Chapter 3: So Sad to Say
The morning was like any other in Kilika. A menagerie of birds in the forest introduced the sun to the town with their enchanting melodies. Its rays, a rainbow-like play of colors, crept through the bedroom window in silence blanketing the room brightly. Rikku slept soundly on her back, her hair tossed haphazardly over the pile of oversized pillows. Hogging up the entire bed, Rikku's arms were outstretched and her mouth agape; a small trickle of drool escaped out of the corner of it, splashing the edge of a pillow that had been soaked by previous drops.
As the morning progressed, the sun morphed into a spotlight for a night game in Luca, fixating its beam right on the snoring girl's face. In reaction to the bright light, Rikku covered her head with the pillow and waited for her eyes to adjust properly.
Emerging from the comforting darkness of the pillow, she gazed up at the ceiling, not seeing the familiar cracks and holes she was used to seeing in her bedroom in Djose. She sat up abruptly and looked around the room, recognizing nothing and growing increasingly scared. Her eyes met with a photo sitting on the bedside table to the right of her. It was a picture of Baralai and Paine from one of the many bonfires they've thrown since the defeat of Vegnagun three years previous. Pangs of fear shot through her body as she tried to piece together the events from the night before. She put a hand to her head, it pounded in quick pulses from her temples to her brain and she groaned in distress.
"What am I doing in this room?" Rikku asked herself, clenching the wrinkled sheets and comforter she was wrapped up in. Looking down at her body, Rikku heaved a sigh of relief at the fact she still had her clothes from last night on.
"I'm clothed at least, but whose room is this? Paine's?" She scanned the room to see if anything belonged to the former gull wing. "Poopie, I don't see anything that looks even remotely like Paine's." It was then she noticed an item thrown randomly over a chair in the corner: a robe that looked like it belonged to someone from the temple in Bevelle. Rikku let out a shrill scream thinking about all of the possibilities from the night before.
From outside the door, Rikku heard the sound of a pan drop, and metal meeting the floor with a loud crash. She then heard footsteps hurriedly making their way towards the room she was in. The knob turned slowly, and Baralai stuck his head in with his eyes closed.
"Are you decent?" he asked, retracting his head behind the door safely like a turtle escaping from a predator.
Rikku bundled up the blankets close to her and called for him to come in. He stood in the doorway, fidgeting and looking concerned.
"Is something wrong?" Baralai inquired, his cheeks a little red from the vision of Rikku sitting in his bed. He was wearing his praetor's robe but he had a blue apron over top it, with several stains embellished on it from the contents of the pan he dropped. She was a little embarrassed as well, and she habitually bit her lip and looked to the floor. She was afraid to ask him what happened the night before, but she knew she would feel much better if she did.
Rikku patted the messy blankets inviting Baralai to sit down next to her. He treaded nervously toward the king sized bed and reluctantly sat down, but at the very edge. He looked at her in wonder at what she was thinking just then. Before he could ask, she spoke up finally, her hands to her face as she rubbed it awkwardly.
"What happened last night?" She asked, her fingers making a space for her eyes to peer out from her hands. "Did we...?"
She could swear he turned albino in that instant; his face whitened like he'd seen Shuyin all over again. Standing up quickly, Baralai lost his balance and tumbled to the floor. The apron ended up covering his head, and his legs were up in the air, flailing helplessly. Rikku let out a hearty chuckle, breaking up the tense mood that had just invited itself into the room. All Baralai could do was put a hand to his head in embarrassment and laugh along with her.
"I'll take that as a 'no'." Rikku giggled as she climbed out of bed to help Baralai to his feet. He took her hand and she propelled him upward. Straightening himself out and patting the apron back down, Baralai smiled at her.
"Sorry." He said, his cheeks finally returning to their normal fawn-like color. "Do you want breakfast? I made you some pancakes and bacon and eggs. Do you like toast? Cause I can prepare some for you if you'd like." His hands trembled as he babbled incessantly. Rikku put a hand to his shoulder in an assuring fashion.
"Calm down, breathe Baralai." She laughed, trying to ease his tension in some way. Rikku smiled at him warmly, her eyes searching his for any kind of reaction. Taking a deep breath, Baralai finally seemed relaxed. "I'd love some breakfast, and you can fill me in on what went on last night, K?" The two headed for the door; Baralai leading with Rikku close behind him, looking around his living room.
Upon reaching the kitchen, Rikku sat on one of the steel padded chairs in front of the matching steel and glass panel table. Meanwhile, Baralai went over to the stove and prepared plates for both of them, throwing a little of everything onto each one. The coffee pot bubbled as he took it off of the range, and he poured some of the brew into a couple of mugs. Rikku licked her lips hungrily at the appetizing food in front of her, grabbing a fork and knife from the napkin to her right. She clutched the black mug with both hands, gulping the coffee as if it were water from the Holy Grail itself, all the while sighing and rolling her eyes with content.
"Oh, I just love coffee." She said in a dreamlike tone, enjoying every drop it seemed. Rikku then got right to the point. "So, how did I end up with you last night?" Her elbows rested on the table, her mug was in both hands; her lips sat at the edge of it as she eyed him curiously.
Baralai wiped his lips with his napkin and placing it on the table, sighed and started to explain about the brawl and her breakup with Gippal. With every word out of his mouth, Rikku's face sunk suddenly, losing the bright spunk he'd just witnessed seconds before. She put the mug on the table and looked at her host sadly.
"Now I remember. Actually, I just remember the breakup. Everything else is kinda fuzzy. How are you holding up anyway?" Rikku pitched, her gaze probing him for an answer. Instead, he looked at her confused as he took a swig of his cream and sugared coffee.
"What do you mean, Rikku? I'm fine. Why do you ask?" He wondered, putting his mug to the table, leaning in towards her.
Rikku sat mute for a moment when it hit her. "He really doesn't know yet." The silence was deafening to Baralai and his curiosity grew like an unwanted weed on a flawless front lawn. He couldn't read her expression exactly, but he knew something was up. She had knowledge of something he wasn't aware of and he wanted to know what it was.
"What is it Rikku? Do you know something I don't?" His voice cracked as he shifted in his seat suddenly becoming uneasy. Rikku stood up and headed for the living room and waved at him to follow her.
"You need to come over here and sit down with me." She commanded as she sank into the comfy couch, her elbow leaned on the arm, and she nestled her head onto her palm. Baralai pushed the chair from the table and stood up, grabbing his coffee mug. He walked over to the armchair and sat down, crossing his left leg over his right as he leaned on his right arm resting his chin on his palm as well.
"This isn't good, is it?" he asked, growing even more nervous than before. Rikku moved to the edge of the couch that met with the armchair Baralai was sitting in. Letting out a stressed out sigh, she started to tell him what she knew.
"Do you know why Gippal broke up with me?" Rikku asked him, sitting on her knees making herself comfortable. Baralai shook his head no.
She continued.
"He's seeing someone." She said anxiously. "Someone you know and love very much." With those words, Baralai tensed up again, knowing exactly whom she was talking about. He couldn't believe it though, it wasn't registering the way it should have and he shook his head in disbelief.
"Wait a minute," Baralai said, standing up and pacing the living room like a caged couerl. "You don't mean...She wouldn't...would she? Would they?" He was babbling again, rubbing his forehead with his right hand: the way he always got when something or someone made him uncomfortable and this was no exception. Baralai was extremely uneasy at this point, and Rikku couldn't think of anything positive to say.
"I couldn't believe it myself, Baralai." She said, plainly. "I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you. I thought maybe she'd already talked to you, but it seems they acted first and reacted later." She stood up and walked over to Baralai, extending her arms out to hug him. He was too shocked to really reciprocate, and his arms froze to his sides. Eventually though, he made his way back to the armchair and sat down, his elbows to his legs and head in his hands. Rikku walked over to the side of the armchair and placed a hand on his back, opening and closing her fist in a comforting manner. She felt his body loosen and wilt, tears slid down his tawny cheeks and he sobbed quietly, too embarrassed to cry in front of her.
Rikku knelt down in front of him and encircled him with her arms, resting her head on his right shoulder. He cried for a few minutes before putting his arms around her as well, squeezing her tight. When she let him go, her face was to his and he looked at her with streaks down his face. She wiped his tears away gently with her thumb but he grabbed her hand, pushing it away and standing up sharply.
"What are you going to do, Baralai?" she asked as she jumped to her feet. He resumed pacing the floor again, this time he was getting angrier, his fists were clenched tight and his lip curled into a vicious expression.
"I want to talk to Paine. She can't do this, it's not possible." He growled, grabbing his mug off of the coffee table and throwing it toward the front door. It smashed into quarters, the remaining gulps of coffee splattered over the wooden panel, dripping down to the wooden floor. Rikku made her way to Baralai and stood behind him as he faced his front window with his arms folded, staring out into his yard.
"Don't do anything stupid." she begged. "It's not worth it. What ever you say to her won't change how she feels about you now. Please calm down. I'm sure she'll come by and give you some kind of explanation." Baralai was upset as he should be, but she didn't want him to be too hasty in his actions. It was unusual for her to see him acting like this; he was always so quiet and patient. She'd never experienced him angry and frustrated; it was like being around a totally different person. After a long pause, he sighed and retreated to the couch, calming himself down.
"I'm sorry Rikku." He exclaimed, sighing again, regaining his composure. "I'm just having a little trouble with this. I mean, she didn't even tell me. I thought we were doing so well, what have I done?" He stared at his ivory colored walls, following the black border that went around the perimeter of the living room. Rikku sat down next to him and put a hand to his knee.
"You didn't do anything. No matter what she tells you, you have to believe that." Rikku stood up and straightened out her skirt. "I should be going. I have to get to my apartment and start chucking remnants of Gippal out of it. Promise me you'll call me if you need anything. Please don't do anything rash." Baralai stood up next to her, this time he initiated the hug. She hugged him back and headed to the door.
"I won't do anything, I assure you." Baralai promised, his hand on the door, opening it for her. "Thank you for snapping me out of it. I shouldn't get upset until I find out why, and I guess I'll have to call her. And the same goes for you, if you need anything please call me as well. I believe you have my number."
"I will. Take care Baralai and Be strong." She said, walking out of the house and down the street. Baralai closed the door and retreated to his study to try and relax, but he knew all the questions he had were going to circle him like vultures on a freshly killed carcass.
"I sure hope he'll be alright." Rikku thought to herself as she trotted down the pier to a departing boat. She was, however halted in her tracks when she saw a figure coming toward her, obviously going to Baralai's house.
Rikku stood in front of the person and folded her arms to her chest. She tapped her boot on the plank angrily.
"Paine. You have some explaining to do. Now."