Squall marched right out of the palace and onto the shuttle. Laguna ran out shortly afterwards, but just missed him as the monorail departed for the air station. Ellone came running up to Laguna, who was out of breath.
"Did you catch him?" Ellone asked the man who was, effectively, her father.
Laguna, still panting, shook his head.
"Don't worry," Ellone said, "I'm sure all he needs is some time for the news to settle in. It WAS a big shock to him."
Laguna, straightening up, nodded his head in agreement.
"I'm sure that's all it is. Come on, Ward and Kiros are probably wondering where we are," he said, as they walked back to the palace, his hand on her shoulder.
Back at the Ragnarok, Squall, still in a foul mood, caught Selphie curled up in the pilot's seat, deep in the middle of a nap.
"Selphie, wake up. We're leaving." Squall commanded as he slumped into the passenger seat, head pointed downwards in the sulk that had been his trademark not so long ago.
"What?" Selphie replied, sleepily. She'd been somewhat surprised when Squall barged in on her peaceful sleep giving orders left, right and centre.
"Take us back to Balamb. This has all been a waste of time," Squall responded.
"What happened, Squall?" She asked again.
Squall replied sharply- "Selphie? Balamb? Please?"
Somewhat taken aback by the tone of his voice, Selphie simply nodded and keyed in the instructions for lift-off. She'd seen him in bad moods before, but it was a rare occasion when he was truly angry. Re-assuring herself that it was nothing she'd done, Selphie decided to initiate a conversation, fully expecting to get her head bitten off, but deciding it was worth risking it to cheer up her friend.
"Squall, what happened in Esthar?" She asked, trying to put as serious a tone as she could on her normally cheery, bouncy voice.
"I don't want to talk about it," was the only response she got. OK, thought Selphie, time for a different approach.
"You know, I'm only asking because you've returned early, and that means we might not get paid for this mission," Selphie asked. She was sure a question about the financial side of the mission would get him to talk.
"We were paid in advance," Squall replied. OK then, Selphie thought, so much for that idea. A few minutes passed while she prepared her next attempt to break down Squall's defences.
"Did you see President Laguna?" She asked, with a slightly more usual, that is, upbeat tone to her voice.
"Selphie!" Squall snapped. "I said I don't want to talk about it!"
Ouch, thought Selphie, I've definitely hit a nerve there. Somewhat taken aback by Squall's tone with her, she was about to give up entirely, at least for the next few minutes, when Squall spoke again.
"Selphie," he started, as Selphie braced herself for another reading of the riot act, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout at you. I'm just a little on edge."
"Squall," Selphie replied, "You know you can talk to me about anything, no matter what it is."
"Not this. This is heavy," he replied.
"Is it about President Laguna?" She asked.
"That obvious, was it?" Squall asked back. Selphie simply nodded, with a sympathetic grin on her face.
"So what's so heavy that you can't tell one of your all-time best friends about it?" Selphie asked.
"I suppose I'll have to tell you sooner or later," Squall started. "Laguna, he- he claims he's my father."
"What!?" Selphie exclaimed. She'd not exactly been prepared for him to say THAT.
"Laguna Loire is my father, incredible as that may sound," Squall replied.
"Your father?" Selphie asked, before saying- "That is so COOL!"
"Cool?" He asked. That wasn't exactly the word he'd use to describe it…
"Yeah! I mean, he's so kind and friendly, he's warm-hearted, I wish I had a dad like that!"
Somehow, Selphie's words made sense to him. Laguna wasn't that bad. Sure, he was clumsy at times, but then again, so was Selphie. Sure, he acted like a bit of a prat at times, but then again, so did Irvine. Sure, he said the wrong thing at times, but so did Zell. And he considered all of them family, so what could he possibly hold against Laguna?
Then it hit him.
"Then why did he never come back for me? Why did he leave me at the orphanage when he could have raised me as his son?" Squall asked. That question had been preying on his mind ever since he left Laguna's office, close to 6 hours ago.
"I don't know," Selphie shrugged. "You'll have to ask him that yourself."
Squall sighed as he hung his head. She was right. All this time he'd been running away from the problem when he should have just asked him outright. Since when did you get so insightful? He thought to himself about the young woman sitting in the pilot's seat.
"Wanna turn back?" Selphie asked. Squall thought it over for a few seconds, before replying.
"Nah, we're almost home anyway. I'll see if I can get some time off later this month. Then I'll go back." Squall was much calmer now. The next few minutes passed peacefully, until Selphie saw Balamb Garden.
"SQUALL!!" Selphie shouted. This time, her voice was edging closer to out and out panic.
"What's up?" Squall asked, parking himself in the co-pilot's seat. Then he saw it- a 30 ft wide, smoking hole had been blown right out of the eastern side of Balamb Garden. No wonder Selphie was close to panic- Squall was too, only he was better at not showing it. Immediately, his thoughts turned to one thing-
Rinoa.
"Did you catch him?" Ellone asked the man who was, effectively, her father.
Laguna, still panting, shook his head.
"Don't worry," Ellone said, "I'm sure all he needs is some time for the news to settle in. It WAS a big shock to him."
Laguna, straightening up, nodded his head in agreement.
"I'm sure that's all it is. Come on, Ward and Kiros are probably wondering where we are," he said, as they walked back to the palace, his hand on her shoulder.
Back at the Ragnarok, Squall, still in a foul mood, caught Selphie curled up in the pilot's seat, deep in the middle of a nap.
"Selphie, wake up. We're leaving." Squall commanded as he slumped into the passenger seat, head pointed downwards in the sulk that had been his trademark not so long ago.
"What?" Selphie replied, sleepily. She'd been somewhat surprised when Squall barged in on her peaceful sleep giving orders left, right and centre.
"Take us back to Balamb. This has all been a waste of time," Squall responded.
"What happened, Squall?" She asked again.
Squall replied sharply- "Selphie? Balamb? Please?"
Somewhat taken aback by the tone of his voice, Selphie simply nodded and keyed in the instructions for lift-off. She'd seen him in bad moods before, but it was a rare occasion when he was truly angry. Re-assuring herself that it was nothing she'd done, Selphie decided to initiate a conversation, fully expecting to get her head bitten off, but deciding it was worth risking it to cheer up her friend.
"Squall, what happened in Esthar?" She asked, trying to put as serious a tone as she could on her normally cheery, bouncy voice.
"I don't want to talk about it," was the only response she got. OK, thought Selphie, time for a different approach.
"You know, I'm only asking because you've returned early, and that means we might not get paid for this mission," Selphie asked. She was sure a question about the financial side of the mission would get him to talk.
"We were paid in advance," Squall replied. OK then, Selphie thought, so much for that idea. A few minutes passed while she prepared her next attempt to break down Squall's defences.
"Did you see President Laguna?" She asked, with a slightly more usual, that is, upbeat tone to her voice.
"Selphie!" Squall snapped. "I said I don't want to talk about it!"
Ouch, thought Selphie, I've definitely hit a nerve there. Somewhat taken aback by Squall's tone with her, she was about to give up entirely, at least for the next few minutes, when Squall spoke again.
"Selphie," he started, as Selphie braced herself for another reading of the riot act, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout at you. I'm just a little on edge."
"Squall," Selphie replied, "You know you can talk to me about anything, no matter what it is."
"Not this. This is heavy," he replied.
"Is it about President Laguna?" She asked.
"That obvious, was it?" Squall asked back. Selphie simply nodded, with a sympathetic grin on her face.
"So what's so heavy that you can't tell one of your all-time best friends about it?" Selphie asked.
"I suppose I'll have to tell you sooner or later," Squall started. "Laguna, he- he claims he's my father."
"What!?" Selphie exclaimed. She'd not exactly been prepared for him to say THAT.
"Laguna Loire is my father, incredible as that may sound," Squall replied.
"Your father?" Selphie asked, before saying- "That is so COOL!"
"Cool?" He asked. That wasn't exactly the word he'd use to describe it…
"Yeah! I mean, he's so kind and friendly, he's warm-hearted, I wish I had a dad like that!"
Somehow, Selphie's words made sense to him. Laguna wasn't that bad. Sure, he was clumsy at times, but then again, so was Selphie. Sure, he acted like a bit of a prat at times, but then again, so did Irvine. Sure, he said the wrong thing at times, but so did Zell. And he considered all of them family, so what could he possibly hold against Laguna?
Then it hit him.
"Then why did he never come back for me? Why did he leave me at the orphanage when he could have raised me as his son?" Squall asked. That question had been preying on his mind ever since he left Laguna's office, close to 6 hours ago.
"I don't know," Selphie shrugged. "You'll have to ask him that yourself."
Squall sighed as he hung his head. She was right. All this time he'd been running away from the problem when he should have just asked him outright. Since when did you get so insightful? He thought to himself about the young woman sitting in the pilot's seat.
"Wanna turn back?" Selphie asked. Squall thought it over for a few seconds, before replying.
"Nah, we're almost home anyway. I'll see if I can get some time off later this month. Then I'll go back." Squall was much calmer now. The next few minutes passed peacefully, until Selphie saw Balamb Garden.
"SQUALL!!" Selphie shouted. This time, her voice was edging closer to out and out panic.
"What's up?" Squall asked, parking himself in the co-pilot's seat. Then he saw it- a 30 ft wide, smoking hole had been blown right out of the eastern side of Balamb Garden. No wonder Selphie was close to panic- Squall was too, only he was better at not showing it. Immediately, his thoughts turned to one thing-
Rinoa.