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Fandom: FFVII Compilation
Characters/Pairings: Veld, Reno, Tally (OC)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: "A real pokerface is learning to be forgettable, for your tells to be forgotten the instant after they're seen. Swindlers and spies don't lack emotion. They just tone it down."
Notes: Inspired by the title of this lovely Veld fanart. Just a whisp of a fic that needed out of my head so I could finish my![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
femgenficathon story.
The damned song was everywhere. Veld had always been an unashamed snob when it came to music, and what made his cut had been made years before many of these kids had been born. But like smog in the city, pop music had a way of hanging around and clouding his day.
This new one was particularly repetitive. Of course Reno loved it.
"Can't read my, can't read my, no you can't read my pooookerface..."
He also was tone-deaf, especially when he was sitting in his chair with headphones on. Veld decided to loom until the kid noticed him. Which he did, with a start.
"Fuck, Veld, you don't have to be so creepy!"
"Put away that device before I confiscate it."
"What, don't want to read my pokerface?"
Veld snorted. "You have no pokerface."
"Not everyone can be a stoic. Just saying."
Stoic. That was only something that seemed to have come with age... If Tally saw him now, she probably wouldn't recognize him. She'd always said he was an easy read.
---
"Have you reviewed the tape, Dragoon?"
He always hated fucking up. But to fuck up on Tally's watch? Was even worse. Veld had made rookie mistakes before, but they were minor. This time he had not only fucked up big, but he'd done it on videotape.
"Yes ma'am."
"Do you know where you went wrong?" She was stern. He hated when she was stern. It meant that she was disappointed. Normally she was firm. Stern was slightly cold and made him want to curl up into a little ball and disappear.
He shook his head, because it would be easier for both of them if he just let Tally point out what he'd done.
Tally stopped the tape at the point before hell broke lose. This hadn't been a cloak and dagger type mission; all he had to do was be witness an exchange, take a few pictures. Blend into the background. But the mark had gotten spooked somehow, and twitchy trigger fingers led to shooting.
She pointed at his face. "That's what you did wrong."
"My face?"
"The sorts of people we watch are paranoid. Your posture, your expression, the book you're obviously not reading... it's all a tell. You're defensive and far too interested. You're lucky they must have thought you were there to kill one of them during the exchange, and not a Shinra employee."
"I'm sorry."
The stern look slipped a bit. "You'll have to learn to disconnect, especially when you're in situations where your silence and discretion are needed."
"Do you have a tell?"
"Everyone does. A real pokerface is learning to be forgettable, for your tells to be forgotten the instant after they're seen. Swindlers and spies don't lack emotion. They just tone it down."
---
"No Reno, it's not stoicism. It's being forgotten."
The kid was visibly confused, and no matter how professional Reno was deep down, he would never simply blend into a crowd. That worked for him; there was a time and a place for that sort of thing. Some people were fast talkers and some people were decoys. For every ghost there had to be at least a few humans.
"Just turn it down, ok?"
Reno nodded, and went back to propping his feet on his desk and reviewing more paperwork. At least he wasn't pretending like he cared about the paperwork aspect. Veld could rely on that honesty at least.
If he'd done his job right, the way that Tally taught him, what he left would only be an impression, not a memory. The impression Tally had left was honorable. Veld suspected only his anger would remain.
He hummed the melody all the way back to his office. Pop idols had come and gone over the years, leaving only melodies. Maybe this one was on to something.
Characters/Pairings: Veld, Reno, Tally (OC)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: "A real pokerface is learning to be forgettable, for your tells to be forgotten the instant after they're seen. Swindlers and spies don't lack emotion. They just tone it down."
Notes: Inspired by the title of this lovely Veld fanart. Just a whisp of a fic that needed out of my head so I could finish my
femgenficathon story.The damned song was everywhere. Veld had always been an unashamed snob when it came to music, and what made his cut had been made years before many of these kids had been born. But like smog in the city, pop music had a way of hanging around and clouding his day.
This new one was particularly repetitive. Of course Reno loved it.
"Can't read my, can't read my, no you can't read my pooookerface..."
He also was tone-deaf, especially when he was sitting in his chair with headphones on. Veld decided to loom until the kid noticed him. Which he did, with a start.
"Fuck, Veld, you don't have to be so creepy!"
"Put away that device before I confiscate it."
"What, don't want to read my pokerface?"
Veld snorted. "You have no pokerface."
"Not everyone can be a stoic. Just saying."
Stoic. That was only something that seemed to have come with age... If Tally saw him now, she probably wouldn't recognize him. She'd always said he was an easy read.
---
"Have you reviewed the tape, Dragoon?"
He always hated fucking up. But to fuck up on Tally's watch? Was even worse. Veld had made rookie mistakes before, but they were minor. This time he had not only fucked up big, but he'd done it on videotape.
"Yes ma'am."
"Do you know where you went wrong?" She was stern. He hated when she was stern. It meant that she was disappointed. Normally she was firm. Stern was slightly cold and made him want to curl up into a little ball and disappear.
He shook his head, because it would be easier for both of them if he just let Tally point out what he'd done.
Tally stopped the tape at the point before hell broke lose. This hadn't been a cloak and dagger type mission; all he had to do was be witness an exchange, take a few pictures. Blend into the background. But the mark had gotten spooked somehow, and twitchy trigger fingers led to shooting.
She pointed at his face. "That's what you did wrong."
"My face?"
"The sorts of people we watch are paranoid. Your posture, your expression, the book you're obviously not reading... it's all a tell. You're defensive and far too interested. You're lucky they must have thought you were there to kill one of them during the exchange, and not a Shinra employee."
"I'm sorry."
The stern look slipped a bit. "You'll have to learn to disconnect, especially when you're in situations where your silence and discretion are needed."
"Do you have a tell?"
"Everyone does. A real pokerface is learning to be forgettable, for your tells to be forgotten the instant after they're seen. Swindlers and spies don't lack emotion. They just tone it down."
---
"No Reno, it's not stoicism. It's being forgotten."
The kid was visibly confused, and no matter how professional Reno was deep down, he would never simply blend into a crowd. That worked for him; there was a time and a place for that sort of thing. Some people were fast talkers and some people were decoys. For every ghost there had to be at least a few humans.
"Just turn it down, ok?"
Reno nodded, and went back to propping his feet on his desk and reviewing more paperwork. At least he wasn't pretending like he cared about the paperwork aspect. Veld could rely on that honesty at least.
If he'd done his job right, the way that Tally taught him, what he left would only be an impression, not a memory. The impression Tally had left was honorable. Veld suspected only his anger would remain.
He hummed the melody all the way back to his office. Pop idols had come and gone over the years, leaving only melodies. Maybe this one was on to something.
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I don't even. XD
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