I kept walking beside Seifer until we got to the Garden's lunch room, and he invited me to sit with him for lunch. He bought me a plate of hotdogs and fries and i sighed putting a hand to my face. Seifer took an immediate notice to my reaction and said "Something wrong? Youve been acting weird since we came into the garden." I sighed and shook my head, narrowing my eyes "This food. What exactly do you think this is? I dont take mediocre dishes such as these." Seifer laughed a bit, then replied "I guess i shouldve known that judging by how you dress... shouldve figured you wanted fine dining instead of this." I sighed and closed my eyes, then said "And this plate isnt top notch either. Listen to me... I dont want to be disappointed. Im not a flirt by any means, but i expect to be treated in a more esteemed fashion than this." Seifer grumbled and facepalmed himself "Man, shouldve known it wouldnt be that easy... no way am i any match for this lady..." Seifer sighed trying to collect himself, then continued "I dont know where youre from but it sounds like your home had a lot more money than this place ever had... I cant really get you the treatment youre after here but i'll see what i can do." Seifer stood up after finishing his food and turned to a girl with very short silver hair who seemed disgusted about something, and she looked at me then kicked me very hard "Be greatful and stop acting spoiled! He let you in here!" I hardened my expression and held my hand out, exerting heavy pressure on her body with my power and the space around her grew hazy in response. I snapped "You will not take that tone with me and get away with it." Seifer was in total shock, looking at me and then her as if in panic. Seifer cried "What the... how the heck....?!" He turned to me worried and cried "Stop! I dont know what youre doing to Fujin but cut it out you hear me?! Please!" I sighed and decided to listen, releasing her from the lower scale time compression i used to paralyze her with pain. I didnt say anything and turned away unsure of what to say or do next. Fujin said "Where did she come from? She doesnt belong here." Seifer sighed and answered "Yeah yeah i know, but she said she cant go back to her home and i just decided to bring her in because of that... i dont know if something bad happen that shes afraid to return to or if her place got destroyed but i couldnt just leave her there you know?" Fujin nodded silently and managed to leave after recovering enough. Seifer walked up behind me placing a hand on my shoulder, then said "You know, you seem pretty tough... we could really use that kind of power here in SeeD. You should really try the field exams. I know youd pass 'em easily." I sighed, then said "I dont want to. I have no interest in affiliating with such groups. I go my own way and thats final, Seifer." Seifer walked in front of me with a firm look on his face, and continued "You said you got nowhere to return to. You sure you wanna say no with that in mind?" I knew he was once again, but i remained silent. I didnt want to join the group who had stolen everything from me and destroyed all of my hard work. Seifer shook me gently and said "You need some kind of job dont you? Youve got power that i havent seen in years. They need your help!" I sighed and shook my head "Fine... i guess i have no choice. Where do i start?" Seifer walked some ways ahead of me then waved for me to follow, and we ended up in an elevator leading the second floor.
Seifer looked at me curiously and asked "I never got your name did i? Whats your name?" I panicked a bit after he said that, feeling very hesitant to answer. I stuttered in response "My... i am, my name is Ultim...e...ya..." I didnt have time to make up something. Seifer paused, then nodded "Ultimeya huh? Thats one cool name." I sighed in relief, glad that he believed the name came out on purpose. Seifer smiled and patted my back, saying "I cant wait until you start your first exam. Youre gonna be one of the strongest SeeDs we've had in ages." I sighed and shook my head "Im never going to be a SeeD... im always going to be me. This is work and nothing more, Seifer." Seifer laughed a bit "Well the captain always said being true to yourself is part of being a SeeD and boy is he right." Surprised, i widened my eyes a bit looking at him. Seifer continued "Haha, i still remember how much we fought back then too... good times." I quickly realized who he was talking about and tried to stay calm. Seifer walked out of the elevator and i followed him. We ended up in a classroom where several students were already seated, and i saw another familiar face discussing a lesson. He noticed me and Seifer and stopped talking, then walked to us. Seifer started "Well Squal, i found another one to join the training program for people who wanna be in SeeD. And shes pretty tough too." Squal looked at me then Seifer, then back to me "Your name ma' am?" I answered "Ultimeya. Im here to try for a spot in SeeD." Squall stared at me suspiciously then turned to Seifer "Where did you find this woman?" Seifer shrugged "I dont know. she was on the ground outside the garden and said she had nowhere to go home to, so i brought her in and she just so happens to seem very skilled in battle." Squall sighed and shook his head. I had a sudden bad feeling that he recognized me and retained his memories of our first encounter, but at the time he hadnt even drawn his weapon to attack without hesitation. I hoped he didnt remember me; i wasnt done recovering from my last battle with him and his friends. I would not be able to win against him this soon after that long battle. Seifer groaned "Whats the matter now?! You scared of having her surpass you is that it?" Squall punched him as if angered by his remark and shouted "Of course not! Something just seems off about her..." I managed to smile and decided to add "Do you want my help or not? Im a bit tired this evening but i can likely manage enough for a simple exam." Squall sighed and put a hand to his forehead, then answered "Yeah... we want your help. Just sit down and listen to today's review. The next field exam is tomorrow so make sure to train before going to bed." I nodded and sat down in an empty chair and noticed some of the boys looking at me curiously. I pretended not to notice and one of them said "Man she sure is pretty... i wonder how strong she is?" Some of the others added in but i couldnt hear them very well and i managed to calm down. After Squall got to the end of the lesson he dismissed the class and went to me after talking with some of the other students "Listen... i can tell Seifer was right about your power. But be careful during the exam tomorrow or you might leave accidental casualties. We dont want to look bad on a real job, so only use your full strength if theres no other choice." I nodded silently and he left the classroom. I went to the dorms and immediately found Seifer working on a very fancy and upscale room for me, and he turned around after noticing my presence. He stepped away and i looked around my small room and smiled "This will work nicely. Thank you." I sat on my bed gladly and then realized i needed to eat. Seifer looked at me and asked "You need something?" I nodded and replied "Im hungry... do you by any chance carry some sushi with a fine batch of seasoned shrimp?" Seifer paused curiously, then replied "Is that your favorite?" I nodded calmly and he sighed 'I wish we did... but i can change that really quick! Just me another hour!" Seifer left and i laughed a bit. While id waited for him to come back, i worried again. What would happen if Squall and the others realized who i was? This entire thing about joining SeeD was not only undesired for me, but it could easily be one of the worst traps i could walk right into. And yet despite this, my castle has vanished and there is nowhere else for me to go. Whats worse, Squall had a very concerning awkward silence when Seifer brought me to the classroom. And to make things strange once again, he was very formal with me after the lesson as if he forgot who i am completely. I couldnt tell if he knew who i was or not. and the fact he couldve pretended not to know is even worse. I dont know how safe it is here... and the only way i might have out of certain death this time is to cooperate with my former enemies and pawns. I didnt like that idea; it disgusted me too much. But until my magic regenerates completely, i wont be able to cast another Catastrophic Time Compression like i had before my fall in battle. I can still use it on lesser scales in combat, but for my power to reach its full extreme again i would need to wait another entire generation. And this time its worse because i am stuck in the past with no way back to where i hail from. There was no real way for me to predict how this would end... all i knew was either i would worshipped the way I rightfully deserved to or I would once again be the worlds enemy. Normally i didnt care which it came to, but this time it wasnt that simple. This was my last chance to survive, my only chance to regain my former glory and reign of power. There was no going back now. Unexpectedly, Seifer returned holding the food a fancy plate and he set it on the small table in my room carefully. I smiled and started eating, suddenly forgetting about the mounds of worries I couldnt shake away before. Seifer laughed a bit "You really do like it a lot. Well, enjoy it and get some rest. I gotta go to my room before i get caught by the staff." I smiled seeing him leave and kept eating. When i finished i created a magical barrier around my bed to guard myself and fell asleep.
To Be Continued...
Seifer looked at me curiously and asked "I never got your name did i? Whats your name?" I panicked a bit after he said that, feeling very hesitant to answer. I stuttered in response "My... i am, my name is Ultim...e...ya..." I didnt have time to make up something. Seifer paused, then nodded "Ultimeya huh? Thats one cool name." I sighed in relief, glad that he believed the name came out on purpose. Seifer smiled and patted my back, saying "I cant wait until you start your first exam. Youre gonna be one of the strongest SeeDs we've had in ages." I sighed and shook my head "Im never going to be a SeeD... im always going to be me. This is work and nothing more, Seifer." Seifer laughed a bit "Well the captain always said being true to yourself is part of being a SeeD and boy is he right." Surprised, i widened my eyes a bit looking at him. Seifer continued "Haha, i still remember how much we fought back then too... good times." I quickly realized who he was talking about and tried to stay calm. Seifer walked out of the elevator and i followed him. We ended up in a classroom where several students were already seated, and i saw another familiar face discussing a lesson. He noticed me and Seifer and stopped talking, then walked to us. Seifer started "Well Squal, i found another one to join the training program for people who wanna be in SeeD. And shes pretty tough too." Squal looked at me then Seifer, then back to me "Your name ma' am?" I answered "Ultimeya. Im here to try for a spot in SeeD." Squall stared at me suspiciously then turned to Seifer "Where did you find this woman?" Seifer shrugged "I dont know. she was on the ground outside the garden and said she had nowhere to go home to, so i brought her in and she just so happens to seem very skilled in battle." Squall sighed and shook his head. I had a sudden bad feeling that he recognized me and retained his memories of our first encounter, but at the time he hadnt even drawn his weapon to attack without hesitation. I hoped he didnt remember me; i wasnt done recovering from my last battle with him and his friends. I would not be able to win against him this soon after that long battle. Seifer groaned "Whats the matter now?! You scared of having her surpass you is that it?" Squall punched him as if angered by his remark and shouted "Of course not! Something just seems off about her..." I managed to smile and decided to add "Do you want my help or not? Im a bit tired this evening but i can likely manage enough for a simple exam." Squall sighed and put a hand to his forehead, then answered "Yeah... we want your help. Just sit down and listen to today's review. The next field exam is tomorrow so make sure to train before going to bed." I nodded and sat down in an empty chair and noticed some of the boys looking at me curiously. I pretended not to notice and one of them said "Man she sure is pretty... i wonder how strong she is?" Some of the others added in but i couldnt hear them very well and i managed to calm down. After Squall got to the end of the lesson he dismissed the class and went to me after talking with some of the other students "Listen... i can tell Seifer was right about your power. But be careful during the exam tomorrow or you might leave accidental casualties. We dont want to look bad on a real job, so only use your full strength if theres no other choice." I nodded silently and he left the classroom. I went to the dorms and immediately found Seifer working on a very fancy and upscale room for me, and he turned around after noticing my presence. He stepped away and i looked around my small room and smiled "This will work nicely. Thank you." I sat on my bed gladly and then realized i needed to eat. Seifer looked at me and asked "You need something?" I nodded and replied "Im hungry... do you by any chance carry some sushi with a fine batch of seasoned shrimp?" Seifer paused curiously, then replied "Is that your favorite?" I nodded calmly and he sighed 'I wish we did... but i can change that really quick! Just me another hour!" Seifer left and i laughed a bit. While id waited for him to come back, i worried again. What would happen if Squall and the others realized who i was? This entire thing about joining SeeD was not only undesired for me, but it could easily be one of the worst traps i could walk right into. And yet despite this, my castle has vanished and there is nowhere else for me to go. Whats worse, Squall had a very concerning awkward silence when Seifer brought me to the classroom. And to make things strange once again, he was very formal with me after the lesson as if he forgot who i am completely. I couldnt tell if he knew who i was or not. and the fact he couldve pretended not to know is even worse. I dont know how safe it is here... and the only way i might have out of certain death this time is to cooperate with my former enemies and pawns. I didnt like that idea; it disgusted me too much. But until my magic regenerates completely, i wont be able to cast another Catastrophic Time Compression like i had before my fall in battle. I can still use it on lesser scales in combat, but for my power to reach its full extreme again i would need to wait another entire generation. And this time its worse because i am stuck in the past with no way back to where i hail from. There was no real way for me to predict how this would end... all i knew was either i would worshipped the way I rightfully deserved to or I would once again be the worlds enemy. Normally i didnt care which it came to, but this time it wasnt that simple. This was my last chance to survive, my only chance to regain my former glory and reign of power. There was no going back now. Unexpectedly, Seifer returned holding the food a fancy plate and he set it on the small table in my room carefully. I smiled and started eating, suddenly forgetting about the mounds of worries I couldnt shake away before. Seifer laughed a bit "You really do like it a lot. Well, enjoy it and get some rest. I gotta go to my room before i get caught by the staff." I smiled seeing him leave and kept eating. When i finished i created a magical barrier around my bed to guard myself and fell asleep.
To Be Continued...
