Balamb Garden's Yuletide Vacation
Chapter Six
Wednesday, December the Sixth
"Okay," Selphie declared at the end of a very long winter festival planning committee meeting. She had called this extra meeting because of Zell's domination of the last one and she wanted to make sure everyone was fulfilling his or her subcommittee agendas. "I think that should do it for today. I think you all have done a great job so far and everybody should give themselves a big round of applause. Let's hear it!" she shouted out exuberantly while clapping her hands in an exaggerated fashion.
Most of the people seated in front of her squirmed uncomfortably for the umpteenth time in their metal folding chairs and half-heartedly followed the energetic SeeD's example. It wasn't that they were lacking in spirit, they were just so emotionally and physically spent from the long meeting.
"Alright!" Selphie shouted out, totally ignoring the scene that lay before her. "Now I have a big surprise for you because of your hard work!"
"You're throwing us a keg party!" called out a deep male voice from the very back of the Quad.
Selphie appeared slightly perturbed when she responded, "No, that's not it. Who said that?"
Quistis turned her head quickly, recognizing Seifer's voice, but she couldn't see anybody in the back who resembled him in the slightest way. Quistis realized immediately that he had managed to vanish again. What is his secret? Quistis thought, wondering how he could disappear so quickly.
"The fairies have left us a surprise," Selphie explained.
"Well, I'm not cleaning up all that fairy poop this time, Selphie," joked Zell.
The room exploded into laughter, most people just happy for some comedy relief after the tense meeting. Nicole, sitting beside Zell as usual, made a token slap at his arm in protest but was smiling at his comment.
Selphie stood in frustration with her hands on her hips. "Zell! You know that isn't what I meant. It's snowed since we've been in here. As a special reward for our hard work, we can go out and build snowmen and a contest will be held tomorrow and prizes will be awarded to the best ones."
Rinoa jumped up from her chair. "Oh that's great!" she exclaimed. "We can decorate the snowmen with Winter Festival decorations." Outfitted in a bright green satin miniskirt and a red sequined blouse that bared her midriff, Rinoa cut an odd figure to say the least. She had managed to somehow paste a shiny glass tree ornament into her navel. Knee high red and green boots encased her legs, and large snowflake ornament earrings dangled from her ears. The most eye-catching part of her look was her hair. Rinoa had twisted and lacquered her hair into a two-foot beehive with silver tinsel twisted into it.
Quistis smirked to herself at the sight of the young sorceress. I think I liked her better as Ophelia, she thought.
"Well, Rinoa," Selphie replied slowly not quite sure how to answer her friend who was attired so strangely. "Everyone is free to make their snowmen the way they want. Now everyone go to their rooms and dress warmly and I'll meet you outside."
Everyone broke hurriedly from the Quad, eternally grateful to finally be released from the meeting. When Matt suddenly appeared at Quistis' side she felt a sudden sinking in her heart. For some reason not easily identified by her, she had been hoping to escape the area without having to talk to him right then.
"Wow!" her boyfriend exclaimed. "That was a great meeting, wasn't it? We really got a lot accomplished."
"Um...I guess," she muttered.
"Quissy, what's wrong?" he asked.
Well, for one thing you keep calling me Quissy. "I'm just a little tired, I guess," Quistis answered. "I think I want to go lie down for awhile."
"What?" Matt asked excitedly. "Aren't you going outside? I thought we would build a snowman together."
"Oh, I don't know Matt, I'm really tired."
As Quistis turned to walk away, Matt hurried to keep up with her. "It's me, isn't it? You're angry at me over something."
"No," she answered unable to keep the weariness from her voice. "Why would you think that?"
"Because you didn't save me a seat beside you the way you usually do."
Quistis did feel an instant pang of guilt because she had forgotten about saving him a place beside her. "Well...I wasn't sure if you were coming or not," she said attempting to offer an excuse.
"Oh, come on, I told you at breakfast that I would be there and to save me a seat," he accused.
When Quistis didn't respond, Matt continued, "You probably weren't listening because you were thinking about that Seifer fellow."
"What?"
"I've heard around the Garden that you're so hot after this guy that you insist he's here somewhere," her boyfriend replied.
"Oh that's ridiculous!" snapped Quistis, rolling her eyes.
"Well, why else would you be insisting those rumors were true?" Matt's expression suddenly softened. "Unless…" He thought for a moment then very softly asked, "You aren't smoking Gysahl Greens are you, Quissy?"
Before Quistis could react in frustration, Selphie came bounding up, as was her wont. "Hey, you all! Quit lagging and let's get outside and build those snowmen. Where's your holiday spirit?"
The angry stares that she was offered by both Quistis and Matt managed to penetrate even Selphie's normally distorted view of reality. She flushed and apologized. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you. Well, I'll see you outside," She scampered away down the corridor.
Matt said nothing further, but instead just walked down the corridor slightly ahead of his ladyfriend. He wore that pouting expression that Quistis realized promised no good between them for the next few days. Taking him by the arm, she stopped him from walking and said, "I apologize, I did forget. I was preoccupied with some serious problems that some of my students are experiencing with inappropriate emails. I would be happy to go out and build a snowman with you."
Matt's handsome features broke into a wreath of happiness. "Alright!" he said. Taking Quistis by the hand he lead her quickly down the corridor.
"Wait!" Quistis protested. "I need to go to my room and get my winter coat."
"No, you're fine," her boyfriend said. "You've got warm clothes on. If we wait any longer all the snow will be gone."
Quistis allowed Matt to lead her outdoors even though she knew that with the sub-zero temperatures there would be no way the snow would melt that quickly.
~*~
There were still light snow flurries blowing around when Quistis and Matt exited the Garden. There were over a hundred SeeDs and upperclassmen busily involved in snowman building. Quistis realized with a shock that Rinoa had somehow recruited a small army of followers. The sorceress was commanding over twenty people who apparently had already built a half of dozen snowmen and women.
The instructor stood astonished, wondering where Rinoa had acquired all the clothing that was now appareling the snow people. Given her current frame of mind Rinoa wasn't content with this and was already further decorating them with holiday decorations, such as wreaths and garlands.
"Come on, Quissy! Let's get to work!"
Matt's command cut unpleasantly across her consciousness like the angry whine of a 500 cc Kawasaki. Matt was maniacally rolling up a huge globe of snow for the base of the snowman directly in front of Quistis.
"Quissy, find us something to use for eyes," he directed.
Now where am I going to find that? she wondered as the frozen ground was completely blanketed with snow. As the blonde woman glanced around, she was amazed to observe that Selphie was only attired in her usual yellow dress. Wandering in that direction in her search, she called out, "Selphie, aren't you cold?"
The energetic SeeD answered while performing a short jump. "Booyaka! Of course not, the cold is all in your mind."
All in my mind? Hyne save me. It's all in my mind and every other part of my body too.
By the time Quistis had given up her search, everyone else on the frozen tundra had finished their tasks. There were snowwomen and men decorating the ground in front of the Garden. Rinoa had now put the finishing touches on her platoon of snow people by adding electric lights to them! There were extension cords trailing from the Garden lying all around.
Quistis was unable to control her sudden irritation and frustration with the bizarre behavior of her friend. "Hey Rinoa! What are you thinking about? Does Cid know you're wasting power like this?"
Rinoa turned and waved. "Don't be such a Scrooge. Winterfest only comes once a year, you know."
Selphie suddenly appeared by the instructor's side. "Quisty," she murmured. "Be nice, remember she's just had a traumatic experience and she's heartbroken over Squall."
Quistis could only nod numbly because there was no possible response to such an entreaty plus her teeth were chattering from the extreme cold. She returned to Matt who was putting the finishing touches on their snowman – a perfect replica of himself! The snowman had a large rock for a nose and a corncob pipe where his mouth should have been. Hyne only knows where he got that, she thought.
The blonde woman was expecting that her boyfriend would notice her obvious teeth chattering and offer his warm coat that he had worn to the meeting. All he did though was ask, "Did you get the eyes?"
Quistis was suddenly so furious with the callousness of her boyfriend that she could have plucked his eyes out for the assignment. Instead she reached down and popped two buttons off her blouse and jammed them into his outstretched hand. Quistis then stalked off into the Garden.
"Hey thanks, see you for dinner," Matt called out behind her.
~*~
Cid sat at his desk perusing Garden's latest annual contract with the City of Balamb. A new one traditionally went into effect at the beginning of each new year. It was just a standard 'commitment to protect' contract relating to any and all security problems, attack from foreign powers, etc., but it always provided Garden with income and it always behooved them to remain on friendly terms with what was basically their sister city. The total population of the Garden was larger than many small villages.
He was concentrating on the small print that the Balamb City Attorneys had added this year, when he was vaguely surprised to heard his cell phone trill with its customary cock-a-doodle-do. (Cid was nothing if he wasn't basically a very tacky individual.) He became alert when he realized his cell phone was only called in emergencies and snatched it off his waist.
Turning it on, Cid held it up by his left ear. "Yes?"
"Sir, sorry to bother you, but we have a situation here," twanged an adenoidal voice.
Moving his phone slightly further his ear, Cid directed, "You don't have to yell. This isn't two cans connected by a piece of string. I can hear you just fine."
"Sorry, sir," the male upperclassman replied. Continuing in a lower tone, he still spoke excitedly. "Sir, we have a rather large problem down here."
"Well, what is it?" Cid asked with annoyance, wondering why the student refused to come to the point. I hope we're not under attack. By the time this kid tells me, we'll have to surrender.
"Sir, we have a delivery man down here trying to deliver fifteen hundred pizzas," the upperclassman finally explained.
"What in blazes are you talking about?" Cid shouted into the phone.
"I said he says we ordered fifteen hundred pizzas. We didn't, did we sir?"
"No, of course not. Of all the ridiculous...tell him we refuse delivery," the Headmaster demanded.
Cid listened intently through his cell phone at the increasingly louder and louder muffled voices until the young guard came back on line. "Sir," he said, "he says if we don't accept the pizzas he would have to report us to Balamb's Better Business Bureau, which would mean no company in Balamb would have further truck with us until this matter is straightened out. He's also threatening to go to the City Council for some kind of relief, sir."
Cid emitted a large sigh while he still continued to hold the new contract with Balamb in his other hand. After approving the purchase and telling the SeeD to have the pizzas delivered to the cafeteria, he reached for his desk phone. Cid dialed the number to the cafeteria extension and ordered that dinner would be free for anyone who wanted pizza that night. With that done, the headmaster slumped in his chair and began to rub his temples.
I hope Edea gets back soon, he thought. His wife was away on her White SeeD ship for a few weeks and it seemed to him that utter chaos followed whenever Edea went away for too long. He'd just gotten his fledgling headache under control when his cell phone crowed at him again. Now what?
"Sir, this is Matt," came a voice barely discernable over the yelling in the background.
"Who?"
"Matt Rhechworthy, English instructor? Quistis boyfriend?" said the voice.
Quistis has a new boyfriend? "Yes, Matt," said Cid. Am I expected to know the name of every instructor here? "What can I do for you?"
"Well, sir, we have an emergency!"
"Another one?"
"Yes, well, when it rains it pours!" Matt said blithely as if he knew about the other incident.
Cid waited expectantly for this Matt person to explain what the trouble was. When Matt said nothing, Cid demanded, "Well? What's the problem?"
"Oh yes… well, um… it appears that someone clogged up all the drains in the communal shower rooms and bombed the toilets. The hallways are flooding." Matt sounded more like he was discussing the weather rather than reporting a dire emergency.
After giving Matt instructions on how to shut off the water main, Cid hung up and called Balamb Plumbing.
Please come home soon, Edea, the aging headmaster mentally called to his wife as he rested his head on his desk.