The morning was set to dawn beautifully; not a cloud in the sky would stand in the way of the crystal light about to breach the horizon.

This wasn't good. no clouds meant brighter light, and less cover.

The wizard tapped his sandalled foot with impatience. Resigning himself to waiting for the laggard students, he glanced down at the armed guard asleep at his feet. It had taken less than a moment to put him out, and he would likely be unconscious for another hour or so. Plenty of time for him to wake up before the change of guard. Erk stood in the shadow of a tree beside the front gate of the Garden, partially concealed from any eyes that might gaze out from the academy windows. Hopefully, he would be gone before anyone else awoke.

A light, nervous sweat breaking out in her palms, Faina approached the meeting place. This was really happening. They were really doing this- this crazy mission that could kill them all. But it would be worth it. They'd have Shinu back, and he would be able to help her further her training... But if they were too late...

She shook her head. She wouldn't let herself think like that. Shinu would be okay, he had to be. For all of thier sake's.

She stopped before Erk and tried to calm down. Then she noticed that she was the first to arrive, though she knew Ben was't far behind. He never was.

A cloud of white smoke suddenly appeared near a wall and as it cleared out, Corenian was there leaning on a wall dressed in a black version of his usual attire. He was more than prepared, seeing how his "prepared" meant his usual bare minimal items.

Still he felt that there was something wrong with all of this. Shinu had said he was joining the Galbadian Army. He had left voluntarily and yet now they were going to break him out of one of the world's most impregnable prisons... well at least now he'd have another tale to tell when he returned to the mountains... and it seemed like the only way to get an answer to his questions would be if they find Shinu.

"Well whatever," he sighed, pulling on the battle gaunlets and greaves he used for combat as he watched Fia flutter about the other students, " as long as she's around I'm fine with anything."

Nioelle walked quickly to where everyone was gathering. She hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before, in fact, she got maybe two hours. She was a mix of excited and nervous, and still a bit angry. But this was the day. She was to help the man she loved escape the one prison that no one had ever escaped from, at least not from what Nioelle had heard.

She reached the group, only a few people there, and smiled quickly.

Well, this is it...

Raven sighed as he walked back to the garden, swinging a pair of keys on his fingers as he walked. He had to go to Balamb to pick up two things, the first being his new gunblade which was strapped to his back, covered in straps of cloth so that no one could tell that it was a gunblade, to most people they would think it was a sort of rifle, just by looking at the handle of the blade. He was taking it on the mission, he didn't care what Erk said, this was not a mission ordered by the garden therefore he did not have to follow his orders and he would be sure to explain that to everyone when he got to the meeting place.

The keys though were another story, seeing as Galbadia D-District prison was on another continent they were going to have to get there somehow, and seeing as the railroads were closed this late of night, the only way was to get there by boat.

He then saw the group by a tree in front of the Garden. He then sighed, he didn't see Kira there yet, but he was sure to show and Raven wouldn't leave without him being there. They were the ones that found the clues, they were the ones that were going to be with the group no matter what Erk had to say. He was wearing his battle dress, which was the same as his normal casual clothes other than his knee pad and shoulder pad, he also was wearing a black trench coat to match it all.

"So this is all who has shown up so far? We'll wait ten more minutes for anyone else to show up." Raven said to them as he approached and then turned to Erk. "Remember this, we do not have to follow ur orders during this extursion" He said and then turned to face the horizon. He just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

Kira had just left his dorm room, after picking up some of the other things he thought he would need on the journy. He still wore his full black gear, and he even had managed to get some gloves that would let his fire magic through them incase he needed to use it. The only thing not covered was his face and and blades. Walking out through the main lobby into the front of the garden he saw only 6 people gathered around. He was late by his standards. Walking up to the rest of the group, his blades attached to his right shoulder and a backpack on his back. This would be quite the mission with only 6 people going. Still a rescue op in the dead of night would be best done with a few people, but this was dangerous. Only 6 people to break in, get Shinu, and get out of there alive.

"... Is this everyone that we can expect?" Erk inquired without turning around, as he gazed at the horizon. The sun would be breaching the distant mountains within another hour or two. They had no more time to wait.

"We're leaving, then. We have to be in the town of Miletus by noon, and it's a good four hour trip by foot. Best that we begin." Erk began down the path towards the distant plains, not waiting for the others to remark.

Their course took the travelers towards the mountains upon which they had had that fateful encounter that night, though much further to the south. They spent an hour climbing through a pass, before emerging dirtied and tired at the head of a steep slope. Before them, they saw a vast expanse of shimmering blue; the ocean. As the descended from the pass, the cries of sea birds reached their ears, along with the cool kiss of sea air.

Another three hours of trekking to the north brought them through a stretch of hills, barren of greenery except for the occasional stunted tree, the sound of waves breaking against the nearby cliff face accompanying them all the while. At the end of it, they found themselves at last, at the rim of a shallow valley. From the foothills of a peak to the north ran a narrow, roiling river that rushed down the slopes of the valley, ending at a small pond near the center. Alongside the pond was village; it was little more than a hamlet really, with no more than twenty houses comprising the entire community. One of the houses was noticeably larger than the rest, made of stone with large, sun-catching windows, as opposed to the log walls and hay thatching of the other structures.

Not offering a further word of explanation, Erk began to descend the valley slope.

"I guessing this is it then," Corenian murmured through gulps of sake, his black trenchcoat hanging on his shoulder, "nice place, gives a nostalgic feel."
"Brings back lots of memories of the times in the mountains huh," Fia giggled, gazing into the distant village
Staggering to the front slightly drunk, he found a nice spot overlooking the village and took a seat, pulling out a camera and taking a picture before rejoining the group
"So what is our purpose of coming here?"

A door swung open to a house nearby the group and out came Lucien clad in long, jet black clothes and dark brown hair. In his hands were two new handguns, both with silencers attached.

"Heeeeeyy!!! Don't forget me!" Lucien yelled out, waving his arms in the air, "I thought you'd be coming by this way, so I came here to prepare myself a little better."

After trying to make his 'grand' entrance, Lucien caught up to the group, still twirling his new guns in his hands.

"Hope ya didn't mind me taking off a little earlier, had an old friend make me some more espionage friendly weaponry." Lucien said to Erk, trying to explain why he hadn't shown up when they first took off from the academy.