Final Fantasy VII: Black Gold

The newcomer finally stood up, and finally opened his eyes as he looked at the SOLDIER: First Class in front of him.
I'm so gonna regret this tomorrow. he chuckled in his own mind.
"Heh, trouble is what I look for, and maybe I'm looking for it right now." he said airily, pretending not to show much interest.

 

Aveline frowned, confused. Why would her father help her? Did he just want to know what her plans were, what she was trying to accomplish this evening? She thought it through in her head as she always did: If I explain to him what I'm trying to do, he could get upset enough to have me discharged from SOLDIER and disowned by the family forever... yet... if I only tell him what he needs to know, maybe I can get away with this.

"It's Sephiroth," Aveline began quietly, trying to keep her tone of voice steady. "I need details about his last known whereabouts."

Her father looked at her for a split second, no emotion on his face, and then dialed a number on his phone, silently putting it to his ear as it rang. Aveline waited, a fresh, nervous sweat breaking out on her palms and forehead. Her father spoke quietly into the receiver, nodding his head once... twice... and a third time. He shut the phone a moment later and slid it back into his pocket. He looked at her for a few seconds, and Aveline swallowed, hoping her face was neutral enough.

"Sector 4 slums," her father said quietly, his eyes on the fire in the fireplace. The way the warm glow reflected off his pale skin and silver hair gave him a sickly look, but Aveline was not fooled; she knew how strong her father was, both politically and physically... yet she was amazed he was giving her this information. "As of the last 24 hours."

Aveline felt her heart skip a beat as she took in the few, vital words her father had said. She nodded her said slowly in thanks, knowing that if she spoke there was nothing she could say that wouldn't sound stupid or conceited to him. Excitement raced through her entire body, her healing wounds forgotten; she had the lead she wanted, and there was no way she was going to let his opportunity slip through her fingers.

Fuck going out tomorrow night, she thought, rising from her chair. I'm leaving now, before anything else can happen. I'm finding him tonight.

Lightning blinked, a little surprised at the man's eyes. SOLDIER? she thought quickly, confused. There's no way a cocky loser like this is SOLDIER... but those eyes... She balled her hands into fists, irritation turning into anger; his attitude is ridiculous.

Lightning stood suddenly, taking one step to fill the space between her and the newcomer. One swift, sharp swing later, her right fist collided with the side of his head, knocking him off his bar stool to the dirty floor. She stood over him, her hand stinging slightly but ready for another punch if necessary.

"You're SOLDIER and you throw yourself around like that, like how you act doesn't even matter?" she hissed angrily. Several people behind her were protesting to her behavior, including a very scared bartender, but she ignored them. She was tempted to kick him a few times, maybe break a rib or two to get her full point across, but then thought better of it. "It's embarrassing, acting so arrogant in front of all these people. If you want trouble, you've got it, kid; and it's a hell of a lot more than you can handle, trust me."

 

The teen felt the fist collide with the side of his head.
He'd expected it, but chose not to stop it. And he could tell Lightning would be aware of as much.
He crashed to the floor with a smirk, while rubbing his face with a hand.
"Not a bad right hook." his smirk turned into a grin as he was seeking to provoke her further. "Although I did expect mor- um..." but of course he was interrupted by the inevitable as he looked up, and she was standing right over him. "Black lace?" he coughed, in awe.
Then he realised... Crud... I wanted to simply test her... but now... I really might die.
Good job, Mr Second Class SOLDIER.. Good job.

 

Aveline rolled her shoulder slowly, testing the way her arm moved. Most of the pain was already gone, and she could tell the bleeding had stopped. She was about to turn and step toward the door when her father spoke:

"You know you're being watched," he said, just loud enough for her to hear. "They won't miss what you're doing... and, if you make another 'mistake' like what you've just done, you will not come home alive."

Aveline sighed, though fear did rise in her throat at the severity of his words. "Thanks, dad," she muttered. The next time I see you, she thought viciously, turning and walking as swiftly as she could out of the house, I won't be the one dying.

Lightning flushed furiously, taking a step back, her hand going behind her back to rest on the handle of her sword. She didn't want to draw it in front of everyone here, but this boy was pushing her too far. She glanced over her shoulder at Zack and Cloud, and knew for a fact that Zack wouldn't approve of her beating this kid senseless in the middle of the bar.

"You're SOLDIER," she accused angrily, her hands still held in tight fists. "What the hell do you want?"

 

The moment she stepped back, the Teen flipped up over himself to his feet.
Then he winked. "If I told you that right now, we wouldn't have any more fun."
He scratched the back of his head. "Although, I do apologise for the accidental... peeping..." he coughed, it was clear that had NOT been his intention.
He was lucky to be alive in all honesty after that. Although, he had to admit seeing the legendary Lightning flush furiously was definitely a cute surprise. She was human after all, despite what 'some' had said. Although he was never one to listen to the crowd anyway.

 

Aveline began walking out on her own; yes, it was late, and yes, she probably should have at least one person with her, her wounds still healing, but she refused. She had been chastising herself all day that she wasn’t as strong as she needed to be, that third class SOLDIER was just a joke for her, that she only actually got the position because her father had bribed the exam men with promotions and money to get her as far as she had gone…

She caught herself this time, almost stopping her steps as she abruptly halted her thoughts of self-loathing. Aveline forced herself to focus, on the one idea that mattered; the one bit of information that she had obtained about Sephiroth: Sector 4 slums.

Aveline felt her heart skip a beat when she recalled the information; all that she’d heard about Shinra’s number one SOLDIER member had been nothing but praise and admiration for his skills, both in and off the battlefield. No, he was not a political man at all, and no, no one knew where he came from or why he was even part of SOLDIER… but that didn’t matter to Aveline; all she knew was she wanted to meet this man, and figure out everything she could about him… and if that made her insane or stupid (or both) she did not care. Suddenly, breaking her concentration, a male voice rung out behind her:

“Hey, honey! Where are you headed this late?”

Aveline nearly jumped, but kept her cool; following her training, she spun on the spot, lower to the ground in case the speaker was just behind her, pulling two daggers from her boots as she completed the turn, left blade by her face in defense and right blade out in front of her to attack. There were five men behind her, all of various shapes and sizes, clothed in all black. Aveline swallowed; three she could take with minimal damage, but five or more? She was in trouble.

The man who had spoken chuckled now, pointing at her battle stance. He was the largest of the group, with darker skin and hair. He looked back at the four men behind him before speaking again: “See, I told you I saw ‘em, even in this light; she’s got those SOLDIER eyes.”

Aveline gritted her teeth, staring straight at the man. “What the hell do you idiots want?” she snapped.

The man’s chuckle broke into a laugh. “You’re SOLDIER; part of those bureaucratic Shinra bitches… right? How the hell does a girl like you get involved with that fake, useless government shit?”

“Move out of my way,” Aveline replied smoothly, straightening the trajectory of her dagger directly at the man’s throat. “Or die.”

Before she knew what happened, one of the men behind the leader rushed forward, catching her in the gut with his fist. Aveline absorbed the blow as best as she could, but it still slowed her down; her attacker dodged her impaired right strike, her blade hardly cutting through his shirt. She felt the presence of another man behind her and spun with both daggers out; they made contact, a good two inches deep in the next attacker’s thigh, stopping him from grabbing her around the waist.

“Grab her!” the leader of the group shouted at the two remaining men that hadn’t rushed her yet. Aveline crouched, propping a dagger on each bent knee, nodding her head at the men to come at her. Her cockiness didn’t faze them at all, though, and a moment later she had only managed to land one stab into one man stomach. She yanked the entire five inch blade out as they pulled her arms behind her back. The man she’d stabbed kicked her knee hard, and, above the raucous, Aveline still heard something pop as a blinding pain shot in front of her eyes, temporarily blinding her. Unable to support herself for a moment, the men held her up as the leader walked in front of her.

“You know why this is happening, right?” he started, folding his arms over his chest. “You Shinra people think you run everything; all that gil you earn, and what your trainers get paid to turn you into little robot-fighting machines… that’s dirty blood money. Don’t you understand what life is for us, down here in the slums, because of you?”

Aveline opened her mouth to answer, but the man swung his arm at her face, catching the left side of her head. She cried out for the first time, blood spilling from her fractured nose and mouth. The next blow was a rough slap that caught her lower jaw, splitting her lip. She was dimly aware in her ringing head that the leader had motioned for the men holding her arms to let go. He caught her by the front of her shirt, kneeing her in the gut. Aveline felt her left eye swelling shut, and found it hard to focus on anything. He slapped her daggers from her hands, disarming her easily. He grunted when he lifted her as high in the air as he could and threw her away from him. She caught herself on the rough pavement, skinning her hands down badly. Aveline landed in a dirty puddle of old rain water, covering one side of her face in mud and grime.

OOC: I'll wait for Arch and Jeffrey to post before I continue with Lightning; I feel that Zack and Cloud have been quiet for a little too long at this point ;)

 

"Once upon a time, there lived a small girl in a town just as small. She was a sweet and shy girl, and she loved chocobos. Her family and the rest of the town loved her very much. She was kind to everyone and would always help out when she was asked to. Her life was peaceful.
Then a stranger came to her town one day. The tall, shrouded man demanded that the townsfolk give him their food and money. They could not afford to do it. When no one came forth with what he demanded, the man announced that he was a god with many powers and declared that he would curse their town to be a barren place for all of time. The young girl stepped forward from the crowd and told the man, 'Please, take it back. We're too poor to give you what you ask.' The townsfolk cringed with worry and the girl's mother rushed forward to protect her. But the man didn't move to strike the girl. He changed his proposition. 'I will remove the curse on this town if this girl comes with me and promises to never return here.' His new demand had all the townsfolk muttering among themselves. No one could make up their mind.
'I'll go with you,' the girl stepped away from her parents and everyone who loved her. Some people protested, especially her family, saying that they would find some other way. But the girl denied all their ideas, saying that if they tried to get around the god's curse some other way, it would only end badly for them all. The shrouded man extended his hand and the girl took it. The two vanished in a cloud of smoke.
The girl's family wept for days; and the townsfolk mourned silently. After much time, the girl's parents found a bottle with a rolled pieced of paper inside it on their doorstep. It was a message from their daughter. She wrote that she was well, and happy. She explained that the god who took her in lieu of cursing her home had only been very upset that day. He had lost his own daughter to sickness, and she reminded him of her. Her life with the god was pleasant, but she still missed them. She asked her family to look for purple flowers in their town, something that never grew there before, and to know that they were a gift from her.
Every spring the townsfolk admire the purple flowers that now grow in the girl's home. Her story is told through every generation of the town."
Caleigh smiled at Rae. There wasn't much expression to read on her face but Caleigh could tell that Rae appreciated the story. "G'night," She ruffled Rae's hair and left the room. Maybe in the morning, Rae would be in better shape.

 

Aveline tried to catch her breath sometime later, but one more man landed a solid kick to the back of her head, slamming her bruised face back down into the puddle on the pavement. She choked out the grimy water that she’d pulled into her lungs, grimacing when she saw, through her one good eye, that she’d stained the puddle a dark red already.

“Shinra bitch,” she dully heard the man growl as the rest of the group began to leave. She managed to lift her head, ready to respond just as angrily, but the man spat in her face, blinding her good eye that wasn’t swollen shut. Aveline cried out and found her head in the bloody puddle again, sputtering. Her skinned palms stung, her head was pounding, and she was pretty sure one of her knees was broken. Her split lip was still leaking blood into her mouth, and her daggers lay on the ground ten feet from her. She’d never been afraid before, or even close to terrified, but right now she felt vulnerable… and that was worse than anything else.

You think you’re good enough to be in a rank like him, do you? she thought to herself viciously as she coughed more blood onto the ground. Third class SOLDIER girl can’t even handle herself in a street fight with a bunch of drunks, and you think you’re good enough to be second… even first? The problem is you don’t know what you want, and apart from your girlish, completely illogical obsession with the best man in SOLDIER alive, you’ve got nothing.

“That’s not true,” she rasped aloud, defying her own logical thoughts. Her voice sounded as ripped and bruised as the rest of her body, and the fact that she was even talking to and arguing with herself verified the head injuries she had sustained. “I’m better than this… better than everyone…”

“It doesn’t look like it from here. In fact, you’re quite pathetic.”

Aveline tried to raise her head to see who had just spoken; she did not recognize the voice. Her battered hand reached instinctively toward her dagger sheaths, but her hands couldn’t reach the next set down. In her small field of vision that she could comprehend, all she could see was a very tall figure with broad, armored shoulders. The face was completely hidden in shadow, but Aveline barely glimpsed a glint of silver in the man’s long hair… her breath caught in her throat, and her coughing ceased for a moment. No way… seriously? she thought, her good eye widening in shock and disbelief. Here… now… like this…? This can’t be happening.

 

OOC: I read so much D: This is going to be just a short post to show you guys I'm still alive >>


"Seriously?" Cloud looked over at the guy invading their conversation. "Is everyone but me SOLDIER?!" He demanded, frustrated now.

 

“Are you still alive, girl?†The voice was deep, dark, but soothing.“Blink if you even understand me so I can be on my way.â€

This can’t be him… If it is, this is the opposite way we’re supposed to meet… Aveline tried to speak but found herself unable to; how did this man know she wouldn’t be able to verbally communicate with him right now? Turning her head up toward the figure as well as she could, where she thought his eyes would be… and blinked with her open eye.

One small, emotionless laugh fell from the man’s lips. “You’re SOLDIER.†It wasn’t a question, but a statement that sounded as if it was barely worth his time to speak.

Aveline tried to nod, but couldn’t. Instead, she tried to let her eye adjust enough to see the man’s face. She only heard rumors of what his actual appearance was, but… all she needed was a glimpse, and she would know.

“Sh-†she began, desperate to speak to this man. “S-how… me… your… face.â€

There was a pause after she spoke, and for a second Aveline thought that the man was going to turn and leave her on the muddy pavement to die. Then, very slowly, he knelt down in front of her. Aveline heard the bending and crunching of used, hardened leather. A long strand of hair brushed her face, tickling her fractured nose painfully. Aveline held her breath when her eye focused on the man’s face, and, more importantly, his eyes: bright, shining, and dilated, full of teal-green, Mako energy. Sephiroth.

“I’m looking… for you,†Aveline spoke, clearing her throat to make herself more audible, unaware of the blood and spit that came out of her mouth.

The man just stared at her, his glow-in-the-dark eyes slowly scanning her nearest injuries. “I don’t know you… and I don’t think I’d like to, either.â€

Lightning sighed, shutting her eyes for a moment. She knew Zack was right; at this point they'd over-stayed their welcome at this bar. "Fine, let's go," she snapped, "And you," she added, looking over at the SOLDIER she still didn't know the name of still. "Don't ever talk to me again, understand?"

 

The teen SOLDIER smirked at her. "Oh come on, SOLDIER; First Class, Lightning. That's a tad harsh don't'cha think?" he winked, revealing he knew exactly who she was... well, a lot of people did. But still.
"Besides. Well, I just did talk to you." he scratched his head. "Again."
Then he looked at Cloud. "No worries kid, you definitely got SOLDIER potential. ...Kinda.
But hey, SOLDIER First Class; Zack is right. You have great hair at least. I mean... imagine Sephiroth bald, he would not seem as impressive. So, it's a start for yo-"
He was interrupted as Lightning kicked him in the crotch and he dropped to his knees.
He whimpered... "What... it's true. Sephiroth bald would be... Nevermind." he quickly finished as Lightning gave him a cold dark stare.

 

“You don’t… understand,†Aveline insisted, moving herself up on her forearms, her one open eye defiant and strong. Her head was spinning, but she held herself steady. Years, she had been looking for him, finding nothing, and now… he was two feet from her.

“I just watched you get yourself beaten almost to death, despite your ranking. What don’t I understand?â€

He made to stand up, but Aveline reached out, catching his gloved wrist, her blood-covered hand squeaking and slipping as she tried to hold him still. “Sephiroth,†she whispered, forcing herself to sit up further. Her knee screamed under her and her head swam so badly she couldn’t help but let a whimper escape her lips. I’m not coming this far, finding him and speaking to him, just to have him walk away because I look so pathetic. “Sephiroth,†she started again.

“So you do know me,†the first class SOLDIER responded evenly, pulling his arm out of her weak grip. He moved back slightly, rising to his feet as he watched her struggle to speak and stand. “Why are you looking for me?â€

Aveline spat out a mouthful of blood and rolled herself over, biting another hole in her split lip as she swallowed the pain, till she finally sat back on her bottom. Biting down again to keep herself conscious through the blinding agony that was racking every bone in her body, she crouched, bent, swallowed… and stood. She could barely hold her balance with nearly all her weight on one leg, but she stayed steady nonetheless, swiping her hair off her dirty face with one hand.

“My name is Aveline, third class SOLDIER. Sephiroth… train me.â€

The tall man in front of her cocked his head to the side slightly, frowning. “No,†he said shortly, and turned to leave.

“I won’t beg,†Aveline snapped, trying to keep the tears of pain and desperation out of her voice. “I told myself… when I found you… I wouldn’t beg. But I will fight; you’re going… to help me…â€

Aveline faded off, though she wanted to say more: her vision was blurring and the ground was rocking beneath her. She couldn’t let him walk away, not now. All her remaining energy was being used to focus on his face, his expression, his reaction her to words… but his face stayed the same. She found herself wanting to beg, to plead, to fall down and grasp his coat crying till he listened to her, but she refused.

She clenched her hands into fists, the scrapes there smarting, but the pain wasn’t enough to keep her awake. She felt herself slipping away, and the last thing she remembered before darkness was the rough smell and feel of leather on her cold skin.

Lightning smirked, though the slight smile did not reach her eyes. "Have you learned your lesson about speaking to me now?" she said coldly.

 

"Nope." The teen smirked.
"After all, you just asked me a question. Not answering would be rude, naturally that meant I had to break your rule about never talking to you."
He stood again, apparently perfectly fine now.
Had he just been faking before? Hmm...
"Besides, not talking to you might cause a few problems." he smirked, completely beating around the bush.

 

Aveline felt something pushing against her head, a hard pressure that was surprisingly painless. She tried to open her eyes, but found she couldn’t feel any part of her body; she was surrounded by grey, cushiony pressure; an unknown force was both supporting and crushing her at the same time. Am I dreaming? she thought. Dead? I don’t know… Suddenly a loud, harsh voice rang through the emptiness, breaking her worried thoughts:

“You’re embarrassing; mother never meant to have you, you know. Father was so upset when you were born as a girl that he left the hospital… didn’t see or speak to mom for a whole week. Why’d you have to bring so much trouble to the family, Ave? Everything was fine: work, money, schooling, ranking, political favor… it was perfect. Then you came along and fucked it all up.â€

Aveline could hear her eldest brother’s voice but couldn’t see him; she knew when this conversation took place: four years ago before she’d even achieved third class. Drey was always the hardest on her, being twice her age, but he had never been this vicious in an argument before. No, he had never apologized for what he said that day, and he never would; in fact, the comments only got worse. Aveline heard herself respond:

“I’m trying, Drey. It doesn’t matter if I’m a boy or a girl, I can still do this-â€

She wasn’t physically aware of the smack to the side of her head she knew was coming, but it hurt nonetheless. Drey sparred with her often, was one of her main teachers (along with her father) for the last fifteen years… but she knew she never lived up to their expectations.

“You can’t do anything, Ave. You try, and you fail. That’s just the way your life is.â€

Aveline felt anger boil up inside her, the feeling she always experienced when she thought of her family. No, she thought, trying to steady herself. I can’t be dead; I have to be dreaming because I’m not finished with them. I’m going to get to first class SOLDIER, find my father and Drey… and kill them.

She pushed against the pressure holding her body, trying to stretch her arms, her legs, anything she could manage to break free of what was binding her. Pain began to blossom in tiny pinpricks all over her left eye, palms, and right knee. Then she began to remember where she’d been before her brother’s voice began chastising her: the dark alley, the five anti-Shinra men, the beating she’d taken… then… Sephiroth--

Lightning's eyes narrowed, a deeper frown setting on her face. Zack was right; they did have to go, but this boy got her curious. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she snapped at him. "Explain yourself."

 

The teen was glad to have caught her attention with his words. "Well a little birdy, and by that, I mean; big boss Shinra told me that I've been assigned to a certain First Class; SOLDIER of high reputation and value." he smirked as he stared her in the eyes, which matched his own, enjoying the realisation that would be setting on her face. "In all honesty, I didn't mean to piss you off this much. I just wanted to get a feel for things, but I guess I messed up and it went too far." he said shrugging. "I've heard stories about the legendary Lightning of SOLDIER. I didn't expect her to be this cute though." he added, probably not realising the weight of his words.

 

Aveline awoke with a scream coming out of her mouth that she didn’t remember taking the breath for. She winced, and opened her eyes: the left saw nothing but a white sheen, and the right saw an old encrusted ceiling, covered in dirty air vents and molded tiles. She put a hand up to her left eye, working through the pain of moving her arm… and gasped: her hand was bandaged, covered in soft gauze and cloth. Touching her eye, she found it was also bound in the same material. My knee, she suddenly thought, fear rising in her throat. Please don’t let it be shattered; if it is, I’m out of commission for who knows how long and then-

Cutting her own thoughts short, she tried to sit up and look at herself, but a sharp pain exploded in her midsection, and she fell back down on her back.

“Don’t do that; broken ribs can’t be bound in place.â€

Aveline’s heart stopped, but her thoughts were racing. He’s here… with me? So he didn’t leave me in that puddle. And my wounds… why? She turned her head, just realizing it lay on a flat, lumpy pillow. The pillow was on a small bed, in the middle of a tiny room, empty of anything else but a chair on the opposite side with several boxes piled next to it.

“You,†she began, and then coughed, speaking aloud producing a mouthful of phlegm and dried blood. A moment later, she continued, “you… caught me? Why?â€

The first class SOLDIER did not look at her as he rolled his eyes slowly. “A child like you does not belong in SOLDIER. I know of your family and its history; everyone at Shinra does. Your brothers do not keep a secret of their frustration, and neither does your father. You reaching third class was only achieved through bribery, not your skill… or lack thereof. Your ambition is not enough to achieve what you wish.â€

Lightning cocked her head to the side, confused, thinking for a moment. "You're... referring to me?" she began quietly. Yes, this SOLDIER boy was a cocky goofball, someone she couldn't stand talking to, but... she was sure he knew better than to joke about something like this. "Assigned... how?"

 

"Geh... You ain't gonna like hearing this. I can tell by the look on your face that you dislike me already." The teen scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I mean... I guess first impressions are important. But, that wasn't normally how I am, and... I guess it's too late now. But meh..." he sighed. Yup... this wasn't going as planned. But as he also came to the conclusion earlier, this would mean she would be harder on him at least.
Should make things more interesting.
"By orders of Mr. President.
With me being a high potential Second Class, you are now my Mentor.
I believe it's a similar situation as to what First Class SOLDIER Zack there had." he finally revealed.
"See, I told you that you wouldn't like it." he said as he read Lightning's face.

 

Having just gotten a report about an AVALANCHE operative in Sector 5 from Reno, President Shinra decided to act. He picked up the phone on his desk and dialed the number of one of the best SOLDIER. It rang only twice before it was answered. "First Class SOLIDER Zack Fair," President Shinra greeted. "Your evening off has been canceled. I have an assignment for you." He didn't wait to hear a response from Zack. "We have intel of the whereabouts of an AVALANCHE member. The information will be sent to your phone. I'm sending you and five Third Class SOLDIER to bring them in. If they don't comply, kill them." He hung up his phone.

 

Cloud watched the scene unfold with arched eyebrows. This only helped enforce his earlier realization that Shinra lets everyone but him be SOLDIER. He frowned and looked at Lightning's new apprentice and wondered if he would call him "Shinra Infantryman Cloud." He shook his head slowly and looked at Zack. "What's that about?" He asked, referring to the phone call.

"Yeah, yo, that's what it sounds like," Reno said into the phone as he turned into an alley, checking to make sure nobody was following him. "The Death God of the Battlefield himself...with AVALANCHE. Yeah, I'll wait." He could hear Tseng talking to someone else on the other line. Reno couldn't think of any jokes at the moment, but he wondered if Tseng's and his theory was right. What Aveline told him about what Legas said didn't match up. Why would Legas tell AVALANCHE that he was retired? If he planned on betraying Shinra, he didn't have to lie. "This whole thing is just so botherso-what? Nah, get Rude to do it! Come on, man, I want to nap. Look, I just gave you some valuable information, let me get a day off as my reward." He heard some 'juicy' words and gave in. "Fine. I'll tag along. Zack Fair and Lightning, righ-" He heard a thud, very light, like a footstep.."I'll call you back, yo, but yeah I can do that. On my way," He told Tseng and hung up. "I know you're up there," he yelled as he put his phone in jacket pocket, grabbing his electro-mag rod in the process.

Legas looked down from the ledge and smiled. "Put that shiny stick of yours away," he yelled down at Reno as he took a drag off the newly inserted cigar in his mouth. "I'm just here to do some talkin'."