Arms Hotel Room 314, Saturday Morning

[raspberryturk]

Reno had gotten word that the Tseng from his own reality had made it to the island safe and sound. Was he going to offer the man somewhere to crash in the bachelor pad of disaster? No friggin' way. But he was going to make his way to the hotel this morning in order to pay the boss a visit. Much as he'd always been a thorn in Tseng's side... they were Turks. They'd been through hell and back together. And he was much-overdue for a good session of picking Tseng's brain about what to do with... that other problem.

So he'd talked up the concierge to see what room was booked out to a 'Tseng,' and then headed on up, giving a shave-and-a-haircut style knock on the door.

The answer was not, in fact, the traditional 'two bits,' which Reno had kind of figured.

Nah, the answer this morning was simply the door opening, and Tseng looking out at him with a raised eyebrow, hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, a vaguely irritated look on his far-too-young face.

Reno blinked.

From somewhere behind the Tseng in the doorway, two other vaguely irritated voices offered in unison, "Need something, Reno?"

Reno's reply, the only reply he could think of, was a rather eloquent, "Ah, fuck."

[OOC: Open for anyone who has any reason to visit a Tseng or three!]

Comments

[intraspective]

And, truly, there was no way Ino could resist a frantic text from Reno telling her there Tsengs about.

Even though she knew good and well that her Tseng was here to mama duck her.

So, shortly after, Ino was rapping cheerfully on the door.

[callmeboss]

It was, once again, the youngest of the Tsengs to answer the door. The other two had seniority, which meant they had rank, which meant that a small, scowling Turk was opening the door, looking Iris once over, and then raising an eyebrow and looking back at the other two and a mildly traumatized Reno.

"Which one of you does this one belong to?"

[intraspective]

"Tiny boss!" Ino said cheerfully. "Yo!"

Because he was the tiniest boss. It was adorable.

"And to answer your question," she weren't going to answer his question, "you all belong to me!"

No, not really, but honestly: how could she resist?

[turk_mailman]

"Not quite," came the vaguely unimpressed reply of the Tseng that Reno had been expecting, sitting on the edge of the bed that was all his (the other two had to share, seniority worked in his favor there, too) with his arms crossed over his chest. "But it was a nice try, Iris."

[ponytailedturk]

"That one is mine," came the sigh from the... middlest Tseng. He had situated himself by the window, where he was keeping watch over the room, but also looking out the window, taking it upon himself to keep guard duty. "Iris. Good of you to visit."

[intraspective]

She shrugged easily.

"I had to try," she explained, to the tiniest Tseng, as she wandered into the room. "Yo! Figured I'd come save Reno before he jumped out a window and also save you lot the trouble of tracking me down."

Because, looking at them, she knew one for sure would've. And another might've.

[raspberryturk]

"You're a real friggin' hero, Iris," Reno said, from his own vantage point by another window. Which, yes, he was totally considrering exiting through. They were only on, what, the third floor? He'd be fiiiiiine. "Anyway, check this out. If ever you weren't gettin' bossed around enough, now we got the whole set, yo."

A pause.

"Except baby boss there, yo. We both outrank him."

Rufus' Tseng's eyelid twitched faintly.

[intraspective]

"Is that how that works?" she wondered, contemplating the layout and then taking a seat on the unoccupied bed. "Excellent. I always wanted to boss about a Tseng."

A beat.

"Zack ain't comin'," she told her Tseng. "I told 'em there were three of you and he did this shudder thing at me. Baby actual boss might show up, he were still decidin' last I checked on him."

Baby actual boss being, naturally, Rufus.

[ponytailedturk]

Two Tsengs winced, one almost imperceptibly. One, this one, not terribly subtly at all. For Tseng, anyway.

A third just kind of took note of that between the two of them and wondered who the hell Zack was supposed to be.

"I appreciate you looking in on both all the same," Middle-Tseng said, recovering from that wince impressively quickly. "Have you and Zack been well?"

... What kind of question was that? He just heaved an inward sigh at himself. The worst of it had been last week. He couldn't help but ask.

[intraspective]

Her smile faded.

"We didn't do nothin' stupid," she said, after a moment. "If that's what you were askin'."

[ponytailedturk]

There was another moment's pause before Tseng replied, simply bowed his head, and said, "Very good."

Honestly. Who had even let him come here for this thing in the first place? He hadn't seen Iris in months and Zack in...

...

In some time.

And he supposed Reno was here too.

[intraspective]

Did she... had she...?

Ino felt a bit like she'd hurt Tseng's feelings and, well, that was a bit awkward since she hadn't meant to.

"Zack spent it on the roof thinkin'," Ino offered, since... fine. Fine. She didn't want Tseng to think he weren't welcome. He was. It were just awkward with an audience. "I spent it with friends, so I weren't alone or left to my own devices."

[ponytailedturk]

"Very good," Tseng said.

...

Again. He was on a roll, today.

"Perhaps we'll get an opportunity to do some catching up later? Your reports are impeccable as always, but they lack the usual charm of your spoken ones."

He'd missed being teased. So sue him.

[intraspective]

That... apparently he were feeling emotional today. Aw.

Not that most people would be able to tell, admittedly, but Ino knew Tseng.

"Of course," she said, smiling a bit and resisting the urge to tease him right there. "I can show you my shop and report there."

After Fenris was done for the day. She weren't inflicting her minion on her boss... or the other way around.

[raspberryturk]

"Awwwww," Reno drawled. "He missed you."

What? It wasn't like the other two Tsengs in the room hadn't noticed, either.

Of course, he was met with a sharp "Reno" from two of the three of them while the third continued to be all tiny and out of his depth.

"Actually, I was thinkin' of grabbin' the one that's workin' on becomin' Silver Fox Tseng here an' havin' a chat, myself. Got my own Gaia to check up on, after all."

That one earned an eyeroll from the correct Tseng, at least.

[intraspective]

"Comments like that are why I'm his favourite and you're not," Ino retorted, her hair grabbing the Kleenex box off the nightstand and lobbing it in his direction.

"Wouldn't mind talkin' to you myself," Ino admitted, glancing at... er... Silver Fox Tseng.

And even knowing what his hair being loose meant, she couldn't help but concede (if only to herself) that he looked damn fine with it down.

[turk_mailman]

Tseng-the-eldest raised an eyebrow at the... hair... trick, but otherwise seemed unphased by it.

"Of course," he replied. "I'm here all weekend. Unless Reno's business keeps me longer than I expect," and at this point in his life, he knew Reno well enough to gauge how long it would take him fairly well, "I should be available to speak this evening, or tomorrow."

[intraspective]

She grinned at him.

"And this time," Ino said, "we can have proper drinks instead of what they were callin' tea in Junon."

Because that had been tragic.

[turk_mailman]

And now, the faintest hint of a smile.

"We make do," he noted, a small touch of wryness in his tone, "but tea is still low on the list of priorities."

'While we work on re-building an entire agricultural infrastructure after the lifestream relocated,' went unsaid. There were small, impressionable ears in the room.

[intraspective]

Poor baby Tseng. No one was telling him anything.

"All the more reason to enjoy proper tea while you're here," she said easily. "I don't know what Reno's got against all of you. I'm okay with this."

Three Tsengs didn't bother her at all.

[raspberryturk]

"It's because I'm a little shit and two outta three of 'em got vendettas against me, yo," Reno replied easily.

Eldest Tseng rolled his eyes and smiled just slightly. Middle Tseng sighed. Littlest Tseng was just giving him such a side-eye and making a mental note to try to talk Veld out of hiring any redheads in the near future.

[intraspective]

Ino just laughed.

"Are you gonna try and make it three for three?"

[raspberryturk]

"Nah," Reno replied. "That little one's still soft. It'd be too easy."

A pause.

"Nevermind, I think I just managed it, yo."

[studyingfear]

Rufus had considered not showing up at all.

He'd even considered not being on the island at all--not due to avoiding Tseng, precisely, but due to scheduling other things during that time.

But the amusement potential in meeting three Tsengs at once had been too interesting to not show up.

Rufus knocked, once.

[callmeboss]

And the appropriate Tseng answered.

A third time.

"... Ah," he said, managing not to scowl at his charge. "You are still on the island."

Good. That made his job much simpler. And infinitely more frustrating.

[studyingfear]

Rufus smiled faintly at him.

"I could leave, if you'd rather," he said, because if nothing else, trolling Tseng was always fun.

[callmeboss]

Tseng simply gave Rufus the long-suffering look of a man who had been done with his shit a year ago but was hell-bent on doing his damn job, and opened the door further, gesturing inside.

"By all means, come in."

[studyingfear]

Rufus still looked amused and, all right, pleased with himself as he wandered into the hotel room.

And stopped, surveying the other occupants.

"My," he said, a definite hint of a laugh in his voice, "Tseng, how does it feel to be outclassed?"

By himself, no less!

"You're stuck on door duty."

Oh, this was gold.

[callmeboss]

Did that door slam a little harder than was necessary as Rufus walked in?

You bet it did.

"I was closest."

This was untrue.

[studyingfear]

Rufus shook his head.

"If that's what is getting you through this weekend, who am I to tell you otherwise?"

He... he was definitely laughing at his Tseng.

[callmeboss]

His Tseng's teeth were absolutely not grinding together, honest.

"Yes," he said, slowly. "Answering the door because I'm closest is what's keeping me going."

He knew Rufus was like this.

Why did he always manage to get to him anyway?

[studyingfear]

Because Tseng, you cared. Far, far too much.

"I'm sure the rest of you are glad your mes didn't come along," Rufus said carelessly. "So I'm here to make up that lack."

[turk_mailman]

"Mm," the eldest of the Tsengs said, a faintly amused look on our face. "Ours had important matters to attend to."

It would take someone who knew him really, really well to know that he was making a slight jab, there, instead of simply explaining Rufus' absence.

[studyingfear]

And Rufus didn't really care either.

"I was attending to important matters," he said easily. "But I was reminded that frivolity is the heart and soul of every teenager and that my father might like to hear I remain alive."

Perhaps? Possibly?

[raspberryturk]

"Such a sentimental guy, old man Shinra," Reno snorted.

Such a dead, dead, crazy old asshole that nobody missed, that old man Shinra.