Apartment Above the Boards, Tuesday Morning

[intraspective]

Like Zack, Ino hadn't slept much after they'd sent Kueng home. There was a lot to think about and--in her case--a lot to read, look at, and watch. Tseng, Kueng's Tseng, had come through for her with every little bit of information he could scrape up that might change the future.

She'd wanted to go through it herself, first, before sending off copies to both the Tseng in her timeline (even in her head, she wasn't sure about calling him 'her' Tseng) and to Reno, with an email explaining what this information was and how she'd gotten it.

Then she settled in to review the information again.

Maybe it was morbid to watch herself die, but the fact she went out laughing, made her smile.

[Late post is late, but open, sure~]

Comments

[intraspective]

Ino endured the manhandling with the air of someone used to not being given much choice in what she was wearing.

But he did make it a lot easier for her to move in what she was wearing, so really, why would she complain? She did grab the edges of her 'cape' and give them a bit of a flap, though, because... cape.

Capes were fun.

"Thank you," she said, stumbling over the words a bit.

[raspberryturk]

Ah, shit, that was cute. Where the hell did she get any right to be that friggin' cute so soon after they had been kicking one anothers' asses anyway?

"Frig," Reno muttered under his breath, before adding a slightly louder, "Yeah, you're welcome."

And then, with no real idea of what else to do in this situation, he held out his hand for her to take. Sector Seven was big and fraught with monsters. Not all of them were animals, either.

[intraspective]

Ino took that hand trustingly, unquestioningly, smiling up at him.

Then she started chattering, because Ino had always liked to talk.

"Why's it smell so funny here? Why is is so dark? Are we inside someone's house?

She was pretty sure that was a broken table over there, and in the shadows she thought maybe there were chairs. It was all very intriguing.

But she was safe. Because he was there with her. So Ino didn't worry about anything.

[raspberryturk]

Reno... had no freaking clue what she was going on about, so he just kind of offered her a wry smile, looked down at her as he straightened up again - he was going to have to get Rude to yank those friggin' nails before he healed up - and nodded toward the door.

Yeah, they needed to get out of here. A cute kid in oversized clothes chattering in Wutai wouldn't catch much attention in the slums, but once they got topside things could get interesting.

[intraspective]

That was okay, she was totally willing to toddle towards the door--made a bit clumsier than normal thanks to the ill-fitting clothes.

Ino didn't really need answers.

But she was still going to keep up a running commentary on everything she saw. Maybe if she asked enough questions, he'd have answers?

[raspberryturk]

Yeah, not answers, so much. Every now and again Reno caught enough of what she was saying to be able to nod or shake his head, but that was about the best she was going to get out of him. He led her through the streets toward the train station, people kind of stopping to gape... mostly at the bloodied-up Turk. They weren't unheard of down here, but they didn't tend to look quite so roughed-up.

[intraspective]

It probably said something about Ino herself, and her world, that his being roughed up wasn't worth much of a comment to her.

It wasn't like her Daddy came home bloody all the time, but it had happened, and he'd still picked her up and hugged and kissed her and acted normal, so Ino didn't see the point in… all the staring.

Eventually it penetrated her cheerful monologue about everything around her to the point where she tugged on his hand and pointed at one of the gaping people.

"Why?"

Yeah, she knew that word.

[raspberryturk]

Of course she knew that word. Reno almost laughed as he led her down the stairs to the train platform. It figured, didn't it?

"Blood," he explained, gesturing to the still bleeding bite mark on his arm. "Civilians," he added, gesturing to the person she was pointing at. He wasn't sure if there was a way to really mime that one out, so he just sort of shrugged and let that one stand as it was.

[intraspective]

She actually did know that word. (Civilians did not get a great reputation from ninja clans, no.)

She didn't understand all the implications of the differences at her current age but she knew enough to heave a sigh and look superior for a moment.

Before glancing back up at him and giggling.

[raspberryturk]

Ah, kid. Reno turned a grin back down to her at that giggle, and then found a bench for them to sit on, easing his way down onto it while they waited for the train.

That was going to leave a bloody smear, right there. Ah well.

[intraspective]

She clambered up to sit beside him, her feet not reaching far enough off the edge to dangle, so she wiggled them cheerfully as she tucked herself against him, heedless of any blood or grime.

The clothing she was wearing wasn't the cleanest either.

"What are we waiting for?"

[raspberryturk]

Okay, so... Reno got 'what' and 'we' and was going to kind of hope from context, again, that he was understanding her right, here. So he pointed at the tracks, and then up at the sign for the train station.

"The train," he replied. "You got those back in not-Wutai? Trains? I ain't never been, so..."

He was blathering. But hey, so was she, so it balanced out.

[intraspective]

He was saying words, but they didn't make sense. She followed his gesture with her eyes, and none of it was anything she had any frame of reference for at all.

No, no they didn't have trains back home. They didn't have buildings like this either.

She leaned her head against him. At least she knew him. Somehow.

[raspberryturk]

Reno quirked a faint smile at that. It was tired; it was really friggin' tired, but it was genuine enough. He was happy enough to sit there with a kid leaning against him until the train could be heard in the distance.

He nudged her a bit and offered her his hand again.

[intraspective]

Ino took his hand as she tumbled off the bench.

The noise was big, and loud, and unknown.

She wasn't exactly scared, but she was maybe going to stick a little closer to his legs than she had been. Just in case.

[raspberryturk]

Reno gave a little chuckle as the train came to a stop, and he nodded toward it. Yeah, it was big and loud, but he was leading her toward the door, seemingly unconcerned.

"Ain't no big deal," he replied. "Just easier to get topside this way."

He had no intention of fighting monsters with a kid at his side.

[intraspective]

That, at least, would've made sense to her. Sort of. Monsters didn't really exist in her world.

But she understood the concept of fighting.

Ino went with him towards the big, noisy, ugly thing, her eyes huge.

[raspberryturk]

The doors opened, and, conveniently, it looked like they were going to get the train car mostly to themselves. People exited, but everyone already on the platform went out of their way to avoid getting into the same car as the blooded-up Turk and the small child with him.

Smart folks, Reno mused, leading her to the door and stepping onto the train.

"Pick a seat?"

The fact that the big ugly thing was full of chairs would hopefully help get the point across?

[intraspective]

She looked up at him for a moment, then at all the chairs, and cautiously let go of his hand to wander over to one of the seats somewhere between the doors--she wasn't sure she liked the big doors.

Ino looked at him inquiringly.

Was here good?

[raspberryturk]

Reno nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. Hey, that was as good a seat as any. There were still a few people in the train car from previous stops, but most of them got up and relocated once they realized that a Turk was coming in to sit down.

Suited him just fine. He made his way in and took a seat beside her.

[intraspective]

Ino noticed that people got up and left, but she thought she had it right now, and that they were all stupid civilians and could be ignored anyway. So there.

She cuddled right back up against him.

"Train?" she asked, since he'd said that word before, as it started to move.

[raspberryturk]

"Train," Reno confirmed, waving his hand around and smiling down at her like a big brother might smile at a little sibling.

Reno and a much tinier Rookie.

"Fast one, too." He glanced out the window. "We'll be back in Sector Six soon."

[intraspective]

Yeah, none of that made sense to her.

After a few moments, she clambered up to peer out the window. Small hands pressed against the glass as Midgar sped on by.

[raspberryturk]

Reno watched her carefully while the train made its way around the sector, riding out, then up, climbing along the tracks to the upper side of the plate and then continuing on toward Sector Six. He wasn't about to close his eyes just yet, even if nobody on the train was stupid enough to get close to the Turk and the little girl he was hauling around.

The ride, all told, only took about ten minutes, and then he was nudging her and offering her his hand again, gesturing toward the door.

[intraspective]

"But I don't want to leave," Ino complained, even as she reached out and took his hand again. "This was fun! Can we go on it again?"