anyway: on to the story!
Chapter Fifteen
reality?
"...and that's about all, Sir."
Selphie clicked her heels together and gave a salute. Headmaster Cid stood up to acknowledge it, then began pacing slowly around the office.
He turned to the two of them, standing side by side proudly, and smiled. "Selphie, Irvine," he began. "Good job. I'm very proud of you and what you've done."
He looked down at the composite report and the envelope stuffed with vid-disks. "This is a lot of work for two young SeeDs like yourself; the mission was complicated and dangerous, and you performed to the best of your ability with minor losses."
"Losses?" Irvine drawled. "What losses?"
Cid cleared his throat. "Um, minor repairs had to be done on your apartment. Someone was a little too ...emphatic with a lightning spell."
Selphie giggled.
"But I digress." Cid tabbed the folder absentmindedly as Irvine thought kindly: You're always digressing, old man.
"Yes." He turned to the two. "You know you've been granted the customary week of leave; I wanted to know if there was anything else I could do for you as a gesture of our thanks."
Selphie shrugged, embarrassed. "It was just a mission, headmaster," she reminded him gently.
Cid smiled at her. "Yes, I know. But you two are special to me, you know, me and Edea. And I know it was a rushed mission; I took both of you out of your classes, and I was wondering if there was anything I could do to repay you, perhaps."
Selphie shook her head, but Irvine gently put his hand on the small of her back and said, "There might be."
Cid looked up, interested.
The cowboy said firmly, "Selphie and I are interested in going to visit Trabia for our week; could you make travel arrangements for us on the train?"
"Better than that, son," Cid said with a smile. "The Ragnarok's yours."
"Woo-hoo!" Selphie exclaimed, and then clapped her hands over her mouth with a silly smile.
Cid looked at her, chuckling. "A visit home, dear?"
Selphie smiled. "I want to make sure that they're doing well with the repairs and all," she said. "I haven't been back as much as I should, and I want to help."
Cid tapped his chin in absent thought. "We at Balamb haven't been as attentive as we could have, either," he said slowly. "I've been thinking about sending some aid, but I've been so caught up with paperwork," he grumbled cheerfully.
"Maybe we can help," Irvine offered cautiously, an idea forming in his mind.
Selphie looked at him quizzically and he prompted: "So like, we could have a fundraiser here at Balamb for Trabia Garden!"
Selphie's eyes lit up as she understood. "My festival!"
Cid looked from one to the other and noticed a dynamic he had never seen before. Selphie and Irvine had grown closer during their travels, apparently. He chuckled to himself; the two had been inseparable as children. What a better way to grow up than to be at each other's sides once again?
Ah, but he was digressing.
"A fundraiser, eh?" Cid tapped his chain again, thinking. "You know your Festival was pushed back two weeks - security issues."
Selphie pouted momentarily and then thought through it. "No," she said, her eyes twinkling, "that's perfect! Two more weeks to gain publicity - we'll get sponsors - I'll make a committee to help - and when we go to Trabia I'll look around and see exactly what they need." She turned to Irvine, grinning, and grabbed his hand. "This is gonna be awesome!"
Irvine smiled back at her.
Cid cleared his throat. The two looked away from each other, each blushing slightly.
The Headmaster waved his hand at the door. "Get out of here," he said casually. "Go see your friends. And I don't want to see either of you working for another week, you hear?"
"Yes, Headmaster," they replied in unison, making both of them giggle as they escaped Cid's office.
Cid sighed as he watched the energy of youth leave his office. Oh, yes, he remembered Sefie and Irvy - the inseparable dynamic duo of the orphanage. The energetic brown-haired pixie and her sidekick, the playful cowboy - they had always been up to something. Usually something mischievous. They had played together, cried together, and occasionally slept together when there was a fearsome thunderstorm. Edea had been forced to pry them apart the day Selphie was adopted.
Cid chuckled. Who would have guessed that they would grow up into such wonderful people? Selphie's energetic demeanor and selfless nature shone through; she had poured all of her animation and vivacity into helping Garden and her friends - although she had a flair for explosions and fast vehicles. And Irvine Kinneas - no less the cowboy, but much more sincere and heartfelt than anyone could have imagined. The flirtatious gunner had become a loyal and wise companion with the ability to find the good in any situation. Life hadn't been kind to any of them - but all the children he had watched over had turned their hardships into triumphs.
His Sefie and Irvy had finally found each other. Cid couldn't wait to see what the two of them could accomplish together - he was sure, no matter what, that they were in for quite a ride.
But he was digressing again. Cid looked down at the stacks of paper on his desk and wistfully longed for the days in the past with his Edea and a stone house full of children.
"I can't believe it," Selphie said excitedly as they headed for the Cafeteria. "The Festival will make the best fundraiser! We can get donations from all kinds of people! Oh, Vin, you have the best ideas."
Irvine squeezed her hand - yes, he still had it. "Anything for my girl," he said, his eyes twinkling.
"We're gonna have so much fun!" Selphie was almost squealing. "We're going hoo-ooome to Traa-aaabia," she sang, swinging Irvine's hand.
Irvine laughed at her as they entered the Caf. Selphie's silly song turned a couple heads, and more than a few students blinked to see their old Instructor hand-in-hand with the Garden's certified ladies' man. Then Selphie spotted Zell - "Heee-eeeey Zellll!!!" - and ran over, leaving Irvine to follow, chuckling.
Selphie threw her arms around Zell and then threw herself into the chair beside him; Irvine playfully punched his shoulder. "What's up, man?"
Zell looked from one to the next. "OHHH YEEEEAH!" he yelled, grinning. "You guys are back!"
"Awww, you missed us!" Selphie exclaimed cheerfully.
Irvine chuckled as he relaxed into another chair. "I know we're the life of the party, but damn, man."
"Dude, look at this!" Zell gestured to a stack of paper in front of him. "Tests. All of them. I've been going nuts! At last you guys are back. I hate taking care of six million students!"
"Uh, Zell?" Selphie said cautiously. "We're not back for good yet. We've got another week off."
Zell's shoulders slumped in typical fashion. "Maaa-aaaan," he groaned. "I can't take this much longer." He sighed. "First you, then Quistis. What's next - Squall leaves too?"
"It's just a week," Selphie said, trying to comfort her friend. "Then hopefully I'll be back for good."
"Hopefully?" Zell lamented. "Be more confident about it, Seff. You're a bummer."
Selphie stuck out her tongue. "I am not a bummer," she informed Zell. "I am a wonderful person."
Zell looked up at Irvine. "What ideas have you been putting in her head?" he asked.
Irvine burst out laughing.
"Hey, Irvine," a familiar voice asked, "would you mind moving your feet off that chair?"
Selphie looked up, her eyes bright. "Hey, Squall! And Rinoa! Hi guys!"
Squall sat down in the newly vacated chair; Rinoa pulled another chair up beside him and took his arm, grinning. "How was the mission?" she asked, genuine concern in her eyes.
"It was fine," Irvine said, just as Selphie began: "Well, we were in this apartment, and..."
They looked at each other, paused, and then burst out laughing. "Seff wants to give you details," Irvine warned. "You'll be a while."
"Hey!" She playfully punched his arm. He took off his hat and swatted at her; she nimbly grabbed it and tucked it onto her head with a winning smile. Irvine reached under the table and squeezed her knee, hard. She squealed, doffed him with the hat, and then gathered her composure.
This nearly innocent display of affection went completely unnoticed by all their friends.
Selphie began to tell the story; Irvine simply leaned back, his arm resting on the back of her chair - not really around her shoulders, since Selphie was on the edge of her seat informing their friends about their travels. He looked at her, wearing his precious hat, with what could only be considered pride. Selphie Tilmitt - the most beautiful creature in the world - and she was finally, if somewhat ambiguously, his.
"And out of nowhere, bam! Irvine's standing behind her with a gun to her head!"
Irvine tuned in slightly at the sound of his name; Selphie was obviously retelling the story of Astra's sneak attack. Rinoa and Zell were listening intently, riveted on her story. Squall was looking elsewhere, apparently bored; but Irvine noticed the small glint in his eyes.
This would be perfect, Irvine thought, relaxing back into his thoughts. If only Quistis were here, we'd be like a family again. Some odd and disjointed family ...but a family nonetheless.
He looked around, curious. Squall, the serious one, stone-faced and determined. Selphie, bursting with wild energy and happy-go-lucky style. Zell, hot-headed, impetuous, and irrationally loyal. And Rinoa - honest but sweet, outgoing and straightforward yet angelic. They were quite an odd bunch.
"...so then Irvine shoots the rod out of his hands! It was incredible!"
His name, again, drew him back to reality. Irvine realized that, finally, he was part of the story - no longer an outsider, looking in. This time, Irvine Kinneas was an integral part of what had happened - he didn't have to wait on the outside. It was his tale too.
"Nah, but Seff," he drawled, interrupting her story, "it was you calling Quezacotl that was the incredible part."
Selphie blushed bright red. "I didn't - mean to - well -" she stammered.
"Didn't mean to what?" Rinoa leaned forward, curious.
Irvine gave a narrow smile. "Sefie here nearly burnt down the apartment. You should see it - ashes everywhere. The walls are scorched, man. Xu said it would take a week to repair everything."
"I did not." Selphie crossed her arms, sulking. "I didn't mean to electrocute everything."
Zell laughed wildly. "Dude, you fried an apartment? That's awesome!"
Selphie elbowed Irvine in the gut. "Quezacotl says you're a jerk," she said affectionately.
"I'm sure he does." Irvine reached out and tipped the hat down over her eyes. She stayed hidden behind it, pretending to pout.
"Oh, come on." He leaned forward, lifted the hat, and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "I didn't mean it. It was quite an impressive display of your boosting abilities, darlin'."
This time, everyone at the table noticed. Selphie blushed.
"So anyway." Selphie returned to her tale, her voice a little high. "We caught them and turned them in. They're in Xu's custody now. The end."
Rinoa absently played with her fingers on the back of Squall's hand. "How do you go about turning in criminals?" she wondered, her voice light.
"Slap them with a Sleep spell," Squall replied.
"Just crack 'em one upside the head - they won't wake up until they're in jail!" Zell threw a few punches to the air.
Squall rolled his eyes. "That's why they're doing missions and you're in here with papers," he said.
It took Zell a few precious minutes to realize that Squall was joking - his sense of humor was so dark and sarcastic that not everyone could detect it immediately. But finally he burst out laughing and tossed a napkin at Squall.
"At least I'm not trapped in the Headmaster's office, Commander."
This made Squall glower and return the napkin, high-projectile speed.
"So," Rinoa said, interjecting herself as a shield between Squall and Zell, "what are you guys doing now?"
"Well," Selphie said, "we get a week of leave. So we're going back to Trabia. Oh yeah!" She suddenly erupted with excitement. "Look, my Festival is in two weeks and I want to turn it into a fundraiser for Trabia! Will you guys help me?"
Rinoa nodded eagerly. Squall and Zell exchanged uneasy glances, their battle suddenly forgotten.
Squall glanced over at Irvine. "Do I have to?" he mouthed.
"She'll make you," Irvine mouthed back, gesturing to Rinoa, who was excitedly discussing details with Selphie.
Squall narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend and thought evil thoughts.
"What about you guys?" Selphie turned to Zell and Squall. "Irvine said he'd help. You'll help too, right? I'll need everybody's help. Squall, you can be in charge of security, you'll like that. And Zell, you have to talk to vendors in Balamb, you know them all."
Squall and Zell traded looks with each other and rolled their eyes.
"Yes, Selphie," Squall said finally. "I'll do it. Because Trabia needs it."
Selphie went to squeal, but Squall raised his hand -
"And because you and Rin'll never shut up until I agree."
The girls looked at each other and then burst out laughing.
"What about you, Zell?" Selphie asked, her eyes twinkling. "You're trapped now."
Zell waved a hand nonchalantly. "I'll do it," he said casually, "If you go get me some hot dogs right now."
Rinoa and Selphie exchanged glances and then ran for the cafeteria line.
Squall looked at Zell, mock disgust written all over his face. 'That was easy," he said.
Zell shrugged. "Man, I'm cheap," he said. "And it's not like I'd get out of it anyway - you know that as well as I do."
Irvine started laughing. "Maybe you're smarter than the rest of us," he chuckled. "I sure didn't get any hot dogs out of this deal."
"Heh heh." Zell grinned. "I'm the smart one." He tossed a punch in the air and then, distracted, looked down: "And what's the deal with you and Selphie?"
Irvine shrugged lazily. "I don't know what you mean, Zell," he said, stretching.
"I saw you!" Zell waggled a finger in his face. "You kissed her!"
Irvine smirked at his friend's discomfort. "I dunno, Zell," he said, teasing further. "Maybe I won't tell you."
"You have to!" Zell raised his fists threateningly, grinning. "I can beat your ass!"
Irvine whistled. "SO scared," he said sarcastically.
"You're a jerk."
"Irvy is not a jerk," Selphie said as she approached, both hands carrying a plate full of hotdogs. "I brought some for you too, sweetie," she said, setting a plate in front of Irvine. "You're helping too, so you get hot dogs!"
Zell gaped. Irvine winked at him and started eating as Rinoa approached with similar trays in her hands.
"So where did Quistis go?" Selphie asked as she chewed.
"Mission," Zell groaned as he stuffed another hot dog into his mouth. "She left me with most of her grading as well."
"What sort of mission?" Irvine asked. "Anything related to what we had done?"
Squall leant forward to help himself. "There's a lot of shit going on upstairs," he said darkly, referring to the Headmaster's Office. "It's some sort of combined mission and training run - I bet Quistis is trying to get another Cert."
"Certification?" Rinoa wiped ketchup from the corner of her mouth. "What else does she need?"
Selphie shook her head slowly. "She wouldn't just run off out of nowhere and ditch her classes unless it was an important mission." She paused. "You know that Q likes being an Instructor more than anything."
"But I thought you said -" Rinoa turned to Squall and then hastily cut off the rest of her sentence.
There was a pause, and then Squall leaned forward. "I heard Cid talking to someone about Quistis passing some test. I figured she was just going for another Garden Cert. I really don't know what's going on."
Rinoa giggled. "Figures. You know you're going to be the next Headmaster. You should start paying attention."
Squall glowered darkly. "I am not," he said. "And you know it."
Zell stuffed another hot dog into his mouth. "Hey, who's Headmaster at Trabia now?"
Selphie paused. "You know, I have no idea!" She giggled nervously. "I guess I should know, huh? Squall, do you know?"
Squall, looking bothered, shrugged. "Whatever," he said. "No idea."
"We'll find out soon enough," Irvine said, reaching over to poke Selphie. "Want to leave today or tomorrow?"
"I can't wait!" Selphie's eyes were shining. "Let's go this afternoon! I'll email some of my old friends and make sure we have a place to stay."
"You get the Ragnarok?' Zell slumped. "Aww, maaa-aaan."
"Jealous," Selphie sung, "You're just jealous."
"Little Miss Speed Demon," Zell shot back, grabbing the last hot dog. "Just don't wreck it alright?"
"For your information, I am a wonderful driver!" Selphie exclaimed.
"You just like to drive wonderfully fast," Squall muttered under his breath. Rinoa laughed and slugged him on the arm.
"C'mon, Seff." Irvine stood up, extending his arm for her. "Let's get going."
"I wouldn't trust her with my life," Zell called after them. "Make sure you wear a seatbelt!"
"And a crash suit," Squall added.
Selphie turned around, stuck out her tongue, and left.
"They're so mean," she said to Irvine.
The cowboy shrugged, finally reclaiming his hat. "You drive fast," he said simply.
"Hey!" She stopped, hands on her hips. "You're supposed to be on my side!"
He looked down at her, a one-sided smirk appearing. "I didn't say I didn't like it," he said, his voice low and thick.
Selphie winked at him. "You like it fast, huh?"
Irvine blinked. Was she teasing him? "I like an adventure," he murmured, smiling down at her.
"Well, come on, cowboy." She reached up to tilt his hat down over his eyes. "Get your things. And we'll see just how much you can take."
"Is that a challenge?" Irvine asked as he followed her into the dorm.
"It's a threat," Selphie replied, grinning. "Come on! Off to Trabia!"