Chapter 32
Bummer
(Selphie)
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," a man in a floral-print shirt and tan shorts said. He set down his wrench on the train tracks and stepped away from a greasy pile of metal and screws as he held his hands up, barring Irvine and Selphie from advancing. Selphie ignored him and tried to walk around, but the man side-stepped and put his hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place. "What are you guys doing with that?"
The man gestured to the bundles of railroad ties and welding torches that Irvine and Selphie were hauling along in their arms.
"We got ourselves an idea to keep the Galbadians from sendin' another train this way," Irvine said. He lifted the welding torch. "See, we just gotta install a few track switches into the lines. If we don't connect 'em to anything—and we won't—then instead of switchin' tracks, the trains'll derail, maybe even fall into the ocean. So that'll keep the trains out of our hair for the time being."
"Yeah!" Selphie said, adjusting the bundle of metal train ties in her arms. "It's practically nonviolent, so you guys should totally be okay with it. I mean, we don't have to kill anybody. We just gotta drop 'em in the ocean. SPLASH!"
The man curled his lip in disgust and shook his head. "You guys really don't understand do you? We aren't going to let you make changes to the bridge. What if some tourists come by and hit your trap? Innocent people will die."
"They can swim!" Selphie argued. "Probably!"
Irvine shrugged. "When's the last time y'all had tourists? And when's the last time they came here by train and not by boat?"
"It doesn't matter," the man said, crossing his arms. "It's a safety hazard and we won't allow it."
"Well, duh," Selphie said. The bundle of steel in her hands grew heavier, and she adjusted again. "That's the point. It's s'posed to be unsafe for Galbadians."
The man didn't let up. "And what if the Galbadians come by car instead? The track switches will be useless and you'll have endangered civilians for no reason."
"Come on," Selphie said. "Obviously we're gonna put more traps on the tracks besides this. It's not just gonna be the track switches."
That was not the answer the man wanted to hear.
"No," he said. "You guys have been running all over town, trying to turn FH into a fortress. Why don't you just do what the mayor told you to do and leave peacefully?"
Selphie didn't answer. Instead, she began to imagine what Fisherman's Horizon would look like if it was truly turned into a fortress. After all, it was basically a floating city in the middle of the ocean. It had a natural moat all around it. She imagined steel walls twenty stories high, topped with spikes and manned by snipers. The solar panels by the Mayor's house could be used to charge a giant death laser that could be mounted in the center of the city atop a tower. FH would be practically invincible.
(Invincible and awesome!)
"I don't know if anybody told you," Irvine said, "But the immediate future of FH ain't too peaceful. Doesn't matter if we leave or not. Galbadia's coming, and they're bringin' war with them."
Selphie continued to daydream about a potential FH Fortress. She gazed off into the sea, imagining colossal guard towers poking out above the waves.
"And whose fault is that?" the man said. "Haven't you two done enough damage already?"
"No," Selphie said. Irvine and the man looked at her. The man was visibly offended. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't really listening. What'd you say?"
"No death traps on the tracks," the man said. "No floating mines in the docks. No armored fishing boats with machine guns. No barricades on the Horizon Bridge. And no to whatever other hair-brained ideas you two are scheming or will scheme in the future. Leave town, please."
With that, the man turned around and went back to work, refusing to hear any more arguments.
(How can you say "no" to armored fishing boats with machine guns?)
Irvine seethed. "So y'all expect us to just do nothing then? Just sit here and watch the city burn?"
"Yes," the man said. He squatted down and picked up his wrench, returning to whatever chore he had been working on previously. He didn't look up.
"Fine," Irvine said. He dropped the blowtorch on the ground. "Then I won't bother carryin' this back to the shop. C'mon, Selphie."
Irvine turned dramatically, his dusty trench coat billowing in the warm ocean breeze. He stormed past Selphie and stomped down the tracks, heading back towards the city. Selphie stood in place for a moment, pursed her lips, then dropped her bundle of train ties down onto the tracks. They clattered loudly.
(Oh well.)
(It was a cool idea, anyway.)
She spun around on her heel and jogged to catch up to Irvine. She walked beside him and angled her head sideways like a bird to peer up at Irvine's face.
"You're really mad, aren't you?" she asked.
"How'd you guess?" Irvine said, glaring straight ahead at the horizon. Ahead of him, the sky was fading into purple and blue bruise colors, with the fading sun at their backs, casting long shadows on the tracks.
"I could tell cause of your face," Selphie said. "You're all rrr looking."
She clenched her jaw and bared her teeth exaggeratedly, in mimicry of Irvine's expression. Despite himself, Irvine chuckled once and relaxed his expression, but he kept walking down the tracks without slowing.
"I just don't get it, Selph," Irvine said. "It's like these people wanna die. Don't they have a sense of self-preservation? Don't they wanna live?"
"We'll think of something," Selphie said cheerfully. "Some idea that the mayor will be okay with that will keep the G-Army out of the city. Don't worry."
Irvine shook his head. "It doesn't matter. They hate all our ideas. Even the most non-violent ones."
"Yeah," Selphie said. "I really thought they'd like the train switches idea. Oh! Or the fishing boats with mounted turrets. I really thought that would be cool, but they didn't like it."
"It woulda been pretty neat, yeah," Irvine said.
"I know!" Selphie said. She bounced on her toes as she walked. "And even if they didn't want to fight, they could still use the turrets to go fishing! They could shoot the fish right out of the water! Rat-a-tat-tat! They'd eat like kings!"
With a deadpan expression, Irvine said, "I guess no one else has your imagination, Selphie."
"That's the truth," Selphie said. "Everyone else is so boring. They think fishing boats are only good for fishing. They can be good for other things too."
Irvine didn't seem to be paying attention. By now, the two had reached the outer limits of the city and were approaching the rusty metal houses that formed the perimeter of Fisherman's Horizon. He continued to stare ahead, walking around the random pedestrians and focusing on a distant point that only he could see. Selphie tried to find out what he was looking at, but there was nothing there.
"I dunno, Selph," Irvine said. "Maybe we oughta leave after all. It's not like they want us here."
Selphie pouted.
"But… the Galbadians," she said. "It's kinda our fault, so we gotta do something."
"If they don't wanna fight, we can't really make 'em fight," Irvine said. He shook his head slowly. "So if they want to sit on their hands while the Galbadians send them to jail or kill them all, we can't do anything about it. We can't exactly fight the whole G-Army by ourselves, you know."
"We're just not thinking hard enough," Selphie said. "There's gotta be a way that we can protect the city."
Irvine sighed and adjusted his hat with one hand. "Selphie, I love your optimism, but this time I think you're just askin' for the impossible."
"Well, I think you're just giving up," Selphie said.
(Really, Irv can be such a downer sometimes.)
Up ahead, the tracks split. One half continued straight on, heading through the heart of the city and proceeding on towards Esthar, while the other half went down until it reached the waterline. Without saying anything, Irvine and Selphie headed down towards the ocean together.
Irvine wasn't talking, so Selphie mulled over various options, allowing her mind to go wherever it wanted, to seek out illogical and improbable solutions that no one else would have considered. As they walked, they entered into a sort of tourist district, which contained a number of small hotels, bars, souvenir shops, and minor attractions. Since FH wasn't that much of a tourist city, the attractions were few and the amenities were minimal at best.
Out in the distance, high steel breaker walls encased this section of the city, keeping the ocean waves calm and steady regardless of the weather. The water was clear and deep blue and remained just below the tracks, close enough so that Selphie could dip her feet into the water if she chose to do so, but not so close that the water flowed over the tracks. A few schools of fish darted around near the surface, searching the docks for dropped scraps of food.
Irvine turned and headed up a couple of steps, entering into one of the local inns. Selphie followed right behind.
Inside, the inn was crowded with junk, like a lot of FH buildings. There were broken televisions and computers stacked to form tables for the computers and televisions that still functioned. Piles of scrap metal cluttered the corners of the room, and various bright-colored and rusty decorations covered the walls. At the far end of the small reception area was a metal desk staffed by a bored-looking middle aged woman watching a miniature TV. She glanced up at the pair when they entered, nodded when she recognized them, and returned to her TV.
"Ma'am," Irvine said politely to her, tipping his hat. Selphie waved. The woman didn't care.
(Rude!)
(Buuut, at least the rent is cheap here.)
In the corner of the room, one of the eight SeeDs that Irvine and Selphie had rescued from Timber sat on a metal chair, clicking away at a dirty computer terminal. Her name was Lisle. Having no other clothes available, she still wore the black skirt of her SeeD uniform. She had taken off her dress shirt and hung it from the backrest of the chair, wearing only a white undershirt while she typed. Her long brown hair was tied in a ponytail that reached almost down to her lower back. She looked up from the computer when Irvine and Selphie approached.
"How'd it go?" she asked.
"Bad," Selphie said.
"How bad?" Lisle asked.
"Well, the mayor still ain't talkin' to us," Irvine said. "He's gone and locked himself in his house and won't answer the front door. So he's out of the question. Then we found a guy who was willing to sell us a two-way radio, but once we told him that we wanted to use it to call SeeD, he suddenly wasn't interested in selling."
"You shouldn't have said that," Lisle said.
"Yeah, well, too late now," Irvine said. "Apparently word's gotten around that we're trying to bring SeeD to FH, so now all of a sudden radios are an endangered species in FH. I swear, we hit every shop in town, and they all 'just ran out the other day.' It's like a joke…"
(The mayor was almost on board with helping us…)
(… But then the Galbadians came…)
"Any news from outside?" Selphie asked, stepping around Irvine to peer at the computer monitor.
"Yeah, when this stupid thing works," Lisle said. To emphasize her point, she slapped the side of the monitor.
"Hey!" the receptionist behind the counter shouted. "You break it, you buy it!"
"It's already broken!" Lisle shouted back. She mumbled something under her breath and typed a few keys in.
"What a city, eh?" Lisle grumbled. "You can get anything you want, but it's all garbage."
(Still didn't answer my question.)
"So," Selphie said. "Any news?"
Lisle puffed out her cheeks. She leaned back in her chair and took her hands off the keyboard, setting them in her lap. She stared up at the ceiling as she rattled off a list of recent events from memory.
"Galbadia's trying to move in on Dollet," she said. "They say they're looking for sorceresses, but Dollet isn't playing along. Dollet has threatened to fight back if Galbadia sends any troops over the border, but c'mon, really? What's the Dollet Volunteer Army gonna do against Galbadia? It'd be the shortest war ever."
Selphie remembered back to her Field Exam, which had taken place in Dollet. The army couldn't even defend its capital from a relatively small invasion force without the assistance of SeeD. If Galbadia was really serious about attacking in force, they could theoretically level the entire country in a couple of days, and Dollet would be helpless to stop them.
(Yikes.)
"Sounds bad," Selphie said.
"It's bad all over," Lisle said. She leaned forward again. "Timber's basically a smoking ruin at this point. The Galbadian media blackout is in full force, so there ain't much news coming out of there, but everyone knows that there's not going to be anything resembling another rebellion coming out of Timber in the next few decades. Not after what President Martine's done to the place."
"They're not like, burning it down or anything, are they?" Selphie asked. She bit her lip anxiously.
Lisle shrugged. "Dunno. I don't think they'd go that far, but they're definitely coming down hard on Timber. Tryin' to root out sorceress and rebel groups at the same time. Seems like SeeD—and the rest of us—got out of there just in time. Honestly, Martine seems like he can be a pretty nasty guy when he wants to be."
Selphie frowned and looked away. While she had had nothing to do with the events that transpired in Timber, she knew that SeeD was involved. Since SeeD had been hired to protect Timber, Selphie felt personally responsible for their failure, even though she knew that there was nothing she could have done to stop it.
(That's why we gotta help in FH.)
(Can't let the same thing happen here.)
"What else is going on?" Irvine asked.
"Umm…" Lisle said. "Oh, yeah. Apparently there's been a breakout at D-District. Galbadia's being all hush-hush about it, but a couple of different sources said that some high-profile prisoners busted out."
"Who?" Selphie asked.
Lisle shook her head. "They won't say. Or they don't know. But here's the weird thing. Everyone's saying it was Esthar that busted out the prisoners."
Irvine and Selphie exchanged a glance. "Esthar?" they said in unison.
"Yeah," Lisle said. "People say a red spaceship came and dropped off a bunch of soldiers, then took off with the prisoners."
(A red spaceship?)
"The Ragnarok!" Selphie said.
"Ya don't think…" Irvine said, trailing off. He rubbed his chin with his hand.
"I dunno," Selphie said.
(I sure hope the ship's okay.)
"But yeah, that's what everyone's saying online," Lisle said. "It was definitely a flying ship of some kind, and Esthar's the only nation with that kind of tech. That's the rumor anyway. Galbadia's real embarrassed about the whole thing, so they're keeping their mouths shut for now."
"Maybe it's just rumors?" Irvine asked, shrugging. "After all, how would anyone outside of Galbadia know anything about D-District?"
"You might be right," Lisle said. "But you both seemed to recognize the description of the ship, so maybe not."
"Anything else?" Irvine asked.
"Well, Galbadia's been combing its own countryside, looking for sorceresses," Lisle said. "But because it's Galbadia, everyone is 'happy to comply' and 'eager to aid the efforts of our brave military' yadda yadda. You know how it is. They're really dead set on flushing out any and all sorceresses, wherever they are."
"Have they found any?" Selphie asked. "Sorceresses, I mean."
"If they have, they ain't saying anything," Lisle said. "But yeah, that's about it. I'd probably have more news if this computer could process anything bigger than a text document in less than four hours. Stupid junk."
"Any luck contacting Garden?" Irvine asked.
Lisle shook her head. "Nope. They're still offline. I sent an urgent message to the servers back on the island, but SeeD won't get it until they log back in. So… yeah. No luck. Sorry."
"Damn," Irvine said.
Lisle rested an elbow on the table and leaned forward. "So what's the plan then?"
"Selphie and I were just talkin' about that," Irvine said. "I think we should just go. No one wants us here, they don't want our help, so why fight it? If they want the G-Army to do to FH what they did to Timber, that's their choice."
Selphie frowned, but didn't say anything.
"Where would we go?" Lisle asked. "And how?"
"We still got the train," Irvine said. "I figure can probably find the tracker on it and take it off so that Galbadia won't follow us. Then we just cut east to Esthar. The tracks stop at this tiny little station on the continent, and from there we gotta walk the rest of the way. It's a hell of a long haul, but it beats staying here and dying."
Lisle's expression darkened. "Well, I don't wanna go. We screwed up in Timber, and look what happened. I don't want the same thing to happen here."
Unlike Irvine and Selphie, Lisle had actually been a combatant during the operation in Timber. She had driven one of the cars in the Decoy Team, but she and the other three in her car got captured when the car's rear axle snapped, stranding them in the middle of a field. After that, she and the other SeeDs spent some time in a Galbadian prison camp in Timber, which gave them all enough time to foster a great deal of resentment towards the country. She wanted vengeance.
"There's not much we can do to stop it," Irvine said. "We got ten SeeDs here. That's it. Ten people in the whole damn city willing to fight. Everyone else is all too peace-loving and friendly."
"If you don't like it, get out!" the receptionist hollered without looking up from her television.
"Stop eavesdropping!" Selphie yelled back. "And we just said you were friendly, so act friendly!"
The receptionist mumbled, then returned to her television.
(Some people…)
Lisle shook her head. "There's gotta be another way. Something we can do to help."
"That's what I've been saying!" Selphie said. "But Irvy's all, 'oh no no it's impossible. You're too optimistic.'"
"That's not what I said," Irvine muttered.
"Close enough."
"Did you try the railroad tie thing?" Lisle asked.
"Yeah, they didn't go for that either," Irvine said. "It'd endanger innocent people."
"Come on, Irvy," Selphie said. She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "We saved the world with six people. We can save FH with ten. We just gotta THINK!"
Selphie flopped down into a nearby chair and shut her eyes. She thought so hard that she made little grunting noises through her nose. Her mind raced. Any and all filters or restrictions she put on her thoughts—and there weren't many to begin with—were removed, allowing herself total freedom to consider any and all possible plans.
(Rocket launchers.)
(Big rocket launchers.)
(Catapults. Barricades. Para-magic.)
(Yes! Magic. Sleep spells, confusion spells, berserk spells.)
(Oh! What if we cast berserk on everyone in town?)
"Berserk magic!" Selphie said, snapping her eyes open. "Make the people fight!"
Irvine grimaced and shook his head. "Ya got a few thousand berserk spells handy? Cause I sure don't. And I don't think sending a hoard of enraged civilians at the G-Army is going to do much except cause a bloody massacre."
Selphie sighed. "I guess you're right." She closed her eyes and went back to thinking.
(Okay, other magic.)
(Ultima? I got some ultima spells.)
(I dunno… maybe as a last resort.)
(How about bombs? Put bombs all over town.)
(Won't the mayor say something?)
(We won't tell the mayor! Just put the bombs down at night!)
"Bombs!" Selphie said. "Secret bombs all over town!"
Irvine shook his head again. He lifted up one hand, as if pleading. "Selphie, I like your spirit, but be reasonable. Bombs all over town? You tryin' to save the city or sink it?"
"It might work," Selphie said, frowning. "Don't be so mean."
"Just bein' logical, Selphie."
"Then fine!" Selphie said, standing up. "We'll leave! We'll all just leave!"
She paused for a moment.
(Wait a minute.)
(Waaaait a minute!)
"That's it!" Selphie said. She snapped her fingers. "We'll just leave!"
"Finally," Irvine said. "You're startin' to see reason. All right, let's spend the night here, and leave in the morning. We'll buy some supplies and—"
"No, no, no, no, no!" Selphie said. "I mean, we all leave! Everyone! All the citizens. The mayor and his wife. Us SeeDs. Everyone just packs up and leaves."
"And goes where?" Lisle asked.
"I dunno," Selphie said. She shrugged. "But seriously, everyone in this town has a boat. Everyone can fish and stuff. So we all just get in the boats and go. Sail off to wherever, catching fish for food. And when Galbadia comes, it'll just be a big empty city. No one has to die, so we save the people. And no one has to fight, so the mayor will be happy. It's the perfect answer!"
Irvine looked taken aback. He bit his lower lip. "Huh. That seems… I mean, I won't lie, it's a hell of a crazy plan, but it's not impossible. And… the mayor might actually like it."
"I think he'll go for it," Lisle said, nodding.
"Yeah!" Selphie said, shooting one hand into the air. "It'll be like a big vacation for the whole city!"
Irvine grinned. "I like it. We should go tell the mayor about it."
"Should I come too?" Lisle asked. She put her hands on the chair, getting ready to stand up.
"You stay here and keep online," Irvine said. "We need to know if there's any breaking news. Or if Galbadia is planning to attack FH or anything like that."
Lisle gave Irvine a look. "Do you really think that Galbadia would put their battle strategy online for everyone to read?"
"Just stay here," Irvine said. "No sense in all three of us buggin' the mayor right now."
Lisle glared at Irvine silently. Irvine relented a little.
"You're right," he said. "A pretty lady like yourself shouldn't be locked up in dingy little hovel like this. So I'll make it up to you when I get back. We can get some food, hang out, you know, make a night of it."
"Wait, wait, wait," Selphie said. She shoved Irvine on the shoulder. "Are you asking her out on a date?"
He shrugged. "Just paying her back for all her hard work. And she's had a rough week. She could use a break."
"Thanks, but I'll pass," Lisle said. "I wouldn't want to come between you two."
"We're not a couple!" Selphie said, her voice steadily rising. "Irvine's just being… stupid."
Irvine held up both hands, defensively. "Sorry. Look, I said something to upset you. I'm sorry." He turned to Lisle. "But I still wanna make it up to you. You've been a great help. So if y'all need anything, you come to me. Whatever you want, I'll do it, okay?"
He winked at her. She rolled her eyes and looked at the computer monitor.
"Get over yourself, Irvine," Lisle said. "Not everyone's in love with you."
(You tell him!)
"Words hurt, you know," Irvine said, clutching his chest. "People don't really understand me, you know? Comes with being a sniper and—"
"I thought you were going to see the mayor?" Lisle said, interrupting.
"Yeah, IRVINE," Selphie said. "The MAYOR."
She grabbed Irvine by the elbow and dragged him out of the inn. Irvine struggled to try to look at Lisle and leave with some semblance of dignity, but Selphie was too fast and too determined for that. She pulled him—stumbling and muttering—outside and onto the train tracks, then released him. When the front door closed shut behind her, she spun around to face him.
"What was that about?" Selphie asked. She lifted her arms and then dropped them back down.
"What was what about?" Irvine asked, looking genuinely confused.
"What's this 'whatever you want, I'll do it' crap?" Selphie asked.
"Just bein' friendly," Irvine said. He pulled at the brim of his hand, tugging it down over his eyes so she couldn't make eye contact with him. "You always overreact when I try to be nice to people."
"C'mon. You're never nice to people," Selphie said. "You're only nice to girls."
"Well yeah," Irvine said. "Cause girls are sensitive and emotional. You gotta be gentler with women. Treat them with respect and care."
Selphie grunted in anger and spun around and began marching back towards the city and the mayor's house. Irvine didn't follow right away. Instead, he pointed his finger casually at her back and said, "You know, you're kinda proving my point right now. 'Bout women bein' sensitive."
"Just… erargahrgar," Selphie said. She waved dismissively at him and kept walking. Irvine smirked, adjusted his hat, and followed after her.
Selphie marched in furious silence for several minutes, not even sure why she was angry, yet reveling in her anger, like she had earned it. She felt slighted, but not sure why.
(It's not like Irvine and I have a thing or anything.)
(I mean… he's nice.)
(But he's nice to all the girls.)
Irvine could be a decent guy at times, she knew. But a lot of his personality was composed of pick-up lines and cheesy romantic garbage designed to trick girls into feeling sorry for him, and then falling for him. Selphie refused to be taken in by his charms.
After a moment, she glanced over her shoulder at Irvine. He was a few paces behind her, his hands in his pockets, staring down at the tracks. She had to admit, he had a definite appeal working for him. In the fading light, his heavy brown trench coat, black cowboy hat, and long ponytail made him seem like something out of a painting or a movie. His steps were measured and calm, keeping up with Selphie without looking like he was in a rush. He looked…
(Nope. Not gonna fall for it.)
"You know, she's not even that pretty," Selphie said to him.
Irvine raised both hands in a broad shrug. "All women are pretty on the inside."
"ERAGGHARHAAGH!" Selphie yelled and stomped her way faster towards the mayor's house.
They were silent for the rest of the trip to the mayor's house. As Selphie stomped her way down the long rusty stairs leading to the center of the solar panel stadium, she could practically feel Irvine's smug grin bearing into the back of her skull. She refused to turn around and acknowledge him. Allowing him to see that she was peeved was too much like admitting defeat. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
The two crossed the broad metal sheet that composed the floor of the stadium and approached the mayor's house. Selphie bounded up the steps two at time and rapped loudly on the door with her knuckles.
"It's us again!" she shouted.
"You know," Irvine said, coming to a stop beside her, "We mighta had better luck if you didn't tell him who we were."
Selphie grumbled. "Well, too late now."
She knocked on the door again, louder this time.
"Open, open!" she yelled. "We'll stay here all day and all night if we have to!"
Irvine smirked. "Maybe we should get a megaphone. Make some signs. March around his house chanting rhyming slogans."
"You think that'd work?" Selphie asked.
He shrugged. "He might appreciate our nonviolent approach to the situation."
Selphie was about to knock on the door a third time when she could have sworn she heard whispers coming from inside the house. She narrowed her eyes and stilled herself to listen. She raised a finger to her lips.
"Hush!" she said. "People are talking inside."
"Really?" Irvine asked.
"I said hush!" Selphie hissed. She leaned forward and pressed her ear on the door. The metal was cool and rough against her skin. She could definitely hear voices, but could only catch snatches of the conversation, only random words here and there.
"Is he talkin' to his wife?" Irvine asked.
Selphie shook her head. "Nu uh. Sounds like two guys in there."
Irvine mumbled something, but Selphie was focusing on the conversation inside and didn't hear him. It seemed like the voices were coming closer to the door, as the two speakers gradually grew louder and clearer.
"—Something you should know," a man's voice said. Selphie was fairly certain it wasn't the mayor.
"I appreciate the warning," the second man said. This one was almost certainly the mayor, she decided. "But it's wasn't necessary. Thank you, anyway."
"Is there anything we can do for you while we're here?" the first man said.
"No, no, that's quite alright," the second said. "We'll handle our own problems."
"If you say so," the first said. "I'll be taking my leave then."
"Do be careful," the second man said. "The seas aren't safe anymore. And another thing."
"Yes?"
"Don't let those two kids in."
"Understood."
"HEY!" Selphie said, standing up straight and staring at the door. Irvine crossed his arms and frowned.
"What'd ya hear?" he asked.
"The mayor just told some guy not to let us in," Selphie said. She shook her fist at the door, frustrated.
At that moment, the front door eased open, forcing Irvine and Selphie to step aside. Selphie ignored the person coming out and managed to catch a brief glimpse inside the house. The mayor stood just to the other side of the threshold, his arms folded behind his back. His expressionless gaze met Selphie's for a moment, and then the door closed. There was a click as the door locked.
(GRR!)
She turned to see the mayor's guest. Standing outside the door beside her was a tall, very buff teenager. He looked to be about Selphie's age, perhaps a little older, but his eyes and expression carried the mask of a world-weary man years older than his body indicated. His face, like the citizens of FH, was bronzed and toughened from exposure to the sun and the sea. Selphie didn't recognize him personally, but his uniform was unmistakable.
He wore an off-white shirt and pants with tan joint pads. Around his forehead was a pure white bandanna that held his hair up in perfectly straight spikes of jet black. He glanced at Irvine and Selphie with pale green eyes and nodded his head slightly.
"Excuse me," he said, before stepping between the pair and heading down the stairs.
(He's a White SeeD?)
"HEY!" Selphie yelled. She leapt off the front porch and jogged to cut him off. The White SeeD stopped and looked down at her. She realized then that she only came up to about his chest. Selphie, for a moment, felt very small and very young.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," the SeeD said. "But I'm expected back at my ship as soon as possible."
"Don't you ma'am me," Selphie said, sounding angrier than she meant to. "What's White SeeD doin' in FH?"
The teenager looked confused for a moment. His eyebrows knitted together, emphasizing his thoughtful eyes. "You know about White SeeD?" He glanced back at Irvine and opened his mouth slightly. "Ah, yes. Now I know. You're both with the regular SeeD division. We met in Centra, when you were looking for Ellone. I remember now."
"Yeah," Selphie said. She didn't recognize this particular White SeeD, and felt a little embarrassed that he could remember them while she could not remember him. So she stuck out her hand. "I'm Selphie. The idiot in the cowboy hat is Irvine."
The White SeeD accepted Selphie's hand. His grip was firm, but not painful. "Teo. Pleasure to meet you." He and Irvine shook hands. "But I really must be going. I'm expected back at the ship. I don't have authorization to stay on shore for any longer than is necessary."
Selphie frowned. "Whyzat?"
"We value our secrecy," Teo said. "We don't like to be seen out and about if we can avoid it."
"So then why are y'all here?" Irvine asked. Selphie could tell from his tone that Irvine was annoyed. "Ain't got nothin' better to do?"
(Is he… jealous?)
Selphie grinned mischievously at the thought of Irvine feeling threatened by another man. She took a second look at the White SeeD and had to admit, he looked quite dashing in his uniform. He was strong, but lean. He didn't have the huge, bulging muscles of a man who spent a lot of time working out in a gym, but rather the cut definition of a man who did physical labor for a living and got his exercise just doing his daily chores. She noticed that he was standing at ease when he was talking to her, in the same style that SeeD stood when addressing superiors. He looked professional and disciplined and intelligent.
(Okay, I admit… he's pretty hot.)
"I was delivering a message to the mayor," the White SeeD said. Selphie tried to peer into his eyes to decipher what he was thinking, but his face betrayed none of his thoughts.
"What was the message, Teo?" Selphie asked, unaware that she was grinning too broadly. Irvine, however, noticed her grin and scoffed under his breath.
"We should probably let him go back to his ship," Irvine said. "Don't ya think, Selphie?"
Selphie no longer had any doubts: Irvine was totally jealous of the handsome White SeeD in his immaculate uniform. And the harder Irvine was going to try to get rid of Teo, the harder Selphie was going to try to make him stick around.
(I bet Teo doesn't hit on every girl he sees.)
"I was warning the mayor that Galbadian vessels are massing southwest of Balamb Island," Teo said. "We don't know if they're planning to come to FH, but since we were here anyway, we thought he'd send the word along."
(Good to know…)
Selphie glanced at Irvine to make sure he caught the significance of that news. Irvine rubbed his jaw with one gloved hand.
"So they're comin' by sea then, are they?" Irvine asked.
"You knew?" Teo asked.
Irvine shrugged. "Yeah we… we knew that Galbadia was headin' this way sooner or later. But we thought they'd take the bridge in."
"Anyway, what really struck us was the sheer size of the force they're gathering," Teo said. "Given FH's pacifistic nature, it really wouldn't take much to overpower the city. But the number of ships that are gathering is enormous. Enough to go to war with almost any nation in the world."
(Any nation?)
Selphie gulped.
"Hm…" Irvine said. "Maybe they're not planning on stopping in FH. Maybe they're looking at heading to Esthar too."
"That's what our leader thinks too," Teo said. "And that's why I must get back to the ship. We have orders to depart immediately if we see any signs of Galbadian activity. We don't want to get caught in a war between Esthar and Galbadia. They'll leave me behind if I linger out here too long."
"Well, let's go then!" Selphie said. "We'll talk as we walk. Wouldn't want you to get left behind, right?" She grinned again, showing both rows of teeth.
Teo hesitated. "I don't have the authority to bring anyone back to the ship with me."
"C'mon, we're all friends here!" Selphie said. "We've been on your ship before. And we all know Matron too. So it's not a big deal, right?"
Before the White SeeD could protest any further, Selphie hopped towards him and took his arm, standing side-by-side with him. She gazed up into his weathered face and said, "Tee-hee!"
Behind her, she could feel waves of Irvine's jealousy coming off as an almost palpable heat. For a moment, it seemed like Irvine was about to explode into pieces.
(Good. That'll teach him.)
Teo sighed. "Alright, I'll take you to the ship," he said. "But that's as far as you go. You can't come aboard."
With that, Teo and Selphie marched back up the steps leading out of the stadium. Irvine followed behind, glowering and mumbling.
"Selphie, what're you doin'?" he grumbled.
She turned around and stuck her tongue out. "What? I'm just bein' friendly."
Irvine continued to protest. "We don't have time for this. We gotta talk to the mayor."
"Then you go back and talk to the mayor," Selphie said, still walking. "I'll go talk to the White SeeDs. We'll cover twice as much ground if we split up."
"Selphie…" Irvine mumbled. This time, instead of anger, there was a note of disappointment and sadness in his tone. Selphie vindictively relished it.
"I promise not to leave without you," Selphie said. She raised one hand and waved goodbye to Irvine. He stopped walking and watched Selphie as she climbed to the top of the steps and headed into the city of FH, arm-in-arm with the White SeeD. After a few moments, Irvine was out of sight entirely.
Selphie didn't really have any plans for the guy in her grasp. She wasn't even really thinking about what they would do or what they would talk about. Mostly, Teo was a convenient way for Selphie to get back at Irvine.
(Get back at him for what?)
For a moment, Selphie wondered why she was bothering to go through all this trouble. Was she really that upset about Irvine flirting with other girls? And if so, did that mean that she really had…
(No! I'm just… uh…)
(Irvy shouldn't be such a flirt!)
(Yeah! I'm teachin' him a lesson about respecting women.)
Selphie nodded to herself, pleased with her own excuse.
"So!" she said. "You guys came all the way out to FH to deliver that message?"
"No, we came to resupply our ship," Teo said. "Warning the mayor was just an additional duty I had to attend to."
"OOOOohhh…" Selphie said. "I didn't know you guys bought supplies from FH."
"We don't like to, but it's unavoidable," Teo said. "We fish and hunt and try to scavenge as much as possible, but there are some things that can only be bought in stores, like parts for our ship and so on. And when we need something, we come to FH. They've been kind to us for many years."
Selphie frowned. "Yeah, well, they're not very kind to us."
"SeeD causes too much havoc," Teo said. "You draw a lot of attention to yourselves. The people of FH don't like a lot of attention. Which is part of the reason White SeeD frequents this area."
"So what do we do then?" Selphie asked.
"That's not my call to make," Teo said. "That's up to your commander. I think you'd have to change the way your organization functions in order to please the people of FH. And that would require a lot of major changes to SeeD."
"Ah," Selphie said.
Even though Teo was very handsome and very polite, Selphie found her interest in him was fading fast. Talking to him was a lot like talking to Squall: all business-like and professional. His tone was even and measured, like he was reciting answers to a test. Also, judging by his answers so far, he seemed like the kind of person who would never step a toe out of line, even if it killed him.
(Man, all the hot guys are boring.)
Fortunately, she didn't have to keep making conversation with him for much longer. The White SeeD ship was docked a short distance away. Considering how the White SeeDs disliked drawing attention to themselves, they sailed in possibly the worst boat imaginable.
The White SeeD ship was a medium sized sailboat. The three major sails—one on top and one on each side—formed a semi-circle around the top of the ship and glittered in the fading sun like jewels. They were webbed, like the fins on a fish. Most of the front half of the ship was composed of a long wooden deck. At the back was an enclosed section with narrow windows. A few other White SeeDs marched along the deck and on the dock, hauling ropes and pulling boxes from here to there. The ship stood out prominently among all the dingy fishing boats and pleasure crafts that it was docked beside.
Teo drew to a stop a short distance away from the boat. "Here's where we part ways. Thank you for accompanying me to the ship. Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?"
But Selphie wasn't paying attention to him. Instead, her eyes were focused on the deck of the White SeeD ship, where a young woman in simple clothes emerged from below deck, squinting at the evening sun. She stumbled her way on unbalanced feet towards the gangplank. A nearby White SeeD saw her and rushed to stop her.
"Ma'am, you can't leave the ship," the White SeeD said. "It isn't safe."
"I just… want some air," the woman said. "I'm feeling a little sick."
"Then stay on the deck, please," the SeeD said. He pointed to a secluded spot near the front of the boat. "You can have a seat over there."
"Why can't we get off now?" the woman asked. "I can find my way back to Balamb from here. I'm grateful for all your help, but I don't need you to bring me all the way back home."
(Balamb?)
"It's safer with us, ma'am," the SeeD insisted. "Please, just have a seat."
The woman mumbled something else, then lurched across the ship and sat down hard beside some boxes. She rested her head against a box and shut her eyes.
"Can someone get her some water?" the SeeD shouted. Another White SeeD came out with a bottle of water, which he handed to the woman. She accepted gratefully and took a few small sips.
(Something's goin' on.)
"Okay, what's her story?" Selphie asked, turning to Teo.
Teo shook his head. "She's just traveling with us."
"But…" Selphie said. "She said she's from Balamb. And you guys said it's not safe here. Wait… is she a sorceress?"
Her voice carried across the dock. On the word "sorceress" every White SeeD on the ship and on the docks froze. All eyes focused on Selphie, some appeared hostile.
"I'm not a sorceress," the woman on the deck said without opening her eyes.
On board the ship, another White SeeD approached the rail and leaned out over it, glaring down at Selphie and Teo.
"Lieutenant, who is that with you?" the SeeD asked in a stern, intimidating voice. Teo stiffened to attention.
"Her name's Selphie, sir," Teo said. "She's a SeeD."
"What's SeeD doing here?" the other White SeeD asked.
"I don't know, sir," Teo responded. The White SeeD on the ship turned his attention to Selphie.
"Why is SeeD in Fisherman's Horizon?" he asked her.
"It's not all of us," Selphie said. "Just ten of us. We escaped from Timber right before everything got really bad." She was struck with an idea. She pointed at the SeeD on the ship. "HEY! Maybe you guys can help us find Garden!"
The White SeeD aboard the ship didn't respond right away. He stared at Selphie wordlessly, tapping his forefinger on the railing, lost in thought for a few moments. After a while, he stepped away from the rail and made a beckoning gesture with one hand.
"Come on board," he said. "I have something I want to discuss with you."
"Righto!" Selphie said. She scampered up the shaky gangplank and boarded the ship. The SeeD aboard jerked his head to the cabin at the back of the ship.
"Come with me," he said.
She followed him to the stern of the ship, then headed down a brief flight of steps to an enclosed cabin. The air was humid and stuffy, and the walls were loaded with maritime tools and supplies. Boxes of various sizes were lined around all the walls, their contents unknown.
The SeeD was visibly older than the others aboard the ship, but still couldn't be much older than Selphie. He closed the door behind him and ran a hair through his dusty brown hair—held up in spiky points by a white bandanna, just like the other White SeeDs. He looked as if he hadn't slept much in the past few days.
He turned around and addressed Selphie. "I'm Commander Alnaj, the leader of White SeeD. I believe we've met before. You seem familiar."
"Yup," Selphie said, nodding vigorously. They shook hands quickly. "Me and some others were here a few weeks back. We were looking for Ellone, and then you guys told us that Esthar took her. And then we left."
Commander Alnaj nodded gravely. "I see. I wouldn't have invited you up here if I didn't recognize you. I'm glad I wasn't mistaken."
"So what's up with the woman over there?" Selphie asked. She nodded her head back towards the front of the ship.
"She's part of why I brought you aboard," Alnaj said. "I believe there's a chance that you and I can help each other. First, please tell me how you got to FH."
Selphie shrugged and then hurried through the shortened version of the past few days, starting with her imprisonment in General Caraway's house, her and Irvine's trip to Timber, and their escape to FH. She mentioned the Galbadian train that had followed them, and the fact that they expected more Galbadians to come and retaliate for their attack on the train.
(Is that everything?)
(I think so…)
"And then you guys came," Selphie said. "And now we're here. The end."
"I see," Alnaj said. He nodded. "Your story sounds plausible and it matches up with our intelligence. I believe you."
"What? You thought I was lying?" Selphie asked.
"We're not very trusting of outsiders," Alnaj said. His expression was completely neutral. "I had to make sure your story made sense."
(Jeez. It's like a whole ship full of Squalls.)
(He'd love it here.)
"Sooooo… you said we can help each other?" Selphie asked.
"First, it's only fair for me to tell you how we came to be in this situation," Alnaj said. He leaned back and rested on the edge of a large wooden box. "After you and the other SeeDs left in search of Ellone, White SeeD has been drifting aimlessly through the locks and channels of the Centra continent. It was our duty to protect Edea and Ellone, and with both of them gone, we found ourselves without a purpose, without a mission."
"Sounds rough," Selphie said. Alnaj seemed not to hear her and continued on.
"A few days ago, we were on a routine hunting mission," he said. "Scouring through the Centra plains in search of wild game. Near the northern shore—almost due south of FH—we came across a Galbadian military encampment. We sent a few scouts to investigate and discovered that the camp was a makeshift prison for dozens of women from all different countries."
"Sorceresses?" Selphie asked.
"We didn't know at the time," Alnaj said. "But we suspected something along those lines. White SeeD has always held animosity towards Galbadia, and given our mission statement, we find ourselves sympathizing with sorceresses more often than not. We decided to help free those women."
Selphie wondered what exactly their mission statement was, but she decided not to interrupt. She was curious to hear more.
"That night," Alnaj said, "We docked far down shore and raided the camp. The guards didn't expect a rescue attempt, so they were lazy, sloppy, and easily overpowered. We gathered up all the prisoners and escaped back to our ship. We sailed around the continent, following obscure channels and narrow passes that would shake off any pursuit. During transit, the women then told us their story.
"It was the same story for all of them, but from different perspectives. Galbadian soldiers came to their towns and villages, pulled out all the women and girls, and ran a bizarre scanner over each of them. Those who repeatedly triggered an alarm from the scanner were rounded up and shipped off to the camp on the Centra continent, under suspicion of being a sorceress."
"Yeah, we heard about that on the news," Selphie said. "They're doing that all over the place."
Alnaj nodded. "Yes. And now, all those women we freed are sitting below deck in our hold, where we're keeping them safe. If we could, we'd like to drop them off here and allow them to find their own way back to their homes, but it's too risky now. From here, they'd have to pass by Timber, and there's a high chance that they'll be picked up by the G-Army again and sent right back to the camp. And with the G-Navy massing outside Balamb, we can't risk transporting the women home by ourselves."
"I getcha," Selphie said. "So whaddya want me to do?"
"I want Balamb Garden to take custody of these women for the time being," Alnaj said. "We don't have the facilities to handle three dozen refugees on this small ship. As you can tell, many of them are becoming seasick and weary. Furthermore, if Galbadia attacks us, we don't stand a chance to protect them."
"But I don't know where Garden is," Selphie said. "So I can't help."
"That's where we come in," the Commander said. "The White SeeD ship is very fast and agile, and we are very good at finding people. We also have an on-board long-range radio that can be used to hail Garden from almost anywhere in the world. Here's what I'm proposing: we'll help you find Garden and bring you to them, and in exchange Garden will take care of our passengers."
For a moment, Selphie almost agreed right away. She wanted to get back to Garden, and she also wanted to help the innocent people kidnapped by Galbadia. Agreeing to the plan accomplished two good things in one move. But then she remembered that Irvine was still trying to talk to the mayor and tell him her plan to save the city. Torn between two promises, Selphie hesitated.
"IIiiiiiii… dunno," Selphie said. She kicked a book in the air and stuck her hands in her pockets.
Commander Alnaj waved a hand. "I understand if you can't agree right away. You'll have time to consult with the other SeeDs and decide. It looks like we'll be stuck here overnight. One of our sails needs a replacement part, and the only service shop in town that can help us is closed for the night. So you'll have until dawn to choose."
"Okay then," Selphie said. "I'll let everybody know."
"And be discreet," Alnaj said sternly. "Especially with the 's' word. The people of FH are kind and forgiving, but even they tend to get uneasy when talk of sorceresses begins to spread."
Selphie chuckled. "Oh, I thought you meant the other 's' word," she said. "Whew."
Commander Alnaj narrowed his eyes and looked her up and down. "Are you really a SeeD? You seem rather… young."
(What!?)
She frowned, vaguely insulted by his comment and determined to prove him wrong. For a moment, Selphie dropped her personality, her lightness, her cheerfulness, and adopted the mantle of a perfectly trained, perfectly able-bodied SeeD. Her expression hardened into a mask similar to Alnaj's. Firmly and crisply, she clicked the heels of her boots together and saluted.
"Selphie Tilmitt, Official Ambassador to Trabia Garden," she said.
Alnaj's eyes widened slightly. "Ambassador? You must have done quite a few impressive things to rise so high in the ranks at your age."
"I saved the world," she said without a hint of humor.
"That is indeed impressive," Alnaj said. He didn't look like he took her seriously, but Selphie could tell that he believed that she was a SeeD and worthy of his respect. He returned her salute—which was identical to hers—and they both dropped their arms to their sides. "Go consult with your teammates and be back here by dawn. But if Galbadia attacks before then, we'll leave without warning. The security of White SeeD and of our passengers comes first."
"Understood," Selphie said.
"Dismissed," Commander Alnaj said formally.
And in an instant, the mantle came off again and Selphie was once more Selphie. Her limbs loosened, and she stood on one foot and waved goodbye to the leader of White SeeD.
"See ya!" she said. Then she laughed, "Tee hee," and dashed up the stairs and onto the ship's deck.
She ran down the gangplank—Teo was nowhere to be seen—and headed down the docks, on her way back to the mayor's house. She decided that Irvine had been sufficiently punished for his flirtatious ways. She completely forgave him and was rather eager to reunite with him and talk strategy. She wasn't sure if the White SeeD's offer would interfere with their plans to evacuate all of FH, but she was glad that at least she and the other SeeDs had other options on the table. Before, they had been limited to "fight and die" or "run and let FH die," but now things seemed to be looking better.
She was grinning as she reached the top of the Horizon Bridge, with the stadium full of solar panels down below her. In the fading orange light of evening, the stadium sparkled like a fireworks show. She could see Irvine way at the bottom, sitting forlornly on the steps of the mayor's house, apparently unsuccessful in his attempts to get the mayor's attention.
(Ah, shoot.)
But before she headed down the rusty steps to reunite with him, a motion caught the corner of her eye. She turned and looked to the west, down the long straight railroad tracks. She could see a little dot, which she recognized as a car, approaching fast towards the city.
She squinted a little and peered at the car. After a few seconds she recognized it: a Galbadian military car, one of the ugly models that reminded her of a big woodtick.
"Uh oh…" she said. "That's probably not good."