The streets of Dollet hadn't changed much in 5 years. What damage had been done was long since cleaned away, buildings rebuilt, soldiers gone. The atmosphere of the city was less hostile than the last time he'd been there, but that was to be expected, considering the SeeD practical exam had taken place on the streets of Dollet when it had been overrun by Galbadian soldiers. Seifer Almasy had seen the city the summer before. That was before he went on to Deling and met General Caraway's daughter and pissed the General the hell off by briefly dating his daughter. That was a lifetime ago.

In the time since then, the world had seen war and magic like never before. The war itself was blessedly short, but the repercussions were still being felt. Most people went on with their lives—what else was there to do? Others couldn't, and that was the reason for Seifer's trip to Dollet.

For a while, time compression had been blamed for most disappearances. Most of the people had shown up weeks or months later, perfectly healthy, having lost that time completely. They'd fallen into random time anomalies, or so the scientists said, and ended up simply walking into another time.

It wasn't until people started being found with no memories whatsoever that suspicions began to rise. GFs did damage to memories, but that had never been seen on such a scale. Indeed, it wasn't until recently that the general consensus was that GFs did any damage at all. Most of it was temporary, and not so bad as to erase an entire life.

After months of investigation, it was discovered that someone had figured out how to make synthetic GF-like magical drugs that could be equipped where a GF would. Those who wanted to forget could. Many times more potent than any of the drugs formerly preferred by people who wanted to numb the pain of memories, the drug slowly ate away at the brain as it dissolved until all long-term memory was permanently erased. An unlucky few had remembered well enough to continue to equip until it dissolved too much of the brain to function anymore. The investigation pointed towards Dollet as the center for business for the drug.

Seifer Almasy, ex-Knight, had been accepted back at Garden four years after the war. Acquitted of war crimes after a months-long trial, he'd wandered for a good year and a half until rejoining his friends in FH and starting a calm, sedentary life in the fishing town. He took odd jobs and went fishing a lot. A full four years after his last attempt at making SeeD, he and his friends had been invited back to Garden on the condition that he pass his next exam.

It was determined that the infamous former Knight would do better on a solo mission for his test. Edea had insisted that he be given something that suited him. Zell had bitched that solo missions are only for the elite, but in the end it was Squall's decision that mattered. Putting Seifer on a team under the supervision of any other cadet would be disastrous. Giving him a team of his own wouldn't work either, as half of the other candidates were bitter that he'd even been allowed the chance, while the other half were quite awed by the man.

Why they'd decided on sending one of the most recognizable faces in the world to sniff out a drug ring was beyond him. Seifer had been told to keep a low profile and find the supplier. It wasn't an in-and-out mission like most exams, and Seifer was sure the almighty commander was getting touched in the head if he thought Seifer Almasy could blend in with the crowd and sniff out a secret drug ring.

He supposed it was a good thing that his presence at Garden had been kept hush-hush. Most of the world heard of his disappearance after the trials, then nothing else. Only the citizens of FH had ever known he'd settled down there for a while. Garden kept its secrets, and the former Disciplinary Committee was one of them.

Though their relationship had never been all that great, Seifer had a lot of respect for his rival. Leonhart, it would seem, shared the sentiment. They'd discussed the plan at length in the days preceding his departure.

Seifer Almasy, disgraced Sorceress' Knight and lapdog, would reappear in Dollet, looking for work. The story was that he'd been wandering, taking jobs as they came, some extermination, reconstruction, and the odd business deal. Perhaps even the more traditional mercenary work.

He'd have no contact with the outside world, no access to Garden funds, no help whatsoever apart from the emergency number that he'd been made to memorize before leaving. What he brought would have to do. Until the ring was brought down, they could not suspect Garden of investigating at all.

It was late when he found a good place to stay and set up shop. It was a small, run-down inn down an alley not all that far from the center of town. The alley wasn't one you'd take your family down, and it served his purposes nicely. On the other side of the street, he could see a pair of shoes dangling from the power lines.

As he walked through the door, the innkeeper glanced up from the paper. Before the balding man could messily fold the large paper and stash it, Seifer got a glimpse of the front-page headline. Another disappearance, this time on the outskirts of Timber. It was impossible to tell whether the drug was to blame or if they'd simply walked into next year.

"What can I do for you?" the man asked, looking him up and down. Without his trademark trench coat, Seifer wasn't quite as recognizable as he would normally be. Still, the innkeeper must have at least found him familiar.

"Single," Seifer replied. "We'll start with a week, then go from there."

It took a moment for the words to sink in, but Seifer was checked in without incident. Tomorrow, the search would begin.