"Ellone?" questioned Rinoa intently. She had heard Seifer mention the name before now, but couldn't quite place it.
"It's none of your…" Squall didn't have a chance to complete his sentence, as they both heard someone get off the elevator. Rinoa hastily snatched the glass pendant out of Squall's still outstretched hand, and put it in the box, carefully replacing the drawer, before stuffing the reams of paper that she had been studying back into the desk. She stood up quickly, running towards the bathroom, dragging Squall by the hand, as he still seemed to be in some sort of shock. As an afterthought, she locked the door behind them, praying that Seifer would not need to use the bathroom. She put one finger to her lips, indicating that Squall should be quiet. He shot her a disparaging look.
"Way to look like a fool, Rinoa," she thought to herself. "What did you think he was going to do? Shout out that we were hiding? He's a SeeD dammit." She mentally scolded herself for not letting Squall do his job. "After all, I'm sure he's better qualified for this than I am." Suddenly, she felt a powerful set of arms envelope her, as Squall lifted her gently off her feet with ease, and placed her some distance from the door. It was only then that Rinoa could see the shadow creeping in from underneath the door, blocking out the customary sliver of light. She backed up ever so slightly, hoping that Seifer couldn't hear her quickened breathing from the other side of the door, and silently praying that the sound of her heartbeat wasn't quite as deafening as she imagined. As she backed up even further, she came to rest against Squall's chest. The first thing that struck her was how he showed no visible signs of nervousness. His breathing was calm, and his heartbeat slow and steady, in a direct contrast to hers, which was racing in her chest. As the shadow passed from the doorway, she relaxed a little, knowing that the danger was over. For the time being at least.
Eventually, they both heard Seifer collapse into bed, not even bothering to undress. Rinoa was about to move towards the door, when she found Squall's arm barring the way. He indicated that they should remain for a while, so, without so much as a sound, Rinoa sat down, perched on the edge of the bathtub, prepared for a long wait.
Squall moved as soon as the sounds of snoring drifted into the small, enclosed room. He walked over the window, pushing it open slightly. Taking a look around, he saw a small ledge, just a few feet long, leading to the balcony next door. This was their only escape route. He ensured that Seifer was sleeping deeply by glancing through the keyhole into the bedroom, before whispering as softly as he could manage in Rinoa's ear.
"We're going to have to climb out of the window."
She shook her head, violently, not wanting to speak, afraid of how loud her outburst might be.
"I'm sorry, but it's our only was out. There's a ledge that I can climb across and get onto your balcony. I'm going to need you to do the same. I'll be waiting for you on the balcony so I can pull you over. Can you do this?"
She nodded. "I'll try."
Satisfied with her answer, Squall pushed the window fully open and climbed through. He found it easy enough to balance on the ledge outside, as it was just wide enough for him to safely place his feet on.
"Rinoa should find this easier than me," he thought. "Her feet are probably tiny." As soon as he looked down, however, he reconsidered. He was so far above the streets of Deling that he could hardly make out the people below. "I hope she's not afraid of heights," he thought as he clambered over the side of the balcony.
When he was safely on the other side, he motioned for Rinoa to follow. She took a deep breath before stepping, tentatively onto the ledge. Squall was right, she had no problems balancing.
She made it half way to the balcony before making the mistake of looking down. Squall had hoped that she would not do this, but could not warn her about it in case he woke up Seifer. She froze on the spot, not able to budge an inch. He was afraid that this would happen. Squall offered her his hand, gesturing that she should continue. She looked up at him, fear showing through in her eyes.
"It'll be alright," he mouthed to her silently.
She shuffled slightly along the ledge, looking at the ground far below her in trepidation, paying no attention to the movement of her feet. She lost her footing, slipping from the ledge, unable to regain her balance.
Squall reacted swiftly, leaning over the edge of the balcony as far as he could, reaching out to her. Their fingertips just connected as she fell and he refused to let go, pulling her up to join him. The first thing he noticed was how much she was shaking.
"Are you alright?" he asked her, trying to mask the concern in his voice.
She didn't reply.
"Rinoa?" He put both hands on her shoulders, which seemed to bring her back to reality. "You okay?"
"Yes. Thanks," she replied, still shaking.
He led her inside, making her sit down on the edge of her bed, whilst he made her some coffee to calm her nerves. She watched him with fascination. She had never expected him to do anything like this. She knew he was a trained fighter, and had always assumed that other people took care of him when he was off the battlefield.
"Then again," she thought. "It doesn't seem like he has anyone to care for him."
He placed the steaming mug in her hands. "Be careful. It's hot," he warned.
"You think?" she joked, smiling at him. He turned away, not quite knowing how to respond. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes, removing one and placing it in his mouth, still searching for a lighter. It was then he remembered her wishes.
"Sorry," he said, removing the cigarette from his mouth and throwing it into the bin. Rinoa shot a disappointed look in his direction, causing Squall to toss the entire packet into the bin, and sit next to Rinoa.
"My grandmother died of smoking when I was little," she said, offering him an explanation. "I saw how much pain she was in, and I just can't stand to have anybody smoking around me. I'm sorry, I know it's your choice and everything."
"You're the client. If you don't want me smoking around you then I guess I won't. You've got your reasons."
"Thanks, Squall." She took a sip of her drink, revelling in the warm sensation travelling down the back of her throat. "Mmm, you make good coffee."
"Practice. You don't think it's possible to wake up at five every morning, and be ready for combat training by six, and not make coffee do you?"
"I guess not," she laughed. "I get grouchy if I'm woken before eleven."
"Lucky you. Good coffee making skills is one of the qualities that are looked for in possible SeeDs."
"Really?"
He raised an eyebrow at her last comment, a quizzical look spreading across his face.
"You were joking weren't you?" She punched him on the shoulder. "Meanie."
"I wasn't joking about five in the morning."
"There's a five o'clock in the morning?" she replied, mock sarcasm in her voice. He had no reply to this, other than to shake his head. "Sorry. It must seem like I have such an easy life."
"Sometimes. I don't think living with Seifer gives you an easy life though."
"You're right about that. I need to find out what's going on."
"I'll make some inquiries in the morning."
"Regarding this Ellone?" Squall's expression frosted over, becoming unreadable.
"She's of no concern to you." There was no emotion in his voice.
"Squall, if she has something to do with Seifer, I have to know. This is my life in danger here," she reasoned. "I know I can't order you to tell me what's going on, but I think I have a right to hear it."
"Maybe she's right," he thought. "She's involved in all this now. Maybe she can even be of some help."
"Squall?" she encouraged.
"Have you ever heard the name before?" he asked.
"I think so. Seifer may have mentioned it in passing, but I don't remember what it was concerning."
"Ellone was my older sister. She cared for me after my mother died. I never met my father, so Ellone was the only family I had. She had taken a job as a waitress, but we only lived in a small village so the pay wasn't very good. She couldn't afford to keep us both. She never told me explicitly, but I knew. It was then that I decided to join SeeD. I knew that I would be taken care of, and I thought that when I was older, I could send Ellone some of my wages to repay her for her kindness. Soon after I left, she moved to Deling City to find a better job. Then, I just lost contact with her. About a month later, I received a letter from the local authorities regarding her disappearance. Nobody knows what happened to her. She had been fine before that. She would tell me about this guy she had met. She was infatuated with him, and would constantly talking about him. If anything, she was happier than I had ever known her to be. I just can't understand why she disappeared."
Rinoa sat listening, intently. The conversation she was having seemed to explain a great deal about the cold hearted mercenary that was sat before her. Although she knew that he was only telling her these things because it was involved with his mission, she felt privileged be hearing it. Somehow, she didn't think that he had told the story to many other people.
"What about the necklace?" she asked, softly, trying not to be too insensitive about the matter.
"My mother gave the pendant to Ellone just before she died," he explained. "There's no way that she would take the pendant off, never mind give it away to anyone."
"Then, how do you think Seifer got hold of it?"
"I don't know, but I intend to find out."