((A/N: Once again, I don't own anyone from FFX-2, such as Baralai or anyone else who happens to pop up later... But Naoska Rensan and Aitigus (and anyone else not from the game) are creations of my imagination! Woo! Enjoy!))

Chapter Two

So Insulting

Aitigus led the commoner from the jail and up into Baralai's private living space. Upon entering, he said to her, "The praetor is having dinner, and you will accompany him. You will not, in any way, shape, or form, speak unless spoken to. You will show him the respect he deserves, and you will act like a civilized human being."

"Whatever," she grumbled. "Just step off, alright?" She took a step to the side, away from him, as she continued forward.

"Remember what I told you," he said. "No marriage, no village."

Shuddering slightly, she rubbed her right arm and narrowed her eyes slightly in an aggravated manner. Entering through large ornate doors, Aitigus walked behind the commoner as they approached the large dining table. Baralai noticed them and stood up, a blank look on his face. "Please, sit," he said to Naoska.

Though she wasn't waiting for his approval, she took a seat at the end of the table and watched him as he took a seat. "Might I ask your name," he said to her.

Eyes narrowed slightly, she replied, "You can do whatever you want, Praetor." Aitigus went to her side and set his hand upon her shoulder and squeezed. She flinched and winced in pain. "Naoska Rensan," she said quickly to the light-haired praetor and the grip on her shoulder went away as he released her. "Everyone calls me Ren," she said, her eyes on the table.

"Welcome, Ren," he said. "You are welcome anywhere here. My home is yours."

Naoska, Ren, began to stand up, but Aitigus slapped his hand on her shoulder and shoved her down into her seat. Sliding out from under his weight, Ren got to her feet and glared death at the praetor's advisor. "Touch me again," she nearly growled, "I dare you."

He gave her a look then that said he was definitely not pleased, and she knew then that he would lash out at her tenfold for everything she did wrong, or even right. The two glared at each other until the sound of the praetor's chair brought their attention back to him. "If you'll excuse me," he said, bowed slightly, and left the table.

Ren watched him and she moved slightly, as if she would take a step towards him, but she held herself back and simply watched him go. Glancing to Aitigus, she said, "Now look what you've done."

After eating alone in the great dining hall, the girl from the village located off the path of the Mi'ihen Highroad stood and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She shoved her hands into her pockets and followed reluctantly as Aitigus showed her to the room she would stay in. Crossing her arms behind her head, elbows pointing upward, Ren glanced about in a casual manner. Arriving at her room, Aitigus opened the door and she stepped inside.

"I don't care what the praetor told you," he said. "You are not to leave this room unless you are called upon. Do you understand?"

Ignoring him, she walked to the large window and opened it, glancing out at the city of Bevelle. "Pretty," she said.

Angered, Aitigus slammed the door shut and left her in silence.

"I really don't like that man," she grumbled to herself. Sighing, she then added, "the praetor either..."

Morning came sooner than expected and Ren awoke in the soft bed, not realizing she had fallen asleep. The door opened and she stared at Aitigus as he stood in the doorway. "Get up," he said. "You're late for breakfast."

"Well you should've woken me up earlier," she replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice, though she knew she would have to tune it down a little or it would cost her. Sliding out of bed, she walked past him, bare feet slapping casually on the stone floor of the hallway as she stepped out of the room. Making her way down the high-walled hallway, Aitigus behind her, her body tensed in paranoia.

As she entered the dining hall, yawning, she heard more than one voice and quickly closed her mouth, staring out squinted, watery eyes to a table surrounded with older men. "Well damn," she muttered, "Ain't this embarrassing." She didn't dare look back at Aitigus, for she knew that if she did, she would hit him.

Standing, Baralai looked to her and said, "Would you care to join us, Ren?"

Knowing she looked dirty, disheveled, tired, and highly out of place, she shook her head and turned around, walking straight into Aitigus. "Please," said the red-haired advisor, "take a seat." The grin on his lips was just south of malicious.

The tension in her shoulders grew annoying and almost unbearable. "Why?" she said.

"Because the praetor would like you to," Aitigus replied.

Glancing over her shoulder to Baralai and the blank expression on his face, Ren cursed the fact that he was unreadable. She didn't want to be nice to him, she wanted to yell and curse and tell him where he could stick his manners and customs, but she clenched her fists and walked over to the table instead. Not wanting to make things easy for him, she went to a chair and, as he went to pull it out for her, she did it herself and sat down quickly in the chair at his left. She struggled against the urge to lean back in the chair and prop her feet up on the table and focused her eyes upon the the decorated table. Ren could feel all eyes on her, and still she didn't look up.

"Back to the subject," said an older man. "What are our plans against the Youth League?"

Within the next two minutes of politics, Ren had fallen asleep, head slipping out of her hand and hitting the table. Opening her eyes and finding the table right before her eyes, she groaned and sat up. Glancing to the table, she found them staring at her again and she grinned and said, "Politics aren't my strong point."

"It seems hygiene isn't either," said another man.

Instantaneously, the commoner looked to the man and replied, "Pardon me, but you've obviously mistaken me for someone who gives a damn."

A few of the men snickered and smirked, Baralai was not amused.

"Looks aren't everything," an older man said to Baralai, "in her case, they aren't anything." The men laughed, yet still Baralai did not.

Shrugging, the commoner said, "I'd like to see things from your point of view, but I can't seem to get my head that far up my ass." She crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair, watching the men as they went silent, though she could see laughter in their eyes.

"Any similarity between you and a human is purely coincidental," said the man who sat on the far end of the table.

Getting to her feet, Ren said to the men, "What's black and blue and doesn't like sex?" They looked at her for a minute and she planted her hands on the table, leaning forward and then pointed to the man who had just insulted her, saying, "The little boy in the basement of his house."

Standing, Baralai looked to her, his face neutral but his eyes burning with anger. "That is enough," he said softly, calmly.

Those words were enough for Ren to step away from the table. The thoughts of the destruction of her village filled her mind and the walls she had slowly begun to lower during the insult battle quickly flew back to their positions. Originally she had felt she might have a bit of a carefree existence in the praetor's home as long as she stayed far away from him. Fearing that she had angered the praetor to an extent that it would send Aitigus into action against her made her very uncomfortable.

"Ren, please leave," Baralai said.

Without a moment of hesitation, the brunette commoner turned and left the room, Aitigus followed.

Locked in her room by Aitigus once again, Ren lay on her bed, staring at the white ceiling. The praetor's advisor had claimed he would return to get her come dinner, but that had meant almost a full day without food. Trying to occupy her time, she bathed and wrapped herself in blankets since she had no new clothes. "So hungry," she muttered.

Come dinner time, the door opened and Aitigus threw a white dress at her. "Hurry and change," he told her and closed the door.

Getting the dress on with quite a bit of difficulty, since she had never worn one, she finally got it to where it was supposed to be and stopped when she couldn't figure out how to get it to stay up. She cursed and the door opened again. Aitigus sent in a pair of handmaidens and they laced the dress so tight that Ren could barely breath. Hands over her stomach, she slowly turned Aitigus who handed her a pair of white high heels.

Eyes wide, she let the handmaidens put the shoes on her feet, as she held onto one of the cherry wood bed posts. "I can't walk in these," she said softly, for that was as loud as her voice would get with the shallow breaths she was allowed to take.

"Mess up tonight, girl, and you will be punished," Aitigus said.