Chrono Trigger
The Dream Stone; Crono "battles" Ayla for the Dream stone…
It is no big secret that men are very prone to getting cold feet when it comes to certain leaps of faith in life. Marriage is definitely one of them. Crono never thought for a moment that Ayla's advances were anything more than flirtatious. However, when Robo gave his opinion on the matter, Crono felt a certain sensation which was very much like the time he almost fell to his death during his escape from the Guardian dungeon.
However, he could not help but sheepishly admit there was a feeling of booming pride along with horrid fear.
The girls, although they found his expression to be hilarious, they found themselves suddenly infuriated. They chattered with each other, discussing how manners in this place were nonexistent. Meanwhile, Ayla paid no attention and she only smiled coyly to Crono, who tried to scoot away slowly. The women were snapped out of their pointed discussion when Ayla quickly jumped next to Crono's seat while snaking an arm around his shoulder.
"What do you think you are doing?" Lucca finally blurted out, no longer wanting to play the pacifist. She was ready for war now.
While Ayla responded, Robo stood behind her, gesturing frantically for Lucca to calm herself, "I am making the kisses with Crono."
Marle slammed her hands on the table and leapt to her feet, "Who said that he wanted you to do so?" Her creamy cheeks flushed as her icy blue eyes glared into Ayla's dark brown.
Ayla only laughed, "He must follow what I say! I am the chief! I not do it for myself, but for my people," she leaned towards Crono and pet his cheek, "and for handsome man here."
Robo, being the nearly all knowing sentinel, jumped forward and grabbed the girls just at the right time. They squirmed like fish in his arms as they tried to reach for her. She looked astounded, but she never once removed her arm from Crono's shoulders. Marle gnashed her teeth, "What if he doesn't want to marry you?"
Ayla did not stay in silence this time. She rose to her feet and put her hands on her curvaceous hips while saying, "You two are silly. I like you both."
Lucca growled and Robo had to reassert his grip on the pair as they fought frantically again to reach the cavewoman, "Why is that funny?"
Ayla said this with such faith and child-like simplicity that Crono suddenly felt guilty, "He let me kiss him! Why would he let me kiss him if he did not like it?"
"He didn't like it!" Marle spat, suddenly turning to the red-haired boy with the equally red face, "Tell her, Crono!"
Ayla looked at him while batting her eyelashes. Crono blushed deeper as he looked to the girls and shrugged. A scandalous look crossed their faces. "Men are such pigs!" they exclaimed.
Finally, Crono sensed that he was not doing his part in this whole affair. It was true he found her attractive, but he knew he must say something and he knew that he could not marry this woman. After all, what would happen to the world if he were to stay behind? So, with a gentle, probing voice, he said, "I did like the kiss, Ayla." He twiddled his thumbs nervously and felt phlegm building up at the base of his throat, "But I can't stay here, and I can't marry you."
To his surprise, Ayla did not look the least bit upset or offended. In fact, she had the look of a calm, rational child who was refused a piece of candy, "Why not?" She said simply.
Her lack of emotional disarray encouraged him to be straightforward, "Well, we are on a journey…"
"Oh!" Ayla piped suddenly. Any eyes that were watching Crono whipped towards the blonde who smiled brightly, "You are on a quest! Why didn't you say so! You complete your quest and if you want to, you can come back here and get married!"
"I thought you were going to force him to marry you." Lucca said, appraising Ayla's face with great scrutiny.
Ayla seemed slightly offended and said, "If we forced anyone to do anything, we would be no different than the reptites."
"Reptites?" Crono asked.
"Yes," Ayla nodded, "they were the creatures that attacked you. You must live far away if you had not heard of them. They aim to capture all of us and turn us into their slaves or kill us all. To ensure our rights, we fight. However, they are stronger than us. For that reason, another tribe hides in the forest like cowards."
"Another tribe?"
Ayla sighed, gazing off towards the north lazily, "Yes. Cowards. They are called the Laruba." She was silent for a moment and then broke free from her thoughts and smiled at Crono. Her tone changed immediately and it was as if she never sorrowed at all. "We need strong people to fight the reptites. I see Crono fight, so I knew that I and Crono could make strong children!"
"Children?" Crono blanched at the thought. His face grew even paler still when he thought about how they would come about. Suddenly he started waving his hands in alarm and everyone stared at him as he lost his composure. "I'm too young to have kids! What would my mom say? She would kill me!"
Ayla put a finger to her chin, "Mother stronger than son? Enough to kill him? She must be amazing!"
Lucca and Marle acted in a frank manner, "If it is okay, we need to be leaving. We are looking for a red stone that is supposed to be very rare."
Ayla slapped her head, "Ah! I'm sorry! I forgot!" To their surprise she reached underneath the table and produced a shimmering stone. It was like a translucent ruby. Flames from the immense bonfire bounced off its glassy surface, casting red rays upon the simple table. She smiled as they gawked. "Beautiful stone, eh?"
"What can we give to you for the stone?" Marle asked, leaning in closely.
"Crono as a husband!" Ayla said gleefully with a wide grin.
Marle fumed, "Oh! We told you he can't get married! He's with us!"
Ayla rubbed her chin contemplatively and she suddenly shot up, "Maybe a competition can determine this for us! That is the way of the Ioku when there is a disagreement that cannot be solved!"
"Why can't you just give us the stone?" Lucca shouted in aggravation.
Ayla seemed haughtily indignant as she held the stone in her arms, "This is a stone given from chieftain to chieftain as a sign of strength! This stone is important to me! It is very valuable! Crono is a handsome man, this is a beautiful stone. That is a good trade, right?"
"You must be kidding me." Marle said, her voice being muffled by her hands that covered her face.
Robo turned to the prehistoric woman, "Ayla, what is this trade you speak of?"
"A competition of drinking! It is a tradition of the Ioku! If I win, I keep the stone and Crono marries me! If Crono wins, he marries you two and he keeps the stone!"
The girls gasped in shock and embarrassment, "We-We're not trying to marrying Crono!"
Ayla looked at Crono with a confused countenance, "Are all women from your country this odd?"
"HEY!"
Words were instantly exchanged throughout the entire group of people in their strange tongue. Some drummers stopped their song and looked toward the large congregating crowd. Some people paid no mind and continued to celebrate, but would regret it later when they heard the incredible feat that went on without their presence. Two straw mats were laid on the ground and several large wooden bowls were placed around them.
"What is this?" Crono asked.
"It is the traditional way to settle any problem or dispute in our tribe! We each are served seven bowls of tuba and whoever finishes it first wins!"
"What is tuba?" Lucca asked, holding her nose in disgust as she hovered over a bowl.
"Fermented coconut juice!" Ayla said this in a way that it seemed like she relished the very sound of it.
"I don't drink." Crono said numbly.
"How do you live?" Ayla asked in amazement.
"No, no. I don't drink alcohol."
"What is that?"
"Uh…the fermented part." Crono shuffled his feet uneasily.
"Oh," Ayla nodded in understanding. "It is supposed to be strong, but I suppose since you are guests we can use a less potent form of tuba."
Crono seemed uncomfortable as he looked at the others. Lucca never drank, but her father did it on the occasion his friends came over. Marle would have a sip of wine every once in a while; it was usually at large parties that the king would throw for diplomats and members of the court. Robo could care less, but he would later note the biological changes that occurred with Crono, specifically his inability to annunciate and his sudden lack of inhibitions. Crono gained no support to avoid the contest, so he reluctantly agreed to drink at least the less potent version.
Ayla and Crono both sat cross-legged on the straw mats and each put their hands on the bowl that was easily the size of their heads. Crono thought to himself, "She expects me to drink seven of these?" He was just about to ask but Ayla commanded the drummers to strike up a lively beat, which they did to egg on a cheering crowd. The beat grew louder and louder. Ayla did not explain the rules very well, because she sat calmly as if she were waiting for something. Crono saw her staring at an elderly man who stood before them. He glanced back and forth, still not understanding what would happen next.
"Sugod na!"
The elderly man shouted these words and that caused the crowd to cheer even louder. He looked over and saw that Ayla was already gulping down the contents of the first bowl. He guessed the old man was the officiator and announced the start of this bizarre contest. Without another thought Crono picked up the bowl and let the first mouthful slide down his throat. It was agony. The tuba was like liquid fire. It sent a strange feeling around his nostrils and it almost made him sick to his stomach. He saw Marle and Lucca looking at him incredulously, almost as if they were scolding him for being so slow. He growled indignantly and picked up the second bowl.
As the nasty fluid went past his throat he glanced out the corner of his eye and saw that Ayla had begun her third bowl already! A few trickles of the fluid ran down her front and he turned back to his bowl, blushing at what he saw. Thankfully, the others did not seem to notice. He put down the bowl and pounded it in the ground in an effort to strengthen his resolve. He found that the third bowl still burned, but less, and it tasted fruitier. It was Ayla's turn to watch him in amazement. The crowd was beginning to cheer for the stranger now. He had somehow passed the fifth bowl while she finished her forth. She had to pause and gasp for breath, but forced herself to continue, seeing that Crono did not slow down in the slightest.
The audience began to stomp their feet and Lucca and Marle leaned forward in excitement. The final bowl was slammed onto the mat and the feeble voice shouted, "Tapos na! Si Crono nadaog!" The crowd applauded as did Ayla. She laughed as she saw Crono stagger to his feet. He was able to drink it faster, no doubt, but he could not hold it nearly as well as Ayla could. She slapped him on the back and handed him the stone. A pleased look crossed his face and he lifted it above his head, whooping in victory.
A different song began and Crono sat down at the table with Ayla. He was being lauded and honored, and even in his inebriated state, he would remember this for quite a while. However, what happened afterwards would not be remembered until Marle speaks with Crono later on. Needless to say, a person with secrets finds that their thoughts are like sand in their hands when they drink. They simply cannot hold them.
He woke up the next morning with a throbbing headache. He cursed this strange new feeling and felt around his surroundings. His eyes were incredibly blurred as they had never been before. He groaned as he sat upright. It only made him hurt even more. "That is the first and last time I'm going to drink anything that's been fermented." His vision was finally growing clearer and he saw that there were two empty sleeping mats next to him.
"What happened last night? Did we all sleep in here after the celebration?" He thought hard, but it only hurt more. All he could remember was that Marle and Lucca carried him here. The thought made him blush. As he struggled to his feet, Marle and Lucca barged into the room with looks of hysteria.
"Oh good! You are finally up!"
Crono grabbed his head as his world spun, "Ugh, please be a little more quiet…My head feels like it's been hit repeatedly by a hammer…"
They obeyed, giving him sympathetic looks, but then quickly reverted back to their worried state, "Something bad has happened. The gate key is missing!"
"What? Gate key? Is that why you guys are so upset? Why does that matter?"
Lucca momentarily forgot her promise to keep quiet as she shouted, "'Why does it matter?'"
Crono whimpered, "Ow! Lucca! Please!"
"Crono, the gate key is what lets us use the gate! If we don't have it, we can't get home!"
Suddenly he remembered the gate key and its use completely. A look of horror crossed his face and he tried his best to shake off the hangover. "Alright, just keep calm. It's got to be here somewhere. Let's go talk to the villagers. Maybe they know something." With that, the three left the room and went to search in the village.
As they walked, Crono could see that Marle was staring at him only to look away whenever he acknowledged her. "Are you alright?" He asked.
"Yeah…I'm just fine. Thank you for asking, Crono." She said this with her sweet and kind smile, yet her eyes conveyed some type of guilt or doubt. Maybe even sympathy.
"What happened last night?" Crono grumbled to himself as he steadied his swirling vision with his hand.
