Disclaimer - I don't own anything! *sobs* Aren't you people happy yet!?
Silence and Clamor
Not a sound could be heard above the light footsteps of Chloe, the library girl, as she looked over the nearly empty room. Her shoulders slumped a bit at how useless her job seemed to be. Students occasionally came in there, but it wasn't because they just wanted to find a good book to read. More often than not they were told to go by their instructors. She sighed at the thought and then sat back down behind her desk. Without her footsteps, the room seemed deafly quiet. She knew she wasn't alone in the room, she'd seen the SeeD enter that morning. What she couldn't figure out was why he was still there, it was nearly three in the afternoon. Rushed footsteps echoed in the main hall outside. Chloe sat up in her seat knowing to whom they belonged to and at the same time hoped they'd pass the library right up. They didn't. She stood up quickly just as her yellow-clad friend came into view.
"Hello Selphie. Can I help you with anything?" Chloe asked with a smile.
"Nah, I'm good," Selphie said as she tried to catch her breath. "This kid's wearing me out though," She smiled. Chloe smiled in response while she secretly wondered where Selphie drew her seemingly endless supply of energy, even while pregnant. "I'm looking for Nida Roe. Is he in here?"
"Who?" Chloe asked in confusion.
"Come on!" Selphie let her shoulders slump. "He's just south of six feet tall, really thin, short black hair. He pilots Garden for crying out loud!"
Chloe suppressed a smile at how worked up her friend was. "What's so important that you need to talk to him so desperately?"
"Hello, does Garden Festival ring a bell," Selphie teased.
Chloe rolled her eyes. "How could I have forgotten?"
Selphie shook her head. "He's not anywhere else, he has to be here."
________________________________________________________________________
On the otherside of the library, behind the farthest row of shelves and gathered on the desk in the far corner, a pile of seven repair books sat stacked haphazardly. A SeeD jacket lay where it'd been dropped across the seat of the desk's chair and a cup of cool coffee sat untouched. The SeeD responsible for the slight disorganization leaned against the desk itself and rubbed at his eyes with one hand as he held an open book with the other.
"This isn't it," He said absently to himself as he flipped through the pages of one of the library's antiqued repair books. Still skimming over the page before him, he stood and slowly walked across the walkway. Closing the book, he stepped up onto the mounted ladder and climbed up a few rungs. Running his right index finger along the spines of the books he continued his search. "Here it is," He said quietly as he replaced the book he held on the shelf and pulled the other one free. As he carefully started back down, Selphie came around the end of the shelf and bumped into the ladder. Surprised and off balance, he tumbled to the floor, landing on his elbows. He looked up from where he lay on the floor and noticed with some slight astonishment that she'd caught the book that he'd dropped during his fall and stood with her head tilted to the side.
"This looks like an old driver's manual, only for the Garden," Selphie said as she handed him the book. He quickly took it as he stood up and fixed his sleeves. "Oh did you scratch your arms on something when you fell? I'm so sorry. Here I can get something for that."
"What?" Nida asked. "Oh! Uh no.....no. I'll be fine." He stepped backwards to get out of her reach and watched as she narrowly missed his wrist.
"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked.
"Yeah, I-I'm fine," He assured her as he looked over to where his jacket lay. "I've got supplies in my room that'll take care of it." Selphie watched as he collected the stack of books and the jacket and started to leave.
"Wait," She said. He stopped hesitantly where he stood and looked down at her. "I almost forgot."
He looked wistfully at the library's exit and then back to her. 'She's pregnant. I can easily outrun her,' He thought to himself. "Forgot what?" He asked, surprised by his own words.
"The Garden Festival!" She beamed. He paled. "Are you going back to your dorm? Cause a little bird told me you're quite the artist." She smiled as she innocently placed her hands at the small of her back and smiled up at him.
~*~*~*~
Squall sat uneasily and watched as Laguna held his son. It wasn't that he didn't trust him, he just thought he was a bit of a klutz. 'So maybe I don't trust him,' Squall thought as he carefully took the infant from his father and sat down with it. He glanced over his shoulder, desperately hoping Rinoa'd hurry up with whatever she was doing in the kitchen. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his father giving him a knowing smile.
"What?" Squall asked as he narrowed his eyes.
"Nothing," Laguna held his hands up and waited for Squall to turn his attention back to the baby in his arms. "I just like witnessing the sweet caring side that you like to deny you have."
Squall looked up quickly. "What? I don't... Whatever," Squall shook his head as Rinoa finally came back into the room.
"Cheeks are kinda red Honey. Did I miss something?" Rinoa asked as she sat next to Squall. Across the coffee table from them Laguna was doing his best to stifle a grin. Squall turned his head down towards his son so that neither of them could see his face. "What'd you say to him?" She asked Laguna.
Laguna jumped in his chair like a child caught in the act of misbehaving. "What?" He laughed. "I said he was cute and sweet, but that's it."
Rinoa laughed lightly, getting an annoyed glance from her knight. "Didn't you two have business to discuss?"
As if just remembering, Squall turned to Laguna. "I had a few questions, about your engineers."
________________________________________________________________________
Selphie stepped through the doorway and into the dimly lit room. Careful not to knock any of the stacked paint cans over, she walked to the far wall and opened the single blind. The room was filled with a bright light as the sunlight filtered through the dusty glass and shown on a tarped object. Curious, she stepped forward and pulled away the ragged cloth. She studied the painting before her in awe. With a hesitant hand, she reached out and touched the vibrant colors that composed a blue-eyed beauty.
"Oh Nida," Was all she was able to say.
************************************************************************
ameli - Seifer could be a good negotiator...so long as he's on your side....*nervous laugh* And don't worry, I've had way more chocolate than I should ever be allowed to have access to.
aratcorien - I'm so tempted to send Seifer to FH.......maybe I still will.....hmm.
element6 - Thanx for your loyal reviews.
Barrett - ...That fantasy wasn't exactly what I had in mind. lol Interesting visual though...
Verdanii - Dang it girl! You're still reviewing my stuff? :) Thanks a bunch. :)
************************************************************************
Sorry for the insanely long delay in updates. My english class is really cutting into my typing time. Of course the near crash of my computer didn't help either....but that's another story. I hope you enjoy, I'm trying to write in between college papers and computer malfunctions. Believe me it isn't easy.
Silence and Clamor
Not a sound could be heard above the light footsteps of Chloe, the library girl, as she looked over the nearly empty room. Her shoulders slumped a bit at how useless her job seemed to be. Students occasionally came in there, but it wasn't because they just wanted to find a good book to read. More often than not they were told to go by their instructors. She sighed at the thought and then sat back down behind her desk. Without her footsteps, the room seemed deafly quiet. She knew she wasn't alone in the room, she'd seen the SeeD enter that morning. What she couldn't figure out was why he was still there, it was nearly three in the afternoon. Rushed footsteps echoed in the main hall outside. Chloe sat up in her seat knowing to whom they belonged to and at the same time hoped they'd pass the library right up. They didn't. She stood up quickly just as her yellow-clad friend came into view.
"Hello Selphie. Can I help you with anything?" Chloe asked with a smile.
"Nah, I'm good," Selphie said as she tried to catch her breath. "This kid's wearing me out though," She smiled. Chloe smiled in response while she secretly wondered where Selphie drew her seemingly endless supply of energy, even while pregnant. "I'm looking for Nida Roe. Is he in here?"
"Who?" Chloe asked in confusion.
"Come on!" Selphie let her shoulders slump. "He's just south of six feet tall, really thin, short black hair. He pilots Garden for crying out loud!"
Chloe suppressed a smile at how worked up her friend was. "What's so important that you need to talk to him so desperately?"
"Hello, does Garden Festival ring a bell," Selphie teased.
Chloe rolled her eyes. "How could I have forgotten?"
Selphie shook her head. "He's not anywhere else, he has to be here."
________________________________________________________________________
On the otherside of the library, behind the farthest row of shelves and gathered on the desk in the far corner, a pile of seven repair books sat stacked haphazardly. A SeeD jacket lay where it'd been dropped across the seat of the desk's chair and a cup of cool coffee sat untouched. The SeeD responsible for the slight disorganization leaned against the desk itself and rubbed at his eyes with one hand as he held an open book with the other.
"This isn't it," He said absently to himself as he flipped through the pages of one of the library's antiqued repair books. Still skimming over the page before him, he stood and slowly walked across the walkway. Closing the book, he stepped up onto the mounted ladder and climbed up a few rungs. Running his right index finger along the spines of the books he continued his search. "Here it is," He said quietly as he replaced the book he held on the shelf and pulled the other one free. As he carefully started back down, Selphie came around the end of the shelf and bumped into the ladder. Surprised and off balance, he tumbled to the floor, landing on his elbows. He looked up from where he lay on the floor and noticed with some slight astonishment that she'd caught the book that he'd dropped during his fall and stood with her head tilted to the side.
"This looks like an old driver's manual, only for the Garden," Selphie said as she handed him the book. He quickly took it as he stood up and fixed his sleeves. "Oh did you scratch your arms on something when you fell? I'm so sorry. Here I can get something for that."
"What?" Nida asked. "Oh! Uh no.....no. I'll be fine." He stepped backwards to get out of her reach and watched as she narrowly missed his wrist.
"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked.
"Yeah, I-I'm fine," He assured her as he looked over to where his jacket lay. "I've got supplies in my room that'll take care of it." Selphie watched as he collected the stack of books and the jacket and started to leave.
"Wait," She said. He stopped hesitantly where he stood and looked down at her. "I almost forgot."
He looked wistfully at the library's exit and then back to her. 'She's pregnant. I can easily outrun her,' He thought to himself. "Forgot what?" He asked, surprised by his own words.
"The Garden Festival!" She beamed. He paled. "Are you going back to your dorm? Cause a little bird told me you're quite the artist." She smiled as she innocently placed her hands at the small of her back and smiled up at him.
~*~*~*~
Squall sat uneasily and watched as Laguna held his son. It wasn't that he didn't trust him, he just thought he was a bit of a klutz. 'So maybe I don't trust him,' Squall thought as he carefully took the infant from his father and sat down with it. He glanced over his shoulder, desperately hoping Rinoa'd hurry up with whatever she was doing in the kitchen. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his father giving him a knowing smile.
"What?" Squall asked as he narrowed his eyes.
"Nothing," Laguna held his hands up and waited for Squall to turn his attention back to the baby in his arms. "I just like witnessing the sweet caring side that you like to deny you have."
Squall looked up quickly. "What? I don't... Whatever," Squall shook his head as Rinoa finally came back into the room.
"Cheeks are kinda red Honey. Did I miss something?" Rinoa asked as she sat next to Squall. Across the coffee table from them Laguna was doing his best to stifle a grin. Squall turned his head down towards his son so that neither of them could see his face. "What'd you say to him?" She asked Laguna.
Laguna jumped in his chair like a child caught in the act of misbehaving. "What?" He laughed. "I said he was cute and sweet, but that's it."
Rinoa laughed lightly, getting an annoyed glance from her knight. "Didn't you two have business to discuss?"
As if just remembering, Squall turned to Laguna. "I had a few questions, about your engineers."
________________________________________________________________________
Selphie stepped through the doorway and into the dimly lit room. Careful not to knock any of the stacked paint cans over, she walked to the far wall and opened the single blind. The room was filled with a bright light as the sunlight filtered through the dusty glass and shown on a tarped object. Curious, she stepped forward and pulled away the ragged cloth. She studied the painting before her in awe. With a hesitant hand, she reached out and touched the vibrant colors that composed a blue-eyed beauty.
"Oh Nida," Was all she was able to say.
************************************************************************
ameli - Seifer could be a good negotiator...so long as he's on your side....*nervous laugh* And don't worry, I've had way more chocolate than I should ever be allowed to have access to.
aratcorien - I'm so tempted to send Seifer to FH.......maybe I still will.....hmm.
element6 - Thanx for your loyal reviews.
Barrett - ...That fantasy wasn't exactly what I had in mind. lol Interesting visual though...
Verdanii - Dang it girl! You're still reviewing my stuff? :) Thanks a bunch. :)
************************************************************************
Sorry for the insanely long delay in updates. My english class is really cutting into my typing time. Of course the near crash of my computer didn't help either....but that's another story. I hope you enjoy, I'm trying to write in between college papers and computer malfunctions. Believe me it isn't easy.