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[cross_swords]

Comments

[vacantexpression]

They'll workshop alibis later, but as Nida begins his works, Squall can't help but wonder if the right person is in charge when the other SeeD looks so much more natural behind the desk than he does. It's Nida's drive that he's always admired and he's not so far removed from the minutiae of what happened during the war that he can't recognize merit or distinction and how Nida operated with both. Kadowacki is alive because of him, after all. So are many of the junior classman.

And now Nida's brought him this. He owes him more than just orders. He certainly owes him more than flippant remarks about a war they're both processing in different ways.

The room's melody urges him to keep moving. To not be stuck in the singular moment where Nida's face crumpled even though his brain is playing it on loop. If he'd been bad about being trapped in his thoughts before, it's only worsened since Time Compression.

"A meal too, I'm sure. I'll bring up both."

Squall idles for a moment, fingertips lingering on the tabletop where the record player spins, then sets his knuckles to the wood, bracing himself for the ache that always comes when vulnerability is on display. "And thank you...for bringing me this information. I'm glad it was you who found him. There's few others I would trust with his whereabouts."

The salute honors that. It's not the half measured one he'd given upon receiving Nida in the room. It's one that has him at full attention, his respect and admiration worn openly. "I'll give you the room."

[seed_pilot]

Clearly Squall needs nothing so much as someone to genuinely knock him out of his funk. Because Squall really was in one. Nida, of course, was not that man. He was instead a guy there to facilitate it, in an odd way. Though he does lift his head to consider the thank you. Because he doesn't understand it.

Did he really have that much trust from Squall? Amazing.

"It was pure dumb luck, sir. Right place at the right time. Just... be careful about him. I have no clue how people out that way will regard him if they see him."

Which is also a way of saying 'be fast, who knows how much he has in the way of supplies'.

[vacantexpression]

"Dumb luck doesn't mean anything if it isn't followed by good instincts," Squall remarks with a firmness that's meant to be encouragingly persuasive. Another SeeD might have tried to telegraph the information or run it up the chain of command until it finally got to Squall's desk. But Nida is here, telling him in person, because he understands the stakes and with a nod of his head, Squall acknowledges them too.

"It won't be pretty, but I don't intend to let the mobs have him." He doesn't doubt that he and Nida are aligned on that. Again, something scratches at the back of his mind, a desire to know why, but he swallows it down. All that matters is that neither of them want to see Seifer at the mercy of angry townsfolk. "I'll leave for Timber as soon as your reports are ready. You're more familiar with the terrain than I am so any recommended provisions or necessities you can think of, include them in your report. I'll do my best from there."

He's survived devastating battles while locked blade to blade with Seifer throughout the course of the war. He's endured torture at his hands. But Squall still remembers their conversations before the SeeD exam and the resigned fatalism with which Seifer had attacked President Deling with. He remembers watching Seifer talk about romance and knows that not all of the war should be put squarely on his shoulders. He'd spoken to him once about Ifrit protecting him and he can feel the heat of the GF rise up to meet Squall's desire to do the same.

It also hasn't escaped him that Ultimecia sought Seifer out at the beginning of it all. She'd come to him. It wasn't happenstance or coincidence, it was intentional, and that knowledge has vexed him since the war's end because it means that somehow, Seifer's part in the grand circular design of their destiny isn't over, but this time Squall refuses to let him meet it alone.

"Can I get you anything else?" He's at the door now, coffee and food and a million sparks from duels of old taking over his thoughts that have him looking lost in thought. It'll all be walled off behind a look of stoic determination once he leaves the room but he spares a glance to Nida and wears his concern for the matter at hand openly between them. Why bother hiding it when they both know what's at stake?

[seed_pilot]

Where Squall is lost, Nida is finally in his element, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he types.

"Honestly, sir? Just some space to work. Until this week I haven't taken that specific route through the woods in years, so remembering it enough to provide route markers to another person isn't going to be the easiest. And the coffee. Extra coffee. Been on the move since I saw him."

Which came from a nervousness about trains, but he's not getting into that.

"Though maybe you should consider a nap for yourself," he adds as an afterthought. "I doubt you're going to get much rest for a while."

[vacantexpression]

Space is easy. Squall can give him that and while he doesn't consign himself to the idea of rest, he does agree to consider it before unlocking and slipping out of the door. He doesn't lock it behind him or leave the floor until he's brought Nida a carafe of coffee from the small station where a pot of it is kept along with various fixings for it. Cid might have liked to mingle in the cafeteria but he and Xu both prefer to be close enough to sustenance so as not to disturb their work. He appreciates having her as headmistress. It makes sharing a level with her easy with neither of them directly getting in each other's way unless they absolutely have to.

"I thought he was on vacation," she says to him, joining Squall who's loading up a tray.

"He will be," Squall assures, eyes fixed on the variety of snacks laid out. "President Loire called and is in need of a test pilot for a prototype."

"Because they don't have pilots in Esthar," Xu quips dubiously.

"None familiar with flying anything as robust as Garden." He's lying through his teeth but the necessity of it makes it easy as he falls back into his old training. "Any interest Nida has in the offer will need to be pursued on personal time."

Xu hums, seemingly appraising the idea as she pours herself a cup of coffee from the dwindling pot. "You mean vacation time. Careful, Commander. People might suspect there's a heart under all those medals."

The eyeroll sees him out and he returns to his office to leave Nida with refreshments. He won't return for a couple of hours. Time enough to make a phone call to his father ("I found a potential pilot for the test program you mentioned the last time I was there." "What test program?" "The one you wouldn't tell me more about because it's secret." "Oh. Oh! That program! Right, the secret program.") and to fetch his things from his room. The sight of Rinoa's side of the bed almost makes him hesitate. The compulsion is likely magical; it has a pull that is heady and overwhelming.

Since returning from Time Compression, Squall has noticed that the longer he's away from Rinoa, the more clear headed he feels. He's not sure why yet, but there is something that lulls him into complacency and devotion when they're together. She becomes all he can think about and then when they're apart, the fog lifts and Squall feels like he's lost himself to Time Compression again. It's unsettling and any time he's tried to talk to Rinoa about it, it's ended in her feeling like he's pulling away or trying to put distance between them. Her distress amplifies his own, feeding into a desire to make her happy again, which results in the cycle starting all over again.

...Garden really does need a staff therapist.

When he returns to his office with a duffle bag and gunblade case in tow, Squall acknowledges Nida with a nod. "Progress?"

[seed_pilot]

By the time Squall returns for real the entire carafe of coffee is finished, which makes a lot of sense given how long Nida claimed to have been awake. He's already nodded over toward the printer where a stack of paper is waiting, this one of the maps.

"Purged the memory of the printer and already printed and destroyed a few other documents to obscure original printed data. I need about another hour on some of the local intel you'll need and a letter for supplies if you find you need to linger for a while. I'd already ordered them and figured I'd pick them up later but..."

He does a shrug as if to say 'what can you do'.

[vacantexpression]

The printer's existing stack is methodically flipped through so Squall can parse as much information as possible. "Good work." He doesn't just mean the cleanup that's necessary to cover their trail. The maps and reports are detailed in an easily digestible format.

It's not unfamiliar work. He's had the odd mission or two since the war's end, but nothing consistent. Apparently being one of the key players in preventing a world destroying event makes it hard to keep up anonymity, thus reducing a mission's success rate. A lifetime of trying to avoid the spotlight and now it follows him.

His interest however diverts when Nida mentions the supplies and he cocks a brow to encourage him to elaborate. "Later? Timber isn't exactly a common vacation spot." It made for good camping but for some reason he finds it hard to imagine Nida out in the woods roughing it for fun.

[seed_pilot]

That earns a deep sigh from Nida. He looks up from the computer at last to look at Squall, very seriously. After a moment he sits back as he thinks of how to explain it.

"I own the cabin. Maybe. Probably. Inheritance laws got really messed up when Galbadia took over the Timber region. Especially since they didn't want people living away from Timber proper without their oversight. It's... all I have left of my family. Whatever happens out there, I'd appreciate if it was still standing if at all possible."

Which probably explained why Nida was never sent along on the Timber mission. It wasn't that he wasn't one of Cid and Edea's charges. Rather there was a chance that he might have been assumed to be too invested in the mission if he was sent on it. Or maybe it was because of the fate thing. Either way, it probably was better that Nida hadn't been sent with them.

[vacantexpression]

There are no coincidences anymore, only the elaborate web of fate they've all become tangled in. To have his eyes opened to how intricately woven Nida's been this whole time makes Squall realize there are more forces at work than just those in his immediate circle. If he were to think back on his time lost to the whims of Time Compression, would he see Nida there in the background of it all? A slowly turning cog just like the rest of them?

He feels sick thinking about how widespread his own ignorance is when it comes to the far reaching fingers of fate and knows that the only way he can hope for a divergence from it is to shake himself of his malaise so he can start to look at the larger picture; moments in time that have helped contribute to their place in the world when Ultimecia descended upon it and everything that has come after that will facilitate her rise to power. Nida's family, his relationship to Seifer (whatever it might be), the cabin where their reunion will take place... Squall's mouth firms into a grim line as he forces himself to breathe through the rising panic that comes whenever he thinks of the lines fate has drawn and how he can't seem to stray from its path.

Briefly, Squall considers whether it's Nida who should try and intercept Seifer but there's a fire in him now that not even Shiva can suppress. No. No, it needs to be him. Even if the reasoning is purely selfish rather than a position of rank, Squall needs to do this for himself. And Hyne, maybe it's arrogant, but he truly believes he's the best shot Seifer has at getting to safety and reintegrating somehow with society.

"I'll make sure they're both standing at the end of it." He doesn't say Seifer's name. He hasn't said Seifer's name. Not once since Nida's reported to him. If pressed, Squall would say it's because it feels like a jinx. As if the moment he says it, Seifer will somehow disappear into thin air and elude him like he has since the war ended.

Squall's eyes lower to the pages in his hands and Hyne, so much makes sense about this and yet he can't quite put the puzzle pieces together in a way that doesn't incite a primal envy in him he thought he'd buried. "I wasn't aware you were from Timber..." More pieces fall into place. Like why Nida was the only new cadet not assigned to the Forest Owls. "Does he know the cabin's yours?" There's nothing good that will come from knowing except to gauge what kind of familiarity Seifer is likely to already have with the place. It might mean he's better fortified. Squall tells himself that's the only reason why he asks.

[seed_pilot]

Well, he did see visions of the dance, right? And Nida happened to be dancing with someone to the side of the couple Squall and Rinoa ran into. So yeah, maybe he was there in the background. Sometimes that's just how life plays out. It doesn't have to be grand circles within circles. Though if the idea was put to Nida he'd agree that it seemed entirely possible that things fit together in unexpected ways that should be considered.

"Honestly, from my point of view, I'm not. My father was a Galbadian deserter after the war against Esthar and Adel, my mother the younger daughter of some mid-level Galbadian major. From what little I remember, they weren't exactly treated the most friendly in Timber because of that, and when the military came in..."

Nida shrugs and then taps his head. "Thanks to the GFs I don't remember as much of them as I should. Probably for the best from what I understand. And no. I doubt he knows. Talking wasn't really something we did."

By which Nida means 'we didn't really know each other', but there were definitely ways that people could 'know' each other without much talking.

[vacantexpression]

Talking about himself isn't something Squall has a lot of experience in, even amongst his newfound friends, but he does acknowledge that both he and Nida's fathers were Galbadian military. Unsurprising in a lot of ways, but knowing now how interconnected they are, Squall has to wonder whether there was ever any overlap before either of them were born. He nods too at the mention of GFs...their usage something that has since been cautioned against, but not fully outlawed due to the confirmed deterioration of memories.

However Squall's ability to empathize ends there and he swallows hard as Nida clarifies what his relationship to Seifer was. Apparently one where they didn't need to do a lot of talking. There is ice in his heart, a stab of it that he has to force himself not to react to, and he wonders if maybe he's right back on Edea's platform, skewered by magic. That's what it feels like anyway.

"I see." To his credit he manages to make the words sound neutral and passive. "A coincidence then." Not that Squall believes in those anymore.

His posture straightens as he taps the stack of papers into an orderly pile, moving them along in the conversation before his mind can betray him with further questions on the subject of Nida and Seifer. "I've established a cover for you. You can see it through or decline, but it should prove sufficient for why you're here."

[seed_pilot]

"Probably a coincidence. But Irvine did lend me Cactaur before I headed out. Maybe that has something to do with it."

No reason to explain why the sniper would give Nida the luck-enhancing GF. But perhaps luck really had come into play with the timing of things, with seeing Seifer before he was seen.

Still, he returns his gaze to the computer now that they are in safer territory. His fingers return to his typing as he does so. He needs to make sure these resources are available for the Commander.

"I'm almost afraid of what you mean when you say 'see it through or decline'."

[vacantexpression]

That was another thing. How much of their luck was luck at all and not some higher form of magic rippling across time to influence events? If Squall were to ever speak these thoughts aloud, he's pretty sure he'd be stripped of his rank and possibly referred to some kind of in-patient program, so he just hums his acknowledgement and logs the information away, adding, "Knowing Irvine, I'm sure that's not the kind of luck he was hoping to impart."

Squall's thoughts betray him again as he tries to pin down a possible timeline for Seifer and Nida to have been sleeping together, thoroughly convinced now that that was the basis of their former relationship. Maybe that's why he thinks Nida will be amendable to his plans and why he feels comfortable sharing them at all.

"If I bring him back to Garden, the world will demand a trial. If we refuse, the consequences could be catastrophic to the SeeD program, but if I bring him to Esthar, President Loire can issue a pardon, perhaps even grant him citizenship. With the protection of the Estharian government, Garden can then step in and offer opportunities for a peaceful reintegration to society outside of Esthar's borders...If that's what he wants. Either way, he'll have options." Something that hasn't always been the case for Seifer.

With a deep breath, he adds, "If you want to see your alibi through, President Loire is prepared to offer you the opportunity to test pilot one of their space team's latest prototypes as a cover. This is the excuse we're using for your arrival today. If you want your involvement to end here, just say the word. However if you're willing to help lay the ground work for his pardon, I could use a man on the ground working in tandem with the President while I'm off the grid...You will, however, need to be doing all this on your own personal time which means using up those vacation hours."

[seed_pilot]

"I'm certain it wasn't," Nida admitted with a nod. Maybe he wanted stories about Nida meeting people, to live vicariously now that he was locked down by Selphie.

The plan is laid out and Nida hits the print button as he tries to contemplate it all. Was that really the best thing to do? Of course, Squall had a whole different stance on Seifer Almasy than most people had. It was definitely something to wonder about. Makes him wonder if he shouldn't try and get a hold of Fujin and Raijin for Seifer.

"If you think that's really for the best, then do it. But I don't expect you'll get anything but push back from Galbadia for his role in things. Actually, you'll get them from both of the other Gardens too, Galbadia for 'leading them astray' and Trabia because of all of the people who died there. You're going to have an uphill battle. Might be better to hope the Esthari are willing to forgive him for the damage the Lunar Cry did."

And seeing as even all this time later there were stupid regular contracts for higher level SeeDs to go out and deal with the lunar monsters that had done even more damage to the local ecosystems... Well, Nida wasn't sure even the Esthari president had that sort of pull.

Still, the other part, Squall doesn't even know what he's dangling in front of Nida here.

"So that's it? Hold out one of my greatest childhood dreams in front of me in return for helping you pull strings for Seifer? And you're still going to get forcing me to take a break at the same time? Strange, I didn't see you in my intel classes with Aki. Are you just a lot better at stealth than I remember you being while we were growing up?"

No, it wasn't that, and he knows it. How the hell was Squall supposed to know Nida had once had a dream he considered silly as a child. A dream to go into space. The momentary annoyance he'd had back during everything when Xu explained Squall had gone into space with Rinoa and another one of his team had been pretty serious. But of course Squall was meant for things that were really amazing.

[vacantexpression]

There's no clean way to integrate Seifer back into society. The alternative to any kind of amnesty is to live on the lamb, constantly on the run and always at risk of being discovered. His brows furrow as Nida challenges this, but all of the points are valid. Seifer is the face behind untold harm on a global scale. Yes, Edea might have murdered a president in front of a crowd, but Seifer was on the front lines for every assault and grand declaration of tyranny. It would be hard to convince most people all of that was simply a product of manipulation or mind control. Worse, even if they could arrange a pardon under those circumstances, it could be argued as a dangerous precedent for others to claim they were under the sorceress' sway.

"Any chance for amnesty is going to be an uphill battle. The alternative is setting him up somewhere away from civilization, where he'll never get a chance to do anything else with his life. Where we let the history books write him off as some great evil when that's not who he is." But it was. It was exactly who he'd seen during the war. Someone who was ready to commit atrocities for his sorceress. And yet Squall can't shake the conversations they had before the SeeD exam. He can't simply erase the Seifer he knew and replace it wholesale with the Seifer who had tortured him. Who had tried to kidnap Rinoa and unleash Adel onto the world. Squall is clinging to the possibility that Seifer was somehow coerced or controlled because the alternative means coming to terms with the fact that he may be beyond saving or protecting. He'll do whatever he can to find out one way or the other.

"You were always going to take those vacation hours, Nida. Esthar's space program isn't a bad place to spend them." It's the most informal he's been with Nida since his arrival. Squall's smile is a shadow in the corner of his mouth as if to acknowledge the advantage that's been aired out between them. He knows he's bargaining for discretion here...and help too. If he can utilize all the advantages at his disposal for a shot at getting to Seifer and potentially finding him protection, then he'll cash in on every favor he acquired during the war to do it.

[seed_pilot]

Was he going to take those vacation hours though? Or was he going to keep fighting Squall about it? Granted, the fact that it's space being dangled in front of him makes it a lot more likely that he's going to agree with all of this.

"If this deal is real, then I'm going to agree," Nida says after a moment of consideration. "And I'm honestly assuming it's real because I can't see what you'd really get from lying to me."

Not that there would be repercussions to Squall if he did lie. Nida was loyal to Garden to a T, so he was going to agree either way. Especially since he believed in his Commander. The guy did save the world after all.

"But if you want me laying ground work, you also have to find a way to get me in to talk to people to make plans for this. And some authorization to actually make those. I'm not one of your friend group, just a regular SeeD. My word isn't going to carry the implied support that Selphie or Zell's would."

[vacantexpression]

There's nothing secret about Esthar's space program. Its operations, perhaps, but certainly not that they have one. Calling it as much is just Squall's way of tipping Laguna off over a phone line that he's asking for help. If he wanted to lean on the benefits of nepotism, he knows Laguna would make Nida's space faring dreams a reality and after everything he's drawn up to put him in touch with Seifer? It's the least he can do. To ask more of Nida feels unfair, but he can't trust anyone else. Not Rinoa, not his friends, and certainly not Garden. Each of them have good reason to want Seifer brought in and charged for his part in the war and no amount of persuasion from Squall is going to change that.

But Nida...Whatever it was they were to each other, Squall feels safe to lean on that connection. "You won't be there to represent SeeD. You'll be there on your own merit and at the request of the President, helping him personally build his case while we make our way across Horizon Bridge to the border." The folded piece of paper is withdrawn from his pocket and offered across the desk for Nida to read. It outlines the exceptional qualities displayed during the war and Nida's prowess at the helm of Garden which he's hand drafted in their time apart. "Give this recommendation letter to the President on your arrival. He's sending transport to collect you."

It's not enough. Squall understands there's still a definitive lack of power that Nida must feel. Power that, until now, could only be achieved through rank or recommendation. He has something more meaningful, however, to tie him to Laguna. With a bracing breath, Squall says, "I always assumed I'd have to do this alone, but it'll be nice to have a man on the inside. This is something the President and I have been organizing since...well, since we lost track of him. He's prepared to support us however he can as both a political ally and my father."

[seed_pilot]

Strange to think that Nida's earned such a level of trust, all by trying to avoid the ghosts of his own past for so damn long. And look, Squall was giving him another out to use up his vacation time and keep avoiding the ghosts that haunt him.

"Another long hike for you then? Hopefully this time you won't have to carry someone. Selphie tells quite the story about when they caught up to you."

Which he only knows because Selphie LOVES to tell the story about Squall carrying Rinoa off like that. The romance angle was played up SO MUCH. For what it's worth, Nida thought it was maybe romantic and absolutely foolish. Hey, people can be critics and still loyal. And even respectful, like he is when he slips the paper into his pocket, without reading it. There were somethings he didn't want to see written down, including platitudes thrown about that probably were just facilitating Squall's ends.

"Transport here, or transport from another place? Whatever it is, please just tell me it's not a train."

Yeah, a guy from the Timber area who was not fond of trains. Make all the jokes needed.

"I'll do what I can to help you," he promises as he stands and walks around the desk. "If this is the play you think is best for Garden and for Almasy, then I'm in your corner. I believe that you wouldn't be doing this if you didn't really believe in it. I just thank you for your trust, sir. I know I'm not nearly as impressive as you and the other heroes of the war, but I've always just tried to do my best."

[vacantexpression]

It's been a long time since Squall has had to face palm but he smothers a groan behind his palm at the idea of Selphie sharing overselling his journey across the abandoned railway. The brief wash of blackness takes him back to the bridge and the weight of Rinoa on his back which is better than the memory of walking alone through the endless stretch of cracked earth at the edges of Time Compression. "I'm sure she does," he grouses with a deep sigh.

Nida's transport will be by air, something he mentions before following up with the inevitable, "Why not a train?" His brow arches to encourage an answer, but Squall isn't one to press for personal information. If Nida wants to bypass the subject, he won't push. Though knowing now how entangled their lives are, he can't say his curiosity isn't piqued.

As Nida rounds the desk, Squall straightens to receive him with a little more formality than their previous conversations. He takes a moment to muscle his way past the knot in his stomach at the mention of Seifer's best interests. "Heroes are just a product of circumstance. Their actions are only impressive because someone decided to put a spotlight on them. Don't let that devalue your contributions to SeeD or Garden...Or the people you've saved. Your best has always proven to be impressive."

After all, Nida had passed the SeeD exam right alongside them. He'd been there for the clash of the Gardens and the war against NORG. Squall might have come out of Time Compression with a good deal more trauma than when he went into it, but he's at least found the resolve to bolster those under his command. He considers Nida a moment then ventures to ask, "Would you do any of this differently?"

[seed_pilot]

"When I was shipped off to Garden when I was a kid, the train broke down in the undersea tunnel. We were stranded there for hours."

So yeah, trains, they're really uncomfortable for him. Which he puts up with for work, but he's not going to do that for this particular 'vacation'. For Timber, yeah, it had been the logical approach. But Esthar? A lot of trains, that route.

Your best has always proven to be impressive. Talk about words that made Nida chuckle softly to himself. His mind turned to Cid, to a history he didn't know how to put into words. He had lived up to the promise the man had asked of him.

"If I was in your position? I don't know. I haven't lived your life, and I'm one of a large number of people that can only speculate on the connection you shared with Seifer. But you're also the knight of a Sorceress. Way I see it, there are only three people alive in the world that may understand Seifer's position in all of this. One of them checked out to retire with his Sorceress, who got forgiven for the things she was forced to do, at least enough to put her into a quiet bit of safety. That leaves you in a unique position to handle this. Or so I'd say."

[vacantexpression]

Being stranded in the undersea tunnel would be enough to turn anyone claustrophobic, not to mention make them adverse to train travel. An unfortunate phobia given the railways that connected everyone. He purses his lips with a nod, acknowledging but not going so far as to offer sympathy. He's changed over the course of the war, but not so much that he's gotten any better at commiserating.

The papers on the desk are given a glance as he considers Nida's words, knuckles pressed down into the wood with a sigh. Most days Squall misses the ease that came from taking orders, but he squares back his shoulders to look a little more sure of himself. There was no time for self-pity or second guessing himself. Time wasn't going to wait for him. It never has. So he nods in quiet gratitude. "Then I better go handle it." They exchange salutes one more time. More out of habit than any real need for formality. "Thank you, SeeD Nida. We'll be in touch. Until then...enjoy your vacation."

[seed_pilot]

Hilariously, it had never been a cause of claustrophobia for him. Just trains. But he was still willing to stick it out as much as he needed to for his life and his work.

"Glad to help, Commander," Nida agrees with a nod. The salutes already handled he instead stretches his arms while walking to the door. "Good luck with your... Actually, would you like Cactaur? Just in case the luck really would help?"

[vacantexpression]

There's a moment of hesitation as Squall weighs the odds of who is most likely to benefit from a bit of luck, but ultimately he acquiesces with a nod. "He was stubborn on the best of days and I'm guessing he hasn't seen those in awhile...I'll take all the luck I can get."

[seed_pilot]

Seems logical. And honestly, all Nida needs is Siren. He's far too fond of her to want to pair with others at the moment. He reaches out, the briefest of touches against Squall's arm for the anchor of contact that was needed for transfer between two less familiar people. A flash of a moment and the GF was shifted over.

"Take all the luck you can get. I find Aura spells junction well with it. And with that, I'm off to have the longest nap ever because I can't imagine you managed to get your... presidential contact to get here that fast."

Please let them not have. Because he wants to sleep and he's going to do his best to talk the person to let him handle flying whatever it was back.

"I'll do what I can on my side. And if no one hears from you in, like, two weeks I'll tell Xu what you were up to."

He figured that was the best way to give the guy the time he needs without being annoying. Who knows how long it would take to talk Seifer into something.

[vacantexpression]

"Thanks. Get some rest, Nida," he encourages with a nod, ignoring for now the prickle of having something newly junctioned after time apart. Cactaur had always been best paired with other party members with Squall preferring GFs with more aggressive utility. He doesn't complain, however, just rides out the sensation before taking a deep, bracing breath.

The record has long since stopped its playing, in need of being restarted or turned over, so he's not sure how long it takes him to acknowledge the timeline but after a second or two, Squall blinks his way back into the present. "Two weeks. Got it."

He sees Nida to the door because it feels like the right thing to do but also because Squall knows the journey he's about to embark on will be a lonely one until he's face to face with Seifer. All of his former desires for solitude went out the window with Time Compression. Now he feels the ache of isolation beginning to creep in as he says his farewells. "An Esthar ship will arrive tomorrow afternoon for you. Good luck."