Great. There goes my pay rise.

[RL - Midgar - Gaia]

Reno sits impatiently on the edge of his couch, waiting for a call which might - just might - change things. He's cleared up the mess in his sparsely-furnished bachelor pad, and put on a clean shirt and suit for the occasion as well as washing his hair. All the things a guy's supposed to do to impress the ladies, right? Not that his visitor is - was - a lady, exactly. But it's been so long since he's had any action, never mind any real attention, that Reno isn't feeling picky right now.

"Come on, come on... dammit, I need another drink..."

Your Love Life is Like Titanic

"Promise me you'll survive. That you won't give up, no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless." You think that you only really have one true love in your life. And that you better to anything and everything to be with that person. You tend to be very nostalgic about past loves that didn't work out. There are many secret feelings that you keep to yourself. Your love style: Deep and emotional Your Hollywood Ending Will Be: Bittersweet

A bittersweet ending, huh? Figures.

Soooooooo... Hojo had a few things he was keeping up his sleeve, huh? And even Rufus didn't think we were important enough to let us in on his little underground secret. Sha-chou, I think I'm almost offended.

Hey, Elena, fancy checking out the back-up files on Hojo's old computer? I'm curious...

Yo! Sha-chou! I'm back... did you miss me?

The mission was a success... mostly.

...I think.

[RL - ShinRa Building - Gaia]

Reno sat in the Turks' office, his chair teetering dangerously on two legs, his feet up on the desk; in one hand he held a battered comic book, in the other a bottle of some kind of fizzy drink. Damn, sometimes work could be slow. At least he wouldn't be alone all day, though...

Minako, I won't be able to see you for a few days, I'm sorry. Something came up. I'll let you know when I'm free again. <3

I can't work on any missions with Elena for the foreseeable future.

[RL - Reno's House - Midgar - Gaia]

Groaning softly, Reno opened his eyes, only to immediately wish that he hadn't. A shaft of light sliced through his faded curtains, slamming into his head with what felt like the force of a jackhammer. He quickly closed his eyes again and clutched at his head, which seemed about to explode any second... and as far as he could tell, someone had been busy sandpapering his throat.

"Dammit..." he murmured, pulling the covers over his head and retreating back into the safety of the covers... only to remember that he wasn't in his house alone. "Minako..."

Ichigo. I think you and me need to have a little talk.

Yeah, yeah, I woke up this morning with one hell of a headache, so spare me the preaching. Still... I wouldn't change last night for the world.

[RL - Reno's Place - Gaia]

Grinning to himself, glowing with an inner warmth which wasn't just due to the alcohol, Reno stumbled towards Seventh Heaven with a happy, fuzzy feeling buzzing inside his brain. He almost tripped a few times - stupid concrete paving slabs trying to trip him up - but managed to make it to the bar with only a few scuffs on his shoes and a possible tear in his sleeve.

Since you're not here, I thought I'd do you a favour and, uh, 'liberate' the contents of your drinks cabinet. Didn't know when you were going to be back, and I just couldn't bear to let such a classy collection of drinks go to waste.

Nice Scotch, by the way. Good vintage? It tastes great when I mix it with cola.

[RL - Seventh Heaven - Midgar - Gaia]

Reno sits on a stool at the end of the bar, staring intently at the glass of whisky in front of him, swirling it round and round and cupping his head in one hand. He looks pretty melancholy. Every now and again he glances across at the door, as if waiting for someone to arrive.

So...

...do you want to...

...I mean...

...

...how about we go out for a drink sometime? As friends, I mean. Just for a lemonade or something, it doesn't even have to be alcohol. I mean, I haven't seen Tseng around for a while, I just figured you might be lonely and want to talk or something.

...

...call me?

[RL - ShinRa Building - Gaia]

Reno stumbles into the building's foyer, his suit torn and covered with blood, most of it his own; he clutches at his arm, a gaping wound visible through the ripped material. But perhaps most tragically of all, he holds in one hand the shattered remains of his favourite goggles.

[RL - Midgar - Gaia]

The old streets of Midgar are desolate and deserted; boarded-up shops and smashed windows are everywhere to be seen surrounding the monument commemorating Meteorfall. At the base of the monument Reno stands ready, having made his way from Wutai just for this confrontation - and damn, he is pissed.

Yo.

So.

...are you alright?

Elena, I...

...

...everything that's happened. It's all my fault. Tseng getting mad at us, Sha-chou getting kidnapped because I wasn't paying enough attention and doing my job properly, causing a fuss and everyone getting in a bad mood and blaming 'personal problems' for everything...

I'm thinking of quitting. Maybe it's for the best.

Uh, Sha-chou... I won't be coming in to work today. Misplaced my ID card.