"Here we are," Seifer announced, bringing his motorcycle to a stop in front of the Trabia inn, a smirk playing on his lips. He was quite certain that he had given Quistis a ride she would never forget, with her screaming "Stop! Seifer, stop!" throughout the entire way. Despite a few elbows hitting his ribs, Quistis knew better than to compromise their safety by risking a potential crash. So, she endured the wild ride, clinging tightly to his grey trench coat.
"What was that for?" Quistis delivered a series of powerful punches to Seifer's back, causing him to wince in pain. She then slowly dismounted the motorcycle and leaned against a nearby tree, attempting to alleviate her motion sickness.
"Well, well, well, Quistis Trepe - the mighty warrior, weak against roller coasters. This would make headlines!"
"You dog!"
"Oh, watch your language, instructor. I wouldn't want you to lose your license again because of me."
Quistis shot him a glare, her gaze as sharp as when she unleashed her Laser Eye Limit Break. She rarely swore in front of anyone, but this asshole deserved to be the first exception.
"Get in. Third floor, room 302. We're staying here tonight." She commanded, her voice filled with annoyance. It's getting dark, and I'm in no condition to leave just yet. Jerk.
"I'm intrigued. The Trepies would be shocked to learn that you invited me to..."
"Don't!" Quistis pointed her hand at Seifer, signaling him to shut up without even turning around to face him as she walked up the stairs.
Seifer seemed to get the message this time and silently followed Quistis, though she could almost envision his trademark smirk on his face.
Upon reaching the room, Quistis noticed a sticky note on the door.
"Sorry for not tidying the room, I have to leave now. Senior Seifer, I hope you enjoy your stay 💛 😉."
Quistis smirked and handed the note to Seifer.
"Senior Seifer, a girl sent you a heart. Quite a déjà vu," Quistis mocked, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she emphasized "Senior Seifer." She relished in Seifer's disgusted expression upon seeing the sweet message from Acma, whom Quistis was convinced was Seifer's secret girlfriend or whatever. "You go ahead and take a shower first. I'll prepare my gear for tomorrow."
"First a hotel room, then…"
"Then a shower, and finally the bed, da di da di da..." Quistis cut him off with a sarcastic tone, not allowing Seifer to finish his retort. "Sure, the Trepies would love to hear that. Maybe you can send them a postcard. The reception desk probably has plenty." Quistis's tone then shifted back to seriousness. "Behave, or I'll kick you out into the woods all by yourself."
"Huh? Like I give a damn." Seifer snapped.
However, Quistis was certain that this guy was more of a talker. Being alone in the Trabia continent with most days in sub-zero temperatures was no joke, even for trained soldiers like themselves.
Seifer followed Quistis into the room, which had a small window offering a view of a distant mountain, its silhouette obscured by the surrounding pipe trees.
"Is Balamb Garden losing money on casinos or what? A Legendary SeeD staying in a place like this?" Seifer glanced at the tiny bed that occupied most of the room.
"Well, actually, Acma and I share this room. Trabia Garden is quite small," Quistis replied, retrieving her motion sickness pills from her backpack. As she spoke, she realized that Seifer had never been to Trabia Garden. "Besides, we spend most of our time out, discussing missions anyway." She washed down the pills with a sip of water, her mind wandering to the potential side effects of "over-hyperactivity" and "sleepiness," hoping she wouldn't exhibit any strange behavior under their influence, as she had during the two-day train trip with Selphie.
"Fine, I'll sleep on the floor," Seifer muttered before disappearing into the bathroom.
As the hot water cascaded over his body, Seifer took a moment to look at what Quistis had brought into the tiny bathroom: contact lens cases, a lavender shampoo and body wash combo, and a toothbrush standing in a plastic cup adorned with a photo of some kids. He picked up the cup as he stepped out of the shower.
The lighthouse. Edea's orphanage. Seifer's hands trembled. Quistis must have obtained this photo from the Matron, then had it printed on the plastic cup and brought it along on every mission. During less covert missions, SeeDs typically carried a few personal items that could be used for identification in case they sustained injuries that rendered them unrecognizable.
In the photo, Seifer stood at the back as usual, mocking everyone else for their orderliness and showiness—especially Quistis, who always strived to appear poised, disciplined, or cunning, anything but her true self. In this picture, she wore a pink dress with her pigtail tied high, her head tilted, and attempted a cute, angled smile. Seifer had no doubt that moments before the snapshot, she must have thrown punches at him multiple times to break up fights between him and the other boys.
Quistis was sitting curled up in bed, her head resting on her hand when Seifer finished his shower.
"Are you okay?" Seifer asked with genuine concern. He wasn't accustomed to seeing Quistis in such an inactive and somewhat vulnerable state. She was usually bustling about in her clunky boots or temporarily dead, only to be revived by a Phoenix Down and immediately resume her frantic whipping.
"Yeah, I'm fine, actually. The pills make me a bit loopy. It's nice to slow down sometimes. Are you done with the bathroom?"
Seifer nodded as she wobbly passed by him.
Rinoa found herself confined within a small, dimly lit chamber, surrounded by a labyrinth of tree roots that snaked their way across the walls and floor.
"Find me... Come back to me..."
Guided by her spirit, Rinoa floated forward, drifting through the chamber and discovering additional open chambers along the hallway.
"Is everything okay?" asked Laguna, his eyes fixed intently on the rapidly moving graph displayed before him.
Bruno's brow furrowed as he tried to decipher the perplexing data. "She is experiencing some sort of night terror. I combined her brain signals with a trigger borrowed from Ellone's extracted time magic, and this combination is consistently causing unusual recurring scenes in her visual cortex." His fingers danced across the keyboard, inputting commands and adjusting parameters to alleviate Rinoa's distress. He struggled to make sense of the enigmatic patterns emerging from her brain scans.
"Should we stop?" Ellone asked, her worry evident as she observed Rinoa's distressed expression.
Bruno's gaze flickered between the graph and Rinoa's distressed state. He grappled with the decision of whether to halt the experiment, torn between his concern for her well-being and his burning desire to unlock the secrets of her magical abilities.
"It's just a dream. Let her experience it a little longer," Bruno finally decided, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "Increasing the duration may enhance the likelihood of her remembering the details upon awakening. Furthermore, gathering more images will provide us with additional data, enabling our artificial intelligence model to learn faster and with greater accuracy. Let's continue until she can no longer..."
Before Bruno could finish his words, Rinoa let out a scream and abruptly woke up.
"Evalescent… Testa…" Rinoa muttered cryptic words before losing consciousness once again.
samaqi: Okay, I haven't found a good way to write this scene yet, but I think I have a good idea. Basically, Quistis mistakenly believes that Seifer and Acma are a "bad boy - fangirl" couple, while Seifer actually has a major crush on Quistis. Acma is aware of Seifer's feelings and uses them to manipulate him, and Seifer doesn't trust Acma to keep her word and not reveal his secret to Quistis. I'm trying to leverage Seifer and Quistis's common tendency to avoid using people's names to create a misunderstanding. If anyone has a better idea on how to organize their dialogues, I'd really appreciate it!
The bathroom door swung open, and the blond girl emerged, clad in her favorite cozy white turtleneck sweater. She noticed her companion writing in his notebook and quickly tucked it away upon seeing her.
"You keep a diary?" Quistis asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Field notes," Seifer corrected her.
"Right..." Quistis's smile grew wider as she exchanged a knowing look with Seifer.
"It is a field note." Seifer retrieved his notebook once more and pointed to the label that read 'Field Notes'.
"Sure, one can write anything in there. Grocery lists, combat moves, plans, codes, romantic dreams..." Quistis said, using both hands to press a towel against her wet hair.
"Sure. One can write anything in there. Grocery lists, combat moves, plans, code, romantic dreams..." Quistis said, while using both hands to press the towel to dry her wet hair.
Romantic dreams? Seifer narrowed his eyes. "What did that redhead tell you about me?"
"Acma? Not much," Quistis casually answered. "But I kind of put two and two together by myself based on what she told me. I'm not oblivious."
"I'll kill her," Seifer said through clenched jaws, feeling a sense of betrayal. Shouldn't have trusted that bitch with secrets.
"Wow, so it's true? I didn't know one day you could be into bookworms. Nothing to be ashamed of, though," Quistis paused, observing Seifer's reactions as she played with her hands. "Smart is the new sexy."
The heck? "I'm freaking not into anyone!"
Quistis's knowing smile returned, "Okay... no need to confess your feelings to me if you don't want to."
"There's nothing to admit. And even if there was, Quistis, it's all in the past."
"Huh? The past? Like since we were in the Garden?" Quistis asked, confused. Didn't Acma come to Balamb Garden only two years ago when Seifer had long left? How did they know each other? She was surely underage, too.
Seifer snapped, "Drop it!"
"Okay," Quistis replied, her voice tinged with resignation. "I find it interesting, but if it's really over, fine."
Silence hung in the air for a moment.
"Don't you think we're very different?" Seifer broke the silence.
Quistis nodded, "Sure, like day and night. She's the rule follower, and he's the rule breaker. She's a prodigy who became a SeeD at 16, and he answered 'Pee on the fire' to the question 'How to deal with Fire magic?' in a written SeeD exam."
"Didn't you become a SeeD at 15?" Seifer interjected. Did something hit your head, Quistis?
"Right... We took it together, and you sort of... helped me. Don't you remember?"
"I do. But you said... never mind."
Quistis continued, sensing that Seifer wanted to delve further into this topic. "But you know, opposites attract."
"Huh? What are you suggesting?" Seifer's confusion was evident
Quistis encouraged, "I'm saying, you should go for it. I've seen more contrasting couples. Look at Squall and Rinoa."
Seifer's response was incredulous, "Are you high? I didn't know you could be that direct..."
Quistis chuckled, recalling her motion sickness pills' side effects. "Haha, maybe, thanks to your driving. But, everyone deserves love and a second chance, Seifer. Well, not my words, but Selphie's. She borrowed it from some novel, God knows where. Anyway... I have to warn you, if you choose to pursue her, you'll face fierce competition from one of her students. He'll become a SeeD soon if tonight's mission goes well."
Seifer's interest was piqued. "Hold off on the pursue whoever part… That's quite interesting to hear about your new taste. A young student?"
Quistis reacted with mild confusion. "My new taste?"
Seifer quickly backtracked, "Ah, sorry, I forgot. Not exactly new taste for you. I was there when you hit on Squall and got rejected. Burnt. Badly."
Quistis sighed, trying to steer the conversation back on track. "Okay... maybe I'm a bit slow under medication. Why are you mocking me? You're no longer a student, are you? So that instructor-student taboo is not applicable here. Besides, research instructors are such a gray area anyway, as they don't get involved in field exams."
Seifer's thoughts raced. What the hell? Am I dreaming or Quistis Trepe just suggested…
"Anyway, enough of the side chat. Let's focus on the mission, reach the mountain, and we can get back to this love business when we're back in Balamb. I mean, if you want to come back to Balamb after this trip, I can help with the paperwork. I'm all in to bring you home, Seifer. We all want that."
Seifer struggled to understand why this conversation had ever happened. "Quistis... That's quite a lot to digest in under two minutes."
Apologizing, Quistis acknowledged, "Oh, sorry, I don't mean to bombard you with information like that. I guess two beers are my limit. Plus, the motion sickness pills made me hyperactive. Sleepy and hyperactive? I can't understand how these go together…"
Seifer's realization hit him. "I see, you're drunk. And let me guess... Everything you just said was just the alcohol talking."
"No, no, no. Not that... I'm one hundred percent serious about what I just said," Quistis insisted. "Just as I meant it last time we met in Fisherman's Horizon. I'm always by your side... whenever you need me."
Seifer fell silent, unsure of how to respond.
Quistis lay on her bed, making herself comfortable as Seifer settled into the blanket on the floor. She bid him goodnight, her voice softening. "Good night, Seifer."
"Good night."
?
Monday morning.
"How is she?"
"Sleeping. This cut is quite severe. I'm trying my best, but likely this will affect her casting ability significantly."
"Great… 10 years of training with all garden resources… What a waste!"
"Shhh… I'll try my best… We can ask Esthar scientists if they have some experiences with this kind of injury."
"Ok. Make it a priority, Dr. Kadowaki."
Footsteps.
Waste.
Tears streamed down the young girl's face as she tightly shut her eyes. This room had worse soundproofing than the others in the infirmary, a consequence of the rebuilding efforts following the attack by Galbadia Garden a couple of years ago. Shrewdya could hear the muffled voices of people eavesdropping outside her room, their whispers reaching her ears. Unbeknownst to them, she could hear pretty much anything they said, including the discussions about her in Dr. Kadowaki's office.
"It was your idea? I should've known…"
"I'm sorry."
"I told you not to complicate things with her. I lost one Holy… Do you know how hard it is to find one? I only have two left. I'm out of Holy, I'm dead!"
"I'm sorry, I'll find you another one, we still have time."
"No, we don't! Hyne! I'm out of words. Why are you messing up at this moment? You don't see I'm stressed enough? Gosh, I need my pills…"
"Here, water."
"You chose her over me. Over us! And she saved me by throwing away her own arm? How do I face her now, knowing what we'll do to her, to this Garden in a few days?"
"I'm sorry…"
Us? A few days?
"This is my fault... I shouldn't have let her switch positions at the last minute," Acma murmured, her head hanging low, as if seeking forgiveness from everyone in the room.
"Pointing fingers is not the purpose of this retrospective meeting. Let's focus on how we can improve for next time," Commander Leonhart stated in a stoic, almost robotic tone.
"The mission was correctly classified as a P2, although the danger level should have been a D0, considering the initial report of the monster's junction-targeting ability," Nida chimed in. "What about the elemental weaknesses?"
Lost in her sadness, Acma remained silent, so Raddie took on the task of answering the question.
"They were weak against ice and somewhat resistant to Thunder. Unfortunately, Acma's Limit Break didn't completely wipe them out," Raddie replied, immediately regretting his lengthy explanation. Acma was likely blaming herself for not draining more HP to increase the damage of her Limit Break. "But I don't think it would have made much of a difference even if Acma's Limit Break had dealt a few more percentage points of damage. It would have put her life at risk. So..."
"Raddie, I'm okay," Acma interjected, understanding Raddie's intentions and sparing him from unnecessary details.
"Understood. Considering the monsters' level and the fact that you are all new SeeD candidates, we're just happy that everyone is back in one piece…" Squall commented, suddenly realizing his insensitivity. "I'm sorry... I mean, everyone returned safely. We'll make sure Shrewdya receives the best care."
"I'll let her know. Also..." Raddie hesitated before reluctantly asking, "Considering Shrewdya's contribution to the battle even after being severely injured, could that make up for her positional mistake?"
"We have a fair evaluation system that takes various factors into account. You will all receive the results of the SeeD exam today," Nida responded.
"Acma, would you like someone else to handle the monster DNA analysis? If you need to rest, we can assign it to someone else," Squall offered.
"No, I can do it. Thank you, Commander," Acma finally lifted her head slightly, still unable to meet anyone's gaze directly.
"Please leave and get some rest," Squall dismissed Acma and Raddie.
They exited the Garden Committee office, stepping out into the long hallway.
"Don't be upset, Acma. It's really not your fault. If it weren't for you, we would all be dead. Don't blame yourself. Shrewdya will be fine," Raddie reassured her. "Timeth collected whatever pieces he could find. It will take some time to reassemble everything, but Esthar has offered to assist us. Seriously, Acma, don't worry. I visited Shrewdya earlier, and she seemed to be doing okay."
"Raddie…" Acma interjected, cutting him off. "I'm fine. Can you please tell her... that I'm injured too and that I have this DNA analysis task? I can't visit her right now. I'm not ready to face her yet. Can you help buy me some time to come to terms with it?"
Raddie nodded, realizing that Acma was in a vulnerable state he hadn't seen before.
"What's wrong? I heard you guys were ambushed," a tall figure approached Raddie and Acma.
Raddie glanced at Acma, sensing her unease at encountering her former partner during one of her lowest moments.
"Senior Zyma!" Raddie greeted with a nod. "It's good to see you back from your missions. How long will you be staying?"
"TBD - depending on a few factors." Zyma's eyes fixed on Acma. "Nice to see you growing up so fast. Good luck with the pending SeeD results."
"Thanks..." Raddie glanced at Acma, who was staring off into space, showing no signs of happiness about Zyma's return.
"Can I talk to my former partner for a sec?" Zyma gently asked Raddie to leave.
"Uh, sure... Acma?" Raddie looked at her, and she nodded lightly. "Okay... I'll go check on Shrewdya. Text me if you need anything." Raddie left, leaving Zyma and Acma in the hallway.
"Men's room," Zyma whispered to Acma.