"Then, with that said," Matthew stretched, rising from the desk, "we are off to training. I did not get a proper workout before," smiling he made his way from Cid's desk, placing a firm grip on his Headmaster's shoulder, "those monsters were definitely nothing compared to what we had been facing before."

He let him go and then made his way towards the door; Jesse stretched from her seat, "his right, the monsters were useless compared to the ones we have been up against. So, count us out for a few hours if you need us."

"Hey, hey! Don't you run off? Hailey, can wait till after training," Toni pointed towards the man who almost wanted to escape as fast as he could.

He had already been at the doors that slid open, ready to exit. Matthew, however, smiled at them, the man was up to something, and each person in that office could see it.

"I wasn't going to see Hailey if you need to ask."

"Out of my office, I have work to do! I don't need to know about your love lives, kids." Cid was annoyed in his response, dismissing them by shooing them out.

It forced the four of them to laugh; exiting the Headmaster's office into the hallways, they watched as Matthew had already been five steps ahead.

"Then that leaves the servant girl, doesn't it?" Richie sing songed.

"Least she wants to see me, unlike Zara," Matthew retaliated.

"Burrrnnnnn!" Toni screamed into Richie's fallen face with shock and horror.

"I wasn't being a fucken dick!" Richie threatened when he pushed Toni into the wall.

Jesse walked past the pair of idiots and turned the corner; she watched as Matthew hit the elevator button to take them down to the lower levels where the rest of the academy was humming during the afternoon.

The highest point alone up where they were, was Cid's domain away from the rest of the world, a sky-towering tower that watched out amongst the expansive Allegiant.

"It is not my fault Zara finds you full on. Maybe you need to take it down a peg," Matthew shrugged, grinning as Richie and Toni appeared.

"Zara is a psychopath that takes things way too far," Richie chirped at the latest girlfriend he has just broken up with, "do you not remember bailing me out at Heitman Club?"

"I do," Matthew laughed, "she poisoned you, and then I had to drag you to Mya to find a remedy."

"I was tripping out and imagining shit," he remembered as much as he could, "and Mya, for one, has not let me forget it. Why do you think we were fighting!"

The elevator pinged, and the doors opened. Effortlessly the four bodies moved into the elevator as the doors closed swiftly behind them. Jesse punched level nine into the system as it zoomed them down to the lower levels.

"I thought it was over Mac?" Jesse leaned against the glass elevator, confused.

"She fucken told Mac!" shaking his head, "she did not need to be that petty," scoffing now at how their friendship had deteriorated and the kind of hatred he felt for the woman. He wouldn't have predicted that three years ago, yet they were here.

"Anyway," he waved his hand about unimpressed, "Eko, I assume, is waiting for you at the training arena?"

"Actually," Matthew smiled as he hit level one on the elevator keypad, "since she doesn't know the base that intimately, I'm going to take her on a personal tour. I think she would enjoy that."

"You're disgusting. Why? Why do you have this fascination with fucking her?" Jesse's mouth hung as the men snickered at his not-so-subtle approach.

"-then some training will lead to needing a shower, and the rest is history."

"-I hope she punches you in the face and tells you to fuck off!" Jesse narrowed on the man.

"-In saying that," Toni grinned as Matthew tried to rile Jesse up further, "you can take centre three, we'll lock out four for our training, and you can join us after your shower."

"How 'bout you just go fuck someone else and leave the poor girl alone!" Jesse whined as the elevator pinged at level nine.

'Training Arena', the elevator kindly instructed.

Richie, Jesse, and Toni stepped out, "please, Matthew, she can be useful if she stays. Just don't!"

Toni curiously stared at the wide smile on his best mate's face. Something about her made the man chase after her rather than focus on the night ahead.

Usually, it was the last thing on his mind, nor did he spend the effort to 'pick up' his conquests and tour them around, and definitely, he did not take them to train.

It was only ever the four of them unless he was running classes to help out with the cadets.

"Can't make promises, Jesse," the doors slid across as he waved them off, and his out of their view as the elevator zipped down to the main floor.

Jesse moaned, dropping her head and mumbling about the man and his ego as she stalked towards the arena.

Richie, in toe, had continued mumbling about his problems with Mya and Mac.

Yet, Toni remained rooted to his spot as though lost in thought,

"Interesting," he chuckled to himself, "very interesting," since when does he ever recall his best friend being giddy about a girl like this?