Final Fantasy : Historical Bonds
Chapter 8 - Dinner And Deceit
By: Fat Zombie
(Chapter dedicated to Kezzer. Please check out her FF8 fic 'Otherworld' here on fanfiction.net)
We're lookin' money and she's super clean,
The fins are flying sculpted silver gleam.
Where is she going with a punk like this,
I like the looks it gets, I like the way it hits.
Taken from Lit - Down
"Money, check. Are these clothes really clean. Yes". Zell ran through a checklist out loud in his dorm as he got ready for his date. He walked across the room. "Does my hair look good?" He glanced in mirror mounted on the wall. "God yes" he concluded. "No, no. Don't get big-headed. She'll think you're a dick".
"She would if she could see you now" Nida's voice suddenly sounded from behind Zell.
Zell quickly spun around. "How did you..." he trailed off.
"One of the perks to being technically minded" Nida said with a slight grin. "Those card readers aren't hard to fool if you know how".
"I don't know how much I like the idea of that" said Zell. He was half-joking, half-honest.
"You know I wouldn't abuse it" said Nida, again grinning.
"So what are you doing now?" asked Zell in monotone.
"If I were you I'd be more worried about the sudden bout of talking to thin air. You won't be good company if you spend the night chatting to yourself".
"I know, I know. I'm nervous man." explained Zell. "It's worse now 'cos everyone knows. I wasn't expecting Irvine to tell you and the rest".
"Then you let your guard down way too much" Nida replied. "Anyway, there's not really much to be nervous about".
"How do you work that one out" Zell asked, his eyes dead.
"It's a meal" Nida said loudly. "You go to the place, you eat, you talk, you laugh, sometimes you tip the staff, then you come home. No. Big. Deal".
"Hmm" Zell mumbled. "Well that's easy for you to say".
"Hey, eating is eating" Nida retorted. "As long as you don't tip food all down yourself, then it's not any different from any other meal".
"And if I do?" Zell asked.
"Then you're a bumbling idiot who deserves the consequences of those actions" Nida answered with a smirk. "It's basically all set anyway. The girl is just waiting for you to ask her out".
"I know" said Zell, his tone indicating acknowledgment. "But it's not that easy".
"Ain't no one else gonna do it for you" Nida stated.
* * * *
"Does this look okay?" Nevaeh asked. The room stayed silent. "Is it too formal?" She twisted and turned in front of a mirror, taking in the way the clothes looked on her from every angle possible. "Or is it too casual?"
Nevaeh turned to face an empty room. She forgave herself for the madness which had displayed itself in the form of talking to no one. Anyone would be nervous right? Except her. She didn't get nervous. She was cool, calm and collected at all times; her SeeD exams proved that. So why couldn't she stay still right now? No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't sit down. She couldn't stop worrying about something. The things she was worrying about didn't even have to have anything to do with her date tonight. Did she ever say sorry to that young boy she kicked in the shin when she was five years old? Probably not.
"Get a grip girl" she said to herself out loud. "You're going crazy over this. He's only asked you out to dinner" she told herself. "It's not like he's proposing or anything. Good thing too".
Nevaeh decided that talking to herself was getting boring, and a little creepy. If she couldn't stop her mouth moving, she should at least find another person to talk to. She picked up her jacket and walked to the door, opening it and stepping out into the corridor outside.
She walked quickly towards the main hall. She didn't know where she was going to go. She just needed to find someone she knew. She wasn't dressed for the Training Centre. That much was obvious. The cafeteria was shut at this time, so that was ruled out. That left the library. She didn't think anyone would stand around in the garage and hoped she wouldn't find any of her friends in the Infirmary.
So, she headed for the library. Admittedly it probably wasn't the most suitable place to go when a person couldn't stop talking, but Nevaeh couldn't think of anywhere else.
* * * *
The car moved onwards at a high speed. Quistis and himself had just just Balamb Garden on an apparently important mission. Seifer concentrated half on the road, and half on Quistis. It was difficult to keep his eyes off her. Somehow she managed to make her outfit look so good, yet also perform highly active SeeD missions in it as well. A long skirt didn't appear practical, but it seemed to work. He quickly looked at the dashboard, observing the clock. It was 6:44 PM. He had a feeling they would make it to their destination in record time.
"Have you got the orders for this" Quistis asked Seifer.
"Yeah. They're in an equipment bag in the trunk" Seifer answered. Quistis shot him a questioning look. Seifer glanced at her quickly before returning his eyes to the road. "Rinoa said that Squall had said it was urgent. I just took what I needed, stuffed the paper in the bag and got you into the car. All I know is we gotta get to Pelin".
"Something doesn't sound right" Quistis stated. She looked sternly at Seifer.
"Well if it is, then don't blame me" Seifer quickly said. "Go place that icy stare on him".
"What do you mean icy stare?" Quistis asked angrily. "What's icy about it?"
Seifer choked back laughter. "Apart from the unmoving gaze and cold, glacier blue eyes?" The question was rhetorical. "Nothing".
"How dare you?" Quistis started.
"How dare I?" Seifer interrupted. "Listen peroxide girl" Quistis face tightened into one of absolute rage. Seifer didn't take any notice. "You're not my instructor anymore. That mission, you know which one, was proof enough that I'm good enough to be a SeeD. I'll say what I want to. All I'm doing is following orders, you're the one questioning them".
"If you were ordered to jump out the Ragnarok, would you?" Quistis asked.
"It depends what I was gonna land on. If it was a menace comparable to your temper, then no" Seifer answered. "If that were the case, I'd hijack the ship and fly as far away as possible".
"Be serious" Quistis shouted. Seifer smirked.
"I am" he said. "I'm trying to follow these orders".
The car fell silent. Short of the screaming engine, nothing could be heard, most of all from its two occupants. If they were going to be working together, Seifer thought someone should try and calm the situation before it got worse. But he was damned if he was going to be the one to do it. If that was so, Seifer could see this was going to be a quiet trip.
"And what the hell do you mean, 'Peroxide Girl'?" Quistis suddenly said, the anger still blatantly obvious in her tone. The sudden outburst took Seifer by surprise. For once, he hadn't read her at all. "This is natural. Can the same be said for you?"
"Yes" Seifer replied. "Do you really think I'd let things as petty as bleaching my hair enter my life?" The question had an obvious answer, and seeing as Quistis seemed willing to continue the argument, Seifer decided he'd have some fun. "And anyway, no matter what you say, I'll still think you're an aircraft blonde".
"What do you mean, 'Aircraft Blonde'?" Quistis asked. She was obviously offended by the term, despite not knowing what it meant.
"I mean you're white on top but there's a black box hidden down below" Seifer explained, a huge, satisfied grin falling across his face.
* * * *
It was 7:01 PM. Zell had been pacing around in the hanger for ten minutes already. He was waiting to see if his 'double date' friends would show up, but mostly waiting on Nevaeh. He just hoped she would arrive soon. As he continued to pace back and forth, he recited a song by one of his favourite bands. On this particular occasion though, he changed some of the words to reflect his current situation. "Is it worth it are you even coming?" he sang. He murmured the next few lines, then finished with "It's, gone past seven in the fuckin' evenin'".
"You should be in a band". Zell spun around at the sound of the voice. "But wait, aren't you already?". He saw Nevaeh standing at the entrance to the hanger. She harboured a slight grin.
"Am I in a band?" Asked Zell. Nevaeh merely raised her eyebrows, conveying a 'Yes'. "I wouldn't say that" Zell explained. "I'd say I almost was".
"Well I think you should be" Nevaeh stated. "I would have loved to see you and Nida play at the Garden Festival".
"How naive are you?" Zell asked rhetorically, his tone humourous.
Although the question needed no answer, Nevaeh spoke up anyway. "I'm serious. I would have loved to see that".
"Really?" asked Zell. He was obviously apprehensive. In fact, he was expecting some kind of scathing remark. But it never came.
"Yes, really" Nevaeh confirmed.
"Well, I'm afraid I can't help you with that" said Zell. "No festival, no band".
"We'll see about that next year" a small but loud voice called out from down the corridor leading to the hanger. A few seconds later, Irvine and Selphie came into view.
"Howdy y'all" Irvine greeted. "Sorry we're a bit late. Selphie's hair went straight" He paused to gage his girlfriend's reaction. "It was tragic" he added mockingly.
"Be quiet" Selphie snapped. It was hard to tell whether she was joking or not, and everyone silently decided to not dwell on it.
"Well" Irvine broke the silence. "Are we ready to go?"
* * * *
The car pulled into a parking space outside of a fancy looking building. Neither Quistis nor Seifer paid any attention to the name of the building. Seifer quickly looked at the dashboard clock again. It read 8:47 PM. Around two hours was a good time from Balamb to Pelin by car, he observed.
The two SeeDs both simultaneously got out of the car and headed for the trunk, for the orders of their mission. As Seifer slid the key into the lock, Quistis surveyed the area loosely. "There doesn't seem to be any sign of trouble" she observed suspiciously.
Seifer briefly looked up. "No" he said. The word was drawn out, as if he was trying to come up with a reason but couldn't. "Anyway" he continued, as he unzipped a bag and pulled the mission orders out of the now open trunk. "Pay attention". Quistis gave time to a slight frown in Seifer's direction before looking to the printed pieces of paper Seifer had laid out on the back of the car. From a distance, the orders looked to be official and genuine. The SeeD stamp was firmly placed on every document, as was the Balamb Garden logo at the top of each page. It wasn't until the two conducted closer inspection that the orders became dubious.
To SeeD members whom this concerns,
Your brief is as follows.
Assuming you have parked within the area originally designated to you in your earlier conversation with your superiors, you should now be standing in front of a building. It should look somewhat old fashioned. All will seem normal to you at this point.
Seifer and Quistis both looked to the building opposite them. It did indeed look old fashioned, but remarkably well-maintained. Through the windows, they could see people eating food and waiters busily going about their business. They continued reading.
This building is the focus of your mission. It is of the utmost importance. You are to enter this building when you begin this mission. You are required to approach the front desk, and inform the attendant that you have booked a table for two in the restaurant for the evening. When asked, give the name 'Rumpiticky'.
"Rumpiticky?" Seifer asked bemusedly.
"I know no more than you" Quistis replied, before turning her attention back to the orders.
The attendant should verify the booking, and lead you to your table. From here, your objectives are very clear.
1 - Order some wine. Cost is not an object, as the bill will be taken care of by Garden.
2 - Order some food. A starter, main course and dessert should be ordered. Cost applies as above.
3 - HAVE A GOOD TIME TOGETHER BECAUSE EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT IS GOING ON!
I shall not expect you back at Garden before 1200 hours. Should you return before this time, the beds will be removed from your dorms and will not be replaced until one week later.
Rinoa Heartilly
Sorceress and Match-Maker.
"Rinoa" both Quistis and Seifer said through gritted teeth.
"I bet ya Squall had nothing to do with this" Seifer stated. He began to pace back and forth, along the width of the car.
"For once I agree" Quistis concurred.
"I can't believe she did this" Seifer said.
His tone was angry, but Quistis felt it was slightly over-exaggerated. "What are you up to?" she asked. She raised a single eyebrow into a wicked peak for affect.
"What?" Seifer asked. He stopped pacing. "What are you talking about?"
"All this" Quistis explained. "I somehow feel you had some part to play in this".
Seifer looked at her, a self-satisfied smirk etching itself on his face. This time, Quistis sensed no exaggeration. This was genuine. "I had nothing to do with this" he informed her. "I've just spent the journey here arguing with you. Do you think I'd want to spend three hours alone in a room with you as well?"
"For once, your bluntness has proved useful" Quistis stated.
The two fell silent. Seifer resumed pacing while Quistis turned to the car. She picked up the 'orders' and threw them back into the trunk, slamming the door shut. She turned and leaned against the sloping back of the car. She watched Seifer walk from one side of her to the other repeatedly in mild amusement. He jolted to a sudden stop.
Seifer raised a single hand as to signal he was going to speak. The gesture seemed to communicate some form of submission. "It's two hours drive back to Balamb" he stated. Quistis gave him a look as if to carry on. "What I'm saying is, we might as well make the most of the situation". Quistis shot him another look, this time a questioning one. "Have you had proper food in recent memory?" he asked. "I mean gourmet cooking. I know I haven't".
Quistis glance shifted to the floor. It was obvious that she was thinking, deliberating Seifer's proposal. After a short moment, she looked back up to Seifer. "When you put it like that, I suppose it would be stupid to pass up the opportunity".
"Exactly" Seifer agreed. The two headed of towards the restaurant, unsure of how the night would unfold. "But you give our reservation name at the front desk" Seifer added quickly.
Author's Note: - Okay guys. I really apologize about this chapter taking sooo long. Things really have been hectic in the last few months. I'm once again heading into exams, I have a whole new entourage to hang with, and other people that I have to attend to. I'm hoping I can get back into this now. My priorities have changed recently, so hopefully this will mean that 'Historical Bonds' (Or 'HB' as I have now decided to call it in my author notes) is no longer left on the back-burner. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. These ones have moved away from the action side of things and more onto the actual characters but this will change back and forth throughout the story. Take care, and I hope to see some more reviews!
Also, thanks to Kezzer for reviewing the story recently, and again, thanks to everyone who has reviewed!
C ya...