Chapter Six:
Tessa became a bit of a reluctant star after the cafeteria incident, though her fame only lasted a couple of weeks. She learned that Rush, the dead SeeD, had been one of a group of students, "The Trepies," fans of the reinstated instructor Quistis Trepe. It was never figured out who the stranger was or how he got into the Garden, but no one knew anything about the post-death reanimation either. Headmaster Cid had made an order not to tell anyone, not even instructors. Seifer was even barred from telling Raijin and Fujin.
Selphie had personally delivered Tessa's new uniform as a sign of goodwill. Tessa took it, but there wasn't much discussed. However, she did later laugh when she found an extra pair of pants in the package.
Latasha had initially tried to pry information out of Tessa, but when she stayed tight-lipped, Latasha gave up. The girls had gotten over the fight from the first night, but they didn't bond, so they lived their lives pretty separately.
When she wasn't in class, Tessa had taken to volunteering in the infirmary to try to get more real medical experience. There weren't many serious cases to take care of, though. It was mostly younger students that had either lost fights in the Training Centre or injured themselves with their weapons.
Sometime during her second month at Balamb Garden a student showed up with a nasty bite on her leg. It was bloody and looked a tad infected. The young woman winced as Tessa pushed up her skirt to get a better look.
"You know, women can wear pants instead of skirts now, don't you?" Tessa said as she snapped on her latex gloves. She had been given a white jacket very much like Dr. Kadowaki's, and she was sitting upon a stool that had wheels on the bottom.
Tessa rolled away and grabbed a clipboard and pen from a nearby desk. She took the cap off the pen and rolled back to her patient. "Name?"
"Erin, Erin Sans," she said as she messed with the hem of her skirt. Tessa wrote down her name and looked back at the young woman.
"Okay, Erin, tell me what happened," Tessa asked, her pen poised above the paper on the clipboard. "And do try to remember everything."
Erin cleared her throat and swung her legs slightly. "I was walking to Balamb and strayed off the path. I know, it's dangerous," she added when she saw Tessa open her mouth, "and I don't need a lecture from someone only two years or so older than me.
"Anyway, I strayed off the path and was wandering through a wood, looking at the trees and plant life when I was attacked by a Catcherpillar. Now, as I'm sure you know, they're pretty easy to kill. I used a Water spell and was prepared to walk away when something weird happened," Erin told Tessa. Then she paused for a few seconds so that Tessa could get everything down.
"As I was saying, I was walking away when the Catcherpillar leaped up and bit my leg. That was when I pulled out my dagger and rammed it straight through the sucker's skull. I'm training to be a Sabre specialist, you know, but they don't let you use swords until you're a Class C. I'm only Class E, though."
Tessa wrote down what she thought was important. "You said the Catcherpillar attacked you after you used a Water spell? What's so unusual about that?"
Erin put a hand over her mouth and sniggered. "You don't know much, do you? Catcherpillars are Electric Elementals, and thus are weak against Water magic."
Tessa rolled her eyes and gripped the clipboard at the top with both hands, the pen twiddling between the middle and index fingers of her right hand. "Let me ask you something," Tessa told Erin, "what is your magic level, right now?"
"Uh, it's one, why?" Erin asked.
"It's just that Sabres don't use magic often, so the Catcherpillar must have survived your weak Water spell," Tessa said. "Don't worry about it, though. Medics tend to not be very strong, because we rely quite often on Curative magic."
"You look strong," Erin said as she pointed to Tessa's muscles, "and you're a medic."
"Yes, but I'm the exception to the rule. I always have been, and I always will be," Tessa said with a smile. "Now, let's get back to business. When did this happen, because your wound looks like it might be infected."
"It happened earlier today. I came straight here when I got back to the Garden," Erin said. "So I'm okay?"
"It appears so, but I'm going to have to take some samples and treat you just in case," Tessa said as she wrote down the added information. "Just read it over, and if you agree with what I have down, then you should sign it and put your keycard number in the appropriate space on the form."
"No keycards required?" Erin said with a tone of shock in her voice.
"Nope, Dr. Kadowaki wouldn't allow it. She said that it would interfere with the timely treatment of her patients," Tessa said as she rolled across the room to a cabinet. She opened it and pulled out a small bottle and a box of bandages. Then she looked over at Erin before closing the cabinet and rolling back.
"Here you are," Tessa said as she readjusted Erin's skirt so that the bite was better exposed. She had to blink several times because it appeared to have gotten worse since she had initially checked it. It couldn't have, she thought. "You have that formed filled out for me?"
"Yeah," Erin said as she held out the clipboard and pen.
"Just set those on the table next to you," Tessa said with a jerk of her head. "Now, for liability reasons, you're not addicted or allergic to Holy Water are you?"
"No," Erin said with a snigger. "But how could you be?"
"It's a psychological reaction to the stuff, not mental," Tessa said as she unscrewed the cap on the bottle. "Here, just hold still."
"Why not just use a Remedy?" Erin asked as Tessa poured the contents of the small bottle onto her leg. "It would clear this right up."
"Because," Tessa said as she rolled away and threw the bottle in the Medical Waste can, "Remedies are expensive and Holy Water cures more things than our other Status Medicine. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine, though."
Tessa rolled back over to Erin and opened the box of bandages. "However, I do want you to try and see Dr. Kadowaki tomorrow, because I'm only a student here." She pressed the bandage against Erin's leg and smoothed out the bumps in the adhesive tape.
"Whatever, see you later," Erin said as she jumped down from the examination table and walked out of the room.
"Hey," Tessa said loudly when Erin reached the doorway. She took off her gloves and waited for Erin to turn around. "I wasn't kidding about the pants, check it out."
"Can anyone tell me what the spell that makes you almost immune to the Earth Elemental is?" Quistis Trepe asked her class. "And no cheating, leave you console screens blank."
Tessa groaned because she hadn't studied the Elementals the night before. She had been up the entire night researching the behavioural differences between the Status Effects Berserk and Confusion for her Advanced Medicines class with Professor Aki.
Luckily, Quistis didn't call on Tessa because another student, a boy with a large bandage on his face, raised his hand. "Is it Float?"
"Yes," Quistis said as she sat on her desk. She was wearing a SeeD uniform and black boots. Tessa was relieved to notice that Quistis was wearing pants with her uniform instead of a skirt, though some of the boys weren't. She really admired the instructor because although she was beautiful, a tall thin blonde, she was also very intelligent. And even though she wore glasses, Quistis was also known for being incredibly strong. At any time she could be seen carrying her whip, which was coiled up and attached to her hip via a belt. "But can anyone tell me why it's not foolproof?"
When no one volunteered, Quistis glanced around the room and Tessa tried to sink lower into her seat. "Ah, yes, how about you, Antessence?"
Tessa sat up and was very aware of the fact that everyone was looking at her. "Um, is it because of the attacks of Earth-based Guardian Forces?"
"Yes, but that's not all of it," Quistis said as she stood up and walked amongst the class. "Students, you can turn on your consoles now. The first one to tell me the rest of the answer only has to do the odd-numbered questions on tonight's homework."
Tessa turned on her console and scrolled through the menu until she found the Tutorial section. She click on it and was looking for the Elementals section when the same young man who had answered the Float questioned raised his hand.
"Yes, Phelan?" Quistis said. She was clearly impressed; Phelan Barson was usually struggling to keep up with his Introduction to Basic Magic class. Quistis taught students how to draw and master Level One Magic such as Blizzard and Fire.
"Is it if your opponent is human has an Earth-based Magic junctioned to his Elemental Attack?" Phelan asked, clearly unsure of whether or not he had the correct answer.
"Yes, that is absolutely correct," said Quistis happily with a look at the clock. Tessa followed her eyes and saw that it was nearly 1800 hours, the end of the class. Quistis walked to her desk and picked up a piece of chalk. "Your assignment for tonight is to read pages 59-67 of Magic and Junctions and to answer the questions on pages 68 and 69." Then, for emphasis, Quistis wrote the numbers down on the chalkboard behind her desk.
Tessa began to collect her things. She was going to go to the library with her friends, the Trepies. They had come to Tessa with questions about Rush's death, but eventually they bonded over the mutual admiration of Quistis.
"Tessa, come on," Aili yelled from the doorway. Aili was a short, dark-skinned brunette girl with a loud voice and bubbly personality. She was also one of the people with whom Tessa squabbled most because she refused to wear pants instead of a skirt.
"I'll be right there!" Tessa yelled backed. She closed her book and gathered everything in her hands. She was just getting out of her booth at the console when Phelan walked up to her.
"Hey, Antessence," he said nervously. He kept his head down, looking at his feet.
"Hi, Phelan," Tessa said as she pushed past him, trying to get out of the classroom before too many of the students from the next class piled in the room. "Oh, and it's Tessa."
"Sure thing," Phelan said dejectedly to her back as she ran out the door. Tessa stopped and turned around. With a sigh she walked back to Phelan.
"Alright, what is it? What do you want?" she said in a voice quivering with restrained annoyance.
Phelan kicked at his foot with his right. "I was wondering if, sometime, you'd like to go to Balamb with me. You know, grab a bite to eat or something. They just opened a new restaurant by the docks."
Tessa rolled her eyes. The last thing she needed was for some loser man to have a crush on her. "Sure, whatever. I've got to go," she said as she turned and strode the door. She was just walking out when she ran into Professor Aki.
"Watch where you're going," he said bitterly, which was his custom. Professor Aki was the least liked instructor at Balamb Garden because he was so rude to his students, but he was also one of the best ones because he expected so much of them that they strived to keep from failing. He was older, fifty or so, and he walked with a limp. Rumour had it that he had been a freedom fighter in Timber before coming to teach at Balamb Garden.
"Sorry, Sir," Tessa said to the grey-haired instructor. "I'll be more careful from now on."
"You expect me to believe that?" he said as he pushed Tessa out of his way and strode to the desk. He grabbed an eraser from it and began to wipe off the notes that Quistis had written on the board.
Stupid old man, Tessa thought bitterly as she left the classroom. She was walking down the hall to the elevator when Phelan caught up to her. Now what?
"Tessa, how does Friday sound?" he asked as they walked side by side.
"For what?" Tessa asked angrily, still upset over her encounter with Aki. They reached the elevator and she pounded the "down" button with her open palm.
"Our date," Phelan said excitedly. He was standing so close to her that she could smell the disinfectants emanating from his bandage.
"Sure, Friday," she said in a distracted voice. The elevator didn't come so she pushed the button again and kicked the metal sliding doors. "Whatever makes you happy."
The elevator dinged and Tessa stepped in just as the P.A. went off. "Antessence Matleo to the infirmary, I repeat, Antessence Matleo to the infirmary."
"Great," Tessa said sarcastically as the metal doors slid shut and the elevator began to whir down to the first floor. "Just great."