"I hear Yuna's taken quite a liking to you."

Gippal's responsive smirk told the silver haired warrior all she needed to know. The two of them had been friends for almost three years now, and even though they had spent time apart, their bond was still as strong as ever. Paine could tell when Gippal was planning something, and the fact that he usually was became irrelevant as she saw that confident grin.

"Gippal, be careful. She's not quite as tough as she looks," Paine warned, knowing that her warning would likely have no effect on him. Gippal was stubborn, especially when he set his eyes on something he wanted.

"That might be a problem. Face it Paine, Yuna looks as tough and threatening as a newborn kitten," Gippal retorted, and began to laugh. "That's one of the things I like about her, you know. Big famous celebrity girl who just kind of wants to be left alone, but still can't turn someone down when they're in trouble. If all of Spira didn't know her face and she had the heart for it, Yuna would be a great assassin. She'd stand there with her hands behind her back smiling at you, and while you were thinking about how cute she was, she'd stab your eye out." He lifted his arms over his head and stretched, then reclined in the chair he was sitting in opposite of Paine.

"I don't think Yuna will be stabbing anyone's eye out anytime soon," Paine noted wryly.

"Well, that's good. I only have one left," Gippal teased, then started to laugh. "I don't think I'd look this sexy with two eyepatches."

Paine knew Gippal's mind was made up, and that this particular conversation was going nowhere. She shook her head and chuckled despite herself. "The great Gippal, spending his time chasing a kitten."

"Hey, I never said she was a kitten. I'd bet there's a tiger in there, and I'm a winning man."

Paine laughed again at the mental image. "Let me guess. If they're not, you just adjust until the cards are in your favor by any means necessary?"

"Yep."

His confident response didn't surprise her. "Wait, if Yuna's a tiger, what does that make you?"

"Don't be silly. The ringmaster, of course," he asserted, smirking again.

"Be careful. If you bring that tiger out and push it too hard, you might get mauled."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."