V: Fitting In
Sighing, Amy's eyes opened with the sun. She smiled merrily at the dawning of a new day, and took her time to stretch and grunt softly. For the briefest of moments, she thought that she was back in her old bed, but after hearing a cute snoring sound from the bed next to her, she knew that she was still in the Garden.
Smiling warmly, Amy regarded her bouncy roommate with tenderness. She did not know the girl at all, and yet who could help but love her? Selphie reminded Amy of a hybrid of Serena and Mina: bouncy, energetic, sunny, innocent, carefree, impish, trustworthy, and honest. Of course, she was also a sleepyhead: it was well past nine o'clock, and although Amy had nothing to do that day, she had tried to get up early.
Sighing, Amy slid out of bed and shook Selphie gently. The petite woman snorted and giggled out some nonsense, but otherwise kept her clutch on sleep. Amy shook her head, and whispered Selphie's name a few more times. The girl rolled over in bed, but otherwise did nothing. To Amy's reckoning, it was a Wednesday, and there were no holidays scheduled, so Selphie would probably be late for class--another characteristic of Serena's.
Sighing, Amy whispered an apology and tightly pinched Selphie's nostrils together. The girl sputtered, and woke up with a jolt. Amy released her grip and apologized yet again for suffocating Selphie; the latter wondered what was going on, and then in a panic, wondered why Amy did not wake her up sooner. Amy sighed and hung her head in exasperation, and tried to keep civility as Selphie flitted around the room.
Finally, Selphie emerged from her closet wearing the uniform of an Advanced SeeD. Her grin was no smaller than a barn, and her voice no less excited than a child at Christmas. With a squeal, she showcased herself to Amy, who liked the Advanced SeeD outfit very much--but did not like the fact that Selphie would be late.
"Aw, no prob!" assured the brunette. "I won't get into trouble! Hey, when I come back, I'll let you have my old school uniform! We look like we're the same size, and you'll need it if--oh, whoops!!" She smiled impishly, and tried to giggle her way out of the situation.
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Amy.
"Nothing!" sang Selphie. "Just pretend you didn't hear anything, kay? I'll be back this afternoon, so feel free to wander around until then, kay? Oh, but try to stay away from the training area, kay?" Amy blinked in confusion, but managed to nod her head. "Coolness!" cheered Selphie. "Okay, gotta jet! Byes!" Selphie blew a friendly kiss, and scampered out of the room before Amy could say Booyaka--not that she ever would.
After dressing and bathing, Amy decided to heed her new friend's advice and left the dorm to explore the Garden. Since it was a school day, she didn't hope to see anybody walking around, unless they were a truant. Still, she took the time to peek into every available door and hallway she could find. Hence, Amy started exploring the Garden in clockwise fashion, from her left.
The first place that Amy stumbled upon was the parking garage. She figured that this was a very logical place, for how else were the students and faculty supposed to move around? Certainly the Garden didn't just up and float on its own! The lot was abandoned of human life, however, so Amy ignored this and left for the next area.
The next destination was the infamous training center. Amy had already received a warning from Selphie about the place, and although she didn't know the girl well, she trusted her enough to obey her advice. Distinctly, Amy could hear fighting going on inside the room. Several students and teachers were engaged in combat, and the chilling sound of roaring made the ground quake. If Amy had been a little more naïve, she would have thought that dinosaurs roamed those halls. But that was impossible.
After smartly avoiding the training center, Amy came upon a welcome sight, the library. She sighed and smiled happily, and entered into the room. Here was where she felt most comfortable, among the books and papers and archives. Though none of the books seemed familiar, Amy plucked out a few and walked over to the nearest chair. She was by herself, with the exception of a few students there for a project, so she would not be interrupted.
Amy chuckled weakly to herself as she realized what she was doing. The library, she figured, was the literal last place she should be at the moment. She wanted to look around the rest of the Garden first, so with a heavy heart she got back up and put the books away--but not before memorizing their titles first.
Once she left the library, Amy continued to walk around the Garden. She hit the main gate next, and a directory told her of the rooms she would be encountering in the future. After passing the main gate, she would come across Infirmary, Quad, and Cafeteria. Amy smiled, and the thought of meeting a fellow doctor, more students, and a healthy lunch pleased her greatly.
She took a deep breath and continued to walk, towards the Infirmary. Because she wanted to become a doctor, perhaps it would be best to befriend the resident physician, whoever it was. Amy just hoped that the doctor (or doctors) would not be too busy to talk with her. As she approached the door to the doctor's room, Amy made a mental note that the physician's name was Kadowaki. Three knocks and she was let inside.
"Oh!" Amy gasped, and covered her mouth as she saw the doctor. Her smile increased significantly when she discovered that it was a woman. Well, that makes things a little easier, she thought to herself.
"Hello," said the doctor. "How may I help you, miss?"
"Oh, just looking around," answered Amy. The doctor frowned and began to suck on a pencil.
"Are you a new student?"
"No, I'm not a student. It's ah… a long story. Oh, my name is Amy Mizuno."
"Amy Miz…" The doctor paused in mid-sentence, and slowly gnawed on her pencil. Her eyes glazed over, as if she were in deep thought. "Amy Mizuno…" She repeated the name again, and rolled it around in her head for a few seconds more.
"Is there something wrong?" offered Amy. A short pause followed.
"Pardon me for asking, but are you sure that's your name?" Amy paused stiffly, and swallowed. Why does she want to know that?
"Yes…"
"Positive?"
"Yes, I am," she said with finality. The doctor pursed her lips together, and gave Amy an inquisitive face.
"Nothing," she muttered, "it's nothing. It's ah… a pleasure to meet you, Miss Mizuno." Amy smiled, but the doctor's mouth did not move as they shook hands.
"Oh, Dr. Kadowaki, is it?" said Amy. The doc nodded her head. "Ah. Well, I would like to become a doctor myself, so perhaps I can befriend one who is already in the profession?"
"Uh, sure…" muttered Kadowaki. The older woman swallowed hard, and let go of Amy's hand. "Come back here tomorrow, Miss Mizuno. I'm booked solid today, but perhaps we can have a chat sometime later?"
"Sure!" Amy did her best smile, and bowed her head as she wished Dr. Kadowaki good day. Inwardly, though, she shivered. What was that all about? she wondered. Why did she want to know if that was my name or not…? Oh well, I suppose I'll know tomorrow.
Leaving the infirmary behind, Amy's next destination was the Quad. Unlike the other areas, this one had entertainment uses. A stage had been set up, and several speakers and microphones were strewn around in a mess of wires and cables. Buckets of paint were also scattered about, some of them mostly empty. Unlike the other rooms, though, Amy quickly discovered that she was not alone.
"Hello?" she said as she heard some voices. "Is anybody there?" Peeking around a little more, she could just barely see the tip of a black fedora--although, as Amy stepped closer, it began to resemble a hat worn by an American cowboy. With a smile, Amy recognized who it was.
"Mr. Kinneas?" Amy revealed herself, and smiled as Irvine glanced up and waved at her.
"Hey, doll!" he exclaimed. "What're you doin' around here?"
"I could ask you the same question!" countered Amy. Irvine flinched by managed to keep his composure.
"Eh, just playin' hooky. Seriously, though, I happen to be talking with a very good friend of mine!" Amy paused, and briefly glanced around the room. Nobody was there besides Irvine and herself.
"I don't see anyone."
"Oh, she's off gettin' a breath of fresh air," pointed the older man. "Hey, why don't you stick around, and I'll properly introduce you? Here, have a seat!" The smile he gave her was extremely convincing, and since Amy had nothing to do until Selphie let out of class, she sat down next to the tall man. Secretly, Amy though that Irvine was very handsome, although a little on the flirty side. She didn't mind that a bit--in fact, if he had even given her a wink, she would have felt better. Back in "her" world, not too many men winked their eyes in her direction.
"So, like, where do you come from?" asked Irvine as Amy joined him. She almost told him, but caught herself before her mouth could open. Instead, she gave the same excuse that Zell had concluded.
"I… don't know," she lied. "I think I lost my memory, and I don't know where I am or where I came from."
"Oh." Irvine's voice grew quiet, and he hung his head in embarrassment. "Sorry."
"Oh, it's no problem!" smiled Amy. "I'm getting a lot of help from everyone here, especially Zell and Selphie."
"Yeah, if anybody'd be a good pal, it'd have to be them," he shrugged. Just then, Irvine's "friend" came back from her breath of fresh air, and gave an observant smile as she saw Amy.
"Miss Mizuno, right?" Amy nodded her head and rose to extend her hand.
"Miss Trepe? Ah, good, I'm glad I remembered." Quistis smiled lightly, and sat down between Irvine and Amy.
"So, Miss Mizuno, what are you doing here?" she asked. Amy shrugged.
"Just looking around. I'm going to see the whole Garden, and maybe I'll remember something along the way."
"Good luck," saluted Irvine. "Oh, I forgot. This is the lovely Quistis Trepe, a former instructor and a personal friend of mine. Call her Quisty if you're brave enough."
"Irvine!" Quistis hissed the man's name through her teeth, and gave him a very bitter glare. He smiled weakly and apologized.
"Sorry, doll. Hey, you can call me Irvy, ma'am."
"I'll… try," mumbled Amy, a weak smile of her own plastered on her face. Quistis sighed helplessly.
"Miss Mizuno, if you would like any assistance, any at all, feel free to ask me. Other than the Headmaster and Matron, I could probably help you out the most."
"Thank you, that's very nice of you, Miss Trepe," said Amy. "Oh, speaking of which, do you think that I could possibly speak with them sometime in the future?"
"…I can probably arrange something," said Quistis after a pause. "They'll probably want to chat with you, anyway. Feel free to go up there anytime, miss."
"Thank you, I will." Amy smiled and stood up, and excused herself from the Quad. She allowed Irvine to kiss her hand, and waved good-bye as she left the Quad.
"Sorry," shrugged Irvine, who had just gotten one of Quistis' looks.
"(We'll talk about this later,)" she whispered, gently fingering her whip. Irvine's face lit up like a lantern, and he smiled like the adolescent he often acted like.
"Sure thing, ma'am," he grinned, and Quistis shook her head in defeat as he leaned forward to give her a good-bye peck on the cheek.
Leaving behind two more possible friends, Amy smiled and hummed to herself as she walked towards the cafeteria. After eating a brief snack, she would guide herself to the elevator and ride up to the third floor, where the Headmaster's office was. She knew that she would have to speak with him eventually, so perhaps it was better to get it over and done with now.
I'm starting to like it here! exclaimed Amy mentally. Everyone's treating me so well! It's almost as if I'm already a part of their school! As she smiled and hummed, she stumbled across the cafeteria. Despite the fact that there was class in session, the line was considerably long.
"Now that's strange!" exclaimed Amy to herself. "There's class, and yet the line's long!"
"We don't have class today," mentioned one of the students. Amy smiled weakly, and without saying another word, she joined the line. Hoping against all hope that the servers took her money, she let out a sigh and began to wait.
And wait.
And wait.
And wait.
And wait.
Finally, after fifteen shocking minutes of waiting, Amy managed to get to the head of the line--only to discover that they were out of hot dogs.
"No problem," she said. "I really don't want any hot dogs anyway."
Dead silence.
A collective gasp erupted from the cafeteria, and several students froze in horror. One young man still had his mouth open, ready to engulf the hot dog he held; a group of girls sat in shock as they stared at Amy. Somebody had dropped an empty plate, and a young boy who was squirting mustard onto his burger was catatonic, unaware that he was still squirting. Amy swallowed nervously, and wondered what in the world could have been so shocking.
"Did… did I just hear you correctly, ma'am?" stuttered the lunch lady. "Did… did you just say that you did not want any hot dogs?"
"Y… es…" murmured Amy slowly. The lunch lady shook her head in awe.
"Uh…… right. You feeling okay?"
"Yes…"
"Are you sure?"
"…Yes…" The lunch lady sighed again. Suddenly, a voice startled Amy.
"You don't like hot dogs!!? Man, that's like… not normal!!" She jumped slightly, and turned around to see who had blurted out the comment. No surprise there--it had been Zell.
"I beg your pardon?!" stated Amy, her voice slightly higher and more offended than normal. Zell grunted and scratched his head.
"Sorry, sorry… I'm really sorry… I forgot, you've probably never had one of Balamb Garden's famous hot dogs." Sighing in apology, Zell strutted fort and slammed his palm against the counter.
"Gimme two hot dogs!" he ordered.
"Sorry, no can do," shrugged the line lady. "We're all out."
"Aw, bull!" spat Zell. "Hey, listen here! My friend Amy here has amnesia, okay? She's been having it rough, and I thought I might wanna help her out, okay? So, like, gimme a hot dog or two, and I'll pay you whatever you ask!" The lunch lady let out a dramatic sigh, but shook her head and complied to Zell's wishes. In about ten minutes, two hot dogs had been especially made for them, and with a grunt, the lunch lady passed them to Zell.
"One-hundred Gil," she said.
"A HUNDRED GIL!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!? WHO DO YOU THINK I AM, THE TYCOON OF CENTRA?!?!?!?!!?!?" The entire cafeteria--no, the entire Garden shook as Zell's voice rose to an unbearable level, and everyone within a two-mile radius had to cover their ears. The cafeteria lady, though, had expected this reaction.
"You said you'd pay whatever I asked," she noted dryly. Zell snarled, and let out a very long and nasty string of expletives, derogatory words, and curses so vile and so disgusting, they made Amy's face turn radish-red. With one final blasphemous phrase, Zell fished into his pocket and paid the lady her fare.
"Uh, excuse me," she noted, "but that was one-hundred Gil each."
"SON OF A--!!" Zell growled, and nearly spat out liquid magma. With another angry huff, he dug deeper into his pockets and slammed the hundred Gil on the counter. "Humph!" he snorted. "These had better be the best freaking hot dogs I've ever tasted, or else!!!" With a final offensive gesture, he grabbed the twin buns and stormed off to the nearest table.
Amy, needless to say, was flabbergasted--and yet, somewhat amused.
"It's not too big of a deal," she squeaked. Slowly, almost hesitantly, she slipped into her chair across from Zell, who was still angry. He let a few more disgruntled phrases escape his mouth.
"Rotten no-good misers," he muttered. "They think they can charge that much for two measly hot dogs?! Well, these had better be worth it!" With a snort, Zell's hand dove for the dog, and half of it vanished into his mouth. His face contorted into a twisted, boyish glee, and a squeal of delight escaped his mouth.
"Oh, man!" he shouted. "This IS the best hot dog I've ever eaten! Man! I've never had a fresh one before!! Mmm!! Mmm!! Delicious! Scrumptious! Delectable! Oh… oh, heavenly… Oh, I think I'm in love…" Zell began to cry, and tried his hardest to savor every bite without stuffing the entire thing into his mouth. Amy gave him a weird look, and slowly nibbled at the treat herself. Apparently, Zell was right: this one little foodstuff had been worth the trouble they went through.
"Oh, wow!" squealed Amy. "Zell, you were right! These are wonderful! They're the best thing I've ever eaten in my entire life!!"
"Hahahahahahaha!! Then you know how everyone else feels!" he laughed. Amy smiled, and apologized for ever doubting the value of the Balamb Garden hot dog. From that day forward, she vowed to get up extra early so she could be first in line.
After finishing the delicious hot dog, and thanking Zell for buying one for her (he declined her offer of paying him back), Amy set about going to the Headmaster's office. She noted that it was directly across from the main gate, so she had to backtrack from the quad and infirmary before she arrived. Hoping that it was okay that she went up there without permission, Amy pressed the "3" button and hoped for the best.
Ding! went the elevator door. Amy got on, and it quickly rose to the third floor.
Ding! it went again, and she slowly stepped out.
Tentatively, she knocked on the Headmaster's door. A warm "Come in!" came from beyond, and Amy obeyed the statement. Opening the door, she smiled as she saw a middle-aged man hunched over some papers, his pen scribbling madly. From what Amy could perceive, he looked to be in his late forties, with light brown hair that started to suggest his age. A red vest covered his white long-sleeved business shirt, and a fancy vermilion tie was around his neck. He had spectacles, and an honest face, and to Amy's observations, he was left-handed.
"Excuse me, sir…" she began. The Headmaster stopped writing and briefly looked up.
"Oh!" He nearly fell out of his seat in surprise, and Amy couldn't help but giggle a little. The man smiled as well, and stood up off of the floor. "Sorry," he smiled, "but you, uh, startled me. Tell me, Am--erm, Miss Mizuno, what are you doing here?"
"How did you know my name?" asked Amy. The Headmaster smiled weakly, and scratched his neck.
"Oh, um, er, my, uh, wife Edea told me…" Amy nodded her head, and stepped forward to officially greet him.
"Then, how do you do, sir? I suppose introductions aren't necessary on my part."
"No," he smiled. "My name is Cid Kramer, and it's an honor to see--erm, I mean, meet you again… erm, I mean…" He sighed, and smiled weakly as he tried one more time. "…It's an honor to meet you."
"And you, Headmaster Cid. I was told that you wanted to speak with me sometime?"
"Yes, yes," he said. Cid walked out from behind his desk, and put his hands behind his back. "Tell me, Miss Mizuno… how did you come here?"
"I, uh… well, uh… you see, I… think I lost my memory. A student named Zell Dincht found me wandering around outside, and was kind enough to take me here."
"I see," said Cid. "So, Zell found you, eh? That's good. And you say you have no memories? None whatsoever?"
"No sir."
"Hm, yes, very interesting…" Cid hummed to himself, and began cradling his chin in his hand. "So… do you like it here, at Garden?"
"I do, sir, very much."
"Hm…" Cid paused again, and began pacing back and forth in the room. "You know, normally we would not accept students your age into Garden… But, if you, ah, prove yourself in a basic examination, then we might allow you to become a full-time student here--that is, if you want." He stopped pacing and looked at Amy, as if to draw out her decision quicker. Amy, however, was stumped.
It was true that she had nowhere to go, and until she found a way to return home, she would have to get used to living in that world. She had a little money, but even if it was the right currency, she would not be able to survive without getting a job. Becoming a student didn't sound too hard, and with her genius, she was a shoe-in for whatever courses they were offering. After a brief moment to think things over, Amy agreed to Cid's terms.
"Great!" he exclaimed. "I'll have Quistis give you the exam. Of course, this will be different than the written exam that lets you into the ranks of SeeD!"
"I understand," replied Amy. "I'm sure I can pass it."
"I hope you do," said Cid softly. Amy blinked in confusion and gave him a questioning look, but he quickly covered up his mistake with an utterance of "Uh, I mean, best of luck, Miss Mizuno!"
"…Right. Thank you, sir." She smiled and bowed her head, and he saluted as she left for the lower regions of Garden. Once she was out of sight, Cid sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily.
"I hope it's true…" he whispered to himself. "Please, Hyne, let it be true. Let it really be her, please…"
We've missed you, warrior of ice.
