Seifer stormed across Garden towards the Training Area. The laughter and astonished stares followed him. He was going to kill things. Lots of things and pretend that they were all snobby, smart-ass, drop-dead gorgeous SeeD Instructors. He growled angrily as the image of Quistis trapped against him in the elevator forced its way into his thoughts. She probably wouldn't know oral from anal, the damned anti-social prude. Who the hell did she think she was? A sneaky idea crossed his mind. Oh, he was going to hit her where it hurt.
A few minutes later, Seifer stood within the Temple itself. He had snuck into the realm of the Trepe and there was no going back, not even to thank the obliging cleaning lady who'd let him in.
He felt like a kid at Christmas and didn't know where to look first. Everything was fairly orderly. Bed made. He did a double take – there was a strange green and purple stuffed dragon resting at the foot of the bed. 'Cute, Trepe…'
Time was of the essence, and Seifer wasted no time rooting through drawers to find his pendant. It was nowhere. She must have kept it on her, the cheat. In the closet, though, he found things to make this all worthwhile. Among her varied collection of books was a dusty edition of the 'Kama Sutra'. Better yet, tucked in the back were an innocuous pair of leopard-print, fur-lined handcuffs. He snickered and was tempted to keep them for ransom. Maybe he was wrong about his sex-starved Instructor.
A loud beep nearly sent him flying into her closet. Quistis' monitor restarted with a faint sizzle. His smirk spread from ear to ear. With a flourish, Seifer sat at the keyboard and started typing.
Several hours after her run in with Seifer, a very tired and intellectually drained Quistis Trepe stumbled down the deserted Balamb Garden hallways. The planning session with Xu and Squall went well and logistically, they had a good start. Quistis' head was spinning from trying to interpret the intricate map of the Esthar transportation system. 'Stupid engineers. Stupid city planners.' Quistis released a long breath. "Stupid green-eyed, blonde haired, smart-ass SeeD Instructors." She couldn't help herself.
'This is so unlike me. Is it a quarter-life crisis? Maybe I should have Kadowaki check me out. Or rather, check me in - to a mental institution.' Quistis sat on one of the railings and watched the water below. 'Hyne, why don't I just walk up and drool all over him? I'm so… so…' Frustration set her walking, again.
'Obvious! Cool and composed Ice Queen Quistis can't get her act together the one time it counts for something. At this rate, I'll never want to talk to him because he'll be too busy gloating over his conquest, or he'll never want to look at me because I'm so pathetic. What on earth possessed me to take the stupid pendant? I'll just give it back. Maybe that will undo some of the damage.'
As though on cue, the cross slid from its hiding spot in her uniform. She picked it up and ran her fingers across it once before returning it to the chain. Saddened but resolved, Quistis turned the corner to her dorm. One of her cadets was sitting outside the door, head cradled in her hands. She was… crying? What in Hyne's name…
"Anielle? Anielle, honey, what's wrong? What are you doing out here after curfew?"
The cadet looked up first in surprise, then in guilt. "Instructor Trepe, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to break the rules. I'm sorry." She started to sob again but tried to look bravely ahead. Quistis mentally slapped herself. Once an Instructor, always an Instructor.
"No, Anielle, it's alright. I'm just concerned. Did something happen to you?"
The girl started to speak but no words would come out. Instead, she ran up to Quistis and latched on for dear life. Quistis could feel the tears through her skirt. Dazed, tired, and more than a little dumbfounded, Quistis tried to clear her head for the girl's sake. She quickly unlocked the door and invited her student in.
They sat on the bed for a long time, with Anielle practically curled up in Quistis' lap. Between sniffles and gasps for air, Quistis discovered that it was a family situation. Something about spending the summer with her father and not her mother, but neglecting to tell said mother until the last possible minute.
Quistis clucked her tongue lightly. She taught the junior classmen, now. Students from age ten to twelve. So young and with so much responsibility. She stroked the girl's hair and gazed out at the moon. Suddenly, Quistis let out a strangled breath and hissed angrily through her teeth. Someone had been in her room.
Her computer, which normally sported a screen saver of several lines twisting in mind-bending ways, was now graced by a gray screen with a line of red words running across the center:
"03.24.84 23:30 Sent To: [students][faculty][staff] From: Trepeq I want to apologize for the cruel and insiduous lies I have spread about certain members of the Balamb faculty. I was in a state of complete intoxication, unbefitting a SeeD or an Instructor. I trust that you will understand and move past this sad incident ~ Instructor No. 14, Quistis Trepe"
The message continued after a pause:
To the mediocre Instructor from her favorite student: I am now the only guy in Balamb to have seen (and touched) THE Trepe's underwear drawer. I'll go down in history for that one.
'He's gonna die. Slowly.' Quistis didn't realize that she had tightened her grip until the young cadet looked up with concern. "Anielle, I think," Quistis paused unable to completely tear her eyes away from her computer, "I think it's time you get some sleep. Is there a friend you could stay with, tonight?"
They took some clothes from her room and packed an overnight bag. Anielle clung tightly to Quistis' hand. "Instructor Trepe? Thanks…" The cadet blushed and drew circles on the carpet with her foot. "Of course, Anielle. Your friend's waiting. Take care." She gave the girl's hand a parting squeeze.
Quistis collapsed into a chair and held her head in her hands. It was already well into tomorrow. And Seifer was going to die. Oh, she was going to make him regret ever returning to Balamb.
Riiiiing. The phone shattered the late night silence. What the hell…? Quistis stared at the phone and let it ring. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Ten times before she answered it or risk waking up the entire hall.
"…hello?"
"Oh." Pause. "Is Anielle there?"
"I'm sorry, she's at a friend's. Can I take a message?"
Silence. Quistis could barely make out breathing on the other end. The lady didn't hang up. She just… sat there.
"This is her mother," the voice continued without warning. "Tell her that I want to know how she could ruin summertime…"
Quistis leaned back in the chair and got comfortable. It was going to be a long night.
A few minutes later, Seifer stood within the Temple itself. He had snuck into the realm of the Trepe and there was no going back, not even to thank the obliging cleaning lady who'd let him in.
He felt like a kid at Christmas and didn't know where to look first. Everything was fairly orderly. Bed made. He did a double take – there was a strange green and purple stuffed dragon resting at the foot of the bed. 'Cute, Trepe…'
Time was of the essence, and Seifer wasted no time rooting through drawers to find his pendant. It was nowhere. She must have kept it on her, the cheat. In the closet, though, he found things to make this all worthwhile. Among her varied collection of books was a dusty edition of the 'Kama Sutra'. Better yet, tucked in the back were an innocuous pair of leopard-print, fur-lined handcuffs. He snickered and was tempted to keep them for ransom. Maybe he was wrong about his sex-starved Instructor.
A loud beep nearly sent him flying into her closet. Quistis' monitor restarted with a faint sizzle. His smirk spread from ear to ear. With a flourish, Seifer sat at the keyboard and started typing.
Several hours after her run in with Seifer, a very tired and intellectually drained Quistis Trepe stumbled down the deserted Balamb Garden hallways. The planning session with Xu and Squall went well and logistically, they had a good start. Quistis' head was spinning from trying to interpret the intricate map of the Esthar transportation system. 'Stupid engineers. Stupid city planners.' Quistis released a long breath. "Stupid green-eyed, blonde haired, smart-ass SeeD Instructors." She couldn't help herself.
'This is so unlike me. Is it a quarter-life crisis? Maybe I should have Kadowaki check me out. Or rather, check me in - to a mental institution.' Quistis sat on one of the railings and watched the water below. 'Hyne, why don't I just walk up and drool all over him? I'm so… so…' Frustration set her walking, again.
'Obvious! Cool and composed Ice Queen Quistis can't get her act together the one time it counts for something. At this rate, I'll never want to talk to him because he'll be too busy gloating over his conquest, or he'll never want to look at me because I'm so pathetic. What on earth possessed me to take the stupid pendant? I'll just give it back. Maybe that will undo some of the damage.'
As though on cue, the cross slid from its hiding spot in her uniform. She picked it up and ran her fingers across it once before returning it to the chain. Saddened but resolved, Quistis turned the corner to her dorm. One of her cadets was sitting outside the door, head cradled in her hands. She was… crying? What in Hyne's name…
"Anielle? Anielle, honey, what's wrong? What are you doing out here after curfew?"
The cadet looked up first in surprise, then in guilt. "Instructor Trepe, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to break the rules. I'm sorry." She started to sob again but tried to look bravely ahead. Quistis mentally slapped herself. Once an Instructor, always an Instructor.
"No, Anielle, it's alright. I'm just concerned. Did something happen to you?"
The girl started to speak but no words would come out. Instead, she ran up to Quistis and latched on for dear life. Quistis could feel the tears through her skirt. Dazed, tired, and more than a little dumbfounded, Quistis tried to clear her head for the girl's sake. She quickly unlocked the door and invited her student in.
They sat on the bed for a long time, with Anielle practically curled up in Quistis' lap. Between sniffles and gasps for air, Quistis discovered that it was a family situation. Something about spending the summer with her father and not her mother, but neglecting to tell said mother until the last possible minute.
Quistis clucked her tongue lightly. She taught the junior classmen, now. Students from age ten to twelve. So young and with so much responsibility. She stroked the girl's hair and gazed out at the moon. Suddenly, Quistis let out a strangled breath and hissed angrily through her teeth. Someone had been in her room.
Her computer, which normally sported a screen saver of several lines twisting in mind-bending ways, was now graced by a gray screen with a line of red words running across the center:
"03.24.84 23:30 Sent To: [students][faculty][staff] From: Trepeq I want to apologize for the cruel and insiduous lies I have spread about certain members of the Balamb faculty. I was in a state of complete intoxication, unbefitting a SeeD or an Instructor. I trust that you will understand and move past this sad incident ~ Instructor No. 14, Quistis Trepe"
The message continued after a pause:
To the mediocre Instructor from her favorite student: I am now the only guy in Balamb to have seen (and touched) THE Trepe's underwear drawer. I'll go down in history for that one.
'He's gonna die. Slowly.' Quistis didn't realize that she had tightened her grip until the young cadet looked up with concern. "Anielle, I think," Quistis paused unable to completely tear her eyes away from her computer, "I think it's time you get some sleep. Is there a friend you could stay with, tonight?"
They took some clothes from her room and packed an overnight bag. Anielle clung tightly to Quistis' hand. "Instructor Trepe? Thanks…" The cadet blushed and drew circles on the carpet with her foot. "Of course, Anielle. Your friend's waiting. Take care." She gave the girl's hand a parting squeeze.
Quistis collapsed into a chair and held her head in her hands. It was already well into tomorrow. And Seifer was going to die. Oh, she was going to make him regret ever returning to Balamb.
Riiiiing. The phone shattered the late night silence. What the hell…? Quistis stared at the phone and let it ring. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Ten times before she answered it or risk waking up the entire hall.
"…hello?"
"Oh." Pause. "Is Anielle there?"
"I'm sorry, she's at a friend's. Can I take a message?"
Silence. Quistis could barely make out breathing on the other end. The lady didn't hang up. She just… sat there.
"This is her mother," the voice continued without warning. "Tell her that I want to know how she could ruin summertime…"
Quistis leaned back in the chair and got comfortable. It was going to be a long night.