"Attention all students and visitors in Garden. I'd like to announce that there will be a ball tonight to celebrate the beginning of the new semester," Squall spoke through the intercom. He rolled his eyes though. These balls were never that interesting, just the waltz, over and over. Sometimes the fox trot, as if that got any more exciting. It usually just meant he could admire Rinoa in a dress, but that was about it. "I hope that all of you will be able to make it. That is all." He shut off the intercom, sighed once, then turned around, "Alright, Lina, what is it you want?"
Lina, who'd been leaning against the railing of the bridge focused her eyes on him and smiled, "That's cute, I haven't been to one of these in a while." Squall glared at her. "Right, training. Can we start?"
"Yeah, 4:30 AM starting tomorrow morning, meet at the elevator," he said. Lina nodded. "You have a plan of what to do yet?" Lina shook her head.
"I have a lot of thinking to do tonight," she said.
"Well, go to the ball, relax, just mingle or something," he responded bluntly. Lina smiled, but shrugged.
"Yeah... I guess I will," she shook her head very lightly. She remembered that Zell would be with Carri at the ball tonight, and not with her for the first time she'd ever been to a ball at Garden. "See you later, Squall." He nodded once while she turned on her heel and left to the elevator. Lina walked back to the Dormitory, the halls suddenly alive with the buzz about who to take to the ball. Lina ignored it and walked on past to her friends standing around room six. She saw Karen with her arms wrapped tightly around Scott's mid section, smiling widely.
"Guess who I'm taking to the baaaallll tooniiighhtt!" she said in a singsong voice. Lina giggled, she knew the question was technically rhetorical. She was glad that Karen and Scott had stuck together ever since she had introduced the two of them to each other two years ago. They'd had an on off kind of relationship for a while much similar to Karen's semi-schizophrenic nature, but finally Karen had settled down with him for a happy and long relationship.
Lina took the people from Hotohori's palace on a little tour of Garden, leaving the Dormitory and walking all around the massive structure. She took them past the library, pointing it out briefly, running into Sadie at the entrance. Sadie looked rather smug that afternoon, her mousy brown hair pulled down to a low braided pigtail; only one.
"Who you going with to the ball tonight, Lina Heartilly?" Sadie asked, a rather scornful look on her face. The two of them had so much animosity between them that it was difficult to break the tradition even though the animosity had once been over Zell, who was no longer together with Lina.
"Myself," Lina said shortly, but before Sadie could respond with something just as smug as she had when she asked the question, Lina quickly added on, "Just like you always do." Sadie became quiet suddenly, and Lina looked away. This confrontation was over. She led the group past the library, around the front gate.
Once they were done with their little tour, Lina led them back towards the Dormitory where Lina looked around for a place for the gang to stay while they were visiting Garden. Lina wasn't quite sure how the Gullwings would manage staying in Garden--perhaps they would go to Squall themselves and ask for a place to stay? Either way, Lina had heard rumors that room six was empty, and had been for a very long time because its previous owner had secretly moved in with his or her good friend or beau, something like that. So, she acquired the key to the place and opened it for them and explaining that they would have to share. She did have a little problem that it was right next door to Zell's room, but she didn't plan to visit really that often.