The briefing with Xu in the assault boat was pretty simple, They were to report to Esthar Plains and set up an old communication furrow. It was nothing that really required protection but one of the main reasons Seifer was pissed of was because Quistis was here too. Was she supposed to be babysitting Seifer? Cid had really pulled a fast one on him this time. He had always thought about what would have happened if he just went by the book on the last Exam and stayed in the square. Probably nothing, it was one of those questions that lead to other questions and he didn't have time to test his vulnerability at the moment. He looked back over to Xu and Quistis who were sitting beside each other talking. He had always considered Xu to have one of those kind souls. She had always wanted to make people better or happy and if she even caused any harm it was never purposeful. She had a warm smile and amazingly white teeth. You could always tell when a girl was worth something by looking at the way they carried themselves. He looked over to Angelica who sat across from him picking at her nails. He felt rather sorry that he didn't feel the sexual tension that he thought existed between them yesterday in the library. Maybe it was because she was in uniform, or maybe it was because he knew she was important to someone and she actually had a very lucrative life as a SeeD ahead of her and he had nothing but his Hyperion and a few high hopes. He hated it when he messed with women who were of higher authority than him. That was one of the reasons why he stopped messing with Quistis. She, like Rinoa was also to high strung and demanding.
"Seifer, don't you think it will be too hot in the desert for that coat of yours?" Angelica asked as she looked at Seifer and pulled out a compact mirror, applying foundation on her face.
"And don't you think your makeup will melt off in the hot sun?" He smirked as she actually stopped applying it and thought about his question. "Oh shutup." She turned around and sat on her knees in order to look out of the windows. "We're almost there, I can see the shoreline." But Seifer was busy looking at her butt as it sat all tight trapped in that short navy blue skirt. She quickly turned around to catch Seifer staring but she didn't say anything she just picked up her case and began to equip her weapon.
"What kind of weapon do you have?" He asked her as she lifted her head up from behind the case and answered.
"An Angels Fury Gunblade," She mumbled as she went back to her weapon.
"Excuse me I thought you said Gunblade."
"I did."
"A girl with a Gunblade? Your one funny character Angelica."
"Damnit, will you people stop with the Angelica? It's Angie, Angelica is too formal."
"You are the Captain, I'm just trying to go by the book Captain Angelica" She gave a slight moan as Quistis and Xu looked over to them.
"Hyne, save me from this asshole." She mumbled lightly as she closed the case and began to rhythmically tap her fingers on it. Seifer looked to her and smirked, growing satisfied that he was pissing her off. Her father must have thought the world of her or else she wouldn't have been getting a private escort to ensure her safety. He never knew his father but he did remember seeing something about him being in the military. Almasy was his mother's maiden name so he couldn't go out and start looking for his father by using his last name. He still thought about that day he had came home to find his dead mother on the floor. She had been stabbed multiple times and raped. Seifer still never got how death could come so quickly. He was startled as he felt the bump of the assault boat against the desert shore. Angelica opened the case back up and carefully took out the Gunblade as a goofy smile overcame her face. Seifer had to admit it was rather nice but it didn't look very used, the Steel of the blade was too shiny and didn't look like it was worn in well. He caught a glimpse of her name engraved at the tip and jumped to the conclusion that all weapons looked that way when you had enough money to keep up with the matinence of it.
"Nice Toy Captain," Seifer beamed as he picked up his Hyperion off the ground and headed out of the assault boat first. Quistis held her Save the Queen and instructed that they should report to the Furrow first. Xu and the boat were soon out of sight as the three began to walk towards the furrow that Seifer believed never existed. It was growing hotter by the second as they walked the dry cracked desert. Quistis took out her map and began to look around, her ice blue orbs dancing around the endless horizon.
"Oh great, another SeeD exam ruined thanks to Quistis Trepe," Seifer said looking over to Angie who was looking like she was about to faint.
"I'd like to meet whoever designed these thick, dark suits. Don't they now that dark blue attracts heat?" She replied in a weary tone.
"Captain, I suggest we take a break." Seifer suggested, holding the Gunblade on his shoulder and tapping it there.
"Where Seifer? Underneath that Palm tree over there or how about we all strip down and skinny dip in that lagoon we passed?" Quistis replied, obviously frustrated at her bad sense of direction and Seifer's smart ass attitude.
"Don't ask me, ask Angelica, she's the Squad captain although I prefer the second suggestion myself."
"When do you ever Shutup?" Angelica asked Seifer. "I'm sorry Seifer but I don't plan on being a failure like you I plan on passing this damn Exam."
"Oh.... So now I'm a failure?" Seifer asked her as she picked up her Angels Fury out of the ground and began to walk nowhere.
"Are you coming Quistis?" She yelled as she turned around to catch Seifer staring at her as Quistis walked past him silently. Angie turned around sharply and suddenly felt the ground fall from beneath her feet as she let out a bloodcurdling scream. Seifer and Quistis saw her fall and immediately looked to the hole where Angelica had fallen in. It looked bottomless as Quistis furred her brow and looked to Seifer. He had to follow her; it was his mission to protect her. He stood back and looked at Quistis.
"What are you going to do Seifer?" She asked him as she began to hyperventilate. He jumped in the hole and left Quistis at the top. Quistis never was good at standing her ground so after a few seconds she jumped too. Angelica's eyes shot open as she felt Seifer's body land on top of hers. She could have sworn that she broke a rib as she felt him on top of her.
"God Damnit Seifer, get off," She let out an exasperated scream.
"Hmmm....Angelica should we really be getting so close, you are after all my superior." Angie was about to spit in his face until she felt Quistis' body land on top of them. Quistis stood up, looking around the area where they had fell. Angelica pushed Seifer off of her with a light grunt.
"I think this is the furrow you guys." Quistis said ignoring the hard punches Angelica gave Seifer in his arm. Seifer walked towards Quistis and tapped a few keys on the control panel to activate it. Soon enough all the power came on and there was a whole system of computers blinking before them.
"The object of the mission is to tap into government computers to get back into the mainframe of the system, I think they are trying to build another garden out here." She suspected as she leaned over Seifer, who had taken a seat at one of the panels and adjust some coordinates with a few movements of her French manicured nails. She as very prissy to try and become a SeeD, but he could care less about what she was trying to do. She considered him a failure. On the bright side there was a possible chance that he would be spending the night there with the two. He felt his stomach let out a large gurgle as Quistis and Angelica looked down to him in utter disgust.
"What can I say? I haven't had a decent meal in days," He thought about that Three Musketeers bar that he had in his coat pocket and was saving until he actually felt his the lining of his stomach being eaten away by his stomach acid. Quistis was busy trying to pry into the system. Seifer looked back over to Angelica who was walking around the place looking. She had some great looking legs, he looked at her profile as she leaned over and adjusted a control panel.
"Down boy," he mumbled under his breath as he felt himself suddenly go warmer. He took off his coat and began to type in some more coordinates. If Fuu was here they would have been done with all this frequency crap a long time ago. If only things were different. He hadn't seen Selphie in a while and he never really could understand her and why she was so...airy. That could be a good thing. He tried to do that for a week, block out all his emotions and feelings and just be mute to the world but that didn't work and all he got out of it was the feeling that he was a complete idiot.
*************
As far as Seifer was concerned Quistis had put him on night watch as she fell asleep at the control Panel. He was sitting at a panel and staring at the screen while drinking some old Coffee Angelica had found and warmed up. It tasted like sawdust and molasses but it was better than nothing was. Sitting around was always as boring as Hell to him and he would occasionally look over to Angelica and stare at her as she filed her nails. The silence was enough to drive him insane until he finally spoke up and said something.
"Any plans after you become SeeD?" She looked at him and thought for a few moments.
"My father hates the idea of me going on missions. He thinks I won't be able to fend for myself. I never really got him though." She looked down at her boots and sighed. "He never really cared about all that follow your dreams stuff. He always told us that we should focus on the ethical solution."
"Do you have dreams Seifer?" She asked him looking at him with those hazel orbs of hers.
"I had dreams, as in past tense. Then after my big dream came true I realized that dreams are just a punks fantasy." He looked back at her as he held the tin mug of slop in his hand.
".... So what you have had the horrible experience of having a shattered dream… I'm sorry Seifer but your no the first person to experience failure." Seifer didn't answer her, he just took a long sip from the tin and shook his head.
"So how old are you exactly?"
"Eighteen," She replied as she began to rub her legs to increase the warmth that circulated through her body. Seifer stood up and tossed her his coat as she took it wrapping herself in it and whispering a silent thank you.
"I gets cold in the desert at night." He responded, as she yawned lightly and he turned back to the Processor.
************
Angelica couldn't bring herself to get any sleep as she tossed and turned on the Furrows hard linoleum floor. Seifer's coat smelled just like him and she wasn't really sure if she was comforted or alarmed by it. He had eventually fallen asleep too and left her awake by herself. She felt something hard in his coat pocket and carefully took it out the manila folder marked OPERATION: KLAER. It didn't take her long before she found out Seifer was nothing more than a bodyguard to her. No wonder he had jumped in after her, or refrained from kicking her ass when she had talked junk about him. He had probably wanted to meet her in the cafeteria for nothing more than a case study. She picked up her Gunblade, leaving the papers of her file scattered about on the floor next to Seifer's coat. She had to prove that she was SeeD material after all.
**A/N- Yes I know the ending to this chapter is crappy R&R**
