"So, how much then?"
"Didn't you hear my words, lassy? This ain't no picnic…"
"I know that," Paine said, glaring at the rather hairy, barbaric looking man. "Just tell me how much it is, and then I'll go save your daughter."
He hesitated a moment. "I haven't really thought about it…"
"Is your daughter not worth a price?"
Gippal glanced at Paine for a moment. Why would she say that? Of course…
"Of course me daughter's worth the price! How about 1000 gil?"
Paine sat a moment, then grabbed her sword and stood up. She left the small café in Luca. Gippal stood and walked to the door, his back facing the man. The man looked confused.
"…I'm sorry about that…" Gippal said. "And that means yes. I'll make sure of it."
The man smiled and nodded, but before he said thank you, Gippal was already out the door and following Paine up the steps towards the balcony overlooking the ocean. He touched her arm to stop her, but she pulled away.
"The man said that his daughter was lost in bikinel dessert… this isn't the right-"
"Do you really think I'm going to do that?" she asked, eyes flaring, spinning around from the railing over looking the ocean.
"Well, yeah. Of course you are!" Gippal said with the same amount of fury.
"No, I'm now. There is a 9 year old girl, lost in the dessert, the same dessert I was lost in by the way, and he's only paying 1000 gil." Paine said, turning her back to him.
There was silence, and then Gippal spoke softly, coming to stand next to her. "But his daughter is lost… and if you don't do it, other people will die trying. Is it because of the Al Bhed… are you afraid that they will ask you about…. It?"
"Shut up gippal. We've got ourselves a journey ahead of us. No matter what I think, I need the money. Let's go."
Bikinel Dessert
Paine and Gippal stepped off of the hovercraft at the oasis.
"How long should I wait?" the man asked.
"Don't wait for us."
"What!" Gippal and the man said.
"It's too dangerous for you. Leave while you still can."
The man started up the hovercraft, shaking his head. Mumbling something under his breath that Gippal couldn't catch, but thought that it was most likely along the lines of 'Idiots, I'll never see them again.' And he didn't disagree with him. The hovercraft left and it only left a trail of dust, and silence between the two people.
Paine walked towards the oasis, trying to keep all her senses aware. There was a rustling in the bushes next to her, and a suddenly a small girl ran out. She looked at Paine with sad eyes, then collapsed onto the ground.
"Well, that was…"
"Quiet!" Paine shushed him. The bushes were still rustling, and then the ground started shaking. Out of the ground, the most massive thing she has ever seen in her entire life. And it wanted to kill them… badly.