Balamb Garden's Yuletide Vacation

Chapter Eight

Friday, December the Eighth

Zell walked beside his girlfriend as he did every morning to help her open up the library for the day. The normally bouncing on his toes, shadow boxing, excitedly talking behavior of Zell was entirely missing. Instead he stepped quietly along silently stone-faced; the only sound escaping his lips was an occasional loud sigh.

Finally Nicole could stand no more and she attempted to speak to him as she had several times previously since he had appeared at her door to escort her to the library. "Zell, I really want to say one more time how sorry I am for the entire thing and that I laughed, but you have to admit it was funny."

"It was not! It was horrible and I never would have laughed if that had happened to you," he said.

Nicole was honest enough with herself to experience a stab of guilt at the truth of his statement. Zell wouldn't have found it humorous because it would have activated his machismo. He would have taken the entire episode as a personal attack against his masculinity as it would have been against her.

But I bet he would have snickered back in his room with his cronies, she thought.

Zell took the key from Nicole's hand and unlocked the library. As Nicole stepped inside first to flip on the lights she exclaimed, "Oh, it's so cold in here! The heat must have gone out during the night."

Zell curiously observed the vapors of his breath in front of his face. Wondering what could have happened to the heat he followed Nicole as she stepped further into the polar regions of the library.

"Ekkkk!" she shrieked when her eyes feel upon a long white creature near the stacks. "There's some sort of snake there, Zell, and he's wearing a hat!"

Stepping quickly around his frightened girlfriend to offer protection, Zell began to laugh. "Haha! That's just a snow statue that someone made and it's not a snake with a hat. Haha! Its -." Zell leaned over and whispered the truth into Nicole's ear.

She turned bright crimson in embarrassment when she realized what it actually represented and turned away from it. "Oh, I'm so disgusted. And you think it's funny," she accused.

"Oh come on!" Zell protested. "It is funny and I know plenty of girls who would see the humor in it."

"Well, Mr. Zell Dincht, why don't get one of those girls to be your girlfriend? I'm going to my room until this gets taken care of. You contact maintenance to get the heat back on and that thing out of here and despite your strange sense of humor and even stranger lady friends, please keep the library locked in order to keep women and children out!" Nicole flounced from the library leaving Zell standing behind flat-footed with his mouth agape.

Women! he thought ruefully. 

~*~

At a secret time Seifer met with Nida in an undisclosed place via prior arrangement to discuss further nefarious business.

"Here," Seifer said while handing over two grocery sized paper bags. "Add this to Saturday's collection."

"Great!" praised Nida. "What did you get?"

"Well, there's several nightgowns, blankets, beach towels, completely new unopened boxes of perfume and other cosmetics," said Seifer.  "Oh, and there's a brand new coffee maker, still in the box."

"No one is allowed to have that in their rooms, except for the higher staff," Nida commented.

"Bwahaha! That's the beauty of it," said Seifer, laughing. "No one can complain that it's missing."

Following a round of laughter, Nida stepped conspiratorially close to the taller man and spoke, "Hey, that statue of the peni-."

"STOP!" Fujin interrupted causing Nida to jump in surprise and fright. As he glanced at he, she further directed, "RAGE!"

Raijin stepped forward. "Fujin says Seifer doesn't know what you're talking about and even if he did he would claim no prior knowledge, ya know."

"Oh, sorry," Nida muttered, turning pale. He glanced at Fujin and noted to himself that the black eye patch or the silvery dyed sheen of her hair did not detract from her attractiveness. If anything they gave her a dangerous sort of beauty. Not my type though, thought Nida, realizing Fujin could probably break him like a cheap toy.

Seifer laughed. He slammed his hand down hard onto Nida's shoulder and then squeezed causing the slighter man to wince in pain. "Don't worry about it," he boomed out. "Fujin's just a little squeamish when it comes to things like that. No need to apologize. Now I'm expecting a full accounting of our profits when you get back from Balamb tomorrow, hmmm?"

"Of course," Nida answered. He was shaking slightly and appeared to turn even paler than when Fujin had yelled at him, if that was possible.

"Because I'm compiling a full listing of everything I have given you," Seifer further explained, still grinning wickedly.

"Uh...yeah...good," Nida stammered. "I – I'll see you tomorrow."

Nida hurriedly left the scene but he could feel Seifer's eyes boring into his back with every step. He knew without looking that the former knight was no longer smiling.

~*~

Once again, as on almost every Friday afternoon, the Festival Committee was in full swing. Rinoa spoke on interminably concerning what the Decoration Sub-Committee had already accomplished and what further developments in that area were yet planned. Quistis sat beside her boyfriend who appeared to be totally engrossed in what Rinoa was recounting. He was slightly leaning forward and staring intently at the young sorceress. Quistis assumed Rinoa's latest outfit might have just mesmerized him.

She was appareled in long red pantaloons that reached down to her green elf shoes, the kind with curled up toes and gold jingle bells. Her pantaloons were made of a sheer fabric but they were not risqué in any manner as Rinoa was wearing beneath them red and green striped thermal underwear. A red and green plaid flannel shirt graced her upper half. Only a few of the lower buttons were fastened, but again the situation was saved because Rinoa was wearing a heavy-duty red and green sports bra. The ordinarily pretty sorceress actually resembled a crossing dressing transsexual lumberjack.

As Rinoa rambled on, Quistis discovered herself wondering what exactly had happened to her friend who usually had such exquisite taste in her clothing. It was as though Rinoa had become bewitched by the entire holiday season into becoming something or somebody that she was not.

That sounds exactly like me too! Quistis realized with a sudden bolt of honest insight. I'm not usually like this, so bitter, complaining, and judgmental. What exactly is wrong with me? Is it my relationship with Matt? No, that can't be it. It's been like this for a while and I haven't been anywhere near as this disaffected. You know I never have been a huge fan of the holidays, I wonder why?

Selphie's strident tone cut through Quistis' reveries postponing any further insight. "Let's hear it for Rinoa and all the work her sub-committee has done so far in decorating the Garden!" Selphie led everyone in a loud round of applause but there was some question whether people were clapping for the work Rinoa and her sub-committee had accomplished, or that she had finally stopped talking about it.

"Boo!" suddenly cut through the air from the back of the Quad. Quistis didn't even bother turning her head this time because she knew it was Seifer and she also knew he wouldn't be anywhere visible if she did look.

Selphie squinted into the audience completely perplexed as to who would be so mean spirited to boo at a holiday festival meeting, but when it didn't continue she didn't say anything. "Okay, next on the agenda, is to announce that the final arrangements were made and that the music group 'The Lone Chocobo' will be performing at our holiday dance!"

This announcement was greeted by truly spontaneous applause and cheering, as it had been quite a coup on Selphie's part to enlist their services. 'The Lone Chocobo' were currently topping the musical charts in Deling City. Selphie broke into a large smile at the response that caused her to look truly beautiful, Irvine noticed with an aching in his heart. He still hadn't been able to worm himself back into Selphie's good graces.

"Okay, that's everything for today. You all are continuing to do a great job, so keep up the good work! On your out, please come up and get your official ballot for the Winterfest Queen. Booyaka!"

After they had waited in the long line, Matt declared, "Look, Quissy. Here's your name. Guess who I'm gonna vote for?"

Quistis glanced disdainfully at her name on the ballot, but inside she was secretly pleased. That is, until she noticed every attractive female in the Garden was listed, including the women on the kitchen and dinner room staff and laundry crew. Quistis knew she didn't have a chance at winning that honor, so she pushed the thought from her mind. Rinoa would probably win as she always won at everything. Then glancing again at Rinoa's outlandish attire thought, Well… maybe not.

Selphie had asked all of her close friends to remain behind except for Irvine. With a long sigh and a pathetic expression he forlornly wandered out of the Quad. Quistis stood in a group consisting of Matt, Zell, Nicole, and Rinoa who were quietly talking until Selphie finished her task of handing out ballots.

"Let's go to the coffee shop everybody!"  suggested Selphie as she bounded over to the group.

As the gang walked to the Garden Scarbutt's Coffee Shoppe (which was there under a special trial contract) they were discussing the various pranks that had already been played and whether or not they might continue. Of course the others at the table were discreet and did not mention the prank played on Zell since he was present.

"Well, what's being done about this?" Zell angrily demanded as they sat around the table after acquiring their purchases. Oblivious to the chaos in Garden, Rinoa returned with another Super Mega Grande Sugarplum Surprise coffee, as it has taken her only moments to finish her first.

"Yeah," Nicole reiterated in a sharp tone. She was still highly indignant over the snow statue that had been erected, so to speak, in the library.

"We know who's doing it, but we don't know where's he hiding," Quistis insisted.

"Every fox smells his own hole," Matt intoned.

"Oh Quistis, don't start that Seifer stuff again," Selphie complained.

"What the hell does that mean, Matt?" Zell inquired.

"It means, Zell, that birds of a feather flock together," Quistis' boyfriend answered.

"Will you all excuse me for a moment?" Rinoa asked, getting up from her chair and returning to the food and beverage counter. Quistis looked worriedly after her.

"Wait a minute, Matt," the blond-haired man interjected. "What is that suppose to mean?"

"It means a rolling stone gathers no moss," Matt good-naturedly tried again.

Rinoa reseated herself and asked, "What'd I miss?"

Irvine stepped up to the table and greeted everyone. "Howdy, how you all doing?" When Selphie looked pointedly away, Quistis realized something had to be done to get the couple back together. Irvine looked as if he hadn't slept in days and his normally neat hair stuck out at all angles from beneath his hat.

"Rinoa," Quistis questioned, "Isn't that your fourth jumbo coffee? Isn't that too many? However will you get to sleep tonight?"

"Come on, Matt," Zell insisted. "What's that moss thing mean?"

"A wayward wind is a restless wind," Irvine interjected. Selphie rolled her eyes.

"Sleep? I don't need sleep," Rinoa said and then laughed manically. "I have too much decorating to do. In fact, look at the coffee shop. It doesn't have one decoration. It's begging for my touch."

"Now, Rinoa," Selphie warned. "I really don't think the Festival Committee's authority is extended to the coffee shop. This is a privately owned operation."

"Oh don't be silly. Who wouldn't want their business festively decorated at this time of year?" Rinoa insisted.

"You know come to think of it, has anyone seen Squall?" Irvine asked.

"Squall!" Rinoa wailed at the top of her lungs.

"Yeah, you're right," Zell agreed. "I haven't seen Squall since Rinoa turned him green."

"Squall!" Rinoa wailed again, this time with tears running down her cheeks.

"Oh Rinny," Selphie attempted to comfort the young sorceress by offering a quick hug. "It'll be okay as soon as the green wears off."

Rinoa jumped up from her chair and fled the coffee shop, but not before reaffirming her goal of decorating the coffee shop that very evening.

"Now see what you've done," Nicole accused Zell looking angrily at him.

"Yeah," Selphie reaffirmed glaring at Irvine, who flushed and slunk from the shop.

While Matt sat beside her mindlessly chanting clichés, Quistis realized she had never before seen a more dysfunctional group of people. Whatever was to become of us? she wondered. Quistis bowed her head and silently prayed. Oh Great Hyne, Please grant us a holiday miracle.