Chapter 20: Thirty-Five Minutes
As we arrived at the station and passed through all of the drunken Galbadian Garden students and their more sober friends dragging them on their arses back to the Garden I noticed Lysander and Irvine muttering to one another, nodding towards us and keeping to themselves. I subtly glanced to see if I could pick up on anything but no such luck. Wonder if they needed Guardian Forces? Maybe, their Garden forbade it.
Still we paid for our tickets and got onto the train. Lysander said it would take half an hour to thirty-five minutes to get to the Galbadian capital. Selphie went into the SeeD cart while the rest of us remained in the entrance cart. I noticed Lysander eyeing Irvine up as the auburn haired gunner watched the Trabian student leave the cart. Soon the train departed and Lysander was muttering something repeatedly as Irvine advanced towards the cart where Selphie had went. Once Irvine was gone his friend swore audibly and laughed at himself.
"So what are going to do with him?" Zell asked bitterly. Jealous that he's got charm unlike a scrawny little runt like you? Lysander actually stopped and did something that was beautiful: he turned like a switch.
"What you're going to do with him," He began, that sexy accent dangerously low. "Is work with him. Without him and me, your plan goes to fuck, the world goes to fuck and we'll all become Galbadian fodder," He advanced towards the martial artist slowly. "So what you're going to do, is shut your little mouth, do as the mission's told you and I won't shoot your nuts off," Zell flinched a little. I think he was serious. "And if this is out of jealously that Irvine's going for a girl you fancy, then you should have got balls and asked her out."
"Hey I don't fancy Selphie!" Zell protested. Lysander didn't even flinch as Zell shouted right in his face.
"So you're being a dick for no reason?" Was the snappy reply.
"No you'll find that's Finnly," Zell scoffed back. Oh that's it. Gloves are fucking off now!
"Says you bringing me into an argument I've got nothing to do with," I snapped. "You want your nose ripped off?"
"Come anywhere near me and I'll throw you off the train!" Was the barked response. Oh very scary, Chicken-Wuss! I'm fucking terrified.
"We'll just see about that then, Dincht!" I bumped my chest to provoke him. He comes near me he'll get a nice new bullet in his leg!
"Dante stop now!" Vanadium ordered. Then Lysander reappeared to chime in.
"Hold on," He said in a raised voice. "D here may be provoking the little shit but the aforementioned shit brought your brother into this," At least someone else can see that. "How about everyone gets fair telling offs then?"
"Well that includes you since you started this," Vanadium replied. Lysander was looking my brother up and down, eyes narrowed and looking as though several thoughts and hypotheses were flowing in his mind.
"I think you'll fine Zell did for being a dick about my mate," Yes! That's true! "Now me and Irv may be outsiders to your little circle of love and friendship but that gives you lot no right to hate on us, got it?" There was silence. I had a feeling if anyone said anything they'd get the shit knocked out them. Okay the atmosphere is far too heavy I wish someone would lift the air...
"So Rinoa... how did a pretty thing like you get into the mercenary business?" Thank you very much Irvine.
"Kinneas you are playing a major role in this mission!" Quistis snapped. "Now behave yourself!" I heard muffled laughter from Lysander, who had a grin plastered on his face, just barely holding back the laughs. He was also shaking his head in disbelief.
"No one understands me..." Lysander's snickering was starting to make me snicker. Not sure why. Laughter's infectious, though. "Sharpshooters are loners by nature... we hone our instincts and pour our whole being into a single bullet," Lysander looks as if he's about to double over. "The pressure of the moment... that tension is what I have to face alone," He then turned to face Quistis in an overly dramatic way. "So do me a favour and leave me be!" And that's when Lysander exploded with laughter.
"Fuck, you bastard!" He howled, holding his sides. "Now I'm down two hundred gil, I can't believe you did that!" Irvine was sniggering away as well.
"Sharpshooters never resist the challenge," He quipped. Lysander calmed down a little, holding his side.
"Piss of with the Sharpshooter Speech, you've won already," He pleaded. The train the shook when Zell got extra pissed off and punched the floor.
"This is all a game to you?" He yelled. We ignored the announcements as the mood died down.
"Life ain't all sunshine and rainbows, mate," Lysander responded. "What you so afraid of? You'll actually smile?" Most because I couldn't be arsed with Zell having a tantrum I piped in.
"What exactly was the bet?" I inquired. Irvine stepped in to answer me.
"Ly here didn't believe I could flirt with every female on the team and use my Sharpshooter Speech on at least one," He explained. "But you'd be surprised at how well it works in bars. You know, when you're sober enough to talk coherently."
"Understandable," I shrugged, then looked to Lysander. "Maybe if you said he had to flirt with ever member you'd be safe."
"Probably wouldn't," Lysander's arm got hit by Irvine, who had mock anger on his face. Those two were the most genuine pair of friends I had ever seen since leaving Garden. Everyone on my team, sure they've known each other for years (bar Selphie and Rinoa) and have spoken to each other frequently I wouldn't consider any of us friends. Squall was a loner, Zell tried too hard to be friends with everyone and was a complete twat to me for little reason (I don't care how much he hates me he can't harp on to Squall about ignoring people who provoke you then go against his own advice), Vanadium was my brother, Quistis was my former Instructor, Selphie was okay but we had only recently met and she'd probably changed her opinion of me since our first meeting considering what's happened, and Rinoa was... she was Seifer's girlfriend and I didn't get on well with her.
Made me miss having friends about. I should have held my ground; I should have went with Fujin and Raijin. I should have told them I was going no matter what! Fuck being a SeeD! It's just the same as being a Garden student only you get paid! I'm just stuck with a load of twats I don't even like, who favour one person over the rest, my brother and the Galbadian snipers. If anything I was more of an outcast than the two newbies.
"Well we should be at Deling soon," Lysander announced after a while. "After that we should make sure Rinoa over there gets out the way."
"What do you mean by that?" Rinoa glared at the gunner. "I'm a SeeD like everyone else."
"Lady, I don't remember you responding to the distress signal for the Timber Team," That's right. He had seen the broadcast. I bet the people who lived under rocks had seen it too.
"Look I am a SeeD!" Rinoa protested.
"How about we quit pretending? They know," I snapped at her. Wow I had no idea how angry I was.
"Our orders are to take Rinoa somewhere safe," Squall spoke.
"Well we can book her a room at the Galbadia Hotel and she can stay there then," Lysander answered back with a lot of bite. "She may be a client or whatever but putting her life at risk during the most important mission of your life is being completely fucking ridiculous."
"I can handle myself!" Rinoa protested. "My order is that I stay safe with my SeeD team."
"Well I'm not a SeeD, am I?" Lysander bit again. "Do whatever the fuck you want. You want to get killed because you were too stubborn to let hired professionals take care of you, fine. Not my problem. Fact is, you're not a SeeD or SeeD support. You shouldn't be on this mission." Rinoa huffed and crossed her arms.
"He right, Rinoa," Vanadium stepped in, being calm as always. Always fucking calm. "Your safety is important to your team. This mission currently takes priority over all of your orders, even with a valid contract," Yes! Freedom for now! "We will provide safety for you and once this mission is over your contract will once again have priority." Fan-bloody-tastic. I suppose it has to happen. Doesn't mean I have to like it. Okay if I find Seifer before Fujin and Raijin do I'm defecting, simple as that.