Rinoa
Squall was out like a light. My head was still fuzzy and the alcohol was doing wonders paired with the sudden headache assaulting me, but he looked peaceful in his sleep.
'not good enough,' hissed in the back of my head and I frowned, swaying a little as I reached for the light switch. Zell and Quistis made their way to our room, making plans for our trip to Timber. I wanted to mention the forest owls, but my head was throbbing and the room was spinning way to quickly for me to even think about opening my mouth to talk. Quistis' strawberry lip balm was still covering my lips and Squall's jacket was still draped over me.
Gentle hands guided me to bed and I blinked as spiky blonde hair and jagged black lines filled my vision.
"Think it's her first night of heavy drinking?" a disembodied voice called as my vision became little more than swirling colors.
"It's possible." This voice was closer and deeper.
"You know, Irvine saved you today," the first voice began as I closed my eyes and listened. My friends were talking, but the pounding in my skull mixed with alcohol and the weird hissing voice in the back of my head made it difficult to remember which ones.
"Tell me about it. I thought I was going to die," the second voice huffed as bedsprings compressed under the weight of a body.
I rolled over as the voices became hushed beneath the sound of hissing. I gripped at my ears, trying to will it away. I had taken this from Squall. That dark feeling pulsing in his head was too much for me to watch him suffer through. Now it was clawing its way through my brain, looking for something it could use against me. I'm a million percent sure this is some kind of curse, but who does Squall know that would force such a disgusting thing on him?
I scrunched my eyes closed and willed the thing into an imaginary glass jar, complete with lid. As the pounding in my head receded I could finally feel sleep catching up to me and I let myself fall into the darkness of it.
I woke up with the sun shining in my face and profanities being whispered across the room. Zell had fallen asleep on the small couch in our room, his boxers half off and his hand stuck firmly inside of them. Quistis made an animal noise I didn't recognize as she threw his heavy shoes at him in an attempt to wake him up. I rubbed at my eyes, doing my best to focus on anything other than the tan stomach muscles trying to find their way into a shirt.
Slowly our room woke up, coffee was brewed and clothes were returned to their rightful owners. I felt wide awake as a hungover Selphie forced her way into our room, Irvine's vest buttoned haphazardly on her torso and death in her eyes. I gave her a halfhearted smile and offered her a cup of coffee which she took with something that resembled a grimace before sucking down the brown nectar and looking for her romper.
Within an hour everyone was up and ready, if not a little cranky and disheveled. Squall definitely seemed like he was in a better mood, all half smiles with his steel eyes studying us intently. I could feel his eyes studying me as I pretended to be interested in a painting on the wall of the lobby. Quistis, as senior SeeD, was tasked with check out and procuring our train tickets.
"Sleep well?" Squall asked, leaning against the wall, next to the picture. I kept my eyes forward, ignoring the butterflies ravaging my mostly empty stomach.
"Not as good as you did," I noted, glancing at him for a half second before returning my gaze to blue skies and painted vineyards.
"It was the best sleep I've gotten in ages," He sounded thoughtful. "You enjoying the jacket?" His tone was full of amusement as I looked down and realized I was still wearing it. I fought to keep the blush off of my cheeks as I shrugged.
"You want it back?" I asked, trying my best to sound bored.
"Nah," he shrugged, studying his gloved hands for a moment. "It looks good on you." And with that he sauntered off, his golden aura following him with each step he took.
Quistis
The blonde had to stop herself from staring. Squall was really checking Rinoa out, in broad daylight, surrounded by people milling around the receptionist's desk. And he was smiling like this morning was the best morning he had ever seen. Not only was their plan working but it was having amazingly wonderful side effects.
As Quistis forced herself to look away and make small talk with the receptionist while they typed away at their terminal the blonde found herself planning a celebratory party once they got back to the garden. If all goes as planned then maybe Squall will loosen up a bit.
"There seems to be a technical issue with the train, the earliest we can book a ticket, even for priority SeeD members is 5:30 pm," the receptionist stated with a look of worry.
"Do you know what the problem is, maybe we can help?" Zell asked as he leaned against the counter, also trying not to stare as Squall walked away from Rinoa, a smile still on his face.
"No sir," the receptionist's frown deepened.
"We'll take the 5:30 tickets. It will give us more time to spend in Dollet." Quistis said with a sunny smile she didn't quite feel in her bones. Maybe they should stop drinking so heavily before a mission.
"Who do you think should break the news?" Selphie asked, leaning her head against Quistis' shoulder.
"The news that Squall is smiling or that we're going to have to wait until 5:30?"
"Second," Zell frowned down at the papers as the receptionist handed them over.
"Hey," Rinoa's voice called out to Squall. Their leader was propped against the exit, bare arms crossed and eyes staring down at the floor. He didn't look as solemn as he usually did with the little quirky grin on the side of his lips. "I need to get my pinwheel upgraded, do you mind taking me to the weapon's shop? They always talk to me like I'm incompetent when I try to get it modified."
"I smell a date," Selphie grinned widely, looking between her to teammates as they watched the exchange take place.
"It won't be a date if we all tag along." Zell noted, making Selphie's smile fall. "And I'm sure most of us need to upgrade our equipment."
"We have like," Selphie studied the wall, counting the roman numerals silently while ticking off her fingers, "SEVEn hours. It takes twenty minutes to get our weapons fixed up, we can follow at a distance."
"Not all of us," Zell groaned.
"What are we over here talking about?" Squall's voice was low and rough, but tinged with just a hint of amusement. Quistis did her best not to stare with her mouth gaped open that he wouldn't try to hide behind his normal brash tone.
"Train doesn't leave until 5:30, so we were trying to find a way to kill a couple of hours." Zell scratched the back of his head, trying not to look ashamed. Squall frowned, but for once it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Well I'm going to take Rinoa to get her weapon fixed up, wanna meet up for an early dinner at the Bistro?"
"Sounds like a plan," Selphie grinned from ear to ear before placing her hands on Squall's shoulders and spinning him around. He growled at her antics, but there was no bite to it. "Show her around for us so we can recover from last night!"
"Maybe you shouldn't drink so much," Squall called lightheartedly over his shoulder. After Rinoa and Squall left the hotel Irvine stepped out of the elevator with the trolley of luggage.
"You're never going to believe what happened," Selphie started, her eyes glistening with happy tears.
Squall
My team was acting weird, which is actually pretty normal for them. What was weird was the fact that they weren't trying to cling to Rinoa and myself in order to force us together.
'Maybe this is their new approach?' my thoughts supplied. I almost chuckled under my breath, causing Rinoa to give me an odd look before continuing on her story about how she met Angelo.
"I'm a little worried about leaving her in the Garden," Rinoa admitted as we entered the Weapon Shop.
"I'm sure Nida is taking good care of her," I assured her. The words felt funny in my mouth but Rinoa beamed, making my stomach clench.
"What has you so talkative this morning?" Rinoa asked, leaning against the counter. Without her long blue vest the curve of her back and the length of her legs was more defined. Her head haloed in the white fur of my jacket gave her an almost holy appearance and I had to remind myself not to get too dragged in. After all she is too good for me, even without hissing thoughts reminding me every time I look at her. Though I can't seem to remember why that is.
Where are my usual thoughts of doubt? As I forced myself to look anywhere other than her ass it was hard to doubt the attraction I felt for her. It was a physical pull for her form I had felt with no one before, but the way her laugh makes my stomach clench was almost sickening in a good way.
Maybe because I've pushed people away my whole life the gods have sent someone to wreak havoc on my emotions. I frowned at the back of her head as the shop clerk stepped out of the back room. Plastering a faux smile on his face as he saw me by the blade section.
"What can I do for you today?" he directed at me, not even glancing at Rinoa as she looked at the different types of screws and weapon accessories.
"I need my Pinwheel tuned up, some of the blades are loose. I'm pretty sure a screw fell out somewhere," Rinoa spoke without looking up. The man jumped a bit before turning his gaze to Rinoa. Immediately his demeanor changed.
"Well sure there ma'am, why don't you just let me take a look at it, I'm sure I can fix it up in no time," with a wink at Rinoa and a smooth lean over the counter he watched as Rinoa bent over and reached into her bag. It was hard not to stare, that's true, but this man when over the line when he reached over the counter and grabbed a handful of her ass without any form of permission.
Rinoa shot up like a rocket, her weapon knocking into the side of the guy's head. Red coated Rinoa's face as anger began boiling inside of me, but I did my best to keep it controlled as I strolled over to the counter, using my height to tower over the guy as he rubbed at his new bump.
"You shouldn't touch other people's girls," the words were out of my mouth without a thought, but Rinoa was quick to catch on, wrapping her hands around one of my arms and pulling her body against mine. She was warm and smelled like flowers, but my brain was too confused by my mouth to pick out which ones.
"Darling this man is just rude! And all I wanted was to get my weapon fixed!" my eyes fell on the odd arrangement of blades. And the metal bracer attached to Rinoa's left arm. It was an interesting weapon alright, and probably another one of the things she took from her father before she disappeared.
"Where's the store owner?" I growled at the man as he cowered backwards before fleeing to the back of the shop. Within minutes a familiar old man with worn jeans and a graying beard emerged from the store room, covered in grease stains and muttering something about unreliable help.
"What did my idiot son do this time… Ah Squall, it's been a while." The store owner looked between Rinoa and myself and a grin spread across his face.
"Your son was extremely rude, feeling up on a lady without permission," Rinoa let go of me and stepped closer to the counter to gesture towards her weapon. "I just wanted to get this fixed, it's a bit old but I'm sure with the right pieces it would work like a charm."
"And Squall here just played the part of yer savior eh?" the shop owner asked. Rinoa nodded, her eyes studying the old man before his smile fell a little bit. "I was hoping he would start thinking about settling down soon. You know, he's such a nice man."
"Oh I know, but you know military types, they're all about work." Rinoa looked over her shoulder at me and smiled brighter than the sun, I almost had to avert my eyes. "But he's a great guy once you get passed the sour face and mood swings.
I huffed as they began talking about Rinoa's weapon, thankful the conversation shifted form me to the pile of blades and loose screws. 'I'm not that moody,' I groaned internally before leaning against the counter, my eyes watching the Shop owner's hands as he showed Rinoa the different types of blades he could attach and the different size screws she would need if her weapon blades came loose again.
Apparently it was a prototype weapon that Galbadia scrapped due to the difficulty in wielding it. One had to account for more variables than if they were simply shooting a gun. Rinoa spoke about it affectionately as they fit together a new mount of sharp saw blades fashioned in a circle. Once they were finished and Rinoa fit her new weapon onto the mount on her arm she tested the weight and her range of motion while I let the shop keeper fix me up with a new blade for my gun blade. It was a much less interesting conversation as he carefully screwed the blade into the fitting and made sure it was sharp enough to cut through fiends.
"I've got it," Rinoa said once it came time to pay. I looked at her puzzled before I realized normal civilians still pay for weapon improvements, while the bill is simply sent to the Garden for SeeDs.
"You're not a SeeD dear?" The shop keeper asked as Rinoa pulled her money from the tight pockets of her shorts.
"Oh no, I'm not all that good of a fighter," Rinoa shook her head, a sad smile on her face. "I would just fall behind the rest of them."
"Nonsense, you're para-magic is seamless." The words were a little louder than I had intended, but Rinoa simply smiled at me as the shop keeper rung her up.
"Come on, we have a town to explore," Rinoa grinned as she slung her bag over her shoulder before waving at the shop keeper and disappearing on the street. I just watched her walk away, feeling an odd sensation settle in my chest.
Rinoa
Taking Squall's dark thoughts away transformed him into an entirely different person. He talked more, that was the obvious change, but he also smiled more, and gave more compliments. He even stepped in to defend me by calling me his girl, though I was sure it was just to get the creepy shop owner's son to cower in fear of the cute girl's scary SeeD boy friend.
I was weird hearing those words from his mouth.
I shook my head as I walked along the beach, letting the waves roll over my feet and lick at my calves. It was a rather warm day, but I didn't dare take Squall's jacket off in case he changed his mind.
"What is that thing?" Selphie cried out as she almost tackled me to the ground.
"Oh, it's my upgraded Pinwheel."
"That doesn't look like a pinwheel," Selphie tilted her head as she studied the weapon still attached to my arm.
"It was a Galbadian prototype that got scrapped like ten years ago. I just had the weapon shop owner give it some more sturdy blades since I'll be fighting alongside the legendary SeeDs," I grinned at her and she nodded sagely before turning her attention to the brooding Squall sitting on the thick stone wall overlooking the beach.
"So…" Selphie prodded, glancing between the two of us. "He was totally checking you out this morning."
"I doubt that," I scoffed, trying to keep the pink from my face. "He's been in a better mood today though. Maybe he just slept well."
"Maybe bringing you along was exactly what he needed!" Selphie grinned before checking her watch. "It's only one but maybe we should go ahead and eat. We can walk to the train station to kill more time. There's really not a lot to do here in Dollet."
"Fine with me," I shrugged as I turned to tell Squall. He seemed busy speaking to Irvine though, so I let him be in favor of more yummy fresh fish.
"Before we go, Rinoa needs a new junction accessory," Zell yelled it at Squall who was a couple paces ahead of him. I blinked at the exchange, a little amazed that all Squall did was shoo us away with a wave of his hand.
His aura was still golden, there wasn't even a small tinge of black still sticking around. I, however, was starting to feel the side effects of whatever bad thoughts Squall had been having. I did my best not to groan as Zell led me away to a little shop tucked behind the hotel on an alley. The shop looked like it hadn't had business in months, but the store clerk still greeted us warmly as we entered and waited patiently as we browsed the wares. There were so many different kinds of junction equipment, some coming with new handheld portable computers while others came with the standard receiver you plugged into your laptop or desktop to organize things like Eidolon junctioning or using magic to buff attributes like strength or defense.
The one I had now was just a storage container, something I could force magic into so I wouldn't have to use my real powers. It was falling apart, but the prices for a new one were higher than most of the designer clothes my father use to buy me to keep me happy and compliant. Before I ran away the first time.
"I can't afford any of these," I groaned at Zell, feeling a headache blossoming at my temples.
"Don't worry. It's on me."
"Are you sure? That's a lot of money," I pointed to the cheapest one, which was well over 10,000 Gil. He simply shrugged and told me to pick whichever one I wanted. They had rings, earrings, necklaces, money clips, little baubles to hook on chains, even keychains. I finally settled on a cute pair of earrings and Zell grabbed a small handheld so I could set up my magic on the way to the train station.
When we were finally done it was billed to Garden and Zell was dragging me out of there before I could complain about the cost again. Quistis and Squall were waiting for us by the entrance to the alleyway while Irvine and Selphie were busy being absolutely adorable by the water fountain. I couldn't help but be jealous of how happy they looked, throwing coins into the fountain and making wishes.
With a smile on my face I extend the reach of my magic and just barely heard their whispered wishes as they turned to face the group, begging us all to make our own wish.
Selphie wanted Irvine to quit being a womanizer. Irvine wanted Selphie to fall in love with him.
I wanted to feel bad about using my 'gifts' like this, but If there was something I could do to make either of their wishes come true I would do it in a heartbeat. And so the rest of us followed their lead, each person making a wish before throwing a coin in the fountain.
Quistis wanted Squall to finally open up to someone.
Zell wanted to be able to get hotdogs two days in a row in the cafeteria.
I took a moment to think about what I really wanted before throwing my coin in. I know wishes are silly and for children, but if there's anything in the world I believe in its magic, whether good or bad.
Squall and I both threw our coins in at the same time, and I decided I didn't want to know what he wished for. But what I wanted was for them to accept me when it came time for them to realize what it is I am.
Squall
I wished for the courage to fall in love.
A/N
So super cheesy ending for the chapter but I mean with his head all clear of the downing thoughts who wouldn't want to fall in love? So, sorry about the delay. I'm not gonna lie to you and I'll update soon, but I am going to try and write more. I just got a promotion at work and I've been feeling better about myself so writing is a little easier this week than last week, but that doesn't mean next week won't have me feeling less than super about writing. Sorry for nt updating sooner tho! I know I keep saying thy're gonna get out of dollet and start on their super important mission of making sure the resistance isn't having any issue with galbadia, but i swear this was the last dollet chapter
theyre on the train next chapter I SWEAR
lemme know what you think about it guys!