Chapter Forty-Four:

A/N: Sorry the chapters have been so short lately, I haven't had much opportunity to write. If you search the bestiaries of every FF game, you won't find a find an Octisquid. It's a monster I just created. I felt that there needs to be more interaction with monsters anyway, since they play a large part of every game.

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"I think we're good. It looks like Lon took care of us before he took care of himself," Adette said calmly. Tessa feared that she might be rubbing off as the Brunette showed her the electronic equipment. "If I remember anything my roommate said, then this is some sort of auto-pilot system that operates off of Esthar's satellites. We're on a course for Garden. Balamb Garden."

"What in Hyne's name does your roommate have to do with this?"

"She is a Level 5 hacker. Her job is to know this kind of stuff. I got help with my exams; she got help with hers. People do things like that for each other."

"Do I look like an idiot to you?" Tessa asked angrily. "Aili and I helped each other study for tests all the time."

"Aili?"

"My best friend."

"You're only friend?"

"Why don't you ask your stupid bird? The damn thing ought to know. It spent enough time spying on me."

Tessa didn't want to talk about Aili. She hadn't left on the best of terms with her, but they were still friends. Talking about her without giving the girl the opportunity to defend herself was something Tessa had sworn she would never do. It had happened too much at Lotia Garden for her tastes.

So you're loyal, that's a good thing to have in a friend.

Not now, Shiva. I'm having a conversation, in case you haven't noticed.

"Hey, if my calculations are correct, we're halfway to Balamb."

"How would you know that?"

"If we estimate that you were out for 3 hours, and it took 2 to get out of Galbadia City, then we've been on the water for 18 hours. From the direct distance of the new Galbadian City Marina built last year to Balamb's docks, we have approximately 1100 kilometres. The speedometer says that we're moving 65 kilometres per hour. If we're moving at a steady pace…"

Tessa grunted out of frustration. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I already said, we're halfway to Balamb. Add the twelve kilometres between Balamb and Balamb Garden, and we're practically home!"

"Whoop-di-frickin'-doo," Tessa said with a hand-twirl. "How do you know all of that?"

"I'm a sharpshooter, I have to know my math."

"Some sharpshooter," Tessa snorted. "Every time you shoot someone you freak out."

"So says the killer nurse."

Fire jumped into Tessa's eyes. "Do you really want to mess with me?"

"I've seen the kind of stuff you can do, I'm not stupid."

"Smart girl, very smart girl."

What is your problem?

Do you think I'm proud that I'm a killer? Let me tell you, I'm not. I hate that I've killed so many people. Do you realize that I haven't managed to save even one life in all of the years that I've been training in medicine?

What about Adette?

"She doesn't count."

"Who doesn't count?" Adette asked. She was holding her left hand with her right and wincing in pain. Even after Tessa had bandaged and cleaned it, the wound still seemed to be causing her a lot of pain. She stared at it for minutes straight before sticking her hand in her pocket.

They had changed and thrown their old clothes into the ocean. Tessa had watched the military uniform until it fell out of sight. Left in the right pocket was the clip of bullets. Pinned to the inside of her new shirt, pressing against her breasts, were the two GFs Leviathan and Cerberus. Something had told her not to throw them out. However, before she had done it, Tessa informed Shiva that she wanted no communication with them whatsoever. It seemed to have worked, because she didn't hear a word from either of them.

Adette was wearing a silken blouse and black leather skirt. The word that popped into Tessa's mind was "lipstick-lesbian." On the other hand, in a stroke of luck, Tessa had found a loose-fitting flannel shirt and brown jeans in a crate. Even more miraculous, she had found in the crate a copy of the book she had lost in Galbadia City.

"You," Tessa finally answered as she walked out of the radio/control room. "You don't matter."

She didn't see the crushed look on the other girl's face.

---

The setting sun was beautiful as it fell below the sea, streaking the sky with various hues of red, pink, and orange. A few stars had begun to appear in the darker spots and the moon shone dimly overhead. It was only a half moon, but it was the sunset that had captivated Tessa. Classmates that had been students at Galbadia Garden before it was taken over by the Sorceress Edea had told her of how beautiful the sunsets and sunrises were, but she hadn't believed them. She had known the best sunset was to be viewed from a particularly large conifer tree in the Student Square of Lotia Garden, which similar to Balamb Garden's Quad. She had been wrong.

If the darkening skyline of Galbadia City was even half as beautiful as what she was seeing in that one moment, then it eclipsed anything she had seen in her homeland. Aili would die to see this, Tessa thought.

I didn't know that you appreciated nature.

Not now, Shiva. Can't I enjoy myself for even one minute? Must I constantly live in a hellish cesspool of agony and stupidity?

Sure, go ahead. I'll just crawl back under my rock.

Great, now my GF is using sarcasm. Well, you'll be glad to know that you ruined the moment. Thanks a lot, Bitch.

Suddenly, Tessa's feet flew out from under her and she crashed to the deck. Her wounds, freshly cleaned and bandaged, began to ache again. She rolled onto her stomach and looked around before slowly standing back up.

"Could you steer a little better? Knocking me onto my ass isn't the best sign of confidence!" Tessa yelled at the closed door that Adette was behind, her voice was soaked with annoyance. Adette didn't respond, obviously taking the high road. The engine burst into a sputtering fit before giving out unexpectedtly, and Tessa was upset. Gone was the fleeting tranquility the sunset had granted her. "Would you quit fucking up? I want to go home, you stupid tocaro!"

The word was out of her mouth before she had even realized what she said. She hoped that Adette didn't speak Junonian. Otherwise, there was likely to be a fight and she didn't know how many spells the Brunette had left. All Tessa had was 2 Blind spells and a dozen Scans. Again, nothing from Adette.

You bitch...

Bite me. So I called her a tocaro. It's not the end of the world.

Adette may not know what a tocaro is, but I do. I can read your thoughts, remember?

Then, with a great shudder, the vessel rocked roughly and knocked Tessa back onto her butt. She slapped the wood in frustration and stood up again, marching to the closed door. "What the hell are you doing in here?"

"I'm not doing anything. It just stopped," Adette said as her fingers flew over the switches and buttons before her.

"Well fix it!"

"I'm trying."

"Then try harder!" Tessa screamed before slamming the door.

The vessel groaned again and Tessa ran to the railing. She looked over the edge curiously and screamed. Three large yellow eyes stared back at her. A large grey tentacle shot out of the water and grabbed Tessa, lifting her off of the vessel.

"Let me go!" Tessa yelled as she clawed the rubbery tentacle, but the creature didn't seem to notice. Her left hand found its way over the edge of the tentacle and she cast a Blind spell, hitting one of the eyes. The tentacle released Tessa, who fell back onto the vessel's deck. It was an eight foot fall and she heard something crack.

She grabbed her ankle and yelled in pain as she heard the creaking of Adette walking onto the deck. "What's going on?"

"Monster!" Tessa cried as hot tears spilled down her face. "There's a fucking monster!"

"Where?"

"In the water, you dumbass. Where else would a monster be?"

As if in response to Tessa's question, there was a noise very similar to an explosion and in the view of the two girls appeared a creature larger than even a T-Rexaur. Tessa didn't recognize it, but that didn't mean she wasn't frightened, not to mention in pain.

Draw! This is Octisquid! It has Curaga and Water spells, among other things...

Octisquid! What kind of a name is that?

This is an incredibly powerful monster, right up there with T-Rexaurs and Ruby Dragons. You had better be careful.

Tessa threw up her left and right hands, drawing 1 Curaga into her left and 8 Waters into her right. She cast the Curaga on herself, feeling a slight numbness in her ankle as bones realined and tendons reattached.

Summon one of us, you can't take this thing on your own.

If you're in my head and can read my thoughts, then you know just how wrong you are. Now shut up and watch.

Boots that were covered with blood (Tessa had kept the boots from the military uniform since there weren't any shoes to be found in the crates in the cargo hold) slapped the floor as Tessa threw up her right hand and launched a Water spell. It hit the Octisquid in the face, washing the Blind spell from its eye. While it could have damaged the Octisquid, it actually did little more than a Bite Bug's sting.

Maybe I should someone one of you.

Smart girl.

Don't patronize me, just tell me which one of you I should someone!

There was a burst of light and Phoenix was flapping through the air, dive-bombing the Octisquid with its beak while Adette hit it with Thundara spells. Tessa dropped to the deck and rolled as a tentacle slammed where she had been just seconds before.

Leviathan! Summon Leviathan!

Tessa reached into her shirt and slapped the first pin she felt. A bright light filled her vision and when it faded something else, something large, took up the space.

"Give me a break!"

Cerberus, the three-headed dog, perched on the edge of the vessel and growled at the Octisquid. Amazingly enough, the vessel seemed completely undisturbed by the GF's weight. Tessa hit the deck with her clenched right fist and cursed herself.

"Cast triple on Adette!" she shouted at the behemoth. One of the heads turned back and looked at her with sad eyes before joining its brothers. They all howled and bathed Adette in a silver light. Then Cerberus disappeared and left the two girls and Phoenix to fight.

Adette seemed filled with vigor to Tessa, who felt the snapping of the bones in her legs as the Octisquid smacked her with another tentacle. She screamed and watched as blood ran down her legs and pooled around her in an ever widening puddle.

Why didn't I get Leviathan? Tessa thought before a tentacle smashed into her face and her world went cold and black.