In this chapter's original roleplay, I played Squall, Quistis, and the unnamed character, and iliyana played as Seifer, as in previous chapters. :D Hope you enjoy this chapter, especially as it's the second to last. Make the most of it!
Squall POV
"What the fuck is this?" The door almost bursts open to let Seifer in, him obviously ignoring the possibility that I'm busy, or not in here, or otherwise occupied. He glares at me, an angry spark in his eyes as he throws a file on my desk with a smack of paper.
I don't even have to look at it to know, raising an eyebrow slightly and sparing it only a glance to make sure. "That seems obvious enough to me. It's your new mission."
"Exactly, what the fuck are you thinking?" He glares at me, leaning forward and putting his hands on the edge of the desk, his stance trying to be intimidating. I'm not intimidated. "This your way of keeping me quiet?"
"What are you talking about?"
Right, play dumb, asshole. "Give the guy a mission, maybe he won't tell everyone he almost fucked the commander into a wall?" He reaches over the desk, casually grabbing me by the shirt and pulling me up. Damn it. He thinks this badly of me? Even though this was decided before that... incident... damn it. Fuck. Shit.
"That's not it," I say, firmly, rolling my eyes and yanking myself out of his grip. "You deserve to be on better missions, why are you arguing?"
"Because I don't enjoy being insulted like this, damn it, I'm not something you can play with." He glares at me fiercely, reaching out and sweeping a hand over my desk, knocking off the mission file and a couple of files of my own stuff as well. I bite my lip to keep from shouting at him, simply bending down to pick the files up, offering his back to him.
"I'm not playing with you. You want to go back to pathetic little baby missions that don't use even a fraction of your ability, then?"
"I'd rather babysit the ones that have barely graduated than get missions because you pity me." He straightens, narrowing his eyes at me, "And if you're not playing with me, then tell me, what's the deal with avoiding me?"
"I don't pity you," I say with a sigh, piling my own files back up and pushing his across the desk towards him. "It's part of catching the person making these threats to Garden personnel. Rinoa cast a spell on me to allow me to read people's minds. That was why I kissed you, because I heard your thoughts... and that's why I left. I... felt like I was taking advantage of you. I was waiting until the time Rinoa could lift the spell so I could come and talk to you without an unfair advantage. Okay? Now will you leave? I've got enough of a headache after being stuck in a room with Zell and Selphie's thoughts bouncing around without your loud thoughts adding to it."
There. I've said it. Go away now, Seifer.
He frowns slightly, not looking as if he's about to leave in the slightest. "So you can read minds. And you kissed me, not because you wanted to, but because I wanted it and you could read my mind. How the fuck is that unfair? Okay, so you know how I feel about you," he shrugs, "doesn't change anything for me."
"I did want to, but... This is for Garden, I shouldn't be using it for personal things. It isn't fair."
"Oh, fuck fair!" Damn honourable bastard. He walks around the desk and grabs my wrist, pulling me closer, his voice softening a little. "Learn to take advantage of things a little, will you?"
He moves his hand to my shoulder and holds me in place as he kisses me. I blink for a moment and then kiss back. Fuck, I thought he'd be more bothered. I thought...
He puts both arms around my waist, holding me tightly and deepening the kiss. Now this is much better.
Fuck it. He wants it, even though it'd never have happened without the mindreading. I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing closer and enjoying his kiss, his hands running slowly up and down my back.
"So you've heard all of my thoughts... Does that include all the things I want to do to you?" he asks, nipping lightly at my jaw, working his way down and biting my throat a little less gently, drawing a soft moan out of me.
"Yeah... anything you've thought when you've been near me."
He traps me against my desk with his body, putting his hands on top of it on either side of me, and bites at the rim of my ear, his voice a heated whisper. "Does this remind you of anything, then?"
I reach back and shove some papers out of the way, clearing a space and smiling at Seifer, knowing well enough what he means. I intend to make up for the unfairness of this by giving him what he wants. Everything he wants. "I seem to remember something about me and this desk..."
"Oh really now?" he asks, smirking slightly, nuzzling from my ear down my neck to my shoulder, nipping there a few times and moving his hands from the desk to my hips. I hum agreement and run my hands down his back, pulling him closer as he picks me up a little, putting me on the edge of the desk, kissing me and slipping a hand under my shirt.
"The other things you wanted... you can those too, if you still want them."
He rakes his nails over my skin, pulling my shirt off as he does so, leaning in to kiss me to wipe the pleased smirk off my face. "Then I better get started right away."
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Heading out of my room, intending to go to my office and finish up my work, I almost stop at finally hearing something, something that might help to end this stupid niggling worry that something is going to happen to one of the people essential to Garden. Right, there he is. I've only got one shot… better wait until the hallway is empty.
Outwardly, I give no sign of either worry or triumph. Instead, I keep walking, heading for a hopefully deserted hallway so I can carry out this confrontation somewhere out of the way of other SeeDs and students. I listen carefully to the following person's thought, trying to find out what I'm up against. Without Lionheart, a battle won't be too easy, but I've practiced enough with bare hands to be able to hold my own, as long as the other person isn't a martial artist…
One poisoned knife, ready. Now I just have to hope he doesn't notice me following… Hah, he's not that good. I've got him. You're going down, "Commander".
A poisoned knife. Even if I catch this person, there's a chance that they'll be able to poison me, especially if I didn't know about the poison. Unfortunately for them, I now know to be wary, and apart from my face, there isn't much skin bare for them to just scratch with the point anyway. I turn into the empty area, listening to my follower's mental triumph.
Yes! The student pulls her cap down over her face quickly, so if I survive, I have no way of identifying her. A smart one, then, the only thing I can tell at the moment is that she's a girl. I listen to her footsteps, waiting for her to break the even, slow, soft rhythm she has. There's a seconds warning as her footsteps speed up and her quick thought, Gotcha!, flashes through my mind, and then I turn, grabbing her arm and twisting it quickly to make her drop the knife.
I yank the cap from her head quickly, hoping to recognize her in case she gets away, so I can order her caught. I gasp softly at seeing who she is, vaguely remember her, a Galbadian girl, wanting to train in Garden so she can be strong enough… "What are you doing, cadet?"
"I'll die before I tell you anything," she says, with a defiant glare, trying to disguise the fact that she's working alone and for personal reasons, perhaps.
"You don't need to 'tell' me anything. Are you acting alone?"
Who else would there be to act with? He let my father and brother die under the Sorceress!
"I see." I lean down, snatching the small knife and examining it carefully. It would have killed me, if I hadn't been aware that she was about to lunge at me. Casually, I put my hand on her shoulder and turn her round, letting her feel the presence of the knife at the small of her back. "Walk. Instructor Trepe's office."
The girl grits her teeth, grinding them a little in helpless anger, but does as commanded, wisely choosing the quickest and least crowded way to Quistis' office. She opens the door and steps in, still painfully aware of the knife I have pointed at her, and I close the door behind me with a little bang as Quistis stands up.
"What's going on, Commander?" she asks, carefully formal, but thinking frantically. Why is he holding a knife to that girl? Has he gone nuts
I shake my head slightly at her thought and push the girl forward, tossing the knife onto Quistis' desk. "Don't touch the blade, it's poisoned. She attacked me in the hallway with it – here's our culprit for the threats." The girl glares at Quistis at that, none too sure about what we'll do to her, but defiant anyway. I continue, my eyes meeting Quistis' as understanding dawns, "It seems that her father and brother died under the Sorceress' command."
The girl gasps softly, the fight going out of her as she sinks to the ground. How did he know? How could he know? I'll never get my revenge for my family now!
Damn it, Quistis thinks, moving around the desk and putting a hand down, placing it on the girl's shoulder. Her voice is gentle, reasoning. "The Commander tried to cause as few deaths as possible, but we were at war. That doesn't make it right, but it makes it necessary. Killing the Commander is unnecessary and harmful to the world as it is – what you did is more wrong than if the Commander had murdered your family himself."
The girl doesn't say anything and I look at Quistis, nodding slightly, "She'll have to be put on trial, probably in prison."
No! I can't! Mom…
"But," I say, as if changing my mind, "find out where her mother lives. Take her there and talk things over with them. Maybe an alternate way can be found."
What? Why are they being…? I don't understand…
Quistis straightens, her eyes coming up from the girl to mine again. She salutes, nodding her understanding, "Yes, sir."
I roll my eyes at the necessary formality and turn to leave the room without another word, hiding my extreme relief that this situation is, it seems, over.