escordvi | January Catchall + Manta

Entry tags:

January Catchall + Manta

Who: Reno +
Status: Open!
Where: Eltrut, Atnam, Nogard, Elah
What: Manta quests, socializing, and working
Warnings: Nothing yet aside from mild language

Sharky Swaddling

[ Children of any sorts just wasn't something Reno was equipped to handle. The only reason he was even here was because he had an image to maintain and bridges to build with the shark-people. And most species warmed up pretty quickly to those who handled their young kindly. At least once one got past the stage where the parents were ready to commit war-crimes in the name of their child's safety, anyway.

Unfortunately, this didn't make Reno any better at handling the small pups, so it was entirely possible to come upon a redhead that had seemingly accepted his fate.

He was maybe standing at a changing station with a freshly changed sharkin pup laying in an open manta blanket. The wings of the blanket were wrinkled to hell. Crumpled. A complete mess from all the (failed) attempts at swaddling. A nurse was standing by looking at him with pity, concern, and amusement. Reno just had his face resting on the soft(shark skin is smooth, guys) tummy of the shark pup, whom of which was chewing on his hair, cooing and babbling contently while doing so. There was baby drool in his hair.

The nurse was trying to help this poor, defeated shell of a man by pulling someone aside. ]

If I move it starts crying.

[ Help him. ]

The House That Watches: I

[ There was only so much that could be gleaned by attending social events, which was to say: not enough.

Reno wasn't wont to breaking and entering into places alone. Granted, he had as much faith in his own abilities as he lacked in others', he still knew the value of a buddy system. The inherent dangers of working alone was why Reno was willing to risk accepting help from untrained assistants. ]

Yeah, usually I do just go for the front door, but no one's been in or out of it for a week while they're all out gallivanting around, yo.

We'd draw attention to ourselves.

It's either the delivery bays, or we pick a window and climb.

The House That Watches: II

[ For those who would prefer more prim and proper social settings, there was always meeting up with Reno to attend a fundraiser.

The common ilk were allowed to mingle with nobler houses, no doubt so those of higher station could congratulate theirselves on being so magnanimous and patient with the common rabble while flexing their wealth to raise money to further research.

If it was a bother to Reno, he didn't show it. And, for once, he was at least wearing something different. ]

Who said we had to make any bids? We can just be here for the cocktails and free drinks.

All we gotta do is make nice with the dopplegangers while we're here. Not that hard, yo.

Further Hexing Crystals

[ Testing out some weird magical crystals had certainly caught his attention. Magic wasn't his area of expertise--especially considering what the word on the grapevine was about these little stones--but he knew people who did specialize in magic.

Getting to the site wasn't the hard part, it was convincing the guards to let him volunteer and get access to the shards they had on hand since Reno wasn't exactly in the best standings with the association. Whether through quick-talking to get himself and a plus-one through, or being the plus-one for an actual upstanding citizen, Reno would make it through. ]

So! what's the plan? Cause I'm gonna let you know right now, I'm not gonna risk my materia. You have no idea how long it took me to train with it.

[ At least Reno was giving the other person a chance to be an honest scholar or detective. ]

The Last Shadow Afloat

[ These rum-runners were becoming a problem. They were, initially, something he could ignore. They hadn't been messing with any of the ships on his ledger, so it wasn't his business, and other people could handle it while he tended to other matters. Unfortunately, it didn't stay that way, and his own Corsairs were not only being strong-armed out of business(which wasn't Reno's problem, nor his place to solve), but they were drawing extremely unwanted attention to his Captains(which was his problem to solve).

Also unfortunately, rumors were afloat that it was more of these strange shadow dopplegangers butting into things, which could complicate things.

As much as he would rather make an example of them in front of everyone, he erred on the side of patience.

It was far more efficient for Reno to assess a hierarchy among one of the docked crews. Ideally, the redhead would black-bag the Captaining duo of one of these ships, but he'd settle for a Chief Officer.

Either way, two individuals were being knocked quickly unconscious, tied, and blindfolded. Whether Reno handled both individuals himself, or had another pair of hands made little difference to him. ]

Don't worry about it, most people here know when they ain't seeing anything. Just grab one and follow me, yo.

A Steamy Winter Heist

[ One of the ships on Reno's ledger had the fortune of seizing a shipment of a reportedly expensive blend of tea that had supposed aphrodesiac tendencies.

It wasn't something Reno believed really existed in earnest, but it was cute all the same, and he figured it couldn't hurt to indulge. Besides, despite the luxuries ShinRa had afforded him back home, he rarely had the opportunity to actually enjoy them, so he might as well make up for that here.

Much like the springs in the abyss, it stirred a humming warmth in the pit of his stomach. A pleasant undercurrent of hunger and delight that he was content to sit and enjoy as one might enjoy a good massage or slice of cake. It had him lolling his head to one side, sliding his tongue with a thoughtful slowness across his teeth as one of his fingers tread delicate circles around the lip of his steaming cup. He cooed through a rumbling laugh at his drinking buddy across the table. ]

You might wanna be careful. I'm warning you, it's a little strong.

[ Reno was a creature that could sit comfortably with this warmth swimming through him and find enjoyment in it until it passed, even without acting on it. But not everyone was. ]

Wild Card

[ Reno is also extremely interested in A Potion Permit, and following rumors/investigations relating to Scylla, so feel free to toss starters for that at me. Alternatively, if there's something else you want to do with Reno, just slap me with a starter, or DM me any time to ask if you're uncertain. I can also make starters on request, too. ]

Auctionhouse

[ To be updated 1/8. ]

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[This world has been pretty fantastic so far, Jack must admit - but it has its cons too. That includes his body not being as immune to damage, so when he hears about a mission that rewards you with an Ultra Healing Potion, he knows what he has to do.

Compass dust is easy, he just has to get a compass and crush it until there's nothing but powder left. The rest of the list? Not so easy. Jack isn't sure if being a Corsair automatically makes him a pirate, but he doesn't sweat so there's no point in discussing technicalities.

Perching high on a palm tree, Jack watches a bunch of pirates drinking on the shore of a random island. Knocking them out shouldn't be hard, but they aren't quite sweaty yet.

It's at that moment that Jack notices he isn't the only one doing some watching - the redhead down there seems to be interested too. Mmmmh.]

If you make them chase you until they're sweaty, I'll collect enough sweat for both of us.

[ Reno tried not to think too hard about why 'pirate sweat' was a necessary ingredient for a healing potion, but if it was as potent as all accounts claimed it to be, he couldn't risk passing the opportunity up. Granted, he wouldn't be surprised if it was just a load of snake oil, but it was still worth trying, and he was certain he could sweet-talk some Corsair or another into helping him out.

Which was when he heard a voice.

He blinked and tipped his head back to look up. Mild concern, a touch of confusion, and finally acceptance fluttered across his face before he looked across the beach to the pirates dozing for a high-noon siesta. There was a couple of beats before he replied with a huff of a laugh. ]

Yeah, you got yourself a deal. I wasn't looking forward to that part.

I'm Reno. Give me a yell if you get in a tight spot. You ready?

[That's a very long pause, and for a moment Jack thinks he's not getting a positive reaction. He's very glad to be proven wrong, and that huff is enough to make him grin. Always a good sign to get laughter, even if it's just a hint of it for now.

He snorts at Reno's comment, obviously amused - sweat is indeed nasty, but hanging out with kids means he's used to all kinds of nasty fluids. So it's not biggie, really. Especially if he gets to prank a bunch of adults as a bonus.]

Jack Frost. [He points at himself with a thumb as he jumps off the tree, floating at a safe distance as he raises his staff to summon the wind.] And I'm always ready.

[The gentle breeze becomes a strong wind that blows sand right on top of the pirates, who immediately begin freaking out. Jack laughs and waits for Reno to make his move.]

[To be honest, Enterprise would rather not be at an event like this, let alone by herself. She never really felt like she should be enjoying parties to begin with, that thought alone made her feel uncomfortable. Which is most likely why she's currently hanging around with Reno to begin with. A bit of company to help put her at ease, look, she even got dressed up for it too!]

I suppose it's not. [Besides she's already made her bid.] I'm still not entirely certain if I'm the right person for this job.

[Too much social interaction, not enough blowing things up!!]

Hey, don't worry about it.

[ He had a drink in hand currently, in fact, and was glancing down his nose at it while watching the peachy liquid swirl about. His attention turned easily to Enterprise after that though. ]

A dress like that needs showing off, just enjoy yourself and let me do the heavy lifting.

Well, most of the heavy lifting. I'll just need you to be an extra pair of eyes for me, and maybe occasionally watch my back if I get into something other than another glass.

Some of my guys have been complaining about these shadows, and I can't have that.

[ At present, there was a painting up for auction supposedly done by the newest baby leviathan. The auctioneer was steadfast on its authenticity as he yammered away over the bids at light speed. Whenever there was a lull in bidding, there was always the reminder that all proceeds went to funding research and local rehabilitation centers, renewing the zeal of bidders. ]

Like right there..how much you think that shadow and person over there's bid on? They're really pushing some of the old money here.

[ He was watching one of the paddles go up, held by a small pair of solid black hands. ]

[At least Reno is able to cover for both of them as the socialite! She feels like she can be open, but not quite as open as this guy clearly is!]

It certainly feels showy.

[Maybe not as "showy" as some of the other things that she's worn, but it's still a head turner for sure! Still, even with such... distractions, Enterprise has been keeping her eyes open near constantly. An easy thing to do when that's generally your default mode.]

An obscene amount, right now they're pushing close to a quarter million.

[More money than she's ever personally held, that's for sure. But also, paradoxically, barely scratching the surface to cover her own needs and maintenance back home. That's not important right now, what is important are the bidders and how much they're throwing down.

She listens and watches them for a second longer before nodding her head.]

...Yes, they're at a quarter-million by now.

[ Sherlock is disguised as a common laborer, but Reno is wrong if he assumed his partner is unskilled. After pulling out a small lock picking set from his pocket, Sherlock shrugs at Reno's comment. ]

If you wish to climb for a window, you are welcome to. I will be using the back door.

[ As long as it is not locked by some magical force, Sherlock thinks he'll be able to pick the lock in no time. ]

[ He watched with a vulpine alertness as Sherlock dug around in his belongings. His brows raised, pleased and entertained that he found a partner that was less likely to be unaware of the danger and consequences of what they were undertaking.

The flat delivery made him skip a beat or two to just look at Sherlock before raising his brows and bobbing his head in resigned agreement. He quickly recovered and followed along beside Sherlock. ]

Looks like I lucked out on partners.

[ He lounged on his feet by the door, shielding one side of Sherlock from public eye while he picked the lock, and kept a lazy eye on the area as lookout while he waited.

There was no spell over the lock, and their luck held out when there was, presently, no one in the room. Said room being what looked like a kitchen, complete with the smell of baking bread and the remnants of tea and cooked fruits. Someone could be heard through the open doorway, though, humming and slicing something or other. ]

If there's a cart in here--

[ He whispered softly, pausing his thought in case his partner likewise had any ideas. ]

[ As there is no magical force, Sherlock picks the door with relative ease. ]

A cart?

[ Sherlock raises an eyebrow at that. What good would that do? Is Reno planning on hiding in it to wait until the nearby person had left? Sherlock has his own ideas, and unfortunately, Sherlock is the type to act first and explain after. With unabashed confidence, he walks right into the kitchen and through the doorway to address whoever is doing the prep work and humming. ]

Excuse me, me and my mate here got a call about a plumbing problem upstairs. You know a thing about it?

[ Act like you are supposed to be there. In a place as big as this, the cook is unlikely to know of everything going on in the house, and plumbing would is beyond their responsibility. ]

[Jill can't say she's experienced with children, but her own luck has held out in that the shark pup assigned to her began the afternoon sleepy and after a sweet lullaby sung as softly as possible, it didn't take much more to put the baby to sleep. It however fusses lightly every time she puts it down, so with the pup tucked in the crook of one arm, the nurse figures Jill is the best (aka the closest) person to help.

Reno looks worse for the wear, with that bright red hair of his drenched in shark spit. Jill barely holds back the grimace she has at the thougth of the inevitable fishy smell that'll leave behind and instead gives Reno a sympathetic look.]

Have you tried distracting it with something else?

[ The last time he had to deal with kids, they attempted to lobotomize him in a brainwashed frenzy while he was trying to get them away from danger. His day-to-day didn't really have him dealing with anyone smaller than a teenager on the regular, so his skills outside of the basics was...lacking, to say the least.

He was just glad the shark stopped crying, because it was just a really weird gurgling sound. ]

I think I changed its diaper, sang to it, rubbed its back, rocked it, and made dumb faces.

[ What more could a baby need? ]

The ladies brought some toys over, but--

[ He paused to gently untangle his hair from the shark's mouth. It grabbed towards him for a few minutes, whimpering and growling, then started with the shrill gurgles again, which was starting to upset some of the other nearby pups. To avoid a disaster, he just. Laid his cheek gently on the pup's tummy again. ]

We think it's the color.

Edited 2025-01-14 03:12 (UTC)

[This time, Jill doesn't hold back the grimace when the shark begins its shrill gurgles, only because it seems to be disturbing the one in her arms. The baby shark assigned to her shifts and fusses lightly, sounding as if it'll start up too if things continue this way. Luckily, Reno puts his head back down, but she knows he can't stay like that forever.

So she has an idea. Not a very good one, but it's better than nothing.]

How attached are you to the length of your hair?

[ He's gone through a myriad of positions to support his aching neck. Currently, he had his arms folded across the edge of the table, and was bent over at the waist with his cheek resting against the pillow of his arms.

Maximum leering at a wall.

But her question had him cut his gaze over to him, raising a brow with no shortage of suspicion at her. ]

Pretty damn..

How much were you thinkin' of cutting--and where from?

[ Ma'am he has been growing his hair for almost ten years please do not take it from him. ]

[Back in Elah, Zack and Reno meet up just as discussed and when they both have the time to do it. Zack picks a random place to sit, knowing that there aren't a lot of big name places on Elah to be. Everyone usually heads out to Eltrut so Elah's businesses and restaurants and taverns here are a lot quieter. Maybe even a little more homey.

He orders drinks with a friendly wave. Zack's been around, though. Paladins are usually smiled upon easily here.]

So, where do you want me to start? The story's complicated.

[ There was plenty of things Reno should be doing right now, but he didn't make it this far by not taking his own advice. What could wait would wait. The new people moving around Elah weren't going anywhere any time soon, and he was exhausted from shipping out to Nogard and sailing back. A drink sounded. Great.

So! He settled into his own seat and let Zack do the ordering, getting himself comfortable. ]

Beginning. Gonna need to know what I'm working with.

[ Welcome to having an enabling friend. ]

He did a pretty good job of fucking himself up though, I don't think there's gonna be much left for me to even do, but I'm ready.

I mean, the crew and the work your ship's done is nothing to scoff at. I hear the Raider's have a shitload of treasure and spoils.

[He takes a gulp of his beer.]

But that's sort of where it started. Your old captain was a stickler for collecting things and getting into anything he could get his hands on. It's part of why Raha wanted to be part of the crew in the first place, I'm guessing. All the exploration and jumping head first into treasure hunting. Raha likes exploring, like that.

They got along because of that, too. I was seeing Raha at the time but at some point I noticed that the guy was maybe ... getting along a little too well with Raha.

[...]

I'm not the jealous type. I'm just saying... He was.

Oh yeah we do. I joined to keep an eye on them, but it's been pretty smooth sailing.

[ He listened, arm folded stop the table in front of him. He raised his brows, bringing his glass up to take a swallow from as he chewed that over. ]

Yeah, you don't ping me as the insecure type, yo.

So nothing happened, did it? And did you talk to either of them about it?

[Zack shrugs.]

Yeah, I wasn't worried about how Raha felt about me.

[And Zack did and still trusts G'raha with all his heart. There was nothing to worry about in that sense... It was Dongfang that Zack had to worry about.]

Like I said, they got really close. I don't know how close at the end of the day but at some point Dongfang had a problem with me sharing a picture of Raha. It wasn't even a bad picture, he looked good in it. But apparently it was enough to piss the guy off.

[Which is only the start of the problem.]

He came at me telling me that Raha was his to protect. And his in some other sense. Like a man owning a person. He thought it was his right to protect Raha from me or something. And that it was his right to know that Raha and me were seeing each other at all.

[When it was none of Dongfang's damn business. Zack frowns.]

That's where my problem with him started and ended. No one owns a person. And not like that. Anyone else who thought Dongfang's little quirk about owning people was cute, needs to rethink that.

[...]

And yeah, Raha and me talked it out.

[ A nod as he sat his beer down, licking his lips. That was good news. But the fact that it was over a picture made him let loose a snort and cock his head. ]

No--

[ He gave an incredulous look, then shook it off with a laugh that bubbled in his throat. ]

Did you..y'know. Tell him how fuckin stupid he sounded? The guy couldn't even pay enough attention to realize he was dating you, and thought he owned this guy?

[ Another laugh as he knitted his brows at how wrong that math was. ]

Good. You're pretty good at pickin 'em and still together, so I figured it'd work out. Fuck, no wonder he left the ship--is he staying with you guys now?

Edited 2025-01-19 02:11 (UTC)

Yeah, I told Dongfang that no one owns anyone. And Raha talked to him to explain things too. Still...

[He absolutely does not blame Reno for the laughing and the beer chugging. It's a lot to take in and is a wild story, he knows. He lived it.]

Anyone who calls himself Moon Supreme and collects a shitload of treasure and thinks his entire crew are his subjects to own is not the kind of guy I want to be around.

[No offence to Reno. He knows Reno was doing his own thing on the crew. It's just Zack's opinion. And explains why Zack had been so "no comment" when Reno had first joined the Raiders.]

And yeah, if Raha was so important to him, why didn't he think to notice that Raha was with me more often than not? Why did it even bother him like that? ... I don't know, man. It's hard for me to believe even now that he didn't have some deeper feelings for Raha. In some kind of form.

I don't blame Raha for it, though. He doesn't always realize how easily it is for people to fall for him.

[G'raha Tia is an amazing, brilliant person. And people fall for that. And Zack is just used to having to fight tooth and nail for what he loves. It was just a whole ass mess.]

But, you'll be happy to know he's with The Hideaway crew now. And we've just bought a place on Eltrut.

[ It never ceases to amaze him how out of touch nobility and the ilk can be. It was like watching some kind of fucked up circus that burned everything around them. ]

Don't blame you, but it makes sense why you never hopped over. I gotta wonder if that's why Karlach left too. She's been so busy I can barely get a hold of her.

[ He never questioned it or held it against Zack; he knew the other trusted him, and that was really all he needed at the end of the day. That Cloud was willing to trust him, as well, was..also some small comfort. But he wouldn't say that. ]

Buddy, people like that? They don't notice shit that doesn't affect them. It took Rufus getting kidnapped twice to change his tune.

Yeah, it sounds like he did, but who knows if he liked G'Raha that way. I mean. Bossman won't admit it but he treats us like family.

[ He shrugged about it. ]

Hell, even if he knew, it's not his problem if someone falls for him. And you two got a house together, you fuckin' gay-ass shits. Yeah, he's not goin' anywhere.

You might as well have a ring on it if you don't already....unless you do and you didn't tell me? Cause I'd have to beat your ass, Zackothy Harvey Fair.

[ His favorite hobby: assigning awful government names. ]

[Zack shrugs too because he knows that it's not great to have thoughts that this possessive captain might have had deeper feelings for G'raha. But still, it's only human of him to think there might have been. And some of Dongfang's reactions were hardly platonic or familial. But that's what Zack saw and that's Zack's opinion. (and yes the right opinion is that G'raha and him are together so all other opinions are moot.)

And he's about to comment more until Reno goes off the rails with the butchery of his name.]

What the hell did you just call me? [Zack barks out a laugh.] No, man. Don't worry, I haven't popped the question yet.

[Keyword being ... Yet. He might be thinking about it.]

Can you picture me? A married guy? That seems like a slippery slope for someone like me.

You heard me.

[ He smirked with a toothy grin and rumbled with a little snicker into his glass as he tipped it to his lips again. ]

Anyway, wish you would'a told me sooner, I could've made more problems for him. If it makes you feel any better, he liked the stuff Orchid used to bake up for the ship, and I ate like almost all of it just to piss him off.

[ Reno's brows raised with a little quirk as he pouted his lip, more contemplatively so and maybe with a little bit of impressed intrigue, and watched Zack chew the thoughts over. He heard that 'yet.' ]

No shit? I could see it, just sayin', yo. Never seen you half-ass anything you put your mind to.

I mean. You bought the house, he trusts you roaming around, sounds like the communication's good--what, are you worried about a few little kittens running around biting ankles?

[ Being a SOLDIER wasn't an easy thing. There were risks involved that Reno partly shared as a Turk, but Turks didn't have to worry about degradation--the typical end-game for SOLDIERs that didn't die in combat. He had to wonder if that was hanging over him, or if it was just the usual hang-ups of a commitment that big. ]

It's alright, man. At the time, I didn't want to make a bigger issue out of what it already was.

[He appreciates Reno's offer to piss the guy off more but it was what it was! It was a complicated situation and Zack's just glad it's blown over now.

Besides. He has "yets" to think of.]

Guess it just wasn't something that was ever in the cards for me. Being a SOLDIER, nothing was ever guaranteed.

[... It still isn't. Zack's fate is... what it is. How can he marry someone knowing that he's probably a dead man? How fair would that be to G'raha?]

But I'm thinking about it.

I guess, but you wouldn'tve been in the wrong if you had. Just sayin'.

[ He shrugged about it as the waitress came back with some of the snacks Reno ordered for himself alongside his drink. A plate of fried clams and a couple sauces for dipping.

He went to grab one, but hissed and instantly pulled his hand back. Honestly, with the plate still steaming he didn't know what else he expected here. ]

SOLDIER part aside, any of us could be sent back home at any second, including him. But you're both still in it, so I'm pretty sure he's happy with his odds.

[ He tried again, picking one up to blow on for a second. ]

Sure. I'm not sayin' you have to marry the guy if you don't want. Hell, it's not the be-all. Just..y'know. You're talking like you're not allowed to have anything.

[Zack snorts with some easy laughter when Reno nearly burns a finger.]

Careful. Don't burn your fingies off.

[He nods.]

And trust me, I think if I asked right now, Raha would jump at the idea. He loves romantic stuff, he's always reading romance novels.

[What a soft nerd...]

I just haven't had the best track record for keeping the things I work hard for. Maybe a part of me doesn't want to jinx it? I know that's a stupid excuse. [He laughs easily.] But who knows, maybe I will pop the question when the time is right.

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January Catchall + Manta

A Potion Permit

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The House That Watches II

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House That Watches I

Re: House That Watches I

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Sharky Swaddling

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wild card 🍺

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