“So much for those 'practical' dance skills SeeD are supposed to have,” came the teasing lilt from the dark-haired sorceress' mouth, her lips curled up in a gentle smile as she led her brunet knight across the dance floor - which was littered with several other couples, all of them engrossed in their partners alone, seemingly paying no mind to the stumbling man.
But Squall knew there was at least one pair of eyes on him, and that was somehow enough for his leg to stiffen up and make it nearly impossible to pull off any decent steps. However, training overcame this new, odd cramp, and soon his hand was placed at Rinoa's hip, the other grasping her gentle, pale hand, and leading the oncoming dance properly, his face that constant mask of disinterest.
That cramp, he realized distantly, though more important things should be on his mind, reminded him painfully of Laguna's, particularly around Julia. And around all of the people for his own sudden illness to crop up, it was Julia's daughter? Like Irvine, Squall wasn't much a believer of fate, but some strings of the universe had to have been pulled for him to end up crossing paths with Rinoa.
Whatever Hyne was up to, a large part of Squall wanted to spit in his face at this undeniable suggestion.
Yes, so he'd worked very, very hard to return Rinoa to consciousness. But that was because he had a duty to her. They hadn't liberated Timber after all.
And how sturdy an argument was that, really? Because had Squall waited around, had he done what everyone else was doing, Rinoa would not have been his problem. She would have been Cid's problem, Caraway's problem. The proper answer, the answer everyone was telling him was the right one, was that he was in love. Even his own father had called it that, recounting the memories of Julia and Raine, the feelings he'd had, in that incredibly sappy way Laguna had about himself.
“Squall?” There was a grunt to answer her, and a frown crossed her lips. The hand on his shoulder rose to prod at his cheek, and grey-blue eyes finally focused on her, a slim eyebrow rising in a more silent question, and, when Rinoa didn't answer, Squally rolled his eyes. “What is it?” He asked. Rinoa seemed to be fairly adamant about Squall using his words for things like that, even if she didn't pester him – as much as she had before at least – to be as forthcoming with his thoughts as, say, Zell.
“You're not paying attention to me. You're somewhere else. Where?” She asked, her curiosity almost palpable.
Squall's eyes narrowed briefly, possibly in reluctance to tell her, or in thought. Because Squall never was sure how to explain his thoughts to people. It sounded simple enough in his head, but whenever he said what he thought, people – especially Rinoa – seemed to get upset. Which didn't happen to Zell, who didn't seem to have any kind of filter between his brain and his mouth.
“I was thinking.” And when he made to leave it at that, Rinoa's hand left his shoulder to stifle a laugh, earning a cross look from Squall. When she raised her hand in apology, Squall's head lifted, and turned away. His 'whatever' came so easily to him then, though his pace in the dance didn't slow. Rinoa gave an exasperated sigh and dropped her forehead onto Squall's shoulder, a few scant inches from where she was holding. She could feel the brunet's heart, beating steadily, though it didn't seem he was at all flustered by her presence, which had a pout pulling at her lips. “You have no sense of humor.” She decided into the fabric of his uniform, and Squall gave a soft snort in response, forcing the hand on his shoulder to flex in exasperation as Rinoa groaned. “Well, you don't!” She continued, though for all intents they looked like a rather in-love, if not lopsidedly shy couple.
The dance continued in such awkward silence – for Rinoa at least – before the final, long note rang from the band. At which point Squall was dropping her hand, and his hand was retreating from her waist.
The whole evening was essentially wasted, if you asked the Commander. After all, he could have been reading mountains of documents that needed his attention, or he could have been training. Instead, he was dancing with Rinoa, who decided he apparently had no sense of humor. Â
