Chapter 8: Louie's Bistro
"I hadn't really thought that far in advance," Elena answers. "I wasn't sure how you'd answer, so I was just looking at one problem at a time."
"Heh, I thought I was supposed to be the improvising risk-taker here," Reno remarks with a lopsided grin. "What happened to that timid rookie I used to know who had to have everything planned out?"
"She got off probation."
"Lucky me. Well, what sorta food do you feel like? You can get damn near anything in Junon."
"I don't know... nothing too fancy. Somewhere we can relax."
"Well, you're in luck. I just happen to know a lot of little hole-in-the-wall type places around here." He pauses to think a moment. "How's Costan food sound?"
"It sounds great. Just give me a minute to shower and change. These clothes're feeling kinda stiff from having all that seawater dry on them."
"Not a bad idea. Kinda starting to chafe here. Where you going?" he asks when she heads towards the apartment's exit.
"The Falcon. I figured I'd grab something nice to wear," she answers while walking out the door.
"This means I'll have to dress up, doesn't it?" he asks while walking into the elevator.
"Behave yourself and I won't make you wear a tie," Elena teases with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"You wouldn't!" Reno declares with an expression of mock-horror on his face and laughter in his eyes. When the elevator's doors open onto the roof, Reno and Elena are surprised by the sight of Rude perched on a ladder, putting the final touches on a large copy of their old unit symbol that he was painting freehand on the Falcon's tail. "I was wondering what you've been up to."
"Elena getting tattooed inspired me," he explains while climbing down the ladder. "I was just about to head in, just had to finish this one up so it'd dry evenly."
"Wow, I didn't know you could paint," Elena remarks.
"He doesn't get much chance to use it, but Rude's got a real talent for drawing. He's the one who designed that symbol back in the war."
"How'd your's turn out?" Rude asks. Elena responds by turning so her tattooed shoulder faces Rude. "Looks good. I had an idea for nose art too." He pulls a small sketchpad from a pocket and flips through it before holding it up, displaying a highly stylized sketch of a cartoon falcon in a Turk uniform and sunglasses that was leaning casually against a wall with one wing tucked into it's jacket as if reaching for a weapon.
"Yeah, that's pretty cool. How about giving it a smoke or something?" Reno suggests.
"That's really good. What else've you got in there?" Elena asks.
"Nothing important..." Rude states while quickly stuffing the pad back into a pocket and deciding to change the subject. "What's the plan for dinner?"
"Sorry, pal, but we're gonna ditch you tonight," Reno announces with a crooked grin while throwing an arm around Elena's waist.
"So you finally asked her out? About time..."
"What? No, I asked him. What's going on?" Elena asks, turning to look up at Reno. "Holy shit, I didn't know you could blush."
"I'm... blushing?" he asks, surprise and embarrassment mingling on his face. Elena responds by pulling a knife and holding it so he can see his reflection in the polished surface of the blade. "Holy shit, I am..."
"You look cute like that, but you've got some explaining to do," she says while putting the knife away.
"Well, the thing is... I've been thinking of asking you out for... a while. Almost did it twice this morning, but you broke the mood on the beach and fell asleep before I could ask after we got back to the safehouse. I was about to try again, but you beat me to it."
"It's almost funny how blind you two've been..." Rude observes. Elena looks surprised.
"Guess we've both got our eyes open now." Reno remarks. "So, how're you gonna keep yourself amused now that you've finished playing matchmaker with us?"
"Playing matchmaker?" Elena looks thoughtful as she reflects on a few recent conversations with Rude, seeing them in a new light.
"Hey, someone had to do it. Otherwise Meteor'd be about to hit and you two'd both still be wondering if the other'd be receptive." Both look embarrassed by this remark.
"I guess now that you've got us together, we could return the favor. Hey Lena, you know Rude has a crush on Tifa?" Now it's Rude's turn to look embarrassed.
"Really? How cute. You gonna ask her out when she gets here?"
"She's interested in Strife..."
"Want me to kill him for you?" Elena offers.
"Thanks for the offer, but it'd just piss her off."
"How about we hire some hookers to work him over, take pictures, and send them to her?" she suggests.
"That might work, but we won't have time before the mission. Besides, she already knows he loves someone else."
"Oh, one of those deals... Who's he love?" she asks, looking sympathetic.
"The Ancient."
"The flower bitch?" Old anger flashes in Elena's eyes. "I thought I'd heard the last of her."
"Hell of a tangle, huh?" Reno remarks. "I wanted you while you wanted Tseng while he wanted Aeris while she wanted Cloud. And at the same time Rude wanted Tifa while she wanted Cloud while he wanted Aeris. Damned mess was making us all miserable..."
"I didn't think 'a while' went back that far," Elena states, her eyes softening.
"What?"
"You said you'd been thinking of asking me out for a while, remember?"
"Yeah." He looks embarrassed again. "I figured I didn't have a chance with the way you were after Tseng, so I kinda pushed it down into the back of my mind and tried not to think about it. For a while there I even convinced myself I'd pushed it down far enough to forget it, but it was still there eating at me from the back of my mind. Pathetic, huh?"
"If so, that makes everyone in this mess pathetic." Elena seems to be at a loss for words for a moment. "Well, we've got most of the mess sorted out. I'll have to see if I can pull Tifa aside for some girl talk, let her know what a great guy Rude is. It'll be a long flight up to the crater, so maybe I could talk her into giving up on Strife or something. If that's not enough, we can do the hooker plan after we get back from the mission."
"Thanks. Just don't overdo it. Almost forgot, I've got something for you two." Rude pulls out his PHS and presses a few buttons. A moment later, Reno and Elena's PHSs vibrate. When they pull them out, they see that Rude's sent them a picture. Opening it, they see the picture Rude took earlier in the day of the two of them asleep on the couch, cuddled together with small contented smiles on their faces.
"Cute," Elena pronounces. "Looks like I've got a new wallpaper." She then presses the buttons necessary to set the image as the background on her PHS' screen.
"We oughta get going," Reno announces as he heads up the Falcon's ramp. Elena follows and the two start sorting through their luggage.
"You know, I've never had the chance to wear this anywhere," she says while unpacking a small black dress that was both sleeveless and strapless. She'd bought it after being asked out by Tseng and had almost thrown it away after receiving news of his death. Something had held her back, and she'd shoved it into the back of her closet instead. Reno grabs one of his suits that Elena had seemed to particularly like and a matching shirt, remembering that she'd said something about liking how it went with his eyes.
"Catch you later, big guy," Reno casually waves to Rude while passing by on the way back to the elevator. Rude silently waves back, then resumes painting.
"Funny thing," Elena says as they walk into the elevator, "I almost asked you this morning too, when we were out in the water."
"Heh, really? Hey, Lena, there's something I need to ask before we do this," Reno asks, suddenly turning serious. "This isn't... a pity date, is it? Cause I was looking damned pitiful this morning. I gotta know, so be honest."
"No, of course not. Remember last night when we were talking about how frustrating dating in the company was? That's why I asked you out. We both 'speak the same language', so it'll have a better chance of working out than, well, than any of the dates I've been on for the past few years. We've been through a lot of the same experiences, so I can relate to how you feel and you can do the same to me."
"So we can lick each other's wounds, huh?"
"Well, that's not how I'd phrase it... But it'd be better than worrying about the past by yourself," she answers as the pair exit the elevator and walk towards the apartment.
"Small comfort. But after all I've been through, I'll take what comfort I can get and I won't take it for granted." As he says this, Reno tentatively extends a hand to Elena.
"It's nice to be understood," Elena observes as she reaches out and takes his hand. "Another one of those small comforts, I guess."
"Sure is," he agrees with a smile as they walk into the apartment. Elena then walks into the bathroom while Reno settles onto the couch to wait. He lights a cigarette and simply relaxes while listening to the sound of running water from the shower. The almost hypnotic sound nearly lulls him to sleep.
A few short minutes later, Elena exits the bathroom clad in the dress she'd chosen which comes down to mid-thigh. The armor on her left forearm and the tattoo on her right shoulder look a bit out of place with the dress, but neither Turk cares. Although she would never be called voluptuous, the clingy material of her dress does an excellent job of accentuating the curves that were normally hidden beneath her loose fitting Turk uniform. Reno grins and lets out an appreciative wolf whistle at the sight. "Lookin' hot, Lena. So what're you packing? Can't be much under that little thing."
"It oughta be enough." she replies. She then lifts the hem of her skirt a couple inches, exposing the end of a holster that's strapped to the inside of her left thigh.
"Heh, anyone you have to shoot tonight'll get to enjoy the view before they die since you're carrying like that," Reno jokes.
"Yeah, I guess I'd have to flash my target when I draw," Elena laughs as Reno walks past her into the bathroom. She then walks over to the table and begins sorting through the stacks of shoeboxes, trying to decide which new pair would go best with her dress. She eventually gives up on finding a pair capable of both matching her dress and concealing a weapon and settles on a pair of simple black sandals with two inch heels. Shortly afterwards, Reno exits the bathroom wearing the as of yet unwrinkled suit he had chosen. Unsurprisingly, his shirt was untucked and half buttoned. "I'm jealous," she announces after pulling Reno's coat open, revealing his usual assortment of weapons. "How come guys get to look sexy in clothes with room for so many weapons?"
"If you're feeling that underarmed, you could always say to hell with concealment and walk around with a rifle or something slung on your back. You know no one'll have the guts to say anything about it," Reno jokes.
"Heh, like I won't be getting enough weird looks wearing my armor with this. And I was just messing with you, I'm packing enough materia it won't matter that I'm only carrying a pistol and a couple knives."
"You mean you don't think I look sexy?" he asks, feigning a hurt expression.
"What do you think, smartass?" she asks with a smirk and then casually slaps his butt while walking past him towards the door.
"I think I wasn't expecting to get groped until during the date," he answers with a grin as he follows Elena out of the apartment. She easily fends off his attempt to return the favor. "Hey, that's hardly fair," he complains as they walk into the elevator.
"Since when do Turks play fair?"
"Heh, got me there, Lena."
"So, where you taking me?"
"Just a quiet little place with the best Costan food in town. You'll like it," he informs her while walking towards his car.
"If it's that good, why's it so small?" she asks as they drive out of the garage.
"Because that's what the owner wants. He's just running the place to keep from getting bored in his retirement, it's not like he needs big profits or anything. Besides, you'd be surprised how often little obscure places have better food than the trendy expensive joints."
"Sounds like you're a regular there or something."
"I'll usually stop by when I'm in town and have some spare time," he says while turning down a side street. "Damned good food, they even make their own pasta. Only downside's there's no parking, so we'll have to walk a couple blocks," he informs her while pulling into a parking garage. "It's worth the walk, trust me." Upon exiting the car, Reno once again offers Elena his hand and the two walk hand-in-hand out of the garage and down the street. Of course, being Turks this gesture is tempered by tactical considerations; he holds her left hand in his right, leaving both their strong hands free in case they need to reach for a weapon.
"Quiet neighborhood," Elena comments.
"Yeah, nothing ever happens around here. There's the place." He points to a small restaurant that's part of a row of businesses about a block away. A small sign marks the place as Louie's Bistro.
"You weren't kidding when you called it a hole in the wall." The two silently walk the remaining distance and enter the restaurant. Glancing around, Elena notices that most of the customers are dangerous looking men in suits. A slim elderly man in a three-piece suit approaches them when they walk in the door. Something seems a little off about him, but Elena can't put her finger on it.
"Ah, Reno. It's been too long. So, who is this beautiful vision you've brought into my fine establishment?"
"Hey, Louie. This's Elena, newest member of the Turks."
"A pleasure to meet you. So I take it the two of you are here on business? I assume your mark will be arriving shortly."
"No, we're off the clock right now."
"Ah, I see. An office romance. I'll get you kids a nice cozy booth." He then leads the pair to a small booth with seat backs that connect with the ceiling and hands them menus and the wine list. "The waiter'll be by in a few minutes," he says before walking off.
"Heh, kids?" Elena wonders with an amused expression on her face.
"Yeah, he calls everyone who looks younger than fifty that."
"So, got any recommendations?" she asks while looking at her menu.
"Nah, it's all good here. You could pick something random and be happy with it."
"Hey, what's with all the suits?"
"Well, before he retired, Louie was a made man in the Costa Nostra. So they like to hang out and do business here."
"Wait, so you're a regular at a Mafia-owned restaurant and they know you're a Turk? What's the deal?"
"I'm not surprised you haven't heard about the agreement, since it's off the books." The waiter arrives then with two glasses of water, a basket of breadsticks, and a bowel of dipping sauce. Reno orders a bottle of Salento Chardonnay, then the waiter leaves. "After the war, the Mafia helped Shin-Ra consolidate their power." He pauses to eat a mouthful of breadstick. "We cut a deal with the families afterwards where they can basically do whatever they want as long as they give the company thirty percent of their profits, keep a low profile, and don't do anything to get in the company's way."
"Really? Huh, I knew the company was corrupt, but I didn't know it went that far. Hey, is that why Corneo only had his personal bodyguards with him in Wutai?" she speculates after taking a sip of wine.
"That's right. When we let the Mafia know what he'd done, they distanced themselves from him to save the agreement. When word got around, most of his people jumped ship. Hell, the mob even sent their own hitmen after him as a show of good faith."
"It wasn't just a show," Louie declares, returning to the table with a candelabra in hand and the waiter following him. "Heh, If I was thirty years younger, I would've beaten you kids to him and personally brought the fat prick's head to the president to let him know the families take their obligations seriously," he says while lighting the candles and placing the candelabra on the table. "But why're you kids talking business on a date? That's not how we wooed ladies back in my day."
"We're already past the whole wooing thing," Elena announces while the waiter pours two goblets of wine and hands them to the pair of Turks.
"Kids these days, always moving so fast. Well, I'll go ahead and give you better mood lighting anyway," he states while reaching up and turning off the lamp hanging over their table, leaving the low-ceilinged booth lit mainly by candles and mako eyes. "You kids don't need this thing anyway, what with your crazy glowing eyes. I'll get out of your way now so you two can enjoy your dinner," he says before walking off.
"Have you two decided yet?" the waiter asks.
"Yeah, I'll take the portabella lasagna," Elena orders.
Reno puts his finger down on the menu without looking. "Looks like I'm having the mostachiolli pomodoro." The waiter then takes their menus and leaves. "How d'you like it here so far, Lena?"
"Great atmosphere," she answers, looking into Reno's eyes over the tops of the candles. "The owner's kinda odd, though. Was he really an assassin?"
"Yeah. I got curious once and looked up his file at the office. Don't let the kind old man act fool you, he used to be the best in the business. He's on the short list of non-Turks I respect. The guy was actually younger than you when he became a made man. They called him Razor Louie, because his trademark was he always killed his targets with an old-fashioned straight razor. Then he'd carve his initials in the mark's forehead. That way everyone knew who did it, and the mark had to have a closed-casket funeral."
"Really? He must've made a lot of enemies working like that."
"Yeah, and he still managed to live long enough to retire. The old guy's still dangerous too. A couple years ago some dumbasses tried to mug him and turned up dead with 'RL' carved into their foreheads."
"With a rep like that, I bet people leave nice tips here," Elena jokes, drawing a laugh from Reno. The two then munch on breadsticks and sip wine in companionable silence while waiting for their meals. The waiter arrives a few minutes later with a fresh basket of breadsticks. Roughly twenty minutes later their meals arrive. "Smells great," she says as the waiter places their meals before them. Neither wastes any time before digging in.
"How's your fungus?"
"Mmmm," Elena mumbles around a mouthful. "Best lasagna I've ever had," she answers after swallowing. "Mind if I try a piece of the stuff you got?"
"Sure. I'll trade you for a bite of your's," Reno offers. He then spears one of the small stuffed pasta on his fork and holds it out to Elena. She leans forward and bites it off his fork, then chews it with a small smile.
"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said how good this place was," she says while cutting a small piece from her lasagna. She then offers it to Reno in the same manner he'd used.
"Yeah, and most people in town don't even know this place exists," he says after swallowing the lasagna he'd eaten from Elena's fork. The two quietly enjoy the rest of their entrees, neither feeling the need to fill the comfortable silence. No words are needed as both can see how the other feels by gazing into their eyes.
"Either of you want dessert?" the waiter asks when he's seen that they've finished.
"Yeah," Reno answers. "Bring us a big slice of tiramisu and two forks."
"Tira-what?" Elena asks as the waiter walks off.
"Tiramisu. It means 'pick me up' in Costan. It's this cake thingy with expresso, cheese, brandy, and stuff in it. It's tastier than it sounds. Funny story, supposedly the madam of some Costan brothel invented it. Story goes, her girls would eat a slice between clients and they'd get all energized and shit and be ready for the next client. They called it their pick me up and the name stuck."
"That true?"
Reno shrugs. "Dunno. It's just a funny old story on where the name came from. Could be true, stuff's got a shitload of sugar and caffeine in it. Wherever the name came from, it's seriously the best damned dessert I've ever had." The waiter returns and pushes the candelabra back, placing a large dessert plate in the center. He then hands each Turk a fork and places the bill on the table near Reno before retreating. Both take a forkful from their side of the slice.
"Holy shit, that's good," Elena breathes after swallowing her first bite.
"Told ya," he says with a crooked grin. The pair slowly work their way to the center of the dessert, relishing each bite. Finished, Reno grabs the bill, leaves a fair tip on the table, and then the two Turks walk over to the cash register where Louie's waiting. Reno pays cash, then heads towards the door.
"You two kids come back soon, if the world doesn't explode," Louie calls after them.
"Hey, long as you keep that chef, I'll keep coming back," Reno jokes while walking out the door.
"Now what?" Elena asks while once again taking Reno's hand.
"I've got an idea, but it's a surprise," he answers with a wink as the two walk back towards his car.
"This doesn't involve water balloons, does it?" she asks, remembering what had happened roughly a week ago after he said about the same thing.
"Heh, no, no water balloons. I'm not planning any pranks today. Maybe tomorrow," he answers while driving towards Junon's docks. The sun is just beginning to touch the horizon as he parks his car on the end of a long pier. The wavetips glimmer from being backlit while the light cloud cover above begins to redden as the pair of Turks exit the car.
"Nice surprise," Elena comments as the two walk towards the end of the pier. "You're not gonna try to claim it's just a distraction, are you?"
"Heh, guess I can't fool you anymore," he answers while sitting on the edge of the pier, allowing his legs to dangle over the edge. She seats herself next to him and leans her head against his shoulder as he wraps an arm around her. The pair is still and silent as they observe the sea and sky colored by streaks of crimson, yellow, and vivid purple.
"Beautiful," she murmurs after darkness fully falls. She then turns her head towards Reno and reaches up with one hand, caressing his cheek. "Who'd've thought Shin-Ra's most notorious womanizer'd have a romantic side?"
"Don't tell anyone, you'll ruin my reputation," he whispers as he leans in closer.
"Who'd believe me?" she asks in a whisper before closing the miniscule gap remaining between their lips.
Author's Note: Once again, thanks go to Noroi for betaing for me. Thanks for the kind reviews Cathy7, secretselphie-tilmitt, Bruna Aquino, The Tiramisu Of Impending Doom, icewolf9, TheDonutMistress, and Yumesuta.
Bruna, in this fic Reno's 27. I'm writing him a month or two short of 28 so I'll have the option of working a birthday into the sequel. In the game Reno and Rude always seemed to me to be veterans who'd been Turks for a long time, so I'm taking that idea and running with it.
The 'lick each other's wounds' bit was inspired by a scene from Xenogears. Also, unless I heard wrong, Tiramisu really does mean 'pick me up' in Italian. And if you've never had any, it really is the best damned dessert I've ever had, so go eat some. I'm not sure if the brothel story's true or not, it's just the explanation I've always heard for how it got it's name.
Sorry this chapter took so long. Part of the reason for that could be that these events didn't even exist in my original story outline, so I've just been improvising here. The original plan was for just a little romantic tension between Reno and Elena that turns into more in the sequel. Obviously, I scrapped that idea several chapters back. Hopefully the next chapter'll go smoother.
Edited again because some site update deleted all the '--' lines I used to use to denote scene changes. So time to slap horizontal rulers into all my fics.