"Class dismissed," Instructor Trepe called out over the bell, "Don't
forget to read up on your assigned guardian force for the next class." Her
last remark only fell on a few ears, as most of the class had already
dashed out of the small classroom. Ainsley Raghnall, one of the few
students left in the room sighed. She hadn't even started her GF project
yet, never mind gone about applying for it. In order for a SeeD cadet to
complete part of their classroom work, they had to petition the
headmaster's office for a GF and pass a small field test to aquire it,
along with their instructor.
"Ainsley," Instructor Trepe called as the petite girl was about to walk out the door. Ainsley turned to her instructor but didn't say a word.
"I think that you're ready for the GF test right now instead of waiting for after the written test. I've signed you up for this afternoon. Please meet me at the front gate in an hour or so?" Ainsley nodded her reply, walked out the door and nearly ran into another cadet.
"Ryo!" Ainsley exclaimed, "Were you listening at the door?"
"Ahhh," Ryo said and held one finger up in the air, "It is my business to know everything and anything that happens in this garden." He smiled and quickly kissed Ainsley on the cheek. He then took her schoolbooks from her and walked at her side to the cafeteria. "So, Instructor Trepe thinks that you're ready for the GF test already? That's great! Who knows, maybe you'll break her record for being the youngest SeeD to graduate." Ainsley became silent and stared at the ground.
"That's just the problem," she mumbled, mainly to herself. She stopped to gaze at the pools of water that ran through the Garden architecture.
"Ainsley?" Ryo questioned after realizing that she was no longer walking. Ainsley looked up from the soothing water.
"Never mind," she said with a somewhat forced smile and laugh. Ryo smiled and patted her on the shoulder with his free hand.
"Don't worry you're just nervous. Instructor Trepe passed the test when she was your age. You'll pass." Ainsley half-smiled again as they walked into the cafeteria and crashed right into another one of their instructors.
"Zell!" Ryo yelled. Ainsley contemplated for a minute the differences between Zell and Instructor Trepe. Instructor Trepe, although nice, was always formal, and didn't really have any sense of humor. Rumor was that she had become quite reserved and cold after Commander Lionheart's marriage to Rinoa Heartilly. Zell, on the other hand was outgoing and friendly. He also insisted that all of his students in his hand to hand combat classes called him 'Zell' instead of 'Instructor Dincht.'
"Ainsley….Ainsley!" Ainsley was pulled out of thought by Zell waving his hand in front of her face. She blushed and almost stumbled. Ryo gave her a weird look and then said excitedly to Zell,
"Don't worry about her, she's just nervous about her GF test later on today!" Zell grinned and looked at Ainsley.
"I already know about it, Quisty told me yesterday that she was going to arrange the test for you. Congrats…she sure sees a lot of potential in you."
"Yeah…" Ainsley trailed off. Zell winked at her and patted her on the back,
"I see a lot of potential in you too. You can easily catch up with what you'll miss in class today. We're just practicing with partners again." Ainsley blushed again and nodded.
"Zell Dincht!" a voice called. Zell turned around to see that the line had moved and he was next.
"Oh!" he said and clumsily scratched behind his head, "Do ya have any hotdogs left?" The cafeteria lady smiled,
"I'm sorry Zell. We're all out."
"Oh man!" Zell snapped his fingers. "Oh well. Thanks anyway." He turned to Ryo and Ainsley again. "Good luck Ainsley!" he said and patted her on the head. Ainsley blushed yet again, and watched as Zell left the cafeteria. Ryo laughed slightly as a dark look passed over his face.
"What's with you?" he asked her, "You're the best student in our class and you still go to pieces every time Zell talks to you." Ainsley pressed her hands to her reddened cheeks, willing herself to stop blushing.
"I do not," she said simply.
"He's twenty-eight and you're fourteen!" Ryo yelled at her.
"I know!" Ainsley said forcefully. She then took her books from Ryo's hands. "I've got to go read about GFs. I don't know which one Instructor Trepe is going to have me face." She then ran out of the cafeteria clasping her books to her chest. Ryo watched her go and sighed.
* * *
Ainsley burst into her suite. She swiftly walked into her room and sat down. Now that she was in her room, she didn't really want to look up GFs. In fact, she didn't even want to take the GF test. She flopped down on the bed and kicked off her boots. Her roommate walked in a few minutes later.
"Hey. Ainsley," her roommate poked her in the back.
"Owww…" Ainsley mumbled. She then sat up on the bed. "Xaria, what are you doing here? You have to study for your field exam."
"I came to congratulate you. The news has already spread through the Garden that you're taking the GF test today." Xaria said with a bright smile.
"Gahh!" Ainsley yelled and flopped back onto her bed.
"Are you okay?" asked Xaria. "You should be really happy. You'll be younger than Instructor Trepe was when she took the test. At this rate, you'll break her record for the youngest cadet to graduate."
"That's just it, Sari, I don't want to. I'm sick of Instructor Trepe trying to make me just like her. She's one of the heroes that saved us from the sorceress a decade ago. I'll never be as good as her. I just wish she'd stop trying." Xaria leaned over and brushed Ainsley's hair back from her face.
"I'm sorry, Ains. But it looks like that's what you'll have to do. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine." Ainsley sighed. Xaria smiled and hugged her roommate briefly. "You should get ready for your exam, and I should be studying for my field exam tommorow. Good luck Ains." Ainsley watched as Xaria went back to her room to study. She sighed again, and then went to her top drawer to pull out her comfortable battle clothes, a navy tank top and a long corduroy skirt. She changed into them and strapped her belt with her rapier on it. She sloppily pulled back her hair in a ponytail and breathed deeply. Although Ainsley didn't appreciate being Instructor Trepe's pet project, she was ready to prove herself and excited about junctioning her very own guardian force.
"Ainsley," Instructor Trepe called as the petite girl was about to walk out the door. Ainsley turned to her instructor but didn't say a word.
"I think that you're ready for the GF test right now instead of waiting for after the written test. I've signed you up for this afternoon. Please meet me at the front gate in an hour or so?" Ainsley nodded her reply, walked out the door and nearly ran into another cadet.
"Ryo!" Ainsley exclaimed, "Were you listening at the door?"
"Ahhh," Ryo said and held one finger up in the air, "It is my business to know everything and anything that happens in this garden." He smiled and quickly kissed Ainsley on the cheek. He then took her schoolbooks from her and walked at her side to the cafeteria. "So, Instructor Trepe thinks that you're ready for the GF test already? That's great! Who knows, maybe you'll break her record for being the youngest SeeD to graduate." Ainsley became silent and stared at the ground.
"That's just the problem," she mumbled, mainly to herself. She stopped to gaze at the pools of water that ran through the Garden architecture.
"Ainsley?" Ryo questioned after realizing that she was no longer walking. Ainsley looked up from the soothing water.
"Never mind," she said with a somewhat forced smile and laugh. Ryo smiled and patted her on the shoulder with his free hand.
"Don't worry you're just nervous. Instructor Trepe passed the test when she was your age. You'll pass." Ainsley half-smiled again as they walked into the cafeteria and crashed right into another one of their instructors.
"Zell!" Ryo yelled. Ainsley contemplated for a minute the differences between Zell and Instructor Trepe. Instructor Trepe, although nice, was always formal, and didn't really have any sense of humor. Rumor was that she had become quite reserved and cold after Commander Lionheart's marriage to Rinoa Heartilly. Zell, on the other hand was outgoing and friendly. He also insisted that all of his students in his hand to hand combat classes called him 'Zell' instead of 'Instructor Dincht.'
"Ainsley….Ainsley!" Ainsley was pulled out of thought by Zell waving his hand in front of her face. She blushed and almost stumbled. Ryo gave her a weird look and then said excitedly to Zell,
"Don't worry about her, she's just nervous about her GF test later on today!" Zell grinned and looked at Ainsley.
"I already know about it, Quisty told me yesterday that she was going to arrange the test for you. Congrats…she sure sees a lot of potential in you."
"Yeah…" Ainsley trailed off. Zell winked at her and patted her on the back,
"I see a lot of potential in you too. You can easily catch up with what you'll miss in class today. We're just practicing with partners again." Ainsley blushed again and nodded.
"Zell Dincht!" a voice called. Zell turned around to see that the line had moved and he was next.
"Oh!" he said and clumsily scratched behind his head, "Do ya have any hotdogs left?" The cafeteria lady smiled,
"I'm sorry Zell. We're all out."
"Oh man!" Zell snapped his fingers. "Oh well. Thanks anyway." He turned to Ryo and Ainsley again. "Good luck Ainsley!" he said and patted her on the head. Ainsley blushed yet again, and watched as Zell left the cafeteria. Ryo laughed slightly as a dark look passed over his face.
"What's with you?" he asked her, "You're the best student in our class and you still go to pieces every time Zell talks to you." Ainsley pressed her hands to her reddened cheeks, willing herself to stop blushing.
"I do not," she said simply.
"He's twenty-eight and you're fourteen!" Ryo yelled at her.
"I know!" Ainsley said forcefully. She then took her books from Ryo's hands. "I've got to go read about GFs. I don't know which one Instructor Trepe is going to have me face." She then ran out of the cafeteria clasping her books to her chest. Ryo watched her go and sighed.
* * *
Ainsley burst into her suite. She swiftly walked into her room and sat down. Now that she was in her room, she didn't really want to look up GFs. In fact, she didn't even want to take the GF test. She flopped down on the bed and kicked off her boots. Her roommate walked in a few minutes later.
"Hey. Ainsley," her roommate poked her in the back.
"Owww…" Ainsley mumbled. She then sat up on the bed. "Xaria, what are you doing here? You have to study for your field exam."
"I came to congratulate you. The news has already spread through the Garden that you're taking the GF test today." Xaria said with a bright smile.
"Gahh!" Ainsley yelled and flopped back onto her bed.
"Are you okay?" asked Xaria. "You should be really happy. You'll be younger than Instructor Trepe was when she took the test. At this rate, you'll break her record for the youngest cadet to graduate."
"That's just it, Sari, I don't want to. I'm sick of Instructor Trepe trying to make me just like her. She's one of the heroes that saved us from the sorceress a decade ago. I'll never be as good as her. I just wish she'd stop trying." Xaria leaned over and brushed Ainsley's hair back from her face.
"I'm sorry, Ains. But it looks like that's what you'll have to do. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine." Ainsley sighed. Xaria smiled and hugged her roommate briefly. "You should get ready for your exam, and I should be studying for my field exam tommorow. Good luck Ains." Ainsley watched as Xaria went back to her room to study. She sighed again, and then went to her top drawer to pull out her comfortable battle clothes, a navy tank top and a long corduroy skirt. She changed into them and strapped her belt with her rapier on it. She sloppily pulled back her hair in a ponytail and breathed deeply. Although Ainsley didn't appreciate being Instructor Trepe's pet project, she was ready to prove herself and excited about junctioning her very own guardian force.