(Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or its characters. This is just for fun.)
Double Date by SilentStarlightSky
"I showed up. She's late. Let's leave," Squall said while dropping the heavy leather bound menu in front of him with a thud. He tapped his callused fingertips on the crisp white tablecloth and his chair scraped the wood floor as he backed up. His feet angled towards the exit, readying to flee.
Rinoa looked up and bit the edge of her glossy pink lips. The reflections of candlelight and glassware danced across the darkened restaurant ceiling. "Come on Squall, Selphie barely asks anything from us."
Squall's eyes narrowed at her. Rinoa smiled while twirling a lock of hair through her fingers. Maybe that wasn't accurate.
"Okay, well maybe she does, but I actually wanted to do this whole double date thing. And you're friends with Irvine too."
Irvine? Friends? That might be a slightly strong assessment, but he was certainly a comrade of sorts. Out of everybody Squall had fought alongside, Irvine was the one he was least close to. He didn't even remember him at the orphanage at all. Maybe if Irvine had gone through his cowboy phase as a child, he would have been more memorable for Squall. It was hard to forget a hat that big.
Rinoa sensed Squall's hesitation as he was momentarily lost in thought. "Why can't you imagine that you're doing this for me?" she emphasized. She stretched out her leg and rubbed the top of her foot on his calf.
Squall softened. He'd do anything for Rinoa. He didn't think he would, but history had proven differently. Although sitting through a boring double date wasn't as exciting as fighting off evil sorceresses or killing monsters. Why couldn't she have asked him to do that tonight? Even a double date in the Training Center would have been more his style than sitting in a Balamb restaurant and going to a fair at the pier.
"And anyways, I've heard that she actually got you to join the Garden Festival Committee and to jump off a cliff, so don't pretend that this is the first time she's gotten you to do things," Rinoa said.
How'd she find out about that? Squall thought. He wondered if she picked up on that through their bond. It was unsettling to him that she could possibly sort through his memories. Although it was possibly more unsettling that Rinoa had actually learned about those events through Selphie's public blog, but Squall didn't know that.
"She is persuasive," Squall agreed. Selphie was. And persistent. It was also hard for Squall to say no to a girl in a short leg-baring dress. Squall Leonhart was a brunette-loving leg-man, but he hoped nobody realized that. "And it's just easier to give in to a determined woman. Saves time."
Rinoa kicked him under the table, feeling that the comment was directed at her personally. Which it was.
"And the cliff wasn't that high," Squall lied. Rinoa glared at him and crossed her arms tightly over her chest, possibly jealous that Selphie could get Squall to do two out of character things on the very first day she met him. It had taken Rinoa much longer to break him down. "I was junctioned," he said by way of explanation. If he hadn't been junctioned he wouldn't have jumped because that would have been stupid. He took a small sip of water. He looked up at the clock. "Five more minutes and I'm gone." And he would be. Unless Rinoa asked him to stay longer.
"But our evening..." Rinoa said with a mix of sadness and irritation. Her toe hurt from kicking Squall's surprisingly hard leg. His bones were hard. Not surprising. But his leg muscles were hard too. She wasn't sure exactly where she'd kicked him.
Squall leaned forward and licked his lips, his mouth illuminated in the candlelight as his eyes were hidden behind the shadows of his hair. "We can go back to Garden and..." he trailed off as he noticed movement by the front of the restaurant.
"And what Squall?" Rinoa asked with anticipation. Maybe spending some alone time with Squall wouldn't be so bad. He actually sounded like he had a plan. She brightened at the thought of Squall taking the lead. As long as he wasn't leading her to a date in the Training Center. Again.
"She's here," he said while straightening up and losing that special glint in his eyes.
Rinoa huffed. Oh well, there'd be time later with Squall. Tonight would be a fun date night with Selphie and Irvine. She turned slightly to look over her bare shoulder. She caught a glimpse of Selphie and a tall man behind her. She squinted her eyes in the darkened room. For a second she thought Irvine looked different.
Irvine was dressed differently. Maybe for his date? And Irvine's shoulders looked more broad and muscular. Maybe he'd been working out lately? But did he get a drastic haircut too? She strained her eyes further, trying to force her expectation to match her reality.
It wasn't working.
Actually, maybe that guy was a different person entirely. The tall man was definitely not Irvine, not unless Irvine had gotten a haircut and ditched his country/western cowboy style.
"That's not Irvine," Rinoa whispered to Squall in a building panic.
"I know," Squall said. "I have eyes."
"Quiet!" she said.
Squall stared at the new man. The room was dark, but there was something familiar about this person. Where had he seen him before? Or maybe he just had an everyman sort of face. He could be one of a hundred different people.
"Is that Nida?" Rinoa asked, her voice barely scratching out the Balamb Garden pilot's name.
Ah, Nida. That would explain it. Well, it would explain the familiarity. Squall didn't know why Selphie was showing up with Nida as her date.
Rinoa turned and her eyes sought out Squall. He nodded at her in agreement. He lightly raised his eyebrows at her and widened his eyes in a pleading motion. Whatever was going on, it wasn't his business. Selphie could date Irvine, Nida, or whomever she wanted. He hoped Rinoa would let it be.
Selphie continued towards their table with a big smile plastered across her face. Her eyebrows were knit together slightly and she clutched at the edges of her dress. She wobbled and wove past a waiter and then arrived at their table.
"Hiya guys," she said while pushing a piece of hair behind her ears. The hair immediately bounced back to where it had been previously. "Sorry about being late." She chewed her lip for a second before Nida came up behind her. She turned towards him, not making direct eye contact. He pulled out a seat for her and she stood stunned. She looked down at the seat for a moment before carefully sitting down in it. Nida pulled out his own chair and sat down.
Rinoa just stared. She stared at Selphie's face. Then at Nida's. Then she went back to staring at Selphie.
Squall just knew Rinoa wouldn't leave it alone.
"Selphie, can I see you in the bathroom for a moment?" Rinoa asked. She looked at the two guys. "I just need help fixing my..." she paused, "hair." She reached out and grabbed Selphie's wrist before pulling her up from the table and marching towards the ladies' restroom.
Rinoa burst through the restroom's door and let it swing shut. She stood there facing Selphie and looking down at the floor and then up and her friend.
"What's going on?" Rinoa asked.
Selphie kicked her foot back and pretended to fix her shoe against the black and white restroom tiles. She noticed that it smelled strongly of cleaning products in there. She figured that was a good thing. The cleanliness of the bathroom reflected the cleanliness of the kitchens. She wanted to know they were dining in a good place. "What do you mean Rinoa?" she asked slowly, not wanting to get into this conversation at the moment.
Rinoa reached out and took Selphie by the shoulders. "Where's Irvine? Why are you here with Nida?"
"Can't I go out on dates with other guys?" Selphie asked.
"Not when you're somebody's girlfriend," Rinoa stated.
Selphie stomped her foot. "Am I really Irvine's girlfriend?" she asked. "I see him with other girls all the time? Why should I be exclusive with him if he won't extend the same courtesy to me?"
Rinoa had to admit that was a good question. For some reason, Rinoa just thought Selphie and Irvine would be a thing, just like she was with Squall. There had been a war going on and it just seemed people were falling in love and pairing off for their happily-ever-afters.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Rinoa asked with a small amount of hurt. "And why'd you bring me and Squall along with this?"
"I don't know," Selphie said while swinging her arms up in front of her. "I'm just testing the waters here, and I was kinda nervous to do it alone. I was hoping you guys would be here for emotional support." She sighed. "And protection."
"What? Protection?" Rinoa asked. "You're a SeeD?"
"So is Nida!" Selphie exclaimed. "And he's also a big muscular man." She sighed. "Nida seems like a nice guy, but I don't really know anything about him at all. What if it turns out he's an axe murder or something?"
"Is the axe his weapon?" Rinoa asked in a high-pitched whisper-scream. She could just imagine the polite mild mannered guy to be the one who snapped and went on a rampage.
"I don't KNOW!" Selphie yelled. "I don't know anything about him!" She put her hands on her hips. "All I know is that he graduated at the same time I did and he pilots the Garden. What would have he even done if the Garden hadn't gone mobile? I don't know!" She sighed. "He seems mostly nice, and he seems committed to SeeD and he said he wants to work his way up the ranks. That could mean he's a hard worker or that could mean he's cold and calculating. I guess this is a sort of discovery date."
Squall and Nida stared across the table at each other without talking. It felt awkward to Squall, but it wasn't that different than if it had been Irvine sitting across from him. Squall would have felt uncomfortable whoever it was. At least Nida wasn't making comments about the appearances of the waitresses in the restaurant, or wearing a hat indoors.
The high pitched sounds of girls deep in conversation carried over to their table. Squall strained, but he couldn't make out what Rinoa or Selphie were saying. Whatever it was, it was impassioned.
Nida took a sip of water. "I hate it when they seat you so close to the bathroom." He pulled at the collar of his shirt.
Squall nodded at him.
"Please just go out there and support me Rinoa," Selphie asked. "I'm nervous enough about all of this. Just go out there and we'll all have a nice romantic evening alone," Selphie said. "Just the four of us."
Rinoa shook her hair and smoothed it out. "Fine," she answered. "Let's go." She turned on her heel and pushed the bathroom door open with an explosion of frustrated energy and stalked back to their table. Which took only five seconds because they were so close to the bathroom. Selphie followed.
As Selphie and Rinoa took their seats, Nida swallowed loudly. "Did you fix your hair?" Nida asked Rinoa. "I didn't know it was broken."
"What?!" Rinoa asked, her eyebrows knitting together with a glare, which was really unfair. Nida couldn't help it that he wasn't Irvine. He couldn't really help that he was Nida either.
Selphie snaked her pale hands under the table and smacked Rinoa hard on her thigh. The slap was far from silent, as her leg was mostly bare. "Haha, you're so funny Nida," she smiled as she stomped on Rinoa's foot. The table shook slightly with the activity before it stilled again.
They all sat there in silence. Squall hoped the waiter would come over so they could order drinks. They needed them.
"So Nida," Selphie started, "what's it like piloting Garden? It seems kinda hard." She was determined to make this evening a success.
Nida smoothed his hand over his hair. "Not really. I just point that big column to steer. It's quite a shoulder workout though." He pretended to flex his muscles, which wasn't helpful because he was wearing a dress shirt. "And then the technicians at FH filled me in on some other stuff. Don't want to bore you with that."
Selphie looked down and nodded her head. She looked back up and smiled a tight smile.
"But I personally feel that my specific talents aren't being fully utilized there," Nida said with his eyes brightening. "But we all have to start somewhere." He nodded his head to himself. "Garden needed a pilot and there I was. I'm committed to helping Garden achieve its goals."
Selphie nervously looked over at her sorceress friend. What did that mean, exactly?
"Garden's goals? Could you elaborate on that?" Rinoa asked, as if this was a job interview.
Nida scratched the back of his head. "I just want to be the best SeeD I can be."
Generic answer. Nida was losing points in Rinoa's estimation.
"So Nida, why don't you tell me about yourself," Rinoa said while carefully placing her elbows on the table and lacing her fingers together over her menu.
He pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side, trying to think of a response. "I'm SeeD rank 15. I graduated in the same class as Selphie and Squall." He looked over at Squall who seemed mildly surprised by this fact. "I pilot Garden." He paused and kept thinking. "I like Triple Triad, books, movies, and..." he thought for an extra moment "...long walks on the beach."
Selphie smiled, trying to encourage him to open up more, maybe be more specific. He wasn't giving them a lot of information, which was a disappointment she was trying to hide.
While Selphie was trying to be optimistic, Rinoa was viewing Nida in a much more negative light. Rinoa certainly didn't think Nida was giving them much information to go on. She wondered if he was hiding things about himself. Or was he just boring? She didn't think there was such a thing as a boring SeeD. SeeD life seemed so fast and dangerous, glamorous in a way that would appeal to her sense of daring and adventure. It was a stark contrast to her stifling yet privileged upbringing. He seemed as boring as any guy at a Deling City prep school. Although, in Nida's defense, she would begrudgingly admit that he had much better muscle definition than any guy at prep school. SeeD training was much more demanding than crew, lacrosse, polo, tennis, or golf. Somehow she had a feeling that even a tiny SeeD like Selphie could mangle any of the guys on her old school's tennis team.
"What kind of books and movies?" Selphie asked with genuine interest. Her shoulders hunched together in anticipation. She hoped he liked 'The Sorceress' Knight' movie starring Sir Laguna, a bunch of no-name actors, and a real rampaging Ruby Dragon. It was a cult classic, in a so-bad-it's-good sort of way. Maybe they were about to become best friends.
"You know, the usual," Nida answered while taking a sip of water. Selphie frowned while still smiling somehow. It didn't look right.
"Where do you see yourself in five years?" Rinoa cut in.
"I'd like to work my way up in SeeD, improve my rank."
"What, do you want to be the next Cid?" Rinoa asked.
"Oh, I don't like sweater vests that much," Nida joked.
Selphie giggled while scratching behind her ear. Her hand hovered under the table, ready to slap Rinoa if she kept grilling her date. Rinoa was going to ruin whatever-this-was for her! She had to do something. Time to give Rinoa a taste of her own medicine.
"So Squall, how was your day?" Selphie asked quickly, trying to divert Rinoa's attention away from Nida.
Squall looked up suddenly like a deer in the headlights. He didn't want to get dragged into this mess. He was planning on eating dinner and not talking.
"Fine," he answered.
"Could you elaborate on that?" Selphie asked, mimicking Rinoa.
Squall looked over at Rinoa, his eyes slightly widening. It was the sort of face that said, 'if you leave them alone she'll leave me alone and I want to be left alone.' And really, this was none of his business. Please don't make this my business, his eyes tried to communicate. And even if his eyes weren't expressive, he bet Rinoa could pick up on his feelings through their bond. Not that anybody would have needed magical abilities to figure that out.
"I think I'm going to order the fish and chips," Squall said out loud, even though the waiter wasn't there yet. He picked up his menu and started studying its contents, hoping the physical barrier of the leather bound menu would protect him.
"Hey Squall, what do sea monsters eat?" Nida asked suddenly.
Sea monsters? Squall wondered if he meant Leviathan. And if he did, Squall didn't think GFs ate anything. They were independent energy sources. Beings from another dimension, maybe. His memory was hazy on that subject. He didn't have time to respond to before Nida answered his own question.
"Fish and SHIPS," Nida laughed.
Selphie giggled, but it sounded strained, like she was being strangled. That was a bad joke, and there was no way around that. Even she couldn't sugar coat it. Too bad she couldn't give Nida some of Irvine's ability for smooth talking. Irvine could talk the pants off of... No, she wasn't going to think about what Irvine was up to at this minute with who-knows-who.
"I'm gonna get a Tequila Sunrise," Selphie said. Something pretty and citrusy should perk her up, not to mention alcoholic.
"I guess I'll have a Tequila Sunset then," Nida joked.
"That's actually a real drink, did you know?" Rinoa asked.
It was going to be a long and awkward dinner.
Fresh air breezed across Rinoa's face. It was such a relief to get out of that little restaurant. The food had been perfectly fine, but the tension had built until she could hardly stand it. What had Selphie been thinking? Rinoa didn't like being tricked into a double date with Selphie and NOT-Irvine. Really. Selphie should have at least warned her. Did she really fear Rinoa's judgment? Unbelievable!
Well, that was behind her now. They'd mercifully split up for a while to enjoy the fair on the pier. As they walked down the semi-crowded pier, she took in the sights. It was not surprisingly crowded, but Balamb's summer fun fair could draw a lot of people, especially on the weekends.
Squall and Rinoa strolled down a midway lined with all kinds of games. Oversized ugly prizes were displayed prominently to grab their eyes. Squall felt that most of these games were scams, but he had seen some children run by holding some small cheap prizes, so winning must not be impossible for all of them.
Rinoa pulled on his arm and pointed at a game. "Win me something," she said with a smile. Squall looked over at the game in question. It appeared to be a setup of milk bottles stacked in a pyramid. All he had to do was knock them over and Rinoa could pick out a prize. He noticed that he hadn't seen anybody win at this recently. He wondered if this particular game was rigged. He looked over the carny with scrutiny. The man looked rail thin with sunken eyes that looked untrustworthy. They darted over to Squall, each sizing the other up.
Squall walked over and nodded at the man and was quickly handed three balls that were roughly the size of grapefruits. He held them in his hands. They looked like normal balls, but they were surprisingly soft. And their large size contrasted visually with the lightness. Squall wondered if that was the only trick to this game. He doubted it. The milk bottles were probably glued together and nailed down. He glanced briefly over at Rinoa. She continued to smile at him while he took his time. Did she not know games like this were fixed?
He'd make an effort even if winning was impossible.
Squall readied himself and aimed. He drew his arm back and then let the ball go. It flew on target and hit directly into the center of the milk bottle pyramid. Only the top milk bottle fell down. He was surprised it wasn't glued down. Maybe it was the only one that was able to be knocked down. That way it would encourage bystanders to keep buying more tries. He also had a feeling the lower milk bottles were weighted. They hadn't even wobbled. Even though the ball he threw was soft, it was aimed well.
"You almost did it," Rinoa cheered. The carny smiled at her in a thin greasy smile. Squall shuddered inside. He had two tries left.
He carefully aimed and threw the next one. It connected in the same spot, but no further bottles were knocked down, as he figured.
"Oh, that should have worked," Rinoa said. She stood up on her tippy toes hoping that maybe the milk bottles would wobble. They didn't.
"He almost got it. Maybe next time he'll knock them down," the carny remarked in encouragement. "Your boyfriend is very skilled."
"You have no idea," Rinoa responded.
Squall only had one ball left, and he didn't want to give this creep any more of his hard earned gil. He was going to make this count. He drew out his GFs and checked his junctions. He made sure he maxed out his strength, speed, hit, and luck. This carny truly had no idea who he was messing with.
Squall drew his arm back for the third time and put all of his GF enhanced abilities into that one soft ball. It flew off the end of his hand with lightning speed and knocked the entire setup down. In the darkness of the evening he could just glimpse that his earlier suspicions had been confirmed. The milk bottles were glued together and nailed into the wooden base.
The carny jumped down to cover the evidence, hoping nobody had seen in all the confusion of darkness, blinking colored lights, and the general noise of the fair. Maybe Rinoa hadn't seen, but Squall had. His junctions had sharpened his eyesight.
"You did it Squall!" Rinoa said with happiness. She knew he could. He could do anything, as long as that thing wasn't social.
Rinoa started deciding which prize she'd choose. There were a variety of cheap knock-off stuffed animals for her to look over. It was a hard decision.
"Should I get the little frog or the octopus?" Rinoa wondered out loud.
Squall hoped she'd get neither. They were very ugly and he didn't want them in his bedroom. He also felt that they looked dirty and he hoped they weren't filled with sawdust and rat fur. But if he had to choose, he thought the demented frog looked better than the demented octopus.
He was somehow relieved when Rinoa reached up and grabbed the green frog.
As Rinoa was pulling down the frog from the display, Selphie walked up behind.
"Wow, you won something for Rinoa," she said to Squall. "That's so sweet." She turned and smiled at Nida behind her.
Nida wondered if Selphie wanted him to win something for her. He didn't want to not measure up with his commander right there.
"I should win something for Nida too," Selphie said suddenly, taking the decision away from him.
Squall thought about warning her away from this particular game, but she'd already handed the carny a few gil. It was Selphie, she'd have fun win or lose, Squall thought to himself.
"Three chances to knock down all the milk bottles little missy," the carny said.
She sure didn't like being called little missy.
"Oh, I don't think I'm gonna need three chances mister," Selphie replied. She lined up her body, bit her lip and then put her whole weight into her throw. The large ball went flying and ripped the entire milk bottle display down with a loud clatter. The unglued top milk bottle bounced hard off the back wall and went ricocheting into the crowd. She didn't hold back one bit and she seemed unsurprised at the glued together milk bottles as the carny struggled to right them.
"You Balamb kids are something else," the frightened carny said with a shaky smile.
"Woo-hoo!" Selphie yelled with a jump. "My accuracy is super great. I never miss." She held her hand up for a high five towards Squall. Apparently he wasn't the only SeeD who was junctioned tonight.
"Me either," replied Squall. He ignored her attempt at high fiving her.
Nida looked at Selphie's little hand still hovering in the air and gave it a slap. She lowered her arm. "Thanks Selphie. Which one should I get?"
"Gentleman's choice," she responded. "Knock yourself out."
He reached out to grab an octopus, but she made a humming noise. He then reached out to grab a big yellow banana with a smiley face on it, Selphie cringed. He kept this game up before "he" finally decided on a reddish orange animal wearing sunglasses and a camouflage bandana that might have been a moomba if he squinted his eyes enough.
"And you shouldn't be thanking me," Selphie said while they all walked away from the midway game. "You should be thanking my 'good friend' here." She pointed to her head. "Good friend or GF for short."
"You're junctioned at a carnival?" Nida asked incredulously. Nida had only been junctioned twice. Once during his Fire Cavern trial and once during his SeeD exam. He felt that GF use should be limited to missions where they were necessary. The "fated six" seemed to be a lot more lax about junctioning guidelines than the rest of Balamb Garden's residents.
"You bet I am," Selphie said. She looked over the prize Squall had just won for Rinoa. "And by the looks of it, I'm not the only one." Squall averted his eyes by looking down the midway, pretending to look for unseen enemies. "Carnival games are known for being rigged. They stack the odds against all us fun seekers. I don't think that's fair. So that's why we're junctioned tonight. Right Squall?"
Selphie looked over at Squall and he tried to not return her gaze.
"Right Squall?" she asked again. "Okay, or maybe not. Maybe Squall is always junctioned, I don't know."
Rinoa peered over at Squall with her eyes widening.
"Okay, I'm not here to judge anybody," Selphie said. "I'm here to have fun." She continued to look at Squall and he was determined to not engage her in conversation. She could take a hint. "We'll catch up with you guys later. Gotta check out more of the fair." She grabbed Nida's arm and pointed down the midway. "Hey look, cotton candy. Let's go!" She pulled him away from Squall and Rinoa, much to the former's relief.
Selphie figured Squall could use a break from their double date. He'd put up a good enough effort at the restaurant and she didn't want to tax him further. Nida's sense of humor sometimes veered into the awkward 'dad joke' category, and she could tell Squall's patience was wearing thin.
She stopped suddenly in her tracks. Dad jokes? Who told dad jokes other than dads? Nida wasn't a dad, was he? Maybe she should have checked out his background more thoroughly. She brushed the thought away as she neared the cotton candy vendor. She hurried her transaction along so that the taste of sweetness could soothe her concerns about dads. Sweets and a nice walk down a pier with a handsome man. All of her problems would momentarily melt away on a cloud of pink sugar.
She bit into the cotton candy and the fluffiness started to dissolve. She hid her face behind the giant puff ball. Carnival lights blinked and glowed through the airy pinkness. Very sticky. She took another bite. So much fluff instantly got reduced to sugary sand in her mouth. Sugar. Sugar. Sugar. Her sugar shield was quickly being worn down by her sweet tooth and she silently peered over at Nida as he bought some buttery popcorn for himself.
Selphie stared at him and tried to think less about dads and more about Nida. Her brain started rattling away at hyperspeed. Nida was sorta handsome. And he probably wasn't a dad. You know who was a dad? Laguna. Nida was okay, but he was no Laguna Loire that was for sure. Laguna had a memorable and handsome face. Not that Nida was ugly because he wasn't. His face was fine enough. It was symmetrical, but kinda bland in each specific face department. Nothing really stood out and grabbed her attention. She noted that his skin was clear, his lips and nose looked normal and his eyebrows were okay. She wondered why Nida was missing a certain "wow" factor to really hook people in. Maybe if he did something to his eyebrows he could define the rest of his face.
Eyebrows. She'd never really thought about eyebrows much before she'd seen Laguna Loire in Ellone's time traveling dream thingies. Laguna had the sexiest eyebrows. She had never considered that eyebrows could even be sexy before seeing him, but now he'd set the bar really high for her. And Laguna had the best hair too. She just wanted to dig her hands through it. Just grab a handful and never let go. Long hair on a man looked so good, unless it didn't. And really, a lot of times it didn't. But when it did. Wow. And his eyes were so clear green they nearly sparkled like emeralds, and they were genuine with emotion too. It was like she could see into his good heart. Not to mention his pretty eyelashes and killer bod. He looked so hot shirtless. Oh wait, had she ever actually seen Laguna shirtless? No. That must have been a dream. But if he looked half as hot as she imagined. Wow. And his genetic ability to age so gracefully that he was barely aging at all was pretty fantastic as well. Anybody who wound up with that guy would be really lucky and happy she mused. She wondered if he liked younger women. Like really, really younger.
Haha, if I married Laguna, I might end up being Rinoa's stepmother some day, Selphie thought to herself.
"Hey Selphie," Nida said while eating a handful of buttery popcorn. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she was brought back to reality by her actual date. Her heart thumped wildly and she tried to steady herself. Her heart had gotten aflutter from surprise and her romantic Laguna daydream. "I know this sounds crazy, but is it my imagination or does Squall never remember who I am?"
"He's got problems," Selphie replied quickly while nibbling at her pink cotton candy. The fluff stuck to the side of her cheek and she tried to wipe some off with the back of her hand repeatedly. She scrubbed at her face.
Nida looked down at the ground. The bright blinking lights of the midway made his blank face glow. He turned towards the water, and Selphie couldn't make out his expression anymore.
"Don't take it too hard," she said. "Squall has a lot going on." Nida remained silent. She thought for a minute before speaking again. "But it's a total bummer being taken for granted. I know that for sure."
"Yea, the Garden doesn't fly automatically," Nida spat out immediately and not without a small amount of resentment. He turned towards her. "Somebody has to man it. Somebody has to be stuck there while everybody else goes on exciting missions."
Selphie knew that Garden didn't fly automatically, but not everyone knew that. Very few people had been up to the bridge, so the general population didn't know it was piloted by an actual person. Most students assumed it was automatic. Just punch in some coordinates and you're there sort of thing. That wasn't any more unbelievable than a school campus that could fly over land and water. Centran technology was mysterious.
She didn't want to tell him that though. He could still be an axe wielding super spy for all she knew. And he did seem to have a slight resentment streak underneath his corny dad joke exterior. She wondered how far away Squall and Rinoa were, just in case she needed back up.
"And you're doing a GREAT job flying Garden!" Selphie exclaimed in support of Nida. She figured that was probably true. They'd only scraped up a few major things since Garden had gone mobile, and there had been extenuating circumstances. She'd done much worse than that when she'd had her learner's permit, relatively speaking. Snow driving in Trabia was a tough way to learn the rules of the road. It was an unexpected out-of-control sleigh-ride sort of treacherous. "You're the best Garden pilot I know!" she added.
She wondered who flew Galbadia Garden.
"And speaking of being taken for granted. Garden Festivals don't just happen either!" Selphie said. "People expect to not have to contribute anything but still get a super fun party." She kicked her foot at the ground. "That doesn't make sense!
"People should acknowledge my hard work," Nida said with his hands clenched tightly at his sides. "I mean OUR hard work," he quickly corrected while giving Selphie a glance.
"Yeah, totally," Selphie responded as she finished her cotton candy with a big smack. She took her stick and let it go into a nearby trash bin. She ate the whole thing. Job well done. Moving on.
Selphie peered around Nida as he continued to fume silently. She wanted to see what other fun things were at this fair. A large Ferris wheel loomed over the water's edge. She bet there was a pretty good view from the top. That was standard, and an okay choice, but when she saw the carousel, her eyes lit up with delight. She smiled a crooked smile to herself. Gleaming wooden horses and other animals danced and pranced under blinking lights. It looked like a little girl's dream.
Selphie could see two familiar figures silhouetted against the bright lights of the carousel. It looked like Rinoa was dragging Squall towards it. He kept pulling away and trying to redirect her to other parts of the fair. Squall would do lots of things with Rinoa, but riding a shiny white armored horse amongst children seemed to be pushing it.
"Wanna go ride the ferris wheel? Or maybe the carousel?" Selphie asked Nida.
"Uh," Nida said reluctantly.
"Are you afraid of horses or heights?" Selphie asked.
"Neither," Nida answered with his eyebrows raised in confusion.
"Well then we're going on either," she said. "Or both." She grabbed him by the arm and started marching in the direction of Squall and Rinoa and the fancy carousel. The closer they got, the louder the carnival music became.
"Hey Rinoa," Selphie yelled. Rinoa let go of Squall's arm and looked up towards her. "Let's all go on the carousel."
"No," Squall answered. Rinoa stuck her tongue out at him.
"Aw, come on guys," Selphie said, feeling the reluctance on the part of the two guys in the group. "You'll both look super dashing on a horse," she said as she looked at one of the carousel animals. It had one of its ears chipped off and some damage to its face. It was probably a horse. "Or on a horse-like object."
"Take Rinoa," Squall suggested to Selphie. "I get motion sickness."
Selphie thought that sounded like a big fat lie, but it would be fun to ride the carousel with Rinoa, so she didn't call Squall out on it. "Fine, let's go," she said to Rinoa. They quickly got in line and were soon riding beside each other. Although Squall and Nida were nearby, the motion and noise of the carousel made them feel like they could talk in confidence.
"How's Nida?" Rinoa asked.
"I don't know. Fine. Probably," Selphie answered as her horse bobbed up and down to the music. "He's not a dad, is he?" she added quickly and much more quietly.
"What?" Rinoa yelled over the music. Her horse dipped down and then up again.
"He's real rad," Selphie yelled back.
"Oh," Rinoa responded. "I thought you said something weird for a second."
"How's Squall?" Selphie asked.
"He's having fun."
"It doesn't look like it," Selphie said.
"That's how he always looks," Rinoa said.
"Maybe we should just take a final ride on the Ferris wheel with the guys and then put them out of their misery," Selphie suggested. "I'm sure Squall would have much more fun alone in his dorm room," she sighed. "With you," she added.
"Selphie!"
"You've been good sports tonight. I don't want to infringe on any more goodwill."
"Selphie, we've had lots of fun."
Selphie turned towards Rinoa and gave her a sharp look.
"Fine, one more ride," Rinoa agreed.
The music started winding down and the girls were soon climbing off their horses with their legs wobbly from the movement. They walked over to their dates who were waiting in the shadows.
"Selphie and I were thinking that a ride on the Ferris wheel..." Rinoa started. Squall looked put out at the suggestion. "...would be a great way to end the night." But he perked up at the mention of this horrible double date being over.
Squall looked over at Nida and nodded his head in agreement.
"Woohoo, let's go!" Selphie said while grabbing onto Nida's arm. They quickly maneuvered through the crowds to arrive at the Ferris Wheel. "You sure you aren't afraid of heights?" Selphie asked as she saw Nida peering at the topmost passenger car.
"No, I'm not," Nida replied. "I was just wondering who is responsible for maintaining a portable ride like this. It has to be taken down and set up repeatedly. The people at FH impressed upon me that mechanics have to be properly cared for. I'm thinking about safety."
"I'm sure it's fine," Selphie said. "And if it isn't, I'm junctioned." Nida gave her another look of disapproval. "Hey, if we fall out I'll cast Shell on you. Then you'll be thanking me for bending the rules." She gave him a wink.
"Don't be reckless. You're going to damage yourself by over junctioning," Nida said as they handed their money over to the carny and climbed aboard the passenger car. He took a seat and Selphie hopped up next to him. They were quickly sealed in and lifted into the air. The night air rushed around them smelling of a salty seabreeze.
"Thank you for your concern, but I think I'll be just fine," Selphie said as she peered down at Squall and Rinoa awaiting to board the next passenger car. "The dangers of junctioning are outweighed by the dangers of NOT junctioning, in my opinion."
"Memory loss," Nida said.
"If I lose some memories, I can always make new ones," Selphie said. "And maybe I'll get lucky and lose a bad memory. That's pretty good in exchange for super strength and unbeatable defenses." She looked over at him. "I like those odds."
Nida looked over at her. Her hair was flitting across her face in the breeze. He didn't know when she was joking or when she was serious.
"If they didn't want us to use GFs, they shouldn't have given them to us," Selphie said trying to reassure him. Although we found most of them on our own fair and square, she added silently to herself.
"They shouldn't have done lots of things," he said with gravity in his voice. He looked out towards the waves.
"Probably so," she said after a moment of thought. She was surprised he'd said that much. He'd been nothing but corny jokes and Garden propaganda all night. Maybe there was more to Nida than there seemed. There had to be. Every SeeD had a back story. And that back story probably wasn't filled with happy parents, a little house with a white picket fence and a loyal dog waiting by the front door.
Selphie let out a dry laugh as she looked down the at the happy fairgoers. So many tiny happy people down there. She saw a family with a little girl who was wearing a white sundress. Her ice cream smeared face wore a big smile as she held onto her parents' hands tightly. She was safe, being held by her parents. She wasn't going to get lost in a crowd. She was just going to have lots of fun and be able to go back home with her family. She'd probably go home and sleep under a pile of stuffed animals with the family cat tonight. The magic of the carnival would replay in her dreams. Lucky duck. She probably got smothered in love, safety, and cat fur every day of her life.
"We're not normal everyday people, Nida," Selphie said turning to him with a straight face. "Regular rules don't apply to us. We're special people. We're SeeD people. Garden people. We take risks all the time. What's one more risk in the grand scheme of things?" Her eyes brightened with determination. "I want to be strong, so strong. Lit up from the inside with energy sort of strong. And maybe if I'm strong enough, fast enough, aware enough, I can keep other people safe." She sighed. "And just so you know, I don't think it's reckless if you're doing it for a reason." She fidgeted in her seat and felt the need to snack on something sweet. Something indulgent and colorful. She felt in her pockets and only felt empty butterscotch wrappers. All gone. She'd have to go stock up on some more candy soon.
"Being strong for others' safety?" he asked slowly. "That's one way to look at it." He turned towards her. "I like your attitude solider." He punched her lightly in the shoulder. "Morale is important."
"You're darn right it is!" Selphie said perking up. "That's what I've been trying to tell everybody." Her heart beat faster. "All the time."
A peal of laughter rang out from the bucket below them. Selphie leaned over and tried to look down. She wondered what Rinoa thought was so funny. It couldn't possibly be laughter from something Squall had said. Could it? A small pang of envy shot through her, but she smashed it back down. It wasn't fair to be jealous of their happiness without being jealous of their problems too. And they had some pretty significant setbacks. She willed all the positive energy inside her to overcome the negativity. Her stomach churned.
And why should she be jealous of them and their magical relationship, effortless good looks, awesome dog, and powerful living parents? She was doing pretty well too. She just had a nice dinner with her friends and a halfway okay guy. She'd eaten cotton candy and ridden a carousel tonight. She was having a good time. She just had to take it one day at a time.
She looked over at Nida. He was okay. Something got him into SeeD. It had to be more than physical fitness and following orders. Maybe he was the type of person who would keep getting better the more you knew him. Maybe he was made up of layers, and she was only seeing the outside. Maybe he was actually a super-cool super-spy with awesome hidden talents. The average guy look was just camouflage. Maybe if she got to know him better, she was going to be wowed.
But maybe none of that mattered. Maybe he wasn't even liking her company. It wouldn't hurt to ask though, would it?
"Did ya have fun with me tonight?" Selphie dared to ask suddenly. She had trouble reading Nida's expressions and emotions. He wasn't excitable like Zell or hotheaded like Seifer. He didn't wear his heart on his sleeve like Quistis. He was an 'Even-Steven' sort of character. At least she thought he was, they still didn't know each other that well. One double date wasn't going to solve that. "Maybe wanna try again sometime?" she asked, squeezing her eyes shut, not wanting to be shot down. Even if she didn't find somebody who was boyfriend material, she was always on the lookout for making a new friend.
"Sure," he said with genuine emotion. The look on his face made her feel better. Of course he liked her. And how could he NOT have fun with Selphie? Selphie Tilmitt was a fun machine. "And you know where to find me," he added with a warm smile.
"Haha," Selphie laughed out loud, pretending to be flattered. Although she was inwardly disappointed that she'd have to be the one to initiate a date yet again. She must seem as mediocre to him as he felt to her.
"Because I'm always in the same place. I'm always piloting Garden on the bridge," Nida clarified unnecessarily.
"Yeah..." she said, feeling let down.
Too bad Laguna doesn't have a son my age. I mean, another son. One who's not Squall.
Okay, it was really looking like Selphie and Nida weren't a match. She didn't feel fireworks. She didn't see shooting stars. And quite frankly even Nida didn't seem too interested in her. But it had been worth a try. And Selphie was not the sort of person to ever give up. She could always try. She could always hope. And as long as she was breathing, there was always tomorrow.
The end
Author's Notes: When I heard that the theme word was "four" for this year's challenge, I almost immediately thought of a double date. And I thought a surprise double date with Nida would be funny and unexpected. So here we are. I'm not sure what to think about him. There aren't a lot of solid headcanons about Nida. We don't even know what his weapon is or what he would have done if Garden had never gone mobile.