[Rikku was taking another stroll and the reason was, well, boredom. She thought that maybe a spar with some monsters at Trainging Center would be a good idea to kill some time, especially since her last time at the library was pretty much a fiasco.
When she noticed a figure with a huge sword, of course she couldn't believe her eyes at first. She rushed forward to see if her eyes weren't fooling her, jumped before Auron and called his name way too loudly.]
[Rikku took one step back to give him a bit more space. Of course she noticed his slight annoyance, but why would that affect her?]
Yes, me! I can see you're as cheerful as ever, Auron.
[She smiled at his grumpy face. How nice to see that some things never change.]
Did she now? So it explains why you're not surprised at all. You could act a little nicer, you know. [she tilted her head a bit.] It's been almost a year since we've last met!
Huh. Is that so. Well, at least you know she succeeded in freeing Spira, because when I talked to her she thought she still needs to defeat Sin. Poor girl.
[While Rikku wasn't exactly known for always being tactful, she was considerate enough to not ask: "hey, did you know that you kind of died and were sent to Farplane?" She did have many questions about that, though... Like if he met Tidus there. Or how he ended up being sent here instead of Farplane. But still, she kept quiet.]
Say! [She tried to look as bright as cheerful as ever, but it was hard to look Auron straight into the eye.] You wanna know what happened after Yuna announced Eternal Calm? I can tell you all about it, if you'd like.
[She sighed with a relief quite visibly. Perhaps he knew? Or just wasn't in the mood to talk about it? Either way, Rikku was glad he followed her change of subject.]
Well, Yunie wanted to take some time off and hid in Besaid, so not exactly. I often asked her to join me on my adventures, but to no avail! Silly Yunie.
Anyway! [Rikku was proud of herself. At least once she knew more about things happening in Spira than Sir Auron himself.] You know, after Yunie told everybody the truth about Yevon, many things have changed! Like, Spira divided itself into three factions. New Yevon, Youth League and Machina Faction... And there are tons of Sphere Hunters! Even I became one! [... and so she went on.]
[Auron listens to a fair amount of her story. It takes Rikku longer to tell than he would have liked and he's forced to say, 'Get to the point' at least once. Still, she seems to enjoy herself in the telling.
Finally, Auron holds up his hand, signaling her to stop.]
Enough.
[He rests his blade to the ground. His voice sounds objective, and without regret.]
[At first Rikku enjoyed herself babbling so much that when he actually stopped her before she had a chance to finish her hundredth sentence, all she could say, with her expression still being that of the know-it-all, was-]
-- Of course you missed a lot and that's why I'm --
[-and that's where she stopped. She let down her finger, previously pointed at Auron. She looked down, biting her mouth. Then, she clenched her fists and looked straight at him with a frown.]
But you're here right now, right? And tell me you're not planning to fade away again any time soon, okay?!
[As much as she didn't want to admit it, she always had a hard time dealing with death. First her mother, then Yuna was on the verge of dying... Auron, Tidus. She didn't want to lose anybody again.]
[That certainly put Rikku at ease. She knew she acted immature and rash, but she couldn't help it.]
A... bargain? [That sounded pretty odd.]
[She looked at him with her eyes resolved and brightened with a smile, and then shifted her weight back and forth from one leg to the other in her typical little dance move.]
Of course I'll be fine as long as you and Yunie are here. I prefer to keep my eye on you, you know? That way... That way I feel like I can at least do something to keep you close.
When she noticed a figure with a huge sword, of course she couldn't believe her eyes at first. She rushed forward to see if her eyes weren't fooling her, jumped before Auron and called his name way too loudly.]
AURON?!
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You.
Yes, it's Auron. [His voice is patient, but sounds slightly strained by Rikku's in-your-face approach.]
Yuna mentioned you were here.
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Yes, me! I can see you're as cheerful as ever, Auron.
[She smiled at his grumpy face. How nice to see that some things never change.]
Did she now? So it explains why you're not surprised at all. You could act a little nicer, you know. [she tilted her head a bit.] It's been almost a year since we've last met!
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So the time compression got to you too, huh?
It's been less than a year in my time. That must explain the difference in our excitement.
[Of course it didn't. Auron wasn't unhappy to see Rikku, but to say he was overjoyed was going a bit too far.]
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So, how much do you actually remember? [It was quite a... delicate subject, after all.]
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Yuna defeated Sin. [Any follow-up questions from Rikku will be ignored. Auron only hopes she doesn't think too much into how or why he's here.]
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[While Rikku wasn't exactly known for always being tactful, she was considerate enough to not ask: "hey, did you know that you kind of died and were sent to Farplane?" She did have many questions about that, though... Like if he met Tidus there. Or how he ended up being sent here instead of Farplane. But still, she kept quiet.]
Say! [She tried to look as bright as cheerful as ever, but it was hard to look Auron straight into the eye.] You wanna know what happened after Yuna announced Eternal Calm? I can tell you all about it, if you'd like.
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Calmly, he decides to soften up. Though he was dead from the beginning that Rikku met him, it must have felt the same as a living person dying.]
Tell me.
I'm guessing you had other adventures together.
[Telling him about the future might take her mind off the past.]
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Well, Yunie wanted to take some time off and hid in Besaid, so not exactly. I often asked her to join me on my adventures, but to no avail! Silly Yunie.
Anyway! [Rikku was proud of herself. At least once she knew more about things happening in Spira than Sir Auron himself.] You know, after Yunie told everybody the truth about Yevon, many things have changed! Like, Spira divided itself into three factions. New Yevon, Youth League and Machina Faction... And there are tons of Sphere Hunters! Even I became one! [... and so she went on.]
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Finally, Auron holds up his hand, signaling her to stop.]
Enough.
[He rests his blade to the ground. His voice sounds objective, and without regret.]
Looks like the dead miss a lot.
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-- Of course you missed a lot and that's why I'm --
[-and that's where she stopped. She let down her finger, previously pointed at Auron. She looked down, biting her mouth. Then, she clenched her fists and looked straight at him with a frown.]
But you're here right now, right? And tell me you're not planning to fade away again any time soon, okay?!
[As much as she didn't want to admit it, she always had a hard time dealing with death. First her mother, then Yuna was on the verge of dying... Auron, Tidus. She didn't want to lose anybody again.]
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No, I couldn't if I wanted to now. That was the bargain I made coming here.
[Aware of Rikku's past experiences with 'death', he's unsurprised by her reaction.]
Will you be fine? [Usually he'd just leave her to her upset, but the memories following Sin's defeat are still fresh in his own mind as well.]
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A... bargain? [That sounded pretty odd.]
[She looked at him with her eyes resolved and brightened with a smile, and then shifted her weight back and forth from one leg to the other in her typical little dance move.]
Of course I'll be fine as long as you and Yunie are here. I prefer to keep my eye on you, you know? That way... That way I feel like I can at least do something to keep you close.
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The words of a guardian, though I don't need it.
Stick to Yuna.
[The words may sound harsh, but again, Auron is only being straight-forward.]
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Ahh, you never know. Isn't it nice, knowing that you have someone trustworthy watching your back? But no worries, I'll always protect Yunie too!
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[Auron doesn't want to admit it, but she's right. He would have never allowed her to become Yuna's guardian, if she wasn't trustworthy.]
Good.
[Auron pauses silently.]
You were headed somewhere, weren't you?
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