Barfly's are people too...[Quistis]

[Seifer Almasy]

Seifer had been wandering the streets of Academia for hours seeking familiarity without success. Neon lights danced programmed patterns in front of his eyes. The sight of the enormous city reminded him vaguely of Deling, though the scale was unlike any he’d ever witnessed. Unfamiliar people dressed in unfamiliar clothes walking unfamiliar streets surrounded him like a plague. His mind raced a mile a minute as he aimlessly trudged. Hyperion remained in its case, which was concealed inside of an appropriately long black dufflebag hanging about his shoulder. His grey coat flapped in the breeze, the red cross adorned on each arm of his trademark clothing felt almost like a target for wandering eyes. He decided finding a way to blend in may have to be his first order of business. The more of the world he saw, the more he learned to accept that this was his new reality. Seifer cleared his throat as his eyes found the advertisement for the 7th Heaven Bar and Restaurant. It seemed like perhaps it would be the right place to be for those with no place to be.

Seifer pushed open the door lazily and stepped inside. Immediately he began to scan the faces of the other inhabitants. Various individuals ate their dinner, others sipped on different drinks at the bar. None seemed too interested in his arrival as of yet. He exhaled deeply and ran his gloved hand through his short blonde hair, then took a seat on the end bar stool. Hunger groaned inside his stomach. He smoothly placed his duffle bag on end between his feet and placed both elbows onto the counter with a thud. Manners weren't exactly always his specialty, though he knew when they were appropriate. The company of complete strangers wasn't one of those times. As patiently as he could, the Sorceress Knight awaited service. The plastic reflection of a nearby menu caught the eye of the restaurant's newest guest. Seifer eagerly clutched the menu in his hand and started scanning for his dinner. Various conversations carried on around him as background noise mixed in with the clinking of glasses and plates. Seifer leaned forward on his elbows and gazed up and down the counter. The stools immediately next to him remained un-occupied, in fact the only company he had nearby was a couple whispering quietly at one another over a cup of coffee.

Seifer couldn’t help but laugh at the expense of the male and his ragged beard. The female seemed not to care much that remnants of liquid beaded on her dates facial hair every time he took a sip. ’Must be a hole in the glass’ Seifer snickered to himself. Finally what looked like a waitress came into view from the kitchen in the back. She seemed to spot him at his perch, but neglected to move in his direction. Seifer raised a hand with three fingers extended as if he was back at Garden in those lectures he loathed so much. The woman rolled her eyes and clicked her way across the tile flooring towards him.

”Hate to disturb you.” Seifer’s comment was dripping with sarcasm. Just as Seifer was about to continue his spiteful order, he instinctively threw his hand into his pocket for his Gil, yet his fingers found only fabric and lint. He cursed internally. ”Just a water for me, simple right?”

The waitress snorted and spun around without another word. ’Damn, what happened to my Gil?’ he thought to himself in frustration. He was positive he’d had at least a few thousand on him. The couple down the bar began to stand and put their coats back on. Seifer glanced over at the tip they left on the counter, both amazed at the amount and its design. His Gil certainly looked nothing like that, maybe he just saved the embarrassment of having to explain where he found such strange currency. The couple passed by just behind his bar stool arm in arm and headed out into the night. Seifer drew a deep breath and adjusted his blue vest and trench coat. His eyes grazed across the bag Hyperion was in, which was still shoved between his feet safely. His green-blue eyes were feeling heavier and heavier by the minute. The door to the bar swung open a few more times behind him, but he never felt the need to swing around and look. Seifer was lost in far deeper thought. ’I can’t even remember where I was last. It’s like I just… appeared here. Guess I might as well get comfortable.’

The scraping of a glass sliding down the countertop ripped Seifer away from his inner monologue. The glass fell perfectly into his open left hand. Seifer raised the glass along with his eyebrows in a toasting gesture towards his new favorite moody server.

[Quistis Trepe]

Qusitis didn’t know how she got here. One moment she was at Balamb Garden and the next she was in this strange city. Was this Esthar? It certainly seemed to be as technically advanced as Esthar but something seemed off about it. Too be honest, Esthar was rather… blue. As in, a lot of of the cities structures were blue in color and the the building surrounding her were white. Also. Esthar had a lot of open spaces throughout and this city and the buildings here stood closer together. She did notice that there was a large, open space in front of a rather Impressive building that was seemed to be the largest in the city. That made Quistis decide that this was definitely not Esthar. The building that she saw in this city was very tall and narrow and the tallest building in Esthar was the presidential palace which was a very large and wide structure. So now that Quistis decided that this was not Esthar that begged the question of where she had ended up.

Well, she wasn’t going to find any answers just standing around so she decided she would look for a place where people gathered might gather for information or at least a place where she could listen in on conversations without attracting attention to herself. After all, a person going around asking where they were would seem very out of place to say the least. Quistis wandered the streets looking for a good place to sit down for a bit and try to figure out what was going on. She hoped that Squall, Rinoa, Zell, Selphie, Irivne, and the others were safe. She knew that wherever they were that they could handle themselves but that didn’t stop her from worrying about them any less. Finding them would be made one of Quistis’ top priority.

After a bit more time walking Quistis came across a restaurant that seemed like the kind of location that travelers came to so she figured that this might not be a bad place to start her search for her friends and for answers. As she approached the door she almost ran into a couple that were leaving the establishment. [orange]”Oh I’m sorry.”[/orange] the SeeD said to the couple. They muttered their own apologies they went on their way and Quistis when into the 7th Heaven Bar and Restaurant. Quistis stood just off to the side of the entrance and looked around for a place to sit. However, as she scanned the room she saw someone who was indeed familiar to her but was not one of the people she had hoped to find.

Quisitis’ guard went up right away. What in Hyne’s name was Seifer doing here? Was he responsible for what was happening? Did he do something that caused all of these changes? Quistis wanted to be prepared for anything but she knew that bringing out Save the Queen in the middle of a restaurant would not be the best idea. Instead she calmly but warily walked up to Seifer and took the seat next to him. She took notice of the duffle bag that he had with him and wondered if his weapon was inside. She couldn’t know for sure but it was best to assume the worst. Hew own weapon remained securely on his hip. She made no motion to acknowledge Seifer’s presence and he seemed to be deep in thought so she didn’t know if he noticed her sit down next to him. [orange]”Seifer, it has been a long time.”[/orange] She said just loud enough for him to hear. She didn’t really want to talk to him but he was the most familiar thing to her in this place and for now that would have to suffice.

[Seifer Almasy]

Seifer heard the voice apologizing to the couple as they left the bar, but at the time he didn't even stop to think twice about it. He raised his glass of water to his lips and took a large gulp of it. The matter of his hunger had yet to be resolved but at least he wouldn't be dying of thirst. His mind still lingered on his empty coat pocket. 'What the hell am I gonna do without any Gil?' He wondered to himself. Indeed that seemed to be the underlying issue, one of many in fact. The red leather bar stool directly next to him swiveled around and was shortly occupied by a figure. A woman's figure. A familiar woman's figure. It seemed odd initially that a complete stranger would walk into an almost completely unoccupied bar and choose a seat right next to him. At first the Sorceress Knight chose to brush it off and ignore his company, until he got a good look at her.

Seifer's eyes scanned all the way up the figure until he met her eyes. Quistis Trepe. The odds seemed staggering that she found him, unless that was by some sort of grand Garden design. Seifer couldn't help but let out a chuckle to show his appreciation for the coincidence. After his short scanning period ended he aimed his eyes directly forward at the bar.

"Seifer, it has been a long time."

Indeed it had. Perhaps not quite long enough, though that fact had yet to be seen. "You must have missed me Miss Trepe." Seifer said with a grin. He neglected to look at her as he spoke. The situation confused him though he would never admit it. If she was here, who else would be here? Was everyone? Where were they and what was this place? He had to focus to shake off the plethora of questions assaulting his consciousness. The fact that Quistis approached him the way she did helped him relax around her. It wasn't as if she barged in brandishing her whip and throwing accusations. 'Maybe she is just as lost as I am..' He thought to himself.

His role in the emergence of the Lunatic Pandora didn't exactly make him popular, nor did the missile strike on Trabia and the battle against Balamb Garden. With Edea's return to normal and Ultemecia's supposed defeat, many would say he was one of the most wanted men in the world, if not at the top of that list. Maybe fate brought him here after all. "I guess there's no sense in beating around the bush. How did you find me and where are the rest of the bunch? I figured you guys never went anywhere without eachother."

He sipped his water once more and let the question linger. There were so many more than that to be answered, but perhaps one step at a time. Hyperion still rested safely inside his bag. He took a moment to glance around the bar to reassure himself that he wasn't surrounded by SeeD. 'Odd, I don't know if I've ever seen her away from work.'

[Quistis Trepe]

Well she couldn’t expect the warmest welcome when it came to Seifer and true to form he was his usual sarcastic self as he commented that she must have missed him. He didn’t even have the courtesy to look at the person he was talking to but Quistis didn’t really expect any manners to coming from the particular person that was sitting next to her. [orange]”I see you haven’t lost your touch when it comes to sarcasm.”[/orange] She replied as she noticed a server walking in their general direction from the employee side of the bar. Quistis waved to get her attention. Little did she know that this was the same server that had just given Seifer his water. [orange]”Excuse me, may I have a water please?”[/orange] The SeeD Instructor asked. The waitress nodded and soon returned with a glass of water. She placed it in front of Quistis but her eyes shifted over to Seifer and a look of annoyance on her face before she left to go attend to her other duties.

[orange]Hmm, it looks like she has already met Seifer.[/orange] Quistis thought to herself as she picked up her water and took a drink. The cold liquid was rather refreshing after walking through the warm night air outside. As she set her glass back down on the table Seifer bagan to speak again. He wanted to know how she found him and where the others might be. [orange]”I didn’t know you were here until I walked through the door. As for where the other are… I don’t know. I don’t even know where I am.”[/orange] Quistis was quiet after she answered, simply staring blankly at the back wall of the bar. She needed to find them. She had to know that they were okay. However she didn’t think that she could trust Seifer to help her. He probably wouldn’t even want to. He never really had any great love for Quistis and the others.

[orange]”What about you Seifer? How did you get here?”[/orange] Quistis was interested what Seifer what doing here if just for the purpose of intelligence. After all the more information a person had about a situation the better they were prepared for whatever might happen. She wouldn’t take his words at face value but after the events that led to the defeat of Sorceress Ultimecia she didn’t know what Seifer had been doing. There were a number of possibilities of what could have happened after she and the other had returned from Time Compression. Especially what could have happened with Seifer. No one had had any contact with him since then.

While what he had been up to had been the subject of Quistis’ thoughts sometimes it had never taken much precedence. However with Seifer here sitting next to her, maybe she could find some answers about that. And maybe she would be able to assess if he was still a threat to her and the others and what role, if any, he had to play with what was going on, whether something odd was happening to their world or… if they were somehow on a different world. Either way Quistis figured that a sorceress powers had to be involved which made her wonder if Ultimecia had come back somehow or if Rinoa’s powers were to blame. Or worse, If Ultimecia was possessing her friend. That thought scared Quistis but her features did not betray her thoughts and her outside expression remained calm as she waited for Seifer to speak.

[Seifer Almasy]

”I see you haven’t lost your touch when it comes to sarcasm.”

The comment warranted a smile from Seifer. He watched quietly as his new company ordered a water to match his. 'Maybe she had the same issue.. Great.. Two broke people somehow does not seem better than one.' Seifer thought to himself. The annoyed glance from his favorite waitress did not go unnoticed. In the end it seemed better to not further provoke those who handled his beverages. Already he was making friends it seemed.

”I didn’t know you were here until I walked through the door. As for where the other are… I don’t know. I don’t even know where I am.”

The comment threw Seifer for a loop. It wouldn't necessarily be unlike Quistis to bluff for the tactical advantage, but something in her voice made him feel like he was hearing the truth. Nevertheless, He wouldn't be taking his guard down anytime soon. That whip wasn't exactly built for show, he of all people would know that much. It had been a while since he had a taste of good combat and a fight was something he would never avoid. Still, things didn't seem to be destined to end in violence tonight.. unfortunately. The pair fixed their eyes forward.

”What about you Seifer? How did you get here?”

That was the question of the night in his book. The sensation of waking up in an entirely unfamiliar place, while standing on your feet in the middle of the street no less, is extremely alien. His mind had been in a fog ever since his arrival to this strange place. 'Was it time compression? Is that why we are here? It has to be.' Seifer pondered. In an instant he had been rewarded with a clean slate. Well, almost. He certainly hadn't planned for SeeD to show up. The Sorceress power nearly tore his life and soul apart back home. It was a chain of events that would stay with him for the rest of his life. That's not to say Seifer ever regretted what he had done, he embraced the opportunity to fulfill his ultimate dream. Seifer wasn't the type of person to ever do something half way. But now his life could never be the same. He had seen what it was like to be on top of the world, now he had to find out how it looked from the bottom. In the end, he was a soldier. A damn good one. He dedicated his heart, mind, body and soul to his cause. The only problem seemed to be now, he had no cause.

"Your guess is as good as mine. One moment I was enjoying the view from the courthouse, the next I was here. Without Gil I might add." His tone was dark and pessimistic. At this point he turned his head to look at his former instructor, his eyes matched with hers. The matter of how they got here was a rabbit hole they were sure to run down eventually, but for now there was no way either of them could understand it, at least that was the way Seifer felt. In fact, the last thing on his mind was getting back to Galbadia for his trial. "For once you have no place to go, nowhere to be. For the first time in your life since childhood you're out of a job." The statement just flowed naturally. It was less of an insult and more of an observation. The situation started to intrigue the former Sorceress Knight more and more. "Welcome to the free world Quistis. You're sitting at a bar, with a fugitive. How's that feel?"

[Quistis Trepe]

It would seems that Seifer wasn’t sure of how he had gotten to this place either. He said that he was at the courthouse, presumably awaiting his trial, and the next thing he knew he was in this city. It was the same thing that happened to her and if it happened to both of them it could have very well happened to the others. That of course led to another question… If the others were brought to this place could they be in somewhere in this city as well? If they were then Quistis needed to find them. The “big sister” in her had to look for Squall and the others and make sure that they were alright or not but the “big sister” in her also wasn’t sure if she should include Seifer in that search. After all, It was not that long ago that the man sitting beside her was their enemy and had helped an evil Sorceress nearly destroy their world.

Quistis’ thoughts were interrupted when Seifer spoke again. He said that for once since her childhood that she was out of a job as well as asking how it felt to be in a free world, sitting at a bar with a fugitive. It was true that since she was a child and arrived at Balamb Garden she had worked hard every day to get to where she was today and at first glance it would seem like she was indeed out of a job so in a way Seifer was right but in another way he couldn’t be further from the truth. [orange]“You’re wrong Seifer. I still have a job and that is to find Squall and the others. So how does it feel being in a free world? Well, I’ll let you know when I find out. And as for you being a fugitive. Well that is true that you are one, but that was on our world. I don’t know if this is our world or if this is a different one but either way, If I were you I would consider this to be a fresh start for you, a second chance. Don’t waste it.”[/orange]

Quistis took another drink of her water. She didn’t know if Seifer would listen to anything she had to say but she hoped it would. If any of them got dealt a bad hand with the situation with Ultimecia it was Seifer. He had a dream to be a knight and Ultimecia twisted and corrupted his dream to manipulate him to accomplish her own goals. Now that wasn’t to say that Seifer was the best student growing up. He had hurt people, caused a lot of trouble, and caused more and one headache for Quistis but she doubted he would have helped to bring an end to the world of his own free will. So in a way, while there was no doubt that he had done what he did, she knew that there was still good in him. He just had to see it for himself. After all, despite him and the others being on opposite sides of the fence, Quistis felt that he was still one of them, he grew up in the orphanage too. And Quistis looked after her own. She just hoped that she could get him to see the good in himself.

[Seifer Almasy]

“You’re wrong Seifer. I still have a job and that is to find Squall and the others. So how does it feel being in a free world? Well, I’ll let you know when I find out. And as for you being a fugitive. Well that is true that you are one, but that was on our world. I don’t know if this is our world or if this is a different one but either way, If I were you I would consider this to be a fresh start for you, a second chance. Don’t waste it.”

Just like the mentally fortified former SeeD instructor to take such a comment and twist it into positives. She felt she was obligated to find the rest of them, that much was clear. But why? Independence was so much easier, there was so much less that could go wrong when you worked alone. It puzzled him that instead of insisting that he be punished for his crimes, she opened up to the idea of his second chance. How many people she knew died in the attacks on Garden? It seemed she did have a thread of compassion remaining for her most troubled student. He had to admit, her patience was impressive with him. There was a time where he would've pushed the limits of this situation just to see where they were drawn. Now didn't seem to be the time for that.

"Believe me, I don't plan on wasting it. Just do us all a favor and don't go trying to find a way back home." Seifer had no intentions of letting the opportunity go to waste. The last thing he needed was to be ripped back into a world that largely wanted him dead. If the others had traveled here; which was seeming more and more likely by the minute, he had no intention of seeking them out. Instead he'd learn as much as he possibly could about his new environment.

"If I happen to run into one of our old comrades, i'll be happy to redirect them your way." His words had an extremely lackluster flavor to them. He waved his hand through the air as he spoke just to physically dictate his demeanor. Would he actually do as he said? Sure, but he wouldn't like it. The fact of the matter was, he was the more jobless of the two. Not only that, but broke as well. Sipping water at a bar wasn't exactly his ideal use of time.

"To be honest Miss Trepe, of all of the familiar faces I could have ran into first, i'm glad it was yours." The comment sounded sincere, but was directly followed by him placing his right arm around the back of her bar stool. He turned his head to face her again, his green-blue eyes prodded for emotion. The act was just as much a test as it was sincere. So maybe he wasn't entirely over the act of pushing her buttons. A clean slate meant he was at least entitled to try right?

[Quistis Trepe]

While it was good to hear that he had agreed not to waste this second chance he had been given Quistis still had some concern over what he was going to do with it. Would he try to make amends for his past actions or would he fall back into his old ways? There wasn’t an answer to that question right now. He also told her not to bother with trying to find a way back home. She figured that if a way home was found that Seifer wouldn’t want to return. After all he was pretty much public enemy number one there. Here, no one knew him. He has a clean slate. She didn’t think anyone would want to go back to what awaited him back home. While she didn’t in any way condone what he did she supposed that she could understand where he was coming from. When her instructor’s license was revoked she didn’t like it at all but she had accepted her fate but she wasn’t sure if she would be brave enough to face the kind of penalty that Seifer had faced before this current situation.

What he said next, Quistis took a sign that he might be ready to work on turning over a new leaf. It wasn’t anything significant but it wasn’t something she was expecting. He had offered to tell Squall and the others that Quistis was looking for them. He didn’t sound like he was looking forward to doing it because of the way he waved his hand in kind of dismissive manner. She looked over at him and smiled a small smile. [orange]“Um… I didn’t think you would want to help. But thank you Seifer. I would appreciate that very much.”[/orange] Yes she could tell that he didn’t want to do it by his tone but she hoped he would. It might make her job easier of trying to find everyone if they knew that she was looking for them.

His last comment sounded a lot more sincere than his offer to help. He told her that out of anyone form their world he was glad that he had run into her first and as he spoke he placed his arm around the back of her seat and looked at her once more. Was… was he flirting with her? She thought for a moment that he was saying that because out of all of them Quistis was the least likely to attack him or otherwise instigate a confrontation with the blonde man but his arm’s current location alluded to another meaning behind his words.

[orange]“Well Seifer, I have to say that it was good seeing you again and I know you won’t come with me to find everyone so I won’t even ask.”[/orange] She then picked up her glass of water and finished it off. [orange]“So…what do you plan on doing with this second chance you’ve been given? You said you didn’t have any money. Do you think you might find a job?”[/orange] She said, trying to change the subject while at the same time trying to ignore Seifer’s closer proximity to her and kept her voice calm and even as she looked over to him but her posture changed just slightly but might be enough to show her growing discomfort.

[Seifer Almasy]

“Um… I didn’t think you would want to help. But thank you Seifer. I would appreciate that very much.”

Her reply combined with the little smile that found its way across her face told him she appreciated his offer. That was really no good news to Seifer, it seemed she and her party were inseparable. No matter, he'd tell them if he saw them alright, whether they'd listen to their former enemy or not was something else entirely. If you asked him, Quistis seemed to have the most logical mind out of the group. He brushed the comment to the back of his mind as soon as it arrived. Rounding up the old SeeD brigade somehow didn't bode well for him. After he blurted his next test of her patience and intent he sat waiting impatiently, he half expected her chain whip to come unsheathed, but there was no fighting; not even a verbal attack.

“Well Seifer, I have to say that it was good seeing you again and I know you won’t come with me to find everyone so I won’t even ask.”

At least he wouldn't have to explain himself much. She knew very well he wouldn't be eager to find any other familiar faces. The comment almost made him feel a shred of remorse. Almost. Truth was he wouldn't mind accompanying her were it for any other goal than to find her friends. They could easily make their own way in this world. Both had extreme talent on the battlefield, and that was always in demand. On the brighter side of things she admitted it was good to see him again. Seifer was taken back a bit by that comment. After all he'd done, it was nice to see him. Seifer smiled. He watched as she drank the remainder of the water in her glass. His arm remained outstretched across the back of her chair.

“So…what do you plan on doing with this second chance you’ve been given? You said you didn’t have any money. Do you think you might find a job?”

What a question that was. A golden opportunity fell into his lap earlier today, possibilities were endless and his knowledge was minimal. Still, time was of the essence. Unfortunately Gil made the world go round, he would have to turn his talents into currency. A job was a term he used loosely in this case. Being a weapon for hire worked well for the SeeD, so why not him? Combat was in human nature, it would always be there. Seifer could fight the way few could and he loved to show it. The comment got him thinking deep enough to miss her blatant change of subject. Still, he did pay attention to body language, and her's said she was uncomfortable with his chosen arm placement. Now was that time to find out where the line was drawn.

"Good question. I figure i'll find a way to make my talents useful." He kept his eyes fixed on her to see if she reacted to his comment. Could she resist letting her mind wander as to what he meant? "That having been said, jobs usually come with bosses. We both know how well I do with authority Quistis. I think i'll find it much easier to do things my own way." He paused to re-position himself on his stool, inching just slightly closer to Quistis in an attempt to maximize her discomfort. A flirtatious glint shined in his eye and emerged on his face. There was no ambiguity now. "So you've gotta have a plan. No good SeeD goes anywhere without a plan.

[Quistis Trepe]

Quistis’ discomfort was only growing as Seifer answered her questions. Especially his the first part of his answer where he said he could find some use for his talents. Quistis was no naïve girl. She was aware of the underlying meaning of his comment. She was quite uncomfortable at this point but she made the effort to continue to appear calm, at least until he was done talking. He then talked about how getting a job would involve actually listening to authority and how bad he was with listening to anyone and that he would prefer to handle things his own way. She could agree there since she was one of the “authorities” that Seifer would often ignore and that he would do what he wanted even while he was at Garden. A prime example of that would be the SeeD exam that he took part in with Squall and Zell. Their orders were to hold the main square but he decided that they would ignore that order and go up to the communications tower. So yes, Seifer would probably be better suited to mercenary work than a regular job.

She became even more unsettled when she noticed that Seifer had inched closer to her as he asked his last question. Quistis visibly scooted away from him. [orange]I think it might be time to leave soon.[/orange] Seifer asked what her plan was to find her friends and pointed out that SeeD always have a plan. At this Quistis wasn’t sure. She had only recently found herself in this world and she didn’t even know if the others were here. It was becoming more and more likely especially since she had found Seifer but still she couldn’t be certain. [orange]”I actually don’t have a plan right now. I only just got here. I suppose I’ll just do it the old fashioned way and just look. I mean what else can I do? I can’t exactly ask anyone if they’ve seen someone who may or may not be in the same world.”[/orange] Quisits decided that this would be a good opportunity to excuse herself from the bar and from the discomfort Seifer was causing her. It was getting to her despite her efforts to remain calm.

[orange]”Well Seifer, it was nice running into you here but I don’t think I’m going to find anyone by just sitting at a bar and I doubt they’re just going to conviently show up through the front door.”[/orange] She pushed the stool back enough for her to leave her seat and stand up. Once she was standing she looked at Seifer. [orange]”Take care of yourself Seifer. Maybe we’ll run into each other again.”[/orange] With that Quistis walked out of the bar. She was glad to be out of that uncomfortable situation. She did care about Seifer as a brother like she did with Squall, Zell, and Irvine because of their shared childhood and even because he was once her student but she did not have any other feelings for him other than that. She had once confused her sisterly love for Squall as the romantic kind but she had realized that was wrong when they regained the memories of their childhood. She would not make that mistake again. The difference being that she never had any romantic feelings for Seifer and she doubted she ever would. She did wish the best for him though and she hoped that he would not lose his way like he had before.

Quistis has left the thread.