Syrus almost didn't notice the girl coming up on him. Until she held out her hand. He stopped and looked at her with some surprise. He looked her over once and gave her "are you really wearing that" but he wiped it off quickly as he gazed into her pale blue eyes and noticed her brown hair. "Hi...HI..Umm.." He managed to stammer out before taking her hand. "Umm yeah well sorta. I umm well I am about to leave. I don't think I past the exam and there are so people that are about to be pissed enough to umm do bad things to me." He straightened his bag on his back and looked again in to her eyes. She was pretty to say no the least but he was leaving so he shook it off. "Oh umm where you needing something?" He finally asked realizing he was still holding her hand he let go after another quick shake.

"Bad things?" Mei looked a little bemused at Syrus's explanation, drawing back her hand to rest on her hip as her eyes met his playfully. "What did you do, copy someone's answers or something?" She teased lightly, tossing her long hair over her shoulder as she spoke to the awkward looking boy. He didn't seem so bad. Not very elegant in his wording, but at least he was speaking to her.

"Well...the thing is...I need to find a man. His name is Corvo," Mei moved on, a frown pulling at her features as she wrapped her arms around herself protectively. "I have an appointment with him. But I've never been to Balamb before, and I'm all alone so I'm kinda nervous. But no one will listen to me..."

Pitch black.

A space, of nothing but pitch blackness. It was different from the dark. The dark .... felt cold ... and enveloping. The blackness, was different. It was just there. Slowly, his conscience came. Xerox started to wake, in this space of pitch blackness.Where ... am I ... he thought. He was on nothingness, but could still place his hands on .... something, that he could not really identify. Getting up, slowly, he looked around, all around him it was black, yet ... he could somehow see own hands still. It was odd, so very odd.

"So you have woken, Xerox?" A deep voice echoed in the black space. Turning around, Xerox could see a blue light surrounding something. It was his Guardian Force. "Varvadoss ...." he replied, unsure of what to say. It was surreal to be able to make contact with his GF like this. "Where is this place Varvadoss? And how did I get here?" Xerox asked, confused about the situation.

"This is my dimension. The one that belongs solely to me, the place I live. I have summoned you, in query of what you have been using the space I have given you." The deep voice was authoritative. Varvadoss's tentacles that spewed forth from his bottom half, wriggled around everywhere as he spoke. His upper half, like that of a man, his eyes were white, and looked down from above, emitting an overpowering presence before Xerox.

"Summoned? As in, the way we summon GFs ... the GFs can summon us? Intriguing ...."
"Ha! As always, you seem to try to learn more about the things around you. However, it is only I that can do that boy. For I control space and dimensions. It is a simple matter to summon you here. Back to the topic on hand .... what did you do with the space I gave to you? There have been distortions." His voice was still authoritative, but friendlier, compared to before.
"Oh ... I see. Ah .... I used it to teleport myself from one place to another." Xerox replied nonchalantly.
"You ... WHAT!?" Something akin to anger was found in Varvadoss's tone, but more so shock. "I gave you that space to store things. I told you nothing living is to enter, and yet you used it to travel? Endangering your life so readily?"
"Well, that's the only way to test if it works in the first place."
"...."

A moment of silence then passed, before a roaring laughter was heard.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! I knew you were an interesting one. To actually.... invent, was it? Something that would help something that was living pass into that dimensional pocket."
"Well ... It's not like I can pass any living thing. Only myself at the moment."
"Nonetheless, you are interesting. Although, I would like the details, it appears your time is up."
"Huh?"

Xerox looked at his body, it was phasing again. "One last question, is the reason I was phasing out of my world, due to you summoning me?"
Varvadoss nodded, before turning his back and leaving Xerox.

Phasing back into his own world, Xerox suddenly appeared, fuzzy, on the bed he was previously on. Dr. Kadowaki could see the boy, suddenly appearing, slowly gaining shape and a fixation in this realm. It was shocking for her to see this sudden appearance.

His eyes opened, seeing the ceiling of the infirmary. "Ugh ...." Xerox's head was still groggy, unsure if it was due to the reverse summoning (as he dubs it) or if it is due to something else. Starting to sit upright, he knew that night was coming, and he would be able to start moving soon. "Hey, doc .... what's the time?" he asked, not looking at Dr. Kadowaki's direction.

---

Without much to do, Rue started to wonder around the campus. People tried to crowd around him, but he would always slip by them. Making a sad cry a few times, Rue wandered if there was anything he could do right now. As he walked around, he ended up starting to head towards the front gates.

He stood in silence, unsure of how to deal with the outpouring of Eika's mixed grief and guilt. She was going through the stages that everyone did after their first taste of combat; confusion, guilt, rationalisation. Eventually she might reach the same point as himself; pure apathy. It near broke his heart to think that one of his students might give up like that. She grabbed his sleeve, as if reaching out for support and her monologue took an ever darker turn. Duncan wasn't one for fortune telling and superstition, but Eika had a talent he couldn't deny, endorsed as it was by half the school... If she said that she had seen, then he would believe. She eventually ran out of words, stumbling and blushing into silence; he couldn't just leave on that note. He reached out, resting one hand on her head, stroking gently. '... You've done nothing wrong, child. I'd be dead if you hadn't come for me and I can never thank you enough for that.' But perhaps I can return the favour... 'Tell you what; I promise that whatever happens in there, I'll stick around to keep you company. You know, I've always wanted a classroom assistant.' Duncan gave her a cheeky wink, ruffling her hair gently. 'Wait for me on the balcony. I'll treat you to dinner after I'm done here.'

As the lift door opened and Duncan turned away, his paternal smile dissolved into his best professional scowl. He headed down the corridor at a fast clip, entering Corvo's surprisingly austere office. '... Instructor Lerwick. You know my feelings on tardiness.' Duncan bowed in apology, before settling down before his superior. Corvo's eyes drilled into his, but when he spoke it was with an almost gentle tone. 'Now then... Duncan. How are you holding up?'

---

An hour later Duncan stepped from the office, fighting back equally strong waves of nausea and emotion. Corvo had shown a different side to himself today, that of an officer caring for his subordinates; not so dissimilar to how Duncan himself had tried to comfort Eika... But he had also given news of Duncan's new assignment. Not good news by any account. After taking a moment to regain his composure, Duncan headed back toward where Eika was waiting. He would need to have a good wash first, but he needed that dinner now more than ever, with a few beers to boot.

Should just turn around. Yup, no point in doing this really. Things happen and well...that is that. Uh huh, rest is needed, rest is what everyone needs, it's been a long day for everyone.

Despite the thoughts running repeatedly through her head, Charlotte had decided to go pay a visit to Syrus and Xerox at the infirmary. It wasn't like she had anything better to do rather than sit in her room pouring over her books. Well, that was what she wanted to do. But it wasn't right. Actually, she didn't much feel like being alone in all honesty. The girl had actually gone out to look for Instructor Duncan, but it seemed he had been with Corvo when she went to look for him. It wasn't until she had sat down on a bench and saw Rue that she thought of Xerox. Both he and Syrus had gotten shipped to the Infirmary, so why not pay a visit? She wasn't that distant from people. Well, yes she was...but it was too late to turn back as she would enter. She couldn't remember if visiting hours were up or not, but if she was denied then she could always just...come back.

Taking in a deep breath, Charlotte walked into the infirmary rather up tightly, clutching a pair of roses. She was definitely not used to visiting people. But when they got sick, people brought flowers right? To her surprise, Dr. Kadowaki wasn't around. Perhaps she was checking up on them? She would go to the first room, expecting to see Syrus, though his bed was empty. Was he well enough to be moving around already? She wasn't entirely sure, though maybe it wasn't out of character for him to be wandering around anyway. Instead she would leave and go to the next room, where she would see Xerox. He would say something about Dr. Kadowaki as well, though this time she was present here.

"Forgive my intrusion." She would say with a small frown. "I wanted to see if Xerox was doing better."

Syrus had been in the middle of a breath when she said she was looking for Corvo and he choked. "Oh ummm well seeing as how you seem nice and all I would wonder why you are looking for him. I, well, ok I will take you to him. He should be in his office. I heard him call my instructor in a little bit ago." He turned and waved her to come on. Heading back into the Garden he had a mix of feelings. Something was different about this place and well he couldn't ACTUALLY leave without saying good bye to the headmaster now could he. He would decide what to do when he dropped the new girl off at Corvo's office. He went to the elevator and got in wating for her too. When she got in he pressed the button for Corvo's office. He like the headmaster had his own little floor as an office. The doors opened and he stepped out with the girl. He then went down the small hallway and knocked on the door of Corvo's office and waited for him to answer.

Mei Song

"Oh, thank you!" Mei looked exuberent at Syrus's offer, her search for assistance finally reaching its end as she promptly followed the flame-haired male's lead. "Right behind you, sir!" She performed a mock salute and a smile that could melt butter before she allowed him to guide them onwards into the Garden.

---

Honestly, the complex was hardly what Mei expected of the military academy at all. She had heard of the unique structure before; each section of the Garden was separated in rings, with adjoining corridors that led to the centre of the building like spokes of a wheel. The ground was also bridged over a large expanse of clear blue water that stemmed from majestic-looking aquatic statues that decorated the vicinity. Mei strongly suspected that the designer for the Garden's structure had been largely influenced by the coastal environment of Balamb Town.

Mei came to a sudden halt as she came across a large directory detailing what each section of the Garden actually was, and how to get there. "Ooh, this looks interesting. Can you-?" It took a moment for Mei to halt her questions as she realized that the redhead was missing from her sight. "Oh no...not again...", she moaned aloud, her eyes quickly scanning over the dozen heads of students that emerged around her. Fortunately, she caught a signature flash of red that told her that the boy was somewhere near the elevator at the centre of the Garden, and Mei was quick to take pursuit.

"Phew." Mei wiped beads of sweat from her forehead in a slightly exaggerated pose as she stepped beside the boy in the elevator, waiting for the doors to slide shut and lift them upwards. A finger twirled the tendrils of her hair idly as she dared to shoot the male a curious glance out of the corner of her eye. His expression was somber and serious, as if he was thinking about many things at once, and judging by his stiff, tense body posture, it was clear that those things were causing him a lot of inner turmoil. So, Mei bit her tongue. She would keep quiet and let him work things out. For now.

The elevator clanged to a stop, and the door slid open to reveal a hallway. Nothing unexpected here, Mei mused, silently following the boy's footsteps as he led her to one of the office doors and rapped his knuckles on the door. After this moment, Mei just couldn't find it in herself to remain quiet anymore. "You know, I don't even know your name!" She sounded slightly appalled with herself as she forced the boy to meet her gaze head on by stepping into his field of vision. "I've been forcing you to cart me around, and I don't even know the first thing about my rescuer." She offered him a bright, playful smile. "Hopefully, you will give me that at the very least."

---

Asa Fiore

Checking into the Galbadia Hotel ranked as one of Ace's first priorities upon arriving at Deling City.

Stepping up to the reception desk, skin mottled with blood, sweat and dirt, Ace took a quiet note of amusement in the way the receptionist gaped at her appearance. "Rough day at the office," Ace offered in way of explanation, running a hand through her messy tousled hair casually as she glanced over at the clock. It was pretty late, but she could manage a few drinks before calling it a night. "I have a reservation in advance. Ace Fiore?"

"Huh? Oh...oh!" The receptionist looked through her logbook furtively, spotting her name with an audible squeak as she bowed humbly. "My apologies, sir! Here's your room key." She rummaged for something under her desk before presenting her with a worn-looking silver key. "Please...uh, have a nice stay!"

She's new, Ace inwardly remarked with a tilt of her head as she pocketed the room key for safe-keeping. Ace never really stayed in one place long enough to take notice of trivial matters like the turnover of employees and such. In fact, there was a reason why she always specifically asked for a different room whenever she was based in Deling. Familiarity was...dangerous.

"I'm heading downstairs. Have a good night," Ace gave her a dismissive nod before heading straight for the bar downstairs, her intentions of getting inebriated all too dire at this point.

---

The bar itself was fairly crowded with Galbadian soldiers, as was to be expected after a long hard mission. Some of them were already slouched over the tables, rows of bottles standing testament to their wills as drool trickled from their slacked mouths. Others were a little too energetic, their eyes watching lecherously at the poor waitresses that tried not to stumble over a fallen stool or wayward limb. For such a refined looking establishment, the army didn't half make it look sleazy.

Ace was perched on a stool away from the debacle, nursing her own bottle green beverage in her hands. She took a long swig of her favoured beer, sighing as the cool frothy liquid slid down her throat. Normally, she was one for moderation when it came to alcohol. Drinking too much could cause her to lose her inhibitions, which was risky for someone like her, who couldn't risk even one slip in her act. However, after the day she'd endured, Asa ventured to let herself go, just for one night.

She wanted to drown in her sorrows, and she reckoned she was at least entitled to that.

"L-Lieutenant..." A familiar-sounding slur reached her ears, and she turned her head slightly to watch in annoyance as one of her surviving soldiers approached her. Oh, great. She really wasn't in the mood for a living reminder of her failures. "I didn't figure you'd be down here with us..."

"Yeah, well. I fancied a drink," Ace's response was flat, taking another sip of her beer as she looked away disdainfully. "You should get back to those other goons."

"But I wanted to talk to you, sir," the soldier hiccuped defiantly, swaying slightly on the spot as he grabbed a spare stool for support. "On that tower, sir. You were really amazing..."

"Not in the mood, soldier," Ace's words were cutting, her hazel eyes lighting up slightly in anger. "I came here to drink, not to banter with some lout..."

"But you really were, Lieutenant sir!" The soldier yelled back defiantly, which gave Ace the sneaking suspicion that the drunkard hadn't listened to a word she said. "Like when that punk-ass kid got you into a chokehold and you just grappled out of it like a pro! And man, the moves you were making when you fought that reaper guy..."

"..." Asa let out a tired groan. She had already relived the events on that damned tower enough times on the gunship without this idiot to remind her of them. "Screw this, I'm finishing my drink in my room...", she scowled, reaching the end of her tether as she got up with her bottle in her hand.

"What? Aw sir, don't be like that, I-" The soldier cut off suddenly, his face turning an interesting shade of green as his eyes glazed over. "Ugh...I'm gonna..."

On this particular occasion, Ace was more than a little thankful that she had sharp reflexes. She took a quick step back just as the soldier started to heave and spew all over the floor, her nose wrinkling in disgust. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see one of the waitresses watching on in pure horror at the mess she would have to clean up later.

Oh, the joys of the Galbadian Army...

She excused herself promptly and slipped away back upstairs and away from the emerging chaos that inevitably followed.

---

Eventually, Asa managed to retire to her hotel room, the silence both welcoming and suffocating to her senses as she closed the door with a soft click. Finally, she was completely alone with her own thoughts, with no soldier or SeeD to disturb her.

She set aside her bag and kicked off her boots, flexing her toes on the soft, royal blue carpet. So much happened today.

She padded over to the window, bottle in hand, her eyes casting over the busy nightlife that buzzed around the city. Today, she had failed her objective, and lost the lives of the men in her care. Today, a whole city had been completely decimated on a whim, and all because the Galbadians didn't like to lose.

The lives that had been lost. The stories that would never be told. Out there, Ace would shrug them off, keep up the cool and distant act and just say 'That's the nature of war'. That's the mantra she would live by. But here, in the sanctuary of these four walls, Asa would drink in their honour.

"This is on you, Fett..." Her lips tugged into a wistful smile before drinking the remaining dregs of her beer, and allowing her exhausted body to hit the mattress..

Swiftly, she fell asleep to the soft hum of traffic and the comforting smell of clean linen.

Syrus stood wide eyed for a second. "I umm wow you must think my extremely rude. My name is Syrus...Syrus Cromwell." He then realized that he had been ignoring something at the back of his mind. Phoenix had been shouting at him since he had gotten out of the bed. Bitching at him for even thinking about leaving. "Oh I am sorry for being so quite earlier... I have a lot on my mind...and that gives me no excuse does it." Syrus scoffed at himself. Telling himself he was stupid he continued to ignore Phoenix in the back of his mind. "So are you a transfer student or maybe a new teacher? Hell maybe your a SeeD already." He waited to see which would respond first. Corvo or Mei. It did seem like it was taking Corvo a bit. Was he even in his office still?

A small speaker broke into their conversation with Corvo's flat, cold drawl. 'Student number 01856-24, Cromwell. Your friend can wait outside for a moment boy, but you and I need to have a little chat. The door is open.' The line fell silent and the door unlocked with an audible click. Once Syrus stepped inside, he would find himself in an oddly unembellished office lined with computer terminals and filing cabinets. There were enough security monitors to cover the entire school grounds from here; Corvo undoubtedly had a formidable intelligence network. The Head Instructor waved him toward a seat to one side and begun talking regardless of whether Syrus took it. '... You may not know much about me boy, but I know more about you than anyone else in this country. I know all about your... gift. And I understand why you would want to keep it hidden.' He leaned forward across the desk, chin resting on steepled fingers. 'However, you are an asset to this Garden, an investment. I have poured more money into your education since coming here than most SeeD contracts earn the company. Do you understand what I mean, boy? You owe me. And with God as my witness, I shall see a return on my investment.' The old man's eyes drilled into Syrus, unflinching and unsympathetic. 'So the next time you feel like running away, spare a thought for me and the lengths that I will go to to ensure your loyalty. Am I understood?' Another member of staff might have tried to camouflage Garden's intentions regarding the world's first Sorcerer, dressing them up with pretty words; Corvo did no such thing, laying the truth of Syrus' relationship to the organisation out bare. He was an asset, one paid and cared for by Garden; in return for that support, he was to do as he did best and fight. '... I have high hopes for you within SeeD. Do not disappoint me. Now... please send in that young lady.'

---

'Man... soldiers are assholes. This one guy nearly cut off my arm, ya know?' The warm sensation in his chest mumbled something in reply and Kein sighed. First thing he had done on return to Garden was set out to find this girl, but naturally she had found him first. To be exact, she had tazed him and dragged his unconscious body back to her dorm. When he awoke, Kein had been bathed, dried and was resting on someone else's bed in a bathrobe... He had long since stopped being surprised by his girlfriend's antics though. 'He didn't cut anything important.', the mumbling voice replied. One eye poked up from under the covers, giving Kein a cheeky smirk. 'I checked.' A playful giggle soon erupted into raucous laughter, enough for the neighbour to hammer on the wall for quiet. The girl stood, revealing a prim and proper SeeD uniform with an instructor's badge marked Yoko Ono. 'Come on, oh mighty conqueror. Let's get some dinner.' As Kein got dressed, he spared a thought for those in Dollet, the innocents who had lost their lives, the comrade that he had never known, even the soldiers he had fought. He was starting to understand why Yoko was so flippant about death... laughing made it so much easier to deal with. 'I'm leaving without you!' Kein stumbled over himself running for the door.

Syrus had entered the room and caught glimpses of a camera network that was very sophisticated. Images and screens everywhere. Syrus only could guess what was in the filing cabinets. Corvo had directed him to sit down and he did. Syrus wasn't sure what this was going to be about but he was a little shaken at how perfect this seemed to have been setup. Before Syrus had a chance to open his mouth Corvo started in on him. As soon as he had mentioned his "gift" the blood in Syrus' face drained out of it. His face was now as white as a sheet of paper freshly printed from the mill. Syrus had also dropped his jaw slightly and wanted to say something but sounds weren't something he could make right now. Then he reached the part of mentioning SeeD and how he expected to see a return on his investments. Was Corvo trying to be caring in some strange way or was he seriously blackmailing him into staying and fighting for Balamb Garden? Also on a more serious thought was he just accepted into SeeD? Corvo had then told him to leave and send in the new girl. Syrus stood robotic in nature and walked out similarly. "I umm well he is ready for you Mei." He managed to get out as he walked to the elevator and leaned against the wall.

"Well, it is just a little past 1930 Xerox. You should continue with your rest. Most of your wounds are superficial, but your body was .... Well, in a bit of a different situation ... Exactly ... how did you just appear?"
Was the reply Xerox got from Dr. Kadowaki.
"I see ... well ... Let's just say quantum superpositioning." He replied to her, holding his head with one hand.

"Huh? Wha...." The doctor was about to reply as Charlotte came. "Oh, do not worry, you are not intruding. In fact, great timing. Xerox just started to wake, I will leave you two to talk." Dr. Kadowaki then left the two, going back to her office in the next room.

"Ugh...." he still groaned. Xerox was feeling a headache and groggy, very much like a hangover, just worse. "That voice .... is that you Charlotte?" Xerox was upright, the blankets still pulled up against him. "Good work today." he bowed, showing sincerity. It was something he said to others after any sort of work, or exams, or activities. "Was there something you needed of me?" he asked, slowly swinging his legs off the bed.

He started to try to get off the bed. But something felt very strange to him. His legs were oddly cold. In fact his back was feeling cold when he was upright on the bed. Just as Xerox fully got off the bed, he looked down, and finally realized.... he was actually naked."Shit!" he actually said aloud, jumping into the bed covers. Under the covers, he could feel his uniform. Did Varvadoss do this!? Transport the clothes separately or something!? That bastard! He cursed his Guardian force in his mind. Xerox was extremely embarrassed, and his face flared. He hoped Charlotte had not noticed, and would not think poorly of him. Why did this have to happen now!?

His exposure was only for a quick moment. It was only for a split second, but it must have been a shock to the girl either way. He wanted to cover his face from the embarrassment of having just fully exposing himself in front of a girl like a pervert out of nowhere. All Xerox could do was wait for her to respond, hopefully .... without mentioning that or calling him a pervert or something.

---

Seeing Syrus and an unknown girl around going up the lift, Rue walked passed the entrance of the main Garden building, and headed towards the campus entrance. On part of the wall that surrounded the Garden, there were ledges. Rue climbed on to the wall. From there, he started to walk along the top of the wall. Without Xerox, there wasn't much for Rue to do. He didn't really interact with anyone, and most of the people who came to interact with him, he found troublesome, with most of them wanting to cuddle and pat him.

"Hmm?" Mei broke out of her train of thought as Syrus left the office, his skin white as a sheet and his movements stiff and unnatural. What on earth happened in there? Her gaze travelled to the office door with a curious gleam in her eyes. Syrus had mentioned something about being in trouble before, or so she recalled. Did the Head Instructor punish him in some way?

Whatever did this Syrus person do in the first place?

"Well..." Her eyes glanced from the door back to Syrus with a frown tugging her lips. "I have to go now. Just...go get some rest, ok? You don't look so good." Her voice was steeped in concern. "I'm sure whatever it is, it really can't be all that bad. Gotta keep positive, yeah?" She gave him the most sugar-coated smile she could offer. "Thank you for your help, Syrus. You're a real sweetheart."

And with a wave and a trademark wink, Mei disappeared into Corvo's office, the sound of her jewellery chiming softly as the door closed behind her.

Nothing wrong...

That was what she'd done? Not quite one to believe, Eika toyed with her voodoo doll as she leaned over the balcony and sighed softly. She'd been quick to depart once Duncan had stepped off to give his debriefing to the Headmaster, self-control taking hold to keep her from performing anything stupid. With little else to do, she'd had her orbs circling around her as she looked into the magic that Syrus had used on her. Far above anything she has seen before...it would take practice to make use of what he had created to trap her, but...she would most likely manage. A bit of tinkering here and there would have a beam shot at an apple that Nom Nom provided and tossed into the air as a target. By her nature, it was a partial success on the first attempt. Half of the apple was invaded in a form of crystal...err...

While the other half had kissed it's sorry left self goodbye and been obliterated into literal ash.

Okay. She'd try that again later...A clearing of the throat and she shrugged as she looked up at one of her quartet, addressing attention to the eyeball that soon opened up and stared down at her inquisitively.

"...Is it true?..."

A churning beneath her feet ran a shiver up her spine as she slowly covered her eyes and took a deep breath. The eyeball within the orb would take a bright red hue as it began to dart around wildly, finally focusing in to allow Eika to see what the Guardian Force had foreseen whilst she had surrendered to the desperation of slumber.

Three graves.

Màriè Exoris Munashii.
Her mother.
Reigen Munashii.
Her father.
Tsurenai Munashii.
Her brother.

...And where was she?

Nowhere. Not where she should be. Mourning their loss.

Tears would fall from the crimson optics of hers as she finally lurched forward and the sight that Visionary gave her broke off. ...Too real to be a dream. Too late to be a mere possibility. All she could do was try her damnedest to keep the urging sobs silent and to bite back the nausea that followed in the wake of understanding that...

They were dead. Weren't they?

Not what she should have looked into before what could moreorless be called a dinner date with her Instructor, that was for sure. All she could do, as the small PuPu hopped up to begin wiping at her tears, was try to calm herself down and pick herself back up before he got here and saw a mess of the girl that'd mindlessly charged into an enemy- occupied tower to save his life.

She had an image to keep somewhere around that considerate fact now, didn't she?

Good work? That was a laugh. Although Charlotte had to secretly admit she was somewhat relieved to hear it. Charlotte would nod in acknowledgment at his comment, though of course he would then ask if she wanted anything out of him. Was her visiting really that out of character for her? Perhaps it was, so maybe she shouldn't jump to conclusions. Speaking of conclusions, her intrusion would soon have a consequence even she did not see coming. Xerox would get off the bed, which under normal circumstances shouldn't have been a big deal. It was the fact that he was naked that made it a big deal. In actuality lots of people slept naked or in their underwear, so it should not have been a shock, really. Except that as a teenage girl who not only had no interest in relationships and had never even gotten close enough to a male to even consider thinking about the male body, this had completely caught her off guard.

For the first time in a very long time Charlotte had actually been stunned to silence, her jaw dropped, eyes very briefly flickering.

Clearing her throat (wow that must have been loud) she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. His face was red, no doubt hers was too. She also noticed that she hadn't moved an inch since the...flashing. Oh that was a bad name for it. This was not a joke. It was only then that she noticed she had been staring rather intently at him. Oh dear gods kill me now. "Something I needed? Nothing in particular." She responded, her tone noticeably deadpan. "I thought I would come visit you and Syrus, though he seems to not be around...so here I am." She offered a small shrug, though she would walk over to the bed, taking a chair and sitting down. "Unless you don't want me here, in which case I understand and will leave if need be." Charlotte would pause for a moment, then resumed with, "I brought you...this. It's custom to bring flowers for wishes of wellness." She would extend her hand, offering one of the roses to him.

Still unsettled by the Head Instructor acting so out of character, Duncan rounded the corner faster than he intended and looked up from the floor into the tear-streaked eyes of his student. He floundered, unsure of what to say or how to react; waterworks had always caught Duncan unprepared. He could guess well enough what was on her mind; of all his students from Dollet, Eika was one of the only ones with family there. There had been no word on casualties as yet but... he doubted that half of Dollet's citizens would survive the night. After a few false starts, he was able to marshal his thoughts. 'I... can't understand what you're going through, but I sympathise. I've never lost family but, uh... in this line of work, sometimes you... lose friends.' After a moment of awkward silence, he stepped forward and gently pulled Eika's head into his chest, hoping that his condolences would be felt rather than heard. 'It never gets any easier and I've never found a way to cope. So don't... don't hold it in.' While he could not truly understand what Eika was going through and prayed that he never could, the SeeD understood loss and so even if he couldn't quite find the words to comfort the girl, he did his best to be there for her. 'Some... sometimes I find it helps to... talk about... these things. Then again, other times I find that killing things helps. Part of being a merc I guess.' Aside from that last slight moment of introspection, Duncan had no advice to give, no great words of consolation and felt pretty damn useless for it...

"Ah ... I see ..." Xerox replied, his body under the covers. He did not look in Charlotte's direction due to his embarrassment. "I am glad you came to visit." As he spoke, he was shifting around under the covers trying to get his clothes on. Although, they weren't his usual clothes, since he was in uniform only moments ago, it was better than being butt-naked. "Thanks..." he said, taking the rose Charlotte offered.

For a moment, there was silence. He wasn't quite sure what to say to her. "Um... so .... is there something you would like to talk about?" he ended up asking her, trying to fill the silence. Xerox was buttoning the uniform under the covers now, and was mostly dressed, but he stayed under them for now. "Oh right ... have the results come out yet? If so what are they?" All he could do was try to keep the conversation going. There wasn't much that he could think of to talk about, he was not usually a talkative person in day-to-day conversations.

Syrus had finally pressed the button to go back to the ground floor. The elevator was empty when he entered and no one got on the whole time. He walked passed everyone in the halls and ignored greetings. He finally made it to the room and sat on the edge of the bed. On the door when he had entered was a note or rather an invitation to a graduation ball tonight. Syrus sighed and decided to get some rest before the ball tonight. He lay back in the bed and fell asleep and for once didn't dream...

A chime cut in across the school tannoy, interrupting a dozen conversations. 'Attention, attention. All SeeD candidates who participated in today's Field Test, please make your way to the second floor landing and await further instruction. I repeat, all SeeD candidates who participated in today's Field Test, please make your way to the second floor landing and await further instruction. Thank you.' Duncan froze midway through trying to comfort Eika; he was supposed to give that announcement... With a sense of dread, he looked at his PDA to confirm what he already knew; they were late. He needed to return to the classroom and organise his paperwork, as well as write up the Rank Reports for those who had passed. But be couldn't very well leave her in this state... The Instructor cast around desperately, not even sure what he was looking for until he gave up. '... Sorry about this, but I need to do some paperwork. You can come sit in the classroom with me if you want, until you feel a bit better.' He led on toward his room, assuming that Eika was following him, his mind racing as the worked out what to write... After talking with Corvo it was already decided who would pass, but their initial SeeD Ranks would be up to him. Easier said than done, considering he had spend half the test separated from them. Striding up to his lectern, Duncan marshalled his thoughts and began to tap away at his computer.

Down the corridor, Yoko and Kein were on their way too. 'I should have been here earlier but... well, I have priorities, right?' Yoko put on an uncharacteristically childish pout and Kein remembered her role within Garden; she served as an assistant to various instructors, organising lessons and shepherding students around the campus. She was probably responsible for gathering the candidates for the test results. Of course that her priorities involved checking that his parts were all in the right place spoke volumes for her work ethic. 'Don't look at me, it's not like I'll punish you for... it...' Immediately regretting his choice of words, Kein pointedly averted his gaze from his girlfriend's suddenly lit-up eyes. He could see that she was about to say something, likely something quite personal from the glint in her eye, but fortunately one of the others turned up just in time. '... You can tell me all about that idea later, dear. In minute detail.' It was amazing how she could switch from gruelling pervert to upstanding instructor in a matter of seconds...

Something she wanted to talk about? Charlotte had come to see if he was well. That was all. Except she had stuck around after the fact so of course Xerox would think that she would want to converse. Of course. Right? It was then that he would go on to ask about the exam. In all honesty, it wasn't something she really wanted to think or talk about. Unfortunately for her, the fates would force their hand. When Charlotte would open her mouth to reply, the announcement would follow. It would seem that they would have to face the consequences of their actions sooner rather than later. She let out a rather heavy sigh, though she would stand from her seat.

"I believe that answers your question." Charlotte told Xerox, lightly scratching her cheek. "We should get going. Although...I am not sure that the results will be to my advantage." She admitted rather quietly. Letting a few seconds of silence linger, she would lightly flip her hair over her shoulders and turn to the door. "Well...forgive my intrusion. I am certain you will want to get dressed now." She nodded rather seriously, though she would look Xerox right in the eyes as she said it. "I will wait outside and we can go to the classroom together when you finish."

Syrus finally rolled out of the bed. He felt still something nagging at him but wasn't sure what to do about it. Officials at the school surely knew about him and he was to be their weapon it seemed. Would they force him? Hunt him down if he tried to leave. He wished he could pull the answers from someone's lips but it seemed like that was far beyond his reach. His thoughts were interrupted by a page that went over head through the school. I was warning all SeeD candidates to report to the second floor landing. Syrus was almost to scared to go but he would have to pull on his best face and try his best. Syrus then got up grabbed a quick shower then was out the door. He had brought his cards along with him. He was notorious for playing cards, he could be found during class running training games against himself. He had collected his own GF's card and most of the first tier of cards. Sadly he had yet to face anyone with another rare card or any second or third tier cards, but he was determined that this would be the thing that would cheer him up tonight. He had existed the room and made it to the elevator. Up to the second floor and outside in the hall Syrus went. Finally someone playing cards. He issued a challenge to the winner of the game and soon faced him. The guy ran a mech hand. He was a tough opponent but was no match for a triple flip when Syrus played his ace, Phoenix. He took home two cards. One a third tiered card and another a first tiered card. They shook hands and Syrus went on to the landing and sat in his spot waiting on others to show up.