S.L: I like your dress

R.H: Good.

S.L: We're about to set up. I'll meet you at the bar after.

R.H: I'll be there.

Rinoa slid her phone back into her purse with a slow, curving grin playing on her lips. He had seen the pictures that were posted. A small giggle bubbled within her and she shyly brushed her fingers over her lips. She turned and looked over to Selphie, who was dabbing her lips with some chapstick.

"Need some?" Selphie asked, handing the little pink tube to Rinoa, who accepted.

Not long after, Absolute Lore was on the stage and filling the venue with their bone shaking and feet stomping chords, slams of the drums, and gravally words. Rinoa and Selphie had managed to get to the front of the stage, but stayed off to the side so they were in front of Quistis.

"We love you!" they shouted to her, even though they knew the likelihood of her actually hearing them was minimal. Before they knew it, they had already gone through their first four songs, and Rinoa was panting from her excited movements and dancing in place.

Then the all too familiar strum of Stars began and she pressed her lips together. She felt her heart thunder and pound, felt her cheeks grow warm as her eyes instantly sought out Squall. She couldn't see him clearly, could only see quick flashes of his brown hair flailing as he crashed his cymbals and beat the skins.

Then, a smiling and leering face dropped down in front of her, and Rinoa let out a shocked yelp when she registered Quistis's red lips giving her that sultry smirk. The blonde vixen ran a pink tongue over her pearly teeth and sent Rinoa a wink before standing tall and clutching her bass seductively close to her pelvis.

Feeling eyes boring into the side of her face, Rinoa turned and found Selphie grinning a grin that would make the Cheshire Cat proud. Without saying a word, Selphie only bumped Rinoa with her hip and turned her knowing green eyes back to the stage.

At the concluding crash of cymbals, Rinoa and Selphie jumped onto the balls of their feet and screamed, clapping their hands together madly. Selphie placed two fingers into her mouth and released a piercing whistle.

After a few more songs Irvine cupped the mic between his hands and let out a long breath. "Thank you, thank you," he gasped. "Wow. Holy shit." He panted and tried to catch his breath as he looked over to the rest of his bandmates. "Goddamn these are some amazing people…thank you, thank you Winhill!" he shouted. When the chanting and roars came to a pause, Irvine let out a breath and spoke again. "Last song of the night," he announced. "Now, this one is something I think you will all recognize…it was originally written by one of the greatest rock bands known to man."

Before the crowd could even begin to roar, Zell started with soft little ripples over his strings before diving in afterwards with stronger chords. Quistis vocalized in the background, her eyes closed as she let her fingers dance over her bass. Then Squall's drums pounded, a slow, almost spiritual beat.

Then the music came faster, Quistis whipped her head in a circular motion, her long blonde hair flailing in a halo of gold. Squall surged forward on his throne, his arms crossing over the other intricately but never getting caught.

"Ooh…a storm is threat'ning/My very life today/If I don't get some shelter/Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away," Irvine sang, his words a heavy, quick-paced growl. Quistis came up beside him, her lips close to his as she sang along into the mic, "War, children, it's just a shot away/It's just a shot away/War, children, it's just a shot away/It's just a shot away…" Quistis pulled back, her teeth clenched as she let the words pour through her mouth like silk in contrast to the rough texture of Irvine's voice.

"Ooh…see the fire is sweepin'/Our very street today/Burns like a red coal carpet/Mad bull lost your way…" Keeping the mic between them, Irvine angled himself so that he and Quistis stood at the very front of the stage, looking right at each other as they let the gritty words flow. "War, children, it's just a shot away/It's just a shot away/War, children, it's just a shot away/It's just a shot away!"

Ever much the cowboy, Irvine pulled away from the mic and produced a gold harmonica from his back pocket, placing it to his lips and blowing a quick tune, stomping his booted foot. Zell lowered himself onto the ground, his back arching as he strummed the guitar so close to his body.

Nodding his head, Irvine walked around the stage, his arms raising as he demanded their followers to vocalize their excitement. "Make some noise!" he screamed.

While Zell continued his solo, Quistis grabbed the mic, letting out a course howl. "Rape, murder/It's just a shot away/It's just a shot away/Rape, murder!/It's just a shot away/It's just a shot away/Rape, murder!/It's just a shot away/It's just a shot away!"

Irvine slid in behind her, an arm slipping around her waist with such skill that he didn't hinder her bass playing. "The flood's is threat'ning/My very life today/Gimme, gimme shelter/Or I'm gonna fade away." Quistis lifted her shoulders as Irvine embraced her, her lips curving into a grin as she belted out a note. "War, children, it's just a shot away/It's just a shot away/It's just a shot away/It's just a shot away/It's just a shot away!"

Irvine released her and twirled her, spinning her around so that they faced each other again, the mic back in between them. "I tell you love, sister, it's just a kiss away/It's just a kiss away/It's just a kiss away/It's just a kiss away/It's just a kiss away." Quistis leaned in and planted a big, fat, sisterly kiss to Irvine's nose before breaking away and spinning on her heels. "Kiss away/Kiss away!"

Zell slid across the stage on his knees, his wide open thighs surrounding her calves as he continued another extension of his solo. Still plucking her bass, Quistis bent at the waist and kissed him square on the lips. "Kiss away/Kiss away!"

The song ended and the venue exploded into an uproar.


Rinoa stood by the bar and waited at the edge for the bartender, who was busy scuttling around and making several different drinks. He took note of Rinoa and sent her an acknowledging nod to signal that he'd be with her in a moment. She responded with a slight wave and let her eyes drift over the bottles as she waited.

The patron in the stool beside her swiveled around, preparing to hop off, but paused when he saw her. "Great show, huh?" he asked, a wide smile cutting into his handsome face.

Rinoa gave him a polite smile and nodded. "Yeah, they're so talented."

The guy ran a knuckle over the slight scruff that peppered his jaw and made an attempt at giving her a very casual and nonchalant once over. Rinoa squashed the urge to roll her eyes. "Yeah, I like the way the singer does his vocal range. It's a pretty good variance, being able to actually sing and then transition into a growl."

Rinoa felt the same way about Irvine's singing abilities, so it came easy to her to agree with the man. "Yes, I feel the same way."

"Mitchell," said the man, outstretching his hand.

Rinoa hesitated for a moment, but since politeness was second nature to her, she gave his hand a quick shake. "Rinoa," she said.

"Pleasure." He was about to say something else but the bartender leaned over and cut in between them.

"What can I get you, Miss?" he asked.

"Just a Jack and Coke, please," she answered, her eyes smiling at him in thanks.

"Got it. Be right back."

Mitchell turned a charming smile to Rinoa, his dark green eyes crinkling at the corners. "You come here often?"

Rinoa tried not to laugh. Did that line ever work on someone? "No," she answered. "My friends are playing tonight."

"Nice! It's a pretty cool spot."

Rinoa smiled tightly but nodded. "Yep!"

The bartender returned with Rinoa's drink and she reached inside her purse for her wallet.

"I got this one," Mitchell said to the bartender, giving Rinoa another grin. Perhaps if she had no…attachment to a certain brunette drummer with an intense and steely glare, she might have been interested, but…that was a very, very slight "might."

"Oh, no, it's fine," Rinoa insisted, placing a few bills onto the counter. "I buy my own drinks, but thank you!"

"How about I buy the next round then?" Mitchell said with a wink.

The smile started to disintegrate and suddenly a heavily tatted arm wrapped around her, strapping over her collarbone like a band and pulling her tight against a solid chest. The sharp spikes of ink that spiraled across the flesh and stopped just at the wrist acted like a barricade, a protective thorny wall. "Alphonse! My man!" Zell's blonde spikes came into Rinoa's peripheral view and she saw him lean against the bar to speak to the bartender.

The bartender gave Zell a slow nod and a slight grin when he darted a glance to Mitchell, taking note that his face suddenly took on a defeated pallor. "What can I do you for, Dincht?"

"Two pints of lager, my good man." He looked over to Rinoa and shot her that boyish smile that showed a lot of teeth. "Having a good night, Rinoa?"

"Always, Zell."

He leaned close to her ear and said, "Squall got caught up with Quistis and some fans wanting a picture. The Knight sent me to fetch his darling Princess."

Rinoa bit back a laugh and gave Zell's strong arm an appreciative pat. His thick fingers clutched her right shoulder and kept a hold on her while Mitchell was still staring. "I nearly stomped on your instep," she said to him, turning her lips to his ear so he could hear her over the loud music.

Zell chuckled and nodded at Alphonse when he returned with two tall plastic cups. "How much do I owe you, brother?"

Alphonse only clicked his tongue. "On the house, Dincht, you know that." He gave him a quick salute and tipped his head to Rinoa.

"Shit…you guys always treat us so well. Much love!" Zell spun Rinoa around so she was in front of him, her drink in her hands. "Later!" He scooped up the drinks and ushered Rinoa through the crowd.

"Can't say I needed rescuing!" Rinoa protested.

"Nobody said you did," Zell returned. "But I saw the way that guy was looking at you from a mile away. He would have tried to charm the dress right off you no matter how politely you continued to turn him down." He leaned in closer. "And I can't have Mr. Leonhart upset, now can I?"

Rinoa laughed and shook her head, easily weaving through the mass of people until Zell brought her to where Squall and Quistis stood with a few teenagers near the middle of the floor. Quistis was in the middle of the small crowd, her right arm around Squall's shoulders while the other was behind the grinning Mohawked teen to her left. Two girls in giggling fits that neared hysteria were clutching Squall, one of them was nervously chewing her bottom lip as they waited for the picture to be taken. Rinoa practically hiccupped in laughter, Squall's face was priceless. His lips displayed the faintest of smiles but his eyes heatedly glared into the camera, all but vocally demanding the photographer to hurry the fuck up.

Quistis gave a laugh that was thick and velvety, her fingers suddenly pinching Squall's cheek. "I didn't give you a kiss!" she said.

Squall's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare," he growled.

"Smoochies!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing the entire time and obviously enjoying the fact that she was making him embarrassed. "But I'm your special lady!" she cried, planting quick little kisses along his cheek and leaving streaks of lipstick amongst the stubble.

When the photographer lowered the camera, Squall quickly slipped away from the group and took the tall cup from Zell like it was a trophy. "Thanks," he said before throwing it back, nearly finishing it all.

"Attending to your adoring fans?" Rinoa teased, gently nudging his side with her elbow.

"Quistis and Irvine are more so the ones who like taking pictures," he said, using the sleeve of his jacket to wipe away Quistis's lipstick. "She's slowly losing her shyness." He glanced behind him, shaking his head when he saw that the teens were now crowded around the blonde, gushing and fawning over her. "Seems they started a fanclub."

Rinoa giggled until he gave her a look, signifying that he wasn't joking. "Oh, wait—you're serious?"

"Yeah," Zell added. "They call themselves the Trepeies."

Rinoa let out a sputtered laugh and tried to cover it up by sipping her drink. "Oh wow."

"She's loving it though," said Zell, grinning.

"How'd you like the show?" Squall asked Rinoa, draining the rest of his beer.

Rinoa slapped a hand over her heart and let out a sigh. "Wow," she whispered. "I'm blown away."

Squall tossed the empty plastic cup into the garbage can behind him. When he turned back towards her she felt the lump within her throat grow larger, her breath hitch, and her lips part in a slight gasp when she saw that his stormy eyes thundered, practically crackling with heat as he gave her body a once over.

The look he gave her was more lust-filled and spoke of vulgar promises than the one that Mitchell had given her…yet this one was much more readily accepted. She felt her mouth water as she thought of the way he would look at her, the way his eyes would burn—devour her—as he hovered over her, his elbows on either side of her head while his fingers caressed her scalp…

Rinoa smothered a moan that rose within her throat, her teeth gently biting into her lower lip as she steadily held his piercing gaze.

Silently he rose his hand towards her, his fingers lightly grazing over her chin for the briefest moment. "You look breathtaking," he said to her.

"So do you."

He tilted his head slightly, causing a strand of brown to fall in front of those intense eyes of his. His lips upturned into the slightest smirk and he ran his fingers through his hair, pushing his bangs back.

Rinoa felt the tips of her fingers tingle, itching to dive into his hair and pull him closer. To keep her public behavior in check, she instead raised her drink to her lips and took a long swallow. The cool liquid calmed her a bit, but she still felt her skin flush when Squall's eyes dipped lower to gaze at her lips, now wet from the whiskey.

The lights overhead dimmed and the crowd around them blossomed into a screaming, cheering tangle of limbs.

"Hurry up and finish your drink," Squall said, gripping her arm just above the elbow. "Or risk losing it to some punk moshing."

Heeding his advice, she quickly chugged down the rest of her drink. The whiskey burned its way down her throat, diluted only slightly by the flavor of Coke. When she lowered the plastic cup he took it from her hands and disposed of it into the garbage can.

"Ready to watch the rest of the show?" Quistis asked, sliding an arm around Rinoa's waist and tugging her towards the front of the stage.

"Yes!" She gave Squall a quick smile and dutifully followed Quistis through the crowd.

They didn't stand quite at the front, about three rows of scrunched up fans were in front of them, but they were close enough to see Royce's fingers dance over his bass strings, close enough to see the crisp lines of ink that were etched into Hans's brawny arms, along with the little heart tattoo that peeked out just above the low hem of Fujin's pants.

"Wow, she's amazing!" Rinoa couldn't help but stare in awe at the woman on the stage. The movements of her hips and the thrashing of her silver hair captivated the audience. Rinoa looked up at Squall, who had moved to her left, his arms braced to protect her in the instance that some fans got too enthusiastic with their wild movements.

Fujin cupped the mic close to her mouth as she sang, her hips swaying and dipping to the rhythm. "Little girl, you like it loud/Come alive in the middle of the crowd/You wanna scream/You wanna shout/Get excited when the lights go down…" She shimmied her hips, leaning forward with her arm outstretched towards the crowd, fingertips grazing over the hands that reached for her. "At the rock show…you'll be right in the front row…" She stood up straight, a pointed claw sweeping over the crowd. "Heart and soul, they both know/It's where you gotta be…"

Hans came up behind her, his fingers effortlessly moving over the strings, his eyes cast downward as he watched his fingers work. He had tied his long strands of caramel hair into a topknot, exposing the shaved sides of his head and revealing the intricate geometric designs of ink that were hidden beneath.

Fujin bounced her hips back and forth, dancing in place. "Little girl, there you are/All the lighters looking just like stars…" She smiled and twirled her fingers in the air. "Sing along, feel the sound/Take a ride on the hands of the crowd…" Her eyes shut and her mouth dropped open as her voice changed from a soothing, silken croon to a gritty and throaty growl. "Here it comes! The moment when/You know you'll never be the same again/Power chord, see the light/You found your place in the world tonight!" She sank down to a crouch, her hand in her hair and mussing with the silver strands as she let the music envelope her. "At the rock show/You'll be right in the front row/Heart and soul, they both know/It's where we gotta be/Yeah at the rock show/Getting high on the solo…so what if it's crazy?/That's gonna be me…"

Hans's solo came up and Fujin moved behind him, moving her arms so liquidly as she danced beside Royce, who madly shook his dreads that had come loose from his bandanna. The crowd screamed and danced along as Hans sent powerful chords their way.

Fujin stepped back up to the front of the stage, her hips shaking in time to the jarring drum beat Esteban provided. "This goes out to anyone/Whose heart beats like a kick drum/When a bitchin' riff comes/Knows the words to every line, every time," She pointed straight to a young woman in red who was singing along. "And you know you gotta go get some, get pumped." She clenched a fist and shouted, "Find yourself and lose it/At the rock show/I'm lookin' at the front row…" She leaned forward again and grasped the hand of one of the fans. "Heart and soul, we both know/It's where we gotta be…" She released the hand and held the mic so close to her lips as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Yeah at the rock show/We're reaching for the high notes!" She punched her fist in the air as she screamed. "…So what if we're crazy?/You're coming with me…" As she circled her hips she lowered her hand, her eyes seeking a face. Her gaze swept across Squall and as a smoldering grin crept onto her lips she pointed a ruby tipped nail in his direction. "Yeah, you're coming with me…" For a quick moment her finger beckoned at him and she sent him a lightning fast wink, the tip of her tongue darting out and caressing her Cupid's Bow.

A small, itching, scratching feeling of unease pinched at Rinoa's nerves. Around her she could feel time slow and the air become heavy. Though it only lasted a beat, she felt it grasp around her body like a wet blanket. Before she could stop herself, she glanced at Squall.

He was simply staring out at the band in front of him, it was hard to tell exactly where his eyes were focused at from her standing point. His arms were crossed over her chest and his stance almost seemed…bored. His lashes lowered and Rinoa quickly turned her face back towards the stage before he could catch her staring.

"You're coming with me…So what if it's crazy?/It's where we gotta be…" Then Fujin rested her hand upon her breast as she belted out the last verse. "At the rock show…"

The audience's cheers exploded into a frenzy of excited vocalization. The last strum of the guitar vibrated through the air and Fujin shyly covered her lips and turned away from the crowd as she prepared for the next song. With her head bobbing in time, she echoed the heavy beat that came from her drummer.

Rinoa blinked, her lids lowering as she tried to comprehend what she just saw. The woman on the stage shamelessly beckoned Squall. She had sent him a blatant, lust-filled message. Rinoa swallowed. What did this mean? Quistis always flirted with Squall and threw herself onto him and yet Rinoa felt no prickles of jealousy…so why was she feeling it now? Perhaps because with Quistis you know she isn't trying to fuck him…also, because she hits on you, Rinoa told herself. Oh god…what am I saying? He's a grown man he can do whatever he wants!

A hand gently cupped her elbow and she shifted her head a fraction when she felt Squall lower his lips close to her ear. "I'm gonna go outside," he yelled over the music. When he pulled away he jerked his head to motion for her to follow.

Outside the air was crisp, cool, and refreshing in stark contrast to inside the club. Rinoa hadn't realized how stuffy it could get when one was surrounded by multitudes of fans completely hypnotized by the music that was offered. The temperature was nowhere near cold, but she found herself shivering at the sudden drop.

"Cold?" Squall asked, his voice slightly muffled as he spoke around the cigarette between his lips. Even though she shook her head at him, he paused in raising his lighter and quickly shrugged off the black jacket he wore.

"Oh, no, I'm fine," she promised.

Ignoring her, he draped the jacket over her shoulders and resumed lighting his cigarette. "Quistis is really coming out of her shell," he said.

Rinoa chuckled, her fingers running over the brass stud that adorned the cuff of his jacket. "Yeah. I mean, I'm used to seeing her like that…just not in front of a lot of people, mostly those she's comfortable with." She grinned as she thought to how the girls in the crowd squealed when Quistis planted kisses on Irvine and Zell on stage.

"Yeah, she likes to kiss people."

"Does she do that a lot? Like at your other shows?"

Squall shook his head. "Not really. Maybe with Zell a few times because Irvine is spoken for, but she and Zell have always had this overly flirtatious skit even though they've never done anything. It's gotten to the point where we don't notice anymore."

Rinoa couldn't help but smile. She thought back to when she and Squall first met and how he hardly spoke and now here he was telling her things about the band, even if they were small and "insignificant" little stories. "No hooking up with your bandmates?" she teased.

He exhaled a soft laugh and gave her a quick glance. "It's an unspoken rule: No fraternization within the band."

"But with other band members?" she asked with a grin, thinking to the rumors of the secret romance between Quistis and Hans.

The slight smirk wavered slightly, only for a moment, and Squall's eyes lifted back to catch her gaze for a heart beat before fluidly scanning over the crowd outside the club's entrance. "It's happened before."

The way he said it caused a sharp lurch within the pit of her stomach. It was gone almost instantly but her curiosity was snagged. So cryptic…she thought to herself. "Oh really?" she asked. "Has it now? Are you saying you fraternized with other band members?" She reached out and poked him in the stomach.

He made a slight scowl but gave a nod. "Yes."

"With who?" She was hoping she didn't sound desperate for information of his previous liasons, she truly was just curious. When he didn't answer and instead glanced back towards the club's entrance, where faint remnants of Fujin's singing could still be heard…her mouth popped into the shape of an 'o' and her eyes widened as if she had stumbled upon some hot gossip.

"Wait, you and Fujin have a history?"

Squall grimaced and let out a breath. As he raised the cigarette to his lips he lifted his other hand, rotating the wrist to make a vague gesture. "Not…really," he said.

Rinoa arched a brow and curled her lips to display her frustration at his 'answer.' "What the fuck does that even mean?" she laughed.

He shot her a look that stopped her laugh right in her throat. "What, you want details?" he muttered. "It was a long time ago."

The snarky response ignited a desire within Rinoa to create one as equally sharp. "Excuse me, but you were the one who blatantly asked if Seifer and I had history after just a mere kiss. I put your dick in my mouth, I'm allowed to ask."

To her pleasure, her rebuttal caused Squall's eyes to widen just a fraction—but it was enough to show that her point had been vibrantly made. He took a long hit off of his cigarette before he finally nodded. "Fair enough."

Rinoa smirked and blew him a kiss. "It's not a terrible thing to ask," she said. "Besides when two people get into a rela…intimate situation together, it's not unheard of to know about sexual history." She felt her cheeks warm but she continued on. "I mean obviously neither of us were virgins when we met…you've got condoms at your apartment so to me that is a good sign because you like to play safe—at least with me, so yay."

Squall felt the corner of his lips upturn in amusement at Rinoa's rambling movements. She was so flustered, so agitated, so…adorable. Even though he understood her reasoning for them to open up about their sexual past, he felt that there was no need. He didn't know much about her previous lovers, only Seifer. As far as he was concerned, all the men Rinoa had been with were in the past and there they would stay, just as all the women he himself had been with.

"If you must know, my dick was also in her mouth. Once."

Rinoa blinked, her skin flushing in response to the bristling tone he was giving her. Though it didn't seem that his tone was directed at her, more so the situation. "That was all?" she asked quietly. "I mean…there was no sex?"

Squall shook his head and blew smoke through his lips, his eyes scanning over the crowd behind her. "No condom," he said.

Trying not to laugh, Rinoa managed out, "That seems to be a habit of yours."

Squall's expression changed and he gave her that eat-shit grin he displayed so well. He stubbed the cigarette beneath his boot and grabbed Rinoa's arm and pulled her in, not quite in his arms but close enough that he could watch the subtle change of desire form within her eyes. "When it comes to you, I will make sure I am fully stocked."

Rinoa released a squeak of a giggle and shoved him away. "You're so sweet."

He grinned and shoved his hand into his jeans. "Wanna go back in?"

Before she could answer, Irvine came from the entrance with his arm around Selphie's shoulder. "Hey!" he greeted as he walked over. "How'd you like the show, Rinoa? What'd you think of our cover?"

Rinoa smiled and gave Irvine a round of applause. "Wonderful! The Rolling Stones are precious and should not be fucked with, so I think it was quite the risk, but good lord did you guys do a fantastic rendition! Bravo!" She held up her hands and gave him three bows. "And I didn't know Quistis could sing!"

"Right? She surprised us all!" Irvine tightened his hold on Selphie and gave her ear a quick nuzzle. "To be honest…we all just found out about it a few weeks ago. We were all playing drunken Rock Band one night and Quistis got up, took the mic and just belted it out!"

"It took us some convincing to get her to sing at a live show," said Squall, nodding as he thought back to how Quistis literally tried to run out of the hotel room when Irvine mentioned that he wanted her to sing with him. "At first she was comfortable only with doing background vocalization on Stars and singing only during practicing. After last night's show she said she wanted to give singing live a try."

Selphie clapped her hands and hopped on one foot. "I'm so glad she did!" she squealed. "She was amazing. I hope you guys do more!"

Rinoa avidly nodded. "Yes, her voice is a great addition to Irvine's."

"I agree. I'm glad she's gaining more confidence with each show. We all know how fucking amazing she is, so I'm glad she's starting to see it as well." Irvine reached into his pocket and pulled out a key card. "So, I'm getting hungry. Esteban gave me the room key to Djin Theory's suite, what say we head up and order some room service? Eli texted me and said some of the tour staff is already there hanging out."

"Food?" Rinoa beamed. "Uh…yes, please!"

"You got it." Irvine extended a hand for her. "My lady?"

Rinoa gave him a mock bashful coo and took his arm, cuddling up to him and scrunching her nose at Selphie in laughter. "Oh…Mr. Kinneas! You are sooooo dashing!"

"Isn't he?" Selphie sighed, batting her lashes up at him as they all started to walk back towards the hotel.

Irvine threw his head back in laughter and looked at Squall over his shoulder. "Well…lookie here, aren't I the luckiest guy in the world with two beautiful ladies on each arm?" he drawled, sending Squall a debonair wink. "Suck it, Leonhart."

Squall only blinked. "The fuck just happened?"

Irvine ignored him and continued walking. "Come ladies, let me take you to where fine dining awaits."

"I seriously just got tossed aside because someone else promised food," Squall muttered.

Rinoa tried her damndest not to sputter out laughing, her fingers flying to shield her wavering smile. As they all started walking they came across Absolute Lore's van and trailer, where some of the tour staff was still loading up the rest of the gear.

The largest one turned and gave them all a salutation. "Hey kiddos," he said.

"Hey, Ward," Irvine called. "We're heading up to Djin Theory's suite."

Ward nodded and gave a gesture to one of the roadies. "Sounds good, I actually already ordered some pizzas and Chinese takeout to go with some of the room service entrees." He glanced down to his watch. "Should be there shortly."

"My man…you always take such good care of us," Irvine gave him a swift salute. "No wonder you're the tour manager."


Up at Djin Theory's suite, some of the roadies had already broken into the liquor cabinet. Not long after did the ordered food arrive and Rinoa was overwhelmed with the multitude of food options.

"Holy shit!" she gasped, her palms cupping her cheeks as she stared at the spread in front of her. "Do you guys eat like this every night?"

Squall scooped up a small carton of shrimp chow fun. "No, Ward usually orders big things like this on show nights. Most of the time it's frozen tv dinners."

Rinoa practically drooled at the noodles that dangled from Squall's chopsticks. "Ohmygod. Are you gonna take all of them? Dude, fatty, share the wealth."

"Get your own," he said, turning away and holding the takeout carton close to his chest.

Rinoa snatched up a pair of chopsticks and snaked around him, attempting to stab the chopsticks into the little carton of noodles. "Don't be so greedy," she lectured. "Sharing is caring."

Easily he lifted the takeout carton up and above her reach. While she made a noise in protest, his other arm sliding over her arms and twirling her so her back was pressed against his side and her arms were trapped to her front. "I don't share."

Rinoa wriggled in his grasp and giggled when he held her tighter. "Pretty please? Don't be a meanie."

Selphie chuckled as she approached the spread, scooping a slice of pizza onto a paper plate. "Squall, be nice and share the damn noodles with Rinoa. Don't make me call Ward on you!"

At the threat, Squall quickly released Rinoa and handed her the carton. "Fine."

Rinoa dug into the carton with her chopsticks and looked at Squall. "Scared of the big bad tour manager?"

Squall smirked and reached over the table to grab a beer. "Nah…but I've seen him and Zell go at it. Ward used to be in the military and mentioned that his expertise was hand to hand combat. Zell, who is also a martial arts master, challenged him one night out of boredom." He slowly took a long swallow and turned his eyes back to Rinoa. "For someone so large he can move rather quickly, he had Zell down on the ground in less than a minute."

Rinoa took a few more bites of the chow fun before handing it back over. "Wow…I've never seen Zell fight before."

"He's good," Squall said. "Better than me. So if he got taken out that quickly I'd rather not take my chances."

After the words were spoken, the quiet and gentle giant came into the suite, Fujin strapped to his back like a little knapsack. "Fuck yeah!" she screamed, her arm high in the air. "We killed them! Another show passed that will talked about for ages!" Ward released her to the ground and quietly slinked away to grab himself a beer.

Zell came in behind them, along with the rest of Djin Theory and a few other members of Odin's Blade. "Seriously, good show tonight, fucking awesome. This is the best tour ever!" he cried, accepting the drink that Irvine handed him. "Here's to us!"

"Here's to us!" Gregor shouted, raising his own drink before focusing on the other drink he was making for another person. "Here's to you, and you, and you…"

"And you!" Quistis chirped, tapping a long nail upon his forehead.


Squall sat with his arm resting behind the back of the couch, his fingers softly pinching the plush material. With one leg bent so his booted foot rested along the opposite knee, his eyes glazed over the crowd that filled the suite that Djin Theory had managed to reserve. As he tilted his beer bottle towards his lips he hadn't even realized that he was searching for a particular face until his gaze landed on her.

She was standing there with Quistis, laughing and slowly sipping her drink that seemed to be more melted ice than anything else. She ran her fingers through her long, black hair and cascaded it over one shoulder to show off that insanely sexy tattoo of hers. Almost as if she felt his eyes on her, Rinoa turned to glance at him over her shoulder, and then promptly stuck her tongue out at him before turning away again.

The little minx, he thought.

Then the couch shifted beneath him and he turned his head to see Fujin sitting next to him, giggling as she looked up at Gregor, who was standing beside her. "Squall," she said. "You have to try this drink Gregor just made."

Gregor nodded. "Used to make this drink for the wife all the time," he said with a smile. "Before she got pregnant, anyway."

Squall leaned forward to place his now empty bottle onto the glass table in front of him and took the drink from Fujin's hand. "How is she doing?" he asked Gregor, taking a long swallow.

"She's good. She's gotten over the morning sickness, thankfully, and has her twenty-four week appointment scheduled on Tuesday."

"Do you know what she's having yet?" Fujin asked, taking back her glass from Squall.

Gregor shook his head. "Not yet. Since I'll be home in a few weeks she either wants to wait until I'm back with her or we find out the day the baby's born." A proud smile slowly shifted over his features. "To be honest, I kinda wanna wait."

"That's exciting," Squall said. "We'll have to make an Absolute Lore onesie for you."

Fujin laughed and gave Squall's knee a smack. "Adorable! What'd you think of it? Pretty yummy right?"

Squall shrugged. He wasn't a huge fan of sweet drinks. "Not my favorite, but not bad."

Fujin scoffed and looked back over to Gregor. "Ignore him. If it doesn't taste as dark and bitter as him, he don't want it." She turned to Squall and scrunched her face at him. "Good show tonight," she said.

"It was," Squall agreed.

"Ooh! Your photographer! Good, I wanted to run a proposal by her." Using Squall's knee as leverage, she pushed herself back up to her feet and quickly skipped her way to Rinoa. "Hi!" she said, shrugging her shoulders as she tried to politely make her way into the conversation.

Quistis noticed her first and sent her a smile. "Oh, why hello there!"

Rinoa turned and gave her own salutation.

"So, Rinoa…I was talking about your work with Absolute Lore to our producer, Kiros."

Rinoa's eyebrows raised and she stammered. "Uh…what? Really?"

"Yes! Your work is amazing, seriously, you have such a great eye and you are so talented." Fujin took a quick drink from her glass and continued. "So, I ran this idea by Kiros and wanted to run it by you to see if you were interested?"

"Ooh…well, please, go on." Rinoa pressed her lips together as she watched Fujin's smile grow wider.

"Well, our tour is wrapping up near the end of next month. Squall mentioned that you are working for a studio and I thought it would be so much fucking fun for you and your studio to photograph the last show of our tour!"

Rinoa nearly dropped her glass. "Oh—wow—really?"

Quistis squealed and wrapped her arms around Rinoa's shoulders. "That would be awesome!" she said into Rinoa's ear.

"It's not for sure yet!" Fujin cried. "I really, really, really wanna make it happen but that's all up to our producer and the tour manager. But…I'd thought I'd run it by you first before I let Kiros go through all of our budgets and stuff."

"Yeah, yes, of course. I'm definitely interested and I'll talk to the other two guys at my studio when I get back into Deling, but keep me posted!" She dug into her purse for her business card. "Here. Take my card."

Fujin let out an excited howl and raised her arms up high, shaking her hips as they all fell into gales of laughter. "Yay!" she sang, tucking the card into her pocket.

Zell plopped down onto the couch beside Squall. "What a night," he said.

"You're telling me," Squall said, his eyes never leaving Rinoa.

Without even lifting his gaze, Zell gingerly picked at the calluses upon his fingertips. "What's wrong?" he asked lowly. "Getting nervous that Rinoa is getting a bit chummy with your old flame?"

Squall scoffed. "She's not an old flame, hardly even a flicker." Out of everyone in the entire room (aside from Rinoa), Zell was the only one who knew about his fling with Fujin. Squall was never one to share his "conquests," but he and Zell went way back, far beyond the rest of the members of the band. Zell was the one he could trust when it came to discretion.

This time Zell did lift his head, letting his gaze roam over Rinoa's features. "Does she know that? She can't stop staring at Fujin's mouth."

Squall turned an icy glare to Zell and the blonde responded by putting up his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm just trying to help a brother out. I like Rinoa, really, I do. I think she's good for you. So…I'm just saying don't fuck it up with her."

"I've no intention of doing that."

Zell tilted his head and gave Squall a soft and pensive grin. "Then what are your intentions with her?"

Squall only lowered his gaze, letting it sweep over the empty bottle that rested upon the table before him. My intentions? he thought. What did he want from Rinoa? Even though his mind and heart was mostly occupied with the priority of the band, he knew—deep down he knew—that Rinoa had practically spun herself into his veins like the most welcome addiction.

He lifted his eyes and saw that Zell was still watching him, still giving that subtle grin. Then, with his own faint ghost of a smirk, Squall replied, "To make her smile."


"Gimme Shelter" music and lyrics by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, cover performed by Stone Sour

"Rock Show" music and lyrics by Halestorm