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

[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.

[turk_mailman]

"Even if you do. You've got... several years to learn it, if I'm not mistaken."

If she didn't figure it out in five or six years' time, then he'd had worse judgment in his youth than he'd thought.

[intraspective]

"I'm a fast learner," she said, instead of disputing the timeline with him.

[turk_mailman]

"Yes, I suppose you would be." He sipped again at his tea. She'd managed this much, at least. "I can't give you all of the answers. I don't have many of them myself. Your life is about to get messy, Yamanaka-san, and you have my apologies that I cannot prevent the worst from happening. Much of what happened to the Turks was beyond the control of the Turks, and all I can share with you are personal regrets."

[intraspective]

Ino drank her tea without tasting it.

That was a 'no'.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she said, sounding regretful. "As with or without support, we're going to try and change things."

But support would have made them less likely to destroy more in their good intentions.

[turk_mailman]

"I know."

That was the way of Turks, as well.

"Perhaps my standpoint will change on this topic in due time. At present... You have my best wishes, and my apologies that I can't offer more... pertinent details."

But gods, did he want to.

[intraspective]

"Won't," she said, with that same gentle but steely smile from earlier. "I understand that as well."

[turk_mailman]

"Won't." Tseng wouldn't deny that, either. "Should that cease to remain the case, my Turks know how to get in touch with you."

He emptied his teacup, and then gave her a brief nod before pushing his seat out and readying himself to stand.

"You understand, when the temptation is this great, important decisions such as this require... time. For proper consideration."

That was about as close as he could possibly come to admitting that he wanted to assist. There were not words for how much he wanted to. But hasty decisions made in the past for personal reasons had cost his Turks too much already.

[intraspective]

"Of course," she said, meeting his gaze. "And thank you."

For not turning her down flatly.

She hadn't gotten much from him, but she'd gotten more than she would have thought.