Treasure Hunting

Chapter 2

A/N: Due to the positive reviews, I thought I should expand this story a little~

After calming Locke down, Terra led him back to Kohlingen where a few of their friends were waiting. They went to the Inn where flowers were blooming purple and blue in the window boxes, and a few older gentlemen were outside chatting about crop rotation. Inside, Terra found Edgar at the bar sporting a large bruise on his left cheek, and nursing it with a tall glass of ale. Locke plopped down on a bar stool next to the king and ordered an ale for himself with a pout.

Relm was with them too, she had finished Owzer's painting commission of Starlet, and wanted to pursue some chalk drawings for her own wishes. She had taken over her own tea table and skewed all her art supplies around her, on the table and the floor. Papers were haphazardly stacked over an unlit candle. Pencils of all lengths were piled together on a plate that had some cookie crumbs, and pastels were strayed in a tea cup. The chalk sticks Relm had gathered over the years were currently next to her elbow. The bar tender did not mind Relm's mess apparently because she was making him something pretty to hang up in the tea area, to help liven up the place. The young artist was scribbling something on a piece of canvas propped up against her knee, while the other leg dangled over the side of the booth seat. The mint haired woman went over to the girl to peek over her shoulder and saw the brightest flowers gathered in a field with a stream going through and the sky the most vibrant blue. An airship was hanging in the sky, and looked just like the Falcon.

"That's gorgeous Relm!" Terra breathed, clapping her small hands together in delight. The girl looked up and beamed.

"Thanks Terra, I hope Mr. Dracois likes it too!" And set back to work. To many that may have seemed rude to proceed back to work without another word, but that's just how Relm was. She never meant anything by that; she was wanting to finish it quickly so she could work on her next piece. Terra turned away after watching Relm's hands work their magic over the canvas for a few moments more.

The mint headed woman really enjoyed this inn because it was so clean and had a happy aura. Small town's always had that feel to them. The tables were all scrubbed with polish every morning, the flowers were freshly picked that morning and put in various vases to add a sweet scent to the rooms. Right then the windows were open, letting the curtains flutter and a light breeze came in.

At the bar, Locke was telling Edgar about their wild goose chase with a scowl on his face.

"Can you believe that? EMPTY!" He cried, waving his ale around in despair. The bar keep was keeping a wary eye on Locke in case he spilled his drink somewhere.

The thief stood abruptly and poked Edgar's bruised cheek, making the king cringe at the sharp pain.

"But fear not my friend, there are many more treasures to be found! I have them all written down on the back of my map. There's another one in the area. It's called the Shiva Plume. After the esper Shiva."

"Duh," thought Edgar mildly.

"How do you know about it Locke?" Terra asked, always curious about esper related subjects.

"Arcell told me about it. Remember him? He's staying in South Figaro right now with a few other ex-Returners."

"Oh really? We should visit them sometime! I wonder how Sasha and Henley are doing." Terra said thoughtfully, smiling at the memory of seeing them when she first went to the Returner's hideout a few years before.

"I think I remember them. Isn't Sasha that chick with the green eyes and was being sarcastic all the time?" Relm piped up, looking from over the top of her canvas.

"Yeah she is. She's been dating Henley off and on for years now. They only split because he's immature and she has a quick temper. They do love each other though." Edgar chimed in, amused at the conversation switch.

"What exactly are they doing now that the Empire and Kefka have fallen?" Relm asked, chewing a pencil.

"I think they're working to save up for an Inn of some kind actually. A replica of the old Returner hideout from what Henley told me," Locke explained.

"Perhaps Figaro can help them build. It sounds like a fine idea." Edgar adjusted his ponytail ribbon.

"A lot of people would visit I bet! The Returners are famous nowadays, and people would be interested in all the stories they have to tell."

"And who made them famous? Us!" Relm said with pride, causing Edgar to give her a flawless smile that only a king could give. He loved the girl's spunk.

Terra blushed at Relm's comment, but deep down knew that she was right. Everybody who lived through the cataclysm knew who they were. They all wanted to know what happened and wanted to hear their stories when they found out who they were.

Like the bar keep here, he got the story from Sabin after the fall of Kefka when he was passing through to visit Locke. And the children in Mobliz, they loved hearing Terra's story all the time because there was so much to tell, so she would break the story up into different parts. Celes thought Terra should write a fairy tale book just like the ones they would read when they were little in the Imperial Palace. Children all over would love them! Terra had asked why her, and Celes explained that Terra had a way of spinning a tale as if it were wool about to be spun into thread at a spindle. The more Terra wove and twisted the story into existence, the more beautiful it became. That made Terra drop a dish she had been drying back in her kitchen in Mobliz. Such a wonderful way to weave her words! After that Terra said Celes should do it! The ex-general declined, saying that she was far to busy with paperwork in South Figaro and Narshe to bother. Plus she said she never got into creative writing because she couldn't make plot twists in her stories when she tried. The blond thought that Terra should be the one to write the story, she could make it into something dramatic and lovely. And to add to her reasons, she said that a lot of what happened all went back to Terra in the first place.

It was Terra that people fought to protect. It was Terra who lost her memories and had to fight with herself for so long for them to return in full.

It was Terra who was kidnapped from her parents when she was a baby to become a biological weapon for Emperor Gestahl. All of this stemmed from that man's greed and thirst for power to rip the world apart. And this mint haired woman was caught at the center of the plot.

Perhaps she would write the story one day, for everybody to read. Maybe Edgar could get it published for her...

"He-ey! Terra?" Locke waved his gloved hand in front of her nose, and had been trying to get her attention for the past few minutes.

"Oh, yes?" Her mind torn away from her thoughts of being a novelist.

"Are you coming with us to find the relic? Or do you want to stay here for the remaining day?" The thief asked, wondering what she had been thinking so intensely about.

"I think I'll stay here, it would be nice to enjoy some tea and cookies." She replied, eyes bright with excitement. She hoped she could find a book of blank paper in town to start work on the storybook.

"Alrighty then, we're off then! See you sometime tonight." Edgar held the door open for his friend, and they left to go rough it in the forest.

After Relm had finished her picture, and retired to her's and Terra's room for some reading, the mint haired lady went to the general store in search of a book. She bought one for thirty gil, with a blue hard cover and hundreds of blank pages. She hugged her new friend tight against her chest as she walked along the dirt path back to the pub. Ideas bubbled in her mind for the story. She already had a starter sentence thought up, and a title.