LOVE ME IF YOU DARE
by Strawberry On Cheesecake
CHAPTER ONE
Rinoa was getting tired of ogling at her gloved hands.
It was such a beautiful, mid-spring morning that day. The sun was high, the sky was blue, and the air was light and comfy. It was a perfect day for a little walk in the town plaza—and so did the rest of the town thought.
Carbuncle's Square was, of course, packed at that time, and much, much before Rinoa thought of observing the ridges of her hands to kill time, she quietly surveyed the people that generally populated the area. Colorful full skirts and parasols reigned, so did top hats, canes and even quizzing glasses, which were the fad in men's fashion nowadays. Tired of these, a few minutes later, she lifted her eyes to the less crowdy portion of the park where the vehicles were—chaises with white horses, carriages pulled by more white horses, and naturally, your occasional 'white horses with saddles-only' were ever present; Deling City was still in the process of modernization, so the 'hoverspeeds' and steam generated transportations that Esthar had in bulk, this town still had in rarity.
Rinoa sighed, puffing enough air to send her bangs flying back—bored. When no familiar brunette appeared within her eye-sight, she continued amusing herself with the surroundings. She flapped her fan open, cooling herself in a way that she almost forgot about his tardiness. Evidently, the uncommonness of this situation crossed her mind, but for some odd reason, her intuition told her that he did something to encourage this sudden, yet infrequent, tardiness of his. It was intended, and that, she wanted desperately to know why.
Rinoa now grew weary, resting her back on the wooden bench at their 'usual spot'. Why would he be late? He never comes late! Her eyes fell on the group of children swarming around Miss Aerith's ice cream cart. Was he tired from the trip? Did he stop by the saloon to grab a bite? Maybe I should check…
Rinoa shook her head, sitting still.
No…Squall never breaks a promise. When he says that he's gonna be there, he's going to be in there. Period.
Minutes ticked by, and still, no sign of a young man with the most gorgeous blue-gray eyes in the WORLD…
"Squall?" she mumbled with a worried frown, "Where are you—"
Her question was answered by a cream colored teddy bear, brought down to her line of vision.
"Are you looking for the brave hunter Squall?" it baby-talked with a nasal voice. Rinoa couldn't help but notice that distinct red bow around its neck, and the golden cameo that hung in the middle—just like how she'd like it. She grinned knowingly, playing along.
Pretending to look at the whimsical, talking teddy bear curiously, she pouted, "Yes. Do you know where he is?"
The bear was made to nod, "Of course, Madame! He spared my life from the hands of destructive five year olds!" and then it paused, bowing in disappointment as if it cannot look Rinoa in the eyes, "But I'm afraid I cannot tell…"
Rinoa tilted her head sideways, "Why not?"
"Because if I did, it will spoil the surprise."
"What surprise?" Hearing the word itself sent Rinoa whirling around to face him, anxiety eating her. She was met by a quick flash of blue-gray, a naughty smile curling on his lips and that delicate touch of his strong hands.
The next thing that Rinoa knew, she was swept off her feet; a slave to his kisses…
Rinoa heard herself moan, feeling his hands preciously cradle her face. Her eyes were closed, but she was sensitive to his actions, so it wasn't very hard to tell what he was doing. At this point, he gently broke the kiss, planted a little peck on her nose before pressing his forehead on hers. Rinoa heard their heartbeats become one and she smiled—this was it. This was what every girl dreamed of ever since their mothers polluted their minds with thoughts of Prince Charming and 'Happily Ever After'. This was that something that made little girls wear pillowcases over their heads and pretend that they're the centerfold of next month's 'Modern Bride' magazine…
Squall let go of her, only to take her back, and crush her gently into his chest…
…and Rinoa fell in love, all over and ooooooover again. Just like the first time…
"You missed me, didn't you?" Squall asked in an exaggeratedly low whisper. Rinoa giggled, not giving anything away. "Just admit it, Miss. It's just gonna be between the two of us."
Rinoa reluctantly recoiled her cheek from the haven that was his chest, "Why are you late?" she evaded, looking up to those eyes that she has so longed to gaze into.
Squall brought up one hand, wiggling the teddy bear in front of her little nose, "I had to hunt this down. I was told that they were an endangered specie…Got me looking for an hour." He quirked his lips into a condescending smile.
Rinoa pretended ignorance, examining the bear quite closely, "Hmmm….Soft, creamy fur—checked. Red bow with a golden cameo in the middle—checked. Brown eyes, cute little black nose and round ears—checked." She then took this moment to smile at him, as if he just won her heart for the first time, "You got yourself a Rinoa Bear!"
Squall chuckled, holding her hand as they began to walk. It was still early…and a perfect time to set his plans in motion…
"A Rinoa Bear, huh?" he whispered loud enough for her to hear.
"Yes, a Rinoa Bear!" his girlfriend agreed, her chocolate brown eyes focused on the simple present. She hugged it close, as if it was the most special thing on planet Gaia. "What are we going to do today?"
Squall purposely took silence seriously. He looked down to her, the first lines of his 'script' quickly crossing his mind.
It's all about the timing, dude.
"Why don't we go down to the Port? I think I could manage something expensive for you this time."
Rinoa looked up to him, puzzled, "Expensive?" When Squall didn't try to reply, it hit her almost instantly.
"You don't have to do that, Squall. I'm happy as we are…"
She stopped Squall from walking, overtaking him before pressing her hands on his chest to refrain him from lurching on. "Remember what I told you before?"
Squall nodded—here it came. Rinoa always made things easier for him…
"I want a little house in Winhill—you know how big houses are, you need to clean a lot," Rinoa began, as how she always does, everytime Squall starts his self-reproach about money, "If a porch is possible, then even better, and of course, we don't want to forget MY garden." She raises an index finger to make her point, "It didn't need to be elaborate, as long as I have all my vegetables, fruits and flowers in place. I want a little bit of everything…but most importantly, a flower bed—with lots and lots of lilies, carnations and gardenias!"
Squall furrowed his eyes, making a quick note of everything she said—in detail. He got everything if he remembered it right. He did remember to put in the flower bed behind the house…
Didn't he?
"What I'm trying to say is that, I don't need grand things to impress me, Squall. Not at all." Rinoa took his hands, looking at them, feeling their callousness and wondering what made them such. "As long as I'm with you…I will manage." She beamed sheepishly, her eyes directed down to the pavement.
"Hmm…sounds like a plan," Squall cleared his throat, still convincing himself that he wasn't that stupid enough to buy a house without making sure that it had the most important 'feature' on it. His vision went down to Rinoa, who was suddenly making the ground feel embarrassed with all that staring. Why was she looking down like that? Were his shoes dirty?
Rinoa blushed, taking that as an insinuation that they did have a future together. His assurance made her heart go warm, and her stomach, jiggly, "Oh, and you haven't heard the rest…" she added weakly, ever so careful not to lose control of her wobbly knees.
Squall pushed his bangs back. He was certain that he did check the existence of a flower garden behind that Winhill house he purchased during his supposed 'business trip'. Why wouldn't he? There was no possible reason he could have overlooked it—unless he was born a total idiot with a big sign which said 'MORON' plastered on his forehead, then yes, he could have forgotten.
So far, so good…
NEXT!
Gently ushering her to a different direction, away from the Port, Squall hoisted his hand to hail a chaise, "Sweetheart…I want to ask you something…"
"Huh?" Rinoa looked up expectantly, the sudden rumble of arriving horse hooves and wheels diminishing within her ear-shot. She saw Squall pretend to have not heard her, his attention focused on the public chaise that now pulled over in front of them.
He helped her up the vehicle, quietly.
"To Fenton Drive, Sir." Rinoa felt herself go pale, hearing him instruct the driver while he climbed up behind her. They were going to his apartment? Rinoa mused to herself. This was her first time to visit his place…and without warning her first? What's going on?
"Squall…" Rinoa shot him a look, feeling the chaise beginning to whisk her away. Squall turned to her coolly…buttoning his suit nicely that added the unruffled effect, "You were about to ask me something?"
It took a moment for him to remember; Squall was still immersed with the thoughts of how to break things to her, without scaring her, or pressuring her by how rushed he may seem to appear.
"Oh right…" he rubbed his nose bridge thoughtfully, "I was wondering…if you'd consider moving with me, Sweetheart."
Moving in? Rinoa's head swam with the sound of wedding bells. He wants me to move in with him? She wanted to scream with so much pleasure!!! He called me Sweetheart, twice too, for Hyne's sake!!
"W-when?" she managed to say; swallowing pure shock and overwhelming ecstasy down the drain.
"Whenever you think its okay. I'm not rushing you, Rin…just wanting you to know that that option is available." He held out his hand, loving the way Rinoa responded without being told to; she squeezed him firmly—that was enough encouragement. "You can still do whatever you like…Go wherever you want. I just want to live closer to you, that's all."
Rinoa let her head fall on his shoulder; this was just too much to handle in a day. Squall had this effect on her, and until now, it was still a wonder how she managed to continue living whereas everytime they meet, he makes her entire system go ballistic. She tried to calm herself, but to no avail. This needed some time to get to use to.
"I can move tonight…" She replied simply, trying not to overreact. But that seemed enough for Squall, who kissed the inside of her palm dearly. "…if that's not a hassle for you."
"Not at all." Squall rested his cheek on top of her head, his stomach un-knotting. Good. This was the right pace; he cannot keep on pushing his luck. From now on, he will do a lot more wooing, a lot more of taking his time…
Now on to the next step…
The crucial step…
How to get the ring on her finger…
"Hey…" Squall breathed on her ear, coaxing with all gorgeous disarray. "How's my Princess doing down there?"
Rinoa flushed, shifting her eyes down to his bare chest. She 'hated' their position, for it eliminated her from looking at anything except for him. He was looming on top of her, with his forearms resting on both sides of her head, imprisoning her with only his lips as another option. Not that it bothered her; it's just that, with Squall so close to her like this, it was hard to control herself from doing crazy, promiscuous things. Their bodies were pressed together intimately, and only an insane mind would not find her situation difficult…
"Squished." She whispered; Squall chuckling as he bent lower to her neck. Rinoa felt him go down, biting her lower lip as excitement shamelessly burned between her legs. She arched upward to receive him, and Squall did his part, tracing her collar bone with kisses that branded her as his—his possession. Rinoa felt herself let go of a moan…
"Good. My Princess is well." Squall tugged the annoying sheet triumphantly. This was becoming a habit for him, every now and then pulling something that Rinoa would use to humbly cover herself. But instead of growing tired of it, it actually appealed to him. She somehow reminded him of a well anticipated Christmas present—unwrapping was just the first out of the many layers of fun.
"Rinoa…"
And the Hyne-forsaken phone chose to ring now.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Squall cursed under his breath, burying his face on Rinoa's hair. The enticing angel had the gall to laugh at his despair, even tapping his back to appease him somewhat. "Traitor…" which made her laugh even louder.
"Just pick it up, Squall," Rinoa turned to him, trying so hard to empathize. She pushed him back, urging him closer to the night table, "It must be something important."
Something more important than this? Squall threw her an incredulous look, as if she just spoke in an undecipherable alien language. He even tried distracting her out of it; his attacks only to be answered by pillows being smashed on his face.
"Answer it, Squall!"
He finally stood up, dragging himself all the way to show his reluctance. The phone has been ringing for quite sometime now, but that wasn't enough ground for Squall to hurry up and end its misery, even checking his hair through a nearby wall mirror to spite her. Seeing that there's no way in hell he's gonna make this easy, Rinoa reached out her hand to the receiver, picking it up before shoving it to his face. She even said hello for him to have it done and over with.
Squall conceded defeat, catching the receiver between his shoulder and ear. He gave Rinoa a daunting look which said that if she ever so much move an inch, she's gonna get it—and badly. The enticing angel obediently lay motionless for the mean time.
"Squall speaking." Rinoa heard her man say, recognizing that familiar tone he used to only one specific person—his father. She'd never seen him, or even got to get anything about him from Squall, so it piqued her curiosity to indirectly hear from the mysterious entity. Moving up to the headrest, she saw Squall turn around—her suspicions being confirmed. Squall was mumbling back at something that his father said; Rinoa faintly heard, waiting patiently for something to come up.
Unknown to her, who only saw his back, Squall was in desperate need to wring the old man's neck. It wasn't new to him that Laguna Loire made every possible attempt to catch his attention, and this was no different. Squall scratched his forehead, mindlessly grunting. Why does Laguna even bother calling? Doesn't he know by now that Squall wasn't interested about anything he says?
"WHAT?!" Rinoa held her breath, hearing Squall yell in way that made the entire apartment shake. He seemed not to have to realize his mistake, not even turning around to see that his girlfriend was drastically shaken by his outburst. Seething at Laguna's newest bombshell, he glared at the ground, which was unfortunately, the first thing his eyes saw, "What the f--- are you talking about?!"
There was silence for a while; apparently Squall was weighing the situation. With only his boxers on, Rinoa could have swooned at his inviting appearance, but that was not a wise path to take right now. Ironically, he looked even more dangerous, pacing back and forth like a cage lion as time flew by while his father rattled on the other side of the line. Numerous times Rinoa saw his face contorted into a tight frown, perhaps being pushed to his limits, and then answering back as curtly as possible. That exchange made it hard for Rinoa to put bits and pieces together; a lead was too much to hope for.
"Do not make a bigger fool out of yourself! You know that's an absurd thing to do!" Squall warned in a dead-pan tone, confusing Rinoa even more. "Do not do anything stupid before I get there, or much better, do not do anything until I get there!"
He hanged up; erratic.
"What happened?" Squall heard the swift swish of sheets going on, unprepared to face her. He was suddenly afraid to touch Rinoa, afraid that he might scare her or hurt her in any way while still influenced by his aggravation.
He sat on the closest chair, burying his face on his hand.
Rinoa clutched the sheets firmly up to her chest, splaying her fingers on his cheek, "Hey…" she murmured comfortingly. When he didn't respond, she carefully detached the hand from his face, making him sigh heavily in effect, "What's wrong? Tell me…"
He wasn't ready. Rinoa thought to herself, seeing him hesitate and fight the urge to disclose. Slowly kneeling down in front of him, Rinoa made sure she looked up warmly to his eyes.
"Let go." She said, sounding like a healing incantation for Squall. Looking all tousled, innocent and wearing nothing but his immaculately white sheets, it was hard not to do what she exactly asked…a weak spot that he learned, through the months that he'd been with her, was not to be ashamed of. It was a unique trait that she possessed and nobody else did; the same trait that made Squall realize what she meant to him, to his unsatisfactory present life and to his, hopefully, productive future. Rinoa understood him quite well, better than he, himself, did, and that was one of the things about her that caught him off guard. He cannot imagine her being away now, and that, he was determined to prevent no matter what.
Reaching out to touch her cheek, Squall began to smile as he felt that achingly familiar smoothness against his hand. She smiled back at him, encouragingly, loving the way he caressed her face gently, knowing that it was coupled with a thousand words that he meant to say but didn't know where to start…
And they boiled down into two simple words, "Marry me."
He uttered, not in an imperative way, but his tone said he didn't take 'no' for an answer.
Rinoa was left aghast, blinking twice just to affirm that she was really awake.
"S-squall?" she stammered carefully, thinking that one simple mistake can horrifically damage this perfect moment. She wasn't even close to breathing her next when Squall somehow made a small, velvet box appear out from nowhere, opening the tiny case in front of her eyes. It contained a beautiful, white-gold engagement band, with a perfectly-shaped baby-blue diamond peering from the center…
Rinoa was dumbfounded. That was her ideal engagement ring—materialized!
Squall took the ring out of its bed, Rinoa mechanically watching as she let him slip it on her finger. She was still staring at it blankly when Squall pressed an adoring kiss on her knuckles, that proud grin on his face irreversible. It looked flawless in her finger. He mused delightedly.
"I don't know what to say…" tears started streaming from her eyes, terrified. She was purposely destroying the moment because she was stupid enough to pick this exact moment to be out of words!
"Just say yes…" Squall urged, lifting his thumb to wipe away unneeded tears.
"Yes." She almost choked; the incredibility of its impact astounding her. Rinoa looked into his face, and that very rare expression that he now held automatically seared into her memory. From now on, anything he asked she would do, anything he wanted she would give—
"But you have to say 'yes' after—" he didn't get to say more, for she tackled him with a hug that was big enough to pummel him flat to the ground.
"YES! YES! YES!" Rinoa insisted stubbornly, more tears of joy welling up on her eyes. She hugged him even tighter for dear life, sobbing uncontrollably as relief washed over her like rain on dreary draught. It was really happening! Squall had just actually asked her to marry him! No more insecurity, doubts about this ever transpiring! She's gonna be with the man of her dreams FOREVER!!!
"Whoa…" Squall encircled his arms around her waist, chuckling at her ear while he eyed the forgotten sheets on the floor. He smiled with disbelief, taking in her scent, wishing hard that this moment may just stay as perfect as it is. "So you want to marry that much, huh?"
"Oooh Squall," Rinoa gushed, giving her new ring another look while she embraced him and at the same time be still oblivious about her sudden nakedness, "I love you so much. Do you know that?"
"U-huh." Looking down at that shapely derriere…
"Good. Because thinking now, I may have not said that too many times for you to actually believe it! But I just thought it would drive you away if I said it too much, do you understand me?" She babbled mindlessly like a pregnant woman during her cravings. She sniffed while at it, rubbing her eyes, "Oh no…Perhaps, I haven't shown it enough through actions?"
"Oh yeah…" He's gonna be a happy man with a bod like that.
"I knew it! I'm sooooo sorry!" Rinoa finally pulled back to look at him, just in time for her fiancé to snap back from his own oblivion. She asked him worriedly, "What can I do to make up for it?"
Squall never thought that this day could get any better—if this was how married life is, he's loving it, baby!
"I thought you'd never ask."
"Grand Azore Boulevard," Rikku Yoshihiro reread the carefully scribbled phrase on Rinoa's address book, "right?"
The twenty-three year old telegrapher looked up from the small leather-bound notebook in her hand, looking over to her customer and friend who nodded permissively before the counter. The brunette raised a finger, maybe about to point out something more.
"178." Rinoa gazed through Rikku's glasses to meet her eyes; the fashionista blondie had a new pair again, just like every other week before. "You might mistake my seven into a nine. Everybody does."
Rikku chortled in her own sassy way, flipping her intricately beaded braids backward, "Got it." She began ramming the telegraph, feeding in the mailing address of the message. "I'm so sure I've heard about Grand Azore Boulevard before…" she trailed off, inputting the last letter codes before turning her attention back to Rinoa, "…just can't remember why."
It has been two days ever since Squall left for Esthar, grudgingly following his father's request to meet him, which he never explained to Rinoa in full detail. All he gave her were vague information, mostly the usual ones, like Laguna never growing out of adolescence and at the same time being the bothersome attention seeker. Of course, Rinoa understood, letting him go without question. She knew that behind all those complaints about his reckless father, Squall still worried about the old man. The only thing that she didn't comprehend was the fact that it never crossed Squall's mind to bring her with him, who was now his fiancée and a soon-to-be part of their family. It made Rinoa feel a little uncomfortable, but she didn't argue. Something in Squall's eyes told her that it was best not to burden him with issues like that for now; Laguna must have done something gravely wacko-ish this time.
"Maybe because it's in Esthar," Rinoa tip-toed, craning her neck forward to take a good look herself. "She is such a superpower...it's not a wonder that her cities would be famous too."
Rikku took off her glasses before she nodded. "Yeah, you're right." She reached out to take the copy of Rinoa's message, which was clipped altogether with a thin wad of Gil. "But…I don't know. There's just something that clicked in my mind when I read it."
She dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand, feeding Rinoa's message right after. The two women chatted casually afterwards; Rikku even congratulating our heroine for her engagement with Squall.
"So he finally did it, huh? Took him a while to realize…that idiot." Rikku grunted, rolling her eyes. Pushing Rinoa her change, she wore her glasses back, enviously eyeing her friend's ring finger, "Although I must say…I have to give the doofus some credit…"
Rinoa laughed, finding Rikku's choice of name-calling quite exaggerated, "The idiot and doofus that you're calling is actually the man that I love, so please, go easy on him." She kept her change inside a pouch, pulling its drawstring close, "By the way Rikku, can I ask you a favor?"
"As long as you don't call my Gippal an idiot and a doofus, I think I'll hear ya."
Rinoa giggled, waving her off, "I'll be visiting my Mom for a couple days…so, could you take our mail in for us?"
"Sure thing, Girlfriend." the blonde telegrapher gave Rinoa her receipt, "So what do you think you're Momma's gonna say? Is she going to freak out that her only baby's gonna get hitched?"
"I hope not." Rinoa pursed her lips together, changing her mind, "You know what, thinking about it now, I don't think my Mom would mind at all! Last time she called, she was also swooning over this guy! She'd be all over him to mind me, I bet!" She winked at Rikku, "All's fair in love and war, my friend!"
This made Rikku laugh out loud, extracting a small square lunchbox out of her desk. She sweetly grinned at Rinoa, before asking her a favor in return for her favor. "Give this to Gippal, will you? You'd be passing by his booth before you go, right?"
"Of course." Rinoa took the box before going away for the train station next door. She waved at her, "I'll see you when I comeback from Rosaville!"
"Bye, G! Take care!"
And Rinoa was gone.
Deling City's local station was not exactly big, but it was good enough for the people who come in and out of the town. The entrance panels were huge, floor to ceiling doors; the ingress and egress regulated by uniformed officers standing next to the revolving metal wheels. After passing their inspection, you'd come across a row of ticket booths, three in total; one of which Rinoa went straight to, where Rikku's childhood bestfriend and current boyfriend, Gippal Ottawara, was doing his shift. Rinoa tapped the glass window of the second booth, eventually being greeted by an attractive young man with an eye-patch.
"Miz Rinoa! Where're we at today?" the blonde, green-eyed Al Bhed slammed a book of nonnegotiable tickets on the counter, flipping it open to start his service. "Heard from my baby doll that Squall finally had the guts! Congratulations, Miz!"
"Thank you, Gippal. And oh, by the way," Rinoa gave him the lunchbox from Rikku, "Your 'baby doll' extends her regards."
Gippal was stunned for a while, turning a little bit too sheepish while he scratched the back of his head, "Oh, wow. Gee…she sure has ways to surprise me."
Rinoa cooed, "Aww…you two are really an adorable pair." She immediately thought of moving on, sensing that Gippal would most likely turn into a puddle of embarrassment with all that flattery. "A two-way ticket to Rosaville, Winhill, please."
Gippal was more than obliged, ripping a ticket off the book before bombarding it with all kinds of officiating stamps. He asked her where Squall was, and why he wasn't accompanying her to Winhill.
"He had to visit his father in Esthar. I think it's a family emergency." Rinoa regretted her words; Gippal looking at her strangely. "I know, what you're thinking…I'm almost family too. But coincidentally, my Mom also wanted me to visit. So I guess that cuts it out fairly."
"I guess…" Gippal brought his lips into a thin line, signing Rinoa's ticket. He plopped it through a small hole for Rinoa to reach, remembering something he read from the newspaper this morning, "Going to Rosaville, huh? That place's pack nowadays."
"Really?" Rinoa wrinkled her eyebrows together. Rosaville, Winhill is a very secluded place, not that many tourist attractions too. So why would it get crowded at this point of the year?
"Why is that?"
"Some big time official is marrying this native woman." He shrugged, "Actually, I'm not really a fan of those things—just the ticket sales."
Rinoa shoved the ticket inside her pocket, "And that kind of news gets people nosy enough to pack the place." She sighed, "Unbelievable."
"We live in a weird world, Miz Rinoa. You just have to be prepared when the weirdness starts going after you."
"No matter how creepy it sounds, Gippal, I'm sure to keep that in mind…" She smiled at him before turning away, "I'll see you around."
"Leyu!" he bid goodbye to her departing back in Al Bhed, hearing the train arrive with its usual ostentatious cry. He sat back on his chair, staring at Rikku's pack lunch for him.
"It is indeed a weird world out there…" Gippal muttered to himself, the corners of his mouth twitching.
"And it's all up to us to find those little things that make it worth living."
It was in the second hour of Deling Express 12's voyage to Winhill when Rinoa finally felt annoyance ransacking her nerves. She normally wouldn't be bothered so easily, but apparently, her Mom's would-be opinion about her sudden engagement influenced her fortitude; coming close into having her do something harmful to that bickering couple sitting directly in front of her. For Hyne's sake, it has been two hours…Why wouldn't they stop?
"That's appalling, Irvine! Why don't you just put a lid on it and move on?" the brunette girl with green eyes retorted, scandalously fanning herself as if whatever her companion said scorched her negatively. Rinoa had to shake her head. Here they go again…
"Put a lid on it?" the auburn guy beside her repeated incredulously. He patted his Stetson tighter to his crown, as if the absurdity of what she just said baffled him, "Put a lid on it, Miss Tilmitt? I'm sorry but I don't think I'm as stupid as you think!"
Another half hour of this…Rinoa frowned, squeezing her eyes shut while the two brazenly moved on with their verbal combat. From what she got during the last two hours of their constant rambling, 'Irvine' (the Stetson guy) and 'Miss Tilmitt' (the I-don't-think-I-can-live-in-Trabia-without-my-fan girl) were traveling for Rosaville only to get on Winhill Express 24 transfer train which was bound for the Southeastern Continent. It appears that the two were actually arguing whether they'd go to Esthar or Zanarkand; for what reason, Rinoa would have known if they did start discussing about that instead of giving her a migraine. But whichever case, Rinoa didn't care now. She wanted to get off this train and as far away as possible from them. Her ears have had enough of their yelling.
It was impossible to even read a book with this noise, so Rinoa turned herself to the windows. She tried ignoring Miss Tilmitt and Irvine, who pretty much dominated her peripheral vision, looking outside just to see the sweeping scene slowly turn familiar for her senses. The horde of trees—from maple, to cider, mulberry and the whatnot—became thicker, growing more closely to one another and added generously to that bigger picture of green. The fresh stretch of dewy grass came next, profusely sprouting everywhere, going up and down and around hills and hills of nature's finest…
Rinoa sighed. She was almost home…
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are entering Winhill boundaries in approximately five minutes…" the public announcer declared after the chime, moving on just as Rinoa spotted her 'Rosablanca', the manor she'd been admiring ever since she was five.
"Our estimated arrival time in Rosaville Local Station is in twenty minutes. Please be advised to stay on your seats until the cars have completely stopped in when our ushers would be available for service…"
"I'm going to Esthar whether you like it or not!"
"That is for me to decide when Miss Tilmitt!"
Twenty more minutes. Rinoa got a hold of herself. Twenty more minutes and I can finally get away…
Lord Seifer Almasy, Baron of Fire Cross, seemed at ease. But in reality, he was far from that. He knew that his wife was just being rational about the entire situation, and what she just stated was only a mere fact, or worse, a parcel, of what's to happen.
"What are you suggesting then, Milady?"
Lady Quistis Trepe-Almasy exhaled sharply, left with no other choice, "We have to tell her everything—right from the very beginning."
Seifer nodded curtly, reaching out to open the door of the carriage. "I understand."
The couple stepped out of the carriage, looking like they're about to face the biggest and toughest army in the entire WORLD HISTORY…
"HEY GUYS!!!" Chocolate brown eyes flashed under a wide-rimmed hat, "How's my favorite couple doing?!"
Author's Notes
As all of you can see, I've revised this chapter drastically. I had this problem while editing Chapter Two (there were a lot of loopholes and covering them up just took me a lot more pages to write) and rewriting this was the easiest way out. Kindly tell me what you think about it, guys! I'll even upload Chapter Two in a day or two so that you can see the differences…
All suggestions, violent reactions and flamers are very much welcomed! Thank you for your time, folks!
Mwahuuuuuuugzzzz!!!
Strawberry On Cheesecake