Room 421, Monday, Midday

[angelo_wings]

Rinoa hoped for the hundredth time that Squall wouldn't mind, that they were missing fall break. She really could use time at a spa. But the sooner they found a committee to place in charge of Timber, the sooner they could start the transitional process, which meant the sooner they could move the Galbadian troops out. Assuming this wasn't some big trap set up by her father, of course. If it was ... if it was, he was going to find out exactly what happened when you double-crossed a Sorceress.

She had made reservations at the Timber Hotel. After all, the train that served as the Timber Owls' headquarters had been destroyed, back when she was still Squall's client. As for the Owls themselves, Zone and Watts had been in hiding on the White Seed ship, but, according to their letters, had made their way back to Timber after Ultimecia's defeat. She had asked repeatedly about a new headquarters, but Zone's letters were constantly cryptic, insisting that there was a high risk of interception by Galbadian forces.

(There was, but she suspected he hadn't set up a new HQ yet, and was happy to have an excuse to duck the subject.)

She would find them, or more likely, they would find her. Unless they didn't want to be found? A lot had changed since she was their chief strategist, after all. She had no idea what sort of welcome she would receive in Timber.

None of which was helping her pack.

(Just for her Knight. Squall and Rinoa will be headed back to their world over break to deal with Timbran / Galbadian relations, zomg.)

Comments

[angelo_wings]

Love was too frustrating to bother making sense. Dammit.

"Would you have understood, then?" she said. "It doesn't matter. We weren't like you. We weren't soldiers. We couldn't be quite so callous about collateral damage, I guess. A life is still a life."

Something else was bothering her, now.

"How am I supposed to forgive him?" she asked. "He did Deling's bidding."

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

"All lives are important," Squall agreed. "But sometimes, you have to prioritize in order to accomplish what you need to."

He shrugged. "You don't have to forgive him," he told her cautiously. "You just have to work with him. You can put it behind you, for now."

[angelo_wings]

She exhaled, messily. "And what if no one in Timber wants to negotiate with him?" she asked. "He was Deling's general. I keep saying that we want to end this quietly, and no one wants more war. What if people do?"

She looked over at him, carefully. "Trabia Garden is gone. Zone and Watts' fathers were executed. Maybe Galbadia should be made to pay for its crimes."

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall considered that. "If people in Timber wanted war, there would be a lot more resistance," he decided. "And it would be more violent. We have to assume they just want freedom." Because they had to start from somewhere. "There can be peace, or there can be justice. You have to decide which is more important."

[angelo_wings]

"So you think everyone now wants peace," she said. "I do, too. But maybe we want peace because all we've had is war. Maybe later, we'll be sorry we gave up the chance for justice, just to have peace. Maybe ..."

She rumpled her hair.

"What do you think?" she said.

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall shrugged. "I don't know. I think people want the wars to be over. I think that if people started blaming each other for all the things they'd done wrong, it would just end up going in circles. I think..."

He looked at her, a little worried. "If war breaks out again, we'll have to either sit back and let it happen... or else stop it. I don't think you want to have to make that choice."

[angelo_wings]

She was very careful not to meet his eyes.

"There's a third option," she said.

He was a SeeD. He had to realize he was leaving something out.

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall nodded. "Pick sides," he agreed. "Or start our own side."

They could always try to bring peace to the world by subduing it. But... That's what Ultimecia had been trying to do.

"You've said you don't want that. I don't think you'd like yourself if you tried."

[angelo_wings]

She wouldn't. Except ...

"I won't let him destroy Timber," she said.

She didn't want to start a Sorceress War, but if Galbadia attacked ... she would stop them. She would make them sorry.

Everyone had a line. That would seem to be hers.

"I don't care how ugly it gets," she said, simply. "Those are my terms. If he moves against Timber, then he'll get war."

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall nodded once, firmly. "And he'll lose."

Caraway wouldn't be that stupid.

[angelo_wings]

Okay. If he understood that, then ... then okay.

"Timber may not want my help, anyway," she said softly.

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

"If it turns out that it doesn't... we'll reevaluate. For right now, assume that it does." They wouldn't turn down her help, would they? They knew her.