TODO: Acma, Raddie caught up with Seifer, Quistis on the Mount Evalescent mission. Seifer and Acma confirmed there will be ancient powerful monsters guarding the temple, decided to train themselves and move alternatively

Acma trained with Seifer, Raddie trained by Quistis. Make a bet if Acma vs Raddie could win.

Quistis tidied up the fire and washed the dishes, while Seifer delved into the combat training books provided by Acma. Acma and Raddie helped set up the tents, and once they were done, the four of them retired to their own tent and called it a day.

"Seifer, are you awake?" Quistis whispered, poking her fingers through the layers of the tent.

"... Yeah, what's up?" Seifer replied, lying down and reading Acma's ebook tablet.

"Nothing, I'm just having trouble falling asleep."

"…"

"Believe me, Seifer, I'd rather talk to a wall, but since there isn't one here, you'll have to listen to me anyway," Quistis explained.

Seifer closed the book, still marking his progress with his finger, and turned towards Quistis' direction. "You take that puberty boy's advice too seriously."

"Haha, I guess so," Quistis chuckled.

Silence hung in the air. Just when Quistis thought Seifer would ignore her, he spoke up.

"So, what do you want to say to this wall full of good life advice?"

"Nothing in particular... I just feel like ever since Acma and Raddie joined us, we haven't had much of a chance to talk, or 'verbally spar,' whatever you call it," Quistis said.

"Right, I thought I was annoying you. But it seems like you enjoy being annoyed. The typical dominatrix has now turned into a masochist," Seifer teased.

"Stop right there! You're the one who seems more like the masochist between the two of us... I haven't told you why I laughed so much the other day when you reflexively hit me, have I?"

"Yeah, no, you just acted like a weirdo. I'm not surprised though, you've always been a weirdo to me. But anyway, what made you laugh?"

"I realized that you have such quick reflexes hitting me back when I touched your hand out of nowhere. Yet, you never seem to dodge my punches or kicks," Quistis explained.

Seifer understood what she was getting at but pretended to be nonchalant. "So?"

"You're the real masochist - you enjoy being hit. That's the only explanation!" "Really, Trepe? That's what you deduced from hitting me? Everything has to be sexual with you?" Seifer turned the tables.

"What? No! Don't twist it around. I see what you're doing here. There's no one around, no point in embarrassing me like you did this morning in front of Acma and Raddie," Quistis retorted.

"Fine, I'll make sure to tell them first thing in the morning that you insist I am your masochist. Thanks for giving it away so easy with your whip, dominatrix!"

"No way they'd believe that. They are my Trepies, less creepy ones. And you are… well, you," Quistis emphasized the last word.

"Tch... How convenient for you to portray a perfect life, only to talk shit about a low-life thug like me," Seifer tried to sound offended, but both of them knew he didn't actually mind.

"Perfect? My life is not perfect. Not even close." Quistis disagreed, tone uncertain.

Seifer let out a sigh.

"I see your little trap, Miss Trepe. Pulling me into your girly chitchat party, aren't you? Fine then, spill it. How come your life is not perfect? You have dozens of fans, probably half of Balamb town wants to crawl under you. You have a stable job, a decent look, not much ass going on but yeah, acceptable if taking into account personal taste…"

Quistis chuckled at his last remark on her rear once again. This guy had a rare ability to end any serious conversation with a rude remark.

"Obviously not enough. That's probably why I jumped on this endless journey with you. No plans, no goals, at least not until today. I haven't even discussed with Xu about finding a substitute at the Garden while I'm away... not that it matters anymore, now that the Garden is under attack. I'm worried about my friends, in a way, but I know they are strong. Who knows, maybe they're enjoying this change of events, just like I am."

"Thirsty for adventures, huh? Let me guess, the missing piece in your perfect garden life is the puberty boy, who is now twisting with the powerful princess. You joined me to get away from that, right?" Seifer speculated.

"No, no, no," Quistis quickly denied. "First of all, we're friends, all of us. Yes, I may have mistaken my feelings for Squall - it was more like a sissy love. To be honest, maybe I was truly in love, but not with Squall. I guess. I was… I like the idea of falling in love, of having someone being there for me, and Squall happened to be… the most familiar. I had never imagined being with him romantically. He rarely talked to me or even answered my questions. What would we do if we went on a date? It would be incredibly awkward. And of course, when Rinoa came into the picture, I completely let go of that idea - that, I can admit openly. I'm genuinely happy for them. That's the end of it."

Silence filled the air, and Quistis anxiously awaited Seifer's response, expecting him to mock her or dismiss her confession.

"... And the second reason?" he finally asked.

"Ah... well, I just thought you might want some company. I mean, not that I think you actually want it - you probably would never ask for it. But for safety reasons, it's always good to have a team to watch each other's backs. You have to agree with me that it has been useful so far, right?" Quistis explained.

"Right. So, it has nothing to do with escaping your not-so-perfect life yet," Seifer ran out of patience.

"Oh, yes, that part. Sorry, hard to wrap my head around… Hyne, this is not an essay," she laughed nervously, "I don't know, it's just... kind of boring. It's not like every single day is boring, but when you look at it as a whole, after a few years, altogether, it starts to feel that way. Do you understand what I mean?" Quistis asked.

"Not really… but yeah, I guess it's possible."

"Yeah, sorry, too vague, isn't it? Imagine teaching the same classes semester after semester. Sure, there are occasional variations, some extra classes that require more preparation, different students - well, except for some repeat classes like you had... and yeah, the missions are unique and change the battle plans a lot, but... I feel like I've mastered all of that. I guess I rushed through everything to reach my current position, and now I'm left wondering what's next," Quistis explained.

"That makes sense. From the perspective of someone who has more of those."

"… And yet, I'm the one complaining. Now I feel like an ass ranting to you. First world's problem, you may think?"

"You've always been an ass. Not a big one, though, no pun intended. Running between classes, Always strutting around, giving that 'I'm higher than you' look to everyone. But hey, no offense. Everyone has problems. We're all fucked up orphans anyway."

"Thanks… I do feel better, really, despite your insults. Thanks for listening and not giving me advice like, 'Oh, Quistis, you just need to do this and that...'"

Silence.

"What about you then?"

"What?" Seifer asked.

"I'm done." Quistis replied. "It's your turn. What's your problem?"

"Isn't it obvious enough?"

"No, it's not. Are my problems obvious? It's easy for outsiders to put labels on us, but it's harder to see what's really going on beneath the surface."

"None of your business!"

"None of your business!" Quistis fired back simultaneously, chuckling. "You and Squall are more alike than you may think."

"..." "Anyway, I'm always serious being your wall. If you're ready to share, Seifer, I'm all ears. Maybe we can call it our "wall time"? Let me know when you need it from me, can you?" Quistis offered.

"…"

"Okay... Thanks again. I feel like I can sleep now. I won't disturb your reading anymore. Goodnight, Seifer."

"Night."

Quisty.