You’d think the roads would have cleared out. ‘This is too much for the people to handle’ he had remembered saying a couple of years ago to his leader, partner, and the rookie assigned to them. Well, they seemed pretty resilient to him now; the rains initially drove more of them off the streets than Bahamut and Sephiroth together.
Meanwhile their little group had remained tucked away in an alley as most shuffled off for shelter prior to the healing properties of it being realised, and by time people flooded back out to heal and meet their savior they had made headway into the most basic of plans.
Once the activity faded they took the opportunity to start out, Reno ahead of them and Rude at the back, both still ready to go though there was nothing left to fight.
Reno had discarded his goggles and jacket earlier on, both of which ended up somewhere on Rude's person as he'd gathered them from wherever the redhead decided to abandon them. The lot of them were soaked completely through and with Reno partially out of uniform once-white cloth clung to his skin, bruises visible through the button-down that became translucent in the rain. Blood streaked the fabric in shades of rust and yellow from the water that tried to wash it away, none of it quite fresh any more, darker on rolled sleeves and the bottom edges that he'd used to clean his face and hands with and where it gathered at the seam. They’d have access to usual magical items later of course, all it meant was getting back without further trouble. Tseng and Elena had been with their wounds long enough that they'd carry the scars with them—those injuries were mostly healed by now. Rufus... Well, they shouldn't have handed him over to regular medical care and probably wouldn't have had they any other option at the time.
With the others having been quiet for a while he spun on heel, taking a few backward paces to check how far behind they had fallen and that he hadn't extended the space between them too drastically. These back roads and dark alleys delayed their arrival time, the only downside to staying safer. He turned again to round a corner when they needed to move back out into the open, the old Shin-Ra building one of the first things in sight.
And the second, appearing outside the once-grand entrance, was Dark Nation. The beast had been content to hide away there during those long years and stayed so long as it was brought meat and water, but its hearing was much more sensitive than any natural animal or monster. It recognised the step pattern and became irate, knocking into its current care taker in sudden need to escape. Although not quite in view the scent carried with them was what made it halt at the front stairs.
“No, you stay right there!” Reno shouted, pointing like it would help. “Stay!”
