*
"Fujin. Office. Now."
I set aside the report and stood. I kept my gaze focused ahead as I passed him and turned to make my way to his office. As I approached, I noticed Sally Regal inside. She must have just returned from her investigation of certain suspicious characters in Winhill. She and Zell had been gone for nearly five days. The investigation shouldn't have taken that long--I could have had it completed in two--but I hadn't yet read an incomplete or half-assed report from her. Reluctantly, I had to admit she was damn good at what she did.
Sally looked over her shoulder at the sound of my approach and stood. She faced me and saluted. "Fujin. Ma'am."
"REGAL." I moved to stand beside her, facing Seifer's desk and continuing to stand at attention. Sally did the same.
Seifer entered and closed the door behind him, moving to his desk after he'd lowered and closed the blinds. "At ease."
He motioned to the chairs. Sally sat. I didn't. I continued to stare above Seifer's head, hands clasped tightly behind my back. I was still pissed at push number one and had a feeling push number two was coming.
Seifer looked up at me and smirked. "Fujin, you might want to sit your ass in the chair for this."
I arched an eyebrow but declined.
He presented me a typed and bound report. I took it and read the heading and byline. Investigative Findings of Winhill; Priscilla Regal, SSO-10. I flipped through the pages, skimming the information and filing it away. Then I looked up and met Seifer's gaze.
"Guess where you're being sent?" he asked, still smirking.
I pressed my lips together. I hated Winhill. Too laid back. The supposedly calm atmosphere made me suspicious and always put my back up.
"Marshal will be meeting you at the dock in Balamb. From there, you will take a small transport to Winhill and pick up where Regal left off."
"WHY?"
"'Why' what?"
"MARSHAL."
Seifer leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up onto the desk as he crossed his arms. My insides tensed. Push number two.
"Regal, tell Fujin why."
"Y-Yes, sir." Sally cleared her throat and faced me. I continued to glare at Seifer. He continued to smirk. "Anytime someone from one of the Gardens visits, suspicions rise and cooperation plummets. When Zell and I were in plain clothes and walking around the town as if we were visitors, people were more relaxed. They actually came outdoors and talked to us about things. Nothing worthy of report or suspicion, but they still talked to us. If--"
"That's enough, Regal." Seifer's lips twitched upward a little higher. "You and Marshal will be going undercover. Your backstory is with Marshal. Understood?"
My eye began to throb. I clenched and unclenched my hands before giving a curt nod.
"Good. Regal, dismissed."
Sally stood and saluted. Then she stealthily left the office, closing the door after her.
He regarded me a moment before saying "Marshal volunteered," very carefully.
I cringed as fear rose up, making my throat go dry and my stomach lurch.
"He doesn't know you're being assigned," Seifer added.
That didn't make me feel any better. Marshal sca--I pressed my lips together.
"One thing I'll tell you about Marshal, Fujin. His younger sister was gang-raped and killed during the conflict at Dollet. Galbadian soldiers. Marshal had to watch the whole thing hog-tied and beaten."
I blinked.
"Marshal--and this is between you and me--Marshal enrolled at Galbadia Garden as a. . . terrorist, you could say. He planned to sabotage the facility from the inside out." Seifer smirked. "Administration changed before he did anything stupid, and he volunteered for Chief of Security. Best damned thing he could have done." Seifer stood and leaned heavily on the desk, palms flat. "You push him, Ahndra, and he'll push back. Maybe not as hard as me, but hard enough to piss you off. Consider this a warning to step light."
I narrowed my eye and clenched my jaw against the throb in my brain. "NO."
"Go ahead. Push his buttons. It'll be a damned good show, and I bet he'll put every blessed word in his report." Seifer smirked. "Have fun."
I glared and then scoffed, barking out "ASS" as I turned for the door. Seifer chuckled "Dismissed" as I closed the door behind me. Undercover. Plain clothes. Marshal. I clenched my jaw and balled my hands into fists, fighting back the terror with rage. Damn it.