video; horseshoe 28

[flatteries]

Good day, everyone! [ Inigo smiles widely. ] I was wondering if anyone either has or knows of something rare and they wouldn't mind it.. erm, losing it.. probably permanently.

[ He's saying that statement as if he's only now realising how weird that sounds out loud.

But it's too late to go back on that now. ]

In exchange for a favour?

And preferably edible? But maybe not necessarily? Hey-- [ He turns away from the screen, seeming to have some mumbled discussion.

This is a totally normal ICP message. ]

Comments

[theturksway]

[Reno sighed. It had been a long shot. If he wanted to truly threaten the kid he would have said something more to the point though.

A moment passed where it almost seemed like Reno would give up. Then the Turk giggled as the curse word coming out of Inigo's mouth registered to Reno.]

Don't let Roland hear you talk like that~. May want to go wash your mouth out with soap before you kiss your daddy with that dirty mouth.

[He's so proud. What a grown-up thing to say. Good boy.]

[flatteries]

He'd be proud to know I'm standing up to a jerk like you!

[ That much Inigo knows for sure, he doesn't even have to think about it. It was Roland who encouraged him to do something about Reno in the first place, after all, even though maybe punching him hadn't exactly been the ideal way to go about it, especially with his head as muddied as it had been back there. ]

Besides, what, is that it? Are you just jealous of me because I have friends? Because I have a father figure willing to look out for me? [ A lot of Reno's previous insults did seem to have to do with claiming Inigo was unlikeable or that people only interacted with him because they took pity on him, after all. Maybe someone is projecting. ] Maybe if you weren't being so evil all the time, you might actually have had people who cared about you at all too.

[theturksway]

[Inigo had the wrong idea. But something said had set Reno's teeth on edge anyway, a scrape across the reason (in part) that Reno kept going back to bug Inigo. He had to work to keep his cool.]

I ain't evil, kiddo. I sometimes have to do bad things but that's just the job. Don't take it personal.

[As for the family and friends... well, he may not have had many but his coworkers were enough for him. He just didn't bother getting close to anyone else. Not worth it in his line of work.

Inigo may have been on the nose about that one, too, though. Not that Reno would admit it. Aloud or to himself.]

[flatteries]

[ Just the silence on Inigo's end right now says enough about how doubtful he finds that statement. ]

So was trying to make Roland abandon me so you could beat me to death 'just the job' too? Just a 'bad thing' you had to do?

[ .. but that's not even the most important thing here, is it? (Not to Inigo, anyway, with how little sense of self worth he has in the first place.)

Maybe it's since this is a private feed that makes him hesitate less on adding: ]

You're not the only one who has to kill innocent people, Reno. But at least be like the rest of us and hate yourself for it.

[ Inigo takes his ticket away from the ICP, cutting the feed. ]

[theturksway]

Sure. It's called a reputation. You don't mess with Shinra--and definitely not the Turks themselves--without consequences. I had to put a stop to the fight myself. I ain't going soft for one damn kid. [Not again!] Besides, a betrayal like that ain't easily forgotten. I don't even give a shit about you anymore, kid...

[Too late, Reno realized Inigo wasn't on the other end anymore. He frowned on his side and debated. Nah, too risky. Not enough reward. He went back to what he was doing before the conversation began.

But that didn't keep him from thinking about it. He absolutely does hate himself the person who gave the order to kill so many innocents for no good damn reason. A shitty, low-down, cheap play. Sure, he'd done some dirty things already by that point in time but the Sector 7 plate drop was the worst ever. It was just too dirty. But hey. A conscience never got him anywhere so why bother now. It was easier to just forget it and move forward without a care. No sense crying over split milk and all that. Having fun at his job was way better suited to him and his kind.]