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Making Plans in Esthar
"Ok guys, looks like we're in Esthar!" yelled Selphie from the pilot's seat, as she landed the Ragnarok.
Everyone got up out of their seat, and made their way towards the exit of the Ragnarok.
Squall was walking in front of Rinoa. No one noticed, but she was secretly holding his hand, being led to the exit.
When everyone stepped out, they all blinked their eyes in the bright sunlight.
"Yep nothing's changed much since last time we were here," commented Zell wisely.
Quistis cleared her throat. "Um, Zell, we were only here less than a week ago."
Selphie exploded into an outburst of laughter. Irvine tapped Zell's forehead with his gun, as if to say, "yeah duh-brain!"
"Watch where you're pointin' that thing!" exclaimed Zell angrily.
"Alright break it up; we have to talk to Laguna now! I'm sure Ellone is anxious to see him again," said Quistis.
"Thankyou," nodded Ellone. "I am."
"Yeah I want to see him too!" said Rinoa, surprisingly.
"Why?" asked Squall, in a half shocked voice.
Rinoa looked down and shifted her feet. "I don't know, I guess...... he's nice, and cheery."
Ellone grinned. For the first time, she looked like her old self again. "I agree with you Rinoa. That's one of the reasons why I love Uncle Laguna."
Everyone smiled at the sound of Ellone calling Laguna that.
"C'mon people! We better get going!" reminded Selphie.
So everyone walked into the city of Esthar. (Selphie had landed just outside the city, even though she could have landed right in it.)
Some people stared at them, and others said things like, "Hi Ellone! How're things?"
Ellone smiled and nodded at them, not having any time to stop and chat.
Finally, the gang came to the Presidential Palace.
Ellone went in first, followed by everyone else.
There stood old Kiros, Ward and the President himself, Laguna.
As soon as he saw his precious little girl, he shouted, "Hey Ell! You're back!"
Ellone beamed and ran into his arms.
While he was holding Ellone, Laguna saw everyone else standing in the doorway.
"Looks like you got them to agree Ell," whispered Laguna to Ellone.
She nodded.
Laguna let go of Ellone and stepped forward. "Thanks all for coming. Wouldn't be able to pull this off if you guys weren't here to help. After all, you did beat Ultimecia." He folded his arms, looked upwards and nodded his head.
Squall frowned. "Whatever. So when do we go to Winhill?"
"Hey Squall, how's it going? Still you're usual antisocial self I presume?" grinned Laguna, without answering Squall's question.
"Not around me he's not!" Rinoa stepped forward and smiled widely.
"Hi Rinoa, how are you today?" Laguna walked over to Rinoa and shook her hand.
"Fine thankyou," smiled Rinoa.
"Good to hear. And everyone else is well?" said Laguna, nodding to Quistis, Irvine and Selphie.
"Yup!" said Selphie.
"Peachy!" said Irvine.
"I'm okay," nodded Quistis.
Laguna looked behind him and looked startled. "Oh yeah I almost forgot! Kiros and Ward are here too!"
"Good morning," said Kiros.
Ward just raised his hand as a sign of hello.
"Poor guy," whispered Selphie to Irvine. She remembered when Ward had lost his voice.
"Ok now that we've got that over with, let's start planning how we're going to do this!" said Laguna.
Everyone came forward towards Laguna. He sat down on a seat that was behind a desk-like table. Laguna motioned for everyone to sit down on the seats that he had prepared for them. They all sat down in one.
Kiros smiled slyly and whispered to the newcomers, "Laguna was so excited about you all coming, that he had to set everything up so that it would be perfect!"
Alas, Laguna heard and yelled in an irritated voice, "Hey shut up Kiros! I only wanted them to be comfortable! It's not like I was organising a tea- party!"
At this, Ward smirked. Laguna just glared at him.
"Hopefully there'll be no more interruptions! Now I'll explain what has to be done in Winhill. Ellone explained what the mission is about right?" Laguna looked curiously at everyone.
They nodded.
Squall spoke up surprisingly. "How did you know we would agree?"
Laguna smiled. "I didn't. I figured that my Ell would convince you to accept to the mission."
Ellone blushed a little when all eyes were fixed on her.
"Alrighty. Listen up everyone," said Laguna. "As you all know, Rinoa will not be able to take part in this mission. Sorry Rinoa." Laguna nodded to Rinoa.
Rinoa forced out a tiny smile.
Laguna continued. "In Winhill, we are to stay in hiding until a few of the Galbadians come out to attack. Some of you will have to make sure that the citizens do not get injured or killed. In other words, guard them with your life. We'll decide on who's doing what later...... uh Kiros, could you continue for me?"
Kiros sighed and started where Laguna left off. "The others will have to attack the Galbadians by a surprise attack. That way, we will get the first attack in. I'm sure there will be plenty more Galbadians but we will have to defeat them when they come in smaller groups, like 2 to 4. Once we have cleared that certain area of Galbadian soldiers, the fighters will join up with the defenders to attack the leaders of the army. So obviously, we will all be divided into two groups of 4. Now, we have been informed by spies on the outskirts of Winhill that the Galbadians have built a tower somewhere in Winhill. Most likely, that is the Galbadians' base and is probably where the leaders are hiding as well. That is when we all attack head on. If we manage to defeat or injure them very badly, our mission will most likely be successful. If not, the leaders will overpower us, and all will be lost, meaning Balamb Garden."
Everyone stayed quite calm, thinking about the mission.
Kiros continued, to finish off the speech. "But remember, the most important thing in this mission is to make sure that Rinoa does not attend. I know you have already been informed of that, but I know what kids these days are like, even though I haven't known you all for long."
At this, Kiros turned to look at Rinoa. Her eyes were sad and scared, but she didn't return Kiros' gaze.
"Good job Kiros! See the thing is, you're better at talking than me," said Laguna.
"Funny, you've never had any trouble talking in the past. In fact, it's probable one of your favourite pastimes," said Kiros.
Laguna stomped his foot. "Shut up Kiros! How would you know anything about anything?!"
Everyone knew about Laguna's temper only too well.
Better stop teasing him now. He might explode if he's not careful. But it's so easy to make him mad! thought Kiros.
Ward nodded, as if reading Kiros' mind.
"Whoa.. that's some mission! Let's just hope we pull it off!" said Zell excitedly.
"Yeah, it sounds a little scary, but I'm sure we'll manage!" said Selphie happily.
"Don't sweat over it. If we were able to beat Ultimecia, this'll be a walk in the park!" said Irvine confidently.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that. By the looks of things, the Galbadians have gotten stronger both physically and mentally," said Quistis sensibly.
Rinoa said nothing, as did Squall.
After Laguna had cooled down a bit, he said, "You guys came in the Ragnarok right?"
Squall nodded.
"Good. I'll have someone fly it into Esthar," said Laguna. He pushed a button on his table and in about 10 seconds, an Estharian messenger came running into the room. Laguna delivered the instructions, and the messenger saluted, before running off again.
"Ah.. ya gotta love that salute," said Laguna, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms behind his head.
After Laguna stopped dreaming he said, "Anyway, the Galbadians are set to attack tomorrow at approximately 12:00 midday. That means you'll be staying the night here in Esthar. I've reserved some beds for you in three rooms. You can decide which rooms you want."
Ward motioned for everyone to follow him. Kiros got up and said, "I must attend to my duties elsewhere. See you all tomorrow." He walked out briskly with a quick gesture of his hand.
Laguna called after everyone as they walked out, "You guys have got the rest of the day to do whatever you want! Feel free to explore Esthar as you please!"
There came a faint, "thanks!" evidently from Selphie.
When Laguna and Ellone were left alone in the room, Ellone smiled and said, "Even though he doesn't show it, I can see the change in Squall. His eyes are alive and happy, and it's all thanks to Rinoa. They definitely belong together."
"I agree Ell. Actually, I've seen something in his eyes that bring back joyful memories of me and Raine." Laguna sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Gee, I'm not afraid to admit that I miss her a lot."
Ellone made sure that Laguna didn't see her smile softly.
I'll let Uncle Laguna figure it out. But I'm sure either Kiros or Ward will tell him eventually...... thought Ellone.
Yay! Chapter 6 is done. Hope you liked it, if you did, please review soon! If you do, I'll be happy. This chapter is dedicated to:
Renegade Seraph, the-angel-of-the-lion and Momiji-chan. Thanks for reviewing!
Making Plans in Esthar
"Ok guys, looks like we're in Esthar!" yelled Selphie from the pilot's seat, as she landed the Ragnarok.
Everyone got up out of their seat, and made their way towards the exit of the Ragnarok.
Squall was walking in front of Rinoa. No one noticed, but she was secretly holding his hand, being led to the exit.
When everyone stepped out, they all blinked their eyes in the bright sunlight.
"Yep nothing's changed much since last time we were here," commented Zell wisely.
Quistis cleared her throat. "Um, Zell, we were only here less than a week ago."
Selphie exploded into an outburst of laughter. Irvine tapped Zell's forehead with his gun, as if to say, "yeah duh-brain!"
"Watch where you're pointin' that thing!" exclaimed Zell angrily.
"Alright break it up; we have to talk to Laguna now! I'm sure Ellone is anxious to see him again," said Quistis.
"Thankyou," nodded Ellone. "I am."
"Yeah I want to see him too!" said Rinoa, surprisingly.
"Why?" asked Squall, in a half shocked voice.
Rinoa looked down and shifted her feet. "I don't know, I guess...... he's nice, and cheery."
Ellone grinned. For the first time, she looked like her old self again. "I agree with you Rinoa. That's one of the reasons why I love Uncle Laguna."
Everyone smiled at the sound of Ellone calling Laguna that.
"C'mon people! We better get going!" reminded Selphie.
So everyone walked into the city of Esthar. (Selphie had landed just outside the city, even though she could have landed right in it.)
Some people stared at them, and others said things like, "Hi Ellone! How're things?"
Ellone smiled and nodded at them, not having any time to stop and chat.
Finally, the gang came to the Presidential Palace.
Ellone went in first, followed by everyone else.
There stood old Kiros, Ward and the President himself, Laguna.
As soon as he saw his precious little girl, he shouted, "Hey Ell! You're back!"
Ellone beamed and ran into his arms.
While he was holding Ellone, Laguna saw everyone else standing in the doorway.
"Looks like you got them to agree Ell," whispered Laguna to Ellone.
She nodded.
Laguna let go of Ellone and stepped forward. "Thanks all for coming. Wouldn't be able to pull this off if you guys weren't here to help. After all, you did beat Ultimecia." He folded his arms, looked upwards and nodded his head.
Squall frowned. "Whatever. So when do we go to Winhill?"
"Hey Squall, how's it going? Still you're usual antisocial self I presume?" grinned Laguna, without answering Squall's question.
"Not around me he's not!" Rinoa stepped forward and smiled widely.
"Hi Rinoa, how are you today?" Laguna walked over to Rinoa and shook her hand.
"Fine thankyou," smiled Rinoa.
"Good to hear. And everyone else is well?" said Laguna, nodding to Quistis, Irvine and Selphie.
"Yup!" said Selphie.
"Peachy!" said Irvine.
"I'm okay," nodded Quistis.
Laguna looked behind him and looked startled. "Oh yeah I almost forgot! Kiros and Ward are here too!"
"Good morning," said Kiros.
Ward just raised his hand as a sign of hello.
"Poor guy," whispered Selphie to Irvine. She remembered when Ward had lost his voice.
"Ok now that we've got that over with, let's start planning how we're going to do this!" said Laguna.
Everyone came forward towards Laguna. He sat down on a seat that was behind a desk-like table. Laguna motioned for everyone to sit down on the seats that he had prepared for them. They all sat down in one.
Kiros smiled slyly and whispered to the newcomers, "Laguna was so excited about you all coming, that he had to set everything up so that it would be perfect!"
Alas, Laguna heard and yelled in an irritated voice, "Hey shut up Kiros! I only wanted them to be comfortable! It's not like I was organising a tea- party!"
At this, Ward smirked. Laguna just glared at him.
"Hopefully there'll be no more interruptions! Now I'll explain what has to be done in Winhill. Ellone explained what the mission is about right?" Laguna looked curiously at everyone.
They nodded.
Squall spoke up surprisingly. "How did you know we would agree?"
Laguna smiled. "I didn't. I figured that my Ell would convince you to accept to the mission."
Ellone blushed a little when all eyes were fixed on her.
"Alrighty. Listen up everyone," said Laguna. "As you all know, Rinoa will not be able to take part in this mission. Sorry Rinoa." Laguna nodded to Rinoa.
Rinoa forced out a tiny smile.
Laguna continued. "In Winhill, we are to stay in hiding until a few of the Galbadians come out to attack. Some of you will have to make sure that the citizens do not get injured or killed. In other words, guard them with your life. We'll decide on who's doing what later...... uh Kiros, could you continue for me?"
Kiros sighed and started where Laguna left off. "The others will have to attack the Galbadians by a surprise attack. That way, we will get the first attack in. I'm sure there will be plenty more Galbadians but we will have to defeat them when they come in smaller groups, like 2 to 4. Once we have cleared that certain area of Galbadian soldiers, the fighters will join up with the defenders to attack the leaders of the army. So obviously, we will all be divided into two groups of 4. Now, we have been informed by spies on the outskirts of Winhill that the Galbadians have built a tower somewhere in Winhill. Most likely, that is the Galbadians' base and is probably where the leaders are hiding as well. That is when we all attack head on. If we manage to defeat or injure them very badly, our mission will most likely be successful. If not, the leaders will overpower us, and all will be lost, meaning Balamb Garden."
Everyone stayed quite calm, thinking about the mission.
Kiros continued, to finish off the speech. "But remember, the most important thing in this mission is to make sure that Rinoa does not attend. I know you have already been informed of that, but I know what kids these days are like, even though I haven't known you all for long."
At this, Kiros turned to look at Rinoa. Her eyes were sad and scared, but she didn't return Kiros' gaze.
"Good job Kiros! See the thing is, you're better at talking than me," said Laguna.
"Funny, you've never had any trouble talking in the past. In fact, it's probable one of your favourite pastimes," said Kiros.
Laguna stomped his foot. "Shut up Kiros! How would you know anything about anything?!"
Everyone knew about Laguna's temper only too well.
Better stop teasing him now. He might explode if he's not careful. But it's so easy to make him mad! thought Kiros.
Ward nodded, as if reading Kiros' mind.
"Whoa.. that's some mission! Let's just hope we pull it off!" said Zell excitedly.
"Yeah, it sounds a little scary, but I'm sure we'll manage!" said Selphie happily.
"Don't sweat over it. If we were able to beat Ultimecia, this'll be a walk in the park!" said Irvine confidently.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that. By the looks of things, the Galbadians have gotten stronger both physically and mentally," said Quistis sensibly.
Rinoa said nothing, as did Squall.
After Laguna had cooled down a bit, he said, "You guys came in the Ragnarok right?"
Squall nodded.
"Good. I'll have someone fly it into Esthar," said Laguna. He pushed a button on his table and in about 10 seconds, an Estharian messenger came running into the room. Laguna delivered the instructions, and the messenger saluted, before running off again.
"Ah.. ya gotta love that salute," said Laguna, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms behind his head.
After Laguna stopped dreaming he said, "Anyway, the Galbadians are set to attack tomorrow at approximately 12:00 midday. That means you'll be staying the night here in Esthar. I've reserved some beds for you in three rooms. You can decide which rooms you want."
Ward motioned for everyone to follow him. Kiros got up and said, "I must attend to my duties elsewhere. See you all tomorrow." He walked out briskly with a quick gesture of his hand.
Laguna called after everyone as they walked out, "You guys have got the rest of the day to do whatever you want! Feel free to explore Esthar as you please!"
There came a faint, "thanks!" evidently from Selphie.
When Laguna and Ellone were left alone in the room, Ellone smiled and said, "Even though he doesn't show it, I can see the change in Squall. His eyes are alive and happy, and it's all thanks to Rinoa. They definitely belong together."
"I agree Ell. Actually, I've seen something in his eyes that bring back joyful memories of me and Raine." Laguna sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Gee, I'm not afraid to admit that I miss her a lot."
Ellone made sure that Laguna didn't see her smile softly.
I'll let Uncle Laguna figure it out. But I'm sure either Kiros or Ward will tell him eventually...... thought Ellone.
Yay! Chapter 6 is done. Hope you liked it, if you did, please review soon! If you do, I'll be happy. This chapter is dedicated to:
Renegade Seraph, the-angel-of-the-lion and Momiji-chan. Thanks for reviewing!