Writings of an Owlmoose

Summary: While chasing down a thief in Luca, Rikku meets a new friend.

Notes: Written for 30_fantasies, Theme #5: Thief.

Metadata: Gen. PG, 1110 words. First posted in July 2006.

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Meeting in the Market

“Stop! Thief!” Rikku’s yell pierced the air of the busy Luca marketplace as she ran past the stalls, her feet pounding against the cobblestones. Her quarry remained just steps ahead, dodging passers-by and disappearing into the crowd. With a growl of frustration, Rikku pushed her way through a particularly dense knot of shoppers. “‘Scuse me, sorry, ’scuse me, comin’ through, hey, get back here!” this last in a shout as she spotted her prey once again, but too late as he rounded a corner that led into the residential quarter, a neighborhood that lent itself to hiding in bushes or ducking into a doorway.

“Help!” she hollered. “Somebody stop him!” She picked up speed, raced down the walkway and made the turn, then skidded to a halt.

There was the thief, stopped dead, staring down the business end of a very large sword.

The woman holding the weapon looked at the boy, then turned the blade sideways so that the point no longer rested inches in front of his face. Instead, the long, sharp edge faced him, blocking the way forward. “Sounds like you have something that doesn’t belong to you,” she said flatly. “Give it back, and no one gets hurt.” Shifting her grip on the hilt so that she could hold the sword one-handed, she held out her other hand, palm up and open.

The thief looked back at Rikku, who had drawn her knives and taken up an attack stance, ready and waiting, a glare of death beaming from her eyes. After a few more glances forward and behind, he considered his options, then pulled the stolen sphere from his pouch, deposited it in the swordswoman’s outstretched hand, and bolted, ducking under the blade and disappearing back into the marketplace.

“Thanks,” said Rikku, hanging her knives back on her belt. “Really thought he was gonna get away from me there.” She stepped back and took a moment to really look at her rescuer. The woman was dressed all in black leather and was younger than Rikku had thought at first glance, probably only a year or so older than Rikku herself despite her dark silver hair. Her eyes were dark red and placid, betraying nothing of their owner’s thoughts and emotions.

“Sure,” she said with a shrug. “Here, I think this is yours.” She lightly tossed the sphere in the air. It traced a neat arc as it caught the sunlight, then fell neatly into Rikku’s open palm.

“Yeah. Thanks. Again.” Rikku quickly looked over the sphere and, satisfied that it had not been damaged, stowed it in her pack. When she looked up, the other woman was sheathing her sword and preparing to leave, clearly considering her part in this little drama to be finished.

“So, um, hey.” Suddenly, Rikku didn’t want to see her go. Maybe it was just spending the last few months cooped up on a ship with only boys for company, but something told her not to let this woman walk away. “Any idea why he gave it to you and not me? Y’know, considering he stole it from me and all.”

The girl shrugged again. “Who knows. Maybe because to me, it wasn’t personal. He gives me the sphere, I let him go. He gives it to you, maybe you deck him for your trouble.”

Rikku laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” She stepped forward, hand held out. “My name’s Rikku.”

Silence fell, and stretched out just long enough for Rikku to start feeling like an idiot. The swordswoman stood there in thought, apparently considering her fight or flight options, just as the thief had. Then, just as Rikku was about to snatch her hand back with an embarrassed giggle, she leaned out and took it, her grip brief but firm. “Paine.” Before the question could even fully form in Rikku’s mind, she sighed and lifted her eyes just barely skyward. “Yes, really, it’s a family name,” she said, with the tired air of someone who had explained something a thousand times. Well, Rikku thought, she probably had.

“I wasn’t going to ask,” she protested.

“Yeah, but you would have wondered until you couldn’t take it any more.” Paine crossed her arms. “Just like all the other Al Bhed I’ve known.”

Rikku grinned. “Guilty as charged! We are a mighty curious bunch. So, which Al Bhed do you know? Maybe we have friends in common.”

Paine stared for a moment, then shook her head. “I doubt it.” She started to walk away, and Rikku hastened to follow.

“No, really, I bet I do,” she insisted as she caught up and took a place at Paine’s heels. “Know them, I mean. See, I travel all around, with my brother and his friends, looking for spheres, and we–”

“Wait,” Paine interrupted, stopping Rikku and looking at her, curiosity seeping into her eyes. “You’re a sphere hunter?”

Rikku nodded proudly. “Yup. With the Gullwings. We fly all over Spira, looking for treasure spheres.”

“Fly?” Paine’s curiosity quickly transformed into rapt interest. “As in, on an actual airship?”

“Uh huh. My brother and his friend Buddy salvaged it and fixed it up. It’s called the Celsius. They couldn’t think of any other good excuse to fly it around, so they started sphere hunting. I was really bored just hanging out on Bikanel, so I talked them into letting me join them. Hey!” Inspiration struck, and she knew why she had wanted Paine to stick around. “You want to join up, too? We can totally use more muscle, and brains, and I bet you have lots of both.” She bounced eagerly on her heels.

“An airship,” Paine repeated, almost to herself. “Sphere hunting. On an airship. I wonder…” She became lost in her thoughts, words disappearing into nothing as Rikku waited, holding her breath. “Can I think about it?” she finally asked.

“Sure!” Rikku nodded with enthusiasm. “We’ll be in Luca until tomorrow at least, so no rush. I should probably check with Brother anyway, but I’m sure he’ll say yes.”

“All right. Where can I find you?”

“On the docks. We’re the only airship there.”

“Okay.” Paine paused again. “So. What’s on the sphere I rescued for you?”

Rikku pulled it out of her pack and held it up to the light. “It’s a dressphere. My thief dressphere. Kinda ironic, huh?” She grinned up at Paine, who returned the smile tentatively. “C’mon, I’ll tell you all about it.” She continued walking toward the marketplace, chattering about Shinra and his inventions, and when Paine followed, she didn’t even bother to hide her excitement. Finally, another girl in the Gullwings! She knew this was going to be a blast.