- Chapter 21: Shocked -

Morning dawned early and as bright as it could possibly get in the Thunder Plains, which, honestly speaking, was not very much at all. Rikku quietly rolled out of the bed, feeling energized (and maybe just a little bit intimidated) by the huge crack of lightning that had pulled her from her light slumber. She glanced around the room - Braska was sleeping heavily, as usual, in his bed, a peaceful expression on his face. Rikku scowled; it wasn't fair that he was able to sleep through the thunderous noise of the ongoing natural concert outside. Glancing towards her feet, she saw Auron was also still asleep, snoring lightly into his bedroll. His face was slack, completely relaxed for once, and Rikku couldn't help but smile. He looked even younger than before, and she had to quell an urge to push one of the stray strands of hair away from his face. A smile played at her lips; despite their frequent disagreements over the course of the Pilgrimage, he still hadn't tucked away the two long fronds she'd prodded him to let out during their trial in Bevelle. Auron really did seem to be doing his best to discourage any and all of her attempts at flirting with him, but the fact that he had yet to change his hairstyle bolstered her confidence. I'll wear him down yet, Rikku thought to herself with a tiny grin.

Biting her lip, she carefully stepped over him and tiptoed towards the door. Closing it softly behind her, she made her way towards the common room. It was bleak and nearly empty, lit only by the natural thunderstorm, a few candles, and the weak, bluish light from the sphere stand set up in the corner. A figure hunched over one of the tables caught her attention; coming closer, one Rikku recognized as it swayed unsteadily.

"Jecht!" she whispered, approaching him swiftly. The figure burped and sat up straighter, blinking owlishly at her. Then he grinned sheepishly.

"'ey there Blondie. What time is it?" he grumbled, wiping at his bleary eyes.

"Too early to be drinking that," Rikku replied, eyeing the empty bottles of beer scattered around the table. Seating herself at the table, she cleared a few of them away and pinned Jecht under a worried stare. "Umm... you know... are you sure you should be drinking that much?"

Jecht's grin faded into a scowl and with a defiant grimace, he downed the undoubtedly warm and flat remains of the bottle clutched in his hand. After he'd swallowed, he eyed her right back. "Needed a little support after all that dodgin'," he grumped. Then his expression brightened, and he reached back and fumbled for something in his pocket. "But hey, take a look at this!" Finding what he was searching for, Jecht withdrew the small, cloth-wrapped object and threw it onto the table. It landed with a heavy thunk, parting the cloth surrounding it, and immediately Rikku sucked in her breath.

"Where'd you get this?" Rikku breathed, carefully pulling the rest of the cloth away and inspecting the heavy runic symbol hidden within its folds. There was no mistaking what the object was, though Rikku had to admit she'd never laid eyes on it before. Even if she hadn't known what it was, the sheer power of the magic aura trapped inside of the small lump of metal was enough to set her teeth on edge. "This... this is a celestial sigil!"

"Celestial sigil?" Jecht repeated, staring at the crest. "All I know is that they gave it to me after 200," he said. "Actually, they seemed kinda glad t'be rid of it." He passed his hand over the metal, stroking it absently, and Rikku shivered. That wasn't any surprise; no one could really be comfortable around one of the mysterious, holy artefacts that comprised the true power of a Celestial weapon - no one except the rightful owner of such a sigil. It was said the weapons chose their own masters - that they would appear, revealing themselves to warriors destined for greatness, only breaking apart and becoming lost to obscurity once more when the life of their owner ended as well. From the way Jecht was carelessly handling the thing, seemingly ignorant of the waves of energy it radiated, it looked as though the weapon had chosen him to become its next master. That, or he truly was drunk enough to be oblivious.

"Trust me, it's just... really rare," Rikku breathed, itching to take a closer look at the thing despite the chills it sent up her spine. "Can I touch it?"

Jecht snorted. "'Course you can." He tossed it towards her and Rikku caught it with a gasp. Turning the precious object slowly in her hand, she inspected the runes and symbols worked into the metal, trying to determine its origin. A trident-shaped mark embossed on the surface of the sigil caught her eye, and Rikku rubbed her thumb over it slowly.

"Neptune," she finally breathed. "This is the Neptune Sigil." Grinning eagerly, she held up the sigil for Jecht to inspect, pointing out the symbol she had found.

"Whazzat supposed to mean?" Jecht asked, his eyes already half-closing as his head began a slow descent towards the tabletop. Rikku kicked him fiercely in the shins, causing him to jerk upright and blink. "Ow! Damn! Alright, Neptune Sigil, I got it! So what's the big deal about it anyway?"

Rikku rolled her eyes. "It's just special, okay? You need to hang onto this. Don't give it to anyone else, don't lose it, and most of all..." here she paused, eyeing the evidence scattered across the tabletop, "don't sell it for booze!"

Jecht yawned. "Well, if it's so damn special, why don't you hang onto it for now?"

Dropping the sigil quickly as though it burned - in a way it did - Rikku shook her head and pushed it back across the table. "It's yours, Jecht. Your responsibility. You keep it."

"Huh. Fine," he grumbled, shoving the object back into his pocket sloppily. "Don't see what's so special 'bout the damn thing anyhow."

"Maybe one day when you're sober you'll find out." To this Jecht gave a grunt, and Rikku rolled her eyes. "Just keep your eyes open for this symbol, Jecht. If you find something else that looks like this, don't ask questions. Trust me, just grab it!"

Groaning, Jecht leaned back in his chair and stretched lazily. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, Braska and Big Red up yet?"

Rikku picked at her fingers nervously, peering at Jecht through her lowered eyelashes. "Not really." She paused, swallowing; this was a conversation she really, really hadn't planned on and didn't want to have with Jecht. "Listen, Jecht, we gotta talk..."

"We're talkin'," Jecht said, though he did allow the legs of the chair he'd been leaning back in to hit the ground with a thump. The tone of her voice must have caught his attention because now he seemed to be fully awake, regarding her with a touch of curiosity. "You gonna tell me somethin' about my boy?" he asked.

"No," Rikku hummed, winding her fingers around each other nervously. "This is about you, not Tidus. Umm, well... you and your monkey, I mean."

Jecht stared at her, his face slack. "I don't own no monkey," he finally said slowly. "You, uh, you havin' another one of them crazy-attacks, Rikkma?"

Rikku rolled her eyes and separated her hands, slamming her fist down on the table. The motion made the bottles jump; one of the precariously balanced bottles slid off the edge and shattered on the floor. Rikku flinched and directed an angry glare at Jecht. "I don't mean a pet monkey, Jecht. I mean the one on your back." When Jecht started to turn, she slapped the table again. "I didn't mean LITERALLY!" she screeched.

"Well what the hell are you goin' on about? Monkeys and Neptune Sigils and all this shit? Talk normal, girl, and maybe I could get a clue!" he fired back, irritated.

Picking up a bottle, Rikku pushed it into Jecht's face, causing him to go slightly cross-eyed. "This monkey!" she hissed. "Everyone's noticed, you know, even Braska. If you're not sloshed you're being an asshole. What's the deal with you anyway?"

Jecht's face closed, and he grabbed the bottle out of her hand. "I jus' need a little help, that's all," he grumbled. "It ain't no damn monkey problem," he added scornfully. "I drink 'cause I like it. Makes me feel good. I could stop whenever I wanted."

"Sure," Rikku replied flatly. "Did you ever stop and think that maybe this Pilgrimage is a teenie weenie little bit more important than making yourself feel good?" She sniffed and winced. "Besides, you smell almost as disgusting as you look. It'd make the rest of us feel good if you wouldn't clean out the Agency's entire paan supply." Her brow furrowed. "How could you afford all this anyway? I thought Auron told you not to dodge for beer."

Jecht ducked his head. "I didn't do no dodgin' for it," he grumbled. Rikku waited as the silence grew, with Jecht looking steadily more uncomfortable by the second. Her eyes narrowed, and she began to tap one finger on the table slowly. "I traded for it, all right?" he finally said with a shrug.

"Traded?" Rikku echoed. "Traded what?" A sense of foreboding overtook her as Jecht hunched down even lower over the table. "Traded what, Jecht?" she repeated slowly.

He mumbled something unintelligible, and Rikku narrowed her eyes. When he glanced up, she gave him a Rikku Look Mark II that would have made Auron proud. Flinching, he picked up a stray bottle and absently plucked at the label. "Just a little somethin' we found," he mumbled.

"Define something," Rikku said stonily. At this rate, Jecht was going to make her temper give Auron's a run for his money.

"Well... y'know... that jar of, uh, stuff you had."

"Stuff?" Rikku repeated dumbly, her stomach clenching.

"Yeah, stuff. I dunno what it was, that shiny stuff," Jecht repeated. "You had all those things laid out when you were workin' on Braska's staff yesterday, an' it was just lyin' there, and I, uh, I thought maybe you didn't need it, y'know?" He was rubbing the back of his head and looking distinctly uncomfortable now, but Rikku ignored him. She was too busy digging through her pockets, mentally trying to catalogue what she'd managed to collect and what she'd synthesized and figure out what item Jecht would call "a piece of shiny stuff" - which could, honestly, define over the half of what she usually managed to pull from fiends. Swiping a hand cursorily over her breast pocket, Rikku froze. She patted the pocket again - I was sure I put it here - and then with a sinking feeling, she turned to Jecht.

"Did it sing?" she asked softly, dangerously. "That stuff you took?"

Jecht scratched his head. "Sing? Wha? Naw, it was just shiny and swirly. Those guys who took it, they seemed real happy, said I could have as many as I wanted on the house," he added carelessly.

"Swirly... shiny, and in a glass bottle," Rikku repeated, her stomach knotting. Her fists slowly clenched on the table. "It did, you know."

"Huh? Did what?" Jecht asked.

She had to keep talking, or Rikku was sure she'd grind the enamel right off of her teeth. "It sang." Her voice began to rise, growing a little shriller with each word she spoke. "It sang because it was rare. It sang because it was beautiful. It sang because it was worth more than this entire building and everything in it put together, Jecht," she spat out. By now she was standing, and her hands - which she honestly hadn't noticed moving - were slapping Jecht over the head as he ducked under her blows. "It sang because it was a piece of the Farplane, you GREAT BIG STINKING MORON!" she screamed, her light slaps becoming earnest blows as her fury mounted. "How could you steal from me? How could you steal THAT from me?"

"Hey, hey, calm down, you'll wake everyone up!" Jecht yelled, flinching away from her. "Geez, I didn't know, alright? Take it easy, I'll get it back!"

Rikku let her hands drop limply, realizing the futility of her assault. Beating Jecht black and blue wouldn't bring the Farplane Wind back, as satisfying as it might be. "And how's that, huh?" she asked sharply, glaring at him. "You'll find me another Espada and kill it all by yourself?"

"I'll just ask 'em," Jecht said reasonably, pushing away from the table. "Wasn't that much beer anyhow," he muttered. Rikku stuck her foot out and tripped him back down into his chair with a fierce expression. At least, she would have tripped him back into his chair, had Jecht not lost his balance and gone clattering messily to the floor. She wasn't feeling particularly sorry, though, and continued without pause.

"They're not going to give it back, Jecht!" she screamed at him. "They're not as stupid as you!" Blinking back her angry tears, she turned away from the table - and drew up short as she took in the small audience observing their antics. The proprietor of the Agency, followed closely by his Hypello assistant, was staring at her, shocked - more likely than not at the fact that one of Braska's mysterious companions was also an Al Bhed - and judging from the look of his rapidly cooling expression, apparently a betrayal of their native cause.

"What are you doing with them?" fired the innkeeper in rapid Al Bhed.

"None of your business," Rikku shot back in the same tongue, seeing more forms moving in the corridor behind him. Another entourage of - Rikku bit back a groan - Bevellian priests, missionaries from the looks of it, had been woken by their scuffle. And behind them, she could make out Auron's bulk, filling the hallway - and the rest of the room, in fact - with an almost palpably dark aura of displeasure.

"You are guarding that Summoner," the innkeeper replied, switching back to the common Spiran tongue, his eyes narrowing. "Guarding the clis who stole our sister!"

Rikku's back straightened instantly. "Don't you dare call him scum," she snarled, still answering in her native tongue. "Don't you say another word!"

"It is you who will keep silent, traitor! Speak another word in the tongue of my people and I'll cut it from your mouth!"

My people? The innkeeper had specifically excluded her from inclusion into that group. Rikku stepped back, her mouth opening and closing in hurt and shock. Vaguely, she wondered if this was how Braska felt all the time.

"What is going on here?" Auron's voice broke through the crowd, even as he unceremoniously shoved the priests who were standing there, gaping, out of his way. "Rikkma?" he asked, glancing between her and the innkeeper.

"You. You should have told me you were bringing that with you," the innkeeper said, facing Auron now. "Leave, the night is over and your party is no longer welcome here."

One of the Bevellian priests snickered in the background. "A drunkard, an Al Bhed, and an ex-monk, all following the great Lord Braska," he muttered, the sarcasm in his voice clear. "Oh how the mighty have fallen, haven't they, Sir Auron?"

Rikku jumped at the priest's tone even as Auron's face grew cold. Apparently it wasn't a lucky day for any of them and Auron, even young as he was, was more famous than she'd guessed. Dropping her head, she glared at Jecht, who was finally managing to squirm his way off of the ground, and then looked guiltily at Auron. She hadn't meant to get them kicked out this early, but it was obvious that they'd overstayed their welcome.

"Pardon me..." Braska unobtrusively pushed his way forward through the priests, who parted before him with a look of surprise. His face was serene, but there was no trace of humour to be found in it. "We were on the way out already anyway," he said softly. Bowing briefly to the innkeeper, he smiled at them and gestured minutely. "Come, it's time to go."

Dropping her head in shame, Rikku grabbed Jecht's arm with a grip that was more than just a little too tight to be comfortable and hauled him towards the door. Auron followed swiftly behind him, his knuckles whitened from the severity of his grip on the handle of his sword. Braska paused, turning to face their audience. "I thank you for your hospitality." He bowed respectfully, ignoring the innkeeper's loud snort, and trailed after the others out into the rainy plains.

For a while a gloomy silence settled over the group as they trudged into the everlasting storm; Rikku folded her arms together and hunched over, scowling. Anger was preventing her from feeling the sting and cold of the rain, or even shock at the flashes of lighting that occasionally struck around them. Finally, when the Travel Agency had dropped out of view, her pace slowed, and she slicked her soaked hair away from her face.

"Hey, Blondie," Jecht called out to her tentatively, and Rikku stiffened.

"Don't talk to me right now," Rikku spat.

"But I -"

"La la la! Is that the wind I hear blowing? Must be, because I THINK I WAS BEING PRETTY CLEAR!" Rikku yelled immediately, stubbornly plugging her fingers into her ears.

"Shut up, both of you," Auron said suddenly. "I want to know exactly what happened." He glared at them both. "I've had enough of your antics. Your shameful behaviour today interrupted Lord Braska's rest! Or have you both already forgotten that you're supposed to protect him from hardship?"

"It was nothing," Braska murmured. "One can hardly rest comfortably in such a hostile environment -"

"No, I'm sorry," Rikku suddenly piped up. "Stop trying to be the hero, Braska, that was all my fault. I lost my temper and it wasn't fair to you or Auron."

"Hey! What about me?" Jecht asked.

"You deserved it," Rikku spat, her tone frosting over. She turned to Auron, her face flushing, conspicuously ignoring Jecht's wince. "Do you know what he did? He stole from me! He stole our loot!"

Auron's expression twisted in wry amusement. "I thought you were the thief."

Rikku let out a yell of frustration and pulled at her hair. "It's not funny! He stole my Farplane Wind!"

Auron's face registered confusion, but Braska frowned at the revelation. "I've heard rumours of the existence of such things... pyreflies that could be bottled, whispers of death that could be caught. How did you manage to acquire such a thing, Rikkma?"

Rikku sighed. "It was that Espada we fought. It was... well, special somehow, I guess. I just felt it and I grabbed it and boom! Out it came!"

"A rare and precious gift indeed," Braska repeated, a note of awe in his voice. "Where is it now?"

"Well, I wonder," Rikku said loudly. "Maybe Jecht knows!"

Jecht mumbled under his breath. "You don't have to be such a bitch about it," he grunted. "Excuse me for not knowin' it was special," he sneered.

Rikku clenched her fists together. "You know what?" she said suddenly, stomping over to Jecht. "I changed my mind. Give it to me. You took something of mine, so I'm taking something of yours."

"Huh?"

"The Neptune Sigil! Give it here!" Rikku yelled, holding out her hand.

"But you said that was special! An' I won that fair and square!" Jecht protested, his hand immediately covering the pocket containing the sigil in question.

"Jecht! You sold my Farplane Wind for beer! You- you- you're asking for it!" she screeched, her hand automatically going for her sphere grid. Her progress was halted by Auron's sudden, swift grip on her wrist, forcibly pushing her back. His glare, however, wasn't directed at her.

"You stole our supplies and traded them for liquor?" he asked calmly. Braska observed the exchange silently, his lips drawn tight as he looked at Jecht. "And what exactly is this 'Neptune Sigil' Rikkma is speaking of?"

Sullenly, Jecht pulled the sigil out of his pocket and flipped the cloth open. "I won it dodgin' lightning," he grumbled. Braska's sharp inhale seemed to be more than enough to confirm the object's value, as Auron released her almost immediately and scowled.

"Hand it to me. Carefully," he stipulated as Jecht made to lob the small object through the air.

"Sorry already," Jecht grumbled. "If I'd known that Farplane-thingie was worth the whole damn buildin', I wouldn't’ve done it."

Auron nearly dropped the sigil into the mud. "What?" He looked down at Rikku quickly, who only dropped her head and nodded a miserable confirmation. "Unbelievable," he grit out, grabbing the sigil and glaring at it furiously. Then he did a double-take and took a closer look at the artefact. "Is this -"

Braska spoke up, his eyes widening as he stared at the Neptune Sigil. "A celestial sigil," he exclaimed reverently. "Yevon smiles upon us... that object is far more valuable than a Farplane Wind." Then he studied Jecht with renewed intensity. "I understand now. First the sword, and now this..."

Auron blinked and looked at the sigil. Then he looked back at Jecht, scepticism clearly splashed across his features. "My lord, you can't possibly think -"

"It's the only explanation," Braska replied, still staring at Jecht in wonder. "He was meant to have it. He is the one that sword chose." Then he smiled broadly and clapped a surprised-looking Jecht on the shoulder. "To think, we have a legend in the making in our midst!" Braska's cheerful reception was completely at odds with Auron's incredulous gaping and the not-so-subtle clouds boiling over Rikku's head. He grinned at Jecht, and Rikku and Auron exchanged a brief but mutually pained look. Braska, it seemed, would always be Braska.

"You know, just forget it. There's not much anyone can do with a single Farplane Wind after all." This Rikku had to force out through clenched teeth. Sighing, she plucked the sigil out of Auron's suddenly lax grip. Legend or not, Jecht was currently on her blacklist and even his unwitting mastery of the Neptune Sigil wasn't going to change that. "But I'm hanging onto this anyway until Stupid here can prove that he won't trade it for something worthless at the next bar we come across."

Braska, still smiling at Jecht, clapped him on the shoulder once more, a little more firmly. "I think that's an acceptable solution, don't you Jecht?"

Well, maybe Braska isn't as clueless as he looks, Rikku thought privately, rubbing her nose.

"Whatever," Jecht grumbled flushing. He rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced at Rikku in some kind of rough estimation of an apology. "Sorry 'bout the trouble, Blondie."

Rikku opened her mouth to reply, but Auron beat her to the punch. "We need to have a word, Jecht." His words were harsh steel, and Braska shot Auron a brief, disapproving look which the other man completely ignored. "Lord Braska, Rikkma. If you'll excuse us."

Frowning, Rikku allowed herself to be led away as Braska tugged on her arm and led her to one of the lightning shelters. "Hey, you forgave him already, right? So why're you letting Auron go all scary on him? Isn't that, like, against the rules?" Not that she minded, Rikku thought viciously, but curiosity forced her to ask.

"Rules?" Braska laughed. "I try to avoid telling Auron what he may and may not do. He's a grown man, after all."

"And he's your Guardian," Rikku replied, watching intently as Auron leaned closer to Jecht, wearing what she could only best describe as his scary face. His lips were moving, and from whatever he was saying, Jecht certainly appeared to be sobering up quickly. "Isn't he supposed to do what you tell him to?"

"Auron has his ways," Braska replied easily. Rikku noticed he was watching the exchange just as avidly as she was. "He does what he feels is in the best interest of the group - in my best interest. Sometimes that conflicts with my own wishes and desires. For example..." he trailed off, gesturing helplessly.

"You mean this whole Pilgrimage," Rikku supplied. "Can't say I blame him."

Braska's responding smile was vaguely amused. "I refuse to compromise on the most important things," he clarified. Then his smile lessened. "Jecht... has a problem. But it is one which none of us can remedy. He has to find the answer within himself." He sighed as Jecht said something which displeased Auron, who growled out some kind of undoubtedly cutting response. Jecht flinched.

"But you'll let him stay with us anyway?" Rikku asked. "Uh, 'cause it looks like Auron's really putting him through the wringer there..."

Braska sighed. "Auron doesn't know when to back away from a delicate situation," he supplied. "Jecht requires space. A lecture - no matter how stern - will do nothing for him at this point. Being scolded for one's faults rarely inspires a person to remedy his behaviour. What's done is done. There's no point in dwelling over his mistake." His smile turned upwards. "Besides... I have faith in Jecht. He will come through this. Even without the proof of the Neptune Sigil, I would believe in him. He has a strength in himself which he doesn't yet realize. Maybe that is why he tries so hard to prove himself through other venues. Such as Blitzball. And drink."

Rikku frowned. "I guess so," she muttered unwillingly. "Still wish I had my Farplane Wind back. If we were gonna lose it anyhow, that would have bought us supplies for a month!" she growled.

Braska chuckled. "Yes, well, no one ever said the path to redemption would be easy for any of us." He stared at Auron, who was now openly shouting and gesturing angrily with one hand, and Jecht, who had crossed his own arms over his chest and was scowling deeply. "Jecht will recover from this disagreement with Auron in time." The corners of his eyes crinkled as his smile deepened. "You always managed to."

Rikku blushed and bit back a grin. From that perspective, it was kind of nice to see someone besides herself getting flattened by Auron's temper. She almost felt sorry for Jecht. Almost.

.x.x.x.

The trip out of the Thunder Plains was decidedly less exciting than the journey inwards. It might have been the moody silence which descended on the group; Rikku, still slightly angered at the theft of her loot, refused to allow herself to even think about donning her Lady Luck dressphere. There was no guarantee Jecht would have come out of the resulting scuffle unscathed. Auron, furious at Jecht after their "talk," refused to speak with any of them; he marched stoically ahead of the group, tension radiating off of his broad shoulders. Braska, tired and resigned, simply followed at a more leisurely - if you could call slugging through the heavy thunderstorms of the plains leisurely - pace. Rikku was sure Jecht was following her, but she was annoyed enough to push his presence from her mind, not truly wanting to know what exactly he was doing with himself.

That was why, when Jecht let out a loud yell of pain, they were taken by surprise.

"The little bastard stung me!" Jecht yelped, wincing as he held a hand to his shoulder. His entire bicep was studded with a myriad of wicked-looking needles, and the arm below it hung limp and useless. Rikku's eyes widened as she recognized the source of his injury.

"You found a Qactuar? Why'd you piss it off?" she growled, eying the little menace warily.

"I didn't know the runt had a bite," Jecht groused, edging out of the way of the jumpy, chittering cactus.

"Now you do," Rikku noted as she watched the cactus carefully. Seeing her chance as it dropped its guard to spin around, she rushed in. Pyreflies, only pyreflies, Rikku! Her hand shot forward, delving, pushing, and those weren't needles digging into her outstretched palm, but pyreflies, and suddenly, she felt them. With a heave, Rikku pulled her hand out, clutching the three tiny, furiously pulsing fire gems to her chest. She immediately lobbed one at the Qactuar while scrambling to safety, not really surprised when it missed by a long shot. The resulting explosion was still loud enough to send the creature scurrying away into the darkened plains, though. Rikku sighed; it would've been a difficult kill anyway - those little buggers were unbelievably fast. She grinned at the spoils she'd managed to pilfer despite the loss and pocketed them quickly.

Turning around, she saw Braska leaning over Jecht's arm, grimacing at the mess of needles that had embedded themselves into the other man's flesh. "Why'd you pick a fight with it?" she asked as she approached, watching Braska carefully pluck them, one by one, from Jecht's arm.

"It was small," Jecht groused. "I thought it'd be easy." He winced as Braska pulled out another needle and gritted his teeth. "Did I ever tell ya that I hate needles?"

"No," Braska replied, pulling another spike from the blitzer's arm, unperturbed.

"What were you trying to accomplish by yourself? Any battle - any - should be fought as a team, precisely to prevent accidents like this," Auron grunted, glaring at Jecht. "Apparently your irresponsibility knows no bounds."

Jecht winced, though Rikku wasn't sure whether from Auron's words or the pain as Braska pulled the final few needles out of his arm. Then he dropped his head and mumbled something.

"If you have something to say for yourself, speak up!" Auron told him harshly.

Rikku winced. So Jecht had blown their biggest treasure on his bad habit - granted, it had been annoying. But, remembering Braska's words, she felt a small stab of pity for the blitzer. Maybe Auron's way wasn't always the right way. After all, he'd forgiven her, hadn't he? "Uh, Auron..."

"I wasn't talking to you," he snapped, his eyes never leaving Jecht's face. Rikku winced. She leaned over and caught Braska's eye. "Wow. Was he always like this when I pissed him off?" she whispered.

"Worse," Braska murmured with an amused quirk. "Judging from the severity of his reaction, however, I believe he's growing rather fond of Jecht."

Rikku frowned. Auron, growing fond of Jecht? She sure couldn't tell it from the way he was glowering.

"Well?"

Jecht glared at Auron. "I said I was tryin' to make it up, alright? I jus' thought, I dunno, if I collected a few things from those fiends like you 'n Rikkma always do, then maybe..." he trailed off and shrugged, rolling his shoulder and flexing his palm a few times as Braska finished casting his healing spell. "Just forget it," he snarled, picking up his sword. "It was a stupid idea."

Auron was still frowning, but it didn't quite seem as though he was trying to melt Jecht into a puddle with his patented stare anymore. Feeling oddly charitable at Jecht's admission, Rikku sighed and hit him in the arm. The one that Braska had just healed, actually. "Oops," she giggled as Jecht grabbed his shoulder and howled.

"Alright, I get it already Blondie!"

"Sorry," Rikku said, making a grab for his other arm. "It wasn't that dumb of an idea. But y'know, Auron and I manage to collect all that stuff because I steal it while he's taking care of the nasty business. You don't just go around killing things willy nilly." She frowned. "Well, actually, I guess you sorta do. But we do it in style," she added.

"Well, ain't that just great for you two lovebirds," Jecht told her sullenly.

Blushing, Rikku ignored his dig. "If you really want to help out, why don't you come with me this time?" She noted Auron's frown, which was growing in length again, and sighed. "I think you could use the practice and maybe Braska wouldn't mind catching up on stuff with Auron. Right?" She smiled her brightest, most hopeful smile at Braska, who returned it with a knowing smile of his own.

"Of course," he quickly supplied. "We haven't had much of a chance to talk since our journey began, have we Auron?"

Auron opened his mouth as if to protest, and then let out an exaggerated sigh of defeat. "Fine. Go hunt if you want. Don't get yourselves killed."

Rikku took the opportunity to drag Jecht away from the group as quickly as she could. "Wow," she breathed. "I didn't think it'd be that easy!"

Jecht shook her arm off, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I thought he was gonna try and beat my ass down for a while there." Then he sighed. "Listen, I said I was sorry. You over it already?"

Rikku frowned to herself as she spotted a buer in the distance. "Nope," she replied. Then she turned and faced him. "I'll manage somehow. But Jecht?"

"Uh?" he grunted at her, drawing his sword as he spotted their quarry.

"No more paan, okay?"

Jecht's brow lowered and his expression blackened. "I already told ya, it ain't a problem," he grumbled. "What's up with you an' Auron, playin' good cop bad cop now? Go fuck around with someone else's head." Not waiting for her answer, he swung his sword around and rushed headlong towards the buer with a yell.

Rikku's smile faltered slightly and a bit of the shining optimism Braska had instilled in her tarnished over. Maybe Braska's way wasn't always the right one, either. "We'll see," she mumbled to herself, drawing her daggers and following him into battle.

AN: Big thanks to Fwe for being her usual, wonderful self and catching all those mistakes. "Clis" is Al Bhed for "scum." Yes, this has to do with Gabi-hime's update. Her story is very inspiring! :P