Before Crisis 2: The Crisis
CHAPTER 21 – TURKS' DAY OFF
December 23rd [ ν ] - εγλ 0007, 9:00 AM
It was a beautiful morning in Wutai Village. The air was clear and hot without even a hint of breeze, complemented by the sunlight that crept above the Da-Chao mountains. There was a large, clean river that soothed through the village, splitting into smaller streams as they flowed beneath the tiny footbridges. A gong in the main square was hit multiple times as shops were opened along the side streets, making way for the hundreds of tourists who had escaped from winter.
Ever since Shinra won the Wutai War in εγλ 0000, the once powerful nation of Wutai lost its independence and gradually diminished into something of a tourist resort. Now praised by visitors for its history and mystique, Reno and Rude were looking forward to a chance to relax in the settlement. Having spent the past week searching for Sephiroth and battling AVALANCHE, their vacation couldn't have come at a better time.
But they hadn't expected for Elena to come along, as she was still too green to take on missions alone. Tseng was busy with his own duties and didn't need her help, so he had no choice but to send her off with Reno and Rude.
"Turtle's Paradise," Reno gazed at the building ahead. "Number 1 pub in Wutai. Let's have some fun."
"I can't wait," Rude grinned.
"Reno... are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Elena. "Don't forget that the company wants us to look for Corneo."
"I already told you," he sighed. "Today's our day off. We'll let the army track him down first."
"We still better be prepared, in case we find him. Let's keep it low on the alcohol."
When Reno ignored her, Elena shrugged and turned to Rude, but the skinhead as always had nothing to say. Reno and Rude had waited a long time to revisit Turtle's Paradise, the last time being five years ago, and they had planned to try every alcoholic beverage on the menu. Located in the southwestern region of the village, the pub was globally renowned not only for its drinks, but also for its great food and atmosphere.
At the entrance, there were a pair of Shinra infantrymen standing on each side of the front door. "Troops are patrolling this area," Rude pointed out as he continued to follow Reno. When the time came, Reno and Rude just walked past them and pushed through the door to get inside, pretending that they didn't notice. But since they still had their Turk uniforms on, the troops were able to recognize them.
"Turks!? Didn't expect to see you here."
Elena stopped and saluted them. "Yes, this is Elena of the Turks. Any update on Corneo?"
"No ma'am, nothing yet. But at least we'll know where to find you if anything comes up."
"Yes, please let us know. We're just taking a short break here."
Short. She had no idea how long Reno and Rude were planning to stay. When she sat down at the table, the redhead turned to her and shook his head.
"Why didn't you just ignore them?" he asked in disappointment. "They can't be bothering us during this time."
"I'm sorry..." she apologized softly. "But we can't let Corneo get away. You even told Heidegger that we'll do our job..."
"Heheheh..." he chuckled mockingly. "And Heidegger also knows that we have the day off. He may have given us this mission, but let's be honest here: he doesn't give a shit about anything."
"Of course he gives a shit," she barked angrily. "Reno, he's our boss!"
"...No, he's a fuckin' idiot," he surprised her with the insult. He then leaned across the table and handed her an extra menu. "Here. We're already getting one of everything, but feel free to choose what you'd like for yourself."
"Everything?!" exclaimed Elena. She looked over to Rude and saw that he'd already checked every single item on the menu. "Seriously?!"
Two hours had passed as the tenth round of drinks was brought to the table. Elena had given up trying to stop Reno and Rude at this point. She had ceased herself from drinking and was now working on the leftovers, but it was an endless task as the server was still bringing in new food after all this time. Although the food came in small, snack-sized plates, there were at least fifty of them, and it surprised her that she'd probably eaten twice as much as Reno and Rude.
"Drink, Rude! How long have we been a team...?" garbled Reno as he handed his partner a full glass of lager. "There have been hard times being a Turk, but all in all, I'm glad I did it. I even got to meet a bunch of wing nuts like you."
"To the Turks..." Rude raised his glass up. "To Reno... cheers!"
Reno slammed his glass on the table after a big gulp. "Man, I wish Tseng was here!" he yelled and turned to Elena. "You wish he was here too because you like him and all... and that's okay! I mean, he may be eight years older than you, but Tseng... is a wonderful man. He's one of the coolest dudes ever... but sometimes I wish he talked more, y'know? And sorry to break it to you, but I think he has feelings for that Ancient chick, whatever her name was, I forget..."
"Aerith," slurred Rude as Elena got up from her seat. "Hey! Where are you going?!"
She ignored him and headed for the washroom. "The Ancient's name is Aerith?" spluttered Reno. "Or Aeris? With an 's' or 'th'?"
"Spelling is hard!"
"Why does Aerith sound like a name for people with a lisp?! I think we should call Tseng and ask him."
But before he could do anything stupid, two infantrymen rushed into the pub and spotted at their table. "Sirs!"
"Lookie here. What do you want?" asked Reno.
"We got a report that AVALANCHE is headed here. They stormed past Fort Tamblin earlier and wounded three of our soldiers."
"Hmm... AVALANCHE again, huh," muttered Reno. He paused momentarily and took a gulp of beer. "We'll get on it right away. Now leave us alone!"
"Yes sir, thank you."
Elena saw them leave the table as she returned from the washroom. "What was that all about?" she asked curiously. "It's about Corneo, right?"
Reno shrugged. "Oh, it's nothing."
She put her hands on her hips. "Well, I don't accept that for an answer! I'm going outside to ask."
"No, Elena! Don't!" the redhead shouted, leaning over and grabbing her wrist. She fell back as he pulled her forcefully to his lap. "We're not going anywhere."
"Reno!" she squealed and wriggled when he poked her sides. "H-hey! The hell is your problem?"
It was meant to be playful, but she didn't like it one bit. "A little feisty there," he teased. "You're adorable, you know that?"
"Take a seat," demanded Rude, slamming his fists on the table. "We have more drinks coming our way."
The gong was heard inside as the clock hit noon. At long last, the food had stopped coming to the table, and good riddance to that. There were plates everywhere, finished and unfinished, some not even touched, but Reno and Rude didn't care. It didn't stop them from ordering more drinks, and even Elena had joined in after giving up on finishing the food. Reno had encouraged her to keep drinking, and she was starting to feel tipsy.
Their table was near the front, and Elena was the one facing the door. She froze in shock when she saw Cloud Strife of all people walk in, alongside two unfamiliar men. Seeing that they were armed with weapons, she hopped from her seat to confront them.
"Y-you!? How did you get here...?" Her voice was buzzing from the alcohol.
Cloud took a second to realize who she was before recognizing Reno and Rude. "It's the Turks."
"Never mind that. I guess it's fate that brought us together," said Elena, cracking her knuckles. "Get ready to die!"
"What the fuck?" one of the men called out. He was a middle-aged man with blond hair, a pair of goggles and a navy blue jacket.
The other man had long black hair and was dressed in a red cloak. He immediately reached for his gun, but Cloud told him to lower it. "Not now, Vincent."
Elena looked over to her colleagues, expecting them to join the fight. But all she saw was Rude taking a sip of his beer while Reno smacked his forehead.
"Elena, you talk too much," Reno sounded calm through the alcohol. We're fucking unarmed. How dumb can you get?
She froze at his response. "W-what?"
The redhead gazed at Cloud and threw his hands up in surrender. He then raised a glass at Elena and shook his head. "What are we doing way out here in the middle of nowhere?"
"We're taking our vacation and resting up from our work," she answered honestly.
He sighed. "Now our vacation is ruined."
"B-but..."
Rude burped. "Even the booze tastes bad now."
"Sorry..." whispered Elena, sitting back down in embarrassment. A second later, she faced AVALANCHE again. "Hmm, you're lucky alright. Now get out of my sight! The next time we meet, I won't be so nice."
Cloud turned to Reno. "So you're off-duty today? Is that why you didn't attack us?"
"Leave us alone, kid. You're making me sober with all your stupid questions."
"We're just looking for Yuffie. She ran off with our Materia, and-"
"Cloud, you dumbfuck!" shouted the man with the goggles. "Just leave them alone."
"But Cid-"
"Look, we don't know anyone named Yuffie," said Reno, signaling to the server for more drinks. "Now piss off."
As AVALANCHE walked away, Reno and Rude turned to each other and shrugged. I wonder who the other two guys were? And where was Tifa? thought Rude. Ah, who fuckin' cares. Let's enjoy this mead.
Elena was still feeling the heat of embarrassment in her cheeks. This is ridiculous. How can I mess up, again? I can't wait to leave this stupid pub. She took another sip of her beer, only to spit it out as the front door was slammed open. This time, it was the infantrymen bursting into the scene.
"CORNEO!" The men skidded to a halt upon reaching the table, doubling over as Elena got up immediately. "So our reports were right! He is here on vacation!" the troop announced through his mask. "We've finally found him! Get the Turks here for backup!"
But once again, Reno and Rude were completely unfazed. "...What a drag," said Reno.
The infantryman flinched at his words. "W-what was that?"
"Right now, we're off-duty and can't save your butts."
"We know you're off-duty, but-"
"If you knew that, then don't bother us!" he snapped, his voice pumping with anger. "Lookin' at you is makin' me sober."
"But you all have orders from headquarters to look for him too!" the man cried out.
Wanting no more of this, Reno ignored the troops and looked away in a bored manner. As Elena followed the back-and-forth argument, Rude was simply minding his own business, sipping away his mead. The troops glared at Reno and waited for a response, dumbfounded by the Turks' lack of discipline.
After a short silence, the infantryman spoke again. "Alright, that's it! We'll get him without any help from the Turks, just you see!" he yelled before running off with his partner. "And don't think that headquarters isn't going to hear about this!"
Elena frowned in disgust with how Reno handled the situation. "Reno, do you think that was really such a good idea!?" she shouted, her hand on her waist. "I mean, is that the way a professional, a Turk would act!?"
"Elena, don't misunderstand," he replied coolly. "A pro isn't someone who sacrifices himself for his job. That's just a fool."
Having had enough of his foolishness, the rookie turned to her other colleague. "Rude...?"
"..."
His silence upset her even more. "Well, I don't buy that!" she screamed; this was the last straw. "Goodbye!"
After three hours at Turtle's Paradise, Elena left the table and stormed off, angry and frustrated at her colleagues. Reno looked down on the table as if nothing was wrong, while Rude gave a long look at the door. Neither of them cared that she might have gone after Corneo on her own.
"Relax," said Reno. "She's not a child. Let her have her way."
A/N: Part 1 of the Wutai sidequest in FFVII, which includes the scene where AVALANCHE runs into the Turks in Turtle's Paradise.