MC Falling Into Infinity 07

This would be twice now that Selphie was waking up in a darkened cell. It was her own fault, this one was. After the horror of witnessing her Irvine kissing on Quistis, she'd dashed off down the street blindly, and had even begun crying. Of course this totally retracted from the authoritative stance she'd been using to get through the city and it got her caught. An officer stopped her, looked her over and promptly apprehended her as he realized she was an obvious fake. It was all that cowboy's fault too, as far as she was concerned. If he'd been faithful to her -- nevermind that he wasn't her boyfriend and owed her no loyalties -- then none of this would have happened! She had put up a struggle, of course, and the officer had to call in back up and before she knew it, knocked out yet again.

Something was different this time, though. There was a very familiar scent, and the warmth of a lap under her head instead of a pillow. She even felt an arm draped over her, fingers curled around her waist. She pretended to be asleep just a little longer as her mind reeled dizzily to take in this new information. Leather, yes, it was the scent of worn leather and something fainter, gunpowder-- Irvine! Emerald eyes popping open immediately, she totally forgot to be mad at him for a second as she sat up a little too quickly. The relief of being in a cell with someone warm and familiar far outweighed the need to yell at him for being such a jerk.

"Whoa, hey, careful there, Darlin'," Irvine said with a chuckle as he reached out to steady Selphie. She giggled, not caring that her head was pounding and she felt dizzier then she did the first time her head had been conked. Irvine was here, so everything was going to be ok. Somehow.

Irvine had been surprised to be thrown into a cell with Selphie. The bastards had knocked her out, leaving her unconscious on the lone cot attached to the wall. Rather then try to wake her, he rested her head on his lap and assumed guard duty. This was an odd way for them to be reunited, but it was nice all the same. A lot of unanswered questions swam through his mind. Such as, what was she doing in a jail cell in Galbadia? Last he'd heard, Squall dispatched her on a diplomatic escort type of mission. That would place her in Esthar, not here. Also, why did they arrest her? None of it made sense. Now that she was awake, however, he'd get his chance to ask her.

Selphie, however, had other axes to grind with him first. Relief over with, she prodded at the cowboy's chest with her forefinger, squinting at him even if it did kind of make her head hurt. "I saw you kissing Quistis, Mr. Kinneas. What is up with that? Huh?" Something in the back of her mind reminded her that Irvine wasn't her boyfriend, but she paid it little attention. The fact that he was blinking at her dumbfoundedly told her that he was already chagrined that she witnessed his little slip up.

"I didn-" Irvine stopped himself from lying. Yes, he kissed Quistis. But... "It wasn't like that, Sefie. I wasn't kissing her because I like her that way... I was trying to get us out of trouble with the officer who spotted us." He did not expect her to believe him. It sounded far fetched even to him, regardless of it being truth. Sighing, he pulled the hat off, resting his head against the cool cell wall. He never dreamed that he'd screw up any possible relationship with Selphie this way. It seemed such a boneheaded thing to do, in retrospect. "I wish you hadn't seen that,

Selphie digested this slowly, lifting a hand to rest a finger against her lower lip. Her thoughtfulness intrigued Irvine, who found himself staring at her, finding that little gesture strangely attractive. Finally, when she looked up again, she nodded, deciding that she believed him. This was her cowboy, and he wouldn't lie to her. That was that. "Ok. If that's all it was, but don't let me catch you doing it again, buster." That finger prodded his chest again for emphasis, and that's when she realized he was looking at her. "Hey... why are you staring at me like that?"

"Because I'm in love with you," Irvine replied with a chuckle, leaning over with every intention of kissing her right then and there. Selphie's eyes widened, and though no man had ever tried this before, she felt herself strangely mesmerized by the cowboy, unable to move. She was going to allow it, if not for the lock on the cell door opening suddenly, disturbing the moment and making the would-be lovebirds jump. She would sigh, if she wasn't suddenly so nervous, her heart nearly lodging into her throat. Not just for the fact that the door was opening, but that combined with Irvine's near kiss. Instead, she just got irritated, fists clenching as her nose wrinkled. Who was it now?

The diplomat was not locked away in a cell, as those who had accompanied her were. Aisa Deling was like a princess in the eyes of the Galbadian people, and though she was in a lot of hot water politically, the Estharian authorities weren't about to fan the sparks to create a flame of war. Under house arrest, she remained at the Estharian hotel, under constant suveillience by the authorities. Squall and Zell were escorted into her room by Esthar soldiers, who remained at the doorway. The diplomat was young, perhaps in her mid twenties, hair perfectly coifed in a bundle of blonde braids around the nape of her neck. Her frame was slender and delicate, nothing like the squat and dowdy Frankard. Aisa's looks came from their mother, the only one of the Deling siblings to inherit any sort of beauty. She sat near the window, gazing out at the technological wonder of the city before the SeeDs' entrance. Blue eyes turned toward them, reflecting nothing for a moment as privately she assessed the two.

"Aisa Deling?" Squall asked as he approached the woman. She shifted in her seat, facing him with her chin held high. Regal as any queen, she resembled the nobility of Galbadia far more then her brothers.

"I am Commander Squall Leonhart of Balamb Garden, and this is Zell Dincht, SeeD operative," he replied in a taciturn manner. He read the recognition in her eyes. Her gaze softened and she relaxed visibly, inhaling as if relieved.

"Commander Leonhart, forgive me, I did not mean to insult you or your companion. I am understandably aggrieved of this situation, and I tire of it. What can I possibly do for you?" she asked, folding delicate hands in her lap. The boy Commander's presence was a blessing and inwardly she felt high with her own giddiness. This was all going far too perfectly. Training her features to remain regal, yet helpless, she forced back her glee. Frankard always said she was a fine actress when a situation called for it.

"One of our own is missing, one of the SeeDs who escorted you here, Selphie Tilmitt. We have suspicions that she has become a pawn in this situation," Squall proceeded carefully. Aisa's bearing disarmed him otherwise, and he wondered how in the world she fit into all of this. A victim of circumstance? Or Deling to the bone, merely playing games? Oh how he hated politics. The diplomat looked between him and Zell carefully, a finger brushing at the base of her neck as she considered what to say. Finally, her eyes lowered and she sighed heavily.

"Zell, sit down," Squall said with a sigh. He rubbed at the scar across the bridge of his nose idly. The martial artist slumped back into his chair, glaring at the diplomat as if his gaze could toss daggers at her. Aisa appeared nonplused by the outburst, regarding Zell coolly from her seat. There was more to this woman then met the eye, and the commander made sure to make note of that before proceeding further. "I would like to believe she is still alive. Where would he have taken her?"

"To the prisons in Deling. Eventually she'd be transferred to the desert prison, as a political prisoner. It was Vinzer's way, Frankard doesn't truly deviate from it. This is if she's still alive, mind you."

Squall nodded and rose to his feet. Selphie had to be alive, he refused to even consider otherwise. After finally finding those he spent his early childhood with, he wasn't about to lose any of them. Not one. Zell glowered a bit longer at Aisa before mimicking the commander, stalking toward the door ahead of the other teen. Squall paused however, turning toward the diplomat to salute her.

"Commander Leonhart..." Aisa replied, trailing off as an indication she wished him to pause. He did so, letting Zell continue out the door. "Frankard is up to something, something big. He doesn't let me in on these things, he knows I do not agree with how he runs Galbadia. He's done well to set me up here, and if your friend is alive, please use caution in rescuing her. It would be a rather large coup for him to capture the Commander of Garden."

As soon as the guards followed the pair, leaving Aisa in her seclusion yet again, a predatory smile crossed her lips. She leaned back in her chair, resisting the urge to throw back her head and laugh. How easy it was to manipulate the boy commander. How utterly simple.


	Part 13: Under One Condition This would be twice now that Selphie was waking up in a darkened cell. It was her own fault, this one was. After the horror of witnessing her Irvine kissing on Quistis, she'd dashed off down the street blindly, and had even begun crying. Of course this totally retracted from the authoritative stance she'd been using to get through the city and it got her caught. An officer stopped her, looked her over and promptly apprehended her as he realized she was an obvious fake. It was all that cowboy's fault too, as far as she was concerned. If he'd been faithful to her -- nevermind that he wasn't her boyfriend and owed her no loyalties -- then none of this would have happened! She had put up a struggle, of course, and the officer had to call in back up and before she knew it, knocked out yet again. Something was different this time, though. There was a very familiar scent, and the warmth of a lap under her head instead of a pillow. She even felt an arm draped over her, fingers curled around her waist. She pretended to be asleep just a little longer as her mind reeled dizzily to take in this new information. Leather, yes, it was the scent of worn leather and something fainter, gunpowder-- Irvine! Emerald eyes popping open immediately, she totally forgot to be mad at him for a second as she sat up a little too quickly. The relief of being in a cell with someone warm and familiar far outweighed the need to yell at him for being such a jerk. "Whoa, hey, careful there, Darlin'," Irvine said with a chuckle as he reached out to steady Selphie. She giggled, not caring that her head was pounding and she felt dizzier then she did the first time her head had been conked. Irvine was here, so everything was going to be ok. Somehow. Irvine had been surprised to be thrown into a cell with Selphie. The bastards had knocked her out, leaving her unconscious on the lone cot attached to the wall. Rather then try to wake her, he rested her head on his lap and assumed guard duty. This was an odd way for them to be reunited, but it was nice all the same. A lot of unanswered questions swam through his mind. Such as, what was she doing in a jail cell in Galbadia? Last he'd heard, Squall dispatched her on a diplomatic escort type of mission. That would place her in Esthar, not here. Also, why did they arrest her? None of it made sense. Now that she was awake, however, he'd get his chance to ask her. Selphie, however, had other axes to grind with him first. Relief over with, she prodded at the cowboy's chest with her forefinger, squinting at him even if it did kind of make her head hurt. "I saw you kissing Quistis, Mr. Kinneas. What is up with that? Huh?" Something in the back of her mind reminded her that Irvine wasn't her boyfriend, but she paid it little attention. The fact that he was blinking at her dumbfoundedly told her that he was already chagrined that she witnessed his little slip up. "I didn-" Irvine stopped himself from lying. Yes, he kissed Quistis. But... "It wasn't like that, Sefie. I wasn't kissing her because I like her that way... I was trying to get us out of trouble with the officer who spotted us." He did not expect her to believe him. It sounded far fetched even to him, regardless of it being truth. Sighing, he pulled the hat off, resting his head against the cool cell wall. He never dreamed that he'd screw up any possible relationship with Selphie this way. It seemed such a boneheaded thing to do, in retrospect. "I wish you hadn't seen that, Sefie, and it's not 'cause I have any sort of crush on Quistis. She's been irritating me ever since we were assigned to work together." Selphie digested this slowly, lifting a hand to rest a finger against her lower lip. Her thoughtfulness intrigued Irvine, who found himself staring at her, finding that little gesture strangely attractive. Finally, when she looked up again, she nodded, deciding that she believed him. This was her cowboy, and he wouldn't lie to her. That was that. "Ok. If that's all it was, but don't let me catch you doing it again, buster." That finger prodded his chest again for emphasis, and that's when she realized he was looking at her. "Hey... why are you staring at me like that?" "Because I'm in love with you," Irvine replied with a chuckle, leaning over with every intention of kissing her right then and there. Selphie's eyes widened, and though no man had ever tried this before, she felt herself strangely mesmerized by the cowboy, unable to move. She was going to allow it, if not for the lock on the cell door opening suddenly, disturbing the moment and making the would-be lovebirds jump. She would sigh, if she wasn't suddenly so nervous, her heart nearly lodging into her throat. Not just for the fact that the door was opening, but that combined with Irvine's near kiss. Instead, she just got irritated, fists clenching as her nose wrinkled. Who was it now? Part 14: Behind Blue Eyes The diplomat was not locked away in a cell, as those who had accompanied her were. Aisa Deling was like a princess in the eyes of the Galbadian people, and though she was in a lot of hot water politically, the Estharian authorities weren't about to fan the sparks to create a flame of war. Under house arrest, she remained at the Estharian hotel, under constant suveillience by the authorities. Squall and Zell were escorted into her room by Esthar soldiers, who remained at the doorway. The diplomat was young, perhaps in her mid twenties, hair perfectly coifed in a bundle of blonde braids around the nape of her neck. Her frame was slender and delicate, nothing like the squat and dowdy Frankard. Aisa's looks came from their mother, the only one of the Deling siblings to inherit any sort of beauty. She sat near the window, gazing out at the technological wonder of the city before the SeeDs' entrance. Blue eyes turned toward them, reflecting nothing for a moment as privately she assessed the two. "Aisa Deling?" Squall asked as he approached the woman. She shifted in her seat, facing him with her chin held high. Regal as any queen, she resembled the nobility of Galbadia far more then her brothers. "I am. Who are you, child?" her voice sounded contemptuous. How dare these people detain her for her brother's plots. Now they allowed mere boys to enter her room and ask her questions? "I am Commander Squall Leonhart of Balamb Garden, and this is Zell Dincht, SeeD operative," he replied in a taciturn manner. He read the recognition in her eyes. Her gaze softened and she relaxed visibly, inhaling as if relieved. "Commander Leonhart, forgive me, I did not mean to insult you or your companion. I am understandably aggrieved of this situation, and I tire of it. What can I possibly do for you?" she asked, folding delicate hands in her lap. The boy Commander's presence was a blessing and inwardly she felt high with her own giddiness. This was all going far too perfectly. Training her features to remain regal, yet helpless, she forced back her glee. Frankard always said she was a fine actress when a situation called for it. "One of our own is missing, one of the SeeDs who escorted you here, Selphie Tilmitt. We have suspicions that she has become a pawn in this situation," Squall proceeded carefully. Aisa's bearing disarmed him otherwise, and he wondered how in the world she fit into all of this. A victim of circumstance? Or Deling to the bone, merely playing games? Oh how he hated politics. The diplomat looked between him and Zell carefully, a finger brushing at the base of her neck as she considered what to say. Finally, her eyes lowered and she sighed heavily. "My brother is a ruthless man, Commander Leonhart. If he has taken one of your SeeDs, then she is likely either dead, or back in Galbadia, not here. I--" Zell, finally unable to hold it in anymore, leapt to his feet, fists clenched, his stance so tense he was shaking. "No way! She can't be dead. Damn you Galbadians, you better hope she's ok!" "Zell, sit down," Squall said with a sigh. He rubbed at the scar across the bridge of his nose idly. The martial artist slumped back into his chair, glaring at the diplomat as if his gaze could toss daggers at her. Aisa appeared nonplused by the outburst, regarding Zell coolly from her seat. There was more to this woman then met the eye, and the commander made sure to make note of that before proceeding further. "I would like to believe she is still alive. Where would he have taken her?" "To the prisons in Deling. Eventually she'd be transferred to the desert prison, as a political prisoner. It was Vinzer's way, Frankard doesn't truly deviate from it. This is if she's still alive, mind you." Squall nodded and rose to his feet. Selphie had to be alive, he refused to even consider otherwise. After finally finding those he spent his early childhood with, he wasn't about to lose any of them. Not one. Zell glowered a bit longer at Aisa before mimicking the commander, stalking toward the door ahead of the other teen. Squall paused however, turning toward the diplomat to salute her. "Thank you, Miss Deling. Your cooperation is appreciated." "Commander Leonhart..." Aisa replied, trailing off as an indication she wished him to pause. He did so, letting Zell continue out the door. "Frankard is up to something, something big. He doesn't let me in on these things, he knows I do not agree with how he runs Galbadia. He's done well to set me up here, and if your friend is alive, please use caution in rescuing her. It would be a rather large coup for him to capture the Commander of Garden." Squall stared at the woman for a long moment as he digested her meaning. "I'll remember your advice. Thanks again." With that, he turned and exited the room. As soon as the guards followed the pair, leaving Aisa in her seclusion yet again, a predatory smile crossed her lips. She leaned back in her chair, resisting the urge to throw back her head and laugh. How easy it was to manipulate the boy commander. How utterly simple. "Checkmate, brother." Back to MC Fan Fiction...