Rebel Princess

         "Good." The subject is dropped, along with his gaze. Was he really … ‘pouty’?

         So stuck on the subject of her declaration is the SeeD that he does not notice when she mimics his expression, effectively allowing for a radiant grin to grace her lips. A request that he cannot fulfill, brown locks swaying as he shakes his head.

Unlike him, her brown eyes haven't strayed from his. She's spent the last few minutes wondering if his eyes were some shade of gray that bordered on blue. He looks away often enough that it's hard to decide, but at the same time she's looked into those orb-like things long enough to think they're constantly changing, as if being hypnotized, pulled in.

Strange, isn't it?

"It's supposed to be easy, silly. It only takes a few muscles to smile," says she, eyes crinkling as her own smile widens. "Why don't you try? For me?"

There was a brief moment when Rinoa threw herself at the Mage where mild surprise crossed her features. But that expression soon faded as she returned the embrace, her hand reaching for the younger woman’s head so that she may stroke it affectionately, much like she would do with Yuna.

"Stories? Oh, same old, same old. Doing what I can for Timber. It's hard, but it's going. Turning an old resistance faction into a relief organization is no joke, after all." Although with the company she kept, most people would think otherwise, much to her dismay. "I've been doing a little reflecting... and figured... there's no use worrying about stuff I can't control, y'know?"

That was a voice she had not heard in the longest time, but she would never forget her dear friend. “I’m glad to see some things have not changed.”

Rinoa couldn't fight off the temptation any longer--she had lunged forward, and squealed while pulling Lulu into a tight hug, as she was wont to do with her friends. She wanted to try playing it cool, but for her that was impossible.

     One of the things that bothers me the most about Final Fantasy VIII is how the characters in the game treat and view Seifer at the beginning of the game.  I feel that they did him wrong and it really is criminal because, plain and simple, Seifer is not a bad kid.  This is shown throughout the interactions with and scenes about him.

     Seifer is flawed.  He’s flawed just like any other person, real and fictional.  This is also what makes him so realistic and just like others in that respect, too.  Seifer is rather simple in that he idolizes characters in films, has big dreams, loves and is loved by others and seeks approval from those that don’t.

"Hope you don't mind coffee with an old friend. Well--you'll be drinking the coffee. I can't stand bitter things."

         ”I’m not ‘pouty’.” He says, though something in the back of his mind tells him that he’s not helping his own argument. An internal sigh, and arms are now crossed over his torso, cerulean oculars cast at the Princess.

Even when he folds his arms and hardens his gaze, quite adamant in convincing her it was a lion (which she already knows, of course) Rinoa doesn't falter. "You made that clear. I won't forget."

"So stop looking like this," she knits her brows into an exaggerated frown. 

Of course, it had been worth it in the end, the soldier leaning against a nearby wall in his formal attire, calloused digits grasping a tall glass taken from an azure vested waitress as he watched couples twirling around like marionettes pulled by a string. An indifferent expression remained etched onto his face as he brought the drink to his lips, taking a few sips here and there without much thought. The energetic male named Zell had approached him first, only to be given the almost automatic silent treatment by the brunette, and then by the same girl he had shown around the Garden not too long ago. Why he’d agreed to be on the Festival Committee was beyond him. Perhaps he’d just wanted to silence her.

A mental sigh is heaved as cerulean irises gaze towards the night sky, a large, full moon catching his attention at first. The gunblade specialist blinks then, pausing slightly as a star trails along, leaving him to stare in wonder for the briefest of moments. It wasn’t often that one had the chance to see such an occurrence, and considering how distracted everyone else was with this ‘party’, it was very likely that only Squall had witnessed it. Glancing back down, he finds that Fate seems intent on proving him wrong. A woman in a white dress, standing alone in the middle of the dance floor returns her own gaze back downwards, then to him as though she’d sensed his observation.

It’s then that a smile graces her lips, and she extends a slender index finger to indicate they’d shared the same view, and in return, he cants his head, remaining perched in his spot.

--With that in mind, the raven-haired girl leans forward with one hand cradling an elbow, the other resting on her chin, hoping to get a better look at the person who had witnessed the same falling star with her just a few moments ago. The words rolling off her tongue then voice out her thoughts with total honesty.

"You're the best-looking guy here," she says, unaware of how strong her abrupt greeting probably was, or it could be the complete opposite; she could be completely aware of it but is so thick-skinned to actually care. A straight-shooter. A  devastating hurricane, as Zone and Watts would describe her. They were most-likely accurate, despite her not wanting to accept it.

Rinoa pulls back and rests both hands on her waist, canting her head slightly with hopes that he'll succumb to her 'charms' right then and there without a second thought, but he seems like a challenge.

“…It’s just a nickname. Never mind.” However, when the next question arrived, he wasn’t sure how to answer. Should he just say straight and clear he is the prince? No, maybe, if he did, she wouldn’t treat him the same way… He preferred to keep such information to himself.

Oh, goody. He agreed to show her around the castle. It had been one of her girlish fantasies once, to step into a palace dressed in a beautiful gown and one day meet her prince charming. But fate had a different story for her. The castle she managed to visit was that of Edea's. Not a pretty sight, and no happy endings occurred in that place. Rinoa turned out to be a sorceress, and instead of prince charming she met her knight. Although everything worked out in the end.

She nodded and followed suit after he gave the signal, eyes wandering all over the place in awe, contemplating on where the foyer could be. All castles had foyers, right? Or maybe not. She honestly had no idea.