raspberryturk: (Up there omg)
Reno of the Turks ([personal profile] raspberryturk) wrote2009-08-20 07:43 pm

Edge, Thursday Evening

"I'm friggin' bored," Reno announced, possibly to nobody in particular, possibly to the bowl of beans that he'd picked. "Bored bored bored."

The beans said nothing.

"You know how bored I am?"

The beans waited patiently for a reply.

"I'm so friggin' bored, I'm talkin' to string beans."

This was what happened when Reno got himself suspended from duty for two weeks.

Fear.

[NFB for distance, as usual, but totally open for phone calls!]

[identity profile] blondecanary.livejournal.com 2009-08-20 11:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yaay, ramen." Dinah was fond of it herself.

Okay, time to confess.

"I screwed up. I don't know how bad. Elena's ... she said I could've screwed up a time-loop." She swallowed. "I'm sorry."

[identity profile] blondecanary.livejournal.com 2009-08-20 11:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"I don't know. Elena wouldn't tell me." Dinah started pacing. "And you shouldn't tell me, 'cause I guess I said too much, and Zack's still here and alive, but she was really mad." She closed her eyes. "I told him what you said, about being loyal to his friends, and being a hero, and then I said the disaster wasn't his fault. But I guess that was too much. We were guessing on years. You told me no details and I guess I told too many details." She swallowed. "I didn't think."

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[identity profile] blondecanary.livejournal.com 2009-08-20 11:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well, we'd already figured that out before I even talked to you. Or, I told him before I talked to you. Because he said he was from Gaia but he hadn't heard of any disaster, so we figured he was from the past. A past. I mean, it might not even be the same one." She sighed. "I didn't call it Meteorfall. I figured he didn't need to be looking at the sky every five minutes. And I didn't tell him ShinRa was... mostly evil." She leaned her head against the window with a thump. "Because he'll figure it out, he's not dumb, and he's a great guy, and he's so amped about them making him a super soldier now. Plus all he does is fight monsters, and that's a good thing, so." She thumped her head on the window again. "But Elena said something... I thought it could help to know that he couldn't stop it, but what the heck do I know?"

[identity profile] blondecanary.livejournal.com 2009-08-20 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"I know," Dinah whispered. "I mean, I get it." She wanted to argue about how there were different timelines, like Tahiri and Ben and Jaina, and maybe this Zack wasn't Reno's Zack, but... what if he was? Then she'd just messed him up for the next few years, until after it happened.

"We've never talked about it since then. I haven't told him anything else. I won't." It had been hard to be normal around Zack today, at first. She'd forgotten for a while, then it all came back. It made her feel terrible, but she pretty much deserved that. And to have to keep it from Zack. She just wished there was a way to fix it. But. Not that easy.

[identity profile] blondecanary.livejournal.com 2009-08-20 11:36 pm (UTC)(link)
"No," Dinah said, her voice hoarse. "It isn't." She looked down through the window at the lawn, and said, "I think I'd want to know. But. Easy to say, when I don't know what's coming." She thought of Connor Hawke telling her about being a superhero, and marrying his dad, and how hard it was to believe that sometimes. And sometimes not wanting to believe it. Reno was right; live in the now. "And in the now, it's over, there's nothing to talk about anyway, and... Zack's a hero." She sighed, shook her head. "Has to be enough."

Swallowing, Dinah said, "Anyway. Uh. Before you hang up, I have something for you. For the now."

[identity profile] blondecanary.livejournal.com 2009-08-20 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
He was still calling her Rookie. So he didn't hate her. That meant a lot. Dinah swallowed hard, and said, "Hang on. I'm sending it through."

DIY Water_Filter.jpg.

She got back on the line, and said, "You guys can make them yourselves. I think the grass will be the hardest part, but we can ship that too, until you have enough grown for it to work. And I've got pages and pages on how to make bigger ones." Dinah had wanted him to be thrilled about this when she first thought of it, but now it felt like a tiny peace offering after a huuuge screw-up. "I'll e-mail you those."

[identity profile] blondecanary.livejournal.com 2009-08-20 11:54 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'll do that, and send you those little lawn-cutting samples for starters. Oh, and a few UV lamps, and a bucket of chlorine powder." Dinah smiled again, heartened. She sent another file (DIY!.pdf), reminded of Karla, immediately offering to help New Gotham when Dinah shared the memory of the Narrows with her. "Gotta do what we can, right?" She shook her head. "And yeah, Zack-- we run together a lot, and hang out, and there's no way he'll slack, but if he ever gets down or wants to quit, I'll make sure I'm there to keep him going. Okay?"

[identity profile] blondecanary.livejournal.com 2009-08-21 12:02 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah." Dinah got a little more cheerful, and said, "He has a lot here. Arthur and me and Turtle and I think he was going on a date with Fiona? And he gets along okay with Leto, and Ben Skywalker, and other people too. He'll be okay." She'd make sure of it. "How's other things in Midgar?" She paused. "That would not mess up the future or the past by telling me. How's Mako and your friends? And did you turn into a girl last week?"

[identity profile] blondecanary.livejournal.com 2009-08-21 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
Dinah hooted at that. "Seriously? Are there photos? Did you kiss anyone while you were a girl?"

[identity profile] blondecanary.livejournal.com 2009-08-21 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
"You didn't! Dude! Seriously?!" Dinah cracked up, one part relief at being able to and one part the mental image of tall redhaired girl-Reno flashing his boss. "You have more cojones than anybody!"

[identity profile] blondecanary.livejournal.com 2009-08-21 01:05 am (UTC)(link)
"..ahahahahahaa..."

And that would be Dinah falling down on her ass laughing, totally out of control because wow, licking your boss is steps way beyond flashing and if Reno was good with it, Dinah could only applaud.

So she did.

[identity profile] blondecanary.livejournal.com 2009-08-21 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
"Awwwwww," Dinah said, lying on the floor, with an occasional hiccup escaping her. "People should applaud you! Bring you flowers! Send you booze!" She thought about it. "And maybe some of those hand-held video games, even if they get old too. How long are you suspended for? Doesn't he need you to work?"

[identity profile] blondecanary.livejournal.com 2009-08-21 01:16 am (UTC)(link)
"Harsh," Dinah sympathized. "Very harsh. Sewers suck, but boredom?" She shuddered. "Craaaazy time. Your boss is smart. Mean, but smart. Maybe he'll go easy and cut it short, though? Although it would suck to have to promise not to do that again or something." She grinned. "I'll send you games to make the time pass for a while. Oh, did you get my last package, with the book and stuff?"