Chapter 36
Withdraw
(Selphie)
Selphie gazed westward down the tracks, towards the setting sun. She tried to look beyond the rapidly approaching Galbadian Army car, to see what was behind it. Were there more cars coming as well? Another train? Boats coming across the ocean?
She stood, frozen, her eyes scanning everywhere, but she could only see the one car Galbadian military car.
(It's alone?)
But why would Galbadia bother to send one car all the way to FH? Was the car some kind of envoy, sent ahead of the army to demand that the city surrender to Galbadia? Or was it some kind of trap—a car loaded with explosives to weaken the city before the main force arrived?
She didn't know. But whatever it was and whatever they wanted, she couldn't let the G-Army get into the city. Not without a fight.
She ran to the top of the steps that led down into the stadium. Irvine was visible at the bottom. He was sitting on the mayor's front porch, gazing down at his boots and lazily twirling his ponytail with one finger. There wasn't enough time for her to run all the way down the stairs and warn him—the car was far too close for that—so she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted as loud as she could, "GAAAAALLLLLLLLBAAAAAADIIIIIIAAAAAA!"
Her voice carried in every direction, echoing through the stadium again and again. Irvine looked up and squinted. She could his eyes poking out from underneath the brim of his hat. She jumped in the air and waved both her arms to get his attention, then she pointed west with both hands. He stood up from the steps, peering at her questioningly. She'd gotten his attention, but she wasn't sure if he understood her meaning.
(Eh, good enough.)
She had successfully alerted him that something was wrong. It would be up to him to figure out what to do next. She turned away from the stairs and dashed down the railroad tracks, rushing to intercept the car before it reached the city. She was unarmed—her nunchaku and Irvine's gun were stored back at the inn. Irvine and Selphie thought that parading around the city with their weapons drawn wasn't likely to win them any friends, so they left their gear behind.
(And now Galbadia's comin' and I've got no weapon!)
She still had her magic though, and her junctions as well. Those alone would be enough to beat up an average squad of G-Soldiers, even if they came prepared with guns and grenades. Or at least she hoped it would be enough anyway.
Her eyes stayed focused on the car as she ran. As long as the car kept barreling down the tracks towards her, that was a good thing. She had enough magical power stored within her to use ice and wind or some other combination of spells to use the car's forward momentum to blow it off the Horizon Bridge and into the ocean. But if the car stopped and the passengers got out and used the vehicle as a shield, that would pose a bigger problem. She'd be left standing in the open on the bridge with no cover anywhere, while the soldiers would be free to take shots at her.
Selphie cast a quick protect spell on herself, the blue energy forming a disk around her, then snapping shut with an electric pop and turning invisible.
Near the very edge of town, with only a handful of rundown shacks flanking her on either side of the bridge, Selphie came to a stop and braced herself for battle. At this point, the car would either have to turn around, stop, or go right through her. She charged up an ice spell—one of the strongest in her supply. Timed and aimed properly, the chunk of ice she planned to hurl could knock the car clean off the bridge, or at least put the engine out of commission. The pale blue light of the spell shimmered coolly in her hand, steaming in the warm air. She nibbled on the tip of her tongue as she concentrated on her target and aimed.
(Just a little more…)
The car hurtled towards her, seemingly oblivious to her presence. The frame of the vehicle jostled up and down as the wheels bounced along the railroad ties. In a few moments, it would be in the absolute perfect spot for Selphie's magic.
(A little more…)
And then it stopped a short distance away, the tires squealing on the tracks and the whole body of the car pitching forward as the driver brought the vehicle to an almost instantaneous stop. Selphie's eyes widened. The vehicle was stopping. She needed to adjust her battle strategy.
She canceled the ice magic—allowing the energy to dissipate back into her body—and switched to her other hand. In this hand she brought up a fire spell. Fire, in this situation, would be better than ice, because even if she didn't score a clean hit on her enemies, it would still do indirect damage to any exposed soldiers from the sheer heat of the attack. Plus there was a chance that the spell would ignite the car's fuel tank, exploding the vehicle and taking all the soldiers out with it.
(Instant win.)
When the car settled to a stop, both the driver side door and the passenger side door opened, and two Galbadian soldiers stepped out onto the tracks. Selphie wound up to throw her magic, when the driver—who was taller than the passenger—held up both his hands and waved them side to side.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" the man said. He brought his hands up and tugged off his helmet. "It's just us, ya know?"
Underneath the helmet was the dark skin and square head of Raijin. The passenger took off her helmet, revealing Fujin's gray hair and iconic eye patch. Selphie froze, her arm bent back behind her head, ready to throw. She pursed her lips in thought and glanced back at the fireball in her hand.
(Hmmm…)
(Maybe I should blast 'em anyway.)
The last time Selphie had seen Fujin and Rajin, they had been locked in mortal combat inside the Lunatic Pandora. Fujin and Raijin were fighting on Seifer's side, and therefore—by extension—were on Ultimecia's side. And before that, they were directly working for Galbadia, and had the entire city of Balamb on lockdown. There had been a fight back then too. In truth, meeting Fujin and Raijin was worse than running into a pair of Galbadians, because at least the Galbadians weren't trained by SeeD and stocked with Guardian Forces and magic.
(Better safe than sorry.)
Selphie stepped one foot forward and prepared to throw. Fujin slashed her hand in the air and shouted, "CEASE!" in a deep, slightly terrifying voice.
At the last moment before releasing the conflagration in her hand, Selphie remembered something. While it was true that she had fought Fujin and Raijin while aboard the Lunatic Pandora, that wasn't precisely the last time they had met. Just before the fight with Adel and all the ensuing chaos of time compression, Fujin and Raijin had briefly shown up to try to talk Seifer out of his madness. To try to get him to abandon his service to Ultimecia and go back to being his old self.
Seifer had refused, of course, but at least his two friends—his "posse"—had made the attempt. That had to count for something. It at least meant that they weren't completely crazy.
(Okay, fine.)
Grumbling, Selphie quenched the fire spell in her hand and turned to the pair. "Whaddya want?"
"Same thing as always, ya know," Raijin said. He and Fujin set their helmets on the hood of the car, then started walking to close the gap between themselves and Selphie. "Lookin' for Seifer."
"He's not here," Selphie said. She tensed up a little as they drew closer, but it was clear that they were unarmed. Still, she kept a wary eye on both of them, ready to dodge and counter if they tried anything sneaky. Raijin and Fujin stopped a few paces before Selphie.
At that moment, Selphie heard a familiar pair of boots clattering down the tracks behind her. She didn't have to turn around to know that it was Irvine rushing up to belatedly join the battle. He stopped beside Selphie and clenched one hand into a fist and shook it at the newcomers.
"Whoa, what're they doin' here?" he asked.
"Lookin' for Seifer," Selphie said.
"PREVIOUS?" Fujin asked, glaring at Selphie with her one eye.
(Previous what?)
Irvine frowned. He turned to Selphie and they exchanged a confused glance. Selphie shrugged.
"Uh, translation?" she asked Raijin.
"When's the last time ya saw Seifer, ya know?" Raijin said. Fujin nodded to confirm this translation.
"Look," Irvine said, pointing his finger at Fujin. "I know y'all can speak in whole sentences. We've all heard you do it before in the Lunatic Pandora. So just say what you're gonna say and leave out all this one-word crap."
"MORON," Fujin said in her flat, monotone voice.
"Yeah, you really are a jerk, ya know that?" Raijin said. He swatted at the air and postured arrogantly, like he was trying to start a fight. Mostly, he just looked silly.
"What, does she got some kinda disability or somethin'?" Selphie asked. She glanced at Fujin's eye patch and winced. "I mean, uh, besides her eye?"
"IRRELEVANT," Fujin said. She shook her head.
"See? Right there," Irvine said. He cocked his head. "That was like, four syllables just then. You coulda said four little words. Like, 'we look for… Seif…er'… or something. Not so hard, right?"
"That's five syllables, Irv," Selphie whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
"Yeah, I know," Irvine whispered back. "I didn't think that one through."
"Where is he?" Raijin said, his voice rising to a low shout. "We ain't got time for this, ya know!"
"Then speak normal!" Selphie said. "This'll go a lot faster if we can understand you two!"
"SQUALL?" Fujin asked. Selphie knew it was a question only because of a very slight, almost imperceptible upturn of her voice at the end of the word.
"He's not here either," Selphie said. She crossed her arms. "No one's here but us."
Fujin and Raijin exchanged a glance, nodded as if sharing a telepathic communication, then sighed in unison. Selphie wondered how much information she should reveal to these two, but then she decided that it didn't really matter. They didn't seem to have any real ties to Galbadia—aside from their likely stolen uniforms.
"GARDEN?" Fujin asked.
"Not here!" Selphie said. She stomped one boot in frustration. "No one's here! Nothing's here! Speak in sentences!"
"You understand Fuge just fine," Raijin said. "You're answerin' her questions and everythin', ain't ya?"
"Does she really have a disability, or is she just bein' weird?" Selphie asked Raijin. He rolled his eyes.
"Just tell us where Seifer is!" he yelled.
"NOT HERE!" Selphie said.
"Hey, Selph," Irvine said with a wry grin. "You almost sounded like her for a sec there."
"Tee-hee, I know," Selphie said, smiling
"Quit makin' fun of us!" Raijin said. His voice cracked. "Have you seen Seifer or not?"
"NO!" Selphie said.
"LEAVE!" Irvine said. He chuckled.
"Oh come on!" Raijin said, his voice turning whiny. "Have you seen him at all?"
"YES!" Selphie said.
"WHERE?" Fujin asked, glaring.
"G-GARDEN!" Selphie said.
(Hey, I'm gettin' the hang of this.)
"What was Seifer doin' at G-Garden?" Raijin asked.
"PRISONER!" Selphie said.
"STOP!" Fujin said.
"MAKE ME!" Selphie said. She covered her mouth with one hand and bit her lip. "Oops, that was two words."
"Why you actin' like this, man?" Raijin said. He threw up his hands, exasperated, and then put them on his hips, like a disappointed parent scolding their child. "What'd we ever do to you, ya know?"
(Seriously?)
"You tried to kill us!" Selphie said. "Like, three times!"
(Or maybe two.)
(I lost count.)
"NEVER!" Fujin said.
"Fuge's right, ya know," Raijin said. "We never woulda killed you. We tried to arrest you in Balamb, then we tried to keep you from gettin' at Seifer in Esthar. That's all. We weren't gonna kill ya."
"I dunno," Irvine said. He scratched the back of his head. "Seems I recall you tryin' to crack me pretty hard upside the head in our last fight. What were you doin' if not tryin' to kill us?"
"PROTECTING," Fujin said.
"Yeah," Raijin said. "You were gonna go kill Seifer, so we had to stop you."
"Well, ya could said something!" Selphie said. "Like, 'hey, don't kill Seifer.'"
"HARDLY," Fujin said.
"No kiddin'," Raijin said. "Like you guys ever woulda stopped and listened to us. You all and Seifer were hellbent on bashin' each other's skulls in. We had no choice but to try to put you down with a bit of force, ya know?"
"SEIFER," Fujin said to Raijin.
"Fuge is right, we're getting' off track," Raijin said. "Why's Seifer in prison at G-Garden?"
"Wait, hold on," Selphie said. She held up a hand. "How'd you know that's what she meant to say? All she did was say Seifer's name. Maybe she was still talkin' about the Lunatic Pandora, or maybe she was just gonna say Seifer has really nice hair or somethin'. How'd you know?"
Raijin puffed out his chest and grinned. "There's more to language than just words, ya know!" Fujin and Raijin, in unison, exchanged a glance. "There's body language too."
That was too much for Selphie. She threw both her hands forward and dropped her jaw open.
"SHE NEVER MOVES!" Selphie yelled. "Her body has no language! Her body is mute!"
"Hey, if you keep dissin' Fuge, we're gonna have a problem, ya know," Raijin said. He cracked his knuckles threateningly. "So cut it out!"
"You know what? Maybe we oughta settle this," Irvine said. He turned his body sideways and raised up his arms in to a boxing stance. "Finish this fight once and for all… ya know."
"FUTILE," Fujin said with another swipe of her arm.
"I dunno," Irvine said. "We kicked your asses pretty good last time. And the time before that too. I figure we can do it again."
"No, no, no," Raijin said. He pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand and threw his head back. "She didn't mean, like, 'resistance is futile,' ya know. She meant that fighting is futile. There's no point to it!"
"How do you know that?" Selphie yelled. She pulled on her hair in frustration. "All she said was 'futile.' Are you two psychic or something?"
Selphie gasped.
(Wait… Maybe they are!)
(That would explain a lot.)
"We're a posse!" Raijin said proudly. "We know each other inside and out."
Irvine laughed for several long seconds. Selphie and all the others stared at him for a moment. When he finally recovered himself enough to speak, he grinned lecherously and said, "Oooohhh, so it's like that, huh? Inside and out?"
Selphie elbowed him hard in the gut. He bent over and grunted, then—laughing—took a step away from her to keep her from landing a second blow.
"Inside of what, I wonder?" Irvine said, still laughing. "Details, man! Tell me details!"
"What?" Raijin said.
"PERVERTED," Fujin said to him.
"Oh," Raijin said. He frowned and thought it over. Then he suddenly figured out the joke and scowled. "Hey! It ain't like that at all!"
"Well, keep tryin', Rage," Irvine said, still grinning and holding his gut with one hand. "You'll get there someday. Lemme know if y'all want some pointers."
Selphie swung out to punch him in the gut, but Irvine danced away from her attack, giggling merrily.
"MURDER," Fujin said, slashing the air with one hand.
"Yeah, I'm getting real sick of these two, ya know," Raijin said.
(Oh boy…)
(This is gonna get ugly soon...)
Selphie stopped trying to hit Irvine. She took a step forward, moving between Irvine and the other pair. She held up her hands towards both sides like a boxing referee separating two fighters. "Okay, okay, okay. Everybody just calm down. Take it easy. Breathe some air. Everybody's calm, everybody's happy." She grinned widely, showing all her teeth. "See? Happy!"
"I ain't happy," Raijin said. He crossed his arms and glared at her.
"YES YOU ARE! Now, let's just take it from the top," Selphie said. She turned to Fujin and Raijin. "Why are you here?'
"SEIFER," Fujin said.
"Okay… you're looking for Seifer," Selphie said. "He's not here."
"When'd you last see 'im?" Raijin asked.
"In G-Garden, in the detention center," Selphie said.
"WHY?"
"I don't know why," Selphie said. "And I don't know where they were goin' either. G-Garden dropped us off in Deling City and that's the last we saw of them, I swear."
Fujin and Raijin exchanged a glance with each other, then nodded.
"We heard about some fightin' happenin' out in FH, ya know?" Raijin said. "Someone attacked a Galbadian train. Since the wimps in FH never pick a fight with anybody, we figured Seifer mighta had somethin' to do with it."
(Oh, the train.)
(Man, that fight has really come back to haunt us…)
"Why'd you think it was Seifer?" Selphie asked.
"Seifer's always causin' problems," Raijin said. "Especially with Galbadia. So when we heard about problems with Galbadia, we went out to look. Simple as that, ya know."
Irvine snorted. "Makes sense. But I mean, if you both know that Seifer's such a crazy mess, then why do y'all even want him back? Seifer's like a bad cold. He's something you want to lose."
"POSSE," Fujin said.
"Yeah, Fuge's right," Raijin said. "We're a posse for life, man. We've always got Seifer's back."
Irvine shrugged. He turned and looked out to the sea. "Dunno what Seifer ever did to deserve loyalty like that, but whatever. Do what you wanna do. It's your life, man."
"So you guys have been wandering all over, dressed like G-Soldiers?" Selphie asked.
"CONVENIENT," Fujin said.
"Yup," Raijin said. "It's real easy to get around Galbadia when you're a G-Soldier. Nobody asks you questions or nothing, ya know? We can walk into any city in the country and no one tries to stop us."
"Well, if you wanna know the truth," Irvine said. "Y'all are headin' in the wrong direction. My guess is that Galbadia took Seifer to D-District or some other prison in the west. Best start lookin' out that way."
Raijin laughed with his hands on his hips, throwing his head back. "Ha! Good one! Ain't no prison that can hold Seifer for long, ya know?"
"I dunno," Selphie said. "The detention center at G-Garden was holdin' him pretty good, I think."
"DISCUSS," Fujin said to Raijin.
"Ya, we gotta talk this one out, ya know?" Raijin said. "Thanks for the tip."
"Eh, no problem," Irvine said.
And with that, Raijin and Fujin turned away and headed back to the car. Selphie and Irvine silently watched them leave. The pair grabbed their helmets and stuck them on, then piled into the Galbadian Army car and closed the doors. In the fading light, it was impossible to see what the two were doing through the darkened windshield, but the car did not immediately fire up and drive away. Instead it stayed parked and silent for several seconds.
(I guess they're talkin' about where to go next.)
"So we just gonna leave 'em?" Selphie asked Irvine.
"They're Seifer's problem, not ours," Irvine said. "We got bigger things to worry about. And I don't think they're up to anything. Those two are too dumb for complicated schemes."
"You don't think they might be workin' with Galbadia?" Selphie asked.
"Nah," Irvine said. "And if they are, then Galbadia's in a lot of trouble. Sending those two morons out first is an act of desperation, if you ask me."
(Irv's probably right…)
Selphie spared one last glance at the car, hoping that it would turn around and leave the city. If those two were gone, then she wouldn't have to worry about them later on. But the car stayed parked on the tracks, silent and waiting. Irvine turned around and began walking towards the city. Selphie hesitated a moment, then followed.
"That was pretty good back there, Selph," Irvine said. "Real diplomatic the way you stopped that fight from breakin' out. I was one unkind word away from pushing Raijin's teeth into his stomach."
Selphie shrugged. "I just wasn't in the mood for a fight, that's all. 'Specially over somethin' stupid."
(Although I still REALLY wish I knew why Fujin only speaks in one-word sentences…)
"Maybe all this time in FH is affecting you," Irvine said with a grin. "Turnin' you into a pacifist."
"I'm not planning to live here, if that's what you're sayin'," Selphie said. "We still gotta fix Trabia, remember?"
"Right, I almost forgot," Irvine said. He walked several steps in silence, then sighed. "Man, Squall's gonna be ticked off when he finds out how long we've been gone from Trabia."
"No kiddin'," Selphie said. "But we had a good excuse to leave, right?"
Irvine shrugged.
(Great answer, Irv.)
They met up with the staircase leading down to the mayor's house. Automatically, Selphie turned and began heading down the steps. She paused after a few moments when she realized that Irvine wasn't following her. She turned and looked at him.
"Well? Ain't you comin' with?" she asked.
"Again?" Irvine asked. "How long are you plannin' on harassing the mayor?"
"Until he opens the door," Selphie said. And with that, she began trotting down the steps, keeping her hands raised to avoid touching the rusty railings on either side of her.
"He's not gonna be happy to see us," Irvine said. Even though he was complaining, Selphie could hear his footsteps following behind her.
"He doesn't need to be happy," Selphie said. "He just needs to listen."
They reached the bottom of the steps and crossed the wide metal platform on the bottom. Selphie nimbly hopped up onto the mayor's front porch and knocked loudly on the door.
"Open, open!" she said cheerfully. "Pizza delivery!"
"He's not gonna fall for that one," Irvine said as he climbed up the steps and stood beside her.
"Well, you said not to introduce ourselves," Selphie said.
"Yeah, but you coulda come up with something better than that," Irvine said.
(Like what?)
"Next time I'll let you knock on the door then," Selphie said.
Irvine waved his hand in the air and grinned. "Nah. I can't handle that much responsibility."
The sun had almost completely vanished beyond the horizon. Inside the stadium, it was already fully night, with shadows cast upon shadows. Selphie could only see the outline of her hand as she knocked on the door once again.
Irvine yawned, covering his mouth with one hand. "How long are you plannin' on stayin' here?"
"Until he opens up," Selphie said. She stared unblinking at the door, as if she would miss her chance to slip inside if she took her eyes off of it for even a second.
"All night, even?" Irvine asked.
"If that's what it takes, yeah," Selphie said.
Irvine coughed. "That's some commitment."
"If it saves FH, then it'll be worth it," Selphie said.
Irvine looked down at the porch. She could only barely see his face in the deepening night, but she could feel his mood change in their air. "Well, they don't wanna be saved, so why should we bother?"
"Because it's the right thing to do," Selphie said. She knocked again, hard enough to rattle the door in its frame.
(The mayor's gotta be able to hear me.)
"Maybe he's not home," Irvine said.
"Where would he be?" Selphie said. "In a hotel?"
"To get away from us? Maybe."
"Ergh," Selphie said. "You're so negative."
"Opposites attract," Irvine said, grinning knowingly at Selphie.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Selphie grunted in frustration.
(Sometimes, Irvine doesn't make any sense.)
They stood in silence outside the door, watching as the last traces of light faded from the sky. Above, the stars were already sparkling, the tiny white dots reflecting in the hundreds of solar panels arrayed throughout the stadium. With FH's location in the middle of the ocean, far away from cities and artificial lights, that night had one of the clearest, sharpest skies Selphie had seen since leaving Trabia. The reflections in the stadium made it feel like she was floating among the stars, far out in space.
Something about the night sky made her feel nostalgic. And it wasn't just the fact that it reminded her of Trabia. There was something more, a forgotten memory of the sky that tugged at her heart, trying to be recalled. She frowned.
(I wonder what it is.)
"So what happened with that White SeeD guy?" Irvine asked suddenly. Selphie jerked out of her reverie. It took her a moment to sort out her thoughts again.
"Teo?" Selphie said. Irvine nodded. "He brought me back to the White SeeD ship and… oh! I gotta tell you about that!"
Gesturing dramatically, Selphie described everything that the leader of White SeeD had told her. The sorceress camp on the Centra continent, White SeeD's rescue operation, and Commander Alnaj's offer to help them find Garden, if Garden agreed to take the women onboard the ship in exchange.
"And then I was comin' back here when I saw the Galbadian car on the tracks," Selphie said, catching up to the present moment. "Aaaand that's about it."
Irvine raised his eyebrows. "Actually, you know, that sounds like a good deal to me. With the White SeeD ship we could find Garden a lot faster. And also, we could avoid the Galbadian Continent entirely. Before, I was plannin' on takin' a train back towards Timber, then swingin' back north to Balamb, but now we won't have to risk that. I say we agree to his plan."
"Hmm," Selphie said.
She turned away from him and knocked on the door, but with less enthusiasm this time. There had been a part of her that was hoping that Irvine would find some reason to refuse the offer. Maybe his obvious jealousy towards Teo would make him want to keep as far away from White SeeD as possible. But instead, Irvine had agreed instantly and without reservations. With Irvine eager to join up with White SeeD, it made it that much harder to Selphie to argue that they should stay in FH.
(And I do wanna stay.)
Before, she had been on the fence on the subject. The offer from the White SeeDs did seem pretty tantalizing, and although she didn't show it, Selphie was growing more and more frustrated by the city of Fisherman's Horizon as well. She had never before experienced a situation where people actively refused her help, especially in life-threatening circumstances. The whole ordeal was confusing to her.
But when Fujin and Raijin had rolled up in their Galbadian car, Selphie had subconsciously made up her mind. In that instant, she was prepared to battle to the death to protect FH. Even if the rest of the G-Army had suddenly appeared behind that first car, she would have stood her ground. She would not have retreated back to the White SeeD ship, or taken the train and fled to Esthar.
She had arrived too late to save Trabia from the missile attack. She had been too late to protect Timber from the invading G-Army. But this time was different. This time, she knew the G-Army was readying an attack, and she was fully prepared to fend them off, even if she didn't have the weapons or the personnel to manage a real defense. At least she was here.
(It's not gonna happen a third time.)
(I'll protect FH.)
(Even if they don't want my help.)
She knocked on the door again, calmly this time.
She realized that Irvine was staring up at the stars. He had one hand on his hat, pinning it down so it didn't fall off his head.
"Lotta stars tonight," he said.
Selphie craned her neck backwards to look up at the stars.
"Yyyyup," she said.
"You sure you wanna waste such a nice night hanging around some old man's porch?" Irvine asked.
"It's not so bad," Selphie said.
"Hey," Irvine said. He stopped looking at the stars and turned to Selphie. "Let's find somewhere where we can enjoy the scenery better," Irvine said. He reached out his hand towards Selphie's bare shoulder. She started to pull away—a strange, unintended reflex—but he caught her before she'd moved far. His fingertips were warm and his grip was strong, squeezing her skin.
(We're just friends...)
"Uh… Like where?" Selphie asked. Her mouth was dry. She gazed into his eyes and realized that her heart was pounding. Luckily the darkness hid the fact that her face was growing hot.
(Why do I feel like this?)
"Somewhere quiet," Irvine said softly. "Somewhere private. Just you and me. I dunno if we can find anywhere decent in this giant trash heap of a city, but I think we can manage, if we try."
"What… like a… date?" she asked. The last word was out of her mouth before she could stop herself. That simple word at the end of her question seemed to carry so much power. Four tiny letters that screamed in her mind. She could imagine Fujin speaking that word in her firm monotone.
("DATE.")
She expected him to laugh. Throw back his head and take his hand off her shoulder. Of course he wasn't asking her on a date. They were just friends. She was being silly. Misreading the situation and his intentions.
But he met her eyes honestly and said, "Yeah. Why not?"
Selphie thought she was falling. If it wasn't for Irvine's hand on her shoulder and her boots on the porch, she would have been utterly convinced that she was in the process of sliding off the edge of the world. Her brain overloaded and seized up as a million conflicting thoughts all tried to force their way into her mouth and past her lips at the same time.
"Uh… guh…" Selphie said, unaware that she was making noises.
Her rational mind had been fried. All that remained were her senses. The ancient, animal parts of her body. She could see Irvine's glittering eyes in the darkness, the faint smile upon his lips. The way his hat was tilted at a perfect angle so it obscured just the right amount of his forehead, leaving a bit of mystery without obscuring his handsome features.
And she could smell him. The leathery, worn smell of his trench coat and his gloves. The traces of the soap that still lingered on his skin after his quick bath in the inn's tub. And she could feel his hand upon her shoulder. She could have sworn she could detect the faint beat of his heart through the tips of his fingers. Or maybe it was just her own heart, thudding hard within her chest and bouncing off his hand.
"I… uh… Quit playing around, Irv," Selphie said, forcing out a laugh.
With a sensation that felt like pulling two heavy-duty magnets apart, Selphe wrenched her eyes away from Irvine's and looked back at the closed door to the mayor's house. Irvine kept his hand on her shoulder and used his other hand to guide Selphie's face back towards his. He looked a little hurt by her comment, a little offended.
"I ain't playin', Selphie," he said. "Why not make a night of it?"
(You're always playing, Irv.)
It was then that she realized that the word "date" didn't carry the same weight, the same meaning for Irvine as it did for her. In fact, nothing about relationships really meant anything to him. He threw himself at anything with a pretty face. It was all a game, and he endeavored to be the world's best player.
When Squall, Selphie, and the others first arrived in Galbadia Garden and received their orders to assassinate the Sorceress Edea, Martine—then Headmaster of G-Garden—had assigned Irvine as the team's sharpshooter for the operation. Once alone with the group, Irvine had worked his way through every female on the team, starting with Selphie, then moving to Rinoa and ending with Quistis. He swore undying love to all of them, promised romance and beauty and greatness, begged them to sooth his lonely soul.
That all took place within the first half hour of meeting him.
(He said those things to all of us…)
Of course, Selphie found him attractive. He was attractive. That was an undeniable fact, like saying that his hair was brown or his skin pale. It hadn't been love at first sight for her, but she had to admit—in the infrequent times that she thought about such things—that she had once entertained the possibility that maybe—maybe —there could be the potential for love between them.
Then she realized that Irvine was an unrepentant, compulsive flirt. After hitting on all the girls who would later become his teammates and best friends, Irvine steadily racked up a long list of random women who received his attention and his affections, to the point where Selphie could no longer keep track of who he had and had not hit on. He was like a friendly dog at a party, running from person to person and wagging his tail. He was just excited to be there, to be part of the crowd, to have everyone's attention. None of it really meant anything to him.
(I don't really mean anything to him either.)
However, as he gripped her, one hand on her shoulder and one on her chin—both eyes reaching out to hers, she began to think how nice it would be if he did actually care. How great everything would be if she took him up on his offer. She wanted to know if he was serious—if he could be serious—and this was her chance to find out.
She quickly weighed her options. On the one hand was the humiliation and the pain of giving out her heart to a careless man. She'd never really given anything of herself to a boy before, and the thought of being tossed casually aside in a few weeks or months frightened her deeply. But on the other hand was a date with Irvine and a potential future with him. Her imagination went wild. Romantic dates in the mountains? Adventures around the world, hand-in-hand? Marriage? Ten kids and a three story house?
(Whoa, whoa.)
(Settle down.)
At that moment, she thought of two recent events. First, she remembered that Irvine had vaguely asked Lisle out on a date. Granted, he hadn't used that exact word, but he had mentioned going out somewhere special. In fact, he'd used a lot of the same wordage that he just used on Selphie. And second, she remembered all the off-color jokes he made, the innuendos that were his trademark. Only a few minutes ago, he'd antagonized Fujin and Raijin by implying that their relationship had a physical element.
While dirty jokes themselves didn't offend Selphie, it made her wonder about what was going on in Irvine's head. What did he mean when he asked her out on a date? What did he expect to happen? Her mind flashed back to the concert that Selphie and Irvine had organized to celebrate Squall's promotion. According to Rinoa, Irvine had left a dirty magazine in a dark corner of the stage. It didn't take a genius to guess what Irvine had planned for Rinoa and Squall.
(I mean, it's one thing to joke…)
(But he actually did that!)
(And… is that what he wants from me?)
A trill of anxiety and nerves and anticipation all coursed through her body at once, urging her to run away, to scream, to yield to him, to punch him, to accept his advances—all at once.
"Well?" Irvine asked. Selphie realized that a long time had passed without her speaking.
"I don't… know," Selphie said. Which was the truth. She had no idea what she wanted. She saw disappointment flicker across his eyes, and the part of her mind that longed to say yes rushed to the forefront of her mind, forcing her to backpedal.
"Well, I mean," Selphie said. "Maybe some other time. Now… now it's too crazy, you know?"
"Our lives are always crazy," Irvine said. "There won't be a better time than this."
(Are you sayin' we're gonna die?)
It was possible that he meant exactly that. After all, Galbadia was massing their armies, presumably on their way to Fisherman's Horizon. If Selphie chose to stay and fight—and she had already made up her mind that she would—then death was certainly a possibility. She was no so naïve as to think that she was immortal.
And if tonight was her last night alive, or the second-to-last night, then why would she waste it? Why not take a chance with Irvine? See what happens next. Maybe it won't be so bad. Or maybe it will be even better than she could imagine.
But she had never been a terribly logical or decisive person. She let her feelings guide her actions. And at that moment, there on the porch in the dark, her feelings were sending mixed signals.
"I need some time to think," Selphie said.
Irvine took his hands off her. His tone changed, becoming not angry, but frustrated.
"Think about what, Selph?" Irvine asked. "We've spent all this time together. Don't you know me by now? What's there to think about?"
(I…)
(I don't really know you.)
"I just need some time," Selphie said, almost apologetically. She had no idea why she felt so guilty. She hadn't done anything wrong. She was simply being honest.
Irvine stuck his tongue in his cheek and sighed. He closed his mouth, looked away, and nodded.
"Time," Irvine muttered. "Okay. I'll give y'all some time then. Night, Selphie."
He turned around and strode down the steps. Reflexively, she almost called out "Good night," to him, but she stopped herself from doing that. Saying goodbye at this time would end the conversation, would send Irvine away. And there was still a large part of her that wanted him to stay.
But she couldn't find the words that would make him turn around.
So she watched him cross the long metal sheet at the bottom of the stadium, then begin to mount the steps one by one. His boots clicked loudly on each metal step, echoing through the stadium. He reached the top and continued on into the city, vanishing from sight.
He never once looked back.
Selphie's confused and conflicting emotions swirled around and around, until they coalesced into a formless, directionless anger. She balled up her fists and ground her teeth. Not sure why she was mad or who she was mad at, she directed her fury at the nearest person and the nearest thing—the mayor and his house.
She spun around and kicked the door with her boot, hard enough to hurt her toe.
"Open up!" she yelled. "I'll be here all night!"
She was too angry to keep up with the patient approach. To simply stand on his front porch, knocking like a determined—but polite—salesperson. She took a step backwards and reconsidered her plan. She needed something annoying, something constant. Something to make the mayor have to open his door.
(Fire!)
But no, she decided against causing property damage.
Maybe if she disturbed his sleep, he'd be forced to come down and talk to her.
She leapt off the porch and began rummaging around in the piles of junk that were tucked underneath the mayor's house. Soon, after some digging, she found a rusty old pipe that wasn't connected to anything. The pipe was half as tall as Selphie and as thick around as her forearm. It was pretty heavy, but not unmanageable.
She held the pipe like a staff, gripping it firmly in both hands. She sucked in a breath, then raised the pipe up above her head and then slammed the heel of the pipe down against the metal floor of the stadium. The sound was piercing and shrill, like something between a gunshot and a thunderbolt. It rang and echoed and hurt Selphie's ears, but it was exactly what she wanted at that moment.
She raised the pipe again and slammed it down.
And again.
(Stupid Irvine.)
And again.
(Stupid mayor.)
And again.
(Stupid Galbadians.)
And again.
(Stupid me.)
The door behind her opened, startling her. She dropped the pipe on accident and it clattered to the ground. She spun and looked up to see the mayor standing in his doorway. He wore a set of pale blue-and-white striped pajamas, with a matching nightcap on his head, obscuring his bald scalp. His eyes were half-lidded and passive, but still carried a note of anger.
"Hiya!" Selphie said, waving at him. "Did I wake you?"
"Well, you're keeping me awake," the mayor said.
(Good!)
"If I let you in for a moment," the mayor said calmly, "Will you please, please, stop that racket?"
Selphie saluted in the SeeD style. "I promise," she said.
Mayor Dobe sighed, then reached out and turned on the indoor light. He stepped aside and motioned for Selphie to enter. "Please be quick about it. I am quite exhausted."
Selphie bounded up the steps and jogged past the mayor, ruffling his pajamas with a breeze as she jumped inside. Dobe closed the door behind her and turned to face her.
"I'll have you know right now that my opinions have not changed," he said. "And nothing you say will convince me to fight, nor convince me to allow you to shed blood on our behalf."
"No, no, I know," Selphie said. She waved her arms. "But I got a totally new idea! One that doesn't involve fighting!"
"Oh?" the mayor said. He didn't seem impressed.
"We sail away!" Selphie said. She mimed a sailing boat with her hands. "Everyone gets on their boats, and we go cruising into the ocean. When Galbadia comes, there will be nothing here but a ghost town! Nobody fights, nobody dies, everyone is happy!"
She grinned, showing all her teeth.
The mayor stared at her, stony-faced, for a moment. Then he smiled. Then he chuckled.
(What's so funny?)
"Yes," he said, fighting down his amusement. "At least now you are considering the matter with the proper mindset. If you continue down this path, I am sure that you could one day unlearn the violence that you have been taught in your mercenary school. Still, while I like the idea, I must refuse."
"What? Why?" Selphie asked. "It's a totally awesome idea!"
Mayor Dobe shrugged. "I am afraid you are asking the impossible. Do you know our town history? For instance, did you know that the original citizens of FH all came from Esthar?"
Selphie wasn't sure if she knew that or not, but the story sounded familiar. Still, she motioned for him to continue.
"We fled from Esthar so that they couldn't use our scientists to make weapons," the mayor said. "Esthar, at the time, sought military superiority over the world, and anyone with a mind for numbers or technology or science was employed in the service of bringing violence into the world. We rejected that notion and fled.
"But we were not so foolish as to think that things would be different in any other country in the world," he continued. "Many of us were top scientists at Esthar, with years of experience and invaluable knowledge about cutting edge weapons of destruction. If any other nation learned of our talents, we would be brought before their governments and once more tasked with creating machines for war. So we made our own nation. Fisherman's Horizon. Right here."
"I getcha," Selphie said.
"This is our home," Mayor Dobe said. "This is where we belong. This is the only nation—if you can even call us a nation—that accepts our tenants of peace and harmony. You may think I am ignorant of the ways of the world, but I am not. I know very well that if we take you up on your plan—if we leave FH in the hands of the Galbadians—they will destroy it. And then there will be nothing left of the home we have built."
"But, I mean, you can rebuild!" Selphie said. "… Right?"
(How hard can it be to rebuild a giant, floating scrap heap?)
"Not likely, I'm afraid," the mayor said. "We were rather lucky to find this spot in the first place. Here, at the mid-point of the Horizon Bridge, we found a train depot and a station that once served as a dumping ground for both Galbadia and Esthar. That gave us the materials to create our city, but also, being at the midpoint between two giants gives us a certain strength as well. Galbadia will not claim us, for fear of inciting war with Esthar. And Esthar will not claim us for fear of starting a war with Galbadia. It is better for both those nations that we remain neutral."
"But Galbadia's already starting a war!" Selphie said. "So that plan doesn't work anymore."
"Perhaps you're right," Dobe said. "Only time shall tell. But in addition, our location at sea is perhaps the most important aspect of FH. All the land in the world is currently owned by some nation or another. But the seas are still largely free. Here is the only place where our ideas and our beliefs can remain unsullied by the politics of foreign nations. If we were to leave, we would have to relocate to some island or peninsula—one almost certainly owned by someone else. And they would not take kindly to us and our way of life. They would demand taxes and tributes, and that we obey their laws and send our children to serve in their armies. In losing FH, we would lose ourselves, our identity."
"Esthar might be okay with givin' you guys an island or something," Selphie said. "You should talk to President Laguna! He's super cool! I'm sure he'd let you have some space somewhere."
"But we would be at his mercy," Mayor Dobe said. "That's the problem. We would not be free to do as we please. What if he changes his mind? Or what if he steps down as president and his successor takes a less charitable view of us? No matter how kind or generous President Laguna is, his rule of Esthar will not last forever, so he cannot be counted on in the long term. No, I'm afraid that here is the only place where we are truly free. So here is where we shall stay."
"But they're just gonna come and kill you!" Selphie said. "And then they'll burn down FH anyway! You'll lose everything!"
"As long as we are here, there is still hope," Mayor Dobe said. "Just because we refuse to fight, does not mean that we are without weapons."
(Weapons?)
"Like grenade launchers?" Selphie asked.
The mayor frowned and shook his head. "I see you are still a long way away from gaining true understanding of us. Thank you for your concern and thank you for the idea. It pleases me to know that there are people—even amongst SeeD—who carry warmth and compassion in their hearts. But you must go. If you truly wish to protect us, you must leave."
"That doesn't make sense!" Selphie said. "I can't protect you if I'm not here!"
"If there is nothing else you want to say, I would ask you to please leave now," Mayor Dobe said.
"But I…" Selphie said.
The mayor turned away, unwilling to hear any more. Selphie sighed. She had no more arguments left. Defeated, she turned to the door and opened it, stepping back out into the dark FH night.
Daylight poured though a tiny, fist-sized window in the wall of the inn. Her eyes were sticky and dry, her joints ached like an old woman's, and she had red lines pressed into her skin from the rough material of the hammock beneath her. Nonetheless, it was one of the better night's sleep she'd gotten since her captivity in the Caraway Mansion.
(Now that I think about it…)
(I don't usually sleep in a real bed anymore.)
She rolled on her side, making the hammock swing dizzyingly. She noticed that she was the only one left in the room. Everyone else had gotten up left, leaving their hammocks empty along the walls. She glanced around and saw that everyone's clothes were gone as well. The surprise of suddenly being alone in the room jolter her fully awake, and she tumbled out of the hammock, stepped into her boots, and jogged for the door. She burst into the hallway, frantically wondering if everyone had left FH without telling her.
(They wouldn't do that!)
(… Would they?)
She dashed down the steps two at a time and ran past the receptionist—who was still awake, and still watching television. To her relief, Irvine and the eight SeeDs were gathered in the inn's tiny computer room. In addition, Commander Alnaj from the White SeeD Ship stood facing the group, as if he'd just been giving them a lecture.
"Ah, " Alnaj said, turning to Selphie. "We were just about to come wake you up. It's dawn, and I need to know if you have reached a decision."
"How'd you find us?" Selphie asked, rubbing one sleepy eye with her fist.
"As I told you before," Alnaj said with a slight grin, "SeeD draws attention. You weren't difficult to track down. When you didn't show up at the docks at sunrise, I decided to look for you. I hope you don't mind."
(Oh crap! I totally spaced on that!)
Not only had Selphie forgotten to rendezvous with the White SeeD ship, but she'd also neglected to tell the other eight SeeDs about the whole encounter as well. Everyone had been asleep when she got back to the inn—including Irvine—and she didn't want to wake anyone up. She assumed she would be the first to wake up, but obviously that plan hadn't worked out.
"Irv!" Selphie said. "Did you tell everybody about the White SeeDs?"
He shrugged. "They know now." His shotgun was in one hand, Selphie's nunchaku in his other.
"I'll need a decision immediately," Alnaj said. "We are already past our scheduled departure time."
"Keep your pants on," Selphie grumbled. She turned to the others. "So whaddya guys think? Wanna hang out with White SeeD?"
"If it helps us get back to Garden, then sure," Lisle said. The other seven SeeDs murmured in agreement.
"Good," Alnaj said. "Now, if we're done here, we have to get going."
Without waiting, he turned and exited the inn, the door slamming shut behind him. The eight rescued SeeDs followed after in single file. None of them had any personal items aside from the clothes on their backs, so there was nothing for them to take with them. The SeeDs exited the inn, leaving only Irvine and Selphie—and the disinterested receptionist—remaining in the room.
"All right," Irvine said. "Time to mosey."
"Right!" Selphie said cheerfully. She smiled and waved. "Bye!"
Irvine took two steps for the door, then paused, one boot still in the air. He glanced at her and narrowed his eyes.
"Uh… what?"
"I said 'bye'," Selphie said. She waved again.
"Um… y'all are comin' with," Irvine said. "That's the plan, right?"
She shook her head. "Nope. I decided not to," she said. "Cause I've been thinkin' and, you know, I can't just leave FH alone to deal with the Galbadians. They're gonna get massacred!"
Irvine sighed.
"They don't want our help, Selphie," he said. "So let's just go and leave 'em be."
"No can do, sir," Selphie said. "I'm stayin'."
Irvine rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Selph. Be reasonable."
"I am bein' reasonable!" Selphie said. "We don't need to both go back to Garden. What's the point of that? So you go with the White SeeDs, call Garden, bring Garden here, and then we'll all protect FH together. Meanwhile, I'll stay here and hold the fort. Okay?"
(Sounds reasonable to me.)
"What if Galbadia comes while we're gone?" Irvine said.
"That's what I'll be here for," Selphie said.
"You gonna fight the whole army by yourself?" Irvine asked.
"I'll think of something," Selphie said.
Irvine clenched his jaw. "Selphie… c'mon. I mean. I don't… I don't understand you sometimes."
"I wanna stay and help FH," Selphie said. "What's so confusing about that?"
"You're bein' so damn childish," Irvine said, growing angry.
Selphie narrowed her eyes, offended by his comment and baffled by his sudden anger.
"Hey!" She stomped her foot, which probably didn't make her seem any less childish.
"You know what? Fine," Irvine said. He tossed Selphie's nunchaku to her. Surprised, she fumbled to catch them, only just managing to snag the chain with one hand. "I learned a long time ago that there ain't no use arguing with you. See ya later."
With four heavy boot steps, Irvine crossed to the door, shoved it open, and vanished into the early dawn light. The door slammed closed and Selphie was alone.
(… What just happened?)
She didn't understand why he was so angry. After all, she never promised to go along with the White SeeDs, and she thought she had made it pretty clear that she had no intentions of leaving FH. She said again and again that she was going to help FH, and now suddenly he acted shocked when she chose to stay behind?
(Is this 'cause of last night?)
She didn't know, and she preferred not to think of that subject. Just the mere memory of that night filled her with complicated emotions that she hadn't had a chance to sort through yet. Maybe Irvine was just upset because he had assumed she was going and was upset to find that she wasn't? If that was the case, then Irvine was being dumb.
(You shouldn't assume, Irvy.)
But for some reason, she didn't feel like she was in the right. No matter how she looked at it, she always felt like she was the bad guy, the one who was making the mistake, the one who was putting emotions before logic.
She sighed and clutched her nunchaku. The familiar weight of the two wooden shafts was comforting. It made her feel strong, confident.
But all the strength in the world didn't make her feel any less alone.
She turned to the receptionist. "What do you think?"
The receptionist turned to Selphie with bloodshot eyes. "Eh? You say somethin'?"
Selphie sighed. "No… nothing."
(Nothing at all.)