"All right everyone, that's a wrap." said Matron in a tired sounding voice.
"Finally, I didn't think
they were ever gonna leave!" said Zell as he unbuttoned the first two buttons on his shirt. Today
had brought another visit from another group of people looking to adopt the perfect addition to
their family. Matron would say thinks like "places everyone" and "It's a wrap" because the visits
were a lot like performances. A week before the date of the visit the children could be seen
washing, scrubbing, and rinsing the orphanage until it absolutely glowed.
Cleaning, however, was not the only duty the children needed to perform in preparation. Matron
also worked on how they should talk and act in the presence of the quests, and made sure they each
had adequately stiff, adequately geeky sets of clothes to wear. Zell had to wear a pair of tan khaki
pants, a white collared shirt, and a big red bow tie. Seifer wore a brown pair of dress pants, a white
collared shirt, and a pair of striped suspenders. Irvine was dressed in a turtleneck and a sport coat
with black slacks to match. Squall sported pants like Zell's. His hair was combed and gelled so that
it fell back over his head straight, and he wore a nice green vest that almost completely obscured
the disgusting throw-up colored tie that was also part of his ensemble. almost. Selphie and
Quistis both had similar sundresses, and the only major difference was that Selphie's was pink, and
Quistis' yellow. Selphie also wore a wide brimmed straw hat with a ribbon that matched her dress.
Matron merely wore the simple black dress she always wore, as she deemed it suitable for guests.
During the days prior to the visit, the children and their matron worked like dogs.
Sometimes, if there was an extraordinarily large amount of work for them to do, Matron would
even let them out of their studies to complete an important job or two. Time passed quickly in this
busy state, and no matter how much they did they always ended up scrambling to finish on the day
of the visit. Certain jobs, like making the beds for instance, could only be preformed when there
wasn't going to be anyone sleeping in them before the visit, so there was no choice but to leave it
for the last morning. Other jobs like cooking were also mostly left for the last day, and Matron
always provided a delicious and extravagant meal for the guests.
Finally, there would come a knock on the door, and matron would call out that oh-so-familiar
phrase "Places everyone." Edea would go to the door and the show would begin. In this instance
there were ten couples visiting the orphanage. Three already had children, five were just couples,
and two just had assorted family living with them. So many people had made for a particularly
stressful visit, and Zell wasn't the only one who was relieved when it was over. It wasn't so much
that the people had been mean, rude, or burdensome, but it was a rare that so many strangers set
foot in the orphanage. In spite of this, they had done a pretty good job of keeping order and
nothing serious had gone wrong.
Sinking into her chair by the fire, Edea sighed in exhaustion. "Alright everyone that's enough for
today, I think we can do the rest of the work tomorrow. Seifer, would you Irvine and Selphie pile
the dirty dishes in the sink? Squall and Quistis, I would appreciate it if you would go out to the
woodpile and get some logs since we seem to be running low in here. Zell why don't you pick a
story for us all to read when the chores are done and when you have a good one picked out you can
help Squall and Quistis start a fire." Everyone split to do his or her job. Zell quickly chose a book.
It was a story about a knight and a princess, Zell's favorite. Matron agreed that it would be a good
story to read and Zell skipped off to help Squall and Quistis.
Meanwhile, out by the woodpile Quistis was standing with an armload of wood. "Hey Squall do
you have your wood yet? Are you ready to go back in." she called." "Quisty can you come her for
just a sec." He called back. Following the sound of his voice Quistis walked over past the woodpile
to where she thought he was to see what he could possibly be doing. She saw that he had walked
out to the ledge above the beach and was kneeling. The tide was up, so as he leaned over the edge
he was so close to the water that is nose almost touched it. Walking up behind him, Quistis saw
him run a hand through the gelled hair. "Squall." She said softly. Turning, he glanced at her for but
a moment before returning his gaze to the ocean. She sat down beside him, and unbidden, he
spoke. "Darn Gell, I hate this stuff." Once more he ran a hand through his hair "Problem is it
works too well. I can never get it out." He chuckled to himself.
With a frown, Quistis raised an eyebrow at him. She knew that he hadn't invited her to join him
just so that he could tell her about his hair. Instead of forcing him to tell her what he wanted to tell
her, Quistis decided to let him run the conversation. He could waste time with useless banter until
he was ready. Playing along, Quistis laughted and with a sweep of her hand reached into the water
and spashed his face. He fell back on his butt in shock, and taking advantage of a senseless
moment, Quistis put her hands back in the water splashed his hair. Shaking like a dog, he glared at
her. "What was that for??!!??" he demanded. "It's water soluble you idiot." She said with a laugh
and rubbed his head so his hair went in all directions. "There, Better?" she asked. He glanced at his
reflection. "Hmph. I knew that." He said, turning up his nose. "Yeah right" said Quistis. Silence
reigned for a minute. Finally Squall stood. "Quistis I'm tired of all this," he declared. Quistis stood
and met his gaze, silently urging him on. "I'm tired of the act, and I'm tired of living every day
here in preparation of leaving. These people don't see who I really am; they just see the shell, just
the hologram projected before them. But I know that what's inside of me must be rotten too,
because my parents couldn't stand it. No one could love what I have, and no one even loves what I
pretend to have." He choked out, as a tear ran down his cheek.
Quistis frowned. "Squall Leonhart you should be grateful. You don't have your parents, but you
have a lot of people that love you in one way or another. Sis loved you like her own son, as does
Matron. She dotes on you more than anyone else here and you know it. You were her first and
you'll always be her favorite. As for the kids, Zell worships you as his savior since whenever
Seifer is really hurting him you step in. You are his idol, the image of what he wishes he was: cool,
confident, and unafraid. Selphie of course loves you, and Irvine even calls you bro. As for Seifer,
he might not like or admit it, but he holds high respect for you, and as for me." She paused and
smiled at the ground "You know I adore you more than anyone else in the world." She looked back
up at him but he had already turned to face the ocean again.
"C'mon" he replied. "I know sis loved me, she showed that a lot by leaving. As for Matron, she
doesn't love me enough to keep me. Zell only acts like that around me because he feels he owes
me his gratitude. Selphie would fall in love with a brick if it sat next to her, and Irvine is that way
around everyone. As for Seifer, he loathes me and you know it." He sniffled "You're my best
friend in the whole world Quisty, and the only person who I know loves the real me for the right
reasons enough to stay with me. But it just doesn't matter. We'll get separated and we'll promise
to write, and our lives will slowly grow apart. I don't want that to happen, but that's all that ever
does happen."
"Then we'll break the cycle." Quistis said, "How about we make a promise here and now that
we'll stay together. I know just the way we can." Squall gave her a curious look. "I know a way we
can stay together for the rest of our lives, and we can leave now." She continued "Leave?" asked
Squall "Yes, unfortunately you are right on one point, we can't stay here forever. We must make a
place for both of us to be together in the real world." She said "I think we should become-"
"Squall, Quistis. Where are you guys?" Zell's voice interrupted. Quistis turned to where she
thought Zell was. "Over here Zell." She called back, and with a stretch, she began to walk towards
him. "Wait!" said Squall, "I wanna know the plan." "I'll tell you tonight, for now, c'mon. Lets go
get that firewood."
Just so you know the kids are a lot older now than they were in the prequel, The Timber Excursion, just how old you ask? Well I am really gonna screw up their timeline in future stories but I would say they are about 10 here to their 7 in the previous story. They may seem to be acting old for their age, but they've been through a lot and they are very.adult. Anyway, what I wanna say about my story: Zell is a very slow skipper, ne? What is Quistis' plan??? Oh who am I kidding I already know and I'm ready to write it. Anyway, hope you like it. I'll bet you didn't think I was gonna write a sequel did you? Given up on me hadn't you? Well anyway, this story is dedicated to Matt, Kiyuda2006, and Zero- Vision. These wonderful people supported my first story and I say this to them. A thousand thanks comrade. Plz r/r, and thanks again to you guys! -J.P.
they were ever gonna leave!" said Zell as he unbuttoned the first two buttons on his shirt. Today
had brought another visit from another group of people looking to adopt the perfect addition to
their family. Matron would say thinks like "places everyone" and "It's a wrap" because the visits
were a lot like performances. A week before the date of the visit the children could be seen
washing, scrubbing, and rinsing the orphanage until it absolutely glowed.
Cleaning, however, was not the only duty the children needed to perform in preparation. Matron
also worked on how they should talk and act in the presence of the quests, and made sure they each
had adequately stiff, adequately geeky sets of clothes to wear. Zell had to wear a pair of tan khaki
pants, a white collared shirt, and a big red bow tie. Seifer wore a brown pair of dress pants, a white
collared shirt, and a pair of striped suspenders. Irvine was dressed in a turtleneck and a sport coat
with black slacks to match. Squall sported pants like Zell's. His hair was combed and gelled so that
it fell back over his head straight, and he wore a nice green vest that almost completely obscured
the disgusting throw-up colored tie that was also part of his ensemble. almost. Selphie and
Quistis both had similar sundresses, and the only major difference was that Selphie's was pink, and
Quistis' yellow. Selphie also wore a wide brimmed straw hat with a ribbon that matched her dress.
Matron merely wore the simple black dress she always wore, as she deemed it suitable for guests.
During the days prior to the visit, the children and their matron worked like dogs.
Sometimes, if there was an extraordinarily large amount of work for them to do, Matron would
even let them out of their studies to complete an important job or two. Time passed quickly in this
busy state, and no matter how much they did they always ended up scrambling to finish on the day
of the visit. Certain jobs, like making the beds for instance, could only be preformed when there
wasn't going to be anyone sleeping in them before the visit, so there was no choice but to leave it
for the last morning. Other jobs like cooking were also mostly left for the last day, and Matron
always provided a delicious and extravagant meal for the guests.
Finally, there would come a knock on the door, and matron would call out that oh-so-familiar
phrase "Places everyone." Edea would go to the door and the show would begin. In this instance
there were ten couples visiting the orphanage. Three already had children, five were just couples,
and two just had assorted family living with them. So many people had made for a particularly
stressful visit, and Zell wasn't the only one who was relieved when it was over. It wasn't so much
that the people had been mean, rude, or burdensome, but it was a rare that so many strangers set
foot in the orphanage. In spite of this, they had done a pretty good job of keeping order and
nothing serious had gone wrong.
Sinking into her chair by the fire, Edea sighed in exhaustion. "Alright everyone that's enough for
today, I think we can do the rest of the work tomorrow. Seifer, would you Irvine and Selphie pile
the dirty dishes in the sink? Squall and Quistis, I would appreciate it if you would go out to the
woodpile and get some logs since we seem to be running low in here. Zell why don't you pick a
story for us all to read when the chores are done and when you have a good one picked out you can
help Squall and Quistis start a fire." Everyone split to do his or her job. Zell quickly chose a book.
It was a story about a knight and a princess, Zell's favorite. Matron agreed that it would be a good
story to read and Zell skipped off to help Squall and Quistis.
Meanwhile, out by the woodpile Quistis was standing with an armload of wood. "Hey Squall do
you have your wood yet? Are you ready to go back in." she called." "Quisty can you come her for
just a sec." He called back. Following the sound of his voice Quistis walked over past the woodpile
to where she thought he was to see what he could possibly be doing. She saw that he had walked
out to the ledge above the beach and was kneeling. The tide was up, so as he leaned over the edge
he was so close to the water that is nose almost touched it. Walking up behind him, Quistis saw
him run a hand through the gelled hair. "Squall." She said softly. Turning, he glanced at her for but
a moment before returning his gaze to the ocean. She sat down beside him, and unbidden, he
spoke. "Darn Gell, I hate this stuff." Once more he ran a hand through his hair "Problem is it
works too well. I can never get it out." He chuckled to himself.
With a frown, Quistis raised an eyebrow at him. She knew that he hadn't invited her to join him
just so that he could tell her about his hair. Instead of forcing him to tell her what he wanted to tell
her, Quistis decided to let him run the conversation. He could waste time with useless banter until
he was ready. Playing along, Quistis laughted and with a sweep of her hand reached into the water
and spashed his face. He fell back on his butt in shock, and taking advantage of a senseless
moment, Quistis put her hands back in the water splashed his hair. Shaking like a dog, he glared at
her. "What was that for??!!??" he demanded. "It's water soluble you idiot." She said with a laugh
and rubbed his head so his hair went in all directions. "There, Better?" she asked. He glanced at his
reflection. "Hmph. I knew that." He said, turning up his nose. "Yeah right" said Quistis. Silence
reigned for a minute. Finally Squall stood. "Quistis I'm tired of all this," he declared. Quistis stood
and met his gaze, silently urging him on. "I'm tired of the act, and I'm tired of living every day
here in preparation of leaving. These people don't see who I really am; they just see the shell, just
the hologram projected before them. But I know that what's inside of me must be rotten too,
because my parents couldn't stand it. No one could love what I have, and no one even loves what I
pretend to have." He choked out, as a tear ran down his cheek.
Quistis frowned. "Squall Leonhart you should be grateful. You don't have your parents, but you
have a lot of people that love you in one way or another. Sis loved you like her own son, as does
Matron. She dotes on you more than anyone else here and you know it. You were her first and
you'll always be her favorite. As for the kids, Zell worships you as his savior since whenever
Seifer is really hurting him you step in. You are his idol, the image of what he wishes he was: cool,
confident, and unafraid. Selphie of course loves you, and Irvine even calls you bro. As for Seifer,
he might not like or admit it, but he holds high respect for you, and as for me." She paused and
smiled at the ground "You know I adore you more than anyone else in the world." She looked back
up at him but he had already turned to face the ocean again.
"C'mon" he replied. "I know sis loved me, she showed that a lot by leaving. As for Matron, she
doesn't love me enough to keep me. Zell only acts like that around me because he feels he owes
me his gratitude. Selphie would fall in love with a brick if it sat next to her, and Irvine is that way
around everyone. As for Seifer, he loathes me and you know it." He sniffled "You're my best
friend in the whole world Quisty, and the only person who I know loves the real me for the right
reasons enough to stay with me. But it just doesn't matter. We'll get separated and we'll promise
to write, and our lives will slowly grow apart. I don't want that to happen, but that's all that ever
does happen."
"Then we'll break the cycle." Quistis said, "How about we make a promise here and now that
we'll stay together. I know just the way we can." Squall gave her a curious look. "I know a way we
can stay together for the rest of our lives, and we can leave now." She continued "Leave?" asked
Squall "Yes, unfortunately you are right on one point, we can't stay here forever. We must make a
place for both of us to be together in the real world." She said "I think we should become-"
"Squall, Quistis. Where are you guys?" Zell's voice interrupted. Quistis turned to where she
thought Zell was. "Over here Zell." She called back, and with a stretch, she began to walk towards
him. "Wait!" said Squall, "I wanna know the plan." "I'll tell you tonight, for now, c'mon. Lets go
get that firewood."
Just so you know the kids are a lot older now than they were in the prequel, The Timber Excursion, just how old you ask? Well I am really gonna screw up their timeline in future stories but I would say they are about 10 here to their 7 in the previous story. They may seem to be acting old for their age, but they've been through a lot and they are very.adult. Anyway, what I wanna say about my story: Zell is a very slow skipper, ne? What is Quistis' plan??? Oh who am I kidding I already know and I'm ready to write it. Anyway, hope you like it. I'll bet you didn't think I was gonna write a sequel did you? Given up on me hadn't you? Well anyway, this story is dedicated to Matt, Kiyuda2006, and Zero- Vision. These wonderful people supported my first story and I say this to them. A thousand thanks comrade. Plz r/r, and thanks again to you guys! -J.P.