Room 429, Friday Evening

[raspberryturk]

Reno was looking at the dirty postcard that he had received from Romeo with about as much admiration as agitation.

On one hand, Romeo had pretty sweet taste in women.

On the other hand, the hundred-and-something year old postcard was... a hundred and something years old. Which was going to be problematic, so far as writing Romeo back to thank him for the vintage porn was concerned.

"Say tray jolly yes," Reno decided, butchering the French language as he stood the postcard on his dresser and stepped back to appreciate it. "And so help me, dammit, I'm gonna tell you that to your face, yoto."

[Door's shut, but the post is open like openly open things. Calling all girlfriends, yo.]

Comments

[raspberryturk]

Knocks were pretty generic, so far as knocks went.

Mrowls that sounded like retarded cat oracles were somewhat more specific.

Reno was trying not to look too insanely relieved as he opened the door to see Rikku and her little cat, too.

"Yo!"

[the_merriest]

"Hiya," she said quickly, and then attempted to see how hard she could squeeze him while still holding a Petey. "I, uh. I was gonna come earlier? But Petey's being all snuggly, 'cause he knows I'm upset? He's good at that. So I didn't. And, uh. Hi. How are you?"

[raspberryturk]

For whatever reason, Reno was entirely okay with the squeezy-hug thing. Hell, he returned it. And didn't want to let go.

"Been worse, yo." He looked her over, just to be certain there were no parts missing. Parts were important. "You okay?"

[the_merriest]

"I didn't even hurt it," she scowled. "I went there, I set it off, and nothing. Not even a dent. I wasted all those explosives for nothing."

Petey was wriggling. As he was not fond of being squished.

[raspberryturk]

"Nothing at all?"

Whoa. This was Reno's 'Whoa' face.

He backed off a half-step and motioned for her to come into his room so they could set the cat down and shut the door.

"Those are some freakin' hardcore statues," he mumbled.

[the_merriest]

"I was expecting there to be a hole in the ground," she admitted. More like a crater, really. A big one. "I was just trying to get away far enough to trip the switch, and then it was chasing me. Didn't even slow it down."

She set Petey down, reluctantly, trying not to shiver.

[raspberryturk]

He stepped forward again and pulled her into his arms.

"So, we know blowin' 'em up ain't gonna do it," he mumbled, shaking his head a little. "Means there's gotta be another way to get rid of 'em. Still far from over, zoto."

[the_merriest]

"You'd look away for a second and it was following you," she murmured, burrowing into his chest. "Pointing at you. It must have ... have chased them, run them down, and ..."

Don't think about it. Don't. Don't.

[raspberryturk]

He was going to hold her closer, marvel at how having her pressing her face into his chest made him feel like he was somehow making a world of difference, just by standing there and having a chest to burrow into. Kind of made him feel bigger than he really was. Weird, a little.

"Got a postcard from Romeo today," he said, kind-of but not-really changing the topic.

[the_merriest]

"I got a letter," she said softly. "I miss him. We have to get him back. We have to."

[raspberryturk]

"We will," Reno replied, giving her another squeeze. "... I miss him too. At least he... isn't real unhappy there. Thinkin' about it, it's gotta be... kinda like a vacation for him, yoto. Mexico, take two."

But with more girls with their tits hanging out. And absinthe instead of tequila.

[the_merriest]

"I wish I could write back," she said softly. "H-he sounds safe, and I want to tell him - I got your letter, I'm good, please take care, all the rest of it. And that I'll ... he asked that I ... m-mail something, if he's not home ... s-soon."

Shivering a little. "What ... did your postcard say?"

[raspberryturk]

"Told me he was enjoyin' the freedom in the air. Asked me to take care of you and Doji." Like Reno wasn't going to anyhow. "Romeo's still Romeo, yo." He nodded toward the picture of the bare-breasted woman on the old postcard sitting on his dresser.

...

"He's doin' good."

[the_merriest]

Rikku looked over, and then clapped her hand over her mouth. "The naked lady!? He sent you that?!"

[raspberryturk]

Reno wasn't going to laugh at her reaction. He wasn't.

... Hard.

"Yeah, he sent me that. Guess he met her or her sister or somethin' at the place he's been hangin' around. Mullin Roog or whatever."

Reno had no concept of the French language whatsoever.

[the_merriest]

She was giggling. "Oh, man, if he cheats on Dojima, he's dead."

They were ignoring Petey. Petey hated being ignored. Therefore, Petey was going to attack Reno's shoelaces. Omnomnom.

[raspberryturk]

"This is Romeo we're talkin' about, here." Reno smirked and shook his head. "He's too much a pussycat when it comes to girls to do somethin' like that, yot--"

There was a retarded cat attacking his shoelaces.

"Petey ain't happy unless he's tryin' to kill whatever I'm wearin', huh?"

[the_merriest]

Petey yowled happily. Reno! Hi, Reno! Hiiiii!

"He likes you," she said, laughing as she bent to scoop him up. "S-sorry, I shouldn't have brought him, I know, just ... I was all sniffly and he wouldn't get off my lap. I'll take him back now."

She pressed her face into the back of Petey's fur, smiling to herself, and he mrrrrred back at her.

[raspberryturk]

"That'd make this one of the shortest visits you ever made," Reno noted, smirking faintly. "He ain't hurtin' nothin'. Just gettin' drool on my shoes."

[the_merriest]

"He was getting toothmarks on your shoes," she giggled, and then flipped Petey over to press her face into his belly. "It's hard to give kitties raspberries. Too much fur."

[raspberryturk]

"I get a discount on new shoes," Reno pointed out. "Bet all that fur gets right up your nose, too, zoto."

[the_merriest]

"It tickles," she grinned. "He's so snuzzly. Some kitties are cuddly, but very on their own terms. He's kinda all, 'hooray, you're touching me!' Kinda weird."

She nodded to the door. "And I wasn't gonna leave leave. Just run him back. So I can ... I mean ... I can stay tonight, right? That's okay?"

[raspberryturk]

"Of course you can, yo. You wanna stay the night, I want you to stay the night, all works out well like that, I think."

Yes, yes this was, in fact, Reno saying that he would like for her to stay overnight in his room.

Someone call Ripley's.

[the_merriest]

"Okay," she grinned. "Then I gotta take him back. Yes I do! Yes I dooooo. Before you get into things and eat them. Because you eat things and you are such a bad kitty. Yes you are. You aaaaaaare."

He was.

[raspberryturk]

Reno eyed the exchange between cat and girl, his lips pulling into a bit more of a grin.

"Damn, girl. With the way you coo over that thing, I'm startin' to wonder if you suffer separation anxiety when he's not in the same room as you overnight, yo."