A light chuckle floated across the table. "It's okay Quistis; you were 14. Almasy is a good looking man. Any 14 year old girl would have been falling all over herself just to catch his eye."
"Maybe, but I wanted it to be special, and it ended up being a disaster. He wasn't paying attention, and we almost got caught. I don't remember what he said afterwards, but I know it made me cry."
Zack suddenly sat back in his seat. "Oh, I didn't realize. . . ."
Quistis waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It's in the past and I really don't want to dwell on it."
Zack nodded and took a sip of his drink. "Okay, let me ask a different question... why the whip?"
Quistis raised her shoulders in a shrug. "The whip is a graceful but deadly weapon. It's dangerous not only to the person being struck but to the user as well. It's a challenge. I like challenge."
"I never knew why Sally chose the quarterstaff originally, even I could see she struggled with it. But to see her now, in hand to hand combat. . . ." He smiled and shook his head. "I never knew my little sister had it in her."
"Too many people have underestimated her for too long." Quistis leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, slightly scowling off into the distance. "I have to admit, I did too."
"Isn't it funny how some people see potential where others don't?"
Quistis looked over at him sharply. "What do you mean?"
"Zell and Almasy. They both saw things in her that no one else would have ever thought about."
"Yeah," Quistis agreed with a soft scoff. "Zell Dincht, the world's fastest mouth, and Seifer Almasy, the world's biggest as..."
Zack quickly interrupted her. "This is a family dining establishment, Quistis." He leaned back in his seat, stretching an arm along the top of the booth. "Not to mention the fact that you should give credit where credit is due. If Zell hadn't helped her out, Sally would still be a candidate, and if Seifer hadn't noticed what a whiz she is with the computer, she'd probably still be stuck behind that library desk."
Quistis clenched her jaw. She knew he was absolutely right. Maybe I should--
"Don't start the self-doubt thing," Zack said, interrupting her thoughts. "I was simply pointing out the fact that you need to give people a chance. You're way too quick to judge. You thought you had Reina pegged the minute you saw her." The self-assured smile on his face was almost too much for Quistis to take.
"You're right," she said a bit harshly. "I'm a horrible person. I should be dragged out during the next Garden Festival and shot before the clamoring crowd." The tight knot of emotion forming in her stomach surprised her. Criticism had never bothered her before. Maybe because the criticism hadn't been so personal in the past.
"I don't think we need to take it that far. Maybe just a tar and feathering," Zack said, smirking.
Any cutting remark was cut-off as the waiter appeared with their food. So, they ate in relative silence. The delicious food took Quistis' mind off their pre-dinner conversation. Instead, she turned her thoughts to the list of things she had to do the next day.
"So, how was it?" Zack asked as he took the napkin from his lap and placed it on the table.
"Excellent. Quite different from the usual fare at Garden." she said quietly with a forced smile.
Zack once again sat back, one arm stretched over the back of the booth and fingers tapping an agitated rhythm on the leather. "I let my big mouth flap around too much, didn't I."
Quistis dropped her napkin onto her plate. "Everything you said is true," she admitted, "in one way or another."
Zack pointed at her. "And that is why I get paid the big bucks, Miss Trepe."
A small and reluctant laugh escaped Quistis before she met Zack's gaze. "I suppose telling the truth would be important in the Television business."
"Not as much as you might think. We can say or suggest whatever we want, as long as we get the details right." Zack slid to the end of the seat, catching the waiter's attention. He appeared instantly.
"Would you like this on your tab, Mr. Regal?" he asked.
"Sure. I'll leave it there, thanks." Zack stood and offered a hand to Quistis who slid out of the booth as well. They walked slowly to the door, winding their way through the other couples in the restaurant.
"So, what would you like to do now?" Zack asked as they stepped out onto the darkened street.
"I think I should go home. I have a lot of things to put in motion tomorrow."
Zack nodded and turned down the street toward Quistis' apartment. "I'll walk with you."
"All right. I suppose I could use the company." The silence between them across the three blocks was comfortable as each enjoyed the night air. They stopped in front of Quistis' door.
"I hope I didn't say too much this evening. I didn't mean to attack you." Zack confessed as he leaned against the doorframe.
Quistis shook her head. "No. Like I said, it was all true in one way or another. No one at Garden is willing to say anything to me."
Zack reached out and placed a hand on her arm. "Look. If I go too far, just punch me or something. I'll get the message at some point."
A slight smile crept onto her lips. "Would you sign an official document stating that you just gave me permission to punch you?"
He shrugged, returning the smile. "Sure. It's only fair, right?"
Quistis arched an eyebrow dubiously. "Right, Mr. Regal... I'll see you in the morning?"
"Yeah, 9 am. Sleep well, Quistis."
"Thanks Zack. Goodnight."
Four
Undercover Blues
Life at the television station was fast paced, and Quistis loved it.
The speed of day to day life made the time go by quickly. At the station during the day, out with Zack at night, and twice a week she met with the Balamb Garden Quarterstaff Master. Other than the occasional encrypted message from Seifer, her training sessions with Master Klamer were the most contact she had with Garden during her months in Timber.
The first time Zack ushered the Quarterstaff Master into the living room, Quistis nearly died laughing. The security department had decided Master Klamer should take on the disguise of a cleaning serviceman during his visits with Quistis. So, he had appeared in blue overalls with a mop in one hand and his "cleaning supply" bag in the other.
As part of her disguise within Deling Garden, Quistis would change weapons to Quarterstaff. Her hair would be dyed brown, and she was given colored contact lenses.
The day had begun as any other day. Quistis had awakened in her room at Zack Regal's house. After the first month in Timber, she had moved from her apartment into Zack's house. It was another part of the mission, and Zack had plenty of room. She padded down the stairs into the expansive kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee before returning to her room and getting dressed for the day. An uneasy sense of something amiss followed her to the TV station and through the day until she saw the mail-room clerk pass her doorway toward Zack's office.
She turned her attention back to the pile of data in front of her. Her current project was cross checking each member of Deling Garden's staff and making her alter-ego's past record just miss each of them. Quistis closed her eyes for a moment and rubbed them as the numbers and letters were beginning to perform a little dance for her on the page.
Upon opening her eyes again, she saw a light pink envelope in front of her addressed to Zack. She looked up into Zack's amused face.
"I keep telling you to get your eyes checked again, but you never listen," he said with a smirk.
"Fine. As soon as I get a spare moment, I'll do just that. What do you want?" she asked irritably.
The enthusiasm fairly dripped from Zack's tone and expression. "That little envelope is from my sister. Do you know what it is?"
Quistis dropped her gaze back to the envelope and held it to her forehead "Well, since my X-ray vision is out of focus due to a need for new glasses, you're going to have to tell me." She d
ropped it back to the desk.
"Zell is throwing a birthday party for Sally, and we've been invited."
A sudden flash of panic raced through her stomach. "Goody."
Zack frowned. "What is up with you today? It's a party, you'll get to see all your friends. We can get drunk and dance on the tables."
"Sure, Zack." Quistis picked up the invitation, looking at the date and time. "Two weeks, that's not a lot of time."
Zack reached across the desk and pointed to a small red date. "I would deduct from the postmark on the envelope that it was held up in our mail room."
"It would appear I have to go shopping for a dress."
Sitting on the edge of her desk, Zack leaned forward. "We'll do it this weekend. I'll play the part of the doting boyfriend."
A small smile materialized on Quistis' lips. "Prepare your wallet, my friend."
"I'll find a way to charge it back to the Garden Network, don't you worry."
Quistis smirked, folding her hands in her lap. "I'm not worried at all, what with your creative accounting practices."
"They're not creative; they're bonafide 'Zack-matics'. It's like math, but different."
Quistis laughed before standing up and moving to the window in the office. She looked out over the small city that had grown by leaps and bounds since she had followed Seifer there over four years prior.
"Hey, Quis. Why don't you take a break. Get out of your head for a while."
She started at the proximity of Zack's voice. He had moved across the room without her noticing. She re-focused on him standing next to her at the window. "I've got to finish what I was doing; then maybe I'll take a break."
"All right, make sure you do. I'll see you this evening."
Quistis nodded before returning to her desk and the papers there waiting for her. Humming a nameless tune, she turned most of her attention back to the sizeable project before her. I wonder what Zell has planned?
*
Zack offered Quistis a hand as she stepped from the train at Balamb station. It was the first time Quistis had been back since leaving for Timber. She breathed in the scent of the ocean as they waited on the platform for their luggage. Quistis had traded in her old SeeD duffel for a new suitcase with wheels, which made the short walk to the Balamb Hotel very easy. After checking in, the pair proceeded to their room which overlooked the ocean.
"So, you hungry?" Zack ventured. He had noticed Quistis' tension level rising as they got closer to Balamb.
"I guess we have to make the effort to be seen together. You know, present the illusion that we're together." Her thin smile betrayed any humor she tried to put into the statement.
"I'd hate to blow your operation because we're 'just friends'. Remember, we're going to elope in another two months or so." He paused for a moment, watching her gaze through the door to the balcony. "Come on Quis, this should be fun. You'll get to see all your friends again. And I know for a fact Zell has an awesome party planned for this evening."
Quistis sighed as she shook off her foul mood. She stood up and sent Zack a dazzling smile. "Right, let's have some fun. I'm dying to show off my new dress."
"That's my girl." Zack commented returning her smile with his own.
*
As the three horse-drawn carriages came into sight, Quistis hung back in the shadow of the Balamb Hotel. She very suddenly felt out of place among the other SeeDs gathered at Sally Regal's 20th birthday party. I'm a SeeD too. They just think I've abandoned it all for the 'glamour' of television. She backed up into the solid body of Zack Regal, who dropped a hand onto her shoulder.
"Going somewhere?" he asked with amusement dancing in his eyes.
Quistis turned to face him, panic rising within.
Zack's amused expression slowly melted into one of concern. "Uh, Quistis are you okay? You're looking a little green, and it doesn't go with your eyes."
Focusing on the white bow tie around Zack's neck, Quistis fought to control the nausea in her stomach. "I think I ate a bad piece of shrimp . . . I'll be in the room." She backed away from him and walked quickly toward the stairs. Zack stopped her at the foot of the staircase with a hand taking firm hold of hers.
"Quistis Trepe, I haven't known you for very long, but you're not the type to run away, why are you doing it now? And don't feed me any crap about bad shrimp. There is no shrimp at the buffet."
Her eyes darted behind him to the door where Sally and Zell had entered, followed by Seifer and Janine. A carefully constructed emotional dam was about to break, and Quistis didn't want to flood the lobby of the Balamb Hotel with her tears and what remained of her pride.
"Zack," the desperation in her voice was as obvious as the tears glistening in her eyes, "I can't do this! Please let me go!" She took advantage of his surprise when he momentarily let go of her hand, and fled the lobby to the relative safety of the room.
*
The evening air held a chill, but Quistis didn't feel it. She could hear the music from downstairs still playing several hours after she had fled the scene. The door to the room opened, allowing a streak of light out onto the balcony where Quistis sat wrapped in a blanket nursing a glass of apple juice. She felt the hard green eyes boring into her, and didn't bother to look up.
"Trepe. What's wrong with you?" Seifer asked, annoyance obvious in his voice. He bent down and took the glass from her hand. "Are you actually sitting out here drinking alone?" His tone was tinged with surprise. The trademark smirk appeared on his face as he sniffed the contents of the glass.
"Oh yeah, Seifer, the really hard stuff." Quistis snapped. "What do you want?"
A scoff escaped him. "An update, Trepe. You think I came up here to chat?"
Quistis turned her eyes on him. "Our time-line is two months. I've been successful in spreading my soon to be alter-ego's record around to various schools and institutions."
"You cross-referenced the staff at Deling and made sure none of them could have run into her?"
He was rewarded with a flat stare. "Yes, Sub-Lieutenant Commander Almasy. I'm not an idiot. I've been at Garden as long as you have." Quistis felt slightly off-balance when no biting remark was made in response. Seifer only regarded her mildly, and she wasn't prepared for what came next.
"Quistis, the important people know you haven't abandoned Garden. Cheer up before I pull your ass off this assignment."
If it had been physically possible, Quistis' jaw would have hit the floor. "What?" she asked, knowing she hadn't heard words of 'comfort' come from the mouth of Seifer Almasy.
He lowered himself to her eye level. "If anyone asks, I came to give you a new temporary ID." He pulled a small piece of plastic from his pocket and handed it to her.
Quistis glanced at the ID, tears springing again to her eyes as she read words "Authorized Civilian Access" next to her name. She heard him hesitate as she tried to wipe the tears away.
"It's only until this is all over," he told her. "Then we'll get you a nice shiny new one with 'Head of Instruction' highlighted, underlined and italicized. I'll even put 'Evil Sorceress Killer' on there if it'll make you stop crying."
"I'm not crying." she snapped.
"I don't doubt it, Trepe. Pull yourself together. You're going to go out there and kick some renegade ass, right? Cause if you make me look like a fool for letting you go on this mission, I'll have to kill you... Here." He handed the glass of juice back to her. "Drink your juice."
Quistis raised her eyes from their scrutiny of the floor to look at the man she had long ago decided was her arch-nemesis. "I would've thought you might let go and have a drink or two this evening."
Seifer laughed and looked away briefly to the ocean. "I haven't had a drink since I came back to Garden." He brought his eyes back to Quistis. "Besides, I couldn't keep up with Janine if I was drunk. Speaking of Janine, she's waiting for me. I have to go, there's some noise about a special event at midnight. It'll take me the next half hour just to find Janine ag
ain anyway."
He straightened and headed for the door. Quistis smiled to herself as the door closed softly. You're welcome, Almasy.
*
Quistis slipped quietly down the stairs toward the ballroom, hanging just out of sight. She was curious as to what the special midnight event could be. At first she thought it might be some sort of a prank Zell had thought up, but the words coming out of his mouth told her just how far off she was. Before she knew it, he was down on one knee proposing to Sally Regal, who appeared as if she was ready to pop from all the attention and excitement. When Sally voiced her very enthusiastic and teary acceptance--followed by a just as enthusiastic vault into Zell's arms--Quistis smiled to herself again as she snuck away through the shadows and back to her room.
Five
Mission Launch
At the sound of the ringing phone, Quistis looked up from the show line-up press release she edited. She was quite surprised, since her phone rarely rang, and it was usually a misdirected call when it did. The voice on the other end nearly made her drop the phone.
"Trepe, this is Seifer, I'm coming to Timber tomorrow. See if you can get me tour of the station, would ya?"
Quistis absently nodded at the phone while placing it back into its cradle. Then she drew in a deep steadying breath as she stood and made her way down the hall to Zack's office. A call and visit from Seifer could only mean one thing. She stuck her head into Zack's office to find him sitting at his desk busily scribbling notes .
"We have a guest tomorrow."
He didn't look up. "Yeah?"
"It's time. I'm going in."
The pen fell to the desk as Zack looked at her with a startled expression. "Oh."
Quistis crossed her arms on her chest and gave him a wry grin. "With that kind of eloquence, it’s no wonder you've made it as far as you have."
Zack's hands spread out in front of him. "Give me a break, Quis. I've gotten used to things the way they are. I may have to hire a real assistant when we get back."
"I think I may take that as a compliment."
He grinned. "Whatever makes you happy."
*
The next day couldn't have been more nerve wracking for Quistis. Seifer was due to arrive at eleven, she would give him a tour and they would end up in her office. Garden security had wired the room themselves and monitored it constantly. Nothing happened in her office without Balamb Garden knowing about it.