Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII.
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Chapter seven: Plan
It was nearly March 3 and so the gang thought of a plan to celebrate Rinoa's birthday.
"Hey guys, Its February 28 now. Its nearly Rinny's birthday!" Selphie whispered to the other four.
"Yeah, so like. What are we gonna do?" Irvine asked in a low voice.
Quistis and Zell glanced at each other then turned to Irvine who in turn, turned to Selphie.
"Yippee! I get to plan!" Selphie squealed as she hugged Irvine, clinging to his neck and almost suffocating him.
"Calm down Seifie." Irvine said as he rubbed his neck.
"Okay, okay. So ummm. As much as possible I want you guys to cover for me. Just keep Rinoa away from me and the place I plan to hold the pah-tay!"
"And uh… where are we going to hold the 'pah-tay?' " Zell looked at Selphie in an unsure tone.
"C'mon Zelly! In the palace!"
Everyone's eyes widened except for Selphie's.
"T-t-the palace? But we have to ask President Laguna for permission! And we can't bother him and use the palace for a party." Quistis said while looking at Selphie with an 'are you crazy?!' look.
"I already asked him." Selphie said as she winked at Irvine.
"When?" Zell asked, who was getting more and more confused by the minute.
"Yesterday. Anyway, just do as I say kay?" Seplhie asked in an attempted innocent look.
"Okay" The gang said in unison.
Rinoa was walking in the long hallways of the palace.
Oh nooo… I'm lost! I can't even contact the gang. I wish I didn't leave my cell phone and poor Angelo in my room, she could've sniffed our way out. Rinoa thought hopelessly.
Suddenly she bumped into something big.
"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to. He he. You see I'm lost… huh?" Rinoa looked up to see what she bumped into.
She gasped in awe at the sight that met her eyes. It was a fourteen-foot marble statue of Squall holding his gunblade that was raised up and ready to strike down.
"Wow…" Rinoa said while gazing at the fully detailed sculpture, the eyes seemed fierce and even the smallest detail like the hair was made to perfection. It was almost like the genuine article doing the pose.
"Pretty nice huh?"
Rinoa quickly turned around to see who spoke.
"President Laguna!" Rinoa exclaimed.
"Ehhh… I'd appreciate it if you called me Laguna." The president of Esthar replied as scratched his head and sat down on the platform of the marvelous statue.
Silence overcame the two. Rinoa dug her toe on the ground, nervous and confused of what to say to the father of the person she fell in love with.
"I had to argue with the sculptor a few times before he finished his job you know." Laguna broke the silence as he noticed Rinoa's uneasiness.
"He did a pretty good job." Was only Rinoa's reply. Her uneasiness was lessened when the president started the conversation. She was thankful that she didn't have to think of something to talk about.
"Yeah, he did a pretty good job……… Anyway, What are you doing here? Are you get lost?" Laguna said with slight humor in his voice.
"Yes. Um, can you show me the way out?" Rinoa said as she turned slightly red from embarrassment.
"It's okay, I still get lost around here you know? It took me two whole months to make my mind swallow the locations of important rooms. Like my office, dining area, bedroom, reception room and meeting room." Laguna confessed as he smiled a small smile, humored at his own mistakes.
Rinoa stood there as she noticed some similarities in Laguna and Squall. They almost look the same except for the eye and hair color.
"Where do you want to go?
"Umm.. to the dining room please, I promised the gang I'll meet up with them there."
"Alright follow me." Laguna smiled as he started to lead the way.
A few hours later………
"Umm… I didn't know the palace was this big." Rinoa commented because her feet were beginning to feel sore from all the walking. (She was wearing high-heels, that's why.)
"Uhh…. I think it's this way." Laguna said as he pointed to a corridor to their left.
"But that's where we came through!"
"Ahhh… err… I think it's this way!" Laguna said as he pointed to the right.
"I don't think so because that corridor looks very familiar." Rinoa said as she crossed her arms over her chest and began to tap her foot.
"I… uhhh… he he…think we're lost…" Laguna confessed as he gave Rinoa an 'oops I'm sorry please forgive me' look.
Suddenly a door near where Laguna stood opened…
WHAM!!!
The door hit Laguna in the face.
"Whoa! I'm sorry! I didn't know you were there!" a voice spoke after hearing the loud sound of the impact.
Laguna covered his nose and pulled the door that hit him, revealing a surprised Kiros and a stunned Ward.
"Laguna! Just the man I'm looking for!" Kiros exclaimed as he handed a handkerchief to Laguna whose nose was bleeding.
"Kiros… Man if you weren't my friend I would've slammed the door on your face too for revenge!" Laguna glared.
"Hehe, take it easy Laguna. Hmm? Oh Miss Heartilly, forgive my friend, Laguna. I presume that Laguna acted as your guide but just got you more lost instead?" Kiros said as he noticed Rinoa.
"How did you know?" Rinoa responded.
"…………………………………"
"Ward says Laguna is the only one that can get people more lost when he acts as their guide. And, Laguna should stop acting guide and do these paperwork." Kiros interpreted Ward as he dumped an armful of paper for Laguna.
"Noooo!" Laguna screamed as he attempted to escape but was caught on his collar by Ward.
"Well, now that that's settled. Where do you wish to go Miss Heartilly? I can tell you how." Kiros asked politely. In the background was Laguna screaming and begging to be let go, but Ward just exhaled deeply and shook his head at his friend's childishness.
"Umm… to the Dining room."
"Just head straight through this corridor and turn right when you get to the intersection and just keep going. You'll find it at the end oh that hallway." Kiros instructed as he waved goodbye to Rinoa.
"Thank you." Said Rinoa as she quickly ran away because Laguna was begging her to help him. He even offered to make her vice-president if she did!
In the malls of Esthar…
Selphie and Irvine is seen carrying huge shopping bags that were full to the brim with various things.
"Good afternoon ma'am, how may I help you?" A saleslady approached the two.
"Um… do you guys sell flowers here?" Selphie replied darting her head left and right to scan the store for any item she needed or wanted.
"Flowers? No ma'am we don't sell them." The sales lady replied after checking her clipboard.
"Bummer! Irvine, what do we do? We need those flowers for decorating!"
Irvine just shrugged his shoulders.
"Umm.. But I know someone who sells flowers." The saleslady offered.
"Really? Where?" Selphie's eyes widened and shone with hope.
"Winhill."
"Mega-bummer! Winhill's so far from Esthar!" Selphie wailed.
"C'mon now Seifie', don't cry! We can use the Ragnarok to zoom over there!" Irvine said as he pulled the little Trabian to a hug.
"I'm not crying, and I know that we can use the Ragnarok! Irvy, the thing that makes me sad is that we can't use the Ragnarok because it is being repaired and upgraded now. The technicians said they would be done at the end of this month!"
The saleslady who just stood there and watched the two stepped up and handed Selphie a calling card.
"What's this?" Selphie looked at the saleslady quizzically.
"The flower shop I'm talking about is the best in Winhill and it has a delivery service."
"Really?! Whoohoo!" The petite girl jumped and waved her hands in joy.
"Calm down Selph!" Irvine said as he tried to control his hyperactive girlfriend.
"Let's go back to the palace, Irvy! Then we order the flowers!" Selphie said as she dragged Irvine by the collar of his coat.
"(Let her have it her way.) Uhh.. okay. Thanks miss." Irvine said as he tipped his hat in a cowboy like manner as a gesture of thanks to the saleslady.
Back in the palace…
"Quistis! Zell! I finally found you guys!" Rinoa screamed in delight as she saw her two friends enjoying drinks of different flavors of juices in the bar area of the dining room.
"Rinoa! What took you so long? We thought you got lost!" Quistis said as she placed down her glass and hugged her friend.
"Actually I did but never mind! Hey, where's Selphie and Irvine?" Rinoa said, as she looked left and right to look for her two missing friends.
"Uh… they (suddenly Zell saw butterflies flying outside through the window.) They went out to catch butterflies!" Zell quickly reasoned.
Quistis gave him an 'are you insane' look.
"Butterflies? Why?" Rinoa looked at Zell with a raised an eyebrow.
"Uh…" Zell frantically searched and racked his brain for a reason.
"Selphie loves butterflies, don't you know? Irvine being the gentleman he claims to be went with Selphie to catch a butterfly for her. I'm sure that those two are pretty busy," Quistis immediately answered.
Zell looked at Quistis with an ' I owe you one, thanks.' Look.
Rinoa relaxed her raised eyebrow then went over to the 'juice bar' where Zell and Quistis sat.
"He he, I bet those two are having a very good time" Rinoa said with a mischievous grin spread across her face.
Zell looked at her with a puzzled look. Quistis just shrugged it off by draining her glass of coconut juice.
In the bedrooms hallway in the Presidential palace………
"Mission one is done Irvy! Now we its time for mission two." Selphie said exhaustedly as she dumped the load of shopping bags on the floor in her bedroom.
"You said it Selph! Whooh! Finally got the load off me! By the way what's mission two?" Irvine said as he plopped down on the floor extremely exhausted from all the shopping he and Selphie went through.
"What else??? Call the flower shop!" Selphie said as she bounced up and down and skipped to where the phone lay.
"Hmmm… It says 'Winhill flower gardens, Mrs. Furnival' Alright! I'm gonna call the flower shop now Irvy, you can go relax now."
Ham bale! Ham bale! What does that mean?! Hahahahaha! Stick around for chapter nine.
How's my writing? Review or e-mail me at empy369yahoo.com. Love ya people! Thanks for reading. -