PeRFecT
PeRFecT- Chapter 14
"Irvine- I'm a sorceress." She repeated quietly. The hatless cowboy dropped his fork in his empty salad bowl and wiped his mouth with his napkin.
"I know, hun." He gave her a reassuring smile. What was supposed to be an ultimate shock for Irvine smacked Quistis in the face.
"W. . what? H. H. . . .How do you know?" She stammered- her eyes were bugging out of her head and her face was hot and flushed. He leaned into the back-cushions and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Mama Red told me Monday evenin'. I wanted ta visit ya then, so I went lookin' for ya and found Red in the halls. I asked her where you were at and that kinda brought everythin' out. 'bout the missiles and the t-rex and the meditatin' 'n stuff." He smiled and rubbed her shoulder they way she generally did his. "You okay, hun?"
"You knew." She whispered, blinking repeatedly. "And. . .you're still here? With me? In this place, doing the things we've been doing and saying the words we've pronounced, all the while knowing that I was a monster? Irvine. . .aren't you scared of me? Adel was the reason we are orphans. . .how can you care for me so easily?" She stared at her silver bracelet. The metal felt hot to the touch.
"Dunno- maybe it's fate." He grinned and shrugged, uncrossing his arms. She simply stared at him.
"Irvine, don't joke about this. . ."
"I'm not, Quisty. I really am not joking. . .I do care, and it's not gonna change just because you know somethin' 'bout yourself now that you never knew before. You've always been a sorceress- you were a sorceress when I found you sittin' in the stairwell that first day, ready ta cry 'cause some punk stole yer imported water. You were a sorceress when you stepped into the boy's dormitory and that asshole flashed you his privates. .. heh heh…we call him Private privates, now. . .Hell, Quisty- you were probably a sorceress when you were four years old, lettin' those chocobos outta their stable and getting' yourself trampled 'n stuff. . .I'm not gonna turn away from ya because someone's come up with a different label for ya. You're also a Hero and a genius and a damn gorgeous woman- voted most beautiful Galbadia Garden instructor two weeks runnin'! Don't hate yourself for bein' yourself, Quisty."
She blinked twice.
'Holy shit. I think I'm in love with this man. . .'
"Besides. . .don't really see what all the fuss is 'bout. I've seen sorceresses before- they ain't all bad. . .'sides, even if they were, you could just be the exception that proves the rule, eh?" Picking his fork out of his bowl, he started on her untouched salad. Quistis once again stared into the candle-flame. The only sound their company generated was the crispy crunching of Irvine's mastication.
"When did you see a sorceress, Irvine?" She asked, breaking out of her daze. He swallowed and licked the excess dressing from his lips.
"When I was just a little guy, 'bout six or so." He replied, giving her back her appetizer. He paused in contemplation. "I lived at an orphanage on the Centran shore 'til East Garden decided ta adopt me. One mornin' I was playin' by myself- didn't do it very often, kinda figures it would happen that day- but on that mornin' I was out in the front, pickin' flowers for my best friends. They were girls and liked that kinda stuff, and. . .well, heh heh. . .I guess I haven't changed that much. Wanted to impress'em an the like. . anyway, I came back from the field through the front entrance to the yard and noticed a strange lady- real different from anyone I'd seen. She was wearing this slinky dress and she had this electric-blond hair. . .and these, like, weird tattoos on her face. Her eyes were pretty, but crazy and she was lying face-first on the pavement. I was afraid that she would be dying, so I ran up ta her and started ta shake her. She looked up at me- boy, she was crazy lookin'- and smiled. It kinda scared me, so I inched back, but she grabbed my arm and started talkin' in some weird clickety-click language. She didn't hurt me, but she wouldn't let me go. So I just stood there and stared at her as she talked ta me. It was kinda of pretty, but it didn't make no sense whatsoever. I stood there with her until she finished talkin' and took her hand away from my arm. She. . .kissed my forehead and told me I was a real good boy. She was nice after that, and asked me where my mama was. I told her I didn't have no mama, only a Matron. She smiled and told me that she wished she was my mother and asked me if I could call her my mama- that she'd always wanted a little boy like me. That made me so happy- I was only six, remember- so I called her mama and sat my little behind down beside her, gave her some flowers and a piece a my candy bar. She was smilin' kinda weird all the time, but it didn't matter to me- I thought that she was lookin' ta adopt me. . . if she didn't die, y'know? She's was kinda beat up and was bleeding from some bullet holes and knife wounds. I guess I knew she was dying, but I was always hopeful then." He paused a moment, his eyes misting over with
nostalgia.
"Anyways, I sat with her for a while, wove crowns outta those flowers and sang her little songs. My favorite song was this lil ditty I made up about this bully that used to tease me-I can still sing it, y'know? But, I'm ramblin'. So, I guess my Matron heard me singin' in the yard and came to fetch me, but instead she found me sittin' there with this crazy-dyin' lady. Her face just went white and she walked upta us and took me by the hand, never takin' her eyes offa the sorceress, and she told me that Sefie-my best friend- was lookin' for me and wanted ta play house. Well- I loved playin' Big poppa, so I jumped up and ran back inta the orphanage. I looked all over for Sefie-girl, but I couldn't find'er. So I went back out ta see Matron. When I got ta the doorframe I saw all these funky lights surroundin' the lady and Matron, and when the lights died down, the lady was gone and Matron collapsed on the ground. I ran and found uncle and he came ta pick'er up, but. . .Matron was never the same after that. Always tired and sometimes mean. I. . .still wonder 'bout that sorceress ta this day, Quisty. Shit. . .sorry. My stories are always like . .detailed."
"That would be that perfect memory, Irvine." Quistis answered, trying to let all of the information sink in. She fingered her bracelet, trying to ease the pain it was inflicting on her delicate skin. "Amazing. I can't believe you remembered all of that, Irvine. What else do you remember about her?"
"She had this exotic accent- chewed up her vowels and really bit inta her consonants. Her voice was low- mostly round G to a B-flat. She smelled like dead roses and gunpowder and metal. There were burned feathers in'er hair. Her kisses were like cold burning. Brrrrr…Not like yours. How 'bout plantin' one of your's right here ta erase the trauma. . .hmm?"
Clucking her tongue, she planted a quick kiss on his mouth. He definitely deserved that. Irvine deserved more, but she noticed the arrival of their entrees out of the corner of her eye. The flaky waitress presented them with their meals.
"Here you are sir- I hope everything is to your satisfaction. And miss- I thought and thought about it, and I settled on the duck. It has orange sauce and it's really classy and refined, like you- so I hope you like it."
"Smells delish." Irvine wafted the scent from Quistis' dish and dove right into his own. Quistis simply smiled at the waitress.
"It truly does- thank you."
"Oh no-miss Trepe- thank YOU." The waitress giggled and cooed. "You are the most incredible people I've ever met! And to think- you declared your love for the first time, right here! In this restaurant, at this table, during my shift. Galbadia's modern hero captures infamous playboy's heart. It's so adorable!"
Irvine began to choke on his steak. Pounding on his chest, he coughed up the gristle that had lodged in his throat.
"Now, sweetheart." He started, regaining his voice. "We really do appreciate your support 'n all, but we. . .uh. . .kinda need ta keep this incognito, if ya know what I'm sayin'? Do ya think there's any chance that ya could keep it a secret for a little while? Just the three of us?"
"What else did you hear. . ." Quistis glanced down her nose at the girl. Smiling, Irvine placed a hand on his lover's shoulder. He addressed the waitress.
"Sweety? Do ya think it's possible ta keep this between us three?" Irvine laid on the syrupy charm. 'That's my boy. . .' Quistis groaned. But it worked. The sweet waitress put a finger to her lips and giggled like the naïve little imp she was. Irvine's crooked grin grew as he placed his own index finger to his lips in accordance.
"Our little secret." She whispered. Quistis rolled her eyes. 'I never realized just how many soft little twits there are out there. . .Hyne. . .'
"Our little secret. Now, I think we'd really appreciate some fresh pie after our delicious meal- don'tcha think, hun? Apple?" Quistis grinned and nodded, unable to look at his obnoxious face. "Yeah. Apple sounds good to me. Now, sweetheart-make sure the cook warms it up. . . give us some ice cream too. Quisty? You game. . . ?"
"No ice cream for me, thanks." She said, her words basically directed to her food. Her cadet was pure wild.
"Okay. . .well I want some ice-cream. But on the side, y'know? 'cause I don't want it getting' all liquidy and meltin' all over the pastry. Can you do that for us?"
"Of course!" The waitress answered with a broad gesture. She scurried off in search of pie. Irvine took the opportunity to wrap his left arm around Quistis' waist as he consumed his dinner. Quistis ate her own with enthusiasm- no matter how ditzy the girl was, she definitely knew her cuisine.
They enjoyed their meals in silence, both of them needing a moment to digest their situation. Quistis wouldn't have wanted to disturb Irvine's shovelling, anyway. She found herself staring at him as he chomped into his steak with relish and washed it down with wine. Because his mouth was full, he was forced into quiet- which gave him an opportunity to think. He was completely mesmerizing. His manners were quite good, but he still ate like a cadet, with the enthusiasm of an orphan.
The waitress removed their plates and presented the over-stimulated couple with their pie. She winked as she handed them the three pieces of freshly browned, flaky-soft dessert.
"You can wrap it up and take it home with you- for later. Compliments of your server!" She tittered, placing the bill face down on the table. Irvine handed her a credit card and shooed her away. Then he dove into the pie. The look on his face was priceless.
"Hyne- this is sex in a pastry. Ya gotta try it, hun. . .mm .mm .mm. . ." He finished it before Quistis could even begin hers.
"You are going to burst at the seams. . ."
"Me? Aw, hell no. I'm a growin' boy, hun. I'll work it off in no time. . ." This piqued Quistis' curiosity.
"Really? And how do you usually do that, Mr. Kinneas?"
Noticing the look on her face, his cheeks turned bright red and he bit back a grin. She swallowed her own laughter as well.
"I know. . .we could go 'round up' some 'critters'- kill some feral fish and berserker birds- I mean, it would be a good idea, wouldn't it? Since we have nothing else to do before Garden reopens it's doors in. . oh, seven hours."
"It's that late, eh?" Irvine stared at his hands, grinning sheepishly. "Are ya mad? I. . .didn't mean anythin' by it. I just wanted ta take ya out for a nice dinner, that's all. . but, I guess. . ." He mumbled something incoherent. She took the opportunity to pinch his arm and point her finger in his face.
"Don't you trail off, Irvine Kinneas. You sneaky thing. . .I know you too well." She glared, inches away from his face. Then she dropped a kiss on his nose and curled into the crook of his arm. They both chuckled.
"Well. . .I was kinda hoping to get you all cozy by the fire again. I know I apologized for gettin' fresh with you that night, but I really didn't feel guilty at all. . ."
"Actually- I was probably the catalyst in that. . .you don't know how much I wanted you that night. . ."
She slapped her hands over her mouth, utterly mortified.
'Hyne, Trepe. That was gutsy. Be a good virgin and stare at your hands-don't look at him, you'll just get more embarassed- look down. There's a good girl. . ..' She did just that. But his hands came to her jaw and lifted her head to greet his face. His eyes were shining and that lovely, stupid grin was plastered all over his handsome, ridiculous face.
"I can't believe you just said that." He laughed noiselessly, smoothing her flowing bangs from her face.
"Me neither, honestly. I don't know what's come over me." She confessed. "Ever since I came here I've been losing- or finding- myself. I was so anal retentive- precise, logical, flawless. . ." p e r f e c t. "I guess I'm still those things, but. . .I'm. . .oh, hell- I don't know what's going on. I've changed. For the better, I think. . . I hope." She leaned her head close to his ear. "But I'm not going to renege on that- I wanted you so bad that night. And every night since then. And now I don't even restrict it to the night time. Any free moment I have I fantasize about you. And I'm not ashamed of it either. . ." The blonde instructor. . . 'Soon to be ex-instructor, gulp. . .' arched languidly away from him and dove into her pie. The waitress came back with the credit card.
"Here you are, Sir. Can I help you in any other way?"
"Can you rent us a room for tonight?" Quistis cut in quickly, glancing at the credit card. 'Martine's card, eh? Heh heh. . .let's milk him.' "One of the penthouses, preferably, if they're open." Irvine gaped beside her. The waitress snickered and jumped up and down. "There IS one open! I'll go rent it for you!" Grasping the card in her hot little palm, she scurried off. Quistis leaned back with a smug smile.
"Quisty?"
"mmmm?"
"Uh. . . .y'know that's Martine's card, eh?"
"That's why I did it, Irvy."
"That's my bad girl!" Irvine whooped and hopped out of his seat. This drew attention from numerous other customers, but neither cared. No. . .not even Quistis as she crawled out of her seat and into his comforting embrace. She longed to throw her arms around his neck and consume his mouth. She wanted to express her new-found zeal before the entire gathering, but, instead, she followed him quietly to the front desk, where he retrieved Martine's card and the key to their hotel room. The waitress and the concierge exchanged sly looks.
"Enjoy your dessert." The hotel manager beamed, waving. With a capricious grin, Irvine held up both hands- his left hand was grasping Quistis' firmly, while the other was carrying the plate of apple pie.
"Which one? The pie or the tart?" He laughed, almost tripping over his own feet. Quistis took the opportunity to steal the plate from his flailing hand.
"They were talking to me." She announced with a 'come hither' look, dragging him into the gilded elevator. She took and dipped his finger into the appley-glop and sucked on the slimy appendage. His eyes rolled back in his head and that lazy, mid-orgasm grin found its way onto his face. She laughed. "And as good as the pie is, I'm really in more of a 'tarty' mood. . ."