The empty little café where everyone had arranged to meet was soon filled with people as the wedding guests filed in for their day of shopping in Luca- Tidus leading off the group of miserable guys and Yuna and Rikku headed off with their fellow females, all but three of whom, were euphoric at the prospect of dress shopping.
The three drowned rats in the see of dolphins being, of course, Lulu, Paine and Nhadala, who had become (scarily enough) Brother's girlfriend in recent months.
"Okay!" said Rikku brightly, marching them all into the dress shop, single file. "Atteeeeeeeeention!"
"Get on with it, Rikku," said Paine, rolling her eyes.
"Ooooookie do-"
"Rikku!"
"Fine! Fine!" Rikku walked up to the shop assistant, who was hiding behind her desk. "We called earlier about dresses for a wedding?" she said.
The shop assistant, whose nametag read Ashlyne, nodded, "yes," she said, "what kind of dresses were you looking for?"
"Summery colours," said Rikku happily, "we've decided yellow for me, and red for Painey," she turned to gesture at Paine, who glared, "but everyone else is a little hazy."
"Who would you like help with first?"
"Me," said Nhadala, and Paine and Lulu looked rather betrayed as she walked over to stand next to Rikku, "I want to be out of here as quickly as possible."
"Well that's helpful," said Ashlyne uncertainly. "Who's the bride?"
"Oooh!" Yuna squealed, "me! Me!"
"High Summoner!" Ashlyne exclaimed, brightening suddenly as she made the prayer gesture, "congratulations! Would you like to come over her and supervise the decisions?"
"Yup! Sure!" Yuna giggled and she skipped off brightly.
Soon, everyone found themselves seats and grew bored.
Lulu and Paine turned to each other for amusement.
"Fayth, what manner of horrible thing do you think she'll make us wear?" Lulu sighed.
"I honestly don't want to know," said Paine miserably, "but apparently black is a funeral colour."
"Nonsense!" said Lulu, "my wedding dress was black!"
Paine didn't doubt it.
"Rikku almost killed me for it, though…"
"I can imagine," said Paine and they both sighed.
-
Twenty minutes later, Nhadala rushed out of the store screaming, "I'M FREE! I'M FREE!" to all of Luca, and Lulu bravely volunteered to be the next one fitted. Now that the style of the dress had been decided upon, all that remained were individual colours and fittings, so Lulu was out a further ten minutes later.
Paine, went next, walking up to Yuna and Ashlyne and baulking at the dress they had picked out. 'Oh Fayth,' thought Paine miserably, 'I've been betrayed! Did Nhadala and Lulu actually agree to wear these things?'
It was something of a modern princess design, accented by an oriental fan fold in the skirt and sprinkled with rhinestones. And Paine's had a crimson bodice, deepening in the skirt to a blood red colour.
"I have to wear this?"
"A-all your friends aren't this t-troublesome, are they, High Summoner?" sighed Ashlyne tiredly.
"Don't worry," said Rikku, who had refused to leave Yuna's side, "Painey's the last –and the worst- of them!"
"Thanks, Rikku," said Paine, glowering.
"Please be reasonable Paine," said Yuna. "It's a wedding! You have to wear a dress!"
'Fayth! She's going to cry! Damnit…'"Fine! Fine! I'll wear it, happy?"
The shop assistant looked relieved, "okay, now I just have to take your measurements."
Paine groaned inwardly but obliged, raising her arms helpfully.
'Are all these measurements truly necessary? Waist, hips, bust, under bust…'
"The dress should be a nice fit, then," said Ashlyne, seeming pleased, "would you like to try it on?"
Paine was about to complain but, seeing the pleading look on Yuna's face and knowing how stressed the poor girl already was, she went into the changing rooms obediently, while Ashlyne called out her next victim.
-
"Paine, take of your gloves, they look silly with the dress," Rikku commented as Paine came out of the change room.
"What? No, 'you look great, Paine! Thanks for being so tolerant'?"
"You look great, Paine! Thanks for being so tolerant!" Yuna gushed dutifully.
"Nope, it's too late, now, I'm officially insulted," said Paine, but she was smiling a little as she caught sight of herself in a mirror on the opposite side of the room.
"Paine?" said Le Blanc, the warrior girl passed to see herself better in the mirror.
"Impressive," said Dona, nodding.
Le Blanc blinked and turned to Dona, whispering loudly, "who knew she had a bust?"
Paine pretended she hadn't heard, but silently reminded herself to take away a couple of respect points for that remark later.
"Like?" said Rikku, grinning as Paine returned to the change room.
"It fits," was all Paine would say.
But Rikku took it to mean 'perfect'.
-
"Shinra, get out here already!" said Wakka, standing outside the boy's change room expectantly.
"I'd really rather not," said Shinra.
"Now, brudda!"
"I feel like an idiot," Shinra complained, thrusting the curtain aside angrily and holding a hand to his head.
"Yuna," said Vidina happily.
"Not as much of an idiot as you looked before, brudda," said Wakka, looking the pale, scruffy-haired boy up and down appreciatively. "What was with the monkey suit?"
"It's better than this penguin suit!" Shinra protested.
"No way," said Wakka.
"Yuna!" said Vidina.
"Go show the others- see what they think."
"Shiiiiiiiinraaaaa?" said Brother, bulking.
"Ya look hot, little man," said Buddy, giving him the thumbs up.
"Hang on," said Tidus, "is this the same geek in the scuba-suit I saw two minutes ago?"
"It's not a scuba-suit," said Shinra, huffing, "it's a highly developed and effective-"
"Whatever," said Tidus, shrugging, "ya look great- you can go get ya scuba-suit back on and dump the tux in the pile."
Shinra sulked off.
"Next," Wakka called and Gippal dragged Baralai over by his hair.
"Here ya go!" he said brightly, while Baralai rubbed his head miserably.
Wakka thrust a suit at him and shoved him into the cubicle.
"Are you sure you don't want some help?" said the shop assistant nervously.
"Nah," said Wakka, "we've got it under control."
-
Several hours later, the large group met up at the airship again and pooled their spendings.
"Oooooh!" Yuna squealed, "I'm just so pleased aren't you all?!" and twenty exhausted friends moaned collectively.
"Sleeeeeeeepy!" Vidina yawned and Tidus yelled suddenly:
"HE SAID POOPIE! HE SAID POOPIE!"
"He said 'sleepy'," snapped Lulu, "stop giving him ideas!"
Tidus sighed and he and Yuna left, Yuna still giggling incessantly.
One by one people began to find themselves a room, to rest in as they travelled back to Besaid, until eventually, Rikku was the only one left on the Bridge- flying the airship.
She got out of her chair quickly, leaving the Celsius on Autopilot as she went back to Shinra's empty station, finding the coded message once again.
She began scribbling notes on a piece of paper to the side, two hours later, exhausted beyond belief, she cracked. "Eureka," she mumbled, stuffing a copy of the paper, decoded into her pocket and promptly falling asleep.
-
Rikku awoke ten minutes later, to Shinra tapping her on the shoulder.
"Bug off, birdbrain," she moaned, waving his hand away.
"Did you read this?" he asked, thrusting the coded paper in her face.
"It's in code," she mumbled sleepily.
"You and I both know that the word 'code' mean nothing to you, so why don't you just tell me the truth?" asked Shinra. He seemed angry.
"Yeah, I read it," said Rikku, shrugging. "I like codes."
"Did you understand any of it?"
"It was just data from one of your gadget things," Rikku replied bored, taking the translation out of her pocket, and baulking as she read over what had seemed like nothing in her previous exhaustion, "why do you have a copy of Paine's Respect Points?!?!"
"I made her sphere," said Shinra huffily, "and you were snooping in my things again!"
"It was just lying around," Rikku protested.
"It was in code!" Shinra snapped, "if that doesn't scream 'PRIVATE', then what does?"
"I dunno," said Rikku, scanning the paper grumpily and freezing as she saw her own name, "HEY! Why have I got –20 Respect Points!!!" she cried in anguish.
"Maybe because you have absolutely no concept of privacy!" said Shinra.
"Hmph! Well, I bet I have more than you, you little rat!" she searched for his named, unnerved by his smug grin. He already knew. "79???" Rikku screeched.
"What are you two screaming about?" Yuna grumbled, walking onto the bridge, rubbing her eyes. She froze when she saw the piece of paper Rikku was holding, "Rikku! I told you not to touch that!"
"But it's Paine's list of Respect Points!" Rikku cried, pouting, and Yuna's resolve crumbled.
"Lemme see!" She grabbed the paper from Rikku and found her name almost immediately, "81? Out of 100???"
"Guuuuys! Paine trusted me with that! Give it back!"
"Nah!" said Rikku, holding it over his head, "it can't be out of 100, because Baralai's got 120."
"I have since withdrawn three points," said Paine coldly from where she stood in the doorway.
"Rikku found it!" Shinra cried, "but it was in code, I swear!"
"It was," Rikku admitted, "it took me two hours to crack that."
"Rikkuuuuuuuuuuu!" Paine thundered, "minus 600 respect points!!!"
Rikku baulked, "but I'm already in the negatives!" she cried in horror.
"Exactly! 50 off Yuna for giving in to temptation!" she snatched the pieces of paper back. "Now get out of my sight- both of you!"
"I'm really sorry, Paine! I didn't mean to-"
"Minus 20 Respect Points," Paine snapped, handing him the papers, "hide them better next time."
"Yes, Paine!" Shinra agreed quickly and he ran back to his room.
Paine left to, locking herself in her own room to deduct their precious Respect Points.
"Rikku," she said to herself, huffing angrily, "that's –620 for you…"
"That's a little harsh, isn't it?" asked Baralai, from the door.
"Huh?"
"I heard you all yelling," he explained. "So, why have you taken so much off Rikku?"
"Because if I don't stay firm, Rikku will go around spreading everyone's respect points," Paine huffed, taking off Yuna's respect points, and Shinra's before turning the sphere off and slipping it back in her glove.
"True… so will you tell me how many I have, or do I have to ask her?"
"Please don't," said Paine, putting a hand to her head, "she'd tell you in a heartbeat."
"Then just tell me this much: am I in the positives or negatives?"
"It'll cost you 10 Respect Points," said Paine, shrugging.
He bit his lip and nodded, "tell me."
"Negatives," said Paine immediately and he baulked. "Joking," she said, rolling her eyes. "Yes, you're in the positives. Still much, much higher than Rikku. Happy?"
"Very," said Baralai, grinning.
"Buuuuut," she added, somewhat teasingly, "if you keep losing 17 points a day, you won't be far off come the wedding."
"Better keep on my toes then, huh?"
Paine smiled and nodded.
"How was dress hunting with Yuna?"
"Evil," said Paine, shuddering. "How about the tuxes with Commando Ti?"
"It was Wakka who was the threat," said Baralai, chuckling and his scary kid kept yelling at us, "'Yuna! Yuna!'"
Paine bit her cheek to keep from laughing.
Baralai, seeing this, poked her in the tummy and the laugh tumbled out of her mouth.
"Hey!"
"I like your laugh," said Baralai innocently and Paine poked him back.
"It's late," she said, "I'm going to bed."
"But we should reach Besaid any minute now," said Baralai.
"Don't wake me," said Paine, "I'll sleep here."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, of course," said Paine. "I'm really tired- I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay, then," he reached over to give her hand a squeeze, "goodnight."
Paine squeezed his hand back. It was a tradition derived from their Crimson Squad days, when Baralai would see Paine upset and go and hug her- earning himself a fist in his gut. After the first few bruises started to show, Baralai took to holding her hand instead. It was a simple gesture, but one that brought a smile to her face even now.
It meant 'I'm here for you. I won't ever leave you'- and it was the only reason Paine had survived in the Den of Woe.
"Goodnight… Baralai."
-
Dear Faithful Readers,
It's so funny when you see my little list of Respect Points- it's in order, see? Baralai's up the top with 107, and Rikku's down the bottom (even after BROTHER) with –620. :P I guess Paine made her message pretty clear: "tell anyone and you die."
READ AND REVIEW!
Xx-Bex-xX
P.S. If you want to see a picture of the style of dress, check out http // www .therosedress . com / dresses/ as/ c/ ASO54/ f . jpg (no spaces) –you'll just have to imagine the different colours though.