Alright! This is the first chapter of the new and improved Secretary series. Merc and I could flesh out a good title, so it will be stuck with the original one for the time being. If you have any suggestions, let me know.
.01.
Squall could see through the window to his left that the sun was slowly sinking out of sight, emphasizing just how long he'd been trapped in this damn meeting. To make matters worse, damages suffered during the Ultamecia War hadn't fully been dealt with aboard the Galbadian Garden. The damn place was situated in a desert and they hadn't considered getting the air conditioning back up a priority.
Beside him, Quistis kicked his foot gently with her own, reminding him to at least look like he was paying attention. He grudgingly obeyed. After all, he had every right to be grumpy. He hadn't asked to be Commander and just three months ago they'd saved the world. Didn't anyone think he deserved a rest? They'd been in this office since dawn. He wondered absently what the others were doing. More specifically, what Rinoa was doing.
He imagined she was in Balamb Garden's library, reading a romance novel while she embraced the great invention of air conditioning. Or maybe she was shopping with Selphie and they were trying on clothing in an air-conditioned shop in Balamb.
His stomach ached in a way that said if it didn't get fed soon it was going to start growling.
It was just after supper. Rinoa was probably getting an ice cream dessert right about now.
Quistis tapped his foot again. He glared at her, but she wasn't looking at him. Instead she was bent over a notebook, taking notes and gracefully pushing her glasses up her nose.
Cid had been right to pick Quistis for the newly created Garden Ambassador position. She had done an excellent job of handling the public outcry when people began to notice that they couldn't see anyone being held accountable for the war. They saw the woman they knew as the Sorceress Ultamecia walk about freely and Seifer had been allowed to slip into the shadows of society before action could be taken. Quistis had handled it all and Garden came out smelling like roses. It was her who had suggested that, for Rinoa's safety, they not tell anyone she'd been given Ultamecia's powers and that it was best if stayed with them.
Squall felt a little guilty about his negativity. Quistis had been working harder for him for longer than he had and even in the heat of this endless meeting, she was still working. He tugged at the collar of his generic, white, muscle shirt as he shifted into a more proper sitting position. He'd long since abandoned his bomber jacket. It was folded on the empty chair beside Quistis.
In front of them, Cid was arguing passionately with Martine as to why he shouldn't leave Garden for good.
"Cid. I've had enough of this. You've presented some fine arguments, but I was much happier while in Fisherman's Horizon. You and the world must both recognize that we are old men and a task like this would be better left to the young. I will speak to Mayor Dobe about the town assisting in the rebuilding of Garden. I'm certain that will ease the budgetary struggle you're facing, but only if you find a replacement for me. Either way I leave, but at least this way I will leave more gracefully."
Squall looked back and forth between both men before looking back at Quistis, who was tapping the end of her pen against her lips while she thought. Her position had left her with the powers of both of these men and Squall was certain she could solve this and free them from this oven of an office.
"Miss Trepe," Martine said suddenly.
"Yes Headmaster Martine?"
"What if you took over my position? Just until Cid here finds a replacement."
"I actually had another in mind," she admitted, uncrossing her legs and standing, "I know of a very smart and military minded person who is young and I think would make a good headmaster."
Squall felt his breath catch in his throat; he didn't want any more power. He wanted to sleep and eat and be a regular guy for a few days.
Cid looked at him and Martine did the same.
"No," Quistis sighed, seemingly reading the minds of everyone in the room, "Squall is a fantastic candidate, but I was thinking of someone else. Someone that would give us an equally good image when promoted but in a different way."
"And who would that be?" Martine asked. He clearly didn't believe anyone could be better for their image.
"Her name is Xu and as she'd be the first Headmistress in the history of Garden I think her promotion would be as celebrated as Squall's would be. She proved herself a smart and trustworthy ally during the Ultamecia War and I see no reason she wouldn't be successful in this position."
"Do you have her file?" Martine inquired as he looked sideways at Cid.
"I agree, Quistis. She should be properly reviewed first though. Did you by chance bring her records?" Cid dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief, banishing the sweat that had been beading there.
"No. For security reasons I do not carry unnecessary confidential paperwork, but Nida did network a computer aboard the Ragnorak to allow access to any of the information in any Garden computer."
"Really?" Cid asked.
"Yes. It's been quite useful to me while I've been travelling around in the Ragnorak promoting the goodness of Garden and its associates. If you would agree to a short recess, I could retrieve Xu's information and bring back a proper folder for review."
"Sounds good. Cid, we've been friends a long time and if this girl is the answer to my resignation, this could be the last time we eat together as a couple of Headmasters. Come, let's go into the city."
"Excellent, I'm famished," Cid agreed, "We'll all meet back here in about two hours?"
"Of course. Thank you gentlemen," Quistis replied as she and Squall saluted the pair.
They returned the gesture and left.
Squall watched Quistis close her notebook and place it into the neatly organized messenger bag she had brought along. She passed him his jacket and they left for Ragnorak.
The sun was almost gone now, protecting them from having to face the desert heat dead on. The sand blew lightly over their boots and Squall wondered how Quistis could walk in sand with heels on.
"There's time for you to make it into the city for something to eat yourself, you know," she told him as she fished her key card out of her bag and walked to the entrance of Ragnorak.
"What about you?" he asked, knowing full well she hadn't eaten anything either.
"I have some frozen dinners in the fridge on board. I won't have time to get anything else."
He followed her inside and took out his cell phone. "Call ahead, I'll drive in, pick it up and bring it back. Chinese food is better than frozen food."
She smiled at him and nodded, accepting his phone. "What do you want?"
"Beef and broccoli with an order of chicken fried rice."
She moved to past the main computer to the unsuspecting desk she usually used to organize her paperwork. She placed their order while she inserted her key card into a slot underneath the desk, opening a keypad on top. She thanked the person taking her order and said goodbye as she punched in an access code. It beeped and the top opened to allow a monitor to fold up.
Squall caught the phone as she tossed it to him, but was a little busy being surprised by her desk to actually leave.
"Nida," she told him without saying anything else.
"Wow," he finally managed before leaving.
"I'll give you my share of the gil when we get back to garden or stop at a bank machine," she told him just before the door closed behind him.
While she waited for the computer to boot up, Quistis threw her hair into a messy bun and found a bottle of water. As she accessed Xu's records and began printing she thought of how much she would miss seeing her around Balamb. Shaking it off, she made a trip to the printer to grab the military record of her friend. It would be selfish to hold her back when she knew damn well what an incredible Headmistress Xu would be.
She flipped open her phone to call Xu, but found a voicemail waiting for her. She'd muted the thing for the meeting.
"...Hey Quis, It's Rinoa. I've been trying to call Squall, but he's not picking up. Neither are you so I guess that means the meeting is really dragging on...or you're having an affair with my boyfriend..." there was genuine laughter before the sorceress continued, "Anyway, make Squall call me when you get this. See you whenever you get back."
Deleting the message, Quistis took a moment to breath. Maybe when Xu got promoted she'd switch to Galbadia as her home base. It had been home to her once before when she was much younger, why not again?
Finally, she dialled Xu.
"Hey, you have great timing; I was just about to get in the shower."
"I also have a great judge of character which is why I just began printing your personal records to hand over to the Headmaster."
"Excuse me?" Xu asked, her tone a little offended.
"Yep, you're going to be considered for the position of Galbadian Headmistress."
An excited 'What!' exploded from Xu's end of the line.
"Martine wants to retire and I recommended you for the position."
"I love you."
Quistis smiled at the phone. "So, I take it you're not upset that I didn't consult you first?"
"You've never steered me wrong before. Hyne, Headmistress... I can't believe it. Who else is in the running?"
"They want Squall."
"Why didn't you say so? I'll never get a job if I'm competing against a man who saved the world."
"Except he doesn't want it. Not even a little bit. He doesn't even want his current rank. Also, I reminded them how good this would be for Garden's image. We've never had a female running a Garden before."
Quistis listened to her best friend excitedly plan what she'd do as a Headmistress as she punched holes into the stack of paperwork she had on the woman and organized it to be presentable before slipping a binder ring through and easing it into a folder.
Squall re-entered the Ragnorak and watched her quietly for a moment as she ended her call to Xu. He waited for her to notice him and was pleased when she looked a little startled.
"I didn't even hear you come in," she told him as she closed the computer back into the desk.
Her hair up like that exposed her neck nicely and he could see little beads of sweat had been born onto the pale skin. Despite the air conditioning, the heat of the Ragnorak spending a day in the desert, soaking up the heat and the heat it's machinery produced had made it like a car left in a mid-summer parking lot with the windows rolled up.
He passed her the food she'd ordered for herself and set his own on a plain desk.
"Rinoa wants you to call her," she told him.
He paused, hearing the strange tone of her voice. He wasn't sure what it meant, but he knew it wasn't good. "I'll call her when the meeting is over."
He watched her through the corner of his eye. She was pleased by this development. He didn't know why. She seemed to like Rinoa and had said herself her feelings toward him were more sisterly. Still, he gathered she didn't like his relationship with Rinoa and had decided he was a good enough friend not to rub it in her face.
She was probably lonely. Everyone else had basically paired up. Selphie wasn't dating Irvinne, but they might as well have been a couple and Zell spent most of his spare time in the library staring at Paige. Quistis had married her job and that was a pity because as much as he loved Rinoa, he wasn't blind. He knew Quistis was beautiful and intelligent.
They ate quietly and then disposed of their take out boxes before heading back to the meeting.
Cid and Martine only discussed Xu for about thirty seconds after flicking through her file before they decided she was the right person for the job. "I'll speak with her about it in the morning," Cid said as he stood.
"She'll accept. I had to call her to get permission to print her private records for review," Quistis told him, "There are no foreseeable issues with this transition."
Martine got up to shake their hands, but said to Quistis, "I'll want to thank Xu personally for relieving me of this duty. What type of flowers does she like?"
"She actually doesn't much care for flowers, but if you'd bump up the air-conditioning on the list of priorities I'm sure that would make her a very happy woman."
"I'll make some calls first thing in the morning."
They left him to his sweltering office.
Outside Quistis turned the ringer of her phone back on and advised them to do the same. "Also, consider calling Matron, Headmaster. She will be interested in who is replacing Martine. Squall, you have to call Rinoa. Do so before we take flight. Using your phone while you drive is dangerous and stupid."
She picked up her pace and walked to her onboard room without any further comments.
"Something's bothering her," Cid observed.
"..." Squall couldn't think of anything to say.
"You heard her, we've gotta call our bosses and head for home."
Squall frowned. Rinoa was not his boss. There was no humour in the suggestion that she was.