Thanks to the few that review my story. As always Ainsley, Xaria, Ryo,
Moss, Tibor, Calder, Pyri, Instructor Barak, and any of my other original
characters belong to me. Characters like Zell, Quistis, Headmaster Cid,
and Squall don't belong to me and are from the game (obviously)
Xaria angrily stepped forward and released a series of quick punches at the attacking grat. The grat blew some powder into the air before collapsing to the ground. Xaria sneezed and then fell to the ground with exhaustion. Zell quickly rushed forward to aid his fatigued student.
"You alright?" he asked briefly, helping her up. She nodded and reached up with her long sleeve to wipe the sweat and dirt from her face. She then walked forward to collect a small sample of powder from the dead grat's body.
"You know," Zell said to her, "You don't have to collect something from every monster that you defeat." Xaria nodded but continued to collect the sleep powder anyway. She always collected as much as she could after defeating a monster, feeling as if there would come a time when she might need it. Zell shook his head at her and then told her that her training session was over. Xaria nodded and walked out of the training center as Zell called out his next student to fight. Xaria quickly went back to her room, showered, and changed into her Garden uniform, before going to the cafeteria to eat. As she entered the cafeteria she could see Ainsley ahead of her in line, chatting with an eager-looking cadet with long black hair, braided around her head uniquely. Xaria thought that the cadet looked vaguely familiar, but didn't know her name. She turned around to observe the rest of the cafeteria. Students were chatting to each other eagerly and playing Triple Triad. Xaria could hear snippets of conversation about the test.
"Did you get the one on all of the different Gardens?"
"I didn't have that one, but the one about the Sorceress Wars was a bitch!"
"Can you really get a curse spike from defeating a Jelleye? I don't think that's right?"
"It's not, but when Jelleyes morph does anything particular happen to them?"
Xaria shook her head at all of the nervous cadets.
"Wow! I didn't even say anything and she's already shaking her head at me!" a voice was heard from behind Xaria. Xaria turned around with speed and surprise to face Tibor. She rolled her eyes,
"Why do I keep bumping into you?" she asked. Tibor shrugged and smiled as he put his arm around her.
"It's just your luck to continually bump into a handsome guy like me." Xaria snorted and politely removed his arm from her shoulders. A low chuckle came from behind Tibor.
"Poor Tibor," the large boy behind him said, "He never gets a break." Xaria smiled and laughed at Calder's words. She then turned around to face one of the cafeteria workers.
"I'll have a chicken sandwich please, and a salad," she ordered.
"What? No hotdogs?" Tibor exclaimed. Calder nodded in agreement.
"When there's hotdogs left," Calder told Xaria, "You just have to order them." Xaria shook her head at the two boys and walked out of the lunch line.
"Hey!" Tibor called after her. Xaria looked back. "Save us a seat, okay?" Xaria nodded, and Tibor smiled back. For the first time, Xaria felt a funny feeling in her stomach. She shook it off quickly. She was probably just hungry, anyway. Especially after that grueling workout that Zell had put her through in the Training Center. Xaria sighed. The point of such a hard workout was to have discovered her Limit Break. Xaria was one of the few cadets left in her class who hadn't discovered what her Limit was. She had been overworking herself in the Training Center, hoping that somehow, she would become tired enough to tap into her Limit. Unfortunately, this hadn't occurred yet.
"Earth to Xaria!" Tibor waved a hand enthusiastically in front of her face. Xaria quickly snapped out of her thoughts and rolled her eyes at Tibor. She then became thoughtful again.
"Tibor," she asked seriously as he looked up from his plateful of hotdogs with a puzzled expression on his face. "What is it like to discover your Limit Break?" Tibor looked at her in surprise.
"You mean you haven't…" he trailed off at Xaria's glare. Obviously this was something that was bothering her a great deal. He held his hands up in an 'I surrender' position above the table. "Sorry," he said. Then he paused for a moment, contemplating her question, and continued, "You have to feel threatened enough and tired enough. Just being tired isn't enough." She nodded and he could tell by her slightly pale face and dulled green eyes that she was quite tired. He also knew that she was one of those people who would over work herself in the Training Center in order to discover her Limit. He smiled and felt a small surge of pride at her dedication and tenacity. Xaria looked at him, puzzled. He cleared his throat and continued.
"It's like getting a second wind of energy, only you focus it in one burst. Suddenly you feel revitalized and energetic and the name of an attack pops into your head. When you call out the name you automatically do the attack. It doesn't matter if you've never attacked like that before. Does this make any sense?" 'Not really,' Xaria thought to herself, but she nodded at Tibor anyway.
"Don't worry," Tibor said while shoving a hotdog into his mouth, "I'm shure you'll dishcover eet shoon." Xaria shook her head and hid her amused smile.
"Cover your mouth," she simply replied. Xaria then looked up as Calder pulled up a chair and sat down with his tray, also laden with cafeteria hotdogs.
"So," Calder said to Xaria, "Have you finished that book yet?" Xaria shook her head. With all of her extra time devoted to discovering her Limit before she took the field exam, she hadn't had the time to read anything.
"I think I'm just going to return it and borrow it again later," she said. Or maybe I'll ask Blythe to reserve it for me?"
"Blythe?" Calder asked.
"You know, the library girl," Tibor replied, his mouth devoid of hotdog at the moment, "She's got pigtails, kind of quiet…what?" His question was directed at Xaria and Calder who were sharing a look over Tibor's knowledge of the library girl.
"Nothing." Xaria said, suppressing the urge to laugh at Tibor. She then pulled out her Triple Triad cards. "Anyone want to play? I aquired some new ones in the past few days."
"You're on." Said Tibor, pulling out his own deck with a grin. "Prepare to be destroyed." Xaria rolled her eyes once more and began to choose her cards.
Xaria angrily stepped forward and released a series of quick punches at the attacking grat. The grat blew some powder into the air before collapsing to the ground. Xaria sneezed and then fell to the ground with exhaustion. Zell quickly rushed forward to aid his fatigued student.
"You alright?" he asked briefly, helping her up. She nodded and reached up with her long sleeve to wipe the sweat and dirt from her face. She then walked forward to collect a small sample of powder from the dead grat's body.
"You know," Zell said to her, "You don't have to collect something from every monster that you defeat." Xaria nodded but continued to collect the sleep powder anyway. She always collected as much as she could after defeating a monster, feeling as if there would come a time when she might need it. Zell shook his head at her and then told her that her training session was over. Xaria nodded and walked out of the training center as Zell called out his next student to fight. Xaria quickly went back to her room, showered, and changed into her Garden uniform, before going to the cafeteria to eat. As she entered the cafeteria she could see Ainsley ahead of her in line, chatting with an eager-looking cadet with long black hair, braided around her head uniquely. Xaria thought that the cadet looked vaguely familiar, but didn't know her name. She turned around to observe the rest of the cafeteria. Students were chatting to each other eagerly and playing Triple Triad. Xaria could hear snippets of conversation about the test.
"Did you get the one on all of the different Gardens?"
"I didn't have that one, but the one about the Sorceress Wars was a bitch!"
"Can you really get a curse spike from defeating a Jelleye? I don't think that's right?"
"It's not, but when Jelleyes morph does anything particular happen to them?"
Xaria shook her head at all of the nervous cadets.
"Wow! I didn't even say anything and she's already shaking her head at me!" a voice was heard from behind Xaria. Xaria turned around with speed and surprise to face Tibor. She rolled her eyes,
"Why do I keep bumping into you?" she asked. Tibor shrugged and smiled as he put his arm around her.
"It's just your luck to continually bump into a handsome guy like me." Xaria snorted and politely removed his arm from her shoulders. A low chuckle came from behind Tibor.
"Poor Tibor," the large boy behind him said, "He never gets a break." Xaria smiled and laughed at Calder's words. She then turned around to face one of the cafeteria workers.
"I'll have a chicken sandwich please, and a salad," she ordered.
"What? No hotdogs?" Tibor exclaimed. Calder nodded in agreement.
"When there's hotdogs left," Calder told Xaria, "You just have to order them." Xaria shook her head at the two boys and walked out of the lunch line.
"Hey!" Tibor called after her. Xaria looked back. "Save us a seat, okay?" Xaria nodded, and Tibor smiled back. For the first time, Xaria felt a funny feeling in her stomach. She shook it off quickly. She was probably just hungry, anyway. Especially after that grueling workout that Zell had put her through in the Training Center. Xaria sighed. The point of such a hard workout was to have discovered her Limit Break. Xaria was one of the few cadets left in her class who hadn't discovered what her Limit was. She had been overworking herself in the Training Center, hoping that somehow, she would become tired enough to tap into her Limit. Unfortunately, this hadn't occurred yet.
"Earth to Xaria!" Tibor waved a hand enthusiastically in front of her face. Xaria quickly snapped out of her thoughts and rolled her eyes at Tibor. She then became thoughtful again.
"Tibor," she asked seriously as he looked up from his plateful of hotdogs with a puzzled expression on his face. "What is it like to discover your Limit Break?" Tibor looked at her in surprise.
"You mean you haven't…" he trailed off at Xaria's glare. Obviously this was something that was bothering her a great deal. He held his hands up in an 'I surrender' position above the table. "Sorry," he said. Then he paused for a moment, contemplating her question, and continued, "You have to feel threatened enough and tired enough. Just being tired isn't enough." She nodded and he could tell by her slightly pale face and dulled green eyes that she was quite tired. He also knew that she was one of those people who would over work herself in the Training Center in order to discover her Limit. He smiled and felt a small surge of pride at her dedication and tenacity. Xaria looked at him, puzzled. He cleared his throat and continued.
"It's like getting a second wind of energy, only you focus it in one burst. Suddenly you feel revitalized and energetic and the name of an attack pops into your head. When you call out the name you automatically do the attack. It doesn't matter if you've never attacked like that before. Does this make any sense?" 'Not really,' Xaria thought to herself, but she nodded at Tibor anyway.
"Don't worry," Tibor said while shoving a hotdog into his mouth, "I'm shure you'll dishcover eet shoon." Xaria shook her head and hid her amused smile.
"Cover your mouth," she simply replied. Xaria then looked up as Calder pulled up a chair and sat down with his tray, also laden with cafeteria hotdogs.
"So," Calder said to Xaria, "Have you finished that book yet?" Xaria shook her head. With all of her extra time devoted to discovering her Limit before she took the field exam, she hadn't had the time to read anything.
"I think I'm just going to return it and borrow it again later," she said. Or maybe I'll ask Blythe to reserve it for me?"
"Blythe?" Calder asked.
"You know, the library girl," Tibor replied, his mouth devoid of hotdog at the moment, "She's got pigtails, kind of quiet…what?" His question was directed at Xaria and Calder who were sharing a look over Tibor's knowledge of the library girl.
"Nothing." Xaria said, suppressing the urge to laugh at Tibor. She then pulled out her Triple Triad cards. "Anyone want to play? I aquired some new ones in the past few days."
"You're on." Said Tibor, pulling out his own deck with a grin. "Prepare to be destroyed." Xaria rolled her eyes once more and began to choose her cards.