"Wow, broke up with Bickson, huh? Already back on the market?" Elma laughed and took a seat on her bed, frowning slightly at its messiness. She tried to adjust the sheets, to no avail. Finally giving up, she fell back against her pillow and grinned at her roommate, who gave her a bright smile back. She had been lucky, getting the cheerful girl as a roommate. They had both immediately warmed up to each other. Her name was Tyhlan, and she explained that it was an Al Bhed word. Al Bhed, as they called it, wasn't really an actual language, merely a scrambled version of the modern Spiran alphabet. It was, at first, lingo schoolchildren and high school students used, but eventually, many others began to speak it. Unfortunately, some less desirable groups had taken up the language as well. Yevon's Sin, named for an ancient priest who had corrupted the Church of St. Zaon nearly a thousand years ago, was a notorious gang of sorts. There were literally thousands of them, and they were all recognizable by their dyed blonde hair, and the tattoo of the word, 'Sin,' in ancient Spiran on their arms. They all spoke fluent Al Bhed, using little to no modern Spiran at all. Tyhlan was a natural blonde, but why she called herself by an Al Bhed name was a mystery to Elma. Her rebellious streak didn't help matters, and people often wondered if the plucky blonde was a member of Yevon's Sin. As a result of the bad reputation most Al Bhed speakers were getting, Tyhlan kept her usage of Al Bhed to a minimum. Her real name, however, she would not divulge. "Yo, if Al Bhed isn't your thing, calling me Ty is cool, okay?" she had said to Elma at their first encounter. "Yeah, I'm back on the market," Elma muttered. "Bickson, he..." "I believe the term you're looking for is 'asshole.'" "Ty!" "Hey," Tyhlan grinned cheekily, "I call 'em like I see 'em. So, what's with the change of heart anyway? What, was he like...underdeveloped, or.." "Ty!" "I'm just asking. But seriously. What happened?" "I met someone at the park," Elma said, immediately regretting her choice of words when she saw the slow grin spread across the blonde girl's face. "No, no, it wasn't like that!" But Tyhlan was already too far gone to listen. "I can see it now...you, crying your eyes out on a park bench...a tall, handsome stranger offers you a handkerchief, you look up into his dark, fathomless--" "Big word," Elma quipped. Tyhlan rolled her eyes. "Ruining the story! Anyway...you stare into his dark, fathomless eyes, and it's love at first sight. He invites you to dinner, which leads to dating, and then vacationing on the Gagazet Alps, horse-riding through Djose, and one day, he proposes to you at Besaid Island, gives you the keys to a bright, red, convertible...well, that's my dream, but I changed it to red. Mine would be silver, and--" "It was a woman, Ty." "Huh?" "A woman. A lady. A girl. The fairer sex. You know. Not a guy." "Huh?" "He was a she!" "Oh!" Tyhlan frowned. "Well, I guess the mountain-climbing would have to be replaced by whale-watching or something..." "Huh? Ty, for the last time, all lesbians do not like whale-watching! And I'm not gay!" "It's a documented fact all lesbians like whale-watching! I saw it on T.V. Anyway, woman, huh? What did she look like?" "Well, she was a little tall..." "Leggy?" "Geez, Ty! What's with you today? But, I guess...red head too." "You and redheads..." "Ty!" "What? Was she pretty?" "Yeah, I guess..." "You guess?" Elma threw a pillow at her. "Hey! You're so creepy today! Yeah, she was pretty! What else do you need to know, her measurements?" "You were looking that closely?" Elma buried her face in her hands. "Shut up..." Tyhlan laughed. "Geez, it's so easy to push your buttons. But uh. Hmm. Red head, tall...what's her name?" "Lucil. Why?" "Sounds familiar..." Tyhlan hopped off of her own bed and took a seat on Elma's. "She give you a card or anything?" "Uh, no...but she gave me this." Elma shuffled in her pockets until she came up with the white handkerchief. She handed it to Tyhlan, who wrinkled her nose for a moment before staring at it. "Huh. Hmm...wonder if it has anything on it...hey! Hey, check this out!" She handed the cloth back to Elma, who glanced at it briefly before blinking in surprise. "Lucil Harthridge, C.E.O...Farplane Corporations...um...don't we...work at...?" "The Farplane, yes. Like, our job. She's our boss. And not like...a regular boss. She's...super boss." "Oh my...nooo!" Elma fell backwards on her bed and pouted. "I made a complete fool of myself in front of our super boss!" "Well...sucks for you, huh?" "You are the worst roommate ever!" ----------------- The Farplane was a rather quiet, out-of-the-way coffeeshop that had evolved into a popular spot for young people to hang out. Both Elma and Tyhlan worked there, part time, but today, they were noticeably absent. A young man grumbled quietly to himself as he buffed tables. He was handsome, tanned and muscular, with bright orange hair in an exaggerated, comical cowlick, held up by a blue bandanna. He was dressed rather casually to be working, in dark, baggy jeans, and a bright blue t-shirt with the words, 'GO AUROCHS!' across it. He wore a pair of large headphones, and hummed as he worked. "Silly girls, always late, ya? Dunno why Lu lets them get away with all of dat, you know? Sheesh, she'd be all over me if I was late..." "I'm sure you'd like that, Wakka!" A cheerful voice chirped behind him. Wakka rolled his eyes and turned to the green-eyed, blonde haired girl, and the older, brown haired young woman who stood giggling behind her. Both girls were dressed completely differently; the blonde wore a bright orange t-shirt with a baby chocobo on the front, yellow arm warmers, and flare jeans. White sneakers with orange and yellow shoestrings completed the outfit. She also carried a bookbag, and what seemed to be hundreds of thousands of keychains hung from it. The older girl was dressed more demurely; a long floral print skirt, black boots, and a white, button-up shirt with flowing sleeves that faded to soft pink at the ends. She wore more jewelry than the younger girl; a silver chain with a hibiscus flower charm, two bracelets, one, a plain silver band, the other engraved with a symbol of the moon, seven stars, and the sun. She wore one silver ring, engraved with the word 'Yuna,' in ancient Spiran, and a crescent moon, on her right hand. Her hair was about shoulder length, and her eyes were her most unusual feature, one, bright blue, the other, grass-green. "Ah, shaddup, Rikku! And Yuna! I'm hurt!" The young man mock-pouted, dramatically putting his hand over his chest. "You hurt my heart, laughing at me, ya?" Yuna giggled again, stepping from behind her younger cousin. She seemed to be a bit uneasy all the time, often rocking back and forth on the heels of her feet and glancing down at the floor when she addressed by someone. She was uncommonly polite for her age, and well-liked, but quiet. "I'm sorry Wakka," she murmured, bowing demurely. "But," and she stifled another giggle, "your heart is on the other side." Rikku snickered, and Wakka frowned, crossing his arms. "Man, I can't take any more of this abuse! Too much estrogen, you know? All these women, always ganging up on me..." "Ganging up? Perhaps, Wakka, you should tell your fellow male employees to attend work. I haven't seen Luzzu in weeks, nor Gippal for that matter," a cool, female voice said from behind them. Wakka turned, and gave his manager a sheepish look. The woman was tall, with long black hair pulled back into a bun. Her bangs covered one side of her face, and she had an array of hair ornaments, that clinked as she walked. She wore a gray sweater, and a long black skirt, with gray trim. Her one uncovered, crimson eye was focused on the man in front of her. She frowned, and he bit his lip, running his fingers through his hair. "Ah, sorry, Lu. You wasn't supposed to hear that, ya? Ah, Luzzu and Gippal, huh? Uh, Luzzu is..." "Probably with his boyfriend," Rikku said in a sing-song voice. Yuna blushed and hid a smile behind her hand. Both Lulu and Wakka simply rolled their eyes. "Ah, I don't know 'bout any of that. Gatta did come in to visit though, huh?" Wakka shook his head, embarrassed. The subject of Luzzu's orientation always made him edgy. "And Gippal, nobody ever knows where he is." "Maybe he's building something. Like, a motorcycle!" Yuna chirped. Rikku laughed. "Or a girlfriend. You know he couldn't get a real girlfriend if he tried." Yuna grinned weakly and rocked back and forth on the heels of her shoes. "Aww. I'd like to think he was building a motorcycle though..." "That's my Yuna!" A blonde young man rushed up from behind Yuna and lifted her up. Yuna laughed and swung about, trying to escape his grasp. "I knew you wouldn't betray me!" "Ahh, Gippal! Let go!" The girl kicked vainly, trying to get away. Gippal grinned brightly, setting Yuna down. He bowed deeply to the younger girl, and she glanced away, blushing. Rikku shook her head. "Geez, Gippal! Why don't you leave Yuna alone sometimes?" Rikku kicked the man in the leg sharply, crossing her arms and pouting. "You're totally annoying!" "Ahh, you know you love me, kid!" Gippal exclaimed, rubbing his sore leg. The young man was dressed much like Wakka, with the exception of his shirt, that was black instead of blue, with the words, "Bikanel Psyches" in white across it. He and Wakka often argued about the merits of the two teams, but Wakka seemed too happy to see him today to say anything. Chains hung from his jeans, and his boots were large, and clunked as he moved. He was blonde, and one of his gray eyes was covered by a black eyepatch. He moved over to a stool and took a seat, swinging around for a moment before facing the others. "You guys miss me?" He was answered when a white towel flew into his face. "Very much so," Lulu deadpanned. "Now get to work. And I'm docking your pay this week too, since you weren't here last week." "But Lulu--" "No buts. Work." ----------------- "We're late!" "Your fault!" "Shut up! Lulu's gonna kill us..." Elma pulled on her sneakers, grabbing her keys and shooting out of the door. "Hurry up, Ty!" The blonde girl pulled her hair back into a ponytail and shuffled out of their room quickly, shutting and locking the door behind her before shooting past Elma and running toward the elevator. "You hurry up!" She tapped the 'Down' button rapidly, as if hitting it over and over again would make it move any faster. They waited. And waited. And waited. "Oh for the love of...stairs! Come on, let's go!" Elma grabbed Tyhlan's hand and they both ran down the stairs. Tyhlan looked behind her back before they hit the door, and saw the elevator opening. She cursed under her breath. "I hate that stupid thing..." Both girls ran out the exit at the same time, and Tyhlan scrambled to the bus stop, Elma rushing behind her. "Ty! Be careful crossing the street!" "I'm not five Elma! Whoa, whoa, car!" Elma turned, and gasped, as a car skidded to a halt in front of her. The window was too dark to see the driver through it, but she heard the door unlock, and she opened her mouth, immediately ready to apologize. "Oh my gosh, I am so, so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going and...oh! It's you again! I mean, hi!" Lucil smiled at the younger girl, and lowered her sunglasses, raising an eyebrow quizzically. Her hair was down today, but she was still dressed for work, though a couple of buttons on her shirt were undone. "Hello. I believe I'm stopping traffic, so perhaps we should get out of the street?" She spared a glance over at Tyhlan on the other side of the street, who stood, slack-jawed, and then at Elma, who looked very flushed and out of breath. "Are you two running late for something?" Elma put her hand behind her head in a nervous gesture, moving her other hand to straighten out her shirt. "Uh, yeah, actually...work." "Would you like a ride?" Before waiting for a response, Lucil motioned over to Tyhlan, who quickly ran up to Elma's side. "Well?" "Uh, yeah, that would be great!" Elma squeaked out. "Thanks!" "Huh?" Tyhlan allowed herself to be dragged toward Lucil's car by Elma. "Wha? What?" "She's driving us to work, silly!" "Uhh...oh! Thanks, ma'am! I mean, miss, uh, um...Elma? Help?" Lucil chuckled dryly, opening the passenger side for Elma. "Lucil is fine, young lady." She checked her watch. "We should hurry up, now." "Right!" Both girls chorused. Lucil blinked. Were they going to salute her too? What odd girls, she thought, slipping into the driver's seat. They were rather interesting though. The brunette, Elma, grinned at her. "Thanks again!" She had such a lovely smile, Lucil couldn't help but smile back. "You're quite welcome. Anytime."
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