With These Signs Upon Our Souls
Chapter Three
"Squall Leonhart. Seifer Almasy," Cid says, gravely. "Not only did you act contrary to the mission, but you endangered the entire town of Timber by attacking its main food source. You understand that I have no choice but to expel you from Garden. You have twenty-four hours to collect your possessions, return your GFs and say your goodbyes."
Squall says nothing. It's what he was expecting. Beside him, Seifer makes a contemptuous noise, as if he hadn't spent half his life striving to become a SeeD.
Cid turns his attention to the others with them. "Zell, Selphie, you are not being held responsible for the events of the field exam. You won't become SeeDs on this occasion, of course, but you may remain in the Garden and take the exam next year as usual."
Zell glances over at Squall. "Thanks, Headmaster, but I don't know if I've got that long. I think I'm gonna stay with Squall. Gotta complete our Focus, right?"
What?
Cid nods. "Very well. Selphie? For the sake of the Garden's reputation you would need to conceal the fact that you are a l'Cie, but—"
"No, thanks," Selphie interrupts him. Cid looks slightly taken aback. "Like, no offence or anything, but this whole l'Cie adventure thing sounds like it could be more fun."
What l'Cie adventure thing? Why do Zell and Selphie seem to have decided that they're all going to be travelling together? Squall wasn't planning any sort of adventure; he was just going to...
...actually, he doesn't know what he was going to do. Garden is all he can remember. Where does he go now?
After a moment, Cid nods. "All right. I'm sorry to be losing four promising cadets today, but I suppose it can't be helped. I wish you luck in completing your Focus." He sets the incident report to one side on his desk. "Can you send Instructor Trepe in as you leave? We need to discuss her position."
Squall is clearing out his dorm – taking what he needs, throwing the rest away – when there's a knock at the door. Frowning slightly, he straightens up and goes to open it.
"Zell," he says.
"Yo, Squall." Zell steps through the doorway, looking curiously around him. Squall isn't sure why; he's never thought of his room as particularly interesting.
"Was there something you wanted?" Squall asks, when Zell has been staring at his gunblade case for longer than he's comfortable with.
"Oh, yeah!" Zell exclaims. "There's something on Garden Square I think you should see. C'mon."
Garden Square? There's never anything worth reading on there; it's all arguments and strange people talking about Instructor Trepe. "Can't you tell me yourself?"
"No, c'mon, man. This is important."
Maybe they've pledged to keep hot dogs in stock at all times from now on and Zell has decided he can't leave after all. "All right. Show me."
Squall,
They revoked my instructor's licence. I'd probably have resigned if they hadn't; I think all our priorities have changed now.
The Headmaster told me it seemed you all planned to travel together. I'd like to join you, if you'll allow me to. I'll be waiting at the front gate.
I hope you see this before you leave.
- Quistis
What?! They revoked your licence? You're the best instructor ever! We've gotta protest or something!
- Trepe Groupie #1
Wait, this means you can date students now, right?
- Trepe Groupie #1
Squall presses a hand over his face. Why does she only address him by name, as if he's somehow the leader of their apparently-a-group? He's no good with responsibility; why do these people keep trying to force it on him?
"So we're gonna let her come with us, right?" Zell asks, next to him. "I figure the more of us there are working on this Focus thing, the better our chances."
Squall considers. Quistis is intelligent, reasonably level-headed, an asset in a fight. If he really cared about completing his Focus, he'd want her with him. But he's a l'Cie; he's already lost. Whether they complete their Focus or not, this doesn't end well for any of them.
So why can't the people who think that completing their Focus makes a difference look for it together, without him? Why do they have to look to him as if he's some kind of leader? On his own, it wouldn't matter whether he completed his Focus or not. Now, if they don't complete it, he'll be letting everyone down.
He nods. "We can meet her on our way out."
"Great!" Zell enthuses. "Pretty sure Selphie's waitin' in the lobby, too. You know, I actually feel good about our chances right now."
What chances? "We don't even know what our Focus is."
Zell looks uncomfortable. "Well, yeah, but... we all had the same vision, right? Maybe we can work it out if we all think about it."
What do they have to go on? A woman; Squall has already forgotten her face. A huge, shadowy castle. A clock face, superimposed over some sort of old-fashioned town square he's never seen before. Are they supposed to fight that woman? Help her? Maybe they're just meant to repair the clock in her castle; it's not as if any other explanation for their shared vision makes more sense. How is anyone ever supposed to work out what a fal'Cie wants them to do? This is impossible.
"Let's go," he says, pushing himself away from the computer.
When they reach the front gate, Quistis is indeed there, but she isn't alone; the Timber resistance member in blue (what was her name? Rinoa?) is with her. Selphie waves enthusiastically at both of them and at a passing male student who, judging from his confused expression, doesn't appear to know her.
"I was beginning to think you'd missed my message," Quistis says with a smile. "You remember Rinoa."
Rinoa raises a hand in greeting. There's a slight stiffness to her movements – she's probably still feeling the effects of engaging a fal'Cie without a Guardian Force – but she looks better than she did the first time they met. "Hey."
"Hey!" Zell and Selphie chorus. Squall nods.
"I came here to wait for Seifer," Rinoa says. She's wearing blue armwarmers now, Squall notices, to cover her l'Cie mark. "Then Quistis here told me you were all gonna look for our Focus together, so I thought, y'know, if you'll have me... I mean, it sounds like you guys saw the same thing I did. The castle and Winhill and stuff, right?"
"Winhill?" Selphie asks, tilting her head.
"Oh, right. It's this tiny little Galbadian town. My dad took me there a few times when I was a kid."
"I did see some sort of town square," Quistis says. "There was a sort of flower design in the centre. And a statue, I think."
Rinoa nods. "Yeah, that's Winhill."
Zell looks over at Squall, grinning. "See? We've got a lead already."
"So you're going there, right?" Rinoa asks. She's looking at Squall as well, as if this is his decision. "Can I come with you?"
Squall frowns. You're a civilian, he almost says, but they're all civilians now. "We don't know the details of our Focus," he says instead. "It could be dangerous. You won't have our combat experience."
"You're saying I might hold you back?"
"I'm saying you could be killed."
"Well, I'm gonna try to complete my Focus either way," she says, after a moment. "Guess I'd better stick with the ones with 'combat experience'." She glances around. "Plus I'm kind of worried about Seifer. Not that I think you guys can't handle him or anything, but still."
Seifer? It hadn't even occurred to Squall that he might want to come. Stress can hasten the transition into a Cie'th, and Squall can't imagine many things that would be more stressful for Zell than having Seifer travelling with them.
Zell has turned pale. "Seifer? He's not coming, is – is he?"
"Thought you'd leave without me?" asks a voice from behind them.
Seifer strides past them, holding Hyperion unsheathed. Rinoa and Selphie greet him cheerfully; Quistis casts a cautious glance at Zell.
"Don't look so terrified, Chicken-wuss," Seifer says with a laugh, clapping a hand on Zell's shoulder; Zell jerks and clenches his hands into fists. "Like I'd actually want to go with you guys."
"C'mon, Seifer, don't be like that," Rinoa says. "We've gotta have a better chance of finding our Focus if we all work together."
"Er," Quistis begins, quietly, "I'm not so sure that's a good..."
"Please," Rinoa implores him. "I don't want to be a Cie'th."
Quistis pauses as they're walking towards Balamb town, turns back.
"Did you forget something?" Squall asks.
She shakes her head. "I just thought I'd take a last look at the Garden. It's strange to think I might not see it again. It's been my home for such a long time." She looks over at Squall. "Yours too, hasn't it?"
"Yeah," Zell says, turning and jogging backwards a few paces, "this is weird." He hesitates. "Can we stop in Balamb? I need to say—" His voice catches, and he rolls his shoulders awkwardly before trying again. "I need to see my ma."
Squall doesn't look back. Neither, striding some distance ahead in grim silence, does Seifer.