This Is My Story
Chapter Seven
The date had gone better than I ever could have hoped. Even the small setbacks and embarrassing moments had simply added to the experience. My favorite part by far had been the dance we shared... I'd never in my life felt as comfortable as I had while swaying back and forth in her arms. She was so absolutely beautiful, both inside and out, which mixed nicely with the thrill taken from her hidden predatory nature.
A girl could really fall for a woman like Amara...
-
Mission Four: Take a Chance (cont)
-
“Excuse me,” a man's voice said, clearing his throat nervously. I swore that if he was just some fan asking for an autograph I would beat him half to death. Slowly, almost painfully, I pulled away from Amara and turned to see a man in a sharp gray business suit.
“Can I help you?” I asked, making no attempt to hide my irritation.
“I don't know what type of establishment you think this is, Miss...” he practically choked on his words when he realized who I was. He looked to be struggling with himself quite a bit, it was obvious what was coming. “Well, who you are doesn't change the fact that I'm going to have to ask you to leave. This type of behavior isn't...”
“Behavior? You mean dancing and maybe sharing a romantic kiss or two? Funny, last time I was here there were lots of people were doing the exact same thing and nobody seemed to care.”
“That's different...”
“How?” The simple question surprised the man more than I had thought it would.
“I... well... that's...” I shook my head sadly.
“What about all of you?” I asked, sweeping my gaze across the people seated at the tables. “Do you all feel the same? Do you think we don't belong here?” Amara tried to pull away, but I held her hand tight. I returned my gaze to the man and looked at him questioningly. “What's wrong? Nothing to say for yourself?” The man tried to grasp the words but couldn't find them. “How sad... your hate is so petty you can't even bring yourself to defend it. Let's go, Amara, I promised you a ride on the Celsius, didn't I?” I walked with Amara over to the table, bumping into Linna who was just coming out of the kitchen.
“Oh, Lady Yuna, are you...” she looked around, noticing that all the eyes in the room were on us.
“We're being kicked out.”
“Oh no, why?” she asked, honestly surprised. I gave the woman the warmest smile I could manage.
“Don't worry about it. I'm glad we bumped into you though, I wanted to thank you for your wonderful service and hospitality,” I said warmly, reaching into the small pouch hidden in my dress and handed her a couple hundred gil. “That should cover the bill and our gratitude, have a nice evening, Linna.”
“Oh, Lady Yuna, this is far too much!” she called out after us, I simply waved at her over my shoulder as the machina hummed to life and carried us down to the lobby. On the way down I changed back into the Psychic Dressphere I had began the night in, finding it much more appropriate considering what had happened. I managed to keep my composure as we walked through the crowded room and out the doors... but not one step further.
“Rikku...” I hiccuped into the communicator, tears already sliding down my cheeks
“Yunie?”
“C-Can you come pick us up at the Luca Square?”
“Yunie, are you crying? What's wrong?!”
“Just come, please,” I said quietly before shutting off the device. “I'm so sorry, Amara... I ruined everything didn't I?”
“Yuna...”
“I just had to go and push my luck...”
“Yuna,” she tried again, my mind barely registering her voice.
“But everything was going so well and it felt so wonderful dancing with you. You're fur is so soft and warm and...”
“Yuna!” she shouted, grabbing me by the shoulders and forcing me to look at her. “Amara is proud of Yuna's bravery! Did what Amara never dare! Dinner and talking and dancing were best Amara ever have...” Her hands went slack on my shoulders before slowly pulling me against her. “Yuna is brave and strong and kind and... and beautiful,” she murmured, bringing her hands up to hold my face, using her thumbs to brush away my tears. “Amara never think would wear dress, would dance to music with woman so wonderful... Amara never think could feel so...” We were drifting together again, I could feel my eyes slowly beginning to close as our lips drew close enough to...
“Lady Yuna! Please wait a moment.” I could feel Amara pull away, leaving me hovering with lips slightly pursed. I just barely managed to keep from groaning in frustration as I turned to face the woman. My irritation melted away at the sight of Linna who was a little red in the face.
“Are you okay, Linna?” She looked like she was trying to smile at me, but kind of got stuck between there and a nervous frown.
“Yes! Well... no... I don't know.”
“What happened?” She turned her head away.
“I kind of quit or... got fired I guess,” the redhead said sheepishly.
“Oh no... because of me?”
“When he told me what happened... I kind of called him a pompous pile of Shoopuff droppings...”
“Oh... damn it, this isn't what I wanted! I'm so sorry, Linna!” She shook her head.
“No no, don't blame yourself, that was a terrible thing to do, I wouldn't want to work there anyway after that.”
“Does Yuna see?” Amara asked. I turned to look at her curiously.
“See what? How I messed up someone's...” She shook her head.
“Yuna make people think. Think about world, think about self. See man's face when Yuna ask why was different?” I thought about it for a moment, then nodded.
“I know... that's the whole reason I decided not to hide who I am in the first place but...”
“Painful,” Amara said knowingly. Of course she understood, probably better than anybody I'd ever met.
“And not just for me either,” I said, glancing sadly at Linna. “I'm so sorry you got caught up in all of this.” The woman smiled and waved it away.
“I already told you, don't worry about it, I'll be fine. To be honest I never really liked being a hostess anyway, I'll take working in the kitchen any day.”
“You cook?”
“I wasn't professionally trained or anything, but yeah, I get by alright,” she said.
“Do you know how to mix drinks and all that stuff?” I asked, a smile appearing on my face as an idea began to form.
“A little bit. Why?” the redhead asked curiously.
“How would you like a job?”
“You know a place that's hiring?” My smile grew even wider as the Celsius descended into the square.
“I happen to know for a fact that there's three women on that ship who can't cook to save their lives and would just love to have you.”
“You don't mean...”
“Yuuuuuuuuuuunieeeeeee!” Rikku's voice called out as the girl came running full tilt down the exit ramp before the ship had even touched down. The next thing I knew she had tackled me to the ground and was checking me over head to toe. “Who did it? What happened? Who's this girl? Lookin' good Amara! Are you okay? Who needs their butt kicked?” the blonde ranted, not even pausing for breath.
“Rikku!” I finally shouted, pushing her off of me. “I'm okay now, don't worry.”
“What in Spira happened?! You scared the crap out of us!”
“We got kicked out of the restaurant... ”
“What?!”
“We were dancing... and I went to kiss her and... the owner told us to leave.”
“Those bastards!” Rikku shouted, leaping to her feet. “Well, I know of somebody who's getting an autograph... on their freaking spleen!”
“Not needed,” Amara said, laughter rumbling in her throat.
“What do you mean?” Rikku huffed, still looking ready to tear the place down to the bolts.
“Yuna give something to think about. People have look inside self now, see ugly hate and learn.” Rikku looked at the Ronso woman curiously for a moment.
“I don't get it.” Amara's shoulders slumped. “You mean Yunie gave 'em a piece of her mind, right?” Amara nodded. “Well alright then... but they're lucky!”
“Rikku...”
“Um... I guess I'll be going then,” Linna murmured, obviously unsure of what to do. Rikku seemed to really notice the woman for the first time.
“Hey, who's this?” she asked, looking the woman up and down before smiling deviously. “Yunie... not even done with the first date and you're already angling for some group action... naughty girl!”
“Rikku!” I shouted, burying my face in my hands.
“See why Yuna take embarrassment so well,” Amara said quietly. “Practice often.”
“Um... actually I...” Linna started nervously.
“She was the hostess at the Highwind. She quit when she heard what had happened to us,” I said, deciding to spare the woman any further embarrassment.
“Aww, that was sweet of you! Although it kinda sucks too I guess...”
“I asked her if she wanted to be the cook for the Celsius.”
“Really?!” Rikku shouted, jumping up and down and clapping excitedly. “No more of Yunie's 'Soggy Slimy Pasta' or Paine's 'Greasy Soup Special'?”
“Or Rikku's 'Unidentifiable Quivering Black Lump',” I muttered, casting her a foul look. “Actually, she hasn't agreed to...” Rikku hadn't been paying attention and was already dragging the poor woman towards the ship, telling her where she would be sleeping and about the best way to get the shower at a good temperature.
“Yuna has good friend,” Amara said as she helped me up, her laughter rumbling loudly in her throat.
“I don't know what I'd do without them...”
--
“I couldn't help it! Nothing stands between a girl and good food!” Rikku whined.
“You scared the poor woman half to death. We'll be lucky if she's there when we come to pick her up,” Paine shot back.
“Why wouldn't she be?”
“Fear of being molested by you for one thing.”
“Oh you're just jealous or something,” Rikku said, sticking her tongue out before turning to me. “Help me out, Yunie!” she pleaded.
“I think she'll come, she was just a little starstruck. She nearly fainted when she saw Amara and me,” I said, giggling a little at the memory. I noticed the two of them had gone quiet and looked up to see Paine trying to signal Rikku to do something but the blonde obviously wasn't catching on.
“Rikku, don't you remember that thing you found?”
“What thing?” Paine slapped a hand to her head. I figured the two had planned something, I simply wasn't going to spare them the embarrassment.
“The thing up on the deck...” Paine said through clenched teeth, winking several times. It finally seemed to click.
“Oh! Oh that's right! Hey Yunie, I noticed something kinda stuck in the hull up on the Deck, I was wondering if you could go up there and try to knock it loose. Hey, maybe you could take Amara with you?” I tried not to laugh at the weak attempt as I pushed away from the wall I'd been leaning on and took Amara's hand.
“Come on, the view is even better from up there.” I noticed her hand was gripping mine tighter than it had the rest of the night. “You okay?”
“Are... are sure will not fall off,” she said in a small, almost whimpering voice as we boarded the elevator. I blinked a few times as the realization set in and then smiled at her reassuringly.
“Don't worry, it's perfectly safe... but even if you did fall I'd be sure to fly down and catch you,” I said with a wink that set her cheek fur trembling. I made my way out onto the Deck, grinning as I waited patiently for her to step out onto the platform area.
“Amara hopes thing is not close to side...” she said nervously. I chuckled and leaned against her shoulder. “What funny?”
“There's nothing stuck in the ship, they just wanted to give us an excuse to come up here. I'm not sure what they're planning but I'm certain it...” I was interrupted by the spotlights firing up and angling down to shine on the platform. The speakers then began to whine, a horrible shrill sound that forced us to cover our ears for protection.
“Ack! Sorry girls!” Rikku's voice rang out. “Still not sure how to work all of this stuff.” The sounds of her and Paine arguing about which button to push could be heard for a few moments before Red String Butterfly began wafting softly out of the speakers. “There we go! You don't need to worry about being kicked off of this dance floor here... unless Paine crashes us into something. Owie! Don't pinch me you little... anyway, enjoy yourselves! Oh I'm am so going to...” The feed cut off and we were left standing amid the gentle music.
“Aww, their execution may have been lousy, but this is wonderful!” I shouted, stepping out into the spotlight and motioning for her to join me. With a nervous smile she stepped forward and slipped her arms around my neck. I melted into the embrace, her warm fur seeming even more inviting as the chilly wind whipped around us.
“So, how am I doing so far with this whole dating thing?” I asked, burying my face into her neck as we rocked slowly back and forth.
“Impress with Ronso fighting, best meal Amara ever eat, see courage Amara never see, dance with beautiful woman in sky... Amara never forget night with Yuna.” Our eyes locked together, hints of longing passing from one to another and back again. I pulled away slightly and looked from one side to the other.
“I don't think anyone's going to interrupt us this time,” I said with a smile, standing up on my tip toes to press our lips together...
–
“Amara should go!” she said, backing away from me fearfully.
“Why? Did I do something wrong?” I asked desperately, the sudden shift in mood making me nervous.
“Not Yuna, is Amara fault... never should have worn dress...” she said somberly.
“I don't understand, what's wrong?”
“Amara will always be grateful for Yuna's kindness... was best night of life...” she said, tears streaming into the fur of her cheeks as she turned and leaped off the ship, landing gracefully on the ground and hurrying into the Travel Agency.
“What did I do?” I whispered to the empty air. I wouldn't have long to wonder before the hatch opened behind me as Rikku and Paine ran out onto the deck.
“What happened, Yunie? Why did she leave in such a hurry?”
“I... I don't know. Everything was fine until we landed, then I asked her what she wanted to do now and she got really scared and ran off...”
“Maybe she wanted to... you know, but was worried about how to ask you?” Paine offered.
“I don't know... she said something about her dress though...”
“Her dress?” Rikku asked, quirking one eyebrow.
“Yeah, she said that she never should have worn it.” I thought about it for a moment, remembering how it had been carefully wrapped and put away. “I have to go talk her,” I said, heading for the elevator.
“Are you sure that's a good idea, Yunie?” Rikku asked. “You might upset her more than she already is.” I shook my head.
“I have to try, if I just let her go now, I might never see her again!”
“Just be careful, Yuna, and call us if you need anything,” Paine said, nodding to me as the door closed. I hurried out of the ship and into the Agency, a small sense of relief striking me when I saw nobody was watching the counter. I slipped into the side area and approached her door, taking a deep breath before knocking lightly on the wood.
“Amara, are you in there?”
“Go away,” answered her miserable voice.
“I just want to talk. We had such a wonderful night, I don't want it to end like this.”
“Not want talk, Amara make things worse...”
“You haven't made anything bad at all, I'm just worried about you.”
“Amara is fool... Amara not deserve be Ronso again, deserve exile... Yuna should go.” The defeated sound in her voice alone nearly made me want to cry. I tried the knob, determined not to let her torture herself, and cursed upon finding the door locked. I sighed and leaned my head against the frame.
“Please don't talk like that, you're an incredible woman Amara.” I waited, but there was no response. “Amara?” Again nothing, not even the sound of her sniffling. I chewed my lip nervously for a moment until an idea struck me. I looked around cautiously before summoning the Thief Dressphere around my body and pulling out the small set of lock picking tools from a pouch. I knew I probably shouldn't be doing something so criminal but fear was outweighing conscience by a wide margin. It took a few minutes, but eventually the lock clicked and the door swung open. Amara lifted herself from the pillow she'd had her face pressed into and locked me in her nervous gaze.
“How did...”
“Thief,” I said simply, pocketing my tools and closing the door behind me. “I'm sorry about all this, but I just couldn't leave things like they were. What's going on, Amara?” She looked at me with such a pained and pitiful expression that I wanted to just run over to the bed and wrap her up in my arms but I resisted out of fear of upsetting her further.
“Should not say, will hurt Yuna...” she murmured, lifting up so she could sit on the edge of the bed.
“Is it something about your dress? You can tell me, whatever it is, I promise not to get upset.” She stiffened visibly for a moment before settling down into a slumped posture, seemingly resigned to speaking with me.
“Dress is special to Ronso, wear only one time in life before pass on to cub...”
“Why do you only wear it once?” I asked, swallowing hard over a lump in my throat.
“Is only for special day... day Ronso woman is married...”
“It's a wedding dress... and you wore it because of me. Amara, I'm so sorry, if I had known...” She shook her head.
“Amara is happy could look nice for Yuna.”
“Not just nice, you look beautiful... so beautiful.”
“Yuna...” she looked at me sadly, wringing her hands together nervously. “Amara... always hope one day return to mountain and... take Nuvy Ronso as mate if ever become able.” My heart melted at the glimpse of the desperate hope she was keeping inside.
“What can we do to fix this?” I asked.
“Is sacred law, cannot fix.”
“Well, what exactly does the law say? Maybe we can think of something.”
“Say one Ronso may only wear once in lifetime on day is married. Must share dance and... at end of day only mate may remove dress to seal marriage. If marriage not succeed then dress is shamed and can never use for marriage again by any Ronso.”
“Oh... well...” I wracked my brain for anything that could help the situation. I just knew there had to be some way to salvage the situation, the night had been too wonderful to let it end like this. I tried to recall all that I could about Ronso traditions from what little I'd learned from Kimahri but was coming up blank. I hadn't even known he had been an Exile until a year and a half ago. It wasn't until recently that he even talked about... that's when it hit me. “Amara, you're not a Ronso right now!” I shouted happily, remembering what Kimahri had said at the Blitzball tournament.
“Not something be happy for...” she said, turning away miserably.
“Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that,” I said, wanting to slap myself for saying something so rude. “What I mean is, Exiles aren't thought to be Ronsos, Kimahri told me that at the tournament. If... when you're able to go back, you would be a Ronso again and could...”
“Dress would still be shamed, failed in marriage...” I swallowed hard, trembling at the thought of what I was about to suggest.
“It... it doesn't have to...”
–
To be continued...