School Interviews
Once breakfast was consumed, it now became hectic in the Warrior's home, trying to find suitable clothes to wear and look presentable in, all except Cecil, Bartz and the Warrior of Light. The situation was their clothes were, once again, pre-arranged, so it was a case of finding something to make the clothes look better, live with it, or not go to the school at all and stay behind. Once they were finally ready, showing off clothes related to their former attires, except Squall, since his attire was pretty much normal to begin with. Terra wore a more blanker version of her red flower-patterned dress, and lost the tights, which she claimed made her look childish, much to Luneth's dismay. Said child wore a regular red t-shirt and white shorts; apparently, it's the only thing close to resembling his red armour, that looked regular. Cloud simply removed his shoulder pad and metal glove, and it made him look like a regular worker, over a soldier. Firion, like Luneth, had to have a serious make-over, now wearing a jet black short sleeved shirt and baggy trousers, he looked much more looser than his armoured clothed state. Tidus, like Cloud, took off his left-arm gauntlet, to which he thought was much more better. And Zidane was defiant to leave his stage costume, since he claimed it brought back too much memories, but as it turned out, it wasn't as irregular as he turned out, all he had to do was remove the decoration from his chest, to make it a normal shirt.
"Is everyone ready?" Asked Terra.
"One problem!" Spoke out Cloud.
"Yes?" Asked Terra.
"My car's a six-seater. There's seven of us here." Cloud explained. This got Terra anxious.
"That is problematic." Terra said rather taken aback.
"There's only one thing for it." Firion said. "Luneth, you need to sit on someone's lap." Luneth instantly gaped.
"Why me?!" He yelled.
"You're the youngest." Zidane said. "But you can't sit on me, we're nearly the same size."
"Same here." Tidus said.
"I'm driving." Cloud prepped.
"I'll be sitting in front." Firion added.
"How about you-" Terra said.
"No!!" Squall hollered.
"I guess there is no choice." Terra said. "I'll do it." Luneth blushed instantly. They all went into the car, Cloud in the driver seat with Firion beside him. Zidane and Tidus sat at the middle and Squall sat at back with Luneth sitting on Terra's lap. Ever more, Terra clutched to Luneth tightly, because he had no seatbelt.
"Everyone hold on!" Cloud commanded, putting the car in immediate fifth gear, as they sped towards the school Terra spotted on the way back last time.
"Cloud!! Slow down!" Yelled Firion, new to Cloud's experience, and with technology for that matter.
"Man! You guys weren't kidding!!" Tidus yelled. Squall held on for bare life, not wanting to show weakness, clearly amazed by the threshold of Cloud.
"I never knew cars can go this fast!" Squall mumbled in insecurity. Meanwhile Luneth held desperately to Terra, hoping not to fall off her and hurt himself.
"It's okay, no harm will befall you, little one..." Terra said, now noticing the timidness of Luneth.
Soon, the seven arrived at the school, with a swerve in to a vacant car spot, which was surprisingly empty.
"What is wrong with you?!!!" Tidus yelled.
"Sorry." Cloud said. "I always drive my vehicles fast." Zidane shook off the third shockwave.
"Well, we're here now." He said, clearly shaken.
"You can let go now." Terra said soothingly to a still-timid Luneth. He opened his eyes, to see they were stationary.
"Phew!" He puffed, opened the car door and left the sanctuary of Terra's lap. Not before turning to her. "Thank you, Terra." She gave an immediate smile.
"Alright." Cloud said, also getting out. "Luneth, Squall, you're coming with me."
"Asking's quite good too." Squall said.
"Firion, you take Zidane and Tidus." Cloud said.
"Very well." Firion said.
"Terra, do you think you can make it alone from here?" Asked Cloud.
"I'm sure I will." She said.
"Alright, move out!" Cloud commanded, as they all headed for the same spot: inside the school. It was a large window-covered building, with bricks holding it up. The seven found the entrance and went into it, but no children were around. All they found a reception area.
"Is this a school, or a business headquarters?" Asked Squall.
"I'm guessing this might be the main entrance." Tidus said. "Kids must go through another route."
"We better go ask." Cloud said. They all approached, but Terra was the first.
"Hi, I'm Terra Branford, I am here about the job interview." She said timidly. The receptionist, being a mid-twenty year old woman, typed on a computer.
"Ahh! Take the elevator to floor 5, that's the headmistress's office." She said.
"Thank you." She said, heading to the elevator along the corridor, pressing number 5, and headed up at once. Next, Cloud came forward.
"I'm here to enroll my two sons." He said.
"You must go to the student registration department on the fourth floor. A representative will see you there." The receptionist reported.
"Thank you." Cloud said.
"We might as well join." Firion said.
"Do you think Terra will be okay?" Luneth asked.
"Of course." Tidus cheered.
"She'll be fine!" Zidane said also.
Meanwhile, on the elevator up, Terra was busy humming to herself. Then, she arrived to a widely spaced office, with pictures of flowers hanging on the walls and a desk at the far side with a window directly behind it. And on the desk was a mid-thirties woman, with a bun on her hair, and dressed in a black blouse and skirt, presumably the headmistress.
"You must be Terra Branford." She said.
"Yes. It's a pleasure." She said.
"Sit down, please." She said, waving a hand to the seat facing her. Terra did as instructed. "You look a little young to be a teacher."
"No disrespect, ma'am, but I can say the same with your position." Terra repelled. The headmistress grew a smile.
"Ahh, touche." She said. "Now, what kind of experience do you have teaching children?" She asked. Terra froze. She didn't expect a question like this.
"I...I used to have a nice position...teaching a youngster." Terra explained. At this, Terra wondered if little Luneth would be sneezing right now.
"What did this involve?" The headmistress asked, with a hint of curiosity.
"I was given the task in looking after a child for a period. This little one was a fine young man. He was a little overconfident at times, but you can say I was there to hold his hand and be like a mother to him." Terra said.
"Was this part of a program?" Asked the headmistress.
"Voluntary." Terra said, with a hint of joy saying it.
"How is this child fairing now?"
"Pretty well. I make frequent contact, to see how he is." Terra said. The headmistress paused.
"Well, you seem friendly enough to be a teacher." She said. "What kind of subjects are you most good at?"
"Mmm, literature, preferably." Terra said. The headmistress chuckled.
"That's our missing post." She said. "But one more thing. Why do you want to become a teacher?" Terra's initial thought was the money in order to sustain the eleven Warriors and Cosmos. But, she wanted a more personal answer.
"I wanted to help more children out in future. Just like the little child I helped out." Terra said with a poetic look.
"All I can say is, you're one hell of a girl, Terra." The headmistress said. "Come to work tomorrow morning at nine." Terra's face lit up with happiness.
"Thank you, headmistress." She said.
"Please, call me Ms. Emiko." She said with a smile. "Better take this. It's the times of when and which class period you'll start. You got lucky as well, you came right before classes would start again from the Summer break." She gave Terra a small piece of paper, with charts of the day and times and all her classes.
"Thank you." And with that, she took the elevator down.
"ACHOO!!" Sneezed Luneth on the elevator.
"Someone's talking about you." Firion said.
"Maybe Terra." Zidane said in a coy-like fashion towards Luneth.
"Hey, cut it out!" Luneth giggled.
"Alright, we're here." Cloud said, as the elevator stopped at the fourth floor, and when the elevator opened, there was a long corridor, and to the sides were many offices.
"Which one do you think is the Child Registration place?" Asked Firion.
"How about the sign that says "Child Registration"?" Asked Squall, pointing to an office with said sign.
"Let's go then." Tidus said. The six approached and knocked on the glass door, hoping the tall elegant lady with blonde hair behind the desk would notice. She did, and waved for them to come in.
"Hi, we're here to enroll our sons." Cloud and Firion said together. The woman typed on her computer.
"Excellent timing, the school term starts tomorrow." She said.
"Must be Cosmos' doing." Squall muttered.
"I'll need a copy of the student's names." The woman said.
"Tidus and Zidane are my sons." Firion said. "I'm their father, Firion."
"Last name?" The woman asked.
"...Tribal." Firion said, using Zidane's last name, since his was the only known in the trio. During all this, the woman typed some more.
"Luneth and Squall Strife are my sons." Cloud said. "And I'm Cloud."
"Do the children have any maternal mothers?" Asked the woman. This got everyone nervous.
"Me and Luneth were adopted by our dad, who's a lone parent." Squall said. "Not sure about our friends Tidus and Zidane though." Both said Warriors had the feeling to yell 'thanks a lot' for placing them in such a position.
"Yes, they had a mother, but she's deceased." Firion lied.
"Do forgive me." the woman said.
"It's alright." Firion said, naturally. Tidus and Zidane sighed in relief.
"Now, I'll need a copy of your addresses and method of contact." The woman continued. Cloud unpocketed a sheet of paper and gave it to the woman.
"That should have our address and telephone number." Cloud said.
"We live next door." Firion lied once more. "We're new to the neighbourhood, so we haven't gotten round to installing a telephone of some sort."
"If you want, I can show you." Cloud said, just to sweeten the mood.
"Thanks, Cloud." Firion said with a smile.
"Just use my phone number should an emergency rise." Cloud said to the woman. And the woman typed more information onto her computer.
"Excellent. The four of you will be put to class A in year 1. You begin lessons tomorrow, and here's your timetables." She explained, handing out the timetables for their lessons. Luneth inspected it and was shocked to see who their homeroom teacher, as well as their literature teacher, was.
"Ms. T. Branford?!!!" He mentally screamed.
"One more thing." The woman continued. "Uniforms will be bought on the ground floor for a minimum price." Cloud simply nodded.
"Thank you for your time." Cloud said, leaving with his companions and went straight for the elevator, going for the ground floor.
"Guys! Terra's our teacher!" Luneth said.
"Lucky." Cloud said. "But that's the least of our worries. How are we gonna get the money to buy the uniforms?"
"This is gonna be hell." Squall moaned.
Soon, the six arrived at the ground floor to see Terra waiting for them.
"Hello, everyone." She said happily. "How did you do?"
"We're in." Cloud announced.
"So am I!" Terra said happily.
"We know!" Luneth said, and showed her the timetable. She gave a gasp.
"How lucky!" Terra squealed ecstatically.
"Still, it's going to be all for naught if we don't buy the uniforms." Cloud said in doubt.
"Need a thief to get the clothes?" Asked Zidane with a hint of glee.
"No!" Cloud hollered. "You'll only get into trouble. We'll ask Cosmos to conjure ones of similar fashion."
"Man!" Zidane moaned.
"I cannot." Said Cosmos that day, once the seven had (Shakingly) returned. Cloud popped the question of conjuring the four some clothes for the school semester.
"Why not?" Asked Cloud. "You were perfectly fine making food and cars."
"I have just recently discovered that Chaos and his forces have discovered our disappearace to another realm." Cosmos explained. "Overuse in my powers will alert one individual who possesses expertise on interdimensional travel."
"Exdeath." Bartz said, whilst listening in.
"That puts us in a predicament." Squall said.
"Just say the word, Cosmos." Zidane said. "I can nip up to that school and steal all kinds of stuff from there, and least until Cloud and Terra start getting some money."
"I am not going to tell you again." Cloud said rather angrily. "You-"
"Can." Cosmos said.
"Huh?" Zidane gasped.
"You are a very skilled thief, and presently, we must work to our strengths, in order to seclude ourselves from Chaos." Cosmos said. "If we need any materials for our seclusion, I believe Zidane will be the one to provide us, until Terra and Cloud can do it justly."
"Does that mean...I'm allowed to steal?!" Zidane said in astonishment. Cosmos nodded in slight joy. Zidane just had to jump up and hug her for this.
"Thanks, Cosmos!" He said happily.
"He sure is popular with the ladies." Bartz said. The tiny tailed-thief hopped down from Cosmos, after seeing the Warrior of Light grow anxious.
"Alright, tonight, the thief is on the job!" Zidane called in might.