Broken [Closed, In Progress]
WHO: Red X and Rikku
WHAT: A thieves' reunion under... unexpected circumstances
WHERE: X's suite
WHEN: Sunday night
( The mask can't hold forever... )
WHAT: A thieves' reunion under... unexpected circumstances
WHERE: X's suite
WHEN: Sunday night
( The mask can't hold forever... )
What she wasn't capable of was figuring out just why his apology for doing all that shit stung more than it appeased. But a little below the surface, she knew it hadn't been just an apology to her, and if there was one thing constant about the Al Bhed it was that she was a possessive, jealous creature at times and had never been the best at sharing. But she forced herself to see that he wasn't hers to share, that she had no claim, that they were just business partners, and so she told herself she was over it because then this would be so much easier. She could get in, give him the potion, wait until he fell asleep, and then get out. It'd be easy, and then she could go back to her garage and stay up all night fiddling with machina and wondering just why she was such a stupid person.
So easy, in theory.
Trotting down the street towards his house which was really a penthouse, she was able to just concentrate on the matter at hand as she listened to the constant beat of her shoes hitting pavement. The messenger bag slung over her shoulder thumped a steady rhythm on her thigh, easily felt beneath the tight black spandex shorts she had opted for. An orange, sleeveless cropped-top hanging off her shoulders and black fingerless gloves made a rather modest outfit for her, but if she had to haul ass out of there, she wanted to be prepared. It was odd, she thought idly as she hitched the bag higher on her shoulder, not to have her arms covered. She almost felt too exposed, which would have been ironic to anyone else. After all, those bows weren’t just for show; there were certain rules of Al Bhed society that needed to be followed, and Shiva knew she had more than enough thin, almost invisible scars tracing up and down her arms to make people stare if they got too close, but that was what happened when you had been working in a garage since you had been a kid; sometimes, you just got in the way and things went wrong. But there were worse things in the world, and it wasn't as if any of her people were around to reprimand her, so she figured it would be alright.
Soon enough she was in the building, riding the elevator up to his floor, hoping she hadn't screwed up the directions; she was so horrible with those, and was completely useless at using maps. But then there was the room number, and her fist hovered over the door as she debated whether or not to knock. What if he was sleeping? The meds he was on were sure to have knocked him out at some point. But, seeing no alternative save picking the lock which would have been rather inappropriate because he was another thief, she gently rapped her knuckles against the doorframe.
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So, about a half-minute after she knocked on the door, X, quickly checking the peephole to make sure it was her, swung open the door and put on his best smile for her.
"Hey, Rikku. Are you ever a sight for sore eyes."
He looked like a wreck: his skin was paler than usual, his movements were jerky, missing all of their natural grace, his eyes were bloodshot, and his usual devil-may-care air was replaced by a sense of weariness and pain. Still, though, there was a bright glimmer of happiness in his eyes as he saw her.
"Glad to see you're alright. Thanks for coming."
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And then when he opened the door and she saw him there, everything rapidly flipped around and suddenly she was there to make him feel better, because he sure as hell needed it.
Automatically, she reached out with gloved hands to grip his arms and steady him. He was horribly, terribly freezing cold, but she was the one shaking as she stood there in the doorway, just staring at him. "You look like you were just run over by a bus," she said without thinking; the words just popped out of her mouth. A split second later, she didn't wish to take it back, but wished that the comparison wasn't so accurate.
Shaking her head a little, she shuffled the rest of the way inside and kicked the door shut behind her, reaching back quickly with one hand to lock it. In this condition, there was no telling who could be after him, and the movement was more compulsion than anything. "Anytime. Cfaadc, what did you do?" she mumbled, though she already knew the answer. Her pixie face was rumpled by a worried frown, and she was sure that up close he could see the dark circles under her eyes, but she didn't care. She was due for a fourteen-hour-crash anytime. But later. Now, he needed her, and that was her foremost thought.
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Though there was that one guy with the suit that made him hit like a bus. Not that he was about to tell her that.
"It was a lot more fun, since I got to hit back."
He managed not to wince into the smile as her hands gripped his arms. The suit was operated by a neuro-interface, so when the blowback hit, it hit all of his nerves, making him incredibly sensitive everywhere. Which, when he thought about it, might've been fun-- especially with Rikku-- were it not for the fact that his body ached like hell on the inside and felt raw as if his own skin had been flayed off of him on the outside. The Vicodin had done enough to make clothes and light human contact bearable.
But, then, this was Rikku. He could take it. Besides, it was... nice. Seeing her again. Seeing her whole, no limp, no maybe not smiling, but... okay. Rikku was okay.
"Got found. Bound to happen sooner or later, I guess. Just didn't think they'd pull out the stops like they did.
"Come on. Sofa's comfy, if you don't mind the fact that I'll probably collapse on it. Just tell me if you'd rather more room, though."
Which, of course, would be the bed. And almost any other time, he would have said it outright, a playful grin on his face. But she was worried, and he felt like hell, and a stunt like that was probably the last thing either of them needed. So, if she chose it, sure, that'd work, he just... didn't want her to misinterpret and slug him in the jaw. Because that would really have sucked, right about now.
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Because the second she'd seen him, really seen him, she knew she wouldn't be able to just duck out once he'd fallen asleep. In this state, she didn't think he'd appreciate waking up alone, because she knew she'd have thrown a fit if such a thing happened to her. It just wasn't right, even by her less-than-moral standards. The blonde girl was already preparing herself mentally for a long night of sitting up against the wall, drinking caffeine and making sure he didn't regain consciousness before he was supposed to.
And, of course, all the psychological steeling was shattered when she read between the lines and he almost subtly suggested that they make their way to the bed.
Which, in all honesty, wasn't a half bad idea.
"C'mon," she sighed, keeping the half-grin on her lips. Still, she rolled her eyes and began leading him towards the bedroom, making sure to walk slowly and keep her fingers just feather-light on his skin. She had the feeling that he was in a lot more pain than he was letting on, and she didn't feel like making it any worse. She gave a moment’s pause before offering a half-assed explanation, though he probably already knew it. "It'll be better for you, and easier for me. To keep an eye on you."
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Which was the truth. He had to, after all. They had better tech, and they outnumbered him four to one. Only his experience and cunning had saved him from being dead instead of just messed up. And here he thought Reggio Calabria was the only place for freaks. It was starting to look like super-powered freaks were going to start popping up just about everywhere...
Something like a blush-- which he'd never admit to-- crossed his cheeks. This was not how he usually invited girls to his bed, and never before when he'd done so had he felt so... pathetic. Yes, he'd been through hell. Yes, she was here to help. No, he shouldn't find this so embarrassing-- after all, everyone screwed up sometime. But this was the side of him he so rarely let others see-- weak, vulnerable, human. Not exactly the shining paragon of an attractive male.
"I-- yeah. Thanks."
When they reached the bed-- luxurious, silk sheets, the works, just like everything else he had, because he had the money, and damned if he wasn't going to enjoy it-- it took all the willpower he had not to flop down on it, just letting his legs give under him. Instead he turned and sat down on it, taking a steadying breath before smiling up at her.
"So, how've you been?"
She was worried, just like Kairi had been. And even if she was here to help, he could see her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. It'd be easier for her to genuinely smile if she were distracted a bit from his condition.
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In a word, his embarrassment amused her. It was so blatantly plain that he was uncomfortable, and she wondered just how many girls had been in his room-certainly none in this manner, she was sure. Honestly, how many times could a guy get his ass kicked and have a pretty girl there to play nurse? But by the looks of this apartment and his bed alone, she answered her own question-as many times as he damn well pleased. She quickly sent her mind elsewhere, because that was not a train of thought she wanted to see to the end.
Her overactive imagination was really going to come back and bite her in the ass one day, no question.
Watching him take a seat (really, who just sat on a bed like that?) made her mentally wince, but she made sure to keep her face calm, almost serene. When in doubt, smile. Not that she was in doubt, but it sure seemed as if he was-and that wouldn't do at all. If he wanted small talk, she would give it to him. But that didn't mean she couldn't be productive at the same time.
The young thief slipped the bag from her shoulder and she began rooting around inside as she spoke, perched on the edge of the bed next to him. "Working, breathing, eating. Not much sleeping going on, though. The usual." There might have been just a tiny bit of suggestive nuance in her voice, and maybe she was just prodding him a little bit because she could, but her thoughts were already elsewhere and it was already out of her mouth, so oh well. She had said much worse, and now was not the time to begin caring about whether her mental filter was deteriorating. Yellow-polished fingers pulled out a few small vials full of clear liquid, all marked in Al Bhed, and she laid each between them on the mattress. A scant barrier, though she'd never admit that to herself. "I don't need to ask the same, huh?"
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At the sleeping bit, his smile did gain just a little bit of a playful edge, and a devilish glint may just have come to his eye. Tempting. So very tempting. However raw his nerves were.
"Not getting much sleep, though? Never would have figured that would be a problem for you."
And, naturally, the second he decided maybe he could fight through how badly screwed up he was, his body decided to give out on him, the arms holding him up surrendering, and, suddenly, he was flat on his back, staring at the ceiling instead of Rikku. Wonderful. Well, at least the bed was soft.
With a frustrated sigh, X rolled himself onto his side so he was facing Rikku, brow furrowed and mouth screwed up into an unhappy, almost childish pout.
"Sorry. Still not used to this."
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Her smile only grew, turning almost-but-not-quite devious. "I tend to spend my nights being more productive than most. I'm due for a fourteen hour crash any day now." That was more accurate than she cared to admit-she had accumulated about ten hours of sleep over the past week, which was not (and she knew this very well) healthy at all. But there were other things to do, places to go, jobs to be done, and those were her priorities.
The second he fell she was blinking rapidly, her mind not catching up quick enough to figure out why she was no longer looking at X, but rather the wall that had been behind him. Then spiraled jade eyes flicked to his prone form on the bed and she let out a little sigh; she should've known he couldn't have lasted much longer. She'd been far too preoccupied with picking out the right ingredients and had completely missed his faltering demeanor.
"No worries, it'll just take me a second to get this right." Mentally kicking herself, she gathered up the vials and quickly began combining them into a larger one. A little of this, a little of that-just enough to keep him going for a few days, until she could get more components. He was probably costing her a small fortune right then, but she didn't know of anyone else in the city-except maybe Lulu-who could do this for him.
Soon enough the bigger vial was half full, and she gave a satisfied smile. Tossing the smaller beakers into her bag, she held the potion with one hand and slipped the other underneath his shoulders, lifting him up from the bed just enough so he could swallow it, trying her best to be gentle. "I hope you like peaches," she said almost cheerily as she held the vial to his lips. "Now drink."
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"Yeah, and your mornings and afternoons, too."
X, when he wasn't like this, was usually up from dusk to dawn, sleeping sometime-- it varied between morning and afternoons-- while the sun was up, because he liked his sleep, and, really, he didn't have an occupation beyond thievery. And even if her own sleeping habits worried him, as did how accident prone she seemed to be in the shop, he had to respect her ability to take it, and her drive to maintain two jobs the way she did. Next to her, despite the fact that he had pulled off more, he felt a little bit like an underachiever.
"Mm. I do now."
Holding himself as best he could with his arms-- which wasn't very well-- he smiled and accepted the medicine, no matter the taste, rather readily, though Rikku might have noticed that the whole time his eyes weren't focused on the vial at his lips, but on her eyes, and, when the medicine was gone, he murmured to her almost dreamily.
"You're amazing."
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"Daylight hours are reserved for the public," she chimed. "I've got a reputation to uphold, y'know." Not that it was the best reputation in the world-a hot-bodied mechanic who moonlighted as a thief. But she'd had worse in the past, and she was more than content to settle with this one for now. She still had half her life to come up with something else, after all.
For the first time in a while, she managed to maintain eye contact for longer than twenty seconds without flinching away or wondering if she was about to be shot. The only people she had ever been able to accomplish that around were Kairi and any member of her own race-now this boy. It was actually pretty intriguing to her subconscious, that she could give someone else such an enormous amount of trust. Such a thing was hard for any Al Bhed, and Rikku was no exception-she talked her way through society, messed around, went out for regular nights on the town; but connections were hard for her to make simply because of the way she had been raised. “Trust no one” was a basic lesson for any member of her race, and as the maytan’c daughter, it had been drilled into her head particularly hard.
Something akin to a blush flared across her tanned cheeks for a split second before she forced it away, carefully letting him lean back on the bed. "Not really," she mumbled. "It's basic training for... us." She turned then, pretending to busy herself with putting the vials back in order in her bag, wondering all the while just what the hell she was still doing there. Because there was no way she could manage to stick around without saying something horribly stupid, and it was only a matter of time now.
Almost as an afterthought, the blonde girl paused and looked over her shoulder, blonde hair swinging with the movement. "Did it taste alright?" Stupid remark number one, her mind threw at her.
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It was nice being here with her like this. Teasing back and forth. Admittedly, there would probably have been a lot more teasing-- much of it physical-- if he was well, but there would be time enough for that later. For now, he was enjoying what he had, and that was Rikku just being there with him.
He had to admit, though, as much as he liked her, he knew very little about her. It was a strange sort of reversal: usually, he was the mysterious one, keeping secrets with a dashing smile and a careless air. But her... her eyes, her language, her past... she had shrouded it all, even from him. And, just as he had used his mystery to lure women in before, so was she with her own.
'Us.'
Again with the mystery. It was a little frustrating, a little expected, and a lot intriguing.
"Somehow, I have a hard time believing you're not special, even among whoever 'us' is. And even if you aren't, you are to me."
He smiled and nodded almost absently in answer to her question, and, after a moment, his hand reached out to close over hers.
"Thank you."
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The blonde girl turned back just in time for him to grab her hand, and she had a split-second to remind herself that he was trustworthy. So she didn't flinch away, merely smiled back at him and gave another laugh. Because no, he didn't know much of anything about her, though it wasn't all that hard to find out if one was looking. But saving him the trouble of doing so seemed so much easier. His sweet-talking tone-which seemed to be more or less his default-didn’t hurt her decision at all.
"'Us' means the Al Bhed. My people." It was a long story, but she figured she could shorten it up for him. So the young thief settled herself on the edge of the mattress again, keeping her eyes locked on a point located in the middle of her right knee. She let out a slow breath of air that was more like a sigh than anything. "A... long time ago, there was a war. A religious war, between my people and basically everyone else. We don't hold the same beliefs as most other people, and it pissed them off. Plus, we've all got eyes like this and we're all blonde; some sort of genetic defect or something. But it made us easier to pick out from normal people. You wouldn’t believe how much our life-span was shortened because of the murder rate and the conditions we lived in.” But she was still alright-had a good ten or fifteen years to go. Not that he needed to know that.
“It ended up being a draw, more or less, but my people were outnumbered and banished to a place we learned to call Home." She puffed out a cheek and fidgeted a little; this wasn't an everyday thing for her, telling this story. Even the abridged version stung a little.
"A few years ago, Home was attacked by some radicals." She bit her bottom lip, looking away again and letting her hair fall over her shoulder to veil her face. "I'd gone away because I wanted to see the world. I went back just in time to see the whole place razed to the ground. Since then, we've all been nomads again. I came here because it seemed like a good place to start again." A rueful grin flicked over her lips, but she didn't know if he could see it. "And by 'start again,' I mean 'hang out for a year or two and then go to another big city.'"
And then the smile was back, the cheery one that said everything was okay and the past was the past. "But those are just memories, and that's all they are." There was a pause and then she offered: "You're welcome."
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"I'm sorry..."
What was that Kairi had said about him apologizing for things not his fault? Well, it didn't matter. Even if it wasn't his fault, even if she didn't need to hear it from anyone, especially him, somehow, he felt it needed to be said. Yes, he was a thief. But those he stole from were rich enough that it hardly made a dent in what they had. He never set out to ruin anyone. Perhaps, for a city like Reggio Calabria, he was too soft. But somehow, that completely cold, callous mentality of the guild had never quite managed to totally infect him.
Holding onto her hand lightly, X frowned a little, then looked back up at her, into her swirling eyes.
"You still planning to move somewhere new sooner or later?"
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The young thief's nose twitched and she bit the inside of her cheek. I'm sorry. How many times had she heard those words? Only Shiva knew. How many times had they been sincere? Certainly not enough. She could hardly even tell anymore when someone meant it, but here he was, and she was almost positive that he did mean it, was serious. It was more important to her than she was willing to admit, though he probably deserved to know.
Letting people in like this had never been easy; she loved to be loved-it was just the loving back part that made her stumble sometimes.
Rikku gave a half-shrug, mentally congratulating herself on maintaining eye contact once again. "I don't know. It would probably be in my best interest to pack up and skip town tonight. But there are a lot of things holding me here, more than my head likes to think about." Like her garage. And Kairi and Lulu. And him. Far too many connections. Another sigh left her lips, and she didn't even bother to hide it. "'Never attach yourself to someone you can't walk away from in a split second.' It's a basic rule in our lives. One I pretty much fail at following."
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He smiled lightly up at her. It was a practical rule. Also one he broke way too often for his own good. But, more and more, his own good seemed less and less important to him.
"I'm glad.
"To be honest, Rikku, rules like that... the Guild had them, too. Weren't spoken, but you kind of knew anyone in the guild or outside could backstab you for power or position or what you did at every turn. I didn't like it. Never did. But, well, you know what happened with that."
He laughed softly, and, with great effort, forced himself to sit up, though he maintained eye contact.
"You know, even with all that happened... because of you, and my other friends... I don't regret leaving. Not one bit. If I was still alone, I might... but I don't."
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