Give
Me a Hand
Chapter
Eleven: A Turk in Time
Cid followed Elena from the front room of the basement through the door that Reeve, Rude and Reno had exited. After a few winding halls, they came to a small lounge room, complete with a kitchen and a shower. Cid sucked the cigarette down to the filter before they sat down around the table. Rude, Reeve and Reno looked up expectantly, all rather amazed that Cid was walking in on his own power.
"So?" Reeve asked, a smile tugging on his lips, "how many times did she sock ya?"
Cid spat the cigarette butt on the ground and smashed it under his boot. "Once was a-fuck'n-nuff."
To this, Reno jumped in the air, arms raised in triumph. He proceeded to dance around both Reeve and Rude's chairs, and then extended his hands to each, opening and closing his fists.
Reeve and Rude made exasperated sounds, digging out their wallets and counting out gil into Reno's waiting hands. Elena snorted at him while he sat, happily recounting.
"Ey', Re?"
He looked up at her, digging out a pack of smokes.
Elena stuck her tongue out at him.
Reno blinked once, and then lunged over the table at Elena. She squeaked, dodging him twice before running around the table to escape him. Rude and Reeve sat smoking, moving their feet or arms every once and a while the other two ran around them and breakneck speeds. Another dodge and she had Cid's chair in between the two of them, once again her tongue stuck out. "Nayyyyy."
Proving to be the faster of the two, Reno managed to tackle her to the ground, and proceeded to tickle her.
"Ahh! Reno! You –ha ha ha- oh, my… tickling is- oh you come here! Oh-" Elena protested, trying to pinch him in the side. "I'm… oh I'm gonna kick your ass!"
Cid was staring wide eyed at the sight of two assassins in the midst of a tickle-fight. Reeve laughed himself before snuffing out his cigarette. Rude did the same and then strode over to Reno and Elena. Gripping them both by the collar, he pulled them apart and held them up so they had to stand on tip toe.
Elena and Reno shared a look, nodded, and then began to tickle Rude under the arms. The big man fell, laughing loudly and trying to push Reno and Elena off of him without honestly hurting them. There was a massive flurry of movement then, some blows that could have almost been in seriousness. Then, a shove nearly tossed Elena in the air and Rude rolled to his knees with both of the other Turks in head-locks.
Reeve cleared his throat, and they looked up at him with nearly believable innocence. "Are the three of you quite done being five?"
"Do we gotta?" Elena asked.
Reno snickered.
"Come on, Reno, go get in the shower." Reeve motioned to another door as he spoke, indicating what had to be the bathroom. "Someone is going to need to go get medical supplies to patch your mouth up." At Reno's look of horror, Reeve's eyes narrowed. "I mean it; you don't want an infection do you?"
Reno scowled, but made his way into the back room without further protest.
Reeve took a deep breath, as if to steady himself then he ran a hand through his hair. "Alright. Rude, Elena, I want a perimeter check."
Tickle-fight forgotten, both Rude and Elena nodded in a business-like manner and walked to a third door. They rummaged around for a while and familiar clicking told the tale of clips sliding into place and guns adjusting. Not a word or even a smile passed by either of them, and then, the two slid out the first door without a sound.
Once again, Cid Highwind was left alone with Emmerson Reeve. Four cigarettes had gone before finally, Reeve was the first one to speak. "Cid, are you alright?" Had he been anyone else, there would have been no doubt that the question was genuine.
"The fucking hell do ya think!" he began, his tone loud, then as if he thought about it, he shut his mouth. "You know what? I don't give a damn. After this is all over, you're gone." His voice was quieter, more intense. Cid was certainly not up for games with his own personal Turk pal. Not at all.
"No one asked you to stay." Reeve snapped and then there was silence again. Reeve sounded haggard when he spoke next. "Fuck, you know, it was a job. A JOB, Cid. You act like I set out with the soul purpose of making you hate me and everything that wears a blue suit." He dug out a pack of cigarettes and exhaled loudly out of his nose.
"You're the only reminder left... did ya ever damn well think of that? Maybe that bitch too, but she's out of the picture. Not to fucking profane the dead and all that shit," more of that low whisperish tone. He wasn't fighting, or else he would have been louder, more gusto. It was almost like he was slowly losing a piece of his sanity... and he still didn't have a face for his enemy. But Reeve's face... it would serve.
"She had a name, Cid." Reeve started out like he was simply tired, but then his voice raised in pitch, lased with a rather guilty undertone. "What do you want from me, Cid? Huh? What exactly is it that you need instead of twisting the damn, "I'm better than you" blade around to make yourself feel better?" Rising out of his chair, Reeve started pacing. "And before you tell me to shoot myself in the head, can it. I've lived through too much to bow out now."
"Just like those damn kids you've got hanging around here. Orders, fucking orders. 'I was damn well forced to do it, Cid' and 'I had no free fucking will' Well, I've damn some pretty heinous shit in my life, but fuck, I at least owned up to it," he pointed a finger for emphasis, "You know what I want? Some damn responsibility. The survivors are the ones that have to bear the burden. It's a bitch, but it's gods fucking a summon real." No threats of violence. Cid almost looked old, something his vitality usually covered up.
Reeve laughed. Actually laughed, maybe he was loosing touch, maybe…
"Cid, who the hell said I wasn't guilty? Not once in my god damn life have I thought I was innocent. Greedy, too eager to save my own ass sometimes? Yeah, I'll admit to those. I'll admit to towering acts of cowardness and self centeredness too. But I can't CHANGE any of it." He let out another short chuckle. "Innocent."
Cid blinked. And then blinked again, before smirking. "Well fuck, didn't realize ya liked me so damn much. I'm not into that shit, yanno. Creepy assfucker." He thought on what he said a minute before opening his mouth again. "Wait, you're probably the other end of that. Assfucked. Sure sounds like ya."
"You got the same speech I did: Welcome to ShinRa, now bend over." This, however Reeve said in full seriousness. "And I'm not doing that shit again. I, personally blame you hero fucks for this sudden urge to tell powerful people to screw off."
"It's a free bird lifestyle," Cid demonstrated with both hands, "Join the fucking club. You either take it, or you finally find out what the ass feels like from the other end. But you're too damn old to be worth that, aren't ya?" He chuckled darkly. Reeve wondered how much Cid talked about himself with other people's names.
"Yeah, too old for this is absolutely right."
This time the silence was comfortable, though both men seemed less sane than they had been a few night prior. The shower door opened and Reno slinked out, bright eyes narrowed in Cid's direction before they settled on Reeve.
Reeve kicked out a chair and Reno took the invitation, sitting down and slumping on the table. His still damp hair dripped onto the table.
"Re?" Reeve held a cigarette up in front of the young man's face.
Reno shook his head and jerked a thumb back to the room he'd come from before yawning. It wasn't a pretty sight, even though he'd at least rinsed his mouth out. Reeve nodded.
"I'll go with Rude to get supplies, Cid and Elle will be fine if you take a nap."
Reno thought for a moment and sighed. His eyebrow twitched again, telling of things he wished he could say.
"I'll take care of things, promise."
Reno nodded then, standing and stretching before returning to the room.
There wasn't three minutes to spare before Rude and Elena slid back inside. "Everything's clear." Elena stated flatly. "I'd like to say we got lucky, Hojo wasn't known for his love of nature. Still, we shouldn't stay around too long."
While she spoke Rude stood behind her, nodding when she was finished.
"Right. Cid, you and Elle stay here. Elena, brief him on what you guys know, if you can. I'll talk to Rude while we head to the store. "
Reeve stood and Elena took his chair. She looked at Cid a few moments before turning back to Reeve and Rude. "Be careful, guys."
"We're Turks." Reeve responded as though it meant they'd be fine. Rude gave a half smile and the two shut the door behind them.
Once again, Elena peered at Cid. "Ah, Highwind? Ya alright?" Her mouth quirked up in thought. "Maybe you want something?" This was asked as though Elena were trying to figure him out, at the very least. She pointed to yet another room. "I could make you a cup of tea; we just have loose leaves though…"
