Eoko: Okay! So now that FF dot net is a moron, you know, more so, I went back and changed all my breaks from wavy line star star wavy line to three consecutive lines that will actually break up the sections. Also the emotes are no longer in stars but also the little lines.
I don't have much to say. Lightning is top dog, and then a new one, and you know, there's that thing called university. But done of you care about that, right? Neither do I considering I didn't read my test, or do more than 20 mins of study before the test and I still got 20/20…. -snorts- Enjoy, I've been waiting for a particular scene in this one to occur, and now it has.
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-"Hello, Commander Leonhart,"- Kiros' voice emanated from the speakers, his image displayed on the comscreen on Squall's desk.
"Good afternoon, Secretary Seagill. To what do I owe this urgent communication?"
-"It seems, Mr. Leonhart, that time compression has done more than spawn several new species of monster. It may have also played teleporter to an unknown number of people."-
Squall raised an eyebrow slowly. He'd been worried enough about the monsters, and getting back from time compression himself. He'd also worried about his friends. And now there were "aliens" running around because of the anomaly. "People, Mr. Seagill?"
Kiros nodded his head, then turned to the side and motioned to someone Squall could not see. Moments later a bronze haired woman with ruby red eyes came to stand next to the secretary of Esthar.
-"Commander Leonhart I presume? President Loire has told us much of you. My name is Paine Givin (1). As far as we know my two friends and I are the only three accounted for, but there could be more."-
Squall looked over as much of the mysterious woman as he could, given that the screen cut off right above her naval. She certainly didn't look otherworldly. It would be difficult locating any others since they looked exactly like the people of Gaia. Maybe their clothing was obviously different, but people could easily mistake them for teenagers wanting to fit in.
"Miss Givin, a pleasure to meet you."
-"Mr. Leonhart,"- Kiros interrupted. –"We thought it might be best for Paine and her two comrades to stay in Balamb Garden while Esthar's scientists continue research on the time compression phenomenon. Besides, we don't need Odine getting his hands on them."-
"In the matter of Odine, I completely agree. Mr. Seagill, Miss Givin, I hope you both understand that if I allow you to stay within the walls of Balamb Garden I will have to take certain security measures. And I will have to discuss this with Headmaster Cid, obviously."
-"Yes, Mr. Leonhart, of course I understand that you must ensure the safety of the Garden. Kiros has taught me a good deal considering the short time we've been in the palace. I have a decent understanding of the Balamb Garden facility and its duties. We will gladly comply with your wishes."-
-"She's quite the little diplomat, isn't she, Mr. Leonhart? I would vouch for them, of course, but I know my word would not stop you from taking your precautions,"- Kiros said with a chuckle.
"I'll write up the request and have a formal discussion with Headmaster Cid concerning the transfer this afternoon and be back to you no later than tomorrow. If all goes well, we will be seeing you and your comrades that evening, Miss Givin. Until then."
-"I look forward to meeting you, Mr. Leonhart, and the rest of the illustrious heroes."-
-"Uh, Squall,"- Kiros put in, informally, -"Laguna would also like to arrange a short visit if that is alright?"-
"I look forward to meeting with you, as well. And Kiros, of course. I would really like to see him now that there doesn't seem to be anything world-threatening going on." Squall gave a soft half-smile before nodding and ending the transmission.
He leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. "She's like Fuujin… but with full sentences… Creepy."
Squall considered his work for a moment before deciding to write up the request and schedule a meeting with Headmaster Cid. If there were more of these people spread across Gaia it would do them well to have the aid of Paine and her friends in identifying them.
The request was quickly finished, short and to the point, and printed. The secretary then stamped it as important and took it into Cid's office with the other papers that had accumulated so far this morning.
A few hours later, and after lunch, he heard an announcement over the public-address system requesting his presence in Cid's office. He was a little surprised that a decision had already be made concerning the request he'd made- assuming that was what the page was about.
He continued to the elevator and up to the Headmaster's office. He took his stance in front of Cid's desk and nodded as the older man acknowledged him. "Headmaster Cid."
"Squall, am I to understand this correctly? Time Compression has brought several persons from another planet to our own and three of them are to be transferred from Esthar to here?"
"That is correct, Headmaster. Have you come to a decision concerning the matter?"
"I have, for the most part. But before I say what that decision is, I would like you to elaborate on what exactly you mean by 'precautionary measures', if you would."
"Of course, Headmaster," Squall said with another nod and relaxed his posture at the hand signal he was given. "Considering we do not have any solid evidence on who these people are, I would have them separated from their group into individual rooms. I'd also like them to be supervised."
"You know how you are going to execute this plan? Cid asked, raising a brow. "I would not like to house potential threats in with the students."
"Yes, I have an idea, and I understand your concern. I was considering housing them with us; being Selphie, Zell, Quistis, myself, etcetera. Even Fuujin and Raijin should they consent. They are quite capable and I have a feeling one of our soon-to-be guests would get along with Fuujin very well."
Cid made a sound in the back of his throat. "I would hate to inconvenience your specific group, but should you gain the support of everyone, then I will allow you to take over this project. But, I would rather if we did not give Seifer a "room mate" so to speak. I do not think it would go over well."
"Nor do I, Headmaster, nor do I. I will keep that in mind. If that is all, I will take my leave and see if I can ask everyone for their participation as soon as possible."
"Yes, I think that will be a-"
"Headmaster Cid," the silky male voice of the secretary said over the speaker. "Sorceress Rinoa is here with three young men to see you. She says that it is very important."
"The Forest Owls?" Cid wondered to Squall before holding down a button and speaking in the general direction of the mic.
"In that case, send them in, Leru."
Moments later Rinoa strode into the office, and behind her three men wearing very strange clothing indeed. She trotted over to Squall as soon as she spotted him and gave him a hug before remembering to be professional.
She brushed herself off and saluted Cid as best as she could remember. The Headmaster chuckled at her attempt and smiled warmly. "Welcome, Rinoa. How can I help you?"
Squall was busy staring at the three men behind her as she discussed the situation with Cid. Those clothes… they weren't anything even the most eccentric of Gaia fashion designers would come up with. An image of Paine Givin's attire flashed in his mind, and just as Rinoa was about to make the big reveal, he interrupted.
"You're from the same place as Paine, aren't you?" Unfortunately, the origin of these people had not come up in his talk with Kiros and Paine, so he had to settle with 'the same place', which really did not sound professional.
The man in the red, zip up body suit turned to look at him. "Paine is here too?"
"Is she? Is she okay?" the blond who's hair was strangely reminiscent of Zell Dincht's asked.
"Calm down, Gippal. If Paine is here, she is fine, of course," the pretty white haired man said, hand coming up to rest on the blond's shoulder.
"She is on the planet. She is not in this complex," Squall clarified. "But we are making arrangements to have her and her two comrades brought over."
"Yuna and Rikku must be with her," the tallest of the three commented, mostly to himself.
"Then they really should be fine. No need to worry."
Cid cleared his throat and all attention was turned back to him. "From what Rinoa tells me, these three- Nooj, Baralai and Gippal- are indeed from the same place as the Paine woman you spoke with earlier. Squall, I suppose you'd like to house them in the same manner?"
Nooj cocked a brow in question, as did Baralai. Gippal, however, was not so quiet. "And how'd that be?" he asked, looking to the brunet.
"I was just about to ask my comrades if they would agree to the idea I had. I wanted you each to move in with one of my friends, for our safety as well as allowing you to gain a better knowledge of this world while you are here."
Squall eyed the blond man warily. "And I know exactly who you're staying with…."
The white haired man, Baralai, gave a soft chuckle. "You should be careful, Squall," he said smiling warmly, but professional. "Gippal can be quite the handful."
"I did want personalities to match. Maybe you'd like to come with me? I could give you a tour of the Garden while I look for my friends."
"That would probably be most beneficial," Nooj said, nodding.
"Alright," Cid cut in again. "Rinoa, I'd like you to stay at the Garden for a while. Considering how many people might be arriving, we might need you to help us, and Edea's been considering training you here instead of in Esthar."
"Oh, that'd be great," she chirped happily.
"Good. I'll call Xu in and she can escort you to your room while Squall works out the details of this security-bunking plan he's got in his head. You three are under the supervision of Squall Leonhart as of this moment. It would do you well to say within his sight."
"Understood, Mr. Kramer," Nooj said, remembering the name from the inane babble the raven haired girl had been spouting the entire train ride there, and all the way up to the man's office.
"Let's be off then," Squall said and led the way. They were silent until they got down to the second floor, where they paused for a moment. "This is the main hall, you came through the entrance, and that panel there," he said pointing to the directory in the center, "is a layout of the Garden."
He strode off to the right, the three men following him, two at his side, and one slightly behind and to the left. "Down that hall is the Infirmary. The Garden's doctor is named Kadowaki. I don't think anyone we're looking for will be in there, so we'll move right along."
The group got a lot of odd looks, and were nearly run into by the determined junior classman that insisted the halls were a track on which he was allowed to run. How he'd avoided Seifer's 'no running in the halls' rule was anyone's guess.
Squall turned down the next hall and continued his explanation. "This hall leads to the Quad. It's an outdoor area mostly for socializing, relaxation, and outdoor events, such as concerts. There's a chance that at least Selphie is in here planning one thing or another."
The four men entered the Quad and headed down the steps to where the new stage was being built. Selphie was in fact in the center of the chaos, calling orders and doing three others things all at once, in typical Selphie fashion.
"Selphie!" Squall called over the racket, lifted his hand in a wave. "Come meet our new guests!"
The brunette skips, ducked and hopped her way out of the madness and made her way over to the group. "Oh! Sexy men!" she said gleefully, shame and embarrassment long since forgotten some time back when she was… born. "Whoa, his hair's like-"
"I know. I couldn't believe it either."
"What? What's wrong with my hair?" Gippal said, hands coming up to make sure the bangs weren't falling down or out of place.
"Trust us. That look isn't popular on our planet either," Baralai said with a snicker in his voice. "But he just screams 'look at me', don't you think? I mean, that hideous outfit!"
"Baralaaaaaai!" Gippal whined, shoving the Praetor. "Bitchy prick…"
Selphie giggled merrily at the exchange. "I'm Selphie Tilmit. Nice to meet you all. And did you say 'your planet'? Are you super sexy aliens sent to our world to overtake it by sheer sexiness and the occasional hot and sweaty night of R rated passion!"
Gippal leaned in very close to the yellow clad spaz and regarded her closely. He pulled back after a little while and shook his head. "For a second I thought she might be Rikku in a new dress sphere…"
"Is this Rikku girl a lot like Selphie?" Squall asked the blond.
"Frighteningly so," was his reply.
"Selphie," the commander caught her attention away from nearly petting Baralai's lovely white locks. "There are three more people coming to the Garden from the other planet. Three girls I think?" At the nod from Nooj he went on. "We want them to bunk up with someone each. Would you mind a room mate? Maybe this Rikku girl? Gippal seems to think you're two peas in a pod."
"Oh! That sounds super duper extra fun! I'm totally in! You gotta tell me as soon as she gets here, okay! We'll plan a sleep over, and tell super scary alien ghost stories."
"I'll make sure… I do… that. Thank you for agreeing to help."
"No problem, Squally! Oh crud- they need me back over there. Bye bye!" and before anyone else even had a chance to say their own farewell, she was off and back into the fray that was building a stage.
"She reminded me of Rikku too," Baralai said as they left. "So much energy. Selphie was her name?"
"Yes, Selphie Tilmitt. She likes trains and "things that go boom" if I have her student bio remembered correctly."
"She sounds… charming," Nooj added with an almost pained smile on his face.
"Anyway, next we have the cafeteria. I'll look into obtaining student food cards for you all, so you won't have to worry about meals. And… considering it's near lunch, why don't we stop in and grab something? There's a chance some of the others may be in there as well."
The three men from Spira ate their lunches while Squall slipped a coffee, explaining things to them, as well as Quistis who they had run into. She had also agreed to room with someone should she be needed, and Squall was glad of how easy things were going so far.
The tour of the Garden continued. They passed the dorms and the car park, then made their way into the training center. "Can you fight?" Squall asked, looking to the three.
Nooj smirked. "Well, we are the only three of the Crimson Squad to survive the trial."
Baralai smirked too. "We can fight. Don't worry about us."
"What about weapons?" the brunet asked. He didn't see any on them and his eyes were trained to look for even concealed weaponry.
Gippal just gave a wave of his hand. "Once we get into battle we'll trigger that part of our dress spheres." He laughed at the quizzical look he received. "I think it might be better to discuss how that all works later, with everyone. Let's go."
Squall led them around the training center, hoping he'd find Zell. He very much wanted to see the look of the two blonds' faces when they got face to face. Unique hair… ha! He had been startled when during the first battle, against two Grats, the three guests had in fact caused weapons to appear out of thin air.
Instead of Zell they ran into a much taller blond and his two friends. "Seifer," Squall regarded him and nodded his head once in greeting. "Fuujin, Raijin. I'd like you to meet Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal."
Fuujin looked over each one closely before crossing her arms over her chest lightly. "FROM?" she asked, and smirked at the funny looks she received.
"From a planet called Spira," Nooj said. It was becoming clear he was the leader of the trio.
Squall almost, almost burst out laughing at the look on Seifer's face. He'd never seen the blond's eyes bug out that much before.
"That's funny, ya know. You're joking, right?" Raijin asked, resting his weighted pole against the ground and leaning on it casually.
"Actually no, it's not a joke. We're not sure how many there are. At least six people now. We were wondering if maybe you two would be willing to play host if more people are needed. Actually, Fuujin, I've spoken with a young woman named Paine Givin that I believe you'd get along with very well. I was hoping you'd be willing to share rooms. Garden safety and all."
Seifer glared, and it didn't take a genius to know he did not like the idea of sharing his room with anyone, let alone strange people from other worlds, that for all he knew were going to lay eggs in his stomach. He shuddered at the thought and noted to lay off sci-fi movies for a bit.
"AFFIRMATIVE," she said and smiled. "FEMALE COMPANIONSHIP."
"Oh, so these two don't give you the adequate intake of estrogen a day?" Squall asked, smirking a little.
"BE SUPPRISED," she said, a smirk far more evident on her lips. "SEIFER SHARE?"
"Actually no," the commander clarified. "Headmaster Cid feels it would be better if he did not share a room with anyone, and I concur. And judging by that smug look he just got, I think he's happy with that decision."
Raijin had sidled over to Seifer's side and nudged him, then pointed to Gippal's hair and made a comment. The Seifer-smirk spread across his face as he too noticed. He chewed on his bottom lip, thinking on whether or not to make a comment. The gigantic gun, with what looked like the blade of a table saw attached to one end, slung over the man's shoulder certainly was a deterrent.
Gippal did catch the attention he was being paid again and had a bit of a fit. "What the hell! That is it? What! It's about my hair isn't it? What about my hair! I know it's not normal, but it never gets this kind of attention!"
"What's with the commotion? You're frightening away all my living punching bags," a voice called from not too far away and the collection of seven people all turned to watch Zell approach.
Those native to Gaia watched avidly as the martial artist finally made it to them and came face to face to his Spiranite counterpart who had been the cause of the racket. The way the two just stared at each other for over a minute was absolutely priceless. Well, more like stared at the vertically standing bangs of the other.
"I love… your hair…" Zell finally said, mouth not quite closing after he'd finished the compliment.
Gippal blinked out of his absolute stunned expression and grinned a little. "Thanks. I like yours too."
"Thank… you…" Zell said, still staring.
Seifer was busy laughing like a mad man in his own head, and at the same time entertaining the thought that Gippal looked liked what would happen if Zell and Fuujin had a baby… and losing one eye was somehow hereditary…
The rest of the gathering was either laughing, chuckling, or expressing amusement in one form or another. "Zell," Squall managed through a chuckle. "This is Gippal, and this is Nooj and Baralai. They're from another planet called Spira- fuck this is getting repetitive- We want to set each of them up with someone to stay with. I was hoping you'd share your room with Gippal."
Baralai was laughing a little more heartily than Squall, but still conservative. "Considering if they wear their hair the same they must have a fair bit in common?"
"Something like that," Squall replied with a smile and a nod.
The tattooed fighter finally snapped out of his stupor and smiled widely. "Sure! Sounds great! I'd love ta help ya all out. My room is your room!"
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1. I don't know why they don't have last names in that game. It confuses me, so I gave them names. Givin… think of it on a roll call sheet, last name comes first. Givin, Paine. -smirks-
The others have names too. It'll introduce them and why I thought of those ones for them when they come up.