Chapter 3
Berrik walked into the clubhouse, opened his locker, and tossed his bag inside. Then he lay down on the bench, leaning his head back off the edge, and sighed with satisfaction. No matter where he had traveled, or how much he had enjoyed the trip, coming back to the arena was always a relief. He felt more at home in this locker room than anywhere else in the world, excepting the waters of the blitz sphere itself. Like most professional blitzers, water was his element, surrounded by it his favorite place to be. He was looking forward to the tournament that would kick off the next season -- after watching his players' skills and teamwork improve over the last few months, he had a feeling this might be the Psyches' year.
"Glad to be home?" a soft voice asked from the door.
He sat up, a bit too quickly, and steadied himself as the blood rushed out of his head. His vision swam for a moment, then resolved on Paine, leaning against the doorframe with a smile.
"I am," he replied. "You?"
"Sure," she said. "Although it's a bit odd to be on solid ground again after so long -- whenever I sit down, I feel like the chair is pitching beneath me."
Berrik nodded. "Still getting your land legs back. You'll be fine in a few days."
She sat next to him. "It was worth it. Spending the summer on the ocean was exactly what I needed, and I hope you know how much I appreciate that you invited me along."
He looked into Paine's crimson eyes, which were warm with gratitude. "My pleasure," he said. His fingers found themselves in her hair, and he moved in close, brushing her lips with his. She returned the kiss with gentle enthusiasm, resting her hand lightly on his neck.
Soon he pulled back, controlling his urge to draw her even nearer. Not that he thought she would object to an encounter in the locker room -- it wouldn't be the first time, after all -- but he was expecting the others to arrive any minute for their first team meeting since returning to Luca yesterday evening.
"So," he asked instead, "did you talk to the arena manager?"
"I did," she said. "I'm all set for the season."
"Staying with the Beasts? Or are you stuck back with the Goers again?"
"Neither, actually. I put in a special request before we left, and he granted it today." She flashed him a grin, then stuck out her hand in formal greeting. "Meet your new recorder."
Berrik took her hand and shook it, a smile spreading over his face. "You're serious?"
"I am."
"Not afraid you'll get sick of me?" He asked the question jokingly, but as he spoke, he realized the concern was quite real. For the most part, they had gotten along very well on the ship, only the few odd incidents that had caused her to withdraw marring their time together. But that had been such an unreal setting, their own little world in the middle of the ocean. Now he wondered if she would still find him as appealing in the mundane world of Luca and blitzball.
She shook her head, still smiling. "I doubt that very much."
"Good." He would have moved in for another kiss, but they were interrupted by the arrival of five blitz players. Standing up, he greeted them all with a grin. "Hey everyone, I have some news."
-x-
It was by far the best blitz season Berrik could remember.
The time he had spent drilling his teammates during the off-season had without question paid off. Taking third place in the opening tournament after a thrilling loss to the Luca Goers in the second round was only the beginning; after that, the team proceeded to take turns with the Goers at the top of the standings. Team chemistry was finally clicking under his leadership, and he took a great deal of pride in their accomplishments.
Then there was Paine. Always in the background during games and practices and official events, recording everything for posterity. And when official time was done, she was also usually there, by his side rather than in the distance, a solid presence that anchored his life. She rarely talked much, but she was no longer so withdrawn, more present in the world. Sometimes, though, he would catch her staring off into the distance, eyes scanning the sky or the sea. Not drawn inside herself as she had been; instead, her mind seemed very far away, and at those times he wondered how much longer she would be willing to stay tied to Luca, to the rhythms of the blitz season, to him.
Although the Goers ultimately finished the season in first place, no one was really surprised when the Al Bhed won the final tournament of the year. When the final buzzer sounded, Berrik swam to the center of the sphere along with his teammates, where they all came together in a mass of underwater hugs. As he embraced Nimrook, he noticed a figure over his goalie's shoulder, visible even through the swirling waters -- Paine, waiting in her official recorders box, still running the camera, and smiling. He waved to her, then turned around and headed for the exit.
By the time they made it back to the locker room, lurching and holding each other up, high on excitement and laughter, it was full of Al Bhed waiting to celebrate. Seeing all the joyful faces, he was hardly sure where to start -- with friends? Should he first acknowledge Rin, standing in the back with a broad smile on his face, or Brother, who was surely here at least in part to represent his father? He stood in the doorway, a crowd in front of him, teammates behind, dripping water onto the floor. A hush fell over the group, and they waited, clearly expecting the team captain to have a few words to share.
"Well," he finally said, looking over the friends and acquaintances and strangers who had gathered. "It was a hell of a season, and I'm glad we were able to give it to you. Thanks for your support. Now. let's have a party!"
The assembly cheered, and then he found that he was getting even wetter, if that were possible, as Eigaar grabbed a glass of wine and poured it over his head. Laughing, he tackled his friend, knocking him into the wall. It seemed on the verge of turning into a friendly wrestling match, when he was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, and Eigaar let him go when they both recognized Paine.
"Hey!" He whirled her into an embrace and kissed her.
"Congratulations," she said. Then she licked her lips and laughed. "Breaking out the wine already?"
He hugged her tightly. "Join the party. Or are you on duty?"
She shook her head. "I asked Liarre to cover for me. I'm free for the rest of the day."
"Good." After cleaning the wine off his face with a damp towel, he snaked an arm around her waist. "Let me introduce you to some people."
-x-
The party soon moved from the Al Bhed locker room to the spacious deck of the Leviathan, which had docked in Luca to prepare for another salvage season. Berrik finished making his rounds and then settled down in a corner with his blitzers and a glass that somehow managed to always be filled. Paine sat next to him, comfortably chatting with the rest of the team. Every few minutes, it seemed, another person would come by to give their congratulations and to toast their victory, with more Al Bhed coming onto the ship continuously. Some of the newcomers Berrik didn't know, but others were friends, such as the tall, dark-skinned man who had just appeared, talking to Brother. The new arrival excused himself from Brother's company and sauntered up to Berrik.
"Hi," he said, grinning.
Berrik stood up and shook his friend's hand. "Buddy! Great to see you. How have you been?"
"Excellent, man, just excellent." Buddy's smile grew wider. "But not as good as you are just now, I bet."
"Count on it. Hey, there's someone here I want you to meet." He turned around and held a hand out to Paine, pulling her up from the ground. "Paine, this is Buddy. I haven't seen him since we escaped from Home together, but we go way back."
Paine shook Buddy's hand. "Nice to meet you," she said, speaking Al Bhed as both men had been.
"Nice to meet you, too," Buddy replied in perfect Spiran, without even a trace of an accent. Paine raised her eyebrows, and the two men both laughed. " My parents both grew up in Bevelle -- they were the children of Yevon converts," Buddy explained, continuing to speak the common tongue. "When I was eight, they took places on Berrik's dad's salvage ship, partly to get away from Bevelle and partly because they wanted me to know my heritage. So I'm fluent in both languages." Paine smiled and nodded with understanding.
"So tell me the truth," said Berrik. "Did you and Brother really find a salvageable airship?"
"Another airship?" Paine leaned forward, her expression eager.
"Yup." Buddy smiled proudly. "Dug her out of the ice and made her fly. It took some doing, but man, it was worth it. Named her the Celsius. She's docked on the other side if you'd like to come see her later."
"Oh yeah," Berrik said. "I'll take you up on that." He glanced at Paine, and from the glint in her eyes he had a feeling that she would demand to come along. It made sense when he thought about it -- Paine had said she loved the freedom of sailing the ocean, and he could only imagine how much more free she'd feel on an airship.
"Yeah. We've been in the sphere-hunting business for the last couple of months as the Gullwings, the two of us and this kid Shinra and Brother's sister Rikku. No really big finds yet, but there's so much out there, you never really know."
"Sphere hunting," Paine said thoughtfully, an odd glint coming into her eye. "Can you tell me more?"
Just as Buddy was about to reply, Berrik caught another familiar face over his shoulder: Jez, stepping off the gangway onto the ship. "There's someone I need to say hello to," he said, turning to Paine. "Mind if I leave you two to get acquainted?"
"Not at all," said Paine. "I'll catch up with you later?" He kissed her briefly, and with a slap to Buddy's back, he wandered over to his other friend.
-x-
The sun set, the stars began to emerge, and the party finally wound down as the celebrating hordes moved on to find food and sleep. Berrik stretched out on the deck, rather drunk and thoroughly content. He found the metal surface surprisingly comfortable, in part, no doubt, thanks to the alcohol he had consumed. But also, his head rested in Paine's lap, and that would improve any setting.
"How was your talk with Buddy?" he asked.
"Fascinating, actually," she replied. "He told me about refurbishing the ship, and learning to fly it, and the spheres they've been finding." She fell silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her tone was casual, but too much so, as if she were forcing the affect. "He invited me to join the Gullwings."
Berrik opened his eyes and looked up into her face. "Oh?"
Paine glanced to the side, then nodded. "Yeah. We got to talking about the recording job, and, well, you know I've been much happier with you guys than I ever was with the Goers or the Beasts. But--"
"--it's not what you really want," he interrupted, sitting up, suddenly feeling much more sober. He took her hands and gazed into her eyes. "Recording blitz games isn't your life's work. I know that."
She dropped her gaze to the deck. "I'm sorry." Then she looked at him again, smiling gently. "We don't need to talk about this now. It'll keep until the morning. You ready to go home?"
"Sure." For most of this season, "home" had meant Paine's apartment -- Berrik kept his quarters with the rest of his team, and he occasionally spent nights there, but more often he would stay with Paine. But as she took his hand and led him off the ship, he had the feeling that this might be one of his last visits.
-x-
To all outward appearances, Paine seemed to consider the question for a time, but Berrik knew the decision was already made. It did not come as a surprise when she told him two days later that she would be moving onto the Celsius the next morning.
"I'm glad," he said, reaching across her kitchen counter to take her hands.
She looked into his eyes. "You're not upset that I'm leaving?"
He shook his head. "I'll miss you, but you're right to go. Luca's not the place for you. You belong on a ship."
She squeezed his fingers tightly. "I'll miss you too, you know. You're the only thing I'm sorry to be leaving behind."
"Really?" Berrik hated the question as soon as he asked it -- it sounded so pathetic.
"Really." Letting go of his hands, Paine walked around the counter and lightly stroked his arms. "Berrik. This past year -- you will never know how much it's meant to me. What happened to me, before, I told you I that survived it. And I did, but surviving was all I was doing. I wasn't living, not really. I was like one of those ships we found at the bottom of the ocean, lost and broken. You pulled me out of the water and fixed me up, and now I can fly again. That would never have happened without you." She kissed him firmly. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Thoroughly nonplussed by this speech, all Berrik could do was kiss her back, and then lead her to the bed.
-x-
"You ready?" Berrik stood on the dock, watching as the Celsius prepared for takeoff. It twitched, rising and sinking, engines whirring to hold it in place.
Paine nodded, settling her rucksack over her shoulder. Hard to believe that all her possessions fit inside, along with the sword on her back and the pistol at her hip, but then she was an adventurer at heart -- she would always travel light. She let go of his hand, then hugged him tightly. "Goodbye, Berrik," she murmured into his neck. "And thank you."
He said nothing as she pulled away, only smiled at her. She returned the smile, excitement in her eyes despite the tinge of sadness he also found there, and lightly kissed his cheek. Then she walked away, striding up the Celsius's gangway. Berrik stayed on the dock for what seemed like a long time, watching until the airship had disappeared from view.
"Goodbye, Paine," he finally said into the air. "I hope you find what you're looking for." And he left to pack for his own voyage away from Luca, heading for another off season of salvage on the Leviathan.