Wellspring Arms & Meditation Center, Sunday

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

Cable was starting to wonder about Wade's recruiting strategies for babysitters.

Mind, he did this every time Wade claimed to have gotten them a babysitter. Right now, he was going through his long archive of written-down radio broadcasts, looking for Seifer's name and making notes. Some would call that paranoid; he would call that looking out for his dau-- Janice.

He also had the HELP WANTED sign back in the window, though he wasn't really paying much attention to it. Jan was sitting next to his desk, poking at the dog and just generally tying things into poor Tether's tail, but she seemed quite content with that.

He was going to leave her to it.

[[ open, no OCD! ]]

Comments

[knight-fatali.livejournal.com]

Seifer had shown up early, before lunch no matter what the time says, damn 5am work start, and hoped he wasn't late by someone else's clock. And the first thing he was going to do was look around, because, ya know, weapons.

He'll remember why he was here in a moment.

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

Cable raised one single eyebrow.

He let Seifer browse for a few moments.

Then: "Can I help you...?"

[knight-fatali.livejournal.com]

Seifer tore himself away from the displays, turned and grinned at the... really big guy at the desk. And hey, there was his favorite little redhead.

"I'm Seifer Almasy. Vice-Principal Deadpool said I was supposed to speak with someone named Nate."

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"That's Cable to you," Cable said, standing up. "Seifer. Wade's new babysitter. Please, grab a seat."

He gestured at the chair in the corner.

Jan made a squealy noise.

[knight-fatali.livejournal.com]

"Sorry, sir, he didn't mention that name. I'll remember it for the future," Seifer said politely as he took a seat. He had a feeling this was going to be like the worst pre-mission interview, ever.

He had a smile and wave ready for Jan, because really, she was kind of awesome.

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

Jan waved back, and might have grabbed for her squirt gun just because she could.

Tether, at least, looked happy about the distraction, and flopped his put-upon husky head onto the floor.

"I've been reviewing your files," Cable said, politely. Yes, he kept files. That wasn't creepy at all, Nate. "You're reasonably new here, am I correct?"

[knight-fatali.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this was just like a pre-mission briefing.

"Yes, sir. I arrived just before the first summer session."

Seifer was wondering if that squirt gun was loaded, and if they would have to rescue the dog.

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"But you had prior connections here," Cable prompted.

Jan seemed torn on whether to shove the squirt gun into Tether's ear or point it at Seifer.

[knight-fatali.livejournal.com]

"Um, yes. Rinoa Heartilly and Squall Leonheart, the three of us are from the same world and time." He and Squall had thoughtfully given each other matching scars instead of friendship rings. Harder to lose, you know.

Poor dog. Seifer could dry himself off at least.

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"Hm-hm."

Cable eyed him. His flashy eye... flashed.

"So why did you come here?"

Sit back and get ready for a thorough interrogation, Seifer.

[knight-fatali.livejournal.com]

Somehow, he knew that was going to come up. Mostly because it always came up.

"I was brainwashed by a psychotic..." he stopped quickly and glanced at Jan, then started up again, "sorceress, there was a war, she was... taken care of and I got fixed. Unfortunately, most people didn't care about the extenuating circumstances, and my safety became an issue. It was decided I would be safer here until things calmed down more."

Not that he planned on going back, but certain girls got teary eyed when he mentioned it.

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"Any chance of you dragging trouble into my store?" Cable asked.

While Seifer had already been staying on the island for a few semesters. Well. This was a house where paranoia ruled?

Tether stood up with a most undogly squeal as Jan's squirt gun released water into his ear.

[knight-fatali.livejournal.com]

"No, sir. I've actually managed to stay out of trouble while here, except when the island went crazy."

Because really, he wasn't to blame for the priest thing! Totally not his fault.

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Now that she was no longer running a class on weaponry, Cindy needed a place to go and practice. Well, play with her babies, but if anyone asked, she'd call it practice. And while there was a range near the dorms, that was province of the students.

Though she'd heard that to use this range, she needed permission from the mayor. Who was...in today! Excellent!

Cindy was going to take that as further proof this was an excellent weekend and head inside.

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"Can I help you?" Cable asked, looking up from his desk.

No, after all these years, it hadn't stopped sounding slightly incongruous coming from the giant guy with the flashy eye.

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

"I hear you have a shooting range," Cindy said easily, not intimidated by his height. Though the flashy eye thing... "I'm looking for a place to shoot. I feel like these two things might go together."

She crossed over to his desk, but didn't offer her hand right away. "Cindy Perrault; I teach up at the school."

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

Cable smiled.

Sort of. It was a very guarded, slightly smirky kind of smile. "ID first, please," he said.

He'd be looking her up in his radio database later.

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Guarded or not, Cindy cheerfully returned it as she fished out her ID. Hers was empty for all its apparent sincerity.

A simple, completely legit New York driver's license, with her name and smiling face--a smile much like the one she was wearing now, in fact.

"My passport's back in my house and I don't share my social security number with anyone."

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"Uh huh," Cable said, giving her license a once-over. "So what's your passport serial number...?"

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Cindy started rattling it off, before realizing this might not be the sort of thing that most people knew. Ah well, too late for it now. And if nothing else, she was pretty sure it was better to err on the side of competent with the mayor.

"Traveled to France last summer," she said, which was perfectly true. "You get used to spouting it off to someone official pretty often. Even if you're not in a TSA uniform."

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

Cable typed up a few things into his database, but kept his eyes trained on Cindy. "I see," he said. "Do you travel often...?"

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes I visit home," Cindy said with a shrug. "A summer in Paris isn't usually on my agenda. That was an extenuating circumstance."

And she would be very happy to tell him all about her imaginary friend who had been going through a very dreadful divorce.

"So, I wouldn't say often, no. But from time to time." She raised an eyebrow. "Is this a Homeland Security thing?"

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"I like to know who I'm dealing with," Cable said, pleasantly. This is just a formality, I assure you. Though now I'm curious - why were you in Paris?"

He'd given the ID a passing look. Something smelled fishy.

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

"Friend of mine married a rich guy and moved there a few years back. Now they're in the process of a nasty divorce. I've been in that same spot--sadly, not in Paris at the time--and she needed someone she could trust. Spending a summer in Paris with an old friend helping her get rid of a scumbag? Not really a downside for me," she said with a shrug.

There were little sprinklings of truth in there, as all good lies had.

[spring-lost.livejournal.com]

"Well, I'm impressed by your retention," Cable said, lightly. "As under the current security circumstances, I believe you've only got to use your passport document number-- ah-- three times."

A beat.

"If this is actually your passport."