Lady of Fortune

But What About Paine?

Chapter Three

They'd been dating almost a month and a half. A month and a half of dinners in off beat restaurants and going to small theatre houses and comedy clubs, weekends in Luca or in the Calm Lands. Close to a month and a half of fervent kisses and touching that bordered on inappropriate.

Paine wanted more.

She wanted inappropriate. She wanted skin and to be held all night and sex. She hungered for it, craved it. Isaaru had awoken something in her that she wasn't sure how to handle.

Being Rikku's friend after the Essentials had led to some very open and frank discussions about sex that at the time had shocked her that the girls would even speak of such things to each other. Talk about birth control and positions and first times and not regretting things in the morning. Not all of Rikku's friends were in permanent relationships. Paine had blurted out her shock at one point and been kindly reminded that they were all adults and adults should be able to talk about sex. If she wasn't ready to talk about sex and what she liked with a male, then she probably wasn't ready for sex.

It was a bit of wisdom that Paine had taken and thought about before deciding they were right. Sex wasn't this shameful thing. It was the reactions of others that were shameful.

Thus, why she had invited Isaaru to have dinner at her house. Not that she was cooking. No. She hadn't ever mastered what Rikku called basic home chemistry. (Ironically, Rikku was a better baker than a cook but she was miles ahead of Gippal. Yuna was the best cook out of the three of them but she'd been cooking since she was a child.) Cooking wasn't something that she'd learned as a daughter of a noble house. Cooking was something other people did for you.

She lit candles and plated food from take-out containers. That she could do.

So, when Isaaru knocked on her door, she was ready for him.

He had more flowers. Roses this time, but extremely dark burgundy.

"New variety," Isaaru said. "Shopkeeper desires your opinion."

Paine looked down her nose at him and let him in. She shut the door behind him, then pressed a hand against his chest, went up on her toes and kissed him. "Thank you for the flowers."

Isaaru rubbed his nose against hers. "I'll stop making excuses."

"I like your excuses," Paine murmured. They helped her save face even if it was just between the two of them. She didn't want it known that she liked receiving flowers. She stepped away and put them into several vases instead of one, setting them around the apartment as Isaaru divested himself of armor.

He sighed in pleasure as he saw the table. "I always meant to ask Cid for the recipe for this."

"There's a new place by the docks," Paine smiled. "They had it. You always order it in the Calm Lands." She paused. "How did you end up working for Cid anyways?"

Isaaru pulled out her chair for her and laughed ruefully. "Doesn't seem like me at all, does it?"

"A bit of an odd couple," Paine agreed.

Isaaru sat down and told her as they ate. "It was a way for me to finish my pilgrimage and really explore the place we held so sacred. I didn't precisely always stay in the temple. Cid didn't seem to mind. I tried not to get into too many jams. He seemed used to it though. Having met Rikku, I think I understand why."

"The scam didn't bother you." Paine said.

Isaaru shrugged. "He wasn't charging outrageous prices for his clues."

Paine remembered fondly. "Fifteen gil."

"He wasn't bringing in money hand over fist the way he could have," Isaaru said gently. "If he really wanted to rebuild Home there were a lot better ways to go about it than stocking chests with standard items and charging a pittance for a chance to earn a prize. That garment grid by the way was something special he had saved just in case the three of you came by. He really loves you all."

"He has an odd way of showing it sometimes."

"He couldn't just give it to you." Isaaru said. "Where's the fun in that?" He leaned forward to tease her.

"Yes, and I had a hard time not laughing when Yuna asked if it was you, monkey." Paine's eyes lit up in mischief.

Isaaru flushed. "I don't think Cid realized."

"That your name is a pun on the word for monkey. No wonder you sounded so strangled." Paine smiled.

"If I had a gil," Isaaru muttered.

Paine could guess pretty easily what he was talking about. "Don't monkey, monkey."

He put a hand over his eyes. "Yes." He grumbled.

Paine didn't say anything, but she was smiling and trying to repress it.

He lowered his hand. "Paine," he rumbled.

"Well, did you?"

He glowered at her. "I was a polite child."

"Uh huh," Paine said and ate a few bites of her meal deliberately.

"I just liked touching things. I grew out of it." He pretended to pout.

She lowered her lashes. "If you say so, monkey," she said layering the nickname with tones of affection.

Isaaru flushed, but smiled at her.

They finished their meal without any more teasing.

When they moved to the couch and as he leaned down to kiss her, Paine put a hand on his mouth. Isaaru blinked and leaned back.

"I want to talk about sex." Paine said bluntly.

He turned red and his brows rose.

"Because we're adults and we should be able to talk about it." She put her hand on his leg.

Isaaru ducked his head down and his hair fell forward to hide his face. "That's reasonable, if awkward."

"I can't think of a not awkward way to bring the subject up." Paine bit her lip. "I tried." She added softly.

"No. You're right. It's just not something we," Isaaru blew out and raked his hand through his hair. "I mean, in the families, we don't, we don't talk about it, ever." He turned red. "Other classes do."

"Got an education among the men," Paine said dryly.

Isaaru squirmed.

Paine gentled her voice. "I want. I want you. I want to be with you and to share a bed with you."

"And have sex," Isaaru said.

Paine flushed. "And have sex." She looked away at the table and seeing her glass of wine, she grabbed it and took a gulp.

Isaaru gently took the glass from her and put it back. He took her hand and put his other hand on her cheek, caressing her face. "I want you too. Leaving you at night, it's torture. I also don't want to rush you. I mean, if we think, together, we're going too fast, we can slow down. It's only been a month and a half."

"Do you think we're going to fast?" Paine leaned her cheek against his hand, closing her eyes.

"By the standards of the families that I no longer care about, yes. By the standards of the men I serve with, if they knew they'd be wondering why we were taking so long." Isaaru sighed. "I don't know what to think. I want what is right for us." His thumb ran along her cheekbone. "I want you, completely and whole heartedly. I know that."

She put a hand over his on her cheek. "Then, I want to stop torturing you. I want you to stay with me." She opened her eyes to meet his. "So we can be together longer."

Isaaru let out a breath. "All right."

Paine smiled at him and got up.

He frowned and watched her go into her bathroom. She came back with a bottle, sat down and handed it to him. He turned it over in his hands. The label was in Al Bhed.

"There's an Al Bhed shop in Luca, medicines and the like," Paine fidgeted. "It's their form of birth control. Rikku," Paine flushed. "Rikku put me on theirs after the Essentials. For health reasons, nothing else." Though the idea that she should try and seduce Baralai had been unsaid. Paine hadn't been ready at the time. In some ways, she was still coming to terms with the idea that sex was all right. "This is the male version. I know Gippal takes it when he and Rikku aren't trying to have kids."

Isaaru turned the bottle around and around in his hands. "I see."

"I, they, we," Paine trailed off. She looked down at her hands and they were clutched together so tight her knuckles were white. "We haven't discussed children and I mean, this isn't."

"Children should be wanted and planned for." Isaaru said. "It's what the Al Bhed believe."

"Yes," Paine flushed and felt her muscles relax. "I've had some thoughts about that and seeing Rikku and Gippal with Toorop and how much they love him and want him in their lives. On the other hand, their attitude about sex is more it being an act between two people for enjoyment, pleasure and even affection if they aren't madly passionately in love with the other person. I don't want us to have any regrets or do anything rash that we aren't ready for even if we want to have sex with each other."

Isaaru stopped fiddling with the bottle. "How long does it take?"

Paine looked up. "Take?"

"To kick in," Isaaru asked. "I'm not seeing it on the bottle."

"You read Al Bhed."

"I had to in order to work for Cid."

Paine nodded. She swallowed. "A few days. It's a lot faster than the one for females."

Isaaru set the bottle on the table and put his hand on hers. "Paine, thank you. I wouldn't have had the courage to go myself or know where to go or what to ask."

Paine met his eyes. "I want things to be right between us. I want us to be able to talk about things without judgment or fear."

Isaaru smiled and leaned in. "So, maybe over the next few days we can talk about what makes you feel good," he murmured and kissed her, his hands sliding up her thighs to grab her about the waist and pull her into his lap.

Paine sighed against his mouth. That sounded fine to her.

Two or Three days and Two Weeks Later

Paine watched sleepily as Isaaru tried to get ready quietly. Putting on his armor and trying to find his boots. Every night they had a 'date,' he'd wear nice clothes out but bring his uniform and armor to change into for the morning. She kept finding his nice clothes on the floor. So, she just cleaned them and hung them in the closet next to hers. It didn't bother her, but rather amused her because now she was seeing clothes she hadn't before. He had to be buying new things.

She had a sinking suspicion that her lover was a tiny bit vain.

He leaned over the bed and kissed her. "I'll see you later." He rumbled.

Paine yawned at him. "Why don't you just move in already?" She asked.

He pulled back and raised an eyebrow.

She pointed at the closet.

Isaaru eased away and opened the closet doors. He stared a moment and then unexpectedly laughed. "Okay, I get it. I'll bring my toothbrush to take up residence in your bathroom."

"Our bathroom," she murmured.

He came over and knelt on the bed. "Our bathroom," he agreed and kissed her again.

Paine snuggled into her covers and fell back asleep even before their front door closed with a smile on her face.

Two days after he brought his duffle of all the clothes and personal possessions he owned, his unit was posted outside of Bevelle to another ruin. Paine had kissed him good bye with the admonishment to listen to his troops about dodging and ducking and staying one piece.

"No doubt we'll see each other soon enough," Isaaru murmured and ran his fingers along the front of her hair. "Kessi will find something and you'll find some reason to come out and see this ruin."

Paine narrowed her eyes at him. "So, keep yourself in one piece until I get there, Summoner."

"I will, Warrior," he said voice husky and kissed her again.

She arrived to what looked like the middle of a ruminant stampede. The dog like fiends with two or three fleshy spikes on their back that breathed fire ran amok among the soldiers.

Isaaru had summoned a Light Summon to deal with them. The problem being that ruminants weren't weak to any of the elements and had a bad tendency to actually absorb fire more often than not. The men were doing just a fine of job against them with swords and guns as Isaaru's Summon. There were just so many of the damn things they were getting overwhelmed.

Paine switched into her White Mage Weapon Sphere and got to work healing them so they could keep fighting. The Holy attack of Isaaru's summon was taking out large groups at a time. It was a fight of attrition and as long as she could keep the men alive. They should win. It wasn't like the fiends had healers of their own.

The five to ten minute fight felt like over an hour.

She reached Isaaru's side as the last fiend fell.

His helmet had fallen off and he had a cut on his cheek.

"Is this how you keep yourself in one piece?" She asked him tartly and leaned on the long staff that came with the weapon sphere. It was topped with her barbed x shaped cross.

Isaaru turned to her and blinked several times as if reassuring himself she was really there. He tilted his head. "I believe, Lady Paine, this is the first time I've seen you in white."

Paine looked down. The white on white dress of the white mage was little more than a coat masquerading as a dress in her opinion. The thick stand up collar folded over and there were white ribbons laced up the front holding the whole thing together. The thick white belt at her waist had a row of pyramid studs and the buckle was a large x shaped white cross again. The embroidery of the dress was shaped like her pendant along the hems and there were more studs at the base of the embroidery on the bell sleeves.

The only saving graces of the entire outfit was the intricate pirate like boots with their lacing and buckles and dangling chains and the fact the skirt had a slit up the front over one thigh. "It's the white mage weapon sphere, thus," she paused. "White."

Isaaru grinned.

She looked up at him and saw in his eyes the same lustful emotion that she saw every time he started after one of her belt buckles in her Warrior weapon sphere or the zippers on her date dresses. She narrowed her eyes at him. Now was not the time.

He smirked and winked at her turning his attention to his men. "Everyone alive?"

"Thanks to Lady Paine, Summoner." One of them shouted.

"Since you were too busy summoning!" Another teased.

Isaaru ignored the jab. It was Summoning or healing and the men knew it. His Summon had taken out more than all of them put together. They'd rather have the summon and take their chances with the fiends. "Will someone tell me where all of those fiends came from?"

"Aye, aye, Captain," Another saluted, waved at half a dozen men. They jogged off into the ruins.

Isaaru sighed. "A couple more months and I can put this Captain business behind me."

"There, there," Paine murmured.

Isaaru snorted.

Paine flipped into her Samurai weapon sphere, the red coat standing out against the green grass.

Isaaru sighed in disappointment.

Paine looked down her nose at him and swaggered into the ruins, loosening her katana from the back sheathe. "Coming, Captain?"

Isaaru looked up at the sky and shook his head. He looked around for his helmet, scooped it up and jogged after her. His men followed at his back.

A/N: The Japanese word for monkey is Saru. So, when Yuna is asking Isaaru if it is him, she's either intentionally or unintentionally making a pun on his name. Just, thought I'd throw that bit of silly trivia in with this very cracky ship.