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Thread: Second Time's the Charm

  1. #1
    Au revoir. Second Time's the Charm Doc Rocco's Avatar
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    Second Time's the Charm

    This is a FFVIII fanfic I've been working on, set after the game's end. I decided to post it here because well, I felt like it. On a whim, I guess. It's my first, so yeah... Enjoy? No comments in here please! I'll make a comments thread if I feel like it. If you wish to comment, PM or MSN or whatever. Thank you!

    Second Time’s the Charm
    Prologue

    The past two years had been the most hectic two years of Rinoa Heartilly’s life. She had become a Sorceress, met who she thought to be the love of her life, saved the world from a crazed villainess and accomplished what many people thought was impossible. She had got Squall Leonhart to open up. This was no mean feat, and had taken up most of Rinoa’s energies for a solid two months. It was worth it in the end though, with the two forming a close bond.

    As Squall was Garden Commander, Rinoa had made a decision to stay in Garden and train as a SeeD after Ultimecia’s defeat. She passed the exams and became a fully fledged mercenary, undertaking various missions for the organisation. The lifestyle of travel and the lack of routine was exactly what Rinoa wanted. The thrill of never knowing what was coming her way flooded her body with excitement. She worked in close proximity to her closest friends, had made new ones and had experienced so much more than she could have working with the Timber Owls.

    “Gosh I’m bored. It’s been weeks since I’ve last got a mission. I’m losing my marbles! You can only browse the Internet for so many days straight.” she cried loudly, slamming her laptop shut.

    Selphie jumped and looked in all directions to try and find the source of her fright.

    “Yikes, Rinoa! You’ll shatter the keyboard like you did that thug’s jaw last month.” she giggled.

    “He asked for it. You should never slap the butt of a girl who’s after your head. Whatever I did next, I couldn’t be held responsible for it.”

    “Including shattering his jaw?”

    “It wasn’t shattered! It was just broken.” retorted Rinoa, along with the afterthought, “In four separate places.”

    “Sounds pretty shattered to me.” Selphie laughed, so hard that she began to snort.

    “Oh shut up, piggy.” jibed Rinoa, laughing so hard she was shaking.

    Her sides ached from laughing so hard, and her mouth felt like two Chocoboes had been tied to each corner and ordered to pull. A sudden ping from her laptop caught her interest, and brought a cry of delight with it.

    “Oh great! Dad's got time off when we're in Deling City next week! He can finally meet Squall without worrying about a lunatic Sorceress!!” Rinoa beamed.

    “Ooooh! Meet the parents, eh? Sparks could fly and light the building on fire, trapping hundreds of people!”

    “Nononono. It has to be a pleasant meeting. It has to be! I’m so excited, I just have to tell Squall!” she squealed, skipping off to find her partner.

    ===

    “Okay class. Those essays on the importance of status junctions are due next Monday! Ten percent deducted for each day it is late! Insta-fail after three days! Dismissed.”

    The class swarmed out the door with new energy. It seemed that the word ‘dismissed’ was some sort of magical cure for the lethargy the students displayed during class. Quistis chuckled to herself. She had been like that too as a cadet and didn’t blame them. Junction theory was hardly a gripping subject. It was necessary to be well versed in the knowledge as a SeeD, and as she had been reinstated as an Instructor, it was Quistis’ duty to teach the children that sort of banal information. Even she had fallen victim to the boredom which so often accompanied lectures. She groaned as she thought of what awaited in her quarters.

    For that time she had been a regular member of SeeD, Quistis had always missed her Instuctor’s quarters. They were considerably larger and more comfortable than the dormitories, with a kitchen, a sitting area, a substantial bathroom and a reasonably sized desk. The latter drew your eye at this time of the year, with an influx of assignments and essays to mark, so the Instructors and Garden Faculty could see who was ready for the field exam in two weeks. It was always heart breaking to see children who tried so hard be told they could not participate. Kriss Gilder was one such child Quistis feared for. She remained adamant he was ready for exams, while the Faculty thought otherwise.

    “He’s a good student. I won’t let those belligerent, money hungry Faculty fools ruin another child’s chances of being a SeeD! I’ve got to find a way to get him into the exams.” she thought aloud, pacing along the floor quickly as she often did when thought to herself.

    Or when stressed. Or panicked. Or was nervous. Or happy. Or bored.

    “Cid. He has the final say. If I can pull a few strings, please a few people… Well. Please Cid.” Quistis said to herself while simultaneous dialling his office.

    “Headmaster’s office. How may I help?”

    “Cid. It’s me. I have a favour to ask of you.”

    “Ah, Quistis. Ask away!”

    “There’s this child in my class - Kriss Gilder - that I really think deserves to participate in the field exam. His academic results are fantastic, but his physical lets him down. Now, he has been training hard and I think he could do really well in the thick of things.” insisted Quistis, her hands talking at the same time despite the fact Cid could not see her, “But Faculty seems to think he’s useless. It’s not like any of them have any real service to offer, other than to complain day and night.”

    “I’ll see what I can do Quistis.” he chuckled, and hung up.

    “Success!” she cried, happy with her 2 minutes work. Quistis leant back in her chair, and took what she felt to be a well deserved break.

    ===


    “I am the luckiest man on Earth, Selphie baby.” cooed Irvine, clasping his girlfriend's in what he thought was a gentle and loving way.

    “Irvine, you silly. You’re doing it again!”

    “Oh. Sorry.” he whispered sheepishly, and relinquished his overly firm grip.

    “Owies. You don’t need to hold on so hard, Irvie. I’m not going anyway fast!”

    Selphie rubbed her hands gingerly, and sensing Irvine’s hurt, looked up and gave him a warm smile.

    “I know, Selph. It’s just like my subconscious is trying to hold onto you in case you do.”

    “Don’t be a twit, Irvine. Now let’s get dessert before all the blancmange is gone.”

    “Let me, honey. I’m the man about here, so I’ll do the heavy lifting.” swaggered Irvine, eager to impress.

    He bounded up to the counter with a spring in his step. Though it wasn’t an official “date”, Irvine liked to look at it as though it truly was. His view was that “every moment with Selphie was special, so I need to treat her like it is.”

    “Two blancmanges, please!” Irvine asked cheerfully, holding his try out expectantly.

    “You can only have one dessert, mate.”

    “Oh. The other’s for my girlfriend over there. See?”

    He pointed over to Selphie and waved frantically, trying to get her attention and hopefully prove there blancmange was hers. At last she noticed and returned Irvine’s efforts in earnest.

    “I told you. So can I please have the blancmanges?”

    “She waved at you. That hardly screams ‘He’s getting a blancmange for me.’” drawled the cafeteria lady.

    Irvine just stared at her, bewildered by her inability to let one stinking blancmange go. Even if he was sneaking an extra one, there was plenty to go around.

    “Fine. I’ll get her to come up here and tell you herself” he growled through gritted teeth.

    He stalked back to the table looking quite livid. Anyone in his way jumped aside, wishing to avoid any spleen Irvine may have chosen to vent.

    “Selphie. You need to get your own blancmange. Some cafeteria cow says so.”

    “Oh really? Poo. I quite enjoyed having you as my little servant.” she giggled.

    “Selphie, honey. For you, I’d tackle one hundred cafeteria ladies with my hands tied!”

    “You’re so valiant, Irvine!”

    “It’s all for you Selphie!” he beamed, as he linked arms with the girl who had captured his heart.

    ===

    “OH YEAH BABY! I HIT THE JACKPOT!” cried Zell, pumping the air with his fist, “First in line for the canteen! Hot dogs, here I come!”

    “Sorry Zell, but you’re first in line because today was an early lunch… We only have fruit bars and salad left.”

    “What?” whimpered Zell, devastated, “I was in the library researching Wendigoes when I could have been eating hot dogs? That’s just not fair!”

    He sighed and felt his stomach rumble. He had to have something.

    “I’ll take an apricot bar then, with a garden salad.”

    “There’s only raisin-with-nut bars left.”

    Zell fell silent and his face took on a look of utter devastation as he shuffled off back to the library, crestfallen.

    “I don’t see why I need to read on the complete history of the Wendigo. If there’s a problem with them around Timber, why not just knock ‘em off? I’ll teach them good!” grumbled Zell, fighting an imaginary Wendigo.

    “Because, Zell, we need to do it in a very certain manner, so the Wendigoes don’t become extinct. And they’re a little bigger than what you’re fighting.” laughed Xu.

    Turning around to see the senior SeeD standing behind him, Zell’s cheeks turned beet red and his face grew hotter than fire. He rushed off to find a book to hide behind to try and lessen the damage he had done to his ego.

    “Oh.. Uh.. Hi there… Xu. Didn’t see you there. Thanks… erm, for the info on that. Now if you could just you know, forget what you just saw, I’ll love you forever.”

    “See what now?”

    “That’s what I mean.” he grinned.

    “Now the operation is taking place in two days, so I trust you’ll be ready by then?” queried Xu, taking on a more authoritative tone.

    “Oh yeah. I’m always ready for battle. Those Wendigo won’t know what hit ‘em. A few uppercuts, some roundhouse kicks, a couple of special combination moves… SeeD will be raking in the cash if it’s by the Wendigo!”

    “Okay then. Just make sure you’re not too overconfident. We don’t want you making a fool of yourself like you tend to. Lest Seifer be given more ammunition against you.”

    “That moron needs a bullet. Why doesn’t he just grow up and stop picking fights?” Zell grunted.

    “If I recall, you started the last fight, Mr. Dincht.” Xu chimed and walked off a little more briskly than usual.

    “Yeah, but he was asking for it! Hey Xu! Are you listening to me! Xu! XU!” Zell shouted after her.

    ===


    Flowers were in full bloom in the quadrangle and looked as if they could positively sing, were they able to speak. Selphie thought so as well, and took the liberty of singing for them. Humming a little tune was meant to help flowers grow as well, so she was more than happy for an excuse to sing aloud. It also helped her think, and she desperately needed an idea for this year’s Garden Festival.

    “Oh little flowers, if only you really could sing! Then you could help me come up with the greatest idea for a Garden Festival ever! No one seems to come to the meetings, even when I say there’s cake. Maybe I ought to just do another in your face recruitment drive…”

    Selphie leapt up and planned her spiel in her head.

    “Join the Garden Festival Committee! Help plan the biggest calendar event of the year, and there’s cakes at all the meetings!”

    If she injected boundless enthusiasm, a warm smile and a few winks in, Selphie was sure it would be a knockout performance. Checking her watch to see how much time she had to round up a committee, Selphie’s stomach filled with terror.

    “Yipes! It’s twenty-to-two already?! I’m late for my class!” she exclaimed hysterically, and bolted off to the second floor classrooms.

    “Sorry sorry sorry I’m late!” she cried as she ran the room like a maniac, and slumped into her chair, exhausted from her run.

    Selphie’s class looked at her strangely, like she was some mildly interesting exhibition in a museum.

    “What? Has my hair gone mad after my little jog to class?”

    “Um… Instructor Tilmitt… You look a little crazy is all…”

    She got out a small mirror she kept in one of her oak desk's many draws and looked at herself. She was a mess. Her scarf was skewed to the left, her hair stuck out in all directions and there was blancmange in the corner of her mouth. If she kept going like this, she’d have her licence revoked faster than Watts running from danger. First there was the her work on Drawing Flare and the ensuing explosion and the “cooking reward class” debacle, which resulted in the cafeteria’s entire hot dog supply being poisoned (Zell was furious with Selphie and refused to speak to her until a new supply arrived). Her promotion to Instructor had been opposed by most of Garden Faculty, but with some pressure from Cid, she had finally obtained it. In the six months of being an Instructor though, she had proven herself an effective teacher who balanced friendliness with firmness in her teaching.

    “Oh. Oops.” she giggled, and proceeded to rectify her appearance, “Now. Let’s get on with the lesson. But before we start, who’d be interested in joining the Garden Festival Committee? We have cake!”

    ===


    Squall stared at the mountains of paperwork in front of him. When he had been promoted to Commander, he had expected an increase in his workload, but not of this degree. Days spent reviewing strategic plans for missions, assessing sources of revenue for the Garden, plotting courses for Garden. It seemed to him that Cid took every role he could think of, rolled it into one convenient package and forced it upon the first patsy he could find. At first he had relished the work. It separated him from the rest of Garden. People just didn’t suddenly strike up conversation, and he didn’t need to waste energy ignoring anyone. It was tedious though. Fed up with it, he decided to take a walk.

    In the two years since Ultimecia’s defeat, Garden had not changed at all. However, the people who lived inside it though has undergone a massive change. No longer was SeeD concerned only with revenue. It was now serving the public by monitoring Sorceress activity to both stop attacks by Sorceress, and attacks on the Sorceresses themselves. Individual people had changed as well. Squall was no longer as taciturn and cold as he once was. He was now able to converse normally for more than fifteen minutes at a time, and even started conversations. No one doubted though, he was still reticent and stoic.

    “Squall!” shouted a voice he recognised straight away from down the hall.

    Rinoa ran towards him, her every step oozing delight.

    “Squall! I have the best news!” she gushed. “Dad has time off in Deling City when we land there next. You two can finally get to know each other!”

    Squall looked downwards. “I already know him. I met him when we were ordered to assassinate Edea. Do I really want to meet him anyway? I mean, he's going to be constantly sizing me up, seeing if I'm good enough. He's already biased. He'll want someone better than me for Rinoa.” he mused.

    Rinoa looked at Squall intently, trying to see into his mind. “Squaaaall! Tell me what you’re thinkiiiiing! You know I’m not a mind reader.”

    “That’s great. I can meet your father and get to know him.”

    “Don’t put too much effort into your sentences, Squall. You’ll give yourself an aneurysm. I wonder if you’ll ever change?” she laughed.

    “Probably not. But is that such a bad thing?” he muttered to no one in particular.

    ===


    A note from Rocco, the slightly eccentric author: Well, there’s the prologue. Basically utter drivel, updating you on minor events that have occurred between Ulti’s defeat and the beginning of the story so you aren’t thinking “What the hell? How come this is like this? IT NEVER HAPPENED!”. So I’m sorry if I poisoned/maimed/mentally scarred anyone with this. Also, sorry for the pretty generic format for each character. There was a method to my madness though as I tried to let you see how characters interacted and how they thought. Or at least my interpretation of them. Woo for my insanity.

    Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, except those I created. They’ll be named as I reveal them. In fact, there’s very few. I also do not own any locations, terms, etc. Unless I made it. If I did own this stuff, I’d be filthy rich and commissioning a damn remake.
    Last edited by Doc Rocco; 12-05-2008 at 06:57 AM.

  2. #2
    Au revoir. Second Time's the Charm Doc Rocco's Avatar
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    Second Time’s the Charm
    Chapter One: Dross

    “All SeeD field examination candidates, examination assessors and accompanying SeeDs are to report to the first floor lobby for briefing. Repeat, all SeeD field examination candidates, examination assessors and accompanying SeeDs are to report to the first floor lobby for briefing. Thank you.” boomed the PA system, declaring its message across the halls of Balamb Garden.

    A mad scramble of bodies and ten minutes later, all who were called had gathered in the first floor lobby. Squall Leonhart surveyed the building and its occupants. The massive structure he commanded and called his home was really a fascinating thing if you took the time to look at it properly. The grey walls with the Victorian motifs lightly overlaid captured the light and made it dance. The rippling water which travelled beneath the walkways rippling, swirling and capturing Squall’s mind. The lush, green plant life whose aromas filled the construct so it really did smell and look like a giant, mobile garden. If only the candidates would do the same and relax, rather than be the emotional wrecks they were at the moment.

    Since becoming Garden Commander, Squall had overseen six field examinations, and was able to read a candidate’s body language with near one-hundred percent accuracy. No one in this lot seemed overly confident, nor did they seem like neurotic basket cases. Which was always good. Those who were often failed. Instead they seemed to be the perfect balance between nerves and confidence. Deciding the time was right, Squall strode to the stairs to announce the mission, readjusting his SeeD uniform on the way so he looked half presentable.

    “Excuse me! Candidates! Assessors! SeeDs! Your attention!” he shouted commandingly, “I need to brief you on your mission details.”

    They all turned to face Squall, their eyes focused on him. Even after two years of it, having a crowd’s undivided attention got on Squall’s already highly strung nerves.

    “Our mission is to exterminate approximately 500 Wendigo in the immediate vicinity of the township of Timber. You will split into four groups of four, and each will be accompanied by an assessor. Your task is to defeat as many Wendigo as possible in one hour. Your assessor will keep a tally of how many your group defeats, and also assess your combat skills. After one hour, you will withdraw to Timber and SeeD will take over for you. You may also find it necessary to defeat other native monsters, but they will not count towards your tally. I must also stress that this is not the Training Centre. You must obey orders. You must keep your wits about you. A single mistake could cost lives. You know the rest. Now please listen to Headmaster Cid as he announces the squadrons.”

    “All right everyone! Listen up. Squadron A will be with Instructor Tilmitt, Squadron B with Instructor Trepe, Squadron C with Instructor Dorse and Squadron D will be with Instructor Yiltyr. SeeDs Xu Toriama and Zell Dincht are overseeing the entire operation. Any questions before the examination should be directed to them. So. Let’s start. Cordae, Luca. You are with Squadron C. Eras, Faust…”

    Cid’s voice trailed off as Squall made a dash for the elevator so as to avoid any impromptu speeches he may have to deliver. It was only ten metres away… Five now… He was safe. He pressed the third level button, heard the familiar chime and was moving upwards. They’d be in Timber soon, and Squall hoped to be on the battlefield for the first time in months. His work as Commander meant he delegated all the “undesirable” tasks to people of lesser authority, therefore field work was a rare occurrence. He had managed to spin a tale of wanting to “scout out new talent” to the Garden Faculty, and they seemed to buy it. Too long had his Gunblade rested in its case unused. Another chime, and Squall walked into his office on the third floor. Cid had given it to Squall nearly a year ago, and moved his office to the second floor. He strode to the impressive cabinet standing against the wall, and picked up the box with the lion insignia that so reminded him of Griever. That battle seemed like it would go on forever, and the victory was a mammoth one. Yet, they had been sworn to secrecy about the events in the fear that it would prompt a worldwide witch hunt. The rest of the world remained unaware of Time Compression and that it even occurred, making the task an easy one.

    “Nida.” he called, “How are we going for time?”

    “Good, sir. We’ll be in Timber in around 2 minutes.”

    “Great. I get to make an announcement.” he sighed, and made his way onto the elevator platform.

    Squall looked at the PA system with utter contempt. Hoping that if he glared at it hard enough it might just explode. Ten seconds passed, and with no progress on the destruction of the loathed object, Squall decided he should make an announcement.

    “Could all people involved in the Wendigo mission being undertaken near Timber please make their way to the landing bay, including all those involved with exams. SeeD members not involved should leave Garden first, followed by those supervising and participating in exams. Thank you.”

    He slammed the microphone down, causing a rather large bang to echo throughout the building.

    “Oh. Sorry for that minor… interference. Won’t happen again.” Squall announced over the PA, blushing furiously.

    “Smooth, Squall.”

    “Hyne, why does everything I do seem to involve a PA announcement? Why can’t it involve a nice mission to taking down a Malboro?”

    ===

    Thirty minutes into the exam and all seemed to be going well. Squadrons A and B were doing well like as he had hoped, taking down six and seven Wendigo respectively during the time he was with them. He was with Squadron C now, and they also seemed to be doing well. One candidate in particular, named Kriss, caught Squall’s eye. His tactics and technique were superb and Squall was sure he’d make a fine addition to SeeD.

    “Geeze. I’m starting to think like a real Commander. Is this good or bad?”

    A scream exploded from behind. Squall whirled, searching for it’s owner.

    “Squad C, continue with your mission!” he cried, sounding more at ease than he really was, “I’ll go see what’s going on.”

    He began to sprint in the direction of the scream, his Gunblade drawn and ready to slice through whatever was the cause of distress. His mind numbed, it’s only thought about what to do when he arrived. No thought was given to the numerous monsters he passed on his way, or the rare wildflowers he trod on. It was all secondary now. Another scream, closer now, and with words.

    “Dragon! Someone! Help!

    Squall burst through the shrubs to be confronted with a massive, blood red dragon, four cadets and Quistis standing there petrified. One of them was out cold, two others were badly injured while Quistis and the other - a young boy who could not have been a day over sixteen - bravely fought off the dragon.

    “Arm yourselves everyone! We’ve got to take it down! Quistis, do you have your cell? Call for backup!”

    “Right. Of course.” she managed to say, “But who Squall? I’m in a state. I didn’t see it or hear it and then Marxia was knocked out-”

    “Call the old gang then. Rinoa, Irvine, Selphie, Zell. Whoever. We just need help. It’s a Ruby Dragon.” he interjected all the while thinking, “What in Hyne’s name is a Ruby Dragon doing in Timber of all places?”

    A sudden intake of air from the dragon wiped the thought from his mind as he rushed to the side, narrowly avoiding the fiery gust that bellowed from the beast’s jaws afterwards. Squall took up a battle stance, but quickly had to drop it to rush away again in order to avoid being shredded by razor sharp talons.

    “I’m not going to get a single scratch on the thing at this rate…” he muttered.

    The dragon howled suddenly as ice enveloped it and shattered magnificently, sending icicles everywhere.

    “Someone call for a Blizzaga?” called a familiar voice

    “Selphie! You have no idea how glad I am to see you!”

    “You’re always glad to see me!” Selphie replied, poking her tongue out and running to her comrade’s side, “Now let’s take this sucker down! Which raises the question; what is this sucker doing in Timber?”

    “Ask him when he’s not breathing fire and trying to eat us.” shouted Squall, dodging another swipe.

    “I got Rinoa! She’s coming with back up!” cried Qusitis jubilantly.

    “That’s great, Quisty! Do you reckon you could help?”

    The blonde stood up and pulled her whip, Save the Queen, from its holster. She sent the snake like figure whirring expertly, twirling like gold in the air, and sliced downwards. The red reptile howled as its face was sliced open by the female mercenary and spewed flames in anguish. Squall saw an opening and landed an overhead blow on the right arm, creating a gaping wound. Another howl from the beast, but this time it retaliated, striking with its tail, propelling Squall into a tree trunk. He saw stars and groaned. The injury was going to hurt tomorrow morning.

    Suddenly, a blur of white hurtled past him and struck the dragon, slicing the sanguine beast’s body. Blood now smeared the savage creature, and it was all the more furious for it. Gunshots rang in his ears and the dragon seemed to scream with every one of them, as each gunshot meant another bullet penetrating it’s already damaged body.

    “Boo yeah!” shouted a voice as it rushed past Squall towards the dragon, and landed a sharp kick to the dragon.

    The dragon bellowed and flapped its wings in a mad frenzy, in a desperate attempt to flee it’s assailants. The force of the wing beats sent dust flying and threw down the SeeDs. Within only twenty seconds, the beast which had been after his blood was only a mere red dot in the blue sky, miles away.

    “Squall! Are you okay? Tell me, what’s my name?” asked a panicked voice.

    “You… You’re Rinoa.” he replied thickly, remembering that the black haired girl in front of him was indeed Rinoa.

    “Oh thank Hyne. He’s alright.”

    “I was only flung into a… tree was it?”

    “You’re concussed. Badly. Dr. Kadowaki will not be pleased with you. Curaga!” she fretted, trying to lesson the damage done to him, “It’s not a total cure, but you’ll be right for now.”

    “Wasn’t this a pleasant little get together? Just like old times!” beamed Quistis while attending to a badly injured SeeD cadet.

    “Can anyone lend me a Phoenix Down? I’m all out.” cried Irvine.

    “You can do magic, you idiot! You have a GF! Use it! What is the point of practising with it if you’re never going to use it? Why did I bother collecting all those items to refine for you? For nothing, that’s what!” Zell shot at Irvine furiously.

    “Careful, Zell! You might explode if you get too angry! Let me, Irvy. I’ve got a few spare.” retorted Selphie cheerfully.

    She made her way over to Irvine casually to try and disguise her true motive; a kiss.

    “Just like old times.” smiled Rinoa, hugging Squall tightly.

    “Yeah. It’s nice. I wish we could do more of it. I miss those days spent travelling together.”

    “So do I. I mean, SeeD life is great, but being able to set off wherever we’d like, whenever we’d like would just be bliss…”

    Silence.

    “Instructor Trepe?” asked Marxia weakly, “Did I fail my exam?”

    “I don’t know. I’d say they’d make a special consideration in your case, and with the other two. No one else had to fight a Ruby Dragon.” said Quistis kindly.

    “That’s good. I think I might… just… sleep now…” yawned the young girl.

    “What a disaster. And what a freak accident! Whoever heard of dragons here in Timber!”

    “I know! When I was living here, we were lucky to get Geezards near town, but now there’s a Wendigo epidemic! It’s like the planet’s gone haywire!” laughed Rinoa.

    “Hey Squall. Did you see the awesome kick I landed on the beastie’s torso? Wasn’t it awesome?” quizzed Zell enthusiastically.

    “I was concussed Zell. I didn’t.” slurred Squall, “Can someone call in a team to get us out of here? I don’t feel like walking back in this state.”

    “I’ll do it. They’ll be expecting a call back from me anyway.” Rinoa chimed.

    “Great. Make sure you get a few cars to come along, and tell them to bring SeeDs. This area can be cleaned up now.”

    “Will do. Now you just rest Squall. You’re only missing out on drossy chat.”

    “But I want to talk about dross… Like we used to…”

    “Squall. I promise. When we’re back at Garden we will. We’ll have more dross than you can handle.”

    "That's... good... I'll just get some rest." he yawned, and quickly began to slumber. Life was well.

    ===

    A note from the slightly eccentric author: There you have it. The first chapter of my work. Really, a great big ball of fluff that has nothing at all to do with the story. I use it basically to get an idea for what I’m writing and for you to get a firm idea of how I write and other mumbo jumbo. If you review and continue to read, I promise I’ll write a chapter that is to do with the plot. I swear from the next chapter onwards, it’s all plot.

    Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, except those I created. They’ll be named as I reveal them. In fact, there’s very few. I also do not own any locations, terms, etc. Unless I made it. If I did own this stuff, this wouldn’t be a story but a fully fledged game with voice acting.

  3. #3
    Au revoir. Second Time's the Charm Doc Rocco's Avatar
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    Second Time’s the Charm
    Chapter Two: Origins

    Quistis looked straight ahead, scanning the terrain. The glare from the sun reflected off the pure white snow, causing her eyes to water and squint. The pine trees became a blur of green and white as she sped past them on her snowmobile. As fetching as the scenery was, Quistis knew Trabia was a harsh continent, and one mistake could leave you stranded alone in the vast expanse of white. Fortunately, she had Zell and Seifer to keep her company on the mission. Her mind flashed back to yesterday’s briefing.

    Squall had announced over the PA, apathetic as ever, that he had wanted to see herself, Seifer and Zell in his office. Quistis had never become quite used to going to ‘Squall’s office’. The term seemed so strange to her. Squall Leonhart having his own office from which he worked seem like some abstract concept in a physics book. Curious as to what mission she had been assigned to go on, Quistis hurried to the third floor.

    “We have been hired by the township of Lorol in Trabia to track and if possible, exterminate a large monster terrorising the area. It has been described as large, scaled and winged. So the most likely scenario is that you will be facing a dragon. You three will go to Lorol tomorrow morning where you will be briefed by the town council on exactly what they want you to do. Quistis, you’re team captain. Basically, the contract states you are in the employ of Lorol until the attacks stop.” Squall had instructed.

    “And what? You expect us to trek across miles of Trabian snow fields and hunt down this monster on our feet? That’ll take forever Squall. I’m not going unless there’s transport.” fumed Seifer.

    “You’ll have a snowmobile each. Lorol is providing them. You’ll want warm clothes. It’s probably best to pack tonight.”

    “Before I go Commander, one question. Why am I with a Chicken Wuss and a harlot? Can’t I just do this myself?”

    “No. You need support, and don’t call Quistis a harlot. It’s offensive.”

    “And what about me? Can he call me a Chicken Wuss? That’s offensive too!” squealed Zell.

    Everyone walked off, while Zell threw a tantrum.

    Quistis laughed silently, returning to the present. As much as she hated to admit it, Seifer wasn’t as vulgar as Zell made him out to be during their chats. Somehow, conversation would always end up on Zell’s favourite topic; Seifer. If his language when talking about Seifer wasn’t as strong as it was, or as derogatory, Quistis would swear Zell had a crush on him.

    Now was no time to be thinking of Seifer, Zell or anything else for that matter. The mission at hand required her full attention. They had an area of eight miles square to cover. Eight square miles overrun with Forbiddens, Snow Lions and other savage beasts. She had to stay focused, lest she make a fatal mistake.

    So far, they had covered nearly a square mile today. The people of Lorol had not been wrong when they had said the beast was destroying the surrounding area. Trees had been torn down, houses rendered inhabitable, wildlife ravaged. Areas of attack often featured pink snow, a sign that their foe was a bloodthirsty killer. Quistis’ skin crawled as she thought of confronting the beast, and her stomach filled with fear for what may befall her and her team mates.

    “Quistis!” shouted Seifer, his voice barely audible over the howling wind rushing past, “There are carcasses over there!”

    Indeed there was. Three Mesmerise carcasses lay in the snow. Leafy green pines shaded them, their enormity dwarfing all around them. They were barely recognisable and had it not been for the tell tale blade protruding from what remained of the skull, there would be no way of knowing what the bodies were. Limbs had been torn from the body and flung metres away, and organs spilled out of the torsos. Blood oozed from the gaping wounds and slashes over the torso.

    “Blood is still flowing from the wounds… The beast was recently here…” breathed Quistis.

    “So we’re getting closer. We need a direction. Look for anything that will point us in the right direction!” barked Seifer through chattering teeth.

    “We’re in a thicket of trees right?” stated Zell, “And if this thing is able to fly like the townspeople say, it follows that there’ll be some sort of displacement of tree branches. And if it can’t fly, we’ll find foot prints. So, looking up or down right?”

    “The Chicken Wuss does have brains after all!”

    “Shut up, Seifer!”

    “Don’t!” warned Quistis, her voice dangerous, “If this beast is still around we don’t want to attract it’s attention. If we fight it, we fight it on our terms. Besides, there’s no time for arguing. We need to find this thing before Lorol is ravaged again, lest it destroy the town next time.”

    Seifer opened his mouth to argue, but shut it quickly after Quistis gave him a look of pure venom. Zell to crumbled under the look as well, and hurried over to a patch of snow many metres away from the blonde. Satisfied the two men would not clash, she too busied herself with an area in the forest blanketed by snow.

    With time to think, the realisation she was terribly cold hit her, and Quistis began to shiver madly. Quistis wrapped her arms around her body, covered by a thick, comfortable snow jacket. The pale pink garment did well, but the biting cold still found a way to penetrate the many layers separating the female and the freezing air. The pale skin of her face was flushed with red, having been chilled by the ferocious winds and numbed by the cold. A thin layer of snow had already formed atop the matching pink beanie Quistis wore in the short space of time the SeeDs had stopped. As she stopped to scrutinise the area around her, Quistis realised just how magnificent the continent of Trabia was. The majestic pines who rose high into the air, their magnificent green enhanced by the pure white snow. The snow which lay upon the pines, slightly melted so the light refracted on contact, creating a magical light show. The mountain ranges extending up towards the heavens, beautifully purple against the blue sky, topped with snow. Her ‘moment’ came to an abrupt end with a shout coming from about twenty metres behind her.

    “Hey guys! I’ve found where it left! There’s a big hole in the forest canopy.” called an excited Zell.

    Quistis stalked over the site which Zell suspected to be the beast’s exit point, slightly annoyed she had to tear her eyes away from the exquisite landscape. She gazed upwards, into to gaping hole above her. Seifer whistled as he moved himself directly beneath the opening.

    “That’s one big monster.” he marvelled, “Do you think it went directly to its lair?”

    “Well, we can only hope.” replied the instructor.

    “It went thatta way, you can tell by the angle of the hole.”

    Seifer indicated to his right, a north westerly direction. It would take them towards the mountains, which made sense. The Trabian Mountains were riddled with caves, perfect for an enormous dragon to occupy and thrive in. With each passing second, Quistis became surer and surer that was where the beast would be found.

    “Okay, it’s settled. Let’s head for the mountains. It makes sense for him to be there if it’s a dragon. They love caves. We’ve only got around four hours of light left, so let’s make the most of it!”

    ===


    The trip to the mountains was shorter than expected, only taking forty-five minutes. It went smoother than anticipated, almost like fate wanted them to reach the cavernous expanse as quickly as they could. The terrain was flat, with not a tree in sight, nor a monster or building. The information flowed through Quistis’ head, being processed. If a terrible beast lived here, it made sense that no other monsters would dwell in the area out of fear. The stony mountains grew larger and larger with every metre the trio covered, and so did their imposition. Quistis, Seifer and Zell were close enough now to spot the caves that dotted the huge elevations. They were nearly there, and the investigation would soon begin.

    Upon arrival, Quistis wondered how they would ever find where the beast lived. The sheer number of caverns would take months to explore! There had to be a sign, a clue to point her in the right direction.

    “It makes sense that a dragon would want the largest cave, right? They’re hardly the daintiest little things in the world.” Zell thought aloud, “So should we start with that frickin’ big one over there?”

    Quistis turned to look where Zell was pointing. The huge, gaping chamber of rock he indicated certainly did look to be the biggest one in the vicinity, and she had to agree with his logic. A dragon would certainly want a cave with space it could move about in.

    “I agree Zell. Let’s move in and survey the cave. Seifer, any problems?” she queried.

    “Chicken Wuss has a point, yeah. Let’s get inside so we can get rid of this problem.”

    Zell looked positively furious, angered by Seifer’s favourite insult. Quistis groaned as she brought her hand to her forehead. Why did Squall, or whoever formed the party for the mission, put Seifer and Zell in the same team? Their mutual dislike for each other was famous throughout all of Garden, and Squall knew better than anyone of it. Putting those two together was like lighting a match in a room full of hydrogen gas. Disaster. Action was necessary to prevent a punch up that Quistis felt was about to erupt.

    “Seifer! Zell! Can it! We have much more important things to worry about, as I keep telling you. Stop these petty fights and get along for the sake of the mission. Otherwise, I’ll make it my mission in life to have both your SeeD ranks reduced to one.” snarled Quistis.

    “But Quistis-”

    “I don’t care what he called you, Zell. Be the bigger man and get over it. If you didn’t get all offended over the slightest thing, you wouldn’t be as big a target for him.”

    Seifer snickered.

    “And you, Seifer Almasy! You need to learn to keep your mouth shut!

    Seifer’s face darkened, adopting a mutinous look. However, he had the sensibility not to argue with the team’s captain. A strained silence fell over the group.

    “Now, can we please just work together? We need to get this mission over and done with.” asked Quistis, her voice softer now.

    “I guess.” muttered Seifer.

    “Fine.” said Zell, slightly embarrassed.

    “Good. Now let’s explore this cavern.” Quistis pronounced, and made her way over to the opening in the mountain as the two men followed suit.

    The climb was more dangerous than it looked. A lack of safe climbing surfaces made the journey more difficult, and turned it into a trial. Hugging the mountain wall was all the three SeeDs could do to maintain balance, and hope they would not lose their footing. The blanket of snow covering everything did not help either, creating a slippery surface and reducing friction between boot and ground. What looked like it would be a five minute walk turned into fifteen minutes of fear and anxiety. Never had Quistis been happier to walk into a dank, dark cave. The moment she walked in, the pungent smell of dead flesh hit her, causing her eyes to water.

    “I think this is the one. I can smell the dead meat. Oh, it’s foul.” groaned Quistis, her voice sounding strange due to her nose being held shut.

    The cave was extremely dark, and necessitated the use of a torch. Now illuminated, Quistis could see the cave in its entirety. The huge entrance belied the size of the cave. The inside was colossal. The cave was round, carved from black rock and filled with skeletons and dead bodies. Quistis estimated the cave to be around one hundred metres in diameter, and ten metres high. The number of bones lying on the ground was enormous as well, lining the walls of the cave. Convinced this was the place they were looking for, Quistis turned to her companions and made for the exit.

    “Where are you goin’, Quistis?” asked Zell.

    “We need to get out of here. If we’re to take this thing down, there’s no way we can do it in here. It’s where it lives and were trespassing. It’ll be furious and more savage for it. We need to get out-”

    The last words of her speech were drowned out by an eerie sound from outside the cave. All three rushed to the entrance to investigate, only to hear screams and see Lorol being razed. Buildings seemed to be vanishing into thin air, and the town was slowly shrinking as a result.

    “Lorol’s under attack! It must be the dragon!” shouted Zell.

    “It can’t be, Zell! Look at what’s happening to it! The buildings are just… Disappearing!” screamed Quistis, “We need to get over there now, and see if we can do anything. If we get there in time.”

    “But our mission, we can’t just abandon it!”

    “There’s no point continuing the mission if there’s no town to save!” shouted Quistis in reply, looking for a way to get to their transport more quickly, “We’ll have to slide down here to get to the snowmobiles quickly. Come on.”

    And with that, she slid down the slope.

    ===


    “Oh Hyne…” whispered Quistis, overcome with shock.

    The town of Lorol had been devastated. The entire township had literally melted. Buildings, or at least what used to be buildings, had been liquified. A dark, thick, syrupy liquid covered everything. Small mounds of bricks dotted what used to be the town, steaming presumably from the heat that must have melted them. The most disturbing thing though, was the lack of people.

    “Where is everyone? Where have they gone? What happened to them?” panicked Quistis, pacing all over, constantly changing direction.

    “I… I think they’ve…” Zell paused, looking like he was going to be sick, “Sorry. I think they’ve been incinerated…”

    He indicated to the numerous piles of ashes inside the remains of buildings and the piles lining the streets. The piles contained charred fragments of what appeared to be bone.

    “But how?! HOW? There was no fire, no explosion, no sign of anything that would produce heat! You’d need a massive amount of energy to do something of this scale! But there was no sign of anything! Nothing! Just screams!”

    “Quistis. Calm down. The mission is over now; we need to report to the nearest Garden, which is Trabia.” said Seifer calmly.

    Quistis turned to face him, and regained her composure somewhat.

    “You’re right Seifer. We need to report this. An entire town has been liquified, and all its inhabitants reduced to ashes. We can’t stay here anyway. What if whatever, or whoever, did this occurs or comes by again?”

    “Exactly. Trabia is to the East, about 30 miles. We should have enough fuel, but failing that we’ll need to walk.”

    All three SeeDs shaky, they mounted the snowmobiles and headed towards the half built Trabia Garden. Behind them, the sun was setting, casting an orange haze over everything. Hoping, wishing that when she glanced back at Lorol, she would see the township completely intact, rotated her head in that direction. Quistis saw nothing but ruin. The reality of what happened hit her and she broke down. Tears streaming down her face for every living thing within the town which had perished. All their dreams, hopes and aspirations destroyed. Their potential never realised. She couldn’t appreciate the beauty of Trabia at sunset, couldn’t think of anything but the tragedy of Lorol.

    No.” she thought, “I’m a SeeD. I need to forget this. At least, until I arrive at T-Garden…

    ===


    The construct which was to be the new Trabia Garden appeared on the horizon as Quistis, Seifer and Zell made a turn. The trip had been one full of despondence and sorrow. Removing the horror of Lorol from their minds seemed an impossible task. They had left the town far behind now, but the memory of what they had witnessed had burned itself inside the minds of the three mercenaries. Guards outside Trabia Garden’s gates greeted them and ushered them inside, eager to flaunt the new building to the foreign SeeDs. Trabia Garden was a state of the art complex now, designed and engineered by Esthar. There was no time to dwell on it now though. The Headmaster needed to be addressed, and Balamb Garden informed of Lorol. Looking for any SeeD at all, Quistis spotted one.

    “You! I’m Instructor Trepe from Balamb Garden. We need to speak to the Headmaster right away, and our own Garden. It’s urgent. Lorol is no more.”

    ===


    “So you’re saying the entire town was liquidated?” asked the Trabia Headmaster incredulously.

    “Actually, we believe Lorol was melted.” replied Seifer.

    “Yes. So our mission is over now, and we need to contact our Garden to inform them.” added Quistis, exhausted.

    “Indeed, indeed. In fact, I think it would be best if both Garden’s discussed this… Yes, that would be best.” said the Headmaster cryptically.

    “Why?” asked Zell sharply.

    “You’ll see soon enough. This matter cannot go ignored, and because of the strange circumstances surrounding it, all Gardens need to know. You may rest here for the night. Felos will take you to the dorms.” the Headmaster indicated to the SeeD on his right, “I’ll contact both Balamb and Galbadia Gardens, and call you over the PA tomorrow for a meeting. Dismissed.”

    Quistis walked out of the office, which she thought was much more impressive than Cid’s. It overlooked the Trabian Mountains and was exquisitely furnished. It accommodated two comfortable sofas and another three luxurious arm chairs. The wooden desk, behind which the Headmaster sat, featured ornately carved panels lined with what appeared to be gold. From the high ceiling hung a crystal chandelier, shining its superb light on the entire office. However, the promise of a bed and a shower was far better than admiring a Headmaster’s office.

    ===


    The next morning, Quistis woke later than usual. Her sleep had been terrible, filled with thoughts of Lorol. Nightmares replaced dreams, nightmares of the residents of Lorol being melted, tortured, dying. Three times that night she had broken down and sobbed into her pillow. This whole mess was so tragic, and Quistis couldn’t seem to forget it. The PA chimed, and a voice filled the room.

    “Could the three SeeD from Balamb Garden please make their way to the second floor conference room in the next ten minutes? Could the three SeeD from Balamb Garden please make their way to the second floor conference room? Thank you.”

    Another chime, and the announcement ended. Quistis wondered what to wear, she only had her snow gear, a singlet and underwear. Bleary eyed, she gazed around the room and found a SeeD uniform hanging from the door, with a note attached. Without her glasses, Quistis had difficulty reading but after studying the card she managed to make out the words “Thought you might need this”. She hurriedly threw it on and made her way to the conference room. With the reconstruction of Trabia, a decision had been made to increase the size of the building and redesign it completely, causing Quistis distress. She no longer knew where anything was, and had to be in a conference room in five minutes.

    “Great.” she muttered, “I’m lost in Trabia Garden and I have a stinking conference in five minutes.”

    She looked around, and realised that staring her in the face was a map.

    “Nice one, Quistis. There’s a map in front of you, so you have a nervous breakdown.”

    ===


    The conference was attended by more people than Quistis had expected. Squall, Cid, Xu and a member of Garden Faculty represented Balamb, Martine and three others from Galbadia, while Headmaster Dori, Felos and two SeeDs represented Trabia. Headmaster Dori spoke first.

    “Ah, Instructor Trepe. Could you please take a seat with the party from Balamb?”

    Nodding, Quistis made her way over to her friends from Balamb. She sat and leant over to Squall.

    “What in Hyne’s name is going on here?” she hissed at Squall, determined to get an answer.

    “You’ll find out soon enough. I’m not meant to tell you yet.” Squall whispered back.

    “Well, I think we’re all here, yes? Let us begin. Squall, if you would.” announced Cid.

    Squall gave the man a bored look, stood up and made his way to the centre of the room.

    “As most of you know, SeeD has been monitoring all of Gaia since Time Compression to prevent any hostile activity from Sorceresses, both to protect Gaia’s citizens but also to protect Sorceresses. We don’t need them assailing citizens, nor do we need anyone attacking them. Strange events have been happening lately; The freezing of Cralle off the coast of Esthar, Mortis being lifted twenty metres into the sky, and now Lorol has been melted. We believe that these events are connected. We cannot find any reason for these events besides this; a rogue Sorceress. There is no other reasonable explanation. Not even Esthar can suspend a town of fifteen thousand people in mid-air. The melting of Lorol without producing flames, and the ice storm in Cralle are near impossible. Therefore, SeeD has decided that it must track down this Sorceress as soon as possible and detain her. A group of six elite SeeDs will be deployed to investigate and hopefully capture the Sorceress. All Garden are to monitor the situations on their respective continents, and any information at all is to be shared with the two other Gardens. This must be resolved before something which could destroy all of Gaia occurs. Thank you.”

    The Commander returned to his seat, slightly embarrassed. Quistis looked at him in disbelief.

    “There has been Sorceress activity all over Gaia? Why didn’t you tell us, Squall?” she asked, a little hurt she had not been told after all they had been through.

    “Like I told you, I wasn’t allowed to. Now we need to return to Balamb Garden. We have a briefing.”

    “What? I’m going on the mission?”

    “We all are. The old group. You, Rinoa, Zell, Selphie, Irvine and I. We’re the six elite SeeD being dispatched to capture the Sorceress.” grinned Squall.

    Quistis again gave Squall a look of disbelief. He was grinning. This was all too new for her. A grinning Squall was beyond weird.

    “That’s fabulous, Squall. The old gang together. But tell me this. Since when did you smile?”

    Squall look taken aback, and soon his standard expressionless face was back. Quistis laughed.

    “That’s the Squall I know.”

    “Ha ha. Funny, Quistis.”

    “It is! It truly is!” laughed Quistis, “Oh, don’t look at me like that! Think of the fun we’ll have together! Well, as much fun as you can have tracking down a crazed Sorceress…”

    “Hence why we should return to Garden. There’s a crazed Sorceress on the loose. We need to be briefed now. Garden’s waiting nearby, so come as soon as you can.”

    “Oh. You came in Garden?”

    As she said it, Squall was already stalking off, back to his home. Realising she had better do as well, Quistis made for the dorm she had slept in last night, collected her things and made for Balamb. Soon, things would be back to the way they were. All she had to do now was endure a briefing. Compared to that, catching a Sorceress was child’s play.

    ===


    A note from the slightly eccentric author: Woot! Chapter Two is done. Finally. Keep in mind I did write this in a bit of a stupor (Most was written in the afternoon, but I was dead. Some was written at night as I couldn’t sleep. Guess where.), so I wasn’t “with it”. But! The plot is actually underway now! When I say underway, I mean only just started. And I couldn’t resist having a chapter where Quistis is the main focus. I am a self confessed Trepie. Keep reading, and review! I need them to guide my writing!

    Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, except those I created. I also do not own any locations, terms, etc. Unless I made it. If I did own this stuff, Quistis would be in a helluva lot more FMVs in the game, and you would have the option to control her rather than Squall.

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