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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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Chapter Eight

Layle waited for Keiss outside the unmarked bar. As soon as the Selkie emerged, Layle nodded to him. "So, is she how you get all your information?"
"Just info on Selkies…and hey," Keiss crosses his hands over his head and looked Layle over, "Don't flirt with her, okay? She's a total Coeurl."
Layle gave Keiss a questioning look, "That's harsh. She's not that old…"
"She's older than she looks," The red head lowered his hands and started walking. "You'd do best to not flirt back."
The Clavat followed him, still tossing Keiss questioning looks, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous."
"I am," he responded without turning to face him. But Layle stopped walking.
"What!" He caught up with Keiss and stopped in front of him, forcing him to stop. "You're jealous. Is that what you just sai-"
"Hey, where do you live?" Keiss changed the subject. He didn't even bother to wait for Layle to finish the sentence. He just out right switched gears. "Is it close by, or what? We should get something to eat together, to celebrate our first mission. Not to mention landing a standing contract on our first go."
Layle frowned at him, "Really? Just going to toss random things like that out there and then pretend like it didn't happen?"
"I never said it didn't happen." Keiss smiled at him. "I'm just curious if you want to get a bite to eat."
There was a long pause. The two young men stood on the street with two very different expressions. Keiss was smiling, perfectly confident in himself and his behavior. His partner on the other hand was looking a bit annoyed. At least Keiss thought that was annoyance he saw in his eyes. It was hard to tell considering the only clear emotion he had ever seen in Layle was flat out anger or general amusement. Everything else was mixed with this, reserved and uninterested stare.
He finally answered, "Fine. Where to?"
"Uptown. I know a great restaurant." Keiss pat him on the shoulder as he walked pass him. Layle rolled his eyes and followed. It appeared he was going to have a lot to learn about Keiss. The Selkie was just full of mixed signals and secrets.

Back on the high streets of Alfitaria, Keiss had taken Layle to a little café to eat on fountain Avenue. The two sat chowing down- Keiss a bit faster than Layle- while the Clavat continued to think about his partner's peculiar behavior. 'What's he playing at? He's 'jealous' of Chime? No…He's jealous of Chime flirting with me…' Layle watched as Keiss sipped his tea thru a straw. The Redhead had ordered his drink in a plastic cup. At first Layle thought that was odd, until he realized the Selkie was chewing on the straw. Another odd personality trait to add to the list.
"So…" Layle spoke up, "If you like her, then why don't you flirt with her when you go by…or is what you were doing considered flirting?"
"Flirt? With who? Chime?" Keiss laughed. "You're nuts. I have no interest in her."
The crystal bearer stopped eating. "But then, why-"
"I told you why, Layle. Sheesh, are you thick or something?" The Selkie finished off his tea. He squeezed the bottom of the container and tossed it over his shoulder right into a waste basket. He kept the straw with the lid dangling from it in his mouth, still chewing the end. "Well, I'm all done… I guess we should part ways until we hear from Oides again."
"Yeah…" Layle eyed the red head. 'Okay…So he is jealous of Chime. What the hell? What is he getting at…?' The blond stood up and discarded his trash while Keiss waited. "So…where should we meet, when the Doc calls on us again?"
"Hmn…some place close between our two homes. Where are you at? You never did answer."
"Hmn," Layle pointed to the shuttle map, "I'm staying in a hotel on Rebena Plains Drive."
"Oh, well that's not too far from-" Keiss stopped, "Wait a minute! You're staying where? The hotels down there are terrible!"
"Hey it's cheap, and near the guild halls. Which is where I usually get work."
Keiss shook his head and rubbed his fingers to his temple. "No, no, no. That's not gonna cut it. Layle!" The Selkie pointed at him, "Go to your hotel and check out."
"Excuse me?"
"Check out! Grab all your stuff and meet me back here as soon as you can."
Layle shook his head, "Why?" He didn't really care to just check out of the place he had been staying in for the past week without a good reason.
"What do you mean, 'Why'? Layle, it's all about appearances! I can't have us filling out contracts and listing your residents a shitty adventure's inn! Go get your stuff. You're gonna move into my apartment. I've got an extra room…"
"You're apartment…" The Clavat shook his head, "That just sounds like a bad idea… I mean working and living together. No thanks."
"Yes, thanks!" Keiss crossed his arms. "Layle, your address is not gonna keep us from getting good jobs. So go get your stuff, and come on!"
"You can't be serious…Keiss, it's just an address."
"Hey, with Lilties, getting a job is seventy percent looking the part, twenty percent proving you can do, and ten percent proving you can do it better than the other guy…So get your stuff. I'll be waiting right here."
Layle sighed; judging by the look on Keiss' face there was to be no arguing with him. So, with a slight shrug of his shoulders the Clavat set out to check out of his hotel. He wouldn't lie; he was half considering ignoring the request and just crashing for the day. He could leave Keiss waiting. He doubted the Selkie would find him…
Nah, he would probably find him. Considering he seemed to be the type keen on snooping, he would probably hunt him down if he wasn't back within the hour.

By the time Layle got back to Fountain Avenue, Keiss had already ordered another drink and was casually sipping it while leaning against a street light. The Selkie smiled at him as he came up looked him over, "Just one bag?"
"Travel light," was all Layle responded with.
"Fair enough, let's go." Keiss started up the street motioning for Layle to follow. The Clavat followed him up the incline of the street, not saying much, just wondering where it was Keiss stayed. Part of him was grateful it was not on a street populated by Selkies, but the rest of him had to wonder if Keiss felt odd living in an area full of Lilties and Clavats. There wasn't a single Selkie on the whole street other than him.
As they reached the top of Fountain Avenue they reached the street's namesake, a large ornate fountain in the middle of a little circular park. There were a few Clavat shop vendors set up here and there around the area- no more little apartments. However Keiss kept walking forward past the fountain to the far side of the park toward a large gate with a decorative green crystal shinning just past it and a Lilty guard standing just before it.
"Uhh, Keiss…where are we going?"
"Always with the questions, you make a lousy date… Haven't you liked the last few places I took you?" The redhead stopped at the gate and pulled out a card; after quickly flashing it to the Lilty, the guard turned to his side and hit a button. At once the gate opened up and Keiss walked in. Layle looked back at the guard as they passed him and then back at Keiss. The Selkie was quickly disappearing onto a set of stairs to the right.
"So...How am I supposed to get in here?"
"I'll get you a pass, but it will take me a few days. So just relax until then." The Selkie lead him up a flight of stairs that seemed to take forever. Layle was convinced there was probably and elevator somewhere around here. By the time they reached the fifth incline of steps, the walls to the side had windows in them allowing one to see out over the park at Fountain Avenue. As they reached the eight incline, Keiss stopped on the landing and waited for Layle.
"Tired yet?"
"…Just wondering if this place has an elevator."
"…You know I've never looked."
"Why does this not surprise me? You and easy seem to avoid each other."
"Yeah kind of like you and caution. This way," he turned to his left and walked out onto an encased overpass bridge that connected the building they were in to one across the way. As they were walking out a shuttle whizzed by overhead. Below the many interconnecting lower streets of Alfitaria could be seen; each flooded with pedestrians.
It was another five minutes, and two flights down, and three hallway turns before Keiss finally stopped at a door marked '6132'. The Selkie pulled out a key and opened the place up. Inside the apartment was –tidy. There was a bit of mess on the table, some papers, letters, maps; it was definitely a place of working and not eating. There was a couch across from a crystalvision- but the even the couch had papers on it. No trash lying about though. Layle just shook his head.
"So you work all the time? I thought Selkies like to have fun."
Keiss shut the door and frowned, "I have fun when I'm not busy."
Layle picked up a map and a few newspaper clippings, "Sure you do…"
The redhead walked by and hit him on the back of his head, "Come on. Let me show you your room." The Selkie walked down the hall and opened a door on the left. "It's simple enough, bed dresser, closet, bathroom is down the hall. Rent is five hundred gil a month."
Layle rolled his eyes. "Keiss, you really take this appearance's thing too far, you know that right? A thousand gil a month for your apartment, your own air ship, eating in a Lilty owned café… If you didn't steal Military contracts, you couldn't live."
His partner's response was to roll his eyes, "Look, just make yourself at home. I've got some errands to run. You can't get back in without me, not until I get you a card, so don't leave!"
"Yeah yeah." He tossed his bag down and looked around the place, "Maybe I'll clean up your mess…"
"Aww, are you gonna play house wife, Layle? That's so sweet."
"Get the hell out, Keiss!" The Selkie laughed to himself as he exited out the apartment leaving Layle alone. He grumbled about how annoying Keiss was and already realizing he made a mistake agreeing to this. "I should've just taken my chances hiding from him."
After he unpacked, Layle found he was in fact stuck with trying to clean Keiss' mess. Not because he wanted to be helpful, but because he wanted a place to sit and eat. He grumbled sorting through papers and old contracts, maps and letters, and newspapers and bills. By the time he had it all sorted out a few hours had passed. Unfortunately, there was little in the fridge, save for some left overs and a few instant meals, but plenty to drink.
"Come on!" He closed the fridge and glared at door as if doing so would make more food appear. "Grocery shopping is the first thing I am doing once I get a card to get in and out of this place…" Perhaps it was just the Selkies didn't cook much? Layle didn't either, but he knew how to make enough to survive. And instant meals really made his stomach churn. So he opened the fridge again and grabbed a bottle of Rainbow Juice before flopping on the couch and turning on the crystalvision.

Six hours of loafing later, Layle found he was losing his mind.
"I could dig through his things…try to find out why the Guild want's info on him." He lay on the couch spinning his empty bottle of rainbow juice overhead before flicking his wrist and tossing it to the trash. It landed on top of the other four bottles he had already had. "Alright. Let's do that." He jumped up from the couch and ventured down the hall. Of course Keiss' room was large than his and had its own bathroom. He left the door open so he could hear if his partner suddenly returned.
There was nothing of interest on top of the bed or the dresser drawers, just more paperwork. "This guy…" Layle turned a contract over in his hand, "Well at least I know I'll never have to wait long between jobs…but yesh. I wonder how he doesn't lose anything." He set the contract down and started to pull open the drawers. "Clothes…" He closed one and moved onto the next. "Clothes, again." Layle got down on his knees and opened the bottom shelves, "Clothes and papers." He started to flip through the papers down here. "Airship grids, contacts, inner city maps, railway maps and schedules, Selkie guild network, map of the count-" he stopped flipping and tossed the other papers a side.
"Hello! A map of the Guild's underground network and informants…Now why do you need this, Mr. I'm not in the Guild." Layle studied the set of papers, covered in little dark lines linking cities and little red 'x's with names written next to them. The large cities had maps all their own, for Alfitaria there were several locations checked off. Once included Chime's bar. "He's gotta be in the guild…So why work for Lilties? If it some sort of inside job?" He set the chart a side and started to dig through the rest of the papers, "Maybe…Its to keep the Lilties from stopping Selkie jobs…like the train. Would explain why he's so obsessed wit-"
Layle stopped, he could hear voices. "Great he brought someone with him!" Layle grabbed the papers and stuffed them back in the drawer; it didn't matter they weren't organized. He quickly got up and got into the hallway closing Keiss' door. He could hear the key's the doorknob and cursed. No way to get back to his room, but the bathroom was close! He reached out with his hand and yanked himself over to the bathroom door, nearly slamming into it. The Clavat ducked inside just as he heard the front door open and Keiss call down the hall to him. "Hey, Layle~" whoever was with him was laughing up a storm. There was apparently more than one.
He sighed, "He sounds happy…" He exited the bathroom as if nothing was wrong and stopped to see Keiss, two female Selkies and a Clavat woman in the doorway.
"There you are!" The redhead pointed at him and leaned on the wall, "Hey! Get dressed, we're going to Chime's!"
"….Are you drunk?"
"What!" The group behind Keiss chuckled, "Layle, Selkie's don't get drunk."
"…You look and sound drunk…I thought you were working."
The Selkie crossed his arms, "Are you gonna come have some fun, or not?" The glare on his face made Layle laugh, but he shook his head.
"I think, I'm gonna crash for the evening…Enjoy having fun for a change. Okay?"
Keiss grumbled and grabbed the door knob, "Now who could stand some fun in his life…" He turned back to the others had shrugged, "Okay, I tried. Let's go!" He slammed the door on his way out. Layle breathed a sigh of relief. He waited a few minutes to make sure they were long gone before he resumed snooping around. However, he found nothing else linking his partner to the Selkie Guild.
"What a strange guy…" By the time he finished putting Keiss' room back the way he found it was approaching midnight. His partner was still not home, he figured he'd probably be out all night. So rather than wait up, Layle indeed crashed.
Just as he was getting settled into bed, he could hear the front door opening and the sound of Keiss talking to someone.
'…shhh…don't make a noise.' Someone tripped over something and there was laughter that followed.
Layle flipped his pillow over his head and frowned. 'Great, he would be the type to bring someone home…'
'-is way…don't trip over the chair… Nnonono- that's Layle's door…'
Layle sighed and tried to think back to the people that had come by earlier. 'I guess one of the girls is staying the night…lucky me…' For the rest of the night, the apartments acoustics- or lack there of- were put to the test. Layle was at least grateful the walls seemed to do their part of keeping the noise down. It wasn't so bad that he could not sleep. However he found himself staying awake straining to hear.
'Tell someone your jealous…bring someone else home… ….Asshat.' He stayed up milling over Keiss' behavior and just how it had rubbed him the wrong way. And he wasn't even sure if it should have. But that didn't change the fact he felt like he was getting the short end of the stick here. Maybe it was just all the Rainbow Juice- however he knew that was a terrible excuse. Rainbow Juice isn't that potent. The Clavat stayed awake, feeling pissed off and annoyed until finally he fell asleep.

Layle was the first one up in the morning. He could tell because the apartment was not at all disturbed. He got in the shower and mulled over what he had found in Keiss' room last night. But thinking about Keiss' room just made him think of his partner's midnight affair and it just made him want to punch the Selkie. "Ugh…I need something to eat…or at least some coffee…I am acting crazy! Why do I care who he brings home…It's not my problem or business." As he got out, he could hear the front door opening and closing.
"Well at least she's gone now…" Layle tied a towel around his waist and picked up a smaller one to dry his hair. It hung on his head while he riffled around the kitchen looking for coffee. There was a pot, so there had to be coffee. Or at least he hopped there was. After a few minutes he found it and started to make up a pot. With the towel hanging over his head he couldn't really see anywhere other than what he was looking at. However he could hear just fine.
From behind him he heard the sound of Keiss' door open and close and the sound of the Selkie coming down the hall. The footsteps stopped and then started up again, but they were heading for the door. Layle chuckled and rolled his eyes.
"So what, Keiss," He started to turn around, "You're not gonna tell me all about the fun you and that girl had last ni-" He stopped as he found himself looking at a blue haired Selkie male, about his age. The guy just chuckled and Layle pointed at him. "…You're not Keiss."
"Y-yeah…He said he'd be back…But, huh, I've got to go…So…Tell him I'll see him later…" Layle opened his mouth to respond but the Selkie was rushing to the door. He dropped the coffee on the counter and ran after him. Entirely unsure of that was really the person from last night or a thief or what. As the guy ducked out the front door Layle leaned out shouting at him.
"H-hey! HEY!" Just as the Selkie ran around the corner out of sight, Keiss came into view. The red head watched the other Selkie run and looked back at the door. He crossed his arms and looked Layle over. A bit of a smirk on his face.
"You know… I think this has been my best idea yet."
"Keiss!" Layle pointed down the hall at the Selkie. "That guy- that guy was in here!"
"Yeah, I know." He brushed passed him and entered the apartment. "I let him in."
The Crystal Bearer shut the door, and turned to him, "Keiss…that was a man…wasn't it?"
"Yes- oh hey you're making coffee, great." The Selkie opened the fridge and pulled out a few eggs, half a tomato, and some spinach. "You like omelets?" As he pulled back and shut the door Layle was standing next to him, arms crossed and looking pissed. "…Can I help you?"
"I don't know, can you!" Keiss just shrugged at the odd question, "Can you please explain to me, what I am in store for, living with you?"
"Oh? Is that all…" Keiss pulled out a skillet and smiled at Layle, "If you really want to know, I could show you."
"Show me?"
"First hand." He cracked the eggs and started to chop up the veggies, "You're already dressed for it."
"…" Layle frowned at him and turned to head toward his room. "You're gonna have to do better than that…" The Clavat shut his door and Keiss smirked as he set to work making breakfast.
"In case you haven't noticed," he started to talk to himself, "I love a good challenge."
- 7
- 8
- 9
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The Crystal Rule