Chapter 3 - Lessons in Seagulling
Three times Reno called Elena, and three times she hung up on him. On the fourth time, she decided he wasn't going to give up, so she'd listen. "Hey, you!" he said, an accomplished tone to his voice. "I knew you were home!" She sighed. "What do you want Reno," she grew impatient. She had no desire to talk to him. "I, I want you to, to... uh... Oh yeah! I, I want you to come over here," he finally stuttered out. Oh great, she thought. He's drunk again. "And why should I, after yesterday," she asked, matter-of-factly. "Cuz I, uh... I got something to show you," he said. She sniffed. "I think you already showed me everything I needed to know..." she trailed off, smiling to herself. "Not that," he giggled. "Something else, silly. Come see." She sighed loudly. "Whatever." She hung up and walked over to put her shoes on, in disbelief she was actually going.
When she got to Reno's apartment building, she noticed something very wrong. There was bird poop everywhere. "What in the world..." she was saying outloud when all of a sudden she heard her not-so-favorite redhead yell out " Look out below!" Elena ducked under the awning just in time to be missed by the world's largest water balloon filled with white paint, which splattered all over some unexpecting old man. Why he didn't move was beyond her. She quickly made her way up to Reno's apartment to figure out the question of "Why."
When she walked through the door, she was relieved that he was fully clothed this time. Still in his Turk suit, actually, minus the jacket. With his usually missing tie wrapped around his head like a head band. "Hey, you, c'mere, you gotta try this," he said excitedly. "What in the world do you thing you're doing," she asked, a bit concerned. "I'm waging war with the army ants," he said proudly before tossing another balloon off his seventh floor balcony. "I see," Elena said, looking around his apartment, which was littered with beer cans, cigarette butts, and paint jugs. "Here, try one," he offered, pushing at a newly made bomb her way. She stepped back. "No, I don't think so..." He gave her THE LOOK and she accepted. And face it, when Reno Miller gives you THE LOOK, you do whatever he says. She reluctantly took the balloon, and he triumphantly smiled. "Now," he started, lighting up a cigarette, "The first thing to Seagulling is aim. It's all about aim. Don't aim for anything, just give it a good toss and hope it hits something. He took a deep drag an laughed. She stared at him blankly. "But Reno, you just said..." He cut her off. "Nevermind what I said, just give it the heave ho." She did as he told, and heard a female scream below. Reno was laughing his ass off, almost falling off the barstool he was perched on. Elena looked over in horror as she saw Scarlet aiming her gun to the sky and shooting at the flock of non-exixtent birds that seemed to have picked her as target. Elena thought they were dead when Scarlet looked up and saw them, but instead she waved. Elena and Reno both waved back. "Shitty weather were having today, hunh," Reno yelled to her, and she laughed, walking off.
After watching Reno toss about 30 more balloons and twice as many unsuspecting victims, Elena decided she had enough. "I've had fun, but I'm going home," she told him. "Aww, but I thought we were having fun," he whined. "I didn't say I wasn't having fun," she backed, "But I'm going home to have dinner." Reno's eyes lit up. Elena knew this was not good. "Hey, yeah, I got a good idea," he practically screamed. Elena cringed. "And what would that be," she asked, partially not wanting to know. "I say, why don't we both go to Midgar Burger together? I'll pay." Elena smiled. Did Reno just ask her on a date?
A/N
Seagulling- Have you ever been at the beach and had a swarm of seagulls fly over you, barely missing you? Or even marking you?
It's one of my worst fears, and one of Reno's favorite games.