Quistis Trepe sat in her classroom writing a grant proposal before she was interrupted by the sound of the automatic door sliding open. She looked toward the door to catch the face of the student who dared to walk in late on such an important day. The field exam was today, and she had warned them the day before that she would not tolerate tardiness. She was, however, surprised as Colonel Jihl Nabaat stepped into the classroom and stood majestically by the door with a printed document in hand. "Instructor Trepe, may I speak with you for a moment?" Quistis looked from Jihl to her students, and then to her grant proposal trying to decide what to do. She was not allowed to leave her classroom for any reason until Squall made the announcement for the SeeD candidates to be escorted to the first floor. "I am occupied at the moment, Colonel, could it wait?" Jihl raised the document to bring it to Quistis's attention. "I am afraid not."
With a sigh, Quistis turned her attention back to her grant proposal. "Give me a moment to save my work, Colonel." "Gladly" uttered Jihl, smiling assertively. Quistis stood from her chair, slightly leaning over her desk as she hit the return key to save her document. In that instant, Jihl glanced over at the students and registered most of their faces. She remembered that today another field exam would be held, and she could smell the anxiety and excitement they emitted. Poor fools, she though, with a commander like Leonheart, their lives will be wasted on petty business trips, not to mention the dangerous and unnecessary "missions" to Island Closest to Hell in search of minerals and resources. Her thoughts were disrupted as she saw Quistis walk past her and through the electric door. She gave one last glance at the SeeD candidates before smiling to herself and exiting the classroom.
Quistis walked into the second floor hallway followed by Jihl and waited for the automatic door to close. "How may I help you, Colonel?" said Quistis as she turned around to face Jihl. Jihl held up the printed document once again. "Commander Leonheart sent me here to inform you that he will ship you to Esthar at 1300 hours to take care of some legal affairs with President Loire." Quistis closed her eyes in frustration and shook her head. "Did Squall forget that I am proctoring today's field exam at 1100 hours? I cannot be in two places at once, Colonel." Jihl raised an eyebrow, "Nor does he expect you to. In fact he has already replaced you with another proctor," she said as she handed Quistis the document.
Had she just heard Colonel Nabaat correctly? Squall had replaced her without first consulting with her?
Quistis sighed in annoyance and anger as she took the document from Jihl. "Any particular reason he chose me for this task?" Jihl noticed Quistis's irritation as she glanced over the document. "You are a high ranking officer and quite capable of carrying out important legal affairs, Instructor Trepe." Quistis shook her head once again. "You yourself are a high ranking officer, Colonel, and have much more experience dealing with legal affairs than I do. Why would Squall not send you over me? He has plenty of capable personnel to choose from, anyway." Jihl stepped into Quistis's personal space and brought her lips to Quistis's ear. "Because Commander Leonheart has little experience as a leader and hardly knows what he is doing," she said in a low tone. Startled at the invasion, Quistis made to take a step away from the Colonel, but Jihl brought her hands around the small of her back and pressed the Instructor against her. "And because he has difficulty thinking with his brain instead of his glans."
The latter part of the sentence made Quistis's skin crawl. She struggled to push Jihl away with her free hand, surprised at the strength of the older woman. Jihl smirked and released her, watching Quistis take several steps away from her. Still stunned at the Colonel's audacity, she proceeded to straighten her SeeD uniform. Once she composed herself, she shot Jihl a penetrating glance. "The next time you consider laying a finger on me, Colonel, be prepared to face the ramifications." Jihl could feel the overwhelming pulse of Quistis's magic about her. She knew that Quistis was a very strong and skilled mage, but never did she expect the Instructor's pulse to surpass her own. Seeing that she had overstepped the boundaries, she crossed her arms and shook her head as she offered a smile. "I am sorry we had to start on a sour note, Instructor. I was hoping we could get along for the remainder of the week and have a pleasant time together, but I suppose I will have to make it up to you in order for that to happen. Now, if you will be so kind to report to the Bridge I am sure Commander Leonheart would be…pleased." She uncrossed her arms and began walking towards the elevator down the hall before Quistis's voice stilled her steps.
"What could you possibly be doing this week that would require us to get along, Colonel?"
Jihl turned around, offering another of her characteristic smiles. "I have been assigned as your escort to Esthar in case any...complications arise. We will remain there until we settle the legal affairs listed on the report in your hands. And if you will excuse me, I have to go to the hangar and have the Ragnarok prepared for takeoff. Please report there immediately after you speak with the Commander." With that, Jihl turned away from Quistis and proceeded to take the elevator to the first floor.
Quistis stood motionless by the hallway, unsure of what to make of the whole situation. How could Squall be so careless as to send her to Esthar on such short notice to handle legal affairs with Laguna? That was his job as the Commander, not hers. She was primarily a researcher and writer. She did theoretical and field research on the use of magic and Guardian Forces. Her secondary occupation involved training the SeeD candidates and co-programing the field exams. Squall had been a careless Commander, she had to admit, but she never expected him to be so remiss. She let out a heavy sigh and headed towards her classroom to orient her students before she reported to the Bridge.
She stood next to her classroom door for a moment to collect herself and think of what she would say to her students. She had trained her group for months and had greatly improved their magic and summoning skills. Her students loved her for her dedication and her ability to make them feel comfortable and confident at the training center and the Fire Cavern. Why would Squall take that away from them when he himself was once under her instruction and experienced the same feeling of confidence when he was by her side in battle?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice she knew too well. Her most brilliant student, Thena, was speaking to Darius, a rather timid student. Quistis leaned her back against the wall to listen to their conversation.
"I know but what if I run out of black magic and there aren't any draw points in the area?"
"Then you cast Aura and use your Limit Break to defeat your enemies. Don't panic if you run out of healing magic, just use potions."
The voice of her notoriously reckless student, Deus, was heard next.
"DUDE! Don't freak out! Just summon and summon until you defeat everything that comes your way!"
"No! Don't do that. GFs give us power, but in exchange for power we give up our memories of who we are and become war puppets. Just stick to your own physical skills and use magic only when you need to and can afford to."
"But Thena! What are GFs for if not to summon them? They make everything easier for you!"
A pause.
"Deus, GFs are there to help us when our abilities are not enough. Exploiting their power by constantly summoning them is unfavorable for us. If you do not care about your past, then so be it. Summon away and forget yourself. Perhaps you will forget how pompous and reckless you are in the process."
Several students laughed and Quistis had to suppress her own urge to join in.
"I'm just so nervous, Thena!" Said Darius.
"Hey, don't worry, Instructor Trepe is going to escort us and I am sure she will give us great advice before we begin the exam."
Quistis's felt her heart sink. She loved her students and was proud of their efforts throughout the past few months of training. Never had she had a more dedicated group. She felt like she was abandoning them to go carry out a mission that fell out of her primary duties. How would she tell them she would not be by their side at such an important moment in their career? She summoned the courage to proceed into the classroom and put on the stern façade she always wore before her students.
As the electric door slid to the side, Thena and several students glanced towards the entrance and watched as Quistis stepped into the classroom. Quistis placed her free hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow in disapproval as she discovered that the group she overheard was settled around Thena's workspace by the front of the classroom. Thena blushed in guilt as the other students quickly returned to their seats. Quistis took an audible breath before walking towards her desk. She let the document Jihl handed her fall from her hand to her desk and calmed her anger at Squall before she addressed her students.
"Class, as you already know, today is the field exam we have been training for these past several months. The exam will plunge you into real combat and will challenge your physical and magical endurance. Be strategic, reasonable, and considerate toward your quad members." She paused, feeling the nervousness her students emanated. She looked away from her students and lowered her gaze to her desk to find the strength to speak, only to get angrier as she caught sight of the blue access keycards she was provided for the transport vessels her group would be using that afternoon. She bit her lower lip attempting to control her emotions and looked back at her students.
"The exam is timed, and failure to complete your objectives within your time limit will immediately disqualify you for the SeeD rank. Stick to your objectives and DO NOT attempt to aid anyone outside your quad. Reinforcement quads will be dispatched accordingly. Be prudent, as your life itself is at stake from the moment you step foot on the battlefield. It will not be the first time we lose SeeD candidates during these exams." She paused as she sensed the overwhelming fear coming from her students. Hoping to calm them down, she smiled at them reassuringly. "All of you have performed excellently during training and not once have you failed to impress me with your physical and magical abilities. I am confident that you will all make me proud when we meet again. If you doubt yourselves at any moment during the exam, know that I fully believe that all of you," she glanced over at Deus, "without exception," he offered her a smile as she glanced back at the rest of them, "have more than what it takes to become SeeDs." The mood brightened and her students began to clap in excitement and joy. She glanced over at Thena and returned the smile her student was giving her. She looked discreetly over at the clock and realized that in an hour her students would be shipped off to the exam.
As the claps and cheers quieted down, Quistis took a deep breath and looked back at her students. "I have been informed that I will not be proctoring your exam today due to urgent confidential matters." Her voice was cut off by the knot in her throat. She glanced once again at Thena, whose joyful expression began to morph into a pained look as the inward corners of her eyebrows arched up.
The class was completely still one moment and in total uproar the next.
"WHAT!"
"But Instructor Trepe!"
"WHY!?"
"What happened!?"
"That is not fair!"
"We need you!"
The surprised remarks combined into a cacophony of protests and Quistis raised both arms to signal them to quiet down.
"Enough!" She gave them a stern look and waited for them to be completely silent. "Listen, I was the first one to be shocked. I thought I would be able to watch each of you pass your exam and enjoy the reception with all of you tonight, but I have been assigned a very important task and I will not be back until I can fulfill it."
"What task?" Asked Thena.
Quistis shook her head. "I am afraid I cannot reveal the details of my mission to unauthorized personnel."
A deep silence overtook the classroom, broken by Deus's voice. "Come back safe to us, Instructor Trepe." Quistis looked over at him and nodded. "Come back to us soon," uttered Thena. She smiled at her star student and walked from behind her desk towards Thena's. She was about to utter a few more words of encouragement when a voice was heard through the overhead.
"Ermm…Is this on?" The students giggled as the person speaking tapped the microphone. "Of course it is! Pass it to the Commander!" Giggles turned into laughs while Quistis rolled her eyes in annoyance at the ineptitude.
"Good morning everyone. This is Commander Leonheart speaking. At this time, all proctors please escort SeeD candidates to the first floor and assemble by the main lobby. I repeat, all proctors please escort all SeeD candidates to the main lobby. Meet there within the next fifteen minutes for quad assignments. And Instructor Quistis Trepe, please report to the Bridge immediately. Another proctor will escort your students to the transport vessels." With that, the announcement ended, and Quistis focused once again on her students.
"It is time, everyone. Gather your belongings and head for the elevators." Her students quickly turned off their computers and started walking out of the classroom, hugging Quistis goodbye before walking through the door. When she thought she had dismissed everyone, she noticed that Thena was still in the classroom. They were alone. She approached Quistis with a worried expression. "Instructor Trepe…I hope you have a safe trip." Quistis smiled warmly at her and opened her arms. Thena came closer to her Instructor and embraced her firmly. "I am sorry I cannot be there to support you, Thena." "I will make you very proud, I promise." Quistis pulled away slightly and looked into her students honey colored eyes. "I know you will."
Soon, Thena and Quistis walked out of the classroom to join the rest of the students, who waited for Thena as Deus held the elevator door open. Quistis looked at Thena one last time and offered her another reassuring smile. "Go." Thena joined her classmates, and before Deus released the elevator doors, the students brought their legs together and raised their palms in the official Balamb salute. Quistis returned the gesture.
"When I return, I better be welcomed by a classroom full of SeeDs, understood!"
"SIR!" was the reply exclaimed in unison before the elevator doors closed and the students descended to the first floor.