Chapter Text
The seasons were changing, something Quistis wasn’t exactly used to. She’d lived by the beach her whole life, raised until she was 10 at an orphanage on the Centra coast, and then she’d come to school at Balamb Garden, where Matron’s husband ran the school. So, having graduated top of her class in every subject taught at the school, she’d felt confident as she strode out into the world.
She had never seen snow before, or watched the seasons change from one to another. She had learned about them, knew logically that trees with leaves shed them during autumn and were generally bare during winter. However, it wasn’t something she had ever experienced for herself. Even doing internships or volunteering jobs in other locations, she had never witnessed the beauty of autumn before.
So, as her first decision after graduating, she decided to take up a teaching post in northern Trabia. The small town of Forst was situated on the edge of a forest and the beach. It was apparently snowy there most of the year, but they did have warmer months in which certain plants grew and the local fauna had evolved to birth their children then as they were less likely to freeze to death.
Quistis had shown up during these months. It was colder than she was used to for sure, but she hadn’t seen many deciduous trees before so the orchards and things blooming when she arrived were a marvel to her. She had gone all out when she moved here, deciding that even if teaching didn’t work out, that she wanted to stay a long while in the quiet beautiful town. So, she’d bought a small house on the edge of town with a large front yard and a fenced in backyard that was big enough for any pets she may or may not eventually get.
She had always wanted a dog or a cat, she’d see. It took most of her savings to buy the place and get everything set up. But she was here and it was cozy. It didn’t consist of a lot yet, bookshelves for all her books, a bed, dresser and nightstand for her bedroom, dishes and utensils for the kitchen and a small table with four chairs, she had a small television and a sofa, another bookcase holding all her various movies and video games. She had a large desk in one corner with her computer on it. There was a guest room, but it wasn’t set up for guests just yet, as she had decided she wanted to try growing plants herself... and they were expensive.
She had several types of flowers and had added to the trees already on the property by planting some hardy apple trees and a yellowwood that she hoped to watch grow big enough to put a swing on. She was probably getting way ahead of herself, but, you only live once right?
She wasn’t exactly known for her subtlety but it took her months before she could admit to herself that she went to the plant nursery so often because of the seriously attractive man who worked there. Seifer Almasy was the hottest man alive, she would swear to Hyne about it. Not that she’d ever actually admit that out loud to anyone ever, certainly not anyone in this very small town he’d lived in his whole life where everyone knew him and she was just the strange new lady in town.
She had told her best friend Xu over a video call though. Just the day before, and now here she is, in conversation with the man. Just small talk really, she could probably listen to him talk forever, his voice was perfection.
“Actually, I noticed a few of the trees I bought don’t seem to be doing so well? Their leaves are turning yellow, am I maybe watering them too much?” She had been concerned about it, she was always so wrapped up in sweaters even during what this town considered its ‘warm’ months, that she hadn’t realized it was actually getting colder.
Seifer stared at her blankly for a moment, then he seemed to be fighting with himself on how to answer her question. Quistis wondered if what she was doing was really that awful before he finally uttered one word. One small word that made her feel like the biggest idiot on the planet. “Autumn.”
She blinked at him for a few seconds as it sank in, then covered her face with her hands. “OMH! I can’t believe I’m that dumb! I’m so sorry, I’ve never seen it before, and it’s always so cold here... I mean, I know all of you think it’s been warm... holy, I’m going to absolutely freeze when school starts up... which I should have realized is in only two weeks. I even submitted my class plans just last week... How did I miss this?”
Quiet chuckling filtered into her tirade and she glared at him accusingly. Seifer held up his hands in surrender, “Like you said Miss Trepe, you’ve never seen it before. I suggest you enjoy it. And so long as you have a wood stove or fireplace in your house, you’ll be fine. Electricity tends to be out a lot during the winter here so it was likely built with one, and fuel is super expensive, so please don’t use that to heat your house. Leaving the doors open and having a wood fire warm it does wonders.”
“Oh. Fair.” She gave him a shy smile, which faded in slight horror, “Where would I get the wood though?”
Seifer doubled over laughing, unable to get himself under control as her miffed expression just made it funnier, he pointed to a sign behind the main counter. “FIRE WOOD 10gil/BUNDLE” She hadn’t realized the stacks of corded wood lined up against the back wall were for burning and not... projects of some kind.
“Oh...um, thank you.” Her face a scarlet flame Quistis turned toward the door and began walking straight at it, his laughter still ringing in her ears. “I’m just gonna go home now and die of embarrassment.”
“We can’t have that, those kids need you after all.” Seifer’s voice called from behind her. “You’ll get used to it, don’t worry.”
She turned at the door and he winked at her before being pulled into conversation by old Missus Wilson about planting orchids in her in-home flower trough.
Embarrassed beyond belief, Quistis went straight home and moved all the decorative stuff she’d placed in her very large and beautifully designed fireplace out of it. She found places for everything around the edges of bookshelves and window sills. She hadn’t even thought of heating her house with anything besides the electricity she got from the solar panels on her roof. But Seifer was right, snow was likely to cover them completely for most of the winter, and even autumn and spring here. It had been embarrassing, but at least she was forewarned now on how to heat her house effectively. She likely would have closed off rooms in an attempt to keep them warm, having them open made sense though, since they wouldn’t have heat in them if they were closed. She would have to find time to stock up on wood then, she’d wondered what the small shed-like thing on the side of her house was for. She currently had her gardening tools in it, but it made sense for it to be where you would stack cords of wood away to keep them dry. She would just have to put the tool rack back on the spacious front porch where it had been when she bought the place, and start stacking wood in the... oh, there was a word for it, what was it? Wood shelter? Yes, that seemed right. Seemed a bit too on the nose really.
She shook her head and began the process of moving her tools onto the covered porch. She hoped someday to have a porch swing as well. She’d have to see how well she did here though. If she froze to death she certainly wouldn’t be able to enjoy it.