Apartment Above the Boards, Thursday Afternoon

[intraspective]

Ino hadn't wanted to... not bother Zack, exactly, but hadn't wanted to bring anything up that was too raw given everything, and then coupled with Tseng's visit (which had confused and intrigued her in about equal amounts, with an odd, unexpected dash of finding it comforting that he'd come--or, perhaps, comfortable was the better word?) well, Ino just hadn't wanted to step ungently.

There was a time and place for that.

But she and Reno really did need to get going, the trip Zack was going on with the school gave them time to get away more or less scot-free, and... before that happened, she didn't want to hold back Aerith's letters.

Tseng hadn't wanted to punish Aerith any further--well, Ino had never wanted to at all.

"Hey," she said, smiling as Zack came in after class. "What did you cover today?"

She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, sorting through notes from her shop, not having bothered to put on more than a tank-top and shorts on today, since she hadn't been out.

[For the modded-with-permission guy, but also open for calls and/or visitors.]

Comments

[puppy_fair]

Zack looked down toward the floor at that.

"I didn't know."

That tore at his heart a little.

"Cissnei gave us her bike."

[intraspective]

"I ain't, no one expected you to know," she said, tripping over the words. "I didn't know, 'till near the end, 'cause Tseng had no choice but to include me then. And for some of them, it weren't for you at all, it were 'cause the boss said so, so they did. Turks back Turks."

Ino brushed her fingers against his forearm.

"Cissnei did it for you, though. She missed you."

[puppy_fair]

"I think she was the first one besides Tseng to realize who we were," Zack said, softly. "I ran into her on the beach the night we escaped. She had her orders. She didn't know until she found us that we were the..."

The samples.

"... The targets."

[intraspective]

There was a pause in there, something that hurt, but she didn't know how to coax it out.

"Yeah," Ino said, "that's how the Turks work."

[puppy_fair]

"Need-to-know basis," Zack murmured. "Cissnei didn't need to know."

[intraspective]

"And... it weren't safe, even for the Turks to know," she said, resting her head against his chest. "The less everyone knew, the safer everyone was. 'Cept, Tseng had to know all of it, and I... well, I found out."

[puppy_fair]

"Can't hold it against them, then," Zack replied, looking up at the ceiling. "They were just..."

Just doing the job.

He sighed.

[intraspective]

"Yeah."

Ino wasn't... really sure what to say.

"I'm sorry."

[puppy_fair]

"No," Zack said quietly. "It's..."

He stopped himself from saying it was fine. It still wasn't.

"It's... easier. Knowing they didn't know. It makes it feel less like a betrayal."

[intraspective]

"It might never be fine, and I understand," she said, just as quietly. "But aside from Tseng, and maybe Reno, most of Turks didn't know hardly anythin'. Not 'bout who they were after, once you'd escaped."

[puppy_fair]

Zack nodded in silence, reaching a hand up to stroke her hair, eyes still on the ceiling above them both.

"Do they know now?"

[intraspective]

She closed her eyes, sighing into his movement.

"Some," she said, thinking about it. "Rosa's my partner, she knows now. Cissnei and Rude, Reno and Tseng all know. The others... what they know ain't likely the whole story, just bits and pieces."

[puppy_fair]

"Because it isn't their job to know," Zack surmised.

He sighed.

"So... why do they think you've been here all this time?"

[intraspective]

"They know I'm workin'," she said, shrugging a little. "I send them stupid mugs and silly selfies and that's all they really need to know. They know Reno's out here with me."

[puppy_fair]

"So you're... on assignment together. On the island they already know is some kind of interdimensional thing."

Okay. That made sense enough.

[intraspective]

"And given the number of Tsengs that have sent people to do just that on the island, it ain't even much of a stretch," she said, nodding. "And we still get called back if we're needed there."

[puppy_fair]

"So you haven't been put out to pasture or anything. You're just... otherwise occupied," Zack supplied.

[intraspective]

"That's right."

Ino glanced up at him.

"Any time they need me, I'm still on call."

[puppy_fair]

"Makes sense," Zack said, nodding thoughtfully. "... It's bad, I know. But I'm a little jealous."

[intraspective]

"Of what? Having work?"

Ino considered that.

"I don't think that's bad," she said, after a moment. "Though there's ways 'round that for you too. Tiny boss would love to stick you on his payroll. And I could see if anything could be done back home...?"

But only if he wanted.

[puppy_fair]

"I miss home," Zack admitted softly. "I mean, it's home. And there are so many loose ends back there..."

That were somebody else's problem now.

[intraspective]

"Yeah, I know," she said, her throat tight. "I'll see what I can do 'bout that, okay?"

Maybe... maybe they could work something out.

[puppy_fair]

Zack nodded a tiny bit, looking down at her and trying a little smile on for size.

"And... hey... if you can't, you can't. I know you'll do your best. That's enough."

[intraspective]

"It ain't enough," she said, meeting his gaze. "'Cause you ain't home. I'll figure it out."

Ino said that the same way she said she was going to save Gaia. It was a fact.

"But, in the meantime, it ain't the same, but there's other Gaia's for you to go to. Reno's Tseng might have work for you too."

[puppy_fair]

"In that shattered world...?" Zack bit his lip, but nodded a little. "I... I maybe could visit my... his... parents there, too. Knowing them, they're probably wondering how Regal is doing."

He laughed softly.

"They remember everybody, you know?"