Rinoa's Education

Coffee and Rituals

Rinoa sat with Angelo in the cafeteria.
Curled up on the seat to her left, the brown and white dog was shifting in his dreams, kicking every now and then. Rinoa watched him, absently stirring her coffee. She looked out at the blue and white marble construction of the open space and sighed.
“It’s blushing bride, not sighing bride.”
Rinoa perked up as Quistis came over with a coffee of her own and sat down at the seat opposite Angelo. She was about to speak when the dog half-barked suddenly, making her smile with a start. She looked at Rinoa and the two laughed. “How’re you this fine morning?” Quistis asked with mock delight.
As she spoke, a roar of thunder echoed overhead and the rain began to pound on the glass ceiling over the cafeteria. “Are you excited?” She asked.
“Yes and no,” Rinoa admitted.
“No?” Quistis exclaimed. “Rinoa, you’re not supposed to be honest when somebody asks you that. You’re supposed to lie and suffer in silence.”
“Oh,” She said, smiling as she brushed her hair over her shoulder. “Then, yes. I’m excited. I can’t wait until Squall and I truly together as one and we can share our lives together until the very end of time.”
“Okay,” Quistis said, sipping her coffee. “Now you’re pushing it.” Another round of laughter echoed through the empty cafeteria. “But no,” She said after a moment. “What’s bothering you?’
“I don’t know,” Rinoa said, shifting somewhat uncomfortably in her seat, rubbing her hands together between her knees. “I just, I’m not sure about this.”
“About marrying Squall?” Quistis asked.
“No,” Rinoa exclaimed suddenly. “No, not at all. I, I love him. I do. Absolutely. But . . .”
“But . . .” Quistis prompted.
“Well, like now,” She said, motioning with her hand at the empty cafeteria. “Squall’s off at Fisherman’s Horizon. Something about a new Garden, I don’t know. And he won’t be back for three weeks.”
“So you’re lonely,” Quistis said, sitting back.
“I guess,” Rinoa went on, nursing her coffee. Again, Angelo kicked in his sleep, but neither of the women noticed. “I’m, I’m just nervous.” She peeked through her dark hair at Quistis. “About, about being his wife.” Quistis said nothing. She just sipped her coffee, trying to hide her smile. “I’m from Timber,” she said pathetically. “I’m not, I’m not sure what’s expected of me.”
“What do you mean?” Quistis asked, sipping her coffee, trying to hide her smile. “Well, in Galbadia,” She explained. “A wife is supposed to stay at home and cook and clean and take care of the kids. She’s a house wife.” She looked around at the Garden. “I don’t know what I’d be here.” She looked down at her cooling coffee. “And, and . . .”
“And what?” Quistis asked, leaning forward a bit to look at Rinoa.
“I’m . . . scared.”
“Scared?” Quistis asked.
“Yeah,” Rinoa nodded emphatically.
“You’re not a . . .” Quistis started to ask. Rinoa looked up at her. “You don’t have your ‘V’ card, do you?”
It took Rinoa a moment to get it. But she suddenly inhaled. “Oh, no,” She said. She looked back down at the table, a blushing smile coming over her. “No, I’ve, I’ve, I know a thing or two.” But then her smile faded. “But that’s part of worries me.”
“What?” Quistis asked. “That Squall’s not going to be good enough?”
“No!” Rinoa denied instantly. She looked away, hiding behind her hair. “That, that I won’t be,” She whispered.
“You won’t be?” Quistis said with a chuckle.
“Well,” Rinoa said, turning back to her. “I’ve . . . heard things. About this place,” She said, glancing up at the cafeteria and the Garden beyond it.
“And about Squall specifically, no doubt,” Quistis said, sipping her coffee. She put the white cup down delicately and interlaced her fingers with pronounced care. “Rinoa,” She asked with almost-condensation. “How much do you know about this place? About the Gardens?”
She sat still for a moment, then shrugged. “I’m from Timber,” she said honestly. “Up until all this happened, I never really thought much about the Gardens or about SeeD.”
“You know there are . . . expectations . . . of you,” Quistis went on, slowly circling the edges of her coffee cup with her index finger.
“You mean like official expectations?” Rinoa asked.
Quistis smiled, laying her cheek on her hand. “Oh Rinoa,” she said, shaking her head. She covered her eyes. “Trust me. You maybe getting married in a month, but you will hardly be walking down the virgin road.”

The library was as quiet as always. As the storm raged overhead, the white walls absorbed the sound while the ambient light from the desk lamps set the entire library in romantic shadows.
Rinoa sat up from the large book before her, her face pale. Sitting next to her, leaning over the desk was Quistis, delighting in Rinoa’s reaction. “Oh my god,” Rinoa whispered, her voice lost on the empty library. She had to force herself to look next to her at Quistis.
“That’s right,” Quistis said as the two sat at the wall-desk at the far back of the library. “It’s a ritual. Everybody who joins the Garden has to go through with it. Sadly, because you’re so high up in rank so suddenly, you have to go through all of it all at once.”
“Oh my god,” Rinoa said, lowering her face to her hands. Angelo stood up, his front paws on Rinoa’s lap as he tried to nuzzle her hands supportively.
“Don’t be so shocked,” Quistis said. “You said you had heard things about the Gardens. You knew stuff like this went on. Besides,” She looked away. “By the time Squall comes back, you’ll be on par with everything he knows.”
“He had to go through this?” Rinoa asked.
“Of course,” Quistis smiled. “We all did. In a way, it’s part of the training.”
Rinoa faced forward, absently petting Angelo’s head. She faced forward at the wall for a moment, then swallowed. She looked at Quistis. “When does it begin?”
“Whenever you’re ready for it to,” She answered, still leaning on her hand.
Rinoa faced forward for a moment longer. “And who would be first?”
“Whoever you wanted to be,” Quistis said. Rinoa started to turn towards her, but Rinoa smiled. “Oh no. Not me. You don’t want it to be me.”
Rinoa turned away again for a moment. She closed her eyes. “And Squall knows about this?”
“Knows about it, went through it, is waiting for you to,” Quistis said.
Rinoa kept her eyes closed. “Why didn’t he mention it?”
“Because Squall wouldn’t tell you if you were standing on his foot,” Quistis said with a grumble.
“You’re right,” Rinoa said with a laugh.
“You don’t have to do it now,” Quistis offered.
“No, it’s just . . .” Rinoa said slowly. She looked back down at the book, reading over the entry for a moment. “I just . . .” She finally took a deep breath. She looked at Quistis. “The first person needs to be Zell.”