Damon stood in the entryway waiting for Skylla at the presidential palace. He was trying not to pull on his tie or slouch, but the tux was uncomfortable. What was it with girls always being late for these things. In another few minutes he was going leave, that's right just leave. A door closed and Damon turned around, his comfort forgotten.
Skylla stood at the other end of the hallway. She wore a dress of gold that was very form fitting. It had low V-neck and a train that brushed the floor. Golden Pins in the shape of suns held black curls to one side. Damon smiled. He now knew why she always had something on that had something to do with the sky. She liked it cause of Lunara, her GF. They had talked long into the night about having a GF since birth. Exchanging stories and laughing, she was so easy to talk to.
"Well are you staring cause I look good or because I look bad?" Skylla said and twirling to show off the dress.
"You look great! Beautiful." Damon reassured her and it was the truth. "Shall we?"
Damon held out his arm and Skylla took it gracefully. They entered the large ballroom. From above they could watch the dancers on the floor. It was easy to spot Dex and Torrin. Torrin's green off the shoulder dress was earning her quite a few admirers, but she was dancing with Dex. Their style was a little modern but they were really good.
"Skylla!" A voice shouted up at them.
Skylla waved and the president of Esthar came to greet them. "I'm so happy you came." he said kissing her on her cheek. "But you know your brother is going to be furious with you."
"He can't do anything about it. My friends and I are here as civilians tonight, not SeeDs. It's a vacation after all the hard work he's put us through."
Laguna laughed. "Alright go enjoy yourself. I have to keep walking, I don't want my leg to cramp up while I'm on stage. I have a very important announcement to make tonight. Nice to see you Damon."
"You too Sir, good luck." The president headed off down the hall.
Damon turned to look after him and spotted Eve and another girl talking. Eve was dressed in a tight black formal and from the look on her face she wasn't very happy. The girl was the super-model type. Blond and beautiful. Her dress was cut way to low to be proper and was crimson red. In fact in was so red it matched the earring in her ear. She was a sorceress. Damon sent out a tendril of power hoping to get a reading on her. She looked straight up at them and then grabbed Eve's arm, hurrying her out of his sight. Something wasn't right here.
"Damon?" Sky said. "Is something wrong?"
"No, of course not. Come on, Do you want to dance? I want to show you off a bit."
Skylla winked at him. "Let's show them how it's done then."
Squall looked around the room at his people. All were in position for the speech. The entire area had been combed for intruders, if someone was going to attack tonight they weren't here yet. Squall gave Rinoa instructions to get the president. She didn't move.
"Rinoa, did you hear me?"
"Oh sorry. I was watching Damon and Skylla dance. They remind me of us so much. Squall I want to dance. Why do we never go dancing anymore?" Squall sighed but Rinoa continued before he could say anything. "I know, not now, we've work to do."
Squall smiled at her. "We'll go dancing after this mission, I promise. Now where did Siefer go?"
A scream came from the dinning area. Squall with gunblade in hand went running. He came in through the door just in time to see Siefer swing at Dex's head. Dex barely avoided the blow, rolling back just in time. As it was, Laguna was going to need to replace the carpet. Zell and Irvine rushed through the door sealing off the room.
Zell jumped in front of his son. "Siefer what the hell are you doing! Have you gone insane!?!"
Squall snuck up behind Siefer and grabbed his arms, restraining him. However he kept on shouting. "I'm going to kill him! You hear that boy? If you ever touch my daughter again I'll chop off…"
He was cut off by Torrin's outraged scream. "Dad! Dex wasn't doing anything I didn't want him to do."
Ivrine started laughing. The picture of what had happened suddenly dawned on him. It was hard not to smile and laugh, but Squall managed it. Torrin stomped her foot and stormed out of the room. Siefer broke Squall's hold.
"Anyone but chick-wuss's boy Torrin. Then I wouldn't care, but why chicken-wuss!?!" he shined as he chased after her.
Zell turned to his son. "Almasy?"
Dex shrugged. "I like her, and she likes me."
"Alright, everyone back to there places. In case you have forgotten we have a mission to…"
A crash rocked the building coming from the ballroom. Squall lurched to his side almost losing his balance. Fear flashed through him but he quickly pushed it away. This wasn't time for that kind of thing. People shouted in alarm as smoke and fire poured in.
"Torrin!" Dex shouted and ran through the door into the ballroom. Squall was on his heels.
Torrin should have been dead. Debris and bodies surrounded her. If not for her GF she would have been. Demetra had surrounded her with thick vines, protecting her. A ship that reminded her of Ragnork had crashed into the ballroom through the wall. Another foot over and, GF or no, she would have been dead.
As it was it was difficult to free herself.
By the time she managed to free herself fighting had begun. As she emerged she saw men masked faces fighting with the SeeDs. Right away she realized her position wasn't good. Her back was to the enemy's ship and the men blocked her from the SeeD side. There was no way to go around them, if she wanted out she was going to have fight. That normally wouldn't have been a problem, but she had no weapons with her this time.
She tried to keep to the side away from the main combat. She caught glimpses of people she knew through the chaos, but only for a few seconds. One of the masked man turned and saw her. He came around swinging a sword at her head. She rolled past it but got caught in her dress. Try as she might she couldn't get to her feet.
Damn the coward! She swore in her head. There's plenty of armed people to fight, yet he rather kill a girl who was defenseless. Damn it all.
"Torrin!" She heard Siefer shout.
Torrin turned him he threw a pistol at her. She caught it easily. In a second she had it turned on the person who was just bringing the sword down for a final blow. She shot he point blank without ever a hesitation. Blood splatter on her and she flinched, but it was over. She turned to face her dad.
Siefer was smiling at her, which meant that his back was turned to the fighting. A masked-man stood ready to strike. Torrin opened her mouth to shout a warning, but Siefer must have seen the fear in her eyes. He turned but as he did the blade struck hi shoulder hard. He fell to his knees, agony spreading over his face.
The man brought up the bloodied sword for another hit, but at the same time Torrin brought up her pistol. Her hands where shaking but she managed to unload five shots into the man before his body hit the floor. Torrin stumbled backwards. It surprised her when arms caught her from behind.
A soft musical voice whispered "Sleep" and Torrin followed the suggestion.
Dex had gotten trapped in the chaos, and was having to fight his way forward. His hands hurt but at least he had put his gloves into his pocket when he left. Torrin was no where to be seen. The SeeDs where slowly driving the enemy back to their ship…which had landed on vines? Dex wasn't about to start trying to figure that out. He spotted Damon and Sky fighting a group of men.
"Hey guys." He greeted as he joined the fight. "I can't find Torrin anywhere."
Damon looked at him. "Where did you last see her?"
Dex blushed, thinking of the kiss. "Not here."
Dex dodged a blow and broke the man's neck. As the man crumpled Dex got another view of the ship. A man stood holding Torrin. Her dress was ripped and bloody. Dex prayed it wasn't hers. The man must have sensed him watching him. He was maybe a little older the Dex. He had long white hair and the build of a fighter. He wore a black trench coat tied with a red sash…he was a sorcerer.
"They have Torrin." Dex whispered to himself.
"What?" Damon had heard.
The men in black suddenly pulled back to their ship. It was a retreat, they where pulling out. The SeeDs were too tired to go after them. The ships engines fired up. Dex saw his last chance. A boarding door had not been closed. Dex charged towards it and jumped. Skylla and Damon where right behind him. The three caught the ledge just as the ship took off.
Skylla stood at the other end of the hallway. She wore a dress of gold that was very form fitting. It had low V-neck and a train that brushed the floor. Golden Pins in the shape of suns held black curls to one side. Damon smiled. He now knew why she always had something on that had something to do with the sky. She liked it cause of Lunara, her GF. They had talked long into the night about having a GF since birth. Exchanging stories and laughing, she was so easy to talk to.
"Well are you staring cause I look good or because I look bad?" Skylla said and twirling to show off the dress.
"You look great! Beautiful." Damon reassured her and it was the truth. "Shall we?"
Damon held out his arm and Skylla took it gracefully. They entered the large ballroom. From above they could watch the dancers on the floor. It was easy to spot Dex and Torrin. Torrin's green off the shoulder dress was earning her quite a few admirers, but she was dancing with Dex. Their style was a little modern but they were really good.
"Skylla!" A voice shouted up at them.
Skylla waved and the president of Esthar came to greet them. "I'm so happy you came." he said kissing her on her cheek. "But you know your brother is going to be furious with you."
"He can't do anything about it. My friends and I are here as civilians tonight, not SeeDs. It's a vacation after all the hard work he's put us through."
Laguna laughed. "Alright go enjoy yourself. I have to keep walking, I don't want my leg to cramp up while I'm on stage. I have a very important announcement to make tonight. Nice to see you Damon."
"You too Sir, good luck." The president headed off down the hall.
Damon turned to look after him and spotted Eve and another girl talking. Eve was dressed in a tight black formal and from the look on her face she wasn't very happy. The girl was the super-model type. Blond and beautiful. Her dress was cut way to low to be proper and was crimson red. In fact in was so red it matched the earring in her ear. She was a sorceress. Damon sent out a tendril of power hoping to get a reading on her. She looked straight up at them and then grabbed Eve's arm, hurrying her out of his sight. Something wasn't right here.
"Damon?" Sky said. "Is something wrong?"
"No, of course not. Come on, Do you want to dance? I want to show you off a bit."
Skylla winked at him. "Let's show them how it's done then."
Squall looked around the room at his people. All were in position for the speech. The entire area had been combed for intruders, if someone was going to attack tonight they weren't here yet. Squall gave Rinoa instructions to get the president. She didn't move.
"Rinoa, did you hear me?"
"Oh sorry. I was watching Damon and Skylla dance. They remind me of us so much. Squall I want to dance. Why do we never go dancing anymore?" Squall sighed but Rinoa continued before he could say anything. "I know, not now, we've work to do."
Squall smiled at her. "We'll go dancing after this mission, I promise. Now where did Siefer go?"
A scream came from the dinning area. Squall with gunblade in hand went running. He came in through the door just in time to see Siefer swing at Dex's head. Dex barely avoided the blow, rolling back just in time. As it was, Laguna was going to need to replace the carpet. Zell and Irvine rushed through the door sealing off the room.
Zell jumped in front of his son. "Siefer what the hell are you doing! Have you gone insane!?!"
Squall snuck up behind Siefer and grabbed his arms, restraining him. However he kept on shouting. "I'm going to kill him! You hear that boy? If you ever touch my daughter again I'll chop off…"
He was cut off by Torrin's outraged scream. "Dad! Dex wasn't doing anything I didn't want him to do."
Ivrine started laughing. The picture of what had happened suddenly dawned on him. It was hard not to smile and laugh, but Squall managed it. Torrin stomped her foot and stormed out of the room. Siefer broke Squall's hold.
"Anyone but chick-wuss's boy Torrin. Then I wouldn't care, but why chicken-wuss!?!" he shined as he chased after her.
Zell turned to his son. "Almasy?"
Dex shrugged. "I like her, and she likes me."
"Alright, everyone back to there places. In case you have forgotten we have a mission to…"
A crash rocked the building coming from the ballroom. Squall lurched to his side almost losing his balance. Fear flashed through him but he quickly pushed it away. This wasn't time for that kind of thing. People shouted in alarm as smoke and fire poured in.
"Torrin!" Dex shouted and ran through the door into the ballroom. Squall was on his heels.
Torrin should have been dead. Debris and bodies surrounded her. If not for her GF she would have been. Demetra had surrounded her with thick vines, protecting her. A ship that reminded her of Ragnork had crashed into the ballroom through the wall. Another foot over and, GF or no, she would have been dead.
As it was it was difficult to free herself.
By the time she managed to free herself fighting had begun. As she emerged she saw men masked faces fighting with the SeeDs. Right away she realized her position wasn't good. Her back was to the enemy's ship and the men blocked her from the SeeD side. There was no way to go around them, if she wanted out she was going to have fight. That normally wouldn't have been a problem, but she had no weapons with her this time.
She tried to keep to the side away from the main combat. She caught glimpses of people she knew through the chaos, but only for a few seconds. One of the masked man turned and saw her. He came around swinging a sword at her head. She rolled past it but got caught in her dress. Try as she might she couldn't get to her feet.
Damn the coward! She swore in her head. There's plenty of armed people to fight, yet he rather kill a girl who was defenseless. Damn it all.
"Torrin!" She heard Siefer shout.
Torrin turned him he threw a pistol at her. She caught it easily. In a second she had it turned on the person who was just bringing the sword down for a final blow. She shot he point blank without ever a hesitation. Blood splatter on her and she flinched, but it was over. She turned to face her dad.
Siefer was smiling at her, which meant that his back was turned to the fighting. A masked-man stood ready to strike. Torrin opened her mouth to shout a warning, but Siefer must have seen the fear in her eyes. He turned but as he did the blade struck hi shoulder hard. He fell to his knees, agony spreading over his face.
The man brought up the bloodied sword for another hit, but at the same time Torrin brought up her pistol. Her hands where shaking but she managed to unload five shots into the man before his body hit the floor. Torrin stumbled backwards. It surprised her when arms caught her from behind.
A soft musical voice whispered "Sleep" and Torrin followed the suggestion.
Dex had gotten trapped in the chaos, and was having to fight his way forward. His hands hurt but at least he had put his gloves into his pocket when he left. Torrin was no where to be seen. The SeeDs where slowly driving the enemy back to their ship…which had landed on vines? Dex wasn't about to start trying to figure that out. He spotted Damon and Sky fighting a group of men.
"Hey guys." He greeted as he joined the fight. "I can't find Torrin anywhere."
Damon looked at him. "Where did you last see her?"
Dex blushed, thinking of the kiss. "Not here."
Dex dodged a blow and broke the man's neck. As the man crumpled Dex got another view of the ship. A man stood holding Torrin. Her dress was ripped and bloody. Dex prayed it wasn't hers. The man must have sensed him watching him. He was maybe a little older the Dex. He had long white hair and the build of a fighter. He wore a black trench coat tied with a red sash…he was a sorcerer.
"They have Torrin." Dex whispered to himself.
"What?" Damon had heard.
The men in black suddenly pulled back to their ship. It was a retreat, they where pulling out. The SeeDs were too tired to go after them. The ships engines fired up. Dex saw his last chance. A boarding door had not been closed. Dex charged towards it and jumped. Skylla and Damon where right behind him. The three caught the ledge just as the ship took off.