The Quistis Files Ch. 1
When Cid told the new SeeD's that
a ball was being held in their honor, Squall sighed loudly.
Great… he thought, his mood souring further. He didn’t expect
anyone to look up to him as everyone seemed to have been doing during his time
at the Academy, and he didn’t enjoy the extra attention. He saluted the
headmaster as he leaned closer and whispered to him.
"Finally, a gunblade specialist."
It's nothing special. Just my weapon of choice. Seifer is just as good as me,
despite his… attitude. Squall watched as the other students filed out of
the office and chose to stay behind, if only to get out of riding the
overcrowded elevator with the over-enthusiastic students. He approached the
headmaster and coughed to get his attention as he conversed with the
ever-present garden officials. Cid looked up and smiled, grinning broadly
through his wrinkled face.
"Ah, Squall. I have something for you," he dug into the pockets of
his pants and brought out a small black object that resembled a small
computer, "Its called a Battle Meter. It’s a very useful source of
information related to battles and different problems you may encounter on
your journey."
He handed it to Squall, who accepted it and bowed slightly, without comment.
The elevator rung behind him, and he gratefully accepted the excuse to leave.
He caught up with the others at the hallway entrance to the classrooms and was
surprised to see the disciplinary committee along with some of the other
students who failed to pass the test waiting for them. Siefer started
applauding, and soon everyone had joined in.
Squall scratched his head, and headed towards his class, leaving a bashful
Zell and an excited Selphie behind, along with the other shy student he
couldn’t remember the name of. Instructor Quistis looked up as he walked in,
a smile beaming through her face.
"Congratulations Squall. I knew you would become a SeeD."
She motioned for him to come in from the doorway, and Squall complied
hesitantly. He walked up and slipped the battle meter into his pocket
unceremoniously before she could ask about it.
"Um… Headmaster Cid didn’t mention what time the Ball starts…"
He started, carefully keeping a bland look on his face. Quistis smiled and
pushed a small yellow piece of paper to him, that had the time and days of
several events listed on it.
"1900 hours, sharp. Don’t be late. You might miss some of the
ladies."
She smiled as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet, looking down at his boots
and not commenting. She nudged him towards the door, smiling playfully.
"Get going. You need to change into your uniform before the ball."
Squall nodded and left quickly, walking past Siefer and his gang before they
could say anything and pushed the button for the elevator to the first floor.
Squall walked up the hall towards his room, his thoughts on the dreadful
upcoming ball and was soured even more to see Selphie waiting for him in his
room.
"Hey Squall? How do I look?"
She twirled around in her new tailored SeeD outfit, prancing like the
over-enthusiastic kid she was, grinning the whole time.
Squall entered his room without comment and quickly changed into his clothes,
returning to where Selphie waited.
"Ooh, you look pretty dashing in that outfit. Now come on, lets paaaartay!"
Squall leaned against the wall and accepted a glass of champagne from a
passing waitress, and watched the dancers twirling by him. After a short time
of peaceful quiet, Selphie ran over, smiling excitedly.
"Hey, Squall! Could you do me a big favor and join the Garden Festival
Committee? I mean, I know we're going to be doing big SeeD stuff, but we could
work on it in between."
He looked at her closely, and saw that she was very serious about putting on
the party, so he nodded his head.
"Yes. I see that you are very serious about the festival."
She jump up and twirled around excitedly, beaming.
"Thanks Squall! Got's to go!"
No sooner had she bounced off did Zell walk over, pausing frequently to punch
at the air.
"Hey Squall, put it there."
Squall looked at his outstretched hand and made no movement, then took a sip
out of his glass.
Zell got the idea and withdrew his hand, scratching the side of his head.
"Great party, huh."
He said, trying to get a reaction out of Squall. Squall continued to ignore
the enthusiastic blonde, and stared ahead at the dancers.
"Well, I have to go. They brought out the hotdogs!"
He ran off, periodically flipping or punching. Squall shook his head, then
looked at the sky as a sparkle caught his eye. A shooting star passed, and he
saw a young lady point at it as she watched it with him. Her long dark brown
hair shook slightly as she walked towards him, smiling.
"Hey, you're the best looking guy here. I’m Rinoa."
She said, smiling. Squall blushed a little, and was
immediately annoyed with himself. She didn’t give up though, and continued
standing in front of him. She was pretty, but he had a reputation to keep up.
"Would you like to dance?"
She asked, motioning to the dance floor, where the dancers had stopped
momentarily to wait for the orchestra to start their next song.
"Oh, I get it. You'll only dance with someone you like. Ok, you're going
to like me, you're going to like me..."
She made circling motions with her hands in front of his face as if casting a
spell, smiling to him the whole time. Squall felt himself blushing further and
shook his head.
"I can’t dance."
He said bluntly, hoping she wouldn’t leave him right there and then. She
laughed, a soft sound like the whispering wind, and was soon bent over,
clutching her stomach.
"Come on. Just do what I do. I'll lead."
She grabbed his hand and pulled them out onto the dance floor, where the
orchestra started playing "Waltz of the Moon." She put her hand in
his and his other hand around her waist, then began the waltz, sidestepping,
and Squall tried to mimic her, and managed only to step on her velvet shoes
instead. Still, she just smiled and motioned for him to continue. Clumsily, he
tried to remember the last time Quistis had convinced him to dance with her,
and managed only to bring himself and Rinoa to go crashing into another
couple, and received dirty looks from the pair.
"Don’t worry... you can do it."
She whispered as the music swung into a full waltz. Finally, they began to
dance, Squall mastering the steps correctly, keeping his attention on Rinoa's
beautiful face. Just as the music concluded, fireworks went off above them,
and they stopped near each other to look up at the display. Suddenly Rinoa saw
something over his shoulder, and reluctantly walked away from him towards the
headmaster, motioning for him to stay there. Squall looked after her, trying
not to let his emotions reach his expression as disappointment welled up from
inside him.
He walked to the balcony, away from the party, and heard the click of boot
heels behind him.
"Yes?"
He heard instructor Quistis sigh, and walk closer.
"So, my best student is also an excellent dancer."
Squall said nothing, and continued staring at the gardens below the balcony.
"So you'll dance with a perfect stranger and you wont dance with
me?"
She asked, a hint of.. some emotion he couldn’t identify behind it. He
turned around and looked at her, dressed up in a silken blue dress. She
looked, he realized, beautiful when she wasn’t wearing her uniform.
"I've danced with you before, instructor. Besides, its not proper to
dance with one's teacher."
He said, keeping all emotions from his face. Quistis frowned, sadness suddenly
replacing the wry smile she had.
"I’m not your teacher anymore. Now come on, lets dance."
She grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto the dance floor. He futilely
tried to excuse himself, saying that the first dance had worn him out, but she
insisted. Soon they were in full swing, matching the rhythm of the other
dancers perfectly. Squall looked around for Rinoa as they danced, and realized
that it didn’t matter. He looked back at Quistis, in her blonde splendor,
her hair let loose to fly down her shoulders and back.
Soon the dance came to a close, and Squall excused himself before Quistis
could notice how much he had enjoyed dancing with her or the red tone of his
face.
It doesn’t matter if I like her or not. She's still my teacher. Besides,
I’m a SeeD now, I can’t worry about that right now....