Chapter 22- The Thief of Jidoor
Celes bit her lower lip and waited patiently for Locke to call out to her from the bottom of the passage. She tried her best to concentrate on the mission at hand, being that it could be dangerous, but her mind kept shifting back to a few moments ago, which brought butterflies to her stomach just thinking about it. How much would have happened if she hadn't of said no? The concept settled into Celes' mind, making her feel very weird indeed for even thinking about it, let alone having the secret feeling inside of her that had wanted more. She wondered if this was how 'normal' girls were.
"Celes!" Locke called, ripping her from her thoughts. Celes looked down the hole.
"Locke?"
"You can come down now!" Locke said.
"Alright, coming." Celes replied, and began to steadily climb down that musty old ladder. However, she managed to do so quite easily, and hopped to the ground as soon as she was a foot above it. She could see Locke slightly in the dark passageway.
"You make it ok?" Locke asked.
"No sweat." Celes said.
"Good, lets go then. This thing only goes one direction so...." Locke began to walk, and the corridor was much too small for Celes to be able to walk beside him, so she fell into step behind him. It was very chilly, but it was actually a welcome temperature change from the sweltering outdoors. Celes' boots made a soft clicking noise against the ground, with it being the only noise. Locke was in deep concentration. After all, a treasure was at stake.
Suddenly, the corridor just stopped, and Celes smacked into Locke's back. She had learned from her latest adventures that she was not good at stopping on short notice.
"Hey, you ok back there?" Locke asked.
"Uh-huh...." Celes muttered, and rubbed her forehead. "What's going on?"
"There's another ladder." Locke said. "This time, you go first, ok?"
"Alright." Celes said, and pushed infront of him to climb on. The ladder was cold and damp, like the other, making a shiver run through her body. Celes focused above her and climbed higher and higher, until she had reached what looked like another trap door. She pushed it open, and popped her head up to look around.
Celes found herself in a very hot room, which was full of crates and boxes stacked up high. The only light she had was the moonlight that was struggling to get through the curtains covering the windows. Celes pulled herself out of the hole, and stood up.
"Locke, come up." She said. "It looks like a storage room of some sort."
As she waited for him to climb up, Celes walked over to one of the crates and investigated it. She did not have the faintest idea of what was inside, so she pried open the lid, and gasped.
Inside this particullar crate were piles of sparkling Tintabars and Cure Rings! These were extremely rare relics that were in ring form. They were in demand around the world by doctors who needed them for very ill patients, and would sell for a lot. Celes turned around and saw Locke approaching her. She let him have a look for himself of what she had found and walked over to move the curtains out of the way. As she gazed out, she could see that they were overlooking Jidoor somewhat, that this home was more in the upper-class section of town. Being that everything was so dusty and untouched, Celes could only guess that this was the locked up manor!
"Locke, do you realize what this place is?" She asked. He nodded happily, and winked., turning then to the treasure.
"Wow!" Locke cried, and stuck his hand in the crate, bringing up many Cure Rings and Tintabars in his hands. "We could make a killing off of these!"
"Yeah!" Celes added, and smiled. "Lets see what else is in here!"
They went through nearly every crate they could open, and found tons of relics, some common, some extremely rare. It was obvious the late owner of the manor was into collecting relics...and didn't want anyone else to share in the action.
"Celes, do you know how much we could make off of just the cure rings alone?" Locke asked excitedly.
"Ohhh, it's too much to think about." Celes said sweetly, and pulled off her cape, which had hidden pockets on the inside of it. Locke grinned, and made sure all of his many pockets were empty. With that, the two began to grab as much as they could, until yawns replaced their laughter, and the both found that their lack of sleep was catching up to them.
Celes leaned against a wall tiredly, her cape now fastened back on her shoulders.
"It's terribly hot...in here." She commented softly, and let out a deep yawn.
"Yes, I agree." Locke said, and yawned also. "Maybe we should call it a night...."
"I think I'm too tired to walk all the way back..." Celes said, closing her eyes. Locke walked over to the curtains and drew them shut. Celes, feeling there was no more light, opened her eyes. "What are you doing?" She asked.
"We'll just sleep here." Locke said decidely, and sat down on the floor, patting the spot next to him.
"But it's so hot in here." Celes protested as she plopped down. Locke reached over and pulled Celes into his lap, to her surprise.
"You'll feel better if you take off your cape for the night." Locke said to her, and slowly slipped it off her shoulders. Celes was greatful he could only the back of her head, because who knew what the surprise on her face would say about her? Locke also reached under her hair, and untied the bandana.
"Locke...?" Celes asked.
"Here." Locke said, and gently lifted all of Celes' hair into a messy ponytail, securing it with the bandana so that the heavy hair would not be on her neck all night. Celes smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back closer into him. She almost felt like a little kid, being cradled by a loving friend. Locke shifted her so that her legs dangled over his, and so that she could rest her head comfortably in his arms. Locke now slipped one hand under her legs, and kept the other around her waist.
"Close your eyes, and it will be morning before you know it." He whispered into her ear, and kissed it softly. Celes snuggled into him, and did as she was told.
"Mmm, but Locke, won't you be uncomfortable?"
"No, I'm fine." Locke said.
"Alright....Goodnight..."
"Sweet dreams."
The last thing Celes could remember was one last soft kiss on her forehead before dozing off into a deep sleep.
Celes bit her lower lip and waited patiently for Locke to call out to her from the bottom of the passage. She tried her best to concentrate on the mission at hand, being that it could be dangerous, but her mind kept shifting back to a few moments ago, which brought butterflies to her stomach just thinking about it. How much would have happened if she hadn't of said no? The concept settled into Celes' mind, making her feel very weird indeed for even thinking about it, let alone having the secret feeling inside of her that had wanted more. She wondered if this was how 'normal' girls were.
"Celes!" Locke called, ripping her from her thoughts. Celes looked down the hole.
"Locke?"
"You can come down now!" Locke said.
"Alright, coming." Celes replied, and began to steadily climb down that musty old ladder. However, she managed to do so quite easily, and hopped to the ground as soon as she was a foot above it. She could see Locke slightly in the dark passageway.
"You make it ok?" Locke asked.
"No sweat." Celes said.
"Good, lets go then. This thing only goes one direction so...." Locke began to walk, and the corridor was much too small for Celes to be able to walk beside him, so she fell into step behind him. It was very chilly, but it was actually a welcome temperature change from the sweltering outdoors. Celes' boots made a soft clicking noise against the ground, with it being the only noise. Locke was in deep concentration. After all, a treasure was at stake.
Suddenly, the corridor just stopped, and Celes smacked into Locke's back. She had learned from her latest adventures that she was not good at stopping on short notice.
"Hey, you ok back there?" Locke asked.
"Uh-huh...." Celes muttered, and rubbed her forehead. "What's going on?"
"There's another ladder." Locke said. "This time, you go first, ok?"
"Alright." Celes said, and pushed infront of him to climb on. The ladder was cold and damp, like the other, making a shiver run through her body. Celes focused above her and climbed higher and higher, until she had reached what looked like another trap door. She pushed it open, and popped her head up to look around.
Celes found herself in a very hot room, which was full of crates and boxes stacked up high. The only light she had was the moonlight that was struggling to get through the curtains covering the windows. Celes pulled herself out of the hole, and stood up.
"Locke, come up." She said. "It looks like a storage room of some sort."
As she waited for him to climb up, Celes walked over to one of the crates and investigated it. She did not have the faintest idea of what was inside, so she pried open the lid, and gasped.
Inside this particullar crate were piles of sparkling Tintabars and Cure Rings! These were extremely rare relics that were in ring form. They were in demand around the world by doctors who needed them for very ill patients, and would sell for a lot. Celes turned around and saw Locke approaching her. She let him have a look for himself of what she had found and walked over to move the curtains out of the way. As she gazed out, she could see that they were overlooking Jidoor somewhat, that this home was more in the upper-class section of town. Being that everything was so dusty and untouched, Celes could only guess that this was the locked up manor!
"Locke, do you realize what this place is?" She asked. He nodded happily, and winked., turning then to the treasure.
"Wow!" Locke cried, and stuck his hand in the crate, bringing up many Cure Rings and Tintabars in his hands. "We could make a killing off of these!"
"Yeah!" Celes added, and smiled. "Lets see what else is in here!"
They went through nearly every crate they could open, and found tons of relics, some common, some extremely rare. It was obvious the late owner of the manor was into collecting relics...and didn't want anyone else to share in the action.
"Celes, do you know how much we could make off of just the cure rings alone?" Locke asked excitedly.
"Ohhh, it's too much to think about." Celes said sweetly, and pulled off her cape, which had hidden pockets on the inside of it. Locke grinned, and made sure all of his many pockets were empty. With that, the two began to grab as much as they could, until yawns replaced their laughter, and the both found that their lack of sleep was catching up to them.
Celes leaned against a wall tiredly, her cape now fastened back on her shoulders.
"It's terribly hot...in here." She commented softly, and let out a deep yawn.
"Yes, I agree." Locke said, and yawned also. "Maybe we should call it a night...."
"I think I'm too tired to walk all the way back..." Celes said, closing her eyes. Locke walked over to the curtains and drew them shut. Celes, feeling there was no more light, opened her eyes. "What are you doing?" She asked.
"We'll just sleep here." Locke said decidely, and sat down on the floor, patting the spot next to him.
"But it's so hot in here." Celes protested as she plopped down. Locke reached over and pulled Celes into his lap, to her surprise.
"You'll feel better if you take off your cape for the night." Locke said to her, and slowly slipped it off her shoulders. Celes was greatful he could only the back of her head, because who knew what the surprise on her face would say about her? Locke also reached under her hair, and untied the bandana.
"Locke...?" Celes asked.
"Here." Locke said, and gently lifted all of Celes' hair into a messy ponytail, securing it with the bandana so that the heavy hair would not be on her neck all night. Celes smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back closer into him. She almost felt like a little kid, being cradled by a loving friend. Locke shifted her so that her legs dangled over his, and so that she could rest her head comfortably in his arms. Locke now slipped one hand under her legs, and kept the other around her waist.
"Close your eyes, and it will be morning before you know it." He whispered into her ear, and kissed it softly. Celes snuggled into him, and did as she was told.
"Mmm, but Locke, won't you be uncomfortable?"
"No, I'm fine." Locke said.
"Alright....Goodnight..."
"Sweet dreams."
The last thing Celes could remember was one last soft kiss on her forehead before dozing off into a deep sleep.