Disclaimer: bah. yada yada yada square yada yada. done.

well to clear up alittle something amung my readers, I have been getting questions about Riona, as far as I know she will not even show up in this story. because I don't like her.

The commander sat on a bench in the main hall, they had been on the move, with a request for SeeD assistance made four hours ago they were settling about 1000 clicks south of Winhill where a large group of raiders were harassing the townsfolk, the pay was small, meager really, but as Cid had made exceptions in the past. As acting commander and temporary headmaster Squall felt he had the power to do so now, after Cid had left with his beloved to live away from the stress for a time, just as well. It was turning him white about the crown. The brunette officer sat on the bench dodging his work for the time being, it just got to the point of tediousness, but he did a lot of delegating. He had given most of the base stuff to Xu and she took the lead particularly easily, all he really had to do was make the big decisions such as clientele and protocol, as well as issues of discipline. The new disciplinary committee did much of that for itself, the gap had filled rather quickly, much to his surprise, it was a few students five in all, rather rough and tumble, but not nearly as bad as the previous, and did their jobs so he had no objections. He just looked out into space thinking about pointless pursuits and minor distractions, it seemed the longer he thought about it, the less it mattered. He took a deep breath and tried to relax.

"Commander, Please report to the Bridge, Commander to the Bridge" the intercom wailed as he sighed angrily and stood making his way grumpily toward the elevator.

She stood at the outskirts of the bowl, burned in some places but she could ignore that. More importantly, she was exhausted after a whole night of rain and thunder she nearly collapsed with ever step, fighting for every movement her muscles resisted and screamed at her. She supposed she deserved the admonishment it had been two days without any food and hardly any rest at all, but sucking in another breath she pushed in she got a little weaker. It was getting harder and harder to see straight. Slowly something came into view as she stumbled the last few steps and dropped off into exhaustion even as someone looked out of their cottage.

Her sleep was long and dreamless she was enjoying it only to be rudely awakened by a number of voices. She sat up, to the amazement of the four people in the small house. They all pondered the curious woman, who found a new white shirt covering her top not that she minded really… she turned her Stifling red eye on them with a cold expression that made them all cringe a bit despite her obviously near helpless she still had a helluva glare.

"LOCATION?"

The woman stepped up a bit at the urgeing to the others and took a deep breath, "your in Fisherman's Horizon dear. you'll be stayin' until your strength returns" she said in a patronizing motherly kind of way that had the odd effect of letting the slight sunburned woman to soften a little bit then cringe as the sheer weight of soreness her body had accumulated. She slowly fell back down with a sigh as the woman came up and after a moment's hesitation laid a hand on her forehead for a moment.

"well at least you don't have a fever. Now then how about something to e-"

her sentence interrupted by the woman's growling stomache she blushed her face contorted in embarrassed anger and displeasure as the woman chuckled.

"…to eat, seems you do."

The woman walked off to whip something up for the frail looking woman who irritably pushed her lengthening silver locks out of her eye and adjusted her patch. Well, at least she got where she was going…. Even though she wished it had been more gracefully. She breathed deeply of the sea air and sighed long and softly letting sleep come back to her, first checkpoint reached.

A/N: sorry for the slow update speed I've been in a funk. well here is a little more I am planning on bringing it together in the next chapter so please do not pester me.