A/N: I am purposely avoiding the mission in this chapter. I'm using chapter
7 to try and push Quistis and Seifer's relationship up a little. Then we'll
get into the whole poisonous fish, DDWE magazine, and XaTm-666nd thing
(whatever the hell that is.) Well, enjoy!
Two Days Later
Time: 3:00 a.m.
Location: Deling City Hotel
Quistis couldn't seem to sleep. For a while, she listened to Zell's steady breathing from her left, trying to get her own to match. She could tell that on her right, Seifer wasn't sleeping either. However, she was still angry at him from two days earlier, when he yelled out about her for everyone to hear.
When she had gotten out of the elevator back in FH, the hotel owner, who apparently heard Seifer even three floors down, had given her a pitying look, and patted her back gently.
"Your husband is one of *those* kind of men, isn't he? Don't worry sweetheart, so is mine. Feel free to talk to me any time you like."
Quistis didn't know if she had ever been more humiliated.
She also knew how to hold a grudge. She completely ignored him unless conversation was related to their mission. And when that happened, she was crisp, cold, and professional.
Seifer had never taken kindly to being ignored. He tried every trick in the book to get her to take notice and yell at him, smile at him. He was loud and cruel, trying to get her angry. He scrounged everywhere for jokes that she really *did* want to laugh at, but didn't allow herself.
She thought he had given up when she suddenly smelled cigarette smoke.
"Are you insane?! What are you doing smoking in bed, don't you know how dangerous that is?!"
"Aha, I knew that would get you!" Seifer exclaimed triumphantly. He grinned smugly at her, and smashed out his cigarette in the ashtray next to his bed.
She tried to stop herself, she really did, but she burst out into storms of giggles. Perhaps it was because it was 3 in the morning and she had all of 5 hours sleep in the past few days. Perhaps the complimentary hotel wine she enjoyed before hadn't quite worn off yet. Or perhaps, she missed talking to Seifer.
Yeah right. The booze definitely hadn't worn off yet.
Seifer looked surprised, not expecting her to act in any way other than anger. Suddenly, her giggling ceased, and turned stone serious.
"Seifer, when did you start smoking?"
"...Why?"
"Just curious."
"I think it was around a month after the Sorceress War... I was kind of going through a rough time back then," he muttered. Quistis felt a twinge of sympathy.
"I can imagine," she said, keeping her voice kind but not pitying. She knew he hated that even more than being ignored. "Have you ever talked with anyone about it?"
"What do you mean, a shrink?"
"Well, I was thinking just a friend..."
Seifer snorted in disgust.
"A friend, Quistis? The only friend a lapdog has is its master, and she's dead."
"What allure did you see in Ultimecia? She manipulated you, took you for a fool, yet you followed on blindly." Quistis immediately realized that was the wrong thing to say and winced, preparing herself for his onslaught.
Nothing but silence reached her ears, and she opened her eyes in confusion.
Seifer now stood by the bay window, looking out upon the city that never slept. When she spoke again, she could see his muscles bunch up under his thin black shirt.
"...I'm sorry, that was not right for me to say. It's all in the past now."
To her surprise, Seifer chuckled.
"I bet you've been wanting to say that for a while. Proud of yourself?"
"...No, I feel really bad about it," she reluctantly admitted. He turned to her, shaking his head.
"Don't. It *was* all in the past, but I never even acknowledged it. Ultimecia manipulated me, but that doesn't clear the blood from my hands. I'm even stained with your blood...Quistis."
By this time, she had stood and walked to his side. He looked down at her, face neither angry or upset. His complete lack of expression frightened her, and at that moment she would have given anything to hear him scream, punch her, burst into tears or laughter.
His eyes gleamed strangely as he placed a hand on her shoulder, slipping the smooth material of her nightshirt down slightly. It revealed a smooth, pale shoulder. A slender scar ran across it, that was fading to a dull pink with age. He gently traced it with his finger.
"I did this," he chuckled, for some reason finding it amusing. "Did it hurt?"
"Well, I wasn't really concentrating on that at the time," she frowned.
Seifer allowed his hand to linger a moment longer before dropping it back to his side.
'An excuse to touch her...?' a voice laughed harshly at him. 'She wouldn't want you, Seifer. You belong only to me.'
'Great, now I'm hearing voices too? How much more fucking insane can I get?' he thought to himself.
"Seifer... I realize this is difficult to talk about, but this has been on my mind a long time now," she spoke, shaking him from his thoughts.
"Oh...okay I guess. What?"
"Why did you come back to Garden?"
"That's easy enough. What the hell do you think there was left for me? Raijin and Fujin weren't well known, so they were able to get good jobs somewhere. Hyne, I don't even remember where they are now, we kinda lost touch. But, I was known everywhere. People I never saw before wanted me dead. Garden was my last resort." He snorted suddenly. "I don't wanna admit it, but I know they just let me back out of pity, I used that to my advantage."
Quistis, reminded of Raijin and Fujin, made a mental note to track them down.
"Garden does not pity you."
"Yes it does."
"No it doesn't."
"Yes...it does."
"No, it doesn't!!!"
"Hyne, what are we, two year olds?! This isn't going anywhere," he growled.
"You're right. Let's just drop it... there must be something else to talk about."
"Nothing we could agree on."
"Well then... why don't we play a game?" she suggested.
"...A game?" he repeated, arching a brow. "You really are a two year old." Quistis rolled her eyes.
"I meant, a card game. Play Triple Triad?"
"A busy woman like you has time for cards?"
"Oh... I play a game here and there..." she said evasively, smoothing down her hair and looking to the side.
"...Uh huh. Okay Trepe, you're on. Rules?"
(Notes: Forgive me if my rules are sloppy, I never pay attention and just play whatever...)
"Well, let's keep it simple. Open, Same Plus?"
"Fine. You pick first," he said casually. Both of them plopped down and sat cross-legged on the floor.
Quistis intentionally took her time choosing from her deck, wanting to grate Seifer's nerves. She was apparently succeeding.
"Can you hurry up? The sun's gonna be up before this game's over," he complained. Quistis looked up, a smile tugging at her lips. She chose her cards.
Ultima Weapon, Gilgamesh, Shiva, Leviathan, and Seifer. He smirked as he looked down on his own face.
"Oooh, you got my card," he smirked handsomely.
"Indeed. One of my favorites," she teased.
"I certainly hope so," Seifer raised his head proudly. Then he laid out his own, fairly solid, set of cards. After considering for a moment, he laid down the Quistis card and checked for her reaction.
She looked up, grinning, with a raised eyebrow.
"Oooh, you got my card," she mimicked him. He smirked and winked.
"Can't play a game without my favorite card. It's my good luck card," he snickered.
"Oh, you're such a horrible actor. Like I can't sense your sarcasm," she frowned half-heartedly, trying to look angry. "Let's begin!"
Quistis was confident that she would win, and laid down cards haphazardly. She was also a bit rusty, and Seifer jump and stomped all over it. The game turned out to be a draw. Quistis was surprised.
"...A draw? My, this is rare..."
"I thought you only played a game here and there?"
"Well, perhaps that was understating it a little..."
"You want a rematch?"
"...Sure," she replied.
Match over match they played, neither winning or losing. Both were becoming increasingly irritated.
'This is so boring...' Seifer heard in his ear. 'Place the girl's card in the middle and get it over with...'
(Notes: Woo, the mystery voice knows how to play cards.)
Seifer obeyed, placing Quistis' card in the center, flipping over three of hers. She reeled back in surprise.
And the deadlock ended.
"...Well done," she said, wide-eyed. "Choose your card..."
"Well I won't take the Seifer card, you might miss it too much," he grinned. She sighed.
"Hmm... I just can't seem to choose... eenie meenie miny moh..."
"Just pick one!" she exclaimed. Seifer laughed, reveling in his triumph.
"Now, now, calm down. I'll take... Shiva."
"...Shiva?" she almost whimpered. That card was a special favorite of hers.
"Don't worry about it. Maybe one day you'll win it back!" He guffawed, while she huffed, and after handing him the card, turned her back on him.
"Aww, don't be a bad loser," he reprimanded, putting one hand on her back.
"... ... ..."
She didn't shrug his hand off. Intrigued, he placed the other hand near her neck, where she had been injured by a T-Rexaur. (Remember? Way back in the first chapter) Her body tensed this time.
"That still hurts, eh?"
"...A little bit. I just get a headache sometimes."
Without another word, Seifer started to massage her neck gently. She stiffened even more.
"What are you doing?"
"Making up for winning that game. Just relax."
"... ... ..."
He moved down to her shoulders, kneading her firm flesh. Then he ran his fingers teasingly down her biceps. She closed her eyes, and leaned back towards him. He smirked.
Seifer lowered his hands again, rubbing the sides of her ribcage. Receiving a positive response, Seifer worked at her waist.
Quistis had never had a massage before, and it felt wonderful. She was utterly at peace as Seifer relaxed her muscles. She was grogglily aware when he stopped and chuckled.
"Enjoy that?"
"Mmm..."
"See how nice I can be when you're not a bitch?"
"Mmm..."
"We should go to bed now. We *do* have work to do tomorrow, you know."
"...Screw it..." she sighed, and fell back, into him.
She was asleep, arms wrapped loosely and uncaringly around his waist. Her hair tumbled in her face and around her shoulders.
Seifer sighed as his heartbeat fluttered suddenly. Not waking up, she picked up her light form, and tucked her into the bed. Never had he done anything so...tender. He hated it. He felt like a sissy.
He hated every feeling she ever caused to stir within him.
But no matter how many times he tried to tell himself to, he just could not bring himself to hate Quistis Trepe.
Two Days Later
Time: 3:00 a.m.
Location: Deling City Hotel
Quistis couldn't seem to sleep. For a while, she listened to Zell's steady breathing from her left, trying to get her own to match. She could tell that on her right, Seifer wasn't sleeping either. However, she was still angry at him from two days earlier, when he yelled out about her for everyone to hear.
When she had gotten out of the elevator back in FH, the hotel owner, who apparently heard Seifer even three floors down, had given her a pitying look, and patted her back gently.
"Your husband is one of *those* kind of men, isn't he? Don't worry sweetheart, so is mine. Feel free to talk to me any time you like."
Quistis didn't know if she had ever been more humiliated.
She also knew how to hold a grudge. She completely ignored him unless conversation was related to their mission. And when that happened, she was crisp, cold, and professional.
Seifer had never taken kindly to being ignored. He tried every trick in the book to get her to take notice and yell at him, smile at him. He was loud and cruel, trying to get her angry. He scrounged everywhere for jokes that she really *did* want to laugh at, but didn't allow herself.
She thought he had given up when she suddenly smelled cigarette smoke.
"Are you insane?! What are you doing smoking in bed, don't you know how dangerous that is?!"
"Aha, I knew that would get you!" Seifer exclaimed triumphantly. He grinned smugly at her, and smashed out his cigarette in the ashtray next to his bed.
She tried to stop herself, she really did, but she burst out into storms of giggles. Perhaps it was because it was 3 in the morning and she had all of 5 hours sleep in the past few days. Perhaps the complimentary hotel wine she enjoyed before hadn't quite worn off yet. Or perhaps, she missed talking to Seifer.
Yeah right. The booze definitely hadn't worn off yet.
Seifer looked surprised, not expecting her to act in any way other than anger. Suddenly, her giggling ceased, and turned stone serious.
"Seifer, when did you start smoking?"
"...Why?"
"Just curious."
"I think it was around a month after the Sorceress War... I was kind of going through a rough time back then," he muttered. Quistis felt a twinge of sympathy.
"I can imagine," she said, keeping her voice kind but not pitying. She knew he hated that even more than being ignored. "Have you ever talked with anyone about it?"
"What do you mean, a shrink?"
"Well, I was thinking just a friend..."
Seifer snorted in disgust.
"A friend, Quistis? The only friend a lapdog has is its master, and she's dead."
"What allure did you see in Ultimecia? She manipulated you, took you for a fool, yet you followed on blindly." Quistis immediately realized that was the wrong thing to say and winced, preparing herself for his onslaught.
Nothing but silence reached her ears, and she opened her eyes in confusion.
Seifer now stood by the bay window, looking out upon the city that never slept. When she spoke again, she could see his muscles bunch up under his thin black shirt.
"...I'm sorry, that was not right for me to say. It's all in the past now."
To her surprise, Seifer chuckled.
"I bet you've been wanting to say that for a while. Proud of yourself?"
"...No, I feel really bad about it," she reluctantly admitted. He turned to her, shaking his head.
"Don't. It *was* all in the past, but I never even acknowledged it. Ultimecia manipulated me, but that doesn't clear the blood from my hands. I'm even stained with your blood...Quistis."
By this time, she had stood and walked to his side. He looked down at her, face neither angry or upset. His complete lack of expression frightened her, and at that moment she would have given anything to hear him scream, punch her, burst into tears or laughter.
His eyes gleamed strangely as he placed a hand on her shoulder, slipping the smooth material of her nightshirt down slightly. It revealed a smooth, pale shoulder. A slender scar ran across it, that was fading to a dull pink with age. He gently traced it with his finger.
"I did this," he chuckled, for some reason finding it amusing. "Did it hurt?"
"Well, I wasn't really concentrating on that at the time," she frowned.
Seifer allowed his hand to linger a moment longer before dropping it back to his side.
'An excuse to touch her...?' a voice laughed harshly at him. 'She wouldn't want you, Seifer. You belong only to me.'
'Great, now I'm hearing voices too? How much more fucking insane can I get?' he thought to himself.
"Seifer... I realize this is difficult to talk about, but this has been on my mind a long time now," she spoke, shaking him from his thoughts.
"Oh...okay I guess. What?"
"Why did you come back to Garden?"
"That's easy enough. What the hell do you think there was left for me? Raijin and Fujin weren't well known, so they were able to get good jobs somewhere. Hyne, I don't even remember where they are now, we kinda lost touch. But, I was known everywhere. People I never saw before wanted me dead. Garden was my last resort." He snorted suddenly. "I don't wanna admit it, but I know they just let me back out of pity, I used that to my advantage."
Quistis, reminded of Raijin and Fujin, made a mental note to track them down.
"Garden does not pity you."
"Yes it does."
"No it doesn't."
"Yes...it does."
"No, it doesn't!!!"
"Hyne, what are we, two year olds?! This isn't going anywhere," he growled.
"You're right. Let's just drop it... there must be something else to talk about."
"Nothing we could agree on."
"Well then... why don't we play a game?" she suggested.
"...A game?" he repeated, arching a brow. "You really are a two year old." Quistis rolled her eyes.
"I meant, a card game. Play Triple Triad?"
"A busy woman like you has time for cards?"
"Oh... I play a game here and there..." she said evasively, smoothing down her hair and looking to the side.
"...Uh huh. Okay Trepe, you're on. Rules?"
(Notes: Forgive me if my rules are sloppy, I never pay attention and just play whatever...)
"Well, let's keep it simple. Open, Same Plus?"
"Fine. You pick first," he said casually. Both of them plopped down and sat cross-legged on the floor.
Quistis intentionally took her time choosing from her deck, wanting to grate Seifer's nerves. She was apparently succeeding.
"Can you hurry up? The sun's gonna be up before this game's over," he complained. Quistis looked up, a smile tugging at her lips. She chose her cards.
Ultima Weapon, Gilgamesh, Shiva, Leviathan, and Seifer. He smirked as he looked down on his own face.
"Oooh, you got my card," he smirked handsomely.
"Indeed. One of my favorites," she teased.
"I certainly hope so," Seifer raised his head proudly. Then he laid out his own, fairly solid, set of cards. After considering for a moment, he laid down the Quistis card and checked for her reaction.
She looked up, grinning, with a raised eyebrow.
"Oooh, you got my card," she mimicked him. He smirked and winked.
"Can't play a game without my favorite card. It's my good luck card," he snickered.
"Oh, you're such a horrible actor. Like I can't sense your sarcasm," she frowned half-heartedly, trying to look angry. "Let's begin!"
Quistis was confident that she would win, and laid down cards haphazardly. She was also a bit rusty, and Seifer jump and stomped all over it. The game turned out to be a draw. Quistis was surprised.
"...A draw? My, this is rare..."
"I thought you only played a game here and there?"
"Well, perhaps that was understating it a little..."
"You want a rematch?"
"...Sure," she replied.
Match over match they played, neither winning or losing. Both were becoming increasingly irritated.
'This is so boring...' Seifer heard in his ear. 'Place the girl's card in the middle and get it over with...'
(Notes: Woo, the mystery voice knows how to play cards.)
Seifer obeyed, placing Quistis' card in the center, flipping over three of hers. She reeled back in surprise.
And the deadlock ended.
"...Well done," she said, wide-eyed. "Choose your card..."
"Well I won't take the Seifer card, you might miss it too much," he grinned. She sighed.
"Hmm... I just can't seem to choose... eenie meenie miny moh..."
"Just pick one!" she exclaimed. Seifer laughed, reveling in his triumph.
"Now, now, calm down. I'll take... Shiva."
"...Shiva?" she almost whimpered. That card was a special favorite of hers.
"Don't worry about it. Maybe one day you'll win it back!" He guffawed, while she huffed, and after handing him the card, turned her back on him.
"Aww, don't be a bad loser," he reprimanded, putting one hand on her back.
"... ... ..."
She didn't shrug his hand off. Intrigued, he placed the other hand near her neck, where she had been injured by a T-Rexaur. (Remember? Way back in the first chapter) Her body tensed this time.
"That still hurts, eh?"
"...A little bit. I just get a headache sometimes."
Without another word, Seifer started to massage her neck gently. She stiffened even more.
"What are you doing?"
"Making up for winning that game. Just relax."
"... ... ..."
He moved down to her shoulders, kneading her firm flesh. Then he ran his fingers teasingly down her biceps. She closed her eyes, and leaned back towards him. He smirked.
Seifer lowered his hands again, rubbing the sides of her ribcage. Receiving a positive response, Seifer worked at her waist.
Quistis had never had a massage before, and it felt wonderful. She was utterly at peace as Seifer relaxed her muscles. She was grogglily aware when he stopped and chuckled.
"Enjoy that?"
"Mmm..."
"See how nice I can be when you're not a bitch?"
"Mmm..."
"We should go to bed now. We *do* have work to do tomorrow, you know."
"...Screw it..." she sighed, and fell back, into him.
She was asleep, arms wrapped loosely and uncaringly around his waist. Her hair tumbled in her face and around her shoulders.
Seifer sighed as his heartbeat fluttered suddenly. Not waking up, she picked up her light form, and tucked her into the bed. Never had he done anything so...tender. He hated it. He felt like a sissy.
He hated every feeling she ever caused to stir within him.
But no matter how many times he tried to tell himself to, he just could not bring himself to hate Quistis Trepe.