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Entry tags:
FFX-2: Attitude
Fandom: Final Fantasy X-2
Pairing: Lulu/Paine
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Summary: Lulu offers some advice. Set in game.
"You don't seem to enjoy their company much."
Paine looked up quickly and blinked at the woman standing there at the entrance to the tent. Lost in thought, she hadn't even heard her approach. She got up, looking down at Yuna and Rikku, both asleep, both half curled up. They looked more peaceful than she ever remembered being herself. "It's not that."
"Come outside."
Paine followed the woman outside. It was difficult to imagine doing anything else. The woman wasn't exactly commanding, but there was an air to her that said don't mess with me. Paine liked that. It was... attractive. She wished she was more like that herself. She tried, and she was sure people felt that she succeeded rather well, but to her mind, not well enough.
And she was useless at repelling some people. Like, well, Rikku. And Yuna. They'd certainly gotten under her skin.
"How is it? Travelling with people like Yuna and Rikku?"
"What?"
Lulu smiled a little. She took Paine's hand in her's; her skin was smooth and cool, and Paine felt suddenly very rough, and young, and not at all womanly. "Yuna is... a legend, a living legend. She's a former summoner -- and what's more, the summoner who brought the final, endless Calm. And Rikku was -- and still is, I think, in her heart -- Yuna's guardian. They share something you can't touch."
"It doesn't bother me."
"Not even a little?"
Lulu was just a touch taller than her. Her eyes only needed to lift a little to meet Lulu's, but she still felt very young, and small, beside her. It's the attitude again, she thought, sighing inwardly and offering a tiny smile on the outside. "Not even a little."
Lulu dropped her hand, walking away into the middle of the village and then further, away from the temple and towards the other end. Paine hesitated and then followed her, drawn by just about everything about the older woman.
"I was Yuna's guardian, too, as you should know. It... the pilgrimage brings summoner and guardians very close. I wondered if you might be lonely, all things considered."
"They don't want me to feel lonely."
"But you still do?" Lulu's laugh was soft and Paine's cheeks burned. She felt as if Lulu saw right through her.
"Perhaps. I... I had my own friends once. Like them. Things... ended badly. It's hard to talk about and hard to take the risk again..."
"Faith," Lulu said, quietly.
"What?"
"That's what you need. Just a little faith in people. In humanity. Unfortunately, there's a big shortage of faith right now, isn't there? People no longer have the temples to believe in. Anything that seems even just a little too good to be true is a lie... so people think. Rikku and Yuna... they could be better than what you've lost."
Paine thought of Gippal's smile, Gippal's teasing, Baralai's shy smiles and his gentle ways, Nooj and his fighting spirit, his self destruction that was both repellant and attractive. She shook her head. "I don't think anyone could replace them."
"I didn't say replace," Lulu scolded, gently. They stopped. They were out of sight and earshot of the tents by then, and Lulu took Paine's hands in hers again. She could smell the sea, it's good clean smell, and she could almost taste the salt in the air. Besaid was a nice little backwater. A nice place to settle down. Paine isn't done with adventures, though, and the very idea of staying here set her longing to be off again.
"I don't know," she said, softly. She almost wished they hadn't agreed to stay the night. Anything to avoid this beautiful deadly woman who made her feel small and young and nearly tongue tied.
The kiss Lulu gave her wasn't purely friendly, but nor did it seem to mean anything in particular.
"I'm sure you'll figure it all out."
She smiled and left Paine standing there with the taste of the sea on her lips.
Pairing: Lulu/Paine
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Summary: Lulu offers some advice. Set in game.
"You don't seem to enjoy their company much."
Paine looked up quickly and blinked at the woman standing there at the entrance to the tent. Lost in thought, she hadn't even heard her approach. She got up, looking down at Yuna and Rikku, both asleep, both half curled up. They looked more peaceful than she ever remembered being herself. "It's not that."
"Come outside."
Paine followed the woman outside. It was difficult to imagine doing anything else. The woman wasn't exactly commanding, but there was an air to her that said don't mess with me. Paine liked that. It was... attractive. She wished she was more like that herself. She tried, and she was sure people felt that she succeeded rather well, but to her mind, not well enough.
And she was useless at repelling some people. Like, well, Rikku. And Yuna. They'd certainly gotten under her skin.
"How is it? Travelling with people like Yuna and Rikku?"
"What?"
Lulu smiled a little. She took Paine's hand in her's; her skin was smooth and cool, and Paine felt suddenly very rough, and young, and not at all womanly. "Yuna is... a legend, a living legend. She's a former summoner -- and what's more, the summoner who brought the final, endless Calm. And Rikku was -- and still is, I think, in her heart -- Yuna's guardian. They share something you can't touch."
"It doesn't bother me."
"Not even a little?"
Lulu was just a touch taller than her. Her eyes only needed to lift a little to meet Lulu's, but she still felt very young, and small, beside her. It's the attitude again, she thought, sighing inwardly and offering a tiny smile on the outside. "Not even a little."
Lulu dropped her hand, walking away into the middle of the village and then further, away from the temple and towards the other end. Paine hesitated and then followed her, drawn by just about everything about the older woman.
"I was Yuna's guardian, too, as you should know. It... the pilgrimage brings summoner and guardians very close. I wondered if you might be lonely, all things considered."
"They don't want me to feel lonely."
"But you still do?" Lulu's laugh was soft and Paine's cheeks burned. She felt as if Lulu saw right through her.
"Perhaps. I... I had my own friends once. Like them. Things... ended badly. It's hard to talk about and hard to take the risk again..."
"Faith," Lulu said, quietly.
"What?"
"That's what you need. Just a little faith in people. In humanity. Unfortunately, there's a big shortage of faith right now, isn't there? People no longer have the temples to believe in. Anything that seems even just a little too good to be true is a lie... so people think. Rikku and Yuna... they could be better than what you've lost."
Paine thought of Gippal's smile, Gippal's teasing, Baralai's shy smiles and his gentle ways, Nooj and his fighting spirit, his self destruction that was both repellant and attractive. She shook her head. "I don't think anyone could replace them."
"I didn't say replace," Lulu scolded, gently. They stopped. They were out of sight and earshot of the tents by then, and Lulu took Paine's hands in hers again. She could smell the sea, it's good clean smell, and she could almost taste the salt in the air. Besaid was a nice little backwater. A nice place to settle down. Paine isn't done with adventures, though, and the very idea of staying here set her longing to be off again.
"I don't know," she said, softly. She almost wished they hadn't agreed to stay the night. Anything to avoid this beautiful deadly woman who made her feel small and young and nearly tongue tied.
The kiss Lulu gave her wasn't purely friendly, but nor did it seem to mean anything in particular.
"I'm sure you'll figure it all out."
She smiled and left Paine standing there with the taste of the sea on her lips.
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