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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:50:59 GMT -5
-Balthier-
Once the trio had safely boarded the airship, it lifted higher above the magnificent city of Treno, and then with a bright burst of light from the engines that was cursed by the would-be captors still on the ground, it soared away into the night. Balthier stowed his prize safely away then returned quickly to where he had left his new companions, leaning his back against a wall of his airship and folding his arms.
"I'm afraid that wasn't the best place for chitchat, so to answer your question," this to Celes, "Neither. I'm the leading man." He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, the smile on his lips tugged at by the slightest hint of the smirk that so often played on his features. "Now, I believe proper introductions are in order? You two have my name, but I'm afraid I can't say the same."
This pair interested him, though why he wasn't certain - logic and experience warned not to get too curious, but something indefinable drew his attention toward them regardless. The blonde woman had a certain sharpness about her that was more than just her speech and attitude; he couldn't place where it came from, but it intrigued him. And the pickpocket...he was reminded strongly of the previous stray he'd become caught up with, that boy from Rabanastre who had, like her, been living on what he could steal.
Logic and experience won. Balthier had been a sky pirate far too long to ignore them, and the memories brought about his decision: he would drop the women off when they reached their destination, and that would be that. His career was dangerous enough without getting involved in that level of adventure again.
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:51:14 GMT -5
- Celes -
Let it never be said that Celes Chere was known for her keen sense of timing. “Celes Chere,” once her name was given, she took a moment before speaking again. “Does it matter much, though? You've probably only plucked us into the air long enough to find someone to foster us onto. From what I hear, pirates don't keep much company. I doubt that changes the more infamous you become.”
Celes slumped into a sitting position on the floor of the deck they loitered on. She leaned back, resting her head against the wall of the ship and looked over to Nyna. With a grin, she addressed the young girl. “You know, I left the theatre tonight expecting a nice dinner, maybe a chance to see a bit more of the city... I don't know about you, but I'm still hungry and I've got more of an eyeful of Treno tonight than I'd've ever wanted.”
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:51:33 GMT -5
~Nyna~
The young girl was a bit too distracted as her eyes wandered over the instruments within the airship. She had definitely seen an airship or two in her life, but nothing like this one, and never had she been allowed on one...except for that one time she stowed away on a cargo ship, which was absolutely nothing like this one. Her own Al-Bhed heritage was getting to her, making her curious about all the mechanisms, her fingers gently running over some of the safer parts.
Only did she realize they were talking when Celes had addressed her. Quickly turning, a light blush on her cheeks, she looked down at the floor as she shuffled her feet. "m-my name's Nyna..." She still wasn't too certain about this man yet. She always had a thing about trusting females before males. She glanced over to Celes, not wanting to say too much, and just gave a small nod as her stomach grumbled, causing her cheeks to turn a slightly darker shade of pink. "Y-yeah..."
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:51:53 GMT -5
((OOC: Sorry for taking so long to post. v.v My compy is terrible, and I tottally forgot my stuff. x.x And I don't mind having Fran NPCd, feel free if I take a long leave again...))
^Fran^
The Viera's nose twitched as she watched the young girl touch some of the ships parts, making sure that she wouldn't harm anything, and once she saw that the girl was fine she turned her eyes back onto the sky before her.
Celes and Nyna, hm? Well, it was certainly intersting that Balthier had brought the two aboard, but she knew that it would have been dangerous if he hadn't. And she also knew that he could be kind in his own right...
Introductions weren't really her thing. If some one wanted to know, they'd ask...
((OOC: Short... x.x Sorry))
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:52:19 GMT -5
-Balthier-
"So I suppose you'd like to stay and become a pirate yourself, then?" It was Celes that Balthier addressed. "Yes, the two of you will be getting off when we stop, and believe me, you'd prefer it. As for fostering, you can take care of yourselves. It's not my responsibility--don't touch that!"
His voice had gone sharp with irritation, his eyes narrowed as he watched Nyna. He hated when people treated his ship like a toy..."Those are delicate. Turn the wrong thing and you'll bring us out of the air."
This was why he wouldn't work with anyone but Fran. Sighing, he turned and approached the viera, leaned over the equipment behind the window to stare out at the sky. Below he could see only clouds, silvery in the moonlight.
"How much longer until we reach Balfonheim?"
(Short and pure CRAP, I'm so sorry. D: I've tried to post Balthier a few times and it's been really difficult for some reason, buuuuut...here's a post, even if it's a crappy one. ^^; )
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:52:41 GMT -5
Celes snorted amusement, “What sort of leading man are you? One would think you'd prefer keeping the damsels nearby and out of distress.” Piracy. Just one step below thievery, really. Not like that wasn't something she was used to – and it wasn't as if she could return to the opera house now. She mused on for a few more moments.
And then, he went and ruined her good nature. Celes rose to come behind the man.
She punched him squarely in the shoulder blade. “Hasn't there been enough shouting tonight? God forbid someone be intrigued by machinery. Your accomplice had no problem with it. Did it occur to you that either one of us might be more capable than you'd think? Of course not. We're just drifting here by your good graces. Leading man, indeed. I suppose I shouldn't expect anything more from a pirate.” She spat the last word, glaring at Balthier's back.
“Balfonheim can't come any swifter,” she muttered before turning to look at Nyna. “I'm sure if we promise not to destroy his precious ship,” she said, with a gentle wag of her finger, “he might let you fill that stomach.” Movement from beyond the windows caught her eye.
What was this? More ships in the air? Unfamiliar ones, too. Certainly nothing owned by the local fare. “Balthier,” she asked without looking at him, “were you planning on meeting up with any friends out here?”
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:53:03 GMT -5
~Nyna~
The young girl jumped a little as the man shouted, her fingers quickly pulling back and going to her sides as she looked down at the floor. Her eyes slowly looked up at the man as she gave a little pout, her bottom lip quivering as she gave a small sniffle. Her eyes gathered a slight mist to them as she held back a few gentle tears, nodding.
She then looked to Celes and gave a little nod, keeping her arms by her side. "O-okay...I...I just thought it was prety and-" She stopped in mid-sentence, noticing movement outside the window as well.
With a little gulp she moved over to her new-found friend, standing close to her as she looked back to their so-called savior. "Uhm...th-htye're your f-friends, right?" Her eyes shifted from one person to the next, her shyness beginning to get to her once again at so many strangers.
((bleh...I apologize...>.>...;.; ))
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:53:22 GMT -5
-Balthier-
"My mistake," Balthier responded with an air of distraction, not turning around. "I didn't take you for a simple damsel."
She hadn't run or cowered in fear when faced with guns and blades, after all. And--she hit him. That was no sheltered maiden's punch! He turned his head back to look at her, but - perhaps surprisingly - there was no hint of anger on his face; he regarded her with a mixture of interest and perplexity.
"It has occured to me..." His answer was slow, thoughtful, and he watched the blonde for a moment before turning back to the window to see what had caught her attention.
The presence of other airships in the sky wasn't anything unusual. Ivalice's cities frequently used them as a means of travel. But these were of no familiar design, and somehow, they didn't seem to be the leisure type. There was little conflict between sky pirates in Ivalice, and on rare occasion they would even work together...but with so many new treasures suddenly available, there was no guarantee that pirates from unfamiliar lands wouldn't rise up in challenge. A novice move, by his standards, but then, plenty of sky pirates were novices by comparison. Balthier slid into his seat and began to adjust the controls, not glancing back as he worked.
"I suggest the two of you take your seats," a hand lifted and waved slightly, indicating the chairs behind his and Fran's, "this could get a bit bumpy."
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:53:44 GMT -5
^Fran^
The Viera tilted her head and glanced back at Balthier, silver hair falling from her shoulders. "We should reach Blafonhiem an about an hour," She said in her soft voice, "So long as our new 'friends' decide not to interfere with our course."
These airships...she wasn't sure about them, but she was uneasy. Perhaps they would just let them go in peace, perhaps not. Either way, they would get to Balfonheim, she had no rising doubt about that.
She pushed the Strahl forward, moving just a little further ahead of the surrounding airships, and twitched her ears in Balthier's direction.
"But even if they do, we'll loose them, I'm sure."
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:54:05 GMT -5
-Balthier-
Surrounding them, were they? Not something that simple travel ships would normally do. Balthier watched them closely, gripping the Strahl's controls more tightly, prepared to act in an instant if necessary. He didn't trust them at all, and would've been a fool to expect they'd simply go on their way. Yet still there were no more unusual moves from the pair of ships, no indication that their occupants intended any ill.
Somehow, that thought wasn't at all comforting, raising unease far more than doing anything to quell it.
But if they kept moving away, a little farther and they would be sufficiently past to relax...a little farther...
Crash.
Taking his cue, Balthier pulled sharply on the ship's controls, bringing the Strahl around before it had fully stopped shaking from the unmistakable impact of weapons. Another crash rocked them, but this time Balthier returned their fire, punching a series of holes in the wood exterior of one of the attacking ships.
With two against one, though, yet another attack struck its mark, causing the ship to sway violently. The Strahl was equipped with defenses - and good ones - but not against this kind of weaponry; it was entirely unfamiliar...!
"Damn!" They were hit again. A haze of smoke filled the sky between the ships, and it didn't take his experience to recognize that a fair amount of it was from the Strahl. They'd be knocked from the air if they didn't do something. "Hold on!"
Another burst of fire struck the second ship, and then with startling abruptness the Strahl dropped severely in a burst of speed. Smoke flew behind them, the ground grew rapidly closer, and shots continued to rain down from the ships above. Something hit, they swayed; with difficulty Balthier managed to lift the ship enough to bring them nearly parallel to the ground, and then with a rough, shuddering crash, ship met earth and skidded violently for some distance before halting, surrounded by dust and smoke.
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:54:36 GMT -5
~Nyna~
Eyes widening the young girl clutched onto Celes' outfit, holding tight as another blast knocked the airship about. Looking out the windows to their sides, she watched as they managed to cause damage to their assailants, but to no avail as she heard Balthier's warning.
While gritting her teeth and shutting her eyes tight, Nyna gave a heavy gulp as they began to fall from the sky rapidly. Only a moment later she felt the rough shaking of the airship's impact with the ground beneath them, knocking her away from Celes and onto the floor.
Once everything seemed to settle down she opened her eyes, giving a little wince from having fallen onto the rough flooring of the Strahl. The young Al-Bhed looked around, checking to see if everyone was alright, and hoping the airships wouldn't be coming after them. "oowwwiieee.."
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:54:53 GMT -5
^Fran^
The Viera was stunned, even a little angry, that the Strahl had been brought down like that. What kind of ships were these that could do something like that? She had worked on this airship long enough to know that it as one of the most advanced of its kind, but...
This wasn't Ivalice anymore.
Fran wasn't hurt much, a scrape on her hand, but she looked everyone over all the same.
"Is anyone hurt at all?"
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:55:20 GMT -5
Dark.
Why was it all dark? God, but her head ached. Horribly. The woman gently touched the throbbing at the back of her skull and winced, teeth grit. It was wet. Her hand? Her head? And why was it so dar – oh. Her eyes were still shut. Slowly, she opened them. As the pained woman brought her damp hand back into view, she frowned. The blood wasn't from her hand at all. Head, then. She felt as if she could do something about it, but had no idea why. Or, for that matter, how.
From beyond, she could hear the groans of a young girl, and farther still, the concern of an older voice. The woman grunted with the effort of standing, and just as quickly as she was up she was down once more. Her limbs were all... wobbly. “Stupid legs,” she muttered at herself, “Work better.” She didn't dare try for a second round of that whole standing idea. “Head hurts,” she said with more projection, in answer to the worried woman's voice.
Now, where were they? And who were they?
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:56:40 GMT -5
-Balthier-
If two of their passengers were relatively unscathed, it was by pure luck. The Strahl had made no gentle landing, and its pilot had been thrown violently from his seat and onto the controls in front of him. He stirred, but at first made no move to get up - the blinding pain in his head made him reluctant to, and the wetness of blood from an unsightly gash on his forehead was unmistakable. Fran's voice was the push necessary to make him act, and with some reluctance, Balthier lifted himself with a wince.
Lovely. At least one rib was broken.
"I've been better."
A glance around found all of the passengers at least well enough to move, so despite pain enough to bring a wave of nausea over him, Balthier walked past them. There was no time for hesitation; he had to act fast and think even faster.
"They'll be here soon. Stay here if you want to, but I'm not fond of the idea of waiting around to be killed." It didn't take him long to find the prize he'd brought from Treno, surprisingly unbroken - in fact, by all appearances, undamaged. He propped it against the control panel, then opened a small box and deftly sorted through its contents, flipping open one of his pouches with his free hand before filling it with various types of ammunition.
"Assuming you two would prefer to stay alive,-" Fran needed no addressing "-we need to get out of here. They won't take the ship with this kind of damage, and she won't be going anywhere anytime soon. We'll get our bearings once we're far enough away." A button press lowered the Strahl's entry door, and with that Balthier gave the ship a quick glance-over to make certain he hadn't forgotten anything.
He hated leaving her...but they could come back later. Their lives took priority.
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Post by Griever on Mar 17, 2010 2:57:44 GMT -5
The woman attempted standing once more, and succeeded. What she saw next nearly put her flat on the flooring again. Was that a rabbit? A walking, talking rabbit? And in such attire! Why, how risqué! But then, being a rabbit, there wasn't much of a need to cover oneself up, was there? The woman tried not to show surprise at such a sight, and instead turned her attention on the (handsome, if not for the bleeding – why was he bleeding?) man.
Fear and worry combined within the woman. Someone was after them? Why? What could they have done? It hit her with a heavy impact that she had no idea what sort of people she was dealing with – they could be brigands, for all she knew, and their pursuers the law. Oh, all that was sacred, what sort of predicament had she found herself in? So much was on the tip of her tongue, in the not-quite-reachable recesses of her mind. Anger rose into the emotional foray. What was going on? One way or another, she'd have to survive long enough to find out. She was silent as she wove on her feet to follow the man with the bullets and (hopefully) brains.
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