A Toast to us All
Rinoa unloaded the bag of groceries on Squall's white kitchen counter. She segregated the fresh produce on one side of the table while placing the wine and the tinned goods on the other side. She skipped across the kitchen and removed a book from one of the cabinets. Skimming across the pages, she placed marks across the recipes she planned to use for dinner and looked blankly at the writings scribbled all over the pages. This book of fine dining had belonged to her mother, Julia Heartilly. She breathed a heavy sigh as she reminisced the wonderful aromas of her mom's cooking floating around the house back when Julia was alive. She was a good cook and Rinoa really missed her.
'Mom, I really miss you. Wherever you are, I want you to know that I love you. Well, I hope my hubby loves my cooking as much as dad loved yours,' she made a mental note to her mom wishing that it would reach the late singer.
Squall and Rinoa had arrived earlier with a very sleepy-eyed Squall tired from Rinoa's impeccable taste in fussing over only the best vegetables and greens. She had dragged him along the farms of Winhill, handpicking the salads and the other ingredients she had planned for the little celebration gathering she had in mind for that night. After a few hours in the farm, a sparkling Rinoa and a muddy Squall with a huge basket of veggies marched into the butcher shop, picking up a side of beef for a recipe of Julia's Garlic Roast Beef au Jus. Finally, when they got to Squall's apartment, he dropped the food on the dining table and immediately went to the shower. After a few minutes in the bathroom, he emerged only clad in a robe. Too tired to say anything he went to bed and began snoozing.
Rinoa went to the master bedroom to check on Squall.
'Oh, poor baby. I must have exhausted him.' She went over to Squall's side and bent on her knees while rubbing his face. Noticing that he was shivering, she got an extra blanket from the cabinets and spread it on her sleeping knight. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and began leaving the room. Squall unconsciously smiled while still sleeping, and that put a smile on Rinoa's face.
'He's so cute, sleeping like an infant.'
Before she could get back to her cooking, a hand took her by the wrist and brought her to her knees. She found herself facing her lover, and he suddenly took her lips into a deep, passionate kiss. The young sorceress pressed herself against him while stroking the back of his head, her fingers getting tangled in his hair, and she returned his affection with her own downpour of emotions.
She broke from their moment of peace and said, "Squall, you know that I love you, but we can do this later."
Squall frowned and said, "Whatever."
Rinoa pinched Squall's nose and kissed him again softly on the lips.
"Hey! That's unfair. As much as I want to you know, do it, I have to get something done in the kitchen."
Squall kissed her palms this time and said, "You promise?"
Rinoa stared back at him with much love in her eyes and said, "I do."
Squall lifted Rinoa by the hips and put her on his lap. Before she left for the Winhill market, she had removed her aqua blue angel duster so as to avoid having it getting soiled. Now, wearing only her black tank top, a pair of black shorts, and her denim skirt, Rinoa straddled her lover's hips.
"Squall, I promised you that I would do this tonight. Now let go of me before I lose my self-control too you horny tiger!" Rinoa said while Squall began caressing her sides.
"Lion," Squall corrected her.
"Whatever."
"Hey, that's my line!" Squall said while playing with her hair.
"Yeah, and I was supposed to be the aggressive one..." she said with a seductive purr in her voice.
"Rin, can't we just do it for a few minutes? I promise you that I'll make it quick," Squall pleaded her with puppy dog eyes.
Rinoa was feeling a bit guilty especially after Squall had put on that look, but she came back to her senses and decided to punish the Lion of Balamb for teasing her. She straightened her back ever so slightly, making her breasts jut out a bit while pulling her hair back behind her head, and lowered her head onto Squall's robe-covered chest. Pulling the fabric off slightly to expose his chest, she began licking and sucking on his collarbone as he moaned and gurgled beneath her.
"Oh...Rinoa...please..."
Rinoa continued to kiss his sensitive neck skin and breathed on it lightly to warm Squall's skin.
"Ah! What are you doing?"
"I'm punishing you, my knight. It is not nice to tease a sorceress you know."
She continued pleasuring Squall by moving further down, slowly pulling apart the robe that separated his epidermis from her taste muscle. When Rinoa got to his belly button, she began swirling her tongue until he began bucking his hips. Bringing her hands down lower, she felt his erection through the robe and began massaging it while trailing the wisps of hair that led to his manhood. Then, she stopped.
A disappointed-looking Squall looked up from the bed and said, "Rin!"
Rinoa put two of her fingers on Squall's lips and shut him up. Smiling at him foxily, she gracefully removed her tank top and set it on the floor.
"Want more Squally?"
Squall felt dazed by her striptease. "Mmm..."
"I'll take that as a yes." Rinoa proceeded to undo her denim skirt and shorts, and in a few minutes, she was wearing only her black bra and panties.
Squall mouthed a silent "WOW!" with his lips as he stared at her. He felt himself growing and he had to take her before she could drive him insane with her foreplay.
The sorceress got up from her loverboy and stood up beside the bed and said, "Now, here comes my punishment you horny knight!" Bringing her hands to his hips, she began tickling him.
"Rinoa!!!!!!!! Stop! Ha ha ha! Please.....Ha ha...I will...ha ha...get you...ha ha ha ha ...you...will...regret...ha ha ha...this...ha ha ha ha ha ha...my love!"
"Well then, I am not going to let that happen!" she grinned while continuing her mind-blasting torture on her knight. Removing one hand from her side, she cast a Stop spell on his arms and legs. They basically froze on spot while she continued to tickle him.
"You...hahahahahaha...are so in trouble...hahaha...please stop...haha...please!"
Rinoa stopped and began swirling her tongue on his left nipple. She looked back at him with an evil grin on her face and said, "Only if I can cook dinner, or else." She traced her fingers down to his belly and teased him again.
Squall struggled to raise his arms in defeat. "Alright! You win!"
Rinoa smiled and searched the cabinets for some clothes. Tying her hair back in a ponytail, she put on a cream-colored shirt and denim shorts. She went back to him and planted one of her soft kisses on his forehead.
"You'd better get dressed Mr. Naked! Quistis, Irvine, Zell, and Selphie are arriving in two hours. I'm sure our guests wouldn't want to see a nude hero streaking around his apartment," she threw him one of her "I-think-you- are-hot" looks and continued, "Although, I wouldn't mind you doing that." She went back to Squall and poked him at an exposed underarm, which sent him laughing again. Rinoa proceeded to removing the spell from his limbs before going back to the kitchen.
Taking out the beef from the fridge, she set the roast on a table while combining salt, pepper, herbs, and a large handful of garlic slivers in a bowl. Spreading the rub over the beef, she placed in on a roasting pan and put it in the oven to roast.
'Ah! That takes one problem out of my list!'
Rinoa moved to the counter, humming the Waltz for the Moon, and grabbed a bottle of Galbadia's best balsamic vinegar that she had picked off one of Winhill's upscale delicatessens. Combining a dollop of mustard and a few glugs of vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper, she whisked in some fruity olive from the local farmers and produced a really nice dressing. Smelling her handiwork, she plucked a couple of herbs from the counter and added it to the mixture while tasting it and beamed in delight.
'Perfect! Just like mom used to make it.'
She set aside the bowl and started chopping garlic and onions for her mom's tasty lobster-cream pasta sauce. The sorceress-chef then drizzled olive oil into a hot pan and began sautéing the garlic and onions when she felt arms wrap around her waist.
"Squall! I might burn the food! I said later!" she laughed while stirring the garlic around the pan.
Squall nibbled at her ear and whispered, "Your cooking smells fabulous. I'm sure it will taste great, look great, and smell great, but none of that compares to the angel stirring pinches of this and handfuls of that right now." He kissed her cheeks and leaned his head on her shoulder. "If there's anything I can do to help, just ask," he said again while nuzzling her ears and neck.
Rinoa felt delighted at his offer and kissed him back. "Thank you Squall. Now be a dear and do help me with the lobster, please?"
She pointed to the sink and Squall followed her finger to find himself face- to-face with a black crustacean with menacing claws.
"Umm...Rinoa? What am I supposed to do with that?"
Rinoa had to keep herself from laughing at Squall's ghost-white face. "Well, you take a knife and cut the thing in half like this." She gestured the movement of the blade by bringing her hand in a vertical position from the top of her head downwards. She took a 14-inch chef's knife and gave it to Squall.
"With this tiny thing?" Squall squeaked.
"Yup, with that tiny thing. Think of it as a miniature gunblade without the bullet mechanism. Oh come on! Odin and Gilgamesh always do that with Zantetsuken! Surely you could whack that thing too, can you?"
"Uh...I'll get my gunblade."
"No way Squall! That thing has slashed through T-Rexaurs, Grats, Malboros, and other creepy crawlies! I don't want to poison our guests tonight!" Rinoa commanded while bringing a pot of salted water to a boil.
Squall hung his head in defeat and sighed, "Okay."
Within two hours the couple had made a five-course meal with wine to boot. Popping a jazz CD into his player, Squall helped Rinoa set the table for the guests. She placed a large bowl of her mom's green salad with chocobo tenders on one side and the creamy lobster pasta on the other. Beside the salad, she had set a plate of crostinis (toasted slices of bread) with an interesting variety of delicious spreads she bought from Winhill. Squall carefully took the roast out of the oven and set it on a platter while Rinoa swirled in some wine and a couple swishes of butter into the drippings. A mound of Galbadia's famous Potatoes au Gratin adorned the space beside the beef, and a vase of Raine's flowers were set in the middle. When the table was finally ready, the lovers cleaned the kitchen to ready the place for the gang. Squall positioned a champagne bucket on one part of the festive tabletop and filled it with ice before lowering the bottle of Moet in it.
"My love, it's beautiful!" Squall exclaimed and looked at Rinoa. "Hey, don't you think you'd better clean up?"
Rinoa looked at stained shirt and said, "You know, I think I might take a shower. Wanna come in?" she tempted Squall.
Squall stared at her for a moment and wanted to pay her back for her tickling. "I'll pass this time. Somebody has to welcome the guests after all."
Looking disappointed, Rinoa left the kitchen and turned the shower on. Ten minutes later, she picked out a Little Black Dress her father had given her and put on her ring necklace. She dried her hair, fixed it and went out to the dining room. The Asian girl smirked when she was welcomed by Squall whose mouth hung open, possibly because of the dress that hugged her figure well.
"So, how do I look?"
Squall blinked and looked to the food and back to her and mindlessly said, "Yummy!"
Rinoa laughed and turned to the door when the bell rang and saw Selphie dressed in her clichéd shade of yellow.
"Booyaka! Hi Rinoa! Hi Squall!"
"Hey Selphie!" Squall said as he smiled, taking a box of games from her hands while offering her a seat.
"Wow! Now I know why Rinoa fell for you! Rin, you never told me he looked this good when he smiles!" Selphie said while clasping her fingers.
"...Whatever." Squall said silently.
"Oh come on Seffie, I thought I was good looking!" said Irvine through the door.
Rinoa approached him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Irvine! So glad you could come!"
"Anything to make the ladies happy! Oh Rinoa, here's something for you guys. I thought it might help."
Rinoa gratefully accepted the gift and opened it to find a book with the title. "A Thousand and One Babies Names' for the Child to Be". She looked at Irvine and hugged him (in a friendly way) and said, "Oh Irvine thank you!" She set the book beside the games and offered Irvine his seat. Before she could close the door, a loud knock startled her and she opened it again to see Zell with a CD on one hand and a fruit basket on the other.
"Yo Rinoa! I didn't know what to get you guys, but I thought this CD was perfect! Oh, and here are some fruits from Winhill."
Rinoa took the fruits from the blonde and thanked him. She put the CD beside Squall's CD system and opened the fruit basket. After picking a few nice strawberries, she took the remainder at macerated them in sugar to ooze out the juices. She then took the rest of the fruits and put them in the fruit compartment of Squall's cooler. After the berries were washed, the sorceress quickly whipped some cream with a bit of sugar, cream cheese, and some of the strawberries, tinting the mixture pink. Taking some vanilla ice cream from the chiller, she put a few berries in the bottom of a bowl and scooped in some of the frozen stuff. She layered it with her cheese mixture and did an alternate layer until all but three berries were finished. She shaved a layer of white chocolate on top and set the reserved berries attractively and placed her trifle in the fridge. She went back to the table and sat down next to Squall. Only five minutes have passed since Zell had arrived with the lovely fruits.
Squall beamed at her and declared, "I guess I'm the luckiest guy alive to be engaged to a domestic goddess!"
Rinoa blushed and said, "I'm luckier to have a knight like you."
Irvine stared at the couple and said, "Am I seeing Squall goin' all emotional in front of us? Pinch me Seff, I must have taken a sip too many of the champagne!"
Selphie pinched her boyfriend and giggled, "Irvy, leave them alone! It's not like you don't do that in public!" She went over to Irvine and embraced his waist. The cowboy ruffled his girlfriend's hair and gave her an affectionate kiss on the head.
Zell, being the only single guy in the room, decided to break the cupidy mushy mood. "Hello! Single guy here! Can you guys puh-lease be more sensitive?"
The gang roared in laughter when Selphie suddenly interrupted their merrymaking.
"Wait a minute! Where's Quistis?"
Rinoa looked at her watch and said, "It's just 7:05. She should be here soon."
After ten minutes of chats and laughs, a knock was heard on the door.
Irvine offered, "I'll get it!"
Irvine put his hat on Selphie and went to answer the door. Selphie accompanied the cowboy and opened the door to reveal Quistis dressed in a black night dress with her hair down.
"Wow! Quisty, you look...say, you aren't planning to ditch us for Ouragan are you?" Selphie said mischievously.
Quistis blushed for the nth time that day and said, "Rinoa, Squall, everyone, I'm sorry to be late for this but I just got some things for the party. And no, I AM NOT SEEING OURAGAN! Sheesh! Does everyone have to think dirty everytime a woman dresses nicer than usual?"
She flipped back her hair and set the cake on the table Rinoa hugged her friend and said, "Thank you Quistis, but you really shouldn't have."
"Oh nonsense Rinoa! I believe this cake is for us and our so called promotion to Esthar Garden."
Rinoa jerked her head lightly on one side and grinned at Quistis. "Are you sure it isn't for some tall, hot, macho, and yummy 6'5" visitor?"
Quistis blushed furiously this time. "Guys! Drop the Ouragan thing will you? I am not seeing him! Now let's eat dinner before the food gets cold," she said with her fists clenched into tight balls.
Squall smirked at Quistis and said, "Really Quistis, I thought I was the biggest blusher in the group. Now look at you, you're red from your cheeks to your ears."
Quistis smiled at her pupil. "Squall, I am not blushing. This is pink stuff on my face is called Elizabeth Arden for your information. Goodness knows how much you blushed when I caught you kissing Rinoa while she was knocked out cold on the tracks to Esthar!"
Rinoa looked at Squall and traced his scar with her finger. "Really Squall? Did you really kiss me while I was out cold? Gee, I never thought you were that romantic!"
Squall blushed a deep crimson this time and stammered, "Uh...no...Quistis! I was just...erm...checking out her cheeks to see if they were warm enough...so like...it wasn't a kiss!"
The entire gang replied loudly, "WHATEVER!" and laughed at the rose red commander.
When the laughter subsided, Rinoa broke the ice by telling them, "Well, let's dig in!"
Everyone started taking portions of each dish Rinoa and Squall had made for the evening. Zell piled his plate with the pasta, potatoes, and salad, while Quistis had some of Rinoa's crostinis and greens. Irvine and Selphie had a bit of each, while Squall put servings of food on Rinoa's plate. Squall carved the beef and gave about 3 slices to everyone, giving Zell 3 more due to his insatiable appetite. They talked about Esthar Garden and Balamb and whatever goes under the roof.
"So like, since you and Rinoa are getting married, I guess Selphie and I should get hitched as well."
Squall replied, "So, you want a double wedding?"
"Booyaka! That sounds wonderful! I'll be the organizer, of course."
"Darlin', that's your wedding! Brides don't organize weddings."
"Oh Irvy, you're no fun! Hey Squall, what do you think of a double wedding?"
"..."
"I think it would be wonderful, won't it be Squall?"
Squall was poking at his food with a fork. "Whatever."
"I'll take that as a yes."
"I can be the bridesmaid Rinoa."
"Yo! And I'll be the...uh...what do you call it again? Oh yeah! Best man!"
Selphie said, "Oh Zell, you can't be best man! Some guy might get jealous of you."
Quistis stood up and said, "Selphie! What are you suggesting?"
"Whoo! Why are you acting up like that? You like him don't you?"
"No! I don't! He's just a friend! Just a friend, okay?"
"Yeah, a friend. I believe you."
Rinoa was looking quite cross right now and reprimanded the two, "You know, I have really good magic here and I could cast a Silence spell on you if you don't quit fighting about him."
Quistis apologized, "Sorry Rinoa. By the way, your lobster pasta was excellent. It's just that the lobster shell looks a bit...wobbly or something. Did you cut it right?"
Rinoa laughed and looked at Squall. "Well, Squall here was scared of the lobster so he whacked it at least a meter away. I guess that explains why it doesn't look so neat."
Irvine chuckled and teased Squall. "You, the man who saved the world, are afraid of some puny crustacean? Haha! Squall, I thought you were braver than that!"
Squall blushed and said, "Whatever. The lobster tried to pinch me okay?"
Rinoa put a hand on Squall's shoulder and said, "Squall, the pincers were tied in rubber bands. The thing won't kill you."
Squall looked at her and said "Whatever" before kissing her.
Zell, Selphie, and Irvine clinked their spoons on their glasses while the couple made out on their seats.
Quistis sighed and joined the three clinking nuts and took a sip of champagne.
Squall broke from the kiss and looked at Rinoa lovingly before grabbing the champagne bottle and pouring some of the Moet in everyone's glasses. He raised his glass and said, "A toast for us all, for the Esthar Garden promotion, and for our victory."
Rinoa teased Squall, "You know honey, you can be a bit more enthusiastic when you say that."
Squall said, "Whatever" and everyone laughed at the sweet couple.
==========
Woohoo! Another chapter finished. Thank you guys for reviewing the story. My next chapter is coming up: Chapter 10: Dessert and Déjà vu.
Rinoa unloaded the bag of groceries on Squall's white kitchen counter. She segregated the fresh produce on one side of the table while placing the wine and the tinned goods on the other side. She skipped across the kitchen and removed a book from one of the cabinets. Skimming across the pages, she placed marks across the recipes she planned to use for dinner and looked blankly at the writings scribbled all over the pages. This book of fine dining had belonged to her mother, Julia Heartilly. She breathed a heavy sigh as she reminisced the wonderful aromas of her mom's cooking floating around the house back when Julia was alive. She was a good cook and Rinoa really missed her.
'Mom, I really miss you. Wherever you are, I want you to know that I love you. Well, I hope my hubby loves my cooking as much as dad loved yours,' she made a mental note to her mom wishing that it would reach the late singer.
Squall and Rinoa had arrived earlier with a very sleepy-eyed Squall tired from Rinoa's impeccable taste in fussing over only the best vegetables and greens. She had dragged him along the farms of Winhill, handpicking the salads and the other ingredients she had planned for the little celebration gathering she had in mind for that night. After a few hours in the farm, a sparkling Rinoa and a muddy Squall with a huge basket of veggies marched into the butcher shop, picking up a side of beef for a recipe of Julia's Garlic Roast Beef au Jus. Finally, when they got to Squall's apartment, he dropped the food on the dining table and immediately went to the shower. After a few minutes in the bathroom, he emerged only clad in a robe. Too tired to say anything he went to bed and began snoozing.
Rinoa went to the master bedroom to check on Squall.
'Oh, poor baby. I must have exhausted him.' She went over to Squall's side and bent on her knees while rubbing his face. Noticing that he was shivering, she got an extra blanket from the cabinets and spread it on her sleeping knight. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and began leaving the room. Squall unconsciously smiled while still sleeping, and that put a smile on Rinoa's face.
'He's so cute, sleeping like an infant.'
Before she could get back to her cooking, a hand took her by the wrist and brought her to her knees. She found herself facing her lover, and he suddenly took her lips into a deep, passionate kiss. The young sorceress pressed herself against him while stroking the back of his head, her fingers getting tangled in his hair, and she returned his affection with her own downpour of emotions.
She broke from their moment of peace and said, "Squall, you know that I love you, but we can do this later."
Squall frowned and said, "Whatever."
Rinoa pinched Squall's nose and kissed him again softly on the lips.
"Hey! That's unfair. As much as I want to you know, do it, I have to get something done in the kitchen."
Squall kissed her palms this time and said, "You promise?"
Rinoa stared back at him with much love in her eyes and said, "I do."
Squall lifted Rinoa by the hips and put her on his lap. Before she left for the Winhill market, she had removed her aqua blue angel duster so as to avoid having it getting soiled. Now, wearing only her black tank top, a pair of black shorts, and her denim skirt, Rinoa straddled her lover's hips.
"Squall, I promised you that I would do this tonight. Now let go of me before I lose my self-control too you horny tiger!" Rinoa said while Squall began caressing her sides.
"Lion," Squall corrected her.
"Whatever."
"Hey, that's my line!" Squall said while playing with her hair.
"Yeah, and I was supposed to be the aggressive one..." she said with a seductive purr in her voice.
"Rin, can't we just do it for a few minutes? I promise you that I'll make it quick," Squall pleaded her with puppy dog eyes.
Rinoa was feeling a bit guilty especially after Squall had put on that look, but she came back to her senses and decided to punish the Lion of Balamb for teasing her. She straightened her back ever so slightly, making her breasts jut out a bit while pulling her hair back behind her head, and lowered her head onto Squall's robe-covered chest. Pulling the fabric off slightly to expose his chest, she began licking and sucking on his collarbone as he moaned and gurgled beneath her.
"Oh...Rinoa...please..."
Rinoa continued to kiss his sensitive neck skin and breathed on it lightly to warm Squall's skin.
"Ah! What are you doing?"
"I'm punishing you, my knight. It is not nice to tease a sorceress you know."
She continued pleasuring Squall by moving further down, slowly pulling apart the robe that separated his epidermis from her taste muscle. When Rinoa got to his belly button, she began swirling her tongue until he began bucking his hips. Bringing her hands down lower, she felt his erection through the robe and began massaging it while trailing the wisps of hair that led to his manhood. Then, she stopped.
A disappointed-looking Squall looked up from the bed and said, "Rin!"
Rinoa put two of her fingers on Squall's lips and shut him up. Smiling at him foxily, she gracefully removed her tank top and set it on the floor.
"Want more Squally?"
Squall felt dazed by her striptease. "Mmm..."
"I'll take that as a yes." Rinoa proceeded to undo her denim skirt and shorts, and in a few minutes, she was wearing only her black bra and panties.
Squall mouthed a silent "WOW!" with his lips as he stared at her. He felt himself growing and he had to take her before she could drive him insane with her foreplay.
The sorceress got up from her loverboy and stood up beside the bed and said, "Now, here comes my punishment you horny knight!" Bringing her hands to his hips, she began tickling him.
"Rinoa!!!!!!!! Stop! Ha ha ha! Please.....Ha ha...I will...ha ha...get you...ha ha ha ha ...you...will...regret...ha ha ha...this...ha ha ha ha ha ha...my love!"
"Well then, I am not going to let that happen!" she grinned while continuing her mind-blasting torture on her knight. Removing one hand from her side, she cast a Stop spell on his arms and legs. They basically froze on spot while she continued to tickle him.
"You...hahahahahaha...are so in trouble...hahaha...please stop...haha...please!"
Rinoa stopped and began swirling her tongue on his left nipple. She looked back at him with an evil grin on her face and said, "Only if I can cook dinner, or else." She traced her fingers down to his belly and teased him again.
Squall struggled to raise his arms in defeat. "Alright! You win!"
Rinoa smiled and searched the cabinets for some clothes. Tying her hair back in a ponytail, she put on a cream-colored shirt and denim shorts. She went back to him and planted one of her soft kisses on his forehead.
"You'd better get dressed Mr. Naked! Quistis, Irvine, Zell, and Selphie are arriving in two hours. I'm sure our guests wouldn't want to see a nude hero streaking around his apartment," she threw him one of her "I-think-you- are-hot" looks and continued, "Although, I wouldn't mind you doing that." She went back to Squall and poked him at an exposed underarm, which sent him laughing again. Rinoa proceeded to removing the spell from his limbs before going back to the kitchen.
Taking out the beef from the fridge, she set the roast on a table while combining salt, pepper, herbs, and a large handful of garlic slivers in a bowl. Spreading the rub over the beef, she placed in on a roasting pan and put it in the oven to roast.
'Ah! That takes one problem out of my list!'
Rinoa moved to the counter, humming the Waltz for the Moon, and grabbed a bottle of Galbadia's best balsamic vinegar that she had picked off one of Winhill's upscale delicatessens. Combining a dollop of mustard and a few glugs of vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper, she whisked in some fruity olive from the local farmers and produced a really nice dressing. Smelling her handiwork, she plucked a couple of herbs from the counter and added it to the mixture while tasting it and beamed in delight.
'Perfect! Just like mom used to make it.'
She set aside the bowl and started chopping garlic and onions for her mom's tasty lobster-cream pasta sauce. The sorceress-chef then drizzled olive oil into a hot pan and began sautéing the garlic and onions when she felt arms wrap around her waist.
"Squall! I might burn the food! I said later!" she laughed while stirring the garlic around the pan.
Squall nibbled at her ear and whispered, "Your cooking smells fabulous. I'm sure it will taste great, look great, and smell great, but none of that compares to the angel stirring pinches of this and handfuls of that right now." He kissed her cheeks and leaned his head on her shoulder. "If there's anything I can do to help, just ask," he said again while nuzzling her ears and neck.
Rinoa felt delighted at his offer and kissed him back. "Thank you Squall. Now be a dear and do help me with the lobster, please?"
She pointed to the sink and Squall followed her finger to find himself face- to-face with a black crustacean with menacing claws.
"Umm...Rinoa? What am I supposed to do with that?"
Rinoa had to keep herself from laughing at Squall's ghost-white face. "Well, you take a knife and cut the thing in half like this." She gestured the movement of the blade by bringing her hand in a vertical position from the top of her head downwards. She took a 14-inch chef's knife and gave it to Squall.
"With this tiny thing?" Squall squeaked.
"Yup, with that tiny thing. Think of it as a miniature gunblade without the bullet mechanism. Oh come on! Odin and Gilgamesh always do that with Zantetsuken! Surely you could whack that thing too, can you?"
"Uh...I'll get my gunblade."
"No way Squall! That thing has slashed through T-Rexaurs, Grats, Malboros, and other creepy crawlies! I don't want to poison our guests tonight!" Rinoa commanded while bringing a pot of salted water to a boil.
Squall hung his head in defeat and sighed, "Okay."
Within two hours the couple had made a five-course meal with wine to boot. Popping a jazz CD into his player, Squall helped Rinoa set the table for the guests. She placed a large bowl of her mom's green salad with chocobo tenders on one side and the creamy lobster pasta on the other. Beside the salad, she had set a plate of crostinis (toasted slices of bread) with an interesting variety of delicious spreads she bought from Winhill. Squall carefully took the roast out of the oven and set it on a platter while Rinoa swirled in some wine and a couple swishes of butter into the drippings. A mound of Galbadia's famous Potatoes au Gratin adorned the space beside the beef, and a vase of Raine's flowers were set in the middle. When the table was finally ready, the lovers cleaned the kitchen to ready the place for the gang. Squall positioned a champagne bucket on one part of the festive tabletop and filled it with ice before lowering the bottle of Moet in it.
"My love, it's beautiful!" Squall exclaimed and looked at Rinoa. "Hey, don't you think you'd better clean up?"
Rinoa looked at stained shirt and said, "You know, I think I might take a shower. Wanna come in?" she tempted Squall.
Squall stared at her for a moment and wanted to pay her back for her tickling. "I'll pass this time. Somebody has to welcome the guests after all."
Looking disappointed, Rinoa left the kitchen and turned the shower on. Ten minutes later, she picked out a Little Black Dress her father had given her and put on her ring necklace. She dried her hair, fixed it and went out to the dining room. The Asian girl smirked when she was welcomed by Squall whose mouth hung open, possibly because of the dress that hugged her figure well.
"So, how do I look?"
Squall blinked and looked to the food and back to her and mindlessly said, "Yummy!"
Rinoa laughed and turned to the door when the bell rang and saw Selphie dressed in her clichéd shade of yellow.
"Booyaka! Hi Rinoa! Hi Squall!"
"Hey Selphie!" Squall said as he smiled, taking a box of games from her hands while offering her a seat.
"Wow! Now I know why Rinoa fell for you! Rin, you never told me he looked this good when he smiles!" Selphie said while clasping her fingers.
"...Whatever." Squall said silently.
"Oh come on Seffie, I thought I was good looking!" said Irvine through the door.
Rinoa approached him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Irvine! So glad you could come!"
"Anything to make the ladies happy! Oh Rinoa, here's something for you guys. I thought it might help."
Rinoa gratefully accepted the gift and opened it to find a book with the title. "A Thousand and One Babies Names' for the Child to Be". She looked at Irvine and hugged him (in a friendly way) and said, "Oh Irvine thank you!" She set the book beside the games and offered Irvine his seat. Before she could close the door, a loud knock startled her and she opened it again to see Zell with a CD on one hand and a fruit basket on the other.
"Yo Rinoa! I didn't know what to get you guys, but I thought this CD was perfect! Oh, and here are some fruits from Winhill."
Rinoa took the fruits from the blonde and thanked him. She put the CD beside Squall's CD system and opened the fruit basket. After picking a few nice strawberries, she took the remainder at macerated them in sugar to ooze out the juices. She then took the rest of the fruits and put them in the fruit compartment of Squall's cooler. After the berries were washed, the sorceress quickly whipped some cream with a bit of sugar, cream cheese, and some of the strawberries, tinting the mixture pink. Taking some vanilla ice cream from the chiller, she put a few berries in the bottom of a bowl and scooped in some of the frozen stuff. She layered it with her cheese mixture and did an alternate layer until all but three berries were finished. She shaved a layer of white chocolate on top and set the reserved berries attractively and placed her trifle in the fridge. She went back to the table and sat down next to Squall. Only five minutes have passed since Zell had arrived with the lovely fruits.
Squall beamed at her and declared, "I guess I'm the luckiest guy alive to be engaged to a domestic goddess!"
Rinoa blushed and said, "I'm luckier to have a knight like you."
Irvine stared at the couple and said, "Am I seeing Squall goin' all emotional in front of us? Pinch me Seff, I must have taken a sip too many of the champagne!"
Selphie pinched her boyfriend and giggled, "Irvy, leave them alone! It's not like you don't do that in public!" She went over to Irvine and embraced his waist. The cowboy ruffled his girlfriend's hair and gave her an affectionate kiss on the head.
Zell, being the only single guy in the room, decided to break the cupidy mushy mood. "Hello! Single guy here! Can you guys puh-lease be more sensitive?"
The gang roared in laughter when Selphie suddenly interrupted their merrymaking.
"Wait a minute! Where's Quistis?"
Rinoa looked at her watch and said, "It's just 7:05. She should be here soon."
After ten minutes of chats and laughs, a knock was heard on the door.
Irvine offered, "I'll get it!"
Irvine put his hat on Selphie and went to answer the door. Selphie accompanied the cowboy and opened the door to reveal Quistis dressed in a black night dress with her hair down.
"Wow! Quisty, you look...say, you aren't planning to ditch us for Ouragan are you?" Selphie said mischievously.
Quistis blushed for the nth time that day and said, "Rinoa, Squall, everyone, I'm sorry to be late for this but I just got some things for the party. And no, I AM NOT SEEING OURAGAN! Sheesh! Does everyone have to think dirty everytime a woman dresses nicer than usual?"
She flipped back her hair and set the cake on the table Rinoa hugged her friend and said, "Thank you Quistis, but you really shouldn't have."
"Oh nonsense Rinoa! I believe this cake is for us and our so called promotion to Esthar Garden."
Rinoa jerked her head lightly on one side and grinned at Quistis. "Are you sure it isn't for some tall, hot, macho, and yummy 6'5" visitor?"
Quistis blushed furiously this time. "Guys! Drop the Ouragan thing will you? I am not seeing him! Now let's eat dinner before the food gets cold," she said with her fists clenched into tight balls.
Squall smirked at Quistis and said, "Really Quistis, I thought I was the biggest blusher in the group. Now look at you, you're red from your cheeks to your ears."
Quistis smiled at her pupil. "Squall, I am not blushing. This is pink stuff on my face is called Elizabeth Arden for your information. Goodness knows how much you blushed when I caught you kissing Rinoa while she was knocked out cold on the tracks to Esthar!"
Rinoa looked at Squall and traced his scar with her finger. "Really Squall? Did you really kiss me while I was out cold? Gee, I never thought you were that romantic!"
Squall blushed a deep crimson this time and stammered, "Uh...no...Quistis! I was just...erm...checking out her cheeks to see if they were warm enough...so like...it wasn't a kiss!"
The entire gang replied loudly, "WHATEVER!" and laughed at the rose red commander.
When the laughter subsided, Rinoa broke the ice by telling them, "Well, let's dig in!"
Everyone started taking portions of each dish Rinoa and Squall had made for the evening. Zell piled his plate with the pasta, potatoes, and salad, while Quistis had some of Rinoa's crostinis and greens. Irvine and Selphie had a bit of each, while Squall put servings of food on Rinoa's plate. Squall carved the beef and gave about 3 slices to everyone, giving Zell 3 more due to his insatiable appetite. They talked about Esthar Garden and Balamb and whatever goes under the roof.
"So like, since you and Rinoa are getting married, I guess Selphie and I should get hitched as well."
Squall replied, "So, you want a double wedding?"
"Booyaka! That sounds wonderful! I'll be the organizer, of course."
"Darlin', that's your wedding! Brides don't organize weddings."
"Oh Irvy, you're no fun! Hey Squall, what do you think of a double wedding?"
"..."
"I think it would be wonderful, won't it be Squall?"
Squall was poking at his food with a fork. "Whatever."
"I'll take that as a yes."
"I can be the bridesmaid Rinoa."
"Yo! And I'll be the...uh...what do you call it again? Oh yeah! Best man!"
Selphie said, "Oh Zell, you can't be best man! Some guy might get jealous of you."
Quistis stood up and said, "Selphie! What are you suggesting?"
"Whoo! Why are you acting up like that? You like him don't you?"
"No! I don't! He's just a friend! Just a friend, okay?"
"Yeah, a friend. I believe you."
Rinoa was looking quite cross right now and reprimanded the two, "You know, I have really good magic here and I could cast a Silence spell on you if you don't quit fighting about him."
Quistis apologized, "Sorry Rinoa. By the way, your lobster pasta was excellent. It's just that the lobster shell looks a bit...wobbly or something. Did you cut it right?"
Rinoa laughed and looked at Squall. "Well, Squall here was scared of the lobster so he whacked it at least a meter away. I guess that explains why it doesn't look so neat."
Irvine chuckled and teased Squall. "You, the man who saved the world, are afraid of some puny crustacean? Haha! Squall, I thought you were braver than that!"
Squall blushed and said, "Whatever. The lobster tried to pinch me okay?"
Rinoa put a hand on Squall's shoulder and said, "Squall, the pincers were tied in rubber bands. The thing won't kill you."
Squall looked at her and said "Whatever" before kissing her.
Zell, Selphie, and Irvine clinked their spoons on their glasses while the couple made out on their seats.
Quistis sighed and joined the three clinking nuts and took a sip of champagne.
Squall broke from the kiss and looked at Rinoa lovingly before grabbing the champagne bottle and pouring some of the Moet in everyone's glasses. He raised his glass and said, "A toast for us all, for the Esthar Garden promotion, and for our victory."
Rinoa teased Squall, "You know honey, you can be a bit more enthusiastic when you say that."
Squall said, "Whatever" and everyone laughed at the sweet couple.
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Woohoo! Another chapter finished. Thank you guys for reviewing the story. My next chapter is coming up: Chapter 10: Dessert and Déjà vu.