to lodge or not to lodge

[Azzy]

Rufus was about to answer vincent, when the main door suddenly opened, they had been too busy talking to look at the monitors, and now Rufus had no clue whoever had openend the door. "Reno" he said "Go see who the guest is"


Cloud was a little confused for starters, where was Reno? it didnt seem like the hot headed turk to not be alert. and since he had called him here, he knew that Reno had to be around, and maybe Rude too. What about Vincent? had he not brought Tseng here? something didnt quite add up in Clouds mind, and so he kept his large sword infront of him, not knowing what to expect.

[Aeneus]

Reno immediately tensed up and got his e-mag ready. If someone had managed to get inside without setting off the perimeter alarms, it probably wasn't good news. And after the whole crypic conversation about this Kadaj guy and remnants, Reno was starting to feel decidedly paranoid.
He gave a quick nod to Rude, knowing he would stay there and protect Rufus if necessary.
However tempting, there was no time to check on Tseng. Reno quickly bypassed Tseng's room till he got to the entrance room. He waited for a second by the door to listen. He could hear footsteps, proving someone was inside.
Didn't they always say attack is the best form of defense? He breath in once to get himself ready, then raised his emag and burst in.

His momentum was abruptly cut short as his emag hit the solid steel edge of an insanely large sword. Reno's starled eyes looked into very familiar icey blue ones.
It seemed Shinra's temporary headquarters was turning into the local AVALANCHE convention centre. Reno grinned, after trying to get hold of the man for so long, Cloud had chosen the perfect timing to show up.

This whole day and tested his temper so far. First having to do his little 'performance' for Rufus, then getting into that stupid argument that let to...that other thing. Even blowing of some steam with Rude had to be interrupted by that damn freaky Valentine and his cryptic messages.

*Finally* he had a chance for a nice little work-out. Besides, sure Rufus would want to know if Cloud was still up for the job, right?

Reno quickly took a few steps back. Before Cloud could open his mouth he charged him again.


Vincent's ears easily picked up the sounds from the other room. A smile formed on his face. Cloud had made it after all.

[Azzy]

Reno was good, no doubt about it, but he lost his temper too fast, and Cloud knew it, he had fought him before, and once Reno was too worked up, the he totally lost his tactics. And was Cloud smalled the door on Reno's ass, locking the turk outside, he had to wipe sweat from his upper lip. he didnt really know if it was because it had been long since he had had a healthy little duel, or if Reno really had shaped up a great deal.

Reno was making a fuss on the other side of the door, and Cloud grinned, "you're an idiot Reno" before he kicked the door and yelled "yield?"

no answer came.

"Yield?" he grinned.

________________________

Rude moved towards the door, but Rufus waved him off "no, leave them alone, we wouldn't want to scare off Cloud, already" he grinned and took a sip of his drink "let them have their little catfight" he smiled sardonically to his drink and nodded as were he agreeing with himself.

"yes, boss" Rude said, and drew a deep breath before he moved back behind Rufus gain, resuming his staring at Vincent.

[Aeneus]

Reno needed a moment to catch his breath. Damn that felt good...even if he did end up at the wrong side of the door. At least he was still intact.
It would seem Cloud hadn't lost his touch playing delivery boy all these years.

"You're a funny man, Cloud," he shouted through the door while he tested the lock. "I was just playing with'ya."

He couldn't hear any movement inside, only Cloud's voice telling him to yield again.

"Come on, man. No hard feelings. Is that anyway to threat old friends?"

He fingered the phone in his pocket. Would it be terribly embrassing for him to call Rude to have him throw down some keys?

Vincent hadn't moved during the commotion. Cloud wouldn't have a problem handling this. The remnants had him worried, but not these Turks.

[Azzy]

Cloud shook his head amused, and kicked the door, yelling "later" to Reno, before he walked further into the healin' lodge. he was not more worried about Rude than he had been for Reno, and he had seen Tseng, so he was not really any obstcle either. he couldent make this add up, why would Reno have called him? and he could only assume that Rude was alive too, but what did they want him here for?

Rufus looked at the monitor as Cloud moved through the house. "take me to him" he said to Rude, Rude nodded and pushed Rufus out of the control room, and towards the dark room where Cloud had just entered.

[Erestor Junkie]

Disoriented and confused, Tseng staggared out of the room he had been laying in. He heard Reno shouting and the sounds of a fight.

He gripped the gun in a shaking hand and fired without aiming, without even seeing who was there. Luckily, he was in no shape to be doing anything, much less fireing a gun, and the bullet went wide and buried itself in the wall.

[Aeneus]

Reno was about to punch in Rude's number when he heard the sound of a gunshot. Fuck, fuck, fuck, could this day get any worse? He dropped the phone back in his pocket. He didn't want to risk disturbing Rude if something was going down. He took a few steps back so he could take a run and try and kick the damn door in.

Vincent had quietly followed Rufus and Rude as they made their way towards Cloud. Even before his brain had fully interpreted the sound, his hand had already drawn Cerebus and was ready to aim. With heightened concentration he focused on the figure of Tseng leaning on the doorframe of his room. Tseng's gun waved unsteady in his hand.
Vincent slowly lowered Cerebus, avoiding to be mistaken for a threat.
"Tseng?" he called cautiously.

[Erestor Junkie]

Tseng slumped against the door frame and let the gun fall from his half numb fingers. "Where is Rufus?" He weezed as he stried to get his weight back on his feet. "What is going on, and where the fuck is Rufus?!"

[Azzy]

Rude stopped, and backed up, "the president is here" he said with a deep voice, looking over his shoulder at Vincent, alarmed that Tseng was that close to a gun, and didnt really want to bring Rufus in any form of jeopardy. Rude seemed conflicted, torn between helping his friend on the floor, or his president. in the end he decided that duty came first, and stood still besides Rufus.

Rufus looked at Vincent, and then at Tseng "all is fine Tseng, you need to rest some more" he sounded allmost motherly in his concern, but then again, these turks were his family, or as close to it as he came. "would you Vincent?" he looked at the tall somber looking man at the other side of Tseng.

Cloud had heard the chaos and slowly, silently walked towards it, surprised to find taht they were all busy with something else, and no one but Vincent saw him comming up behind Rufus Shinra. Cloud nodded at Vincents almost undetectable smile. So Cloud just stood there for a little while, looking at the people in the room.. Reno was here, Rude was here, and Tseng was here. that meant that the odds for that person in the wheelchair was either Elena, which he knew it wasnt, or Rufus. Rufus shinra, how could he have survived that blast? he must be superhuman or something.

and then Cloud clearned his throat, looking directly at Rude, what he decided was the biggest threath in the room.

[Erestor Junkie]

Tseng brought his head up at the sound and struggled to find the dropped gun. "Behind you, Sir," he barked as his fingers almost closed on the weapon.

[Azzy]

Rude turned Rufus' wheelchair around, so cloud and Rufus got eye contact. "mister Strife" Rufus said.

"Rufus Shinra" Cloud answered, as were he tasting the name, normally he would have felt pity for anyone with geo-stigma and in a wheelchair, but there was no puity for Rufus Shinra in his heart. none whatso ever. "speak!"

"Cloud, I am glad you came" Rufus said in his best 'i greet you new friend' style. "And i realise that you are in a hurry, so i appriciate that you could make the time to stop here on your way"

Cloud resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but stood still with his sword ready and aimed at Rufus.

"well" Rufus said resting his finegrtips against his chin, "I have a pest problem, and you are just the man to rid me of it" he said smiling "you fight like the SOLDIER, first class, you once were"

"in my dreams" Cloud muttered. but didnt move, still just listening intensly to Rufus.

"I will pay you generously" Rufus said, and Cloud nodded again, not because he was really interested in Rufus' money, but because he didnt ahve anything to say. "My pest problem" Rufus started "Are three young men dressed in leather, brothers with silver hair, armed, dangerous and violent"

"Why should i care if someone wants to kill you, i am not your bodyguard, you have these goons for that" he pointed at Tseng and Rude with the tip of his sword.

"I don't fear for my own life" Rufus said, with was actually a blatant lie, but he felt like he had to work Cloud a little. "We first enountered them, in the crater, they were searching for..something"

Cloud blinked, mustering all his will power not to look as shocked as he actually were.

Rufus smiled "don't worry, the crater was empty, she is not theer anymore" He smiled reassuring to Cloud, a gesture that Cloud just found eerie. "But i need to know why they are looking for her"

Cloud shook his head "Not interested, I am not a merchenary, I am a delivery boy. Sorry can't help you Rufus" he lowered his sword and backed towards the door frame leading out of the room.

"With this, and the right knowledge, they could create a new Sephiroth!" Rufus suddenly said, as a last attempt to make Cloud take the bait.

"Sephiroth?" Cloud said, sounding a little unsure.

Rufus nodded "after all, All i want, all *we* want is to restore some of what we took from the earth, and prevent another armageddon" Rufus tilted his head, and looked innocently up at Cloud's blue eyes, "do you want another war, Strife? or do you want to be the one who prevented disaster, and saved thousands of lives?" this was emotional blackmail, he knew it, but it seemed to do the trick, Cloud had paled.

Cloud disnt answer, he just cleared his throat.

"if you agree, i will ofcourse have to have some sort of knowing what is going on, and that is why you can choose any of the Turks to come with you"

Cloud frowned, but didnt say anytrhing, he needed time to swallow this information.

[Aeneus]

Fuck it, Reno thought, there was obviously too much going on inside not to be a part of it. Time to swallow his pride and get Rude to bail him out. He flipped his phone open and pressed Rude's speeddial number.

It took a while before he heard his lover's subdued voice answer.

"Yo, Rude, press the buzzer, will'ya. I'll explain later."

---

Vincent barely hid a smile at seeing Cloud again. It wasn't often Cloud could be surprised and even if he was, he hid it well. Only Vincent could read Cloud's face well enough to see the blond man's surprise as he was confronted with Rufus Shinra.

But this for Cloud to handle now. Vincent had no desire to listen to more of Rufus' attempts at sweet talk and downright lies. He had to trust Cloud to choose his own course.

So Vincent let his attention turn back to Tseng. The man was barely holding himself up against the doorframe of his room, the gun lying on the floor inches away from him.

Vincent had spend enough time with an injured Tseng to know how to handle and respect the man. He bend down and handed the gun to Tseng, knowing that the security of having it would calm Tseng enough not to use it in a panic.
He could see Tseng relax marginally now that it was clear there was no immediate threat. He put his arm around Tseng, knowing where to touch him where it hurt the least.

"Let's leave them and go inside, Rude can handle it," Vincent said, drawing on his experience with Tseng to persuade him without having Tseng feel he was losing face.

Vincent gave a last nod to Rude and Cloud and then led Tseng back into the room.

It wasn't often Vincent was in such close phycical contact with someone else. The simple feeling having Tseng lean on him was a experience that Vincent had learned to cherish over the last few weeks.
He was reluctant to let him go as Tseng sat down on the bed. There was a unfinished glass of rum next to the bed and a bottle on the floor.

Vincent picked up the glass and handed it to Tseng.

"Here," he said as he sat down himself with the bottle. Vincent hardly ever drank, but the felt he had been through enoug these last few weeks to justify it right now.
He sat down close enough to Tseng to feel his body heat. Inwardly, Vincent sighed with his frustrated desire.

"Lets drink up,"

With that Vincent trew his head back and took a large gulp.