I think my chapters are messed up. I'll fix that soon. Maybe. If I think of it. And I told you the last chapter would be good, didn't I? You should always listen to me. My boss hasn't figured that out yet. Hehe. I just watched Renaissance Man, with Danny DiVito. Great movie. Ok, back to the story.
Oh, and many thanks to all my reviewers! I'm so glad you like story. J
Chapter 4
Rikku stood up and offered Gippal a hand. He stared at it for a moment, and then took it, nearly pulling Rikku back down. She glared at him, and then turned away when that cocky grin reappeared on his face. The crowd burst into applause when she turned around to face them. Several people were collecting gil from their companions. Rikku smiled at that, happy that someone had believed she would win. Even if she had cheated a little.
"I told you I could beat you, Gippal." She said as he came up beside her.
"Only because you cheated, Cid's girl."
"I have a name. Why don't you try using it?" she asked.
"You never asked me to."
Rikku was exasperated. "All this time, you've been calling me 'Cid's girl' because I never asked you to use my real one?"
"Yep."
"Uhgg!" she replied while hanging her head and arms down loosely. "Why do you have to be so impossible?"
"Because it aggravates you. You're funny when you're mad."
Rikku wanted to smack that grin off his face, but thought better of it when she remembered her prize. So she smiled brilliantly at Gippal, and clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly. "So, where are you taking me for dinner? Hmmm?" Gippal opened his mouth but she cut him off before he said anything. "And don't take me anywhere cheap. I want to eat some place nice." She added a warning look, just for emphasis.
"You're ruining all my fun today, you know that?" Rikku's smile widened slightly. "Alright, alright. Vinito's, then."
"Ohhhh, that new place with all the aquariums?" she asked excitedly.
"Yes and its formal attire only." he said with a significant look at Rikku. "Which means a dress. Nothing you would normally wear for any reason." Rikku wrinkled her nose at this, because she hated dresses. It was not possible to move correctly in dresses. "And if you show up in something, uh, casual, I'm not footing the bill." he added.
"Humph." Rikku pouted, sticking her lower lip out a bit. "FINE! I'll wear a stupid dress. And you better be serious about Vinito's." He only picked that place cause he knows I HATE dresses. Scum bag. Shoopuf vomit. Flan entrails. Snot-rocketor! The insults she was thinking got worse as Gippal laughed at her reaction.
"I'm serious. They have great food there. Atmosphere's kinda stuffy though." Rikku was still pouting about wearing a dress. "Come on. Let's get out of here. Unless you enjoy a bunch of muscle heads staring at you." They were indeed staring, but Rikku was more concerned with the whereabouts of her shirt.
"Where'd you throw my shirt, Gippal?" she said as she began scanning the floor.
"Do you have any idea how bad that sounds?" he said.
"Can you get your mind out of the gutter for more than a minute?"
"Touché. It's over here." Gippal went and picked up the shirt, then threw it at Rikku's head. She caught it, and was in the process of putting it on when she let out a curse in Al Bhed.
"You jerk! You ripped my shirt!"
"Hey, you're the one that wouldn't fall. It's not like I meant to!"
"You owe me a new shirt! I just bought this thing."
"You don't seem to be in the habit of wearing modest clothes, so what's the problem?"
Rikku flung the shirt at Gippal's face, where it landed with a wet 'smack'. Gippal chuckled as she stomped away angrily. He jogged up beside her before she got too far. "You forgot this." Rikku rolled her eyes and shoved him. "I don't want to keep your sweaty shirt!"
"Then why'd you pull it off?" she said as she whipped around and poked him in the chest rather hard.
"I seem to remember you slipping out of it. You want to get naked with me that badly?
"You perv! Why would I want to get naked with you? I'm not some dumb bimbo who wants to get you in bed!"
Gippal placed a hand over his heart and started to swoon. "You've wounded me, Cid's girl! Am I that bad to look at?" Rikku snorted and started walking out the door. Gippal followed behind her, chuckling at her reaction again. When she did not slow down, or even look at him, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a stop. "Come on, I'm kidding. I'll buy you a new shirt AND dinner. That's a great deal, considering how much you put away."
Rikku frowned, and then said "Fine. And would you please start calling me Rikku?"
"Sure thing, babe!"
"My name's not 'babe' either!" she said hotly. Rikku started walking again, but this time at a moderate pace. Gippal fell in step beside her. "Why do you aggravate me on purpose?"
"I told you, you're funny when you're mad. And it's easy to do."
She did not dignify the remark with an answer. Instead she sidled up to Gippal and took his arm, laying her head on his shoulder. "So you're taking me to a nice restaurant. Does that mean I'm interrupting your plans for tonight with anyone?" she asked too sweetly.
"Hey! Keep your sweat to yourself! Ugh, Rikku germs." he said, trying to disengage his arm form Rikku. She laughed and clung on, rubbing her sweaty forehead on his shoulder.
"You didn't seem to mind my sweat earlier..."
This time Gippal did not answer. He stopped trying to get his arm back too. Rikku was like a leach when she wanted to be. He turned to look at her. "Only because you were distracting me with cheap tactics."
"I still won, didn't I?" she said with an impish grin. "You're just a sore loser!"
"Sore is right. Why'd you hit me so hard?" he said, rubbing his stomach where she had punched him.
"I thought you were a big strong man, Gippal! A punch from little me can't hurt that bad! Hehe." He gave her a very droll look, and she let go of his arm, reluctantly, with another giggle. "You weren't so gentle with me, either. What are people going think when I show up for dinner covered with bruises?"
"I didn't hit you anywhere that can't be covered up with a dress." He narrowed his eyes at Rikku's sudden smile. "A nice dress. Man you talk about my mind being in the gutter."
"Aww! There goes my dress for tonight!" she said sarcastically. "So what are you going to wear?"
"A suit." he answered as if it had been a simple question.
"Obviously. What color?"
"I don't know! Does it matter?"
"Duh! Do you want us to clash in such a classy place?"
"Whatever. Grey. There, are you happy now?" he said with impatience. "You never used to care about that stuff."
"Well, times are changing, and so am I. Is that so bad?"
"No. You sure have changed though. In a nice way." He added the last because Rikku gave him the 'eyebrow-raised-you-said-what' look. "Anyway, you do own a dress, right? Or do I have to buy that too?"
Rikku stuck her tongue out at him. "Of course! I am a girl, you know. Or do you?"
He chuckled again, earning another eye roll. "I've got things to do, so I'll see you at the restaurant. Seven sharp or I'm eating without you."
"As if I'd be late for a meal."
"True. See you later, Cid's girl!" he said as he walked down another street two blocks from the one her inn was on.
"My name is RIKKU you big oaf! I asked you nicely too!" She shouted at his back. Gippal just turned and waved, pretending that he had not heard her. Rikku sighed, and then walked toward the Sun Rose. She was just inside the door when something struck her. Running into the kitchen she found Elizza taking a pie out of the oven.
"OhmanIhaveadatetonightandIhavenothingtowear!" she said in a rush, clutching Elizza'a sleeve.
"Now, now, dear." She said as she put the pie on a rack to cool. "Slow down. I could not understand a word you just said."
"I have a date tonight at a really nice restaurant and I've got nothing to wear! Where's a good place to buy a dress?!" Rikku spoke with rising panic.
"Calm down, dear. You don't need to buy a dress. I was your size when I was your age. I have some lovely dresses up in the attic. They are considered vintage now, so you ought to like them. Why don't we go take a look while the pie cools?"
"Really? You'd do that for me? Aren't you afraid they might get messed up?"
"No, dear. If you knew how many times Raas spilled something on them on our dates, you wouldn't be worried." Elizza said with a soft laugh at the memories of those dates. "Anyway, I'd rather they be used than sitting in storage. You're welcome to them anytime you like."
"Cool! Let's go look!" Rikku said, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. "Do you have any shoes?"
"Oh my yes. They would fit you too, I dare say."
"Yay!" Rikku danced along behind Elizza all the way into the attic, even up the stairs. Dancing up stairs is no easy feat. Elizza led her to a large trunk, sitting next to a full length mirror. She opened the trunk and Rikku let out an awed "Cool.".
The two of them spent the better part of an hour looking through Elizza's clothing and shoes. Various dresses, skirts and blouses were hanging from the rafters and lying on top of boxes. Shoes littered the floor. An outfit was finally decided on, and Rikku held the chosen dress against herself, looking in the mirror. She had matching shoes and even a hand bag. Elizza insisted that she take a hand bag. "You never know when you might need something. A lady should always be prepared for emergencies." was her explanation. Rikku didn't mind at all, though she privately thought she would loose the hand bag before the end of the night, though not on purpose.
Rikku took her new treasures down to her room, Elizza chatting about how Rikku should do her hair and what kink of make-up she would use. Rikku did not wear make-up. It felt like paint to her. "Don't fret, dear. I wouldn't put a lot on you. You're so pretty naturally, there's no need for much. Why don't you take a nap? You look tired."
"I am tired, but I'd rather eat some pie before my nap." she said hopefully.
"I'll bring up a slice for you, so you can get a shower."
Elizza made good on her word, because when Rikku stepped out of the bathroom, the pie was sitting on her night stand, waiting for her. "Ohhh, yummy!" she said as she leapt over to her pie, savoring every morsel of it. She even licked the plate clean. Ahh. Good pie. Not as good as cookies, but yummy none the less. I wonder if Gippal likes pie. Probably not. He probably eats flans of something. Yucky! Her thoughts amused her until she fell asleep.
A few hours later...
Someone was shaking Rikku's shoulder, trying to wake her up. Don't they know I'm asleep? The someone kept shaking her, insisting she wake up. When Rikku finally opened her eyes to glare at the person shaking her, Elizza came into her vision. "Wha?" she asked sleepily.
"You need to wake up, so you can get ready for tonight. Else you'll be late!"
"Oh no! What time is it?"
"Relax, we have plenty of time. I let you sleep as long as I could. We need to get you ready, so wake yourself up dear." Elizza turned around, rummaging about inside a large bag on the vanity. Rikku yawned and stretched, wincing at her new collection of bruises. Stupid Gippal, bruising me. Humph.
"Ok, ok, I'm up. What's in the bag, Elizza?" Rikku said as she walked over to the older woman.
"Just some make-up. Sit down, now. Let's see how we'll fix your hair..."
Rikku did as she was told, handing Elizza pins and brushes and styling products. She sat still as best she could, but could not help squirming. Elizza was understanding and finished quickly. Next came the dreaded make-up. Elizza did not use much, just some eye liner and shadow, and lipstick. Rikku barely recognized herself when they were done. She looked very different. Good different. The dress would complete the change. Rikku smiled at her reflection and hugged Elizza.
"Thank you. I would never have been able to do this. He won't even recognize me!"
"You're welcome, dear. Let's get you into your dress. You have plenty of time to get to the restaurant. Who is your date tonight, by the way?"
"The guy from Home I told you about."
"Oh really? I told you he would come to his senses."
Rikku giggled. "Actually, he lost a bet, so he has to buy me dinner. He could have taken me anywhere, but he said Vinito's."
"Well, I think that is a good sign. Not many men would choose Vinito's." Elizza gave her a smile. "You'll see, next thing you know, he'll sweep you off your feet."
"Is that what happened with you and Raas?"
"Oh yes! Literally. I twisted my ankle on a cobblestone, and Raas carried me all the way home in his arms. I knew then and there he was the one for me." Elizza sighed happily. "Maybe it will happen to you. Except for twisting your ankle."
"Yeah. Maybe. I don't know. I'm nervous. Do I look nervous? I feel nervous."
"You look wonderful. Now let's see." Elizza studied her handiwork, and decided that every thing looked splendid, but something was missing. "Hmmm. I know! You need some jewelry. Nothing fancy. Just not orange feathers." Rikku removed her earrings, laying them down on a tray. "Now what did I wear with that dress?"
"I've got something, actually." Rikku said, going to the dresser and pulling out a palm-sized box. She took them over to Elizza to see if they met her approval. She opened the box carefully, and showed Elizza the contents. A matching set of earrings and a necklace lay on cushions of velvet.
"Those are perfect! I thought you didn't like things like this. Where did you get them?"
Rikku hesitated for a moment, and then answered. "They were my mother's. Pop got them for her when I was born."
"That's so sweet of him to do! Are they pearls?"
"Nope. Moonstone."
Elizza stared at Rikku with disbelief. Moonstones were the rarest gems in Spira. They usually signified marriage or some other significant life event, like having a child. The most women hoped for was a small chip for a ring or pendant. No one had received a set like this in generations. The only place they could be mined was deep under Bikanel. The fiends that were found near moonstone veins were ferocious and numerous. Not many people dared to go there for them.
"Did Cid send someone to get them?"
"Nope again. He got them himself. Nearly died doing it though." Rikku frowned at that thought. If her father had died then, she would have wound up an orphan. She carefully removed the earrings and put them on, while Elizza fastened the necklace. She's right. They do look perfect. I'm glad I held on to these.
Rikku was now deemed ready and the two of them descended the stairs together, Elizza reminding Rikku to hold onto her hand bag. Raas had just walked in and stared at them. Rikku did not look like herself, as was evident by Raas' expression.
"Darling, doesn't Rikku look lovely?"
"I'll say. You look real nice, girl. Come on and give us a twirl."
Rikku happily complied and held her arms out when she finished. "What do you think? Will I turn some heads, or what?"
"Yep. I hope whoever your date is can protect you form the hoards of men you'll attract." was Raas' answer.
"Don't worry about that. He's almost as good a fighter as I am! I think we can fend them off."
"He should be the one fending, girl, not you. You should just sit and watch while he does the dirty work."
Rikku giggled. "Ok. That sounds like fun to watch. Well, I'm off! See you later tonight!" she said as she hugged Elizza and Raas and went out the door to meet her next adventure: dinner with Gippal.
OK! So Rikku has a date, Gippal got beaten up by his date and Rikku is wearing a, dare I say it, DRESS! It's the end of the world! Tune in for the next chapter: Dining with the Enemy! Dun dun dunnnnn.
BTW, I got a fabulous hair cut today, and I just want to thank my hair dresser. She makes my hare behave like no one else. (My hair is extremely unruly, and the fact that she can make it look great is incredible. She deserves a cookie! And so do all the people who review my story!
tagg gives all reviewes cookies!