I have discovered the line bar! XD.
Disclaimer: I appear to have... misplaced the papers which say I own them, so I guess I don't...
Sorry about the long wait! shoots Writer's Block Now enjoy!
When Tseng walked into the common/ "that green doesn't go with that blue" room the next day, he found them both asleep on a sofa. Elena stirred as he walked up to them, and opened her eyes. Once she had properly focused on exactly who was standing in front of her, she woke up fast.
"Sir!" she said, sitting up quickly.
"Morning, Elena." Tseng greeted absentmindedly. "Would you mind waking Reno up for me, please?" Elena, a little confused, shook Reno awake.
"Wassa?" he said. "'s not morning, is it?" He asked the world in general.
"Yes, Reno, it is." Tseng told him. The sound of his boss's voice woke Reno up faster than having water poured on him (which, in this building, was not unusual.).
"How nice of you to join the waking world." Tseng said sarcastically. Reno looked over to Elena, who was looking very worried.
"Er… good morning, Sir." Reno said, deciding to play it safe.
"Indeed." Tseng muttered. "I want to see you in my office, Reno. Soon." The unspoken threat of what would happen if Reno didn't comply was enough to scare him, which didn't happen often. He was a Turk, after all. Tseng walked out of the room, muttering about poor choice of colour on walls. Elena looked over at Reno, worried.
"What was that about?" Reno wondered out loud.
"Do you… do you think it's bad?" Elena asked him, worried.
"Hmm? Knowing Tseng? Probably." Reno said, thinking about his various meeting with Tseng and trying to find one which had been good. Out of the ones he could remember, there weren't any.
"Oh, Reno, if I've got you into trouble…" Elena fretted, wringing her hands.
"Don't worry, Elena. Even if I am in trouble, it won't have been your fault." He tried to reassure her.
"Yes, but…" Elena started. Reno sighed and took her hands to stop her wringing them.
"Elena. Clam down." He ordered. "I am going to see Tseng. No, don't argue." He replied, when Elena started protesting. "If I don't go I don't even want to think about the consequences." He winced when he remembered the last time he had been late (and he had had a good reason for it, too. He had been unconscious). He let go of Elena's shaking hands and stood up.
"Reno…" She started. Reno shook his head.
"Tseng isn't going to eat me, Elena. I'll be fine." He reassured her. Elena still looked worried, but she had stopped shaking. Reno turned to walk out of the room. "I won't be long." He told Elena, adding 'hopefully' in his head.
"A-alright." Elena replied, her voice shaking. Reno walked out of the room.
The one thing that all of the walls in the building had in common was a complete lack of taste colour wise. Even colours that normally went together well, like orange and yellow, seemed to visibly resist each other when put on the walls of any room in the building. Reno was currently walking down a corridor that looked like it had been painted by a colour-blind mouse. Purple and bright glaring orange… what were they thinking? Had Rufus ordered it painted like this to punish them? No… Reno doubted Rufus would have spent that much on them. If it was for vengeance, putting them in this building was enough. Whoever had painted this deserved to go to the deepest circle of hell, and then some. Purple and orange… Reno shuddered. He reached the stairs, looked at the state they were in (They hadn't been fixed since Elena destroyed part of them) and kept on walking. There must be some other stairs in this building, surely? And if worst came to worst, he could always take the lift… but that was a very last resort. Reno wasn't in the mood for risking his life in that thing so early in the morning.
After wandering lost through several more corridors (lime green and lilac? No! No no no!) Reno found some more stairs. They looked suspiciously like they might be worse than the others, but at least they were all there. Reno ascended carefully, being careful not to step on any suspicious bits (i.e., most of the stairs.) and eventually made it to the top. Now he just had to find where Tseng's office was… another floor up. More damn stairs. This building was about to fall apart, and Tseng had an office on the top floor? Typical Tseng, with a death wish. If this building fell apart he'd be the first to go. That was some consolation to Reno, climbing up another set of stair, which seemed to have once had a carpet with a rabbit pattern on it. Honestly, if the designer/painter/decorator of this place was still alive, he'd be seeing the business end of Reno's Nightstick in the near future.
Once Reno was past the danger of the stairs it was relatively easy to get to Tseng's office. Maybe this time he wouldn't be in trouble… unlikely, knowing Tseng, but still, the possibility was there.
The only room occupied on this floor was Tseng's office, it seemed. Walking past empty rooms was beginning to creep Reno out. The place was almost deserted as it was… Reno reached Tseng's office. He knocked tentatively on the door (disturbing Tseng was never a good idea).
"If it's Reno, get in here. If not, go the hell away." Came the reply. Reno opened the door and stepped in.
"It's me, Sir." He announced. Tseng looked up.
"Good." He replied. "Sit." He ordered, indicating a chair in front of his desk. Reno felt like a naughty child about to be disciplined. Trust Tseng. No-one else could make Reno feel bad. Tseng looked at him. "You're not in trouble." He stated, as if to get a point across. Reno's relief was clearly visible on his face. Tseng laughed. "Did you think I was going to discipline you?" Reno nodded slowly. Tseng shook his head. "I don't call you to my office just to tell you what you've done wrong, Reno!" He said.
"Ummm… actually, Sir, I can't think when you haven't…"Tseng sighed.
"Mission briefings, Reno?" He suggested.
"Usually handed to me via Elena or told to Rude, Sir!" Reno replied, a little worried that he might have made Tseng mad, which was never a good idea.
"I see." Tseng replied. Knowing Tseng, he probably did, Reno thought miserably. "Well, this time I'm talking to you." Reno realised two things: a) he was definitely not in trouble and b) Tseng wasn't mad. Both of those things were good. "I've got a mission for you. And Elena."
"And Elena?" Reno asked, confused. "But Rude's my partner…" he trailed off. Going with Elena wouldn't be that bad, after all…
"Rude's… job… has run into unforeseen circumstances. He's not going to be back for a while, and this needs two good people. So, you and Elena. I don't dare leave this place on its own." Tseng explained. Reno nodded. That was usually the best thing to do when dealing with Tseng. "Don't you want to know where you're going?" Tseng asked. Reno nodded again. "Wutai." Reno groaned. Tseng looked at him. "What's wrong with Wutai?" Tseng asked. Oops. Tseng was from Wutai.
"Nothing, Sir!" Reno answered, hoping Tseng wouldn't get mad…
"Hmm." Tseng wasn't pleased, but he wasn't mad either. Reno cursed himself for being so stupid. "Here's your briefing." Tseng added, handing Reno a sheet of paper. "Be quick, and…" Tseng trailed off.
"Yes, Sir?" Reno asked, now thoroughly worried.
"Look after Elena." Tseng finished, not really looking at Reno. Reno remembered that Tseng had asked Elena to dinner before he was attacked by Sephiroth in the Temple of the Ancients, Elena had told him a few months back. Was he jealous? Oh God. That would not be good.
"I'll do my best, Sir!" Reno replied.
"Hmm. Go." Tseng ordered. Reno left quickly. He told himself to go slowly down the stairs; he couldn't bear being stuck again… the ceiling dripped on him. Raining again. There was another good excuse to get a move on with leaving… apart from the stairs he ran the rest of the way back.
"Reno!" Elena greeted when he walked in. "What did Tseng want?" She asked. Reno handed her the piece of paper.
"Mission. Wutai." He told her, before collapsing on the chair in sheer exhaustion brought on by fright. Elena read the briefing, and her eyes widened.
"Reno, have you read this?" She asked. Reno shook his head; he was too tired to speak. And the walls were giving him a headache. "I wonder…" Elena said almost to herself. She sat down next to Reno. "Don't you usually go with Rude?" She asked him. Reno nodded, he wasn't wasting energy on words. "Did you run all the way back?" nod. "Even down the stairs?" He shook his head. "Oh, Reno, you must be shattered!" Nod. Elena searched her armlet. "Aha! Cure2!" She cast the spell on Reno. He felt energy flowing back into him.
"Elena, I love you." He said, and kissed her.
"Well, I'm flattered." She said when they broke apart. "But it says here we've got to go quickly…" Reno nodded again.
"Tseng mentioned that." He decided not to tell her that Tseng had asked him to take care of her. "And I am never again going to groan when I hear the name Wutai!" Elena laughed.
"You didn't?" She asked. Reno nodded.
"I did." He replied. "I think I have a death wish." The ceiling dripped. Both of them hastily moved to the only chair that didn't get dripped on as water began to cascade through a hole in the ceiling. Well, several holes in the ceiling.
"A plus is that we get to stay somewhere that doesn't soak you when you're inside." Elena commented, looking at the miniature waterfalls in disgust. Reno agreed heartily.
"Shall we go pack?" He asked. Elena nodded. "Meet me by the copter in half an hour, then." He suggested. Elena nodded, and they went off to pack.
Once in what passed for his room (with an unslept in bed. Good Lord.) Reno surveyed the mess and decided to opt for the 'chuck it all in the suitcase and it'll sort itself out' method. He was halfway through initiating this when Elena walked in.
"I knew it." She said. Reno stood up.
"Am I not allowed to pack my own things?" He asked. Elena shook her head.
"Not if you pack like that!" She replied, and started to fold everything he'd already packed. Reno watched, fascinated. Elena was very fast at folding… "Your clothes are all creased." She observed. Reno winced. It was true, he rarely bothered with folding stuff, but they weren't that bad… were they? Elena finished all his packing for him faster than he had done half of it in.
"Flipping heck Elena, that was fast!" he exclaimed. Elena stood up and smiled at him.
"Comes through practice." She told him, glancing around his room. "Shall we go?" She asked, carefully changing the subject. Reno nodded, glad for that sudden diversion. They walked together down to the helicopter.
When they got there, Tseng was waiting for them.
"About time." He muttered to himself.
"Sir!" Elena and Reno both said, saluting. Tseng sighed.
"In. Now." He gestured to the helicopter.
"Yes Sir!" Once more in unison. They both climbed in to the helicopter.
"My apologies, Elena, but Reno is driving." He told them. Elena cursed and Reno grinned. This was going to be fun… "Now, be careful, and please try to be quick." Tseng ordered. "Oh, and Elena…" She looked up from her creative cursing about people letting maniacs drive helicopters.
"Yes Sir?" She asked. Reno looked round also. Maybe he should have told her…
"Take care. And… don't let Reno fly it too fast, will you?" He said. Elena nodded slowly, a little unsure. Tseng pulled the door of the copter shut quickly, and it hit the metal with a crash that made Elena and Reno wince.
"Tseng?" Elena wondered aloud. Reno winced again at the noises the copter made when he turned the ignition on. Horrible noises. He shuddered. Elena turned to him. "What do you think's the matter with Tseng?" she asked him. Reno shrugged, and tried to encourage the copter off the ground. It went, but reluctantly, and making worrying noises all the way.
"Someone's left this out in the rain." Reno said through gritted teeth. Elena looked out of the window, watching Tseng walk back into the building.
"There's something the matter with him." Elena decided.
"Maybe us? He did ask you to dinner." Reno replied, concentrating more on the copter than the conversation. Elena nodded.
"I guess." She said. "How long do you think it'll take us to get to Wutai?" She asked, changing the subject. Reno shrugged.
"Depends on how long this piece of junk stays in the air." He replied, twiddling several dials on the board. Elena realised that he was trying his best to keep it going, and stayed quiet. Reno was a tech wiz when it came to most things, but only if you left him alone. This was going to be a long flight…
Well? How is it? Review, I'll give out... free Reno's!
