In this time, in this place

[theturksway]

Who: Reno, OTA
Where: All around the train.
When: Fiddlesticks, from day 16 and beyond.
What: Reno has things to do. Like, not doing chores, lazying around, oh and he got a summon materia to try out in one of the larger carriages. The surprise is on him though, he doesn't need a large space for this little guy.
Warnings: Cursing, probably, but not much else for now. Can/will update if needed.



I. Summon

Fiddlsticks Day 16 Specifically For Initial Summoning

Reno sought out the most open space with the fewest obstacles in his way. Summons could be unpredictable sometimes and many of them were quite large as well. And if he had gotten what he wanted he was gonna have one of the largest Summons available at his beck and call. It probably wasn't the greatest idea to call forth a Summon on the cramped train but Reno wanted to get used to the feel of materia once more, especially since Summons were one of the most draining magics to use.

The new training gym was a nice place but after a bit of consideration he kept moving further down the train. It was new and had all the useful equipment in it; he didn't want to get yelled at if the Summon happened to ruin something. So he continued to the original game gym where there was less equipment out while it was empty and, as far as he was concerned, a lot less useful. It still had the open space he was looking for though. He tried to measure it by sight but, well, it's not like he knew the dimensions of the King of Dragons off the top of his head anyway. He was just going to hope for the best and if the train did suffer for it then at least they would know Summons were more powerful than the train itself.

As Reno concentrated on the Summon materia in his hand though a surprise came to him. "What? No, no, no... no way! Don't tell me it got it wrong!" All right, so maybe Reno should have been a little more demanding but Reno thought listing the name of his most preferred Summon would have sufficed. If Bahamut was too hard to kidnap the train could have at least got him Ifrit or Shiva to kick butt with. He should have been more specific and not given the train the option to deal him a bad hand.

Because as far as he could tell by examining the magic within the red orb in his hand, the Summon he possessed was not in fact Bahamut, the King of Dragons. Instead Reno felt the curious energy of a little Summon the Turk had only ever heard of in stories.

With a resigned sigh, Reno concentrated on the materia once more and this time a magical aura with glyphs surrounded him for a moment as he recited a simple summoning incantation. The glyphs reappeared in the air a little ways from him and a second later a white fox-like puppy bounded onto the ground. Reno gave it a flat look. It looked up at him curiously and gave a sniff. It instantly became happy and tumbled over to him, looking up at him with eager little eyes as if waiting for a command. Reno made a rude face at it and instantly regretted causing it's ears to flatten in disappointment.

"All right, all right. Don't look at me like that! Just..." he sighed again, "Let's see what you can do, fuzzball."

Any Other Day After That for Random Sightings

Reno practiced Summoning the little fey fox from time to time after he got over the fact that he was stuck with the tiny Summon. Summoning magic was the most draining type out there, especially depending on the Summoned creature's power. Carbuncle didn't seem so bad but Reno thought it felt particularly hard to focus on the materia magic for some reason--an attribute he wondered if had to do with the fact that he wasn't on the Planet. Like the lack of connection to the Lifestream made it harder to cast the magic trapped inside the glowing orb.

He didn't think about it too much. It made him miss things and he hated to be mopey or sentimental in front of other people. Besides, the more he practiced the easier it got to focus and use the magic without the aid of the Lifestream around him. Instead, it seemed to make him tired and groggy more quickly but at least he was getting used to it.

So the creature made appearances more and more often as Reno practiced and built up his stamina for casting magic. He got to the point where he could keep Carbuncle out for quite some time and whenever the little guy disappeared in a flash of bright light, Reno would just Summon him again immediately to further test his reserves. At least until he couldn't anymore for that day. He might want to remember to spend a few points on Elixirs next time he had some.

Reno Summoned Carbuncle anywhere and let the little fey-like creature run around as it pleased. The Turk was usually in the same carriage somewhere but Carbuncle seemed to get used to the autonomy more and more as it was Summoned by the same person repeatedly so it began to explore its surroundings a little bit. Two most notable things: it was very friendly but very shy about approaching other people; and it had a huge curiosity, nosing its way into places it maybe shouldn't always be if it thought no one was watching.

II. New Training Gym Carriage - Any Day

Whenever Reno wasn't practicing with his new Summon materia the Turk took to testing out the new training gym equipment. He wasn't as adamant about exercising as a lot of others on the train but he was a Turk and a damn good one and that meant he had to keep his skills up. Besides, he was bored as shit with nothing else to do on this train.

Reno was most often seen using the obstacle pads for setting up courses though it seemed he mostly enjoyed running them after someone else did the hard part of setting them up. He was quick. Even when he wasn't using his Electro-Mag Rod for a boost of speed he finished the courses in record time. It was clear he wasn't exactly the strongest guy around so he must have made up for it with perplexing amounts of speed and agility.

If he wasn't showing off his speed in horizontal races then he was probably showing it off vertically as he raced up the sides of the climbing gear. That seemed to be his favorite place in the whole gym, in fact. Reno would climb or simply hop on up to the top of the structure and lounge up there as if he were a cat basking in the sun. He liked to sit up there while he watched everyone else work up a sweat.

Less occasionally he would work on punches and kicks with one of the training dummies. Despite his lesser attention to such practices, he was rather good at it and his form looked nice and professional. And though he never asked himself, on the rare occasion he was asked to spar he'd square up and fight with someone who asked him to go a round.

III. Cinema

For Elena:

The redheaded Turk managed to bully, cajole, and bribe his way into clearing out the cinema for a few hours one day. Honestly, it didn't matter if people stuck around but what he wanted was the choice of movie or show for the day. In actuality he didn't pick the show of the day but rather debated and chatted with his fellow Turk Elena over what they would watch. In the end he let her have the pick though he wrestled a little to steer it towards something they could both enjoy.

He was prepared for the day to be a fun time to relax and chill with his younger associate. He brought all of his remaining snacks--of which he had bought quite a few with his remaining shop points--and had them stashed in a bag next to his seat. Elena was on his other side and he offered her first her choice of one of the three sodas and then one of the bags of chips and then handed her a full chocolate bar. Look, he had had a lot of points and the snacks were cheap and he had a sweet tooth, sue him.

"Also got some random candies if you want any let me know," he told her as they settled in, indicating the bag next to him and the rest of his stash of goodies.

Everyone Else:

Reno hung out here from time to time lounging around like it was a living room. Sometimes he'd get to the theater when it was empty and put on some sort of action flick or investigative series. He seemed fond of one series that involved a small group of government agents that fielded a plethora of strange cases ranging from regular missing person cases to tracking down stolen magical items, hunting monsters, and other random modern day crossover with fantasy style occurrences.

Other times he'd wander in while someone else would be picking out a show and throw in his two gil whether the choice was stupid or not. Or he'd walk in during the middle of a screening and plop down into a seat with his feet propped up on the seat in front of him. He'd be relatively quiet--until he reached for one of his bags of snacks and started opening it with no regard to the crinkling noise it made. If the movie was really atrocious he would make fun of it loudly.

At some point he found out the hammocks in the back were really comfy and started to hang out in them before, during, and after screenings. Honestly, it seemed like he'd simply found a new place to take naps most of the time he was laid out in one.

IV. Wildcard!

[[The usual joker card! Reno can be find lounging around a lot of times so if you want to find him somewhere else be my guest. If you wanna discuss/plot something else special beforehand, hit me with a PM or plurk @ AisuYoukai.]]

Comments

Random Sightings! Storage Car, the 18th

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita's focus was not entirely in front of her, as she gathered things to distribute among those assigned to clean the bathrooms.

Partly because of Ivy's birthday - which she'd committed to attending, and even with the kerfuffle over A-Qing's murder was still going to try and put on a bright face for - partly because of what she'd learned from a quick glance-over with her new books.

And, of course, the murder investigation and the subsequent council talks.

A little white fox-creature had the perfect opportunity to sneak up on and startle her, if it so chose...

[theturksway]

The little creature had bound into the store room earlier to play a one-sided game of hide and seek with its master. Except its master wasn't in a hurry and hadn't come looking. He couldn't be too far away though so the redhead was probably in the carriage, just not on the same floor.

Nita's rummaging, however, startled the little fox-like creature, who backed further away as her hands reached out for the supplies, of which Carbuncle was hiding behind. Once that got too much for the small creature, it suddenly bounded out from behind the supplies, knocking over a few bottles as it leapt away.

It found a new spot to hide in, not far away, and peeked carefully to watch Nita's movements.

First bunnies, now Carbuncles... Nita's getting surprised by ALL the cute fluffs!

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita jerked her hand back, eyes widening at the sudden motion and bright color.

She recovered after a moment, taking a deep breath and exhaling it, putting that same hand on her forehead.

/Hello? You still there?/ she asked - in the Speech, out of habit.

/Sorry for disturbing you; I haven't been paying attention well lately./

Maybe the creature would respond, maybe it wouldn't.

Maybe the peridexis would stop laughing at her in the back of her head, maybe he wouldn't.

[theturksway]

The white fox peeked out a little further, nose twitching as it sniffed the air. It cocked its head at Nita when it heard her talk strangely. There was a feeling of understanding but no actual reply.

It moved slightly, shifted its position, and sat down in plain sight. Still too far away to reach though.

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita just stared at the little white fox for a minute, exasperation with herself giving way to curiosity.

/Uh, nice to meet you. What's your name, little guy?/

Assuming it could either (A) talk or (B) wanted to share such things in the first place.

Nita had pulled her hand back down and now extended it out slowly, palm up.

/... You can come over, if you want./

[rookiemistakes]

Elena had thought about intentionally picking something that would annoy Reno, but he’s providing the snacks and that means she’s in his debt.

(God, junk food. She hasn’t seen this much junk food in one place since Meteor fell. It’s a glorious thing to behold.)

Finally, she decides on what she thinks looks like a drama called Lost in the Void. Turns out it’s a brutally violent horror movie starring a group of...fuzzy catlike people who sound like teenagers and are horrifically murdered in various, creative ways for two and a half hours.

And Elena loves it. She’s munching happily on chips and candies, laughing at the occasionally cheesy special effects, and attempting to predict how each character will die before they meet their gruesome end. After all, she gets paid to beat the people up for a living. Of course she’s more than a little warped.

[theturksway]

The choice in movie could have been much worse. As it was, Reno was enjoying it a great deal despite the main casts' fluffy appearance. It was a little strange at first but eventually the movie's horrific plot sucked him in enough to forget he was watching a bunch of cats get slaughtered for the sake of entertainment.

Reno tossed another piece of candy at Elena after a particularly gruesome scene played out on the screen. "Nice call, rookie. Got that one right with no amendments needed."

[rookiemistakes]

Elena is surprised; for a cliche horror movie, she’s having a hard time deciding who’s going to survive to the end. She had her money on a purple cat person with two tails, but that character just got cut in half by a falling sheet of metal, so all bets are off.

She catches the thrown candy without taking her eyes off the bloodbath and pops it into her mouth.

“I’m not a rookie anymore,” she reminds him for the millionth time. It’s an old argument of theirs; practically a formality at this point. And it’s not like Rufus Shin-Ra is in any hurry to hire more Turks—the four he has (plus their mostly retired colleagues scattered around the Planet) are probably the last of Shin-Ra’s black-suited heavies. “And of course I made the right call. I always make the right call.”

[theturksway]

"You'll always be the rookie," Reno replied without heat, not even looking at her. It was said in the way one repeats a line that's old and had many uses and everyone important understands it's just the line that gets said after the previous one. Because that's just how friends and family showed affection to one another, right?

"Ain't got no one to replace you with," he added a bit later as the movie's scene settled a little and before he got distracted by it again. He was referring to the fact that she would probably never have a junior Turk considering that they were very likely the last. At least for a good long while into the future. Who knew though, one day maybe...

But if she took it to be more sentimental like it kind of almost sounded out of context, well, that wasn't the worse thing either. Reno didn't mind too much. Not like anyone else was here to hear it. Not anyone that mattered anyway.

[rookiemistakes]

Elena doesn't let on that she understood the double meaning behind Reno's words. Still, she finds herself smiling and affectionately punches him in the shoulder. Reno is a pain in the ass a lot of the time all the time, true, but he's someone she can always count on to watch her back. He's a Turk. They're closer than family.

"Are you getting sentimental on me, Reno?" she teases lightly, then steals a handful of chips from the bag in his lap. There's a loud squelching noise onscreen as the few remaining cat people stumble across the remains of a character who has been dissolved in acid, and the precious, touching moment ends. She goes back to wondering out loud whether there's still enough acid left in one of the old Shin-Ra storage warehouses to try that in real life.

New Training Gym Carriage

[laurefindil]

"This...looks interesting," Glorfindel said, looking over the obstacle course. "What is it for?"

He was in one of his new outfits. The one that he felt made him look a bit like a Nazgul, but with the hood down it was fine. His Outfit

[theturksway]

"What? You've never run an obstacle course before?" The Turk said with an amused air. Sure, their worlds were completely different but that wouldn't stop Reno from making fun of the elf. "You fairies don't have trails in the treetops or some shit? Come on. It's child's play."

Elves = Masters of Parkour

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel looked at it again and tilted his head slightly. "Oh. It's...rather small isn't it? But you do make good use of the space. Couldn't find any treetops to set it up in?"

[theturksway]

"Oh, haha. You find some trees and I'll set up an obstacle course for ya, smartass." Reno's tone was light and he was smirking despite his ribbing comeback.

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel looked over his shoulder at his butt. "Huh, these new pants are more flattering than I thought!"

He grinned at Reno. "So, can anyone run through this or are we only allowed to marvel at your skill and grace?"

Random sightings, Game car

[stealsyourheart]

"Whoa!" Kaito yelps as the fox bounces by, the dove on his shoulder fluttering in agitation at the predator.

"You're not one of Iden'no-san's pokemon!"

[theturksway]

Definitely not a pokemon. The little guy's master wasn't far behind but not quite caught up yet. Carbuncle paused briefly to look back at the human it just ran past and it's nose twitched as it noticed the dove on Kaito's shoulder.

Carbuncle stood up on its back legs as if the tiny boost in height would help it see the bird more clearly. It looked less interested in would-be prey than just curious at the sight.

It didn't really know how to hunt or even hurt others after all. It was only a support Summon! Not that that was obvious by its foxy appearance.

[stealsyourheart]

Kaito scritches pidgeon feathers soothingly, as he crouches slowly, bringing himself down closer to Carbuncle's height.

"Hey little fella. Definitely not Iden'no-san's! What are you, huh? And do you belong to anyone?"

Aoi fluffs, clearly not happy, but she stays put.

[theturksway]

Carbuncle stretched up higher as Kaito knelt down, trying to get a good sniff of the bird, but it couldn't balance that way for very long and swayed precariously before falling back down on all fours. It made a small yippy noise and then shook out its fur.

As for the questions, it appeared to consider with a tilt of its head. It nodded quickly and then dashed off, back the way it came. It stopped after a short dash and peered back at Kaito over its shoulder.

[stealsyourheart]

Aoi takes off at the yip and sudden movement, but doesn't go far, landing instead on Kaito's head and cocking a curious head at the clumsy furthing.

"Smart though." Kaito observes, and gets up, careful not to dislodge Aoi, before trotting after Carbuncle. "Lead on!"

[shockinglycaffeinated]

Telli was taking full advantage of the new balance beam, tumbling and flipping her way up and down the length when Reno came in. She nodded at him before launching herself into a back handspring with a twist in the air, but it seemed as if she hung in the air longer than a normal humanoid would.

After the handspring she moved into a handstand, keeping herself upright just through core strength and balance with her legs straight up in the air.

[theturksway]

Reno paused near the balance beam to admire the view of Telli in action. On a professional level he recognized her skills were above average and that was something of note. On a non-professional level he just really liked the way she moved so fluidly and confidently, and wasn't going to complain about the free show.

He may have forgotten what he came in here for, too busy watching the twi'lek display her agility and strength. Not that it mattered, he mostly liked to observe his potential teammates anyway. Gave him a better idea of what he had to work with if he ever teamed up with them.

[shockinglycaffeinated]

It had been drilled into Telli to not allow anything to distract her from her training so despite Reno's appreciative gaze she kept moving through her set, focusing on maintaining her flexibility and core strength. She finished her set with a scissors leap, lightly landing on her toes and letting the mats cushion her feet.

Finally she turned to Reno with a smile, "Enjoy the show?"

[theturksway]

"Not a bad show, yo." He replied with a small, tight smile that just reached his eyes. That was his 'I'm trying not to make it too obvious I'm interested' smile as opposed to his usual flair for bright, wild eyes and wide grins. For all it's subdued nature it was somehow more genuine and if only Reno realized that he might not reveal it at all.

He walked closer to her in a roundabout manner, circling around the mat. "You're pretty good."

Sorry this took a while, work and RL got overwhelming

[shockinglycaffeinated]

"Thank you. It's something I enjoy so I make sure to practice regularly." She kept an eye on Reno as he circled her, ensuring he was never completely out of her sight.

As he moved back in front of her she raised a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. "Was there something else you wanted?"