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Title: Shenanigans
Fandom(s): FFIX
Characters/Pairings: Zidane, Eiko
Rating/Warnings: PG
Spoilers: Yes?
Summary: Zidane checks in on Lindblum's newest little princess.
Summary: Silly. Sweet. Perhaps in need of a better title. (Help!) I might right more if the bunnies move me (Moogles in Lindblum!), and um, written this summer-ish, finally polished up for posting. Thanks,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kenkai_chan!
“Take me with you take me withyou take mewithyou takemewithyou!” begged Eiko, speaking faster and faster each time she pleaded. “I'll behave. And I promise not to short sheet the bed. Or braid ribbons in your hair while you're sleeping. I won't toss water balloons at the castle guards. I'll eat my vegetables.”
“You should be begging your parents that, kid, not me,” pointed out Zidane with a wry grin. “Besides, you know I was planning to take you with me anyway, right?”
Eiko froze, mid-whine. Her mouth hung open for several seconds while she reformulated her plan of action. Finally, all she could do was leap forward and hug Zidane tightly. “You really were?”
“Uh-huh, I figured you'd wanna see Ruby. Does that mean you were the one who put the ribbons in my hair last time Dagger and me stayed over?”
“Blank gave me a hundred gil to do it,” admitted Eiko. “He'd thought I'd be too chicken. And Dagger gave me the ribbons. She thought it was a good idea.” The young girl grinned. “But you looked nice.”
“You sneaky little thing,” said Zidane. “I guess you're adapting just fine to the castle lifestyle, then?”
“Mother tries to get me to dress up and attend teas,” she scoffed as she leapt off her bed, looking for her shoes and her favorite yellow hair ribbon. “But Father says I'm too young for it, and besides, I have lessons to catch up on.” Eiko gave a small shudder as she squirmed around under her bed, belly down, reaching for her sturdiest pair of walking boots. “But they're better than tea with all the snobby ladies.”
“They don't like you, Eiko?” Zidane looked concerned. “Do you want me or Dagger here to talk to them? Dagger's real good at putting snooty nobles in their place.”
Eiko stood on her bed, grinning. She used her best posture, tilted her nose in the air as high as she could, and assumed her best stuck-up noblewoman voice. “Oh, you poor thing. Raised by moogles? Aren't you so lucky, dear, to be living here in the castle? I don't know how you manage. Isn't it so ...different? Isn't ….wherever you're from so... pri-prima... primitive?” Eiko couldn't hold back the giggle at the last word, and she toppled over, flopping over Zidane's shoulders.
“That's terrible, Eiko. Don't let what they say get to you, but if you want, I bet Tantalus could hit up some of those snooty noble estates.”
“Mother gets them real good when they get that rude,” admitted Eiko. “She threatened to turn a couple of them into frogs if they spoke that way again. And then she usually lets me go off and watch the airships getting built, so it's okay.”
Zidane stood up, Eiko still flopped over his shoulders. She settled piggyback style behind him, and allowed her arms to rest loosely around his neck. “This is kinda fun.”
“Don't get any ideas, short stuff,” Zidane teased as he led Eiko away from her room, down the steps and out the palace. “I'm a taken man, remember.”
“As if I'd ever forget that!” Eiko stuck her tongue out behind his head. “You two were so slow! Everyone saw it but you guys. And besides, I'm over you. I'm much more mature these days.”
“Oh, really? You're the mature and grown up Lady Eiko? Too old for piggyback rides?”
“Not that old,” declared Eiko. She wasn't ready for Zidane to put her down just yet. And it was fun to wave at the palace staff as she strode past them on Zidane's strong shoulders. “But maybe after my next birthday.”
“Oh, so generous, Lady Eiko,” Zidane adjusted the girl on his back and together the two headed over toward the skycabs. “You know Ruby's been dying to see you.”
“Really?” Eiko's eyes lit up, even though she was disappointed that Zidane had set her down so the two of them could board the skycab to the Theater District. She peered over to the window, looking out at the city beyond. “How long is she staying for?”
“A couple weeks. We're working on rehearsals for Dagger's birthday play.”
“But you do that one every year. Don't you guys know it already?” Eiko pulled herself away from the window long enough to shoot an exasperated look at Zidane. “And besides, wouldn't you rather be in Alexandria?”
“We're changing it a little this year. And Ruby wants all of us to do a play at her minitheatre for a few weeks after that.”
“Dagger’s the one that cares about things like staying true to the spirit of the play and all that silly stuff. I just like the sword fights. You'll do a good one this year, right?” Eiko leaned on the edge of her seat.
“Two. We're gonna have at least one in the play for Ruby's. I think maybe Ipsen again.”
“Promise? A really good swordfight?”
Zidane made an exaggerated cross over his heart, which appeased Eiko. She gave an approving nod. “Just so you remember it!”
The skycab rolled to a stop then, and Eiko bounced off of it, headed toward the direction of the Tantalus hideout. Zidane was right on her heels, trying his best to keep up with the little girl.
“You're getting too fast for me, Eiko.”
“You're just getting slower,” replied Eiko. “Old.”
“Old. Old, coming from the little kid.”
“I'm not that little.” Eiko stuck her tongue out at Zidane, this time so he could see the gesture.
“Yeah, yeah.” Zidane leaned forward to ruffle Eiko's hair, making sure not to impale himself on her horn, or muss her ribbon. “Ready to go say hello to everyone?”
“Yeah!” Eiko smiled broadly. “Besides. Blank promised to tell me about the time you guys did a different Lord Avon play when you were younger, and you had to wear a dress. And the other play when you had to wear a dress in right before you met us.”
“I knew letting you hang around these guys would be a bad thing,” said Zidane with a playful groan.
“But Blank said you were so pretty!”
Fandom(s): FFIX
Characters/Pairings: Zidane, Eiko
Rating/Warnings: PG
Spoilers: Yes?
Summary: Zidane checks in on Lindblum's newest little princess.
Summary: Silly. Sweet. Perhaps in need of a better title. (Help!) I might right more if the bunnies move me (Moogles in Lindblum!), and um, written this summer-ish, finally polished up for posting. Thanks,
kenkai_chan!“Take me with you take me withyou take mewithyou takemewithyou!” begged Eiko, speaking faster and faster each time she pleaded. “I'll behave. And I promise not to short sheet the bed. Or braid ribbons in your hair while you're sleeping. I won't toss water balloons at the castle guards. I'll eat my vegetables.”
“You should be begging your parents that, kid, not me,” pointed out Zidane with a wry grin. “Besides, you know I was planning to take you with me anyway, right?”
Eiko froze, mid-whine. Her mouth hung open for several seconds while she reformulated her plan of action. Finally, all she could do was leap forward and hug Zidane tightly. “You really were?”
“Uh-huh, I figured you'd wanna see Ruby. Does that mean you were the one who put the ribbons in my hair last time Dagger and me stayed over?”
“Blank gave me a hundred gil to do it,” admitted Eiko. “He'd thought I'd be too chicken. And Dagger gave me the ribbons. She thought it was a good idea.” The young girl grinned. “But you looked nice.”
“You sneaky little thing,” said Zidane. “I guess you're adapting just fine to the castle lifestyle, then?”
“Mother tries to get me to dress up and attend teas,” she scoffed as she leapt off her bed, looking for her shoes and her favorite yellow hair ribbon. “But Father says I'm too young for it, and besides, I have lessons to catch up on.” Eiko gave a small shudder as she squirmed around under her bed, belly down, reaching for her sturdiest pair of walking boots. “But they're better than tea with all the snobby ladies.”
“They don't like you, Eiko?” Zidane looked concerned. “Do you want me or Dagger here to talk to them? Dagger's real good at putting snooty nobles in their place.”
Eiko stood on her bed, grinning. She used her best posture, tilted her nose in the air as high as she could, and assumed her best stuck-up noblewoman voice. “Oh, you poor thing. Raised by moogles? Aren't you so lucky, dear, to be living here in the castle? I don't know how you manage. Isn't it so ...different? Isn't ….wherever you're from so... pri-prima... primitive?” Eiko couldn't hold back the giggle at the last word, and she toppled over, flopping over Zidane's shoulders.
“That's terrible, Eiko. Don't let what they say get to you, but if you want, I bet Tantalus could hit up some of those snooty noble estates.”
“Mother gets them real good when they get that rude,” admitted Eiko. “She threatened to turn a couple of them into frogs if they spoke that way again. And then she usually lets me go off and watch the airships getting built, so it's okay.”
Zidane stood up, Eiko still flopped over his shoulders. She settled piggyback style behind him, and allowed her arms to rest loosely around his neck. “This is kinda fun.”
“Don't get any ideas, short stuff,” Zidane teased as he led Eiko away from her room, down the steps and out the palace. “I'm a taken man, remember.”
“As if I'd ever forget that!” Eiko stuck her tongue out behind his head. “You two were so slow! Everyone saw it but you guys. And besides, I'm over you. I'm much more mature these days.”
“Oh, really? You're the mature and grown up Lady Eiko? Too old for piggyback rides?”
“Not that old,” declared Eiko. She wasn't ready for Zidane to put her down just yet. And it was fun to wave at the palace staff as she strode past them on Zidane's strong shoulders. “But maybe after my next birthday.”
“Oh, so generous, Lady Eiko,” Zidane adjusted the girl on his back and together the two headed over toward the skycabs. “You know Ruby's been dying to see you.”
“Really?” Eiko's eyes lit up, even though she was disappointed that Zidane had set her down so the two of them could board the skycab to the Theater District. She peered over to the window, looking out at the city beyond. “How long is she staying for?”
“A couple weeks. We're working on rehearsals for Dagger's birthday play.”
“But you do that one every year. Don't you guys know it already?” Eiko pulled herself away from the window long enough to shoot an exasperated look at Zidane. “And besides, wouldn't you rather be in Alexandria?”
“We're changing it a little this year. And Ruby wants all of us to do a play at her minitheatre for a few weeks after that.”
“Dagger’s the one that cares about things like staying true to the spirit of the play and all that silly stuff. I just like the sword fights. You'll do a good one this year, right?” Eiko leaned on the edge of her seat.
“Two. We're gonna have at least one in the play for Ruby's. I think maybe Ipsen again.”
“Promise? A really good swordfight?”
Zidane made an exaggerated cross over his heart, which appeased Eiko. She gave an approving nod. “Just so you remember it!”
The skycab rolled to a stop then, and Eiko bounced off of it, headed toward the direction of the Tantalus hideout. Zidane was right on her heels, trying his best to keep up with the little girl.
“You're getting too fast for me, Eiko.”
“You're just getting slower,” replied Eiko. “Old.”
“Old. Old, coming from the little kid.”
“I'm not that little.” Eiko stuck her tongue out at Zidane, this time so he could see the gesture.
“Yeah, yeah.” Zidane leaned forward to ruffle Eiko's hair, making sure not to impale himself on her horn, or muss her ribbon. “Ready to go say hello to everyone?”
“Yeah!” Eiko smiled broadly. “Besides. Blank promised to tell me about the time you guys did a different Lord Avon play when you were younger, and you had to wear a dress. And the other play when you had to wear a dress in right before you met us.”
“I knew letting you hang around these guys would be a bad thing,” said Zidane with a playful groan.
“But Blank said you were so pretty!”
