Fo: Hiya! I do not own 'Final Fantasy VIII' or the song 'Houses Of The Holy'…. But I do own your soul!
Taichi: The hell you don't!
Washu: What?
Fo: I am kidding…. Geez….
Washu: That's a relief..
Lion And Raven
Chapter 1: Houses Of The Holy
It is a beautiful sunny day at the Balamb Garden on a Monday afternoon. It has been over a year since Headmaster Cid's heart attack. The whole Garden was heart broken after his death. Edea became headmaster and turned the Garden into a normal school, but still teaches the SeeD members. Quistis teaches English and Magic defense. It's the middle of 5th period in Quistis's English class.
The blonde was explaining notes in front of the class (Fo: Yes! Quistis gets to teach once again!).
In her class sat Selphie and Raijin in the front row and in the back of the class sat Squall with an empty seat next to him.
His dark brown hair had gotten longer (Fo: Think of him as Leon in 'Kingdom Hearts II').
Squall was taking notes on the author Leon Totlsy (Fo: Yeah! I am part Russian! In addition, Leon Totlsy is a very wicked cool Russian author!).
Then all of a sudden there was a knock at the classroom door. Quistis stopped and turned to the door to see who it was.
She sighs and then she walks over and presses a red button and then the door opened (Fo: Think of the futurist space doors in the sic-fi movies!).
Quistis smiled as her old friend and co-worker Xu walked into her classroom.
"Good afternoon Quistis," she greeted with a SeeD salute.
"Good afternoon to you too Xu," she greeted back with the same salute.
Then Xu handed her a file to her. Quistis opened the vanilla folder, smiled, and looked outside her classroom as Xu motioned someone to come in. Xu cleared her throat very loudly so she can get the student's attention. When she was satisfied, she motioned someone to stand next to her. Squall hates new students, because he always ended up as the tour guide.
Squall did not look up at the front of the class; he just doodled on his notes of Zell stuffing his face with hot dogs. (Fo: Teehee… Zell loves hot dogs! And I love pizza!)
"Students, please let me introduce you to Miss Siren Page, she's a new student here, so I expect that you will make her feel like home." Xu said, sounding a little threaten.
'Siren? Who would name their child after a GF?' Squall said to himself with a small smirk on his tan face.
Squall looked up to see the new student. He was quite surprised. The girl had dark purple hair that hit her shoulders and the ends were black. She wore dark make up that brought out her bright crimson red eyes. She was a little bit shorter than Selphie and she was skinny and very fit like if she could have been a model.
She wore the traditional blue school uniform (Fo: They are the same blue uniforms that the kiddies wore in the Garden.).
However, she wore black and red knee high socks and black army boots (Fo: Think of Yuna's boots from 'Final Fantasy X-2').
Her nails were painted different colors. It went pink, red, yellow, blue, black, green, purple, white, orange, and gray.
Her ears were pierced 7 times and wore small silver thin hoop metal earrings.
On her left index finger was a ring of a crow and she wore a metal thumb ring. On her right hand, she wore a purple studded bracelet and a blue beaded bracelet. And her presence showed that she maybe a loner and not into girly things. Squall expected to see an annoying girl that loves to shop.
Xu waved 'goodbye' to the class as the door closed behind her.
"Siren please tell a little bit about yourself," Quistis said with a warm smile to the young girl.
Siren's face crunched to one side in disgust. She sighed, she didn't want to be here at all.
"I don't like to talk," she snapped to the blonde SeeD.
Quistis gasped at her sudden cold words.
'Well, at least she won't be the talkative type,' Quistis grumbled in her head.
"Siren, please take a seat next to Squall in the back there," she said as she pointed at the young SeeD.
Siren rolled her eyes as she made her way to the back of the class. Everyone watched Siren as she walked. Siren sat her black backpack on the floor and took a seat next to Squall. Squall examined her. Siren noticed this and glared at him from the corner of her eye.
"Sorry, I don't date," she whispered in a very cold tone.
Squall blushed at what she had said to him; she caught him off guard with that comment. Then he smirked.
"What makes you think I want to be your boyfriend," he whispered in the same cold tone.
Siren let out a 'heh'.
Then the bell ranged. The students turned off their computers and gathered up their books for lunch. Selphie walked over to Squall and Siren. Selphie's hair had grown a few inches, but still in her famous hairdo.
Her hair had also lightened from a rich brown to a summer light brown that blended with her nice summer tan.
Selphie smiled at Siren.
"Welcome to Balamb! I'm Selphie!" Selphie greeted.
Siren looked at the girl as if she was insane. Then Siren sighed.
"I'm Siren," she greeted, but this time Siren had a small smile.
"Do you know where the band and choir room is?" Siren asked as she brushed an index finger threw her purple bangs.
Selphie nodded with a huge grin on her face. Siren grinned a little at her.
"Come on Squall lets take her there!" Selphie exclaimed clinging onto his shoulder.
Squall frowned at this.
He knew the brown haired woman would not take 'no' for an answer.
Therefore, he followed the bouncy SeeD.
Selphie, Squall, and Siren stood in front of a classroom that said 'Band and Choir' above it.
Selphie pushed a button next to the door. The door opened and closed as they walked into the room.
Then they stopped and stood next to some raisers (Fo: The choir peeps stand on them when they sing).
Siren noticed a hippie looking man that looked about 35 or something years old.
He had light brown dreadlocks that went past his shoulders with a few beads in a couple of his locks .
He wore a black and gray beanie.
He had bright baby blue colored eyes.
He wore a light gray t-shirt with 'The Doors' (Fo: Love this band! Listen to them!) and a picture of Jim Morrison under the words and he wore a navy blue hooded unzipped sweater over it.
Around his neck, he wore an orange, yellow, and red scarf. He also wore baggy cargo pants with a leather belt with bottle caps decorating it. And on his feet were tan flip-flops.
"Selphie, what brings you here?" he asked in a hippie voice (Fo: My art teacher Mrs. Walker was the model for this cat!).
Selphie grinned very big at the older man.
"Mr. Ramone-Joplin, this is Siren Page," Selphie said as she pushed Siren lightly in front of her.
Mr. Ramone-Joplin smiled at Siren. Mr. Ramone-Joplin kept his mother's maiden name Ramone along with his father's family name Joplin.
His mother Eliza Ramone use to be a talented musicians.
When his mother married his father a very talented screenplay writer Sid Joplin she became a performing arts teacher.
His father drowned while on a fishing trip with a few co-workers when Jimi Ramone-Joplin was 13 years old.
His mother helped him with his tests for majoring in teaching.
Here he is now!
He's been a music teacher for young children in Dullet after the school got rid of the music and art class 6 years ago and after countless rejections from other schools the Balamb Garden hired him as their band, choir, and assistant theater teacher and started 2 months ago.
"Hello Siren, 'the man' (Fo: referring to Edea.) told me that you are going to perform on this Friday's pep rally (Fo: Ack! Hate those things!)" he said as he smiled.
Siren nodded and looked over at a small recording room in the corner of the room.
"I take it I have to prove it?" Siren replied as she raised an eyebrow with her arm crossed.
Mr. Ramone-Joplin chuckled.
"Yep! We need to see if you are a decent singer," he said with a smile.
Siren smirked and pulled out a cassette from a side pocket of her backpack. Siren then tossed it to Mr. Ramone-Joplin.
"Shall we?" Siren said nodded her head to the side.
Mr. Ramone-Joplin nodded his head and waved the three to follow him to the recording room.
"Siren, you go in this room right here," he said as he held open a brown wooden door on the left.
Siren nodded her head and walked into the small room.
There sat a microphone, a wooden stool and a pair of 90's style black headphones (Fo: What ever became of those headsets?… I miss them..).
Siren picked up the stool and moved it to the corner of the room. Selphie, Squall, and Mr. Ramone-Joplin went into the room beside it. It had a bunch of sound recording machines. Siren walked over to the microphone.
Mr. Ramone-Joplin pressed a green button that said 'intercom'.
"Ready?" he asked with a smile on his face as he spoke into the microphone.
Siren looked over at the teacher and nodded to let him know she was ready. Mr. Ramone-Joplin placed the cassette into the player and pushed play when he saw Siren put the headsets on. Soon a 70's hard rock tune started to play. Siren begun to bang her hip to one side as her left foot tapped to the beat.
Siren started to sing in a perfect pitch into the microphone (Fo: Siren sounds like Brett Anderson from 'The Donnas'!).
Let me take you to the movies
Can I take you to the show
Let me be yours ever truly
Can I make your garden grow
From the houses of the holy, we can watch the white doves go
From the door comes Satan's daughter, and it only goes to show You know
There's an angel on my shoulder
In my hand a sword of gold
Let me wander in your garden
And the seeds of love I'll sow
You know
So the world is spinning faster
Are you dizzy when you're stoned
Let the music be your master
Will you heed the master's call
Oh... Satan and man
Said there ain't no use in crying
Cause it will only, only drive you mad
Does it hurt to hear them lying
Was this the only world you had
Oh-oh
So let me take you, take you to the movie
Can I take you, baby, to the show
Why don't you let me be yours ever truly
Can I make your garden grow
You know
After the song was finished, she closed her eyes and let out a small sigh and smiled. Siren enjoyed singing, she loved it because she knows she's good at it.
"Ladies and gentleman…That was 'Led Zeppelin's' song 'Houses of the Holy' off of their album 'Physical Graffiti' year 1975." she said almost in a whisper into the hanging recording microphone.
Selphie started screaming and jumping as she clapped her hands.
"Siren! That was amazing! You are fantastic!" Selphie shouted, she was so impressed with Siren's talent.
Squall rolled his eyes at Selphie''s behavior. Yet Squall was too very impressed with her singing talent.
"Wow! Siren you maybe the next Janis Joplin (Fo: God rest her soul. She kicks ass!)," Mr. Ramone-Joplin complimented as he claps his hands.
Siren gave the three a 'what-up-now-bitches' smile.
Siren smirked and winked. Siren then looks over at the band/choir room door to see Seifer leaning against the metal door with a smirk on his lips. Seifer was also wearing the school uniform.
On his feet were black high tops and his hair had got longer and was covered with a black beanie (Fo: Think of Seifer in 'Kingdom Hearts II'.).
She gave him a dirty look.
Seifer walked to the door on the right side of the recording room. Mr. Ramone-Joplin opened the door and let Seifer come in.
"What brings you here Seifer?" he asked as he stared at Seifer.
Seifer let out a 'heh' and looked over at Siren as she walked into the room.
"Headmistress is having me show Siren Page around the school," he said as he returned his gaze to the teacher as he handed him a piece of paper.
Mr. Ramone-Joplin examined it and grinned.
He looked over at Siren.
Mr. Ramone- Joplin was so amazed that Siren sung with so much soul for her age.
"Siren this young man is Seifer Almasy. He is going to give you a grand tour of our school," he said cheerfully.
Siren rolled her eyes as Selphie handed the cassette to Siren.
"Whatever." she mumbled as she walked out of the recording room.
She picked up her belongings as Seifer walked up to her. She turned and looked at him with a frown.
"Show me your school," she said sarcastically as she placed her hands on her hips.
Seifer chuckled at her remark. Siren stared at him with a smirk. Siren was thinking of ways she could have fun with Seifer.
"Alright follow me," he said with a smug look on his face and Siren followed.
End of Chapter
Fo: How do you like it? I love the hippie music teacher! I blended Bill and Ted from 'Bill and Ted's Most Excellent Adventure' and Mrs. Walker.
Taichi: Your sad Fo...
Fo: Silence!
Ryuk: This chapter was named after the song by 'Led Zeppelin'.