Chapter 8 - Chapter 03

Winter's Child
FANDOM: Final Fantasy VIII
TITLE: Winter's Child
GENRE: Alternate Universe/PreGame
DISCLAIMER: All FF8 characters are the
property of SquareEnix.
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-CHAPTER 03
"Hi, Mom," Marin said on the phone as he fiddled with his hair for the fifth time that morning. "I'm doing okay... I met a nice woman at the festival last night... No, not that kind of woman. Nice in the way you approve of... She skinned her knee, so I healed her. She was very polite... Reine deGlace... Yes, she is pretty." he checked his teeth in the mirror while his mother replied. Once he was satisfied he continued. "I'm going to show her around town... No, not a date as such... We'll have to see... I'll let you know. How are things in Galbadia? I miss Esthar, too, Mom. Someone will defeat Adel one day... Me? Nah. I'm a good monster hunter. But I could never take on Adel. I've got to run... Love you, too. Bye."
He put the phone down and hurried out the door as the bus pulled up.
* * * * *
Reine watched the puppies and kittens through the petshop window while she waited for Marin. He had promised to show her the town today. Last night, she'd agreed on a whim. But today she genuinely found herself looking forward to their day together.
Marin seemed a nice young man. He'd certainly been considerate enough to help her when she'd hurt her knee. As she remembered the way he'd healed her, she wondered if he had any brothers or sisters.
"He'd certainly be good with kids someday," she told herself as the kittens batted the window and the puppies frolicked.
"The puppy or me?" Marin asked her.
"Oh!" Reine exclaimed as she spun around to face him. "Um..." she found herself blushing, though she wasn't entirely sure why she should be doing so.
"So, where would you like to go today?"
"I'm not very familiar with the town. Why don't you pick a place?"
"Well, what do you like to do?" Marin inquired.
"Do?" Reine hadn't considered this question before.
"What activities do you enjoy?"
"I've never really given it much thought."
"Tell you what," Marin suggested, "why don't we look at some of the other shops for now. Maybe you'll think of something you'd like to do by the time lunchtime rolls around?"
"That sounds fine."
Marin extended his arm and Reine took it, allowing him to lead her away from the petshop.
"I originally came from Esthar," Marin told Reine. "It's a small cliffside town overlooking the water. Mostly scientists. My mother was a waitress there. Even scientists have to poke their heads out of the lab and eat once in a while. My dad worked at one of the shops at the mall."
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Reine inquired.
"I did once. Six sisters and three brothers. Our house was a bit overcrowded, but we didn't mind."
"You sound as if they were dead or something."
Marin nodded.
"I'm sorry," Reine put a hand on his shoulder. "How did it happen?"
"They died during the invasion." Seeing the confused expression on her face, he explained further. "When Sorceress Adel took over Esthar she killed many of the people who tried to stop her. My father resisted her and was killed along with my brothers and sisters. I thought I was the only one in my family to make it out alive. But a little over a year ago, I learned that my mother, too, had escaped and was living in Galbadia."
"Oh, Marin," Reine gasped. "How awful to lose so much of your family so quickly."
"I wanted my mother to come live in Deling City, but she's too scared to leave Galb..." he stopped and drew a shotgun from inside his coat as a heavily armoured creature lumbered up to them, making threatening noises as it approached.
"Armadodo," Reine recognised. "We were just learning about them in class."
"In class?" Marin asked, firing at the Armadodo, the bullet bouncing over its armoured hide. "How old are you?"
"Much older than you could ever imagine," Reine told him as she cast an ice attack upon the Armadodo. "But be assured, I am most definitely old enough to be fighting Armadodos by your side on the streets of Deling City."
Marin watched the grace with which she cast her attack, and found he could not take his eyes off of her.
The monster had not been defeated, but Reine's attack had, at least, knocked it onto it's back. With it's soft underbelly laid bare, it was now an easy target for a shotgun.
Marin Loire took careful aim and squeezed the trigger as Reine watched him with the same intensity with which he'd gazed upon her only moments before. The bullet struck true, and the Armadodo fell dead upon ground.
Knowing what was to come, they clasped each other and waited for the creature's final attack, a miniquake, to pass.
"Are you okay?" Marin asked, once the ground had stopped shaking.
"I think so," Reine checked herself. "It's a shame though, in a way. No little wounds for you to heal."
"Ah well," Marin smiled. "There'll be other monsters, and other chances for me to heal you again."
"I look forward to that," Reine smiled. The human heart she currently possessed was beating rapidly in her chest, and she was sure that it wasn't entirely from fighting an Armadodo.
Marin chanced a glance at Reine and saw the same look in her eyes that he knew was present in his own. They'd only met the day before, but he was already certain of two things.
He was in love with Reine deGlace. And Reine was in love with him.

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