Who:  Irvine Kinneas, Selphie Tilmitt, Farrell Tennan, Dragonclaw, Barret Wallace.
Where:  Aboard the Ragnarok.
Why:  Irvine's just waking up, having been healed after the battle the previous night.  And Farrell's apparently having a nervous breakdown or something.  Makes for great conflict.
Date of log: July 17th, 2000.


So, what hit him again last night? Did anyone get the liscense plate on that mac truck? Irvine's been fading in and out of conciousness since he first felt that hard, firey plunk against his chest, followed by another... and another... and then he lost count and his grip on the cable. Thank goodness for Ward. Since then, everything's been hazy, dreamy almost. Hey, where's Selphie? Squall... you seen her? Ugh, talking to himself in his dreams. Or is he dreaming even... ouch... where's that pain coming from...
Rush forward into reality, Irvine's eyes suddenly pop open and he gasps for air that his lungs fought for last night before Terra's ministrations.

Selphie, thankyouverymuch, has -not- been here the entire night, as one might expect. Someone made her at least take a bed in the crew quarters, and though she was -dead tired-, only slept a few hours. So! She rummaged up a chair to sit in, besides the make-shift cot that was used for the cowboy, and that's where she is. ...Dozing. She's tired! However, at both the sound and action of Irvine's, she can't help but almost mimic the action, eyes fluttering open, gasp!ing -- though not for breath, he scared her. Eyes darting around to examinet the scene, she... blinks. Blinks! At Irvine! "Ohmygosh," she gushes, voice laden with sleep, "Irvine, are you okay? Irvy?" Both hands move to grasp his arm, eyes wide. Scare the crap out of her, why don't you.

Irvine winces, every part of him protesting his movements as he coughs, a small smattering of blood splatting across his fingers, residual probably, his lungs had been nigh to full of his own blood before the Cure. Glancing at Selphie, he blinks, eyes focusing on her, unaware he's just scared the crap out of her. Well, he's alive at least, which means something, or someone, had saved him after what should have been a fatal injury.
Disoriented, bewildered, and still in pain, he hoarsely queries, "Where am I?"

Selphie lets out a largish breath as she sees he's not having a seizure or something. c_c "We're in the Ragnarok," she explains quickly, one hand squeezing the cowboy's arm as her other rubrubs at her eye. Oh, pay attention now! Deep breath, aaaaaand, "Ward-caught you but-he-was hurt so Sephiroth -- I-think-that's-his-name, the guy with-silver-hair, he -flew- you up here and-then-and-then Terra healed you and -- and -- you should be all better now, and-and-and I'm sorry I should've-been-more professional!" Wow. Her face shifts with the moods of her story -- eyes wide, almost bewildered at the first part... then shifting to still wide-eyes, yet relief... then guilt! Guilt? ...Guilt...?

Blinking, Irvine tries to catch all of that, wishing he was video taping this so he could play it back in slow motion. "Whoa... whoa, darlin', hold your horses there..." Sure, he appears to be healed for the most part, but the body is hard to fool, it knows the cowboy was shot multiple times and should be in pain dammit, and so the residual effects still make him wince as he struggles to sit up, trying to lean toward Selphie to comfort her. "Hey, where is all this coming from... shhh. You just hush, I won't hear that kinda talk from you." The guilt is what's gnawing at him the most, why in the world should she feel guilty at his mistake?

Just thank whatever deities you hold dear that Selphie doesn't know that the -last- time Irvine was attacked, he was on his way to buy her something. She notes his attempts at comfort, but she's gotta say this! It's been eating away at her mind where the GFs left off ever since she had a moment alone to herself. Chin tilting down towards her chest, she really does look like the little girl Irvine grew up with -- but quite possibly on a day that she got caught with her hand in the cookie jar before dinner. "But! See, listen, see! If I hadn't waved and be totally unprofessional, you coulda' prolly already been up there with us in the hatch and you prolly wouldna' gotten shot!" She pauses to make this little frustrated noise, almost a little whine. Then, abruptly, she scrunches her nose -- looking comically -mad-? "And if you keep gettin' hurt like this, I'm gonna go -grey-!" Rrrr! Well, at least she's being herself. n_n

Pause. The cowboy is confused, must complete intake of strange Selphie behavior for analysis. Analysis: Women are crazy. He sighs, giving Selphie a look she might recall from their childhood, the old 'Irvy' exasperation look. Back then he used to put his hands on his hips too, imitating Matron a little. He doesn't do that now, but he does reach up with a non-bloodied hand to put a finger against her lips. "Quit. I let my guard down, I got myself shot. It was *not*, I repeat, *not* your fault. And I don't want to hear another word on the subject, got it darlin'?" As for getting hurt, he rolls his eyes, "I promise to stop getting hurt, darlin'..." Oh as if he's gonna be able to *keep* it.

Selphie has been aching to get that out since last night -- and though she still harbors feelings of guilt, she feels something along the lines of 10 times better, just having -said- it. So normally, she'd have left it at what was said. But! When Irvine places a finger to her lips, and basically tells her -what to do- (women -are- crazy), she scrunches her nose further, lips pursing stubbornly. "--But!" Rrrrr. How... cute. >_> At the promise that he makes, Selphie's quick to cross her arms -- gasp, another stubborn motion -- and hrmph!, though she's obviously not seriously -mad-. "You can't promise that!" Pausing, she lets her face soften -- okay, okay... Selphie, remember, he's recovering from gunshot wounds? He could've died? Yeah, she remembers how thankful she is, and smiiiiles. "But that's totally okay, 'cause I get more people to add to my 'list!' Maaan, ShinRa's goin' -down-!" XD

"You're not the only one, darlin'," Irvine replies, letting himself fall back against the cot once he's somewhat reassured that Selphie's stopped darn well blaming herself for something that's his fault. He doesn't comment further about the 'promise', knowing full well that's almost impossible for anyone to maintain. But, he does inwardly kick himself for at least not being more careful. He reaches up, lacing his fingers behind his head and sighs. Kefka. He knew his target now, had a chance at him, and lost it thanks to Proud Clod. Aloud, without realizing it, he mutters, "Kefka's gotta go."

Blinkity blink. "Hm? --That scary clown guy? I -totally- agree! I -hate- clowns!" Rrr! She crosses her arms at the edge of the cot, close to Irvine's chest and midsection, and rests her head on them (her arms, not his chest and midsection n_n). Apparently, she's toning down. "I don' wanna talk about it anymore, though. We'll do that enough later, right?" Beaming, she nestles her head idly against her arms. "I love you!" Awwww.

Aww, that's just too cute. Irvine turns his head to the side, tilting it slightly to look at her, smiling. "I love you too, darlin'." He unlaces his fingers, reaching over to touch her cheek with the back of his hand affectionately. "You know, that party was awesome. And if the Festival's gonna be better then that... it's going to be astronomical." Woo, big word there for the cowboy.

Selphie giggles. See, for all the adrenaline and 'KILL' vibes she had yesterday, her body has to make up for it by countering with cutesy girly stuff. Or something. She shuts her eyes and rubrubs her cheek against the hand, not altogether unlike a cat. Jeezus. Well, she -was- pretty bloodthirsty yesterday... And she cussed -3- times. "You really think it was? --Wooow! I'm -so- happy~! I can't wait for this all to be over! -Booyaka-!"

Irvine chuckles softly, lowering his hand to Selphie's chin to tip it upwards. "Selphie..." he pauses, knowing how he feels, but suddenly lacking the words to relate it with. "... You're the sunniest person I know. I think I'm the luckiest guy in Garden." That's a lot, coming from the 'consumate ladies' man' that Irvine's built up a reputation for being. Looks like his days of being the Flirt of Balamb are at an end.

Selphie blinks a bit as her chin is tilted upwards, keeping a blank look for the most part for a few seconds. Then, as words are spoken, she -beams-, realizing how much that -does- mean coming from Irrr~rrrvine. She does blush, mainly because of how much that means to hear that, "--I bet you say that to -all- the girls named Selphie," she teases, laughing even before she can finish it. Yay! Cheer Sefie up! Okay, so it seems like she's cheering Irvine up, right? But cheering up others lightens -her- mood, so it's some sort of happy, yellow, circle.

Lying on a cot next to the chair Selphie has perched herself in, Irvine appears to be awake, possibly healed of the nearly fatal injuries he'd suffered the night previous. The two of them even seem... happy? Ugh, sappy stuff! He props himself up on his arms, then leans toward her with that irritating, cryptic little smile of his. "Nah, just *this* Selphie," he replies, and leans in to kiss her.

Farrell steps in from.. somewhere else, looking rather indifferent as he usually does. Certainly feeling a lot better than he did before, at least it can be noticed that he's not sulking. Taking a quick gander around the room, he catches the image of Irvine and Selphie doing their... stuff. Or at least their about to. And to make his presence known, as he normally does, he comes up with a quick comment that is without a doubt rude and uncalled for. "Can't you guys do that somewhere else?" he says with a sly grin, walking a few steps closer.

A giggle that only the like of Selphie can emit escapes her lips, as the brunette lifts her head from it's rest on her arms. Surpressing another giggle, she similarly moves closer to meet! in the middle for that kiss. Crossing her feet at the ankles, she even gets so far as shutting her eyes, the Love Birds' lips meeting for approximately 2 seconds -- largely beacuse she erks, and looks towards Farrell's voice, looking rather surprised. o_o! When she sees who it -is-, though, her nose scrunches -- Farrell's a meanie now, in Selphie's book, uhoh! -- and she... Well. This isn't very Selphie-ish at -all-, but it happens! One hand flicking Farrell off, she just moves to press her lips against Irvine's in a sort of 'how d'ya like THESE apples?' gesture. Not that Irvine'll mind, fer sure.

Mind? Um, no. Actually, Irvine briefly glances at Farrell in embarassed irritation, why do these little moment just have to be interrupted? But, that doesn't last long as Selphie totally asserts herself, kissing him instead. Hmmm... maybe someone else oughtta be doing that weapons console work from now, it seems to make her a lot more aggressive! Ah well, enjoy the moment cowboy, and he does, even reaching up to touch Selphie's hair mid-smooch.

Farrell blinks at first. Yeah, that's not very Slephie-ish at all but it's still a reaction that he didn't completely not expect from her. That's what he wanted anyway.. to get the pleasure of annoying her. As far as Irvine's concerned, Farrell was expecting more than that simple glare.. but after said realization he figures that perhaps it'd be best to lay low a bit since Irvine is without a doubt still a little agitated with him. Sighing lightly, he starts to head back in the direction he came, saying, "I'll just, uh, be back in here, then.."

Though Selphie does very much enjoy this kiss... She peeks an eye open, seeing Farrell retreat. Bwahahaha! Success! And yet... She feels kinda bad. Reluctantly pulling away from the lip-lock, she doesn't really pull -that- far away, to call Farrell back. "--...OOoooo~," she says, frustrated, "Get back here...!" She has to rub the fact that she was right about Irvine getting better in his face, afterall.

Sighing, that irritating smile turned more to something goofy, Irvine starts to sit up as Selphie parts the kiss, considering pulling her off her chair and into his lap. Still, there's Farrell to consider... and the cot's kinda wobbly. So, he refrains, and smiles at his childhood friend somewhat knowingly. "Don't be leaving on our account, chum." Mad? Heck, he's forgotten the argument from the party. Life's too short to hold a grudge.
      
Farrell stops, gritting his teeth before turning halfway to look over at Selphie. He kinda knows what she's planning on doing and he doesn't want to be around to see it. But, being the person he is, he complies.. at least for now. "Oh, but I have my eyes to worry about. I need 'em to fight and stuff" he replies, to Irvine. Still watching Selphie, he can only imagine what marvelous comment she may have for him..

Selphie beams pleasantly at Farrell, waving. Hmmm. What's she got planned? And! If Irvine -were- to pull her onto his lap, poor Selphie's cockiness would flutter right out the window. And that would be embarassing in front of Farrell, so. "See, I -told- you Irvy'd be okay." She then procedes to stick her tongue out to the boy, goign so far as to tug at the lower part of her eyelid. Nyaaa!

Glancing over at Selphie, Irvine blinks. That's got to be the silliest thing he's ever seen from her since they were five. Hmm... ok, he can't let Farrell suffer too much embarassment. So... he does indeed reach for Selphie, trying to pull her into his lap and start tickling her in hopes of distracting her from further teasing poor Farrell. One must balance love and friendships, after all.
      
Dragonclaw's head pops out from the mess hall, still carting a large, warm, fuzzy blanket around his shoulders, before he steps the rest of the way in and makes sure the door closes all right behind him.

Farrell's expression melts into a more despising one than before. Glaring at Selphie, he loses all sense of control and snaps at her, despite Irvine's attemps to lessen the effect on him. "Why don't you grow up a little, huh?" he says to Selphie. "Sticking your tongue out like that.. Do you realize how damn childish it makes you look? Not only are you supposed to be a SeeD but you're also supposed to be eighteen! For god's sake, act your age!" That's probablt the third time that Selhphie has stuck her tongue out at Farrell in the past week or two, so it wasn't a surprise. But her snobbish and 'higher than thou' attitude has just really started to get on his nerves. Now, of course, Irvine's going to get all pissy... which upon realization makes Farrell scowl. He just can't win lately, no matter how much he tries. And nobody has even tried to figure out what's wrong with him so expect it to last for quite some time after this until someone does.

"Nyaaaa--Eaah?" Selphie blinks rapidly as Irvine does indeed cart her up onto his lap, looking rather confused about the whole ordeal. Of course, that's when he -tickles-, whereupon she basically drops all bad vibes/feelings, so that she can fully concentrate on laughing and giggling and the like. And squirming, and giggling s'more, and.... Hey! Farrell's snapping at her. Well, she can't do much about that--Oh, hey! Yeah she can, since she finds that Irvine's no longer torturing her with tickles. c_c; Which is probably bad, since she'd very much like not to address this issue. But! Seeing as she has little choice, the brunette catches her breath, smile quickly fading, as she just... looks, at Farrell. Okay, so maybe she was being kinda mean, and immature. But she just -knows- that he tries at every oppertunity to tick her off -- suddenly when she does it back, he gets all -mad-? She... is actually speechless, as she frowns, mouth slightly open, searching for something smart to say, so that she doesn't fuel the 'childish' comment. ...She fails, for the moment.

Though tickling Selphie was hilarious fun, Irvine stops the second he hears Farrell start into his rant. The gunman's smile fades as quickly as a plucked morning glory, the humor replaced with a very dark seed of cold, quiet anger. He slowly turns his gaze toward Farrell, mentally doing his best to hang onto his cool. It's not often that Irvine loses his temper, but when it comes to Selphie, he's damn protective of anything he perceives as a threat to her, and unfortunately that includes his friends too. He doesn't say anything, not trusting himself to maintain that cold, outward calm the moment he opens his mouth.

Farrell turns to Dragonclaw, snapping at him as well. "This doesn't concern you, pal.." Ouch.. he -is- in a rotten mood. Instead of quitting while he's ahead, he looks back at Selphie and continues: "Sure.. now you don't have anything to say. The truth really sucks, doesn't it? It just came back and smacked you in the face, didn't it? Good.. I hope it hurt." Looking at Irvine, his scowl deepens... He's certainly done enough damage as it is and saying anything directly to Irvine, even though it probably won't be as bad as insulting his 'girl,' would only make things worse. But that kind of logic is not present in Farrell's mind right now. "Let's hear it, Irvine. I'm waiting. Tell me how stupid I'm being. Go ahead and say it to my face. 'I'm being totally immature about this whole thing,' right? You always seem to know these things, come on."

Selphie would love to be able to fire insults Farrell-wards, but she honestly can't find any that wouldn't prompt him to go further. She -looks- mad enough -- hurt a large part of that face -- and she -tries- not to obviously pull towards Irvine, or 'protection' as she likes to think. But -- grrr! She just can't hold back any longer, moving to scoot off of Irvine's lap (which is probably not a good idea, Irvy, given her agressiveness seen thus far), even as she shouts back. Woah. "You can sure dish it out, huh! Sure, if -you're- bein' mean and rude, it's -totally- okay, but when the tables turned, you're just a little WUSS!" Grrr. He not only insulted her, but Irvine! "If I'm s'posed to -act- my -age-," she snaps, "And my -rank-, then I ORDER you to shut your stupid -trap-!" ...Yikes. Of course, she looks like she's about to cry. n_n Women are so silly.

If eyes could turn red when angry, Irvine's eyes would be glowing that color right now, throwing daggers with his gaze at Farrell. Oh just keep pushing his buttons, Farrell, keep pushing. He rises to his feet stiffly, adreneline already pumping through him in anticipation of a possible confrontation and thusly dimming the pain and protest of his weakened body. He reaches slowly toward Selphie, trying to comfort her as he knows those words must sting like hell. He doesn't, however, say anything yet, still hoping in part that his old friend will finally quit the verbal tirade. The cowboy doesn't like physical confrontations, after all, and he's not about to *shoot* him.
Then Farrell snaps at Dragonclaw, all right that's it. That *does* it. Irvine is officially completely put out now. "Farrell, I nearly died last night. If not for Terra, I would have. I don't know what's going on with you, but I don't need this crap. Life's too short." Resting his hands on Selphie's shoulders, he murmurs down to her, "Let's go, darlin'. I'm strong enough to get around, don't need to stay here."

Dragonclaw's frill snaps up, audibly, then back down. He snorts, but stays with his blanket. "I do not think you should say such things," he says, quite calmly, toward Farrell.

Farrell snarls! He lets out a large, rumbling bellow as he grabs an empty cot beside him and -throws- it across the room in Irvine and Selphie's direction. It wouldn't hit them, unless by some freak of nature in which they decide to do a flying leap in front it. "To hell with you both!" Pointing an accusing finger at Irvine, he verbally lunges at him again. "You're not even -worthy- of being called a friend anymore, Irvine Kinneas. As far as I'm concerned, you should have left me to die like the others!" Just in case the cowboy needs a little more clarification, he steps in closer, making the slight watering of his eyes noticeable. "You.. are not.. and will NEVER be.. my friend.. again. As soon as I find Squall, I'm outta here. Forget you all.." With that said, he steps off to the side and finds himself a seat on the floor against the wall. Wiping his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, Farrell sits there in his own self pity.. starting to learn to live with the decision he had just made.

Selphie definately doesn't jump in front of it, but boy -- she flinches, even going so far as to turn and bury her face into Irvine's chest, thusly muffling her cry. That's scary! Really. And it's dramatic, and stuff. Yeah! But soon after, she -does- grr! up at Farrell as he grows closer -- waiting until he moves away to get her last comment in. "Up -yours-!" Yeah, Irvine, she wants to leave... But that doesn't show in her actions. Might have to make her!

Even Irvine is caught off guard by the flung cot. He instinctively wraps his arms around Selphie as she buries her face against him, nearly whisking her around so she's not in the way of any other projectiles tossed around. This is a side of Farrell the gunman hasn't really ever seen. How the hell he manages to remain calm in all of this is anyone's guess, in retrospect, the cowboy will probably even wonder. However, he loves Selphie, and yet, Farrell's an undeniable part of his past. To choose between them would be impossible. Still, here he stands, with that choice right in front of him, stay or go.
Letting silence pervade after Selphie's last comment, Irvine considers exactly *what* to say. Finally, he speaks, and when he does it's softly, regretfully. "If that's what you want, Farrell, then so be it. My door's always open to you, if you change your mind."

Dragonclaw, if anything else, withdraws farther into the fuzzy blue blanket, frill drooping at the sight of someone throwing a cot around. From within the depths he yells, though: "Stop throwing things! You do never /ever/ attack friends. Whether think you they are or not." A sure sign he's upset: His grammar's worse then usual.

The entrance to the room is suddenly, yet gradually, filled with the ominous dark presence of Barret Wallace, the local terrorist. "What the hell was that noise I heard in here?" he asks, the jet black silhouette's eyes shining white.

Farrell looks up from his section of the floor, up at Dragonclaw and shortly after to Barret. "Talk to them.." he replies, gesturing Irvine and Selphie's way. This will truly show the amount of friendship that remains. Will he be squealed on, or will he be blamed entirely. If it's the latter, it'll definitely give Farrell the push and shove into his choice to leave everyone behind.

Selphie was really ready to say something mean to Farrell again -- grrr! -- but Irvine's calm words... calm her down, too, as she glances up at the cowboy, still basically pressed against him, protectively?. She looks back to Farrell, realizing that Irvine's known him a million times longer than she has, but... She knew Irvine -first-! So there. Opening her mouth to say something further -- appreciating Dragonclaw's involvement - she stops, looking towards the booming voice of Barret, blinking widely. o_o! "Mr Barret--!" says she, as she no doubt opens her mouth to tattle on Farrell. c_c But... changes her mind, deciding to play the part she normally does -- look vulnerable and clueless, in Irvine's arms. Sigh!

Drawing Selphie in a little closer, Irvine sighs softly, ruefully, really wondering how the heck this situation built up to this point in the first place. He nearly died last night, and that's changed his perspective by quite a bit. Glancing over at Barret, the cowboy shakes his head, "A misunderstanding, I think, sir." Of course, he tries really hard not to look over at the upturned cot. "We're all ok." He strokes Selphie's hair lightly, repeating himself aloud without meaning to as he glances down at her, "We're all ok."

Dragonclaw just - stands there, glaring at Farrell. He eventually turns tail and returns to the mess hall, drawing the blanket tighter around him.

Barret picks up the cot and shakes the legs back to their locked-out positions, setting it back on the floor, upright. "Now's not the time for any misunderstandings...we're a team, or at least I think and hope we are." He straightens, stretching, both hands in the small of his back. A few cracks can be heard in the stillness of the room. "I don't suppose Squall'd stand for it if he got an eyeful of it, especially with as little sleep as he's had. And especially since this isn't just about Cloud now. We've pissed Shinra off pretty bad, and we're more than a rescue team now, I'd guess."
He then utters the immortal words, "Can't we all just get along?"

Farrell sits in silence, looking up at Barret with no small amount of concern for his own well-being. Aside from that, the mentioned name of Squall hits his ears and he stands. "Um, Barret? Is Squall available right now? I have a personal issue to address with him." I guess that means that he's planning on leaving after all. For how long is unknown, but it isn't too late to stop him. But as far as everyone else is concerned.. who would?

The big gunman shrugs and shakes his head, producing a cigar and clenching it between his teeth. He doesn't light it, however. He seems to be walking around with unlit cigars a lot lately. "I don't even know where he is. Have you checked the Garden?"

Selphie sighs! Because she knows Barret's right, and because she let this sitaution happen. -She- is the SeeD here, and she's acting like a Junior Classman. Sigh! She doesn't really want to part from Irvine's looooverly protection, and just opts to send this worried look up to him. Are they gonna get in trooouble? She -hates- getting in trouble...!

Farrell shakes his head as well, "No, Sir.. I haven't left this ship since we landed... So you're saying I should check there?" Well, duh..

Barret nods. "Someone in charge could probably tell you if he's available. Him and his bunch seem to be pretty well kept-together. They might be able to tell you where to find him, too."

Irvine tries not to ahem, or clear his throat at the mention of 'his bunch', seeing as he and Selphie are *in* that bunch. But that's neither here nor there. The gunman's not about to disturb Squall at the moment, not after everything that happened last night. He'd have melted down if someone had put him in Squall's position. Instead, he just quietly agrees with Barret's words, then glances down at Selphie to give her a sad look. He's worried about Farrell, but what can he do? Every man chooses his own destiny, even Farrell.
Irvine actually gives his childhood friend a hurt look as he departs, whether or not he sees it or realizes it. To his back, he calls, "I'm still there, Farrell, the last one there. The only one who stayed to fight."

(End o' Scene)