Disclaimer: FF8 belongs to Squaresoft, okay? Happy now?
An Unlikely Meeting- Part X
The day of the great battle is coming upon us. Nearer and nearer. They shall both die.
The days turned to weeks, then to months. Soon, a whole year passed. Quistis finally gained total control of her powers. She is able to telepathically lift anything or break it, if she chose. With her telepathic abilities came the power of creation. Nothing animate though. Only still objects which she can use as weapons.
She no longer fears for the voices assaulting her mind. She is now able to walk into a crowded room without fear of any unwanted thoughts entering her head. She resisted the temptation of reading the minds of unsuspecting people.
Quistis walked purposefully toward the elevator. Upon entering the lift, she pressed the button for the third floor. When the doors reopened, she was greeted at the desk nearby by Xu.
"Hey Quistis! What can I do for you?"
Quistis took a breath before reciting her well rehearsed line. Although she had put a lot of thought and practice into the excuse and the whole plan, she said it so naturally that she was sure her true intentions hadn't been betrayed. "Hey! Guess what? Edea said I can have several weeks off since I've trained so hard and learned so much in such little time. Isn't that great?" She remembered to put on a bright smile.
"Good for you!" Xu's face brightened, but immediately turned to a slight frown. "But what about that new sorceress?"
"Oh, she has a specific date in mind for the big battle. That day is still months away."
"Well, wouldn't it be better to fight her sooner than later?"
"No one else is ready yet. Everyone still has lots of training to do for the confrontation. Xu, don't you trust me? I *am* a psychic after all."
Xu smiled again. "You're right. So, when are you leaving for the vacation?"
"Right now actually."
"Oh! Really? Then I guess you would want the keys to the Ragnarok?"
When Quistis nodded, Xu went off into a separate room where all the keys to the cars and extra keys to the dorms were kept. She emerged with the key and handed them to Quistis. When she felt the coolness of the metal in her hands, Quistis smiled genuinely for the first time that day. "Thanks Xu."
"No problem. Hey, where will you be going?"
"I'm going to a lot of places. I'll tell you all about it when I come back." *If* I come back, she thought. With that, she left the third floor.
Seifer was on his way to check up on his club when he saw Quistis stepping off from the elevator. Hiding behind a wall, he watched her walking down the steps and turning left. As he followed her, he realized she was headed for her dorm. Seifer stood where he was, a few feet away from the hall leading to the dormitories. He frowned, thinking. Then it came to him. What the hell?! Is she crazy?, he thought, his eyes wide with silent disbelief. He was about to run to her when he changed his mind. He turned towards the front gate.
Quistis was standing before her closet. She crouched down, and from the corner of the closet she picked up a medium sized, plastic black box. She picked it up by the handles and placed it heavily on her chair. She went back to the closet to retrieve her Save the Queen and a duffel bag containing her clothes. Upon laying those near the box, she checked her pockets and found her credit card. Good. She had been saving up all her money for this moment. She had plenty in her card to get her practically anything.
Quistis stood still for a moment, thinking. Okay, what do I need now? I have the box, the money, my whip... oh yeah! She opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out the latest weapons magazine. In it, it had all the new upgrades. She flipped to the page where the upgrade for her weapon was. The North Star. She cringed as she saw the materials needed to create it. The number of energy crystals needed was ridiculous. She could try winning cards and refining them, but she doubted anyone would be foolish enough to even use it in any game, so valuable it was.
Quistis sighed. She picked up her supplies, the black box held in both hands with some difficulty, her whip chained to her side, and her duffel bag, which she stuffed the magazine in, slung on her shoulder. First stop, Esthar.
She hoped she didn't look too foolish to the others when she walked toward the front gates. The hangar where the Ragnarok was kept was a separate building built near Balamb Garden. She got there fairly quickly. With permission from the guard, she was allowed in the hangar. She flicked on the light and the once gloomy space lit up, illuminating the magnificent aircraft. She smiled. Pressing the button on the controller dangling from the keychain, the door to the Ragnorak glided open, and she entered the plane. When the door closed, she turned on the interior lights and light flooded throughout the Ragnorak. Quistis got down on her knees where a small trapdoor was hidden beneath boxes. She pushed the boxes aside. Sliding her black box closer to her, she opened it up to reveal an array of tools. She picked out a screwdriver and proceeded to unscrew the compartment. She used another thin tool to wedge it under the trap door and pop it open. Removing the lid to her side, she reached down and felt through all the wires and cables until her fingers finally grazed what she was looking for. She grasped it and pulled it out. The small, metal mechanism was attached to the wires of the ship. She flipped it around, and once again employed her screwdriver to open yet again another compartment revealing more wires.
Quistis stopped for a second to think. In movies, people always had trouble deciding if it was the red wire or the blue wire. Oh yeah, but then again, they were dealing with bombs. Oh what the heck, she thought, and with a pair of clippers, clipped all the wires. The red light on the tracing device went out. Easy as pie.
Gathering all her things together, Quistis made her way into the cockpit. She dropped all her supplies on one of the back passenger seats and made her way towards the pilot's seat. She was almost there when a voice stopped her.
"Don't try to do anything stupid, Quistis."
Quistis whipped around toward the source of the voice. "You."
Seifer was leaning against a seat, his arms crossing his chest. He walked toward her.
"What the hell are you doing here?," Quistis demanded.
"No, what are *you* doing *here*?," Seifer retorted.
Quistis uncoiled her whip. Her eyes narrowed and her lips were pursed. "Don't come any closer, Seifer. I might have to hurt you."
"You wouldn't do that," and with that, he took a step closer. Eyes widening in anger, she cracked her whip, just missing Seifer's boots.
"I told you, don't come any closer." Her teeth were clenched. Dammit, how did he know?
"Quistis, I just found out today what you were planning to do, and it's a very foolish thing you're doing, you know that?"
She wanted desperately to enter his mind, to see how he found out, to control his body and mind to make him get out and forget why he was where he was. But that would be violating him, disrespecting him. But then again, this was a necessity.
Seifer saw that Quistis was debating with herself, and he took this opportunity to rush at her. He tore the whip from her hand. Catching her completely off guard, he took her down with him as he fell to the floor. They rolled twice and finally stopped in a position where Seifer had Quistis pinned to the ground. Crying with rage and frustration, her eyes glowed orange, and Seifer was quickly thrown off to the ceiling. She let him fall all the way down to the floor.
That's just great Seifer Almasy, he thought to himself. You just *had* to forget that she had powers,didn't you, you jackass. Not wanting her to know how much damage she had done, he got off the floor as quickly as his battered body could.
"Stay the *hell* away from me, you bastard. This is what I have to do alone."
"No. You can't, because if you do, you'll die." Seifer bit his lips from trying not to groan in pain. "Quistis," he said tiredly, "why are you doing this? Why are you willing to die for such a stupid thing?"
" 'Stupid thing?!' Is this what it seems like to you Seifer Almasy? Does it seem like I'm doing this just for the hell of it? Does it seem like I'm risking my life just because?"
She was expressing her rage so bluntly that Seifer had to wince. "Quistis-"
"Fine. Maybe I *am* a foolish moron. Maybe I'm even suicidal. I don't know. But there is no *way* I'm going to let all these months of planning keep me from carrying this out."
There was no way to get the girl to change her mind. Just one final request: "Quistis, can you please at least explain to me why you're choosing to do this?"
She cooled down a bit. "I feel as though I have an obligation. This whole mess started because of me, and I'm determined to end it. I'm not willing to have anyone else die for this. It would be too much for me to handle."
"Then let me help you. Let me go with you."
"Are you crazy? You'll die."
"Oh? And you won't?"
"It's better for me to die instead of someone else."
"Don't you think others will die fighting Celeste too?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dammit, Quistis, you should know there's more of a chance of survival and success in numbers. Don't you think even just one more person will make a huge difference? Why won't you apply your teaching on yourself?"
Quistis knew this argument won't go anywhere. She frowned with disdain and turned her head away. "I'll let you come with me, but you and only you. Got it?"
Seifer's body relaxed as he sighed with relief. A small smile formed on his face. "Got it."
So they're leaving now, just as I predicted, Celeste thought as she sat in her bath, her skin soaking in the fragant jasmine scented water. She nibbled delicately on a piece of dark chocolate. A glass of champagne stood near her. There was still plenty of time. They won't land on this island for a while. She sighed, content, and leaned farther back. She turned her head toward Kiara and looked deep within her emerald eyes. She recalled the dream she had again, just a while ago. The two people who died. The man and the woman. It was so obvious who they were. She hoped she could have some fun with them before they died. She smiled. "Have patience, my dear Kiara," she said, although she knew that the cat already had plenty of it. "The time will come. Very soon."
An Unlikely Meeting- Part X
The day of the great battle is coming upon us. Nearer and nearer. They shall both die.
The days turned to weeks, then to months. Soon, a whole year passed. Quistis finally gained total control of her powers. She is able to telepathically lift anything or break it, if she chose. With her telepathic abilities came the power of creation. Nothing animate though. Only still objects which she can use as weapons.
She no longer fears for the voices assaulting her mind. She is now able to walk into a crowded room without fear of any unwanted thoughts entering her head. She resisted the temptation of reading the minds of unsuspecting people.
Quistis walked purposefully toward the elevator. Upon entering the lift, she pressed the button for the third floor. When the doors reopened, she was greeted at the desk nearby by Xu.
"Hey Quistis! What can I do for you?"
Quistis took a breath before reciting her well rehearsed line. Although she had put a lot of thought and practice into the excuse and the whole plan, she said it so naturally that she was sure her true intentions hadn't been betrayed. "Hey! Guess what? Edea said I can have several weeks off since I've trained so hard and learned so much in such little time. Isn't that great?" She remembered to put on a bright smile.
"Good for you!" Xu's face brightened, but immediately turned to a slight frown. "But what about that new sorceress?"
"Oh, she has a specific date in mind for the big battle. That day is still months away."
"Well, wouldn't it be better to fight her sooner than later?"
"No one else is ready yet. Everyone still has lots of training to do for the confrontation. Xu, don't you trust me? I *am* a psychic after all."
Xu smiled again. "You're right. So, when are you leaving for the vacation?"
"Right now actually."
"Oh! Really? Then I guess you would want the keys to the Ragnarok?"
When Quistis nodded, Xu went off into a separate room where all the keys to the cars and extra keys to the dorms were kept. She emerged with the key and handed them to Quistis. When she felt the coolness of the metal in her hands, Quistis smiled genuinely for the first time that day. "Thanks Xu."
"No problem. Hey, where will you be going?"
"I'm going to a lot of places. I'll tell you all about it when I come back." *If* I come back, she thought. With that, she left the third floor.
Seifer was on his way to check up on his club when he saw Quistis stepping off from the elevator. Hiding behind a wall, he watched her walking down the steps and turning left. As he followed her, he realized she was headed for her dorm. Seifer stood where he was, a few feet away from the hall leading to the dormitories. He frowned, thinking. Then it came to him. What the hell?! Is she crazy?, he thought, his eyes wide with silent disbelief. He was about to run to her when he changed his mind. He turned towards the front gate.
Quistis was standing before her closet. She crouched down, and from the corner of the closet she picked up a medium sized, plastic black box. She picked it up by the handles and placed it heavily on her chair. She went back to the closet to retrieve her Save the Queen and a duffel bag containing her clothes. Upon laying those near the box, she checked her pockets and found her credit card. Good. She had been saving up all her money for this moment. She had plenty in her card to get her practically anything.
Quistis stood still for a moment, thinking. Okay, what do I need now? I have the box, the money, my whip... oh yeah! She opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out the latest weapons magazine. In it, it had all the new upgrades. She flipped to the page where the upgrade for her weapon was. The North Star. She cringed as she saw the materials needed to create it. The number of energy crystals needed was ridiculous. She could try winning cards and refining them, but she doubted anyone would be foolish enough to even use it in any game, so valuable it was.
Quistis sighed. She picked up her supplies, the black box held in both hands with some difficulty, her whip chained to her side, and her duffel bag, which she stuffed the magazine in, slung on her shoulder. First stop, Esthar.
She hoped she didn't look too foolish to the others when she walked toward the front gates. The hangar where the Ragnarok was kept was a separate building built near Balamb Garden. She got there fairly quickly. With permission from the guard, she was allowed in the hangar. She flicked on the light and the once gloomy space lit up, illuminating the magnificent aircraft. She smiled. Pressing the button on the controller dangling from the keychain, the door to the Ragnorak glided open, and she entered the plane. When the door closed, she turned on the interior lights and light flooded throughout the Ragnorak. Quistis got down on her knees where a small trapdoor was hidden beneath boxes. She pushed the boxes aside. Sliding her black box closer to her, she opened it up to reveal an array of tools. She picked out a screwdriver and proceeded to unscrew the compartment. She used another thin tool to wedge it under the trap door and pop it open. Removing the lid to her side, she reached down and felt through all the wires and cables until her fingers finally grazed what she was looking for. She grasped it and pulled it out. The small, metal mechanism was attached to the wires of the ship. She flipped it around, and once again employed her screwdriver to open yet again another compartment revealing more wires.
Quistis stopped for a second to think. In movies, people always had trouble deciding if it was the red wire or the blue wire. Oh yeah, but then again, they were dealing with bombs. Oh what the heck, she thought, and with a pair of clippers, clipped all the wires. The red light on the tracing device went out. Easy as pie.
Gathering all her things together, Quistis made her way into the cockpit. She dropped all her supplies on one of the back passenger seats and made her way towards the pilot's seat. She was almost there when a voice stopped her.
"Don't try to do anything stupid, Quistis."
Quistis whipped around toward the source of the voice. "You."
Seifer was leaning against a seat, his arms crossing his chest. He walked toward her.
"What the hell are you doing here?," Quistis demanded.
"No, what are *you* doing *here*?," Seifer retorted.
Quistis uncoiled her whip. Her eyes narrowed and her lips were pursed. "Don't come any closer, Seifer. I might have to hurt you."
"You wouldn't do that," and with that, he took a step closer. Eyes widening in anger, she cracked her whip, just missing Seifer's boots.
"I told you, don't come any closer." Her teeth were clenched. Dammit, how did he know?
"Quistis, I just found out today what you were planning to do, and it's a very foolish thing you're doing, you know that?"
She wanted desperately to enter his mind, to see how he found out, to control his body and mind to make him get out and forget why he was where he was. But that would be violating him, disrespecting him. But then again, this was a necessity.
Seifer saw that Quistis was debating with herself, and he took this opportunity to rush at her. He tore the whip from her hand. Catching her completely off guard, he took her down with him as he fell to the floor. They rolled twice and finally stopped in a position where Seifer had Quistis pinned to the ground. Crying with rage and frustration, her eyes glowed orange, and Seifer was quickly thrown off to the ceiling. She let him fall all the way down to the floor.
That's just great Seifer Almasy, he thought to himself. You just *had* to forget that she had powers,didn't you, you jackass. Not wanting her to know how much damage she had done, he got off the floor as quickly as his battered body could.
"Stay the *hell* away from me, you bastard. This is what I have to do alone."
"No. You can't, because if you do, you'll die." Seifer bit his lips from trying not to groan in pain. "Quistis," he said tiredly, "why are you doing this? Why are you willing to die for such a stupid thing?"
" 'Stupid thing?!' Is this what it seems like to you Seifer Almasy? Does it seem like I'm doing this just for the hell of it? Does it seem like I'm risking my life just because?"
She was expressing her rage so bluntly that Seifer had to wince. "Quistis-"
"Fine. Maybe I *am* a foolish moron. Maybe I'm even suicidal. I don't know. But there is no *way* I'm going to let all these months of planning keep me from carrying this out."
There was no way to get the girl to change her mind. Just one final request: "Quistis, can you please at least explain to me why you're choosing to do this?"
She cooled down a bit. "I feel as though I have an obligation. This whole mess started because of me, and I'm determined to end it. I'm not willing to have anyone else die for this. It would be too much for me to handle."
"Then let me help you. Let me go with you."
"Are you crazy? You'll die."
"Oh? And you won't?"
"It's better for me to die instead of someone else."
"Don't you think others will die fighting Celeste too?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dammit, Quistis, you should know there's more of a chance of survival and success in numbers. Don't you think even just one more person will make a huge difference? Why won't you apply your teaching on yourself?"
Quistis knew this argument won't go anywhere. She frowned with disdain and turned her head away. "I'll let you come with me, but you and only you. Got it?"
Seifer's body relaxed as he sighed with relief. A small smile formed on his face. "Got it."
So they're leaving now, just as I predicted, Celeste thought as she sat in her bath, her skin soaking in the fragant jasmine scented water. She nibbled delicately on a piece of dark chocolate. A glass of champagne stood near her. There was still plenty of time. They won't land on this island for a while. She sighed, content, and leaned farther back. She turned her head toward Kiara and looked deep within her emerald eyes. She recalled the dream she had again, just a while ago. The two people who died. The man and the woman. It was so obvious who they were. She hoped she could have some fun with them before they died. She smiled. "Have patience, my dear Kiara," she said, although she knew that the cat already had plenty of it. "The time will come. Very soon."