Notes: I am SO sorry this took me awhile to update- I've been busy with
school and Christmas and crap... but then I realized that today is Seifer's
birthday so I just had to write chapter 8. Oh, later on I'm also probably
gonna change the chapter titles because...they suck.
Meaningless announcement that no one will care about: I've also been busy because I've been playing FF6 a lot and I BEAT IT!! This makes me the conqueror of Final Fantasy 6,7,8 and 9! I'm so proud of myself!! :-D :-D :- D
Happy Birthday Seifer! I love love love love love love love love you!! ::swoon::
"Quistis, I hate hats..." Seifer whined loudly, pulling the plain black baseball cap off, causing his hair to stick up in several directions.
She sighed, gently slapping his hands away. Then she took the hat back, pulling it down far so it hooded his scar and made his bright eyes take on a darker shade.
"You were the one who insisted visiting with us to Caraway. If we are to get any information at all out of him, he can't recognize you. Your hair, eyes, and scar are dead giveaways..."
"Nag, nag, nag..."
"Well maybe I should just lock you in your room as punishment for being a bad boy. Like it or not, Seifer, right now I am in charge. Bringing you with us is a huge risk and you are lucky that it is one I'm willing to take. But you're going to have to behave, and you. Have. To. Wear. The. Hat. Because I said so. Understood?"
"Yes, mistress," he grumbled, adjusting the hat to his liking.
"Seifer, you can still see your scar that way..." she reprimanded. She leaned over him to fix the hat again.
"Yo Quis, I got dinn- Whoa! S-Sorry... I didn't know you uh... had a man in here..." Zell suddenly bounded into the hotel room.
Quistis stood up straight again and turned to Zell with a puzzled look on her face. Seifer, who was sitting on the end of the bed, raised an eyebrow.
"Come on Chicken-wuss. You and me both know that Instructor is too much of a prude to ever have a man anywhere."
"Seifer? That you? Dude, you look so different."
Seifer, who besides sporting the new black cap, had shed his trench coat. Quistis had adorned his outfit so that he would look like any normal teenager. He now wore a black, hooded sweatshirt, and loose denim jeans.
"I'm not a prude..."
"Yeah, sure..." Seifer dismissed her statement. "Let's eat and go."
*~*~*
Quistis raised her eyes, taking in the mansion and all of its glory.
"Man, this house is so goddamn cool!" Zell gushed. "I can never get over it. Rinoa is so lucky."
"... ... ..."
Seifer was strangely silent. He scratched at a nonexistent itch on his arm.
(Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. This sucks. Rinoa...)
"Remember Seifer, your name is now Scott. You are a new SeeD. Try to disguise your voice if you can, Caraway was a general, he isn't stupid."
"... ... ..."
(Everything has changed. Visiting this house isn't a pleasure trip anymore. Rinoa is with Squall and that is that. So why is it so hard to accept?)
"Seifer, did you even hear a word I've said?"
"The name's Scott, Instructor. What, now you've been with so many men you can't remember their names anymore?"
Quistis rolled her eyes and headed for the double doors. Zell sent him a 'you are so annoying' look and followed.
(Scored a cheap shot again. You are such a bastard.)
"Ah, Miss Trepe, Master Dincht. Please follow me."
Seifer sighed, and jogged to catch up with Zell and Quistis.
*~*~*
"Good evening, sir," Quistis saluted.
"Ah, nice to see you again Quistis, Zell, and... ah..."
"Scott. I'm new." Seifer tried to make his voice sound a little higher than usual, like a young, new SeeD should. Caraway's face registered no recognition.
"Pleasure to meet you, Scott," Caraway shook his hand warmly. Seifer bit at his tongue to keep insults from pouring out. "Now, what is the nature of this visit?" He asked Quistis.
"I'm afraid this isn't just a friendly get together, sir..."
"Oh no. Is Rinoa okay?"
Seifer scowled and shoved his hands in his pockets at the name. Caraway didn't notice. Quistis laughed, albeit nervously.
"No, no, nothing like that. The three of us are on a mission, we were hoping that you might be able to help us."
"Well, I'll try to."
Zell stepped forward, and handed Caraway the issue of DDWE.
"Can you tell us anything about this magazine?" he asked. Caraway furrowed his brow and thumbed through the magazine.
"This is...an underground magazine. And it's coded. But I do know what the title means..."
"What is it?!" Zell demanded. The ex-general looked up.
"...It's called Deling's Dream Won't End."
"The hell kind of gay name is that?"
"Call it what you will. Vinzer Deling was a dictator, but if he didn't have *some* supporters, he would've been overthrown long before he was killed. He had a son, whom I have heard has formed a small group, trying to get himself enough power so that he would be in control. Like father, like son I suppose."
"What is Deling's 'dream'?" Quistis asked thoughtfully.
"What else?" Seifer accidentally lapsed into his usual, arrogant tone of voice. "He wants... wanted... to rule the world. I know that sounds cliche, but it is a dream that'll never end as long as there are greedy people out there."
"What do you mean 'wanted'?" Caraway inquired. Seifer looked surprised at himself, coughed, and turned to Quistis for help. Nathaniel Deling had only been identified by them, FH was a small town, and no one else knew. Quistis looked annoyed, and made a mental note to scold Seifer later.
"Nathaniel Deling has been murdered. Um... the papers haven't released it yet, but we were able to... dig up the information."
(Damn. She's a horrible actress.) Seifer thought to himself.
Luckily, though, Caraway bought it.
"I see. I assume they don't know who the murderer is?"
"No..." Quistis shook her head. "Nobody knows."
Caraway suddenly looked troubled. He scratched the back of his head.
"Forgive me for changing the subject. Scott, are you sure we haven't met before?"
"Uh no, I don't think so sir..." Seifer went back to the fake voice.
"Strangest thing, you remind me so much of one of my daughter's ex- boyfriends... a real bastard, that one was... no offense."
Quistis sensed that Seifer was about to burst, and jumped to the rescue.
"General, I apologize, but there is something else we wish to discuss with you," she said hurriedly.
"Go ahead. I'll help in any way I can." His response was genuine, and Quistis gave a pert nod.
"Zell?"
"Huh?"
"Ask him about that... other thing. I forget the exact name."
"...Oh yeah! Do you know anything about some substance called XaTm-666nd?"
Caraway rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
"XaTm-666nd is a powerful chemical. I wanted for the Galbadian Army's ultimate weapon, X-ATM092. There is something in that chemical that makes certain things... invincible. I thought that perhaps my machine would be one of these. However, as Ms. Trepe demonstrated, my big metal spider wasn't invincible, after all." Caraway grinned as Quistis became flushed. Seifer crossed his arms and looked at the floor.
"What would happen if say, a human, were to somehow take this chemical in?" He asked. Caraway turned to him, the grin replaced with seriousness.
"They would die."
*~*~*
"What do we do next, Quistis?" Zell asked from his bed.
"We should find out who killed Nathaniel Deling. It couldn't have been the XaTm-666nd, because he had a gunshot wound."
"What if the bullet was infused with it?" Seifer asked. Quistis shrugged.
"The gun would have done the job either way. Why bother infusing a chemical?"
"Just to make sure he died. Some people survive gunshots."
"Perhaps. But we won't be able to figure that out unless an autopsy is performed. I think we should look for the killer."
"Man, you really wanna play detective, don't you?" Seifer smirked. "Anyway, I agree with Trepe. But how are we gonna do it? What leads do we have?"
"Maybe we should try that support group that Nathaniel Deling was supposed to have formed," Zell suggested.
"But if they supported Deling, why would they shoot him?" Quistis asked.
"Either they were betraying him, or weren't even loyal to begin with," Seifer countered. He walked over to the hotel's mirror and pulled off the baseball cap. Frowning, he smoothed his hair back down to perfection. "This is why I hate hats," he grumbled.
"I thought you looked rather nice in it..." Quistis stated airily, gaining a surprised reaction from the blonde man.
"Oh really?" Seifer cockily sauntered back over to Zell and Quistis. "I guess I have to wear it all the time then. I will do what mistress says."
"Tch, stop flirting with each other. It's disgusting."
Seifer winked at Quistis.
"Some-body is jeal-ous," he called out in a sing-song way.
"Hell no. I got my sweetie back at Garden."
"...Your sweetie?" Quistis giggled, Seifer guffawed. Zell blushed.
"Okay now, back to being serious. I think it would be a good idea for us all to assume false identities and search for members of this support group. Does everyone agree?"
"Sure!" Zell quickly agreed, glad that the conversation had strayed from ridiculing him.
"Fine." Seifer seemed slightly less enthusiastic.
"Well, I'm going to take a shower," she announced and walked away.
"...No peeking!" She smirked at Seifer. (Hee hee, she sounds like Aeris!)
Hope that was enjoyable. Happy Holidays everyone! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEIFER!!
Meaningless announcement that no one will care about: I've also been busy because I've been playing FF6 a lot and I BEAT IT!! This makes me the conqueror of Final Fantasy 6,7,8 and 9! I'm so proud of myself!! :-D :-D :- D
Happy Birthday Seifer! I love love love love love love love love you!! ::swoon::
"Quistis, I hate hats..." Seifer whined loudly, pulling the plain black baseball cap off, causing his hair to stick up in several directions.
She sighed, gently slapping his hands away. Then she took the hat back, pulling it down far so it hooded his scar and made his bright eyes take on a darker shade.
"You were the one who insisted visiting with us to Caraway. If we are to get any information at all out of him, he can't recognize you. Your hair, eyes, and scar are dead giveaways..."
"Nag, nag, nag..."
"Well maybe I should just lock you in your room as punishment for being a bad boy. Like it or not, Seifer, right now I am in charge. Bringing you with us is a huge risk and you are lucky that it is one I'm willing to take. But you're going to have to behave, and you. Have. To. Wear. The. Hat. Because I said so. Understood?"
"Yes, mistress," he grumbled, adjusting the hat to his liking.
"Seifer, you can still see your scar that way..." she reprimanded. She leaned over him to fix the hat again.
"Yo Quis, I got dinn- Whoa! S-Sorry... I didn't know you uh... had a man in here..." Zell suddenly bounded into the hotel room.
Quistis stood up straight again and turned to Zell with a puzzled look on her face. Seifer, who was sitting on the end of the bed, raised an eyebrow.
"Come on Chicken-wuss. You and me both know that Instructor is too much of a prude to ever have a man anywhere."
"Seifer? That you? Dude, you look so different."
Seifer, who besides sporting the new black cap, had shed his trench coat. Quistis had adorned his outfit so that he would look like any normal teenager. He now wore a black, hooded sweatshirt, and loose denim jeans.
"I'm not a prude..."
"Yeah, sure..." Seifer dismissed her statement. "Let's eat and go."
*~*~*
Quistis raised her eyes, taking in the mansion and all of its glory.
"Man, this house is so goddamn cool!" Zell gushed. "I can never get over it. Rinoa is so lucky."
"... ... ..."
Seifer was strangely silent. He scratched at a nonexistent itch on his arm.
(Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. This sucks. Rinoa...)
"Remember Seifer, your name is now Scott. You are a new SeeD. Try to disguise your voice if you can, Caraway was a general, he isn't stupid."
"... ... ..."
(Everything has changed. Visiting this house isn't a pleasure trip anymore. Rinoa is with Squall and that is that. So why is it so hard to accept?)
"Seifer, did you even hear a word I've said?"
"The name's Scott, Instructor. What, now you've been with so many men you can't remember their names anymore?"
Quistis rolled her eyes and headed for the double doors. Zell sent him a 'you are so annoying' look and followed.
(Scored a cheap shot again. You are such a bastard.)
"Ah, Miss Trepe, Master Dincht. Please follow me."
Seifer sighed, and jogged to catch up with Zell and Quistis.
*~*~*
"Good evening, sir," Quistis saluted.
"Ah, nice to see you again Quistis, Zell, and... ah..."
"Scott. I'm new." Seifer tried to make his voice sound a little higher than usual, like a young, new SeeD should. Caraway's face registered no recognition.
"Pleasure to meet you, Scott," Caraway shook his hand warmly. Seifer bit at his tongue to keep insults from pouring out. "Now, what is the nature of this visit?" He asked Quistis.
"I'm afraid this isn't just a friendly get together, sir..."
"Oh no. Is Rinoa okay?"
Seifer scowled and shoved his hands in his pockets at the name. Caraway didn't notice. Quistis laughed, albeit nervously.
"No, no, nothing like that. The three of us are on a mission, we were hoping that you might be able to help us."
"Well, I'll try to."
Zell stepped forward, and handed Caraway the issue of DDWE.
"Can you tell us anything about this magazine?" he asked. Caraway furrowed his brow and thumbed through the magazine.
"This is...an underground magazine. And it's coded. But I do know what the title means..."
"What is it?!" Zell demanded. The ex-general looked up.
"...It's called Deling's Dream Won't End."
"The hell kind of gay name is that?"
"Call it what you will. Vinzer Deling was a dictator, but if he didn't have *some* supporters, he would've been overthrown long before he was killed. He had a son, whom I have heard has formed a small group, trying to get himself enough power so that he would be in control. Like father, like son I suppose."
"What is Deling's 'dream'?" Quistis asked thoughtfully.
"What else?" Seifer accidentally lapsed into his usual, arrogant tone of voice. "He wants... wanted... to rule the world. I know that sounds cliche, but it is a dream that'll never end as long as there are greedy people out there."
"What do you mean 'wanted'?" Caraway inquired. Seifer looked surprised at himself, coughed, and turned to Quistis for help. Nathaniel Deling had only been identified by them, FH was a small town, and no one else knew. Quistis looked annoyed, and made a mental note to scold Seifer later.
"Nathaniel Deling has been murdered. Um... the papers haven't released it yet, but we were able to... dig up the information."
(Damn. She's a horrible actress.) Seifer thought to himself.
Luckily, though, Caraway bought it.
"I see. I assume they don't know who the murderer is?"
"No..." Quistis shook her head. "Nobody knows."
Caraway suddenly looked troubled. He scratched the back of his head.
"Forgive me for changing the subject. Scott, are you sure we haven't met before?"
"Uh no, I don't think so sir..." Seifer went back to the fake voice.
"Strangest thing, you remind me so much of one of my daughter's ex- boyfriends... a real bastard, that one was... no offense."
Quistis sensed that Seifer was about to burst, and jumped to the rescue.
"General, I apologize, but there is something else we wish to discuss with you," she said hurriedly.
"Go ahead. I'll help in any way I can." His response was genuine, and Quistis gave a pert nod.
"Zell?"
"Huh?"
"Ask him about that... other thing. I forget the exact name."
"...Oh yeah! Do you know anything about some substance called XaTm-666nd?"
Caraway rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
"XaTm-666nd is a powerful chemical. I wanted for the Galbadian Army's ultimate weapon, X-ATM092. There is something in that chemical that makes certain things... invincible. I thought that perhaps my machine would be one of these. However, as Ms. Trepe demonstrated, my big metal spider wasn't invincible, after all." Caraway grinned as Quistis became flushed. Seifer crossed his arms and looked at the floor.
"What would happen if say, a human, were to somehow take this chemical in?" He asked. Caraway turned to him, the grin replaced with seriousness.
"They would die."
*~*~*
"What do we do next, Quistis?" Zell asked from his bed.
"We should find out who killed Nathaniel Deling. It couldn't have been the XaTm-666nd, because he had a gunshot wound."
"What if the bullet was infused with it?" Seifer asked. Quistis shrugged.
"The gun would have done the job either way. Why bother infusing a chemical?"
"Just to make sure he died. Some people survive gunshots."
"Perhaps. But we won't be able to figure that out unless an autopsy is performed. I think we should look for the killer."
"Man, you really wanna play detective, don't you?" Seifer smirked. "Anyway, I agree with Trepe. But how are we gonna do it? What leads do we have?"
"Maybe we should try that support group that Nathaniel Deling was supposed to have formed," Zell suggested.
"But if they supported Deling, why would they shoot him?" Quistis asked.
"Either they were betraying him, or weren't even loyal to begin with," Seifer countered. He walked over to the hotel's mirror and pulled off the baseball cap. Frowning, he smoothed his hair back down to perfection. "This is why I hate hats," he grumbled.
"I thought you looked rather nice in it..." Quistis stated airily, gaining a surprised reaction from the blonde man.
"Oh really?" Seifer cockily sauntered back over to Zell and Quistis. "I guess I have to wear it all the time then. I will do what mistress says."
"Tch, stop flirting with each other. It's disgusting."
Seifer winked at Quistis.
"Some-body is jeal-ous," he called out in a sing-song way.
"Hell no. I got my sweetie back at Garden."
"...Your sweetie?" Quistis giggled, Seifer guffawed. Zell blushed.
"Okay now, back to being serious. I think it would be a good idea for us all to assume false identities and search for members of this support group. Does everyone agree?"
"Sure!" Zell quickly agreed, glad that the conversation had strayed from ridiculing him.
"Fine." Seifer seemed slightly less enthusiastic.
"Well, I'm going to take a shower," she announced and walked away.
"...No peeking!" She smirked at Seifer. (Hee hee, she sounds like Aeris!)
Hope that was enjoyable. Happy Holidays everyone! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEIFER!!