**A Rising Threat and Sleepless Nights pt.2**
A beaten and somewhat tattered trench coat hung loosely around the shoulders of the shady looking man as he hunched over the table. He clutched his drink, the scabs on his bruised and cut up knuckles splitting open a little as he did. He ran a hand through his dull sandy blond hair after slamming back the remnants of the drink and sighed. A foul place this was, the thick odour of smoke and alcohol hung low in the air and seemed to coat every inch of anyone who had so much as set foot in the dimly lit Dollet pub. It was the only place he could go un recognized; actually it was more so the fact that this pathetically dull little city was the only place he could go with out running into one of "them". It was the only place he could go to get a little peace, to wallow in his own self-pity if you will.
"Another." He said, sliding his glass towards the bar tender.
Wiping the table briefly before filling the glass again, the man on the other side of the bar shot him a glance. "Building up quite the tab aren't you Almasy?"
Seifer groaned and rolled his eyes. "I told you, I'm good for it."
"Sure, sure. By the looks of it you cant even afford to eat, and you're probably the guy who's been making a hell of a mess in my alley. What do you live in that box out there? Gee what a nice little home you've got for yourself there."
Seifer lunged across the bar and grabbed the man by the collar. "I SAID I'm good for it. I don't sleep in any cruddy alley and I sure as hell don't need someone like you to look down on me." He let the bartender go and sat back on his stool, swigging back the refilled glass.
"Easy man, I was only kidding." The bartender went back to polishing the table again, shaking his head and grumbling something under his breath.
The door swung open, streaming light into the dank little pub and making everyone look up from his or her respective drinks. Seifer looked over his shoulder; furrowing his brow when he saw the three Esthar soldiers walk in silently.
The town drunk slumped on the floor in the corner rose to his feet. "GIT OUTTA HERE Y'FLITHY PIGS! WE DON' WANT ANY ESTHAR SCUM 'ROUND HERE!" He stumbled towards the soldiers, drink in hand and reeking of what ever was in the glass. "Y'HEAR ME? GIT OUT!" He feebly swung at them with Seifer's gun blade he had grabbed from beside the bar before falling to the floor with a clatter. "SUM'N GIT 'EM OUT!TRU'BLE, N-NOTHING BUT TRU'BLE THEY ARE!" he babbled on trying to get to his feet, yet failing miserably.
"Quiet down!" The bartender growled at him, circling around the bar to drag the drunken idiot back to his corner. "Or I'll let Almasy run you through with that blade of his."
The soldiers silently stood a mere foot inside the door, observing the outburst of the man before heading to a table in the back. Seifer watched them wearily as the sunk into the shadows. Esthar soldiers had always made him a little uneasy. He grabbed Hyperion off of the floor and tossed a few gil on the bar for a couple of his many drinks. He swung the door open and stepped out into the street, shielding his eyes from the harsh light. Something was up and Seifer was going to find out what it was if it killed him. Esthar soldiers don't just walk into a pub for a drink. No matter who was running the futuristic city, friend or foe, this had to mean something was brewing. He wandered around the back way to the alley, creeping around the cans carefully trying not to tip one over in alert. His hand snugly wrapped around Hyperion's handle, Seifer hid behind a pile of boxes and garbage when he saw another handful of Esthar soldiers at the far end of the alley. One of them had some sort of communicator, which they were all crowded around. Seifer could here a crackling voice on the other end that was unmistakably Ellone's.
"Did you find out anything yet?"
"No ma'am, nothing so far. We've occupied the Inn, Café, and now the Pub and still nothing."
"I see." Ellone sighed and there was a brief silence.
"Any further orders ma'am?"
"Get as much information as you can for now." Ellone sighed and sounded frustrated. "She was supposed to be at Galbadia Garden, but she wasn't, we've searched Deling, Timber, even Winhill and there's nothing. Not even in Dollet."
"No ma'am not a trace of her."
"We can't waste much more time." Ellone sighed again. "Press the locals for a little information, as much as you can get in fact, she has to be some where."
"And if we find nothing?"
"If we find nothing we expand our search and go through Balamb and Timber but scouring through any of the ruins of Centra would be pointless and stupid."
"Roger that." The soldier sighed and sent his companions down the opposite side of the alley and back out into the main street. "We'll report back shortly ma'am."
"Until then commander." Ellone replied. "Don't forget, we don't have time for resistance. Should you find her, use any means necessary to get her into our custody."
"Yes ma'am.over and out."
Seifer ducked a little further down behind the heap of trash, almost holding his breath as the Soldier passed him by so as not to get caught eavesdropping. He chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. He had no idea who this girl that both the soldiers and Ellone referred to as "she" or "her" was. Seifer was confused to say the least, of course that was to be expected due to the fact that one couldn't expect Ellone to blatantly spill out who she was in search of and why they wanted her. He stood up once he was sure the coast was clear and walked briskly down the alley.
He chewed his lip a little more. "Galbadia, Galbadia." he mumbled under his breath. Seifer didn't really know anyone in Galbadia, so he it took a second for his mind to focus. "Shit.." He mumbled again then furrowed his brow and picked up his pace as his thoughts dashed to Quistis instantly. Deep down he knew it couldn't be her they were after but Ellone's words echoed in his head and he couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding.
Seifer scurried around the small apartment he had rented in Dollet and stuffed various belongings in a small pack. He'd follow Elle's soldiers everywhere if he had to, if it was Quistis they were after. He couldn't chance that it wasn't, even though there was no need for anyone to be after her, Seifer wasn't about to let anything harm Quistis without trying to go through him first.
(a/n: Okay so, a lot of what I've written probably sounds like filler but all of this has a pretty integral part to play in the plot so just bear with me a little the next chapter is when the story line gets a little more involved.)
A beaten and somewhat tattered trench coat hung loosely around the shoulders of the shady looking man as he hunched over the table. He clutched his drink, the scabs on his bruised and cut up knuckles splitting open a little as he did. He ran a hand through his dull sandy blond hair after slamming back the remnants of the drink and sighed. A foul place this was, the thick odour of smoke and alcohol hung low in the air and seemed to coat every inch of anyone who had so much as set foot in the dimly lit Dollet pub. It was the only place he could go un recognized; actually it was more so the fact that this pathetically dull little city was the only place he could go with out running into one of "them". It was the only place he could go to get a little peace, to wallow in his own self-pity if you will.
"Another." He said, sliding his glass towards the bar tender.
Wiping the table briefly before filling the glass again, the man on the other side of the bar shot him a glance. "Building up quite the tab aren't you Almasy?"
Seifer groaned and rolled his eyes. "I told you, I'm good for it."
"Sure, sure. By the looks of it you cant even afford to eat, and you're probably the guy who's been making a hell of a mess in my alley. What do you live in that box out there? Gee what a nice little home you've got for yourself there."
Seifer lunged across the bar and grabbed the man by the collar. "I SAID I'm good for it. I don't sleep in any cruddy alley and I sure as hell don't need someone like you to look down on me." He let the bartender go and sat back on his stool, swigging back the refilled glass.
"Easy man, I was only kidding." The bartender went back to polishing the table again, shaking his head and grumbling something under his breath.
The door swung open, streaming light into the dank little pub and making everyone look up from his or her respective drinks. Seifer looked over his shoulder; furrowing his brow when he saw the three Esthar soldiers walk in silently.
The town drunk slumped on the floor in the corner rose to his feet. "GIT OUTTA HERE Y'FLITHY PIGS! WE DON' WANT ANY ESTHAR SCUM 'ROUND HERE!" He stumbled towards the soldiers, drink in hand and reeking of what ever was in the glass. "Y'HEAR ME? GIT OUT!" He feebly swung at them with Seifer's gun blade he had grabbed from beside the bar before falling to the floor with a clatter. "SUM'N GIT 'EM OUT!TRU'BLE, N-NOTHING BUT TRU'BLE THEY ARE!" he babbled on trying to get to his feet, yet failing miserably.
"Quiet down!" The bartender growled at him, circling around the bar to drag the drunken idiot back to his corner. "Or I'll let Almasy run you through with that blade of his."
The soldiers silently stood a mere foot inside the door, observing the outburst of the man before heading to a table in the back. Seifer watched them wearily as the sunk into the shadows. Esthar soldiers had always made him a little uneasy. He grabbed Hyperion off of the floor and tossed a few gil on the bar for a couple of his many drinks. He swung the door open and stepped out into the street, shielding his eyes from the harsh light. Something was up and Seifer was going to find out what it was if it killed him. Esthar soldiers don't just walk into a pub for a drink. No matter who was running the futuristic city, friend or foe, this had to mean something was brewing. He wandered around the back way to the alley, creeping around the cans carefully trying not to tip one over in alert. His hand snugly wrapped around Hyperion's handle, Seifer hid behind a pile of boxes and garbage when he saw another handful of Esthar soldiers at the far end of the alley. One of them had some sort of communicator, which they were all crowded around. Seifer could here a crackling voice on the other end that was unmistakably Ellone's.
"Did you find out anything yet?"
"No ma'am, nothing so far. We've occupied the Inn, Café, and now the Pub and still nothing."
"I see." Ellone sighed and there was a brief silence.
"Any further orders ma'am?"
"Get as much information as you can for now." Ellone sighed and sounded frustrated. "She was supposed to be at Galbadia Garden, but she wasn't, we've searched Deling, Timber, even Winhill and there's nothing. Not even in Dollet."
"No ma'am not a trace of her."
"We can't waste much more time." Ellone sighed again. "Press the locals for a little information, as much as you can get in fact, she has to be some where."
"And if we find nothing?"
"If we find nothing we expand our search and go through Balamb and Timber but scouring through any of the ruins of Centra would be pointless and stupid."
"Roger that." The soldier sighed and sent his companions down the opposite side of the alley and back out into the main street. "We'll report back shortly ma'am."
"Until then commander." Ellone replied. "Don't forget, we don't have time for resistance. Should you find her, use any means necessary to get her into our custody."
"Yes ma'am.over and out."
Seifer ducked a little further down behind the heap of trash, almost holding his breath as the Soldier passed him by so as not to get caught eavesdropping. He chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. He had no idea who this girl that both the soldiers and Ellone referred to as "she" or "her" was. Seifer was confused to say the least, of course that was to be expected due to the fact that one couldn't expect Ellone to blatantly spill out who she was in search of and why they wanted her. He stood up once he was sure the coast was clear and walked briskly down the alley.
He chewed his lip a little more. "Galbadia, Galbadia." he mumbled under his breath. Seifer didn't really know anyone in Galbadia, so he it took a second for his mind to focus. "Shit.." He mumbled again then furrowed his brow and picked up his pace as his thoughts dashed to Quistis instantly. Deep down he knew it couldn't be her they were after but Ellone's words echoed in his head and he couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding.
Seifer scurried around the small apartment he had rented in Dollet and stuffed various belongings in a small pack. He'd follow Elle's soldiers everywhere if he had to, if it was Quistis they were after. He couldn't chance that it wasn't, even though there was no need for anyone to be after her, Seifer wasn't about to let anything harm Quistis without trying to go through him first.
(a/n: Okay so, a lot of what I've written probably sounds like filler but all of this has a pretty integral part to play in the plot so just bear with me a little the next chapter is when the story line gets a little more involved.)