Disclaimer: FFVIII and its characters don't belong to me, Squaresoft own
them. Likewise, I do not own My Love, Complicated, Sk8er Boi, Fantasy, or
Thousand Miles. They are sung by Westlife, Avril Lavigne, Appleton, and
Vanessa Carlton respectively, and belong to whoever wrote them. Parts of
this were inspired by Mercedes Lackey's work, like use-names and Matt's
appearance.
Trial
Squall and Hiro walked out of the elevator laughing at a joke Hiro had told. The joke hadn't been that funny, but the caustic and cynical comments that followed had been. The laughter quickly stopped when they realised that everyone in the 3F room was staring at them in shock.
Squall...was...laughing. No body seemed quite sure how to deal with this amazing occurrence.
"What's wrong, guys?" said Squall, pretending he hadn't guessed.
"Nothing. Except the fact that you told us to be here at 11:15 and it's now half past." Seifer said scathingly.
Squall blinked, and then checked his watch. Sure enough, it was 11:30. "Oh, well, why don't we get on with the meeting?"
Flamara stepped forward. She had also found the time to change. She wore a pale blue dress that came down to mid-calf. Over it, she wore a short- sleeved dark blue jacket and she wore low-heeled suede boots in the same shade. The outfit made her amethyst eyes seem bluer.
"Sir, I believe I have a viable plan."
Squall looked at the girl in disbelief. How had she managed to come up with a plan in the half-hour, okay, three-quarter-hour break they had had? "Well, what is it?"
Flamara blushed. "You see...that is...Um, you know we're performing in the Garden Festival tonight, right?" At Squall's terse nod she continued. "Well, what you didn't know is, we're really ...Final Fantasy."
Gasps came from everyone except Squall, Irvine, Quistis, and Final Fantasy. Irvine and Quistis just grinned as if they'd known all along and hadn't found out just minutes before, and Squall just looked baffled.
"What is Final Fantasy?" He said ignoring all the disbelieving looks directed at him by his comrades.
"Squall!" Selphie sounded like she'd caught him calling Headmaster Cid something rude. "Come on! How can you not who Final Fantasy are! They're the coolest music sensation around! (Final Fantasy blushed at this.) Their first album sold out on the first day of release because of all the radio coverage. They're really mysterious, because they're based in Esthar and nobody's ever seen them live before. Everyone finds some piece of their music to like because it's so different. You've even been heard humming one of their songs!"
Squall blinked. He didn't remember humming - ever. "...Whatever. What's this band got to do with the mission?"
Flamara sighed. "The best place to hide in this case is in plain sight. We four are famous. Everyone will be looking at us. No one will be looking at the guy carrying my suitcase, even if he does look like the Sorceress's Knight. If Final Fantasy goes on tour, we hide you guys in our retinue. If we change your appearances a bit no one will recognize you, unless they read your mind."
Raine then spoke up. "And the best bit is we can change our itinerary at a whim if we need to, since every theatre owner in the country will be fighting for us to perform at their theatres. If we head to our recording studios at Esthar, we can change your appearances their and have a believable starting point for the full tour. We can borrow a vessel from the President. If we head to Dollet first, we can avoid suspicion a little more. What do you think?"
Hiro spoke softly from the place where he was propping up the wall. Everyone's attention was drawn to him despite the quietness of his voice. "Squall, Dincht, and Almasy will be the hardest to hide, because of those scars and that tattoo. With fake skin and scars to alter the appearance, we should be okay. We'll need to plan the disguises well. We may end up giving you different use-names."
"What are use-names?" asked Selphie curiously.
"Use-names are a name to be called by. That isn't necessarily the one you were given at birth." Explained Raine. "Some people change their use-name if they feel they have changed so much that they're not the same person any more. Like, if Squall had the use-name Iceblade. If he loosed up a bit and felt that the name Iceblade was too cold he could change it to Silverblade or something like that. We have use-names as the band. I'm Rainfox."
Squall frowned. "...Whatever. If you guys are this big band, how come you've lived in Garden for the past year and a half without being recognized?"
"Squall, they're as good as Selphie said they are." Zell protested
Matt laughed. "Thanks, Zell. Commander, first off, we look different without the stage makeup we wear for publicity photos and videos. Secondly, the girls don't dress the same way, which helps. This is the first time since we've been here that Raine's dyed her hair, before she wore it completely white. Hiro wears coloured contacts for the band, and I wear really exotic clothing."
He leaned back in his seat and looked Squall in the eyes. "We sing in the Festival tonight. If you think we're good enough to provide a cover for you guys and the mission, we spend tomorrow travelling to Esthar and planning your disguises. If not, you haven't lost anything and you guys have to come up with an alternate plan. Sir."
Squall didn't miss the note in the boy's voice as he said the last word. It was an attitude he was all too familiar with, he thought, glancing at Seifer. Seifer saw his glance and smirked letting Squall know he'd heard it too.
Squall pondered Matt's ultimatum carefully. Finally, he concluded that the boy was right. If they were good enough they went ahead, if not then it was back to the drawing board. Squall nodded reluctantly. It was a good plan - if it worked.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That night, Garden was in high spirits. The students had applauded every act with enthusiasm, no matter how dismal the performers.
Finally, Selphie stood on the stage. "Ladies, gentlemen, SeeDs and Students of all ages. I regret to inform you that we have reached the last act of the evening. I'm gonna let them introduce themselves. Nida...Cut the lights." Balamb Garden's pilot and general handyman dropped all the lights shining on the stage.
In the covering darkness, 'Silverwind' stepped up to the mike. Matt grinned. It had been too long since the last time they had sung together. He reached for the mike. "It is my fondest pleasure to introduce... (Nida brought up the lights) Final Fantasy! Hello, Balamb!" He grinned and waved as the crowd went wild. The spotlight focused on him and he knew that he nowhere near resembled the person he had been earlier apart from his hair, and even that had changed.
Silverwind had feathers and beads braided into his long hair, and he wore an elaborately beaded and embroidered robe of forest-green silk.
Darkstorm sighed. He much preferred being Hiro, but he had such a sweet voice that the girls' had refused to let him stay out of the band, and had nagged him into joining. Now he was stuck in this band, possibly for the rest of his life. He hated the clothes he wore, they weren't uncomfortable exactly, but they weren't his style. He wore a skin-tight blue vest/waistcoat with lace at the throat that spilled down his chest. He wore a pair of leather gloves and he wore tight trousers that moulded to his legs. He was also forced to wear eyeliner along with other bits and pieces that he didn't want to think about.
Flamara and Raine were in their element. 'Rainfox' had kept the blue spiky hair, but had undone her braid and it hung about her like a silver curtain to her hips. She wore black pedal-pushers, strappy black high-heeled sandals, a white vest top with an eagles head on it in blue, and a purple shimmery blouse. She had replaced her gauntlets with black lace gloves for the evening, and she wore a silver chain round her neck with an amber pendant.
'Firedream' was wearing her hair loose, and whatever she'd washed it with, it brought out the pattern in her hair, making her black hair burn. She wore a pink butterfly handkerchief top and a pair of skin-tight flared jeans with fire climbing from the hem towards her knees. She finished the outfit with gold hoop earrings, karma bracelets, and brown suede boots.
Final Fantasy sung a number of their previous hits, which they dedicated, and Eyes on Me. Complicated was for Irvine, Sk8er Boi for Zell, Thousand Miles and My Love were for Squall and Rinoa. They also sang their first single Fantasy, which many people had thought was the inspiration for their name. Just as they were about to leave the stage, they were called back for an encore. They sang for another ten minutes then left the stage.
By that time, Squall was regretting doubting them. He'd been bored for most of the evening and hadn't really heard any of what had been played. He'd only attended because he was Commander and people had forced him to. (Those people being Cid, Rinoa, and Quistis.) To his surprise, he had found himself tapping out the rhythm of the songs with his foot.
He had been surprised by how different they looked and hoped they could do something about the three problem disguises or this plan he was now committed to work.
A/N: Silverwind's clothing is supposed to be Tayleydras. Darkstorm is wearing Zidane's outfit (FFIX). Except for the gloves, I have Rainfox's outfit. I didn't intend for Matt to be rude to Squall *Matt sticks tongue out at Honor* but he has a mind of his own and went and did it anyway. He wasn't supposed to be like that, but characters never behave how you want them to. *sighs* I hope they'll be more respectful next chapter. *sighs again, more heavily* probably not. R+R okay? ^_^
Trial
Squall and Hiro walked out of the elevator laughing at a joke Hiro had told. The joke hadn't been that funny, but the caustic and cynical comments that followed had been. The laughter quickly stopped when they realised that everyone in the 3F room was staring at them in shock.
Squall...was...laughing. No body seemed quite sure how to deal with this amazing occurrence.
"What's wrong, guys?" said Squall, pretending he hadn't guessed.
"Nothing. Except the fact that you told us to be here at 11:15 and it's now half past." Seifer said scathingly.
Squall blinked, and then checked his watch. Sure enough, it was 11:30. "Oh, well, why don't we get on with the meeting?"
Flamara stepped forward. She had also found the time to change. She wore a pale blue dress that came down to mid-calf. Over it, she wore a short- sleeved dark blue jacket and she wore low-heeled suede boots in the same shade. The outfit made her amethyst eyes seem bluer.
"Sir, I believe I have a viable plan."
Squall looked at the girl in disbelief. How had she managed to come up with a plan in the half-hour, okay, three-quarter-hour break they had had? "Well, what is it?"
Flamara blushed. "You see...that is...Um, you know we're performing in the Garden Festival tonight, right?" At Squall's terse nod she continued. "Well, what you didn't know is, we're really ...Final Fantasy."
Gasps came from everyone except Squall, Irvine, Quistis, and Final Fantasy. Irvine and Quistis just grinned as if they'd known all along and hadn't found out just minutes before, and Squall just looked baffled.
"What is Final Fantasy?" He said ignoring all the disbelieving looks directed at him by his comrades.
"Squall!" Selphie sounded like she'd caught him calling Headmaster Cid something rude. "Come on! How can you not who Final Fantasy are! They're the coolest music sensation around! (Final Fantasy blushed at this.) Their first album sold out on the first day of release because of all the radio coverage. They're really mysterious, because they're based in Esthar and nobody's ever seen them live before. Everyone finds some piece of their music to like because it's so different. You've even been heard humming one of their songs!"
Squall blinked. He didn't remember humming - ever. "...Whatever. What's this band got to do with the mission?"
Flamara sighed. "The best place to hide in this case is in plain sight. We four are famous. Everyone will be looking at us. No one will be looking at the guy carrying my suitcase, even if he does look like the Sorceress's Knight. If Final Fantasy goes on tour, we hide you guys in our retinue. If we change your appearances a bit no one will recognize you, unless they read your mind."
Raine then spoke up. "And the best bit is we can change our itinerary at a whim if we need to, since every theatre owner in the country will be fighting for us to perform at their theatres. If we head to our recording studios at Esthar, we can change your appearances their and have a believable starting point for the full tour. We can borrow a vessel from the President. If we head to Dollet first, we can avoid suspicion a little more. What do you think?"
Hiro spoke softly from the place where he was propping up the wall. Everyone's attention was drawn to him despite the quietness of his voice. "Squall, Dincht, and Almasy will be the hardest to hide, because of those scars and that tattoo. With fake skin and scars to alter the appearance, we should be okay. We'll need to plan the disguises well. We may end up giving you different use-names."
"What are use-names?" asked Selphie curiously.
"Use-names are a name to be called by. That isn't necessarily the one you were given at birth." Explained Raine. "Some people change their use-name if they feel they have changed so much that they're not the same person any more. Like, if Squall had the use-name Iceblade. If he loosed up a bit and felt that the name Iceblade was too cold he could change it to Silverblade or something like that. We have use-names as the band. I'm Rainfox."
Squall frowned. "...Whatever. If you guys are this big band, how come you've lived in Garden for the past year and a half without being recognized?"
"Squall, they're as good as Selphie said they are." Zell protested
Matt laughed. "Thanks, Zell. Commander, first off, we look different without the stage makeup we wear for publicity photos and videos. Secondly, the girls don't dress the same way, which helps. This is the first time since we've been here that Raine's dyed her hair, before she wore it completely white. Hiro wears coloured contacts for the band, and I wear really exotic clothing."
He leaned back in his seat and looked Squall in the eyes. "We sing in the Festival tonight. If you think we're good enough to provide a cover for you guys and the mission, we spend tomorrow travelling to Esthar and planning your disguises. If not, you haven't lost anything and you guys have to come up with an alternate plan. Sir."
Squall didn't miss the note in the boy's voice as he said the last word. It was an attitude he was all too familiar with, he thought, glancing at Seifer. Seifer saw his glance and smirked letting Squall know he'd heard it too.
Squall pondered Matt's ultimatum carefully. Finally, he concluded that the boy was right. If they were good enough they went ahead, if not then it was back to the drawing board. Squall nodded reluctantly. It was a good plan - if it worked.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That night, Garden was in high spirits. The students had applauded every act with enthusiasm, no matter how dismal the performers.
Finally, Selphie stood on the stage. "Ladies, gentlemen, SeeDs and Students of all ages. I regret to inform you that we have reached the last act of the evening. I'm gonna let them introduce themselves. Nida...Cut the lights." Balamb Garden's pilot and general handyman dropped all the lights shining on the stage.
In the covering darkness, 'Silverwind' stepped up to the mike. Matt grinned. It had been too long since the last time they had sung together. He reached for the mike. "It is my fondest pleasure to introduce... (Nida brought up the lights) Final Fantasy! Hello, Balamb!" He grinned and waved as the crowd went wild. The spotlight focused on him and he knew that he nowhere near resembled the person he had been earlier apart from his hair, and even that had changed.
Silverwind had feathers and beads braided into his long hair, and he wore an elaborately beaded and embroidered robe of forest-green silk.
Darkstorm sighed. He much preferred being Hiro, but he had such a sweet voice that the girls' had refused to let him stay out of the band, and had nagged him into joining. Now he was stuck in this band, possibly for the rest of his life. He hated the clothes he wore, they weren't uncomfortable exactly, but they weren't his style. He wore a skin-tight blue vest/waistcoat with lace at the throat that spilled down his chest. He wore a pair of leather gloves and he wore tight trousers that moulded to his legs. He was also forced to wear eyeliner along with other bits and pieces that he didn't want to think about.
Flamara and Raine were in their element. 'Rainfox' had kept the blue spiky hair, but had undone her braid and it hung about her like a silver curtain to her hips. She wore black pedal-pushers, strappy black high-heeled sandals, a white vest top with an eagles head on it in blue, and a purple shimmery blouse. She had replaced her gauntlets with black lace gloves for the evening, and she wore a silver chain round her neck with an amber pendant.
'Firedream' was wearing her hair loose, and whatever she'd washed it with, it brought out the pattern in her hair, making her black hair burn. She wore a pink butterfly handkerchief top and a pair of skin-tight flared jeans with fire climbing from the hem towards her knees. She finished the outfit with gold hoop earrings, karma bracelets, and brown suede boots.
Final Fantasy sung a number of their previous hits, which they dedicated, and Eyes on Me. Complicated was for Irvine, Sk8er Boi for Zell, Thousand Miles and My Love were for Squall and Rinoa. They also sang their first single Fantasy, which many people had thought was the inspiration for their name. Just as they were about to leave the stage, they were called back for an encore. They sang for another ten minutes then left the stage.
By that time, Squall was regretting doubting them. He'd been bored for most of the evening and hadn't really heard any of what had been played. He'd only attended because he was Commander and people had forced him to. (Those people being Cid, Rinoa, and Quistis.) To his surprise, he had found himself tapping out the rhythm of the songs with his foot.
He had been surprised by how different they looked and hoped they could do something about the three problem disguises or this plan he was now committed to work.
A/N: Silverwind's clothing is supposed to be Tayleydras. Darkstorm is wearing Zidane's outfit (FFIX). Except for the gloves, I have Rainfox's outfit. I didn't intend for Matt to be rude to Squall *Matt sticks tongue out at Honor* but he has a mind of his own and went and did it anyway. He wasn't supposed to be like that, but characters never behave how you want them to. *sighs* I hope they'll be more respectful next chapter. *sighs again, more heavily* probably not. R+R okay? ^_^