Against the Odds

Chapter 7.

The young woman.

"I know her."

"You know her?" Tidus couldn't hide the surprise in his voice. He placed his backpack on the ground, his eyes never leaving Gippal's face.

"Yeah," Gippal mused, "She's a cousin of my friend back Home."

"You know her cousin?" Tidus remembered the conversation with Seymour. He mentioned she had relatives in Bikanel, so the fact that Gippal knew of her wasn't difficult to believe. Gippal knew everyone, his extended knowledge of machina and the workings of all machinery was famous. If anyone needed some repairs on weapons, hover crafts, airships anywhere on Spira, Gippal was the man to contact.

"Yeah, I met her when she was visiting Home. Nice girl. Quiet." Gippal replied, unsure of whether he should be saying it. "Though it did seem like she was hiding something…" His hand went to his cheek then, as if deep in thought. Smudging his grease covered fingers onto his cheeks, he gasped in mock disgust, then sighed, shaking his head. "Come inside, we'll talk a bit more."

When they entered the Machine Factions base, Gippal took him to one of the side rooms. He grabbed a white cloth, dunked it into the nearby basin and washed his hands, the grease stubbornly not moving, much to Gippal's intense scrubbing with the cloth. He wiped his face, careful to move the eyepatch. Tidus hovered by the door, his weight shifted to one side as he leant on the frame. "When did you see her?" he asked, not wanting to engage is silly small talk.

"About a month ago. She seemed pretty distressed about something." Gippal eyed Tidus suspiciously, "What do you want with her?"

"I told you," Tidus answered, "I'm looking for her."

"I get that, but why?"

"I want to help her." Instinctively, Tidus could think of nothing more he wanted to say. It was the truth, he wasn't looking for her for Seymour, he was looking for her to help rid her of him.

"You want to help her?" Gippal questioned. He glanced down at his hands, unsure of how to word what he was about to say.

"She's in trouble. She ran away from her ex and now he's after her." Tidus couldn't help but be honest with Gippal. Maybe if he were honest, he'd tell him where Yuna was, and he'd get to her quicker.

"You're typical damsel in distress huh?"

"Something like that." Tidus replied, slowly getting agitated. Was Gippal stalling on purpose? Was he messing with Tidus?

"Like I said, she seemed like she was hiding something when I met her." Gippal said, placing the now dirty cloth on his shoulder. "Not long after she turned up that those Guado goons arrived to take her back. Seemed pretty serious." He leaned against the wall then, crossed his arms and looked at Tidus. "Sounds like you're on the same job?"

"I'm not." Tidus answered sharply, "Do you know where she went?"

"Nope, can't help you." Gippal sighed, "She was put on an airship and left. I do know she was headed to Luca, but that was a while back."

"I've already been there." Tidus sighed, defeat not well hidden in his voice. Out of frustration, he ran his hands through his hair, a habit he'd developed early in life.

"Have you tried Kilika?" Gippal questioned.

"Not yet." Tidus replied, "Why? Think she might be there?"

"I think so. She and her cousin were talking about her going there. Might be a good place to look. It's small, so someone is bound to have seen her."

Tidus hadn't thought of it like that. The places he'd been were large and expansive, whereas Kilika was small, and all the local natives don't travel much. If she were there, or had been, he'd have a better lead on where she was going. "Gippal, you're a genius!"

"Now, now, "Gippal laughed, pushing off the wall and raising his hands, "don't crowd me! If you want an autograph, you only need to say so."

Laughing, both the young men walked out the room, Tidus now more determined to find her.

"I would hug you, but y'know," Gippal gestured to his clothes, "grease."

"Thanks man." Tidus replied, settling for a high five. "I owe you." Adjusting his backpack onto his shoulders, he left the base, eager to get on the next airship.

"Free tickets to your next match!" Gippal called after Tidus, "I'll be cheering the Al Bhed Psyches all night!"

"Roger!" Tidus saluted back and headed back to the fork in the road toward the Moonflow, eager to request an airship pick up from the nearest Travel Agency.

When Tidus arrived in Kilika a few hours later, the sun was setting, giving the small island village a deep orange and pink glow. The villagers had lit the lanterns along the waterway, illuminating the wooden docks with a warm subtle glow. There was slight hustle and bustle, but nothing compared to what Luca had been. There were food stalls filled with many different flavours and scents that filled the air, and Tidus didn't realise how hungry he was. The smell of fresh grilled fish and mixed spice rice salads were tempting enough for him to buy. His stomach made a low growl, making the decision go get some food.

He'd purchased more than one meal; grilled fish and barbequed poultry, with steamed vegetables, pots of plain rice and tomato sauce pasta mixed with the islands herbs. They were put in tubs that would be easily stored in the hotels cool cabinets. Once they were all bagged, Tidus headed to the nearest travel agency. He'd managed to book a hut, which was slightly more expensive than a room in the agency, but he got some more privacy, and had a good look over the central river. There was a winding wooden path that led to it, which Tidus didn't mind. It wasn't complicated, just up the ramp, across to the other side of the river, a small walks way, up a secondary ramp and he was there. It was slightly hidden by the drooping trees nearby, and there were vines growing across the font of the building, giving it a slight character.

Once he'd got to the hut, he'd placed the food in the hidden cool cabinets in the kitchenette area. The room was spacious, the kitchenette was in the back corner, separated by a single rounded couch acting like a wall, which was opposite a bambooed wall. There was a small opening, outlined with thick darker bamboo which only went up as far as Tidus' waist. It added as an extra shelf, so Tidus placed all the small items from his pockets onto there. From where he stood in the middle of the lounge area, he could just see the bed behind the wall. The bed area was compact, with enough walking room between each side. The bed itself could comfortably fit three grown adults, with a mass of thin blankets, scattered cushions, and an insect net hanging from the ceiling above. There was a wide bay window not that far from the bed, enough to get a breeze in the evening when the temperature cooled, with thin drapes hanging from the poles above the window. The whole hut was cosy, and it reminded Tidus of his friends back in Besaid. If he ever contemplated buying somewhere outside of Zanarkand, this was what would completely convince him.

The evening had drawn out, and the glow of lanterns along the central river gave the island a warm and comforting glow. The smell of fresh food was in the wind, filling Tidus' hut with strong aromas that made him hungrier than he thought. He was fresh out of the shower, donning a pair of sports shorts, his towel draped across his shoulders to mop up the droplets that fell from the ends of his hair. He decided to take the barbequed poultry and steamed rice out of the cooler to eat along the banks, somewhere near the end of the harbour where he could listen to the waves crashing against the moored boats.

Taking a seat on the wooden ledge above the water, he placed his food tub next to him, pulling the tab to initiate the reheating function. He waited with a sigh, taking in the sights and sounds that surrounded him. The call of the wild birds in the trees above, along with the water made Tidus relax, as he leaned back on his arms to stretch, his legs dangling in the water below. His shoulder pinched at the new position, but it wasn't uncomfortable, or at least, it wasn't at the time. It would be a few moments before the muscle would twinge and ache, and Tidus would have to move it in small circular motions to ease it again.

He could smell the food from his steaming tub, and turned to pick it up. Noticing a flash of colour next to him, he glanced up, but didn't pay much attention to it, turning back to his food. His brain kicked into high gear, and had to take a second look, noticing something he hadn't expected. If his food was high enough, he would've dropped it, but it gently thunked back to the wooden ground. Luckily, the lid hadn't been removed, his brain didn't let him get that far. He blinked, once, twice, three times before he acknowledged the brunette girl not that far away from him.

"I'm sorry, you don't mind if I sit here do you?"

All Tidus could do is shake his head, his mind too lost for words. Taking her in, he simply could not believe the sight in front of him.

The girl had short brown hair, sitting just above the shoulders. It looked like it was highlighted naturally in the sun, blowing gently in the evening breeze. Her skin was glowing, a slight brown tinge on her arms, legs and feet. Her outfit was one of Kilikan inspiration; mid-thigh shorts made of what looked like cream cotton, a loose fitting cami top in coral colour which accentuated her tanned skin, and small brown island sandals. She had her hands full of food, a couple of small tubs along with a bag of chilled shrimp that she could peel and eat herself. She nodded at Tidus, accepting his open mouthed head shake as an invite to sit, and crossed her legs, lowering herself to the ground. She delicately placed her food to the side, fanning her neck gently to ease the islands humidity on her skin. Once she'd pulled the tabs on her food, she placed the bag of shrimp next to her, exposing the spindly food, picked one, de-shelled it and popped it into her mouth. She hadn't noticed Tidus staring at all.

Tidus looked at her in awe. He couldn't quite believe what was happening. Looking at her food, he remembered his, and reached to grab it again, removed the lid. Taking his wooden chopsticks, he picked up some poultry, his eyes never leaving the young woman's image. He shook his head to momentarily knock some sense into him, realising he was staring, and looked down to his food.

"That smells amazing." He heard a voice say, "What is it?"

"Uhh.." He answered, noticing the young woman was looking at him, glancing down at his tub of food. He's noticed the breeze was blowing toward her, the steam from the tub headed in her direction, filling her space with spices and flavours from the barbequed poultry. "It's just poultry and rice from the barbeque." He dug his chopsticks into the rice this time and ate, noticing the small hint of jasmine on his tongue.

"Well I hope you enjoy it." She smiled, reaching for her own steaming tub.

"What chu got?" Tidus replied, leaning slightly forward to get a glance of her food.

"Just some grilled fish, nothing fancy." She replied. She untucked her feet from beneath her then, removing her sandals and dangled them over the harbour. Her legs just weren't long enough to reach the water, but the small waves that crashed against the harbour splashed against her skin, giving her a moment of coolness.

"I'm sure it tastes good." Tidus quipped, bringing one leg up to tuck under his opposite knee. He turned his body to slightly face her, wanting to keep the conversation going. "I'm Tidus, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," the young woman smiled again, and raised a hand to wave, "I'm Yuna."