Ten chapters has to be some kind of record for how long I've managed to stick to a serious story. Bust out the confetti or something. Aaaaaand, the plot finally moves a little more. And as for why the story seems kind of… shifty in it's tone or what have you, I think I've just got to chalk it up to such long lapses I leave in between writing chapters. I'll stop writing then come back to it later, and by then, my mood on it has changed a little.
And thanks to all of you that have reviewed/commented. I mean to reply to them, but then I always seem to get sidetracked and forget about it. But I do pay attention to them.
Waking up was always the hardest part. Now that she'd managed to figure out a way around sleep, a cheater's way, waking up and realizing that it wasn't a dream, that her friends were still dead, and that horrible perpetuating dream about Vincent had actually happened, she was ready to immediately reach into the bedside drawer and scoop out a handful of blister packs, chase it all away yet again, and maybe, if she slept for long enough, it wouldn't bother her anymore.
Content now to live foggily, aware but not invested, injuries only flaring up every so often, just a reminder she should take some more to keep it in check. It was easier to think like that, not being preoccupied by what the others were trying to say to her, what Reeve had been planning to do. Able to plan her next move unimpeded.
She'd been playing up her injuries, somewhat, keeping to her bed, laying around, asking help for things she didn't actually need. Kept her legs wrapped when they had already healed up enough. Stayed in undergarments mostly, shorts and cutoff tops to accentuate the bandages. Could have easily been wandering up and down the halls, easing herself into short walks like Janice had told her she ought to have started doing. Did enough sneaking around once she'd memorized the shift schedules that she didn't really need to do that.
If she was fine enough to sneak down the halls unnoticed and slip into the nurse's station to scavenge what she needed, then she was fine to leave. The staff wouldn't mind, and she was honestly surprised she hadn't been run in for stealing pills and other supplies. Probably just cowed by Reeve, turned a blind eye since he'd be footing the entirety of the bill anyway.
Groaned and cracked her eyes open finally, left hand coming up to press gingerly at the bridge of her nose. Throbbed dully, pain receptors still as sluggish as she was. She'd deserved it, getting in the emperor's face like that. Almost had to laugh at the fact he thought she was Wutaian, though. Squinting at him, eyes slitted to try and keep everything in focus while she talked, foreign words slipping clumsily off her tongue because she was getting to that point, where the only thing left to do was go to sleep, so nobody would be too suspicious, seeing her staggering, somewhat incoherent and unaware, pills winning the battle to put her down.
Couldn't remember much after Godo had flip-thrown her into the wall and she'd landed on her left side. Pain had lanced through hard enough that she could feel it through the haze. But once it had dulled back down, she'd been content to just lay there, drifting dozily. Could vaguely remember being led somewhere, more speaking in Wutaian, and… Tseng? Had to have been him if she were speaking the language after Godo had left. Janice's voice bobbing dimly over the crest of her thoughts, something about everything having to stop. Had wanted to go back to sorting her bag, shoving everything she could bear to do without into Cloud's bag. Instead simply nodded along when the background chatter paused, knew it was over when the lights had cut out, leaving her to finally curl up and sleep it off.
Pushed herself up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, still favoring her left side, even though it wasn't bothering her too much anymore. Had to be careful for the next six to eight weeks, she'd been told, given the nearly fatal nature of her wounds. Hadn't been pleased to have been reminded about it. Ran her palm over her face, shoving her hair back, before pinching at the sodden pieces of gauze up her nose, pulling gently, lips pursed as she tried to work them free from where they'd dried against the skin. Mouth was dry as dust, and her stomach hurt in a way that wasn't related to her side or the pressure wrap being too tight. The morning after six morphine tablets on an empty stomach was a feeling she was becoming quickly accustomed to.
Moved to stand up, go find out what exactly was going on now, when a lukewarm bowl of something was nearly dumped over into her lap, some of it spilling over the lip and onto her thigh.
"What in-"
"Yummy yummy, nice and runny." Reno intoned flatly, stepping back, shoving his hands deep into his pockets, as if fearing she would try to hand it back to him. She looked down at it, lifting out a spoonful before turning it over, sending it piddling wetly back into the bowl. She cocked an eyebrow at him dubiously before turning her focus back to the food. Soupy, whitish liquid, beige lumps breaking the surface... her stomach rolled slightly as she tried to figure out just what it was.
"What are you doing in my room?" Not quite the 'what is it?' she had been aiming for.
"Giving you food." Tone matching hers almost exactly. Just as much as she wasn't happy to have him there, he wasn't happy to be there.
At least they were on the same page.
"Oh. Well, I don't want it, but thanks anyway."
"Whatever. I was ordered to give you something to eat, but I couldn't care either way."
"It looks disgusting." Understatement. Under. Statement. "And I can have solid food you know."
"Well, it's on good authority that you probably won't hurl this back up, painkiller Jane. Doesn't matter to-"
"I know it doesn't matter to you, Reno. You don't have to keep making a show of it." Hint of a grin at the corner of her mouth, first one she'd cracked an effort at in a long, long while. Let him slide on the pills comment. "I know you're only here because you have to be." Half-heartedly, almost like a peace offering, she scraped the bottom of the bowl for a mostly solid bite, and pointedly put the spoon in her mouth, testing the concoction. Runny, cold oatmeal and milk. Not quite the horror she had imagined.
"Pff. Don't even have to be." Didn't make his own excuses, and wouldn't hear of her making them for him. Tifa spooned in another bite and leveled her gaze on him again, chewing cud-like.
"Then why are you?"
"Weighing my options. I want to get out of here anyway."
"Yeah."
"I mean, it sucks here. Really, truly sucks."
"Yeah."
"Huh. I thought you and Barret were like this." Twined fingers held up to her face, but she just pushed his hand away, waving if off.
"He'll be fine as long as he's got Marlene." She shrugged dismissively. "I just can't stay here. I'll lose my mind." As if she weren't already. "I can't stay with them."
She forced another bite into her mouth, pointedly.
"But-"
"What happened after Yuffie was taken out?" She asked, mumbling around her food, dribble of milk wiped away hastily as it tried to escape down her chin.
"Reeve fessed up about his connection to you. Stepped down for the time being."
"He what?" Nearly choked, had to wipe at her mouth again hastily.
"He's still going to be keeping things running, but he's leaving Domino 'in charge' for now."
"Mayor Domino?" Dubious, flat. She couldn't believe it, either.
"'S a fuckin' joke, right? Still all over the television, if-"
"I'd really rather not."
"I liked you better when you used to let people finish what they were saying." Frustration peeling the edges of his words; caustic.
"Is Reeve back yet?" Twisting to look at the clock above the door, avoiding the barb. So hard to get a rise out of her. Four thirty four in the afternoon. Had she really slept that long?
"Nah, he was held up at the site, and it's been raining most of the afternoon. Should be back soon, weather's starting to let up. Wants to have a team meeting after that, see what we're going to do now. Why, got a fire under your ass or something?"
"Or something." she echoed forcing down a few more bites under his scrutiny. He seemed to realize she was forcing it down, and her stomach seemed apt to force it back up at any given moment. She set the bowl onto her bedside table, scooping her comb up, dragging it through her sleep-mussed hair. "You got a rubber band?" Grimaced at how filthy the strands felt. Spent most of her mornings huddled over the little sink in the attached bathroom, giving herself impromptu sponge baths, knew the others did the same. Couldn't really stick her head under the faucet to attempt at washing her hair.
Reno felt through his pockets quickly, finally producing one from the breast pocket of his blazer, a few strands of hair still snarled around the elastic. He tossed it down on the sheets next to her before retreating to the chair that had been pulled up close to the foot of her bed. She shot him a sidelong glance as she continued to work the comb through her hair.
"Why are you hanging out in here?" She asked finally, exchanging the comb for the elastic, carefully picking the loose strands of hair from it. Smoothed her hair back, holding it in place loosely with her right hand, before twisting her hair through the band. Tug-tightening it up, she ruffled her bangs until they fell across the stitches. "You get in trouble again?"
"Everybody else went to sleep." He replied grudgingly, flicking his ponytail back over his shoulder dismissively. "And yeah, they're pissed at me because of me asking Rude and Tseng to pick me up something just happened to coincide with all of Wutai deciding to come in barnstorming. Ain't my fault that guy's a complete douche."
"Why don't you just leave?" Hoped her voice stayed as neutral as she was trying to keep it. Wanted to gauge his reaction. See if anything he said could help. "It's obvious you hate us. Why bother staying around if that's the case?"
"I hate this, kiddo." He corrected, gesturing vaguely toward the ceiling. "Everybody's getting all wound up over stuff that we should be able to weather no problem. Uppity little shits here making us do their job for them. It's boring. If Rude and them want to stick around and do bodyguard work, fine, but I want to get out here and go back to the one thing I'm good at."
Maladjusted little child.
"What, you don't want to go back to being a normal person in a normal world?" She tried, straining to keep her tone free of any bitterness, though even she could tell how mocking it came out. She'd never actually had a conversation with him. A real conversation. Was sure she could go through the rest of her life never wanting for the opportunity. But at the same time, here he was now, both of them being civil, stuck in a situation they weren't happy with. Misery breeding company. Bewildered eyes on her, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"You don't honestly think normal people end up in the Turks, do you?"
"You have your moments of normalcy."
"Dumbass." He muttered under his breath, eyes rolling. "This might hurt your fragile little sensibilities, but I actually liked being a Turk. There's no place for us now. Any of us. I'm not even going to bother trying."
"I understand just fine." She muttered, leaning back on the bed, feet coming up, left arm folding behind her head. "They spit on us in Junon. They were happy to see us going into the gas chamber. They're not going to care that we saved the world, or even if we weren't responsible for Sector Seven. We still goaded you into doing it." Snort from his side, like he'd heard it all before; like he'd been expecting her to say it.
"Christ, you guys cornered the market on the martyr complex, didn't you? Noble suffering isn't fucking contagious, is it?"
"I'm being honest." She protested, shaking her head. "I don't want to be caught up in all this suffering and regret and misery. I don't want to be like you, all pissed off at the whole world."
"Who says I am?"
"Who says you aren't?" She rolled her head to the side to give him a stern look, challenging him to contradict her. After a long minute of silence, she turned her gaze back up to the ceiling, sighing. Picked idly at the hem of her shirt with blistered fingers; considering. "I wouldn't have minded if I'd died in the crash."
The comment was just so matter-of-fact, so calm and casual, like she was mentioning that she had to make a phone call or go to the store. It wasn't just emotions or the weariness of everything that had happened to them talking. It was her honest truth.
"You are fucking insane, Lockhart." Reno breathed, somewhat amused. This stone-cold attitude wasn't something that he'd seen much of from her. She had to have been a little unhinged to begin with. Just managed to hide it well with the big smiles and a sympathetic ear.
Whatever she was going to say to him died prematurely on the blade of her tongue as the door eased open. Lolled her head to the left, slowly, to see who was intruding now. Hoped it was somebody more appealing than Reno. Honestly surprised she was able to tolerate him for this long, in a civilized manner, no less. Anger torn in so many conflicting directions that she couldn't muster up much more than mild irritation at his continued presence. And the room smelled. She wasn't stupid. Even with the blood-hint still tainting every breath, she could tell somebody had been smoking in there. At least Reno probably wouldn't think anything of the cut she'd made in the screen.
"Yes?"
Man in a button-down and slacks standing there, balding with high, gaunt cheek bones. There were two, squat white cylinders hugged in the crook of his right arm, and although he didn't look like a threat, she wasn't sure who had a bone to pick. His gaze lingered on her a few beats too long for her liking, and she drummed her fingers against her stomach, clearing her throat expectantly. He finally met her gaze, the look in her eye seeming to jar him back to his task at hand. Shifting nervously, he fussed with the knot of his tie, clearing his throat as he approached her bedside, slipping into a business like veneer.
"Ah, Miss Lockhart, I presume?" He juggled the two jars to his left arm, holding out his right hand, long, bony fingers stretching toward her. She simply brought her right hand up, flashing the wrapped, raw palm to him, before letting it drop back down to her stomach in rejection. She didn't say anything, just watched him expectantly, waiting for him to go on. Eventually, he pulled his hand back and let it drop uncertainly. "Forgive me if I've caught you at a bad time. I'm Janos Skorenzy of Skorenzy Funeral home."
It explained the accent. Couldn't place it though. Up north, maybe?
"Dunno if she's looking to make arrangements just yet, old timer." Reno piped up from behind her, and she rolled her head toward him slightly, glaring, daring him to continue making a mockery of the situation.
"Pardon me." She nodded back to the funeral director, apologizing as if it had been her own improper outburst.
"Ah, yes, well, arrangements for the cremation of a Mr. Strife and a Mr. Valentine were taken care of through us, and since you were listed as the next of kin for both gentlemen, I believed it best to present you with their remains."
Silently plucked the jars one at a time from where they were held against his side and handed them to her. No idea who had specified the containers, but they were simple, white screw-top affairs, each one adorned with a small label with the last name and first initial of the two men. He passed them to her, finally sitting up as she accepted them.
Stomach curled again as she inspected the containers, unsure of what to make of them. Stared at the labels blankly, unable to fathom it. Vincent and Cloud, now just reduced to… this. Screw-top jar and discarded traveling packs overturned in the corner. Swallowed hard and shook it off long enough to look up at Mr. Skorenzy, not sure what to expect. Might have been better if he didn't look so damn sympathetic. Would have preferred the haughty 'you deserve this' look that most of the people in the hospital fixed them with. She moved her jaw silently, trying and failing to come up with anything to say. Bony, cool hand on her shoulder, patting lightly, reassuringly that it was okay.
To feel like this.
"How much do I owe for the… th…" Swallowed the vowel down convulsively, waving the back of her hand toward the two jars. She was already shifting, moving to grab for her pack, the one she'd been painstakingly consolidating all of the necessities into. Needed every gil in that bag if she was going to get anywhere, but she had to pay for this.
Hand on her shoulder pushed back until she stilled, squeezing softly. Doting gesture; Grandfatherly. He simply shook his head before she could ask him anything else.
"It's all been taken care of by Mr. Tuesti. And I just want to extend my deepest condolences for your loss."
"I'm certain." She replied thickly, not wanting to be rude, but at the same time finding it hard to find any consolation in the words, kindly-spoken as they were. She knuckled at her left eye quickly, still hesitant to put any pressure near the other one, gaze slipping to Reno. Disgusted that he was just sitting there, casually eyeing the scene like some damn voyeur.
Mr. Skorenzy finally stepped back, letting his hand fall to his side, and although she had refused his handshake earlier, Tifa awkwardly put her left hand out, letting it hover there, wondering if he would even take it. Surprisingly, he actually did return the gesture, grasping her fingers with his right hand, shaking normally.
"I am." He protested, corner of his mouth dipping in a slight frown. "Not all of us believe everything we hear on the news. And I'm certainly sorry to see you in such dire straits." Gaze falling to Reno; skeptical.
"She can leave anytime she wants." Reno scoffed defensively, rolling his eyes at the comment.
"I see." He nodded dubiously, eyes on Reno the whole time, even as he reached into his shirt pocket and produced a business card, setting it down atop the jars. "My card. If you happen to need anything, don't hesitate to contact me."
"Thank you. For coming by with these."
"Not a problem, I assure you." Turned on his heels, back out the door. "Best of luck."
Silent once he was out of the room. But it didn't last. With Reno, it never did.
"Jeez. This is just-" Reached out toward the containers, only to get his hand swatted away. "I mean they're just… Jars."
She just sighed, staring unfocused at the lettering on the front of the business card. Not a conversation she wanted to have. Not with Reno.
"Was that Skorenzy guy one of your contacts or something?"
"Could have been. Lot of our contacts were, like, friend of a friend. What came through the system got passed to us from the contacts we were familiar with. Met some of them, but who knows how many people we actually had."
"Never hurts to have contacts."
"Guess not."
She looked like she was going to start crying. Reno never liked seeing girls start tearing up. Completely killed his mood. Obnoxious enough when they were all teary-eyed and snot-nosed begging him not to kill them. But this was just awful. He had half a mind to drag Cid or Barret in here and get them to deal with her. She'd been avoiding them like the plague anyway.
Breathed an internal sight of relief when she managed to quash it back down.
"Could you give me a few minutes alone? I don't…"
"Yeah, sure. You need anything? Water? Newspaper? Feedbag full of pills?"
"I thought you were sick of playing nanny with us." Let the jab slide. She wasn't going to have to deal with him much longer.
"Yeah, and I also need something to do."
"Fair enough. You know if they got Plum here?"
"You actually drink that shit?"
"It's the only pop we ever had back home."
"Fine, fine. Whatever. Don't need to justify your disgusting habits to me."
"Good to know."
He was at least nice enough to shut the door behind him when he walked out. Finally. Thought he was just going to dawdle around in her room until Reeve and the others came back.
Pushed herself up into a sitting position and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Peeled her shirt up and over her head one-handed, tossing it away carelessly. Stooped to dig out a clean one from under the packs, still neatly folded by Elena. Slipped it on, sleeves covering half of the mummy-like wrapping over her right arm. Struggled on a pair of pants, pulling the belt to its last notch. Fabric bunched beneath the cinch. They'd been Vincent's; still smelled heavily of cleaning oil and gunpowder from being stored with his weapons.
Legs were too long, heavy twill bunching over her boots. Vincent had been tall. Couldn't remember how tall exactly, but he'd pretty much dwarfed everybody but Barret. Half-heartedly rolled the cuffs a few times, but she still looked like a little girl playing dress-up. Probably should have cut the excess off beforehand, but there wasn't time to fret about it now. Knotted her boot laces and shrugged on the sweatshirt laid out on her bedside table. Fumbled at the zipper a few times before getting it in the track.
Checked the clock quickly. Probably only had a few more minutes until Reno came back, with or without her drink. She grabbed her pack and put Cloud and Vincent's urns inside, then swung it over her shoulder. Shouldered Vincent's gun belt too. They'd taken his Death Penalty out of her room, probably Reeve fretting about the possibility of her choosing to do something 'drastic' in her current frame of mind. But there'd been a handgun in his bag, looked like the same kind the Turks had.
Pocketed the few pill packs still in her bedside drawer. The rest of what she needed was already packed away. Reached into Vincent's pack, pulling out the makeshift rope she'd put together. She'd stolen some sheets from the laundry bag when the nurses were changing bed linens the other day. Had been knotting them together when all the commotion with Godo had started. Good thing she'd thought to stash them before she wandered out of the room to see what was happening. Janice would have noticed, probably taken them away.
Knelt down and knotted one end to the leg of the bed, unraveling the bundle as she backed her way to the window. Slid the pane up and crimped the slashed screen back out of the way before tossing the sheets through, shaking at the line until it unfurled all the way.
Leaned out, dropping the gun belt and then her pack into the shrubs below. If she'd been in top form, she could have jumped it. As it was, she didn't want to try it and end up having someone find her floundering in the shrubs with her stitches popped open. Embarrassment, she could live with, but not when it meant she'd just get taken back inside and get a tighter watch put on her. She could understand Reeve trying to mother-hen them, wanting to make sure they were kept safe. But she needed to distance herself from it. Try to get her head back in order.
Couldn't do it in this atmosphere. She'd probably crack up and fall to pieces first.
She twined her forearm along the sheets and swung her right leg out over the sill, straddling the window. Braced her right hand against the wet glass and hunched down, ducking her head under.
Was moving to swing her other leg over the sill, when the door was unceremoniously shoved open, Reno making his way back in, already talking at her.
"-and managed to find you a can of that sh."
Stopped dead, their eyes meeting for a long uncomfortable moment. Wasn't exactly sure what to do. Hadn't been expecting him to come back so soon, of course.
"That was, uh." Swallowed convulsively, throat dry. Considered just jumping for it, regardless "That was fast."
"Yeah. Well, there was a can sitting at the nurse's station, so I just took it." Crossed the room and set it down on the sill next to her, patting her briefly on the shoulder. Plucked at the sheets inquisitively, before looking back at her, frowning. "You really do hate me, don't you?"
"What?" Caught off guard. What sort of question was that?
"I go do something for you, because I figure you're going to start crying or shit, instead, you're trying to weasel out of here under my watch."
"You said it yourself. I can leave anytime I want."
"Not what I meant when I said that." He sighed, rolling his eyes. "I get you want to go off and do whatever, but can it wait until the others come back so it can be somebody else's fault?"
"If I wait, then everybody will be hovering around, asking 'Are you okay, Tifa?' 'Is something the matter, Tifa?' 'We need to talk about what we're going to do.' Marx is up my butt about everything already, everybody else is going to be locking down harder on me after what happened between me and the Emperor, and I just don't want to be here any more."
"Marx?"
"Janice." Shook her head expectantly at his blank look. "Talbot. Only nurse that doesn't hate our guts?"
"Oh! Oh, the she-beast. Yeah. Well, maybe this wouldn't be a problem if you weren't acting like some kind of psychopath."
"I am not acting like a psychopath!" She snarled, gripping the lapel of his blazer.
"Yeah, because this is healthy."
"Go to Hell." She spat back at him, letting go with a none-too-gentle shove and swinging her left leg out over the sill. Reno leaned out after her, sneering.
"What's keeping me from cutting your rope, huh?"
"Nothing." She shrugged off-handedly, bracing her feet against the rain-slick stones, easing herself down. "Not like the fall's going to kill me."
"Not like the fall's gonna…" He sniped back in a mocking falsetto, before drawing back inside. She braced herself, waiting for the slack to go. It didn't happen.
Let go of her rope above the first floor window and dropped to the ground, a little unsteady. She was bending to pick up her pack and belt when something crashed into the bushes by her head, sending her jumping back, taking up a defensive stance.
"Incoming." Belated warning from up above, and she looked up, seeing Reno peering back over the sill at her as he pulled her makeshift rope back up into the room, before swinging one leg out, then the other, perching on the outside of the sill himself.
Tifa stepped back as he jumped out, managing the stick better than she had. He stooped to pick up what he had nearly hit her with, hefting it up onto his shoulder before turning to her.
"Alright, lead the way." He nodded, stepping back, sweeping his arm out to the side.
"What?"
He repeated the gesture expectantly, motioning toward the dimmed, mostly empty street.
"Lead the way."
"No." She bit back sternly, shaking her head. "No, there is no way in Hell you're coming with me."
"Well, sorry sister, but you're being overruled. Fragile as you are right now, I just don't think it would be safe for you to go running off on your own."
"I swear, I'll take you down if you don't turn around right now and-" He reached out flicking his middle finger against the bridge of her nose, cutting her off.
"Please. Maybe on your best day, but right now I'm sure all the bookies would be generous giving you hundred to one odds." Arm around her shoulders, which she visibly hunkered down against, scowling. "Besides, might actually get me back on the level, they think I just took off to look after your crazy ass."
Tifa let out a long, measured breath, folding her arms across her chest, eyeing him caustically. Steeled herself against the damp chill seeping into her clothes. He'd probably get the wrong idea, her shoulders starting to tremble under his carelessly slung arm.
"I'm not crazy." Twisted out from beneath his corralling touch, glancing toward the clock tower that rose up from the center of the town. She wasn't exactly familiar with this end of the town. When they'd come here, it had been a quick pass through the town. Never really became familiar with the specific areas, outside of the shops. And the clock tower was really the only landmark a place as dozy as Kalm had.
Reno picked up on her uncertainty, hand coming up against the small of her back, palm steering her toward the East end of the hospital.
"This way toward the outskirts. I'm assuming we're going to be making for the chocobo farm?"
She jerked away from his touch, gait stiff and uncomfortable.
"We're not going anywhere. I don't want you around, and I don't need you around."
"Regardless, there's only one way to go on foot to get to Junon, and what do you know? We both happen to be taking it. And, coincidentally, we're both leaving here at the same time. So, come on, I don't like you much either, but hows about we do the old 'I scratch your back, you scratch mine' for the time being?" Nails rasping at the fabric between her shoulders, and she shook him off with an aggravated twitch.
"Whatever." Started walking, inwardly sulking. Didn't like the idea of having him around. Didn't want to have to trust him at her back. But it didn't seem like he was going to back down from this idea. And despite what she'd said, it probably was better to have somebody else around for the time being, even if it was Reno.
Sharp snap of heavy fabric as he flipped the collar of his overcoat up against the wind, and he fell in step after her. She slowed down enough to keep him in her peripheral. Despite the fact he didn't seem to have any motives other than the ones she shared, she didn't like the idea of him being behind her, out of her sight.
"How you going to explain this one to Reeve?" She asked after a few minutes of silence, pulling her hood up, brushing at an errant droplet winding its way down her brow.
"Probably just let my phone go to voicemail until I come up with something plausible sounding. And give us enough time to make some ground so they can't run us down in the chopper in fifteen minutes."
"We've got a few birds still at the ranch. Give us a straight shot to Junon without having to go through the mines."
"Good. Great." Nodded to himself, thinking it over. "You going to be able to make the walk?"
"I can hack it." She shrugged indifferently. Legs hadn't gotten banged up too badly. She'd been in rough shape before, always managed through it. If she'd been in Yuffie's shape…
Reno looked like he was about to say something else, but bit it back, shaking his head.
Already she was feeling a little better, being out of that room. Wasn't sure exactly what she was going to do. But she had a few ideas.
I must have re-written the part with Reno catching Tifa at her escape about ten times. I was going to have Reno leave on his own later, but this finally, finally worked itself out to him hitting the road later. Not going to end up as some sort of Tifa/Reno, just so you know. They might have a few moments, but there's no plans to pair them up.