Chapter V – Tornado Zone
From the usual calm of a spirit…
Launched a dormant tornado…
All because of one name.
"Quistis, do you think you can handle it?" Cid asked.
"It will not be a problem, Headmaster."
"Very good. Let's go over this again so everyone here understands everything perfectly." Cid cleared his throat. "You, Quistis Trepe, Instructor No. 14, will be teaching a total of three classes to the new students who have been accepted into Balamb Garden. Seifer Almasy will be included in that class. You must treat him like every other student, no excuses. Please bear in mind that he is on a two-month probation while residing and studying in Garden. If anything should go wrong, immediately submit a report to the GET. Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"Xu will send you your schedule as soon as possible. The first day of classes will be this Thursday. Today is Sunday, which means you have three days to prepare your lesson plans. Will that be enough time?"
"More than enough, sir."
"Excellent. I believe this is the end of our meeting. Martine and Cahira, are we still on for that lunch?" The pair nodded. "All right. As for the rest of you, make yourselves at home. This meeting is adjourned." The group made its way to the elevator, where it was a tight squeeze to get everyone on board.
"One more thing we should discuss during lunch, Cid," Cahira said, "is the size and number of Garden elevators." A few people laughed politely.
As soon as the elevator reached the first floor, Squall excused himself. The Headmasters and Headmistress went to Balamb Town for lunch, while Burke decided to pay a quick visit to the Cafeteria.
"It's been a while, Miss Trepe," Cedric said, holding out his hand for Quistis to shake. "I never thought I'd see you again after we met in Deling. How have you been?"
"I have been fine, and you?" Quistis showed a tiny smile.
"I'm well, thank you for asking. I've never been around here before aside from the conference room. Would you mind giving me a tour of the famous Balamb Garden?"
"I am not qualified to give tours, Instructor Dolan, but perhaps we could walk around and you could ask questions if you would like something explained."
He laughed. "Call me Cedric, and of course I don't mind. Lead the way, Miss Trepe."
"Just 'Quistis' is fine."
The two walked side by side toward the beginning of the large semi-circle hallway on the first floor of Balamb Garden, heading in the direction of the Infirmary. Quistis noticed quite a few female students stealing bashful glances at Cedric, but he either didn't notice or chose to ignore them. He asked questions about the specifics of each area, while Quistis answered each query impeccably. They soon engrossed themselves in a friendly debate on weaponry laws. It was not long before they ran into an old student who had just exited the Training Centre.
When Seifer stepped out of the Training Centre after a tedious battle with fifteen Grats, he saw his former Instructor deep in conversation. He put on his usual smirk and walked up to them. They didn't notice him until he spoke.
"Dolan," Seifer greeted, "what brings you here?"
"Hello, Seifer. Just an emergency meeting, that's all. This Garden is nice, by the way – very orderly. Quistis was just giving me a tour."
So they're on a first-name basis, Seifer mused. "I see. Well," Seifer turned to the blonde woman, "good morning to you, too, Trepe. Heard you getting called down to the conference room. What'd you do this time?" He noticed that Quistis seemed more cheery than usual, if she was capable of processing that emotion at all. He'd never seen her look anything close to happy when he was at Garden. All she ever had was her striking-but-strict expression and her stern voice. Seifer refused to think that Cedric's presence was the reason for her change in behavior.
"You'll find out soon enough, Seifer."
"Are you implying that whatever it was you were called down for involves me?"
"Partially."
If he didn't care before, he did now. "Care to share, Trepe?"
"I think it would be better if I left it as a surprise."
"A surprise? You probably can't even surprise me with a cross-dressing Chicken-wuss." Seifer saw Cedric bite his lip. The male Instructor was clearly trying to not laugh aloud, although he couldn't have known about the inside joke. Seifer smirked.
"Don't call Zell by that awful name."
Cedric sensed that the hostility between the two wasn't new. It was evident to him that silly arguments such as these were most likely reoccurrences. His instincts told him he shouldn't stay and watch. "Excuse me," he said.
Quistis turned to him. "Yes?"
"Sorry for interrupting. If you don't mind, Quistis, I'd like to take a look at the Training Centre. I'll leave you two to your chat." He winked at Seifer. The ex-knight concealed his confusion with yet another smirk.
"I'll accompany you," Quistis offered. "No one should be going there alone." She shot a side-glance at Seifer, who had clearly been a party of one coming out of the Training Centre.
"No, it's fine." Cedric shook his head. "I only want to see the general layout of the Training Centre. I'll avoid the area with the monsters." Quistis opened her mouth to protest but Cedric didn't give her a chance. "I'm sure about this, Quistis. I've been an Instructor for years. What good would I be if I couldn't take care of myself? It was nice to see you again. I hope we meet again soon." The two Instructors shook hands.
Cedric left Quistis's side and walked up to Seifer, putting a hand on his shoulder and spoke low so that only Seifer could hear him. His words, nonetheless, were sincere. "Nice seeing you again, too. That comment you made about a crossing-dressing Chicken-wuss was very amusing! Whatever gave you the idea?"
A picture of Zell with his characteristically cheesy grin popped up in Seifer's mind. "Sometimes these things write themselves."
Cedric chuckled warmly. He gave Seifer one more smile before departing.
"What was that all about?" Quistis questioned when Dolan was out of earshot.
"What was what all about?"
"The winking and the smiling. Is there some sort of secret you're hiding from the rest of us?"
"Can't tell you, Trepe, that would defeat the purpose of a secret." Seifer watched as Quistis pressed her fingers to her forehead, annoyed.
"I suppose so." She turned on her heel and strode away. He noticed her gait held more confidence than usual.
Upon returning to his dorm after his daily dose of morning battles at the Training Centre on Monday, Seifer saw a large brown envelope in the mailbox by his door. He snatched it and took it inside with him. He cleaned Hyperion first before sitting down at his desk with the mail. Included in the package was a very familiar manual.
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To Cadet Seifer Almasy:
This letter is to confirm that you have been granted conditional acceptance (agreement to a two-month probation) to Balamb Garden. Enclosed are a copy of your weekday schedule (Monday to Friday) and a revised edition of Balamb Garden Rules & Regulations.
The first day of classes is Thursday, September 17. You have ten (10) minutes between each class. Please arrive at your designated classroom(s) prior to or no later than the bell. All staff members, SeeDs, and students of Garden must be treated with respect. Keep in mind that curfew is at 2300 hours, unless you have special permission from a member of the faculty.
We trust that you will abide by all Garden rules without question.
— Headmaster Cid Kramer, Balamb Garden
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Seifer tossed the piece of paper over his shoulder. The regulation handbook was of no interest to him. He had already memorized most rules from his time on the Disciplinary Committee. If I were still on the Disciplinary Committee, I'd be allowed to stay out past curfew. Next, he perused his schedule.
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Module Timetable for Balamb Garden Cadet – Seifer Almasy
0900 – 1000: "The Basics of Junctioning" (Instructor Q. Trepe)
1010 – 1110: "Understanding of Elements" (Instructor S. Brahne)
1120 – 1220: "Weapon Usage and Maintenance" (Instructor H. Tyson)
1220 – 1320: BREAK
1320 – 1420: "Guardian Forces and You" (Instructor Q. Trepe)
1430 – 1530: "Mission Etiquette" (Instructor Q. Trepe)
If there are any schedule complications, please contact Garden Administrative Personnel immediately.
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Trepe's an Instructor again AND teaching three of my classes? This is gonna be WONDERFUL, seeing her first thing in the morning, five days a week. Whether or not that last statement was entirely sarcastic, Seifer wasn't quite sure.
Since there was nothing for him to do around Garden, he decided he could pay his new (old?) Instructor Trepe a visit, just to make sure this wasn't a prank (he didn't exactly have a fan club like she did, that was for sure). He haphazardly folded the schedule and placed it in his pocket.
After exploring practically everywhere, the Instructor was nowhere to be found. Well, I'll see her when I see her. Having nothing else of substantial importance to do, Seifer decided to take a quick train ride to clear his head.
Dollet's weather at this time of year was rather pleasant, or so Quistis thought until it started to drizzle. She swiftly darted into a nearby store before she could get wet.
I've searched everywhere in Deling and Timber. None had a dress appropriate for this occasion. Maybe I'll have better luck here. Quistis had been out all day looking for a bridesmaid's dress for the wedding, which was in less than two days. She didn't usually procrastinate, but when it came to shopping, she couldn't help but to put it off until the last minute.
Just when she thought she'd never find the right dress, she became aware of her surroundings. The store she had ducked into was very posh, selling designer gowns by the dozen, more accessories than she could count, and pair after pair of stylish footwear.
"May I help you, Miss?" Quistis turned around to see a young woman with a chic smile that appeared to be stuck on her face. Quistis didn't usually ask for assistance, but she was running out of time.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to see your selection of bridesmaid dresses," Quistis replied politely.
"Are you the bridesmaid or the bride?"
"The former."
"Right this way, Miss." The lady led Quistis down aisles of dresses and finally stopped at a large rack at the back of the store. "This is our entire collection of the finest bridesmaid dresses in Dollet." Quistis eyed a particular dress that stood out. "Would you like some recommendations?"
"Oh, no, that's fine. I believe I've found it."
"If you need anything, I'll be at the counter."
"Thank you." Quistis watched as the lady went back to the cashier counter. Her gaze turned back to the dress. The measurements look similar to the other ones I've tried on in other stores, so it should fit. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Without bothering to try it on, she removed it from its home on the rack and paid. She stepped out of the store and her spirits lifted a tiny fraction when she noticed that the drizzling had stopped.
Quistis sped up her walk to the Dollet Train Station, wanting to get back early so she could put the finishing touches on her lesson plans. Out of the blue, her body made contact with another. The person evidently had sharp reflexes and caught her before she could fall.
Looking up, Quistis found herself in the same situation she had been in before when she saw Seifer for the first time in months. There he was, directly above with his arms around her, looking down with a bemused expression on his face.
"Fancy meeting you here, Instructor. You just can't stay out of my arms, can you?"