InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "icu sharpay"

Maria (born_of_a_wish) wrote in chaosunraveled,
@ 2009-09-01 14:48:00

Entry tags:

l, maria, rating: pg-13, reno, rufus, setting: emptiness

Who: Maria, Reno, Rufus, L
When: Late afternoon
Where: Emptiness
Rating: PG-13 to be safe
Warnings: None that I can think of
Summary: Maria and Reno meet as they always do, but this time they aren't able to do so unnoticed.

Maria thought nothing of slipping out of Asgard to head into Emptiness. She did it often, whether she was meeting with Reno or not. And no one ever questioned her or made any attempt to join her – she'd established her preference for going off alone quite firmly.

It never occurred to her to check and make sure no one was following, or to announce she was leaving. Who paid any attention to what she did, anyway? She stepped lightly down the steps of Asgard, high heels clicking, without a second thought. She was freshly showered and dressed and thinking of nothing but seeing Reno.

It was a pity they had to regulate their meetings to clandestine get aways, but she'd take what she could get. Whenever, wherever and however she could get it. Screw the game and this stupid little feud between Asgard and Niflheim. She didn't see the point in it and she wasn't about to engage in childish antics. At least Sal, King and Queen of childish taunts and baiting, was gone. That would hopefully calm things down between the sides some. And as long as things were calm, there was a chance that things would go over smoothly with Jophiel when and if she decided to let the angel know what was going on.

With those thoughts in mind, Maria entered the town and headed towards the theater.

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readsyournotes
2009-09-01 10:19 pm UTC (link)

L happened to catch site of Maria just as she passed the doorway to the kitchen where he had been enjoying some tea he had brewed for himself. It seemed odd that the woman was heading outside alone at this hour dressed up and wearing high heels.

Curiosity piqued, and not about to miss the opportunity to acquire more information on his teammates, he quickly downed the last sugary sip in his cup and followed the woman.

He was aware that his white shirt and jeans were not exactly the best attire to be secretly following someone in, but he didn’t exactly get the time to change his attire. Instead, L did all he could do by keeping himself at a reasonable distance, moving quietly, and hiding behind whatever was nearby that could offer him cover.

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itsmydayoff
2009-09-01 10:41 pm UTC (link)

Reno slipped out of Niflheim not long after getting the message from Maria, checking to make sure no one was following him. Like Maria, he had established that he would just wander out at random times, and he frankly never expected that anyone would be paying much attention, but between his background and the knowledge of people who could theoretically notice him leaving Niflheim, he was just in the habit of being kind of paranoid. As usual, it didn't seem that anyone was really paying attention, so he headed toward the theater.

For once, he actually wasn't wearing the typical improperly-worn suit. Rather, he had on a black Chinese-style sleeveless shirt over a pair of jeans. It wasn't far off from the clothes he'd been wearing on that weird day where his memories got rewritten, though not quite the same, either. As horrendous as that day had been, he'd decided he rather liked the look, and he'd just kind of felt like dressing differently today. Admittedly, he thought it worked better when his shoulders were covered with koi tattoos. He'd have to remedy that eventually.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-01 11:19 pm UTC (link)

Rufus was drifting back toward Niflheim, alternately imagining ways to kill Cuthbert and stopping to use the Eye, to avoid any more unfortunate encounters. He was just approaching the northern edge of Emptiness when he stopped again, standing perfectly still, and dropped into the silent vastness and profound joy of the Eye's power. He saw a full tenth of Emptiness, in great detail, in one glance. Anyone to avoid...? To the south he spotted Reno's cardinal's crest hair, winding its way through the streets. Rufus wasn't sure he felt like dealing with the Turk after the morning he'd had, when Reno had such a knack for spotting Rufus' mood and the President really didn't want to explain his current pique. But he certainly wouldn't mind having his bodyguard around while he made his way back to the mansion. Using the Eye so often in such a short time was starting to make him dizzy.

Decision made, he got his bearings and was preparing to pull out of the Eye's spell when a blonde head bobbed into view west of Reno, at the very edge of Rufus' vision. The woman's path was set to intersect with Reno's. Rufus swept back to his body, shaking off the shivering remains of euphoria, and the sudden sense of claustrophobia, and set off at good speed. If Reno needed any help in a fight, Rufus would be there to help. If not, he'd catch the Turk when it was over. If it was a peaceful encounter, he'd catch the Turk then. And if it was a deliberate meeting, a possibility that wiggled around uncomfortably in the back of Rufus brain... well. Rufus might finally learn what his Turk was hiding from him.

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born_of_a_wish
2009-09-01 11:33 pm UTC (link)

Unaware that anyone was watching or following her, Maria walked briskly towards the meeting place. She spotted Reno and smiled, lifting her hand in a wave.

She assumed he was feeling the loss of companions, either on a personal level or just because it was a change. She understood that, even if she wouldn't ask. She had made a promise to Metatron that she would never discuss their teams or the trials with Reno, and she intended to keep that promise.

Though she supposed she'd broken it some herself already.

"Don't you look handsome today," she said as she drew close to him. She had donned a rather pretty red sundress, short and form fitting. She hoped that if Reno was feeling a personal loss she could ease his mind some.

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readsyournotes
2009-09-02 01:47 am UTC (link)

L shortly learned that the woman had been planning to meet with someone. With hair that color, even at a distance L was quick to recognize the man. He had encountered him before only a few days ago when dinosaurs had chased him and a few others. One of Niflheim’s team it seemed, as the detective had not seen this man leave Asgard before Maria.

Was this woman meeting this man to exchange information? If they were, what was the point in her dressing up for the occasion? L chewed lightly on his thumbnail and decided he needed to get closer. He slipped into an alleyway shortly before he heard the woman say something about the man looking ‘looking handsome’, and hoped he hadn’t been seen. If he had, with luck he’d have a chance to explain.

He looked down the alley finding his surroundings as unusually clean and almost artificial seeming as the rest of the Emptiness. There was a door leading inside of the building he was hiding behind that might be unlocked. If he could get inside, it would be possible for him to close the distance between himself and the pair and listen in.

He turned the handle and the door opened with a small wheezing creek that resounded in the alley a little more loudly than he would have wished. If it escaped notice or not, it didn’t matter now. He slipped inside.

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itsmydayoff
2009-09-02 03:00 am UTC (link)

Reno replied to the compliment with a grin. It wasn't the first time he'd shown up wearing something other than the typical uniform, but it also wasn't something he did very often, and it was the first time she'd seen this particular look. A good review was nice.

"Like it?" he asked, moving as if to model the outfit, then chuckled quietly. "You're looking pretty great yourself." He took a step toward her, then froze as he thought he caught the sound of a door creaking, and looked curiously in the direction he'd thought the sound had come from. There didn't seem to be anything there, but...

"Hang on a sec," he told her quietly, then walked to the far end of the building they were standing next to and peeked around the corner. There was, in fact, a door there, but it was not creaking, nor was there any obvious evidence of anyone having been there in the past couple minutes. He shrugged after staring at it for a moment and turned back to Maria, shrugging again as he spoke.

"Nevermind, I think I'm imagining things."

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-02 03:36 am UTC (link)

He had judged the building to be near where Reno's path would cross with the blonde's, and went straight there instead of trying to catch a moving target. Eventually the Turk would stop moving, and Rufus could get a fix on him and go to meet him. Until then, he'd find a spot guaranteed to be at least somewhat close, where he could sit down, have a glass of water and maybe something with caffeine, and use the eye without being too exposed.

It was a decent-looking place, a restaurant/bar. Rufus didn't bother to find the lights: he sat in the shadows, but with a good view of the windows— not that he would really be using them —and drifted back once more into the Eye's spell. He spotted the red-head quickly; Reno must have been close, because the Eye's range had contracted severely, as it did when looking near his physical body. The Turk wound through the streets for several more blocks, Rufus' vision shrinking all the time, until he was limited to a view of the immediate street. Rufus was too caught up in what Reno was doing to even think of returning to his body.

The President of ShinRa had never seen Reno, the notorious flirt that he was, light up like that just to see someone; never saw the Turk look at someone the way he was looking at— it had to be Maria. She wasn't even the loveliest of Reno's catches, in Rufus' opinion, and of course Reno could just be playing this. He was, after all, trained in covert operations and infiltration and information gathering, and people talked over drinks and sex. But that look.... Even the joy of using the eye couldn't douse Rufus' anger. The idiot knew better!

Reno perked up suddenly, like he'd heard something. Worried, suddenly, that someone else had discovered Reno's Stupid Mistake, Rufus studied their surroundings carefully. What he noticed was the building they stood in front of. Rufus was in it. With a mental sigh, the President began to unwind himself from the spell.

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born_of_a_wish
2009-09-02 03:44 am UTC (link)

"I like it very much." Maria moved towards him and paused as Reno seemed to think there was something worth checking out. She hadn't heard anything. Not that she'd been listening, but generally people made actual noise.

"Jumpy today?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and speaking with a bit of jest. "I'm pretty sure this tiny little world has other things to do than keep tabs on either of us." Was something more than just the loss of his teammates bothering him? It was a possibility. She didn't know what went on over in Niflheim, after all.

She frowned slightly and reached for his shoulder, now concerned rather than teasing.

"Reno, are you alright?"

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readsyournotes
2009-09-02 04:32 am UTC (link)

It was dark inside. Due to diet and long hours in front of computer screens in dark rooms L’s eye sight had never been quick to adjust to such settings. He could not see anything other than some vague shapes illuminated by a thin slit of dying evening light through some blinds. He didn’t give his eyes time to even try adjusting. He needed to get to the window and see if he had inadvertently alerted the two outside.

He put one hand in front of him as he moved quickly towards the light, entirely unaware that he was not alone in the building and he was on a collision course with an occupied armchair. He soon realized it, but only after it was much too late.

L tripped and lost his footing, choking back a surprised yelp as he fell over and into the piece of furniture. He lay draped over the chairs arms dazedly for a moment slowly realizing that there was something else was in this chair besides him.

He shifted his position slightly and reached out hoping to determine what it was. He felt fabric, a shoulder, skin of a neck, face…

He jerked his hand back in surprise. It was a person! Which was weird considering that they had not reacted at all to L crashing into him and landing in his lap. Was he even alive? The skin had felt warm but…

L pressed his ear against the man’s chest trying to listen for a heartbeat.

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itsmydayoff
2009-09-02 05:33 am UTC (link)

"Yeah," he replied, relaxing into the touch to his shoulder, "I'm fine. Just thought I'd heard something." He sighed quietly. "Maybe I am a little jumpy, I dunno." He shook his head and seemed to recover. No use worrying about people that weren't there.

"You're right, nobody's gonna bother following us around. I mean, we can't be that interesting." He grinned at her, reaching a hand up to brush over her cheek lightly.

Something still didn't feel right somehow, but he couldn't put a finger on it, and he wasn't going to waste his time worrying about it. Nobody had ever followed either of them before, and he saw no reason for them to start now. He wasn't even sure he'd really heard anything to begin with.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-02 06:04 am UTC (link)

Falling back into corporeal existence was always singularly unenjoyable: dizziness and confinement mingling with that gut-deep sensation of loss as the joy faded and reality set in again, gravity latched onto him and weighed him down once more. There was something besides gravity weighing him down, this time, though. Life-warm and sprawled across his lap, pressed to his chest... Rufus snapped his eyes open and looked down into a messy spray of black hair. And gasped.

There was a man. In his lap. He started to shout, and shoved at the person on top of him, rocking back hard enough that the chair tipped onto its back legs and unbalanced.

What the hell?!

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born_of_a_wish
2009-09-02 05:45 pm UTC (link)

"And my team at least is still dealing with all the recent changes." That would keep them busy for a bit, anyway. Especially considering their two newest members. It was almost funny, watching Asgard try and deal with them. And would be certainly funny if certain members of Asgard attempted to control them.

"Now what do you feel like for dinner? I could go for..." Now Maria paused, thinking she'd heard something. Maybe. Wonderful, Reno's paranoia was rubbing off on her now. She shook her head and laughed some, dismissing it.

"Now you've got me jumping at shadows!"

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readsyournotes
2009-09-02 08:23 pm UTC (link)

L’s eyes widened as he realized that the man he had fallen on had suddenly awoken from whatever unconcious state he was in. L felt him draw in the breath to shout. Which was the last thing L needed to happen as it would alert the two outside that he was in here.

He quickly reached up and covered the man’s mouth hoping to stifle any sound he made and prevent him from sounding the alarm. As soon as the man started trying to shove him off L wrapped his free arm around him for stability. His positioning was poor, but if he clung to him he could prevent the man from pushing him down to the floor.

Then the chair tipped backward, slowly at first like a beginning of a roller coaster’s downward decent. It was in that sickening moment that L realized that the two of them were going to fall to the floor, and probably very loudly too. He braced himself for impact, clinging to the man tighter as the chair fell. They both slammed to the floor.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-02 09:02 pm UTC (link)

Smothering me, Rufus thought, as the hand latched over his mouth. The glimpse of shaggy black hair had made him think of Cuthbert, back, perhaps, to finish the job, but Rufus had kept a very, very close magical watch to make sure the hick did nothing of the sort. So then why was there someone sprawled over his lap, curled around him, silencing him with a hand as the chair tipped back...? Rufus swatted at the hand as the world tilted crazily, only feeding into the chair's impetus.

It landed with a crash. The President's head hit the floor so hard he saw stars, but the hand had slipped away from him mouth, and as the echo of the noise died, he hissed.

"Shit! Not a chance Reno didn't hear that—" And then he was struggling to shove out from between the chair and the weight on top of him; maybe he could roll....

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itsmydayoff
2009-09-02 11:00 pm UTC (link)

Reno chuckled along with Maria as she jumped at another phantom noise. He hadn't caught any particular sound that time; maybe he really had imagined it before and his jumpiness was just rubbing off. He ran a hand through his hair, seeming almost embarrassed.

"Heh, sorry, didn't mean to make you jumpy, to--" He stopped abruptly as there was a very distinct sound from inside the building. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, but it sounded like something had fallen over. And this time he was sure he had actually heard it and that he wasn't just making it up.

"...those are some noisy shadows," he mumbled, glancing at the wall of the building briefly before looking at Maria again. "You did hear that, right?"

Immediately, he had the impulse to get away from that building as quickly as possible, in the hopes that whoever was inside was there on their own business and hadn't been paying any attention to them. On the other hand, if whoever might be there had noticed them, or had been spying on either of them to begin with, then just leaving probably wouldn't be the best idea.

"Should probably check that out," he muttered, and started walking toward the entrance of the building.

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born_of_a_wish
2009-09-02 11:14 pm UTC (link)

"I heard it."

Strange noises coming from supposedly empty buildings was something that hit a little too close to home for Maria. She shivered some despite the lingering heat of the day.

But this wasn't Silent Hill, and there was most likely no terrifying monster inside of the building waiting to eat them. At least not today, when things had been relatively normal.

"It's probably an animal or something...." Or someone else, which could pose a whole host of new problems. But she followed Reno, wishing she'd brought a weapon with her. And if it was one of their teammates? Then what?

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readsyournotes
2009-09-02 11:29 pm UTC (link)

The two of them hit the floor hard, luckily thanks to the extra padding L was able to avoid absorbing most of the impact. “You cushioned my fall nicely.” He said rolling off the man as he began struggling to escape from under him.

Based on the cursing, L could deduce that this man was not supposed to be here either. The problem was that he seemed to know the name of at least one of the people L had been spying on, meaning they could be familiar and even trust one another. L’s word over this person’s could be useless.

The detective scrambled to his feet and looked quickly to the back door. Should he make a run for it or try to salvage the situation? There would be a good chance of being spotted if he left the building, and fleeing the scene would be a good indication that he was guilty of something. On the other hand, the with the man here he could be outnumbered three to one…

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-02 11:52 pm UTC (link)

By his voice, Rufus knew definitely that the stranger wasn't Cuthbert. He'd still tried to suffocate Rufus, though, and was now facing the door, looking ready to leg it.

Rufus, who had had quite enough shit for one day, thank you, was not about to just let that happen. How had the stranger found the President? Had he seen the Eye? Had he seen Reno and Maria? Questions that needed answers, and if the black-haired interloper got away, Rufus wasn't going to get them. Rolling off the chair, the President got one foot under him and lunged, catching the other man in a full-body tackle.

Once again, they hit the ground with force. Rufus pulled himself up until he was straddling the other man and pinned his arms down beside his head. Not the best hold, but it would do.

Brows lowered, teeth slightly bared, he shook his bangs out of his eyes and ground out, "So?"

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itsmydayoff
2009-09-03 12:08 am UTC (link)

“Yeah, could be...” When he got up to the door, he stopped and nodded for Maria to hang back a little.

“Wait a sec before you come in, okay?” he told her quietly. “If it’s a person and they hadn’t already spotted us, then it would be a little less conspicuous that way.” With that, he opened the door, finding the place dark inside, and definitely inhabited, though without his eyes adjusting more to the darkness he couldn’t really tell by what or who. It took him a second to find the light switch, but when he did he was greeted by a very surprising sight.

"What... the...?" The guy he'd been running from dinosaurs with the other day was sprawled on the floor, with Rufus on top of him, pinning his arms to the floor. Rufus didn't seem at all pleased, so he couldn't imagine this was a friendly encounter, but he didn't really seem to be in any immediate danger, either. And the way it ended up looking... He couldn't hold back an amused smirk.

"Well, that's interesting." He was going to want some answers in a minute as to what was actually going on, but at that moment he just kind of wished he had a camera on him.

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born_of_a_wish
2009-09-04 03:51 am UTC (link)

Maria hung a step or two back behind Reno, curious and nervous. He had a good point - if it was a teammate, there might still be a chance to salvage the situation.

She stayed by the doorway, tense and on guard. She listened, confused at what she could hear Reno saying. He didn't sound particularly worried. She took a step or two inside, curious now. Besides, she hadn't come in with Reno. She could pass it off as a coincidence if need be.

When she saw what had garnered that reaction from Reno, she almost wished she hadn't. What on earth was going on in here?

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readsyournotes
2009-09-04 07:38 pm UTC (link)

“So what?” L brought up his legs with the intent to throw Rufus off balance over him. There was no way the detective was going to allow himself to be caught so easily, especially when there were two others coming and the man could potentially be used as a hostage to escape. Unfortunately before he could do anything of the sort, the lights turned on signaling the arrival of Reno and the Asgardian woman he had followed here.

It was because of their arrival, L forgot to retaliate. Now that there was light in the room, his interest went elsewhere and he was able to look up and actually see the man who was restraining him. Much to his surprise, he had met him back when dinosaurs had chased them. He had the one who had invited him to tea after the incident, and also matched the description of the man Cuthbert had encountered perfectly. So that would mean his name was Rufus?

L did a quick assessment of the situation: He was dealing with two Niflheimers and an Asgardian who he didn’t know or trust. One Niflheimer may not have wanted to be discovered here by Reno was restraining him. And who knew if any of them had weapons, or even powers that some people had been described as having?

He might have a chance if he could fight them one on one, but he doubted he could create a situation that would allow for that. The moment he took care of Rufus, he could have both Reno and the woman to worry about.

But then right now, the red haired man appeared to find amusement in the situation and the woman looked confused and horrified. Their reaction probably from surprise and/or due to the seemingly sexual position he and the man had been found in. L supposed that this was better than the two reacting with anger or rushing to the man’s aid right off the bat. The best thing he could do was to stay relaxed and hope for an opportunity to escape to present itself and try not to think about the worst case scenario if one didn’t. In the mean time…

“I am sure you two can easily deduce on your own what has been transpiring here. But if you require one more visual aid perhaps I can assist.” He looked up at the man straddling him with slight irritation, “I can’t say I approve of you topping me.” With that, L thrust his pelvis upward to throw the man over and off him.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-05 02:54 am UTC (link)

Rufus' head snapped up reflexively as light flooded the room, and he looked around, only to find Reno standing in the doorway with his hand on the light switch. Shit.

The Turk's expression— to Rufus' surprise —was amused. Anger, confusion, concern, those had all been expected. But amusement.... The President looked back down, startled to see that he recognized the man he was— and that was when it hit Rufus: that Reno had found him straddling another man in a dark room in the middle of Emptiness. Eyes flying wide, for the first time in many years, Rufus ShinRa was actually speechless.

And then the man under him said, I can't say I approve of you topping me, and Rufus opened his mouth to snap back. Before he got anywhere, however, the hips beneath him bucked roughly, and Rufus half fell, half rolled forward, his grip on the other man's wrists failing and his mouth snapping shut as he tumbled headlong and landed in a dizzy sprawl on his back, the wind knocked out of him.

...I really don't deserve this.

"Reno," he managed after a moment. What the hell to say? What the hell was going on? "What the hell is going on?" He pushed himself up, preparing in case the stranger made another move— unable to help noticing the woman in the doorway behind the Turk.

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itsmydayoff
2009-09-05 03:18 am UTC (link)

Reno watched the scene silently for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what had been transpiring. It almost certainly wasn't what it very easily looked like--what L had continued to suggest with that comment--much as that thought was actually among the more innocuous possibilities. He was relatively sure that what he'd walked in on was some kind of a fight, though he couldn't imagine why the two of them would have run across each other in a dark building--unless, of course, they had both been following a path to the same point of interest. And that was clearly not the building itself.

Reno really could no longer blame himself for being jumpy earlier. It seemed to him that there was not only a good chance that they had noticed him meeting with Maria but intentionally followed them there. He would listen to whatever explanation they came up with, but whatever excuses they had really better be good ones. At Rufus' question, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"I think that's my question for you."

He kept a close eye on L throughout. Rufus seemed to have been taking care of himself, and just now L hadn't seemed so much like he wanted to fight as much as he just wanted to get Rufus off of him, but given Reno's suspicion that their meeting was not so welcome as the black-haired man's comments might imply, it was worth keeping track of him. As much as Reno wasn't sure he was pleased with Rufus at the moment, he knew whose side he was on if L did try to start something.

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born_of_a_wish
2009-09-05 06:54 pm UTC (link)

Oh holy hell.

Maria felt her legs begin to tremble as the situation caught up with her. She reached for a chair and quickly sat down, shaking. This was suddenly a potentially dangerous situation. Now she was glad she hadn't brought her gun - coming in here with that out would have just added to the tension.

That damned Ryuzaki! What was he doing here? And how much had been seen, by either of them? What had almost seemed a surreal and amusing situation was bordering on disastrous.

She would have to trust Reno to calm his own teammate. And hope that she could find a way to ensure Ryuzaki kept his mouth shut.

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readsyournotes
2009-09-06 03:41 am UTC (link)

Once the Rufus was off him, L quickly assumed a crouching position and slowly, carefully backed away from the three of them. He did this not because he was afraid, but because it seemed like a good idea to get out of their immediate range should one decide to take a lunge at him. L certainly didn’t want to resort to fighting, but if he needed to defend himself from an attacker, he wanted to assure he had the best advantage possible.

Most of Reno’s attention seemed to be on Rufus, but the detective was aware that the red haired man was keeping an eye on him as well. Once Rufus answered him, L had no doubts that he would be questioned next, but until he was called upon to do so, he would simply observe the situation.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-06 08:28 pm UTC (link)

Pushing himself to his feet, hands dusting distractedly at his clothes, Rufus didn't look away from L even as his eyes narrowed at Reno's words.

Who do you think you are?

"I happened upon something interesting," he told the Turk, voice soft, cold. Do you really want to play the "shocked and appalled" card on me, Turk? His eyes drew into frigid blue slits, still trained on L, but he gestured in the general direction of the windows. "And while my attention was elsewhere, I was attacked." Rufus ShinRa was certainly not above a flat-out lie, but here, what did he have to lie for? Snooping? Honestly? And what of Ryuuzaki? He caught L's exhaustion-hollowed eyes, and a corner of his lips twitched up. Shall I throw you under the bus? Well, I can't be too careful. "One can only assume you saw something interesting, too." He turned his head toward Reno without moving his eyes from Ryuuzaki's. "You might not want to let him get away." And with that implicit order cast, to act as a barrier between Rufus and L, the President finally looked away from L, and studied the room's other occupants.

His eyes skimmed Reno, taking in the Turk's angry stance quickly and without much obvious interest. A Turk shall have no relations outside of work besides those which are or will be of benefit of the company. Rufus eyed the redhead warningly. Don't look so angry with me. You're the one who broke the rules. Then he turned his eyes to Maria, and his nostrils flared. And you. What to do with you?

((ooc: written without consulting all y'all. Let me know if there's anything I should change, and I will!))

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itsmydayoff
2009-09-06 11:26 pm UTC (link)

"I hadn't been planning on it," Reno informed him simply, giving L a pointed glance before turning his gaze back to Rufus. What to do now? There was no question in his mind that Rufus, and very possibly L, had seen him and Maria meet up. So there was no chance to talk his way out of it, and really no way to explain anything either.

At the look Rufus gave him, Reno's expression lost just a little bit of its harshness. I was going to say something eventually. I was. You weren't supposed to find out like this. He fought the urge to look at Maria, deciding that would only make him look more helpless. Right... what do I do now?

Not sure what else he could say to Rufus, he shifted his attention back to L.

"Alright, so what's your story?"

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born_of_a_wish
2009-09-07 07:12 pm UTC (link)

Wonderful. Maria twisted her hands, unable to stay still or make an attempt to hide her nervousness. This was a bad situation to be in. Not only discovered by one teammate, but two. One for each of them, and quite probably the worst two people who could have discovered them.

She could assume what had happened at this point. They had been followed, and these two had met up with one another. A fight had broken out, as tended to happen when Asgardians and Niflheimers stumbled upon one another.

But at least they'd been behaving in a way acceptable to their teams.

She decided her best course of action was to just keep her mouth shut. But that didn't stop her from shooting a dagger-laden glance at Ryuzaki.

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readsyournotes
2009-09-07 10:55 pm UTC (link)

L’s expression remained unchanged as he listened to Rufus’s explanation but something about it was bothering him. It had been short, and lacking in detail. Even more interesting was the fact that he had gestured towards the window when he brought up being attacked when L had not discovered Rufus by the window, nor had he reached the window himself. In fact the window had very little to do with the situation. So why was it included? Was this a trap, or was the man trying to hide the fact that he was sitting in the chair when the detective discovered him? Why?

“I’ll tell you everything in detail. I have nothing to hide.” For the most part he didn’t, anyway. He tilted his head in the Asgardian woman’s direction, trying not to meet her gaze despite her glaring. “I saw her leaving the mansion alone, and since I had received reports of attacks happening within the emptiness between both sides, I decided to follow her out of concern.

“When I realized she was meeting someone from Niflheim I came in here. After all, I had no idea what the circumstances of this meeting were, and the presence of a third unexpected party could have created a very messy situation. I wanted to be nearby incase I needed to come to her aid, so I came in here.

“It was dark, I tripped and fell into an occupied chair. The individual sitting in the chair had no reaction at all to me falling on him, which I found to be very peculiar. His body was warm, so I decided to listen for a pulse. It was then that this man” He gave a small gesture with his hand towards Rufus, “woke up and panicked. I imagine waking up with someone in your lap listening for a heartbeat can startle anyone, but I couldn’t allow him to scream due to the fact that I had yet to learn the purpose of the meeting outside. Such an event could have endangered her depending on the situation.

The chair tipped and we both fell. I stood and was tackled. A few moments later, you turned on the lights and found the two of us.”

His side of the story done, he quickly turned his gaze upon Rufus and looked at him sharply, “I find it highly peculiar that when you claimed to be attacked, you gestured at the window. We never encountered one another there, and if you wish to dispute that fact, I suggest Reno look at the chair you were sitting in. It is likely still warm from when it was being occupied and if it is examined closely, there might be fibers from my shirt where I fell, or even hair from the two of us. There may even be indentation in the floor from where it tipped over.”

L then sat in a comfortable squatting position and rested his hands over his knees, his eyes never leaving Rufus for a moment. “So when you claimed to have seen ‘something interesting’, why were you sitting in the chair rather than by the window watching it? And why did you show no conscious reaction when I fell upon you?”

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-10 07:25 pm UTC (link)

If the situation hadn't been such a disaster, Rufus might have found it funny. He looked at Maria, only to find her watching L with murder in her eyes. Good for her. Now if only he could trust they'd do away with each other.

I should just have Reno kill them both now and end this mess before it leaves the room. And really, that would be for the best.

Otherwise, he now presumably "owed everyone an explanation," despite the fact that two of these people were enemies. It would be easier— and perfectly truthful —to simply answer that he never explained himself, not really, certainly not to strangers, and absolutely not to enemies; not even if the explanation was perfectly harmless... which in this case it was not. But L had very neatly painted him into a corner. The suspicious sort, or just nosy? If Rufus didn't give him, at least, some believable story then L would know that Rufus had something to hide. And if the Asgardian man was nosy enough to follow someone around, that could be very bad indeed.

Yes, killing them would be most efficient. However, after buying his life with the "no killing" rule just a few hours earlier, Rufus was in no rush to spurn it so blatantly. It might come in handy again, after all. So he had to throw Ryuuzaki off his scent. He raised his hand "absently" to rub the back of his head— then winced faintly at the touch, and lowered it again.

"How else could I have witnessed their meeting, if not through the window?" He gave the detective a faintly confused look, adding, tone grudging, "I moved away to avoid being seen, and to..." he 'lost his nerve' and finished lamely, "sit." With perfectly affected unease-well-concealed, shifting his gaze to Maria again, then back to L, he said, stiffly, icily, "I'd rather not say why I was unconscious. It's none of your concern." Shoulders back, he met L's eye for a moment. Then turned back to look at Reno and Maria. Eventually his attention shifted to the woman. Watching her again.

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itsmydayoff
2009-09-10 08:52 pm UTC (link)

Reno frowned, just faintly, at the explanation offered by Rufus. He wasn't going to press it any farther-- not in the presence of people from Asgard, one of whom he very distinctly didn't trust--but "unconscious" was most certainly not a good thing, and he was pretty likely to make it his concern whether Rufus wanted him to or not. The others could believe that Rufus might be inclined to fall asleep in a chair while attempting to observe something, but that didn't really fly with Reno. He gave the President a pointed look. We'll talk later.

At the same time, he couldn't help but notice how much of Rufus' attention rested on Maria, and he fought back a wave of very mixed emotions: guilt at being caught like this, nervousness about what was going to happen to him and Maria after this, anger at Rufus for having decided it would be a good idea to spy on him, and any number of other little thoughts that attempted to overwhelm him all at once. He forced himself to stay calm, giving Maria a very brief glance that probably failed to be as comforting as he hoped, then turned his attention back to the spies.

"Right, so... you saw us meet. The real question is, now what?"

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born_of_a_wish
2009-09-10 10:49 pm UTC (link)

Maria was well aware that she was becoming the center of attention. It didn't surprise her - she was the only one who had yet to speak. She smoothed her skirt over her thighs as she gathered her thoughts, trying to ignore the weight of stares.

She didn't much care what Rufus or Ryuzaki had been doing prior to being discovered. She had no interest in questioning Rufus, and no desire to explain herself. God, that man looking at her like that unnerved her! At least she felt she had a chance at dealing with Ryuzaki and convincing him to keep quiet.... Rufus was a wild card.

"I'm more than willing to forget this little run in ever happened," she said, pressing her hands flat on her thighs. She didn't know if the men would agree, but she wanted to end this with no weapons drawn or blood shed.

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readsyournotes
2009-09-14 07:48 am UTC (link)

L doubted Rufus’s explanation. Severe head trauma seemed to be too good of an excuse for his lack of response, but there would be no way for the detective to prove or disprove that it had occurred. L knew it was possible, however if Rufus was really going to enforce such an idea, then there was a new set of questions that needed to be asked.

When and where did it occur? Why did it occur? What were his current symptoms? What was he doing about it? After all he had been out and about alone when he had encountered Asgard’s latest member. That couldn’t have been a wise if he was prone to passing out.

“And why wouldn’t it be my concern? You are the one claiming that I attacked you and leaving large gaps in your story.” He was going to say more, however Reno spoke up with a change of topic before L could press the matter further. Did the man believe him? Or was he simply just jumping to his defense?

His attention then turned to the woman. Out of all the people here, she seemed to be the most nervous about the situation. He had yet to figure out why she had chosen to meet with Reno, but judging by her glaring she considered L a bigger problem than Rufus. Why? And now she was suggesting to forget the whole ordeal? “If you wish to forget, I am sure Rufus can supply you with a few well thought out pointers.”

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-15 02:01 pm UTC (link)

A thin smile, pale and sharp, turned Rufus' lips; reached his eyes as frost edges up a pane of glass. He didn't look away from Maria, nostrils flaring slightly as though he scented her unease, and he answered Reno in a tone to match his smile. "Don't you trust me?" Oh, we'll talk.

After a beat, he addressed the woman under his glare. "I'm sure your desire to 'forget' is sincere, but I'm also sure it's not in my best interests. You understand. But I don't hold what you're doing here against you." His tone was masterfully sincere, unaffected; weighted with a grudging concession to reason that could— and had, many a time —convince suspicious liars and attentive businessmen that Rufus ShinRa's given self-interest would work to their own benefit— if only they trusted him this once. His eyes warned her to sleep lightly at night. "There's no reason this encounter must cause anyone trouble. An agreement can be reached." The President's stare lingered on the woman a moment longer, then snapped, hawk-like, to L.

The sharp edge rose beneath the silk sheath of his voice. "Ours is a simple misunderstanding. I do apologize for attacking you, but I'm sure you can understand why I reacted in such a way," he raised a reasonable eyebrow, "how it may have seemed to me that I was the one being attacked. Yes?" And if he was "confused" about the order of events, the head wound he'd hinted at would help cover that.

He looked to the empty room and gestured to the tables, asking, tone wearily sardonic, "Shall we sit and be civilized?"

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itsmydayoff
2009-09-15 06:00 pm UTC (link)

Reno hadn't bothered to reply to Rufus' initial question. It wasn't--at all--that he didn't trust Rufus; he honestly didn't think his boss was going to do anything that would get him in too much trouble with anyone not already present in this room. As he'd said himself, Reno couldn't do much in the way of protecting Rufus if he was too busy watching his own back. At the same time, he wasn't sure exactly what Rufus would actually think about the whole thing with him and Maria, and he was more than a little pissed about the way it had come up. But he wasn't about to get into any of that here with other people around. The question had been a rhetorical one, either way. ...at least with regards to the here and now.

"Yeah, alright," he replied when Rufus suggested sitting down. While Rufus' attention was focused to the room, he gave Maria another glance, this time hopefully a bit of an indication that she probably shouldn't trust Rufus too much. He glanced at his boss again briefly, checking that he wasn't looking, before mouthing the word 'careful' to her. With that, he picked a table and flopped unceremoniously into a chair, wondering briefly if he should have stopped by the bar first and grabbed himself a glass of something strong. He really could use it right about then.

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born_of_a_wish
2009-09-18 06:30 pm UTC (link)

Maria didn't need Reno's look to know she couldn't trust Rufus. The only person she trusted in this room was Reno himself. And she didn't like this idea that an 'agreement' could be reached. She'd offered hers, after all.

"I think that it would be in all of our best interests to ignore this little incident," she said, squaring her shoulders and folding her hands in her lap. "I don't care what either of you two were up to. I don't care if you're both telling the truth, both lying, or if you're here to dance the polka. It's no business or concern of mine." Though she did care that Ryuzaki had followed her. Oh, they'd have to have a little chat about that later.

Though she supposed she really had nothing to hide. It wasn't as though she hadn't had friendships with members of Niflheim before. And held friendships with others, at this point. Though perhaps she wouldn't say Walter was a friend, but there was kinship there. No, this would be alright. At least as far as this getting back to Asgard, if it did. She had plenty of evidence that her dealings with those on the other side had been perfectly cordial and had caused no harm to anyone.

"And I certainly have no quarrel with either of you," she said, nodding to Rufus than Reno, "or anyone from your side, for that matter. Anybody who's been here since I have can tell you that I've been social with your team since I arrived in this place."

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readsyournotes
2009-09-20 03:17 am UTC (link)

After watching them, L was able to determine so some things regarding their relationships with one another. Rufus was a dominant figure for Reno as the man appeared to be somewhat submissive towards him. Reno had mad no attempt to defend his actions, but behaved like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. Perhaps Rufus was a person of higher rank. However due to the fact that Rufus had played a trust card against him, their relationship could be a bit more personal.

Reno was constantly shifting his gaze to look at the Asgardian woman during all this, and it was more of uncomfortable, or nervous look than one of annoyance or irritation. He was also trying to be fair and act as a mediator in this situation, as the man could have immediately taken Rufus’s side of the story and let that be it without giving L a chance to explain himself. This did not mean he would treat every situation equally though so the detective couldn’t entirely trust him. With his relationship to the other man he would probably act in if Rufus gave him orders to.

Then there was the woman; dressed up, in high heels, and unarmed. He had been so focused on Rufus and Reno he almost missed it, but L was finally started catching on to what had been going on in relation to her and Reno. One or both of them were, or gave the impression of being interested in the other romantically. She claimed to be friendly with their enemies, which could mean that he could not trust her in the future.

And with that thought, L felt what little safety he might have had in this situation slip away. It seemed as though it was a good thing he already didn’t trust anyone in Asgard if members like her were frequently dealing with Niflheim, who knew what kind of information might have picked up?

The situation did not appear to bode well for the detective. Two people here were his enemies and one was friendly towards them. He could potentially be outnumbered three to one. Even if the woman did not side with them, he did not know her and there was no guarantee that she would watch his back if things came down to it. Then it would be two against one with her simply watching or being a hindrance to him.

And L didn’t like Rufus’s suggestion to sit at a table and come up with an ‘agreement’ over the whole matter. It indicated that the man wanted something out of this, and that something would very likely turn out to be an exchange in information or a favor as currency wasn’t an issue in this place.

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readsyournotes
2009-09-20 03:18 am UTC (link)

In addition to that, Rufus’s focus would likely be less on Reno and more on the Asgardian woman as Reno was his subordinate, teammate, and more likely to agree to suggestions. Rufus would likely have less conflict with the man, but she could prove to be more difficult to sway… Which could lead to even more problems.

If no agreement was reached to his liking, then Rufus could present a couple less favorable options. He could threaten to alert Asgard to this situation, threaten Reno in a way to make her cave, or in the worst case scenario; use L as a bargaining chip. The woman may not like the detective, but he was still her teammate and she could end up with an even bigger mess on her hands if something happened to him-- Or she could just feed him to the dogs. Either way, L wasn’t too keen on letting either event happen in the first place.

With only four people there was no way L could escape sitting by one of the men at the table. Rufus had told Reno not to let him escape, but right now Reno was sitting down and L was sitting close to the door. It was hardly a position to stop L from escaping unless he had some sort of concealed long-range weapon. And even then, the detective would be a moving target which would make him harder to hit.

Then there was Rufus, who was standing nearby and perfectly within range to tackle him. There had to be some way…

He stood up and placed his gaze upon Reno and the Asgardian woman, “The situation needs to be monitored before I can reach a decision as to what needs to be done about it.” He ran his finger against his lower lip in thought for a moment, “As long as you don’t make this my business, perusing this may not be worth my time.”

He looked icily at Rufus, “I have no obligation to negotiate with my enemies. And your fly is down.” Then he made a quick move for the door.

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itsmydayoff
2009-09-22 02:41 am UTC (link)

It was increasingly obvious to Reno that Rufus was the only one who really wanted to keep talking and not just drop the whole thing. He, of course, hadn't expected Rufus to just drop it, and didn't even entirely want him to at this point, but it would be far preferable if the people here could all just agree to forget about it and not say anything to anyone else, and then he could talk to Rufus about whatever needed to be discussed later. But of course things were never that simple.

Reno listened halfheartedly as the dark-haired man threw in his two cents about dropping the whole thing, and concluded by moving toward the door.

--moving toward the door.

L had made one major miscalculation in that plan. Rufus, of course, was the closer one, and the one he would automatically need to distract, so it had been well thought out for anyone sufficiently unfamiliar with the Turk sitting at the table. But Reno was known for being the fastest of the Turks for a reason--and it really didn't matter more than a split second that he had been sitting down. In a flash, he was across the room, catching up with L right about the time the other man reached the doorway.

"Oh, now that ain't nice, runnin' off like that" he drawled, his tone taking on a certain edge of sharpness. He honestly didn't care about negotiations or whatever it was Rufus had in mind, and he didn't really want this to be L's business any more than it already was, but he wasn't about to just let him leave. Not until he had some confidence that the man would actually keep his mouth shut. And despite what L had just said, right now, he did have an obligation to stay--namely, Reno's hand firmly clenched on his shirt collar.

"I don't think I like that idea about you 'monitoring the situation.' Don't like you just wandering off, either." He nodded back toward the table. "Now how about you come back and sit like a good little boy?"

[Temporary post order rearrangement for flow convenience; Rufus goes next.]

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whosoldtheworld
2009-09-25 07:00 pm UTC (link)

Rufus hadn't expected a response from Reno, and so did not press for one. It was understood that there would be a reckoning later.

Actually, as Rufus broke the situation down in his head, the only person he felt was an honest threat, right this very instant, was Ryuuzaki. Given, that it was in Rufus' best interests to keep Reno alive and healthy and loyal, and over the course of many years the President had come to understand that Reno's judgement was not nearly as dubious as it seemed. Therefore Rufus' trust and support was at the Turk's back, so if the Turk wished to protect the woman... well, Rufus would follow Reno's lead, for now, and not make her situation any worse. He and the Turk could resolve the problem with that later. Privately.

So what, Rufus asked himself, would be best for Maria? He glanced at L. Not making her any more of a target for her own side. Basically, acting like he neither knew nor liked her. Rufus could do that, with interest. The woman spoke and he offered only a slight upward shift of his eyes that might have been muted derision. "Hn," was all he said.

He turned to study Ryuuzaki, eyes half-lidded as he wondered what was going on in the dark-haired man's head. The man was odd-looking and moved strangely, but his eyes were much too keen over their dark bags, much too calculating. If Rufus had been in L's position, his first objective would have been to make a quick escape.

"I'll take that as a no," he muttered as L moved suddenly, surreptitiously glancing down. Not to say that he was expecting the escape attempt right that instant, but he wasn't exactly surprised by it. He was even less surprised that Ryuuzaki didn't get far, and had to stifle a wicked grin to see Reno in motion. The fastest of my Turks, always a sight to behold. Fly, in fact, not down, Rufus flicked a bang out of his eyes and sighed.

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born_of_a_wish
2009-09-26 06:03 pm UTC (link)

Now things were getting bad. This was precisely the sort of situation that Maria had wanted to avoid. She could not be stuck in a position where she was caught between her lover and her allies. And while she didn't like Ryuzaki, she couldn't stand by and let anything happen to him. Not that she was assuming Reno was going to hurt the man, but she wasn't an idiot. Things were going from bad to worse with alarming speed.

And she understood what Ryuzaki mean about 'monitoring the situation'. And didn't blame him in the least. For all he knew, there was a traitor in Asgard. Of course he'd want to keep an eye on her.

"I think it would be best if Ryuzaki and I went home," she said, standing up herself. She made no move to leave, however. She was nervous and she was scared, but she could hold her own. "I think he and I have to have a nice long little chat. To spare him having to keep an eye on me for the next month or whatever." She even managed a bit of a grin, and her hands went to her hips almost defiantly. "I may be an exhibitionist, but even I've got my limits."

Feeling slightly more confident, Maria held her ground.

"But to be perfectly blunt... we're both unarmed, neither one of us is very good at physical defense, and it's not exactly like we're trusted or liked back on our own side." Or so she assumed, in Ryuzaki's case. But she felt it a fair assumption. "Neither one of us is any threat to either of you whatsoever."

She could only hope that Rufus would listen to reason. She didn't know what she was going to do if they weren't going to let Ryuzaki go.

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readsyournotes
2009-09-30 11:22 pm UTC (link)

L may have made a miscalculation in determining Reno’s speed, but he was quick to realize that a simple escape was not going to be possible and changed his tactic from fleeing to fighting. In a breath of a second after Reno grabbed him, the detective’s hand caught hold of Reno’s shirt, and mirrored his stance.

He was not going to back down just because the red haired man had proven to be physically faster than expected. And even if the man should beat him in a fight, L would not lose without learning something of his opponent. Reno’s fighting style (if he had any identifiable one) could prove to be useful knowledge.

L chose to ignore Rufus, even though he could see the man’s thin smirk out of the corner of his eye. He focus his attention on Reno, “There are currently too many variables involved to make an appropriate decision. Like it or not, that is the best and only answer I can give point and time.” He tilted his head slightly towards the woman, “I will listen to what she has to say on the matter when both of us are safe in Asgard.” Hopefully with that said, Reno would feel a little more comfortable in letting the matter drop for now. If not, there were likely to be problems.

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itsmydayoff
2009-10-06 12:35 am UTC (link)

Even as Maria was speaking, Reno realized he had probably made a mistake. He had been too focused on one thing: don’t let L leave. But what if he had? How likely would L have been to say anything to someone before Maria would have had a chance to talk to him? He didn’t seem that interested, all told, and at the very least, it sounded like he would have spent a while thinking about it before he did anything. And even if he did say something--what, people would find out Reno had met with Maria once recently, in some unknown capacity? That, in itself, wouldn’t really be news. It might spread some gossip around again, but Reno could deal with that.

So he should have let him go. He could think of any number of excuses... he couldn’t actually have gotten there that fast, he wasn’t paying enough attention, whatever. Rufus wouldn’t have been happy, but... well, fuck Rufus. This whole situation, at least the way it stood now, was mostly his fault. The rest of them would have been perfectly content to just drop it and walk away.

And now he had the assurance that L would actually talk this out with Maria once they left. That right there was enough for Reno to feel more comfortable letting him go.

But instead, he had the man by the collar. And for some reason L had grabbed onto his collar, too. Which was a truly bizarre move in Reno's opinion, and he gave the other man a curious look before reaching up with his free hand to try to pry L's hand off of him. As he did, he flashed a brief, grateful look at Maria before turning to Rufus with a questioning expression. He didn't bother to say anything, but the message would be clear enough. They've got a point.

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whosoldtheworld
2009-10-18 04:31 pm UTC (link)

This was getting ridiculous.

When Rufus spoke, his words were clipped, sharply enunciated. "I am not looking to have a full-blown come-to-shiva. I want only to understand where each of us stands in relation to this problem, and rather than squabbling like children and complicating the situation, I— apparently mistakenly —assumed we might sit like adults and come to some sort of reasonable agreement." Reno might not have a problem with leaving his ass in the wind, but Rufus didn't operate that way.

No more games. His thoughts settled, like a car shifting into gear, and he glared all around, eventually fixing upon Ryuuzaki. "If you are uncomfortable with the situation it suggests only that you possess some measure of sanity." Switching his gaze to Maria, he said, "But I am not threatening you right now, though I will not deny my extreme displeasure. So far," back to L, "the most threatening display was this attempt, Ryuuzaki," and yes, I did catch your name; the woman does have her uses it seems, "to flee before proving you are a reasoning human being, and that that reason shall be reflected in whatever conclusion you reach. Rather, if your teammate is thinking at all clearly, your childishness and haste ought to deeply disturb her.

"You have admitted to the room that you are not a skilled fighter," his focus swung again to Maria, eyes flicking up and down her form with casual contempt, "and there can be little doubt you are unarmed, just as you say." Not necessarily true— Rufus had known Scarlet West, after all: a woman who raised weapon concealment to new heights and all in a little red dress of her own, so he wasn't going to rule out the possibility Maria had something deadly hidden on her person. She, however, did not have to know he was so cautious. Raising his chin, he asked, "How do you speak for your teammate with such certainty, though? He is not wanting for places to conceal any number of weapons, and though he may not, as you say, be so skilled a fighter, he is at least strong enough to throw me. In addition, you say he is disliked by his own team— your own team. There must be some reason for that. And if nothing else, he has proven his willingness to resort to trickery. Who's to say if you will actually make it back to Asgard, to have your 'nice long little chat,' when he seems quite determined to avoid it?"

Rufus at last looked back at Reno, blue eyes scorching, voice cool. "I believe Ryuuzaki poses a very real threat." Would the detective keep his own counsel, or would he share what he knew and put Reno in serious danger? Perhaps he would hold the threat of disclosure over the Turk, and demand favors. Reno was a Turk. He ought to be able to spot these threats in his sleep. He also ought to be able to neutralize them, but in this place, with its ridiculous rules, and the woman to complicate things further.... What were they left with? "It leaves me facing an enemy, with the upper hand." Cuthbert had said that just this morning, hadn't he? But in the end, Rufus had walked away, hadn't he? Not run, or limped, but turned his back on the business end of a cocked and loaded custom weapon in the hands of a master gunman, and walked away.

Irony was swiftly losing favor with a major contributor.

"He poses a threat to you, Reno, and to you...." With a little blink, he turned to face Maria. "I'm afraid I never did catch your name." Well now, you've got me at a disadvantage, good sai! Seems as though you know me, but I can't say as I know which name goes to your face! Rufus scowled. "As I see it, there are too many variables to not deal with this immediately."

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