"You sure you don't want a bite, Rinoa?" 18 year old Squall Leonheart asked the brunette beside him as he held out a piece of hotdog.
"No, I'm cool," the girl replied, shifting nervously in her seat.
It was a warm spring morning in Balamb and the entire student body at Balamb Garden was abuzz with excitement. Today was the day that a group of teenage students would attempt to prove themselves worthy of joining SeeD-young mercenaries for hire. As an experienced SeeD, Squall was anxious to watch his steady girlfriend join SeeD after grueling months of weekened training and all night cramming. Privately teeming up with SeeDs Squall, Irvine, Zell, Selphie, and Quistis, Rinoa had played a strong roll in the defeat of the most powerful sorceress to tread the planet-Sorceress Ultimecia, a sorceress from the future who had posessed the young girl in a desperate attempt for even greater power. This was seen as a huge credit to the girl who had yet to join SeeD.
"I'll take a bite," Zell Dincht piped up from across the table. The young blond had mustard and relish smeared across his chin, dripping down the front of his Saraqouis Falls, Nijgemen, Ovwaar sweatshirt.
"Get out of here," Squall said, shooting him a glare. "You've already had two."
"There's always room for more," he said with a shrug, reaching across the table.
"It's a wonder how you stay so thin with all the junk you eat," Selphie Tilmitt spoke up from beside him, gazing at the boy in wonder.
"Why is it that guys always have the best metabolism," Quistis Trepe asked bitterly from the other side of the boy, who was now scraping off the remaining bun crumbs from his tray with his index finger. "I mean, if we ate like Zell, our asses alone would be eighty pounds. Him, he's still got the body of a God."
"Yeah, Budda," Irvine snickered, leaning back in his chair, his arm slung around Selphie's shoulder.
Everyone jumped as an announcement suddenly boomed over the loudspeaker. "We now ask that all SeeD candidates assemble to the front lobby at this time. We will be leaving for Galabadia Arena in exactly fifteen minutes. I repeat...."
"You ready?" Squall asked, giving Rinoa's hand a squeeze. "Jeez, your hands are all sweaty," he said with concern. "You okay?"
"I'm just really, REALLY nervous," Rinoa said, her voice higher pitched than usual.
"Rinoa, this is nothing for you," Zell spoke up reassuringly. "After being possessed by Ultimecia, being attacked by a couple of pissed off Iguions, dangling from a cliff for ten minutes, and then kicking Ultimecia's ass, a SeeD exam should be a sinch."
"You'd think so, but, I'm honestly more scared than I've ever been," she admitted sheepishly.
"You gonna come watch with us?" Squall asked, pointedly handing Zell a napkin.
"Nah. Those deals are just big gorefests. Everyone's just there to see the blood fly."
Rinoa's face turned stark white.
"Great line of encouragement, Zell," Irvine said sarcastically.
"Well, it's the truth," he replied with a defensive shrug.
"Hey, guys," a sweet, tiny voice spoke up from behind the table. Zell promptly spilled his soda and whirled around, wide eyed.
"Hey, Zell."
A tall young lady of Circoian descent stood behind Zell, a shy smile on her face. She was clutching an empty bottle of apple juice, her hands trembling slightly.
"Hey, Lydia," Quistis spoke up, smiling politely. "So, you all set for the big exam?"
Lydia Vienzweit was a SeeD candidate who had worked in the Balamb Garden library since joining at the age of 12. She had always been as timid and shy as a creepmouse, but she had grown out of it a bit since she first came to Garden. Her mother had supposedly died when she was five or six, from cancer or meningitis or some God foesaken thing like that. Nobody knew exactly what had happened to her mother besides her closest friends, and noone had ever bothered to ask her. She was an extremely sensitive girl, one who had never left the movie theater with a clean hanky, and one who would most certainly not respond well to fellow students prying into her private life.
She nodded nervously, her fingernails digging deeper into the empty bottle. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess," she said quietly.
"You'll ace it, no problem," Zell said encouragingly. "It's not as bad as they make it out to be."
"Thanks, but....when I think about what happened with you guys in Dollet....."
"It won't be anything like that," Quistis assured her. "You're going to Balamb Arena, not Dollet in the middle of occupation. They wouldn't let anything like that happen again."
"Do you...um, mind if I go with you for moral support?" Zell asked, blushing.
"That'd be great," she smiled, as though she had wanted nothing more than for him to join her.
"Alright, let's blow this joint!" he exclaimed, leaping out of his chair.
"I thought you didn't want to watch those...ah...what did you call them again, Zell?" Irvine teased.
"Can't a guy have a change of heart?," Zell asked, quickly righting his chair.
"From what I've heard, you haven't had a change of heart since you first went into the librar-"
"Irv, don't you have something to do? Like hitting on Mrs. Clebold?" Delores Clebold was the slack-jawed, elderly lunch lady who always smelled of sweaty fish.
"Nah, not my type," he replied, stretching his arms over his head with a carefree yawn.
"Well, that's a first," Zell said, rolling his eyes.
As the group turned to leave, a tall handsome young man stepped in front of them. It was Kyle Damon, a level 20 SeeD. Despite being off duty, the guy was clad in his SeeD uniform, his patented smarmy smirk spread across his face. Ever since Zell had arrived at Garden at the age of six, he had wanted to wipe that fucking smile right off the little prick's face. You'd be hard pressed to find a more conceited human being on the face of the planet, let alone Balamb Garden. Zell happened to know that his father had bought his son's way into SeeD, despite failing his test miserably. Old man Damon owned a place as big as the Caraway mansion over in Plenty, Allonstien. He had the look of a guy who had been told from birth that his shit didn't stink like everyone else's.
"Did you eat your lunch or take a bath in it?" he asked, eyeing Zell's shirt. His face burning from an unholy mixture of embarrasment and rage, he glanced down at his sweathsirt, where a small blob of mustard lie.
Laughing, he handed Zell a napkin. He took it angrily and began rubbing his shirt hard enough to rip the fabric. "What do you want, Damon?" he askd through clenched teeth.
"I just wanted to wish Lydia good luck, that's all," he said, flashing her a smile that seemed more intended to show off his bleached teeth (paid for courtesy of father, naturally) rather than expressing his well wishes.
"Thanks, " she said, smiling back shyly.
"You too, Rinnie," he said, nodding smugly. "See you guys at the arena."
"Rinnie?" Rinoa asked as he walked off, her face scrunched. "Rinnie?"
Zell crumbled up his napkin irritably. "I'd like to shove this right up his Allonsteinien-"
"I think he's a nice guy," Lydia intterupted.
"He makes Irvine look modest," Squall said, shooting Irvine a glance.
"Yeah, but he doesn't have my classic good looks," Irvine said, flashing him a fake smile.
"You were saying, Squall?" Quistis asked with a raised eyebrow.
"That guy's scum," Zell said, stacking his empty tray at the front counter.
"Why do you say that?" Lydia asked, setting her tray on top of his.
"I happen to know his old man paid his admission in to SeeD. He bought his way in, everyone knows it."
"I don't know it," she said, matter of factly.
"Why the hell are you trying so hard to defend the guy? he thought irritably.
"It is a pretty heavy circulated rumour on campus, Lydia" Quistis said, pulling a tin of breath mints from her pants pocket. "Want a mint? It's cinnamon."
"No thanks," she said off handedly.
"It's not a rumour," Zell said, taking a mint. "It's a fact. Old man Damon's loaded."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he bought his way in," Quistis argued.
"Everyone knows he did. He never even had to lift a finger on his SeeD exam. He got his a$$ kicked, but they still let him in. He got a near perfect test score, and he didn't even do a damn thing to earn it. We all did better than he did, and you didn't see us with perfect scores. Not even close."
The group stopped in the lobby where a small crowd of nervous SeeD candidates stood, hands in pockets, scuffling their shoes, exchanging last words to their lovers and friends.
Last words, Rinoa thought nervously, biting her lower lip. She wasn't normally a girl to panic, but she felt on the verge of a major breakdown. She had no idea how Lydia was holding up. She was the type of girl who always looked on the verge of fainting or bursting into tears if anyone looked at her cross eyed.
"Do we have everyone present and acounted for?" Xu Ming asked, her dark eyes scanning the crowd. "Everyone here?"
Xu Ming was a longtime member of SeeD. Both of her parents were well known heroes of SeeD who had helped storm Sorceress Adel's Esthar palace years ago. She was now head SeeD at Balamb Garden for her perfect grades, succesful missions, and early admittance into SeeD. While Quistis was a good friend of hers, Rinoa sensed that Quistis was slightly jealous of the girl. After all, Quistis had joined SeeD at age 15 as well, and she had helped destroy Sorceress Ultimecia, more than Xu had ever done. Something told her that Xu's father had power in high places, and Cid had no intention of allowing another SeeD to take her place, for fear of losing his job.
"Headmaster Cid is away on buissiness, so I'm afraid he won't be able to deliver any last words of encouragement before we send you off...."
Last words, Rinoa thought again, shivering. She glanced over at Lydia, who was jittering slightly, her face flushed.
I wonder if Squall was this scared before his exam? she wondered, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. Squall was never the type to show fear, but she felt certain that he had expereinced some. Not even Squall was made out of stone, although he sometimes liked to pretend he was. You're Not Invincible, so don't even try, I can see see in your eyes, everytime you lie, wasn't that how that old Ollie And The Oilboyles song went? She glanced at Zell, and was surpirsed that he had his eye on her. Jesus, was it that obvious how terrified she was?
"We'll be riding a bus to downtown Balamb Arena, 30 minutes from here. You'll each be forced to do battle with an undisclosed monster. You'll find out what it is when you get there. Then we'll ride back and you'll recieve your test scores tonight, and the inaguration ball will follow, as is tradition here at Balamb Garden. Now if you all have your weapons and have said your final goodbyes, we'll be on our way. I must add that the bus is for candidates only. Anyone wishing to watch the exam must use their own means of transportation."
"Well," Squall said, taking Rinoa's hand. "This is it. My God, your hands are all sweaty. You okay?"
"Just nerves," she replied, smiling. "But I'll make it. If I don't, tell Zell he can have the half eaten Nutty Butty bar on my dresser.
"Too late, "Zell said over his shoulder. "Already got it."
"Remind me to get a new lock on my door," Rinoa muttered to Squall's shoes.
A few feet away, Zell was holding Lydia's hand awkwardly. "Well, good luck," he said, giving her hand a squeeze before dropping it. "I'll see you at the arena."
"I'll be there, too," Kyle spoke up, setting his hand on Lydia's shoulder. "Look for me in the third row, babe."
Babe? Who in the hell was he calling "babe"? Zell thought furiously. He felt a sudden urge to knock the boy down as he ran a hand through his shiny brown hair which always seemed to lie perfect on his head.
"I will," she said, smiling, apparently not the least bit uncomfortable with his behavior. She glanced at Zell before turning to follow Rinoa out of the lobby. "You too, Zell," she added with what sounded like an afterthought.
"No, I'm cool," the girl replied, shifting nervously in her seat.
It was a warm spring morning in Balamb and the entire student body at Balamb Garden was abuzz with excitement. Today was the day that a group of teenage students would attempt to prove themselves worthy of joining SeeD-young mercenaries for hire. As an experienced SeeD, Squall was anxious to watch his steady girlfriend join SeeD after grueling months of weekened training and all night cramming. Privately teeming up with SeeDs Squall, Irvine, Zell, Selphie, and Quistis, Rinoa had played a strong roll in the defeat of the most powerful sorceress to tread the planet-Sorceress Ultimecia, a sorceress from the future who had posessed the young girl in a desperate attempt for even greater power. This was seen as a huge credit to the girl who had yet to join SeeD.
"I'll take a bite," Zell Dincht piped up from across the table. The young blond had mustard and relish smeared across his chin, dripping down the front of his Saraqouis Falls, Nijgemen, Ovwaar sweatshirt.
"Get out of here," Squall said, shooting him a glare. "You've already had two."
"There's always room for more," he said with a shrug, reaching across the table.
"It's a wonder how you stay so thin with all the junk you eat," Selphie Tilmitt spoke up from beside him, gazing at the boy in wonder.
"Why is it that guys always have the best metabolism," Quistis Trepe asked bitterly from the other side of the boy, who was now scraping off the remaining bun crumbs from his tray with his index finger. "I mean, if we ate like Zell, our asses alone would be eighty pounds. Him, he's still got the body of a God."
"Yeah, Budda," Irvine snickered, leaning back in his chair, his arm slung around Selphie's shoulder.
Everyone jumped as an announcement suddenly boomed over the loudspeaker. "We now ask that all SeeD candidates assemble to the front lobby at this time. We will be leaving for Galabadia Arena in exactly fifteen minutes. I repeat...."
"You ready?" Squall asked, giving Rinoa's hand a squeeze. "Jeez, your hands are all sweaty," he said with concern. "You okay?"
"I'm just really, REALLY nervous," Rinoa said, her voice higher pitched than usual.
"Rinoa, this is nothing for you," Zell spoke up reassuringly. "After being possessed by Ultimecia, being attacked by a couple of pissed off Iguions, dangling from a cliff for ten minutes, and then kicking Ultimecia's ass, a SeeD exam should be a sinch."
"You'd think so, but, I'm honestly more scared than I've ever been," she admitted sheepishly.
"You gonna come watch with us?" Squall asked, pointedly handing Zell a napkin.
"Nah. Those deals are just big gorefests. Everyone's just there to see the blood fly."
Rinoa's face turned stark white.
"Great line of encouragement, Zell," Irvine said sarcastically.
"Well, it's the truth," he replied with a defensive shrug.
"Hey, guys," a sweet, tiny voice spoke up from behind the table. Zell promptly spilled his soda and whirled around, wide eyed.
"Hey, Zell."
A tall young lady of Circoian descent stood behind Zell, a shy smile on her face. She was clutching an empty bottle of apple juice, her hands trembling slightly.
"Hey, Lydia," Quistis spoke up, smiling politely. "So, you all set for the big exam?"
Lydia Vienzweit was a SeeD candidate who had worked in the Balamb Garden library since joining at the age of 12. She had always been as timid and shy as a creepmouse, but she had grown out of it a bit since she first came to Garden. Her mother had supposedly died when she was five or six, from cancer or meningitis or some God foesaken thing like that. Nobody knew exactly what had happened to her mother besides her closest friends, and noone had ever bothered to ask her. She was an extremely sensitive girl, one who had never left the movie theater with a clean hanky, and one who would most certainly not respond well to fellow students prying into her private life.
She nodded nervously, her fingernails digging deeper into the empty bottle. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess," she said quietly.
"You'll ace it, no problem," Zell said encouragingly. "It's not as bad as they make it out to be."
"Thanks, but....when I think about what happened with you guys in Dollet....."
"It won't be anything like that," Quistis assured her. "You're going to Balamb Arena, not Dollet in the middle of occupation. They wouldn't let anything like that happen again."
"Do you...um, mind if I go with you for moral support?" Zell asked, blushing.
"That'd be great," she smiled, as though she had wanted nothing more than for him to join her.
"Alright, let's blow this joint!" he exclaimed, leaping out of his chair.
"I thought you didn't want to watch those...ah...what did you call them again, Zell?" Irvine teased.
"Can't a guy have a change of heart?," Zell asked, quickly righting his chair.
"From what I've heard, you haven't had a change of heart since you first went into the librar-"
"Irv, don't you have something to do? Like hitting on Mrs. Clebold?" Delores Clebold was the slack-jawed, elderly lunch lady who always smelled of sweaty fish.
"Nah, not my type," he replied, stretching his arms over his head with a carefree yawn.
"Well, that's a first," Zell said, rolling his eyes.
As the group turned to leave, a tall handsome young man stepped in front of them. It was Kyle Damon, a level 20 SeeD. Despite being off duty, the guy was clad in his SeeD uniform, his patented smarmy smirk spread across his face. Ever since Zell had arrived at Garden at the age of six, he had wanted to wipe that fucking smile right off the little prick's face. You'd be hard pressed to find a more conceited human being on the face of the planet, let alone Balamb Garden. Zell happened to know that his father had bought his son's way into SeeD, despite failing his test miserably. Old man Damon owned a place as big as the Caraway mansion over in Plenty, Allonstien. He had the look of a guy who had been told from birth that his shit didn't stink like everyone else's.
"Did you eat your lunch or take a bath in it?" he asked, eyeing Zell's shirt. His face burning from an unholy mixture of embarrasment and rage, he glanced down at his sweathsirt, where a small blob of mustard lie.
Laughing, he handed Zell a napkin. He took it angrily and began rubbing his shirt hard enough to rip the fabric. "What do you want, Damon?" he askd through clenched teeth.
"I just wanted to wish Lydia good luck, that's all," he said, flashing her a smile that seemed more intended to show off his bleached teeth (paid for courtesy of father, naturally) rather than expressing his well wishes.
"Thanks, " she said, smiling back shyly.
"You too, Rinnie," he said, nodding smugly. "See you guys at the arena."
"Rinnie?" Rinoa asked as he walked off, her face scrunched. "Rinnie?"
Zell crumbled up his napkin irritably. "I'd like to shove this right up his Allonsteinien-"
"I think he's a nice guy," Lydia intterupted.
"He makes Irvine look modest," Squall said, shooting Irvine a glance.
"Yeah, but he doesn't have my classic good looks," Irvine said, flashing him a fake smile.
"You were saying, Squall?" Quistis asked with a raised eyebrow.
"That guy's scum," Zell said, stacking his empty tray at the front counter.
"Why do you say that?" Lydia asked, setting her tray on top of his.
"I happen to know his old man paid his admission in to SeeD. He bought his way in, everyone knows it."
"I don't know it," she said, matter of factly.
"Why the hell are you trying so hard to defend the guy? he thought irritably.
"It is a pretty heavy circulated rumour on campus, Lydia" Quistis said, pulling a tin of breath mints from her pants pocket. "Want a mint? It's cinnamon."
"No thanks," she said off handedly.
"It's not a rumour," Zell said, taking a mint. "It's a fact. Old man Damon's loaded."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he bought his way in," Quistis argued.
"Everyone knows he did. He never even had to lift a finger on his SeeD exam. He got his a$$ kicked, but they still let him in. He got a near perfect test score, and he didn't even do a damn thing to earn it. We all did better than he did, and you didn't see us with perfect scores. Not even close."
The group stopped in the lobby where a small crowd of nervous SeeD candidates stood, hands in pockets, scuffling their shoes, exchanging last words to their lovers and friends.
Last words, Rinoa thought nervously, biting her lower lip. She wasn't normally a girl to panic, but she felt on the verge of a major breakdown. She had no idea how Lydia was holding up. She was the type of girl who always looked on the verge of fainting or bursting into tears if anyone looked at her cross eyed.
"Do we have everyone present and acounted for?" Xu Ming asked, her dark eyes scanning the crowd. "Everyone here?"
Xu Ming was a longtime member of SeeD. Both of her parents were well known heroes of SeeD who had helped storm Sorceress Adel's Esthar palace years ago. She was now head SeeD at Balamb Garden for her perfect grades, succesful missions, and early admittance into SeeD. While Quistis was a good friend of hers, Rinoa sensed that Quistis was slightly jealous of the girl. After all, Quistis had joined SeeD at age 15 as well, and she had helped destroy Sorceress Ultimecia, more than Xu had ever done. Something told her that Xu's father had power in high places, and Cid had no intention of allowing another SeeD to take her place, for fear of losing his job.
"Headmaster Cid is away on buissiness, so I'm afraid he won't be able to deliver any last words of encouragement before we send you off...."
Last words, Rinoa thought again, shivering. She glanced over at Lydia, who was jittering slightly, her face flushed.
I wonder if Squall was this scared before his exam? she wondered, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. Squall was never the type to show fear, but she felt certain that he had expereinced some. Not even Squall was made out of stone, although he sometimes liked to pretend he was. You're Not Invincible, so don't even try, I can see see in your eyes, everytime you lie, wasn't that how that old Ollie And The Oilboyles song went? She glanced at Zell, and was surpirsed that he had his eye on her. Jesus, was it that obvious how terrified she was?
"We'll be riding a bus to downtown Balamb Arena, 30 minutes from here. You'll each be forced to do battle with an undisclosed monster. You'll find out what it is when you get there. Then we'll ride back and you'll recieve your test scores tonight, and the inaguration ball will follow, as is tradition here at Balamb Garden. Now if you all have your weapons and have said your final goodbyes, we'll be on our way. I must add that the bus is for candidates only. Anyone wishing to watch the exam must use their own means of transportation."
"Well," Squall said, taking Rinoa's hand. "This is it. My God, your hands are all sweaty. You okay?"
"Just nerves," she replied, smiling. "But I'll make it. If I don't, tell Zell he can have the half eaten Nutty Butty bar on my dresser.
"Too late, "Zell said over his shoulder. "Already got it."
"Remind me to get a new lock on my door," Rinoa muttered to Squall's shoes.
A few feet away, Zell was holding Lydia's hand awkwardly. "Well, good luck," he said, giving her hand a squeeze before dropping it. "I'll see you at the arena."
"I'll be there, too," Kyle spoke up, setting his hand on Lydia's shoulder. "Look for me in the third row, babe."
Babe? Who in the hell was he calling "babe"? Zell thought furiously. He felt a sudden urge to knock the boy down as he ran a hand through his shiny brown hair which always seemed to lie perfect on his head.
"I will," she said, smiling, apparently not the least bit uncomfortable with his behavior. She glanced at Zell before turning to follow Rinoa out of the lobby. "You too, Zell," she added with what sounded like an afterthought.