- Post-Mission Dinner Plans - [FF7/Turks]

[Brilliant Annie]

Annie checked her cell phone for the tenth time that evening. Reno had gotten her e-mail to come to the 7th Heaven after their most recent mission with Hyun, Young, and Rude right? She was pretty sure he had answered it back, especially when she had mentioned the cooking part. And here she was, staring at an exceptionally overloaded table, full of her home cooking, especially cookies that she knew where a hit with the usual bar scene. Flipping the small gadget back shut, Annie pulled her knees to her chest. She was worried. They usually weren't gone this long, and usually by now, one of them had checked back in with her.

Annie replayed her last few moments at work, since her last e-mails with Reno had happened in the last hour of her day, an unusually boring day at that. She had to go up to the 17th floor to plug back in a monitor after someone had kicked it's cable out. Check. She remembered after she had done that, she had sent Reno her last e-mail to be careful and to meet at 7th Heaven afterward. Check. Reno had answered back and confirmed he had gotten the message. Check. Good. Then... why weren't they here..

Annie looked at the cooling roast, tubers, and various veggies she had made, and then grabbed a slice of the home made bread she had baked, taking a bite with zeal. Leaning down, she poked at the hand made chocolate Shin-Ra logo she had put a top a strawberry short cake and then took another bite of the bread. Pulling her cell phone close again, Annie checked the time. Well... they had been out later before. Maybe this was a little bit more difficult than the routine mission.

Annie smirked and then shot off a quick text message to Rude.

-Reno did tell you I was cooking dinner for everyone tonight right?-

It would be like Reno to have forgotten. Annie set her bread down, hugged her knees to her chest, and then waited.

[Natzy24]

Rude blinked a bit as his phone vibrated in his pocket. Quietly he pulled it out before sighing a bit. Slowly he texted back Looks like we might not make it, currently at HQ Hospital, sorry he responded ignoring the glares from the nurses for even having his phone out. He was currently sat around waiting for them to finish patchin up Reno as best as possible.

Damn Wutai forces.

[Brilliant Annie]

Annie's head immediately rose when she heard her phone go off, standard ring tone, meaning it was one of the boys. Scooting forward in her chair, she picked up the phone and then flipped it open, reading the message back from Rude. Worry lead her to start gnawing on her lower lip, debating whether she should answer back. He was in the hospital, which mean this mission went wrong some how. Staring at the meal laid out before her, she suddenly didn't feel very hungry, or joyous anymore.

Flipping the phone closed, Annie decided against messaging back right now. Emotions got in the way of her making sense sometimes, and it would be mean to subject Rude to a message at a time like this. Rude had answered her back though, which meant that even if they where in the hospital, they couldn't be all that bad off right? Rude would have told her if something bad had happened.

Getting up, she started cleaning up the table, looking at the cake she had baked today, paying special attention to the Shin-Ra logo she had made out of a thin sheet of chocolate, and carefully had placed it on the cake. The strawberry layers where in the shape of a cat face, and the cheerful "Welcome Home!!! ^.^" seemed to leave a bitter taste in her mouth then. Picking up the still clean plates, she stacked them on the bar, setting the silver on top. She'd not leave a mess for Tifa, it was rude, especially since Tifa has been so kind as to let her make a huge mess of the kitchen today cooking up the meal.

Boxing, and then storing the roast, tubers and veggies into the cold storage, she knew they'd heat back up well. She had never had a meal not heat back up well for another time. Pulling on an apron, she made quick work of the dishes, and paused to wipe down to top of the bar then, a small smile returning to her lips. She enjoyed hard manual work, and always had a smile for the good feeling a job well done could bring.

Leaning back against the bar then, she wiped her hands off on the apron, and then pulled the strings, removing the fabric from around her waist. Eyes lowered to her slip on shoes, an idea struck. Just because they where in the hospital, didn't mean they had to go with out cake right? She could take it, and leave it with Rude, so they at least got to have the cake, if nothing else.

Checking the time on her phone then, she realized it was way past visiting hours, but hopefully her employment with Shin-Ra would be her ticket in, if only to make certain they where all okay. Annie certainly wasn't in the mind set to allow herself to think anything bad had happened.

Moving back to the table then, she carefully lifted the cake into a box, and tied it shut with a cute red bow with a bit of ribbon. Perpetual smile back in place, she checked the bar one more time to make sure everything was in place. Grabbing her coat from the peg by the door, she raised a hand in fair well to Tifa, and then headed off to the nearest train to take her back to what was left of the Plate, and Shin-Ra HQ.

Flats making little sound on the empty streets, Annie moved through the night out of Sector 7 and onto the platform of the last running train to the Plate of the evening. Flashing her ID card, gaining access, Annie chose a seat mid car, setting the cake box down next to her, one hand carefully poised on top to make sure the gentle to and fro sway of the car didn't ruin the icing.

Checking her phone again, Annie realized she had a little over eight hours before she had to report for work. She frowned and then dug in her over-sized bag, making sure she had her tie, heels and skirt tucked away inside, and let out a sigh of relief when she saw she did in fact have the foresight to pack them. Missions usually meant extremely late nights of wait and worry, and Annie had learned a long time ago that the couch at the bar was always open, and more than comfy enough, provided she didn't have to run home for her work clothes that is.

An announcement sounded that she had reached her station, and she got up to get off. Balancing the cake once more, she scowled as someone bumped into her a little too roughly and almost sent the cake to the floor. Quick movements saved the confection however.

"Hey, watch it!" Annie barked out, not too happy that the sudden movement most likely destroyed the icing on one side.

"S-Sorry Miss!" Came a hasty reply. Green eyes, silvery-white hair, and a bad attitude usually was met with appropriate fear, and Annie did have to admit that occasionally, she really did enjoy the wide berth she was granted because of her looks.

Yeah, like I'd ever make it in SOLDIER. I mean come on, I'm as powder-puff as they come... Annie mused to herself, an amused grin spreading across her face. Exiting the train, Annie steeled herself for the walk through the streets to the hospital. Here lately, people had been getting more and more mad at Shin-Ra, and even though she was only a low level employee, IT for that matter, she still held a little fear of coming to work every day, now more than ever. One did require a roof over their head, and food in their belly, and a Shin-Ra paycheck did pay the bills.

Moving quickly now up the stairs of the building, she flashed her ID again, and was let in. Head tilted as she regarded the map in the lobby, watching the image move and shift as she inputted where she wanted to go, her lip started to jut out a little. She would most likely be turned away at the hospital wing, she wasn't high enough security clearance. Bah. She had to try, she'd already come all this way out right? If she left with out trying then why had she spent the Gil to get there in the first place.

Taking the elevator to the appropriate floor, she walked to the nurses station, setting the cake down and smiling the most charming smile she could. Nurses where over-worked and under paid for the most part, so being nice might get her through the doors quicker.

"Hi... my friends where brought in this evening. I brought them a "Get Better" cake and I was wondering if I might slip back for just a moment to deliver it? Rude is the name of the patient." Annie held her breath.

"Sorry Miss, visiting hours are over, you'll need to come back another time." Annie felt her face go bright red as the nurse didn't even look up at her, making her feel all the more foolish at coming all this way at this time of night. She really should have stayed on the couch and mulled this over a little bit better.

"Please?" Annie asked, her voice raising a bit. She was pleading now, honestly really worried that they wouldn't let her slip back to just deliver a cake. It wasn't like she was going to stay for hours and hours.

"Again, I'm sorry Miss, but visiting hours ended three hours ago, you can come back in the morning." Annie's foot hit the ground then, hands in fists, her green eyes, lacking Mako, seemed to shine with an enraged fire nonetheless.

"I JUST WANT TO DELIVER THE CAKE! LET ME SEE RUDE!"

[Natzy24]

Rude had almost dozed off. As usual he showed very little signs of what exactly had happened apart from minor cuts and bruises. That seemed to be the case with him a lot of the time. Hearing Annie's voice had roused him a bit though. Silently he stood up, his normally neat suit a bit torn and dusty, but that was only to be expected.

Slowly he walked over "If you don't let her visit I'll inform Tseng of your views, I'm sure he'd not be pleased to be woken up," he stated calmly. He watched as the nurse paled before stammering something out, moving aside to let her pass.

Rude just nodded then returning to his seat, looking tired and worried.

[Brilliant Annie]

Annie looked up, and then, seeing the condition of Rude's suit, shut up. She nodded to the nurses and then followed him back, taking a seat beside him. Cake box in her lap she was afraid to ask what happened, so instead, she rambled quietly. The fact Reno was not with Rude worried her even more. Where was that punk anyways?

"I won't ask how your day was, I think that's a little apparent by your suit.." Her lips formed words, gently touching the sleeve of his jacket, and the tear there. "And I'm pretty sure you can't tell me what exactly happened.." There again was her security level, and she never forced them to tell her the things they couldn't. It was understood that what they did and saw, was best that she not know. She quit talking then, pulling her feel up under her in the hospital chair, resting the cake box now on the seat on the other side of her.

"Where's Reno?" She asked then, worry getting the better of her. "Cause... I'm not sure I've told either of you two before, but you two are the only family I got now.." Her voice started to break a little. "And.. If something happened that he's not coming home.." She wouldn't finish. No, Rude and Reno where incredibly strong and cunning, all joking aside, in her eyes. But it was true. They where the only family she had now, and she vaguely wondered at times why they even put up with her.

[Natzy24]

Rude looked over at her giving a grateful smile. Then Reno was mentioned and his face fell almost instantly. "...They're still patchin him up now," he stated quietly. "He took the worst of it," he added on with a sigh. He could just hope that he'd be okay. That he'd bounce back

[Brilliant Annie]

Annie stiffened then, the worry she had felt earlier intensified, and then seeing Rude how he was, did what all women who love certain men, specifically did. Small pale arm snaking up around his shoulder, making sure to be tender as to not to aggravate unseen injuries, she gave him a half hug.

"Aww, come on Baldy.. you know Reno, he's gonna be just fine!" And her smile returned then, even if it was a bit pinched, smile on her face, but eyes still a little worried. She leaned up then, trying to make up for her foot difference in their height and placed a chaste kiss on his bald head.

"'Sides, knowing Reno, no matter how bad he's hurt, he'll be trying to get out of bed within an hour of waking up." She giggled a bit, and then slid back down in her chair, looking down the hallways. Her eyes rested back on the cake box then, and she shoved it a little bit back further in the chair, using her work jacket to cover it. She'd make another one later, right now, silent and supportive was what her boys needed, and what her boys needed they got.