4: Rikkma's Arrival
When Rikku emerged from the confines of the palace, the first sight that greeted her was Braska and Jecht arguing. Though Braska was simply standing with his hands folded together, whatever he was saying was having an adverse effect on Jecht, who paced around the Summoner, occasionally punctuating the movement with sweeping gestures. Quickening her pace, Rikku hurried after Auron to greet the other two men.
"Hey, what's going on?" she asked as both Braska and Jecht turned and noticed their arrival.
"Oh, there you are. I was starting to wonder if Auron was losing his touch," Braska said with a small smile.
"I wasn't the cause of the delay," Auron replied. He didn't turn to face Rikku, so the effect of her pout as she stuck her tongue out was lost on him. It wasn't on the other two, however, and Braska hid his smile while Jecht grinned openly. Auron bristled but didn't take the bait. Instead, he nodded at Braska. "We should move. It isn't wise to remain here considering our present company."
"Hey!" Rikku and Jecht cried out at the same time, drawing more than a few stares from the people passing by.
"I see what you mean," Braska said to Auron with a slight nod. "Please, allow me to take you to my apartment so you two can get cleaned up." He eyed Rikku's shoulder and frowned. "And healed," he added.
"Oh, this is fine," Rikku said, wincing as she brushed at her shoulder, which was still slowly oozing blood. "I've had worse!"
"Fine for you, maybe," Jecht said, throwing his hands over his head as they strolled down the street. "The rest of us have to look at you bleedin' all over yourself! You should let Auron walk behind you, seems like the type of thing he'd enjoy seein'."
Rikku clenched her teeth and balled her fists up. "I'll bet he would," she mumbled under her breath. Noticing Braska's curious stare, she widened the grimace into a bright smile and turned to face him. "Oh, umm… thanks for getting me out of there, by the way!"
"No gratitude is necessary, miss…" Braska reassured her, pausing to direct them down a smaller alleyway. "... aah. I think you have me at a slight disadvantage here," he noted, giving Rikku a curious smile. "Might I have the pleasure of your name?"
A slightly vindictive grin crossed her face. "Oh, well, since Auron knows my name already maybe he should tell you." Hah, stick that in your pipe and smoke it! she thought triumphantly.
The Guardian in question narrowed his eyes. "Your injury doesn't seem to have wounded your tongue. Tell him yourself." He ignored the thoughtful look that Braska gave him and directed his attention towards the street.
Parried and avoided, Rikku noted with an annoyed sulk. Still, Braska looked at him funny. I think that counts as a score for me. Rikku one, Auron zippo! She hid her smirk as she noticed Braska now staring at her oddly.
"Miss?" he asked again.
"Huh? OH!" Rikku flushed.
"Definitely a natural blonde," she heard Jecht mumble and scowled darkly when Auron chuckled in response.
"Hey, no double teaming!" Rikku yelled at the Blitzball player.
Jecht only rolled his eyes and twirled a finger by his temple in response. "You ain't allowed to talk to me when you're havin' one of your crazy attacks," he replied. "Or don't tell me you forgot your own name now, too."
Rikku fumed and stalked away from Jecht with an exaggerated stomp, garnering a few more snickers from her companions. "Ooh! Boys can be so dumb," she growled. "For your information, I remember my own name perfectly well! It's Ri- Ri-" She trailed off and swallowed. What do I tell them? What do I do? What if this isn't just some kind of dream but the real past? Will Auron recognize me? No, wait, of course he wouldn't! But… oh my gosh, what if Braska recognizes me? Does he even know about me? Ooh… what to say, what to say!
The silence stretched out uncomfortably, and Rikku noticed Braska was giving her a polite, if a bit strained smile while Jecht was rolling his eyes again and shaking his head. Auron was directing yet another suspicious look towards her; the frequency with which he threw them in her direction was tempting her to give it a name. The Rikku Look, she thought. Yeah, that sounds pretty good. Except that I can't tell him it's called that!
"Ri-ri …?" Braska prompted, interrupting Rikku's brief flight of panic. "That's… a curious name for an Al Bhed."
"Rikkma! My name's Rikkma!" Rikku blurted out. Then she winced. Geez, that's an awful name. I hope uncle Braska doesn't speak too much Al Bhed…
Unfortunately for her, Braska seemed to be well-educated. His steps slowed and he blinked at Rikku; even worse than that, he was in a sharing mood. "While I know that there is something usually lost in translation... your father named you Huggle?" he repeated in disbelief. That stopped everyone else, who also turned to stare.
Rikku's blush grew so large that it crept down from her face and over her neck. She was actually beginning to wish she was wearing more clothing; all cultural pride aside, there was something to be said for not looking like a roasted wendigo in public. "I was a really cute little kid, alright!" Well, that much was true. Silently, she was contemplating whether or not it would be possible to drop-kick her own brain. Definitely not one of my better ideas here, she moaned to herself as the others continued to snigger at her.
"Well no wonder you were tryin' to keep it quiet," Jecht told her with a smirk. "No worries, Hugglebunny, we won't let you forget it again!"
Rikku sputtered and glared daggers at Jecht. "That's Rikkma to you!"
Braska, who somehow managed to recover with dignity, gave Rikku an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking," he said mildly. "Would you prefer to be called something else, Rikkma?"
Yes, please! "No, Rikkma's fine," Rikku managed to say through clenched teeth as her tattered pride died a silent and yet very dramatic death.
"Aw, you sure I can't call you Huggle?" Jecht asked her playfully.
"Really, no," Rikku hissed.
"How 'bout Huggle-Snuggle?"
"NO," Rikku repeated.
"Huggie-Wuggie?" Jecht tried again.
Rikku leapt for his face and he dodged away, laughing at her. Damn those Blitzball reflexes! "You're so dead when I get my hands on you!" she yelled furiously, diving for him again as Braska hastily stepped out of the way.
"Enough!" Auron suddenly said, bringing the trio's antics to an abrupt halt. "This is neither the time nor the place for such childish behavior," he ground out, giving his Rikku Look to all three of them. "Will you please try to control yourself?" he asked Jecht sourly. "And you, let him go," he added in a warning tone to Rikku.
Reluctantly, Rikku released the headlock she had managed to wrest Jecht into and shuffled the toe of her boot into the dirt. "Spoilsport," she muttered under her breath, and Jecht grunted in agreement.
"Did you say something?" Auron's glare intensified.
Rikku Look Mark II, she noted to herself, for personal use only! That so far only she had managed to provoke it gave her a mild sense of accomplishment, and she had to struggle to hide her giggle. "No, sir!" Rikku replied sweetly, doing her best to look innocent.
Auron eyed her before turning back down the road. "Fine. Can we continue our journey now, Huggie?" he added smoothly.
Rikku's mouth dropped open; though she could only see the back of his head, she was sure there was a satisfied smirk plastered across his face. Why that little sneak! she fumed.
"Hah!" Braska said, shaking his head in amusement as he followed after Auron. "Congratulations, Rikkma. I think that's the first time I've heard Auron make a joke."
"Oh?" Rikku repeated nonchalantly, her annoyance deflating as quickly as it had come.
Hmm… Rikku one, Auron one. I really should be minding this a little bit more, she thought as a silly grin stole across her face. The dominant half of her mind was deciding to ignore her reason in favor of flooding her with tingles of happiness for making Auron smile.
" 'ey," Jecht said, cuffing Rikku over her uninjured shoulder and knocking her out of her stupor. "Are you moonin' over a stiff like that?" He gestured at Auron's back as he spoke. "Man, you are a loony." He grinned, noticing her sudden blush.
Rikku sighed and trailed after Jecht reluctantly. "I know," she mumbled.
The remaining few blocks to Braska's residence passed without incident; this was mostly because Rikku was too preoccupied to pay very much attention to her companions. The further they travelled down the small alley, the shoddier the buildings became; the one they finally stopped before was tall and plain, crumbling from lack of repair and very obviously belonging to one of the lower circles of Bevelle's social rings. The entire district, in fact, appeared less than wealthy; just another one of Yevon's dirty little secrets carefully hidden from the public eye by the city's glorious exterior.
It surprised and dismayed her; for some reason Rikku had always imagined that her uncle was well-off and respected even before he began his Pilgrimage. Yuna had never mentioned anything to her about it while they were growing up; then again, in a small village like Besaid the dividing lines of wealth and power were practically non-existent. She let her eyes travel over the dilapidated building and managed to hold back her disappointed sigh.
"What a dump," she heard Jecht echo behind her much less tactfully, earning him an angry glare from Auron.
"I know it's not much," Braska began with a touch of embarrassment, "but it does have all the comforts of home."
Jecht rubbed the back of his head uneasily and fumbled for a way to draw his foot out of his mouth. "Oh, uh… well, it's a nice dump," he tried. Rikku scowled and smacked him on the arm and he fell silent.
"What he meant is thanks for taking us in," Rikku clarified, smiling brightly at Braska. "It sure beats the heck out of the inside of a prison cell!"
"I live here with my daughter Yuna," Braska explained as he let them into the hallway and moved towards a flight of dingy stairs. "She's only seven years old, but I assure you she's very well-behaved."
"A daughter, huh?" Jecht repeated. "Can't wait to meet her!" He smiled eagerly, following Braska.
Rikku ducked her head and held back behind them, worrying her lower lip. Yunie's still here! I forgot about that… ooh …
"Changed your mind?"
Rikku spun around and saw Auron waiting for her to climb the steps, his arms folded.
"Huh?" she asked him.
"If you wish to leave now, I won't stop you," he said levelly.
Rikku frowned at Auron and matched his pose, tapping her foot. "You really think I'd just cut out the first chance I got?" she said incredulously. "For your information, I could've left you guys anytime I wanted to! You're just trying to pick a fight with me now, aren't you?"
Auron tipped his head and watched her solemnly. He didn't look upset - at least, not any more than he usually did. Rikku dropped her arms and shifted her weight, waiting for him to speak.
"Unlike Jecht, you seem to know what becoming a Guardian entails." His stare unnerved her and Rikku dropped her eyes to the ground. "No one would think less of you if you decided to leave right now."
Rikku rocked on her feet slowly, an unconscious habit she had picked up whenever she was lost in thought. He's… giving me a chance to cut my losses and run, she thought to herself. Almost like the Auron I know. I should probably go before I mess things up… taking his advice would be the smart thing to do. But he's being so nice!
"Come on, if we hang around here too long they're gonna wonder what happened to us," Rikku finally said, looking up at him with a grin. Then she turned and sprinted up the stairs, too nervous to see his reaction. If he was disappointed with her decision, she knew it would shake her confidence. She was more scared about how she would feel if he wasn't, though.
Rikku arrived at the top of the steps in time to see a tiny girl with an unruly mop of brown hair come barrelling out of the apartment and into Braska's outstretched arms. He laughed loudly and scooped the girl up, spinning her around before settling her against his chest.
"Yunie," Rikku whispered to herself as she caught sight of the girl's mismatched eyes. Then she stepped behind Jecht's bulk and tried to make herself unnoticeable.
"Ain't she a little angel!" Jecht said, and she heard Yuna giggle in response. "Her mother must be a real looker," he added, giving Braska an appreciative wink.
"Yes, she's my whole world now," Braska admitted fondly, planting a small kiss on his daughter's forehead. "Everything I do is for her." Noticing Jecht's sudden change of expression, he laughed and shook his head at the corpulent, elderly woman who had also emerged from the apartment. "Oh, this is Beatrix, a friend. She looks after Yuna when I'm not home," Braska said. "My wife… can't be here right now," he finished with a pained expression. Shaking his head, he gave a thankful smile to the woman as she left down the stairs. "Please, come inside and make yourselves at home."
Jecht followed Braska through the doorway eagerly but Rikku hesitated outside, wavering. She made up her mind and stepped through, however, when she felt Auron's presence behind her. I'll make it through this. Just act cool, "Rikkma!"
"Father, who's that?" Yuna's quiet voice made Rikku jump and emit a little squeak of surprise. As she feared, Yuna's eyes were trained on her in rapt fascination. "She looks like mommy!"
"That's because Rikkma is also Al Bhed, just like your mother," Braska said gently, giving Rikku an amused smile.
"Her eyes are green!" Yuna said again, a sunny grin breaking over her face as she pointed at Rikku. "Just like mine!" The little girl was obviously very excited; Rikku couldn't blame her, though. It wasn't often that Al Bhed were spotted anywhere near Bevelle, not unless they were criminals awaiting punishment. Still, she breathed a tiny sigh of relief when Yuna's curious gaze shifted over towards Jecht. "Who's that?" the little girl asked, looking over the large man.
"I'm Jecht, star blitzer of the Zanarkand Abes!" he said proudly, giving Yuna a broad smile. The smile dropped as Yuna ignored him and broke out into a delighted squeal.
"Auron!" she shouted as the object of her attention entered the room. She rushed towards him and threw her arms around his leg tightly. Rikku had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud as Auron glanced down and furrowed his brow.
"Yuna," he said, giving the girl an awkward pat on the head. "I need that leg."
"Sorry," she mumbled, releasing him reluctantly and stepping back to give him a formal bow before returning to her father's arms.
"You got a real way with women, Auron," Jecht observed, earning him a glare from both his subject and Rikku. "Quite a place you got yourself here, Braska," Jecht added with a grin.
"It's not much, but I call it home," Braska said, pulling a giggling Yuna onto his knee and bouncing her playfully.
Rikku let her eyes travel over the sparsely decorated room; though small, it was very clean and neat, a sharp contrast to the building's shoddy exterior. What made the place more comfortable than anything, however, was the sight of Braska and Yuna sitting together at the small table, smiling at each other and talking quietly. They created a small circle of domestic comfort that blanketed the entire room more completely than any décor could; even Auron seemed to relax in their presence, his scowl smoothing out into a comfortable half-smile.
They're happy together here, that's why it feels like home, Rikku realized with a slight twinge of nostalgia. Making a home for yourself doesn't have anything to do with money or power. It's just the place where you feel like you belong. She closed her eyes and unobtrusively slipped herself into a far corner of the room; it's just because I don't want Yunie to see that much of me, she told herself. The truth was that she couldn't watch them anymore, though; father and daughter, sitting together and smiling, both unaware of the future that would tear them apart. You could almost forget about Sin when you see them like that. Almost … but uncle Braska never forgot about Sin.
"We'll be starting the Pilgrimage tomorrow morning," she heard Braska say. "The temple will be open for Summoner parties, and it'd be good to get an early start."
"There is a problem," Auron said quietly, catching everyone's attention. He pulled the rolled parchment out from his coat and threw towards Braska, who snatched it out of the air. "Kinoc's given us two days to leave after we complete the Trials." His shifted his gaze to Rikku and she stared at the ground guiltily.
"Two days?" Braska said faintly, carefully setting the parchment aside without opening it. His eyes were fixed on Yuna, who was playing with the flaps on his robe, oblivious to his concern. "That little?" The sad lilt to his voice made his daughter lift her head and look at him with worry.
"Father?" she asked in a tiny voice.
He bent over and rested his forehead on top of hers, closing his eyes. Then he straightened and gave Yuna a sad smile. "Two days, then," he said firmly, and her eyes widened.
"No," she protested, and Rikku wondered at how old she sounded; she was only seven, but Sin didn't make exceptions for children in Spira. "No! You promised a week!" she said more loudly, tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Yuna," Braska said, gently extracting her hands from his chest, which had bunched into tiny fists against the front of his robe. "It's Yevon's will."
"Hmm," Auron grunted, the scorn evident in his voice.
"Hey hey hey," Jecht interrupted, standing up and cracking his neck. "What's with the long faces? Listen up, kid," he said, approaching Braska and kneeling down, staring a surprised Yuna in the eyes. "You know what I do whenever I need to turn a frown upside-down?"
"… no?" Yuna sniffled, swabbing at her eyes, tears momentarily forgotten by Jecht's insistent demand for her attention.
"Blitz!" he said with a grin. "Tell you what, find me a blitzball and I'll show you some of my secret moves," he promised with a wink. "You don't wanna miss it, 'cause I'm the best!"
"That's an excellent idea," Braska said, eyeing Jecht gratefully. "Why don't you go get the ball from your room?" he told Yuna, easing her off of his knee.
"But…" she mumbled uncertainly, looking between Braska and Jecht.
" 'ey! Didn't I tell you I'm the star player of the Zanarkand Abes?" Jecht boasted, thumbing his chest and puffing up with pride.
"Really?" Yuna repeated, her eyes starting to sparkle with eagerness. "They play Blitzball in Zanarkand?"
"All day and all night," Jecht reassured her. "You won't get a chance like this again, kid, so hurry up!"
"Okay!" Yuna yelled, his good cheer catching as she scrambled towards her room. She emerged a few moments later, blitzball in hand, and yelped as Jecht swept her into his arms and lumbered towards the door.
"I'll bring her back in one piece," Jecht told them as he flipped Yuna upside-down and held her by her legs, causing her to shriek in delight. Braska held the door open for them as they left the small apartment. "Here we go!" Rikku heard him yell theatrically from the hallway, punctuated by another one of Yuna's high laughs.
"My lord, are you sure you trust him?" Auron asked skeptically.
Braska shut the door with an amused expression, shaking his head. "Relax, Auron. He's a Guardian now."
"That's another problem," Rikku heard Auron mutter darkly under his breath.
"You need to learn to be more trusting," Braska scolded the other man. "He has a good heart. Even you must see the way he treated Yuna. Who would've guessed that someone like Jecht had a soft spot for children?"
Not me, Rikku thought to herself. Probably not Tidus, either. I wonder why he hated his dad so much? Maybe Jecht was just bad with his own kid. She blinked and looked up when she noticed Braska was standing before her, asking her a question.
"… Bikanel?" she heard him say.
"Huh?" she asked, blushing. "Sorry, come again?"
"He asked if you came from Bikanel Island," Auron called out, clearly irritated by her lack of attention.
"Hey! What do you know about that?" she said defensively, glaring at Auron. With Yuna gone from the apartment, he had retracted back into the stoic Yevonite shell she was growing increasingly familiar with, and it made her feel uncomfortable and protective of what little privacy her people had.
Auron shook his head with a disbelieving grunt and shrugged. "I know more of Braska's life than you can imagine," he said with contempt. "I can assure you that I have no interest in discussing the secrets of the Al Bhed with you or anyone else."
Rikku blushed and looked away; so Auron knows where we live already. Oh great… I feel like such an idiot now! Fortunately, Braska came to her rescue with a sympathetic nod.
"No, you are correct. I understand that it's quite a sensitive topic for you." He turned and gestured towards Auron. "Perhaps you could go check on Yuna for me after all?"
"But -" Auron said, pushing off from the wall in protest.
"Auron, please. We will be fine," Braska reassured him. Auron's frown deepened, but after a short pause he stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
"He really needs to work on controlling his temper," Braska observed. Rikku allowed him to lead her to the table and took the seat that he pulled out for her. He left to enter one of the back rooms and emerged shortly afterwards with a small box full of medical supplies.
"Let's have a look at that shoulder," he told her as he laid out some gauze and tape across the tabletop. Rikku leaned forward and swept her hair away from her back, wincing as she felt him clean off the caked blood that had dried there. "Ah, good," she heard him murmur as he worked. "It's not that bad after all. The potion they gave you must have already dissolved the bullet. The wound just needs to be sealed properly now. Do you mind if I...?"
"No, go ahead," Rikku said, shutting her eyes. She would never get used to the feeling of being the target of a cast spell; even when they were beneficial, they still brought up memories of Brother's little Thunder fiasco. She heard Braska murmur something under his breath, and the ticklish feeling of magic raced through her spine and settled over her wound, making it itch unbearably. After a moment, the sensation dissipated and she sat up, rolling her shoulder. "All better!" she cheered, turning to give Braska a relieved smile. "Thanks a bunch!"
He nodded at her while clearing off the table, and then hesitated with a guilty expression, box in hand. "I'm sorry about what I said, earlier. I shouldn't have brought up your Home in front of Auron."
"I'm the one who should apologize," Rikku assured him with a sheepish grin. "After all, you married an Al Bhed, so you're practically one of us now!" Then she bit off her smile and blushed deeply, recalling Auron's brief mention of Braska's exile. Oh… actually that doesn't happen until after you defeat Sin. Oopsie…
Braska cleared his throat and looked away, allowing her to recover from her slip gracefully. "That's very kind of you to say," he replied, though the pained expression on his face told her that he knew otherwise. "You know…" he continued absently, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "In many ways, you do remind me of my late wife. She also had a very optimistic outlook on life." Then he squinted at her more directly and his voice became thoughtful. "But it's more than that… in fact, it's uncanny. You do look very similar to -"
"Oh, heh heh!" Rikku yelped, startling Braska out of his scrutiny. "Well, you know us Al Bhed! We all look the same!" She fell quiet as a fierce, angry frown marred Braska's normally kind features; he looked more upset than when she had inadvertently insulted him just moments earlier.
"I do not want to hear such things again," he told her sternly. "If you don't have any confidence in yourself, then how can I expect you to be able to protect me as a Guardian?"
Rikku bit her lip and hunched over; even without a vast age difference and legendary reputation behind him, she still felt like a small child who was being scolded by her elders. "Geez, it was just a joke," she mumbled, picking at her fingernails.
Braska's hand thumped on the table loudly and made her jump. She looked up and saw that his eyes had grown icy and distant. "Your people are not a joke, Rikkma, no matter what Yevon or anyone else may say. You mustn't ever let anyone convince you of that." He leaned over and trapped her under a direct glare so intense that she forgot to fidget and froze in place. "Things in Spira will never change if you simply accept them."
Rikku blinked; he was so much like Yuna it hurt. She found herself feeling something for him despite the fact that she knew how his journey would end; he was filled with kindness and resolve, and hope enough to carry the burdens of the world on his narrow shoulders without breaking. But just like Yuna, he kept none for himself. "Then what about Summoners?" she blurted out. "You go on your Pilgrimage, you die, and then Sin comes back! Sin always comes back! How can you just accept that?"
Braska leaned back and closed his eyes, shaking his head. "There's always a chance things will be different this time."
"But what if they're not?" Rikku clenched her fists.
"Then at least I will have given Yuna a childhood of peace and happiness," he said firmly.
"By dying?" Rikku lashed out, feeling tears start to sting at her own eyes. "You really think that's what will make her happy?"
Braska stiffened, slamming the cover of the medical kit shut with a loud snap. "You, a stranger, would presume to question me?" he shot back. Then he relaxed, his shoulders drooping, and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that, Rikkma. But please… do not try to change my mind about this. I'm set on my course."
The false name brought Rikku back to her senses and she wiped at her eyes.
What am I thinking? If I stop him from going on his Pilgrimage, then Sin will never be defeated! The very thought, however, made her feel tainted; as though she was somehow sacrificing Braska and Yuna's happiness for her own future. For all of Spira, she reminded herself sternly. Still, it didn't change the fact that he was a sacrifice, a lamb they were all leading to slaughter on Yevon's altar. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.
Braska cleared his throat, then re-seated himself at the table. "I've seen your Home before, you know," he told her, as though testing the churning waters between them with his words. "Once, I went there as a missionary to spread the word of Yevon to your people. That's how I met Yuna's mother."
Rikku smiled despite herself; she was too young to have witnessed the huge fuss that Braska's arrival generated, but Keyakku had often regaled her and Brother with the stories about it, snatched whispers in the desert whenever they could find themselves away from Cid's watchful eyes. "Yeah, I heard about that," she mumbled.
"Ah, so you weren't there when it happened," Braska added with a short chuckle. "That was probably better for you… I think my presence there was fairly unsettling. Many people didn't appreciate my efforts to convert them." He tilted his head and rubbed his chin. "Tell me, though. How did you come to Bevelle in the first place? This isn't exactly the preferred destination of the Al Bhed."
"Actually my coming here was something like an accident," Rikku began. "I did used to live at Home, but that was before... I, uh, started wandering around Spira, looking for adventure." Close enough to the truth, she thought.
"Well you certainly found it," Braska told her. "I think it would be best if you stayed with our group until we were safely out of Bevelle. I don't mean to impose on you, however. I imagine you'll want to eventually return to Bikanel, and I'm afraid my own journey won't be passing that way."
"No, I'm exactly where I want to be!" Rikku said, thinking of the temples.
Noticing Braska's surprised observation of her outburst, she laughed brightly and waved her hand through the air. "I mean, I'm not trying to get back Home right now." Since I guess I'm already sort of there. I wonder what would happen if I met myself? I don't remember ever meeting me before… ugh, better not to find out. The universe might implode. She shook herself out of her daydream when she noticed Braska giving her a pitying look. "What?" she asked him in confusion.
"I see… so you must be an outcast, too," he said sympathetically, planting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Well, I know it must be hard for you, but you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you need," he told her.
Rikku managed to clamp her mouth shut and nod before the giggles escaped from her. Outcast? Hah, more like part of the reason you're exiled yourself! That sobered up her humor enough to give Braska a semi-serious nod. "Thanks," she told him again. He smiled in response and inclined his head before stepping away, leaving her alone with her thoughts at the table.
edited 7/16: minor plot revision in Braska's dialogue, changed the name of the maid