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The bar was quiet. It was also dark and dingy. The darkness hid the years of spilt beer on the floor, the blood that was flung from the couple of fights over the years but was now like bad paint on hanging pictures. There was a stale stench of cigarette smoke that seemed to sit at the back of the throat despite the fact that nobody was smoking in the place. There was a TV up above the corner of the bar, a sports station televising games from around the globe. It's screen was coated in dust and some sort of heavy grime.
There were a few die hard patrons that would come in the morning and usually stay for the majority of the day, leaving around dinner time.
Zell watched the screen, then a couple of the patrons. One sat in a corner table. The whole bar could be seen from where they sat and Zell figured he was ex-Army or if not that, really paranoid.
Another patron sat at the bar, her head facing the TV screen. She had sat like that for the majority of the day. There was an almost concern about the crick in her neck.
His beer was warm and in all honesty, he wasn't even sure why he was here any more. Garden was contacted and it was stated that Seifer was spotted in Balamb, and that he sometimes came to the bar.
While staring at the puddle around the base of his beer mug, Zell thought about what brought him here. The events that lead to this point in time.
After the war rumours flew about the Ex-Knight. Some say that supporters of President Deling got a hold of him and carried out a sentencing of their own. Someone else stated that he was living in the Kashkabald desert, or in the Sollet mountain range. That just spurred comments of something akin to blasphemy because Seifer was living so close to Esthar, and how he shouldn't be considering what he did to the city.
The one that seemed to almost make everyone pause was a letter that looked very official from District D prison. It stated that Seifer was in their possession and would be executed in two weeks time.
Squall was furious in his quiet way and pushed for meetings to get Seifer back within Garden walls. Zell figured if anyone was to kill the asshole that it should be Garden. He was one of theirs, in a way. It also confused them as District D was suppose to house political prisoners. They never knew of the prison to enact executions.
Before a meeting could be set up, a package was sent to Garden via Balamb for the next time it was docked on the island. The return address was District D.
The box was opened while Zell debriefed Squall about his most recent mission and was thus privy to the unboxing. The contents were enough to make Zell stop talking and both stood staring for a length of time.
Finally Zell leaned over and picked up the silver choker that in a zip-lock baggie. It sat between other pieces of clothing of Seifer's.
With great care Squall picked everything out of the box and examined it.
The trench coat was unfolded and held up. The red cross-swords were still so vibrant against the worn grey sleeves. The hem was tattered and dirty. The pants were the same dark coloured ones that Seifer used to wear. Whoever packed the box zippered Seifer's vest up, and that didn't sit right with Zell. His boots were there, gloves shoved into the empty boot holes.
There was an object still in the box. It was a silver tin, with Seifer's name engraved on it. It was a fair sized tin.
Zell remembers the almost tremor that Squall's hand did as he reached for the tin. Sometimes he wonders if that was something he thought he saw, or if Squall's hand did shake.
The ashes inside left them stunned.
By all reasoning and evidence, District D executed and cremated Seifer's body, without any sort of care of Garden's requests. Squall searched the rest of the box and found a letter addressed to himself, and the Headmaster of Balamb Garden.
It had read that the execution and cremation had already taken place, that they were regretful that a meeting couldn't have been set up. The contents of the box were Seifer's remains, and his effects. Squall wondered where Hyperion was. Zell was too stunned to think of Seifer's weapon.
With a sigh and a mental shake, Zell stood from the chair he sat in, stretched out some kinks in his back before he headed to the bar. The bartender pulled up a new beer for him and before he can turn away with Zell's money, Zell asked him about Seifer.
Confusion plays on the bartender's face before Zell pulls out a photo.
"You ever seen him in here?"
"I don't think so. I'd remember his face."
"You'd remember him if he did come in."
The bartender's lips pulled into a thin line, but he nodded as he walked off. Zell could only sigh as he watched the man's retreating back. He went back to his table and nursed the new beer. His mind began to wander again.
After Squall had received the box with Seifer's remains, there were inquiries sent to the government of Galbadia and to District D prison in regards to an execution - the first ever heard of. Galbadia's government claimed that District D never did executions and that Squall was mistaken. District D just didn't respond.
The Galbadian government took this information and ran with it. They put it in newspapers, on the television, and over radio that the notorious Seifer Almasy, Sorceress's Knight was dead.
Then rumours started.
"That's how I ended up here. Chasing rumours." Zell muttered to the beer glass that sat in front of him.
He sighed. He wasn't sure how long he was suppose to stay here. Long enough to make sure the rumour was false, or until Squall got a new one for him to run after?
Much later in the night, the bartender did last call and Zell stood. He brought his glasses to the front, one of the three empty and headed towards the door.
Cold night air buffeted him from the harbour and Zell gave a little shiver. It would be a good idea to jog back to Ma's place, if anything to keep the chill away.
As he was turning a corner, Zell ran into someone and they both tumbled to the ground.
"Watch where you're running, you fuck."
"Sorry!"
Zell blinked down at the face of the person he ran into. There was no mistaking that face, not with that scar. He ran into Seifer fucking Almasy.
“I thought you were dead.”
"Get off of me."
Zell sat down on Seifer, straddled him more or less. Seifer rolled his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows after quickly realizing that the martial artist wasn't going to move.
"No really, we thought you were dead. Garden, Squall... we tried getting you back. District D sent us your stuff and a tin of ashes. We held a funeral for you."
There was a stunned note to his voice, almost as if he seen a ghost, or someone long dead.
"Well, Chicken-wuss, I'm not dead. Get off."