Elza was now wandering down one of the back allies of Muse. She was silently wondering to herself if she really wanted to do this. 'I mean,' she thought, 'I do want to know the price of the box and maybe get it open, but is it really worth seeing THIS person for it? I hope so.' She, the person Elza was thinking of, wasn't really one of the people Elza liked seeing the most often. Not that she was a mean person, far from it. This person was nice, very nice … maybe a little too nice.

She turned down an almost invisible ally and started reaching for the doorknob. She paused for a moment to make sure she wanted to do this. Taking a deep breath, she reassured herself, and quietly opened the door. She didn't fully step in, though. She stopped about half way through the door, and saw no one in the small, dimly lit shop. Relieved, she started to exit, whispering to herself, "Huh, nobody's home, I guess I can try again late- -"

"Elza!!" came a shout from behind her. She slowly turned around, full of dread, to find a giant older woman. She was standing behind the counter of the now bright room, for this woman had lit a lantern. The woman had the biggest grin on her face that you could imagine.

"Drat," Elza mumbled with a frown. She quickly replaced it with a fake smile and said, "Hi, Aunt Bertha. How have you be-OOOOF!" Bertha had quickly scouted around the front counter and was giving Elza a giant hug. Elza managed to wheeze out, "Nice to see you too. Uh, you can put me down now."

Bertha quickly dropped her and replied, "Sorry, Elza, darling, but it has been years since you last visited. I couldn't contain my joy. What ever happened to you? You haven't written or anything. I've been worried about since you mother died…"

"It's okay, really," Elza cut her off. "As for what ever happened to me, let's just say that I have been busy." Elza was thinking about her 'jobs,' especially about her recent one having to do with the Sindarin box.

"Oh, Elza," Bertha replied with a moan, "Not that stealing thing again is it? Honestly, what did your parents teach you? Didn't they teach you proper manners?"

"Yes, ma'am," She answered, beginning the same old conversation she had with her Aunt every time Elza saw her.

"Did that include stealing?"

"No, ma'am."

"Then why do you do it?"

"You know what it was like growing up for me, ma'am"

"I guess I do. Hmmm … your parents could have avoided this if they had made you marry some rich, young gentleman. Which reminds me, have you settled down yet?"

"Of course not, ma'am," Elza said as she rolled her eyes.

"Do you plan on doing so anytime?"

"No, ma'am."

Bertha snorted at this and began to grumble to herself. With that done with, Elza decided to try to get away while her aunt was distracted. But before she could even touch the door, the older woman was talking to her again. "Not so fast, Elza. I don't think you stopped by here just to say 'hi.' Come on, out with it, what do you want?"

"Oh, yeah," Elza said remembering the box. Thinking the sooner she showed it to her aunt, the sooner she could leave, she pulled the chest out.

She handed it over to Bertha, saying, "I stol …er, ah, 'found' this chest in my travels and wanted to know its worth. I instantly thought of you, Aunt Bertha. Do you know?"

The woman stared at Elza, not looking convinced her niece had 'found' the box, but just put the thought aside. Bertha took the box carefully from Elza hands and studied it. "Hmmmm…this…" she began.

"Yes?" Elza said with anticipation.

Bertha began again, still examining the box. "This … this is …" she stopped again.

"Yes? Yes??" Elza said, excitement growing in her now.

Finally, Bertha broke a smile. "Ah-hah! This is Sindarin!" She exclaimed. Elza practically fell over, disappointed. "I knew that already, auntie-dearest," she said, getting a little agitated. "I wanted to know the WORTH of the chest."

"Ooohhh," Bertha said, understanding now. "I see. The price of the box is what you wish to know. Sorry, Elza, I have no clue. I can only tell the price of minor artifacts, like hex dolls. But for something like Sindarin, can't help you there."

'Great,' Elza thought to her self, 'All this way to visit someone I am not exactly dying to see, and I am practically back where I started. Now what am I going to do?" She held out her hand and mumbled a couple of barely audible sentences, "Give the box back. Just give it back, and I will be on my way."

Noting the disappointment of her niece, Bertha tried to think of a person who could help Elza. Then she snapped her fingers. "I know, why don't you go see the appraiser Lebrante in the town of Radat. He is a very famous appraiser, claims he can appraise anything and tell what it is worth if his customer wishes to know. He may even be able to help you open it. I am sure he will be able to help you with this box."

Elza wasn't to enthusiastic about traveling all the way down to Radat. She hated riding ships and the only other way was a very long walk around to the other side of the lake. But she didn't want to lose her chance of finding out about the chest, so she really didn't have any other choice. At least not that she knew of. After one more long lecture from her aunt about never wanting to hear about Elza stealing again, she took the chest and left the shop ('Finally,' she thought).

As she got out of the ally way and started for the exit of Muse, she wondered how she was going to manage the trip to Radat. And, more importantly, how was she going to pay Lebrante to appraise the chest. Elza didn't exactly have any money. She was not far from the entrance when she noticed that the familiar man in the black cape had finally arrived in Muse.

She stepped back into the shadows of the ally, watching and listening to Clive.

Clive was panting when he came in. Apparently he had been running. He stopped the first person he saw, which happened to be a middle aged man, who was already graying. As Clive told his story about herds of squirrels chasing after him, including a giant one twice his size, the man stared quietly and listened. As the black caped man went on and on, the graying man thought, 'Oh no, not another one thinking their being attacked by giant squirrels!'

When the Clive finally finished his story, a moment of silence followed. Finally, the older man mumbled, "It's an epidemic." He was about to walk away as the other man looked back in the sky (just realizing there was nothing there) when Clive turned back around and grabbed his arm.

"I am sorry sir," Clive apologized, "I don't know what came over me. Probably just a figment of my imagination. Forget I even mentioned it. Anyway, I have a question to ask you. Have you seen an tall, blond woman in a white cape enter here?"

"Well, yes, actually," the middle aged man replied, "She was ranting about imaginary squirrels just like you…"

"They weren't imaginary!" Shouted Clive, but stopped himself from getting angry at the man. "Forgive me again. Now, about this woman, did you see where she went?"

Nervously, the man pointed towards the an ally, almost right where Elza was standing. She ducked really quickly, hoping Clive hadn't seen her when the man had pointed in her direction. Clive did notice a flash of white as he turned his head to where the man was pointing. He grinned and said, "Yes, I see. Thank you, good day to you." With that, Clive quickly ran to down the street, hoping he could catch what he was most certain was Elza.

When she saw Clive running to the ally she was standing in, she quickly thought up a way to slow him down. She quickly ran in her aunt's shop again. A few minutes later, after talking to Bertha, she took the back exit out of the ally way and started to take the long way back to the entrance of Muse.

Meanwhile, Clive was just reaching the ally he had seen Elza in. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath and then took a look around. Just around the corner, he saw a small bit of something white, and immediately thought of Elza's white cape. 'Finally,' he thought, 'I have caught the thief.' He sneaked up close to the edge of the wall and quietly grabbed the corner of what he assumed to be the white cape. He then jumped around and shouted, "Ha ha! I have caught…you?" It turned out he had grabbed on to a piece of Bertha's white dress she had just happened to be wearing.

Bertha smiled and said, "Ah, the young gentlemen still go after me, even at my age. Come here, big boy, and give me a kiss!" She held out her arms and started stepping towards Clive.

"………… AAAAHHHHH!" At first, he was in shock, but just as Bertha was about to put her massive arms around Clive, he turned around and ran away screaming. His cry could be heard through all of Muse and even faintly in Coronet. Elza was just about to reach the entrance to Muse when she heard him and smiled. She turned around and started to walk backwards towards the exit and said, "Good bye Clive and Bertha. I hope you two are very happy together. Good bye, fair city of Mu-OOOSE!" Since Elza had been walking backwards, she hadn't noticed that the entrance to Muse was closed and barred shut. She had walked right into it.

"Huh? Wha-What happened?" She mumbled. Even though she was talking to herself, a Muse guard nearby answered her.

"You, uh, tried to walk through this close entrance, miss. Not a smart thing to do…"

"I can see that," Elza snapped back. "What I meant by my question is why is the entrance closed?"

"Didn't you here? There is rumor that a war is going to happen between the City States and Highland. No one is aloud to enter or exit Muse with out a good reason."

'Shoot,' Elza thought, 'Now what am I going to do? I am trapped in Muse with no money, Clive chasing after me, and aunt Bertha.' Elza thought she was going to scream herself.

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"Elza" and "Suikoden 2" are (C) Konami. This chapter was posted on December 28, 2000 This author no longer writes for Elza