Final Fantasy VIII: The Side-Effects of Good Discipline
Seifer knew what it meant to be determined and disciplined and sure of where one was going. He worked hard to earn the respect he had, although those fires were fueled not only by his intelligence but because mostly everyone around him was inferior. It meant studying and knowing more and learning how to respond to people to put them off-guard.
He hadn't trained himself to be a bully; he had trained himself to read people and know their weaknesses. There was a difference, a subtlety that the people around him missed completely. They couldn't control their emotions and they couldn't hide their thoughts—Seifer could.
Seifer watched a perfect example of every weakness he hated in other people zoom into the cafeteria as fast as he could. Zell Dincht never remembered Seifer's warnings. Wasted energy was what it was to Seifer; it was a waste of energy on a waste of a cadet. It was the same every day, Zell's hopeful voice asking about hotdogs, the disappointed voice and stance at the end. Seifer knew if Zell would learn from the repeated lesson of loss and disappointment it meant Seifer wouldn't have to keep following him out of the cafeteria to give him a detention for running in the halls. Again.
"What's this?" Zell asked as Seifer handed him the paper.
"Your detention notice," Seifer said. Zell always asked and Seifer never stopped being amazed that he had to after the two years Seifer had been on the Disciplinary Committee.
"What!" Zell said. "Not again! Why the hell do you have to pick on me all the freaking time?" Zell frowned up at him.
"Nothing personal," Seifer said, shrugging. "Break the rules and pay the price, Dincht." He turned to go back into the cafeteria.
"Hey!" Zell shouted. Seifer debated whether to ignore it but gave in at the last minute.
"What is it?" Seifer stared at Zell—he looked thoughtful, which was a change from his usual vapid or angry expressions.
"You take this pretty seriously?" Zell asked. "Being on the Disciplinary Committee?"
Seifer was caught off-guard—he hadn't expected a question. "Why shouldn't I?"
"No reason!" Zell said, stuffing the slip in his pocket. "You just take everything too seriously, Almasy! You don't have to control everything. Maybe you should lighten up and have a little fun and not be, you know, so, um, strict. Yeah, strict." Zell looked at him sternly and Seifer thought that the feat should be absolutely impossible. "If you don't watch out and get all, all, you know, super serious about it they might put you in charge when the president of the committee becomes a SeeD." Zell looked horrifed. "Man, then you'd be no fun at all! Anyway, yeah, right, detention on Saturday. See you!"
He left Seifer standing in the corridor for several minutes, thinking that if he was able to lead the Disciplinary Committee, it would be worth it to make Zell's life hell. Smiling to himself, he turned and headed back into the cafeteria to finish his lunch.