i was having problems earlier today with fanfiction.net, so i just want to let you all know that the story is now available at my website as well.
i post there while i'm working - but i always post here as soon as i'm finished!
anyway - so like, read on.
Chapter Ten
Irvine awoke to the delicious smell of coffee.
Coffee, along with the sweet scent of citrus bath gel.
The bed beneath him was soft and comfortable; not like his SeeD bed. So it was a dream.
He rolled over and grunted inadvertently. A soft giggle showered over him, bathing him like sunlight. He knew that giggle, and knew that it had never greeted him upon awakening like he hoped. He was dreaming.
"Get up, silly," the giggle said, turning into a soft voice. "I made you coffee, since I know you like it in the morning."
No, that was a dream too. The woman he adored, making him coffee in the morning ...?
He heard soft footsteps and then something shoved into his shoulder, hard. "Get up," she said sternly. "I've been up forever! I've showered, I've made coffee, and I've set up our accounts on the computer. I'm bored!"
He opened his sleepy eyes. "Good morning, Selphie." And blinked. She had just showered and smelled brightly of citrus and clean, a wonderful feeling. She was wearing baggy wide-legged khakis and a little navy-blue shirt with a collar. And her hair - instead of its usual shining, flippy style, it rested around her face in silky, tousled curls.
Her face melted into the most beautiful smile. "Good morning, Irvine. Do you remember where the supermarket is?"
She had slipped into the game so easily, it unnerved him. They had just spent their first night together, alone. And here she was, chipper as always, wanting to make him breakfast ...
What the hell was this torture?
Selphie, making him coffee in the mornings with a smile; himself, in their bed, in their apartment. She was fulfilling his every dream - this life was absolutely perfect ...
Except that it was a facade. A mission.
She would never understand how this life - this simple life - was all that he wanted. It was driving him crazy to finally experience his only dream and to know - every second - that it wasn't really happening.
Despair. Irvine was in hell. An utterly perfect hell.
And it was only morning.
She gently shoved him again. "Vin, come on. There's a mission at hand here, and the mission involves eating breakfast. We have coffee and ...a handful of granola bars. I'm starving!"
Irvine stretched and couldn't help but smile. "Alright. You'll have to let me shower, but then we can go looking for groceries."
"It's about time." Selphie moved from the bed to let Irvine stretch again and make his way out. She headed into the small study and seated herself at the computer. "After you shower, you should come see this," she said. "It's awesome!"
Irvine gathered his things - baggy jeans, dark red shirt - and headed for the shower. The warm water was relaxing and he found himself cheering up. Just take it one step at a time, cowboy. Nothing to despair about. Just enjoy as much as the mission as you can and be serious about the parts you can't. His morning funk was disappearing. She's having fun - why can't you?
He dried himself, dressed quickly, and ran a comb through his long hair; it cascaded down past his shoulder blades and proceeded to soak through his red t-shirt. Laughing, he gathered his things and went to put them away in the hamper.
"Good gracious," Selphie said as he emerged, "look at your hair!"
He turned to look at her, stray pieces flying around his face. "What do you mean?"
"Bloody Ifrit, Irvine, it's really long." She grinned. "I've never noticed before - you've always had it up. But man, do you have a lot of hair!"
Irvine shook his head slowly, the long strands flying back and forth. "Chicks dig the hair," he said, teasing.
"They'd better not," Selphie said with a giggle. "We don't need any more trouble than we've already got."
He strolled into the study - Selphie was staring intently at the computer - and peered over her shoulder. "Porn again, huh?"
She smacked him. "Don't get any ideas," she warned. "I know everything that goes on here on this computer. If I catch you looking up pornography, you'll be in so much trouble!"
"Yes, mother."
"Now look," she said, excited. "Here are all the video feeds in the house - there are a lot more than Xu mentioned!" She began hitting buttons, her fingers flying. The view on the screen flipped through the various rooms, views and angles rotating.
"Hey, that's my ass."
She giggled. "Then we'll have to save that shot."
Irvine poked her. "Don't you dare!"
"And look at this," she said, spontaneously closing the windows and opening another program. "Here's how we get in touch with Balamb."
A series of windows popped up around the screen and Irvine admitted that he was lost. "What the hell is all that, Seff?"
"Simple," she said primly in a perfect imitation of Quistis, "and don't call me Seff. These windows will allow us to check electronic messages left for us by Balamb Staff - Cid, Squall, and all those people. These allow us to put in requests for more funding or supplies." She tapped a finger on the screen to emphasize her directions. "These send our daily reports - oh, yeah, we have to give daily reports. I'll show you how to do that later."
"You're a bloody genius," Irvine said. "The only think I know how to do with a computer is - well, shoot it."
Selphie burst out laughing. "Come on, cowboy, I'm hungry!"
"I'm not a cowboy," Irvine sulked. "They said I wasn't allowed to wear the hat."
"You sound like a pouting five-year-old."
"I feel like one." He tugged his suede jacket on over his clothes. "I want my hat."
"You're ridiculous. The hat was a dead give-away - there was no way you could wear it." She grabbed his hand and tugged him out the door. "Make sure you lock it."
They headed down into Deling's shopping district and found the supermarket without much trouble; together, they filled a cart up with groceries, charging it to their new Garden-issue card. On the way back Irvine stopped in a little café and picked up two muffins, a hot chocolate for Seff, and a mocha for himself. They sipped the drinks at a little table outside the café, watching people walk by.
Irvine noticed Selphie glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. The third time she did it he caught her gaze gently and asked: "What is it?"
She blushed. "You look so different," she admitted. "I'm just getting used to it."
He reached over and tugged on one of her curls. "You changed your hair."
"I thought you hadn't noticed," she said, slightly pleased. "I thought we should look a little different - I'm just ...I don't know. You've got your hair down, you have no hat, you're wearing jeans - you look like someone I don't know."
"I'm still me," Irvine pointed out.
"Oh, shut up." Selphie tossed her muffin wrapper at him. "Maybe when you changed your clothes you could've changed your personality into someone who actually likes me."
"Oh, darlin', when have I ever been anything but a sweetheart?"
"All those times that you're a retard."
"You got me there."
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Such an endearing couple we are," she said. "They'll see right through us."
"I bet most couples do this," Irvine mused. "Don't take Squall and Rinoa as an example, dear."
"Do you like my hair?" she asked suddenly.
"It's cute," he said simply, sipping his coffee.
They sat for a while longer before lugging their groceries back home and depositing them in the kitchen cupboards. At that point they were hungry again, so Selphie made pasta.
"What's the plan for today?" he asked her after lunch.
"Oooh, I'll check!" She jumped up and ran for the computer.
"I think you like that machine more than you like me," Irvine called after her as he headed to the sink to do the dishes.
"Shut up," she said endearingly. "Oooh, look, there's a message from Cid!"
Irvine dumped the dishes in the sink and came to look, standing behind her and peering at the screen over her shoulder. Selphie clicked on a little flashing light and a screen popped up - a simple text message.
Balamb Team: Please contact me on webphone at your earliest convenience for today's directives.
"Webphone?"
"Sweet!"
The two exclamations meshed, and Selphie and Irvine looked at each other and laughed.
"See, Vin, webphone is just a way of connecting to the other person on the computer. We can talk to Cid through the computer like it were a phone. Sometimes you can connect with video, so you can see the other person, but I doubt we have that - it's expensive." She clicked on a little icon with a phone and copied the number from the bottom of Cid's message. "I think this is Cid's personal line. Dude, that's so cool!"
Irvine shook his head. "I don't know about you, Seff."
"I'm just so excited to have a computer," she gushed. "Trabia depended so much on computers, they were everywhere -"
There was a burst of static, and then a voice: "Balamb Garden, Headmaster."
"Oh," Selphie said, surprised. "Selphie Tilmitt and Irvine Kinneas reporting for directives from Deling City, sir."
"Ah, hello." The voice was faintly recognizable as their familiar headmaster. "Glad to see you've got everything set up."
"The computer systems are fully operational, sir," Selphie said, a note of pride in her voice.
"Excellent." Static covered the tinny voice for a second and then faded. "Have you settled in yet?"
Selphie surveyed what she could see of the messy rooms. "Yes," she said, amused. "Very well."
"Is Kinneas there?"
Selphie elbowed Irvine. "Say something," she hissed. "He can hear you, too."
"Good afternoon, sir."
"Ah, hullo, Irvine," Cid replied, his electronic voice small and thin. "Good, then, I'll give you your directives."
"Bet this takes half an hour," Selphie whispered.
A cough resounded over the connection, sounding very odd. "This afternoon you will be meeting with the teams; two from Trabia and two from Galbadia."
"Four SeeD cadets?" Selphie asked, surprised.
"I know, Selphie, it seems like overkill. I think they are trying to emphasize the importance of the Desert Rose mission."
"Three of us were enough to liberate Timber... " she whispered to Irvine.
"Look," The tinny voice said sternly. "The point of this mission is to try and trick the traitors into revealing themselves. Out of the six that have been sent it is suspected that at least one is the enemy we are looking for. If they believe the mission is vital to Garden, they'll be more likely to bungle it."
"But won't that reveal who they are?"
"They'll try to frame someone else," Cid said, "or frame you, or the Desert Rose operatives. The trick is to catch them beforehand."
"Um," Irvine said awkwardly, "just how are we supposed to do that, sir?"
"Why do you think I picked you two for this mission?" Cid asked her, his tinny voice sounding like a child's over the connection. "Yes, the targets were your students, and you were bound to get emotional about them. But the two of you have prime knowledge about the inner operations of both Trabia and Galbadia Gardens - knowledge that will be essential to understanding the protocol on this mission. You're the only people at Balamb with that knowledge - we obviously couldn't use SeeD from the other two Gardens on this mission in your place, they'd be recognized - and out of anyone here who would know Trabia or Galbadia, you two are the only ones we can trust. You were great Instructors, yes - but we need your pasts and skills more than your students."
He coughed, another odd sound over the long connection. "The best way to sum it up is by what I told you: we have set a trap, and you guys are both the jaws and the bait. You need to use what you know about Garden procedure to try and detect holes in their process. You need to use your intuition to figure things out before they do. You need to use what you remember."
A burst of static. "We'll be looking on this side for evidence. You two have to look on the other side. Work carefully and wisely. This entire setup is just a trap to tempt a traitor."
"Sir," Selphie asked timidly, "what if - what if the suspects are innocent?"
Cid grunted. "Then we tell them it was a training exercise, slap a rank promotion on them, and move on."
Selphie almost laughed.
Cid sighed, a long rush of static over the connection. "I'm sorry to do this to you," he said, the anger gone from his voice. "You were the only two who could successfully keep an eye on Galbadian- and Trabian-trained SeeD. But we're all behind you. If you need to contact me, use this line. Xu will be in Deling for another week or two; contact her if you need anything." He paused. "Your friends here send their best wishes. I've requested that they only contact you when they are out of uniform, just in case - but there's a vid-phone on that computer that you can use."
Selphie clapped her hands to her mouth to cover an excited squeal. "Yes, sir," she managed to get out.
"Now remember," he said. "You two are not SeeD today. You're a young couple, the brother of which has vanished, and you are paying through your teeth to get him back. Keep pushing the issue. Try to catch them all off-guard. Be observant. And be careful."
"Yes, sir," Selphie said.
"Oh - and be Junctioned at all times. Just in case. Better safe then sorry - just don't let them Draw from you. Good day, you two," Cid said, and broke the connection.
There was a long silence.
"So that's it," Irvine said softly.
"Our pasts..." Selphie said pensively. "My Trabian training... that's why."
She looked up at him. "What if they're people we remember?"
"Then we run," Irvine said sternly, "because - what if they remember us?"
"We say we quit?" she said, smile spreading over her face. "We fell desperately in love," she continued, teasing, "and left Garden to live together because we couldn't bear it."
"And the fake names?"
"Hiding from our parents," she said with a grin.
"Why'd we hire SeeD then - why not do it ourselves?"
"Never passed." She shrugged. "C'mon, play along."
"Are you Junctioned, dear?"
She blinked. "No, actually," she admitted softly. "You know I haven't been since..."
"I know." His face was serious. "It's okay, Seff. I think we should be prepared."
A struggle was waging across her face; but finally, her concern won out. "Okay," she conceded. "I'll re-Junction everyone."
"Just pretend it's a battle," Irvine said, but her eyes were already closed.
She sought out that place deep in her mind, the mental state that allowed her to communicate and connect with these violent spirits. A surge of familiarity rushed through her mind and she smiled involuntarily. Quezacotl - her first real junction, her closest friend in that strange anti-dimension world of GFs. The thunder bird had become her devoted companion and a fierce protector over their long journey. She felt its mind burst with excitement as they reconnected - Selphie's body and Quezacotl's spirit.
Quezacotl rushed through her mind joyfully, then pulled itself back as it felt her instant shudder; she felt it pause, as if to say what's wrong?
I don't want to lose any more of my mind, she said; communicating with the GFs was always an interesting experience. The powerful spirits tended to speak in images, pictures; their language was long lost, as were their physical forms. She knew now that they drew upon the people who used them in order to exist - sending their spirits into the bodies of others, giving them their fantastic powers in return for the shelter of the mind. I will give you all the space you need, but ...I'm afraid.
She felt Quezacotl pondering over this in her mind; it gave a decisive nod, as if to say send the rest in.
Tentatively, she reached out, looking for the spunky Carbuncle - aha! It felt the summons and came rushing forward, crowding into her mind exuberantly -
She felt Quezacotl admonish the small creature gently; Carbuncle paused, and then slowly reeled itself in. Selphie received the mental picture of the brilliant-colored Carbuncle curled up tightly in a ball, stashed somewhere in the corner of her mind. She couldn't help but giggle, thinking thank you as hard as she could.
Beside her, Irvine closed his eyes in concentration as well. The exuberant Brothers were waiting, resting in a tiny corner in his mind; he beckoned and was presented with a mental picture of Sacred tumbling over Minotaur in the rush to heed the call. Once the troublesome Brothers were in place he reached out again; elegant Leviathan slithered out of nothingness at the summons, flashing Irvine's subconscious with his long liquid length. Finally, Irvine reattached Cerberus, the fearsome three-headed dog who had become a strong ally. The GF bounded out into Irvine's head; for a brief second he felt it snap at the Brothers playfully and then curl up, ready for its master's command.
Living with the GFs was always interesting; it was what Irvine imagined schizophrenia would be like. The GFs had their own personalities, their own quirks; occasionally they argued with each other within the confines of their master's mind. It was never a good idea to link Ifrit and Shiva through the same person's mind; they bickered endlessly, though they liked to work together in battle. The mental strength required to connect with a GF was quite substantial; much like the finite control required to Draw and Junction magic.
Irvine simply handed all of his magic over to Cerberus; he trusted the fearsome GF to put the right spells in the right place. There was a rush through his body as something - Curaga? - connected; another fierce shiver as the three-headed beast attached spells to his defense and speed. It was disconcerting. But - these powers were necessary.
He felt Selphie's hand rest on his arm; he glanced at her. Her eyes were still closed, and Irvine figured she was manually connecting all of her magic. "How much Flare do you have?" she asked.
"100, but it's all hooked up," he said. "Sorry, Seff."
"I need something else..." Her closed eyes fluttered slightly.
"There's that Curaga point in the bedroom," he said.
"Don't have Siren," she said, eyes scrunched shut again. "Can't see it."
"Ask Quezacotl to get it - I bet he can."
Her eyelashes quivered; there was a flash of light, and then she extended her hands toward the hidden Point, allowing her mind to drain the energy source of its power.
She opened her eyes. "Success."
"I know Quezacotl loves you the best," Irvine said in jest. "I tried to Junction him once - he sure didn't like it."
"They're just so competitive," Selphie said with a smile. "I just mentioned that Siren could do it and the next thing I knew - I could see it."
"Excellent," Irvine said.
"Okay," Selphie said. "We only have half an hour before the SeeDs get here. We should go over some stuff."
They sat together on the couch, rehashing their mission and back-story until they had it perfect and could recite things in unison. Selphie smacked Irvine every time he let "Seff" slip, and by the time there was a knock on the door he was smoothly calling her "Fee" - although he had the bruises to show for it.
He opened the door. Four immaculately dressed SeeD officers stood outside, and Irvine did recognize them from the train.
"We're SeeD," the one in the front said; a tall, dark-haired man, looking haughtily down his nose at Irvine.
"I can see that," the cowboy said, immediately not liking the man. "Come on in."
"My name is Darik, and I'm command for this mission," the man said. "This is Astra, and we're the Galbadian team."
Figures, Irvine thought, as he greeted the woman behind him. She had very short, very pale blond hair cut in silky layers and disconcertingly light blue eyes; they scanned the room quickly, taking in every object - including Selphie.
"I'm Vanesa," a voice said from behind them. The luxurious redhead made her way through the door - around Astra's motionless body - and shook Irvine's hand delicately. "This is Dall. We both hail Trabia - though we're all working together on this mission," she said, directing it pointedly at Darik.
Bickering already, Irvine thought. Just like true SeeD - especially Galbadians. "Here, come on in," he said. "I'm Vincent, and this is my wife, Fiona."
He tucked his arm around Selphie, who gave them a weak smile.
"Fee's brother is missing," he began, "and -"
"We know," Darik said, almost vehemently. "We've been briefed on this mission. Operation Desert Rose. You expect he's being held somewhere in the Desert Prison."
Selphie shuddered. "Yes," she whispered.
"Please take a nicer tone with my wife," Irvine said firmly. "She's very upset about the whole situation."
Darik stepped up to look him face to face; golden eyes met Irvine's deep violet ones. "That is a request from your client," Irvine said softly, emphasizing every word.
Darik gave him one last glare and stepped down.
"Well," Vanesa said, trying to break up the awkward situation. "Let's get seated and you can tell us what you'd like from us."
Irvine guided Selphie over to the couch; she was doing an excellent job of looking horribly upset, and Irvine was duly impressed.
The SeeDs filled in the spaces in the room; Darik threw himself down on the couch, and Vanesa perched herself next to him with a warning glare. Dall took the remaining chair after Astra showed no interest in it; the pale woman was leaning against a wall, her cool gaze scanning the room.
"So," Dall said. "Tell us what you know about your brother's disappearance."
Selphie swallowed and gathered trembling hands in front of her. "My brother has always been - a good person. He's always been trying to take care of me and momma, any way he can - but that doesn't ..." She took a deep breath; Irvine squeezed her hand. "Back around when Vin and I got engaged he started acting a little - odd. We didn't know why, and Ma and I were too distracted ...somehow, he got tangled up in a weapons deal. A bad one."
She bit her lip. "We didn't hear about it until last month - after the wedding. Supposedly a friend of his had hit him up for some cash, and my brother - well, of course he lent it out. And then more. And then the friend talked him into going into 'business' with him. He didn't find out what the business was until it was way too late."
"And then..." Her voice cracked quite convincingly. "And then he wanted out," she whispered.
Selphie looked up suddenly; the four SeeDs were looking at her with a mix of compassion and revulsion. "That's when he vanished," she said bravely, swallowing the tears. "We haven't heard from him in two weeks."
"This isn't normal for your brother?"
"Not at all." Selphie looked down at her hands. "He can't go two days without calling to check up on us - me and Ma." She looked back up at the SeeDs, her eyes bright with challenge. "We need you to find him."
"We've checked the contract," Dall said. "It says we're yours until we find him - and we will find him."
Selphie was fully aware of these binding contracts; much too often SeeD arrangements took on nebulous definitions like the liberation of Timber, for example. "Thank you," she whispered.
"So," Vanesa said. "What makes you think he's in the Desert Prison?"
Selphie looked up, wide-eyed with innocence. "I just figured that's where they'd keep him," she said.
Irvine coughed gently. "What she means is - when he first expressed a desire to get out of the deal, he was threatened with confinement in the Desert Prison. He told us this the night he confessed to everything." He put a comforting hand around Selphie's shoulders. "So we just expect that these criminals - would go through on the promise."
Darik shifted on the couch. "Although we are bound by contract in this, I want you to know that Galbadia Garden only funded this mission to get the link on the weapons traders," he said harshly. "We do have other interests to operate under, and you need to understand that the security of our Garden ranks just as highly as -"
"Bloody Ifrit, Darik," Vanesa said, tossing her flaming hair over her shoulder, fire in her eyes. "Have some sense, for Hyne's sake! It's this girl's brother you're talking about! And besides, our contract states that the mission's goal is the rescue, not the infiltration!"
Darik remained on the couch, his arms crossed. "You care more about orders and protocol than the safety of our Garden. Bloody sentimental Trabians."
Vanesa leapt to her feet. "And you care more about the prestige of Garden than the people you're sworn to serve! Just like a Galbadian."
Darik was on his feet in a flash as well. "You're letting your emotions get in the way," he growled.
"And you're letting your ambition take over your orders!"
"You're embarrassing us."
Astra's voice was cold, cutting through the anger in the room like a knife. She came forward now from her post on the wall and looked from one to the other.
"This behavior," she said, staring at Darik and then snapping her head to Vanesa, "is unacceptable."
There was an awkward silence in the room.
Inwardly, Irvine was amused - and thrilled. This is the most incompetent batch of SeeDs I've ever seen! They argue more than Squall and Seifer. He wanted desperately some way to continue the argument - he had a feeling that it would reveal some valuable information.
"May I ask," he said, trying not to sound too offended, "what the issue here is?"
Four sets of eyes turned to him - five, including Selphie's, which were full of surprise.
"I mean," Irvine continued, his hands up as if to ward off an attack, "I really have no experience with SeeD, and I don't really know what's going on - but it seems to me that you guys have never worked together before, right?"
Silence; finally, Dall nodded.
"Well, look," Irvine said. "I think that maybe - maybe this is just me - you guys should work through these problems before we begin this mission." Darik gave him a glare and he put up his hands again, palms facing the fierce young man. "I don't care that you guys don't get along - but I'd rather you fought here than on the actual mission."
He stood up. "So like, why don't you work things out right now. Fee and I can give you some privacy if you'd like. I think - you guys should resolve this before it's too late."
There was a pause, and then Vanesa nodded. "Yeah, if you don't mind," she said bitterly, "I'd like to talk some things over with my fellow teammates."
Irvine took Selphie's hand and pulled her toward the computer room. "We'll wait in here," he said. "Take your time."
He shut the door behind them and gave Selphie a grin. "You're brilliant," she whispered to him, taking her seat at the computer and punching up the cameras.
"Well, they're certainly not," Irvine whispered in response as the pictures loaded.
"-know Trabia and Galbadia do things very differently," Dall was saying, "but that is no reason for us to be bickering like little kids."
"You've humiliated us," Astra said, her voice still cold and emotionless, "in front of our clients."
"She's a mini-Fujin," Selphie whispered.
"Yeah, and that kid's Seifer," Irvine whispered back, tapping Darik's face on the screen.
Vanesa was sitting on the floor, her face furious. "You have to take back what you said about Trabia," she said huffily to Darik.
"Ness..." Dall reached out and tried to take her hand; she shrugged him off. A pained expression clouded his face.
"Aha," Selphie said under her breath. "The plot thickens."
Vanesa looked up at Darik. "Why would they send someone like you on a mission where you had to work with Trabian graduates?"
"Why isn't there a team from Balamb?" Astra asked suddenly.
All three faces turned to look at her.
"Don't you think," she said strictly, "it's a little odd to send teams from two of the Gardens and not the third?"
"Maybe the Balamb team couldn't make it," Darik said vehemently. "Balamb's a mess nowadays."
"You're just bitter," Vanesa said.
"What's wrong with Balamb?" Dall asked.
Darik's face twisted. "Their Headmaster's fallen off the boat, and control of the whole Garden has fallen to that Leonhart kid - you know, the one who fought off the Sorceress."
Dall shrugged. "What's wrong with that?"
"His girlfriend's a Sorceress!" Darik hissed.
Vanesa shook her head. "You -"
"The guy in charge of Balamb -"
"Are just jealous, because -"
"Is in love with the girl -"
"Rinoa Heartilly danced with -"
"Who's going to be the next Sorceress!"
"Him instead of you."
Vanesa and Darik were glaring daggers at each other at this point. Astra calmly stepped between them and, extending her arms, forcefully shoved them apart.
"Look," the pale woman said, and her voice was venomous.
"I will appoint myself Commander for this mission," Astra said softly but forcefully, "if you two can't put this all aside and work together. This is a Mission." Her icy voice emphasized every word. "We are Mercenaries. We have been Hired." A long finger reached out to point vehemently at Darik and then Vanesa. "If you cannot complete the mission, I will relieve you of command."
There was silence. "Now," Astra said quietly. "Are we ready to work?"
Darik and Vanesa looked sufficiently chastised. Astra looked from one to the next and then at Dall. "I want promises from all of you," she said succinctly, "that none of this - prejudice - will surface for the rest of the mission. Understood?"
Selphie and Irvine traded glances in front of the screen.
"Damn," Selphie whispered; it was rare for her to swear at anything.
"We'll have to re-watch that later," Irvine said urgently. "Save it and hide it."
Selphie's nervous fingers flew on the keyboard.