Of the Turks

[Tseng]

The ShinRa building may have been restored, but it was still all but empty – almost as empty as the hollow skeleton of Midgar that surrounded it. The view from the window near the top of the building looked nearly the same as it had always done, but there were no lights in the city any more, and the buildings stood silent like tombstones in a graveyard. Tseng had been vaguely surprised by how much the chilling comparison had affected him the first time he had made it.

ShinRa HQ was currently mainly the Turks’ HQ, as it had been before Meteorfall. Tseng let out a small sigh, before turning away from the window and surveying the small gathering before him. It was a rare occasion, in that nearly all of the Turks were present, apart from those whose current assignments were too important to be put on hold. That was, nearly all the Turks were supposed to be here.

A few of the Turks seemed to believe that if they weren’t five minutes early, they were late. Others would arrive dead on-time, not a minute sooner, or later. And then there were those – mentioning no names – who seemed to believe that when a time was set for something, it was little more than a rough guideline, and therefore they would turn up whenever they felt like it… which usually meant late.

It was annoying, Tseng thought, because every time they pulled a stunt like this, they were demeaning his authority. If even one irresponsible Turk could get away with breaking the rules, how could he expect any of the others to respect him? Were the disciplinary actions he had taken still too lenient? Very well, if it took more extreme forms of punishment to get his method across, it would be done. Just one renegade Turk would put far too much at risk to be allowed to get away with it.

But in order to deal with said Turk, the culprit must first make an appearance… which brought Tseng’s thought patterns right back round in a circle, for what was quite likely the thousandth time. Taking a seat at the head of the table, he gazed around at the Turks who had decided to get here on time.

Some were sat calmly and patiently, and if they were irritated by the waste of time, they certainly weren’t showing it. Others were quite clearly irritated and were making absolutely no effort to hide it. Still others looked obviously bored and were either fidgeting restlessly, or yawning and looking like they were about to fall asleep. A few were watching him intently, though whether they were waiting for him to speak or just trying to judge his state of mind, he couldn’t tell. And others were staring at nothing in particular, or glancing around the room at the others gathered, or even sitting with their eyes closed as though meditating… or perhaps they really had just gotten bored of waiting and fallen asleep.

The idle chatter that had filled the room as the Turks had began to turn up had faded to low, muttered exchanges and oddly strained silence. No doubt it was in respect of the fact that the meeting had officially started a good twenty minutes ago, and they were waiting for him to start speaking. Because, beyond the disciplinary matters that had to be attended to, the object of the meeting was to discuss something much more important. That was the reason that almost all of the Turks were here, putting on hold their current assignments. And no doubt, as the fact that everyone was here had sunk in with them, they had realised this, and that was the main reason for the expectant silence.

Tseng suppressed another sigh. He was feeling stressed, and when he felt stressed, his thoughts started going round in very repetitive circles. He sat back, folding his hands together on his lap, and closed his eyes, attempting to clear his mind, and ignore the quiet muttering that had started once more as he did so.

He was not a violent man, but by Shiva, sometimes he felt like killing that red-haired imbecile. Unable to clear his mind, Tseng instead occupied it by considering the total amount of individual body parts it would be possible to remove (preferably with a dull, rusty blade) before rendering the drunken monkey utterly useless on assignment. Or dead. Which were practically the same thing, because being dead was about the only way Reno could get any more useless than he already was in the first place…

26 minutes late, and counting…

[Reno]

This was going to be it...he knew it.
Deep down in the pit of Reno's stomach he felt the tension in the air...and the smell of coffee had taken it's toll on the red-head.
His hangover was still lurking, and the smell of the coffee made him want to vomit.
But he had to stop by to see 'the secretary' like he usually would...try his luck at going out with her. Ask her on a date...
Sure she'd giggle at him and sometimes talk to him, but she'd always deliver a slap across the face if he so much as began to ask her that said question.
You didn't have to be a smart-ass to catch on to Reno's flirtatious nature.

But just as he felt like he was actually getting somewhere with the secretary, he adjusted his jacket (which was hung over his right shoulder) and rolled up his sleeves to try and 'flash off' what little muscle he had, and caught sight of his watch.
He stared at it blankly, almost as if sure he had to be somewhere.

26 minutes.

He blinked, before scratching his head and looking at the nearby charter for meeting arrangements.
There was one that had been scribbled out, but that was weeks away...

"Shouldn't you be somewhere?" the secretary sighed, obviously irritated by Reno still being here...pestering her.
Duh, he knew he had to be somewhere. But the question was...where?
The red-head blinked again and looked at his watch...as if seeking an answer from that little device.
Of course, all he got was the time.

"Ugh...the meetin' on the next floor...moron..." the secretary blurted out before turning around to file some paperwork.
It took a few seconds for Reno's brain to register the given information before a response finally triggered.
And that response was the usual attitude he had for situations like this.

"Oh crap! I'm late!! I gotta go babe, catch ya later maybe?" Reno waved as he franticly rushed towards the stairway.
The secretary rolled her eyes and sighed in an irritated manner as Reno nearly fell flat on his face as he ran up the stairs.
--------

After a solid dash up the stairway to the next floor, and a few slams onto his face as he tripped over his own feet in the corridoor, Reno finally reached the door that lead to the meeting.
First things first, he was going to make sure he didn't barge in whilst they where talking.
Pressing his left ear against the door to listen, he was releived when he heard nothing.
A smug look returned to his face, maybe he was early for once and his watch was actually broken?
He flipped his jacket back over his right shoulder and opened the door with the same smug-nature written all over him...until he saw that he WAS late.
And not only was he late, but he came in as if pretending he wasn't.

"...uhh....what's going on, yo?" Reno chuckled nervously, glancing towards Tseng to see if he'd been expecting his late arrival...again.
In an instant of looking at Tseng, Reno looked away...as if he was afraid of the Wutainese man's stare.
Then again, Reno did beleive Tseng was like that Medusa chick...every time his boss glared at him he'd freeze in terror...well, if he wasn't drunk...
But today, all he had was a hangover...a splitting headache and a sickly stomach.
He even woke up late today after breaking his alarm clock...late the night before when he had binge-drank himself to the point of passing out on the bedroom floor...after smashing up his bedroom with his EMR.
Hopefully that topic wouldn't be brought up.

[Tseng]

At first, when the door finally opened, Tseng did not open his eyes. He knew, without having to look, exactly who had just entered and not only because of the rather strong smell of alcohol which followed the late arrival into the room. And he’d walked in without even so much as a knock at the door to ensure he wasn’t interrupting anything. The idiot probably hadn't even realised he was late until he walked in and saw them all waiting. Ignoring Reno's vaguely nervous-sounding question, (no apology for being late, he noted) Tseng opened his eyes, glaring at the red-haired Turk, like a Cockatrice with a sore head.

“Reno,” he stated coolly, his voice perfectly level and controlled, and all the more intimidating for it. “You're late.”

There was another muttered exchange at the other end of the table. One of the Turks let out a snort of laughter and promptly attempted to cover it up with a bout of coughing. Tseng ignored it. Even if he couldn’t justify removing Reno’s limbs one by one in the most painful way he could think of, he certainly could humiliate the red-head in front of his colleagues. Reno seemed to value his image, although he seemed conveniently unaware that the image he had of himself in his own mind was completely different from what others saw of him.

Placing one hand on the small collection of folders lying on the table in front of him, Tseng tapped them with his fingertips, as though to draw attention to them. The folder on top of the pile contained Reno’s personal files. He’d intended to discipline Reno during this meeting to begin with – the fact that the red-haired Turk had turned up late was just one more thing that he needed to be disciplined about.

He kept his glare fixed on Reno for a little while longer, and then turned his attention to the folder as he opened it, flicking through the papers inside, pausing occasionally to glance over a page. Intentionally taking his time; letting the silence drag, making Reno squirm a little longer. There had been a lot of sheets added: notes on various… ‘incidents’… that had required attention in the past; a page full of observations on the red-head’s increasingly lazy and irresponsible behaviour; details on complaints made by several ShinRa staff members concerning his sleazy and lecherous behaviour… and in practically every single note, there was some mention of alcohol.

“Sit down, Reno,” Tseng ordered, as he looked up from the folder and saw the red-head still hovering by the door. Fixing the idiot with that piercing glare again, he gestured to an empty chair that was near enough to his own seat to ensure that Reno was as uncomfortable as possible. “Firstly, I think, we should hear an explanation as to why exactly you believe it acceptable to turn up to what was clearly stated to be a critical and top-priority meeting almost half an hour late.”

[Reno]

Reno felt the glares he was getting from the other Turks...and especially that ever-intimidating look Tseng was giving.
As soon as Tseng spoke the words 'you're late' he instantly tensed up...usually if he was late for a meeting he'd have drank something to ease his tension.
But he had nothing but a hangover, and that just made him more nervous over the current situation.
In almost an instant of hearing Tseng speak, a harsh laugh caught Reno's attention and caused him to glare at the said Turk as if suspecting something...and once the noise settled down the sound of tapping caused Reno to reluctantly turn to face Tseng again...just in time to see he had his personal files and was tapping them.
The red-head was clueless at first...the hangover had probably blown multiple brain cells even though the alcohol had vanished from his system...because it took him a while to catch on to what Tseng was trying to point out.

"Oooh crap..." the red-head thought, leeting out a slightly cautious yelp after finally remembering what was in those files.
The reports of misconduct, showing up drunk on duty if not showing up late, being disrespectful to superiors, harassing female workers, vandalism, antisocial conduct under the influence of intoxicating substances...which involved him picking a fight with a post box and destroying it...not to mention the countless records of 'indecent exposure' at work AND in public.
Those where just a few of the many things Reno knew would be in that file...among other, more humiliating, inccidents.

"Damn, this sucks! I swear he's targeting me just cause I'm cool!" he thought, flashing a slightly irritated look at nothing in particular.
The red-head said nothing as Tseng instructed him to take a seat...and he so much as didn't breath as he cautiously took the said-seat close to Tseng.
This most certainly was unsettling for the red-head...his stomach was growling silently at him as punishment for the binge-drinking last night...and his head was throbbing with pain to ensure he never forgot what he actually did last night other than pick fights.
By hell, Reno swore he'd never mix drinks like that again.

"....hear an explanation...."
Those 3 words cut right through, clean through...he had no explination...well, one that he knew Tseng wouldn't already expect him to give.
The 'usual' excuses never worked anyway...and to signify that he had no excuse (or would rather not deliver it) Rno stayed silent...and looked down at the desk, shifting his gaze up to Tseng every few seconds like an injured animal.
If he didn't say anything, Tseng would be pissed...but he'd rather take that than explain those...humiliating...reasons as to why he was late.

(sucks, sorry!)

[Yue]

Yue hated meetings. And not only because of the constant talking about some minor assignment detail or other that really wasn't that important to begin with. He hated meetings because the majority of the rest of the Turks were pretty... intimidating. Many of them were decent people with decent backgrounds. He was just a slum rat who happened to get lucky, and he constantly had the feeling that he wasn't supposed to be here.

The waiting didn't help his discomfort. He was sat low in his seat, looking a little like he was trying to hide behind his mug of coffee, which he hadn't even started drinking, and which was beginning to grow cold. His eyes constantly darted from one Turk to the next, studying each intently, trying to discern as much as he could about them without them noticing him doing so. The bald-headed one, Rude, gave a small nod as Yue's gaze fell on him, and immediately Yue sank a little further in his seat, dropping his gaze and staring instead at the coffee. Rude had been watching him? It was impossible to tell when his eyes were hidden behind those shades. Shifting in discomfort, Yue instead fell to studying a mark on the table, which was obviously very interesting, considering how intently he was staring at it when the door finally opened.

Glancing up at the red-haired Turk who'd just entered, Yue blinked. He hadn't even noticed Reno was missing, which was odd, because Reno was the kind of person who you could never overlook when he was present, and therefore could never fail to miss when he was not. And he was late, which explained the long wait after the official beginning of the meeting when nobody actually spoke... well, not about anything official, anyway. Yue let out a small sigh. Why did he always seem to be at least three steps behind everyone else?

He blinked at the poorly-disguised laugh, glancing up at the Turk responsible and wondering what his companion had said that was so amusing. He knew most of the opinions that the other Turks had about Reno - he spent most of his time people-watching and listening in on conversations, after all (he had never been confident enough to join in).

Whatever the meeting was supposed to be about, it was clear that right now the issue was Reno, and Yue silently chided himself for having not sat a little closer to Tseng so he could have snooped a look at a little of what was in the red-head's files. Ah well, what could you do?

[Tseng]

Tseng waited a few minutes to see what generic excuse Reno would pull out as an ‘explanation’ this time, but perhaps the red-head was learning, because for once, he just kept quiet. Tseng let the silence drag a little more, as though he was still waiting for an answer, taking longer to read through one page in Reno's file than was absolutely necessary, just for effect.

“You stink of alcohol, Reno,” he said offhandedly, looking up from the file at long last. “I would greatly appreciate it if you could turn up for work in future, not only on time, but having had a shower beforehand. We do have an image to uphold, after all.”

He flipped back to the first page of the folder, which gave Reno’s personal details, everything from age and date of birth to height and weight to blood type, health problems common amongst members of his family, and detailed information on his medical records, including a few recent, hand-written notes, which unsurprisingly contained several mentions of alcohol. The typically puerile Reno, leering at him from the photograph attached to the page, was a far cry from the red-head’s current look, which was something like a beaten Guard Hound pup.

Lifting his cup of Wutaian green tea to his lips to hide the small smile that was threatening to show itself there, Tseng paused as if in thought, glaring down at the photograph with an expression of distaste, before setting the teacup down again and snapping the folder shut.

“You quite clearly have a problem, Reno. I’ve let you get away with it for long enough. The most obvious solution is to dismiss you from the Turks,” he paused again, to let this sink in, dragging out the silence once more as he lifted Reno’s folder and tapped one end against the table to straighten the loose papers within. “But, fortunatelymuch laziness and irresponsibility you’ve approached assignments with in the past, you have proved yourself useful on several occasions – though I’m sure much of that is thanks to your partner – and moreover, the Turks are growing unfortunately few in numbers lately. I can’t afford to lose any more men. So, therefore, you’ll simply be receiving a pay cut, the exact amount of which will be decided later, but which I assure you will be significant.”

[Reno]

So much for the 'keeping quiet making things better' plan...if anything Reno felt more nervous and uncertain about what would happen now.
This was the first time in ages where Reno just kept his mouth shut, especially in situations like this.
Then again, he wasn't sat amongst his fellow collegues in previous confrontations with Tseng...and if anything he'd have masked the smell of alcohol and cigarettes beforehand.
Today wasn't going too well...
Reno glanced up at Tseng the very instant he mentioned the smell of alcohol, and he was quite right...usually the red-head would try to hide the facts over how he'd drank, but because of some silly reasons involving no alarm clock he woke up too late to even shower.
Glancing down at the desk again as if expecting the worst...like an injured puppy...Reno tried his best to come up with an excuse to fight off whatever the Wutainese Turk had in store for him.
But Tseng's next words...caused Reno to enter a fit of panic.

"WHAT!?" Reno yelped in surprise, slapping both his hands onto his red-head, displaying a look that would only fit that of someone who was just told they where going to die.
If Tseng hadn't of spoken those reassuring words afterwards, Reno might of snapped...the last thing he wanted was to go back to his old job.
The job he hated doing so much...the pay was louzy...but back then the red-head wasn't spending his pay on booze at all.
Nobody really knows why he took up drinking anyway, but this job as a Turk helped him pay a lot of his hospital bills relating to drinking.
It would be hell if he got a dead-end job again...or a pay-cut....

"Thank god he isn't sacking me!...w-wait...what's he talking about now??" Reno eased his grip on his red-head and eyed tseng with caution...he wasn't done yet, and the drunkard didn't want to get any nasty surprises whilst he was mellowing out.
Too bad the nasty surprise came anyway...in the form of Tseng mentioning the dreaded pay-cuts.

"WHAT DID HE JUST SAY ABOUT PAY-CUTS!?" Reno gawked, before placing both his hands onto the side of the table...sighing heavily as he changed expressions from that of shock...to a very irritated glare...one that a teenager would flash to an adult for no given reason.
If Reno wasn't a moron who'd drunk himself stupid the night before, he'd have kept quiet...but hangover's unfortunatly don't hide agression or irritation...and both where starting to seep through right now.

"...who died and made you the boss?" Reno muttered quietly to himself, still flashing that irritated glare...turning it to the table once the frustration escalated.

"You seem to think I'm the only one who is USELESS around here...but who do you think set up that trap in Junon!? It would have worked perfectly if...if..." Reno whined, still looking at the table...clenching his fists angrily.
He knew the trap would have worked...if he wasn't drunk when Cloud showed up...but didn't have the guts to say it.
Instead, he tapped the right side of his shirt and remembered what he wanted wasn't there...a drinking flask...which he left back at home.
In further irritation, Reno muttered something else under his breath and slammed his hand back onto the table in the form of a clenched fist...still glaring angrily at the table and twitching from the tension.
Drinking wasn't good for his health...but neither was stressing out over money or work.

[Tseng]

Shifting Reno's folder to the bottom of the pile in front of him, Tseng sat back in his chair once more, meeting the red-haired Turk's irritable glare with a perfectly level and intensely piercing one of his own. For a good few minutes, he said nothing, reaching up to readjust his tie, before giving a brief nod.

“Veld did,” the Wutaian man stated cooly in response to Reno's muttered question. “And I must admit his decision to recruit you was the only time I have ever doubted his judgement. But the fact remains, Reno, that I am your boss, and you would do well to remember that.”

Pausing again, Tseng took another sip of tea, but this time, there was no smile to hide. He continued to glare at the red-head over the top of the teacup, and when he set it down once more, it was just that little bit more forcefully, the noise it made seemed to echo slightly in the hushed and expectant silence - the other Turks quite clearly knew that Reno had overstepped the mark, and were waiting to see what Tseng would do. But Tseng was known for his self control, so apart from his rather more intense glare, there was little to give away exactly how much Reno's disrespect had angered him.

“I was going to commend you on the job in Junon,” he said at length, lacing his fingers together on the table in front of him, and leaning forwards just slightly. “It would indeed have worked perfectly, if you hadn't been utterly inebriated. We have some interesting reports from the guards there. Apparently you helped yourself to a shipment of alcohol that had arrived in Junon port, and they actually had to remove it before you could drink the entire crate.”

He didn't mention the fact that Reno had been hiding behind a bench when he and Frieden had arrived on the scene, or that he had been so drunk he had ended up clinging to Tseng's legs and left him unable to dodge a Blizzard magic cast by Kadaj, or that he had had to be carried out of Junon unconcious... If Reno chose to piss him off any more, he would happily remind the red-head of those facts.

“However. ShinRa looks after its employees, Reno, and so we feel it’s also our responsibility to do something to help you with your problem. You have already been booked in at a detox clinic. The cost of your detox will, of course, be taken from what is left of your pay...”

[Reno]

Reno would have thrown a tantrum right there and then if he wasn't so pissed-off, instead of throwing himself out of his seat and leaving to throw that said tantrum...he chose to stay in his seat and curse under his breath.
Tseng had thought this out alright, and Reno's nerves where not helping him get through this meeting one bit.
The child in him wanted to burst out and show off how unhappy it was, but the red-head knew better than to let his 'immature side' to show up right now.
That could just make things worse.

"...I don't have a problem, yo..." Reno growled under his breath, flashing a quick glare at Tseng before staring down at the desk again.

"You have no idea what problems I have." he thought angrily, sighing heavily and relaxing his tense body.
Reno eased his composure and took in a heave of air, before breathing out again to cool his nerves.

"...and if I refuse?" Reno questioned, trying the best he could to mask his still irritated tone of voice, still choosing not to look at Tseng without delivering a glare of some sort.

[Tseng]

Tseng had to admit, he was surprised by the level of self-control Reno was showing right now. Here, perhaps, was a glimpse of whatever Veld had seen in the red-head. There was someone serious and mature somewhere inside of Reno... Although it seemed like the only way to make that person show up was by pushing the red-head towards anger...

Most Turks were recruited firstly for their fighting ability, and then their temperament. Under what cirumstances had Reno been picked out as a suitable candidate for the Turks? Tseng found himself rather curious about it. He would have to look into Reno's files again later, to see what he could find out.

"Refusal isn't an option, Reno, unless you wish to lose your job. If your problem," Tseng repeated, intentionally, testing the red-head's control just a little further, "isn't addressed, then you will be considered no longer fit for service in the Turks, and dismissed."

Yes, it was harsh, but Reno had had more than his fair share of warnings... none of which had done any good. And really, Reno was a hazard, not only to himself, but to others. Especially if he continued as he was now. Sometimes, you had to be cruel to be kind.

"Now then," Tseng said dismissively, making it clear that there would be no arguing. "There are more important things to discuss; the reason I called this meeting in the first place. By now I'm sure you're all aware of the events a few days ago in Junon..."

[Reno]

"I told you already, I don't HAVE any problems!" Reno snapped, finally loosing his cool.
His temper was cut so short that he even forced himself to stand up and slam his own fist down onto the table, snarling angrily in Tseng's direction before easing his anger...breathing heavily as he glanced away so his boss didn't see how wound up he was.

"...I feel like your targeting me in general all the time...and I'm mislead in everything...those are the ONLY problems I have!" Reno said dryly, almost hesitating to finish his sentence.

(sucks, sorry!)

[Tseng]

Ah, so the control didn't last long. Tseng's expression didn't even flicker as Reno stood up suddenly (sending his chair flying backwards with a clatter) and slammed his fist on the table. Turning his icy glare on the red-head once more, rather annoyed that he'd been interrupted, the Wutaian man raised an eyebrow.

"Anger problems, now, too?" he gestured to the chair that the red-head had knocked over. "Sit down, Reno."

Picking up the folder which was now on top of the pile in front of him, he began leafing through it, as though to prove a point that Reno's outburst hadn't concerned him in the slightest. He glanced up after a few moments, frowning just slightly as he saw that Reno had not sat down.

"If you have any concerns, you can file an official complaint. The fact is, Reno, you seem to think that it's acceptable for you to break the rules. If I let you get away with it, others might think that they can, too. If anyone else had done what you have, they would be in exactly the same situation as you. Now," he turned away from the red-head once more. "Sit down."

[Reno]

Reno held back any comebacks he had in his mind at that very moment, and chose to instead mutter under his breath about something...flashing a lightly suspecting glare at Tseng before picking up his seat and sitting down.
The red-head folded his arms on the table and placed his head between the space of his arms, before muttering further about something.

[Tseng]

At least Reno was behaving himself now, and not arguing further... but then Tseng caught the red-head's muttering, and once more Reno found the piercing glare turned on him. Tseng did not appreciate people muttering under their breath at him. It was extremely impolite.

"What was that, Reno?" he inquired levelly. Would this meeting ever actually be able to start?

If Reno kept causing disturbances, Tseng would kick him out.

Of the window.


((Goddamnit Reno stop making me post so damned short. D: ))

[Reno]

Reno raised his head slightly to glance over his arm, but maintained the low-profile position...and a slightly sulking expession.

"I didn't say anything, yo." Reno answered tiredly, before resting his head between his arms again and muttering some more. The single word 'bastard' was the only clear part of the sentance, and most likely was directed at someone who was...causing Reno's irritation.
A nearby Turk adjusted their tie and scooted their seat a few inches further away from Reno...obviously uncomfortable with whatever the red-head was saying to himself.

(But long posts are haaaard to do in arguments!!)