Chapter 11 - The Drink Date
Squall stepped into the dimly lit bar in Balamb, glancing at his watch. He was precisely on time. He tugged at the collar of his dark charcoal colored shirt and looked around, scouring the bar for Eve.
His eyes fell on a far table, where she sat with her back to him. He stepped a few feet further into the building, allowing him to see her profile.
She wore a sleeveless black dress that fell just past her knees and fit her like second skin. Her short, pixie-ish blonde hair was styled a little messier than usual, and her face showed almost no trace of makeup, with the exception of an unnatural shine to her lips.
She wasn't a typical woman in the least. No fancy clothes or jewelry, no heavy makeup, but she was breathtaking. She had an amazingly powerful and confident posture to her, making it clear to anyone, even at a glance, that she was an undoubtedly strong and capable person. A force to be reckoned with. That alone made her almost irresistable. He had known only one other woman in his lifetime that intoxicated him so strongly and he seemed to be developing a fixation for the type.
He shook himself from his reverie and finally advanced toward the table where Eve sat.
"Took you long enough," she said, her back still to him as he approached. "I thought you were gonna stand there all night."
"How... how did you know I was there?" he asked, astonished at her awareness of him. He took a seat across from her.
She smiled, finally seeing him. "Hey, I'm good at what I do."
"No doubt," he chuckled, shaking his head.
"What can I get you, sir?" a cocktail waitress asked as she approached them. "Right now, we have our draft domestic beer on special, and our house specialty, the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, is half price."
Squall and Eve exchanged a quizzical glance at the name, to which Eve just shrugged.
"Um, I'll just have a Guinness, if you don't mind," Squall said.
"Right away," the waitress replied, walking away.
"So, um... thanks for coming," Eve muttered softly.
"Hey, it's my pleasure," Squall answered.
Squall watched her, amused, as she gave him quick, nervous glances every few seconds.
"Something on your mind, Eve?" Squall finally asked her, as his beer was placed in front of him. He nodded his thanks to the waitress, then looked back to Eve, waiting for his answer.
"I'm being silly," Eve groaned. "I hate being silly, so I'll just come out and say it. I like you, Squall. I find you very attractive and I... like you. I just... wanted to get it out in the open."
Squall's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Well... uh... thanks."
Eve smirked. "That's your response?"
"Alright... you're being open, so I'll be open, too," Squall said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. "I like you, too. I really can't deny that I find you extremely attractive. Hell, I'm sure a lot of guys do. But... you have to understand that I just got out of a long relationship. It wouldn't be fair to you if I told you I wasn't still in love with my ex, 'cause I am. I mean, we didn't really break up completely, as hard as that may be to understand-"
Eve held her hands up. "Stop, Squall, it's ok. Really, I know. I wasn't suggesting that we hop into bed together or anything. I just wanted to let you know before things got confusing."
Squall gazed thoughtfully at her, then nodded slowly. "I appreciate your openness and honesty. I meant it when I said I like you, too. I just didn't want you to think that I was making any kind of... promise, I guess."
"I know what you mean. I don't expect anything from you."
"Well, then let's just relax and have a good time. Ok? As friends."
Eve smiled and nodded. "Ok."
"Good," Squall smiled. "So, now that we've got that out of the way... I see your glass is empty there. As an official friend, can I buy you a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster?"
Eve laughed. "I'll stick to Merlot, thanks."
He watched her as she laughed. The sound was sweet and genuine, not quite as throaty as Rinoa's, but it was infectious nonetheless, and he found himself smiling more.
Then he noticed something about her that he hadn't before. Her eyes had an almost eerie blue glow about them, visible even in the dim lighting of the bar. It wasn't quite bright enough to be noticeable if one wasn't looking for it, but the glow was definitely there.
Well, that's unusual Squall thought, fascinated by this discovery.
"Is something wrong?" Eve asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
"No, not at...all...." he trailed off. "Your eyes... they're very unusual. They....well... they glow. It's quite interesting. Don't get me wrong, though, I think it's beautiful."
Eve smiled shyly and looked away, signaling for the waitress to bring her another glass of wine.
Squall smirked at her obvious discomfort with the compliment and took a sip of his drink. He couldn't deny that this woman became more and more intriguing to him each time he saw her.
"What about this one?" Rinoa asked, holding up the newspaper to Zone. "One bedroom, sunken living room, a/c and heating, and a fireplace.... oooooh.... a fireplace...." She nudged him, winking.
"I don't know," Zone sighed. He laid down on the floor of her dorm, next to where she sat leaning against her bed.
"Look," Rinoa added, hopefully, "they even allow pets!"
"Rinoa, I don't have any pets."
"Well, what if you decide to get a pet? You've gotta plan ahead, right?"
Zone let out a groan. "Well, how far is it from here?"
"It's closer than all the other ones I found," she answered. "It's just inside of Balamb. I could see you every day! I could start teaching you martial arts! We could-"
"No! No martail arts! I've still got bruises from your last lesson," he whined.
Rinoa rolled her eyes. "Oh, suck it up, you little weasel."
Zone chuckled. "Did anyone ever tell you that you turned into a major bitch since you've been here?"
"All the time," she replied casually. "It's become one of my better traits."
The room became silent for several moments as Rinoa continued to look for apartments.
"Hey, Rin...?" Zone said quietly.
"Yeah, Zone?" she mumbled, involved in her task of looking at the paper.
"I know you just... broke up... with Squall, and all..." he stammered.
Rinoa paused, then put down the paper and looked at him.
"I was thinking..." he continued, "um... maybe we could... go out sometime. I mean... not just a friendly 'go out'... but a real 'go out'. You know?"
Rinoa lowered her eyes to the floor and sighed. "Zone... I don't know... I mean, maybe in time, but right now... I just don't think I can. Please understand... it's a little too soon."
Zone nodded. "I know. I apologize. I just-"
"It's ok," Rinoa cut him off. "There's no need to apologize. Just give me a little time, alright?"
He smiled. "Absolutely. We're still friends, right?"
"Of course, you silly bastard! So, are we gonna find you an apartment or not?"
Zone sighed and sat up next to her again. "Alright. You said that last one was close?"
"Yup."
"Well, if it means I can see you more, then I'll check it out."
Rinoa smiled triumphantly. "Good! I win."
Laguna walked out of the Elder Shumi's house in a huff. He'd been in the Shumi Village for only half an hour and was already being dismissed for asking too many questions.
Shivering in the cold, he began his walk back to the Ragnarok, hoping to make it back to Balamb Garden before it got late. He hated to return without any answers, but he'd had as much luck as Seifer had in getting any information.
This was frustrating to say the least.
He had Kiros and Ward back in Esthar collecting all the information they could on this weapon through Esthar's recources, but so far there had been no word back. Meaning, they couldn't find squat. It was rather unsettling.
Even knowing that Squall and Cid had put all of the better researchers of the Garden, including Quistis and Xu, to work on this case, Laguna still wasn't comfortable. There didn't seem to be anything to find. Not in books, at least. There were very few people that knew about this mysterious instrument of destruction, and most of those people just wouldn't talk.
Laguna could understand that the Shumi Tribe was clamming up because they feared that the knowledge would get into the wrong hands. However, they had to have been aware by now that someone was looking for this thing that very moment, and chances are they weren't planning on taking it for safekeeping.
Well, Laguna was now way beyond frustrated as he thought about it.
He'd tried in vain to explain to the Elder that Garden wanted to help. That they didn't want this thing to end up in the wrong hands, either.
The Elder wouldn't hear it, though. The only people outside of the Village who'd known of this weapon were now dead, and at least one of them was responsible for sharing the information with these mystery soldiers. No one would ever know whether it was forced, or if it was given with malicious intent, but the Shumi Tribe would take no more chances.
Scowling at the thoughts, Laguna began to walk faster, only to be stopped by a distant voice.
"Sir Laguna!"
Laguna spun around to see Artisan, one of the Shumi Tribe, walking toward him.
"What brings you to the Village?" Artisan asked, delighted at seeing the long-haired man before him.
"Artisan! How are you?" Laguna asked, smiling.
"Well, thank you. Are you leaving already? Is there anything Artisan can help you with before you go?"
Laguna thought for a long moment.
"Artisan, you trust me, right?" he said finally, smirking.
"Of course."
"Well..." he began, putting his arm around the Shumi. "There may be something you can do... I may need you to help me save the world."
A/N: Well, it may be going along a bit slowly, but we're going to begin getting answers as soon as next chapter. So, please review (I'm starting to become dependent on them), and most importantly, keep reading!! I promise to make it worth your while!!
To DBH- Yes! There are a lot of stories where the females (especially Rinoa) always cry at the drop of a hat and are perky and naive, and yes, many of those stories are still very good, but that detail in particular never sat well with me... so I'm trying a different approach. I don't really mean to make Squall seem dumb, but hey... it happens sometimes. What can you do? ;-)
Anyway, I'm trying to make the hints and foreshadowing subtle, and though I may be failing miserably without knowing it, I'm glad you're paying such close attention. But.... I still may surprise you! :-) Or maybe I won't, but either way, I hope you're still enjoying the story! Thanks again!!!
To yummychocolatexD- Hee hee... Eve's not that bad, is she? Well, don't worry... I don't like seeing Squall with anyone else either, so don't worry... just keep reading to see what happens! Thanks for reviewing!!
To Rinoa Leonheartilly- Yeah, I'm a big fan of Squall when he's a bit of a cocky bastard, too. Hee hee. I think he's kinda charming like that, don't you? Thanks for the nice comment!!
To Slartibartfast- Hope you enjoyed the obvious beverage reference to you- know-what. You're such a nerd. ;-) But hey, I'm one, too. Anyway, drop me another line!