abraxaslogs | [ CLOSED ]

[ Okay, in his defence, he wasn't here to scare the shit out of her. Not in his defence, Reno gives a snicker when he apparently does, 'cause he's a jackass.

She doesn't clock him right in the nose, so he figures they're good. ]

Please. You don't fool me, I've watched you chop up a bear.

[ Well. Kinda. Either way, she's not the fainting type. He sorted that one out pretty damn quick after their little adventure in the frosty beyond.

Man, is he glad to be anywhere but there. ]

[ Colour immediately rises to her cheeks. The cause of it is difficult to discern. Maybe it's the phantom cold from the mountains, irritation at his snicker, or the fact that she's embarrassed that he's mentioning that incident at all.

The merchant behind the stall raises an eyebrow and Hilda, spotting it from the corner of her eye huffs. Quickly, she puts the whetstone down, thanks the merchant before unceremoniously dragging Reno off in a random direction. When they're out of earshot she shoots him a glare and a hiss. ]

I didn't chop up a bear! You and Kyle were there doing most of the work. Too bad getting thrown against a tree didn't knock any of attitude out of you.

[ We swear some part of her is asking how he's been. ]

[ The sly grin on his face widens. A touch of bemusement colors it. ] Y'know, I gotta say, I've never seen anyone eager to toss away credit due.

[ It's a compliment, okay? The bear-chopping. Not that he's gonna come outright and say it, but yeah. She did good. Which isn't a thought he gives a lot of folks, 'cause in his eyes, 99% of people are incompetent, and then there's the 1% he knows can handle themselves.

Sucks for Hilda, his attitude is pretty much attached to him with industrial strength pipe glue. He snorts. ]

Yeah, well, guess the snow makes for a pretty soft landing. [ He might've slapped that tree hard, but it's fine. Good ol' healing fixed him right up. ] You back in all that sand and dust on the other side?

[ He's also definitely not asking how she's been. ]

[ Weird way to compliment someone, but then again, it's weird to say that you're worried about someone by asking them why their attitude hadn't been knocked out of them when they hit a tree.

She sniffs. ]

I just think it's also important to acknowledge that it was a team effort. There's no way I'd ever be able to take down a bear like that by myself.

[ She's slow their peace to a regular pace at this point but has yet to unfurl her arm from his. A laboured sigh flutters from her lips. ]

Unfortunately. Talk about going from one extreme to the other. [ Honestly Cadens isn't that bad all things considered. She'd take it over farm life. Her eyes flit up towards him, noticing curiously that his hair doesn't look quite as vibrant as it normally does. Maybe it's just a trick of the light. ] How's the court life treating you? Is it growing on you yet?

Edited 2023-05-19 10:37 (UTC)

[ Reno strolls along easily with her. Nocwich isn't as busy as Wall Market, nor as much of a twisted maze—not to mention all the other shit it doesn't have, either—but it's still a hell of a lot more interesting than the boring walls of the palace. It's like being trapped in Shinra's headquarters 24/7, except he's not even getting paid overtime and he doesn't have an espresso maker.

Or a beer fridge. Though there's free wine, so it's not complete ass. ]

Eh. [ Reno waves a dismissive hand. He's gonna ignore her look at his hair 'cause, yeah, he knows. He's workin' on it. A notable amount of black is beginning to appear around the roots. Apparently, you can't just step into a salon around these parts and get your hair done. How do these people survive? ] Not as many meetings with the top brass, so less of my time wasted on that shit. Place is boring as hell, though.

[ And yeah, yeah, some of that is 'cause he doesn't have the other Turks around. It's different, when he's got his partner there. Who can he bitch to now without Tseng or Rude? (Hilda, looks like.) ]

[ The Free Cities at least lives up to its name in that regard. Being able to roam without being so obviously kept an eye on is enough for her. Maybe that makes her blissfully ignorant, but when hasn't that been her MO?

The black is real obvious against the red. She lets her gaze linger a little cheekily on it like she's trying to annoy him before pointing her eyes straight ahead to dodge any potential ire. Hilda pointedly turns him down a set of stalls that will eventually lead to a beauty section. ]

You seem like the type of guy who can make plenty of fun for himself though. Don't you have any hobbies? Apart from carrying around a giant metal pipe?

[ First of all, it isn't giant. It's a regular-sized rod. Second of all, it's not his fault it isn't as technologically advanced as the one Shinra provided him with. Maybe he can put in a request for upgrades soon to that little man. Vikky? Whatever Hilda called him. ]

You try finding a hobby in that place. What d'you want me to do, garden? The last garden I saw were some pathetic little flowers growin' out of the floorboards of a church.

[ And yeah, the flowers are real pretty. Even he can see that. There's still only so much time he can waste looking at them. Plus? They make him sneeze and his eyes water, which is apparently a thing that happens when you live in a city full of concrete and steel your whole damn life.

Gardens aside, there are horses—which he's also never seen before until this Planet—a shitload of books, and a bunch of fiddly potions and ingredients that almost puts Hojo's lab to shame. ]

[ Wouldn't you rather have a giant rod versus a regular sized rod? Actually, you know what, never mind. If Reno did want an upgraded rod, Viktor probably could do it - and Hilda would put in a good word for him. If Reno wasn't too mean to her that is. ]

Well excuse me, it's not like I live there. How am I supposed to know what there is to do?

[ Not like she's a consummate hobby picker-uper or anything. Then again, it sounds like she has more options than he does. Or he's really just that bad at finding new things to do that don't involve snarking at people. ]

If gardening is out, there has to be something else. The magic there is different than the Free Cities, right? You could pick that up as a hobby. Or, I don't know. Reading? Horse riding? Embroidery?

[ Reno's never been mean to a single soul in his life. ]

Yeah, well, they're real sticklers about who comes and goes.

[ Talk about border control. He's surprised they haven't pulled any ID checkpoints altogether. But hey, at least he gets to venture into the shitty little town across the portal where it mostly smells like fish and stale beer.

He heaves an exaggerated sigh. Okay, maybe he just. Doesn't want to admit he doesn't have any hobbies. He drinks, he works. Sometimes he, uh, watches a play at the theater. Or takes a vacation to Costa del Sol, where he drinks some more. ]

What d'you give a damn about my hobbies, anyways? What do you do? When you're not swinging that axe around.

[ Can we get that in writing with several pieces of proof, please? ]

Is it true you don't have to work and they just provide things like clothes for you?

[ Not that she's entertaining the idea of moving to Thorne any time soon. As lazy and reluctant to work as she is, her freedom is just as important if not more so than free hand outs.

The axe swinging is received with another pointed glare and an attempt to elbow him in the ribs. ]

You just seem like the type of person who makes trouble if you're bored so I'm looking out for everyone else. [ And maybe she cares a little bit. But moving on - ] I make jewelry and I read. And I guess I'll be helping to manage the Old Public Hall that was recently renovated by a friend.

[ Which she doesn't want to think about too long and thankfully they've arrived at the stall that she had been looking for. She halts them in their tracks, taking a look at the dyes that have been set out on the stall and not so subtly trying to match it to Reno's hair. ]

There had to be something you did at home that you could do here.

[ Reno waves a hand. ] I guess. If you ask me, they could stand to do more than toss out some free lunches.

[ Yeah, okay, maybe someone else would appreciate the handouts, but Reno expects a certain set of things to be paid for when he's technically working under someone: weapons, equipment, uniforms, food. Transport. Thorne's got a few things covered, but not enough if you ask him.

And he still doesn't have a damn salary.

Sorry to say, Reno makes trouble whether he's bored or not, but Hilda's putting in commendable effort. He gives up pretending like she isn't trying to help him get his hair back to its usual shade of fire hydrant and sidles up next to her to peer at the dyes. ]

Played some cards. Swung by the firing range. [ He's not squirming (Turks don't squirm, thanks), but he's not real keen that Hilda's poking at the cracks exposing the fact that he's spent the majority of his adult life working for Shinra and pretty much everything he does (did) is about that. And now that he's been cut loose, he doesn't know what the hell to do with himself except more of the same. ] Look, the job I did was around the clock, alright? We didn't exactly sit around.

[ There's several shades of red but her eyes can't help but gaze towards the violent shades of pink. She holds some of the dyed pink hair on display clearly telegraphing that she's thinking about what he'd look like as a pink head.

It's hard to tell whether or not she's picked up on the fact that she's making him mildly uncomfortable with her line of questioning. Hilda does hum in some sort of affirmative – which, if Reno reads into it – doesn't sound like she's convinced whatsoever by his explanation. ]

Cards is something – what kind of card games were they? And even if they won't let you carry any weapons in the castle, there could be similar activities. Will they let you take up archery or something?

Hell no. [ He plucks vibrant pink out of Hilda's hands, wrinkling his nose. ] Don't even think about it.

[ Reno's got one shade of red he uses, thanks, and that's all. No one's gonna convince him to be a pink head or a blue head or, fucking forbid, a bald head. No offense, Rude. Just doesn't work on him.

He runs his fingers over the tones of red. He scoffs. ] What, not afraid I'll start bullseyeing little old ladies?

[ Look, he wouldn't. (Probably.) And how did this conversation turn on him like this? Not that Reno doesn't enjoy talking about himself, or talking in general, but he's selective about the topic. ]

[ Immediately he's given a pout. ]

Party pooper. I wouldn't want to share the same hair colour with you anyway.

[ With her hands free she picks up two different shades of red instead. The last thing she wants to do is start a tug of match war with him right in front of the merchant. ]

The little old ladies in Thorne could probably zap you without batting an eyelash. [ If the amount of magic in that castle is to be believed, they'd probably give him a run for his money. The dye samples are held out on either side of his head. Maybe they could mix something that's in-between? ] Geez, I'm just trying to give you suggestions! You know that being difficult and complaining aren't hobbies, right?

Tch. You're just jealous.

[ If you ask him, she'd look pretty damn nice in any hair color, but like hell he's about to speak those words out loud. He leans a little to the left into the light so she can get a good read on the shade of red. No grandma's zapped him yet in the Castle, but he hasn't pressed his luck, either.

He opens his mouth like he's gonna say something, then closes it. His expression changes: eyes narrowed before a slow, sly grin that can only be called shit-eating takes over. ]

Wait a second... [ Hang on a minute here. He's reaching a conclusion. ] Are you saying you care about me?

[ Sorry, what was that? Was that a mental compliment? Good thing she isn't a mind reader - he'd never hear the end of it.

The pout is gone in an instant, replaced by fluttering doe eyes. ]

It's okay to admit that you think you'd just look washed out with my hair colour, Nono.

[ Hilda watches his expression change and there's a moment where she narrows her own eyes, seeing the shit-eating grin curve on his lips. Pink blooms in two spots on her cheeks as her mouth falls open in something that can only be described as outrage. ]

What?! [ Immediately both of her hands clamp down on either side of his head before giving him a noogie. The resulting yelp from the merchant because the dye samples are still in her hand go unnoticed for the time being. ] Talk about arrogant! Just because I'm offering you suggestions doesn't mean I care.

[ Reno visibly recoils from that nickname. What the shit— ]

Hey! [ Ow. He wriggles out of her grasp like a snake. Why the hell is she so strong for. How many axes does she need to swing at a time?

Reno straightens the lapels on his coat, then fixes his hair back into its carefully styled rat nest. Anyway, never said he wasn't arrogant. But he does have a reason for it. (The reason is he's just that good.) ]

You gotta watch the assets. [ He plucks another bottle of dye off the table. The merchant looks pissed, which, who cares? They're the customers. ] I'm valuable goods.

Edited 2023-06-07 02:54 (UTC)

[ With her back turned to the merchant, they can't see the smug look on her face. Instead of responding right away though she returns the dye samples back to the table, smoothing them down in a hurry. The moment she looks up her misty doe eyes are turned on in an instant, along with an apologetic smile that has a strong dash of, "please forgive me, he was bullying me."

The merchant, seemingly caught off guard by the sudden teary eyed expression doesn't seem to know what to do. They're only further placated by Hilda picking up several other bottles of the red that Reno is holding. ]

Not as valuable as these handcrafted dyes though. They're the best in the whole market. [ And then to the merchant who's still baffled as she reaches in to extract enough coin for half of the purchase - ] We'll take these, please.

[ And then below the stand, Hilda reaches out her leg to give Reno's shin a kind of gentle, not really, kick. She's not paying for this all by herself. It isn't even her hair! ]

[ Oh, now he's the bad guy? (Okay, he is, sometimes, usually, depending on how you wanna look at it, but that ain't the point.) He rolls his eyes, folding his arms back across his chest to let her take her pick.

So maybe he pays a guy to do this for him back home. What is he, some sorta heathen? He's not putting questionable hair dye from some stall outta Wall Market on his head. What if all of his damn hair falls out? You know how long it takes to grow it out?

(He's gonna mark down her little trick, though. Could be useful to get them outta real trouble.) ]

Some of us don't got a salary. [ Despite his complaint, Reno digs out a handful of not-gil from his pocket. No, he's not gonna tell where that came from. Let's just say a few of the drunken idiots in the gambling halls have lighter wallets. He slaps the money down on the counter and makes a hand it over motion at the merchant. ] There's gotta be a cheaper way to do this.

Edited 2023-06-07 22:51 (UTC)

[ An eyebrow arches so sharply that it might as well have cut diamonds. It's aimed not just at the comment about not having a salary, but also at the ridiculously rude hand motion.

The vampire merchant doesn't seem particularly jazzed about it either, snatching the coin from Reno's hand and purposefully placing their chosen dyes in Hilda's hands. Probably not hard to assume which one of them will be welcomed back in the future.

Hilda all but trills a sweet up thank you to the merchant before dragging Reno unceremoniously away from the stall. ]

The cheaper way is making your own dyes but I get the feeling you're not going to pick that up as a hobby, are you?

[ Reno appears unfazed by the whole display, like he exists in a perpetual state where people are pissed at him and that's just how it is. Which is kinda accurate. He strolls off with her, giving the fangy man a cheeky little wave. ]

Eh. [ He moves to slip his hands in his pockets out of habit, only to realize these flowy robes out of Thorne don't have any damn pockets. ] Who knows? Maybe you've inspired me. Anyway, what about you? You selling your rings and shit or what?

[ You know, all that jewelry making she talked about. ]

I got a guy back at the castle trying to sling pizzas, but he's not real good at getting his empire off the ground.

[ Regardless, it's probably a good thing he's got someone at least acting like some level of PR for him. Not that Hilda has any idea what PR is, let alone even stands for. ]

Aw, inspired you? Can you say that again for the record, please?

[ She knows that it's probably dripping in sarcasm, but she'll take the small wins where she can get them. It's mostly something for her to distract from the fact that he seems to have hit on a relatively embarrassing subject. ]

But no, I haven't. [ There's some hesitation on her part. ] I don't really know what to price them at. And it's mostly a hobby not like a business or anything. [ She casts him a sidelong glance, happy to peel the focus away from her. ] What's pizza?

Edited (saw a typo do not perceive me ) 2023-06-11 01:11 (UTC)

A professional never puts anything on the record.

[ That's world-class advice from a Turk himself. He glances back at her 'cause yeah, he does catch that hesitation. She's a little funny to him, if he's being honest. A lot of stuff he wouldn't expect her to care about except she apparently does, like her axe-wielding prowess or, uh, making rings? What's with that?

Look, he ain't judging (this time). It's just something he's starting to notice.

He waves his hand. ] You can sell anything at any price with the right confidence.

[ That's what life at Shinra taught him, so that's the wisdom he's imparting upon her. ]

You never had a pizza? [ He clicks his tongue. ] Boy, you're in for a treat. Now, I could bring you one through that portal, but cold pizza's a hangover delicacy. You want a steaming hot one for your first.

Edited 2023-06-12 18:43 (UTC)

[ That seems to strike a nerve with her and she frowns, protesting. ]

I've got plenty of confidence!

[ If that wasn't evident in the way she carried herself then she isn't sure what did. Although, deep down, even she knows that that's only true to a point. Pretty packaging could really only do so much. ]

I've never really thought about selling them before. And if I did sell them, what if it's too much? Or too little?

[ She had always claimed that numbers made her head spin. In some ways they did - but she was mostly just lazy. Back to this apparent "delicacy" that Reno is apparently offering to - wait a minute. That was definitely an offer. Her eyes narrow for a split second before - ]

Are you...offering to do something nice for me? [ There's a little wiggle of her fingers towards him, lips twitching at the corners. ] What's the catch?

[ Reno pokes his index finger in her direction like she's just hit the jackpot about the point he's making. ] Exactly. Plenty of confidence for plenty of profit.

[ But like her, he's easily distracted by the prospect of pizza. The sort of thing he didn't think twice about back home. Now he misses the simple shit. Pizza, cars, electric heaters. Even chocobos.

He scoffs. Nice. Ugh. You know, he can be nice (this is not a lie), but he's sure as hell not being nice to her. ]

As if. We'll call it a trade. I show you mine, you show me yours. Then we see whose is [ bigger ] better. Deal?

wrapped! 💕

theidlemaiden - 2023-06-15 04:56 (UTC) - Expand

[ CLOSED ]

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wrap soon?

wrapped! 💕