"I love it here."
"Why? This place is so dreary." He held back a shudder as another crash of thunder split the air, looking around almost nervously.
"Something about... the fury of a storm, unending. There's just something about that. Think of all the power this storm is putting out. If we could only harness that, think of what we could do."
"That's not a good idea." He glanced over, a chill running through him. "That would be..."
"Like playing God?" A smile flashed across Gippal's face, a chuckle escaping his throat. "No doubt."
"Gippal..." Baralai shifted from one foot to the other. "Why'd you tell me to meet you here? You didn't really explain in your letter."
"I wanted to talk." Gippal still didn't look over at Baralai, the smile not fading.
"Talk? About what?"
When Gippal didn't answer, Baralai let out a soft sigh, shaking his head. "So... our conversation must once again turn to darker times?"
"Seems that way. It's an interesting topic, anyway... mysterious, you could say. Leaves so much to figure out." Gippal began to wander down the path away from the rest stop, Baralai pausing a moment before following him.
They walked a long way into the Thunder Plains in silence, Gippal's smile beginning to unnerve Baralai a little. Finally, they both stopped near the edge of the lake, Baralai noticing the first drops of water beginning to fall. They sat in silence...
"Hm..." Gippal suddenly said, startling him. "Rain."
"Should we find shelter?"
"Nah. Afraid you might melt?"
"No." After a moment, Gippal chuckled again, making Baralai look at him curiously.
"Over there." The Al Bhed stood, pointing. "There's a safe shelter. I wouldn't want you to get a cold." Baralai blinked, then stood, following him once more. "So... have you seen him since that day? Do you know where he is now?"
"No." Baralai wondered what the point of this conversation was, unable to keep from feeling annoyed. "I've been busy with things in Bevelle, working."
"Yeah? hm..." Gippal leaned against the back part of the shelter, finally looking towards Baralai with a slight smile. "Good for you."
"... what about you, Gippal?" Baralai asked after a moment of saying nothing. Gippal hadn't taken his eyes off Baralai, but now, he looked down and away, uncomfortably.
"Yeah, me... I went looking for him. I tried to find them both, actually, because I wanted to ask him why..." The Al Bhed ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. "I didn't end up finding either of them before I chickened out and went home. I didn't know what I'd say, anyway."
"Hello. How are you? Have things been okay?" Baralai said very softly, making Gippal return his gaze to him.
"... yeah." Was all he replied with, and silence continued between them. After a while, Gippal let out another sigh, his gaze turning curious.
"So... has it healed yet?" He asked. Baralai blinked again, another crash of thunder sounding, lightning splitting the air.
"Has... has what healed?"
It all happened too quickly... Baralai wasn't sure how, but Gippal suddenly had him pinned up against the wall of the shelter, his hand slipping past Baralai's robes to press against the warm flesh of his back. Baralai gasped in shock, cheeks flushing, his eyes staring into Gippal's face to try and find some sort of explaination for this. Gippal's cool, trembling fingers pressed against Baralai's spine, then he spread his hand, trailing it up the other male's back. When he found the puckered scar near Baralai's shoulder blade, Gippal leaned in close, his breath warm as he spoke.
"This..." His finger pressed against the scar and Baralai sucked in a breath, fingers clenching into fists. "It still hurts, doesn't it?"
"Y-yes..." Baralai gasped, chest beginning to heave. "Yes, it hurts. It hurts all the time." He shut his eyes tightly.
Gippal took Baralai's hand, forcing his fingers out of the fist they were clenched into. He pressed the human's hand to his chest, moving it so his fingers slipped beneath the fabric that clung to it. Baralai opened his eyes to stare once more at Gippal's face, his fingers brushing over the scar Gippal had on his chest.
"Mine does, too." Gippal said softly, still so close. "But do you know what makes it hurt so bad?"
Baralai shook his head slowly, not breaking his gaze from Gippal's. The Al Bhed smiled sadly, a sigh escaping him as he pulled his hand away, stepping back. Baralai's hand fell away, his heart skipping slightly as he stood straight, cheeks flushed.
"The memories, Baralai. That's why it hurts so bad. That's why it aches."
For a moment, Baralai thought about the day it happened, his eyes taking on a distant look. He remembered so well seeing Gippal plunge to the ground beside him, remembered the cries of Paine in the distance, remembered how red Gippal's blood had been. He remembered seeing his own blood on his hands, remembered the sound of the gun going off... Paine's voice going silent... the heavy footsteps fading into the blackness that rose up to swallow him.
For that moment he allowed himself to remember, the wound he had received ached terribly.
Yes... memories only made it worse.
"It seems our Deathseeker chose to become a Deathdealer. Or at least he tried. it makes me wonder if maybe he did himself in after trying for us. I never heard anything about it afterwards, though." Gippal was speaking, Baralai could hear him, but all he could think of was Gippal's warmth and the pounding of the Al Bhed's heart in his chest beneath his fingers.
They were both still alive... that's why they ached from these memories.
"Baralai, you still with me?"
"O-oh... of course. I'm still here."
Gippal was staring at him again, that smile returning to his face.
"Looks like we didn't make it in time." he murmured, and Baralai blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"Your hands... you're shaking. Are you cold?"
"N-no... I'm just thinking." Gippal didn't ask him what he was thinking about. He didn't need to. With a smile, he looked towards the rest stop, sighing and stretching.
"So... I think that's it. Should we head back now, hm?" He spoke so casually, like he always did. Baralai nodded, and they walked back the way they came, once more in silence.
Just past the lake, Baralai found himself reaching out and gripping the back of Gippal's sleeve, very gently. Gippal stopped, turning slightly with a curious noise, and Baralai took a moment to catch his breath before speaking.
"Let's go together and try and find him again. Let's ask him... together." He managed to say. Gippal blinked, a smile spreading across his face, real, genuine. He nodded in reply, laughing softly.
"Yeah. Sure."