A/N: Hey all! This is a fic based on Quistis and her interactions with
other characters in the game. Just small, everyday stories. more about
Quistis taking on an aspect of their lives and her reactions. A character
study, or so I hope. Or wish (. I have a feeling that the characterization
of Zell and Quistis aren't up to scratch. Quistis is. too happy? And Zell?!
When I was writing this, it was like kicking a puppy - a poor defenceless
puppy. Poor Zell.
Disclaimer: Squaresoft, yeah yeah yeah, blah blah blah. (who could forget?)
ZELL: Hotdogs, among other things.
Frowning faintly, Quistis raised her hand to her head. There was no heat; the skin there had the coolness of pale ivory. That in itself disturbed her. She wasn't sick, was she? Then why had she been distracted all through class?
It wasn't her usual behaviour. While instructing, she was cool and professional, always present in every sense of her acute intelligence and spirit. Tried to do the best she could; even though, more often than not, the Trepies watched her rather than listening. Who made up more than 80% of the class. Thus it took every single bit of her concentration to hold their attention, leaving her exhausted in the process.
But today. had been a poor effort, to say the least. Glancing at the clock every half hour, longing for a time when she could simply relax. Every five minutes would have been more appropriate. Even the Trepies had noticed.
And it wasn't simply Seifer's presence in her class. To be honest, she couldn't have care less about that piece of rejected copraphragist data. If Squall, of all people, could let him back to Garden, she had no problems with that. It didn't mean she had to acknowledge his existence.
It didn't help to know that he knew she'd been distracted all day. His smirk was infuriating. She longed to wipe out that grin off his face with a good hard punch. Where the sun did not shine.
Frustrated, she eyed the clock again. It was moving far too slow for her tastes. She could already feel a rumble of hunger beginning. When it came, the amplitude and length was astounding.
When the bell finally rang, she practically ran out of class.
*
Quistis sat, glancing occasionally to one side at IT. It wasn't that she was staring. of course not. She was just incredulous that she had never noticed before. She found it surprising. The perfection of each gently rounded side, marred by no way or manner the gentle ribs of flesh. The smooth, golden glow of its outer layer, a prelude to the smooth length within; a surprising burst of flavour from the cooling insides, a smooth invitation that begged to be savoured.
Mentally, she smacked herself. It wasn't as if she never seen IT before. But somehow, she couldn't help her glances. Elegant, long hands stroked her plate in a fervour of indecision. She felt, oddly, disturbed. Disturbed that she should desire it so much. Unconsciously, she licked her lips. She wanted to move her lips over than smooth softness before the sudden burst of flavour. She wanted to linger over each and every bite, in quiet anticipation of the next. It was inexplicable. It was disquietening. Because. because it was so very much like. like Zell.
Finally, she noticed the boy sitting on the table next to her. Engrossed, as always, within his plates of hotdogs. All too often, she'd laughed at him, eating so fast, almost choking. Or laughed at him for savouring each greasy mouthful. She could never understand. But for once, her heart echoed with some sort of fellow feeling.
Fretting inwardly in indecision, she didn't decide but moved towards him with some sort of unconscious desire to the mound of. hotdogs?... next to him. Although she could not control her incredulousness, she forced herself to face the facts. She reasoned it out in her mind. She was, for some reason, desiring for hotdogs. Zell liked hotdogs. Therefore, he was the appropriate person to ask for an explanation. Resolve firmed, she strode over to him.
"Hey Zell. Mind if I sit down?"
He shook his head, cheeks bulging with hotdog. A few days ago, she would have been faintly disgusted and morbidly fascinated at the smear of grease about his mouth, the horrible sounds he made while scarfing down two or three hotdogs at the same time. But now. the desire was barely in leash. Unaccountably, she thought of Squall and Rinoa.
Zell finally finished his mouthful. Quistis raised a hand to get his attention. He looked at her enquiringly. " 'Sup, Quis?"
Nervously, she twisted her fingers. This was going to sound incredibly. stupid. "I. Zell, I don't understand. Why do you like hotdogs so much?"
For an instant, she saw something flicker over his face, so quickly she couldn't catch it. His answer distracted her further. "What d'you think, Quis? I'm just obsessed, is all." He laughed, and the sound was unusually high and unnatural. "Was that it? I'm afraid I'll have to go back to eating now."
Was that the answer? That she was obsessed? She shook her head. "I don't think so," she murmured to herself.
Zell had already turned eyes back to her. If she concentrated hard, she could almost hear him murmuring:
"Don't believe me? Well." He paused and regarded her with serious eyes. "Alright then. You want to really know the reason? Then answer me this question. Why've you never asked before?"
Quistis felt suddenly self conscious. "Uh."
His eyes hardened a little. "I'll tell you why. Because, each and every day, you assume. Just an obsession. A silly, little obsession that Zell has, just because he's a stupid sort of guy. Not just you, all the others, the whole Garden looks at me as if I'm some sort of nutcase. You don't even bother to hide the private looks of disgust. You especially, Quistis. And not once, not once, do you ever ask the reason." He paused for a moment. "So that begs the question; why?"
She was backed into a corner, with no way out. "I'm sorry, Zell. I didn't know you felt so strongly about it."
Zell smiled a little, and the traces of anger slipped away. Once again, she saw the young man from long ago; innocent and carefree. "I'm not asking for apologies, Quis. But just to let you know; it's OK."
She felt relieved. "But Zell, I'm asking now. Why?"
"Why do you want to know?"
She hesitated a little, but spilled out the story.
When she looked up, he was munching, considering her question. "Look," he said finally, waving his hotdog around. "I can't answer for you, but I can answer for myself. This - " He gestured to the hotdogs. "They're untouched. It's something small, ordinary. I mean, who cares about a hotdog? But, if you learn to appreciate the small things in life. you can cope with the not so nice things."
Realization dawned. She took a deep breath, let it out, breathed again. "Like me."
He nodded a little. "Only sometimes. And other people too. Among other things."
"So for me." she whispered. She never said it aloud. But the names spun in a growing longing.
"Squall and Rinoa," Zell confirmed, nodding. He saw her amazed look and smiled wryly. "Not all of us are blind, you know. You were always a perfectionist. So you sought perfection in the small things, to shield your pain, to cope with that idea."
"Among - "
"Other things." They completed the sentence together. Her mind spun with clarity. She realized with a pang that the longing for perfection. with Squall. was still in existence. And could never be. She saw just how it was between him and Rinoa. But she also realized, with a kind of familiar comfort, that there were always the small things. And after that, she would begin to see the sunrise again. The sheer beauty of a world wrapped in promise. With that, she felt a longing for those small things so strongly that for a moment, words could not speak.
Then something hit her. "Zell," she said with uncharacteristic hesitance, feeling as if she'd interrupted him enough. "Zell, why is it that you still eat hotdogs so much? I would've thought, since its been three years. that you would be OK by then. From what other things there might be."
Zell grinned sheepishly. "Heh. I like hotdogs."
Her laugh astounded everyone there, including herself. It'd been a long time since she'd laughed like that. Zell just smiled, watching her. I'm glad I could help you, sis.
"Don't suppose I could have one of your hotdogs?" she asked after she'd wiped the tears and laughter away.
"Go for it."
They sat there, two good friends munching hotdogs, appreciating the small things in life to cope with those that just weren't as nice. Among other things.
Disclaimer: Squaresoft, yeah yeah yeah, blah blah blah. (who could forget?)
ZELL: Hotdogs, among other things.
Frowning faintly, Quistis raised her hand to her head. There was no heat; the skin there had the coolness of pale ivory. That in itself disturbed her. She wasn't sick, was she? Then why had she been distracted all through class?
It wasn't her usual behaviour. While instructing, she was cool and professional, always present in every sense of her acute intelligence and spirit. Tried to do the best she could; even though, more often than not, the Trepies watched her rather than listening. Who made up more than 80% of the class. Thus it took every single bit of her concentration to hold their attention, leaving her exhausted in the process.
But today. had been a poor effort, to say the least. Glancing at the clock every half hour, longing for a time when she could simply relax. Every five minutes would have been more appropriate. Even the Trepies had noticed.
And it wasn't simply Seifer's presence in her class. To be honest, she couldn't have care less about that piece of rejected copraphragist data. If Squall, of all people, could let him back to Garden, she had no problems with that. It didn't mean she had to acknowledge his existence.
It didn't help to know that he knew she'd been distracted all day. His smirk was infuriating. She longed to wipe out that grin off his face with a good hard punch. Where the sun did not shine.
Frustrated, she eyed the clock again. It was moving far too slow for her tastes. She could already feel a rumble of hunger beginning. When it came, the amplitude and length was astounding.
When the bell finally rang, she practically ran out of class.
*
Quistis sat, glancing occasionally to one side at IT. It wasn't that she was staring. of course not. She was just incredulous that she had never noticed before. She found it surprising. The perfection of each gently rounded side, marred by no way or manner the gentle ribs of flesh. The smooth, golden glow of its outer layer, a prelude to the smooth length within; a surprising burst of flavour from the cooling insides, a smooth invitation that begged to be savoured.
Mentally, she smacked herself. It wasn't as if she never seen IT before. But somehow, she couldn't help her glances. Elegant, long hands stroked her plate in a fervour of indecision. She felt, oddly, disturbed. Disturbed that she should desire it so much. Unconsciously, she licked her lips. She wanted to move her lips over than smooth softness before the sudden burst of flavour. She wanted to linger over each and every bite, in quiet anticipation of the next. It was inexplicable. It was disquietening. Because. because it was so very much like. like Zell.
Finally, she noticed the boy sitting on the table next to her. Engrossed, as always, within his plates of hotdogs. All too often, she'd laughed at him, eating so fast, almost choking. Or laughed at him for savouring each greasy mouthful. She could never understand. But for once, her heart echoed with some sort of fellow feeling.
Fretting inwardly in indecision, she didn't decide but moved towards him with some sort of unconscious desire to the mound of. hotdogs?... next to him. Although she could not control her incredulousness, she forced herself to face the facts. She reasoned it out in her mind. She was, for some reason, desiring for hotdogs. Zell liked hotdogs. Therefore, he was the appropriate person to ask for an explanation. Resolve firmed, she strode over to him.
"Hey Zell. Mind if I sit down?"
He shook his head, cheeks bulging with hotdog. A few days ago, she would have been faintly disgusted and morbidly fascinated at the smear of grease about his mouth, the horrible sounds he made while scarfing down two or three hotdogs at the same time. But now. the desire was barely in leash. Unaccountably, she thought of Squall and Rinoa.
Zell finally finished his mouthful. Quistis raised a hand to get his attention. He looked at her enquiringly. " 'Sup, Quis?"
Nervously, she twisted her fingers. This was going to sound incredibly. stupid. "I. Zell, I don't understand. Why do you like hotdogs so much?"
For an instant, she saw something flicker over his face, so quickly she couldn't catch it. His answer distracted her further. "What d'you think, Quis? I'm just obsessed, is all." He laughed, and the sound was unusually high and unnatural. "Was that it? I'm afraid I'll have to go back to eating now."
Was that the answer? That she was obsessed? She shook her head. "I don't think so," she murmured to herself.
Zell had already turned eyes back to her. If she concentrated hard, she could almost hear him murmuring:
"Don't believe me? Well." He paused and regarded her with serious eyes. "Alright then. You want to really know the reason? Then answer me this question. Why've you never asked before?"
Quistis felt suddenly self conscious. "Uh."
His eyes hardened a little. "I'll tell you why. Because, each and every day, you assume. Just an obsession. A silly, little obsession that Zell has, just because he's a stupid sort of guy. Not just you, all the others, the whole Garden looks at me as if I'm some sort of nutcase. You don't even bother to hide the private looks of disgust. You especially, Quistis. And not once, not once, do you ever ask the reason." He paused for a moment. "So that begs the question; why?"
She was backed into a corner, with no way out. "I'm sorry, Zell. I didn't know you felt so strongly about it."
Zell smiled a little, and the traces of anger slipped away. Once again, she saw the young man from long ago; innocent and carefree. "I'm not asking for apologies, Quis. But just to let you know; it's OK."
She felt relieved. "But Zell, I'm asking now. Why?"
"Why do you want to know?"
She hesitated a little, but spilled out the story.
When she looked up, he was munching, considering her question. "Look," he said finally, waving his hotdog around. "I can't answer for you, but I can answer for myself. This - " He gestured to the hotdogs. "They're untouched. It's something small, ordinary. I mean, who cares about a hotdog? But, if you learn to appreciate the small things in life. you can cope with the not so nice things."
Realization dawned. She took a deep breath, let it out, breathed again. "Like me."
He nodded a little. "Only sometimes. And other people too. Among other things."
"So for me." she whispered. She never said it aloud. But the names spun in a growing longing.
"Squall and Rinoa," Zell confirmed, nodding. He saw her amazed look and smiled wryly. "Not all of us are blind, you know. You were always a perfectionist. So you sought perfection in the small things, to shield your pain, to cope with that idea."
"Among - "
"Other things." They completed the sentence together. Her mind spun with clarity. She realized with a pang that the longing for perfection. with Squall. was still in existence. And could never be. She saw just how it was between him and Rinoa. But she also realized, with a kind of familiar comfort, that there were always the small things. And after that, she would begin to see the sunrise again. The sheer beauty of a world wrapped in promise. With that, she felt a longing for those small things so strongly that for a moment, words could not speak.
Then something hit her. "Zell," she said with uncharacteristic hesitance, feeling as if she'd interrupted him enough. "Zell, why is it that you still eat hotdogs so much? I would've thought, since its been three years. that you would be OK by then. From what other things there might be."
Zell grinned sheepishly. "Heh. I like hotdogs."
Her laugh astounded everyone there, including herself. It'd been a long time since she'd laughed like that. Zell just smiled, watching her. I'm glad I could help you, sis.
"Don't suppose I could have one of your hotdogs?" she asked after she'd wiped the tears and laughter away.
"Go for it."
They sat there, two good friends munching hotdogs, appreciating the small things in life to cope with those that just weren't as nice. Among other things.