wallwalker

Travelling overland with Squall and Quistis was one of the hardest things that Rinoa had ever done. She'd traveled before, sure, but mostly with her dad, and back then they'd had vehicles and escorts and stuff. Having to do her own fighting against things that she couldn't scare off by threatening them? That wasn't the same at all!

Still, Quistis and Squall knew what they were doing, and she was surprising herself - and probably Squall too - with how well she was keeping up, even with the new thing living in her head and the fact that she was always sore and tired. She could still keep going. She'd be fine, she told herself over and over, until she almost believed it.

"You know, Rinoa," Quistis said to Rinoa after one of their battles, after they'd finished cleaning up, "you're a very good shot. You're more accurate than most of my students, even after years of training with projectile weapons."

"Wow, thanks!" She couldn't help but puff up a little. Quistis always seemed so cool and confident, and Rinoa couldn't help but be proud that she'd impressed her.

Quistis looked serious for a moment, and it looked like she was about to say something else - maybe that she shouldn't thank her for just telling the truth, like Squall probably would. Then she relaxed and smiled. "You're welcome," she said. "How did you learn? Did someone teach you?"

"Um," Rinoa said, thinking. She'd always lied before, when someone asked her where she'd learned how to use her weapon, or how she'd come up with the idea. She'd say it was an old friend in Timber who'd gotten caught by the government, or sometimes she'd just say she taught herself. But somehow, lying to Quistis didn't feel right at all. "You really wanna know?"

Quistis raised an eyebrow. "Only if you don't mind."

"I don't, but... don't tell anyone, okay? I don't want it to get out." She took a deep breath. "It was my dad, a long time ago."

"Your father taught you how to fight?"

"He got me self-defense lessons and stuff," she said quickly. It was true - he'd taught her most of her lessons, but that didn't really make a difference to the story, right? "Said that I needed to learn so that if I got separated from him and there was any trouble, I could take care of myself. He didn't want to have to worry, I guess," she added darkly.

Quistis nodded, looking a bit distant. Maybe she understood a little, although Rinoa wasn't sure she was brave enough to ask. "Are you glad that he did?"

"I guess," she said, looking down at her shoes. "I mean, it would've made living in Timber a lot harder if he hadn't, so... yeah."

"Well, then, I'm glad too." Quistis laughed a bit. "Maybe you can teach me a thing or two. I've never been great at marksmanship."

"Maybe! Or maybe I'm just super-talented."

"Well, next time we make camp, we can find out."

"Sounds like a plan!" Rinoa beamed at her. Maybe this really wouldn't be so hard after all.