Chapter Two: To Find Peace
A few days had passed and while Squall was steadily getting better, Quistis was beginning to resemble a zombie. She had dark circles etched under her eyes and her skin was ghostly pale. She ambled down one of Balamb Garden's pathways trying to remember where she was supposed to be at this particular time of the day.
Will Quistis Trepe please report to my office immediately.
For once, the loudspeaker was a welcome noise. Quistis thought that perhaps she had meant to visit Cid and had just forgotten. At any rate, it solved the problem of walking around aimlessly.
"Ah, Quistis, my Dear," Cid greeted her as she stumbled through the door. "Please, have a seat." Quistis did as she was told. She let her gaze fall on the mahogany desk in front of her. Somehow, it was soothing just to stare at it. The calming effect was suddenly interrupted when Cid placed a stack of papers in front of her. "I hate to impose, but... would you mind filling these out?"
Quistis stared at the massive pile. This had to be a bad dream. She was going to wake up any moment now... wasn't she? She pinched her arm.
"Damn..." She muttered.
"Pardon?" Cid asked.
"Uh... I said... I..." Quistis sighed. "I suppose I-"
"Quistis, Dear! How nice to see you this morning." Matron appeared from an adjacent room and took a seat next to Quistis. "Dear child... Are you feeling all right? You look whiter than a sheet." She put a hand on Quistis's forehead. For a moment, it reminded both of them of their days at the orphanage.
"I'm fine, Matron." Quistis lied.
"Oh, pish posh. Now I want you to go straight back to bed and don't get up until you're good and rested."
Cid and Quistis looked at the paperwork. "But-"They began in unison.
"No arguments." Matron continued. "Now don't worry about a thing, Quisty. Cid will take care of these papers. Off to bed with you, now."
A smile burst from Quistis's lips. "Yes, Matron. Thank you!" She bowed and then dashed through the doors.
Matron turned and gave her husband a questioning look. "Why would you give all this extra work to Quistis only? What about the others? They're incapable of helping out?"
Cid sunk lower in his seat. "Well... actually... yes. If I gave the paperwork to Selphie, it would come back filled with extra doodles and hearts dotting every 'I'. If I gave it to Zell, there would be mustard and ketchup over everything. If I gave it to Irvine, it would disappear off the face of Gaia, and poor Rinoa's already got her hands full with Squall. So you see, Quistis is the only one capable."
Matron shook her head. "The poor dear. She's been working so hard. When's the last time she's had a vacation?"
Cid fingers flew across the computer keyboard in front of him. He stopped and scratched his head. "Apparently... she's never used any of her vacation time."
Matron smiled. "Well, then, perhaps it's time she did."
-Meanwhile...-
Rinoa was trying hard not to laugh... and failing miserably.
"If you'd just let me take these ridiculous things off, I could actually eat." Squall growled.
"Not a chance." Rinoa replied.
Suddenly, a smirk crept across Squall's face. "Well then... You could feed me."
"I do enough for you already. But... I'm sure Selphie or Zell would be glad to help..." Rinoa returned with a smirk of her own.
Squall's expression darkened. "Not funny..."
Rinoa poked his nose. "Just eat."
Squall gripped the sandwich with two hands and slowly began to take a few bites.
"Very good," Said Rinoa as she patted him on the head. Squall frowned a little, but continued to eat. Rinoa glanced at the clock. Dr. Kadowaki said she'd have more lotion for Squall ready for pickup at this time. Still, it was hard to tear herself away from the hilarious yet cute scene in front of her. She wrapped her arms around Squall's waist from behind and nuzzled his hair. "I'm going to the Infirmary. I'll be back in a little while. Mmm... I should sprinkle cinnamon on your head." She released him and began to walk out of the room.
"What's with this new obsession over oatmeal? I thought you hated the stuff." Squall asked.
"Hmm... can't say." Replied Rinoa with a wink.
-A few hours later...-
Quistis sat up in bed and stretched her arms high over her head. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept so well. She felt completely rested. Suddenly, the phone rang. Quistis easily recognized the number on the caller ID.
"Noooo... I'm still sleeping..." She whined as she buried her head under her pillow. The phone didn't seem to want to listen. Reluctantly, she picked up the receiver. "Hello?"
"Quistis, Dear, Cid and I would like to have a word with you. Would you mind meeting us in a few minutes?"
"Oh, of course not, Matron. I'll be right there."
"Thank you, Dear. Goodbye."
"Bye." Quistis returned the phone and smoothed out her hair. I hope Matron didn't change her mind about the paperwork, she thought. After fixing the rest of her ensemble, she made her way to the office.
She arrived in front of the office doors a few minutes later, but was hesitant to go inside. She didn't know if she could handle the immense workload any longer. She was still contemplating her entrance when the doors opened.
"Oh, Quistis. I didn't even hear you knock. I must really be getting old." Matron said with a warm smile.
"Oh, no no... I was just about to knock actually..." Quistis cleared her throat and braced herself for the worst. "So... you wanted to see me?..."
"Ah, yes." Cid replied. "Have a seat."
Quistis sat down and began wringing her hands slightly. Please don't say it, please don't say it... She thought.
"Quistis," Cid continued. "It seems you've never used any of your vacation time."
Quistis looked a little puzzled for a moment. "Oh... y-yes, that's correct." She said.
"But Dear... Surely, you want to take a break once in a while, don't you?" Matron asked.
"Yes... I would... But, vacations tend to be more stressful than relaxing for me. I took a weekend trip last year and spent practically the entire time answering phone calls and emails from my friends. I never got a moment to myself. I hate to say it, but I've gotten more time to relax while on missions."
"Why... What an excellent idea, my Dear." Said Matron.
Quistis's eyes went wide. "A mission? Now?"
"No, no, don't worry." Matron reassured her. "Only a pretend mission. A one-man job... or in this case, one-woman. The details of which will be classified as top secret." She winked at Cid. "All contact will be made only between the acting headmaster," she gestured to Cid, "and our SeeD." She gestured towards Quistis.
"Oooohhh..." said Quistis, catching on. A smile was starting to form on her lips. "So... No one else can try to contact me."
"Precisely."
"And... no one else will know where I am..."
"Correct."
Quistis got up and hugged Matron. "Oh thank you, thank you! This is what I've always wanted! I mean... I love all my friends, but... you're right. Everyone needs a break once in a while."
"Especially someone who works as hard as you do," Cid added.
"I'll go start packing right away! When do I leave?" Quistis bubbled with rare enthusiasm.
"Whenever you like." Cid replied.
"Tomorrow morning, 6:30 AM sharp! No one's ever up that early on a Saturday."
"And is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go?" Matron asked.
Quistis thought for a moment. "Acutally... I'd like to see Dollet. I've heard all about its massive reconstruction. It sounds quite impressive."
Cid nodded. "True. Some say in time its technical advancements may rival that of Esthar... though... I doubt it. But that sounds like an excellent destination."
"Cid and I have been meaning to visit as well, so you'll have to tell us all about it when you get back." Matron added. "Now off with you. Cid and I will arrange everything."
After saying goodbye, Quistis bolted out of the office and back to her room where she began to pack and daydream of what might await her in Dollet. Of course, nothing she thought of ever came close to what she would really find.
