Junon, Gaia, Thursday Afternoon

[raspberryturk]

Junon, Reno supposed, wasn't half bad. Sure as hell better than Edge, which he couldn't wait to get the hell out of, especially after that weird-assed argument in Tseng's kitchen.

Tseng's ex-kitchen, Reno supposed.

He was sitting in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant on one of the city's lower levels, the world's crappiest coffee slowly dissolving a coffee mug in one hand, waiting for somebody in particular. He'd left Edge a little early, dragged a few of the boxes of paperwork along with him so that Rude wouldn't have to haul it all here, and then he'd started to poke around.

Yeah, Junon had suffered a bit since WEAPON's attack. But then, where the hell hadn't?

... Besides Kalm. Lucky, lucky-assed Kalm.

[Open for anyone who might want to call, or who has reason to be in Junon!]

Comments

[intraspective]

Her smile then was almost sweet, a bit cynical.

"But they are," she said, studying him with almost serene blue eyes. "Or else I've willingly and knowingly signed my own death certificate."

Never mind that her Tseng was not aware she was in his employ as of yet.

[turk_mailman]

"What?"

News to this Tseng, too, apparently.

Dear lord. Zack's timeline was so irreversibly tampered with, why was he even bothering to watch his words, at this point?

"You, a Turk?"

It wasn't incredulous, really, so much as it was... vaguely confused. Possibly a touch concerned.

[intraspective]

"Indeed," she said, contemplating her cup and wondering if she ought to get another tea. "I'd like more hot water, I think. Would you care for more?"

[turk_mailman]

Tseng was looking at Ino in quiet contemplation, now. Wondering if he could take the girl at her word.

"Please."

If nothing else, it would give him a moment to think.

[intraspective]

"Sure," she said lightly, taking his cup and slipped out of her seat to head over to the counter.

Time to think was, at least, easily provided.

[turk_mailman]

Tseng sighed, leaning back in his seat and furrowing his eyebrows at the traffic that passed him by in the street outside the window. It was odd, really, how in spite of the view of the ocean past the roadway, Junon felt so much more like Midgar than Edge, these days.

The girl claimed to be a Turk. Naturally, the thing to do would be to demand her identification card, to make her prove it.

She was close to Zack. She possibly had the means to save the lives of the Turks that he'd failed to keep alive.

His brow creased even further. The rock had been met with a hard place.

[intraspective]

She took her time, demanding that the tea actually be steeped this time instead of... off-coloured water, and chatting to the barista as she waited patiently for it.

In a way, Ino was nervous to go back to her seat. She had no identification. She had nothing but a phone, truly, and that was from Reno.

Despite her worries, eventually she had to go back and when she did, she had not only her tea and his tea, but a plate of something she was fairly sure was shortbread. "I didn't know if what you liked," she said, setting his tea down and hopping back in her chair. "But you can have some if you'd like."

She'd just... felt like having some sugar.

[turk_mailman]

"Thank you, Yamanaka-san."

He didn't reach for the item on the plate, simply curling his fingers around the teacup. They'd see how the conversation went. From there, he might consider helping himself to a small portion of the dessert.

"Tell me, how long have you been a Turk?"

Best to get this out of the way, first, watching her carefully all the while.

[intraspective]

"Not long," she admitted, counting the time back in her head. "I was offered the position December 11th. Zack and I left Midgar the next day and have not been back to Gaia since."

Nonetheless. She was a Turk.

... Her Tseng would probably like to know that. Ino ignored that.

[turk_mailman]

Tseng's expression was now torn, somewhere halfway between a frown and a tiny smile.

"Then you haven't had much in the way of experience with the job, just yet?"

Not only was he conversing about the fate of Gaia with a child, he was discussing it with a rookie.

[intraspective]

She looked down.

"No, sir."

Which was... a bit embarrassing, but well...

True.

[turk_mailman]

"What do you know about the way we lost our people?"

That was even, calm. Possibly almost pleasant, all things considered.

He could handle being called 'sir.' Heaven knew, the Turk who considered her his Rookie never bothered.

[intraspective]

She peered at him, trying to evaluate that tone.

Either she was doomed and he was toying with her, or he was seriously considering giving her information.

... Ino was betting on 'doomed'.

"I know that AVALANCHE is involved," she said, carefully. "And that it was something that occurred in Midgar and that it took out the vast majority of the Turks in one go. Those who survived were not present."

[turk_mailman]

"Reno, Rude, and myself," Tseng confirmed, nodding faintly.

He sipped at his tea - a vast improvement on his last cupful - and continued to look at Ino with those cool, evaluating eyes of his.

"Rare Materia," he noted, "time and again proves itself to be the bane of The Planet."

No details yet. Just that.

[intraspective]

She broke a piece of shortbread with her fingers and nibbled on the smaller bit.

Funny how she was less hungry right now, in front of him.

"Was it ShinRa who wanted the materia for their own greed," she asked, "or was it to protect itself that they wished no one else to have it?"

[turk_mailman]

Tseng's lips actually twisted slightly, into the shadow of a smile.

"Neither."

In the case of Zirconiade, it had been the Turks and AVALANCHE, racing to get their hands on the summon materia, and ShinRa's whims had little do to with the materia's fate. In the case of Meteor, ShinRa hadn't stood a shadow's chance. He'd almost been trapped inside the temple, when it had changed to the black materia, and it had gone from Cloud's hands to Sephiroth's without ShinRa ever having a real chance at it.

[intraspective]

She tilted her head, puzzled, as she studied him and that faint faint smile of his.

"No?"

[turk_mailman]

"The distinction isn't always so clear," he replied, "between ShinRa and AVALANCHE. And the line blurs even more, when grouping the Turks together with ShinRa at all times."

First and foremost, the Turks would remain loyal to the Turks.

[intraspective]

That much she got. The rest of it was...

A mite confusing. Truly.

"Turks put their loyalty to each other first,"" she replied steadily. "But the Turks do ShinRa's dirty work, do they not?"

[turk_mailman]

"Even Turks have their limits."

Considering some of the things that the Turks had done, that probably said a fair bit.

"We aren't SOLDIER, no. But we have our honor, too."

Honor amongst thieves and murderers, perhaps. But it was there.

[intraspective]

"I did not mean to imply otherwise," she said, with a sidelong glance. "I am new to the Turks. Not new to the work."

[turk_mailman]

Tseng pursed his lips just slightly. This girl had a great deal to learn.

She'd learn it.

"We do the job. We pride ourselves greatly on our ability to get the job done, as I'm certain you're aware. However, sometimes, doing the job requires making decisions that even the company might not necessarily agree with."

He sipped at his tea.

"Part of being a Turk, Yamanaka-san, is knowing the difference."

[intraspective]

Ino glanced at him, then out the window.

"I'll learn," she said, softly.

[turk_mailman]

"You'll have no choice."

Those who didn't learn, didn't last long.

[intraspective]

Her smile twisted.

"Unless we all die, no."

That was true, as far as it went.