AS35
"And here we are, part one of the best day ever," Irvine announced,
"Michelle's dorm?" Quistis inquired curiously,
Irvine knocked on the door and was rewarded with an immediate answer when Michelle opened up and beamed at him, "Perfect timing! Come pick her up in an hour and a half!"
"Great, see you then, Doll!" Irvine smiled cheekily at Quistis, waved, and sauntered off.
Michelle wheeled Quistis into her room and Quistis gasped. The place had been redecorated (somewhat hastily) into a spa. Michelle had dragged out cosmetics, nail polish, and dresses, and had laid out scissors, a comb and some clips on her vanity table.
"I'm going to fix your hair and we're going to get you all lovely'd up," Michelle declared,
"Thank you!" Quistis felt tears prick her eyes.
OoO
Squall sat behind a desk organizing reports. He heard the door to his office open and shut and didn't look up as Selphie walked around and pulled out his chair so she could curl up in his lap. He wrapped one hand around her while continuing to work. After a long moment of silence she spoke.
"Malach didn't know Bril was killed," She said softly,
Squall winced a little, "You went and talked to him?"
"Yeah… I was curious." She sounded glum.
He kissed the top of her head, "I'm sorry. Malach and Bril were childhood friends, weren't they?"
"Yeah." She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Are you done soon?"
"Yes." He looked down at her and kissed her again, "Soon. Once I hand these over to Cid and Xu they'll handle everything else."
"That's a relief." Selphie sighed, "You have an hour and a half to finish!"
"What happens in an hour and a half?" Squall asked,
"You'll see, meet me by the elevator, main floor." Selphie winked and peeled herself away from him, skipping out of his office humming.
Squall blinked but shrugged, who knew what went on in the mysterious and chaotic mind of Selphie Tilmitt. He turned back to the reports and wondered if Malach was feeling any remorse now that the consequences of Tom and his actions were manifesting. Malach would have to answer to Laguna as well, as President Loire was arriving tomorrow and probably wouldn't waste any time tracking down the man who mutated and killed his emissaries. Squall would have to think of something to do after that meeting to cheer his father up. Or Selphie could think of something. Squall smiled, she would probably come up with a couple billion ideas. He mused to himself that it might be good to get her to organize something for all the SeeDs. Of course, the last time she did that they had to go Chocobo Racing… a tragic event he did not care to re-experience.
OoO
Michelle smiled to herself, quite pleased. She had had to snip off a full three inches of Quistis' hair to get rid of the scorched ends and ragged levels, Selphie had taken out the worst of the damage earlier but Michelle wanted to do a proper job of styling. It wasn't the end of the world for Trepe but it did make a noticeable difference. Quistis sat placidly, looking remarkably relaxed, with her painted nails drying and her eyes closed. Candle light flickered against the walls, lightly scenting the air. Michelle had given Quistis a back and shoulder massage, painted her nails on both fingers and toes and was now working on styling Quistis' hair. Michelle decided to add some gentle waves, she wanted a simple look, elegant, and very Trepe.
"Are you excited for this?" Michelle asked softly, not wanting to disturb the tranquil atmosphere.
Quistis smiled a little and blushed, "I'm nervous, actually."
"Nervous! Well, I guess if I was going on a date with Irvine I'd be nervous too. He's too gorgeous for his own good." Michelle reflected.
"Exactly. I've… I've never actually dated before," Quistis coughed lightly, embarrassed.
"…" Michelle blinked in surprise, "Really? You are full of surprises. I can't imagine it's from lack of offers though."
"No," Quistis sighed a little, "I just had other priorities."
"Had." Michelle repeatedly pointedly.
Quistis smiled, "Had. Yes. I don't know. I should at least try. I like Irvine…" she paused, hesitantly, "it would be nice to not be alone…"
Michelle smiled at her, "You deserve a special someone."
"Thank you," Quistis replied, blushing more, "and thank you for all of this… really, this is amazing. I feel more confident already."
"Irvine said you wouldn't be able to enjoy yourself unless you had immaculate hair," Michelle laughed, "what girl wants to go on a date looking like she escaped a warzone? It's completely understandable."
Quistis sighed and relaxed. A little pampering was exactly what she had needed. When Michelle finished with her hair they went over wardrobe selections. This was a bit trickier in that they wanted clothes that wouldn't interfere with any of Kadowaki's administrations. Finally Michelle found a white sundress with skinny little straps, it had a zipper down the back and they cut the straps and re-tied them into little bows so that it could be taken off without disturbing the inevitable IV needles Quistis would need during the day. Quistis stared at herself in the mirror and flashed a brilliant smile at Michelle.
"This is perfect." She declared.
"It is, if I do say so myself, and Irvine should be here soon, so let's get you out the door."
OoO
"Hssst!"
Squall choked in surprise as he was suddenly imbalanced and came crashing to the floor outside of the elevator. He tried to climb back to his feet but Selphie's hand clamped on to his shoulder and she pulled him to the side, ducking low. He stared at her, wondering if she had lost her mind, but her very determined face silenced any questions he had.
"We have to hide, over here, they won't see us!" She whispered, dragging Squall along.
She tugged him around the elevator and they both crouched down. To Squall's surprise he saw Zell and Kerei sneaking towards them too, both of them looking excited. The four SeeDs peered out from around the wall and watched the elevator closely.
Ding
Selphie squeaked in excitement and Zell reached forward to clamp his hand around her mouth, shooting her a stern glare. She wriggled in place and then suddenly froze. Squall, Zell and Kerei all leaned forward and watched the elevator doors open. Light glinted off a silvery curve as Quistis glided into view in her wheelchair, pushed by Michelle. As they neared the staircase, a very jaunty Irvine Kinneas leapt up to the platform and knelt to take Quistis' hand and drop a delicate kiss on her fingers. He rose slightly and then picked her up out of the chair, beaming at her as he turned and strode down the stairs.
Squall glanced down at Selphie and grinned at her expression of joy. Zell and Kerei were also smiling ecstatically and as he slid his gaze back to Trepe and Kinneas, Squall had to agree. The new couple looked deliriously happy and at peace. Quistis looked stunning, if he hadn't seen her the night before he never would have guessed she had almost died. Her hair fell down just past her shoulders in gentle waves, her crystalline blue eyes sparkled and a charming blush coloured both cheeks. She was wearing a simple white sundress, but on her it looked more beautiful than a gem-encrusted evening gown.
Irvine carried Quistis down the stairs and Michelle followed at a discrete distance, holding the folded wheelchair as she descended to the main floor of Garden. Once there she unfolded the chair and gently nudged it over to Irvine. He seemed to very reluctantly release Quistis back into the chair but the look in his eyes suggested she wouldn't be there long. Turning his back to the rest of the SeeDs, Irvine rolled Quistis out of Balamb and into the sunshine.
OoO
"That was soooo romantic!" Michelle squealed quietly, "Did you see the look in their eyes?!"
"I'm really happy for them," Kerei grinned, "especially Quistis."
Selphie was almost vibrating with excitement, "I know! This is TREPE'S AMAZINGLY AWESOME FIRST DATE and she's going to have a BLAST because I told him all the stuff she likes."
"Her first date?!" Zell's eyes widened but he looked thoughtful, "Yeah, I guess she never really did date before… she became an instructor so quickly and it's not like you could just date a student without anyone noticing…"
"Didn't stop guys from trying," Squall smirked,
Selphie's eyes narrowed, "You have GOSSIP and you DIDN'T tell me?!"
"I'll tell you when we're alone," Squall replied.
"I have other ideas for when we're alone." Selphie deadpanned.
"OHHHHHHH." Zell crowed, high-fiving Selphie.
Squall turned faintly pink.
OoO
Selphie licked her icecream cone pensively. Her legs swung off the docks, bright yellow sandals glinting under the sunlight. The waves lapped peacefully at the dock posts, gently teasing around the mussels and occasional starfish that had elected to cling to the dock's submerged supports. She counted them idly, enjoying the warmth on her back from the sunshine and the breeze that tousled her hair.
"This spot is perfect," She remarked between licks.
"I think I discovered every good place to be alone while training to become a SeeD…" Squall smiled ruefully, "These places are better with company though."
"Any company?" Selphie inquired,
"Nah, cute company, specifically," Squall grinned at her and ruffled her hair, making her shriek and recoil,
"My hair-!"
"-magically springs back into place no matter what you go through, you know that," Squall laughed at her,
"My hair is as IRREPRESSABLE as my CHARM AND ENERGY!" Selphie declared, throwing a fist into the air, making Squall laugh and shake his head.
They lapsed into silence then, just sitting back and enjoying the sun beating down on them, the sound of the water flowing in and around the docks. Squall's thoughts turned inwards, even on his day off he couldn't stop thinking about work. His father would arrive soon and then legal proceedings would head underway. It was unlikely that Cid would send them on any missions while the legal investigation was conducted as the SeeDs would likely have to recount their experiences at some point. Almost as if reading his mind, Selphie mused aloud,
"What happens after?"
"I'm not sure," Squall replied honestly, "Cid's plan of making alliances and partnerships is still a good plan but I don't think after this anyone will be quite as eager to jump in."
Selphie wrinkled her nose, "Uh, yeah, knowing you might get turned into a plant monster by your ally? No thanks."
"We might be able to confiscate their research and develop our own bioweapons," Squall continued, pensively,
"That would mean a new innovation division, research department and ethical training requirements," Selphie blinked, "That might be good. Expansion. New opportunities. Quistis will be excited about it."
"Quistis is going to be a bit distracted," Squall smirked.
Selphie giggled and then abruptly became quite solemn, "I'm so happy for her. She puts everything ahead of her own happiness and this time she's getting something back," she said quietly.
"It's long over-due," Squall agreed, "What about you, are you… good now?"
Selphie met Squall's slate blue eyes and felt her pulse immediately quicken. She reflected on her reaction to seeing Irvine and Quistis and her face split into a grin. Swinging her legs back up she wrapped her arms around Squall's neck and planted a kiss squarely on his lips.
"I am ALL good." Selphie declared, "My friends are happy, I'm happy, you're happy."
"You can tell I'm happy?" Squall smiled a little smile,
"Pfft, obviously you're happy, you're with ME." Selphie grinned.
Squall laughed and climbed to his feet, scooping up Selphie as he did so and swinging her around, "Yes."
They strolled back to Balamb, hand in hand, feeling a wash of cool air as they entered the Garden. They met up with Zell, Kerei and Michelle and gossiped their way through to the evening. No one seemed inclined to leave the steps up to the elevator. As the conversation began to be punctuated by yawns Squall found himself casting his eyes to the entrance more and more. He didn't realize everyone had stopped talking until he heard Michelle start to giggle. The SeeDs all looked at her.
"We're waiting for Quistis and Irvine to get back, aren't we." She laughed.
They all laughed then, fell to silence once more, and began to laugh all over again. Squall shook his head ruefully, "I don't know if they'll be coming back to Garden tonight."
"We shouldn't wait up for them, Quistis wouldn't want us to stave off sleep for her." Michelle said solemnly,
"More to the point, Irvine would kill us if they got back and we were here to interrupt the mood." Zell snickered.
"All right, so, we'll just pry the details from them in the morning?" Kerei asked mischievously.
"I have a meeting with Laguna tomorrow," Squall grimaced.
"Ooh I wanna come!" Selphie perked up, "I can have both you AND Sir Laguna…" she trailed off dreamily.
"NO." Zell gasped, "No, you do not go there! Ever!"
Squall, crimson, simply stood up, kissed her head and began to head off to his dorm while the raucous laughter of his friends followed him.
OoO
Quistis looked up as Xu jabbed her with an elbow and turned pink. She was daydreaming in the middle of a meeting with Cid, again. What made it worse is that both Cid and Xu (of all people!) were both beaming at her, and Quistis knew it wasn't for her immaculate reports on the mission.
"So we'd like you to write a proposal for the research division," Cid concluded, "You went to the lab, you have a good sense of what Malach was doing and what might be worth our exploring. Draw on the expertise of your fellow SeeDs and see about contacting Professor Baxter."
"Ah, sure!" Quistis nodded and jotted down a few notes, "Is that everything?"
"I think so," Cid replied, still beaming at her, "I'd like to see a preliminary report by the end of the month."
"Certainly." Quistis saluted and turned, reaching for the door,
"Quistis?"
Quistis turned, her hand on the knob, "Yes?"
"Irvine's a good kid. I know he's a bit of a rascal but we have every confidence you'll straighten him out." Cid winked.
Quistis felt her cheeks heat up as Cid grinned at her. Xu had hidden her face but Quistis could see the woman's shoulders shaking in laugher. Sighing Quistis nodded and shook her head, unable to stop the grin from spreading across her lips.
"Yes, sir."
She slipped out of Cid's office and closed the door and leaned against the wall, "I cannot believe he said that."
OoO
Squall shook his father's hand and ushered himself and Selphie from the meeting room just in time for Cid and Xu to walk in. Both Xu and Cid looked inordinately pleased with themselves, which was odd, and Selphie and Squall shared a look of confusion. The morning meeting with Laguna had gone well, the President was caught up to date with what had happened with the mission and was pleased that justice would be pursued on behalf of the victims of scientific experimentation. Cid would take over for now, giving the SeeDs some respite.
They found Quistis entering the elevator and she held the door open for them, smiling shyly at her friends. Squall couldn't help grinning at her. The pristine and aloof Quistis Trepe was positively glowing. She tried to glare at them but ended up breaking into a wide smile.
"We won't tease you." Selphie assured her, hugging Quistis tightly, "We're just really happy for you."
"I know, I know, everyone has said that, did I really come across as that bad before this?" Quistis asked in bewilderment,
"No! No, just… everyone really likes you," Selphie exclaimed, "it's nice to see something good happen to you since you work so hard."
"The cadets are green with envy, the Trepies are distressed and forlorn, and Irvine's fangirls are in mourning," Squall summed up, "but other than that, yeah, we're all really happy for you."
Quistis laughed, "It was only one date!" she protested.
"Uh huh." Squall and Selphie replied in unison.
They left the elevator to find the rest of their companions waiting for them. Quistis had to make a check-in at the medical clinic to get her medications topped up and while they waited for her Squall assessed his friends. There was still some bruising here and there but on the whole, everyone looked much better with rest and healing care. The cadets would be busy harvesting more Esuna and Cure spells to restock everyone's magic reserves after all the magic the SeeDs had blown during the mission.
When Quistis got back the elevator dinged open and Laguna strode down the steps, waving at them. He had a stack of envelopes tucked under one arm and as he neared them he handed them to Squall.
"Instructions from Cid. He thought it might be beneficial if you came to Esthar for awhile and worked from the Presidential Palace. I can get you into a meeting with Baxter, Ms. Trepe," Laguna nodded to her, "but mostly Cid thought it might be a good place to heal up while being on hand for witnessing against Tom and Malach."
Squall blinked but nodded, it made sense, "Thank you for the offer, when do we leave?"
"As soon as you're packed, bring enough for a week, don't worry about medicine, our clinic will finish up whatever yours started," Laguna waved his hand carelessly, "a transport ship will be here soon, so don't dally."
"All right, everyone be back down here within the hour," Squall ordered.
Michelle and Kerei high-fived and tore off to their dorms while the others trailed off more sedately. Irvine took a hold of Quistis's arm and she smiled at him, clearly drowsy from whatever Kadowaki had given her. When everyone finished their last-minute packing and met up at the transport ship they began to load up their bags. Nida came down to join them, being granted leave as well much to the other SeeD's delight.
"Part of me wishes we had more time to just be home," Zell grimaced, "but most of me is happy for an actual vacation."
"Yeah," Selphie agreed, "I don't care where I am as long as I can sleep in!"
"It'll be nice to get away and actually be able to enjoy it," Quistis smiled wistfully, "I like missions but not having duties will be refreshing."
"Oh! We need to celebrate while we're in Esthar! I wonder if they have a Chocobo Race track!" Selphie gasped,
"Or how about anything other than that?" Irvine cringed, "I don't have fond memories of the last time."
"We'll figure out some fun," Michelle grinned, "this will be good. Some downtime before we're sent off somewhere else."
"Yes! To a well-deserved rest!" Kerei declared.
"Hear, hear!"
As the transport door closed Squall settled back into his seat and wrapped an arm around Selphie. It would be nice to go to Esthar without SeeD duties to get in their way. He hoped the next mission would see them working together again, but hopefully in a more straight-forward manner. Mystery and politics were not his specialty and he felt like his mind could use a rest as much as his body did. The next mission, however, was far away and he wasn't going to let worries of the future stop him from enjoying his moment in the now. Leaning over, Squall dropped a kiss on Selphie's head. She turned and flashed sparkling green eyes up at him curiously.
"What was that for?"
"Because."
"I like because." She replied. And so did he.
THE END.
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Wheeeeew, am I the slowest author on here or what?! I'm sorry guys, truly. I think it will come as no surprise that I'm throwing in the towel and won't be writing any more fanfiction. I'm working on my Master's thesis (I study play! If you are interested let me know, I can always use more participants!) and life is simply too full for me to be writing :( I had a lot of fun here though and am deeply grateful for all the folk who stuck it out with me! If anyone wants to keep in touch, you can find my art page on Facebook 'Art by Trella'.
Cheers!
~Silverium.