paixaorpg | Turks can be good at a lot of things. [Active]

Entry tags:

Turks can be good at a lot of things. [Active]

Characters: Reno, Rafael, eventual Rufus, Lorelie, and Sabra ... and Kadaj 8D
Content: Reno and Raf decide to hijack a train after dropping Tseng off at Central Station and go off to find Rufus, Lorie, and Sabs.
Setting: General Central Station vicinity
Time: Day-type thing.
Warnings: Reno's got a mouth on him, Rufus is probably irritable, etcetc.

Reno was pretty sure that driving a train was kind of like driving a helicopter, but couldn't be sure. So once they'd bid Tseng luck with the Kadaj problem, Reno led the way back to where the conductor hid out, and whipped out his EMR quietly. Sliding the door open, he gave a slight grin before raising the rod and hitting the man in the side of the neck. Not life-threatening, but he'd probably have a nice bruise later after waking up from the pressure point assault.

"So Raf," he started, hands moving for the levers and everything on the console. "... you know how to drive a train?" he tilted his head back to look over his shoulder, giving the other man a grin. "I fly choppers, not conduct trains." He turned back around to peek at everything, pushing a lever and seeming amused as the train started moving once again.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Uuuuh..." Rafe began as he moved next to Reno and inspect the controls. With Tseng gone, he was allowed to be more informal. The Turk didn't pull any levers or push any buttons yet, but he did lay a hand over each.

"This is entirely manual. We should've kept him conscious." He gestured over to the knocked-out conducter that they propped against a protruding apparatus. "But since the train's already heading in that direction, we'd just have to put the brakes when needed. I'll handle this while you keep the fire going." Rafe canted his head as he stepped into the conductor's pit, adjusting the mirrors and flicking the chain meant for the whistle. Hand on the largest lever, he grinned at his superior-slum buddy as he put on the puffy conductor's hat. "Please hold onto your belongings, sir! Rafe's riding this baby now."

"Eh," was Reno's response to keeping the man conscious, frowning a little. "And what, have him bitchin' the whole time? I think not, yo," he gave him a smirk, before shutting the door to the room and propping the man against it. He was never really too formal around Tseng, he'd been with the guy for years anyways. Tseng did try to get him a bit formal, at least.

He pulled his suit jacket off and hung it on a lever, making sure it didn't weigh it down and cause them problems, before quirking a brow at Rafael and the hat. He wasn't sure the hat worked with the squirrely poof he called a hairstyle, but Reno kind of enjoyed living at the moment. "We certainly wouldn't want to lose any of my belongings, especially if Rufus requests I steal, yo." He wouldn't complain about the sir, he was actually rather amused as he observed the fire, waiting for it to go down a little before he shovelled anything in.

"Steal?" Rafe chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. He tapped a dial, causing the pin arrow to quiver. He made sure not to show his grimace to his superior and instead straightened back up and flashed a sheepish smile. "What's the best pickpocket of the Turks taken, hmm?"

It was pretty obvious that Rafael held respect and a brotherly love towards Reno. Slum buddies, right? Reno was always funny and they shared many interests. When Rafael was the rookie, the goggled redhead approached him first. It was a strange feeling since Rafe never had a superior befriend him that way. Usually he just got into a job and was left to his own devices after receiving a stern list of rules. No goofing around, no time for leisure activities; just...do stuff. And work. No wonder he got tired of being a bodyguard.

Currently, hijacking an old train beat standing by doors too bright for their own good and hookers by miles.

"Some watches, jewelry... wallets..." Reno shook a little to 'jingle' his pockets, humming to himself as he started to put fuel into the fire idly. Reno was an interesting one, truly. He grinned somewhat, giving a sort of lazy bow to the 'best pickpocket of the Turks' title. He thought it true himself, although he wasn't that conceited to say it aloud. At the moment.

It was interesting to consider that he was now a superior to those that were technically superiors to him, but the redhead tried not to think about this often. If he did such a thing, there was the likelihood that he'd end up hurting his brain. Right now he was trying to get over the fact Kadaj was a live and Rufus wanted to go meet Sephiroth who too was very much alive. While he didn't doubt his own superior's thoughts, Reno had a strong attachment to Rufus, and wasn't about to let him be a dumbass. He enjoyed being a bodyguard in that way, although one would have to say staring at whores all day might not of been the best.

Slum buddies stealing an oldschool train, heading to go pick up their 'employer' and two coworkers. Well, it certainly didn't beat a 'SLUM WAY' of solving things, but Reno had to say... it was amusing.

Rafe chuckled a little. He still didn't know why Reno was ordered to steal, neither why he was ordered to snag tree leaves. He shrugged; all in the day's work of a Turk, right?

The train was going at a steady pace and there were not many obstacles (a.k.a. Nobodies). Although old-modeled, the train was entire shut by metal doors or plastic glass. Any Nobodies that attempted to crash against the chugging contraption simply thudded against the barrier, rebounding from the impact. It was amusing after the initial pounces.

Now was as good as a time as ever to talk about stuff. Rafe decided to inquire about Reno's story about him being eight years ahead of his time. "So, Ren, you said you were from the future?"

Rufus Shinra was agitated. Trapped in this small space, he felt far too much like a rat in a cage awaiting Kadaj’s imminent arrival. He didn’t want either of these women here when the man arrived either. Chances were that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them despite what Rufus said to him. If Kadaj found out he was lying… the less he thought about that the better. Kadaj’s fury would know no bounds.

Rising to his feet, Rufus began to pace back and forth. He took special care to keep out of Sabra and Lorelei’s way, letting them keep their guard on the doors unbothered. Getting his arse kicked by a pair of women, even if they were Turks, wasn’t something he wanted to end his day (or life) with. Given their status as Turks, he had no doubts they could do it. Sabra in particular looked driven enough to try to knock him out if it came down to it.

The blur out the window was what caught his attention, Rufus leaning over the seat and pressing his hands to the window’s edge. Is Kadaj that fast? How the… Taking a deep breath, he stood back up, forcing himself to calm down.

“It appears we are about to have company. Care to let us go outside to meet them incase that train can’t stop and hits this one? I would prefer not to be crushed.”

Apparently, Kadaj was that fast. Grinning to himself as he finally caught sight of the stalled train, the remnant finally screeched to a halt alongside it and took a moment to look slowly up and down the cars, searching for... well, a blond-haired, blue-eyed head. Like that was going to be easy. The presence of the Turks would definitely make his search easier (especially if one of them really was sitting on him like the president had said they'd threatened to do), but...

He was sorely tempted call upon a few of his Shadow Creepers for help; they'd be essentially useless as far as locating Rufus was concerned, but for drawing his attention they'd work perfectly. Unfortunately, that had the very high probability of starting a fight, and while under normal circumstances he'd be all for spilling people's blood for no reason other than the vague possibility it might get him someone's attention, he wasn't so sure the president would like that. Considering how hard it had been to get even this little meeting from the man, Kadaj didn't know if he wanted to risk it.

But hadn't it been just the Turks he'd agreed not to harm? They hadn't discussed anything about the lives of innocents. Hmmm...

Laughing at how neatly things seemed to be working in his favor, Kadaj gave a negligent wave of his hand and summoned two of the Creepers, sending them down opposite ends of the train while he walked slowly towards it, his head tilted almost curiously at the people inside. Where oh where could the president be?

"... fuck."

Reno did not look exceptionally happy as they neared the stalled train and ended up seeing silver hair and Shadow Creepers. "Rafe, work on stopping the train," the 'yo' seemed to of been immediately dropped at sight of them, blue eyes becoming frozen and narrowed. "If you come across the silver-haired bastard, don't fight him. Run. If you meet his pets, shoot the hell out of them if they present a problem." He snatched his jacket and pulled it on, running out of the engine room after getting the door open.

Although not graceful often, when Reno was presented with a problem, he could prove to be quite surprising. He opened one of the doors to the next car, sticking his head out before he swung out and waited on the ledge. When the train began to slow eventually, he jumped. Once his feet hit the ground, he stumbled into a run and bolted towards the dead train, ignoring the quickened jingling of the stolen objects in his pockets and the smack of his journal against his leg. Instead, his hand just gripped tightly on his electro-mag rod and whipped it out.

He'd be lucky if he could slip past Kadaj and the Shadow Creepers, though it was less than likely, but keeping ducked down once he reached the opposite side of the train Kadaj was on, he at least hoped he could find Rufus first. He forced a door open, poking his head in quickly. "Rufus," he hissed, looking around in the car. "Sabra, Lorelei."

"...Ah..." Rufus's comment had value, of course. She was not looking forward to being crushed by the train any more than the President was. As for company, she had no idea what he was talking about, but it made her uneasy. Sabra had one eye on Rufus, but she was hardly deaf to other noises. She would have taken her gaze away from the ~~vice~~ President, but she trusted him less and less when it came to following orders. Which only made her job harder, as she was given an order and should follow it. However, when there was a thump and the sound of a door being forced open she sent half an eye in that direction. The large shuriken in her hand was pointed...

"...RENO?" Her voice was calm, but there was an emphasis in her words she reserved for enemies, deathly surprises... and ... well, he was older. She knew he was going to be older, but... anyway. "...Reno." She said again, nodding at him. This was a business situation and she could get over ~~his hair~~ his age later. Sabra let her gaze slide back to Rufus.

The situation had changed. She turned herself so she was no longer blocking Rufus, but could keep him and the exit Reno had just come in without turning her head. "Reno, what's the situation?" She asked him. Instinct had always helped her out, and her instinct said that Reno knew what was going on, and she did not.

“Hello, Reno. I see you are no worse for wear.”

The mere sight of the redheaded Turk put Rufus’ mind at ease on several counts. He knew how to work with his Turks, what bounds he could and couldn’t push. It was a sad day when Reno was a sense of normality in an insane world.

Straightening his overcoat, Rufus was all too aware of the bloodstains on the white and how his blackened eye not to mention the rest must look. He couldn’t help the quirk of sour amusement that rose. “I, on the other hand, didn’t fare as well. To make matters worse, Kadaj may be about. I suggest that if we meet up with him that retreat becomes the foremost thought. Please send Rafe and Lorelei back to where we came from. They need to retrieve her earrings.”

He didn’t go on to say that he was unwilling to put the girl in Kadaj’s path of fire. She was odd for a Turk, but he had come to think of her as his Turk. Her enthusiasm might just get her killed, and that was unaccepted. He told himself that the look he’d seen in her eyes when handing over her earrings had nothing to do with his decision.

“May we leave now?” he asked, impatience edging his words. Something was under his skin and making him want to move immediately instead of later. In the mind's eye, he kept seeing Reno and Rude writhing on the ground as Kadaj entered.

The screams of the citizens unfortunate enough to be caught by the Creepers were the perfect accompaniment for his arrival, Kadaj thought. The ones in the train could undoubtedly hear them too, but they were probably stupid enough to think they'd be safe inside, weren't they? That was fine with him; they weren't his concern at the moment anyway.

Pausing only briefly to wonder at the appearance of the train nearby, he resumed walking up to the car in front of him and to its entrance, easily forcing the door open and making his way inside. Immediately, the people who had seen him summon the Shadow Creepers cringed away from him, some of them even going so far as to leave their seats and make for another car. One was stupid enough to try his luck outside, but after Kadaj sent a Creeper chasing after him, no one else seemed to want to imitate the idea. What a shame.

Once he was sure the president wasn't in this car, the remnant began heading towards the next one, thoroughly ignoring the sounds coming from outside. Though he didn't know it, he still had a few cars to go before he came across Rufus and his entourage, but it didn't matter. They wouldn't escape him.

"Yo, Sabra, Lorie" Reno began, eyes locking onto her and Lorelei first before he looked to Rufus. "Yo, Bo--" His eyes widened, and he made a clean jump up into the train and headed straight over towards him. There was no hesitation as he took hold of his chin, examining his nose. Usually he would not be this direct, but in this situation, Reno wasn't exactly thinking straight. "The FUCK happened to your nose!?" he looked from him to Sabra to Lorie before withdrawing his hand quickly, frowning but not apologizing.

"Kadaj is about," he skipped from his concern--it was still there, he was eyeing Rufus up and down to find injuries amongst the circus tent he called clothes--straight to the objective. "Lorelei, go outside and meet Rafe to take him back to get your earrings, for whatever reason that is. Avoid the Shadow Creepers and Kadaj," he didn't wait until she was gone to continue, but once she was, he was definitely down to business more so than usual. Without Rude, Reno had to pick up his own slack.

Taking in a deep breath, he rubbed his EMR against his temple. "Kadaj released his Shadow Creepers, as you can apparently hear. I would prefer leaving, definitely, but it seems that he's presently sending them to make sure we don't get out. And to terrorize the civilians." Reno shrugged; he didn't care about the Paixao people, his job was Rufus and his concern was Rufus and the other Turks. "Tseng is addressin' Sephiroth, and we're kind of fucked three ways from Sunday with Kadaj here, unless we can present a distraction."

Sabra couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow at Reno's behavior. Well, the mix of professionalism and... she would have to start considering Rufus more of a priority. She was unused to seeing any sort of closeness in the Turks to anyone besides a Turk, and again she would have to reevaluate Rufus and his position.

Shadow Creepers, Kadaj. Both were unfamiliar, but carried a sense of urgency. These were not enemies she had fought before, but Sabra was hardly going to let that stop her. "...Reno, you're ... more experienced in protecting the President," what she really meant was President-herding, as Rufus was stubborn and she did not have the patience or will to battle him, "I will attempt to provide an ample distraction." She nodded, and did a quick recheck of her weapons.

She had a small set of materia, a few bo-shuriken and her larger shuriken left. Fire, while not effective, would be useful for a screen of sorts. If she could cast fire to screen one side, and present herself to the other, that might be enough to draw attention away from the President and Reno. "Unless you have another suggestion?"

Rufus wasn’t deaf to the cries coming from the cars ahead of theirs, but he also wasn’t about to put himself in danger for them. For the second time, he found himself being touched when he wasn’t expecting it. Other than the initial twitch of surprise at having someone’s hand on him, Rufus didn’t put up any resistance to the inspection. Warmth settled on his cheeks as he stared at Reno, waiting for the Turk to finish his inspection. The calluses on the man’s hand from swinging that EMR pressed against his skin.

When he was released, Rufus stepped back a pace, glancing down at his clothing himself. Most of it was still white, save the rusty streak of dried blood. Catching the other’s probing gaze, he restrained the annoyance that wanted to leak out. It was their job to make sure that such things didn’t happen to him. “I am uninjured save my face, Reno. I had an unexpected encounter with a door kicked open rather forcefully. Should there ever be the need to send someone on a mission that requires kicking open a door, I will be suggesting to Tseng that it be Miss Lorelei.”

Touching fingertips gingerly to his bruised eye, he glanced briefly to Sabra and felt that unwelcome heat come back to his face. He did not need her seeing his Turks treating him like a five year old that had wandered off and fallen down with a skinned knee. That nettle of irritation rose again at the mention of Tseng hijacking his meeting with Sephiroth.

“Battling Kadaj will not be necessary. I believe he is here to see me, and he has given me his word not to harm my Turks. I suppose I should have specified that injuring or killing anyone was unacceptable. At least it gets out his aggressions now. Kadaj is under the impression that I have Jenova cells within me which cured me of my Geostigma. It might be wisest to go out and meet him instead of hiding here and waiting until he makes his way to us.”

Rufus turned slightly away from Reno with this, not wanting to catch what was most likely going to be another outburst. He hadn’t ran this plan past his Turks yet, and he doubted it would be met with open joy.

Another car, more blond heads, none of them the president. Or his big brother, for that matter, but a coincidence like that was something even Kadaj wouldn't bother trying to hope for. Really, what would the odds of that be? Mother was much more important anyway, and since as far as he knew she could only be found through Rufus, any other concerns of his conveniently slipped his mind. As long as he found her...

He was getting impatient. Why wasn't the president coming out to meet him? Were his Turks keeping him away? Kadaj knew he shouldn't have agreed not to hurt them-- they'd only ruin things. Walking faster and paying no attention to the curious looks and questions he was receiving (most of which were quickly silenced by the refugees from the previous car), he tried to keep his thoughts focused on not ripping the Turks to shreds for getting in his way. While Mother would certainly be pleased by that, Rufus wouldn't, and unfortunately he had to keep the president's desires in mind too now.

One more car. The faces of the people inside it might as well have been copied directly from the last ones, for all the differences there were between them. Kadaj was seized by the sudden urge to take even those identifying marks away from them, but that would have to wait. Just one more car...

The remnant threw the door open, stepping inside with a flourish and taking a look around at the people inside. There they were: two Turks (one that he didn't recognize) and the president. From where he stood, he could see quite plainly that the bandages were conspicuously missing from Rufus's head, but he couldn't be completely sure the Geostigma had truly left him too. By now he mostly believed the man anyway, but being able to see that for himself would seal it.

As tempting as it was to walk right up to the man and examine him, though, Kadaj had a feeling that wouldn't be received too well by his bodyguards. If he wanted to keep his promise, he'd have to wait until there was no chance they'd attack him first, otherwise he might just accidentally snap one of their necks before they got the chance.

Instead, he gave the three of them an amused look and asked silkily, "Did I keep you waiting too long, Mister President?"

Only an apologetic look was given for the bubble space invasion, although this was the only thing Reno did to make up for it. There wasn't much he would respond to with; Rufus' eye was blackening, and his nose ... yeah, he looked like he'd gotten hit by a door. Before Lorelei left, he glanced after her and wrinkled up his nose. Right, if they needed to bust into some place, Lorie was the first on that job.

"Look, Boss," Reno tried to be formal, forcing himself to say 'boss' as opposed to 'Rufus,' and looking back at Rufus with a chilled gaze that'd be more fitting on him or Tseng. The situation was serious, and by now, Reno knew how to handle serious. "Your safety is our job, you can hold it against me and Tseng later, 'cause it was our idea anyways." It was still a scary thought, Tseng and Reno working together...

When the situation called for it, he guessed. At the latest news, the Turk debated this being good or bad. One could easily see the gears working in his head, as he frowned deeply and tightened his grip on his EMR. "We'll meet with Kadaj," the gears continued to turn, and he glanced over towards Sabra. "While I'm not liking the idea, I would prefer it if he stays behind us while he speaks with him... if something goes wrong, I'm sure a bit of a boom will distract him. He's a little slow as it is." The redhead was going to work with what Rufus gave him. "He'll believe you for a while, and it should keep you off his immediate hitlist."

... Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

At hearing Kadaj, Reno moved immediately to stand mostly in front of Rufus with an irritated look, although did not charge the EMR yet. He did stay out of the way enough to let Rufus be able to see Kadaj... otherwise, hell no was he moving.

Sabra tensed, though not visibly when Kadaj made his appearance. The first thought (as ridiculous as it was) was that 'this was Kadaj?' He didn't look like how she imagined him, and in fact looked rather 'girly'. But she knew, better than most, not to let looks get in the way of a fight. It was often the smaller or weaker looking opponent that had the nastiest tricks in the bag.

"...I'll keep that in mind, Reno," Sabra kept a conversational tone, but shifted her position at bit. She stood parallel with Reno, but let Rufus have a straight line of vision to Kadaj. If there was any sudden movement, however, the silver haired remnant was going to get a faceful of fire.

Rufus met Reno's eyes, a hint of apology in them for the position in which he'd thrust them all. Sephiroth had been bad enough, but he had called Kadaj on them as well. It was only the most passing show of him being sorry for their situation since he still believed this was for the best. Sephiroth had stuck him as confused and harmless (at least for the time being) but Kadaj had been going with all jets firing and ready for slaughter. It was his job to protect them as they did him. His four Turks hadn't failed him while he was ill, and he had no intentions of failing them.

"Worry about yourself as well, Reno. You... cost far too much for Shin-Ra to replace."

He had been stopping a lunatic smirk that wanted to rise at Reno's joke on Kadaj's slowness when the door smashed open and the remnant entered. The urge to snicker didn't go away to Rufus' alarm. Stress had to be finally getting to him. Getting himself under control, his eyes drew away from Reno to lock on Kadaj. Laughing right now would be suicidal to them all, but hilarity was better than fear or freezing like a deer in headlights.

"No, not long, Kadaj. The screaming was getting a bit monotonous and we were thinking of taking things out until you arrived. How have you been?" Rufus asked conversationally, as if they were nothing more than a pair of businessmen getting together for an informal meeting. His instinct was to move as he spoke to set the listener ill at ease with needing to track his movements. Stilling that desire, Rufus made no attempt to move from behind the two Turks, Reno's plan solid for the time being if he would have rather met with Kadaj away from them. He'd already seen the remnant drop Reno and Reno without much effort. Now was not the time to give his Turks the slightest notice. A Kadaj offended or feeling ignored was a dangerous creature.

"I do apologize for being unable to offer you a drink or the like, but I am in transit so to speak."

Fingers worked at the buttons of his sleeves, drawing them up to his forearms. The ones at his throat were worked quickly enough to draw away the sides of his high collar, revealing pale skin without the least stain of Geostigma marring it. It was disquieting to see Kadaj while standing, having only had what felt like a few moments to do so before.

"As you can see, Kadaj, it is gone."

Even Kadaj's pleasure at reaching his goal couldn't completely dull his irritation at the way both Reno and the girl were blocking his way, but the fact that the president was cooperating made him feel somewhat better. Not enough to stop him from wondering if he should just disregard their agreement entirely now that the man was within his sights, but enough to keep him from actually doing that. Barely.

"Monotonous? My mistake-- I'll make sure I have some of them plea for their lives next time, just to give you with some variety~" he teased, taking a very slow step forward. Just one. From what he remembered, the Turks could be a little trigger-happy when it came to protecting their president, and rightly so. Not that he would actually hurt the man, but as far as they knew, that could change in an instant. "And I've been doing well, thanks for asking. You? As if I need to ask..." He smirked and pointedly let his gaze linger on the black eye and the blood staining his usually impeccable clothes. "The bandages suited you better, I think."

The mention of drinks made him laugh, and, shaking his head, he said, "You don't need to worry yourself with that sort of thing, Mister President, even if you weren't in transit. I don't need to drink, remember?"

The laughter died down when Rufus bared his arms and neck for Kadaj to see, though, and he had to stop himself from moving forward again to get a better look. Becoming irritated again, he snapped, "Tell your Turks to stand down, won't you? I don't like being so far away. You could still be hiding it, you know, and how would I be able to tell from here?" Not that he thought the president was hiding it, but it couldn't hurt to be absolutely sure. Besides, if he could get a little bit closer, he might be able to sense her inside him. Mother's cells... was she really that close? She had to be, right? After all this time, he'd finally be able to meet her, but only if those damned Turks moved out of the way!

Unable to contain himself any longer, Kadaj snarled, "Make them move, Mister President, or I'll do it for you!" His left hand twitched as though he were about to reach for his sword, but his complete fear of losing his chance at seeing her kept him from doing anything more. Damn them! He just wanted to meet Mother!

This was probably something Sabra'd never seen out of Reno in the past, before her evident death: he was tense, cold, no longer with that warmth that usually even stood out when he was annoyed. The playfulness seemed to of died, and now, was replaced with a sort of bitter mood instead. This was because he remembered being on the floor, remembered Rufus only able to use Jenova and his words to keep him safe... if even that was safe. Reno could disagree. But somehow, when Kadaj took a step forwards, Reno contained the thought of charging the EMR. Rushing in would've been stupid, and the redhead was actually trying for intelligence for once.

When more or less ordered to move, the Turk tilted his head and almost sneered a little, though he forced it into more of a frown than anything. Although he was speaking more to Rufus, the message was to Kadaj as he spoke, "You know we can't do that." Or more like Reno wouldn't do that, even as the memory of slamming into the floor of the lodge was vividly clear in his mind at that very second. He'd already gone through that, perhaps he could avoid it... He did find Kadaj a creature of habit, anyways.

He did smirk a little, though, even if it was one that was not fitting across his face. "Why don't you come a little closer, Kadaj? Not too close, of course. We can't be having that, sorry to say." The Turk nearly surprised himself, but if it kept Kadaj from getting angry faster, very well. It bought them a little time anyways. He just hoped it worked.

Rufus tried to touch a hand to Reno’s shoulder, being gentle about it. Last thing he needed was to alienate the man he needed. What he wasn’t going to have a second time around was seeing his people abused for no reason other than Kadaj believed them to be in the way. Not Reno, not again.

“I did promise I’d wear them once more if you preferred my bandages that much, Kadaj.”

This time he didn’t have Jenova to bargain with, left only to his own wits. If Kadaj caught wind of something wrong, he’d destroy them all, and Rufus believed there was little he or his people could do to stop it. The remnant had shown that he was fully capable of raining down death and destruction before. Slightly behind Reno and to the Turk’s side was all closer he would go.

He’d seen the accident report where Reno had swung his EMR around and caught Rude with it. A repeat of that was not what he wanted if the Turk needed space to use his weapon.

Drawing off his longcoat, Rufus set it aside, the sidearm still flush against his body and able to be drawn if necessary. Given the close quarters, the shotgun that was attached to the coat would have been next to useless anyways unless he felt like shooting his own people as well as potentially Kadaj.

“I’m not getting fully undressed for you, Kadaj, or let you strip me down bare. Come closer if you need to and then see. I have much to do, and as you can see, I’ve been kept from my meeting with Sephiroth already. Where are Loz and Yazoo? Why aren’t they with us?”

Rufus allowed a hint of annoyance to creep into his voice. He’d always thought that if Jenova were a person she would, sadly, be like him and expecting things done yesterday. There would also be no fear of her ‘children’ as well as a desire to have them all together. While he hoped the other two weren’t around, he wanted to make sure of that fact.

“Well?”

Reno earned himself a glare for his efforts, but Kadaj felt very slightly less homicidal all the same. Slightly, because he just did not like being kept away like this. What was the point of it? He was going to have his Reunion anyway, so why...? He didn't like that smirk either, but attacking the man based on something as tiny as that, while something he'd be all too happy to do normally, wouldn't earn him any points in the president's book. How very sad.

He stepped slowly closer, shaking his head at Rufus's comment and unwillingly beginning to smile again in amusement. "Actually, I think I'd rather see your Turks in bandages-- would that be all right? I don't actually have to hurt them beforehand, but you know... for the sake of realism." That made him snicker, but unfortunately he knew that they probably just wouldn't go for it. Maybe he could try some other time.

Stopping again just shy of invading the Turks' personal space, he tilted his head quizzically at the president and asked, "Why would I want you to strip that much? I just want to make sure you're not covering it up with something-- makeup, or something like that. There's an easy way to check, of course, but I don't think your Turks will want me to touch you."

The question about his brothers threw him off, though, and a little uncertainly, Kadaj said, "You didn't tell me to bring them, Mister President. I didn't think you would want them here anyway, or at least they wouldn't." He gave the Turks a very dirty look, clearly blaming them for this... mistake? Why did the president want Yazoo and Loz here? Not his fault anyway, but luckily enough he had an easy solution for it.

Pulling out his journal, he declared, "I'll call them to us now! It won't take me long-- they know to keep an eye on their journals for my announcements." He paused before adding reluctantly, "I've only met Yazoo here so far, though, so I don't know if Loz has arrived yet. I can check that now, if you want?" Without awaiting confirmation, he turned his attention to the object in his hands, flipping the screen up and turning the journal on. Now, where to look?

_{[Someone kick me in the head next time it takes me this long to post. x_x]}

Reno was quite sure he didn't want Yazoo and Loz there, and the fact Kadaj was moving to find them in his journal irritated him a little. That was really all they needed... all three of the remnants in the same place, and if he were a different person, or if they were alone at the moment, the redheaded Turk was pretty sure he'd ask Rufus what the hell he was thinking when he asked that question. Although Kadaj speaking again caught his attention before he decided to ask anyways. Rufus' hand seeking his shoulder kept him calm as he stepped towards them, although his fingers did tighten around the EMR somewhat.

"I'm certain that he can prove it without you checking for make-up," he stated as calmly as possible, tilting his head to the side and tapping his EMR against his leg a little, as though considering. "I'm sure you have one of your hankerchiefs on you, boss." He didn't quite know about its use for the nose, although considered it a moment and figured he probably did... Lorie was a good kick, honestly.

Suddenly, he felt like this was going to be a lot like torturing someone. It was going to take a long, long time, and it was eventually going to end up messy. Literally or metaphorically.

So the best way to deal with this was to ask for more of them to show up. Sabra wasn't sure what Rufus was doing, but she was sure he wasn't being very helpful. She held her tongue, however, and considered the options they had. It seemed best to ... well, leave. If they stayed here any longer they would continue to be stalled and if Kadaj managed to summon his allies it would probably be bad for them.

A look as sent over at Reno, she wanted to see his thoughts on the subject. They probably couldn't make a very good escape without Rufus's consent, but if he continued to act stupidly she was going to start calculating him in as a burden instead of an asset.

Sabra too felt that this would be long and messy. Probably painful for someone. Hopefully for Kadaj and not for them. It would be ideally Kadaj, of course.

“I don’t think they require bandages for realism or for injury. We’ve spoken on this, haven’t we? I made my wishes clear.” There was only the barest hint of disapproval in his words, Rufus curbing himself from going for his own gun in these close quarters. While he might get off a headshot, there was just as much chance they he wouldn’t and then Kadaj would destroy them. No, he wanted a certain moment, a certain kill shot, and he was willing to wait for it.

Rufus hadn’t been counting on Kadaj’s exuberance when it came to his brothers. All he’d wanted was confirmation on whether or not the others were around. While he might be able to fool Kadaj and possibly Loz, he doubted he’d have the same luck with Yazoo. That one had always been the one he’d considered the brains of the operation. Gods help them all if Kadaj really was.

His free hand reached out to rest on Kadaj’s journal, trying to stop the remnant from what he was attempting to write, having to step around Reno’s side this time. As much as he disliked putting himself out there, it was necessary in his mind. Time was running out, and it wasn’t on his side any longer. There was a chance that Sephiroth had turned on Tseng and whatever was going on around this place wasn’t making him any less nervous. The other hand stayed on Reno’s shoulder for now, flexing and relaxing minutely. Just stay with me, Reno. Just a little longer.

“There’s no need of that just now, Kadaj. I wanted to make sure they were all right. They can join us later. For now, I’d rather it was just… us.”

He made himself smile even if he didn’t feel like it in the least. He’d heard already how jealous Kadaj was of Sephiroth. For now, he had to gamble on the idea that Kadaj wouldn’t mind having ‘Mother’ all to himself. He hadn’t counted on Sabra’s outlook on the situation and thankfully didn’t know it. In his time, he’d gotten far too used to everyone taking his orders and fulfilling them to the best of their abilities.

The fingers resting atop Kadaj’s journal were strong again, there being no signs of Geostigma across any of them.

"Yes, yes, you have. Am I not allowed to joke, Mister President? You're so stiff." He shrugged, honestly a little disappointed Rufus hadn't gone along with it. Even for a joke! It would be the perfect way to keep them in line, really, since they seemed so determined to get in his way. Well, maybe he could just try again later.

Kadaj frowned when the president interrupted his attempt to talk to his brothers, though, tilting his head at him curiously and again feeling rather disappointed. They could have the Reunion right now! Couldn't he see that? He very nearly protested, but the explanation provided was... well, sort of appealing. Almost.

"I should at least tell them I've met with you, you know? So they at least don't think I've met my death at the hands of your Turks here." He gave the two people in question an amused glance, obviously convinced such a thing would never occur. Two little Turks, kill someone (or rather, something like him? Impossible.

The prospect of doing something that Mother would disapprove of, though, made him waver. Maybe there was... aha! He grabbed the hand right in front of him and pulled it closer so that he could see it, putting the journal away with his free hand and then tugging the president's sleeve higher. Completely Geostigma free. Ignoring the suggestion of handkerchiefs, he rubbed at the skin hard with one gloved hand, eyes narrowing as... nothing appeared. Well, the president's hand was redder now, but that was about it.

"... All right. I won't contact them." He let the hand go free, looking away now as if he were almost embarrassed. "My apologies, Mister President. You were saying~?"

_{[Sorry this took so long. Reno ran off to... I dunno, play hopskotch or something while I studied finals :| Anyways, AJ's hiatusing, she said we can skip Sabra.]}

There was obvious movement on Reno's half as Kadaj got a hold of Rufus' hand, but somehow, restraint won him over. Instead of trying to hit the silver-haired remnant with his electro-mag rod, he lifted it up to push his sunglasses-goggles up higher on his head and rub at his temple. He was completely tense underneath Rufus' hand on his shoulder, tilting his head a little as he listened and observed. A little longer was wearing his nerves thin, and he was prepared to jump the first chance he got to.

But without Rude, he had to try and be ... calm. The Turk couldn't just swing the EMR around carelessly like he had in the past: he'd 'fought' Kadaj before, if you could even call it that. The old saying goes, Kadaj won the fight with two hits. Reno did not feel the need to relive laying on the floor and leaving his employer defenseless again.

Reaching his free hand out, he lifted it up and put it against Rufus' chest, redirecting him to his original spot before he'd stepped around him. While it was a little assertive, he wasn't about to let him stay out past him and Sabra any longer than what he'd been already.

“If it’s a funny joke, yes, Kadaj. Feel free to. Putting my Turks in bandages would clash with their uniforms and give the suggestion that they are weak. They are nothing of that sort.”

Reaching his hand out had been a foolish gesture, one Rufus realized a few seconds too late. The feel of Kadaj’s fingers moving over his skin set the small hairs on the back of his neck crawling. Everything in him said to pull his hand back, but the cold voice of practicality said that this could be the way to get the remnant on their side. As his sleeve was shoved up, Rufus forced his jaw to unclench. Appearing relaxed and at ease might end up being the key to all this. Jenova wouldn’t be acting as if this were some recurring nightmare. For her, this would be the realization of dreams.

It took more force of will than anyone knew for Rufus to uncurl his fingers and slide them around Kadaj’s gently before their contact was broken by Reno nudging him backwards. A mother would want to touch the hand of her child, right? Then again, Jenova wasn’t precisely the mothering sort. Back behind Reno once more, Rufus let a sly smile rise to his face, a secretive look only for himself and Kadaj. It smoothed out quickly to be his usual bland look.

“They’ll be plenty of time to contact them later, Kadaj. Surely you won’t begrudge me some time with just you? We have… things… we need to tend to first. Such as getting to the Station where Sephiroth and Tseng are waiting.”

Glancing at the two Turks, he let a note of displeasure creep into his voice. He wasn’t too happy they had purposely delayed him, leaving Tseng alone with Sephiroth, but he had to keep up appearances for Kadaj that he was being bulled into things by them as well. It was a delicate edge he was walking right now, one that he couldn’t fall off. Too much depended on it all.

Kadaj honestly didn't know what to do now. It was practically indisputable at this point that Jenova was in Rufus somehow, and obviously aware of herself and her situation. So... she had to have some kind of plan, right? Of course she did. Mother always knew what to do. It would be unspeakably stupid to think otherwise. All he needed to do was trust that she had everything under control and watch for any directions she could be trying to give him. It had to be hard for her to act with the Turks around, watching the president's every move. Very hard.

Giving her-- ah, the president a secretive look of his own, he took a brief moment to relax. Or, rather, force himself to relax. Right now what he wanted to do more than anything was celebrate. He had found her, hadn't he? He had. Not any of the others, but him! Mother was here now. He wouldn't have to search anymore, or be an orphan anymore, or have to do anything without wondering if it was wrong or against her wishes because she would be able to tell him! He and his brothers would finally get the mother they'd always wanted, as well as the chance to make her happy. And Sephiroth would...

The second that name left the president's lips, Kadaj's happy vision shattered. He should have known she'd want to see him first. That had probably been why the president had been so dead set against meeting with him first, right? Right. How could he have been so stupid?

Turning away from the three of them abruptly, Kadaj shut his eyes tightly and said in a carefully controlled voice, "Of course you'd want to see him. I understand. He was still at the station when I left him with that Turk-- Tseng. He might still be around, but then again, he might not. Who can tell?" That last flippant remark was more for Reno and Sabra's benefit than anything else, since the less they knew about the way things were with Mother, the better. The last thing he needed was for someone to try and take her away again.

_{[Hiatus, GONE~! Woot.]}

On edge still, what Kadaj said did not help Reno in the slightest bit. Tilting his head and frowning, he remained tense and prepared, although now was... worried. While he was sure that Tseng could very well handle himself, it was still Sephiroth and it was still a risk. If he went down, the redhead found himself concerned that he might end up having to take control. This, to Reno, was not a good thing at the moment.

Though not obvious, Rufus could probably see his tense shift to straighten a little, biting the inside his cheek. He had to refrain himself from saying anything sarcastic to Kadaj, although it was so tempting and so less... Rude-like. How Rufus could keep his cool was beyond him, entirely. There was amusement hidden in his eyes, though, when Kadaj turned to face away from them. In this short amount of time, Reno gave Rufus a look that told him he best know what he was up to with this ... thing he was doing.

If he didn't, Reno sure as hell didn't know.

“If Sephiroth is not there, then that’s no great loss at this stage,” Rufus replied. “After all, I have you, don’t I, Kadaj?”

In retrospect, it might not have been one of his better plans to try to hook both Sephiroth and Kadaj at the same time, especially if Yazoo and Loz were about. In fact, discord among them all might just fit better into his plans, especially if a problem were encountered later down the road. Divide and conquer worked well for him.

Rufus hadn’t forgotten about Kadaj’s Sephiroth issues either. He fully intended to work that to his advantage.

Rufus gave a little disdainful sniff. “It wasn’t Sephiroth that came seeking me out, was it?”

Meeting Reno’s eyes, he tried to reassure the Turk as best he could without giving Kadaj a clue that this was all an act. There hadn’t been enough time to fully explain everything, not that Rufus would have in the first place. It merely made him feel better about the whole deception to tell himself that.

At least he isn’t holding my hand, Reno. Look at it that way.

Giving Reno a quick wink that was decidedly un-Rufuslike, he stepped out the door.

“Get us back to the Central Station, Reno.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Turks can be good at a lot of things. [Active]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject