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Apr. 11th, 2009 03:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sleazeoverstyle"Strap in, Chuck." He does the final check and all systems are a go. Of friggin' course they are; he does the maintenance on this helicopter himself whenever he can. Shin-Ra 3, ready and waiting. Because he can, he reaches over and adjusts the noise-reduction phones on Charlie's head, shows her how to use the mic so she can talk to him over the noise of the rotors, makes sure her seat belt's all fastened up the right way, and hands her a map of the known world, or the planet Gaia, whichever she wants to call it. There's a big red X next to Midgar.
"We're here. We got enough fuel in this thing to make it just about anywhere, and I can always put down for more if we need it. Any of those place names strike your fancy, Pie Lady?" There are some places he'd talk her out of goin' on general principle. Like... he just went to Costa del Sol and Gold Saucer with Lara and he ain't sure how much more fun in the sun he can stand. But there's all sorts of shit to do, from the port at Junon to a flyby of the Northern Crater, to the pretty little town of Nibelheim. The only place he ain't gonna go is Wutai, 'cause there's people there who don't like him real well.
Wait, what the hell's he sayin'? There's people everywhere who don't like him real well. But still, he ain't goin' to Wutai.
"Except here." He points the skinny little sliver of world out to her. "Or if nothin' calls to you by name, we can just fly around for a while and stop where we feel like stoppin'." He has to file some sort of flight plan, but he'll figure that out.
"We're here. We got enough fuel in this thing to make it just about anywhere, and I can always put down for more if we need it. Any of those place names strike your fancy, Pie Lady?" There are some places he'd talk her out of goin' on general principle. Like... he just went to Costa del Sol and Gold Saucer with Lara and he ain't sure how much more fun in the sun he can stand. But there's all sorts of shit to do, from the port at Junon to a flyby of the Northern Crater, to the pretty little town of Nibelheim. The only place he ain't gonna go is Wutai, 'cause there's people there who don't like him real well.
Wait, what the hell's he sayin'? There's people everywhere who don't like him real well. But still, he ain't goin' to Wutai.
"Except here." He points the skinny little sliver of world out to her. "Or if nothin' calls to you by name, we can just fly around for a while and stop where we feel like stoppin'." He has to file some sort of flight plan, but he'll figure that out.
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Date: 2009-04-12 10:34 pm (UTC)When was the last time he actually relaxed? Shit, he's been high-maintenance and high activity his whole friggin' life, ever since he can remember. He didn't relax last time he was here; he had to keep one eye on Lara the whole time and that wasn't exactly a recipe for takin' it easy and kicking back.
Fuck it. If Charlie can relax and enjoy it, then so can he. He ain't met a lady yet who could do something he can't -- physical impossibilities aside -- and he ain't gonna let the little Pie Lady from Texas, Earth be the one to break his record.
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Date: 2009-04-12 10:55 pm (UTC)She's not asleep, but she doesn't look far from it. A lazy sort of smile flits across her face every so often as various people on the beach do something amusing, which indicates she's still paying attention.
She looks content. As if all is right with the world and maybe, just maybe, she can sit and do nothing for a while.
It sounds rather nice, really.
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Date: 2009-04-12 11:05 pm (UTC)'Bout the only time he ever hangs out in one place like this, though, is when he's asleep in bed and when he's actually aware of that, he gets up and does somethin' else anyhow, so he knows he's got like maybe ten more minutes of this in him before it drives him straight up a friggin' wall, which... he could do, but better if they haul ass outta Costa del Sol before that happens.
"So. Charlie. I'm thinkin', 'cause of the time of day and 'cause we have a decent trip ahead of us, we ought to probably get goin'." He doesn't make the offer that they stay here overnight; that wasn't part of the plan and it'd be a friggin' headache if he doesn't get Shin-Ra Three back on time, just as far as paperwork goes, but he can't say he hasn't had the thought a couple times as he's glanced over and watched her, all pretty and content.
One of these days, he keeps tellin' himself like it actually might happen. He's never been a patient person.
"So what do you say? Anything else you wanted to do here before we head on back?"
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Date: 2009-04-12 11:08 pm (UTC)"Come on, Reno-not-the-city," she laughs. "We wouldn't want to keep you out past your bedtime."
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Date: 2009-04-12 11:16 pm (UTC)And 'cause he can, he swoops back down and over one of the fields not too far away where he sees a nice little party of Beachplugs. "Hey. I didn't tell you about the local monsters, did I?" This time they just buzz 'em from the air so she could take a look, but not close enough so there's any risk at all. "Good thing we're up here and not down there." The helicopter hovers there for a minute so she could get a good look. No trip to this planet would be complete without at least one close encounter, right?
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Date: 2009-04-12 11:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 11:23 pm (UTC)Now he glances over at her and grins. He wants to see this reaction.
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Date: 2009-04-12 11:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 11:32 pm (UTC)He steers the helicopter up and away, back over open ocean. It's still turquoise beneath them, but gets darker quickly.
"But don't worry. I wouldn't let nothin' hurt you. Not on my watch." This chopper's equipped with all sorts of stuff he ain't told her about, 'cause why bother? They haven't needed it. "And we're safe in the cities." Safe being a relative term and all. Like... oh, say Sephiroth respawned or whatever and summoned Meteor again? Then the cities ain't so safe. But how likely is that?
Not likely at all.
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Date: 2009-04-12 11:34 pm (UTC)"You're a big meanie, Reno!"
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Date: 2009-04-12 11:37 pm (UTC)He can take bein' smacked. It sure as fuck ain't the first time it's happened, and he expects it's gonna happen again right about now for what he just said.
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Date: 2009-04-12 11:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 11:44 pm (UTC)Now he's all kinds of amused, and reaches into his jacket pocket, holds out a little bag for her. "Here, Chuck. I got you something at the beach when you weren't lookin'." Nah, she was too busy oohing and aahing over the bangles, but he found this little tiny sliver of a necklace at a stand outside. Silver chain, real petite, and a little carving made of some beach coral or some shit like that. It ain't supposed to mean nothin', but he liked it.
The fuck, right? He must've been a lot more relaxed than he thought.
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Date: 2009-04-12 11:57 pm (UTC)"Reno, you didn't have to..."
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Date: 2009-04-13 12:06 am (UTC)"Just kidding. It's no big deal, Charlie. Just thought you'd like it. Since you were busy lookin' for souvenirs and all." The chopper levels off again; he gives her a baby smile.
He'll take payment in pie.
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Date: 2009-04-13 12:08 am (UTC)When she does she just shakes her head and smiles. "You're a real brat sometimes. You know that don't you?"
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Date: 2009-04-13 12:17 am (UTC)(That friggin' grin stays on his face halfway across the ocean.)
It's one more perfect landing in a whole series of perfect landings and he can add that to his resume if he ever decides to quit his job at Shin-Ra, which he won't, 'cause there ain't no other jobs to be had on the whole friggin' planet that give him the kind of freedom this one does. He can go wherever the fuck he wants, do whatever the fuck he wants, and people nod and call him sir whether they like it or not, and the shit he did in the past stays in the past and now, while he ain't exactly a model citizen or nothin', at least they're doing a couple good things for the good of the Planet, and maybe somewhere some day that'll make a difference of the good variety instead of the bad. People like Tifa ain't ever gonna forgive him for the shit he did, and why should she? Why should they? He killed all those people.
A little bit at a time, he could make up for it and now, as he opens the door for Charlie and helps her down out of the helicopter and reaches for her pack, he shrugs and walks them away from the landing pad. "So. Day's almost done. You got a burning desire to go back to Sector Five? Or you ready to go home?"
Either way's good. He still has the bar's knife in his pocket and it'll still open a door for them no matter where they are, he's pretty sure. All depends on if Charlie's had enough yet.
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Date: 2009-04-13 12:27 am (UTC)Her hand drifts down to her pocket, where she stashed the little necklace. More than enough, really.
She also doesn't know how long she can stay here, and she doesn't want to push her luck.
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Date: 2009-04-13 12:38 am (UTC)And he has to clear up one thing. "Remember, Chuck, I invited you here. It wasn't some imposition. I had a good time." He has, too. He got to fly to some of his favorite places, and she smiled and laughed a lot, and that's the measure of somethin' or other in his book. Maybe some day he'll even figure out what.
In the meantime, he fingers that knife in his pocket as he opens the door leading off the roof. Where there ought to be a little lobby and a bunch of elevators and stairs, there's a bar.
Just like that.
"Home, you said." Seems like the trip went awful friggin' fast.
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Date: 2009-04-13 12:50 am (UTC)She swings her backpack over one shoulder and reaches out to grab his hand so she can tug him through. "Let me treat you to dinner or something..."
And just like that, her vacation is over (http://community.livejournal.com/milliways_bar/21603455.html). And she has no regrets.