In Which Three Blondes Find Their Happy Ending (Epilogue)
Another sunny, bright summer morning shone over Balamb Garden. The trials and tribulations of two troubled blondes were but a memory, as was the terrorization of the town of Balamb by a trio of layabouts.
Those days were long over, and the lone figure who slouched before the hallway leading to Training Center had long since integrated into the general student populace of the Garden. Going by the scowl on his face, he didn't seem to be happy about it. He tapped the gunblade on his shoulder up and down, glaring at anyone who passed too close to him.
Finally, the unmistakable groan of the heavy iron doors to the Training Center opening broke the silence, and lively chatter followed in its wake. A wave of first years spilled out in various states of disarray. Some were impeccably clean, and others were covered by what could only be generously called a marinade of monster viscera.
Trailing after them was the unmistakable flap of upturned hair that only one SeeD sported in all of Garden.
"You guys were awesome! Next time, though, I want Noctis on the lead. Ignis, if you never give 'em a chance to work it out a strategy for themselves, they won't learn how to fight on their own. You can't always be there, y'know."
"Yeah!" one of the smaller cadets who was completely covered in ooze shouted out at the tall boy. "Stop telling us what to do!"
"Be quiet, Prompto," the taller boy said coolly, before addressing his teacher. "I'll keep that in mind, Instructor Dincht. Thank you for your input."
Seeing the slouched figure at the end of the hall, Zell waved the cadets off. "Alright, alright, get lost already. Oh, an' make sure you shower 'fore your next class or I'm gonna get it again!"
The gaggle of cadets scattered, and Zell crossed his arms behind his neck and strolled out towards Seifer. "Yo!"
Seifer stood up, eyeing Zell up and down. "Chickenwuss."
There was a moment of tension as Zell punched a fist into his other hand and cracked his neck, scowling at Seifer. He still didn't like the nickname much, but getting a girlfriend had mellowed him out, much to the other man's disappointment.
"You ready to go?" Seifer asked. "I don't see why they make you supervise every single mission I get. We're just going to the Fire Cavern to collect some Meltdowns," he groaned.
Zell sagged a bit. "I know, right? Man, how much more borin' can it get?" He looked around, scratching his head. "Where's Quisty?"
"Right here," Quistis called, moving quickly towards them as she adjusted the whip hanging off of her belt. "My apologies, I had to stop by the classroom to requisition a supply." She stopped before Zell and gave him a perfunctory kiss, prompting Seifer to roll his eyes and make gagging noises.
"What? You jealous?" Zell asked smugly when he pulled away.
"No. I just can't get over the fact that you singlehandedly managed to decimate Trepe's reputation with her fanclub, loser."
Zell bristled, but Quistis clucked her tongue sharply at Seifer instead. "You know that was Selphie's doing. It was getting creepy, the way they were stalking me. She's the one who keeps them in line, really."
Seifer shrugged. "They must like it. Word on the street is that they're calling themselves the Tilmitites now. Irvine hates it." He sniggered.
"The point is, I don't have a fanclub anymore, Seifer, and I'd rather leave that chapter of my life in the past, where it belongs," Quistis groaned. "Now, shall we go? We've got to hurry if we want to make it to Dollet before lunch."
"Dollet?" Seifer asked, an eyebrow lifting.
"Yeah, I thought Squall told us to go to the Fire Cavern!" Zell said, trailing after her.
The click of Quistis' heels on the floor slowed down as she turned to eye them, then checked the corridor to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. Lowering her voice, she leaned in and hissed at the two. "Don't tell me you want to spend the entire day grinding in that cavern, when we could be enjoying cocktails at the Dollet Pub. Squall doesn't need to know."
"I dunno, grinding sounds pretty good to me," Zell protested, looking distracted.
"Keep it in your pants, Chickenwuss." Seifer raised an eyebrow and cooed at Quistis in a scandalized voice. "Drinking on the job? Instructor!"
Elbow-checking Seifer out of the way, Zell jogged to Quistis' side as she resumed her walk. "What's the deal? You gonna play some Triple Triad?"
"The Card Queen's back in town, and I managed to book Quezacotl for the day," she told him with a snug look. "Give me half an hour on the top floor, and another hour to refine the cards, and we'll have the rest of the day for ourselves."
"Sweet!" Zell yelled, punching the air, before Seifer grabbed him in a headlock, muffling his shout.
"Shut up, fool! You're gonna get us busted! It's Turtapod Tuesday at the Pub, and I'll be damned if you holler me out of a half-priced Hynekan!"
"Thank you, Seifer," Quistis droned, not even looking at the two. She punched in the code to the garage, then grabbed the clipboard and a key off the rack inside. "I'm renting us a vehicle so we can make it in time. Now get in the car, or get lost," Quistis said impatiently, leading them to one of the more nondescript, beat-up vans in the parking lot and holding the door open.
Zell scrambled in eagerly, but Seifer hung outside, looking back at the door. "Y'know, it's gonna be my ass if we get caught," he muttered.
Quistis rolled her eyes, and Zell stuck his head out the door. "Aww, c'mon. You know Squall loves you, Seif."
A look of abstracted horror and mild interest passed over Seifer's face at the thought.
"Love might be too strong an adjective," Quistis corrected hastily, pushing Seifer into the car with a grunt. "He appreciates the way you keep him grounded."
"Yeah," Zell agreed, kicking the driver-side door open for Quistis. "You're the only one who tells it to him straight when he's bein' too much of an asshole. We all kinda like it. Keeps life bearable when he an' Rinoa start arguin' about somethin'."
Seifer looked uncomfortable at the praise, but settled into the passenger seat, leaning an elbow against the window. "Yeah, yeah. It's not your Instructor licenses on the line, though. I already failed the written exam once."
"What!" Zell said, punching him in the shoulder. "Just man up an' ask me for my book already!"
"I'm not a Dummy and I don't need a SeeD manual written by one," Seifer growled back, hunching his shoulders over.
"Pride goeth before a fall," Quistis said casually, revving the engine. Then she looked over at the other two. "Now. Are you ready to have some fun?"
Zell grinned and pumped a fist in the air. "Everyday, Quisty!" He whooped as they escaped from the garage, barreling down the road in the rusty old van. "Let's gooooo!"
- The End -
A/N: Thank you for sticking with this story for over 17 years. I apologize for taking so long to finish it, but I hope it was worth it. May you all remember this fic fondly, and find many more in the future that put a smile on your face. Please leave a review and a kudos if you liked it, and thank you and take care!
