Disclaimer: Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2, Spira, blitzball, and all related characters and locations are owned by Squaresoft, with the exception of a few original characters who will be noted as such. This is a work of fanfiction, meaning that it is both created by a fan for no purpose other than entertainment, and it is fiction, meaning that all characters and events are purely fictonal and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
I promise the Bikanel connection will start to make sense right about...now. I think there's an unwritten rule that you're not allowed to sue the author before the back-of-the-book blurb even makes sense.
Author's Note: The narrator of this story is Al Bhed, and some dialogue and idiomatic phrases have not been translated into English. Translations of all Al Bhed phrases can be found at the end of the chapter in which they appear.
Green Eyes Plays Dress-Up
by flame mage
spherechange 4: Flash of Steel
**********
We made it down the length of Mushroom Rock Road without incident. There were a ton of fiends crawling around everywhere, but most of them kept their distance from Miyu and her big, scary sword. The biggest problem we had to deal with was the multitude of adoring underlings that kept swarming around us--I got the feeling that Miyu was a pretty big-deal officer in her own right, not to mention the added benefit of my celebrity. I was pretty popular around here too. Finally, we made it to the lift, and a pinkish (I swear this was my only impression of her at the time) woman who was apparently called Elma motioned us through.
I hadn't seen Youth League HQ when it was Crusader HQ during Operation Mi'ihen, but Miyu told me it hadn't really changed much. It actually wasn't that different from a military version of Besaid Village--a tent city, and the main command building was located where the temple would be in Besaid. The centerpiece of the town. It even had the little kids running around, except here they were swinging swords at each other. Oh, and there were people in uniform everywhere, hefting dangerous-looking weapons. Fun place.
"Commander Lucil!" Miyu called as soon as we were within earshot of the redhead standing outside the command building. Both of them thumped their chests with their fists, which I figured must be the neo-Crusader version of the Yevon/blitz bow. "Linna is a new recruit. Request permission to bring her to the Mevyn."
Lucil's eyes widened slightly as she sized me up. "The Mevyn...well, he doesn't have any meetings going on now. Bring her up, Officer."
"Thank you!" Miyu saluted again and half-dragged me past Lucil and into the building. "All right," she whispered, "I know this might be difficult for you, but just try not to act like a troublemaker."
"I'll be on my best behavior," I muttered back.
"Good." She strode toward the center of the building. "Mevyn Nooj!" she called.
"Come in," a voice called back. We pushed through the door into what I assumed was Nooj's office. A woman was sitting with her back to us at a desk inside, pouring over the maps on the table. She turned to face us, and I realized that she was actually a he--with hair that was longer by a foot or two than I was tall. He had broad, muscular shoulders, but what I noticed was the metallic leg. Machina prosthesis? Those were still in the experimental stages and cost a fortune. This guy must have paid...well...an arm and a leg.
"Ah, so we've been graced by a visit from the famous Linna. I wondered how long it'd take," he greeted us. "The two of you made good time. I was only informed of the incident a few minutes ago."
"Our apologies, Mevyn," Miyu answered him. "Conflict was not our intention. The New Yevon upstarts have been repelled, but the gate has been lost."
"The gate's not important," he replied, waving a hand. "The conflict is. While I admire your courage, Linna, your celebrity combined with your bad temper may mean that we can't use you at Mushroom Rock. The Yevonites are, as always, blunt, but their assessment of you as a firebrand is essentially correct."
Hastily, I began, "Nooj, I--"
"Let me finish." He held up a hand for silence. "However, my policy is that the Youth League should not turn away anyone who is willing to work for its cause. I think I know a way you can provide invaluable service for us." He turned to Miyu. "Officer, go ask Commander Lucil if Gippal is still here."
Gippal? Oh, no. Maybe there was more than one.
"Sir!" Miyu saluted and left.
I stood there awkwardly, cracking my knuckles and shifting my weight around and fervently praying that there had to be some Gippal other than the one I was thinking of. "All right, Linna," Nooj continued, motioning for me to have a seat in one of the chairs opposite his desk and interrupting my thoughts while he was at it, "what do you know about the Machine Faction?"
I chose my words carefully. "They're an Al Bhed group at Djose Temple. Machina researchers. Aren't they developing weapons for you?"
"They will be in a few minutes if all goes according to plan, but as of now, they're an independent group. They may produce weapons for both the Youth League and New Yevon before the conflict is over," he replied. "Ahh, Gippal, come in."
I looked over at the door. Tysh; of course there was only one Gippal. Still wearing the same fancy outfit, still sporting the macho eyepatch over one spiraled green eye, still with the same smirk planted on his face. He hadn't changed a bit since I was six and he'd tried to kiss me in the sandbox at the playground. I'd been almost flattered for about five minutes--the time his lust for me lasted before he kissed Naida. Still a six-year-old Casanova, after all this time.
"Have a seat," Nooj offered the two of them. Miyu took the chair to my right, putting herself as far away from Gippal as possible. I could tell from the sour expression on her face that he hadn't been above trying to use his charms on her, too. I shook my head.
Mr. Smooth slid into the seat on my left. "Hey there, Linna. It's been too long, don't you think?"
"Eternity wouldn't be long enough, mucan," I spat back.
Nooj coughed. "Gippal, how is the development phase going?"
"It's pretty lousy, to tell you the truth," Gippal replied, suddenly all business--at least, as close as the perpetually-casual Gippal ever got. "We need parts that we just don't have. Our scouts are telling me that we could probably dig up the stuff we need on Bikanel, so we set up a digging operation there. Only problem is, we don't have anyone to head it."
"Hmm." Nooj was looking at me thoughtfully. "Linna, what do you know about digging?"
"Oh, no." I raised both thick yellow gloves and waved them back and forth at him to indicate that I didn't want any part of this one. "I'm a blitzer, guys. I'm really not big on the whole sandbox thing--ever since I met you," I snapped for Gippal's benefit.
He spread his own hands and flashed me his best cute smile. "Aw, c'mon, Linna. I think it's the perfect job for you. The whole thing's already all set up; all you have to do is be bossy, and I know you're good at that. Your best buddy Naida's already in charge of registering dig candidates."
"You're kidding me!" I screeched. Please, no job where I had to tolerate both Naida *and* Gippal. The Al Bhed don't even believe in a hell, but I was starting to think I was in it. "Miyu, you're gonna let them ship me back to Bikanel?"
She blinked. "You're the one who said you wanted to help the Youth League. Once your friend here has the parts he needs, I assume the Youth League will have the first chance to bid on the technology before he opens it up to the New Yevonites as well...?"
"She's as shrewd as she is beautiful. I like it," Gippal beamed. "What about it, Nooj? Do we have a deal?"
Nooj rubbed his forehead wearily. "She's too well-known. Even in the middle of nowhere, people will recognize her."
"No sweat," the Al Bhed told him. "I can hook her up with a fake ID in no time. What do you think, Miyu?" he asked, framing my face with his hands like a cameraman. "She look like a 'Nhadala' to you?"
"How soon could you get her out there?" Miyu asked sternly, trying to keep the playboy on task.
"Well, we'd have to do it right away, am I right? You need her sparking riots around here like you need a hole in your head. Besides, the sooner we can start production, the better. I've got a feeling you guys are gonna need some heavy artillery in the next couple weeks."
"He has a point," Nooj decided. "All right, Gippal. Say we do this now. How are we going to get her out there without causing a fuss?"
Gippal's answer was immediate. "Airship. I'm not touching the Celsius, but the one Cid used two years ago when they were fighting Sin is still in top shape. What time is it now, six o' clock? Hell, she could be settled in with eight hours of shut-eye by tomorrow morning."
The Mevyn nodded. "All right, Gippal. I trust you. Make it happen."
"You got it, captain." Gippal stood up. "Okay, Nhadala, you're coming with me."
"Dra ramm E ys," I snapped back. "Drec ech'd jumihdaanecs; ed'c y tnyvd!"
"Aqyldmo, cfaadraynd." Gippal's smirk was the widest I'd ever seen it and he started talking in Al Bhed that was just as rapid-fire as mine. Miyu and Nooj were totally bewildered. "Frelr sayhc dryd oui tuh'd ryja y lruela. Huf, oui lyh cdyht ib mega y myto yht kad uh dra airship dryd E's kuehk du ryja rana eh ypuid dah sehidac, un oui lyh syga y pek vicc yht E'mm ryja du lynno oui uid putemo. Yht dryd'mm pa aspynyccehk vun oui yht suna vih vun sa dryh E's cina oui fyhd sa du ryja, cu fro tuh'd oui tu ic ymm y vyjun yht kad uh fedr ed ymnayto?"
"Oui ufa sa pekdesa," I hissed at him, and went.
*****
The airship ride was a brief but revolting experience. Because no one, not even the pilot, was allowed to know what kind of cargo the ship was carrying, I had to sit in the same aft cabin I'd spent three days moping in a couple years back. Actually, I wouldn't've minded cooping myself up in there and moping for a little while longer, but this time the trip was even worse--I had to share the cabin with Gippal, who was in an absolutely brilliant mood and was spending all his time being obnoxiously effervescent. And hitting on me.
"It's too bad we don't have time to pick you up some desert gear before we head out," he chattered. I was slouched in the corner, chin balanced in one rebellious hand, glaring at the wall. "Oh, well. You'll just have to tell people you're a big fan of Linna or something--I'm sure you can lie without too much trouble. You've always been a little con artist."
"The airship uses Linna Locks," I shot back in a monotone, referring to the special type of lock Rin had developed when I was a kid to try to prevent me from picking them. Didn't work then, doesn't work now.
"So does our base of operations at Djose Temple. Isn't it nice to be appreciated?"
"How would you know? The last person to appreciate you was probably your own mother--actually, probably not; you were like this as a kid too," I retorted.
"Okay, we can stop this now and you can learn something about the place you're going to spend your life until further notice, or we can keep insulting each other in circles until I drop you off in the middle of nowhere. Choice is yours, sweetheart," he told me.
If there's one thing I hate about Gippal--aside from the arrogance, the incessant flirting, and his steadfast belief that he is Yevon's gift to mankind--it's his ability to be irritatingly logical about getting you to do something stupid. I scowled and motioned for him to get on with it.
"All right then. Our scouting team has divided the Sanubia Desert into five regions: the Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Central Expanses. Not all of them are currently being excavated, but the people there can tell you about that better than I can. As we speak, your camp is set up in the Southern Expanse, near the Oasis."
"Where was Home located?" I wanted to know.
He snorted in irritation to let me know that this was a stupid question. "We're not entirely sure yet, but my bet is the Central Expanse. Makes sense, doesn't it, considering that Home was in the MIDDLE OF THE FREAKIN' DESERT."
I went Naaga for a second and kicked him. "No need to get snippy with me, buster; I'm doin' *your* job here."
"Gotcha. As I was saying, the Djose arm of the dig is supplying you with recruits and as many tools and other supplies as we can. In return, you're going to ship us all the machina parts and other valuable finds you come up with. This exchange will be conducted via the long-range hover which will arrive twice a week. I'm not sure what else you'll find, but you and the diggers can split up whatever isn't important to us. And this," he concluded, sweeping an arm out around the empty cabin as the airship descended swiftly and ground to a halt, "is your stop, Madame."
**********
Translations:
mucan - loser
"Dra ramm E ys. Drec ech'd jumihdaanecs; ed'c y tnyvd!" - "The hell I am. This isn't volunteerism; it's a draft!"
"Aqyldmo, cfaadraynd. Frelr sayhc dryd oui tuh'd ryja y lruela. Huf, oui lyh cdyht ib mega y myto yht kad uh dra airship dryd E's kuehk du ryja rana eh ypuid dah sehidac, un oui lyh syga y pek vicc yht E'mm ryja du lynno oui uid putemo. Yht dryd'mm pa aspynyccehk vun oui yht suna vih vun sa dryh E's cina oui fyhd sa du ryja, cu fro tuh'd oui tu ic ymm y vyjun yht kad uh fedr ed ymnayto?" - "Exactly, sweetheart. Which means that you don't have a choice. Now, you can stand up like a lady and get on the airship that I'm going to have here in about ten minutes, or you can make a big fuss and I'll have to carry you out bodily. And that'll be embarassing for you and more fun for me than I'm sure you want me to have, so why don't you do us all a favor and get on with it already?"
"Oui ufa sa pekdesa." - "You owe me bigtime."
I promise the Bikanel connection will start to make sense right about...now. I think there's an unwritten rule that you're not allowed to sue the author before the back-of-the-book blurb even makes sense.
Author's Note: The narrator of this story is Al Bhed, and some dialogue and idiomatic phrases have not been translated into English. Translations of all Al Bhed phrases can be found at the end of the chapter in which they appear.
Green Eyes Plays Dress-Up
by flame mage
spherechange 4: Flash of Steel
**********
We made it down the length of Mushroom Rock Road without incident. There were a ton of fiends crawling around everywhere, but most of them kept their distance from Miyu and her big, scary sword. The biggest problem we had to deal with was the multitude of adoring underlings that kept swarming around us--I got the feeling that Miyu was a pretty big-deal officer in her own right, not to mention the added benefit of my celebrity. I was pretty popular around here too. Finally, we made it to the lift, and a pinkish (I swear this was my only impression of her at the time) woman who was apparently called Elma motioned us through.
I hadn't seen Youth League HQ when it was Crusader HQ during Operation Mi'ihen, but Miyu told me it hadn't really changed much. It actually wasn't that different from a military version of Besaid Village--a tent city, and the main command building was located where the temple would be in Besaid. The centerpiece of the town. It even had the little kids running around, except here they were swinging swords at each other. Oh, and there were people in uniform everywhere, hefting dangerous-looking weapons. Fun place.
"Commander Lucil!" Miyu called as soon as we were within earshot of the redhead standing outside the command building. Both of them thumped their chests with their fists, which I figured must be the neo-Crusader version of the Yevon/blitz bow. "Linna is a new recruit. Request permission to bring her to the Mevyn."
Lucil's eyes widened slightly as she sized me up. "The Mevyn...well, he doesn't have any meetings going on now. Bring her up, Officer."
"Thank you!" Miyu saluted again and half-dragged me past Lucil and into the building. "All right," she whispered, "I know this might be difficult for you, but just try not to act like a troublemaker."
"I'll be on my best behavior," I muttered back.
"Good." She strode toward the center of the building. "Mevyn Nooj!" she called.
"Come in," a voice called back. We pushed through the door into what I assumed was Nooj's office. A woman was sitting with her back to us at a desk inside, pouring over the maps on the table. She turned to face us, and I realized that she was actually a he--with hair that was longer by a foot or two than I was tall. He had broad, muscular shoulders, but what I noticed was the metallic leg. Machina prosthesis? Those were still in the experimental stages and cost a fortune. This guy must have paid...well...an arm and a leg.
"Ah, so we've been graced by a visit from the famous Linna. I wondered how long it'd take," he greeted us. "The two of you made good time. I was only informed of the incident a few minutes ago."
"Our apologies, Mevyn," Miyu answered him. "Conflict was not our intention. The New Yevon upstarts have been repelled, but the gate has been lost."
"The gate's not important," he replied, waving a hand. "The conflict is. While I admire your courage, Linna, your celebrity combined with your bad temper may mean that we can't use you at Mushroom Rock. The Yevonites are, as always, blunt, but their assessment of you as a firebrand is essentially correct."
Hastily, I began, "Nooj, I--"
"Let me finish." He held up a hand for silence. "However, my policy is that the Youth League should not turn away anyone who is willing to work for its cause. I think I know a way you can provide invaluable service for us." He turned to Miyu. "Officer, go ask Commander Lucil if Gippal is still here."
Gippal? Oh, no. Maybe there was more than one.
"Sir!" Miyu saluted and left.
I stood there awkwardly, cracking my knuckles and shifting my weight around and fervently praying that there had to be some Gippal other than the one I was thinking of. "All right, Linna," Nooj continued, motioning for me to have a seat in one of the chairs opposite his desk and interrupting my thoughts while he was at it, "what do you know about the Machine Faction?"
I chose my words carefully. "They're an Al Bhed group at Djose Temple. Machina researchers. Aren't they developing weapons for you?"
"They will be in a few minutes if all goes according to plan, but as of now, they're an independent group. They may produce weapons for both the Youth League and New Yevon before the conflict is over," he replied. "Ahh, Gippal, come in."
I looked over at the door. Tysh; of course there was only one Gippal. Still wearing the same fancy outfit, still sporting the macho eyepatch over one spiraled green eye, still with the same smirk planted on his face. He hadn't changed a bit since I was six and he'd tried to kiss me in the sandbox at the playground. I'd been almost flattered for about five minutes--the time his lust for me lasted before he kissed Naida. Still a six-year-old Casanova, after all this time.
"Have a seat," Nooj offered the two of them. Miyu took the chair to my right, putting herself as far away from Gippal as possible. I could tell from the sour expression on her face that he hadn't been above trying to use his charms on her, too. I shook my head.
Mr. Smooth slid into the seat on my left. "Hey there, Linna. It's been too long, don't you think?"
"Eternity wouldn't be long enough, mucan," I spat back.
Nooj coughed. "Gippal, how is the development phase going?"
"It's pretty lousy, to tell you the truth," Gippal replied, suddenly all business--at least, as close as the perpetually-casual Gippal ever got. "We need parts that we just don't have. Our scouts are telling me that we could probably dig up the stuff we need on Bikanel, so we set up a digging operation there. Only problem is, we don't have anyone to head it."
"Hmm." Nooj was looking at me thoughtfully. "Linna, what do you know about digging?"
"Oh, no." I raised both thick yellow gloves and waved them back and forth at him to indicate that I didn't want any part of this one. "I'm a blitzer, guys. I'm really not big on the whole sandbox thing--ever since I met you," I snapped for Gippal's benefit.
He spread his own hands and flashed me his best cute smile. "Aw, c'mon, Linna. I think it's the perfect job for you. The whole thing's already all set up; all you have to do is be bossy, and I know you're good at that. Your best buddy Naida's already in charge of registering dig candidates."
"You're kidding me!" I screeched. Please, no job where I had to tolerate both Naida *and* Gippal. The Al Bhed don't even believe in a hell, but I was starting to think I was in it. "Miyu, you're gonna let them ship me back to Bikanel?"
She blinked. "You're the one who said you wanted to help the Youth League. Once your friend here has the parts he needs, I assume the Youth League will have the first chance to bid on the technology before he opens it up to the New Yevonites as well...?"
"She's as shrewd as she is beautiful. I like it," Gippal beamed. "What about it, Nooj? Do we have a deal?"
Nooj rubbed his forehead wearily. "She's too well-known. Even in the middle of nowhere, people will recognize her."
"No sweat," the Al Bhed told him. "I can hook her up with a fake ID in no time. What do you think, Miyu?" he asked, framing my face with his hands like a cameraman. "She look like a 'Nhadala' to you?"
"How soon could you get her out there?" Miyu asked sternly, trying to keep the playboy on task.
"Well, we'd have to do it right away, am I right? You need her sparking riots around here like you need a hole in your head. Besides, the sooner we can start production, the better. I've got a feeling you guys are gonna need some heavy artillery in the next couple weeks."
"He has a point," Nooj decided. "All right, Gippal. Say we do this now. How are we going to get her out there without causing a fuss?"
Gippal's answer was immediate. "Airship. I'm not touching the Celsius, but the one Cid used two years ago when they were fighting Sin is still in top shape. What time is it now, six o' clock? Hell, she could be settled in with eight hours of shut-eye by tomorrow morning."
The Mevyn nodded. "All right, Gippal. I trust you. Make it happen."
"You got it, captain." Gippal stood up. "Okay, Nhadala, you're coming with me."
"Dra ramm E ys," I snapped back. "Drec ech'd jumihdaanecs; ed'c y tnyvd!"
"Aqyldmo, cfaadraynd." Gippal's smirk was the widest I'd ever seen it and he started talking in Al Bhed that was just as rapid-fire as mine. Miyu and Nooj were totally bewildered. "Frelr sayhc dryd oui tuh'd ryja y lruela. Huf, oui lyh cdyht ib mega y myto yht kad uh dra airship dryd E's kuehk du ryja rana eh ypuid dah sehidac, un oui lyh syga y pek vicc yht E'mm ryja du lynno oui uid putemo. Yht dryd'mm pa aspynyccehk vun oui yht suna vih vun sa dryh E's cina oui fyhd sa du ryja, cu fro tuh'd oui tu ic ymm y vyjun yht kad uh fedr ed ymnayto?"
"Oui ufa sa pekdesa," I hissed at him, and went.
*****
The airship ride was a brief but revolting experience. Because no one, not even the pilot, was allowed to know what kind of cargo the ship was carrying, I had to sit in the same aft cabin I'd spent three days moping in a couple years back. Actually, I wouldn't've minded cooping myself up in there and moping for a little while longer, but this time the trip was even worse--I had to share the cabin with Gippal, who was in an absolutely brilliant mood and was spending all his time being obnoxiously effervescent. And hitting on me.
"It's too bad we don't have time to pick you up some desert gear before we head out," he chattered. I was slouched in the corner, chin balanced in one rebellious hand, glaring at the wall. "Oh, well. You'll just have to tell people you're a big fan of Linna or something--I'm sure you can lie without too much trouble. You've always been a little con artist."
"The airship uses Linna Locks," I shot back in a monotone, referring to the special type of lock Rin had developed when I was a kid to try to prevent me from picking them. Didn't work then, doesn't work now.
"So does our base of operations at Djose Temple. Isn't it nice to be appreciated?"
"How would you know? The last person to appreciate you was probably your own mother--actually, probably not; you were like this as a kid too," I retorted.
"Okay, we can stop this now and you can learn something about the place you're going to spend your life until further notice, or we can keep insulting each other in circles until I drop you off in the middle of nowhere. Choice is yours, sweetheart," he told me.
If there's one thing I hate about Gippal--aside from the arrogance, the incessant flirting, and his steadfast belief that he is Yevon's gift to mankind--it's his ability to be irritatingly logical about getting you to do something stupid. I scowled and motioned for him to get on with it.
"All right then. Our scouting team has divided the Sanubia Desert into five regions: the Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Central Expanses. Not all of them are currently being excavated, but the people there can tell you about that better than I can. As we speak, your camp is set up in the Southern Expanse, near the Oasis."
"Where was Home located?" I wanted to know.
He snorted in irritation to let me know that this was a stupid question. "We're not entirely sure yet, but my bet is the Central Expanse. Makes sense, doesn't it, considering that Home was in the MIDDLE OF THE FREAKIN' DESERT."
I went Naaga for a second and kicked him. "No need to get snippy with me, buster; I'm doin' *your* job here."
"Gotcha. As I was saying, the Djose arm of the dig is supplying you with recruits and as many tools and other supplies as we can. In return, you're going to ship us all the machina parts and other valuable finds you come up with. This exchange will be conducted via the long-range hover which will arrive twice a week. I'm not sure what else you'll find, but you and the diggers can split up whatever isn't important to us. And this," he concluded, sweeping an arm out around the empty cabin as the airship descended swiftly and ground to a halt, "is your stop, Madame."
**********
Translations:
mucan - loser
"Dra ramm E ys. Drec ech'd jumihdaanecs; ed'c y tnyvd!" - "The hell I am. This isn't volunteerism; it's a draft!"
"Aqyldmo, cfaadraynd. Frelr sayhc dryd oui tuh'd ryja y lruela. Huf, oui lyh cdyht ib mega y myto yht kad uh dra airship dryd E's kuehk du ryja rana eh ypuid dah sehidac, un oui lyh syga y pek vicc yht E'mm ryja du lynno oui uid putemo. Yht dryd'mm pa aspynyccehk vun oui yht suna vih vun sa dryh E's cina oui fyhd sa du ryja, cu fro tuh'd oui tu ic ymm y vyjun yht kad uh fedr ed ymnayto?" - "Exactly, sweetheart. Which means that you don't have a choice. Now, you can stand up like a lady and get on the airship that I'm going to have here in about ten minutes, or you can make a big fuss and I'll have to carry you out bodily. And that'll be embarassing for you and more fun for me than I'm sure you want me to have, so why don't you do us all a favor and get on with it already?"
"Oui ufa sa pekdesa." - "You owe me bigtime."