[ Reno's eyes narrow in thought. Li Jun? Younger than him. Obviously not from around here, not that that's saying much, since few kids back in those days were. It was a port city, for one thing, and Reno picked up tidbits of languages he was no good at speaking just from lingering near the docks all the time. Still, he doesn't remember anyone named... oh, but he does remember... Lily. The moment there is any recognition on Reno's face is about the time he reaches to take that lighter and extricates a cigarette from his jacket pocket for himself. ]
Bunch of us called him Lily.
[ He does a very good job of not looking concerned or remotely interested. He'd purged that whole chapter from existence in his mind, and now here it is, weaseling its way back in. He didn't give a fucking damn what happened to Jagger really, or Nervous Nelly or Kytes or Roland or any of the Trick Sparrows or Lily. Not any of them. Why should he? He vanished from Junon just as unceremoniously as he'd come. Never told anyone what he was planning to do (jump on the back of the next Shinra convoy headed back to Midgar and ride that puppy all the way to HQ, which he did, just wasn't expecting the 300 meter fall afterward). He was tangled up in so much shit by that point it'd have been a fair guess to assume he was killed or kidnapped, anyway. It wouldn't be the first time his little friends had been shocked to see him alive. What's more, he didn't have a name back then, so there's nothing to connect him. Nothing except his branding. A mark of honor in Junon—an outcast's symbol in Midgar. So why not pretend it never happened?
He'd kept his nose out of all of this. He'd rather keep it that way. Thing is, though, none of those people have any power over him anymore. None of those places. What little of it still exists is so far beneath him, he shouldn't have to feel the way he does about it. It's probably just because Tseng knows about it. He's sensitive to that. It's why he won't talk about his history with Rude. Last thing he wants is to be pitied and looked down on. He's better than all that. Way better. But the self-doubt keeps his smart about it. ]
So Lily got too close to something, knew too much... I'm guessing you already figured out what that is.
no subject
Bunch of us called him Lily.
[ He does a very good job of not looking concerned or remotely interested. He'd purged that whole chapter from existence in his mind, and now here it is, weaseling its way back in. He didn't give a fucking damn what happened to Jagger really, or Nervous Nelly or Kytes or Roland or any of the Trick Sparrows or Lily. Not any of them. Why should he? He vanished from Junon just as unceremoniously as he'd come. Never told anyone what he was planning to do (jump on the back of the next Shinra convoy headed back to Midgar and ride that puppy all the way to HQ, which he did, just wasn't expecting the 300 meter fall afterward). He was tangled up in so much shit by that point it'd have been a fair guess to assume he was killed or kidnapped, anyway. It wouldn't be the first time his little friends had been shocked to see him alive. What's more, he didn't have a name back then, so there's nothing to connect him. Nothing except his branding. A mark of honor in Junon—an outcast's symbol in Midgar. So why not pretend it never happened?
He'd kept his nose out of all of this. He'd rather keep it that way. Thing is, though, none of those people have any power over him anymore. None of those places. What little of it still exists is so far beneath him, he shouldn't have to feel the way he does about it. It's probably just because Tseng knows about it. He's sensitive to that. It's why he won't talk about his history with Rude. Last thing he wants is to be pitied and looked down on. He's better than all that. Way better. But the self-doubt keeps his smart about it. ]
So Lily got too close to something, knew too much... I'm guessing you already figured out what that is.