Room 406, evening

[izzyalienqueen]

After a busy few days, Isabel was stretched out on her bed, reviewing her notes for Hunting.

The door was open.

Comments

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Honestly? I don't even know what Al Bhed is," she admitted. "It doesn't make a difference to me. You're a nice person. That's what matters. But I will keep the smoke bombs in mind."

[the_merriest]

"No one here does," Rikku said softly. "It's ... it's nice. No one's called me names and someone said my eyes were pretty. It's hard to get used to."

Her eyes lit up a bit. "I have plenty of smoke bombs. And explosives. Always good for wreaking a little havoc, you know?!"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"They are pretty," Isabel smiled. "And I'm finding you during the next invasion then. Because havoc will be required I'm sure."

[the_merriest]

Rikku grinned. "Thanks. And you bet! Unless it's another storm-thing. Then I'll be hiding under my bed. Other than that, I've got all kinds of useful goodies."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"You don't like storms?" Isabel asked. "I was such a wreck that weekend I really didn't even notice it. Well until they started flinging fish against the windows. That was noticeable."

[the_merriest]

Rikku shuddered. "I hate them. Have you ever been hit by lightning? It's the worst! And it stormed for two straight days and I thought we were all going to die and the lightning was going to pop a window out and zap me right in the head."

"Uh, why were you a wreck? I mean, if it wasn't 'cause of the storms?" She thought for a minute. "They threw fish against the windows!?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel shook her head. "No I haven't fortunately. Hopefully I never will." She looked down and tried to think of a way to summarize everything that had happened that week/six months simply. "I'd just gotten back from a rather difficult trip. I was pretty worn out and just trying to get my feet back under me."

Of course the thought of the assault of the merpeople kept her from getting to emo. "They did. I kept the window closed and just ignored it. But talk to Parker. I think she wound up with an octopus or something in her room."

[the_merriest]

Rikku grimaced. "You think you're gonna die. I get all stupid with storms now. I missed most of what happened, I was kinda hiding." And then giggled. "An octopus? Really?"

"Your trip ... oh. Ouch. This is world-saving-stuff again, isn't it? I mean the messy bits. Whoa. I'm being nosy. I'll stop, sorry." She shook her head. "Just ... I'm glad you're okay. Uh, if you are."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Really," she said. Her smiled faded a bit and she nodded. "Yeah, it was messy. But I'm dealing. I'm mostly in a holding pattern till August now. After that, we'll have to see what happens."

[the_merriest]

Rikku bit her lip. "August? Is something ... is that when you have to, uh, the saving-the-world thing? Is there ... I mean, something I can do? Or any of us? People here are ... yeah."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"August is when I have to go back," Isabel explained. "If I can find a way. But taking people from here just isn't an option. Because it's a major committment. We're trying to help a planet that's been at war for over a generation. It's going to take years. I can't ask people to give up their lives for that."

[the_merriest]

Rikku nodded. "I ... I understand. I mean, you know they would, if you let them, but ... I get it. The not-asking. And wow. I'm sorry about the war. If that doesn't sound stupid." She hugged her knees. "Ours is over. Finally. A thousand years of people being stupid and dying and ... now we're supposed to just start over, and there's nowhere to start."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel realized the conversation was missing something. Holding out a hand, she waited as the desk drawer opened and the bag of chocolate pieces came floating over. She took one and held the bag out to Rikku. "We're fighting to restore my brother to his throne. Of course the ironic thing is, he really doesn't want it."

[the_merriest]

"Ooooh, neat," Rikku said, watching. "And thanks." And she totally grabbed a few. Mmmm, chocolate. Very much required.

"He doesn't? Can someone else take it for him? I'm guessing he needs to be on it since whoever's trying to take it from him is a way worse option." Rikku popped a chocolate piece in her mouth. "We just had a crazy fake religion."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"We have really old customs that pretty much suck. At least from our early twenty-first century point of view," Isabel explained, nibbling her own bit of chocolate. "Max tried to change that before. That's when he got overthrown and we were killed and recreated and sent to earth. We were supposed to grow up and learn to use our powers so we could go back and save them. Except the ship were on crashed. So we grew up totally ignorant about our planet. When we finally got there, it was just so strange."

[the_merriest]

"Whoa, you were killed!?" She stared. "Recreated meaning, like, what I'm trying to do? With my friend?"

Rikku shuddered. "I can't imagine that. Just ... I mean, coming here to Fandom, everything is so different, and it's not like I have to know things or else crazy people are gonna kill me. I can't imagine if I did."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," she nodded. "But by mixing a test tube, some human DNA and a little alien tech, we got a second chance.

Isabel sighed, reaching for more chocolate. "It was hard. I mean there were issues about what I'd done in that previous life, there were cultural things because I'm female. Add in the fact that we were essentially alien to them. Not fun. You can understand why I'm not thrilled about going back."

[the_merriest]

"So ... wait, you're kind of ... yourself, but re-done? Do you remember being, uh, you before? Her?" She was trying to follow, but a lot of this was beyond her.

"Is it a kinda backwards culture? About women, I mean? Pops was always weird about that. He'd buy me grenades and weapons but he hated the idea of me even talking to boys." She shook her head. "And ... you had had to do some bad stuff, before? That's awful, but I mean ... that's not your fault, you know? Bad things happen in wars. We, uh, we had to kill a guy. It's not so great thinking about it."

Rikku considered for a long moment before saying, "Do you have to go back? I mean, I know you do, I just ... you know."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Pretty much. I remember a few things, but not many. The crash messed a lot of things up," Isabel explained. "But I think based on the little bit I do remember, I like being me now, instead of her."

"Yeah, something like that." She left it at that, the topic of Kivar was a little too much to get into. "I have to. Because my brothers are there. And my place is with them."

[the_merriest]

Rikku nodded. "That's good, right? I mean, it would be hard if it were the other way around. And ... maybe she had different experiences shaping her and all that. It's weird to think about, being someone different than who you were."

"I ... oh. I didn't realize about family. That makes it harder, huh? I'm sorry. That's ... yeah. My ... my cousin is back home. I was her Guardian. Protect her, even if it means my life, you know? Now I'm here. Some Guardian." She laughed, a touch bitterly.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Exactly. Which is why I try not to. It's easier."

Isabel tilted her head, "Maybe you're here because what'll you'll learn here will help you protect her. Being here is different. It opens your mind up in some ways."

[the_merriest]

Rikku shivered. "I can't ... I don't know if I can wrap my mind around that. You know? Oh. Sorry. Not to be, uh. That sounds weird." She blushed.

And bit her lip. "No, I'm here because you have machina here and you know how it works, and we have nothing and we need to rebuild, so someone had to ..." Her voice trailed off, and she looked away for a few seconds before looking back. "That's ... not really true. I think maybe I'm really here because I'm so tired of being there. Everything's been dead for so long and I'm tired of the Yevonites and all the dying and I couldn't sit there and watch Yunie fade away. I just ... wanted to get away. Is that horrible?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Let's just say in some ways? I'm so far out on the River Denial, I'm getting one hell of a tan." Isabel was pretty sure Rikku wouldn't get the reference, but at the same time, it was the best way to summarize how she felt.

"Oh Rikku, no, it's not. There's nothing wrong with wanting a life of your own," she said quietly. "You've got the right to want to be happy."

[the_merriest]

"I ... I think I know the feeling." Rikku smiled back at her, not entirely getting the reference, but Denial was pretty universal. "You mean because of ... going back, and all that?"

"I know, I guess. Just ... Yuna? She's the one who gave up everything. She should be happy, and she isn't, so what gives me the right, you know?" She shook her head. "So I feel guilty about being happy, but not enough to go back and be miserable. Fun, huh?"

It wasn't her business, but... "You ... you have the right, too. To be happy. You know? I mean, you have to go back, for your family and to fix things, but ... I don't know."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"What she did, what happened while I was there, going back, my friends leaving in a few weeks," she listed. "Take your pick."

"I think the question to ask is, would she want you to be happy?" Isabel asked, reaching for yet more chocolate. "But I know what you mean. When I came here, I left my brothers home in Roswell to deal with all the alien angst. Sometimes I felt guilty because I was having fun and they were trying to keep themselves alive."

"I'm trying. Sometimes I have to fake it. But more often then not, lately it's real."