AN: what's happened to Squall and Seifer? - u'll just have to wait and see *cackles evilly*

Rating: R (I tried to keep it lower, but it just wasn't destined to happen - unlike other things [which are responsible for the rating])

Disclaimer: SG characters are (c) MGM (thankie to Morrigan for that :p).  FF8 characters are (c) Squaresoft, original characters are mine – ask nicely and I might let you play with them, s'long's you don't break them...

Warnings: SxS - Yaoi (guyxguy) later - if u don't like, don't read.  Character death.  Maybe angst (I do like to torture my characters sometimes :p), language (prob nothin u aint heard b4, but still...)

~Chapter Nineteen: Breaking the Barriers~

For a moment, as someone burst out laughing, Daniel thought he'd found a language someone understood.  So far he'd tried g'ould, and most of the Egyptian variations he knew, and had moved on to trying words from other languages that he could remember, all with no luck.  But one glance at the person who was laughing, who turned and commented to the uniformed woman, who threw her hands up in despair, and he realised that he'd been recognised as a linguist.  So, no luck there.  He turned back to the girl in front of him.  She was frowning, then, as his attention returned to her, she tapped the sword and said something, slowly and clearly.

"Gleirt."  She tapped the sword again.  "Gleirt."  She repeated.  Daniel looked at the sword.

"Gleert?"  He asked, struggling with the liquid vowels in the centre.

"Gleirt."  She repeated, emphasising the liquid sound between the hard consonants of the beginning and end.

"Gleeirt."  Daniel was pleased when she nodded.  "Sword."  He said, pointing at it.  "Sword."

"Sword."  The girl repeated, perfectly.  Daniel was surprised.  She laughed at his expression, but clearly didn't have the words or actions to explain the ease with which she had copied him.  She pointed to another sword and then her own.  "Gleirten."  The plural?  Daniel wondered.

"Gleeirthun."  There was another pleased nod.  "Swords."  Daniel pointed to three swords, one after the other.  She nodded understanding.

"Gleirten, swords."

***

Irvine turned to Zell and Quistis, letting them in on the joke.  Both sides had linguists, and neither knew any language common to each other.  Not that Irvine found that particularly surprising, but on a basic level it was rather amusing.  Neither Quistis nor Zell seemed to see it the same way.  Quistis threw her arms up in disgust, and Zell rolled his eyes heavenwards.  Irvine sighed.

"We can't stand around here all day.  I mean, surely if they haven't attacked now, they're not going to."  Quistis shrugged.

"I wouldn't attack under this situation if I was in their place.  But that might change if the situation changed."  Irvine shook his head.

"For once Quistis, I'm going to have to use my rank."  He told her firmly.  Turning away from the gate, he strode to the wall where the communications were.  Holding down a single button he crisply issued his orders.  "This is Trabian Headmaster Irvine Kinneas.  All persons in the excavation complex are to assume defensive conditions.  We are not, repeat NOT, under attack, however, we do have guests of uncertain standing, so protects, shells and a junction are a must.  Weapons are to be carried at all times, but in the event of an incident defensive magic only.  Any SeeD found contravening these orders will immediately be lowered two ranks and docked a months pay.  Any civilians contravening these orders and found without a SeeD escort will be fined and confined to quarters for the duration."  He released the button and strode back to Quistis and Zell.

Ignoring them, he gestured at the circle of SeeDs.

"And where exactly are you going to take them?"  Quistis enquired frostily.  Irvine shrugged.

"I thought maybe the canteen.  Could be thirsty work coming through that thing."  He waved again at the SeeDs, and a small group of six detached themselves.  After a moment's thought he whistled and motioned for the linguistics SeeD to swap with another in the group.  "The two linguists can tell each other what everything's called while we wait for Edea."

AN: Time for Irvine to show why Cid and Squall pushed him into the position of Headmaster of Trabia...  Besides the obvious, Selphie's there, and Irvine has the temperament to be a Headmaster (imo) – not so sure about Selphie bein commander of Trabia though... Muse Selphie must have slipped that in... *grins*