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It was strange. That day when they'd appeared. The most unlikely combination. Or so, Dream Fastininan had thought. It had been strange, walking into the cafeteria at Zell's side, catching sight of Fife waving them over to one of the tables, the trio sitting down and discussing how their school day had gone. Both Fife and Zell were SeeD's at the garden. But Zell was approxamately level 30 last she'd checked, and Fife only level 6. Dream herself hadn't cared much for that sort of thing; she longed to be a well known general, but she just didn't have the attention span to get that far. Fife had been in her class about 2 years ago, and had passed his SeeD exams without breaking a sweat. Dream had come to the garden before him, and she was still a trainee, a trainee that continued to fail, despite the words of encouragement from her two comrades. They were a posse, the three of them. In a sense they were led by Zell, but in the same sense they were also led by Dream. The two were a duo and Fife was more or less a third wheel. It didn't bother him, however. He'd prefer being excess baggage to playing slave to his sister, Frejia. Fife was of mixed blood, with visible features that betrayed he was partially from the Burmecian race. His ears for one thing, were wide and fanned, his arms longer than normal and his nails were blunted claws. He was an expert with polearms, and most of the time he kept his ears hidden beneath a wide brimmed Mage's hat. Just to make certain, his hands were also concealed in the sleeves of a long blue coat. Fife was strange, but at first glance, you'd think him as normal as anyone else.
Dream was again different, true to her name. A wild haired, laid back child from a different world entirely. She had changed her looks, once chestnut brown hair now dyed varying shades of emerald green. Her left ear was pierced multiple times. She wore contact lenses that made her eyes seem overly bright. But Dream was definately a daydreamer. It was pure and simple. And often, it was at Zell's side that she dreamed.
Ah Zell. The rough, impulsive rowdy boy. The Chicken Wuss. Once her greatest enemy, now the two were closer than friends. She wasn't sure what drew her to him. Maybe it was his eyes, that roguish smile, his laid back and casual attitude. The tribal on the left side of his face certainly added appeal.
But it was that day. That strange day that they had sat down together. Fife had never seemed so animated before.
"What's gotten into you?" Dream chuckled, passing a hotdog to Zell.
"Ah..." The half burmecian blushed. "We have a new professor, that's all."
"Professor?" Dream rolled her eyes. Trust Fife to be more interested in the teachers. She rested her head against Zell's shoulder, but the other promptly ignored her, too focused on his hotdog.
"He's named after a monster, you know." Zell piped up through a mouthful of hotdog.
"What's he specialize in?" Dream looked doubtful. Anyone could be named after a monster, but what kind of retard would do that to their poor kid?
Fife shrugged. "Don't know. I only heard it from the others." He paused. "Tell ya what, Dreï. How about I go with you to class tomorrow. I'm rather interested to see what he teaches."
"Count me out." Zell said simply, raising his hands. Dream hugged him.
"Well, whatever. I don't care." She sighed.

The classroom was filled with cadets the next day. Fife was amongst them, resting calmly in a seat, hat on his lap, ice white hair hanging loose in his eyes. Dream, looking as bored as ever, was leaving messages in the Garden's shout box. It was already ten minutes into the lesson, and thier professor still hadn't arrived.
"Tardy." She muttered. Fife rolled his eyes and scratched at an ear. It was at that moment that they heard hurried footsteps down the corridor. The class fell silent, hasty shuffling and sitting due to teh arrival of the professor. The door opened.
And then a loud crack was heard and a string of cursing. Then a clatter of falling books. Their new professor sat up slowly, rubbing his forehead. Dream raised an eyebrow. He was incredibly tall. Tall enough to smack his head on the top of the door. His eyes were a strange grey green color, his face was long and angular. He wore a plain pair of jeans and a strange coat, forest green and magma red. It gave him an almost medieval impression. His hair was long and fell to his waist, it was a pale orchid colour, like grey and lilac mixed into one. He felt around on the floor and calmly pushed a pair of horn rimmed glasses up the bridge of his long nose. The class stared. Stunned. And then someone in the front row stood up and went to him.
"Are you alright, sir?" He asked almost shyly. The professor blinked, staring at him for a few moments.
"Yes!" He said suddenly, jumping to his feet. "I'm fine. Just fine. Don't worry about it, Ira."
"A new kid..." Dream muttered. And they were already on friendly terms? Well, whoever he was, the new kid was calmly retrieving all of the Professor's books from where he had dropped them. He quietly set them on the desk then returned to his seat while the professor checked himself to make sure he was alright. Seeing that he was fine, he strode calmly to his desk and sat down.
"Ah... forgive me for that. I've never been in a Garden before, so naturally, I'm not all too sure where to go.." He coughed, not seeming to notice the giggles from a few of the class. Dream was among the few that snorted. Tardy and absentminded. What fun she'd have in this class.
"Anyway!" He said cheerfully, clapping his hands together. "I'm Professor Fencer. But that title is just... well, I don't like it. Just professor is good." He smiled. "I teach the art of dimension walking and the sciences behind it."
Fife raised an eyebrow. "Dimension walking?" He muttered, looking over at Dream. Dream stared back at him, just as intrigued. They'd both been brought to the Garden by Dimension walkers. Someone raised their hand.
"Are you a dimension walker, sir?"
"Well... no." Fencer smiled. "I merely study it. Since there are many theories behind it saying that Dimension walking just doesn't exist. There are also many theories on how it works..."
"Will we be able to dimension walk?" Someone interrupted.
The Professor looked somewhat annoyed. "I merely teach the science behind it, I don't actually train people to walk across worlds." He blinked. "Oh wait! I haven't introduced the new student! Ira, come here."
The student that had helped him gather his books slouched to the front of the class.
"This is Ira." The Professor said simply. "He's not from around here, and this is his first Garden, so I hope you'll all be polite and civil to him--" He was cut off suddenly by the boy raising his hand.
"My name isn't Ira." He said softly. "You keep forgetting that, Professor." He looked at the class with dark red eyes, then abruptly lowered them to the ground. "Ah, of course! My apologies, my apologies." The professor said, nodding. "Well, his name is Gi Rath, short for Gissail Wrath or Gigen... I forget which. I hope he's accepted here at the Garden..."
Dream stopped listening, and was among those who laughed quietly at his strange name. Fife smacked her shoulder. Gi Rath turned red with shame and went to sit down. The Professor was frowning, but he didn't move to discipline anyone. Dream took a careful look at him as he strode back to his seat.
He was a strange looking boy, incredibly short. He looked like a twelve year old. He wore a black half jacket and tight cream jeans. Fingerless gloves adorned his hands, and around his neck hung a pendant with a strange symbol on it. His hair was black, but it had obviously been dyed. The roots of his hair were pale blue. It hung to his shoulders in a sort of wild mane. He kept silent throughout the lesson, a grimace of pain on his face the whole way.
Dream found it all incredibly boring. It was easier to watch a drifter pull a portal open first hand. All this crap on the phenomena, blah blah blah. She fell asleep, and found the Professor shaking her awake at the end of the lesson.
"If you're not interested in my class, why did you come?" He asked. "Or wait! Is it that I'm a bad professor? Do I need to liven up my lessons or something?"
He was too eccentric for her tastes.
"I stayed up late studying last night, Professor." She lied. He nodded.
"Very well. Try to stay awake in my classes, if you please, Miss Fastininan." He looked over his shoulder. "Ira? Are you ready to go?"
The other boy looked over at him and nodded.

There was a big discussion about it at lunch. Fife was fascinated by the mechanics of Drifting, Dream was still laughing over Gi Rath's strange name.
"It sounds like something a n00b would say." She told Zell.
"I dunno..." He muttered. "I've heard strange things about that Professor. I thought that kid was supposed to be his assistant. Or something." He shrugged.
"Assistant?" Dream snorted. "He's a little newbiekins. Wants to suck up to the teachers to get in their good books... there he goes now." She pointed him out, the little boy searching vainly for an empty table. Then Fife called him over.
"The hell are you doing?!" Dream hissed. But the half burmecian merely shrugged.
"Hey." He said cheerfully. "You can sit with us if you want."
"... Thanks." the other replied, somewhat awkwardly. He sat, rather stiffly and proceeded to eat.
There was momentary silence. "Ah..." he muttered. "Would you mind if..." He trailed off, blushing.
"If what? Spit it out, pipsqueak." Dream drawled.
He grimaced. "The professor could sit with us too?" He muttered.
Dream stared dumbfoundedly.
"Of course!" Fife piped up.
Dream fumed inwardly. Zell blinked, shrugged, then got up to order another hotdog.
The rest of their lunch hour was passed in silence, the Professor, once he had located them, seeming as awkward as his student. And Dream didn't make a move to converse with either of them. She left that to Fife, and soon the three were chatting as animatedly as ever.

Gi Rath opened the door to the dark apartment building, throwing off his coat and collapsing onto the couch. Frowning, he searched for the remote control to the TV. About two hours later, the door opened and the Professor strode in, arms laden with shopping bags.
"Ira, come help me with these." He muttered.
They headed for the kitchen and quickly had all their groceries put away.
"Well, that was interesting for our first day." The professor said cheerfully.
"I guess." He replied. "Hey, Buel?"
"Mm?" He looked over his shoulder, then stooped slightly so the other could hug him around his neck. "Now now, what's wrong my little selkie?"
Gi Rath didn't reply right away. "Its going to be difficult here. For the both of us, I mean."
"Most likely." Buel replied.
Gi Rath sighed and clung to him.

It was odd how the two of them had first met. He was merely Buel Fencer, a lanky student from Timber, incredibly interested in those who were able to walk between worlds, the 'Dreamers' as they were called. And then, one day, he'd found Gi Rath on the streets, his lungs unused to the dusty, smoggy air. Concerned about the coughing, retching youth, he'd taken Gi Rath back to his home and done all he could to make the selkie feel comfortable. Surprisingly, it looked as though Gi Rath had come from a battlefield. Scars all over his small form. His palms calloused from fighting. At first, Gi Rath had given him only silence, but as the days progressed, he gradually warmed to the professor, and the two became fast friends.
But what Buel couldn't understand was how anyone could be so lithe and small like Gi Rath was. And it had taken him a while to understand that Gi Rath was not of his world. The selkie had been reluctant to tell him at first, but when he eventually did, Buel was delighted. Gi Rath refused to let him walk dimensions. Because it was only via dimension walking that Gi Rath had come to him in the first place.
"Our meeting was fate, Buel." He said quietly. "I only came here pursuing those who destroyed my world." He frowned. "All my family and friends... Everyone from Marth was killed. I swore an oath that I would rise up and destroy them all." He didn't hold a racket in his hand, but a finely polished Wo Dao. Despite his size, Gi Rath was actually six years younger than he was. The selkie was nineteen, but had the look of a twelve year old. How embarassing for him.
But the two had grown together, living with each other until Gi Rath had decided to join a Garden, to become a greater warrior than he already was. If he was to fight his demons, he needed practice and experience. They'd moved to Balamb. Buel had gotten a job at the Garden. How useful teaching children about drifting would be, well... he didn't know. But Gi Rath needed it.
And Buel loved him, and couldn't refuse.