Chapter 9 - First Daze

Knock Knock-click clunk-"Sally? You decent?"

I peeked my head around the door of the bathroom, brush in hand as Zell surveyed the room looking for me. He saw me peeking around and smiled before coming in the rest of the way. He still wore his Balamb-blue sweats and gray sweatshirt with Booya across the front.

"Hi, Zell," I greeted as he approached. "Did I leave something in the T.C.?"

"Nah. I wanted to see if you needed some moral support on your first day with Seifer." He leaned back against the bathroom door frame as I returned to the duty of brushing my hair to braid. "Seems to me you were stressing a little during work-out."

I slowly set the brush down as I sent Zell a sidelong glance. "I know. I was."

Zell crossed his arms and watched me in the mirror as I began braiding my hair. "So... You want me to come with? I can make an excuse. Cord's been an ass more than usual lately. I could put his butt on report."

"I would love it," I whispered, "but..." I glanced toward him. "But if I can't handle the first day by myself, which is always the hardest, I won't be able to handle the others? Right?"

Zell smirked and straightened. He moved to stand beside me, leaning against the sink counter and again crossing his arms. "Yup."

I released a deep breath as I finished my braid. "Sure I'm scared to death, I'm scared of almost everything, but I've got to do this. If I'm going to be a security SeeD, or a SeeD at all, I have to." I sent Zell a glance. "But I really wish you'd at least come down in the elevator."

Zell chuckled and reached out to gently squeeze my arm. "Sure thing, Meg. No sweat."

I smiled. "Okay," I sighed. "Thank you."

He gave my braid a tug. "This's pretty out there, huh? You working in security, I mean. You'll get to push people around, on computer of course." He chuckled. "Make people tow the line, that's my kitten."

I flushed and then turned my focus to the mirror and my reflection. I released a slow breath. "SeeD, Zell," I whispered. "I'm a SeeD." My eyes glimmered. "I made it."

Zell watched my face, slightly smiling. "Yup."

I quickly wiped an escaped tear from my cheek and glanced toward him. "I better go, huh? I don't want to be late on my first day in security. Not with Seifer as my boss."

Zell gently caressed my left cheek with the back of one of his fingers. "And you'll be fine, Sally."

I slightly nodded, fighting back the tears of joy to be a SeeD, terror that I was a security SeeD, and happiness that Zell was in my bathroom - don't ask.

Zell straightened. "Come on. Let's go get you settled."

I nodded again and followed after him, taking his offered hand in a very tight clasp as we made our way from my room and down the side-hall to the main corridor.

"If you need anything," Zell said suddenly, "you just come a-looking for me. Okay? Seifer mouths off? You come to me. The last thing you need is Seifer giving you more stress than you already give yourself."

I smiled, loving every minute of the attention. "Okay."

"And the same goes for Fujin and Raijin. I know Raijin isn't around very much because of the fact that he's always off doing some kind of top-secret delivery to some place to hell and gone, but when those three get together, they make hell for the little guys. So you tell me if they mess with you. Got it?"

I nodded again, still smiling. "Okay."

We stood in front of the elevator, and Zell pushed the button for the Basement level. "If they over-work you, you tell me. They bitch about something you did when you didn't do it, you tell me. They pull a prank, you tell me. I'm serious, Meg. You tell me," he insisted gently.

I followed him into the elevator, nodding, smiling, and dreamily drifting on a cloud of boy-driven craziness. "Okay."

"And if you want to drop down to working out only--"

"No!" I vigorously shook my head, eyes wide. "No. I don't want to stop working out at all. Please?"

Zell smiled. "Sally, if working out every day is what you need, then that's fine. But if it's gonna cause more stress... Okay?"

I lowered my gaze, lower lip protruding slightly. "Okay," I agreed morosely.

"Come on. Don't do that." Zell pulled me into a tight hug. "I don't want to not work out either, Meg, but I don't wanna give you ulcers like Zone. That would suck, and you know it."

I giggled. "Yes. I guess it would." I tightened my arms around him and sighed. Then the doors of the elevator opened. "Awwwww."

Zell chuckled and pushed back. Then he gave my arms a squeeze. "I'll come down with lunch about 11:30. Okay?"

I mutely nodded. Kiss.

One side of Zell's lips twitched. He looked out the elevator, peeked around the corner, and then gave me a pair of simple and warm kisses. "See ya later, kitten." Then he kissed me again and set me outside the elevator with a gentle push, a wink, and then a finger to his forehead before the elevator closed.

I sighed - my smile was pretty sappy and silly - shrugged both my shoulders, and then headed deeper into the security office... and then the dreamy fog drifted to reveal the security office in its real form, Seifer's office, Fujin's office... My steps slowed and I began to worry my lower lip. ...help.

"Regal."

I twitched, eyes wide as I looked to my right to see Seifer standing in the doorway of his office. I swallowed hard and approached, fisting and unfisting my hands until my hands started hurting. I stopped.

I moved to stand in front of Seifer and saluted. "Y-Yes, sir?" I squeaked.

Seifer motioned inside. "Have a seat."

"Y-Yes, sir." And I scrambled into his office and sat in the chair across from his desk, hands tightly clasped in my lap.

I twitched when a thick manual was dropped in my lap. I picked it up and then looked to Seifer with wide eyes as he leaned against the desk so very few feet away from me.

He pointed at the manual. "Read it. Study it. Know it. That's your life now. There will be an exam at the end of the week."

I slightly nodded. Breathe. Breathe.

"You can keep the number and password I gave you before, I'll change the clearance from temporary to permanent."

I nodded again, my eyes unable to look away from his. ...I think I'm going to be sick...

Seifer turned at the waist to retrieve another packet of forms and drop it on top of the manual. "Fill those out, sign them, and then return them to me."

"Y-Yes, sir."

Seifer straightened and walked to the door. "This way."

I forced myself to stand and follow as he made his way down the aisle to a workstation at the end. He gripped the desk chair. "This is your space."

I nodded while looking at the chair and the simple desk, and the computer.

"Okay. You can go."

I blinked and looked up. "P-Pardon?"

Seifer pointed to the papers in my hand. "Study, fill out, return. Do you need it written out?"

I paled and took a step back as I shook my head. "N-No, sir."

"Good. Exam at the end of the week. Nine o'clock. Here." He waved me away. "Dismissed," he commanded as he returned to his office.

I swallowed hard and blinked several times in succession as I turned and shuffled toward the elevator. If a person could feel bruised on the inside, that's what I felt. And I'm supposed to do this every day? I sniffed and sent a timid glance over my shoulder to my solitary workstation.

Now I wasn't so sure.

My eyes started to burn as I stepped aboard the elevator and nudged the first floor button with an elbow. Then I focused on the papers and the manual in my hands. Yes, it had felt good to be complimented by Seifer when he'd asked me to join his team... but I wasn't safe there. I felt like a squirrel in a fox den.

I sniffed again and began worrying my lower lip. Do I want... How do I... I adjusted the papers in my hands and then stepped off the elevator to just stand on the threshold, not knowing what to do or where to go--

"Sally?"

I blinked and looked up. Commander Squall ascended the stairs. "Y-Yes, sir?"

"Are you alright? You look a little yellow."

I tried to force a smile. "I'm fine, sir. I just..." I looked back down at the papers and the smile warped to something pretty pathetic. "I just have to..." I lifted my gaze to meet his again. "I don't think I want to work down there," I confessed in a teary voice.

Commander Squall didn't say anything. He just watched me with a thoughtful look on his face, so I lowered my gaze back to the papers. Network Admin won't be so bad. You like working on the system there. Remember? I sniffed. But it would have been nice to do something really important. Like catch bad guys.

"Why don't you fill out the papers and give them to me," Commander Squall offered slowly, "study for the exam, and then make up your mind before you take the test? A week off would probably be a good thing right now."

I lifted wide eyes. "Would that be okay?"

Commander Squall sent me a little smile as he gently gripped my arm. "Sure, Sally. You've worked hard. You deserve the rest. Alright?"

I slightly nodded. "Okay, sir. Thank you, sir."

"No problem, Sally. And I saw Zell going to the Quad with his guitar. Why don't you go study there?"

I reluctantly smiled. "Thank you, sir. I think I will."

I missed the slight frown on Commander Squall's face as he watched me descend the stairs. I also missed the irritated expression when he entered the elevator and firmly pressed the button for the basement level.

I shouldn't tell Zell how much Seifer scared me... should I? Zell already knew. Hadn't I said so in the bathroom? I worried my lower lip again, still staring at the papers in my hands as I made my way around the corridor to the right and headed down the side-hall to the Quad. I'll just tell him... I'll just tell him... I shrugged and looked up. Why should I tell him anything? I was scared. He knew I would be. I knew I would be. I'll just talk to him about whether or not I should join the team after I've had a chance to study the manual.

I firmly nodded and then smiled when I heard and saw Zell playing guitar on the stage. He looked up when he heard my steps and gave a blink of surprise as he stopped playing, set the guitar aside, and then made his way off the stage and forward to me.

"I just have to fill out this paperwork and start studying the manual for the exam at the end of this week," I told him.

"So you don't hafta go in until you pass?"

I nodded, smiling. "Uh-huh."

"Dude! That rocks!" He took the papers from me and then walked beside me as we headed to the stage. "I'll help you study. Okay?"

I wrapped my arms around his left one and smiled up at him. "Okay."

*

I scowled as I re-read the paragraph and jotted notes on the steno to my right. Studying was old hat to me because I had been doing it for longer than I should have had to. All because of my inability to pass the Fire Cavern exam the first or second time like all the other candidates. But the one thing that loomed over my head as I studied this time was the fact I still didn't know whether or not I wanted to work in the security office.

The security issues and clearance questions and ethics and whatnot were exciting, and very similar to the basic idea/principle behind all of Garden, but... Seifer. That was the one thing that always kept me on the outside of the definite 'yes'. I hadn't ever had to work under someone as harsh a personality as he was. I wasn't sure if I could do it, to be honest. I didn't even know if I wanted to see if I could do it. Sure, catching bad guys would be great, but trying to stay sane while working for Seifer Almasy?

I wasn't so sure I could.

"Hey, Sally."

I looked up and smiled at the good-looking guy with the black hair and silver eyes. "Hi, Marshal. What are you doing here?"

"As the Chief of Security at Galbadia Garden, I can go anywhere I damn well please and when I please to do it." He sat down in the chair beside me and kicked his feet up on the table as he laced his hands behind his head. "That and Seifer ordered me to get my ass over here for a meeting."

I giggled.

"I heard through the grapevine that you might be joining the ranks of the security team. That the manual you studying there?"

I nodded as I moved my gaze to the 'do's and 'don't's listed on the page. "Uh-huh."

"You'll be a great addition, Sally. You proved that with the whole Trojan thing. And you know what? We found nearly half a dozen on our side of the street. Seifer's mad as hell that we didn't button up this hole months ago. Been sore for weeks." Marshal scoffed. "Watch your step around him. He'll likely chew your ass because he blames himself. But how the hell was he supposed to know the security grid didn't prevent non-direct attacks?"

I stared at Marshal wide-eyed. "He couldn't."

"That's what I said, but he tells me to go to hell and quit coddling him." Marshal snorted. "Me? Coddle that bastard? Hell no!" Marshal shrugged. "Oh well. I guess there's no use trying to make him feel better."

I absently nodded as I changed my focus back to the manual. "His idea of networking the Gardens and implementing the security grid was wonderful," I said softly. "There's no telling how many invasions it stopped."

"Actually there is a main record, and it's a damn high number. I don't want to even think about what our life would be like without his security measures."

I doodled thoughtfully in the margin of the manual. "He has a hard job."

"He has a damned hard job, but hell if I've seen anyone do it better."

Seifer did have a hard job, and the fact that any mistake could potentially hurt or kill someone finally clicked with me. No wonder he's always so harsh. He has a lot of responsibilities. People count on him for safety and security and...

I looked over at Marshal and gave him a slight smile. "Can you help me study? The exam is tomorrow and Zell has class until tonight."

Marshal straightened in his chair. "Sure, Sally. No problem. Here. Give me the book."

I passed him the manual. Yes. I'd join the security team and do my best to help Seifer do a very hard job. If I could put up with my brother growing up, I could put up with anyone.

*

I cleared my throat and tugged at my SeeD uniform coat jacket as the elevator swooshed down to the basement. You can do this, Sally. You know the manual frontwards and backwards. You can do this. And I wanted to do it, too. I wanted to help put bad guys away. I wanted to help keep Garden safe. I wanted to help keep my Zell from having to risk his life. I wanted a lot of things for a lot of people, and the only way I could give that to them was to be on the security team with Seifer Almasy.

A man that scared me to death.

Seifer was sipping coffee from a dark blue mug while standing over a SeeD in a corner cubicle as I made my way down the aisle toward his office. He looked up and I swallowed my terror when his hard gaze met my timid one.

"Good morning, Regal."

"G-Good morning, sir. I'm r-ready for the test."

Seifer curtly nodded and gestured to a back office to the right of his desk. "It's ready for you. Just shut the door behind you."

"Yes, s-sir."

"Good luck."

I blinked at the unexpected well-wishing, as well as the slightly less intense way he'd been speaking to me, and turned to head for the specified office. You can do this, Sally. You can. You know this.

I continued to give myself the encouraging pep talk as I closed the door and moved around the bare desk to the computer that held the exam. I sat, released a deep breath, and then scooted closer to begin question number one.

"Regal."

I looked up from my clasped hands as I waited on the couch in Seifer's office for the results of the exam. "Y-Yes, sir?"

Seifer entered his office and closed the door behind him, still looking over the report of the exam's final results. My heart stopped beating. I wanted to pass. I wanted to work there. I did. I had never wanted anything so bad as working in the security office and trying to--

Seifer looked up. "What the hell is this?"

I paled. "S-Sir?"

"We give you a manual to study and you memorize the damn thing and then score a 140% on your test because you solve all the problems?"

I swallowed hard and suddenly felt very light-headed. "S-Sir?"

Seifer actually smirked. "You passed, Regal."

"I... I passed?" I squeaked.

"You passed, and your first assignment is writing a new exam."

I blinked up at him. "S-Sir?"

Seifer chuckled and shook his head, then he presented his hand. "Welcome to the team, Regal. Let's kick some radical ass."

I accepted the hand and just stared at it as I stammered out "Y-Yes, sir," while trying to figure out how I was going to re-write the exam.

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