"Are you ready for tonight?" Selphie shrieked, bursting through Rinoa's door with arms up high. She practically skipped her way into Rinoa's living room after she kicked off her sandals. "What are you going to wear tonight? I brought a few outfits because I can't decide which to wear…"
Saturday night had finally come. It was the night of the show and the blood in Rinoa's veins sang with feverish excitement. She felt that she had been counting down the hours for Selphie to come over. They had spoken in the morning and Selphie had said she would arrive early so they could get ready together.
Rinoa smirked and brought Selphie to the bedroom so she could set up in front of the vanity. "Well, I'm going to be maneuvering around the whole venue and possibly climbing on things so…a skirt is definitely out!"
Selphie tossed her small duffle bag onto Rinoa's bed and dove into the closet to shuffle through the multitude of hanging clothes. "Who says you need to wear a skirt? You can still dress cute!"
"Uh…I could wear a potato sack and look adorable," Rinoa sang. She opened up Selphie's bag and filtered through the clothes. "What were you thinking of wearing?"
"Something sexy—obviously," Selphie countered. "My honey-bun is the lead singer! I have to not only look the part but also I have to look better than any of those groupies that show up!"
Rinoa lifted up a pair of fashionably ripped denim shorts and looked over at Selphie. "Do you encounter that problem often?" she asked cautiously.
Selphie shrugged. "Sometimes," she said. "I mean, I can't be too mad because it's not like they know he's spoken for. It's when they continue trying to pursue him after he says he's involved with someone that I get upset." Selphie sent Rinoa a glittering smile. "Besides…he can't help it that he's so damn irresistible!"
"I think you took the term 'simplicity' too far to heart," Selphie pouted, her lips curled up in an unimpressed scowl as she ran her eyes over Rinoa's form. "I mean…you look great but come on! Dress up a little!" As if to solidify her statement, she fluffed up the gray lace skirt she wore.
With a huff Rinoa planted her hands on her hips and shot Selphie a look. It was easy for her to say…Selphie not only had someone to dress up for, but she didn't have to work tonight. Selphie had the role of the singer's girlfriend, she was to enjoy her night and look devastatingly gorgeous while the groupies coveted her position.
Rinoa pulled the zipper up over her breasts. The black crop top stopped just at the bend of her waist, exposing her flat belly. Her faded and ripped blue jeans hung low on her hips and she sat down to lace up her boots. She knew that it would be warm inside the venue—what with the multitude of bodies crammed inside a small space—but she also knew that the risk of her toes getting stepped on were very high so it was common knowledge to wear sturdy boots.
"Ugh…fine," Selphie muttered, rolling her eyes at the look that Rinoa sent her way. With a quick flip of her purse, Selphie emptied the contents, spilling cosmetics onto Rinoa's bed. "Do you have setting spray? Mine ran out and I keep forgetting to grab some."
Rinoa disappeared into her bathroom and rummaged through her makeup stash. Her hand wrapped around the slender spray bottle and she brought it to Selphie. Any photographer worth her salt knew that makeup setting spray was a must—especially in an area where the model may become sweaty and the makeup would just melt off. "Are you doing your makeup all crazy today?"
Selphie shook her head and scooped up a few items before heading into the bathroom. "Not really, I'm thinking maybe just a simple smoky eye." As she started dabbing on her foundation she looked over to Rinoa who was leaning over the bathroom counter to get a good look in the mirror as she started drawing her winged liner. "You don't really wear a lot of makeup, do you?"
"On occasion," Rinoa said softly so as not to mess up her eyeliner. "Lately it's just been eyeliner and mascara." She loved makeup, she loved makeup shopping, and she loved how sometimes it was even considered an art form. However, lately she had been creating very basic and simple looks…mostly because it was less for her to wash off at the end of the night, she had a habit of forgetting to wash her face before bed.
As Irvine pulled up to the back entrance of the venue, Squall's eyes locked onto a blonde standing beside a gunmetal gray Hummer. He took note of the other man's team that consisted of three large and muscular men. Inwardly Squall made a face of confusion. Seifer's videographers looked more like meat heads one would meet at a gym rather than having an artistic career path. I suppose you can't always assume, he thought.
Almost as if hearing Squall's thoughts, Seifer turned and gestured toward Irvine's SUV. One of men behind him—the one with the dark hair that was pulled into a topknot—pulled up a camera and followed the SUV's movement as it parked.
Ever the charmer, Irvine rolled down his window and gave the camera a sly grin. "Well now," he said lowly. "How are you gentlemen this fine evening?"
Seifer chuckled and motioned for the camera to continue rolling. "You excited for tonight?" he asked.
Irvine removed his sunglasses and widened his grin into the most charming and dazzling smile he could muster. "It's all about the music," he said honestly. "We're just happy to be playing it. Isn't that right, Squall?" He turned over to his passenger and the camera swept its attention to him.
Squall simply gave the camera a nod while he reached for the door handle. As he exited the Pathfinder, Zell's red Toyota Tacoma pulled in.
The blonde had his head sticking out the window with his tongue hanging out. "Yeeeeeaaaah!" he screamed when he noticed that the cameras had now moved onto him. "Are you fucking ready for us?"
Quistis laughed and hopped out of the truck, adjusting the garters she had strapped around her thighs. Immediately a camera panned over to her and she sent it a shy smile. "When he says "us" he really means "him," as you can see…he's quite the handful."
Zell poked his head over the top of the truck as he stood on the door's ledge. "Aw, you love me," he grinned, puckering up his lips. He looked over to another car driving up and he waved them over. "Hey Nida!" he called. "Thanks for coming."
"You kidding?" said the other man. "All I have to do is help you set up your shit and I get to see a show for free—of course I'll be there!" Nida gestured to the others that came with him and they began to unload Zell and Irvine's cars.
Seifer came up and held out a hand to the three men behind him. "So, this is my team of Hyperion Images. This is Raijin, the co-owner," he said, placing a hand upon the shoulder of the very large man beside him.
"Pleasure," said Raijin, reaching out to shake the hands of the band members. "Seifer and I started this company fresh out of college with another buddy of ours. However, he left about a year after that to pursue other careers." He pointed at the two men who were aiming their cameras at Nida unloading Zell's truck. "Our two cameramen, Biggs and Wedge, they've been with us for about two years."
Irvine nodded at the cameramen and then gestured towards Nida and the friends he had brought. "This is Nida, James, Rourke, and Cal, they've been friends with Absolute Lore for many years. They come to every show and help up with our set up."
"Our roadies!" Quistis cried, wrapping her arms around Nida's neck when he handed her a bottle of water. "Our photographer will also be here soon," Quistis said, tilting her head back to drink from the bottle.
"Rinoa?"
Quistis arched a brow and swallowed the water. "How did you know her…oh, that's right, you worked with her in Esthar? She did mention something about partnering with Hyperion Images for an art gallery documentary?"
Seifer nodded and smiled. "Yes, we did! Well, Raijin and I, anyway. I've been off social media for a while, but I went back on about a week ago and came across the shots she released for your shoots with her."
"We've been thinking about branching out," Raijin added. "Adding some more credits to our resume. We've done interviews, documentaries, and even a short film…we thought making a music video would be a great addition to our expertise."
"Also, it helps that we all know each other," Seifer added with his charming smirk. "It's a business after all—you scratch our back we'll scratch yours." He walked over to Squall and slung an arm around his shoulders. "After all, what are friends for?"
Selphie and Rinoa entered the doors a little after eight-fifteen. Immediately they were struck with the vibrations of the powerful chords and riffs that exploded from the stage. Rinoa looked to the stage, her eyes scanning over the name of the band playing. It was someone she had never heard of, but they sounded pretty decent.
Selphie tucked her wallet back into her purse. "I'm gonna go find Irvine," she said. "They're all probably upstairs. You coming?"
"No," Rinoa said, letting her gaze roam around the corners of the venue. "I'm going to check out the area." Her eyes narrowed as she contemplated the best areas to shoot from. "In fact…I think I'm going to take a few test shots with the band that's on right now so I can gauge how I'm going to work Absolute Lore."
A twisted smirk came to Selphie's lips and she bumped Rinoa with her hip. "Oh, you're gonna work them alright."
Rinoa gave Selphie a little pinch to the waist and shoved her aside. "Oh, go on, get out of here and find your little rock star boyfriend."
Selphie giggled and blew her a kiss. "I just want to see how their interview's going, I'll come back down and look for you in a little bit. Don't stray too far!"
Rinoa watched her weave through the crowd and traipse up the stairs. With her camera at the ready, Rinoa looked upwards and analyzed the lighting fixtures and where they were aimed. After a few moments of deliberation, she aimed her camera towards the stage and took a few shots. She checked the playback screen and nodded. "Got it," she murmured to herself triumphantly. She adjusted a few of the settings and raised the camera back up.
The lighting in the venue wasn't the best, but it was something she could work with. It took a little tweaking to her settings and a little maneuvering through the crowd…but she figured it out. After about thirty minutes of hopping from one corner of the floor to another, Rinoa figured out the best vantage points to shoot from that weren't front and center.
She lowered the camera and smiled as she watched the current band say their good-nights and shuffle off the stage. She glanced down at her watch, it was nearly nine. The next band will go on and play about a forty-five minute set and then it's Absolute Lore at ten, she thought, turning away from the stage and walking off the floor so she could find a nice place to post up at until she was ready to work.
As she walked she noticed a familiar face walking up to her. Her jaw tightened as she struggled to keep a straight face. But there he was, with those devilish green eyes and a smirk that spoke of debauchery. Oh lord, here we go…
"Hey Rinoa," he said, offering a genuine and lazy grin. "It's been a while."
Rinoa sent him a warm smile and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She had tried to mentally prepare herself for this moment, she had known that it was inevitable. Yet, even though she thought she had been ready, she knew she would probably make a rambling ass of herself. "It has!" she said. "A few months ago I actually saw the documentary from Esthar, great work!"
Seifer gave a toss of his head that was a move between cockiness and common knowledge. "Thank you," he said. "I think that job in Esthar had to have been my favorite one." His green eyes sparked with mischief as leaned forward a fraction closer to Rinoa.
She took note of the pointed remark, and even though their affair had long since ended, she felt a small trickle of warmth spread through her cheeks and gave a light laugh while she took a slight step back. "I'm sure it was," she responded. "That documentary certainly gave you a lot of exposure." She turned and waved her hand over the large crowd that filled the club. "And now you're going to shoot a video of an up and coming rock band, you're really getting your name out there!"
"True, but that wasn't what I meant." He placed a hand on her shoulder and slipped a card into her hand. When the card was safely between her fingers he stepped back and pointed a finger at her. "We gotta set up…I'll see you after the show? I'd like to catch up." Then he turned away and was gone.
Rinoa watched him walk off for a moment, then she turned around to face the crowd behind her. He had given her his business card. A quick glance told her that the number on it was his cell phone, the same number he had before. Her lip scowled for a brief instant as she remembered that she had texted him a few months after they had ended whatever it was that they had. He never responded and she of course chalked it up to that his number had most definitely changed. She tucked the business card away to her back pocket—she didn't want to be rude and throw it away right in front of him, she'd dispose of it later—and raised up her camera to start snapping shots of the crowd that was gathered in front of the stage to watch the next band set up their gear.
Her phone number was the exact same as well, it hadn't changed in at least four years. "The phone works both ways," she muttered under her breath as she focused her lenses onto a small group gathered in front of Absolute Lore's merch booth.
Squall lowered his beer when he saw Seifer practically saunter away from Rinoa with that cocky grin of his. Seifer was too full of himself to not even notice the scowl that rose on Rinoa's lips when she looked down at the card he had given her. Over the years Squall had become quite attuned to reading people's faces, and within the last week and a half of knowing Rinoa, he'd become fairly capable of reading her expressions as well. Even before Seifer had given Rinoa the card, Squall could see that behind the tight and polite smile she was uncomfortable and perhaps even a bit disappointed. She had fooled Squall—he had to give her that—when the first mention of working with Seifer had come up, she hadn't even blinked.
Seifer was already talking to a few of his workers, pointing at areas of the club that he had decided were great vantage points. Squall watched him take a quick glance at Rinoa, who was watching the band that was currently on stage with minimal interest. A slow and smug grin spread over Seifer's face before he turned his attention back to the man holding one of their many video cameras.
Finished with his beer, Squall left it on the table and maneuvered his way through the crowd. The band on the stage was just about to start their first song. His original intent was to make his way up the stairs to get into the band room and wait until it was their time to set up, but somehow he found himself standing beside Rinoa and gently touching her elbow.
"Hey!" she said, her smile widening when she saw that it was him beside her. "You excited? You guys will be going on soon."
He gave a slight nod. "Yeah, just trying to think of it as just another show and not live recorded evidence."
Rinoa bumped his hip with her own. "Oh, you'll do just fine. Just imagine everyone naked."
Squall glanced around at the growing crowd. "I don't think there's anyone here I'd want to imagine naked," he said with a grimace. Then he turned his head back to her and pointedly looked her up and down, taking his time. "Although…"
Rinoa gave a squeal and raised her camera, snapping a quick shot of him looking at her with eyes that oozed and dripped sexual prowess. She smirked when he narrowed his eyes at her and she pressed the play back button on her camera to view the gallery. "Oh…wow," she whispered, her eyes widening at the shot she had just taken of him. "Oh, this is definitely going on the page." She lifted the camera up so he could view the screen. "You'll get all these bitches' panties wet!"
He gave a slight shake of his head and watched her aim her camera at random unsuspecting crowd patrons. "You and Seifer have history?" Squall asked.
The question came so out of left field that Rinoa jerked her head to glance at the blonde man in question who was now standing over by the bar. She lowered her lashes for a moment before locking eyes with Squall. "How did you—? Yes," she said quietly. "A brief history, but…yeah."
"Did it end badly?"
"Oh, no." Rinoa tilted her head as she thought back to the few months that she and Seifer were together. "It didn't really end so much as just kind of…fizzled out. We met when I and my partner got hired to photograph an art show in Esthar. He and I went on a few dates while we were both in town for like a month. But then I went back to Timber and he stayed in Esthar. We only met up a few times after that. Apparently neither of us were made for that long-distance relationship kind of life."
"You know, you're good," Squall said.
Rinoa lifted her gaze back to his face, her brows furrowed as she tried to understand what he was saying. "Huh?" was all that came out.
"I'm usually pretty good at reading people. When the first mention of Seifer came up you didn't even flinch at his name," Squall explained. "But now that he's right here in front of you it's plain all over your face."
Dammit, Rinoa cursed herself. "So?"
Squall shrugged his shoulders so casually that it somehow made Rinoa irritated. "So nothing," he said. "I was just wondering what was going on with you two."
Rinoa tried to read the expression that displayed across his face, but sadly she wasn't as talented at reading faces as he apparently was. He was just standing there, those steely blue eyes just staring into hers while those lips of his just remained closed but not tightly pressed or thinned out. The only slight hint of emotion she had from him was that his brows were lowered just barely enough to cause the scar to crinkle a bit. "Nothing is going on between us," Rinoa promised. "Do we have history, yes, but that's all it is. It was just a shock seeing him in person. I don't have very many former lovers and the ones that I do have I have not seen since we parted ways, so seeing an ex is a little off-putting and foreign to me."
Squall gave a nod to her reasoning and softly tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears. "I was just wondering," he repeated. "I didn't really need an explanation, but thank you." At the sight of Rinoa's confused scowl, he chuckled, his fingers still caressing her hair. "Correction, I shouldn't be asking for any explanation." The corner of his mouth upturned into the smallest touch of a smile. "You're not mine."
I could be, Rinoa thought, her teeth immediately chomping down on her lower lip to keep her inward thoughts from becoming vocalized. All she could do was stare wide-eyed and practically chew her own lip while Squall gave her a one-fingered salute and made his way towards the staircase.
A flush that started from her belly crept upwards to the top of her head. Beneath her ribcage she felt her heart skip a beat and then begin to thunder madly. She wasn't quite sure how to take that conversation that just happened. Was he jealous? Was he attempting to be casual and aloof since she wasn't "his?" Rinoa wasn't even entirely sure how she felt about him yet, perhaps he was going through the same thing? Rinoa raised her camera back to eye-level and began to focus on a random kid with yellow and orange dreadlocks who looked to be no older than fifteen.
That has to be it, Rinoa mused to herself. After all, we've only just met, we're still figuring each other out. She pressed her lips together as she thought back to the last time they had kissed. It had been a few days since then and he hadn't made any advances towards her since. Sure, there was constant flirting and nudging…but nothing went past that.
She was so busy snapping away that she hadn't noticed Seifer's video camera had been aimed right at her.
"How's it going Strange Vision!" Irvine yelled into the mic. The crowd responded with a thunderous howl and stomping feet. Irvine chuckled, the sound gritty and seductive as he gazed over the sea of faces. "In case you weren't aware…we are Absolute Lore and we want to thank you for coming out!"
The crowd roared, screaming and clapping their hands with fervor. "We love you!" a few cried out.
Irvine chuckled and tapped his fingers along the length of the mic stand. "And we love you," he said throatily. "So…so very much." His eyes sought out Selphie and he found her at the front of the stage and a little off to the side so she wasn't in front of Quistis' amp. "Especially you," he said, pointing right at her.
Some of the crowd oohed and ahhed while some let out suggestive whistles. Selphie's nose crinkled as she laughed and her fingers rose to her lips. Rinoa zoomed in on the sweet moment and captured it.
Zell's guitar broke in, the quick and electric strums instantly snagging Rinoa's attention. She rose up her camera and snapped the concentration etched into his face as he counted the beats that he strummed.
Following the beat, Quistis rose her arms in the air and clapped her hands, encouraging the audience to follow suit. Fluidly the crowd rose their hands and clapping in time with the strumming. Rinoa snapped away, in complete awe at how the sounds coming from Zell's guitar easily placed the crowd into a hypnotic state.
With only Zell's strums and Quistis' clapping, Irvine joined in with his words. "Hold on for a second/If words can be weapons/Then what I say can effect it/They're not just words on a record." His words weren't sung, he merely spoke them, but he spoke them in a fluid and smooth rhythm, his body swaying a bit as he spoke into his mic. "And I can choose to respect it/Or choose to infect it/But once that hits the water/It's too late to be selective."
Squall followed in, one foot taking over the beat of the clapping with the powerful kick of the bass drum while his other foot brought in a softer, jingling beat with the hi-hat. Rinoa zoomed in on his face and watched as he nodded his head in time, his stormy eyes scanning over the surface of his cymbals. He made it look so easy. He kept his hands in his lap, his gloved fingers firmly grasping the drumsticks, as he counted.
"If one voice is enough/To make sleeping giants wake up/To make armies put their hands up/And watch whole nations stand up/It's one belief, one spark/One faith and one restart/And we can reboot the whole chart/Before it all falls apart." Irvine smiled and stepped back from the mic for a brief second, moving his guitar so it was strapped across the front of his body. He took over the strumming beat Zell had been playing so Zell deepen his chords to something grittier, heavier. "So stand up shout it out/We can put 'em up in the air if you like it loud/We only got one shot so let's make it count/It's a takedown nobody can stop us now/Stand up shout it out/Sing it loud, so the world can't drown us out/And before we depart let's leave a mark/'Cuz light shines brighter in the dark…"
Squall broke out of his seemingly non-moving trance and transformed before Rinoa's eyes. His arms speared from his body, crashing the drumsticks across the cymbals and skins. The look of pure concentration remained, but Rinoa could see the slight upturn of his mouth at the pleasure he received from the thundering music he made.
Irvine gripped the mic and belted, "When we scream/Our lips don't make a sound/We march with feet on solid ground/We walk where no one wants to go/On this untraveled road."
Rinoa moved through the crowd so she could work a different angle. She aimed her camera at Quistis and snagged a shot of her arching forward towards the crowd, her tongue running over those perfect teeth of hers as she plucked the strings of her bass to the original beat. "Clap your hands!" she demanded of the crowd.
Obediently they obliged her wishes, their hands raising up as if to reach the sky. Rinoa caught several images of the crowd going wild—and this was only the first song of the set! "Amazing," she murmured, clicking away with her camera trained on Selphie dancing and swinging her hips.
"So hold on for a moment/If we're not scared of opponents/Then with what we have we can own it/We just plant the seed and keep growin'/And when that light shines in the mornin'/They'll still be waking up yawnin'/We'll be smiling like we expected/Sweet victory and one method."
Squall crashed back in with another reprise of the infectious chorus, his strong arms flailing while he had his head bent and bobbing to the rhythm.
Rinoa stepped closer through the crowd so that she could get some great close-ups of Irvine crooning into the mic. Irvine noticed her and immediately dropped down in front of her, practically schmoozing for the camera. "When we scream/Our lips don't make a sound/We march with feet on solid ground/We walk where no one wants to go/On this untraveled road…" He sent the camera a charming wink before standing back up to feet and continuing with the song.
Rinoa threw back her head and laughed as she watched Irvine work the camera. It made her wonder once again if he had prior experience with modeling. She moved her camera over to where Zell and Quistis stood with their backs against each other, their chords and strums bouncing from each other like vibrating rifts of energy.
As they continued on with their set, Rinoa could feel her heart thunder within her breast. Selphie approached her and threw her arms around Rinoa's neck. "Didn't I tell you?" she shouted over the music. "They are fabulous live!" Before Rinoa could vocalize her agreement, Selphie grabbed her hand and started to lead her through the crowd. "Come on, let's go upstairs!"
I hadn't even gotten any shots from that angle yet, Rinoa thought. "Alright!" she cried. Giddily she followed Selphie up the stairs and the two came across a reserved table where an older couple was seated. "Cid! Edea!"
The two smiled at the girls and motioned for them to sit down. "How are you?" Cid asked, giving them a great hug. "So, how are you liking our kiddos live?"
Rinoa's jaw dropped and she simply just held out her hands in awe. "Awesome," she responded. "They are way too good—it's hardly even possible!"
"They work really hard," Edea said with a proud smile. "They really do! So talented, and so determined!"
Rinoa broke away from them so she could stand at the balcony's edge. As she zoomed in through her lenses she could see the sweat that bordered Squall's brow, could see the rippling of his muscles as his arms thrashed over his kit. Rinoa's tongue poked out and wet her lips. When she was younger, the only drummer she knew of was Animal from The Muppet Show, and of course his movements were exaggerated and hilarious despite the perfect beats he made. But watching Squall…she could see that drumming was more than just making noise. Squall's movements were fluid despite looking like heavy flaying, they were methodical, precise, and…
A wave of heat washed over her, and it wasn't from the heat radiating from the many bodies crammed into the club. No…she knew what it was from. She was getting turned on simply from Squall beating the skins of his drums. His arm reached up, the tip of his drumstick rhythmically tapping the edge of one cymbal while his other hand perfectly twirled the stick between his fingers. So…he could keep a very steady rhythm with his fingers, Rinoa thought. Her jaw dropped at her thoughts and she busied herself with taking some shots of Zell spinning around on stage. Woah there girlfriend, she thought to herself.
"Aren't they great?" Selphie asked, leaning over the edge of the wooden balcony.
Rinoa turned the camera towards the brunette and snapped a few shots of her staring wistfully at the band on stage. "Absolute Lore's biggest fan!" she laughed. "Or perhaps Irvine's biggest fan?"
Selphie giggled and playfully gave Rinoa the finger. "Can you blame me?"
Afterwards they all met in the parking lot to reload the cars. Selphie was helping Rinoa put her camera away in Selphie's Beetle. "So, we're all heading over to Zell's house after this," she was saying. "You want to get something to eat real quick before we head over there? It could be a little while before they get there." She gestured towards Nida and the others packing up Squall's disassembled kit.
Rinoa nodded. "Absolutely!"
Suddenly Irvine raced up and wrapped his arms around Selphie's waist, hoisting her up and spinning her around as she squealed.
Goddammit, Rinoa thought, reaching for her camera again. Always with the cute stuff when I put my camera down! "Don't stop doing that!" she demanded, hoisting up her camera and taking as many shots as she could before he set Selphie back down onto the ground. "Ugh, you guys are so fucking adorable I think I'm just going to puke."
"Join the club," Squall muttered as he lit his cigarette. He looked over to Rinoa and nodded at her. "You two heading to Zell's?"
"Yeah, we're gonna get some food first and then head over," she answered, resisting the urge to brush at the strand of hair that was glued to his forehead with sweat. His cheeks were flushed from his aggressive movements, his breathing hadn't yet calmed down, and for a moment she could swear she could hear the adrenaline-filled racing of his heart.
As if hearing her thoughts, he ran his hand through his hair, shaking it loose. He then looked over to Zell who was pulling his t-shirt up over his head, exposing his bare and inked chest.
Rinoa pushed Squall forward. "Come on!" she urged, her fingers also wrapping around Irvine's bicep to tug him along. "Let's get a few shots of you guys in front of the venue!"
Seifer followed them with his camera, catching some of the fans wailing and screaming in excitement as the band members walked in front of Strange Vision's front entrance. "Did you guys enjoy the show?" he asked, gesturing with his hand for them to really vocalize their enthusiasm.
Rinoa chuckled and snapped away as the band met with their fans. A few young girls swooned with Zell jumped at them with his naked chest out in the open. Rinoa even caught a snapshot of a teenage boy blushing when Quistis leaned in close for a picture with him.
"Thank you everyone for coming out!" Irvine shouted, posing for a few photos. "We do this for you!"
"Yes!" Quistis cried out, suddenly leaning in and planting a kiss onto the teenage boy's cheek. "We are here because of you guys! So, thank you, thank you!" She sent the awestruck boy and wink and walked away with her arm waving in the air.
"We love you!" Zell screamed as they started heading back towards the car.
As Squall passed by a young woman probably no older than nineteen struggling with her lighter as her cigarette dangled from her lips, he paused and flicked his lighter, lighting it for her. Her eyes widened at the sudden flame, and when she saw who was lighting her cigarette, she paused before leaning into suck at the fire. "Thanks," she said quietly.
Rinoa got a few shots of the moment and held in a chuckle when Squall simply nodded and continued walking away, completely missing the face of "Ohmygod did you just fucking see that?" that the girl sent to her friends.
Back at the car, Rinoa strapped herself in after gently tucking away her camera into its bag. A soft knocking came at her window and she rolled it down to see Seifer smiling at her. "You two going to Zell's right?" he asked.
Rinoa politely smiled. "Yes," she answered.
Seifer's smile grew wider. "Great," he said, tapping his fingers along the edge of the car window. "Great, I'll see you there." He stepped away and turned towards the Hummer.
"Yep," Rinoa said under her breath and turned to see Selphie staring at her with those large green eyes. "Yes, my love?" she said sweetly, batting her eyes with the most innocent looking face she could muster.
Selphie started the car and pointed a nail at Rinoa as the car moved forward. "Explanation. You can tell me everything over milkshakes and fries."
"Untraveled Road" music and lyrics by Thousand Foot Krutch
