The "Other" Headmaster [Balamb Garden Crew]

[Seifer Almasy]

The growl of a fuel-hungry engine could be heard loudly over the general din of Balamb Garden's outer courtyards, demanding attention as it roared with each push of the gas pedal. Clearly the car was designed with this at least partially in mind -- a vehicle that would be as headstrong and loud as its passenger. The students who turned to look for the source of the noise would find a black car, with an elongated front end bearing the seal of Galbadia as a hood ornament at the tip, pulling up to the front gates of the Garden.

Inside the car, one Seifer Almasy looked out the dark-tinted window from the back seat, looking out over the imposing figure of Balamb Garden. It brought back a variety of memories at once; some of them he appreciated, but others he would rather do without. There was a subtle hint of nostalgia at the sight of his old academy, the place where he'd spent the prime of his teenage youth studying to be a soldier. He'd perfected his Gunblade technique here. In his later years he'd led the Disciplinary Committee with Fujin and Raijin.

But this was also the place where his downward spiral had begun. Balamb Garden was the place where his hopes of becoming an elite SeeD had been dashed by ignorant instructors who were never capable of fully grasping the value of his boldness and initiative. It was the place where his face had been marked forever by the scar of Squall's Gunblade carving a permanent wound into his flesh.

And now, the man who had defeated him and taken the honor of saving the world from Ultimecia, the one rival Seifer had never truly bested, ruled over the Garden as its Headmaster, alongside the girl that should have been his. Those final thoughts were what truly got to Seifer, and he snarled slightly as the car came to a stop. He sat quietly for a moment, collecting his thoughts. After a short moment of quiet reflection, the door to his right was opened by his driver, dressed in an elaborate formal uniform, gloved hands pulling the door open for Seifer to exit. One booted foot hit the ground with an almost dramatic stomp, and, planting the tip of Hyperion against the ground, Seifer rose from inside the car, rising to stand at his full height, both hands rested on his Gunblade's hilt as he leaned on it like a gentleman's cane. He took a deep breath of the Balamb air, savoring that nostalgia and that bitterness all at once, and then turned his eyes to the side.

Two Galbadian soldiers in their combat armor stood, swords slung at their sides, standing at a stiff salute before their leader. Seifer lifted one hand from the hilt of Hyperion, waving the men off dismissively with a lazy gesture.

"Stay here by the car," he instructed, sharp eyes meeting theirs for just a short moment, "I need to make a statement here... No entourage."

The hand which had waved the soldiers remained out to his side, and he snapped his fingers once. It was a simple signal, though not exactly subtle, for Fujin to join him at his side. He knew that his faithful friend would be right behind him, so he simply began walking without bothering to look back for her. Lifting Hyperion up, he rested the blade back against his shoulder, the tip sticking up into the air behind him, and strolled through the courtyard toward the actual entrance to the Garden building itself. He made eye contact with no one; he simply walked with a broad and commanding gate, as if he owned the place.

And soon enough, Seifer was confident, he would.

=-=-=-=

Word Count: 640
Muse is Feeling: Awesome! Excited to finally start posing with Seifer!!
Wearing: The same as ever!
Listening to: "Galbadia Garden" from FF8
Tagged: Fujin, and anyone at Balamb Garden! Specifically Selphie / Zell / Squall, but any of you goodie two-shoes folk can join.

[Fujin]

Silently, Fujin studied the Galbadian soldiers before her in the front seat of the vehicle Seifer was in. Neither of them moved and actually appeared to be in order. Good, Seifer didn't need failures to accompany him. Not that it would matter since she knew her friend would easily handle himself in just about anything he was thrown into. Still, she always watched her friend's back when it came to maintaining things such as keeping soldiers in line so he wouldn't have to waste his energy on them. After all, Seifer was a busy man. He didn't need morons messing things up on him.

The soldiers before her knew perfectly well not to cross Fujin. She might not look it but for a girl, she was pretty violent if she had to be. The fact she spoke in such an odd fashion and the way she acted, accompanied by the eyepatch on her left eye, made her presence intimidating. For the moment, Fujin was quiet as she allowed her single eye's gaze to shift towards the scenery fleeting past the window as the vehicle made its way toward Balamb Garden.

Spotting the Garden for the first time since Seifer had taken over Galbadia Garden and had returned to his usual self, it felt like ages since last they had been here. There were a number of memories that flooded her mind. Most of them were good because it reminded her of the times when it was just them three running the show. Granted, the instructors there were terrible and Squall's gang now ran the place, but it still brought back good memories. It was also here that Fujin had her unfortunate accident in her younger years which resulted in her eyepatch covering that left eye of her's...or rather, what was left of it.

As the vehicle came to a halt, Fujin waited patiently for the soldiers in the front seat to open the door and exit before her. When they had, Fujin exited after them and watched as the driver walked over and opened the door for Seifer. As her friend exited the vehicle, Fujin stood at attention. The soldiers saluted Seifer and as he took notice of them, he waved them off dismissively. She listened intently as he ordered them to remain here with the car and that he didn't need an entourage. So did that mean he was going to require her to remain put here? She watched him carefully and noted that he hadn't yet returned his arm to his side. At that moment, he gave his fingers a snap. Fujin knew perfectly well what that signal had meant. Seifer had used it numbers of times before. It was his signal for her to accompany him.

Without hesitation, Fujin obediently followed Seifer's lead like a dog summoned by its master. Unlike Raijin, he didn't need to have to check that she was following him. Fujin was always the one that didn't stray from what she was ordered to do or waste time when she was beckoned. Quiet as ever, she kept her gaze fixed on Seifer while keeping her peripheral vision focused on those they passed. As they went, Fujin had to keep herself from smiling a little. It was just like old times and she couldn't be anymore grateful that Seifer was himself again. Raijin and Fujin hated to see him treated like a lapdog by that awful sorceress. Seifer was no lapdog and today, he was showing that he was very much a born leader. Fujin was proud to be friends with Seifer.

Much like Seifer, Fujin walked toward the Garden as if they owned it. When they were the Disciplinary Committee, they trudged through those halls every day teaching students a lesson for whatever reasons they could find and dishing out detentions.

[Selphie Tilmitt]

Selphie was quite happy with how things had worked out. Having been stuck in another world, Selphie had thought that no one would ever come for her. It wasn’t that the people there had been unfriendly. No, Maqui especially had been super friendly, showing her around and letting her play with his chocobo, and Lebreau letting her stay in their NORA headquarters, as well as showing her how to cook a bit. Yeah, that had been really nice, but she couldn’t say that she would have wanted to stay there. After all, that wasn’t her home. No, her home was the Balamb Garden, with her friends and comrades around her. People that knew her and that she knew. That was where she was happy and belonged. Yes, as nice as it had been, almost like a mini vacation, he had been more than elated when Zell had come for her. Having been down in the dumps and afraid that everyone had forgotten her, a familiar face had come for her, and she had been so happy she’d tackled him into the water. Speaking of Zell, where was he today? She was bored, there was no classes today, and she couldn’t get a hold of Rinoa to go out and do girl stuff. That meant she was going to bug Zell until he did something with her. Perhaps she could convince him to teach her T-boarding like he had offered. OR, ice cream also sounded good, and maybe, just maybe, he’d want to go down to the beach with her. She’d gotten a new swimsuit before she had disappeared, and it was summer! That meant that it was beach time.

But then again, that meant finding him first. If she couldn’t find him though, she was going to look for Quisty or Rinoa. They would be fun to go to the beach with. But Zell was especially fun. A little hyper, (Pot calling the kettle black?) but that just made it all the more fun. Skipping along, Selphie hummed and fiddled with the handheld device she had in her hands. After portal hopping, Selphie was determined that she would make a device that would let her do the same thing, only in a controlled fashion. Yes, she really wanted to figure out how to make it run, and if anyone could, it would be her. Despite being clutsy and unable to keep herself on her feet, when she had technology in front of her she just seemed to be able to do anything with it.

Since she couldn’t seem to find anyone, Selphie turned and started to walk outside of Garden to check what was happening out there. Yeah, it was great to be back, but…things were weird here at Garden lately. Continuing to fiddle with her hand held device, Selphie’s mind turned away from all the fun stuff that she could be doing, to all the disappearances that were happening in the area lately. It seemed that it was both adults and younger kids, the youngest being fourteen. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of this…but maybe it wasn’t the best day to go have some fun…as sorrowful as that made her.

While walking, Selphie found that she had wandered to the entrance. “Oh great! They’re here…” the girl walking past her said loudly. Lifting her head from having her nose stuck in her hand held device, she peered over at the girl, and then lifted her head further to look at what she was talking about. Instantly she felt a groan working its way up her throat. Of course…of course they would have to be here. On top of all the odd disappearances and her not getting to do something fun today, these two had to come, looking quite like they owned the place. Who did they think they were anyway! Slipping her hand held device under her arm, Selphie placed a hand on her hip, waiting for them with as haughty an expression as she could muster. “What are you doing here?”, she asked almost accusingly when they finally got close.

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Words:; 907
Muse:; Great!
Tagged:; The peoples!
Outfit:; Click hurr!
Location:; Entrance to Balamb Garden
Notes:; I didn't notice that this was up at all...
Listening To:; What Have You Done - Within Temptation

[Seifer Almasy]

A sly, even sinister smirk crept onto Seifer's features as he saw his first greeter. If it wasn't Selphie, that bubbly little ball of annoying that had shipped over from Trabia Garden to make his life more annoying at Balamb. She was nauseatingly energetic, utterly irritating to Seifer... Almost as bad as that horrid Chicken-Wuss himself. If the two Gardens ever came to blows, and Seifer suspected that day would come eventually, this little girl would be near the top of his list of targets to eliminate. Hopefully, if fate smiled on him, he'd get to annihilate both of them personally. Or maybe he'd just settle for Dincht, and leave the pleasure of ripping Tilmitt apart for his loyal friends Fujin and Raijin.

He strolled casually up toward her, eyes locking with hers in an expression that could only be described as devilish. It was as if he were using his eyes to communicate to Selphie that he was already her boss, and that the slightest misstep would mean her life. The Headmaster of Galbadia Garden wasn't a subtle man, especially when it came to his anger and grudges. With Fujin in step behind him, Seifer continued his cocky walk until he was just a few short feet from Selphie, where he set Hyperion's tip back down on the ground, both hands folded over the hilt in front of him.

"Well, well, well," he chided, his voice slippery with malice, "If it isn't my old, dear friend Selphie Tilmitt... You sure have come a long way from that skittish little girl on her field exam. Now it seems you've been promoted all the way up to the official door-girl of Balamb Garden... You must be proud."

He laughed out loud for a moment, clearly endlessly amused by his own malicious wit. When he'd composed himself, he looked from side to side, surveying the Garden grounds. Some of the students had stopped to stare at the scene from a distance, but none of them seemed too eager to get close to their "friendly conversation."

"However, I'm afraid I'm not here to see you, though it was such a pleasant surprise to bump into you on my way in... I'm actually here to see Squall, your 'revered' Headmaster. He and I need to have an important chat."

He swung Hyperion lazily back up onto his shoulder, and turned back to face Fujin.

"They've really kept the place in beautiful shape, haven't they, Fujin? It would serve as an excellent secondary command center for the G-Army, don't you think?"

=-=-=-=
Word Count: 'bout 500.
Muse is Feeling: Reaalllly eeeeevil.
Wearing: The usual Seifer.
Listening to: "Galbadia Garden" (FF8)

[Fujin]

Fujin ignored the looks they were being given. Some were confused while others were downright loathing as they walked past them. Fujin wasn't the least bit bothered as she followed Seifer's lead. Anyone that was the type to confront Seifer would be considered insane. If anyone here that knew them, they knew enough to keep themselves at bay despite the looks they were giving them. One person, she actually heard made a remark about them being here but she went ignored. Fujin cared not what these students thought about them. Anyone that went up against them would suffer the consequences.

A lone figure soon stood in their way. It hadn't taken long for Fujin to recognize the girl adorned in bright yellow. It was Selphie Tilmitt, one of Squall Leonhart's friends. Judging by the look on her face, she wasn't at all pleased to see them and for good reason. They had always been at odds with each other ever since Seifer had left Garden. Their confrontations during the time of the Sorceress didn't help any either. Of course, Fujin was thankful for Squall's group for freeing Seifer from that sorceress but that didn't mean they could ever like each other. If anything, they had Fujin's respect. Selphie was annoying but she was a smart girl. She had a knack for electronic devices and was a good fighter. Not powerful like Squall or Zell but she had Fujin's respect despite her being annoying.

As Selphie demanded what they were doing here, Fujin glanced over at Seifer. She knew that he hated the girl. As he walked, Fujin could tell by the subtle hints in his stride that Selphie's greeting hadn't bothered him in the least. In fact, his stride was arrogant as ever with a touch of malice in it. If she could see Seifer's gaze, she'd know that he was already giving one of those nasty looks of his. Fujin just followed in step with him, keeping her silence for the time being. She had no reason yet to speak as she merely looked upon Selphie. Fujin's expression was unreadable as she took in what Selphie was holding in her hand and the look on the girl's face. Things really didn't change all that much compared to the way things were in the past. At least, not relationship wise with Squall's group.

Poised, Fujin merely stood with her hands behind her back, clasped together as she stood tall. Her single crimson red eye seemed to just stare unblinkingly at Selphie. What was running through Fujin's head, only Fujin knew. She listened to what Seifer was saying to the girl. As he gave a laugh, Fujin smiled a little in response to what he had said. Door girl, now that was a good one!

Once Seifer had composed himself, almost everyone that was in the immediate area was looking upon the scene. None were keen to get close though. They could sense the tension in the air already, it seemed and were eager to stay out of it. Fujin inwardly smiled at that. They were being watched as if they were wild animals that had just broken free from their cages. They knew to treat them with caution lest they wished to suffer the pain of their claws and teeth. They most likely hoped they wouldn't be targeted while they were here. How she recognized this atmosphere. It was definitely home.

Seifer eventually stated that his dealings here were not with Selphie but with Squall. The two had an endless rivalry between them. After all, the boys had marked each other to symbolize it. Permanently, either of them had a scar on their face that was a mirror image of the other's. In a way, they were exact mirror images of one another in personality as well as appearance. How Squall would take to them, Fujin was interested to wonder about. No doubt, he might be surprised by their arrival. Either that or he would've figured they would've come here eventually.

As Seifer turned to face her, Fujin looked up at her much taller friend. A look of attention was on her face as she absorbed every word he was saying. A smile crept upon her face then as she heard what he was saying. No doubt, this would get a rise out of those around them but Fujin and Seifer didn't care. Even if they did get a rise out of them, this garden no longer mattered that much to them. Oh, it had been home but now they owned Galbadia Garden. Still, a second Garden would be a nice addition.

She gave Seifer a quick nod, that smile still on her face as she looked back at him. "AFFIRMATIVE!" That was her agreeing to what he had said. Of course, Seifer knew she could say more but when she didn't have to like most situations, this was her usual response. After all, the less time wasted with words, the better. It benefited Seifer more by her not wasting much of his time whenever he asked for a friend's opinion like this.

[Selphie Tilmitt]

Selphie felt herself scowl as soon as she saw who it was that had come. Stupid Seifer had caused so many problems for them while they had been trying to save the world. And now who did he think he was?! Ugh! Selphie wished she was big and strong enough to throw him out of the school. ...Maybe she could get Squall to do it if she Asked sweetly enough. She didn't doubt that he would do it. After all, no one liked Seifer anyway. Unless it was the silver haired girl beside Seifer. She somehow could stand him. How, Selphie would never understand. And he was throwing insults out at her? Selphie furrowed her eyebrows a bit when Seifer mocked her. Though she didn't always get things, it was pretty clear that it was what he was doing. He was mocking her?! Along with her furrowed eyebrows came a slight frown. He should just...just...go away! Or something!

And though she did feel a little intimidated by just how big he was, Selphie stood her ground, scowling at him, before she forced a large, cheerful grin onto her lips. "Oh! Proud?! Of course I'm proud of exam day. I mean, I'm proud I managed to actually show enough skill to pass.", she said just as cheerfully, in turn mocking the fact that he hadn't passed. Cocking her head to the side, she propped a hand up under her chin and had that classic innocent Selphie look on her face. "Weren't you proud to pass-...oh wait, that's right, you didn't, I'm sorry.", she said in a fake apologetic voice. Served that big meanie right! Who was he to come and throw his weight around?! She hoped Squall could come soon and throw him out on his royal backside.

Well of course he was here to see Squall. She hadn't thought that he was here for any other reason, aside from just maybe tormenting the people around here. Glancing around, Selphie could see students scattered out, looking at the scene with either curiosity if they didn't know Seifer, or slight fear if they did know him. Well too bad if he wanted to torment people! Not on her watch! Propping her hands up on her hips, she was about to tell him where he could just go - which was far away from Garden - when he turned to talk to his friend.

OH NO HE DIDN'T! Instantly another scowl crossed her face. "What's THAT supposed to mean?!", she burst out angrily, taking a few steps forward to stand directly in front of him. Though he practically dwarfed her in size, she wasn't backing down. She'd had just as much Seifer in her day as she could stand. "I don't know who you think you are now that you've merely taken advantage of a run down Garden with no leader, but let me tell you something Seifer Almasy!" Along with her angry speech, she had reached out to jab him in the chest with her finger a few times. "You may think you're a big shot, but no one is scared of you! You need to just stop being such a bully! No one but your two little committee friends like you!"

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Words:; 774
Muse:; Great!
Tagged:; Seifer, Fujin, anyone else from FF8?
Outfit:; That one I linked!
Location:; Entrance
Notes:; Selphie wants to attack...which probably wouldn't end up so well for her. SELPHIE NEEDS BACKUP FOOLS!
Listening To:; Invincible - Adelitas Way

[Seifer Almasy]

He didn't mean for it, but a soft growl escaped Seifer's lips as Selphie carried on his face. She really was an annoying, childish thing -- she was throwing what more or less amounted to a temper tantrum right in front of him, in the middle of the Garden's entrance. Not that he should hav expected much more from her, as she'd always irritated him with her grating personality, but he nevertheless wanted to strangle her on the spot as she bored him with her rambling.

And then she struck a chord that almost caused Seifer to visually lose his composure -- almost. The memory of repeatedly failing his SeeD exam was still one that jabbed at his pride. He was thoroughly convinced that it was merely poor judgement on the part of the Garden officials, who failed to see that he was, far and away, more perfectly qualified to serve as a SeeD than any of the weak-spined "teammates" they'd assigned him during the test. But for Selphie to wave it in his face like that was utterly infuriating.

"I mean exactly what I said, unless you're too simple-minded to comprehend what I'm trying to say. Galbadia has embraced its new hero, and given me free reign to revitalize the Garden and the G-Army to protect the world from whatever comes out of those portals... And Balamb Garden would make a very useful outpost for my forces."

His eyes narrowed on Selphie as she approached him and came closer. Really? This whining, joke of a little girl playing SeeD had the courage to try to get in the face of Seifer Almasy? He bent his head down as she came closer, so that the shorter girl could come eye to eye with him. For his part, he stared and icy glare straight through her, locking on her eyes with the expression of a cat about to rip apart its prey. His breathing became louder, and his facial features hardened as if he were trying to stare her straight out of existence.

She gave him her fiery little speech -- he'd taken over a "run down Garden," he thought he was a big shot, no one was afraid of him... All the usual trappings of an angry little girl trying to vent her frustration at someone who didn't care. No one was afraid of him, hmm? He'd play with that a little.

The moment she'd accused him of being a bully and brazenly claimed that no one feared him, his free hand shot out to grab her by the fabric of her top, physically lifting her up to the tips of her toes to bring their faces almost into contact with each other.

"Enough!!!" he barked into her face, his previously calm and smug expression traded for one of obvious and very intense anger, "You're playing with the wrong man, Tilmitt, and if you'd like me to prove just how capable I am of leading the G-Army, I can gladly demonstrate my skills here by cutting you apart in front of your peers... So I'd suggest you shut your mouth and show a little more respect to the Headmaster of a Garden!"

He released his grip on her shirt, taking a step backward toward Fujin, adjusting his jacket and taking a moment to regain his composure. Finally, he lowered his voice again and brought back his cocky smirk.

"Now then, Selphie... Why don't you go make yourself useful and find someone more important for me to talk to?"

=-=-=-=[/color]

Word Count: Around 600 or so.
Muse is Feeling: Eeeeeevil.
Listening to: Still the Galbadia Garden theme.. Fits Seifer so well right now
Notes: Selphie needs friends!