The knock on Erk's door came unexpectedly. Sunken into his armchair, a
china teacup steaming at his side, he opened one eye to gaze balefully
at the mahogany door. Pulling himself out of the meditative half-sleep
he had fallen into, the reedy wizard drew to his feet.

It was unusual for him to have visitors in his apartment suite, let alone at this hour. It was only another hour or so until sunset, and the faculty should have long been either resigned to their rooms or off to their recreation in the town. Hopefully, it wasn't Earl with another of his inane questions about some obscure historical figure that the sage found himself cursed with knowledge about. Resignedly, Erk navigated his way through the sparse furniture of the room, his footfalls soundless in the plush carpeting.

Erk pulled open the door, revealing himself to the visitor, outlined in the dim illumination that came from the room's only lamp.

"You know old man, finding out where you live and or stay at is about one of the hardest things that I have had to do, in the longest of time."

Raven said to erk as he opened the door. Oh how he still hated him, but right now he had to throw that matter to side.

"We have something to talk about, in secret"

This was rather unexpected. Of any of the students, this was one whom the wizard would never have expected to find searching him out.

This wasn't a good sign.

Stepping aside to leave the doorway open, Erk gestured into his chambers. Just beyond the entry-way lay his living room, a couch and several armchairs gathered about a low table. When Raven had entered, he shut the door behind him, and moved into the living room. Stiffly, the aged mystic seated himself in the armchair he had vacated only moments ago, and took up his cup again, drinking slowly from the tinkling china.

Replacing his tea on the table, Erk gestured to a chair opposite him, an invitation to sit. "I don't suppose whatever matter you've come here regarding is so urgent that you won't take some tea as you tell me? I wouldn't expect you here if it was a mundane matter."

When he heard how Erk said sighed a little. Oh how he was gonna kill Kira when he got back to the garden for making him search out the person he liked the least in this world right now. Raven then walked over to the arm chair and took the seat that Erk had so kindly offered.

"You would be correct there. The thing though, is that we do need your help Erk," Raven said to him, actually saying his name instead of calling him old man. "Me and kira have found the reason out as to why Shinu left the garden. He went there to take out the leader of Galbadia directly, almost a sort of espionage mission if you might say. And well it stated in the letter that he wrote that if he wasn't back in three months that he was either prisoner or dead, hopefully not the latter of the two."

Raven told Erk, pausing a little before continuing on with what he had found out and what they had planned to do.

"So as you can see, and probably know, that it has been eight months since he left, meaning he is prisoner and maybe close to death if that. Me and Kira are planning to mount a rescue operation outside of Cids normal control of missions, and well seeing as you are the strongest of us all, we need your help. Plain and simple as that. We just can't have you going and run your mouth to Cid, as he will force us not to go, but we MUST! rescue Shinu!"

The moment Raven mentioned the Galbadian leader, the wizard gave a small choke. Unlike so many of those who walked in these halls, the faculty included, Erk knew just what it would take to "take on the Galbadian leader." He also knew that no one he had encountered in his long lifetime had it.

When Raven had stopped speaking, Erk remained silent for a long while. Finally, he lifted his eyes up, and despondently remarked, "He's dead. I have little doubt of that."

Sinking back into the folds of his armchair, the wizard took another mouthful of his steaming ambrosia, thought it seemed more like a gulp than a delicate sip that such substance mandated.

"Tell me Raven: how is it that you plan to rescue Shinu? You have passion in more than abundant measures, that much is clear. But what do you know about the facility where Shinu is being held, if he is indeed alive?" Erk paused for a moment, letting it sink in.

"There is only one prison in Galbadia, and from all that I know of it, it's one too many. The place is a pit with no escape, filled with souls spirited forever from the light of the sun. To try to bring out out of it is madness." Erk straightened himself again, and looked straight at Raven.

"How will you perform this madness?"

"The Galbadia D-District Prison. All i know about it is that it is a gigantic drill that can drill into the desert and surface at anytime. I know that it is a a huge facility."

Raven said to Erk, he really had not that much of a clue about Galbadia and its country he knew more about the small Balamb continent than anything else. He then rubbed his head trying to think of something.

"Break into the prison is the only way i can see, though doing it in somewhat stealth so that we don't alert the guards to much and have the whole Galbadia army and Garden on our tail"

"That's our plan, then? Sneak into a maximum security prison and ferry off what should certainly prove, given enough time and coercion, to be a gourmet morsel from Galbadia's jaws? Surely you can do better than that, Raven? If we're to have any hope in this already-hopeless endeavor, then we'll need something a bit more sophisticated than a half-baked plan one could get from the local drunks."

The aged mage rose to his feet, and turned his back on Raven, heading towards the door of his apartment. Stopping at the door, he turned and regarded the young, rash warrior once more.

"Gather those students whom are needed for this suicide, and be in the scroll archives at the back of the library in fifteen minutes. I will be waiting for you there." Pulling the door open, Erk briskly crossed the threshold, vanishing into thin air, his robes fluttering in an unfelt breeze.