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Character(s): Quistis and ANYONE
Location: Training Center
Rating: PG-13 for violence
Open/Closed/Finished: Open
Summary: In an attempt to clear her mind, Quistis heads to the Training Center to beat down some monsters.

While Quistis had told many of the new cadets that she was sure their transition to the world would take some time to properly adjust to, she hadn't expected to encounter the same problem herself. She wasn't new to the world, after all-- even if she had been pulled from the past, she was still a native and had become especially familiar with nearly every corner of the world considering the amount of traveling she had done over the course of the mission. While the time which passed over the rift in the Time Compression hadn't changed the world much, the mere fact that she had skipped over two decades in an instant still perturbed her slightly. It was unsettling, knowing one being could harness such an extreme power.

And now after the grueling journey, she was allowed to resume her life as a SeeD. It seemed simple enough, and perhaps the most natural reaction should have been for Quistis to accept the regression with open arms and jump back into the life she was so familiar with without any problems-- but things were never that easy. With the discoveries that she had made along the quest regarding her forgotten past, the fact that she had to face her own maternal figure in battle with no room for hesitation coupled with the constant paranoia of monster and military personnel ambushes during all hours of the day, it was understandable that the transition back to "normal" SeeD life would take some time. No matter how hard she tried to push herself, in the end even Quistis had to acknowledge she was only human.

So with her restless state, Quistis turned to the most obvious means to settle her mind, an outlet to momentarily distract herself: Training.

It wasn't quite yet curfew when Quistis made her way down to the Training Center, but by the steady stream of students heading towards the dormitories, she had no doubts that the Disciplinary Committee would begin to make their rounds soon. While it wasn't against Garden rules to occupy the Training Area after curfew, the thought of another possible encounter with a certain arrogant blond when they began their patrolling around the lobby quickened Quistis' steps just a touch as she walked over the bridge connecting to the Center entrance. She was in no mood to deal with Seifer.

Her usual battle attire still in the process of being mended after the countless tears and beatings it took while the party chased after Ultimecia, Quistis was donned in a simple gym shirt and a pair of thick pants, though her usual leather boots and gloves were still present. With Save the Queen grasped firmly in one hand, Quistis made sure to keep her steps light as she padded her way through the jungle environment, eyes alert for any signs of monsters. If she was lucky, she might stumble across an unsuspecting T-Rex.

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Since it seemed like they were taking turns, Squall went next. It was good for him that the T-Rex was sightless and blinded by the spell, as the Commander stepped to the side and came around from behind the beast. It gave him ample opportunity for his next strategy. His steps were light as he ran forward and crouched just behind the T-Rex. He vaulted off the ground and missed the blood flowing freely down its back to place himself on the beast's neck, a leg on either side.

Fluidly, Squall impaled the T-Rex from above, tightening his legs before he could be thrown off just as it threw its head back, jaws snapping. He jerked the gunblade swiftly to the side, the weapon embedded to the hilt, and felt the large body beneath him stiffen before going lax and falling forward on a strained growled which tapered into silence. He pushed himself up and then off before the T-Rex hit the ground, absently rotating his shoulder to ease the slight ache.

"...Been a while since I tried that." Next time... don't twist so hard.

Quistis watched in a sort of awed amusement as Squall performed his complicated stunt. Show off. As the T=Rex fell defeated onto the ground, she took a step back to avoid being flattened beneath the weight of the beast. After the monster faded away from existence, she smiled at her male companion and even lifted her hands to give him a small round of applause.

"Impressive-- I don't think I've ever seen you do that."

The moment of calm was short lived. Right as the last of the T-Rex flickered out of view, an echo of a shout came from their right, and then the blast of some sort of explosion following shortly after.

Hope fell back against the ground as a similar beast knocked him over with its tail, towering over the boy with a feral roar. He had thought he should at least try to see what the monsters were like here in comparison to Gran Pulse (for such a slight build, any advantage was a necessary one), but the area was unfamiliar and confusing. Curfew had sounded right as this monster had charged at his back, giving him neither the opportunity nor time to flee.

A burst of magic shot down his wrist and into his fingers, leaving the tips with a bright, explosive burst. The spell knocked the monster on its haunches. It was a small blessing that he hadn't lost the l'cie abilities here, because he hadn't even learned how to use the local magic system, but still, fighting alone was hardly a good idea. Unfortunately, holding the T-rex off until he got to an exit was looking less and less likely.

Quickly, he got to his feet and retreated a few steps, breathing hard. Hope only watched the reptile stir for a second before turning to run, dashing in and out of the dense fauna to bump into a familiar-looking (but butter-less) shirt for the second time that day. "Ah!"

Squall had heard the shout and explosion of magic off to their side, his attention briefly drawn to it with the thought that they were going to be busting some fresh cadet ass for being out past curfew. He'd kept his eyes trained on the rustling foliage, half-expecting a fiend to charge them rather than what really did end up rushing blindly in their direction. And really, there was no mistaking that head of silver hair. Ever.

The Commander stepped back a step just as he had that morning from the impact of the collision. The chain at the end of Lionheart jingled faintly. Squall's attention jerked downwards. What am I...? Invisible? There seemed to be only one person capable of bumping into his stomach twice in one day. "What the hell--" but the dangerous roars coming closer and trees snapping beneath the force charging their way quickly had Squall changing his tune.

"Shit.."

He grabbed Hope roughly by the back of his clothes and pulled him to stand behind him, shoving him back out of the way (and danger), Lionheart held out and ready for round two.

"Quistis."

Squall didn't even have to look at her. Or tell her what to do for that matter.

It was hard not to hear the commotion stirring up behind the foliage to their right. Quistis' head immediately snapped in the direction of the roar, her eyes narrowing once she heard a rather frightened cry follow. What was going on? She had begun to make a move towards the source of the sound, but the sudden appearance of a young male bursting through the dense leaves caught her off guard-- and her eyes widened when the boy collided with Squall.

But there was no time for gawking. Even before Squall spoke her name, Quistis was already on the move, brushing past the plants to face the T-Rex head on. The appearance of a new human startled the T-Rex for a moment, but the confusion didn't last-- the beast let out another roar, it's jaws chomping aggressively towards her an arm moved forward for a strike. Instinct kicked in and Quistis dropped low to the ground, rolling to the side to avoid the blow-- the maneuver succeeded in causing the T-Rex to sink its' claws into the earth, trapping him for a moment. Taking advantage of the situation, Quistis quickly rolled onto her feet before snapping her whip at the T-Rexular's back, the effects of the junctioned blind spells immediately set into motion once the bladed end slashed open the reptilian skin. With the flick of her wrist the end of her whip was immediately drawn back to her awaiting free hand, the speed of the motion causing the blood drawn to splatter over her front.

If Hope weren't so awfully used to being dragged around like that, he might have tripped. As it was, he had enough experience with Lightning and Snow to not lose his footing, and instead, he turned around as soon as he regained his balance, watching as the two older fighters made their move. It was obvious that they were well-practiced in this sort of thing. There was a certain sense of fluidity in their movements, a grace in their attacks. Though it wasn't something he had known from the start, Hope had learned to distinguish between the less experienced and more skilled opponents throughout the course of their 'anti-PSICOM operations.' It made fights go faster, and time hadn't been something they were in high supply of.

His eyes caught on the weapon in Squall's hand, recognizing it. Though the build and shape was slightly different, it was definitely a gunblade of some sort. Like Lightning, he thought, before a pained animal whine snapped his attention back to the opponent at hand. The T-rex was slowing in its movements, obviously weakening, but from its ferocity, it was clearly far from beaten. Hope himself was a little exhausted already, and if the Commander's earlier tone was any indication, he had managed to get himself in trouble yet again. This had to be a record of some sort.

Ironically, back in Cocoon, he had always been praised as a good student, too.

Rather than engage himself in battle again (rather than getting in their way), Hope stood back and threw a quick Haste in their direction instead. If he couldn't help directly, he could at least offer some indirect aid for the people saving him. In the heat of the moment, he forgot all the heeding about being wary when using magic while unjunctioned, but hopefully, the other two were too preoccupied to note it anyway.

Looks like Squall wasn't the only one getting dirty with this training.

Thanks to the Haste, his movements and actions were faster; Squall rushed forward, only to duck low to the ground as the T-Rex came close to snapping his jaws once again on top of his head. He swore under his breath and arced Lionheart upwards, slashing just along its neck. He ignored the blood splattering over his cheek and soaking the same half of his already damp and bloodied shirt, and hopped back as the T-Rex fell into a heavy sleep.

The Commander turned on the young cadet then, ready to snap. Ready to knock some proper sense into him. "You could have been killed-- what are you doing out past curfew?" he demanded quietly and calmly, despite how he really wanted to knock the kid in the back of the head with the flat of his gunblade.

Quistis let out a breath that she had been holding once the T-Rex fell under Squall's sleep spell, the beast falling to the ground in a sleepy heap that caused for the surrounding area to tremble beneath the impact. Though they seemed to be in the clear for the time being, Quistis kept her whip uncoiled and it's grip held firm in her hand, at the ready should the spell wear off anytime soon. The effect's of Hope's haste magic lingered over her own body, though, her movements as well as her breathing a bit faster than normal-- it was evident in the way she whipped around to face the cadet, the maneuver a bit jerkier compared to her usual grace.

"He's right-- trying to take on a T-Rex without having learned the proper junctions is extremely dangerous. And to face the beast alone?" Unlike Squall, though, Quistis' expression was one of genuine concern, her brows knit as she took a step forward to the younger male. "Are you alright?"

Edited 2010-05-06 01:29 (UTC)

Hope nodded, lowering his head withe very progressive word. He had been expecting a lecture like this, but that didn't make the reality of it any less unpleasant. It was like the beginning of their journey, traveling with Lightning and being a liability again. He didn't, however, shrink from the reprimand, even though the look on Squall's face might have made him want to. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks," he said, because at the very least, he'd been keeping up with healing himself (otherwise, he was almost the first to go down every time, and that rendered him useless).

"I wasn't...um, trying to. It caught me while I was trying to head back. I'm sorry. I heard the bell but I couldn't find the exit. It won't happen again."

Sighing irritably, Squall said nothing as he dropped a hand onto the top of Hope's bowed head. These kids will never learn. Not unless it's the hard way. He pressed down lightly and then stepped away, turning to face the slumbering T-Rex. Or at least it had been slumbering, it was only now reawakening.

"Perfect..."

Thankful that the haste spell stilled coursed through her veins, Quistis jumped back into action in no time when the noticed the reawakening T-Rex. Quick on her feet, the blond took several steps towards the dinosaur as it made a move to stand back up, still slightly disoriented from its previously sleepy status. Swiping her arm in an upwards motion, Quistis continued the onslaught of her whip against the exposed stomach of the beast, the consecutive hits burying the bladed end deeper and deeper in the opening wound.

Her adrenaline at its height, Quistis took a moment to stop from her physical attacks, arms crossing once again to focus on another spell. Her enhanced speed allowed her to cast her magic with no hesitation, though, and as she thrust her palms forward her Flare spell set into motion; rays of light shot out from within the T-Rex until it burst completely, the immediate area surrounding the beast bathed in an orange light. It wasn't enough to completely eliminate the T-Rex, but the damage was considerable-- the monster staggered backwards, before buckling down onto one leg, a distressed roar tearing through it's throat.

Edited 2010-05-06 02:57 (UTC)

Standing behind the both of them, Hope watched with wide eyes as Quistis carried out her magic. Wow, he thought, awe showing on his face. It was a spell that he had never seen in Cocoon before, and definitely not one in his repertoire. It was like an explosion of fire and a Ruin all in one (he had always envied their front-flank attackers for that particular ability). Though he was naturally tense from the heat of battle, he didn't make a move to help, figuring that he'd just get scolded again.

Squall stood back and let her do what she did best. He waited until the beast dropped to one leg before stepping forward. The ground surrounding him flared outward and brightly, the light lifting and swirling around his legs. He drew from the T-Rex a few Thundaga spells and immediately unleashed them one after the other, a thick pillar of pale light engulfing it with each round. The ground then trembled and parted in cracks beneath its feet, more this time orange light flaring upwards.

The T-Rex gave another distressed roar at the continued assault, as the light then exploded around and away from it one after the other, blue-green electricity crackling along the air around its body. It staggered back again, extremely weakened, and slowly fell forward until hitting the ground.

Squall waited, watching it as it lay there unmoving, its breathing labored. The beast was clearly suffering. And if Quistis wanted to finish it off, he wouldn't object.

It was obvious that Squall had the ability to finish the T-Rex off on his own with a few more slices of his gunblade, but Quistis understood the pause in his actions was his way of offering her the final blow. And so she seized the opportunity, stepping up to the plate with her whip swinging. Building up the momentum of the weapon as she twirled it around over head, Quistis then swung it with all the strength she could muster, the weight of the bladed end acting as an anchor and allowing for the leather to coil around the leg the monster stood on, the barbs digging in deep and maintaining a firm hold.

The junctions she had prepared pre-battle attached magics to certain attributes and increased her strength which proved to be useful in her next maneuver. With both hands grasping the handle of her whip, Quistis tugged with all the strength she had-- under normal circumstances it would have been a futile attempt to bring down the monster with such an act, but her heightened stats managed to let her succeed. So down the monster went, the bottom of its jaw slamming against the ground in a sickening crack, the dirt around the T-Rex kicking up and clouding from the impact.

Quistis tugged at her whip once again, the end unwinding around the leg and returning to her outstretched hand. But just as quickly as she retrieved her weapon, she was on the attack again; she brought the whip down repetitively over the skull of the T-Rex, snapping the weapon upwards then downwards in a figure eight formation until the beast let out one last strangled cry, and finally dissolved from the scene.

Chest heaving with shaky breaths as the rush of adrenaline was still coursing through her body, Quistis turned back to both Squall and Hope, a small smile on her lips.

"Well, that's taken care of now."

At least one of them was smiling. Hope returned the expression, albeit with a certain degree of reserve in it. At least he wasn't in danger of being picked off and eaten even before classes really began, but he wasn't exactly out of hot water yet either. "Thanks, Miss...um."

She looked older than the Commander, but she was hardly aged or male enough to be the Headmaster. A professor? A librarian? School nurse?

"SeeD Quistis Trepe. You can just call me Quistis, though." She finished for him as he trailed off with the title. The boy seemed to be a rather polite guy, which was always an appreciated trait of a cadet in training. Respect was important when you were always dealing with superiors.

After a brief glance over to Squall, Quistis turned to face the cadet again, a hand on her hip as she flashed him a warm smile. "It's getting pretty late-- how about we get you out of the Training Center so you can head back to your dorm? You need a good nights sleep if you want to get up on time tomorrow."

Turning back towards the two, Squall looked between them before his gaze settled back on Hope. "Next time- don't come alone," he advised. "At least not until you know what you're up against and what you're doing. Got it?"

There was no warm, chipper, happy smile on his face like some. He was dead serious. He really did not feel like processing the paperwork for a casualty so soon. Especially for someone who looked like they couldn't properly hold a sword.

"Here." Squall stepped towards him, turning Lionheart around so he held onto the blade, the handle extended to the cadet. The gunblade wasn't a light weapon but it was easy enough for him to hold as he'd been holding the weapon itself practically his entire life.

"Go on. Take it."

"Yes!" he responded immediately.

As the gunblade was extended to him, Hope almost opened his mouth again to ask, 'Why?' One glance up at Squall's face made him snap it shut. The Commander certainly didn't look like the type that enjoyed useless questions. Instead, Hope just pulled the cloth on his wrist higher, over his brand (force of habit) and reached out, wrapping his fingers around the handle. His hand was smaller than Squall's, and he used a second fist to balance the grip. Even though Squall was still holding on to one end, Hope could feel the weight in the weapon.

"I'm...a little more used to boomerangs," he murmured. Was this some sort of test? He raised his head to the Commander.

Quistis simply crossed her arms and watched the scene play out before her. If she hadn't known better, she would have found Squall's gesture to be rather touching-- he didn't seem like the type who would let just anyone touch his gunblade. But the impatience and irritation he felt was evident on his face, and she tried to hide the small smirk as Hope grasped the weapon with hesitation.

"Boomerang?" Quistis couldn't help but tilt her head at the mention of such an object as a weapon. "Well... I suppose that could be a form of aerial weaponry."

Squall said nothing as their eyes met. Hesitantly he pulled his hand back to let Lionheart rest completely in Hope's grasp, watching him and how he handled the weapon.

Then he snorted softly, lips quirking into a brief smirk (or smile - PICK WHATEVER YOU WANT), the impatience and irritation Quistis had noted fading gradually into a more calm, content expression. "...Not bad."

Looking bewildered, Hope continued to look back between Squall and Quistis. Was that a pass? He just had to hold up a weapon? They were smiling, at least - a marked difference from the I'm About To Squash You Under My Heel Cadet look from a second ago. The boy looked down at the Lionheart, testing it with a small, tiny swing. It was still leaps and bounds away from handling it as well as Squall and Lightning did, but the fact that it was a weapon just like theirs still made a small, modest smile bloom on his face. "Light has one of these two. I've never picked hers up before, though."

He turned to look at Quistis. "I never used my weapon much to begin with. Mostly, I used magic, but I didn't know the spell you used back there. It was really cool."

While the mention of someone else owning a gunblade was rather intriguing, Quistis was a bit more interested in the fact that Hope was a magic user. Though her strength in casting magic and physical attacks were basically on par with each other, her specialty in Blue Magic made her favor casting just a bit-- and to hear that a new cadet might possibly venture into the field of para-magic delighted her.

"I don't doubt that your Boomerang will see much more action now that you're a cadet. Though, if you say you're use to casting magic, perhaps you should consider exploring the advanced para-magic specializations once the electives are open to you. They might be right up your alley." Then again Quistis was a bit biased-- back in her days as an instructor, she had taught the Advanced Attack Para-Magics class along with the Introduction to Para-Magic and Guardian Force course.

Letting the cadet hold onto the gunblade for a while longer, Squall absently picked at his shirt. He pulled the wet fabric away from his skin and sighed under his breath. A nice, hot shower would do wonders right about now. And he sent a glance over to Quistis, noting how she was also covered with the T-Rex's blood and equally as sweaty looking. "I don't see why you haven't gone back for your license," he spoke up quietly then, glancing at her again.

"You miss teaching, just admit it."

Through the corner of her eyes Quistis noticed Squall assessing the mess he was covered in, and she made a quick glance down to her own attire-- a small sigh escaped her lips at the sight, the front of her shirt soaked in an unfortunate mixture of blood and sweat. His words caught her off guard, though, and her body visibly tensed at the mention of her license. Was he really going to bring this up now? And in front of a cadet, no less?

Taking a deep breath, Quistis lifted her gaze as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before she crossed her arms over her chest, the stance a bit more guarded than usual. "We were just thrown twenty years into the future, Squall. That takes a bit of time to adjust to. And besides, I'm not sure I want to take up a position I was previously deemed unqualified for." The subject was still sore to her, and quite honestly she didn't want to talk about it-- especially with Squall of all people. So she turned her back to him to face Hope and slipped on a smile, one that was almost apologetic.

"Pretty heavy weapon, isn't it? I have to admit, I've always had difficulty wielding saber weapons." Hopefully the topic change would stick.

Hope was sure he wasn't the only one who noticed that segue, but he certainly wasn't going to be the one to point it out. Being no stranger to secrets and secret-bearers, he knew what sorts of situations called for prying and, more importantly, what sorts didn't.

"Huh?" Oh, uh, me too! They're usually too long for my reach, and since I'm not charging in most of the time, it'd be pointless. Light's is a little lighter than this, I think. Hers is thinner, and a little shorter." As he spoke, he held the Lionheart out, back to Squall, carefully pointing the blade down as to avoid careless injury (not that Squall would need it, being a practiced wielder). He wasn't about to admit it, but Hope's arms were getting a little sore anyway. "Here," he said. "Thanks for letting me try it out, Commander."

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HAPPY SMILE ON HER FACE

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