Chapter Eight
It was Art class. The air smelled of fresh paint and dust and the lingering scent of weed. I wrinkled my nose and went back to working on my clay masterpiece. (If masterpieces were often described as lumps of clay with finger marks on them and moulded in the shape one would assume a kindergartner had created.) The bell rang blaringly as it usually did, making me jump from my seat. Notice how I said usually. Despite the fact that the bell-ringing was anticipated, I still managed to be surprised about the whole thing. Yey me. I'm such a sod sometimes.
I looked up and met April's eyes. She was always the second to come to class—me being the first—though this mostly happens when Art's immediately after lunch. Having declared myself as a nomad, I don't really have a permanent group to hang out with so I usually end up alone, walking along the hallways, traversing the dangerous convergence points and evading Massive Groups of People Who Will Do You Bodily Harm If You're Not Careful. Actually, I used to hang out near my locker but people kept tripping on me or acting as if I'm staying there because I haven't made friends—oh woe is me!—or something along both those lines.
Why, I remembered a certain someone who liked to run to me, scream, "Bother! Bother! Bother!" against my ear—spit flying everywhere—and stare at me for a couple of seconds before declaring that I was just too gosh-darn creepy for my own good. Ellie does this every once in a while to make sure I feel loved. I still haven't thought of a good revenge plan.
"How's your Clayman going?" April asked, managing to look both interested and cheerfully ignorant of the clay dripping down her shoe. I hastily wiped my hands of the grime that clung to them and returned her smile with my own less enthusiastic version.
"Well, I'm still having trouble putting on those very anatomically correct parts," I replied as innocently as I could and watched her face redden. "Other than that, I'm doing swell! See, it actually resembles something now." Score one for the Rebecca Team. Screaming fans amok! Or whatever!
...Damn bloody thoughts being so bloody damn random. I snorted and made a face which resembled that of a one-eyed pirate licking his favourite ice cream futilely.
Seeing as I'm turtle-slow about most things, I've only realized something now. That something being that I was back. In the real world. Where people don't wear armour unless it was for show and monsters only came out at night when you were asleep and you just had too much of that favourite sticky snack of yours.
Of course, I did the only thing I deemed logical at that time.
"I'm back! Woooh! I'm back!" I grabbed April's hands with my dirty clay-coated ones—though I've tried wiping them before, some of the clay had already hardened and was still there—pulled April off her seat, and waltzed her around the room in a style very similar to the drunken fist without the actually fighting. "No more Dali, no more thieves. No more angry lookin' fiends!" Other students who had managed to ooze in without my knowing, stared at me in confusion. "No more flyin' to certain deaths! No more thinkin' I'm on meds." I didn't care though. I was back! And that was all that mattered. "No more damsels in distress, no more swimmin' in some freaky mess! No more consoles speakin' crap, no more travelin' with a map!"
"You think it's over?" The cold voice shattered my happy dreams of running away to join the circus. Wait, what? "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Rebecca, but if you think you can escape the Game, think again."
"But I'm back. I'm here. I'm in the real world again." I waved my hands, looked around and felt my stomach drop. The familiar faces started shimmering like they were just holograms or something.
"Fix their faces in your mind, Rebecca. You might never see them again." Those eerie words came from April's mouth, making my stomach dive head-long into the varnished floor. She never spoke like that. I gulped and stumbled backwards. This so isn't happening.
My arms and legs felt heavy. My gaze fell downwards and, to my surprise, dull metal gleamed against my wrists and ankles, taunting me. My throat constricted. My eyes watered with unshed tears. Why? Why me? Why did I get thrown into this? Why did they keep aggravating me with these...dreams? It was bad enough that every single day didn't pass without me being in some form of danger or another. It was bad enough that my body never stopped aching all over despite whatever amount of Potions I take. It was bad enough that I had to kill others just to stay alive. It was bad enough that I had to fight other Expenda-whatsits if I want to survive. (And worse was the fact that I am not even athletically-adept to think I can handle them other players.)
Why?
I gritted my teeth and braced my feet against the floor. When April stepped towards me, probably readying another slew of hurtful words, I pushed myself forward and slammed my weight against her. She thumped against the floor, her eyes wide, her mouth broadly gaping. Using my knees to pin her lower body, I leaned forward—the weight of the chair very much noticeable now—and pressed my forehead against hers. "I don't know who you are," I hissed, "but if you think you can just use my friend's body like that to injure me in some way, you're gonna have to think of something a little bit more creative. Coz I'm not really in the mood to be all nice to you and whatever asshole spawned you."
One would think that after such threats, the victim would shrink back with fear very much evident on her features and an apology just about hanging from her lips. Oh how wrong I was.
"Hah. Asshole that spawned me? Newsflash, Rebecca: your subconscious mind spawned me," she spat back. Before I could retaliate however, hands roughly grabbed the chair on my back and flung me away from April. I felt my feet leave the ground and the next thing I know, the bloody chair was resting against concrete wall, all tilted-like. One move and I'd be sprawling on the ground face first.
Oh shit.
Our Art teacher suddenly appeared in front of me, wearing a leather apron and a large welding mask that covered her usually serene face. Large puffy mittens carried a rusty old pair of thongs. "Open wide now."
Scary dentist-act much?
A hot burning sensation crawled inside my throat as a brightly glowing metallic rod slithered inside it, courtesy of our ever so kind teacher. I wanted to scream, to gasp for air but it blocked the path. I wrestled against my bonds, cursing and clawing and crying. NO!
"Rebecca!"
Forehead slammed against forehead as I made one last attempt to free myself of captivity. Cracking my eyes open, a very worried face greeted me. I fell down on my bum as he lost his hold of me. "Captain Steiner, sir!" I grimaced and coughed, my chest hurting like hell.
"I've never seen someone react so violently to a Phoenix down," Steiner grumbled, throwing an empty bottle over his shoulder. Hey! That was littering! "You were dreaming," the knight explained gruffly, unaware of my passionate protests at what he had just done, and offered me a hand. "It wasn't a very good one, was it?"
All thoughts of making him put his hands up and accusing him of violating the laws that protect our wonderfully green environment were shoved at the back of my brain. "No." Suddenly, I was cold...like someone just dumped a bucketful of freezing water on me.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
My legs felt like they've recently acquired the same flexibility as that of jello. "I just...miss my friends. Is all. You don't have to worry about it, sir." I accepted the rucksack from him—it was probably the one where I had kept all of my clothes though it felt slightly heavier than usual—and wondered why we would need it now. We weren't already leaving...were we?
He must have seen my questioning frown when he answered, "We might leave at any time, Rebecca. It should only be logical to carry our most important belongings with us at all times."
"Oh."
His grip on my shoulder helped steady me; I was about to trip on a fist-sized rock that just happened to be in the way. With a murmured thank you, I matched my steps with his and concentrated on not falling flat on my face.
I'm beginning to wonder what had caused me to dislike this man a long time ago. Then I remembered that he had just done the environment a disservice by being a lazy bum and not recycling. "It's part of our human nature to regret things, Rebecca." He finally said after some thought. "I know...facing whatever you faced today must have been hard on you but you're strong. You'll get through this, Rebecca. As knights, we were taught to value life and to never take it without reason. Do you think you had a good reason to do what you did today?"
"No. Not really," I admitted and followed him inside what looked like an old-fashioned pub. "I just...I was desperate. And scared. Killing that...creature was the only thing I could think of doing. Not that it was her fault anyway."
He looked perplexed by my answer and was on the verge of asking something important when the girl behind the counter caught his eye. "Ma'am?"
Whew. I've been saved again. For some reason, I always find myself slipping up at the most inappropriate moments. I really need to have that foot of mine surgically removed from my mouth. It's getting to be a nuisance.
"Please call me Slai," the girl, looking only slightly older than I, bowed gracefully. "Do you need anything?" She inquired politely.
"A bowl of pickled soup, some bread, and a tall glass of milk for my friend here," the knight boomed in his best Captain voice and patted my back roughly. Earthquake! Gaaaah! In a more normal voice, he asked, "Do you need any help, Miss Slai?"
She shook her head and smiled in a pretty enough kind of way. "No, thank you. A young man with the most...charming tail offered to help me earlier with the firewood so, other than that, I don't think there's anything that you can do for me right now."
The food smelled delicious—and I don't even like pickles!—though I did eye the glass of milk suspiciously before digging in, "Thank you!" Did I mention how irrelevant everything else is in comparison to food? Yeah. Totally ignoring that hint about Zidane there.
"That'll be fifteen gil."
"So...where are all the adults around here?" Steiner asked as he sat on top of one of the barrels they had there for seats. His hand produced some copper and silver pieces, pushing them forward in a manner that said he was trying and failing to be sneaky about the whole affair. I guffawed and wiped the trail of milk trickling down my nose. Steiner shot me a questioning frown. Note to self: never laugh when one is drinking a glass of milk. It's gross, I tell you.
"Oh...they're far away, working. They only come here once it's nightfall."
Woah! Great manoeuvring skills! I smell a secret. Blink. And milk. "What do they—?"
"What means of transportation does your village have? You see, I'm escorting a certain someone to the Alexandrian castle for reasons I cannot tell you."
I rolled my eyes and went back to devouring my lunch. It's like they're playing a game of Who-Has-the-Bigger-Secret?
"Oh! So you're from Alexandria, eh?" She seemed relieved. I wonder why. "If you go to the observatory east from here, you can speak with Morrid! He's the one in charge with the cargo ship headed for Alexandria. You should go there and talk to him."
You're just eager to have us out of your sight. "Morrid you say?"
"Yes, miss!"
"Right." I gobbled down the last piece of bread, grabbed Steiner's arm, gave Slai one last weary I-Know-There's-Something-You're-Not-Telling-Us look—complete with the two-finger salute—and stormed out of the place with the grace of an ugly duckling.
"Rebecca!" I turned around and looked at Steiner in the eye.
"She's hiding something from us." I stated as bluntly as I could.
The subsequent laughter surprised me. "I knew she was hiding something from us, my dear." He tapped his nose and winked in a manner that suggested he can do two things at once: twitch the muscles near his left eye and tap his nose. My eyebrows involuntarily scrunched together in a reluctant rendezvous. "But finding out what that is exactly isn't our main job right now. Making sure that the princess gets back home to Alexandria safe and sound is."
Aye, aye, Captain.
I let him lead the way, my thoughts revolving around the rest of the group of people. Were they still sound asleep or were they too busy exploring around the place to notice that Steiner and I had disappeared? From what Slai had mentioned, I'm guessing that at least Zidane is out and about. Knowing that sneaky bugger, I doubt he'd care if Steiner had been left behind. I'm just not sure if he feels the same sentiments about me. After all, I had taken Steiner's side in all this, though I did try not to butt heads with him. I shrugged it off and, instead, took a look around the scenery. Trees grew in clumps from the west and north horizon. I remembered passing some of those trees along the way and shuddered at the memory of a fiend trying to gnaw my leg off. Not a happy thought.
The scorched grass and flattened foothills that we had left behind before were barely there anymore. It was like this world was healing...and at such an alarming rate too. I blinked. How was this so? Was it because of the magic that surrounded this place? A glitch in the game? Or was that Playstation meddling again?
My eyes fell on a gloved wrist. Around it was a handful of wooden beads dyed in black and strung together with hemp. Two different beads gleamed at me. They looked to be a darker shade of orange and felt warm when touched. They also felt...familiar.
Questions plagued my mind as we crossed the grassland to reach Morrid's observatory. It wasn't too hard to find, which was a relief seeing as how I'm already lost enough as it is in my thoughts. I can't be lost physical-wise too, else-wise, I'll just end up being someone's supper.
I didn't even try to ask Steiner about anything. To do so would have me treading in uncertain territory. I do not want to have to explain to a character in a game that his kind doesn't really exist in what I deem "the Real World." That dragon was after me and, considering the fact that I suck at keeping my mouth shut, one right question from him and I'm a goner. They'll be carting me to the nearest mental hospital and leaving me behind to fend off whatever monster is sent next.
My best bet is to try and keep my mouth shut, train as hard as I can when Steiner finally gets around to giving me some lessons, and keep a low-profile in case others are searching for me. I don't know why They would take such an interest in a weak-willed, athletically-challenged and reckless kid like me but it sure as hell isn't because I'm pretty. I cracked a grin at that. Pretty? Damn far from it, more like.
We arrived at the observatory after what seemed like forever. Actually, a lot of things feel like forever to me: the three minutes it takes to cook a cup of noodles, the thirty-plus minutes it takes for my sister to finish her bath, and the seven and a half minutes it takes for the bus to pick me up for school. Walking short distances was no difference to me.
From the sun's position in the sky, it looked like nightfall was approaching. I wonder if we have enough time to get back to the village before the sun sets...
"Yes?" A wrinkly old man with a snowy white beard and a permanently drooping frown peeked from behind a massive wooden door. "I'm a very busy man so if you please tell me what you are doing here and scram; I would appreciate that ever so much."
"Are you in charge of the vessel heading for Alexandria, good sir?"
"Mostly, I just do maintenance work," Morrid spoke with a shrug. "They have someone else to operate the ship for them. Is that all? I really am a busy man and I have to have my cup of coffee now or else I'll be tearing someone's head off in the morning tomorrow when I go back to Dali to check the ship for repairs."
"When will its next departure be," asked a worried Steiner.
"Haven't you heard me, you silly lad?" Morrid admonished crossly. "Tomorrow morning! That's why I'll be going there come sunrise. So I can look over the damned ship before it takes flight. Now shoo!" He bellowed, slamming the great wooden oak in front of our faces.
…wait. Coffee? Gimme!
"Oh, Morrid, sir!" I shouted, thumping loudly against the door with great urgency, my fists turning red from the countless beatings.
"What now, child?" The old man fumed.
"Did you just say coffee a while ago?"
"…Yes?"
"Can I have some?"
"No!"
"Even if I said pretty, pretty please with sugar on top?"
"Even if you said pretty, pretty please with sugar on top."
"But-but…don't you recognize a fellow coffee enthusiast when you see one? We could be brothers for all we know!"
"Brothers?!" He squeaked, his face shiny red with confused embarrassment. "I assure you that we are in no way related. Brothers indeed! You're not even male."
"Not related?!" I asked, mortified, and slapped my left hand against my chest. "Do you not realize that the same blood which flows in your veins, flows in mine? Do you not realize that we whose blood have been so diluted by the coffee that we continually...digest are indeed related in that manner?" I moaned on, shaking my fists in the air with such dramatic flair that there was no way he could refuse me now!
"No! And that's final!" The door banged shut, leaving me gaping at it like a fish waiting for a hook to appear. Wiping the spittle off my cheek, I gave Steiner a don't-ask glare and stomped away before realizing that I didn't know where to stomp away to.
Oh great. Just...bloody well great.
"I think maybe we should set up camp," Steiner said innocently, his back turned against me. A hundred gil says that man is trying very hard not to laugh right now.
Taking out the worn bamboo flute a Moogle had given us along the way, I took a deep breath...and began to play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star on it.
Hey, it's the only song I know! Jeez, you all are such...music geeks sometimes. Honestly.
"Kupopo!" A big block of something crashed against me, knocking me to the ground. For a moment, I saw red little pompoms floating around my head. Then it became one...then it became attached to something white and furry-looking...then it hit me in the nose which triggered a sequence of sneezes from me. I rolled away from the pompom and had my nose introduced to the wonders of gardening. Eh...what?
Oh great.
I refrained from saying the almighty jinxed words that would indeed make my life worse than it already was despite what had happened and dragged myself off the comfy grass I was currently lying on. "We're making camp here?" I inquired through a mouthful of green that wasn't related to any vegetable family that I know of.
Blech. How the hell did that get there anyway?
"A bit farther north," Steiner replied and nodded to the Moogle. "If you will follow us, good sir?"
"Name's Clay, kupo." The Moogle spoke, trudging along with us.
"So uh...how did you get here so fast, Clay?" I gulped down the kupo I so desperately wanted to add at the end of my question. "You were a real blur a while ago."
"I have Running Shoes, kupo. It's issued to us Watchers. Some ride chocobos though, kupo. They're in charge of picking up the trash. And of course, there are those who have kupo Teleport Stones for when there's an emergency situation or something." Clay explained, beckoning to the dark green boots he wore on his feet.
"Watchers?"
"We help set up tents and watch over you, kupo. That's the basic job anyway."
"Do you get paid for this?"
"A meal usually, kupo, but it isn't mandatory."
"Oh."
Wow! I didn't know the Moogles were so kupo important in this world! I grinned inwardly. They sound like a cool race and now I have this great urge to glomp the kupopo out of that little creature.
He must have felt hungry vibes coming from me because he moved a little faster to match his step with Steiner's. "Do you have any letters for Clay, kupo?" The Moogle asked eagerly.
What?
"I'm afraid not my keen companion, but if you wish to mail someone, I'm willing to take a letter for you." Oh right! The Moogle mail system, Mognet. How could I forget?
"A big kupo thanks, kupo!" Clay handed Steiner a letter. Where he got it...I have no idea. This world's logic is still beyond my grasp, I'm afraid. Next they'll have extremely long and heavy objects come right out of my rucksack, I'm sure of it.
Resisting the urge to eye said object suspiciously, I followed them for a while until we reached a good spot for camp near a small sloping hill. Handing Clay the Tent I had found after a bit of probing around inside my unsurprisingly bottomless rucksack, I took a few precarious steps back and watched in fascination as Clay waved his hands, muttered a few chosen words, and had made the Tent look more like a Cottage.
I felt a yawn escape my throat and looked at Steiner who inclined his head to the Tent. Ladies first. Of course. Rolling my eyes, I trudged inside the Tent and went to one side of the place where a bedroll called to me. I was asleep in seconds.
Literally, that wasn't true at all, seeing as how people supposedly had to wait for a full six minutes before falling...
...I really wanted that coffee. Morrid was being a jerk. Maybe I should have offered him something in return? No, serves...him...right...
I wonder how April and the others are doing...
Maybe I should name my Clayman Clay...
...or maybe I should make my Clayman look like a Moogle in memory of Clay.
...Wait. Is Clay dead?
How can Clay be dead? Isn't it just a kind of sticky mud or something?
Or maybe it's something along the lines of Rock is dead in that...
...no one wants to play with Clay anymore?
I wasn't aware Clay was an actual living organism.
Which came first? The Clay or the Clayman?
The Clayman, obviously. Who else would...have...made...the...Clay?
Which came first? The chicken or the egg?
I'm going to kick you in the ham-and-eggs, you fiend!
Truly, 'tis an egg-citing day today, my friends!
Stop egging him, Ellie. You're only making things worse for all of us.
Eggs...
...Eggs?
I smell eggs!
My eyes snapped open as my body mechanically moved into a sitting position. I'm hungry! I scrambled—haha, scrambled eggs—to my feet and pushed the flap of the Tent open to take a peek on what's cooking—both literally and figuratively—outside.
"Breakfast!" My cry of elation startled the two hunched figures crouched near a small fire. I let out a nervous laugh and scratched my head. "Sorry about that."
My legs somehow got tangled in a sea of knots as I tried to crawl outside which resulted to another one of my pratfalls. Er...that is to say, if pratfall includes the face area too.
"Eggs!" I grabbed the piece of offered bread and urged the egg to change its place of dwelling. Through a mouthful of food, I asked them curiously, "Where did you get the equipment to cook this?"
Clay waved a furry hand and pointed to the small backpack he had carried the day before. "It's part of the Watching package, kupo. We carry cooking and eating utensils in case you guys don't have your own."
"We were very fortunate to find a nest near here. Sir Clay was kind enough to provide us bread as well," Steiner added in and gave the Moogle an approving smile. He must be thinking about recruiting them furry buggers for the army. I sure wouldn't mind! Moogles are cool, kupo!
Not that I actually get a say on all this but hey, he's my teacher so that must at least count for something.
"When will we be leaving for Dali?"
"As soon as you finish your breakfast, Miss Rebecca."
And there he goes again with the whole "miss" thing. I thought he had realized by now that such things like honorifics aren't needed when you've been traveling with a companion for some time now but I guess I was wrong. Jeez, what I just said sounds so boring and bland. Sort of makes me feel like opening my mouth and going, "Blah." Projectile vomiting is what I like to call it.
"Whatever happened to just Rebecca?" I asked after finishing off my breakfast. "I mean, surely now that we've agreed on my becoming your student the honorific shouldn't be necessary, don't you think?"
There I go with one of those "don't you think" phrases again. I swear! One of these days I'm going to choke myself with a crowbar and large amounts of duct tape.
His face was pink with pride at the thought. He nodded sagely, "I suppose you are right...Rebecca?"
There's a good lad! I gave him an encouraging pat in the back and stood up, stretching sore muscles. Sometimes, I just wish they could stick an IV full of Potions on me. Then I wouldn't be in so much pain lately.
With Clay taking down the used up Tent, we set out for Dali. I was slightly guilty over the fact that Clay had to do all of the work but he seemed used to it, his nimble hands discouraging me from helping, seeing as I might only get in the way.
"Miss—I mean, Rebecca?" My eyebrows raised in question. "Umm...remember what you said?" Steiner asked in nervous excitement. "That you're my student now?"
"...Yes?" What are you trying to get at this time, Steiner?
"How should you call me then? Sir Steiner? Captain Steiner? How about Master Steiner? Or-or Instructor Steiner? Don't you think that one has a nice ring to it?" He looked like a child about to get a big piece of chocolate. The groan bubbled near my chest but never made it to my throat. Well, too bad. He'll have to make do with a smaller piece.
"I think sir should do, sir." I spoke meekly. "Especially if we're working on my fighting. It wouldn't do if I shouted out: 'Yes, Instructor Steiner, sir!' After all, that's quite the mouthful. If we're among the others though, would Master Steiner do?"
"Aaah, yes." He seemed content. A mini-version of me appeared in my mind's eye, wiping off the non-existent sweat from my face. "Master Steiner."
Eventually, after walking and walking and walking and walking to the three hundred and thirty-fourth power times twelve, we arrived at Dali. The sun had just gotten around to spreading some of its lovely heat all round so I wasn't shivering so much and thinking about murdering little fiends for their warm and fuzzy coats anymore. Instead, my eyes focused on the airship that rested near the village's crop fields. We moved closer to take a better look.
I sneezed so suddenly—I was allergic to early mornings—that my head hurt from the sudden movement. I stumbled backwards and hit one of the crates that they were loading. A squeak came from it, making me jump. "Who's in there?"
"Rebecca?" A small frail voice could be heard from the wooden barrel. I examined it and tried to pry off the lid on the barrel. It came off after a few seconds of muffled cursing and much pulling in my part. Out came Vivi and Zidane, both looking the worse for wear.
"Where's the Princess," cried an outraged Steiner who had noticed what I was doing and hadn't even bothered trying to help. Hmph.
"Right here!" Another voice greeted us. Steiner immediately came to her rescue. I sighed.
"Did you guys spend the whole night sleeping in this thing," I said instead, lightly teasing Zidane who glared groggily back at me.
"Yes," he grumbled. "Where were you guys anyway? We didn't see the two of you at the village at all."
"Oh that," I waved his question aside and stuffed my pockets in my hands. I mean my hands in my pockets. Seriously, what has gotten into me?! "We had to make a little side trip to old Morrid's place. He had some excellent coffee. Too bad we couldn't get some."
"You went there for coffee?"
I frowned. "I assure you it was no social call. We just went there because he happened to be an airship mechanic and was in charge of this big lug. The knight wants to go back home to Alexandria. Unless of course...you have a plan in mind?"
"Maybe," Zidane spoke, a smile creeping along his face.
"Then you better—"
A large gust of wind made me topple to the ground and knocked the air out of me. I hate you, ground! Stop being so damned attracted to me. I struggled to my knees and looked up from a curtain of bangs. A tall wizened thing looking like one of Vivi's older brothers stepped towards us, his yellow eyes fixed on the princess.
Oh shit.
"Give me the princess!"
OMAKE: Mackenzie the Mog Treasure Hunter
Part One: Message in the Bottle
Mackenzie wriggled on top of the too-large chocobo and cursed for the umpteenth time his horrible luck. He had been assigned to the Cleaning Corps., the least sought-after job in the whole of Gaia. His sole task was to pick up trash—trash!—left behind by irresponsible travelers who don't know the difference between a recycling bin and a compost heap.
He snorted at the idiocy of other humanoids and pulled his chocobo into a slow canter, his mind still on his misfortunes. Moogles were one of Nature's most dedicated servants; their whole lives circled around the preservation of Gaia's natural riches. This meant they have jobs that focus on the world's cleanliness—thus the name Cleaning Corps.—the safety of the other humanoids who live in it—the Watchers—and perhaps, the most important job of all, which was ensuring the balance of the world. This was the one job Mackenzie coveted the most. The job of a Mog Knight.
Of course, there were others who chose to steer clear from that path, leaving behind the responsibilities left to them by their ancestors to live almost human-like lives. One such example was Stiltzkin, an irritable cousin of his, who decided to become a traveling merchant after days of being scared kupo-less by crazy travelers who did the most...unusual things inside their Tents. Mackenzie rolled his eyes and slid down Boco whom he felt was always eyeing him hungrily. He had always regarded Stiltzkin as a brat—after all, the kupopo Moogle didn't land on the worst possible job ever—and didn't believe that a Watcher's job could be as horrifyingly terrible as his own.
He picked up the empty Potion bottle lying on the ground and was about to put it inside his messenger bag when something caught his eye. A piece of paper, yellow with age, was curled inside the small vial, piquing Mackenzie's curiosity. With diminutive dexterous hands, he pulled the paper out and took a look at its contents. What he saw made his jaw drop in surprise.
It was a map and—not just any map!—it seemed to lead to some kind of treasure. The Moogle felt his heart beating quickly against his chest and gulped rather loudly. Was this a sign from the Fates? Was he destined for something other than cleaning up people's messes? He jumped on top of Boco—something he had often failed to accomplish—and stared at the dwindling sun, his chest puffed out in some kind of heroic pose.
Gizamaluke's Grotto, here I come, kupo!
A/N: Cliffhanger of doom! Wahaha. It's so good to be back.
The song Rebecca made up in her dream is based from the one that goes along the lines of: "No more homework, no more books. No more teachers' dirty looks." Yes, I was feeling insane when I wrote that part.
I like Competent!Steiner better than the original one, so there. Any complaints about how he should be a total ass right now will be ignored.
Any inconsistencies regarding Morrid and the Moogles in general are my fault, seeing as I do not have an in depth knowledge of FF9. The same can be said for the messed up timeline. I really doubt the canon had them spending the rest of the night in a cramp little barrel.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is the first song I learned to play on the recorder. Nuff' said.
To anyone who notices the really really small FF4 reference, I salute thee.
The word-dream is totally confusing and should not be taken seriously. I just wanted to do that after experiencing one myself in which I woke up with my brain murmuring words out of a fantasy book for me. Strange.
Two things about future omakes: one, they'll only keep on appearing if you give me a good amount of reviews (if not, I'll be PM-ing them instead) and two, they won't always be about Mackenzie.
Thanks to Tabby who made me start this and thanks to armless-phelan and his fic This Could Be Trouble for inspiring me to finish it.
Five reviews for an omake, people! (And yes, yours count as two Tabby. Just because.)