Mei was more than a little taken aback by Syrus's response as he took her hand and quickly settled into the rhythm of the dance, matching the three beat count with ease as they danced in perfect synchronicity. As they settled into the rhythm of the box step, Mei couldn't help but feel her mind reel with disbelief. Despite how nervous and awkward he had appeared towards her earlier that day, he was taking this whole situation in his stride.

Hmm... Mei's eyes lit up with a curious gleam. He's...interesting.

"Settled in...? Oh no, I'm not a student," Mei laughed breezily at his question, meeting his steps toe-to-toe as she pivoted into a quarter turn smoothly, following the flow of the fellow dancers surrounding them. "It's more like...business. But I'm not really allowed to tell you. It's...kinda a secret." Mei looked slightly torn at her own answer, her teeth pulling at her lip slightly even as she kept up with his brisk dance steps. "But hang on. You just said you were part of the graduating class? That means...you're a real SeeD, right?" Mei's interest was clearly piqued, her eyes meeting his with an eager curiosity even as her body moved fluidly into a graceful spin.

He smiled at her as they danced but still aware of the beat and rhythm. This was the one thing he had took pleasure in while he was here. Music and dance. On the battle field he was of sorts dancing but to the beat of the battle. Heh the beat of the last battle was a bit off tune but he managed it seemed. "Well yes I am a REAL SeeD now. Lower rank than what I wanted or what I think I deserved but I will prove myself in the end." They went into a another spin and he drew her in close after. "So you know you are a real mystery Miss Mei. I mean you know I am SeeD, I know how to dance, and that when we first met I was a babbling mess. Which I apologize for, I was a mess over something else and it didn't help to have such a beauty cross my path and throw my plans out the window." He said teasingly. "But I am glad you did because everything has been...somewhat set right in the least and I got to dance with you." The song was almost over and he didn't want it to end but maybe he or maybe even she would drag him to the dance floor sometime during the night.

Mei listened as Syrus answered her question with an air of arrogance in regards to his rank, a giggle bubbling from her chest as she spun with an enthusiastic swivel of her heel, a bright smile spreading across her lips when he caught her in a close embrace. "I'm sure you will," she reassured him with an encouraging nod of her head. "I mean, you've surprised me tonight."

Her eyebrows flew up as the redhead called her a mystery, a guilty look appearing on her face as she opened her mouth in an attempt to apologise for her secrecy. However, he quickly caught her off guard with the 'beauty' remark, which caused Mei's features to become noticeably flustered as she suddenly stumbled on one of the timed steps. "Ooh, I'm sorry! I mean, umm...thank you..." she murmured with an uncharacteristically reserved voice, quickly finding the rhythm of the song again as she pretended as if nothing had occurred. "And umm...for what it's worth...I'm glad you didn't leave," she said softly, their movements slowing to a halt as the ballroom was suddenly illuminated by a vivid array of fireworks exploding into the night sky. Mei looked up at the glass ceiling and watched as the fountain of sparks rained down across the heavens, her eyes taking in every spectrum of colour that appeared before fading back into the inky darkness. "It's really...pretty...", she breathed quietly as she silently watched the display.

Jericho was in the middle of drinking his fifth glass when Gracelyn asked him what he thought of the ball festivities happening around them. He took the few seconds to finish his drink to mull over his answer, having a hard time not looking as she twirled her emerald colored dress. She's actually kind of attr-what am I doing? He cut himself off mid thought and instead returned to answering the question at hand. "Well, I don't understand the need for all the extra pomp and circumstance, if that's what you're asking. As for the dancing," setting the empty glass down, he offers Gracelyn his hand, "why not use it to kill time until there's something better to do?"

A smile spread across his lips as she stumbled a little and he pretended that nothing happened as he flowed back into the flow of the song. He was about so say something to her but the night sky above them erupted into lights and color as the fire works went off above them. He had surprised her and she had said that she was glad he didn't leave. She was definitely an interesting person and he wanted to know more, but for now he would spend the moments he had watching the fireworks go off above them. He even shifted some of the colors with his magic, one of the many tricks he could do with out detection and harmless to boot. Still looking up he was still holding her hand and squeezed it lightly as the colorful show above continued. "Hey Mei. Thank you for this." He said as he raised her hand and kissed it. "I haven't gotten to dance with someone in a long time." He was now not sure what to do. Should he ask her to go to the meeting spot for a drink and to watch the fire works some more or should he bid her a good night and retire to his room.

Gracelyn sat and drank her drank. She was now on her sixth and still going strong. She was downing them and wasn't stopping at any point. "As for the dancing, why not use it to kill time until there's something better to do?" The question caught her off guard, was HE asking HER to dance? It was a little crazy considering how lazy they both were.

Jericho raised his hand to hers. "Oh? What's this? My drinking buddy is now offering a dance to little ol me? Well I guess I shouldn't disappoint you." Gracelyn took his hand into hers, wrapping her hand around his. "Be careful now. I'm a dainty lady aren't I?" placing themselves in the correct position, they whisked around the room, twirling around each other. The music played around them and they danced through passing by multiple people. Gracelyn knew what she was doing, simply by merit of her parents teaching her how to dance when she was young. It was more of a dance instructor, sure, but they would step in every while to add some spice into the technique. They were silent for the first small amount of dancing, but now Gracelyn spoke up.

"So, how are you enjoying the dance so far?"

"Hmm...?" Mei looked away from the enchanting fireworks display at the sound of Syrus's voice, an abashed smile appearing on her face as Syrus thanked her for the dance. "Are you kidding? This was so much fun! I should be thanking you," she answered playfully, her eyes flickering down self-consciously at the way their hands were still entwined. She was about to say something about sitting out the next dance so that they could talk more, but he took her by surprise yet again as he suddenly lifted her hand and kissed it softly with a gentle brush of his lips. "S-Syrus...", she stammered nervously, her face the colour of Syrus's hair as she looked away bashfully at the other people dancing around them. "Then maybe...we can do this again sometime...", she murmured quietly, her lips curving into a secretive smile whilst her eyes flickered briefly to the illuminated clock above them. Oh, it was only almost midnight...

Wait. Midnight...?

"Oh!" A panicked cry escaped the distracted brunette as she immediately withdrew her hand from Syrus's grasp, her face contorting into a look of despair as she glanced over at Syrus apologetically. "I have to go! Like, right now. I have a train I have to catch, and...it's really important that I get back home," she explained with a sense of urgency, stepping away from him with a slightest hint of reluctance . "I'm really sorry. I-I wish I could explain, but uhh....bye!"

And with a flutter of grey satin, Mei disappeared into the dancing crowds, and out of sight.

Xerox's reaction was telling and Duncan leaned forward with a conspiratorial air, whispering just loud enough to be heard. '... Second base? First? Some over the clothes action, or just a sneaky peek when she wasn't paying attention? C'mon, I can tell you've got more details. I can smell it.' He too was feeling the fatigue of the day, but Duncan would be damned if he let this kind of story pass him buy. Plus I don't have to feel guilty for looking anymore since they're no longer students! In a way it was probably for the best that Eika would not be accompanying the team; he had always had a soft spot for long black hair. As time wore on and the two of them chatted, the music from the main hall slowed from waltz to slow dance, from slow dance to last call and eventually the ball quietly ended, before many of the guests even realised.

---

'Uh... Instructor? You ok man? I don't think he's awake guys.' While the sound was muddled by anti-hangover drugs and a sizeable amount of alcohol still in his system, Duncan could still hear Kein's nervous voice loud and clear. After a few false starts, he was able to push himself into a sitting position and reminded himself of where he was; classroom, 0830... he was supposed to give a briefing. A cursory glance around the room helped put things in perspective. Most of the SeeDs who had passed their test the day before were seated around the room, plus three others. When putting together the team for his new assignment, Duncan had been given access to dossiers on all SeeDs below his own rank, which had been quietly boosted a considerable degree for this op. In the end he had decided to add a few more qualified SeeDs to his roster, both to help the younger ones learn the ropes and so that he would have a few jaded souls to pitch in with the more morally grey jobs. Jericho Joranis had been an easy choice, given his contributions during the test and his very recent demotion for instigating a fight with another SeeD; adding Jericho also meant that he could take Gracelyn Trinser. The two had worked together in the past and apparently had a good working rapport; they would do well as his enforcers. The third figure was of course Yoko Ono, his newly promoted adjutant and strategist, although he suspected the girl had taken the assignment purely to stay close to her lover Kein. Regardless of their questionable relationship, Yoko was one of Garden's best strategic minds and a logistical savant; having her on his team was a no-brainer.

After a minute of thoughtful silence and with the meds finally kicking in, Duncan finally opened his mouth to speak. '... Good morning SeeDs. I am Duncan Lerwick and you have all been assigned to my new field command. As some of you may know, I was officially fired after the debacle at Dollet. Offically. But good ol' Corvo never makes things that simple, does he? So instead I've been reassigned to lead this long-term stealth op into Galbadia.' At Duncan's nod, Yoko stepped forward and activated the classroom's projectors. A series of maps appeared on screen. 'I am Yoko Ono, Mr Lerwick's second in command and field adjutant. I will be planning and organising most of our missions together. Now then...' Showing only pure professionalism and a cool demeanour, Yoko would be near unrecognisable to anyone who had witnessed her and Kein the night before. 'Our initial deployment will be by train to the town of Timber, where we shall establish a safehouse and make contact with the client.' As she spoke, the information on the board shifted to show a dossier on a group of Galbadian soldiers. 'Our client is a faction within the Galbadian Army that seeks to overthrow the government of President Deling; they have numerous powerful backers both within the country and without and as such, have amounted enough capital to hire an entire squad of SeeDs. No easy feat, let me tell you.' At this point Duncan took over, getting up to lean against the side of his desk. 'Naturally Garden approves of democratisation in Galbadia; Deling's administration has instigated a dozen wars over the last twenty years and the man himself is a complete cock. I should know, I met the bastard when I was a kid.' Not a particularly fond memory, but it had served as the inspiration for naming his bitebug years later. Both Vinzers looked somewhat alike in his eyes; a pair of parasitic monsters with poison tongues. 'Garden already has agents in Timber, so we have a few good sites for a safehouse. Today we just have to meet the faction's liaison, then set up shop.' They both sat back down and Duncan leaned forward on steepled fingers, his expression uncharacteristically serious. 'And that's about the whole of it. We're leaving at 1000 hours; if you have any questions, make it quick.'

As the instructor, his name apparently Duncan, went on, Gracelyn's mind drifted. The night last night had been weird for sure. It first started with finding her friend all bruised and battered. They proceeded into the ballroom and had a few drinks. That was when it started to get weird. After they had drank a little, Jericho sprung the surprising question of asking her to dance. It was weird as he never had asked her something like that before, and it made her mind wander. She took a quick glance at him across the room, and quickly looked back so he wouldn't catch her glance. As she was thinking, Duncan asked if anyone had any questions. Since she was feeling a little mischievous, she announced her own.

"Hey, will there be any snacks or such, or will we have to starve during this very important mission?"

Jericho had spent the early morning before the briefing sharpening his scythe and grumbling about the demotion. James had had every intention of ambushing Jericho the moment he was away from a crowd and that hallway had been perfect for just such an ambush. Hell, Lana had even defended Jericho against his former CO, saying that James had had it out for him since he requested the transfer, among other things. In the end though, he'd still fought with another member of SeeD and the result was a demotion. Now he'd use the next few months regaining his rank instead of earning a promotion to the next one. The scythe as sharp as it would get, he had arrived at the briefing just ahead of Gracelyn and now he sat listening to everything rather than interjecting. In fact, Jericho was rather interested to hear how Duncan would reply to her question.

"I am telling you, nothing happened!" Xerox replied to Duncan. "Quit being so insistent." They continued in this manner for a while, before moving onto other topics. Rue had dropped by as well, but was dragged off again by other people. Before they knew it, the ball had finished and the night wound down to a close.

---

Taking an early morning shower and then having breakfast, Rue and Xerox had quiet the attention. Stories of Xerox taking on a what was essentially a base of soldiers and mechas single-handedly and Rue saving the ex-instructor Duncan had spread amongst some of the SeeD candidates. Rue was making some signals, and Xerox replied, "Yeah, I know, they are getting over-excited. But let them be. We gotta get to the debriefing for the next mission." Finishing off his orange juice at the same time as Rue, they quickly headed for the debriefing.

Reaching the room the debriefing was being held, he could see a still hung-over Duncan. Sighing a little, he sat down and noticed the others who came in. He noticed someone he briefly saw during the test and a bald woman as well as a few other SeeD. Most of the SeeD were the newly qualified SeeD, on their first big mission, including himself. Adjusting some of the bolts in his giant spanner, Xerox noticed the bald woman, who had sat further in front of him, look across at the SeeD who helped with the test, before turning back. He was curious as to what that was about, but then continued his work, while listening to Duncan.

Once the debriefing finished, the bald woman had ended up asking a question about snacks. Curious as to why she asked about snacks first thing, Xerox waited for an answer to be returned before asking his question. "How do we not know that this is not some sort of elaborate set up? Considering they are part of the Galbadian Army, this could all be a ploy." After asking his more seriously concerning question, he playfully added "Also, how much more did you drink last night after the ball? You still smell of booze."

Even as Yoko turned away to hide her facepalm, Duncan leaned forward to address the inquiry, his face a deadly serious mask. 'Indeed. Acquisition of provisions is a primary concern; as such, I will be appointing you to go ashore once we reach Timber to procure the necessary supplies.' His eyes narrowed to a point, greatly exaggerating the gravitas with which he spoke. '... And if you forget my cookies, I will demote you all.' Something in his tone suggested that Duncan might not be joking, but he rapidly returned to his normal casual laziness. 'Of course we could always just get takeaway every night, that'll go down well. "Excuse me, I'd like an eighteen inch pescatore pizza to Warehouse Seven... Yeah, the shady, subtly guarded clearly-not-a-top-secret-base by the pub." As I said, this is a stealth op. Load up on snacks before you go.' Assuming that inquiry to be satisfied, Duncan turned to the next raise hand '... I think I drunk a lot. A lot. But no, we can't say for sure. We have verified as much of their credentials as possible on short notice and so far they've come up clean. The majority of their investors and sympathisers are confirmed to be pro-democratic, or at least anti-Deling. And so Garden has decided to take a calculated risk.' The information was still coming in from Garden's field operatives, but there was no evidence to suggest that the faction had been anything but completely honest... so far. The risks they were taking to overthrow the President were obvious and that alone had been enough to convince Corvo, himself bearing a long-standing grudge toward the Deling. 'Besides, the Galbadian Army isn't our enemy per se. Despite recent events, a lot of Garden graduates go on to become Galbadian soldiers, often officers. The country isn't the threat, just Deling. To be frank, we've been planning this for some time. it was inevitable that someone would eventually call a hit on the old man. I've always had my money on separatists or rebels; shows what I know.'

As he spoke, Duncan felt his communicator vibrate and glanced down to check the new message. Updated orders from the Head Instructor, including specific instructions on how they were to get to Timber. It was a pain in the arse, but Corvo's caution was understandable, even if his PR-centric actions made Duncan's life more difficult. 'Right, minor change of plans. Because I'm not technically a SeeD anymore, I'm not to be seen travelling with a group of SeeDs, surprise surprise... So, you will all be travelling via train from Balamb and I will meet in Timber. Yoko has your tickets and such so, uh... Well. See you all there.' As Duncan strode from the room, Yoko stepped forward, clearly flustered by the sudden change of plans. Rifling through an armful of paperwork, she eventually produced a sheaf of boarding passes, handing them to Xerox to distribute. 'A-as Mr Lerwick said, we will be taking the train. It leaves in... seventy minutes, so please pack your equipment and meet me in parking bay five ASAP. Once assembled, we will proceed immediately to the station and Timber. Thank you.' Beckoning for Kein to follow her, Yoko turned and followed Duncan from the room, Kein in tow. At this point she barely know any more than the others, but orders were orders. At least she would be able to keep her lover close though. Which reminds me, I must pack the taser this time...

Elsewhere in Deling City

The night proved to be a restless one for Asa, visions of fire and devastation corrupting her dreams as she often found herself jostled awake to the disquieting darkness of her hotel room. No matter how hard she tried, the day's events refused to be dislodged from her mind and eventually, she was forced to concede defeat in the fight for a good night's sleep as she rose from the bed and turned her head towards the window. The sky was a vivid orange, the streetlights dimming in the rising light of the new dawn as the bus carriages shuttled their way through the bare streets.

A new dawn, a new day.

Ace took in a deep, steady breath, steeling herself for what was ahead as she ran a hand through her messy hair. She would have a meeting later with her superior to discuss yesterday's mission in more depth. They would expect a full, detailed report on why there had been so many SeeD operatives at the tower when their true intentions were supposed to be kept covert. It was a serious matter, and Ace had no doubt that her current position would be put into question. Still, Ace was no push over, and despite her present faults, she still proved to be one of the best upcoming soldiers in the army. She was an asset, and they would be foolish to dismiss her on a whim when the circumstances themselves had been so wildly out of hand.

Not to mention when others were seemingly neglectful in their duties... Ace thought darkly to herself as she recalled the drunken ramblings of a couple of soldiers she had overheard last night. The stories they told were wild and outlandish, and she could only hope that they were created entirely under the influence of alcohol, or the Galbadian Army was in worse shape than she thought.

Feeling slightly mollified by her thoughts, the young lieutenant walked over to the ensuite bathroom to freshen herself up, a dull ache throbbing in the back of her head as well as her bruised hand. A mixture of alcohol and poor sleep, probably, she pondered to herself with a slight wince, twisting the taps in the shower until the water warmed to her liking. She was still covered in blood and dirt from the battle yesterday, she noted grimly, mostly due to the fact that she just couldn't bring herself to care about looking presentable after everything that had happened. But that was yesterday, and this was today.

It was time to wash herself clean and start over again.

---

As Ace made her way downstairs for a strong cup of coffee, a pungent smell of alcohol, sweat and disinfectant greeted her as a cluster of soldiers crowded around a cramped booth, the table before them littered with empty bottles and cigarette butts from the night before. The sound of broken glass being swept away could be heard from the corner of the room as the hotel maids struggled to clean up the mess that the rambunctious soldiers had created in their wake. Ace almost felt kind of sorry for them, but the army's boorish behaviour was merely an accepted norm these days. It would be more concerning if they didn't cause such a scene.

"Man, that was a good night," Ace's attention was piqued as she overheard one of the soldiers announce themselves loudly, a foolish grin plastered on his face as he slapped the back of one his dozing comrades. "Haven't had a piss up like that in ages. Still, gotta hand it to the G-Army for the fireworks, ehh? We totally annihilated those Dollet dickheads."

A prickle of anger surged through Ace as she listened to the impudent male laugh aloud, her expression becoming stony and hard as she strode towards the table without faltering. Her approach drew the attention of the other loitering soldiers, their faces quickly changing from passive to fearful at the fiery glare reflected in her eyes."You." The word rolled from Ace's tongue with utter disdain, her target stopping in the midst of his crude insults as he met Ace's look with a sense of trepidation. "I'm glad to see you think your job is so funny, soldier. Hey, if we all had your work ethic, we would have seized control of the West ages ago." The soldier's expression was nothing short of perplexed as Ace continued her angry and sarcastic tirade, incensed by the male's despicable behaviour and her own frayed emotions. "Don't speak ill of the dead again in my presence, got it?" She finished warningly, her voice as cold as ice as she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, her coffee long forgotten.

She could hear their hushed words follow her as she ascended the stairs to the higher floor, her blood boiling in her veins as she took deep, uneven breaths to calm herself down. She wasn't quite sure why the soldier's words had pushed her buttons so easily, and she was normally a lot calmer in those kinds of situations. Again, she assumed it was largely in part due to her lack of sleep, which she could only hope would not serve against her later when she needed to pay a visit to the Presidential Residence, where the meeting with her superior was to take place.

In the meantime however, finding a way of calming her nerves seemed to be the best course of action, and with that objective in mind, she settled on going to see Rose. At the very least, Rose had never failed to cheer her up.

With the nights end and things left the way it was Syrus wasn't sure what to do. He finally took the last bit of his drink and went back to his room. Sitting down he lay back and went to sleep.

Waking with a jerking motion from another nightmare he gasped for air. This one was different. Strange...it was like it hadn't happened yet. Either way he wouldn't be for sure what it was about until more clues came from his dreams. Looking over at the clock and swore a string of words that any of the sailors in the Balamb port would have given him a strange look. Grabbing his stuff and putting his clothes on he ran out the door and too the meeting spot he was supposed to be in for the mornings review. Before entering he caught the last bit of the conversation and watched as Duncan, Yoko, And Kein walked out. "He you guys if you don't mind I would like to travel with Ducan if that is ok? I mean who would believe I am really a SeeD anyhow?" It wasn't that he didn't like trains or anything it was just the whole thing of Ducan had been captured last time he split from the group. That and he wanted to talk to the man who was now sorta his equal.

Jericho paid close attention to the how they were to requisition food and realized that perhaps the better question would have been how they were going to continue acquiring supplies as the operation would continue. Ah well, I suppose Duncan has that all figured out already and if not him, than the Head Instructor probably has. Standing after the trio of Duncan, Yoko, and Kein left the room, Jericho beckoned to Gracelyn and headed out as well, already plotting out the fastest route for food pick up, remaining gear pick up and arrival at the bay in his head. "So, we're in charge of our own food. What ya got in mind?"

It didn't take long for Kein and Yoko to prepare, packing what gear and personal effects they required for what promised to be a long assignment. Half an hour after the briefing they stood in the parking bay, a pair of duffel bags sitting in an open boot. Kein's naginata had been broken down into a rather elegant briefcase for convenience and no small degree of style, but Yoko's weapons were conspicuous on their absence; not even he knew how she fought, in spite of her high combat grades. To Kein's rose-tinted eyes it only added to her mysterious allure. 'So... do you think Duncan will let us share a room? I mean, we're both adults and...' He trailed off and his uncharacteristic bashfulness made Yoko squeal inside; the little twerp could be so damn cute at times. 'Well... I'm Adjutant and so will be organising the bunks. But aren't you getting a bit ahead of yourself..? Who said I wanted to... share a bed?' His crestfallen face was a sight to see; teasing could be almost as fun as tasing... She was about to follow up when the first of the SeeDs filed in, this time catching her off-guard. 'G-good day! Ahem, yes. This one, I'll be driving. Once everyone is assembled, we shall move on.'

Meanwhile, Duncan was marching purposefully toward the rear courtyard, where an airship waited. A handful of other SeeDs followed behind him, other members of his team that would serve ancillary roles, technicians, scouts. He met with Corvo enroute, each giving the other a crisp salute. 'Well Lerwick, I cannot say I am surprised with your choice of staff. Better the devil you know. You are scheduled for drop site three, several miles from the town. From there, proceed overland and infiltrate Timber via the sewers.' The old man's expression turned rather nasty. 'I bet you'll fit right in.' Without any further ado the Head Instructor veered off, leaving Duncan alone with his team. '... And fuck you too old man.', he whispered under his breath. It wasn't until they were in the courtyard and the team loading onto the airship that Duncan noticed Syrus behind them. '... Not a train person? I'd say that you coming with me defeats the purpose of going alone, but in truth I'd be glad of the company.' In the sewer that is.

Although unsatisfied about the answer received about the possibility that this was a trap, Xerox listened to the rest of the debriefing, before helping to hand out the boarding passes to the others. Instead of getting up and manually doing so, he pulled out a strange looking device from his ESS. He had not named it, but after placing the passes into it, Xerox mounted it to his arm, and targeted his fellow SeeD. Once set, little robots flew to send the passes over to the other SeeD. Looking into the pile, it seemed there was a spare, excluding the one for him. Looking around, he realised Syrus wasn't here. Guess he has other plans Xerox dismissed Syrus from being there.

With 70 minutes, Xerox and Rue headed back to their room and prepared. Rue got supplies, and Xerox got clothes. Packed away, they were sent to the ESS. Ah, such a convenient way to store things he thought. With his usual clothes and lab coat, he left his weapon and toolbox in the ESS. As they went to leave, the ever so popular moomba Rue, had a multitude of people asking when he would be back from the mission and other various things. Picking Rue up and placing him on his shoulder, Xerox walked through, brushing them aside. Although they all knew him, they mostly ignored him. Xerox wouldn't mind talking to them all, but, they were so fixated on Rue, so there wasn't much to talk about usually.

Arriving at the parking bay five with still about 15 minutes left, it seemed Xerox and Rue were amongst the first few to arrive. Although others had baggage on them, neither Xerox or Rue had any, not even weapons. Some SeeD, who were not familiar with Xerox, looked at him a little distastefully, believing he was unprepared. Xerox sighed. "Yoko, is there anywhere with lots of space around here? I want to work one of my machines, while we wait. I can't bring it out here." He asked her. The distasteful looks believed he was trying to run. Yoko was surprised by the sudden question, "Uh... N-no! *Ahem* Excuse me." She cleared her throat and spoke again. "No. You would have to go outside, and there is not very much time left. Please do something else." The scorns turned to smiles.

Sighing, "Fine" Xerox pulled out some junk pieces, and his prototype fold-able turret. Unfolding it, it was a fairly large turret. Modeled to be a hybrid, it was a land to anti-air cannon that could swap to a minigun. However, the switching was not smooth. Rue sorted out the junk pieces to differences in metals and sizes. Getting out his toolbox, he started to work on his turret. The SeeD who watched with scorn previously, had their eyes open in disbelief. They had no idea how Xerox pulled out these items from what seemed like the air. None could fathom Xerox's GF, or it's abilities.

Syrus nodded and waited for his instrutions on where to go. Though he had offered to go with Duncan he was unsure how they would reach Timber but honestly he didn't mind any form of travel it was just he wanted to get a bit closer to the man. Just a bit...not to close.

Gracelyn adjusted the chains around her hips. She wrapped them in neat circles and made sure they were tight. Turning around to talk to Jericho, Gracelyn thought. She really wasn't too picky, and would eat most stuff thrown her way. She thought about for a small while, finally making her mind up.

"Hey, since we're in charge of our own food, why don't you choose our food? I'm not too picky, and you probably are a better connoisseur than I am. Besides, if I had to choose, we'd be here all day, trying to decide."

Gracelyn fidgeted with her sickles, trying to adjust them around the fronts of her hip.

Even with Syrus tagging along for the ride, the flight to Timber was long and uneventful. All around the two of them, the other SeeDs chattered back and forth over their next assignment; some were keen to get to grips with the Galbadians, while others were grateful to have been assigned to a backwater like Timber. Duncan privately suspected that someone would be disappointed on this one... With his mission plan in place and the objectives he had been given, he was well aware of how much blood the team would be spilling. If Timber was peaceful now, that wouldn't last long once SeeD arrived. He was pulled from his thoughts by a sudden change in air pressure causing his ears to pop. A burst of static came through his personal communicator. 'Sir, we are approaching your drop point. Stealth systems are engaged, but we can't guarantee local defences haven't spotted us; look out for company out there. Godspeed.' Preferring to answer the pilot with only a confirmatory comclick, Duncan was nevertheless grateful for the thought. Nodding to Syrus, he jumped from the low-flying airship, confident that he wouldn't need to slow his decent magically; they were only a few feet up after all. Once again the trip to Timber via the city aqueduct and sewer system was mostly silent as Duncan took the lead, prioritising stealth over speed.

By the time they reached the safehouse in the warehouse district, the others had already arrived. Duncan strode into the building without preamble and took the time to explore every nook and cranny; they wouldn't be here long, but for safeties sake he needed every scrap of information. It was an old Timber Army air raid shelter extending under pair of civilian warehouses... Judging by the outdated fixtures and design, it must have been designed well before the fall of Timber seventeen years earlier. Despite being obsolete, that could be considered a good thing; it likely wouldn't be on many modern maps of the town. To be frank, it was fucking ugly. Solid concrete construction and metal supports didn't leave much room for comfort. After leaving the team an hour to get settled in and pick sleeping quarters, Duncan called everyone to what he decided would be the briefing room in the centre of the sprawling complex. '... Well boys and girls, we're here. There isn't a whole lot to do now, bar securing the building and prepping for the contact to show up tonight.' A stray thought stuck. 'Oh yeah... Trinser and Joranis, you... fuck, I hate using surnames. Gracelyn and Jericho. You guys are in charge of provisions.' He nodded cheerfully toward the camouflaged entrance to the city which led to a public toilet of all places. 'Bring me back a Mars bar, will you?'