Mood(ier) Than Usual

[unshelledbullet]

Who: Squall Leonhart and the bubble
Where: A coffee shop in the plaza
When: Morning
Style: Starting in action, feel free to change
Status: Open

[He could not get over it. Squall simply could not get over it. This murder fiasco left him with overwhelming guilt and a feeling of uselessness.

Squall hates feeling useless. And when he tried owning up to his failure, people kept trying to comfort and coddle him. And he couldn't understand why people wouldn't just accept his apologies.

Why is this so much harder than it should be?

Eventually, he stopped trying, needing some time to cool off and feel miserable in peace, so he headed for a coffee shop he visited fairly frequently. Unfortunately for him, the only available seating was outside. The shop had started serving a seasonal blend with pumpkin and spice, business was booming.

And as such, Squall is currently seated at an outdoor table with a pumpkin spice coffee in hand, and he is positively radiating negativity.

Talk to him? Or just ask how that coffee tastes, that's good too.]

Comments

[fightforastar]

[That's all right. She can be patient.]

No one is always in a bad mood.

[unshelledbullet]

You'd be surprised.

[fightforastar]

Trust me. I know someone who intentionally spent thirty years in a coffin, and even he has his almost-okay moods.

[unshelledbullet]

[Why would someone be in a coffin for thirty years- nevermind, he doesn't want to know.]

Maybe a nap put him in a good mood.

[fightforastar]

[Vincent's expounded on the why well enough. It's the how that she's not too keen to know.]

I really don't think so.

Although if you haven't been sleeping, I'm sure that's not helping.

[unshelledbullet]

I've been sleeping.

[Less than he would like, but he's used to it. When you're a mercenary, you rested when you could and dealt with it.]

[fightforastar]

Well, that's something.

[Tifa takes a sip of her coffee. He's probably not going to bring it up himself, is he?]

She seemed like she was doing pretty well when I saw her.

[unshelledbullet]

[He doesn't even have to ask who "she" is. Anyone would be able to know who Tifa was talking about.]

She's a lot tougher than she looks.

[fightforastar]

Sometimes I'm not sure it's about being tough.

She's got a lot of optimism.

[unshelledbullet]

[To Squall, the two are connected. A lot of Rinoa's toughness comes from her optimism.]

Sometimes too much.

[fightforastar]

[Rinoa's strong, yes. But to Tifa, toughness is about being hard. They're different.]

You think there's such a thing as being too optimistic?

[unshelledbullet]

I do.

[Though he's lived his life with far too much cynicism and is aware of it, he does think one needs a healthy dose of pessimism.]

When it creates unrealistic expectations.

[fightforastar]

It's not something all of us can afford.

But you strike me as more of a pessimist, so I think it balances out.