[Closed]

[tiny_tinker_toy]

Characters: Rikku and Sophie
Content: After the mess with Gippal, Rikku goes to her big sister for tea, girling, and advice.
Setting: Sophie's cabin
Time: Teatime, about a day after the Gippal Fiasco
Warnings: None

Comments

[madhattersophie]

Sophie knew that Rikku didn't like your typical strong black tea, and so had pulled out another tea for her, one with licorice. It was very sweet, and a little almost spicy, what with the cinnamon, almost too sweet for Sophie. But with a little milk, and a little sugar for Rikku, it would be perfect.

She'd run up to the kitchen to fetch hot water for the tea, and was just returning with the tray--milk, sugar, and teapot, as Rikku knocked on the door. "It's open," she smiled at Rikku, coming to a stop, her hands rather full. "And Turtle may come in, if you're willing to hold her."

She did not want another kitten attack on her room. She'd gotten cleaned up from the last litter Al had had on board, finally. It was nice to have a little semblance of order.

[tiny_tinker_toy]

Rikku pushed the door opening, holding both kitten and door so Sophie could get it. "Don't worry, she probably just wants cuddles anyway." Unlike someone she could name, stupid boy. "The second she attacks anything she'll get kicked out. You hear that, Turtle?" Turtle just meowed. "So what kinda tea is it, Sophie?"

[madhattersophie]

"Licorice spice," Sophie answered, deciding to magnanimously put aside the first statement until at least some tea was had. "Nice and sweet, just for you," she informed her friend, clearing off a space on her work table by shoving a neat stack of fabrics aside, and sliding the tray down in its place.

"Sorry there's not much room to sit." There was one chair, and the bed, and that was it. They'd manage, it was alright.

[tiny_tinker_toy]

"It's fine! I can relax on the floor." There was less stuff to distract Turtle with anyway.

Rikku plopped down, setting Turtle snugly in her lap. "And thanks, Sophie. I think I kinda need the stuff." She giggled nervously, rubbing at her temples. "Boys, I swear..."

[madhattersophie]

Once she judged the tea had steeped enough, at least for a first cup, Sophie poured two mugs, dropping a couple lumps of sugar in there for Rikku. "What happened anyway?" She asked, accompanying her question with Rikku's cup.

Sitting herself down in the chair, she leaned on the low back with her elbows, the steam from her tea rising up in front of her. "The both of you were marvelously unclear."

[tiny_tinker_toy]

"Both of us?" Rikku looked at Sophie, confused. "Whaddya mean...wait, is he complaining about me over the network too?!" Geez, who knew Gippal was such a girl? Taking the mug, Rikku blew on it, sulking.

[madhattersophie]

Sophie shrugged. It wasn't as if it wouldn't become common knowledge fairly quickly on a ship this small. "To be fair," Sophie put in delicately, before thinking better of it. It wouldn't help in any way to point out she'd done precisely the same thing.

"Anyway. What did happen?"

[tiny_tinker_toy]

With a sigh, Rikku explained the whole fiasco, leaving out the details surrounding Gippal getting shot.

"And when I tried to apologize," she finished, "he just sent me away after saying I'm too nosy and stuff. Even after I apologized and explained and everything."

[madhattersophie]

Oh dear. This did sound complicated. Sophie sighed, taking refuge in her tea. "Perhaps, Rikku," she mused after a moment, "He only needs time. It sounds like he's simply being stubborn. But then," she smiled a little, meaning it kindly. "He does seem a lot like you sometimes."

[tiny_tinker_toy]

"I'm not stubborn!" Rikku protested. "...Am I?" Maybe that was what had made Gippal angry. She frowned, taking another drink of the tea. "And we are a lot alike, but...I dunno. I'm confused. My brain hurts." Stupid Gippal.

[madhattersophie]

"Confused?" Sophie set the cup down. "Why's that?"

She paused, taking the situation into stock more fully. Rikku was like another younger sister to her, she wanted to give her good advice, but sometimes that was hard. "Rikku... what is it you want from him?"

[tiny_tinker_toy]

Trust Sophie to cut to the chase.

"I want...I wanna be the kinda friends we've always been, but...I really really like him and I like kissing him and I've had a crush on him for ages and..." Rikku sighed. "I don't know, really! That's why I'm confused."

[madhattersophie]

Oh dear, this was turning out to be rather complicated, wasn't it? "Have you asked him what he wants?"

It was a fair question. So far there the only thing she could suss out was that he had wanted to keep something secret from her, getting angry when she'd gotten too nosy. There had to be more to all this than Rikku was letting on...

[tiny_tinker_toy]

"Sophie, we were making out!" Rikku looked at the redhead, exasperated. "I think that's what Gippal wants!"

[madhattersophie]

Sophie turned a remarkably similar look on her younger friend. "Now I should hope that's not all that he wants," she pointed out sharply. Of course, it was probably pretty high on the list but should be, in Sophie's opinion, coming before things like 'making her happy' and such-like things.

[tiny_tinker_toy]

Rikku shook her head. "No, Sophie, you don't get it. If he didn't care about me, he'd've already tried to have sex with me," she explained. "Gippal's got a reputation back home as something of a casanova. I'm pretty much the only girl he didn't flirt with back home."