fandomtownies | Wellspring Arms, Friday

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rikku

Wellspring Arms, Friday

When ~~Tyl~~ Mr. Durden (he was a teacher now, she should call him Mr. Durden) told Rikku yesterday that anger was energy, and she should use hers, he probably expected a more active outcome from that than Rikku ... writing letters. Then again, he didn't see the letters themselves, or the sheer volume of them that she intended to put out.

She could contact every single group in Spira - the old Crusaders, the Youth League, the Ronso, even the Guado, every freaking blitzball team, any clump of people she knew about - and invite them to start a discussion with her on Spira's future. And then send a few along to any prominent people she could think of, group or no. Even Gippal, dammit.

It helped that Cid was leader of the Al Bhed, and Rikku was his daughter. Signing letters with those two facts sure might sound like she had some sort of authority to speak for them, as a group, in negotiations. Oops!

The hell with it, if Pops wasn't going to step up and make things happen, then she would. And if she had to use his name to do it, so be it. She could yell just as loud as he could.

The Wellspring Arms was open, and Rikku was writing. A lot.

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She's writing, furiously. Finish a letter, seal it up, move on to the next.

Worf entered Wellspring and raised an eyebrow at the passionate letter writing going on.

"Pardon me, but is the meditation room available?"

"You bet," Rikku said, looking up from her letter. "Kinda nice having someone come in and use it, you know?"

"I find it odd that most people don't," Worf replied gruffly. "I find it... worthwhile."

"I've used it from time to time," Rikku shrugged. "I think Cable goes in there a lot. Maybe people don't know how to meditate."

"And that is truly a shame," Worf announced boldy. "Meditation allows clarity of thought and provides a balance between the mind and the body. I recommend it for everyone."

Some people more than others.

"I should go in more often," Rikku said, chewing her lip. "It's kinda like, I get busy all week, and then when I'm here, I don't want to be off meditating, 'cause I'm supposed to be here, by the counter, you know?"

"At least you do not sleep while you are at your post," Worf declared. "That is truly unforgiveable."

Rikku stared. "Yeah. No. I like my job, that's just ... wrong."

"Indeed," Worf said with a nod. "Your loyalty and duty to your profession are to be commended. May I ask what all the paperwork is about?"

"Personal matter," she said, waving it off. "Not related to the store. Just a mess going on back home. I'm gonna see if I can do something about it."

"I see," Worf replied. "Then I wish you well in your endeavors."

"Thanks," she smiled. "Me, too. Uh. I'm not sure letters can do much, but it's something I can do from here, you know?"

Worf regarded the massive amounts of letters. "Perhaps your point would be more effective if you engage these people in person."

"It might," she nodded. "But they're back on my world which is way far away and if I see them in person, I might punch them in the teeth. And I'm gonna see if Yunie can talk to people, 'cause ... people listen to her, and she's awesome like that."

"Among my people, a punch in the face would actually be quite effective," Worf mused. "It shows your conviction to the cause and will deter people from contradicting you."

"Unfortunately, among these people, a punch in the face means 'look, I told you those Al Bhed were violent and crazy,'" she sighed. "Counterproductive to getting people to stop thinking we're insane baby-eaters."

... "What exactly do you mean?" Worf asked. "Is somone in trouble?.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "It's not ... like that. It's not, hey, someone was grabbed, or anything. It's ... you know how some people say mean things to you, 'cause you're a Klingon? They're like that, with us. They were, anyway. And then that went away, but it's coming back. It's ... messy."

"Sounds like a very complicated issue," Worf replied thoughtfully. "Perhaps a mediator would be beneficial as well between your groups."

"If they'd listen," she shrugged. "I need to get Yunie involved. They'd listen to her, you know? Anybody else they might just ... ignore."

"What is this 'Yunie'?" Worf asked. "Is it another race you would use as a third party?"

"My cousin, Yunie," she smiled. "She saved the world. People will listen to her."

And possibly make her run the world again, if she stood up and said anything, but ... maybe that was a risk Yuna had to take.

"Then that is your arbitrator," Worf declared. "A hero will always be able to sway the thoughts of the people. Long ago my world was saved by a man name Kahless. To this day his words and thoughts still guide all Klingons."

"They sort of want her to run things, now," Rikku explained. "She's kinda busy, you know? She has her own life."

She waved it off. "Don't mind me. I'm keeping you from meditating. But that's why I'm writing all these letters, anyway."

"Q'Pla," Worf said with a nod and headed toward the meditation room.

"Busy?"

It was a little hard not to notice the writing, after all. Cable strode into the shop with Janice placed firmly in her pouch, but he came to a stop near the desk, tilting his head curiously.

"Trying to make a difference," Rikku frowned, setting down her pen. "Not sure I can, but it's a good place to start. The letters, I mean. This is just step one, you know?"

She leaned over and waved a finger towards the baby, hoping her tiny little fists would clutch it. "Hey there, cutie-pie."

Now that was interesting.

The baby tried to lean towards her, grabbing a little in Rikku's finger's direction; still working on that coordination. Cable shot a look down at her letters.

"I'm taking it you have a plan."

Rikku poked the finger into the baby's fist. Totally counted. "You're getting so big. Who's so big? Who's getting so big?"

Most of the letters were similar, just statements about Spira's future and the directions being taken and expressing a desire for people to start an open dialogue. They were all signed "Rikku, Daughter of Cid (on behalf of the Al Bhed)."

Pops was so gonna kill her.

"Sort of," she said, shrugging as she looked back up at him. "This is ... there are lots of people who'd want to stop what's happening, so I'm gonna see if any of them are willing to act on it. I gotta know who we've got on our side first before we go any further. Right?"

"Right."

He had a mission of his own. He should not be getting involved. If anything, the baby's outstretched arm should remind him of that. Keep her alive. Right.

Still, asking a few questions wasn't technically intervening...

"Are any of these factions particularly vicious towards each other?"

She laughed, somewhat bitterly. "They're ... trying to start Yevon up again," she said. "Yevon is ... it was the religion and government and the everything where I'm from, and it was responsible for all the death and murder and destruction. My people's home is gone, most of the Ronso are dead, and everyone spent a thousand years killing themselves to appease some monster instead of just stopping it. We did that. Killed the monster. And now people are going, well, just because Yevon was wrong about everything, some of the teachings are still useful. They help us lead good and pure lives, praise Yevon. We killed Yevon. Fuck that. I'm not just gonna stand around and let this happen again. I can't."

She took a deep breath, and then blushed, hard. "I. Um. Sorry. Didn't mean to ... s-swear in front of the baby. Sir."

"The baby will live," Cable said, with a touch of gentle firmness. "What part of these teachings do they feel are so 'useful'?" It had gotten them a little tangentially off the path of the important matter, here-- bringing Rikku's world back together-- but her dislike of religion wasn't exactly a subtle one.

He needed to know.

She shrugged, awkwardly. "I never learned the teachings. They, uh. They decided that machina -- um, machinery? Technology? -- stuff like that, was bad. All of it. So they destroyed their technology and all the books about how to make it. And cities are bad, people should live spread out in villages. We Al Bhed, my people, we didn't believe that technology was bad; that's why they hate us. We're sinning against Yevon every time we make patrol droids. We're sinning against Yevon by not sending people off to kill themselves. That's the other bit, every now and then people should go kill themselves 'cause it'll appease the monster. The monster's gone. I helped kill it myself. I have no idea what -- what there is in the teachings to hold onto. Besides 'hate the Al Bhed' and 'don't ever use technology.'"

"You know what they say about knowing your enemy," he replied, after she'd finished talking. "People don't simply decide to believe something wrong one day-- and faith and hope are always interlinked."

Cable looked away from the baby, from the letters, to find Rikku's eyes. "Fighting is easy. You live or you die. It's a simple choice, but in a situation like this-- that binary of them and us needs to cease being. If you want this to happen-- if you want a peaceful future for your home, the first step is finding out why."

A little simplistic, maybe; he'd save the real speeches for later.

Rikku nodded. "I ... I think I'm just scared. That it's all gonna come back and my people, we've ... lost so much, you know? Everybody has, in Spira. Parents and friends and siblings, that's just ... what happens. Maybe ... they're scared, too."

Yuna, standing in the spring in Macalania, staring at the water like something inside her had broken. Lulu, screaming at Yunalesca. Losing your faith had to be ... huge. Terrifying.

"It's the easiest thing for the world to fall apart in the wake of a catastrophe like that," he said, remembering other things-- things he'd had to put behind himself for that last, desperate bid to make it better...

No point in getting maudlin. It was done with. "Take away the ruling power without something else to unite the people, and everyone winds up fighting for a piece." He glanced at the world map that laid behind Rikku with a faint frown. "Because they're scared. Because they're looking for something to hang onto. Because any hope at all seems like a good hope. It's not the time to make enemies of each other; again and again, history has shown that just leads down to further destruction."

Unless your opponent was crazier than Hitler and Stalin put together, but he fervently hoped that wasn't the case with Rikku.

"You have to be constructive. Understanding. Find a middle ground."

"Okay," she said. "We need to ... all ... come together. For Spira. Right? And not cling to the past and find a way to ... I mean, the world's saved but we need to know where to go from here. Right? It's not enough to save the world, we need to fix it."

Luckily, all of the thoroughly batshit insane people on the other side were dead now.

Rikku took a long, deep breath. "I'm scared they won't want to. It means ... everyone working together, and ... they're used to thinking we're the enemy, and I'm not sure anyone's ready to trust us."

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy," he said, not unkindly. "It's hard for anyone to accept change. Any change that will truly last is gradual. You don't build a house in a day."

It was a difficult matter in any universe, and Cable took a moment. "I'm not saying I know the way things work on your world, Rikku," he continued, "But to work together, most people need something they feel is worth working towards. A dream they can have some faith in. And in a time of turmoil, they'll take one from the strangest sources, if that source is determined enough. Convincing enough."

"We just need to find one that everyone can believe in," Rikku said, nodding. "I'll remember that. Thanks."

Jack was in a chipper mood. And in Wellspring Arms. Being chipper. This was not good.

"Can I help you?" Rikku chirped, setting down her pen and looking up.

She noticed Jack and sighed. "No, I'm not selling you a gun."

"Yes. I would like--hey!"
He didn't come in for a gun. This time.

"Oh," Rikku said, nodding. Whoa, he was learning. Progress. "Okay. That's cool. Hi, welcome to the Wellspring Arms and Meditation Center, how can I help you today?"

"I've... Dammit, I forgot why I was here now." He scratched the back of his head and smoothed down the hair. "Nevermind." He turned to leave.

Mod your Zen.

After talking with Rikku, Worf began his usual routine.

Stick 'em up!

Yup, it's Friday.

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Wellspring Arms, Friday

Talk to Rikku

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The Meditation Room

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The Shooting Range

OOC