A/N: First and foremost, thank you readers/reviewers! I hope you'll continue to give me feedback. Much of what you say stays with me throughout the day/week/(month), and makes me happy, y'know? You make me happy. So, thanks :)
To Recap: Two days after Rikku's disappearance, Gippal notices that she still hasn't returned like he had predicted. Unknown to him, she's already found a job at an inn in Luca thanks to a handsome young man she's met, Crimson, who's father manages the inn. After Brother arrives at Djose Temple demanding to know about Rikku's whereabouts, Gippal's workers go into Luca for a special dinner. However, at the last minute, Gippal decides against going with them, and stays behind instead.
Djose Days
Ch. 4: Sleep Safe
Rikku
I've learned that Crimson's a touchy-feely sort of guy. He likes pretending that his hands absent-mindedly wander themselves around down past my waist. Likes it when I give him a dirty look because he's convinced himself that it's actually my way of telling him I'm turned on.
And maybe I partly am because he's a really gorgeous guy. Nice and never critical of me or trying to find ways to embarrass me. Doesn't look down on me and puts me on an equal level with him, respect I deserve. Not to mention he's got me my first job in months that I've managed to keep for at least a week now.
Sometimes, after work, we retreat back to my room and watch a movie on my bed. It'll usually be a horror movie and he's usually ready with open arms and shoulder for me to lean onto when the ghost, monster, or fiend suddenly pops onto the screen. But he doesn't realize that I've seen much worse tragedy and horror in my life, and so it's usually him grabbing onto me for support when the scary parts come.
Afterwards, he would sneak a couple of kisses from me. And sometimes I would let him, managing to swipe a couple of gil off of him as we make out. But I always feel guilty about it later because he does treat me well. So I end up giving it to his father, and say that it was from customer tips.
- - - - -
Gippal
It's been a week. And it's not like it's my business where she is or who she's with, but for some reason, I keep making it my business. Her face keeps popping up wherever I turn. Footsteps leaving, echoing.
I blame Brother.
It's Tuesday, and I go into town to place a couple more orders with Tye, every so often searching the faces of the Al Bhed women I pass. This time he makes me a lesser offer, eighty-eight thousand for the Faction. He says it's because I've screwed it so far into the ground that it'd be impossible to revive it to its booming status once more. Implying that only he had the skills and resources to lead such a Faction now, and that I should just give it up and sit in my nonexistent pool in Luca.
It's getting harder and harder to reject his offers, because I know what he says is true. And with the threat of him lowering his asking price, pressure is mounting on me quite heavily. But then I think about my friends, and the people I know. And I think about their reactions if I decide to declare bankruptcy at the conference (in a couple of weeks), and sell the entire Faction to an old geezer like Tye. The disappointed looks of people like Nooj, Paine, and Nhadala. The sympathetic looks of others like Baralai and the Ex-Summoner. My crew and all those that had worked for me.
And then there's that girl with the little yellow bikini and mess of braided hair. Her look would be the worse of them all, because her look would be one of pity. And I've never allowed myself to be worthy of pity in her eyes – in anyone's eyes.
- - - - -
Rikku
I steal 200 gil from a man who tried to hit on me today, placing it in my secret pouch where I've been able to save about 1000 gil so far, plus my one gil coin. I decide that once I've stolen up to 9000 gil, I'll leave. Customers would start to complain too much to Frenny III by then, and he might be suspicious.
But thanks to me and my charming tongue, the inn's been getting a lot more guests lately. Crimson says to notice that most of the guests are male, and I notice but I don't mind. I've come to expect things like that, and so long as I've got the upper hand and money in my possession, I'm fine. I think.
It's Tuesday, and Crimson invites me to go with him to a new club near the stadium tonight. I tell him I'm looking forward to it, but don't have anything to wear. He makes a joke about me wearing nothing, and I laugh it off dryly before he tells me that he'll make sure to get me a nice outfit by the time my shift ends.
- - - - -
Gippal
Nooj died again this morning, and I had to kick him before he went back to his routine revivals. I've decided that I'm not going to do work on him anymore, and simply wait until his parts permanently breakdown and then maybe give him a formal burial service.
My recent obsession was a much quieter machine. A new little trinket brought back from the Moonflow whose only capability seemed to be standing up straight, tall, and sturdy. For a while, I nicknamed it Baralai. But then it blew up when I messed with the circuiting, so I pretended that it was Rikku instead.
Outside, the clouds are beginning to gather, and I can tell it'll rain by evening. Sweeping up the last of the exploded bits off the floor, I dump it in the trash… and then dump in whatever's left of the little machine as well.
The temple floor feels cold and empty underneath me. The room dark and lonely and quiet because my entire crew's out excavating once again, and it's just me and the Noojster left behind. I can feel my stomach start to grumble, churning upside down and squeezing tight. I wish that machine scraps were edible. Grocery shopping is a thing I haven't done since at least a week ago, and there isn't much in the kitchen but water and a few boxes of cup-of-noodles. I grimace at the thought.
I lie down on the ground, hands supporting my head and staring up at the dim ceiling lights that used to frizzle, sparkle, and brighten the room during its glory days. But now it seems like nothing more but tiny, jumping pryeflies slowly disappearing. It's a bit peaceful to watch, and I end up closing my eyes and falling asleep, despite Nooj's cries of helplessness.
I eventually wake up when a pile of envelopes are tossed in my face, and I glare at the mailman as he walks away, down the wet road. I am about to get up and grenade his ass when my eye falls on one particular envelope – decorated in cursive, purple ink.
- - - - -
Rikku
Crimson ends up getting me a new denim skirt and bikini top – in crimson colour. He thinks it's cute, and I tell him I think so too, even though I really don't because who wears icky, bloody red anyway?
Apparently, colour isn't an issue down at the club where everything is sprayed with electric blue lightning, and it's like we're all in a big swimming pool. Not a very friendly swimming pool either. You've got your sharks and guppies and too many octopuses around your waist. And that's not always water in your cup.
We find a booth near the stage, and he's all over me like whoa, and maybe I don't like it as much as I make it seem like I do. His hands are quick and tongue fast and slippery. All sloppy and hungry and I think he's drunk, but he's not. He eventually stops when I push him away. Apologizes, and I tell him it's okay, I was just suffocating. He laughs at this, and I do too. And the mood's all friendly again until we're on the dance floor and his hands are where they shouldn't be. Body grinding against mine. Mouth back where I don't want it to be, and he seems harder to push away now.
When he makes me gasp a gasp born of more than just kissing, I tell him I'm going to the washroom to freshen up.
But really, I don't expect to come back. Ever.
- - - - -
Gippal
It feels like months since I've gotten a letter from her, blank as always but still, she remembers and still, she's shy. I examine it in the light outside, underneath the temple overhang as Nooj dances in circles beside me, as if my inner emotions are being expressed through him. And maybe I want to dance a little bit too because Selyna liked to dance, and danced really good in that little crimson dress of hers. Hair long and sleek, shiny caramel and blond and fiery. We were fiery. When it didn't rain.
The paper has a watermark of religious quotes streamed across the page – she's in Bevelle perhaps. And not a word of purple ink but there's… something… I see the place where she'd begun to write – in pencil of course, because she's insecure that way – but now erased and all I see are smudges and etched lines where the words had once been. She's still unsure of what to say to me. And that's a bit comforting perhaps, because at least I know she's thinking about it. Thinking about me -- us.
I fold the letter back, slipping it into the envelope and making my way upstairs to my room. I pull open the bottom drawer of my desk, tossing it in with the rest of the blank letters. Shutting the drawer with my foot and turning toward the bathroom for a shower.
Nooj trips over me along the way, and I trip over him. I fall and smash my jaw on the edge of a chair, right where Brother's wound was just healing.
- - - - -
Rikku
Short skirts and bikini tops work better in the daylight 'cause they make you cute and attractive and boys stop to give you stuff. But at night, suddenly you're nothing more but a wowwhatanamazingfuck, and boys stop because they want you to give them something.
I give them a sucker-punch. Twice.
But my hand starts to hurt after a while because I don't have any weapons on me or nothin'. And I'm hungry again. Cold, with only my stolen 1000 gil in my pocket – and my one gil coin of course. A bit regretful because I had such a good job back at that inn. Good pay, food, and a place to stay. A lurking pervert but deep, deep, deep inside, he's a real nice guy.
But my feet aren't moving back toward Luca, headed to one place specifically. Knowing I'll never make it there, but going in that direction makes the trip feel more comforting and less scary. Less lonely. Even if he is a branded cheapass smartass jackass.
And maybe I'll find my box.
I reach a travel agency by midnight, can't stay because a room costs a fricken' 700 gil a night, and they won't let me use their couch because I might scare all the little children. Which is quite stupid I think. Fortunately however, a man behind me overhears my little dispute with the clerk, and offers me a ride on his airship back to his place for the night. His place in Djose.
Soft grey eyes and strong, muscular build. I agree to it.
- - - - -
Gippal
There's an empty feeling in your gut when you're sitting alone in a wide, vacant temple. An empty feeling no cup-of-noodles can fulfill, and your hair's a wet mess and your shirt lost somewhere in your room. Pants loosely buckled, boxer shorts peeking out 'cause maybe you're a little tired of trying to impress when you've got nothing but a deranged machine deathseeking throughout your temple.
I lean against the open, metal doors. Air's humid and moist with rain, earth, and heat. Fog in every direction of the land, not a living thing in sight or else the pebble-firing machines would have detected it by now. Another loser hit by flying rocks and BOOM here comes another blow to my mouth for being accused of being the missing sister's lover.
I stretch back tiredly and lie on the temple ground, a few feet away from the open doors – y'know, just in case somebody decides to come back then I'll know. Not really waiting because waiting means you're expecting it. And I'm not sure if I'm expecting her to come back after all now.
But I'm lying here anyway, Nooj somewhere down the hall trying to pick a fight with the wall. And my head's killing like fuck because my jaw is throbbing and I think I'm missing teeth. Missing teeth and eye-patch, so maybe pirating is my next career choice since this type of entrepreneurship is obviously not working for me.
I'm quite woozy a few minutes later, every once in a while glancing outside for something other than rain and fog.
- - - - -
Rikku
Grey-Eyes is uglier than Crimson, but cooler than Auburn Boy because he actually believes me when I tell him about my 300 pound boyfriend and kicks me off his airship, flying away faster than a cactuar on ice.
He's left me somewhere on the Djose Highroad, and I'm a little happy that I've managed to swipe at least a muffin from his airship, and my stomach doesn't have to cave in and swallow me. Not so happy because I'm wet and cold, and this feeling's a little too familiar.
I hug my muffin close to my chest as I jog through the town and through the mess of forest, taking the route that old lady had told me because it's all I know. Leaves, branches and fiends think they can get the best of me but I'm in a rotten angry mood and – hey! Wouldn't I make a great fiend right now? Venarikkugun. Rawwr!
Okay, not very funny. Dead people.
So I stop imagining and continue walking until I've got scratches on every part of my body, and my heart is burning in my chest because I can't BREATHE in this kind of weather.
I see the temple's top eventually, climbing up the last ledge and then collapsing on the stone ground tiredly. Refusing to move any further until I've got enough strength to stand because "I won't be crawling back!" to him, to the temple. My chest heaving in and out heavily, legs twisted about and hair like a dirty old rag. I pull myself to my feet and begin to walk toward the entrance, slowly because the rain can clean me off better than Gippal's dinky bathrooms, and I'm just a little tired after all.
Suddenly, the world's gone berserk and I'm being fired at with tiny rocks from all angles, and I screech just as a roar of thunder tumbles throughout the area, muting my cries. I stumble backwards two steps, catching myself and knowing that no matter what, I'm not going back to Luca. Not now.
So I surge ahead, covering my face from being shot at, cringing as my muffin threatens to fall. I take a leap (stupid idea) and slip across the pavement, slamming my body against the stairs, the steps jabbing into my side and it hurts.
But I don't crawl. I limp and sway while I walk, maybe, dragging myself away from the chaos of rocket pebbles, and through the wide open doors that are always open for me. Stopping when I see his half naked figure on the ground, eyes closed and an empty juice box beside his head.
I wonder whether or not to wake him up, because he looks exhausted and maybe my face is not the first thing he wants to see when he's all stressed like that. Besides, why don't I just secretly bunk here for the night and wake up before he does, be gone, and I don't lose self-respect or integrity to his knowledge!
But I don't really want to be gone.
I hate it that I'm admitting he's right. That there really is no better option for me than to stay here, where he already pities me instead of going off and having someone like Yunie or Paine – people I actually care about – pitying me as well.
I kneel down beside him, chewing on my wet muffin as I watch him sleep. Kind of tempted to snuggle up beside him just because the moonlight makes his chest look really rockhardhot and I'm a bit curious.
A cool breeze flies by and I shiver slightly as it curls around my half naked frame, making the idea of cuddling up next to him a lot more appealing. I decide that lying down next to him shouldn't be that bad. So I do. And it feels really nice until it starts feeling lonely again. Because he's right there and he doesn't even know I'm here. But maybe it's better that way. It's not like we ended things on good terms the last time I was here. And maybe its best if I… just… if I actually just… leave.
He doesn't even like me.
I begin to sit up when his hand suddenly flings out and snaps around my waist, yanking me towards him and I let out a startled shriek as he turns me around to face him, eye searching mine, his mouth twitching undecidedly. He quickly presses me against him, tucking my head underneath his chin as he holds me close. Squishing the muffin in between my breasts, and it feels like I've got a third boob.
"Don't," he mutters. "Don't… do that again."
I glance up at him from my position. And maybe I'm smiling a little because my curiosity is satisfied, and I guess that he must like me a little bit at least for not wanting me to get up and leave again.
I lean against him, closing my eyes. "I won't."
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