"I don't really know what to think. I mean, it's not like it's not something that happened? I mean, 'Bhed, we're all about 'capturing the moment' and living life as much as we can since you know, the whole 'kill on sight' thing Yevon had going for so long, but even then it was slightly frowned upon, cause like, need babies to keep the people going and all, and that's a little hard to do when one of the pair is missing the right parts, and all." Rikku quietly babbled as she stayed curled against Paine's side. They hadn't actually said much regarding themselves, but the actions from earlier seemed to mostly say everything for them, leaving them in comfortable, almost familiar silence that just felt right. Rikku had finally broke the silence as the tide went out, detailing her quiet worries about her feelings, most of them regarding how others would view her. Paine found these worries only slightly echoed in her, she was enough of an 'unknown' around Spira that she didn't need to really care about being a role model, but she understood why Rikku was worried.
"How about thinking of it as you being an example of why it's okay, now?" Paine quietly interjected as Rikku paused for breath, adjusting her hold around the blond girls waist, fingers now bare of her gloves softly stroking over the toned muscles of Rikku's stomach. She knew there were things that still needed to be said, or she'd never forgive herself for it, but for the moment, all was well. "You're not ashamed of it, are you?'
Rikku blinked lightly, dark green eyes flicking up to look at Paine's features. She frowned faintly and wrinkled her nose, an expression Paine found cute rather than upsetting. "Of course I'm not ashamed of it, I'm just..." She trailed off, her expression softening a little. "I don't want to disappoint people. But I guess the important ones who really matter won't be, huh?"
Paine smiled lightly and shrugged. "You know your important people best, I think." She glanced toward the path that headed to the village, knowing that most of those important people were not very far away indeed. Rikku smiled lightly, Paine leaning in and brushing her lips softly over hers, Rikku leaning to the touch for a moment. "I know why you worry, little thief, but I think that you're allowed to do something for yourself now, huh?"
"I guess...forgive me if I worry for a little?" The shorter girl asked, shifting a bit and stretching her back, Paine arching an eyebrow slightly as she pressed her fingers in a little firmer against Rikku's stomach. "We should probably be a little quiet, though...I mean, not just because of being worried, more like. Yuna's so lonely, and I just...I don't want to make thing's weird. It's already kinda stressful with the weird thing about Bahamut and the tension with the Youth League and New Yevon...it's all fun and everything being so active, but...yeah."
"Of course, it's okay, and I kind of prefer being quiet." Paine smiled a little, this statement getting a giggle out of Rikku. Resting her cheek lightly to the top of Rikku's head, a slightly hesitant motion, Paine still slightly unsure. "I'm kind of.." She sighed lightly, keeping her cheek where it was but turning her eyes out to the water. "This is new territory for me, Rikku. I don't...I don't want you to get hurt. I've never...grh." A frustrated sound came from her as she lifted her head, another sigh leaving her, Rikku watching her, keeping quiet and letting Paine speak as she will. "Not feeling keeps me safe. Last time I let myself care...things didn't end well. We do dangerous things...but I guess it's the feelings stirred by those same dangerous things that won't let me just hide." Speaking more to herself, Paine mused through the things which had tormented her for quite some time. "It's funny. You and Yuna took away my reason for fighting when you destroyed Sin, only to give it back to me with your very selves. Been a while since I've had that, and I'm not so good at these sorts of emotional things..." She trailed off, her cheeks flushed softly after the string of words, more than she'd usually speak, the woman finding that Rikku seemed to have that affect on her.
Rikku shifted around, moving from Paine's side to in front of her, moving into the warriors lap and straddling her waist, reaching up to rest her hands gently on Paine's shoulders, fingertips studying the muscles some. Searching the woman's expression, she smiled warmly, a different sort of smile than what she usually wore. Paine found this certain smile gave her a thrill inside, as there was just something...more, about it. It gave Rikku a mature, gentler look, and the spark in the younger woman's eyes carried a hint of the attraction she knew was echoed in her own. It was as if curtains were pulled back from hiding something, giving Paine a deeper look into the young woman in her arms. "It's okay. We'll figure it out I think." She reached up, stroking her fingers through Paine's hair, tilting her head slightly and smiling at the play of the firelight on the silver strands. Her smile quirked, shifting in a breaths moment to the usual, somewhat mischievous smile, making Paine quirk an eyebrow.
"...what?" She asked, idly stroking her hands along Rikku's sides, drifting over her stomach to around to her back, something Paine realized she had wanted to do for a very long time.
Rikku giggled and tugged lightly on a strand of hair. "Just wondering if there's Ronso somewhere in your ancestry, and if that's even possible!"
Paine rolled her eyes and chuckled softly, shaking her head a little. "Like I haven't heard that one before, meddma dreav." She lightly clicked her teeth at Rikku's hand as the young woman trailed her fingers down along Paine's cheek, Rikku squeaking lightly at the teeth clack, only to giggle and lean in, nuzzling up under Paine's chin as she wrapped her arms up and around her shoulders.
"I suppose, but it's still funny to me." Rikku giggled, nestling in against Paine and closing her eyes, savoring the feel of Paine's hands as they roamed along her back and abdomen. Surprised at the fact that the warrior's hands weren't calloused from wielding her sword, she supposed it was because of the leather gloves which Paine usually wore, and quietly thanked her luck for Paine having taken that precaution. A faint frown creased her features as she felt Paine's hands still, Rikku flexing her back a little as she felt the gentle press of fingertips a bit firmer to her skin, Rikku's arms tightening around Paine's neck as she tensed a little in anticipation.
"Rikku? What's this?" Paine quietly asked, her fingers softly exploring the series of 'dents' she felt in Rikku's muscles, leaning back slightly as she glanced down over the blond girl's shoulder, eyes searching the smooth skinned back before she moved her hand around to Rikku's stomach again, realizing that she had felt similar dents there earlier, but had just dismissed it as an oddity of the position her hand had been in.
A soft sigh drifted from Rikku, warmth breath washing over Paine's skin. Leaning back slightly, she reached for Paine's wrist, gently directing her hand to the two marks on her stomach which were obviously deeper and larger. Smiling lightly, she looked up to the warrior, keeping one of her arms wrapped up around Paine's shoulders. "Teeth marks." Paine blinked in a bit of surprise, opening her mouth slightly to say something, but Rikku continued. "Yeah, I know, I don't have scars on my skin. Yuna panicked and used a really strong heal, and Lulu figured it was also from me still being young and 'stretchy' as she put it."
Paine nodded slightly, her brow furrowed a little as she softly probed the dents. "Chimera?" She guessed, nodding when Rikku did and murmured 'lupus head'. Her frown grew a little more as she paused the motion of her hand, looking to Rikku's face, a small pit growing in her stomach as a thought quite suddenly crossed her mind, one that hadn't struck her before. "This killed you, didn't it? How many times on the Pilgrimage...?" The dangers of the Pilgrimage weren't unknown, so many had failed so many times in the past, but since they had succeeded, it never really triggered to Paine's thoughts that Yuna's was still just as rough as any of the others.
Rikku fidgeted a little in Paine's lap, her gaze turned out to the side as she didn't directly look at the other woman. The idle exploration and discovery of the wounds had hit directly onto something Rikku hated to talk about, death. Her dislike of the Farplane was greater than the simple 'Bhed belief of what the pyreflies did, it was largely because of her inadvertent visits there. Paine tightened her grip on Rikku's hips when Rikku didn't respond to her right away, the warrior about to repeat her question before Rikku finally spoke. "Yeah, it did. Which is probably the other reason why it didn't scar, Lulu used a Phoenix Down as soon as they got me out of it's mouth, about the same time Yuna apparently threw the big cure on me that fixed things even before I had come back fully. I don't...I don't remember it, or a bit of time before and after." She smiled faintly. "Apparently we were an unusual group of Guardians for a lot more reasons other than how -many- of us there were...Lulu said that a lot of other groups who wouldn't use Phoenix Downs like we did...we were just...really intent on not letting anybody go."
Sitting up a little straighter, Paine kept the fairly serious expression on her features, but it was soft enough to obviously show her care in her eyes. She found herself extremely upset over the thought that such a thing happened to Rikku, and had to fight down the budding frustration with Yuna and the other remaining former Guardians for having let it happen, she knew logically that the same had probably happened to the others, too. Her curiosity and worry prodded for her to speak again, Paine unable to keep herself quiet. "I'm glad, but...how many times? Using Phoenix Down so much isn't..." She trailed off, not needing to say how the constant use of potions and other magical medicinal options caused them to 'dull' in their effectiveness on a person, many people in the military having been forced to retire when a usual potion wouldn't do what it was meant to anymore.
Rikku glanced up to Paine, able to tell that this wasn't an easy conversation for Paine to hear, just as much as it wasn't easy for her to speak of it. Hesitating for another moment, she mentally reminded herself that she had long decided to be as honest as she could be with Paine, even if Paine wasn't very forthcoming with details of her own past. She didn't have to think long on her answer, leaning in to rest her cheek to Paine's shoulder, looking at the pale woman's neck and watching her pulse. "Three times." She almost continued, saying what each time was, but she didn't want to approach that subject just yet. Closing her eyes, Paine sighed softly.
"And once when you were a kid?" Paine asked softly, knowing of the source of Rikku's old, now gone fear of lightning and how she got it. The thought of four times echoed repeatedly in Paine's mind, her stomach feeling a little hollow. Rikku shook her head slightly, Paine squeezing her eyes a little tighter shut.
"Twice when I was a kid. The lightning thing, and when I was in the same room as a machina that exploded. We were only able to bring back four from then, lots of people were too far gone by the time rescuers were able to get there, it was past the hour point..." Rikku trailed off, shifting around in Paine's lap to sit with her back to the other woman's chest, pulling Paine's arms around her, the warrior woman eagerly holding the thief close. "They thought that I might had been gone for an hour and that the Down would be useless, but I guess because of being Cid's kid they tried anyway and it wasn't too long." She snorted in a faint, half laugh. "Well, apparently, I'm here."
Leaning down, Paine nuzzled lightly to Rikku's neck, inhaling her scent, brushing her cheek against her soft blond hair. "Oh Rikku. Five times is too much..." The thought of what this meant, fayth forbid, should anything get so far out of hand that it would be needed, loomed in her mind, worry that it would simply not work causing emotions to twist at her heart again. Her mind flashed back to the Al-bhed girl rescuing her from the fiend in the cave and how injured she was from it, a light shiver flowing down her spine. "I...want to ask you to stop doing this, but that would be silly."
Rikku laughed softly, playing her hands along Paine's arms around her. "Yes, that would be silly. You should know me by now, I think. Not going to let it stop me from living my life...not remembering things around the time that things happened is a little frustrating, though. I record a lot of things on spheres now." She grinned as Paine made a bit of a surprised sound and lifted her head a little, Rikku pointing to the pouch on her left hip, the most 'front' of the two. "It's in there. I reuse the sphere if nothing amazing happens that day, most days don't get saved. And no, I don't have it going now...I won't forget this. It's mostly when I'm with others, and during the day...I promise there's nothing 'bad' saved, and I've got all of them very hidden." Looking over her shoulder to Paine, she turned so that she could lean up and kiss the slightly wrinkled nose of the warrior, Paine looking just slightly upset, but the expression passed as understanding replaced it.
"Okay, just try to keep things hidden, huh?" Paine smiled when Rikku kissed her nose, reaching up to lightly tap Rikku's chin before drifting her fingers down along Rikku's jawline. Her smile drifted to something more neutral, the woman's eyes growing a little distant. "I guess it's only fair to tell you I've needed it twice..." A faint smirk touched her smile. "..that I remember anyway. There's a part of my childhood I don't remember. Things just sort of stop, and then the rest of my life starts. I don't think I needed it then? I think it was something else that took my memory, but I couldn't tell you for certain."
The blond nodded a little, a small swell of happiness inside that Paine trusted her with this 'tidbit' of her past, Rikku squashing down questions that sprung up. A pang of disappointment plucked at her thoughts as she considered that Paine needed to have a Phoenix Down used on her, but considering what she knew of Paine's lifestyle before joining the Gullwings, she was pleased to know that it was only two and no more. "Thank you for telling me. It's all in the past, huh? We're good enough to not need that anymore." She nodded with certainty, trying very hard to not fidget in Paine's lap, very uncomfortable with the current topic, but trying to keep calm. Paine looked down over Rikku's shoulder, quietly inspecting the younger woman, smiling lightly as she felt Rikku's discomfort. Her touch along Rikku's stomach softened a bit, Paine nuzzling gently to the back of the thief's neck, a soft shiver flowing down her back as she lightly brushed her lips over soft skin. Rikku's shoulders slowly relaxed as she felt the topic drift off, taking Paine's silence as confirmation of her musing. The warm, soft feel of the older woman's lips against her skin helping to soothe away the tension, Rikku's eyes slipping closed. Though her gloves left her fingertips bared, Rikku idly removed them, tucking them into a pouch as she dropped her hands down from lightly holding Paine's arms around her to rest on top of Paine's thighs. Her lips quirked into a smile as she felt the brief shiver from the woman behind her, Rikku's deft fingers working over the top of the leather clad legs, drifting down to play over the top of Paine's knees. Her touch was lazy, and slow, she content with simply focusing on the feel of Paine's warm form against her back.
Paine, for her part, found this to be new, and enjoyable territory to explore, even if there was still that slightly shaky unease of uncertainty in her thoughts. Having decided to actually listen to the emotions in her thoughts and heart, she knew she wouldn't just do things half assed, and though they were going to keep quiet, that didn't mean she couldn't express her feelings, some what, and do what she found she longed to do, and right now, that meant caressing Rikku's sides and learning the feel of her skin below lips and fingers. Rikku's hair was soft, and as cliched as it sounded, the warrior found herself comparing it to the feel of soft feathers from Chocobos, a smile quirking her cheeks as she nosed against the feathered earring hanging along the side of Rikku's neck. She ran her fingers up over Rikku's ribs, faintly disappointed to find that the 'Bhed wasn't ticklish, fingertips briefly ghosting over the length of the tie for Rikku's top that slipped around her sides, a bare pause spent with the brief consideration of doing something further, Paine hesitating for a moment before she slid her hands up to hold her shoulders, strong fingers starting to massage as she placed a soft kiss behind Rikku's ear. Disappointment thick in her voice, she murmured softly, not wanting to speak too loud in the quiet of the night. "It's getting late, meddma dreav, we should head back..." Rikku shivered softly at the touch against the skin behind her ear, looking over her shoulder to Paine, sticking her tongue out slightly as she leaned back into the warrior's hands.
"I guess. Just a little longer, please?" Rikku asked, squeezing lightly above Paine's knees, the other woman chuckling softly as she nodded, Rikku smiling and shifting a little, resting her head back against Paine's opposite shoulder. She closed her eyes and let herself relax, really relax, for the first time since the incident on the Celsius. Paine arched an eyebrow slightly as she felt Rikku grow heavier against her, continuing to work her fingers softly into her shoulders, easing the tension from the 'Bhed's muscles. A light sound coaxed Paine to look to Rikku, the silver haired woman laughing lightly to herself as she realized that Rikku had fallen asleep, the light sound having been her starting to breathe a little open mouthed. Exhaling a soft, happy sort of sigh, Paine shifted a little, pushing sand over the last of the softly glowing coals with her heel before she adjusted Rikku in her hold, smoothly standing and lifting Rikku in her arms, carefully resting the 'Bhed girl's head to her shoulder. Paine's cheeks colored in the darkness as Rikku gripped at her shawl in her sleep, Paine exhaling slowly as she stood still and focused her thoughts for a moment, composing her expression.
Starting back toward the village, she switched her attention between watching the forest and the path she was on to watching Rikku sleep, smiling lightly as she considered how easy it was to walk with Rikku in her arms. She had carried Rikku before, though that time had been fueled by panic after finding her in the Thunder Plains when Rikku had decided to go get rid of her fear and Paine had found her unconscious; she much preferred this way. Usually, a person would look younger in their sleep. Rikku's soothed, relaxed expression had something of the opposite affect, leaving the young woman looking more mature, baring more clearly to the world the strong person that lay below the bounce and smile. Some days Paine could get a little frustrated with Rikku for the cheer, not fully understanding why she was that way, but as time went on she accepted it, even if she didn't quite understand it. She guessed it was a survival mechanism like Paine's silence could be, to keep the world a little at bay. Or, Paine thought as she recalled Rikku's babbling before, she was doing it not for her sake, but for the sake of everyone who knew her. Pausing for a moment, Paine frowned slightly, this thought unsettling her some. But wasn't she just as knowledgeable about doing things for someone else's sake? Her silence regarding Nooj, Baralai and Gippal was a perfect example of that, but there were other, lingering reasons in there as well, namely her want to understand why some things happened. Did Rikku have other reasons? Would Paine ever find them out?
She sighed, shaking her head a little as she adjusted Rikku in her arms, cresting the hill overlooking the village. Too many things to think about, she needed to focus, and focus was something that eluded her lately. The village below seemed quiet, the large bonfire burnt down to a small flame, lighting up only a small circle, just a few figures left up, three to be exact. Paine chuckled lightly as she easily identified Yuna, Lulu and Wakka, the rest of the village having left for their individual huts, she finding herself glad that the Gullwing boys had decided to stay there instead of head back to the airship. She felt slightly the outsider as she descended the hill, after all, there were three people who saved the world, and what did she have? Tilting her head a little, the light haired warrior glanced down at Rikku, a smile curling her lips. She had the heart of a woman who helped save the world, and depending on how things continued with whatever it was Baralai and Nooj were hiding, maybe she'd belong after all.
Yuna looked up and blinked in surprise as she heard Paine approach, her eyes widening a little when she saw Rikku held in the other woman's arms, Yuna starting to stand before Paine shook her head and gestured slightly with one hand, speaking softly. "It's okay, she's just asleep." Yuna fairly quickly relaxed back down to sit, tilting her head a little and looking over the sleeping woman in Paine's arms.
Lulu, who looked a little surprised that Yuna had noticed Paine before she or Wakka did, nodded a little and smiled lightly, about to say something before she paused, her brow furrowing just slightly as she looked Paine over some, almost as if she were seeing something she hadn't before, and was retaking stock of the warrior, Paine noticing this but not saying anything, simply stiffening her shoulders slightly as she neared the fire. Yuna blushed soft and offered Paine a crooked smile, rubbing behind her neck a little. "We didn't know you were gone. Thought that you and Rikku had gone to bed." She murmured, keeping her voice low. "Where were you?"
Crap. Paine briefly thought. She hadn't considered what she should say if someone asked that question, taking a moment to slightly shift Rikku as an excuse for not speaking immediately. "I needed something from the Celsius, and hung out on it for a bit. Rikku was on the beach when I left the ship, and she talked for a while, then fell asleep." She hoped she sounded convincing, and she was partly truthful, Rikku did talk a fair bit before falling asleep. She noticed the subtle lift of Lulu's eyebrow, knowing that the older woman had probably picked up on the little white lie, but Wakka seemed oblivious, the man half asleep as he held the black mage.
Yuna giggled softly and nodded. "Yeah, she does that sometimes, huh? Thank you for not leaving her on the beach." Paine sighed with relief internally, Yuna at least had bought it, and she knew that right now that was most important to Rikku. Looking over to the hut that she and Rikku had been given, she nodded to Yuna and smiled lightly, moving about the edge of the firelight to head to the hut.
"I wouldn't have left her there Yuna. I've carried you down from falling asleep on the deck, not going to leave her in the cold sand when she's still not quite one hundred percent." Paine quietly chastised the former summoner, hiding a smile when she spotted Yuna's blush, Lulu and Wakka laughing softly. "See you in the morning." She quietly spoke, excusing herself from further conversation with the small group as she slipped into the hut. Pausing in the doorway, she stood still for a few moments, letting her eyes readjust to the dim lighting. Outside she heard the muffled murmuring of the others, it trailing off into mostly silence as she listened to the group move to Lulu and Wakka's home, letting the nighttime sounds of the jungle creep in. Over the soft crackle of the last bits of the fire mingled the sounds of bugs and frogs in the night, the occasional interruption of a bird. Closing her eyes, Paine focused on the sounds around her, furrowing her brow slightly as she pinpointed a strange bit of silence. Turning her head slightly, she opened her eyes again, looking at the wall of the hut that was closest to the temple, frowning faintly as she considered the quiet.
"You gonna stand here all night or are we going to lay down?" Rikku's soft voice startled Paine from her thoughts, Paine starting a little and glancing down to Rikku, an eyebrow raising slightly, Rikku giggling lightly, she looking still mostly asleep as she gently held to Paine's shawl.
"Hush. You're lucky I didn't leave you on the beach." Paine quietly teased, smiling as she arched an eyebrow slightly, moving over to Rikku's bed, crouching slightly as she moved to set Rikku down. Tilting her head slightly as Rikku didn't seem inclined to let go of her shawl, she gently rested one hand on either side of Rikku's shoulders, looking down to the woman below her. Rikku quietly looked up to the warrior, her hands curled in their hold on Paine, cheeks flushing softly with color.
"Stay with me?" She quietly asked, a little bit of a tremble to her voice as she let go of Paine with one hand so she could tug her scarf off before tugging her bandanna off and letting her hair a little more loose, squirming slightly to get her boots off, two soft thuds heard on the floor as they fell. Paine's cheeks colored faintly, Rikku's smile growing a little at being able to get such a visible reaction from the woman. She was nervous asking Paine to do this, a little voice in the back of her head scolding her for leaping so quickly to such a thing, but right now, there wasn't much more that she wanted in the world than to have Paine lay with her for the night. She held her breath somewhat as she waited for an answer, her eyes quietly searching Paine's.
This wasn't quite what she expected today, Paine's thoughts falling into a confused jumble as she looked down to Rikku, eyes long adjusted to the dim lighting and able to easily see the woman below her. She watched as Rikku pulled her scarf away, eyes having followed it's motion and watched it pool on the floor. Looking back to the thief, she stayed stock still in her position half crouched, thoughts in her mind crying for dominance. A few more base, almost bestial thoughts crept into her head, shooed away by the slowly growing strength of reason, reminders to take care with what she was doing whispered in her head. Her old habits built up to protect herself grumbled in the background, calling her a fool for ignoring them and doing what her heart pleaded. Her heart spoke loudest, having gained confidence and strength the more she listened, and the butterflies fluttered in her chest again. A quirk of a smile touched her lips as she shook her head slightly. "How could I say no?" She murmured, her heart giving a little victorious cry as she was rewarded for her answer with a wide, happy smile from Rikku. Pulling back just slightly, she undid her shawl and let it drop over the scarf on the floor, her long boots soon making their own thudding sound on the floor as she knelt on the bed and leaned over Rikku slightly, both women pausing as the thought of exactly how they were going to lay hit both of their minds at once. Rikku moved a little toward the edge of the bed, Paine somewhat automatically moving over the 'Bhed to lay behind her, reaching out and wrapping one arm around Rikku, gently pulling her back closer to her, the blond's back resting against her chest. Rikku rested her hand over Paine's, threading her fingers with hers, holding Paine's hand to her breastbone as she took a slow, deep breath, closing her eyes and exhaling in a soft, happy sounding sigh.
"Thank you..." Rikku murmured, smiling as she felt Paine nosing lightly to the back of her neck again, the warrior moving herself about a little until Rikku spooned nicely against her form, Rikku thanking the fact she was shorter than Paine. She got a mumbled 'mmhmm' in response, Rikku giggling softly but letting it be at that. Paine seemed to busy herself with softly nosing to Rikku, lightly nudging the blond hair aside so she could better brush her lips against skin, it really nothing more than an idle, caring touch, she softly resting her forehead against the back of Rikku's head after a little, stilling her motions and laying quietly.
Silence once again fell on the two women as it did on the beach, but where words weren't needed there, one phrase was constantly repeating itself in Paine's mind. She pushed it back, wanting to leave it for the moment, this only seemed to make it pipe up louder, Paine finally sighing softly. "Rikku...?" She quietly asked, the blond having laid still through Paine's shifting around, her breathing slow and even, making Paine wonder if she was even awake.
It took a moment, but Rikku turned her head slightly, opening one eye. "Hmm?" She sounded a little like she was half asleep, but her open eye showed enough awareness. Paine tightened her hold on her a little, faintly biting the inside of her cheek for a moment.
"I know it probably goes without saying, but, I have to say it, or I'll never be able to live with myself if I don't and something happens..." Paine spoke, recalling the strange silence around the island's temple and quietly dreading the next days events, thoughts of the strange machina seen in the spheres lingering in her mind as well. Rikku frowned slightly at Paine's words, picking up a little on the worry in the other woman's tone, turning a little more to look to Paine's face, worry in her eyes as she tensed a bit. Paine mentally cursed herself for having to babble out her reason for speaking, she certainly didn't want to have worried Rikku. Offering her a smile that was genuine despite the mental scolding she gave herself, she cleared her throat lightly, her cheeks coloring in the dim light of the room. "...I love you, Rikku."
Relaxing as Paine continued and brushed away the worries that had abruptly bubbled up inside of her, Rikku felt the upwelling of emotion at finally hearing those three simple words, the rest of the world abruptly meaning virtually nothing as Rikku tightened her grip on Paine's hand to nearly crushing. A soft tremble ran down her back as she looked into Paine's eyes, the sound of what Paine had just said echoing in her mind. It seemed as if Paine were playing the thief for once, stealing words from Rikku, but after a long moment of looking into Paine's eyes, she smiled brightly, unable to prevent the happy laugh that escaped. "Oh Paine...E muja oui.." The words just wouldn't come out in anything but Al-bhed, but Paine understood, and when Rikku replied, she couldn't help but smile as she tightened her hold and leaned in to nuzzle her cheek lightly to Rikku's. Rikku made a soft, cheerful, almost animal like sound, Paine laughing very softly, her laughter a low and deep sound that was in complete opposite to Rikku's.
"Boy, that feels a little anti-climatic, doesn't it?" She quietly mumbled, the giddiness of relief at finally saying it making the warrior woman smile despite her best efforts, it seeming to have a similar effect on Rikku, Paine shaking her head a little and softly pressing her face to the cascade of blond in front of her.
Giggling, Rikku shrugged a little, letting her head fall back to the pillow as she looked across the room, her cheeks flaring with a blush. "We'll get to a climax later." She teased, squeaking when Paine lightly pinched her collarbone and mumbled a soft 'naughty' against her neck, Rikku just giggling again as she let her eyes drift closed. "It's...better than anything else I've ever heard in my entire life, Paine. It doesn't need a fanfare, my heart's jumping around enough as is...E muja oui, E muja oui, E muja oui..." She repeated a few times, her voice trailing off to silence as she held Paine's arm tightly around her, Paine intent on holding Rikku tightly to her.
"I love you too Rikku..." Paine replied, letting her words trail off with nothing more said, keeping the words that finally were spoken as the last things said to help usher them into sleep. Both women let out quiet, relaxed and happy sighs as they nestled together, the island night warm enough to negate the need for a sheet or blanket, any worries of the current times far from their thoughts, their world consisting of each other, and very little else. Paine smiled against Rikku's shoulder as she felt the blond drift off to sleep again, closing her eyes and shifting just slightly, she too soon fast asleep.
Author's Noteage: It ocured to me that it might not be so clear as to where in the 'game' we're at. I don't jive with the thought that everything takes place in a week or a few days, when I think of these worlds, things take -time-. In my timeline and head for how things go when I write in here and in 'Life In Luca' with the OC's, for example, Yuna's pilgrimage took nearly a year and a half to complete, to me, when I sort things out to make it fit better in a story sense. The character's age at the end of that is what they list in the guide books or what have you. Yuna being 17 at the end of her pilgrimage, 19 now. Rikku 15 back then, 17 now. (Yuna's the old lady, Paine's 18) Obviously, age isn't as much of a factor in some things in Spira as it might be here. Where Rikku rambles on about how Al-bhed are more or less accepting of same sex relationships, she categorizes it in how they knew that at any moment they could easily die thanks to Sin. Sin's presence in Spira made people grow up a lot faster than one would usually, on top of saving the world and all, so I really don't want to hear it about how they're 'just teenagers', because no, they're not aside of their actual age.
'Ruby and Emerald' starts at the end of chapter 2 after fighting Baralai and Dark Bahamut inside of Bevelle, and I went back and changed the first paragraph of chapter 1 to better reflect this, so if you've archived it or have it saved, you may wish to go and recollect chapter 1. We're lingering at the beginning of chapter 3 if you chose to go to Besaid as the 'hotspot'. I obviously didn't have fiends pour out of the temples all over the place after Dark Bahamut, I need some drama and build up thank you. ;) Things will continue to follow the main story line, though, no worries.
And I -really- want to babble about potions and how I think they and white magic work but that would make this -way- too long. I'll get to explaining it in the next chapter of 'Life In Luca' if you really want to know, go look there. Uh, when I put it up. Hee.
Al-bhed translation:
'meddma dreav' 'little thief'
'E muja oui' 'I love you'
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