Public Service - On the Edge, Monday, Period 2

[raspberryturk]

"Okay Rookies," Reno said, hands in his pockets as he stood on the Causeway, where he'd handwavily told his students to meet. "I hope you all brought your armor with you, because today's that 'moment of truth' day, yo. We're gonna be headin' to Edge today, to check out the situation, pick a good place in the town itself for these water filtration units we're gonna be settin' up, that sort of thing. You'll all be happy to know that the radiation levels are nice an' low today, and there haven't been any monsters spotted in the area. But if I find out any of you took your armor off anyway, I'll kick your asses straight back to detention and you'll be writin' essays for me for the rest of the year that I probably ain't gonna read anyway."

This was Reno's way of telling his students that he cared.

"This is a class of ten, so I'd prefer if we decide to split up that you guys break it up half-and-half, but I don't wanna see you in groups of less than three if it really comes down to it, yo. Maybe I'll re-think that as the semester goes on and you guys prove you can handle yourselves out here, but for the time being, anyone who strays out of sight alone is joining the jackasses who took off their armor in detention."

Again, he was saying he loved you, guys.

"Now, c'mon, let's get going, or I'm going to just kill the whole class period lecturin' you on this side of the portal, yo."

And with that, he led his students through.

[Open!]

Comments

Re: Talk to Reno

[spin_kick_snap]

"I guess not," she said, watching one of the passerbys eye Reno. "They all look like they want to say something, but are too afraid to say so."

Kathy...might have recognized that look. For reasons. That she's not planning on going deeply into.

Re: Talk to Reno

[raspberryturk]

Reno quietly watched them walk by, and then shrugged his shoulders. They were easily enough ignored.

"I used to work for the company that owned Midgar," he explained, though he left out that whole 'government hit man' detail. "And since they played a big part in the pollution people are hurtin' from now, they have a right to their grudge now."

Re: Talk to Reno

[spin_kick_snap]

That didn't explain the fear, but Kathy wasn't going to bring that up. If he didn't want to acknowledge it, she wasn't going to force it.

"Is that why you're doing this?" she asked softly.

Re: Talk to Reno

[raspberryturk]

"I'm doin' it because it's home," Reno replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Doesn't matter how much they hate me. I know I can't atone, here. Next best thing is try to fix some of that's broken, yo."

He hesitated a moment, and then pointed a finger out toward the outskirts of Edge, toward a segment of Midgar that bordered a desert.

"Grew up in the slums over in Sector Five," he explained. "Edge is Midgar's dying breath. That's why I'm doing this, yo."

Re: Talk to Reno

[spin_kick_snap]

"Anything I can do to help, I can," Kathy promised. "I mean, more than just handing out food to kids."

She looked a little shamefaced at that. Bullied by children. It was embararssing.

Re: Talk to Reno

[raspberryturk]

Well, in fairness, they were hungry children.

"When I moved back here for a bit after graduatin' Fandom, I'd grow, like, friggin' beans in a window box using soil and seeds imported from here," he shared. "And feed some of the neighborhood kids whatever I could. I know how tempting it is to just feed 'em all, yo. But water's our priority here. Once we got that, the rest'll follow."