Who:  Irvine Kinneas, Squall Leonhart, Selphie Tilmitt, Seifer Almasy, Farrell Tennan.
Where: Student Dormitory Corridor, Garden Atrium, Quad.
Why:  General RP.  No real theme to it. Squall nearly busts Irvine, Seifer embarasses Selphie, etc. etc.
Date of Log:  8/9/00





Out of Selphie's room comes one Irvine Kinneas. Why is he exiting her room alone? Well, if you listen to the gossip crew... let's not go there. Begin again.
Out of Selphie's room comes one Irvine Kinneas. In the month since their relationship started, it's fairly well become customary to see either or both of them wandering in and out of each other's rooms. (With or without the other half, mind you.) He makes sure the door is shut, and hasn't looked down the hall yet to see who else is out and about. Once upon a time he was kinda paranoid about leaving Selphie's room, but that's just about passed by now. It's not as if it's any kinda big secret anymore.

Squall slips out of his dormroom with slightly more... life? than he exhibited last night. Last night he was... oblivious. A few hours of practicing, hellbent on stopping his thinking processes in the training room does that, reduced to the point where a hard punch to the face or a few bricks through his way would be the only things to do much. Now, though, he's out of his black leather (being cleaned) and back in the world of the living.

Tra la la. o/~ Having had lunch, caffiene, and even more caffiene, Selphie is more than content with Life, the Universe, and Everything at the moment. Why wouldn't she be? Trotting back towards her dorm, being that she rather forgot some paperwork that she was supposed to deliver to one of her friends (read: a template for a love-letter that a cadet-friend of hers wanted to write, and needed an opinion on), she has every intention of entering, taking what she needs, and leaving. This almost never happens, though, and she doesn't even suspect otherwise. Trot, trot! And she's singing, too. "...Just like a prayer -- I'll take ya there! Oo-aa!" Not very well, mind you, but she likes to think it's not too shabby. And she doesn't even get that many looks! It's Selphie, afterall, people are used to it. And being so caught up in her singing, she doesn't notice -anyone-. ...Is that a lolli-pop she's using as a microphone...?

And who's coming in from the atrium? Seifer. Hands occupied with sacks--groceries he was supposed to get last night before he was, y' know, ambush, sidetracked, and roped into talking about his romance--he walks ... quietly and without alot of that old swagger. God forbid he develop any humility. But he blinks as he looks up as he hears ol' Selphie... singing? He smirks slightly, and then says, "Practicing for the next festival, Selph?" He asks mildly, wondering if he might actrually /hear/ him over the noise he's making. A glance is given the Commander, and then the cowboy in turn. Don't mind him. He's a good little domesntic... ex-world menace. O/o;

Well, off-key or no, that voice is unmistakable to Irvine. He glances up, reaching for the hat to tilt it back a little and adjust its placement, baby blue eyes searching the corridor for the source of that lilting singsong voice and smiles as he spots Selphie trotting... skipping, whatever her childlike cadence of the day is, toward him. So, he leans against her door and waits. Squall and Seifer are both noted, and the hat is subsequentely tipped toward them both as they enter the marksman's attention. But, it's clear he's definately concentrating mostly on the little wonder in yellow.

The singing is... well, maybe Squall'd rather not be reminded of signing, considering the approaching Festival. And shh, don't remind Selphie either. Wait... what's Irvine doing in Selphie's room? Maybe the rumormill grinds right by the Commander most days, leaving him to his Antisocial Field. "Irvine, something wrong with your dorm?" he calls, sounding somewhat worried. What caught fire/got blown up/attacked now?

"...It's like a dream to mee~, yeahyeahyeahyeah!" Reaching the 'climax' of her little show, the brunette girl stops to pose, holding the 'mircophone' where the bottom of it is in the air, and the top right to her mouth. Booyaka! Her pinky's even sticking out. Jeezus, get this girl some Valium. "Ju--" Cutting herself off, it occurs to her that she rather heard someone talk behind her. And her name, to boot. Well, most of her name. Looking over to the grocery-wielding blonde, she stares for a moment, blankly, this question finally sinking in. "--Oh! Oh, no, no way! I -totally- don't sing." ...Maybe she means 'on stage.' Oh, well. A brief glance towards Squall as she hears him talk, and... she double-takes. Irvy! ..What're they talking about...?

Ahh... See, this is why they had the disciplinary committee! Seifer could be an asshole, but he was an asshole with a purpose. There wasn't alot of naughty ruleberaking when one lived in fear of Seifer and his gestapo! And Cid thought it would teach him moderation and responsibility. c/c; But said grocery-weilding blonde just blinks as he walks over to Selphie, and smirks slightly. "I could say something mean there, Selph, but, y' know, I'm a /reforming/ former world menace," he says rather mildly. "But I think you need a new mic. The volume on that one is set to 'eardrum bursting'." He's teasing. Really. He glances over at Squall and Irvine briefly, and then says, "I think your boy's been busted. Y' know, got forbid I revert and all, but, technically, rooming together /does/ go under sexual misconduct under Garden's rules. Irvine's still a cadet, y' know. I don't know if Squall's going to be the ball-buster Cid Cram-it--I mean, Kramer," *COUGH*, "but... y' might wanna watch it, eh? I personally don't know or care what you're doing, bt other people might." He shrugs once. Just thought he's point it out, since he caught what Irvy and Squall were chattin' 'bout.

Somewhat startled by the Commander's question, and even a mite bit confused by the concern there, Irvine merely stares at Squall for a long moment, one reddish colored brow eventually lifting. Is this a trick question? Surely he's heard. Then again, he's not very well known for being Mr. Sociality. So, it's possible that the proverbial jig is now up. Selphie is rather quickly forgotten as the cowboy ponders how exactly to tell Squall without getting himself, and possibly Selphie, into hot water. (Ok, not really -forgotten- so much as -put on hold-.) "No, nothing's wrong..." Oh that was truly slick. A fast talker he is not... well, outside the context of flirting with women anyway. And besides, despite the fact that Squall's a friend, he's also still -in charge- around here.
Of course, Seifer then adds in his two cents. Luckily, the cowboy doesn't actually hear any of it or you might have actually gotten to witness one of Irvine's rare moments of turning pink around the cheek area.

The sight of Seifer with -groceries- distracts him a moment, and he stares at the blond man a moment, before looking curious about what he's packing. Wait, no, the cafeteria is just fine. Really. Giving Selphie a small grin, he looks back to the cowboy, walking over and nodding at the door he's just exited from. "I just thought you had a dorm. Studying?" ...Clueless? For now, he's genuinely curious, though Seifer's got a point...

Another blank stare upwards to Seifer, and a few blinks later, Selphie finally wrinkles her nose. "--Heeey!" Say something mean? Hrmph! At least he didn't, but it's the same difference! 'Cause Selphie's imagination of what he might have said is most likely far worse than what he -would-, in fact, say. But that's life for you -- at least, selphie_life. And glancing to her lollipop, then back up to the blonde, she looks not only confused, but hurt! She thinks it's a -nifty- microphone, and if Seifer weren't so dang cool last night, she'd tell him to shove it. Teehee. ...It's -then- that the rest of Seifer's little speech makes it to Selphie's brain. Uh. There's that 'sex' word again that she finds so embarassing! Even if it has an 'ual' on it. And while Irvine is saved from a blush, Selphie more than makes up for it. Staring widish-eyed up to the ex-knight, a reddish hue fans across her cheeks and the tips of her ears. The grin from Squall that would normally be much welcomed is totally not seen, as the girl's far too occupied with blushing. And fumbling about. "--S-sexual misconduct? B-but...! We're totally not mis-conducting sex!" Blink. Stare. "Er. You know what I meeeean!" Waaah! She's a good girl! Good Selphie, whine. Whining always works. Oh, yes! And a stompstomp! of her foot, to boot. If Irvine's dealing with the same problem, she wouldnt' be surprised.

Wow. Selphie is obivously. A. Probably a Virgin still, and B. Not at ALL Ready to get married like she thinks she is. MArriage means handling the subject of sex with intelligence and decorum... not squealing and stammering. Seifer just laughs softly, and then says, "Shit, Selphie, I said I do't care /what/ you do. It's not like I'm not enjoy the perks of married life..." and he was enjoying them previous to getting hitched too, but she doesn't need to know that, right? *c/c*; Right! But the blush just makes him want to laugh, and then says, "Yeah, yeah, chill out. Hyne... I know what you mean, Selph, but I hate to tell you, other people may not /care/ what you /say/ and only believe what they /want/ to. Garden's ... alot like that." He ought to know.

Talk about flustered now. Surely Squall's gotta be aware that -something- isn't right here in the way Irvine's reacting to his query. See, the marksman just doesn't quite believe that someone could be -that- closed off as to not pick up on these little nuances. This is Squall, after all, and he should probably be aware of the difference, but he's been caught off guard, and thusly isn't. He knows he and Selphie are technically breaking the rules spending most of their nights together, he also knows they're not actually engaging in any sexual activity. (Just don't tell the Gossip group that, they'll roll their eyes or outright laugh at you because no one, at this point, believes it. This is -Irvine Kinneas- we're talking about here, notorious flirt with a reputation a mile long out of Galbadia Garden.) But, it's rather nice that Squall offers him some sort of out. Soo... he lies through his teeth. "Yeah... something like that." Right. So is that why he was exiting as she's re-arriving?

The Commander studies the gunman a moment calmly. No, he didn't put it together, he's been out of touch, and if there's anyone in Garden that people -wouldn't- pass gossip on to it's Squall. The way he is, and his position, he'd be the last to know about hanky panky. But still he pauses, regarding the other man, before nodding. "Well, ok." *whew?* "Oh, good work on the Kefka mission. I read the full report. I knew we could count on you." Yes, you didn't cave, Irvine. Did it help that few in Garden knew you wanted to? Or once did and then recovered. Trust comes in odd forms, but it's all fine now. "Take it easy for a while, no new plans yet." New plans. More attempts?

Selphie -so- doesn't think she's ready for marriage. She's just in love with the idea she has of it, which are two -totally- different things. Marriage is so... so... final! Even if divorces happen these days, that's totally -uncool- to the girl. And besides, she's just 18! And very much a virgin still, -thank-youverymuch! Hrmph.
She did not, however, need to know what Seifer is and isn't enjoying abuot his married life. Grody! It's a surprise she doesn't think boys still have cooties -- though who says she doesn't...? But she lets that comment slide by, hopping onto the next one with a shuffle of her feet. "...Well~," she says, now bashful, "ye~eah..." Back to whining. "But that's totally not -fair-! It's the -total- opposite of fair. Grrrr!" Stompity-stomp. No glances are spared Irvine and Squall-wards, as she barely remembers they're there. If only -she- encountered Squall and -Irvine- had run into Seifer...

Hee hee. Seifer is getting to enjoy this. Yes, there is still a jerk somewhere in Seifer--he just doesn't see the light of day as often as he used to. Jade colored eyes are bright, the pale depths just /oozing/ satisfaction at Selphie's reactions, he gets his bizarre little mean kicks in her reactions. "Life isn't fair, Selphie. Get used it." He doesn't note the plans--new or otherwise--mentioned to Irvine, and one can guess that now, engaged as he is with Selphie, he didn't hear the comment. "'sides. It could be worse, y' know." You could be him. Garde scapegoat. Baa. Baa.

*Shew*, indeed. Irvine seems to relax slightly as Squall actually believes him, or at least feigns to. But that only lasts for a moment because the Commander immediately launchs into praising him. That does kinda help the ego, but not much. Not in this circumstance. The embarassment fades away into a cool solemnity, as if the skies of his personality suddenly grew overcast with no threat of rain yet. It's terribly noticable to anyone but possibly Squall, though luckily no one else appears to be looking. "Thank you, though Kefka is still alive," he replies quietly, though he's not really sure how thankful he is. Nor can he avoid that little nagging voice in the back of his head. 'You're a hitman for the Garden, kiddo. Get used to it. They'll always use you again.' Martine's voice even, how pleasant, bleh, how he -hated- that man.

Squall nods at Irvine's observation. "Well, we'll see," he replies absently. "That mission did a lot of damage to the town..." he adds, frowning up at the taller man. "You know the gas station caught fire and exploded?" Does he blame Irvine's team? Hardly, but it's on his mind. The Commander'd be the one to explain to the residents who lost their homes to this war he started, afterall. It's one of those days where a lot of people are glad they're not in Squall's position. And the young man is reminded of this, and tries to hold to his light smile, as if he were making conversation about nothing.

"I don't see -how-," the girl pouts, crossing her arms. ...Well, yeah, she -does- see how it could possbly be worse, but she's already said it, so. Okay, so Selphie's -really- easy to get whatever reaction you want from her. It's a wonder Seifer didn't pick on her as much as he did Zell -- though eventually, Selphie would get the brains to either totally ignore Seifer, and when that failed, sic' Irvine on him. Get 'im, boy! Ahem. Also oblivious to Squall and Irvine's conversation, she pouts as the cold, hard, truth is rubbed in her face. "...Anti-booyaka. Totally." Selphie realyl would love to hear what they're talking about, since she -was- on that little mission, but... only just now remembers they're there, as her little whine_fest is over. Hrm~.

"You could have to deal with the snide bullshit /I/ put up with." There. You wanted to know how it could be worse. The ex-knight has yet to be forgiven--and honestly, probably won't be. At least, not until another class of SeeDs have come and gone... which will be a while, with he way things are going. But his legacy will probably always live on. But the young man then says, "Look, I'm not at all adverse to talking with you--you've proven reasonbly intelligent," said with a teasing glint to those eyes, "But my hands are losing circulation holding these bags. You want to let me drop off my groceries?"

Irvine has always been glad he's not in Squall's position. Being stuck behind the scope and trigger of a sniper rifle takes enough out of him. However, the comments about Balamb almost make him wince, remembering his rapid thoughts on that when that *thing* (i.e. Ouroboros) smashed the rooftop directly after the bullet ripped through Kefka. "Yeah... I know. Unfortunately it couldn't be avoided. They had some... creature there that we didn't know about. If it hadn't held us up, we'd have pulled out before that robotic weapon of theirs returned." Does he blame the recon team for it? No, nothing ever goes off without a hitch, after all. He finds the smile slightly disturbing, privately. Irvine takes these things with a dead seriousness, always questioning and asking 'what if' where Squall seems to just accept and do as is deemed necessary.

Unfortunately, Squall's having to play the 'what if' game more and more often, as a Commander in a time of, well, war. The smile is there to keep him from scowling, of course, a sort of placeholder. "Well, I need to tell them something..." he murmurs, the frown slipping. "So anyway, you have a breather for now." He glances to Selphie, then to her door, then back to the gunman. "Have some fun while you're at it." That -can't- be permission, it doesn't sound like it, with his light now-frown.

Oh. Groceries! Somewhere in that conversation, they seemed to meld into Seifer's form, in Selphie's mind. She didn't even notice that he -had- them, until they were brought to light. ...And as for the 'snide bullshit' remark, the brunette just... stares at him, for a moment. Having thought on this last night, she really doesn't feel -sorry- for the way he's treated now, even after it's obvious he's no longer trying to dominate the world (that's -her- job) and generally be an evile type. He was directly related to the bombing of -her- Garden, and while she may have been strong and brave and such during the whole ordeal, some of her friends died in that disaster. Sure, at the -time-, she was just 'let's kick some serious AY-ASS for this!' about it all, but in retrospect, the girl was only shoveling that enthusiasm over an open wound, to hide how she -really- felt. So! Dramatics aside, -she- hasn't even forgiven Seifer, and probably won't. But that doesn't mean she can't have conversations with him, like a civil (?) person! "...--Uhm, oh! ...Reasonably intelligent? Oh, whatever! You know I'm a total genius." Teehee, see, she can joke too. "I'm not goin' anywhere," she lies, giving a thumbs-up to the blonde. See, she'll go over to Squall and Irvine!

The blonde hasn't forgiven himself anything, so you're perfectly allowed to. And he never really said he didn't /deserve/ it... though it does get tiring. He's trying to prove himself. Or he was. After a while, he realized that he wasn't getting anywhere, and after pounding his head against the wall for a few hours, he gave up. Let them think what they want. So long as they leave him alone, and he can curl up with Fuujin and pretend he has a chance at some semblence of normality, he can get by. But he grins and nods, slipping away. "Go on and save him from Squall. He still needs socializing practice, y' know. Liquor works wonders on him, though." He winks once, and one does have to wonder if he's joking or not. Then he heads past the pair with a nod to drop off his groceries.

A breather. In other words sniping Kefka wasn't enough. Nothing will ever be enough. You're doomed, kiddo. Doomed. Irvine nods, considering himself 'dismissed' or whatever. However, the glance is -not- missed as he follows the Commander's gaze like a spectator in a tennis match. What, is Squall encouraging him to break the rules? The thought is slightly, staggeringly, stunningly... nah. Can't be. Still, it's gonna leave the marksman wondering for a loooong time.

Squall shows no sign of it being an overt (or even a bad subtle) sign of giving permission. This is, afterall, a school, and there are rules, as Seifer mentioned. And he's -is- in charge. Tucking hands in the pockets of his cloth jacket, he glances over at Selphie and the retreating Seifer. "Oh. Well, I think I have some paperwork to do..." he starts, sidling to the side with all casualness.

Selphie nodnods happily enough at Seifer's words, only processing them after he's already gone. Blink. Liquor? Squall? That's mildly related to Selphie thinking that Vincent doesn't ever disrobe, have fun, or have a life. Kinda like how students see teachers. They're teachers in the classroom, and that's where their purpose ends. Selphie -knows- this not to be true of Squall, as she's seen him in action and all, but still. She's inclined to think that Squall consuming alcohol is about as silly as -her- drinking it. Not quite as scary, mind you, but. Anyway. Slowly trotting over to the two, lollipop being unwrapped in the process, she stops somewhere close to the cowboy, oblivious to the looks having been sent her way. Yay, blissfully unawares. Slowing her trek as she sees that Squall's retreating before she even got a chance to say hello, she decides that now's a perfect time! "Heya, Squallie~!" Insert a suckle of a cherry lollipop here.

Of course, the moment Selphie draws near, Irvine reaches out to wind an arm around her waist and pull her toward him. He grins at the lollipop, finding her so utterly childlike and endearing. Besides, it helps him forget that she's older then he is, and a SeeD to boot. He tips his hat to Squall as he starts to sidle off. "Don't think too much." That's matched by a grin crossing his lips. Selphie does that to him, his little ray of sunshine cutting through nearly any cloudiness in his mood.

"Uhm, hi, Selphie," Squall replies, and he nods to Irvine. Don't think too much? Isn't that why he got into the state he was last night? Boy doesn't need drink when he has a host of monsters to wear himself out on. He pauses a moment, looking at the two together. He's not entirely clueless about some things. Like Irvine's issue with sniping. Like the difficulties it causes, now that things are hot with Kefka and ShinRa. But... ever seen him with Rinoa like that? No. Even as he turns away from them, Squall's frowning. -Don't think too much-. DOn't.

And just as quickly, "Bye, Squall!" No 'ie,' this time. Waving cheerfully, even. She makes a mental note to visit him, not about the festival, not about anything in particular. Just a -visit-. Maybe bring some cookies! And lemonade. Mmm~. --Er. Irvine! Yes, Irvine. As Squall retreats, Selphie's content enough to let herself be yoinked to the cowboy, and is even so inclined to give him a little -hug-. Just for show. "Whadj' you two talk about, huh? Huhhuh?" Curious! Very much so. Good thing she's not a kitty cat.

Eh, Irvine's not too thrilled to start telling Selphie about his conversation with Squall. "Nothin', just talking about the mission, Darlin'," he drawls, not going into any detail. He's back into a good mood now that Selphie's at his side. Besides, as much as he's good at sniping and playing the assassin, he -hates- being shoved into the position.

And Squall's content to beat the retreat he started, heading off. Paperwork? Not really, but... watching them be cozy would just get him in a bad mood. Mmm. Maybe a good walk in the bitter cold of where Garden was parked currently would help clear his mind. Hmm. To that end, he starts off.

Well -duh-. Selphie sure as heck knows how much Irvine hates his special talent, having played the role of the cheer-er upper those days before the mission. But she accepts it as a frighteningly human trait, and even goes so far as to think it's -cute-. Yes! Despite the fact she feels very, very sorry for him in those times, she can't help but feel all motherly and squishy inside. Hee. And! If she knew that Squall was leaving on her and Irvine's account, you wouldn't see her so much as nudge the cowboy! No way! Squall's a part of the Muppet baby Gang, afterall, and she loves him! Just not like Irvine. But that's a totally different subject matter, and the player is rambling. "--Aww, okee! He wasn't angry, was he? I hope he's okay..." Trailing off, she looks after the retreating commadner. And adds, cheerfully suddenly, "Take caa~aare, Squaaall!" -Definitely- have to visit him.

Chuckling quietly at Selphie, Irvine has already figured out that Squall's probably going to get a visit from her. Call it a hunch. He's getting good at second guessing her behavior patterns. Unfortunately, however, she has a bad habit of going chaotic on him, thusly messing up that pattern and he has to start over again. "No, he wasn't mad. Maybe worried at the damage to the town, but I don't think he blames us. He said I... did a good job." Sobering for a moment, it is to the marksman. A good job, sure. He didn't falter, he shot at the target like a good soldier boy. Good boy, pat on the head. Now go kill this guy. Irvine shakes his head to get rid of the thought. Squall's not like that.

Turning back from waving at the departing Squall, Selphie beam!s up at the cowboy. "He said that?" Not that she doesn't -believe- him, per se, she just... doesn't believe him. Ehee. "That's so cool! I mean -- you -did-, but. Wooow!" All said while cradling a lolli in her mouth, too. And not a single slur! She's like, really good. And stuff. Selphie doesn't seem to see things the way Irvine does, and doesn't even know that's how he sees them -- 'them' being the repeated assassination attempts he's had to make. But if she did, she'd be cross! Hrmph, why should anyone think that way? C'mon, Irvy. Be like Selphie. Only hear and pay attention to the good things you hear, and tack them up on the walls, so when the -bad- things eventualyl surface, they can only be shoved into a closet. Or something.

Irvine will never quite having Selphie's way of viewing the world. Then again, until her he could be just as broody and loner-like as Squall. Nowadays, it's difficult at best, mostly because he's rarely apart from the little wonder in yellow. Grinning down at her, he shrugs, "Yeah, seems so... out of character for him, doesn't it?" After all, he was just as stunned that Squall said that to him. He toys with the idea of telling her it's not over, that he just might be ordered off to another assassination attempt, but it's brief. No sense in upsetting her. None at all. He'll shoulder that burden alone.

And there's -another- thing that Selphie's going to have to work on about the cowboy! Hello~. They're an 'item,' or what have you, so why should he not tell her stuff? She'd love to help carry burdens! Largely because they're fun to toss off and they allow her to do what she loooves -- cheering people up. Woo! But anyway. Nodding slowly at his question, she smiles. "Mmhmm! It's kinda scary, but I like it." ...And then she lets silence prevail. Woo. And uses Irvine again as a leaning post.

Using Irvine as a leaning post is not unusual to the gunman. He smiles down at her, running his fingers through her hair. Maybe someday he'll feel comfortable enough to share his worries with her, but for right now, he still thinks of her as his childlike, innocent girlfriend who doesn't need to be burdened with his broody thoughts. And indeed, that's enough of that. Too bad he missed out on her earlier conversation with Seifer, that would have been interesting indeed. So, he then asks, "So what were you and Seifer discussing?"

"Er," Selphie immediately fumbles to that question, and surely Irvine can just -tell- that she's tensed. "...Abouuut..." Quickly, Selphie! Lie! That blush that's resurfaced on her cheeks might make Irvine wonder what -was- being spoken of. "--Uhm~! --Oh! About life not being fair! Yeah!" Hee hee. She's so smooth! And that's not -lying-, they did talk about that. Er, hey. Why doesn't she just do what Irvine and Squall do? Clearing her throat, she apathetics with a shrug, "Nothin' important."

Er... that's got to be the strangest reaction Irvine's seen out of Selphie yet. And yes, he's most definately sure that she's lying to him. But why? What could they have possibly discussed that'd get her turning that shade of pink? Eyeing her dubiously, he says, "Darlin', I get the distinct impression you're not telling me the truth." Gee, what was it? The stammering? The blush? "Did he say anything to hurt you?" Oh jeez, automatic, instant 'Defensive Boyfriend' (tm).

"--No! No. ...No. That's totally, totally, -totally- not it!" Selphie waves her hands defensively, shakeshakking her head. And while it would be easy to lie and say that yes, Seifer -did- say something mean, taht doesn't even cross her mind. Pausing for a moment, she stares at the cowboy for a second. "--Heeeey!" Wrinkling her nose, it sinks in that Irvine said that she was -lying-. She was, of course, but still. "Why wouldn't I tell you the truth?" Hrmph! Hee.

Oooookay, that emphatic denial definately changes Irvine's mind about the whole thing. Scratch that, no need to go Seifer hunting with a sniper rifle. Obviously instead it's something that embarasses Selphie, since she's just not wanting to mention it to him. So, let's use deduction here. -What- embarasses Selphie.... hmmm. "What was he telling you about his sex life with Fuujin or something?"

Jeez! Just make it worse. "--Wha--!" Blush deepening, the little brunette shakeshakes her head, hair bobbing. "--No way! That's totally not it!" Er. Yuhoh. Glancing away, she adds, "Not that I'm -hiding- anything, 'cause I'm -so- not." Another pause, and Selphie -beams- up to Irvine. See? Innocent! Not lying. Because lying would denote that she was, in fact, not innocent. Which she is. Remember the beam?

Uh huh. There's the 'I'm innocent' beam! again, which is promptly met with the 'I so don't believe you, you little minx' look. Innocent though she may be, she is conniving at times. Irvine's starting to believe this is one of these times. "All right, all right, if you don't wanna talk about it, that's fine. I don't see why you're so embarassed to discuss it though." Oh sure, easy for him to say, he's only had sex multiple times with multiple partners over the last three years.

Selphie then falls back on her final, albeit lame, save. "I love you!" Hee. She even gives the cowboy a -hug-. Yeah, okay, so that's -really- weak, and she knows Irvine won't stop -thinking- about the subject, but it normally changes the flow of conversation. Which she likes! Very, very much. Besides, maybe she's just 'thanking' him for dropping the subject! ...yeah, right.

Yep, Selphie has indeed managed to change the subject, or at least get Irvine to drop it. He chuckles down at her, patting her shoulder as she hugs him anew. "I love you too, Darlin', even when you're being a little minx." Glancing back up again, he hmms. Been in this silly hallway too long now. So, looking back down again, he asks, "What are you up to this afternoon?" Ah, a chance for her to remember why she was coming back this way.

Whew! Well, that was pretty easy. And even as she -beams- in mid-hug, she protests, "I am -not-." So there. Straight from the minx's mouth. And the time spent in the hallway hasn't really seemed like all that long, if you ask -her-. Mainly because she's been busy talking and all, but well -- no one -asked- her. "--Oh!" Yeah, now she remembers. "I was s'posed to give a note back to Tiphie!" -Weird- names these Garden people have. "...Bu~ut, she can just -totally- wait." Hee.

Oh, is that all? Tiphie indeed. Hey... that name sounds almost familiar. Ah well, maybe he's thinking of a Tirphie. Or something. Oddball names indeed. Irvine reaches for her hand, prying her loose from her hold on his waist. "Well, let's go do something then, if she can wait." He's bored. And he doesn't really -want- to study. Not when he's got this lovely distraction in front of him. Though if Squall wants to think that's what he's up to, that's just dandy for him.

Study? Yucky. Selphie never studies. And never did! She somehow manages to stay focused in class, and -remember- everything. Honest! And what she didn't remember, she crammed for. See, GFs only munch on the things you won't notice you're missing, unless it's -really- important, like a final exam. Grr. Being pried from the cowboy, she doesn't really seem too against going and 'doing something.' Yay! Stuff! Squeezing the glov`ed hand, the girl gained a renewed vigor! "--Whaddya wanna do? --Oooh, can we go look at the snow? In the Quad?" She said she'd do that with him, afterall. And... snow. *_*

Starting to drift down the hallway, Irvine shrugs, "Sounds good to me. Maybe we can go make snowmen again afterwards." Aw. "Just stay out of my pockets." He winks roguishly, leaning over to kiss Selphie's hand as he lifts it upward. Sure, no need to repeat their last argument after all. Besides, the offending little packages have since been removed and tossed out anyway. He has a sneaking suspicion he won't be needing them right away, not with Selphie being so squeamish just talking about the subject.

Selphie trots after the cowboy -- though not really -after-, as she's beside him and all. But you get the jist of the situation. A beam! at the mention of snow men. Yay! "--Ree~eeally?" ...And a wrinkled nose at the mention of his pockets. "--Hrmph." Like it's her fault...! Give a girl your coat, and expect her -not- to peek in the pockets? Sheesh. Of course, the wink and the kiss-to-the-hand help his situation, as was probably expected. Yuhoh, here comes the Sugar_Patrol.

Squall stands by Farrell, looking a tad better as far as mood. Weird, he -is- talking to -Farrell-, isn't he? "Good thing I wasn't an underclassman," he replies, waving a hand. "Weren't you on the infilitration team?" he continues.

Farrell stays in the aforementioned position. "During the rescue mission? Um, yes I was, sir. I was with Barret's team." Oh, great.. Squall probably has something to yell at him about and all that fun stuff. Of course, he -was- kinda worthless during the whole thing.

Irvine exits the dormitory corridor with Selphie alongside him, walking at a much calmer stride then her bouncy one. How these two manage to get along when they're such total opposites is anyone's guess. He does a double take when he sees Squall and Farrell off talking. Oiy, hopefully they're not irritating one another again. The marksman still remembers Farrell's complaints about Squall following their first meeting. He doesn't stop however, deciding it's none of his business, and besides, he and Selphie are off to spend some quality time together.

Squall nods as his memory's confirmed. "You know Laguna, one of the members of that team, was there against order. But thanks anyway for helping him..." Not suffer fatally from being a heroic moron? Hmm, rephrase. "...stay out of serious trouble." There, that sounds better.

Yay! Quality time! That means Selphie can rope Irvy into something new, yet just as humiliating and totally un-Irvine-ish as the former. Hee. She notes the two as well, but since Farrell never really told her he -didn't- like Squall, she doesn't see anything wrong with the situation. --Well, other than the fact that Squall's talking to someone. She waves to both, rather, in their general direction, if it's seen. See, she's being a good girl. Besides, even if she stopped, Irvine might would tug her along, anyway. Who knows?

Farrell nods in response to the Commander's 'appraisal.' "It was all I could do to help, considering the situation. But you're welcome, sir." Three members of the team got wiped out in one shot and the only thing he -could- to was help the others since he only got minor damage from it. It wasn't the best experience he's had. Anyway, Farrell is becoming visibly nervous, his eyes wandering after he finishes his reply.

Irvine most definately would tug Selphie along. There are times when she's not going to be able to drag him to and fro, and this would be one of them. He's got some ideas in his head, see, and nothing's going to deter him from it right now. (No, get your minds out of the gutter, he is not being hormonally crazed here, yes that's unusual but he's -not-.) He frowns slightly as she waves to them, and just keeps trucking forward, hoping she doesn't start pulling on him to stop a moment.

"Well, you did really well for a student," Squall continues, squinting a bit at Farrell's nervousness. He glances, just in time to notice the pair tiptoeing past, and to return Selphie's wave with a nod. No, he's not going to rope the lovebirds, he's still smarting from earlier. Looking back to Farrell, he asks, "Something wrong?"

Selphie doesn't notice his frown. Hrmph! So Selphie feels inclined to greet her friends! --Ooh, and Squall responded. Beaming at that encouragement, she makes a note to find out his favorite food and bring it when she visits. Squall's so niiiice. Turning that same smile to Irvine, it seems she's pretty dang content with the world. Especially -lately-. You can thank the snow for that, seeing as how it reminds her of her home.

Oh.. crud. Well, it's easy to whip up a quick lie... or not. "Well I, uh.. I don't do too well around authority.. never have. And well, you kinda fall into that category." He looks forward again, readjusting his stance to assure the formality. Have to look proper and all that stuff. Damn, he hates doing this...

Since no one stopped them, and Selphie didn't attempt to pull the two in Squall and Farrell's direction, the lovebirds keep on going and eventually disappear around the bend.

Selphie is in her element, now! The Quad. And, in fact, that stage of hers rather looks like it's ready to go right now! Wonder why she's holding the festival off. ...Well, for numerous reasons, but... She'd rather not think about that, now. Because Irvine's with her! Whoohoo! And she even lets him lead her by the hand, knowing that she does the same to him -all- the time. Sheesh. "I like it here! I don't wanna have to go back to Balamb."

"I'll bet," replies Irvine, remembering how much she loved Trabia and the climate and the snow. She's only said so numerous times. Leading her toward the huge window of the Quad with it's picturesque scenery of the landscape outside, he points and grins, "Look, it's snowing." And indeed it does appear to be, huge flakes of frosty snow tumbling like feathers toward the ground.

Now, if this were a dramatic scene -- which it's not -- Selphie might have teared up at the memory of Trabia, and the horrid, evile, and altogether anti-booyaka missiles that destroyed it. And she might have sobbed, and clutched onto the cowboy in a fit of despair. But seeing as she doesn't, she'll settle for giggling, and pointing -- despite the fact that Irvine just did, as well. "--Lookit, lookit!" Yes, Selphie, he's looking. "It looks like they're floatnig up, from the ground!" And though it doesn't, really, she's always liked to say that. Her 'mom' did, and it's stuck. If -- when? -- Irvine ever meets Selphie's mother, the similarity in personality would probably send him into shock.

Actually it would explain a lot. Irvine would actually love to meet Selphie's foster parents. As for his own... well, he'd do it if she asked for it. Otherwise he'd probably not really consider it. They weren't abusive or even unkind, they just weren't his parents, or Matron. Really he doesn't give them enough credit. They both still write to him regularly, and he does write back. They send him gifts on holidays or on his birthdays. He just hasn't seen either of them in about a year now, and thinks of them more as caretakers then parental figures. Neither wanted him to go to Garden, and both continually fret without meaning to in their correspondence. Maybe someday he'll learn to at least appreciate them. Especially if Selphie ever finds out and kicks him for it.
"Floating up from the ground...?" Uh, ok. The cowboy doesn't question it, actually. Instead he really tries to see it, even though he really can't. Aw, that's kinda cute, not mocking her but instead trying to see it from her point of view.

Selphie sideglances the cowboy, then gives a toothy grin -- he's looking. "If you stare for long enough, you can. Kinda like how if you watch the sunset over the ocean, and listen ree~eeal hard, you can hear it sizzle when it meets the water!" Which is another -total- piece of rubbish, but it's endearing, nonetheless. And maybe people just see her in the wrong light... Maybe she's not childlike at all, but possibly one of the most mature people they know. Simple, sure. And forgiving, and caring. And... trigger happy, when it comes to the Ragnarok. And stubborn, and -- okay, well, maybe not -one- of the most. But who else is secure enough in their maturity to sound like a little girl, and not mind? It's not as if she doesn't realize how people see her, afterall.

And what do you think attracts the cowboy like a moth to a flame anyway? Irvine has had a lot of women. He's had the chance to fall in love with any of them, but bah, they didn't interest him. None of them were more then cardboard cutouts full of emotions and nagging voices and he held no compunctions about loving and leaving them. Yes, he was quite the heartbreaker. -Selphie- on the other hand, was possibly the only woman who was three dimensional in his eyes. Her childlike nature, coupled with her ability to see the positive in everything got under his skin and suddenly the chase was boring. Unless he was chasing Selphie.
Anyway, yes, he's looking and when she mentions the sun sizzling he gives her a side long glance, that ghostly smile crossing his lips again. Endearing, indeed. "Is that so. Well, whenever we get back to Balamb, we'll have to go watch a sunset at the ocean and listen."

Can she really help it? C'mon! Green eyes, green symbolizing life. Yellow as her favorite color, yellow symbolizing happiness. She -radiates- positive stuffs. And Selphie really never understood why people let things depress them, or keep them angry. Sure, she has her moments -- like with Farrell -- but that's just her stubborn nature. Normally, she's inclined to let things roll off her back. ...Well, after a little 'up yours!', or something of the like, in some cases. But Irvine doesn't have to worry about that.
Beam!ing at this prospect of watching a sunset with Irvine, she bounces on the balls of her feet. "Reeeally? That's totally cool! I used to watch it with my Daddy, when we went on vacation." 'Daddy.' She's probably Daddy's little girl.

Well, not everyone has that sunny disposition or coloration. The cowboy has eyes like the sky, and they imitate it with his moods. Overcast, stormy, clear, you can usually tell what his mood is just by looking at his eyes. And as predicted, his moods can be just as unpredictable as the weather. But, so long as his little ray of sunshine is closeby, it's usually smooth sailing with the marksman.
Daddy? Irvine glances back at Selphie, lifting a reddish eyebrow at her. "Really. What are your foster parents like?" Nothing wrong with asking, especially since she seems to think fondingly of at least her foster father.

Selphie does!, indeed, think fondly of her 'father.' And her 'mother'! She grew up with them until she was 10, then toddled off to Trabia Garden to become a 'Super Hero.' Yeah! That's why she wanted to come to Garden, and look -- she's a -hero-, at least. Yay. Smiling broadly at that question, she pulls her hand away from his if it is indeed still being held, and opts to push that arm out of the way so that she can wrap an arm around his waist and snuggle his side. Sigh! "-Totally- awesome." ... "I mean, we fought sometimes. Everyone does, though! So that's just normal. But I love them a whole lot, and... Well, I'd forget I was adopted sometimes." Pausing, she quickly adds, "I mean, before the whole GFs eating my -brain- thing." See, she can joke about it! "...Mom's just a house wife, but she likes it. It lets her do stuff, like collect stamps, and dried flowers, and insects, and coins, and..." Er. "Well, it lets her do stuff. Daddy runs a junk shop in town, and he always brought home really neat trinkets and stuff." Yeah, she likes talking about her foster parents. Besides! She -remembers- this stuff, so she might as well get it out before she junctions again, and loses it. "--Oh!" Perking up a bit, she adds, "He'd even make me trains with the spare parts, sometimes!" Seems... pretty perfect. Of course, Selphie doesn't share how much her foster parents argue, because it angers her that she couldn't ever make them stop. Sure, they would when she entered the room, or said something about it, but they'd start up again later. Oh, well! Nothing's perfect, and maybe they've fixed that problem since the last time she saw them. Which was... Er. Too long ago.

Smiling down at Selphie, Irvine reaches toward her head to brush his fingers through her hair. He enjoys listening to her go on about her family, somewhat envying her that she had such a bright time with them. Then again, Selphie's a little angel to him, when she's not being a minx, so it seems natural that such loving parents would want to adopt her. It sounds like a good childhood to him. And why not? Shouldn't some of them from the orphanage crew deserve it? "When's the last time you saw them?"

And she -is- an angel! See, check out the halo. "--Er." Wrinkling her nose a bit, she seriously tries to remember. Well, crap. Thinking hard on this subject for a few moments, she finally decides, "Almost 2 years? I didn't mean to not visit! You know? I got -transferred-, and then we had all that -other- stuff, and..." It occurs to her that she has -no- idea how they're doing, and has no earthly clue how they're handling the Convergence, and all. "...Well, you understand! Right?" Would you believe that her 'daddy' calls her 'kitten'? I knew you would...!

Irvine could believe it, yeah. He gives her a bit of a rueful smile, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe sometime we should make plans for you to go see them again, hmmm?" He knows his foster parents are all right and still living in Galbadia, but the fact that Selphie, who really seems to love hers, hasn't seen them in nearly two years kinda bugs him. "It'd involve a train ride, I'm sure." Of course, it'll have to wait till this whole war thing settles down. Eyes growing temporarily distant, he glances at the snow again, realizing there's no way his own foster parents will be able to reach him till this is over. He sighs quietly to himself. They are so going to be worried... and there're probably be a ton of letters asking him to come home waiting for him.

Selphie blinks, looking up to the cowboy. "--Hey, yeah?" Smiling, she thinks that's an awesome ide-- "--We?" Hey, wow...! Irvine wants to meet her parents! That's gotta mean -something-, besides the fact that he's, like, maaaadly in love with her. Booyaka. "...Yeeeah. Yeah! We should!" Don't encourage, her, Irvine. Really, she doesn't need any. Wrapping both arms around his mid-section once more, she squeeze!s. He's so sweet! And... Hoah, boy -- a train! Yeeeah! Beaming widely, the girl's just -way- too happy right now. "Whoohoo!" ...Of course, this gets her thinking about Irvine's parents. But for some reason, she feels that she shouldn't bring it up right now. Just a feeling. "...A -lo~oong train ride?"

Irvine didn't -say- that. He said '-we- make plans for -you-' but um, well, it appears he was misunderstood. About to correct her on that, she wraps her arms around his waist and squeezes, generally acting very happy. Aw, how can he break her heart now by correcting it? Nevermind. Looks like he's going. Besides... if this really is his one and only for the rest of his life, well, he'll -have- to meet them sometime. Hey, at least she drags him yet again out of his reveries, and gets him to stop thinking about his own foster parents. Hugging her in return, he chuckles, "Well, we'll take a roundabout way, so it's a really long train ride."

Teehee. It's nice hearing only what you want. "--Whoo~! That's mega-cool, Irvy! I can't -wait-!" And she can't, really. Okay, so maybe going back to Balamb would be good, 'cause that would mean this whole yucky 'war' thing is over. Sigh! Why must people fight? Peace and Love is -so- what it's all about. Unless you piss Selphie off, whereupon she goes Medieval on someone's rear. "You're the bestest!" Letting out a longish, -happy- sigh, she just shuts her eyes for a moment. ...Maybe they're meant to be. Maybe Selphie found her -one-. Her only! Le sigh. Such lovely innocent thoughts, though they're most likely true.