Chapter 4
"Paine?" came Rikku's voice from behind the door the next morning.
Paine rolled over in bed to check her clock, baulking when she found that it was past midday.
"I-I'll just be a second!" she called, getting out of bed hurriedly.
Rikku came in anyway, carrying a tray of food.
"Huh?"
"For you," she said.
"Uhm… why?"
"Because I'm sorry," said Rikku. "So's Yuna, but she ran away."
Yuna poked her head in from behind the door, then came in cautiously.
"So, I can go back to bed now?" said Paine, perhaps a little ungraciously.
"Uhm… if you want to," said Rikku, setting the tray down on her side table. "It was supposed to be breakfast-in-bed," she admitted, "but Yunie and me wanted to make it perfect."
Despite herself, Paine was touched, "you guys made this?"
"We've been cooking all morning," said Yuna softly.
"Come on," said Paine, rolling her eyes and flopping back down onto her bed, "help me eat it all- you're forgiven."
"Really?!" Rikku squealed. "Do we get any points back?"
Paine chuckled, "we'll see," she said and the hyper twins beamed.
"Works for us!"
-
"So," said Baralai, walking with Paine along the beach later that day, "Rikku and Yuna tell me that you've forgiven them already- not so tough, are you?"
"As long as that's all they're told you," said Paine, "then yeah, I have."
"What changed your mind?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well if it's the difference between –20 and –620…"
"They spent all morning making me breakfast in bed," Paine admitted and Baralai made a face.
"Didn't you take points off for their cooking?"
"Nope," said Paine, grinning evilly, "I just made them eat it with me- that was punishment enough, I think."
"True," said Baralai, grinning.
"Whatcha up to, guys?" asked Gippal, bouncing up, "can I join in?"
"We're just talking said Baralai."
"What? Talking? With Paine?" said Gippal, mock astounded. "If she didn't bite, I'd doubt she had a mouth!"
"Right here!" Paine reminded him grumpily. "You can kiss your sweet respect points goodbye."
"How many do I have?!" asked Gippal, horrified.
"Now?" Paine took her tiny sphere out of her sleeve and turned around to calculate the damages, before slipping it back in place. "-12."
"Hey!" Gippal exclaimed, "no fair! How many does 'Lai got?!"
"More than you," said Paine, relishing his dismay.
"I'm in the positives, man!" said Baralai proudly and Paine nodded.
"What about Brother? I've got to have more than Brother!"
"You've got more than Rikku and Brother," Paine admitted.
"Who's got the most?" asked Baralai but Paine refused to answer.
"Well… what's the highest score?" asked Gippal.
"Come on," Baralai agreed, "that's not an unreasonable question!"
"It'll cost you both 5 points if you want to know," said Paine, shrugging.
Baralai and Gippal exchanged worried glances, then nodded.
"It's worth it," Gippal summarised.
"Fine- the highest point score is 107," said Paine easily, "but I'd watch out Gippal, you and Rikku are getting pretty close."
"Aww man!"
"You wanted to know," said Paine simply.
"Still! How did I lose so many points?!"
"Everyone starts with ten," said Paine, shrugging, "it goes up or down from there. How you lost them? You bug me. Plain and simple."
"You must have known whoever's got 107 for a while, then?" said Baralai and Paine didn't reply.
She might have corrected him- told him that it was now 102, but that would have been pretty obvious. Who had lost 5 points in the last two seconds? Not including Gippal, who knew that he was on –17. Baralai had a big enough head already, he didn't need to know that he was at the top of her list.
"That's not necessarily true," said Paine eventually. "I haven't known my 96 for very long."
"Who is it?" asked Gippal.
"If you keep asking questions, I'll keep deducting points," Paine threatened and they both shut up.
"So… I hear the Gullwings are shot," said Gippal unfeelingly, "what do you plan on doing with the rest of your time on Spira?"
"I might fall back on an old profession," said Paine thoughtfully.
"Recording?" said Gippal.
"Singing," said Baralai, grinning and Paine nodded.
"You sing?" said Gippal, jaw dropping.
"She used to sing in a club I went to a lot… you know, before I became Praetor and was officially banned from clubs and the like."
"Whoa…" said Gippal, holding a hand to his head. "This is just too much! Baralai in a club and Paine singing???"
"Shut up," said Paine, glaring, "it's not that outrageous!"
"Yes it is!" Gippal exclaimed, then closed his mouth under Paine's threatening glare. "Okay, it's not… is she any good, 'Lai?"
Baralai looked embarrassed, "uhm, yeah," he said, blushing a little, "she's great."
Paine looked pleased. "In any case, the Gullwings aren't totally gone yet- Rikku wants to keep the whole SRP thing going a little longer."
"It's just you two and the kid now, isn't it?" said Gippal.
"Yep, just us three."
"Maybe the three of you could have a joint singing act," said Gippal, laughing.
"Minus 5 Respect Points," Paine shot back, huffily, "and you're officially worse than Rikku- second only to Brother."
"No way!"
"Yes way," said Paine, sticking her chin out defiantly. "Well, Baralai, I'm going to see what Lulu and Nhadala are up to, do you wanna come?"
"No," said Baralai, "I think I'll just stay here and help thaw out the cold shoulder you're giving Gippal."
"Suit yourself," said Paine, shrugging, and she walked off.
-
"Hey, Lulu," said Paine, walking into the older woman's hut, "hey little Vee."
"Do you know what he said this morning?" asked Lulu proudly.
Paine shook her head and replied that she had not.
"Pay," said Lulu. "Wakka thinks he wants money," she chuckled lightly, "but I think he meant you."
"Sweet," said Paine, meaning it.
"Yuna!" said Vidina.
"Paine," she reminded him.
"Sleepy!"
"Noooo… Paine!"
"Poopie!"
Lulu stood up abruptly, fist raised, "I AM GOING TO MURDER TIDUS!" she yelled and stormed out.
"Uhm… okaaaay… you do that," Paine picked up Vidina and shook her head, "you should have just said Paine," she sighed.
"Pay," said Vidina and Paine rolled her eyes.
"Great, buddy, great," she said. "Well if Yuna becomes a widow before she's even married, it's your fault."
At that moment, Wakka walked in the door, "oh, hey, Paine- where's Lulu?"
"Vidina said 'poopie'," Paine explained.
"Uh-oh," said Wakka, "do you reckon I should go help Tidus?"
"I can keep watching Vidina," said Paine, nodding.
"Okay, thanks," said Wakka, "I won't be long."
Yuna and Nhadala walked in not much later.
"Damn, I needed to talk to Wakka about something…" said Yuna, snapping her fingers irritably.
"Calm down and sit," said Paine, rolling her eyes. "Lulu's gone to murder your husband and Wakka's gone to stop her."
"What has Tidus done now?" Nhadala sighed.
"Vidina said 'poopie'," Paine explained yet again.
Yuna slapped herself in the head, "I knew that bet would come back and bite him in the butt someday!"
"The good news," said Paine, "is that he also said my name today. Right, Vidina? Say 'Paine'."
"Yuna," said Vidina and Yuna patted him on the head happily.
"Painey!" said she, glaring.
"Nada!"
"Oh! That was definitely a crack at 'Nhadala'!" said the Al Bed girl happily.
"You hate me, don't you, Vidina," said Paine, crossing her arms.
Vidina reached over to pat Paine's knee with a chubby hand, "nipe-nipe Bidima, mama loves oo."
"Aww!" Yuna squealed, "he got that one from Lulu!"
"He said my name earlier," Paine huffed.
"Pay, Pay, Pay," said Vidina, sounding rather patronising.
"That one was Rikku!" Nhadala laughed. "Do us another impression, Vidina!"
Vidina cracked a smile, "Pay, Pay, Pay!" he said again, this time louder.
"Okay, you can stop now," said Paine, rolling her eyes.
"Pay, Pay, Pay!"
"Shut up, kid!"
"Pay, Pay, Pay!"
"Hey!
"Pay, Pay, Pay!"
Nhadala and Yuna burst into helpless laughter.
"Evil little munchkin," said Paine, turning away.
Vidina looked thoughtful for a moment- well, as thoughtful as a one-year-old kid can look. He crawled over to Paine and climbed into her lap.
"Hey," Paine huffed, "get off!"
"Big hug, Pay," said Vidina, his voice muffled against her chest.
Paine's eyes widened a little.
"Love Pay."
Paine smiled a little amidst Yuna and Nhadala's squealing and cooing. "Love Vidina," she whispered, putting her arms around him.
"How's the little guy coming?" came Wakka's voice from the door as he walked in.
"He won't shut up," said Paine, trying and failing to sound mad as he tugged on her short silver hair.
"Love Pay," he said again, planting a wet kiss on her cheek.
"No! No! No! Don't you get all snuggly again! You are too cute!"
"Looks like your stuck with him, Paine."
"Love Pay," Vidina agreed.
"Pay go bye-bye now," said Paine, tipping him out of her lap and standing up.
"Don't treat him like a baby," said Lulu, joining them. "He needs to learn properly."
"Did you pound the crap out of my groom?" asked Yuna, looking up at her.
"Language around the baby," said Lulu, ignoring the question huffily.
"Don't worry, I talked her out of it," said Wakka, grinning.
"Good," said Yuna, "because I really wanna wear that pretty dress again, 'kay?"
"Yeah, yeah," said Lulu, picking up Vidina and cradling him.
Yuna and Nhadala stood too, "bye, Paine."
Paine nodded and, ruffling Vidina's red hair with a short goodbye, she left.
"Pay, Pay, Pay!" Vidina called after her and Paine chuckled, shaking her head as she returned to the airship, a secret smile lighting up her face.