aznchika: Okay... I ALMOST finished the first chapter... and then... it
all gets deleted =( That's not good! Well, anyway, I forgot everything I
had written here originally... probably about be nice on me for this fic,
cuz it's my first that is from an RP... and probably something about I
didn't write everything... there were some help from some people from the
Seiftis Forever board... and I do believe the people are listed in the
characters chapter. Anyway, I'll just re-write/re-edit this whole thing
once again...
- - - - -
This morning in Balamb Garden, a handful of capable fighters who were new among the ranks of SeeD were sent an assignment by, none other than, Headmaster Cid. The notes were short and vague, but it was clear that these chosen ones were to meet the Headmaster in his office for their first official assignment as SeeD. The Headmaster now awaits patiently in his office for those who were sent for, as he gazes out into the sunny fields of Balamb.
"I hope... this is the right thing to do." He mutters to himself.
* * *
"Hyne." Jolith mutters to himself as he fumbles with his key to lock the door to his new personal dorm. He didn't like it already - - it was too big and the bed was too small. Not to mention that the whole room smelled of peanuts - -. Then again, there were few things that Jolith liked on his first impression. But his room was definitely not one of them.
"I'm gonna be late." Jolith muttered to himself as he finally managed to lock the unfamiliar door behind him. A small group of girls walked by in the SeeD Dorm Hallway and giggled at the sight of the notoriously capable man struggling with the lock on his door. Scowling at the group as it passed by, Jolith took long strides to the elevator. He knew that if he was caught running, it would cost him being reprimanded from the Disciplinary Committee; and time.
"Fukk," Jolith thought as he reached the elevator. "The Headmaster is probably already letting the other SeeDs into his office right about now." he thought as he sighed in frustration and he watched the level indicator on the elevator intently. "Could this piece of crap go any slower?" he mused.
Cid opened the doors that connected his office to the waiting room in which the SeeDs he had hand picked for this job - - or at least most of them - - waited. "You may come in now." he said in an official tone as he returned to his desk and let the SeeDs in the waiting room follow him in for the mission briefing.
* * *
Razamor scowled at the clock sitting just above Cid's head. 8:15. The headmaster had been talking for nearly fifteen minutes now... but he still hadn't gotten to the point. As he looked around at the other SeeDs, he saw that they too were getting bored. Yuki, a young girl with golden blonde hair streaked purple, sat in one of the few chairs that were in the room. She seemed to be the only one who looked like she had been paying attention to Cid. Celeste, the blonde girl with blue streaks, sat in the chair beside Yuki. She had her head in her hand as she leaned on one of the armrests. Guinevere, the brunette with green-grey eyes, stood, leaning against the wall looking bored to hell. Jolith, who was standing next to him, had his eyes blinking furiously, in a desperate attempt to remain awake.
"...Therefore, I am sending you to..."
Cid was interrupted when his office door came crashing open. A slender girl with coppery hair darted in. She tripped slightly over her own feet, but composed herself and stood at attention, breathing slightly heavily.
Razamor fought the urge to laugh at his best friend. She had always been clumsy, and a big sleeper. It was just like her to oversleep on the day of her first mission.
"Miss Desdin..." Cid began to admonish, frowning. "It is very important for a SeeD to be punctual, and you are fifteen minutes late for this meeting. I don't want to hear any excuses," he cut her off as she opened her mouth to speak.
Just make sure it doesn't happen again."
Lyra nodded and saluted, while Razamor gave her a mocking look over Cid's shoulder. As soon as his back was safely turned, she shot Razamor the finger. This only made him smirk and turn his attention back to Cid. Lyra took her place between Jolith and Razamor.
"Without any more rude interruptions..." he began, shooting Lyra a look that was supposed to be intimidating. She rolled her eyes at Razamor, who coughed to cover up a laugh. "I will get back to the mission briefing."
" summarize," began Cid. After about another 15 minutes summarizing and repeating what he had said early, he was about to tell them the mission. Jolith yawned openly and shook his head at the prospect of finally hearing the assignment, plain and simple. "You will all be sent to Galbadia under command of Racaenni Evan'ture. I must admit, she was quite unclear about her motives," Cid recalled with a slight frown. "But it seems she is in need of SeeD to reclaim something stolen from her." Cid finished.
Jolith rolled his eyes and leaned back into his chair with an inward scowl. 'So now we're doing common thieves work. Great,' he mused.
"There are no trains to Galbadia tomorrow, so you will be sent later today, and will arrive near midnight. You will meet with the client at 7 am sharp tomorrow morning. You have reservations at the Chicobo Hotel," Cid said as he paced the room. Stopping in mid-step, he eyed the group of SeeDs. "I trust you will not do anything to dishonour SeeD's good name in your free time." he said, almost as a question. He seemed to be looking at Lyra in particular, who only stared icily at the Headmaster as soon as he turned away.
"Yes, sir!" rang the SeeD's chorus of voices. Cid nodded. "Very well then. Report to the Balamb Train Station in 5 hours. I recommend you use that time wisely to pack."
* * *
Schala stood at the front gates of Galbadia Garden as she 'listened' to Miss Evan'ture explain about something stolen. Schala didn't really ever pay attention, but somehow she always got the gist of it.
"Schala! Did you hear anything I said?!" Racaenni Evan'ture shouted, slightly disgusted.
"Yes."
"Well, what did I say?" she asked, obviously annoyed at the teenage girl.
"You said that I will keeping on eye on the SeeDs that are coming from Balamb tonight. To make sure they do not do any damage to Galbadia." Schala replied, bored out of her mind.
"And...?" Racaenni began tapping her foot impatiently.
"And to help recover the 'missing' artifact."
"Very good. Now, in approximately 5 hours, they will board the train. So, in other words, I want you to go and meet them in 8 hours. You got that?"
"Yes." Schala despised this woman, but then again, Racaenni hated her too. If it weren't for the headmaster, Racaenni would probably never let Schala on any missions. She never trusted Schala.
"You will be here there in eight hours. You are dismissed." With that, the two went in there separate directions.
* * *
Quite simply, Victoria didn't want to go. She wanted to stick around and party. After all, the Exams were coming up soon and almost everyone had a big party after those. And she was out of liquor, another reason not to go. She looked into the corner of her closet, her whip and nunchucks were both dirty and unused.
As much as she didn't want to go, no one got the chance to just take and pick what mission they would be attending. Nope. She hated Traveling. She hated having to use the phone. She hated everything about this mission.
"Hey Vic!" She heard someone shouting through the door.
"Hey Mag"" She heard the door click, she didn't even bother to turn around, but continued to pack.
"Vic! What are you doing?!" She shouted as her friend continued to pack.
"Packing."
"What do you mean packing? What about the party???"
"Can't. Got called on a mission or something. I can't go." She replied. Mag only sighed.
"Oh..." Victoria zipped her suitcase shut as her roommate continued to spaz. She then picked up and began walking out.
"Bye Maggie! See ya in a while!" Victoria called.
"Have Fun! I'll drink an extra bottle of whiskey for ya!" Mag smiled.
* * *
Guinevere scowled as she packed her sword carefully into her pack. She didn't really want to go on this mission.
"Damn," she whispered, "Where's my laptop?"
Guinevere would need her laptop if she were going to have to hack into any files for the mission. She smirked as she finally found it, and carefully put it in its case. She then rushed out to the entrance, her light brown hair flying everywhere as she hefted her pack onto her shoulder.
"Hi...Sorry I'm late... I was trying to find this thing" Guinevere said, gesturing to the laptop bag.
"You're not late, don't worry about it. Still missing quite a few people." Victoria began. "Umm, Guinevere, why are you bringing your laptop?" Victoria asked, "I don't see any reason that you would need it."
"Headmaster Cid told me I needed to take it, he said that I might have to hack into some files during this mission." Guinevere stated, shrugging her shoulders.
* * *
Yuki sat in her room tugging at her bag that wouldn't tie shut. "I'm gunna be late if I have to completely repack." she sighed before dumping the contents of the bag onto her bed. After stuffing what she could into her bag she headed for the entrance of the garden. Headmaster Cid had gotten mad at that girl who was late at the briefing. He'd be furious if she was late for her first mission... 'as long as I don't miss the train'. She thought.
* * *
Celeste sighed as she stuffed her disc man and sword into her small duffle bag with the rest of her stuff. Zipping it up, she slung it over her shoulder and opened the door to her dorm, only to come face to face with her brother, Luke.
"What do you want?" She asked, half annoyed. Luke simply smiled.
"I just wanted to say good-bye and good luck with the mission," he replied calmly, looking around her room. He spotted her electric guitar and pointed at it. "I also wanted to know if I could borrow that while you're gone."
Celeste nodded and set down her duffle bag, walking back into her room. She picked up the sleek blue guitar and walked back over to Luke, handing it to him.
"You can borrow it while I'm gone, but if I come back and it's mysteriously 'disappeared' or broken, I swear I will have your head under an axe."
"Okay, okay. Good luck with the mission!" Luke left, and Celeste turned around, locking the door to her dorm. Picking up her duffle bag, she headed to the front gate.
* * *
Lyra was never really one for packing. She tossed in a few pairs of clothes, a hairbrush, and a book on battle tactics in case she got bored (which she was almost certain she would). Then she got back to the one aspect of packing that she enjoyed - - arranging her knives in their case - -. All of them perfectly polished and sharpened for the mission. She smiled faintly as she ran a finger softly along the blade of an eight-inch knife she was particularly fond of.
The creaking and closing of her door was heard behind her. With lightning speed she turned around, and her knife was pinned through the intruder's shirt collar to the door.
Razamor was unfazed, and looked at Lyra with a raised brow.
"You're paying for this shirt, you know."
Lyra walked over, pulling the knife from his shirt and freeing him.
"Well, you're paying for my door." she smirked, and pointed to the mark on the door.
"For the knife that you threw into it? I think not."
"Then learn how to knock." Lyra growled, putting her last knife into the case, closing and locking it firmly. She turned and brushed a piece of copper hair out of her eyes. "You all packed?"
Razamor nodded and lifted up a tan rucksack for her to see. "Yeah, are you all done? We still have time to kill, so I thought we'd get lunch in Balamb before meeting everyone at the station." Lyra shrugged.
"Sure. Just one more thing." She strode over to her shelf, which had a long row of Potions and Antidotes neatly laid out. She proceeded to stuff several of each into her many pockets.
"Ahh, so that's what those pockets are for. I always wondered." Razamor grinned.
"Always be prepared," Lyra smirked. "Okay, let's go." She grabbed her bag and knife case while Razamor opened the door for her.
"So, do all those potions ever make your pants fall down?" Razamor ventured.
"Shut up." she mumbled and walked out. Razamor just shrugged, and closed the door behind them.
* * *
Jolith sighed as he watched the Balamb Train Station slowly fade out from view as the train to Galbadia took off. The warm expression on the Headmaster's face annoyed the gunblade specialist to no end. Could Cid be any more fake if he *tried*?
Jolith slung his worn red leather suitcase onto the seat beside him and sat down next to it. Nothing to do now but wait to get to Galbadia... He considered his options. Stay here... go to the on-train bar that guests with special rooms - - such as SeeDs - - had exclusive access to... read magazines that had been set out... or order 'room service'... Jolith sighed. He'd prefer to stay here and wait.
* * *
She stood pacing around the front gates for a while already. She was beginning to get impatient, and annoyed. It's strange how the littlest of things annoyed her.
"Okay, okay. Take a deep breath. Now, let's try this again..." Schala said to herself. She stood in a proud upright position and held out her hand. "Welcome to Galbadia! I'm Schala and... no no, I sound like a waitress!" She shook her head in disgust.
"Okay, let's try this again..." she took another deep breath. "ThisisGalbadiaGarden.Iwillbeguidingyou..." She stopped. "Slow down, and I really shouldn't be so nervous!" Suddenly, she felt someone's arm wrap around her waist. She quickly spun around and kicked the intruder... right where it hurts.
The male fell backwards swearing at her and ... protecting it.
"What the hell was that for?!" He shouted angrily.
"Zueny. What are you doing?!" Schala demanded as she held an arrow at his throat.
"Whoa! Simmer down girl! I just came to see what you were up to! Oh, and headmaster wishes to see your presence. Immediately." He backed away from the vicious female.
"Whatever." She started to walk back into the garden. Just as she entered the garden, she was greeted by, none other than, Martine.
"Ah! Schala! There you are. I was looking for you." He said.
"Yes. Zueny told me."
"Right. Well, it's about the mission. Remember what I told you before. You MUSTN'T forget it. It is vital in order for this mission to be a success. I'm counting on you Schala. Failure is NOT acceptable." He said to her, in a low voice that only she could her.
"Yes sir." She replied emotionless.
"I do believe they will be arriving soon. You should go and meet them."
"Yes sir."
"You are dismissed." She saluted him and he nodded. Schala then approached the doors.
"You will see what I have in store for you." She muttered, pushing the doors open roughly.
* * *
Waiting... train riding... under phone lines... all of it equalled one thing for poor Victoria... paranoia. She looked out the window to see another phone line, about to cross their path.
"Are you guys sure we won't hit that one?!" She squealed to the other SeeD members in her cabin. Some of them obviously thought she was doing it for attention. They wouldn't think that if they had a fear like she did. As they passed under another phone line, another one appeared.
"How about that one!?"
"We're not going to hit any of the phone lines." Jolith said coldly when he could stand Victoria's ridiculous no more. "They wouldn't allow us on this train if it was unsafe." he said in a way that made Victoria feel stupid of her phobia.
All of a sudden, the train came to a complete halt, jerking the riders mercilessly into the wall. A young, feminine voice came onto the microphone. "Sorry 'bout that!" she said as the SeeDs struggled to stand up. "We are currently stationed at Galbadia Train Station now. Everyone who will be disembarking at this time, um... well, please disembark!"
Guinevere was the first to get out of the train. She stood on the train platform, and glanced at the other members of her team. There were many people in Deling... that was good, in her opinion, it meant that she wouldn't be recognized.
"Come on." Jolith said, starting to get cranky.
"Shut up, Jolith... We've gotta wait for the bus." Guinevere snapped, the late ride getting the better of her. She'd spent most of the ride looking up files for the assignment on her laptop, seeing if there was any information possible on the news links, but there hadn't been anything. The mission was top-secret.
"Hey, Torrie," Guinevere said, "The bus is here"
Victoria didn't even glance at the girl.
* * *
Schala stood in front of the Chicobo Hotel, tapping her foot impatiently.
"How long does it take for them to get here? They're already 3 minutes late!!!" She mumbled to herself as she began pacing around the front entrance. People who were walking by looked at her strangely, but decided best to not say anything.
Schala then opened a folder she was holding and began reading the files.
"Jolith Merlis. 18. 6 foot. Male. Weapon of Choice, gunblade. Strengths, fighting and fire magic. Fire magic eh? Heh, I should have a duel with him one day and see if he is really good at fire." She smiled wickedly. "Razamor Warsen. 17. 6 foot 3. Male. Strength, agility. Weapon of choice, broadsword." She began flipping through the other files. "Only two males?!"
"Lyra Desden. 16. 5 foot 5. Female. W.O.C (weapon of choice) knives and daggers. Strengths, aim, healing and water magic. Hmmm, she could be trouble." Schala said thoughtfully. "Victoria. 15. Strengths, gfs. Female. W.O.C whip/nunchucks. Yuki Star. 15. 5'6". Female. Strength, magic. W.O.C dagger."
Schala yawned and looked around to see if the SeeDs had arrived yet, seeing that they didn't she finished reading the profiles. "Celeste Pyrnee. 17. Female. Strength, computer whiz. W.O.C long sword. Guinevere Thompson. 16. Female. Strength, hacker. W.O.C Cinquaeda." Schala then closed the folder, as she was getting tired of reading the profiles. She slumped down and leaned against the side railing of the stairs as she waited impatiently for the SeeDs to arrive.
* * *
Jolith looked up from the map and out the bus window. Glancing back at the map, Jolith nodded sharply as he proceeded to roll it up.
"This is it." he said. The bus had pulled to a stop in front of the Chicobo Hotel and Jolith shoved the map messily into his pocket with his offhand, as his right one was busy grasping a red-hilted gunblade that received many wary stares. The gunblade specialist glanced behind him to assure that the other SeeDs were behind him. Turning back around, Jolith was surprised - - and a bit suspicious - - to see a brunette girl with violet eyes glancing back and forth between the group and some files.
Nodding almost as if to confirm her thoughts, the girl walked toward the group with determination in her every step. Then she introduced herself...
- - - - - - - - - -
aznchika: okay... ORIGINALLY, this was way longer!!! But because my stupid computer doesn't know the difference between saving and deleting... this has become shorter... anyway, I hope you like this... (tho, not much has happened yet... and I was actually about some pairings... but they'll happen a little later on...)
- - - - -
This morning in Balamb Garden, a handful of capable fighters who were new among the ranks of SeeD were sent an assignment by, none other than, Headmaster Cid. The notes were short and vague, but it was clear that these chosen ones were to meet the Headmaster in his office for their first official assignment as SeeD. The Headmaster now awaits patiently in his office for those who were sent for, as he gazes out into the sunny fields of Balamb.
"I hope... this is the right thing to do." He mutters to himself.
* * *
"Hyne." Jolith mutters to himself as he fumbles with his key to lock the door to his new personal dorm. He didn't like it already - - it was too big and the bed was too small. Not to mention that the whole room smelled of peanuts - -. Then again, there were few things that Jolith liked on his first impression. But his room was definitely not one of them.
"I'm gonna be late." Jolith muttered to himself as he finally managed to lock the unfamiliar door behind him. A small group of girls walked by in the SeeD Dorm Hallway and giggled at the sight of the notoriously capable man struggling with the lock on his door. Scowling at the group as it passed by, Jolith took long strides to the elevator. He knew that if he was caught running, it would cost him being reprimanded from the Disciplinary Committee; and time.
"Fukk," Jolith thought as he reached the elevator. "The Headmaster is probably already letting the other SeeDs into his office right about now." he thought as he sighed in frustration and he watched the level indicator on the elevator intently. "Could this piece of crap go any slower?" he mused.
Cid opened the doors that connected his office to the waiting room in which the SeeDs he had hand picked for this job - - or at least most of them - - waited. "You may come in now." he said in an official tone as he returned to his desk and let the SeeDs in the waiting room follow him in for the mission briefing.
* * *
Razamor scowled at the clock sitting just above Cid's head. 8:15. The headmaster had been talking for nearly fifteen minutes now... but he still hadn't gotten to the point. As he looked around at the other SeeDs, he saw that they too were getting bored. Yuki, a young girl with golden blonde hair streaked purple, sat in one of the few chairs that were in the room. She seemed to be the only one who looked like she had been paying attention to Cid. Celeste, the blonde girl with blue streaks, sat in the chair beside Yuki. She had her head in her hand as she leaned on one of the armrests. Guinevere, the brunette with green-grey eyes, stood, leaning against the wall looking bored to hell. Jolith, who was standing next to him, had his eyes blinking furiously, in a desperate attempt to remain awake.
"...Therefore, I am sending you to..."
Cid was interrupted when his office door came crashing open. A slender girl with coppery hair darted in. She tripped slightly over her own feet, but composed herself and stood at attention, breathing slightly heavily.
Razamor fought the urge to laugh at his best friend. She had always been clumsy, and a big sleeper. It was just like her to oversleep on the day of her first mission.
"Miss Desdin..." Cid began to admonish, frowning. "It is very important for a SeeD to be punctual, and you are fifteen minutes late for this meeting. I don't want to hear any excuses," he cut her off as she opened her mouth to speak.
Just make sure it doesn't happen again."
Lyra nodded and saluted, while Razamor gave her a mocking look over Cid's shoulder. As soon as his back was safely turned, she shot Razamor the finger. This only made him smirk and turn his attention back to Cid. Lyra took her place between Jolith and Razamor.
"Without any more rude interruptions..." he began, shooting Lyra a look that was supposed to be intimidating. She rolled her eyes at Razamor, who coughed to cover up a laugh. "I will get back to the mission briefing."
" summarize," began Cid. After about another 15 minutes summarizing and repeating what he had said early, he was about to tell them the mission. Jolith yawned openly and shook his head at the prospect of finally hearing the assignment, plain and simple. "You will all be sent to Galbadia under command of Racaenni Evan'ture. I must admit, she was quite unclear about her motives," Cid recalled with a slight frown. "But it seems she is in need of SeeD to reclaim something stolen from her." Cid finished.
Jolith rolled his eyes and leaned back into his chair with an inward scowl. 'So now we're doing common thieves work. Great,' he mused.
"There are no trains to Galbadia tomorrow, so you will be sent later today, and will arrive near midnight. You will meet with the client at 7 am sharp tomorrow morning. You have reservations at the Chicobo Hotel," Cid said as he paced the room. Stopping in mid-step, he eyed the group of SeeDs. "I trust you will not do anything to dishonour SeeD's good name in your free time." he said, almost as a question. He seemed to be looking at Lyra in particular, who only stared icily at the Headmaster as soon as he turned away.
"Yes, sir!" rang the SeeD's chorus of voices. Cid nodded. "Very well then. Report to the Balamb Train Station in 5 hours. I recommend you use that time wisely to pack."
* * *
Schala stood at the front gates of Galbadia Garden as she 'listened' to Miss Evan'ture explain about something stolen. Schala didn't really ever pay attention, but somehow she always got the gist of it.
"Schala! Did you hear anything I said?!" Racaenni Evan'ture shouted, slightly disgusted.
"Yes."
"Well, what did I say?" she asked, obviously annoyed at the teenage girl.
"You said that I will keeping on eye on the SeeDs that are coming from Balamb tonight. To make sure they do not do any damage to Galbadia." Schala replied, bored out of her mind.
"And...?" Racaenni began tapping her foot impatiently.
"And to help recover the 'missing' artifact."
"Very good. Now, in approximately 5 hours, they will board the train. So, in other words, I want you to go and meet them in 8 hours. You got that?"
"Yes." Schala despised this woman, but then again, Racaenni hated her too. If it weren't for the headmaster, Racaenni would probably never let Schala on any missions. She never trusted Schala.
"You will be here there in eight hours. You are dismissed." With that, the two went in there separate directions.
* * *
Quite simply, Victoria didn't want to go. She wanted to stick around and party. After all, the Exams were coming up soon and almost everyone had a big party after those. And she was out of liquor, another reason not to go. She looked into the corner of her closet, her whip and nunchucks were both dirty and unused.
As much as she didn't want to go, no one got the chance to just take and pick what mission they would be attending. Nope. She hated Traveling. She hated having to use the phone. She hated everything about this mission.
"Hey Vic!" She heard someone shouting through the door.
"Hey Mag"" She heard the door click, she didn't even bother to turn around, but continued to pack.
"Vic! What are you doing?!" She shouted as her friend continued to pack.
"Packing."
"What do you mean packing? What about the party???"
"Can't. Got called on a mission or something. I can't go." She replied. Mag only sighed.
"Oh..." Victoria zipped her suitcase shut as her roommate continued to spaz. She then picked up and began walking out.
"Bye Maggie! See ya in a while!" Victoria called.
"Have Fun! I'll drink an extra bottle of whiskey for ya!" Mag smiled.
* * *
Guinevere scowled as she packed her sword carefully into her pack. She didn't really want to go on this mission.
"Damn," she whispered, "Where's my laptop?"
Guinevere would need her laptop if she were going to have to hack into any files for the mission. She smirked as she finally found it, and carefully put it in its case. She then rushed out to the entrance, her light brown hair flying everywhere as she hefted her pack onto her shoulder.
"Hi...Sorry I'm late... I was trying to find this thing" Guinevere said, gesturing to the laptop bag.
"You're not late, don't worry about it. Still missing quite a few people." Victoria began. "Umm, Guinevere, why are you bringing your laptop?" Victoria asked, "I don't see any reason that you would need it."
"Headmaster Cid told me I needed to take it, he said that I might have to hack into some files during this mission." Guinevere stated, shrugging her shoulders.
* * *
Yuki sat in her room tugging at her bag that wouldn't tie shut. "I'm gunna be late if I have to completely repack." she sighed before dumping the contents of the bag onto her bed. After stuffing what she could into her bag she headed for the entrance of the garden. Headmaster Cid had gotten mad at that girl who was late at the briefing. He'd be furious if she was late for her first mission... 'as long as I don't miss the train'. She thought.
* * *
Celeste sighed as she stuffed her disc man and sword into her small duffle bag with the rest of her stuff. Zipping it up, she slung it over her shoulder and opened the door to her dorm, only to come face to face with her brother, Luke.
"What do you want?" She asked, half annoyed. Luke simply smiled.
"I just wanted to say good-bye and good luck with the mission," he replied calmly, looking around her room. He spotted her electric guitar and pointed at it. "I also wanted to know if I could borrow that while you're gone."
Celeste nodded and set down her duffle bag, walking back into her room. She picked up the sleek blue guitar and walked back over to Luke, handing it to him.
"You can borrow it while I'm gone, but if I come back and it's mysteriously 'disappeared' or broken, I swear I will have your head under an axe."
"Okay, okay. Good luck with the mission!" Luke left, and Celeste turned around, locking the door to her dorm. Picking up her duffle bag, she headed to the front gate.
* * *
Lyra was never really one for packing. She tossed in a few pairs of clothes, a hairbrush, and a book on battle tactics in case she got bored (which she was almost certain she would). Then she got back to the one aspect of packing that she enjoyed - - arranging her knives in their case - -. All of them perfectly polished and sharpened for the mission. She smiled faintly as she ran a finger softly along the blade of an eight-inch knife she was particularly fond of.
The creaking and closing of her door was heard behind her. With lightning speed she turned around, and her knife was pinned through the intruder's shirt collar to the door.
Razamor was unfazed, and looked at Lyra with a raised brow.
"You're paying for this shirt, you know."
Lyra walked over, pulling the knife from his shirt and freeing him.
"Well, you're paying for my door." she smirked, and pointed to the mark on the door.
"For the knife that you threw into it? I think not."
"Then learn how to knock." Lyra growled, putting her last knife into the case, closing and locking it firmly. She turned and brushed a piece of copper hair out of her eyes. "You all packed?"
Razamor nodded and lifted up a tan rucksack for her to see. "Yeah, are you all done? We still have time to kill, so I thought we'd get lunch in Balamb before meeting everyone at the station." Lyra shrugged.
"Sure. Just one more thing." She strode over to her shelf, which had a long row of Potions and Antidotes neatly laid out. She proceeded to stuff several of each into her many pockets.
"Ahh, so that's what those pockets are for. I always wondered." Razamor grinned.
"Always be prepared," Lyra smirked. "Okay, let's go." She grabbed her bag and knife case while Razamor opened the door for her.
"So, do all those potions ever make your pants fall down?" Razamor ventured.
"Shut up." she mumbled and walked out. Razamor just shrugged, and closed the door behind them.
* * *
Jolith sighed as he watched the Balamb Train Station slowly fade out from view as the train to Galbadia took off. The warm expression on the Headmaster's face annoyed the gunblade specialist to no end. Could Cid be any more fake if he *tried*?
Jolith slung his worn red leather suitcase onto the seat beside him and sat down next to it. Nothing to do now but wait to get to Galbadia... He considered his options. Stay here... go to the on-train bar that guests with special rooms - - such as SeeDs - - had exclusive access to... read magazines that had been set out... or order 'room service'... Jolith sighed. He'd prefer to stay here and wait.
* * *
She stood pacing around the front gates for a while already. She was beginning to get impatient, and annoyed. It's strange how the littlest of things annoyed her.
"Okay, okay. Take a deep breath. Now, let's try this again..." Schala said to herself. She stood in a proud upright position and held out her hand. "Welcome to Galbadia! I'm Schala and... no no, I sound like a waitress!" She shook her head in disgust.
"Okay, let's try this again..." she took another deep breath. "ThisisGalbadiaGarden.Iwillbeguidingyou..." She stopped. "Slow down, and I really shouldn't be so nervous!" Suddenly, she felt someone's arm wrap around her waist. She quickly spun around and kicked the intruder... right where it hurts.
The male fell backwards swearing at her and ... protecting it.
"What the hell was that for?!" He shouted angrily.
"Zueny. What are you doing?!" Schala demanded as she held an arrow at his throat.
"Whoa! Simmer down girl! I just came to see what you were up to! Oh, and headmaster wishes to see your presence. Immediately." He backed away from the vicious female.
"Whatever." She started to walk back into the garden. Just as she entered the garden, she was greeted by, none other than, Martine.
"Ah! Schala! There you are. I was looking for you." He said.
"Yes. Zueny told me."
"Right. Well, it's about the mission. Remember what I told you before. You MUSTN'T forget it. It is vital in order for this mission to be a success. I'm counting on you Schala. Failure is NOT acceptable." He said to her, in a low voice that only she could her.
"Yes sir." She replied emotionless.
"I do believe they will be arriving soon. You should go and meet them."
"Yes sir."
"You are dismissed." She saluted him and he nodded. Schala then approached the doors.
"You will see what I have in store for you." She muttered, pushing the doors open roughly.
* * *
Waiting... train riding... under phone lines... all of it equalled one thing for poor Victoria... paranoia. She looked out the window to see another phone line, about to cross their path.
"Are you guys sure we won't hit that one?!" She squealed to the other SeeD members in her cabin. Some of them obviously thought she was doing it for attention. They wouldn't think that if they had a fear like she did. As they passed under another phone line, another one appeared.
"How about that one!?"
"We're not going to hit any of the phone lines." Jolith said coldly when he could stand Victoria's ridiculous no more. "They wouldn't allow us on this train if it was unsafe." he said in a way that made Victoria feel stupid of her phobia.
All of a sudden, the train came to a complete halt, jerking the riders mercilessly into the wall. A young, feminine voice came onto the microphone. "Sorry 'bout that!" she said as the SeeDs struggled to stand up. "We are currently stationed at Galbadia Train Station now. Everyone who will be disembarking at this time, um... well, please disembark!"
Guinevere was the first to get out of the train. She stood on the train platform, and glanced at the other members of her team. There were many people in Deling... that was good, in her opinion, it meant that she wouldn't be recognized.
"Come on." Jolith said, starting to get cranky.
"Shut up, Jolith... We've gotta wait for the bus." Guinevere snapped, the late ride getting the better of her. She'd spent most of the ride looking up files for the assignment on her laptop, seeing if there was any information possible on the news links, but there hadn't been anything. The mission was top-secret.
"Hey, Torrie," Guinevere said, "The bus is here"
Victoria didn't even glance at the girl.
* * *
Schala stood in front of the Chicobo Hotel, tapping her foot impatiently.
"How long does it take for them to get here? They're already 3 minutes late!!!" She mumbled to herself as she began pacing around the front entrance. People who were walking by looked at her strangely, but decided best to not say anything.
Schala then opened a folder she was holding and began reading the files.
"Jolith Merlis. 18. 6 foot. Male. Weapon of Choice, gunblade. Strengths, fighting and fire magic. Fire magic eh? Heh, I should have a duel with him one day and see if he is really good at fire." She smiled wickedly. "Razamor Warsen. 17. 6 foot 3. Male. Strength, agility. Weapon of choice, broadsword." She began flipping through the other files. "Only two males?!"
"Lyra Desden. 16. 5 foot 5. Female. W.O.C (weapon of choice) knives and daggers. Strengths, aim, healing and water magic. Hmmm, she could be trouble." Schala said thoughtfully. "Victoria. 15. Strengths, gfs. Female. W.O.C whip/nunchucks. Yuki Star. 15. 5'6". Female. Strength, magic. W.O.C dagger."
Schala yawned and looked around to see if the SeeDs had arrived yet, seeing that they didn't she finished reading the profiles. "Celeste Pyrnee. 17. Female. Strength, computer whiz. W.O.C long sword. Guinevere Thompson. 16. Female. Strength, hacker. W.O.C Cinquaeda." Schala then closed the folder, as she was getting tired of reading the profiles. She slumped down and leaned against the side railing of the stairs as she waited impatiently for the SeeDs to arrive.
* * *
Jolith looked up from the map and out the bus window. Glancing back at the map, Jolith nodded sharply as he proceeded to roll it up.
"This is it." he said. The bus had pulled to a stop in front of the Chicobo Hotel and Jolith shoved the map messily into his pocket with his offhand, as his right one was busy grasping a red-hilted gunblade that received many wary stares. The gunblade specialist glanced behind him to assure that the other SeeDs were behind him. Turning back around, Jolith was surprised - - and a bit suspicious - - to see a brunette girl with violet eyes glancing back and forth between the group and some files.
Nodding almost as if to confirm her thoughts, the girl walked toward the group with determination in her every step. Then she introduced herself...
- - - - - - - - - -
aznchika: okay... ORIGINALLY, this was way longer!!! But because my stupid computer doesn't know the difference between saving and deleting... this has become shorter... anyway, I hope you like this... (tho, not much has happened yet... and I was actually about some pairings... but they'll happen a little later on...)