7: Machina Machinations
Rikku smirked, juggling her purchases in her hands. The argument with Auron had been fierce but in the end, she'd won; he was now sulking and trailing at the back of their little group. To be fair, she hadn't bought all that much; as he heatedly reminded her, she avoided any trouble that might have resulted by stealing from the vendors. It was also painfully clear that Braska had limited funds. Though Auron agreed to the necessity of arming their small party with the proper equipment, difficulties arose when she tried to convince him that her small selection of jewellery was meant for anything other than vanity.
Braska finally intervened when their argument grew loud enough to draw notice, paying the confused merchant for Rikku's selections before either could object. And to Rikku's great embarrassment, they'd cost more than expected. She was a thief, after all, and could more or less guess the state of gil in Braska's small pouch of money both before and after her purchases. The size of the purse dwindled significantly after they picked up a few recording spheres, and Rikku was seriously considering breaking her promise not to steal as the morning progressed.
She ran a finger over the smooth metal of the bracelet that jangled on her wrist; it was just large enough to work a few protective wards in with the proper equipment. Releasing the bracelet, she studied her next purchase - a heavy silver necklace chosen with Jecht in mind. As of yet it was little more than a chain and a silver disc; she knew that had she bought him a bracelet like her own, he would have deemed it much too girly to wear. Tidus had no trouble with necklaces, so she hoped his father wouldn't object too strongly.
"I'll just have to be careful when I carve it," she mumbled to herself, slipping the necklace into one of her pockets. For Braska, she picked out a plain circlet; it would be the hardest of the pieces to customize, but she was sure she could attach it to his helmet with a little work. The question was how to tactfully get her hands on said helmet without him noticing. As she tucked away her purchases, she looked over her shoulder at Auron. His head was down and he still looked extremely pissed off. He was the only person she hadn't been able to find something for. He'd already donned his usual armored bracer anyway, and Rikku wasn't certain she could actually convince him to wear anything, especially if it was coming as a gift from her.
I'll just have to steal his bracer one of these days and work with it. Oh boy, I bet that'll be loads of fun.
"Rikkma?" Braska shook her out of her thoughts. "You need to choose a robe."
Looking up, Rikku realized they'd stopped in front of a cloth merchant. Several fine robes were prominently displayed on hooks before the tent, and she frowned as she studied them. "Umm, Braska," she mumbled. It wasn't that she minded shopping for clothes; these robes, however, were richly brocaded and made of fine silks. They were both very beautiful and obviously expensive. "None of these look really…" She stopped herself from saying affordable just in time. "… comfortable, you know."
Braska read her easily enough. "Rikkma," he addressed her with a stern look. "You need to dress more appropriately for the temple. I already told you that I would be happy to pay for your robe. Will you not try at least one?"
The vendor inside of the tent capitalized on Braska's request, pulling down a deep blue robe and offering it to Rikku. "I assure you, you won't find robes more comfortable than these in the entire district!" he told her.
Rikku wrinkled her nose at the cloth that was pushed into her hands, not really wanting to try on any of sort of formal dress but unwilling to hurt her uncle's feelings with a direct refusal. "Well, actually…" she mumbled, kicking her feet into the ground.
"Please, Rikkma," Braska pressed.
Rikku considered the robe. It wasn't all that bad; of course, the garment was patterned in a traditional Bevelle cut, meaning she would have to 'tailor' it to suit her own needs as soon as they were out of town anyway. Still… it was a very pretty shade of blue…
"Blue was Raenn's favorite colour," she heard Auron mutter.
She stiffened and let the fabric fall from her fingers, pushing it back towards the merchant. Then she looked at Braska. He was staring at Auron, who she just knew was returning the look. The two men seemed to be locked in a silent battle of wills, one she had somehow unwittingly instigated. Finally Braska looked at Rikku, a gentle smile gracing his face; it was an abrupt change from the silent tension that had pulled at his features just moments before.
"Whatever Rikkma wishes to wear is her own choice, of course."
Rikku swallowed and could practically feel Auron's glare shift from Braska onto the back of her neck. She snuck a glance at him and winced; the expression on his face went beyond any simple Rikku Look. This one was accusing and also slightly threatening. It didn't take a genius to figure out why; he was trying to protect Braska, both financially and emotionally. That he saw her as a threat, however, sparked a tiny frown of resentment.
"I can't help it if I look like her," Rikku mumbled under her breath, glaring at Auron before pushing past him into the tent. She scanned over the racks of clothing, ignoring the fawning vendor as she searched for the cheapest, ugliest-looking not blue robe she could find. Finally, she settled on a plain brown lump of cloth stuffed away behind the other finery. Without even trying it on, she pulled it out and shoved it into the merchant's waiting hands. "This one is perfect," she grumbled.
"B-but … that one isn't even finished!" he complained.
"Then I'm sure you'll be able to give us an appropriate discount," Auron interrupted, giving the merchant a stern look.
The small man huffed and glared at Auron. "300 gil," he said reluctantly.
"What!" Rikku yelled, snatching the robe out of the man's hands. She shimmied into it and turned around. "300 gil for this? Look, it doesn't even have sleeves!" she seethed.
"250 gil," the merchant replied with a wince.
"Sir," Auron said coldly, "Do you take us for fools? That sackcloth that you claim to be a garment is clearly worth no more than 50 gil."
It was about then that Rikku realized that Auron was playing her kind of game. Her anger evaporated and she gave him a mischievous smile, to which he replied with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"F-fifty - why, you thieves! You charlatans! I'll have you know that my family has tailored for the High Priests of Yevon for over twenty years!" the merchant sputtered.
At this point, even Braska had caught on, and folding his arms serenely, he gave the merchant a thoughtful smile. "Ah… for such a reputable tailor, you certainly do protest very loudly," he observed.
"What's the hold up?" Jecht grumbled from outside of the tent. "If this guy's sellin' duds, let's just go somewhere else!"
"A reasonable suggestion for once," Auron answered. "As he is the personal tailor to the High Priests of Yevon, I'm sure our business isn't needed here." He turned to walk away.
"125 gil!" the merchant yelled out with a note of desperation. "But absolutely no less than that!"
"Hnn," Auron said, pausing.
"I suppose that sounds reasonable," Braska replied cheerfully, and both Auron and Rikku winced. Eager as he might have been to learn, Braska clearly still needed a few lessons in the fine art of street haggling. "Is this what you want, Rikkma?" he asked her.
"Well," Rikku hummed uncertainly, picking at the robe. The deal was still salvageable, she supposed. Besides, no risk, no rewards! "If you ask me, I'd only shell out 100 gil for this thing."
"125 is my final -"
"… and I promise not to dance through the streets telling people where I bought it from," Rikku added. She directed a saccharine smiled towards the merchant. "I'm a really good dancer, you know?"
"She's also very loud," Auron added. "Believe me."
"100 gil. And I don't ever want to see your faces again," the vendor blustered. He snatched the money out of Braska's hands and all but pushed them out of his tent with a dark scowl.
When they were a safe distance away, Rikku skipped up to Auron and held up her hand with a triumphant smile. "High five!" she yelled at him, and rolled her eyes in exasperation when he only stared at her outstretched palm.
"I think I should leave you two in charge of the shopping from now on," Braska noted from behind them with a grin.
"Thank you my lord," Auron said. "Though this subterfuge wouldn't have been necessary had we allotted our funds more carefully." This was directed at Rikku.
"How much do we have left?"
Braska stopped and reached into the pouch to count his coins, and Rikku winced again. Counting his money in the open in the middle of the market… She leaned in towards Auron.
"Is he always this bad?" she whispered.
"Mmm-hmm," Auron answered her. "Lord Braska tends to see only the best in others. That is why he needs protection, not only from fiends." Then he paused and looked at her, really looked, and she squirmed uncomfortably. "Rikkma. He loved his wife very much. Be… careful with him."
Rikku turned and looked at Braska, who had finished counting his money. She returned his smile when he looked up and cringed internally. "I'm a Guardian," she said out loud. "I'll keep him safe… even if he doesn't want me to."
"As will I," Auron replied smoothly; statement, promise and threat all in one.
"I'm afraid we have a little problem," Braska said, interrupting their conversation. "There isn't enough left to purchase a proper weapon for you," he told Jecht.
Jecht shrugged and didn't appear to be particularly displeased by the news. "Cry me a river," he mumbled.
"Well, why don't we just go to the temple and get this over with, then?" Rikku suggested. "We're all decked out now, and there shouldn't be any fiends waiting in there for us, right?"
Braska sighed and nodded. "Yes… we've spent enough time here. Let us head towards the temple." He turned to lead them through the crowds, but Rikku lingered behind, feeling guilty.
She made the suggestion on a whim, but the words had sobered Braska instantly. He almost seemed to be enjoying himself in the marketplace with them up to that point, and she knew she had inadvertently reminded him of his duty. They weren't simply friends who were sharing a vacation together, but a Summoner and his Guardians, preparing for a gruelling trip that would have little chances for respite such as Bevelle's open-air market offered. She looked at the ground, trying to remind herself that she shouldn't be getting involved. A pair of heavy boots entered her vision; they stopped beside her own.
"Braska chose his own path long ago. All we can do is follow." The boots moved away.
"I know," Rikku muttered, scurrying after him.
.x.x.x.
"So this is a temple?" Jecht said, his loud voice echoing through the high-domed ceiling. "Where're all the priests? Where's the altar?"
They were standing at the top of the huge spiral staircase inside of Bevelle's temple; the steps led down, down, deep into the darkness. Unlike the last time Rikku remembered, the controls for the elevator were also carefully obscured, covered with heavy brocaded cloths and ornamental hangings.
"The altar is in the center of the shrine," Braska replied, starting down the winding staircase. "However, only Summoners are allowed to enter the Chamber of the Fayth."
"Well, what's a Fayth?" Jecht asked, following him.
"Do you hear this song in the air? It is the Hymn of the Fayth," Braska explained. "They are the souls of those who dedicated their lives to battling Sin long ago. They sleep eternally, trapped in statues of stone, waking only when called forth by a Summoner. And while they dream, they sing to us."
Jecht grew unusually quiet, and the Hymn swelled around them. Auron followed the other two men down the staircase. He turned and regarded Rikku, who was leaning over the railing and looking into the darkness below.
"It's such a long way down," she whined, shooting a wistful glance at the control panel.
"Then stay up here," Auron grumped, turning on his heel and following Braska.
"Meanie," Rikku muttered to herself, sprinting down the stairs past Auron. She passed Jecht, and even breezed by Braska, who looked on in surprise.
"Rikkma," he called out after her. "Please be careful. We don't know what's waiting for us at the bottom."
Some of us do, Rikku thought to herself. "I'll be fine!" she yelled up, leaning over the staircase and waving at the men above her. She wanted to get through the Trials as quickly as possible; every memory she had of descending into the bowels of the earth underneath Bevelle had ended up unpleasantly, without exception. "The sooner this is over, the better," she observed.
Torches flared to life with each step she took, illuminating the staircase with their flickering light. It was a rather impressive, mystical effect, or at least it would have been, had Rikku not been searching for the pressure panels in the floor that activated the mechanisms to light them. As it was, she was keeping herself amused by trying to race down the staircase more quickly than the torches could be lit. That of course meant that she was sprinting blindly into the yawning darkness. And, as she managed to catch her boot on one of the steps and go tumbling forward, she realized that it might not have been one of her better ideas. With a loud yelp, she went tumbling; instinctively rolling into a protective ball, she punctuated each bounce and slap as she hit the hard ground with a loud "OWW!" or "OUCH!" Fortunately, she was already near bottom of the stairs, so her fall was rather short. Unfortunately, her yells were loud enough to carry upwards very clearly.
"Rikkma! Are you all right?" Braska yelled, picking up his robes and hurrying his descent. Auron also picked up the pace, but it was Jecht who actually beat them both, being the quickest of the men. He was, in fact, fast enough to emulate Rikku's step hopping trip, and as he neared her, another loud yell was heard, followed by a few thumps and muffled cursing.
"OWW!" Rikku yelled at the top of her lungs, kicking Jecht off of her. "Did you have to land on top of me?"
"Quit complainin'!" Jecht groused, sitting up and rubbing his head. "I wouldn't have fallen if you hadn't first."
"Neither of you would have fallen if you paid any attention to your surroundings," Auron told them both. Seeing that they were uninjured, he redirected his attention to the glowing veil of blue energy that sealed off the entrance to the Cloister. "The Trials are beyond," he said, turning around and facing the others. "Lord Braska… are you ready?"
Braska stopped before the entrance and held his hands together, dipping in a respectful bow of prayer which parted the glowing curtain. Rikku and Jecht stood behind him, watching. Jecht leaned over towards Rikku and whispered to her under his breath.
"Hey, Blondie. What's a trial?"
Rikku rolled her eyes. "My name's not Blondie, you know. It's… " She paused and considered the alternative. "… alright if you call me that, though," she finished.
Jecht stared at her for a moment and then shrugged. Apparently he was getting used to her lunatic behavior and passing it off as normal, she noted with some embarrassment. "Trials?" he reminded her. "Is this gonna be some kinda test?" He cracked his knuckles.
"We don't know what awaits us inside," Auron replied, slinging his sword off of his back and hefting it over his shoulder.
"I hardly think the temples would attempt to kill off their potential Summoners during the Trials, Auron," Braska chided him, stepping forward. He stopped when Auron held out an arm to block him.
"Let me go first." Without waiting for a reply, Auron turned and strode through the doorway.
Rikku, who already knew what was coming, crossed her arms and waited. Auron didn't come out immediately, and she wondered what was keeping him. Braska shifted, his long robes rustling and Jecht stretched and yawned. The seconds ticked by, and Rikku began to tap her foot. Braska cleared his throat. Finally, Jecht, picking at his ear, strolled past Braska.
"Jecht, do you think it's wise to -" Braska started.
"Sick of waitin'," he grunted as explanation, walking through the portal carelessly.
Rikku was hot on Jecht's heels, and she gave Braska a bright smile, pulling him through after her. "Hey, like you said! I bet it's perfectly safe inside!"
"But…" Despite Braska's protests, he allowed himself to be dragged along.
"Whoa!" Jecht's loud exclamation quickened both of their paces; Rikku and Braska rounded the corner to see Jecht and Auron standing side by side, staring at Bevelle's Cloister of Trials.
Auron was motionless, his eyes wide and his face pale.
"This is awesome!" Jecht said, turning to face them. "I don't think I ever saw anything like this, not even in Zanarkand!" He pointed over his shoulder.
Braska, who drew to a stop alongside him, was also speechless. Curious at their silence, Rikku crept up and peered between them.
Looming out before them was the vast, seemingly bottomless pit of the Cloister. The moving walkways of light that pulsed and crisscrossed through the air emitted a harsh glow against the encroaching darkness. It was a strange and beautiful symphony of light and electronics, and Rikku took a moment to appreciate the skill it took to construct such a labyrinth. Just like I remember, she thought with satisfaction. Then she turned to Auron and quirked an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you?"
Auron said nothing, still staring wide-eyed at the multitude of glowing pathways. Growing a little concerned, she reached over and poked his arm. Since that didn't produce a reaction, she frowned and pinched him. Hard. He hissed and drew away, coming out of his stupor to glare at her. "Welcome back!" Rikku grinned at him, waving. "Where the heck were you?"
Auron looked around, spotting Jecht and Braska, who had torn their eyes away from the pit to stare at him. He grimaced and avoided looking at the labyrinth. "Machina…" he muttered in shock.
Uh-oh, Rikku thought to herself.
" 'ey, it's a good light show, even I'll admit that, but it ain't that great," Jecht told him, scratching his head. "What's machina anyway?"
"Machina is forbidden by Yevon!" Auron answered, his eyes snapping back to the walkway.
"Yevon this, Yevon that," Jecht grumbled. "That ain't no answer!"
"Perhaps… it is only magic?" Braska interjected with a note of hope, squinting at the pulsing lights. Then he turned to Rikku. "The Al Bhed are more familiar with machina than any other people. Perhaps you could tell us?"
Jecht turned to her and crossed his arms. "Machina?" he repeated.
Rikku laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head. How to answer this one… She decided to tackle Jecht first. "Machina are old pieces of equipment that we Al Bhed try to salvage and use," she said. "Yevon sorta doesn't like it when we do that, because they're a bunch of stuffy old poops who think we should depend on them for everything instead of working for ourselves!"
"That is not entirely correct," Braska said. "The forbidden technology housed in machina is what brought about Sin. If we repent and abstain from its use, one day Sin will disappear, and the world will know peace."
"That's a lie!" Rikku cried out before she could stop herself. "There are no bad machina, just bad people who use them! Well, okay, maybe there are one or two bad machina out there," she amended, her eyes darting to the pit underneath the glowing labyrinth. Somewhere down there Vegnagun is still sleeping… "But my point is just because Yevon says it's bad, doesn't mean you can blame machina for all of our problems!"
"Huh," Jecht replied, scratching his chin. "So these Yevon folks go around tellin' people not to use machina, and you Al Bhed type go around usin' them anyway, and that's why they hate ya?"
"Something like that," Rikku agreed.
"So you're Al Bhed," Jecht repeated. Seeing Rikku nod, he turned to Auron. "And you're one of these Yevon guys," he added, receiving a glare in response. "I think I like the Al Bhed better," he said.
"No one asked for your opinion," Auron snapped out.
"All I'm sayin' is we got this 'machina' comin' outta our ears in Zanarkand and there sure as heck wasn't anything like Sin botherin' us there. Maybe a fiend or two every once a while, but that's all."
"But I thought it was Sin that brought you here," Braska said.
"Yeah, well…" Jecht trailed off uncertainly. Then he gestured at the glowing walkway. "That sure looks like machina to me. You tell me what this forbidden machina is doin' in a temple of Yevon, and maybe I can come up with a reason for Sin bein' in Zanarkand."
Rikku's eyes flickered back to Auron's face; once again he was staring at the labyrinth, his mouth drawn into a thin line. She winced and drummed her fingers together. No. They're not ready for this. Then she took a deep breath.
"It's not machina."
Everyone turned towards her, Jecht looking like he was about to protest. Rikku held up her hand and gave him a stern glance. "Listen. I am Al Bhed. And we know machina better than anyone else in all of Spira. I'm telling you, no matter what it looks like, that," she emphasized, pointing, "is not machina. It's just not possible!"
"Are you sure?" Braska asked, though he couldn't hide the expression of relief on his face. More importantly, Auron was staring at her now. Strangely, as little as he seemed to enjoy her presence, he was hanging on her every word. In a way, he was depending on her, his so-called enemy, to tilt his world back onto its proper axis.
Sometimes I really hate myself. Rikku scowled. But I'll always hate Yevon more. "It's not machina," she repeated. "Maybe it's some kind of summon or something."
"Well… I suppose that is that," Braska said, smiling and returning his attention to the labyrinth.
"… yes," Auron replied, tearing his gaze away from Rikku and back towards the Cloister. "Yet another one of Yevon's tests," he muttered with disgust. His face was still haunted, but some of the stiffness slipped away from his shoulders.
Huh, Rikku thought. Maybe he's not such a big Yevonite after all. She let out a tiny sigh of relief and looked away, only to squawk and jerk back as Jecht's face appeared directly in front of her. He wasn't quite as angry as when she had mentioned Tidus to him, but he definitely looked far from pleased.
"What're you playin' at?" he mumbled, careful to keep his voice from carrying over to the others.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Rikku squeaked.
"You know well as I do that ain't magic," he said, gesturing at the walkway.
Rikku narrowed her eyes. "It has to be for now," she whispered to him. Then her expression turned pleading. "Just let it slide, alright? Can't you see they need this?"
Jecht glanced over his shoulder at the two men, who were obviously trying to figure out their next move, and then shook his head in disbelief. "And they're callin' me slow," he said under his breath. "This is one messed up place, man." Then he loomed over her.
"What?" Rikku asked, taking another step back.
"Well, Blondie. You can bat those eyelashes and tell 'em all the little stories you want." He snorted and looked her over. "But I ain't like them. I don't give a crap who this Raenn person was, and I know a lie when I see one. I'll be watchin' you," he warned her. "You try and double-cross us and I'll personally make sure you regret it."
Rikku blinked in surprise. "Wow, you're really getting into this Guardian stuff," she said after a moment.
Jecht straightened up and scratched his head, surprised by Rikku's lack of fear. Then again, he couldn't know that he didn't seem very scary to her. After having fought and killed an incarnation of him that was about three times the size of most of the buildings in Bevelle and wielding a sword to boot, there wasn't very much this Jecht could do that she would find intimidating. She was surprised to find that The Lecture she'd been expecting all day was popping out of Jecht's mouth instead of Auron's, though.
"That's a good thing," she reassured him when his confused look began to drop into a scowl. "I'm a Guardian too, remember? I'm here to guard Braska, not hurt him." Then she gave him a tiny smile. "I'm just doing it my own way. I'm… glad, kinda, to hear you just wanna protect him too."
Jecht shrugged. "He's my ticket back to Zanarkand. 'Course I gotta look after him." Then he shot her another sideways glance. "You are one weird chick." He pointed at his massive, tattooed chest. "I don't scare you at all?" He sounded almost disappointed. Rikku snickered, and Jecht sulked. "Damn! I gotta work on my image."
"You do that." Rikku jogged over to Braska and Auron, who were hovering around the freestanding pillar on the platform. "Hey," she complained to them in a singsong voice. "Jecht's thinking too hard over there and the smell of burning hair is starting to get to me. You guys figure out anything yet?"
"Well," Braska said with frown, "the lights appear to be moving pathways, but they will not hold any solid weight. There must be a way to travel on it."
"I believe it has something to do with this," Auron added, pushing at the pillar, which slid forward easily.
Rikku considered remaining silent and letting the men solve the labyrinth on their own. That would be the fair thing to do, she knew; using her own knowledge would be cheating somehow. And Yevon knows we shouldn't cheat, Rikku thought.
"What, this old thing?" she said, tripping past Auron and slamming into the pillar. Her not-so-subtle push sent it flying over the edge of the stone platform and into the moving path of light, and both Auron and Braska let out a yell of dismay as it fell through. "Oopsie," she giggled, then put on her best surprised expression as the pillar melted into a large disc which hovered over the path. "Well will you look at that!" she cooed.
"Truly amazing magic," Braska murmured in awe.
"Hnn," Auron agreed, sounding distinctly less than amazed. "We still don't know that it's safe."
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Rikku cheered, preparing to spring onto the disc.
"Alright! Surfin'!" Jecht roared as he landed on the disc ahead of her.
Double damn those Blitzball reflexes! Rikku growled to herself as the disc took off with a laughing Jecht on it. "Get back here Jecht! He doesn't even know what he's doing!" she groaned in frustration as the disc whizzed out of sight.
"Touching as your concern for his safety is," Auron noted, still wary of the path, "we have no idea where he -" His sentence ended abruptly as a soft hissing was heard. A sphere pillar faded into view where the old one once stood. No one noticed Rikku discreetly plugging her ears.
"AHH!" Jecht's materialization over the platform was heralded by his loud yell. He landed on the ground face-first. Standing slowly, he wobbled, his eyes unfocused. "I gotta stop doin' that."
"I fear this may be more complicated than I first thought," Braska said. "What happened? What did you see?"
"Damn thing's fast," Jecht managed to grunt. "Lights… lotsa turns… and the drop-off at the end's a real bitch."
"But it did bring you back safely," Braska noted with a determined expression. He leaned over and pushed the pillar back onto the walkway, and the disc reformed.
"Surely you aren't thinking of using it!" Auron protested. "Look at what it did to Jecht!" The man in question's eyes crossed as he slumped to the ground.
Rikku rolled her eyes. "I don't see a difference from normal."
"Perhaps it requires the talent of a Summoner to function properly," Braska said, stepping towards the disc. He paused and bowed before it with a resolute expression.
"Umm…" Rikku said, scratching her cheek.
"Have faith, Rikkma," Braska assured her with a warm smile. Then he stepped onto the disc. With a soft whoosh, it disappeared from sight… though Braska's surprised yell at the speed with which it jumped into motion didn't fade quite as quickly.
Rikku winced and surreptitiously brought her fingers back towards her ears. To his credit, Braska didn't shout quite as loudly as Jecht had. He crashed to the ground in a tangle of robes in front of them.
"I think… this will take more… than just faith," Braska mumbled, casting a healing spell over himself. Then he smiled wryly at Auron and Rikku. "So who will be the next victim of this Trial?"
Auron paled, but shoved the pillar onto the walkway with a grim expression. "This is not a good idea." He approached the floating disc.
Rikku silently agreed; Bevelle's Cloister had been difficult enough for Yuna's large party to unravel, and right now they were only four. Thinking back on it, she realized it might have taken even longer for them to solve had it not been for Auron's subtle assistance.
Except now he's not here… I am. Rikku wasn't entirely sure this Auron would have accepted any help from her under normal circumstances; however, he still appeared to be rather shaken by the unexpected presence of the "non-machina" inside the temple. He hesitated in front of the floating disc, displaying his reluctance to board it.
Jecht, who had recovered with the help of one of Braska's Cures, let out a hearty laugh. "Well ain't this a first! The great and mighty Auron's actually scared of a little joyride! Rikkma, you should be recordin' this!"
Auron's jaw clenched and he stepped onto the disc. It drifted away from the others at the same rapid pace as before.
"Right!" Rikku yelled, dashing towards the walkway and leaping. She slammed into a very surprised Auron and nearly pushed them both over the edge. The gamble was worth it, however, as Auron's arms reflexively wrapped around her and they fell to their knees, off-balance.
Her nose was pushing into his armored chest, but she ignored the awkward position in favor of inhaling deeply. Wow… he smells really good, she noted, enjoying the feel of his arms when they tightened around her. The disc was moving rapidly, creating a pleasant breeze which tugged at her hair. It was barely enough to cool her skin, though, which seemed to be overheating while in such close proximity to him -
"Rikkma!" Auron's tense yell, underlined with a note of panic cleaved through her short-lived fantasy, and she realized they were still moving very quickly. It was vertigo, rather than passion, that was causing Auron to cling to her. And, to her own rising dismay, they'd already whisked more than three-fourths of the way down the lit path. The drop-off was approaching too quickly for her liking, and they weren't even on their feet.
"Get off of me!" Rikku yelled, recognizing the last floating checkpoint that they were about to sail over. Out of sheer desperation, she slammed her palms as hard as she could onto the pad, not caring which direction the glowing arrows pointed. With a sudden lurch, the disc came to a halt, and Rikku let out a sigh of relief. Then her stomach leapt into her throat as the disc shot off into the small, dark alcove she had inadvertently steered them into.
Rikku grabbed onto Auron when she felt him sway; besides the fact that he smelled good, she really didn't want him to fall to his death. Her firm grip was broken when the disc spilled them unceremoniously onto solid ground and then shimmered, reforming once more as a solid pillar. She rolled over with a grunt, willing the room to stop spinning. I almost forgot how much I hate this place. Hearing a groan, she cracked her eye open and turned her head in the direction it came from.
Auron was sprawled face down on the stone, not looking much better off. Some of his long hair had been knocked free of his impeccable ponytail; two dark strands framed his strong features like jagged spikes over each cheek.
Somehow, it underlined his strange youthfulness that still took her by surprise; a good part of the older Auron's allure had been the mystery that was hiding behind his sunglasses and high collar. The young Auron was blatantly more beautiful to look at. Had he shown any interest in Blitzball at all, Rikku was sure he would've become a star player just for his looks alone. Unfortunately, that dream-inducing face was currently flushed an interesting shade of greenish-white, made all the more eerie by the lack of natural light. The neon glow of the walkway was the only illumination available, making him look even more gaunt.
"Hey, are you okay?" Rikku asked, crawling over to him.
Auron pushed himself up to his knees and leaned back on his heels, dropping his eyes closed. "I need… a moment," he managed to say.
Rikku scooted away from him and studied their surroundings. She recognized where they'd landed when she spotted the empty socket in the wall. There's nothing we can do here until we find a Bevelle sphere. Trying to give Auron the privacy he needed to compose himself, she busied herself with the needless task of inspecting the wall socket anyway. Glancing over her shoulder when she heard the soft rustle of cloth, she watched Auron stand.
"… Thank you for your discretion," he told her, clearly uncomfortable. Then he took in their surroundings. "How did we end up here?"
"Well, umm… we were going really fast, and there was this flashy light thingy on the ground, so I just hit it as hard as I could," Rikku explained. "I think it throws the disc in the direction the light shines."
"Hnn," Auron muttered, pacing the area. "Have you discovered anything else here?"
Rikku shook her head. "No… this looks like a dead end. I think we gotta go back and try again." She noticed Auron wince and eyed him uncertainly. "Of course, if you're not up to it…"
Auron spun around. "You're remarkably unconcerned by what you've seen here so far," he observed.
"Well… we Al Bhed see lots of strange things all the time!" Rikku covered with a nervous smile. She knew he didn't believe her, but after a moment he dropped the glare for an exasperated grunt and began to pull at the loose strands of hair that had fallen around his face. "Oh, don't do that!" she protested, and then mentally kicked herself.
"Don't do what?" Auron asked, still tucking the errant wisps of hair away. His eyes widened in surprise and he nearly flinched when Rikku stepped to his side and reached towards his face. "What do you think you're…" His indignant words trailed off when she batted his fingers away and smoothed the loose hair back down.
Rikku fussed with the strands for longer than necessary, feeling her own face growing warm. Auron stood stock still, his eyes dark and hard; she wasn't certain if he was angry or not for touching him without invitation, even if it was just his hair. Still, he hadn't drawn his sword, so she took it as an encouraging sign. "You look better this way," she murmured, finally releasing him and stepping away. "More… human."
He continued to stare at her, and she felt the tell-tale blush spreading over her cheeks and upgrading from red to nearly-purple. "Sorry," Rikku managed squeak out in mortification, whirling away from him. She purposefully ignored him and pushed the pillar back onto the walkway to form another travelling disc. "You know, you can wait here if you want. I'm sure I'd be able to find you again, no problem!"
"No."
Rikku jumped when she realized Auron was already standing by her side. She wondered if learning how to sneak around was mandatory for Yevon's Warrior-Monks; it seemed distinctly unfair to her that someone as large as Auron could still make less noise than she moving from place to place. Then again, he didn't wear glass beads in his hair.
"I will accompany you," he said, grasping her by the elbow as they stepped onto the disc together. It shot forward, and the warmth of his hand dropped away. Rikku swallowed and forced herself not to rub her skin where he had touched her; a small movement at the corner of her eye made her glance upwards at Auron's head.
He still looked uncomfortable, though his gaze was now fixed on the shifting light of the pathway, studying its patterns and searching carefully for the directional pad that would alter their course. That he had mostly overcome his vertigo wasn't what made her blink, though. It was the two loose strands of hair twisting in the breeze that brought a smile to her lips.
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