Chapter 3
Rikku sloshed through the shallow part of the clear, salty ocean and made her way toward the Celsius, its front and wings emblazoned with sapphire-blue flames. The Celsius, this huge and impressive airship, was clean, organized, fast as lightning, and always bustlingly-busy with something going on in every part of it.
"Brother! Frana ec Paine?"
In reply to this, there was a loud mechanical clicking noise and then someone jumped out at her on long, springy legs. Clearly he was someone so many heads taller than her, with similar spiral-eyes that seemed slightly darker than Rikku's. His hair was thin and feathery and stood up in spikes. His nose made his face seem almost bird-like, and as her eyes swept down she caught sight of his denim overalls over his bare chest and shoulders, tattooed all over with the red and blue flames that trailed down to his stomach and arms.
"She is in the cabin. Are you going to help her rearrange everything? It is a mess back there," Brother said in an accent. His voice was just as squeaky, high-pitched and loud. Every r sound was done with a flip of the tongue. He towered over Rikku with a gaze that showed how his eyes looked almost as if they were heavily-outlined with black eyeliner and then draped over with long lashes coated in mascara.
"No!" exclaimed Rikku defiantly. "Why? That's your responsibility!"
Brother's swirling navy eyes widened. "WHAT? Last week you said you were going to help clean up the cabin if I took you to see Gippal!"
"I'm not listening!" Rikku exclaimed, running far back into a dark corridor, where double-doors slid open. A control panel inside the elevator offered a menu, and Rikku selected the screen of light that would take them to the cabin. Bouncing excitedly as if there was a beat playing in her mind, she began humming a somewhat patriotic tune as the gray titanium doors slid open and her boots thumped hard onto the wooden floor ahead of her. Rikku entered a room with ceiling fans whirring about and small tables across from a small bar, beneath a loft up onto which there were three large beds. A figure in black, leather, hardcore-style dress sat on a bar stool in front of the long counter.
"Oh, it's you," the figure said in a voice very low for that of a woman. She turned on the stool and blinked her pretty set of fiery crimson eyes through a thin screen of a few spiked bangs. Her hair was short and messy in a stylish way, the kind of brown-gray as if streaked with silver. "Are you having fun?"
"I feel great!" Rikku burst, jumping up and down. "Yunie said I should just try to spend some quality time with our good ol' friend Paine."
The said Paine crossed one leg over the other, pointing one of her tall, high heeled black boots out into the air. "'Quality time?' You and me?" A thin smile spread across her lips as Paine entertained herself with the thought of the two opposites bonding in any way possible.
"Yup!" Rikku blinked her pretty, hopeful eyes and continued bouncing as she did earlier. "You're going to the concert tonight, right?"
"I never have anywhere else to go."
"Great! We can rehearse!"
"We can what?"
"Come on, let me show you." Rikku reached up and seized Paine by her hands, pulling her off the bar stool. Paine's face contorted with an expression of great annoyance as Rikku moved the older woman's arms and tried to twirl her around a few times.
"I don't think we should do this...."
"Oh, come on!" Rikku wiggled around and put her arms around Paine's neck playfully. "'Although I know the world of real emotion has surrounded me'..." she sang out.
"That's enough, Rikku!!" Paine exclaimed, feeling a deep red blush forming on her face. "Is it not enough that I'm supportive by showing up at every one of Yuna's concerts? I told you before, dancing isn't my thing. I don't dance. Ever."
"I'll change that," Rikku said determinedly, with one hand on her hip and the other holding her chin in a thoughtful position.
"Good luck doing that. Minus about fifteen respect points for that, by the way." Paine's sarcastic smile returned at the knowledge that saying so would annoy Rikku.
"How many do I have now?" the blond Al Bhed whined.
"Thirty-two."
"Oh, man!! How do I earn more?"
"Well, I'm hungry," Paine said, crossing her arms over and making her way out of the cabin. "If you still wanna bond, you can make it up to me by leading me to some food around here."
Rikku sighed and let her arms drop for a moment, then plucked herself back up and marched on cheerfully. "Alright, then, on to Lulu and Wakka's house!"
Rikku sloshed through the shallow part of the clear, salty ocean and made her way toward the Celsius, its front and wings emblazoned with sapphire-blue flames. The Celsius, this huge and impressive airship, was clean, organized, fast as lightning, and always bustlingly-busy with something going on in every part of it.
"Brother! Frana ec Paine?"
In reply to this, there was a loud mechanical clicking noise and then someone jumped out at her on long, springy legs. Clearly he was someone so many heads taller than her, with similar spiral-eyes that seemed slightly darker than Rikku's. His hair was thin and feathery and stood up in spikes. His nose made his face seem almost bird-like, and as her eyes swept down she caught sight of his denim overalls over his bare chest and shoulders, tattooed all over with the red and blue flames that trailed down to his stomach and arms.
"She is in the cabin. Are you going to help her rearrange everything? It is a mess back there," Brother said in an accent. His voice was just as squeaky, high-pitched and loud. Every r sound was done with a flip of the tongue. He towered over Rikku with a gaze that showed how his eyes looked almost as if they were heavily-outlined with black eyeliner and then draped over with long lashes coated in mascara.
"No!" exclaimed Rikku defiantly. "Why? That's your responsibility!"
Brother's swirling navy eyes widened. "WHAT? Last week you said you were going to help clean up the cabin if I took you to see Gippal!"
"I'm not listening!" Rikku exclaimed, running far back into a dark corridor, where double-doors slid open. A control panel inside the elevator offered a menu, and Rikku selected the screen of light that would take them to the cabin. Bouncing excitedly as if there was a beat playing in her mind, she began humming a somewhat patriotic tune as the gray titanium doors slid open and her boots thumped hard onto the wooden floor ahead of her. Rikku entered a room with ceiling fans whirring about and small tables across from a small bar, beneath a loft up onto which there were three large beds. A figure in black, leather, hardcore-style dress sat on a bar stool in front of the long counter.
"Oh, it's you," the figure said in a voice very low for that of a woman. She turned on the stool and blinked her pretty set of fiery crimson eyes through a thin screen of a few spiked bangs. Her hair was short and messy in a stylish way, the kind of brown-gray as if streaked with silver. "Are you having fun?"
"I feel great!" Rikku burst, jumping up and down. "Yunie said I should just try to spend some quality time with our good ol' friend Paine."
The said Paine crossed one leg over the other, pointing one of her tall, high heeled black boots out into the air. "'Quality time?' You and me?" A thin smile spread across her lips as Paine entertained herself with the thought of the two opposites bonding in any way possible.
"Yup!" Rikku blinked her pretty, hopeful eyes and continued bouncing as she did earlier. "You're going to the concert tonight, right?"
"I never have anywhere else to go."
"Great! We can rehearse!"
"We can what?"
"Come on, let me show you." Rikku reached up and seized Paine by her hands, pulling her off the bar stool. Paine's face contorted with an expression of great annoyance as Rikku moved the older woman's arms and tried to twirl her around a few times.
"I don't think we should do this...."
"Oh, come on!" Rikku wiggled around and put her arms around Paine's neck playfully. "'Although I know the world of real emotion has surrounded me'..." she sang out.
"That's enough, Rikku!!" Paine exclaimed, feeling a deep red blush forming on her face. "Is it not enough that I'm supportive by showing up at every one of Yuna's concerts? I told you before, dancing isn't my thing. I don't dance. Ever."
"I'll change that," Rikku said determinedly, with one hand on her hip and the other holding her chin in a thoughtful position.
"Good luck doing that. Minus about fifteen respect points for that, by the way." Paine's sarcastic smile returned at the knowledge that saying so would annoy Rikku.
"How many do I have now?" the blond Al Bhed whined.
"Thirty-two."
"Oh, man!! How do I earn more?"
"Well, I'm hungry," Paine said, crossing her arms over and making her way out of the cabin. "If you still wanna bond, you can make it up to me by leading me to some food around here."
Rikku sighed and let her arms drop for a moment, then plucked herself back up and marched on cheerfully. "Alright, then, on to Lulu and Wakka's house!"