paixaorpg | Okay. So now what? [Complete]

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Okay. So now what? [Complete]

Character(s): Gabranth, Fran, and Balthier
Content: A slightly confused Judge Magister runs into the local pair of sky-pirates
Setting: Somewhere where the Sinspawn aren't
Time: Noonish
Warnings: None at the moment

Rasler had gone, then. Gone to, one would only assume, whatever awaited him after his death. And while he couldn't claim to be sorry to see him go, the fact that he was left alone with no one save the sky-pirates and Dr. Cid was bothersome, to say the least. All of them were more than capable of revealing him for being not the man he claimed to be and all of whom he would rather not meet, for exactly that reason. Not now, when he'd almost found a way to at least pretend at the honor he hadn't had for many a year.

And while he could yet claim to be his brother, there was yet the question of what do to with himself in the meantime. To claim his brother's name and not act the part would only serve to jeopardize his position further. Not that it wasn't already - the pirates knew his brother's voice far too well and Dr. Cid knew his far too well. Or at least, he could only assume as much. To do otherwise was folly, that much was certain.

And he had no inclination to leave behind the name he'd borrowed, nor take up his Magesterial armor just yet. He was and would always be a Judge Magister after all, armor or no. He just saw no need to act in a official capacity at the moment. The Ninth was, after all, in charge of information and better information could be gained from being someone not-him.

And for now, he would merely drift, and think on what to do next.

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Unfortunately for Gabranth, the Judge's luck seemed to be rather lax that day, as the sky pirates he had previously not wanted to see happened to be heading in a direction that just happened to cross his path.

Balthier was still rather irritated from his encounter with Dr. Cid. He wouldn't complain, not outright, anyway, but one too many complications were cropping up, which wore away at his mood all the more. He had quickly decided that he wanted out. The cage these people called a dome was bothersome enough.

He was thankful when the familiar figure caught his eye. It was something else for him to think about, and something that still needed to be taken care of. "Basch" was rather suspicious, and Balthier was keen to figure out just why. With all of the instances of dead men cropping up, he had some idea, but he'd rather not think on it for too long. Best save that for once a definite conclusion was reached.

Regardless of whether or not Balthier was going to complain (and she expected he wouldn't) Fran could tell that the meeting with his father had bothered him. Not that it was terribly surprising, of course; from what she'd seen and what she knew they'd never gotten on particularly well. And to be fair, she had her own set of worries at the moment, although none related to Dr. Cid's recent arrival. Something had awoken (been awoken?) in the city and it did not feel at all comfortable or pleasant.

But she had known discomfort before, and it was at least bearable for the time being - mostly a vague sense of unease at the moment, and that was all.

Besides, unless she missed her mark there was something else to occupy their time at the moment, as Gabranth moved into view. Time to find if he was truly who he claimed to be.

If it weren't the fact that it would have quite thoroughly blown what little remained of his cover Gabranth would have sworn as he spotted the pair of sky pirates approaching. Of all the times to run into them it had to be now.

Of course, he cared little to meet them at the best of times, but it seemed that he would hardly have a choice now. They had most certainly seen him, or so he could only assume, and to simply leave without acknowledging their presence would only further raise suspicions - something he could ill afford at the moment.

And so there was only one real option left to him. Keep up the lie in front of two people who knew both himself and his brother and do his level best not to be caught out in a lie or be found ignorant of something he should know. Fun.

But in the meantime, he'd nod politely at the pirates and slow down as he neared them. And hope that luck would be with him.

Balthier took the Judge's nod as a cue to approach, strolling up to the man and noticing one thing quickly. "You seem to be missing someone."

Had Lord Rasler disappeared as well? Disappearing, reappearing, disappearing, this was all so frustrating! It would be much easier if these people would just stay in one place. Whether that place was Paixao or Ivalice mattered not, as long as he had some idea where they were.

Missing someone indeed. The place certainly seemed to throw people around as if their lives had little meaning or purpose.

She didn't like it. It all but reeked of someone pulling the strings from afar and that had never been anything but unhelpful in the past. All she could do at the moment was hope that it wasn't the Occuria once again.

But for now she'd simply wait and see how he reacted to Balthier's question. Sooner or later the truth would out, after all.

Well of course he was missing someone. In a purely physical sense at least. He had noticed that Rasler had vanished into the ether after all. But as much as he wanted to say as much it would hardly be in keeping with who he was claiming to be and as a result neither thought saw the light of day.

"He vanished sometime during the night," he answered simply, making no real effort to disguise his voice past using the phrasing his brother would have. After all, while he could still recall the accent of his youth he was nowhere near sure he could match it to his brother's enough to get past the sensitive ears of the viera even should he be able to sneak it past her partner. Therefore, it would be left ignored and he would see what good putting his faith in luck would do.

Of course it didn't pass Balthier's notice. It was part of the job description to be able to notice minute details, especially when those minute details could be attributed to a Judge. Of course, being a pirate also came with a healthy dose of skepticism, and though Balthier filed away "Basch's" voice for later consideration, he didn't say anything about it just yet. Paixao already had a habit of distorting what he knew to be true, this could easily be something similar. No, he would see if he could get the Magister to slip up another way.

"Plenty of that going on around here. Lord Rasler... Montblanc..." he counted them off on his fingers, "and who knows who else. One can only hope that we aren't caught off-guard, hm? And then there are the other nuisances popping up left and right..." Balthier shook his head, his hands on his hips, "What's a man to do?"

Nor did it miss Fran's notice. There was a definite advantage to having ears like hers. So now the question was simply what he thought to get from such a thing. That he was here was hardly new, he would not be the first to come back from a death to live in this place. But still she wondered.

But no matter. The answers could wait. After all, there was little need for her to speak just yet.

If he'd had his way, he would be far away from this particular annoyance at least. But it would seem that that was not to be. Nor did he truly expect that his voice had gone unnoticed, although the fact that neither had had commented on it was interesting. More than a little disconcerting, but interesting all the same.

He'd have to be cautious about how he answered, not that he really know how to answer the pirate's question. But that hardly meant he wouldn't try - to do otherwise would be the tactical equivalent of suicide.

"We do what we can."

It seemed as though he wasn't imagining it after all. Balthier glanced to his partner. She had likely noticed the same thing, and he trusted her ears far more than he could trust his own.

"Right, right..." he finally said, returning to the conversation at hand. He'd mainly been making small talk, but that answer worked just fine. He could work with it. "Absolutely right. After all, standing around doesn't do anyone any good."

Of course, he and Fran really didn't plan to get too far into these affairs, but that was something to be expected. They were sky pirates, not problem solvers. The people in this place seemed to be doing a relatively good job of keeping their affairs in order anyway... Well, enough that they didn't need any outside help.

There was a slight nod in response to Balthier's glance. Alike though the two voices may have been, but there was no denying that this was not Basch though he might claim the name as his. Name did not the man make, for all much though Gabranth might wish it so.

"You have something in mind then?"

She knew what she had heard, but getting the man to admit to it might be somewhat more difficult.

"The monsters," he answered with a nod. It was a far cry from acting as Judge Magister or ... whatever it was that Basch had been doing. Following his honor, he supposed. Even when he should have had none.

But no matter. Protecting the people from the rampaging monsters sounded enough like something his brother would have thought to do even should he have no real intent to do much more than he had to. It was something to do, and that was all.

Even it was uncomfortably like the past he'd tried to leave behind and yet couldn't.

"Bothersome, aren't they?" Balthier asked, head tilting slightly. "And quite dangerous as well. I assume you plan to go off on a hunt?" He wondered if someone had even put up a notice yet. Then again, word of mouth could be just as effective as a hunt notice.

"Noble as always," he added, shaking his head with a chuckle. He glanced up briefly to check "Basch's" reaction, but not for long enough to be noticed.

Noble? He wasn't 'noble'; didn't deserve such a term. Not after all he'd done. He couldn't save Landis, had all but abandoned her for the sake of honor and look what it had got him. Nothing. Nothing but broken scraps of honor and a homeland that was no more. No, he wasn't noble and likely never would be again.

Needless to say, he couldn't keep a brief flicker of shamedisgustregret from passing across his face for just a second, before it was gone behind his best Basch-imitation once again.

"I do."

Well then. It would appear that Balthier's words had struck a nerve. It would seem that even the Judge Magister himself wasn't immune to as much as he might like, in the end; she had caught that brief flash of a distinctly un-Basch expression even had Balthier missed it.

But as she tended to do, she'd leave the actual speaking to Balthier for the moment.

Interesting. It seemed as though Balthier's statement had struck a chord--one not present in the former soldier. He could give the Magister points for effort, especially considering he was saying as much as he could with little to avoid being detected, but there just weren't enough.

A bit more of a push, maybe.

"By the way, how long has it been since you've seen your brother?" he asked.

"More recently then I would prefer," he answered reflexively, unable to keep a slight frown from his face at the reminder. He wanted relatively little to do with his brother - every time they met it made his head hurt.

The last time he'd seen him? Atop the Pharos at Ridorana, along with everyone else that had following him at the time. And then he'd found himself transported here, of all places. Which wasn't so much the problem as the company he'd found himself in.

And here he'd hoped that taking on a name that wasn't his would help.

Fran couldn't help but let the vaguest hint of a smile quirk the corners of her mouth upward at Gabranth's words. So that was the plan, then? To lead him along until he didn't see the trap that he'd stepped into? Better that Balthier take the lead then - it would be unwise for two to try such a thing, lest they risk tangling the strings to utter uselessness.

Once again, it would fall to her to watch and wait.

Caught him.

"Really? And just when was this?" Balthier asked. "Simply weren't willing to speak of the negotiations at Nalbina? ...Or was there just an incident I was never told about?"

The final nail had been put in; all that was left was to bury the coffin.

There was a blink and then a glare at Balthier's word. How dare he bring up Nalbina, regardless of whether he meant the events surrounding the assassination of King Raminas or the events surrounding Basch's imprisonment and eventual escape.

"You speak of things that don't concern you," he snapped back harshly, only barely managing to resist tacking the word 'pirate' onto the edge of the sentence. What he had done at Nalbina was between him and Basch and them alone; Balthier had no right to interfere in that. Nosy pirate, sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

So that was that, was it? She would have thought it would be a while yet before the man so thoroughly shattered what little fragments of his facade that he still had. But perhaps it was better this way. It would certainly make the rest a good deal easier after all, especially if Gabranth was as quick to anger as he seemed to be implying himself to be.

"I would say it does concern us." Even if only by association to Basch.

"And I as well," Balthier agreed, now leaning against a nearby tree. "After all, when a Judge is around, it's generally a good idea for a sky pirate to keep an eye on him. Now, mind telling us just when you really came from?"

Really, with dead men popping up everywhere, he should have known.

"What does it matter?" Gabranth retorted bitterly. "There is neither Emperor not Queen here." All he'd seen of the Empire was himself and that madman of a Doctor. And of the Dalmascans? Nary a whisper, or not that he'd seen.

But in the efforts of being polite he supposed he may as well answer the pirate's question. It could hardly hurt now. "The Pharos at Ridorana."

He'd let Balthier come to his own conclusions as to exactly when in that whole affair he'd left Ivalice.

What did it matter? Like seemed to call to like in this place, and although she was as of yet unsure if that went true for arrivals it was a possibility at the least. And with two of the Empire here (three should Balthier himself count) there was little doubt that more would follow in their footsteps should her guesses be true.

She could only hope that the city would be kind enough to bring the younger of Solidors if come they must. But with the luck they'd seen so far with dead men walking she doubted that would be the case.

As unfortunate as it was, Balthier doubted it as well. He wished for a few more allies, true, but the chances of them appearing seemed to dwindle by the day.

But what the pirate did notice was that the dead men appeared before their deaths. Curious, that. Was this a theme, or did it just happen about that way? A few entries over the network seemed to point to the latter, but it was entirely possible for both to be true.

"The Pharos, hm? Been quite some time for ourselves since that little incident. Time's a rather fickle creature, isn't it?"

"In more ways then one, it seems," Fran agreed. Admittedly, the dead walking hadn't been entirely uncommon in some of the darker places of Ivalice but this was nothing like that. Not even the Occuria had made any indication of of being able to bring the dead back with the frequency that this place seemed to. And the implications it suggested - that whoever was pulling people into this place was more powerful than even the Occuria - was not precisely a pleasing thought.

'Quite some time' since the events at the Pharos? That shouldn't have been possible. True, it had been some time since he'd arrived in the city but not more than a month or so - certainly nothing that could be called 'quite some time'. Something was not right here, and he sorely misliked it.

"You jest," he answered, a note of accusation in his voice.

"I wish I did. You've seen this place's quirks for yourself, haven't you?" he asked. Lord Rasler's presence should have been proof enough, he thought. "Although I personally wouldn't be surprised if the joke turned out to be on all of us."

Needless to say, he wouldn't be happy were this the case, but he certainly wouldn't be surprised.

Carpet floated unobtrusively behind his master, not intentionally hiding, though almost certainly reasonably well hidden from the conversing parties. Out of sight, out of mind, as it were; he had nothing to contribute to their conversation, being such a newly acquired steed, and unfamiliar with his masters' pasts and origins. Rather, he simply listened and thought. And as he thought, he remembered....

He remembered broad stretches of sandy gold shimmering with heat, the wind roaring as he whipped up clouds of sand with the speed of his passage alone.

He remembered a deep, dark cave, endless tedium, with heaps of glittering golden treasures, and a grimy lamp that was to be watched over faithfully.

He remembered a thing--not quite a man, but certainly not a beast.... A mythical being, blue and grand in stature, good times and mutual fondness.

He remembered terror, treachery, and evil, helplessness, flying faster than he ever had in his existence in the name of saving the world.

He remembered unlikely lovers, lithe and beautiful and desert-dark, connected by courage and shared humanity.

He remembered falling....

Carpet convulsed in midair, flailing as he crumpled to the ground behind Balthier; the shock of the final realization, plus the dizziness..... Carpet was not a happy camper. He was, in fact, both distressed and alarmed at how profoundly he'd forgotten himself; it was terrible! It was just like that woman Larxene had said in his journal! He had been distracted from finding Aladdin and Jasmine and the others, and making sure they were alright, and.... and.... well, Aladdin was the closest thing he had to a master right now, not Balthier. He felt bad about leaving, but.... well, he couldn't wait any longer. He had to know if Aladdin was here and okay! He couldn't dally around with these people anymore!

Carpet gave himself a rousing shake to get the dust off before floating into the air again, curling one tassel around Balthier's wrist to half-tug, half give him an apologetic hug for his abrupt departure. If he didn't have such an important job to do, maybe he could stay a while longer.... But no, he had to do what was right. So after a quick loop de loop and wave, Carpet took off in a blaze of color, streaking off into the distance far faster than almost any airship could hope for from a cold start.

((OOC: And exeunt Carpet. Sorry, guys! <3))

There was an ear flick from Fran at the carpet's departure - she'd almost forgotten it had been following. It was a shame to see the closest thing they'd had to a proper ride leave though. She had no problem with leaving the sky behind for a while if she must but she didn't expect that Balthier would feel quite the same. It wasn't even as if should could offer any consolation. The Strahl was safe in Ivalice, but that wasn't here which was doubtless where Balthier would have preferred it.

No matter. They had survived worse set-backs, they could manage once again. And besides, she had a feeling they weren't done talking to the Judge Magister just yet.

Was that... a flying carpet? He would have thought such a thing belonged in the realm of fairy-stories and flights of fancy and not this place. But if a thing had to exist in this place he was hardly surprised that the sky pirates would waste no time in turning it to their own use.

Although unless he was much mistaken it would seem their makeshift airship had just vanished for parts unknown and quite on its own as well. How very unusual. But not likely to be anything he should concern himself with at the moment.

"I have." It had been what allowed him some small measure of believability to what he'd been attempting, after all.

Of all the things the sky pirate had been expecting, the loss of his ride--especially in the manner that it had occurred--was not one of them. Balthier wondered just what had come over the carpet, and stared after it as it flew off. It seemed giddy enough about leaving, even if it was so sudden. It was a disappointment--a very, very, very large disappointment--but there was little to do about it at the moment, so he settled on a brief frown before turning back to matters at hand. This would be remedied at a later date.

"And there you have it," he replied to the Judge. "Just what reason would I have to lie--occupation aside? If anything the liar would be yourself and I the more trustworthy."

What reason did he have to lie? He was a pirate, that was reason enough. No pirate could be truly trustworthy.

But even so he had to admit the time was strange in this place, not that he had any intention whatsoever to believe that they were truly from when they had claimed. Not without further proof and he no desire to ask for it. It wasn't like he'd believe anything from their lips anyway.

"The word of a pirate, trustworthy?" he asked, with a sharp bark of a laugh. "I'd sooner trust a madman's rantings." And he'd had quite enough of this conversation as it was, turning to leave shortly after he'd finished speaking. Perhaps he could find solitude elsewhere, if he was lucky.

That was the end of it then? Not surprising, really - from what little she'd seen of the man he was quick to anger and quicker to lash out in his anger. So very unlike his brother in that regard, he was.

But in either case if he wished to leave she wouldn't be the the one to stop him, although she had to wonder if he'd meant to imply Dr. Cid with his remark about madmen. But no matter. Now was a time for patience, and patience she was more than willing to be.

Balthier scowled at Gabranth's parting words, but let the man go. Let him do as he wished. He sighed and shrugged, turning to his partner. "Well then, I suppose that's that," he breathed.

No ride... No Judge... No more reason to be here. "What next, I wonder?" He put a hand to his chin. "No sense standing around here, is there?"

What next, indeed. Without their ride they were quite effectively landbound yet again. Which meant it was time to either find some other ride (unlikely) or look for something else in the meantime. Preferably something that didn't involve either the Judge Magister or Balthier's father.

"None."

Of course, there was still the issue of where to go next, but that was perhaps of less importnce.

And how annoying it was. He would much rather be flying somewhere. But it couldn't be helped (and maybe a replacement would be found somewhere along the line if the carpet never came back). "Well then, let's be off and hope something interesting happens along our path," Balthier stated before beginning to head off. Just as long as it wasn't too interesting.

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Okay. So now what? [Complete]

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