Sum-up: Quistis-centered. She never felt complete. A part of her soul will never grow up without knowing them. Quistis decides to go look for her past and her parent's identity. No pairing.
Context : The story happens when Quistis is 23. I just wanted by writing this fic to show how an orphan can feel lost without knowing his parents or family. I don't know if it did come right or completely wrong since I have the chance to know both my parents and still have them. Anyway, this can explain why Quistis is kinda OOC in there. Sorry...
NB: This story had been corrected by Lady Tatum, who I thank greatly =^o^=
Sorbald Snowfield
Finally.
Months had passed with that single thought in mind and she finally found it.
Needless to say, the place was rather seedy. One could ask why that beautiful young woman was looking at it as if it were a sacred temple surrounded by a divine aura of power and magnificence.
She stood in front of the dirty bar, completely immobile, her face looking up at the bright fluorescent blue and pink letters of the neon sign. One letter was flickering, probably since forever, not that anyone gave a damn about it.
Maybe he was inside...
Absent-mindedly, she slowly put a hand on her stomach and let it rest there without moving anything else.
Maybe she could see him tonight...
It was dark already and the snow kept falling steadily. The weather was not bad in this place and time of the year. Sorbald Snowfield was known for its regular snow storms. It would not have prevented her from coming here anyway. Once she wanted something, she was determined to obtain it.
"Quistis? Are you all right?"
Quistis did not seem disturbed out of her thoughts too abruptly and she realized that she had been standing here for a while now. Even though she did not take notice of the cold, Zell was probably freezing. She slowly turned her head towards her companion.
"Yeah...I'm fine. Sorry for making you wait outside."
Zell gave her a bright smile. A smile that Quistis always admired and was never capable of pullin off. A smile that compelled you to smile in return, at least a little and above all genuinely. A smile that can give you hope, maybe only for a few seconds, but real hope. Did Zell even know what kind of effect his smile could have on people? Or maybe it was just her...
Hn. Whatever...
Zell could understand why Quistis was waiting outside with a pensive look on her face. Hell! He would be nervous like crazy if he were in her shoes. The fact that worried him was the way she put her hand on her side. The wound was not completely healed yet, and since Quistis never complained about anything that could physically (or even mentally) hurt her, he had to be careful and watch over her in case she would collapse or something. She was strong though, and not foolish at all, so he doubted that she would collapse, but she might suffer from it without saying anything.
That was what was scaring him.
Seifer would often joke about Quistis being a masochist, what with all the leather and her whip and her recent tendency of being injured during her missions.
Everyone knew he was only half joking...and saying it that way was the only way he found to express everyone's worries.
Quistis was not suicidal, but she seemed restless and unconscious of danger lately. Maybe it was just a phase, and it would pass eventually...
God, he hoped it would pass.
He could not stand to see it happen. Once again, when she came back from her last mission. She was sent on a diplomatic mission. Quistis. was usually good at those. But this time, it turned out bad, very bad. And when things became really ugly, both for Quistis and for Balamb Garden University, she would not even run away. She kept fighting. All by herself. Alone.
Upon her return, everyone called her crazy, fool, stupid, unconscious. She could have died. Quistis would not even react to their words. She just laid in her bed, face blank, raised by a few big pillows in the infirmary. And Zell had been on the verge of crying. He had never seen Squall so furious; he was screaming at her. Zell knew he had been worried sick and did not know any other way to tell her, so he just suspended her from any missions for a time.
At that, Quistis sent him a nasty glare and finally turned her head and ignored him. In fact, she ignored everyone.
Some days later, Zell came back at the infirmary. He could not sleep and he thought that he wanted to know what was wrong with Quistis. So he entered her room, without entirely realizing it was a ridiculous hour of the night.
She hadn't been sleeping; it was as if she had been waiting for him. He sat next to her, putting his hand on hers, and looked her directly in her eyes, with a pained expression. Quistis stared back at him, her face always blank. He asked her what was wrong. She just lowered her head. He told her that he loved her a lot, that he did not understand what was making her so depressed, and suicidal. He told her that he would do anything he could to see her happy. That she was like their big sister. He told her things a mercenary was not really used to saying.
After some time, Quistis turned her head towards the window, the trees slowly dancing with the wind outside, dark clouds roaming over them in the sky.
"Do you think of your mother sometimes, Zell?"
Zell blinked, and answered that of course, Ma Dintch was really often in his thoughts but he was quickly interrupted.
"Your real mother Zell. Your real parents. Your ancestors. Do you think of them?"
He did not answer right away. But it was clearly a "no". He did not know them so how could he think of them?
"I often wondered of where I came from in the beginning, not knowing that it wasn't a big deal. What was important was finding my place in this world. A place to live, where I could be accepted, and where I could be useful. If there was not love, at least there would be acceptance. But you know, after a while, it's not enough anymore...because, without knowing where I come from, I feel like I will never find my place in this world. Never."
"But Quistis...we're orphans...how can we know where we come from? No one has ever left any information concerning us. Even Matron would not know. You belong here with us. Isn't that cool enough? We're together..."
Quistis gave a sad little smile, devoid of any joy. After some seconds of silence, where Zell understood that Quistis did not think that it was "cool enough", she said in an even tone something quite incredible.
"Did you know, Zell, that a lot of ships accosted at the Pocahari Island? Near the continent of Centra?"
Zell did not know and could not really care about that right now. What was she talking about?
"A lot of sailors accosted here. After an uncountable number of nights they spent alone on their ship, they could conveniently found a brothel near the Coast of Pocahari Island."
"How do you know that, Quistis?" Zell asked, his eyes a little wide.
"Needless to say that it worked quite well", Quistis continued without answering his question, "what with all the sailors that kept coming regularly at the end of their journey. There was a woman in this brothel that suffered the consequences of what we call an unexpected pregnancy. Why she kept me? I don't know. But that's where I come from."
She paused then, and let her words sink into Zell's brain.
"And it kills me Zell. It kills me because, now she's dead, and all I wanted to know is...is if she was...at least a little happy to have me...even if I wasn't wanted. I want to hear that she was proud and happy to have me."
Quistis finally turned her head from the window while saying that, and looked at Zell with a pure look of sorrow in her eyes.
That was what it was about. Her mother. She never had her, and now she had lost her.
How she knew that, Zell did not know. Quistis didn't tell him much about it, but she seemingly learnt it by chance during a mission almost a year ago. That was when she began to change. Zell could do nothing else than try to soothe her the best he could. He kissed her forehead, told her to sleep well, and that he would come again the day after.
Zell remembered that night while standing in front of the bar at Sorbald Snowfield. Quistis did not stop herself after learning and accepting the death of her mother twenty-two years ago. She began looking for her other half, for a father.
And as incredible as it could be, she found someone.
That burning desire that she was feeling, that urgent need to find one's roots was usually felt by people that are getting old. And Quistis was currently feeling that need. Seifer once again joked (oh how he loved teasing her) about her having the mentality of a sixty year-old woman.
Quistis had answered him quietly in all seriousness. She used a tone that had made Seifer actually shut up. She told him that people felt the need to find their roots once they get old because they felt like death was coming after them. However, people like them were not bound to live forever, and that she probably wouldn't have the time to get old. The life of a soldier was quite eventful. She could not afford to waste what little time she had left.
And that is why, after nearly dying during her last mission, the young mercenary decided to go look for her father.
Squall gave her his permission to go, but insisted that she went with Zell.
Which is what brought Zell and Quistis at Sorbald Snowfield, in the middle of the night, covered in snow, in front of a seedy bar.
"Let's get inside then."
Zell held out his hand to Quistis, his bright smile still on his tender lips. Quistis nodded and took his hand. They entered the bar. It oddly reminded Quistis of a western bar, except for the snowflakes that were coming inside instead of the dust. There was a guy playing a fast melodia on the piano, heavy smoke filled the air. Some were even playing cards while drinking. The place was crowded.
Zell and Quistis stared at the inside for a while, analyzing the situation like the veterans they were. Slowly they walked inside. Zell was just following, making sure Quistis would be okay. That was what he was here for.
Quistis slowly came near the barman. She did not know how he looks like, her father...she just had a name.
"Good evening sir" she said very politely, very Quistis-ly.
"Hello there gorgeous, ya need somethin' ?"
"I heard that a certain Haydn Moore was one of your usual customers here. Do you know where I can find him?"
Her voice was calm and even, but on the inside, she was beginning to get nervous.
"Sure thing girl, he's right there."
The barman pointed to a man seated at the bar, drinking a glass of something that Quistis probably did not know about, listening absently to a story the guy next to him was telling.
"Thanks..." Quistis whispered without taking her eyes off the man.
She slowly walked over the man, checking him from head to toe. He surely did not seem very rich. The kind of guy that had a hard job and was drinking a little too much at the same bar, at the same time every week, with the same people that were facing the same problems in their lives.
She finally stopped just behind him, almost between the other guy that finally fell silent. They were just drinking now, engrossed by their glass of...whatever.
"Haydn Moore?"
The man slowly turned his head, an air of surprise on his face. He did not know that young woman. As beautiful and tempting as that creature can be, he was wary of people who knew of him that he did not know himself.
"Whaddya want with him?" The guy next to the putative father asked, rather harshly. It seemed that he too was wary of unknown people coming here and knowing their names.
Quistis turned her head to him, her piercing ice-blue eyes staring directly at him. The man did not falter visibly, but he gulped unconsciously. That woman, as young as she looked, was impressive.
"I would like to talk to him for a while. Will you give me your place, please?"
"Hn. Too bad, I like that place a lot, you'll have to wait 'til I leave..."
"If you don't give her the place, she's gonna hit you man. And hard," Zell piped up. The guy deserved, at least, a warning.
Quistis' eyes had narrowed dangerously, never leaving the man's own.
"She can try." The man answered, acting rebellious.
Quistis put herself in the small space between the two men, face towards the might-be-Haydn, back on the other man. And after a few seconds, she gave a hard shove with her left arm to the man's torso. The guy went flying some meters behind, crashing against a table and spoiling a card game.
"Told ya..." Zell whispered to himself.
Without even looking at what she had just done, Quistis sat on the now empty place beside the man. He did not budge and was now looking very uneasy. Ok, he never was the most honest of the guys on earth and he could have some problems but who the hell was that girl?
"Haydn Moore?" Quistis said again, now a look of impatience on her face. Better not anger her even more...
"The one and only. What can I do for a pretty girl like you?"
Might as well play it well. It was not every day that a beautiful girl showed interest in him (she threw Mike with only one arm for Christ' sake!), even if her intentions were probably not the nicest.
They stared at each other for a while and at the exact same moment, both of their ice-blue eyes narrowed. The same color. The same form. The same severity. Zell was looking at them, his mouth almost hanging open.
"Woah...Quis...it's him, no doubt."
"Hn..."
"Who are you guys and what do you want? If you're up for a little fun in a room upstairs, my dear, I won't tell you no. Now if you were sent by that asshole Yamato you can tell him to go fuck himself. I don't owe him any money anymore now."
After that, Haydn turned back to his glass of...whatever and continued drinking. The barman was facing the two warily, waiting for Quistis to ask for something.
Quistis saw him and idly wondered what she could drink in here...she didn't usually drink. But well, she could not really ask for a glass of water in a bar.
"Two beers, please." She asked thinking of Zell.
After a moment of pause, and after her beer was placed in front of her, Quistis forced herself to start a conversation. She was there for that, wasn't she?
"So...Mr Moore...you're a sailor?"
Haydn turned his head towards her a little, and decided that he did not care talking with that girl. She just wanted to talk huh? He will talk then...he did not have anything else to do.
"Yeah...well I was. I'm working at the harbor now...I saw enough of the world…it was time for me to quit."
"Did you love being a sailor?"
The man was a bit surprised by this question. No one really bothered asking him that.
"My...er...yes, I loved that a lot. I was young and kinda restless, you know? The sea for a lot of us back then meant freedom. It was an adventurous life that allowed me to travel the world. Yeah I...loved being a sailor."
"Do you have a family?" Quistis kept asking questions. She wanted to know everything she could about this man.
"No. I mean, my father died when he was rather young. I was eleven at the time. He died in an accident at his work. My mother, Heather, well...she's still alive. She lives not far from here. In fact I...live with her still." A little blush tainted Haydn's cheeks as he said that.
Quistis gave a little smile. She found it touching; he was probably taking care of his mother.
"A woman?" She asked.
"A woman? Rather like, a lot of hatful women. I usually don't remember their names. Am I shocking you darling?"
Quistis quirked up an eybrow, and the corner of her mouth curved up in amusement. Truth to be told, the guy was rather handsome. He was a little old, but he was still attractive. He was tall, a strong man with a body made by and for hard work. Some of his hair was grey, but you could still see the original color of a blond a little darker than Quistis'. His nose was straight and of a good size, his mouth might have been a little too big for his face, but was clearly the most expressive part of his body. His eyebrows were set firmly and his eyes were basically the same as Quistis, except his were circled by some wrinkles.
"But I have to say, they are less and less lately...I guess I'm loosing my sex-appeal..."
Quistis let out a chuckle at that, a chuckle that made Haydn smile. The cold woman can laugh after all.
"Children?"
"No, no children. I don't like them a lot."
"I guess..."
Haydn wondered what she meant by that, and looked at her with a questioning face. She did not say anything else about it though, so he took it upon himself to ask. He said a lot of things kind of personal here and to a complete stranger no less. He had nothing more to lose.
"Will you finally tell me who you are? Is it your habit to ask random strangers about their personal life? How do you know my name anyway?"
Quistis took a sip of her beer. She did not like the taste particularly. It was bitter.
"In fact I came here so you could say who I am" said Quistis mysteriously.
"How am I supposed to do that? I never saw you until now..." answered Haydn with a touch of exasperation.
"I'll tell you what I know about me then. From as far as I can remember, my life began in an orphanage, situated at the coast of Centra. My name is Quistis Trepe. This name belonged to my mother." She added the last sentence slowly, as if it were an important revelation.
Haydn though, did not see the relevance of knowing that it was her mother's name, but he nodded nevertheless.
"When I was old enough to hold a weapon, I was sent to join Balamb Garden University, where I learnt everything I know today. I became a seed, then my rank improved, then I became a teacher...today I'm still working as a seed, this is...my place..."
Haydn was looking unblinkingly at Quistis, quite impressed. She looked rather young to be a high-ranked seed. But still, if they had taken her when she was a child, it could be explained easily.
"A seed, huh? Well...that explains a lot of things..." he said uneasily and looked behind him to see his friend seated to the table that was so suddenly knocked down some minutes ago, sulking and rubbing his back.
Seeing Haydn's uneasiness, Quistis added with a gentle voice and expression, although if one looked close enough, there were like a malicious glint in her eye.
"I'm sorry if I looked a little brutal earlier. I just wanted to know if you're the one I'm looking for."
Usually, Quitis was the perfect seed to be sent on diplomatic missions. When negotiations needed to be done or when a conflict was on the verge of breaking out, Quistis would always be sent to try and improve the situation. She was firm, gentle, calm, smart and also beautiful, which can in our world, be of a great help to coax a potential stubborn male opposite side.
"And who are you looking for, pray tell?"
Tonight though, she did not feel diplomatic at all.
"My father."
Zell winced.
Ouch...take that in your face pal, one could difficultly be blunter...
There was a minute of silence between the two of them. Then another. And another. Then Haydn finally got a hold of himself.
"Are you saying that you're suspecting I'm your father?"
"That's what I'm saying"
"That's ridiculous"
"Is it ? Mister I-don't-remember-the-name-of-the-girl-I-slept-with-the-night-before?"
"Now don't use that argument on me, it doesn't prove anything!" Haydn yelled, maybe on the verge of panicking.
"Don't look so frightened. I'm not going to ask for your money or anything else. I just want to know. I was lucky enough to find my mother. She's dead though, I would like to know my father. Is it a crime?"
Even if the girl did not ask anything from him, denial was the first reaction he had. Accepting all of a sudden that you have a daughter of twenty or so years old was not easy.
"And...who...who was your mother, tell me?" Haydn asked tentatively.
"Does the name Elena ring a bell?" Quistis said lightly.
Elena...
Holy
Mother
of God.
Haydn's eyes definitely attained a dangerous width. The barman who heard the beginning of the story was still listening, being the curious man he was. He knew Haydn quite well by now, though he did not know the man had a daughter, and by the looks of it, he didn't either. With a smile, he placed a Bloody Mary in front of Haydn, it was a drink he liked a lot, and to show his compassion, he whispered: "On the house."
Quistis waited patiently for the man to come over his shock. Haydn drank the Bloody Mary almost in one gulp. God, he needed it!
"Now now...don't fall unconscious on me, you still didn't answer."
"Well...er...I..."
Memories from the past were coming back full force. Memories from so long in the past, Haydn thought it happened in another life. Elena...
You left me a baby?
"The Iris—the name of my boat—was used to accost on Pocahari Island. And yes, I knew Elena. I was young, I think I loved her. She was...everything a man could dream of. So mysterious and calm... I saw her...more than once. Each time I came to that island, I would go see her. She was my treasure. It lasted some years until that time when I came back to her, they told me she was dead. It happens often, whores that are murdered, by their boss, or by their customers...I...I didn't know how to react to that. I felt empty...so I just left, and I never accosted that island again. It happened around twenty-two, or twenty-three years ago...it was like one of my dreams had shattered. They never told me she had left a baby behind though..."
Haydn did not doubt Quistis too long. The girl probably did not come all the way to find him in this hole if it was not true. He had no money to give, could be of no help. It was entirely possible after all. Girls always had come easy to him, having an illegitimate child was more than plausible. Also, her eyes...they were like his. Her behavior, though a little rougher and colder, was like Elena's...
Is she really my daughter?
Haydn was lost in his thougts, when all of a sudden, he cried out indignantly when Quistis pulled on his hair. He turned his head to look at her and saw the young woman putting some of his hair in a little flask.
"For the DNA test" she explained. "That way we can be sure."
Haydn did not respond. He would know for sure if this girl was his daughter, his and Elena's daughter. Having a child with the only woman he had ever truly loved was a strange idea that had aborted the day he had learnt Elena's death.
Quistis stood up, a determined look on her face. She put some money on the counter, enough to pay for her, Zell and even Haydn. Haydn was looking up at her while waiting for what she had to say.
"You can contact me here." She handed Haydn a card. "You can also come and visit me at Balamb. We're not far away from there at the moment. I will soon know the result of the tests and I will not contact you again. Knowing if I am your daughter is your choice entirely. Good-bye Mr. Moore, I might see you soon. My regards to your mother."
With that, Quistis turned around and left the bar followed closely by Zell. When she was finally outside, cold winds hit her frame, stabbing every little bit of skin that could be touched. Quistis did not react to the difference in temperature, her heart was beating wildly and she was feeling hot. She did not even realize that she was panting. Zell came near her and put his hand on her shoulder. Quistis was hunched over, clutching the flask that she had put away near her heart. Soon she would know the truth...
"Quistis...?"
Even though, deep down, she already knew it.
"Hey..Quistis...?"
What she was afraid of now, was his refusal of knowing the truth.
XXX
Two weeks later, Haydn found himself in front of Balamb Garden University, tightly gripping the card Quistis gave him that night, with his mother by his side holding his arm.
He had contacted the BGU in order to be able to come on board since no one could possibly enter the BGU without permission. The escalator lowered and Haydn and his mother were able to enter.
They immediately felt the military atmosphere, though it was not stressing. Students were walking towards different directions, some chatting amicably between themselves. Even though it was ordered, the atmosphere seemed relaxed and warm. Haydn was reassured deep down to see that Quistis had grown up in a homely place.
He began to walk aimlessly inside Garden, not knowing really where he should go. His mother —Heather— was not even trying to repress her grin. She was happy to visit a place like Balamb, it was entirely new for her. She did not have the occasion to go out really often.
In front of the infirmary, Haydn spotted two young men, one covered with black leather from head to toe, the other with a cow-boy attire. Seeds really had a strange sense of fashion. Not that he was disapproving or anything. Young people these days...
The men in question stopped their conversation immediately and stared at them. It was like they had a radar for strangers and in turrn, potential danger. Not that he represented a threat with his mother that could barely walk and without any weapon. Maybe they knew Quistis?
"Huh...hello young men..." Haydn began uneasily.
He saw the black leather covered man narrowing his eyes at him. Now what did he say? He glanced at his mother who was smiling at them as if she were smiling at a child who was showing one his most beautiful drawing. At that smile, the black clothed man —with a pretty bad scar between his eyes— tried to soften his eyes a little, though it looked really hard for him to do so, and the other, seemingly much more welcoming, took out his hat and bowed politely to them, with a bright smile.
"Welcome to Balamb Garden University, what can we do for you?" asked the cow-boy. The young man had violet eyes and a charming smile. He reminded Haydn of himself when he was younger, though Haydn was cockier than that.
"We would like to see Quistis Trepe. Do you know where I could find her?"
At that both boys blinked rapidly and looked at each other. The scarred boy looked back at Haydn with a vengeance, as if he had pronounced a forbidden name.
"Who are you?"
"huh... my name is Haydn Moore...this is my mother, Heather."
"Hello young men" replied Heather with her bright smile that did not waver. Contrary to her son, Heather was not phased by the scarred man at all.
"What do you want with her?" asked the brunette with the strange scar.
Now he was beginning to get on Haydn's nerves. He just wanted to see Quistis to know if he was her father or not. It was nothing of his business, bloody seeds! Think they're almighty...
When Haydn was about to express his annoyance, his mother beat him to it, and it was probably a good thing, since she was expressing it with more diplomatic methods.
"We would like to see her for a personal matter of the utmost importance. She asked my son to contact her here, so here we are. Now boy, if you could please lead us to her? It was a long journey from our house to here, and the old woman that I am is tired of walking" she said with a gentle voice that did not leave place for a negative answer.
The cow-boy reacted before the other could say anything.
"This is lunch time for Quis, she's probably at the cafeteria working on whatever cases she has to work on." Then he added after putting his hat back on his head and holding out his arm for Heather to take "Please, let me lead you to her."
"Ah ! What an adorable young man! Thank you for helping us" Heather said with her bright smile. That smile had certainly melted the heart of a lot of men in the past and the cow-boy saw that on the spot, being the professional that he was. Behind her wrinkled face was a sharp mind and probably some manipulative skills.
"Irvine..." growled the scarred man behind them.
Irvine stopped and looked back at his friend.
"Come on Squall, don't you recognize them?"
Squall was scowling. He was sure he did not know those people. What was Irvine playing at?
"No, I really don't." He said, voice low with a dangerous tone.
"The eyes Squallie, look at the eyes!" Irvine insisted.
Squall looked back at Haydn. What with the eyes? They were blue, a crystalline blue, a truly beautiful color, with a very black pupil that brought out that purest blue he had ever seen even more. The eyes were kind of narrowed, so he did not notice that before, but what difference did that make? His eyes were beautiful, so what? Now he hoped that Irvine had not been enchanted by a guy. That was not something Selphie would appreciate.
Thinking of the eyes, he had already seen those eyes somewhere...
Haydn looked more and more annoyed —maybe just in order to hide his uneasiness from "Squall", the guy looked like he was seeing through him and everything inside, now that was disturbing— and was slightly relieved when Squall's unnerving stare shifted to his mother. Heather was waiting patiently and smiled at him even more. The same eyes as her son were boring into Squall. It was then that realization hit him.
Oh. Those eyes...
"Ah...I see..." Squall stuttered.
"Looks like Quisty found what she was looking for." Irvine said while caressing Heather's hand. The old woman laughed, and they all made their way to the cafeteria.
XXX
Quistis was taking her lunch in the cafeteria like she used to, while working on one of Selphie's cases, since the oh-so-beloved commander had suspended her, and she did not like doing nothing.
Though at the moment, she was not focusing on the case. On top of all the papers scattered on the table, was a particular sheet that she had been staring at for a long time. Her lunch was untouched, her hand was not writing anything. She was just staring, lost in thought.
The DNA match.
It has been two weeks since she had last seen her father. It was not really a long time to take that important of a decision. But to her, it seemed like an eternity, and she was convinced after those two weeks, those fourteen days, those three hundred and thirty six hours that she had passed waiting that the man named Haydn Moore did not give a damn about Quistis Trepe, the baby he had had with the woman he supposedly had loved in the past.
How cruel...
"Quistis?"
Quistis jolted, having being roused from her thoughts by that voice that she knew very well and that she did not want to hear right now. Why was she so angry at Squall anyway? He did not do anything to her personally, apart from suspending her, and since her work was her life and that she was at Balamb for longer than him and even if he was the commander he had no right to do that to her and...
Stop Quistis, you're rambling, in your own mind. You're going crazy.
Quistis was simply jealous. Squall had a father that would do anything for his son, and he just seemed like he did not care. He probably cared, but like every other feeling that he might have he did not show it, so it looked like he did not give a damn, and Quistis could not bear that.
Ungrateful little brat.
Quistis quickly put the DNA test away with the other papers and stood up. She put on her formal mask, she knew it was annoying Squall like hell.
"Commander, what can I do for you?" she said emotionlessly.
Squall grimaced at the tone.
"Those people came to see you."
"...people...?"
Quistis looked behind Squall where she first saw Irvine holding an old woman by the arm. The woman was looking at Quistis with an intensity that would make anyone squirm but Quistis, who made it a point to stay perfectly calm in every situation, just looked back at this woman waiting for her to end her analysis of her individual. There was something about this woman though...Quistis could not put her finger on it.
"May I help you ma'am?" Quistis asked politely.
The woman just smiled even more and detached her arm from Irvine. She came near Quistis —who prevented herself from taking a step back— and turned around her like a vulture, inspecting her.
"Hmm...elegant figure, excellent posture, obviously athletic...you really are a beautiful girl! And those eyes..those are Moore eyes!"
Quistis' eyes widened slightly. This woman had the same eyes as Haydn. She tried to remember the name of Haydn's mother.
"...Heather...? Heather Moore?"
Then Quistis saw behind Irvine Haydn who was looking at her with a small smile. She just stared back at him, so incredibly relieved and happy to see that he came. At least, he wanted to know the truth.
While she was staring at Haydn, Quistis did not see Heather who stopped turning around her in order to examine the papers on the table just behind. She frisked shamelessly by pure curiosity and to her surprise, she saw a sheet that did not had any connection to the other papers. Her family name was on it, that was what caught her attention. When she read the paper, she smiled fondly. This was the DNA test, and the answer was positive. Quistis was her grand daughter.
Well... 'bout time that stupid boy gave me a grand child! She thought happily.
She had the paper in hand and she made her way to her son. Quistis saw her and the paper she had in hand, guessing which one it was. She waited anxiously. It was just like when she was younger, waiting for the results of an important exam. Now she really wanted to squirm...
Haydn looked at that sheet of paper that his mother gave him and read it carefully.
It was at this precise moment that Haydn realized that he would have been incredibly disappointed if it had been any other way.
He looked up at Quistis, his eyes watering. Quistis saw his expression of happiness and smiled herself and for a brief moment, Haydn saw Elena, beautiful and mysterious, smiling at him with tears in her eyes, telling him good-bye while he left on the Iris.
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Crappy, I know. It looked like a good idea at the beginning but didn't turn out like I really wanted to...
1) Yes, I mentioned Seifer, it's weird since Seifer isn't at Balamb Garden anymore but well...you can imagine that he saw the rest of the gang sometimes. It happens years later
2) Quistis finding "by chance" her mother is quite improbable. I imagine something like that: Quistis sent on a mission near the Pocahari Island where she had to ask questions to the people around, which mean the girls of the brothel. She introduced herself as Quistis Trepe and since I said it was her mother's name, someone who knew Elena decided to tell her about her mother. Very unlikely but I really think nature has a way to make you come back to your origines.
3) Finding her father was even harder, knowing that her mother was a prostitute. But Quistis is the best anyway XD I mean, Elena and Haydn had a special relationship (with love and all) and you can suppose that the prostitutes of the brothel told Quistis that Elena was seeing regularly the same guy. She just was super lucky.
I really don't like my writing...help me improve it?
