'Oh shit, ohshitohshit.'
For a moment, he nearly succumb to the urge. He wanted to laugh his ass off when he swung the corner and saw a blushing secretary flat on her own ass, with Reeve and Rufus making attempts to help her from the floor. Apparently the cursing had been due to the two of them accidentally knocking her over with the door when they swung it open from the meeting. He heard Ava breathe a sigh of relief, realizing they had both brought on adrenaline when they heard the suspicious noise. With all that was going on, one could never quite relax.
Rufus had finally pulled the woman up and Reeve returned her files that had dropped to the floor. She thanked them and apologized all at once, clearly intimidated by them as she quickly fled the scene shaking her head and muttering inaudible rants. Reno allowed a grin to appear as he half snickered, "Oh shit, that was cute. Very suave."
"Thanks, Reno. Entirely necessary comments, as usual." Rufus glared over at him, but Reno was used to this sort of look. Reeve noticed the tension and decided to wander into the lounge, the group in the hall following him shortly after.
He glanced up when they all gathered within the room, "Now that we've completed this schedule, we can get started on getting to the next location. We're going to head away since tomorrow is our free day, that way we don't have to hurry through travel." He explained.
"Reno, I trust you can remain sober enough to pilot the company helicopter?" Rufus averted his eyes to the redhead.
"Of course, boss." He added his display of a grin and a shrug.
"We'll just head up to the roof then, I had it brought over in advance, along with having our things transferred to the helicopter." Rufus motioned for them to follow. As he began to leave the room, his phone began to sound. The item was quickly answered with a short greeting.
"Tseng." He spoke, lowering his eyes to the tiled floor. Reno became curious, hovering over Rufus in attempt to hear the conversation. He received a swat, knocking him away while Rufus glared at him for invading his personal space. Rufus never did like to be touched or have anyone in close proximity. "What did you find?" He was looking at Reno, but speaking to Tseng. He moved away from the red head and listened intently. "So apparently this was a professional…" He paused. "Perhaps. See what else you can gather and update me soon." He ended the conversation.
Reno was impatiently tapping his foot on the tile, "What did he say, yo?"
"It appears the way things went down spells professional. This was no amateur, and that means we have a new enemy, perhaps a resurfaced enemy. This could be an organization. Now that we understand the degree of the attack, Tseng and Elena will be looking into the matter to find any evidence to lead us to the offenders. In the mean time, we'll have to be careful. Whoever this is, they're not fooling around." Rufus finished, watching the serious air fall over the room. This was definitely not good news. However, they had to maintain a certain amount of confidence. If they retreated into obscurity and discontinued their business, they would be giving this enemy exactly what was desired. "Let's just try and get on with business." He returned to his path, leaving the room with the others following.
In a matter of minutes, they were up to the roof and on the helipad. Rufus was making arrangements for a vehicle in their next destination. He and Reeve had decided to schedule the areas further away prior to attending the meetings in the near by region, hoping to dissuade any violence by avoiding the area of the attack. They were the first to enter the newer, larger helicopter. They were seated comfortably in the back seats, as Reno and Ava climbed into the front. Reno flipped on the headset and urged Ava to do the same, while he switched on this and that, the hum beginning along with the occasional beep of recognition. She was to be his co-pilot of sorts today. In minutes the motor was warmed and the rotors began to wind, sending the blades atop the roof and in the small circle on the tail spinning slowly for a few moments. Faster and faster they spun with urgency until they began to lift the chopper from the concrete, Reno carefully piloting the craft to take off. Ava silently thanked Holy that Reno's hangover had subsided enough for him to safely guide the helicopter to their destination, which come to think of it, was still a mystery.
She turned, her back bending so she could face the blonde haired man, "Sir, what is our next destination?" She asked.
"Rufus, please." He corrected. "We'll be going to our furthest destination first. Wutai is actually our destination." He answered simply.
"What interest does Wutai have with architecture and organizations it does not support?" She quirked a brow in wonder.
"It actually is not that. An executive we need to meet with happens to live there and has requested our presence. We won't be there long, just enough time to meet with him tomorrow. We've smoothed things over enough to make this somewhat peaceful." Strange explanation, but he didn't bat an eye.
"He expressed urgency so we figured that it would be best to care for this matter first." Reeve stated while folding his hands neatly in his lap as the helicopter began the path Reno had in mind to come upon their destination.
The flight was marked by silence unusual for Reno. Ava studied him for a moment, he was relaxed in the seat, his fingers clinging listlessly over a gear as the other hand piloted with little effort. He was obviously very adept in flight. He yawned lazily, and she contemplated the idea that perhaps piloting was something that was like a drug to him. Just as she enjoyed driving, which relaxed her and put her at ease, perhaps this was his escape. Suddenly, his eyes were upon her and she averted her gaze to the endless sky. She heard a chuckle from the pilot, which brought her to glare at him, proving the sky useless to distract her.
"I caught that, yo." His tone was maddeningly accusatory, and that lopsided grin made her stomach cartwheel.
"What are you referring to?" She kept her eyes on him.
"You were checkin' me out." Pearly whites displayed in a sickening smile.
"Reno!" Rufus scolded from the back seat, "Would you please concentrate on flying this helicopter rather than harassing your comrades." He was reminded of when Reno harassed Elena in the same manner when she was new to the organization.
"I still caught her." He was being so much like himself; Rufus nearly took comfort in the fact that he seemed relatively unshaken by the new enemies and Rude's situation.
Reno winked at Ava, who was left wordless by the entire situation, a little infuriated. She wasn't eyeing him the way he thought she was, she was observing. However, she knew that any type of denial would only further his cocky ideas and lead to endless bickering which would surely annoy the two in the back seat. She decided she would repay him later. For now, she would scheme on just the perfect plan to one up him.
"Hey, did you guys know that Ava here is engaged?" Reno blurted.
"Really?" Reeve asked, "Congratulations Ava."
Rufus wasn't sure why Reno had shared this information. Such was a part of her file, and the issue would be dealt with accordingly. She knew she was held to confidentiality of things such as whereabouts and plans. Vital information was not to be shared with lovers, family or friends. The rules were quite simply laid out.
"Thank you, Reeve." She smiled back at the dark haired man.
"Who's the lucky guy?" Reeve inquired.
"Tch, lucky?" Reno just had to add his two cents. This earned him a harsh smack on the shoulder from Ava's petite hand, to which he winced and whimpered.
"Reno, must you always torture everyone?" Reeve returned his gaze to Ava, who was currently rubbing her palm, easing the sting that remained after coming in contact with Reno's bony shoulder. She hadn't guessed it to be quite that bony.
"His name is Slater Cross, you may be familiar with the name." She answered politely.
"Ah, yes. Quite the political family." Reeve knew of the elder Cross, however he failed to mention the discrepancy that immediately flashed through his mind. The family had once been in a full fledged war with President Shinra. A conflict of interest, perhaps? Or with Shin-Ra reformed, had the family left such grudges behind. Not that it mattered, Ava was not of the Cross family, merely engaged to a younger generation. Surprisingly, Rufus seemed unaware.
"In another world, yes." She answered, she knew of the thoughts Reeve would likely entertain. Times had changed, and the Cross family had long given up since Shin-Ra had fallen into ruin. Since being rebuilt, the tactics of old had not yet begun, leaving the world with only suspicion rather than any firm evidence.
Ava turned back to face the sky, noticing that the time must have been getting on to later hours. They would have an entire day tomorrow, and she wondered exactly what the 'day off' would entail. She had heard that the Turks were fond of the bar in Wutai, but with all but two still in the city, she really didn't think that the reason for an early arrival. Perhaps Rufus had business to tend to that he hadn't shared with her.
Reno continued in his piloting, watching the sky with little interest. The remainder of the flight went without further bickering, to Rufus and Reeve's pleasure. Finally, their destination came into view and Reno skillfully brought the helicopter down in a safe landing. Once the blades died down and came nearly to a stop, all four disembarked with their possessions. The sun was beginning to hang low in the distance, and they would likely face little resistance coming in to the small town.
Once beyond the gates, Rufus informed them of the plan. "We'll be getting a large room at the inn. You'll both be free to spend your evening and day tomorrow however you like. Should Reeve and I need to go anywhere, we'll have you both accompany us." He mentioned, as they traveled to the inn, which had been recently remodeled to accommodate larger crowds. Wutai was forever trying to become a haven for tourists.
Rufus took care of the room, and gave a key to Reeve and the two Turks. With a small amount of luggage in tow, they headed up to the new floor where they found a suite awaiting. The suite was broken down into rooms. The front landing was a living room of sorts, which spilled into a dining room and kitchen. Beyond that, there were two bedrooms on either side that each held their own bathroom. At the very back was a bathroom obviously for those not in use of the bedrooms. The luggage was distributed and Rufus noticed the strange expression on Ava's face. She hadn't had the please of traveling with them yet.
"Reeve and I will be using the bedrooms, and the two of you will have the front room. Both couches pull out, I believe. That way you can be sure to guard the suite efficiently." Rufus explained.
Reno was used to this. It was not uncommon for the Turks to share a small room while Rufus had his privacy. Besides, they were there to protect and that meant being at the point of entry. "Right, boss." He simply trailed off into the living room where he sunk into one of the couches and brought his arms up, lacing his fingers behind his head as if he were lounging.
Rufus went into the privacy of his room, as did Reeve. Both of them were likely to have business to tend to while the Turks did what they were assigned to do. Although, Rufus never did give them orders to argue.
"Hey Ava." Reno said, bringing his feet up on the coffee table. "Cook me some chow, yo." He didn't even ask nicely, he just demanded. He was treating her like a housewife, which went completely unappreciated.
Her hands were on her hips, an incredulous look plastered over her face. "Don't you think you could muster just a little decency? Perhaps ask, rather than command. Maybe even go as far as to say please?" She chided.
"Hey, I'm your superior. I don't have to say please." He gave her that infuriating grin.
"Well, I'd be disinclined to prepare any sort of dinner for you, then. That's not part of my orders." She scoffed.
"Well," his feet came off the coffee table and with swiftness, he rose to his feet. He approached her slowly with a predatory look. For a moment, she was downright afraid of whatever it was he had in mind. He came within inches of her, "Would it be any trouble for you to prepare a small meal for a comrade? I'd greatly appreciate that, if you would, please?" His speech was eloquent all of a sudden. She was quite shocked, not expecting he could form such sentences. He might have been polite, but she knew he was only doing it to frustrate her. Another battle she probably couldn't win.
"Well, now that you've asked nicely." Her voice cracked. He'd made her nervous. This came as no surprise to him; it was the way that he was trained. With his appearance and suave attitude, he was usually able to play even the most intelligent women. This was the trait that had earned him the reputation of a womanizer.
"Splendid." Another word that was foreign in his vocabulary, and dripping with sarcasm. He slunk back to his spot on the couch as she went to the small refrigerator to see just what came stocked in these suites. To her amazement, there was alcohol and a pitcher of water along with various prepared native dishes. She was off the hook. She grabbed a large platter of a vegetable stir fry mixture, noticing she could simply throw it in a pan and sizzle it a few short moments.
The aroma that hung over the suite as the dish began to cook in the pan brought Reeve and Rufus out from hiding. Reeve was first to emerge and he came into the kitchen watching the brunette tend to the food with her white sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Blue eyes wandered from the steaming pan to Reeve, who smiled.
"Something smells good." Reeve said.
"Thanks, but it was already conveniently put together." She laughed.
Just then Rufus was beside her, with a hand on the small of her back. Reno eyed the interaction curiously, almost suspiciously.
"I appreciate you taking the time to cook. Usually we have to fend for ourselves or order in." Rufus chuckled, which also struck Reno as odd. Since when was he so overly friendly?
"It really isn't a big deal. Thank Reno, it was his idea." She grabbed a utensil from a drawer and began to play with the food.
By this time, Rufus was seating himself at the table across from Reeve. The papers he had in one hand rested on the mahogany wood and he began to read. He always had that habit of mouthing the words he was reading, and it drove Reno crazy. He diverted his eyes, relaxing while the time was available.
After the dinner was ready, Ava dished it onto four plates and served like a waitress. Reno teased her that perhaps she was in the wrong profession, but she merely shrugged it off.
As dinner began to wind down, Rufus phone rang again and alerted Reno's curiosity. He watched the blonde pick up the phone and answer.
"What did you find?" Rufus questioned. Reno assumed it was Tseng. Reno listened in anticipation, "They must have gone through a lot of trouble to clean the site." He paused. "GSR? Can you tell anything from that?" Another pause. Reno was really getting to the point of wanting to take the phone from Rufus. 'Of course you can tell things from GSR. Gee, maybe the type of gun and how close the shooter was to Rude. Dipshit' Reno kept his thoughts to himself. "Good, that means they have money. We're not looking at a common group of hell raisers. Professionals with a bankroll, which certainly minimizes the possibilities." Rufus simply nodded and hung up.
"Well?" Reno was eyeing Rufus.
"They went through a lot of trouble to clean up after the attack. They only left a small amount of evidence in the form of gunshot residue. Tseng analyzed the evidence found at the scene and concluded the type of gun. This gun is apparently expensive and difficult to get a hold of so that means we're dealing with a wealthy enemy. He's working on finding a compilation of information that could get us a registration of those who own this type of gun." Rufus said, finishing his dinner. "I'll be retiring, now." With that, he disappeared into his room.
"I think I'll do the same." Reeve concluded, heading for his room and leaving Reno and Ava at the table.
"I guess the ill news scared them off." Ava shook her head and began collecting the dishes and setting them in the sink.
"It's never good news when someone with money is after us. Shit, I hope Tseng can figure this out soon. We can just eliminate them and be done with all this." Reno returned to the couch in the living room, and Ava grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge. With the caps removed, she followed his path, handing him an open bottle and finding a seat across from him.
"Thanks." He said, before taking a healthy drink from the bottle. "So tell me, is it just Ava?"
Ava was mid sip, and she swallowed, lowering the bottle. "Actually, no."
"What's your name, then?" He tapped his fingers on the glass bottle.
"Avery." She almost looked embarrassed. She never really appreciated the name, hence taking up the nickname Ava.
He eyed her skeptically, "Last name?"
"McCall. Avery Anne McCall… if you must know." She filled in her middle name before he could ask. He pondered over her name for a minute. It was plain, very plain. Though, it had a nice flow and it sounded somewhat pretty. "Does the infamous Reno have a full name?" She questioned.
"Nah. Just Reno, Miss McCall." He grinned. She really wasn't interested, taking another drink from the bottle. "So you'll be Ava Anne Cross, soon…" It really wasn't a question, he was just playing with names.
"Perhaps." She said plainly, finishing her beer. "I think I'll take a quick shower, now." She thought aloud, rising to her feet and tossing the bottle in the trash while heading toward the bathroom just at the end of the suite.
Reno took on a devious expression, calling after her, "Mind if I join you?" Cue the signature smirk.
Ava spun upon her heels, facing the guilty Turk and regretting tossing her bottle into the trash. Fingers went for the nearest object, finding a silver fork which immediately took to the air with aim. The fork narrowly missed him as he ducked out of the way, and she huffed. Now this was much better. He was getting a rise out of her now, and he was thoroughly enjoying it.
"So is that a no?" Insatiable, absolutely insatiable. His smirk grew as she put on a fake smile.
"Oh, not at all. By all means, please do join me. I think you'll find my talents rather…" She paused, purposely while she licked her lips and put on her best voice, imitating those cheesy call girls she'd once heard on a television ad. "Delectable." She finished.
Reno sat feeling a little bothered by the way her words rolled off her tongue. He was off his seat in seconds; obviously he was taking her seriously. Within inches of her once again, he ended his steps. Her fingers grabbed the collar of his jacket, and with strength she turned him around and shoved him toward the bathroom. He was under the spell of her eyes as they danced beneath the dim light, her lips within centimeters of his own. She briefly recalled what Elena had said about his idea of a debriefing. He thought fraternizing with colleagues eased the stress of the mission. She was going to show him just how to reduce a little stress.
Ava was rough in her actions, pushing him through the door and he smirked when the idea of her being rather kinky flooded his mind. With all her acquired skills as a thespian, she gave him that voice again.
"You know, sometimes you just have to blow off some steam after a long day of work." With that, she brought her lips to his ear, "I could blow you away." And she did. She shoved him, hard. His calves hit the tub and he tumbled over backward. She was quick. She turned the knob on the shower before he could react, sending cold water cascading down on him until he was soaked to the bone. Red strands sleeked down, clinging to his cheek bones as he glared up at the laughing woman. He couldn't get angry, though. She wanted that. He was beginning to get a rise out of her and she just had to fuck with him. He wouldn't let her win.
"Thanks, babe. I needed a cold shower." He smiled, and maneuvered himself around until he was able to shut the water off and get to his feet. His neck throbbed from the way his head landed against the tile. She could have injured him with that stunt she just pulled.
After all the commotion, Reeve and Rufus were both peeking out of their doors when Reno stumbled into the kitchen in a dripping mess. Ava followed him with her hands over her mouth, attempting to hold back the last of her giggling. Rufus brow arched as he looked over the two.
"What the hell is going on?" He barked. They were both in for it now. Reeve disappeared into his room, not wanting to catch any of the wrath.
"Ask her." Reno grumbled, grabbing a dish towel from the counter and beginning to dry his hair.
"Ava…" Rufus' angry tone echoed into her mind and she immediately felt like a child. She turned to Rufus.
"Sir… I'm so sorry. I got a little carried away." She explained.
"I can see that. Let me guess, Reno was harassing you and you thought it'd be fun to pay him back?" Rufus cast a glare.
"I suppose that sums it up." She fidgeted.
"Am I going to have to hire a babysitter? Or assign you corners for the night?" His tone was calming a little, but nevertheless, she felt like shit.
"No, sir. I won't let it happen again." She lowered her head.
"Reno?" Rufus called.
"Yeah?" He was blotting his face with the towel.
"Grow up." He turned and retreated into his room with the slam of the door. Reno threw the towel into the sink and turned toward Ava.
"Smooth, McCall, real smooth." He growled.
"As though you're innocent?" She flared.
"Hey, that was an honest question I asked back there. You're too easy." He snorted, shrugging his shoulders.
"To an engaged wom—" Ava never finished her sentence, though Reno could guess where it was heading. She was interrupted by a loud ring, and she answered her phone. "Hi." She nearly scowled.
Reno went into the bathroom with a bundle of fabric he'd retrieved from his suitcase. The door clicked shut and he began to remove the soaked suit from his body. He hung the suit over the shower rod in effort to allow the articles of clothing to dry, before drying himself with a white towel. He dressed, sliding on a new pair of boxers followed by a pair of black pajama pants. He skipped his shirt for now, attempting to fix his hair back to its usual state of disarray.
When he returned to the living room, he found Ava on the couch with a sour look upon her face. She was still on the phone, rolling her eyes every now and then. When Reno found the couch across from her, he gave her a short glance and she brought her hand up, flapping slender fingers in a gesture that usually meant that the person on the other end of the line was babbling. He almost laughed, but simply cracked open the bottle of beer he'd picked up on his way through the kitchen and took a serious swig.
"No, Slate. I hadn't thought of that. Why the hell are you being such an ass?" She grumbled, picking some lint off her skirt. "You knew the prerequisites, and you said you could deal with it. Get over it." Cobalt eyes rolled another time. "Fine." She said, closing the phone to hang up.
"That didn't sound good…" Reno mentioned, passively. She looked over toward him for a moment, noticing his lack of a shirt. His chest was not as she expected. She was picturing something resembling ribs and bones with no definition, but was proven wrong. His abs were chiseled out, not overly muscular, but well enough. Overall, his midsection was rather appealing. Then she remembered just who she was checking out.
"I think I need a drink." Ava chirped, sending herself to her suitcase. If he was going to lounge around in pajamas, she was going to as well. She pulled black and white fabric from the suitcase and slipped off to the bathroom.
When she emerged, she was comfortable in the black bottoms and a white tank top. Nothing too revealing, but he was rather pleased by the small amount of midriff she revealed. She reached the stocked fridge and found a glass bottle which she immediately discerned to be hard liquor. Pouring a small amount into a shallow cup she found in the cabinet, she quickly found the alcohol to be satisfying. She poured herself a second glass and brought the cup with her to the couch.
"Do you… love that guy?" Reno asked, though it took courage to say.
"Why do you ask?" She said, sipping from her cup.
"You weren't all sweet on the phone. Almost like talking to him was a chore, or something." He took a drink.
'Reno, observant? How very strange.' "It's complicated." She waved a hand and downed a shot's worth from the glass.
"Careful there, you look like a lightweight." He eyed her. "What's so complicated about it?"
"Must we talk about this? What about you, Reno? Why are you so afraid of commitment and pretty much anything more than a one night stand?" She quickly turned the subject onto him.
He squirmed inwardly, "Because."
"Because is not an answer." She sounded like a teacher.
"Damn… I'll tell you later?" He stretched his free arm, yawning as if he were too tired.
"Unacceptable. I answered your twenty questions, your turn to answer mine." She finished the cup of clear liquid.
"Fuck. I swear to god, if you mention any of this, ever… I will kill you." He glared.
"Death threats already?" She smirked at him, "I won't mention it."
"Not even Elena. Especially not Elena." He furthered.
"Not even Elena." She repeated.
"Some girl spun me like a fuckin' Ferris wheel and then cheated on me like a bitch." He confessed, which required him to finish the remaining amber liquid in the bottle.
"So you've sworn off women because one woman did you wrong?" She was quite intrigued. She never would have guessed that to be the reason he was the way he was. She just figured him for a player.
"All women are alike. After money and power, even a good fuck now and then." He grumbled.
"We're not all bad, you know…" She set the empty glass on the side table.
"And I suppose you're the exception..?" He grinned.
"Not even close. I don't use men, and I could care less about money since my family's into plenty of it. But I'm no walk in the park, either." She divulged.
"No kidding, yo. I think I figured that one out." He chuckled, and set his bottle down. He shifted to bring his legs onto the couch and propped his head on the pillow that lay against the arm rest. He rubbed his neck as he readjusted to find a comfortable position. "My neck hurts, you know." He turned to look at her.
"You know…" She rose from the couch and brought herself to sit on the coffee table just beside him, "I'm really sorry about that, Reno. I shouldn't have acted like that. I apologize."
"Yeah, you were a real bitch, yo." He cradled his neck and pouted.
"I deserved that. Truce?" She held her hand out and smiled. He eyed her but decided there would be no harm.
"You got it." He grabbed her hand with a light squeeze and ran his middle finger down her soft palm when he left the contact. She wanted to shiver with the feather light touch, a tingling wake left by his fleeting finger. He knew exactly what he did.
She retracted her hand and moved back toward the other couch; ignoring the way he stared at her while she slid off the table and backed away. With a heavy sigh, she relaxed into the couch and closed her eyes. The threshold of consciousness she had was very low after the long couple of days she had, not to mention the addition of hard liquor. She quickly fell asleep, leaving the red head to his silence.
"Women." He muttered, while stumbling off to turn out the lights in the kitchen. He quickly moved to the lamp beside Ava's couch and found the switch, but paused to look over the brunette. Her facial structure was delicate, and she was beautiful in a way he'd not yet seen. She was similar in appearance to the likes of the Ancient he'd once encountered. He shrugged off his reverie, turning out the light and heading to his couch to switch out the other.
Tomorrow, he would have all day to do as he pleased in a town he never minded being in. He was already scheming a plan, and he was quite excited to put it to action. Now he just needed time to cooperate with him. His plan would commence tomorrow.
Well, that's chapter four. I really am addicted to writing this. There is so much that I have planned for the plot! This new enemy will come in to play a lot more as well as some answers to the questions that might be sticking out. I do hope this was enjoyable. Thanks to all that have reviewed. I would love to hear more thoughts on the story and chapter, so review :)
