By Bhamv
Chapter 10 - Linn Sylanae
Author's note: Ok, ok, I finally updated!
The crystal-lined tunnels finally ended with the collapse of another sand door and a mixed explosion of sunlight and artificial light. The bright rays caused seven SeeDs to blink repeatedly as their eyes adjusted. Emerging from the exit to the Caves of Esthar, which was just as incongruous as the entrance, they looked around and slowly got their bearings as their vision adapted to the influx of light.
The world they'd stepped into could not have been more different from the one they'd just left. Instead of harsh, rough stone and glittering crystals, their surroundings were composed of shining metal and transparent surfaces of unknown material. A multitude of colors dazzled the eye, while towering structures and criss-crossing pathways soared above. Energy seemed to flow through the very air they breathed; from the blue lights that illuminated this new world to the huge humming disks that hovered through translucent scarlet tubes and served as transport, the power and technology that permeated this realm could only be described as mind-boggling.
"Esthar..." Rinoa breathed, "We're back..."
Instinctively and unconciously, Squall and Rinoa edged closer to one another, their minds drifting back to when the nation of Esthar had insisted on imprisoning Rinoa out of fear of her sorceress powers. Their shoulders brushed together and automatically his hand sought hers, giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze. Rinoa looked up at the handsome scarred face of her protector and gave him a small smile while her hand reciprocated his gentle hold. The message in his grey eyes and in his gloved hand was familiar: "Just stay close to me."
After what felt like a hundred years, Squall finally tore his eyes away from Rinoa's sorcerous brown orbs and glanced around. While their location was undoubtedly Esthar, the nature of their environment was subtly different from what they'd found when they had last visited. Last time they were in the upper levels of the city, visiting locations such as the Presidential Palace and the Airstation - places where the intellectual, political and financial elite dwelled. This time they had emerged at ground level, where the more common folk resided. Gleaming metal and glowing panels were still everywhere, but everything felt more worn and not as well-maintained, like a cup that'd been left on a shelf for too long, and had accumulated a coat of dust. The ground the SeeDs stepped on, transparent and blue like the walkways above their heads, was scuffed and scarred by repeated footsteps.
Seifer looked around, his eyes dark and his lips thin as he concentrated in thought. Then his expression cleared. "I know where we are," he announced, "Everyone follow me."
"Where we goin'?" Irvine asked.
"To meet Fujin and Raijin. The bar we worked at isn't far from here."
The seven SeeDs reached the bar, simply named Linn's Taverna, after ten minutes walk. The structure was small and unobtrusive, a single-story building lit on the outside by a bright turquoise glow. The red fluorescent tubes atop the door frame, which spelled out the name of the establishment, flickered with age and disrepair. Seifer approached the front entrance, which automatically slid open with an electronic "ding."
The interior of the tavern was old, but immaculately clean. Two male patrons sat at the bar counter, sipping liquids out of transparent glass mugs, while a young woman lingered in a booth in the corner with her eyes shut, apparently asleep. As Squall and the others filed in one by one, the barflies at the counter looked up briefly in curiosity then went back to their drinks. Behind the counter was a familar slender individual, her eyepatch and gray hair immediately distinguishable despite her wearing traditional Esthar robes. Upon hearing the electronic bell set off by the opening door, the young woman put down the bottles she had been sorting and nodded in greeting.
"SEIFER." Fujin boomed, her thin frame projecting her voice with remarkable volume. Then, after only a second's pause, the swinging doors behind the bar counter crashed open and the third member of Balamb Garden's old Disciplinary Committee stepped out. Tall and massively muscled, with dark skin and hair, Raijin broke out in a huge grin as soon as he laid eyes on Seifer.
"Hey, Seifer's back, ya know! Good to see ya!" His Estharian robes billowed wide as he spread his arms apart, as if he wanted to embrace his leader across the bar counter.
"Fujin, Raijin, good to see you." Seifer nodded at his comrades.
"Seifer Almasy," A female voice came from the corner booth, "Have you brought me some customers?" If the woman had been asleep before, she showed no traces of it now. Rising from her seat and smoothing her robe and apron, she stared at Seifer with a playful twinkle in her eyes.
"Oh I'm afraid not, Linn. These guys just follow me around, I can't get rid of them." Seifer replied with a subtly altered tone. Squall glanced at his rival in surprise. Seifer was staring at the girl with obvious predatory hunger in his gaze, and his customary smirk was replaced by his own version of a charming smile. Squall then noticed all the other SeeDs were staring at Seifer too. It took a moment before Seifer himself noticed, and his cheeks turned a subtle shade of pink, barely visible in the dim light of the taverna.
"Well, introduce me to your followers then." The young woman said, without looking away from Seifer. She tilted her head to one side and her shoulder-length red hair rippled like a waterfall.
"Well, this here is Squall, and that's Rinoa. I've told you about them." Seifer said, gesturing. "Then that's Quistis Trepe, and Zell, and Selphie, and I think this guy's named Irvine. Don't know him too well." Irvine glared at Seifer for a moment, then stepped forward.
"How do you do... Miss Linn, was it?" Irvine said, his voice deep and full of magnetism and his hand outstretched. Irvine could never pass up an opportunity to charm a woman.
"Yes, my name's Linn Sylanae." The girl replied, not taking her eyes from Seifer and ignoring Irvine's hand. After an awkward pause, Irvine withdrew with an audible whimper and returned to Selphie's side, who took the opportunity to express her displeasure by trodding on Irvine's cowboy boot. Linn continued, "You all look like you could use a drink. Please, have a seat." She waved her hand at the corner booth.
The seven SeeDs plus their hostess made for a tight squeeze, but the booth managed to accomodate them all. Raijin brought over a tray full of cups of a fizzy fruit juice drink. While Squall sipped his juice, he took the opportunity to study Linn in more detail. The girl was no older than the SeeDs, late teens at most, but her demeanor and bearing was that of a woman who had seen and done much. Her red hair was her most eye-catching feature, the color of the sunset framing a face of undoubted beauty. Large blue eyes, straight nose and high cheekbones sat atop full but delicate lips beginning to curl into a smile. Her clothing, the simple robes Estharians favored, was loose enough to not obstruct movement but tight enough to show off the curves of her body - undoubtedly a tactic to ensure her male patrons returned regularly.
"Mister Squall, do you like what you see?" Linn asked, her smile more obvious now. Somehow she had managed to sense Squall's subtle observation without even glancing at him.
Squall, however, was far too wily and well-trained to be caught out by the girl. He showed no outward signs of surprise and replied, "Yes, your tavern is very nice. Have you been running it for very long?"
"Oh, a few years now." Linn's smile widened upon hearing Squall sidestep her question.
"How did you get to own a place like this?" Squall pressed further.
Linn laughed and looked away. "You and Seifer are so much alike. You both walk into my bar, stare at me, then try to probe me with the same questions." Squall glanced at Seifer, who smirked and nodded in confirmation. Linn then became serious and looked Squall in the eye, "As I said to Seifer, I will say to you. No doubt you have sensed that I am not all I appear to be; I could tell the same about all of you as well, as soon as you walked through my door." Her expression then softened, "Seifer has earned my trust, and I have earned his. However, he has never told me who he really is, and what an outsider like him is doing in Esthar. Nor have I ever told him my true background."
Six pairs of eyes stared at Seifer, who nodded slowly. "That's true. I told Linn we were from Fisherman's Horizon and that we were looking for work, but I guess she saw through that pretty quickly."
Linn playfully tilted her head to one side, tacitly admitting to the statement. "If I may say so, Seifer, you're really not suited for undercover work. Your cover stories need substantial improvement." Seifer grimaced at the accusation, but Squall privately felt Linn had a point. There were few who could match Seifer Almasy when it came to armed combat or leadership skills, but subterfuge and secrecy were really not his style. Linn continued, "There will be plenty of time for us to become better acquainted in the morning, however. Now it's time for me to close up my tavern and for you to rest for the night."
Squall glanced at his wristwatch in surprise as he noted the late hour. The constant artificial lighting had completely hidden the fact that night had now fallen. Linn stood and pointed at another set of doors behind her, "You will find rooms through there. Fortunately I don't have any other lodgers right now, so there's enough for you all. Fujin, Raijin, could you show them the way?"
"AFFIRMATIVE!" Fujin boomed, nodding. "COME!"
"So what do you think?" Squall asked Rinoa. They were seated on the wide bed in Squall's room, which he would be sharing with Zell. Irvine and Seifer shared another room next door, while the three girls were lodged in the room across the hall. All the rooms were simple yet well-furnished, providing the necessary comforts of an inn but without many of the luxuries larger hotels offered. Rinoa had stopped by to bid Squall and Zell good night, but ended up chatting with them instead.
"Well, Linn seems nice enough. I don't know if she's on our side, but she doesn't seem like an enemy." Rinoa replied thoughtfully.
Squall nodded in agreement, his brow furrowing. Before any of the six SeeDs had drunk the beverage offered to them, they'd switched their Status-Defense junctions to Bio. If there'd been any poison in the drinks, they'd know about it but would not suffer any ill effects. The drinks, however, had been completely safe; the rooms too contained no traps, as shown by a brief and subtle but thorough inspection. Linn Sylanae did not appear to be interested in hurting them, at least not yet.
"Hey, you guys think Seifer's got the hots for her? Seemed like all he did was stare at her all night." Zell piped up from the corner of the room, where he was boxing air and getting his nightly workout.
Rinoa giggled and covered her mouth with the back of her hand. "Oh he definately does. That look in his eyes as he was staring at her? And the way he was smiling? He only does that with girls he likes."
"Yeah? How d'you know?" Zell asked as he went through a particularly complex series of blows.
"Oh he did it to me last..." Rinoa began, then suddenly went very red and looked guiltily at Squall, who's eyebrows were now nearly touching.
Zell was not as quick, "What do you mean? Oh, you mean when you and Seifer were..."
Squall cut him off, "Shut up, Zell."
Rinoa was giggling again, "Oh... is the commander jealous?"
Squall growled in mock irritation and pretended to take a swing at Rinoa. Rolling backwards agily, Rinoa tumbled off the top of the bed and avoided the blow, her momentum bringing her to her feet beside the bed. She then nimbly leapt forward and planted a kiss on Squall's cheek before turning and running out of the room with a cheerful "Good night!"
Zell placed his hands on his hips, shook his head, and sighed. "Women, you really can't understand them..." Squall silently agreed.
Story development sure takes you in strange directions. Don't fret, interesting things will be happening very soon! - Bhamv