DISCLAIMER:
I do not own FFX or FFX-2 or any of the characters or places associated with
it. I do, however, own the twisted idea for this story.
DO NOT COPY MY STORIES!!
If anyone wants to post my stories anywhere else, please just ASK and then give
me credit for writing it. Email with any
requests.
I have had problems with my fics being stolen. Reviewers of the Silver
Wings trilogy know all about the situation. Please keep an eye out for
this story or any of my others posted on any other sites. I only post
here and I only use the name "akksgurl". If you think my story has been
stolen, please contact me so that I can look into the situation. Thanks a
lot in advance for your help.
Author's Notes: Wow!
Such fantastic reviews already. I'm so glad everybody seems into this
story so far. I think it'll definitely live up the high expectations you
guys have, if I do say so myself. So far I had one reviewer notice that I
used "Irvine's Tavern" in both the
first chapter of this story as well as in Silver Wings. You'll probably
notice little things like that over the course of the story. It in no way
indicates that Twisted Destiny and Silver Wings are connected. I just
thought it'd be fun to throw little things like that in here and there.
Also, Vic is in a way Wakka, but he's not the reincarnation or anything.
I just figured that there should be people similar to Yuna's guardians so don't
be surprised if some others show up along the way…;)
And I'm also kind of surprised that a few people are asking
what the pairings are. I figured it'd be
obvious that it'd be a Tidus/Yuna, but in case anybody is still out there
wondering…it's a Tidus/Yuna. The title
for this chapter comes from the song of the same name and there is also a name
for one of the characters that I got from the musical "Fiddler On The Roof".
TWISTED DESTINY
by akksgurl
Chapter Two: Holding Out For A Hero
The ache in her head had become a full-blown migraine by the time Yuna made her
way back to the Besaid Airship station. Her head felt like it was going
to explode. She felt sick to her stomach. Her knees felt like they
were going to cave in from under her. When the small bench to the right,
nestled softly in the shade of an overgrown tree caught her sight, Yuna
silently praised Yevon before remembering that she was supposed to be angry
with the god at the moment.
Yuna let herself sink onto the wooden seat with relish. She hadn't
realized just how exhausted she was until her rump landed on the seat and she
let out a relieved sigh. She closed her eyes and let herself picture
Besaid as she knew it. Huts lining the main road with the temple at the
far end. A dirt path leading toward the wooden bridges overlooking two
large waterfalls. The only thing that hadn't changed from her present
location was the crystal blue of the ocean. Yet even that didn't feel
like home to her. She wanted to go home…
Stretching her legs out languidly, Yuna opened her eyes slowly and examined her
surroundings. The airship station was at the top of the hill overlooking
the town, in the same location as the shrine had been when she had set out on
her pilgrimage. The bench on which she sat was situated to the right of
the main terminal where tickets were sold. From her current standpoint,
Yuna could see to the horizon leading toward Kilika. That is…if Kilika
existed wherever she was.
"Joining a convent, sweetheart?"
Yuna looked up at the sound of the voice and was met with an arrogant smirk on
the face of an attractive brunette. The girl looked to be about 3 inches
taller than Yuna and was standing with arms akimbo, wearing a skimpy black
bikini and the aforementioned arrogant smirk. Yuna wrinkled her nose in
confusion, "What?"
The girl laughed heartily and motioned toward Yuna while catching the gaze of
the man standing a few feet behind her. When her laughter had died, the
girl looked back at Yuna, "Your clothes…do you intend to swim in those layers?"
It was the first time since arriving in this version of Besaid that Yuna
realized how silly she must look. Everyone else was walking around in
various states of undress while Yuna was covered from head to toe in her
summoning dress. She tugged at her skirt nervously, "I'm just…passing through."
She replied. It wasn't exactly a lie. She had every intention of
getting out of this place as soon as she could. She just wasn't exactly
sure where to go yet.
The girl rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, dear."
"My name is Yuna." She snapped, more harshly than she intended. She was
tired of the condescending name already. She didn't know this girl and
she most certainly wasn't her 'dear'.
A well-manicured eyebrow rose at her. The female pointed to herself,
"Diana…" she said in what Yuna assumed was an introduction before pointing to
the man still standing quietly behind her, "This is Marcello."
"Nice to meet you." Yuna replied in her most polite voice. The last thing
she wanted to do was make enemies. What she really needed were friends.
Although Diana and Marcello didn't look like the type of people she'd usually
be friends with, they'd just have to do. Even if they didn't want to be
her friend, at least they could give her directions.
Diana waved her hand in front of her body in a blasé motion, "Yes, I'm sure it
is…"
"Did I do something to upset you?" Yuna asked, taken aback by the woman's
obvious malice toward her. She wasn't used to being treated so.
Diana sneered at her and scoffed. Turning to Marcello, she didn't even
bother to respond to Yuna. She just waved her hand to the buff man behind
her, "Marcello…we're leaving."
Yuna watched as they turned and walked away from her, leaving her just as alone
as she had been before they had shown up and making her feel as if she'd just
had a severe case of déjà vu.
Yuna had only been in this strange world for a few hours and was already
beginning to despise it. First there was her encounter with the psycho
blonde stalker. Then there was the nasty people lining the Zanarkand
streets and shoving her this way and that. Finally there was that Diana
person. The only nice person she'd met was Vic, and she'd turned down his
offer for help – a move she was seriously beginning to regret. Maybe she
should just swallow her pride and go back down to the town…but what if she
couldn't find him. She certainly wasn't going to wander around like the
lost little puppy that she was. No…she needed to make it on her
own. She needed to figure out just where she was and what was going
on. But how?
Yuna rose from her seat and wandered over to the station and into the tiny
building. A shot of cold air struck her as she walked in and she looked
up, realizing it was coming from a strange grate above her head. There
were several such grates in various places along the ceiling and each seemed to
be blowing the cold air out. Yuna sighed. Yet another strange thing
about this place she was in. Yet something else she didn't
understand.
Taking her attention from the grates, Yuna took a moment to examine her
surroundings. The building was tiny – no larger than the Crusaders' hut
in her Besaid. The restrooms were in the far left. To the far right
was a cash register and a tall, tanned man straightening the countertop in
front of him. The rest of the building seemed to be a tiny convenience
store. Various medicines lined the displays that were arranged
haphazardly in the center of the room. On the wall immediately the right
of the main entrance was various magazines outlining the lifestyles of the rich
and famous. Yuna wandered over and picked up the brightest
magazine. It was some sort of concert schedule for various performances
throughout Spira. On the cover was an attractive brunette with long hair
and a blue dress. She appeared to be in the middle of singing. Yuna
gazed at the heading for the article that was written in bold white script
across the bodice of the girl's dress.
Lenne Fetmar wows D-West Audience
Yuna sighed and put the magazine back. She didn't care
about who wowed who. All she wanted was to go home.
Turning slowly, Yuna's eyes were caught upon exactly what she needed. In
the far corner of the room, just out of sight was row after row of maps.
She had to stop herself from jumping happily like a schoolgirl. Her
greedy hands grabbed the first map she saw in the "Spira" category and opened
it slowly. She knew she was currently in Besaid and she was grateful to
find that Kilika and Luca were also on the map – although she wasn't certain
what condition they would be in. Bevelle was there also, Zanarkand as
well and Macalania Forest.
Guadosalam still stood proud by the Moonflow. To Yuna's surprise, even Bikinel
Desert was on the map. If she
understood Al Bhed, she would have headed over there, but since she didn't it
would have been a fruitless endeavor.
Her duel colored eyes scanned the map, realizing that she knew exactly where
she needed to go. She needed to get back to where this whole thing
started. Perhaps if she stood on the Calm Lands again, she'd be transported
back home. Large bold letters signifying Mt.
Gagazet caught her attention and
Yuna drug her eyes slowly across the map until she reached the location of the
Calm Lands and frowned.
"Nagi?"
Then she paused, remembering what Maechen – the elderly scholar – had told her
about Spira's history on her pilgrimage. The village
of Nagi had been situated where the
Calm Lands now stood. They had been destroyed in the initial battles
between Bevelle and Zanarkand over 1000 years before her time and a few months
before Sin's appearance.
If Nagi was still on this map…
Yuna closed the map quietly, forcing herself not to follow that train of
thought. There was absolutely no way it was true. It would be
impossible. How would it have happened? No. She wasn't going
to even deign it with a thought. She was simply going to go to this Nagi
and everything would be all right. This was probably some psycho dream.
Probably?
Of course it was a dream! That was the only explanation. All other
possibilities just didn't make any sense. The Final Aeon just hadn't
killed her. Kimahri couldn't have killed her. He'd probably just
knocked her out and right now Rikku was running around in a panic while Lulu
and Wakka were trying to rouse her gently from her restless slumber.
Yes…
That's what was going on.
Filled with her new confidence, Yuna turned and walked up to the counter.
The tall man smiled at her, white teeth shining brightly against his tanned
skin, "What can I do for you?"
"I'd like to buy a ticket to Nagi, please."
He nodded and pulled one out of the machine behind him. There were
several such ticket machines. One to every place in Spira it seemed to
Yuna. He handed her the ticket and extended his hand for the money, "15
gil."
Yuna bent down and retrieved a 20 gil bill from her boot and handed it to the
man who quickly changed it for her. She nodded her thanks and exited the
building, slapped quickly by the humid air that awaited her just outside.
She gazed up at the grate again and gave a rueful smile. Whatever that
strange grate was doing, it was certainly more comfortable inside the building
than in the stifling heat of the atmosphere outside of it.
As it was the first time, the airship flight was short and bumpy but at least
this time Yuna didn't squeal. She sat in stoic silence trying to keep
herself from thinking about any pressing issues, instead opting to focus on the
fact that her blouse was a little dirty and her skirt a little wrinkled.
When the ship landed, Yuna was the last to get off as if that might slow her
churning stomach. It didn't, but thankfully she didn't vomit. As
her feet hit the ground she gazed around her. The airship station was a
few yards from the main entrance to Nagi, but Yuna recognized the place immediately.
It was the Calm Lands, except instead of the small rest station in the center,
Nagi stood there.
Nagi was a bustling country town with dirt roads and citizens pushing and
pulling carts with their own power. It reminded her of her Besaid.
Her boots scuffed along the path as she made her way into town. Although
it was calm in exterior, the inside was bustling. This town appeared to
be the main trading town between Zanarkand and Besaid. She wandered
slowly along the main road with no real direction. She wasn't sure where
she was heading. She wasn't even sure why she was there. It was
becoming increasingly obvious to her that she certainly wasn't home anymore and
that there may not be a way to fix that.
A large building boasting Spira's best selection of blitzball supplies caught
Yuna's attention. She wondered if she bought Wakka something if she could
figure out a way to get it to him. She almost laughed at her stupid
thought but stopped short when the door to the building opened. She felt
her mouth drop open and sheer panic took over as Yuna made to dive around the
corner of the building. She leaned firm against the cement but cast a
glance around the corner to see.
It was that man from Zanarkand. He clung to two bags loosely at his sides
and Yuna watched as he moved one back to the other hand and reached into his
pocket with the now free hand. He looked even more handsome than he had
been during that odd encounter and for a moment Yuna forgot what a jerk he had
been to her. Yet, even when she remembered she had to fight with herself
to not run out from her hiding place and beg for his help. Yuna took a
quiet breath and removed her eyes from his handsome face, leaning her head back
against the wall, letting her eyes drift shut. It was obviously a mistake
to come to Nagi. Nothing was changing and she'd only found herself back
within spitting distance of her stalker. She never should have left
Besaid. Maybe if she went back, Vic could give her a job and she could
get some food and a place to sleep until she figured out just what was going
on.
Yes…that sounded like a good idea.
With that new resolve, Yuna allowed herself a small smile as she opened her
eyes and proceeded to let out a yelp. The blonde man before her just
smirked and pushed a strand of hair from his blue eyes, "Why are you hiding
from me?"
"Why are you stalking me?" Yuna retorted.
He lifted his purchases in the air, "I came here to buy some blitz
supplies. I didn't come here to stalk you."
"And I suppose you can't buy these supplies in Zanarkand." Hissed Yuna
venomously. No matter what he said, she knew he was following her.
That was the only explanation for him showing up everywhere she was
going.
He smiled at her, "No, I can. Except Zanarkand shops don't have the manufacturer
I like to use. I can only get them in Nagi."
Yuna found herself intrigued. He didn't seem nearly as threatening as he
had seemed in that alley. In fact, in the bright sunlight he looked to be
about her age and he had a surprisingly kind smile. She leaned over a
little, peering cautiously into his bags, "Can I see…?" she asked sheepishly.
His eyes twinkled with amusement as he put the bags on the ground and lifted
his purchases out one at a time. Yuna studied the supplies. She'd
never seen them before. The only thing she recognized was the blitzball
that he lifted last. Her confusion must have been obvious because he
started to explain what each object did without her asking, "These shoes have a
harder sole than your average blitz shoe. I have to wear them – doctor's
orders."
"Why?"
"I broke my foot a few years ago when I was going in for a goal.
Shattered the entire thing. I couldn't play for a few months and since
then my doctor has wanted me to wear these. They'll protect my feet better
than the sneakers I used to wear."
Yuna gaped at him, "You must kick very hard if you broke your foot."
"Not really." He said with a smile, "It was during this phase where I didn't
want to wear sneakers while playing. I went to kick a ball back so it was
already going pretty fast and I slammed my toe into it. It was just a
chain reaction." He bit his lip as if the memory were as painful as the actual
event, "Hurt like a bitch…I can tell you that."
"I bet." Replied Yuna. Having never broken a bone herself, she couldn't
be certain she knew what he was talking about, but it was better to respond
with something than nothing.
He lifted another object and said, "These are your average blitz clothes.
They don't absorb water as much as other clothes so you don't get weighed
down. I like the ones they sell here because they don't absorb water at
all. It gives me more ability in the water."
Yuna lifted a brow, "Isn't that cheating?"
He seemed surprised, "No. Everybody uses them. Just not everybody
knows Nagi has this kind of clothes." He winked at her, "I just don't mention
it to them."
She smiled at him. The first real smile she'd given him since making his
acquaintance. She pointed to the blitzball, "And I suppose this ball is
filled with a special liquid that makes it float in the water better."
He laughed, "Why would I do that? I'm not the only one that uses the
ball." He lowered his purchases back into his bag and then gazed into her eyes,
"No. I have this weird hobby. I buy a ball every time I'm in
Nagi. It's an odd collection, I guess. I use them all in a rotation
so one doesn't wear out before the others when I practice."
Yuna shrugged, "It makes sense, I guess." She admitted, "I really don't know
much about blitzball."
His eyes lit up at that revelation. He hoisted the bags off the ground
and grinned at Yuna, "I could teach you, if you wanted. I'm pretty good
at it." He paused and thought a second and then asked, "You hungry?
They got a good diner here. My treat. I can give you the basics of
blitz while we eat."
She knew in her head that he was probably quite harmless and that he certainly
wouldn't attempt to attack her in the middle of the town diner, but Yuna still
found herself in the grips of a panic. She tried to still herself; tried
to tell herself that she needed the food and he was offering to pay; that he
wanted to hang out with her; that she was in desperate need of a friend at the
moment. She wanted to trust him, but her mouth was running before her
mind had okayed the motion, "I…uh…I can't…I've got to…uh…be
somewhere…um…like…now."
Yuna made to move around him, but didn't get far as his hand grabbed at her
own. His hand was surprisingly soft against her skin and she wondered why
she hadn't noticed it when he'd grabbed her arm before. His eyes caught
hers, "I'm not going to hurt you, you know."
"I…I know." She stammered.
He seemed more annoyed by that admittance than by her turning down his
offer. He released her hand and groaned, "What is the matter with you
anyway? You're so flighty."
Her eyes flashed with ire at his insult. She let out an angry huff and
stormed away from him without bothering to reply. She half expected him
to shout after her, but then she realized that she still hadn't introduced
herself and she still didn't know his name either.
Oh well.
Yuna didn't know where she was going as she stormed down the dirt road.
She didn't even know where the path led. All she knew was that she needed
to get away from that man. He brought out the worst in her and she seemed
to bring out the worst in him…unless those nasty comments were his best
qualities. Yuna shivered at that thought. She certainly hoped that
wasn't true. It'd truly be a waste of such a handsome man.
The road, as it turned out, led out of Nagi from both sides and Yuna currently
found herself on the south side of Nagi facing Mt.
Gagazet. The airship station
was back through the town on the other side and she didn't want to run the risk
of seeing that man again. She decided she'd just take her chances
climbing Mt. Gagazet
and getting back into Zanarkand. She could take the airship from there or
perhaps even find a place to stay and make herself at home there. If her
stalker had bothered to chase her to Nagi, then she might as well make herself
comfortable in his hometown. At least he wouldn't have to travel far to
follow her.
Nagi was a lot larger than Yuna had originally thought and it only took Yuna
about 30 minutes to reach the base of Mt.
Gagazet. The temperature
dropped almost instantly as was usual. She was glad she was still wearing
her summoning garbs – whether that arrogant Diana agreed or not. If she
was wearing less, she'd certainly be freezing now.
The snow crunched beneath her feet as Yuna made her way up the slight incline
as she had done on her pilgrimage. The first main plateau on the mountain
was where Kimahri's clansman had spoken to them. She smiled at the
memory. Even though they had treated Kimahri as less than a Ronso because
of his broken horn, when he had beaten them in battle they had sung his
praises. It was a memory she was certain that Kimahri had been proud of.
The plateau was empty now. Not a single Ronso was visible from where Yuna
stood. Were there even Ronso in this world she was in? Did the
species even exist? Her questions were answered with heavy footfall
behind her; to the side of her; in front of her. Yuna let out a startled
yelp as the mountain suddenly became littered with Ronso coming out from every
nook and cranny. The tallest one approached her, glowering down into her
eyes, "What name?"
"Yuna." She replied with a smile, "What's yours?"
The Ronso seemed slightly surprised by her kindness but just as quickly was
back to a stoic and almost nasty demeanor, "Perchik. Perchik is Ronso
Elder. Perchik demand to know what Yuna want."
"I'm just passing through. I need to get to Zanarkand."
Perchik's long arms came to cross over his chest in stern defiance.
Several Ronso dropped from their perches and formed a strong line barring Yuna
from the path over the mountain. Perchik growled at her, "Perchik not see
Yuna before. Perchik think Yuna Bevelle spy. Perchik not let spy
into Zanarkand."
"A spy?" Yuna whispered, confusion marring her features. Did she look
like a spy? And who was this Ronso? Why was he acting like
Zanarkand's sole protector? Who was he to say she couldn't go back?
Yuna was tired of these nasty people. She glared back at the Ronso, "I am
certainly not a spy!" she hissed angrily, fists at her sides, "I am simply
trying to get back into Zanarkand."
"Perchik not see Yuna before. Perchik needs Yuna ID."
Her eyes flashed in anger, "ID? Who are you? Some sort of
gatekeeper?"
"Zanarkand kind to Ronso. Bevelle not so kind. Ronso hate
Bevelle. Ronso like Zanarkand. Not let Bevelle spy into
Zanarkand. Prove Yuna from Zanarkand, then Yuna pass."
Yuna groaned and threw her hands to her sides, "I don't have an ID…"
"Then Yuna spy." Came Perchik's conclusion. Yuna didn't even have time to
question his logic as he motioned with both paws to the Ronso who were
remaining on the cliffs and overlooking the entire exchange. Six tall
Ronso landed just behind Yuna and two others on either side of her.
Perchik growled, "Bevelle spy not return to Bevelle to spin more lies.
Bevelle spy die!"
Yuna let out a horrified scream as the Ronso surrounding her growled low and
menacingly, bending low into attack stance. Perchik stood strong and
proud, watching her as she tried to come up with a logical way out of this
mess. Unfortunately, these Ronso didn't allow for logic. They all
lunged at her together and Yuna made a break for it through the one slight hole
in their attempt to box her in. The Ronso covering the path up the
mountain made their way toward her, claws and teeth bared while the ones she
had just escaped came at her from behind. Yuna dove into the snow, just
barely missing the two sets of Ronso. Scrambling to her feet, Yuna turned
back toward the bath leading to Nagi when she found Perchik standing in front
of her. He growled as he lifted her by her blouse. She hovered two
feet off the ground as she was brought to eye contact with his 7'7"
frame. He lifted his free hand and bared his claws as Yuna closed her
eyes. Kimahri was meant to kill her, but had failed. Yet it seemed
fitting that another Ronso should have the honor. Perchik let out a wild
howl and Yuna braced herself for the final assault when she heard a familiar
voice.
"Don't even think about it, Perchik."
She opened her eyes and found the Ronso holding her had turned to follow the
sound of the voice. Yuna did the same and was shocked to see the blonde
man standing there, bags in hand and a smirk on his face, "Let her down." He
said.
"Perchik kill Bevelle spy."
His shaggy blonde hair flung in his eyes as he shook his head, "She's not a
spy." He said with a sigh as he put the bags down, "She's my…" he paused for a
second and then grinned, "My girlfriend. She's just a little excited to
be getting home and got ahead of me."
Perchik's hold on Yuna faltered and he lowered her to the ground but kept a
firm grip on her shirt, "No ID."
"She left it in Zanarkand," was the blonde's easy reply, "We didn't even
realize it until we got to Nagi." He shrugged and laughed softly, "No real harm
done, I guess. Except that it got your boys all excited for nothing."
Perchik was obviously still suspicious as he gripped Yuna's shirt harder, "Not
see girl before."
The man shrugged, "I guess you just didn't see her when we came over earlier."
He paused and scratched his chin, "Now that you mention it, I don't remember
seeing you when I walked over before. That's probably how you missed
her."
Perchik looked down at Yuna suspiciously, "Not spy? Girlfriend of
Perchik's friend?"
Yuna saw out of the corner of her eye the pleading look the blonde was giving
her. She nodded stiffly, "Yes. I'm his girlfriend." She lied,
wondering why he hadn't just told the Ronso that she was his sister or his
friend.
Perchik released her slowly and Yuna ran to the blonde without thinking,
wrapping her arms thankfully around his neck. She whispered into his ear,
"Thank you so much."
"You're welcome." He replied into her ear, "But we're not out of the woods
yet. Just play along."
He bent to lift his bags from the snowy surface and grinned at Perchik, "Thanks
a bunch, pal." He said as he wrapped his free arm around Yuna's neck and gave
her a pert kiss on the cheek, "Now don't go running off on me again,
babe. I might not be so quick next time."
Yuna smiled demurely at him, "Sure thing…sweetie."
The man escorted her past the seething bunch of Ronso, stopping briefly to
smile up at Perchik. He leaned in and Yuna strained her ears to listen to
what he said. With a grin, the blonde motioned to Yuna with his head,
"Not much between her ears, but gotta love the body." He said with a wink.
If Yuna hadn't been so incensed by the audacity of the strange man who
currently had his arm around her, she'd have been amused to see the smirk that
appeared on the Ronso's face as she was escorted away from the group and up the
mountain hill.
Once they were out of earshot, Yuna pulled away angrily and slapped him, "Not
much between the ears?!" she hissed, pushing him violently, "Love the body?!"
She expected him to be furious, but instead he started laughing. That
effectively deflated her fury and she leaned back on the mountain wall.
He stopped laughing a few moments later and asked, "What did you want me to
do? I had to make him think you weren't a threat. Perchik's a great
dude, but a little overprotective of Zanarkand. What did you want me to
tell him? You were some girl I'd found in an alley and you weren't even
sure you were in Zanarkand at first?"
"You didn't have to insinuate that I was stupid." She retorted, her anger still
sizzling in her chest.
He shrugged, "Anybody that'll climb Mt.
Gagazet alone IS stupid."
"And what about you?" she demanded, pointing in the direction from which they
had just come, "You were climbing it alone? Or were you just following me
again?"
He lifted his hand and started counting down on his fingers, "First of all, I'm
not following you. I have better things to do with my time, thank
you. Secondly, I always cross Gagazet. Perchik and I have known
each other for years, but the first time I crossed I certainly didn't do it
alone. Thirdly, how about a little gratitude? I just saved your
life!"
Yuna opened her mouth to retort but promptly shut it again. He had just
saved her life. That wasn't something she could deny. She lowered
her eyes and kicked at the snow on the ground, "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
She lifted her eyes and found him grabbing his bags from the ground and turning
to continue his climb up the mountain. She felt a little freaked, "Are
you going to just leave me here?"
He looked over his shoulder at her, "A few minutes ago you didn't want to be
around me. Now you do?"
"You can't just leave me here!" she shrieked, ignoring his question and the
fact that it was based very much in truth for the moment as she ran the
distance between them and wrapped her arms tightly around his free one, "Please
don't leave me here."
He lifted a brow at her and shrugged, "What's your name?"
"Yuna Brewar." She replied, "What's yours?"
He smiled at her, "Tidus Bacohl." He replied, sliding his free hand down her
arm to link fingers with her, "You look starved. Let's get you something
to eat."
