Splendor
By: fluffy pantoufle
Disclaimer: Selphie's song of choice for this chapter is "Right Round" by Flo Rida. Obviously, I am not him. Although that probably would be hilarious if I were.
"Xu, I don't know about this…"
"What on Gaia don't you know about? You look spectacular, Quistis."
"Are you out of your damned mind? I look like a two gil hooker!"
"Hooker? No, no…for you, I'd use the phrase 'lady of the night.' Sounds significantly more mysterious. Besides, you'd be at least a twenty gil hooker. You know, if it came down to it."
Quistis raised an eyebrow at her friend as she mentally conjured up a scene that involved herself prowling the streets and turning tricks. The idea left a bitter taste in her mouth. Xu, on the other hand, laughed and tried to steal back some of the full-length mirror from Quistis; the brunette had spent so much time perfecting the instructor's outfit that she failed to give herself a proper one-over. She was a high-ranking SeeD, but no one would ever guess her occupation tonight. With a metallic gold top that could be described as something between a vest and a corset and a black mini-skirt, the last thing on Xu's mind was Garden.
The blonde eyed her friend as she turned every which way in the mirror as if to get a complete, three hundred and sixty degree view of her attire. Regardless of her reserved presence amongst her peers, Xu exuded confidence and allure. It seemed as if the stuffy polyester material of the SeeD uniform subdued her magnetism in everyday life. Quistis smiled to herself - if the uniform merely subdued Xu, she wondered whether or not she should just put a bag over her own head and be done with it. She never thought of herself as a beauty, and even four years and thousands of admirers later, her self-image hadn't changed.
"Quisty!" Xu waved a hand in front of her face. "What's wrong?"
Seeing that she was caught thinking - Xu explicitly stated that there was to be less thinking and more drinking all week long - Quistis simply shrugged. "I'm sorry, Xu. I've just got a lot of my mind, is all. Can't help it."
The SeeD rolled her eyes as she turned around, scanning the dresser behind them for her bottle of perfume. "Are you still worried about the argument you had with the Lapdog? You two aren't even dating, so I don't understand all of this…this dramatic sigh, bated breath bullshit. If there's anything that you don't have to be dealing with at this point in your life, it's Seifer Almasy."
"It's not that. It's just…" Quistis paused. She knew that explaining anything to Xu about her budding friendship with the exiled SeeD candidate would prove fruitless at the moment. When the older brunette wanted to enjoy herself, she wasn't willing to let anyone's sad stories bring her down, much to the instructor's chagrin. Moreover, it didn't help that Xu despised Seifer, probably more so than anyone else. Not only was he the Sorceress's Knight, but before that he was one of the biggest thorns in the rear end of Balamb Garden.
Xu pressed her index finger to her lips, then gave herself several squirts from an ornate perfume bottle along the nape of her neck and throat. "Not another word, Quis. I really, really want you to have fun this week. I know that after tonight there's still five more nights to get blitzed, but I'd like to start things off on the right foot, OK?"
Before either one of them could say another word, the chaotic sounds of an inebriated Selphie Tilmitt filled the hotel room. Funnily enough, neither Xu or Quistis gave much thought to the fact that the tiny brunette had been silent for over an hour. However, as everyone learned over the years, a silent Selphie was typically a terrifying Selphie. Not only that, but it was a general rule of thumb that if you could hear the girl before you actually saw her, you had a problem on your hands.
"You spin my head right round, right ROUND, when you go DOWN, when you go down DOWN!"
Quistis immediately made a mental note to kill whoever taught Selphie this song. Drunk, sober - regardless of her state of mind, she'd be singing it all week long.
"HEY! Walk out the house with some sweaters, hop in and let's go, I was eatin' some dough!"
Xu grumbled beneath her breath. "Hyne, I wish I had silence magic junctioned so I could end this fucking cruelty."
For the most part, Selphie's lyrics were completely unintelligible. She was using an empty beer bottle as a microphone while taking swigs out of what appeared to be a bottle of Estharian, triple distilled vodka. The skirt of her lime green dress swished from side to side as she jumped up and down in unbridled, drunken joy. Clearly, no one had to tell her when to get the party started - more often than not, Selphie Tilmitt was the party.
Quistis checked her watch. "It's only nine-thirty, Selphie…"
"Well, we know that at least one of us is ready for Cactuar Bar!" Xu shrugged and gave Quistis a squirt of the same perfume she used before grabbing her purse off of the dresser. Immediately, the scent of roses and cedar wood filled the air in an overpowering cloud. "Do me a favor, Quisty - grab my flask from the freezer?"
"The freezer?" The blonde checked the mini-fridge and noticed that Xu's flask was nestled right in the back of the freezer section. She felt the cold, smooth steel of its exterior on her fingertips and unscrewed the top, taking a whiff of its mysterious contents. "What do you have in this Hyne-forsaken thing?!"
"Oh, shut up and take a sip. It's a little something that I call Booze of the Unknown King." When Quistis failed to respond, Xu sighed. Obviously, she was the only one that found her moniker funny. "It's not a creative name, but trust me… It doesn't need one."
Xu was absolutely right about her concoction and its alarming potency. By the time the trio of women left the hotel and walked down the street to Cactuar Bar, the flask had been emptied. They giggled as the alcohol set in, pleasantly numbing their lips and cheeks. The lights of Deling City flashed that much brighter as they strolled the sidewalk, arms linked. It seemed as if all Gaia flooded this one particular street for the opening night of the Sorceress Festival. Everywhere one looked, another outrageous scene of debauchery was laid out for all the world to see. For the SeeDs, all of whom lived with a regimented schedule, this level of merriment and intoxication was almost too much for their senses to bear.
Selphie walked in the middle of the trio, her arms wrung tightly around those of Quistis and Xu. The bombed brunette didn't want to admit that she needed her friends for support, especially at such an early hour. Quistis was carrying a bottle of water that she would periodically hand to Selphie in an effort to flush at least some of the vodka from her system. The tiny girl would swallow a mouthful and slur a wholehearted thanks to her taller friend before handing the bottle back.
Cactuar Bar was the favorite Galbadian hangout for most of Balamb Garden, and tonight was no exception. Green and yellow lights flashed and dazzled outside the club as the three women handed the doorman their IDs and allowed him to stamp their hands. As soon as the doorman handed Selphie back her identification, she tore away from both Quistis and Xu - Irvine was waving wildly at them and was taller than most of the crowd.
Xu could sense the apprehension coming from Quistis and grabbed the blonde's hand. "Come on! Shots! Bar! GO!"
Being the taller of the two, Quistis led the way to the bar and inevitably their friends. Selphie already had her arms wound around Irvine's waist as the cowboy draped a protective arm around her shoulders. Zell was sitting on a stool and leaned back comfortably against the bar. Nida also stood with the group, tentatively sipping a large glass of dark-colored beer. The shy SeeD was the first to smile at the arrival of the duo; it was common knowledge that he had a crush on Xu, despite their drastic personality differences.
"How're you ladies doin' tonight?" Irvine drawled, his accent formulated by a combination of alcohol and his distinctive Galbadian twang.
"Thirsty!" Xu exclaimed as she tried to scope out a section of the bar that would be easiest to infiltrate and order her shots. "Where should we go, Quisty?"
Zell saw the girls trying to get near the bar and immediately shot up. "One of you guys could have my seat if ya want!" He said, trying to shout over the pulsating music.
Quistis smiled and nodded in his direction. For all of his boundless energy, Zell Dincht couldn't pass up an opportunity to be a gentleman. She took it upon herself to take his seat, teetering on her high heels in the process. The martial artist quickly grabbed her waist and steadied the tipsy instructor. "Thank you, Zell," she said, just loud enough to reach his ears over the resounding techno beat. "You're always…so nice."
He flashed her a smile that was every bit as bright as the lights outside of the club. "Just helping out a friend, Quisty. Do you want a drink?"
Right as Quistis was about to respond - a stiff White Wind sounded like a fabulous choice - Xu appeared out of seemingly nowhere and thrust a shot glass in her face. "Bottoms up, baby!" In the glass sloshed around a strange, pinkish liquid. "They're good! I just did two with the bartender - they were all on the house!"
The blonde woman took the glass and shrugged, downing its contents in one fell gulp. Zell watched her curiously as she drank - he never would have pegged Quistis for drinking anything beyond a glass of red wine. To see her in such a liberated state was surprising, but nevertheless made him happy. Ever since they were small, Zell always wanted to see Quistis have fun…it didn't happen nearly enough.
"…that was good!" Quistis said incredulously, her frosty blue eyes wide with astonishment. "It tasted like Ms. Moogle's Cake!"
Xu winked. "Hell to the yeah, it did!" The brunette leaned in close to Quistis. "I'm gonna go and pester Nida. He looks like he needs someone to shake him up a bit, eh?" They both glanced over at him, standing awkwardly and glancing around the club, hoping to find a familiar face. He looked as if he were about to talk to Irvine, but the cowboy was oblivious to the poor SeeD and instead lavished Selphie with all his attention. "Yeah…he totally needs someone to grab his ass. I'll be back."
Quistis watched as her friend sauntered towards the defenseless Nida. This had the potential to be either the greatest or most frightening night of his life, depending upon how Xu felt within the next fifteen minutes or so. With a smirk, she pivoted in her stool and hooked her heels on its bottom rung. She leaned against the bar and was about to order that White Wind when the stool next to her opened up and Zell took advantage. He fished several pieces of gil from his pocket and threw them down onto the weathered, wooden surface of the bar.
"I really was gonna buy you that drink, Quisty," he said, trying desperately to maintain his gentlemanly state of mind. She doesn't realize how great she looks right now…
It was true - Quistis sat there as if she were wearing her SeeD uniform, when in actuality she was nothing short of a bombshell. The deep violet of her sleeveless, strategically sliced top complemented her creamy white skin flawlessly. That tiny black skirt did nothing to conceal her damningly long legs. Not only that, but she wore her hair in a tousled style that reminded Zell of the way a girl's hair would look after a night of rollicking -
"Very well, Dincht." His former instructor and current friend gave him a sidelong smile, drumming her fingers absently against the tops of her thighs. She tried to meet his azure gaze, but the alcohol impeded her ability to do so…since when did Zell have four eyes? "I would love a White Wind, please."
"Ah, OK! Kinda girly, but I'll get it for you…" Zell was quickly successful in grabbing the bartender's attention; he ordered Quistis's cocktail and a Mimett lager for himself. "You sure you don't shoot whiskey like Xu?"
Behind them, Xu could be heard in full force. The sound of a slap reached their ears, and Quistis knew that Nida's backside was going to be sore in the morning. "Absolutely positive. It's bad enough we drank…whatever was in Xu's flask on the way over here." Her statement was interrupted by a hiccup that was quickly stifled.
"Shit! That wasn't Booze of the Unknown King, was it?"
"Maybe…?"
"Oh, man! That's some serious shit, Quisty - Xu made that for Squall's birthday last month. He had one cup of it, and that was the most I ever heard him talk. Ever."
"Really?" Quistis's eyes narrowed - anything strong enough to make Squall spew full sentences was certainly going to knock her for a loop.
The martial artist nodded. "Yeah, I'd pace myself tonight if I were you."
"I don't know if pacing yourself is an option when you're out with Xu…"
Without warning, a pair of arms slid themselves around the shoulders of both Zell and Quistis. Xu poked her head in between them, grinning uncharacteristically wide. "We are doing another shot. Right now. You bitches." She removed her arm from around Zell and waved to the bartender. "Another round of the pink ones, buddy!"
Four shots and a Galbadian Car Bomb later, Quistis Trepe wouldn't have known her name if you spelled it out for her. She knew that typically she could have handled that much alcohol - what was the problem?
Booze of the Unknown King…
She blinked once, twice, three times. The music was still loud and obnoxious, but the alcohol forced it sonorously into the background. Nida and Xu were nowhere to be found - after the last round of drinks, Xu decided that the reticent cadet was the most attractive guy in the room. Quistis laughed - either Nida's dreams were coming true, or were quite quickly turning into nightmares. Xu, despite her petite frame, was a lot of woman to handle - metaphorically speaking, anyway.
Zell was still sitting next to Quistis. Both were leaning their shoulders against the bar, staring out at the sea of characters before them. Selphie was still clinging to Irvine for dear life, but luckily had sobered up quite a bit. The cowboy was leaning against a support, letting the tiny brunette rest all her weight against his body. Around them were all of your atypical drunks - the dancers, the philosophers, the alcohol-induced best friends.
"Quisty?" Zell asked, turning to face his fellow blonde. He noticed the pink flush in her cheeks, a similar color to the liquid that was in her shot glass all night. His words came out slow and slurred. "I'm glad…you're here tonight. This is fun."
"I'm glad too." She replied with a luminous grin.
"Aw, that's great…I've been waiting so long to see you smile again, Quisty…"
She cocked her head to the side. For some reason or another, his comment created a sudden swell of emotion within her that she couldn't quite explain. "What, Zell?"
At first, he thought that she didn't hear him. However, upon evaluating the expression on her face, he knew that she was well aware of what he said. "Uh, what I meant was…you just seemed so sad lately, and, uh…I want you to be happy, Quis! You need to smile…you're so pretty when you smile."
The martial artist barely got his last words out before Quistis grabbed him roughly by the hand and was leading him through the crowd, to the front door… When they reached the sidewalk, cool air rushed around them and sent a shiver down the blonde man's spine. All the lights seemed dimmer now, and the people walking the streets were less numerous.
"Quistis?"
Much to Zell's surprise, his question was met with Quistis - the blonde bombshell, no less - grabbing him by the collar of his tee shirt and tugging his body to her own. She crushed her lips against his, neither one having a chance to really catch their breath. The taste of various liquors danced and combined with one another as she explored his mouth with her tongue, casting all inhibition aside.
The poor young man was in a state of shock, arms hanging loosely at his sides. What do you do when your former instructor and childhood friend is kissing you madly, whimpering, one hand grabbing your hair and the other clawing at your shirt? Zell decided that this was probably never going to happen again and to take advantage of the situation - gentleman be damned! He wrapped his arms around her waist and forced her against the brick wall of the club. The scent of roses - undoubtedly from Quistis's perfume - mingled with the sweet, burning scent of the booze, driving him absolutely crazy. She moaned against his lips at the moment of impact. Cool brick against warm skin never felt so good.
Suddenly, Quistis broke the kiss and stared into Zell's eyes, bewildered. "What…?"
"Is everything all right?" The gentleman in Zell quickly reappeared; his hands dropped from Quistis's hips and he took a step backwards. Alcohol inundated his senses, making him feel woozy - although a bit of it was probably brought upon by the intensity of the kiss. "Quisty? You OK?"
"Yeah, yeah…" She placed a palm against her forehead and exhaled, the confused expression never quite leaving her face. Even to Zell's inebriate eye, he could tell at that moment that Quistis Trepe was far drunker than he. "I just…"
"What? Are you gonna be sick?"
"No." Surprisingly - Quistis was full of surprises tonight - the blonde instructor's appearance softened. "You…want me to be happy?"
"Of course I do!" Zell answered with no hesitation. "Why wouldn't I? You're one of my oldest friends…"
Out of the corner of her eye, Quistis unexpectedly spotted Nida and Xu. Knowing full well that she should scoop up Xu and head back to the hotel, Quistis nodded towards them. "I really should go to sleep…"
"…that's probably a good idea," Zell replied with a strange tone in his voice, thoroughly staggered that she changed gears so quickly. Was the tone in his voice disappointment?
"Zell," She began, still leaning against the wall, "I mean, if you were up for it…I don't know which hotel you and Irvine are staying in, but we're in the Galbadia. Selphie will probably stay with Irvine, so…"
No. Fucking. Way. Was Quistis Trepe inviting Zell Dincht back to her room? He was almost tempted to pinch himself right then and there - this couldn't actually be happening. Not in a million years, nor in Time Compression…never.
"Um…OK? I'll probably just sleep on your couch, though…"
Quistis's eyes narrowed as she tried to think of her room number. Was it 320? No, it couldn't have been…520? I think that's it…right?
"Our room is 520. I'm going to get Xu, but…" Quistis leaned forward and pressed her lips against Zell's one last time. "Come by once you tell Irvine where you'll be, all right?"
With all the subtlety and grace of an angel, Quistis then slid out of Zell's hands and made her way towards Xu. However, once she was out of the martial artist's sight, Quistis suddenly traded in said ethereal grace for the clumsiness of a newborn Moomba. One of her high heels snapped and with a yelp, Instructor Trepe went tumbling down.
"Quisty!" Xu yelled as her friend laid drunkenly on the ground, blue eyes closed shut. Her arms were laid out to the sides and her legs straight, giving her the very rigid shape of a 't.' "What the fuck? Is anyone alive down there?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Suddenly, the blonde began to laugh - quite loudly, at that. "I haven't had this much fun in ages!"
After saying goodbye to Nida, whose face betrayed the fact that Xu had more than likely scarred him for life, Xu and Quistis stumbled back to the Galbadia Hotel. The shorter brunette was supporting most of her friend's weight; clearly, Xu had forgotten the fact that she could drink Quistis under the table without trying. Hell, Xu could probably drink Ward Zabac under the table without trying. It was only one of her varied, Hyne-given gifts.
"You spin my head right round…right rooound," Quistis drunkenly crooned. She was holding her broken shoe in one hand, flailing it about without much thought. "Down, down, dooooown…"
"Look, look!" Xu pointed to a small café that was still open. She grinned, knowing that its owners probably would make a killing during the Sorceress Festival with all the drunks coming in and out for coffee and pastries. "You hang out right here - the hotel is just up the block, OK? I'm going to get us some coffee."
She looked both ways and quickly crossed the street, leaving Quistis to stand against the wall of a boutique that was closed until the morning. Sadly, this wall didn't conjure up the same passionate feeling that surged through her blood as she kissed Zell earlier.
"Wait…I kissed Zell?" Quistis wondered out loud. "Oh, fuck…" What was the alcohol doing to her senses? She made a mental note to kill Xu in the morning, although much like her reminder to eliminate Selphie's troubadour from earlier, it was to go entirely unchecked.
"Instructor? What a sight for sore eyes!"
Through bleary blue eyes, Quistis followed the sound of that familiar, husky voice. Seifer Almasy stood several feet away, his head tilted to the side. Of anyone in the former Knight's life, it was Quistis that he slowly grew a special fondness for - although he would never admit it. He recognized several traits in her, but only because he had them in himself. Now as she stood in front of him, probably too drunk to even know who he was, Seifer had a sudden and strange urge to protect her.
Of course, that urge could have been so strong due to the fact that he was also quite under the influence himself. The only way that Seifer was to evade the hateful glares and snickering of the crowds was to drown his senses. Unfortunately, the world hadn't quite forgotten the Sorceress's Knight.
"What in Hyne's name do you want, Almasy?"
Shit. She does recognize me…Trepe is sharp. "Nothing in particular. I was just wandering around, you know… This is a week-long party to celebrate my failure, and I'm just a glutton for punishment."
"Seifer…" She tried to stand, but quickly discovered that the least compatible thing to go with alcohol consumption was a broken shoe. The bizarre imbalance between having only one shoe on would have sent Quistis falling flat on her face, if Seifer hadn't caught her within inches of impact.
"Who the hell let you get so fucking drunk, Instructor?" Seifer's green eyes smirked at her, thoroughly entertained at the lovely blonde in his arms. "Sure, it's an interesting change of pace, but you're…above the influence."
"…fuck you, Almasy." Quistis struggled against his grip, but to no avail. The tall, sturdy blonde stood and took her with him, making sure that she wouldn't fall again. "Why did you even bother to come here anyway? You know these people hate you."
The word 'hate' sounded especially acidic coming from Quistis's mouth, and Seifer recoiled from the term. "It's not…it's not that simple to explain."
"Yes, it is!" Seifer finally let Quistis go. The leggy blonde decided to take off her remaining shoe and held onto both of them as she stomped back to the Galbadia Hotel. Not surprisingly, Seifer was right on her heels. "I just don't want to hear it right now, all right?"
"OK - Quisty, I'm not gonna be mad right now. I'm drunk, and you're…really drunk…but come on! You know the reason why I'm here!" He was surprised when she suddenly turned to face him. Her expression had changed from confused to pitiful to fuming in the last several minutes, and Seifer couldn't help but internally laugh - she was just like anyone else after a couple drinks. "You know why."
"Enlighten me."
"Maybe…" Seifer began, but both the alcohol and his reticence to show his emotions made it excessively difficult. "Maybe I go to the place where everyone hates me, just to find the one person that doesn't. The only friend that I have right now, even four years after I…fucked up."
The cool air once again whipped by, dancing with Quistis's blonde strands as she stared at the young man before her. Whereas he would normally meet her gaze with his proud, emerald eyes, Seifer was now staring at the ground, hands in his pockets. "What do you need?"
He simply shrugged. "Nothin' much. Just…wanted to see you."
"Seifer, I…" As the breeze continued to blow, Quistis reached out to him with the hand that wasn't holding her shoes. "We could talk, if you'd like. Want to talk?"
"…sure." After a moment of contemplation, Seifer tentatively reached out and took Quistis's hand in his own. It felt foreign to him - he couldn't remember the last time he held a woman's hand. Most women didn't want to hold the hand of the man that may have killed their family or friends.
"Xu and I are staying at the Galbadia," She said quietly. "Room…520?"
They began to walk in the direction of the hotel, and Seifer suddenly laughed. "520?"
"Yeah, what's so funny about that?" She asked, her temper piqued.
"Oh, Instructor. You must have known I was coming…520 is my room."
After searching up and down the street for an hour, Xu finally relented in her search for Quistis and returned to their hotel room. She trudged down the hallway and swung the door open, not caring whether or not it slammed roughly against the wall.
"Fucking Quisty…you better be alive in the morning, or I'm going to be so pissed off."
Xu didn't think much of it - nor did she realize at the time - but the number that was plastered outside of the door she previously slammed was not 520. No, it wasn't 520 at all.
…she really should have told Zell 320 instead.
