Jayson finally made it to the Cafeteria where he found Meia idly playing with her food as she stared off into space. 'Not hungry huh?' Jayson said softly breaking her reverie.
'Kinda got distracted.' Meia replied dropping her fork. 'So how did it go?' she asked softly as he sat down in the chair beside her.
'Well so far it's looking good for Seifer but there's nothing solid... hopefully that'll change tonight.' Jayson told her.
'Why what's happening?' Meia asked.
'I'm going to get the killer to show themselves.' Jayson said in a whisper.
Meia's mouth opened in a silent O.
'I'll explain later. First I need something.' He said softly.
'Do you have to go get it?' Meia asked sadly.
'No Squall will probably send it me.' He told her and noticed how she cheered up.
'So what do you want to do until then?' he asked her.
They were interrupted as Lin came running over, panting slightly.
'Are you okay?' Jayson asked her as she took a deep breath.
'Yeah.' Lin replied smiling and then handed him a small vial wrapped in foil.
'Squall told me to give you this.' She explained.
'That was fast.' Jayson replied.
'Yeah well I had some spare.' Lin replied her cheeks fading from red.
'It is his right?' Jayson said just to be sure.
Lin gave him a brief scowl. 'Of course.' She retorted.
Jayson gave her a disarming smile. 'Just checking.' He told her.
'Fine I have to get back to work.' Lin said and strolled off.
'Later!' Jayson called after her friendily.
'Who was that?' Meia asked glancing at the vial.
'Lin... she's going through the stuff I collected on the murders... why? Do I detect some jealousy there?' he teased.
'Just wondering.' Meia replied sticking her tongue out at him.
'Careful or I might grab that.' Jayson said grinning making her quickly pull it back in.
'So what is that anyway?' Meia asked.
'Seifer's blood.' Jayson said softly.
'And why do you need that?' Meia asked puzzled.
'To make a Seifer decoy.' Jayson replied grinning as Meia's brow creased in puzzlement and she mumbled to herself 'Huh?'
'You'll see.' Jayson said simply and slipped the vial into his pocket before taking Meia by the hand and helping her up.
Jayson led Meia back to his room where he shut the door behind them.
'So...?' Meia asked after a moments silence.
'Watch.' Jayson told her and closed his eyes.
A second later Orion, Jayson's permanently resident GF, appeared in his human form, a sort of fashionably attired Aladdin type figure with long feathery white hair, orange-yellow eyes with black pin-point pupils and a pair of feathery wings on his back which ruffled.
'What?' he said sleepily and then noticed Meia and smiled.
'How's Siren?' he asked grinning.
'Never mind that.' Jayson said quickly. 'I have a little job for you.' He added.
'About time. I was getting bored in there.' Orion said sarcastically.
'Good now drink this.' Jayson said handing Orion the vial.
Orion popped the top off the vial and sniffed it. 'Who's blood is this?' he asked.
'Seifer's.' Jayson replied simply.
'Why am I not surprised?' Orion retorted and drank the blood in a single gulp.
'I'm glad I wasn't able to taste that.' He said wryly, his wings shuddering and then fading as he changed form.
Meia gasped as Orion became Seifer before her eyes. 'How?' she asked in disbelief.
'Just a little trick of mine.' Orion said in Seifer's voice.
'So you can look like anyone you want?' Meia asked as she looked him up and down.
'Only if I've had their blood.' Orion replied.
'I guess it's time we let people see you.' Jayson said softly and opened the door walking out ahead as Orion followed.
They were aware of the shocked gazes and the hushed conversations as they made their way to Squall's office. Once there they filed in quickly shutting the door behind them making Squall look up from his desk once more and do a double take.
'Seifer?' he said paling slightly.
'In a way.' Orion replied.
Squall's brow creased in confusion.
'This is basically a doppelganger... kind of like the one who took the form of President Deling when you was on your mission.' Jayson explained.
'You got one of them zombie things in?' Squall asked in horror and disgust.
'No. This is my Gf Orion. One of his abilities is to take the form of anything he takes the blood of, kind of like how a Moomba remembers people.' Jayson told him.
Squall relaxed. 'I see... and people have seen him?' he asked.
Jayson nodded.
'Right. Well I've arranged for Selphie, Xu, Nida and Zell to guard the dorms tonight and I've a couple of good SeeDs keeping an eye on the real Seifer.' Squall told him.
'Good. Me and Meia will check up on them during the night.' Jayson told him and ignored the look Meia gave him.
'Anything else?' Squall asked.
'No that should be all, I hope.' Jayson said softly and turned to leave, Meia and Orion following.
'Time to see your fans.' He said softly to Orion as they left the office.
Jayson wasn't wrong as by the time they had reached the ground floor in the lift there was a crowd of SeeDs and cadets around it hissing and yelling.
'Get back! Leave him alone!' Jayson yelled to them as he pushed his way out the lift doors.
'Murderer!!' came the angry chant in reply.
'Seifer's innocent until proven otherwise.' Jayson yelled back.
'Whatever!' a nearby cadet jeered back throwing a stone at Orion.
Jayson caught it out the air clenching it in his fist.
'Look you lot I know you're angry and have a grudge against Seifer but if you don't clear off I'll be forced to make you go!' Jayson told them all.
The crowd fell silent at his threats but only because they were now annoyed at him, a couple of SeeDs breaking from the crowds and facing him.
'That we'd like to see.' One of them said sneering.
Jayson waved Meia and Orion behind him with his empty hand and with his clenched fist he opened it, dust from the crushed stone dropping from his hand.
'I suggest you curb your curiosity.' Jayson replied.
'Oh really?' the other SeeD retorted as the others watched the confrontation in silence.
Jayson stood glaring at them waiting for one of them to make the first move. Luckily one of them broke first trying to push him back.
Jayson grabbed his wrist and twisted it up in one sharp motion that made the SeeD's eyes water. The other SeeD then lunged forward, some sort of baton in hand. Jayson pushed the injured SeeD away, who fell over clutching their arm and took the blow on his forearm, the wood cracking against it. The SeeD grinned at the sound thinking he'd broken Jayson's arm but that grin slid away as his baton fell to pieces.
'I guess you don't realise who I am.' Jayson said in a somewhat friendly voice.
'For those of you who don't know, my name is Jayson Croft.' He said aloud. At this there was some murmurings in the crowd.
'Now that you know you might decide to go back to whatever it was you're doing. We all have better things to do... for one I'd like to get to the bottom of all these murders.' He added.
There was some mutterings of 'He's behind you.' From the crowd to which he replied. 'We don't know for sure yet... until then you should all go otherwise it'll be Commander Squall you'll be speaking to and not me.'
At this the crowd slowly dispersed mumbling quietly, the two SeeDs that attacked him having fled already at his name.
'Well that went well.' Jayson said softly to Meia and Orion and the three of them returned to his room.
'So can I go now?' Orion asked as he returned to his normal self behind the privacy of Jayson's bedroom door.
'Sure, your work here is done I guess.' Jayson said and Orion faded, returning to his place in Jayson's mind before his consciousness went off to the GF's realm.
'So what are we going to do for the rest of the day?' Meia asked coyly.
'I'm sure we can think of something.' Jayson replied grinning.
Night came and it was time for them to make their way out to check on the others guarding the girls from whoever was stalking them and accusing Seifer in their place.
Jayson and Meia walked down the corridor of the girls' dorms, checking up on the SeeDs guarding them tonight. So far Selphie, Xu and Nida's posts had been fine, all calm and quiet and they were heading to Zell's section when Jayson noticed him slumped against the wall, his head hanging to one side. They rushed over to him and found him unconscious, his breathing slow and shallow but still there.
'Dammit.' Jayson muttered to himself and looked up and down the corridor wildly for anything out of the ordinary.
Meia gripped his arm and his blood ran cold as there was a fading scream further down the hall. A darkly clad figure slipped out of a door and noticed them and set off at a run.
They chased after the figure down the fluorescently lit hall, Jayson pulling away from Meia and catching up with the darkly clothed figure as they went around the corner.
Jayson was too consumed by rage and guilt to think straight as he charged around the corner and was surprised by the figure as they stabbed him in the chest with a short knife.
'Arrgh!' Jayson gasped in shock, blood filling his mouth. He tried grabbing the figure but was pushed away, the knife handle protruding from his chest as the figure continued running off.
Jayson slumped down the corner falling onto his back as Meia finally caught up.
'Jayson!' she screamed as she noticed the knife embedded in his chest and the blank look in his eyes.
'Nooo!' she yelled falling to her knees by his side.