Word Count: 390

Character: Cid

Inspiration: Coming up with a theory why many of the Lilty appearances changed in this game, while the other races did not.

The young Lilty, who goes by the name of Clee, was lost in Bridge Town. Seeking to work for the engineer Cid, Clee had heard finding the shop was half the battle.

Clee sat on a step before a looming building that looked the same as all the others in Bridge Town. He didn't like the shifty looks the people passing by gave him. He truly was in the slums. Maybe he should just go home.

*.*

"You lost, kupo?" Clee looked up to see a concerned Moogle hovering over him. Clee nodded.

Clee ducked his head when a Lilty shuffled past. His skin looked thin and dry like paper. There was a faint odor of onions.

"You should not fear, kupo. Cid looks like that too."

"But why?" Clee burst out. "They tell me it's what happens when a Lilty gets old, but neither my parents, nor my grandparents look like that."

The Moogle shook its head. "The ancient Lilties never looked like that. Sure you've evolved a bit...I think you're a little taller now, kupo. But all the races have changed a little bit."

The Moogle got quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"No, the onion look, which is what they seemed to be called now, is a self inflicted punishment, kupo. The Lilties love to fight, yes? Well, not all. But sometimes you were required to fight anyway, kupo. The last battle, when the Yukes Crystal was destroyed, hurt many Lilties deep in their souls. So they have changed slowly, physically. Their bodies are too weak to fight now, if a call to arms ever comes again, kupo."

"But it was not enough for Cid," Clee realized out loud. "He must have felt responsible, being the creator of the reactors, which made war much more widespread than before."

"Yes, kupo. Now he lives in the slums, trying to help the less fortunate, kupo."

Clee looked down at his hands. The skin was soft and smooth, like the Lilties of old. He felt a sadness for what his forefathers had did, a feeling he had never given thought to before. He would like to help the people of the slums too.

The Moogle looked behind Clee. "You sit at the door of his shop, kupo. Go in, I think he will be glad to work with the likes of you."