Work Text:
[…Same as the original work until…]
"That eye-shadow is great, by the way. How did you manage to draw such a straight line with the eyeliner?”
Fujin's pale face showed a look of astonishment, and Rinoa could swear it turned slightly pink.
"Thank you,” Fujin finally replied. "And I thought I was the one here on a flirting mission."
"Flirt?" Rinoa laughed nervously. "I didn't mean to... that was a genuine compliment.”
Fujin nodded three times while sipping from her glass. As she set it down, her other hand quickly retrieved a metal piece that reflected the dim candlelight. She immediately spun it a few times with her skillful fingers, and only when the spinning stopped did Rinoa realize it was a Dolliss knife. The owner then abruptedly leveled it near her temple, drawing a surprised gasp from Rinoa.
"I used its tip to guide the eyeliner," Fujin explained.
"Smart use of a multipurpose tool,” Rinoa nodded.
"Just have to be careful not to poke the only eye I've got left."
Rinoa chuckled. "You're funny.”
"Yeah? Did it work?”
"What?”
Fujin tilted her head slightly and opened her eye wider. "The eyeliner..."
"Oh, absolutely,” Rinoa joked back in response. “It's so sharp, feels like you can stare a hole right through me.”
“I wonder what GF I’d need to actually do that?” Fujin mused theatrically.
“I don’t know and I don’t want to find out, that would be scary.”
“Huh?” Fujin noticed a hint of sadness in the beautiful lady in the white dress. “Let me guess: the burden of being a successor, Miss Heartilly?”
Rinoa glanced at Fujin in surprise, then briefly at her glass before her gaze settled on the still piano on stage.
“I wanted to be a pianist just like my mom.”
“You played piano?” Fujin asked.
“What’s with the judging tone?” Rinoa laughed. “Twelve years of training, until I picked up the Pinwheel.”
“Great choice of weapon,” Fujin said, raising her glass for a toast. Rinoa chuckled and clinked their glasses together. “What happened? Did you stop practicing completely?”
“Um… yeah.”
Rinoa looked at the piano again, then at her glass, or rather, her fingers which twitched as if yearning for a touch of the piano keys afar.
Fujin didn’t want to ask why. Of course, she couldn’t live the life she wanted even after Ultimecia’s defeat. She was no longer just Rinoa Heartilly with a lot more labels to carry. What was it like to join a flock of orphans seeking belonging, only to find that she was not part of the cult?
“Do you want to play now?” Fujin asked.
“Cards?” Rinoa automatically replied, then immediately chuckled at her silly guess. “Oh…”
“No!” Fujin exclaimed. “See how Commander’s addiction affects you. I mean, do you want to play the piano?”
“Here? Now?” Rinoa asked, her hands already poised on her chair, ready to stand.
“That’d be lovely.”
“But… what song do you want me to play?”
“Why ask me?” Fujin countered. “What do you want to play?”
“Um… I don’t know,” Rinoa admitted, shaking her head.
“What did you play back then?”
“It depended on the mood,” Rinoa said.
“Like improv?” Fujin asked, receiving a nod from Rinoa. “Interesting. Let’s do it then.”
Rinoa glanced around the now-bustling café as evening deepened.
“I’m not sure. I’m scared. I haven’t practiced in a long time.”
“You can’t go wrong with jazz,” Fujin shrugged. “We can do a piano duet if that helps.”
“Oh, you play piano too?”
“As well as Squall can dance. Come on.”
Rinoa felt her hand being grabbed and her feet followed the silver-haired girl all the way to the stage. Midway, she smiled, feeling a mix of familiarity and unfamiliarity. All her uncertainties and self-doubts floated to the surface, but somehow they didn't frighten her. She didn’t have to take the lead.
They sat on the narrow piano bench, sharing a fleeting, blushing moment as their hips brushed before they kept a small distance and switched their focus on the array of black and white keys in front of them. Fujin realized she was in the high register of the piano, meaning she had to play notes outside her usual somber comfort zone. However, she refrained from asking to switch as she saw Rinoa’s fingers hovering over the keys, gaining inspiration.
Whatever.
“THEME?”
Rinoa didn’t look at her companion, confident that Fujin was watching her intently—something her long-term boyfriend never did, and today she learned the bitter reason behind it.
“Love and Betrayal,” she said with a light smile, then struck a couple of powerful chords.
Fujin scoffed, amused, then joined her progression. “Let it all out. We have all night.”