A/N: So many kind reviews from everyone! I thank you very much. It means a lot to read your comments, and I'm glad I had most of you trying to guess who the son was. Will you find out who he is once and for all in this chapter? Maybe!
Chapter 3: Incognito
Rikku looked down as a familiar piece of paper landed on her desk. It was the first one that day. Glancing up to see if the instructor was looking, she gingerly unfolded it.
Huh? It's from Gippal…She noticed the messy scrawl immediately. Curious, her eyes quickly scanned the message.
I heard you were going to the dinner tonight.
Rikku blinked, a little surprised that he knew. Her father must have told him about it. Heh, figures. Of course Cid had. Taking out her pen, she wrote him back and folded the paper up. Looking behind her to where he was in the next row, she dropped the note in the aisle between them.
Kai glanced up from his notebook as he saw Rikku pass a piece of paper to the new kid.
Bending down, Gippal picked up the note and read it.
I guess Pops told you.
Well, I didn't agree to anything…I just wanna
see what this family is like.
He looked up from the note as she glanced back at him momentarily. Mouthing a silent "Why?" to her, she simply shrugged in response. She pointed to her watch and the door, and he understood her right away.
Behind them, Kai watched with genuine interest, his gaze never faltering. He was intrigued.
Rikku stood outside the classroom in the hallway twenty minutes later, waiting for Gippal to get out. She had finished their examination early. Leaning back against the wall a bit, she swung her book bag idly from side to side, periodically glancing up at the classroom door.
A few more minutes passed, and the blond Al Bhed finally exited. He let out a long sigh as he slid the door shut behind him. Rikku couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as she pushed herself off the wall and made her way over to him.
"What happened? You look like you just failed it…!" she laughed.
Gippal waved a gloved hand through the air. "Pfft. Me? Of course not. I was stuck in there 'cause some girl wanted to have lunch with me."
"Oh…really?" Rikku asked slowly, surprised by his response. He merely shrugged and let out a short chuckle. They began walking down the hall, students rushing past them in a flurry of blue and gold, their school colors. She brushed away a stray bang as she looked down at the floor.
"Yeah. I mean…normally I woulda probably agreed and everything. But, she just wasn't my type," Gippal spoke up, running a hand through his hair. He looked ahead.
Rikku let out a short laugh, drawing his attention for a moment.
He smirked, looking down at her. "What's so funny?"
She shook her head. "It's just that everyone at this school is blond, Gippal. What do you expect from an Al Bhed school?" she giggled again.
He grinned. "That's not what I meant."
"Huh?" This time, it was her turn to look at him. She could have sworn that Gippal was the type of guy who liked a girl because of appearance alone. She was wrong? "What do you mean?" Rikku voiced her thoughts.
Gippal shook his head and pulled the door open for them as they reached the end of the hallway. The main quad lay beyond, and the hot sun engulfed her almost immediately. She stepped past him and went outside first, turning around to hear his answer.
"I meant personality. I don't like women who try to sweet-talk their way into things or who think that they can get away with anything by just looking cute," he stated simply, causing Rikku's eyes to widen a bit.
I guess he's just full of surprises today…She didn't reply, simply nodding. He didn't seem to notice that she had chosen not to respond.
They made their way to the dining commons with comfortable silence, and sat at a small table next to a window overlooking the campus quad. After a waitress came to take their orders, Gippal turned to her.
"So, have you picked out what to wear yet?"
She looked in his direction for the first time in awhile. Rikku realized that she had already agreed to go to the party without remembering that she didn't really have anything to wear. At least, no dresses for special occasions like this. How long has it been since she went to a real dinner party anyway? Hm, this might actually be the first time in her life.
She simply shook her head.
"Actually, I hadn't really thought of anything," she laughed weakly.
He grinned, leaning back in his chair casually. "You do know what type of party it is, don't you?" Gippal asked, his eyebrow arched.
She paused, setting down her glass of water. "Um, isn't it just a dinner party?"
The waitress bustled back to their table before Gippal could respond, her delicate hands holding their plates of food. Rikku couldn't help but catch a scent of the aroma. She was starving.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," the waitress smiled at them both, putting down their food. She tossed back a lock of her golden hair, wiping her hands on her apron before rushing back into the kitchen.
"No problem," Gippal replied politely, offering her a short smile.
After they had settled in, Gippal turned to Rikku again to answer her question from before the waitress had arrived. "Actually, it's not just a dinner party."
Glancing up from her pizza, Rikku frowned. "Huh?"
"It's actually a masquerade party," Gippal replied simply, looking up from his food as well. "That's why I was curious about what you were going to wear."
Rikku stopped chewing for a moment, finding it strange that people in this day and age were still having masquerade parties. She never knew the Al Bhed to have parties like that in general, but she assumed that the upper class must have done things differently.
She paused, realizing that she was strictly going to the Yuvera's party on business. At least, in order to do a little investigation of her own. Rikku glanced at Gippal. He was busy working on his sandwich.
"Hey, Gippal."
He looked up, still chewing. "Hmm?"
"Are you…um…well, are you going to be at the party tonight also?" she asked, strangely feeling self-conscious and not being able to look him in the eye. She mentally slapped herself for her silliness.
Whoa, calm down. This is Gippal we're talking about! She shook her head a bit to get a hold of herself.
Putting the last piece of the sandwich into his mouth, he licked his fingers before giving her a reply. "Well, I have to. It's my job, you know," he smirked.
Rikku looked up at him then, offering him a short smile. "O-Oh, right. Of course…"
He regarded her curiously. "Why? What's the problem?"
She waved her hands in front of her. "A-ah, no, nothing's the matter. I was just curious, that's all…"
"Why? Afraid of someone attacking you or something?" he interjected slowly, leaning across the table towards her. He wore a playful grin.
"W-Well, you did say that people were out to get me or something, right?" Rikku answered smoothly, unperturbed by the way he was looking at her.
He leaned back in his chair again, suddenly becoming serious. "Yeah, that's why I'm gonna be there tonight."
"Mommy, mommy! Someone's at the door!"
Pausing and looking up, the woman picked up her daughter gently and set her down in the chair, making her way over to the front door and opening it. A postman dressed in a blue uniform greeted her, his soft brown eyes accentuating his friendly smile.
"Good day, Miss. Delivery for you," he informed her, picking up the box that was on the ground and handing it to her."
"Oh! I wonder who it's from…" the woman said to herself, signing her name quickly on the paper that the postman handed to her.
"Mommy? Who is it?" her little girl called out from behind her. She stepped into view with a mix of worry and curiousness on her young face.
"Have a wonderful day," the postman winked, walking down the front steps. The woman closed the door behind her and peeled off the simple white card that was attached to the front of the box. She turned to her daughter.
"Want to open it, darling?" she smiled, knowing what her reaction would be. Right on cue, the little girl squealed but nonetheless took great care in opening the present. The woman looked on as her daughter opened the flaps, wondering what exactly was inside herself.
When the colors finally came into view, the woman smiled knowingly, a wave of memories washing over her again for the first time in years. Her daughter looked up from the box.
"What is this stuff, Mommy?"
She smiled. "Your father still has a way of surprising me when I least expect it."
"It looks pretty!" the girl replied, pulling out the items and feeling the cloth between her fingers. "So shiny…"
Suddenly, she looked up at her mother. "Oh! I know what this is! It's from the story!"
The woman smiled and nodded, sitting down in a nearby chair. She continued the tale as her daughter sat at her feet, putting various objects from the box on her head or around her neck. Her mother smiled warmly.
"Hm…what if I just show up in normal clothes?"
He looked at her strangely, a smile tugging at the edge of his mouth. "You mean your normal skirt outfit?" He paused for a moment to visualize Rikku in the yellow top and short skirt ensemble, his mind silently urging her to wear it, even if he knew it wouldn't be right for the party. But he was a healthy young man, right?
He noticed that he had taken a few seconds longer to respond, his mind lost in his wild thoughts. "Actually, that wouldn't be such a bad ide—"
She hit him on his arm in mid-sentence, seeing that gleam in his eye. He winced.
"No…!" Rikku protested, crossing her arms at him. He scratched the back of his head with slight embarrassment. "I mean…you know. Like just a nice dress?" she continued.
Gippal chewed this over for a moment. She awaited his answer as if his word alone would decide what she would wear at the dinner that night. A few moments of silence passed before he shook his head firmly, apparently coming to a decision. "Why don't we just get one o' those simple white masks right now? You have some dresses for tonight already, right? So all we need is a mask."
Rikku laughed nervously. "U-uh, actually…"
He looked up.
"…actually, I don't think I have any of those fancy evening gowns or anything either. I-I mean, this is my first time going to something like this and everything…" she admitted, scratching the back of her head with a small grin.
He checked his watch, a thoughtful expression on his face. Behind them, the sky had become a bright yellow-orange, hues streaking the horizon. "We have a little under two hours left before this thing. How much Gil do ya got on ya?"
Rikku opened her bookbag and pulled out her Gil purse. "1700." She frowned as she said that, realizing that 1700 Gil was barely enough to buy a decent set of gloves.
Gippal reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins, quickly adding up the amount. "I got 2100." He took the purse from her hand and dumped his Gil into it. "This has gotta be enough to get you somethin' right?"
She tried to grab the purse back, but he held it up in the air and away from her grasp. "W-Wait a sec, Gippal. I can't just use your money!"
He chuckled as she jumped to try and snatch the purse back from him. But, to no avail. He towered over her.
Huffing in frustration, she crossed her arms tightly across her chest. "You really can't do this, y'know. It's…" she hesitated. "…well, it's just not right."
Gippal laughed at that point, swinging the purse with two fingers. "Why? What's so bad about splitting the cost of a dress?" He asked her the question as if the answer should have been obvious.
Rikku paused. He was obviously trying to get her to go to that dinner party no matter what. The question was why. It was all too strange. When was the last time any guy had ever agreed to spend thousands of Gil on her? Hm…probably never. She turned to him.
"Alright. Let's go then."
Gippal grinned at the way her mood seemed to change. "Wha-"
"The dress. We should get going. Y'know…we have about 2 hours left, right?" She tucked a strand of hair firmly behind her ear and began heading into town. If he wanted to spend the Gil on her, she would certainly not refuse.
He quickly caught up to walk beside her.
"Right."
"Rikku…what in blazes…hurry up!" Cid hollered.
She groaned, twisting her body madly around in front of the mirror as she tried to look behind her. Whoever designed dresses like the one she was presently tangled up in deserved every curse word she could think of. How dare they put a zipper in such a spot! Her arms could only twist so far and—
"I'm goin' on ahead!" her father finally exclaimed from the first floor. "Hey, kid. Make sure she gets to the party. I'm countin' on ya!"
The front door slammed with an essence of finality, and as Rikku peaked down below from her bedroom, she saw Gippal climbing up the stairs, his eyes widening at her disheveled appearance, one strap of her gown falling off. Her back was bare as the opened dress flapped wildly in her attempt to run back into her bedroom.
Gippal rolled his eyes as her door shut loudly. "Don't tell me you're not ready yet," he shook his head, leaning against the hallway wall.
"Of course I'm not ready yet! This damn zipper won't go up!" she exclaimed from behind her door.
He couldn't help but grin. A few muffled sounds came from inside her room and he could hear Rikku dashing across the floor and opening and closing drawers.
"Need some help?" he offered after a few minutes.
"NO!" she immediately answered.
He grinned.
Twenty minutes later, Gippal looked up from the magazine he had been reading. He had moved into the living room, tired of waiting. With his mouth open ready to tease her, he stopped short as she walked into the room cautiously.
"This is stupid," she said self-consciously, tugging at her newly-done hairstyle. It hung in loose waves, spilling about her shoulders and falling to her lower back. Her eyes were brighter, the green orbs standing out even more. The dress was a lovely shade of yellow, the color accenting her features nicely. She hardly resembled the spunky Al Bhed he was so used to seeing.
"Um…Gippal?" Suddenly, she was standing right in front of him, her face inches away from his. "Are…you alright?" she asked in confusion.
He blinked, abruptly standing up and waving a hand dismissively in the air. Clearing his throat, he smiled sideways. "Took you long enough."
She reached down and picked up the mask that had been sitting at the coffee table. "Wait…are you going dressed like that?" She ignored his comment. Rikku pointed to his normal flashy attire. He looked down at himself and smirked.
"Oh, right. Well, I'm getting ready later."
The hallway clock began chiming, and Rikku's gaze flew in its direction. They had exactly half an hour to get to the party.
"Oh, no! We better hurry up. We still gotta find this place!" Rikku exclaimed, scrambling to find her shoes.
Gippal headed for the front door casually, Rikku trailing behind him as they stepped into the warm evening air. "Don't worry. I know where the place is, remember?"
Her steps faltered, and she frowned. "Oh…right…"
"I hear Rikku is doing an excellent job at the Academy," Firul Yuvera remarked thoughtfully. His brightly adorned hand held the champaign glass delicately. Beside him, his wife raised an equally-adorned hand to her chest, her bell-like laugh floating about the air.
"Is that so, darling? My, I'm even more interested in meeting this young lady," Ruminnia Yuvera smiled at her husband.
Cid grinned nervously at them. "W-Well…that Rikku…she does her best," he said, taking a sip out of his own glass.
The Yuveras smiled warmly, nodding. "I like your daughter already. Not many young ladies out there can handle that school, Cid." He put down his glass and glanced around the large ballroom. "Has she not arrived yet?"
Cid looked around as well. "I'm sorry about this. I guess she might have had some trouble finding this place," he scratched the back of his head.
Rumminia smiled, waving a hand. "Not at all! The party has just started. I'm sure Rikku will be here soon. It seems our son has not made an appearance either," she added thoughtfully, looking around the room herself.
"Where is that boy, anyway?" Firul remarked, slightly annoyed.
Rikku stood outside the mansion, its towers rising high in the air. A large fountain sat in the main courtyard and she could hear the laughter and music from within the walls of the house.
"Whoa…this place…is amazing," she said to no one in particular. "Man, Gippal, I can't believe that—"
She stopped short, realizing that her blond companion was nowhere to be found. "Gippal…?"
Rikku scanned the area quickly, wondering where he could have gone. How rude of him to leave without saying a word. She walked to the side of the mansion to see if he could have gone around to the back of the house.
Without paying attention as she rounded the corner, she bumped rather ungracefully into what was obviously a man, his broad chest suddenly filling her vision.
"Oh, sorry. I wasn't looking and—"
"Rikku…?"
She paused and looked up.
"Kai...!"
End of Chapter 3.
I hope you enjoyed this one! I'll be working on the next chapter shortly, so keep an eye out for it!
