Selphie's otherwise ordinary day is about to take a disturbing little twist… read on. O_-
CHAPTER 3 – Storm's Prelude:
Whistling a random tune that was circulating through her head, Selphie pushed through the exit gates to emerge in the brightly lit exterior of the front section of the Garden. She paused for a fraction on the topmost step, letting her eyes slowly roam.
Now where on my dear Granny's grave could Quistis be... she pondered,
idly twirling the data disc between her thumb and index finger. Selphie stood
motionless for several moments at the top of the flight of stairs, simply
enjoying the feel of the cool, moist breeze blowing inland from the direction
of Balamb on her heated cheeks. It was one of the scant times that day that
she'd actually ceased moving - but with Selphie, staying stationary for long
was like blue grass sprouting on the sea. As she skipped down the stairs with
some of her old energy, she noted that the light in the sky was starting ever
so slightly to fade; telltale streaks of purple cloud were already staining the
heavens and the sun was throwing strong golden hues onto the pavement. As if
reading Selphie's mind, a garden light flickered into life at the corner of her
vision followed by three more.
Better make this quick.... she thought, and trotted further down the
path to the open courtyard where she'd first been briefed as a true SeeD. It
startled her that it seemed so long ago and yet it had only been about a year
since she'd stood solemnly in that spot near the rails... stick to the
subject… she chided herself, shaking her head clear of her daydreaming.
In the early evening, the traffic trickling into the Garden was meagre as
adventuring SeeDs returned home from whatever business they'd been executing on
the outskirts of the Garden. Selphie carefully scrutinised the passing faces as
they came, but Quistis was not among those that she saw. It wasn't long before
no SeeDs were walking through the gates, and Selphie found herself with nothing
to speak for her patience but an empty courtyard.
"Fudge," she muttered, "Back to the drawing board I go..." She unstuck herself from her reclining pose on the railing and gave one last glance towards the now closed gates, turning to leave.
She'd been so absorbed in concentrating on the passing crowd that it was only now with sudden realisation that she noticed how the weather had changed so suddenly – broiling storm clouds overhead had somehow migrated from the outer reaches of the nearby sea, so incredibly dark, ominous and heavily weighted with rain. A faint rumble of thunder echoed in the distance, and the breeze was laden with moisture that clung with damp fingers onto the bare skin of Selphie's arms. The flickering garden lights threw the path snaking back towards the safety of the Garden into a murky half-light, doing little to ward off the thick blanket of darkness creeping over the structure and surrounding lands. The wind chose to dip its oar in to add to the collective sinister effect being created by the weather, by picking up a chilling momentum that whistled through the upper arches of the courtyard with an eerie howl. Creepy... Selphie winced uncomfortably. But after time compression, I doubt anything could freak me out anymore...
CRASH!!
Selphie yelped in terror as one of the Garden gates swung open with a resonating bang, a sound that struck against her eardrums with unexpected, painful intensity. She had had little time to recover from the first shock when another one presented itself to her - someone, or something, had stumbled through the entrance.
Curfew's nearly in place… no SeeD in their right mind would be heading back this late at night…
Selphie took evasive action - she snatched at a broken stick from the ground within her reach, probably a cast off from some unfortunate tree, and slipped into a battle stance, advancing upon the figure with mincing steps, hoping that surprise was going to act favourably on her part. The branch was rough and terribly unweighted in her grasp, a far cry from the smooth, lightly balanced deadliness of her beloved Shinobou but she could dish out damage with the lump of wood if the situation called for it. She shifted it from left to right, quickly trying to determine whether a one-handed blow would be possible over a double-hand... if possible, she wanted to be able to switch side stances in the possibility of combat, much in the same gadfly familiarity that she was used to with the Shinobou. Only a few more steps was all that was needed now to get the target within her strike perimeter...
* * *
To be continued shortly! I won't keep you hanging… ;)