Edge, Thursday Evening

[raspberryturk]

"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!]

Comments

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Kalm Fang?" Dinah had to ask. "Speaking of stuff that sounds like drug trips...."

[raspberryturk]

"Kinda like a wolf. Travels in packs, has one hell of a bite, yo. They live outside of Midgar. Always have, zoto."

Well, as far back as Reno could remember, anyhow. Which was long enough.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Ahhhh. And also, ack. I'll stick with Blind Seer and Blysse, thanks." Dinah fell quiet a moment, then said, "We had another invasion, sort of. Two plus weeks ago now. Vampires in another dimension."

[raspberryturk]

Oh yeah. Reno remembered mention of that, too.

"I heard about that," he noted, sobering up some. "Sounds like you made it through, though, huh?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I died. But. I didn't run away." Dinah leaned against the window again, spreading out her fingers so she could feel the sun. "I was a vampire over there. Definition of terrible." She was quiet for a minute. "Everyone got back, though."

[raspberryturk]

Reno hated those words. I died.

Damn it, anyhow. Fandom was having a heyday, screwing up his Rookies while he wasn't there.

"You remember when the Zombies hit? They got me, then. An' I tore a chunk outta Doji with my friggin' teeth. I know all about the definition of terrible, Rookie. I been there, too." A pause. A sigh. "That's the one thing I can say for Fandom, at least. Everyone always comes back, yo."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

She'd almost forgotten that; but now that Reno mentioned it, Dinah remembered how quietly, deeply upset Arthur had been, and how scared she'd been, because if they got Reno, they could definitely get her. And Francine still didn't remember stuff, but ugh. She so didn't envy Reno, remembering.

She closed her eyes, feeling the sunlight on her face. "It really, really sucks, the dying thing." She shook her head. "And I'm glad other-me is dead. She killed Priestly." Even quieter, "And I had to stake Leto. I still haven't told him. He probably won't mind, but. It screws with my head. I am so glad we came back from all that."

[raspberryturk]

"I think it's some kinda test," Reno noted, looking up at the ceiling. "Fandom knows there's just some stuff the teachers ain't gonna be able to prepare us for, so it throws that kinda crap at the island, too. Get it outta your system now, maybe you'll know how to deal with the same thing later. I mean, maybe not the same thing. There ain't no zombies on Gaia. But... The healin' part."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"That's the best theory I've heard yet," Dinah said, eyes still closed. "Way better than the one about how the island just has a sick sense of humor." She sighed. "Well. I know I *can* do it. If I have to again." She was quiet, and opened her eyes. "And I've got great people to talk to about it. It seems to be helping. That and camping out with wolves. And hugging everyone else who got stuck over there."

[raspberryturk]

"I hear hugs are good for that kinda thing," Reno mused. "There's somethin' I ain't really ever got into the habit of."

Maybe he'd have to work on that.

"Plenty of people got stuck out that way, huh?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, they did. Me, Griff. Karla. Arthur. Raven, Zack." Who was a sore subject now. "I'm really glad more people weren't over there. Everyone who came back was messed up about it for at least a week. Then Tony called for help from Merlin, so we took off for Vancouver for most of a week to fight demons."

[raspberryturk]

"You know, it's sad. I don't know half them names," Reno noted, sighing. "An' don't really know much about Vancouver, either. That's up North or whatever, ain't it?"

It said a great deal about Reno that the demons were the most normal part of that whole statement, didn't it?

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

It really, really does.

"Yeah, it's where Tony's from. He was working on his TV show there, remember that? Well, maybe you didn't know. Anyway, there was a demon convergence--" She's getting better about not calling it a convention, really. "And Tony couldn't banish them all fast enough. So Merlin and Arthur and Jack Priest and me all went there for a few days. It kinda helped. I got to throw things around with telekinesis, and it was great to see Tony." She wandered over to her computer, and sent another file on water filtering. "Had my last final today. Another week before the next raft of new kids shows up. You'll even know less of those names by January, hunh?"

[raspberryturk]

"Ain't that an unsettling thought," Reno sighed. And he was talking about not knowing the names, not about the demons. The demons? Still totally normal. "Good to hear you guys got back in one piece, anyhow. Little bit of cathartic beatin' shit up never hurt nobody."

Except, of course, for the shit getting beaten.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Nope. Tony got hurt, but he can heal himself now. I got choked, but only for a minute. Oh oh oh you have to ask Arthur about the dragon!" Dinah started laughing. "Merlin blew it up from the inside and they got covered in goo!"

[raspberryturk]

Reno laughed a bit at that, too.

"That's just what Arthur needs, man. To be coated in dragon guts, yo. I bet they were freakin' rank, too. Guts always are."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Yup," Dinah said happily. "And? People were apparently critiquing his technique. They didn't think it was real." She grinned. "It's always fun when people don't take him too seriously." She sighed. "I'm looking forward to the break. Might go home for a while. Or just hit the beach several days in a row."

[raspberryturk]

"Sounds like you earned a bit of a break, zoto. Enjoy the sun an' the sand, and hopefully you won't get attacked by giant squids or somethin' while you're tryin' to sunbathe."

... Though that would be kind of fun.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Calamari special if they do," Dinah said threateningly, then snickered. It would be kind of fun, and hey, she'd already fought a tentacle-mess in Vancouver. "I'll send you stuff tomorrow. So you can have a week of trying to entertain yourself if your boss doesn't just give up and put you on the slums detail like you want."

[raspberryturk]

"Sewers," Reno corrected, casually. "Slums ain't there no more."

They were kinda flat.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Which was... depressing. And hard to know. And something she'd just keep to herself.

"Sewers. You missed it here," Dinah said lightly. "When we had to chase the alligators down into the sewers. Now it's your turn, if your boss will get over holding a grudge over a harmless, funny, joke!" Snort.

[raspberryturk]

"Eh, Tseng's Tseng. He's got a stick shoved up his asscrack at least three meters long," Reno replied, dismissively. "There ain't nothin' keepin' me outta the sewers anyhow except the fact that I ain't gettin' paid for it, an' nobody's handin' me intel on where's safe to go down there until I get back on duty."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah grinned. "That makes sense. Take back-up? Seriously?" Dinah sighed. "I worry about you, you know. I know it's not all growing beans and handing out blankets and annoying Tseng." Who would also never ever get mentioned.

[raspberryturk]

Never mentioning Tseng to Zack would be a good thing, yes. Zack was probably Tseng's best friend... ever. And the kid hadn't even met him, yet.

"If there's backup to take, I'll take it," Reno assured her. Kinda. "With Rude out coverin' the legit jobs, I might be better off just takin' up a patrol around the edges of town. I ain't gettin' paid for it, nah, but the monsters'll drop enough Gil to keep me fed, anyhow."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"That is so weird, that your monsters drop treasure. I swear. None of the ones in Vancouver left anything but bruises and wrecked set pieces," Dinah complained. "But I'm glad you can stay in the money when you're suspended that way. And are being careful." She hadn't seriously worried about his pay being suspended; maybe because no way anyone he knew would let him starve. Ramen, after all. "Any food you want me to send? Not the seeds, you've got those. But anything you miss from here?"