Life of the Blitzed
a/n: PART TWOOOO! YAAAY! I know, technically it's 12:10 am when I'm posting this, but COME OOON! I WAS BASICALLY GOOD ON MY PROMISE, YESH?! ...YESH?! ok ok I suck I know... but I just got Persona 3 and it's fuuuuuuun... anywas, things you might want to slap me across my tired yet lazy face for: OC's (please tell me they weren't that bad! I had to add them as minor characters!), OOC-ness, waaaaaay too much Al Bhed, lazy sentence structure, a supreme lack of beta, and a pinch of cliché... I SORRY! Review with feedback and I'll improve! Thank you for reeeeadiiiiing! Hope you all had a good x-mas!!!
Interlude: KUUT AYDC! Part 2
"But tyyyyyttooooooo…"
"Naw, Rikku, I'm not throwin away 1,000 gil. I didn' even think ya liked Bitzball! Is this fer a boy?!"
"N-no, tytto! I reeeeeally, reeeeeally wanna plaaaaaaaaaay. Pleeeeeease?!" Rikku was on the floor, gripping her father's leg as he ignored her, making himself a burrito.
"If ya need yur gil, git yerself a job!" With that, Cid picked up a flyer from the table and dropped it on Rikku's head. She snatched it and glanced at the heading, "KUUT AYDC! Dra knaydacd eh Al Bhed lieceha!" before moaning and dripping down Cid's leg once again.
And that was how Rikku came to be standing across the street from that turquoise-and-brown monstrosity of a building. The neon sign was faded, and the "T" flickered on and off, but it seemed to be pretty busy. Breakfast was just ending, and Rikku knew she had to enter. Sighing, she began towards the entrance.
A bell sounded as she entered, and a puff of warm wind hit her in the face, which began a long coughing sequence. Looking around, the restaurant was a pretty good size, though a little run down. It was decorated completely in brown, yellow, orange, and turquoise. There were counter seats near the back by the kitchen, and booths around the windows, with tables of various sized speckling the center. On every free patch of wall hung posters displaying dessert after dessert… Bikanal, Rikku guessed, 'though why anyone would want to decorate with Bikanal, I don't know' she mused. By the door was a tank filled with sand and a small caste on the side. A lump of gooey blackness lay in the very center; Rikku moved closer to see what it was. She squealed in disgust once she realized it was a baby sand worm. She quickly moved towards the kitchen.
Almost everyone in the diner wore goggles and skimpy outfits in bright, mismatched colors—anyone could tell they were Al Bhed even without the telltale yellow-blonde hair and green, swirly eyes. The Al Bhed language flew everywhere, almost making Rikku feel back at home in Bikanal. Everyone seemed to know each other, too, and table divisions didn't seem to matter. Despite herself, Rikku couldn't help but like the place, even with its tackiness. She knocked lightly on the kitchen door, calling out "Rammuuuu?" (Helloooo?) before simple pushing through.
She was greeted with even more heat and the clanging of dishes and pots. Everything was in a haze from the steam, and Rikku had to cover her mouth with her arm to keep from coughing. She fanned it away as best she could with the resume and registration papers she held in her hand. "Rammu? E's Rikku, rana vun dra zup ubahehk?" (Hello? I'm Rikku, here for the job opening?)
A little man Rikku assumed to be an Al Bhed scuttled up to her, wearing a gas mask. All his words were muffled, and Rikku had to strain to understand what he was saying.
"Ur, rammuuuu! Fa'ja paah aqbaldehk oui! Mad sa zicd dyga druca bybanc-- Famlusa famlusa! Hyemy femm cruf oui dra nubac... frana ec cra? HYEMY?!?!" (Oh, helloooo! We've been expecting you! Let me just take those papers-- Welcome welcome! Hyemy will show you the ropes... where is she? HYEMY?!?!)
Hyemy dashed around the corner, carrying two glasses of hacdmapanno juice on a tray. Rikku started, afraid she would crash into them, but Hyemy gracefully stopped without spilling a drop. Hyemy was much taller than Rikku, and she had a bigger bust line, but a somewhat forgettable face. She was wearing the waitress uniform: a brown button-up dress with t-shirt sleeves with a lacey half-apron. In the apron's only pocket was a thin black case, Rikku assumed it contained the check. The dress went to the thigh and stalkings covered the rest of her legs, ended by round-toed brown high heels. The drab uniform was finished off with a headband to match the apron, which held back Hyemy's mid-neck-length blonde hair, and finally, a "RAMMU so hysa ec HYEMY" (HELLO my name is HYEMY) badge. Hyemy's badge in particular had a little cactuar sticker on it.
"Ed'c cu hela du saad oui! E's Hyemy!" (It's so nice to meet you! I'm Hyemy!) she said, holding out her free hand for a handshake after wiping it on her apron.
"Oui duu! E's Rikku!" (You too! I'm Rikku) the smaller blonde replied, shaking her hand.
"Yht E's Ymaq. Cu hela du ryja oui rana! Huf Hyemy, ku kad ran dra ihevuns yht dra bybanc yht, ur, daylr ran fryd du tu!" (And I'm Ymaq. So nice to have you here! Now Hyemy, go get her the uniform and the papers and, oh teach her what to do!) the smallest of the three broke in.
"Oac cen!" (Yes sir!) Hyemy replied enthusiastically, pulling Rikku by the wrist towards a cupboard.
Rikku's feet hurt, her tights itched, and her ears rang with the loud dim of 'KUUT AYDC!'. She had been working for 4 hours now, and she was already regretting taking the job, even if it did pay 12 gil an hour. Still, it would take FOREVER to get up to the 1,000 Gippal was asking her… Gippal…
'He could have just paid for me, if he wanted me to be on the team that much,' she thought bitterly as she mopped up a spill, 'it's not like 1,000 gil is worth anything compared to what he has!' The mop was beginning to squeak from the force she was exerting on it. 'As if HE"S ever worked a near-minimum-wage job in his life! Him with his golden toilets!' The customers were beginning to stare at the increasingly unhinged waitress as her strokes became faster and faster, more and more violent. The mother sitting at the closest table beckoned for her young son to come and sit on the other side of the table.
Mehty, another waitress with long, straight hair and bangs, carefully placed a hand on Rikku's shoulder. Rikku spun around, nearly knocking over the chair the little boy had been sitting in until two minutes ago. "E… drehg syopa oui cruimt dyga y pnayg, Rikku… fro tuh'd E ehdnutila oui du dra udran asbmuoaac?" (I… think maybe you should take a break, Rikku… why don't I introduce you to the other employees?) Mehty said, gently taking Rikku by the shoulders.
Rikku had only met Ymaq, the manager, and Hyemy, Mehty, and Yitnao—the other waitresses. Hyemy was so nice it made Rikku slightly sick, and Mehty was very kind as well, but rather dependant on others. Yitnao, or Nana as everyone called her, had a little bit more spunk than the others, and was the closest in age to Rikku, at 17. Everyone called her the baby, and the customers knew her well, as she worked full-time. She had dropped out of school a year earlier since she did not know any Spiran, yet she had never been to Bikanal either. Her blonde hair was in dreadlocks except for the bits that hung around her face and in her eyes.
Nana and Hyemy continued to serve, as Mehty lead Rikku back into the kitchen. "Kioc?!" (Guys?!) she called, trying to get their attention. Nervously turning back to her companion, she could tell Rikku's angry thoughts remained, making Mehty even more frantic. "Rana… massa zicd dyga oui du dras!" (Here… lemme just take you to them!) she pipped, leading Rikku further into the steam.
Al Bhed food is fried. Al Bhed food is grilled. Al Bhed food is always cooked in some way. Thus it was extremely hot in the kitchen, and Rikku could feel the strands from her ponytail slowly loosening and freeing themselves to spring in random directions.
The first one they met was Zynat, the busboy who spent most of his time doing nothing. He looked young… around 16, but Mehty told her that he was actually 21. Mehty giggled as she relayed how everyone at the restaurant liked to call him "Badan Byh" (Peter Pan) because of it. He was the one that liked to pull pranks and laze around… and he knew Spiran the best out of anyone working at the restaurant. "Famm, aglabd vun oui huf… yht uin rayt lrav. Ra cbaygc banvald Spiran duu!" (Well, except for you now… and our head chef. He speaks perfect Spiran too!) Mehty swooned a little on that last part, earning a raised eyebrow from Rikku. Zynat raised a lazy hand to salute Rikku, brushing his short blonde hair. "Hela du saad oy, lidea!" (Nice to meet you, cutie!) Mehty giggled again at his words… this girl was beginning to annoy Rikku slightly.
As they came to the actual kitchen, Rikku heard a familiar voice: "Cu Noyh, oui cyet dra haf kenm ec y ruddo? Cunno, pid E'mm ryja du caa ed du pameaja ed... E lyh'd dnicd ouin zitksahd yvdan dryd mycd kenmvneaht..." (So Noyh, you said the new girl is a hotty? Sorry, but I'll have to see it to believe it... I can't trust your judgment after that last girlfriend...) Rikku froze. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to be mopping up again. The voice continued in that same haughty tone, "Rao, tuh'd xiacdeuh SO zitksahd! E'ja kuddah ahuikr uv dryd mydamo... ur, yht Ros cyoc re... yht Sarah. E sayh, yd maycd E's rana, nekrd? E ymsucd teth'd lusa... duu silr byban fung yd dra Machine Faction." (Hey, don't question MY judgment! I've gotten enough of that lately... oh, and Ros says hi... and Sarah. I mean, at least I'm here, right? I almost didn't come... too much paper work at the Machine Faction.)
Rikku clutched Mehty's arm, squeezing it with more force than Mehty had ever felt in her life. "Mad'c ku… drao'na bnupypmo naymmo pico nekrd huf! Tuh'd fyhd du tecdinp dras nekrd? HAHA…" (Let's go… they're probably really busy right now! Don't want to disturb them, right? HAHA…) Mehty removed Rikku's clutched fist from her arm with difficulty, looking alarmed. "Rikku, fryd yna oui dymeghk ypuid? Lusa uh!" (Rikku, what are you talking about? Come on!) With that, there was no turning back.
Rikku tried to look away as the steam cleared and she was thrust into the clear view of the four cooks. Of course, there was only one that she was worried about.
"… Cid'c kenm?" (Cid's girl?) Gippal breathed in disbelief.
They both stood, petrified and staring at each other, as everything exploded around them. "Cid'c kenm? Yc eh, DRA Cid?!" (Cid's girl? As in, THE Cid?) "Hu!! Oui'na gettehk?! Rikku'c dra Bnehlacc uv dra Al Bhed?!" (No!! You're kidding?! Rikku's the Princess of the Al Bhed?!) " DRA BNEHLACC EC Y FYEDNACC YD KYUUT AYDC?!" (THE PRINCESS IS A WAITRESS AT KYUUT AYDC?!) "Bnyeca Bikanal, E duilrat dra Bnehlacc uv dra Al Bhed!!" (Praise Bikanal, I touched the Princess of the Al Bhed!!) The words flew around them both as everyone in the kitchen was drawn into a frenzy.
Rikku didn't feel like a celebrity, and no one ever treated her that way, except maybe when she was younger on Bikanal Island, but the employees of KYUUT AYDC weren't lieing, either. Cid had been the founder and leader of the Bikanal cluster, bringing Al Bhed everywhere together. Bikanal, though a desolate place, was somewhere the Al Bhed could go without being discriminated against, and without feeling out of place. For that, they respected Cid more than any Spiran to the highest of the church of Yevon. As his daughter, Rikku was given the respect of a princess. They had never lived in luxury, and to this day they struggle to make ends meet, but it was the respect awarded to her that made Rikku different from the other Al Bhed girls. She had loved it as a child, but now she found it awkward and embarrassing—Rikku hadn't done anything to deserve respect yet, and she wanted to earn it on her own, just like Gippal, the Prince of the Al Bhed, did.
Gippal was nothing special on Bikanal until he left… Rikku never knew where he went. All she knew was that two years later, she heard back that he was in Djose making a name for himself and for the Al Bhed, and one year later… she intended to follow him. How was she to know she would actually find him so quickly? And how often?
He was still looking at her like a deer caught in the headlights—a deer in a "GECC DRA LRAV" (KISS THE CHEF) apron, anyway. He even wore the stereotypical chef's hat, as only bits of hair at his forehead and nape showed. He had a spatula in one hand and a pan in the other… whatever was in the pan was boiling and overflowing. No one else seemed to notice, running around screaming about how they were in the presence of both royalty and riches. Rikku pointed slowly, and Gippal followed her gaze.
"It's… overflowing."
Gippal didn't seem to comprehend what she said for a moment, before realizing suddenly and swinging it over the sink, returning back to his work muttering, "Vilg vilg VILG!"
Mehty returned to Rikku's side, eyes giant saucers on her head as she spoke with new reverie. "Famm, is, ir, dryd'c Gippal, pid oui bnupypmo ymnayto ghaf dryd, yht, ir, dryd'c Dnuo ujan drana fedr piww lid... ra'c so umtan pnudran. Yht, is, mad'c caa... dryd'c Zurhho fedr dra muhk, crykko ryen, yht, ur! Dryd'c Noyh!" (Well, um, uh, that's Gippal, but you probably already knew that, and, uh, that's Dnuo over there with buzz cut... he's my older brother. And, um, let's see... that's Zurhho with the long, shaggy hair, and, oh! That's Noyh!) Rikku wasn't really paying attention, but Noyh certainly was. All of a sudden he was at Rikku's side, and, taking her hand in his, he bowed down and kissed her fingers. "So bnehlacc," (My princess), he whispered, looking back up at her.
Rikku's head was throbbing. Between the heat, "princess"-calling, Gippal in an apron, and now this, she just couldn't take it. And she didn't.
Rikku awoke eight seconds later in the arms of a handsome Al Bhed man, looking down at her with concern. "E's cu cunno, E fyc uhmo zugehk!" (I'm so sorry, I was only joking!) he was saying, slowly coming into focus. His hair, staring from his center part, came down and framed his face like a roof. It was a paler blonde than that of most Al Bhed, but his eyes were even darker, forest green to compensate. His hair was longer in the back near his nape, and a small, single braid fell down his neck before tapering off. His skin was not as tan as other Al Bheds, but he looked healthy and strong even so. He must be Noyh.
"E-e's cunno… E drehg ed fyc zicd dra rayd. Ack! Drec ec cu aspynnyccehk! E's cu cunno, ajanouha!" (I-I'm sorry… I think it was just the heat. Ack! This is so embarrassing! I'm so sorry, everyone!) Rikku apologized as she picked herself up with Noyh's help. She noticed Gippal hovering just over his shoulder, trying to look like he didn't care.
'Figures'
Rikku giggled and fluttered her eyes at Noyh, hoping to catch Gippal's attention. It had the opposite effect, however, as he turned his back completely to her. 'Fine… be that way!' Rikku said in her head, mentally sticking her tongue out. She turned her interest towards Noyh.
"Cu e'ja hajan caah oui pavuna… oui hajan mejat uh Bikanal, tet oui?" (So I've never seen you before… you never lived on Bikanal, did you?)
"Hu… E knaf ib dnyjamehk ynuiht… sucdmo ynuit dra Moonflow yht dra Thunder Plains, yldiymmo." (No… I grew up traveling around… mostly around the Mooflow and the Thunder Plains, actually)
The color drained from Rikku's face and she felt as if she would faint again. Noyh jumped towards her, placing his hands around her back to keep her from falling. "Cunno!!!" he was saying again.
"Hu… E's ug… cunno… E zicd-" (No… I'm ok… I just-)
"Cra zicd rydac drihtan, ug? Huf fa'ja kuddy gaab ib uh draca untanc." (She just hates thunder, ok? Now we've gotta keep up on these orders) Gippal interjected, hoping to grab Noyh back. With one final look at 'rec bnehlacc', Noyh turned back to the counter and Mahty lead Rikku back to the customers.
Hyemy and Mahty were just finishing cleaning up, Dnuo and Zurhho were wiping down the kitchen, Zynat had long since escaped, and Rikku didn't much care where Noyh or Gippal were. Nana stood with Rikku by the entrance, giving her the last of the information she had to digest.
"Cu vun huf oui'mm zicd fung Cihtyoc, yd maycd ihdem oui vekina uid ouin Blitzball clratima. Fa'mm caht oui ouin byolralg ajano suhdr yht... E drehg dryd'c naymmo ypuid ed. Ed'c hela du saad oui…" (So for now you'll just work Sundays, at least until you figure out your [Blitzball schedule. We'll send you your paycheck every month and... I think that's really about it. It's nice to meet you…) She leaned a little closer so the others wouldn't hear, "Oui caah silr suna ehdanacdehk dryh druca yenraytc, hu uvvahca..." (You seen much more interesting than those airheads, no offense...) Rikku giggled and nodded emphatically.
"Poa! Caa oui dusunnuf!" (Bye! See you tomorrow!) The boys called from the kitchen, filing out the back way. It was several seconds before Noyh dashed back into the restaurant to add "Kuutpoa so bnehlacc!" (Goodbye my princess!) Dnuo and Zurhho dragged him back outside, laughing.
Rikku was glad that Mahty and Hyemy were turning off all the lights, because she didn't want her new coworkers to see her bright red. They all said their goodbyes until Hyemy promised to wait outside with Rikku until her father came to pick her up… 'that was really nice of her,' Rikku couldn't help but think, until Hyemy started talking about how "E's yldiymmo kuehk du saad Cid!" (I'm actually going to meet Cid!)… that kind of spoiled it for Rikku.
But Hyemy was getting kind of impatient… Rikku had called her father on the commsphere what Hyemy guessed as multiples of hundreds of times. Rikku tried to keep her nice demeanor on the outside, but was finding it hard to maintain.
Throwing her commsphere down with an exasperated sigh, Rikku noticed how dark it was already… and how there was no one else in this sector of Luca. This was the Al Bhed, ghetto part of town, and the Al Bhed were very family oriented. Thus most went directly home after work or school… but that meant the ones that walked around at night were usually up to no good. Rikku shuddered. She knew there was really no reason to be scared, as she was Al Bhed herself, and the Al Bhed were really a wholesome people… she almost felt angry at herself that she was thinking about her own people in terms of the stereotype… but still… she blamed the dark.
A large hand grabbed her by the shoulder, turning her around.
She screamed.
"Ah! Damnit Rikku, my ears!! Was that really necessary?!"
"Oops… sorry Gippal, I thought-"
He smirked. "I didn't know you were still afraid of the dark. You sure are Cid's little girl…"
Hyemy was lost, unsure of what was happening. "Gippal, fryd yna oui tuehk rana?" (Gippal, what are you doing here?)
He turned to her and laughed, his hand flying to the back of his neck and that characteristic glint in his eye. Rikku knew what was happening in a heartbeat—she had memorized that stance, that expression. He was flirting with Hyemy.
"Zicd sygehk cina oui fana ug, pypa." (Just making sure you were ok, babe) Rikku rolled her eyes, speaking deliberately in Spiran. "If you wanna flirt so badly, Gippal, at least wait until I leave. I'm not sure if my virgin ears can handle it." Gippal turned the direction of his advance towards Rikku. "Oh come on… I don't believe that, Rikku. At least be grown up when it comes to yourself!"
Rikku was lost. "What in Spira are you talking about, Gippal?!" He was close enough for Rikku to see his change of expression, now; he still looked like he was flirting to the untrained eye, but deep within that single swirling green orb Rikku could see anger brewing. "What was that back there?! With Noyh?! You were enjoying it, weren't you?" Rikku blinked at him a couple times before she remembered. "Oh… that? That's all? You're mad about THAT?!"
"I have a right to be mad when you do things like that just to get to me!"
She scoffed, "You?! Since when is any of this about you, Gippal?! And why is so wrong for another guy to like me, Gippal, when you have Rosalyn or Sarah or whoever every other day?! You're not even my boyfriend!"
Gippal looked taken aback before his expression darkened again and he turned away. "You're right… I'm NOT your boyfriend…" He walked back towards Hyemy, who was looking very awkward, and swept her off her feet… literally.
"Ah! Gippal, bid sa tufh!" (Ah! Gippal, put me down!)
"Tuh'd mad Rikku syga oui fyed yho muhkan... E'mm pypoced ran. E'mm lydlr ib fedr oui mydan, pypa" (Don't let Rikku make you wait any longer... I'll babysit her. I'll catch up with you later, babe) Gippal purred as he held her bridal-style in his arms. She was laughing and pushing away from him. "Oh, Gippal… oui hajan fana y Prince Charming, E kiacc..." (Oh, Gippal… you never were a Prince Charming, I guess…) the 'Prince Charming' came out with a heavy Al Bhed accent. She dropped down from Gippal's arms and gathered her things. "E'mm caa oui mydan Rikku!" (I'll see you later Rikku!) she waved.
Gippal didn't look at her, only sitting down on the bench outside of KUUT AYDC. Rikku followed, sitting as far away as possible while remaining on the same bench.
Awkward silence.
"Cu… oui'na cina oui lymmat Cid?" (So… you're sure you called Cid?)
Rikku grimaced and responded in Spiran… she liked it too much when Gippal spoke in Al Bhed. "Yea… a bajillion times… he never keeps it on! I swear!" Gippal chuckled.
Awkward silence.
"So, uh," Rikku spoke uncertainly, "why do you work here? I mean… I'm pretty sure you don't need the money, and…"
"I… you have to promise not to tell anyone, but," he sighed and drew himself, "I… I really like cooking."
Rikku froze for a moment before a fountain of laughter spewed out of her mouth. Gippal looked alarmed at first, not sure if she was dieing or what, before laughing a little himself at her reaction. "Hey… it's not THAT weird, is it?!"
"I just… never… expected…" she tried to articulate her words through her laughter. Gippal smiled at her before turning completely serious again.
"You can't tell anyone… it would ruin my image. I want to be 'Hottest Bachelor', not 'Most Eligible Bachelor'."
Rikku giggled. "Your secret's safe with me, but I didn't think 'Most Eligible' was a bad thing…"
"I don't want girls looking for commitment, because they're not gonna find it. That's all…"
As they settled back into an awkward silence, Rikku pondered his last statement. 'Sounds like Gippal all right,' she mentally sighed, 'why does he have such weird commitment issues?! I guess we really are total opposites… but… I feel so sad for Gippal, because with the life he's living…'
"…You'll always be alone." Rikku whimpered out loud, not even realizing.
"Huh?" Gippal turned to her.
Too late, Rikku realized her mistake, "Umm… ah… well… if you go on with all these one-night-stands, you'll end up alone, Gippal, and… I don't know…"
He looked blankly down at the concrete. "It's not really important, Rikku. I have fun, and it's better that way. Besides, I have a lot of work-"
"It does matter!" Rikku turned suddenly to Gippal, catching him off guard. She was scooting closer to him, her eyes glassy, and Gippal wasn't sure if he could handle it as she spoke again, "I just feel so sad when I think about it! You have to take care of yourself. I know on the surface it's 'fun' or whatever, but deep down, it's hardly fulfilling! It just hurts really bad when you think about being alone forever, and I know you say you're fine with it, but in your heart…"
Rikku stopped, noticing how close they were. Gippal's arm was draped around the back of the bench, and their knees were touching. If she would reach out another few inches, she would be kissing him. His cloudy eye looked into hers, searching as to why she stopped, and Rikku could feel the tears still pricking against her own eyes.
"…Why do you care so much?" Gippal breathed. It was a question he was asking with his eye, with his heart, with his whole body. Rikku breathed that moment in before speaking.
"Because… because you're my friend."
All of a sudden, Gippal's defenses came crashing back again as Rikku had to jump to get out of their way.
"Right, well thanks for the advice, Cid's girl, I'll stick to my nights. Speaking of which, where is that old man?"
At this point, all Rikku wanted was to go home and burry herself in her covers, and her damn father wouldn't even pick up the commsphere. "Brother said he'd pick me up ages ago, and Cid still wont answer my calls!" she lamented.
Gippal let out a "hm" and fidgeted with the keys to his airship. "I can just take you home."
Every cell in Rikku's body screamed out "NO", and for several reasons:
1. That would be a victory for Gippal, and thus a lose for Rikku, and loss was not an option.
2. Gippal drove EXTREMELY fast, and Rikku feared for her life when she rode with him.
3. If Gippal drove her home, he would see the crappy apartment in which she lived, which would make him pity her. PITY WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
4. He probably had some mysterious lady waiting for him at his place.
5. She wanted to yell at Cid for not picking up in front of an audience.
6. Every ride Rikku had taken in Gippal's airship had ended with an ALMOST kiss. And finally, but not most importantly, Rikku assured herself…
7. If Rikku had to spend any more time sitting beside Gippal, hearing his chuckle, catching his glances, and knowing that he was sad and lonely underneath it all without being able to do anything about it…
She settled on just saying "Noooooooo!"
"Yeesh, I didn't know you had such an issue with Zaymuic…" he rubbed his neck, a little offended.
AWKWARDEST. SILENCE. OF THEM ALL.
"You really don't have to wait here with me, ya know," Rikku was beginning to figure that she would have to find some way home herself. At this point, she didn't care—she'd do anything to be AWAY from Gippal.
"No way. I'm not going to leave you here by yourself. I still of some scrap of a gentleman in me."
"Well, you've done it once before," she grumbled.
"What was that?"
"I SAID that you probably have some girl waiting for you anyways, so you should go."
Gippal was much firmer about this than Rikku expected. "No. I'm staying here with you. The end."
"Uuuuugh, you're worse than Cid! Look, I'm total fine with staying here on my own, in fact, I think I hear Daddy calling me right now. WHAT'S THAT DADDY?! YOU'RE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER?! That's what I thought."
Gippal just looked at her, eyebrows raised, before heavily sighing and lifting himself off the bench. He wasn't going to get her to change her mind, and if they kept on like this, they were bound to be sitting there through the night. He stopped in front of Rikku and chucked, messing up her hair with his fingers (to her protests, of course). "See you tomorrow, squirt. And I better see you get at least around that corner before I take off."
Rikku just "humph"-ed, on second thought turning and yelling, "AND DON'T 'SQUIRT' ME!" at the man's back as she stepped around the corner. Gippal just smirked and held up his hand in a goodbye, not even turning around. Taking off in his airship, he could see her ducking down, hoping that he wouldn't see her. That made him laugh, too. 'That girl…' he mused, almost sadly as he accelerated his ship from 1 to 120 in ten seconds.
Rikku breathed a sigh of jubilant relief once he was gone. Tired and grumpy, she wandered back to the bench, figuring she would probably sleep on it that night. Until the sidewalk light went out. 'Of course it would.'
"Graaaaaaaaaaah!!" she roared at no one in particular. Realizing that someone might roar back, she let out a nervous laugh before dashing to the restaurant door and pounding on it. It was locked, and the occupants long gone, she knew, but logic? HA. She had just had a thiry minute conversation (if you could call it that) with Gippal! Logic could go screw a sand worm! Just Friday, Gippal had been her mortal enemy, and one she had resolved to never think of in a romantic light again. Yet in the last 36 hours, he had managed to make her lose her yogurt and cross half a city at seven in the morning in only her PJ's, force a shower on her, enlist her to play professional Blitzball, get her to work for 12 gil an hour, and cause her to turn red through all of this.
"DAMN YOU, YEVON!!!! I ALWAYS KNEW YOU DIDN'T EXIST!!!!"
And the heavens responded.
…
With a crash of thunder.
The color drained from Rikku's face as she frantically scratched at the door. Remembering who she was, she picked the lock with her nail (she was a thief, after all, and Cid's daughter at that). With another flash of lightning, Rikku was inside and dashing for the kitchen.
Curled up beneath the stove and shaking, Rikku could just hear what Gippal would say if he found her. 'He'd say I really was a rat,' she grimaced, hugging her arms closer.
But he would not get the better of her—not today, not ever. He was big and strong and his sarcastic wit was almost too much for Rikku to bear, but in the end, he was less happy than she.
Well, Rikku didn't know about that last part. She sighed and turned on her other side. All she knew was this: Rikku was done being "Cid's girl"… done being afraid of thunder.
a/n: Zaymuic is his airship, if you remembered from before. See if you can figure out what it means (like it's that hard... oh well... I'm not crafty enough for this stuff)! Give me all your criticism! IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: Yuna POV again! Paine, Lulu, Wakka, and Baralai get more airtime, Yuna has a secret admirer (eyebrows up and down), Rikku/Gippal warfare continues, and the fight for Tidus' heart becomes even more high-stakes! DON'T MISS IT! If it's not up within a week, I give you permission to... shoot me.
Peacelate! (oh, didn't I mention I'm soopa gangstaaa? what? you say I'm not? shifty eeeeyes...)
--bucky