A Friend Indeed
"Quisty?"
Quistis used her sleeves to wipe the tears off her face before turning to Ouragan. When she looked back, she was surprised to see a worried Zell instead.
"Ouraga...I mean, Zell!"
The martial artist removed his hands from her pink-covered shoulders and scratched the back of his head.
"Instructor Trepe, why are you crying? And of all places, why the Training Center? A hungry T-Rexaur might come marching in on you, ya know?"
"Zell, I'm really sorry if you have to see me like this, but it was nothing," she said while fixing her hair, brushing the stray wisps of blonde thread that covered her tear-streaked face.
"Nothing?!" Zell exclaimed. "What do you mean by nothing! Yo! I came here to train and practice some new moves from Combat King 006, and I find you slumped on the ground. You're lucky I was able to turn a few Grats into ooze before they could sting you."
"Zell, really, it was nothing. I just had a nightmare last night about all of us becoming lost in time compression and never coming back," she lied.
Patting the taller woman's back, Zell said, "You know it's gonna be alright Quisty. As you can see, I made it back safely, and so did Irvine, Selphie, Squall, and Rinoa. There's nothing to worry about, really."
"I guess so...Thank you Zell," she replied while smiling at the blonde punk. "I'm glad you were here to listen. Goodness knows I might have been plant food!"
"Yo! It's no problem! The Zell-man will always be there for his friends, and I hope you, Instructor Trepe, know that!" Zell told her ecstatically.
Quistis smiled once more. "Zell, I just wish most friends would stick around like you. You truly are a friend indeed."
Zell beamed at Quistis and suddenly asked, "Hey Quistis, are you always thinking of Commander Ouragan?"
The Barbie Instructor blushed, whirled around, and said, "No!!!! What makes you say that?" Quistis looked embarrassed and worried right now, and Zell was forcing himself to avoid laughing at the flushed blonde.
"Well, when I approached you earlier, you literally jumped off the spot and said 'Ouragan!' in a really girly way before realizing that it was me," he teased Quistis.
Unsure of what to tell Zell, she stammered and stuttered while coming up with an extremely reasonable excuse.
"Well...umm...he was always...I mean...Ouragan...he would touch me...that way...you know...much like you did...but I am really not interested in him Zell!" the whipmaster said between breaths.
Zell just smirked at her and said, "Yeah right Instructor! I believe you, ha ha! Whatever! So like, I'll just walk you to your room and I'll get back to practicing some of these moves alright?"
"Thank you Zell, but I can manage on my own. I'm sorry to disturb your schedule, so I'll just scoot off so that you can learn your martial arts thingamajigs from those Combat Emperor magazines." Quistis began walking towards the Training Center exit when Zell said something that made her laugh.
"Yo Quistis! He's the Commander of a Garden and you are a dignified Instructor who saved the world! I think you two would match like hotdogs and mustard! Oh! You forgot your whip," he told her while tossing the Save the Queen at her.
Quistis caught the weapon and said, "Whatever Zell!"
"Hey! Now you're starting to sound like Squall! And it's Combat King for your information Blue Mage!"
Quistis giggled on the way back to the dormitory when she saw Ouragan and Cid coming out of the elevator. She made a beeline towards one of the Garden's lovely dolphin fountains and hid behind it, getting herself drenched in the ring-shaped pool that adorned the Garden's great hall. She watched them walk towards the Quad, and slowly climbed out of the fountain to find a very excited Selphie jumping all over the place.
"Quistis! Guess what?!? Squall and Rinoa are inviting us over for dinner at their apartment! Oh my Hyne! Why are you wet?" Selphie said breathlessly.
"I sort of fell over," she lied.
"Whatever Quistis. I saw Ouragan and Cid passing by and I think you hid behind that dolphin because you spotted the hottie commander, am I right?"
'Hyne! Does everyone adore Squall that much now? It's not like 'whatever' was in their vocabulary months ago.'
"No Selphie. A Grat stung me in the eyes and I was running around the Garden scratching them when I fell in the fountain. It just so happens that Ouragan and Cid passed by when that happened," she fibbed once again.
"Yeah right! Tell me when you hook up with him and I'll get you a dress so nice he'll drool and fall on his back when he sees you. By the way, dinner is at seven PM. The Garden just stopped by Winhill right now and Squall and Rinoa went out to get some stuff for dinner. By the way, you'd better get changed before you catch a cold," Selphie said while running to Irvine who was standing by the front gate with a bouquet of roses from Winhill.
'Goodness, I wish Ouragan would give me flowers.'
"Instructor Trepe, why are you wet?"
Quistis turned to the source of the voice to see one of the CC Group's members, Jack.
"Oh Jack! I fell over the fountain while running away from a hungry T- Rexaur in the Training Center."
"Really? Well you'd better get changed. I was itching to play a card game with you when I noticed that you were drenched."
"Alright Jack. I'll just get changed and I'll get back to you in about thirty minutes, okay?"
"Yahoo! That's the spirit! See you later King!" Jack said while shooting his arm up into the air.
Quistis laughed at her CC Group member's optimism and entered the dormitory corridors. When she finally arrived at her dormitory, she heard someone shuffling his feet on the hall's marble.
"Quistis? Why are you wet?"
She turned her sopping-wet head and saw a smiling Ouragan who had a couple of groceries in one hand and a bouquet of flowers on the other.
"You know, that's the third time someone asked me that today," she replied while giggling.
"...Explain yourself Instructor Trepe! I can't allow any of my Instructors or cadets running around my Garden soaking wet!" he giggled along with her.
Quistis gestured a playful salute and said in a firm military voice, "Sir! I went to the Training Center and got whacked out of the room by the sweep of a T-Rexaur's tail, sir!"
Ouragan returned the salute rather awkwardly and commanded, "Well said Instructor! Now, march in your room and get dressed! That's an order! Oh, and come to my room in 30 minutes."
Quistis snapped out of military mode and exclaimed, "Oh Ouragan, I'm sorry I can't! I promised a friend that I would see him after this. Maybe tomorrow, is that okay?"
Ouragan looked disappointed.
"Okay...but is this friend your boyfriend?"
Quistis blushed and said, "Oh no no no! He's just a friend who belongs in my club, that's all. Oh, is that a keycard?"
Ouragan looked relieved and said, "Well, Headmaster Cid wanted me to stay here for a few days and gave me the room next to yours. Why, don't you want me here?"
Quistis shouted, "Yes! I do want you here!"
Suddenly realizing how stupid that must have sounded, Quistis took on Selphie's jumping stance and said, "I mean...you're welcome to stay here...anytime." Quistis' ears were clearly red to those who passed by the dripping instructor and the puzzled-looking commander.
Quistis patted her pockets searching for a keycard and said, "Umm...I have to go to my room now. Don't want to catch a cold, right?"
"Yeah..."
"So, I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Tomorrow's great!"
"Okay...bye!"
Ouragan winked at her and said, "Bye!"
Quistis quickly opened the door and locked it behind her. She slowly slid her back on the door while slumping on the ground, sighing.
"Hyne! Why does that he have that kind of effect on me?" she asked herself.
Quistis stood up and went to the mirror to check on herself and suddenly realized how horrible she might have looked in front of Ouragan earlier.
'Did I look that horrible?' she gasped.
She looked down to her boots. Her Save the Queen was still fine, being the sturdy whip that it was, but her sleeves were beginning to curl at the ends. Her zipper vest clung tightly to her skin. Her hair was a mess, and her light make up smeared all over her fair face.
"Quistis, you're a mess."
The dignified instructor began stripping herself while she readied her bath. Taking a bottle of peach-scented suds from her cabinet she tipped about a half-ounce of the liquid into the running water. In a few minutes, the bubbles were finally all over the tub. She added a few drops of vanilla essential oil before climbing into the bubbly broth.
'Ah...this feels good.'
Taking her liquid soap from the corner of the tub, she began rubbing it all over her body.
'Maybe I should bring something to Squall's apartment, like a cake or something. It's only eleven in the morning, after all. Rinoa's so lucky. She has Squall, and he adores her. I like Ouragan, and he doesn't even notice me.'
She applied a fairly good amount of shampoo on her hand and began lathering it over her hair.
'Does Winhill have a good bakery? Hmm...maybe I could take a car to Deling City and get something nice for them.'
Quistis rinsed herself and emptied the tub. She got dressed, applied some cologne, and blow-dried her hair. Taking some Gil from her safe, she went down to Jack and played cards with him, losing a Ruby Dragon Card to the Junior member of the CC Group. After congratulating her friend, she entered the parking lot and borrowed one of the cars. She drove the car to Deling City and stopped by the arcades. Stopping by La Brasserie D, she bought a lovely chocolate and hazelnut mousse cake and decided to go window- shopping. She entered one of the stores and something caught her eye.
'This would be perfect...' she thought to herself.
==========
Well, how was it? Please do write your reviews. By the way, the next chapter is entitled A Toast to us All.
"Quisty?"
Quistis used her sleeves to wipe the tears off her face before turning to Ouragan. When she looked back, she was surprised to see a worried Zell instead.
"Ouraga...I mean, Zell!"
The martial artist removed his hands from her pink-covered shoulders and scratched the back of his head.
"Instructor Trepe, why are you crying? And of all places, why the Training Center? A hungry T-Rexaur might come marching in on you, ya know?"
"Zell, I'm really sorry if you have to see me like this, but it was nothing," she said while fixing her hair, brushing the stray wisps of blonde thread that covered her tear-streaked face.
"Nothing?!" Zell exclaimed. "What do you mean by nothing! Yo! I came here to train and practice some new moves from Combat King 006, and I find you slumped on the ground. You're lucky I was able to turn a few Grats into ooze before they could sting you."
"Zell, really, it was nothing. I just had a nightmare last night about all of us becoming lost in time compression and never coming back," she lied.
Patting the taller woman's back, Zell said, "You know it's gonna be alright Quisty. As you can see, I made it back safely, and so did Irvine, Selphie, Squall, and Rinoa. There's nothing to worry about, really."
"I guess so...Thank you Zell," she replied while smiling at the blonde punk. "I'm glad you were here to listen. Goodness knows I might have been plant food!"
"Yo! It's no problem! The Zell-man will always be there for his friends, and I hope you, Instructor Trepe, know that!" Zell told her ecstatically.
Quistis smiled once more. "Zell, I just wish most friends would stick around like you. You truly are a friend indeed."
Zell beamed at Quistis and suddenly asked, "Hey Quistis, are you always thinking of Commander Ouragan?"
The Barbie Instructor blushed, whirled around, and said, "No!!!! What makes you say that?" Quistis looked embarrassed and worried right now, and Zell was forcing himself to avoid laughing at the flushed blonde.
"Well, when I approached you earlier, you literally jumped off the spot and said 'Ouragan!' in a really girly way before realizing that it was me," he teased Quistis.
Unsure of what to tell Zell, she stammered and stuttered while coming up with an extremely reasonable excuse.
"Well...umm...he was always...I mean...Ouragan...he would touch me...that way...you know...much like you did...but I am really not interested in him Zell!" the whipmaster said between breaths.
Zell just smirked at her and said, "Yeah right Instructor! I believe you, ha ha! Whatever! So like, I'll just walk you to your room and I'll get back to practicing some of these moves alright?"
"Thank you Zell, but I can manage on my own. I'm sorry to disturb your schedule, so I'll just scoot off so that you can learn your martial arts thingamajigs from those Combat Emperor magazines." Quistis began walking towards the Training Center exit when Zell said something that made her laugh.
"Yo Quistis! He's the Commander of a Garden and you are a dignified Instructor who saved the world! I think you two would match like hotdogs and mustard! Oh! You forgot your whip," he told her while tossing the Save the Queen at her.
Quistis caught the weapon and said, "Whatever Zell!"
"Hey! Now you're starting to sound like Squall! And it's Combat King for your information Blue Mage!"
Quistis giggled on the way back to the dormitory when she saw Ouragan and Cid coming out of the elevator. She made a beeline towards one of the Garden's lovely dolphin fountains and hid behind it, getting herself drenched in the ring-shaped pool that adorned the Garden's great hall. She watched them walk towards the Quad, and slowly climbed out of the fountain to find a very excited Selphie jumping all over the place.
"Quistis! Guess what?!? Squall and Rinoa are inviting us over for dinner at their apartment! Oh my Hyne! Why are you wet?" Selphie said breathlessly.
"I sort of fell over," she lied.
"Whatever Quistis. I saw Ouragan and Cid passing by and I think you hid behind that dolphin because you spotted the hottie commander, am I right?"
'Hyne! Does everyone adore Squall that much now? It's not like 'whatever' was in their vocabulary months ago.'
"No Selphie. A Grat stung me in the eyes and I was running around the Garden scratching them when I fell in the fountain. It just so happens that Ouragan and Cid passed by when that happened," she fibbed once again.
"Yeah right! Tell me when you hook up with him and I'll get you a dress so nice he'll drool and fall on his back when he sees you. By the way, dinner is at seven PM. The Garden just stopped by Winhill right now and Squall and Rinoa went out to get some stuff for dinner. By the way, you'd better get changed before you catch a cold," Selphie said while running to Irvine who was standing by the front gate with a bouquet of roses from Winhill.
'Goodness, I wish Ouragan would give me flowers.'
"Instructor Trepe, why are you wet?"
Quistis turned to the source of the voice to see one of the CC Group's members, Jack.
"Oh Jack! I fell over the fountain while running away from a hungry T- Rexaur in the Training Center."
"Really? Well you'd better get changed. I was itching to play a card game with you when I noticed that you were drenched."
"Alright Jack. I'll just get changed and I'll get back to you in about thirty minutes, okay?"
"Yahoo! That's the spirit! See you later King!" Jack said while shooting his arm up into the air.
Quistis laughed at her CC Group member's optimism and entered the dormitory corridors. When she finally arrived at her dormitory, she heard someone shuffling his feet on the hall's marble.
"Quistis? Why are you wet?"
She turned her sopping-wet head and saw a smiling Ouragan who had a couple of groceries in one hand and a bouquet of flowers on the other.
"You know, that's the third time someone asked me that today," she replied while giggling.
"...Explain yourself Instructor Trepe! I can't allow any of my Instructors or cadets running around my Garden soaking wet!" he giggled along with her.
Quistis gestured a playful salute and said in a firm military voice, "Sir! I went to the Training Center and got whacked out of the room by the sweep of a T-Rexaur's tail, sir!"
Ouragan returned the salute rather awkwardly and commanded, "Well said Instructor! Now, march in your room and get dressed! That's an order! Oh, and come to my room in 30 minutes."
Quistis snapped out of military mode and exclaimed, "Oh Ouragan, I'm sorry I can't! I promised a friend that I would see him after this. Maybe tomorrow, is that okay?"
Ouragan looked disappointed.
"Okay...but is this friend your boyfriend?"
Quistis blushed and said, "Oh no no no! He's just a friend who belongs in my club, that's all. Oh, is that a keycard?"
Ouragan looked relieved and said, "Well, Headmaster Cid wanted me to stay here for a few days and gave me the room next to yours. Why, don't you want me here?"
Quistis shouted, "Yes! I do want you here!"
Suddenly realizing how stupid that must have sounded, Quistis took on Selphie's jumping stance and said, "I mean...you're welcome to stay here...anytime." Quistis' ears were clearly red to those who passed by the dripping instructor and the puzzled-looking commander.
Quistis patted her pockets searching for a keycard and said, "Umm...I have to go to my room now. Don't want to catch a cold, right?"
"Yeah..."
"So, I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Tomorrow's great!"
"Okay...bye!"
Ouragan winked at her and said, "Bye!"
Quistis quickly opened the door and locked it behind her. She slowly slid her back on the door while slumping on the ground, sighing.
"Hyne! Why does that he have that kind of effect on me?" she asked herself.
Quistis stood up and went to the mirror to check on herself and suddenly realized how horrible she might have looked in front of Ouragan earlier.
'Did I look that horrible?' she gasped.
She looked down to her boots. Her Save the Queen was still fine, being the sturdy whip that it was, but her sleeves were beginning to curl at the ends. Her zipper vest clung tightly to her skin. Her hair was a mess, and her light make up smeared all over her fair face.
"Quistis, you're a mess."
The dignified instructor began stripping herself while she readied her bath. Taking a bottle of peach-scented suds from her cabinet she tipped about a half-ounce of the liquid into the running water. In a few minutes, the bubbles were finally all over the tub. She added a few drops of vanilla essential oil before climbing into the bubbly broth.
'Ah...this feels good.'
Taking her liquid soap from the corner of the tub, she began rubbing it all over her body.
'Maybe I should bring something to Squall's apartment, like a cake or something. It's only eleven in the morning, after all. Rinoa's so lucky. She has Squall, and he adores her. I like Ouragan, and he doesn't even notice me.'
She applied a fairly good amount of shampoo on her hand and began lathering it over her hair.
'Does Winhill have a good bakery? Hmm...maybe I could take a car to Deling City and get something nice for them.'
Quistis rinsed herself and emptied the tub. She got dressed, applied some cologne, and blow-dried her hair. Taking some Gil from her safe, she went down to Jack and played cards with him, losing a Ruby Dragon Card to the Junior member of the CC Group. After congratulating her friend, she entered the parking lot and borrowed one of the cars. She drove the car to Deling City and stopped by the arcades. Stopping by La Brasserie D, she bought a lovely chocolate and hazelnut mousse cake and decided to go window- shopping. She entered one of the stores and something caught her eye.
'This would be perfect...' she thought to herself.
==========
Well, how was it? Please do write your reviews. By the way, the next chapter is entitled A Toast to us All.