You all may be wondering by now…what's with the title? Well…two things: 1) it actually has something to do with later in the story. 2) I bite completely at coming up with titles…haha
Baralai made sure everyone was seated comfortably before he himself sat at the head of the table. Crystal glasses has been set in front of each guest, filled their silver rims with a fizzy, bubbly beverage. He reached to pick his up, and feeling the cold smooth crystal with his hands, lifted it up. "Thank you all for coming today, as we celebrate the engagement of two close friends." he nodded at the smiling Yuna and Tidus, adding a smile of his own. "May you live in happiness and cherish each other always." Applause began around the room. He knew he was good at speeches, he was a praetor, it's what he did. Down the left side of the table, Tidus leaned toward Yuna for a kiss. She answered him and the applause strengthened. She broke into laughter which was soon over powered by her cousin's. Rikku clapped and clapped until she could no longer and she had to settle by bouncing up and down in her chair like an impatient toddler. Baralai laughed to himself. Rikku would never change. Especially if his friend Gippal would soon carry out his own plans for the couple that he had entrusted to Baralai earlier last week. That would be a sight. Gippal…the professional bachelor…a husband to Lady Yuna's rambunctious cousin. He shrugged his shoulders, must be an Al Bhed thing he told himself.
Since most of the conversations at the table were directed toward or about the Dream an the former summoner, Baralai let his mind and eyes wander. From the silky blue tablecloth, to the roasted meat dishes the palace chefs had taken all day to prepare, to the silver candlesticks that adorned the long table they rested on. He realized he had let his gaze wander too far when it wandered upon a pale hand resting on the silky blue. His amber-brown eyes followed her hand, up her arm and eventually to her face. She was so pale, much paler than Yuna, Rikku, or even Paine for that matter. But gazing upon her face, he realized it wasn't a bad thing, She reached up with that pale hand to tuck a few escaped strands of golden hair, placing her eyes into plainer view. Those eyes. The crystal blue orbs so deep he could have sworn the entire ocean could have been crammed into them. He always avoided eye contact. Sure, he had looked at them from time to time, but never into them. He was praetor he had to keep reminding himself, and the praetor must keep control of himself and his emotions at all times. 'God, she's beautiful. If only I wasn't praetor. If I could just be me for two seconds. If only'- He shifted his eyes down to his plate…
'…If only she didn't hate me so…'
"Do I have something on my face or something?" He had been staring at her for a while now, and she couldn't figure out why. Nor did she really want to for that matter, all she knew was that it made her uncomfortable, and that was all she needed to know. His head jerked back and for a while, if only a for a little bit, she could detect something unusual about his face. Embarrassment? That's strange, it must be because she caught him off guard. He was probably just looking at her and thinking to himself how awful she was anyway. "No, I was just lost in thought…" he paused for a moment and the expression on his face changed to bitter sarcasm. "Forgive me if I have inconvenienced you, my lady." The last two words were the harshest of all. He hated calling her a lady, but even more he seemed, to her at least, to find some awful pleasure in seeing her clench her fists and grit her teeth at the title. She didn't want' to be known as a lady, she wasn't one. She was a teenage girl, not some stuffy palace lady. She didn't think of Yuna this way, but she had been told that Yuna was once like this, back in her summoner days.
Rikku let out a louder than necessary sigh, and Paine rolled her eyes. Kerra couldn't blame them, she and the praetor hardly ever said anything to each other, and when they did, it was hardly pleasant. So bickering like this was hardly a rare occurrence. "Other than your presence here in the same room, which at the moment cannot be helped, I believe you pose no additional annoyance." She replied, mimicking his sarcastic tone. She internally smiled. She loved insulting him while talking fancy. She got her own pleasure out of proving she could talk as fancy as his own people. Yuna tried a last minute attempt to hold the peace in the room that was slowly drifting away. "Tidus and I still have not found the perfect place for the ceremony. We were hoping that you all would have suggestions?" Rikku immediately entered in thought, which Tidus knew well that she would be there for hours. "How about Zanarkand?" Kerra inquired cheerfully. "It makes perfect sense. After all, Tidus is from Zanarkand, right?"
Tidus' face lit up with the prospect of being married in what used to be a giant blitzball dome. Had Wakka been there, he would have laughed until he fell on the floor, because only he could know exactly what the young groom-to-be was thinking. "Can you get your head off blitzball for two seconds?" asked Rikku. His response was a quick, and surprised laugh. Kerra laughed as well, she had seen it coming.
" If it would please you, lady Yuna, I would be happy to offer the Bevelle palace for the wedding." He added, then flinched. He had remembered too late of Yuna's previous experience with the Bevelle palace and weddings. He was relieved to look over and find the forgiving look in her eyes and that she was actually considering the prospect. Good. Now he could arrange a wedding fit for a High Summoner and an honored Dream of the Fayth. "What makes you think she'd want that? What good memories does she have of this place?" Kerra inquired, angry, but rightfully so. She was only trying to protect her friend. But, she couldn't protect Yuna from her memories, he knew that frustrated her so many times. "Because, here we could provide her with a proper wedding, Yuna is no common bride." He wondered if she could discern the panic in his voice, or if he did a good enough job hiding it. "Exactly" she replied. "This is why she should be free to pick her own wedding spot, without the high and mighty temple officials telling her what to do." She was very angry…he could tell. She stopped trying to mock him with elaborate speech when she became angry. "And if she wants to be married in the place of her birth?" 'No, idiot, that sounds stupid, your fighting a battle you can't win. Fancy words, Baralai, that's the only way out…' He looked up at her, avoiding eye contact, but he was sure the spheres of ocean blue were boiling.
This is Yuna's engagement dinner, you should be happy for her, and let her be happy… ugh, this man infuriates me, but… I have to be quiet, for Yuna and Tidus' sake. She closed her eyes and retreated to a slump in the back of her chair. "then it is her decision to make…" 'not yours' she wanted to say, and would have if she had not focused all self control to keep it behind her lips. Not two seconds after her thought, any calm that clung to the dining chamber evaporated, but this time, not by her cause.
"Looky over there!!" Rikku pointed to the corner, her voice quivering. Kerra did so, and had to suppress a shout, a shout that Tidus didn't fail to let go. Yuna stared in horror at what she saw…
What did Yuna see I wonder…hmm…you all really want to know? Okay, but you have to do something for me first. REVIEW!! And then I'll write the next chapter and tell you, sound like a deal? Here's a preview if you guys want to continue reading…
Yuna made her way to her room aboard the Celsius, at an almost running pace. 'Why? What could he possibly want with it? Who is he? ' Yuna opened an Al Bhed treasure chest she kept in her room at the foot of her bed, and flung out all the cloth until she reached a small, plain wooden box at the bottom. 'How could they even know about it…only father knew…and he was the one who gave it to me. I thought it was simply a pretty piece of jewelry.' She cradled the sole content of the box in two hands as if it would shatter if she dropped it. A dull light, the kind that was emitted by all spheres spilled from the miniature crystal sphere mounted in the pendant. It became a mystery to her all of the sudden why she had never wondered what it was for, or where it had come from. 'Daddy…what is it for?'
That ends my little preview! Adios and Adieu until next chapter!
Baralai made sure everyone was seated comfortably before he himself sat at the head of the table. Crystal glasses has been set in front of each guest, filled their silver rims with a fizzy, bubbly beverage. He reached to pick his up, and feeling the cold smooth crystal with his hands, lifted it up. "Thank you all for coming today, as we celebrate the engagement of two close friends." he nodded at the smiling Yuna and Tidus, adding a smile of his own. "May you live in happiness and cherish each other always." Applause began around the room. He knew he was good at speeches, he was a praetor, it's what he did. Down the left side of the table, Tidus leaned toward Yuna for a kiss. She answered him and the applause strengthened. She broke into laughter which was soon over powered by her cousin's. Rikku clapped and clapped until she could no longer and she had to settle by bouncing up and down in her chair like an impatient toddler. Baralai laughed to himself. Rikku would never change. Especially if his friend Gippal would soon carry out his own plans for the couple that he had entrusted to Baralai earlier last week. That would be a sight. Gippal…the professional bachelor…a husband to Lady Yuna's rambunctious cousin. He shrugged his shoulders, must be an Al Bhed thing he told himself.
Since most of the conversations at the table were directed toward or about the Dream an the former summoner, Baralai let his mind and eyes wander. From the silky blue tablecloth, to the roasted meat dishes the palace chefs had taken all day to prepare, to the silver candlesticks that adorned the long table they rested on. He realized he had let his gaze wander too far when it wandered upon a pale hand resting on the silky blue. His amber-brown eyes followed her hand, up her arm and eventually to her face. She was so pale, much paler than Yuna, Rikku, or even Paine for that matter. But gazing upon her face, he realized it wasn't a bad thing, She reached up with that pale hand to tuck a few escaped strands of golden hair, placing her eyes into plainer view. Those eyes. The crystal blue orbs so deep he could have sworn the entire ocean could have been crammed into them. He always avoided eye contact. Sure, he had looked at them from time to time, but never into them. He was praetor he had to keep reminding himself, and the praetor must keep control of himself and his emotions at all times. 'God, she's beautiful. If only I wasn't praetor. If I could just be me for two seconds. If only'- He shifted his eyes down to his plate…
'…If only she didn't hate me so…'
"Do I have something on my face or something?" He had been staring at her for a while now, and she couldn't figure out why. Nor did she really want to for that matter, all she knew was that it made her uncomfortable, and that was all she needed to know. His head jerked back and for a while, if only a for a little bit, she could detect something unusual about his face. Embarrassment? That's strange, it must be because she caught him off guard. He was probably just looking at her and thinking to himself how awful she was anyway. "No, I was just lost in thought…" he paused for a moment and the expression on his face changed to bitter sarcasm. "Forgive me if I have inconvenienced you, my lady." The last two words were the harshest of all. He hated calling her a lady, but even more he seemed, to her at least, to find some awful pleasure in seeing her clench her fists and grit her teeth at the title. She didn't want' to be known as a lady, she wasn't one. She was a teenage girl, not some stuffy palace lady. She didn't think of Yuna this way, but she had been told that Yuna was once like this, back in her summoner days.
Rikku let out a louder than necessary sigh, and Paine rolled her eyes. Kerra couldn't blame them, she and the praetor hardly ever said anything to each other, and when they did, it was hardly pleasant. So bickering like this was hardly a rare occurrence. "Other than your presence here in the same room, which at the moment cannot be helped, I believe you pose no additional annoyance." She replied, mimicking his sarcastic tone. She internally smiled. She loved insulting him while talking fancy. She got her own pleasure out of proving she could talk as fancy as his own people. Yuna tried a last minute attempt to hold the peace in the room that was slowly drifting away. "Tidus and I still have not found the perfect place for the ceremony. We were hoping that you all would have suggestions?" Rikku immediately entered in thought, which Tidus knew well that she would be there for hours. "How about Zanarkand?" Kerra inquired cheerfully. "It makes perfect sense. After all, Tidus is from Zanarkand, right?"
Tidus' face lit up with the prospect of being married in what used to be a giant blitzball dome. Had Wakka been there, he would have laughed until he fell on the floor, because only he could know exactly what the young groom-to-be was thinking. "Can you get your head off blitzball for two seconds?" asked Rikku. His response was a quick, and surprised laugh. Kerra laughed as well, she had seen it coming.
" If it would please you, lady Yuna, I would be happy to offer the Bevelle palace for the wedding." He added, then flinched. He had remembered too late of Yuna's previous experience with the Bevelle palace and weddings. He was relieved to look over and find the forgiving look in her eyes and that she was actually considering the prospect. Good. Now he could arrange a wedding fit for a High Summoner and an honored Dream of the Fayth. "What makes you think she'd want that? What good memories does she have of this place?" Kerra inquired, angry, but rightfully so. She was only trying to protect her friend. But, she couldn't protect Yuna from her memories, he knew that frustrated her so many times. "Because, here we could provide her with a proper wedding, Yuna is no common bride." He wondered if she could discern the panic in his voice, or if he did a good enough job hiding it. "Exactly" she replied. "This is why she should be free to pick her own wedding spot, without the high and mighty temple officials telling her what to do." She was very angry…he could tell. She stopped trying to mock him with elaborate speech when she became angry. "And if she wants to be married in the place of her birth?" 'No, idiot, that sounds stupid, your fighting a battle you can't win. Fancy words, Baralai, that's the only way out…' He looked up at her, avoiding eye contact, but he was sure the spheres of ocean blue were boiling.
This is Yuna's engagement dinner, you should be happy for her, and let her be happy… ugh, this man infuriates me, but… I have to be quiet, for Yuna and Tidus' sake. She closed her eyes and retreated to a slump in the back of her chair. "then it is her decision to make…" 'not yours' she wanted to say, and would have if she had not focused all self control to keep it behind her lips. Not two seconds after her thought, any calm that clung to the dining chamber evaporated, but this time, not by her cause.
"Looky over there!!" Rikku pointed to the corner, her voice quivering. Kerra did so, and had to suppress a shout, a shout that Tidus didn't fail to let go. Yuna stared in horror at what she saw…
What did Yuna see I wonder…hmm…you all really want to know? Okay, but you have to do something for me first. REVIEW!! And then I'll write the next chapter and tell you, sound like a deal? Here's a preview if you guys want to continue reading…
Yuna made her way to her room aboard the Celsius, at an almost running pace. 'Why? What could he possibly want with it? Who is he? ' Yuna opened an Al Bhed treasure chest she kept in her room at the foot of her bed, and flung out all the cloth until she reached a small, plain wooden box at the bottom. 'How could they even know about it…only father knew…and he was the one who gave it to me. I thought it was simply a pretty piece of jewelry.' She cradled the sole content of the box in two hands as if it would shatter if she dropped it. A dull light, the kind that was emitted by all spheres spilled from the miniature crystal sphere mounted in the pendant. It became a mystery to her all of the sudden why she had never wondered what it was for, or where it had come from. 'Daddy…what is it for?'
That ends my little preview! Adios and Adieu until next chapter!