Be that as it may, on one bitterly cold night, Elena sat with Crystal in the dressing room talking, seemingly about nothing imparticular, until Elena's memory snapped and she recalled what Alexander had told her about that girl he knew.

    "Crystal, didn't you work for Shin'ra?" Elena blurted.

    Crystal stopped and gave her a puzzled look. "What made you ask that?"

    "I remember Alexander saying something about a girl he knew named Crystal who had worked at the Honeybee Inn, but she got lucky and landed a job at Shin'ra. And your name is Crystal, and you work here…"

    Crystal sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I worked there for a really short time. But it was a dead-end job that didn't exactly get me where I wanted to go, so I came back here. Although I don't know why, because this place is Hell."

    Elena felt a bit of remorse for her friend. "I'm sorry I brought it up. It just struck my mind."
 
    Crystal answered, "No, that's okay. Elena, listen to me." She leaned forward. "I want you to forget what he told you and how you got here. Alexander is a dangerous man."

    "What do you mean?"

    Crystal sighed and leaned back again, a tear forming in her eye. "Oh Elena… it's painful, you remind us all so much of her…"

    Elena was starting to get frightened. "Who?"

    "Penny."

    She sat shell-shocked. "How do you know my sister?"

    Crystal heaved another sigh as the tear slipped down her cheek. "She used to work here. Her dreams of working for Shin'ra started right here, much like yours. She was brought here by that man, being promised the world was in reach. But that's not the truth. The truth is, this place is nothing but a manhole. You've fallen in and gotten trapped. It takes a lot to pull yourself out. Penny knew that, but he didn't want her to reach what she had worked for…"

    Elena's head was in acute pain as she grabbed at her hair. "I don't understand!" A dull, sharp noise struck painfully and continually through her ears.

    "She was killed one night by a mysterious client. It was her last night here before she relocated to Shin'ra."

    The noise and pain seemed to stop as quickly as it had begun. Elena's breath was short and shallow, making it all the more difficult for her to function. "She was killed?"

    "Yes. I'm sorry."

    Elena shook her head, trying more to clear it out than to stop her friend's mourning. At that moment, Elena made a decision; one that would ultimately effect the rest of her life by saying a few simple words. "I'm staying here."

    Crystal seemed a little frustrated. "Why? You have everything to live for, such opportunity in your youth."

    "That's not it. I need to stay here and complete what Penny was doing. I need to keep her memory alive. I mean, this place might not be exactly what either of us had envisioned, but she brought pride and grace to wherever she went, and that's what I'm going to do. I know I can make it, and her spirit is coming with me."

    "That's brave of you, Elena. Very noble-"

    "Get out here, ya lazy bitches!" Wiggly yelled to them. "We got customers coming!"

    The two sighed and stood up simultaneously.

    "Elena, please remember what I told you, though. About forgetting how you got here. It's for your own good."

     " Alright," she complied. "But I need to find how to get out."

    She answered the door to the Inn, and in front of her was an attractive, red-haired man with incredibly beautiful eyes. He was lean and tall, standing over her like an augury.

    "Hey," he muttered to her. She melted.

    He gave her a questioning look, then peered over Elena's head to where Crystal was standing.

    Crystal seemed to get the picture and pulled Elena aside.

    "Please tell me you know who your customer is tonight," she seemed to plead.

    Elena was a bit more confused by Crystal's pleading words. She shook her head only so slightly before Crystal gave her and exasperated look and sigh and continued; her voice was low but decisive.

    "Elena, this is very important. Your client is one of Shin'ra's Turks. His name is Reno. He's a very powerful man, and can make your life change in the snap of his fingers, and in several ways. No matter what, you must perform at your peak, and watch yourself. If something goes wrong, who knows where you'll end up." She drew closer to her friend's ear and lightly whispered, "But if it goes right, you can get out of here just like you dreamed. He can give you the world…"

    Elena's eyes widened. She had a perceptible understanding of just what was riding on this night. With a sort of newfound confidence, she nodded and turned back to Reno.

    He stood there casually, glancing at her, waiting patiently. His beautiful blue eyes were so heaven-sent… Elena's mind drifted. There was definitely something special about him – not Reno the Turk, but Reno the Person. Elena saw through his eyes into an amazing world of vivid, sharp color and intrigue.

    He reached out for her hand and sent 120-volt electric shocks through her. His touch was powerful, full of confidence and sensuality. She was led into a dim room and so it began.

    The experience was like nothing she had had so far. He started by placing sweet, lingering kisses along her neck and sighing. She couldn't think of anything to do but go along with is every move. Though many a time throughout the ordeal she found her mind wandering back to her sister and what she had learned in only a few minutes – more knowledge, really, than she had ever possessed.

    Early morning hours began to sink in. The streets outside were still crowded with the seedy crowd. Elena checked the clock – 3 a.m. A sigh escaped her involuntarily.

    "You seem impatient," Reno mumbled next to her. His head was turned away as he lay down, but his words and intention were clear. "Normally I'd ask if something's wrong, but I just don't care."

     Elena frowned at his harsh tone. She chose at first to ignore it. How could he understand the mourning that came with death and disillusionment?

     After another long silence, Reno rolled over to face her. His expression softened a little more with each tear that slid down Elena's cheek. "You're crying…" he observed.

     She looked and him and wiped the tears away hastily. "Sorry," she muttered.

     He looked away once more.

     Another silence passed.

     "What does it feel like to cry…?"

     The girl was taken aback by the question. "I don't understand…"

     He huffed impatiently. "Don't mock me."
 
     "I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely. "To cry is to…to…to release something you hold inside, I guess. Tears are like tiny drops of emotion that come pouring out when you need to show it to others."

     He reached up towards her cheek and let one of the tears slip down his own skin. In the dim light from outside, Elena could see a flicker of propriety in his eyes. Her heart sank in his glance; he was so lost for some reason.

     Reno whispered to her, "I've never cried before."

     The tears spilled faster. "How could you not?"

     "I was taught not to," he inscrutably explained.

     "What inhuman creature could possibly do that?"

     Reno muttered something else she couldn't hear. It sounded like a name. After a brief pause, he asked, "So why, exactly, are you crying?"

     Should she tell him? It was a bit hard to explain… "When I was younger, my sister ran away from home – I loved my sister very much, she was an amazing person – and I never saw her again. But today I found out that she had worked here as a strumpet and murdered the day before she left."

     Reno nodded. "That’s a lot to take on," he guessed.

     Elena was suddenly struck with a seemingly brilliant idea. She spoke hurriedly. "Reno, you hold a lot of power in your position. Please, help me find the man who killed my sister. I have to finish what she started."

     He contemplated this. "What was it that she started?"

     "She came here with dreams of getting a start in Shin'ra," Elena rushed on, "But she never got her chance. Please, I need the chance. I need to avenge what was taken from her."

     He couldn't believe his ears. "Elena, I'm not sure that you understand the nature of my business," Reno replied hesitantly.

     "It doesn't matter. I need something done."

     "… … … You have a lot of guts asking for something like this from me," he informed.

     She was becoming desperate. "Please," she beseeched, "Please, help me."

     "And why should I?"

     Elena burst out angrily. "Because for once in your life you should do something with a purpose, and maybe then you'll realize what it means to cry!" She beat her fists angrily against the mattress and sobbed, pained and full of distress.

     He encircled an arm around her waist. "You know…you're right."

     She looked up and a smile of triumph replaced her sullen expression.

     He coughed and scratched his neck uncertainly, trying to devise a plan. "Meet me in front of the materia shop tomorrow night. Then I'll see what I can do."

     He left without another word. Elena felt…well…enlightened.