Over the course of the next few days, Seifer did as he said he would and kept his eyes open, searching for the ivory skin and ebony hair that was imprinted forever in his mind. She wasn't 'around,' as she said she would be and he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He looked in the mirror in the hotel's bathroom and smirked. Guess she was sent as a payback for all those no-names… He couldn't help but crack a strange smile as he thought about all the hearts he had broken, all those girls he could have had, all the false promises he had made. But the hearts never mattered, the girls always grew boring, and, well, he had never been one for keeping promises. But they've never had a hold on me like this… He could barely believe his thoughts. How could he, Seifer Almasy, have fallen prey to some girl? He had walked her home once and brought her a fish, they had been strangers a week ago, and yet, he found himself wishing for the chance to see her again. They had parted on slightly awkward terms the other night, so he had been hesitant to show up at the old train that she called 'home.'
"Seifer, Fu is getting impatient, ya know," Raijin's voice came from the bedroom door. "She wants to get to the pub and try her hand at triple triad for some rare cards, ya know."
"Typical of her. Get them drunk and THEN take their cards," Seifer replied snidely.
"HEARD THAT!" Fujin's voice boomed indignantly from the kitchenette.
"Pity!" Seifer called back mockingly as he headed for the kitchenette. "Your tactics aren't exactly a secret," he said with a grin, showing that his words were merely in jest. "Besides, it benefits me too, because once you've one the cards, I usually wind up winning them." Fujin made a face at him, though she said nothing to deny it because it was true; and Seifer had the cards to prove it.
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They had been at the pub for several hours, and Fujin was doing exactly as Seifer had predicted. She had a few drinks with her potential opponents and then challenged them to a game of triple triad. Raijin was at the bar with Seifer having a few drinks of their own while Fujin collected yet another set of rare cards and sent yet another man home weeping. At the beginning of the night, both of them had been playing as well, but Seifer had grown bored and Raijin was left with only three cards. Beside him, his friend was rambling on about this and that, but Seifer wasn't even pretending to listen. He was lost in his thoughts of Rinoa. The way she had looked in the moonlight, the softness and the warmth of her skin haunted him.
"Uh, Seif?" Raijin was looking at him strangely. Seifer wanted to kick himself. I'm acting like some lame ol' pansy or something. Man, who woulda thought that I'd be so desperate to see some girl?! He stood up, Raijin still watching him. "Are you leaving already? Fu's not finished cleaning up here, ya know."
"I'm bored, I'm heading out." Seifer threw some of his worst triple triad cards down on the bar. "Try not to lose too many of 'em," he said, knowing that he'd never see those cards again. He didn't really care anyway, what were a few cockatrices and bite bugs? "I'll meet you back at the hotel later on." Then he turned and left.
He just wanted to walk and clear his head, but he soon found himself standing in front of a train car. He smirked at the absurdity of it, a girl holding so much power over him!
Since I'm here, I might as well see if she's around, he reasoned. After a moment's hesitation, he knocked. When nobody answered, he turned away from the door, feeling partially relieved, and partially disappointed. Wasted trip after all…
"Hello?" a masculine voice called out. Seifer hadn't expected that at all. He pondered for a moment whether or not to respond, since the utter darkness hid him from sight. The sole light in the area was that which spilled out of the train car. "Who's there?"
Seifer cleared his throat loudly and stepped back towards the door, into what little light was available. He finally recognized the man as the same one that had showed up on the beach to bring Rinoa news concerning the Forest Owls. "I'm looking for Rinoa, is she around?"
"Nope, sorry," Watts said lazily, motioning to shut the door, but Seifer stopped him.
"Will she be back soon?"
"Can't tell. Don't really know. She's gone off to Deling."
"I thought that she refused to go home?" Seifer's face was distorted with a confused look.
"She's gone to Deling, that's all I can tell ya." With this, Watts closed the door with no protests from Seifer.
Gone to Deling… He sighed, finding himself wondering if he'd get the chance to see her again before he returned to Balamb as he turned to leave the train car. He found the darkness, the cool air and the silence rather soothing. He could hear the rustling of leaves in the wind, but there wasn't even the sound of a baby's cry, and the pub was too far off to hear the ruckus going on there.
The only sound of life was the echo of his footsteps. As he turned a corner, he heard another set of footsteps, quicker and lighter than his own.
"Seifer!" The voice was unmistakable. He froze in place. "Seifer!" Suddenly, Rinoa's tiny frame collided with his as she rounded the corner. He quickly reached out to steady her as she wavered from the impact. "Sorry…about…that…" she managed to get out as she tried to catch her breath.
"Your friend said that you were in Deling."
In spite of the darkness, Seifer saw Rinoa roll her eyes. "I was in Deling, but I got back this morning. I don't understand him sometimes, he's ingenious when it comes to the Forest Owls, but sometimes the everyday stuff seems to escape his notice." Seifer must have had a strange, questioning expression on his face, because Rinoa felt the need to explain further. "I went to Deling to talk to some Forest Owls that have been stationed there as spies" She sighed. "Apparently, Watts has been so preoccupied trying to piece together the information that we already had, that he seemed to not notice me coming and going all day."
"Well, I have to admit, I'm glad that Watts was wrong," Seifer said laughingly.
"Why? Does it amuse you to have girls chase after you in the middle of the night?"
"Actually…I think that it does," he said with a smirk.
"I thought that you were supposed to be on vacation with your friends?" she teased. "So why is it that every time you turn up, you're always alone?"
"They're out at the pub, hitting up drunks for rare triple triad cards. I have to admit, their strategy is fairly effective. I got bored, so I left." He sneered, assuming his typical cocky air. "I'll just win the cards from them later anyway." They had continued walking down the street and had ended up on the beach. Seifer plopped down onto the soft sand, placing his hands behind his head and laying back.
Rinoa waded ankle deep into the water. "It's always so quiet out here. No one would guess that war was about to break out," she whispered.
"War?" Seifer pushed himself up onto his elbows and shot her a questioning look, which quickly faded into a cool expression of understanding. "Oh. You mean the Forest Owls are making their move finally?"
"An attack is planned at Dollet, and I'm sure that Timber won't be far behind." Rinoa stood still, gazing up towards the moon, her hands clasped behind her back, her hair and duster blowing in the wind. She turned and looked at Seifer over her shoulder. "The Forest Owls have received word of when the attack on Dollet is to take place. Tomorrow morning, I leave for Dollet to speak with resistance members there, so that they'll be able to prepare for the attacks in time…"
"You leave for Dollet tomorrow? Do you ever stay in Timber for long?"
Rinoa nodded and bowed her head, her back to Seifer as the waves lapped at her feet. "Of course I do, it's just that, with Galbadia making its move, we have to stay alert. Until just recently, things have been pretty quiet. Watts and Zone have a few things to prepare from here…there's just a lot to be done…"
"I'd like to go with you."
Rinoa looked up sharply, staring over her shoulder in surprise. "Seifer…"
"Don't get me wrong," he added hastily. "Timber gets boring fast. A trip to Dollet will be more exciting than sitting around here."…and your presence alone is reason enough for me…He shook his head, as though trying to shake the thoughts out of it. Rinoa's melodious laughter carried on the breeze.
"Okay then," she said with a quick nod and a delighted smile. "I suppose having a bodyguard wouldn't hurt any."
Seifer smirked. "Bodyguard, eh? Don't bodyguards usually work for pay?"
In response, Rinoa flipped her hair nonchalantly. "Not the noble ones," she said as she turned back towards the streets they had come from. "I'm heading out tomorrow at dawn. If you want to come, be there by then, I can't sit around waiting."
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A/N: And there you have it, Chapter 5! So now you know how the Posse gathers their Triple Triad collection. And now Dollet enters the scene. What information does Rinoa have for the resistance there? Will Seifer prove a valuable 'bodyguard'? Stay tuned! And, as always, leave a review!