A/N: Hello there! Long time no see! I'm sure no one around her goes and checks author profiles... But we're not supposed to update with just random 'info' chapters... Anyway I've been out with some health problems. They're not TOTALLY cleared up, but at least the gauntlet of doctors is behind me. So thank you to everyone who waited around for me, and thank you to NekoChronicles and Silver Ecstasy for keeping in touch, and extra nod to Silver for helping with this chapter. But anyway enough about me... back to the guys!
Chapter Sixty
It took a bit of talking, and a bit of tugging on his coat sleeves, but after her 'pleasant' introduction, Villosie Oides convinced her fiancé that there was no harm in allowing her grandfather's contractors to attended the nights events. After all she had taken the time to invite them. And she was just dying to see what all the fuss was about when it came to the Clavat and the Selkie.
"After all, Royce, even you talk about them at great length. You had to have known I wasn't going to miss getting acquainted with them forever." The lilac haired Lilty kept her right arm linked with her betrothed's left and stroked his sleeve with the palm of her hand.
"I know you are curious, Villie-"
"Villie!" Keiss rolled his eyes as he uncorked the bottle Layle had grabbed for him. He rolled his eyes again, disgusted about every five seconds now. Each time he did so, Layle was certain Regal's death stare at him was intensifying.
"-But we could have done this elsewhere. Not here."
"Oh, Royce, dear!" The woman laughed, touching her hand to the top of her chest and giving a bright smile. "Don't be ridiculous! There is no time like the present!" As she finished her sentence the band struck a lively waltz and Villosie's eyes lit up. "Oh! A dance! A dance is the most perfect way to get to know someone, wouldn't you say so?" She slipped her arm free of Regal's and extended her hand to Keiss. The Selkie opened his mouth ready to curse her out, but due to better sense just raised the bottle to his lips and turned away. Villosie frowned slightly and moved her hand over to Layle.
The Clavat lifted his eyebrow in question but took the offered hand. All of Regal's angry glares were now directed at him. Layle shrugged it off with a smirk as the female Lilty pulled him away and out onto the dance floor. Her fiancé watched them, arms crossed and glaring, from the side lines.
"You do know how to waltz, don't you?"
"Err, Keiss gave me something of a crash course in it, and into the couch, and the table, and the wall-"
"Oh for crying out-" Villosie stopped walking once they reached the dance floor and turned to face him. She took Layle's hand in her own and put his other at her hip. "Just don't step on my feet, these shoes are already killing me."
"I'm not making promises I can't keep," Layle started to turn with her, the two Crystal Bearers slowly dancing to the tune. "So what did you bring us here for, Villie?"
"Isn't it obvious?" She smiled over Layle's shoulder at Regal as he came into view, "I only ever want to talk to you about two things, Crystal Bearer."
"The Military's cure-"
"-And your partner, Keiss." She smirked at him as he frowned.
"So what do you have on the cure tonight? Another medical base that needs to be raided?"
"No, I want to talk to you about Keiss first."
"You know I'm not going to listen to you."
"Well you had better learn to listen to me; otherwise we could all find ourselves at the brink of extinction."
"I highly doubt we'll be extinct, if I just opt not to listen to you here and there. Besides, the only thing I'm not listening to you about is Keiss. I'm all for hearing what you have to say about how to shut down the cure and stop Spinosa but that's it."
Villosie rolled her eyes at Layle's response she turned suddenly pulling him making it obvious that she was gone leading the dance and not the other way around, "Not listening to me about Keiss puts us in just as much jeopardy as letting the cure continue. Your partner is the reason this is gone for as long as it has. And you know for a fact that he is interested in working for the High Commander. I don't see how you don't think that that is a huge risk to our cause. Just what makes him so much more trustworthy?"
Well for starters, when I first met Keiss he wasn't trying to kill me the first few times, that does play a little bit of a factor into my trust in you. Especially on your questioning of my partnership with him over joining you completely."
"Just because he is not trying to kill you, does not mean he's trustworthy. I mean after all has he not betrayed the Selkie Guild? Has he not betrayed his own father? What makes you think that he won't stab you in the back the first opportunity he gets?" Again Villosie turned sharply pulling Layle long. This time the Clavat stepped on the end of her foot, the lilac haired Lilty hissed in response. She pulled away just a bit putting distance between them in allowing herself to recover from having her toes stepped on.
The angry look she shot at Layle made the Clavat chuckle, "I didn't promise did I?" This time Layle took the lead turning them the opposite direction as the music picked up its pace. The two Crystal Bearers turned and turned on the dance floor, occasionally one of them would look over onto the sidelines, to see either regal or Keiss eyeing them with extreme prejudice. Each of them for different reasons.
Regal furious that his fiancée was dancing with Layle, and Keiss enraged that Layle was blatantly ignoring his request once again.
"I think we're better cut this dance short, or Keiss and Regal may kill us where we stand with their stares alone." Layle turned his head back to Villosie. She shrugged him off.
The female Crystal Bearer looked over his shoulder at her fiancée and smiled, she wasn't even a little worried about how angry he was about her dance with the Clavat. In fact she thought was somewhat amusing. "Are you afraid of my fiancé, Layle?"
"I'm not afraid of Regal," Layle snorted "But I do have to go home with Keiss, and I'm not feeling like listening to him complain about this among everything else he's going to complain about tonight."
Villosie tilted her head back and laughed, while they turned in a circle on the dance floor to the upswing of the waltz's beat, "Fine, fine, we will cut this short. If only because I really want to talk to Keiss."
"You want to talk to Keiss?" Layle turned his head and caught a glance of the Selkie as he finished the wine bottle he had been given. He watched as Keiss set it down on the passing tray of a waitress only this pick up the other wine bottle present and start drinking from it. The waitress turned to scold him, and the red head waved her off, nearly smacking her in the face as he did so. Layle turned his attention back to Villosie just as he nearly caused the two of them to careen off into another dancing couple. Luckily, Villosie was surefooted enough to pull them away before they knocked over the other dancing pair. "I don't think he's going to talk to you, Villie."
"Geez, you really are bad at waltzing thing aren't you?" The lilac haired Lilty muttered as they she set themselves back on course. "It doesn't matter if he wants to talk to me or not, what matters is that he's going to talk to me if he wants to get in to the base where the Crystal Bearers are being held."
"You know the base where they're being transferred to?"
"Of course I do!" The woman said as the music came to an end.
"I had to find out where they were being transferred to, after we failed to find Phelia at the previous facility." Villosie pulled her hands back from Layle and spread them across the bottom of her dress to grab the ends and bow her head into a curtsy; Layle folded his right arm in front of himself and bowed his head to her signifying the end of their dance.
"If that's what this was all about, why didn't you just come to us directly? Why set us up to come to the ball?" Villosie lifted her head extended her hand to Layle. The Clavat reached forward and took it, she then clasped her other hand on top and he felt something pressed against his palm. Layle tilted his head with a questioning expression as the lilac haired Lilty's eyes lit up.
"Because if I came to you directly there was no way Keiss would let me give you this," she pulled her hand back and Layle felt something hard in his palm. He looked down to see a black cylinder and the Palm of his hand with a few buttons on it in a tiny mic at the end. He quickly tucked it into his tuxedo pocket and stared at her.
"If you won't talk to me about Keiss and the possibility that he could betray you, then maybe you will listen to Keiss when he talks about the possibility that he could betray you."
Layle scratched the side of his cheek next to the crystal and shook his head at her, "Just what in the world are you talking about?"
"Just listen, and you will see."
The Clavat had more questions for her, but he did not get to answer them. Before the question could come out of his mouth Regal came forward and put a hand on Layle's shoulder; he pulled the Clavat back and pushed him away.
"If you are done dancing with my fiancée, then I would like for you to leave." The brown haired Lilty glared at him as he shoved him back and wrapped one arm around his fiancée's waist. Villie just chuckled and leaned on his shoulder.
"Oh, Royce dear, you need not be so hasty with dismissing our friends. After all my grandfather hasn't even shown up yet. And I do want him to get the opportunity to speak to these two. But I haven't had a dance yet with the Selkie."
Regal shook his head and rubbed the side of his for head. "Villie, Villie please you can't be serious in saying you want to dance with that sea salt soaked dog."
"Oh but I am, Royce! Come now, I'm sure he's a perfect gentleman!"
"Villie," Regal turned away from Layle, forcing his fiancée to turn with him, "Let's talk about this, before you dance with him."
Layle watched as the two Lilties walked away from him, Regal carefully pulling and prodding his fiancée further and further from the Clavat.
Layle himself slowly backed up from the two making his way across the dance floor as the next dance started.
He turned and joined Keiss on the sidelines, crossed his arms and glanced at the Selkie as he finished off his second bottle of wine.
"So, how many of those can you drink, before you start to go tipsy?"
Keiss lowered the bottle from his lips, and stared at Layle. He glared at Layle with a blank cold gaze. "I can drink as many of these as I want." He raised the bottle back to his lips and took another drink, before lowering it to speak again. "How come you're not surprised?"
"Not surprised?" Layle rubbed the back of his neck. "Not surprised about what?"
Keiss motioned out to the other side the dance floor were Regal and Villosie were whispering to each other in hushed tones, occasionally glancing their way. "How can you not be surprised about her?"
"Oh…" Layle shifted on his feet and then glanced at his partner of the corner of his eye. "I don't know. It, just did not seem all that overwhelming to me."
"Oh really?" Keiss tilted his head as he spoke; his indifference slowly turning to anger. "It's funny you should say that, considering that the name Regal keeps calling her, is the same name that you said on the airship right before you jumped off on our trip to Kilanda."
"You remember that?" Layle half shrugged. Keiss always was too observant for his own good. "So, you, heard me say that name?" Layle did his best to smile in the face of Keiss's obviously building anger. "How about that?"
Keiss raised the bottle at Layle pointing the neck of it at his partner's nose, "How long?"
"How long? How long, what?"
"How long have you known!" Keiss shouted at him causing the few Lilties that were standing around them to turn their heads. Layle raised his hand slowly and took hold of Keiss' wrist to lower the bottle. The Clavat raised his other hand and placed it on his friend's shoulder to keep him calm. He tried to dissuade the Selkie's anger, reminding him that he had to keep up appearances in the face of so many Lilty officers. However, trying to keep him calm only made Keiss more upset.
"Don't change the subject! Don't try to keep me calm! I asked you a question, now answer it!"
Layle looked around at the Lilties staring at them and took the bottle from Keiss. "Come on, Keiss, let's go outside and talk about this." He tightened his grip on the Selkie's wrist and pulled him towards the large glass wall and the doors leading out into the garden. Once outside he continued to drag his partner away from the crowd of Lilties, and anyone that might be eavesdropping on their conversation. He did not stop walking until he reached the far wall of the garden, where very few guests were gathered. Even now here he could still hear the waltz music clearly as the band struck up another song for the patrons to dance to. Layle tossed the bottle in the grass just to keep it out of Keiss is hands. Not because he thought the Selkie was drunk, but because he didn't want him to throw it at him later.
"Okay, now we can talk about this."
Keiss crossed his arms and continued to glare at the Crystal Bearer. He didn't give him any verbal commands to start talking, he just leaned forward and raised his eyebrows expecting him to explain himself. For the Crystal Bearer's sake he hoped the explanation was good. Otherwise this was going to end up with him stabbing Layle with one of the knives he had hidden inside his tuxedo coat. A precaution he had brought along to help them escape from what he expected to be an obvious trap to capture them. Not the obvious trap to get him riled up and angry over the presence of the time controlling Lilty.
Layle stood with his left hand on his hip and his right hand rubbing the side of his neck trying to think of what he was going to say.
"Well, uh, found out you know, in Marr's Pass." As he spoke he half turned his head and looked beyond his partner at the shrubbery growing up from the ground behind him. He didn't look Keiss in the eyes as he spoke. Maybe because he was worried that the anger from his gaze would be too intense, or that if he looked him directly he'd turn him to stone like a Cockatrice. Either one of those could be a likely option at this point. "So yeah, I have known for a while. But I didn't know her name back then… Actually I didn't learn her name until a month or so later? I can't really remember."
"You learned... in Marr's Pass, who she was. And you did not bother to tell me?" Keiss uncrossed his arms and rubbed the underside his chin watching Layle. The Clavat turned his gaze back to him and nodded. And gave his usual halfhearted shrug. The Clavat's complete and total disinterest in his anger only made him feel more frustrated over the whole situation. This entire time he had been lying to him. Since he had run away and come back, he had been lying to him about their enemy. What else was he lying him about? And why in the world would he lie to him? "Just what in the world would possess you to keep this from me? Why would you think it's not important to tell me that you knew -why would you think it was important not to tell me we were fighting against the granddaughter of our fucking employer?!"
Layle stopped rubbing the side of his neck and tucked his hands into his pockets before answering the Selkie, "I promised I wouldn't say anything about who she was."
"A promise! A promise is more important than keeping your partner informed?! And just who in the world did you make this promise to that is so much more important than keeping me in the loop?!"
"Phedra and Phelia."
Keiss took a deep breath at the names Layle said. He still had not learned the whole story on this Phedra, and or Phelia, he kept hearing about in passing. He knew the two were important to his partner... He knew it had something to do with the base the Layle helped burn to the ground a week ago. Part of him wanted to say that he understood, but the rest of him was still angry. Two random Crystal Bearers that his partner had met, and hardly known for a fraction of the time that he had known him, warranted more priority than he did.
Had he not been helping Layle this whole time? Had he not been taking care of him? He had thought when the Clavat came back that their relationship was improving. Things were looking up, he was certain of it. And yet in one night, in one stupid night during one stupid dance all of that hope quickly unraveled. Layle really did not trust him.
And now he really could not trust Layle.
What else could he be hiding from him? All because of two other Crystal Bearers. Was it always going to be like this in the end? That just because someone else had a Crystal and he didn't, he was going to prioritize them first over their partnership? Clockwork had nearly killed him dozens of times. Interfered with their plans hundreds of times, but because another Crystal Bearer asked Layle not to say anything he kept her identity secret?
Keiss took a deep breath and sighed. His anger smoldering inside him as he stared down the Clavat. Overall what bothered him the most about all of it, was Layle's nonchalant expression. The Clavat stood just across him staring at him not reacting in any way to his obvious discontent over the matter. Maybe he didn't care at all? Maybe in the end it really was impossible for Layle to really care or trust anything about Keiss because he wasn't a Crystal Bearer. Because he was a Selkie. Because the extent of their partnership did not extend beyond a simple piece of paper saying that they would work together to resolve this issue. When the cure was put to rest and Spinosa was exposed he'd probably leave.
Who's to say he wouldn't? Any day he could wake up and Layle could quit again and taken off to Crystal knows where. Was it even worth it to try and keep him around after this was done if they weren't able to trust each other?
"This is what I get for investing my time in a stupid Crystal Bearer…"
"What is that supposed to mean?" The Clavat looked at him surprised that was the first thing he said. Layle really had no idea what it meant. He watched as Keiss reached up and run his hands through his hair sighing and taking another deep breath. He turned his head away from Layle and looked as if he was about to walk off when he suddenly stopped moving. Instead his gaze focused on something in the distance. Layle turned his head and found his partner's line of sight to once again find it fixing on Clockwork as she made her way over to the two of them. She walked through the garden, a smile on her face, or perhaps a smirk.
"Here you are, Keiss. I have been looking everywhere for you." Villie extended her hand to him, still smiling. "Are you ready for our dance now? Or do you want me to give you a little bit more time alone with Layle?"
Keiss scowled at her, "I not dancing with you. Nor am I spending any more time alone with Layle." He glanced at the Crystal Bearer, gaze full of disdain and vitriol dripping from his words. "As far as I am concerned, you two can have each other."
"Keiss!" Layle reached forward for the Selkie as he started to walk away.
Villosie stepped to the side shaking her head, "Come now, Keiss, don't go running away. After all, my uncle hasn't even arrived yet. And I would like for all of us to speak to him together and of the incident at Rebena Te Ra."
Keiss stopped walking and turned back to look at her shaking his head. "You expect me to believe that the doctor is coming here?"
"He is." The lilac haired Lilty crossed her arms and nodded affirming her words. "This is the Officers' Ball after all, he attends every year. He will be here. I admit he is running a bit late, but considering everything that's been going on I'm not surprised. It's very taxing on him what Spinosa has been ordering his men to do behind his back. He did not know the full extent of what is going on with the cure, but he knows that it is no longer being used for what he intended. The three of us need to talk to him, together, if you want to make any sort of difference in what's going on."
"And why would I care about making any sort of difference!" Keiss waved his hand back and forth between the two of them, "This is a matter for Crystal Bearers, isn't it?! That's why you two keep each other's secrets, huh!? That's why Layle keeps letting you get away right? It's all one big secret between the two of you whatever this overall plot is!"
"Keiss! What are you saying? There's no secret that I'm hiding from you with Clockwork!" Layle walked forward but the Selkie just scoffed; he did not believe him.
Villie crossed her arms watching the two boys argue, "You two sure do like to rock the boat a lot don't you? And not in any good ways." Layle turned and glared at her mouthing a 'not now' as he walked past her to try and get a hold Keiss. "Fine, Selkie, you don't want me there when you speak to my grandfather? Then why don't you two try to head him off and speak to him before he gets to the ball?"
Keiss was in the middle of shoving Layle back when he turned to respond to the Lilty. "Oh? You're just going to walk away? There is not some overall plan to try to get us arrested here at the ball? Or maybe you plan to get us arrested as we leave!"
"You can either go speak to him without me. Or you can wait till he comes here. You could not speak to him at all, for all I care." She pointed at Keiss, "I really only feel he should hear from you two because you work for him. He always feels I am over exaggerating the danger, the severity of the Military's choices. But he hired you and trusts you, and I know that if the truth comes from you then he will completely remove himself from the situation and any danger. Don't do it for all I care. I will still stop him; he has already been removed from the project; so he is at least out of some of the danger. But he is still trying to find out answers about what is going on with the chemicals in the cure he created."
"Danger?" Layle questioned her.
"Yes, danger." The woman crossed her arms and frowned. "He's not a Crystal Bearer. All his poking around into the truth could get him killed. It was one thing when he was on the projected, and just out of the loop… But now that he's removed, Royce's men have the right to be violent towards him if he's caught snooping about. I've already asked him once to let me handle it-"
"-So he knew you were sabotaging things." Keiss hissed, growing more agitated as the story continued.
Villosie ignored him and continued, "-But I still see he is looking for answers. I suppose he plans to take the evidence to High Commander Jegran… But I would rather he not. He won't listen to me. He will listen to you, Keiss. He thinks highly of you."
The red head snorted, muttering under his breath, "Yeah it seems only non-Bearers do." Layle watched his partner cross his arms and scowl.
"Fine. I will go see your grandfather," He looked over his shoulder at his partner. "Layle you stay here."
"What? Why!?" The Clavat watched as the Selkie moved off, heading back to the house.
"Because I don't want you to come! That's why!" Keiss shouted at him without turning around.
"Hmn, more trouble in paradise between you two?" The lilac haired Lilty raised an eyebrow at Layle and smirked. The blond Crystal Bearer shook his head at her and waved her off with a 'not now' as he stormed off after the Selkie. Villosie reached up to her left hand and twisted her engagement ring in thought.
Layle followed Keiss back into the party, just as the music was dying down for an announcement. The Crystal Bearer reached out for his partner as the red head practically shoved his way through the crowd of Lilties. Keiss was making a beeline for the exit, and showing no signs of stopping despite his partner calling out to him and telling him to stop.
"Keiss! Keiss, for crying out loud stop!" Layle finally caught up to the Selkie and grabbed his shoulder; he yanked him around and Keiss swung out his hand attempting to hit him.
"Back off!" He stumbled back as Layle blocked his hand with a small gravity field but he did not drop the angry look on his face. "Why don't you just stay here with Clockwork you two can work out what you're going to do next without me. Isn't that what you want?"
"No, that's not what I want. You are my partner were supposed to be doing this together."
"Yeah together! That's the key word isn't it and yet we don't do anything together! Instead I spend all of my time running around after you digging up all of your secrets and cleaning up all of your messages. Some partnership this has been. I should have left you back in that stupid bar down on down in the slummy side of town."
Layle stopped talking, he felt like the wind had been knocked out of his lungs. True that Keiss had not in any way struck him, but it certainly felt like he'd been hit. He didn't say anything he didn't move a muscle, he just stared at his partner in disbelief.
The Selkie stood still too, staring at him. They were just a few feet away from the front entrance of the ball room, and the exit of the estate. While they stood there, staring each other down, Lieutenant Spinosa's voice filled the air. The Lilty had arrived some time while they were out in the garden, and now he stood up on the podium in front of the bandstand making an announcement for High Commander Jegran's arrival.
Everyone in the ballroom stopped dancing and talking and turned their attention to the door and on the opposite side of the room.
In the back his mind, Keiss thought about staying to talk to the High Commander. It would certainly clean up this mess quickly, if nothing else. But the forefront of his thoughts were occupied with his anger at Layle, and the situation in hand. He scoffed and turned his back to the Crystal Bearer and made his way out the door. Layle continued to stand there watching the doorway as if expecting Keiss to turn back around and return. Maybe to come back and talk to him, or maybe for the chance to see the High Commander?
However he never came back. A few moments more, and the crowd around Layle started to applaud; more than likely for a high ranking official arriving on the opposite side of the room. He was probably going to give some speech, at excessive length, the kind Keiss would stand there and pretend to enjoy if only to seem acceptable to the ranking officers. Without looking back, he shook his head and opened the door to follow Keiss out into the night.
The Clavat followed behind the Selkie, off of the estate grounds, out to the sidewalk, and down the darkened streets of Alfitaria. He wasn't even sure if he knew where Keiss was going, he wasn't sure if Keiss knew where Keiss was going. But he followed him nonetheless. He was not going to let his partner get away from him and on such a sour note; it's not that he wanted to keep secrets from Keiss. It's just that he ended up doing so, he meant no harm by it, certainly he didn't mean to drive him away.
That was the last thing he wanted to do.
After all Keiss was important him. After all they had been through and all they had done, surely he could make the Selkie understand? Layle wasn't quite certain himself. But the Selkie was his friend, maybe more, they had both gone through hell and back, and this taxing emotional roller coaster was not going to end with Keiss storming off into the night and dumping him on Clockwork.
He wondered if this is how Keiss felt when he stormed off and disappeared for a month?
Layle finally caught up with the red head at the terminal station. The Selkie had stopped moving forward if only because he had to wait for the next tram. He stood at the edge of the gate arms crossed eyes focused forward completely ignoring the Clavat as he walked up to stand beside him.
Layle silently came up on his right, tucked his hands in his pockets and let out a sigh. Keiss responded by doing no more than crossing his arms and keeping his gaze fixed ahead. The trams were already running on their late schedule, who knew when the next one would be by. They may have just missed it; it could've been a whole thirty minutes before the next one arrived. Or it could be five. Either way he had a lot of time to stand there and think about what he was going to say to the Selkie.
"So for how long are you going to ignore me?"
"I guess for as long as it takes."
"For as long as it takes? For as long as it takes for what?" Layle turned his head to look at him. Keiss continued to stare straight ahead.
"I don't know. For as long as it takes for me to stop being mad? For as long as it takes for you to stop telling me lies?"
Layle clenched his jaw and took a step closer Keiss, "Is it about telling lies, because, what about the ones that you told? You lied to me all the time."
Keiss turned his head swiftly and raised his hand, pointing a finger at the Clavat, "The only thing I lied to you about was me!" He started shouting. "I'd never lied tp you about our job! I didn't lie to you about a murderer! I did not lie you about things that were immediately important to you! My life, my past, my history have nothing to do with our job! You on the other hand deliberately don't tell me about something just because another Crystal Bearer tells you not to," Keiss extended his hand and flicked the crystal on the side of Layle's face. The Clavat flinched at the action and took a step back. "Every single time! Every single time there is another Crystal Bearer you flake out on me. If this is going to be the way you are- you may as well quit again and just finish this job without me and I'll finish it without you. Because I'm never going get a Crystal! It's impossible and even if I have one I would want it-"
"So what? You're saying if you could have a Crystal you'd rather be lined up and forced to have it removed! You'd rather be stripped of who you are, forced into being experimented on!"
"No that's not what I'm saying." Keiss shook his head "What I'm saying, I wouldn't prioritize others with Crystals over the people that are actually my friends! You know people who actually look out for me are more important than someone else with a stupid piece of rock in their body!"
"I'm not prioritizing anyone over you…"
"Yes, you are!" The Selkie screamed, his voice echoing throughout the empty terminal. "You do it all the time for Crystal's sake! You do it so much you don't even notice!" Keiss raised his hands as he shouted. He kept them up in the air as he turned in place, "It's downright unbelievable how much you just cannot do things because another Crystal Bearer gets in the way. And this is not the only one. This is just Clockwork were talking about. I can't imagine what will be like the next one, or the third, or the fourth! All because they have a goddamn Crystal they get a free pass from you!"
Layle pointed at the Selkie started shouting himself, "Don't act so high and mighty! If it was Selkies we were talking about you wouldn't bat an eyelash! Everyone looks out for their own, everyone looks out for people like them! The Military is pushing us to extinction! Of course I'm winging to give a little leeway! Especially when it's our fault this whole thing is happening!"
"It is not our fault this happening!" Keiss turned around. "We didn't invent this stupid cure!"
"No but we helped to get off the ground! We helped start it when she was always trying to stop it. Because of what we did I've seen people be dragged off by the military! I made a promise to a girl I would find her sister and I can't! You and I got that girl dragged off! I wouldn't even be back here to have this stupid argument with you if not for Phedra and Phelia, so pardon me if I keep a secret or two of theirs! Pardon me if I feel I owe somebody else other than you!" The Clavat crossed his arms and turned away from Keiss. "You're right, Keiss, you do not always come first in my book. But that doesn't mean that you come last. If you don't think you can trust me, over this one stupid thing, maybe I shouldn't trust you anymore either." Layle reached up and touched the recorder in his pocket as he spoke. He was half tempted to leave right now and listen to it.
The red head glared at Layle's back. His anger from the night's events smoldering even more with the conversation's end. He didn't know what next to say, maybe he didn't care to say anything at all. Instead he turned to his side and looked down the station as the tram entered into view. Neither of the two mercenaries said anything as the trolley arrived and its doors opened. Keiss walked in first, and then Layle. Each of them taking seats on opposite sides. There are only a few people on board, late-night workers and drunkards. The tram started to move and neither of them said anything still, just staring across the way each other. Disinterest in Layle's eyes, and anger in Keiss'.
The boys rode the trolley for nearly twenty minutes, until almost all the other patrons exited. When Keiss finally stood to exit the ferry, Layle honestly had no idea of where they had gone to. He followed the Selkie off looking around at the surrounding area. The station they got off at was still located in the uptown districts, but across the city from the last house they were at.
Was this where the doctor lived?
The streets were home to tall buildings filled with posh apartments, and luxury penthouse estates. The only residents were Lilties no doubt. Layle followed silently behind Keiss looking around the lamp lit streets. He supposed it made sense for the doctor to live in such a rich neighborhood; after all he did have a nice estate back in Marr's Pass. Honestly Layle had had no idea Keiss knew where Dr. Odies lived. But then again Keiss was good at picking up information on his employers. That is how he seemed to managed to steal all his jobs; Crystal forbid you call him out on his theft of information.
It was another ten minutes of silent walking, before the boys arrived at an apartment complex. Keiss stood with his hands in his pockets looking up at the building before them. Layle stood next to him one hand in his pocket your dangling at his side. He wasn't observing the building but rather the red head next to him.
"It is the place?"
"Yeah, this is where the doctor lives. I believe up on the twelfth floor." Keiss kept his gaze focused upward.
"And just when exactly, did you learn where the doctor lived in Alfitaria?"
"It was a bit of the information I picked up while you had disappeared for that month. I looked up a lot of different things trying to find leads on where you would go. I also looked at the old man's estate in Marr's Pass, but I was way too late by the time you had gone there," Keiss lowered his gaze moved ahead the front door. He started to walk forward and Layle followed. The red head tested the door, pushing to it see if it opened. "It's locked..."
Layle looked to his left and jerked his thumb toward the keypad on the wall, "You can try typing in a password or at least to call up to the residence."
Keiss looked over the keypad and a listing of names beside it; he dragged his finger over the registry until he found the doctor's listing and punched in his apartment number. There was a buzzing sound and he called in the intercom but no one responded. He frowned and buzzed him again, one more time to see if they had missed catching the doctor before he arrived at the ball. He really did not feel like going back across town to talk to the man. Layle shook his head and turned around.
"Seems like we shit out of luck," the Clavat shrugged his shoulders. Thinking about the long trip back to the ball made his stomach feel unsettled. But what could they do? He was ready to leave as Keiss tried one more time.
This time there was a noise on the other in the intercom; not a response, or even a word. Just a loud clatter. Almost like a crash. Layle turned around and looked to Keiss with a puzzled expression the Selkie glanced at him and back to the intercom. The fourth time Keiss hit the buzzer there was nothing but static, so he let go, backed up and motioned for Layle.
"Think you can bust the doors open?"
The Clavat walked forward a smirk on his face and gently nudge the Selkie to the side. "Just leave it to me."
Layle put his hand on the door and focused his energy on the handle, he pulled back once and then shoved forward hard; his magic blasting forward from his hands. A gravity field forced the doors to swing open, banging hard against their frames and the boys rushed in. In the front hall of the apartment building a Lilty soldier shouted at them to stop, but they ignored him and ran on. As the man gave chase Layle turned around and used his magic to grab his feet and flipped him over; he spun the Lilty around the ground leaving him in a dizzy state as he followed up the stairwell after Keiss.
The Selkie and the Clavat ran up the stairs without thinking twice about the guard they left behind, only focusing on getting up to the twelfth floor and finding the doctor's his apartment. As they stepped off on the twelfth floor Keiss ran forward, and Layle shouted at him.
"What apartment is his? What number does the old man live in?"
"He lives in number twelve zero fourteen," Keiss shouted over his shoulder. "You look on the left I look on the right!" Keiss and Layle raced down the hallway scanning the numbers as quickly as possible until they finally reached apartment twelve zero fourteen. When they arrived there was no way they could've missed it. The door was already off its hinges, the lock looked like it'd been heated and partially melted. Branching out from it there were scorch marks as if a fire had been set. Keiss stared the door for a minute and looked inside the dark apartment. Looking over his shoulder at Layle who rolled up his sleeves nodding. Keiss shoved open the door the rest of the way and ran inside.
"Dr. Oides!" He shouted into the dark apartment and ran forward. Layle following behind him doing the same. He noted that at the front the door the intercom to respond to calls had been destroyed. Where it was supposed to be was a burnt hole with wires and crumbling speaker sparking and buzzing endlessly. The two peaked their heads into doors and off shooting hallways. It surprise Layle how large the apartment was. It was practically one-story house. As they moved into the middle of the suite Keiss stopped and raised those the air, "You smell smoke?" The Selkie turned around sniffing the air.
Layle did the same taking a deep breath and nodding, "yeah I kind of do. …But where is it coming from?"
The two stood in the middle of the suite trying to determine where the smell of smoke was coming from. Nothing that they could see appeared to be on fire.
Then they heard another noise. Another crash.
Keiss pointed toward a door leading into the back rooms of the apartment, "That way! I heard something that way!" The red head ran forward and his partner followed on his heels. The two mercenaries pushed open doors, still calling the doctor's name until they reached the main bedroom.
And the source of the smokey smell.
The entire bedroom was scorched. The walls, the furniture, the bed sheets. All of it was smoldering and still crackling with dying embers. Black burn marks covered this area of the apartment. The bed room was smashed outward. Broken glass still hung in the frame, and the night air drifted in, blowing the burning smell back into the rest of the apartment. Keiss and Layle stood in the doorway stunned for a moment, before the Selkie caught sight of the doctor's face down on the floor.
"Dr. Oides!" Keiss rushed forward to the old man's side. He was wearing a tuxedo, apparently he had planned to attend the ball, but never made it. The back of his coat was burned where a fireball had impacted him. It had burnt away his clothing and his skin.
Absently, Layle wondered if what they were smelling in the air was the burnt dry wall or burnt flesh?
"Doctor!" Keiss carefully turned the old man over and gently shook his shoulders. "Doctor! Are you still with us?!" The red head reached up and touched the man's neck checking for a pulse. He then used his thumb to pull up his eye lid. As the Selkie disturbed him, the doctor started to cough and groan. "Oh thank the Crystal!" He looked up at the Clavat, now standing over them. "Layle! Go back down stairs! Get the guards! Get help! Get-"
"-N-no!" Keiss was cut off by the doctor managing to cough out a response. The old man's hand clutched at his right side as he tried to raise his arm. His hand opening and closing again and again as if reaching for something. "D-don't leave… Don't- I still- I still have it-"
"Doctor?" Keiss shook his head. "Doctor, please, you need to conserve your strength."
"No- no-" Keiss' words weren't reaching the old man. He continued to babble, looking up at them. His eyes drifted back and forth from Keiss to Layle, "-I still- have it- To- to my grand-daughter…"
Layle bent down next to the man as he became less coherent. "To your granddaughter? To Villie? What do you have for her?"
The boys leaned in listening to the doctor as he coughed again. This time wheezing out his words. His eyes stopped moving back and forth and fixed up at the ceiling.
"-Daughter…I still have… to cure… I have it- I still…. Have…"
Keiss and Layle pulled back slowly as the old man stopped muttering. They looked down into his face. His eyes fixed up on the ceiling and mouth slightly agape. The red head put his hand back on his neck to check for a pulse.
"…Doctor…" The red head reached up and closed his eyes. "…"
Layle leaned back on his heels and frowned. He watched his partner slowly lower the old man back to the ground. As he let go of him, his tuxedo fell to the sides and there was a soft clink on the floor. The two mercenaries exchanged a look before Keiss began rummaging around in his pockets. On the right hand side next to the deceased doctor's hand he found two vials. The red head held them up and turned them over in the air.
They were filled with a silver fluid, that glittered and gleamed even in the dark room. However they weren't labeled.
"…It looks like the Crystal Stasis solution… But… it's the wrong color?"
Layle reached out and took a vial, "Do you think this is the 'it' for Villosie?"
"If it is we're not giving it to her."
"Are you kidding me- Keiss! Her grandfather just died!"
"Correction! He was just murdered! And we have no idea what this stuff is or does! We are not handing it over without knowing what it is- or at least I'm not!" The red head held out his hand for the other vial. "We're going to take it to Cid."
Layle snorted at him, he was ready to put the vial in his pocket when the two heard another noise. The sound of the door being kicked in again, followed by shouting. Keiss got to his feet and ran to the door. He leaned out and listened. On the other end of the apartment he could hear Alfitarian soldiers announcing themselves and calling for the Doctor.
"Shit…" he backed up and closed the door. "Shit. Shit. SHIT!"
Layle got to his feet, "Why are you cursing! We need them!"
"Idiot!" Keiss pointed at the body. "We broke in! Remember!? We broke in and now were fucking standing over a dead body!"
"…Oh yeah…" He glanced around. "I suppose this does look pretty bad…"
Keiss ground his teeth, "Even still, for a break in… For them to come right to us-" The red head never got to finish his thought. The two heard the soldiers going through the rooms up the hall from them. Layle reached out with his powers and dragged a desk in front of the door. Keiss stepped over the doctor and made his way over to the broken window to look outside.
"We're so high up…"
At the bedroom door, a soldier tried to open the door. When he was met with resistance he started shouting for help. Layle came to stand beside Keiss and leaned outside as well.
"Yeah, but it's our only option…" The Clavat looked back as the desk started to move. He saw a guard stick his hand through and he used his magic to shove the door shut again. The soldier shouted at having his hand caught in the door. On the other side he could hear them calling to others, agreeing someone was inside and to break the door down. "Come on," Layle leaned half out the window and extended his hand to Keiss, the vial in his palm.
"Are you nuts! We'll end up dead!"
"You have to trust me, Keiss!"
The door banged open again, this time the desk moved enough for a guard to get his head through.
"There's someone in here! A Selkie and a Crystal Bearer!"
"Damn it!" Keiss took Layle's hand and shoved the vial into his pocket. The Clavat pushed off the windowsill just as the guards were forcing the door open.
The red head let out a scream as they fell, tumbling towards the ground below. His partner reached out with his magic and grabbed into the adjacent building and used his powers to yank them towards it.
Layle swung out his feet to brace their fall, Keiss clutched onto his arm tighter.
"Hang on!" As soon as he collided with the building, he pushed off of it, letting his powers drop them. Keiss shouted again, and across the way the Lilty soldiers opened fire trying to shoot the duo as they fell.
A second time Layle reached out and extended his arm, grabbing the walls of the building and slowing their fall. This time when they stopped he swung his arm and shouted for Keiss to let go.
"Are you mad!?"
"Just trust me!" The red head bit his lip but let go when Layle swung out his arm. The Clavat encased his partner in a gravity field and jumped off the building, avoiding another barrage of bullets.
Keiss screamed as they fell, but Layle focused his attention ahead of him.
Just passing below another tram was going by, taking a path between the apartment buildings. Layle used his free hand to reach out and grab onto the roof. He yanked his wrist and pulled himself toward it with Keiss in tow. The two mercenaries landed on the roof as it sped past the shooting soldiers.
Layle used his magic to grab onto the top of it and Keiss grabbed into the Clavat's coat to steady himself. The two looked back at the apartment complex as they were carried away.
Keiss reached into his pocket and pulled out the two vails.
"…Convenient, she sent us to go see him…"
"She wouldn't kill her own grandfather, Keiss… That was fire that did that to him."
The Selkie frowned. "She might not have murdered him, but those guards were there too soon… And now without the doctor, that leaves us very few resources for answers, other than Clockwork herself."
"Are you saying you're going to trust her?
"No…" The Selkie looked at him out the corner of his eye. "But I will trust you, to get the information we need from her."