Sowing the SeeDs : Part 16 a fanfic by Greenbeans edited by Helen Fong based on the world of Final Fantasy 8 created by Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. It was an open session in the training room. Since handing the reigns over to Xu, Cid hadn't found much reason to make himself known here. But tonight he wished to check up on the state of things. This late in the evening most of the people who were practicing were SeeDs. The Mistress herself was at one end of the room working privately. Cid watched as she settled into her stance and then slowly worked through the motions of the exercise. The sai moved with precise control, never extending further than she intended or rebounding to any degree after a strike. He recognized the kata. It was one he'd drilled into her when she was a cadet. After running through it once she repeated the exercise at an increased pace. With each repetition her speed picked up without much degeneration in her control. That was the improvement time and practice had given her. Xu had always been fast, but now she was fast and could strike within a couple centimeters of her target. Cid was certain that the day would come when that margin of error was shaved to millimeters if not dead on every time. When she was finished, she pulled her sai up and bowed to an imaginary opponent. The Headmaster shook himself free of his reverence and approached her. "Well done," he commended. "Every time I see you, you've made noticeable improvements." "Headmaster," she greeted while brushing a lock of hair away from her sweaty brow. "What brings you here?" "Besides the spectacular show you put on?" He teased his eyes crinkling closed as he grinned with mischief. "I wanted to let you know that the Master who accepted our posting will be arriving tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure you'll want to be there to greet him." "Yes, I want to be there," she agreed. Cid followed Xu as they walked across the mats to her office. The SeeDs that they passed along the way paused in their training to greet their Headmaster. For each of them Cid had words of encouragement and praise. It took true dedication to put in hard work above and beyond what was required. It gladdened him to know that every SeeD possessed that drive and wasn't afraid to use it. "Does the Master have any teaching experience?" Xu asked once they were in her office. She offered the only chair to him, which he refused. This was *her* realm and as such he was the person approaching her. "Yes. He's spent the last year as a weapons instructor at a Guild school. He should fit well within our structure here. I've already made it clear to him that you are the ranking Master, but I don't suspect that should be much of a problem. Guild tradition maintains that whoever's dojo it is; they're the one in charge. "Though, you will also be assisting me. You've got the administrative skills to keep me in line when my mind starts to wander." He scratched the back of his head, abashed at having to admit that. "Sir," Xu began, feeling embarrassed for the Headmaster. Cid waved her off. "Kadowaki's been telling me to stop holding you back. One of us has to have a solid head on their shoulders and I think her money is riding with you currently. Just so long as we remain on course, I'm content to let the ladies of the Garden have free reign." "I'll always stand behind you," Xu assured. "Yes, in the perfect position to catch me when I fall, I'm sure," he chuckled. "I'll send a messenger for you when the new Master arrives. Have yourself a pleasant evening." "Thank you." Xu waved as he showed himself out. She was about to return to her training when one of the Faculty entered her office. There were three of them who focused on weapons training and took their cues from her. After having her share of problems with wanting to speak to one and having a different Faculty member show up she decided to give them all names. It may not suit Shumi to have personal names, but it made keeping track of them a lot easier in her opinion. The one standing before her was Wun. It was the leader of the other two, though they never made such a distinction. Tou and Sree were less intense in her opinion, more personable. They each had distinguishable personalities as Quistis maintained, though they went to great lengths to blend in with each other. "What is it Wun?" It ruffled its robes slightly at her. It preferred the anonymity Xu wouldn't allow it. "What did Headmaster Cid want? It is rare when he ventures down here." "Our new Weapons Master will be arriving tomorrow," Xu replied while walking with it back to the mats. "You'll help him acquaint himself with the Garden quickly, won't you?" "As you wish," it ruffled its robes at her again and retreated. The Shumi were an odd lot at times. Xu got the impression that Wun was suspicious of Cid being up to something nefarious. She idly wondered what gave it that idea before resuming her practice. ***** The young Master who was hired to fill the role as an aide to Xu found his way to Headmaster Cid's office with the assistance of a passing cadet. He'd never been in a Garden before, but was duly impressed by the streams that encircled the parameter of the main structure. When the lift door slid open to admit him to the Headmaster's anteroom, he found himself walking into the middle of a student being reprimanded by someone he assumed to be an oddly dressed administrator. The student's dark chestnut colored hair was pulled back into a ponytail that bobbed as she accepted her verbal lashing. Her arms were held stiffly at her sides. He craned his neck slightly to try to get a better look at her left hand. Was she missing part of her last two fingers? The newcomer continued to watch them with detached fascination as the administrator dug into her for her manner of dress. Admittedly, it wasn't a cadet uniform, but she didn't look bad in the leggings and loose top that she wore. His Guild-trained eye evaluated her build. She looked to have more upper arm strength than most women, and her thighs were built of solid muscle. Undoubtedly she did regular weight training. But what caught and held his attention was the weapon that was strapped to her back in a harness that had numerous pouches. He'd only seen a weapon like it once in his time with the Guild. Estharian soldiers used a weapon like it called a shotaxe. A friend of his Master had one that was confiscated from a captured Estharian soldier during the Sorceress War. A shotaxe was a weapon with a thin, pickaxe like head. Three chambers for explosive rounds were mounted perpendicular to the weapon's shaft, and a firing mechanism was concealed in the handgrip. This particular variant had a head that was on a hinge so that it fit more comfortably in the sling on her back. "You were expected to wear your uniform," the administrator pointed out bitterly. "How dare you come to the Headmaster's office armed?" The cadet shrugged off the reprimand. "You called for me when I was in the Training Center. Unless you want to allow me a half-hour to get cleaned up, you're getting me like this." "You were told to expect our summons. You should have been ready," the administrator persisted. "Fine, next time I'll sit in my room and waste the day until I'm sent for." The administrator ruffled its robes at the young woman's disagreeable manner. "Give me your weapon." She slipped off the sling harness and gave it over. Seeing that the other end of the couch that he sat on wasn't occupied, she plopped herself down and waited. They sat for several minutes while the administrator went about his work. Unable to bear the silence, he attempted conversing with her. "So, you're from Esthar?" She slowly drew her attention from the skylight high above that she'd been examining to glare at him. "No." "Oh..." He mumbled. What a hard case! Well, after being reprimanded in front of a complete stranger, he wouldn't be feeling that friendly either. He should give it another try. "I'm a member of the Weapons Guild, my name's-" "Miss de Ling," the administrator called for her. She rose to her feet and entered the Headmaster's office. His mind froze as her name echoed in his ears. Deling? Was she related to Galbadia's infamous dictator? "Sierra, please, have a seat," Cid motioned to one of the chairs ranged before his desk. "Thank you, sir," she answered politely. She still didn't know what the Headmaster wanted to see her for, though she could make a few guesses. The fact that her last roommate left the Garden in such a huff didn't reflect well on Sierra, or so she was told. Oh sure, she said it was *Sierra's* fault that she did so poorly in her classes, but that was a weak excuse. One had to make their own way in life. Or maybe the Headmaster had caught wind that she's been giving that Seifer punk a lot of shit lately. Not that the little twerp didn't deserve it. He was such an arrogant son of a Buel that she couldn't resist giving him a bit of grief every once in a while. Then again, the Faculty didn't seem too pleased about the last paper she turned in. Personally, when asked to plot a tactical advance, she thought it would be interesting to use her native Trabia as a backdrop. And since there isn't so much as a pile of Snow Lion dung out there worth capturing, the only target worthwhile that she could think of was the Shumi village on Winter Island... "You've been here for a term and already you've made quite an impression on your Instructors," Cid began after giving the papers on his desk a final glance. Crap, what was she going to catch flack for this time...? "Your marks are good, you excel in your combat training," he looked back at the sheet to confirm that what he said was true. "I have an opportunity I would like to extend on behalf of Instructor Xu." That caught Sierra's attention. She wasn't going to be reprimanded, but she wasn't sure if that was a good thing. She'd put a lot of effort into slipping past that Instructor's notice. "The Garden is forming a demonstrations and drill team. As a member you will receive advanced training in weapon and hand-to-hand combat. You will also have the opportunity to tour with your teammates to give demonstrations. This is an extra-curricular activity, not one that you will be forced to take part in, but the membership is being limited to invitation only. We're looking at a dozen members, max. Are you interested?" Interested wasn't the word so much as speechless. This definitely wasn't what she was expecting when she was told yesterday that the Headmaster was going to call her up. "I'm flattered that you would invite me, but I'm going to decline," she said. "Please, don't give me your final answer now. I'd like you to think on it," he gave her a kind smile. Sierra bowed her head. "As you wish, Headmaster." "Very well, I believe we're done then. I apologize for taking you from your training." And another grin creased his eyes shut. Her coming up here in her workout clothes probably confirmed what he saw in her that prompted him to ask in the first place. Sierra left the Headmaster's office and went over to the Faculty member to retrieve her shotaxe. The odd man who came in while she was arguing with the Faculty stood and straightened his tunic in anticipation of his upcoming audience with Cid. The lift was already on its way up to this floor. The doors slid open to disgorge its passenger. Xu gave Sierra a small nod as she moved by her and into the Headmaster's office. Sierra watched Xu's retreating form in a detached manner before entering the lift and pressing the button for the ground level. "Welcome to Balamb Garden," Cid warmly greeted the young man that sat before him. "I'm excited to be here. It's an honor to be joining the staff of such a well-respected institution," he replied. The Faculty poked its head into the room. "Headmaster, SeeD Xu is here to see you." "Please send her in," Cid stood up and straightened his tie. The Master followed suit. Xu glided into the room, snapped her salute, and then froze when she noticed who was standing with Cid. "Aucifer?" Aucifer turned and gave Xu a broad grin. "Miss me?" She crossed her arms, "No." "Good! Then we won't have to waste any time catching up. Show me to the training facilities," he lifted his bag to his shoulder as he continued to grin. Xu relented with a shake of the head. "Honestly, of all the Masters that could have accepted the posting, it had to be you." "Of course," he answered lightly, "but we already agreed not to waste time with chitchat. Let's go!" Xu shot Cid a questioning look. He dismissed the Masters with a wave of his hand. If Aucifer needed anything, he knew where Cid's office was. The SeeD obligingly led Aucifer to the training room while trying to ascertain his reason for being here. "It's boils down to this: I needed a job. Preferably one that could get me away from that wrinkled old mummy Niethe. I'll be happy to demonstrate my skills for you if you question my qualifications for the post. I just wanted out of Galbadia." The plaintive note in his tone caused Xu's demeanor to soften. "That's a sentiment I can agree with." They caught up on the happenings within the Guild while Xu gave him the grand tour of the Garden. Niethe was as difficult as ever and had been giving him an extra dose of grief for good measure. When they parted ways it was with them shaking their fists at each other and him swearing never to return. He already had plans to visit West Hills come the next break. Anya changed her course of study and left Niethe's school. When Xu queried him for more details on what she was doing now, he was reluctant to offer any. All he would say was that she had entered an intensive training course and to not be surprised if she showed up out of the blue some day. There were definitely parts of the Guild that Xu didn't understand. He skillfully changed the subject by asking her what sort of duties he would be taking on. Xu always had Shumi Faculty members to assist in the teaching, but this was part of Cid's greater plan to bring more humans onto the teaching staff. Aucifer was going to be her equal, but also her aide when it came to the weapons training of the Garden's students. She was the one who was ultimately responsible for making sure they were the best, but she wasn't going to step on his toes by insisting that there was only one way to go about it. She looked forward to having a purely Guild trained Master here. It would give the students an added depth that she couldn't provide them on her own. She was surprised that it was him who decided to accept the Garden's offer, but not unpleasantly so. Her desire to smack him upside the head had abated since the last time they were together. It might be in the best interest of the Garden to keep him and Kei separated. If he was able to get on Xu's nerves, Kei would have nothing against dragging him through the Fire Cavern and then giving him a bath in Ifrit's lava pool. Sierra returned to her dorm room and flopped down on the bed. She was moved into a single room at the start of the term. Obviously they didn't want to run the risk of her driving away any more students. She rolled onto her side with her pillow bunched up under her head and studied the maps on the wall that was opposite of the one her bed was against. The wall was covered from floor to ceiling in topographical maps of various parts of the world. They were each carefully placed so that they roughly maintained their geographical relation. Her eyes traced along the map that displayed the Trabia region: her home. It was on days like this that she missed the wintry tundra of the north. Never mind that Balamb was frigging hot, but she didn't seem to fit in well with the people here. Trabia hadn't fit her like a glove either, but at least she didn't stick out like a sore thumb. Dammit, the break couldn't come soon enough for her. She wanted to go climbing so bad that her legs ached. Balamb did have some mountains, but none of them were well suited for the type of rock climbing she had enjoyed in Trabia. The mountainous ridge north of the Garden was more like a baby mountain range. It was great for hiking, and even some basic climbing, but hardly a challenge for someone of her skill. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Well, it was her decision to come here, though she wished that Trabia graduated its own SeeDs. If it did, then she wouldn't have had to leave. On the other hand, she could quit her training and return to Summit. Her father had mentioned on occasion how he wished he had someone to help out when he took groups of cadets up the mountain for their training missions. The symbiotic relationship between the people of Summit and Trabia Garden worked well to fill each other's needs. The Garden provided a source of income for the locals and the locals provided labor. In her father's case, he was a professional guide who gave lessons in survival training to the students. Summit was a mining town in the mountains of Trabia before the war. Afterwards the people's misfortune continued when the mythril ore ran out. Summit was on the verge of becoming a ghost town when SeeD indicated its interest in building one of its academies at the base of the mountain. It was a stroke of luck that was almost too good to be true. Many of the townspeople are employed directly by the Garden in various support positions, while others offered their services on a commission basis. The Garden took over the education of Summit's children. They didn't have to enter the SeeD program if they didn't want to, but the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic were the same no matter which school one attended. Besides, in a place like Trabia, having a few classes in self-defense and survival couldn't hurt. Sierra loved her home very much. The flag of her country was tacked loosely against the ceiling, though the Shumi would undoubtedly scold her for showing a nationalistic bias when she was a member of an organization that was supposedly free of such things. Their reprimands meant very little to her to begin with. Trabia was her home and they could never take that from her. ***** Aucifer rubbed his hands together with anticipation as he took in his surroundings. The tour Xu led him on yesterday had only breezed through the training room, preventing him the time he needed to fully appreciate the facilities. They were impressive, to say the least. She'd given him keys to the weapons locker and several other rooms that he hadn't the chance to explore yet. The contents of the locker left him in muted awe of the power of a healthy budget. Weapons ranging from basic swords to some of the more exotic throwing weapons were neatly on display and ready to be put to use. Niethe's school wasn't a backwater hole in the wall by any means, but he couldn't help but feel a mixture of humility and child-like giddiness at all the new 'toys' before him. Aucifer didn't know how much time had passed before he heard a polite coughing from the doorway. Xu was leaned up against the frame with a smile that hinted at a touch of pride. "Do you find the Garden's facilities to be satisfactory?" He pulled his eyes away from the rack of polearms he'd been admiring. "I should be able to find something in here that I can work with," he replied nonchalantly. Xu laughed at that. "Do you know how to use magic?" "Hum? Magic? I've used some curing beads before, sure." "How about Guardian Forces?" He shook his head in the negative. "That's a trick only SeeD knows, I'm afraid. Would you care to teach me?" "If you'd care to learn I'll teach you, but you'll have to come out of there for the lessons to begin," she teased. With one last wistful look he left the weapons locker. He would definitely make it a point to become familiar with the various instruments that it offered. Though Xu didn't mention it and Aucifer didn't ask, she did have a reason for wanting to teach him how to use Guardian Forces. By her thinking, it would allow him to be closer to the students he was trying to instruct if he understood what sort of lessons they were receiving outside of his teaching. It would also help to explain how the Garden incorporated weapon and magic training, especially when it came to Limits. The first part of teaching, in her opinion, was to understand the students. Teaching him GFs use also gave her the opportunity to get to know him better. They needed to be on the same page if they were going to pull off some of Cid's loftier plans. One of which was the drill team. She really should have known better than to make an off-handed suggestion to him. They were sharing a meal in the Cafeteria not long after things had settled down with the Blood Souls. While in Centra she'd toyed with the idea of demonstrating some fighting techniques for her parents so that they could see what it was that she did. She didn't get the chance to show them, but it did plant the seed of an idea. The Anshin wouldn't very well appreciate the skills that the Garden taught her, but there were plenty of others that would. The demonstration Pan had given in Galbadia proved that point to be true. Why not form a drill team to go around and show people what SeeD was made of? There were several benefits to support doing it. Demonstrations could be used as a recruiting tool to entice young people into considering a career with SeeD. They could also be used to establish just how good SeeD was. Add more to the reputation and make people think twice before crossing SeeD. The benefit Xu was most in favor of was being able to bring a handful of the finest students in the Garden under her wing for specialized training. That's not to say that she neglected her other students, but there were always those who performed above and beyond even the Garden's high standards. She didn't want to officially take in any Journeymen per Guild tradition, but she didn't have anything against creating a team of them in every sense except for name. That might be a bit unfair to the chosen few, but if they did show an earnest interest in pursuing a Mastership she would support them. Cid wouldn't be disappointed if a couple more Masters resulted from the special training. So far the toughest part of the plan was getting the students she wanted to go along with it. Cid was making the rounds on her behalf to invite them. She figured that it would make the offer seem more tempting if he was the one to present it. Students had a knack for seeing through prestige, especially when it came to additional work on their part. Sierra de Ling was still undecided on whether she would join or not. The Headmaster's recommendations of Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy hadn't panned out. The former didn't want to have anything to do with actually interacting with his classmates in a team-like manner. The latter was nixed at Xu's insistence. She had no patience for Seifer and already planned on foisting his training off on Aucifer as soon as the new Instructor was up to speed. If she was going to hand over Seifer, Squall would likely go as well. It wasn't that she had anything against Squall, but the two of them were studying the same weapon. It was easier to train them together than separately. Besides, Aucifer was much better with a sword than she was. Having him here to give them instruction was a weight taken off her shoulders. Cid accepted her rejection of Seifer with good grace. He assured her that it was just a whimsical fancy for her to undertake Seifer's training herself. There was another place he had for Seifer extra-curricularly that might better suit the boy than being under Xu's tutelage. The unexpected recommendation of Zell Dincht by Sree caught her off guard. Quistis swore that the Shumi had a sense of humor and Xu assumed that Sree had chosen an odd time to exercise it. But then she sat down and looked over Zell's testing scores and came to understand why the boy was being nudged forward. Even at the tender age of fourteen, there was no hiding his incredible potential when it came to unarmed combat. Preparing a drill team for the scrutiny of the world at large was a daunting task, but she looked forward to it. This would be her pet project. The members of the drill team would become some of Balamb's finest if she had any say in it. ***** The Trepies organized a card tournament as a welcoming event for the new students in largest of the dorm lounges. The tournament wasn't for ranking, but it was still expected to be one of the larger Triple Triad events this year. They'd even coaxed the Cafeteria into providing finger foods. Sierra's plans for the tournament were to stay as far away from it as possible. To accomplish this end would require her to either hole up in her room all day or leave the Garden entirely. She decided that the latter idea would be the better one since the lounge that the tournament was being held in was close to her room. She had intended to wake up early and be gone before the first Trepies arrived. Unfortunately she stayed up entirely too late the previous evening reading a book. By the time morning's light filtered in through her partially drawn curtains the gathering was already well underway. Sierra felt like a trapped animal in her room. She wanted out, but she also didn't want to be pulled into any sort of social gathering. The Trepies had slipped a flyer under her door inviting her to take part in the event. It was promptly discarded in the wastebasket. Even more annoying was that Myn had come by her room to ask if she'd like to help set things up for today. He was hoping to appeal to her sense of camaraderie since they both hailed from Trabia. She'd bowed out by saying that she was going to be in Balamb. Another group of loud students walked by her door. That only served to irk her further. She couldn't waste the day sleeping with so much noise just down the hall from her. She cracked open the door to see if the coast was clear. If she could at least slip out of this wing without being noticed... Life decided that it wasn't going to be her day. Myn came around the corner and happily called a greeting to her. She wanted to snap at the cheery SeeD to leave her alone, but she had to maintain a certain degree of civility. "Hey, I should have come by sooner! I didn't think you'd be going to Balamb today," he said lightly, completely at ease with having caught her in an apparent lie. "I overslept," Sierra explained meekly, still hoping to escape from the SeeD and the Garden. "Ah, then fate was watching out for you. It's raining cats and dogs outside, which makes for a miserable walk into town." "......" She hadn't even thought to look out the window to see how the weather was. She'd assumed since it was bright out (when relatively compared to night) it was a nice day. Myn already had a friendly arm placed across her shoulders and was gently leading her to the student lounge. The Trepie at the door hastily wrote her name on a tag ('Hello, my name is SIERRA') and put it on her. Myn guided her to the tournament registration table so that she could sign up. "I don't have any cards with me," Sierra muttered. "That's okay! We're giving away starter decks. We'll get you all taken care of," Myn assured and then left her in the care of the person at the table. The Trepie put her name on a list, handed her a deck of cards and a registration sheet, then pointed her towards a table that was across the way. With a sigh of resignation she made her way through the sea of bodies towards the table. There were so many people here: both cadet and SeeD. She'd even spotted Doctor Kadowaki as Myn was roping her in. "Hello! My name is Reika," the cadet greeted when Sierra sat down across from her. Apparently this was where the Trepies were giving individual lessons on how to play the game. "So your nametag says," Sierra drawled. Reika gave a short bark of laughter. "I like your sense of humor! This is going to be fun." Sierra wished that she could agree. The Trepies, though certainly a bit strange at times, did their best to try to improve the quality of Garden life. Organizing a 'get to know you' Triple Triad tournament each term to welcome the new students and re-acquaint the old was something the Headmaster fully endorsed. He encouraged the Faculty and staff to go to the Trepie functions so that they could get to know their students in an informal setting. Even if Cid hadn't encouraged her to go, Xu would have anyway. She'd quickly re-established herself as one of the Garden's finest Triple Triad players and had a reputation to maintain. Besides, she enjoyed the opportunity to hobnob. The social aspects of the tournament were one of its biggest draws. Not everyone played Triple Triad, but that didn't prevent them from showing up to sample the foods and chew the fat with their friends. Xu invited Aucifer to come with her to the tournament. She didn't even know if he played. When she asked him he drew a deck of cards from one of his pockets. Myn greeted them when he passed by them in the hallway. Xu knew the routine. Myn and a 'welcoming committee' of Trepies were going around the dorms drawing people out of their rooms and taking them to the gathering. In the lounge Xu spotted Nym with Jessie. From the stories Kei told her, Xu figured that Jessie keeping Nym's interest for this long must be a record. Especially considering the fact that Nym was fairly fickle to begin with. "Are you going to introduce me around or do I have to meet people on the mat?" Aucifer asked wryly when a pair of cute SeeDs walked by. "I'll introduce you, but keep your friend in check," she discretely pointed below the belt. Aucifer glanced down at his pants. "Checking," he replied. After a brief pause he grinned at Xu and reported, "He's doing very well, thanks, and promises not to overstay this welcome." Xu rolled her eyes and kept going. He knew better than to start hitting on the attractive females only a couple days after arriving. He'd build up a reputation as the Mysterious Master, the Guild Hunk, before selecting one of the blossoming SeeDs to make his acquaintance. Almost as though she was reading his mind, Xu shot him a dirty look. Aucifer guiltily rubbed the back of his head before taking in more of his surroundings. This Garden really was a nice place. Large picture windows set in a nearby wall allowed an excellent view of the surrounding area. Raindrops splattered against the windowsill and made the grasses that flowed up to the side of the building thick with moisture. The mountains that the Garden was nestled up against were a beautiful backdrop to all the lush greenery. Xu gave him a small tug on the sleeve to draw his attention away from the window. "There's Sierra de Ling with Reika at that table. Sierra's one of the students that Cid is trying to convince to join the drill team." "Ah, I remember her from the Headmaster's office. She isn't a relative of everyone's favorite dictator by any chance?" He quipped. Xu scowled. "No, and I wouldn't even joke about that around her. She can be rather humorless." "I got that impression," Aucifer nodded his head thoughtfully. "I want to meet her," he announced before putting words into action. He meandered over to the table where she was playing, while politely bobbing his head in greeting to those he passed on his way. Xu made it to the table first and was already chatting with the two women by the time he worked his way through the crowd. Reika was discussing a newly released series of playing cards with the Instructor. Sierra appeared to be bored by it all, so he introduced himself. She was equally indifferent to him as she was to the cards in her hand. "Have you given any more thought to joining the drill team?" Xu asked after Aucifer's attempt at conversation had fallen flat. Sierra squarely met Xu's eyes, "I'm not going to." "Why not?" The SeeD inquired. There were plenty of reasons to not invite Sierra to join in the first place. She should be jumping at being given an opportunity that was usually reserved for less troublesome students. "Because I do well enough in my classes without additional training," Sierra answered dryly. Aucifer slammed the palm of his hand down on the table. The cards that were already laid down jumped from the jolt. "That's a rather bold claim to make. Would you care to amend it?" "The drill team's a joke." He bristled at her response. "You need to learn some respect." "No disrespect was meant. I'm just calling 'em as I see 'em," she shrugged. Xu and Reika exchanged glances as the situation became uncomfortably tense. Xu could almost see the displeasure radiating off of Aucifer as Sierra brushed him off. He leaned in closer to her to be sure that he had her undivided attention. "How about this; if you're really as good as you think you are, you should be able to beat me in a match. If you lose, then you obviously have more to learn. And I think you'll be learning it as a member of the drill team." A sharkish grin crossed his face. "You talk big, but what's in it for me if I beat your smart ass down?" Sierra challenged sarcastically without regard to his rank. Xu was ready to ream her then and there for talking back to a superior. Aucifer held up a hand to stop Xu from saying anything. His eyes narrowed as he evaluated the person seated before him. "If you win, I'll let you be. Fair enough?" Sierra looked away with a smirk, "Fine." "Tomorrow, after class. Don't be late," he picked his hand up from the table and brushed it against his side before offering it to her. Sierra regarded his hand for a moment before meeting it with her own. They shook on it. "What on earth are you doing?" Xu hissed once she had drawn Aucifer away to the relative seclusion of an unoccupied corner. He gave a small shrug. "I'm dealing with an unruly student who's forgotten her place. You SeeDs have your ways of dealing with discipline issues, and so does the Guild. We frown upon students who become too full of themselves. Our tradition is to challenge the student to a match. If they win, then they can have their pride. If they lose, the entire school will know it and they'll have to live with the humiliation." The frown didn't leave Xu's face as she rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. "Are you sure you want Sierra on the team if you do win?" "Of course! I'm not about to waste her talent with petty disagreements. Most students see the light once it's been pounded into them." "Why does that sound like something Mistress Niethe would say?" Xu said with little amusement. "Trust me! It's a proven teaching technique," Aucifer assured. He rubbed his hands together and added, "Who do I get to threaten next?" Cid planned on making an appearance at the Triple Triad tournament, but not before he finished up a few more things. One of those unresolved matters was sitting in the chair across from him. Seifer ran his fingers through his short cut blonde hair and waited for the Headmaster to speak. "It's the beginning of a new term. I'm sure by now you know what that means," he looked up at the boy. Seifer smirked. It was an expression that seemed all too appropriate on his young face. "I would like you to choose at least one extra-curricular activity to participate in this term," Cid continued. Before Seifer could offer any of his usual protests, Cid held up a hand to silence the cadet. "I have a recommendation if you haven't decided already." Seifer scowled. "What is it?" The Headmaster relaxed back in his chair before speaking. "You've finally become old enough to take charge of the disciplinary committee. I suspect that heading up the committee would appeal to your sense of... authority," he drawled after searching for a fitting word. The disciplinary committee was a student ran group that enforced the lesser regulations of the Garden; minor things like not running in the halls and the dress code. Many regarded them as over-glorified hall monitors, but they did have their place. It also provided an enriching experience for those who had that sort of mentality. "You may have your friends Fujin and Raijin assist you if you want," he added. By now he had Seifer's interest. Cid smiled to himself. He knew that something like this would appeal to the domineering lad. "I must emphasize that this is a position of extreme trust. I trust you not only to help maintain order within the Garden, but to also not abuse your power. Is this something that I can leave to you?" Cid held his hands out before him on his desk in an open gesture. The smirk crept back into the corner of Seifer's lip. "You can trust me, sir," he stood and even saluted. "Excellent, I'll let the Faculty know that you'll begin tomorrow." When Seifer left his office, Cid righted himself in his chair and pulled out a few loose sheets of paper. The top two sheets were already filled with his scrawled script. He brought a clean sheet to the front and continued the letter that he'd been writing before Seifer arrived. 'Every day the children grow stronger and more capable. Our SeeDs are blooming into the beauty that we envisioned. I truly believe that we will be ready when the time comes if you can hold on for just a bit longer. With my undying love, Cid' He sorted the papers into order and then jogged them down before placing them into an envelope. It may take his letter a while to reach its destination, but it will be appreciated when it did. "Xu! I'm glad to see you here," the Headmaster bounced on the balls of his feet and gave the room an approving look. "Quite a turn out, wouldn't you say?" "The Trepies always have large gatherings, but the foul weather undoubtedly helped," Xu added. Sean would be proud if he could see what the Trepies had grown into. The Trepies were one of the most active clubs in the Garden. Their ranks were over forty strong and that was just the core group. Xu smiled to herself when she recalled a recent conversation she had with Myn. He was lamenting the number of lumps he's taken from his twin because of his leadership of the Trepies. It was common knowledge that Enju had forced Myn into it, but the good-natured SeeD had taken up the challenge and built something that was worthwhile. Myn's current concern was that he was being deployed on missions with greater frequency and for longer periods of time. That left a gap in the Trepie leadership while he was off saving the world. She'd suggested that he appoint someone to hold down the fort while he was away. That idea had already occurred to him and he was currently on a search for a suitable candidate. Considering the roots of the club, he originally wanted it to be Eugene, LeVar or Jessie. Unfortunately, they were often on assignment. Using the criteria of selecting people close to Quistis, his next thought was to approach Kei. He couldn't even bring himself to ask her because she intimidated the hell out of him. Xu figured that he wanted her to approach Kei on his behalf, but that wasn't it. After Kei, Xu was the next one on his shortlist. It flattered Xu to even be considered, especially since she had precious little to do with the Trepie establishment and growth. By Myn's thinking, she was a good candidate because she was an Instructor and generally stayed close to home. Xu wasn't so sure about that since she'd managed to do her fair share of traveling in her few years as a SeeD, though not nearly as much as her cousin or Quistis' three brothers. After discussing it further, Xu did agree to maintain the Trepies if he was going to be on assignment for an extended period of time (providing that she wasn't out of the Garden herself). She also encouraged him to find a couple more like-minded people in case their scheduling didn't work out. Personally, she'd find it amusing if he managed to talk Nym into taking charge of the Trepies for him. That was an idle thought since they were sent out as a team a majority of the time. "I've taken care Seifer," Cid commented lightly. "Oh? How so?" Xu doubted very much that the Headmaster had dumped Seifer into Balamb Bay, but she could dream. "I gave him charge of the disciplinary committee. Fujin and Raijin will be assisting him." Xu's expression went cold as her mind played out the possible scenarios. Fujin and Raijin weren't bad kids from what she'd seen, despite being hanger-ons to Seifer. What had she heard them call themselves...? A posse, yes, that was rather appropriate. It gave the impression of a loosely organized group with even less leadership. "Isn't that like letting the wolf guard the sheep?" "It's an excellent opportunity to encourage personal growth. Give him a bit of responsibility and he'll have to start acting responsibly." Cid seemed certain of the logic behind his thinking. Xu wasn't so sure. She could already hear the protests of students reprimanded by Seifer for slights (imagined or otherwise). She'd have to be sure that he wasn't abusing his newfound authority. If he so much as put a toe over the line she'd stomp on it. "I know that you'll keep an eye on things," he added as an afterthought. He'd already figured her monitoring into his plan before offering Seifer the position. He couldn't help but be amused by this. Cid Kramer knew the temperament of his SeeDs and manipulated accordingly. In another wing of the campus Fujin and Raijin were eating lunch in the Cafeteria when Seifer joined them. "Well?" Fujin brushed her silvery hair away from her one good eye. The meal in front of her was forgotten and the fork in her left hand danced as she thoughtlessly played with it. "It went better than I could have hoped," Seifer turned a chair around backwards and straddled it. "Old man Cid asked me to take over the disciplinary committee." "Interesting..." Fujin took charge of her wayward hand and resumed eating. Foolish. She was a woman who carefully weighed her words and then used them sparingly. She just wasted one in an expression of muted disbelief. Considering the extraordinary revelation, she could forgive herself for the lapse. There was no doubt in her mind regarding the loyalty that she held for Seifer, but she didn't let that cloud her impression of him. When someone is suddenly granted what many of the people around him will fear, envy, or reject it's enough to prompt even a casual observer to take notice. And Fujin was hardly a casual observer when it came to Seifer's interactions with the world around him. He was a fascinating person to watch. On one hand he approached life with a bravado that was considered brash by most. On the other she'd witnessed his quiet, reflective moments. Beneath all the flamboyance was a thinker capable of more than even he considered possible. "Do we get to help, ya know?" Raijin asked. He was easily the largest of the trio and showed no signs of his growth slowing down anytime soon. His close crop black hair and dark complexion was a sharp contrast to the smaller woman who sat across from him. Fujin and Raijin were literally black and white when compared. Some even went so far as to say that Fujin was albino. "You're my posse, of course you'll be part of the committee. I'm in charge now and what I say goes." Seifer swept his arm in a cutting gesture to indicate that his decision was final. "You're da man, Seifer, da man," Raijin gave him a thumbs up. Seifer folded his arms across the back of the chair and smirked. He loved the adulation of others. ***** True to her word Sierra came to the training room during the afternoon session to duel Aucifer. The young Master was dressed in casual workout clothes, was warmed up and ready to go. Sierra trudged off to the locker room to get changed into something more appropriate. When she returned to the main floor she was wearing a leotard with leggings and a shirt over top of it. Her hair was pulled into a braid to keep it out of the way. Aucifer offered to go through some warm up exercises with her, but she declined and went off to do them on her own. Twenty minutes later she returned ready for battle. Xu called a halt to the practices taking place on the main mat at Aucifer's request. Curious cadets and SeeDs lined up around the mat to witness the match that was about to take place. Since this was Xu's realm, she would be the referee of the bout. They agreed to fight unarmed until one of them yielded to the other. From his starting position Aucifer appraised the cadet who stood before him. He only had a few centimeters at most on her in terms of height. He knew already that she was physically strong, but strength could fall to technique. And her technique was the question mark in the equation for him. Xu warned him that Sierra was fond of a non-traditional style. He wondered what exactly 'non-traditional' entailed. Xu motioned for them to start and Aucifer put up his guard. Likewise Sierra had guarded first instead of rushing forward to get in the first blow like many students do. Her open stance protected her head and appeared to leave her belly exposed to low punches. Was she baiting him or was she really that sloppy? They couldn't very well stand here and guard all afternoon. Aucifer punched, aiming for Sierra's exposed belly. Her left hand dropped down to catch his fist while the right hand snapped out to attack. He batted away her jab, but wasn't prepared when she didn't let go of his captured hand. Using her considerable strength she pulled him into her before landing a cheap shot to his nose. She then shoved him away with enough force to send him backpedaling. He quickly regained his footing and wiped the back of his sleeve across his nose while keeping his eyes on his opponent. His sleeve came away bloodied. Insolent girl, it wasn't often one challenged a Master by drawing blood. Keeping his temper firmly in check he prepared for their next round of blows. This time she charged forward hoping to follow up her first punch with a second. He blocked her easily, but again she didn't withdraw. She grabbed a hold of him using the waist of his pants to give her something to latch on to and arched her back to lift him up off the mat. She then angled around and slammed both of them down before disengaging and rolling away. Being forced down didn't hurt as much as it could have. Knowing how to fall correctly prevented him from suffering the brunt of the intended hurt. Aucifer pushed himself back to his feet and glared at Sierra. It was becoming obvious that if he was going to win he had to move quickly to prevent her from grabbing him. If she got her hands on him she'd pull another stunt. Aucifer bounced up onto the balls of his feet and readied himself to dance his way around her if he must. He'd wear her down with quick jabs and keep out of her arms reach. The strategy worked well for a while. He was landing plenty of punches, but she changed strategies herself. She lunged, tackling him around the waist and forcing him to the mat. She then took to punching him in the sides and keeping him down on the mat. This type of wrestling wasn't a true art. It was an exhibition sport for those too clumsy for the martial arts. Despite thinking that, he couldn't get out of the hold she had him in. Aucifer's anger and frustration grew. Not only had it become a bloody match with both of them sporting their share of weeping cuts and bruises, but he was losing face in front of Xu by having such a hard time knocking down a cheeky student. He shouldn't have let his mind wander. Sierra landed a hard punch to his ribs that caused him to reflexively ball up. Seeing that she'd done some true damage she backed off, expecting him to yield. Aucifer picked himself up from the mat and gingerly assessed his condition. His breathing was heavy and painful. It wouldn't surprise him if she'd just cracked a rib. But he couldn't give up. If he gave up to her not only would he lose having her on the team (and after fighting her today, it would be a crying shame if she wasn't) he'd lose the respect of his students. All right, no more games. This needed to end now because he didn't have enough strength left to prolong the match. Every movement he made shot pain through his chest. He ignored it, turning the pain into a resolve of steel. Sierra put her guard up, baffled as to why he was still continuing the fight. When he got close enough, she threw a testing jab at him. Using one of her own tricks he captured her hand and didn't let go. She was ready for that and prepared to counter-attack while breaking his grip on her wrist. Unfortunately, he had other plans. Even though he fought daily, it was rarely his intention to actually *hurt* the person he was battling. He was a student of the 'fight to disable' school of thought -- only go so far as to prevent the person from hurting you further. While a large (and obvious) part of their training was physical, there was also the aspect of knowing how far to go when applying their skills. There was always a fine line they could toe as long as they didn't cross it. Aucifer was about to stomp on that line. The only way Sierra would yield to him would be if he knocked her unconscious or if he hurt her to the point of disable. And so, with little remorse, he performed a move he didn't practice against humans. The shock wave of pain at having her arm broken coursed through Sierra's body and was painted on her face. With her stunned, he moved his hand from her arm to her throat. His fingertips dug gingerly into the tender flesh below her jaw. "Yield!" He demanded in a tone that reflected all the outrage he felt at her mockery of him. Her eyes had glossed over due to the pain, but she was still keenly aware of her circumstances. She made no effort to say the word that would bring an end to their match. He adjusted his grip to assure that she was acutely aware of how easily he could crush her windpipe. "Y-yield," she exhaled after further hesitation. He released his hold, allowing her to fall to the mat. The adrenaline rushing through his body had kept him going during the fight, and was grateful when he felt the effects of a powerful Curaga spell mending his damaged rib. Adrenaline wouldn't last forever and it was nice to be healed before the pain returned. Sierra was still crumpled on the mat. Xu had already cast a curative spell on her, so her arm should be mended. He knelt down and put his hand out to her to help her get up. Sierra wouldn't meet his eyes, but he did catch a glimpse of her face. Streams of tears were streaked down her cheeks. He didn't realize he'd hurt her that badly. Not that having an arm broken felt good, but he expected her to have a higher pain threshold. Maybe it was her pride that was smarting? "That was one hell of a fight," he said lightly. "I'm glad that we're all on the same team." "We are," she said in a harsh, hushed tone. Her statement could be taken as either a question or a confirmation. He decided to take it as the latter. "Yes, we are. Come on," he put his hand out to her again. She got up off the mat without his help. Aucifer sighed softly and stood up as well. Xu had sent a pair of students off to get some maintenance people in the training room to clean and disinfect that mat before practice resumed on it. "I'm impressed," Xu complimented Sierra. "It's not often that I see a student put up such a fight." Xu paused for Sierra to make some sort of comment -- an acceptance of Xu's praise or something. When no answer was forthcoming, she pressed onward. "I'd like both of you to go to the Infirmary for a check up. The Curagas probably got everything, but I'd rather be safe than sorry." Without so much as a salute or good-bye, Sierra turned around and made her way for the door. "We'll talk later." Aucifer assured before rushing off to catch up with Sierra. They were in the hallway leading to the main corridor of the Garden before Sierra said anything. "Curagas can't heal everything," she said softly. "Where do you hurt?" Sierra shook her head and kept going. He wouldn't let their conversation lapse into another awkward pause. If she wouldn't talk, he would. "I'm glad it wasn't an armed fight. I'm not sure how I would have done against your shotaxe. That's an Estharian weapon, isn't it?" She shook her head again. "They took it from us. Trabia invented the shotaxe. It's a tool that can also be used as a weapon." "Your tools require the ability fire bullets?" She sighed at his apparent ignorance and indulged educating him. "Bullets aren't the only things that can be shot. The firing mechanism was originally built into the handle so that the user could fire a piton into rocks or ice. It's easier than hammering them in." "I can see that." There was another pause as he tried to think of something else to talk about. Sierra beat him to the punch by posing her own question. "So when does it start?" "When does what start?" "Your fight club." Aucifer rubbed his finger along his nose before smiling slightly. So she wasn't going to try to squirm out of their agreement. He respected that. On the other hand, she could try dodging her responsibilities by being so troublesome that they kick her out. He doubted that she would do that, but he didn't see her going out of her way to make things easier. "Drill team," he corrected. "The first meeting is going to be tomorrow at 1900. It'll be more of an introduction than an actual practice. We might do some simple drilling, but nothing extraordinary... yet." "Fine." Kadowaki gave them both a clean bill of health, though she noted privately that Sierra seemed depressed about something. She chalked it up as the brazen cadet being brought down a couple pegs and thought nothing more of it. When Aucifer returned to his quarter later that afternoon Xu was patiently waiting for him in the hallway. "Now, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" He winked at her before unlocking the door and letting them in. "Would you be interested in seeing me in the towel this time or should I leave the disrobing to the one who's experienced?" Xu flushed at what he was implying and shook it off. His quarters still had the smell of newness to them. Aucifer had yet to turn them into his new home. "You shouldn't say things like that," the SeeD cautioned. "Ah, and is your warning for my own good or for yours?" He asked coyly. The flush returned to Xu's cheeks. "Yours. Kei would have your head if she heard you speaking to me in such a manner." "Kei..? Who's that, a lover?" That broke the cool Xu had been clinging to since following him into his quarters. "My cousin! Spirits, what's wrong with you? You act professional when in front of the students and then like a pig-headed jerk when in private!" "No one said that you had to speak with me in private," he said without apology. It was rare when Xu could be so utterly flustered by another. Though someone may earn her ire, she was able to maintain her SeeD cool. Aucifer just made her want to knock him upside the head for being a smart ass. Xu took a deep, calming breath, and refocused on why she'd come to see him. "How did things go with Sierra?" He shrugged as he went to get himself a glass of water. "You were at the duel. What do you think?" Xu let her left hand slide along the back of the couch that was in his small living room and squeeze the dark fabric. "A duel isn't how I would have approached it. You tell me if you accomplished your ends or if I'll be doing damage control tomorrow." "I accomplished my ends, as you put it. Sierra will be joining us for the first session and I don't believe she'll try to make trouble with the intention of being kicked off the team," he paused to take a long drink from the glass in his hand. Xu accepted this. "Was it really necessary to break her arm?" "Absolutely," he said without a touch of remorse. "Some students lose touch with the reality of their training. They think that death doesn't apply to them or that they're above injury. No matter how good you become, you must always remember that there is someone out there who is better. Sierra needed to be reminded of that fact. Breaking her arm drilled the point home." He took another sip before moving on to the next topic. "By the way, what did you do to get her to hate you so much?" That stopped Xu short. "What?" Aucifer returned her confused look. "What do you mean 'what'? A blind man could see that she's avoiding you. Or have you completely missed her sour look when you're both in the same room? What'd you do to her?" "I haven't done anything to her," Xu defended. "I barely know her. She transferred here last term when I was on assignment." Aucifer grew quiet with a thoughtful posture to him. "I'd keep my eye on her," he advised. "There's more here than either of us are seeing." Xu left his quarters shortly thereafter with plenty of food for thought. He had a lot on his mind himself. He would never question if coming here was a good idea or not, the answer was 'yes'. Yes, because he needed to get out from under Niethe. Yes, because if he was to become a well respected Master, he needed the seasoning that can only come from a variety of experiences. Teaching at Niethe's school was a prestigious position, one that Masters twice his age would be proud of. The old woman wouldn't put up with him hanging around her school forever. She wanted him out to go see the world she'd invested so much in preparing him for. Accepting a contract from SeeD was a step down in the social rankings (though only because he'd started so high up), but there was a lot he could learn here. Xu had already shown her willingness to teach him some of the tricks that made SeeD's forces unique from any other in the world. This was an opportunity money couldn't buy since the Garden's enrollment was strictly limited. But... A part of him feared that he might blow it. He hasn't even been here for a week and already Xu had called him on his sharp tongue. It was going to be hard to shake the reactionary habits Niethe drilled into him. Please let Xu remain patient and not turn him away! And her warning didn't fall on deaf ears. He'd make it a point to watch his tongue when around SeeD Kei should he ever find himself in her company. ***** Ten minutes before the appointed time and every member of the newly formed drill team had arrived. Xu looked over the students she had collected as they milled about the room waiting for their meeting to begin. Over in the corner the young fireball, Zell, swung fiercely at a punching bag. At fourteen he was the youngest member of the group, but held the most potential in Xu's mind. Like Xu, Zell wasn't that big in stature, but he had a big heart and (at times) an equally big mouth. Refining him into a more disciplined fighter was going to be one of Xu's pet projects. Sierra was off to the side by herself and had her arms crossed with a sour expression marring her face. Now that she'd been made aware of it, Xu noticed what Aucifer had mentioned with it came to Sierra's attitude. If Xu happened to wander towards the cadet, Sierra moved so that the distance between them was maintained. Each of the students already had the skills necessary to attempt to become journeymen if they were with the Guild. It was true that this was a hobby to be enjoyed, but she hoped to make them specialists among specialists. People that Cid could count on to get the job done quickly and quietly if need be. If nothing else, they will demonstrate the awesome potential of the human body when it was honed into a fighting machine. It was unfortunate that she wasn't able to convince Squall to join. The cadet was too focused on himself to care much about the opportunities presented to him. He wanted to graduate and nothing else (including others) seemed to matter. Maybe if he changed his mind at some later date... She'd leave the invitation to him open for when he was ready. Aucifer was the last one to enter the private training room after leaving charge of the main training area to one of the Faculty while he and Xu were away. "Great, everyone's here early," Xu said to get them to gather around. The students seated themselves into rows on the mat before her as their training dictated. After giving them one more appraising look she was convinced by a good feeling that this was the right direction to go in. "I'd like to start out by thanking you for accepting the invitation to join the drill team. I know some of you felt hesitant about joining since this is a newly formed group and there wasn't any history to go by regarding its activities. Let me outline what our goals are. "The first goal is to have fun. This is an extra-curricular activity after all. If you're absolutely miserable and dread coming in every day to work with us, then I'd encourage you to speak with Aucifer or myself. As you'd expect, a lot of what we're going to do won't be pleasant. You will leave here aching, bruised, and hurt. It takes a strong spirit to keep up with the demands we'll be making of you. If you don't feel up to that, then it's best for you to quit the team. "Our next goal is to hone our abilities and become the absolute best that we can. What you'll learn here will make you a better SeeD, yes, but we hope that it will also make you a better person. Up to this point none of you have been truly challenged by your training sessions. The classes can only go as fast as the slowest student, after all. Well, here are your true peers. Here are the people who will offer you a challenge. The team was kept purposefully small so that we can focus more on individual improvement than we can in an open session setting. "The third goal is to become upstanding examples of what the Garden strives for. You will be expected to maintain an excellent grade average in all your classes. If this activity is distracting too much from your schoolwork then you'll be asked to quit and focus on that instead. "We will demonstrate our physical, academic, and professional excellence in our day-to-day lives and especially when we are on tour. During the breaks we're planning on touring Balamb and Galbadia performing demonstrations of our physical arts. This is intended as a reward for your hard work," she paused in her speech to grin wryly, "like the work itself isn't reward enough -- and to demonstrate for the world the caliber of student Garden produces. "Any questions so far?" A dozen pair of eyes watched her without a single response. She was about to continue when Zell put his hand up. "So, like, when do we start?" Xu held back a laugh. Zell was wet behind the ears and as excited as a pup. "We start now. Master Aucifer and I already have a good feel for what each of you are capable of, but you may not be familiar with each other. Partner up and do some light sparring until we tell you to trade off. Get to know your teammates." Sierra reluctantly found a partner in one of her fellow female cadets. Zell ended up with a towering brute that the other students called Red (because of his flaming red hair, Xu guessed). Red and Sierra both came from the school of brute force. It'd be interesting to see how well Zell could duck and weave his way around the massive upperclassman. Of the students here, Zell was the only one who was a straight hand-to-hand fighter. The rest of them had chosen a weapon to specialize in. Xu expected their unarmed skills to be the ones most in need of improvement. She and Aucifer had already decided to focus on that for the first couple of months before moving into advanced training with their individual weapons. Aucifer moved to one end of the mat to watch the students spar while Xu covered the other end. There was always the chance that the students would surprise them with something unexpected. He paid special attention to the match between Sierra and Jordan.. Neither cadet said much, instead concentrating on attacking and countering. Sierra hadn't once attempted to pick Jordan up and throw her like she'd done multiple times during her bout with him. Instead she was taking a more traditional track by guarding and throwing punches. Jordan was light on her feet and kept her moves varied with both punches and kicks aimed at different regions of the body. They were testing each other, he realized, trying to find the weak spot in the other's guard. As fascinating as it was to watch them he moved along. He liked how these students were fighting with their brains first and their balls a distant second. He looked forward to training such high quality students. So far he hadn't seen many habits that needed to be broken. On her end of the mat Xu watched the match between Red and Zell. The absurdity of their size difference was enough to cause her to chuckle with sympathy for Zell. It wasn't easy being on the small side. Zell used his size to his advantage the best that he could. Red couldn't land a hit on him because Zell was always out of the way before the swung arm could make it around. Zell had to content himself with landing most of his hits on the lower half of Red's body. The upperclassman wasn't allowing Zell to land anything above his chest. There were merits to Zell's monkey-like antics, but it could be refined into something more effective. Xu allowed them to spar for a bit longer before bringing them to a halt and calling for them to trade off partners. She watched with mild surprise as Zell made a beeline towards Sierra. Was it his intention to spar the people who were most likely to pound him into the mat? Sierra looked down at Zell with the disdain one would show a pest, but accepted his challenge nonetheless. Once everyone was paired up again Xu called for them to begin. Zell was quick to bounce forward and try to land a couple quick blows against Sierra. She blocked him easily with her forearms before taking up a handful of his shirt and tossed him aside like a rag doll. He rebounded from the throw as if he meant to go down like that and continued his pecking. Unlike her last bout, Sierra couldn't be bothered with the likes of Zell and wasted no time in disposing of him. He spent more time down on the mat than he spent up on his feet. Xu had to give him credit for being tenacious, but this was no way to about winning a fight. Eventually Sierra would tire of playing games with him and do something that guaranteed him not getting back up anytime soon. Xu ended the round before that happened. There wasn't enough time for every person to fight each other once. They traded off two more times before Xu called it a night. She outlined their training schedule, which involved meeting every day except on the Garden rest day. She made it clear that she expected them to take a rest from physical training then. Wishing them a good night she dismissed them. ***** Seifer's first act after assuming control of the disciplinary committee was to make the rounds so that everyone knew of his new position. He posted to the Garden message board, announcing to his fellow students that he wouldn't be lenient when it came to rule enforcement. The original message was deleted from the board a half-hour later. Undeterred, Seifer posted a second message that was worded a bit more carefully. This one remained on the board with no responses posted to it. That disappointed Seifer. He'd been expecting congratulations from his admirers or perhaps protests from those who were skating on thin ice to begin with. He posted a follow up to his own message, hoping to solicit some sort of response. 'Cut out the virtual swaggering. --Xu' was all he got. He added her to the list of people he was going to keep his eye on for transgressions. No one was above the regulations of the Garden, including the Instructors. He also made it a point to visit some of his 'favorite' people in person. He found Sierra eating alone in the Cafeteria during the dinner hour. As he looked over her shoulder from behind, he noticed that tonight's chicken with gravy looked more appalling than usual. It didn't matter. He wasn't here to eat. He was here to lay down the law. "Good evening, Miss de Ling," he drawled. "As the new head of the disciplinary committee I take my responsibilities very seriously. This is a spot inspection. Do you have any magic or weapons on you?" Sierra didn't look away from her meal as she held up her dinner knife in her right hand. "Any other stupid questions?" Seifer smirked and leaned forward so that he could whisper in her ear. "You can't push me around anymore now that I run the disciplinary committee. If you so much as look at me the wrong way I'll write you up. What do you think of that?" The elder cadet quickly flipped the knife around and stabbed behind her. Seifer could feel the tip of the utensil lightly dig into the flesh of his belly. A moment later she withdrew. Seifer stood upright and looked down at his shirt. A glob of gravy marked where she'd tagged him with the knife. He removed it with his index finger and then played with it between her finger and thumb. Purposefully he picked up her napkin and used it to wipe off the gravy. "That could be considered an assault on a fellow student," he pointed out. "I wouldn't have stopped there, but I'm too tired to bury your body in the Quad right now. Why don't you be a good little boy and piss off?" He smirked, enjoying the verbal sparring he did with her. "It's always a pleasure speaking with you." She nodded her head and kept eating. Later that evening, Sierra was unimpressed by Zell's efforts to knock her down when she sparred him. He repeatedly tried to sweep her feet out from under her with a low kick. Tired of playing games with him she crouched low and caught his foot when he tried to do the same move yet again. She yanked on his foot hard enough to lift him up off the mat and then back down again before releasing him. "Dumbass, don't you know how to do anything else?" She taunted. "Sierra," Aucifer warned from his position at the side of the mat. Sierra shrugged off the implied reprimand. "Why don't you fight someone your own size?" She asked Zell. He took the opportunity to roll away before getting back to his feet. "I have to take you down," he said while bringing his guard back up. Sierra didn't even bother raising her guard as he advanced. "Why?" Zell danced around her, throwing light jabs that she batted away easily enough. The rascal lunged forward and swept at her feet again. A lapse of judgment on her part underestimated him and she was knocked back by the ankle sweep. "So that I can be a strong soldier like the grandpa was," he declared proudly. "Grandpa was a hero during the Sorceress War. He fought bravely and took down Esthar soldiers that were twice his size!" Sierra shook her head. "If you're any example of what your grandpa was like, he must have been a shrimp." Zell's expression contorted because of her insulting his grandfather. He lunged again, this time knocking her down and wailing on her with his fists before Aucifer called him off. "Don't you ever insult my grandpa!" The boy growled at her. She got up off the mat and wiped away a small trickle of blood from her split lip. "Heh, I can respect that. I think my grand dad was the greatest man to live in Trabia myself. Let's fight valiantly for both of them, eh?" Zell stopped his bobbing to puzzle over her sudden change of heart. He scratched the back of his head before a broad grin came to his face. "Yeah! You're all right Sierra." "Just don't let that get around, okay?" She teased before throwing a punch at him. From his position on the sidelines, Aucifer took mental note of what was said. Zell had spoken before of the grandfather he admired so much, but this was the first time he'd heard mention of Sierra's. It could be idle banter on their part or there could be something behind it. Either way, he'd let Xu know. Especially since she still doubted that anything got through the thick and thorny skin that was Sierra's personality. ***** Sierra was doing homework in her room when she heard a knock on the door. With a sigh she set down her stylus and got up to answer it. Someone obviously had the wrong room if they were knocking on her door. Dammit, wasn't there a directory in the main hallway leading into the dorms that gave room assignments? Whoever it was, she'd shoo them away quickly and get back to work. When she opened the door Zell was standing there bouncing around. "What do you want?" Sierra asked without the bother of pleasantries. "Eh, I heard that you're a wiz at geography and I have a test comin' up that if I don't do well on 'structor Xu's gonna back me off the drill team," he sighed heavily. "Would ya help me?" Sierra was stunned that Zell had sought her out for help. She shook her head physically to clear her mind. She wasn't a tutor. She never asked for help and she didn't want to give it. But Zell had such a plaintive look on his face and she knew that it meant the world to him to be on the drill team. Her heart softened. "Well, okay, but let's not make a habit of it," she agreed, motioning for him to come in. 'I'll probably regret this later,' she thought to herself while closing the door. Zell's eyes widened as he took in all the maps she had tacked to the wall of her room. "You're really into this stuff!" Sierra didn't answer. Instead she asked him what exactly would be covered on his test. It was a test of the Galbadia continent's political borders prior to the Sorceress War. So it was as much a history test as geography. She briefly quizzed his knowledge to see how much he knew of the current political boundaries (since that would make things easier). When he couldn't even find Lake Obel on the map she knew that they were going to be at this for a while. The afternoon was already half over when Aucifer finally had a chance to grab something to eat. The famished Master was as hungry as a student who'd just endured one of Niethe's grueling training sessions. He made himself comfortable at the end of one of the longer tables with a food laden tray set before him. It was getting late to be having lunch, but it was the only opportunity his schedule allowed. The number of people who shared the Cafeteria with him could be counted on a single hand. That's why he was pleasantly surprised when two cadets sat down with him. "Master Aucifer," Jordan greeted. "I believe you met my friend Reika at the Trepies' tournament," she said by way of introduction. "It's good to see you again." He did remember them from the tournament. Jordan he already knew because of the drill team. Reika he recalled because of the startled expression on her face when he challenged Sierra to a duel. "How do you like it here at Balamb?" Reika asked between bites of her fish sandwich. "It's a beautiful facility. The people are friendly. The students are bright, which makes them a breeze to teach. It seems like a utopia." Jordan laughed. "I've never heard of it described that way before. Too bad you can't date the guys, then it would be a real utopia!" Aucifer gave her a questioning look. "Excuse me? Is only homosexuality allowed at the Garden? If so, I'm in over my head already!" "He's not from Garden, he wouldn't know about the rules," Reika pointed out. "What rules?" Aucifer gave them a charming smile. There were few better sources for information than student gossip. That held true regardless of what school one attended. "We're discouraged from entering into relationships," Jordan explained. "As a SeeD, we could be called off to battle and killed. It's a policy meant to protect us in the long run." "Not to say that we're a bunch of prudes either," Reika interjected. "A single night is seen as just that. It's two people agreeing to relieve the needs of the other. There is no obligation beyond that," Jordan explained. "What about love?" Aucifer asked. "I, for one, have nothing against a night's passion, but there are those craggy romantics out there who insist on a higher moral standard. How can you live with just the physical?" The two cadets exchanged a look, both frowning. "Fall in love and risk becoming like Xu." Jordan cautioned. His eyebrow arched, silently inviting her to continue. This bit of gossip was becoming all the more interesting. "Xu's a lovely woman. Becoming like her would be a bad thing?" "He wouldn't know about Sean either. So much for you being the Instructor, Master," Reika teased lightly. "That's why I'm always willing to listen to my students," he replied, while continuing to thickly lay on the charm. "When Xu was still a cadet she was pretty tight with another cadet named Sean," Jordan explained. "Just try to get them to admit it!" Reika chimed in. "They wouldn't admit it, even to themselves. The day of Xu's field exam Sean took her roommate, Quistis, to the Training Center. A T-Rexaur attacked and killed Sean with Quistis escaping unscathed physically, but she was a mess emotionally for a while there," Jordan finished. Reika nodded solemnly. "Yeah, she saw Sean and Xu as older siblings who watched out for her." "Xu passed the exam. Her night of celebration was anything but once she learned of his death. I know that I would have been crushed if it'd happened to me!" Jordan shook her head ruefully. "The Headmaster sent Xu to Galbadia for a couple years. When she came back, she was different..." The two cadets nodded at each other as though they'd discussed this several times before. "She was stronger and focused, but at the same time, confused. That sounds odd, doesn't it? When it came to being a SeeD, she's the best. But when it came to being *Xu*, she was no longer sure of herself." "She never got over Sean," Reika surmised. "She will never get over him, even if she lets another man catch her. Xu's like that," a small smile came to Jordan's lips. "She's fiercely loyal. Once you have her love and support, you'll never lose it." "Has another man caught her? Even for a night?" Aucifer asked, completely drawn into their story. Reika and Jordan exchanged another long look. Jordan shrugged, "Don't know, but I'd wager not. Look at the schedule she maintains. She's in the training room from morning 'til night almost every day. I think her current love is her work." "I have seen her in Balamb occasionally. She seems to like looking out over Balamb Bay for as much time as she spends on the docks," Reika added. "You never told me that," Jordan gave her friend an accusatory glare. "Sean used to love fishing off the docks." "The story of a tragic romance," Aucifer commented without sarcasm. "Thank you for sharing it with me." Reika nodded while Jordan gave him a sly look. "So, now that you know her sob story, are you going to sweep her off her feet? Be her knight in shining armor? Teach her to not be cynical when it comes to matters of the heart?" Aucifer could almost see the stars in her eyes. He gave a bark of laugher and shook his head. "No, she's not my type. Besides, I'm afraid that she might put me in my place," he winked. The two cadets giggled and they finished their lunch while speaking amiably about other topics. Three more cadets entered the Cafeteria during this time, but paid little heed to the room's other occupants. Fujin and Seifer claimed a table where they could watch the flow of people coming in and out while Raijin got them something to snack on. The disciplinary committee had already written up three people today. Fujin had mixed feelings about their work, but Seifer seemed proud of the swath they were cutting in the 'unruliness' of the Garden. Yes, it did say in the Handbook to not run in the halls, but did it really hurt anyone if the person running was late to a class..? She could only console herself in the belief that there was no such thing as a 'victimless crime'. What if that running person crashed into someone else and knocked them over, possibly hurting them? When she looked at it that way, what they were doing was improving the quality of Garden life. Fujin knew that Raijin hadn't put nearly as much thought into what they were doing as she had. He was content to follow Seifer's lead without question. Likewise, Seifer was unconcerned, but perhaps for the wrong reasons. He saw it as his duty to enforce the rules and didn't care why the rules were put into place to begin with. Such a straightforward approach undoubtedly made life easier when one didn't question their actions. Her thoughts moved along to one of Cid's lectures about the morals of being a SeeD. In a way, it was like they were getting extra practice before they took the test to join the SeeD ranks. In all honesty, she didn't know what she was going to do with herself once she finished her schooling here. All the scenarios she envisioned included Seifer and her childhood friend Raijin. She couldn't imagine going off into the world without them backing her up. They were an inseparable team and steadfast friends. "So all the little villages around Lake Obel weren't part of any country prior to the War," Zell rocked on his toes as he intensely scrutinized the appropriate part of the map. "Technically they were independent. Though for your test you'll want to say that Timber controlled the entire Lake Obel region," Sierra clarified. "The villages were being incorporated one by one, but the War halted the process and then Galbadia hurried it along when they seized the region." Zell nodded and continued to study the map. The cynical part of her would be surprised if he recalled what she taught him outside of this room. On the other hand, he really did seem to understand what they covered. It didn't matter. She did what he asked her to do. How well he did on his test was his problem. She sat down at her desk and resumed slugging away at her homework while he continued to study the wall. A few minutes later he had another question for her. "Say, Sierra, why do ya look up to him?" "Look up to who?" She asked, not even glancing from her work. "Your grandpa." That caught her attention. She gave Zell a warning glare. He blanched a bit and began babbling in self-defense. "Well, 'cause, my grandpa was a hero, y'know? I was wonderin' if yours was too? Just curious..." he trailed off. Sierra carefully marked the page she had been reading before answering. "My grandfather didn't fight in the War, but he was still brave. He left his home as a young man and traveled all over the world exploring its wonders. When he discovered Trabia he decided that's where he wanted to start a family. "I admire him because he was strong both physically and in spirit. Nothing could keep him down when he set his mind to it. That and I loved to listen to his stories. He visited so many places. Joining SeeD is my best chance to explore the world like he did. Things have changed a lot since then, but I still want to see them." "Yo, that's cool," Zell grinned broadly. "I hope you make it!" She managed a small smile in response. "You should get going or you'll miss the hot dogs, it's just about dinner time," she pointed out. "You're right! Comin'?" She shook her head. "I ate a late lunch." "Thanks for the help!" "Good luck." Zell gave her a thumbs up before letting himself out. After he was gone Sierra got up and stood in front of her maps. With a light fingertip she traced back her grandfather's adventurous route. Trabia. Esthar. Balamb. Dollet. Galbadia. She let her finger drop off as it hovered above Winhill. Damn them. Damn them a thousand times over for driving him out. ***** Aucifer's training session didn't go well to put it mildly. He tried to catch the attention of one of the Faculty, but was having no luck at drawing one of them over. How the hell did Xu tell them apart? They all looked the same to him. Thankfully, Xu was in her office the entire time conducting student evaluations. If she'd come out and witnessed the horseplay that was going on she would have had a fit. It wasn't that he *allowed* his students to goof off, but it was hard to keep them under control when they were using tricks that he couldn't match or thwart. The first of such pranks came when someone cast a Float spell on him as he was demonstrating a kicking technique he wanted them to mimic. He would have fallen flat on his back if it weren't for the effect of the spell that lifted him up off the ground. Even worse, he didn't know how to free himself of the magic's effect. He tried to continue the demonstration despite being nearly a half meter up, but he wasn't accustom to fighting that way and kept bumbling. His relief came by way of Squall Leonhart. The stoic student was trying to practice his bladework in a quiet corner of the room but was unable to concentrate with all the laughing going on. He drew his right hand in front of his nose in a near imitation of the SeeD salute before extending hand out and releasing Aucifer from the spell. The Master fell awkwardly onto the mat, causing another round of guffaws. Squall didn't so much as crack a smile at Aucifer's humiliation. He simply knelt down and set a small handful of beads onto the mat before returning to his corner. Aucifer briskly went over and picked up the beads. They rolled around between his fingers. "What are they?" He asked the student closest to him. "Dispel," the cadet answered with as much composure as possible considering that he'd been gasping for breath just a few short moments ago. The Master gratefully pocketed the spells. He'd gotten the impression that Squall was a cold fish, but maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all. He gave his students a long look, trying to determine which one was the prankster. He'd allow them their fun at his expense this time, but next time he would be the one with the last laugh. After classes had let out for the day, but before the dinner rush, Sierra went into the training center to get in some extra weight training. She'd chosen this time of day with hopes of avoiding anyone who might have a reason to speak with her. Most students spent the afternoon either doing homework or taking a break before they put their noses to the grindstone. Sierra's plans for avoiding people were shattered by the ever-cheerful Zell. "Yo, Sierra!" he jogged up to her and bounced from foot to foot. "I aced my test thanks to you!" "Congratulation," she said simply. "Zell says there's no one better at geography," Xu chimed in from behind him. "Ever thought of becoming an Instructor?" She asked lightly. Sierra shook her head. "I couldn't stand the students long enough to teach them." Oblivious to Sierra's desire to avoid the topic, Zell continued, "Sierra's da bomb! She's got all these maps all over her wall and knows exactly where everything is on them. Not only that, she knows the history of all the places too!" Sierra put a hand on top of Zell's head and forced it down while messing his hair. "Instructor Xu doesn't care about all that." The conversation lapsed until Xu suggested that Sierra spar with her. Sierra tried to get out of it by saying that she just wanted to do weight training. There was no need to spar now when they were going to do it again later tonight. Xu waved that aside. She might not have the chance to work with Sierra individually tonight, so now was as good of time as any. With a sigh, Sierra nodded her agreement. If Xu wanted to fight her that bad... Both women did their stretches before meeting in the center of one of the practice mats. Sierra cockily rubbed her thumb across her nose before putting her arms up in a guarded position. It was obvious that she was shining Xu on and that this would be one hell of a fight even if it was just for 'practice'. Xu arched an eyebrow and then set herself into a guarded position. Aucifer called the match and they began. Xu was quick, incredibly quick. Sierra had a difficult time keeping up with the jabs and feints that the Mistress threw at her. Anything that the cadet tried offensively Xu turned back around on her. It was a technique that infuriated Sierra as much as it had frustrated Xu the first time she encountered it while fighting Master Talasu. Unfortunately, Sierra had two advantages that Talasu didn't: strength and size. Sierra chased Xu around the mat until she finally caught her superior. She pulled Xu into a strong body hold before lifting her up off the mat as though she weighed nothing. Xu tried to move her center of gravity, but it was too late. A solid thud resounded throughout the room when Sierra slammed her down onto the mat. Xu head bounced hard, leaving her stunned by the fall. The way they landed had Sierra's head being cushioned by her Instructor's chest. She took her face out of Xu's chest to look up at the dazed woman. Xu opened her eyes and tried to blink them back into focus. The impact muddled her brain, for all sorts of random thoughts occurred to her. Most immediate was noticing for the first time just how delicate Sierra's features really were, what with her fine nose and slightly high cheekbones. That and her eyes somehow reminded Xu of Kei's... Then she thought of how she'd promised to play a game of Triple Triad with Kei last week, but hadn't because a Grat had put her cards to sleep... Sierra snorted before leaning forward to push herself up with her arms. The motion jarred free a necklace that had been tucked safely away under her shirt. The trinket on the chain bobbed above Xu's nose and her eyes tried to focus on the shiny object. Ai... Ai... Sierra stood up and purposefully put the chain back under her shirt before backing away. Aucifer's face replaced the trinket above Xu's nose. It was uncomfortably close and distorted. His lips were moving. He was speaking to her. Her head hurt so much... "Xu! Are you okay?" His face fell in and out of focus again. Mustn't go to sleep, she knew that much. Got to stay awake. Got to answer his question. What was the question..? Xu rolled over onto her side muttering softly, but he couldn't understand a word of what she was saying. She was speaking a language he didn't know. Aucifer had already called for Kadowaki to come immediately. He tried to keep Xu from moving around too much, but she was dazed. "She's going to throw up," Sierra knelt down next to the Instructor with a towel in her hand. "She's nauseous." 'Yes, nausea, that was a symptom of a concussion,' Aucifer recalled. Sierra placed the towel in a position to catch the vomit should Xu bring anything up. She was speaking incoherently. Aucifer cooed at her reassuringly, hoping that she would start speaking standard before too much longer. Kadowaki arrived with a pair of Faculty in tow. She was quick to take charge of the situation and get Xu moved to the Infirmary. Sierra looked as unhappy as Aucifer felt. Likely she was feeling guilty for injuring Xu. No one should go hard on Sierra. The very nature of the profession risked injury. While her fighting style was unorthodox, she didn't do anything that was backhanded or cowardly (like kicking someone while they were down). He didn't foresee a reprimand in her future for this transgression, but that wouldn't relieve her sense of guilt. Aucifer rubbed his smooth chin in thought. An incident like this could mellow the fiery Sierra. It was something to hope for at least. "What's your name?" Kadowaki asked gently of the woman who was on the examination table. A slurred 'Shuuuuu' was her answer. "Where are we?" The Doctor pressed. Again, the answer was one she didn't understand but was fairly certain was correct. She glanced over at Kei, who was holding onto Xu's limp hand, and confirmed the answer. "The Infirmary of Balamb's Garden," Kei translated. "Her speech is slow, is she going to be okay?" Kadowaki pointed a penlight into Xu's eyes. The pupils narrowed immediately and there seemed to be intelligence behind those eyes. "Yes, but give it time. A sharp blow to the head can addle a person's mind. It might take a bit for things to settle down again. I'd like you to keep asking her simple questions. See if you can coax her into answering in standard. Once she's collected her wits about her we can establish if there's been any memory loss." Kadowaki left the small examination room and closed the curtain behind her to give them some privacy. It didn't surprise her when she found Cid speaking softly with one of the Faculty while waiting for her to finish examining Xu. Balamb's Headmaster had a concerned look to him that caused there to be a crease across his forehead. She motioned for him to sit before he could ask her how Xu was doing. "A mild concussion caused by a sharp blow to the head when she was slammed down on a training mat. I can't tell you more than that until she's recovered. I'd say a few days of rest and she should be fine unless she takes a sudden turn for the worse," Kadowaki answered without a question being asked. Cid's mouth turned into a small frown. "I would feel better if she'd broken an arm instead of a concussion. An arm can easily be mended with magic." "You can't choose the injuries," Kadowaki chided lightly. Cid was knowledgeable enough in the ways of magic and medicine to know that a concussion was best treated over time without magical interference. "May I see her?" Kadowaki nodded and motioned for him to follow her to a small observation room. Kei had her back to the observation window and was speaking to Xu. "Come on, Xu, answer me in standard," Kei begged softly. "I know you can understand me." Xu's eyes wandered around the room before falling back onto Kei's face. A small smile touched her lips. "Speak Anshin when alone," she intoned slowly in standard. Kei's expression contorted at Xu's stubbornness. "This isn't the time," she scolded. Xu's gaze moved from Kei's face and she nodded slightly in the direction of the observation window. "We're not alone." Kadowaki came around the barrier and pushed aside the curtain. Xu angled herself up to greet the Doctor. "How are you feeling?" Kadowaki asked while taking another look at her eyes. "My head hurts. Not sick anymore. Tired." The Doctor hmm-ed to herself as she took stock of Xu's condition. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you sleep for a few hours at least. Kei's volunteered to keep you company in the meantime. What's the last thing you remember before coming here?" Xu blinked, suddenly realizing the oddity of her being in the Infirmary. "How did I get here?" She asked in turn. "You hit your head on a mat while training. Now, what do you remember?" Kadowaki insisted. Xu crinkled her nose in a visible effort to recall. "I had breakfast with Aucifer. Academic reviews. Zell did well on his geography test because Sierra tutored him. Sierra... Something to do with Sierra, but I can't remember..." Kadowaki gave her a reassuring squeeze on the arm. "You were sparring Sierra when you were injured. How about after arriving here, what's the last thing you remember then?" "Kei talking about word puzzle books..." Xu gave her cousin the most severe look she could muster. "You know I dislike word games," she added sourly. "You're going to be fine," Kadowaki said on the end of a chuckle. "I want you to stay here for a couple hours longer and then you're free to leave. I've already given Kei instructions on how to care for you tonight." "It'll be just like old times," Kei said smugly. "Remember when I used to baby-sit you?" Xu rolled her eyes. "It was the other way around. You were the one they didn't trust to be left on her own." Kadowaki left them again. Cid joined her from the observation room. "I'm glad that she'll be okay," Cid said with a sigh of relief. "Just a bit of a scare to keep us on our toes," Kadowaki agreed. Not since Sean's death had so many people stop by Xu's quarters in a single day. Sierra was among the first to come around after Kadowaki released her from the Infirmary. "I'm sorry for hurting you," Sierra apologized with all sincerity. Xu accepted her apology even though Sierra didn't really owe one. "Accidents happen. I'm glad that you're on our side," she jested. Sierra looked puzzled by her saying that, but let it pass without further comment. As soon as his shift was over Aucifer came by. Kadowaki had called him after Xu regained her senses to let him know that she was all right. Even so, he wanted to check up on her himself. The Headmaster showed up as well to see how she was doing. Xu was touched that he'd take time out of his busy schedule to see her. It was getting late in the evening and Kei was still attending to her. Finally Xu asked her cousin if she intended to go back to her own quarters tonight. Kei shook her head to the negative. "Kadowaki said that I should wake you every couple hours after you went to bed and ask you some questions. I can't very well do that if I'm in my quarters, can I?" Xu was appalled. "You're going to stay up all night?" "That's the plan, yes," she agreed with nonchalance. "Kei..." "Don't worry. I'll get my sleep in once I'm assured that you'll be okay. Besides, I have a puzzle book I've been meaning to finish. Go on, get some rest." Xu wanted to protest, but knew that Kei wouldn't listen, especially if Kadowaki backed it up. She went into her bedroom and slipped out of her clothes before getting into bed. Once again she marveled at how she ended up with such a staunch defender as her cousin. ***** Xu was none the worse for wear after recovering from the mild concussion, though she had a gap in her memory of about an hour. That bothered her more than it should have. Kadowaki assured her that such a thing was a normal consequence of the injury she suffered, but she felt as though she'd forgotten something important that happened during that time. Try as she might, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. A part of her wanted to say that it had something to do with Sierra, but she just couldn't recall. Going on a hunch she pulled up Sierra's student file and read through it. Yes, it felt like she was on the right track by looking into Sierra's history, but what was she searching for? There wasn't anything out of the ordinary to be found that she could see. Giving the lump on her head a tentative rub, she wished once again that she could remember. Aucifer gave his troublesome afternoon session an appraising look before beginning today's demonstration. Twice the prankster had cast Float on him since Squall gave him the Dispel. His patience with such nonsense was wearing thin. His first attempt to detour the culprit was to make everyone in the class cast Float on themselves and practice fighting while hovering. Many of them grumbled under their breath about how difficult it was to maintain their balance when attacking, but it did strike Aucifer as a legitimate exercise. When that didn't head off the hazing, he brushed up on what sort of spells were available to him. One of which gave him an idea... The prankster wouldn't remain anonymous for long if they tried it again. During his demonstration of a throwing technique they were going to practice, he saw the shimmering of a cast spell reflecting off of the magical barrier he had cast on himself before the session. A cadet in the back row rose off the floor, a startled expression on his face. "Ah," Aucifer stopped his demonstration and approached the floating cadet. "Are you aware of what class you're in right now?" He asked without reprimand or sarcasm. "Beginning unarmed combat," The guilty cadet answered sheepishly. "That's correct. You are likewise aware that this is not a spell-casting class?" The cadet's Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped before answering with a meek, "Yes." "Then I trust that this will be the last time you cast a spell during my class," he said sternly. He then turned to address all of the cadets, since he was convinced that the red handed cadet wasn't the only one in on the pranks. "That goes for all of you. If I catch anyone disrupting my lessons from now on I'll turn you over to Xu's mercies, which aren't many from what I hear. Understood?" As one the cadets acknowledged his warning. Truth be told, his threat was a bluff. He got the impression that Xu had the authority to make their lives hell, but wasn't sure what she would do. Were this Mistress Niethe's school, she'd make them run laps until their legs gave out. Not to say that the Garden lacked proper discipline, it was just a different method than he was used to. No matter, now that the culprits knew that he was onto them, they'd be wise to take the hint. ***** Even though Xu was excused from her regular duties, that didn't exempt her students from their training. Much to Sierra's annoyance, Aucifer suggested (ordered) her and Zell to go fight monsters in the Training Center for the afternoon. Sierra didn't know if this was Aucifer's way of punishing her or what. It certainly felt like punishment, being stuck with Zell as her partner and all. For his part, Zell was ecstatic about going into the Center with her. He had this crazy notion that they'd beat down a T-Rexaur and drag its hide back like some sort of trophy. A scathing remark had dissuaded him of the idea, but not of the enthusiasm he was bubbling over with. "Stop being so damned happy," Sierra grumbled as Zell bounced along beside her. The younger cadet threw a couple punches and continued to weave about. "I'm just warming up, y'know?" "We did that back in the training room." Zell didn't respond since a Grat caught his attention. He ran off of the dirt path so that he could engage it. Sierra shook her head and followed him into battle. She had to grudgingly admit that it sounded like it hurt when Zell's fists slammed against the Grat. He'd already managed to break two of its long limbs so that they lay limply on the ground before she had her first chance at the monster. Sierra pulled the shotaxe from the harness on her back and flipped the head into place. "Leave something for me!" She yelled to Zell before charging towards the Grat. With a mighty overhead swing she brought the axe down into the belly of the monster and then yanked it free again. Blood flowed from the wound she'd created, making the ground around them moist. Taking his cue from her, Zell confronted the monster again, deftly avoiding a desperate swipe by one of its limbs. He got in close and then delivered a hard kick to the injured belly. Blood squirted up and splattered him. The Grat writhed in the pain of death before succumbing to it. "Bloody hell," Sierra said dryly as Zell tried to get the mess off of his face. Nothing short of bath would get it out of his blonde hair. "There's a stream nearby. Let's get your eyes washed out and face cleaned off." If there was one recurring theme when it came to the design of the Garden, it was flowing water. The stream she had in mind was hidden from the path by a line of thick brush. She hacked a path through it while leading the half-blind Zell along. Sierra was watching him clean up when a noise caught her attention. She looked further downstream to see a T-Rexaur looking right back at her. It'd been drinking when two snacks conveniently presented themselves. Before the T-Rexaur took more than a lurching step forward Sierra had grabbed a hold of Zell's uniform and dragged him until he started running on his own. The T-Rexaur perked up as it saw them getting away. It swung its huge body around and gave chase.. "Zell!" Sierra yelled, pointing ahead at the barred grating that the water they were sloshing through was flowing from. "I see it!" The smaller cadet ducked his head down and pumped his legs to push himself along faster. He turned himself sideways and slipped between the bars without missing a step. The momentum that carried Sierra through the gap caused her to slam into Zell, sending them both to their knees. The T-Rexaur roared in protest. It hit its enormous head up against the grating with hopes of breaking through to get at them. Sierra unslung her shotaxe and was about to fire a round at it, but Zell placed a restraining hand on her arm. "I don't think it'd be a good idea to piss it off. Let's just get out of here." Sierra nodded and put her weapon away. Their choices at this point were limited; sit and wait for the T-Rexaur to go away or explore. Neither of them had any idea where these drainage systems led, but it would be more interesting to explore than to sit around. That and it would get them out of sight of the angry monster. Out of sight, out of mind after all. It was happy coincidence that Sierra made a habit of keeping a small flashlight on her utility belt. Then again, the harness Sierra wore for her shotaxe had so many pouches and rings on it for carrying items that she could likely go for weeks before she'd have to stop and resupply. Sierra's eccentrics would pull them out of this, or so Zell hoped. The waterway narrowed so that they had to slog single file though water that went up to their hips. They twisted and turned for roughly 300 meters before the passage opened up again. There was a definite stench in this room that caused Zell's nose to twitch. It reminded him of manure. He was fairly sure that they weren't in any sort of sewage waterways, so such deposits could only mean one thing... "I gotta bad feelin' about this," Zell said softly. "Me too." Sierra shone the light around the chamber they were in, noting that there were passages in front of them and to each side. Then her light hit upon something that reflected it back. A shadow separated itself from the others and slinked towards them. "Crap," Sierra muttered and drew her weapon. Fighting in the near dark wouldn't be easy. "Got anything that can light this room up?" Zell asked, already standing in a defensive position waiting for whatever it was to attack. The flashlight moved off of the creature ahead of them as Sierra rummaged around in her pouches. "I'm not sure how much this will help..." Illumination exploded in her hand. "You had a flare this whole time and didn't use it?!" "No one's perfect," Sierra waved the flare ahead of them, trying to spot where the monster was. Shadows danced erratically as the light hit them. Then one of the shadows popped up and struck with its claw-like hand. Sierra dropped the flare into the water because of the unexpected attack. Zell was quick on the uptake and punched at the area right in front of Sierra. Whatever it was screeched and retreated. "Now's a good time for ideas." Zell tried to distinguish which shadow was the one who attacked them. It likely wouldn't leave them alone now that he'd given it a lump. "Yeah, FIRE!" There was no way Sierra could target the monster without being able to see it, but she could use magic to cause an explosion of fire above their heads... Zell spotted the out-of-place shadow and lunged for it before the magic's effects wore off. Sierra kept the air above them aflame until he had beaten down their attacker. "That monster gave me the creeps," Zell shivered. "Me too. I wonder what it was?" Sierra cast a Cure spell on herself to heal the monster-inflicted scratch across her face. Sierra pulled out the flashlight again and pointed it towards the passageway straight ahead of them. Forward led to a small hole in the wall that was grated over. They weren't going to get out that way. Nothing attacked them when they re-entered the site of their previous battle. Zell chose the direction this time. The passage seemed like it would go on forever until they spotted light up ahead. They resisted the urge to run towards it. Something didn't feel right about this either. The two cadets slipped through the grate to find themselves standing waist deep in one of the pools of water that could be found all over the place in the Garden. "Where are we?" Zell could tell that this wasn't one of the ponds that circled the main 'gear' of the Garden. The pond was too narrow -- being only a couple meters wide -- and the wall that enclosed the pond was roughly a meter above water level, which was too short. They could hoist themselves up and over, but... Sierra lifted herself up so that she could look around, then immediately ducked back down again when she spotted a Shumi coming. They put their backs against the inner wall and hoped that it wouldn't stop at the edge of the pond and look down. The Shumi did stop at the pond's edge. Sierra held her breath, willing the Faculty to go away. Then another one greeted it and stopped to talk. "NORG is not pleased." "There is nothing to be done. Cid won't know until Edea..." "This is not what NORG intended." Their conversation died off as they walked away and the cadets relaxed. After a few minutes passed Sierra stuck her head up again for another look. "Is the coast clear?" Zell asked. Sierra shook her head. "Let's keep going. I don't recognize this area of the Garden. I'd be willing to bet that we've stumbled into Shumi territory. It wouldn't be good to be caught here." Zell's eyes grew wide and he nodded his agreement. The pair inched along the wall silently until they could slip through the grating at the other end of the pond. They followed the stream for a couple hundred meters before encountering another place to go out into the open. "Think this is still in the Shumi part of the Garden?" Zell asked, looking out through the grate in hopes of spotting a human, or even better, spotting no one at all. Sierra shrugged. "The water's deeper here. We'll have to swim across." They entered the water and stuck close to the inner wall to avoid detection. The wall in this section of the Garden was steeper, reaching nearly three and a half meters up. They'd have a tough time climbing it if they chose to get out here. Their problem was solved for them when a boy who was sitting precariously on the edge of the wall spotted them. His startled exclamation brought those around him to his side, and they, in turn, attracted the attention of a passing Instructor. "What on earth do you two think you're doing?" Xu asked, leaning across the ledge to look down at them. "Runnin' away from a T-Rexaur," Zell answered sheepishly. "Will you help us up?" With the use of a rope and the help of another cadet named Nida the two of them were pulled out of the pond. They were thoroughly soaked and reeked of something foul. Xu took a polite step back away from them. "After you've showered come by my office." "Yes, sir," Zell saluted. Sierra followed suit after a moment's hesitation. Xu didn't bust them once she knew their story. Like Sierra, she hadn't realized that there was a whole network of drainage systems connecting various areas of the Garden together. "It makes sense when you think about it," Xu added thoughtfully. "Just don't make a habit of going down in there, agreed?" "You got it 'structor." Zell felt safe in speaking for the both of them. They didn't want to explore the waterways again. "I heard that you took a little swim today," Seifer leaned over Sierra as she tried to eat her dinner. She had no interest in talking to the annoying little man and so she ignored him. His smirk turned into a frown when Sierra didn't respond. "Swimming in the waterways is forbidden." Sierra maintained her indifference towards him. Pointedly ignoring him, she dug her fork into the mashed potatoes on her plate before taking another bite. Losing patience with their little game, Seifer slammed the palm of his hand on the table to startle her into paying attention. The outburst left her unfazed, but she did respond. "If you're trying to bust me, you're too late. Instructor Xu already got to me. Better luck next time." Seifer's hand clinched into a fist at hearing that. "What authority does she have?" He growled more to himself than to the person he was trying to intimidate. Sierra took the opportunity to twist the knife on Seifer's ego. "Apparently she thinks that she's an Instructor. Somehow that's given her the funny notion that we should respect her or something. Wonder how that happened?" Seifer visibly stiffened. "Don't you get smart with me." "It's not hard to be smarter than you," she drawled. "I'll get you, just you wait." She stabbed her potatoes with her fork, 'accidentally' squishing them in Seifer's general direction. "With bated breath." He gave her seat a solid bump as he went by. Seifer wouldn't be dissuaded now that he'd made up his mind. Sierra de Ling will go down. ***** Xu insisted that she lead today's drill team session. It was her first full day back and Aucifer would have preferred to see her taking things easy. Instead she seemed hell bent on pushing herself as hard as possible, as though she wanted to either prove that she was well again or break herself trying. Much to her credit, Xu wasn't afraid to jump back into the saddle after being thrown from the Chocobo. Today's lesson was focused on ways to break or reverse holds. Xu's emphasis on countering such techniques could be seen as a broad shot at Sierra since that was the cadet's usual method of fighting. As it was, Sierra held an advantage over her teammates because of her unorthodox style and Xu needed to close the gap. "I don't see what the big deal is," Zell spoke up. "As long as ya keep moving, Sierra can't grab ya." "Is that so? Then let's see you move," Xu invited Zell onto the mat with a gesture. "Your mouth has gotten you into trouble this time, Dincht!" Red ribbed. "You shouldn't be so hasty to challenge a Master," Aucifer said off-handedly. He kept his concern to himself. Just because this was the type of injury Xu had so recently suffered didn't mean that lightning would strike twice. But if she were to get slammed down again... 'Maybe challenging Xu wasn't such a hot idea...' Zell thought. He cracked his knuckles before settling into his opening stance. Xu set herself up opposite him. Once they were ready, Aucifer gave them the signal to begin. Zell jumped forward, intent upon landing the first blow. The Instructor intercepted his fist by knocking it aside. He tried again with the same result. He suddenly recalled something they'd been trying to teach him. Throw less punches and try more kicks or grappling. If he did the same thing every time, his opponent could anticipate and defeat him before the battle even started. Zell put thoughts into motion and grabbed a handful of Xu's shirt. He then twisted and threw her over his shoulder. On the sidelines Aucifer winced as his mind played back Xu's bout with Sierra earlier in the week. Zell didn't realize the mistake in his technique until he heard the tearing sound of fabric. He looked at the shirt in his hand while Xu landed on the mat and rolled back to her feet. She didn't give him the chance to digest what she looked like in just a bra. She almost clotted him upside the head with her open hand. Even though Zell was too busy saving his hide to ogle his Instructor, that didn't keep his classmates from admiring the view. Admittedly, half the female cadets chose to practice wearing sports bras with no shirt, but seeing their Instructor that way was different; especially their well-built and lithe Instructor. A small smirk came to Aucifer's face as he likewise studied his co-worker. Zell couldn't escape from the hold Xu kept him down on the mat with. It was a reversed position in which Xu's head was on his chest and her chest comfortably close to his face. It was a hold Xu had taught them how to break out of before she was injured.. He squirmed under her in a desperate attempt to get free. "Yield!" Xu pushed herself off of him. Zell sat up and hung his head in shame. It was like getting his ass kicked by Sierra. He should have paid more attention in class. Xu had been pulling apart Sierra's tricks and teaching the drill team how to get around them. "You did well to maintain your concentration after the conditions of the battle changed," Xu complimented. "These," she gestured to her breasts, "will get you killed if you lose your focus." "At least Zell would have died a happy man," Sierra quipped. The wise crack got chuckles from the males in the room. Xu lectured her students on the values of concentration while Zell's mind was already off somewhere else. She had her back completely to him as she spoke, thus giving him the opportunity to study her tattooed back. It was awesome. Instructor Xu was already one of his favorites. Her having such a cool tattoo raised her up several notches in his book. "Isn't that right, Mister Dincht?" She turned to him. "Yes, Instructor," he immediately agreed without knowing what to. A curious expression crossed her face. "You like pain?" Uh... "Yes, Instructor. I don't learn things unless they're pounded into m' noggin," he improvised. A snicker ran through his teammates. Xu blinked. "We'll talk after class, Zell. As for the rest of you, let's hope that a pounding isn't required. Master Aucifer, what's the next item on this evening's schedule?" Aucifer took over the class from there. After class was dismissed, but before Zell could slip into the locker room, Xu pulled him aside. "Do I really need to pound you to make you pay attention? You did so well during our bout. Is there something distracting you?" "Your back," Zell answered. "What about it?" "You've got the most bad ass tattoo I've ever seen. You're cool, but I didn't know you were *that* cool. Where did you get it?" Xu pinched the bridge of her nose. "Zell..." she sighed. When he was in battle, he was unflappable. The rest of the time a shiny rock could distract him. "What?" he asked innocently enough. She put her hand down before answering. "It's a mark of adulthood where I'm from." "Really? That's awesome!" "Kei wouldn't agree," Xu muttered under her breath. Raising her voice, she continued, "Tattoos aside, how about paying more attention during the lessons? You should have broken free of the hold I had you in." "I know," he admitted. "I'll try harder." "Good," she squeezed him on the shoulder. "You better get changed or you'll miss the hot dogs again." His eyes went wide. "Tch! Gotta go. Thanks, 'structor!" Some members of the drill team had taken to spending time together outside of the training room, during meals especially. Thus it wasn't unusual that Red, Zell, Jordan, and Sierra gathered for a late snack after their session. Zell's fight with Xu was turned into to an opportunity to tease him. Despite managing to get her shirt off and her later reprimanding him for not paying attention, his mind was still focused on one thing. "I'm telling you, man, it's awesome!" "You're messed in the head, Zell. Staring at some tattoo while missing out on a fine example of a woman," Red shook his head ruefully. Jordan scowled, "You shouldn't say such things, especially about an Instructor." "Hey, I'll compliment a woman when I see one that catches my eye," Red retorted. "You're lucky she doesn't have a boyfriend, else breasts really could kill." Jordan said dryly. The only person who hadn't added anything to the conversation was Sierra, who was eating her meal intently. Zell turned to her as his last line of defense. "C'mon Sierra, don'tcha agree, it was cool?" She shoveled the last forkful of peas into her mouth before standing up abruptly and leaving. "I guess she doesn't agree," Red intoned dryly. ***** Aucifer wasn't all that surprised when he found Xu in her office on the Garden rest day. His chat with Reika and Jordan had given him many insights to his co-worker's habits. Students had a way for learning not only their lessons, but their teacher's habits as well. He allowed his eyes to linger perhaps a bit longer than manners would permit as he took in her lithe form in a SeeD combat uniform. He reminded himself that the skirt and tunic she sported around the Garden weren't the most practical outfit on the battlefield. The olive green jumpsuit she wore was better suited for such things. An accompanying helmet with a technologically augmented face shield sat on her desk. She hadn't noticed him watching her, and so he leaned up against the doorframe and admired the view before speaking. "Going off to a war that I don't know about?" Xu glanced up from lacing her boots. "Aucifer," she acknowledged without giving him the courtesy of her undivided attention. "I'm going to train today." "Do you usually train in full body armor?" He gestured at the helmet on her desk and the utility belt that she was currently securing around her slim waist. "Not usually," she replied, still playing coy with him. "Ah, well then, if you're going somewhere that requires such precautions then you'll likely need assistance as well. So where are we going?" He pushed himself off the doorframe to present himself as a willing training partner. "*We* aren't going anywhere," a sarcastically dry voice said from behind him. He turned around to find another SeeD dressed as Xu was with a helmet cradled under her left arm. "SeeD Kei, I presume? A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance," he stretched out his hand to shake. Kei regarded the offered hand for several long moments before grasping it with her own. Her grip was powerful for a woman's, but nothing that he couldn't properly meet. "Master Aucifer, it's a nice day outside. Why don't you take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with Balamb and we'll see you tomorrow?" Aucifer continued smiling kindly as he disengaged his hand from Kei's. Though her suggestion was worded politely enough, he could see a threat when it was so thinly veiled. He could understand why Xu advised him to avoid her cousin. Kei had a presence that warned against trifling with her, but Aucifer had spent enough time around strong spirited women that the effect didn't intimidate him as it did countless others. "Exploring Balamb was one of the first things I did when I arrived. Friendly people, beautiful bay, and a junk shop that does fine weapons work." Xu looked from Aucifer to Kei and back to Aucifer again. "Kei, please take Aucifer to requisition a helmet. He's going to need one if he's coming with us." Aucifer knew that Kei wanted to protest his coming along, but she didn't say so much as a word. She gestured with her right hand for him to follow her to requisitions. Once they were well out of earshot of Xu's office she stopped him. "You're a ghost, understand?" "I'm only here to help out should you find yourself in trouble," he said even though he didn't know what exactly they were doing or where they were going. A small part of his brain wondered if this was such a good idea, but he disregarded that whisper (as he usually did when it conflicted with his impulses). Kei got a helmet for him to wear. The face shield only covered the upper portion of the wears' face and had a triangle of red sensors for visual pickups. He carefully examined it, testing its weight in his hands before trying it on. He was unaccustomed to wearing headgear and especially to not seeing things with his naked eyes. He felt Kei placing her hands on the helmet before he could see her. She tapped a few buttons and the visual display flared to life and then went blank when she lifted the face shield up. "Why do I have to wear a helmet?" He asked on their way back to Xu's office. "We're going to explore the waterways that Zell and Sierra stumbled into," Kei explained. "From what they told us we know that it's not lit and that there are monsters. Unless you plan on holding a flashlight while fighting you'll need the optics in that helmet to see." "Makes sense," he conceded. Aucifer didn't say another word as he followed the two SeeDs into the Center. It took them a while before they were able to locate the trench that Zell had gotten into. Only dumb luck would have allowed the cadets to find it and the grating it led to. The underbrush in the immediate area was thick enough that he wouldn't have thought to look. Kei helped him to get his helmet adjusted, and familiarized him with the basic controls and display. He still felt uncertain about his ability to fight with it on, but he'd find a way. Xu had taken careful notes on where the two cadets had ventured when they reported to her afterwards. They came across the chamber that contained the Creep that they fought. Xu led them away from the open ponds for now, she was more interested in the waterways and chambers that were down here. The cousins didn't speak much while they explored. Occasionally one would say something and the other would give a single word response. He wondered if his presence here was preventing them from saying more, but he didn't think so. He was careful to stay a couple steps behind them and to not make his presence known. Kei ducked into a side chamber at Xu's prompting and scooted back out again. "There's a rather large and ugly monster in there," she reported calmly. Either the monster hadn't seen her when she looked, it wasn't interested in a fight, or it was too big to fit through the passageway to attack them. From how Kei described it, the latter reason was the most likely. "What do you think?" Xu asked her cousin. "It was a good sized chamber. What we're looking for is more likely to be in there than out here in the waterways..." she observed thoughtfully. "Fight it is, then." The three adventurers advanced into the room. The monster was large and ugly. It struck Aucifer as some sort of overgrown insect. The Grand Mantis (as Xu called it) was nearly twice his height with six long legs holding it up off of the ground. They kept whittling away at it with their weapons. The beastie's stamina seemed to be endless. "Don't kill it," Xu ordered when it looked like the monster had been significantly weakened. That puzzled Aucifer. If they didn't kill it how were they going to explore this room in peace? Kei's solution was simple, if not violent. She rushed at the staggering creature and cracked it upside the head with the hilt of her sword. The Grand Mantis immediately dropped to the damp floor. Aucifer wasn't sure if Kei's blow had killed it or not, but she assured them that it hadn't. "Why spare the monster?" He asked Kei as Xu began to explore their surroundings. "I don't think anyone would appreciate the stench of a rotting corpse coming from the water source of the ponds," she shrugged. "That's Xu's logic at least. I'd just as soon kill the damned things." "Kei, help me move its leg," Xu called. With all of them working on it the Mantis was shoved away from the part of the wall that Xu wished to examine. She ran a hand along it, scraping off a layer of caked on grime. With one hand she turned a flashlight onto the wall and with the other removed her helmet. Kei did likewise with Aucifer following suit as they all crowded around to see what had caught Xu's interest. There were faint designs on the wall that were more significant to her than to him. She and Kei spoke in hushed tones so that he couldn't hear them. He stepped back and looked at the rest of the wall. Now that he knew what to look for he could see that the entire thing was a giant mural. What could it possibly be..? "This is Centra," Xu brushed her hand across a broad area at the bottom of the wall. Hum... Yes, it did look like a crude map of sorts. It was heavily stylized and the continents were out of proportion, but everything was in the right geographical locations, he noted. The SeeDs continues their hushed discussion. They looked like they were going to be at it for a while so he began wandering around the room. It was damp, stinky, and not all that pleasant of a place to be hanging out. He looked down at the ground. It was soiled with a layer of silt-like crud. He dug the toe of his boot into it to see how deep it was. There was some sort of pattern beneath the layer. Idly he brushed more of the silt away with his boot until he was able to see most of the design. "Check this out," he called over to the two women. He realized that he wasn't acting the part of a ghost at this point, but this was something they'd be interested in. Xu was the first to come over and immediately crouched down to examine the design closer. She put her helmet back on for a minute, then pulled it off again. Their helmets must have some sort of image capturing capability built in. "Would you look around the rest of the room and see if there are any more designs like this?" He nodded his agreement and started scuffing the ground to see if he could uncover anything else. There wasn't much more to be found except for some line patterns. Kei examined the walls while Xu continued to take images of the map they discovered. They didn't explore much further after that one chamber. It was getting late and all three of them were beginning to itch to see light again. They left the waterways through the passage they entered via. No monsters were foolish enough to attack them as they worked their way back to the training room. Aucifer half suspected that it was the stench that drove them away. Kei relieved him of his borrowed helmet before he meandered into the locker room for a nice hot shower. He was in there far longer than he usually allowed himself. The water cascading down his body felt so good. On his way out of the training room he ducked by Xu's office and saw that she was in there working. She wasn't long out of the shower herself. Her damp hair clung to her neck as she brushed a wayward lock of it behind her ear. She wore a loose tee shirt and a pair of sweatpants instead of the soiled jumpsuit. "Did you find what you were looking for?" He solicited. She glanced up at him, her rich brown eyes hinting at how deep of thought she was in. He belatedly realized that he was interrupting her for the second time today. "I'm not sure what we found," she commented thoughtfully. "It's odd, this is the last place I would have expected to find..." "Oh? What we found is familiar to you?" She pursed her lips together tightly as she continued to think. She was obviously considering how much information she could trust him with. "Didn't anything that we saw down there look familiar to you?" She asked finally. He thought about it. Except for the stylized map, he couldn't recall. "Of course, you're still new here, but look around you. Notice how each doorway has ornate designs painted around it. The flooring is the same way. Everything in this Garden is done with the same artistic flare." "Yeah..." Aucifer felt as though he was missing something. Such attention to detail wasn't unusual. In fact, it was quite common in some parts of Galbadia. Xu frowned slightly, noticing that the point was lost on him. "Why would the *waterways* be as equally ornate as the public areas of the Garden?" Dawning realization hit him as he caught onto what she was driving at. To carry the question one step further, why did the Garden even have such an elaborate maze of passages to begin with? They only scratched the surface of what was there this afternoon. "Are you going to ask Cid about it?" Aucifer inquired, caught up in the mystery now. Xu shook her head. "No, it's not that important. This is more of a curiosity than anything else." He accepted that. Xu had a lot to do and didn't need idle curiosities to clog up what little free time she had. Maybe they could go down there at a later date and dig around again. There wasn't much more to be added to their day of adventuring. With a small bow, he left her to her work. Xu watched Aucifer until she was certain that he was gone before going back to examining the images she had taken. Most of them were a mystery to her. Most, but not all. It was the image that she had on her display, and had been studying intently since she got out of the shower. On the map in roughly the right area was the character for Anshin. The map was old, very old. She only recognized the other symbols on it in the vaguest of senses. Like she should recognize them, but didn't. She did recognize the locations that were marked with characters though. There was a marker for the Centra Ruins (which likely weren't ruins when this map was created) and another for the Chocobo Forest. The most startling part of the map from the Centra region was that it lacked the gaping hole that was the Centra Crater. Centra looked odd without a sea in the middle of it. The northern part of the map also lacked many of the landmarks that she was familiar with. There was no Trabia Crater. In fact, Trabia as a whole looked different, there was no Winter Island. Did the sea drive a wedge between the island and the mainland at some point? Even more so, what was such a glimpse into the world's history doing in the *waterways* of Balamb Garden? That's what puzzled her the most. Wun discretely watched Xu through the half-opened door to her office. It'd watched her go into the waterways this afternoon. It didn't know what the human was doing down there, but was certain that she was up to no good. It would make certain that the proper authorities were made aware of her activities. ----- Please visit our website at http://www.centragarden.net