[Yippee! Another cookie! :adds it to her pile: Thankies so much, guys. To trekken, do you mean when they're at Galbadian Garden? Hmm, I'll see what I can do!]
Rinoa laughed slightly as she wiped away her now cold tears and stood up. "This is silly. I'm finished feeling sorry for myself." She brushed herself off and walked out of the alley and back onto the streets of Timber, near the train tracks where she and the SeeD's had recently been dropped off earlier. As she walked, Rinoa heard an announcer come onto the podium at the TV Station, but didn't bother to turn around and watch.
"…This is an actual broadcast over the air! Yes, it's been 17 years since a live broadcast has been possible! Oh, please excuse me…I seem to have lost my composure. We would like to present to you today a message from the…"
Rinoa tuned off the rest of the announcer's speech, having stopped dead in her tracks as her ears picked up another conversation that was right beside her.
"Hey! Did you hear? That resistance group…what's its name? Forest Owls…? Yeah! Word is that those Galbadian Army punks, about 3 miles from here, found the base down the tracks. They say it's completely destroyed."
"What!? No way! That's a damn shame…"
"Yeah, I hear its because they tried to assassinate that President of Galbadia or something."
"Speaking of the fat bastard, he's on the freaking big screen!"
Rinoa breath got caught in her throat, and her blood ran cold. They…they found us? Rinoa thought frantically. She knew that they were good at escaping and hiding, but… Did they get out okay? Her thoughts ran away, thinking of the possibilities, and she absentmindedly turned to look up at the large TV, which could have easily been seen all across Timber.
"…Unfortunately, there are some trifling problems standing between Galbadia and other nations, and they must be resolved," President Deling went on, and a sudden noise of something breaking was heard in the background. This made Rinoa take more of a focus on the telecast, staring at the man who was undoubtedly at fault for the horrendous crime put upon her friends. The President went on, unfazed.
"I plan to convene with other nations' leaders immediately to resolve these problems. At this time allow me to introduce the ambassador who will be my representative for the conference. The ambassador is the Sorceress..."
Rinoa crossed her arms, wondering what trash the man was trying to pollute their minds with, when Seifer abruptly appeared and crashed the speech. Rinoa's heart skipped a beat, and she brought a hand to her mouth as she gasped. The blonde hair, the green eyes, his signature long, gray trenchcoat, and now his face embellished with a scar, it was really him.
"Seifer!?" Rinoa cried, and she clasped her hands together expectantly. What was Seifer doing here, of all places? You came to help us, didn't you? Rinoa asked herself a bit worriedly, wondering what he got himself into...What she got him into. She watched as the Galbadian soldiers tried to restrain him, but Seifer fought them and turned his gunblade on President Deling.Rinoa took a couple steps forward, wanting desperately to run over there. But she remembered that the Forest Owls were in trouble. You know they're good at escaping! They're fine…I'm sure of it. I hope it. There's nothing you can do now. He needs your help! After a few moments of the inner battle, Rinoa shook her head of hesitancy and ran back into the alley of which she came. She came across the spot where she was fighting with Squall, but the group was long gone.
Noticing the now opened gate, Rinoa went inside and up the stairs to the TV Station. Seeing no one in the first room, where the President was standing making his speech, Rinoa ran into the other room and came to a stop, bending over to catch her breath before standing up straight. "Hey guys!" Rinoa said somewhat cheerfully, and looked around at the faces staring at her, but none of which were Seifer's. "Where's Seifer?"
"We don't know," Squall answered.
Rinoa looked at him. Oh…missed him again. "He'll be ok, right?" She asked him hopefully. He didn't answer, and she glanced at all of them, slightly losing her hope as each didn't try to even fake it just for her.
"What are you doing here? Did something happen?" Zell asked to break the silence.
"They found our base. It's completely destroyed," Rinoa replied.
"And everyone else?" Selphie inquired.
Rinoa paused before answering her. "They're fine," She said, trying to convince herself as much as them. "They're good at escaping."
Selphie nodded, and it was silent once again. Quistis spoke this time. "We should get out of here, before more soldiers come." The group, still silent, agreed, and made their way out of the building. Coming upon the base of the stairs, Rinoa voiced something.
"I've been thinking…We have to stay away from Timber for a while." I have to stay out of Timber for a while. They would do what they did to my comrades, I'm sure of it. "Is there a safe place you can take me?" Rinoa asked, almost sounding like a helpless little girl. In case he might take it the wrong way, she continued. "This is an order, an order from your client, remember?"
Squall wavered, thinking she was using that line again as an excuse. "…Alright."
Rinoa stared at him for a while, wondering if that was all he was going to say. It was supposed to be a sort of joke, saying it was his client's order to protect her, but Squall replied in a formal manner. Well, where are we going? Aren't…you going to give me a proper apology? But she still stood there, and he still didn't say anything else. Sighing, Rinoa turned and walked with Quistis back to the pub.
As they entered the establishment once again, a woman inside turned to look, in case it was Galbadian soldiers, and found it was Rinoa. Brightening up, the woman ran towards her and the group. "Rinoa! I heard your base is in serious trouble. Come over to my place until things settle down."
Rinoa smiled herself, recognizing the woman as the leader of the Forest Fox. She was glad they all had a place to hide until at least the Galbadian Army began to leave the city. "I appreciate it. Thank you…" Rinoa said, her voice filled with the deepest of gratitude.
Turning to look at the others, Rinoa motioned for them to follow her, and they quickly went out the front door. "This way!" Rinoa directed as she ran, looking back from time to time to make sure they were behind her. The city looked completely barren; there wasn't a soul out at all. That made it easy to run freely without having to be delayed by a crowd, but also simple to spot, especially from far way. They arrived at the woman's house quite easily, and Rinoa stopped in front of it. "This is it," Rinoa said, and entered.
The woman was already inside, having run ahead of them. "I'll let you know if anything changes," the woman started, heading for the door to be lookout. " 'Til then, make yourself at home. "
Rinoa nodded. "Thanks, chief." The group moved away from the door and the windows, huddling in the kitchen and by the stairs.
"Chief?" Squall asked when the woman was out of earshot.
"She's the leader of the 'Forest Fox'," Rinoa explained. "Almost everyone's a resistance member in this town. But right now, we're the only ones that are really active." She then was silent, as if someone could sense they were in the house if she spoke. "Let's stay here for a while," Rinoa continued after some time. They didn't really have any place else to go; Squall still hadn't said anything on that account.
There was brightness outside, as if someone had thrown a flash grenade, and Rinoa closed her eyes, though she still was able to see the illumination from behind her eyelids.
"I still don't get it," Selphie said. She had been thinking about what had just happened, and couldn't figure it out. "What did Seifer come here for?"
Rinoa reopened her eyes and looked at Selphie opening her mouth to answer but then closing it. Should she…tell them? "I think…" Rinoa started, and all eyes were on her again. She gulped, then went on. "He came to help us, the 'Forest Owls'. I talked about it a lot with him." We talked about a lot of things that summer. "So please…don't think too badly of him." It's not his fault.
There was a sudden knock at the door, and everyone's heads snapped in that direction. Rinoa wondered if she was the only one feeling nervous, with her heart beating hard. It can't end like this.
"Anybody in here!?" It was a Galbadian soldier.
The woman quickly took action, standing close to the door to answer. "What is this!? I have 2 small children in here. Don't do anything to frighten them!"
There were then rapid footsteps coming down the stairs, and everyone's heads turned in that direction to see a girl standing there. "Upstairs…Hurry!"
The SeeD's quickly ascended up the stairs, but Rinoa wasn't so quick to run away; could they just leave the woman there to fend against the soldier? "Will she be okay?" Rinoa asked as she slowly went up the stairs after them.
"She'll be fine," The girl's voice came from behind her, reassuringly. "The legend goes…that my mother took down many soldiers with her strength, cooking and beauty."
"That 'beauty' part sure makes it sound like a legend," Rinoa heard Selphie mutter, and Rinoa hoped the girl behind her didn't hear. Man, these people really never stop with the insults, do they?
"You guys just stay in here until the coast's clear, ok?" The girl told them, and closed the door behind them, leaving the group of 5 alone in the bedroom. Quistis soon spoke up, continuing the conversation from downstairs and confirming Rinoa's beliefs.
"He was so angry when he found out it was only the 3 of you dispatched to Timber," Quistis started, then cleared her throat to impersonate Seifer's voice. " 'What!? They might end up fightin' the whole Galbadian force! And all they dispatch are 3 rookie SeeD members!? Dammit! I'm going to Timber!' " Quistis laughed slightly and shook her head. "I never would have guessed he was serious about it."
Yeah, that sounds a lot like Seifer… Rinoa thought, and smiled sweetly, thinking of him. Everyone let out an anxious laugh at her impersonation, which wasn't half-bad, and they were thrown into an awkward silence once again. Everyone was in some way, shape or form, wondering if Seifer was all right. It didn't matter that some or none of them were quite attached to the man.
"What's going to happen to Seifer?" Quistis said. They might as well talk about it; it was better than the silence.
"He may already be dead," Squall said simply.
Rinoa was surprised by how easily Squall mentioned that, and decided to state how she felt. "How can you be so casual? I feel…sorry for him."
Squall laughed, and Rinoa gave him a look that could kill. "What's so funny!? You're terrible!" Rinoa yelled at him. This was one of their comrades, right? How can he laugh about such a delicate situation?
"So…why do you think Seifer may already be dead?" Selphie asked Squall, hoping to stop a fight from escalating between the two.
"The president of Galbadia and the sorceress joined forces. Seifer attacked the president. It's no surprise that Seifer may have been killed because of it," Squall answered.
Rinoa listened to his answer. He may have had a point, but that still didn't give him the right to act the way he was. "Even so! I still hope he's alive."
"As long as you don't get your hopes up, you can take anything... You feel less pain," Squall stated after being silent. Rinoa looked up at him, feeling that was such a deep and sad way to look and live through life. What's the point of living if you don't have hope? What keeps you going?
"Anyway, whatever wish you have is none of my business."
Rinoa then looked at him rather disdainfully. He always managed to add something to make things worse and make her change her mind about him. I know it's none of your business. I just thought it'd be nice to share…and not have you bring everyone down. "…You're mean. MEANY!!!"
"…Sorry," Squall said rather reluctantly, and Rinoa turned away from him and his lame attempt at an apology.
The door opened soon after that, and the woman came back into their line of view. "The Galbadian forces are withdrawing. Only the soldiers normally stationed here will stick around. If you're gonna leave town, now's your chance! You know how persistent those soldiers can be!" The woman went back downstairs, and the group followed suit. But coming downstairs just left them standing around there instead of upstairs. They still didn't know where to run off to.
"Squall, any thoughts on where to go?" Quistis asked. She may have been his instructor, but he was the assigned leader to the mission. Rinoa crossed her arms and tiled her head rather mockingly, awaiting the answer that she'd been looking for from him for a while now. "Getting out of here is only the first step," Quistis continued when Squall didn't answer, as if reading his mind.
"What do you mean?"
"Garden Code, Article 8, line 7," Quistis recited from memory.
Squall was silent once again, it seemed to be his forte, Rinoa thought, and he spoke when he finally came to the answer. "Head for the nearest Garden…"
"Very good!" Quistis exclaimed, feeling that was her handiwork that he was able to figure it out. "From here, that would be Galbadia Garden."
Rinoa perked up, standing straighter. Galbadia… She knew the landscape moderately well; her father did work there for some time, after all. "We can take the train from here and get off at a station called East Academy," Rinoa said. She didn't know if it was safe for her to go to the city that she was fighting against, but figured it was another Garden, like the one in Balamb, so it should be fine.
"From there, we have to go through the forest west of the station to get to Galbadia Garden. I've been there several times. We should be ok," Quistis said.
"…Ok then…" Squall said slowly, as if doubting the plan. Nothing seemed to please him. "We'll escape from Timber and head to Galbadia Garden. Selphie and Rinoa are with me. Let's go!"
"You be careful, now," the woman said as the group headed for the door. Rinoa, still mildly surprised that Squall wanted her in his group, quickly turned her head to look at the woman before she walked out.
"You be care, too. And thank you so much!" Rinoa said, and met up with Squall and Selphie, and they made their way towards the train station to meet up with the other party. The streets were now slowly becoming busy again, and the regular soldiers that hung around were indeed back to their usual posts. They made sure to walk quickly past them, with their faces averted. Though it took more time to go back then leaving the area, and a lot more nerve-wracking, the three eventually caught sight of Quistis and Zell by the stairs near the station.
"Good, we all made it," Quistis said, sounding relieved, and the big group walked towards the entrance when they heard someone calling out at them.
"Rinoa, Squall!"
Rinoa and Squall both stopped, looking at each other before looking around at the people around them, trying to figure out what said their names. The others had stopped as well and turned to help. But none of them looked like someone they knew.
"It's me!"
This time Rinoa saw the man who had summoned them, and Rinoa made her way towards him, her eyes slowly widening as she stared at the man. "Zone!" Rinoa cried, taking in his disguise. I knew they got out ok! If Zone made it out, the others had to as well. Giggling at him, Rinoa quickly hugged him before taking a step back, hoping she didn't bring too much attention to themselves.
Zone smiled slightly and patted her on the back before she pulled away. "You need to go to East Academy, right? There's no more tickets left."
Selphie, of course, let out the group's disappointment, in classic Selphie-way. "Super-Duper-Mega-Bummer!"
"We'll do whatever it takes to get on that train," Squall said. Rinoa hoped he wasn't thinking of killing more people or some other odd insane idea that only he could think up.
"You won't have to do that," Zone said, searching through his pockets, pulling out a wad of tickets. "Lookey here! I have everyone's ticket right here!" He passed one over to Rinoa, who smiled generously at him and bowed slightly, taking it. "One for you." He turned over to Squall and counted out 3, giving them to him. "3 for you SeeD people. Here, I'll give them to the leader. And the last one is for me…"
The group looked at each other, finding out they were a ticket short for the newcomer, Quistis. But Rinoa knew that Zone was going to give it up, and she was worried about that. He may have managed hiding from the Galbadian's till now, but how long could he keep up the charade? She didn't want anyone to be left behind. Zone, having thinking it over, walked over to Quistis, holding out his ticket to her. "Go on. Take it."
Quistis waved her hands out in front of her. "I can't take that. It's yours!"
"Ouch!" Zone quickly stuffed the ticket in Quistis' hands and grasped his stomach. "OuuuuuuucH! My stomach hurts! Ouch!! Just get going! The train's leaving."
Quistis couldn't argue it, and smiled at the man's kindness. "Thank you."
The SeeD's made their way into the station, but Rinoa stayed behind to say goodbye to Zone. "Zone…" Rinoa said sadly, kneeling down with him as he squatted, still holding onto his stomach. "We're gonna see each other again, ok?" She lowered her gaze to the ground, searching it for some other way around this. But there was no other choice, and Rinoa looked back at him. "No matter what, you have to survive. We have to liberate Timber together, remember?" She sort of pleaded with him, squeezing the outside of his forearms as she spoke.
"I know, I know, I'll go hide in a bathroom or something." Rinoa laughed slightly at this, and embraced him once again. She was going to miss his presence. "Now get going." Rinoa nodded and kissed him lightly on the cheek before standing up. She walked slowly at first, fighting the urge to look back for she knew if she did she would never be able to go through with it. So with that, Rinoa ran into the station, finding the rest of the group already on the train platform.
"This train is bound for Dollet stopping at East Academy. This is the last train for today. Please hurry on board," the train announcer declared, and Rinoa hurried towards them as Squall began reviewing their plan.
"The last train... Let me double check... Get off at East Academy and go through the forest, west of the station. Galbadian Garden is located up ahead... Is that correct?"
Quistis nodded. "Indeed. Glad we have a leader with a good memory."
No kidding. Rinoa agreed silently, and boarded the train. Once aboard the train, the announcer spoke once again.
"This train, bound for East Academy, will depart shortly." Sure enough, the train shook a little as it departed from Timber Station.
"We'll…" Squall started, but was interrupted by Selphie, who was trying to get into the other car of the train.
"Open, open, OPEN!" Selphie yelled at it.
"…Make it," Squall finished, sighing.
"Please…" Selphie made a puppy dog face at it. "Open up!"
Figuring none of them would hear the end of it until Selphie got her way, Squall walked over to the counter and used the ticket. Shortly after that, the door slid open.
"Tee-hee! Thanks!" Selphie exclaimed, and walked in.
With there now peace in their car, Squall languidly walked over to Rinoa. She looked up at him, wondering what was on his mind now. She might have fought with him quite a lot recently, but she didn't hold a grudge against him or anything. She just wanted to make friendly with the guy, though it seemed the task was much harder then she first thought. Well, I'm always up for a challenge. "Weren't you just saying something?" She asked him.
"It's nothing important, but…" Squall struggled. "Well…We made it."
Rinoa smiled lightly. It was a start, but she doubted that was what he was going to say.
"I have to thank Zone for that," Quistis said.
Rinoa put her hands behind her head and rested against the wall, closing her eyes. "He's into naughty magazines," Rinoa replied openly, thinking that she could somehow repay him that way. With all that was going on, Zone totally needed to relax.
Quistis looked at her, hoping she was joking, but found Rinoa was actually being serious. "I'll keep that in mind…" She said belatedly. She wasn't honestly going to buy the man a bunch of naughty magazines...or would she?