Pleasantly Depressed Ch 15 - "Of Bubblesand Ripples"
By Skandranon
Squall? Talk to me. Squall, talk to me, please?
The hall echoed with the murmurs of hundreds of people, the clinking of champagne glasses, the strumming of a string quartet, the click of a hundred high heels. Overhead, the large ball room of the palace was strewn with strings of glass crystals, shattering the light of the chandeliers into a thousand bright stars.
Squall glared at the canapé as if it has mortally insulted him. He was not in a good mood, to say the least, and hadn't been in one since…
…since…
Squall? Please?
Laguna kept insisting on dragging him – quite literally – around the hall to introduce various beurocrats and nobles to "my son, the war hero".They kept asking for stories. They kept hinting at future dealings with Garden. They kept trying to make him taste the canapé. He didn't want to taste the bloody canapé.
Irvine was in the same spot he'd been all night… on the dance floor, on the arm of this or that wealthy lady. He smiled, laughed, and spun them about the marble floor, and spun out tales of past heroics to make their eyes sparkle with excitement. Their mud-caked clothes had been sent for a heavy washing, and they'd been given a pair of ceremonial uniforms to wear instead. Every time Irvine stepped into a pivot turn the gilded chains clinked.
Squall, you're sick. Something's wrong. You have to tell someone that something's wrong.
And to top off a perfect evening, his ears kept buzzing.
"-but being just the silly journalist I was, I thought the thing was a clever special effect!" Laughter to his right, as a small crowd listened attentively as Laguna embellished his tale with gestures and body language. "So I took my flimsy prop blade and whacked it across the snout. Imagine my surprise when it opened its mouth and roared at me!"
"Get Senator Heral away from the punch bowl, he's had far too much to drink already," Kiros dictated into a headset to his left, using his location in the corner to watch the floor for problem spots. "And keep an eye on Lady Godanaz, someone's bound to step on that long train of hers and tear her gown."
"Simply lovely this time of year, don't you think?" The middle aged woman in the orange dress kept pestering him with chatter. For some reason or other she'd attached herself to his side. "I usually spend this season at my estate up in the mountains, wonderful views, but I have a cousin getting married soon, so I came to the city to help her manage the wedding."
"By that time the camera crew had fled, and it was just me facing down this huge dragon! I had no idea what to do, without my weapon or any backup, and just aluminum armor and a cardboard blade to protect me. So I hit it again…"
"Unit three, the lady in the white with the pink bow has left her purse on the left wing buffet, have it taken to her. Unit two, catch that child before it walks out the right wing doors. I believe it's the son of Colonel Adren. No, Adren. The one with the medals. The other one with the medals."
The lady-of-the-moment that Irvine was twirling whispered something in his ear. He ducked his head in amusement, and whispered something back. It couldn't have been what she wanted to hear, for now she was pouting, but in a playful manner.
"I simply can't stand staying in the city for too long a period. Too much bustle for my tastes. Too many people. But Elie wanted to have the ceremony at this beautiful cathedral in town, and of course it is her wedding."
Squall!
He had such a headache. Too much light, too many people, too much noise…too much noise…
"It had me pinned up against a cliff wall, glaring down at me like I was the tastiest thing it'd ever seen. Big, big yellow eyes just sizing me up for nutritional value. So I poked it in the eye with what was left of the sword…"
"Kitchen crew, have the vegetable platter ready to go in five, we're almost out of the appetizers."
Irvine had his hand on the small of her waist, and she hers on his shoulder. She kept trying to lean in to him, and he kept leading the steps away to maintain the distance. Flickers of frustration started showing in her smile.
"She picked lace, of all things. Lace, on a wedding dress. I mean, sure, if you want to look vintage, but Elie's not the type that could pull that off, if you know what I mean."
Squall, go over to Laguna now. Go over to Laguna and tell him you need help. Please, listen to me.
Step turn, box step, waltz two three. The lady was stroking Irvine's lapels none too subtly. Irvine was pleasantly ignoring it.
"By that point the sword was done for. Cardboard, you know. So I looked around, and there was this rock…"
"Unit one, get Senator Heral to the lounge before he passes out. Have a bucket on hand, he looks a bit ill."
She had him wedged up against the corner of the dance floor now, and Irvine couldn't step away without bumping into the tables.
"And I begged her, not pink, not for the bridesmaids, but she had her heart set on pink…"
Squall, I know you can hear me. There is something wrong with you. You need help NOW. Get. Help. Now.
But a quick pivot turn and they'd switched sides, and he was leading her back across the dance floor.
"The ledge was crumbling under the weight, you see, so I picked up the tree limb…"
She smiled, he smiled, she flirted, he smiled, she hinted, he smiled, she tried to outright grope him…
"What do you mean you can't find Colonel Adren? He's right there, in the green uniform. No, the green uniform."
He was shaking his head now, and saying something, and whatever it was it was making her frown…
"…cream and taupe don't mix, let me tell you…"
SQUALL!
…too much noise…
"…I ducked under the tail and wedged the branch under the rock…"
He shook his head, and she frowned, and he stepped away…
"...you should have said that you're color blind…"
"…had to convince her to get the red wine…"
SQUAAALL!
He had to get out of here.
Irvine nodded goodbye to his partner and stepped to the buffet, grabbing a wine glass and downing it quickly. That had been the third woman to throw herself at him tonight. Did they not think he saw the gold rings on their hands? And why on earth couldn't they take "I'm engaged" as a "no"?
His collar itched his neck something fierce. He tugged at it, but knew it wouldn't do any good. He smiled graciously at the lady who stood beside him, and tried to sneak past the dance floor without…
Aw Hyne. Another woman. "Care to dance, Mr…?"
"Actually, I was just…" he pointed vaguely in the direction where Squall was hiding.
But Squall wasn't there.
Had Laguna dragged him off somewhere? No… there was Laguna over there. On the dance floor? Unlikely, but… no, not there. At the buffet? Wait, Irvine had just been at the buffet. Not there. Where…?
"Excuse me." His mind was chanting dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit but it wouldn't do to make a scene at Laguna's shindig. He pushed his way through the crowd with a few apologies, and scanned the hall carefully for a certain brunet.
Finally he had to admit that Squall was gone. This is not good. This is not good. He grabbed the president's arm none too politely. "Laguna. Where's Squall?"
The president didn't share the shocked and appalled looks of his small crowd. "What? Has he run off somewhere? I asked Kiros to keep an eye on him, but-"
It was only ten feet to the black man. "Kiros. Where's Squall?"
Kiros held up a finger and kept speaking into a headset. "-elp her find her car keys. What is it, Kinneas?"
"Squall's missing. Where is he?"
"Believe it or not, I've been rather busy tonight, and haven't had time to keep up with-"
But Irvine was already marching towards the doors.
I'm Squall. I'm somewhat injured and not in a good mindset. I don't like crowds. I'm in a palace. Where do I go?
Irvine found him in the second garden he checked. One of the smaller ones, it boasted a small grove of trees and a smaller pond, on the edge of which Squall was crouched and staring into the water.
All the lights facing the garden were turned off, except for the half moon overhead and a few stars here and there. The party was only a dull murmur in the distance, and the city a duller one. The ripples on the water were much louder, as Squall tossed in another stone and scared the little fish.
"Hey." Irvine strolled over slowly. "You alright?"
Squall flicked the chain on his uniform. It glinted as the moonlight hit it.
Why on earth Laguna would drag his antisocial and physically battered son to a party is beyond me. Guy's never liked them before, why would he like them now? Why did I let him?
"Shiva won't talk to me."
Irvine settled down at the base of an oak, where he could watch Squall's expression. "Well, maybe she's just taking a breather… Ifrit doesn't talk to me much, except the occasional 'You're being a dick' statement…"
"She always talks to me."
He let the silence hold the moment. Comfort or space, that was the question. Did Squall need comfort, or did Squall need space? Did he need to talk about it, or would asking just irritate him?
"I just don't understand. She's never done this before. What did I do?"
He needed to talk about it. "Why would you think you've done something? Maybe she's just tired, needs a rest. Maybe she's thinking. You know Guardians; they have no sense of time. They could spend a millennia just solving a riddle…"
"No, it's my fault. I must've done something." His head dropped into his hands and his body trembled.
Sweet Mother, Squall was on the edge of tears. Was it hurting him this bad? Maybe it was just the pent up emotions… he really hadn't had any closure on his suicide attempts…Irvine scooted forward and tentatively laid a hand on his back. "Hey. Don't."
Suddenly he had an armful of sobbing gunblader. Squall's arms wrapped his waist tight enough to pinch. Sounds were mumbled into his chest, and he distinctly picked up the word 'love'.
Dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit…
"Easy, easy." He crossed his arms over the brunet's back, rubbed the muscles soothingly. He breathed into Squall's hair softly, supported his shaking body, told his libido to shut up and sit down, not now. Not now. Squall's just broken down on me. Last thing I need is to get off on it.
"Fucking hurts…" Squall clutched the back of his coat viciously, and some of the skin underneath it as well. Irvine bit his lip and patiently ignored it, and continued whispering nonsense comfort words.
"It'll be alright. It'll be alright. S'okay, I've gotcha."
Sit. Down. Shut. Up. No. Happy. Not. Now.
The tears were soaking through his chest and his legs were groaning at him for the position. Didn't matter, worry about it later. Squall was slowly shaking less and less, and the sounds were quieting, fading from groaned pain cries into little moans and murmurs. Finally he was still, with only little tremors every now and then.
Irvine never stopped kneading his back, working out the tense knots he found there. He didn't say anything, just let the silence speak for itself. Just let the moment be what it was.
The tension faded. A bird sang a single low note in the branches. Of far in the distance, an ambulance siren wailed.
"Better?"
"No."
"Need a towel? You're dripping all over the place."
"Fuck off."
He's feeling better. "Wanna turn in early tonight? I can take you back to your room."
Squall let go and stood up calmly. He stared down at the pond and the little fish.
Irvine laid an arm across his shoulders. An unspoken statement. I'm here.
"Get the fuck off me."
So much for being the source of comfort. He reluctantly dropped his arm.
"You don't understand."
"So tell me."
"You can't understand."
"Maybe if you told me about it I could."
And Squall was grabbing his coat and shoving him against the tree, eyes glaring hate. "You can't fucking understand!" he snarled.
What tha… "Squall Squall easy, easy, it's okay. You're right. I can't understand. I'm not you. I just thought it might help to talk abo-"
His pocket rang.
Not now. He let it ring… and ring… and ring… and praying Squall wouldn't have a fit, he answered it. "Kinneas."
"Stop taking missions and pay more attention to me!"
Oh no, not now. "Selphie, baby, can this wait, I'm kinda in the middle of-"
"I'm here and you're not and I love you but you're never around and I CAN'T DECIDE ON AN USHER!"
"Pixierabbit, darling, calm down, it's a mission, you know I can't help it. I'll be back as soon as I-"
"GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE AND MARRY ME DAMMIT!"
"Honeydoll, I-"
Squall grabbed the cell phone. "Call back later, I'm about to kill your fiancé." He threw the phone into the pond.
"Hey! That was my-"
"I was serious." Squall growled. And punched him.
Author's Note : I feel pretty bad for Selphie. Don't worry, I won't be bastardizing her.