Disclaimer-Sadly, Final Fantasy VIII is not mine....so sad....
MadHattess- The joy of siblings......boy that's a story in itself. lol Thanks for the review.
Element6- Ami is cool. She is everything I was too shy to be when I was a little. Brutally honest....Im having second thoughts about my confession now.
Verdanii- YAY! If you ever stop enjoying reading it you be sure to tell me that way I can fix it.
;)
s and s blah- Glad you liked it so much. Yes Ami is cool, and the rest....you'll just have to read and see. :)
Cody Smith- I appreciate the review. Thank you.
Mocey Hearth- When I read the first line of your review my heart skipped a beat. I was thinking that you didn't like it, that is until I read the rest. Thanks for your review. I really appreciate it.
Summit
The room around him felt cozy. It wasn't necessarily warm or crowded, it was just, cozy. He studied the burnt orange curtains that covered the windows across from him. Definitely not his favorite color but it wasn't that bad. It contributed a lot to the feeling the room gave off.
'Orange is better than the mini-blinds in the dorm rooms,' He thought to himself as he looked around at the bright colored wall hangings and rugs that seemed to fill up the entire apartment.
"Like how we decorated the place?" Selphie asked as she came back into the room holding a royal blue dress shirt.
"Its definitely colorful," He answered as he looked up at the ceiling fan which also appeared have some orange on its blades.
"You not like color?" She asked as she held up the shirt to his chest and studied him.
"On the contrary," He corrected her. "Color is a very nice thing." He looked down at the shirt and took it from her hands. "I just don't have anything remotely as bright as this on my walls."
"Nida."
"What?"
"You don't have anything on your walls."
He shrugged with a grin. "Can't afford it."
Selphie tilted her head to one side. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what exactly do you spend your money on? I mean you have a SeeD salary just like the rest of us."
"Yeah," He said as he slid the blue shirt on and looked at himself in the mirror. "I pay for Amira's private schooling."
"Ami?" Selphie grinned. "I heard all about her."
"Oh boy," He shook his head.
"Nothing bad," She laughed. "She sounds pretty spunky."
He laughed uneasily. "Spunky's not quite the word."
Selphie smiled as she helped him button the collar. She studied him approvingly as he tucked his shirt in and played with the sleeves. Her gaze paused at his wrists. He noticed and followed her gaze down to them.
"Oh!" He laughed nervously. "I wear these things so often I guess I just forget to take them off."
She laughed lightly as she took his hand and looked for a way to unwrap his wrist. "You don't want to go there with these on. It would ruin the entire ensemble."
He pulled his hand back quickly and unbuttoned the cuff of the sleeve. "I can get it," He assured her. "I mean you still have to get ready don't you?"
"Hey. I happen to be pregnant. I managed to get in a decent dress, but if anyone there has a problem with the way I look they can just get over it or look the other way," She looked over to where Irvine lay, kicked back on the couch. "Him on the other hand, he better not be thinking he can just go in his best denim." She crossed her arms. Nida looked over towards Irvine's reclining form.
"Ya know, I remember back when she'd let me go anywhere in my chaps and duster," Irvine commented. "Now that she's got one in the oven its like I have ta dress better to compensate for her baggy comfy clothes."
"Irvine Wyman Kinneas, if you don't have your dress clothes on in the next ten minutes I'm going to..."She paused at the sound of water coming from down the hall.
"Uh oh," A little voice broke the silence. Irvine and Selphie's eyes locked. Nida
watched them curiously and was surprised to see Irvine leap over the back of the couch and run down the hall.
"The plunger's in the cabinet under the sink!" Selphie called out as she started down the hallway.
"Um Darlin', no its not," Irvine called back.
"What do you mean its not?" She asked.
"I mean its not here!"
"Can't u stop it?"
"What would ya have me do?"
"I don't know. But its going to ruin the carpet." From his spot, still standing in the middle of the living room, Nida could hear Irvine groan. He looked around unsurely, he needed to leave soon. Out of the opening of the hallway, a short little auburn-haired boy appeared. The boy paused and stared at him for a moment. A lopsided grin spread across his face as he waved. Nida waved back. He watched as Toby walked over to the closet and opened the door. His jaw dropped as Toby pulled out the missing plunger and started back towards the bathroom at a leisurely pace.
"Hey Selphie, Toby's got the plunger," Nida called down the hallway as he unwrapped his wrists and then peeled a thin layer of gauze away. Quietly discarding the objects underneath some papers in the trash can, he walked over to the doorway. Toby stopped and looked at him and then continued on his way to the bathroom.
"What?" She asked as she stepped into view. "Give me that," She said as she quickly took the plunger from Toby and tossed it at Irvine. "Sorry about that," Selphie apologized with a laugh as she reentered the room.
"No problem," He answered as he looked past her and into the hallway. "Potty training problems?"
She rolled her eyes playfully. "I wish. He's more interested in what toys he can get to go down when he flushes." Nida grinned. "Hey, don't you need to get going?"
"Yeah, I'll bring all this back tomorrow. Thanks."
"No problem. I'll see you there...hopefully," She said as she looked back down the hallway.
-----
Quistis stood silently and gazed at the fountains in the center of the main hall. A faint smile graced her lips as she listened to the water. Running her gloved hands up along her bare arms, she stepped over to the fountain's ledge.
"Y-You k-know, back when I first started my classes here, I was dared to swim a lap in there." Quistis turned quickly to see Nida standing a few feet behind her.
"Did you?" She asked with a smile.
He nodded as he took a step closer to the ledge.
"Did you really?" She laughed.
"Yes." She looked down at the sparkling water below.
"How was it?"
"It was cold," He admitted.
She laughed. "Did you get caught?"
"Not before I finished my lap," He grinned. She laughed some more. "The faculty threw a fit. They marched me up to Cid's office, dripping wet, and had him call my step-mother."
"How did that go?"
"Disastrous."
"Oh."
"Poor Cid. He wasn't expecting my step-mother to not care. She ended up giving him this lecture about how she sent me to his garden so now I was his problem."
"So what was your punishment?"
"A really long and slow lecture from Cid as to why I shouldn't do reckless things followed by a twelve hour period spent in isolation to think about it."
"Sounds like you made them mad."
He nodded. "I wonder how quickly I could swim a lap in there now."
"Seriously?" Quistis looked at him.
"No, not really," He answered as he paused to look at how the peach color at the top of her dress gradually changed to a crimson that made up the gown's flared bottom. The movement of one of her white gloves caught his attention, snapping him from his studying. He looked up at her face to see her staring back. He looked away quickly. "Sorry, that's just a really cool dress."
"Cool huh?" She tried to mask her amusement.
"Yeah," He answered uncomfortably.
"Thanks."
"I-I m-mean that you're gorgeous, I mean you look beautiful in it, err um, beautiful tonight," He struggled to get the compliment out. She smiled. "We should probably start heading down there."
"We probably should," She agreed as she slipped her arm around his. The muscles in his arm tensed at the unexpected contact but slowly started to relax. "I must say, you look quite handsome tonight."
His face took on a deep shade of crimson. "Thank you."
-----
They walked in a mildly comfortable silence. Nida avoided making it obvious that he was sneaking peaks at her. Not entirely sure if he'd talked too much, he resolved to remain silent until they reached Summit Hall. Quistis walked alongside him, her hand held loosely onto his arm. She watched the moonlight reflect off the water beside the dock. Their footsteps echoed perfectly in time. She grimaced at the discomfort her heels were already causing her feet. Once they reached the end of the dock, she stopped walking and carefully stepped onto the sand. The heels of her shoes sank in, causing the material of her dress to drag the sand. She quickly let go of his arm to gather up the fabric of her dress.
"Having problems?" He asked as he watched her.
"Just a few," She laughed as she looked up at him. "These are three inch heels and they're stuck in the sand. I'm kinda anchored here and its getting sand all over my dress."
"Oh," He looked around t to see if anyone else was around. "Need some help?"
"Yeah," She admitted. Once again, Nida glanced around and then nervously stepped closer to her.
"I-I c-could carry you."
She looked up at him, clearly surprised. She seemed to consider her proposal for a moment and then grinned. "Alright."
Half expecting rejection of some form, it was his turn to look surprised. "Okay," He answered s he placed an arm behind her knees and her back and easily lifted her up into the air. She quickly let of her dress and wrapped her arms around his neck. His heart began to beat faster as he walked across the sand and up a set of stairs. 'Please don't trip, please don't trip,' His mind screamed. When he reached the sidewalk, he sat her down carefully and adjusted the sleeves of his shirt.
"Thank you," She said as she combed her bangs from her eyes. "I can't say anyone's ever done that for me before."
Nida laughed nervously as he led her towards the crowd gathered at the entrance of Summit Hall. "I can't say I've ever done that before."
As they neared the Hall, people began to take notice of them. While most eyes were fixed on Quistis, Nida still couldn't help but to feel a little uncomfortable. "I hope you can dance Mr. Roe," She said in a playful voice.
He looked at her uneasily. "Well I hope you're a patient woman Ms. Trepe. Because I haven't danced since I was eleven."
"Eleven? Did you have lessons or something?" She asked.
"Umm..."
"Don't you lie to me," She grinned as they entered the building.
"I was little and I don't think I remember too much."
"In that case...I guess we'll just have to find out then won't we," She said as they stepped underneath the domed ceiling. She fell silent as she looked around in awe. "Wow," She whispered.
"I think maybe I should've worn a tux," Nida said as his eyes traced the twin staircases that curved up and over a central doorway.
"You're fine," She assured him as they walked under the staircase and into the ballroom.
"Your passes please," The man at the door asked with an outstretched hand. Quistis pulled hers from her purse and handed it to Nida, who handed both of their passes to the man. "Have a nice evening," Nida nodded in acknowledgment and slowly led Quistis into the room. Crowds on both sided of them conversed in a seemingly aristocratic manner. The women, clad in ballgowns, sipped on their wine as they held loosely onto the arms of their men. The entire Hall had almost a royal atmosphere neither of the two of them had ever beheld. They continued walking until they found a few familiar faces sitting down by the back wall.
"Being in this place is like taking a trip back in time," Quistis said as she cast a glance at a table of occupied by a trio of eloquently dressed teenage girls.
"It does seem that way," Nida concurred as he stopped net to a table. "This place was built for the amusement of the Dolletian Aristocracy about two-hundred years ago.
"How do you know that?" She asked.
"For one, I used to live with my step-mother who absolutely adored this place, and second...I read the sign out front."
"Oh," She playfully swatted him on the shoulder. He looked at her in surprise but to his dismay, she was walking off. He looked ahead to see the familiar faces of SeeDs sitting at the tables along the far walls. Zell waved to him clumsily.
"Guys!" The crowd seemed to part as Rinoa came rushing forward. "I'm so glad you guys are all here. Come on before Squall goes and sits down." Quistis raised an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?" Zell asked.
"I want to dance. But the piece the orchestra's playing is obviously a partner kind of song. Squall's too self conscious to go out there and it just be the two of us..."
"Rin," Squall protested as he finally caught up to her.
"Come on!" She begged the members sitting at the table. Zell looked over to Fujin who shrugged and slowly stood up. Rinoa gleefully looked over to Quistis and then Nida and then paused. "You two are here together?" She asked.
"Yeah," Quistis answered.
"Aww! You two are sooo cute together!"
Quistis and Nida both looked down towards the floor.
"Rin," Squall tugged at her arm. "You're embarrassing them."
She rolled her eyes playfully. "Come on guys, this is a ball not a fashion show. Let's dance," She said as she took Squall's hand and dragged him out onto the dance floor. Nida started to laugh but quickly stopped when Quistis took hold of his hand and led him out there as well. The group of girls at the end table stopped talking and watched. The music died down as the orchestra began playing another piece.
Nida took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. He watched, over Quistis' shoulder as Rinoa placed one hand on Squall's shoulder and then took hold of his other hand. His nervousness sharply increased when he felt Quistis place her hand in his and then her other on his shoulder. He looked at her and swallowed. She grinned as he slowly moved his other hand down on her waist. Quistis led the first few steps, occasionally bumping into him and once, nearly tripping him. She laughed in embarrassment and then looked up at him with dazzling blue eyes. He looked back at her in wonder.
The night was perfect.... it was magnificently grand. He'd had no other experience that even compared. The whole evening was like a dream. Crystal chandeliers hanged high above marble floors. More people gathered and began dancing. The room became a menagerie of swirling color as the ladies twirled, their dresses flowing around them like opening and closing flower buds. The colors of the crystal reflected light of the chandeliers danced upon the floors, walls and ceilings. Nida absorbed as much of the atmosphere as he could. There he danced, in a place he could only hope to fantasize about as a boy, with a woman he never imagined he could touch.
She bumped her knee into his leg. He looked down to see if she was alright. "Hang on," she said as she reached down, steadying herself with her other hand on his shoulder. He watched as she unfastened both of the buckles on her heels and stepped out of them. She stumbled and came falling against his chest. "Sorry," She quickly apologized as she regained her balance and picked up her shoes.
"Its alright," He said as he watched her carry them to the edge of the dance floor and then toss them underneath a table occupied by treppies. They watched her in a trance. Nida watched her questioningly.
"They were hurting my feet so much," She laughed as she quickly rejoined him. "So," She said as she delicately placed her hand back on his shoulder in an almost flirtatious manner. "Where were we?" He stared at her for a minute and then grinned as he placed his hand on her hip. She smiled back.
-----
They danced almost every dance that night and only stopped when both of them were nearly exhausted. They walked back down the empty corridors of Balamb Garden silently. Quistis leaned against his shoulder as they continued on. Nida looked down at the top of her head and grinned to himself. For the rest of the night, what little was left of it, there'd be no ill thoughts nor troubling dwellings. There was no time for it. He could still hardly believe everything that had happened that night. Her walking slowed as she dug through her purse and pulled out her card key. He stopped as she slid her card in her door's slot.
She turned to him and crossed her arms awkwardly. He looked down and to the side while he rocked himself on his heels. "Goodnight," She said.
"Goodnight," He responded. "Quistis."
"Yes?" She looked up at him expectantly.
"Thanks, for um, asking me to accompany you. I had a great night," His eyes scanned her face for any indication of what she was thinking.
"I'm glad I asked. I had a great time too," She smiled. "We should do something again sometime."
He smiled shyly.
"Goodnight," She said as she stood up on her tip toes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
"G'night," He answered, his voice barely a whisper. After she shut the door, he took a few steps back and ran his fingers through his spiked hair. He walked slowly to his room and collapsed on his bed. Staring up at the ceiling in the darkness, he unbuttoned his shirt as he thought about the evening he'd just had.