final fantasy viii. riona & squall & zell. mostly spoiler-free, but set midway through disc 2. G. characters belong to squaresoft.
softly through the shadow of the evening sun
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Balamb is not a happy town, and they're all exhausted. From FH to flying Gardens to Galbadian chaos, they've barely had a chance to rest.
Zell's bed is not meant for three people.
Squall lies with his back to the wall, the sun warming his arms; his jacket hangs suspended near a punching bag. Zell's socked but shoeless foot slides idly on the bedsheets, no doubt accumulating lint. Cramped, his other leg dangles off the edge.
Rinoa has somehow, against all odds, made herself somewhat comfortable at the far end. Her duster is tangled around her, her hair mussed against the sheet and her cheek.
"Your entire house smells like fish," Squall mumbles.
"Yeah, I know." Zell rubs at his closed eyes. "Sorry."
Squall draws his knees closer to his chest -- right into Zell's ribcage -- and yawns widely. Rinoa makes an exasperated noise; she doesn't want to get up. None of them do.
The top half of Ma Dincht appears where she stands on the stairway. "Hi, you three. You said to get you in ten minutes, remember?"
They all groan and refuse to leave the bed for a good while. Reluctantly, reluctantly, they summon the willpower to move. After all, they still have to find the captain.
That bastard.