Chapter 6: Into the Fire…Again
Monday morning. Nida stood outside Squall's office, preparing to knock. He knew, or at least thought he knew, why Squall wanted to see him before he resumed his duties in the MD level, and couldn't blame him. He wanted to see if Nida was actually ready to go back down there. While the loss of his colleagues still hurt, Nida had gotten past blaming himself for it with Quistis' help. Mostly. He felt confident however that Squall would see that he was ready.
Nida didn't think Quistis had any idea how…healing…the time they'd spent together over the weekend had actually been for him. It wasn't just that they'd damn near exhausted themselves in the bedroom, though that certainly hadn't hurt. It was the understanding that came with it. Unexpected and very welcome, it had allowed him to pour out his grief to Quistis without fear of judgment.
It was also the small moments that they'd shared outside of the bedroom, from the drive to Deling City when he'd gotten pulled over, to the moment in the café at breakfast, to the elegant dinner they'd shared for no other reason than they could. Even if ultimately he and Quistis went their separate ways, though Nida devoutly hoped that would not happen, he would always treasure the memories of their first weekend together. He hoped that they'd be able to continue creating such memories.
One thing was certain; Nida was completely, irrevocably and utterly in love with her.
Shaking himself out of his reverie, Nida knocked on the door.
Squall opened it and bade him enter. Nida smiled to himself. His commander still hadn't managed to find an assistant, despite the constant stream of applicants that Nida saw in the outer waiting area just about every time he came up there.
Seating himself back down at his desk, Squall gestured to another seat opposite and said, "Have a seat Nida."
"Okay, thank you." Nida said, sitting down as directed. The chaos seemed to have abated somewhat, likely due to Squall's diligence in addressing all of those things that had piled up. He knew Squall had logged more than one late night while dealing with it, and he spared a moment of sympathy for the commander's wife.
Then again, knowing Rinoa, Nida wouldn't have put it past her to simply waltz into Squall's office and demand that her husband take care of business. He rather suspected that Rinoa wouldn't have to try very hard to get Squall's attention either, if she did do something like that. Her simply showing up would likely have done the trick.
Squall studied Nida in silence for a moment, before commenting, "You look relaxed. Okay about going back down to the MD level?"
"I am. I took off and went to Deling City for the weekend. It…helped." Nida replied, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face at the memory.
Squall raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly, asking, "Was she cute?"
"Gorgeous." Nida answered truthfully.
Squall chuckled quietly, and then said, "Well, it obviously worked for you."
"It did," Nida said with a grin. Then he sobered and said, "I'd like to bring about four more SeeDs with me today."
Squall frowned then and said, "I'm sorry Nida but I can't spare them. However, and I'm kicking myself right now for not thinking of this earlier… I have something that will work even better and help you get your duties completed there without incident."
"What?" Nida asked, wondering what Squall could be referring to.
"Diablos." Squall answered.
Nida stared at him, saying, "But that's your GF…"
"Yes, one of them anyway. To be honest, it didn't even occur to me to offer its use to you when it would have done you the most good. For that, I have to apologize." Squall said seriously, passing the token representing Diablos over to Nida.
Nida frowned. Squall was apologizing to him for not thinking of offering his GF?
"Why?" Nida asked.
Squall sighed, "I dropped all of my junctions when I signed up for the SeeD games to get used to training without them. I don't have any fieldwork scheduled, and I'm not taking on any jobs that would require it. They aren't being used and they're getting bored."
"I have a GF. Aeryon's a fire based GF and does pretty well down there." Nida said, still frowning.
"I know. Trust me. Take Diablos. It's not a fire elemental at all, but it has the ability to discourage attacks by all but the largest of monsters, and I know we don't have any of those down there with the possible exception of the Oilboyles. It'll make your job much easier." Squall told him.
"Okay," Nida said, finally reaching out and picking up the token. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." Squall said, dismissing him.
Nida left Squall's office feeling somewhat bemused at the whole exchange, particularly Squall's tacit admission of his own fallibility. Rather than diminishing his confidence in and respect for his commander however, it actually enhanced it. It illustrated brilliantly that nobody was perfect, oversights did occur at even the highest levels and no blame could be laid because of that as long as it was not due to simple incompetence, which Nida knew was not the case. Not for him, and certainly not for Squall.
He entered the lift and punched the code enabling him to descend to the MD level, taking the opportunity during the ride down to junction Diablos. He closed his fist over the token, cleared his mind and called to it, allowing it to enter and take up residence.
Command me, master, Itsaid, startling him. Squall had neglected to mention that this particular GF could speak. The alien feel of the Guardian's mind made Nida shudder, and wonder if this might partially explain Squall's remoteness.
Perhaps, though even now, even married and far more accessible than he had been in the past, it was still difficult to tell what Squall was thinking or feeling, and well-nigh impossible to detect if he were junctioned or not. But he did wonder if one's personality traits were affected by the Guardian he junctioned.
Hard to say, but Squall's preferred Guardians included both Shiva and Diablos. The Ice Goddess and the Daemon. And Squall was definitely cool and aloof, still, even after so many years. But that could simply be his nature. Nida didn't know how often Squall junctioned and if it was those two particular Guardians each and every time. He had literally a dozen GF's to choose from, and could select whichever Guardian best fit the situation.
Nida felt the presence in his mind, waiting patiently for his direction, and thought to it, Repel all attacks. No encounters.
By your command, It acknowledged. Nida heaved a sigh of relief at having at least one worry lifted from his list of concerns.
The elevator pinged, signaling its arrival at the requested level, and the doors slid open. Nida stepped through and saw his team waiting for him. He swallowed, and walked hesitantly toward them. They were all there. All of them, even Kessia.
"Kess…what are you doing here? You should still be resting." He said, worried.
"I'm fine Nida, thanks to you." Kessia said, taking his hands and squeezing them.
"Its thanks to me you got hurt in the first place Kess…" Nida said, frowning.
Kessia shook her head, refuting that statement. "Grendels are tough to kill Nida, we all knew what we were in for. I'm just glad you managed to save Ben and I."
At the mention of the other injured SeeD, Nida frowned and looked around, not seeing him.
"Is he okay? How's he doing?" Nida asked.
"He's doing better, but he wasn't quite up to coming down yet. At least, not according to Dr. Kadowaki, and she's the one who has to sign off on it before Commander Leonhart will allow him to return to duty." Kessia answered him.
"Well, I'm glad you and everyone else are back down here. I'm…sorry, for not visiting you and Ben, Kessie. I… I had to get out of here." Nida said, hesitantly.
"That's okay Nida, I get it." Kessia said, giving him a slight smile.
"So where'd you go? We kind of had a … a memorial for Reya, Rick and Trace, Saturday night. Basically we all got together, reminisced about them, and got rip-roaring drunk. I looked for you to see if you wanted to go but you were gone." Kris asked him.
"I'm sorry I missed it. I took off for Deling City for the weekend on Friday, and got back yesterday." Nida answered.
Kris suddenly grinned, asking, "You didn't happen to invite a certain gorgeous blond to come along with you, did you? I seem to recall that Quistis Trepe was also inexplicably M.I.A this weekend as well."
Nida couldn't help grinning as he confirmed, "I did."
"Judging by the grin, you must have had a great time." Kessia commented, smiling at him. Nida shrugged, still grinning, but declined to provide details or confirm if any activities of a certain type took place. It wasn't hard though to discern that something had happened, and the males present at least could just about guarantee that at some point during the weekend, Nida had gotten laid. That smug grin practically shouted it.
Then his grin faded and he turned serious, telling everyone, "Well, this week, I think our work's going to be a little easier. In fact, if it goes like I hope it will, we may not even need to be down here for the full week."
"Really? Great! So what are we doing today?" Kris asked, eyes bright and interested. Out of nowhere, a pang struck Nida as he remembered Reya's habit of asking him, "so what's the plan boss?"
He hadn't realized how much of a friend as well as a partner she had become until he had to carry on without her. He missed her.
Shaking it off the best he could (though his heart still ached) Nida answered, "pretty much the same thing we've been doing. Keep alert, but I don't think we'll have too much trouble with the monsters today. If anything attacks at all it'll be the Oilboyles."
The SeeDs exchanged relieved looks and nodded. Nida had to admire their commitment to their job, in spite of what had happened.
Seeing that everyone appeared ready to work, Nida picked up the toolbox that had been left tucked against a bulkhead and headed toward the power core, saying, "I still need to check that power core. We took care of the Grendels, but I didn't manage to do anything else…" then his voice faded and he swallowed as he walked toward the area where the battle had taken place. Where Reya, Rick and Trace had died. Where their blood still showed black on the deck plates.
Blinking tears from his eyes, he cast a water spell to wash the blood away.
"Okay Trey, are you ready?" Quistis asked the young cadet she was escorting to the Fire Cavern.
"Yes, instructor Trepe." The young man answered.
"Good." Quistis said, and they approached the entrance, notified the faculty members of their identities, and entered the cavern.
"I heard Michelle defeated Ifrit already, so why are we here? Is there another elemental GF here as well?" Trey asked her.
"Yes. We just discovered it a few weeks ago. It's a low-level fire elemental like Ifrit, should be challenging enough without being too dangerous. " Quistis assured him.
"Oh, okay. Well, I've stocked plenty of blizzaga spells, so that should help." The cadet said confidently. Quistis nodded.
The lurid light from the pits of fire lining the pathway gave them both a ruddy cast, and Quistis' uniform was soaked through with sweat in moments. Trey, a rare true redhead, looked as though he was on fire, his hair blazing in the firelight like he was a fire elemental himself. Quistis had to admire the color for its sheer vibrancy, though she was still partial to brunettes. His exotic look certainly hadn't hurt the boy's popularity; Quistis had seen more than one girl mooning over him.
This new elemental was an unknown quantity to both of them; Quistis had decided to go with the more established GFs first for the prospective SeeDs before taking a chance on this new creature. It was a fire elemental however, so the principals regarding fighting it should be the same as with Ifrit. Still, she would remain on her guard, in case the cadet needed assistance.
You have entered my domain. In the absence of Lord Ifrit, it falls to me to guard this place. Do you now seek to challenge ME? A voice hissed to them both from the darkness beyond the pits of lava.
Trey and Quistis froze as a creature, glowing fiery red and wreathed in flame, crawled from a lava pit directly ahead of them. It hissed again, flicking its tongue out while the flames died down and the glowing red of its skin faded, revealing a gigantic black and red salamander-like form. It advanced upon them slowly, menacingly, hissing like water hitting a hot skillet.
Challenge me then. It hissed at them, and then it attacked, spitting flames.
Quistis flicked her whip at it, causing it to whirl upon her with a hissing snarl as the whip stung it with the ice magic she had enhanced her attack with. Trey seized the opportunity to cast a strong blizzaga spell. Quistis started lobbing ice magic at the monster as well, angering it further.
It countered by belching liquid fire at them, the smallest fleck of which, when it splashed upon Quistis' arm, forced a scream of pain from her. She desperately cast cure upon herself to stop the molten liquid from eating through to her bones. Then she lashed it one, two, three times, backing it off and giving Trey time to summon Shiva. The ice elemental appeared and blasted the fire-salamander with its diamond dust attack, weakening it.
I will not bow to YOU, pathetic weaklings! I am the heart of the flame, the core of the mountain. The sire of the great fire serpent; feel my rage and die in despair! I AM LOKI! The creature roared, and Quistis began to truly fear that they had made a grave mistake in underestimating its strength. This was NOT a lower-level GF, but a creature on the same level as Odin, and far nastier. Odin simply tested your strength and agreed to help if he found you worthy. This creature just wanted to kill you.
"Keep throwing Shiva at it, Trey! Don't stop, no matter what you do!" Quistis called to him, ducking as the elemental snarled at her and lashed her with its tail in return for the icy lashes she laid upon it. She cast cure once, twice, three times, upon herself, and then upon Trey, while he busily summoned Shiva.
The fight seemed to go on forever, and even Shiva was getting tired, but the creature continued to fight stubbornly. But it was weakening. Each attack from Shiva forced a scream of pain from it now, each blizzaga attack, each lash from Quistis' whip, cooled the salamander's flame a little more.
One last summon of Shiva and the salamander collapsed in a cloud of steam, hissing weakly.
I am defeated? Then kill me now, for I will not serve as a slave. It hissed, dulled eyes still glaring a baleful yellow at them.
"Would you prefer as a partner then? Joining me in glorious battle against all our enemies?" Trey asked it.
The elemental considered this, then hissed, Yesss…. but I will not share your mind with the ice maiden. I will join with you when she is banished.
"Fair enough." Trey agreed, and the fire elemental vanished. Trey went to pick up the token it left behind and stared at it in awe. It was salamander pendant made of pure gold.
"That's… amazing." Quistis murmured, studying it. Usually the Guardians used base metals for their representations. It was merely a physical token linking them to this plane so that it was easier to junction with them. It always disappeared with the junction.
"That wasn't just a low-level fire elemental, was it?" Trey asked her as they made their way out of the caverns.
"No. I think we way underestimated its strength. We were lucky we had Shiva with us. I don't think anything else would have worked to defeat it. If you can get it to work with you, you'll have a strong elemental in your corner." Quistis told him. She'd have to tell Squall about this new Guardian.
"I'll have to drop my junction with Shiva as soon as we get back to Garden. Then I'll start working with Loki in the training center." Trey said, thinking about his new GF and wondering how it would feel junctioned to him.
"Very good Trey. Let me know how it works out. Hopefully, it'll be ready for you to use on the field exam." Quistis said.
"Well, I've got a few days to work with it, so I'm pretty sure it will." Trey told her.
They parted company upon reaching Balamb Garden, with Trey dropping Shiva's junction immediately and handing its token over to Quistis. After assuring her he'd have a partner with him in the training center as he started to work with his new GF, Quistis left him to it and went to return Shiva to Squall.
She got about halfway there before remembering that she was soaked through with sweat and disheveled looking. Not the best image to present to the Commander, friend or not. So she detoured to her room and took a quick shower, changing into a fresh uniform before continuing to Squall's office.
She passed through the waiting area and paused in surprise at the number of people that occupied it. Most of them were young, female, and dressed provocatively. Quistis shook her head with a sigh. She was about to continue on to Squall's office when a statuesque blond stormed down the hallway, fire blazing in her green eyes.
Pausing as she passed Quistis, she said snidely, "If you're looking to catch the commander's eye, don't bother. I've never met a colder bastard in my life. I feel sorry for his wife."
Quistis tilted her head and asked the young woman coolly, "Why pity his wife that he wouldn't cheat on her with you? Sounds to me like he's behaving admirably."
The young woman closed her mouth with a snap, unable to argue with that logic, and stormed out of the room. Quistis sighed and shook her head.
Surveying the rest of the people present, she asked the group at large, "How many of you are here to interview for the secretary/administrative assistant's position for Commander Leonhart?" The majority of those gathered raised their hands.
Quistis nodded, then asked them, "And how many of you present have actual experience and know what is required of an administrative assistant?" About half of those who'd raised their hands with the first question, raised their hands again at this question.
"Those of you who did not raise your hands just now, you may leave. If you don't know what the job entails, you're wasting your time and ours. Those of you who did, if you do not have a resume and references, you may also leave." Quistis waited as those people who did not meet those requirements got up and left.
Studying the remaining applicants, Quistis said, "Now. Those of you that are still here I am assuming have a resume, references and experience in this type of work. Commander Leonhart will interview you each in turn. Please keep in mind that this is a professional setting and the commander will require someone with a professional mindset and a work ethic to mirror his own. Any step away from professional businesslike behavior at any point will not be tolerated. In other words: he's happily married and not interested in changing that. Deal with it."
Quistis turned to continue to Squall's office, and started when she saw him leaning casually against the wall out of sight of the waiting room, with his arms folded across his chest and a small smile playing about his lips.
"You're hired." He said, smile broadening into a grin.
"Sorry, I've already got a job." Quistis said, smiling back at him as she led the way back to his office.
"Well, thanks anyway for sorting that out at least. It'll make my job of finding an assistant a little less aggravating." He said, crossing his office to his desk and leaning against it.
"How are your cadets coming along?" He asked her.
"Fine. So far, everyone's passed their prerequisites and is simply waiting for the field exam. I just took Trey into the Fire Caverns this morning to try for that new GF we found." Quistis reported.
Squall raised his eyebrows with interest and asked her, "How'd it go?"
"It was a tough fight. Without Shiva we wouldn't have made it. Speaking of which, here." Quistis said, handing Squall the token back. He took the token and pocketed it.
Squall frowned, saying, "It shouldn't have been that tough, it was a low level fire elemental, wasn't it?"
Quistis shook her head, "No. I think its strength was underestimated. This GF is on the same level as Odin, I think. Maybe even Bahamut. It was about as hard to defeat as Bahamut was, at any rate. And this one had a distinct personality. Very stubborn and very proud."
"Really? But Cadet Stone defeated it? And it agreed to join him?" Squall asked.
"He had to drop his junction with Shiva, but yes." Quistis answered.
"How shall we register it then?" Squall asked, rounding his desk to sit down at his computer and pulling up the cadet's file.
"Cadet Trey Stone. GF Loki, fire elemental." Quistis answered. Squall entered the information onto the computer.
Upon finishing that task, Squall leaned back in his chair and said, "So, everyone's ready for the field exam it sounds like. And Nida's made some good headway down in the MD level, though I don't know yet how things are going down there today. I gave him Diablos though, so it should make things a lot easier for him."
Quistis couldn't help a sigh of relief at hearing that, "Good. So he should be on pace to finish by the end of this week."
"If not sooner," Squall agreed.
"Then it's the field exam next week." Quistis said.
Squall nodded. "I have every confidence that your cadets will pass Quistis. This is the largest and best-trained group of cadets I've yet seen, and the majority of them are your students."
"Thank you Squall." Quistis said, warmed by his statement.
Then he sighed, glancing toward his door with a grimace, "I really hope I manage to find an assistant soon. I'm going to need all the help I can get if I'm going to keep things running smoothly while trying to train for the SeeD games and train the gunbladers part time."
Quistis frowned, thinking about that, and said, "Well, for this week I'm going to be on a light schedule until after the field exam. Mostly, just the underclassmen, and only in the mornings. If you need help weeding out the wannabes from the people who are actually serious about working for you, let me know. I'm certainly not opposed to booting out the barracudas."
Squall laughed at that and grinned up at her, "Thanks Quistis, I'll take you up on that. In fact, you can start now by sending in the next applicant before you leave."
"I got rid of more than half of them, and I'm not going to go through your list. How about I just send someone in and you decide if they're worth your time or not?" Quistis suggested.
"All right then. And thanks again." Squall said, folding his arms as Quistis nodded and left his office.
Returning to the waiting area, Quistis approached the nearest applicant and asked, "May I see your resume?" The young woman nodded and handed it to Quistis. She scanned through it quickly and studied the young woman for a moment. Young and pretty, but she had dressed conservatively and was by all appearances serious about applying for the job as assistant, rather than mistress.
Handing the resume back to the girl, Quistis said, "The commander will see you now."
Wiping sweat off his face, Nida glanced at his watch and sighed. Five P.M. and he was nowhere near finished with the power core. Oh, the damage done by the grendels had been slight, but as Nida had feared, the power fluctuations had thrown everything out of whack. Which meant that he had to recalibrate everything, a painstaking, exacting task.
Fortunately, he didn't have to reset all the breakers or replace all the fuses. He'd checked all of them first, a task that had taken half of the day to complete. The recalibration was nearly done, and the rest of what he had to do could be started tomorrow, so there was no need to stay late today, fortunately.
"Nida? Are we about done here?" Kris asked him.
Nida straightened up and groaned as he heard his spine crack, answering, "Yeah, if you guys want to knock off for the day, that's fine. I'll be done here shortly anyway."
"We'll leave when you do. I know we didn't have too much trouble today, but still…"Kris replied.
"I'll be fine, really." Nida said.
Kris shook his head solemnly after glancing around at the rest of the SeeDs and said, "We'll wait."
"All right." Nida sighed, and then bent back down to his task, finishing the calibration a few minutes later.
He packed up the tools he'd used and stowed them away carefully, grabbing his shirt from a railing he'd tossed it over. He wiped his sweaty face with it and then put it back on, wincing. If he intended to stop by Quistis' place later on, he'd need a shower first.
He followed the group to the elevator, and leaned against the wall, sighing, while someone pressed the button for the main floor.
"Tired?" Kris asked him.
"Yeah. Long day." Nida answered.
"Got a lot done though," Kris commented.
"Yeah, we did. Barring any unforeseen disasters, we should be done with this in just a few days." Nida said.
"And then what?" Kessie asked him.
"I dunno. Get an early jump on the weekend I guess, unless Squall decides you guys need something to do." Nida answered. The bell pinged, signaling that they'd reached their floor, and the doors opened.
As they all exited the lift, Kris looked back and asked, "a couple of us were gonna get a few beers. You in Nida?"
Nida shook his head, "Some other time Kris, I'm beat. All I really want is a shower, dinner, and a couple of hours to just…relax."
Kris gave him a knowing grin, and a couple of the other guys chuckled softly as he said, "With a certain blond, I'm guessing." Nida shrugged smiling slightly, not bothering to deny it.
"Well, see you tomorrow then." Kris said, slipping his arm around the waist of one of the young men and kissing him on the cheek. "Let's go get those beers."
"You buying?" the young man asked.
"Maybe the first round." Kris answered as they walked off.
"What about you Kess, you going with them?" Nida asked her.
She shook her head, answering, "No, I'm beat too. I'm gonna shower, get dinner and sack out."
"All right. You have a good night then." Nida told her, and she smiled slightly and left.
He watched her go for a moment, and then headed toward his room, wondering if Quistis was busy and if she wanted to get dinner with him. He decided he'd give her a call after his shower. He certainly didn't want to see her as grimy and sweaty as he was right at the moment.
Upon entering his apartment, he went straight for the bathroom, not even bothering with the beer he had in his fridge. He needed that shower too badly. The beer could wait.
He sighed in relief as he stepped under the warm spray and the heat began to soothe the tension in his back and neck. He hadn't had to swing his sword around at all today but that didn't mean that what he'd done hadn't been physically taxing. Climbing up and down ladders, prying loose stuck bolts and wrestling with rusted bits and pieces certainly wasn't easy, and he had the skinned knuckles to prove it.
But he'd made far more headway today than he had since he'd started this project, thanks largely to the fact that today at least, they hadn't had to fight a single monster. Nida had debated with himself over telling his team that Diablos was responsible for that, and had reluctantly decided not to. He didn't want them to relax their guard, just in case something really big that Diablos couldn't discourage attacked them.
He had just completed his shower and was drying his hair when his phone rang. Draping his towel around his neck, he answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hi Nida, its me. Are you busy?" Quistis asked him.
"No, not really, I just got out of the shower. I was going to call you after I got dressed." Nida answered.
"So…. you're naked." Quistis said. Nida could hear the smile in her voice.
"And wet." He added, grinning.
"I'll be right over." The receiver clicked, indicating that Quistis had hung up. Nida turned his phone off with a bemused smile and wondered if he should bother even attempting to get dressed. He compromised by putting on a pair of shorts, not wanting to answer the door in the buff. He was reasonably certain his neighbors wouldn't necessarily mind seeing him unclothed, but he preferred to allow only Quistis that particular view of him.
It wasn't arrogance or false modesty that prompted him to do that; he knew he was decent looking at least, if not as handsome as some. He just wasn't an exhibitionist and didn't need to have people drooling over what his body looked like to feel like his existence was being validated. He also, much like Squall, didn't care to be put on display, either by accident or design.
A knock at the door prompted Nida to grin as he went to answer it, confirming that it was Quistis on the other side, with a basket over one arm and a small smile on her face.
"You didn't have to get dressed on my account," She said with a smirk.
"Hi sweetie, come in." His grin widened and he opened the door to allow her entrance.
Indicating the basket, he asked, "What's all this?"
"Dinner, along with a few other things. I hope you haven't eaten yet." Quistis answered.
"No, I haven't. I got right into the shower the minute I got home. I wanted to see if you'd share dinner with me tonight, and I really needed to clean up before I'd be fit for company." Nida said, smiling at her and thinking about how beautiful and sweet she was. Every time they were together, Nida learned a little more about her, and as a result, fell a little more in love with her.
He couldn't help coming up to her then and sliding his hands around her waist and kissing her gently.
Caressing her cheek, he smiled at her and said, "Thank you. That's so sweet of you. I'll have to return the favor sometime."
"I'll hold you to that," Quistis grinned at him.
Strolling casually toward Nida's smallish kitchen/dining room, she gazed around the apartment, finding it clean, but spare. It was pretty typical, really, of a male SeeD's apartment…neat and organized, but nothing much in the way of décor beyond comfortable furniture and state of the art electronics. A bookcase overflowing with volumes ranging from practical, with books on mechanics and engineering, to fanciful, which included fiction novels from various genres, stood against the wall midway between his sitting room and the dining area.
"Looks like you need another bookcase," Quistis commented as she sat the basket on the table and began removing the contents. The food portion, anyway. The rest she left in the basket for later.
Nida, following Quistis to the dining room after locking his door, came up behind her and slipped his hands around her waist again, hugging her close.
He kissed the side of her neck lightly and then her cheek, saying, "I could use one, but haven't gotten around to getting it." recognizing the logo on the take away boxes, he added, "I was expecting something from the cafeteria."
"Xu told me this was your favorite place to order out." Quistis said. The feel of his warm, nearly naked body against hers, the clean smell of soap and him…made her want to forget about dinner and drag him into the bedroom.
"I'll have to thank her for tattling on me, just this once." Nida said, tightening his arms around Quistis. She crossed her arms over his and leaned back, smiling over her shoulder at him. He immediately seized that invitation and captured her lips with his own.
Quistis slowly turned in his arms and he pulled her closer, stroking his hands up and down her back, while she did the same to him. Nida closed his eyes and sank into the kiss, losing himself in the tastes and textures, the feel of her in his arms. After working all day it felt good to just hold her.
An inopportune rumble from Nida's midsection reminded them of the reason for Quistis' visit.
"We'd better eat before the food gets cold." She said quietly.
"Yeah. I feel a little strange standing here in just a pair of shorts, while you're fully dressed." Nida commented with a half-smile, releasing Quistis and heading into the kitchen to get plates and utensils.
Quistis laughed softly, "I like the view from here."
Nida's laugh echoed hers, and he said, "I guess I don't have to ask what your intentions are, do I?"
Quistis quirked up an eyebrow as they sat down at his table and replied, "You'd be surprised."
"Would I?" he asked her, then smiled again and added, "surprise me then."
"Okay then. Here's surprise number one." She said, producing a bottle of red wine. Nida smiled and got a couple of glasses while Quistis opened the wine.
He would have preferred beer with this particular meal, but he appreciated Quistis' initiative. And the wine did pair well with the food, which was indeed a surprise to Nida.
"So, how was your day today?" he asked her. He liked the whole normality of what they were doing, having a meal together and talking about how the day had gone for them both. Just relaxing and…. being.
"Well, I went with cadet Stone to the Fire Caverns today to see if we could get that new GF that was discovered awhile back." She answered.
"How'd that go?" he wondered, taking a bite of his food.
"It was a tough fight. It turned out to be a stronger GF than we'd figured. Took awhile to defeat it and it was touch and go for a moment. But we beat it in the end, and now cadet Stone has a new GF. He's started working with it already." Quistis answered, then she asked, "How about you? Things go better down there with Diablos?"
"Yes," Nida answered her. "Much better. Got a ton more work done today than I'd thought we would. We should be done with everything by midweek."
"Well, that's good." Quistis said, and then frowned as she caught sight of his raw knuckles and scraped hands and arms.
She reached over and gently took one of his hands in hers, saying, "That looks painful." She lightly ran her fingers over his abraded skin, and then turned the hand over to see fresh blisters overlaying his sword calluses.
Nida shrugged, taking a sip of the wine. "Yeah, I'm a little sore, but I hate wearing the gloves. Messes with my grip. The last thing I want to do when tugging on a rusted bolt with one hand, while hanging onto a ladder ten meters up the side of a bulkhead with the other, is to have my grip slip."
"No, that would definitely be a bad thing." Quistis said. She went into the basket again and produced a small vial of potion. She placed a dab of it onto the palm of her hand and rubbed it into Nida's, massaging the palm, fingers and wrist with the healing salve until the blisters and abrasions had faded.
Nida's mouth went dry and he took a sip of wine to moisten it, flexing his fingers and studying the smooth, blemish-free skin of his palm. The soreness from gripping tools and ladders and the like had faded as well. And the feel of Quistis' strong hands massaging his had ignited a longing for her to continue her ministrations on the rest of his body.
Clearing his throat, he said, "I take it Squall told you about giving me Diablos." He hesitated a moment when Quistis gestured to his other hand, then switched his fork to the one she'd healed, and laid his hand in hers.
Doing the same thing with this hand as she'd done with the other, Quistis confirmed, "He did. I went up there to let him know about the new GF so he could register it under cadet Stone's profile." She laughed slightly and continued, "I ended up volunteering to help him with his search for an assistant."
Nida laughed at this and asked her, "how's that coming along anyway? I know he's been having a lot of…. frustrations regarding it."
Quistis laughed with him and answered, "Well, when I passed through the waiting area, more than half of the girls there looked ready to throw everything they had at Squall. One of them even stormed out in a big huff when he wouldn't play. I decided to step in and sort it out. I sent more then half of them off."
Nida sighed when she'd finished with his hand and curled his fingers around hers, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing her fingertips. She smiled and caressed his cheek briefly before withdrawing her hand.
"Thank you," He said, then asked her, "So, I take it you're screening the applicants for him?"
"In the afternoons, yeah. Hopefully he'll find someone that will work out by the end of the week." Quistis answered.
"Let's hope. This business has got to be driving him crazy." Nida said, sipping at his wine. He began to feel pleasantly relaxed, the alcohol and the company both easing away the tensions of the day.
"Well, aside from his being a little shorter-tempered than normal, you wouldn't really notice." Quistis said. She pushed her plate aside, finished with her meal, and sighed happily.
"Thank you for dinner." Nida said, smiling warmly at her, adding, "Are you finished?" at her nod, he said, "I'll clear up."
He got up and took the empty plates and utensils and placed them in the sink, returning for the leftover food, placing the containers in his refrigerator. When he completed that task, he returned to the dining room to see Quistis pouring the last of the wine into both of their glasses.
Raising his eyebrows, he warned her, "If I drink that, I may end up falling asleep on you. Wine tends to make me sleepy, and I'm tired as it is."
"Don't worry about it. I want you relaxed." Quistis said, smiling at him and drinking the rest of the wine. Nida drank his as well and set his glass aside. He began to feel delightfully fuzzy and smiled at Quistis.
"Now," Quistis said in her best instructor voice, "I want you to strip and go lay down on your bed, face down please." Nida stared at her for a moment, puzzled, then did as she asked…or rather, ordered him to do.
Propping his head up on his crossed arms, Nida asked her, "Okay, now what? What have you got in mind?"
"Just relax." Quistis said. Nida did his best, but lying naked on his bed with the woman he was head over heels in love with in the same room wasn't terribly conducive to relaxation. The wine did help however, the pleasant fuzziness seeping into his bones.
Then Quistis got on the bed with him, straddling his hips. She was still fully dressed, a fact that Nida found both interesting and slightly frustrating. He sighed, closing his eyes and willing the remaining tension out of his body. Then Quistis began rubbing at his back and shoulders, working at the knots and kneading out the stiffness, using the healing potion as a liniment to ease the pain. He groaned as her warm, strong hands began at his neck and shoulders, kneading and rubbing them and working up the back of his neck and into his hair, coming through it with her fingers.
"You have about a million years to stop doing that." He murmured, eyes closed. Quistis laughed softly and worked her way down his back, kneading and stroking the muscles all the way to his sacrum. He figured that she would stop there as had most of the girls he'd been with who'd performed that same service for him (not that there had been all that many, really). He was mildly surprised when she did not, instead shifting off of him and continuing down over his backside and down his legs.
Arousal warred with fatigue as Quistis' gentle hands skillfully drove away sore, tight muscles, even massaging his feet. That had transported him into a state of bliss.
Such was Quistis' skill with massage that Nida was relaxed nearly to sleep when she finished what she was doing and told him, "Okay, turn over."
He smiled slightly and did as instructed, stifling a yawn. But the soporific effect of his back massage was undone when Quistis started on his front. Despite her skill with her hands, the opposite effect was gained when she started first with his hands, like she'd done before. Then she worked her way up his forearms, to his upper arms and shoulders.
He didn't know why he should find this part so arousing when fatigue and relaxation had gained the upper hand while she'd been working on his back, but it did. Perhaps it was watching her do it. Feeling her hands on his body was always pleasurable, and she touched places that were more sensitive than his back and legs and feet.
She smiled as she noticed his reaction, but didn't comment, and concentrated on other parts of his body, making him shiver as she worked over his chest and belly, and down his thighs to his feet again.
By the time she had finished, all of his sore, stiff muscles were gone and he felt wonderfully relaxed…and so aroused he could barely think straight.
"Feel better?" She asked him with an arch smile.
He raised his eyebrows, his hazel eyes smoldering, and replied, "Almost." He reached his hand out and threaded his fingers through hers, gently tugging her toward him. Not with any real force, just an indication of what he wanted.
"Come here sweetheart." He murmured softly. She followed his direction, eventually ending up sitting astride his thighs. She was still wearing her uniform, her whip still hanging off her belt.
He sat up then, slowly stroking his hands up her thighs as he did before taking her face in his hands and kissing her thoroughly. He tasted and teased her while working his fingers back into her hair, pulling the clip off and letting it down.
He trailed his lips lightly across Quistis' cheek and down her neck, making her close her eyes and moan softly. Nida unfastened her uniform tunic, revealing the black lace bra she wore beneath it, continuing the path his lips had taken down her neck to the creamy skin revealed when he'd opened the tunic.
Nida did his best to keep the pace slow and sensual, kissing Quistis' skin wherever each garment that was removed revealed it. But with desire clawing at his gut and making his heart throb in time with his aching arousal, it was all he could do not to simply throw her on the bed and ravish her.
Fortunately, Quistis was just as eager as he was, so it wasn't long before her boots rested upon the floor next to Nida's bed right along with her whip and all of her clothes. Then they did their best to ravish each other, with Quistis holding him down and straddling him again, making him groan as she lowered herself slowly onto him.
But Nida would have none of that. Some other time perhaps, and she could ride him to nirvana. But not this time.
He sat up; and wrapped his arms around her holding her close, then deftly shifted their positions. They ended up with him on top, kissing her breathless.
"I thought you were tired." Quistis managed as he assaulted her senses with passionate kisses and gentle nips at her neck. She gasped as he began moving within her.
"I'm not that tired." He murmured softly, adding, "You can ride me all you want next time." Then words failed them both as passion overwhelmed their senses.
They were both drowning in each other, swept away as their tension increased with every touch, every stroke. Quistis' nails raked lightly down Nida's back, making him shiver as he drove them both to completion. Nida increased his pace; Quistis' moans spurring him on to greater intensity. Then she shuddered, clutching at him as she came apart in his arms, calling out his name as she climaxed.
Nida sealed his lips over hers, swallowing her cries as he reached his own peak and drowned as he fell off the other side.
They came back to themselves with Quistis' hands in his hair and his lips still on hers. He pulled back and smiled down at her, still breathless and humming from their lovemaking.
"Hell of a massage." He grinned down at her.
"You can return the favor later." Quistis smiled. Nida kissed her again, this time gently.
"Count on it."
He stroked her hair, gazing down at her, and sighed. He'd missed having her with him the previous night, and hoped he could convince her to stay with him now. She'd seemed oddly reluctant to do that however, once they'd returned to Garden. He wondered why, but was almost afraid to ask. He worried that by doing so it would drive her away, that it would cause whatever fears she harbored (and didn't everyone have them?) get the better of her.
He would have to be patient, would have to show her how he felt since telling her was too easy to do and so early in the relationship would not be recognized for what it truly was.
But he didn't want her to leave. He wanted to sleep with her wrapped around him, with her breath in his face and fingers in his hair. Wanted to wake up with her, share a cup of coffee, share a shower, share everything…. but it was too soon. Much too soon.
"Stay with me tonight?" He asked her. He wouldn't beg, though he was on the verge of it.
"I can't." Quistis said. Nida shifted off of her and rolled onto his back, trying not to feel hurt, trying not to feel used, and failing on both counts. Quistis cuddled close and rested her head on his chest, caressing it. She sensed his hurt, and didn't understand it. Not really.
She'd have thought that he'd be okay with her spending her time with him like this, then leaving to sleep in her own bed, in her own space, leaving him to his. Wasn't that the way it was supposed to work? They each had their own lives, and she didn't want to spend so much time with him that he grew tired of her.
There were other reasons too. Reasons that she could neither explain nor articulate to him yet, not without revisiting memories that still haunted her. If she were to be honest, at least with herself if not with him, it was because she was afraid.
Deep down, she was terrified. Afraid of what she felt and what it would mean to her; afraid of feeling trapped and helpless, rendered so by her own heart. Afraid of making yet another mistake that would destroy her utterly. She was afraid to win, and afraid to lose. She was just…. afraid.
Physical intimacy was easy. It was the rest of it that was hard.
Nida stroked her hair softly, and wondered at her silence. He wouldn't ask her to stay again, but he would do his best to convince her in other ways.
It was with that thought in mind that he pushed aside his hurt feelings and smiled slightly at her, saying, "I believe I owe you a massage."