Chapter 6: Balamb City
Mattius2k04: Alright! The interests between Tidus and Yuna start heating up, and finally! And finally, some more action. Have fun!
Tidus watched as the train slowly pulled into the station at Balamb City. The brand-new line, going from Garden to Balamb City, was as smooth a ride as he had ever felt. He saw quite a few monsters along the way. Few of them looked very threatening. Most of them stay in the forests and mountains.
The train mired in the station, coming to a crawl before stopping. With a bright ding, the doors opened. It was about 4:00 P.M, judging by the classes always ended at three, and it had been about an hour since he got out of Sir Auron's longsword class. He still had Firestarter in its sheath on his back, and already it seemed to become an extra limb on his arm. He'd been congratulated many times because of his fluid movement.
He walked past several stores, each one of them packed with ads and items in their windows. He came past a bright store, covered with images of swords. On the top of the cracking door, the words "Swords and Stuff" was plastered. His interest piqued, Tidus pushed open the heavy wooden door and walked in. The store was surprisingly busy, people browsing about and handling large weapons. Tidus noticed as a saleswoman walked over to him.
"Looking for anything in particular?" The woman asked. Tidus noticed a nametag that read "Melanie".
"Not really, thanks." Replied Tidus. "Just looking." The woman gave him a smile, and walked off. She was about his age. Pretty, I guess. Tidus thought to himself.
He noticed the woman was talking to her friend at the cashier, a teenaged girl as well. He wondered, not for the first time, why women would want to work in a swords store.
Same reason Yuna wanted to be a mercenary. Tidus reminded himself. He pretended not to notice the two women continue looking at him, then continue talking, then look at him again. He pretended to busy himself with a short dagger, before something interesting caught his eye. Above the glass cabinet containing knives and daggers, a poster was nailed to the wall. It read "Fighter's Competition" in bold letters at the top, with an image of two swords crossed, and text below that.
"Um, excuse me, could I get some help?" Tidus spoke, loudly enough for one of the salespeople to hear. He noticed he'd gotten some attention, several people were staring at him oddly. Why in the hell did I do that?
The woman named Melanie walked over to him, her blonde hair flowing behind her. She gave him another flirty smile, and asked him what he needed.
"What's this fighters competition thing?" Tidus question, pointing to the poster.
"I'm surprised a guy like you didn't know!" Melanie replied. She kept her brown eyes on Tidus, who felt himself blushing. "In two months, there's going to be an annual worldwide competition for fighters all over the world to come to Balamb and fight. Swords and Stuff is sponsoring it." She explained.
"Oh, I see." Tidus answered. "Is there, like, rules?"
The woman gave him a puzzled glance, then replied. "You have to be 16 years of age, with an SNS Card. You also must provide your own weapons and equipment."
"What's an SNS card?" Tidus asked.
"It's a type of ID card. You can only get it by going through some tests provided by Swords and Stuff (Tidus realized SNS stood for Swords and Stuff), which shows you are of healthy competition, and you have the ability to compete. But I bet a guy like you could do fine." The woman continued flirting. On any other time, he would have gone for her, but with Yuna on his mind (to which he had no problem with), he kept his flirting to a minimum. Sorry, 'Melanie'.
"Well, thanks." Tidus blushed. Melanie nodded, and waved, before turning and walking back to the counter.
"Too close, too close." Tidus had always been a ladies man. Ever since he was twelve, he'd gotten the girls. He'd always supposed it was just his happy personality.
He proceeded to walk out the door, and began to head left. He stayed in the city for several hours, going from store to store, He'd picked up a few supplies, mainly for his training, including some quick-healing potions from the local medicine store. (He always hated the taste of the potions. However, the rate of which they would replenish a wounded body and heal wounds was miraculous) He'd also gone back to Swords and Stuff, and bought a couple books on weapons. After that, he'd went out to a nice restaurant to eat. After finishing his meal, he went to a clothing store and bought a new jacket. It was pretty cool, reminded him of Squall's jacket somehow. He supposed it was because of the leather. It was an impulse decision, and it also didn't help that it was starting to get cold. He went to the library after this, and studied for a decent two hours.
He was about to go home after noticing it was 9:34 P.M, when he noticed Yuna sitting on a bench outside the library. She hadn't seen him, so he snuck up behind her and quickly grabbed her shoulders, startling her and causing her to gasp in shock. It was pretty dark, but he could still see her pretty features.
She turned around, before frowning playfully and speaking. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!"
Tidus laughed, before replying. "Yeah, well, you were just begging for it. What's up?"
Yuna smiled, then moved over and asked him if he wanted to sit. He accepted. "Well, I just left the library from studying, and I was..."
"Was what?" Tidus asked.
"I was... just enjoy the sight... of the sky in the dark, you know?" Yuna replied, looking at him then looking back up to see the moon, in full. "I always stop to look at the stars and the moon at night."
Tidus simply looked at her, before noticing she was wearing very light clothing (understandable, because it always got cold at night at Balamb, which happened to be right next to the Western Sea). "Aren't you cold?"
Yuna looked back at him, and replied "A little." She rubbed her hands on her arms.
"A little?" Tidus asked sarcastically.
Yuna laughed gently, before answering with a soft "Okay, I'm starting to freeze. What about you?" Tidus looked at her, and turned to fish something out of a large bag. He brought out what appeared to be a black leather jacket.
"Here," Tidus spoke. "It'll keep you warm."
Yuna took it gratefully, but asked "What about you?"
"I'm fine."
Yuna smiled, before putting the jacket on. She didn't put her hands through the sleeves, rather, using the jacket as a sort of blanket. After she had done this, Tidus noticed that one of them had moved closer. Their bodies were slightly touching. He was so absorbed in this he didn't notice too quickly as Yuna put her head on his shoulder.
"Do you mind? I'm... a little tired." Yuna asked, raising her head for a second. Tidus felt himself blushing like a little kid.
"N-no, it's... um, it's... alright." He stammered. Yuna smiled gratefully, and put her head back down. Tidus felt a bead of sweat fall off his arm.
What the hell is going on? Tidus asked himself. I've done this a million times, why am I seizing up now?! He felt his legs shivering, but whether it was the cold or Yuna, he didn't really know.
They sat there for a few long, but comfortable (for Yuna, while Tidus was on the brink of a breakdown) minutes before one of them spoke.
"What school did you go to?" Asked Yuna.
"Uh, High School?" Tidus spoke nervously. "Uh, I w-went to... Yusai Secondary. S-so did Wakka." Silently, he berated himself for being so nervous. He attempted to calm down, being successful with his first attempt. He felt his body go a little numb as butterflies began to fade from his stomach. "What about you?"
"I went through home-schooling." Yuna replied, ashamed.
"What's wrong with that?" Tidus asked. He started feeling calmer, getting used to the light weight of her head.
"Nothing, I guess." Yuna said, hesitating a bit. "My family doesn't have a lot of money."
"Mine is......... well, we're okay, I guess. My mother paid for my tuition." Tidus answered. Yuna replied with some enthusiasm.
"Wow, you must have great parents!" Yuna exclaimed. "I mean, mine are great too, but it must be......... so nice to be able to go to school, meet people, make friends."
"Well......... my mom is." Tidus answered, sighing.
"What do you mean?" Yuna asked.
"Nothing!" Tidus answered suddenly. He didn't want to tell Yuna about his jackass father.
Yuna gave him an odd look. "You know, maybe we should get going. We've been sitting her since nine-thirty."
Tidus looked up at the giant clock on the two-story library, and realized it was ten. We've been here for a half hour?! Tidus thought wildly. Time flies quickly.........
"Why don't we go on the train together?" Yuna asked. She stood up and clasped her hands together at her waist, waiting for a response.
"Uh, sure." Tidus answered. Standing up and stretching with a yawn, he quickly caught up to Yuna. They walked past a couple stores before Yuna noticed something in the Swords and Stuff store. Stopping suddenly, turning, and hurrying over to the window, she peered in with an excited gasp.
"What's up?" Tidus asked. (He also noted, thankfully, that the two women he had seen earlier must have been on their off shifts, as the two people at the counter were now men)
"They have the 'Purity' staff!" Yuna gasped in awe. "That's one of the best series of staffs for white mages!"
"Why don't we go check it out?" Tidus asked. Yuna turned around, her eyes looking down at the ground.
"There's no point..." Yuna asked. "I couldn't afford it."
"Well, let's go see it before we jump to conclusions!" Tidus asked. He tapped her arm, and walked into the store. Together, they walked over to the display case containing a dozen of the staffs. They were long, sky-blue shafts with ornate designs at the top. Each staff was different, but apparently, they worked the same.
"They enhance healing ability, and give the user additional ability to dispel enemy spells and give extra defense against them." Yuna spoke in awe, staring wide-eyed at the staffs. She looked down, and her eyes blinked once or twice, before looking unhappy. "Seven-hundred gil each..." Yuna sighed.
"Want one?" Tidus asked, pulling out his bank card.
Yuna turned to face him so quickly that her hair literally whipped around. "What?!"
"I asked if you want one. My treat." Tidus smiled, waving the dark red card.
"B-but why?" Yuna asked, her voice changing tones.
"Because, it's nice to have things you... want." Tidus answered. I wish I had you, that'd be the best.
"Well, I don't think I should..." Yuna answered. "It's your hard-earned money."
Tidus laughed, before answering "Come on, I really don't mind!" Yuna looked at him again, and Tidus encouraged her a bit more. "Besides, if we end up on the same team, I don't want you with a weak weapon now, do I? Might get us killed! Come on!" He urged.
"Oh... alright." Yuna answered. "Thank you, thank you so much!" She lightly jumped in the air once, before blushing. They had drawn some attention.
"Hey, it's no problem!" Tidus whispered. The rest of the customers continued their business. "Take one you like."
Yuna smiled, her small lips widening, showing pure white teeth. She looked, long and hard, before choosing a staff. It had an extremely intricate design at the top, so much that staring at it made Tidus dizzy. (He also noticed a faint blue aura emanating from it).
They walked to the counter, and the man behind it took Yuna's staff and typed in some numbers on a cashier. He continually looked up and down, before turning to ask Tidus some questions.
"Are you signed up for the SNS Annual Competition?" The man asked.
"Uh, no, I'm not..." Tidus answered. Yuna asked the man what the tournament was. He explained, the same explanation Tidus had received earlier from the flirty saleswoman.
"Why don't you get an SNS card?" Yuna replied. "Then you could compete!"
"Uh, I don't think I'd do too well." Tidus sighed. "Not tough enough."
"What are you talking about?" Yuna answered. "I bet you can do it!" She encouraged. It was her turn to encourage him. "Come on, try it!"
Tidus smiled sheepishly before answering. "Aw, fine. Sign me up!" The cashier man brought out an application, which Tidus promptly filled out.
"What day and time would you like to go through the tests?" Asked the man. "Also, note that you will be fighting monsters and fiends to pass the test. Any harm you may suffer does not hold Swords and Stuff responsible."
"He won't need to worry about that!" Yuna laughed softly. "He's the toughest guy I know!" (this caused Tidus to blush slightly)
"Yeah, well........." Tidus laughed. "How about Wednesday, next week?" The man nodded affirmatively, then wrote down some numbers.
"Thank you sir, be here at 5:00 P.M next Wednesday." Confirmed the man. He handed Tidus the staff, who paid, and soon enough the two were walking out the door.
"I bet you'll win!" Yuna cheered.
"Who knows?" Tidus asked. He was looking forwards when he felt an object go through the space between his arm and his ribcage. Looking down, he saw that Yuna had placed her arm there. She looked up at him, and smiled sweetly. Holy crap!
They took their time getting to the train station. The place was deserted, but thankfully, it only took a couple of minutes for a small train to get there. A green light lit up and the doors opened, allowing Yuna and Tidus to step in. Yuna sat beside a window, and Tidus soon shifted in besides her. She once again put her head on his, and with a whisper of "thank you", closed her eyes. The train doors closed.
Mattius2k04: Alright! The interests between Tidus and Yuna start heating up, and finally! And finally, some more action. Have fun!
Tidus watched as the train slowly pulled into the station at Balamb City. The brand-new line, going from Garden to Balamb City, was as smooth a ride as he had ever felt. He saw quite a few monsters along the way. Few of them looked very threatening. Most of them stay in the forests and mountains.
The train mired in the station, coming to a crawl before stopping. With a bright ding, the doors opened. It was about 4:00 P.M, judging by the classes always ended at three, and it had been about an hour since he got out of Sir Auron's longsword class. He still had Firestarter in its sheath on his back, and already it seemed to become an extra limb on his arm. He'd been congratulated many times because of his fluid movement.
He walked past several stores, each one of them packed with ads and items in their windows. He came past a bright store, covered with images of swords. On the top of the cracking door, the words "Swords and Stuff" was plastered. His interest piqued, Tidus pushed open the heavy wooden door and walked in. The store was surprisingly busy, people browsing about and handling large weapons. Tidus noticed as a saleswoman walked over to him.
"Looking for anything in particular?" The woman asked. Tidus noticed a nametag that read "Melanie".
"Not really, thanks." Replied Tidus. "Just looking." The woman gave him a smile, and walked off. She was about his age. Pretty, I guess. Tidus thought to himself.
He noticed the woman was talking to her friend at the cashier, a teenaged girl as well. He wondered, not for the first time, why women would want to work in a swords store.
Same reason Yuna wanted to be a mercenary. Tidus reminded himself. He pretended not to notice the two women continue looking at him, then continue talking, then look at him again. He pretended to busy himself with a short dagger, before something interesting caught his eye. Above the glass cabinet containing knives and daggers, a poster was nailed to the wall. It read "Fighter's Competition" in bold letters at the top, with an image of two swords crossed, and text below that.
"Um, excuse me, could I get some help?" Tidus spoke, loudly enough for one of the salespeople to hear. He noticed he'd gotten some attention, several people were staring at him oddly. Why in the hell did I do that?
The woman named Melanie walked over to him, her blonde hair flowing behind her. She gave him another flirty smile, and asked him what he needed.
"What's this fighters competition thing?" Tidus question, pointing to the poster.
"I'm surprised a guy like you didn't know!" Melanie replied. She kept her brown eyes on Tidus, who felt himself blushing. "In two months, there's going to be an annual worldwide competition for fighters all over the world to come to Balamb and fight. Swords and Stuff is sponsoring it." She explained.
"Oh, I see." Tidus answered. "Is there, like, rules?"
The woman gave him a puzzled glance, then replied. "You have to be 16 years of age, with an SNS Card. You also must provide your own weapons and equipment."
"What's an SNS card?" Tidus asked.
"It's a type of ID card. You can only get it by going through some tests provided by Swords and Stuff (Tidus realized SNS stood for Swords and Stuff), which shows you are of healthy competition, and you have the ability to compete. But I bet a guy like you could do fine." The woman continued flirting. On any other time, he would have gone for her, but with Yuna on his mind (to which he had no problem with), he kept his flirting to a minimum. Sorry, 'Melanie'.
"Well, thanks." Tidus blushed. Melanie nodded, and waved, before turning and walking back to the counter.
"Too close, too close." Tidus had always been a ladies man. Ever since he was twelve, he'd gotten the girls. He'd always supposed it was just his happy personality.
He proceeded to walk out the door, and began to head left. He stayed in the city for several hours, going from store to store, He'd picked up a few supplies, mainly for his training, including some quick-healing potions from the local medicine store. (He always hated the taste of the potions. However, the rate of which they would replenish a wounded body and heal wounds was miraculous) He'd also gone back to Swords and Stuff, and bought a couple books on weapons. After that, he'd went out to a nice restaurant to eat. After finishing his meal, he went to a clothing store and bought a new jacket. It was pretty cool, reminded him of Squall's jacket somehow. He supposed it was because of the leather. It was an impulse decision, and it also didn't help that it was starting to get cold. He went to the library after this, and studied for a decent two hours.
He was about to go home after noticing it was 9:34 P.M, when he noticed Yuna sitting on a bench outside the library. She hadn't seen him, so he snuck up behind her and quickly grabbed her shoulders, startling her and causing her to gasp in shock. It was pretty dark, but he could still see her pretty features.
She turned around, before frowning playfully and speaking. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!"
Tidus laughed, before replying. "Yeah, well, you were just begging for it. What's up?"
Yuna smiled, then moved over and asked him if he wanted to sit. He accepted. "Well, I just left the library from studying, and I was..."
"Was what?" Tidus asked.
"I was... just enjoy the sight... of the sky in the dark, you know?" Yuna replied, looking at him then looking back up to see the moon, in full. "I always stop to look at the stars and the moon at night."
Tidus simply looked at her, before noticing she was wearing very light clothing (understandable, because it always got cold at night at Balamb, which happened to be right next to the Western Sea). "Aren't you cold?"
Yuna looked back at him, and replied "A little." She rubbed her hands on her arms.
"A little?" Tidus asked sarcastically.
Yuna laughed gently, before answering with a soft "Okay, I'm starting to freeze. What about you?" Tidus looked at her, and turned to fish something out of a large bag. He brought out what appeared to be a black leather jacket.
"Here," Tidus spoke. "It'll keep you warm."
Yuna took it gratefully, but asked "What about you?"
"I'm fine."
Yuna smiled, before putting the jacket on. She didn't put her hands through the sleeves, rather, using the jacket as a sort of blanket. After she had done this, Tidus noticed that one of them had moved closer. Their bodies were slightly touching. He was so absorbed in this he didn't notice too quickly as Yuna put her head on his shoulder.
"Do you mind? I'm... a little tired." Yuna asked, raising her head for a second. Tidus felt himself blushing like a little kid.
"N-no, it's... um, it's... alright." He stammered. Yuna smiled gratefully, and put her head back down. Tidus felt a bead of sweat fall off his arm.
What the hell is going on? Tidus asked himself. I've done this a million times, why am I seizing up now?! He felt his legs shivering, but whether it was the cold or Yuna, he didn't really know.
They sat there for a few long, but comfortable (for Yuna, while Tidus was on the brink of a breakdown) minutes before one of them spoke.
"What school did you go to?" Asked Yuna.
"Uh, High School?" Tidus spoke nervously. "Uh, I w-went to... Yusai Secondary. S-so did Wakka." Silently, he berated himself for being so nervous. He attempted to calm down, being successful with his first attempt. He felt his body go a little numb as butterflies began to fade from his stomach. "What about you?"
"I went through home-schooling." Yuna replied, ashamed.
"What's wrong with that?" Tidus asked. He started feeling calmer, getting used to the light weight of her head.
"Nothing, I guess." Yuna said, hesitating a bit. "My family doesn't have a lot of money."
"Mine is......... well, we're okay, I guess. My mother paid for my tuition." Tidus answered. Yuna replied with some enthusiasm.
"Wow, you must have great parents!" Yuna exclaimed. "I mean, mine are great too, but it must be......... so nice to be able to go to school, meet people, make friends."
"Well......... my mom is." Tidus answered, sighing.
"What do you mean?" Yuna asked.
"Nothing!" Tidus answered suddenly. He didn't want to tell Yuna about his jackass father.
Yuna gave him an odd look. "You know, maybe we should get going. We've been sitting her since nine-thirty."
Tidus looked up at the giant clock on the two-story library, and realized it was ten. We've been here for a half hour?! Tidus thought wildly. Time flies quickly.........
"Why don't we go on the train together?" Yuna asked. She stood up and clasped her hands together at her waist, waiting for a response.
"Uh, sure." Tidus answered. Standing up and stretching with a yawn, he quickly caught up to Yuna. They walked past a couple stores before Yuna noticed something in the Swords and Stuff store. Stopping suddenly, turning, and hurrying over to the window, she peered in with an excited gasp.
"What's up?" Tidus asked. (He also noted, thankfully, that the two women he had seen earlier must have been on their off shifts, as the two people at the counter were now men)
"They have the 'Purity' staff!" Yuna gasped in awe. "That's one of the best series of staffs for white mages!"
"Why don't we go check it out?" Tidus asked. Yuna turned around, her eyes looking down at the ground.
"There's no point..." Yuna asked. "I couldn't afford it."
"Well, let's go see it before we jump to conclusions!" Tidus asked. He tapped her arm, and walked into the store. Together, they walked over to the display case containing a dozen of the staffs. They were long, sky-blue shafts with ornate designs at the top. Each staff was different, but apparently, they worked the same.
"They enhance healing ability, and give the user additional ability to dispel enemy spells and give extra defense against them." Yuna spoke in awe, staring wide-eyed at the staffs. She looked down, and her eyes blinked once or twice, before looking unhappy. "Seven-hundred gil each..." Yuna sighed.
"Want one?" Tidus asked, pulling out his bank card.
Yuna turned to face him so quickly that her hair literally whipped around. "What?!"
"I asked if you want one. My treat." Tidus smiled, waving the dark red card.
"B-but why?" Yuna asked, her voice changing tones.
"Because, it's nice to have things you... want." Tidus answered. I wish I had you, that'd be the best.
"Well, I don't think I should..." Yuna answered. "It's your hard-earned money."
Tidus laughed, before answering "Come on, I really don't mind!" Yuna looked at him again, and Tidus encouraged her a bit more. "Besides, if we end up on the same team, I don't want you with a weak weapon now, do I? Might get us killed! Come on!" He urged.
"Oh... alright." Yuna answered. "Thank you, thank you so much!" She lightly jumped in the air once, before blushing. They had drawn some attention.
"Hey, it's no problem!" Tidus whispered. The rest of the customers continued their business. "Take one you like."
Yuna smiled, her small lips widening, showing pure white teeth. She looked, long and hard, before choosing a staff. It had an extremely intricate design at the top, so much that staring at it made Tidus dizzy. (He also noticed a faint blue aura emanating from it).
They walked to the counter, and the man behind it took Yuna's staff and typed in some numbers on a cashier. He continually looked up and down, before turning to ask Tidus some questions.
"Are you signed up for the SNS Annual Competition?" The man asked.
"Uh, no, I'm not..." Tidus answered. Yuna asked the man what the tournament was. He explained, the same explanation Tidus had received earlier from the flirty saleswoman.
"Why don't you get an SNS card?" Yuna replied. "Then you could compete!"
"Uh, I don't think I'd do too well." Tidus sighed. "Not tough enough."
"What are you talking about?" Yuna answered. "I bet you can do it!" She encouraged. It was her turn to encourage him. "Come on, try it!"
Tidus smiled sheepishly before answering. "Aw, fine. Sign me up!" The cashier man brought out an application, which Tidus promptly filled out.
"What day and time would you like to go through the tests?" Asked the man. "Also, note that you will be fighting monsters and fiends to pass the test. Any harm you may suffer does not hold Swords and Stuff responsible."
"He won't need to worry about that!" Yuna laughed softly. "He's the toughest guy I know!" (this caused Tidus to blush slightly)
"Yeah, well........." Tidus laughed. "How about Wednesday, next week?" The man nodded affirmatively, then wrote down some numbers.
"Thank you sir, be here at 5:00 P.M next Wednesday." Confirmed the man. He handed Tidus the staff, who paid, and soon enough the two were walking out the door.
"I bet you'll win!" Yuna cheered.
"Who knows?" Tidus asked. He was looking forwards when he felt an object go through the space between his arm and his ribcage. Looking down, he saw that Yuna had placed her arm there. She looked up at him, and smiled sweetly. Holy crap!
They took their time getting to the train station. The place was deserted, but thankfully, it only took a couple of minutes for a small train to get there. A green light lit up and the doors opened, allowing Yuna and Tidus to step in. Yuna sat beside a window, and Tidus soon shifted in besides her. She once again put her head on his, and with a whisper of "thank you", closed her eyes. The train doors closed.
