It's Okay To Cry 2
Seifer Almasy awoke the next morning in his dreary apartment. Getting to his feet, he noticed how bare the place was, how devoid of human accents. It was just a box to keep the elements off of Seifer's head.
"Could do with a woman's touch", he said, yawning and scratching. He crossed to the small bathroom and got into the shower. As quickly as he could, he showered and dressed, once again leaving no time to eat breakfast. He sighed, threw on his trench coat with the long faded flaming crosses, and locked his front door. He made his way through the little town to the shop that had miraculously decided to employ him. He opened the door and let it fall shut behind him.
"You're late Almasy. By seven minutes", his boss; Zeke spat from behind the counter. Seifer rolled his eyes and hung his coat up on the hook left for him. He knew it was no use protesting his case or talking back, because as much as he hated his job, he needed it. He needed to stay in Balamb, he needed to stay near Quistis. Seifer picked up his apron, and tying the strings, made his way into the tiny kitchen. He knew his routine by heart, since he'd worked there nearly three years. Every morning he went to make Zeke a cup of coffee that the old man had only ever drunk twice since he'd employed Seifer.
"Coffee Zeke?", Seifer called through the doorway. The old man mumbled a reply, and Seifer set about making it, the only way he could; the old fashioned way where the kettle took ten minutes to boil. He strolled back into the shop and leant against the wall, staring at the boil on his boss's chin. God he hated that man something fierce. Hated him... almost as much as he hated Leonhart and chicken-wuss. Such hatred Seifer always had to fight to suppress.
Seifer once again immersed himself in memories of the past. Since he'd had his GF withdrawn by Garden, he could remember a lot more. Today he recalled a walk along the beach he'd made as a child. He wasn't alone in his mind. She was there that time too. Seifer remembered kicking up sand as he walked along near the tide-line, his trousers rolled up as protection from the sea. Quistis trailed behind in a little pink sun-suit and sandals, strolling along carefully, always watching where she put her feet. Seifer turned to face her, he thought she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. That wasn't hard since her only competition was Sefie and Ellone. He cleared his throat and spoke.
"Quisty, do you think we'll be friends when we grow up", he drew a wiggly 's' with his toe in the damp sand. Quistis flicked her long gold hair behind her and coughed primly.
"Maybe Seifer. You never know what'll happen. I might grow up and marry a handsome prince, and a sorceress will turn you into a bug", Seifer gasped. Could it be true that Quisty would go away from him, and he, Seifer Almasy would be turned into a bug? He shook his head from side to side.
"Nu-uh Quisty, I reckon we'll get married and have loadsa little Seiftis-s- s-s...", he trailed off when he saw her staring at him.
"Don't be stupid Seifer. I'm going to marry Squall. Everyone thinks so", she said, walking curtly past him up the beach in front of the Centra Orphanage.
"I'll never let that happen!", he bellowed after her. "Never", a small frown overtook his features and he pouted. "Never", he said softly.
A woman waving her hand in front of his face snapped Seifer back to reality. He frowned.
'Hyne, not that stupid old baggage again', he thought to himself. Remembering the 'Good Salesmanship Test' he'd passed, he smiled broadly at her.
"Well, hello Mrs. Dincht! And how may I help you today?", he gushed, hoping she didn't think that anything was amiss. She raised and eyebrow and replied.
"Well, Seifer, I need something for Zell and Natashya. You see, they're getting engaged", Ma Dincht said snootily. Seifer felt like he'd been physically punched in the chest.
"Oh, Ch- Zell is gonna get married? Congratulations", he said bitterly, trying to smile. "And what kind of gift were you thinking of?", he continued. Ma Dincht gazed into the glass case that was the counter and poked at various items with a pudgy finger. Half an hour later, she had decided on a particularly disgusting photo-frame, that she was sure her son would love. She wiggled her vast behind out of the shop and Seifer breathed a sigh of relief.
"Where's my coffee, boy?", Zeke asked him. Seifer rolled his eyes for what seemed like the millionth time that day and made his way back to the kitchen. He lifted the kettle and poured water into Zeke's filthy looking cup.
'Thank Hyne for freeze-dried coffee", Seifer thought to himself. "So the chicken-wuss is getting wed. Boy oh boy. I wonder if I'll get an invite?", he mused aloud, cackling slightly and smirking devilishly. He carried the coffee back to his boss, and set it down in front of him. Zeke looked disdainfully down at the mug and wrinkled his nose.
"Could've cleaned the cup, boy", he chided. Seifer grit his teeth and crossed the room to avoid giving his employer a first-hand glimpse of Hyperion. Seifer just shrugged apologetically.
"In fact boy, the whole place could do with a clean up", the old man spoke, wiggling his little finger in his ear. Seifer wrinkled his nose in disgust.
'Eww, Hyne that man is the most revolting creature I've ever encountered. Except for maybe Mrs. Dincht', he mused silently as he crossed the small room to retrieve the moth-eaten broom. As he moved gracefully around the floor, he swept up clouds of dust, piling it neatly near the door. Taking a deft glance at his boss, he noticed that the old man had fallen asleep whilst picking his nose. Seifer felt a little sick; but no sicker than any other time he was around Zeke.
After what seemed like eons of cleaning, which was in reality almost two and a half hours, Seifer finally swept the last pile of dust out of the door. All over a pair of sneakers that he recognised.
'Aww, great, the C-W is in town', he thought to himself, crossing back to the corner to replace the tattered broom. He stood behind the counter and smirked at Zell shaking the dust off his feet before entering the shop. Behind him walked a petite girl with brown hair. Seifer looked alarmed. Was this Zell's bride to be? Eww, she was mighty plain. Zell and the girl approached the counter, the martial artist leaning on it. He grinned, the movement wrinkling his silly looking tattoo.
"Ooh Seifer, I never knew you worked in a gift-shop! How long have you been here?", he said in a saccharine voice. Seifer tried hard to bite down an enraged comment. How dare chicken-wuss come into his store. Zeke was still asleep, so he surmised that it was his store for now. Seifer smiled broadly, but narrowed his eyes just a little.
"Ooh Zell, only since Garden rejected my application to retrain. That's about...", he paused. "Three years nearly. Wowee. Anyway Ch- Zell, I didn't know you were gonna get hitched. Who's the unlucky lady?", he said scathingly. Zell frowned and put his arm around the girl.
"She is. I mean, Natashya is the lucky girl. That's why we're here, I wanna buy her a wedding present", Zell said cockily. Seifer raised an eyebrow.
"Well, that's a nice touch. Feel free to look around", Seifer bit out. "Don't fucking touch anything with your sticky fingers though", he added under his breath. Zell looked like he'd heard him, but said nothing and wandered over to the far side of the shop. Seifer stood boredly behind the counter, inspecting his nails and leaning his head against a display of lighters. A little later, Zell walked up to the counter carrying a blue vanity case with silver sequins dotted all over it. For yet another time, Seifer wrinkled his nose.
'If that ain't the tackiest thing ever. Except maybe the photo frame Ma bought earlier', he thought evilly as he rung the purchase up and handed Zell his change. Without saying a word, the to-be-weds walked out of the shop and up the road toward Garden. Once more, Seifer leant his head on his hands and stared out into the bright Balamb sunshine. He hated when the weather was nice and he was stuck indoors. He hated nauseating old men who picked various parts of their anatomy publicly too. Hell, Seifer Almasy hated everyone... Everyone except Quistis Trepe that is.
Seifer Almasy awoke the next morning in his dreary apartment. Getting to his feet, he noticed how bare the place was, how devoid of human accents. It was just a box to keep the elements off of Seifer's head.
"Could do with a woman's touch", he said, yawning and scratching. He crossed to the small bathroom and got into the shower. As quickly as he could, he showered and dressed, once again leaving no time to eat breakfast. He sighed, threw on his trench coat with the long faded flaming crosses, and locked his front door. He made his way through the little town to the shop that had miraculously decided to employ him. He opened the door and let it fall shut behind him.
"You're late Almasy. By seven minutes", his boss; Zeke spat from behind the counter. Seifer rolled his eyes and hung his coat up on the hook left for him. He knew it was no use protesting his case or talking back, because as much as he hated his job, he needed it. He needed to stay in Balamb, he needed to stay near Quistis. Seifer picked up his apron, and tying the strings, made his way into the tiny kitchen. He knew his routine by heart, since he'd worked there nearly three years. Every morning he went to make Zeke a cup of coffee that the old man had only ever drunk twice since he'd employed Seifer.
"Coffee Zeke?", Seifer called through the doorway. The old man mumbled a reply, and Seifer set about making it, the only way he could; the old fashioned way where the kettle took ten minutes to boil. He strolled back into the shop and leant against the wall, staring at the boil on his boss's chin. God he hated that man something fierce. Hated him... almost as much as he hated Leonhart and chicken-wuss. Such hatred Seifer always had to fight to suppress.
Seifer once again immersed himself in memories of the past. Since he'd had his GF withdrawn by Garden, he could remember a lot more. Today he recalled a walk along the beach he'd made as a child. He wasn't alone in his mind. She was there that time too. Seifer remembered kicking up sand as he walked along near the tide-line, his trousers rolled up as protection from the sea. Quistis trailed behind in a little pink sun-suit and sandals, strolling along carefully, always watching where she put her feet. Seifer turned to face her, he thought she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. That wasn't hard since her only competition was Sefie and Ellone. He cleared his throat and spoke.
"Quisty, do you think we'll be friends when we grow up", he drew a wiggly 's' with his toe in the damp sand. Quistis flicked her long gold hair behind her and coughed primly.
"Maybe Seifer. You never know what'll happen. I might grow up and marry a handsome prince, and a sorceress will turn you into a bug", Seifer gasped. Could it be true that Quisty would go away from him, and he, Seifer Almasy would be turned into a bug? He shook his head from side to side.
"Nu-uh Quisty, I reckon we'll get married and have loadsa little Seiftis-s- s-s...", he trailed off when he saw her staring at him.
"Don't be stupid Seifer. I'm going to marry Squall. Everyone thinks so", she said, walking curtly past him up the beach in front of the Centra Orphanage.
"I'll never let that happen!", he bellowed after her. "Never", a small frown overtook his features and he pouted. "Never", he said softly.
A woman waving her hand in front of his face snapped Seifer back to reality. He frowned.
'Hyne, not that stupid old baggage again', he thought to himself. Remembering the 'Good Salesmanship Test' he'd passed, he smiled broadly at her.
"Well, hello Mrs. Dincht! And how may I help you today?", he gushed, hoping she didn't think that anything was amiss. She raised and eyebrow and replied.
"Well, Seifer, I need something for Zell and Natashya. You see, they're getting engaged", Ma Dincht said snootily. Seifer felt like he'd been physically punched in the chest.
"Oh, Ch- Zell is gonna get married? Congratulations", he said bitterly, trying to smile. "And what kind of gift were you thinking of?", he continued. Ma Dincht gazed into the glass case that was the counter and poked at various items with a pudgy finger. Half an hour later, she had decided on a particularly disgusting photo-frame, that she was sure her son would love. She wiggled her vast behind out of the shop and Seifer breathed a sigh of relief.
"Where's my coffee, boy?", Zeke asked him. Seifer rolled his eyes for what seemed like the millionth time that day and made his way back to the kitchen. He lifted the kettle and poured water into Zeke's filthy looking cup.
'Thank Hyne for freeze-dried coffee", Seifer thought to himself. "So the chicken-wuss is getting wed. Boy oh boy. I wonder if I'll get an invite?", he mused aloud, cackling slightly and smirking devilishly. He carried the coffee back to his boss, and set it down in front of him. Zeke looked disdainfully down at the mug and wrinkled his nose.
"Could've cleaned the cup, boy", he chided. Seifer grit his teeth and crossed the room to avoid giving his employer a first-hand glimpse of Hyperion. Seifer just shrugged apologetically.
"In fact boy, the whole place could do with a clean up", the old man spoke, wiggling his little finger in his ear. Seifer wrinkled his nose in disgust.
'Eww, Hyne that man is the most revolting creature I've ever encountered. Except for maybe Mrs. Dincht', he mused silently as he crossed the small room to retrieve the moth-eaten broom. As he moved gracefully around the floor, he swept up clouds of dust, piling it neatly near the door. Taking a deft glance at his boss, he noticed that the old man had fallen asleep whilst picking his nose. Seifer felt a little sick; but no sicker than any other time he was around Zeke.
After what seemed like eons of cleaning, which was in reality almost two and a half hours, Seifer finally swept the last pile of dust out of the door. All over a pair of sneakers that he recognised.
'Aww, great, the C-W is in town', he thought to himself, crossing back to the corner to replace the tattered broom. He stood behind the counter and smirked at Zell shaking the dust off his feet before entering the shop. Behind him walked a petite girl with brown hair. Seifer looked alarmed. Was this Zell's bride to be? Eww, she was mighty plain. Zell and the girl approached the counter, the martial artist leaning on it. He grinned, the movement wrinkling his silly looking tattoo.
"Ooh Seifer, I never knew you worked in a gift-shop! How long have you been here?", he said in a saccharine voice. Seifer tried hard to bite down an enraged comment. How dare chicken-wuss come into his store. Zeke was still asleep, so he surmised that it was his store for now. Seifer smiled broadly, but narrowed his eyes just a little.
"Ooh Zell, only since Garden rejected my application to retrain. That's about...", he paused. "Three years nearly. Wowee. Anyway Ch- Zell, I didn't know you were gonna get hitched. Who's the unlucky lady?", he said scathingly. Zell frowned and put his arm around the girl.
"She is. I mean, Natashya is the lucky girl. That's why we're here, I wanna buy her a wedding present", Zell said cockily. Seifer raised an eyebrow.
"Well, that's a nice touch. Feel free to look around", Seifer bit out. "Don't fucking touch anything with your sticky fingers though", he added under his breath. Zell looked like he'd heard him, but said nothing and wandered over to the far side of the shop. Seifer stood boredly behind the counter, inspecting his nails and leaning his head against a display of lighters. A little later, Zell walked up to the counter carrying a blue vanity case with silver sequins dotted all over it. For yet another time, Seifer wrinkled his nose.
'If that ain't the tackiest thing ever. Except maybe the photo frame Ma bought earlier', he thought evilly as he rung the purchase up and handed Zell his change. Without saying a word, the to-be-weds walked out of the shop and up the road toward Garden. Once more, Seifer leant his head on his hands and stared out into the bright Balamb sunshine. He hated when the weather was nice and he was stuck indoors. He hated nauseating old men who picked various parts of their anatomy publicly too. Hell, Seifer Almasy hated everyone... Everyone except Quistis Trepe that is.