RP log. [G-rated, fun for the whole family.]

[luu]

As she carried her one suitcase with her through the streets of Balamb, Quistis was glad that she hadn't brought her second one -- the one filled with books. After hours upon hours on a train from Esthar to FH to Timber to Balamb, she was already tired and it was barely morning.
bluemagewoman: Luckily for her, the receptionist at the Balamb Hotel was accomodating; without much fuss she pointed her to Squall's hotel room on the second floor. Pausing in front of the designated numbered door, Quistis set down her bag and rapt lightly on the door. "Squall? It's me, Quistis."

It had been about ten hours since Squall had gone to bed. It was strange. He'd never slept this long.. at least, not that he remembered. Maybe it was some sort of residual anxiety that was present in his mind, there because of what he was going to do today. In the last few moments of his sleep, he had some sort of dream that made no sense to him. He dreamed of a faceless person in the weapons shop, turning Cerberus on him. Although the dream seemed like it had lasted the whole night, it had spanned over only a few minutes. In his dream, he heard knocking on a door... which, in the dream, was that of the shop. In reality, his eyes opened quickly, and clenching shut just as quickly as the sun burned into them. And, as he figured out, the knocking at the door was real. (It must be Quistis...) he thought, slapping a hand over his eyes. "Hey... wait a minute," he shouted. He was still in his flannel pajama pants and t-shirt. (Can't believe I overslept. I even set the damn alarm for 10...)

Quistis heard Squall's muffled voice telling her to wait a minute. She shifted impatiently on her feet, running a hand down her bangs to soothe the flyaways. "Sure," she answered, sighing, wanting nothing more than a moment to wash her face and rest her feet. She hated long train rides.

Squall wasn't sure what he should wear for this occasion. Should he dress casually or professionally? He was announcing his retirement from SeeD, after all. Luckily, he had thought ahead before leaving Deling City and had packed both kinds of clothing. From inside his room, he asked Quistis' opinion. "Quistis? What are you wearing for this? Are you dressing casually or professionally?" He eyed both potential outfits, as they hung from the closet by the door.

"I'm wearing clothes, Squall. What else?" Quistis rolled her eyes, struggling to remain patient. She crossed her arms as she looked down to survey her clothing. Before he could answer her sarcastic remark, she hastily added, "A dress, knee-length, brown with a pattern on it. Boots. Nothing special."

"...Alright," he said slowly, surprised by her attitude. "Casual it is," he said to himself. Disappearing into the bathroom, it was only a few minutes before he came back out. He had changed into cargo khakis and a black long-sleeved shirt. He walked over to the door and opened it. "Sorry. I wasn't awake until you knocked on the door, then I had to get ready, and all that." Stepping aside, he opened the door wider. "Come in if you need to, I guess. Nothing shocking here. I bet you wanna rest after that train ride."

When Squall opened the door, she was grateful that he was civil in the face of her pique. "Yes, please, thank you," she said to his question. "I hate trains, especially all-night trips on them." She slid into the room past him, and happily dropped her valise by the door before she collapsed into one of the room's straight-back chairs. "Ahh, yes," she murmured, gratefully off her feet.

Squall nodded. "Yeah, night trains are all I've been taking in my journeys between Deling City and Balamb. I like them, 'cause no one's on them. But that's just me." He shrugged a bit, then went into the bathroom again to straighten up his bed-messed hair. "So, how do you think Cid's gonna take the news?" he asked, trying to ease off some of the anxiety.

Quistis stretched out her legs for a moment before correcting her posture, one leg primly crossed over the other as she straightened up. "I'm guessing -- heart-attack," she dead-panned, smoothing the sueded material of her dress. "Actually, though...I'm wondering if maybe he's heard of our plans. You know, with Zell knowing all about them."

"Probably. Zell couldn't keep his mouth shut if you paid him." Squall grinned, although it went unseen. "Oh well. Cid might understand. We're all adults now and want to get on with our lives. Besides, he told me once that he wanted us to make our own decisions. That was after we got back from the field exam in Dollet. I think you were there. ...Don't remember." His hair looking satisfactory, he stepped back out. "Just hope for the best, I suppose."

"That's all we can do," Quistis agreed. She nodded approvingly at him. "Looking good. Deling agrees with you."

"Thanks," Squall nodded. He grabbed a pair of brown shoes he had packed and sat down to put them on. Once finished, he got his belongings around and prepared for departure. "Well, then... I'm ready to go whenever you are."

She stood and reached for her suitcase from which she pulled a small embroidered bag. "Just give me a few seconds to wash my face and I'm ready to go. May I?"

"Yeah, sure. Bathroom's right there." He gestured. "I'm not going anywhere."

She nodded and dashed inside, not bothering to close the door as she splashed water on her face and dried it quickly, careful not to wash her dress. She opened her small bag and pulled out a brush, quickly stroking it through her loose hair before she twisted it up in its usual style, finding a tortoise-shell barrette in her cosmetics pouch. She turned, arms raised and hands still in hair, to ask, "You don't want breakfast or anything?"

"Nah. I'm too nervous to eat... believe it or not. Besides, I just want to get this over with." His eyes were diverted to a shiny object on the nightstand by the bed. (How could I forget that...?) He shook his head at himself, then walked over, picking up his trademark Griever necklace and putting it on. "But if you want to get something, I don't mind. I'll go along anyway."

"I grabbed something before I changed trains in Timber," Quistis informed him, finished with her hair. She quickly applied a swipe of lipstick over her lips -- her own vanity, really -- before she tucked it into her bag and emerged from the bathroom. "There," she said decidedly, arms out as if she were modeling. "All ready."

"Alright." He nodded a bit. "Then let's get going. I already set up a car rental for today. ...That's right, I'm driving." He grabbed his things and started for the door.

Following Squall's lead, Quistis returned her bag to the suitcase, taking it in hand as she followed her friend out of the hotel room and down toward the lobby. "Fine by me, if you want to drive. I won't complain."

"I haven't driven a whole lot since our world-saving quest." He led the way out of the hotel, and started the short walk to the car rental place. After getting the car he had reserved for the journey to Balamb Garden, he packed his things into the trunk, and had Quistis do the same. "Alright. Here we go."

Quistis slid into the passenger seat and watched Squall do the same. "I don't exactly drive much myself. Ride, yes. Fly spaceships, yes. Drive? Just a bit when I was on vacation."

"Once I get myself settled in Deling City, I'll probably purchase a car to get to my job." Squall turned the key and heard the engine catch. "It'll get cold before too long, so the three blocks between my apartment and Mr. Segura's shop will seem to lengthen if I continue to walk."

"You could always take the bus," she offered. "They have wonderful public transit in Deling."

"I know. But there are a lot of drunks that ride those things around night time. It's kinda unsettling. Besides, I need a car so I can get to the train station easier." He read the signs outside of Balamb that pointed in the direction of Garden.

"That's true, I guess, although you could handle a few drunks," she joked, watching the calm scenery fly by her window. "I wonder how everyone's been? I watched spoke to anyone but you and Zell since I left -- weeks ago, now."

"Yeah... I kinda wonder myself. I talked to Rinoa a few days ago online. She seemed kind of... I don't know. I guess she misses me." He shook his head, trying not to think about it. It was bad enough that he felt low after breaking up with her about a year ago, and then she had contacted him online and made him feel bad all over again.

"Hmm..." Quistis wisely chose to make no comment about Rinoa, knowing that it wouldn't help Squall any to dredge it up today. "Yes, well...how close are we to Garden?"

"Probably about another mile or so, give or take." He tried to look for the towering structure, but the trees of the forests blocked his view. "Be nice if I could see..."

"Yes, these trees..." Quistis glanced out of her window to watch the last faint line of the ocean disappear behind the blur of the forest. "We'll be there soon enough, I guess. I can't say that I'm looking forward to this...telling Cid...getting all my things up...packing."

Squall shook his head. "I'm not really looking forward to it, either... but it's better than going AWOL... or whatever... and getting in trouble." He tapped the brake as a Bite Bug flew across the road. "I suppose it's best to just let him know."

"Just I meant..." Quistis paused, gathering her words, "...the finality of it. Packing up, leaving the dorm room -- it's been mine for five years and...well, it's just closure, I guess. It means an end, even if it also implies a beginning. Makes me nostalgic."

"I get what you mean. I felt the same when I gathered my things to leave for Deling City. Balamb Garden just keeps a hold on you... especially when you've grown up there."

"Yes," she agreed softly. "Exactly." She glanced away from Squall's profile and out the windshield. "Can you see Garden, yet? I wish I'd brought my glasses. I hope no one wants me to read anything."

His eyes, having been focused on the road in front of him, now looked towards his left. Sure enough, Garden's almost bulky presence was made above the foreground of trees. "Yeah... I can see the top now. We're almost there."

"Thank goodness," Quistis exclaimed in relief. "I think the anticipation is killing me. I just want to get this over with."

"You're not the only one..." Squall sighed.

"Let's just hope that Cid won't actually have that heart attack," Quistis said. "Otherwise, Dr. Kadowaki may kill me..." she trailed off, looking faintly horrified. "Oh, dear. I forgot about that. I have to tell her as well. This day looks very bad from where I'm currently sitting."

Squall returned his gaze to the road before him. "Oh, yeah... I'll have to say bye to her, too. She's pretty important to my life. She did patch me up after Seifer thought it would be fun to slice my face, after all." He sighed again. "Damn. This never really hit me until now... everything I'm leaving behind. But I feel like I have to, you know...?"

"Yes, know," She admitted. "I have to leave and get on with something else in my life. Dr. Kadowaki is very important to me, too. She -- well, took me under her wing when I first started, helped me through my first year of SeeD. She's like...an aunt or something. I can't believe I forgot about her."

"I suppose it's easy to overlook people,even the important ones, in the midst of growing up." Looking up, he now saw Balamb Garden in full. "But we can make it up to her somehow. Even bidding her farewell is good. And you'll get your chance soon." He lifted a hand off the wheel and pointed. "I can see the road to the parking garage now."

Quistis straightened, a sign that she was steeling herself. "Let's go, Squall. You and me. We can do it."

"A team united is a strong force... so, yeah, I have confidence." He adjusted his grip on the wheel. "Even if said confidence is about equal to nervousness."

She laughed, albeitly nervously. "Let's get this thing parked and get on with it."

Squall nodded, driving into the Garden garage. He parked in an empty spot, then exited the vehicle. He waved his hand towards the trunk, a signal that said to just leave the luggage alone for now. "...Here we are," he said quietly as he entered the hallway connecting the garage to the interior of Garden.

Quistis straightened her skirt, tugging on it in a nervous gesture as she followed closely on Squall's heels. She glanced around at the milling SeeDs who watched them with undisguised interest, especially as they entered the main hallway. "I think someone has heard about our plans," she said to Squall quietly.

"Like I said," Squall replied, glancing around himself, "Zell could be to blame." He grinned a bit, trying to keep his cool around the students.

"I guess...we head for Cid's office?" Quistis asked, glancing toward the waiting elevator.

"Only way to go right now." He looked back quickly, then headed for the stairs that led to the glass elevator.

"Yes, yes," Quistis said, following. "I just hope he's there."

"Me too." Squall walked up to the elevator, pushed the correct buttons, and entered.

She slid in beside him and watched the toes of her boots as they ascended, trying to take a moment to collect herself for the very important meeting. When the elevator chimed that it had reached its destination, the doors slid open and she looked at Squall, still nervous. "Well...I guess this is it."

Squall nodded, unable to speak for some reason. He exited the elevator and walked the seemingly long way to Cid's office. Once in front of the doors, he knocked. His knock was answered by the voice he had grown up with-- Cid's. "Come in!" the older man invited. Squall looked to Quistis. "He sounds so happy right now... I just hope we don't ruin his mood too much..." With that, he opened the big oaken doors, ready to step inside.

"Oh, I'm sure we will," Quistis muttered under her breath as she stepped inside the office with Squall, both of them tense and edgy as they were faced with the sight of Cid's benevolent little figure, smiling at them from behind his desk. "Squall, Quistis...." he greeted. "What can I do for you? I think you were both on vacation?"

Squall's steel-blue eyes fell to the ground briefly as he prepared to split the news with Quistis. "That's right, sir," he nodded. "But we've returned to make a... request of sorts."

Cid leaned forward a bit at Squall's pause. "Oh? And what would that be?"

Squall shifted his weight from one foot to the other, as if it would help him to speak better. "I've taken a job in Deling City, at a weapons store, which, as you can guess, relocates me there for residency. And..." He looked at Quistis, signaling for her to speak.

The blonde stepped foward, clearing her throat, as she did. "...I've been offered a position under Kiros Seagill in the Estharian Ministry," she explained. "Therefore, I'd like to retire from active SeeD in order to take it. I'll, of course, have to move to Esthar, so..."

"Yes, I see," Cid said faintly, visibly flustered. "I...I'm not sure..exactly...." He paused and took off his eyeglasses, cleaning them idly as if to stall for time.

"I'd like to retire as well, sir," Squall said, his heart sinking a little upon seeing Cid's reaction.

Cid replaced his glasses, then looked back at the two young adults before him. "...So, both of you..." He sighed, then looked to the side. "I... suppose... it would be alright. You're both adults, trying to make your way and live your life in this world. I always did encourage all of you to choose your own route in life. I understand why you both of you want to retire."

Quistis breathed a little more freely with his statement, heart lightening. "Thank you, headmaster," she returned demurely.

Cid simply looked at her sadly over his glasses' rims. "However...I want you two to be sure. This is a big step for both of you."

Squall nodded. "I'm sure of my decision. The job I've taken is a step forward in what I want to do for the rest of my life." He glanced at Quistis, wondering if she would explain her reasoning for her decision.

Cid also looked at Quistis, waiting for her response as well.

Quistis held her head high as she looked at him, eyes leveled on his as she answered. "Sir, I have spent five years working as a mercenary -- during that time, I've done a great deal of things, including help save the world. I -- I think I need to find a life, outside of battle, sir. With all due respect...I wasn't give much choice in terms of a career path. I'd like to try new things."

Cid looked more forlorn as Quistis spoke. "Yes, dear, you're right," he admitted. "None of you had much of a choice in being SeeDs. Edea and I...we chose your path for you, for so many years. We had good reason but...it doesn't change things."

"I'd like to make another request, though, sir," Squall said, adjusting his stance for a second time. "If the world is ever in danger again in the future, I'd gladly oblige to being called upon for unpaid service."

The older man looked at Squall. "If that's perfectly fine with you, Squall, I'd be honored to have you help again."

Squall nodded, and a gap of silence ensued. "...Thank you, sir."

"I feel the same way," Quistis hasten to add. "I'm willing to come back, if you need me."

Cid chuckled softly, still obviously subdued. "I never doubted it, Quistis. You have always wanted to be right with everyone else."

Quistis didn't reply with anything more than a quick smile.

Squall glanced over at Quistis and nodded slightly.

"Well, then," Cid sighed, "if that's what the two of you have decided, then... consider yourselves free of active, official SeeD duty. I'll add this to the record." He stood up, and made his way around the desk, finally stopping in front of them. "But one thing can't change-- I'm going to miss having the both of you around here." He smiled warmly, placing each of his hands on an outer shoulder-- Squall's right and Quistis' left.

Quistis smiled at him, fondly, suddenly overcome with the unpleasant urge to cry. She shook it away, however, and chose to pat the old man's hand where it rested on her shoulder, squeezing it gently with her unusually ungloved hand. "We'll miss you, too, of course, headmaster," she assured, still a bit bleary-eyed. "And we'll keep in touch, of course."

"I'm sure you will, Quistis," he told her soothingly.

Looking over at Quistis, Squall knew exactly how she felt. Although infamous for his usually emotionless attitude, this really did hit him pretty hard. "Of course we will," Squall agreed. "In fact, I already have an apartment. If you'd like my mailing address, I can give it to you. And make sure that Matron gets it, too." He smiled a bit, a rarity on his part.

"I will. Quistis, when you get settled in, you let Edea and me know the address, too. Edea will be more than ecstatic to hear from the two of you, I'm sure."

Quistis nodded. "Of course. In fact, I'm fairly certain that I'll continue to be residing in the Presidential Palace, so I have the information."

"Good," Cid nodded, valiantly trying to be cheerful. "Now...have you two broke the news to anyone else? Should we make an announcement on the intercom?"

"I don't know about that," Quistis quickly cut in, throwing an uncomfortable glance at Squall. She figured neither of them wanted to be place on the spot of having to make a farewell speech. "We've talked to Zell about it, that's all, really. Of course..."

"Yeah, think we'll have to pass on that, s-- Cid. Since Zell knows about it, the entire student body and faculty of Garden is sure to know." He grinned a bit. "We'll talk to our other friends directly, though."

"Alright, then. Best of luck. I assume you'll be around for a while then, since you'll be bidding farewell to your aquaintances?" He continued to keep smiling, and a little relieved that the formal "sir" had dropped from Squall's speech.

"For a while, yeah," Squall answered. "My employer told me to take as long as I needed off to do this, so..."

"And I haven't been hired yet," Quistis added. "Plus, I have to pack up all my things."

The headmaster nodded. "Good! I don't want you two running off without giving me a proper goodbye -- not as your headmaster but as...well, someone who cares about you. As family. And Edea, too."

"We won't. After we're done saying goodbye to everyone else, we'll be back to tell you and Matron as well."

"And we'll be here. Edea is visiting with a classroom of junior classmen in the library, but I'll ask her to come up here... well, whenever you return."

"We'll make sure we say goodbye," Quistis agreed. She glanced at Squall, a bit awkward.

"Well...is there anything else we need...?" she trailed off, looking at her friend questioningly.

"No, I... think that's it for now," Squall replied.

She glanced back at the headmaster. "If you'll excuse us, sir," she said formally, bowing a little. "We'll go break the news to everyone else."

"Yeah," Squall agreed. "We'll see you in a couple hours, give or take."

"Then be on your way," the stocky headmaster said. "Good luck."

Quistis bowed a little lower and took a few steps backward, tugging on Squall's arm as Cid turned away from them to look out at the vista of the plains he could see from his open-air office. It was obvious that the headmaster was on the verge of one of his watery emotional moments and Quistis wanted to leave quickly, to spare him any embarrassment.

Squall reacted to Quistis' gesture and walked out of the office, carefully closing the door behind him. "Well," he said in a hushed voice, "in front of us, he took it better than either of us probably thought."

"Yes," she agreed in the same hushed tone, pressing the button to call for the elevator. "No heart attack. No tears -- at least no more than I had, anyway." She brushed self-consciously at her watery eyes.

"Now all that's left is to tell our friends... and other people we've come to know during the course of our lives here in Garden." The elevator came, and he stepped inside, awaiting Quistis and the elevator's descent.

She stepped in and pressed the button for down. "Where should we start, you think?"

"Well, we used to all hang out in the quad when all of us were here together... so... that'd be my best guess."

"So...yes. Quad. Now or later? Do you feel like eating now?"

"Not sure. Do you? Or... you think we should just get right to the Quad?"

Quistis seemed to consider this as the elevator glided to a stop. "I'm still no very hungry, so...the quad is fine with me."

"Yeah." Pausing for a moment before stepping out, Squall, looked ahead. "Alright then. To the quad we go."