Chapter 4: New Girl on Campus

  They returned to the Garden within a few hours' time. Dominique was still in a deep sleep, so she was carried by Zell into the infirmary as he followed the others. Placing her on the examination table, he turned to listen to the conversation Squall was having with Dr. Kadowaki.
"We don't know anything other than what we were told."
"So you were asked to bring her here for medical attention?", the doctor asked with a sigh. It had already been a rough morning. A broken arm, twenty vaccinations, and a nasty stomach virus. Pushing up her lab coat sleeves, she walked into the examination room. "Let's see what we have here."
Zell stepped aside to make room. He stood next to Squall, who was hovering outside the doorway.
"Hey man," he leaned over and whispered. "You think we did the right thing?"
Squall snorted. Sometimes Zell could really be a bone head. "Of course we did. Anyone can tell she's not healthy."
Dr. Kadowaki returned minutes later, an angry flush showing itself on her cheeks.
"What were they thinking??!", she hissed, mainly to herself, but not quiet enough for Zell and Squall to hear. Shuffling through a medical supplies cabinet, she pulled out some IV tubing in a package. "She's severely dehydrated, and there could be some infection.", she announced to the men, briskly walking over to a refridgerator and pulling out a bag of fluid. Her footsteps clicked smartly as she stalked back into the examination room, preping Dominique's arm to recieve the IV. Squall and Zell watched silently (Zell cringing at the sight) as Dr. Kadowaki tied the tourniquite band above her elbowe, thumped her skin to make the vein rise, and quickly inserted the needle into her arm.
"I have to keep her overnight, maybe even a few nights, to make sure her body is taking the fluids properly." Clasping one of their hands a peice in her own, she looked at their faces in a stern expression.
"Thank you for bringing her here. She mostly likely would have died within a few days to a week if she had been left at your orphanage."
A little startled by the news (and relieved that they had made it in time) they could only nod their heads silently in reply. Releasing them and turning back to Dominique, she continued.
"She'll be alright now. We'll just fill her with fluids and let her get plenty of rest and she'll be back on her feet in no time. After she's up, I'll give her a physical to double check."
"Thank you Doctor.", Squall said. "We'll go tell the others. Is Headmaster Cid here today? I've got to talk to him about something."
"He should be up in his office, Squall. And if he's not taking it easy, tell him I want to have another talk with him as well."
"Alright.",Squall chuckled. "Take care."
With that, the two turned from the office and exited the infirmary. The others were waiting outside on the walkway. Immideately, Squall was bombarded with questions from all sides. Frustrated, he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers and waited for the inquiries to stop.
"Dr. Kadowaki said she was dehydrated pretty badly. She said she'll have to keep Dominique a few nights to make sure she's taking the fluids. She'll be okay."
A relieved sigh circulated through the group. Irvine removed his hat to scratch at a spot on his head.
"So, like, what now?", he asked, replacing the brown Stetson. Squall shrugged and started walking towards the elevator.
"I'm going to talk to Headmaster Cid about the situation. If she recovers like Dr. Kadowaki expects, then maybe she can enroll as a student. She really doesn't have any other place to go but here."

One Month Later

  Squall shuffled through some papers at his desk. Locked away in his dormitory, he could finally have the solitude he needed to concentrate on his work. An ever-growing stack of GF related articles had acumulated and made its home in a corner of his desk area. Where was that bulletin about the SeeD recruits? He knew it was there somewhere. Groaning in frustration at the mess, he kicked back from his chair and began sorting through the piles of paperwork and articles, throwing what wasn't needed any longer on the floor. Heavy rock music blared thickly from his stereo on the shelf above his bed. Crawling up under the desk to retrieve an important memo, Squall rose too quickly and bashed his head on the underside of the desk. Swearing and holding his head in agony, he managed to shimmy backwards out from underneath the desk. He rose, bright stars blinking on front of his eyes, and grabbed the edge of the desk to pull himself up. He grabbed a stack of GF books instead and sent them crashing to the floor. He himself landed safely on his backside. Gazing blankly at the mess around him, he sat there in the middle of the paperwork. His eyes roamed until they fell upon one of the GF books he'd turned over. Picking it up, he examined the cover and then absently opened it and turned a few pages. Squall scanned the article with bored, uninterested eyes until he came across an illustration of a GF and some of its supposable sub-species. Interest snagged, he brought the book into the light so he could read it. It was a sketch of Ifrit, the fire dog, and below it were two other sketches.
"Ifrit (genus Homieocanis Pyro)- a fire-elemental Guardian Force. Below are composite sketches of the newely discovered subspecies - Vulpes Pyro and Lupus Pyro.", he read to himself. Studying the pictures, he could see that they were related to Ifrit. The one on the left was very small and looked fox-like. The one on the right was slightly larger and looked more like a wolf. Making a mental note to himself to read this book a little more, he placed it on the stack of strewn papers on his desktop. A soft knock at his door was barely audible over the music. The shout that followed was much clearer.
"Squall! Are you in there!? Turn your music down!!! Squall?! Can you hear me??! Are you---oh! Squall! Hi!"
Rinoa beamed up at him as he opened the door. He smiled back, stepping aside so she could enter the room. Her critical gaze roaved over the paper flood on the floor.
"Been cleaning?", she asked over the music. Squall turned the volume down as he anwsered.
"I was looking for something."
"Oh.", she replied, stooping to gather some of the papers into a pile. Squall bent to help.
"I don't think I'll ever find it now. I'll have to go through all this when I have time I guess."
Rinoa sat on the floor after clearing a spot away. Squall arranged the books on the desk while she watched.
"So, did you need anything?", he asked after putting them in order. Rinoa tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"Not really...just wanted to talk some and see what you were up to."
Squall took a seat on the floor next to her, leaning his back against the drawers on the desk. He blew a puff of breath up at his forehead, trying to move some of his hair out of his feild of vision.
"Dominique's learned to play cards.",Rinoa piped, bringing her knees to her chest.
"Really? Who taught her?", he asked, leaning his head against the desk. Rinoa grinned, pointing a proud finger to herself. Squall cocked an eyebrow, a laugh rising in his throat.
"You sure that's a good idea? You know cards aren't your strong point."
Pouting, Rinoa balled up some scraps of paper and threw them at Squall's head in an assault.
"Hey!! I happen to be pretty good at cards!!! What's wrong with me teaching her how to have fun?!"
Squall, laughing very hard, sheilded himself with his hands. "I was only joking, Rin! Cut it out!"
She stopped, laughing as well and smiled at him. Changing the subject from Rinoa's card playing skills, he redirected it more directly to Dominique.
"So she's doing okay? I mean, is the rooming situation working out?"
"Oh yeah! She's a great roommate. She's so happy now, too. She's always smiling about something, and always asking questions."
"That's good. I'm glad she's doing alright. I was really worried when she first got here."
Rinoa grinned, playfully punching him in the arm. "Aww!! Squall! You really were worried? He has a heart, ladies and gentlemen."
Squall rolled his eyes, rubbing his arm. "Whatever.", he muttered, utilizing his trademark expression. Rinoa sniggered a bit at her sweetheart.
"It's alright. I won't tell anyone you're a big softey. But yeah, I know what you mean. I was really worried about her too. But she's got all of her strength back and she's getting a lot of sleep AND she's got a big appetite. I've never seen a girl eat as much as she does."
"More than Zell?"
"Let me put it this way...she eats enough for two Zells."
Squall's eyes widened in mock suprise. "Woah...that's AMAZING, Rinoa."
"Oh, shut up.", she groaned, giving him a teasing shove. Squall sniggered back at her. He had expected her to retort with sarcasm or a laugh, but all she did was chew her bottom lip in thought. A bit concerned, Squall pressed the issue.
"What's wrong? You look concerned about something."
"Uh? Oh...it's nothing big...."
"Come on. If I have to spill my heart out to you, you have to give me the same courtesy.", he said, nudging her leg with the toe of his boot. Rinoa sighed, readjusting herself on the floor.
"Well...it's just....there are things about her..."
"Things? Like what sort of things? If there's a problem with her staying in your room, I could talk to Cid."
"No no. It's not like that.", she said, shaking her dark head. "Well...she just...it's like...um...", she said slowly, as if trying to choose her words carefully. "I'm still worried about her, that's all."
"I don't understand then. You say she's doing great. I've seen her myself and I haven't noticed anything wrong with her."
"It's nothing physical, Squall. She...well, things she should know, she doesn't. And things that she shouldn't know, she does.", Rinoa finished, her sentence followed by a long pause.
"Go on.", Squall prompted. Rinoa shifted again, once more tucking that pesky strand behind her ear.
"Well...her social skills for one thing. She doesn't talk to anyone else but us. And even then, her conversations are a little...ackward, don't you think?"
Squall shrugged silently and Rinoa continued. "Like, I was with her one day...remember when Quistis, Selphie, and I took her shopping for clothes? The sales lady tried to help her, and Dominique didn't know how to respond. She just looked at her and said, 'Oh...do you wear these things too?' It was really weird. And what's weirder is that I was helping her dry her hair the other night."
"What's so weird about that?"
"Let me get to it. She complains about bad headaches everyonce in a while. She had one last night. So I give her some asprin and tell her that maybe if she takes a bath, she'll feel better. So she did, but it didn't help much. She didn't even want to comb out her hair. So I helped her with it. I didn't want her to get sick or anything from having wet hair, so I start blow drying it. Dominique didn't know what a hair dryer was, Squall."
Squall shifted on the floor, turning the thought over in his mind. "Well...", he said slowly. "I'll admit that is strange. But you have to remember she's missing a chunk of her memory. Maybe she's seen a dryer before, but can't remember."
Rinoa nodded. "Yeah, but that doesn't explain the social skills. I mean...she talks to herself Squall. It's like she's having a conversation with someone."
Squall leaned forward, stroking Rinoa's hair. "Rin.", he said, looking seriously into her eyes. "She doesn't remember. And for the talking to herself...lots of people do that. She may be lonely."
"But that's what she's got us for, Squall!! I know she likes us! She's always smiling and so happy when we're around. I mean, she even laughs at Irvine's come-ons!!"
Placing a supportive kiss on her forehead, he looked at her once more. "Don't worry about it. You can't rush something like this. She'll come around...I promise."
Nodding, and then throwing her arms around his neck in a hug, Rinoa mumbled a thank-you into his collar before letting do and rising from the floor.
"Want to stay and help me clean this place up?", Squall invited as she walked to the door. Rinoa turned and laughed, continuing to move, walking backwards towards the door.
"Uh...think I'll take a rain check on that one, Commander.", she laughed, giving a silly SeeD salute before vanishing out the doorway. Squall smiled to himself and shook his head.
  Rinoa walked along the hallways of the Dormitory, heading for the main area near the fountains. She passed Irvine and Selphie along the way.
"Hey Rinoa!", Irvine said, tossing a hand up as she drew near. Rinoa smiled and walked over to where the pair were standing.
"Hey you guys. What's up?"
Selphie tapped the toe of her boot on the floor, making the fit a little more snug. "We were going to head to the training center. Wanna come?"
"Um...well, I was going to look for Dominique."
"Actually...", Irvine said, stretching slowly. "I saw her headin' for the cafeteria."
"Did you speak to her?", Rinoa asked. Irvine tapped his chin in thought.
"Nah...she didn't have much to say. She was looking really hungry."
"What'd you have to see her for, Rinoa?", Selphie asked, cocking her head curiously.
Rinoa shrugged helplessly. "It wasn't anything important. I'll just tell her later. I guess I'll go with you guys then."
"Great!!! I've got the perfect party then, eh?", Irvine laughed, throwing his arms around the girls. Selphie and Rinoa exchanged skeptical looks that Irvine didn't catch.

  Dominique picked up her tray after paying for her meal. She nodded a shy thank-you to the cafeteria lady and then looked around the room for a place to sit. Her tray was getting heavier by the second. She looked down at it, eyeing the five hot dogs, loaded salad, bowl of Jello, two large french fries, and large water with a hungry gaze. The voice within urged her to sit on the floor in the very spot she was standing and devour her meal. No, couldn't do that. People would think she was weird or something. And she really wanted to fit in better around here. She liked it pretty good, and didn't want to create a rude welcome for herself. Ignoring the voice's plea, she stepped around the tables, looking for a place to sit. She accidently bumped into a guy's arm, causing some of the drink he was holding to splash onto her uniform.
"S-Sorry...",she stuttered, turning away quickly in embarassment. She could hear the sniggers from the others at his table as she walked away. Her eyes looked frantically for a retreat from the shame. Her golden gaze hastily roaved the cafeteria, and her footsteps sped up. No seat, no seat...taken...all of them were taken. She overheard the whispers of nearby students as she stood near them, still searching for an empty table.
"Man...lookit her eyes..."
"Yeah, weird."
"Eww, they're really creepy."
A little stung by their words, she crinkled up her nose in disgust and turned away quickly. That's when she saw a small table in the back of the cafeteria near a trash can. It was the only seat open, and she was too disgusted by the attitudes of her ignorant classmates to sit in their midst. She walked over to the table and soon found why it was an island. The table rocked to the side as she placed her tray on its surface and the chair creaked painfully as she sat down.
"Better than the floor I guess.", she muttered, struggling to over look the stench of the trash can as she jammed her fork into her salad.
  Zell paid for his usual order of hot dogs and walked into the sitting area. Friendly faces met his gaze and he grinned as he saw a classmate.
"Hey Zell! Over here!", the boy shouted over the bustle. Zell tilted his chin in the boy's direction, walking over to his table.
"Yo, Tyler. S'up?"
"Not much, man.", Tyler replied, slapping Zell a handshake. Two girls and another guy occupied the table and they all greeted Zell with friendly hellos.
"Lookin' good today, Zell.", the girl sitting to Tyler's right grinned with a wink. Zell blushed a bit, returning her grin with one of his own.
"I know you don't really mean it, but thanks anyway, Gina."
Gina crinkled her nose at him playfully and took a bite of her apple.
Tyler guestured to Zell. "Hey, sit with us, man."
"There's no empty seats.", Zell stated looking around. Tyler shrugged.
"No prob. We'll just pull up a chair from someone else's table."
They looked around the crowded cafeteria looking for a chair that wasn't already occupied by someone's butt. Zell's eyes fell upon a familiar, maghogany-headed figure sitting alone at a table in the back corner of the room. He watched for a distance as she ate her food and how she looked content to be by herself. Making up his mind, he declined to Tyler's offer.
"On second thought, I just saw a friend I haven't talked to in a while. I think I'll go over there and sit."
Tyler shrugged. "Okay, suit yourself. Catch ya later then."
"Right. Later!", Zell said with a wave as he walked in Dominique's direction.
"Why's he going over there?", Gina whispered to Tyler after Zell had walked away. "Doesn't he know she's a weirdo? I mean, she talks to herself...and she's got those freaky eyes."
Tyler scratched his head. "I dunno. Maybe he feels sorry for her..."
His words trailed off as he saw his friend sit down at the secluded table with the "Black Sheep" of Balamb Garden.
  Dominique absently stirred a french fry in her ketchup, absorbed in her own world. She didn't notice the figure coming towards her.
"Hey...this seat taken?", rang an optimistic tenor voice. Dominique snapped her head up, her long pony tail flipping over her shoulder.
"Zell!!", she said brightly, a smile instantly lighting up her olive complexion. She just smiled at him for a minute, not saying a word, until he cleared his throat and nodded his head towards the empty seat.
"Oh!! Um...yeah, sure...sit sit!", she said, a nervous tinge in her light voice. Zell smiled and sat down with a squeak.
"Woah. Didn't know it'd do that.", he said, rocking back and fourth in the chair, making it squeak again. Dominique giggled a little.
"Yeah, the table rocks too. Plus there's the trash can...", she said with a glance over her shoulder. Zell looked past her at the trash can that was emitting the foul odor. "It was the only place open.", she hastily explained, popping several fries into her mouth.
"No one would make room for you?", he asked through a bite of his hot dog. Dominique looked warily at the room full of students. They were talking, laughing, conversing with eachother like they could do no wrong. She shook her head, taking a bite of a hot dog.
"I'd rather sit by myself."
"I have a hard time believing that.", Zell laughed. "I thought you liked being around people."
"There's a difference between you and Squall and the others...and them.", she muttered, stirring another fry in her ketchup. Zell crinkled his brow in concern.
"What do you mean, Dom?"
Dropping the fry into the ketchup with a plop, Dominique propped her chin up with her hand. Her honey eyes didn't have their usual sparkle in them now. Zell leaned forward a bit, studying her face in growing concern.
"Dominique?"
"Do you know...how it feels?", she said softly, her voice even and controlled. "They laugh. They whisper behind my back. 'Freak...weird eyes...she talks to the fairies...' It's gotten old. It makes me angry because...they don't know who I really am."
"Hey hey, just ignore those ass-holes.", Zell spouted, tilting his head in the direction of the other tables. Dominique only continued to stare at her food. Zell leaned forward to try to see her face.
"Really...they don't know what they're talking about, Dominique. There's...nothing wrong with you."
"You think so?", Dominique asked, raising her head. "I mean...you're not scared when I'm around? I don't 'freak you out'?"
Zell shook his head, taking another bite of the hotdog. "M'naw. Not at all."
Dominique's amber eyes regained their spark and she smiled a bit sheepishly. "Hmm...well, as long as you and Squall and the others feel that way...I guess I can deal with the rest.", she finished in a grin. Zell smiled back.
"That's the idea. Er...hey, you gonna finish that?", he asked, nodding towards the remaining hotdogs on her tray. Dominique shook her head as she reached down into her bag to pull out her packet of cards.
"Hey, where'd you get those?", Zell asked after swallowing. Dominique removed them and began to shuffle through them.
"Rinoa gave them to me...", she said, concentrating more on the cards than Zell's question.
"So...you know how to play?"
"A little.", Dominique shrugged. "Rinoa showed me a bit."
Zell started laughing. Dominique dropped her cards below eye level to stare at Zell in scrutiny.
"What's so funny?"
"Hahahaha...Rinoa isn't the person you should have teaching you how to play cards...hahaha..."
"Why is that?!", Dominique pouted indignantly. Zell contained his laughter to a chuckle.
"She's gotta be the worst player. Here, let me see your cards...", Zell said as he reached across the table for Dominique's deck. She reluctantly handed them over as Zell reached in his back pocket with his free hand for his own deck. Placing both decks adjacent from eachother, he threw his arms behind his head in a stretch.
"Okay...I'm going to really teach you how to play."
"Really? You don't mind?"
"The way I see it, I'm doing you a favor if Rinoa was trying to teach you. Ok, let's see..."
Zell picked up his deck and shuffled through it, motioning for Dominique to do the same.
"...what do you already know?"
"Um...just basic stuff. Trade rule One, Open, and a little Elementals."
"Okay," Zell stated. "Let's keep the trade rule and Open...and throw in Same/Plus. So go on and pick out your best cards."
"I don't know what Same/Plus is.", Dominique stated as she picked over her cards. Zell was nearly done gathering up his.
"It's real easy. Ok, so I assume you already know how the Elemental rule can affect certain cards, right?"
Dominique nodded her head.
"Ok, then I won't go over that. All Same/Plus is is if you have two numbers that match up on your card with two other numbers on your opponent's card..."
He visualized it with two of his own cards.
"...then that's a Same. You'll get points for that. Plus is if those numbers - they don't have to be the same - all add up to the same total. Elementals gets important is you're trying to get combos. You may not be able to get points off of that card unless it's raised or lowered a level by the Elemental rule."
Zell picked out his hand and placed the rest of the deck aside. "Ok, ya ready? Hope I didn't make it too complicated."
Dominique selected her last card and placed aside her deck. "No," she said, shaking her head, her pony tail swishing behind her. "I get it. I'm ready."
"Okay, but don't expect me to go easy on you and let you win just because you're a beginner."
"Hey! I've won games before! I beat Selphie and Irvine a few times!"
"Really? Geez, Selphie's pretty good....but that still doesn't mean that you can beat me.", he boasted, proudly jabbing his thumb at his chest. Dominique smirked, folding her elbows on the table top.
"You sure do think highly of yourself."
"Hell yeah. I beat Squall before, ya know. And he's like, the best player at Garden."
Dominique rolled her eyes, laughing a bit. "C'mon, let's just get started already."
They played intensely for what seemed like hours, although it was only two or three games. The had both won one a peice, and now they had come to the tie breaker. Dominique had two cards left and Zell had just played his last, which was his favorite card - Bahamut. Smirking to himself, he sat back, crossing his arms over his chest smugly.
"Get out of that one!", he gloated. Dominique cocked her head to the side, studying her hand and the cards on the table. She bit her lip, her left hand hovering over the two remaining cards. Looking from her cards, to the table, to Zell's glorified grin, and back to her cards, she slowly moved her fingers to what she thought would be her best play. Hesitantly placing the card on the table, they both looked at the numbers. She had managed to gain the three extra points needed to win the game.
"I won!", she squealed, clapping her hands together. Zell slapped his forehead, dragging his hand down over his face.
"Dammit...", he groaned as she picked over his cards for the one she would take.
"Ooh...I really like this one.", she said, fingering the Bahamut card. Zell bolted up straight. "NO!! I mean, uh...that one's not that great..."
Dominique cocked a brown eyebrow at him. "Really? Gee, for such a lousey card, you really got excited for a minute there."
Zell smiled weakley. Dominique grinned and picked up the card. "I think I'll take...this one!"
"Fine fine...but I'm going to win it back! One more game..."
Zell's rematch was delayed as his watch alarm went off. Looking at it momentarily, he slapped the table with his palm.
"SHIT!! Squall's gonna kick my ASS!", he proclaimed, snatching his deck from the table. Dominique looked up with startled eyes.
"W-where are you going, Zell?", she stammered, still holding on to the Bahamut card. Zell jammed his cards back into his pocket.
"I told Squall I'd meet him in the Training Center. Dammit...I lost track of time. Those games lasted longer than I thought.", he said as he pushed the creaky chair back under the table. "But hey, thanks for playing. You're pretty good. Just get some more pratice and we'll play again."
Dominique smiled and nodded, waving good-bye to him as he started to walk away. Noticing she still had his card in her hand, she cupped her other to her mouth.
"Wait!! What about your card?!"
"Hang on to it for me! I'll get it back later!", Zell shouted back, tossing his hand up in departure. Dominique smiled and nodded again, although Zell had already gone and couldn't see. Looking down at the card cradled in her palm, she brushed back a stray hair with her free hand. The marveled at the drawing of the powerful dragon printed on the card's surface.
"G O O D   C H O I C E.", her inner voice said with a hint of pleasure. "T H I S   H U M A N   H A S   G O O D   T A S T E."
Dominique sighed, tucking her deck and her newly acquired card back into her bag.
"You WOULD say something like that."
"I   C A N ' T   H E L P   I ' M   B I A S E D."
"Hmm....well, I'm glad you haven't tried anything stupid yet.", Dominique muttered as she slung her bag over her shoulder and carried her tray to the trashcan. The voice snorted indignantly.
"Y O U   H A V E   S O   L I T T L E   F A I T H   I N   M E.", it said.
"Okay, okay...I'm sorry. I shouldn't---"
She cut herself off as a group of students she passed stared at her one sided conversation she was having with herself. Dominique felt her face heat up in embarassment and she briskly turned to exit the cafeteria.
"See what you made me do?", she thought furiously, directing the comment towards the voice. It made no reply but only snickered impishly. Dominique's footsteps slowed as she approached the Dormitory. She'd just turn down that walkway, head for her room, take a bath, and go to bed. Pretty dull and routine, in her opinion. The soft green glow of the neon sign that designated the Training Center area caught her perefferal vision. Hmmmm....she hadn't thanked Zell for the card. But then again, she really didn't have to. She's won it fair and square, but still...
"L E T ' S   G O   I N."
The voice had returned again. Dominique tried to push it back into her mind.
"Squall told me not to go to the Training Center without being 'properly equipped'."
Even as she argued against the idea, she found her legs unconciously drawing her towards the Training Center doorway. From within she could hear the crack and clang of a gunblade being fired as it was probably brought down on top of some unsuspecting monster's head. Dominique put a timid palm to the doorway edge, peeping her head inside.
"I T ' S   N O T   L I K E   Y O U   H A V E N ' T   B E E N   T H E R E   B E F O R E."
It DID have a point. Being stubborn be nature, she had dilebrately snuck into the Center after being told not to. She could clearly recall Squall's hard set expression as he warned her to stay away from the area...that it was too "dangerous for someone like her." Whatever the hell that meant. She had managed okay, considering she didn't have a weapon. It was at that time, she discovered she could cast magic with a fair amount of ease. All she had to do was point her left hand at her target, concentrate and...
"Fire!", she shouted at an unsuspecting tree on the outer parimeter or the compound. She had made it inside, though she didn't will herself to. She suspected the voice had played some part in this. The tree was engulfed in flames and the light danced and flickered across the surroundings. Dominique quickly cast another spell - Water - to douse the flames. The sizzled out of existance as she heard another gunshot fired. A shout could be heard after that, and another clang. A sparkle and zap as a spell was cast echoed through the compound. It was sticky and humid in there, and Dominique really didn't know where the exact location of the noises were. Allowing the deep voice within her to serve as a guide, she cautiously stepped among the broken trees and fallen beams, traveling deeper into the back of the area. She stepped over a chain, failing to notice the warning posted there : DANGER : KEEP OUT UNLESS PROPERLY TRAINED - NEW MONSTERS ROAMING - DEADLY

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