No, the characters of Final Fantasy Eight do not belong to me. All other
characters in The True Meaning of SeeD do belong to me. I know they're
great, but don't use them without my permission.
Quistis sat down in one of the booths in the library and stifled a yawn. She looked at the clock and smiled. He was late, again. She drummed her nails on the desktop in random rhythm and then opened a folder of papers and spread them out onto the desk. She had almost compiled enough information on GFs to start her book that she had been wanting to write. She felt that by writing a book, some medical professional would read it and possibly come up with some solution to the memory loss that occurs with long-term junctioning. As she began to sift through the papers she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"You're late," she said without turning around as Zell sat down in the chair next to her. Quistis then lifted her head from her work and smiled at Zell, who smiled back.
"So, I heard she passed," said Zell.
"How could you not have heard?" replied Quistis, wryly.
"Quisty," Zell started, using her old childhood nickname. Quistis laughed to herself. Zell only used her nickname when he was serious about something, the opposite of others who used a title when they wanted to be serious. "Are you sure about her?" Quistis gave him an odd look. "I mean," Zell continued, "I know she's smart and everything, but maybe you should give her a break for a little while." Quistis looked at him,
"Zell, this is the smartest student I've ever had. Do you know what a SeeD she would be?" Zell nodded and then shook his head,
"Just cut her a little slack, I think sometimes she'd rather have fun than be studying all the time. She isn't you, you know." Quistis sighed,
"I know, it's just…I couldn't stand to see it if she wasted all of her potential and slipped into mediocrity." Zell nodded in empathy.
"Well, if you lay off of her a little bit, maybe she'll realize her potential all on her own." Quistis sighed again and put her head in her hands.
"I don't know Zell…maybe…I'm not a good instructor." Zell put his arm around Quistis and shook his head.
"You know, Quisty, that the Headmaster just wanted you to join our group to eventually defeat Ultimecia. That whole inadept…inadequate…"
"Incompetent," Quistis mumbled.
"Whatever, the point is that it wasn't true. I mean, Squall turned out alright and he was under your instruction then."
"Yeah, but it took Rinoa to make him come out of his shell…" Quistis was now on the verge of tears, "Why can't I ever be that person for someone?" She sounded incoherent, but Zell somehow understood what she was trying to say.
"You know what, Quis?" he said. She lifted her head up. "I think you need a vacation." Quistis shook her head,
"Not a chance, I have too much work to do. I have to prepare my students, especially Ainsley, to pass the written exam in a few days and…" Zell shushed her.
"Instructor Barak administered an exam today, I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving your students the exam."
"But…" Zell shook his head enthusiastically,
"Nope, I'm going to Headmaster Cid's office right now," and with that Zell left Quistis with her scattered notes. Quistis sighed and began to pour over her information again.
* * *
"So you see, I think she really needs a vacation," Zell finished. Headmaster Cid nodded in reply.
"Thank you, Zell. You are dismissed." Zell saluted smartly and left. Headmaster Cid turned to his desk and looked over the statistics from Quistis's classes. All of her students were doing perfectly well, and there had been very few complaints to his office from her students. He ran his fingers through his now white tufts of hair on either side of his head. Now 58, Cid still joked about being an 'old man' and not being able to do anything anymore. He had even thought of retiring as the Balamb Headmaster, but a few things had caught his attention and he felt the need to pay attention to them. Although he had been one of the masterminds behind the plan to defeat the Sorceress, he felt, somehow, that his job was still not done. However, when he did retire, he already had plans for Quistis to take his position and become Headmistress of Balamb Garden. He sighed. Possibly, he shouldn't have pushed Quistis so hard when she was younger. In retrospect, he also shouldn't have told her that she was incompetent as an Instructor when he fired her. Although he couldn't have possibly told her about her true mission as a SeeD… Cid shrugged his heavy thoughts away and began filling out a form that granted Quistis a one week vacation at Fisherman's Horizon.
Quistis sat down in one of the booths in the library and stifled a yawn. She looked at the clock and smiled. He was late, again. She drummed her nails on the desktop in random rhythm and then opened a folder of papers and spread them out onto the desk. She had almost compiled enough information on GFs to start her book that she had been wanting to write. She felt that by writing a book, some medical professional would read it and possibly come up with some solution to the memory loss that occurs with long-term junctioning. As she began to sift through the papers she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"You're late," she said without turning around as Zell sat down in the chair next to her. Quistis then lifted her head from her work and smiled at Zell, who smiled back.
"So, I heard she passed," said Zell.
"How could you not have heard?" replied Quistis, wryly.
"Quisty," Zell started, using her old childhood nickname. Quistis laughed to herself. Zell only used her nickname when he was serious about something, the opposite of others who used a title when they wanted to be serious. "Are you sure about her?" Quistis gave him an odd look. "I mean," Zell continued, "I know she's smart and everything, but maybe you should give her a break for a little while." Quistis looked at him,
"Zell, this is the smartest student I've ever had. Do you know what a SeeD she would be?" Zell nodded and then shook his head,
"Just cut her a little slack, I think sometimes she'd rather have fun than be studying all the time. She isn't you, you know." Quistis sighed,
"I know, it's just…I couldn't stand to see it if she wasted all of her potential and slipped into mediocrity." Zell nodded in empathy.
"Well, if you lay off of her a little bit, maybe she'll realize her potential all on her own." Quistis sighed again and put her head in her hands.
"I don't know Zell…maybe…I'm not a good instructor." Zell put his arm around Quistis and shook his head.
"You know, Quisty, that the Headmaster just wanted you to join our group to eventually defeat Ultimecia. That whole inadept…inadequate…"
"Incompetent," Quistis mumbled.
"Whatever, the point is that it wasn't true. I mean, Squall turned out alright and he was under your instruction then."
"Yeah, but it took Rinoa to make him come out of his shell…" Quistis was now on the verge of tears, "Why can't I ever be that person for someone?" She sounded incoherent, but Zell somehow understood what she was trying to say.
"You know what, Quis?" he said. She lifted her head up. "I think you need a vacation." Quistis shook her head,
"Not a chance, I have too much work to do. I have to prepare my students, especially Ainsley, to pass the written exam in a few days and…" Zell shushed her.
"Instructor Barak administered an exam today, I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving your students the exam."
"But…" Zell shook his head enthusiastically,
"Nope, I'm going to Headmaster Cid's office right now," and with that Zell left Quistis with her scattered notes. Quistis sighed and began to pour over her information again.
* * *
"So you see, I think she really needs a vacation," Zell finished. Headmaster Cid nodded in reply.
"Thank you, Zell. You are dismissed." Zell saluted smartly and left. Headmaster Cid turned to his desk and looked over the statistics from Quistis's classes. All of her students were doing perfectly well, and there had been very few complaints to his office from her students. He ran his fingers through his now white tufts of hair on either side of his head. Now 58, Cid still joked about being an 'old man' and not being able to do anything anymore. He had even thought of retiring as the Balamb Headmaster, but a few things had caught his attention and he felt the need to pay attention to them. Although he had been one of the masterminds behind the plan to defeat the Sorceress, he felt, somehow, that his job was still not done. However, when he did retire, he already had plans for Quistis to take his position and become Headmistress of Balamb Garden. He sighed. Possibly, he shouldn't have pushed Quistis so hard when she was younger. In retrospect, he also shouldn't have told her that she was incompetent as an Instructor when he fired her. Although he couldn't have possibly told her about her true mission as a SeeD… Cid shrugged his heavy thoughts away and began filling out a form that granted Quistis a one week vacation at Fisherman's Horizon.