Wrongfully Accused
Chapter Nineteen
"Zell! Stop fidgeting!" Rinoa snapped as they walked through the entrance of the out door garden area. Most of the guests had already arrived and were either socialising around the food and drink tables or on the dance floor, their moves being conducted by the string quartet.
"I can't help it, this suit is killing me."
"I'm going to kill you in a second." Irvine snapped.
"Please do!" Zell pleaded. "Put me out of my misery."
"That's it, all of you stop right now." Squall snapped, forcing them all to stand in their places. "This is not a game. Some of Deling's most influential politicians are at this function, and I will not allow you to embarrass yourself or Garden by acting like spoilt brats in front of them."
"Yes mother." Zell yawned. Squall simply rolled his eyes and walked off, Rinoa close behind. It was not his job to play baby-sitter and he was not about to make a scene by ramming Zell's head into the nearby ice sculpture. Although he was tempted to do so.
"Well, what do we do now?" Irvine purred into Selphie's ear.
"Let's hit the appetiser table." Zell said hopefully.
"I wasn't talking to you dickhead." Irvine snapped, having lost all patience with the energetic teen.
"I didn't hear you say anything, I just suggested getting something to eat."
"Sure." Selphie removed Irvine's arm from her shoulder and began to walk off. "Come on Zell, I'm hungry, let's go eat."
"All right!" Zell said, punching the air.
"Irvine, you coming?" Selphie asked.
"No, I just remembered something. I gotta go talk to Squall." Irvine said looking distracted.
"Oh, ok. I'll meet you over there later then." A disappointed Selphie said, while trying to locate what it was that he was staring at.
"Come on Selph, I'm wasting away here." Zell whined.
"Yeah, ok I'm coming." Selphie followed, watching as Irvine ran over to the other side of the court.
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"There she is." Irvine said, interrupting Squall and Rinoa's conversation.
"Who?" Squall asked, ignoring Rinoa's protests.
"Tasmin. She's over there with Benson Sr."
"What the hell would a married man be doing with the likes of her?"
"Fucked if I know."
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"Perhaps you should make yourself scarce my dear." Benson said, glancing quickly in the direction of Squall and Irvine.
Tasmin rolled her eyes. "And what would make you think that?"
"The SeeD's are staring. No doubt they are wondering who you are."
They already know." She stated calmly, a mischievous smirk forming on her stunning features.
Benson quickly placed his champagne glass on the nearby table. "What?!" He whispered harshly. "You idiot, how could you let them discover you."
Tasmin walked over to a hidden exit leading to a secluded part of the garden, away from prying eyes. As she had expected, Benson followed.
Once he felt it was safe to talk, Benson reached out and grabbed hold of her bare arm. "Stop right there. I believe you owe me an explan" he was cut off as a slender hand grabbed his neck and forced him up against a brick wall. "W-What are.?" He managed to stammer as he struggled to breathe.
"Do not forget who you are talking to old man." Tasmin said, her facial expression blank but her eyes burning with anger. She was not pleased at having to discipline an ageing businessman, she was trained for combat, but she had a job to do and was not about to let her pride get in the way.
"H-Help" Benson stammered, trying to avoid her fiery eyes.
"Did you honestly believe that I would let them discover me so easily?"
"Let me g-go." She threw him to the ground, smirking cruelly at his pitiful form. "Pathetic, and to think you are supposed to be one of the masterminds behind the Deling's largest crime syndicates."
"Shut up! Someone could be listening."
"You're nothing but a paranoid old geezer."
"How dare you!"
"Are you forgetting who brought you to these people. Are you forgetting who got you the finances for your pathetic little law firm. I don't think my boss will be very pleased with your attitude." She said, as if speaking to a child.
Benson was fuming at being treated in such a disrespectful manner. "I don't think your boss will be pleased at your behaviour and how you are treating me."
"And what makes you think he cares about you?"
""
"Besides, you are in no position to be threatening anyone. After all, it is your fault that Almasy escaped."
"It is for the best. Seta only wanted him for his for his own pathetic reasons. It's about time he stopped wasting our time and started doing what he's paid for."
"You poor pathetic little man. You have no idea do you?"
""
"Almasy was used to lure the SeeD's"
"B-But, what would your boss want with the SeeD's?"
Tasmin rolled her eyes. "If you haven't figured it out by now you'll never understand."
"But the SeeD's came because Bareta invited them."
"What do you think they've been doing these last few days. Sitting alone in their fucking hotel rooms?"
"I."
"They already know more than you think. This whole publicity thing was just Garden's way of covering up a secret investigation."
"How do you know all this?"
"That is not your concern. Let's just say Garden puts far too much faith in it's SeeDs."
"Then.... how much do they know?"
"Don't worry you're safe........ for now. But don't expect them to simply go away. If you fuck up again you'll lose more than your life."
"Y.... you wouldn't..."
"We can't afford for you to make any more mistakes." She grabbed him by the scuff of the neck and pulled him to his feet." Clean yourself off, we have a party to return to." She walked off quickly, leaving him behind in the deserted garden.
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"Did you see that? Selphie asked.
"See what?" Zell asked, stuffing food into his mouth.
"Samuel Benson just walked off with that woman."
"The young one or the old one?"
Selphie rolled her eyes. "Old one. He just followed her into that closed off area."
"So?" Zell asked. "She's pretty."
"So?! He's a hundred years old and married!"
"Maybe they're talking business."
"What business?"
"I dunno, business." Zell said looking around the room.
Selphie looked up at Zell. She raised her eyebrows when she realised he had stopped eating. "What are you looking for?"
"What?"
"Something's got your attention. Who are you looking for?"
"No one!" He said quickly.
"Mmmhmm."
"Really, I'm not looking for....." Zell walked off quickly in the opposite direction without finishing his sentence. He moved quickly towards the object of his distraction. Leanne had just walked through the entrance.
"Wow, you look great." Zell said as he stared at her simple navy gown. It was far from being the most expensive or eye catching, but Zell found it almost impossible to tear his eyes off of it.
"You don't look so bad yourself. I had no idea you could pull off wearing a suit."
"What? You think I've never worn formal wear before?"
"Judging by the way you keep fidgeting, I'm going to say no, no you haven't."
"Hmph, lucky guess."
Leanne laughed as he walked towards the long white table that ran along the left side of the court. "I thought this was a banquet?"
"It is."
"What's with the buffet section."
"Appetisers. We go inside in around half an hour."
"Hmm, in that case, we'd better hurry."
"Hurry? For what?"
"Well, if memory serves me correct, the dance floor inside is only half the size of this one, making it very crowded."
"Your point being?"
Leanne grinned slyly as she dragged him out to the centre of the dance floor.
"Oh no, I can't even dance in a nightclub, let alone somewhere with all this fancy waltzing stuff."
"It's not that hard. Here, I'll lead." She grabbed hold of his hand and placed her other hand on his hip in the same way a man would hold a woman. "Now, follow my feet."
"No way!! Everyone's looking."
"So?" She placed his other hand on her shoulder.
"So!?" He protested. "It's embarrassing."
"Only if you think about it. Now come on, one two three, one two three, no no, when I spin around you have to move your legs faster to catch up. Otherwise I'll be dragging you across the dance floor."
"I can't do this."
"Of course you can, don't think too much, just listen to the music and let me guide you."
"People are staring."
"Let them stare, maybe they'll learn a thing or two."
"Maybe we'll start a new dancing trend."
"Maybe." Leanne laughed. "Good you're getting it. You're a natural."
"But of course." He said in a snobby manner. "We Dincht's are masters of all dances."
"Including the chicken dance?"
"Hey check this out." Zell quickly changed the position of his hands so hat he was able to lead, then without warning he pulled Leanne closer to him and dipped her. Leanne fought back a squeal as she felt herself fall, but the strong arm around her waist held on firmly and pulled her back up.
"I can't believe you did that."
"Neither can I." Zell said, a huge grin on his face.
"Now people are really staring." A breathless Leanne said.
"Let them stare, maybe they'll learn a thing or two."
"Smart arse!"
"No shit."
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Squall watched as they laughed like children while dancing around the room, completely oblivious to those around them. 'This can't be good.'
"Squall" Irvine snapped. "Are you awake? What do you want me to do."
"The second you get a chance, go up and talk to Tasmin."
"About what?"
"...What?" Squall stared in shock at the clueless Irvine.
"What do you want me to talk about with her."
"........... Hyne, what has Selphie done to you? What do you think I want you to talk about?"
"........... Oh right, I get ya......... Wait, what do I tell Selphie?"
"I'll take care of that. Hurry up, you've got less than 20 minutes until we go inside."
"I don't know Squall, I don't think Selphie would be too happy if I did that. I kinda promised her I wouldn't..........."
"Irvine, you're not about to hit on some nameless hussy. This is for our mission. Now quit acting like some lovesick puppy and get over there."
"Yeah yeah, ok I'm going." As soon as Irvine walked off Rinoa came up and gently put a hand on Squall's shoulder. "Are you sure you should have done that?"
"Of course." Squall said, puzzled.
"You're really going to hurt Selphie."
"She'll get over it. Irvine has a job to do."
"No you don't understand. They've only been exclusive for a few weeks. It took Irvine almost a year to stop........ well...." Rinoa paused as she searched for the right words.
"Sleeping around with anything in a skirt?" Squall finished for her.
Rinoa gave him an angry look. "Too put it crudely, yes."
Squall rolled his eyes. "I'm not asking him to sleep with her. Just to talk with her."
"I know but, maybe the temptation might be a bit much for him." She said, biting her lower lip. Squall sighed as he wrapped his arms around her waist drawing her to him.
"Irvine wouldn't do that. And even if he does...... Well.... Then it's best to find out now rather than have him hurt Selphie after she's gotten really attached to him."
Angrily she pushed against his chest, forcing them both to stumble slightly. "Hyne Squall, you can't really believe that."
"And what if I do?"
"Well..... I....."
"Look, give the guy a bit of credit. Irvine may be a bit of a sleaze, but he's not a complete jerk. He made a promise to Selphie and he'll keep it."
Rinoa sighed. "Your right. I shouldn't have assumed anything."
"Don't worry, it's not like he's given us many reasons to think otherwise."
"You're right. As usual, you're right. But now we have a bigger problem."
"......?"
"Who's going to tell Selphie?"
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Quistis stared out the hotel room window and cringed at the view below. A group of teenagers were running out of the bar, laughing at the ageing security guard chasing after them. They were lucky the guard didn't have a chance of catching up to them. Underage drinking was dealt with severely in Deling, which made Quistis wonder why they'd bothered to take the risk at all. 'Was I ever like that?' Quistis tried to think back on a time when she too had been reckless, acting without thought. 'Isn't that what I did? When I went to Raijin's? No, that was different, it wasn't that I didn't care about the consequences, it was just that I didn't think they would be that severe. I honestly never thought in all my life that I would be attacked, or that I would be saved by.......' Quistis cringed, afraid to even think his name. 'Hyne, what has happened to me?' Slowly she got to her feet and walked over to the kitchenette. Opening the fridge she bent down and pulled out small bottles of liqueur and a small bottle of red wine. Closing the door she walked over to the bench and poured most of the liqueur bottles' contents into a glass . She grabbed another glass for the wine and sat back down in her seat next to the window. Quistis stared at the 'cocktail' as it swirled around in it's transparent prison. 'Well, if I'm going to be shut up in here like a caged animal I may as well not remember it.'
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It's short I know, but I didn't want to have too many P.O.V changes in one chapter (I've been told it can get confusing). Anyway I'm so sorry it took me this long to update (I'll be surprised if anyone is still reading this), the good news is there's no school for the next few days so I'll try and get a couple of chappies out before it starts again. Please review and tell me what you think.