Chapter 3
"I just pulled me a Squall."
-Quistis Trepe
***
Sand.
Yellow, scorching, gritty sand as far as the eye could see. I felt like dropping my bags and cursing the gods for sending me to this wasteland to die. For life could not be sustained here. It was a sweltering graveyard filled with sweaty grave robbers... and I was here to protect them. May Hyne have mercy on their souls.
Despite the urge to flee, I got out of the car and retrieved my suitcase. Surprisingly, the load was light. I think I was subconsciously optimistic about the length of my stay.. But considering my luck, I'm sure it would come and bite me in the ass any minute now. I stared almost sadly as my driver sped away, never to be seen again. I felt a tear well up in my eye... my only escape was riding off into the horizon.
"You must be Mrs. Trepe." A heard a voice say behind me. A stocky middle- aged man was the owner. Balding, but still working with a comb over. Now that's the ultimate deception, if you ask me.
"That's *Miss* Trepe." Why me? This wasn't starting out as well as I would've liked. I could almost feel my lips burning away with the amount of venom that sentence surely must have contained.
Even if he did notice it, he showed no signs of being offended. Instead, he reached out his worn hand out in a gesture of friendship.
"That's quite alright, I can carry my own bags." I replied curty, smiling a little for show. I can handle myself, I don't need little bald men doing all my chores for me.
His hand fell to his side. After letting his thick brow furrow for a second, he let out a small chuckle. Oh crap. He wanted to shake my hand. I just pulled me a Squall. Realizing my mistake, I dropped my bags a little too quickly, squishing a few toes underneath. Not missing a beat, I shook his hand a bit too hastily. "I'm sorry," I apologized, "It's the hot sun."
He laughed again as if I had made a funny. "Well you better get used to that. You're going to be out here for a long time."
That didn't sound good.
"Yup," he nodded as he motioned me to follow, "A long, looonnngg time."
I gulped, repressing the urge to go into hysterics and instead opting for a deep breath. That's it, he had sealed my fate with that single sentence. I *was* going to die out here! Damn, I really needed a drink.
"By the way," The man turned for a second before continuing his hurried pace, "The name's Murphy. You need anything, and I mean anything, just call for me." Great. I hope he wasn't suggesting any sexual favors by the way he lifted his eyebrows... though a gun would come pretty handy right about now. Who I would use it on was still undecided.
"Thanks."
We walked for a few minutes until we reached the excavation site, and already I could feel sweat pouring down my face. It was way too hot for anything. It was so hot, the sand looked like it was melting. It was so hot, I'm sure we could cook up a few eggs on Murphy's big bald head.. It was so hot, that if Ifrit found his way along here, he would say "This is too damn hot."
I guess you get the point. It's hot.
"Look's like they've found something." Murphy said cheerfully, "C'mon down, we'll take a look."
I figured Murphy was really into this stuff by the way he hauled me down to the crude elevator, an excited gleam filling his eyes. I looked around. It was pretty impressive how they had the whole place set up. Only a few men remained at the surface, which I assumed were in control of maintenance, but from the looks of it, the real operation was located underground.
"Going down, sir?" A chipper young man dressed in blue asked Murphy.
"That's right, Leon! And this fine young lady will be accompanying me." He lay a hand across my waist playfully. I had another word for 'playfully' but I grinned and beared it for the sake of my job. There's nothing I hate more than perverted old men.
Leon chuckled, rolling his eyes as he pulled the switch to begin our decent into the earth. "A new girl again, Murph? Wasn't it just the other day you had a new lady friend?"
"You know me; can't keep still for a second." I didn't really want to find out exactly what Murphy meant by that... but I could only grant my sincerest pity to the last woman.
The rest of the elevator stayed at the same level of awkwardness for me, but Murphy and Leon seemed comfortable. Though it seemed an eternity long, it was only seconds before we walked off the platform, and into the lit cavern.
Not even the years of training in Balamb Garden could prepare me for this.
****
A/n: Hey again everyone! Sorry I took so long with this chapter, but a lot of things have come up. I'm thinking about alternating between this story and "A Ripple in Time", so that means I'll be working on that next! Hope you're enjoying this, and thanks for the support. Until next time, please review and tell me what you think!
"I just pulled me a Squall."
-Quistis Trepe
***
Sand.
Yellow, scorching, gritty sand as far as the eye could see. I felt like dropping my bags and cursing the gods for sending me to this wasteland to die. For life could not be sustained here. It was a sweltering graveyard filled with sweaty grave robbers... and I was here to protect them. May Hyne have mercy on their souls.
Despite the urge to flee, I got out of the car and retrieved my suitcase. Surprisingly, the load was light. I think I was subconsciously optimistic about the length of my stay.. But considering my luck, I'm sure it would come and bite me in the ass any minute now. I stared almost sadly as my driver sped away, never to be seen again. I felt a tear well up in my eye... my only escape was riding off into the horizon.
"You must be Mrs. Trepe." A heard a voice say behind me. A stocky middle- aged man was the owner. Balding, but still working with a comb over. Now that's the ultimate deception, if you ask me.
"That's *Miss* Trepe." Why me? This wasn't starting out as well as I would've liked. I could almost feel my lips burning away with the amount of venom that sentence surely must have contained.
Even if he did notice it, he showed no signs of being offended. Instead, he reached out his worn hand out in a gesture of friendship.
"That's quite alright, I can carry my own bags." I replied curty, smiling a little for show. I can handle myself, I don't need little bald men doing all my chores for me.
His hand fell to his side. After letting his thick brow furrow for a second, he let out a small chuckle. Oh crap. He wanted to shake my hand. I just pulled me a Squall. Realizing my mistake, I dropped my bags a little too quickly, squishing a few toes underneath. Not missing a beat, I shook his hand a bit too hastily. "I'm sorry," I apologized, "It's the hot sun."
He laughed again as if I had made a funny. "Well you better get used to that. You're going to be out here for a long time."
That didn't sound good.
"Yup," he nodded as he motioned me to follow, "A long, looonnngg time."
I gulped, repressing the urge to go into hysterics and instead opting for a deep breath. That's it, he had sealed my fate with that single sentence. I *was* going to die out here! Damn, I really needed a drink.
"By the way," The man turned for a second before continuing his hurried pace, "The name's Murphy. You need anything, and I mean anything, just call for me." Great. I hope he wasn't suggesting any sexual favors by the way he lifted his eyebrows... though a gun would come pretty handy right about now. Who I would use it on was still undecided.
"Thanks."
We walked for a few minutes until we reached the excavation site, and already I could feel sweat pouring down my face. It was way too hot for anything. It was so hot, the sand looked like it was melting. It was so hot, I'm sure we could cook up a few eggs on Murphy's big bald head.. It was so hot, that if Ifrit found his way along here, he would say "This is too damn hot."
I guess you get the point. It's hot.
"Look's like they've found something." Murphy said cheerfully, "C'mon down, we'll take a look."
I figured Murphy was really into this stuff by the way he hauled me down to the crude elevator, an excited gleam filling his eyes. I looked around. It was pretty impressive how they had the whole place set up. Only a few men remained at the surface, which I assumed were in control of maintenance, but from the looks of it, the real operation was located underground.
"Going down, sir?" A chipper young man dressed in blue asked Murphy.
"That's right, Leon! And this fine young lady will be accompanying me." He lay a hand across my waist playfully. I had another word for 'playfully' but I grinned and beared it for the sake of my job. There's nothing I hate more than perverted old men.
Leon chuckled, rolling his eyes as he pulled the switch to begin our decent into the earth. "A new girl again, Murph? Wasn't it just the other day you had a new lady friend?"
"You know me; can't keep still for a second." I didn't really want to find out exactly what Murphy meant by that... but I could only grant my sincerest pity to the last woman.
The rest of the elevator stayed at the same level of awkwardness for me, but Murphy and Leon seemed comfortable. Though it seemed an eternity long, it was only seconds before we walked off the platform, and into the lit cavern.
Not even the years of training in Balamb Garden could prepare me for this.
****
A/n: Hey again everyone! Sorry I took so long with this chapter, but a lot of things have come up. I'm thinking about alternating between this story and "A Ripple in Time", so that means I'll be working on that next! Hope you're enjoying this, and thanks for the support. Until next time, please review and tell me what you think!