The fist date had gone quite well. That was a certainty, and for once there was no concern on either end of one of them piping up and jumping on the relationship train. Squall and Fujin could simultaneously lean back and enjoy a low key relationship of a (mostly) professional nature. Squall would occasionally use the internal lines to have brief conversations as speaking was a bit overplayed in both of them, Fujin with her tendency to monosyllabic responses or at most a single sentence. Slowly though he began to be able to interpret her unspoken words it wasn't too hard it was just another way of reading. It came surprisingly easy. He chocked it up to similar personalities. After all, they were similar, after the first date they had covertly spent time together either during off periods or spending a little executive freedom to enjoy a stress-free sit. He was slowly becoming more inclined toward origami, it was relaxing as she had made it out to be, it was amazing that you could lose yourself in such a trivial little thing, but now his desk often held a something or other on occasion he could be seen playing with a paper frog watching it as he flicked it's tail and it hopped a bit. Fujin had been slowly picking up a few of his oddities herself, especially a flair for Rock and Techno music.
Even as he himself was getting into it. It is nice to share. Who says that conversation is the foundation of relationships. More could be said in the subtle inflection of a single word and the position of the body than could ever be conveyed by words. A pair of months and they could read each other like books. Initially Squall was a touch unnerved but he quickly found that it meant she was eternally tactful in her commentary. Refreshing after Rinoa's unbridled optimism, she always seemed to have these sunny moments when he was at his darkest. Funny how that worked out and lord knows it caused fights up and down. Not to say he and Fujin didn't fight but it was always about something important, like a problem student or a new protocol. Over time he was finding himself asking her opinion on things, she was astute and would occasionally grab something he missed, and if it wasn't that she was the best listener he had ever met. She always seemed to not only hear the words but the emotions underneath, reading you like a book.
It was what scared many people off her, they couldn't hide from her eye. It was a running joke that Diablos wouldn't look her in the eye if he could. But this was getting to be one long train of musings and eventually Squall felt he'd have to get back to work. With a sigh he looked up from his frog and picked up his pen twirling it in his fingers as he read over the SeeD reports. This was a report from the mission taken on in Galbania a month previous, SeeD were in rather constant call in the wake of the Sorceress War. Their undeniable effect on the outcome of that war has been the factor that has drawn much new work to the Garden and it has been a bit of a trial since it began, they were getting an overwhelming call for even small issues. Any time anything seemed out of shape the SeeD were sought to clean it up meaning that Squall had to read a dozen requests weekly at the worst times, they didn't have enough able members to allow this sort of thing to occur so in one or two cases a single seed and a group of high ranked cadets would do the missions just from sheer demand until Squall was finally able to work out a set of criteria. Since then the requests had tapered off into a reasonable stream of actually profitable missions. He was rather proud of his set it had enough leeway for him to modify as needed and make exceptions. So far it had yet to bite him and that was reason enough to pat himself on the back, even if it made things a little boring from time to time and left him with free time he almost wished he didn't have. Funny, suppose that was the bite he'd been looking for. In the mean time, this was time for some indulgence. Opening a window he logged into the network under his old student account and booted up a chess game, after a moment of searching he found his rube, he was after all one of the best chess players in Garden. After all the battles he had been involved in the strategy of the game came to him easily. Now, Windwarrior, time to lose to the King.
Time to consider the next step…. This would take careful planning and a keen eye. Her stratagem was already formed and she smiled. Queen to C 4, Mate in two moves from there. She smiled as she won, Chess a great pastime lately, not to mention she had a knack for it. KingRichard, eat your heart out, Wind always wins. She chuckled and searched for a new opponent, he had been good but in the end she spotted his play before he spotted hers. She reveled in her victory a moment longer before looking at the pool of potential players and noticing something well, well, well.
The Chickenwuss, this could be very interesting. She threw down the virtual gauntlet and the board opened up, amusing and predictably enough he was out in under fifty moves, he was impulsive even on the chessboard. It made her silently wonder how he managed to be so graceful on the battlefield. That however was a quandary for another time. She leaned back in her chair a tough victory and a social one. Not a bad combination, and hell it made her feel good. Anyway, she'd be putting a tag on KingRichard he was a worthy opponent. She just finished saying that and managed to out a chuckle at how much she sounded like someone else right then. She stood and walked across her room and pulled open her wardrobe it had expanded little since her reintroduction into Balamb and threw on a white button up shirt and a pair of jeans, not as tight as she had worn so often before. It was just more comfortable. She picked up the small CD player she had gotten at Squall's suggestions and checked the CD in it, finding it to her satisfaction she stepped out locking the door behind her. She had a notebook under her arm, time to engage in one of her favorite pass times at Garden, people watching. A few of her students wondered how she got so good at reading people. Well a little observation never hurt.
Get used to their expressions and mannerisms and people became exceedingly easy to understand. Taking a seat on the edge of one of the plants and tilting her head toward the notebook she set to work the careful observer, the music in her ears from the player were almost inaudible. A background to the world. She enjoyed that idea, background music to everything happening around her. Relaxing a bit she turned her attentions around, looking for a familiar face pen moving separate from her thoughts, really just doodling, until she found something worth noting.
She eventually settled into watching a student of hers, she had thought it arbitrary but when she noticed who she had chosen she smirked a bit. It was Karen. The timid girl from her class, just as slight as ever but she had quickly separated herself from the group, she was astute and swift minded. She caught tricks quickly often before anyone. Needless she was still quiet, few friends. Right now she was talking to another girl. This second was not in any of Fujin's classes, but that could be said of a majority of the garden so she tried not to concern herself with it and tuned into them she could not read lips but the expressions of the girl and her friend conveyed the topic of conversation. Small talk for now.
They were seated on a Bench the friend held a book and notebook in her lap occasionally motioning to it and focusing on it as she listened, occasionally Karin would point to something and it would start a small bout of serious discussion. Tutoring most likely, well nothing too surprising there Karin seemed the type. Her musings were cut as something stepped right in front of her, it wore a black padded vest over a Tshirt and baggy lengthy shorts over combat boots it could only be one person. She looked up a flick of the finger shifted the song, and she grinned inside, the angry tone of the music fit her attitude at the interruption. Looking up to the Tattooed face of the fighter she smoothed her face and closed her notebook cocking her head a bit.
"Yes?" she asked coolly. She realized that being loud just encouraged him so opted to see if she could get him to state his business and go. He grinned toothily and then just moved off to the side a bit and rested his hands against the ledge she had seated herself on.
"whatcha up ta?" Zell, though always coming about it at the wrong time was nice enough. At least he didn't look at her like she was drenched in his friend's blood anymore, that was awkward eternally. Now he had calmed and just managed to show up at the inopportune moments. She sat and decided how much to tell him it took her a moment only.
"People-watching." Zell responded with his usual enthusiasm and a slightly impish grin. "wow four syllables. Nice. Anyway, Selphie Squall and I were running into town when we settle in a few hours, wondered if you might wanna come. It's cool if you don wanna but you know, thought I'd ask." well, at least he was being thoughtful. She thought about that in silence a few moments her face in a mask of thought just to make sure Zell knew not to interrupt. She had discovered he wasn't exactly the quickest to pick up on hidden motives, or cloaked emotion so you had to make it obvious.
"yes." she said and went back to her notebook and looked up to find the two girls still seated where they were, the lesson continued unimpeded. Zell on the other hand had barely restrained enthusiasm his fist raised a bit but he realized that pumping his arm might be taken the wrong way and the last thing he wanted was to find out how hard Fujin kicked. In his brief friendship with Raijin, built almost entirely on similar training schedules he had had opportunity to see some rather nasty and large bruises on his shin. And to his knowledge there was only one person who could have inflicted them. Needless Zell tried to relax and sit back a bit. He thought how he was going to phrase his next question carefully. He had mostly gotten past the feeling of betrayal after a little soul searching and realizing that if someone he loved had defected he might have as well. So while he thought he leaned back and looked up at the passing sky as the open quad carried with the breeze. Like a windswept plane sometimes until a real windstorm occurred. Naturally Zell marveled at the resilience of the trees in that area. It was something of a miracle they still stood at all. But back to what he had in m mind it would take a little planning in order to make the whole thing coherent cause he really only had a vague idea of what he wanted to say so this might take a while. He wondered absently if there would be any hotdogs left after his workout…
Fujin was a little less distracted as it turned out. She went back to her observation, a little less covertly this time just sitting back her hands in her lap as she watched the two talking, wishing she could read lips with an absent brain cell or hundred. She found it interesting that one on one the girl seemed much less afraid. Time for an experiment. Fujin stood abruptly placing her effects under her arm and strolled over to the pair working dilligently. Fujin stopped over them close enough where she was immediately noticed. The discussion as it turns out had been in GF abilities and junctioning. Something Fujin was getting used to again. It was also something that was just covered in class. Karin and her friend stared up at the albino woman silently a moment thunderstruck before the friend spoke.
"are you miss Lacosta?" she asked like she were some kind of celebrity. It was an absent wave that made Fujin balk at being addressed as "miss" but she let it go without it even crossing her face she merely nodded slowly a slight smile really only apparent at the corners of her mouth. Karin's head was a bit bowed making her eyes invisible as Fujin spoke up in a light conversational tone to the again timid girl.
"tutoring?" she had been getting better about expressing herself verbally. Though she still subconsciously seemed to limit herself to small sentences at longest. Now though that wasn't required she would skip it and drive straight as always. Karin nodded a bit and her friend lit up.
"Yeah, I didn't get it but then Karin said this was how you explained it, like a cell phone, every one has different features and stuff. I think I understand it better now though I am not sure I understood everything but I….." Fujin tuned out the yammering girl and focused her gaze back to karin who had yet to mutter a word. "Karin?" she looked up calm and in a mask of indifference, but it was broken at the edges and a touch of nervousness and maybe fear crept into the corners of her visage.
"y-yes instructor." Fujin smiled at the title and let out a soft barely there chuckle wich seemed to break the mask a bit, but it still held. "Fujin, please." And Karin ducked her head and nodded again. Seemed that it may be the group effect that caused it… or maybe Fujin herself. She'd have to find out later cause she felt someone buzz up behind her. No doubt the noisy blonde again, with a military step she flipped about, and came face to face with a blonde, but not the one she had been expecting. Quistis adjusted her glasses and smiled at Fujin.
"Miss Lacosta." Quistis greeted her and Fujin absently wondered why everyone was calling her miss today…. But then returned her attention and the greeting "Trepe" Quistis had a somewhat amused look on her face and leaned around to look at the two girls who were a little stricken, the two most popular teachers in the garden were right there talking civilly, so much for the rumors of rivalry. "So, student's of yours?" Fujin merely nodded in a rather satisfied way "tutoring." she stated and Quistis nodded. "it is good to see students taking a proactive approach to their education isn't it." Fujin merely nodded and looked back to the pair with an approving nod and then walked away as Trepe began to stroll motioning for her to follow. "it has been a few months since you started teaching and I wanted to say on behalf of the rest of the teaching community that we are happy to have you here. " he words struck Fujin oddly but then again she had never really expected anyone to do anything she merely conducted class as she saw fit, just did what she had thought an instructor should make their classes like. She broke from this line of thought to respond. "Thanks." she said as Quistis nodded and then continued. "and on behalf of this community we would like you to attend the Garden festival, we think it would be a good show of solidarity if all the instructors were present." She spoke with a diplomatic tilt. Reserved yet pushing her toward it in the inexplicable way of the teacher. Fujin rolled her eye and looked back at Quistis "Fine." The Albino said coolly and Quistis smiled broadly and nodded. "Excellent," Quistis said in a way that made Fujin think that Quistis had been planning on it, "I'll have a place set for you".
A/N: I hate College. that's all. Thank you to all my reviewers, still looking for a volenteer Beta! Rememeber Beta's get special treatment! Until next time!