of the shirt, his eyes wandered to the form fitting pencil skirt that hugged her hips, flowing to a point just below her knees. Slender calves were hidden beneath the sheer of nude nylon, topped off by a racy pair of black stilettos.
'Is this really the same woman?'
His eyes immediately darted to her ear as he'd seen it the previous evening, and there were the stud earrings left visible by upswept hair. He also noted the thin black glasses perched atop the bridge of her nose. She was definitely the woman from Seventh Heaven. It certainly explained why she knew who he was, she'd likely seen a photograph and had a summary from Rufus. Turquoise managed to be pried from this new woman, scanning over Elena and Tseng, then over to Rude. None of them seemed too interested in her other than obvious curiosity about who she was. Then again, Rude and Tseng were both interested in other women.
'Quit thinking about sex.'
He reprimanded himself, waiting eagerly for the explanation that would come from Rufus. The woman followed Rufus into his office, and the four abandoned the small landing to follow their boss. Once they'd gathered in the office, Rufus took a seat at the mahogany desk, while the mystery woman stood to the left of him.
"Thanks for being here on time." His pointed statement was enhanced by the look of surprise he gave to Reno. Reno ignored the subtext and distracted himself with fidgeting fingers. "I have someone to introduce to you, as promised. I'd like you to meet Ava; she'll be working with us now."
The small group gave response to Ava and she returned the greeting. Reno watched as she shifted her weight, causing her hips to tilt opposite from the stance they had assumed. His train of thought broke when Rufus resumed his speech.
"She's come a ways to be here, and she'll be helping out with a lot of the technical issues we deal with. She'll also be doubling with Reeve, dealing with architectural design. Which reminds me; Ava, would you mind paying Reeve a visit? He had a few things he wanted to go over with you." Ava simply nodded to Rufus, slipping past the others and exiting his office.
"Smooth." Reno quipped.
"I wasn't sending her away to discuss her position with you; I just wanted to introduce her to you before she went to Reeve. Whatever he needs, I'm fairly certain it will take some time." Rufus looked rather annoyed with Reno's quick wit. He stood from his chair and approached the group. "Is there anything you'd like to know, or discuss?"
Elena was the first to cut in, thanking Rufus for bringing Ava on. Being the female, she also noticed the difference in attire. "I noticed that she wasn't in the usual uniform."
"She's not quite going to be doing the same thing that all of you do. She'll be mostly working out of the office, and her expertise lie in technical aspects as well as computers. If we need to do any investigating that might involve those subjects, she'll be cutting in. She's quite good, and she will also be working with overseeing some of the subsidiary companies, keeping track of what they're up to. Aside from that, she's on with Reeve, helping design and plan some of the restoration projects. So I suppose I shouldn't have made it seem as though you'd have a partner in her. Though, you will be coming into contact with her often. She has many responsibilities to tend to." Rufus finished his long explanation of Ava's duties and Elena responded with an excited attitude. She was likely glad to have another female in close contact.
Rude had nothing to say about the situation, and Tseng merely mentioned that it was a nice idea for Rufus to bring someone in who could complete the tasks of two, rather than actually bringing on two new faces. Reno, however, was still wrapping his mind around the interesting information he'd just received. It seemed that being a body guard was out of the question for Ava. Though, she was close to Elena in the matter of shape and height. It seemed she'd be more help in aiding Rufus' self-appointed mission to restore the world's vitality.
Though he had a lot to say about this, nothing really came about. Rufus had dismissed them to tend to their other duties, and they went about the necessary until noon rolled around.
Reno felt starved, and quickly headed for the recreational floor of the building. He had just gotten to the lunch area when he noticed Elena already chatting up Ava. They seemed to be well involved in their conversation, so he ignored them and went about ordering lunch.
He took a seat next to Rude and began picking at his plate, watching Rude finish his lunch.
"What do you think of her?" Reno asked.
"Who?"
"Ava! Geez, who else?" 'That was a little loud.' He quickly glanced over to be sure that the women were still involved in their conversation, and was glad Ava hadn't heard his gossip.
"Oh. She's nice. I'm sure Rufus knows what he is doing."
"Yeah but…" He searched for a reason that would render Ava wrong for the job, but found nothing. "Well, I guess you're right." 'Wait…what?' "Can she even fight? She looks like a doll."
"I don't know. She must be qualified. I don't think Rufus wants her around for that, though."
'You and you're short sentences.' "Maybe." Reno waved his hand dismissively, going back to his lunch.
Rude had already finished, and waited patiently for Reno. Originally he had an appetite, but now he seemed rather full after making it through half of the meal.
"Hey Rude?" He started the conversation again.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think this might mean Tseng will retire soon?"
"I have no idea." Rude replied. 'Speak of the devil…' Reno grinned as Tseng approached their table.
"No. I'm not retiring." He stated the fact, and wandered over to Elena and Ava.
"That guy has telepathy." Reno joked. Rude gave a slight laugh and watched as Reno glanced over at Ava. "At least she's fun to look at."
"Reno…" Rude rolled his eyes behind the cover of sunglasses. He swept his plate from the table and took it to the proper area, leaving Reno with an impish grin. Shortly after, he followed suit and disposed of his lunch.
The remainder of the work day passed with little interest. Life could be pretty boring if nothing serious was going on. He rather liked the point where the three silver haired brothers had stirred things up. At least he had something to do. Maybe he was just too wrapped up in work. The only social life he had consisted of bars and bothering former enemies, and Rude, of course.
Reno found himself making a break for the elevator once it was time to head home, the boring task of paperwork behind him for the time being. Rude left minutes before, after asking of his plans for the evening. It was Friday, after all. What's a guy like Reno supposed to do on a Friday night? Take a guess.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, names, places or concepts. They belong to Square-Enix. This applies to each chapter.
Notes: So ends the first chapter. I really poured my heart into this, as creating a new character and dealing with her job duties proved to be a little sketchy. Not so much difficult, but I want it to be believable and that can be hard. Please give the OC a chance, I promise she's not a Mary Sue. She needed to be attractive for the story line, but she's no where near perfect. It is slightly different from the plots of Final Fantasy as some of the events will be of my own creation, but I am trying to stick to the basics. Hopefully everyone is in character, though Reno was a little down in the beginning. The next chapter will prove to be more eventful now that everything is laid out! I really hope that this story will be well received, as I rather like writing it. If you do have comments, suggestions or anything else feel free to express them via e-mail or even in a review. I would highly appreciate it.