A/N: Ok, not to be ANNOYING *looks out of computer monitor at Alonia* lol just playin with ya, but this time I seriously need reviews because I need you guys to give me a couple of ideas here. I know I said this would be a Queifer, but do you guys want a Quell or a Quall or (god forbid) a Quirvine **shudder**? Let me know because I am thinking of turning this into a Queifer vs (place pairing of your choice here). Vote for contender #2 plz! Ok I'll stop rambling and let you read chapter 4. :)
~Chapter 4~
Quistis was still livid two hours later when she arrived in FH. She was a sight alright, roaming the streets with her windblown hair and outfit in disarray. Still mumbling to herself using language best not repeated, she breezed into the first house she came by that had a 'For Rent' sign on the lawn.
Slamming her suitcase down on the dinner table in front of a bewildered looking realtor working on a new pitch for the house, she made her declaration.
"I live here now." Flustered, the realtor blinked a few times before he straightened in his seat.
"Rent is 500 gil a month." Quistis dropped the money on the table, now she had only fifty gil left.
"'Til next month then." ~Hyne I need a job fast.~ The realtor made himself scarce and ran off to the landlord, waving the money in the air. Apparently people in FH already had houses, and no interest in renting another. Quistis assumed few dropped in the quiet little place by the shore. Picking the keys up from where the man had dropped them in his excitement, she left her things in the kitchen and headed out to get a disguise.
Stopping by a drugstore, she dropped her last 50 gil on a months supply of violet-colored contacts and a temporary wave kit (for her hair). ~I doubt they'll even come to look for me, but this'll keep them from recognizing me right off.~ She didn't think their search, if they bothered, would last more than a week. Bigger and better things would draw their attention away from one pathetic ex-instructor pretty quickly if she wasn't off her guess.
Back at her new home, she put in the contacts-no more glasses for Quistis-and followed the instructions on the wave kit perfectly. Only a half an hour later an altered Quistis Trepe stood looking in the mirror. Her long golden hair had coiled itself into loose, flowing waves, which also made it appear shorter. She decided she would always wear it down. The new hue of her eyes made them warmer, kinder than blue, and the contacts also managed to hide the pain hidden in the depths. She smiled at herself. ~Even I don't know me...~
She needed a new name, something easy to remember. Thinking to keep at least her intials, she came up with Quince Tayler. She looked like a Quince. Nice, normal Quince Tayler wasn't bogged down with problems. Quistis threw off everything that had ever bothered her. Mentally pushing it all off a cliff, she concentrated on relaxing. She had nothing to worry about anymore. The past was just the past now. She had a brand new chance at living and wasn't about to spoil it by remembering her old life at every turn. With her shoulders less stiff and formal, she looked younger without a care in the world. Her eyes travelled down past her face and she frowned. ~My clothes...~
Peach battle gear wasn't exactly what Quince would wear. She went to her room after stopping in the kitchen to grab her suitcase and whip. Quince threw the whip at the bottom of her closet and dug through her suitcase. The SeeD uniform. Why had she brought that? It landed in a pile at her feet. Stripping to her underwear she let the peach vest and heavy skirt fall where the uniform had. There was little left in the suitcase now. But what she did find brought a smile to her face. She pulled out a white tank top, a pair of dark blue form-fitting jeans ~I never thought I'd thank Rinoa for *that* birthday present.~ a pair of old sneakers, and surprise, surprise, a cherry-tinted lip gloss she'd once bought on impulse. The only remaining item was a hairbrush.
Quince quickly changed into the tank and jeans, pulling the sneakers on too. Rushing over to the mirror in dizzy excitement that comes with girl territory in getting a new outfit, she added a bit of the cherry gloss to her lips. No more Quistis left now, only Quince. She could have leaped with joy. It literally felt like shedding an old skin. She'd gotten back the youth she had forgotten in her ever-present effort to be the most mature. Running the brush through her hair, she set it and the gloss on her bureau. She ditched the suitcase in the very back of her closet and gathered the peach clothes and uniform. Heading outside she felt a queer sense of closure as she dumped her old clothes in one of the garbage cans sitting out by the alley.
Sighing contentedly, she put the lid back on the garbage can, locked up the house, and started her walk toward the docks in her quest for a job.
**~Meanwhile, back at Garden~**
The Hero group, and Seifer too, were gathered in Cid's office. Squall, Rinoa, Selphie, Irvine and Zell had heard from Seifer that Quistis had left, and were concerned as to where she might be.
Cid smiled in a fatherly way. "Don't worry! Quistis won't stay away long! Why any minute now she'll realize her mistake and come pounding up those stairs, begging for forgiveness." He put a hand to his ear and hovered inches from the door, listening expectantly.
(Three Hours Later)
"I don't think she's coming back..." whispered Selphie to Irvine. Cid's smile had faded and he wore an intense frown, and now had his ear pressed up against the door.
"Aaaaannnny minute now." The SeeDs rolled their eyes.
"Excuse us, Cid. We're gonna go look for Quistis." Zell said, pushing past Cid's doorwatch with the other SeeDs in tow. Turning back to his friends he demanded, "Where would Quistis go?"
"What makes you think we know Chickenwuss?" sneered Seifer. "And who made you leader?"
"I did," snarled Zell, with uncharacteristic violence in his voice "wanna make something out of it pretty boy?"
"Look, Chickenwuss..."
"Seifer, Zell! Can it! We aren't finding her this way! If you two don't stop it right now I'm going to scream!" Seifer and Zell stopped and stared at the diminuitive intruder to their little fued. Selphie had her hands on her hips and looked prepared to turn glass to dust with lungs supernaturally big for one so small. They immediately backed off of each other.
"Well just watch it..." growled Seifer, more to save face rather than start another arguement.
"I think we should look where we normally wouldn't." Rinoa offered softly, "She might go there thinking it's the last place we'll look."
Everyone gaped at Rinoa, no one expecting her to show any form of intelligence or common sense.
"Or...umm...just to speed things up, I could use my powers to tell you where she is."
Everyone looked at her again, surprised beyond expression that Rinoa could be useful for something other than an arm decoration for Squall.
"Oooooohhhhh! Pretty please do that Rinoa! It would make this sooooo unhassleish right? Irvine? Right? Someone agree with me!" Selphie (in order) cooed, begged, and shrieked.
"Sure, Sefie." drawled Irvine.
Rinoa drew her power and her vision turned internal as she scanned for Quistis. She knew that she wouldn't get a visual image, only a sense of the right way to go. She sat there for several minutes until the gang began to suspect she was only doing this as a ploy for attention, when suddenly her head whipped up and she cried out joyously.
"DOLLET! No wait...BALAMB...no....NEXT DOOR...nuh uh...oh! I've got it! FH!"
By this time no one believed Rinoa could really tell them where Quistis was, but they figured going to FH would stop any pending hissy fits. They looked amongst each other and sighed.
"To FH then..." Seifer was the only one who smiled, seeming to know something the others did not.
It was getting too long for one chapter soI ended it there. Maybe I should have gone on but hey, Chapter 5 will be up soon. Sorry if nothing really moved or shaked this chapter ^-^, see ya later!
~Chapter 4~
Quistis was still livid two hours later when she arrived in FH. She was a sight alright, roaming the streets with her windblown hair and outfit in disarray. Still mumbling to herself using language best not repeated, she breezed into the first house she came by that had a 'For Rent' sign on the lawn.
Slamming her suitcase down on the dinner table in front of a bewildered looking realtor working on a new pitch for the house, she made her declaration.
"I live here now." Flustered, the realtor blinked a few times before he straightened in his seat.
"Rent is 500 gil a month." Quistis dropped the money on the table, now she had only fifty gil left.
"'Til next month then." ~Hyne I need a job fast.~ The realtor made himself scarce and ran off to the landlord, waving the money in the air. Apparently people in FH already had houses, and no interest in renting another. Quistis assumed few dropped in the quiet little place by the shore. Picking the keys up from where the man had dropped them in his excitement, she left her things in the kitchen and headed out to get a disguise.
Stopping by a drugstore, she dropped her last 50 gil on a months supply of violet-colored contacts and a temporary wave kit (for her hair). ~I doubt they'll even come to look for me, but this'll keep them from recognizing me right off.~ She didn't think their search, if they bothered, would last more than a week. Bigger and better things would draw their attention away from one pathetic ex-instructor pretty quickly if she wasn't off her guess.
Back at her new home, she put in the contacts-no more glasses for Quistis-and followed the instructions on the wave kit perfectly. Only a half an hour later an altered Quistis Trepe stood looking in the mirror. Her long golden hair had coiled itself into loose, flowing waves, which also made it appear shorter. She decided she would always wear it down. The new hue of her eyes made them warmer, kinder than blue, and the contacts also managed to hide the pain hidden in the depths. She smiled at herself. ~Even I don't know me...~
She needed a new name, something easy to remember. Thinking to keep at least her intials, she came up with Quince Tayler. She looked like a Quince. Nice, normal Quince Tayler wasn't bogged down with problems. Quistis threw off everything that had ever bothered her. Mentally pushing it all off a cliff, she concentrated on relaxing. She had nothing to worry about anymore. The past was just the past now. She had a brand new chance at living and wasn't about to spoil it by remembering her old life at every turn. With her shoulders less stiff and formal, she looked younger without a care in the world. Her eyes travelled down past her face and she frowned. ~My clothes...~
Peach battle gear wasn't exactly what Quince would wear. She went to her room after stopping in the kitchen to grab her suitcase and whip. Quince threw the whip at the bottom of her closet and dug through her suitcase. The SeeD uniform. Why had she brought that? It landed in a pile at her feet. Stripping to her underwear she let the peach vest and heavy skirt fall where the uniform had. There was little left in the suitcase now. But what she did find brought a smile to her face. She pulled out a white tank top, a pair of dark blue form-fitting jeans ~I never thought I'd thank Rinoa for *that* birthday present.~ a pair of old sneakers, and surprise, surprise, a cherry-tinted lip gloss she'd once bought on impulse. The only remaining item was a hairbrush.
Quince quickly changed into the tank and jeans, pulling the sneakers on too. Rushing over to the mirror in dizzy excitement that comes with girl territory in getting a new outfit, she added a bit of the cherry gloss to her lips. No more Quistis left now, only Quince. She could have leaped with joy. It literally felt like shedding an old skin. She'd gotten back the youth she had forgotten in her ever-present effort to be the most mature. Running the brush through her hair, she set it and the gloss on her bureau. She ditched the suitcase in the very back of her closet and gathered the peach clothes and uniform. Heading outside she felt a queer sense of closure as she dumped her old clothes in one of the garbage cans sitting out by the alley.
Sighing contentedly, she put the lid back on the garbage can, locked up the house, and started her walk toward the docks in her quest for a job.
**~Meanwhile, back at Garden~**
The Hero group, and Seifer too, were gathered in Cid's office. Squall, Rinoa, Selphie, Irvine and Zell had heard from Seifer that Quistis had left, and were concerned as to where she might be.
Cid smiled in a fatherly way. "Don't worry! Quistis won't stay away long! Why any minute now she'll realize her mistake and come pounding up those stairs, begging for forgiveness." He put a hand to his ear and hovered inches from the door, listening expectantly.
(Three Hours Later)
"I don't think she's coming back..." whispered Selphie to Irvine. Cid's smile had faded and he wore an intense frown, and now had his ear pressed up against the door.
"Aaaaannnny minute now." The SeeDs rolled their eyes.
"Excuse us, Cid. We're gonna go look for Quistis." Zell said, pushing past Cid's doorwatch with the other SeeDs in tow. Turning back to his friends he demanded, "Where would Quistis go?"
"What makes you think we know Chickenwuss?" sneered Seifer. "And who made you leader?"
"I did," snarled Zell, with uncharacteristic violence in his voice "wanna make something out of it pretty boy?"
"Look, Chickenwuss..."
"Seifer, Zell! Can it! We aren't finding her this way! If you two don't stop it right now I'm going to scream!" Seifer and Zell stopped and stared at the diminuitive intruder to their little fued. Selphie had her hands on her hips and looked prepared to turn glass to dust with lungs supernaturally big for one so small. They immediately backed off of each other.
"Well just watch it..." growled Seifer, more to save face rather than start another arguement.
"I think we should look where we normally wouldn't." Rinoa offered softly, "She might go there thinking it's the last place we'll look."
Everyone gaped at Rinoa, no one expecting her to show any form of intelligence or common sense.
"Or...umm...just to speed things up, I could use my powers to tell you where she is."
Everyone looked at her again, surprised beyond expression that Rinoa could be useful for something other than an arm decoration for Squall.
"Oooooohhhhh! Pretty please do that Rinoa! It would make this sooooo unhassleish right? Irvine? Right? Someone agree with me!" Selphie (in order) cooed, begged, and shrieked.
"Sure, Sefie." drawled Irvine.
Rinoa drew her power and her vision turned internal as she scanned for Quistis. She knew that she wouldn't get a visual image, only a sense of the right way to go. She sat there for several minutes until the gang began to suspect she was only doing this as a ploy for attention, when suddenly her head whipped up and she cried out joyously.
"DOLLET! No wait...BALAMB...no....NEXT DOOR...nuh uh...oh! I've got it! FH!"
By this time no one believed Rinoa could really tell them where Quistis was, but they figured going to FH would stop any pending hissy fits. They looked amongst each other and sighed.
"To FH then..." Seifer was the only one who smiled, seeming to know something the others did not.
It was getting too long for one chapter soI ended it there. Maybe I should have gone on but hey, Chapter 5 will be up soon. Sorry if nothing really moved or shaked this chapter ^-^, see ya later!
