(Untitled)

[bg_rinoa_hearti]

Who: Rinoa, North, Squall
What: Playing with Angelo
Where: Outside the Garden
When: Wednesday, around lunchtime
Open, incomplete

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[bg_rinoa_hearti]

Rinoa wouldn't have known someone else was anywhere near her, so wrapped up was she in wrestling with her dog, but Angelo had tensed. He'd also completely disengaged from her, and though onlookers would only see a slightly curious dog, tail suspended as if he hadn't decided whether or not to wag.

Angelo was well trained, though. Rinoa knew he was utterly tense, waiting for North to make a threatening move, and he would be on him in two seconds flat.

Slipping her fingers into his fur, Rinoa rubbed between her dog's shoulders and murmured, "Friend."

Instantly, Angelo's tail began swishing, and his tongue lolled out. She could feel the tension leave him, and she glanced up, eyes merry.

It was the guy from the Quad a few days ago. She recognized him instantly, and remembered liking him. Mostly because he hadn't been gawking at her. Actually, he hadn't seemed interested in her at all, which was a relief and a curiosity.

She was waiting for Squall, but no one said she couldn't strike up a conversation while she did so! Her schedule was more flexible than his, so she didn't know if he'd show up in five minutes or fifty.

Pushing her tangled hair out of her face, but not bothering to rise from her sitting position, she clenched one fist and pumped her arm. "Yeah? Me and Angelo could take them. We're not scared of anybody."

Hearing his name, the dog's ears pricked and he headbutted Rinoa. She giggled. "Anyway, we weren't expecting... anyone. We get a pretty wide berth these days, don't we, boy?"

Angelo trotted in a quick circle around her, and then dropped to his butt heavily in front of North. Clearly, he equated "friend" with "willing to play".

[bg_squall_leonh]

Squall strode across the lawn, looking for Rinoa. He spotted her after a few moments. But then he noticed that she was with more than just Angelo. the protective side of him kicked in immediately, and he stopped a few feet behind her, watching the boy with a wary eye. If he was trying to bother Rinoa, he'd better think twice.

[bg_rinoa_hearti]

Once again, Angelo beat Rinoa when it came to sensing new arrivals. He swiveled on the spot, and his tail began wagging madly. Curious, Rinoa leaned back until she could see the grass in place of her skyline, and nearly fell over when she saw Squall.

Dropping her hands from where they'd been clasped upon her knees, she shouted, "Squall!" and scrambled up. Without thinking twice, she launched herself at him, threw her arms around his neck, and tackled him into an expressive hug.

Her face was laughing when she turned it up to his. "So you finally show! I was beginning to think you were avoiding me or something."

Frowning, she asked, "Why'd you stop back here? Sometimes you're so weird, Squall.."

[bg_squall_leonh]

He was a little taken aback by the hug, but recovered quickly, returning it. He was slowly but surely getting used to Rinoa's affection. He liked her attention, and it felt surprisingly natural considering how new this all was to him. But the old Squall still was there needing reminded that this was normal, that he was finally getting it right for the first time.

"Sorry" he replied simply . Arms still draped across her shoulders, his gaze drifted back to the stranger with her. He ignored her comment, instead offering the boy a brief but challenging stare.

It wasnt a confrontation, but a warning. Squall was extremely protective of Rinoa, especially now that he had seen the way some students treated her. He had perfected his 'hurt her and I break your face' vibe.

He let go of Rinoa, leaning forward to pat Angelo on the head. "Hey Angelo."

[bg_north_anthon]

Ignoring Squall's obvious displeasure, North nodded to Rinoa. "It was nice almost getting ran over by you. See you around."

Leaving them to be alone together, he continued across the lawn, hoping there were no other tumbleweeds of dog and girl along the way.

[bg_rinoa_hearti]

Angelo licked Squall's palm happily, apparently unaware of the brief, stormy look that passed over his owner's face. She couldn't put her finger on exactly why, but she something struck her as off.

When the boy from earlier addressed her, she smiled, but it was distracted. No one except those who knew her well could have noticed the difference, though. "Yeah, see you!"

It wasn't until he was out of earshot that she realized she still didn't know his name. Snapping her fingers, she muttered, "That guy's like... I don't know."

Abandoning thoughts of him for now, she glanced at Squall and considered him. They might've been dating for at least six months, but there were times she felt like they were just meeting for the first time still. It was weird. She hardly saw him, and when she did, he said more to her dog than he did her.

Okay, that wasn't fair. Usually Angelo wasn't even around. But she was his girlfriend, for Pete's sake, and all she got was a "sorry"? No "Hey, Rinoa, how have you been? I've missed you."

That was unfair too. It wasn't like Squall was the most socially outgoing person. And okay, he was a guy, it was tough for him to just go out and say that kind of thing. But geez, it was just her, and maybe sometimes she liked to feel wanted.

Pushing her hair behind her ears, eyes looking older somehow, she wondered. Maybe she was only noticing because everyone else was treating her so strangely, but could it be...?

Did it bother him, too, that she was a Sorceress?

The thought almost broke her heart, regardless of the actual circumstance. She pressed the palm of her hand between her breasts, as if to fend off the sudden ache.

Smiling slightly, she dropped her hand. "I've missed you. Seems like we never see each other, you know?"

[bg_squall_leonh]

Squall watched the boy leave. He didn't show it, but he was a little surprised that he had been scared off so easily. Maybe he hadn't meant Rinoa any harm.

Or maybe Squall was more intimidating than he gave himself credit for. Either way, as long as it kept people from bothering Rinoa.

Deep down though, he knew it was unlikely that anyone at Garden would outwardly harrass her. They found their own passive ways of bothering her, in the whispers and the stares. But she wasn't in danger - not here. Rinoa seemed familiar with him, and Squall felt a twinge of guilt. Had he scared off a friend? He certainly knew Rinoa needed all the friends she could get.

He tried to dismiss it. Turning back to Rinoa, he sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just..it's been hard lately," he admitted. It seemed like there was always one thing or another, stupid petty things that filled up his time.

During the almost unbelievable events that had brought him and Rinoa together, he had been forced to spend time - lots of time - with her. Now that they were both free he realized two things. He missed working with her, being with her, day in and day out. He had gotten used to it. And secondly, now that he had to schedule in time to see her, and it wasn't just a given..he wasn't very good at it. How did other couples do it? He sighed again, thinking about it. Then he remembered what Rinoa had told him on numerous ocassions. He had to speak his thoughts or she wouldn't know.

"How do you think it is," he asked, "that we live in the same place and never see each other?" Maybe Rinoa would have a real answer. She was better at this sort of thing than he was. "How do people in relationships do it?" There was complete sincerity in his voice - how this was all supposed to work baffled him.

[bg_rinoa_hearti]

Trying to push dark thoughts to the back of her mind, as they would get her nowhere and Squall had proven time and again he was usually thinking the exact opposite of what she thought he was thinking, she crouched down and began to rub between Angelo's shoulders. She wasn't giving her boyfriend enough credit, she knew. He was a SeeD; he was busy; and plus, she had loads more free time than he did.

Of course she would notice how often they weren't together, since she had nothing else to fill her time with.

Squall's sincere and somewhat baffled tone amused her, and her lips quirked up at the corners. As far as she knew, he'd never had a serious girlfriend before her -- or maybe not even a girlfriend at all. And to be honest, she'd never been serious about anyone, except for Seifer. Still, Seifer and Squall were so different, she really couldn't compare what it was like to be in a relationship with them. They stood alone, like she thought they should.

It also meant she was pretty much clueless on how this was supposed to work, as well. But that wouldn't work! Someone had to know what was going on. If anything, the time she'd spent leading Zone and Watts had taught her that even when you didn't know what you were supposed to do next, you had to make a decision, stick to it, and not let anyone else knew you were just as confused as they were.

Patting Angelo absently, she craned her neck to look at him, and her smile widened. With the sunlight hitting the back of his head, it made it look as though the tips of his hair were bleached blond. "Well... the way I see it, they just make it work."

Dropping to her butt because her legs were getting tired, she patted the grass beside her, gesturing for him to sit as well. "When you care a lot about someone, you find a way. Sure, there's going to be a lot of times you're busy and you can only carve out ten minutes to eat before you're back saving the world again. And I'm sure I'll eventually have... something to do." She scowled, then waved her hand like it didn't matter. "I understand that. You're a SeeD, I know that takes priority over picnic lunches with me."

Her lower lip slid into a slight pout. "I don't like it! Not one bit. But I understand. I mean hey, all the main men in my life have been in some form of military. I'll deal with it. But we just have to learn how to juggle. Well, you do, really." Her tone quieted. "It's not like I'm doing anything except living in my fishbowl."

She was talking too much again, but it was so easy to do when she was with Squall. It was easy to be comfortable around him, to just say whatever she was feeling and not worry about what he was going to think, because he was Squall. Her boyfriend, a good friend, and the guy who hadn't given up on her, even when it would've been easier to just let the world have its way.

She felt bad for doubting him earlier. It was a good thing he couldn't read her thoughts.

[bg_squall_leonh]

Squall sat next to her, thinking about what she said for awhile. After a moment, he shook his head. "I don't want it to be like that," he told her. "It's not...it's not like SeeD comes first and you just get whatever time is left," he attempted to explain. SeeD business was important, but if Rinoa needed him she would come first any day. He had made that choice all ready - when he refused to let Esthar keep Rinoa, he wasn't thinking about his SeeD status.

But there was a difference between being asked to meet with Headmaster Cid for his opinion on a mission's safety, and being asked to meet Rinoa for lunch. His meeting with the Headmaster could affect the lives of everyone on that mission - what if a tactical error got them killed? It wasn't that Rinoa came second. Or was it? Was that what he was doing? He rubbed bridge of his nose in frustration, feeling the hard tissue of his scar.

The more he thought about it, the more confused he was. He decided it was time to stop thinking about it and make a plan instead. He took his hand from his face, circling her wrist with it lightly. She had such small arms.

"So let's do that. Let's make time," he agreed. He couldn't help but worry, probably with good reason, that he was going to screw everything up. This meant so much to him that it scared him to be so clueless. "A real agreement," he continued, "so you know you always have some of my time."

[bg_rinoa_hearti]

A warm glow began to spread in her chest, and Rinoa smiled, leaning into Squall. Silently, she turned her hand inward, fingers seeking his as she clasped his hand loosely. It was moments like these, sitting in the grass in the sunshine holding hands with her boyfriend, that made her feel one hundred percent just like any other person.

Maybe that was why she fit with Squall so well. He let her be just her. She didn't feel that rush of giddy excitement like she'd had with Seifer... well, not now. She had at first, but now, it was more of a quiet warmth. It was better, she decided, as she turned her face in to his shoulder and breathed deeply.

They hadn't said the "L" word yet. It was almost like they were afraid to take it one more step, make it that official. But Rinoa thought she was getting close. Even if the very idea of telling someone that she loved them sent panic tickling down her spine, if she was going to take the plunge with anyone, well...

It would probably be Squall. Probably. For now, she was just enjoying being his girlfriend.

Closing her eyes, she let out a small hum of contentment as she listened to him talk. It wasn't the words so much that made her feel so happy, though they helped. It was more the truth behind them, and the fact that she knew once Squall said something, he meant it.

Come hell or high water, he'd keep his word.

Tone light, she replied, "All right. How about... the first time we make is for the garden festival. I want a dance, Squall Leonhart. There's going to be music and I want to show off my boyfriend's smooth dance moves."

Expression softening, she added, "And besides... it'll be like our one year anniversary. Of when we met, anyway. I can't remember the day, so this'll work, right?"