ARRIVAL.

[insusurromods]

𝑰𝑵𝑺𝑼𝑺𝑼𝑹𝑹𝑶: 𝑨 𝑾𝑶𝑹𝑳𝑫 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑻 𝑫𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑵𝒀

𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 you moved under your own power. The shadows that dwelt in the corners of your vision vanished, the world is bright and the shackles of destiny fall from your liberated limbs.

You're free.

But before you can take that next step, before you can alter your fate, a terrible howling fills your ears. It's an ill wind full of malice, one that rips you off of your feet and back, back, back from this chance to seize your destiny. The shadows coalesce into a single entity, its hands locking around your throat. It cannot let this stand.

You think that maybe this is the end. The world goes dark as it rushes past you, this is the end.

Except you wake to the feeling of rain on your skin.

The cliffs around you bare the scars of a fierce battle. Before you, a massive city faces the sea. Behind you, greenery sprawls for miles. Midgar has never looked so beautiful, but it has also never looked so unlike itself. The Sister Ray points proudly towards the sea. A bustling city crawls out from its shadow, looking wealthier and more robust than the slums ever did. You don't have long to ponder this.

Because you aren't alone. Others are coming to, looking just as confused and uncertain as you do. Some are battleworn and bloody, as if they were pulled from a fierce battle. Others appear to be in perfect health, as if they were simply pulled from a long slumber, though no less confused and lost. The howling that filled your slowly begins to fade, and as it does, the rain begins to clear.

𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐀𝐑 is within a few hours walking distance. 𝐊𝐀𝐋𝐌 lies not much further in the opposite direction. There is no presence urging you to walk to one or the other, no voice from on high telling you what path your feet should walk. Underneath this infinite blue sky the choice to go - or to stay - is entirely yours.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐈𝐓?

Comments

[goons]

[Rude allows Tseng to do his thing. Rude was much better at the hands on stuff than the tech stuff, though if he needed to he always had Reno to rely on for the more complicated situations. Unfortunately, that was the problem now. His partner was nowhere to be found. Nor Elena.

His attention moves from Tseng to the screen, perking up at the words Costa Del Sol. Of course Reno would be there. He almost smiles knowing that he's there, no doubt looking for him. Rude almost feels ridiculous for not going there first to look for him. When he catches his superior looking his way, his jaw tightens and his lips press together into a tighter seam.]

I know why he's there. He's looking for me.

[His eyes lower, hoping his shades hide that he can't quite hold Tseng's gaze. It's not unusual for his partner to want to seek him out, so the fact that he feels a little bashful about it should be smothered and hidden before it gets out of hand, or worse, Tseng picks up on it.]

oh no.. Rude is adorable.. /)(\!!

[detao]

[ Tseng accepts the answer. Glad for Rude's astute connection with his partner which definitely puts Tseng's apprehension at ease. The last thing they need is one of their codes to be in the hands of someone else. Not that Reno would be one to give it up out of his own free will.

The last day, or so, hasn't been routine business. Even for the Turks. They came up against some out of control situations but fighting off ..

Never mind that now. Tseng pushes aside the strange tendrils of darkness that pulled him into the unknown abyss. They needed to secure a ride to Costa Del Sol. ]

Let's send him a message.

[ Tseng steps back from the controls, leaving a message box for Rude to type something to his partner. ]

he's soft toward all the turks

[goons]

[Rude assumed Tseng would be the one to send the message to Reno, but realization dawns on him that it might seem different than it actually is.]

What I mean is, he knows there is a beach there that I talk about visiting often. One that I used to go to often when I was young. Not the one we go to for vacation.

[Somehow trying to clarify only makes him seem more questionable. Like why were the two of them planning vacations together? Why were they talking about their childhood's when past didn't matter to Turks? The two of them worked well together in a professional capacity, but the rest of the time they were indiscernible from a married couple.

Well, that was Reno's relationship with most people.]

I'll tell him to stay put. That we're coming to him. Is there a garage here?

[Rude closes in on the console to type the message, trying not to be anything but professional before he hits send. In the off chance they can't find transportation he suggests he head toward Kalm. And as a PS note he adds that Tseng is safe with him.]

what a doll ;3;

[detao]

[ Tseng leaves Rude to his task, without scrutiny for the information shared. Tseng was no stranger to bonding with one's partner, nor did he discourage it. The best pairs were the ones that worked cohesively. Rude and Reno would be no good together if they were unable to move fluidly from one to the other. If that were the case then they might as well work alone. Rude's comment about vacationing with Reno didn't go much deeper than a superficial acknowledgment of the information.

At the question of a garage, Tseng moves to another console to bring up the inventory for the hideout. There aren't any birds here, but there is a car. ]

Yes. We can take the car to the port. First, let us make sure we have everything in order before we go. [ Which meant restocking up on items, reloading, and etc. to prepare for the trip. ]

[goons]

[Although he's a little anxious about what Tseng might have read into his relationship with Reno, it wouldn't have been the first time anyone had wrongfully assumed they were romantically involved. They did tend to be very close with each other. How much of it was being comfortable with him and how much was something else? He didn't know and doesn't like to think about it.

For now he's focused on getting to Reno and finding Elena and Rufus as soon as possible.]

I'll drive. [Rude offers, turning back to look at the layout of the place to check where the weapons were kept. He has his pistol but something more and a bit of ammo never hurt anyone.] Are you armed? We can see what this place has in terms of weaponry.

[detao]

( Astute as ever, Rude was quite good at reading any situations and acclimating or, in the very least, assessing what he needed to adapt. Tseng's thoughts were of the same fold, and he brought up the layout of their base on the screen. The armory is on the floor above them. They would be able to access the room with their codes - programmed universally for every base, of course, much like how Tseng was able to get in through the front door. Tseng checks a few more things on the control panel before he steps back and gives Rude a small nod.

He leads the way out of the security room and up the stairs to the level above. The hallway is larger than the one beneath, and there are various directions one could go as the underground base holds a few large divisions. He's grateful to hear only the humming from florescent lights above them and the soft echo of their shoes as they walk down the hall.

Once they retrieve supplies from the armory, they once again take to the hall and head for the underground garage. There's one car, an older edition of their standard vehicle, but there's nothing to cry about there. At this stage of the game, they're lucky to have found this base still intact. Once they're on the way, they travel down a lengthy underground highway that opens up into a secret entrance outside Kalm and a mile from the base. Tseng takes the backseat and begins to fiddle with some equipment he obtained from the base. They were able to obtain new phones and a tablet, which Tseng is desperately trying to connect to a satellite. He intends to contact the base on the shore. They'll need to prepare to cross the water to get to Costa del Sol, and he would much rather the team there get started on that sooner than later. )

[goons]

[Rude gathers supplies, but spends a particularly long amount of time deciding between handguns and different accessories. He takes a rifle silencer and one for his handgun as well. Stealth and subtlety was always important. Yet he takes a grenade as well. Just in case.

Down in the garage, he follows behind Tseng, keeping his eyes and ears open just in case there was anyone around where they shouldn't be. There's not much to pick from as far as vehicles go, but this one would do. With two sets of hands packing up the trunk and back seat it takes nearly no time at all. Once they got to Reno, Rufus was as good as found. Tseng could do his thing while he and his partner took care of locating the President.

The drove well enough, and makes the trip a smooth one. He sort of zones out for a while as they drive, focused on the road and navigating as Tseng does whatever he's doing. Rude is silent and doesn't want to be a distraction, and his superior is doing the same. The silence doesn't bother him at all, but it does underscore how important he thinks Reno is in their dynamic or else they'd rely on communicating in grunts and hand gestures.]

When last have you had a vacation?

[detao]

( Tseng's eyes lift to the back of Rude's head. A silent breath exhales from his nostrils. His eyes are back to the task at hand. Thus far, there hasn't been any luck in connecting to a satellite - despite his best efforts. )

After my visit to the Temple.

( Rude will recall the beaten and battered Tseng recovering in hospital with the Full Cure having been his saving grace. Thanks Veld.. Turks and vacations aren't necessarily a thing that happens, one is always on duty. Even on vacation. )

I won't be able to reach the base before our arrival. We'll rest when we get there while the team there makes the necessary travel preparations.

[goons]

[Usually that was true. They didn't have the time for proper vacations. Only undercover missions that were manned in fancy resorts. Often times that meant that their target was there as well genuinely vacationing with their families as higher paid Shinra executives tended to do.

Rude keeps his eyes on the road, but wonders if there's any way he can suggest another excuse for a holiday without Tseng dismissing him immediately.]

This place..it's different from the Midgar I came from. Maybe things here are different. It's possible we can squeeze in a bit of R&R while we sort out what exactly is going on?

[Even as the words leave his mouth it sounds like a weak rational at best, but even so, he's going to hold on to it for when they get everything sorted out. Forcing Tseng to relax was more of a group activity than a one man mission in the end. The only person he'd take suggestions like that from is Rufus Shinra himself.]