I can't seem to get the spacing right at the moment. Sorry it's all
clumped together, especially all the dialogue. I'll fix it as soon as I
can. ~Abra
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Cold...so cold.. Of all the things there are to feel in the world, why did cold have to be one that remained after death. Auron sighed and wrapped himself more tightly in the thin and slightly damp blanket provided by the travel agency hoping to regain some feeling in his extremities. Outside the lighting flickered and thunder crashed, shaking the walls of his room leading him to understand why there were none of the customary paintings and shelves here as there are in Rin's other locations. He willed his mind to slow down, think of nothing, in an attempt to reach sleep where the numbness of his body wouldn't matter, but after tossing and turning for almost an hour he gave up, thinking that a walk would at least warm him up.
He picked up his sword and set out of his room towards the main entrance of the Inn. Wandering aimlessly about for a while it occurred to him to have a look at the book of Al Bhed Rin had given Tidus early in the day. He sat down leaning against a wall and opened the book, but after only a couple minutes he was interrupted by what sounded very much like a whimper.
Or rather, a whimper that was trying to be stifled.
Definitely young.
Definitely girlish.
Definitely Rikku.
He had been brusque with the young girl earlier in the day about crossing the plains. She was scared to death by the lightening, he knew this, but the only way to get her out of it, was to keep going. The sooner they got across, the sooner she'd feel safe.
He hadn't counted on or wanted to stop here over night, preferring to move ahead as far as possible. But Rikku didn't understand his intent, nor did any of the others, and so he found himself here, in the middle of the night, trying to find where that small sound was coming from.
Leaning over, he cast a searching glance underneath the tables, finding nothing he relinquished his quiet corner and book and set about the perimeter of the buildings inside, looking in each bookshelf corner and nook. Eventually he found the source, tucked into one of the large shelves beneath the desk.
Rikku looked even smaller there, arms clasped about her long legs, shivering with fright, her face buried in her knees.
"Rikku." Auron said, toughing her calf with the butt of his sword.
"Leave me alone. Just go away." Her muffled voice came, laced with anger.
"You can not spend the night under the desk. You'd be no use to us tomorrow. Go back to your room." Just like everything he said, these words came out harsh and tight.
"I'll be fine. What do you care anyways? You don't care about anything or anyone! You're just.just..Mean!" Her tear stained face came up and met him eye to eye as she spit out her accusation.
Auron kneeled down next to the desk; silently hoping his next words would come out halfway decently. "As much as you'd like to think I don't care, I do. If I didn't care I wouldn't be kneeling here trying to persuade a silly little girl to go back to bed!" Not as gentle as he would have liked. He couldn't help but tack the last part on. After all, she had called him mean.
"Have you ever been nice to anyone? Is there anyone in Spira who meets your approval?" Rikku was clenching her knees now, knuckles white, and shaking. Not from fright anymore, but anger.
He watched her for a moment and was surprised to find himself admiring the bright green of her eyes, and the pink flush of her cheeks. Almost as soon as he started looking, he stopped. No need for these feelings. No point.
"It was your choice to stay here, girl. I tried to convince you to keep going."
"And what difference would it have made? We'd still be traveling through the storms!" She had started to crawl out from under the desk now. Anger the focus of her thoughts, throwing a tantrum rather then thinking about the storm.
"On the contrary", Auron said through clenched teeth as he rose to his feet once again, "We'd be long gone and probably fast asleep by now if we had continued."
Rikku had come all the way out and was standing facing him, her arms crossed tightly across her chest and verdant eyes flashing.
"Oh of course, Auron's always right. Why didn't we listen to him!?" She hissed, throwing her arms in the air.
Auron, unwisely, took another look at her and was stalled for a few moments in making a rebuttal. She was vibrant, glowing in her rage. Her chest heaved, drawing his eye to the rounded peaks under her shirt, her hands had come to rest on the swell of her hips, and below that her long tanned legs. Jerking his head up and away from the distractions, he chastised himself for finding her attractive.
"Well? Don't you have anything to say to me?" She said, eyeing him warily. "Surely the great SIR Auron has something to say back to the 'silly girl'?"
Auron tried to get his mind back to task, but he found himself not thinking of a likely retort, but more of what she would feel like gathered in his arms. What those full soft lips would feel like under his.
It was too much. Grasping the handle of his sword he turned and walked down the hall intending to go back to his room and wait out these emotions coursing through his tired veins. But he paused in front of Rikku's door, and waited. Presently Rikku followed him, a smug look rigged to her face.
"I won. You've got nothing to say back to me. That means I was right. And the Great Guardian was wrong." She smiled, her chin raised haughtily.
"Indeed Rikku, you've won." Auron started to say but was interrupted by peals of girlish glee. He held up a hand until she was silent again.
"As I was saying. You've won the verbal match. But as you can plainly see, you're out from under the desk, and standing in front of your door. Just as I had asked."
The smug smile gone from her face in a flash, he placed one just like it on his and went down the hall into his room.
Cold...so cold.. Of all the things there are to feel in the world, why did cold have to be one that remained after death. Auron sighed and wrapped himself more tightly in the thin and slightly damp blanket provided by the travel agency hoping to regain some feeling in his extremities. Outside the lighting flickered and thunder crashed, shaking the walls of his room leading him to understand why there were none of the customary paintings and shelves here as there are in Rin's other locations. He willed his mind to slow down, think of nothing, in an attempt to reach sleep where the numbness of his body wouldn't matter, but after tossing and turning for almost an hour he gave up, thinking that a walk would at least warm him up.
He picked up his sword and set out of his room towards the main entrance of the Inn. Wandering aimlessly about for a while it occurred to him to have a look at the book of Al Bhed Rin had given Tidus early in the day. He sat down leaning against a wall and opened the book, but after only a couple minutes he was interrupted by what sounded very much like a whimper.
Or rather, a whimper that was trying to be stifled.
Definitely young.
Definitely girlish.
Definitely Rikku.
He had been brusque with the young girl earlier in the day about crossing the plains. She was scared to death by the lightening, he knew this, but the only way to get her out of it, was to keep going. The sooner they got across, the sooner she'd feel safe.
He hadn't counted on or wanted to stop here over night, preferring to move ahead as far as possible. But Rikku didn't understand his intent, nor did any of the others, and so he found himself here, in the middle of the night, trying to find where that small sound was coming from.
Leaning over, he cast a searching glance underneath the tables, finding nothing he relinquished his quiet corner and book and set about the perimeter of the buildings inside, looking in each bookshelf corner and nook. Eventually he found the source, tucked into one of the large shelves beneath the desk.
Rikku looked even smaller there, arms clasped about her long legs, shivering with fright, her face buried in her knees.
"Rikku." Auron said, toughing her calf with the butt of his sword.
"Leave me alone. Just go away." Her muffled voice came, laced with anger.
"You can not spend the night under the desk. You'd be no use to us tomorrow. Go back to your room." Just like everything he said, these words came out harsh and tight.
"I'll be fine. What do you care anyways? You don't care about anything or anyone! You're just.just..Mean!" Her tear stained face came up and met him eye to eye as she spit out her accusation.
Auron kneeled down next to the desk; silently hoping his next words would come out halfway decently. "As much as you'd like to think I don't care, I do. If I didn't care I wouldn't be kneeling here trying to persuade a silly little girl to go back to bed!" Not as gentle as he would have liked. He couldn't help but tack the last part on. After all, she had called him mean.
"Have you ever been nice to anyone? Is there anyone in Spira who meets your approval?" Rikku was clenching her knees now, knuckles white, and shaking. Not from fright anymore, but anger.
He watched her for a moment and was surprised to find himself admiring the bright green of her eyes, and the pink flush of her cheeks. Almost as soon as he started looking, he stopped. No need for these feelings. No point.
"It was your choice to stay here, girl. I tried to convince you to keep going."
"And what difference would it have made? We'd still be traveling through the storms!" She had started to crawl out from under the desk now. Anger the focus of her thoughts, throwing a tantrum rather then thinking about the storm.
"On the contrary", Auron said through clenched teeth as he rose to his feet once again, "We'd be long gone and probably fast asleep by now if we had continued."
Rikku had come all the way out and was standing facing him, her arms crossed tightly across her chest and verdant eyes flashing.
"Oh of course, Auron's always right. Why didn't we listen to him!?" She hissed, throwing her arms in the air.
Auron, unwisely, took another look at her and was stalled for a few moments in making a rebuttal. She was vibrant, glowing in her rage. Her chest heaved, drawing his eye to the rounded peaks under her shirt, her hands had come to rest on the swell of her hips, and below that her long tanned legs. Jerking his head up and away from the distractions, he chastised himself for finding her attractive.
"Well? Don't you have anything to say to me?" She said, eyeing him warily. "Surely the great SIR Auron has something to say back to the 'silly girl'?"
Auron tried to get his mind back to task, but he found himself not thinking of a likely retort, but more of what she would feel like gathered in his arms. What those full soft lips would feel like under his.
It was too much. Grasping the handle of his sword he turned and walked down the hall intending to go back to his room and wait out these emotions coursing through his tired veins. But he paused in front of Rikku's door, and waited. Presently Rikku followed him, a smug look rigged to her face.
"I won. You've got nothing to say back to me. That means I was right. And the Great Guardian was wrong." She smiled, her chin raised haughtily.
"Indeed Rikku, you've won." Auron started to say but was interrupted by peals of girlish glee. He held up a hand until she was silent again.
"As I was saying. You've won the verbal match. But as you can plainly see, you're out from under the desk, and standing in front of your door. Just as I had asked."
The smug smile gone from her face in a flash, he placed one just like it on his and went down the hall into his room.