The Joker and the Thief
Chapter 4- In which we explore Rikku's possible schizophrenia. (But not really)
Thanks for those of you who have reviewed/subscribed/favorited. :D
That's you, hapiflower, RaquellaRose, reina-jo (Ahh! And someone else whose penname I forgot! Sowwy)
Note: this sex tip really is from Cosmo. Dat shit cray…
Also, I'm making a tiny FFVII reference because I know they sure as hell don't use gasoline in their hovers in Spira, so it's gotta be Mako, right?
Sorry this chapter took so long to get out.
Enjoy!
10 a.m., bright and early, but not too bright and early because I'm on vacation. I dismiss the CommSphere's alarm with a yawn and a stretch. I can't be bothered to move my arm from my face where it falls. This bed is probably the best thing I've ever experienced in my life. I'm probably going to take it to the beach with me, and just lay out on that instead of a towel.
"Unggggh" I groan aloud when I realize that this is impossible and that I'm still in that weird half awake half still asleep limbo. The bright morning sun and happy seagulls convince me to roll out of bed. I pad across the suite to the balcony and step outside for some fresh ocean air. I breathe it in and sigh, and realize that at this very moment, I am exactly where I need to be, and that makes me so happy. I know I'm doing the right thing by being here. I close my eyes and feel the wind again before stepping back inside. I change into a blue bikini and throw on some shorts and a slouchy tee before grabbing the CommSphere, a towel, shades, my wallet, and a magazine and putting them into a bag. I grab the room key and head out into the hall. I walk out of Rin's and head towards the beach. I can hear the roar of the waves getting closer. The landscape opens up and there are no buldings, only the sky, the water and the sand. It reminds me of when I was little and Pops would take me, Brother and Gippal all the way across the desert, away from Home. He'd pile us onto one of the big hovers and we'd play in the ocean all day long. He never got us lost once. It was never easier for Mom to get me to sleep at night than those times.
Looking back, I never used to wonder why Pops treated Gippal the way he did, like he was another son. It wasn't until I was much older that I found out that Gippal's parents found it hard to get along…ever. Nothing so serious a divorce during their son's awkward teen years couldn't fix, but still, I'm sure it was rough. Pops did what he could to shelter him.
Not that I can blame him, but honestly, that's probably why Gippal's a host of walking complexes now.
Right. Back to the present: towel, sand, horizontal. Three easy steps, and I'll be back to tan in no time. I pull my magazine out of my bag as I situate myself on my stomach. I take a minute to observe my surroundings: plenty of kids, naturally. There are too many sandcastles to count! It makes me want to join them, but that'd just be silly, and I'm anything but silly, clearly. Not too far a way, a little further down the beach, some guys have set up a game of beach blitz. They're mighty fine and one of them glances at me and smiles but thankfully that's all that happens. I definitely don't mind male attention, but there's a time and a place for everything. I have neither the time nor a place for a guy in my life right now. Even if I did, he'd have to be really something. But for now, this is my journey, and my journey only.
I've finsished flipping through my magazine. Not like I really paid attention, just a bunch of useless sex tips anyway. "Sprinkle pepper under his nose before he climaxes?" What? I can't even – Oh, I be that guy that smiled at me would like it. I bet he's a freak. I also bet I'm gonna have a weird mental movie playing in my head for the rest of the day. I guess it comes with the territory of an overactive imagination.
I roll over on to my back and put my shirt over my face. It's almost noon, so the sun is doing everything it can to peek under my eyelids. My thoughts begin to wander, and it's only a matter of time before my thoughts become an entire monologue. Sometimes it turns into a dialogue, but I pretend it doesn't worry me.
When are Yunie and Tidus gonna get married? I thought he would have proposed as soon as they saw each other.
Why is it so hot?
I wonder what Brother's doing.
I wonder if he's broken anything today.
Is Vidina walking yet? Is it too soon to worry if he isn't?
I wonder if Paine's screwing Baralai's brains out.
Why? Why would I possibly wonder something like that.
Morbid curiosity, she's such a prude. She makes me giggle.
Why is it so fucking hot?
I wonder how Leblanc is. She's really not so bad. Maybe she's doing really-not-so-bad things with Nooj. They were definitely made for each other.
I wonder what Gippal's doing. Actually, no I don't. He's being an ass, no matter what he's doing.
I have thought of him twice today already. That's two times too many.
I'm done for the day. It's too damn hot out here.
I get back to Rin's right as storm clouds roll in. Perfect timing. I decide to get in a shower to get all the sand off of me, before putting on some comfy clothes and curling up in my bed with the notebook and pen I've brought with me. Most of this notebook is empty, but what isn't, is my half- assed itinerary. I open it up to the first page.
I want to go see Paine tomorrow, which means a lot of backpedaling if I want to see everything later, but I think it'll work out if I play my cards right. This means I leave early tomorrow, catch the Shoopuff across the Moonflow, and make it to Bevelle around dinnertime. Paine better be a good hostess. I'll be exhausted tomorrow, so I should probably call her to make sure tomorrow's okay. She's expecting me in the near future, but I told her I'd let her know once I knew what I wanted to do. Maybe I can get a few respect points while I'm there. We could always use a few more, right? I lean over to the nightstand and dig around in my bag for the CommSphere. I turn it on and type in Paine's coordinates. The static fades into clarity and her lovely face comes into view.
"Howdy!" I exclaim.
"Rikku. How are you?" She's trying not to smile. I know she loves me, it's totally written all over her face.
"I'm great! How are you?"
"Same as usual. I don't suppose you're coming to visit me soon are you? I see you're not at home." I giggle at the subtle mention of my new freedom.
"I'm in Luca at the moment, and you bet I'm coming to visit; tomorrow…if I can?" I ask hopefully. She stops to think for a second.
"Yeah, that should be fine."
"Great! I'll probably be there a little after dark." I say. I'm pretty excited. I feel like I haven't seen her in forever, and in all honesty, it has been a while. She smiles softly again.
"Looking forward to it. Just keep me posted on the time. We'll figure out something fun to do when you get here." My imagination floats back to the weird idea of us going clubbing.
"Sounds fantastic! Can't wait."
"Me neither. Bye, Rikku." Paine ends the transmission before I have a change to say "bye". Oh well, I'll get over it. I'll be seeing her soon enough.
"What can I do for you?" the alarm on the CommSphere asks me. As much as we all hated to admit it, Leblanc really could market a catchy single.
"You can shut the fuck up," I mumble into my pillow as I dismiss the alarm. What has been my deal these last few days? It's like I can't stay awake. Must be sensory overload. Last thing I remember is finishing my call with Paine. I guess the rain and the wind put me to sleep. I can't complain though, at least I'll be well rested for today. Oh, that reminds me, I get to ride my new hover today. I'm too pumped! My excitement propels me into gear and I brush my teeth and wash my face quickly. I put my hair back up, but I don't put the braids back in. They'll just get in the way today. I dig around in my bag and find my good ol' green shorts. I've had these things since Yunie's pilgrimage. You know why? Because they're damn comfortable when you're traveling. I pull them on, along with a tank top and a light jacket. I'm so not in the mood for windburn. I make sure I have my essentials, but I'm leaving my beach stuff. Since I'm staying here for free. Rin pretty much told me I could use this place for as long as I needed, just as long as I didn't totally move in. Basically, I could treat it as an extended stay situation, which he doesn't typically offer in his agencies, but when you're the favorite niece he never had, you get special privileges. I probably do owe him my firstborn though. It's probably written down somewhere.
With my bag over my shoulder, I head out of the agency into the parking lot, but not before I return my room key to the clerk for safekeeping. I'm only doing that so I don't loose the freaking thing while I'm gone. I head out to the parking lot. There sits my new baby. Oh man, Pops would definitely be proud. I'll have to call him soon and show it to him. Still, I'm not gonna fully appreciate it just standing here looking at it. I pull that key out of my pocket and throw the rest of my things in the compartment under the seat. I start the engine and quickly realize that I'll be deaf by the time I get to Paine's. It'll be totally worth it though. I know I'll love every minute of it.
"Hello, Spira," I say out loud, shamelessly. "Rikku coming through!"
Like I said, sorry this one took so long. I got writers blocked, because I wanted to start the chapter a certain way, but couldn't figure out how I wanted to do it, so I had to convince myself that it was okay to stray from the original plan. I think it turned out much batter this way anyway. Tell me what you think! :D