Her Own World
Chapter 8:
Skyward
..~**~..
" Rinoa! How nice to see you!" The overly large woman made her way over to Rinoa. She smiled haughtily and squeezed her up in an enormous hug. " Nice to see you too Martha" Almost dying from the pressure Rinoa sent a quick glance to her comrades. Selphie got the message clear and walked over to the two. " Hey, do you mind if I get a really quick tour of this place? I remember when it was in the train and all…but I've never been here"
Immediately Martha let Rinoa go and walked briskly over to the small SeeD. " Of course you can! Now just follow me through here and keep your head low, those two messenger boys don't even know…" As Selphie and Martha walked off Zell studied his surroundings in a quick glance and walked over to one of the tech men. Squall looked over at Rinoa. " Feeling ok?" She yawned slightly and sat down on the long seat next to her. Squall followed and stayed silent. " Yeah I'm just still a little tired but it should wear off soon" He nodded back and crossed his arms.
The Forest Owls had come a long way. Their train had been previously destroyed and now their new leader, Martha, had set up a small area at the back of the pub for their new grounds. It was a low maintenance three-room corridor with one large room filled with maps and computers. In the center a large oak table was spread out across the room, filling up a large portion of space. Rinoa slouched back and closed her eyes. Listening intently to the soft playing piano music Zone had put on. It was meant to create a pleasant mood. She was slightly startled at the sound of Selphie's voice. " Hey we should go now. Don't want to miss our train now do we?" Rinoa nodded back slowly and stood.
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Later, Squall leaned against the window in the train looking out on the sky. The first purple-bellied storm clouds blew in from the south on strong humid wind. Rinoa appeared beside him. She leaned up against his shoulder and sighed. " So…we won" Squall closed his eyes. " It would seem that way, yes" Rinoa turned to look out at the gathering storm. " But how. It was all just some silly debate. It won Timber's independence. Something no one could do for the last ten years" Squall reopened his eyes and looked at her. " What are you saying?" He said softly. The dark underside of the cloud flickered with lightning. Far off the sound of thunder rolled over the landscape. He saw a flash of blue lightning reflect off her hair. " I'm saying that maybe this was all a set up. Maybe we were guaranteed to win" Upon saying this she brushed a piece of fallen hair out of her face. " Maybe…" She shook her head.
" You know what, maybe I'm just paranoid. I am a sorceress after all and I get too sketchy about my feelings…I'm going to go and lay down" She shook her head and walked off into the cabin. Zell had fallen asleep and Selphie had resided to the top of her bunk with earphones. Squall continued to look out at the storm. You have no idea how much I want to understand you better Rinoa
The first droplets of rain began to splutter against the window. He leaned back and sighed. Rinoa had stretched out on the couch and leaned up against some cushions. She smiled contently and laid still. His eyes settled in the distance. Not long now… He heard a soft thump. Turning around, he saw that Selphie's earphones had fallen and were now dangling over the side of the bed. She was fast asleep. He sat down on the end of the couch and leaned forward, closing his eyes again in deep thought.
Approximately fifteen minutes of brooding before we stop at Balamb
He placed a hand to his forehead. Rinoa…I need to have that talk with her. She's not telling me everything. Mental note in mental checklist. Top priority. Remember to speak with Rinoa. I must remember…I must remember…I must remember…
He subconsciously smiled. It was strange the way his mind worked. If anyone could poke their way into it, they would certainly have a laugh. Remembering himself, he looked over at the sleeping Rinoa. One arm dangled over the side of the couch.
Edea might know. She was once a sorceress after all. I can only hope it has something to do with her sorcery. Maybe then I'll know its nothing to do with me…no…don't think like that He leaned back and rested his head in his arms. Her speech…it was so perfect. And yet, she hadn't even rehearsed or even prepared that much. Everyone else, especially Caraway, they all sounded so rehearsed. So…boring. Is that how I sound?
He sat silent for a minute, contemplating this, then walked over to Selphie and Zell.
" Wake up you two, we'll be there in a minute so get ready" Zell yawned loudly and attempted to roll on his side… but got himself caught in the sheets and fell off the bed completely. Selphie jumped down, missing him by a hair. She kicked the lump on the ground and laughed. " Zell stop foolin around!"
Rinoa had woken up and sat on the couch, leaned over. She reached her arms up and yawned. " Are we – "
Squall spun around. " - Don't say it" He smiled.
Zell sat up and grinned mischievously. He placed the sheets back on the bed.
" There yet"
..~**~..
" So yeah, Ma said she was going to cook some hotdogs for us and show us some new photo's of her trip down to Trabia. She was saying how much she liked the cold. It was a nice change from…"
Squall ignored Zell's ramblings for the moment and looked around the busy streets of Balamb. Every so often he would look over at Rinoa. She seemed to be doing fine.
They stopped at Ma Dincht's house. Zell knocked on the door and stepped back. Ma appeared and greeted them with an enormous smiled. " Welcome! I hope your hungry!" She stepped aside and let them in. Squall blinked his eyes a few times. It was hard to get used to the dimness of the room. He looked over at Rinoa. She sat down on the couch while Ma ran into the kitchen. Zell sat down on the rug and Selphie walked into the dining area. She returned with a few plates.
" Here!" She happily placed them on he ground and sat next to Zell. Squall walked over to Rinoa and sat down. " Hey…" She looked up and blew a strand of hair from her face.
" I never got to have that talk with you" Yes! I remembered! Go Squall!
She shrugged. " After we leave here we can go and sit by the jetty. We'll talk then…oh and by the way, why are we here?"
" Cid wanted us to do something for some new client…I'm not sure. He'll contact us soon"
" Okay…"
Ma walked into the room with a bowl full of ready made hotdogs. She placed them on the ground and grinned. " All right you lot, eat up" The she walked over to Rinoa. " Hey, some army guy dropped this off and said to give to you"
She handed her the clear white envelope. On the back were two simple words written in black spidery letters.
Rinoa Heartily
She took out the letter and began reading. While she read, Squall got up and walked into the dining room, where Ma was busily sweeping. She turned around and smiled when she saw him enter.
" What can I do for you Squall?"
He hesitated. She might get angry "Uh…I" She could easily pound me to the ground…I wont be able to fight back…I'm no assassin… "Rinoa and I…"
She put down her broom. " Come out with it dear"
Oh well… " Rinoa has been having…a few problems lately and…we really need to talk. It's important. So would it be okay if…we went to the jetty now? I know that you spent all this – "
Her eyes lit up. " – Is she pregnant! Oh please tell me, I can't help out with everything!"
What the hell?! " Err…no…no it's not that. Its not anything like that its just…uh"
" Its okay you can tell me"
" Really it isn't" What is it with her and Rinoa being pregnant! " I just need to talk to her"
" Okay okay. Be back later though all right?"
" Yes, thanks, we will"
He exited the dining room, shaking his head. Sad… He saw Selphie and Zell on the ground eating and Rinoa on the couch behind them still. Her expression worried him. The letter was still in her hands.
" Uh…Rin…you ok?"
She looked up as if noticing him for the first time and nodded slowly. He sat next to her and stared. " I'm not leaving until you tell me Rin…" She grinned and looked over.
" Oh…did I want you to leave?" She teased. He leaned back and took the letter. She shrugged and looked over at Selphie and Zell. " Its from my…father. Its just about the election, that's all"
He gave it back to her. " Mrs. Dincht has allowed us to leave to the Jetty…or would you prefer hotdogs?"
" Of course I want to go with you to the jetty. Besides… I'm not sure if there's any left" She whispered, with a glance at the floor.
Scribbles: All right…maybe this is the shortest chapter. Please stay with me. This one is (as you may have guessed) going to be long.
Please review.
Please? Pretty Please?
…Pl – ok! I'll shut up…