AMI- by Selphiebabe
All Final Fantasy VIII characters are owned by Squaresoft
Quistis watched her friend's face carefully as they drove through the crumbling gates of Trabia Garden. Selphie was impassive, her small body wrapped in an overlarge yellow coat, but the girls normally vibrant green eyes were dull and full of sorrow. "I'll park the truck over here. You should go introduce yourself to the Headmistress, Quisty." Her voice was soft.
Quistis nodded, fumbling for the door handle and slipped out of her seat. Her fur-lined boots did almost nothing to stop the chill through her body as she landed in a foot of snow. Shouldering her bag, she trudged forward. It had been two months since they had last been there, but she was pleasantly surprised at the amount of progress the students had made to rebuild their school. The rest of the missiles had been cleared away, and all around shelters had been carefully set up to block the harsh winds. A few students watched her curiously, but it wasn't until she got to the fountain that someone came to help her. The girl was tall with thick, wavy brown hair. Her nose and cheeks were red from the cold, but her smile was friendly and warm. "You must be our new Instructor, am I right?"
Glancing about, Quistis returned the smile. "Yes I am. I hope that during the months I'm here we can really get this place up and running again."
"Hey, that's the spirit!" The girl grinned, saluting sharply. "SeeD Cadet Cesene Bikar reporting for duty, sir. Headmistress Jeta ordered me to show you to her office. If you'll follow me." She took one of the Instructor's bags and started off down the path. Quistis jogged to catch up, her gold hair floating behind her.
"So Cesene, you're a SeeD cadet?" She asked, trying to make polite conversation as they made their way through the ruins. Cesene nodded as she waved absently to a few students.
"Yeah, I'm hoping to take the exam next term. I guess that means you'll be my Instructor, right?"
"Yes," Quistis smiled. "My assignment is to graduate ten students to SeeD. Hopefully you'll be one of them." They stopped abruptly in front of a large mound covered in snow. Squinting, she thought she could make out the shape of a shelter beneath it, and Cesene affirmed her thoughts by pushing aside a ragged piece of wood. Inside the room was warm though a bit disorganized.
"This shelter was built on part of Trabia's floor," Cesene explained. "Because it's so cold here, our floors are heated. We're really glad the tech team was able to get it running again." Quistis found she was glad as well. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she noticed a pale, muscular woman seated on a pile of blankets on the floor. Although her light blonde hair was messy and her uniform was wrinkled, she had an aura of elegance about her that made Quistis hold her breath. The woman's cheekbones were high and well defined, and she met the other's stare with one of distant kindness.
"You're dismissed, Cesene," the Headmistress said in a deep sonorous voice, and the cadet gave a bow before ducking out of the shelter. As the makeshift door closed behind her, Quistis felt almost uncomfortable in the older woman's presence. The Headmistress was quick to make her feel at home, however. As she stood up, Quistis marveled at her height, guessing that she was above six feet. "SeeD Quistis, I presume?"
Quistis saluted smartly, heels clicking together. "Yes sir, reporting for duty as ordered." Headmistress Jeta merely smiled, gesturing for her to sit. The younger girl followed her lead.
"So, Cid asked me to give you a chance to get your Instructor's license back. I've reviewed your file, and I must say I'm impressed. Would you like some tea, dear?" Jeta handed Quistis a cup, and the SeeD couldn't help rubbing her hands around the cup to get them warm again.
"Anyway, I'm willing to allow you a chance here. After what's happened," the woman said gravely, "you understand that we can't be too picky on our personnel. So I'm thrilled to have you on our team."
"The feeling is mutual, sir," Quistis replied politely.
"Yes, hmm. Good. Now I would like you to be honest with me, dear. With such a fine record as yours, why would they revoke your Instructor's license? Cid wasn't so clear on that."
Immediately, Quistis felt herself redden but she forced her heart to stop fluttering and answered as honestly as she could. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"
Jeta waved her hand absently. "Of course."
"If you've reviewed my file, you should know that I was and still am the youngest SeeD ever to graduate and the youngest Instructor as well. Headmaster Cid is of the mind that I pushed myself too hard, and never truly had a chance to grow up, so in my one year as an Instructor I found myself unable to distance myself from my students. With recent events, I feel as if I have grown in many ways and would like to try again."
"An admirable quality," Jeta admitted, and paused to sip her tea carefully. "Welcome to Trabia Garden, Instructor Trepe. I have your student files right here." She gestured to a pile of papers to her left, and Quistis picked them up, sorting through them in curiosity. "You have 20 SeeD Cadets this term. I know that's more than usual, but I'm sure you can handle it. We've had a shortage of Instructors lately. You'll be sharing a shelter with Selphie, and classes start tomorrow. Questions?"
"Um, yes." The young Instructor began. "Should I wear my SeeD uniform?" She hadn't been sure earlier, despite Selphie's assurances that there would not be a chance to have a Trabian uniform fitted.
"Yes, of course," Jeta replied, smiling. "Wear your SeeD uniform. Anything else you may need is already in your room. Is that all?"
"One more thing. Should I let my students go for a certain time to help rebuild?" At that, the Headmistress graced her with a haunting look, and despite herself Quistis shivered.
"Do all you can to get their lives back on track. These children have buried their friends, and they're as broken as the Garden around them, although they don't show it. You will be more than their Instructor, Quistis. You will be the person that brings them back to life."
--------
When Quistis exited the shelter, Selphie and Cesene were waiting for her a few feet away, chatting animatedly. Cesene saw her first, and waved her over, then pointed accusingly. "You didn't tell me Selphie was here, Instructor!"
"I didn't know you knew her," Quistis replied with a smile, shuffling the papers in her hands. She winced as Selphie jabbed Quistis in the ribs with her elbow. For the umpteenth time that day, Quistis was thankful for the thick lining of her coat. "What was that for?"
"You did SO know we were friends! I introduced you guys last time we were here, remember?" Frowning, Quistis thought back and realized she did slightly remember a dark haired friend of Selphie's sitting by the fountain.
"All right, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I remember now. Forgiven?"
"Forgotten!" Selphie grinned, all smiles again. Now that she had met up with her friend, the ominous tone the day had taken earlier had brightened noticeably. "I'm gonna go see the Headmistress quick, and then we'll unpack, okay Quisty?"
The Instructor nodded her assent, then turned to Cesene as Selphie scampered off. The girl was glancing around her absently, her thick hair glittering with snowflakes. "Cesene, would you mind introducing me to some of the students I'm supposed to teach?" She smiled inwardly as Cesene's brown eyes brightened.
"Of course, Instructor. Gimme a name and I'll find them." Both young women began walking back down the path. A few junior classmen were playing in the snow in front of them, and as Cesene was recognized a tumult of snowballs landed by her feet. She stuck her tongue out at the giggling children, and they resumed their walk.
The sun was high in the sky, making the snow around them shimmer like ethereal clouds. Although the wreckage of Trabia Garden around them made it seem a dismal place, it seemed to Quistis that Trabians were as strong willed and stubborn as the land they lived in, and that thought comforted her. With a tragedy like this, you needed to be brave.
"So what's the first name, Instructor?"
Quistis blinked, shaken out of her thoughts by Cesene's voice. "What? Oh, yes. Ah." She glanced at the first page of her files. "Naren Trent."
"Naren's on the tech team, so he should be down by the main computer," Cesene supplied. "I think you'll like him, Instructor. He's the brain of the bunch."
As they rounded the corner, Quistis found herself inside the shell of Trabia Garden. Most of the debris was cleared out, and as they entered a few of the students that had been studying on the floor watched them curiously. At the far end of the room was the main computer, and she assumed that the young man sitting in front of it was one of her new pupils. Cesene called out to him, and he stood up.
Naren was a handsome young man of average height and incredible build. His hair was a mass of dark curls falling down his back, and his eyes were a deep gray. He reminded Quistis of the typical males on the covers of romantic novels. This was certainly not the techno geek that she had been expecting. Smiling, he sauntered over to her and bowed politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." To her horror, Quistis found herself blushing.
"And you, SeeD Cadet Naren," she replied, looking him straight in the eye. "I trust you'll be ready for classes tomorrow?"
"Yes sir," he grinned. "Bright and early, right, Instructor?" They both laughed as Cesene let out a groan.
---
In the next hour, Quistis met almost every single one of her new students. All of them seemed like intelligent, productive young men and women and she was beginning to look forward to the next day. By the time she met up with Selphie again, the sun was setting and her stomach was grumbling from being neglected all day. Shaking the snow out of her coat, she hung it up beside Selphie's and settled herself down on the cot.
Selphie's usually flipped up hair had worn out during the day, and now only the ends curled, perfectly framing her face. Although she had been inside for almost half an hour, her nose and cheeks were still red, and she sat on her own cot rubbing her frozen fingers. "Gosh, I leave Trabia for a few months and I totally forget how cold it is!" She declared, wincing as the life slowly came back to her limbs. "Nice to know some things never change."
Quistis smiled in reply, kicking off her boots and wiggling her toes in the air. She collapsed back on her bed with an emphatic sigh. "Selphie, do we have a comm. Port here?"
The smaller girl nodded, hair bouncing. "Yeah, it's over in the corner. I figured you might wanna report back to the Headmaster, so I set it up before you came in." Quistis hadn't noticed the buzzing of the machine before, but now that Selphie mentioned it, she slid off her cot and padded to the corner.
"Excellent." Activating the machine, she typed a few keys in and the Balamb Garden Network screen popped up. She felt Selphie plop down beside her, and then Squall responded to their signal. He looked tired, and his brown hair was messier than usual.
"Glad to see you made it."
"Hi Squall!" Selphie waved, smiling cheerfully, and Squall's mouth turned up in a slight smile at that.
"Hi. Make your report."
Selphie waited impatiently as Quistis summed up what had happened since they had left yesterday morning, and after a few questions from Squall, the business part of the call was over. Selphie jumped at the chance.
"So, talk to us! Has Cid left for Centra yet?"
Squall nodded, making a face. "He left this morning. The Garden is entirely in my hands now." He leaned further back in his chair, hands behind his head.
"You'll do fine," Quistis assured him. "You proved yourself as a Commander, and we'll help you if you need it."
"Besides," Selphie piped in, "You have Rinoa as your aide, remember?"
At the mention of Rinoa, Squall's impassive expression softened slightly. "Yeah. I know." All three were silent for a moment, lost in thought. Then Selphie elbowed Quistis over slightly.
"So what about the boys?"
"Irvine passed the written exam-," At this Selphie squealed in delight, but Squall continued despite the interruption, "-And he and Zell got on the train to Galbadia a few hours ago with Xu. Irvine wanted to tell you himself, Selphie, so I suggest you call him later tonight."
Selphie grinned. "Will do. And the field exam?"
"Classified information, but I can tell you that they won't wait long. Now I gotta go. I'll talk to you later." The screen flashed then went blank, and both girls sighed in exasperation at their friend's tactful escape. Quistis reached over to turn the comm. Link off, and then stood up, offering a hand to help Selphie.
"I'm starving," Quistis complained, heading back towards her cot. "Let's get some food." In answer, Selphie tossed Quistis' coat in her face, grinning cheekily.
"Let's go!" In a few minutes, they were out the door and starting across the moonlit snow to the glowing light of the dining hall.
((A/N: Expect the next chapter within the week.))
Quistis watched her friend's face carefully as they drove through the crumbling gates of Trabia Garden. Selphie was impassive, her small body wrapped in an overlarge yellow coat, but the girls normally vibrant green eyes were dull and full of sorrow. "I'll park the truck over here. You should go introduce yourself to the Headmistress, Quisty." Her voice was soft.
Quistis nodded, fumbling for the door handle and slipped out of her seat. Her fur-lined boots did almost nothing to stop the chill through her body as she landed in a foot of snow. Shouldering her bag, she trudged forward. It had been two months since they had last been there, but she was pleasantly surprised at the amount of progress the students had made to rebuild their school. The rest of the missiles had been cleared away, and all around shelters had been carefully set up to block the harsh winds. A few students watched her curiously, but it wasn't until she got to the fountain that someone came to help her. The girl was tall with thick, wavy brown hair. Her nose and cheeks were red from the cold, but her smile was friendly and warm. "You must be our new Instructor, am I right?"
Glancing about, Quistis returned the smile. "Yes I am. I hope that during the months I'm here we can really get this place up and running again."
"Hey, that's the spirit!" The girl grinned, saluting sharply. "SeeD Cadet Cesene Bikar reporting for duty, sir. Headmistress Jeta ordered me to show you to her office. If you'll follow me." She took one of the Instructor's bags and started off down the path. Quistis jogged to catch up, her gold hair floating behind her.
"So Cesene, you're a SeeD cadet?" She asked, trying to make polite conversation as they made their way through the ruins. Cesene nodded as she waved absently to a few students.
"Yeah, I'm hoping to take the exam next term. I guess that means you'll be my Instructor, right?"
"Yes," Quistis smiled. "My assignment is to graduate ten students to SeeD. Hopefully you'll be one of them." They stopped abruptly in front of a large mound covered in snow. Squinting, she thought she could make out the shape of a shelter beneath it, and Cesene affirmed her thoughts by pushing aside a ragged piece of wood. Inside the room was warm though a bit disorganized.
"This shelter was built on part of Trabia's floor," Cesene explained. "Because it's so cold here, our floors are heated. We're really glad the tech team was able to get it running again." Quistis found she was glad as well. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she noticed a pale, muscular woman seated on a pile of blankets on the floor. Although her light blonde hair was messy and her uniform was wrinkled, she had an aura of elegance about her that made Quistis hold her breath. The woman's cheekbones were high and well defined, and she met the other's stare with one of distant kindness.
"You're dismissed, Cesene," the Headmistress said in a deep sonorous voice, and the cadet gave a bow before ducking out of the shelter. As the makeshift door closed behind her, Quistis felt almost uncomfortable in the older woman's presence. The Headmistress was quick to make her feel at home, however. As she stood up, Quistis marveled at her height, guessing that she was above six feet. "SeeD Quistis, I presume?"
Quistis saluted smartly, heels clicking together. "Yes sir, reporting for duty as ordered." Headmistress Jeta merely smiled, gesturing for her to sit. The younger girl followed her lead.
"So, Cid asked me to give you a chance to get your Instructor's license back. I've reviewed your file, and I must say I'm impressed. Would you like some tea, dear?" Jeta handed Quistis a cup, and the SeeD couldn't help rubbing her hands around the cup to get them warm again.
"Anyway, I'm willing to allow you a chance here. After what's happened," the woman said gravely, "you understand that we can't be too picky on our personnel. So I'm thrilled to have you on our team."
"The feeling is mutual, sir," Quistis replied politely.
"Yes, hmm. Good. Now I would like you to be honest with me, dear. With such a fine record as yours, why would they revoke your Instructor's license? Cid wasn't so clear on that."
Immediately, Quistis felt herself redden but she forced her heart to stop fluttering and answered as honestly as she could. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"
Jeta waved her hand absently. "Of course."
"If you've reviewed my file, you should know that I was and still am the youngest SeeD ever to graduate and the youngest Instructor as well. Headmaster Cid is of the mind that I pushed myself too hard, and never truly had a chance to grow up, so in my one year as an Instructor I found myself unable to distance myself from my students. With recent events, I feel as if I have grown in many ways and would like to try again."
"An admirable quality," Jeta admitted, and paused to sip her tea carefully. "Welcome to Trabia Garden, Instructor Trepe. I have your student files right here." She gestured to a pile of papers to her left, and Quistis picked them up, sorting through them in curiosity. "You have 20 SeeD Cadets this term. I know that's more than usual, but I'm sure you can handle it. We've had a shortage of Instructors lately. You'll be sharing a shelter with Selphie, and classes start tomorrow. Questions?"
"Um, yes." The young Instructor began. "Should I wear my SeeD uniform?" She hadn't been sure earlier, despite Selphie's assurances that there would not be a chance to have a Trabian uniform fitted.
"Yes, of course," Jeta replied, smiling. "Wear your SeeD uniform. Anything else you may need is already in your room. Is that all?"
"One more thing. Should I let my students go for a certain time to help rebuild?" At that, the Headmistress graced her with a haunting look, and despite herself Quistis shivered.
"Do all you can to get their lives back on track. These children have buried their friends, and they're as broken as the Garden around them, although they don't show it. You will be more than their Instructor, Quistis. You will be the person that brings them back to life."
--------
When Quistis exited the shelter, Selphie and Cesene were waiting for her a few feet away, chatting animatedly. Cesene saw her first, and waved her over, then pointed accusingly. "You didn't tell me Selphie was here, Instructor!"
"I didn't know you knew her," Quistis replied with a smile, shuffling the papers in her hands. She winced as Selphie jabbed Quistis in the ribs with her elbow. For the umpteenth time that day, Quistis was thankful for the thick lining of her coat. "What was that for?"
"You did SO know we were friends! I introduced you guys last time we were here, remember?" Frowning, Quistis thought back and realized she did slightly remember a dark haired friend of Selphie's sitting by the fountain.
"All right, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I remember now. Forgiven?"
"Forgotten!" Selphie grinned, all smiles again. Now that she had met up with her friend, the ominous tone the day had taken earlier had brightened noticeably. "I'm gonna go see the Headmistress quick, and then we'll unpack, okay Quisty?"
The Instructor nodded her assent, then turned to Cesene as Selphie scampered off. The girl was glancing around her absently, her thick hair glittering with snowflakes. "Cesene, would you mind introducing me to some of the students I'm supposed to teach?" She smiled inwardly as Cesene's brown eyes brightened.
"Of course, Instructor. Gimme a name and I'll find them." Both young women began walking back down the path. A few junior classmen were playing in the snow in front of them, and as Cesene was recognized a tumult of snowballs landed by her feet. She stuck her tongue out at the giggling children, and they resumed their walk.
The sun was high in the sky, making the snow around them shimmer like ethereal clouds. Although the wreckage of Trabia Garden around them made it seem a dismal place, it seemed to Quistis that Trabians were as strong willed and stubborn as the land they lived in, and that thought comforted her. With a tragedy like this, you needed to be brave.
"So what's the first name, Instructor?"
Quistis blinked, shaken out of her thoughts by Cesene's voice. "What? Oh, yes. Ah." She glanced at the first page of her files. "Naren Trent."
"Naren's on the tech team, so he should be down by the main computer," Cesene supplied. "I think you'll like him, Instructor. He's the brain of the bunch."
As they rounded the corner, Quistis found herself inside the shell of Trabia Garden. Most of the debris was cleared out, and as they entered a few of the students that had been studying on the floor watched them curiously. At the far end of the room was the main computer, and she assumed that the young man sitting in front of it was one of her new pupils. Cesene called out to him, and he stood up.
Naren was a handsome young man of average height and incredible build. His hair was a mass of dark curls falling down his back, and his eyes were a deep gray. He reminded Quistis of the typical males on the covers of romantic novels. This was certainly not the techno geek that she had been expecting. Smiling, he sauntered over to her and bowed politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." To her horror, Quistis found herself blushing.
"And you, SeeD Cadet Naren," she replied, looking him straight in the eye. "I trust you'll be ready for classes tomorrow?"
"Yes sir," he grinned. "Bright and early, right, Instructor?" They both laughed as Cesene let out a groan.
---
In the next hour, Quistis met almost every single one of her new students. All of them seemed like intelligent, productive young men and women and she was beginning to look forward to the next day. By the time she met up with Selphie again, the sun was setting and her stomach was grumbling from being neglected all day. Shaking the snow out of her coat, she hung it up beside Selphie's and settled herself down on the cot.
Selphie's usually flipped up hair had worn out during the day, and now only the ends curled, perfectly framing her face. Although she had been inside for almost half an hour, her nose and cheeks were still red, and she sat on her own cot rubbing her frozen fingers. "Gosh, I leave Trabia for a few months and I totally forget how cold it is!" She declared, wincing as the life slowly came back to her limbs. "Nice to know some things never change."
Quistis smiled in reply, kicking off her boots and wiggling her toes in the air. She collapsed back on her bed with an emphatic sigh. "Selphie, do we have a comm. Port here?"
The smaller girl nodded, hair bouncing. "Yeah, it's over in the corner. I figured you might wanna report back to the Headmaster, so I set it up before you came in." Quistis hadn't noticed the buzzing of the machine before, but now that Selphie mentioned it, she slid off her cot and padded to the corner.
"Excellent." Activating the machine, she typed a few keys in and the Balamb Garden Network screen popped up. She felt Selphie plop down beside her, and then Squall responded to their signal. He looked tired, and his brown hair was messier than usual.
"Glad to see you made it."
"Hi Squall!" Selphie waved, smiling cheerfully, and Squall's mouth turned up in a slight smile at that.
"Hi. Make your report."
Selphie waited impatiently as Quistis summed up what had happened since they had left yesterday morning, and after a few questions from Squall, the business part of the call was over. Selphie jumped at the chance.
"So, talk to us! Has Cid left for Centra yet?"
Squall nodded, making a face. "He left this morning. The Garden is entirely in my hands now." He leaned further back in his chair, hands behind his head.
"You'll do fine," Quistis assured him. "You proved yourself as a Commander, and we'll help you if you need it."
"Besides," Selphie piped in, "You have Rinoa as your aide, remember?"
At the mention of Rinoa, Squall's impassive expression softened slightly. "Yeah. I know." All three were silent for a moment, lost in thought. Then Selphie elbowed Quistis over slightly.
"So what about the boys?"
"Irvine passed the written exam-," At this Selphie squealed in delight, but Squall continued despite the interruption, "-And he and Zell got on the train to Galbadia a few hours ago with Xu. Irvine wanted to tell you himself, Selphie, so I suggest you call him later tonight."
Selphie grinned. "Will do. And the field exam?"
"Classified information, but I can tell you that they won't wait long. Now I gotta go. I'll talk to you later." The screen flashed then went blank, and both girls sighed in exasperation at their friend's tactful escape. Quistis reached over to turn the comm. Link off, and then stood up, offering a hand to help Selphie.
"I'm starving," Quistis complained, heading back towards her cot. "Let's get some food." In answer, Selphie tossed Quistis' coat in her face, grinning cheekily.
"Let's go!" In a few minutes, they were out the door and starting across the moonlit snow to the glowing light of the dining hall.
((A/N: Expect the next chapter within the week.))