Centra Crisis - Guardian Enforced

[Aleister Black]

"Nearly a month later, many of the mysteries revolving the disturbances around Eshtar Garden are still unresolved. SeeD have mounted a full-scale internal investigation into the actions of Galbadian SeeD instructor D. Whihammer, but no findings have yet been presented. The event has also caused discord among the Gardens. Several Gardens are openly accusing Galbadia Garden not only for the attack, but also for other illegal practises, the details of which have been carefully guarded from the media. Efforts have been made to mediate between the Gardens, but these efforts have so far seen little success.

Eshtar Garden has almost been rebuilt, and efforts are being made to speed up this process. Footage at the construction site shows that Eshtar Garden may be preparing for more attacks, judging by the defence structures being put in place. The Eshtar Garden spokesperson has so far refused to comment on this matter.

The Galbadian SeeD instructor H. Sorrick is still at large and believed to be armed and dangerous. If you see him, immediately contact your closest Garden."

---

The OOC RP thread: http://www.risingstarforums.net/show...rdian-Enforced

Original RP: http://www.risingstarforums.net/show...-Centra-Crisis

Original RP Discussion: http://www.risingstarforums.net/show...-Centra-Crisis

---

[Aleister Black]

Thomas stood before a familiar door. It was a door that, roughly a month ago, he had come to associate with unpleasantness. Behind that door, one of his best friends, Bontane, had committed suicide. He had heard the gunshot just as he had been knocking on the door. This had prompted him to pick the lock and enter, whereupon he had been confronted with the body of his friend and the Guardian Force Pandemona. In the chaos that followed, Pandemona joined Tonberry King and Thomas, fusing his essence to Thomas' body. A day later, he had returned to the room after Pandemona had insisted they should. The Guardian Force refused to explain why. Thomas had talked his way into the room, and Pandemona had showed them a door hidden in a closet behind Bontane's desk. Neither Tonberry King nor Thomas warmed to the idea of going through it, but Pandemona had piqued their interest, so they had.

-*-

They seemed surrounded by what seemed like solid darkness. There was no way to tell whether his eyes were open or closed except the burning sensation when he didn't blink for a while. The closed door behind them accepted not even the slightest sliver of light. Thomas felt a slight panic start in his guts and tried to suppress it. Scared of the dark, boy? A soft snicker resounded in Thomas' mind. There's a light switch on the wall to your right. Might want to use it. Pandemona sounded vaguely amused. Tonberry King stirred. What kind of place is this, he asked. Why did you take us here? Is it that much work to turn the damn light on?! Pandemona near scoffed. Just see for yourself!

Thomas tentatively brushed his fingers along the wall until he found a light switch. The sudden surge of light near blinded him and he blinked furiously trying to see as his eyes slowly became accustomed to the light. As it turned out, the light was not very bright at all; it was the sudden contrast that had taken him by surprise. The dim light illuminated a room that had to be a part of a much older structure than the Garden itself. No doubt the Centra Ruins would have something to do with it. Tonberry King nodded vaguely. The room felt familiar. But these considerations were nothing compared to the girl who was shackled to the floor by her ankle. The scratches and marks on that ankle told of failed attempts to escape the iron chains. The light had surprised her as much as it had Thomas and she had raised her hands to cover her eyes. Both Thomas and Tonberry King were taken aback. Pandemona was not affected, for obvious reasons.

Tonberry King was the first to recover. What is the meaning of this? he demanded. Thomas angrily added, Why did you put her here, Pandemona? Then something occurred to him. All those missing students. That was you, wasn't it? Thomas' mounting anger was matched by Tonberry King's. Pandemona sighed, It was necessary. My hand was forced! Who is she, Pandemona? Were you going to kill her, too, Thomas lashed out. Of course not. Pandemona sounded indignant. I took you here to save her, he added. Also, you'll like the irony of this. She's Bontane's sister.

Thomas was at a loss for words. A sister? As close as he had been to Bontane, he'd never heard of a sister. And it's true all the same. I guess you just didn't know Bontane so well as you thought. Thomas was reeling. Too many problems at once. How would he get her out of here, especially without raising suspicion? Would she think he was the one who locked her up?

The entire exchange hadn't taken more than a second or two. As in a dream, Thomas saw the girl lift her hands from her eyes. Her mouth opened to say something. Just as the slowly ascending hands would reveal him to the girl, a loud snap resounded through the room as an age-old shelf, after possibly hundreds of years, finally broke under the pressure of assorted junk that was sitting on top of it. The items all dropped to the floor, making a lot of noise in the process. An old cooking pot was especially interesting, since it somehow bounced from the shelf onto the girl's forehead, knocking her out like a light. She slowly sunk to the floor.

Unlucky, Tonberry King muttered. Accident. What are the odds. Thomas looked at the wall the shelf had been on. He could have sworn the wall had been bare. Now that she was unconscious, Thomas could take a better look at her face. He felt a lump in his throat as he recognised much of Bontane in her. Yes, it was definitely his sister. But how on earth was he supposed to get her out of here? Suddenly, Pandemona spoke. Might want to use the key to unshackle her first. Otherwise getting her anywhere will be very hard by default. He seemed to think for a while. Unless you cut off the foot. Not funny, Tonberry King sighed.

Hundreds of options were crossing Thomas' mind as he tried to think of a way to get the girl out of here without endangering getting in serious trouble himself. If he would report this, he was going to be asked how he had known. Then he might be linked to Bontane's death (even though it had really been a suicide). He couldn't drop her in the Training Area like Pandemona and Tonberry King had done with him. She wasn't a student here, so her presence there would raise too many questions. Carrying her out of the Garden was not an option either; there were simply too many people to do it unnoticed by anyone. But he couldn't just leave her here, could he?

Could he?

Angrily, he cut off that thought. It was a Pandemona thought, he was sure of it, even though it hadn't sounded like the Guardian Force. After a moment's hesitation, Thomas said out loud, "You know, Tonberry... While I do appreciate your proactive engagement in our current situation, I'm thinking maybe it would have been better if you hadn't knocked her unconscious with a non-existent shelf of junk." A flash of shame emanated from Tonberry King. It was an accident- he started, paused, then said, sorry.

"No worries," Thomas muttered as he knelt by the girl. It might be risky showing himself to her, but making her come to might be the only way to get her out of here. After all, a conscious person attracts far less attention than an unconscious one slung over one's shoulder. So he put his hands on her shoulders and shook her into the real world again. Pandemona giggled. Let's hope no more old shelfs break.

Shut up, Thomas and Tonberry King said.


-*-

Thomas lifted his hand and knocked on the door of the office. The same door as a month ago. Except the letter now said 'R. Five, SeeD Instructor' instead of Bontane's name. Patiently, he waited for the new instructor to admit him into his office.



------------------------------



There was a palpable tension all around Lucy. A shiver went up her spine. When she tried to move, it was almost as if she were underwater; the tension around her seemed to restrict her movement and take her breath away. A soft whisper echoed through the deep blackness around her.

Run, it said. Run... Something screamed, and suddenly the air was filled with thousands upon thousands of flying needles as long as a finger and razorsharp.

-

When Lucy woke up, she found out she was completely tangled in her bedsheets. It took her the better part of five minutes to fully disentangle herself. Just as she pulled her foot out of the last loop, consequently dropping to the floor, Tamara knocked on the door and immediately let herself in. Knocking always was more of an announcement she'd enter than a wish to be allowed entry to her, especially when it came to her best friend. She was frozen in the doorway, looking down at Lucy who sat int he middle of her room, the sheets draped across most of it. Tamara laughed, and Lucy joined her as she imagined how stupid she probably looked. "I was just going to wake you up for class. Brought you some breakfast. I'll just..." Tamara looked around for a bit of free space to put the bowl of cereal on. "... I'll just put it right here, shall I?" she said, and put it on the floor next to Lucy. "Anyway, hurry up, class starts in ten minutes!"

When Tamara had left and closed the door behind her, Lucy changed out of her pyjamas and into her student uniform, eating her breakfast at the same time. She had almost forgotten about the dream, but it would never completely fade from her memory. She had relived that day one month ago every night. Fortunately, people had been very busy in the meantime. Too busy to get tot he bottom of the cause of her sudden hysteria and the unplanned attack. People were too busy investigating the Galbadian attacker to care about her, she thought. Too busy rebuilding the Garden.

Tamara had healed well, but Lucy could feel that she was a bit more careful now, as if she were a bomb that could explode any second. And I suppose I am, she thought wryly. Ever since the attack, she had been aware of a certain presence in her mind, that had felt both new and familiar. As if she had known it all her life yet only just really noticed. She suspected that this... thing was what had made her do the things she had done on the day of the attack, but getting any comfirmation on that was like trying to catch an eel with soapy hands. Even when she thought she had cornered the being in her own mind, it would slip past her and gone it was.

She quickly ran through the wide corridors of the Garden, making her way to Diplomacy and Mediation Class. By far her favourite subject. Especially the past week had been very exciting. Since the subject was relatively new to be taught in Gardens, they were very closely involved in the mediation talks between the different Gardens to try and settle the tension caused byt he attack. She was one of the best in her class and as a result, she was able to attend several debates and negotiations between the Gardens. Of course, she was supposed to keep her mouth shut and only listen very carefully, but it was exciting nonetheless. Wouldn't it be nice, she thought as she arrived at the classroom out of breath, if wars could be solved just by talking to one another and making a compromise that will benefit all parties involved? There would be no need for fighting then.

[Casanova]

Maki breathed again... and exhaled... again... again.

Still no sign of the bugger.

It wasn't like old women to lie, or at least it wasn't in Maki's experience. Still... he couldn't help but feel duped.

Something stirred in the distance. Maki willed his eyes to focus, and he could just about make out a shifting shape at the end of the alley, where the light was the dimmest. He quickly lowered himself a few inches to avoid detection, then shifted a little to the left in order to get a full view of the mouth of the alley from the window.

The shape definitely moved this time. It was low and bulky, moving erratically but only just.

At that precise moment three things happened all at once. A cat flew past the mouth of the alley, the door behind Maki banged open, and all the lights went out, just like that.

Panic gripped Maki for just a second, then his brain kicked into gear. The door was the only entrance into the room, but the window was still a viable option of escape. He swung his left arm at the window and kicked his feet from the ground, sending his body hurtling through the window to crash hard on the concrete three storries below.

He willed his body to move... MOVE!

He stood and ran, but it was then that Maki noticed it was still dark, a darkness unlike anything he had ever known. Not a single detail could be made out. He raised a hand and was amazed to not see it. His brain jammed for the first time in his life, and he stood stock still.

"Maki"

A deep, booming voice.

Maki sunk low and reached for Aesop, which was strapped to his back.

"Maki"

He popped the main clasp and pulled Aesop to his front, keeping his body as low as possible and straining his eyes to see.

"Maki"

"Come for me!"

"Impossible. I am you, or atleast a par-"

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all befo-"

"Maki do not be naive, and do not interrupt me"

"Come for me, damn you!"

"As I've already said, it is impossible. I am a part of you already, and you've always been aware of me, but until now I have been unable to do anything but whisper thoughts in your ear and hope that one day you'll make me strong again"

Here we go, thought Maki.

I honestly mean you no harm, he thought.

What?

I said I mean you no harm, now listen to me...

You're in my fucking head!?

Maki flailed this way and that, the shuffling of his feet giving away his postition, but no strike came.

I cannot attack you, old friend

Old friend?

You don't remember me, but how I remember you. So young... and the things they did to you... despicable!

What? Who... who the fuck are you?!

I am Leviathan, or at least I was

Was? Leaviathan?!

A Guardian For-

Of course, I know what Leviathan is, but why are - why is - what are you doing in my hea-

Something clicked and Maki dropped Aesop.

"No" he whispered.

"I'm afraid so" said Leviathan.

---

Maki's eyes opened. It took a few seconds for it to register, but then the pain flooded in. He screwed his eyes tight and rolled over with a great effort, his whole body aching.

It was then that he realised he was still on the concrete, and above him was the window that he had just crashed out of, only this time there was an old and wrinkly head sticking out of it.

"Are you okay?" it called down.

Maki laughed. It only made the pain worse, but he just couldn't help himself, he laughed like he'd never laughed before, tears streaming down his face. He laughed until he just couldn't bear the pain any longer, then passed out again.

You're gonna be fine, kid

[Doaj]

'Perhaps you should learn to defend yourself.' Alexander said. Layala felt herself twitch. She wanted to get up. She wanted to move, to stand, to stretch. She felt herself shake. 'Alexander,' She thought. 'Why am I shaking?' He told her. He told her someone was there. Someone was standing over her, trying to shake her into consciousness. Layala tried as hard as she could and Layala

Opened her eyes. The room was dark, infinitely dark, but not as dark as her own mind. She looked up to see a young man with dark hair, colorless eyes, and somehow there was more to him. She hadn't met him before, both her and Alexander were sure, but Alexander still warned her to be wary. 'If he knows about this place,' Alexander was telling her, 'Then he isn't innocent.'

He reached out his right hand, and Layala reached out her own. She assumed he was helping her up, but he simply held her hand. "It's going to be okay." The stranger told her. "I'm going to get you out of here. We need to unlock the chain around your ankle though." Layala hadn't noticed it. Alexander had been preoccupied.

"Do you know where the key is?" Layala asked listlessly. She may have been down there for just a day, but it doesn't change that she hadn't eaten, and couldn't sleep very well. The stranger smiled, and Layala suddenly felt more comfortable. Alexander seemed to get more tense.

"My name is Thomas," he said. "I have the key right here." He pulled it from his pocket, and Layala immediately recognized it. She remembered confronting her brother- her brother who was fused with a Guardian Force just like her. 'He isn't just like you.' Alexander scolded. 'He is a murderer. Not just on the battlefield, but in his home. Do not compare yourself with that bastard.'

The key didn't glow, but it was brighter than anything else in the room. It was a silvery color, almost white, but it looked faded and must have been centuries old. It reminded her of the ring, Griever, that Sorceress Rinoa had. Maybe just because it radiated a malevolent aura, some mystical spell of pain. 'Why else would it only work in this room?' Thomas freed Layala from her chain, and she unsteadily stood. Her ankle was sore- she remembered the frenetic scratching from the night before, trying to claw her way free from the nightmares that assail you when you're all alone with Pandemona.

'He's here!' Alexander said suddenly. 'I knew I recognized that feeling. I don't know how, or where, but he's here.' Layala looked about. "Are you alone?" Layala asked Thomas. He was helping her to the stairs, and he'd been quiet- perhaps deep in thought.

"I'm never alone." He said, and suddenly Alexander was in control of Layala's body. Alexander took the key from Thomas' pocket and held it to his throat.

"Tell me, demon! Why are you in this boy?"

"I am no demon, knight. I am simply along for the ride."

"Where is Bontane?"

"You'll have to figure that one out on your own, Alex." And then Alexander saw a change in the boy. Nothing physical, but very intense, "He's dead. He took his own life, and this boy found him. Pandemona needed somewhere to go, and Thomas is strong enough for the two of us."

"If you really intend to save her then you won't mind a bathroom blitz." Layala said. She was in control again, and it was a technique she'd learned from friends in high school. "I'll leave now, and you wait five minutes, make sure the coast is clear, and then you leave to. Don't talk to me either. At least for the week. Eventually, though, I'm gonna want some answers. Especially you, Pandemona." She turned away from Thomas, having not even noticed that Alexander had spoken for her. He did it so rarely she didn't know the tells. She felt nervous having Thomas out of her sight, standing behind her. She turned the strange key in the door and it opened up into the closet. She turned and tossed the key back at Thomas, who fumbled it a bit before casually slipping it in his pocket. She peaked her head through the closet door, looked around, turned back to Thomas and gave him a small wave with her right hand, and disappeared into the real world again. Five minutes later, Thomas followed suit. Neither saw the other for the next month, even in passing.

[Mellusia]

(OOC: Awesome post guys! Here's the first post from me. Let's have fun with this RP ;D)

The morning light peeked through the large window, slipping past the small parting of the curtains to fall across the large bed and the two figures spooning under the covers.

Alaster's face turned into a scowl at the prickling warmth on his face. He grunted, burying his face into Ellone's hair, wanting to escape the new day for a while more.

However the president herself wasn't willing to be as lazy, squirming in the headmaster's hold.

"Mmm...C'mon, we need to get up," she muttered before yawning loudly.

"Don't wanna..." Alaster mumbled, still mostly asleep.

The Esthar headmaster curled his arms more firmly around his wife, yearning more for Ellone than sleep.

The attack on Esthar Garden had left the garden's daily activity at a stand still while undergoing repairs. Many cadets, instructors and SeeDs not on active missions had been given free time until the repairs had been finished a week before. Although Alaster chose to abuse his position a bit more to reaquaint himself with his and Ellone's living quarters in the Presidential Palace.

Although it hadn't been a month of sugar and rainbows.

(OOC: Shut up, it was an awesome line in that game xD)

With Galbadia facing blame with the attack and other accusation reported to Alaster, the gardens had come together to discuss what to do. So Alaster had spent most of his time relaying what he had been told by Akira, what he had witnessed, and listening to others opinions. Galabadia representative were hostile of course at the accusations.

But the attack the previous month on Esthar Garden was just a regrettable incident, with too many young lives lost, many innocent even if they were only Galbadians.

"The girl Amie...Ivan...and Akira," the headmaster vaguely listed, although his eyes opened when he remembered the last particular individual.

"Akira...I couldn't protect you..."

He'd barely known the troubled, somewhat desperate teen seeking asylum, but his death still impacted the headmaster.

"It wasn't your fault," Diablos said with a surprising hint of gentleness in the headmaster's mind.

"I should've locked up the office or - "

"Alaster."

The man blinked, feeling a soft hand on the side of his face. Ellone had turned in his hold, to face him. Even with his internal conversation, the woman had known her husband had begun to brood.

"Elle..." he said, not sure what to say.

Words weren't necessary as the pale woman slid her hand into the man's hair, pulling his face to her's for a deep kiss.

In the one action, Alaster could feel what Ellone was conveying to him. Her unwavering support, kindness, and the little thing called love.

She pulled away, and the headmaster felt his eyes flutter open, not realizing he had shut them.

"Your breath stinks," she said simply before sitting up. If Alaster hadn't known Ellone as well as he did, he could've accused the woman for breaking the mood, but knew it was just another one of her little kick-in-the-butts to get him moving forward.

He smirked, raising on to his elbow. "And you're a terrible tease," he accused, feeling a strap of her night gown that had slipped off her shoulder between his thumb and finger.

She snorted before sliding her legs off of the bed and standing up, the lavendar nightgown swishing with her every move

"Your just a dog drooling at every peice of meat," she said heading into the large connected bathroom.

Alaster pouted. "You're being awfully mean for no reason, you know."

He heard Ellone's lilting laughter. "I'm mean to you so I can be nice to everyone else."

Alaster heard the get shower turned on before mist began to pour out from the condensation. Alaster was about to flop back down on bed to wait for his turn but then a pale arm peaked out of the door way, dropping the nightgown Ellone had been wearing.

"...You have seven seconds before I close this door, puppy."

Alaster grinned, before hopping out of bed and to the bathroom.

"Woof," he said before shutting the door.

***

Lani stood infront of the large bookshelf in the garden library, glancing along the book spines, trying to find the particular title on weapon modifications.

"You just upgraded your blades two weeks ago, kitten," Shiva stated, confusion colouring her voice. Shiva projected the image of the once metal blades now covered in a purple crystal-like scales that seemed to be able to have gained an interesting ability to absorb weak magical attacks.

Lany just shrugged. "I've gone as far as I can with what I know, but I have a bunch of usable material without knowing what I can do with them," she said.

After 10 minutes, Lani finally scowled in annoyance and gave up in her search. Odds are the library assistants forgot to update their log on what was available when the SeeD had made her initial search.

Although she could assume things at Esthar Garden were still a little shaky and other things had been put on priority.

"At least the bulding is fine now," she muttered, her brown hair swaying in movement.

Lani was about to just return to her room, but a young, male instructor spotted her and quickly waved for attention before walking briskly to her.

"Hello, Lani Hielo? Are you busy right now? I need some help with para magic demonstrations from experienced SeeDs," he said quickly, his brown eyes big and hopeful

"Huh? Uh, okay, I guess," she replied dumbly. The man had spoken so quickly and nervously it put off the young woman a bit.

The man smiled with relief. "Excellent! Do you have any magic stocked now, or do you - "

Lani shook her head, cutting off the man while tapping her temple. "Don't worry, I should have plenty to use," she said with a reassuring smile.

The two went into the elevator before heading to the second floor, where classes were taught.

(OOC: I was working on a general Esthar Garden info post for the OOC thread, so here's a small excerpt from that.)

The 2nd floor contained various classrooms where cadets get their general learning from instructors. Each student had an assigned desk with an attached terminal to use during learning. A few classrooms are barren of desks, and instead were covered with magic absorbing synthetic fabric. Those classrooms are used during para-magic demonstrations.

The instructor opened the door for Lani before entering and closing it behind him. Lani looked around at the various cadets assembled into a group chit-chatting and talking with each other while a fair amount of girls had flocked to a male SeeD, talking to him about random inane things.

She would've winced at the assembled fan club (since they could be frighteningly obsessive in Gardens) but seeing it was Aiden of all people, her empathy faded.

"He'll be fine," she thought, making Shiva laugh in reply.

The blond in question had a smile on his face, but he was getting a little too suffocated with with surrounding bodies.

"Damn it, give me some air," he thought peevishly. He actually had done nothing more than greet the cadets as a whole, but somehow it had instigated a semi mob onto him when the instructor had left to find another SeeD to help with the demonstration.

"So what kind of girls do you like?" said one of the girls, a most likely 14 year-old teen.

"No one as young as you," he thought with a grimace.

"Oh c'mon, eight years isn't THAT old," Ifrit mock chided to his host.

"Shut up, you're not help - " Aiden cut off in mid-thought, having turned to see the door open and Lani walking in.

"Not too short..." he said out loud, making various girls groan in dismay at their "inadequate" size (despite probably being able to grow more in the next few years).

"Long hair...A good attitude...Looks great in leather...Can kick my ass..."

"Is he a masochist?" a few girls whispered to each other

"I dunno...Some guys like that..."

The instructor suddenly called out. "Alright guys! I found two SeeDs willing to help out with class today. You guys already met Aiden Quatro, and this is Lani Hielo," he explained.

Aiden waved and Lani gave a polite nod to the group. The instructor motioned for the cadets to go far to one side. Even with the class' magic absorbing property, an accidental spell discharge could still hurt to the unsuspecting bystander.

"Today we're going to practice with support magic. There are various types, but for now we're just gonna focus on protect and shell."

"Protect is a spell to lessen physical damage from opponents, or even things like debris. That can be the difference between a bad headache or getting knocked out."

The instructor turned to the SeeDs. "Could you guys demonstrate..?"

Lani turned to face Aiden. "Can I hit you?" she asked, already getting in the offensive position.

"Anytime," Aiden said with a smirk, already moving to brace himself.

As much as Lani wouldn't mind striking with her blades, she merely ran forward to spin on her foot to give a round house kick to the blond's crossed forearms.

It connected with a loud smack sound resounding the classroom making a few cadets stare in surprise. Aiden winced but appeared to be fine. He rubbing his SeeD jacket arm of the minor dirt that appeared. If a fighter specializing in physical bodily attacks had gone at him, he'd be in far more pain.

Hopping back a bit, Lani found herself thinking of Anita and how the mission in Esthar City was going. She was surprised the team hadn't returned with the attack on the Garden. Lani would've pondered more, but Aiden had already summoned a protect spell around him, a murky white sheen in front of his body.

"Now watch the difference having the spell makes," the instructor said

Lani ran forward again, delivering another roundhouse kick. Her foot smacked into the barrier spell, it making a loud hollow sound and the shield flaring up to show off it was in use. The reverberation of her kick still reached to Aiden, but was far less potent with the spell in place.

"Oooohs" and "ahhhs" came from the assembled cadets at the minor, but effective demonstration.

"Alright, let's see the shell spell now," the instructor said, glancing at the SeeD duo with a smile.

Lani cast a quick cure at Aiden, making the blond smile.

"Awww, thank you," he said, just making the brunet roll her eyes

The instructor spoke again. "Shell is similar to the purpose of protect, except it's usefulness is with magic spells. Magic is able to bypass physical properties and can be more devastating than physical attacks."

"Alright, your turn," she said, bracing her arms in front of her.

Aiden blink before holding his hands up. "What? No, I can - "

"Don't give me chivalrous crap here," she said with narrowed eyes.

Aiden's face twisted in displeasure, but resting his fingers on his forehead, shuffling through to find his weakest, least harmful spell.

Luckily there were a few Thunders, so he summoned one.

"Hey, beast, ease up on the power boost, will ya?"

"That would just insult her, don't you think?" Ifrit replied before speaking again. "Put more faith in her strength - she does have Shiva's aid."

Not totally convinced, Aiden released the Thunder spell, wincing at the crackle as it hit the woman.

Lani grunted and recoiled a bit into her body, but otherwise seemed fine.

"Aw man, no way that didn't hurt," said one cadet, a few other replying similar sentiments.

Aiden tried to ignore the comments, forcing his own feelings aside as well.

"And now with the shell spell in place," the instructor said

Lani cast the spell, it forming a bubble around her with a rainbow sheen.

Aiden conjured up another Thunder spell before releasing, connecting to the blue-eyed woman again. The spell had done damage, but after hitting the magic barrier, it's effect were minuscule.

The cadets were yet again impressed at the demonstrations and the instructor then moved to the group, quickly dividing them into pairings and letting them start with the protect spell.

Aiden moved closer to Lani, casting a Cura spell on her.

"Kind of over-kill, don't you think?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow

"Ah, it's the weakest heal spell I got," Aiden said with a smile, ignoring the large stockpile of the Cure he conveniently over-looked in his mind.

"Well, thanks anyways," she said.

The instructor walked up to the duo, a huge smile on his face.

"Thank you both so much. Honestly, I completely forgot about the lesson for today and didn't plan any demonstrators ahead of time," he said with an embarrassed wince.

"Ah, no worries," Aiden said, waving his hand vaguely, Lani nodding in agreement.

"As long as they understand what we showed them, that's what's important," she said.

The instructor nodded before bidding the SeeDs farewell. The duo walked out of the class room, closing the door behind them.

"Sooo...." Aiden started, looking at the brunet

Lani raised her eyebrow. "Yes?"

"We haven't really chatted for a while, have we?"

"I haven't paid attention," Lani said disinterested.

"Really, it wouldn't hurt to be a little receptive," Aiden said with a pout.

A pleasant bell rung and classes began to let out for lunch. Various cadets piled out, eager to head to the cafeteria for their lunch and other such places.

Lani was about to follow suit (expecting Aiden to follow along) when she spotted a familiar blond girl walk out of class. Surprised, Lani suddenly remember she had been the girl from almost month ago that had deliriously talked about hurting her friend, who had been covered in needles.

"Hey, do you remember her?" Lani said, directing Aiden's attention to the girl.

"Huh? Oh her...Oh yeah, she's Lucy...Wait! Doesn't she have a GF too?" Aiden suddenly exclaimed

The two looked at each other before Lani waved to Lucy.

"Lucy!"

***

Blurry faces were surrounding her, somehow looking up at her. Anita could only deduce she was on something higher than the ground, however her mind was still a foggy, meddled mess.

Time seemed to meaningless. Having slipped in and out of consciousness, the blond fighter had no way to know how long she and her team mates had been captive.

She and her other mission partners has gone into Esthar the first night without any issues, but the next thing they all knew they had been captured and drugged and placed in some underground cell of some sort. Aside from that, they hadn't been injured, so it was hard to judge what motives there were to captured the mercenaries.

Anita could remember the feel of hands stripping her of her outfit, but the motions were too clinical to think it was anything perverse, and she had been outfited in simple white shorts and a tank stop. Electrodes and needles had been connected to most of her exposed flesh and she had been on some bed, although most of the time was spent unconscious. The brown eyes girl remembered seeing her team mates in the same state as her.

Each one had been taken one at a time, but they all returned back to bed, and now Anita found herself taken to where they likely had been as well.

Glancing down at her body, she could see lether belt holding her to some stand, and probably they only thing keeping the young woman up.

"What's...happening..?" she slurred to the blurry faces

"Don't worry, dear. Just relax. If every other test subject proves to be a negative match, odds are you will as well," said a woman's voice, although she sounded displeased. Anita would make the assumption that with the words the woman used, that she was a scientist of sorts. She seemed to have turned her head towards another scientist.

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with the GF! It's just there haven't been any suitable matches," came a peevish male voice.

"Right, and this one here will be lucky number 117," the woman said, and Anita could imagine her rolling her eyes, but talking about GFs perplexed the young woman.

"Who..?" Anita asked, her head struggling to form coherent thought.

"Not that it matters, but you can call me Bee," came the woman's - Bee's - voice.

"But jeez, we're fucked...Why'd those idiots grab SeeDs of all people? Especially a group of them? Even if this one is a dud for the GF fusion, there still gonna question where they hell the lot of them were while we had 'em," came the male's voice again.

"Fusion..?" but she was ignored from her vague inquiry.

The woman. "Forget about that now. It may be a month instead of two days, but we'll just wipe their memories like we did with the others," she said.

Anita blinked rapidly, suddenly realizing that these people had been responsible for the bizarre disappearances and reappearance of several Esthar citizens.

"Okay, we're ready for the testing," came a new, female voice

"Alright, then," said Bee again. She looked to Anita. "You're going feel a charge of energy going through you, but it won't do much physical harm to a SeeD like you. Like I said, relax."

The woman's warning did little to ease Anita, but before she knew it, the charge of energy shot through.

"Gahhh...!" she managed.

Charge of energy? It was an endless stream, going on and on. Anita felt her knees buckle at the pressure, but the belts did their job and held her in place. Finally it stopped and the blond sunk in exhaustion, panting hard, her eyes shut.

"What's wrong? Why did that last so long?" Bee said, and Anita could hear her walking in her heels to one location. Anita somehow knew the woman didn't care so much about the SeeD's well being and was more concerned about the experiment not going on track.

"Look at this," came the new woman's voice

There was silence for a moment, merely the hum of machines around Anita before a sharp inhalation was uttered.

"I can't believe it...There's a resonance." Bee said

"But why..? The other SeeDs didn't show anything - why her?" said the male from earlier, despite his conviction in the GF's strength.

"I don't know, but I guess our big birdy's gotta a new friend," Bee said with a chuckle.

Anita couldn't make sense of anything anymore and felt her consciousness slip completely.

(OOC: Heh, just below 3100 words)

[Doaj]

Raydune had been sitting alone, his hands intertwined in his lap. Griever spoke softly in his ear, having taken a physical form, almost genie-like, beside him. With his his torso tangible, his lower portion dissipating into the air, he whispered. 'You'll take it all back from these people.' Raydune turned to look at Griever. "I thought you were in this to find Squall?" Griever smiled sinisterly. 'Of course I am. It doesn't mean I can't wreak some havoc- revenge isn't as bad as you humans make it out to be. When you do it right there's nobody left alive to fight back.' Raydune shook his head meekly. "You need to get out of here. I have a student coming to see me." 'Is it Bontane's friend?' "His name is Thomas." 'I don't care. So it is him.' Griever's silence seemed pensive. "Why do you care? Bontane is dead." 'While that may be,' Griever said, and his head jerked toward the door for, seemingly, no reason, 'Pandemona lives on.' A knock came while Raydune stirred on those words, and Griever was gone. As if he were never there. Raydune stood from the chair in the middle of the room, finding it remarkably comfortable. Most of Bontane's possessions were given to family, sold, donated. Raydune managed to talk them into scavenging a bit. Bontane shot himself in this chair, and after scrubbing some brain matter from the cotton backing, Raydune felt like it was a second home.

Raydune answered the door to see Thomas. The young man reminded Raydune of himself at that age- visually at least. He hadn't formally met the boy yet, although he was in one of his classes. They had the same black hair, the same eyes. The boy looked a bit too innocent though. He was a SeeD, but it looked like he hadn't seen the ugly side of war, of life. 'His best friend did just kill himself.' Griever reminded Raydune mentally. Raydune smiled down at him.

"A pleasure to have you, Thomas," he said loudly, exerting his dominance in the situation, primarily as an instructor, but also as his elder in age and experience. "I was hoping we could have a moment to talk. First though," and Raydune motioned for Thomas to enter the room. "How are you fairing in my class? Despite your prowess on the field, some find the paperwork of SeeD life to be the harder side." Raydune looked down at the young man and smiled again. 'What do you see in him?' Raydune thought to Griever. Griever only laughed- 'If only you knew, old man.'

[Aleister Black]

Even though it had been over a month since the fatal gunshot, it still felt strange not to hear Bontane's voice answer his knocks on the door. Instead, Raydune Five, a new instructor at Centra Garden, appeared in the doorway and it was his voice that greeted him. Thomas made a formal but quick SeeD salute and stepped into the office, trying not to look at anything in particular, though he could not stop a glance at the closet that held the secret portal to the hidden room. For an instant, he was reminded of the girl he had released from it. All he knew was that she was Bontane's sister; she hadn't even told him her name.

In the past few weeks, he had been secretly hoping he would see her face somewhere among the students at the Garden; yet at the same time he had been anxious to avoid such a direct confrontation. She had said she wanted answers, and he wasn't sure he had them. Even so, he had been slightly disappointed that the past month had gone by without a chance to seek her out or even avoid her; she had simply not been there at all.

Thomas blinked and refocussed on the here and now, answering Raydune almost on autopilot, "Fairly well, I think. Well enough to pass all of the post-graduation subject updates so far, anyway." As an afterthought, he added, "I must admit that I do not always see the need for written tests and theory when we are being trained mainly for fighting purposes, but of course there are many things better taught in a classroom than in the field." Thomas hoped the instructor wouldn't think he was insulting the man's profession by saying he preferred field experience to classroom theory. I wouldn't be surprised, Tonberry King said. You seem to have a knack for affronting instructors and officers... I wish you wouldn't. Thomas tried not to smile at Tonberry's weary comments; it was a discussion they often had, more tradition than an actual attempt to have him change his ways by now. It was only now that Thomas noticed that Pandemona had been uncharacteristically quiet for some time now. Normally, his essence would be a constantly buzzing presence in the forefront of his brain, eager to attract attention, but right now it seemed as if the Guardian Force were hardly there at all. If not for a small breath of life in the back of his mind, he would hardly know it was there. Thomas tried to reach out to the GF, ask him why he was suddely so withdrawn, but Pandemona remained silent.

Thomas directed his full attention at Raydune again. He wondered whether he should as if the new instructor were settling in well, but a look at the man convinced him that he need not bother; he looked quite content. Besides, that was the kind of question the Headmaster would ask, not a SeeD. Instead, he asked, "What did you want to talk to me about, sir?" Probably not about how I'm doing in his classes, he thought. Suddenly, Tonberry said something that made him feel much less at ease. Watch out, Thomas. Something is wrong. Silence. And I don't know what.


-----------------------


Them? But what would they need me for? Lucy wondered as other students brushed past her in the hallway. She had just got out of class and was going to the Cafeteria with Tamara when she had heard her name called out behind her. Confused, thinking she might have forgotten something in the classroom, she had turned around and seen two full SeeDs. For a very brief moment, she wondered whether she had got herself in trouble somehow, and her left leg twitched as if it wanted to run away of its own accord. Almost angrily she suppressed the feeling when she recognised the faces from the SeeDs; they were the ones she had spoken to during the attack last month. The female SeeD had helped her and Tamara. Guiltily, she realised she still hadn't properly thanked her. The man's face was familiar, even though she hadn't really spoken to him at all. But even if she hadn't seen him last month, she could point out at least half a dozen girls' lockers that had some kind of picture of him in it. Tamara had noticed Lucy had stopped and saw that she had been called over. "I'll see you in the Cafe later then!" she said and walked on, trying to catch up to some other girls that were shooting Lucy gazes of both symapthy and jealousy to have the chance to be near... him!

Lucy didn't really know how to greet the two SeeDs. They were technically of a higher rank, but the SeeD salute might be a bit too formal, she thought. Even so, she made a SeeD salute and greeted the two SeeDs with a rather clumsy, "Good morni- um, afternoon! How can I help you?" immediately followed up by a, "thank you so much for helping my friend last month! I haven't had a chance to thank you yet... but really, thank you!"

She instantly hated herself for being such a babbling, easily exciteable schoolgirl. Why couldn't she be thoughtful and capable like SeeDs were? Because you're not, maybe you should leave, a treacherous thought added. Never! she immediately thought. Trying to hide her anxiety, she looked up expectantly, waiting to hear why she had been called over.

[Casanova]

Maki awoke in the Infirmary, bandages wrapped about his whole upper torso and arms. His head throbbing abominably, he strained his eyes against the sudden intake of sharp light.

He tried to lift an arm to shield them, but his limbs felt like lead.

He sighed heavily and giggled lightly remembering the old prune's mug hanging out of the window. He quickly stopped however, as his ribs immediately started screaming out in heated protest against the sudden movement.

"Ow" he said, still smiling.

Welcome back to the real world

Maki shook his head slightly.

"You still there?"

As always

A few moments passed while Maki recalled the... conversation that he'd had with a voice claiming to be Leviathan, of all things.

"Leviathan, huh?"

Indeed, and if you don't mind?

"Mind?"

It's just that, I'd rather you didn't say my name out loud just yet

"You have something to hide? Anyway, I wouldn't bother, people are used to me talking to myself by now" said Maki smiling again.

You've never been talking to yourself. Only me

"Makes sense"

Already?

"I guess so" replied Maki.

---

As the days passed Maki's dressings were changed regularly and his wounds quickly healed. He had spent much time conversing with Leviathan, but not outwardly as Leviathan had advised against.

Soon Maki was back to full health and discharged from the infirmary. He was strolling around the Garden for the first time in almost six days.

I'm sorry, Maki

For what?

For being a burden all these years

A burden? But I never knew it was you in the first place. I just always assumed I was a little more... aware than most people

Aware?

Yeah, I mean, introspective, y'know?

Of course, it'd have nothing to do with the fact that you've never really had a true friend...

Maki's temper started to rise at the mention of his social ineptitude.

That was harsh of me

You think?

Leviathan stayed silent for most of the day after that, right until Maki was about to turn in for the night. He was just beginning to wonder where his roommate had gotten to, when Leviathan spoke up again.

I need to ask you something... do you want my power?

Maki thought for a second.

"Why?"

Well, for all of the obvious advantages, of course

"No"

But-

"Good night, old friend"

Maki!

The voice sounded like a great bronze bell in his head and Maki reeled.

I need you as much as you need me. If you do as I ask you will make both of us much happier in the end, and we will become great

"Great?"

Of course! That's what you want... isn't it?

"First, before any of that, I want some answers. I want to know how, I want to know why and I want to know when. If your answers are good enough for me, then I'll do whatever you ask, so long as I am capable"

You're more than capable, my old friend

"Then you agree?"

...

"Leviathan?"

Yes

[Doaj]

"I asked you to come here for another reason." Raydune said. Suddenly, he felt a twinge of depression. 'Depression?' Griever thought. 'It must be...' But then, Griever was absent for the time. Raydune ignored it. "I need you to go on a mission for me. Now," he said before Thomas could ask, "I know this isn't protocol, I know this isn't how missions are handled- but this is for me. I see something in you, Thomas." And Raydune looked at him with an almost knowing smile. "I need you to agree to this before I tell you what it is- I can promise you it isn't anything you wouldn't feel comfortable doing. It is, however, something that needs to stay between you and I."

Raydune looked Thomas in the eyes- and Raydune saw the Guardians within. 'He isn't one of mine,' he thought. 'I didn't know it was possible.' Raydune looked at him like an equal. "I feel like I can trust you," Raydune told Thomas. "Can I?"

[Aleister Black]

Thomas was rather taken aback by the sudden offer. He didn't know what he had expected, but among all the things he had imagined the instructor would want to talk about, he had thought of nothing like this. Despite his misgivings, he was intrigued by the idea. His demotion to rank 10 last month had made him more bitter about the Garden's authorities; and he hadn't thought much of them to begin with!

Tonberry King wasn't as easily persuaded. I should watch out if I were you, he warned. He speaks of trust, but he feels... Tonberry paused. ...wrong. I cannot explain it. Something is wrong.Thomas looked at the man, but couldn't discover anything out of the ordinary; he was just an instructor. An instructor with a mission. Thomas almost grinned despite himself. For over a month, he had been kept from missions because of his rank and demotion restrictions; instead being sent to stupid post-graduation classes that taught him nothing useful. He was starting to grow tired of the inside of this Garden, and this seemed like the perfect way to get out for a while.

Are you sure, Thomas? Tonberry asked. We don't know what kind of mission it is yet. If we say yes, what is it we are agreeing to? Tonberry sounded uncertain. Thomas shivered - the Guardian Force sounded almost scared. Pandemona? he asked. The Guardian Force had been very quiet, uncharacteristically so. What do you think of this? For a time, it stayed silent. Then, a faint breath whispered, Little boy can't make his own decisions? You want to go in cahoots with a fucking underhanded schemer, it's up to you. I'm no fucking agony aunt. And Pandemona went silent again, retreating far back into Thomas' mind, leaving him and Tonberry aghast.

Thomas suddenly realised he had been silent for a second or two too long, even though he'd kept his face devoid of any expression that would give him away. (that had been different in the past; he'd had to learn to keep anger or joy he felt when speaking with his GF from his face lest people think him a lunatic or worse: find out about Tonberry King) Aloud, he said, "Well, you'll understand I'm a bit surprised. I wasn't expecting this." A mission! Be careful, Tonberry said. Thomas reasoned against him, how bad can it be? Even if there will be problems, I have you - and Pandemona. There aren't a lot of people who can pit that kind of strength against anything anymore, not since the last sorceress. Tonberry was silent. Come on! I need this! Fine. I am worried, though. But I'll be here; you will not be alone. Thomas nodded as they reached a decision and said, "I can be trusted, of course. I'm interested." He looked into the instructor's eyes, searching for a clue, any clue that would comfirm Tonberry King's or Pandemona's misgivings, yet finding nothing.

"What sort of mission are we talking about here?" he asked.

[Mellusia]

(OOC: Okay, here's the convo collaboration Dew and I did :3)

"I saw your friend just now. I'm glad she's alright," Lani said, hoping to make Lucy more comfortable.

"Anyways, you don't need to bother with any formal stuff, here," Aiden assured, waving his hand vaguely.

"We just wanted to see how you were doing, and we'd like to ask you a few things as well, if you don't mind," he added, but smiled gently.

Lani looked over to the now empty classroom. "Let's talk in there. It should be much more quiet."

The trio would walk in, shutting the door behind them before sitting down at the desks. Aiden grabbed a chair and brought it over to sit by the desk Lani took a seat at and the two looked to Lucy.

Lucy's emerald eyes swivelled from the girl to the man and back as they took turns speaking to her; she wasn't sure who to respond to first. It did come as a relief that the regular formaility was not really required - it took a load off her shoulders to know that not her every move would be scrutinised on its formality. Some SeeD amused themselves by finding little things wrong with students and their conduct, she was only glad these two weren't of that sort. The young man's calm manner made her feel less anxious to be speaking to them, too.

She smiled widely at the girl. "Yeah, she's all better now." Her face grew more thoughtful. "I still feel guilty. I think it was me, but I don't remember doing anything." She looked up at the two again and said, "But she said that whatever it was, she knows I didn't do it on purpose."

She followed the two SeeDs into the classroom after a merry "of course!" and found that they had just stepped into a magic theory class. On the whiteboard were several scribbled sentences, all ended by an overdose of exclamation marks. A small patch of soot on one of the tables showed that one of the students hadn't taken the safety regulations written on the whiteboard seriously enough. "I'm doing fine," she assured them as she found herself a seat and sat down on the edge of it. The door shut, and the roar of excited students outside immediately decreased to a mere buzz in the background.

"Well, sometimes I still have bad dreams about the attack..." stupid, stupid! You're not a baby! "... but not so often, and I think it's getting less." she added quickly to try and make it seem less girlish. "It's nothing, really."

"How odd...I don't think she knows that Cactuar is within her," Shiva remarked to Lani. The female SeeD blinked in surprise outwardly, but otherwise kept listening to Lucy's words.

"How can that be? Is Cactuar hiding it's presence from her?" Lani speculated to the ice goddess.

"I don't know, kitten. Perhaps you should offer the possibility?" Shiva suggested.

Lani pursed her lips for a minute before coming up with a feasible explanation to the girl.

"Lucy, let me ask you something. Have you noticed that neither Aiden or I are using the emulation devices to use magic spells?"

Aiden had been more or less a silent witness, figuring his presence was more to utilize his charisma into calming the blonde girl, but hearing Lani's question made his own eyebrow raise.

"Ah, I see...The girl probably isn't aware of that little escape artist is within her," Ifrit mused to his host.

Lani's blue eyes flicked over to Aiden, hoping the older SeeD would catch onto what she was trying to explain.

"The Guardian Force Emulation device is what it is - it mimicks the ability to store, cast and junction majic spells to yourself, an ability GFs naturally have, although it's still a man-made device that can't utilize magic a hundred percent like GFs can," Lani explained.

"Although they're rare, both Aiden and I have GFs within us." Lani stated.

She pressed a finger onto the desk and slowly light ice frosting appeared, spidering out a few inches before she removed her finger.

"Shiva is the one with me," Lani said, a fond smile on her face as she lightly traced the beautiful ice that never seemed to lose it's appeal to the young woman.

"And good ol' Ifrit is harassing me on a daily basis," Aiden chimed in, waving a hand quickly over the light ice, sudden heat appearing in the air around the desk, and melting the ice and evaportating the little water residue.

"Well to get to the point, we have it on good authority to believe that you have a GF in you as well. Ifrit like's to call them an escape artist, but judging by the attack on your friend - that we know was an accident - we think you have Cactuar in you," Aiden finally homed in on.

"I don't know why you have know idea about this, but you must feel it Lucy, right? The presence of something within you?" Lani asked gently to the younger girl.

Lucy watched with growing surprise and anxiety as the two unveiled their links to the Guardian Forces. Frankly, she didn't know what to say, but somehow she could feel the conversation being pointed towards a certain direction, and she was starting to get really nervous. As the two SeeDs came closer and closer to what they really wanted to say, Lucy's heart started pounding as if she'd just run a race, even though she had no idea why it would affect her that much. The air in the classroom suddenly felt stuffy and hot, making it hard to breathe. I have to get out of here, she thought - when suddenly she realised that the thought wasn't completely her own. Another wave of anxiety hit her as she tried to grope after the errant thought, not sure whether she was going mad.

Then the SeeDs dropped the bomb. Lucy was reeling with the sudden revelation, and all she could think was fresh air! Out! Out! Her legs twitched as if they wanted to stand up and run away without her, but she held on tightly to the chair and by sheer effort of will, she forced her legs into stillness again. It wasn't her. She breathed heavily as she tried to suppress the overwhelming urge to run away from this classroom, these two SeeDs, and instead to try and talk as normally as was possible considering the circumstances. She managed a timid, "But how?"

She desperately looked at Lani and Aiden, trying to find a joke in their eyes. "But I've never even seen a Cactuar! Let alone a Cactuar Guardian Force!" She knew it was true; it explained so many things. Her frightfulness was reminiscent of the cactuars' shy and skittish behaviour, and the errant attack last month made this a 100% certainty. "I... I just don't understand!" she cried out. How much of her life had been Cactuar? She felt her temperature rise and her skin felt prickly. A sudden fear gripped her. NO! she shouted inwardly and immediately she felt something back off, something she hadn't felt as a seperate entity ever before, yet it felt somehow familiar.

Then she thought a thought that she was sure was most definitely her own. Why couldn't I have had a cool Guardian Force like Shiva?

A faint voice simply replied, run.

Aiden and Lani quickly exchanged looks. Lucy's reaction hadn't been what they had expected.

"Well this isn't going well," Aiden thought. All they had wanted to do was find out where the girl had gotten her own GF, but that she had no clue about it wasn't really a conclusion Aiden fully planned on, even when Ifrit had offered the possibility.

"Lucy, it's okay if you didn't know anything. That's not a bad thing," Lani said, resting her hands on the slightly trembling shoulders. The SeeD had remembered calming the girl similarly a month ago with the attack, and hoped it would have a similar effect here.

"Perhaps we should try to speak to Cactuar themself," Shiva said.

Lani felt a slight chill along her body at Shiva's presence suddenly flowing from beyond her mind.

"What do you have in mind?" the blue-eyed girl asked, still lightly rubbing Lucy's shoulders.

"Cactuar might be more upfront if they talked to someone of their kind," Shiva explained.

"Alright...but no funny stuff," Lani thought back, somehow managing to convey a pouty emotion to the goddess.

Silvery laughter echoed in Lani's mind before the presence seemed to have layered over the SeeD's body.

"Lucy, I don't want you to be worried about what you're going to see, but Shiva wants to chat with Cactuar," Lani managed before her eyes shut.

A few seconds passed and slowly the SeeD's breaths became more and more visible. Lani's eyes finally flickered open, however the once lovely blue eyes had changed to a silvery cold orbs. However the smile now present on the face was somewhat coy and whimsical and took away the sting the eyes would have inflicted.

"Tch, tch, tch...Shame on you, Cactuar. Making such a lovely girl so upset," Shiva crooned, sliding Lani's hands that had rested on the girl's shoulder to curl around Lucy's shoulders.

"I said no funny stuff," Lani thought peevishly, making the goddess chuckle outwardly.

"Child, you need not fear the unknown. However, there's far too many mysteries that have no answers. Maybe Cactuar could shed some light on things with telling us how you two became one," Shiva said gently, twining Lani's fingers through the small hair on the base of Lucy's neck, gently pressing Lani's fingers against the back of Lucy's neck in a gentle motion.

Aiden could feel Ifrit's own presence within him stir and become somewhat restless. The blond SeeD would deduce the beast wanted to follow suit, but also the goddess' presence made Ifrit excited.

"..." Ifrit was silent, but his plea couldn't have been more obvious.

"...Oh, fine. Geez...Although I guess two on one might be better," Aiden tried to rationalize, although he was more bemused by Ifrit's behaviour.

It was almost...cute.

Heat flowed through Aiden, and his eyes shut before a yellow-gold sheen covered his orbs, heat radiating out of his body.

Shiva noticed the change immediately, looking at Ifrit from the corner of Lani's eye, but focused on trying to calm the girl within her grasp.

Although the goddess mused if Cactuar's host might be feeling wary with Shiva's overly personal and provocative gestures.

"Well, let's see how much further I can push this," she thought, making Lani snort in thought.

Shiva suddenly curled Lani's arm around the cadet's waist, a hand sliding against the back of Lucy's head and bringing it close to her shoulder.

"Now, now, Cactuar, won't you come out for me?" Shiva asked, murmuring into the girl's ear.

For a while now, Lucy had felt something building up inside of her, as if a part of her was bracing for a confrontation that seemed increasingly inevitable. The air in the classroom still felt hot and stuffy to her, but she wasn't sure whether that caused her dizziness or if it were simply herself. She closed her eyes, but it only seemed to make the sense of weightlessness worse. Lani's voice seemed to come from two different directions, as if a sound was played slightly out of sync.

And then, Shiva had spoken to her, gently but insistently. Lucy, who had gradually relaxed under Lani's hands, tensed up again. She wanted to resist the Guardian Force, somehow escape her or force her away. Yet the more she wanted to resist the crooning voice, the more she felt drawn into it. The more she wanted to just surrender to it and embrace the woman in front of her. And the more she felt as if she were splitting into two. She desperately grasped after herself, trying to keep hold of whatever it was that was abandoning her. A sudden fear gripped her; if she lost this, would she entirely fall apart?

No matter how much she struggled to hold on to herself, the more she became alien to herself. What had seemed like part of her very own soul, suddenly felt alien to her mind, alien yet familiar. She opened her eyes and looked desperately at Lani for help, but then she realised the silver orbs were Shiva's, not Lani's. She blinked, and before she blinked again, her eyes looked a little bit greener. She wordlessly cried for help, but no sound crossed her lips. She tried to move, but couldn't.

Lucy's eyes were a dark green, with diluted spots of black spiralling like ink in a glass of water. Her mouth opened but no words came out. Instead, as she felt Shiva's presence, he connected to it.

A desert as far as the eye could see. The image blurs. More desert. Run! The thought sounds exhilarated. Many small people come and go, as if in a flash. One memory is more clear. A young man with brown hair and a scar across his face. The image disappears quickly and is replaced by whiteness.

Lucy gasped. The images disappeared. She blinked her eyes, thinking it all over, but as she heaved a breath, it started again.

People in white. No escape. Stuck. No run. A little girl on a table. Hazy. Green eyes. Whiteness again. then; a chance! RUN! goes the thought again. It sounds desperate now, eager to to anything to escape its prison. There is only one way to go. It hides. Behind those green eyes, it hides and buries itself, digging deeper and deeper to escape the prying eyes of the white people. Deeper and deeper it dug...

... until he was no longer Cactuar, and she was no longer Lucy.

A tear went down Lucy's cheek. She had felt it all as vividly as he had so long ago. How could she not? He was as much part of her now as she was herself. A thought suddenly occurred to her, and before she could stop herself, she spoke it aloud.

"I can't," she gasped in answer to Shiva's last question, slowly realising where the thought had come from.

"You feel." She breathed. "Memories. Flee." She tried to make sense of the jumbled emotions not her own that Cactuar was trying to put into words. Slowly, she willed herself to reach out to the frightful Guardian Force. The GF seemed unable to form complete sentences, instead hurtling thoughts and memories and emotions where she could feel them. Reaching out and helping the skitterish creature was like teaching herself to think in words; she didn't know where to start. However, slowly she managed to regain a tenuous connection with the Guardian Force, gently touching it at the hand and freely accepting the thoughts it sent to her.

"I- He fled." Lucy cocked her head, as if trying to hear something in the distance. Her eyes weren't completely back to normal again, but they weren't as outlandish as they had been before. "Into me. I-I can't make sense of all of it. There was something he calls the 'white people'." She leaned her head against Lani's shoulder, forgetting her place as a cadet and fully accepting the sympathy and acceptance of the woman in front of her. "I never knew! I never knew which thoughts were mine and which were his!" I don't even know who I am anymore. A confused touch from Cactuar. He felt her emotions but could not interpret them now. Awkwardly, it sent thoughts of comfort to her. A wide open desert. A bright sun.

Its awkwardness was actually kind of sweet, in a way. Smiling through her tears, she reached out to the Guardian Force in her mind, finding an entity that was familiar yet strange to her. She looked up into the female SeeD's eyes. "It's strange to be... well, not one person anymore."

Ifrit found himself resisting the urge to scowl, seeing Shiva so freely offer her affections to others, but wouldn't even talk to the fire GF.

However even the beast could put aside his own feelings and focus more on the issue at hand. The girl's mood kept shifting between daze and stress, and while Shiva was managing to draw out Cactuar, even the goddess couldn't completely subdue the girl or the GF.

Standing up, Ifrit moved Aiden's body to stand behind the embraced girl, resting a hand on her back. In truth, comforting and consoling others wasn't something Ifrit could claim was his speciality, but hoped his presence could be seen more as support.

"D'awww. You're getting more and more cute each day, buddy," Aiden teased to the beast, making Ifrit roll his yellow eyes outwardly.

Shiva looked up to see Ifrit, their eyes meet briefly before the goddess shut her eyes, not yet ready to face Ifrit after their last meeting the month before.

Suddenly flashes began to appear. Ifrit's sudden inhalation indicated the beast could seen them as well.

A few made sense. The desert was where Cactuar had resided. Shiva was amused at the utter joy Cactuar had felt with running wild and free.

"Whoa, this looks amazing," Lani commented with awe in her voice.

"Kitten, you can see this?" Shiva said with surprise, but then realized it wasn't so farfetched given their own connection.

"Whoa, the sun really shined bright where that Cactuar came from, eh?" Aiden commented himself, with Ifrit humming in agreement.

The scene changed and from Cactuar's view point, small looking people were staring up at it with weapons drawn out.

"Are those SeeDs?" Aiden asked. They seemed to be wearing civilian outfits, but the weapons and stances told the blond that they had been trained in some form of professional combat.

"Yes, they were definitely an interesting bunch," Ifrit mused, surprising Aiden. Ifrit knew them?

Shiva felt her heart pound a little when she recognized the individuals. But when a particular visage appeared, Shiva was overcome with emotion.

"Oh, my precious cub..." Shiva thought, recognizing the beautiful man that the goddess had fought along side with for years.

"Shiva, what do you mean your 'precious cub'?" Lani asked, confused at the endearment the goddess had used. Not to mention the strange familiarity Lani herself felt, although maybe it was Shiva's emotions bleeding into her own.

Panicked, the goddess suddenly realized her mistake. The last decade she had spent hiding the truth from Lani about her true origins, but the effort could become undone in a matter of seconds.

"That's..." Shiva started, not sure what to say, but before Lani could further question the goddess, more visions flashed by.

"Huh, what...Those look like lab coats," Aiden said, seeing people wearing white coats

"Is that Lucy?" Lani thought, see a small blond girl on the table.

More flashes went by before all parties came back to the real world.

"Whoa...I think that's the weirdest thing I've been through yet," Aiden commented wrily.

Lucy began speaking then, but both Ifrit and Shiva could feel a resonance from Cactuar's presence.

The girl tearfully spoke out, burying her face into Lani's neck, and Shiva comforted the young cadet accordingly.

Ifrit retreated back into Aiden's mind, and gave control back to the younger man. Aiden seemed better suited to console the girl more than Ifrit, and beast found his jealously surging far too easily.

Aiden shook his head a little bit to reaffirm he was in control of his body again before speaking.

"Well, it kind of weird hearing someone else chatting in your head, but you get used to it. I mean, at least we're never alone, eh?" Aiden said, winking at the cadet.

"Just hope Cactuar isn't a pervert like Shiva," Lani said with a mock scoff, also back in control of her own body.

"That kind of sounds hot-er, cold...Uh, cool?" Aiden said, tilting his head.

[Aleister Black]

"Oh, I'm sure he isn't," Lucy said, feeling only slightly awkward at how Lani called her own Guardian Force. "I think he couldn't even tell what 'perverted' is," she continued, mentally hitting herself for rambling on about it. Cactuar did not understand her feelings, but understood nothing significant was wrong. She did feel his presence brush against hers but only briefly.

It still troubled Lucy to think that she had spent so much of her life being not just herself, but also partly a Guardian Force. It did not help that Cactuar did not speak, as such. The SeeDs' GFs seemed to be able to speak in a very human way, but Cactuar did not do any such thing. That he had remained undetected by even herself for so long was largely due to the fact that the GF spoke in emotions and memories. They had been so very nearly seamlessly fused that she had not been able to tell that some thoughts and emotions had not been hers.

Now that their minds were more or less apart again (even though she doubted their connection could ever be completely severed) she felt oddly different; empty, but more herself than she ever had. Her mind felt raw and tender from the recent split. Cactuar's presence in the back of her mind was comforting, although the constant awareness would take some getting used to. She tried to communicate with the Guardian Force that had so long been a part of her. How do you feel? she asked. Confusion. Understanding. A moment of doubt. Warmth. There were no words, no clear thoughts she could pick up. She accepted it as his answer and tried to convey a like message to him. Happiness. She smiled.

"Cactuar isn't much of a talker," she said. I probably more than make up for him, though, she added in thought. "But he likes it the way it is now, too. Maybe he even likes it better."

[Doaj]

"That's great news." Raydune almost shouted. Griever was noticably alarmed. Raydune grinned a pearly-white smile at Thomas. "Honest, I'm so glad to hear that- I knew I could trust ya. I don't know what it was," And Raydune spoke slowly now, but still loudly, "But there is some kind of monster in you that I know thrives for adventure." Griever even laughed at this. 'Why do you mock the boy? Stop playing games and get on with it. I'm dying of anticipation here, YOU FUCK.'

'Oh,' Raydune thought toward him. 'I'll bet you are.' Raydune turned his attention to Thomas quickly, before he could suspect other conversation. "Now let's get down to brass tacks. If you've ever been to Galbadia, then you must have heard about the legends Sacred and Minotaur?" Raydune didn't wait for a response. Griever wouldn't let him. He wanted the boy on his way as soon as possible- everything had to be perfect, and idling too long might give way to suspicion- more so than he already must expect. 'Get him the fuck out of here!' Was all that Griever would think, and Raydune could hardly keep his talking straight at this point. "Great!" He shouted. "Bring them on back. Garden's gotta get their GFs someway right?" Raydune winked at him, and hurriedly turned Thomas around, and aimed toward the door.

"Go get 'em, Tiger!" 'Tear 'em up!' Griever thought encouragingly, a bit disappointed that Thomas couldn't hear him. Raydune gave Thomas a small shove out the door, almost condescendingly, and closed it behind him. 'He's gone now. Give me my thoughts back.' Raydune thought. 'They're all yours.' Griever thought back.

Raydune walked back to the chair he was sitting in before Thomas showed up and sat down. He turned and stared at the door, wondering if Thomas were still on the other side. Had he wandered off into the masses, or was he confused, forming an opinion about one of the most eccentric people he probably knew. "pfft,' Griever thought. 'Don't be so cocky. Bontane was more eccentric than you, and they got along great. In all likelihood, you aren't crazy enough.'

"Just you wait until we're whole." Raydune said. 'You said that one outloud.' Griever sneered. Raydune swore.

-----

Layala had needed space. Her first experience in a Garden outside of White Ship wasn't exactly a pleasant one. On top of that, Pandemona was there- although Alexander wasn't sure where. As time passed, he grew more doubtful. 'It could have just been a presence of that room. Maybe it had been there the whole time.'

"I shouldn't have brought us here." Layala said. "And my brother died. Do you think he did this to him because I showed up?"

'Don't blame yourself. And no, I really don't. I think,' Alexander paused, and Layala could feel the mixture of emotions as he tried to find the right words- fear, hesitation, sympathy. 'I think he did it to protect you from him. He must have known you were alive, must have known that all of those people died because of him. Knew that less people would die without him.'

"Then we have to kill Pandemona." Layala said, and she felt it so strongly that Alexander couldn't argue. He couldn't even disagree. He knew it too. Pandemona had to die.

Layala had needed space. Her first experience in a Garden outside of White Ship wasn't exactly a pleasant one. Pandemona was at Centra Garden, and Pandemona had killed her brother last month. Since then she'd been living rogueishly. She was in the savannah of the Centra continent, constantly staying just out of range of the Garden. She'd found a small village- people who'd set up lives nearby since the Garden wasn't mobile. People who knew those at the Garden, or tried to bank on a business opportunity. One day it would be a city, but for now it was her home. She sat on a cot in small hut. Her head was in her hands while she spoke to Alexander. The people she'd met left her alone because they thought she was crazy. She'd go to the Garden, and she's find Pandemona. 'He is a warrior.' Alexander told her.

"Then I will learn to fight." Layala said. She slept afterward, although it was a painful sleep and she woke up all throughout the night. In the morning she started walking toward Centra Garden. A local offered her a ride on his motorcycle, since he was headed there too, but she said she'd rather walk.

"It's still more than fifteen miles to get there, though." He said.

"Alexander," Layala said, ignoring him. "Is he still here?" The man looked at her confused.

"You don't have to pretend to be crazy. I was just trying to be helpful."

"I needed help a long time ago. You're years late. Fuck off." The man shook his head and scoffed. He donned his motorcycle helmet again, revved up, and took off.

'It probably isn't necessary to walk.' Alexander said.

"I want time to think." Layala responded resolutely.

'What have you been doing all month?' He said rhetorically.

[Aleister Black]

And so, Thomas ended up outside of Raydune's office, still reeling with how fast everything had suddenly gone. In less than a minute, he had been given a clandestine mission and nearly shoved out of the door by the overly enthusiastic instructor.

Thomas and Tonberry had near frozen when the instructor had seemed to allude to a monster inside of him. Even as Thomas dismissed the remark as mere coincidence, Tonberry was less certain. There was still something about the man he suspected was wrong, but the Guardian Force could still not quite put his finger on it. Let it go, Thomas urged his old friend. He's odd, I'll grant you that. But he can impossibly know of you. We've been too careful. We are safe. I wish I could share your certainty, Tonberry replied resignedly.

So, Thomas thought, walking down the corridor to the main hall. Catch a GF, eh? Shouldn't be too hard. Don't think you're all that, boy. You hardly caught Tonberry, I can guess that much. And I was weakened; Bontane's feebleness was fucking contagious. So why are you afraid of instructor Raydune, Pandemona? Thomas asked with grin on his face, changing the subject. Pandemona seemed indignant. Scared? Don't be retarded, kid. I can't fucking have some time to myself without being called a coward? Pandemona's rising temper rose like the wind. Don't expect me to think all your field trips and meetings with instructors are interesting. I'm a Guardian Force, I don't need to care about trivial assignments.

Thomas just shook his head and continued on to his room. He would have to pack before leaving. Of course he had heard of Sacred and Minotaur. Apparently the duo resided in some old ruins on the Galbadian plains. At least, that's the only thing anyone knew about them. If they weren't there, at least it would be a good place to start looking. He would need to take either ship or an airship to get on the Galbadian mainland. Train tracks were being constructed and had been under construction for some time, but people could not decide whether to dig a tunnel or make a bridge, or to make a crossroads at Fisherman's Horizon (a pang of homesickness hit Thomas even now, so long after he had left there). The latest he had heard, the option of making a train crossroads at FH seemed to have the upper hand.

He had quickly packed some of his essential things, which wasn't much at all. He often wore his regular clothing inside the Garden, so he didn't need to change now. However, he did bring some new clothes just to be sure. Just as he started wondering how he would pay for the trip, his monitor flashed on and showed a message that had just arrived. It hadn't been signed, but Thomas could guess who it was from. It said that he could hitch a ride on one of the old beach landing seacraft that were now being used for training. From there, he could use a digital train ticket to travel from Timber to Deling City. But the thing that really put a smile on Thomas' face was the message that his expenses could be paid with his SeeD card; they would simply be deducted from a general account for the time being. It almost looks like a legal mission, Tonberry broke the spell. It can't be that bad, can it? Thomas thought. SeeD students used to be tasked with finding GFs all the time. Raydune's mission makes sense; we need GFs, it's one of the things that sets the Gardens apart. Now that there's all this unrest going on, it's only logical that Centra Gardens wants a new GF. In fact, he continued thinking, I wouldn't be surprised that this mission is secret because they just don't want other Gardens to know. I don't know, Tonberry said, sounding uncertain. A sudden breath cut through the two of them. Are you going to stand there bickering all day? You're just like a married couple! The sport for me is deciding who of you two is the bitch. The Guardian Force laughed at their shocked reaction, then continued, get a move on! You wanted to get out, right? What are you waiting for, then? Are you scared of the big bad outside? Shut up, Thomas and Tonberry replied in unison (as they had done quite a few times lately) and slung his bag over his shoulder and went down to the Garden exit.


---

They would need to travel to the docks first, which was only a few hours' walking distance. There, he would get on the now rather old beach landing vehicles that were still being used in training missions. He considered taking a car but the weather was nice and besides, he still had some time before he'd have to be there; after all, the seacraft would only leave tonight.

The roads were empty. So far, Thomas had only seen a single motorbike rider pass him in the opposite direction. He breathed deeply. Good, clean air, Pandemona commented. "It's nice to be outside," Thomas said in a half-response. Yes, it certainly is, Pandemona replied cryptically.

[Mellusia]

"Well ladies, I say we grab some grub," Aiden said with a grin.

Lani nodded. There was little more to be done here now. They had come to confront Lucy about her GF, and while the young teen hadn't offered any solid insight to the process, the vague images were something they could focus on. Not to mention helping Lucy connect with Cactuar. Hardly an unrewarding experience.

And she was getting hungry.

Thinking on Lucy's wordings about Cactuar not being able to convery 'that' kind of emotion, Lani snorted.

"I guess it makes sense Cactuar wouldn't be a perv like you," Lani said within her mind.

However, Shiva didn't respond. Somewhat perplexed by the lacking response, Lani just dismissed it. The goddess had sometimes been lost in thought (Shiva lost in thought, within Lani's mind - such a conundrum), but the orrcurance rarely happened.

Shiva on her part was still trying to still her heart (per se) from seeing Squall again, even as blurred memories from someone else's point of view. The goddess was angry at herself for getting worked up so easily. At this rate, Lani would unravel the veil of mystery surrounding her past that Shiva had spun.

"I hope they have skewers," Lani admitted wistfully, imagining some tender meat to sink her teeth into...

If Anita had been in earshot, she'd make a crack at the brunet's carnivorous preference.

Aiden could feel Ifrit share a similar sentiment, the fire beast some how yearning for meat as well, despite it not being able to actually eat anything.

"Hey Ifrit, how long ago was it before you became a GF?" Aiden asked

"Honestly, I can't remember. Centuries at least. I don't even remember how I became this spirited creature and not man I was before," the beast said.

"So you were a real human male?" Aiden asked, finding himself interested. Did this mean GFs were reincarnations of past lives? Had Ifrit simply never died?

"...I...don't think so. Maybe...But that doesn't seem right..." Ifrit's frustration was easily felt, and Aiden immediately sent soothing thoughts to the beast.

"D'awww, it's okay if you don't know, buddy," Aiden said with a teasing edge, but his genuine feelings for Ifrit bled through.

"I think you're becoming more 'cute' yourself, boy," the beast said, making Aiden chuckle quietly to himself, although he was sure the two others in the room would understand the tall blond's behaviour.

"Oh, hey, that reminds me, although you probably aren't absent-minded like Lani - hey, ow! - be careful not to talk out loud to Cactuar. Might get you some weird looks," Aiden said to Lucy, rubbing his arm where the female SeeD had smacked him.

"C'mon," Lani said with a huff, leading Lucy out of the classroom, Aiden falling behind - although he happily curled his arms around both women's shoulders as the walked to the cafeteria. Lani surprisingly didn't bat the arm off, knowing the obnoxious man would merely curl the arm around her waist more intimately - something she knew deep down she wouldn't entirely hate.

***

The morning had been wonderful, but after Ellone had gone to her office, Alaster had been left alone to think more seriously about the current situation in their shared suite.

Looking over at the schedule on a laptop, already feeling weary at the consecutive amounts of meeting that had yet to take place, the headmaster pinpointed the one for the day, and looked at the agenda for it specifically.

Some representative from Deling City would be coming by, most likely defending Galbadia Garden's reputation, along with other cities that still held a grudge towards Galbaida, like Dollet and Timber. And Alaster would have to recount what he'd been told by Akira. At which point, Deling reps might then point out they had no affiliation or knowledge of Galbadia Garden's supposed plans for world domination. It was so predictable, it made Alaster snort.

"Damn it...I just don't understand why these things were even being planned," Alaster said out loud, frustrated.

"It could be as simple as power, or maybe there's something we're missing here," Diablos offered to the man

Alaster sighed, glancing over at a decorative mirror. The past month he'd seen an increase in gray hairs, and wouldn't be surprised if by the end of all this he'd be gray all over.

Glancing through the agenda, he noticed an asterisk, indicating some footnote to be read.

"Hmmm...Looks like some Esthar cadets will be sitting in to watch all the action," Alaster mused.

"Make sure you don't get too emotional infront of the children," Diablos commented, making Alaster laugh.

[Aleister Black]

As soon as Aiden suggested to go get something to eat, Lucy suddenly felt how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten before class since she'd had to hurry so much, and now the added mental exertion she'd been through had really awakened her appetite. She nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes please!" she said, noticing her belly rumbling.

At the SeeD's warning, she simply nodded. "I think that will be easier because he doesn't really 'speak' to me with words." She smiled and said, "but that doesn't guarantee I won't sometimes talk to him anyway. I'll just need to make sure no one's watching..." As they walked out of the classroom, she suddenly felt Aiden's arm on her shoulder. She almost ducked away from under it, but as she saw his arm around Lani's shoulder as well, she left it there. After all, it had been Cactuar who had been so frightful, not her... right?

And even though she didn't like Aiden that way, the weight and warmth of his arm was comforting to her. And she was sure some of the girls would look at her jealously even for being near him. She kind of anticipated the attention, but didn't know whether she was anxious or actually looking forward to it. She'd never felt that way before. You do realise, she said to Cactuar, that you made things quite difficult for me sometimes? Guilt. Warmth. Don't worry about it. Happy.

[Doaj]

Layala was in the midst of telling Alexander that it wasn't Samuel L. Fishburn in the movie he was thinking of, and it was in fact, Laurence Jackson. 'No,' he said, 'because he's known for changing his hair in all of his movies.'

“Yah, I know he is, but you got his name wrong, stupid.” Layala shouted at him. She was still en route to Centra Garden, and now she felt awkward. She hadn't noticed him until he'd spoken up.

“Who are you talking to? There's not a soul for miles around.” Layala froze. She couldn't say that she was talking to a GF infused into her body. She opted for a simpler answer.

“My mother,” She said, and though she didn't mean for it to, it was a bitter and resentful statement. “She listens to everything I say. She always has time for me.” Layala could see the uncomfortable expression on Thomas' face. 'I can't believe I remembered his name.' She thought. 'I doubt it's that hard. Who else do you know?'

“I know plenty of pe-” She paused. Thomas looked back over at her.

“Did something happen to your mother?” He asked, ignoring her outburst. Layala couldn't help but feel like he was being sincere. Alexander was silent, but his presence was strong. This is how he acted when he was nervous, or anticipating something- usually something big. She'd ask him about it when it wouldn't be embarrassing, and Layala knew he was listening to her questioning him. It angered her that he remained silent regardless.

“No. I left her in Timber a few years ago to see the world, and it helps me to think that she can always hear me when I talk to her.”

“You called her stupid?”

Layala's face contorted a bit, and then finally, 'He knows something you don't, Layala.' She made an effort not to say it out loud. 'Oh, I thought you went to the store. When did you get back?'

'I am serious!' Alexander said, raising his internal voice to a violent proportion. 'He has a GF, just like you and I!'

'And you just figured this out?' Alexander was silent, but it seemed more like he was trying to calm down. 'Why are you so afraid of this boy?'

'Because he isn't just a boy.' Alexander thought.

“That's complicated. Anyway, where are you going?” Layala smiled as best she could, it being an activity she doesn't partake of often. The hesitant look on Thomas' face said he was lying, but Layala wasn't sure why he would anyway.

“I'm on leave with pay right now- figured I'd go to Deling City. Never been there, and I've always wanted to live the night life.” Layala nodded while he explained, and then, before Alexander could protest, she got an idea and said as fast as she could.

“Could I come along?” She even surprised herself asking. She knew she wanted to kill Pandemona, and she knew he was back at Centra Garden. There was some familiarity with Thomas though, and she wanted to be around someone that didn't feel like a stranger. Alexander found it amusing, knowing that Pandemona is there. 'I wouldn't advise that.' He told her. 'You stay out of this, rockhead.'

'But how can you get Pandemona? Don't you want to avenge your mother, your older brother? This is for you.' She mentally retorted, almost missing Thomas' answer. 'If this is for me then I can do it on my own time.'

“I don't see why not.” He answered simply. Layala might have declined, claiming she was simply joking, or maybe she would have been put off by that he so readily accepted, but now that Alexander thought she shouldn't go- she simply had to.

Layala jumped up and clasped her hands together merrily. Even performing such an action felt foreign- it had been so long since she'd been happy, or acted like a normal girl. She wasn't happy to spend time with Thomas- simply to spend time with someone she can see. Someone who doesn't know everything she thinks. Alexander, knowing she felt that way, became sullen and outcasted within her mind. “I'm sorry, Ale-” She paused again. She looked at Thomas, who looked at her almost knowingly. “My Mom's name is Alexa.” She improvised. “I told her I'd go back to Centra, but I changed my mind.”

“I noticed.” Thomas said, and she waited for him to lead the way. 'I'm sorry, Alexander. You know you mean the world to me, and I need you to be myself. Don't get jealous. I just want to get to know someone like me.'

'He isn't like you.'

[Aleister Black]

Tonberry was the first to notice her; he was always attentive to what went on around them. Thomas' heart leapt and sunk at the same time, a feeling he hadn't thought possible until that very moment. Somehow he managed to keep ambling down the road, seemingly enjoying the good weather. The girl seemed to be preoccupied, as if she was in conversation with someone. Thomas had never seen anyone talk to him (or her) self that way. No one, except...

She does have a Guardian Force, then. Yes. Alexander is with her. I've been wondering about that. How did she ever come to be fused to him? That's what I'd like to know... Pandemona chuckled, but said nothing. Just as they were withing talking distance, the girl suddenly exclaimed, "Yah, I know he is, but you got his name wrong, stupid." A grin flashed across Thomas' face before he asked, "Who are you talking to? There's not a soul for miles around." He enjoyed her surprised reaction, the look on her face as she tried to think of a lie. "My mother," she told him, and her voice sounded bitter, almost as if she were accusing him. "She listens to everything I say. She always has time for me."

Pandemona's sudden outburst of laughter nearly made Thomas jump. All the fucking time in the world! he exclaimed between laughs. The bitch is dead. Bontane killed her fifteen years ago! Both Tonberry and Thomas were reeling from the sudden news, but Thomas knew he couldn't let her know what Pandemona had told him. He chose to ignore her random remark; he knew who she was talking to. He would have to pretend he hadn't noticed. Carefully, he feigned puzzled interest as he said, "Did something happen to your mother?"

As she told him her mother was still alive and well in Timber, he remembered her outburst earlier and asked, "You called her stupid?" before he could stop himself. It didn't matter, though. The girl dodged the subject casually, instead asking him where he was going right now. He didn't quite know what to say; he could hardly tell her he was supposed to get a Guardian Force. Don't be silent for too long, or she will suspect! I know! Out loud, he said, "I'm on leave with pay right now- figured I'd go to Deling City. Never been there, and I've always wanted to live the night life." Night life indeed. He was up to some shady business there.

He was rather taken aback by her response. Tonberry immediately said, no. She's a liability. Don't make this more dangerous than it already is! She has a GF! Pandemona simply stated, you'd have to be really stupid to let her tag along. I think I know what you're going to do, though. Hell, even Thomas himself was screaming NO! in his mind, but somehow it came out as, "I don't see why not." Tonberry sighed. You know you're going to regret this. Yes, I do. Pandemona chuckled. Man, you humans go see movies and plays and read books... but this shit is way better! I'm getting my share of Schadenfreude here!

Thomas was surprised at her sudden joyful reaction. He hadn't expected that of her at all. She seemed to forget his presence again before she snapped her mouth shut and made up a hasty excuse. Thomas just looked at her, and couldn't quite make his expression seem oblivious to what was happening. It was going to be hard to pretend he didn't know about her GF.

"You know," he said, as he started walking down the road again, in the direction of the docks, "you never actually told me your name." Kiss, kiss! Shut up.

---

The salty sea breeze smelled familiar. It reminded Thomas of his youth in FH, and for a moment he was lost in those memories before he pulled away and focussed on the present again. The docks were quite newly constructed, the white stone still rough cut, not polished by thousands of footsteps yet. This would change in a few years' time, but for now the docks looked crisp and new. Moored to the docks were a few landing craft, which looked well-maintained but old nonetheless. Scratches and such were visible along the waterline, and small dents covered the doors and front of the vehicle. The paint had been scraped off the bottom of the front. That side had seen many beaches.

"I hope you don't get seasick quickly!" he said to his new companion, and turned to lean down the side door. "Hey, you got room for two more?" A SeeD cadet looked at him confused and said, "Two? I thought there would be just one?"

Thomas flashed the kid a smile and told him that there had been a change of plans. This cadet went back to ask the instructor, and the woman who returned told them that there was room for both of them, as long as they didn't get in the way of the exercise. "Of course not," Thomas reassured her, and gestured to the girl to enter the seacraft. As he watched her, he tried to feel any sort of presence around her, within her. He could feel the Guardian Force, but only slightly. He sought her gaze and looked into her eyes, trying to find some sort of clue. "Hurry up," he mockingly chided her. "You're not going to want to miss this ride."

[Doaj]

"Layala Hestomia." She said plainly. She wondered, saying her last name, if he'd recognize it as Bontane's. She wondered how well he knew her brother. 'He must have known him pretty well to know about that room. Alexander thought. Layala hadn't thought of that. She mentally agreed. Alexander was in a depression, mentally speaking, but Layala was looking ahead. They hadn't walked too far, but she now saw some ships taking ship in the distance.

When she'd traveled to Centra in the first place, she'd simply been dropped off by the White Ship. They rarely have a destination in mind, so staff and SeeDs are free to make suggestions. Hers was taken kindly. While White Ship is impressive- the massive and ancient boat was reminiscent of Noah's Ark- these smaller vessels had their own exhilerating advances.

As they arrived Layala saw that the docks looked crisp and clean, the white marble stone was cut sharply to a pristine stand of grandeur. There were several crafts at the dock, and one in particular looked to be ready to depart. "I hope you don't get seasick quickly." Thomas said to her with a smile. Layala put on a frumpy smile, and he shouted the the cadet loading the vessel. "Hey, you got room for two more?"

"Two?" He said, plainly confused. "I thought there would be just one."

"Change of plans." Thomas declared, and after checking in with an instructor, the cadet set about ushering the two inside.

"Just try not to interfere," he was telling Layala, because she wasn't familiar with SeeD regulations at normal Gardens. Layala peered into the craft, and her first thought was that it looked cramped. The walls were made of a sleek and lightweight metal; and although they looked worn, they looked reliable.

"Of course not." Thomas said, relieving the cadet of his duties to persist. "Hurry up," Thomas said, while Layala thought, 'I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying,/'. She sat down on one of the two opposing benches, and there were two young men sitting opposite her. Layala hoped Thomas would sit next to her so she wasn't stuck next to someone she didn't know. And then reality seemed to hit her: 'I'm boarding a tiny boat with a man whom I don't know and saved me from a magical room. We'll be on this boat for hours with several strangers, and when we get off the boat, I'm tagging along while he's on leave. What the fuck was I thinking?' They were preparing to depart.

'That's what I tried to tell you.' Alexander said bitterly. Layala looked at Thomas. She trusted him. But she wasn't sure what she trusted him with.

[Mellusia]

The trio had arrived to the cafeteria and lined up to make their orders. The cafeteria's food was free for all, and a decent amount of the over-all Garden budget was spent on the residents' nutrition. Chefs and cooks had been invited from all over the world to work for the garden, and Esthar cuisine managed to encompass a very diverse range of foods.

The line-up was unsurprisingly long, but service was quick, and soon enough Lani, Aiden and Lucy would get their trays and start picking out items for their meal.

Lani bit her lip from pouting - there were no skewers left. The person a head of her had grabbed the last pair, and irrationally the brunet glared at their back.

"Those should be mine," she thought peevishly making Shiva laugh.

"Aren't you acting rather spoiled, kitten?" the goddess asked in amusement.

"Tch, whatever," the brunet muttered out loud.

Aiden snorted and looked back over to Lucy, tapping his temple. "See what I mean?"

Lani scowled a bit more before spotting the beef curry and rice. Not what she had wanted, but it would do - for now.

Aiden for his part was happy with his chicken pasta, and when Lucy chose her food the trio would look around for a place to sit.

***

The ride across the Esthar landscape wasn't the smoothest travel Alaster had been through, but looking out the armoured car window, the scenery was still rather nice. Clear blue sky with the rough, weather earth made a rather aesthetic contrast. In the distant, the headmaster could see wild monsters running about.

After Alaster had had his lunch at the palace, he'd left Esthar City in one of the presidential vehicles - a delightful perk the husband of the president managed to enjoy.

"Just another 10 minutes 'til we reach the garden, headmaster," came the driver's voice.

Allaster voiced his thanks, before looking out the window again. Despite the somewhat peaceful surroundings, Alaster knew there was unrest. So many things were happening, for reasons that escaped him, and the man didn't like it one bit.

"Maybe...This is happening because gardens exist?" he pondered. A garden where people trained to fight - what good were these people if they had nothing to fight for?

"I highly doubt gardens are the cause of all the world's problems. In fact, aren't gardens a remedy in most cases?" Diablos offered to the contemplative man.

"Then what about Galbadia? What do you say about that?" Alaster asked earnestly.

"Who says it's the whole garden? Are you sure all those training cadets are aiming for world domination?" the demon asked with a snarky tone.

Alaster's eyebrows burrowed, knowing the truth in Diablos' words, but still yearning for answers to the mysteries that seemed to be unending.

The sound of the car driving on gravel was replaced by the smoother concrete near the garden garage. The car stopped in front of a large gate and Alaster lowered his car window, swiping an access card. The red light next to the card swipe turned green and the gate raised, allowing entry to the garden.

Soon enough the car was inside and Alaster stepped out of the vehicle, giving his thanks to the driver who then drove the car back out and back to the Esthar City. Alaster stretched his body a bit before he left the garage and walked out to the main garden area. Many cadets and SeeDs alike nodded in greetings towards the tall man, which Alaster returned in kind.

Depsite his earlier negativity, he began to feel better. Seeing the future of Esthar in good spirits made the headmaster feel better as well.

"You humans and your mood swings," Diablos said with a mental snort.

"Oh, please. You're not exactly the image of calm and rationality," Alaster said with his own amusement.

Alaster entered the elevator and accessed the 3rd floor before walking into his office and collecting whatever necessary information he would need in the day's meeting. One data disc in particular he handled with care when putting it in his briefcase and soon enough the man was off to the garden hanger.

Esthar prided itself in several advancements it had over the rest of the world, including aerospace technology. Esthar garden was built with a hanger for a few jets.

Unlike the large Ragnarok models from several years ago, the jets were much smaller and only made for people to sit and be transported around the world and wouldn't be able to handle going into space.

There were a few pilots around, doing some basic maintenance on the few jets. One pilot, a woman with black hair cut short, came over to greet him.

"Hello, sir. Are we still on course for Fisherman's Horizon today?" she asked

Alaster nodded. "Yep, just waiting on a few cadets to show up. We won't be leaving until after lunch at least, so you guys can just relax for a while, but I'd like to get settled in now if that's alright," he said with a smile.

The woman nodded in understanding before heading back to the white jet. She opened the side door and pulled out a foldable stair case. Alaster climbed onto the jet, looking around.

There were 2 rows of 6 seats, along wtih a round table with with 4 surrounding seating. Alaster took a seat there, resting his briefcase for the time being on the table before finally letting his head fall back againt the padded seating.

"I wonder what cadets will show up..." he wondered out loud.