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The Crystal Rule	By : QueenDraggyofSwords Category: Final Fantasy Games > Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Views: 956 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy: chrystal Chronicles, any of its characters nor am I making any profit off of them.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Chapter Six

By the time the boys made it back to the Acote, the sun had set and only the stars lingered out overhead. Too tired, and in far too much pain to fly back to the capital city, Keiss and Layle settled on staying in the inn at Moogle Woods Station.
The room was small- as Moogles were small, so they built small- but still big enough for two humans to stay in. However…
"…There's only one bed…" Layle kicked off his shoes as Keiss tossed the sack with the Tonberries in the corner. "And did you have to bring that in here?"
"Hey!" Keiss started unhooking his armor and inspecting it, "That is our pay. I am not leaving it in the ship."
The Clavat sighed. "Whatever…I just want to sleep…" Layle tossed his jacket on the floor, and then his jeans before falling fell face down on the bed. Keiss sat on the end and began unbuckling his sandals. Sleep was sounding promising right about now. It had been a long day. 'Yesh! That's right I only just found Layle this morning…' After tossing his shirt into the corner, he fell backwards onto the bed, right onto Layle's arm. The blond jerked it out from under him and grumbled something before turning over.
"Man I have to tell you, Layle…"
"…You're still talking…quit it. I'm trying to sleep…"
"If every day with you is gonna be this insane, this partnership may be better than I expected."
Layle didn't respond at first, but eventually he rolled over with a smirk on his face. "Agreed. If it's always going to be this demanding, I could get used to this." The two chuckled before the Clavat gave out a yawn and closed his eyes. "See you in the morning."
"Right…" Keiss shut his eyes, "…Don't sleep in…we need to get back early…and collect the second half of our pay…"
"…Stop talking…just sleep…"

When morning arrived Layle was the first to wake. He had to admit, the tiny bed the Moogles had made was very comfortable. Even if it seemed like it was built for children. He had slept soundly and comfortably through the evening, though right now he felt like there was a weight on his chest. The Clavat lifted his head and did his best not to follow his instinct jerk off the bed. Otherwise he would have surely caused the Selkie sleeping with his face buried in his chest to tumble off the tiny mattress.
'What…the…where…did I get drunk…?' It took him a second before his waking brain quickly filled back in yesterday's events. 'Right! Not drunk…just lightly cut up…' Layle looked over the situation. Somehow through the night, he and Keiss had been tossing and turning and ended up spread across the bed. The crystal bearer's head came to rest in the upper right hand corner, his right arm hung off the side and his right leg from the knee down hung off the end. Keiss' left arm was under his left leg- or was it that his left leg was over the Selkie's shoulder?- and the redhead himself was lying on his stomach, with his body from the waist down hanging off the left side. His right hand occupied the pillow next to Layle's head and his face was looking right at him, eyes closed and perfectly content.
"Okay, Layle…" he muttered to himself, "You just got to ease off the bed…."Layle slowly shifted his body to the right, trying to slide out from under Keiss without waking him. Though half of him wondered why? It would be so much easier to wake Keiss' up… "No no, I don't want him up just yet anyway." Layle felt his hand touch the floor and she sighed a bit on relief. Halfway there.
He used his other hand to support Keiss' head as he eased out from under him and ley the Selkie to rest on the mattress. He felt proud of himself for getting out without waking the other young man. Just as proud as Keiss was of himself for managing to continue to fake being asleep while Layle got off the bed.
'Though…now my heated pillow is gone…Nice firm, pillow…' The redhead kept his eyes close. Keiss was, like most Selkies, a light sleeper, and had actually been awake since Layle's initial sound of shock. But he wasn't going to give himself away. Instead he lay on the bed, eyes closed and listened to the sound of his partner moving around the room.
'He's pickup his clothes now…Darn. Maybe I should have gotten up…' Keiss let out a little bit of a sigh and Layle stopped moving. 'Oh…He really doesn't want me to get up…' He felt his curiosity peak, 'I wonder why?' He continued to listen to the sound of Layle gathering his clothes and heading into the bathroom. Then emerging and rummaging around the room mumbling and telling himself to quit mumbling. Finally he heard the sound of paper and a pen. 'Writing…he's writing?' Now he really wanted to lift his head.
'What is he writing…and why?' He couldn't stand it anymore. Slowly Keiss lifted his head and yawned pretending to be awake. "Oh man…What time is it?"
Layle looked up from the desk where he was writing, "A few minutes past nine…" He looked down again and kept writing.
"Oh." Keiss sat up and stared at Layle's hunched over back. "Well that's not too late…we should get back in a reasonable amount of time." The Clavat just nodded, he wasn't even looking Keiss' direction. "So, what's got your full attention?"
"Hmn?" Layle looked over his shoulder, "Just a letter."
The Selkie slid off the bed and stretched, "A letter? Writing to Oides to tell him we'll be back soon. Good plan."
"Uh…not really, but I can write him one too…"
The mercenaries eye brows raised, 'Who's he writing to?' He walked around the bed to look over Layle's shoulder, "So who is to?" Just as he peaked over the blond's side, he folded the paper over and stood up.
"Why do you care?" Layle pulled out an envelope and tucked it inside, Keiss could swear he saw a few gil notes sticking out of the folded paper. But before he could confirm anything Layle had pushed it down and turned the envelope to his mouth. Keiss looked up to see blue eyes watching him as he ran his tongue over the flaps edge.
Kiess couldn't help it, he smiled and shrugged, his own tongue running along the inside of his lip. "So, ah, you go drop that off, and a letter telling the doctor we're on our way- be polite- and huh, I'll get cleaned up."
"Yeah, sure." He watched as Layle closed the letter and headed out the door, letter in hand. As soon as the door was closed, the Selkie put his hands on his head and scoffed. "He didn't even address it while he was here…how am I supposed to know who he is writing…And furthermore sending gil to!" he shook his head and steeped into the bathroom to get cleaned up while his partner was out. His mind was bouncing around with a hundred ideas. From yesterday's events to his new partner to his mysterious actions to the money they were going to receive too much, much more.
And to think, this is just the first twenty-four hours…

Layle picked up a post card from the Mail Moogle station and wrote a quick note to the doctor, and did his best not sound annoyed. He gave the Moogle the postcard and his personal letter before returning to the little Inn. He still felt a little tired from yesterday's events, it had certainly been more thrilling than any job he had taken with Blaze, but at the same time-
"I still don't know what to make of Keiss…He's got…a different set of rules than anyone else I've met, that's for sure." The Clavat shook his head. Everything about Keiss was out of place to him. A Selkie that worked for Lilties, that insisted upon an 'honest' day's work…that seemed to actually keep a good faith to his words. And the staring! "I've got to tell him to knock that off…" He stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, even just this morning he was doing it. It was making him nervous. And he was never nervous.
As Layle entered the Inn, he saw Keiss at the desk checking out. He paid the Moogle, three hundred gil for their room, and grabbed the bag just as the Clavat came up behind him. "All set. How about you?"
"Yep. We're all checked out…Now to just go collect our pay, and if all goes well, secure our next mission."
Layle shook his head, "I can see, that when your mind is fixated on a goal that's all you think about. I didn't hear 'breakfast' anywhere in that statement."
"Fine! We can eat on the fly." Keiss lead the way back to the ship. He secured the cargo while he directed his partner to fetch them something to drink and a bit of a snack for their flight. It wasn't a grand breakfast, but at least it was food.

Layle found himself in the crow's-nest, again. He put his feet up and idly sipped at the drink he had bought before they departed from the woods. While Keiss may have been thinking of what they needed to do to secure their next mission, the crystal bearer was still thinking about their last one.
"I wonder who she was…" He took another sip, "Maybe she lives out there? Nah, there's no way to live in a monster nest. But why else would she have been there…Why?"
"Are you talking to someone?" The bearer turned his head to see the communication tube was open. He shut it at once without responding and went back to his drink. Keiss just wouldn't understand, he wasn't a bearer…

The trip back to Alfitaria didn't seem to take nearly as long as it did to leave. In no time the duo was landing back in the airship hanger. Keiss double checked the bag with their requested monsters and slung it over his shoulder. As Layle came down the ladder he saw his partner wore an eager and pleased expression.
"Everything still there?" He jumped down the last few rungs and leaned up against the ship.
"Yep," Keiss slung the bag over his shoulder. "After we drop these off, if things go well, we should have a chance for another mission." Keiss motioned for Layle to follow him as he started out of the hanger and toward the shuttle.
"Oh?" Layle followed, hands in his pockets. "And why is that?"
"Layle, Oides is a scientist. He's in the midst of his research; he's going to constantly need specimens, parts, materials…"
"And we want to help him with that?" As the shuttle arrived Layle got on and took a seat. His arms crossed looking displeased. Keiss dropped the bag on the seat next to him and remained standing.
"Of course we do, Layle. It's good work. Fifty-thousand gil for a simple monster catching quest is good work. And the doctor has connections to the military. He knows the lieutenant. We can easily get even better work off of his recommendation!"
As the shuttle jerked away from the port and sped off to Parkside Layle continued to frown. "Military work. Military work. That's all you talk about. Can't you get work through this, lieutenant-or whatever, without us having to work for Oides?"
"If I could we wouldn't be doing it this way." Keiss kept his hand up hanging onto the overhang safety bar. "Why are you so bent out of shape because of the doctor anyway?"
"It's not the doctor, it's his research."
"What? Because he wants to cure crystal bearers? Look, no one ever said you had to sign up for it, Layle."
The blond raised his head glaring at Keiss, "Excuse you, but no one wants to sign up for it."
"How do you know? Just because you like being a crystal bearer doesn't mean there aren't ones who want to be normal."
The moment Keiss finished his sentence, he regretted it. He may have only known Layle for twenty-four hours, but he could easily gather that this was perhaps the maddest and angriest the Clavat had been in his life. The Selkie swallowed hard and tried to shrug it off, "I mean…come on, Layle, some bearers just want to, you know…live life without the social stigma…"
"And who puts that on them? They don't decide themselves to be outcast. Lilties decided to make them outcast. People decided to put a stigma on them."
"W-well yeah….I'm just saying, some of them don't wan-"
"Nobody wants to be an outcast, Kiess, but people shouldn't have to stop being who they are to do so! Have you ever asked a bearer if they don't like it? If they don't like being a crystal bearer! If they don't like having their powers!" Keiss leaned back a bit, he could suddenly feel the rest of the people in the shuttle looking at them.
"Okay, Layle, let's just…relax…I was just saying…I mean, no I have never asked…"
"And I bet that idiot doctor has never asked either! Ask a bearer! Ask them if they want someone to take their powers from them!" Keiss shook his head trying to respond, but before he could Layle pointed at him, "Of course none of them are going to want to go through with Oides cure, but do you think it's going to be voluntary? Do you think parents are going to drag their kids off to the clinic to be treated before their powers even manifest? Do you think that the military really isn't going to use it on any and all bearers within Alfitaria to ensure 'Arcane Arts' are kept in regulation?"
"Yesh! Alright! Alright!" Kiess put his hands up in defense just as the shuttle came to a stop. Everyone poured out of the shuttle leaving just the mercenaries behind. "Look, Layle, I understand what you're saying…But in order for them to implement a mandatory 'cure' on crystal bearers…it has to work, first. And the king and the council have to agree to it. …Yes, using magic within cities is outlawed, but it's because of the king and the council that it is still allowed to be practiced outside the city limits. …It's all about balance." Keiss slowly reached down to grab the bag next to Layle. He suddenly felt as if he was trying to move within the sight of a hungry Coeurl. "No body, not even the military, is crazy enough to disrupt that balance."
Keiss picked up the bag and nodded to Layle. "And honestly, do you think I would follow through with helping to complete something that would harm my new partner?"
Layle stood up a slight frown on his face, "I just met you, how would I know?"
"That hurts, Crystal Bearer, that hurts," The redheaded Selkie turned and got off the shuttle, Layle with him. "If it ever looks like Oides is getting close to finishing his work, we'll just stop doing contracts for him. Hopefully by then, we will have other military clientele lined up."
"Why not just get some more now…I'm sure we can find other military jobs that pay just as well…"
Keiss shook his head, "It's not about the gil, Layle."
"It's not!" he tilted his head questioningly.
"No…" Keiss smiled as they entered the doctor's research facility, "It's about the connections and the credibility." He opened the door for Layle and the two walked up to the secretary's desk. Before Keiss could even inform her of why they were there she spoke up.
"Ah! The contractors!" The Lilty girl twisted her pen in her finger tips, "Please go right up! Dr. Oides is expecting you."
Keiss nodded to her and motioned for Layle to follow him into the elevator. Once the doors were closed he turned to his partner smiling. "See! Things are already going smoothly."
"Well we did send a letter this time…"
"And you were apparently polite in it." The Selkie placed the bag on the floor and gave a nod. "Yep, after Oides sees we are more than capable of these little missions, he's bound to keep us around. And the better we do, the more likely we will get other contracts. This was a good fresh start."
As the door opened, Layle was the first to step off the elevator, "But what if he doesn't have any more work for us? What if he doesn't do anything else with us…"
"Then we get a recommendation." Keiss, moved for the door to the lab, "Honestly, Layle, sometimes you act like a novice to this stuff…"
The crystal bearer chuckled in his head, " …right…act…Sorry, my mind's just…elsewhere. Worried about things going wrong I guess."
"You're still on that?" he opened the door to the lab, "You need to relax. I've got everything under con-" Keiss stopped in the door way, with Layle next to him. In the lab stood to Lilty men- neither of them Dr. Oides, but Keiss did know one. "Lt. Spinosa! Fancy meeting you here….And, uh, you're friend."
The Selkie turned his head to the other Lilty in the room. The man stood at his height, with short curled brown hair littered with rose buds on the ends. He wore a chainmail jacket, and a pair of old military issued pants. At his side he had a gun and his brown eyes were trained on the Selkie with unmasked anger.
"Ah, Keiss….We were just speaking about you….This is my associate, a contractor, Sir Regal."
There was a moment of silence before Layle tilted his head to Keiss and muttered with a smirk on his lips, "Still got this? Or should we run?"
"Shut it, Crystal Bearer." Keiss walked into the room and smiled, as if nothing was wrong. "Sir Regal, what a pleasure it is to meet you."
"Don't give me that, Selkie!" The man turned to him, upset, "I know what you've done! Stealing a job from me!"
"Now now," Keiss set the bag down on the floor, "Who says I stole anything…I received a letter by mistake-"
"-Mail Moogles don't make mistakes-"
"-Shows how often you use Mail Moogles-And simply came to check it out. I'm sorry if that inconvenienced you any."
The rose haired Lilty pulled out his gun and Layle rushed to Keiss' side hand raised, "Sorry if being shot inconveniences you any!" But before Regal could pull the trigger another door opened and Dr. Oides came into the room.
"What's all this shouting?" The doctor looks around the room a bit cross and points at Regal, "Sir Regal, please refrain from using your firearm in my laboratory! One shot and you could destroy ten years' worth of research!"
The Lilty mercenary lowered his gun as the doctor walked past him and over to Keiss and Layle, "Ah, boys….We were just speaking about you."
"Yeah, we figured." Layle lowered his own hand but kept his eyes on Regal.
Odies comes to stand in between the two parties and looks back and forth at the mercenaries and the lieutenant, "Well, shall we get started?" The boys look at each other and Regal points at Keiss.
"This Selkie is a thief! Just like all his kind! He stole a contract from me and collected the pay under false claims!"
Keiss rolled his eyes, "Really? An impromptu to trail…"
Regal crosses his arms and smirks, "You're awfully calm for someone who's going to go to jail!"
Keiss shook his head, "Sorry, even I know, with my looks, prison is not the best place for me."
"Well then, you should have thought about that before stealing from a military contractor! And further more by hindering the doctor's research! You're an amateur, and lucky to be back alive! Oides wanted a trained professional to retrieve his Tonberry tails! Not some punk kids who would mess up and leave him once again, waiting for specimens! You have set back, interfered with, and tampered with military funded research! And the lieutenant is here to take you to prison!"
Keiss and Layle looked at each other at which the Clavat shrugged. "I've got no clue what he's going on about…but I agree with you, prison is not a good career choice. Not to mention it's freaking hot in the desert."
"Yeah, Regal, if you want to talk about someone hindering the doctor's research and messing up military funds, why don't you look up the mercenaries that took the job and failed, because," Keiss untied the bag and lifted it before dumping the Queen and King out onto the table, "Not only did we get Tonberry tails, be we brought back the Tonberry attached to them."
Again silence filled the room before the doctor leaned over the table and lifted the Tonberry Queen's arm. "My word…They did it!" He turned to Regal and Spinosa, "They succeeded!"
Regal shook his head, "So! They still stole a contract! Lieutenant they aren't even denying it! They need to be arrested!"
"No!" Dr. Oides turned to the lieutenant and shook his head, "I have sent no less than ten men to fetch these specimens in the past six months! None of returned! These two young men have done it! In a day! You cannot arrest them! I need them!"
"Dr. Oides!" Regal leaned on the table smacking his hands, "But I was supposed to have the contract with you!"
"Look, Sir Regal," Keiss spoke up, unable to resist leaning on his elbow up against the table so long as everyone else was doing it, "I saved you a trip, and your life. You'd have died. Let's face it, this was suicide mission…Not many men would have survived it."
The Lilty mercenary looked insulted, and Keiss smiled at him, his lips curled up in the usual Selkie way. "You…You arrogant little bastard! I'll arrest you myself-"
"That's quite enough, Regal." The lieutenant spoke up finally, he turned to Keiss and smirked at him, "I am glad you have found a capable partner."
"Why thank you." Keiss nodded, "Impressed with our work?"
"Quite…" Spinosa then turned to Regal, "I am afraid, I won't be arresting contractor Keiss." Regal looked dumb founded, he opened his mouth ready to argue but was cut off, "I feel it would be a waste of resources, to remove him from availability to Dr. Oides, whom I am sure will need him in the near future."
The doctor, who was still combing over the Tonberry bodies nodded, "Why, yes! Yes! I will! Within days- so long as my test goes uninterrupted. I want to hire this young man again! Many times! What excellent results! These specimens are in near perfect condition. And to get them so quickly…" The man went on talking, but mostly to himself.
The Lieutenant turned to Regal and nodded to him. "There is no reason to arrest these young men."
"You…you cannot be serious! After all that they've done! After all they have just admitted to-"
"-Considering, Regal, your own current difficulty with the missions I have presented to you, I think you should not worry about what goes on in Oides office any more. Instead focus on your task at hand."
The Lilty mercenary clammed up, but Keiss' interest peaked. "Having a bit of trouble, Lieutenant Spinosa? Perhaps with…transporting some goods? I could be of assistance with that-"
The Lieutenant chuckled and shook his head, "You have proven you can tackle some Tonberries…Not that you can handle this. The High Commander has issued this contract to Regal, not to anyone else."
"That's right! There will be no more interference from thieving Selkies than necessary!" Regal nodded, but Spinosa shook his head at him. Before motioning for him to follow him out of the room. Keiss watched them head out into the lobby of the lab to wait for the elevator.
Dr. Oides combed over the specimens and nodded, "You two have done truly excellent work. I cannot thank you enough."
Layle shrugged, not really looking forward to having to see more of the doctor. "You're welcome I suppose."
"Yeah…Welcome…" The red head turned his head back around to Oides, "Hey, what did Regal mean…'no more thieving Selkies', hmn?"
The doctor rubbed his chin, "Hmn…normally I would say not to poke your nose in it…but as you two are not contracted to me-" Layle let out a very obvious and disgusted sigh at those words, "-and it affects me research…Lately, Military trains are being hit by a band of Selkie thieves. It causing quiet a fuss."
"Selkie thieves?" Keiss looked puzzled.
Layle turned to him. "Why so curious…It's probably just the Selkie Guild. They're always pulling stu-"
"If it was the Guild, I'd have heard about it." Keiss cut him off. "Yeah, everyone knows the Guild is full of thieves, but robbing military trains…Not their style."
"I am afraid your partner is right," Oides shook his head at Keiss, "The bandits have claimed a name reminiscent to the roots of the Guild's origins."
"A…Name?" Keiss looked at the doctor puzzled, "What name?"
The old Lilty rubbed his chin as if thinking for a moment before nodding to Keiss, "The Striped Brigands."
Without a moment's notice Keiss pushed back from the table and started quickly out the door after the lieutenant and Regal. Layle turned to follow him but the Selkie pointed at him and shouted over his shoulder, "Wait here!"
"What, why?"
"Just wait here! I'll be right back!" Keiss run to the elevator and pressed the buttons furiously. Upset the machine could only go so quickly he ran back into the lab, "Oides, are there any stares in this place?"
"Ah, yes…Through that doo-" Before the old man could finish, the red head was off again, leaving Layle questioning what was going on.
'Why is he so riled up over a name…' The Clavat turned to the old man, "You said the Striped Brigands…wasn't that the name of a trio of thieves in the caravan days, what's it got to do with the guild?"
Oides chuckled, "The Brigands are an important part of Selkie history…though I am not surprised you only know of them as a Caravan Tale. Outside of Selkie culture, one could say, they are seen as more of an inconvenience and thorn in the side of history. ..However, once the miasma of the world cleared, the Brigands became responsible for organized crime throughout the providences for hundreds of years. Their actions started the biases of what is the modern day Selkie Guild's guide lines."
Layle listened to Oides and then turned his head to the direct his partner had rushed off too. 'But why does that bother him…he's not like other Selkies…Keiss isn't a guild member…Is he?'

A/N: I don't know if you all remember the Striped Brigands...But I freakin' loved Bal Dat and his little gang. Even if they did occasionally make off with some of my better items.
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The Crystal Rule