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the_merriest
Getting through the Thunder Plains was much easier the second time around than it had been the first. Rikku figured this was for a number of reasons:
Okay, she was still a mess, and totally had to make them stop at the Inn halfway through so she could just sit and freak out for a bit while Jude said stupid meaningless soothing things that she loved him for. But she was getting better. And that was the whole point, right? She'd made it through twice. Maybe next time thunder boomed overhead, she'd jump just a fraction less.
Maybe not, but it was worth a shot.
It was way too long but it was still over quickly enough, and they were stepping into the blue crystalline forest of Macalania. Gnarled, twisted trees spread out against each other, their low flat branches forming looped paths through the woods. There were enormous flowers blooming against a few of the larger trees, but the center of the blossoms appeared to be spheres of white light. Rikku bounced a little and turned to see Jude's reaction. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Totally, bra," was his eloquent response.
She smiled at him, then stopped in the forest's entryway to chitchat with one of her newfound business associates. "O'aka! I thought you made Wantz stand out here? You're just watching the storms?!"
The man in question bowed. "Rikku. A pleasure as always, o'course." He grinned and dropped the formality. "You gotta let me see it."
Rikku flushed a little, pleased. "Oh! Totally. Hey, Jude? Can you dig out your armor for a sec?"
"Um, sure?" Jude pulled it out carefully and handed it to her, wondering if he was going to need it.
She handed the arm-band to O'aka, who examined it slowly. He nodded with appreciation. "Give you two hundred for it, right here."
"Two hundred? Rin only offered me one." She raised an eyebrow.
"Rin's a fool."
"So are you." Rikku laughed. "C'mon, it's worth twice that, easy."
"Is that a counteroffer?" he asked, perking up slightly.
"It's not for sale. I told you that." She handed the armor back to Jude, laughing.
That made Jude happy, for some reason.
"Can't blame a fellow for trying."
"Guess not. What's new with you, anyway?"
"Not much. Business has been slow since the Temple fell."
Rikku blinked at him for a moment. "... Fell? Fell where?"
"Ain't you heard? Went through the ice, it did. Somethin' to do with the fayth leaving and all that."
"Weren't we going there or somethin', bra?" Jude asked thoughtfully, seeming to remember a conversation involving his encounter with Mace Windu.
"Uh, not any more, it looks like." She scratched her head. "Whoa. Okay, less backtracking at least, right? Sorry I won't get to show you 'hey, it's that temple where we killed a guy.'"
"That Seymour was no good," O'aka rumbled. "Now. Can I help you with something?"
The two discussed various potions and items for a few minutes before reaching an agreement; she handed him a stack of coins from her pouch and he handed over a number of vials.
"Always good doing business with you, O'aka," she grinned.
He bowed again. "Same to you, miss."
Further in, the branches flattened out and curled back against each other. Sweeping up into the sky was a shimmering arc of sparkling light. It peeked up through the treetops and swept down again off in the distance. Jude didn't realize it was a path until Rikku stepped onto it.
"C'mon," she said with an eager smile. "We've got starlight to thrash."
(OOC: establishy, co-written with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dude_its_jude, backdated a day or two, not for interaction, and not for broadcast. OOC is love. Rikku & Jude will be back by Thursday afternoon, I'm just behind in updating their adventures. If you want to see more of the sparkling sphere path thing they're gonna be boarding on, it's in the first minute of this video.)
- she wasn't worried about Yunie marrying a crazy guy she hated;
- she wasn't worried about Yunie finishing the pilgrimage and killing herself;
- Auron wasn't hanging around being mean;
- she had spent the night before being kissed witless by both Captain Kickflip and Jude, and how many people could say that, anyway?
- Deadpool was far away, and while she, personally, missed him, his absence meant that Jude had said rather nice things about her boobs;
- since the last time, she had faced Seymour, Yunalesca, Sin, samurai fish-things, whatever was in that dimensional rift, and an interrogation by Jude's friends on the phone, and she was still here in one piece;
- Judes had magic anti-storm abilities, and didn't mind being patient with panicky Rikkus (note to self: fix awesome-detectors);
- this time she knew Macalania was on the other side, waiting.
Okay, she was still a mess, and totally had to make them stop at the Inn halfway through so she could just sit and freak out for a bit while Jude said stupid meaningless soothing things that she loved him for. But she was getting better. And that was the whole point, right? She'd made it through twice. Maybe next time thunder boomed overhead, she'd jump just a fraction less.
Maybe not, but it was worth a shot.
It was way too long but it was still over quickly enough, and they were stepping into the blue crystalline forest of Macalania. Gnarled, twisted trees spread out against each other, their low flat branches forming looped paths through the woods. There were enormous flowers blooming against a few of the larger trees, but the center of the blossoms appeared to be spheres of white light. Rikku bounced a little and turned to see Jude's reaction. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Totally, bra," was his eloquent response.
She smiled at him, then stopped in the forest's entryway to chitchat with one of her newfound business associates. "O'aka! I thought you made Wantz stand out here? You're just watching the storms?!"
The man in question bowed. "Rikku. A pleasure as always, o'course." He grinned and dropped the formality. "You gotta let me see it."
Rikku flushed a little, pleased. "Oh! Totally. Hey, Jude? Can you dig out your armor for a sec?"
"Um, sure?" Jude pulled it out carefully and handed it to her, wondering if he was going to need it.
She handed the arm-band to O'aka, who examined it slowly. He nodded with appreciation. "Give you two hundred for it, right here."
"Two hundred? Rin only offered me one." She raised an eyebrow.
"Rin's a fool."
"So are you." Rikku laughed. "C'mon, it's worth twice that, easy."
"Is that a counteroffer?" he asked, perking up slightly.
"It's not for sale. I told you that." She handed the armor back to Jude, laughing.
That made Jude happy, for some reason.
"Can't blame a fellow for trying."
"Guess not. What's new with you, anyway?"
"Not much. Business has been slow since the Temple fell."
Rikku blinked at him for a moment. "... Fell? Fell where?"
"Ain't you heard? Went through the ice, it did. Somethin' to do with the fayth leaving and all that."
"Weren't we going there or somethin', bra?" Jude asked thoughtfully, seeming to remember a conversation involving his encounter with Mace Windu.
"Uh, not any more, it looks like." She scratched her head. "Whoa. Okay, less backtracking at least, right? Sorry I won't get to show you 'hey, it's that temple where we killed a guy.'"
"That Seymour was no good," O'aka rumbled. "Now. Can I help you with something?"
The two discussed various potions and items for a few minutes before reaching an agreement; she handed him a stack of coins from her pouch and he handed over a number of vials.
"Always good doing business with you, O'aka," she grinned.
He bowed again. "Same to you, miss."
Further in, the branches flattened out and curled back against each other. Sweeping up into the sky was a shimmering arc of sparkling light. It peeked up through the treetops and swept down again off in the distance. Jude didn't realize it was a path until Rikku stepped onto it.
"C'mon," she said with an eager smile. "We've got starlight to thrash."
(OOC: establishy, co-written with
dude_its_jude, backdated a day or two, not for interaction, and not for broadcast. OOC is love. Rikku & Jude will be back by Thursday afternoon, I'm just behind in updating their adventures. If you want to see more of the sparkling sphere path thing they're gonna be boarding on, it's in the first minute of this video.)
