Toss me at them. As if Seifer were some kind of rag doll in need of upkeep. He'd watched Seifer single-handedly kill one of the strongest GFs ever uncovered and this was his reward. Fire and pain. It had felt too risky, too obvious, to reach out to Fujin and Raijin before leaving but now Squall wishes he'd taken the chance. Not because he'd rather they be here in his stead but because he wants someone waiting for Seifer when they get to Esthar. People who will make him feel safe.

He hopes Nida will do what he couldn't. Maybe that's why Seifer's here, in his cabin. A safe space built upon whatever it was they might have had during their years as cadets. Squall sucks in a breath and is only too sorry to be what Seifer has instead.

"I didn't know."

There's a lot Squall doesn't know about Seifer anymore, what happened to him during the war and why he made the choices he did. He's come to find out just as much as he's come to offer a way out.

He can't take his eyes off of the gruesome work. If there's anyone left alive that's responsible, he doesn't think he has it in him to be as objective as he has been with Seifer. He used to pity Ultimecia for the cycle they've found themselves in. A story that will always end at the beginning. But now he wishes he'd derived more satisfaction from ending her. Could he be that kind of man?

"Is this all of it?"