Familial

[knighted_lion]

Characters: Squall, anyone in the Garden, the Loire family
Progress: On-going
Summary: Squall (re)meets Laguna, and family visits happen
Location: Alfitaria
Date: Probably slightly backdated, since I meant to have this up a couple of days ago
Warnings: None

Comments

[waitedinwinhill]

All morning Raine had been in a flutter of activity: getting Brooke and Slai ready for the outing, double checking that everyone's clothes were neatly pressed, hair was laying down. Almost as if she were trying to impress Squall, which was a ridiculous notion. Things had certainly improved between them since he re-arrived. Of course, she wished to herself that she knew him better, but each step was one in the right direction.

Part of her nervous energy had less to do with visiting her son and more to do with stepping foot in the Garden for the visit. Last time she was there, it was in the aftermath of Rinoa's rampage. Being held captive in there and watching Ellone be tortured really didn't help matters in the least.

Steeling herself to put that all aside, she took a deep breath, collected her wits and the baby, and strolled out the door with a warning. "I'm leaving with or without you." Slai scampered to her side and grasped hold of her hand. "I have Slai with me."

[winhillstime]

Ellone had been helping where she could, getting herself and children ready. Her nerves were strained as well, though she was trying to stay calm and think more about the people who were coming and not the bad things associated with the Garden.

Once Raine called for her, she returned to the door, heading out with the girls. "I'm coming!" She'd grown so used to just the four of them that for a minute she forgot Uncle Laguna was there, too. "Want me to hold onto Slai?"

[blue_desperado]

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" Laguna called from what sounded like a room or two away. Even he wasn't sure what was taking him so long; he certainly hadn't been taking the time to further groom himself. It wasn't that he didn't look presentable -- just ordinary. If he was going to be perfectly honest with himself, he was nervous. Their family had grown by leaps and bounds overnight, or so it seemed to him.

Still. There was nothing to be afraid of, was there? This was supposed to be a happy occasion. Man, but he hoped Squall liked him. He seemed like he might be a hard kid to impress.

"Sorry," he apologized when he finally appeared, running the last few steps to catch up with Raine and Ellone. "Sorry. I'm ready."

((Sorry I'm so late! I missed this getting posted while I was out of town!))

[waitedinwinhill]

Raine eyed her husband and just shook her head. Some things would never change. She adjusted the blankets around the baby just that bit more, to keep the chilly air off her. "If you could, Ellone, that'd be a big help." Shifting Brooke on her shoulder, she picked up the bag of travel necessities and handed it off to Laguna. "Make yourself useful, honey."

Satisfied as much as she would be that they were ready to go, she set out to lead the way, although with each step, her dread grew. Once they were at the entrance, she inquired for Squall, and shot a look over her shoulder at the rest of the family. It was as if to ask, Are we ready for this?

[winhillstime]

Ellone grinned at Laguna, reaching out to take Slai's hand. The little girl clung to her happily and Ellone swung their joined hands around. "Slowpoke!" she teased Laguna, elbowing him teasingly as he was handed the travel bag.

Once everyone was ready, she fell into place next to Raine, waiting for Squall to get there, along with whoever else he'd decided to bring. Her free hand gently squeezed Raine's arm before dropping again. Letting Slai hold onto her side for a minute, Ellone took a few steps forward so she would be slightly more visible next to her family, a familiar sight for her brother among the others.

It was time to wait. She hated waiting.

[blue_desperado]

Laguna had taken the bag quite without protest, grinning boyishly at his wife for her jibe about uselessness, slinging the back over his shoulder so that it lightly bounced against his back as they walked. "Hey, I never make funna you for takin' so long to get ready in the mornings, do I, Elle?" he teased in reply, offering her a wink as he proceeded to follow Raine, giving her a nod of assurance when she looked back

[knighted_lion]

Laguna wasn't the only one apprehensive about the whole affair. Sure, Squall had agreed to it and yes, it was way to late for him to back out of everything now, but that didn't stop him from worrying. He'd only vaguely sort of known Laguna at the age he was at now. Who knew how this whole thing would end up turning out?

But this wasn't the time for turning back. Who knew when there'd be another chance, and besides, he'd gone to the effort of getting the Garden to Alfitaria, so he might as well see the thing through properly.

As a result, they wouldn't have to wait too long before Squall showed up, with only Rinoa in tow. It had been tempting to bring the full compliment of SeeD, but that could wait until later. Until after they'd gotten the basics taken care of, at the very least.

[livelyangel]

Raine, Laguna, Ellone, Slai and Brooke. Wow, had the family grown big. It was the younger Laguna she didn't really know yet, so Rinoa reserved an extra special smile just for him.

"You made it! Hi, guys!"

[waitedinwinhill]

Raine's greeting was far more reserved than Rinoa's. A small smile and a nod of her head. She couldn't help but feel uneasy still, even after all this time. To calm herself, she stole a glance up at Laguna, and then over to Squall to see how they both reacted to this meeting. Gaia's ways of dragging people in and out of time and familiarity still took adjusting to and she worried that things wouldn't go well between them. Laguna was loud and lively and Squall far more reserved and reticent than his father. More than anything though, she just wanted them to be a family finally. All of them. Even if it took a little warming up to get there.

[winhillstime]

If Raine's greeting was reserved, Ellone's was far the opposite. She grinned and waved. Having gotten used to Rinoa during Brooke's birth, Slai waved, too.

"Hey there!" Ellone called, moving a few steps forward. "Glad you could make it!"

Rinoa's definitely getting a one-armed hug. Squall would, too, if Ellone could be sure he wouldn't make a face or be too embarrassed. Or offended.

"How was the trip?" She was a little disappointed that the others weren't around, too, but maybe it was best to start small for Uncle Laguna.

[blue_desperado]

"Hey," Laguna greeted the pair brightly with an enthusiastic wave. He may have been nervous, but that was no reason to keep from being himself. Even though he'd already pegged Squall as the type to keep quiet and straight-faced, walking on eggshells never helped anything. Laguna grinned broadly and held out a hand to Squall, offering Rinoa a wink in the process as he recalled her from their chat over the skyphone when he'd first arrived. She looked familiar somehow, in a way he couldn't quite place, but quickly decided that deja vu was probably not uncommon amongst Sky People. Travelling across worlds was sure to have side effects, right?

"Nice t'meet you in person. This place is-- wow." Laguna looked up to better take in their surroundings. "Really something."

[knighted_lion]

Squall's reaction was much similar to Raine's. A slight nod, before he got around the the necessary replies. He'd never been particularly outgoing.

"The trip was fine." One of the advantages of having a fairly mobile base of operations that wasn't particularly inconvenient to move. It wasn't the fastest, but it didn't need to be. Not to mention the simple fact that moving fast would mean needing to find ways to keep everything tied down, a daunting task with something the Garden's size.

Laguna's comment, on the other hand, got a firmer nod. "It's not our usual base of operations, but it's the Garden we currently having, so we've been making good use of it."

[livelyangel]

Ellone got a hug back, of course. And her smile widened at Laguna's wink. Selphie had always said he was charming.

"I'm the pilot," she added. "You should come and visit the bridge some time. It's an amazing view, especially when we're on the move."

[waitedinwinhill]

"It feels even bigger when you're inside it. Squall gave me a tour and I have no idea how the students find their way around." Raine paused and glanced to her son, realizing that it was a younger version of himself that had done that. Sometimes this world made for terribly awkward situations.

[winhillstime]

Ellone grinned in response to the comments about Garden's size. She'd only been in it a few times and she'd been as turned around as the rest of them.

"I think they probably get used to it after a while, but it'd take forever for me," she admitted, picking Slai up again and swinging the little girl around a little bit. "These people? Sister, brother, Slai. They're family, too."

Slai looked a little more relaxed, nodding as she smiled to Rinoa and Squall. Ellone held her close. She'd already gotten so attached to the girl; she had no idea what she'd do if anything separated them again.

"So, if we're all lost in Garden, does that mean we get another family tour?"

[blue_desperado]

Laguna laughed, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Well, we all know how I am about directions. I think. I'd need a map to get around a place this size on a daily basis!" Actually, he didn't know how much help a map would be. He'd gotten irreparably lost on many occasions, even with a map in his possession.

"Hey, a tour would be great. And I'd love to see that bridge sometime; I got to mess around with a spaceship during the Sorceress War and I gotta say, I'm kinda missing it. Not something I ever really thought about before, but there's just somethin' about the feeling flying gives you."