Categories > Games > Final Fantasy 8
Entering Balamb
0 ReviewsIrvine's move to Balamb. Rating for language.
The first time Irvine enters Balamb Garden, he almost laughs. Half the "students" aren't even teenagers yet -- they were running around, climbing on benches and playing war games. It's more like a playground than a school, and he says so.
Squall gives him the 'I can't talk to you and myself at the same time' look he gets when he thinks instead of speaks; he finally says, "Most of us don't have anywhere else to go."
Us. Irvine stops grinning. "Uh. Sorry."
Irvine lets his eyes wander while he follows Squall to the dorms. Most of the people he sees are junior classmen and cadets. The few SeeDs milling around stand out; not just their uniforms -- a lot of them are dressed casual -- or their age. It's the way they stand, the way they move. The way they look at him, the grim experience behind their eyes.
All at once he's not looking forward to his field test anymore. Whenever that is. His Garden keeps delaying the test, and now he's not sure he'll be allowed back in the building. He's not sure he won't be shot on site.
Irvine derails that train of thought. "Aren't a lot of graduates around," he says.
"The staff is gone," Squall explains. "We're running everything now."
"...what happened?"
Squall glances back at him. "Creative differences," Squall says, and Irvine thinks maybe the Ice Prince just made a joke.
Squall stops short before he runs into a couple of kids playing tag. Irvine mutters, "there are way too many kids here."
Squall turns to look at him. "Tell that to your government."
Irvine winces. "Hey, I'm on your side. " He tries to make it into a joke, but there's an edge to his voice. "I went with Selphie to stop the missiles. Just because we didn't--" the edge is starting to crumble into something Irvine doesn't want to voice. "Forget it."
Squall narrows his eyes, then turns on his heel. Irvine almost has to run to catch up.
He glares at the floor now, instead of looking at the kids. He knows what Galbadia is doing, he knows it's wrong. He's not sticking around for the sake of a bunch of people who don't remember him, and he's not too keen on fighting the woman who took care of them. But what Galbadia is doing is wrong. All these kids just make it worse.
It's not his fault. It wasn't his idea to be sent to G-Garden, and it wasn't his idea to fire missiles at the other Gardens. He doesn't agree with it and he tried to stop it. So why does he feel so damn guilty?
They reach the dorms, which look exactly the same as the ones at Galbadia, except there aren't as many. They pass by rows and rows of dorms that have Student or Cadet or SeeD or Instructor next to them. They come to one that reads Unoccupied, but Squall passes by it and stops at another.
"Why not that one?"
Squall doesn't look at him, only fiddles with the door code until the screen next to the door reads Cadet. "It's Seifer's room."
Not 'it was/', Irvine notes. Unless 'it's' is a contraction for 'it was' and Squall is being ambiguous. Irvine can't figure the guy out. He's good at figuring people out, but he only knows the same things about Squall that everyone else knows: he doesn't talk if he can help it, and he's as cold as ice. He'd thought he had /something when he'd decided the guy was gay, but that was shot to hell after he'd seen the way Squall looked at Rinoa.
Squall opens the door. "The code's 1234. You should change it."
No shit? Irvine thinks, and says aloud, "Gotcha." He walked into the room and looked it over. White, spartan, empty. Not that he had expected anything else.
"Irvine," Squall said, "don't tell anyone--"
"Where I'm from," Irvine finished. "Don't plan on it." He shut the door.
Squall gives him the 'I can't talk to you and myself at the same time' look he gets when he thinks instead of speaks; he finally says, "Most of us don't have anywhere else to go."
Us. Irvine stops grinning. "Uh. Sorry."
Irvine lets his eyes wander while he follows Squall to the dorms. Most of the people he sees are junior classmen and cadets. The few SeeDs milling around stand out; not just their uniforms -- a lot of them are dressed casual -- or their age. It's the way they stand, the way they move. The way they look at him, the grim experience behind their eyes.
All at once he's not looking forward to his field test anymore. Whenever that is. His Garden keeps delaying the test, and now he's not sure he'll be allowed back in the building. He's not sure he won't be shot on site.
Irvine derails that train of thought. "Aren't a lot of graduates around," he says.
"The staff is gone," Squall explains. "We're running everything now."
"...what happened?"
Squall glances back at him. "Creative differences," Squall says, and Irvine thinks maybe the Ice Prince just made a joke.
Squall stops short before he runs into a couple of kids playing tag. Irvine mutters, "there are way too many kids here."
Squall turns to look at him. "Tell that to your government."
Irvine winces. "Hey, I'm on your side. " He tries to make it into a joke, but there's an edge to his voice. "I went with Selphie to stop the missiles. Just because we didn't--" the edge is starting to crumble into something Irvine doesn't want to voice. "Forget it."
Squall narrows his eyes, then turns on his heel. Irvine almost has to run to catch up.
He glares at the floor now, instead of looking at the kids. He knows what Galbadia is doing, he knows it's wrong. He's not sticking around for the sake of a bunch of people who don't remember him, and he's not too keen on fighting the woman who took care of them. But what Galbadia is doing is wrong. All these kids just make it worse.
It's not his fault. It wasn't his idea to be sent to G-Garden, and it wasn't his idea to fire missiles at the other Gardens. He doesn't agree with it and he tried to stop it. So why does he feel so damn guilty?
They reach the dorms, which look exactly the same as the ones at Galbadia, except there aren't as many. They pass by rows and rows of dorms that have Student or Cadet or SeeD or Instructor next to them. They come to one that reads Unoccupied, but Squall passes by it and stops at another.
"Why not that one?"
Squall doesn't look at him, only fiddles with the door code until the screen next to the door reads Cadet. "It's Seifer's room."
Not 'it was/', Irvine notes. Unless 'it's' is a contraction for 'it was' and Squall is being ambiguous. Irvine can't figure the guy out. He's good at figuring people out, but he only knows the same things about Squall that everyone else knows: he doesn't talk if he can help it, and he's as cold as ice. He'd thought he had /something when he'd decided the guy was gay, but that was shot to hell after he'd seen the way Squall looked at Rinoa.
Squall opens the door. "The code's 1234. You should change it."
No shit? Irvine thinks, and says aloud, "Gotcha." He walked into the room and looked it over. White, spartan, empty. Not that he had expected anything else.
"Irvine," Squall said, "don't tell anyone--"
"Where I'm from," Irvine finished. "Don't plan on it." He shut the door.
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