[ the logic is sound! if Reno could hear it out loud, he would approve. well, not of the part about backing, finances, privilege—it's really more like Reno has always had a mild penchant for troublemaking and destruction, and a drive to learn things he probably didn't have any business learning as young as he did—but that's beside the point. ]

Right! And also wrong. [ Reno laughs. ] It was the crossdressing. Not 'cause I didn't do it but 'cause my boss did recognize me—probably the tattoos. [ he pulls an exaggeratedly disappointed expression as one fingertip traces the line of one of the tattoos along his cheekbones.

describing Tseng as straight-laced isn't wrong, but Reno is incorrigible and full of scattershot ideas ideas that still somehow manage to get the job done at the end of the day. plus, as long as nobody could trace the jobs back to the Turks, Rufus (and by extension, Tseng) weren't terribly picky about methods—in fact, Rufus often preferred not to know. plausible deniability. ]