Sorry for the wait people. Thank you for the review, sdakerrigan. I'm doing
the best I can with accuracy, there is one chapter I know I forgot some
stuff on but I'll say something when I put it up. Thanks for all the
positive support.
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In the morning I train hopped until I reached Deling. I was a little nervous when I first arrived but I knew it was highly unlikely that my dad would find me there. I decided to walk instead of riding in the "public transportation" cars. I never liked those things. As I made my way down the street, I felt as though I'd never been here before. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. The buildings seemed to glow beautifully like they were taunting me, telling me to come see what's inside. I don't have time to explore though. The search for this girl, Ellone, could take up a lot of time. I finally reached the house I was looking for and knocked. A woman opened the door. She looked like she was in her late forties, early fifties. She's a few inches taller then me. Her blonde hair was shimmering and I figured it was dyed. "Hello, Ms. Davidson," I said sweetly. "It's me, Rinoa. Julia's daughter." My mom and Ms. Davidson were best friends. She blamed my mother's death on my father.
"Oh Rinoa, how good of you to come by," she said. "Come in, come in." She opened the door wider so I could step in. I came to this woman because she knows everyone who lives here or who has lived here. I figured if Laguna Loire lived here, she'd be the one to know. "Take a seat. How have you been dear?"
"I've been-" I thought about my incident and the scars on my arms. "Fine. I'm fine. How about you?"
"Good, when I don't see your father. Were you coming by to visit him?"
"Um, no actually. I came to ask you a question. Have you ever heard of someone by the name of Laguna Loire? Does that sound familiar to you at all?"
She paused a minute before saying, "I do. He was around the hotel quite a bit when he was in the Galbadian Army. He was acquainted with your mother. Anyway, he left one day and I haven't seen him since."
"Well, what does he look like? Do you remember?"
"He had black hair about shoulder length, kind blue eyes and a beautiful smile. I'm sorry. I don't know where he is now?"
"It's fine. Thank you." I left a little while after that. Okay, so I still have no idea where to find him. I guess I could just check everywhere. It would take while but it might work. I decided to look through the next big place. Dollet. Dollet is another great place I wish I could explore. I certainly wasn't looking in the bar. That was obvious. I started by asking the hotel lady. Well, you know, he could've been there at one point. Anyway, she said she'd never heard of him or Ellone for that matter. But she also recommended that I go over to the building across from the painter's house. I had no idea who "the painter" was so she had to explain where it was. The place apparently holds records of all the people that've ever lived in Dollet. That'll be hell to go through. The man there had to help me.
"Do you know if Laguna Loire lives here?" I asked. The old man stepped into another room. More than five minutes later, I got tired of standing around and took a seat on a chair. This is going to take forever. I hope it wont be this long at the other places.
After a little more than a half hour, the man came back out and said there was no record of such a person. I sighed and took a train back to Timber. I really should go check Esthar but how the hell would I get there? I could walk if I have to. In Timber I stopped at a run-down house and knocked. This is the home of my friends Zone and Watts. They let me stay with them for a month before I finally decided to go to Balamb Garden. Watts answered the door. I had forgotten how tall he was. "Hey Watts," I said. "I need your help."
He opened the door wider saying, "Come in, sir." I don't know why but he always had the habit of calling everyone "Sir". The house was like one big closet, or the living room is anyway. All Watts and Zone's belongings were spread all over the place. "What do you need help with sir?"
"Well I'm looking for someone and I thought you could help me. There's this girl, Ellone and her father, maybe, Laguna Loire. I need to find at least one of them although my main objective is to find the girl."
"Let me go get Zone, sir. Oh and sir? Are you okay?" I nodded and Watts walked off. As I tried to make myself a spot to sit, Watts called back to me, "You can come in here, sir." I followed the sound of his voice and found them sitting at a computer.
"What's the girl's name?" Zone asked as he typed.
"Ellone," I said. "I don't know the last name."
"We can narrow it down if we have to. Let's see ..." He stared at the screen, clicking the mouse every once in a while. He was quiet for a long time and I was beginning to get worried. What would I do if this girl was never found? Not find her obviously. My hopes began to wear thin. "Okay, it looks like she's living in Winhill with a Laguna Loire. Does that sound right?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"In order to get there you're going to have to get a car. No trains run through that town. It's north west of here. Shouldn't be too hard to find. You can borrow a car from us. We don't need it." I hugged and thanked them both before taking off in the car.
I've only driven a few times in my life. I'm nervous just sitting in the driver's seat. I shifted into drive and made my way out of Timber. It's an unsteady drive. I have no idea where this place is. Trying to find a place based on instinct isn't very reassuring. There is no road leading to Winhill. You just have to drive on the grass and hope for the best. For a while I thought I was lost but then the tiny town came into view. It was smaller than Timber and more country-like (not that Timber was supposed to be a country or anything). I decided to park near the entrance and walk the rest of the way. I was surprised that people didn't stop to stare at this new stranger. In a way, I was happy they didn't. A few of them said hello to me as I passed. I felt like I belonged, it was nice. I got to a mansion in town and realized that Zone didn't tell me which house Ellone or Laguna lived in. I found someone to ask.
"Excuse me," I said to an old woman passing by. "I'm looking for Laguna Loire. Do you know what house he lives in?"
She squinted at me and pointed to a tall house on my left saying, "He lives there. Go ahead and go in. You'll find him upstairs, he wont mind. Have you been in an accident?"
"Um, no. Thanks." I opened the door and stuck my head in. "Hello? Anyone home?"
"Up here," a male voice called from the second floor. I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me. Small tables were set up around the room. Behind the counter on some shelves were dusty bottles. This was probably the town's bar. The people here must not use it much but that can be a good thing. I went up the stairs into a living room. The man Ms. Davidson tried to describe was sitting on a small couch. A woman with short brown hair sat in the corner, painting. "What do you need?" the man asked.
"Are you Laguna Loire?"
"Yeah, I am. Can I help you with something?"
"My name is Rinoa. I'm looking for a girl named Ellone."
The woman in the corner stood and said, "That's me but ... I don't know you."
"No you don't and I don't know you. I came because Squall-"
"You know Squall?"
I nodded. "Yes, he's one of my best friends. His birthday is coming up and I thought having you two see each other would make him happy. I know he misses you. He says so all the time. Would you like to come back with me to see him? I can bring you home again later?"
"Yes. I'd love to come. It's getting dark though. Why don't you stay over for tonight? Then we can get to know each other a little." I agreed and we spent most of the day talking. She told me about her and Squall's mother, Raine. "She used to run a bar, as you may have noticed. Not many people drink alcohol. Mainly they came to hang around and talk. Almost like a family getting together at Thanksgiving."
I said, "So what happened? I mean, how did you end up in the orphanage?"
"My mom died while Laguna was gone," she told me. "She had a baby at that time. No one knew what to do with us. A lot of people around here are elderly. They decided to send us to the orphanage. And I don't blame them for it at all. They didn't know when Laguna was coming back or if he even would. When he finally did come to get me, it was in the middle of the night. Was asleep and never saw Squall again."
"Well, you get to see him tomorrow." I felt happier. Squall was going to have a great present that I hope would make him forgive me. I didn't feel like such a horrible person and I hadn't needed the release brought upon me by making blood flow. Tomorrow, however, would be different.
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In the morning I train hopped until I reached Deling. I was a little nervous when I first arrived but I knew it was highly unlikely that my dad would find me there. I decided to walk instead of riding in the "public transportation" cars. I never liked those things. As I made my way down the street, I felt as though I'd never been here before. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. The buildings seemed to glow beautifully like they were taunting me, telling me to come see what's inside. I don't have time to explore though. The search for this girl, Ellone, could take up a lot of time. I finally reached the house I was looking for and knocked. A woman opened the door. She looked like she was in her late forties, early fifties. She's a few inches taller then me. Her blonde hair was shimmering and I figured it was dyed. "Hello, Ms. Davidson," I said sweetly. "It's me, Rinoa. Julia's daughter." My mom and Ms. Davidson were best friends. She blamed my mother's death on my father.
"Oh Rinoa, how good of you to come by," she said. "Come in, come in." She opened the door wider so I could step in. I came to this woman because she knows everyone who lives here or who has lived here. I figured if Laguna Loire lived here, she'd be the one to know. "Take a seat. How have you been dear?"
"I've been-" I thought about my incident and the scars on my arms. "Fine. I'm fine. How about you?"
"Good, when I don't see your father. Were you coming by to visit him?"
"Um, no actually. I came to ask you a question. Have you ever heard of someone by the name of Laguna Loire? Does that sound familiar to you at all?"
She paused a minute before saying, "I do. He was around the hotel quite a bit when he was in the Galbadian Army. He was acquainted with your mother. Anyway, he left one day and I haven't seen him since."
"Well, what does he look like? Do you remember?"
"He had black hair about shoulder length, kind blue eyes and a beautiful smile. I'm sorry. I don't know where he is now?"
"It's fine. Thank you." I left a little while after that. Okay, so I still have no idea where to find him. I guess I could just check everywhere. It would take while but it might work. I decided to look through the next big place. Dollet. Dollet is another great place I wish I could explore. I certainly wasn't looking in the bar. That was obvious. I started by asking the hotel lady. Well, you know, he could've been there at one point. Anyway, she said she'd never heard of him or Ellone for that matter. But she also recommended that I go over to the building across from the painter's house. I had no idea who "the painter" was so she had to explain where it was. The place apparently holds records of all the people that've ever lived in Dollet. That'll be hell to go through. The man there had to help me.
"Do you know if Laguna Loire lives here?" I asked. The old man stepped into another room. More than five minutes later, I got tired of standing around and took a seat on a chair. This is going to take forever. I hope it wont be this long at the other places.
After a little more than a half hour, the man came back out and said there was no record of such a person. I sighed and took a train back to Timber. I really should go check Esthar but how the hell would I get there? I could walk if I have to. In Timber I stopped at a run-down house and knocked. This is the home of my friends Zone and Watts. They let me stay with them for a month before I finally decided to go to Balamb Garden. Watts answered the door. I had forgotten how tall he was. "Hey Watts," I said. "I need your help."
He opened the door wider saying, "Come in, sir." I don't know why but he always had the habit of calling everyone "Sir". The house was like one big closet, or the living room is anyway. All Watts and Zone's belongings were spread all over the place. "What do you need help with sir?"
"Well I'm looking for someone and I thought you could help me. There's this girl, Ellone and her father, maybe, Laguna Loire. I need to find at least one of them although my main objective is to find the girl."
"Let me go get Zone, sir. Oh and sir? Are you okay?" I nodded and Watts walked off. As I tried to make myself a spot to sit, Watts called back to me, "You can come in here, sir." I followed the sound of his voice and found them sitting at a computer.
"What's the girl's name?" Zone asked as he typed.
"Ellone," I said. "I don't know the last name."
"We can narrow it down if we have to. Let's see ..." He stared at the screen, clicking the mouse every once in a while. He was quiet for a long time and I was beginning to get worried. What would I do if this girl was never found? Not find her obviously. My hopes began to wear thin. "Okay, it looks like she's living in Winhill with a Laguna Loire. Does that sound right?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"In order to get there you're going to have to get a car. No trains run through that town. It's north west of here. Shouldn't be too hard to find. You can borrow a car from us. We don't need it." I hugged and thanked them both before taking off in the car.
I've only driven a few times in my life. I'm nervous just sitting in the driver's seat. I shifted into drive and made my way out of Timber. It's an unsteady drive. I have no idea where this place is. Trying to find a place based on instinct isn't very reassuring. There is no road leading to Winhill. You just have to drive on the grass and hope for the best. For a while I thought I was lost but then the tiny town came into view. It was smaller than Timber and more country-like (not that Timber was supposed to be a country or anything). I decided to park near the entrance and walk the rest of the way. I was surprised that people didn't stop to stare at this new stranger. In a way, I was happy they didn't. A few of them said hello to me as I passed. I felt like I belonged, it was nice. I got to a mansion in town and realized that Zone didn't tell me which house Ellone or Laguna lived in. I found someone to ask.
"Excuse me," I said to an old woman passing by. "I'm looking for Laguna Loire. Do you know what house he lives in?"
She squinted at me and pointed to a tall house on my left saying, "He lives there. Go ahead and go in. You'll find him upstairs, he wont mind. Have you been in an accident?"
"Um, no. Thanks." I opened the door and stuck my head in. "Hello? Anyone home?"
"Up here," a male voice called from the second floor. I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me. Small tables were set up around the room. Behind the counter on some shelves were dusty bottles. This was probably the town's bar. The people here must not use it much but that can be a good thing. I went up the stairs into a living room. The man Ms. Davidson tried to describe was sitting on a small couch. A woman with short brown hair sat in the corner, painting. "What do you need?" the man asked.
"Are you Laguna Loire?"
"Yeah, I am. Can I help you with something?"
"My name is Rinoa. I'm looking for a girl named Ellone."
The woman in the corner stood and said, "That's me but ... I don't know you."
"No you don't and I don't know you. I came because Squall-"
"You know Squall?"
I nodded. "Yes, he's one of my best friends. His birthday is coming up and I thought having you two see each other would make him happy. I know he misses you. He says so all the time. Would you like to come back with me to see him? I can bring you home again later?"
"Yes. I'd love to come. It's getting dark though. Why don't you stay over for tonight? Then we can get to know each other a little." I agreed and we spent most of the day talking. She told me about her and Squall's mother, Raine. "She used to run a bar, as you may have noticed. Not many people drink alcohol. Mainly they came to hang around and talk. Almost like a family getting together at Thanksgiving."
I said, "So what happened? I mean, how did you end up in the orphanage?"
"My mom died while Laguna was gone," she told me. "She had a baby at that time. No one knew what to do with us. A lot of people around here are elderly. They decided to send us to the orphanage. And I don't blame them for it at all. They didn't know when Laguna was coming back or if he even would. When he finally did come to get me, it was in the middle of the night. Was asleep and never saw Squall again."
"Well, you get to see him tomorrow." I felt happier. Squall was going to have a great present that I hope would make him forgive me. I didn't feel like such a horrible person and I hadn't needed the release brought upon me by making blood flow. Tomorrow, however, would be different.