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Post by Griever on Jul 20, 2010 12:02:14 GMT -5
The trip to Balfonheim had been far too long to Balthier's mind, but at least it had been uneventful. No pursuing ships made their appearance, and overall the voyage had been quite safe, which consequently meant that the thing of most interest was the make of their airship. It wasn't one of the large but inelegant Archadian models that Balthier was used to, but an unfamiliar kind, constructed of wood and looking, true to its name, like a ship in the sky. Alexandrian, they'd said at the port. The novelty was interesting enough, for a passing observance, but he was quite glad to leave it when they landed.
Balfonheim hadn't changed much, despite the Merge. It seemed the pirates' services were more in demand now, and even more people bustled about carrying the cargo they were scheduled to transport than before, but the place retained its atmosphere of hard work and good company.
Due in no small part to Reddas' influence, he observed, thinking on it. It was good to know there were those who worked to keep the sky pirate's legacy intact.
Balthier's first stop after arriving was to meet with an acquaintance and discuss the value of his most recently acquired treasure, but that was a waste - the man had never heard of it, knew nothing of its use, and consequently had no idea what sort of price to offer. Irritated at the failure, the sky pirate made his way to the Whitecap. The familiar bar was a good source of information, and he hoped to find some kind of lead to his next destination there.
"Your usual, Master Balthier?"
"Yes, and do make it quick, I'm not planning to stay long today."
The woman rushed off to fill his request, and while he waited, Balthier glanced over the notice board. More than the names of the monsters, the locations caught his attention. Mobliz? Timber? He hadn't heard of either place. There had been a time when he had traveled the world, when few things could be considered foreign to him. But the world was much bigger now, and it felt as though he didn't know much of anything anymore, in comparison. It was strange to think on, but not unwelcome: if the world was larger, its treasures were more plentiful.
Ah...Balfonheim? Glancing past the rendition of a particularly fierce-looking bomb, Balthier read the contents of the bill. He had been quite the mark hunter once, even if the job hadn't been much more than a hobby. And it wasn't as though treasure was going to fall into his lap. It hadn't been long ago that, if he didn't have a lead, he wouldn't have had a second thought of flying off and seeing where impulse carried him, but dragging Celes and Nyna along for it wasn't much of an option.
With a mark available so close, though, they could collect the gil and still decide their next destination from here. Rumor traveled fast in a town of pirates, one just had to keep their ear to the ground. But what was the harm in keeping an ear to the ground and some gil in the pocket?
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Post by Hiko on Jul 20, 2010 13:05:45 GMT -5
Celes had kept quiet through most of the airship's flight, feeling strangely nostalgic. It wasn't as if she'd ever been on one of these shoddy, wooden death-traps before, so why did she feel like it was a second nature?
Even watching some of the passengers play a few rounds of cards while they floated along brought forth an odd feeling. Knowing they'd be on the verge of docking within a short while, she thought to strike up conversation with the couple with the cards.
“Excuse me,” she said softly, “What are you playing?”
“Eh?” the older gentleman of the pair said, squinting up at her, “Blackjack. Ain't y'ever heard of it?”
“Blackjack?”
“How can she not've heard of – ah, youth today...”
“Have a sit, girl, we'll teach you,” the woman sitting across from her opponent replied with a grin. “Promise, we won't have you gambling until you're good enough to beat Rojer there.”
–
Once in Balfonheim, and with an old set of cards as her claimed prize, Celes was all smiles. She'd taken to the game fairly quickly – enough that her tutors had thought she'd been a cardshark. Looking down at the deck before shoving it into her jacket pocket, she grinned one last time.
Blackjack, huh? She could get used to playing it.
–
Having followed Balthier from ship to shop to bar, Celes felt no small amount of curiosity at their new location. It wasn't as grand or as righteous as Bevelle felt, but it had its charm – even if she felt the need to stay even closer to the de facto leader's side. Sipping at her drink, she watched as the man left to glance over some sort of posting board. Wonder what that was all about, she thought to herself. Whatever it was, Celes hoped it wouldn't land them in any sort of trouble – between that bandit and the zealot, she felt it best to maintain as low a profile as possible.
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Post by mattsukun on Jul 20, 2010 13:24:13 GMT -5
Nyna kept quiet and to herself during the flight. She had even dozed off for just a few minutes before she had heard movement around her. Opening her heavy eyelids she had seen Celes wander over to a nearby table on the airship and watch the strangers play their card games. She herself saw it as interesting, but her shyness still got the most of her as she sat there quietly, watching her female comrade and the strange passersby.
After the airship had landed, she continued to follow them silently. She had already traveled so far with them, she didn't even know if she'd be able to get back to her so-called home at this point. Still, she wasn't sure if she even wanted to get back, since she couldn't help but admit that traveling to all these new places was quite exciting.
A light smile warmed her face as she stood behind the others and tilted her head, curious as to what could be so important about the writings the man was looking at so intently.
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Post by Griever on Jul 23, 2010 23:18:36 GMT -5
Balthier sipped his drink as he lowered into the chair across from Celes. From the looks on his companions' faces, he could tell they had no clue about notice boards or Marks. It was to be expected from Celes, and served as a reminder how foreign Ivalice and its customs were to Nyna. How best to explain, though? It wouldn't do to have the girls run off the moment they grasped the concept. True, Mark hunting could be dangerous, but when handled by someone with the proper skillset, it was nothing but profitable.
"There's a Mark in the area," he began, glancing from woman to girl and back. "A fiend several times stronger than your average sort. The rewards aren't the kind of treasure you'd find somewhere properly exotic, but it's simple enough, and close. I'll be hunting it."
As he lifted his glass for the second time, he shifted to a more comfortable position, studying the girls. "I won't ask you to come along, but if you choose to, I won't stop you. Just know that I'd rather not stay long, so you'd best be prepared when it's time to go."
He didn't like being forced to wait around, after all, not that he knew where they were headed next. He was accustomed to moving between treasures, but he'd put the burden on himself this time - dragging a pair of ladies across the world from danger to danger in the name of sky pirating was hardly his idea of decency.
If he thought on it honestly, though, there was something that had been bothering him. He'd tried to avoid the subject, even mentally, but he'd spent half of his life running away from things. He was tired of running. Having a sense of responsibility put on him again reminded him of his resolve to stop it.
The rumors that were spreading in whispers across the world were dark ones, strange and by all logic impossible. But what was logic to a place where lands that had known nothing of each other had collided? There was truth behind the words, Balthier felt it, much as he was loathe to admit it. People were returning from death, living as well and as strongly as before they had died. The prospect brought him no small amount of discomfort when he thought of those he had had a hand in bringing down. Vayne, the power-crazed emperor. Venat, the manipulative Occuria. And...
His taste for drink spoiled, Balthier put glass roughly to table. That was that, then, he had to find the basis for these rumors, perhaps try to understand the cause and the implications. But where to go? The answer to that was simple enough, at least - he still had contact with his companions of two years ago. Ashe was a queen now, and Larsa an emperor. No doubt one of them would know something. He wasn't fond of the thought of returning again to Archades, but there was admittedly some logic in confronting the issue head-on; if it was Draklor's Dr. Cid that was his primary concern, the home of Draklor itself was a fair place to search.
Back into the heart of conflict, eh? So much for returning to the freedom of piracy.
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Ducky
Chocobo
Kill kill kill!
Posts: 56 
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Post by Ducky on Jul 26, 2010 2:02:09 GMT -5
[/i] long. Add to the fact that this Balthier person is who she’s following nowadays… He shook his head at that thought. He had made a promise to Celes that he would protect her. IT had been years ago, yes. The threat of the world had been destroyed and he didn’t feel it was necessary anymore, yes. She didn’t even know who he is anymore, yes. Damnit, it was a new world now though and there were plenty of dangers. Not to mention the fact that Celes would need more protection than ever considering the fact that her brain was all frazzled. ’I hope we’re going to a pub.’ Locke thought sourly and it was by the grace of some higher power that the miracle was made. It wasn’t like any pub he had been to before but it generally looked like one. There was alcohol and that’s all that mattered to him. He shifted his gaze back to his traveling companions for a mental note on their whereabouts before he made his way to the front counter away from them. He was already feeling better about everything despite the fact that he hadn’t even gotten a drink yet. Yep, yep! When all else failed there was always beer there to make your troubles seem far away! “I’ll take one!” He boasted as he took a seat at the counter. “Put it on my tab!” He didn’t have a tab yet, but that didn’t seem to matter to the bartender because he started filling up a mug before sitting it in front of him. Locke didn’t waste any time in guzzling down the drink. This was one of the little things in life that made life so wonderful. “Another!” He announced as he held up his empty mug. It was followed by a belch. The bartender filled it up again and the process continued for quite a few minutes. It was by the third mug that he felt his head swoon and he hopped off the stool and thought it was a better time than any to find out what everyone else was doing. That and he needed to find some gil. Somehow he managed to misplace his gil that he had in his pouch. In fact, the pouch that he had been certain he was carrying on his sash when he left the ship was completely missing and he hadn’t even thought to check before ordering. “Maybe Celes will cover for ol times sake~” Locke slurred as he searched the room. The current mug was in his hand and he wasn’t guzzling it down like the others. Instead it was sloshing about as he took his steps. He felt all swoony like but it wasn’t anything uncommon with him and alcohol. He remember the days that him and some of the others back in his Returners days would drink the night away- those were the good days. He giggled a little bit to himself and wiped his brow with the back of his wrist. Sadly it happened to be with the hand holding onto his mug and he ended up spilling the drink on the front of his vest. “It’s hoooot.” He complained before placing the empty mug on a table he was passing by before slipping his vest off and tossing it over on one should. It took him a couple of scans before he found her, but he managed to catch site of Celes again… with Balthier. If he were lucky, if Celes couldn’t spot him than perhaps Balthier would because they were traveling together. Maybe he could get the man to buy him some more drinks in fact. That would be awesome of the man even if Locke didn’t care too much about him. It certainly would raise his likeability up a little. He made his way over to Celes and when he reached her side he immediately tossed an arm over her shoulders. “Hi!” He chirped. “Celes, do you think you could, you know… uh…” What was the word he was looking for? “…shenanigans. I seemed to misplaced my gil. You could even have a drink with me for old time’s sake. Whaddya say? ” He gave a lopsided smile. “Oh yeah… what are you guys discussing anyway~?” Why did he suddenly feel like he should be running around naked? He blinked a few times at the mental image. No… no. That wouldn’t do.[/ul] ((And Locke is in.  ) |
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Post by Hiko on Jul 26, 2010 3:52:25 GMT -5
Celes, to her credit, hadn't gone to hide behind Balthier's bootstraps the moment Locke joined them at the Whitecap. Instead, she stole curious glances at him as he quickly began drinking himself under the table. Why, he was hardly the fearsome bandit she'd initially pegged him for! More of a sopping drunk, now that she paid closer attention. Frowning, she decided it was best to answer the party's leading man, rather than continue paying attention to Locke's odd activity.
“You're acting as if it hasn't already been dangerous,” Celes said, a hand gingerly touching at the Cured wound at the back of her skull, “I don't think it can get worse than brain damage. Where you go, I'm following. I'd rather not stay in the city. It... unnerves me. So does Lo-”
What?
He was touching her.
What was he doing touching her.
Celes tensed reflexively at Locke's ministrations.
“Uhm. Ah. O-Of course. I could pay for your-”
She couldn't.
The only gil she'd managed to find on her body had gone toward the air fare to get there.
“Ah... I don't... I don't have any – I'm sorry. I can't help.” Clearly uncomfortable with the feel of the man's arm about her shoulders, Celes gave a pained look to Balthier and scooted closer to the man. She certainly wasn't going to pluck a drunk's hand from her shoulder – she had no idea if Locke was a belligerent drinker – and she wasn't about to find out!
“Uhm. Could you, ah...” Take this man's hand off my person?
Get him away from me?
Help?
Oh, as if that wouldn't come across harsh – especially not to someone who was likely drinking for earlier events.
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Post by mattsukun on Jul 26, 2010 13:16:46 GMT -5
Nyna listened intently to the man explain what a Mark was and how this all worked. Though she was a shy little thing, she was easily interested by new things and new discoveries. This whole idea soued quite interesting, no exciting to her. It must have been the idea that it was something so exotic to her. Hunting a creature more powerful than the rest of it's kind, just the idea of even meeting a creature so intimidating was enough to cause a chill of excitement and fear up her back.
She looked down briefly, her light eyes staring at the floor of the pub before she mumbled lightly. "I wanna help. It's only fair. You helped us, protected us from those mean guys. So, I wanna-" She was interested by the slurring words of the bandit who had been tagging along this entire time. Her eyes widened a little in surprise as the man suddenly wrapped an arm around her new found friend. What was he thinking? And asking her to cover the cost? What was he, drunk? Nyna had to take a moment to mentally hit herself in the head for that thought. Of course he was, the smell of beer was quite strong. Yes, she was a shy thing, but living in a city like Treno on your own got you used to such sights.
She had seen many drunk men hit on girls, ask them to pay for their drinks, and go further and she had always hated it.She had always wanted to do something, but she didn't know the girl and she was afraid of what the men might have done to her in their drunken state. This time it was different though. Celes had protected her, helped her, and had even been trying to make her into something better than a pilferer.
Balling her hands into fists she glared at the drunken man before roughly shoving him in the gut, trying to push him back even with her small and frail form. "Quit it! Leave her alone pycdynt! You're bothering her!" Her eyes widen as her cheeks flushed lightly, catching herself losing control and not only using her native tongue, but in such a foul tongue as well. She was still scared, afraid the man might harm her for doing such a thing to him, but she wanted to protect Celes as she had done for her.
OOC: Ugh, sorry, post did not come out nearly as well as I had hoped. Bleh...v.v
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Post by Griever on Jul 26, 2010 19:25:30 GMT -5
As he received replies from Celes and Nyna, Balthier's eyes wandered across the bar, to the place a rather distinctive man was ordering drink after drink. He'd followed them, then, since their meeting outside Bevelle? He thought they'd parted ways upon reaching the city, but it seemed the thief was both more persistent and more capable of discretion than he'd marked him for. Despite the knowledge, Balthier preferred not to cause a scene, so he made the decision to leave him be, at least so long as Locke did the same to them.
And then he wrapped his arm around Celes.
Irritation rose inside the sky pirate, and just as Nyna made her move to defend the woman, he did the same. In a single motion he stood from his seat and knocked Locke's arm from her shoulders, reaching out with his free hand to place it on Nyna's shoulder, preventing her from further outbursts.
"That's enough of that," he stated in biting tones, eyes narrowing at the bandit. "The lady's made it clear she has no want of your company, so I'd suggest you stop trying to force it on her." His subtle threat was more in his tone than his words, but it was clearly present nonetheless.
His mood was fouled already, and he didn't have any patience for overzealous drunks, whether there was truth to his history with Celes or not.
(That came out about half the length I would've liked, I'm sorry D: I've been staring at this post FAR too long, though, figured I should just send it.)
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Ducky
Chocobo
Kill kill kill!
Posts: 56
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Post by Ducky on Jul 26, 2010 23:17:49 GMT -5
[/i] He had been warned several times in the past. Ah, of course he forgot that silly advice. It didn’t help matters that he ended up losing the contents of his stomach in the airship they had been on to begin with. His gaze shifted toward Celes’ form. If they were going on the hunt, undoubtedly Celes would probably follow. Which meant Locke should probably follow along as well to make sure she remained safe. He didn’t really know the people she was with very well so it wasn’t like he could entrust her safety in their hands so easily. Maybe along the way he could... refresh Celes’ memory on who he was exactly. She’s the first person from his world that he’s managed to see since the merge and he didn’t want to lose one so quickly. Of course, he would need to convince them to take him along. They were still under the impression that he was some bandit or something that was just trying to steal their stuff or something. ’What to do… I think it might be time to bring out the Edgar in me.’ Locke thought before he took a step back away from the group. He straightened up his stance for a more proper posture. He turned his gaze toward Balthier before he lifted up one hand and wagged a finger at him as if he were belittling a small child. “It wouldn’t be proper of me to allow these fine ladies to go out on a hunt without my protection.” He announced smoothly and made sure to pronounce every syllable. Good ol’ Edgar. “So, I will accompany you without any desire for a cut of the reward. All I ask is that my tab is covered. You can have a willing man fight alongside you or I’ll just end up following everyone to ensure they are safe.” Either way, he was going to end up going- even if he had to run out on a tab.[/ul] |
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Post by Hiko on Aug 9, 2010 3:27:22 GMT -5
To say that Celes was uncomfortable with the scene being made before her eyes was... Did “understatement” even cover such a feeling? She held her hands up as an unsaid askance for her companions to leave off on Locke.
“H-he... Ah. N-no. It's fine. You don't have to do that on my account. Please. No. Ah,” Celes stammered, looking back and forth, from Nyna, to Locke, and to Balthier, “Really. Uhm.”
Uhm.
The entire situation made Celes' skin crawl. From what she'd seen of Locke to date, he'd preened and pawed in concern over her mental state, and then gorged himself on liquor in hopes of drowning what, one wouldn't know – surely, he wasn't at all of the same caliber as the leading Balthier, who had seen to taking control of every situation in an even, mild manner.
But then, in comparison to Fran's standoffish nature, and Nyna's (and her own) naivety, there was only so much to contrast.
Locke knew her – or at least, he knew enough of her to want to stay near. That was something, regardless of the nightmares that told her he shouldn't. Celes gave a hesitant glance to the bandit and attempted an uneasy smile.
No, it was better to keep him close than wonder where she'd find him next.
“If his head clears, it might help to have another pair of hands on the scene. I... I'm not certain I'll be much help at all, and I don't think you're the type of man to let Nyna fight for riches, Balthier. Please, can we bring him along?”
Lovely words from a doubting mouth.
((Urgh. This sucked. D: Sorry.))
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Post by mattsukun on Aug 9, 2010 14:55:04 GMT -5
Nyna still wasn't so sure, even as Celes asked Balthier to allow Locke to come along. She was nervous, scared, anxious, excited. She wasn't sure what she was feeling the most at the time. The again, an extra person always made it safer due to more eyes and more defenses. This had been proven to her when she once tried pickpocketing a man with three other around him. A small shiver went done her spine as she remembered the quick beating she received, but all-in-all they were nice enough to let her go and not call the authorities.
Giving a small shake of her head she cleared her mind and gave a small nod as she first looked to Celes, then to Balthier. "M-Maybe she's right? I, uhm, I'll do what I can to help, but I don't know how much that is." Once more she smiled to Celes. The woman had been there for her, even stood up for her to Balthier, so it was only fair she return the kindness and trusted her as well.
OOC: Ugh, wow, crudtastic post is crudtastic. o.0 sorry.
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Post by Griever on Aug 16, 2010 7:11:53 GMT -5
Annoyance was turning slowly to extreme dislike in Balthier, like some kind of grating gear twisting inside him. But upon Celes' request, he turned away from the man and shrugged.
"If that's what you want. But I'd get out of the habit of taking in every stray you find, if I were you. Never know when they'll choose to bite."
A pity he didn't listen to his own advice. Grabbing his glass from the table, he finished the drink at once, then sat again, clearly dissatisfied with this turn of events. Another pair of hands, she said? Wonderful, if those hands didn't try to take everything they had the moment they turned their backs.
But admittedly, it was better to have him where they could see him than, by his own admission, following them unwanted. Keep your friends close, was it? Friend or enemy, it seemed they didn't have any choice either way.
Perhaps the new addition to their mismatched party could prove of some use, though, he considered. It was possible he knew something of the rumors Balthier had heard, something beyond what could be caught from hushed whispers and excited gossip. He wouldn't ask outright, but he would be keeping his eye on the man. If he knew anything, Balthier would find out.
And if he tried anything, he'd find out just how quickly a sky pirate famed among bounty hunters as much as among rumor-hungry taverngoers could shoot.
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Ducky
Chocobo
Kill kill kill!
Posts: 56
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Post by Ducky on Aug 19, 2010 14:00:40 GMT -5
Oh! The ladies were on his side on this one. That was an improvement for sure. It showed that there was some manner of trust that they were giving him. He turned his gaze back to Balthier and bit back a smile that was threatening to streak across his lips. “My bites are soft and tender.” Locke said reassuringly. He chomped down at the air to emphasize his point. Yeah, him and Balthier would probably need a lot more time to actually get along but that was fine with Locke. He was fine if he never really got along with the man either.
He walked over to Nyna and tossed an arm over her shoulders in a friendly manner. “And you don’t have to worry about a thing. With me around I’ll be sure to protect both you ladies from any harm.” He was still buzzed so the whole personal bubble thing that seemed to bent people out of shape before when he broke it with Celes wasn’t really clicking in his mind as something to pay attention to. Fortunately he lifted his arm up out of his own free will and stole a glance at the board again.
“Fortunately for everyone here, I’m an exceptional tracker.” He prided himself, “You don’t become a world famous treasure hunter with dumb luck.” He reached a hand up to his brow and slipped his fingers underneath his bandana in order to scrape his nails across his scalp. He took a moment to think of the best possible means of tackling the hunt. After a moment or two he decided that he’d think about it later when he had a clearer mind. That actually reminded him of something important. He turned around and looked between the two ladies and Balthier as he was sitting at the table.
“So who’s paying for my drinks?” That had been the terms of his helping and they had accepted him into their group. Whether they missed that term or ignored it wasn’t a concern of his. Granted, it wasn’t in writing but there was a measure of honor when it came to oral contracts.
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Post by mattsukun on Sept 5, 2010 9:31:47 GMT -5
Nyna's eyes briefly hit the floor as Balthier mentioned that Celes should quit picking up strays. Still, she quickly came to the conclusion that it at least seemed he meant the bandit, rather than herself.
Of course, just as she was becoming a bit more comfortable with the air around the small group, she suddenly felt an arm lay across her shoulder. Her eyes instantly widened and she froze as she gave a small gulp, a heavy sigh of relief leaving her lips as he removed his hand on his own.
She quietly thanked the fact that he removed his hand as she listened to the man brag about his skills. When he was done, she couldn't help but somewhat stare at the man. She herself may have been a thief, but still she found it hard to believe that he was expecting them to pay for his drinks.
OOC: sorry for the long wait and the long time away. it's been a very busy week this week.
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Post by Hiko on Oct 14, 2010 3:08:05 GMT -5
((I... I have no idea what to write. D:
If anyone wants to take my turn, feel free.))
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