Who:  Irvine Kinneas, Squall Leonhart, Selphie Tilmitt, Vincent Valentine
Where:  Dormitory Corridor, Selphie's Dorm (briefly)
Why:  Squall's acting weird and Selphie's being attacked by evile roaches!
Date of Log:  September 5th, 2000.


Striding down the Dormitory corridor, Irvine has a vaguely smug smile crossing his lips. Ok, scratch that, excessively smug smile is a more apt moniker for the expression on his face. Something akin to that irritating look he had the day he first ran into the Balamb SeeD crew at Galbadia Garden.

And the corridor is mostly empty but for a black-clad figure, strolling down it toward his own dormroom. Squall, out of uniform for the time being, is... whistling as he walks, low but just audible, deep in thought. The tall gunman catches his eye, and the expression, and the whistling stops abruptly as he looks curious. "Irvine!" he calls.

Hmm? That voice sounds famil-- "Squall?" Irvine turns, the smile fading as whatever he was thinking about is swept away to the current events. Pausing in midstep, he tucks his hands into the pockets of the duster, then turns toward the black clad, outta uniformed Commander. "Hey, welcome back... hadn't seen you yet to say that."

Squall nods at the welcome with a grin, walking over. He has an odd spring in his step, and looks positively... erm, hmm, alive? Perky would be way outta line to think, but it might be close. "Thanks, it's really good to be back," he replies earnestly, the grin looking a touch forced for a moment.

Squall grinning is a bit unnerving. But, Irvine's used to seeing him either frown or just remain impassive. However, the gunman's just glad to have the Commander back, so let him grin all he wants, even if he's oddly perky... or something. "We were all kinda worried about you. Glad to see you're in one peice." There's a temptation to ask him what went on over there, but um, he kinda decides not to, for now

It's likely good that Irvine leaves it be for now, because perky though Squall may be, the topic is something of a strain to him, even now. "Well, I was kind of worried about me too, sometimes," he allows with a shrug. "But yeah, it's all fine. I heard there was some trouble while I was gone." Yes, change subject. Let's not remind the Commander of the hours of pain at Kefka hands or anything.

"Yeah... found something below, guess it'd been there awhile." Irvine replies easily enough. No sense in explaining how panicked he'd been when Selphie disappeared. It's all in the past now, and he's got his little wonder in yellow back. Looking at Squall again, he realizes something is... different about the Commander. His eyes glow... is it the lighting? Nah, he's never seen Sefie's eyes glow in this corridor and he looks at her often. *cough*

Squall... crinkles up his nose, another in a long, marching series of unusual expressions for the GothBoy. "Great, makes you wonder what else is down there. Maybe we should go check it out, make sure. Sounded bad." He's relaxed a bit since the Unmentionable, and regains his easy smile. (...fear...) "Seen Selphie around?" he asks, crashing this new image with his usual utter lack of social nuance, such as the blatantly unnecessary question.

Hearing the question, Irvine blinks, and quits trying to figure out why Squall's eyes are glowing. Maybe the gunman's eyes are going. That wouldn't be good, at all. He even reaches up to rub at one cornflower blue orb with the heel of a palm. "Sounds fine to me, could use something to do, been getting really quiet around here lately." Besides, if there are anymore sludge critters wandering around, he wants em dead before any of em think of snatching his Sefie again. As for the somewhat socially blind question regarding Selphie, Irvine blinks, lower his hand again. "Squall, she's my girlfriend, of course I've seen her. Why?"

Squall blinks owlishly, which looks kind of funny, light considering. "She is?" he asks, drawing it out. He knows what they are, of course, but... well, some things don't change. He goes a little crimson, and mutters, "Oh yeah, right. Anyway, I wanted to ask her about some things, that's all. Let her know?" Gah, right, she was coming out of his room and vice versa. Now he remembers!

Irvine chuckles good-naturedly, knowing better then the rest seem to that Squall's not the most sociable of individuals. He shrugs, nods, but doesn't vocally respond as the Selphie/Irvine link is absorbed and remembered. Then, "Sure, I'll let her know." Things seem almost normal, for a moment or two. (Though Selphie's pretty much moved into the gunman's room, but shhhh.)

Yes, normal, for Squall recovers from the embarrassment fairly well. "So... we have a three month truce with ShinRa. Enough time to prepare." He dodges into the subject like a moth divbombing a candle flame and trying to avoid that whole burning bummer.

"Prepare for what?" Irvine asks, suddenly a touch wary. A reddish eyebrow lifts, lost to the brim of his hat, as usual. Of course, he just now found out there -was- a truce with ShinRa. "What's this truce thing too?" The flames leap at things easily burnt, after all.

Shifting from one foot to the other, Squall makes as if to think. Maybe he is, afterall. "Well, I don't think they're going to sit around in case this whole thing doesn't work..." he reasons. "We agreed to the truce to give the ShinRa President time to get rid of Kefka. If he doesn't, well, we're going to wipe them." Casually said.

This is all news to Irvine. Falling silent a moment, he absorbs this new information, the looks back at Squall, again noting those glowing eyes. "No, I can't see them sitting around for anything. I guess we aren't either then. Is there a chance in hell of Kefka getting booted?" That damn clown. The gunman really wishes he'd just taken the bullet to the skull and died.

Squall wishes too, dearly, and shakes his head after a moment. "I don't know. I'm not really sure he'll be able to, too much support. So... we sort of have to plan for the worst case." The clown must be stopped, apparently at high and continued cost.

Irvine isn't so sure he agrees with that philosophy, but then, he's not aware of it either. Lips quirking to the left, though definately not in a smile of any sort, he ventures to ask, "What does this plan entail?" He's starting to feel a cold pit of anxiety somewhere in the pit of his stomach. Something tells him he won't like the answer.

Squall explains some of it with the intentness of one who has really -thought- about it. "Well, first we're going to have to distance ourselves from Balamb, so they aren't hurt more by what we do. The mobility will help. A secondary base, too, close to a good supply line or three. We're going to switch more to different tactics to leverage what we have, and... I want to put a satellite into orbit." Satellite? What, weather? Or orbital lasers? O.o

Irvine inhales softly, relaxing as the initial explanation doesn't seem to include anything revolving around assassinations or sniping missions, though he has no idea what Squall means by 'different tactics'. He nods, "Agreed, Balamb's been hurt enough by us, vicariously. Where are you considering putting another base?" And no, he's not asking about the satellite. That's way over his head and beyond his area of expertise.

"Haven't decided yet," Squall replies, watching the tall man intently now, as if trying to figure out the placement of him as well as the base in this chess game. "I have three sites in mind, but no decision. We'll need resources, we might have to finish this out to the end." End... end...

Just another pawn on the chessboard. Maybe a rook if he's lucky. Just be careful sending him after the King that is Kefka on the other side of the board. Nearly lost him last time. He nods, ignorant of whatever's going through Squall's mind. The end. It sound so... final. "You mean, if Kefka can't be booted."

"Kefka's going to be wiped off the face of this planet, one way or the other." The vicious undertone is sharp in Squall's voice, and he doesn't seem to notice or find it untoward. Maybe his bloodpressure rose from it, but his gaze didn't waver. Nope.

Whoa. Irvine has no love lost for the maniacal clown either, but this... is just way over the top. Solemnly, moving into one of his more serious moments, the gunman warns, "Just be careful you don't destroy everything in the wake of your fervor to kill Kefka, Squall."

...Cut to the inside of Selphie's room. Zoom in on something not a first discernable by the watchers -- but what after a second or so of examining is actually a glass pressed up against the door. By, of course, one Selphie Tilmitt. Pan out to reveal her desperately trying to hear what's going on outside, though she fails, miserably. "...Care... Troy... awake... fever?" ... "Who's Troy?", she asks herself. Rrrr. How annoying.

Squall's eyebrows... twinge down at the warning. "You're overreacting," he says coolly. "But I mean what I say. He's a threat to everyone here, you know that. I haven't seen such a reason in a long time." He almost adds 'have you?' but isn't sure the gunman would share.

Irvine watches Squall for a long moment, still noting those glowing eyes. Something is really wrong here, but he can't put his finger on what. "Am I?" He shrugs then, not really one to get irritated easily, "Maybe I am, just be careful the shadow that you hunt is not the one you cast." One of the only things his foster father ever said to him that actually stuck with him. "He is a threat, you think I don't know that? I saw it staring down at him through a scope."

"...You're... acting?" -Who's- acting? Man, this whole glass against the door thing -totally- doesn't work. Glaring at said glass as she takes it away from the door, Selphie glances around the room, trying to find something that might do the trick. ...Er, well, nothing. Hm! --Wait wait! Maybe... Dropping down onto her hands and knees, she shuts one eye, attempting to peek under the door at an attempt at hearing better. "..." Well, she can kinda see some carpet.
(How peeking under a door can help ones hearing isn't readily apparent.)

"I guess I thought an assassin would understand," is the still-cool reply, and as soon as it's out, Squall realizes it's a bad thing to say and frowns, his gaze now wavering a bit. Bad, but... he did think. Or assume. Someone who was trained to kill without defending himself might understand. "I saw it through a lot of pain," he says, slightly less chilly. "I have a pretty clear perspective about it now."

A brief intake of breath is all that indicates Squall's probably wounded Irvine with that remark. Cornflower blue eyes narrow slightly then, "I'm not an assassin. I'm a marksman. You and Martine turned me into a killer." Another slap, though this may not be immediately noticable unless the Commander is aware of the rampant hatred Irvine has toward Headmaster Martine. Oh sure, the gunman realizes he shouldn't have said that either, nor did he really mean it. "Don't ever do that again, Squall. I'd follow you into the depths of hell and back, but I won't sit here and take that from you."

Oh, -man-. Selphie's missing out on a potential catf^H^H^H^Hfight! Deciding that peeking isn't helping her hearing, the girl hrmphs, and scrambles back up to her feet. What to -do-, what to -do-. ...Maybe... if she just opens her door a teeeny, tiny, bit! Yeah. They won't notice, right? And if they do, she'll just be ultra-smooth and play it off. ...yeah! So, Selphie -quietly-, and -carefully-, cracks her door open, silently praying that neither look her way. 'Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease--SHH, DOOR!' And if successful, you bet your bottom dollar that she's listening. Most likely, she'll just hear farewells, with her luck. Hrmph!

The response is like a physical blow, as Squall's was to Irvine, and the Commander's odd eyes widen at the comments. No, he doesn't know about Martine, but the message is clear enough regardless. Clear enough to slap him out of seetheing in his mind. There's a rather uncomfortable pause, before he says, quietly, "Maybe I need more sleep, huh?" The edged, cold expression has melted from his young face during the thawing pause, and he regards Irvine somewhat hopefully. Maybe he wants Irvine to just agree and leave it at that. Maybe he hopes Irvine will see the tacit apology for what it is.
What with the verbal blows being traded, the opening of the door goes unseen by Squall.

Indeed, Irvine's a little more adept at understanding Squall at times, then the others can be. He had the loner philosophy for a long time, and often needs to be alone before a mission where he gets thrust into the unwanted role of assassin again. So, he nods at the 'apology', accepting it for what it is. He doesn't really expect much more then that, anyway, and the tension melts from his features. "Yeah, maybe. Perhaps we both do." A semi-apology for his own remark, maybe?
And, of course, he doesn't notice Selphie peeking in either.

"..." Blinking almost audibly, Selphie peeks an eye out of the door, listening just as intently as she watches. ...What did she miss? She -knows- something interesting -so- just happened. How annoying! And now they're being -boooring-. Hrmph. Of course, as she watches the two, a lone -roach- (that was drawn thanks to Sefie's Choco-Stash) decides that it's pretty dang curious as well about this whole ordeal. Or, perhaps, the fates just think it'd be pret-ty funny to see Selphie get caught. For whatever reason, said Mr. Roach decides to crawl across her bare foot. "..." There's a moment of silence, then recognition of what she just felt -- and then a -scream-. "WAAAH!" And the SeeD does, in fact, flee the room. Some spy -she'd- make. And not -only- does she just kick the door open, but she runs -to Irvine-. "Killitkillitkillitwaaaah!" Flail, flail.

Maybe it's better when Squall has everything as an internal monologue; things don't just bust out to embarrass him. Or at least he keeps his thoughts to himself where they take root and dig in. He nods to the gunman, forcing a smile. "Yeah. I was on my way to do that." Lies. The nightmares don't allow him much -good- sleep these days. He's... touchy, and wondering if Irvine would understand him. Maybe said more tactfully. He ponders, briefly, a tactful way of describing... something that he's almost thankfully *jolted* out of thinking about by the *yelp* of Selphie's rapid retreat from a silly bug. And the Commander -jumps- like he's just been flicked with a live wire, or like a panicked bird. Nerves? Yeah.

Whirling around at the sound of Selphie -screaming-, Irvine looks like he's about ready to lift the gun he doesn't have with him to shoot something that's not there. It's instinct, really, especially when it comes to his girlfriend. Squall's fully forgotten for the moment, Selphie tends to invade his senses like that. As she runs toward him, he reaches out with one arm to set a hand on her shoulder while drawing her in toward him, "Whoa, calm down, Darlin', kill what? What's wrong?" He's thinking a nightmare or something, she's been having em a lot lately.

Squall picks this moment to flee. Backing up a few steps, looking more startled than he really should at the suddenness of Selphie, he turns and hurries off without a word, heading for his dorm. He feels... that he's left some unfinished business behind him, but... right, after he gets some sleep, he'll be more clear and explain to Irvine. Just not now.

"The-filthy-thing-TOUCHED-me! KillitkillitkillitNOW!" Nearly squealing as she buries her face in the cowboy's chest, on arm reaching back to pointpoint back towards her room. 'It' is not specified, of course, and could be any number of things. Her imgination, for one, should -not- be ruled out. "Waaa~aaaah!" Voice higher than normal, she bounces where she stands, still pointing. Her entire purpose -- that is, spying on Squall and Irvine -- is just toally forgotten. However, she finally pauses in her ranting to pause, and glare up at Irvine. "Why aren't you -killing- it yet?!" Squall's departure is rather -not- noted, though she'd more than likely just rope him into killing the evile roach, anyway...

Vincent steps in now... or rather, out of his room. He too, heard Selphie screeching like a fifties sitcon housewife and is coming to see what the /heck/ is the matter. Given recent events with the sludge zombies, it's quite an understandable reaction. First he looks around the hallfway, before focusing his attention on the young woman causing all the commotion, and Irvine. Hrm? What's this? The security chief is 'dressed' down, gunbelt held in his left hand, as he hadn't bothered to strap it on after nabbing it. Looks like Selphie woke him up again. Ah well. "What is it?" he demands, hopefully above Selphie's own volume.

Giving Selphie a dubious look, Irvine doesn't move just yet, glancing at Selphie's door, then, out of curiousity. Well, whatever it is, he can handle it, seeing as he's kinda assuming this is another of her nightmare imaginative fits. He reaches up and tilts the hat forward slightly, "Well, all right, if you insist, Darlin'." Humor her. Just humor her. However, he glances over his shoulder to give Squall an apologetic look... only to discover the Commander has already beat a hasty retreat from the scene. Hmmm, unfinished business indeed. The marksman makes a mental note to seek him out at another time and get to the bottom of his strange behavior. Now Vincent enters the scene and Irvine snaps his attention in the other gunman's direction. "Dunno," he says with a shrug, "Something in her room, but she won't tell me what." That gets another glance down in her general direction with a reddish eyebrow lifted in askance.

Selphie, as Irvine agrees to slay the insect, hops around to hide behind him -- putting him inbetween her and the -thing-. Yuck. "Hurry~, before it runs -away-!" Which is most likely already -has-. Of course, she didn't really count on waking someone else up, and Vincent's sudden appearance and question gets her wavering attention. "--It's a -roach-," she explains slowly, saying 'roach' as if perhaps it tainted her by merely uttering the word. Ew. And it seems that she finds this to be a very serious issue, not to mention a very serious threat to -her- well being.

Vincent freezes. Utterly still, his gaze focuses on Selphie. "...A roach." the repetition is almost a statement, not a question, as though the gunman doesn't quite believe what he's hearing. Once again, he moves, stepping forward two more paces as he forces the rest of an all too eager readiness to fight down again. It's been fairly stressful, you see. It's not to say though, that Vincent can't see the humor in it. A second more, and the man's attention shifts to Irvine. "Well, you had better see to it." he notes. Glimmer of amusement? Resignation? Maybe a little of both. But it's humor that probably prompts the afterthought. "I can back you up, if you wish." Dry tone. Desert dry. Humor - something to turn to, rather than snapping at Selphie for startling him like that. Yeah.

A -roach-?!? Irvine sighs in exasperation, having craned his neck to watch her zip around to hide behind him. "Darlin', roaches aren't a problem to be screaming about." He forgets sometimes what a girl she can be. "Slime creatures are worth screaming over, something trying to eat you in your room is worth it... but not roaches. Dammit, you scared the hell out of me." He reaches up to rub at one of his temples.
Glancing back up at Vincent, he smirks at the wryness. "I guess so, we can't have a roach attacking Sefie, now can we. I dunno though, we might need to call in a few others, this is serious after all." He shoots a glance down at Selphie from over his shoulder, grinning at her in that irritating, teasing manner of his.

Now, you see, the problem with being sarcastic around Selphie is that you run the risk of her missing it. This is, of course, one of these times. Glancing quickly back and forth between Vincent, Irvine, and the door, the girl jumps from foot to foot, nervously. Of course, Irvine chides her then, and she blinks. "...-I- scared the hell out of -you-?! The roach didn't crawl over YOUR foot! -I'm- the victim here! Hello~!" Now paranoid beyond belief, she brushes at an invisable tickle on her arm. "--Yeah, Vincey! You guys, c'mon, get it! It'll just crawl into my bed and -wait- for me if you don't do it now." Call for backup? Whoo! "--Yeah! You think Squall could slice it up reeeal good?" Apparently to the roach, she adds, "After Irvy blows your stupid HEAD OFF!" ...Yikes.

Thank gawd no one suggested that Selphie use her rocket launcher, in jest. Vincent's gaze once more shifts toward Selphie, before turning away again. "Let's go." he says to Irvine. Well, sooner this is done, the sooner he can get back to his in-between duty nap. Quickly, he takes the opportunity to get the gunbelt around his waist. He /really/ doubts that he'll need it now, and there's no sense holding onto it if he's going to be looking for a... roach. Guess what Irvine? He's going to let you go first.

Really having to fight to keep himself from cracking up laughing at how seriously Selphie seems to take this, Irvine covers his mouth with one hand, looking at Vincent for support here. 'Please, hyne, don't make me start actually laughing.' Shaking his head, his shoulders shake noticably as he finally parts from Selphie to enter her room and search out the offending little critter. "Here roachie roachie roachie..." Ok, now he -does- start laughing.

Well, you see, the Rocket Launcher is in her room -- which makes getting it a problem, even if it -was- suggested. "Would you guys -hurry-?! It's prolly already -gone-. Waaah!" Hopping from foot to foot once more, Selphie whi~i~ines. Then, suddenly, yells again to the roach. "You hear that?! That's your death warrant! D E A T H. You are SO. DEAD." Irvine laughing doesn't phase her at all, at first -- until it sinks in that he's laughing at -her-, no doubt. "..." Glower, simmer, grrr. If only she had her precious rocket launcher...

Vincent, fortunately, seems to have more possession of the 'gravity' of the matter. He doesn't laugh. But really, he doesn't seem the type to. He too moves into the room, looking around for the thing, checking the walls and ceiling too, just in case it crawled to a high spot. Between the two men, the search /should/ be thorough, right? Hrm.

Irvine will just find a way to appease that little temper of hers if she decides to stay mad at him. *ahem* Otherwise, one glance around the room doesn't reveal the offending critter. However, he's fairly sure that if he doesn't find something to smush, she'll be paranoid... right, paranoid enough probably to sneak into his room and... oh stop thinking about that! He even goes so far as to check under the bed, hmm, she lets it get dusty under there. He sneezes and straightens up again. Muttering to Vincent, he says, "I don't see it, probably got away."

Fidgeting out in the hallway, Selphie quickly forgets her anger as she listens intently for their movements and comments. Surely two men can find and kill the dang thing! Maybe they'll even shoot it. Yeah! That'd be -cool-. Heh heh. --Er. "...Did you guys find it ye~et?" Being that she hasn't heard any stomping or gunfire, she assumes it's a 'no,' but perhaps they're... hunting it? Who knows.

Vincent nods in agreement, giving the room one last cursory look, before heading for the door. And Selphie to whom he speaks as he draws nearer. "It escaped." he says. "We've searched everywhere." Yes, even the bed. Vincent made sure to check there, on Selphie's insistance that it'd be waiting otherwise. "Will there be anything else you need?" pause. "Perhaps a twenty-four hour guard in case the creature returns?" Vincent at his driest. He may not laugh, but at least he /does/ have that sense of humor to keep him going. Maybe it's the atmosphere of Garden that's loosening him up. Who knows?

Exiting soon after Vincent does, Irvine gives the other gunman a sharp look at the mention of a guard. Noooo! She'll take it seriously. *sigh* Too late. Heading back over toward Selphie, he leans down to murmur something for her ears only. After that, he straightens and grins at Vincent with a chuckle, "Guards aren't necessary, I'm sure Sefie will come get me if it makes another appearance." Oh please let her not take it seriously.

Letting out a little distressed whine, Selphie bounces where she stands at Vincent's news. "--Everywhere-?" And though something in the back of her mind says that Vincent's just jabbing at her, she never saw him for a joker -- and thusly she thinks it's a lovely idea. Nodding slowly, seriously, to Vincent, the brunnete seems dead-serious. "That'd be mega-cool." Looking to Irvine then, however, she blinks a bit as he whispers. Hey! Sounds like a plan. Nodding then in the same fashion that she did to Vincent, Selphie returns her gaze to the longer-haired of the two gunmen. "...What if it lays eee~eeeggs?" Hoah, jeez.

Yes, Vincent sees this now. He studies Selphie again. Finally, he points at her, "Your room is searched. If the roach returns, Irvine will take care of it." His words seem to have the weight of command. "If the problem continues, then we will have maintainence take care of the matter." Bug bomb the room. Yeah. "You, as a member of SeeD, should set an example in handling unpleasant and dangerous situations." So there. "Now, I am going back to bed. If you must scream when the roach returns, please do so quietly." ....Well, maybe Vincent's sense of humor is short-lived. He nods shortly to Selphie, then looks over to Irvine and nods to him as well. "Good night." The words seem final, as though he expects to be listened to without question, for he turns now and begins to head for his room again.

Irvine rolls his eyes heavenward. "Sefie, I'm sure it'll be ok." To Vincent, he merely nods, noting that the dry tone is somewhat gone. Oiy, that was a chiding he's sure the little wonder in yellow didn't want to hear. He reaches out for Selphie to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, Darlin'. Let's find something better to think about." Then, he attempts to steer her in the opposite direction that Vincent's heading down, namely, his own room. Shhh.

...Scolded? Was she just -scolded-? Staring at Vincent in nothing less that total surprise, her jaw -doesn't- drop, though it would look fitting. "--Ah--", is all she can say to the man as he walks away, actually looking guilty. "--G'nite," says the girl, numbly. Eek! Vincey's so mean! ...And she was acting responsible. ...Kinda. Sorta. ...Not really. Nodnodding to Irvine belatedly, she lets herself be steered into his Lair. "--...Stupid roach," she mutters, blaming -him- for her getting scolded! Grrr! She'll get that thing YET!