"So how many years ya been stealin'?"

Jayce darted to me as we tore towards Alexandria. Having managed to procure a couple of chocobo's, we'd relieved the need to stow away on some random airship. Saved us a fair deal of hassle, but left us with filthy birds that reeked to high heaven. Either way, it was quick. Silver lining, ya know…

"Since I left home, I s'pose," he responded with a shrug. The tavern in Treno had gotten next to nothing out of him. Guess he wasn't exactly happy talking in a place filled with drunks. Can't understand for the life of me why – I could have blurted out the entire plot of the heist and the assassination to any one of those gits and it would have been forgotten in seconds, drowned out by the next drink. Dank, mirthless place, it was… s'why I liked it so much, but it seemed to do nothing to calm the nerves of the rookie.

"Couldn't be a bit more vague, could ya?" I replied, growing just slightly tired of him dancing around simple questions. He laughed, turning from me to keep his eyes forward.

"Since I was nine. S'when my mother died and my father did himself in."

… guy seemed about as apathetic about his past as I was.

"Good times, I hear…" I shot, tempting the waters as he scoffed.

"Pfft, he was an idiot," Jayce began, gaze unfaltering on the not-too-distant castle of Alexandria. Wouldn't be long now, but for conversation's sake…

"Guess he wasn't the teachin' sort, then?" I asked, trying to get a bit more out of him.

"No, he was more of the 'I'm-gonna-give-up-when-my-wife-dies-and-leave-my-two-fucking-kids-to-fend-for-themselves' sort, if you absolutely have to know," he finished, shooting a look towards me. "Happy now?"

I smiled – it's always good to know that someone's had a better past than your own.

"Yeah, actually," I responded, nodding towards the rising landscape, "we're almost there."

Jayce flicked his eyes towards the fast-approaching castle. Noting the forest just to the east of the town, we turned our birds towards the thick as he grunted.

"Tch, why the hell do you wanna know about me, anyway?" he asked, turning from the forest to me with a questioning glance. I shrugged and answered honestly.

"It's called 'boredom'."

After we'd ditched the birds at the forest, we walked straight through the Alexandrian gates. We knew almost every one of those knights and soldiers would have been preoccupied with transporting the jewels, so we had no hassles at all. It was dead quiet, not a damn peep to be heard. We made our way through the town, getting as far as the moat surrounding the castle without any trouble whatsoever… then he came along.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

Jayce panicked, immediately reaching into his bag with a loud clutter as the knight walked towards us. I gritted my teeth and turned to him.

"Would you fucking relax? You'll give us away!"

"What was that? Speak up! Your names, now!"

This guy's armour was noisy as hell, clanking loudly with every step he took. He seemed a hell of a lot more stocked up than the other knights floating around… and that could mean trouble, either a captain or a general, and god help us if that Beatrix woman was around. Thankfully it was dark, so he wouldn't recognise or be able to see our faces. I turned to the guy and was just about to spill some bullshit story before, shock of all shock, Jayce beat me to it.

"Hey, sorry, we're tourists!" he stated, moving past me and brandishing a map from his bag. "My name's Seth and my friend here is John. We're currently trying to find hotspots all around the Mist continent and were looking for a guide. Do you think that maybe you could tell us a little about this castle?"

… Thief and an actor. If this was actually stupid enough to work, I'd have figured I struck gold. The knight immediately removed his edge. He was only too proud to talk about Alexandria… which unfortunately meant we had to listen.

"Well you've certainly come to the right place and, might I add, how fortunate that my watch occurs at this time! I can tell you everything you need to know about our esteemed and majestic town."

Fan-fuckin'-tastic. Here goes two hours…

"… and located just before you, as you must have already guessed, is Alexandria Castle, home of Queen Brahne and Princess Garnet Til Alexandros…"

'Blah, blah, blah… Jesus, get him on a roll, huh?' I thought, feigning interest as I kept a stern eye on the castle, rounding to the knight's side just shy of Jayce's position. He continued to babble on about… tch, God knows what, until Jayce was fortunate enough to spot a group of knights holding large boxes of what couldn't have been anything other than the target of the heist.

"Oh, excuse me! I've heard that there's gonna be a… ahhh… a jewel display of some sort? We're not too late are we?" Jayce asked. He could really get into character... but the knight turned towards the convoy of soldiers transporting the boxes and nodded.

"Unfortunately, yes. The display of her Majesty's Crown Jewels was earlier on today, but the entourage is soon to take rest in Lindblum, where the display shall once again take refuge for all to see!"

"Lindblum?" I asked, realising that I'd been silent the entire time. Thankfully, it had gone unnoticed and the knight nodded happily.

"Yes indeed! Her majesty's crown jewels shall be transported tonight, over to the city of Lindblum along with the Regent's armour to be displayed proudly inside the Lindblum Palace. First class nobility, not a blemish to be found on either!" he stated proudly. Poor bastard, who was he to know that he practically gave it away to us? As Jayce continued to butter him up, I made three points of attack and four points of retreat. We'd have the lot before they could make it to the harbour - this would be a cinch.

"… so thank you very much, sir… erm… sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

The knight saluted proudly.

"Captain Adelbert Steiner, my good man! Should you require further information, be sure to come to the castle on the morrow and ask for me. A personal tour of the town is only one of the benefits I can offer a fellow lover of Alexandria!"

'Great, now how about you piss off?'

"Thank you, Captain Steiner! We'll be sure to see you on the… er, tomorrow," Jayce finished with a smile as he turned to me. "C'mon, let's get back to the inn."

"All the best, lads!"

"Him first, then the guy on the right. After that, the rest will drop like flies."

"I just knock 'em out, right?"

I once again found myself whacking a palm to my face.

"You're kiddin' me, right? Please tell me that was a joke."

Jayce shrugged as he leaned against the trunk of the tree.

"I'm not usually one to joke."

"Look," I said, turning to him and attempting to understand where he came from. "I dunno what's made you such a big girl's blouse about killin' people, but consider this training if you're gonna stay. Everyone needs a first time."

… yeah, I had no idea why he wouldn't kill. Still, he managed to completely dismiss what I said with a shrug. Pfft.

"Well, maybe I don't. Keep it quiet, alright?"

Before I could protest, the 'killer' bolted down the tree and vanished from sight. I'd already taken care of Faivers – fat, obnoxious first-class drunk; needed to bring back his pocket watch, eye-glass and his 'rings'… woulda taken me all night to get 'em off, so I just took his hand and wrapped it in whatever was left of his tattered shirt. Could have been a bit cleaner with the kill – ribbons would have held more meat - but at least no one saw. Gotta count your blessings, right?

I turned towards the patrol that carried the jewels. Christ, it was almost too dark to see them; probably wouldn't have been able to see Jayce if he-

"Ooof!"

"What the-Urrgh!"

"Hey, what's- Aaaugh!"

"We're under a-Ooww!"

"Argh!"

"AH, God…damnit…"

'… What the fuck just happened?'

I darted around the falling guards, searching for what might have been left of Jayce and jumping from the tree.

"Ready to go?"

"JESUS FUCKING CHR-!"

I slammed my hand into my bag, threading my fingers through my claws' grip as I turned to find Jayce with two chests under his arms. I locked eyes with him for a moment as he cleared his throat.

"Are – you – ready – to – go?"

I darted over to the guards – each and every one of them was on the floor. I returned to Jayce, eyeing the chests under his arms. I pointed to the guards as Jayce shrugged.

"Out cold. Won't be for long, so hurry up – I gotta take a leak."

… Well colour me thoroughly fucking impressed.

The boss was more than pleased with his spoils. Every part of him practically jiggled when we walked in with the jewels and what was left of Faivers. Even got a bonus, heh – silver lining.

"You boys rest up. Gonna be another job for the both of ya in the morning."

The boss sent us off with a hearty wave as he welcomed Jayce to the team. Rhaz was, of course, anything but happy about it, but that was his problem. Eh, he was old anyway – he just didn't like to see young blood claiming his position. A week and two more jobs passed. I scored another thirty grand and Jayce scraped through with fifteen. Got himself a new coat and pants, so at least he didn't look like a hobo anymore. We'd cashed our latest cheques in the early afternoon and had a little time to kill, so Jayce and I found our way onto the sparring fields… and I quickly found myself flattened along my front.

"Still think you can keep up?"

Now, that was just fuckin' embarrassing. I hadn't lost in a spar since… fuck, ever. I had to hand it to him – he wouldn't kill anyone, but he was more than capable of it. I still had yet to understand why he wouldn't, though… which lead to an interesting conversation over drinks after I proceeded to have my ass handed to me another two times.

"That's a hell of a grip you got," I said, taking a swig of my beer as Jayce laughed. "The hell'd you learn to fight like that?"

"Survival of the fittest," he replied with a quick crack of his neck. "I taught myself – hung around training camps, fighters and whatnot. Picked up what I could when I could… developed my own style. Eh, it's got me this far, I s'pose."

Self taught… no wonder I couldn't beat him. Conversation ran dry for a little, but it wasn't long 'til I brought the conversation back to why he couldn't bring himself to kill.

"Ok, look," I began, downing the remainder of my pint and tapping two fingers loudly on the bar. "I'm a mercenary, I get hired to take people out, so forgive me if it's a bit weird. Everyone has the potential to kill, even you, so why are you so against it? You must have wanted to? At least once, or one person, ya know?"

Jayce paused for a moment, eyeing his drink like he was gonna stab it or something.

"Yeah, I did. Just once, I wanted to kill someone."

"And?"

Jayce snorted, laughing as he, too, downed the rest of his pint and tapped against the bar. The bartender brought over two fresh pints which I was only too happy to start on.

"The bastard beat me to it."

I turned to him, drink still in hand and lifted to my mouth. After another hefty swig, I cleared my throat and clapped my mug on the bench.

"Your father, eh?"

Jayce nodded.

"I was nine. Fuck, I didn't know anything back then, but just the way he was such a little bitch about my mother dying made me wanna axe him somethin' fierce. He… just… he gave up on me and my sister…"

"Sister?"

Jayce's pint hit the bar as he turned to me with a strange sort of grin – not happy, but not… unhappy? Kinda two-sided…

"Yeah… Sarah. Only family I've got left. We've been living outta tents for the past few years, but with this," he held up the envelope filled with the payment for the last mission, "I can finally keep my promise."

"… and that is?"

"Start looking out for us like that prick wouldn't… and the first thing I'm gonna do is rent us a place in Lindblum."

I actually saw a moment of composure in the guy right then and there. Not just a fast-talking smart ass, but somethin' genuine… I didn't know it then, but that was his reason for being strong - Sarah.

"… If I keep performing alright, I'll get… y'know, paid more, right?"

I turned at his question, nodding with a half-hearted frown before returning to my drink.

"Maybe," I said, taking a swig as Jayce seemed to light up. "Course, you'd get twice the money if you started takin' people out-"

"I'll stick with stealing," he quickly cut in. Hah, he really didn't like the subject. "Stick to what you're good at, eh?"

"Heh, more or less. You'll keep getting better the more you do it, just like I'll keep getting stronger the more I… y'know."

Jayce turned to me with raised brows, ducking a quick look behind him as the drunks at the tables behind us blabbered on noisily.

"You get stronger by killing people, huh?" he asked, returning to me before amusing himself with the bottles behind the bar.

"It's necessary," I mused, staring at my drink. "You never know who your next hit will be and if they know how to fight, well… at least you're prepared."

"… So, strength is a precaution to you?"

"It's a way of life to me. Strength is all I've ever known, so I stick to what I'm good at. I mean, the first memory I ever had was of this guy I had to fight. Pretty bad, right? Can't even remember my parents, but I remember the first nose I broke - I was four at the time."

"That's a long time to be looking for strength."

With that remark, I downed the rest of my pint, tapping my fingers on the bar again – just what was this guy playing at?

"I don't have to look for strength-"

"But you're still trying to find it, which is what I don't get."

"Alright then," I snapped slightly as the bartender filled my pint, "what's your opinion on it?"

"The blind pursuit of power is a meaningless vice."

And there it was – his belief. Little did I know I'd come to use that very phrase one day, but at the time I was just a little too pig-headed.

"Strength is meaningless? You wanna elaborate at all?"

Jayce smirked and laughed, taking another swig of his pint.

"You want strength for the sake of being strong. That's a long road to travel, Red, and it doesn't end. You know, 'he who only wants is left with only nothing'? What you need is a solid purpose; a reason to be strong – be it yourself, someone else… anything except just for wanting to be. Me? I've got Sarah, who I choose to be strong for, so I'll never fall short or lose at anything. I promised that I'd give us the life that our father didn't, and I don't need to kill anyone to prove otherwise…"

Well… that made sense… sort of.

"… and I couldn't stand it if she found out that I'd followed in that fuckwit's footsteps."

… That made a bit more sense. With a heavy swig of my freshly filled pint, I tentatively approached the obviously touchy subject as a little more of 'Jayce' opened up to me.

"So your old man was a mercenary?"

Jayce shot a glance toward me. I knew I'd struck a nerve and, for the first time, I was fairly hesitant to probe any further.

"He was a cunt. Didn't hide it at all - would come home drunk, covered in blood… scarred Sarah for life. She couldn't even watch when I had to kill off monsters that attacked us, but… he made great money. So… I promised Sarah that I'd get us by, but I'd never do it the way he did it."

'… the way I do it.'

I stared at my drink as the silence rang through the bar. I don't like to admit it, but Jayce had me rethinking almost my entire life as he spoke. It was true – I had always been attempting to get stronger. Nothing capped it, I just wanted more… but it was all I'd ever known and it wasn't about to change. I honestly thought I'd be lost in thought all night until, surprise, surprise, Jaycebroke the silence.

"What about you?"

Being unexpectedly snapped out of my thoughts, I blankly turned to him.

"Hmmm?"

"Whaddaya think makes you strong?"

All he got was another blank stare on my part. To tell the truth, I had no fuckin' idea. Bastard… he'd started to make me doubt my own way of life. I turned to my half-empty pint as Jayce looked on with dynamic interest.

"… I don't know. I've always just… had to be, I suppose. I've lived by the saying 'only the strong survive' for as long as I can remember so… I just wanted to survive. I wanted to be strong."

He released a hefty grunt as he took another sip of his pint. I'd just admitted that he was right – I wanted to be strong just to be strong.

"And you figured you'd try 'n' make money out of it?"

I turned to him and shrugged.

"… Beggars can't be choosers."

I honestly expected a reprimand from him but, to my surprise, he started laughing. I raised a brow as I took another sip of my pint.

"I hear that… and you know, now I can make good on the promise I made to Sarah, so… here's to you, Amarant."

I turned to him as he held up his drink, darting to his eyes.

"… to me?"

"Got me my first payed job in eight months. Finally gonna be able to get Sarah into some kind of apartment, so…" he motioned to his still raised pint, "… cheers."

A short pause was all I allowed before I chuckled, clinking my pint with his.

"Here's to you 'n' Sarah, then."

I'm not even nearly arrogant enough to toast to myself. Who'd he think I was, Rhaz?

LS.