Reno had found his way back to his favorite haunt, strolling in as if he owned the establishment. He noticed that Tifa was up to her usual business of wiping down the counter and tending to those with a head start on a drunken evening. She had looked up for a moment, smiling briefly to greet him before turning to make a certain drink. Upon his arrival at the counter, his usual drink was set in front of him.

"Impressive." He grinned at Tifa, "But I wanted something different tonight." He just wanted to see her reaction.

"Oh! You just have to be difficult, don't you?" She threw her hands down at her sides as if she had lost some sort of competition.

"What other purpose would I have?" He swept the drink from the counter and drained a decent portion of the concoction. She huffed, realizing he had no intention of ordering anything else.

"How was your day?" She inquired.

"Boring, boring, boring." He nearly mentioned something that began with 'ever since Shin-Ra' but decided to skip that sensitive issue.

"Mine sure wasn't. I've already had one big fight, aside from a small scuffle at the door. I wish these boys would act like men once in a while." She giggled.

"You serve them alcohol, what can I say?" He simply took another drink and set the glass back to its ring of moisture. "Where's Spike?" That nickname, however much it suited, usually annoyed her.

"He's here. I think he's finished worrying about that woman from yesterday. Ever since Kadaj came around, it seems like he gets curious and worried about every new face that pops in the bar." She threw the old towel into the sink and leaned against the bar, watching Reno play with the precipitation dripping down the side of his glass.

"She works with us. Nothing to worry about." He watched her casual expression change to curiosity.

"She works with you?"

"Yep. She's some computer geek and I guess she's going to be doing architectural shit with Reeve." He probably shouldn't have cursed, Tifa usually pinched him for it, but this time she missed the opportunity.

"Wow. That's interesting. I bet Elena will be happy about that."

"Of course she is. Someone to sympathize over mood swings and men." He was surely going to earn himself a pinch for that one.

"Reno!" He predicted her perfectly; she pinched his arm in that sensitive spot that always made him squirm. They were interrupted by the beckoning of a beer bellied patron, and Tifa left to see what he needed.

Reno decided to pay much needed attention to his liquor, polishing off three-quarters of the glass. He had just about finished the glass when he heard the jingle at the door, and curiosity usually got the better of him. He set the drink down and guided his view toward the entrance, where he was rather unhappy to see his female counterpart. 'Just my luck.' It wasn't exactly that he disliked her; he was just feeling fairly certain that she would tease him a little more about finally being on time and how professional he appeared.He turned from the door, hoping Elena wouldn't recognize him.

'Right… it's fairly difficult to miss the hair.'

He was less than amused when Elena decided to prop herself up on the open stool to his right, his gaze lingering from his glass and all the way to her face.

"Hey, Reno." She greeted him with a smirk.

"Elena." He gave her a grin that dripped of sarcasm.

"What's going on with you?" She questioned.

"You're here to give me shit, right?" He watched Elena fidget in her chair for a moment.

"Wha--?" She stuttered but was cut off.

"Come on! You know that's why you're hangin' around here."

"Reno… I have n--" He cut her off a second time.

"Elena, you know you did." Elena's frustration grew with his accusation.

"Well, you were really—"

"Uh-huh, say no more." Reno waved a hand dismissively toward Elena. She looked as if she were about to explode due to frustration. Being cut off wasn't her idea of a good conversation. Just as Elena was about to pour out what Reno assumed would be a lengthy speech about professionalism, Tifa came to his rescue. She stepped up to the bar in front of Elena, drumming her fingernails lightly atop the surface of the counter.

"Elena, what can I get you?" Tifa asked politely.

"Oh, uh…" She started

"She'll have what I've got." Reno lifted his glass in Tifa's direction, and Tifa took the glass to refill it.

"Why do you always have to interrupt me?" Elena was making obvious attempts to stay calm.

"Because it's just too much fun to watch you boil over nothing." He winked toward her, but again Tifa saved him. She set the glasses down in front of their respective destinations, watching as the two exchanged glares.

"Aww, you two are bickering like Marlene and Denzel!" Tifa exclaimed.

Elena felt the unwelcome warmth of a severe blush flood her cheeks upon Tifa's comparison. The glass belonging to Elena was promptly lifted from the counter, the cold rim pressed firmly against a pouting duo. She sent a good half of the drink down her burning throat, waiting for the cringe that had overtaken her to settle. Reno sat wide eyed beside her.

"Elena! That's the best I've ever seen you drink." He chuckled as she gave him a look that could very well kill. "Come on, lighten up. You're so serious all the time."

"Perhaps because you assume that due to the fact that you're too casual. Besides, I'm quite… impetuous." She held her chin higher.

"Impetuous. Nice…"

"Yeah, you know, passionate?"

"But it also means impulsive, you always have to analyze what I do."

"Someone has to." She silenced him, draining a bit more of her drink as he began to do with his own glass. "Anyway, I wasn't here to see you. In fact, I didn't even know you were here." She stated, in a matter of fact manner.

"Oh? What are you doing here, then?" He was a little curious. She wasn't quite the drinker that he was, nor could she rival the other Turks, for that matter.

"I invited Ava out for a drink. She should be here—" As if on cue, Elena noticed the door as it swung open. Ava slipped past the doors, her work attire still fit and crisp. "any second." Elena finished the last couple words.

"Yay! Two overly serious women to share the bar with." Reno cracked himself up. He turned his attention to Tifa when she returned to the bar, not quite bothering to acknowledge his new coworker once she sat herself next to Elena.

He had managed to enjoy a bit of conversation with Tifa before another drunkard called her over. He found himself with one option, so he turned sideways to look over Elena. He barely got out a syllable before her phone rang out loudly, distracting him and leaving his jaw hung awkwardly. She apologized and slipped toward a quiet corner to take the call. That left him staring at Ava, who had damage to her own drink by this time.

"So I bet Rufus showed you a file about me. I put two and two together since you knew my name yesterday." He wanted to be sure that his assumption was correct.

"That he did. He wanted me to be acquainted with those whom I'd be working in close contact." Her professional tone set him back a sentence or two, helping to further his opinion that she just might be a workaholic.

"You know, you left the office about… oh—" He glanced down at his wrist watch for effect, "three hours ago. You can relax."

"I am perfectly relaxed, thank you." She took a sip of her drink, ignoring the 'yeah right' look he had plastered about pale features.

"That's why you were working in here yesterday. In a bar, of all places."

"How do you know I was working?" One trim brow raised in curiosity.

"What else would you be doing?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"I was watching a porno." The statement left her lips with the same serious tone and not so much as a smirk graced her features. Reno had to do a double take, not sure if he believed her. Then it dawned on him.

"You were typing."

"Was I? Well, you caught me; I was working in a bar. Next time, I'll try to be less productive, just for you." She patted her hand against the top of his own in a sarcastic manner, slipping off the stool and making her way over to Elena. Reno sat a moment, a singular word running rampant within his mind, Rude. No, not his partner Rude, but the word. Tifa had wandered back beside him, and brought him from his thoughts.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's like a female version of you." Tifa giggled.

"Me? Yeah, I'm such a workaholic." He shook his head.

"Not that. The attitude and sarcasm. Now you know how we all feel after a conversation with you!" She giggled a bit harder at the teasing sentiment she had let him onto.

"Gee thanks, Tif." Turquoise rolled in protest, the second version of his drink finished promptly.

"Anytime, Reno." Tifa grinned. "I'd love to sit around and chat, but Friday night isn't the best time for that." He agreed and she left to tend to other customers. His gaze drifted from the counter over to the corner where Ava and Elena had taken refuge. He attempted to listen in on the conversation they seemed to be so engaged in, but failed with the noise from the bar. He guessed Elena would mention how casual he was about work. Despite everyone's opinions, he really did have a fair amount of pride in his work. There wasn't any way to deny that he was damn good at his job, no matter how casual his attitude.

He noticed Elena whisper something and watched as the two giggled like school girls, a glare replacing his curious look. Ava caught sight of his leering eyes and ceased her laughter immediately. 'That's it. Elena doesn't get to be Miss Shit-talker.' Perhaps he was assuming too much, or maybe overreaction was a better word. Whatever the case he was off the stool in seconds, swaying lightly when his feet hit the ground, 'Man, Tif… sneaky alcohol.' He sauntered over to the women and looped a quick hand around the crook of Ava's elbow, yanking her off balance and pulling her away from Elena. Elena gasped, but stood her ground.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ava questioned, pulling her arm out of his grasp and straightening her clothing.

"Do yourself a favor, don't go taking up Elena's side and hounding me mercilessly about professionalism." He looked her dead in the eye.

Slender fingers tucked brown strands behind her ear, "You are really convinced that all conversations taking place between Elena and I revolve around you, aren't you?"

"Call me paranoid, but Elena likes to tease and she especially likes to gossip."

"She wasn't doing either, in this case." Cobalt rolled in annoyance.

"Why do you have a stick up your ass anyway? I mean… do you have a 'troubled' past or maybe guy troubles?" He was absolutely serious, she could see that much.

"You're serious. My past is just that, past. As for men, well I don't have anything to complain about." Dainty shoulders shrugged, emphasis added to the statement. "Are you done now?"

"Whatever." He shook his head and turned away, returning to the counter. Perhaps paranoid was an understatement. He surely felt like an ass at this point, not entirely sure what had caused him to become so annoyed with Elena this evening. They bickered, but there was still a sense of decency. Tonight he felt as though they were at each other's throats.

Before he could reach his stool, his pocket began to vibrate. Fingers pushed into the fabric, digging for the phone which was quickly grasped. Upon pulling it from his pocket, he flipped it open and answered with a simple 'hello.' Brows furrowed quickly and a snappy 'what?' came about. Elena and Ava looked on with curiosity, wondering what could be the problem.

"Right. I'll handle it." He hung up the phone and shoved it back into his pocket. He faced the allied women, "Rude's been shot." The worry in his features let them on to the fact that he wasn't messing around.

"Oh my god. Did they say what happened?" Elena's voice was dripping with worry.

"Someone's causing trouble. Tseng happened to be there, luckily." He mentioned, and with Tseng's name thrown out, Elena became even more concerned. Her feelings for him had never quite faded away. "We should go see Rude. Rufus will be there too." He turned upon his heels, heading for the door with Elena and Ava in tow.


Cliffhanger! I will probably get the next chapter out soon, though. Thanks for reading! Also, thank you to those who reviewed. I really appreciate the encouragement and suggestions. Stay tuned!