Balthier didn’t look up as Mu added his question. He just squatted there, handling his gun with a kind of idle interest. Mu might have had little interest in this kind of intimidation, but to Balthier it was old hat. No need for eye contact. No need to lay it on thick. The implications would do the work for him. But how long would the spell hold?

A new voice joined them, and Balthier glanced at it without looking up. The last of the trio. He was a lithe man, tall and slender and made for his spear. He wore only light armor so as to better blend in with the crowds though Balthier dared say it hadn’t worked as well as the man might have thought. His weapon shot up above him like a flag marker. Balthier rose slowly to his feet, his gun held steadily in both hands.

”A persistent pest, aren’t you?” he asked though the man didn’t listen. He had eyes only for Mu. Balthier kept his eyes on their remaining captives, still writhing on the gravel like snakes. He recognized a negotiation when he saw one, and he didn’t mind acting as the muscle -- or gun as it were. One shot each, and the negotiation would be done with.

’The annihilation of his companion?’ Balthier raised an eyebrow and finally lifted his gaze in a kind of careful curiosity. Mu argued the obvious, and then the man turned the tables. His companion. How could Balthier have forgotten the two of them as a pair? His eyes hardened on the old man as he was forced to his knees. ”Taking hostages? Quite the choice if I must say.”

The elder was trembling. His thin skin was taut -- his eyes wild with fear. He whimpered as his knees hit the ground, and then he looked at them both pleadingly. Low as jackals. Balthier’s grip on his gun tightened. He knew well enough what came next.

When the spell was released, Balthier trained his gun on their own hostages only out of instinct. It kept them down, but only tentatively. He doubted his bluff would hold much longer. A glance back to Mu told him everything. He was panicked, and in that moment he told Balthier what he already knew. After a long moment, Balthier sighed and raised his hands in surrender.

”I know when to lay down my hand,” he said, holstering his gun on his back once more. He opened his side pocket and pulled out the glinting rubies, holding them in front of them. ”It seems you have me beat.”

Their would-be hostages rose unsteadily to their feet, eyeing him as though they expected some trick. The lancer looked surprised, but quickly shook his head and said, ”What are you waiting for? Grab them!”

Balthier smirked as the mage approached and snatched them away. ”I wouldn’t suppose we could let bygones be bygones?”

Apparently not. Balthier let out a low, ”Tch,” as they seized his arms and twisted them violently behind his back. He tilted his head and cast Mu a dry look. ”It was a good run,” he said. ”Keep an eye on your friend for me, would you?”

He got a rude hiss from his captor for his trouble. Balthier didn’t pay it much mind. This wasn’t his first abduction, after all.

They led him past the circle of dead magic and thoroughly into the throng of rather irritable cultists. Their leader met his eye with a venomous look. A low groaning noise caught his attention, and he glanced to the old man still forced to his knees. Balthier glanced back to his captor coolly. ”Your end of the bargain if you wouldn’t mind.”

”Honorable for a dog.” The lancer nodded and the elder was no longer strained. He scrambled to his feet, stumbling in a half-run to Mu. Balthier shifted his weight and hummed.

”A thieve’s honor,” he said before glancing back at the others one last time. They were safe. Balthier could handle himself. A defenseless old man -- not as much.

”Well then, don’t keep me waiting,” he said. He got a violent jerk of his arm in response.

”Don’t be cheeky,” a voice spat in his ear, and he noted that silence would work best if he wanted to keep his limbs unbroken. They escorted him away without another word. The eyes -- whatever they were -- glinted one final time in the sunlight before disappearing safely into the lancer’s pocket.

ulla