A/N: Ok childrens, cos I've been very, very naughty on the update front, you've got a longer chappie than normal, only by about 1000 words, but it adds up, right? Please don't hurt me, I miscalculated how much... STUFF I'd have to learn for my exams... A little tip for you guys: Do NOT try to do a whole TERM'S work in a DAY. Honest to god you'll end up talking about JAM CONSUMPTION... or maybe that's just me...
Anyways, I am so sorry to the adoring public I have disappointed, I actually have a week off now, so I'll try and give you the updates that I've neglected to post and... well... WRITE... -sheepish- Reviewing however DOES give me inspiration, in fact, I'm thinking of putting a quota up! If you don't review, NO next chapter, eh? Sound harsh? I'm feeling insecure, shoot me... lol
DISCLAIMER: I have all of a fiver to my name, surprisingly, me no own FFX-2...
-Jezzi- Holy cow Batman! -cracks up- Best phrase in the history of the world... Anyways, yeah, I feel sorry for being so mean to poor Yunie, but I find the suffering of others amusing, so I'm not quite done with her yet, lol. Thanks for likin' it -bashful- SORRY about the lack of updates, I am suitably ashamed...
-green-eyed-blonde- Just to be entirely too annoying and smug, Order of the Phoenix 2 days, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA... Anyways, thanks for reviewing, hope you enjoy this next chapter!
-Alicia- Awwww, thanks fer bein' so nice to lil ol' me... -blushes- So sorry 'bout the whole, LYING about a quick update thing, but I hope the chapter's worth the wait!
-oOoDancingQueenoOo- How's about you read to find out, eh? Oooh! The SUSPENSE!
-K-Jaye- Awwww, I am ADORED! -huggles- I have to thank you LOADS for the inspiration for Shinra's storytime, and I hope that I've done your mental picture proud, lol. And I soooo know how it feels to have a bastard brother... I'd kill him and bury the body in the back garden if I could, but I'm sure my Mum would realise I did it... Sorry for the lack of updates, failing exams is stressful as well as time consuming... which is a really feeble excuse... lol... Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Ten: Babysitter's Breakdown
Shinra's announcement was clear, concise, and soooooo not what I needed right now. Leaving my stunned comrades, I raced up the curving stairs, crouching in mid-movement to swipe the rope I had unearthed during my last exploration, to then leap fluidly from the balcony, arching forward into a pretty somersault; and land gracefully on my feet, for once… I bent my knees to absorb the shock impact, which caused me a lot less pain than landing on my backside had, and then righted myself with a gymnast's flourish, to scowl when I realised that no one was paying any attention to my aerial acrobatics. Muttering with a sourness that hadn't previously been a part of my happy-go-lucky list of emotions, I snatched the remaining contents of the vodka bottle off of the countertop, taking a hearty swig as if it would solve any or all of my problems, before giving a helpless look to my cousin, who was highly amused at her inability to stand, and striding purposefully to the elevator.
I discovered upon reaching the great out of doors that Paine was adding the finishing touches to her giant art attack or whatever the heck she was doing, and that she had obviously lost it, due to the fact that she was muttering angrily to herself… oh, and she was confiscating the boots from one of her victim's very feet; the reason for her action wasn't yet apparent, but I was blessed with a plethora of suggestions from my overactive imagination.
I continued to watch Paine stalking around, dropping one of the boots near another fallen soldier and nodding her satisfaction, almost causing a stolen helmet to topple from its haphazard perch on her hair.
"Did you get the rope?" She called to me, without even turning, which of course almost caused me to have a massive coronary right there and then. When I'd managed to get my heart rate to a less elevated, chaotic cadence, I tossed the rope, marvelling at how Paine caught it, still without turning to acknowledge my presence. Savagely ramming the helmet back upon her unruly hair, she began to lash the wrists of one of the horizontal almost-dead together; tethering his ankles to each other in what I thought was a rather unneeded gesture. I mean, judging from their previous positions from over half an hour ago and their current locations? They weren't waking up any time in the near future; not without a load of White Mages and smelling salts at their disposal anyhow. Unless Paine was going to use the vodka as a real sure-fire way to start the party… literally; hence the rope probably being a good idea, seeing as it had been drenched in reeking black tar, whether for this purpose or to match Paine's outfit, it's something I'm still trying to fathom out. Then I realised that Paine had already played with fire today, and her playthings were still suffering for her whim; and with the Black Mage sphere hanging saucily off of one hip, it just seemed like the vodka was one step too far.
"So, what's the vodka actually for?" I voiced the question I'd privately asked myself many times and was quite stunned that my psychotic friend deemed it worthy of an answer.
"Well, let's just say that I've concluded that I am a) alone, b) humiliated, c) probably in a heck of a lot of trouble with a plethora of people, and finally, d) did you see me get publicly JILTED?" She thundered, and I was only able to nod meekly in response. "So, seeing as I've had the characteristics: homicidal spinster branded into my forehead like I were a piece of livestock, I think I'd like to drown my sorrows in alcohol and hope I remember less than the usual 2 of the evening before." She spat, tying a frighteningly complex knot that bound two soldiers together in what looked like a life sized cat's cradle. Unfortunately, as awkward silence descended, I felt obliged to open my big fat mouth.
"You could always get a cat?" I suggested, promptly wedging my foot into said big fat mouth. Paine swirled around furiously, cursing me with the first instance of eye contact; and let me say, if looks could kill, I'd be ashes floating on the thermals created by my own combusted flesh.
"Oh yes, what a great idea Rikku, I could train an army of ninja cats to throw at small children foolish enough to pass my house, or try to infiltrate the 'witch's' yard to retrieve their playthings!" She narrated, more than meeting her sarcasm quota for the day. I ploughed on regardless, trying to see that if I kept digging my own grave I'd come out somewhere on the other side of Spira; somewhere FAR away from Paine.
"You know, I'm sure the kids would like you if you fed them, the way to their hearts is through their stomachs or materialistic desires. Just don't sprinkle arsenic on the cookies and don't mix their milk with cyanide." I replied just as snidely. Paine strode up to me briskly, and I barely resisted the urge to cower, but she only snatched the glass bottle from my shaking hands, knocking back a frighteningly large quantity of alcohol with the consistency of paint stripper. She made a small noise of satisfaction, one I didn't think that anyone could receive from something as foul tasting as neat vodka, before turning her attention back to me.
"Anything else you wanted?" She asked, warning evident in her tone. I took the hint, and made my excuse quickly.
"Something's come up; Shinra seems to think it's important enough to use the term 'robbery'." I elucidated bluntly, turning slowly and exhaustedly to trudge wearily after Paine who was speedily returning to the Celsius. "What was up with the exterior decorating anyways?" I asked curiously, gesturing vaguely to battlefield we were calmly departing from. Paine turned, grinning malevolently at her handiwork, and my curiosity.
"You'll find out when we leave." She answered cryptically, closing the discussion by severing eye contact and strolling briskly away.
I managed to catch up to her as the elevator was about to depart, having power-walked as fast as my comparatively stumpy little legs would take me, but Paine had long since retreated into herself, so I was no longer deemed interesting, and therefore unworthy of the gift of her conversation. We reached the Bridge in relative, well, total silence, I'd broached inane chitchat once and only once in the whole existence of our relationship, cos no matter what Gippal said, I wasn't TOTALLY blonde, and looked expectantly to the congregation. Gippal was supporting Yuna all by his lonesome, which I later found out, was because Brother had been forbidden from participating when his hand 'slipped' for the fifth time in two minutes. Yuna, who looked no worse for wear, unless you counted the inability to stand unaided and the random moments where she'd try and poke Gippal's nose, which wasn't the best of ideas since her depth perception had gone bye-bye, was finding Gippal cursing and holding his free hand to his previously good eye rather amusing, and I had to admit that I was also biting back a snigger. Shinra was waiting rather impatiently to bring enlightenment to his not-so rapt flock, standing on his station like it was a podium.
"The broken sphere from the Zanarkand Ruins is missing." He announced, glaring at me expectantly, seeing as our great leader wasn't even all that coherent at best, or mentally stable, and our unofficial commander in chief was giggling and marvelling at her own hands.
"Were there any obvious clues about; cos I really don't want to go over this place with a fine toothed comb?" I asked tiredly; being in charge wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
"Looks like the burglar left us a present." Buddy answered, waggling a sphere in front of my face, which I promptly passed to Shinra.
"I'll punch it up, analysis shows that this is as good as we're getting anyway." He muttered grouchily, which made me subconsciously check the clock on the wall; yup, it was past his bedtime, I was gonna have to give him more than just the one cookie. Yunie obviously wasn't impressed at his brusqueness, as she jabbed her index finger menacingly forward in his general direction.
"You're not so big…" She whined, squinting in a drunken interpretation of a glare.
"Er… Lady Yuna, he's like, three foot tall, max, and the desk isn't doing all that much for him." Gippal highlighted deftly, winking when I snorted.
"Well… you're a stupid-head!" Was the witty rebuttal he received, making me glad I'd clapped my hand over my mouth beforehand.
Light flared across one wall, rippling across the metal surface like mercury. A revealing magenta garment came into view and I groaned. Panning upwards, the camera revealed more exposed flesh, forcing my vision to trace the outline of the moronic Leblanc. Coming to rest for a split second longer than was appropriate on the heart tattoo, my eyes went huge when they strayed from the edges of the garish body art.
Turning quickly, Gippal had obviously noticed as well, as his gaze was appraising, much like a connoisseur would size up the wine on his palate. All embarrassment and nausea pushed momentarily aside, I quickly slipped off one of my supple ankle-boots and lobbed it, hitting my poor inebriated cousin in the side of the head and knocking her to terra firma. Jaw going slack and eyes widening to the size of black holes, I visibly paled, scanning the crowd to see if they'd noticed. Buddy, Shinra and Brother were pretty engrossed, thank Yevon, even though Paine was looking at me like a long suffering child-minder. Gippal, on the other hand, began to laugh his arse off at my lack of anything constituting as good aim, before trying to help the frantically staring Yuna up from her familiar friend: the floor.
Forcing my unwilling eyes back to the leader of the Leblanc Syndicate, who for all the world seemed unaware that she was giving her sworn nemeses a bit of an eyeful, on the right side at least, I finally witnessed the sphere fragment in her gloved hand. Arching back to run a magenta-clad hand through a truly harrowing head of badly-bleached hair, she shook the sphere provocatively, smiling broadly as I fought my morbid curiosity to stare at her gravity-defying boobs… and the patch of scanty fabric that hadn't done its rather small job of hiding only the unmentionable.
"Who's on top now, Dullwings? It'll be a thousand years before you can take on the mighty Leblanc!" She cackled, ramming her hands onto her hips, making me take an involuntary step back for fear that she'd take one of my eyes out with her horrifying cleavage. Ormi and Logos, her contrasting sidekicks, also began to partake in the clichéd laughter of the evil villain. As soon as the sphere cut off, I wondered how the hell she knew we were going to Bevelle as opposed to Mushroom Rock, cos, with the limited number of encounters we'd had with the woman, she wasn't really the type to actually come up with a successful plan, or actually listen to Logos who could actually scheme.
"Well, she got us…" Paine said, for the benefit of those who'd been too busy staring at the Queen of the Bimbos. Yuna nodded forlornly before stomping her foot viciously downwards, heel scraping along Gippal's shin as she did so.
"Oh… POOPIE!" She sulked, completely masking Gippal's small wail of agony.
"Yuna! Watch your language missy!" I drawled, hoping I wouldn't provoke her further. She pouted with petulance only the inebriated could manage, before sticking her tongue out at me.
"I was just copying you…" She muttered bitterly, making me wish that I hadn't suddenly become the role model for the deeply impressionable.
"That's nice…" Paine interrupted, eyes and tone telling us to shut up or do something useful, "and?"
"We're gonna take it back! No one messes with the Winggulls! Er… the Guwwlings! Us!" She concluded, after racking her alcohol sodden brain and coming up empty.
"And what about Vegnagun?" Paine shot back evilly, knowing that the poor ex-summoner probably couldn't even READ the word, let alone remember what it was. As expected, Yuna took on an expression of deep consternation.
"He's smelly?" She asked as much as replied, making me half sigh, half chuckle. I strolled over and whispered in her ear, before winking conspiratorially, -to which Yuna blinked back, as she couldn't quite work separate eyelids at the current moment in time- and pushing her into her audience. "We're forgetting who we are! We're sphere hunters! The Dullwings!" She cried, pumping the air with her fist like some peppy cheerleader and almost overbalancing in the process.
"It'll do…" I announced in exasperation, giggling when Yuna tried to high-five Paine and stacked it rather badly.
"That's right! We steal back what is stolen. It is the law of the sphere hunter! Now we go to Chateau Leblanc! We attack in the name of honor!" Brother shouted, which made me aware that he'd finally come out of his flesh-induced catatonia.
"Get our heinies kicked in the name of honour…" Shinra mumbled, and I had to bite my lip to stifle a giggle.
"We should go in disguise!" Yuna shouted ecstatically, and I was taken aback at how those who were drunk as newts could still hit the jackpot on the idea front. "I wanna be a giant Marlboro that goes… er… how do they go? Oh yeah! ARRRR!" She cried, flailing as if she'd suddenly sprouted the desired amount of tentacles. I smiled wryly, having discovered that, as with most gambling, total fluke more than came into play.
"That's it! Yuna, you are brilliant!" Brother crowed, slapping a hand warmly onto her shoulder and taking it no further when I pulled out my large particle converter.
"If slightly deranged when under the influence." Gippal concluded swiftly, wrapping one arm around my bare shoulders and using the other to lower my weapon.
"Fine…" I acquiesced, "So, we just have to fly around until we find some suitable cronies-" I finished vaguely.
"Beat them up and steal their uniforms?" Paine finished for me.
"Seven of them!" Yuna added, before leaping haphazardly onto Gippal's back and demanding that he trot up the mountain. Gippal, who was still semi-latched onto me, used my person as a counterbalance, so the only one that ended up with a face-full of dirt and dust-bunnies was, as per usual, poor, defenceless Rikku, who really didn't deserve this on top of everything else, at least in my oft-ignored opinion!
"Seeing as we still have to get to Bikanel, let's start our search there; we can sleep tonight and leave the Celsius on auto, which sounds like a good plan to me." I stated wearily, levering myself slowly onto my elbows. "Safer than letting Brother pilot anyhow…" I muttered. Stretching out my injured spine, I leaned forward, putting my weight onto my toes, and righted myself with less trouble than I'd come to associate with the simple task of standing. No one seemed energetic enough to challenge my authority, apart from Yuna, but she was too preoccupied with getting Gippal to: Giddy-up cowboy…
Fighting back a grin, I offered my outstretched hand to Shinra, who gratefully accepted the opportunity. After he'd scrambled around onto my back and made himself comfortable, and of course handed me his precious textbook on Quantum Mechanics for bedtime reading, I made our excuses and decided to get out of the madhouse as quickly as I was able to.
I'd noticed that Yuna had decided to follow us as covertly as she was able, when Gippal emitted a wheezing screech. Turning to analyse the situation, she'd pulled a wee bit too hard on the reins about his throat and almost garrotted him. However, knowing how volatile those who had consumed a heck of a lot of alcohol could be, I wisely pretended not to notice. Not even when Gippal gave me a pleading look with the express purpose of turning on a switch in every woman's mind to save and comfort the wretched little puppy being so harshly maltreated.
The only thing that stopped me from bodily removing Yuna from her saddle was the small detail that it was Gippal pulling the face, which meant that he could more than fend for himself against the ladies. Even if this particular lady had unfaltering belief that he was merely a plaything for her own sadistic amusement, he was a big boy, and maybe Yuna could remember their 'safety word'.
I snorted in amusement and shifted the dead weight that was a dozing Shinra, desperately attempting to not jostle him too much, cos he woke up crankier than an Ahriman with conjunctivitis. Depositing the pintsize genius on his bunk, I gently removed his mittens and boots, discarding them on his bedside table. Finishing the rest of my tasks efficiently, I concluded the process by tucking him in under his blankets, while my free fingers tugged at the buckles holding his helmet sealed. Triumph coming better late than never, the headgear joined the growing pile, giving me a rare glimpse of the adorable Al Bhed child. His hereditary sun-kissed skin was beginning to lose its intensity, softening the contrast with his mussed up golden hair. Sleepy emerald eyes blinked up at me and I smiled warmly back, brushing one of his bangs behind an ear.
"Where were we, sweetie?" I asked, highly tempted to hug and squeeze Shinra to death when he smiled dazedly back to me.
"Magnetic properties of multiple-electron atoms…" He muttered, while I tried to take in the information long enough to find the reference. I felt the thin mattress sag slightly and turned to meet the wide, frightening eyes of the Lady Yuna. Smiling briefly at the prospect of another willing participant to the drama, I pushed forward.
"Last night, we were talking about the three-dimensional spaces the electrons fluctuate about, right?" I asked, pleased at Shinra's nod of confirmation and highly amused at Yuna looking at me like I'd switched to Al Bhed to confuse her. "Rather redundantly, because the electron moves in what looks like an orbital wave function we term this: the orbital motion of the electron." I drawled, giggling as Yuna tried to mimic the motion in the book by flailing about like a stewardess highlighting the emergency exits on a commercial airship flight. "However, the electron may possess an internal motion of some kind, one which is independent of its motion through space. Since the electron bears a charge, such an internal motion, if it does exist, might be expected to generate a magnetic moment." I said, trying to fathom how the heck they could make the sentence: it's like a really small magnet, seem so Ifrit damned complicated. Yunie obviously agreed with me, as she got out our trusty Mr. Moomba hand puppet and announced in the stupidest voice available to her:
"I'm an electron!"
After I was done laughing, I attempted to rediscover my place on a page that never seemed to end. Shinra had taken my silence for a dramatic pause and was waiting on tenterhooks, which meant it was pretty darned scintillating seeing as two minutes ago he'd barely been conscious.
"We have previously pointed out that when an electron is in an atomic orbital for which, or is not equal to zero, the resultant angular motion of the electron gives rise to a magnetic moment. We would anticipate then that an electron in an s orbital (l 0) should not exhibit any magnetic effects as its angular momentum is zero." I paused when I noticed Gippal and Yuna animatedly scribbling on a piece of paper out of the corner of my eye. Leaning over with no real subtlety, I discovered that Gippal was actually illustrating the electron transitions and configurations, as well as how they were affected by the varying nuclei in the different forms of atom. I grudgingly admitted defeat; I was no longer the master quantum mechanic storyteller. Yuna had just doodled a family of what looked to be atoms if she'd used a heck of a lot of artistic license, well, either atoms or rain clouds with eyes… standing in a merry little line outside their house, equipped with two windows, a triangle roof and a smoking chimney. Snorting slightly as I brandished the masterpiece in front of Shinra, who quirked a flaxen eyebrow in acknowledgement of Gippal's worthiness to call himself a rival, I decided to press on again, before Yuna's limited attention span left her and I was forced to attempt to tucker her out. "If an electron in these circumstances did exhibit a magnetic effect, it would indicate that another type of motion was possible, presumably an internal one. Whether or not an electron in an s orbital does possess a magnetic moment may be determined by means of an atomic beam experiment…" I trailed off as Shinra's eyes flickered closed and smiled softly. "Similar to the one previously described." I concluded quietly, shutting the great leather-bound tome as noiselessly as I could. Leaning forward, I grazed my lips across his forehead, before double-checking that he was adequately snug in his cocoon of blankets. I turned around, beaming affectionately at Gippal, who was staring with a lack of any real comprehension. Maternal glow quickly dissipating into utter awkwardness, I started to bounce on the balls of my feet.
"That was… unexpected…" He stated reticently, making me feel wearier than I already was.
"Surprisingly Gippal, I can keep a child alive for more than five seconds when it is left in my care. I can participate in more beneficial, responsible actions than gambling him away to cover the debts of my secret penchant for opium." I drawled scathingly, resting my hand against the back of my skull in a vain attempt to work some of the kinks out of my spine.
"I just meant that you seemed like the independent, child-free sort to me…" He muttered back sulkily, no doubt mentally soothing his wounded pride.
"Jumping to conclusions will one day lead to a slap in the face and an overdue goodbye, so don't sell me short." I replied with mock-sternness, giggling when Gippal appeared to physically bite his tongue to prevent the automatic malicious comeback forming on his lips. I strolled over to windows, seemingly opaque against the lack of pallid illumination from the moon disguised by cloud.
Sighing as I began to swallow down the remaining vestiges of infernal pride, a metallic shimmering caught my eye and I frowned. Stretching to reach the small panel integrated onto the airship wall, I flicked on the exterior lights, expecting a random Hazhe wanting its arse handed back to it on a silver platter. Gippal had noticed my newest distraction, so he was already peering out of the window when I returned to my position. He was also giggling as loudly as he was able to without waking up Shinra. My line of sight was quickly adopted in the general direction of Gippal's vision, and realisation dawned.
Spelt out in literally life-size letters was the complete extent of Paine's fury. The soldiers she had placed in pretty little lines had been tied together to form the large, irate phrase of: DROP DEAD 'LAI, YOU JERKASS!
The comma and apostrophe looked to be made from the boots Paine had stolen from one soldier unknowingly suffering from chilblains right about now, and the stops under the exclamation points had been substituted for the little helmets she'd also been lugging around whilst muttering her vexation to the world and knocking back a fair amount of vodka that could burn a hole through reinforced concrete.
My stunned horror had unfortunately not subsided until we were airborne, and that was only because panic took over when the letters slowly became smaller and smaller as we made our ascent. Fully aware that there was no way Brother was going to turn back short of bloody murder; I sighed and brutally smashed my head against the window pane. I regretted it instantly, as I just bounced back off the bullet proof glass, rebounding into Gippal and knocking us both unceremoniously to the ground.
"Kidnapping, attempted bodily harm and death threats, all to the same individual, in ONE DAY!" I moaned into Gippal's chest, grabbing a brace in each hand, purely for the sake of being able to crush something in my tensing fists. "We need to get you out of here as soon as is physically possible, if the Machine Faction gets labelled as an accomplice of the Gullwings you're gonna lose a lot of business from our buddies in New Yevon AND the Youth League." I warned, far too aware of the ramifications of my actions. I was not going to ruin all of Gippal's hard work and make the only respected Al Bhed association an accessory to a failed assassination attempt. My lower lip started to quiver until I forcibly told myself to suck it up, but I couldn't relax my grip, regardless of mental threatening.
"I don't think it'll help, what with asking the 'target' to be our best man." Gippal replied amusedly, smiling at me warmly for trying anyhow.
"There is a chance that he'll keep quiet… what with the fact that I didn't actually attack him." I shot back peevishly, cursing the Praetor for a wimp as well as a fool. "Wasn't my fault he can't handle a confession of undying love…" I muttered, growling softly at how everything had gone so pear-shaped so damned quickly.
"Confession of undying love? Yevon almighty, you do know how to stroke a man's ego…" Gippal interrupted harshly, pushing up on his hands to stand up and brush me off. I hadn't yet realised that I was still hanging on for dear life, so I was dragged along for the ride, squeaking fearfully and locking my ankles over his hips. "So, what'd you do, turn on the mega-watt smile, start fiddling with a braid and look up at him through your pretty lashes?" He demanded angrily, whilst attempting to pry my white knuckle grip from his front, eventually giving up and settling upon the next course of action, which just happened to be glaring at me in an unforgiving manner.
We stayed like this for quite a while, him staring at me like he wanted to tear my legs off and beat me with them, and me staring back blankly, trying to work out why the hell he was so angry that Paine wanted a boyfriend. I forced another piece of the mental jigsaw into place, pummelling it in further with my fist when it didn't seem to want to fit. Coming to my flawed conclusion, I decided to glare back just as hard, removing one hand from his braces to pull back his eye patch as far as the elastic would allow, releasing it cruelly, snarling through a smirk when I heard the satisfying snap and consequent yelp.
"Just cos you can't handle the fact that every now and again there comes a woman that won't fall head over heels for a devil-may-care smirk and a predatory, feline gaze, doesn't mean that you're gonna get my support when you bitch about it!" I spat back, shrieking in indignant rage and pain when he returned the favour by wrenching down hard on my hair.
"How am I the one to blame for your scarlet woman behaviour?" He irately questioned, breathing deeply as we both continued to fume.
"You leave the Ixion damned hickey out of this; it has nothing to do with anything!" I screeched, raking my nails across the hand that was still tugging at my hair.
"Am I supposed to be proud that you managed to negotiate the collar or something? Cos I'm sure as hell not!" He snapped back, pinching the skin pulled tight across my knuckles as I retracted my nails, brow furrowing.
"You don't HAVE a collar you stupid jackass! The armour barely even reaches your neck!" I thundered, proving my point by pressing hard on the bruise, not allowing the time taken to smirk as he hissed. His eye tried to focus on my finger, going cross-eyed in the midst of its attempt before admitting defeat.
"You confessed for Paine, didn't you?" He more stated than asked, groaning when I nodded mutely.
"Sorry…" I uttered meekly, feeling utterly sheepish that I'd jumped to the conclusion I'd been prattling on about hypocritically not even five minutes ago.
"We're probably unhealthily jealous and possessive, aren't we?" He asked embarrassedly, the blush staining his face becoming more prominent when I traced the rosy infusion across one prominent cheek bone with my index finger.
"At least it can rather blatantly spell out that I care." I concluded softly, brushing my thumb against the pronounced hollow of one cheek as my hand cupped his face. My legs unwound from about his waist and my hands easily rested against his shoulders as he smiled back at me.
"I know that it's not all that flashy, and that women want some sort of diamond to commemorate, well… whatever the hell this is… but… uh… here." He muttered sheepishly whilst wrenching my hand from his shoulder, none too gently I might add, and slipping something on my finger. Quirking an eyebrow in amusement, more due to Gippal's stuttering and awkwardness than to his spasmodic manipulation, even though that was pretty damned funny too, I glanced down suspiciously. My vision was enchanted by the many facets of Macalania crystal, each shard catching the light hypnotically as I proceeded to gawp. "You didn't like the idea of the bet… so Barkeep traded me the Bit for this… if you don't like it I could always… er…" He trailed off rather pathetically and my heart started to melt at his rare moment of thoughtfulness. He was about to start back-pedalling furiously, I could easily identify the panicked, tempestuous emotions swimming through his eye; so I covered his mouth with my hand.
"It's beautiful… thank you Gippal." I uttered softly, removing my hand from its clasped position over his mouth and replacing it with my lips. Pulling back reluctantly, as always, I had to spoil the moment by yawning humiliatingly loudly, displaying a truly horrifying view of tonsils the size of a pair of Moogles' pompoms. Gippal snickered quietly, before brushing a chaste kiss against my forehead.
"Goodnight, Princess." He whispered, before turning back to the small chair that he'd set up shop in earlier. Brother hadn't exactly done his best to be accommodating, but as I looked to my ring finger, I realised that there was no way I was letting Gippal sleep in a chair hard-pressed to fit Shinra. Grabbing him by the hand, I wrenched him bodily back, hopping over the unconscious Yuna, keeled over and snoring beside Shinra's bunk. I proceeded to tug my stunned fiancé up the stairs, adopting a scandalised expression when I noticed Paine, sitting up against the headboard of her bed, looking rather more threatening than usual with the BAYONET she was sharpening against a whetstone.
"I'm not leaving, and I'm DEFINITELY not watching, so behave yourself Gippal." She warned, gesturing with her sharp and pointy object.
"He doesn't need threatening Paine; he knows that if his hands wander he won't HAVE them in the morning." I replied, smirking evilly, while wondering briefly how Paine had rubbed off on me so much in such a short period of time. "Anyways, I'm gonna pick Yunie up off of the floor, so Gippal, go find some 'jammies' or something…" I snorted, an action that Paine copied milliseconds later, and began another short trek down the stairs.
Though heavier than I was, the High Summoner was still pretty skinny, so I managed to haul her over my shoulder without too much trouble. I must've jolted her a bit too much though, because she started muttering something about magestical prawns and satellite dishes, which I resolved to ask her about come the morning. Having journeyed up the stairs for the umpteenth time today, I dumped the contentedly babbling Summoner on her bunk, lugging her boots off with no real gentleness. Deciding that I couldn't be arsed to physically change her clothes, I heaved the duvet over her snoring form, making sure she was firmly balanced on her side, cos I didn't want to explain to Pops that I'd been too distracted in bed with my fiancé while his favourite niece asphyxiated on her own vomit. Hefting an empty wicker bin to her bedside, I decided that I'd behaved as responsibly as I needed to for one night.
Turning round, I started to cackle at the image before me, namely Gippal in snow-white boxers emblazoned with crimson hearts.
"Please tell me those are NOT yours." I managed to get out through guffaws. Gippal was not amused however, as he continued to sulk silently while I tried to sneakily appraise his semi-naked self. The white of his heart-printed fashion abomination made his skin appear even darker, and the delectable state of his mussed hair and tired looking eye wasn't doing my self-control any good.
"You seem to like them well enough Cid's Girl…" He finally replied snippily, causing Paine to snicker from her bed on the far side of the loft-area. I blushed so deep my skin was almost purple, and tried to make whatever excuse I could.
"I've had them for years now; at least they went to their rightful owner in the end." Paine supplied cryptically, making my curiosity override my humiliation for the moment.
"Translation, please?" I asked, trying not to become too damnably aware of the burning flesh suddenly pressed against my back, or the arms locked firmly in place around my midriff.
"I destroyed his favourite pair; I apparently owed the man a new set." She said with a shrug, and I felt Gippal subconsciously tense.
"APPARENTLY?" He demanded petulantly, expression causing Paine to grin.
"It was your own fault anyway…" She muttered, obviously wanting the discussion to be over.
"How is it my fault that you set me alight?" He deadpanned. My jaw sagged and stared at Paine for confirmation.
"You were bullying Baralai, you know he's too pathetic and chivalrous to fend for himself." Paine reprimanded sternly, before remembering that she was not on speaking terms with said Baralai, so she just pouted.
"He clubbed me round the head with a TREE LIMB while you weren't looking!" Gippal shouted defiantly, though it was funny that while he was doing so it still appeared like he was cowering behind a little girl practically half his size.
"So you said, then Baralai called you a 'liar liar pants on fire', if I remember correctly." Paine drawled, lips turning up at the corners.
"Yes, then you replied: 'No wonder Nooj calls us brats', and proceeded to pull my trousers down and set fire to my backside." Gippal sputtered indignantly, while I wondered whether to rally on his behalf or laugh until I died of oxygen deprivation.
"Hence proving 'Lai's point; like he'd actually have the guts to hit you…" Paine snorted at the apparent absurdity of the idea.
"He hit me with the branch you dipped into the campfire to incinerate me." Gippal sulked, defiant to the last, and I guessed he could be, seeing as I was the meat-shield and all… Paine just snickered quietly and snuffed out her bedside lamp, ending the discussion with a curt 'goodnight'. I turned in the dim light to my positively aghast fiancé, patting him consolingly on the shoulder.
"Hog the blanket and you're a dead man." I simpered, launching myself onto my small, uncomfortable bed.
"Yes ma'am…" Gippal muttered acerbically, and was therefore rewarded with a pillow to the face.
"Thanks, just what I needed!" He chirped back, plonking himself on the other side of the narrow mattress, leaving me without the solitary pillow the bed possessed.
-Smart move Rikku…-
"You don't mind if I snore, right?" He asked cheekily, an action which irked me to the point of grinding my teeth viciously together, just as Gippal had intended.
This was going to be a long night…