"This is good." Arin said around a mouthful of rice. "Greasy takeout, just
what the healer ordered."
"That's what we were thinking," Eiada said from her perch on the bed, watching the TV as Roen flipped through channel after channel to find more information about the Sorceress. It seemed every network was running coverage of that morning's parade.
"When did you say this speech thing was going to happen?" Iyan asked, splitting a pair of chopsticks apart.
"Sixteen hundred," Roen replied distantly.
Eiada glanced at the clock. Three forty-five. "Maybe you need to settle on one channel for awhile, then."
"I know." Clicking to a news station, he thumbed up the volume. "I'm just bored."
Eiada settled against the pillows next to Iyan as the newscaster's voice filled the room. "How's the leg?"
"Loads better. He-" Iyan jerked a thumb at the back of Arin's head- all they could see of the young Healer who had cramped himself between the bed and the bureau to be nearer the TV. "-can do wonders with a Cure spell and some painkillers."
"Crutch, brace, and one final spell and he'll be able to walk tomorrow," Arin mumbled tiredly.
Iyan glanced at Eiada. "I think he wore himself out today," he whispered.
Eiada nodded back, reached for a takeout box.
"Here we go," Roen announced a few minutes later- not that they hadn't all been watching the television anyway. (He really is itchy,) Eiada thought, concerned, then turned her attention to the screen.
The President was on, standing behind a podium, looking dour and official, bloated with his self-importance in the manner of every usurper. He said a few clichéd phrases about Galbadia's future, added something about a brighter tomorrow, and was proud to introduce-
"Holy crap!" Iyan shot straight up from the bed as the camera angle shifted dramatically- almost as if someone had knocked it off it's stand to the floor. "Is that Seifer?"
A blond man in a white coat had charged into the studio, it seemed. He did look familiar. "Seifer Almasy? As in, the DC guy?" Eiada asked, eyes riveted to the screen. It did look like him. "Why's he there?"
"Holy CRAP!" Iyan repeated with slightly different inflection. "Is that Instructor Trepe?"
"Yes, quiet!" Roen exclaimed.
They listened avidly for a moment. Instructor Trepe verbally shoved the studio employees away- apparently Almasy was holding President Deling hostage (Which earned another "Holy crap," from Iyan). The petite blonde Instructor turned to the camera, calling out to someone.
"A SeeD team in Timber?" Eiada murmured, surprised. "What the hell's going on?"
After a moment's persuasion, Almasy's boot tramped past the camera, followed by Instructor Trepe's. The President was nowhere to be seen. There was a moment of confused white noise, then the camera cut out and was replaced by a newscaster's nondescript face.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you just witnessed an attack on President Deling by assailants whose identities are currently unknown. Sources from the capital have yet to release a statement at this time, and we have no knowledge of the President's welfare. We're currently checking our sources and we'll have more news for you after this commercial."
Roen muted the television, and a shocked silence descended on the room, heavy and dark as a shroud.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Two hours later, according to the newsfaces, one of the attackers had been caught and executed. The revelation of that little tidbit had caused another grim silence.
"Who d'you think it was?" Iyan finally said into the night.
"I hope it wasn't Instructor Trepe," Arin whimpered.
"I'm more worried about what whoever it was told them." Roen murmured almost to himself. "What if they know they were from Garden?"
"Thank you, mister sensitive," Iyan murmured.
Roen spun to face him. "Look, I'm just trying to be practical, okay?"
"Do you even care that someone we know could be dead?"
"Yeah, I do, but I can't do anything about it. At this point, all I can do is work out my way to survive. That's what being a mercenary is, Iyan. That's what being a SeeD is." He fell silently so quickly the 'Remember?' everyone was waiting for floated in the air before falling to the ground.
Iyan frowned, understanding but obviously not in a big hurry to accept.
"Roen," Eiada said quietly from where she sat on the bed. "what are we going to do now?"
Faces turned to her, and she felt a pang of annoyance at being forgotten. Swinging her legs off the bed, she went to stand by the window. Outside, the night shrouded street and buildings deep purple, no longer the dark blue-black of the rainstorm. "I mean, just to be safe, let's assume they know we're from Garden. By my way of thinking, now we're out of our last excuse. If we'd been caught, we could have told them we were SeeDs on a mission and had lost our contract. They would have called Balamb G to check, right? But now they'll probably arrest us for conspiracy to commit a crime or something just because we're from Garden. So, what do we do? It's going to be a hell of a lot harder to get around the country now than it ever might have been before."
"And the hits just keep on coming." Iyan muttered. "If we need to hide, our options are kind of short. Where are we going to find a place in Galbadia not loyal enough to turn us in?"
He raised a point. The four teenagers glanced at each other.
"It's not that we need a place to hide," Arin offered timidly. "We need a place to resupply and get word back to Garden if we can. Somewhere where people'll be willing to help Garden folk, to, you know, take care of us."
"Galbadia Garden," Iyan breathed.
Eiada glanced up from the window. "That sounds nice, but let's not forget that Galbadia Garden is located smack dab in the middle of, surprise, surprise, Galbadia."
"I don't know," Roen said. "Gardens are privately funded, they aren't related to the government of a country at all. Look at Trabia- there isn't a government up there, just villages with their own rules. In this case, Garden loyalty might win out over patriotism."
"Even with the new threat of the Sorceress?" Eiada asked doubtfully. "I don't know, I don't think we can trust people we've never met, and who've never met us, to keep us safe. It makes us too vulnerable."
"I've met them." Roen said simply. "I transferred from Galbadia G, remember?"
They stared at each other for a minute. Roen seemed confused, almost surprised she was challenging him. Eiada saw his point, but she still thought there was a better way, a safer way, to get home than throwing her life into the hands of strangers and hoping they didn't drop it.
"Do you have a better idea?" he asked. "Does anyone?"
Silence reigned supreme.
"Galbadia G it is, then," Arin sighed.
"That's what we were thinking," Eiada said from her perch on the bed, watching the TV as Roen flipped through channel after channel to find more information about the Sorceress. It seemed every network was running coverage of that morning's parade.
"When did you say this speech thing was going to happen?" Iyan asked, splitting a pair of chopsticks apart.
"Sixteen hundred," Roen replied distantly.
Eiada glanced at the clock. Three forty-five. "Maybe you need to settle on one channel for awhile, then."
"I know." Clicking to a news station, he thumbed up the volume. "I'm just bored."
Eiada settled against the pillows next to Iyan as the newscaster's voice filled the room. "How's the leg?"
"Loads better. He-" Iyan jerked a thumb at the back of Arin's head- all they could see of the young Healer who had cramped himself between the bed and the bureau to be nearer the TV. "-can do wonders with a Cure spell and some painkillers."
"Crutch, brace, and one final spell and he'll be able to walk tomorrow," Arin mumbled tiredly.
Iyan glanced at Eiada. "I think he wore himself out today," he whispered.
Eiada nodded back, reached for a takeout box.
"Here we go," Roen announced a few minutes later- not that they hadn't all been watching the television anyway. (He really is itchy,) Eiada thought, concerned, then turned her attention to the screen.
The President was on, standing behind a podium, looking dour and official, bloated with his self-importance in the manner of every usurper. He said a few clichéd phrases about Galbadia's future, added something about a brighter tomorrow, and was proud to introduce-
"Holy crap!" Iyan shot straight up from the bed as the camera angle shifted dramatically- almost as if someone had knocked it off it's stand to the floor. "Is that Seifer?"
A blond man in a white coat had charged into the studio, it seemed. He did look familiar. "Seifer Almasy? As in, the DC guy?" Eiada asked, eyes riveted to the screen. It did look like him. "Why's he there?"
"Holy CRAP!" Iyan repeated with slightly different inflection. "Is that Instructor Trepe?"
"Yes, quiet!" Roen exclaimed.
They listened avidly for a moment. Instructor Trepe verbally shoved the studio employees away- apparently Almasy was holding President Deling hostage (Which earned another "Holy crap," from Iyan). The petite blonde Instructor turned to the camera, calling out to someone.
"A SeeD team in Timber?" Eiada murmured, surprised. "What the hell's going on?"
After a moment's persuasion, Almasy's boot tramped past the camera, followed by Instructor Trepe's. The President was nowhere to be seen. There was a moment of confused white noise, then the camera cut out and was replaced by a newscaster's nondescript face.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you just witnessed an attack on President Deling by assailants whose identities are currently unknown. Sources from the capital have yet to release a statement at this time, and we have no knowledge of the President's welfare. We're currently checking our sources and we'll have more news for you after this commercial."
Roen muted the television, and a shocked silence descended on the room, heavy and dark as a shroud.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Two hours later, according to the newsfaces, one of the attackers had been caught and executed. The revelation of that little tidbit had caused another grim silence.
"Who d'you think it was?" Iyan finally said into the night.
"I hope it wasn't Instructor Trepe," Arin whimpered.
"I'm more worried about what whoever it was told them." Roen murmured almost to himself. "What if they know they were from Garden?"
"Thank you, mister sensitive," Iyan murmured.
Roen spun to face him. "Look, I'm just trying to be practical, okay?"
"Do you even care that someone we know could be dead?"
"Yeah, I do, but I can't do anything about it. At this point, all I can do is work out my way to survive. That's what being a mercenary is, Iyan. That's what being a SeeD is." He fell silently so quickly the 'Remember?' everyone was waiting for floated in the air before falling to the ground.
Iyan frowned, understanding but obviously not in a big hurry to accept.
"Roen," Eiada said quietly from where she sat on the bed. "what are we going to do now?"
Faces turned to her, and she felt a pang of annoyance at being forgotten. Swinging her legs off the bed, she went to stand by the window. Outside, the night shrouded street and buildings deep purple, no longer the dark blue-black of the rainstorm. "I mean, just to be safe, let's assume they know we're from Garden. By my way of thinking, now we're out of our last excuse. If we'd been caught, we could have told them we were SeeDs on a mission and had lost our contract. They would have called Balamb G to check, right? But now they'll probably arrest us for conspiracy to commit a crime or something just because we're from Garden. So, what do we do? It's going to be a hell of a lot harder to get around the country now than it ever might have been before."
"And the hits just keep on coming." Iyan muttered. "If we need to hide, our options are kind of short. Where are we going to find a place in Galbadia not loyal enough to turn us in?"
He raised a point. The four teenagers glanced at each other.
"It's not that we need a place to hide," Arin offered timidly. "We need a place to resupply and get word back to Garden if we can. Somewhere where people'll be willing to help Garden folk, to, you know, take care of us."
"Galbadia Garden," Iyan breathed.
Eiada glanced up from the window. "That sounds nice, but let's not forget that Galbadia Garden is located smack dab in the middle of, surprise, surprise, Galbadia."
"I don't know," Roen said. "Gardens are privately funded, they aren't related to the government of a country at all. Look at Trabia- there isn't a government up there, just villages with their own rules. In this case, Garden loyalty might win out over patriotism."
"Even with the new threat of the Sorceress?" Eiada asked doubtfully. "I don't know, I don't think we can trust people we've never met, and who've never met us, to keep us safe. It makes us too vulnerable."
"I've met them." Roen said simply. "I transferred from Galbadia G, remember?"
They stared at each other for a minute. Roen seemed confused, almost surprised she was challenging him. Eiada saw his point, but she still thought there was a better way, a safer way, to get home than throwing her life into the hands of strangers and hoping they didn't drop it.
"Do you have a better idea?" he asked. "Does anyone?"
Silence reigned supreme.
"Galbadia G it is, then," Arin sighed.