Chapter 8: A Partner for the Ball

[ST]

Haha this is just like a game, huh? Pick a partner XD
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Half a day has passed since the final battle with Adel. The repairs of the whole Garden is the number one priority. The casualty is a little severe, but the fact that Garden survived in what seemed like a losing battle betwen Adel and DoTNAs is a blessing from Hyne. The exhausted SeeDs who have managed to slay the sorceress have been ordered to be sent straight to their dorms before reporting to the head office. The same could be said about the Opps who were given a separate room before the designated meeting.

~*~

"I see. That's what happened," said Commander Squall Leonhart before leaning on his chair to look at everyone's freshly showered face. Rinoa, Quistis and Selphie were standing on his right, while Seifer, Zell, and Irvine on the left. Headmistress Xu stood in front of the desk.

"Still, it doesn't change the fact that Adel is dead and the mission is a complete success," Xu added. "I commend you all." She smiled. Every officer in the room seemed to have agreed to her.

"The Interiors Committee will be done with Balamb Garden's repairs in a few days." Quistis announced, reading from a folder. "We plan to hold a SeeD Ball in honor of the heroic deeds you have done." She fixed her glasses. "And also for all of the SeeDs we have lost during the raid."

"I want to see everyone's happy faces by then!" Selphie said. She placed her hands on her waist. "We have to celebrate the fact that we've made it. That goes for you kiddos there, Upps!"

"Opposition of Oppression, OPPS, Selphie, Opps." Zell rolled his eyes.

Rinoa nodded and giggled. "Right. I certainly don't want to see any funeral face like this at the Ball." She pointed at Squall's impassive face.

Seifer smirked. "A nice opportunity to get some."

"Oh yes. One more thing," Xu spoke once again. "This SeeD Ball. It is compulsary." She folded her arms. "A traditional candle lighting ceremony is to be held later on, so I advice you to find a partner for the Ball. Anyone will do."

Her smile grew wider. "That is an order."





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Note: The traditional candle lighting ceremony is just a ceremony for the dead SeeDs. A girl and a boy stand side by side sharing a candle to light the candles that represent the deceased.

[raydensharpola]

Anyone will do eh? Rayden thought with an amused smirk. What if that someone's you?

Rayden knew that none of the other male SeeDs would have the pluck to ask the Headmistress herself to the dance, but Rayden was no ordinary male.

He was one with a hide thicker than a Malboro's.

He wasn't just thinking about asking Xu simply for the feeling of 'conquest', or to attention-whore, but he had a hunch that the smile Xu was exuding wasn't so heartfelt. She had been betrayed by her lover afterall, and no woman would recover from such a thing so quickly.

Immediately after they were dismissed, Rayden strode up to Xu, and with a confident smile on his face, bowed at Xu.

"Headmistress Xu, since you said anyone would do, could I have the pleasure of having you as a partner at the ball then?" He finished, giving her the most charming grin he could muster.

[junkuroki]

Jun was trying to leave the room after the briefing, worrying about who to ask as a partner. She could ask someone from the team, but what if he rejected her? She could never live it down with the embarrassement, and Sapphy was sure to bring it up for the next fifteen years as his entertainment.

But the sight of Rayden going up to Xu and asking her to the ball, in full view of the Headmaster Leonhart, his wife, and the other Second Sorceress War Hero Party was enough to even stop a T-Rexaur in its attack. She gaped open-mouthed at his gall. It was one thing to be thick-skinned, another to be foolish.

"I wonder where he gets all that skin. Probably morphed a behemoth's hide to his own." She muttered under her breath, resuming her way towards the exit, her beloved sword swinging loosely with each step she took.

[Stella]

Stella glanced around the room and saw that everyone was breaking up getting ready to do their own thing. At last she could get out of here and start getting ready for the ball. With a little wave and not at Xu she ducked out of the room.

There was so much to do to get ready. Stella smiled as she headed down the corridors of the Garden. She was very much looking forward to spending time with some of her classmates and maybe get to know some of her new friends a bit better. Shouldn't be a problem finding a partner for the candle lighting ceremony once she got to the ball. If it came right down to it she could always ask that dorky guy in her junctioning class that was always staring at her.

Instead of the elevator she took the stairs and headed down toward her room to get ready for tonight.

[Lawric]

Lawric stood cross-armed, quietly listening to the de-briefing even though he understood little of it. His friends had explained to him last night everything that had come to pass, but a lot of it was still sinking in for him.

Like the part about... coming back to life?

Understandably, he didn't believe them when they first told him. He knew they wouldn't lie to him about this, but he wanted to think they were somehow wrong or mistaken. It was a foolish way of thinking. Of course they weren't wrong. How had they lost Able and Signe? How had he lost his axe? Their story explained everything. Still... He looked down at his hands. He just couldn't wrap his mind around it. Not yet.

He let himself lean back against the wall, trying to distract himself from his thoughts by actually paying attention to the people around him. Jaime, Van, and Deo all stood relatively close by--sticking together, as usual. The girls were a comforting presence for him.

Finally, they were dismissed. Lawric was one of the first few to turn for the door, sort of eager to get out of the office and away from all these unfamiliar people. Normally, strangers intrigued him. But he didn't really feel like his normal self.

He had stepped around a few people and come close to the door when one of the female SeeDs went to step through the threshold. She was dark-haired and petite... that's the one that was laughing. He paused politely to let her go first, and then turned and followed through the doorway and out into the hall.

It didn't take long for the ornate hilt and gleaming silver sheath in front of him to grab his attention.

Hey! That--

"My sword!" he blurted suddenly with a grin. In the short time he'd had possession of it, he had formed a little attachment to it. For some reason, seeing it again felt good. Good enough that he hadn't been able to stop himself before making that senseless exclamation. You obnoxious moron. He suddenly berated himself as the girl turned a quizzical face in his direction.

"Ahh... I mean--it's obviously not mine--" he stammered. "I'm sorry--it's just... " he let out a nervous laugh. At this point, he was completely embarrassed with himself.

"How did you get that?" he finally managed to force out a complete sentence.

[junkuroki]

"My sword!" Jun heard someone call out loudly behind her. She turned in surprise, looking quizzically at the guy who had said it. She recognised him as the new guy that the Opps had gathered around after Ediendelle granted their wish. She looked from his face to Tien Nu, and realised that he was probably talking about it. And the expression on his face told her that he had regretted his outburst. A good-natured smile found its way to her face at his obvious embarrassment.

"Well, I've had it since I was an adolscent." Jun studied his face curiously. He did seem to have a good vibe about Tien Nu. She could catch on to those vibes from anyone, sort of a talent if that's what she could describe it as. And she always had a question at the back of her mind. How had Deo found his hands on her sword? Maybe this man had the answer.

"You know, I lost my sword at a restaurant called Advelo's recently. And later it ended up in Deo's hands. How do you think that happened?"

[Lawric]

"Well, I've had it since I was an adolescent."

Lawric glanced over her shoulder at the protruding hilt. It's such a long weapon. he thought, bringing his gaze back down to her. She was so petite. Not just her stature, but her arms, her hands... even her features. She had such a delicately pretty look about her. How does she manage...

"You know, I lost my sword at a restaurant called Advelo's recently. And later it ended up in Deo's hands. How do you think that happened?"

He brushed his thoughts aside. "Well--ahh, I was actually having dinner at Advelo with my sister and niece when some kind of fight broke out, and then a fire. I sort of noticed and grabbed it up as I was helping civilians out... "

He smirked slightly, suddenly piecing the puzzle together. "So you were involved that mess?"

[junkuroki]

"Weelll...it's a long story." Jun shook her head. "It'd take an entire day to describe it in detail, but in summary, we were the cause of that mess. I was. Yeah..." Her smile faded as she remembered the chaos at Advelo. "Suffice to say, we were there on our search for Ediendelle's Emerald and it was a fruitless effort." She started to look down, but suddenly redirected her glance on his face when his words resurfaced on her mind. "You said you grabbed my sword?" She stepped up to him, grasping his hand in her excitement. "You rescued Tien Nu! And I'm immensely grateful to you for that! I wouldn't know what to do if it really perished in the fire!" Her face flushed when she noticed her hand grabbing his. What, Jun? Grabbing a stranger like that in public! Have you no sense of decorum? She also noticed that he had a nice masculine smell about him, her face turning an even brighter red at having registered, that, of all things, in her impression.

"Ah." She retracted several steps back. "Sorry. I always get too flustered over my sword."

[Lawric]

"You said you grabbed my sword?" She took a sudden step closer, and he felt her take hold of his hand excitedly. He blinked and glanced downward, then looked back up. "You rescued Tien Nu! And I'm immensely grateful to you for that! I wouldn't know what to do if it really perished in the fire!"

Lawric locked eyes with her, pleasantly listening and trying not to be distracted by the unexpected physical contact. She really loves that sword...

"Ah." She released him immediately, stepping backward a few times. He noticed her cheeks flush pink, which brought on a smile for him. He had been all over the world and seen a lot of faces, and she was really a remarkably lovely young woman. What is she doing in SeeD? he thought, baffled and yet impressed as well. After all, it was a status he had never been able to achieve.

"Sorry. I always get too flustered over my sword."

"No apologies... " he laughed. "I guess it's a good thing I held onto it. All my friends in there--well, you guys know us as the Opps--they wanted me to sell it. I told them I wanted to wait and see if I could find the rightful owner."

He smirked. "I guess it's a good thing I did." He tilted his head to the side slightly, looking down at her. "So what's your name?"

[waterlily43]

"Oh, I can't believe I haven't told you my name yet. It's Jun. And you?" Jun asked, smiling brightly, while mentally filing away the fact the the other Opps members had asked him to sell the sword away.

"Lawric! How can you tell her something like that!" A female voice sounded behind her. Jun turned, saw Jaime storming towards the guy with a furious expression on her face. "Don't you know to keep out unnecessary details?" She asked accusingly, anxiously peering back at Jun to guage her expression.

Jun threw her a displeased look, a mental image of Jaime egging him on to sell her precious sword causing her frown to deepen.

"Ehehe, it wasn't on purpose. Forgive us?" Jaime answered with puppy dog eyes, but it didn't seem to work on Jun.

"I'll be on my way." She said coldly. "Show your friend around the Garden."

With that, she made her way towards the elevator, her growling stomach dictating her the next destination.

[Lawric]

Jun...

"Lawric! How can you tell her something like that!" he turned at Jaime's exclamation, suddenly feeling like a deer in headlights. Jaime was coming at them quickly, looking positively furious. "Don't you know to keep out unnecessary details?"

He looked back at Jun, his smile fading away, his face flushing slightly with embarrassment. Jaime...

She came up to them and paused, flashing Jun an innocent look. "Ehehe, it wasn't on purpose. Forgive us?"

"I'll be on my way." Jun stared coldly. So coldly, Lawric had to take a second glance. She had gone from adorable and endearing to downright menacing, in less than a second flat. Whoa. "Show your friend around the Garden." She turned abruptly and strode down the hall.

Lawric brought his gaze back to Jaime. "You could have been a little more reasonable." he said with a frown. "How was I supposed to know she would get so angry about it?"

[jaimelewis]

Jaime pouted at Lawric's frown.

"Of course she'd be angry. She nearly had a stroke when Deo threw her sword like a bomb at her." Jaime sighed. "I suppose you can't be blamed, but she was really nice to Van, Deo and myself before this. Even suggested we had the second wish. Guess that'll be the end of the nice treatment." She raised a hand up to her forehead in a childish gesture. "Sorry, Sir. Would you be so kind as to not bear the grudge? I'll treat you to food as compensation." She grinned playfully. "It's not bad you know, although it can't compare to Jaime's spectecular feast."

[Lawric]

Lawric looked in the direction Jun had gone when Jaime mentioned that Jun had wanted the Opps to take the second wish. So, in an indirect way, Jun had influenced what saved him. He blinked, realizing how much he owed her. Sure, he had salvaged her sword... but that wish... she could have wished for anything, and instead she wanted his friends to have the opportunity.

"It's not bad you know, although it can't compare to Jaime's spectecular feast." he heard Jaime still chattering at his side.

He smirked, breaking from his stare and turning to her. As unnecessary as her outburst had been, Lawric couldn't really stay mad at her for it. "I doubt the cafeteria food here is half as good as a meal prepared by you." he remarked ruefully.

"Anyway, yeah, I'm not holding any grudges. I just, you know, don't really know anyone and I don't know what I'm not supposed to say or how to act really. I didn't mean to sabotage your guys' relationship with her." he looked away again. "She did seem pretty nice."

He looked back at Jaime and exhaled a sigh. "So... food." he gestured. "Lead the way."

[Polaris Lyn]

To socialize in itself was difficult for someone like her, but to be ordered to socialize? Polaris couldn't imagine it. She left the office as soon as they were dismissed, wracking her brain for some sort of solution to her current dilemma that didn't actually involve having to go to a social function with someone.

Obviously, she couldn't come up with one.

Polaris tugged absently on the sleeves of her SeeD uniform (it felt stiff and official and familiar and comfortable) and headed towards the elevator, ignoring the voices behind her (the whole mission was over and done with, there was no need to talk to them, right?) until she stepped into the elevator—and realized that Jun Kuroki was right behind her. She absently held out a hand to stop the doors from closing until the blademaster was inside the lift with her. Polaris caught a glimpse of Jaime, of the Opps, with a taller man, right before the elevator closed.

Polaris blinked, leaned against the wall to her right, and crossed her arms, staring impassively at the space in front of her.

[Zacke]

Zacke pushed his hands into his jacket pockets, glad to have it back. He glanced over at Squall, briefly wondering if he was going to get any kind of special thanks or recognition for voluntarily parading himself around half-naked for the sake of Rinoa. Probably not. This was Headmaster Leonhart. He probably wouldn't even speak a word to Zacke. He sighed, hearing Xu explain something about partners for the Ball.

Why do we have to have dates? This isn't a couples affair--it's an event in celebration of our achievement. Irritated thoughts started filling his mind. What right did they have to enforce this upon them. I just took down Adel for these people. Like hell I am choosing a date against my will. Who am I going to ask, anyway?

Nope, he was attending stag. He would just have figure out who his candle lighting partner would be while he was at the Ball. Wing it--that was the way to do it. He smirked.

He turned to leave the office after they were dismissed, catching sight of Polaris' hair in front of him as he filed out.

/When are you going to get around to it? You can't avoid her forever./

Zacke sighed silently. She didn't speak to anyone at all, heading down the hallway toward the elevator. He followed several paces behind, half-heartedly attempting to catch up. Finally she stepped into the elevator and appeared to be holding it open--but Jun was ahead of him, and that's who she held it for.

"Wait--" he stammered like an idiot, just as the elevator doors slid shut.

Damnit.

He broke into a jog and quickly closed the remaining space between him and the doors. As soon as he was close enough to reach it, he mashed the button on the wall console that would open the doors again. He must have caught it in time, because the elevator doors slid open slowly.

"Ahh--sorry," he stepped inside quickly, the doors sliding shut behind him.

He crossed the tiny space and leaned against the back wall, his eyes fixed on the ground.

/Don't make a fool of yourself over this./ Iris said soothingly, feeling his tension. /She won't eat you./

He glanced at "Tomoe" briefly, before looking downward again. I'm such an asshole. He pushed his hands into his pockets again, decidedly content to wait until the elevator stopped and they were all exiting. He would catch her then.