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Reno sighed, tapping the EMR against the hollow between his neck and his shoulder. He and Rude had been dispatched to break up some sort of fracas at the Honeybee Inn, and Reno's initial reaction that this was a job more suited for a security guard, or even to put one of the Shinra troopers on a security detail.
However, when Tseng mentioned a need for discretion, Reno figured out very quickly why the Turks had been chosen for this duty instead of a rent-a-cop. It more than likely involved Vice President Rufus - or his father.
"Let me guess," Reno had approached Tseng. "Rufus got himself into some shit at the Honeybee - "
"Discretion, Reno," Tseng reminded his Second, as he dismissed them both. "Don't forget. Eyes open, mouth shut, and get Rufus out of there with as little fanfare as possible." The Director would have gone himself, but there was the small matter of a land war in Wutai going on.
"You got it," Reno replied with a shrug as Rude groaned inwardly. If there was one thing Reno was often incapable of, it was keeping his foot out of his mouth.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Rude muttered, as he and Reno took their leave of Tseng.
Hopped up on way too much caffeine, Reno was bouncing on the balls of his feet like a welterweight boxer getting ready for his first round in the ring. "So, this is gonna be - uh, fun? Huh Rude? Whas'a'matter?"
Rude grunted, flexing his fists within the familiar confines of his leather gloves. "Nothing. Just...you're a little hyper today. Can you try to keep your head on when we go in there?"
Reno laughed. “Don’t be so damned uptight, Rude. I think you need a night out at the ol‘ Bee one of these days!”
Rude responded with a noncommittal grunt. “Let’s just get the VP out of here. I don’t even want to know what he’s gotten himself into this time – “
“Or who he’s gotten himself into,” Reno added with a laugh. Rude punched his partner in the shoulder none-too-gently, and feigned hurt.
“Watch it there, Knuckles,” Reno grumbled, rubbing his shoulder and glaring at his partner. Rude smirked, and the two made their way past the bouncers – a flash of their Shinra badges was all it took to gain access – and entered the lobby of the Honeybee Inn. Only a moment later, the two were surrounded by Bee Girls, one of whom – a blonde - seemed very familiar with Reno.
“How’s it going, Red?” the girl asked softly, twirling a piece of hair around her index finger, then gently teasing it over Reno’s face.
“Going pretty good, Daisy,” Reno smiled, leaning against the wall in what he was certain was a seductive looking pose. “You’re looking well.” He let his eye wander and linger just a little too long over her snugly fitting yellow-and-black striped leotard; Reno reached out to gently flick one of her bee-wings.
“Say….if anyone interesting came in tonight, Daisy, I’d like it to stay between you and me.” Reno began peeling off several hundred-gil notes, and the Bee Girl’s smile grew bigger.
“Of course,” Daisy replied, taking the proffered cash and shoving it into her cleavage. She patted her breast in a satisfied sort of manner. “Anything else I can do for you, loverboy?”
Reno laughed, and grinned. “Yeah. I want you to let me an’ Rude in to the &$#% Room. Side entrance, okay?”
Daisy raised an eyebrow, giving Reno an amused smirk. “Keeping it on the down-low, huh?”
“You got it,” Reno replied, flashing a grin. Rude shifted uncomfortably, wanting to dispense with the small talk and just get on with it.
“Your friend here never has much to say, does he?” Daisy giggled, gesturing to the two Turks to follow her.
“Nope,” Rude grunted in agreement, and Reno sniggered.
“Nah, he doesn’t. I’m the brains of this operation, and he’s the brawn, ya see?”
“Oh please,” Rude snorted, chuckling. They continued down the corridor, snaking around the Bee Girls dressing room
“Finally got ya to laugh, didn’t I, partner?” Rude judiciously ignored Reno’s remark, and quickly entered the &$#% Room once Daisy had opened the door. The &$#% Room was dark; crimson drapery was festooned over the windows, which had been blacked out for privacy anyway. The interior lighting was intentionally poor so as to set the mood - electric candelabras here and there, the bulbs giving off an artificial flicker.
The bed was heart-shaped and tacky, and Rufus Shinra, the crown heir to the Planet’s largest megacorporation, was half in the bag sloshed, only partially clothed, and laying in the middle of the bed, flanked by a man and a woman, who were only slightly more clothed than Rufus.
Reno gave Rude a hapless look and shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever floats his boat, man. Okay….you get his legs, Rude, I’ll grab his arms – “
Rude coughed quietly. “Shouldn’t we get him dressed first?”
“Oh…uh, yeah!” Reno waved at Rufus’s bed companions, effectively dismissing them. “Go on now, uh….here’s a little somethin’ extra.” Sighing dramatically, Reno shoved a hand into his pants pocket, withdrawing a decent wad of gil.
“Here. Take it…for your troubles,” Reno muttered, thrusting the cash at them, which the duo eagerly accepted. Rude stood there silently between the bed and the door, blocking their path - and looking fairly menacing. The young man and woman had gotten themselves hastily dressed, clutching their belongings about them, and looking fairly bewildered. Rufus, meanwhile, had rolled over and pulled the bedcovers over his head, though his concealment wouldn’t last long, not if Reno had anything to say about it.
“Sir?” The young man began, nervously addressing Rude. “May we pass?”
“Hm,” Rude grunted, arms folded across his broad chest. “You’re not going to breathe a word of this to anyone, understand?”
“O-okay….” The young woman stammered, clearly intimidated by the burly, taciturn Turk “We won’t.”
Reno laughed, turning his attention away from the half-asleep Rufus for a moment. “Come on, partner, cool it…you’re scarin’ em!” Rude gave a half-smirk, then ushered the two out, closing the door and locking it behind them. He groaned at the sight of Rufus; the younger ShinRa was, at this point in his life, pretty much a lightweight when it came to drinking, not having had much practice. Reno guessed that Rufus probably had two or three glasses of wine before getting slap-happy and sleepy.
A harmless, youthful, misadventure, to be sure - but it was the last thing President ShinRa would want to see showing up in the gossip rags. Reno and Rude both knew they would have to squelch this as quickly as possible.
“Okay, Rude….how we wanna do this?” Reno frowned, picking through the rumpled bedclothes, trying to locate Rufus’s clothing. He made a face as Rufus slumped against him.
“Where’d they go?” Rufus murmured, bewildered. “We were….just talking.”
“Sure, sure, little prez – juuuust talking,” Reno muttered. “Forget about that – where the hell are your pants?”
Something – either Reno’s sharp tone, or the sudden blast of cold air from the air conditioner, made Rufus sit up suddenly, slightly more awake than he had been. Then, as frigid air and reality crept in, Rufus groaned, rubbing the headache from his temples.
“Sweet Minerva,” Rufus muttered. “Too much champagne.”
“And chardonnay, from the looks of it,” Reno observed, upending an empty wine bottle. The Turk snapped into duty mode, crowding around Rufus, while Rude secured the doorway. “Sir? We’ve gotta get you out of here unseen, understand?”
Rufus nodded and sighed. “I was wanting for company, that’s all. I let the evening get away from me, and this – “ He gestured at the rumpled clothing and bedclothing, and sighed again.
“Yeah, well,” Reno muttered dismissively. “I’m the last one who’s gonna judge ya, right?”
“Indeed,” Rufus muttered, shaking his head as if that would help to dispel the dizziness he felt.
“Let me guess,” Reno laid out Rufus’s clothing for him, turning his back to give him a bit of privacy. “You had all that wine on an empty stomach.”
“Hardly,” Rufus scoffed, donning his underclothing, then his shirt and pants. “We had cheese and crackers – “
“That ain’t food,” Reno interrupted. “Not enough food for a night of drinkin’ anyway. Next time, let me give ya some pointers on drinking so you don’t get shitfaced too early in the evening.”
“I suppose you’re an expert in such matters, Reno?” Rufus asked dryly, at which Rude bit back a laugh. He shrugged his suit jacket on, feeling much more sober by now – and, perhaps, just a bit foolish.
Reno grinned. “Yeah, something like that, I suppose. Listen, though, sir – anytime you wanna sneak out and have a fun night out, no problem – but give me and Rude a heads up, yeah? Or any of the Turks. We’ll have your back – always.”
Rufus nodded in understanding. “I appreciate that, Reno…more than you know.” He stood up, straightening his tie, slicking back the hair from his eyes with a swoop of his hand.
“So…where to now, boys?” Rufus murmured, smiling ever so slightly, no longer swaying on his feet, at least.
“Coffee,” Rude suggested, and both Rufus and Reno nodded in staunch agreement.
“Yes,” Rufus said slowly. “Coffee sounds perfect right about now.”