Legacies: Chapter 9
by: Gemini83
Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF8. But I do own this story.
Squall stood in his office, gazing out the window, at the stars above. He never thought he'd end up like this, as Commander of Balamb Garden, yet here he was.
Rinoa came up beside him, smiling, "gill for your thoughts."
Squall grinned back, "just thinking, nothing important. So, how does it feel to be a full fledged Seed?"
Rinoa laughed. Technically, she had been an honorary member of Seed ever since they defeated Ultimecia, but today it was official.
She cocked her head to the side, "actually, I don't feel all that different. I think it's because you've all made me feel so at home."
Squall nodded, "I heard your father's coming to the reception."
Rinoa sighed and nodded, "yeah."
Squall frowned, "you sound as if that isn't such a good thing."
"I never really got to know my father," answered Rinoa, "he was always away. We never really...connected."
Squall nodded.
"I don't know what to say, or even how to act," she continued.
Squall drew her into a hug, and whispered in her ear, "don't worry, anything you choose say to him will be enough. I'll be here if you need me."
Rinoa looked downwards, "thanks."
Irvine laughed, "hey lovebirds, we're missing the party!"
Rinoa turned and frowned, staring at him as he lounged in a sofa, "excuse me, COMMANDER Kinneas, but we do have important business to discuss."
Irvine raised his hands, "okay, okay, just didn't want you all to be late for your own party."
Selphie jabbed him in the ribs, "oh come on, leave them alone."
Xu shook her head, "you know, I can't get over how you two seem to match."
Selphie was wearing long yellow pants, with a matching strapless top. Irvine, of course, was decked out in his classic cowboy duster.
Selphie just laughed, sticking out her tongue at Xu.
Someone knocked on the door, and Squall pushed a button on his desk to let them in. Nida walked in, followed by Cid and Edea Kramer.
Squall and the others stood to attention, saluting. Nida returned the salute. Cid and Edea smiled.
"Please be seated," requested Cid.
"There is no need for formalities with us," agreed Edea.
Squall nodded, "Matron, Headmaster."
Nida saluted Xu.
She smiled back, "so, how are things over at Centra?"
He shrugged, "busy, and how are you?"
She laughed, "much the same. Squall would make a mess of the Garden without Quistis and I to look after things."
Nida shook his head, "I believe it."
"Hey," protested Squall, "I don't remember asking for this job."
Xu simply laughed.
Squall shook his head, "whatever..."
Someone else knock on the door. This time, it was...
"Seifer and Fujin," nodded Xu, "good to see you could make it."
Seifer grinned, "couldn't miss this, could we? Besides, we have matters to discuss."
Squall nodded.
Edea smiled glad to see the orphanage children together again.
"So, Squall, Seifer, Irvine" asked Cid, "how do you like being Garden Commanders?"
The three men groaned.
"It's a pain in the ass," replied Seifer, "now I know why you quit."
Cid laughed, "it can't be that bad. And Selphie, how do you like being Headmistress over at Trabia?"
She smiled back, looking sideways at Irvine, "oh...I can't complain."
Cid nodded, "you kids seem born to the job. You've done much better than I did."
"That is why we chose you," continued Edea.
"Just one question, "said Seifer, "where's the Commander of Centra Garden?"
Squall nodded. It was common knowledge that someone else was running things over at Centra. Under the new Commander, Centra Garden had made it its duty to increase intelligence and covert ops, among other things. Whatever one wanted to know, Centra Seed were likely to have the info. Rinoa had even set up contacts for them with the Forest Owls. Seed had allies high and low now.
Nida glanced uncertainly at Cid and Edea, who nodded slightly.
"Commander Nox was...unable to make it," he explained, "he sends his apologies. I'm here in his stead."
"And you are always welcome," Squall waved his hands, "it's not a problem. Do I know the Centra Commander?"
Edea answered, "I don't think he's actually ever met any of you, but he's very competent."
Seifer smirked, "he would have to be. So, Squall, what's the big deal? Why the pre-reception meeting?"
Squall nodded, "first things first. I believe you all read the reports concerning the fire cavern? Zell and Fujin investigated it about two days ago."
He looked around the room, and saw various nods from everyone.
"I was wondering," he continued, "if Fujin could enlighten us, on the new GF, or anything else for that matter."
They all turned to her.
Fujin pursed her lips, "well...actually, I don't know what to tell you."
Selphie raised her eyebrow, "what do you mean?"
Fujin shrugged, "I...the GF, Anuba, hasn't...spoken to me since the junction. It's almost like she isn't there. I mean, I can feel her, but only faintly, as if she's a ghost in the machine."
Squall nodded, "anything else?"
Fujin turned to Seifer, who nodded back.
She sighed, and removed her eye patch, "I had the doctors run a physical. They found nothing wrong with my voice or my eye, other than the color."
They stared at her now whole left eye. True, it was a different color than the blue eye on her right, but it was there.
She the eye patch back on.
Edea pursed her lips pensively, "there is nothing else you can tell us?"
Fujin shook her head, "nothing Matron."
Xu whispered to Quistis, "that reminds me, where is Zell anyway? He was supposed to be there as well."
Quistis smiled back, "he knows even less. And he didn't feel up to giving a report. Most likely, he's at the party."
Xu smiled and shook her head, that was so like Zell.
In the Quad...
Zell was lightly dancing to the beat of the music playing in the background. Others were on the dance floor, but he didn't feel up to it yet. Zell surveyed the brilliant colors, stained glass, and strobe lights everywhere, and nodded.
Raijin clapped him on the shoulder, "I gotta admit man, Seed do know how to throw a party."
Zell looked at him and grinned, "yeah, we do at that!"
He turned as he heard his name shouted.
Leona came up to greet them, "hey Zell, can you believe it? I'm an actual Seed now!"
He smiled back, "was there ever any doubt?"
Raijin cleared his throat.
Zell turned, "oh, yeah. Raijin, this is Leona. Leona? This is Raijin of Galbadia Garden."
They shook hands.
Leona turned to Zell, "where's the Commander?"
"Oh Squall? He's in a meeting with Seifer and the others," he answered.
She nodded, "well...shouldn't you be with them?"
"At a meeting? Not my style. Besides, they'd probably ask me to give a report on the test evaluations and stuff. I've had enough of that for one day."
Raijin nodded, "I here you man. Paperwork is a damn nuisance."
Leona laughed, "oh, Zell, I think I see some of my other friends. I'll talk you in a little bit?"
Zell nodded, "sure, tonight's your night, after all. I'll catch you later."
She waved as she left.
Raijin and Zell waved after her.
"So," asked Raijin, "you made your move yet?"
Zell glanced at him sideways, "is it that obvious?"
He shrugged, "no, but I can tell. If I were you, I'd let her know. Otherwise..."
Zell raised an eyebrow, "hey man, back off. I'm waitin' for the right time."
Raijin raised his hands, "easy man, just joking. How about we raid the hotdog lines and enjoy the party?"
Zell grinned, "you know Rage, I think I'm beginning to like you..."
Back in Squall's office...
"So, anything else?" asked Seifer.
"Actually, yes," replied Squall.
He glanced at Quistis, who nodded back.
She stood up and went to a monitor positioned in the wall. Pulling back a strand of hair, she began her report.
"As you may have heard," she started, "we experienced some...problems during my segment of the field exam."
Seifer sniffed, "four T-Rexaurs and shit loads of dragons will ruin a person's day."
Quistis grinned, nodding, "just so. But it gets stranger..."
She pushed a button on the remote, and the screen began playing a sequence of the training test.
"As you know," explained Quistis, "each area had limited surveillance videos for safety and review purposes. We also caught footage a the man who alleviated the situation, and moreover, wasn't a cadet."
The monitor began to display Quistis chasing after the four T-Rexaurs. It continued to play, until the dark stranger finally appeared.
Squall shifted in his seat. There had been plenty of talk among the cadets, but this was the first he'd actually seen of the incident.
Seifer whistled as the stranger ducked the attack of a Blue Dragon, slicing at the beast's underbelly.
"Fast reflexes," said Irvine.
Squall nodded, noticing how professional the movements seemed to be. They were almost...familiar.
He stared in awe as the video displayed the man riding the Hexadragons, leaping in midair to latch onto another as the attack continued.
Seifer raised his eyebrows, "holy shit. This guy's out of his mind."
The tape continued, until the man was surrounded by a circle of beasts, after which Quistis and the others came to his aid. Then the playback cycled over again.
Quistis turned away from the screen, "video enhancements weren't able to help identify him. We don't know who he is, or why the monsters acted so...strangely."
Rinoa nodded, "T-Rexaurs don't hunt in packs."
"I agree," voiced Selphie, "and I've never seen dragons...flock together like that. It's creepy."
"I did manage to learn his name...Greymalkin," Quistis replied, "but that turned up no results."
She stilled the frame, "I also searched this tattoo..."
The others looked intently, but the strange curved symbol meant nothing to them. Nida furrowed his eyebrows.
"I was wondering if Centra Garden had anything to say," asked Quistis, "moreover, several of the student were...apprehensive after the battle. It later turned out they were all from Centra branch. They knew something."
They turned to Nida.
He glanced at Cid and Edea again, and they nodded back.
"I did hear some of the cadets talking," he started, "our...info nets have found instances of someone, termed the 'Nightstalker.'"
"'Nightstalker?'" asked Seifer, "sounds like a cheesy horror flick."
Nida had to smile, but lost the grin as he began to explain, "this is the first real footage we've seen of him, but he matches the descriptions we get. Mainly, it's the gunblade that gives it away. It's rather unique..."
He froze the picture, and they all looked. Nida wasn't lying, the gunblade was special. The blade gleamed a bright silver, almost white. The handled was black, studded with silver as well. And the handle itself looked strange, like a dragon swallowing the blade.
Nida pressed a button again, allowing the video to replay.
"The blade seems familiar to some of the accounts we get," he explained, "his name, 'Greymalkin,' is news to me. However, there's something else about this man..."
"What's that?" asked Squall.
"He's been, hunting gang runners and the like, mostly at night," explained Nida, "hence the name. His motives are unclear, he's a wild card, and dangerous. Moreover..."
Nida sighed, "...he has ties to the Illuminati."
Everyone fell silent.
The Illuminati were a secret underground organization. No one knew of their intentions, or even how many were in their ranks. But apparently, for months now, whispers of a dark clan had been surfacing, with strange rituals no one understood. Most of the rumors were too disturbing to discuss openly.
"So," said Irvine, "they actually exist."
Nida shrugged, "apparently, but they can't be very powerful. From what we gather, they are relatively new, a cult really, dedicated to some strange...I don't even know. But our spy nets are trying to find out more, before it gets out of hand."
Squall leaned back in his chair, "so what we have here is a vigilante...fighting against some upstart fanatical group...great..."
"There's something else," said Irvine.
Nida turned to him, "what?"
Irvine looked at Quistis, "could I have the remote please?"
She nodded, throwing the remote across the room.
Irvine easily snatched it out of midair, and forwarded the video on the wall to a particular clip.
"Take a look here," he explained, "where the dragons circle around him, and he assumes a defensive position."
Squall nodded, "something about his style is familiar, thought I can't quite figure it out."
Irvine shook his head, "it should be familiar, that's Seed training."
Again, silence filled the room.
Seifer broke it, "how can you tell Kinneas?"
Irvine brushed back his hair, and gestured to the video, "I am a sharpshooter, so I know the tricks of the trade. Different people have different movements, which means a difference between a target and a potential look-alike decoy. It's all in the choreography of movements."
Irvine gestured to the video again, "not completely, but this guy's movements are modified Seed attack patterns. However..."
He went back to the clip where the stranger flew atop the dragons.
"...He's been able to make up stuff on his own," continued Irvine, "no sane person has ever tried to tackle dragons and T-Rexaurs this way. So, he's imaginative, dangerous, as Nida said, a real 'wild card.'"
The people around the room returned pensive stares.
Squall was jarred from his thoughts as the intercom on his desk rang.
"What is it?" asked Squall, pushing the receiver.
"You wanted to know when President Loire got here," said the voice, "well...he's here. The Galbadian delegation said they will arrive soon as well."
Squall nodded, "thanks, I'll be down in a minute."
He addressed the others, "this'll have to wait for another time. For right now, we have a Seed ball to attend. We also have honored guests from Esthar and Galbadia, so we have to be the neutral ambassadors."
Quistis laughed, "good speech."
Squall groaned, "don't even start. Politics is not my game."
They filed out of the room, heading though the hallways.
Rinoa smiled, "don't worry, you'll do fine."
"Thanks," grunted Squall, "how about you? Will you be fine with your father here? I heard he's coming."
Rinoa thought for a moment, "if it gets...troublesome..."
"I'll be there," he finished, "okay?"
She smiled back, "thanks..."
Xu walked up beside Nida, grabbing his arm. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.
"So, what weren't you telling us?"
Nida blinked, "what do you mean?"
"Come on," said Xu, "I know you, and your fingers were twitching. They always twitch when you get nervous. There was something else...about that...Greymalkin character...wasn't there?"
Nida shook his head, "nothing, really."
She raised an eyebrow, "you sure?"
"I just....ask me again sometime, okay?" pleaded Nida.
Xu sighed, "fine, but you have to pay me back."
He smiled, "oh really? And how is that?"
She grinned fiendishly, "another dance."
The leaders of Seed made their way into the elevator. Now it was time for the big event...the Seed ball...
Author's Note: Okay, if this cloak and dagger stuff isn't working for you, I apologize. However, there's going to be a real fight next chapter, and hopefully more action after that. Keep reading, and thanks!
by: Gemini83
Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF8. But I do own this story.
Squall stood in his office, gazing out the window, at the stars above. He never thought he'd end up like this, as Commander of Balamb Garden, yet here he was.
Rinoa came up beside him, smiling, "gill for your thoughts."
Squall grinned back, "just thinking, nothing important. So, how does it feel to be a full fledged Seed?"
Rinoa laughed. Technically, she had been an honorary member of Seed ever since they defeated Ultimecia, but today it was official.
She cocked her head to the side, "actually, I don't feel all that different. I think it's because you've all made me feel so at home."
Squall nodded, "I heard your father's coming to the reception."
Rinoa sighed and nodded, "yeah."
Squall frowned, "you sound as if that isn't such a good thing."
"I never really got to know my father," answered Rinoa, "he was always away. We never really...connected."
Squall nodded.
"I don't know what to say, or even how to act," she continued.
Squall drew her into a hug, and whispered in her ear, "don't worry, anything you choose say to him will be enough. I'll be here if you need me."
Rinoa looked downwards, "thanks."
Irvine laughed, "hey lovebirds, we're missing the party!"
Rinoa turned and frowned, staring at him as he lounged in a sofa, "excuse me, COMMANDER Kinneas, but we do have important business to discuss."
Irvine raised his hands, "okay, okay, just didn't want you all to be late for your own party."
Selphie jabbed him in the ribs, "oh come on, leave them alone."
Xu shook her head, "you know, I can't get over how you two seem to match."
Selphie was wearing long yellow pants, with a matching strapless top. Irvine, of course, was decked out in his classic cowboy duster.
Selphie just laughed, sticking out her tongue at Xu.
Someone knocked on the door, and Squall pushed a button on his desk to let them in. Nida walked in, followed by Cid and Edea Kramer.
Squall and the others stood to attention, saluting. Nida returned the salute. Cid and Edea smiled.
"Please be seated," requested Cid.
"There is no need for formalities with us," agreed Edea.
Squall nodded, "Matron, Headmaster."
Nida saluted Xu.
She smiled back, "so, how are things over at Centra?"
He shrugged, "busy, and how are you?"
She laughed, "much the same. Squall would make a mess of the Garden without Quistis and I to look after things."
Nida shook his head, "I believe it."
"Hey," protested Squall, "I don't remember asking for this job."
Xu simply laughed.
Squall shook his head, "whatever..."
Someone else knock on the door. This time, it was...
"Seifer and Fujin," nodded Xu, "good to see you could make it."
Seifer grinned, "couldn't miss this, could we? Besides, we have matters to discuss."
Squall nodded.
Edea smiled glad to see the orphanage children together again.
"So, Squall, Seifer, Irvine" asked Cid, "how do you like being Garden Commanders?"
The three men groaned.
"It's a pain in the ass," replied Seifer, "now I know why you quit."
Cid laughed, "it can't be that bad. And Selphie, how do you like being Headmistress over at Trabia?"
She smiled back, looking sideways at Irvine, "oh...I can't complain."
Cid nodded, "you kids seem born to the job. You've done much better than I did."
"That is why we chose you," continued Edea.
"Just one question, "said Seifer, "where's the Commander of Centra Garden?"
Squall nodded. It was common knowledge that someone else was running things over at Centra. Under the new Commander, Centra Garden had made it its duty to increase intelligence and covert ops, among other things. Whatever one wanted to know, Centra Seed were likely to have the info. Rinoa had even set up contacts for them with the Forest Owls. Seed had allies high and low now.
Nida glanced uncertainly at Cid and Edea, who nodded slightly.
"Commander Nox was...unable to make it," he explained, "he sends his apologies. I'm here in his stead."
"And you are always welcome," Squall waved his hands, "it's not a problem. Do I know the Centra Commander?"
Edea answered, "I don't think he's actually ever met any of you, but he's very competent."
Seifer smirked, "he would have to be. So, Squall, what's the big deal? Why the pre-reception meeting?"
Squall nodded, "first things first. I believe you all read the reports concerning the fire cavern? Zell and Fujin investigated it about two days ago."
He looked around the room, and saw various nods from everyone.
"I was wondering," he continued, "if Fujin could enlighten us, on the new GF, or anything else for that matter."
They all turned to her.
Fujin pursed her lips, "well...actually, I don't know what to tell you."
Selphie raised her eyebrow, "what do you mean?"
Fujin shrugged, "I...the GF, Anuba, hasn't...spoken to me since the junction. It's almost like she isn't there. I mean, I can feel her, but only faintly, as if she's a ghost in the machine."
Squall nodded, "anything else?"
Fujin turned to Seifer, who nodded back.
She sighed, and removed her eye patch, "I had the doctors run a physical. They found nothing wrong with my voice or my eye, other than the color."
They stared at her now whole left eye. True, it was a different color than the blue eye on her right, but it was there.
She the eye patch back on.
Edea pursed her lips pensively, "there is nothing else you can tell us?"
Fujin shook her head, "nothing Matron."
Xu whispered to Quistis, "that reminds me, where is Zell anyway? He was supposed to be there as well."
Quistis smiled back, "he knows even less. And he didn't feel up to giving a report. Most likely, he's at the party."
Xu smiled and shook her head, that was so like Zell.
In the Quad...
Zell was lightly dancing to the beat of the music playing in the background. Others were on the dance floor, but he didn't feel up to it yet. Zell surveyed the brilliant colors, stained glass, and strobe lights everywhere, and nodded.
Raijin clapped him on the shoulder, "I gotta admit man, Seed do know how to throw a party."
Zell looked at him and grinned, "yeah, we do at that!"
He turned as he heard his name shouted.
Leona came up to greet them, "hey Zell, can you believe it? I'm an actual Seed now!"
He smiled back, "was there ever any doubt?"
Raijin cleared his throat.
Zell turned, "oh, yeah. Raijin, this is Leona. Leona? This is Raijin of Galbadia Garden."
They shook hands.
Leona turned to Zell, "where's the Commander?"
"Oh Squall? He's in a meeting with Seifer and the others," he answered.
She nodded, "well...shouldn't you be with them?"
"At a meeting? Not my style. Besides, they'd probably ask me to give a report on the test evaluations and stuff. I've had enough of that for one day."
Raijin nodded, "I here you man. Paperwork is a damn nuisance."
Leona laughed, "oh, Zell, I think I see some of my other friends. I'll talk you in a little bit?"
Zell nodded, "sure, tonight's your night, after all. I'll catch you later."
She waved as she left.
Raijin and Zell waved after her.
"So," asked Raijin, "you made your move yet?"
Zell glanced at him sideways, "is it that obvious?"
He shrugged, "no, but I can tell. If I were you, I'd let her know. Otherwise..."
Zell raised an eyebrow, "hey man, back off. I'm waitin' for the right time."
Raijin raised his hands, "easy man, just joking. How about we raid the hotdog lines and enjoy the party?"
Zell grinned, "you know Rage, I think I'm beginning to like you..."
Back in Squall's office...
"So, anything else?" asked Seifer.
"Actually, yes," replied Squall.
He glanced at Quistis, who nodded back.
She stood up and went to a monitor positioned in the wall. Pulling back a strand of hair, she began her report.
"As you may have heard," she started, "we experienced some...problems during my segment of the field exam."
Seifer sniffed, "four T-Rexaurs and shit loads of dragons will ruin a person's day."
Quistis grinned, nodding, "just so. But it gets stranger..."
She pushed a button on the remote, and the screen began playing a sequence of the training test.
"As you know," explained Quistis, "each area had limited surveillance videos for safety and review purposes. We also caught footage a the man who alleviated the situation, and moreover, wasn't a cadet."
The monitor began to display Quistis chasing after the four T-Rexaurs. It continued to play, until the dark stranger finally appeared.
Squall shifted in his seat. There had been plenty of talk among the cadets, but this was the first he'd actually seen of the incident.
Seifer whistled as the stranger ducked the attack of a Blue Dragon, slicing at the beast's underbelly.
"Fast reflexes," said Irvine.
Squall nodded, noticing how professional the movements seemed to be. They were almost...familiar.
He stared in awe as the video displayed the man riding the Hexadragons, leaping in midair to latch onto another as the attack continued.
Seifer raised his eyebrows, "holy shit. This guy's out of his mind."
The tape continued, until the man was surrounded by a circle of beasts, after which Quistis and the others came to his aid. Then the playback cycled over again.
Quistis turned away from the screen, "video enhancements weren't able to help identify him. We don't know who he is, or why the monsters acted so...strangely."
Rinoa nodded, "T-Rexaurs don't hunt in packs."
"I agree," voiced Selphie, "and I've never seen dragons...flock together like that. It's creepy."
"I did manage to learn his name...Greymalkin," Quistis replied, "but that turned up no results."
She stilled the frame, "I also searched this tattoo..."
The others looked intently, but the strange curved symbol meant nothing to them. Nida furrowed his eyebrows.
"I was wondering if Centra Garden had anything to say," asked Quistis, "moreover, several of the student were...apprehensive after the battle. It later turned out they were all from Centra branch. They knew something."
They turned to Nida.
He glanced at Cid and Edea again, and they nodded back.
"I did hear some of the cadets talking," he started, "our...info nets have found instances of someone, termed the 'Nightstalker.'"
"'Nightstalker?'" asked Seifer, "sounds like a cheesy horror flick."
Nida had to smile, but lost the grin as he began to explain, "this is the first real footage we've seen of him, but he matches the descriptions we get. Mainly, it's the gunblade that gives it away. It's rather unique..."
He froze the picture, and they all looked. Nida wasn't lying, the gunblade was special. The blade gleamed a bright silver, almost white. The handled was black, studded with silver as well. And the handle itself looked strange, like a dragon swallowing the blade.
Nida pressed a button again, allowing the video to replay.
"The blade seems familiar to some of the accounts we get," he explained, "his name, 'Greymalkin,' is news to me. However, there's something else about this man..."
"What's that?" asked Squall.
"He's been, hunting gang runners and the like, mostly at night," explained Nida, "hence the name. His motives are unclear, he's a wild card, and dangerous. Moreover..."
Nida sighed, "...he has ties to the Illuminati."
Everyone fell silent.
The Illuminati were a secret underground organization. No one knew of their intentions, or even how many were in their ranks. But apparently, for months now, whispers of a dark clan had been surfacing, with strange rituals no one understood. Most of the rumors were too disturbing to discuss openly.
"So," said Irvine, "they actually exist."
Nida shrugged, "apparently, but they can't be very powerful. From what we gather, they are relatively new, a cult really, dedicated to some strange...I don't even know. But our spy nets are trying to find out more, before it gets out of hand."
Squall leaned back in his chair, "so what we have here is a vigilante...fighting against some upstart fanatical group...great..."
"There's something else," said Irvine.
Nida turned to him, "what?"
Irvine looked at Quistis, "could I have the remote please?"
She nodded, throwing the remote across the room.
Irvine easily snatched it out of midair, and forwarded the video on the wall to a particular clip.
"Take a look here," he explained, "where the dragons circle around him, and he assumes a defensive position."
Squall nodded, "something about his style is familiar, thought I can't quite figure it out."
Irvine shook his head, "it should be familiar, that's Seed training."
Again, silence filled the room.
Seifer broke it, "how can you tell Kinneas?"
Irvine brushed back his hair, and gestured to the video, "I am a sharpshooter, so I know the tricks of the trade. Different people have different movements, which means a difference between a target and a potential look-alike decoy. It's all in the choreography of movements."
Irvine gestured to the video again, "not completely, but this guy's movements are modified Seed attack patterns. However..."
He went back to the clip where the stranger flew atop the dragons.
"...He's been able to make up stuff on his own," continued Irvine, "no sane person has ever tried to tackle dragons and T-Rexaurs this way. So, he's imaginative, dangerous, as Nida said, a real 'wild card.'"
The people around the room returned pensive stares.
Squall was jarred from his thoughts as the intercom on his desk rang.
"What is it?" asked Squall, pushing the receiver.
"You wanted to know when President Loire got here," said the voice, "well...he's here. The Galbadian delegation said they will arrive soon as well."
Squall nodded, "thanks, I'll be down in a minute."
He addressed the others, "this'll have to wait for another time. For right now, we have a Seed ball to attend. We also have honored guests from Esthar and Galbadia, so we have to be the neutral ambassadors."
Quistis laughed, "good speech."
Squall groaned, "don't even start. Politics is not my game."
They filed out of the room, heading though the hallways.
Rinoa smiled, "don't worry, you'll do fine."
"Thanks," grunted Squall, "how about you? Will you be fine with your father here? I heard he's coming."
Rinoa thought for a moment, "if it gets...troublesome..."
"I'll be there," he finished, "okay?"
She smiled back, "thanks..."
Xu walked up beside Nida, grabbing his arm. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.
"So, what weren't you telling us?"
Nida blinked, "what do you mean?"
"Come on," said Xu, "I know you, and your fingers were twitching. They always twitch when you get nervous. There was something else...about that...Greymalkin character...wasn't there?"
Nida shook his head, "nothing, really."
She raised an eyebrow, "you sure?"
"I just....ask me again sometime, okay?" pleaded Nida.
Xu sighed, "fine, but you have to pay me back."
He smiled, "oh really? And how is that?"
She grinned fiendishly, "another dance."
The leaders of Seed made their way into the elevator. Now it was time for the big event...the Seed ball...
Author's Note: Okay, if this cloak and dagger stuff isn't working for you, I apologize. However, there's going to be a real fight next chapter, and hopefully more action after that. Keep reading, and thanks!
