CharactersSquareEnix.

Chapter 6


When Seifer had opened the door to release Squall from his bathroom prison, the blond had expected the stripper to jump into his arms and sob hysterically in gratitude for saving his life. Sadly that wasn't how it had happened. It made him curse himself and tell himself to stop watching action, heroic movies. He had to remind himself that Squall wasn't the typical victim, no matter how much he wanted to make Squall seem that way. Growling in frustration, he watched with irritation as Squall ignored him in search of his clothes. Still no gratitude. Squall had come even closer to being hurt or worse and Seifer had saved his ass and still he got no thanks? It was really getting on his nerves. Even though he was a man of pride and arrogance, Seifer had wanted to become a cop because he wanted to be a hero. He wanted to be able to help others even if it seemed weird for a person like him. He wanted to be acknowledged for saving people from fatal events. It had been his dream since childhood to take up a profession that would make him both badass and a hero and this job as a police officer was the best he had found. And now he had one person who couldn't find the decency to thank him and he found that was the worst kind of courtesy he could receive. Seifer was not above expressing how he felt.

"You have some nerve, not thanking me for saving your behind! The man gave me a good clobbering and I took it to make sure he didn't do worse to you. The least you could do is say thank you." Seifer retorted, pride obviously stinging from Squall's cold shoulder. He had dealt with people plenty that hadn't liked him and ignored him but nothing like this. This was the highest level of distaste and being ignored he had ever received. It hurt. Seifer didn't know what to do to get through this stubborn man, to get him to see that he shouldn't be so uptight and let him help and thank him for it. After all, if he hadn't been there, the murderer would have gotten Squall and had his way with him. Whatever that way was. "You owe me twice now and I don't think a thank you is enough now." He smirked, playing a bit dirty but he was in his rights. Squall had taken advantage of him saving his ass twice and now Seifer wanted something in return. And no it wasn't something sexual, despite how much of a sexual fiend Seifer could be.

Though his attention was snapped to the rose in Squall's fingers when the brunette spoke his last name seriously and held it out to him. Seifer reached out to take it, avoiding the thorns as he examined the flower. "I don't understand the significance of these." He muttered before he shook his head. "Well I think I have the name of the intruder. Irvine Kinneas, you recognize anyone by that name? Anyone that might have a vendetta against you?" He asked as he tossed the rose aside into a trash can. There wasn't much a rose could do for them at this moment. They had their suspect and all he needed to do was investigate further, to find the man's home and get possible evidence from there.

xxx

"Isn't it a part of your job?" Squall asked, not really caring if Seifer answered. Instead he pulled on his jacket and grabbed his hairbrush, running it through his chocolate colored locks. A delicate eyebrow rose as Seifer mentioned that Squall 'owed' him. He couldn't mean that... right? Turning around angrily to face the blond, the stripper's eyes narrowed. "I'm a stripper, not a whore, even if I am 'disgusting', as you so eloquently put it." He snapped, bringing up Seifer's insult from the night before.

Squall watched as the cop looked the rose over before tossing it into the trash, his attention focusing on the name Seifer had given for his prime suspect. "Irvine...? I'm not sure, I meet a lot of people," he replied quietly, looking down at the discarded flower. The name seemed to ring a bell in his mind, but Squall couldn't recall just why at the moment. He supposed it didn't matter, Seifer seemed fairly certain that this man was the killer, so whether Squall remembered him or not was of no real importance right now. What was really important to the brunette at the moment was getting out of this godforsaken strip club and going home.

The brunette pursed his lips as he continued studying the rose laying in the trashcan. He didn't know what it meant either; was it some sort of romantic gesture? Or perhaps the killer just thought it was unique or something. Squall didn't know, and he decided he didn't really care; he just wanted it to stop. Finally turning his attention back to Seifer, the stripper exhaled loudly and stepped back over to him. Maybe he should have thanked the cop for all of his help, after all, the man had saved his life two times now, had driven him home, checked his apartment, and he didn't seem like he was ready to abandon Squall to the murderer just yet. Squall pursed his lips together again as he stood in front of Seifer, defiant icy blue eyes locked onto Seifer's. "... Thanks." He muttered before turning his back on the blond again and making himself seem busy by gathering his wallet and other things together.

xxx

Seifer blinked when Squall snapped at him, wondering where he was getting the whore part from. Man, Squall had taken his words the wrong way. When realization hit, Seifer couldn't help but laugh out loud about it. "You're twisted, Leonhart, taking my words and switching them around. That's not at all what I meant, I'm a cop. I do have honor." And with that honor he wouldn't have picked up whores. But was a stripper the same kind of deal? Who knew and who cared. Right now Seifer had to focus on the general facts that Squall had had a second attack and that the killer was still on the loose. At least he had a name and with that name he'd get the address and head back there to scout it out for said Irvine Kinneas. Damn the man was quite sneaky and agile, able to get free of him. Seifer was reminded of that by the pounding in his cheek which he rubbed subconsciously. Little bastard would pay when he got his hands on him again and it would be soon too, he was damn sure about that. Though his attention flickered back to Squall when he repeated the man's name and gave him a bland answer. Well that was definitely no help but that ruled out there being a specific vendetta against Squall himself. "Okay...that leaves him just a heartless, mindless killer then."

Seifer was more taken aback when Squall stepped up to him, stared at him with those stubborn defiant eyes that shot ice cycles at him, had thanked him. It almost made him keel over in shock. It made him wonder if it was physically painful for Squall to say it. "So Squall does have a gratitude bone in his body? Well it's about time." He said even if it had just been the second 'rescue'. It was success in his opinion, getting Squall to say that one little word. It inflated Seifer's ego as he smirked and watched Squall packing up the rest of his things. Well it seemed Squall had every intention of heading home early now from what had happened. Seifer didn't blame him for that but he still wanted to keep an eye on the man. Rubbing his chin, he remembered calling Squall disgusting, having been reminded of that a few seconds before, and he knew he owed an apology to the stripper. Squall wasn't disgusting, just working for money in the only way he knew how. But Seifer wasn't a man who ever apologized and he'd be damned if he started now. No way was he ruining his image and becoming a sap over it. No, he'd apologize in his own way.

"Hey, how about I treat you to dinner?" Seifer offered. That was decent enough right? After all, he was sure Squall was hungry and he doubted many people treated Squall like this. Plus it would be his form of apology, by treating him and acting as if he hadn't meant what he said by Squall being disgusted. It also would give him the time to get to know Squall a little better AND keep an eye on him at the same time. Perfect plan, it worked out for the both of them. If Squall agreed of course and Seifer had a feeling Squall would turn him down. If so, he was a good match for he'd pester the brunette until he agreed. He was a bastard like that and always got his way. Leaning against the door frame to block the exit, he crossed his arms over his broad chest and gave Squall an expectant look. "And don't think you're leaving without giving me a good answer." Good answer being yes.

xxx

Squall snorted in response to Seifer and shook his head. Of course the blond would turn it around and make Squall seem like he was overreacting after the other had said something like that. How was Squall supposed to know what the cop had meant? Being an officer of the law meant nothing in the brunette's opinion; cops went dirty all the time. The stripper wasn't exactly excited to find out just what Seifer had had in mind though. "If you say so." He replied bluntly to Seifer's remarks about the killer. Squall really didn't care what the man's motivations were for attacking him, all he knew was that he wanted this 'Irvine' to be arrested immediately.

The stripper rolled his eyes in response as Seifer made a smart remark about him thanking the cop. Really, couldn't the asshole just be happy that Squall had even bothered to say it at all? The brunette was fairly certain he could feel Seifer's smirk as he gathered his things; that man was beyond irritating. Squall was already regretting having thanked him, especially if this was how the blond reacted. It was like dealing with a fifth grader. He really had to stop letting Seifer rescue him.

Squall froze in the middle of what he was doing as Seifer made his offer. Was the other serious? The stripper turned around and stared at Seifer as if the man had asked him in another language. Squall couldn't help but to notice how Seifer purposely blocked his exit from the room, and he mentally groaned. '...Terrific.' The brunette pursed his lips and shot Seifer a withering glare. They may not have known each other all that long, but in the short time that they had, Squall had learned how futile it could be to argue with the blond sometimes. Seifer wanted a 'good' answer, one that Squall didn't particularly wish to give him, but the brunette decided to bite the bullet this time. "...I'm not dressed for dinner." He stated simply, not directly agreeing to the offer, but not rejecting it either. As much as Squall abhorred the thought of suffering through a meal with the arrogant prick across from him, he knew the blond wouldn't stop until he caved in, so Squall decided to just skip the headache this time, as surprising of a choice that that was, even to him. He just hoped that Seifer would at least take him someplace nice, after all, if he was stuck dining with the man, he wanted something good.

xxx

Seifer loved it when he won. It always made his day ten times better and the fact that Squall wasn't agreeing to the date but not refusing it felt like a victory to the scarred blond. Maybe Squall was slowly learning which was good for him, for he was sure they would be dealing quite a bit with each other. At least until the killer was captured and arrested. Though Seifer found he purposefully wanted that chase to last so that he could continuously pester Squall and have a reason for it. Smirking to himself at his own thoughts, he allowed his eyes to rove over Squall's body. "I'll bring you home so you can get dressed in a more comfortable outfit then we can just head to a nice little restaurant" By no means was Seifer cheap and with being cop he got a pretty decent discount so he didn't mind taking Squall to a fancy little restaurant, no matter the price. Plus it looked like Squall could use to gain a few pounds; he was pretty thin for a young man. Not that Seifer was calling himself fat but Squall was just so tiny that it gave Squall an erogenous look and he was sure Squall really didn't want that. Even though he himself didn't mind for he found it quite sexy but he'd feel better knowing that Squall ate a decent and filling meal. It was just good karma in his case and his way of apology and he knew he'd feel tons better that he had done something 'nice' for someone else that wasn't exactly because he was cop and it was required of him.

"So let's go, before you can think of a way to chicken out." Seifer chuckled as he jerked his head in a gesture towards the exit. After all, he didn't want Squall changing his mind on the last minute and being stubborn. He had gotten this far and he didn't want to lose that ground. They were making progress and maybe by tonight they could at least be civil acquaintances. Well decently civil for he liked the fire within Squall and didn't want to douse that...completely. Only a little so that he felt he got one over on Squall but that was about it. Seifer just liked to stay ahead of the game. Clapping Squall on the back, he strode out of the club with the brunette and smirked as he courteously and semi-mockingly held the door open for him before he went around to the driver's seat. Flicking the engine on, Seifer switched gears and took off down the main drag of the city, heading in the direction of Squall's apartment so he could change. Along the way, he called his station just to inform him of what had happened at the club and that he would be taking care of everything. He had the lead and he wanted to finish what he had started and didn't want anyone else to take care of it.

Pulling into Squall's lot, Seifer allowed him to go upstairs and change while he took down notes about other cases and incidents that were going on throughout the small town. Even though he wasn't taking care of them, he just liked to make note of what was going on. It was always a good idea for who knew if those incidents connected with a case somehow? There was always that possibility. Rubbing his forehead and stroking his scar, he shrugged and went to go retrieve Squall. Once again they were in his car and this time they were heading to the finer part of town. Near the ocean, Seifer found a nice seaside restaurant, definitely fancy. The inside was decorated with luxurious and expensive decor and statues as well as chandeliers. It was beautiful and with the ocean to gaze at while you ate was even better. Telling the waitress they wanted a table for two, Seifer followed her towards a window booth and took a seat, taking his menu from her. "Order anything you want, it's on me." He pointed out coolly as he gazed over the menu and what was on the special. Everything sounded delicious. Especially the grilled trout with a special spicy sauce with sides of garlic and chive mashed potatoes covered in thick gravy, fresh peppered green beans, and a roll. Licking his lips, he informed the waitress he wanted that with a soda pop. After all he was still on duty, so no alcohol.

xxx

Squall sighed and nodded as Seifer spoke, wondering to himself if this was really such a great idea. Maybe he should have just told the blond that he didn't feel well enough to go out. Who was he kidding, he knew Seifer would hassle him to no end unless he went to dinner with him. Going on this little 'dinner date' counted as his thanks for Seifer saving him though, so Squall figured he could put up with it if it meant he didn't owe Seifer anymore. Squall hated being indebted to anyone.

The brunette shot Seifer an annoyed glare as the other suggested he might chicken out; he wasn't some little baby who was too scared to go out to dinner with someone. "Whatever." He snapped and walked with Seifer out of the club. Squall snorted and rolled his eyes as the door was held for him; he really hoped Seifer was just joking around and didn't think this was some sort of romantic outing. He still hadn't forgotten how the blond had been watching him whenever he was on stage.

Squall didn't really pay attention as Seifer drove and made his phone call, he was too preoccupied with trying to look preoccupied by staring out the window at nothing in particular. The stripper would never admit it, but he was a little apprehensive about going up to his apartment alone after the attack earlier, but he managed to calm himself by telling himself that the killer was probably laying low after getting into the scuffle with Seifer. Once up stairs Squall quickly stripped off his clothes and dug around in his closet for something to wear. It wasn't like he was trying to impress Seifer or anything, definitely not, he just took pride in his appearance, especially when going to a nice restaurant. Eventually he found his nice black slacks and a deep blue silk shirt that he'd been told brought out his eyes beautifully; but it wasn't for Seifer's benefit, no way, it was just the first clean shirt he found in there. Once he was done dressing Squall followed Seifer back down to the car, secretly glad that he didn't have to walk alone, and climbed inside so they could head out to the restaurant.

When they parked at the restaurant, Squall's eyebrows rose ever so slightly in surprise; Seifer had actually brought him to a decent looking place. Once inside, Squall's eyebrows rose another notch; this place was fancy, definitely not what he had been expecting from the blond. 'Hnn... I guess I can make it through dinner,' he told himself as they were led to the table. Squall nodded but didn't bother looking up as Seifer spoke to him; he was too distracted by the menu. Everything looked so tasty, but the steak had caught Squall's eye, who suddenly felt like a starved lion eying his next meal, not having realized how hungry he was until just now. Squall gave the waitress his order and asked for an iced tea, though he would have preferred something with alcohol after what had happened earlier, but he'd be damned if he got drunk and did anything stupid in front of Seifer.

Squall tapped his fingers lightly on the table as the waitress left to put in their orders and get their drinks. What was he supposed to say to the man across from him? The brunette was never one for small talk, or to talk much at all for that matter. Squall looked over at Seifer as if to say something, then pursed his lips and looked out across the restaurant instead. "..." The stripper sighed softly and unconsciously began tugging at the chain of the necklace that was tucked safely under his shirt, something he always did when he was nervous or just uncomfortable in a situation. For once he wished Seifer would just open his big fat mouth and say something.

xxx

Seifer hid his smirk when he saw Squall raise a brow in surprise at where he had taken him. It seemed the stripper had expected him to be a cheap jerk. Well it always nice to surprise and considering Squall was a person Seifer deemed unable to be surprised by a lot, he was sure this was a big thing. Letting it stroke his ego a bit, he settled himself comfortably at their booth and thanked the waitress for taking their orders. The air around the restaurant was lighthearted, calm, and upbeat relatively. The classical musical definitely set the tone and fit the atmosphere. There were people who looked more elegant and high class, some simple but suave, and then there was them. Seifer didn't mind for he wasn't exactly trying to impress anyone. He didn't have to wear anything special to do that because he had the face and the boyish good looks to make anyone weak in the knees around him. At least in his fair and honest opinion which he felt was ninety-nine percent correct most of the time. Smirking to himself, he looked from taking in their surroundings to looking across the table at Squall. So quiet all the time with the same blank and almost pained expression on his face as if it was so painstaking to be sociable for once. Maybe it was to Squall but with Seifer he'd have to be or at least get used to it.

"So have you ever been on a date before?" Surely Squall got hit on by plenty of people; men and women both and had to have offers to dinner, the works. Seifer wondered if Squall had turned them all down or had tried a few. Had Squall had a real relationship? Did he have someone right now? He was curious since Squall was close lipped about himself and Seifer was sure no matter how much he asked he wouldn't get satisfactory answers. Seifer didn't even know why he was interested in a man who barely spoke more than one word or half a sentence if it was needed. Or a man who thought 'whatever' was a great answer to anything. Just the sheer thought made him twitch in annoyance. Was it just because Squall was attractive? No, not even with how vain Seifer was, the looks weren't everything that had captured his attention. It was definitely how Squall gave him a challenge, dueled with him verbally which made things fun and irritating at the same time. What else could it be he couldn't think of and simply left it at that. Maybe Squall would just be a mystery to him forever.

"I don't think it would kill you to speak more than one or two words. After all, it will be rather excruciatingly boring to sit here in silence." Seifer pointed out as he sipped his soda and leaned back in his chair, free hand tapping against the table top. The sun was beginning to set outside, casting an orange-pink glow across the sky and reflecting off the ocean that rippled and distorted the image of the sun in its depths. It was beautiful if one was into nature. Seifer simply smiled and glanced back to Squall. "So how long have you been stripping? Is that the first job you had or a desperate choice?" Some people took it because they were just easy and enjoyed showing off their bodies to others, others did it for the money and because there was nothing else. So what was Squall's? To Seifer, he just couldn't see him willingly choosing to be a stripper. It had to be a last resort sort of thing.

xxx

Icy blue eyes snapped in Seifer's direction as the man asked his question. What kind of a thing was that to ask? "Of course I have." he said, his tone dark as if daring Seifer to challenge him. Granted, it had been quite a while since the brunette had been out with anyone, let alone on a date, but this wasn't his first time. Not that those dates ever amounted to much, but they still counted, at least in Squall's book. He was sure Seifer probably went out all the time, the guy probably had a boyfriend or girlfriend right now, Squall didn't know, and he didn't think that he really wanted to ask, but then again, he couldn't help but to be a little curious, not that he was going to let it show if he could help it.

Squall sighed quietly to himself as he sipped his drink, listening to Seifer speak. Why did he always have to hassle Squall about talking to him, about thanking him, about everything? The stripper wasn't used to someone intruding into his personal space, yet here Seifer was, continually stomping all over it. "...Whatever." He muttered, looking out the window at the sunset. He only looked back when the cop started in with yet another line of questioning. 'Maybe he should have specialized in interrogation,' he thought to himself, shaking his head a little.

The brunette ran his fingertips around the rim of his glass for a few moments as he took in the questions. He didn't really want to answer, but the blond could probably easily look up the information with his police resources, and Squall didn't particularly enjoy the awkward silence at the table that was sure to take over if he said nothing. "...Since I was seventeen." He answered quietly, still staring into his glass. The brunette pursed his lips again, unsure if he should really tell the next part. It was his personal business after all, and wasn't something he enjoyed talking about. "...I needed the money," was all he said when he finally answered.

Taking a quick swig of his tea, Squall glanced up at Seifer and tried to change the subject. "Why did you become a cop?" He asked.

xxx

Seifer's head nearly banged his head against the top of the table when Squall muttered his ever favorite catchphrase. One day, he would rid Squall of that habit...if they continuously saw each other. How Squall had started to say that, he didn't know, but he'd like to find out just to somehow beat the person up who had caused him to start that. It was Hynedamn annoying. Shaking his head, he gave Squall a brief annoyed look before sipping his water. No, he wouldn't get angry. They were in a fancy restaurant, supposed to be in a happier mood, so he kept his comments to himself for once. Squall would surely appreciate that. But it didn't seem Squall wanted to play the cheerful table partner. Man was this guy moody, worse than a girl! Seifer thought he would never say that and now meeting Squall, he felt he would have much dealt with a bitch on her monthly cycle. Rubbing his forehead, he wondered how the hell he was ever going to understand this person and what got him was why he wanted to. Why did he? Squall was just a stripper, just one of the people he was supposed to keep safe, nothing more so why?

Though when Squall answered his question, Seifer frowned. Since he was seventeen? He didn't even know they allowed them to do that at that age. What would drive a seventeen year old to strip? Bad family life? Debts? He didn't understand. Even though he wasn't an old geezer looking down at how sad a youth was living his life, he still found it a bit rough to digest. "Seventeen? Needed the money for what? Where were your parents?" He blurted out despite himself, eyes narrowed a bit in thought. What parent allowed their son to go and flaunt himself in front of disgusting peepers just for money? Though he was an orphan and never experienced a life with parents, he just couldn't imagine what parent would do that. It was a personal question he knew but he wasn't the type to skirt around things just because it might hurt someone's feelings. He had learned a long time ago that if you got upset over every little thing, you were weak. That one needed to stronger and harsher to live in the real world hence why he was the way he was. No way was he ever going to be beaten down in any way even if it made him seem heartless and emotionless.

When Squall returned a question, Seifer smirked and sat back again. Well at least the other was participating. "Because I wanted a job of authority, a job where I could be respected and looked upon as a hero. Plus to straighten out my life." Seifer had been a total jackass and lawbreaker as a late teenager and becoming a cop had helped turn his life around. He was twenty-two now, not too long after that period of his life, but it was a better come around than some and he was proud of himself. His foster parents must have thought he would never amount to anything good, that he'd be the little bastard he had been then for always.

xxx

Squall sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and his thumb. He could feel the migraine coming on already. Why did Seifer have to question every little thing he did and said; couldn't the man just leave well enough alone? Squall didn't want to discuss this with the cop, hell, he didn't want to discuss it with anyone. Of course, ignoring the blond's questions wasn't going to work; he didn't need Seifer making a scene in the restaurant in front of everyone about it. The brunette sighed as he massaged the bridge of his nose with his fingers, his eyes scrunched closed in mild frustration. In all honesty, he was really starting to wish that he was back in the strip club right now. At least there he could lock his door and escape the other.

Taking another sip of his tea, Squall let his hand drop down to play with the chain on his necklace again before speaking. "For bills," he replied coolly, drumming the fingers of his free hand on the table lightly. "... I'm an orphan." He added quietly, looking off to the side again at the ocean. The brunette was already feeling like he'd spoken too much, told Seifer too much of his business. Squall was a person who never got close to anyone, let alone divulged any of his personal information to them, so it left him feeling slightly off to be doing so now, especially with a man he hadn't even known all that long. The stripper tugged at the chain of his necklace, wishing the waitress would bring them their food already; at least if Seifer was eating he couldn't keep questioning Squall.

Squall listened as Seifer explained his reasoning for becoming a cop, and he wasn't surprised in the least. Of course the man had done it for the glory of it all, no wonder he was always hassling Squall. It sounded like the perfect job for the blond, though the brunette's eyebrow cocked ever so slightly as Seifer mentioned straightening out his life. He found that he was mildly curious about what the other meant, but Squall wasn't going to ask him about it, that was probably just what the man wanted him to do. Instead he just gave a noncommittal shrug in Seifer's direction and took another sip of tea, playing it cool and collected like he always did.

xxx

Seifer could understand bills but someone was that desperate and needy to strip for that? There had to be more to it. When Squall announced he was an orphan, the scarred blond seemed to sober a bit and become thoughtful over his next choice in words. If Squall was an orphan then he would have had no one to guide him through life and express what the right way to go about things and the wrong ways were which would be a good reason why Squall would sink so low as to become a stripper to get by in life. As a cop, he believed it was a miserable way to have to life for it was so wrong and so degrading no matter how appealing and pleasing it was to the customers. Seifer had heard a lot from elder officers on their opinions of the matter, especially when it was young 'kids' doing it. Rolling his shoulders to work out the tension in them, he sighed and gave Squall a small understanding smirk. "Seems we got something in common there. I was an orphan too, raised by a foster family since no one cared to adopt me. I guess I was too mouthy for people." His eyes grew distant as he remembered his childhood and how put-off possible adopters were when they saw him. He chuckled dryly at how they used to shake their heads, whisper between themselves, then refuse to Matron. They had wanted more obedient and happy kids. Well Seifer definitely hadn't been one of those and being rejected like that over and over had turned his heart to steel, to protect what childish hopes, naivety, and innocence he had so as not to be broken.

Shaking his head at his own depressive thoughts, Seifer sipped his water and glanced towards Squall seeing him close-mouthed once more. The fact that Squall didn't seem all that interested in his story and simply shrugged it away made him frustrated. Seifer hated that, hated being turned down, turned away, and ignored. Squall had to have some sort of passion, why was he so afraid to show it? It was really annoying. Growling to himself, he thanked the waitress when their food was handed to them before he began to dig in. He was almost savage about it without being disgraceful or messy. Mostly because his thoughts had darkened as he felt dismissed by Squall. It irritated to him no end and worse, he wanted some sort of real acknowledgment from Squall. Any kind, not just praise, something. He wanted Squall to be interested, to initiate something, to show that he wasn't just here because of a free meal and because he had to. Not that Seifer had given him another choice but Squall had to have wanted to at least a little bit. Rubbing his forehead, he washed down the first bite of trout and potatoes with his water before he sat back and glanced to Squall, gaging him for a minute before he spoke.

"So who took care of you? A foster family or yourself?" Seifer asked, determined to get Squall to speak and open up. Maybe it was heartless to pursue a subject that was so sensitive but did he care? Not really. Sometimes it was those things that needed to be expressed to bring two people closer. How close he wanted to be with Squall he didn't know but he was curious about that. After all, being an orphan himself he felt some sort of connection even if Squall didn't feel it himself. This was going to be a long night it seemed and Seifer had high hopes that it would be a decent little evening for the two of them.