Author's Notes: Let's see. Don't own Seifer. Don't own Quistis. Don't own FF8. Squaresoft does. I don't own Barbie either, that's Mattel, I believe.
Chapter 6: What's Real For Now
He glanced up from the book he was reading as the door clicked open. Through the door came Quistis, carrying a few items of clothing with her. She began hanging the clothes in the closet as Seifer fully viewed her new outfit, a knee length blue skirt and a blue sweater over a white shirt. She had blue eyeshadow dusted lightly over her eyelids and a hint of pink lipgloss on.
"My Hyne," Seifer breathed. "You look like a giant Barbie."
Quistis frowned. "That bad?"
"What's the deal?" Seifer asked curiously. His tone changed to one of suspicion. "What's going on?"
Quistis sighed and turned to completely face Seifer. "I have a date." Seifer looked startled, but said nothing. "I know, I know. When was the last time I went on a date? That's just it! I don't know what it is people DO on dates anymore, I don't even know how to dress!" she continued. "It was all Selphie's idea," Quistis added, sounding miserable.
"First of all," Seifer replied, "People do what they've always done. The guy tries to get laid-"
"That's what I'm afraid of," Quistis said, sounding even more depressed.
Seifer continued, "-while the girl either willingly consents, agrees but pretends to need convincing - so as to not appear easy - or refuses." He paused, then added, "In which case, she can only hope that she's lucky enough to be with a guy who accepts her declining his invitation. Secondly, we've already established that you look like a deranged Barbie."
She was by now looking sick with worry, as if she was about to simply crawl into the closet and die. Seifer noticed this and added quickly, "Not that that's a bad thing, most guys like the Barbie thing."
She tried to smile, though it looked more like a grimace. "Even the deranged Barbies?"
He grinned. "Deranged is more my style."
She couldn't help but smile, genuinely this time.
"And third of all, Selphie?" A smirk crept over his face. "Why in the HELL would you go along with a damn thing that Selphie would say?!"
"Because of this," she replied, waving around the room. "She's come up with a whole list of guys for me, so that I can keep trying until I find the one that breaks us up."
A hurt expression flashed in his eyes, but he quickly covered it up before she noticed. "What, my company's not good enough for you?" he asked in a joking tone. Deep down, though, he knew it wasn't a joke. She grinned, not catching the underlying tension in his words. "C'mon Seifer, I know you like being part of this less than me." She hesitated, then continued speaking, more to herself than anyone else. "You've made THAT clear enough." Turning away from him abruptly, she hurried into the bathroom to look in the mirror. Pulling two earrings out of her pocket, she jabbed them into her ears quickly. Seifer flinched. She pulled the clip out of her hair and it all came undone. She began brushing her hair out, twisting it up various ways and looking in the mirror.
"I don't know what to do with it," she complained. "And I've only got about 10 minutes to fix it."
Seifer pulled her hand away from her hair, letting it all fall back into its natural place. "Quistis," he said slowly. "Calm down. It's just one date, all right? Brush your hair out and take a deep breath." She began obediently straightening her hair. He glanced her over. "Then, just leave it down."
"You like it that way?" she asked.
He stiffened. "If you've only got ten minutes, you can't afford to mess around with it too much," he replied coolly.
She glanced at him, looking slightly annoyed, then brushed it off and looked in the mirror one last time. Taking a deep breath, she announced, "I better go. The earlier I leave and GET there, the less time I'll have to change my mind."
He only nodded. She turned and walked toward the door. Seifer raised his hand as if to pat her on the shoulder, then changed his mind and abruptly put his arm down. As she opened the door, Seifer spoke up.
"Hey, Quistis?"
"Yes?"
"Don't forget to breathe. Good luck, Barbie."
She closed the door behind her.
He looked around the room, wondering what he should do now that she was gone. He could go talk to Fujin and Raijin, but he realised that he really just didn't feel like it. He certainly didn't want to go to the cafeteria. Idly, he wondered if Quistis was meeting her date in the cafeteria or the lobby. Breaking off his concentration on Quistis and her date, he went back to thinking of what plans he could make for that evening. He didn't have any more classes that night. He could go to the training center, but then he'd have to go beg for his Hyperion from Cid. Besides, in the months he had been away from Garden, he had advanced to a physical level much more advanced than anything he could fight in the training center. There was simply no real challenge left. His mind wandered back to Quistis. He wondered if this guy would be the one to break their enchantment. He wondered what it would be like when she did meet that guy, when she was gone and out of his life for good. He knew once that happened, they'd never talk again. She'd never go out of her way to find him, and their mutual friends certainly wouldn't offer chances for them to happen to be in each other's company. The feelings her circle of friends and his friends had for each other was mutual, all right, but it was a feeling of mutual hate. Hatred simply doesn't offer many opportunities for socialization. She might smile at him once in awhile if they walked by each other in a hallway, but it would be one of those fake smiles, one that would just pretend to show some sort of like between them. And if they ever did talk, that would be fake, too. The fake conversation that makes it sound like you actually give a damn about the person you're talking to, and you don't, but you talk to them anyways because you don't want them to know that you don't give a damn. They know, all right. How couldn't they know, when the conversation is so plastic that you could puke? But they don't want to show that they know, because then they'd look bitchy and cold hearted to everyone else for not caring about the person who was kind enough to pretend to give a damn about them. So you end up with two people hating each other but pretending not to, and having their stupid silly fake conversations all the damn time, with all their goddamn phony words, and by the time the conversation is over both people are so sick of each other and the fake-ness of everything that they're about to go into sugar-shock or some damn thing. He wondered to himself how it would be when they were like that. How it would be when they were talking someday and he'd realise that this was their first fake conversation. He looked around the room and wondered how it would be when Raijin was back and she was gone, and no one but him would remember these things just how they were now. When he was the only one that remembered her clothes hanging in his closet, and the poem he had written her ...or the blue and pink hair brush she always placed in just the right spot on his dresser... the way they stayed up till it was nearly dawn, trying to remember their past together. He might be the only person who realised that she grinded her teeth just slightly while she slept, or noticed how she always ate the tomatoes first in her salad. When Raijin was back, and she was gone, he might be the only one who remembered any of this. Then it would be like it had never happened at all. He looked around the room, at her clothes, at her shoes next to Raijin's bed, at the bottle of shampoo she had set on the desk in her hurry to get ready for her date. And he wondered to himself how it would be, when she just wasn't there anymore.
Chapter 6: What's Real For Now
He glanced up from the book he was reading as the door clicked open. Through the door came Quistis, carrying a few items of clothing with her. She began hanging the clothes in the closet as Seifer fully viewed her new outfit, a knee length blue skirt and a blue sweater over a white shirt. She had blue eyeshadow dusted lightly over her eyelids and a hint of pink lipgloss on.
"My Hyne," Seifer breathed. "You look like a giant Barbie."
Quistis frowned. "That bad?"
"What's the deal?" Seifer asked curiously. His tone changed to one of suspicion. "What's going on?"
Quistis sighed and turned to completely face Seifer. "I have a date." Seifer looked startled, but said nothing. "I know, I know. When was the last time I went on a date? That's just it! I don't know what it is people DO on dates anymore, I don't even know how to dress!" she continued. "It was all Selphie's idea," Quistis added, sounding miserable.
"First of all," Seifer replied, "People do what they've always done. The guy tries to get laid-"
"That's what I'm afraid of," Quistis said, sounding even more depressed.
Seifer continued, "-while the girl either willingly consents, agrees but pretends to need convincing - so as to not appear easy - or refuses." He paused, then added, "In which case, she can only hope that she's lucky enough to be with a guy who accepts her declining his invitation. Secondly, we've already established that you look like a deranged Barbie."
She was by now looking sick with worry, as if she was about to simply crawl into the closet and die. Seifer noticed this and added quickly, "Not that that's a bad thing, most guys like the Barbie thing."
She tried to smile, though it looked more like a grimace. "Even the deranged Barbies?"
He grinned. "Deranged is more my style."
She couldn't help but smile, genuinely this time.
"And third of all, Selphie?" A smirk crept over his face. "Why in the HELL would you go along with a damn thing that Selphie would say?!"
"Because of this," she replied, waving around the room. "She's come up with a whole list of guys for me, so that I can keep trying until I find the one that breaks us up."
A hurt expression flashed in his eyes, but he quickly covered it up before she noticed. "What, my company's not good enough for you?" he asked in a joking tone. Deep down, though, he knew it wasn't a joke. She grinned, not catching the underlying tension in his words. "C'mon Seifer, I know you like being part of this less than me." She hesitated, then continued speaking, more to herself than anyone else. "You've made THAT clear enough." Turning away from him abruptly, she hurried into the bathroom to look in the mirror. Pulling two earrings out of her pocket, she jabbed them into her ears quickly. Seifer flinched. She pulled the clip out of her hair and it all came undone. She began brushing her hair out, twisting it up various ways and looking in the mirror.
"I don't know what to do with it," she complained. "And I've only got about 10 minutes to fix it."
Seifer pulled her hand away from her hair, letting it all fall back into its natural place. "Quistis," he said slowly. "Calm down. It's just one date, all right? Brush your hair out and take a deep breath." She began obediently straightening her hair. He glanced her over. "Then, just leave it down."
"You like it that way?" she asked.
He stiffened. "If you've only got ten minutes, you can't afford to mess around with it too much," he replied coolly.
She glanced at him, looking slightly annoyed, then brushed it off and looked in the mirror one last time. Taking a deep breath, she announced, "I better go. The earlier I leave and GET there, the less time I'll have to change my mind."
He only nodded. She turned and walked toward the door. Seifer raised his hand as if to pat her on the shoulder, then changed his mind and abruptly put his arm down. As she opened the door, Seifer spoke up.
"Hey, Quistis?"
"Yes?"
"Don't forget to breathe. Good luck, Barbie."
She closed the door behind her.
He looked around the room, wondering what he should do now that she was gone. He could go talk to Fujin and Raijin, but he realised that he really just didn't feel like it. He certainly didn't want to go to the cafeteria. Idly, he wondered if Quistis was meeting her date in the cafeteria or the lobby. Breaking off his concentration on Quistis and her date, he went back to thinking of what plans he could make for that evening. He didn't have any more classes that night. He could go to the training center, but then he'd have to go beg for his Hyperion from Cid. Besides, in the months he had been away from Garden, he had advanced to a physical level much more advanced than anything he could fight in the training center. There was simply no real challenge left. His mind wandered back to Quistis. He wondered if this guy would be the one to break their enchantment. He wondered what it would be like when she did meet that guy, when she was gone and out of his life for good. He knew once that happened, they'd never talk again. She'd never go out of her way to find him, and their mutual friends certainly wouldn't offer chances for them to happen to be in each other's company. The feelings her circle of friends and his friends had for each other was mutual, all right, but it was a feeling of mutual hate. Hatred simply doesn't offer many opportunities for socialization. She might smile at him once in awhile if they walked by each other in a hallway, but it would be one of those fake smiles, one that would just pretend to show some sort of like between them. And if they ever did talk, that would be fake, too. The fake conversation that makes it sound like you actually give a damn about the person you're talking to, and you don't, but you talk to them anyways because you don't want them to know that you don't give a damn. They know, all right. How couldn't they know, when the conversation is so plastic that you could puke? But they don't want to show that they know, because then they'd look bitchy and cold hearted to everyone else for not caring about the person who was kind enough to pretend to give a damn about them. So you end up with two people hating each other but pretending not to, and having their stupid silly fake conversations all the damn time, with all their goddamn phony words, and by the time the conversation is over both people are so sick of each other and the fake-ness of everything that they're about to go into sugar-shock or some damn thing. He wondered to himself how it would be when they were like that. How it would be when they were talking someday and he'd realise that this was their first fake conversation. He looked around the room and wondered how it would be when Raijin was back and she was gone, and no one but him would remember these things just how they were now. When he was the only one that remembered her clothes hanging in his closet, and the poem he had written her ...or the blue and pink hair brush she always placed in just the right spot on his dresser... the way they stayed up till it was nearly dawn, trying to remember their past together. He might be the only person who realised that she grinded her teeth just slightly while she slept, or noticed how she always ate the tomatoes first in her salad. When Raijin was back, and she was gone, he might be the only one who remembered any of this. Then it would be like it had never happened at all. He looked around the room, at her clothes, at her shoes next to Raijin's bed, at the bottle of shampoo she had set on the desk in her hurry to get ready for her date. And he wondered to himself how it would be, when she just wasn't there anymore.
