Cat and Mouse
Title: Cat and Mouse
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Spoilers/Warnings: AU Pairing: Seiftis
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII or its characters.
Summery: A lost princess, a knight without a lady, intrigue, and a quest to return home.
Previous
Cat and Mouse
Quistis was not getting used to the new routine, and that worried her somewhat. Of course, part of that could have to do with the fact that her mistresses hadn't really established a real routine here at Summer Court. Some things remained the same such as their taking dinner with the court most nights, but other than that, they were not very consistent about their activities. This was a problem for Quistis for several reasons. For one thing, it was hard to sneak some time for herself when she didn't know when her mistresses would be busy and when they wouldn't. She also relied on routines for stability, and right now, Quistis felt she really needed some.
She had not realized just how hard it would be to be home without the ability to really be herself here. She couldn't wander around the halls with impunity to see what had changed and what had remained the same. No one here seemed to recognize her either. She was just another faceless servant, and it hurt more than she had expected. She felt out of place in her own home, the place where many of her happiest memories were, and she couldn't do a thing about it.
At least she had been able to get some information about how things had changed at court. And she now knew who Seifer Almasy was. It was Sir Seifer Almasy actually, and he was a knight in Rinoa's personal court. He was not the one that everyone expected her to get engaged to though. He was from Centra and had arrived in Galbadia four years ago. He and one of his foster brothers had trained and become knights of the realm, and it seemed like he now was a permanent part of the Royal Court. He also appeared to be stalking her. Quistis couldn't think of any other reason she kept running into him.
And he did seem to pop up quite a bit. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. Especially since Seifer didn't appear to be interested in what most young noblemen wanted from servant girls. In fact, to be honest, he didn't treat her like a servant at all. Seifer treated her like an equal at all times, and Quistis found her guard slipping around him. Put him in her presence and the meek, submissive persona she'd worked so hard to craft disappeared. Seifer didn't seem to mind that at all. In fact, she would swear he enjoyed verbally sparing with her.
The man was both frustrating and quite likable. She was pretty sure he riled her up on purpose most of the time. He was the closest thing she'd had to a friend in years, and because of that he was dangerous to her. Quistis would lose him when they returned to the Carrente estate unless she found a way to free herself. If any member of the Carrente family caught her with him, she would be in trouble. And that was just if she was seen with him, if they actually overheard a conversation between the two, she would be in serious trouble. There was also the fact that Seifer was an extremely eligible bachelor at the moment. He was the only
member of Rinoa's personal court who wasn't already attached. Oriana would be absolutely delighted if one of her girls could get her claws into him. Quistis didn't think that she could bear being party to that, but if she was ordered to help with the effort, she would have to.
With a soft sigh, she turned her attention back to the task at hand. Mending was not her greatest skill, and while one of the other servants could have done it, Quistis had been ordered to, so she was stuck. At least she had been able to take the task out to the beach. Perched on a piece of driftwood was a much better place to be than stuck in her mistresses' rooms. Not mention she was less likely to be disturbed here. And even if she hated mending, a chance to be by the sea was not to be missed.
She didn't quite start when someone settled on the driftwood log beside her. Quistis glanced over to find Seifer. She wasn't quite surprised.
"Hey, Quis."
She offered him a brief smile, her fingers still in motion as she worked to make a rip in Aurelia gown disappear.
"So why is it that more often than not I find you out here?"
Quistis shrugged. "I grew up by the sea. I was born here."
"You're from Caledonia?" He asked, something sharpening in his gaze.
Quistis nodded. That was safe enough to tell him, and the spell provided no interference. Besides Caledonia Castle, there was a village with the same name and it was the name of her father's duchy.
"Huh. I would have guessed you were Centran."
"My mother was a foreigner." Quistis felt her throat begin to constrict and said no more.
Seifer changed the subject. "I've always thought it was a shame that the navy doesn't have much use for knights. It would be interesting at least. Matron's estate in Centra is right by the sea. I think that's one of the reasons that I like it so much here. I'm not sure why the Royal Court comes here so rarely."
"It was Prince Derek's home," her voice was quiet. Again that was common knowledge and safe enough to say.
Seifer frowned. "That's the king's brother who died, right? The one whose daughter was kidnapped and killed several years back."
Her hands shook. Quistis blinked back tears. That was why Oriana had said she was dead. Everyone truly believed that Princess Quistis Cariad Serian was dead. She bit her lip.
"Quis?" Seifer was peering at her, a frown on his face. "What's wrong?"
She fought to find an answer that she could actually say. She couldn't very well say that she just realized that everyone who ever loved her thought she was dead. The spell wouldn't allow it. But Seifer was too perceptive for her to just say that she had pricked herself with the needle she was using. He had called her on things like that before.
"It always reminds me of my past."
"Ah." And he let the subject drop. "So, do you have any siblings?"
Quistis shook her head. Seifer smirked.
"You missed out then." And he launched into a story about his foster brothers' misadventures.
Seifer kept his questions and stories lighthearted as Quisty continued with her mending. Something that he'd said had bothered her. But trying to get personal information from her was like pulling teeth. He would buy that something he said reminded her of her past. He didn't what was in her past, but whatever it was something bad had happened to her. At least now he knew that she was born in this area of Galbadia, and that her mother had been a foreigner. He was pretty sure that her mother had been Centran, even if Quisty hadn't explicitly said that. She was always vague on details.
Part of that might stem from just who her employers were. Everything that Seifer heard about the Carrente family was bad, and he imagined that serving them could be a living nightmare at times. Certainly Quisty's mistresses were not prizes. The older one had already made an attempt to ensnare him which Seifer had easily avoided. He had no idea why Quisty had agreed to work for them in the first place, but then that probably had something to do with that past of hers that he was trying to uncover.
He hadn't had much luck so far, but he was getting better at prying clues out of her. Quisty's mother might prove to be a very valuable avenue of investigation. People tended to remember foreigners, and if she lived in this area, someone should know something about the woman. Seifer was fairly certain that the Carrentes must have something on Quistis or she wouldn't be working for them at all. Seifer was going to figure out what that was and figure out how to deal with it. Quis certainly deserved better. Even if she was satisfied being a servant, she certainly wasn't satisfied or happy with her current situation.
It had not taken long for Seifer to realize that Quis was special, but he hadn't really been prepared for just how quickly she would become special to him. There was an intensity to his protective feelings for her that caught Seifer off guard. Then again, she was everything that he looked for in a woman: intelligent, beautiful, funny, strong. Add to that the fact that she most certainly wasn't a typical servant and she appeared to be in some distress, it was a combination that Seifer found irresistible. Quis was the type of woman who could deal with most problems on her own. The fact that she needed help with this said volumes.
When Quis finished her mending, she sighed a little and rose to her feet. Her smile was wistful as she stared out at the sea.
"I should get back."
Seifer didn't try to talk her into staying longer. He'd given up on that after the first few attempts. It didn't work. So instead he offered her a grin.
"I'll see you around."
She headed back to the palace leaving Seifer alone with his thoughts. He tried to fit his newest pieces of information into the puzzle he was slowly putting together. Quisty hadn't been born a servant. Given her actions and manners, she had been raised as a noble of some sort. She was intelligent and well educated as far as he could tell. Her mother had been a foreigner. It wasn't much to go on so far, but it was more than he'd had at the start.Maybe it was time to start mentioning some of this to someone else.
So far he had kept Quisty to himself. He hadn't mentioned her or his suspicions about her to any one else, not even Matron. Seifer had liked keeping her existence to himself. Besides, he hadn't wanted to expose Quis to the scrutiny that telling even Matron would put her under. His little family was quite tight knit, even if they weren't related by blood, and adding Rinoa and Selphie to that mix had just added to that. And he was pretty sure that any interaction with the Royal Court might scare her off. She was skittish enough with him. Maybe he didn't have to actually mention Quisty. He could start asking about the nobility from the area and see where that got him.
He ran a hand through his hair. He should get back himself. The last of the Royal Court had arrived yesterday, and that meant that the Summer Court would really be getting started. Which in turn meant that he had more duties. None of Rinoa's personal court were in the dark about part of what was going on here. With Rinoa coming of age, it was more important than ever that she know the Royal Court's dynamics and dangers. Rinoa might come off as naïve and idealistic to many, but she had a shrewd understanding of how politics worked. It was also a preemptive strike in some ways.
Once Rinoa was of age, she and Squall would announce their betrothal. There would be vocal objections by some and attempts to sabotage the relationship by others. It wasn't going to work either way, but everyone who cared about Rinoa wanted to have an idea where trouble might come from before hand. And this was also a testing of Rinoa and her court as well. While it would most likely be years before Rinoa actually took the throne herself, nobles were beginning to test her mettle, and how things went with the Summer Court this year would be one way of judging her.
They had a careful political dance to manage here, and Seifer had to admit that there was a possibility that Quisty was simply a ploy on the part of one of the noble families. Seifer had considered that. But it didn't quite fit. She wasn't acting when she was with him. She was, however, putting on quite an act for the other servants and nobles. Seifer had observed her several times when she was interacting with others. What most people saw was a meek and efficient servant girl with no trace of her wit or intelligence showing. Certainly they never got sarcastic comments from her. Quisty hid that part of herself very well in public. Seifer was quite frankly more surprised that he got to see when they were alone.
Quis had the tendency to hide her whole self from others, not just her identity or her past. It was one of the reasons he rarely called her Quisty. Quisty was the meek servant of the Carrentes. Quis was the sharp young noblewoman who challenged him in more ways than one. Seifer still didn't know why they appeared to be the same person at the moment, but at least he was getting closer to finding out.
Her afternoon was spent pulling out dresses for inspection and ironing them. Aurelia and Calista had swept into their rooms after lunch full of chatter and conversation about upcoming events. Said upcoming events were the reason that Quistis had spent several hours ironing dresses. Of course, if either woman decided they wanted to wear different outfits, she was going to have to do most of this all over again.
Tomorrow morning would be the first official session of the Summer Court, and that evening there would be a ball. So Quistis got to listen to hours of debate over which dress was best suited for what. It was only the beginning of the Summer Court after all. While it was rather mind numbing to listen to, Quistis couldn't help but be concerned how both girls approached the court season as a battle. One where they had very specific targets and outcomes in mind. It was clear that both Calista and Aurelia had staked out their preferences for who on the marriage market they were going after.
"What did Grandmother Oriana say about your prospects?" Calista asked
Aurelia laughed. "She approved of all three. Of course, she wants me to focus on Sir Almasy, but she had no objections to either Count Jackson or Lord Antilles. You?"
Calista sighed. "She wants me to focus on either young Lord Adama or Sir Marquise. She vetoed Lord Tucker."
"You know he's a rake. And a second son."
"True enough. And Adama is more than worth it if I can get the man. Marquise isn't bad, but he is a foreign knight."
"Hmm. So is Almasy."
"Yes, but he's practically a member of the Royal family. We all know that once the princess comes of age, her personal court is all going to get titles and lands."
Aurelia unpinned her long caramel tresses and shook them out. "True enough. Anyway, what do you think? The blue or the green for the start of Summer Court?"
Calista smiled. "The green dress for Court and jade one for the ball. That way you'll match Almasy's eyes. And his colors. He almost always wears green or scarlet. Green at court and scarlet in tournaments."
"What about you?"
Calista's mahogany curls bounced as she shook her head. "What about me? I'm wearing the sapphire gown for the ball and pale blue for Court. Lord Adama's eyes are blue after all."
Quistis continued to listen as they went on and on about the right clothing and what approaches to use with the various men with a growing sense of horror. She didn't recognize all of the names that they had mentioned, but she knew more than just Seifer's. Lord Adama would be the Commander General of the military's oldest son. They had visited Commander General Adama's estate once when she was younger. He and her uncle had fought together for years and were good friends. Lord Adama was about five years older than Quistis, and she remembered him being kind. Lord Antilles was about the same age. He had been orphaned during pirate raids one summer, but he'd been taken in by a neighboring noble. Tucker was two year older than Quistis and pulled her hair and made fun of her. The other two men were unknown to her, but Quistis still felt sorry for them.
No one deserved to be hunted like quarry. Only the result of a successful hunt this time around would result in the poor unfortunate being stuck with Calista and Aurelia for the rest of their lives. She bit her lip. It was Seifer that she was really worried about though. He was a friend, and she wanted better for him. She had the fierce urge to protect him, and she had no idea where that came from. But at the very least, she might be able to warn him about the fate that Aurelia was planning for him.
Next
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Spoilers/Warnings: AU Pairing: Seiftis
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII or its characters.
Summery: A lost princess, a knight without a lady, intrigue, and a quest to return home.
Previous
Cat and Mouse
Quistis was not getting used to the new routine, and that worried her somewhat. Of course, part of that could have to do with the fact that her mistresses hadn't really established a real routine here at Summer Court. Some things remained the same such as their taking dinner with the court most nights, but other than that, they were not very consistent about their activities. This was a problem for Quistis for several reasons. For one thing, it was hard to sneak some time for herself when she didn't know when her mistresses would be busy and when they wouldn't. She also relied on routines for stability, and right now, Quistis felt she really needed some.
She had not realized just how hard it would be to be home without the ability to really be herself here. She couldn't wander around the halls with impunity to see what had changed and what had remained the same. No one here seemed to recognize her either. She was just another faceless servant, and it hurt more than she had expected. She felt out of place in her own home, the place where many of her happiest memories were, and she couldn't do a thing about it.
At least she had been able to get some information about how things had changed at court. And she now knew who Seifer Almasy was. It was Sir Seifer Almasy actually, and he was a knight in Rinoa's personal court. He was not the one that everyone expected her to get engaged to though. He was from Centra and had arrived in Galbadia four years ago. He and one of his foster brothers had trained and become knights of the realm, and it seemed like he now was a permanent part of the Royal Court. He also appeared to be stalking her. Quistis couldn't think of any other reason she kept running into him.
And he did seem to pop up quite a bit. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. Especially since Seifer didn't appear to be interested in what most young noblemen wanted from servant girls. In fact, to be honest, he didn't treat her like a servant at all. Seifer treated her like an equal at all times, and Quistis found her guard slipping around him. Put him in her presence and the meek, submissive persona she'd worked so hard to craft disappeared. Seifer didn't seem to mind that at all. In fact, she would swear he enjoyed verbally sparing with her.
The man was both frustrating and quite likable. She was pretty sure he riled her up on purpose most of the time. He was the closest thing she'd had to a friend in years, and because of that he was dangerous to her. Quistis would lose him when they returned to the Carrente estate unless she found a way to free herself. If any member of the Carrente family caught her with him, she would be in trouble. And that was just if she was seen with him, if they actually overheard a conversation between the two, she would be in serious trouble. There was also the fact that Seifer was an extremely eligible bachelor at the moment. He was the only
member of Rinoa's personal court who wasn't already attached. Oriana would be absolutely delighted if one of her girls could get her claws into him. Quistis didn't think that she could bear being party to that, but if she was ordered to help with the effort, she would have to.
With a soft sigh, she turned her attention back to the task at hand. Mending was not her greatest skill, and while one of the other servants could have done it, Quistis had been ordered to, so she was stuck. At least she had been able to take the task out to the beach. Perched on a piece of driftwood was a much better place to be than stuck in her mistresses' rooms. Not mention she was less likely to be disturbed here. And even if she hated mending, a chance to be by the sea was not to be missed.
She didn't quite start when someone settled on the driftwood log beside her. Quistis glanced over to find Seifer. She wasn't quite surprised.
"Hey, Quis."
She offered him a brief smile, her fingers still in motion as she worked to make a rip in Aurelia gown disappear.
"So why is it that more often than not I find you out here?"
Quistis shrugged. "I grew up by the sea. I was born here."
"You're from Caledonia?" He asked, something sharpening in his gaze.
Quistis nodded. That was safe enough to tell him, and the spell provided no interference. Besides Caledonia Castle, there was a village with the same name and it was the name of her father's duchy.
"Huh. I would have guessed you were Centran."
"My mother was a foreigner." Quistis felt her throat begin to constrict and said no more.
Seifer changed the subject. "I've always thought it was a shame that the navy doesn't have much use for knights. It would be interesting at least. Matron's estate in Centra is right by the sea. I think that's one of the reasons that I like it so much here. I'm not sure why the Royal Court comes here so rarely."
"It was Prince Derek's home," her voice was quiet. Again that was common knowledge and safe enough to say.
Seifer frowned. "That's the king's brother who died, right? The one whose daughter was kidnapped and killed several years back."
Her hands shook. Quistis blinked back tears. That was why Oriana had said she was dead. Everyone truly believed that Princess Quistis Cariad Serian was dead. She bit her lip.
"Quis?" Seifer was peering at her, a frown on his face. "What's wrong?"
She fought to find an answer that she could actually say. She couldn't very well say that she just realized that everyone who ever loved her thought she was dead. The spell wouldn't allow it. But Seifer was too perceptive for her to just say that she had pricked herself with the needle she was using. He had called her on things like that before.
"It always reminds me of my past."
"Ah." And he let the subject drop. "So, do you have any siblings?"
Quistis shook her head. Seifer smirked.
"You missed out then." And he launched into a story about his foster brothers' misadventures.
Seifer kept his questions and stories lighthearted as Quisty continued with her mending. Something that he'd said had bothered her. But trying to get personal information from her was like pulling teeth. He would buy that something he said reminded her of her past. He didn't what was in her past, but whatever it was something bad had happened to her. At least now he knew that she was born in this area of Galbadia, and that her mother had been a foreigner. He was pretty sure that her mother had been Centran, even if Quisty hadn't explicitly said that. She was always vague on details.
Part of that might stem from just who her employers were. Everything that Seifer heard about the Carrente family was bad, and he imagined that serving them could be a living nightmare at times. Certainly Quisty's mistresses were not prizes. The older one had already made an attempt to ensnare him which Seifer had easily avoided. He had no idea why Quisty had agreed to work for them in the first place, but then that probably had something to do with that past of hers that he was trying to uncover.
He hadn't had much luck so far, but he was getting better at prying clues out of her. Quisty's mother might prove to be a very valuable avenue of investigation. People tended to remember foreigners, and if she lived in this area, someone should know something about the woman. Seifer was fairly certain that the Carrentes must have something on Quistis or she wouldn't be working for them at all. Seifer was going to figure out what that was and figure out how to deal with it. Quis certainly deserved better. Even if she was satisfied being a servant, she certainly wasn't satisfied or happy with her current situation.
It had not taken long for Seifer to realize that Quis was special, but he hadn't really been prepared for just how quickly she would become special to him. There was an intensity to his protective feelings for her that caught Seifer off guard. Then again, she was everything that he looked for in a woman: intelligent, beautiful, funny, strong. Add to that the fact that she most certainly wasn't a typical servant and she appeared to be in some distress, it was a combination that Seifer found irresistible. Quis was the type of woman who could deal with most problems on her own. The fact that she needed help with this said volumes.
When Quis finished her mending, she sighed a little and rose to her feet. Her smile was wistful as she stared out at the sea.
"I should get back."
Seifer didn't try to talk her into staying longer. He'd given up on that after the first few attempts. It didn't work. So instead he offered her a grin.
"I'll see you around."
She headed back to the palace leaving Seifer alone with his thoughts. He tried to fit his newest pieces of information into the puzzle he was slowly putting together. Quisty hadn't been born a servant. Given her actions and manners, she had been raised as a noble of some sort. She was intelligent and well educated as far as he could tell. Her mother had been a foreigner. It wasn't much to go on so far, but it was more than he'd had at the start.Maybe it was time to start mentioning some of this to someone else.
So far he had kept Quisty to himself. He hadn't mentioned her or his suspicions about her to any one else, not even Matron. Seifer had liked keeping her existence to himself. Besides, he hadn't wanted to expose Quis to the scrutiny that telling even Matron would put her under. His little family was quite tight knit, even if they weren't related by blood, and adding Rinoa and Selphie to that mix had just added to that. And he was pretty sure that any interaction with the Royal Court might scare her off. She was skittish enough with him. Maybe he didn't have to actually mention Quisty. He could start asking about the nobility from the area and see where that got him.
He ran a hand through his hair. He should get back himself. The last of the Royal Court had arrived yesterday, and that meant that the Summer Court would really be getting started. Which in turn meant that he had more duties. None of Rinoa's personal court were in the dark about part of what was going on here. With Rinoa coming of age, it was more important than ever that she know the Royal Court's dynamics and dangers. Rinoa might come off as naïve and idealistic to many, but she had a shrewd understanding of how politics worked. It was also a preemptive strike in some ways.
Once Rinoa was of age, she and Squall would announce their betrothal. There would be vocal objections by some and attempts to sabotage the relationship by others. It wasn't going to work either way, but everyone who cared about Rinoa wanted to have an idea where trouble might come from before hand. And this was also a testing of Rinoa and her court as well. While it would most likely be years before Rinoa actually took the throne herself, nobles were beginning to test her mettle, and how things went with the Summer Court this year would be one way of judging her.
They had a careful political dance to manage here, and Seifer had to admit that there was a possibility that Quisty was simply a ploy on the part of one of the noble families. Seifer had considered that. But it didn't quite fit. She wasn't acting when she was with him. She was, however, putting on quite an act for the other servants and nobles. Seifer had observed her several times when she was interacting with others. What most people saw was a meek and efficient servant girl with no trace of her wit or intelligence showing. Certainly they never got sarcastic comments from her. Quisty hid that part of herself very well in public. Seifer was quite frankly more surprised that he got to see when they were alone.
Quis had the tendency to hide her whole self from others, not just her identity or her past. It was one of the reasons he rarely called her Quisty. Quisty was the meek servant of the Carrentes. Quis was the sharp young noblewoman who challenged him in more ways than one. Seifer still didn't know why they appeared to be the same person at the moment, but at least he was getting closer to finding out.
Her afternoon was spent pulling out dresses for inspection and ironing them. Aurelia and Calista had swept into their rooms after lunch full of chatter and conversation about upcoming events. Said upcoming events were the reason that Quistis had spent several hours ironing dresses. Of course, if either woman decided they wanted to wear different outfits, she was going to have to do most of this all over again.
Tomorrow morning would be the first official session of the Summer Court, and that evening there would be a ball. So Quistis got to listen to hours of debate over which dress was best suited for what. It was only the beginning of the Summer Court after all. While it was rather mind numbing to listen to, Quistis couldn't help but be concerned how both girls approached the court season as a battle. One where they had very specific targets and outcomes in mind. It was clear that both Calista and Aurelia had staked out their preferences for who on the marriage market they were going after.
"What did Grandmother Oriana say about your prospects?" Calista asked
Aurelia laughed. "She approved of all three. Of course, she wants me to focus on Sir Almasy, but she had no objections to either Count Jackson or Lord Antilles. You?"
Calista sighed. "She wants me to focus on either young Lord Adama or Sir Marquise. She vetoed Lord Tucker."
"You know he's a rake. And a second son."
"True enough. And Adama is more than worth it if I can get the man. Marquise isn't bad, but he is a foreign knight."
"Hmm. So is Almasy."
"Yes, but he's practically a member of the Royal family. We all know that once the princess comes of age, her personal court is all going to get titles and lands."
Aurelia unpinned her long caramel tresses and shook them out. "True enough. Anyway, what do you think? The blue or the green for the start of Summer Court?"
Calista smiled. "The green dress for Court and jade one for the ball. That way you'll match Almasy's eyes. And his colors. He almost always wears green or scarlet. Green at court and scarlet in tournaments."
"What about you?"
Calista's mahogany curls bounced as she shook her head. "What about me? I'm wearing the sapphire gown for the ball and pale blue for Court. Lord Adama's eyes are blue after all."
Quistis continued to listen as they went on and on about the right clothing and what approaches to use with the various men with a growing sense of horror. She didn't recognize all of the names that they had mentioned, but she knew more than just Seifer's. Lord Adama would be the Commander General of the military's oldest son. They had visited Commander General Adama's estate once when she was younger. He and her uncle had fought together for years and were good friends. Lord Adama was about five years older than Quistis, and she remembered him being kind. Lord Antilles was about the same age. He had been orphaned during pirate raids one summer, but he'd been taken in by a neighboring noble. Tucker was two year older than Quistis and pulled her hair and made fun of her. The other two men were unknown to her, but Quistis still felt sorry for them.
No one deserved to be hunted like quarry. Only the result of a successful hunt this time around would result in the poor unfortunate being stuck with Calista and Aurelia for the rest of their lives. She bit her lip. It was Seifer that she was really worried about though. He was a friend, and she wanted better for him. She had the fierce urge to protect him, and she had no idea where that came from. But at the very least, she might be able to warn him about the fate that Aurelia was planning for him.
Next