"Get up," Paine gave Rikku a whack in the legs.

"I can't move," Rikku grumbled, still under her blankets. Her head was pounding worse than yesterday. Where had she been last night again?

"No, I'm serious, get up, we have to have breakfast with the staff today, Buddy's pissed, we're already late," Paine was getting dressed and hurrying about their room. Ever since Tidus came back, Yuna had relocated to one of the other bedrooms leaving Paine and Rikku roommates in the cabin above the bar.

"What? For real?" Rikku rubbed her eyes and sat up in her bed.

"Yeah, come on, we're late," Paine tossed Rikku's boots onto her bed.

"How much time to I have?" Rikku hopped out of bed and pulled her boots on. Her braids were a wreck. She pulled them out and smoothed her hair down.

"None, we've gotta go," Paine was heading for the stairs.

"Aw, Paine! I'm not ready for breakfast!" Rikku whimpered. "I might throw up before we get there!"

"Then put that hair in a pony tail, we've gotta move," Paine said over her shoulder. Paine was in her warrior's bottoms from last night and a tank top she had clearly managed to change into to sleep in. Rikku looked down at the t-shirt and skirt she was in. Interesting. She didn't remember changing. Or coming home.

"Is everyone going to be there? Who do I have to deal with this morning?" Rikku scurried along behind Paine, pulling her hair into a simple pony tail. She yelped at the bright morning sun as they ran off the Celsius and headed for town.

"Tech crew, So Gippal and whoever Buddy has working for him, Buddy, your brother, possibly Tobli and his team, Yuna, us, come on, we're late!" Paine stepped her pace up and Rikku tried to follow.

"This is disasteriffic," Rikku grumbled under her breath.

"By the way? You asked Gippal to sleep with you last night," Paine said out the side of her mouth as she pushed the door to the restaurant open.

"I did WHAT?!" Rikku yelped. The team looked up at her from a long table. She blushed.

"Nice of you to join us, Ladies," Buddy said, trying not to look at Rikku. She vaguely remembered rubbing up and down his body last night in the club and sheepishly took her seat next to Yuna. She picked up the breakfast menu and tried to pick something to eat. Her head was still spinning so fast she was just going to get whatever Yuna got anyway.

"Sorry," Paine said for both of them. "We were having a rough morning."

"I'll bet," Yuna said smugly. Paine and Rikku had identical looks of disgust.

"Anyway, now that we're all here, we can get started," Buddy cleared his throat.

"What time did you get home last night?" Yuna asked Rikku in a motherly tone.

"None of your beeswax," Rikku sat up straighter and lifted her nose at Yuna.

"You know, Rikku, you really need to start taking a more professional attitude towards all of this," Yuna started with that tone again.

"Yunie. When you were a summoner, I followed your rules. When you took over The Gullwings? We played your guardian games. Now? Spira is safe and we're just plain old rockstars, so can you please lay off the breakfast lecture? I have a hangover. Like a real rockstar SHOULD," Rikku snapped. Yuna sighed and went back to her menu, reaching out and holding Tidus's hand on the table. Rikku watched the words swim around on her menu a few moments.

"Hey," someone kicked her foot under the table. Rikku looked up. Oh no. Gippal was sitting right across from her and he was…smiling?

"What?" Rikku whispered back, annoyed. Buddy was at the head of the table going over numbers and boring itinerary things she could just ask Paine about later.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she hissed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear that had escaped her ponytail. Did she really ask him to sleep with her last night? Was it an open offer? Or did she just want him to lay with her. Oh shoot, she was wearing his shirt! But she'd had this one for over a year. No, she must have just wanted him to sleep next to her. Then WHY was he SMILING like that?

"Sorry," he whispered uncomfortably. She looked different. Older, maybe. Her hair was simple and not full of strings and beads and all that shit she had strung up in it day after day. She just had it pulled back. No make up this early. No scarves and frills, just a plain white t-shirt, HIS plain white t-shirt that he put on her last night when he left her alone in her bed like a gentleman, yes, a gentleman. She looked so natural, so open, so bare.

She looked beautiful.

"You look nice," he said. Paine choked on her coffee.

"What?" Rikku gasped.

"Nothing!" Gippal tried to cover it up.

"Gippal?" Buddy asked,

"What! I didn't say anything to her!" Gippal nearly jumped out of his chair.

"Excuse me?" Buddy raised a confused brow.

"Nothing. What?" Gippal looked up the long table at Buddy. He was several seats away at the head of the table past Tobli and his team. Rikku was trying to cover her blushing cheeks.

"I just wanted to check in on your progress and see if there was anything you needed," Buddy said, still eyeing Gippal strangely.

"Oh," Gippal was turning red himself. He looked down for a moment and caught his breath, then looked back up at Buddy. Paine was looking at him with anticipation to see how he'd get out of this. "I'm concerned that I may need a team or at least an assistant. I can run everything, but I don't know if I can carry it all and set it all up if we need it done in a hurry," Gippal replied.

"Perfect, that brings me to my next item of business. Tidus?" Buddy looked up from a list in front of him to the other head of the table where Tidus sat lazily daydreaming at Yuna.

"Yeah?" he looked startled.

"You're going to be Gippal's assistant."

"What! Him?" Gippal yelped.

"You needed an assistant? Here's your assistant. He's in the off season for blitzball, he's available, and the paperwork is already signed, so it's settled. Moving on," Buddy kept going.

"Hey," Tidus leaned over Paine to Gippal. "I don't really know a whole lot about machina," he winced.

"Get out," Gippal said flatly. Yuna gave him a warning look. "Don't worry, you just have to carry it, I'll do the rest."

"Okay! Got it!" Tidus gave Gippal a thumbs up. Paine rolled her eyes and passed a potion across the table to Rikku.

"Thanks," Rikku sighed, feeling miserable from more than just her hangover. What had she possibly done to make him act like this? No 'Cid's Girl' this morning, no wise cracks, he told her she LOOKED NICE for crying out loud. She drank the vile from Paine and rubbed her tired eyes some more.

"Here's one for you too, if you need it," Paine slid a bottle next to Gippal's plate beside her.

"Nah, I'm okay," he replied.

"Just take it, Ass," Paine smiled.

"I'm fine," he insisted.

"You're such a pain! Just take it!" Rikku hissed across the table. Buddy was deep into a boring discussion about finance with Tobli and his crew so the argument between the Gullwings at the other end of the table was going unnoticed.

"Maybe he wasn't as foolish as two get as drunk as you two," Yuna snapped.

"Oh trust me, he was," Paine tried not to laugh.

"Thank you for your vote of confidence, Yuna," Gippal gave Paine a dirty look, then smiled a little and swung his arm over the back of her chair.

"Rikku, I am not liking you going out and getting drunk with this zylgycc," (jackass) Brother spoke up. He'd been sitting beside Rikku trying to pay attention to what Buddy was saying the entire time.

"I'm not a zylgycc!" Gippal sat up, offended.

"Yac oui yna!" (yes you are) Rikku and Brother shouted back in unison. Buddy and the PR team looked down the table at them. All three Al Bhed shrank away.

"Mecdah, Bnehlacc. E's zicd dnoehk du pa hela du oui!" (Listen, Princess. I'm just trying to be nice to you!) Gippal growled through gritted teeth.

"Tuh'd pudran! E tuh'd fyhd du pa hela du oui!" (Don't bother! I don't want to be nice to you!) Rikku crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. This was awful. She wanted to go home.

"Dryd'c hud fryd oui cyet MYCD HEKRD!" (That's not what you said LAST NIGHT) Gippal smirked a despicable smirk at her across the table. Rikku's mouth fell open in shock. Brother jumped out of his chair and reached across the table, grabbing Gippal by the throat.

"Tuh'd oui AJAN dymg ypuid ran mega dryd pavuna ran vysemo!" (Don't you EVER talk about her like that before her family!) Brother yelled, giving Gippal a shake.

"What are they saying?!" Tidus gasped.

"HEY!" Buddy shouted.

"These two were just telling Gippal what a jackass he's being," Paine replied, nonchalant. Brother released Gippal and took his seat but did not take his eyes off of him.

"Is he being a jackass?" Tidus asked her.

"In this situation?" she glared at Gippal. "YES." Rikku hid her face in her hands, Yuna looked appalled and Gippal rubbed his neck as his breath returned.

"You'll be bunking down this way," Buddy lead Gippal down a corridor in the belly of the ship.

"Luxury accommodations I see," Gippal joked, adjusting the pack on his shoulder. He and Buddy had been awkwardly silent since breakfast until now.

"Tidus and Yuna moved into one of the last empty cabins on the ship, so we've prepared something else for you," Buddy stopped at the end of the hallway before a door labeled STORAGE #3.

"Wow, Buddy. You've really outdone yourself," Gippal said flatly as he let out a big sigh.

"You can change your mind right now?" Buddy shrugged.

"Right below the engines, huh? I'm sure this was a coincidence," Gippal raised his eyebrows as Buddy opened the door. The boxes and equipment inside had been lazily pushed to one wall. An old cot had been unfolded against the other. There was a crudely strung up dim work light hanging in the middle of the room. "Well. Five stars indeed, Buddy."

"I don't need your attitude," Buddy warned.

"But you do need my skills. They're a package deal," Gippal grinned.

"Why don't I let you get settled then," Buddy sighed.

"Can't wait to have Rikku down here to my new place to show her what FINE quarters I was given by the boss. All alone, floors under all of you, right below that darn loud engine, why, no one would ever possibly be able to hear what was going on in my fancy suite," Gippal smiled that cocky smile. Buddy's face fell. He hadn't thought of that. Any of that.

"Stay away from her," Buddy pointed hard at Gippal.

"I'll do my best, pal. But I can't guarantee that she'll stay away from me? Unless of course, you've redrawn up her contract?" Gippal's smile got wider and cockier.

"If you hurt her? I WILL kill you," Buddy growled.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Gippal replied, more sincere than Buddy could have guessed.

"I'm serious, Gippal," Buddy said, his face stone. "She cries once and you're fired and you're dead."

"It's a deal," Gippal replied, his face just as serious. Buddy turned on his heel and stalked off towards the bridge.

"Paine!" Rikku exclaimed once they were back in their room trying to get ready for the day ahead.

"Yes?" Paine was organizing things in her trunk at the foot of her bed.

"I need to know what I did last night," Rikku said. Paine opened her mouth to speak but Rikku cut her off. "And no teasing! I want the truth! I don't need you Paine-ing it up to make me look stupid!" Rikku huffed, plopping down in front of her own trunk.

"Well, you got drunk and d

anced with Buddy to make Gippal feel bad about himself," Paine began.

"I did not! I danced with Buddy because I wanted to dance and Gippal was being a butthead!" Rikku snapped.

"Fine. Then I was gone for most of that time you were dancing," Paine continued.

"Where were you?" Rikku asked, sitting up on her knees and rummaging through her things.

"Nowhere," Paine said quickly.

"Wait, where were you?" Rikku pressed further.

"I ran into someone from my Crimson Squad days. I was catching up," Paine shrugged.

"Ooo, who was it?" Rikku asked, grinning as she shuffled through some of her garment grids.

"Do you want me to tell you what happened or not?" Paine snapped.

"Fine! Fine!" Rikku held her hands up.

"Do you remember playing that sorry bartender for all he was worth?" Paine asked.

"Vaguely," Rikku muttered, looking away.

"Do you remember taking shots with me and Gippal?" Paine carried on, setting aside some folded shirts.

"Not really?" Rikku winced.

"Well, you told him that you were going to be nice to him from now on,' Paine hid a laugh.

"I did not!" Rikku insisted.

"You did."

"Oh goodness!"

"And then you passed out and he carried you home." Paine said.

"He did not!" Rikku gasped, sitting back on her feet.

"He did. I stuck around to find Buddy and when I got back here, you were in bed and you were asking him to stay with you," Paine finished.

"I DID NOT!" Rikku cried.

"You did."

"Oh no! This is NOT okay!" Rikku yelped, biting her thumb.

"He wouldn't do it?" Paine offered after a few beats of silence.

"What?" Rikku snapped her head towards Paine.

"Stay with you. He kept telling you to go to sleep," Paine smirked.

"Well YOU were here! Of course he's not going to get in bed with me!" Rikku gestured at Paine. "Even HE'S not THAT bad!"

"He didn't know I was here," Paine said calmly. Rikku just stared back at her for a few moments trying to figure her out.

"Shut up," Rikku broke into a smile.

"No. I'm serious."

"I don't believe you," Rikku put her hands on her hips.

"Well, believe what you want, but that's what I saw. I have to head to the bridge and take care of some things for Buddy. I suggest you take a NAP," Paine laughed over her shoulder as she headed for the cabin below.

"Fryd tet oui tu du ran mycd hekrd?!" (what did you do to her last night) Buddy yelled at Gippal. The two had been grumbling at one another in Al Bhed for the past ten minutes. Paine was sitting at Shinra's console putting some files together for Buddy.

"Fryd? E teth'd tu yhodrehk du ran!" (What? I didn't do anything to her!) Gippal cried.

"Cra'c y sacc! Yht E ghuf cra fahd rusa fedr OUI!" (She's a mess! And I know she went home with YOU) Buddy warned.

"I teth'd tu yhodrehk!" (I didn't do anything!) Gippal insisted.

"Tuach'd muug mega ed, Bym. Fuimt Pnudran ryja paah tufh ouin drnuyd ev oui fanah'd ib ymm hekrd vilgehk ran?!" (Doesn't look like it, Pal. Would Brother have been down your throat if you weren't up all night fucking her?!) Buddy yelled.

"Oui vilgehk bnelg!" (You fucking prick!) Gippal looked Buddy up and down, disgusted.

"You know I can hear AND UNDERSTAND everything you're saying, right?" Paine yelled without looking up from her work.

"Fro't oui ryja du ku yht ramb ran maynh uin myhkiyka?" (Why'd you have to go and help her learn out language?) Buddy snapped.

"Excuse me?" Paine turned in her chair.

"Sorry, Paine. I'm just worked up," Buddy said sweetly to her. "Cause I wouldn't want to see a sweet girl like Rikku get HURT!" Buddy shoved Gippal.

"Hey! Watch it!" Gippal glared back at him

"I don't want you messing with her!" Buddy got out through gritted teeth.

"I'm not messing with her!" Gippal yelled back.

"I never should've have called you!" Buddy yelled.

"Yeah, don't worry, I'm so GLAD to do you this favor, Buddy. Remember? The giant favor I'm doing for you? You fucking OWE ME," Gippal yelled and stormed off towards the elevator.

"AAARRRGGGH!" Buddy cried out once Gippal was gone. "He is so FRUSTRATING!"

"Take it easy or he'll find a loophole in his contract and take off. Then we'll all be shit out of luck," Paine said seriously, trying to calm Buddy down.

"He doesn't have a contract," Buddy said after a long silence.

"What?" Paine cried.

"He can leave whenever he wants," Buddy sighed, putting a hand over his eyes.

"Are you paying him under the table?" Paine looked curiously at Buddy.

"I'm not paying him at all," Buddy admitted, a defeated look on his face. Paine's mouth hung open.

"He volunteered?" Paine swallowed hard.

"He said he didn't need the money."

"But he's broke! The Machine Faction going under and everything? Selling out to New Home?" Paine trailed off. Oh god. He really WAS still in love with her. Hard.

"I know, he wouldn't sign. He says she just wanted the opportunity to be here," Buddy replied softly. "And now I know why."

"Look, Buddy, it's not what you think!" she tried.

"Save it, Paine," he held up a hand and walked away from her.