[RP] Balamb Garden

Kallen Akaurasu

Xu and the others seemed to be busy with the injured student and all. The Intercom rang again and soon Headmaster Cid could be heard on the other end.

"Good evening! How is everyone? Ah, you can hear me, but I can't hear you...how embarrassing. Moving on, would all personnel involved in the visit to Esthar please gather at the Garden Index tomorrow at 10am. If you wish to register an interest, please do so with Xu - within the next hour. Spaces are very limited, as we already have an experienced group of SeeD's involved; it is strictly a first come, first served basis. I will be providing one final briefing tomorrow morning. That is all. Thank you."

"Well, I see that the injured are being taken care of, I think I'll go to my room, If we're leaving tomorrow I want to get plenty of rest.. See you Later Mercy be sure to rest up before tomorrow I'm sure we'll have alot of work to do.." She said before walking off waving her hand in the air.

She went north to the Dorms and entered her room, it was tidy and clean like always she didn't have much in her room aside from a small desk for studying, a Dresser for her clothes, A small Lamp, and a semi large weapon case for her gunblade.

"Ugh so tired today... I guess Squall was right, I need to learn to pace myself he won't be able to save my butt all the time.." She said with displeasure in her voice.

Kallen closed her eyes slowly and drifted off to sleep.


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Squall Leonhart

Quistis, Zell, and Selphie left to do their own thing again, He also heard Rinoas concerns about Dr.Odine.

"Don't worry if its about the Lunar Cry I'm sure Dr.Odine will be lurking around somewhere nearby, if he tries to lock you inside that Time Seal again I'll just come and break you loose again." He said to Rinoa.

After that was said Cid went over to his Intercom again. "Great... What's he going to announce this time.." Squall thought to himself.

"Good evening! How is everyone? Ah, you can hear me, but I can't hear you...how embarrassing. Moving on, would all personnel involved in the visit to Esthar please gather at the Garden Index tomorrow at 10am. If you wish to register an interest, please do so with Xu - within the next hour. Spaces are very limited, as we already have an experienced group of SeeD's involved; it is strictly a first come, first served basis. I will be providing one final briefing tomorrow morning. That is all. Thank you."

"Well... Least we won't have trouble with back up at this rate..." He thought to himself again while rubbing his forehead. "I don't know what I'll do till tomorrow....".

((OOC:Sorry I didn't have much time to get a post down D; ))
 
as Quistis unleashed her healing spell, Stephen felt his shoulder would sting a little, and as he looked over he noticed the small green glow of it sealing "white wind" he thought to himself. then came Cid's announcemennt over the tanoy, "Good evening! How is everyone? Ah, you can hear me, but I can't hear you...how embarrassing. Moving on, would all personnel involved in the visit to Esthar please gather at the Garden Index tomorrow at 10am. If you wish to register an interest, please do so with Xu - within the next hour. Spaces are very limited, as we already have an experienced group of SeeD's involved; it is strictly a first come, first served basis. I will be providing one final briefing tomorrow morning. That is all. Thank you." looking around the group with a big smile Stephen began talking "well i guess i shall see you all at 10 tomorrow morning, until then, enjoy the rest of your evening" he said kindly before turning and heading back towards the dormitory area.

it was a short trip that Didn't bother Stephen, and once he got back to his doorm he glanced around, his room, a double room that only he stayed in, he lost his roomate and never really got another, and so he had the room all to himself. it contained a double bed, in the far right corner, and a punchbag in the left with his SeeD Uniform hung up between the two, a cchest of draws for his clothes, and a door leading to the onsuite bathroom.

Stephen got changed into some shorts and a Sleevless vest but kept his gloves on, he then steped up to the punchbag and began throwing some punches, kicks, elbows and knee's training away on his own, as he did most nights, working and working, trying to grow stronger and faster with his Combo's and blow's. After about an hour, Stephen decided to call it a night, sweat dripping from his body, he patted his face down with a towel and then got a quick shower before putting on a clean pair of shorts and climbind into bed.

Stephen laid in bed Stareing up at the ceiling for a few minutes before drifting off to sleep, his alarm set for 8 am.
 
Quistis started as she felt a weight lean on her back, and turned her head around to observe Zell, slightly shorter than her and taking advantage of it by placing his head on her shoulder and watching her at work. She shot him a disapproving glance. "Dincht. Must you use me as a leaning post?" However, she couldn't help but smile, betraying her lack of actual annoyance.

Glancing back at the gathered students, she spoke loudly and with authority. "For future reference, I suggest you get used to junctioning some healing magic. Relying on your instructors to carry these things will never end well. You won't have us on the field. You were lucky this time."

Finished talking, she glanced around at the other students. "If any of you have any questions about the upcoming mission, please. Address them to me. I'll answer them as best I can." Turning to Xu, she smiled at her old friend. ​"It never gets any easier, does it?"
 
Headmaster Cid
Headmaster Cid's Office

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Cid released the button of the intercom and dropped down into his lavish seat, seemingly satisfied with a days work. He noticed that Squall and Rinoa were still present in his room, discussing the upcoming visit to Esthar,

"Don't worry if its about the Lunar Cry I'm sure Dr.Odine will be lurking around somewhere nearby, if he tries to lock you inside that Time Seal again I'll just come and break you loose again."

Squall's reassurance to Rinoa did nothing to allay Cid's initial fears. Was there more to this visit then met the eye? Who knew. After all, there was nothing to base this on - and the request had come directly from Laguna, who Cid trusted.

Cid could see the cogs working in Squalls head. He was always an over thinker, but that's what made him such a valuable asset. Cid never made it any secret that Squall was his prized possession, but for once, this mission wasn't all about him."Squall, Rinoa, you are both dismissed. Thank you for your time, but I suggest that you take some time to prepare before tomorrow. There isn't much time to spare."

His attention turned back to his desk and golden pen. Taking a sheet of his headed paper, Cid began to write down a few notes for the briefing in the morning. He didn't want to leave any stone unturned. It had been a long time since SeeD, or anyone for that matter, had left Balamb Garden for an extended period of time and everything needed to be perfect.​
 
Mercy Kodashi - Training Facility

"I'm sure you could take him easy, all you'd have to do is dangle a hot dog in front of him" Kallen said in joking reply to Mercy's statemnet of how she could probably beat him Mercy smiled at Selphie politely as another sEEd walked past and adressed selphie in passing "alright Selphie" he announced as he strode past and headed into the training area on his own. Mercy was about to suggest that the two of them, selphie and herself, headed on in and that Kallen could join her if she wanted, but before the woprds could leave her mouth Xu had walked over, If Mercy remembered rightly Xu was one of the only friends of seifer that had become so successful, what was rai doing these days? perhaps she would ask Xu, but before she could Xu spoke to selphie
"Hello Selphie; I see you're talking to a couple of candidates that I need to speak to... would you mind if I borrowed them for a second?" It was then that the world had started to become really hectic as people came running and walking up from everywhere around, Mercy visibly recoiled into a corner away from the ever growing group Even though it was mean Mercy shook with faint laughter as the boy sent himself hurtling across the floor, His person stopped just at the feet of Selphie But then Mercy spotted the wounds and immediately took back her laughter. Obviously, it was painful. “Ah…stings…” He Muttered in a breathless whisper. This was quickly followed by a hop to his feet. Now he became rather rude and pushed past Mercy to the board

"You need something from us Xu?" Kallen asked Xu, bringing Mercy back to her senses just in time to find out what was going on "Yes. The Headmaster has given me orders for a number of SeeD candidates, and you two are on my list. I'm sure you heard the call for the six higher ranking SeeDs earlier; you're being sent along with them. They will be mentoring you in the field, along with a few other students, and you'd do well to respect them and learn from this trip. There may not be much in the way of combat, but a SeeD must also learn how to deal with political matters at times. It's not as simple as taking orders."

Mercy recoiled slightly as Xu shot a serious look at the two of them, and then relaxed as her face fell into a smile."However, Esthar is an amazing place, and I'm sure you'll be allowed to see some of the sights in the city as well. It's a wonderful city, and I believe you'll be visiting Odine's labs as well. It should be quite the trip, girls." Xu continued folded her paper carefully and slipped it back into a pocket of her uniform, smoothing the pocket down and subconsciously checking her belt for her baton. Xu didn't seem herself without it, It would be like seeing Zell without his tattoo and though most didn't carry their weapons through the Garden, It seemed she preferred to. "Oh, and are there any questions?"
it was now that another person entered the conversation, Mercy had a few questions but decided not to ask in front of other students, because she was embarassed. The new guy came striding over to the boy who had pushed past her and said "hey, i guess when you said you had seen better, i guess you weren't talking about your own skills right, nasty wound you got yourself there." This was the man that had greeted selphie earlier, something about him just shouted 'hard-ass' but Mercy knew that first appearances could be decieving. he turned to walk away but he had spotted that Xu was stood talking with Selphie and the two SeeD Candidates. He came over to the group "hey, Xu, i think you need to take a look at the guy there, his arm is messed up, looks like a T-rexaur used him as a chew toy"

Stephen turned his attention to her and Kallen he extended his hand for a shake "hey guys, the name is Stephen, I'm a SeeD, you gonna be joining us in the trip to Esthar?" Stephen asked "and don't let Miss Tillmitt here get started on trains, she has way to much information on them" Stephen informed the two candidates in a joking manor glancing over at Selphie he smiled "How are you Selphie, looking forward to the train trip to Esthar i Assume?" Stephen asked almost posative the answer was an emphatic yes. Mercy took his hand hesitantly and shook it, not wanting to seem weak in any way. "Hey stephen, nice to meet you, i-im Mercy and this is Kallen" She damned herself because of the Stutter that had crept into her voicejust then the headmasters voice rang out over the intercom

"Good evening! How is everyone? Ah, you can hear me, but I can't hear you...how embarrassing. Moving on, would all personnel involved in the visit to Esthar please gather at the Garden Index tomorrow at 10am. If you wish to register an interest, please do so with Xu - within the next hour. Spaces are very limited, as we already have an experienced group of SeeD's involved; it is strictly a first come, first served basis. I will be providing one final briefing tomorrow morning. That is all. Thank you."

It was then that the man of the hour, or not, came bouncing over like a Cactuar on a trampoline with his trademark grin, Zell jogged over towards the party of people, Regardless of Zell's status of stranger to most of the group, he decided to weigh in on the conversation, "So what are talking about over here?! Fill me in!" His eyes slowly moved across the room, taking in the bemused faces in front of him. Quistis was stood directly next to him and was now playing the part of Zell's leaning post. Zell didn't mind, and as usual he didn't even stop to think if Quistis did - but there he stood with one arm leant on her shoulder, grinning manically at people he didn't know.

"Well, I see that the injured are being taken care of, I think I'll go to my room, If we're leaving tomorrow I want to get plenty of rest.. See you Later Mercy be sure to rest up before tomorrow I'm sure we'll have alot of work to do.." Kallen said before walking off waving her hand in the air. "Yeah See you Kallen" Mercy said, unsure wether or not the other girl had heard her she turned her attention to what quistis was saying

Quistis glanced at the gathered students, she spoke loudly and with authority. "For future reference, I suggest you get used to junctioning some healing magic. Relying on your instructors to carry these things will never end well. You won't have us on the field. You were lucky this time. If any of you have any questions about the upcoming mission, please. Address them to me. I'll answer them as best I can." Turning to Xu, she smiled at her old friend. ​"It never gets any easier, does it?" "Erm, Excuse me Miss Trepe" She said with respect "May i talk to you in private?" She waited until the others werent listening "How do you junction magic?" she asked sounding stupid and blushing because of her embarassment "Ive got this far using my fighting skills but im sure that my luck will run out soon enough so if you please, can you teach me?"
 
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Quistis turned to see a student, Mercy, asking for her attention. She was blushing, so she presumed it was a question she was embarrassed to ask. Steeling herself for something embarrassing and awkward, she was relieved when it turned out Mercy simply didn't know how to junction magic. It was sort of jarring to see someone who'd gotten by without junctioning, but not entirely unexpected. Magic tended to be a rare thing outside of Garden, so teaching it to students was her job as much as anyone else's.

"Don't be embarrassed, Kodashi,"said Quistis briskly. "We all have to start somewhere. Regardless, junctioning magic relies on taking the simple magic we draw, known as Para-Magic, to fuse it to our Guardian Forces in a way. In order to do so, you must go through the motions to summon your Guardian Force without actually completing the final step of willing it into our world. We already have enough injured people, don't you think?" Quistis allowed herself a small smile at this.

"Now, you must do the same for your magic, again without using it, take the energy you have summoned from both, and slot the magic energy into the energy of your Guardian Force. Placing it into ability slots will allow you to use this magic in battle, while placing into other slots will allow you certain other benefits. For example, if your Guardian Force has generated an Elemental Defense slot, you may place a Fire spell in there to increase your resistance to attacks of that element. The same applies to all elements. Some, like Ultima, will defend against all elements. However, you are unlikely to find such powerful magic for some time."

Quistis glanced back at Mercy. "That's all you need to know at this stage. Any questions?"
 
Seifer Almasy
Cafeteria

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Seifer wasn't bothered by Quitis' rant to him. He had heard it all before. Still, someone had to rile Zell up from time to time. The kid did have a penchant for getting lazy. Siefer had his own role to fulfill, even if he wasn't a SeeD. He already proved his skill throughout the ordeal with Ultimecia, even though he was an enemy of the Garden during that time. And his leadership was certainly of notice with how he commanded the troops of Galbadia Garden. However, at the very least he no longer had his old delusions of grandure. But at the core, he was still the same tough guy with an attitude.

With his shift over, Siefer headed over to the cafeteria. While the cats were away, he was probably going to be left behind so the mice don't play too much. Heading over to the counter, he ordered up a hot dog. "Last one huh? Perfect." Seifer chuckled as he bought the hot dog and a bottle of soda. Zell would probably be pissed about not getting a hot dog, but he didn't care. After putting on the fixings, Seifer sat down to enjoy his meal.​

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Robert Maisu
Library

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Robert sat in the library as the announcement came up. A trip like that was something he would jump at a chance for. Aside from his long journey from his original home to Balamb, Robert hadn't seen much of the world. He closed the book he was studying as well as the notebook he had began filling up with notes . "Freya, let's go! We gotta to talk to Xu while there's still time! No way am I gonna miss out on a field trip!" he spoke as he tossed his notebook to his wooly friend. Freya caught the notebook and put it into the backpack on her back.

By the time he arrived though, students seemed to be leaving the room. "Oh man, we're late!" he said to himself and to Freya. "I hope we haven't missed it so much that we can't get in on it." he said as he waited for an opening in the group leaving the room for him and his companion to enter. He went inside with Freya hopping up to ride on his shoulder. The boy gave a bit of a nervous wave. "Um hi. I know I'm a bit late, but are there still openings for the trip to Ester?" he asked, placing a free hand behind his head.
 
Squall Leonhart

Squall and Rinoa was the last few in the room, the others seemed to have left to do their own thing. Since they had a big trip ahead of them He thinks about the preparations needed for the trip.

"Well... I'll be going then I need to prepare, Headmaster... Rinoa..." He spoke to each of them before doing the SeeD Salute and leaving.

He took the elevator down to the 1st Floor, and headed off north to his barracks, He enters his room, A Spare Leather Jacket and White shirt hung on the wall, a Large Case that holds his Lionheart Gunblade, a Desk and chair with Timber Maniacs and Weapon Magazines strewn about it.

He opens up his Gunblade case taking out the Azure Sword he Slew Ultimecia with He had put it away after the battle and saved it in case of another Sorceress attempting to destroy the world or worse, He took it out of the case and placed it on his bed.

"I should be ready... If something serious does happen..." He spoke to himself.

He always overworried himself whenever they went to Esthar since Laguna was always knees deep in trouble in some way or another, Squall cleaned his sword making sure it worked still and placed it onto his table. He then laid down on his bed and decided to rest for the trip tomorrow.

"So many people coming with us this time, I hope they don't get in the way..." He spoke again to himself before nodding off to sleep.
 
Zell Dincht
Balamb Garden - Training Centre
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"Dincht. Must you use me as a leaning post?" Zell peered back at Quistis with a cheeky grin still plastered on his face. Quistis may have been serious and to the point, but Zell had no problem pushing his luck with her. Nevertheless, he knew that now was not the time to push it. Hopping back in a flash, Zell made his way to the edge of the group and stretched his arms, high and wide, letting out a massive yawn at the same time,

"Hhhhhhwwwwwwaaaaaaahhhhhh. Well, I'm beat. Time to turn in I think."

He flicked his wrist in the form of a farewell gesture and approached the exit of the Training Centre; leaving Quistis to explain the junction system to the less experienced candidates. The greeting he had given was brief, and he didn't get much of a reply, but at least they were all acquainted now. It was important that the group had some kind of familiarity before the mission, however casual the mission seemed.

The hallways of Balamb Garden were relatively empty, but then again, it was evening time and students had a curfew. It was an ideal time for Zell to prepare himself mentally. The events of the Lunar Cry were over 3 years ago, but the images of it were still embedded in Zell's mind. Yes, this was only a visit, but it was still bound to bring back some chilling memories from the past. Pictures of horrendously formed monsters flashed in front of him every time he blinked, the screams of innocent people still rang in his ears like torturous music. The Lunar Cry was hell. Thank God it was over.

Zell made it to his dormitory in next to no time, seemingly his mind had gotten carried away. The day had tired him out somewhat. Pulling his gloves off, Zell set his alarm clock for 7am. Early enough to go for the usual morning run, but late enough that he still had a decent night's sleep. As he stripped down to a nothing but a vest and underwear, Zell softly placed his head on his crisp, cool pillow, took a deep breath, and drifted off into a deep sleep.
 

+Why was the echo, that distant, foreboding echo, always so damn loud? It was a question Kaine asked himself at least once a week- mainly due to accidents not unlike his fall earlier. While not a klutz, Kaine just seemed to have an unlucky air about him. With his shuffling walk and downtrodden head, Kaine looked like a child whom Christmas-or balance- forgot.+

+ With each step, a heavy inhale was taken by Kaine’s lungs, the pace hastening between puffs. It continued like this until the end of that plain long corridor to the main hall. Without as much as an apology, he blatantly bumped into a pair of naïve second-years in a rushed walk, completely ignoring their squeaky ’what the…?” call for him. Kaine had bigger fish to fry. +
　
+Without any time to spare, Kaine headed right up the lobby stairs, clearing two at a time, while his mind mulled madness. What should he do today? Tear up the punching bag, or something much more destructive? Kaine would decide at his room- which he didn‘t seem to be able to get to.+

+His finger jammed against the elevator button, calling the ‘box’ down for a ride. Eventually, after two minutes of painstaking smashing of buttons, it arrived. Kaine stepped in, alone. It jumpstarted, began to ascend with that trademark hum. It was calming, soothing to his ears. Kaine still wanted to face-palm himself, but the need to smash stuff was dispersed. It was melodramatic to break something just because you humiliated yourself. +

“Ahhhh… Good ol’ elevator….”

+With a cheerful ping, the elevator gladly opened its doors for a now-mellowed Kaine. His feet progressed quietly to his single room- or solo pigsty. It was a complete mess: the floor was riddled with old issues of “Weapon‘s Monthly”, his bed covered in shoddy blueprints of what seemed to be Kaine sword, Spitfire. Here and there, clothes hid even more of the carpet under their stained cover. It was simple living. Without any real effort- and before his angst rose again- Kaine cleared his bed of those sheets and got in, only pulling his socks off. His alarm was set for 9.00 a.m. That gave plenty of time seeing, as all he needed was to change clothes. Kaine always had a pack ready for travel. +

“Tomorrow, shit gets serious!”


+With that Kaine crashed into sleep, into a dreamworld of nothing.+
 
Headmaster Cid
Headmaster Cid's Office

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The hours had flown past since Cid had addressed his trusted group of SeeD's. Each one of them had now left his office and left him to his own accord. Time to think. Time to consider. The upcoming visit to Esthar was exciting, even though Cid wasn't going. It had been a while since SeeD had been used in any way, and they were beginning to grow stale.

Cid placed his hands on his knees and pushed downwards, forcing himself up, slowly. Time was beginning to catch up with Cid and his body was creaking. He gingerly approached his window and gazed out at the beautiful scenery in front of him. The sun was starting to set and left the plains below basking in a glorious warm orange glow. In a strange way, Cid couldn't help but worry about his SeeD's new excursion. What was the true reason behind their visit? What implications would it have on Balamb Garden? Part of him knew that he could trust Laguna, but the other part hated anything terrible to do with Esthar. Naturally, it brought back terrible memories of the events 3 years previous. The Lunar Cry, Ultimecia, Lunatic Pandora - the list went on. Despite the reservations in his head, Cid knew that Laguna needed SeeD for a reason. Whether he divulged the truth was another matter entirely.

As the sun set further, Cid smiled gently and returned to his desk. He yawned slightly whilst straightening the pile of papers untidily spread over his desk; he liked order and cleanliness in his life and his office desk is where he spent most of it; sad as that was. The antique desk was now cleaned to a high enough standard for Cid's liking, the last job of the day was finished and it was time to rest. Headmaster's needed sleep to.

He flicked the light's off in his office and opened the door's to his quarters. Cid walked towards his bed, kicking his shoes off along the way - he was exhausted. The day had taken the toll on his body and mind, and he needed to rest. He slowly peeled back his cool bed sheets and laid on his semi-made bed, still clothed. Without meaning to, he allowed his eyes to gradually close. The day was done.



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Mercy Kodashi - outside training room

Mercy listened intently as instructor trepe told her how to junction magic. "Oh, so in effect its casting the magic off but retaining its energy inside yourself?" she smiled now that it made sense to her "thank you miss trepe, if you will excuse me i need to get some sleep for the journey tomorrow" she smiled brightly and headed off to the dormitories, passing kallens on the way she listened at the door to see is she was awake. Hearing nothing mercy continued to her room. after locking the door she turned to her training dummy. "So i cast without casting and use the energy retained" she said and concentrated on a haste spell. she shone a faint blue for a few seconds and then proceeded to attack the dummy faster than she had ever done before. she beat her usual record by almost two fold before she felt properly tired. lying on her bed and staring at the cieling she sighed "Tomorrows going to be a big day" she said just before dozing off
 
Some left and others remained and the gastric juice on Azrael still seemed to sizzle as Alex took stock of the remnants. It had been afternoon when the message was sent out and now the sky was darkening, the skylights above seeming to close as the shadow took over where light had vacated the ground. In the teeming mass of foliage roars echoed and strange chittering followed as if the monsters in the Training Center knew the midnight hour was fast approaching. Silently, he exited the Training Center to a chorus of howls, cries and death wails as SeeD and student alike continued their training well into the dark hours. Some of the areas of the Garden were beginning to close down, gates already shut over the Quad and Parking Lot. The Infirmary would stay open the latest in case some hapless victim needed something but it too would close. The Dormitories and the Training Center were always open and the former was where Alex headed.

He passed a number of people, running about to try and complete the last things they needed to: catching dinner in the Cafeteria, checking out a book from the library, or going tot he Training Center in preparation for whatever mission they had next. Azrael remained by his side, the edge facing the earth below so as to stop others from recklessly harming themselves. He followed the way to his single dorm, an obvious mark of his being a SeeD and unlocked it, flicking on the light as he went in. A rack hung on the wall near the door, the gold metal scratched on the hook nearest the door. Under it was a small table with a single drawer. Laying Azrael down upon the table, he pulled the drawer out and rummaged around in it for two wire brushes, a grease stained rag, and a bottle each of oil, cleansing solution and gastric base.

He poured some of the base on the rag and began to wipe the blade down, the base neutralizing the gastric juice of the Grats. Pulling the trigger three times in quick succesion made the whipblade fall to pieces in front of him on the table, coiling atop it like a snake. He went over each link meticulously with the basic rag, wiping off all the acid before laying it down. He poured some of the base on the wire brush and with practiced care, he cleaned out the inner mechanisms, the acid congealing to fall onto the table with a nasty sounding plop. Satisfied with his work, he took the other brush and oiled it before working it through all the mechanisms; the care of such an intricate weapon was absolutely necessary - the worst time for it to fail was in battle.

Giving the length of the weapon a through check, he finally pulled the trigger once more and it snapped back to its normal shape. Alex placed it upon the rack where it lay awaiting the next day. Finished with the usual ritual, Alex turned to survey the room. It was meticulously cared for, perfectly organized on his desk and portable terminal as well as at the corner table. A small bookshelf filled with novels and magazines stood against the wall next to a metal shelf with a hanging bar where his clothes hung or sat atop. The only thing out of place was the bed which was horrendously messy, the pillows thrown everywhere, on sheet on the floor in a pile and the fitted one barely hanging on, and an empty tube of lube lay on it as further testament to the previous night.

With nary an emotion, he tossed the empty tube and gathered up the pillowcases and sheets before dumping them in a small bin at the foot of his bed. They were followed by the rest of his clothes in short succession except for his boxers. Leaving his sneakers there, he grabbed a towel off the rack and his shower case and looked out the window to see pitch black.

"Wonder how many are in there?" he mused before he left his dorm to the shower room.

There was a shower room for each of the dorm junctions and Alex's dorm was just down the hall from it. The now empty halls still echoed with the sounds from other students in other sections and seemed to follow him as he made his way to the shower. Opening it, he was greeted with a burst of steam that obfuscated whoever was inside. Ignoring them he went over to one of the corner shower heads he hung up his case and unzipped it, the bottom flipping down to reveal a number of items inside. Hanging his towel on the hook next to it, he stripped off his boxers leaving them nearby but in the dry area next to him. Turning on the water, he simply stood under the stream as the warm water cascaded over him. His now wet hair was gathering in thick strands around his face as the water washed away some of the grime from the training center. He stood there for maybe five minutes as the water fell on him before he remembered where he was. Tossing his head back to get the hair out of his face, he took the washcloth and soap out and worked up a lather before washing his body, his fingers kneading his shoulders the way he liked when he washed them. There was a sharp intake of breath as a hand laid itself on his.

"Let me take care of that for you," a voice said from behind.

Alex recognized the voice and relaxed, taking his fingers from the cloth and leaving it in their hands. They continued where Alex had left off, massaging his shoulders in a similar way. He sighed as he submitted to the gentle touch, the other hand slowly working down his body though one hand remained to knead his shoulders and back. Closing his eyes, the SeeD lost track of where the cloth was as the pleasure of the massage clouded his senses. When it abruptly stopped he opened his eyes to see a pair of jade green eyes looking tenderly at him, a lock of platinum blonde hair curling between them. His lips curled in a smile before he stole a kiss from Alex.

"I didn't think you would be here at this hour Alex."

"I've got a mission in the morning Varen," he answered, almost apologetically.

"So no fun tonight?"

"Afraid not."

"Then maybe when you return?"

"Yeah. When I come back."

Varen stole another kiss from Alex and returned to his full height which was several inches over Alex's. With a smile he set to work taking care of the rest of Alex's body. Alex noticed Varen's hair was thoroughly soaked; he must've already been in here when Alex came in. Though he was certain the taller man had noticed his arousal, Varen had done nothing about it, seeming to ignore it completely. Finishing, he stood back up, wringing the soapy cloth out under the water and rinsing it out. Smiling as he laid the damp cloth back in Alex's case, he took the shampoo from it and poured some into his hand before capping it and replacing it. Rubbing his hands together, he started rubbing it into Alex's hair, his fingers playing with the reddish-brown strands. Varen took care not to allow the soap to go into Alex's eyes and he washed the smaller SeeD's hair. The water was already rinsing it out of Alex's hair while he stood there, letting Varen take care of him as he was turned and his hair was rinsed. After a minute or two of Varen massaging his scalp to expose all of his hair to the water, the shower was turned off and he felt Varen's hands wrap the towel around him, brushing softly agains his erect sex though nothing more than that.

"Go on and sleep Alex. You need to rest before the mission."

Alex nodded, his entire self relaxed as he gathered his things and headed towards the exit, Varen as his side in his own towel. Just before he opened the door, Varen brought him in closer and kissed him once more, this time a longer, deeper and far more sensual kiss than earlier. Alex returned it, not daring to take the last step out of the showers until Varen let him go. Later rather than sooner, he felt Varen leave his lips and a gentle breath fell on him.

"Sleep well, Alex."

The door opened and shut and Alex was left alone with one of maybe three people that he allowed to be dominant with him having just left him. Taking a deep breath, he exited the showers and returned to his dorm. Still wet, he set about making his bed with clean sheets while he dried off a bit. When he had finished, he let his towel fall to the floor and he crawled beneath the sheets, his damp hair wetting the pillow slightly. It took a half hour but he slowly slipped into a restless sleep, dreams of Squall running rampant.
 
Zell Dincht
Balamb Garden Cafeteria


​
It was 8am, but not too early for a hot dog - not in Zell's mind anyway. Judging by the queue in front of him, it wasn't just Zell that had the early morning munchies.
He glanced at the dusty clock behind the counter as the impatience inside him grew. The mission to Esthar was approaching and he was anxious to prepare for it, but couldn't do that on an empty stomach.

Minutes began to pass by, one by one. Each one that passed took another minutes prep away from Zell and he could ill-afford to waste any time.
"Today just isn't my day, I guess. Dammit!"

Zell turned and left the Cafeteria with a hang-dog expression on his face. It wasn't a great start to the day.

At this time of the day Balamb Garden began to populate. The more dedicated students were training or studying in the library, whilst the more senior faculty were preparing for their days ahead. Zell headed towards his Dormitory at a leisurely pace. He needed to double check what he had packed, as there wasn't much time before they all departed.

As he neared the Dorm, the feeling of excitement that missions induced started make it presence felt. Zell felt pumped and ready for a bit of travel, and Esthar would always be a place of intrigue to Zell - ever since the Lunar Cry.

He eventually made it into the Dorm, which was now heaving with students rushing around, now late for their early morning classes and lectures. To a degree, Zell
was still a bit like them. Zell pulled the keys from out of his pocket and unlocked his door to his room. His bag was all ready and packed on his made bed. All that was left to do now was mentally prepare for the mission, and wait.


​

Headmaster Cid
Cid's Office

​

Headmaster Cid was awake and fully dressed, and had been for a number of hours. Much like his students, Cid felt the excitement of each mission and couldn't wait to get started.

He looked over at his intercom, clasped his hands together and bent them backwards - cracking his knuckles in the process. Everything was now in place and it was clear that he couldn't wait to get started.

With a grin on his face, Cid depressed the button on the intercom system and began to speak.

"Good morning, Balamb Garden. I hope you are all well! Would all SeeD's and students involved in today's mission to Esthar please report the second floor bridge. We will be docking at Fisherman's Horizon at 10am, so I expect you all to be there ASAP. That is all."

With a bright, friendly ding, the intercom switced off. Cid hopped up onto his feet and rubbed his hands together. He couldn't wait to address his students and SeeD's alike. It was days like these that he lived for.​


​
 
"EEERRRRRPPPP EEEEERRRRRPPPP EEEEERRRRRRPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rang out from Stephen's alarm clock and it was met with a whallop stopping the noise, spinning his legs around and placing his feet on the Stephen ran his hands through his hair and looked around his dorm. "just another morning in paradise" Stephen muttered to himself before he heard the ding of the intercom and Cid's voice sprang out of it "Good morning, Balamb Garden. I hope you are all well! Would all SeeD's and students involved in today's mission to Esthar please report the second floor bridge. We will be docking at Fisherman's Horizon at 10am, so I expect you all to be there ASAP. That is all." Stephen rubbed his face and stood tall before heading into his shower, he had a couple of hours to spare.

After his shower and cleaning his teeth Stephen strode through back into the main area of his dorm, Stephen loved having an on-suite shower and bathroom. Stephen got dried up and slid on his covert ops trousers that he grabbed out of his bottom draw, the black skin tight black fabric, was signature to Stephen, he was the only covert operative of his kind, Sliding on his shoes they were more like thick socks with reinforced bottoms allowing for quieter movements, standing infront of his draws he looked down to the opened bottom draw, the top half of his suit with plates of carbon fibre to make a light weight armour, he pulled it out and slid it on, now dressed with everything but his gloves and helmet, Stephen was almost ready to go, he shut the bottom door and walked to his bed Sliding a metal container out from under it, as he did so a blue touch sensitive panel light up on top of it, with the numbers 0-9 on it, he punched in a 16 digit pass code and three clicks gave the sign that the crate was unlocked, as he opened it, his Master disk and gloves rose up from it, he took the gloves and slid them on clicking the locks on to hold them to the suit, he then picked up the master disk and spun it around his body rapidly, and seemingly out of nowhere a second disk appeared that he placed on his left thigh while continuing to spin the master disk, after a couple of seconds a third disk appeared that he place on his right thigh, the master disk however he slotted the master disk between his shoulder blades.

he spun around to face the mirror in his room and looked at it, it was the first time in a month that he had suited up and prepared to take on a mission, he had been training in his hand to hand combat, his second favourite form of combat, the first being his disk combat, although it had been referred to as extreme ultimate Frisbee combat , which Stephen didn't mind, as he was a great Frisbee player. Stephen saw his appearence and knew there was one thing missing from him being ready, his helmet. he nodded and twisted his head at the same time, in a very specific manor and the helmet built itself around Stephen's head from guerilla glass that was tinted black so Stephen could see out but people couldn't see in. "I'm ready" Stephen announced, a voice distorted making his voice sound deeper and more ominous. "now let's See how the SeeD Candidates handle an infiltrator in garden" he added, always looking to hone his skills. Stephen jumped up and grabbed two well placed grips either side of his skylight and lifted himself through it feet first, crouching atop the roof, glancing around he saw nobody and so made his way to the training centre.

Once there he awaited the arrival of a candidate who looked worthy of being tested, and it didn't take long for two of them to show up. flipping off of his perch in a tree he landed in front of them, both male and carrying swords, one a Katana the other a broadsword. looking at them from a semi crouched position Stephen looked at them, his left hand on the floor, his right hand rested on the disk "care to dance and protect your precious garden little Seedling" Stephen announced "I pray you have the ability to defend your garden or i shall tear it to the ground from the inside"

"we shall stop you, whoever you are" the Boy with the Katana announced drawing his blade "Garden is our home, and i shall be the next great Seed, you shall fall here" the guy with the broadsword added drawing his blade "So Prove it" Stephen announced plucking his disk from his right thigh.
 
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Kallen Akaurasu

Kallen wakes up early, she sighed since she didn't get too much sleep.

"Man... I couldn't sleep at all last night, I hope we don't have to fight too much.." She spoke with a slight groan.

Kallen rolls out of bed and changes out of her old clothes into some fresher ones, she also grabs her Gunblade and places on the desk, and takes the time to polish it. As she polishes her Gunblade a announcement rings on the Intercom.

"Good morning, Balamb Garden. I hope you are all well! Would all SeeD's and students involved in today's mission to Esthar please report the second floor bridge. We will be docking at Fisherman's Horizon at 10am, so I expect you all to be there ASAP. That is all."

"10:00 Am huh.. I guess I'll go ahead and wait at the exit.." She grabbed her Gunblade and strapped it to her side.

She opens up her dorms door and locks it behind her, she saw Zell head into the Cafeteria as she was heading to the elevator.

"That guy has the worst luck in getting the Hot Dogs. She giggled while moving closer to the eleveators.

She climbed up the steps to the elevator and walks inside the Elevator taking it up to the 2nd floor, The elevator slowly comes to a stop and the doors open, she walks down the hallway to the balcony and walks outside, bright light flashed as the door opened birds were flying alongside of the Garden, Kallen smiled and walked forward to see the ocean around them.

It always amazed Kallen that the Garden was a mobile fortress that could pretty much go anywhere.

"I guess, I'll wait here for the others."


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Squall Leonhart

Squalls alarm went off as usual, he reached over to hit the top of the clock to silence the alarm.

"....That was a better nights sleep than usual..." He spoke roughly.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and streched his arms out. Before he could do anything else a announcement rang from the intercom.

"Good morning, Balamb Garden. I hope you are all well! Would all SeeD's and students involved in today's mission to Esthar please report the second floor bridge. We will be docking at Fisherman's Horizon at 10am, so I expect you all to be there ASAP. That is all."

"...Already on our way... Knowing Zell he probably went to the Cafeteria for the hot dogs.." He spoke to himself.

"I guess I'll wait till we arrive before going up to the deck.." He spoke again.

He got up and walked over to his weapon case to get Lionheart out, he took it apart and began cleaning it making sure everything was in working order, it had been awhile since the last use of it and he didn't want anything bad to happen due to lack of care.
 
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He was in the Training Center. Not unusual for him. Around him lay the corpses of monsters from the Training Center, all of them shredded beyond recognition other than the fluids that seeped from them. Alex stood in the center of this deadly ring, Azrael covered in an assortment of red and green liquid and dripping. He was panting and his blade was wavering. Despite this, he continued to fight his way forward, or so it seemed for he never seemed to escape the ring of the dead. Waves of monsters came for him and he cut them all down, sustaining wounds in the process. Throwing down support and curative spells he pushed further, trying to pass the wall of teeming meat and plant to get at the person beyond them all.

Squall stood aloof and cold beyond the monsters, seemingly noticed by none of them. Gritting his teeth, Alex sped up, forcing his way past, ignoring the wounds that seemed to open across his body. The last T-Rexaur that stood in his way fell into two halves as he sliced it from abdomen to skull. Walking between the oozing pieces, he approached Squall, his own blood indistinguishable from the beasts. He smiled and his mouth opened to say the fateful words. Before a sound could escape, from the mists of the dream world, Rinoa bounded in, hugging tightly to Squall's arm. Alex's smile fell and his eye twitched, his finger brushing Azrael's trigger. Slowly, he brought the blade up and flicked it, the trigger ringing out. His murderous glare seemed to be reflected in each of the strands of metal as they bore the blade between Squall and Rinoa, wrapping around the latter. Jerking her to him, he grinned evilly. Their eyes met and he said two words.

"HE'S MINE!"

Alex's sound echoed around the room and he jerked up in bed, his eyes open and searching, his heart racing, and a fire in his veins that could not be sated. Instinctively, his hand searched the bed next to him, hoping to find Squall next to him. He frowned as he realized the bed was empty but for him once more. Sighing, he laid back down as the dream passed through his head like a film. It wasn't the first time he had had the dream, nor would it be the last. He wanted that position beside Squall, to be able to hold his hand, to kiss those lips, to...

He shook his head, dismissing the thoughts. Yanking the sheet off of him, he got out of bed, stretching as he did. Making his way to the rack with his clothes, he donned what was essentially the same thing as the day before though his shirt now had blue instead of red. Barefoot, he knelt down beside the end of the bed and opened the mini-fridge between it and the desk. There were several drinks and fruits in there - getting food at regular hours was an immense pain. Drawing out an apple, he bit into the red skin, a rather satisfying snap coming from it. That would easily get him through until he could get something in Esthar. Still devouring it, he checked the clock. The glowing numbers read out 8:00. Yawning slightly, he trashed the core and sat down on the edge of the bed to put on his sneakers.

Good morning, Balamb Garden. I hope you are all well! Would all SeeD's and students involved in today's mission to Esthar please report the second floor bridge. We will be docking at Fisherman's Horizon at 10am, so I expect you all to be there ASAP. That is all."

"If only your powers of observation extended beyond combat capabilities, Cid," Alex muttered. "Maybe then you would see the things that really matter in these times."

So he needed to be at the second floor bridge now when they wouldn't be docking for another 2 hours? No doubt it was to meet the rest of the people who would be going on this 'mission that wasn't a mission.' Standing up, Alex grabbed the backpack that held his mission gear from below the desk. It had a change of clothes in there as well as the materials and tools to care for his weapon as well as any other gunblade or chain whip among other useful items. Grabbing Azrael on his way out he was about to open the door when he noticed a slip of paper at the foot of the door. Picking it up, he read it.

Good luck. -Varen

With a half-smile, Alex laid the scrap on the table beneath Azrael's rack before leaving. Locking the door behind him, he made his way through the throngs of students to the elevator. Slipping in with several others he rode up to the second floor amidst several of them giggling. They followed him off as he made his way around the second floor ring of classrooms to the bridge. Coming to the top of the small stairwell, he was greeted by the bright light of morning shining off the ocean below as it was pushed aside by the massive Garden sailing through it. There was only one other person there, some girl he didn't know; apparently, he wasn't the only one who has time to spare. Leanign up against the wall just before it became railing, he looked out over the water for signs of FH appearing.
 
Stephen Smirked as the boy with the Katana charged at him swinging his blade down vertically at Stephen who sidestepped the attack and threw his disk at the other boy and punched the Katana wielder in one motion, the blade being blocked by the boy with the broadsword causing the disk to bounce back in Stephen's direction. the boy with the katana Stumbling back just far enough to take a right boot to the chest from Stephen knocking him onto his back before he caught the blade disk and back flipped, for show, to put some space between himself and the Katana wielder, "really, is this the best you have" he announced as he noticed the Broadsword man advancing more cautiously towards him, thrusting his blade at Stephen who avoided the stinger like attack, moving his wrist and arm so the blade slid down the centre hole of the blade, without catching Stephen's hand. this gave Stephen the ability to move around the sword and keep it's blade away from him.

moving closer to the wielder, Stephen dodged an incoming elbow and delivered one of his own to the boys midsection pushing him back, but Stephen kept close, relinquishing his grip on his disk and unleashing a combo of punches to the guys abdomen causing him to drop his blade and fall down, Stephen moved back and slid the disk from the blade and looked at the Katana Wielder. "Leave, and tell your leaders of this, tell him your Garden is not safe" Stephen announced before slotting his disk back onto his thigh and vanishing into the training grounds shadowy area's.

Stephen returned to his Dorm, Stealthily of course, once there, he disconnected the disks from his thighs and fusing them together and then fusing them with the master disk, Stephen then pulled on some jeans and a T-shirt, before his helmet returned into it's container on the back of his neck, heading up towards the area in which they were to meet, after he put his master disk in a bag along with a change of clothes and some other things for the mission. he slung the bag onto his back and made his way to the second floor bridge, when he arrived he saw two people already there, he didn't recognize them so he strode up to them and Extended a hand to them, "I'm Stephen, a pleasure to meet you both" he announced in a friendly tone.
 
The time to leave was drawing ever closer and Zell was beginning to grow restless. It felt like an eternity since Headmaster Cid had briefed them all, in reality it had only been a day. Maybe it felt like an age because Zell was a bit edgy about this mission. Was it just because they were re-visiting Esthar? Perhaps. There could have been a multitude of reasons, none of which merited his attention. He was expected to play the part of role model on missions such as these, and it was never his strong point. Zell was an all or nothing kind of SeeD. He could never reign in his enthusiasm just to seem that bit more professional, he didn't care how people viewed him.

He looked out the window of his dormitory and saw the beautiful shimmering ocean which was leading to Fisherman's Horizon. They hadn't arrived, but the excitement had gotten a bit too much for Zell.

"Screw it! I'm doing to the deck now - I can't wait any more."

He slammed both hands down on the edge of his bed and leapt up onto his feet with cat-like speed. Most of the dorm rooms were now empty as classes had started, but Zell wasn't paying any attention anyway. He was too busy darting through the corridors towards the 1st floor elevator. His movements were always so quick - it was such an important attribute to how he fought. Zell was dangerous in battle, his speed could rival anyone's.

In next to no time he had made it to the elevator and began to travel up towards the second floor. With a bright ding, the doors opened and released Zell into the hallway - like a bullet out of a gun. The second floor had always been somewhat of a hazard in Zell's mind. The walkway was suspended above the first floor and absolutely terrified him. Each side of the walkway led to open air, how was that safe? Ignoring the irrational fear in his mind, Zell continued towards the deck. Upon reaching his destination, he smiled and took a breath. The mission was finally nearing it's beginning and the young SeeD couldn't wait.

He lifted the catch on the door and emerged out onto the deck. The glorious, warm sunshine initially made the surroundings blurry and tough to register, but once his eyes adjusted he could see that he was not the first to reach the deck. Initially, there was an awkward pause, before Zell decided to break it.

"S'up. The name's Zell Dincht, and I'm a SeeD." Zell exclaimed, whilst proudly puffing his chest outwards.

"Your guys turn - introduce yourselves. If we're gonna work together, we're gonna need to know who we all are, ya know?"
 
“Ugh…Why does this always happen?”




+8.30 a.m. The unholy hour of Kaine‘s misery-inducing broken sleep. It was a usual pattern: Kaine would wake at 5.00 a.m., then sleep till half an hour before his alarm (give or take a minute). It didn‘t help his energy levels, or did it aid his attitude. Nevertheless, it usually got him up earlier for a little bit of training. And so, with the hints of a self-hating groan, Kaine‘s body pulled itself from the generic army cot that consisted of his bed and shook itself of the remnants of sleep. +

+Workout wise, Kaine decided to tryout something new: a full gear lap of Garden. It‘d save himself the complete and utter effort of returning to pack, and help work off those damned hotdogs. Before heading his pack-however- Kaine had to get dressed. With a disinterested and generally tired yawn, he pulled-from some sort of pile- the same jeans as the day before, then headed to a bedside locker to pull out yet another one of his yellow shirts- with a button detail making up the frontal section of the collar. Without a shower (he was a night-bather) Kaine pulled these on, along with some sort of black trainers. +

+With a sigh, Kaine got down to a warm-up: a quick 10-minute shadowboxing workout. Simplistic, Kaine kept up a personal rhythm ;( jab, breathe, jab jab, breathe, hook, breathe, one-two, repeat) while he bounced on his feet, ducking and diving without a flicker of hesitance. However, it was the switch up that wrecked Kaine. With a huge burst of confidence, Kaine attempted a slight roundhouse kick. But, instead of a full rotation, his foot cracked against the corner frame of his wardrobe. +

“AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW FUCCCCKKKK!”

+Kaine shouted, grabbing his foot in pain, as he hopped up and down. This was obviously followed by the chorus of unhappy students attempting to enjoy a lie-in from classes. Kaine just grinned, baring the pain while he shallowly limped over to the school pack-looking rucksack of his. Army gear separates you distinctively from the crowd- hence why he usually took Spitfire apart ,and hid the components on his body: The heavy hilt hanging from his belt hooks, the reel mechanism and chain strapped to the inside of his shirt back and the final section- the collapsible blade inside the rucksack. Of course, most would consider this a chore- but not for Kaine. He essentially developed spitfire anyway. +

“Shit, nine already?”


+A quick glance to the clock revealed “9.05“, and Kaine began to hurry himself up. Doing this, he heard some sort of intercom announcement from the headmaster, but essentially ignored it as he shuffled through piles and heaps of clothes-grabbing changes of shirts, socks… things you‘d need. Finally, after stuffing his pack with clothes, Kaine grabbed his secondary, standard issue combat knife and headed out, not even checking if he forgot anything. +

+Course, he‘d checked his pockets for the usual when he was waiting for the elevator: Keys, wallet, phone. He had the three. With that, he headed straight for the second floor bridge- where else would one go if headed for FH? With his long strides, Kaine cleared the exit corridor from the elevator, and then headed straight for the air deck. With an inhale, he smelt the salt, sea-faring air and- to his surprise- his eyes latched onto the gang of three already present. One of them Kaine remembered clearly: Alex, that swinging SeeD from the training room, that ‘Karate Kid‘, some other girl and that Blonde guy from Squall‘s gang.+

“…Sup guys…I‘m that guy, Kaine…”

+He muttered, with a half smile and a wave, just after Zell’s own introduction- although, he hadn’t heard it personally.+
 
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