Chapter Two: Casting Call
By PasifikStar
Author's Note: Thanks for the support so far! ^_^
* All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters.
"Bigger," Selphie asserted for the billionth them. "We need a bigger sign!"
"Selphie!" Irvine said as he and Zell held up the ten pace long banner from one end of the quad to the other. "HOW much bigger can you get!?"
"We need the whole quad to know about Rin's play!" Selphie shouted as she held her arms open wide. "So we need a BIGGER sign!"
"Wouldn't it be easier just to post a bunch of signs?" Zell asked tiredly.
"Yes, but the bigger the sign, the more attention it'll get!" Selphie insisted.
The sign was bright orange with navy blue lettering that said 'Open Auditions!' in large letters at the top and right below it was the smaller details of where, when, and for what. Selphie already had Zell's girlfriend and had some how gotten both Raijin and Fujin to help post up the 8x11 sheets of paper with the information all around the Garden.
"C'mon, Selphie..." Irvine sighed. "Let's just hang this thing!"
"But I still think we need a bigger sign..." Selphie mumbled with a frown as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe neon pink..."
"No!" Irvine and Zell chorused as if horrified by the idea.
"Selphie..." a voice said behind the perky brunette. She turned around and smiled as Rinoa walked into the quad, looking at the large sign. "That's um...a really... BIG sign..."
"Yeah..." Seifer said as he walked behind her. "I could barely see it from across the garden."
"See!?" Selphie gasped as she pointed to Seifer. "He could BARELY SEE it!"
"He was being sarcastic!" Zell exclaimed.
Irvine looked at the tall blond and the dark haired sorceress. "Hey..." he grinned. "Does Squall know you're cheating one him?"
"I'm not cheating on Squall," Rinoa said as she rolled her eyes. "We're looking for Raijin and Fujin. I wanted to ask them to audition tomorrow. I have the perfect roles for them."
"But if you want, you can go ahead and tell Commander Puberty that I'm wandering the campus with is girlfriend." Seifer said with an arrogant smirk as he put his arm around Rinoa's shoulder.
"Hands off or I really will tell Squall and you'll leave the Garden without your special little friend." Rinoa stated simply.
Seifer immediately lifted his hand off her shoulder. "What do you think, Rinoa?" Selphie said. "Should we go for bigger?"
"No, that's fine," Rinoa said. Zell and Irvine both let out sighs of relief. "Just hang it up out here. Are you guys going to audition, too?"
"Well, I was going over the sample lines for each character," Irvine said seriously, having really considered it. "And I was thinking I could be one of the other knights..."
"We can always use extras," Rinoa said. "But Irvine...that's like a one liner."
"Yeah, I know," Irvine said. "I've got it memorized, too."
"Let's hear it then." Rinoa urged. Irvine grinned and let out a cough. He took a deep breath and smirked.
"She ran that way!" he said, dramatically pointing to his left. "Into the..." he trailed off and paused. A blank expression was on his face as he forgot the last word of that character's ONLY line.
Zell and Rinoa raised an eyebrow. Selphie lifted her hand to her mouth and coughed. "FOREST."
"Forest!" Irvine concluded.
"You suck." Seifer stated. Irvine shot him a glare.
"That's...good..." Rinoa said, smiling weakly. "Tell you what, you come to the audition tomorrow. I have to be fair, right?" she said. Irvine nodded, although secretly assured that he would be chosen.
Zell ran his hand down his face. "Okay, guys, let's get this sign up!" Selphie said. "Then we can start working on the sketches for the background and props!"
"Sounds good!" Irvine said.
"I'll see you guys later then!" Rinoa said. She waved towards them and began to walk up the steps to the hall to head back to the inside of the Garden.
"I told you they wouldn't know," Seifer snorted. "That's two minutes of my life I'll never get back."
"Stop complaining..." Rinoa sighed heavily. "We'll find them."
"What parts were you going to give them?" Seifer asked. "A tree and a chocobo?"
"You know, you are one sucky friend..." Rinoa said. "I was going to ask Raijin if he wanted to be the captain of the knights and I think Fujin would be perfect for the role of the Queen."
"Are you serious, Rin?" Seifer asked. "WHY do you think THEY would be good for playing those parts."
"Since when I wrote the play I had them in mind to play it," Rinoa snapped. "What about you?"
"I want to have nothing to do with your stupid play." Seifer told her arrogantly.
Rinoa rolled her eyes. "Listen, everyone has to contribute SOMETHING," she said. "I have a role for you. Just show up tomorrow."
"No way. I'm not going to waste my time memorizing stupid lines for a role I won't even get." Seifer retorted.
Rinoa narrowed her eyes and paused as they entered the inside of the Garden. "Wait a second...what ROLE were you thinking about?"
"There is only ONE role perfect for me," he told her casually as he looked around and tilted his head upwards. "Leading male."
*Oh, what the hell did I see in him...?* Rinoa thought to herself. She shook her head. "You wanted to be the knight?" she asked.
"Is that or is that NOT the leading male?" Seifer asked.
"Well, YEAH," Rinoa answered. "It's only the title of the play."
"We all know that the person whose going to get that role is Squall. Squall ALWAYS gets the good parts," Seifer said. Rinoa raised her eyebrow. He sounded more than just a LITTLE bitter. "So why bother right?"
"C'mon, Seifer," Rinoa said. "I'm casting the play. How shallow do you think I am?" He opened his mouth to answer and Rinoa narrowed her eyes. "Go ahead ANSWER." she hissed.
"Not when you're looking at me like that," he said, recoiling slightly. "What? Did you steal his death glare?"
"Just come tomorrow," Rinoa said. "Try out for the part of the knight. I promise I'll give equal chances to everyone."
"Why should I?"
"You owe me!" Rinoa stated. Unknown to her and Seifer, Squall was walking down the hall way. He heard his voice and looked around the corner, about to greet her when he saw who she was talking to. He narrowed his eyes and stepped back behind the corner.
*What the hell are they doing together?* he thought to himself. He peeked over the corner and his eyes widened as Rinoa grabbed Seifer's arm and tugged on it, seemingly to plead.
"Why do I owe you!?" Seifer exclaimed.
"Whose the one paying for you, Raijin, and Fujin's tuition?" Rinoa asked. "Until you become a SeeD, I'm the one whose paying. Also, whose the one who approached Cid for you guys? Was it Squall? No. It was me."
"I can't believe you went behind his back and did that," Seifer grinned. "I see that summer left a lasting impression on you."
Her hands dropped from his sleeve and she put them on her hips. "Yeah, annoyance and regret," she retorted. "I have my reasons. First of all, Raijin and Fujin are nice people. They should've have to have left just because you're an idiot and screwed up."
"I did not screw up-"
"You screwed up, deal with it!" Rinoa exclaimed as he scowled. "Just BE there tomorrow and ready to say the lines of the knight, okay?"
"Fine..." Seifer sighed. "Whatever you say, PRINCESS."
"Seifer..." she said in a low warning tone.
"I said I will," he said, raising his hands. "I'll go look for my posse now, WITHOUT you. When did you get so vindictive...?"
Rinoa crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I did date you for one whole summer." she stated plainly.
Seifer rolled his eyes. "Sure blame me..." he grumbled.
"And don't forget to tell them about the auditions!" Rinoa said as he turned his back to her and began to walk away. "If they're not there tomorrow, I'll hunt you down, Almasy!!"
Rinoa turned around and saw Squall standing there, a pained look on his face as he held a manila folder in his hand. Rinoa smiled slightly and then frowned as his face took on an icy look. He took a deep breath and walked over to her, holding out the folder. "Here is your budget for the play..." he said in a cold voice as he handed her the folder. "Use it wisely."
With that he turned around and headed back to his office. "Hey, Squall!" Rinoa said. "Hey, wait a second!" She frowned as she ran after him. She reached out and took his hand as he was leaving. He pulled away quickly as if burned and Rinoa stopped, a confused look on her face. "Squall..."
"I have to get back to work," he stated quickly. He quickly sped away on long legs clad in leather pants as Rinoa watched him leave. *I can't believe it...no, it can't be...she couldn't have been the one to ask Cid to let Seifer back in...*
Shaking his head, he decided to go check for himself. He headed towards the main office to go check on the records.
Rinoa stood where he head left her, looking sad as she clutched the manila folder against her chest. "Rinoa," a voice said behind her. She turned around and smiled weakly as Quistis walked up, two books in her hands as she was heading towards her next class. "What are you doing standing in the halls?"
"Hmm? Oh, nothing," Rinoa said, letting out a slight giggle. "Just wanted to go grab this folder!" she piped, lifting it up.
Quistis raised an eyebrow and studied the emotional woman's features. "Are you all right?"
"I'm just a bit tired..." Rinoa lied, knowing that she was as readable as a book. She forced a yawn and covered her mouth with the back of her hand. "I think I'll go take a quick nap..."
The tall blond instructor didn't seem to believe her, but nodded anyway and let her scurry off. She had just run into Seifer on the way there and he asked if she saw his two companions. After she answered and told him they were by the training room posting signs up, he had asked her if she was auditioning.
Strangely enough, Rinoa had begged her to audition and handed her the lines of the character Rinoa 'could just see' her playing. As Quistis watched Rinoa walk off in a hurry, she frowned. *That Seifer...he better not have said anything to annoy her...he knows how sensitive she is...*
Turning around she headed towards her classroom.
Squall entered his room, tired and worn. He fell on his bed, face first, and buried his head into the pillow. He had gone to look at student records and found that Seifer, as well as Raijin and Fujin, were all going to the school and their tuition paid for by one Miss R.H. Caraway.
*Does she think I'm stupid?* he thought to himself angrily as he rolled over on his back. *Did she think that I wouldn't find out? I mean, she could've at least tried to hide her name better!*
Annoyed, he sat back up and ran his hand through his thick hair. He needed to relax and decided to take a long hot shower. He removed his clothes and headed for his bathroom. As the shower sputtered on and steaming hot water shot out, he stepped in and relished the feeling against his skin.
His door slid open and a brunette walked into his room. Her brown eyes looked around and saw his discarded clothes on the floor leading to the bathroom. *Ugh...he never puts them away!* she thought to herself as she picked them up and threw them in his hamper in the corner of his room. "Squall!" she shouted.
In the shower, behind a hazy, but clear shower curtain, Squall froze. *Hyne, no...*
"Squall, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.
"Can it wait until I'm out of the shower!?" he growled, still angry at her deceit.
"No, while you're in the shower is good!" she said. She walked into the bathroom as if it were nothing and put the toilet seat lid down. She sat on it and was right next to the shower. Steam was coming from the the top of the shower and filling the room as the mirrors began to get slightly fogged up.
"Rinoa! I'm trying to take a shower!"
"By all means, don't let me stop you!" she retorted, shouting over the sound of the shower.
"Why can't this wait?" he asked, frustrated.
"Because this way you won't run out on me when I'm trying to talk to you," she explained seriously. "What was with you today?" she asked.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, in denial.
"You know what I'm talking about!" Rinoa snapped. "You just shoved some papers in my hand without another word, then you give me this really cold glare, and pulled your hand away-"
"I said I had to get back to work-"
"Then how come you weren't in your office when I went there?" Rinoa asked with narrowed eyes. She glared at him through the shower curtain. It was just hazy enough to skew his figure and all she could see was a beige blob topped with brown, soaked hair.
"I might've stepped out for a moment-"
"To avoid me?" she asked. "You weren't at dinner, either."
"I wasn't hungry-"
"What's wrong!?" Rinoa gasped. "One minute I'm talking to Seifer and the next..." she paused. "Is THAT why!?"
*That and the fact that you're the one that brought him here...*
"Squall, I was asking him to audition and to remind Raijin and Fujin to come and audition for certain parts," Rinoa said. "Why are you so upset?"
Squall slammed his fist against the tile, making Rinoa jump. He pulled back the curtain and glared at her as her face turned red. "Why didn't you tell me that you were the one who asked Cid to let Seifer back? Why didn't you tell me that you're paying their tuition!"
"What I do with MY money is none of YOUR business!" Rinoa snapped. "So that's where you've been!" she said as she stood up, completely forgetting about the fact that Squall was naked and still in the shower. "You went to check their records!"
"Why didn't you tell me!?"
"Because I knew you'd be angry and tell me not to!" Rinoa argued back. She narrowed her eyes. "The fact of the matter is that I have my reasons for wanting them to be here."
"Then WHY?"
"Why does it matter to you!?" Rinoa gasped. She threw her hands down and shook her head. "They're not evil, Squall...I think that they'd make good SeeDs. Edea thought so, too. So does Quistis..."
"I just don't understand why you hid it from me..."
"What do you MEAN you don't understand?" Rinoa laughed bitterly. "You just yelled at me right now because of it! Now you know! What does it change? You can't trust me any more because is hid this from you? I never lied about it, Squall. If you asked, I would've told you. But you never did."
"It never occurred to me-"
"Where do you think they got the money? Fishing?" she asked. She shook her head. "Hyne...did you think I'd leave you for him?...After EVERYTHING?" Her eyes rimmed with tears as the sudden feeling of betrayal washed over her. "Three years, Squall...I thought you knew me better than that..."
She turned around and headed out of the bathroom. "Rinoa, wait..." he sighed. It was too late. The door closed and Squall swore.
"Rinoa, are you all right?" Quistis asked as she looked over the younger, dark haired woman.
Rinoa was sitting on a dark blue director's chair with her name on the back, painted on in white letters. She was holding a copy of her script in her hand as she nodded and rubbed her forehead. She was aware of the bags under her eyes and her pale complexion as a result of her crying and lack of sleep from the night before. "I'm fine, Quisty..." Rinoa said. She smiled at the blond. "You all set for your big audition?"
Quistis blushed slightly, but nodded. "I have to admit, I was rather flattered by the idea that you wrote this part for me."
Rinoa chuckled. "Don't worry, the Trepies didn't hold a gun blade to my neck and make me write it," she assured the blond. She looked over at Selphie, who was organizing the people into categories of characters. "Selphie! I'm ready when you are!"
"All right!" Selphie said. "First up are the extras with lines!" She looked at her clip board as she walked along one of the larger lines. The turn out for the auditions were being held in the ball room and much to Rinoa's pleasure, there were many students and faculty members who were interested in the play.
Many people wanted the small roles, as they were simple and easy. A few people, who looked quite competitive were up for the lead roles of the knight, the princess, and the villain.
Rinoa looked at her clip board as Angelo slept to the left of her chair. "The role of the six other knights! Please get into a line," she said, pointing in front of her. "And when I point to you, say your lines!"
About two dozen young men were in the group, among them, Zell and Irvine. Rinoa began and pointed to the first SeeD. As she went down the line, she had them say their names and then mark down her comments on the clip board. She pointed to Zell.
"That's a good idea, sir!" Zell said, energetically. Rinoa nodded.
"Very believable..." Rinoa trailed off as she put a star next to Zell's name. She then looked at Irvine and inwardly winced. "Irvine..."
Irvine smirked. "She went that way! Into the foreground!"
Selphie slapped her forehead and ran her hand down her face. "Oh, Hyne..."
Rinoa struggled to contain her snickering as she nodded. "Thank you..." she mumbled and marked him down. *This is going to be a long day...*
Designated times were given for certain characters to return and try out. It was five in the evening by the time the auditions for the princess had ended. Xu, Selphie, and Quistis had all tried out for that part. Many of the people who originally wanted to try out for the leads backed out for some reason.
As Quistis finished reading her lines, the door creaked open and Squall slipped in, holding a copy of the script in his hands. He walked over to where Irvine and Zell were seated, watching Quistis recite the last of her lines.
"You're beneath me..." Quistis said, gushing emotion as Rinoa leaned forward, studying the actress while scribbling notes. "Is that what you expected me to say? That you're not GOOD enough for me? I thought you would see me differently. But you're just like the rest of them..." She shook her head at an imaginary person. "I hate you."
Squall raised an eyebrow as Rinoa began to clap. Around her, others who had stuck around to watch the lead characters try out also began to clap. "Quistis...wow..." Rinoa said as she wrote something on her clip board.
"Might as well give up now, huh?" Selphie sighed. "Looks like someone's got in the bag."
*I am such a good casting director!* Rinoa thought to herself as she wrote something down. "Is that all for the part of the princess!?"
"Yeah!" Selphie said. "Next up is the role of the prince for which we have...no one?"
"You're kidding me!" Rinoa said with large eyes. Selphie walked over to the director's chair and showed her the sign up sheet. "Oh, Hyne!" She gritted her teeth. *Dammit, Seifer! You're so dead!!*
"Uh...Rinoa..." a voice said behind her. She turned around and saw Squall standing there, his eyes avoiding eye contact.
"What is it, Squall?" Rinoa asked, turning her back to him. "We'll join you for dinner as soon as this is over."
"Actually...I wanted to..." Squall felt his cheeks turn slightly pink. "Uh..."
"You wanted to WHAT?" Rinoa grumbled, still feeling bit angry from the night before.
"Audition..." Squall mumbled. Rinoa froze and she slowly turned around.
"For...?" she trailed off.
"The...knight."
*Oh...this is interesting...* Rinoa thought to herself.
"Did you already finish the princesses?" he asked. Rinoa nodded and motioned for him to go to the center of the ball room where Quistis had just stood. The blond now sat along side of Zell and Irvine who were complimenting her on her performance.
"Just go ahead and read your lines," Rinoa instructed as she leaned back on her chair and crossed her legs. She held her clip board in front of her and scribbled Squall's name. "Go."
Squall took a deep breath and looked straight at her. "I'm sorry..." he began. Rinoa's eye brows rose. "You trusted me...I should've trusted you. Your words should be assurance enough. But I didn't believe you. I guess I'm just worried. I'm worried that I'm going to loose you. I'd rather die than loose you."
"Whoa..." Irvine mumbled in awe as he watched the emotions cross Squall's usually uncaring face. "Squall can act..."
Quistis looked from Squall and Rinoa and smiled slightly. "I don't think he was acting..." she said as Rinoa's face flushed heavily. Selphie looked over her copy of the script.
"Hey..." she said as she flipped through a few pages. "That wasn't in the script-"
"Thank you, Squall," Rinoa cut her off. "That's enough..." Squall nodded and walked towards her. Right before he reached her the doors to the ballroom were opened.
"Sorry, I'm late!" Seifer said as he strode in confidently. "Your knight has arrived!"
"He got lost-"
"Raijin, shut up!" Seifer hissed as he looked over his shoulder. "So, Rin, where do I start?"
"Didn't you get the script with the knight's lines on them?" Rinoa asked incredulously. He merely smirked and shrugged.
"Wait a second," Quistis said. "Seifer's auditioning for the part of the knight?" she hissed.
"Rinoa practically begged-"
"Ahem." Rinoa coughed. Seifer looked over at her and she raised her left hand and rubbed her thumb against her index and middle finger, as if saying 'don't forget you pays for you'.
"Just hand me a script..." he grumbled. He snatched Zell's as he passed the shorter blond.
"Hey!" Zell snapped as Seifer walked towards the center of the ball room.
"Oh, this'll be good..." Irvine grinned. Zell thought about it for a second and grinned. Selphie wrote his name down on her clip board as Squall stood next to Rinoa. Raijin and Fujin leaned by the door.
The tall blond looked over the pages. "Start from page 54!" Rinoa told him. He flipped over to the page and looked over the words.
"Can I just read from it?" he asked, actually sounding serious.
"Yeah...start from the forth line on that page." the director replied casually.
He nodded and coughed. He loosened his shoulders slightly and rolled his head around over his neck. He took a deep breath and held the script in his hands. He looked up at the nearest person, who was Quistis. "But now I'm falling even more in love with you," his voice echoed through the ball room with such power as Rinoa leaned back on her chair, a smirk on her face. "Everything I've ever been taught, everything I've ever held on to is gone..."
"What. The. Hell." Irvine mumbled as everyone, save Rinoa, Fujin, and Raijin, stared at Seifer in shock.
The emotion coming out of the usually smart ass sounding, cocky bastard was amazing. His face contorted with the feelings and the desperation could actually be seen in his face. "You're the only thing that matters to me now! I don't care if you're the princess. I don't care if your the enemy. I just don't CARE any more! The only thing I care about is YOU. You're not above me. You're not beneath me...you're just..." he paused and ran hand through his hair as he turned his head away. "You're just you..."
A silence dragged through the ball room, Rinoa began to clap, followed by Fujin and Raijin. Even some of the by-standers also clapped. "Where did that come from?" Zell asked, completely confused.
"I know how to act, chicken wuss," Seifer snorted confidently as he tossed him back the script. "So what's the verdict, Rin?"
"What do you think?" Rinoa asked. "You got the part."
"WHAT!?" a chorus of voices went through the room as Rinoa stood up and shook Seifer's hand.
"Just as good as I remember you." she said, highly pleased with her choice.
"Hear that, Commander Puberty?" Seifer said as he looked over Rinoa's shoulder at Squall. "I get to be the knight in shining armor."
Squall frowned and narrowed his eyes, giving Seifer his patented death glare. "Is that why you asked him to audition?" Quistis asked. She looked at Seifer in surprise. "Since when did you...?"
"Aw, come on, Quisty," Seifer smirked. "You didn't think I had it in me?"
"Well...no." she admitted. Seifer frowned.
"Okay, well, now that we have the knight, I guess I should introduce Sir Seifer to his Princess." Rinoa said cheerfully.
"Great," Seifer grinned. "Who am I protecting?"
"Sir Seifer Almasy," Rinoa grinned as she stepped back. "Meet Princess Quistis."
Quistis' eyes went wide open. She hadn't really believed that she would get the part. Behind her, the Trepies, who had stayed behind to cheer her on, went crazy as they screamed and clapped for their idol. "Are you...? But why?" Quistis gasped, surprised.
"Quistis, you were great out there!" Rinoa assured her. "Your emotion, your character...it was perfect!"
"But I thought you were going to be the princess!" Quistis admitted.
"Me?" Rinoa asked, jerking her head back in disbelief. "Why does everyone think that I was going to cast myself as the princess and Squall as the knight?!" she exclaimed. "I am NOT SHALLOW!!"
"Or talented." Seifer added.
Rinoa shot him a glare. "I'm going to be the director of this play!" she announced. "Selphie! Come with me! We're going to go over the rest of the casting!"
"Right!" Selphie said. "By the way, people, I'm the assistant director!" She grabbed her things and instructed Irvine to carry Rinoa's chair as they headed out the door.
"Squall, you're coming, too!" Rinoa said as she grabbed his arm.
"Why me? I didn't get any part..." He grumbled, sounding somewhat disappointed.
She leaned over and kissed him as they walked out the door. "Squall, you're more than a knight," she assured him softly as she slid her hand down his arm and took his. "You're my prince charming, as well..."
As everyone vacated the ball room, Quistis looked at Seifer. He looked back at her and crossed his arms. "So..." he said. "I'll see you at rehearsals."
"Yeah..." Quistis mumbled, still dumbstruck. Seifer side stepped her and headed towards the door.
"Don't forget to memorize your lines!" he shouted arrogantly as he walked.
"Seifer!" Quistis said. He stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"Yes, PRINCESS?" he asked casually. Quistis frowned, but asked him the question anyway.
"Where did you learn to act?" she asked.
Seifer snorted and turned his back to her. "That, my dear princess, is a secret!"
"I don't get it!" Irvine exclaimed as he emerged from the group of people who were trying to get to the bulletin boards where the list of who made it on to the play were.
"What's wrong, Irvy?" Selphie asked. She gotten the part of the princess' younger sister, Princess Karma.
"I didn't get the part!" Irvine explained, shock written all over his face. Selphie smiled brightly.
"That's okay," she said. "I'm sure not everyone got the part they wanted."
"I got the part!" Zell shouted as he practically exploded from the group. Irvine frowned and pointed to Zell. Selphie smiled weakly. "I'm one of the other knights!"
"That is so unfair..." Irvine sighed heavily.
"Well, we're still in need of a stage manager to do all the background stuff," Selphie suggested. "You could do that..."
"It's not the same..." Irvine mumbled.
"You can always be one of the non-speaking extras." Zell added.
"There we go! You get stage time!" Selphie exclaimed. Irvine merely sighed.
"Hey, guys!" a voice said from the side. "What do you think of the casting?"
"Rinoa!" Irvine exclaimed as he saw her. Squall was behind her and she was holding his hand as she pulled him forward. "Why didn't you give me a part!?"
"Well...we ran out of parts..." Rinoa said weakly.
"But Zell got one!" Irvine said defensively. "Even EDEA got a part!!"
"She's the only one that could play the oracle..." Rinoa trailed off. "Besides... you kind of made a mistake during the audition."
"What mistake!?" Irvine demanded. "I was perfect!" He turned to Selphie and Zell. "Right?"
"Uh..." Zell's eyes darted away.
"Actually..." Selphie mumbled as she looked away as well. "You yelled out 'into the foreground' instead of 'into the forest'."
Irvine paled. "OH CRAP!"
Squall smirked slightly. *That's what you get for not helping putting on the benefit concert...* he thought to himself.
"Anyway, Selphie, can I just finished the schedule for rehearsals for the next few months. Can you make copies and hand them out to cast members?"
"Sure thing!" Selphie said as Rinoa handed her a large envelope. "I'll get right on it."
"Thanks, Selphie," Rinoa said. "So Irvine, how about it? Stage manager? You always say you're good with your hands..." she trailed off.
Irvine sighed. "All right, I guess I can do it."
"Great!" Rinoa said. "You'll be mentioned in the program. Okay, we better get going."
"Where are you going?" Zell asked as they watched Selphie run off.
"We have to find Quistis to see how the invitations are going," Rinoa said. "So we'll see you guys at dinner."
She took Squall and lead him down the hall, towards Quistis' class room. As they approached, they heard yelling from the class room. They looked at each other before running down the rest of the corridor towards Quistis' class room.
"What do you mean I'm a horrible actress!?" Quistis shouted at the blond man sitting on one of the student's desk with his feet propped up.
"Oh, please...I've seen cows act better." Seifer snorted.
"Oh, Hyne, no..." Rinoa said as she burst into the room. "What's going on here!?"
Quistis turned to Rinoa. "He said I'm a horrible actress!"
"WHY!?" Rinoa gasped. *Great...the last thing I need is for my two lead actors to hate each other's guts...*
"I don't know!" Quistis exclaimed. "He just waltzed in here and said he wanted to see how I acted at the audition yesterday. So I acted it out and he said that I'm horrible!"
"Seifer!" Rinoa growled. Squall stood at the door way and leaned against the frame casually.
"Well, she's just not up to my standards..." Seifer shrugged. Rinoa narrowed her eyes and stomped over to him.
"If you don't start acting like part of a team for MY play," Rinoa growled as she loomed over him. "I will tell EVERYONE about where YOU learned to act..." she said in a low voice.
Seifer froze and paled. "You wouldn't dare..." he hissed.
"This is MY play," Rinoa stated simply. "You screw it up...and you'll pay."
Grumbling, he brought his feet down off the desk. "Fine!" he grumbled. He looked over at Quistis. "You don't suck."
"Oh, well, gee, thanks a lot!" Quistis sighed, throwing her arms in the air tiredly as she rolled her eyes.
"Ugh..." Rinoa grumbled. "The first practice is tomorrow after work at five!" Rinoa called out as Seifer headed out towards the door.
Quistis sighed. "Was there something else I could help you with, Rinoa?"
"Actually, Squall wanted to see you about the invitations to the big wigs." Rinoa said. She lifted her chin towards Squall.
"As soon as promotional pictures and a proper program is made, we'll send out the invitations, all right?" Squall said.
"Of course," Quistis agreed. "It'll attract more people that way when they see that we have progressed somewhat."
"Speaking of promo pictures," Rinoa said. She pulled out a small palm held machine from her back pocket. "When are you free to take them? The costumes will be in two weeks from now."
"Two weeks from now is fine," Quistis agreed. "What kind of promo pictures?"
"Couple shots, group shots...which reminds me, I'll need Irvine to start the backgrounds soon..." Rinoa murmured as she began to plan things.
"Couple shots...?" Quistis asked quietly. "As in with Seifer...?"
"I prefer to call him the knight to your princess," Rinoa said. She looked up and smiled brightly. "Okay, I'll pencil you guys in! See you at dinner!"
Squall sighed as he was dragged out once more. "Rinoa," he said quietly. "Are you SURE about this?"
"Of course I am," she said. "I think it'll work out great."
"If they don't like each other off stage, won't that make it harder for them to like each other one stage?" Squall asked.
"But see, that's the beauty of it!" Rinoa said. "They're really good actors!"
"I just hope this works out..." he mumbled. *I need to pay for that ring.*
Next Time: Promotions and Sponsors! The dreaded photo shoot arrives and so does a certain president willing to sponsor the play. Everything looks good so far, but will Seifer and Quistis' attitudes towards each other ruin it for the rest of the group?