Forever Only Lasts So Long
Chapter 3: Mystery Mission
* * *
"The greatest things are done with the help of small ones.
"
* * *
3:07. No, now it was 3:08.
Shit, I don't HAVE all day!
Stellina stood in a dark corner of Cid's office, watching
the SeeDs mingle and converse. Strangely, none of them even seemed to notice
her presence. Quistis' eyes flickered over to her once, but she knew Stellina
was there anyway, and no one even followed her gaze. Huh. For an 'elite
military unit', they're not very observant, are they?
From the shadows, she could see Cid start talking. She watched the group exchange confused glances at the mention of her finances. When the SeeDs began debating, every one of them nodded, until finally, the Commander turned back and falteringly agreed.
"Um, yeah. I agree. We'll accept."
YES!
"Wonderful!" Headmaster Cid exclaimed, clapping his
hands.
Stellina shifted. She hoped Cid would let her know
when she could come out. She felt stiff.
Cid fumbled with some papers on his desk, finally
coming up with the crisp, white sheet Stellina had given him. That was it. She
could come out as soon as he finished talking…
"Well, this is your contract," he said, waving it
around. Zell made a grab for it, but Quistis slapped his hand away. "Never fear,
friends," Cid laughed. "Your employer will tell you all you need to know, now."
At last!
* * * * *
"Employer? What employer?" Squall said, looking
around. Squinting his eyes, he saw the figure emerge from the corner behind
Cid's desk. As it brushed specks of dust from it's immaculate jacket, Squall
sized it up.
First of all, it wasn't an 'it'. It was a 'she'. A
very young one. She can't be any older that me, Squall thought, taking
in her slight frame and lack of verticality. In other words, a short, slim
teenage girl had just offered thousands upon thousands of Gil to hire only six
SeeDs.
Crazy.
As she looked up, a few brown curls escaping from
her perfect bun, he faltered. Damn, she's gorgeous, he observed. Her
skin was bronzed and free of imperfections. And her eyes…large and fringed with
long lashes, and glittering a beautiful shade of…purple? Freaky.
She
walked over and stood next to Cid. Remembering his duties as Garden Commander,
Squall straightened and saluted. He heard a rustle behind him and knew his
comrades were doing the same.
The newcomer blushed red, watching the salute with respect and confusion. Seeing this, Squall reached for her hand and shook it. "Squall Leonheart, SeeD and Garden Commander."
She
nodded, looking pleased. "Stellina DiGiovanna, um, pleased to meet you."
Stellina looked at Cid.
"Ah,
good," Cid said. "Stellina is your new employer. She has spared no expense to
ensure she receives the best help affordable. And that would be you." He smiled
widely. "Now, why don't you all introduce yourselves?"
Zell
stepped up. Grabbing her hand, he shook it vigorously. "Zell Dincht, SeeD
extraordinaire."
"Nice
to meet—" she began, before Selphie knocked him out of the way.
"I'm
Selphie! Selphie Tilmitt. I'm a SeeD, too!"
"Charmed,
I'm sure," Stellina said.
Rinoa
walked over. "I'm Rinoa Heartilly. I want to be a SeeD, but I haven't gotten my
test back—"
"I'm
sure you made it," Stellina interrupted warmly.
Irvine
strolled over to them. Looking down at Stellina, he reached for her hand.
"Irvine Kinneas, SeeD and pro sniper, at your service." Tipping his black
cowboy hat, he smiled slyly.
Squall
winced. Great. Irvine's going to be trouble this time…not that he was any
help last time.
Stellina
let go of his hand rather quickly though. Looking away from Irvine, she smiled
at everyone else. "Maybe we should start talking now."
Squall
stretched. "Maybe we should." Waiting for her to sit down, he continued. "We
all want to know what was so important you needed to empty your bank account."
Stellina
relaxed in her seat. "That's hardly the extent of my savings. But that's not
the point, is it?"
"No,
I suppose not," Squall said slowly. "Let me rephrase that…what is the
mission?"
She
began toying with a thin silver ring on her finger. "Well," she began
hesitantly. "I can only tell you so much. I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to
discuss too much n—."
"What
do you mean?" Zell interrupted.
"That
means you can't tell us a lot, huh, Stellina?" Selphie leaned in and rested her
head on her hand. "Just when I thought we'd find out."
"Can
you still explain some things?" Squall asked, eying her. She seems…I
dunno…mysterious.
"Fire
away."
Squall
thought for a minute. "Let's go with the first question. What's this mission
all about?"
"Well,"
Stellina began slowly, "that depends. Do you mean, what do you have to
do?"
"Yeah,"
he said finally. "That's always a good place to start."
She
tilted her head and wrapped her finger around a loose curl. "Okay." Her ankles
crossed and she tugged at her jacket. "It's like this. My home is, er,
changing. Rapidly. Very fast. And I need someone to protect it from the
changes." Stellina smiled sheepishly. "That's you."
"Changes?"
Squall asked, his eyebrow quirking.
"Wait,
wait," Quistis said, shaking her head. "You can't stop changes. Everything
changes."
"No,
not everything," Stellina replied. "My home isn't supposed to change
like this. Like, the way it's changing. It's just not right." She
shuddered suddenly.
"Explain
'not right,' " Squall asked. "Please."
"It's
like last year."
Rinoa
stiffened. "The Sorceress War…?"
Stellina
nodded.
"It
can't be like last year," Quistis said quickly. "We took care of every threat!"
Selphie
saw the distraught look on Stellina's face. "Didn't we?" she squeaked timidly.
Stellina
cradled her face in her hands. "I don't know! I wasn't there! All I know is
that something's wrong…and since you said you fixed it last time I
thought that maybe you could try it this time!" She looked up and
blinked at Squall.
"Where
do you live, anyway?" he asked gently.
"Not
close. Far away. Um, in a valley."
"Any
way you could be more specific?"
"Sorry."
Stellina shook her head.
"Alrighty,"
Zell patted her on the shoulder. "I think we should help."
"Me,
too," Squall agreed absently. "I want to know what's going on over there."
"Me,
three!" Selphie volunteered, her hand waving through the air.
Rinoa
nodded. "And me." She looked distressed.
"I'm
in," Irvine said nonchalantly. "May as well be."
"Either
be sincere, Irvine," said Quistis severely. "Or stay here." Turning her
attention back to Stellina, she said, "I'll help."
"Any
other questions?" Stellina looked around.
Squall
eyed his companions. "For now," he said, looking at her solemnly. "I think
we're okay."
Until
then, Cid had been sitting at his desk, listening silently to their
conversation. He stood up. "Well, then, I suggest you sign the contract." He
held it out for Squall.
Squall
skimmed over it. We, the undersigned, agree, of our own free will, yadda
yadda yadda, fight bravely, offer our full potential, blah blah blah, until
desired goal is met. Initial, signature, and we're done. He scrawled his
name with a fountain pen and handed it to Zell, who handed it to Quistis, who
handed it to Rinoa, etc., etc., until all six had signed. Stellina then fished
a pen out of her pocketbook, and in a neat, even script, wrote Stellina
Tricia DiGiovanna. Waving the contract to dry the ink, she began talking
again.
"You
may not be back for a while. I suggest you pack." After folding the paper and
sliding it into her jacket, Stellina glanced at her watch. "Meet on the front
lawn at, say, four-thirty?"
"That
works for me." Squall glanced at his friends. "Alright?"
Selphie
jumped out of her seat and bounced up and down. "Yippee! Vacation!"
"What
should I pack?" Rinoa asked. "I only have forty-five minutes."
Stellina
shrugged impatiently. "Warm clothes for cool weather, light clothes for warm
weather, something waterproof. Climate varies. May as well pack your whole
closet."
"Don't
tell her that," Zell commented. "Or she will."
Rinoa
playfully punched his arm. "Shut up, chicken-wuss."
"Don't
call me that!"
"So,"
Headmaster Cid said loudly. "I'll see you all off in exactly," he glanced at
his pocket watch, "forty-two minutes." He smiled widely as they began to file
out. "
Stellina
looked out after them. Irvine turned back and winked. She stuck her tongue out
at him. "Flirt," she mumbled under her breath. "Hurry!" she called as an
afterthought.
* *
* * *
"What
am I going to bring? Oh, packing always equals stress!" Rinoa flopped onto her
bed, next to her empty suitcase.
"Don't
make such a big deal out of it," Quistis said, folding a pair of jeans. "Just
bring what Stellina said."
"My
whole closet?"
"No,
silly!" Selphie giggled. She flung Rinoa's clothes out of the closet. "Warm
clothes, light clothes, and waterproof clothes. Hmm, we have an extra duster,
bike shorts, tank tops, jeans—"
"Okay!"
Rinoa exclaimed, jumping up and trying to grab her clothes as fast as Selphie
threw them. "D'you think 'waterproof' meant, like, bathing suits?"
"You
mean your blue tankini?" Quistis asked doubtfully. "I really don't think that's
what she had in mind."
"Wetsuits!"
Selphie yelled joyfully, digging in a dusty chest of drawers. "I know we had 'em
here, somewhere…"
"Eeew,"
Rinoa squealed. "I haven't worn that stretchy thing since the last time we went
to the beach! I look like a seal in it, and it's probably all tight and gross!"
"That
was ages ago," Quistis agreed. "Maybe bathing suits wouldn't be too
bad. Just one-pieces this time."
"I'll
bring the blue one, anyway."
Selphie
grabbed her yellow suit out of her cluttered drawer. "10% Lycra/nylon, 90%
spandex." She looked up from reading the tag. "Didn't spandex die, like, last
decade?"
"Yeah,"
Rinoa said, glancing at her own swimsuit. "Mine says '25% nylon, 75% spandex.'
" She looked horrified. "My skin won't be able to breathe!"
Quistis
rolled her eyes. "Practically every suit has spandex in it, and believe me,
Rinoa, your skin'll be able to breathe just fine." She packed her pink
one-piece into her suitcase.
After
nearly forty minutes of debating, they finally finished packing. "Alrighty,
everyone, lets double check!" Selphie announced before they left.
"Toothbrushes?"
"Check,"
said Quistis, holding three up. "And Aquafresh Whitening with fluoride, too."
"Shampoo?"
Rinoa
held two bottles up. "I brought strawberry scented and aloe moisturizing.
Matching conditioner and gel."
"We
have our hats, umbrellas, rain boots…" Selphie scanned the list. "Anything
we're forgetting?"
A
muffled whimper was heard from under the bed.
"Oh,
Angelo!" Rinoa shrieked, falling onto her knees and reaching for her dog. "We
can't forget you, can we, baby?"
Whimper,
whimper.
"Or
your doggie treats, or favorite ball, or…"
"Rinoa!"
Quistis waved a hand in front of her friend's face. "We have two minutes."
Rinoa
stuffed her dog's essentials into her bag. "Let's go!"
Selphie
held the door open. "Yeah! Road trip!"
* *
* * *
Zell
began shoving clothes into his duffel bag. "Turtlenecks, sweatpants, and socks,
oh my!"
Squall
rummaged through his sock drawer. "Not funny." He looked up at Irvine. "What're
you so quiet about, Irvine?"
Irvine
stuck his head out of the closet. "Huh? Did you say something?"
"Doy,
Squall, it can't be more obvious," Zell remarked loudly. "It's the hot new
boss. Irvine was salivating. If she were an ice-cream cone…" He trailed off.
"Doesn't
he do that to everyone? He'll flirt with anything even resembling a human
female."
"That
hurts, Squall." Irvine tossed some clothes onto his bed. "Anyway, she's not
just hot, she's burnin' up."
"She's
our manager, now, stupid. You know the rules."
"Yeah,
Irvy, you know the rules. Rule number one: no seducing the manager. Rule number
two: don't brag if you do. Rule number…&%$#, Squall, that hurt!" Zell
rubbed a newly forming bruise on his arm.
"Serves
you right," Squall said calmly, zipping up his bag.
"Yeah,
Zell. Don't make fun of poor me." Irvine said with mock unhappiness.
"You,
too, Irvine." Squall glared at him. "I was serious. Don't try anything with the
new kid. Best stay away until we're sure what this is all about."
Zell
looked up in surprise. "You really don't trust her, do you?"
"No,"
Squall said frankly.
"She
seemed so honest. Ya know, real passionate for her cause."
"Passionate
for her cause?" Squall shook his head. "What is her cause? Stop things from
'changing.' That's not solid enough for me, yet."
"Mmm,
passionate," Irvine said. "Wonder how passionate she really is…"
Zell
laughed. "You testosterone-soaked freak! Like she doesn't already see right
through you!" He imitated Stellina's prim, short handshake. "I don't think she
liked you at all."
Irvine
scowled.
"Guys,"
Squall said with annoyance. "We have like five minutes. Hurry up!"
Zell
finished wrestling with his duffel bag's zipper just as Irvine snapped his
suitcase shut.
"Well?"
"Don't
worry, Squall," Zell groaned, dragging his luggage through the door. "We're
ready."
* *
* * *
Stellina
stood by a waiting bus, tapping her foot and anxiously watching for the SeeDs. They're
not very punctual, either.
Headmaster
Cid put a hand on her arm. "They'll be here, soon, don't worry."
"Uh-huh,"
she replied vaguely. "Sure." She stooped and picked up a flower lying on the
pavement.
Cid
looked at her strangely. "Are you okay?"
Stellina
looked up at him. "Huh? Why?" She twirled the flower between her fingers and
smiled slightly.
"No
reason." Cid shaded his eyes against the sun and looked for his students.
"There's Quistis!"
Quistis
came running as fast as she could, her suitcase in hand. "Am I late?"
Selphie
and Rinoa followed. "Wait for meeeeee!" Selphie wailed.
"And
me!" Rinoa tried to tow her belongings as quickly as possible, Angelo trotting
at her side happily.
Selphie
panted. "Ooo, a bus!" She scampered over. "Big bus!"
"That'll
take you all to the train station," Cid said.
"YEAH!"
Selphie yelled, jumping into the air. "TRAIN TIME!!!"
"We'll
only take the train for a while," Stellina explained. "We'll have to walk the
rest of the way."
"Hey,"
Quistis said, looking around. "Where're the guys?"
Zell
appeared at the entrance. "YO, GUYS!" he shouted. "WE'LL BE THERE IN A SECOND!"
Within
a minute Squall, Zell, and Irvine were at the bus. As Squall and Cid loaded the
luggage into the compartment under the bus, Stellina repeated the traveling
information. "And we'll just walk the rest of the way. " Her eyebrow quirked.
"You guys do walk, don't you?"
"You
bet we walk." Opened the door to the bus. "Who's drivin'?"
Squall
volunteered. "I'll do it." The SeeDs and Stellina loaded onto the bus and he
started the engine.
Cid
raised his hand. "Good luck, friends," he said. "Be safe and make Balamb Garden
proud."
Quistis
stuck her head out the window. "Don't worry, Cid!" she called as the bus sped
off. "We can do it!"
* *
* * *
Finally, 3rd chapter is up, and boy is it a whopper! But what will happen on the way to Stellina's mysterious home? Find out soon, when I post the fourth chapter!
Please review!
~Shadow~
DISCLAIMER: The characters of Final Fantasy 8 belong to Squaresoft and not me. HOWEVER, Stellina DiGiovanna is copyright me, Shadow Fortuna. Let me know if you want to use her in an original fanfic.
(And for those who were wondering, A. Maclaren, D.D., said the quote at the beginning.)