Wow. After I posted chapter 5, I had a lousy morning. But it's amazing how the little things can save a day from being a complete disaster. First, the alarm didn't go off, so I was an hour and a half late to school. Of course, I had a calc test second period...oh, I missed that. So I ended up having a Physics test (which I failed), my AP Calculus test (during my lunch period!), then an AP Chem test consecutively. So finally, I decided to cut gym so I could go home and eat (I've only been to class twice this week...we're playing hockey and I was hungry, can you blame me?). I get home and of course, use the computer. And let me tell you, it saved my day from completely sucking ass to see so many reviews. The number has nearly doubled since the last chapter! That wasn't so hard, was it? I love the fact that you guys think my story's laugh out loud funny. You really have no idea how much that thrills me. Anyway, thanks. All you guys that reviewed, I love you.
A warning...I had an all day rehearsal today. Our school musical performances are next week (we're doing Guys and Dolls) and I'm in the pit orchestra. Of course, I play the flute, which is in the Reed 1 book, which is meant to be played by one person who plays the sax, clarinet, AND flute. Which means I had *a lot* of down time because I only played about five of the numbers. So the majority of this chapter was written on my Palm Pilot, at rehearsal. So it might be weird. We had hired professional players for the brass section (of course, I had two incredible trumpet players *blasting* in my right ear), and if any of you guys have met professional musicians before...their jokes are so consistently *not* funny (unless you're laughing at how bad they are, in which case, they're hysterical). So if this chapter's weird, I apologize. Cause I'm finishing it now, it's after midnight, and I just watched Space Balls, so...
Whenever I see Ochu, I think of when Luzzu and Gatta called it 'lord of the jungle.' Then I think of Michael Flatley. Ochu, Lord of the Dance!
Another long authors note. What's with me? I seem to really like long author's notes. In the words of Rikku...Oopsie!
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Auron had a headache. Sake-head and getting thunked on the noggin...not a good combination. Even worse was the fact that he was almost out of the magic aqua vitae. Nectar of the Gods, undeniably. Though he had just gotten a refill in Guadosalam, his flask was running low. This trip had not been easy, and he had been drinking a little excessively.
They had set out almost with the sun for Macalania temple. That hadn't helped his condition much. He would have liked to have been able to sleep his hangover off a little longer, but that was out of the question. Time was of the essence, or so Yuna seemed to think. She was in quite a hurry to get to Macalania temple and see Seymour. Auron had a feeling it was because she wanted to get things over with. He felt bad for her. The choice she had made wasn't an easy one.
A figure appeared in the distance, running rapidly toward them. 'Shit,' Auron thought, when he saw who it was. Bartello looked frantic. Auron was in no mood to be hero-worshipped. Auron wondered if he had washed his hand yet. He decided he wouldn't let Bartello touch him, just in case. But Bartello didn't seem to be much in the mood for that today. Though he quickly ran off in search of Dona, who had disappeared, his words made them all nervous. They were all keeping a careful eye on Yuna. Auron felt at least a little better. They had their problems as guardians, but at least they hadn't *lost* their summoner. And Auron had gotten to yell at Bartello, who just wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box. Auron liked yelling at morons; it was a good way to relieve stress.
***
They made it out of the woods with no further incidents. As they left, there was a sudden drop in temperature. Snow crunched under their feet, though it had been much too warm for it only minutes before. Rikku was shivering almost violently.
"It's c...c...cold," she squeaked, her teeth chattering noisily.
"We're almost to Rin's Lake Macalania Travel Agency," said Lulu, "you can get warm there."
Auron was not in such a good mood. "Perhaps you'd be ok if you weren't half-naked."
Rikku glared at him. It seemed as if their truce was over. "I am *not* half-naked," she declared.
"I'm sorry. Three-quarters naked then."
Rikku did not respond, but instead stomped forward, eager to get to Rin's and away from Auron as fast as possible. He clearly wasn't in a good mood and she didn't want to deal with it. She wondered if his previous benevolence was merely because of whatever he was drinking. Or could it be because they were alone? Or maybe it had been a blue moon. Funny things tend to happen when there's a blue moon out.
***
"Welcome to O'aka's!"
They were standing outside Rin's by Lake Macalania. Though O'aka was money grubbing, he still had quality goods. Rikku was hopping up and down, still clearly freezing. She was also still glaring at Auron. Apparently the irony of the fact that all his jokes were at her expense had not escaped her. They were chatting politely with O'aka, who seemed to know everything that was going on in Spira. Rikku eventually decided she'd had enough.
"I'm going inside" she said, and promptly disappeared through the travel agency's doors.
"Maybe she's going to get a jacket," Tidus suggested. The others sniggered, but followed Rikku's lead and headed inside.
***
Rikku felt much better. She had been so cold, she couldn't move her fingers. This had lead to some difficulty when she needed to use the Little Al Bhed's room. (AN: Personal experience can attest - this actually happened to me! Damn that marching band!) She was heading back to the front to find the others. The door opened out and she gave it a good shove. It swung open halfway, suddenly connecting with something very solid on the other side. She heard a muffled grunt and pulled the door back, peaking cautiously around it.
A very disgruntled looking Auron was sitting in the hallway, rubbing his forehead. His glasses were sitting on the floor next to him, hideously bent.
"Oooh! Sorry!" Rikku looked nervous. Auron grimaced.
"My head certainly wasn't hurting enough to begin with," he said, right hand drifting up to pull his collar down and rub his neck. Rikku realized it was the first time she had really seen his face. His face was pale and looked pained, the long scar standing out in stark contrast. She found herself comparing him to the younger man she had seen earlier in the Jecht Sphere. He was still handsome, certainly, despite his disfigurement, and there was an almost scornful kind of wisdom that had been absent in the past. Auron had seen plenty in the past ten years, and those years had made their mark on him. Rikku suddenly realized she was staring, though Auron had made no move to stop her. She jumped into action.
"Here, let me help," she said, moving to pick up his lost eyewear. Unfortunately, he leaned toward the glasses at the same moment. Their heads smacked together, leaving both reeling from the contact. Rikku ended up losing her balance, pitching backward then falling forward. They suddenly found themselves in the most awkward position either could have imagined. Rikku's weight had thrown Auron back so he was lying on the ground (and he had hit his head *again*). She was now sprawled on top of him. They lay there for several seconds, Auron shocked he wasn't unconscious, and Rikku, turning as red as the material she found herself lying on and trying not to die of embarrassment. Auron realized his head hurt more now than it had the day he had died, which was definitely saying something. But the irony of the situation did not escape him. He began to laugh, first quietly, but quickly growing in volume. Rikku sat bolt upright in shock.
"Are you ok?" she asked. "Did you hit your head again?" Auron just laughed harder.
"Yes," he managed to gasp between fits of laughter. "I hit it...again."
In spite of herself, Rikku felt her face split into a grin, and a giggle escaped her lips. Soon, they were both in hysterics. Tears were streaming down both of their faces and the uncomfortable moment was clearly over. It looked like they were getting along again.
***
Tidus was out for a walk. After stopping to chat briefly with _______(AN: the chocobo knight/breeder guy, whose name for the life of me, I can't remember. Whatever. He seriously bothered me. He "knows what chocobos want." Whenever I get to that part of the game...sexual references abound. Next week on Jerry Springer: Chocobos and the men who love them), he wandered over to talk to O'aka. Soon Lulu wandered over and joined the conversation. Which, of course, quickly turned to the betting pool, as most did when neither Auron nor Rikku were present.
"O'aka the Twenty-third is not a gambling man," was O'aka's declaration. He quickly added, "But this is too tempting to pass up. Put me down for...eh, what's not taken?"
"Basically, the rest of Macalania. Kimahri's got the Calm Lands, Tidus has Zanarkand, Wakka has Bevelle, Yuna has Mt. Gagazet, Rin has his travel agencies, and I *had* the Thunder Plains." Lulu still looked grumpy, not that that was any change. She always looked grumpy.
"Right then, Macalania it is! Pleasure doing business with you."
The stakes were high. All the bases were covered. Someone had to win. But who?
***
Once Yuna, Wakka, and Kimahri had been filled in on the state of the pool, an impromptu meeting of the five conspirators was held.
"We can't let those sleazy merchants win, ya?" Wakka declared. The others agreed.
"We'll just have to, you know, work together to sabotage their chances," said Tidus. Lulu made a wheezing sound.
"That's not very nice," said a solemn-faced Yuna.
"Do we have a choice?" asked Wakka.
Kimahri just stood there.
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Really guys, thanks again. You really saved my day (It was a Friday too. Fridays aren't supposed to suck!). Let me stress again...reviews make me *happy*. Keep giving them. If you don't, well...I've got a bunch of email addresses now. I'll...fill your mailboxes with...chain letters if you don't review! You have been warned. On a serious note, the fact that you guys think I'm funny makes me *so* happy. So if I start getting...not so funny, or my humor gets too crude, tell me. And don't forget to tell me if I still have the golden touch. Laughing out loud is good. I know I've laughed a couple times while writing this, and it makes me feel good knowing I'm not the only one who thinks it's funny. So the moral of the story...REVIEW!!!
A warning...I had an all day rehearsal today. Our school musical performances are next week (we're doing Guys and Dolls) and I'm in the pit orchestra. Of course, I play the flute, which is in the Reed 1 book, which is meant to be played by one person who plays the sax, clarinet, AND flute. Which means I had *a lot* of down time because I only played about five of the numbers. So the majority of this chapter was written on my Palm Pilot, at rehearsal. So it might be weird. We had hired professional players for the brass section (of course, I had two incredible trumpet players *blasting* in my right ear), and if any of you guys have met professional musicians before...their jokes are so consistently *not* funny (unless you're laughing at how bad they are, in which case, they're hysterical). So if this chapter's weird, I apologize. Cause I'm finishing it now, it's after midnight, and I just watched Space Balls, so...
Whenever I see Ochu, I think of when Luzzu and Gatta called it 'lord of the jungle.' Then I think of Michael Flatley. Ochu, Lord of the Dance!
Another long authors note. What's with me? I seem to really like long author's notes. In the words of Rikku...Oopsie!
_________________________________________________________
Auron had a headache. Sake-head and getting thunked on the noggin...not a good combination. Even worse was the fact that he was almost out of the magic aqua vitae. Nectar of the Gods, undeniably. Though he had just gotten a refill in Guadosalam, his flask was running low. This trip had not been easy, and he had been drinking a little excessively.
They had set out almost with the sun for Macalania temple. That hadn't helped his condition much. He would have liked to have been able to sleep his hangover off a little longer, but that was out of the question. Time was of the essence, or so Yuna seemed to think. She was in quite a hurry to get to Macalania temple and see Seymour. Auron had a feeling it was because she wanted to get things over with. He felt bad for her. The choice she had made wasn't an easy one.
A figure appeared in the distance, running rapidly toward them. 'Shit,' Auron thought, when he saw who it was. Bartello looked frantic. Auron was in no mood to be hero-worshipped. Auron wondered if he had washed his hand yet. He decided he wouldn't let Bartello touch him, just in case. But Bartello didn't seem to be much in the mood for that today. Though he quickly ran off in search of Dona, who had disappeared, his words made them all nervous. They were all keeping a careful eye on Yuna. Auron felt at least a little better. They had their problems as guardians, but at least they hadn't *lost* their summoner. And Auron had gotten to yell at Bartello, who just wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box. Auron liked yelling at morons; it was a good way to relieve stress.
***
They made it out of the woods with no further incidents. As they left, there was a sudden drop in temperature. Snow crunched under their feet, though it had been much too warm for it only minutes before. Rikku was shivering almost violently.
"It's c...c...cold," she squeaked, her teeth chattering noisily.
"We're almost to Rin's Lake Macalania Travel Agency," said Lulu, "you can get warm there."
Auron was not in such a good mood. "Perhaps you'd be ok if you weren't half-naked."
Rikku glared at him. It seemed as if their truce was over. "I am *not* half-naked," she declared.
"I'm sorry. Three-quarters naked then."
Rikku did not respond, but instead stomped forward, eager to get to Rin's and away from Auron as fast as possible. He clearly wasn't in a good mood and she didn't want to deal with it. She wondered if his previous benevolence was merely because of whatever he was drinking. Or could it be because they were alone? Or maybe it had been a blue moon. Funny things tend to happen when there's a blue moon out.
***
"Welcome to O'aka's!"
They were standing outside Rin's by Lake Macalania. Though O'aka was money grubbing, he still had quality goods. Rikku was hopping up and down, still clearly freezing. She was also still glaring at Auron. Apparently the irony of the fact that all his jokes were at her expense had not escaped her. They were chatting politely with O'aka, who seemed to know everything that was going on in Spira. Rikku eventually decided she'd had enough.
"I'm going inside" she said, and promptly disappeared through the travel agency's doors.
"Maybe she's going to get a jacket," Tidus suggested. The others sniggered, but followed Rikku's lead and headed inside.
***
Rikku felt much better. She had been so cold, she couldn't move her fingers. This had lead to some difficulty when she needed to use the Little Al Bhed's room. (AN: Personal experience can attest - this actually happened to me! Damn that marching band!) She was heading back to the front to find the others. The door opened out and she gave it a good shove. It swung open halfway, suddenly connecting with something very solid on the other side. She heard a muffled grunt and pulled the door back, peaking cautiously around it.
A very disgruntled looking Auron was sitting in the hallway, rubbing his forehead. His glasses were sitting on the floor next to him, hideously bent.
"Oooh! Sorry!" Rikku looked nervous. Auron grimaced.
"My head certainly wasn't hurting enough to begin with," he said, right hand drifting up to pull his collar down and rub his neck. Rikku realized it was the first time she had really seen his face. His face was pale and looked pained, the long scar standing out in stark contrast. She found herself comparing him to the younger man she had seen earlier in the Jecht Sphere. He was still handsome, certainly, despite his disfigurement, and there was an almost scornful kind of wisdom that had been absent in the past. Auron had seen plenty in the past ten years, and those years had made their mark on him. Rikku suddenly realized she was staring, though Auron had made no move to stop her. She jumped into action.
"Here, let me help," she said, moving to pick up his lost eyewear. Unfortunately, he leaned toward the glasses at the same moment. Their heads smacked together, leaving both reeling from the contact. Rikku ended up losing her balance, pitching backward then falling forward. They suddenly found themselves in the most awkward position either could have imagined. Rikku's weight had thrown Auron back so he was lying on the ground (and he had hit his head *again*). She was now sprawled on top of him. They lay there for several seconds, Auron shocked he wasn't unconscious, and Rikku, turning as red as the material she found herself lying on and trying not to die of embarrassment. Auron realized his head hurt more now than it had the day he had died, which was definitely saying something. But the irony of the situation did not escape him. He began to laugh, first quietly, but quickly growing in volume. Rikku sat bolt upright in shock.
"Are you ok?" she asked. "Did you hit your head again?" Auron just laughed harder.
"Yes," he managed to gasp between fits of laughter. "I hit it...again."
In spite of herself, Rikku felt her face split into a grin, and a giggle escaped her lips. Soon, they were both in hysterics. Tears were streaming down both of their faces and the uncomfortable moment was clearly over. It looked like they were getting along again.
***
Tidus was out for a walk. After stopping to chat briefly with _______(AN: the chocobo knight/breeder guy, whose name for the life of me, I can't remember. Whatever. He seriously bothered me. He "knows what chocobos want." Whenever I get to that part of the game...sexual references abound. Next week on Jerry Springer: Chocobos and the men who love them), he wandered over to talk to O'aka. Soon Lulu wandered over and joined the conversation. Which, of course, quickly turned to the betting pool, as most did when neither Auron nor Rikku were present.
"O'aka the Twenty-third is not a gambling man," was O'aka's declaration. He quickly added, "But this is too tempting to pass up. Put me down for...eh, what's not taken?"
"Basically, the rest of Macalania. Kimahri's got the Calm Lands, Tidus has Zanarkand, Wakka has Bevelle, Yuna has Mt. Gagazet, Rin has his travel agencies, and I *had* the Thunder Plains." Lulu still looked grumpy, not that that was any change. She always looked grumpy.
"Right then, Macalania it is! Pleasure doing business with you."
The stakes were high. All the bases were covered. Someone had to win. But who?
***
Once Yuna, Wakka, and Kimahri had been filled in on the state of the pool, an impromptu meeting of the five conspirators was held.
"We can't let those sleazy merchants win, ya?" Wakka declared. The others agreed.
"We'll just have to, you know, work together to sabotage their chances," said Tidus. Lulu made a wheezing sound.
"That's not very nice," said a solemn-faced Yuna.
"Do we have a choice?" asked Wakka.
Kimahri just stood there.
_________________________________________________________
Really guys, thanks again. You really saved my day (It was a Friday too. Fridays aren't supposed to suck!). Let me stress again...reviews make me *happy*. Keep giving them. If you don't, well...I've got a bunch of email addresses now. I'll...fill your mailboxes with...chain letters if you don't review! You have been warned. On a serious note, the fact that you guys think I'm funny makes me *so* happy. So if I start getting...not so funny, or my humor gets too crude, tell me. And don't forget to tell me if I still have the golden touch. Laughing out loud is good. I know I've laughed a couple times while writing this, and it makes me feel good knowing I'm not the only one who thinks it's funny. So the moral of the story...REVIEW!!!