Seifer, Quistis, and Fujin don't belong to me. Same with other characters
from the game.
Quistis wordlessly followed Fujin into the cave, being mindful to avoid the sharp rocks that lined the floor. The ceiling of the cave was low, causing both women to stoop down slightly. Only about ten paces in, the cave widened to a larger area, furnished with a scruffy rug and a small beaten table in the center. Various posters lined the walls. Most of them, Quistis noticed, were posters asking exorbitant sums of gil for Seifer Almasy, dead or alive. A few of them, however, trumpeted the return of the SeeD band from Balamb Garden that Selphie had set up. Quistis remembered how Selphie had managed to cajole and coerce herself, Irvine, and Zell to perform with her once more before she returned to help rebuild Trabia. There were three piles of pillows set in small corners of the room. On one of these piles, a figure was crouched down in the shadows. As Fujin led Quistis to the center of the room where the table was, the figure arose from it's slumped over position and walked into the light. Quistis gasped.
"Seifer," she faintly said. Seifer walked up to Quistis, staring into her eyes. A remnant of his trademark smirk was on his face.
"My dear ex-Instuctor," Seifer began, emphasizing the 'ex' in his hoarse, broken voice, "Am I still your favorite student?" Quistis pulled herself out of shock and managed to put her iciest Instructor stare of disgust on her face.
"I see you haven't changed one bit Seifer. Still a stuck up prick, I gather." Quistis's voice lost some of its conviction as she continued to look into his eyes. She squinted. His smirk was still on his face, but his eyes were different. To Quistis they seemed lost, and broken, without a real focus. Seifer then smiled at her comment, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He laughed. It was a hoarse, low laugh that quickly turned into a cough.
"And you, my dear ex-Instructor, haven't changed a bit either," he said, pausing to appraise her with his eyes before continuing. "No words for your favorite student?" he shook his head and made a low, 'tsk-tsk' noise in his throat, "No wonder you were stripped of your Instructor's license." Quistis narrowed her eyes and glared at Seifer.
"I am an Instructor again, Seifer. There were…circumstances that I needed to deal with at the time, rather than my duties as an Instructor," she pointedly said, a coat of steel in her voice. Seifer stood back and clapped rather loudly a few times.
"Congratulations," he said. Quistis narrowed her eyes once more. She couldn't tell if Seifer's praise was genuine or if he was once again being sarcastic. Instead of addressing it at that moment she looked around the small room once more.
"So what lovely circumstances brought you to live here?" she asked coolly. Seifer glared at Quistis.
"It may not look like much to you, my dear ex-Instructor," Seifer began, once again emphasizing the 'ex,' "But to me and Fujin and Rajin, it's home." Quistis nodded and backed off.
"Well then," she said. "I am sure I have bothered you long enough. I shall take my leave now." She smoothly turned around to find Fujin blocking her way. Quistis whirled around to face a smirking Seifer.
"God damn you Seifer, what the hell do you want?" she asked, her temper getting the better of her. She didn't want to spend any more time with this former student of hers.
"My dear Quisty," Seifer spat, using her old orphanage nickname sarcastically. "You are going to take us back to Balamb Garden with you when your vacation ends tommorow…" Quistis gasped,
"Bastard! You've been spying on me?" she yelled, her cool visage now shattered by anger. Seifer began his hoarse laugh again.
"Well it isn't every day your favorite ex-Instructor comes to call," he said. "Now as I was saying. You will take us back to Balamb and come with me to inform Headmaster Cid that the three of us, that is Fujin, Rajin, and myself, wish to become SeeD cadets again." Quistis began to laugh.
"Again?" she said, "What the hell for? You haven't had enough of failing yet?" As soon as she said this, Quistis regretted it. She saw something shatter in Seifer's eyes as he stepped forward, his face inches away from Quistis's. He pulled Hyperion out of his trenchcoat pocket, but didn't directly threaten or assail Quistis with it.
"Don't fuck with me, Quistis," he said, his voice deadly. Quistis realized that it was the first time he had ever called her by her true name. She closed her eyes and nodded. He pulled his face away from hers and put Hyperion away.
"Good," he said, "We understand each other." Seifer then smirked once more at Quistis. "I have a feeling, my dear ex-Instructor, that this is going to be quite fun."
Quistis wordlessly followed Fujin into the cave, being mindful to avoid the sharp rocks that lined the floor. The ceiling of the cave was low, causing both women to stoop down slightly. Only about ten paces in, the cave widened to a larger area, furnished with a scruffy rug and a small beaten table in the center. Various posters lined the walls. Most of them, Quistis noticed, were posters asking exorbitant sums of gil for Seifer Almasy, dead or alive. A few of them, however, trumpeted the return of the SeeD band from Balamb Garden that Selphie had set up. Quistis remembered how Selphie had managed to cajole and coerce herself, Irvine, and Zell to perform with her once more before she returned to help rebuild Trabia. There were three piles of pillows set in small corners of the room. On one of these piles, a figure was crouched down in the shadows. As Fujin led Quistis to the center of the room where the table was, the figure arose from it's slumped over position and walked into the light. Quistis gasped.
"Seifer," she faintly said. Seifer walked up to Quistis, staring into her eyes. A remnant of his trademark smirk was on his face.
"My dear ex-Instuctor," Seifer began, emphasizing the 'ex' in his hoarse, broken voice, "Am I still your favorite student?" Quistis pulled herself out of shock and managed to put her iciest Instructor stare of disgust on her face.
"I see you haven't changed one bit Seifer. Still a stuck up prick, I gather." Quistis's voice lost some of its conviction as she continued to look into his eyes. She squinted. His smirk was still on his face, but his eyes were different. To Quistis they seemed lost, and broken, without a real focus. Seifer then smiled at her comment, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He laughed. It was a hoarse, low laugh that quickly turned into a cough.
"And you, my dear ex-Instructor, haven't changed a bit either," he said, pausing to appraise her with his eyes before continuing. "No words for your favorite student?" he shook his head and made a low, 'tsk-tsk' noise in his throat, "No wonder you were stripped of your Instructor's license." Quistis narrowed her eyes and glared at Seifer.
"I am an Instructor again, Seifer. There were…circumstances that I needed to deal with at the time, rather than my duties as an Instructor," she pointedly said, a coat of steel in her voice. Seifer stood back and clapped rather loudly a few times.
"Congratulations," he said. Quistis narrowed her eyes once more. She couldn't tell if Seifer's praise was genuine or if he was once again being sarcastic. Instead of addressing it at that moment she looked around the small room once more.
"So what lovely circumstances brought you to live here?" she asked coolly. Seifer glared at Quistis.
"It may not look like much to you, my dear ex-Instructor," Seifer began, once again emphasizing the 'ex,' "But to me and Fujin and Rajin, it's home." Quistis nodded and backed off.
"Well then," she said. "I am sure I have bothered you long enough. I shall take my leave now." She smoothly turned around to find Fujin blocking her way. Quistis whirled around to face a smirking Seifer.
"God damn you Seifer, what the hell do you want?" she asked, her temper getting the better of her. She didn't want to spend any more time with this former student of hers.
"My dear Quisty," Seifer spat, using her old orphanage nickname sarcastically. "You are going to take us back to Balamb Garden with you when your vacation ends tommorow…" Quistis gasped,
"Bastard! You've been spying on me?" she yelled, her cool visage now shattered by anger. Seifer began his hoarse laugh again.
"Well it isn't every day your favorite ex-Instructor comes to call," he said. "Now as I was saying. You will take us back to Balamb and come with me to inform Headmaster Cid that the three of us, that is Fujin, Rajin, and myself, wish to become SeeD cadets again." Quistis began to laugh.
"Again?" she said, "What the hell for? You haven't had enough of failing yet?" As soon as she said this, Quistis regretted it. She saw something shatter in Seifer's eyes as he stepped forward, his face inches away from Quistis's. He pulled Hyperion out of his trenchcoat pocket, but didn't directly threaten or assail Quistis with it.
"Don't fuck with me, Quistis," he said, his voice deadly. Quistis realized that it was the first time he had ever called her by her true name. She closed her eyes and nodded. He pulled his face away from hers and put Hyperion away.
"Good," he said, "We understand each other." Seifer then smirked once more at Quistis. "I have a feeling, my dear ex-Instructor, that this is going to be quite fun."