Squall left the house after breakfast, assuring Rinoa that he would return in time for lunch. The streets of Balamb were still hazy with mist as he made his way to the Hotel, most of the vendors opening up shop slowly and quietly. Squall enjoyed the early morning traffic – light and casual, mostly just people getting ready for work. The Hotel staff was alert and up, ushering the young man to the restaurant. Squall entered the small dining room and spotted the people he was supposed to meet; they waved at him and indicated for him to sit down.

Zell grinned as Squall sat down and asked, "Everything good? You're late, that's not usual."

"Rinoa." Squall explained briskly, settling next to Irvine. "Where's Selphie?" He asked, noticing that the perky blonde wasn't around.

Irvine winced and said, "She heard I was coming and canceled. Doesn't want to see me, you know. Honestly, we broke up four years ago, you'd think I broke her heart or something." Irvine took a sip of his coffee and continued, "Anyhow, it's only going to be us guys today, because Quistis had to deal with a bunch of ten year old candidates."

"Oh." Squall accepted a cup of coffee from the waitress and shrugged. "Whatever."

Zell began talking, "Well, Laguna is all for it, right? A Garden in Eshtar would be perfect, especially with the hero of the Balamb War as headmaster." He sidled a glance up at Squall.

Squall shook his head, "Laguna told me that while he's willing to place a Garden in Eshtar, he can't afford to fund it, so we're going to have to find the funding elsewhere. With Balamb scrapped for funds after the war, we're going to have to look hard." He took a drink of his coffee.

Irvine ran a hand nervously over his braid and suggested, "Well, we could always petition Cid Kramer…after all, you two are technically his Seed, so maybe you can get some money that way."

"Cid's not gonna fund another Garden, Irvine, that's competition." Zell piped up, looking up from his eggs and waffles. "Would the Headmaster of Galbadia Garden fund another Garden? I don't think so!"

"Cid's a lot more reasonable than the Headmaster over at Galbadia." Irvine retorted, and shrugged. "We could try getting a loan from the Bank of Trabia. They're still pretty economically stable, don't you think?"

"Maybe if we got several loans, Irvine." Squall drank his coffee.

"Oh!" Zell suddenly looked up and burbled, "Why don't you ask Rinoa's dad? He's got money, yeah? And she's your wife, you know, so it's not like…" his voice trailed off as Squall shook his head. "Why not?"

"I don't want Rinoa involved in this. If we borrow money from her father, she's going to want to paint, and decorate, and choose candidates, and just…be involved." There was silence as Irvine and Zell looked at each other.

Squall finally set his cup of coffee down and asked, "Well, any other ideas? Preferably none that involve a bake sale."

Irvine shrugged, "I'll have to think about it. I'm all set for whatever, but I do have to be back in Galbadia for dinner tomorrow."

"Hot date?" Zell asked honestly.

"Promotion dinner." Irvine responded. "I wish I had a date, but alas…" He stood and stretched his lean muscles. "Well, it's alright, I suppose. Hey, weren't you supposed to be there, Squall? I thought you were being recognized for you prowess, or something."

Squall's face didn't change as he replied, "Can't go. I'm having Quistis go in my stead."

Irvine nodded, rubbing his left arm hard. Squall knew that it was where a gunblade had hit him and that the scar there bothered him. The taller man drawled, "I'm going to go back to bed, you guys want to meet at the Garden for dinner? Maybe we can cosset Selphie to talk to me."

"Lets just hope it doesn't end in her hitting you with her handbag like last time!" Zell grinned, and Irvine laughed. He waved and left Squall and Zell alone at the table.

Zell looked around to see if anyone was listening and asked, "Are you fighting with Rinoa?"

Squall didn't think when he replied, "No." He paused and sipped a bit of coffee and shrugged. "We don't fight."

"You don't fight cause you don't disagree or don't fight cause you don't have the energy to fight?" Zell asked, his blue eyes fixed on Squall.

Squall looked up at the other warrior and actually took him in. Since their Garden days, Zell hadn't grown much, staying on the short side. He had finally grown out his ridiculous hairstyle, and kept it neatly tucked in a tail at the base of his neck. However, his body had lost all of the remaining childishness, giving Zell a more intense gaze. He had tattooed the other side of his face to match, framing his eyes nicely.

Squall shook his head. "It doesn't matter. The point is we don't fight."

Zell sighed and said, "It's really pointless to be married to someone you don't want to deal with, Squall." There was silence again, and finally Zell stood up. "Look, you know you can always talk to me about it."

Squall nodded and waited for Zell to leave. After the shorter man had gone home, Squall sat back and thought about what Zell had said. Zell was single, and so was Irvine. Quistis had been engaged for a number of years but recently she called it off, saying that it wouldn't work out. Selphie was a serial monogamist, convinced that every relationship she got into would be "the relationship." Seifer had dated Fuujin for a couple of years, but it had fizzled out to nothing when she couldn't keep up with his passion.

Seifer had always been Squall's rival, but in the Balamb War Seifer had been called into service, even though he wasn't a Seed and technically his service was not only illegal but highly unusual, considering his history. He had been handed over to Squall to supervise, and despite Squall's initial hesitance to allow it and his certainty that Seifer would be impossible to deal with, it had not been so bad. Seifer took orders, followed them and never complained, not even when they were slogging through mud and sleet.

When they had returned from the war, Squall recommended Seifer for immediate First-Class Seed title and honors. There had been debate, and it was still raging – if the volatile young man could be managed and if he could be trusted not to betray Balamb again.

Seifer had attained the First-Class status, and though while they were not friends, Squall and Seifer from then on kept a mutual quiet truce. It had been one night in Trabia that Seifer had confessed his compliance. "The way I see it, Squall," he said, knocking back beers, "This is my last chance at something. I just don't want to fuck it up again, even if it does mean I have to serve under a bastard like you."

Squall hadn't replied with anything more than a grunt, and Seifer had laughed. "From the time we were four, you've never changed. Still a quiet son-of-a-bitch."

It was a comment tha Squall had never forgotten, if only because he realize then how true it was.