" Sir?" She questioned. It was as close as she would come to showing her surprise to the man seated at the desk across from her.
Tseng, head of the Turks and her boss, leaned back in his chair, his expression as inscrutable as ever. " You are to escort Ms. Lockheart to the WRO conference at Costa del Sol." He repeated " Standard bodyguard assigment, Elena."
For a moment, Elena felt a nearly overwhelming urge to argue the order. It wasn't as if Tifa Lockheart needed to be protected. For Shiva's sake! The woman was more than capable of taking care of herself. This, Elena knew first hand from being on the receiving end of more than a few ass-kickings, back in the days when the Turks and AVALANCHE had battled on opposite sides of the fence...and why give this assigment to her? Wouldn't Rude be a more fitting escort? After all, he and Tifa seemed to have struck up some sort of friendship, with Rude often stopping by the Seventh Heaven to enjoy the great food and non-watered down drinks Tifa's bar was famous for. It was a friendship that, for some unfathomable reason, bothered the hell out of Elena. And it was this vague feeling that made her so vehemently NOT want to take the job. But then the moment passed, as her Turk training reasserted itself.
" Yes sir. Anything else?" She asked.
" No, that is all. You leave tomorrow morning. Cid Highwind has offered the services of his ship, the Sierra, for the ocean crossing. You will meet Ms. Lockheart at her establishment. Seven a.m. sharp."
"Yes sir."
"Dissmissed."
Elena inclined her head respectfully, before making her way to the door. She had just reached for the handle, when Tseng's voice caused her to pause again.
" Oh, one last thing. You are to wear the suit only during actual WRO meetings. Therefore, pack clothing appropriate for a coastal resort. Enough to see you through the week-long stay. Anything else you might need or want, can be charged to the company account. Understood?"
Elena's shoulders almost sagged and her eyes scrunched shut, for a second. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn that behind her, the Wutain was smiling. She turned the handle with a white-knuckled grip, clicking the door open.
" Yes sir." She repeated, yet again. Then she exited the office, shutting the door carefully behind her, as if afraid that she would give in to temptation and slam it instead...
A few more moments passed before another clicking sound was heard; this time coming from a door located at Tseng's left.
"Well...I must say that went considerably smoother than things did on my end."
Reeve Tuesti, newly-appointed head of ShinRa's 'atonement' branch, the World Restoration Organization or WRO, as it was commonly referred to, walked inside the office and sank down into one of the plush chairs before the desk. His face was openly amused, as he looked at the frowning man across from him.
" Reeve, are you sure about this?" Tseng asked.
Reeve's grin widened as he recalled Tifa's reaction when he had informed her not only of the fact that she would be attending the conference with an escort in tow, but of just who that escort would be. Upon hearing Elena's name, Tifa had let loose with an uncharacteristic string of swear words so foul that, for a moment, Reeve had wondered if she was channeling Highwind. And then, she had summarily told him that the last thing she needed was some Turk...especially that Turk...hovering over her shoulder, like some blonde vulture.
But Reeve had not failed to notice the blush that had crept along her cheeks, though he doubted that she was even aware of it herself. So he remained adamant. No escort, no conference. And no, there was no one else available. And after one last glare, Tifa had caved in. But not before drawing a most unflattering comparison between his face, and the hind-end of a plucked Chocobo...
" Reeve...are you sure?"
The sound of Tseng's now-slightly irritated voice brought Reeve back to focus on the present. Throughout his involvement with AVALANCHE, first as a spy and then as an ally, he had come to know Tifa very well. And there had been more than few times when she had gotten him out of a tight spot.
Tifa Lockheart was a friend...and he owed her.
" Yes, Tseng." He said " I'm sure."
The elevator doors swished open with a melodious ping. Elena stepped out and made her way down the hallway, her medium-heeled boots tapping a fast clip on the polished floor as she hurried towards the luxurious lounge/locker area reserved exclusively for use by the Turks. One of the many perks that came with the high status of the job. She was hoping to make it in and out, before Reno and Rude showed up. That way, she wouldn't have to put up with any questions.
No such luck.
"Hey, Elena! Heard you got called up to Tseng's office for a bodyguard gig." Reno started in, as soon as she entered. " Yo, anybody we know? Or is it..." And here he playfully lowered his voice to a dramatic whisper " ...confidential?"
" Reno, if you know I was called up for an assigment, then you damn well also know who it is." Elena answered, already exasperated. She really, really, didn't feel like dealing with any of his shit right then. { But here it comes... } She thought, as she watched his deceptively boyish face split into a wide grin.
" Man, you've got ALL the luck! A whole week up close-n-personal with those." The redhead cupped his hands in front of his chest, in an unmistakeably vulgar gesture. " Yo, I wonder what she looks like in a biki..."
He never got the chance to finish that sentence, because Elena whirled around and shoved him against the wall.
" Reno, shut your trap!" She said viciously, even as her cheeks colored with a blush she could not conceal.
Reno's eyes widened, his hands going up placatingly. " Take it easy Elena...I was just messin' around, yo."
Elena gave him one more small push, just for good measure, before going to her locker and grabbing her bag and keys. Then, after all but slamming the door to it, she quickly exited the lounge without a word. Reno stared after her until she was gone from sight, then turned towards Rude, who had been quietly observing the whole time.
" Hey, pardner. Did I just see what I think I saw?"
Behind his ever-present sunglasses, one of Rude's eyebrows arched up. " You mean you hadn't guessed?" He rumbled, amused.
Reno's mouth dropped open. " Yo..." He breathed.
Rude adjusted his gloves, before smiling enigmatically at his partner of over six years. " Reno...shut your trap." He said.
And with an audible click of his jaws, Reno did.
Down in the parking garage of the new ShinRa Enterprises headquarters, Elena jabbed one of the keys into the ignition of her car, but didn't turn it over. Instead, she sat there staring at the gray concrete wall in front of the windshield, while silently cursing the world in general and Tseng, in particular. A whole week in the resort town of Costa del Sol, acting as bodyguard to Tifa Lockheart.
How she was going to manage it without killing the brunette herself, Elena did not know...
TBC...