fandomhigh | Library, Tuesday

Seifer was a good friend. He brought coffee.

Actually, it was a super-venti version of Rinoa's favorite ~~handwavingly-known~~ hot, caffeinated beverage.

So, Seifer was an awesome friend.

"Were you victorious, or do I need to have someone trash your dad's place?"

"Seifer," Rinoa said, and she was going to get out of her chair so she could hug him. "I think -- I actually think -- I think it might be happening. Like, for real. Like, there's a committee and -- and this might all be real."

Seifer would understand how huge that was. Because. Holy shit, Timber.

The fact that he brought her an extra-tall mocha just made him super awesome.

Siefer gave her a large smile and hugged her. "That just rocks, Princess. You got decent people on the committee?"

Super awesome, until she found out what he did to her boyfriend.

Please. That, she would applaud him for. Pink glitter suited so few people.

Or maybe she was just the kind of mean girlfriend who enjoyed teasing the crap out of her boyfriend, because, you know. He needed to lighten up.

"I think so," she said. "The Chief, and the pub owner, and Miss DiMarco, and okay, Zone, and I know everyone thinks he's an idiot but after what happened to his father, I mean, it's symbolic. Besides, he's representing the Owls, and we were at least active. And I yelled at my dad some and I swear, if he backstabs me on this, I'm going to invade Galbadia and I mean it."

That was the scary thing about being a Sorceress. She really could invade Galbadia. It would probably work.

On the other hand, him backstabbing her would probably mean the committee members ending up dead for treason, and it would be her who had put them in the line of fire.

He thought about that for a little bit and nodded. "Good choices, even Zone. He's actually pretty damn smart when he's not nervous. And I'll help you invade Galbadia if it comes to that. I owe them one. Or ten."

Rinoa nodded. "I ... I hope it doesn't come to that," she said, simply. "I don't ... want it to. I just got mad. I'm risking a lot, and he's ... I don't think I trust him."

Maybe she never would. He had actually worked for Vinzer Deling. He was probably guilty of crimes against humanity. It was really hard realizing that your father was capable of horrible, awful things and ... and she felt kind of nauseous thinking about it.

"He'd be stupid to go back on his word, Rinoa. You would have a lot of people backing you this time."

"I know," she said, nodding. "He'd ... he'd have the world against him."

More importantly, there would be another Sorceress war, and this one would be personal, and that might be the bloodiest one yet. She shuddered just thinking about it.

"He says he's going to be good," she said, warily. "So I should be happy. And I am. I think."

Just ... the nervous kind of happy. The kind that came from preparing all week and being really, really anxious to see how it all played out.

"How was break?"

"Break was interesting. I helped build a house for a couple of days. There was shopping, I got you a present by the way. And there was clubbing and these cous... yeah, nevermind," he told her with a grin. "Then there was Boston and this really cool haunted house attraction. And then we came home."

"You didn't have to get me a present," Rinoa said, smiling nonetheless. Princess. She liked gifts.

And she was going to ignore the bit where he got laid. Typical Seifer. Good for him.

"I didn't get you anything," she said. "Should I have? I wasn't thinking. I didn't know if you wanted to come along, even. They always liked you in Timber, you know."

Seifer was not, however, someone that seemed really conducive to diplomacy.

"The only thing I would have asked for was more potions and stuff. Maybe some spells for me to top up on."

He was running a bit low, but he could make a trip back if he had to.

"And yes, I had to get you a present. It's required," he said as he pulled a box (http://pics.livejournal.com/knight_fatali/pic/0000682r) from his pocket and handed it to her.

As if Rinoa was going to turn down a present. Yeah. That wasn't going to happen.

"Oh!" She pulled out the bracelet, and then -- yeah, he was getting hugged again. "This is beautiful! You shouldn't have."

She didn't actually mean that. More people should get her presents. Princess.

"Wait, are you -- low on spells?" she asked, tilting her head. "I mean, I don't ... I'm kind of ..."

Er. How exactly did she suggest this? It sounded weird.

Getting hugs was one of the best things about having friends that were girls.

Well, except Fujin, she was more a hitter than hugger.

"I saw it, thought of you."

He did a quick mental check, even though he had done it once today already. "Let's just hope there isn't another invasion before I can make it back to Garden."

Fujin had never seemed like much of a hugger, to Rinoa, either.

She gave Seifer a last squeeze and let go again.

"I don't have an inventory any more," she said, carefully. Remembering the same careful lead-up she had done when broaching the subject with Squall. "Because ... I don't need to."

There wasn't a need to stock spells, when you were a Sorceress. Those were para-magic. Hers were real, and existed when she called them to her fingers.

"What ... what is it you're missing?" she asked, trying to tiptoe up to the idea without frightening herself.

Seifer had to think about that for a little bit, and he took a small step back. It was one thing to know that Rinoa was a sorceress, it was another to actually be reminded like that.

"Um. Really low on fire spells and cures."

Rinoa closed her eyes, trying not to flinch. Seifer had been abused and betrayed by a Sorceress, and it had left deep scars. He wasn't afraid of her, but of the part of her that even she was a little afraid of, now.

It still hurt to know that there was part of her he recoiled from.

"I ..." She bit her lip. Suggesting this might only freak him out more. "I've been ... wondering."

Of course, if she didn't spit it out, he might think she was hinting at something worse.

"I have all these spells, and they don't run out," she said. "Magic. Not para-magic. Doesn't that mean ... couldn't someone ..."

She took a deep breath.

"Draw? From me?"

"It's possible, I mean, we do it in battle all the time." He took a deep breath and stepped closer, holding out his hand.

"So, yeah, I think someone could." He tried to smile and play it off. "And I promise not to tell your boyfriend that you filled me up."

She couldn't resist sticking her tongue out. "Only because you think he'll beat you up."

If he was going to tease, so was she.

Okay, so really, she was glad he was teasing. It lightened the tension. And it meant she just needed to take his hand, close her eyes and focus.

She wasn't sure if she needed to do anything -- have any of her power out -- for this to work. She was going to try not to let her wings come out. He was jumpy around Sorceresses; enormous white wings wouldn't help.

The wings would more than likely have him making inappropriate comments.

Well, more inappropriate than usual.

It was actually the feel of the magic that made him flinch a tiny bit, but the unsettled feeling it caused disappeared because Rinoa's just felt different from Adel's or Ultimecia's. Cleaner, it felt cleaner.

It only took a few seconds for him to draw enough to stock up again, and Seifer smiled when he was done.

"I could totally kick his ass. I just go easy on him," he said as he pulled his hand away.

There was something strangely intimate about it, letting the magic flow out of her and into him. Like when Sookie had helped to repair her shields, or when she had drawn calm out of Sq... okay, she wasn't going to tell him about that yet.

But she was feeling centered when she opened her eyes, almost serene.

"Do not," she said lightly, before registering the fullness of the moment. "It ... it really worked?"

She had felt it working. But that meant ...

Wow.

It probably wouldn't be a good idea to mention that intimate thing to Squall, would it?

"Definitely. And they're strong, not like... you know how when you hit a popular draw point and the spells are weak feeling?" Maybe that was just him. "This is definitely stronger. And wasn't at all creepy like with the evil step-sisters."

Probably not, no. He might even be jealous that they had managed this first. Not that she had managed to realize that yet.

"I guess ..." Rinoa reached, reflexively, to touch her rings. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised," she said. "I mean, it's who I am now. It shouldn't be strange, right?"

She had nearly said 'what' and not 'who.'

Seifer would have given her a very dirty, and not in the fun way, look if she had said 'what'.

"You're using your powers for a good cause. Keeping me from going back and getting tossed in jail or something."

"It's not like I can run out," she said, trying to sound lighter. It had worked. This was going to be very helpful, in the future. Especially during the invasions. "And nobody would toss you in jail anyway. I'll make that a rule. If my father's going to suck up to me, then No Arresting Seifer goes on the list."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, about the first time someone pissed me off and I put them through a wall, that rule would be broken."

"That just means you need to behave," she laughed.

Yes. That was going to happen any day now. She might hold her breath.

"Can I ... ask you something?" she added, hesitantly. "It's about the Knight thing, so you can say no."

He hadn't gotten in trouble once since coming to Fandom! Okay, that thing with the room didn't count.

"Sure. I reserve the right to refuse at after the question though."

"Of course," Rinoa nodded. Her hand was still at her rings, and she wondered how to phrase this carefully, and not give too much away.

"Seifer, did you ... did you feel like there was a ... a kind of bond there, the whole ... Sorceress-Knight connection? I don't just mean emotionally, I mean ... I mean that I've been thinking that that's how I even found Squall, when he was stuck outside of time. That there's some kind of ... metaphysical ..."

She bit her lip, not sure how to express it, exactly, and not sure if this was brushing up against painful areas for him.

"The kind where if you think about it hard enough, you can tell where he's at and what he's feeling?"

What he was doing and thinking and Hyne, sometimes he still swore that bitch was in his head.

"Yeah. She had that with me," he said shortly, his good mood taking a dive. "Just don't... don't misuse it, Princess. Okay?" He didn't think she would, but he still had to say it.

Where he was at and ... and what he was feeling? Rinoa felt a wave of revulsion. Either her bond with Squall wasn't that strong -- and she couldn't imagine it, in light of what she had accomplished -- or she could use it like that, but ... the thought of it was making her skin crawl.

"I w-won't," she said, quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to -- I would never."

Which he might not believe if he knew that she had pulled feelings out of Squall, but she had been very very sorry about that, and it had been either that or letting her powers out at a place that was hugely unsafe, and this made it sound like she was justifying something that she really, really shouldn't justify so she was going to stop thinking about it altogether.

"I know, Princess. I just, you know, have to say it."

Seifer was just going to hug her now, if that was okay.

Library, Tuesday

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