Vignette 5: King Dad & The Boy From The Park
There's a baronial portrait of General Fury Caraway in the family room—but to Rinoa, he is simply Dad.
It's the only visible photograph of him inside of what the locals call the Caraway Mansion—but to Rinoa, this is just Home.
On an ordinary day, Mommy and Rinoa already miss Dad, but the photographs all throughout the house had only intensified their longing, so Mommy had to put away the other photographs for now. Rinoa got to choose which one to keep on display. She likes this portrait the best because it makes Dad look like a bona fide King from a classic fairytale.
If Dad is the King, then Mommy is the Queen, and Rinoa is the Princess…
King Dad of Galbadia had an austere countenance and black-and-gray hair and lots of impressive medals. Though he was the kind of Dad who had little time to spend with his girls, and he didn't always express his love through hugs like Rinoa craved, he watched over Queen Mommy and Princess Rinoa in his own quiet and staid way, and he cared for them with an unequaled devotion.
One day, King Dad was traveling in his chariot through the Hills of Wilburn to attend an event for the world's monarchs when he was ambushed by one hundred wild bandits. Alas, he perished on the spot—a poisonous arrow wound straight to the heart!—before he could be rushed to the royal infirmary.
Queen Mommy and Princess Rinoa never got to say goodbye to King Dad. In fact, they were so beset by tears that they could not bear to even look at his lifeless body. Days, weeks, and months passed in a haze of grief and emptiness and the terrifying question of "what next?"
When Queen Mommy finally felt a little like herself again, she decided that it was time for her daughter to graduate from homeschooling. She also wanted to cheer up Rinoa (and herself by extension) with a surprise present: Baby Angelo, the cutest and smartest puppy that ever lived.
"Woof! Woof!"
Rinoa's daydream concludes in the solacing presence of her real-life puppy.
Angelo is busy exploring the interactive puzzle that Mommy recently bought at the mall.
It's a flat, circular toy resembling a watermelon with all manner of knobs, buttons, lids, and drawers in which Rinoa has hidden various small treats. The box that the toy came in claims that all of this stuff is good for developing a pup's cognitive abilities.
Rinoa had to look up that word, cognitive, in the dictionary. Ever since she started going to school, she takes extra steps to ensure that she won't sound silly in front of her classmates. She thinks that she did pretty well on her book report and oral presentation this week, though there was a stifled snicker or two from the back of the classroom.
Angelo suddenly gets bored and rolls onto her back. Rinoa gives her a nice little belly rub.
"Good work, Angelo! How many treats did you find?"
Angelo woofs three times.
"And you already ate all three!?"
Angelo whines with satisfaction (and apparently no regrets).
The girl and the pup simultaneously perk their ears at the sound of Mommy's voice from the adjacent room.
"Hello? Yes, this is Julia Heartilly. It's lovely to connect with you, Mrs. Kramer. Thank you for calling."
Rinoa is excited that the adults have made contact with each other. This is a very important step, you see, because at the end of the day, 10-year olds can't do much without their guardians' say-so.
She listens carefully to Mommy's side of the conversation.
It sounds like the orphanage playdate has been set up for Friday after school!
Rinoa wears her prettiest dress to the playdate.
Mommy drops her off at the front of Mrs. Kramer's orphanage. It's a two-story house, not as big as Home, but somehow warmer and friendlier. When Rinoa makes it to the front door, she looks back at Mommy and gives a happy thumbs-up. Mommy smiles and nods for her to continue on her adventure.
Rinoa knocks politely on the door and holds her breath in anticipation.
She cannot believe who's on the other side.
"Hey…" Rinoa lights up. "You're…! You know, the boy from the park…" She claps her hands in delight. "So…does that mean…you live here!?"
The boy from the park is flabbergasted. "You're the friend Selphie invited?"
"Rinoa Heartilly." She offers a hand. He stares at it. He seems a bit flustered by their encounter. She finds his hand and shakes it gently as if to teach him the ways of socialization.
The boy blinks and shakes his head as he finally returns the handshake. "Squall Leonhart. I…used to live here, but not anymore. I'm just hanging out with my friends for today."
"Pleased to meet you, Squall."
Rinoa is thrilled by the prospect of befriending this incredibly serious and somewhat anxious boy.
This incredibly serious, somewhat anxious, extremely good-looking boy. Is it fate that they've met again!?
"You too, Rinoa."
Rinoa waits patiently.
"Oh," says Squall bashfully as he moves out of the way. "Please come in."
She turns around one more time to wave goodbye to Mommy before skipping over the threshold.
"Eek!" squeaks Rinoa, startled by the massive and not-so-handsome portrait hanging in the foyer. "Who's that?"
"That's NORG. We call him N," explains Squall. "He's our benefactor. He bought this house for us."
"Ohhh." Rinoa nods. "I see."
Benefactor. She'll have to look up this word, too.
A thundering stampede interrupts Rinoa and Squall.
One short blond boy crashes down the stairs and flies past them in a blur. Two more boys, another blond and a brunette with hair as long as Rinoa's, are chasing the first boy. All of them are shouting incoherently at each other.
"That was Zell, Seifer, and Irvine," says Squall, unfazed by the noise level. "In that order."
"Zell, Seifer, and Irvine," repeats Rinoa, furrowing her brow in concentration.
Squall's lip trembles ever so slightly in amusement.
"What?" Rinoa becomes self-conscious. "Did I say something funny?"
"No!" Squall looks mildly alarmed at the accusation. "No, I just—"
Rinoa doesn't find out what.
Selphie comes sliding down the banister in a showy entrance.
"Rinoa, dah-ling!" she says in an accent. "Mwah, mwah!" She offers cheek kisses to her guest.
Rinoa feels flattered to receive such greetings. "Hi, Selphie! Thanks for letting me come over. I'm so excited to be here!"
"I have the grandest day planned for us!" declares Selphie. "Oh, I see you've met Squall?"
"We've met before, actually," clarifies Rinoa.
She glances at Squall, who has reverted to a flustered state. Selphie notices his reaction and arches her eyebrows in mischief.
A tall blonde girl gracefully descends the staircase.
"Hello, I'm Quistis."
Rinoa shakes Quistis' hand. "Hi, I'm Rinoa."
Rinoa remembers that Quistis (called Quisty by the others) is the oldest in the group.
Selphie strikes a pose and motions for Squall, Quistis, and Rinoa to follow her down the hallway.
"Woohoo, let's get this party started!"
