Before she had even stepped through the main gate Xu was waiting for her.
'Vine? What are you doing here? Is everything alright in Balamb?' she asked concerned.
'Where's Mother?' Vine asked first.
'She's in the office, I was doing the rounds when I saw Tiamat land. What's so urgent that you wouldn't send us a message that you were coming beforehand?' Xu answered. 'Did something happen at Amelia's castle? We've only just got our SeeDs back, luckily we have few serious casualties' she added.
'Kind of… it'd be best if I spoke to both of you together' Vine told her, pulling the strap of her rucksack up as she fell in step beside Xu.
The rubble stirred in the silent ruins of Amelia's castle, shifting softly as some rose with a shower of dust, fragments of stone pattering down on the dry soil. Black wings opened as a figure stood up amongst the piles of tortured masonry, their monstrous visage blurring as the wings folded upon themselves and faded in the dawn, the figure reduced to that of a man in a torn grey trench coat, their short blonde hair lined with grey at the temples as sorrowful blue eyes gazed at the carnage around.
'This isn't the time to get sentimental!' a voice snapped inside his head and an apparition of a similarly middle aged man appeared by his shoulder, grey eyes staring out from under a fringe of brown hair, a pink line of a scar slanting between them, a reversal of the figures own.
'How many times do I have to say I'm sorry for killing you Squall? Do I really need to atone by sharing eternity with you?' Seifer groaned.
'Well you didn't listen did you? I couldn't give you the damn ring because I was a part of it. Takes two warriors' souls to create Griever and that's us.' Squall retorted.
'So how come I get to be the solid body?' Seifer said bemused as Squall drifted through a block of stone that once had been part of the castle tower.
'The ring took my soul and Amelia gave it your blood, since yours was the physical essence that's what you are, however it also means you're the one who feels the pain.' Squall said grinning at the end.
'So then what's the point of your incorporeal existence besides annoying me?' Seifer said sarcastically.
'I'm the wellspring of our magic, now have you done with the twenty questions we kind of have an urgent mission on our hands!' Squall quipped.
'Like what? Amelia's dead!' Seifer snapped.
'As she was meant to, but the world goes on. Crave still lives and he has fulfilled what he thinks is his purpose, if we can't get to him I worry what he may do.' Squall replied.
'Funny thing that, all those years I thought he was already dead. Why did you lie to us? Why not tell us he was your son from the future?' Seifer asked turning to him.
'I didn't know that much then, all I knew was that he was a SeeD from the future, it wasn't until later when he was born I figured the rest. It was strange enough to explain to those who were at Garden when he attacked, those who feared and loathed him as he grew up. I guess I didn't help by keeping my own distance, I'd already lost so many and I felt I was going to lose him as well so why risk the hurt?' Squall replied sadly, avoiding his eyes.
'So you think you can make it up to him now? He's already killed me once, I don't think he'd be too keen to see me again' Seifer said lightly.
'It doesn't matter! Don't you realise that with Amelia gone he feels he has no reason in life! He will either take his own or look for some problem to solve by violence because that's what he thinks he exists for!' Squall said seriously.
'And I was cursed for raising Ultimecia? Looks like your parenting skills were no better…' Seifer joked.
'Is that all you can do? Make glib remarks? Come on!' Squall told him and started walking away.
'Whoa!' Seifer cried in reply as he suddenly became unbalanced, stumbling forward to catch himself as Squall jolted to a halt.
'Damn! Keep up will you? Seems like I can't go anywhere without you either!' Squall snapped.
'Why walk? We have wings don't we?' Seifer retorted.
'One; I'm drained so we can't maintain our Griever form, two; I'm not in the mood for being attacked as a monster.'
'So how do we reenergise then?' Seifer asked.
'Like I'm meant to know everything? Maybe you could feed like a human? Wait… we need to find the ring.' Squall said his voice starting to sink with dread.
'What? In this mess?' Seifer moaned.
'Without it we're going nowhere, we're bound to it, it ties us to this world, it shouldn't be far… check around where we emerged.' Squall told him.
'Wait, why me?' Seifer groaned.
Squall strode over and went to hit him, his hand passing through his face like a gust of wind. 'Because I can't touch anything remember?' he replied.
Seifer gave a sigh of resignation and began searching the debris.
'So Crave has left you in charge of Balamb?' Selphie said thoughtfully, leaning back in her chair after Vine had explained everything to her.
'Pretty much! He didn't even tell me himself! He just vanished off the battlefield once the castle collapsed!' Vine replied standing at the other side of the desk.
'Don't you want to be in charge?' Xu asked softly.
'On my own? I'm not that crazy!' Vine quipped.
'We should be more concerned about what Crave will do next, at some point he will return to the past to stop Amelia's rise and fail, if he hasn't done so already. We know what he's capable of to complete an objective, I'm not sure we could deal with a situation if it occurred out of Garden.' Selphie interrupted biting her thumbnail thoughtlessly.
'Whoa! What do you mean he goes back in time?' Vine asked her eyes wide in surprise.
'It was about thirty five years ago, he suddenly appeared on a mission to kill Seifer. During the few days he was around he caused mayhem, causing a number of casualties and fatalities before Squall and Seifer supposedly killed him. The truth was Squall let him go after realising he was from the future, he didn't realise Crave was his own son till much later.' Selphie explained.
'So the fact I think he's heading to Esthar might not sound too good?' Vine said slowly.
'It depends, if he is affiliated with Garden then we could face serious backlash. However if they believe him to be a lone mercenary it may be just what the country needs to sort itself out.' Xu answered pragmatically.
'You think he'd take over? Become president like Laguna?' Vine said incredulously.
'I doubt that he'd be able to gain control through violence, besides I don't think he'd want the position himself just fix it so the internal fighting was over and some semblance of peace is made.' Selphie replied.
'No surprise there really it is what he was born for' Xu agreed.
'So what do we do in the meantime?' Vine asked.
'We wait and see what Crave does next. Make sure we're prepared for the consequences'
'But you already said he caused mayhem before! Shouldn't someone be in Esthar to stop him if he gets out of hand?' Vine retorted.
'Do you think you could stop him even if he did?' Selphie said with a smile.
'Maybe not physically but I could at least try and talk him out of it!'
'Might be a good idea Selph, some proactive damage limitation may keep the heat off Garden' Xu suggested.
'Very well but you'll be on your own Vine, we can't let it be known that SeeD is in Esthar it will make them jumpy. While you're gone I guess we'll have to keep watch of Balamb for you'
'Wait… that means I'm going to have to get to Esthar by foot doesn't it?' Vine groaned.
'But of course, Tiamat is too conspicuous to just drop you off' Selphie replied, grinning at her daughter's predicament.
'Grrr… just wait till I see Crave now!' Vine muttered to herself.