1

"Hey! Buddy! Get up, will ya? Seriously, get up! I'm not gonna get my ass locked up 'cause some big lug dropped over on my street."

There was a not-so-gentle kick to his side, rousing him.

"Damn it! I said get up! Come on… seriously," the voice called, sounding distinctly distressed and pulling him further from the tight webbing of thick darkness he'd fallen from. "Don't make me leave y'here. I will! I'll leave your ass here! If you're dead y' won't care anyway, right?"

Hands were rummaging through his jacket and along his pants with the familiar scent of ginger, honey and milk and natural musk. Something about the way the hands moved, though, wasn't comforting as it should have been; something in the voice wasn't quite right, either. He gave a soft moan and made to roll onto his side, coming in contact with brick and mortar. The voice sounded as though the one serving it had to continuously look over his shoulder as he crouched behind and put a hand on his shoulder. "You gonna be able t'get up on your own or y'need help? Better hurry before the cops show."

With another moan, Rude opened his eyes and stared at what was left of his shattered sunglasses. He picked them up by one corner of the used-to-be lens and stared at them slack-jawed. With an incredulous stare, he turned over his shoulder toward the figure without seeing anything in particular in the low light of the street lamps. He held them up so they could be seen.

"Mn, yea… sorry 'bout that. S'how I found ya. Stepped on 'em walkin' by with a… friend. Hey, you're not some cop or somethin' are ya? Dressed somethin' like onea those agent guys."

He snorted, turning over his shoulder and came eye to eye with big blues with a shock of cherry red hair. "Sup, Reno?"

The startled strawberry gave a start, edging back slightly. "Seriously, man. You a cop?"

Rude smiled and reached out for him. "What's this new game, huh? You wanna play? Is that it? Okay, you want me to be a cop, I'm a cop."

"I don't want you to be a cop. Cops arrest whores. Can't afford t'pay the fine. Business is slack right now. Barely made enough to cover costs tonight."

Rude flashed a confused look, outstretched hands wilting. "You Reno?"

"Who's askin'?"

"You… don't know me. Do you?"

He shook his head, returning the confusion. "Who're you?"

"Where am I?"

"Is there a problem?"

Reno whipped over his shoulder, staring up at the man in the brown and tan uniform. With a grin, he shifted to one knee and scratched the back of his head. "Yea, had too much t'drink. I'm getting' him home."

"You want a hand?" the officer asked, taking a step forward. Reno laughed and shook his head.

"Nah. We can manage. Just gotta get 'im up."

"You sure?" Again, another step forward. Reno didn't budge, well aware of the scare tactics the police often used to obtain subtle cues from offenders and he wasn't about to make the officer aware of anything out of the ordinary. He shook his head again with a slight smile and a soft sigh.

"He's alright. Aren't ya?"

Rude managed a nod and sat up a bit.

"Well if you need anything I'm gonna be just around the corner and down the street a bit."

"Cool, thanks, man." At least Reno would know where to stay away from. He might also consider changing streets for a night or two. Might do him good to have a change of pace. His regular clients would know to look for him a few streets down and he might pick up new business. He'd picked this area because there weren't any other whores in the area. The whole thing was his for the taking. Reno watched as the officer finally shuffled along and to the left around the corner of the building after a long, uncomfortable pause.

As the officer moved away, Rude leveled his question again, rephrasing it for the purpose of avoiding an investigation by the police. "They must patrol this area heavy. So where are we?"

"Standing on the street corner of a man who's trying to work," he mused, keeping his voice quiet in case anyone was listening.

"Yea, and you've got a quota." Striding from one of the alleyways, a giant wall of a man stepped forward, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "You got a client?"

"Yea, yea," Reno gestured, flapping his hand in the thug's general direction. "I'm gonna take the boy back t'Shinra. That's where this says he's from." With a flick of his wrist, the redhead returned the ID to Rude and flipped through his wallet with his opposite hand before returning it in similar fashion. He stood, dusting the knees of his faded jeans, the rips over the knees holding voraciously to the fabric. With an offered hand to Rude, he nodded once over his shoulder to the dim bruiser. "If I don't get back in an hour or so have them send someone for me. I lost my last client. Thought I was gonna drag him back here and kill him due to findin' Tiny here sprawled over the pavement like a suicide victim. Come on, Tiny. Let's get you home so I can get to bed. I'm beat."

Rude shook his head and brushed away the offered hand, standing on his own with a sway. Darting forward, Reno dropped under the arm bracing the tower against the wall, pulling the arm over his shoulder. He smirked up at him and took a step forward, pulling Rude along with him.

"You sure you're gonna get home tonight? You know he's gonna be lookin' for you."

"Yea, yea, I'm sure, yo," he muttered with another wave of the hand, ambling off with Rude in tow.

They were silent for awhile as they walked, Rude with his arm over Reno's shoulders. The redhead, although subtle, was looking over his shoulders and along the alleyways as they walked as though he expected someone to stop him. Rude watched him as they made their way along the dark streets with the humidity and silence both so high they could be sliced and served as a seven course meal. Several times the shorn-headed man opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, unsure of what to say. Finally he settled on a question and offered it carefully.

"So what do you do for a living?"

His step faltered a bit before he tossed his head with a laugh. "Told ya I'm a whore."

"You said you had a pimp, right? And a quota? How much do you have to pay?"

"I pay him half of whatever I make. Why? You want prices?"

"No, no," Rude chuckled, shaking his head. "Just curious is all." Another long, thick silence stretched between them and they continued along, Rude leaning less and less heavily on his companion's shoulders as they moved. With a shrug, he offered, "You need any money to cover the time you're missing by taking me back home?"

"Nah. I got it. Forget about it. That last guy woulda just been icing on the cake. He was a nice one. Looked clean an' smelled nice. Poor thing just wanted a blowjob. Girlfriend won't give 'im one. How sad, huh?"

Rude made a noise of agreement with a nod as the silence fell over them again, the only sound greeting them was their feet scraping along the gravel over wet pavement. Although he was supporting all of his own weight, he kept his arm around slim shoulders and enjoyed the feel of the slight arm around his waist.

"So we're here in Midgar in the sector three slums. You ever worked for Shinra?"

"Nope. The hell would I work for them?"

Rude shook his head, tugging at the lithe frame in a chummy hug. Although he said nothing, the meaning seemed to convey to his compatriot just as it would have to the Reno he was accustomed to.

"So you work as a whore in the sector three slums. Your old man still alive?"

Reno's head jerked toward him and he startled. "Whaddya know about my old man?"

"Nothing much. Just wondering."

"Died ten or so years ago. Shot t'death by onea you Turk fuckers. Not that I mind at all. Was a waste of space." Reno sighed and rubbed the back of his head, stumbling over the words he struggled to make before closing his mouth and settling for silence that continued until they reached the front doors of the Shinra Building.