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year 5, quarter 3
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Balthier considered the paper slip with raised eyebrows. Quistis Trepe. Now wasn’t this a surprise? He raised his eyes and scanned the room for her -- not having to search long before he caught her distinctive blonde hair and inquisitive eyes. Fate truly had a way of leading back to itself. Balthier checked the number written in the corner (8) before he stretched out his shoulders and pushed off from his bar stool.
”I’ll not object to a familiar face.”
Sometime between his entrance and the final decision, the bar had grown rather popular. It was by nothing more than sheer luck that he’d managed to catch sight of her over the sea of chattering women and men roaring their laughter. Balthier delicately picked up his glass, sipping whiskey on ice before starting through the crowd. Despite the obstacles, he slipped through with the ease of sparrow. He’d had his share of practice disappearing into a crowd.
Their table was in the center of the fray -- or as center as was possible given the setting. The participating tables were lined along the outer walls. For privacy he presumed. Set atop the arrangement was a numbered card, a candle, and a vase with a single rose. Balthier smirked at it before taking his seat, leaning back with his arms crossed and his head tilted. He took another sip of liquor before setting it beside the vase.
Quistis Trepe. Their meeting had been under less than optimal circumstances, but he couldn’t deny that she’d made an impression. She had a certain sense of herself and an intelligence that extended far beyond mere bookishness. He had always appreciated a woman with wit. Perhaps this entire event wasn’t as vapid as it seemed.
His eyes drifted to the looping, heart-shaped streamers hanging in rungs from the rafters. Less vapid, he thought, but gaudy? That was another matter entirely.
Quistis just arrived a little earlier, but it was not hard to make some quick acquaintances at the event. She soon found herself laughing and enjoying the atmosphere. Quistis turned to regard the gaggle of girls as they seemed to swoon over the received slips. One looked up at her, “Well? What did you get?”
“OH!” She had been so caught up in their excitement, she forgot to look at her own slip. A soft smile touched her lips as she unfolded the note. Then she blinked a few times and reached instinctively reached for her glasses to make sure she read the note correctly. ‘Balthier’. Wasn’t that? Her eyes turned over to the crowd, but if he was already sitting, it would be impossible to spot him.
She felt a tug on her sleeve, and she removed her spectacles as she went to look back at the girl. “I think its time to find our matches.” She tried to soothe the girl's worried face with an encouraging smile and a tip of her head in the right direction. Someone pressed a glass in her hand. She tasted the red liquid and drew her brows together. It was a bit tart for the cheap wine, but she would make do.
She squeezed through the crowd and glanced at her table number. She felt her heart stop at seeing that it was indeed the same man. How should she proceed? They were familiar but not terribly so. Not yet anyway. She mentally hand waved her thoughts. Paralysis by analysis was not useful in these situations. Unless you wanted to sit there with your mouth open like a fish. Just be yourself, Quistis. Come on.
She strode up to the table across from him and bent to put her wine down, before pulling back her chair. “Fancy meeting you here. It’s a small world, isn’t it?” Her expression was warm, as she pulled her seat back. She took note of him looking at the gaudy décor and commented. “Can you believe this setting? I can’t tell if this is a serious event or a joke. Even the cheesy ice breakers in the pamphlet like…” She smoothed the back of her skirt so she could sit and laid the pamphlet out before them and pointed at one of the questions, “…’Don’t you think our bartender is a handsome fellow?’ A little distracting from the current situation, I would think.”
When she realized she was rambling, she paused for a moment and waved a hand in front of her face as if to dismiss the words. “I suppose I am just surprised to see you here. I didn’t peg you for someone who enjoyed these types of affairs.” She almost said ‘need’ these things. He certainly appeared as a suave man of taste. But looks could be deceiving.
She sat up straight with her hands folded in her lap. “I never did appropriately thank you for your assistance. Next drink is on me.” Quistis found it more fun to try to guess what Balthier was doing here, so she held her tongue for now.
Quistis was as he remembered. Brilliant blonde hair folded up and framing her cheeks. Inquisitive eyes, lit half in nerves and half in excitement. She sat with her back straight and her skirt neatly pressed. She was the kind of woman to keep everything in its place. Though she certainly wasn’t beyond humor.
“Fancy meeting you here. It’s a small world, isn’t it?”
”I find the world to be exactly as small as you make it.” He waved a hand. ”I hope clientele proves of greater taste than the decor.” His eyes lit on the paper and then back to Quistis. She certainly had her wits about her. Another point in her favor, he supposed.
”I’ve started to think that this is all an elaborate ruse. Perhaps it’s the proprietor in need of company. I’ve found one’s confidence to be inverse to his boasts.” Balthier raised his glass and brought the liquor to his lips. ”I came for a drink and thought the festivities might be of interest. They haven’t disappointed as of yet.”
The whiskey burned his tongue. It wasn’t high quality yet he found it hard to care. He’d had worse, after all, in far dodgier venues than this. Quistis sat up straighter, her hands folded neatly. She thanked him. Balthier raised his eyebrows.
”I’ll not turn down the offer.” He placed his near empty glass before him. ”A just reward for the ride you had me on.”
His lips twitched with a shadow a smirk. Their daring escape had ended less than favorably -- for his sensibilities at least. He’d spent four hours on the back of a chocobo with an excitable boy pressed behind his back like an unwitting damsel. Quistis had been both their savior and their downfall. Balthier thought that worth a drink at least.
”And what of yourself? Have you intentions to ah…” His flicked towards the pamphlet in front of him, eyebrows raised. ”’Sail the seas of love?’” His smirk flickered with silent laughter. The place really was as tasteless as she’d said. ”I’ve not disappointed, I hope.”
She smiled at his comment as she studied the pamphlet a little more. However, his comment about his riding partner led to a more mischievous smile. She thought there’d be more of a protest about who rode what chocobo. But thankfully there was not. She had put on a brave front even though her stamina had been low the entire time. It would have left a poor impression to lean against someone and drool on them in slumber. “Zell is not so bad of a riding partner, is he? He has a lot of energy, but his heart is generally in the right place…Even if he tends not to be.”
“My intentions?” She seemed quizzical, as if she herself was unsure. Her eyes moved to examine the rose on the table as she thought. The petals were beautiful and a brilliant red, but to touch it meant to be pricked by the thorns. “I’ve sailed those seas in the past. I not only turned up with no catch, but with more questions than answers.” She huffed a soft sigh. With a slight shake of the head, the pink left her cheeks. She looked up at him. She gave a slight apologetic shrug and a smile touched her lips once more. “Perhaps I am no better than the proprietor. Simply in need of company while I journey. And who knows, maybe I will find a worthwhile treasure with enough patience.”
“But for now, we enjoy the moment.” She gave a slight chuckle. “I’ve not been disappointed yet, except for not really learning from our first encounter.” He given Zell and her a wide berth. She wondered if they had been bothering him. “You were looking over the engine and then expressed an interest in my ChocoWhis. Are you an engineer of sorts?” Then, she perked up a little and held up a hand for him to wait. “If I am incorrect, I want to guess. But I get a hint.”
She then sat back again and crossed her arms in a quiet determination now. Minds as well make it fun while she was here. A very over-dressed waiter came dry to leave a limited menu on the table. Despite the gaudiness, it seemed the event had some thought put into it. She lifted her wine glass and took a sip from it, but she waited quietly for his response.
It became immediately clear that for all of her virtues, Quistis found the affair with the chocobos to be endlessly humorous. Her lips pricked with a devious smile that complimented her overall collected demeanor. She looked like a thief in the midst of a scheme. He could appreciate that look.
”I quite prefer my space, thank you.” Balthier tilted his glass, watching the swirl of the liquor before bringing it to his lips. ”He has a tad too much heart for my taste.”
And still, the boy rang something of a bell. Balthier couldn’t guess as to why. By all accounts, Zell should have rubbed him exactly the wrong way, and yet he couldn’t help a certain begrudging fondness. He reminded him of someone, he thought. Damn his stubborn memories.
Quistis spoke of her past romances. ’I not only turned up with no catch, but with more questions than answers.’ Balthier watched her thoughtfully, glass perched in his hand. She’d acted on impulse. He supposed nothing else could have brought one to such a tasteless place as this. Balthier sipped his drink. It would pass the time at least.
”Are you an engineer of sorts? If I am incorrect, I want to guess. But I get a hint.”
Games then. That would do.
”Of sorts,” he answered. ”Though I wouldn’t call it the whole story.” His lips pricked with a smirk. ”I couldn’t manage without a mechanical mind, and I find it riveting aside. But being consigned to an engine room isn’t exactly to my liking.”
Imprisoned inside by another’s labor. Indeed, he could think of little worse. Except perhaps the military. His gun itched on his back. Given his line of work, he couldn’t well have left it behind.
”Allow me then,” he said. He glanced over her in interest. ”You have an inquisitive mind and you’re versed enough to handle yourself.” He considered the clues he had. She’d reprimanded Zell with a steady hand, and had it not been for her survival training, he would have almost certainly pegged her for a professor. Still, between the two…
Balthier seemed to speak distastefully about Zell, but his distant micro-expression for just the seconds afterwards…it told a different story. But she couldn’t quite pinpoint what. An unprovoked prick of a memory? Maybe he actually had a crush on Zell. Oh, ho. But she doubted it.
Oh! He would play along then. Quistis was quite pleased with this turn of events. It was quite an event to finally meet someone to match wits with. She took the moment to take a sip of her wine and listen closely to the clues he left for her. She went over them in her mind, as she softly let the glass clink against the table.
He preferred his own space. He preferred company with a little less heart. Knowledge of mechanics was a necessity, but only part of his job. And being confined to an engine room probably went with preferring his own space, in a way. In her world, the places where engine rooms were commonly found were factories, Gardens, sea-ready ships, space stations, and the rare airship. He also seemed to not to remain in one place at a time, so engine room in stationary facilities seemed out of the question.
She studied him with an exaggerated scrutiny, as well. He wore clothing that appeared comfortable but held a bit of accessories that might be… Quistis tried to think of the words of the rainbow-colored accessories. Perhaps where he was from, they were fashionable? Usually, the students in the Garden wore such things as a reminder of something. It was too difficult to make decision on looks alone. But he did appear to dress comfortably, but in such a way that complimented his appearance. A professional, perhaps?
She was getting more comfortable now as she leaned forward, fingers crossed into each other. “My next guess then…is a ship captain?” She left it a little vague.
She seemed a little surprised that he wanted to guess her’s too. “A traveling scholar? Hmm…” She considered his words and she gave a sheepish smile. “Ah. Its close, but my profession might be a trick question. I recently changed jobs, you see. Scholar was part of my first job and is hard to shake off. Traveling is a part of my new job, however. I go where the contracts are, and it does require a jack-of-all trades approach to do the different tasks requested.” She gave him a slight smirk as she regarded him and raised a hand toward the waiter to bring them some refills. “A two-parter, wonder what the prize will be if you guess both.” She tapped her finger along her chin and look up at the gaudy décor.
Quistis was enjoying herself. She had an inquisitive glint in her eye. Balthier matched it with an amusement of his own. He couldn’t say that games of wit were his favorite pastime (he far prefered banter as his weapons of choice) but it was above average at least. He enjoyed her passion more than the game itself. He’d had far worse engagements than this.
Quistis studied him. He could see the gears moving behind her eyes before she finally lit upon her answer, leaning forward with her hands arced together like a professor. “My next guess then…is a ship captain?”
He considered the answer. Not technically wrong, he supposed, but it wasn’t right either. Not in spirit, at least. ”Warmer,” he said, humming thoughtfully. He was to give hints without giving the game away. It felt like a game of cards. He’d always taken to poker himself.
”Our previous engagement was a bit of an anomaly. I can handle myself in the water, but I find it rather unamusing in truth.” He waved a hand. ”And a captain implies a crew. I’d rather think my own efforts should suffice, thank you.”
He watched her curiously. She gave little away in her expression. Only mild surprise and then an apologetic smile. Had she thought he wouldn’t take an interest in her? It seemed her travels on the seas of love had been exactly as doomed as she’d suggested.
Balthier considered her answer. A trick question. That explained the contradictions. He’d toss aside the academics for now then and consider the remaining clues. She could handle herself against monsters. She had her own signature move even with that strange and unearthly wail. She’d known how to catch a chocobo and how to manage in the wilderness.
A two-parter. Quite the challenge indeed.
He leaned back, arms crossed and head tilted. He considered the heart-laden banners. They were beginning to sag.
”You had a way of handling Zell. A certain voice, I suppose. Could you be a professor?” He hummed to himself in thought. As for the other, it could be any manner of things, but with her hints…
She was not surprised she was incorrect, though she thought she’d be a little better at this. She gave a slight sigh of disappointment. However, he guessed her’s so easily and she couldn’t help but give a quiet chuckle. “Am I so easy to read? You are correct.” She huffed a little, “Seems I am much better at hiding my hand at Triple Triad, than I am at words.” Though, a part of her wondered if she had really been a good teacher, since it seemed one of her students couldn’t remember her. “I trained others to take on mercenary work, but none were obligated to stay at the Garden. Once training was completed, they were free to take on jobs wherever they preferred. I continued to do contract work through the Garden however. They paid well. Well, that and I didn't get the chance to look for other opportunities just yet.”
Her guess was not far off, so that meant she only had to tweak her answer a bit. He admitted the environment was not for him, but he did not say that maneuvering the small boat they had was not. She smiled thoughtfully, as she closed her eyes to invoke her imagination. So, he liked to fly solo? Wait. Maybe that was it. “Forgive me. I am at a disadvantage because I have not yet seen enough of this world to know the many vehicles available. But…” She chewed her cheek thoughtfully, as she eyed his reflection in her glass. “Where I am from… it is rare, and the science for it advanced… There are airships that could fly to the moon and back, per se. It was meant to be crewed by four. However, one of my other students was able to navigate an emergency landing alone with a little bit of guidance.” She hummed for a moment. Her guess was more difficult. The way he was dressed. The way he spoke. He seemed to go with the flow. He seemed to have an eye for reading others… Pilot still didn’t seem like the right word. It felt to stiff for him.
“An airship pilot? A freebooter one at that, perhaps?”
She studied him and carried an aura of a confidence. The waiter she waved down earlier came by to top off their drinks once more. “Excuse the intrusion. We are having an event as well. A series of challenges to test compatibility. If you’re interested, please see the bar tender at the front for more details if you’re interested.”
Quistis gave the waiter a nod of acknowledgement and thanks. “Later, maybe. We have some games of our own to finish.”
Maybe don't tell the mercenary that you're a pirate. Good call.
I play the leading man, who else?
Quistis laughed to herself, disappointed but pleased all at once. ”Am I so easy to read?” she asked. Balthier hummed to himself.
”A mere matter of perception,” he said. ”’Contract work’ doesn’t leave many options behind.” For a woman like her at least. His contracts were a tad more interesting and a tad less scrupulous. Thieves, mercenaries, bounty hunters, and artists. These were the types he knew to work on commission, and there was only one so honorable as the capable woman before him. As for an artist, well, she didn’t particularly seem the type.
Balthier tilted his head, listening. She spoke of a garden (some sort of military base?) and of training the recruits there. Recruits such as Zell, he presumed. He could most certainly see it though he imagined her better in a classroom than a training yard. She didn’t have the ruthless demeanor of a commanding officer. He should know.
”And how are you taking to the change in scenery? I’d dare say the opportunities are endless -- born from necessity of course.” Balthier lifted his glass, sipping at the fire in his glass. He’d be through it before long. Another perhaps? He wouldn’t want to cloud his perception.
She closed her eyes, thoughtful at her answer to their game. When she opened them, they were bright with her renewed intuition. ”Where I am from, it is rare, and the science for it advanced… There are airships that could fly to the moon and back, per se.
His eyebrows raised. ”The moon?” Now there was something he would like to see. Ridiculous, of course, but if it should be possible…
He would be the first to propel himself beyond the sky.
She hummed, looking him over, and he knew she’d found her answer. Still, he only smiled pleasantly, waiting for her response. ’Let’s see how we can get, shall we?’
“An airship pilot? A freebooter one at that, perhaps?”
”Ah.”Close. On the money, in fact, but not quite robust enough for the whole story. Still, he wouldn’t deny her a rightfully earned victory. It wasn’t best to go around calling oneself a pirate, after all. ”You’re perceptive yourself, I see. Though I’m afraid to say I haven’t seen many skies as of late. I’m hardly a pilot without a ship.” He tilted his head, a wry smile on his lips. ”A consequence of circumstance, I’m afraid.”
Not for long. The thought brought him some relief. He’d spent long enough in wait. He would have his wings by the end of the month, he thought. He’d be in the sky or behind bars. Either way, the heist would be finished.
The waiter drifted by, offering some manner of frivolities by the counter. Balthier raised his eyebrows. Challenges of compatibility? A waste of time, he thought, when his company was already found. He couldn’t read Quistis’ thoughts on the matter. She only nodded with a noncommittal ’later’ before turning back to him. They had their own games to play.
Balthier watched the waiter go. It was rarely of benefit to speak where others could listen.
Once they were sufficiently on their own again, he returned his attention to Quistis. ”You seem a connoisseur of technology yourself. A ChocoWhiz you called it?” He leaned forward, lacing his fingers on the table. A glint of interest lit his eyes. ”Would you mind if I take a look? The sonar is…” He hesitated. ”Advanced, shall we say?”Impossible was the word he would have chosen. It was specifically capable of pinpointing only a specific kind of target -- and in a crowded space at that.
If he could learn such a thing...If he could implement it into his ship…
”If there’s any silver lining to this, it’s the fresh perspective.” He tilted his head, smirking faintly. ”As daft as it might be.”
She mulled over his question quietly. Her arms crossed over her chest as she looked at some insignificant spot on the table as she thought. How did she feel about this change? Excited? Nervous? Alone? It made her both happy and sad at the same time. Oh. Understanding her feelings was never her strong suit. But she would try to put them in words. “How am I taking to the change? There is freedom in being alone in a brand-new place. Exciting even. There is so much to learn and see. I want to discover every nook and cranny. Keep a journal of it maybe.” She smiled and paused. That part absolutely thrilled her. Part of her did not want to go back to her world.
But she also felt the absence of something. She felt her heart ache a little, but she was careful not to put her hand over it. Instead, she reached for the wine. She mulled over saying the next part. She didn’t really want to sound pathetic. That didn’t leave a great impression at all. Maybe it was the alcohol getting to her head or Balthier’s open demeanor, but she found herself spouting a little more than she normally would. Her brows drew together, “But, despite all the freedom and fun, if I may be frank, I do feel the absence of my squad.” Her mind rolled back to a conversation she had with Squall. She chastised him that not everyone could get by on their own. Perhaps it was just a reflection of herself. She missed fussing over others and ensuring their safety.
But she would not let this end there. And she shook her head and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Just means I need to find a new team, right?” No point in being overly negative. There was much to be seen and she already found one member who needed space to find himself again. She was sure the others were out there and taking care of themselves.
Before she could reciprocate and ask him how he was taking these changes, he seemed a little impressed at the fact that the airship could go to the moon. Or maybe in disbelief at the wildness of the idea. She must admit she was a little surprised to learn that the city Laguna hid via cloaking devices to end the sorceress war had such advanced technology they did not share with the rest of the world. She had heard tales of it in books but seeing is truly believing. “Perhaps not quite the moon. Our moon is not very hospitable, even for the most daring. But there was a Lunar station next to it. Most of the transport is done by small shuttles, but the legendary Ragnarök was a lost airship found again in space and brought back to the planet. Its truly one of its kind. Its easy handling in the air and in space.”
She brightened at getting her answer correct, obviously pleased. When he mentioned he was simply missing a ship, she needn’t even ask the question he posed to her early. “It is hard to be clipped of your wings. I am sure its like missing an extension of yourself.” Her chair was bumped then, by people trying to push through to the door or find their tables. She gave an annoyed huff at their seating arrangements and scooted her chair back and stood. She also noted another man staring at her several tables down for quite a while. But instead of giving this attention, she simply moved her chair to between the wall and along the side of the table. A small step closer to Balthier and out of the way of the hustle and bustle. She moved the table décor to the edge where she used to sit.
Finally, comfortable again, she leaned toward him and gave him a slight nudge. “I wish I could have shown you the Ragnarok. You would have appreciated it in a different way than I could. I would have loved to hear what those appreciations were. But…I could help you obtain a new one.” Though her words seemed innocent, she knew the implications. It sounded like they existed here, but they were not abundant enough to be affordable to anyone. A deal would need to be made to obtain one, or some extraordinary feat. “Lucky for you, I’m free.”
She was surprised he remember the ChocoWhis. She didn’t think it was terrible significant, but she supposed if someone had never seen one before.... She leaned back in her chair and looked along her leather belt for the pouch that contained the device. “Technology was a way of life where I am from. It is called a ChocoWhis. Like a chocobo whistle.”
She placed the palm sized device on the table. It was sleek and white and contained a screen and six buttons. Quistis pointed to parts of the device to describe to him what they did. The top one was to turn the device on. The other four on the left was to send out the sonar signals to triangulate the signal off the nearby baby chocobos. This was called the ChocoSonar and it displayed the dots on the screen if the chocobos were near. The last button on the right was used to send out a frequency that only lured out the adult chocobos. Sort of like a dog whistle for chocobos, and it was called the ChocoZiner.
As she spoke, she leaned forward and seemed to glow at explaining what she knew of the device. “Unfortunately, I could tell you the theories of how it works, but I am afraid I have not learned how the hardware works to make it all happen. I am not sure if the technology exists here or not to replicate it.”
She took her new glass of wine and took a sip. Her cheeks already slightly pink from its velvety warmth. “I do not think seeing things from a fresh perspective is daft at all. It simply allows one to see something from another angle. Its crucial to adapting.”
