Who: Irvine Kinneas, Logan Youngblood
Where: Dormitory Corridor
Why: Irvine's really upset, luckily Logan's got his head on straight.
Date of Log:  8/19/00

At first, there is no Irvine to be seen in the dormitory hallway. Just a couple of giggly girls, friends of Selphie perhaps, who knows. They pause by his door, but they don't knock... they just tape something to it. On closer inspection it appears to be a sign. Poster board, with sparkles and marker and such that reads: Congradulations, Selphie and Irvine. With another fit of giggles, they race off down the hallway, possibly to avoid running into the cowboy if he has heard them and opens the door, or perhaps to decorate Selphie's door, since one girl has another peice of posterboard tucked under her arm.
Then is when Irvine makes his appearance. He heard -someone- at his door, but a glance left, then a glance right, reveals nothing. He sighs, shaking his head, and then suddenly sees the posterboard. Blinking he has to stare at it for a second before he reacts. It's not a pleasant reaction either, snatching it off the door to start ripping it to peices right there in the hallway.

The door to Logan's door opens a bit and then a yawning Logan walks slowly out into the hallway, shutting his door behind him. With a stretch of his arms, he rubs at his eyes and then glances over in time to see the girls posting the sign on Irvine's door. Watching them as they trot off, he raises an eyebrow curiously before glancing back over at Irvine's door to read what had just been put onto it. However, that's when the door would be opened by it's resident and the posterboard would then become little pices of paper on the hallway floor. Walking over to Irvine, Logan scratches at his head slightly, "Um, er ... what was 'at all 'bout?", he glances down at the paper on the floor, then back up at Irvine.

Irvine glances up with a scowl on his face, until he realizes it's a friend standing there. His expression changes again, though he's obviously sullen. Picking up the torn bits of posterboard, he walks into his room long enough to pitch them in the trash before returning to close his door behind him. "You didn't see the latest edition of the Newsletter?" He's assuming not, or Logan'd be here congradulating or reprimanding him like just about everyone else in Garden lately. Tightening the fingerless gloves idly, he explains before Logan can ask again, "-Someone- printed a picture of me on one knee in front of Selphie, with the headline that the two of us are engaged." From the caustic pronunciation of -someone-, one can get the feeling he has an idea of who.

Logan raises both of his eyebrows in shock, obviously having not heard about all of these goings-on. There's a long pause after Irvine explains the situation before Logan says anything, "Alright ...", is all he says at first, saying it as though he were about to ask some big question, which is sure to follow, "... an' how did anyone _get_ that kinda picture, Irvine? Ya seem t'sound like ya know who it prob'ly is. 'Sides, the both o'us talked 'bout this the other day. Luckily fer you, I know it ain't true. Least ... not yet, anyway.", he grins a bit, almost teasingly in the way he does it.

Irvine really isn't in the mood to joke, and he just snorts derisively, "Not yet? Not ever. Selphie and I are over, done, through, Logan. Who do you think had that little picture taken in the first place? She ordered me to apologize to her that way, and I did so, and she had one of her little friends snap a shot of it." He's talking out of anger, that much is clear. Does he really believe Selphie is responsible? He's not sure, she's been excessively evasive about the subject and that's only fueled the fire of his suspicions and his anger. After all he's done to be as honest as possible, he's caught her in a number of lies recently and she still tries to avoid talking about it. "If she can't be honest with me, I sure as hell don't want to bother wasting my time with her."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!", are the words that come out of Logan's mouth as he raises a pair of gloved palms up in front of him in almost a defensive manner, "Now, c'mon, Irvine ... think 'bout what yer sayin' here, man. It's one thing t'over-react, but what yer sayin' ... I'm jus' havin' trouble believin' it." Smiling, Logan brings his hand to rest on Irvine's shoulder with a slight shake of his head, "Jus' consider, fer a moment, what yer sayin'. Now, I know that yer upset ... I understand that yer angry ... but walkin' away ain't gonna solve the problem, y'know? Here ya are, throwin' away a really great thing ... all fer what? Yer reputation? A couple o'lies she's told?" Bringing both arms up in front of him in mock-frustration, he lowers his head slightly as he brings them down, "I ain't sayin' yer in the wrong, Irvine ...", he glances over to look at the cowboy, "... all's I'm sayin' is 'at ya should think it through a bit more 'fore ya go makin' final decisions."

Irvine merely looks away as Logan attempts to calm him down. He'd really been ok until he saw that damnable posterboard taped to his door. It's the third one today! Looking back sharply, he seems momentarily surprised, "A couple of lies? Great Hyne, this is a bit more then a couple of lies, Logan. She's trying to push me into something I am -not- ready for yet, reputation or no." And true to his stubborn nature, when someone pushes, he pulls away. Of course, he's not aware that Selphie's not really wanting to get married either. Her outward reactions to the idea of it is all he has to go on. Frustrated, angry, and flustered, Irvine shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans, glancing away again. He hasn't even had a chance to talk about this with anyone, so unfortunately, Logan gets the brunt of his frustration.

Logan nods his head as Irvine talks, rubbing at his chin in thought as the gunman explains himself, "C'mon, Irvine ... can ya really be certain that that's what she's tryin' t'do? I mean, fer all we know, this could jus' be Selph bein' her usual, jokin' self. I ain't sayin' I'm sure o'it ... but it's an option ya ain't seemed t'have considered yet, what with how frustrated ya seem t'be right at the moment." Pausing for a moment, Logan leans over to get in front of Irvine, waving a hand in front of his face, "C'mon, man, look at me, would ya? After all, I'm on yer side, here. D'ya want me t'at least _talk_ t'Selph 'bout all this, 'fore ya go off sayin' the two o'ya'll're through an' done with?" Grinning with a slight pause, he shrugs, "'Sides ... I'm prob'ly gonna talk with her, anyway. So, ya might as well say yes.", he chuckles a bit.

Irvine can't help but look back at Logan, still sullen, still unconvinced. "Well it's a damn sick joke if that's all she's up to." Seeing as he's just gotten used to the fact that he's not at all single anymore, it's quite a step up to consider actually marrying her. That's totally final, after all. "If you wanna talk to her, go ahead, but it doesn't mean I'm gonna change my mind. She won't even talk to me, she flat out -lied- to me, to my face." That hurts. It doesn't make him angry so much as devestated, how could she do that to him? And if she does it once... who's to say she won't do it again, maybe even about something really important. Yes, the cowboy's imagination is getting away from him again.

Logan shrugs his shoulders, "O'course I'm gonna talk t'her ... but ... what'd she lie t'ya 'bout? Maybe I jus' wasn't payin' attention, but I missed that one. An' it's not usually like Selph t'lie ... but if it's gotten _that_ serious, then the talk I have with her's gonna have t'be a bit more serious than I'd thought it t'be." Now he's really curious ... he got the fact that Irvine believes she lied, but he has a hard time believing it, himself. Folding his arms in mock-impatience, he waits for the response on the subject.

Well, this is a long story. So, Irvine has to think for a moment, mostly to gather evidence. "It began the other night, when the newsletter was first put out. Folks started coming up and congradulating us, and I was clueless, but she got all skittish and acting really odd. I could tell she knew something, but when I asked her she tried to play innocent." He recalls how she suddenly grabbed and kiss him in the hallway. Was that a ploy too? It makes him scowl again, kicking at some unseen thing on the floor with one of his boots. "I asked her a couple of times why she was acting so weird, and what was going on and she played innocent both times. Then I saw that newsletter finally, with that picture she had taken of us on the front."

Logan nods his head slowly as he listens, raising an eyebrow slightly in curiosity at certain parts, obviously a bit confused. Upon the finishing of his story, Logan shakes his head slightly, "Well, if this _is_ some kinda joke on her part, then yer right, it ain't very nice. But still, I don't know if all o'this is reason enough fer ya t'call off the whole _relationship_ altogether." Shrugging his shoulders a bit, he sighs, "Tell ya what, though ... lemme talk t'her 'bout it all first. Don't jus' jump into the fray an' quit her jus' 'cause o'all this, alright? The least ya can do is wait it out a bit. Alright?"

Though he's reluctant, Irvine finally just nods. "Fine. But if she can't be honest with me about this, Logan, I can't trust her to be honest with me, period. And I won't stay in a relationship like that." From the sound of his convictions, he means that too. One hand frees itself from a pocket and he reaches up to tug at his ponytail. "I do love her, Logan, or this wouldn't hurt so damned much." And finally the anger seems to dissappate into something more like pain, despair. This has really been killing him.

Logan nods his head, smiling slightly, "Hey, it's cool, man. I can understand ... jus' trust me, would ya? I know ya've trusted me 'fore, so jus' keep trustin' me fer a bit longer, 'til I get a chance t'talk with Selph." Smacking Irvine on the back in a friendly manner, "Jus' cheer up, would ya? It ain't the end o'the world, even though it hurts." What is this guy, a mind reader or something? Selphie would say so. "Give it time an' all will be well, I can almost guarantee it. Jus' gotta have a li'l faith.", he grins.

Irvine is determined to be a frump at the moment, merely jerking slightly as the hand is smacked against him. He folds his arms over his chest and just shrugs, "I'll wait, Logan. That's all I'll guarentee right now." Might as well be the end of the world for the cowboy, this is the first girl he's ever fallen in love with. Ah, teenage angst and drama. You'd think he'd forgotten how many hearts he broke back at Galbadia. Really, he's only getting a taste of his own medicine.

Logan nods, shrugging his shoulders a bit, "Hey, what can ya do, right? Jus' try an' ferget 'bout it fer now, man. Yer heart's hurtin' an' the more ya think 'bout it, the more it aches. Try an' do somethin' t'take yer mind off it. Like go t'the trainin' center or the library or somethin', y'know? Anythin' jus' so long as ya stop mopin' 'round."
         
The training center sounds exceptionally good right now, nothing like losing himself to the emotionless protection of the Void while sniping innocent creatures from a nice perch on a tree limb. He nods thoughtfully. "Yeah... I may do that, could use the practice anyway." Turning back toward his door, he pauses before opening it. "Thank you, Logan." After all, without Logan, who'd keep him from going insane when it comes to Selphie? o.O

Logan smiles wide and nods his head to Irvine, "Hey ... it's what I'm here for. After all, I was a Peacekeeper in Timber ... don't see a reason why I shouldn't be one here.", he winks slightly. "An' I've said it once, so I'll say it again ... what're friends for?"

Chuckling a moment, Irvine actually shows some mirth, though as he enters his room again, he mutters, "... woman's gonna be the death of me, grey hairs before I'm twenty..." and then he's back in his room, supposedly gathering his equipment.