On the other side of the room Paine winced. Yuna ducked her head. "I... I know," she murmured.

Rikku tentatively wiggled, arms flying out, knees pressed tightly together. "Yeah! Oh yeah! I'm gonna like this dressphere, Yunie, can I be a songstress now, can I huh?" She mimed running backwards. "Look, I've got a tie and everything!"

"Welllll..." Yuna stalled for a moment, then sighed. "Aren't you still learning how to be a thief?"

Rikku twirled her microphone. And dropped it. "Yuuuuuunie... I'm almost done, I swear... c'mon, let me be the songstress? Caaaa~an you feeeeeel the looooove toniiiiiight," she warbled. Paine put up an arm to protect her head or ward off the singing, one or the other.

"Rikku..." Yuna sighed and ducked her head. "No."

"What?" Rikku stopped dancing and flapped her hands. "Why not?"

"Because you're terrible," Paine said.

"Whaat?" Rikku crossed the cabin to where they were standing in two quick bounds. "I am not!"

Yuna fussed uncertainly over Rikku for a moment, but finally admitted, "You... ah... you are, Rikku. You're not so good."

"Pretty bad," said Paine.

"Bad," admitted Yuna.

"Really bad," said Paine.

"Terrible," Yuna sighed.

"Well!" Rikku stomped her feet. "You don't have to be so mean about it!"

"Yes we do." Paine studied Rikku with some disdain. "You're that bad."

"Like a rusty machina trying to riverdance," Yuna volunteered. Both girls turned to look at her in disbelief, and Yuna hung her head. "... sorry."

"Oooooooh!" Rikku keyed off the dressphere and stomped off to sulk.

Paine watched her go. "Well. That went better than I expected."

"Poor Rikku! But it's true." Yuna sighed and brushed her hair back from her forehead. "But we do need a songstress..."

Paine was silent. Yuna glanced at her, then plunged on. "And I've still got a long way to go as a gunner... but didn't you say just the other day that you were tired of hauling that sword around?"

"Ohhh no." Paine held up both hands in a warding gesture. "You are not making me the songstress."

"Oh, come on!" Yuna's mismatched eyes sparkled. "It'll be fu~un..."

Paine hesitated, took a step back, then turned on one heel and strode after Rikku. "Rikku! Hey! Come back! I've changed my mind!"