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Fandom: FFVIII
Characters/Pairings: Edea, Quistis, implied Squall/Rinoa, Cid/Edea
Rating: PG-13
Summary: "There could be many of them in existence--minor magic users were in their way just fragments of a Sorceress--but there were few of a certain type. The kind that are written about in books."
Notes: In which I meta and more set up the next part, because it's where the "action" happens. Can I mention that middle aged Quistis is hot?
"Before you do what? Come on now, think reasonably."
"You were all too young to remember it, remember what had really happened. You don't understand how much has been taken away."
"That doesn't explain at all why you want me to kill you."
---
She didn't answer the question at first.
Edea knew it instantly, mostly by memory and a little by touch. The invisible scar on the land was the very signature of the red, that one she'd had to co-exist with because in her time there wasn't only one. She'd thought there were only two now--the Current and the ghost of what a sorceress could be. But by the scent of the air, which was just a little charred and just a little sweet, there was more than simply two.
"How long has this been going on?" Quistis asked, possibly prodding her back to the first question.
Years? She hadn't really thought in years since he'd gone, merely in tiny little eternities. The old lady of the lighthouse had stopped counting grains of sand, but it didn't make her less aware of them. Edea had only been on the sideline for the first war, and just a little closer for the second. When someone's mind and body aren't entirely their own it's hard to say they were honestly in the middle.
"For some time... I can't quite say when it started." Wringing her hands again, twisting until her veins stood out a perfect blue. All the years of magic might have given those blue veins a little bit of a glow in certain lights, though she couldn't see it.
"And you want to know if War has returned?"
The first time she had seen Adel was soon after they had gotten their first child. Selphie couldn't have been more than two at the time, and she had woken Cid up in the night because of it. Though they hadn't gone to the parade, she'd seen and the kind of dread that could only come from such a connection to darker things had trembled through her arms. There could be many of them in existence--minor magic users were in their way just fragments of a Sorceress--but there were few of a certain type. The kind that are written about in books. And she had Cid hold Selphie, afraid to give her more nightmares.
"I want to know who might have done it. I don't want it to be Rinoa."
Edea shook her head, because despite Rinoa's obvious association with matters of destruction, she wasn't War. She was much too sharp, much too deliberate, she lacked the necessary blunt force. There had been a problem, years ago, when one of those types of Sorceresses had appeared on the scene, defining the age of lost children. But what made Quistis nervous, like all magic users, was the possibility that there were those two.
"Where is Ellone?"
Quistis averted her eyes, and Edea truly began to worry.
---
"Because I can't have the things I want and it's making me think..."
"Oh please, no one gets what they want."
"Says the girl that has everything."
---
"Is Ellone with Rinoa? Are they safe?"
Quistis was actually a rather sensitive child, which she had tried to hide quite a bit. Selphie would openly cry and be smiling not five minutes later, but Quistis stubbornly held in her tears until she was along. So to see the way her face fell let Edea know that she'd either become a lot less stubborn or what Edea had hoped for wasn't a good thing to wish.
"You did hear about Rinoa's alliance with Esthar, right?" When Edea made no indication of knowing, Quistis bit her lip. "Well, Squall's not too good at politics and all that, but Rinoa's a natural... well, things have changed."
"Quistis, that's not important. Where is she?"
"Well, ah, Ellone was gone for a while, but she came back and she didn't make too much sense... she and Rinoa have barricaded themselves up for a while now."
Cid had assured her he'd tried his best to watch Squall, because wasn't the type that was meant to be alone, and Cid had a way of telling those sorts of things. But to see that he had fallen in love with a girl that had a certain resemblance to his sister, well, that could be considered troubling by some. But the thing about people was that they rarely did what was expected; she could only imagine that her two most troubled boys were sitting outside wherever the girls had locked themselves in, compelled by forces that she had known first hand were in place.
She put a hand on Quistis's shoulder. "I'm glad you came to me."
It was returned with a mixed expression. "Even Irvine doesn't have a memory like yours... and that's what Ellone kept muttering about. Memory."
Edea supposed that what really mattered whose memory it was, and where. When there was Time involved, there was always the peril of a memory of the future, or even worse, a memory of pain. Edea's own memories were just like the books; facts, fantasies, merely text and nothing more. During her time she'd always been afraid of freezing more than anything, because the dark could be so cold.
"I had better see if Squall and Seifer will let me in."
Of course, there was no question to the outcome of that.
Characters/Pairings: Edea, Quistis, implied Squall/Rinoa, Cid/Edea
Rating: PG-13
Summary: "There could be many of them in existence--minor magic users were in their way just fragments of a Sorceress--but there were few of a certain type. The kind that are written about in books."
Notes: In which I meta and more set up the next part, because it's where the "action" happens. Can I mention that middle aged Quistis is hot?
"Before you do what? Come on now, think reasonably."
"You were all too young to remember it, remember what had really happened. You don't understand how much has been taken away."
"That doesn't explain at all why you want me to kill you."
---
She didn't answer the question at first.
Edea knew it instantly, mostly by memory and a little by touch. The invisible scar on the land was the very signature of the red, that one she'd had to co-exist with because in her time there wasn't only one. She'd thought there were only two now--the Current and the ghost of what a sorceress could be. But by the scent of the air, which was just a little charred and just a little sweet, there was more than simply two.
"How long has this been going on?" Quistis asked, possibly prodding her back to the first question.
Years? She hadn't really thought in years since he'd gone, merely in tiny little eternities. The old lady of the lighthouse had stopped counting grains of sand, but it didn't make her less aware of them. Edea had only been on the sideline for the first war, and just a little closer for the second. When someone's mind and body aren't entirely their own it's hard to say they were honestly in the middle.
"For some time... I can't quite say when it started." Wringing her hands again, twisting until her veins stood out a perfect blue. All the years of magic might have given those blue veins a little bit of a glow in certain lights, though she couldn't see it.
"And you want to know if War has returned?"
The first time she had seen Adel was soon after they had gotten their first child. Selphie couldn't have been more than two at the time, and she had woken Cid up in the night because of it. Though they hadn't gone to the parade, she'd seen and the kind of dread that could only come from such a connection to darker things had trembled through her arms. There could be many of them in existence--minor magic users were in their way just fragments of a Sorceress--but there were few of a certain type. The kind that are written about in books. And she had Cid hold Selphie, afraid to give her more nightmares.
"I want to know who might have done it. I don't want it to be Rinoa."
Edea shook her head, because despite Rinoa's obvious association with matters of destruction, she wasn't War. She was much too sharp, much too deliberate, she lacked the necessary blunt force. There had been a problem, years ago, when one of those types of Sorceresses had appeared on the scene, defining the age of lost children. But what made Quistis nervous, like all magic users, was the possibility that there were those two.
"Where is Ellone?"
Quistis averted her eyes, and Edea truly began to worry.
---
"Because I can't have the things I want and it's making me think..."
"Oh please, no one gets what they want."
"Says the girl that has everything."
---
"Is Ellone with Rinoa? Are they safe?"
Quistis was actually a rather sensitive child, which she had tried to hide quite a bit. Selphie would openly cry and be smiling not five minutes later, but Quistis stubbornly held in her tears until she was along. So to see the way her face fell let Edea know that she'd either become a lot less stubborn or what Edea had hoped for wasn't a good thing to wish.
"You did hear about Rinoa's alliance with Esthar, right?" When Edea made no indication of knowing, Quistis bit her lip. "Well, Squall's not too good at politics and all that, but Rinoa's a natural... well, things have changed."
"Quistis, that's not important. Where is she?"
"Well, ah, Ellone was gone for a while, but she came back and she didn't make too much sense... she and Rinoa have barricaded themselves up for a while now."
Cid had assured her he'd tried his best to watch Squall, because wasn't the type that was meant to be alone, and Cid had a way of telling those sorts of things. But to see that he had fallen in love with a girl that had a certain resemblance to his sister, well, that could be considered troubling by some. But the thing about people was that they rarely did what was expected; she could only imagine that her two most troubled boys were sitting outside wherever the girls had locked themselves in, compelled by forces that she had known first hand were in place.
She put a hand on Quistis's shoulder. "I'm glad you came to me."
It was returned with a mixed expression. "Even Irvine doesn't have a memory like yours... and that's what Ellone kept muttering about. Memory."
Edea supposed that what really mattered whose memory it was, and where. When there was Time involved, there was always the peril of a memory of the future, or even worse, a memory of pain. Edea's own memories were just like the books; facts, fantasies, merely text and nothing more. During her time she'd always been afraid of freezing more than anything, because the dark could be so cold.
"I had better see if Squall and Seifer will let me in."
Of course, there was no question to the outcome of that.
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From:
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Maybe it's just that I don't like the idea of people being compelled to do things. I'm not one for fatalism.
But that had VERY LITTLE to do with this chapter - which is awesome. I'm worried about what happens next. This story's like watching a train crash.
-T. pirate