paixaorpg | A pair of men without a sky [Active]

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A pair of men without a sky [Active]

Character(s): Setzer and Balthier
Content: A sky pirate and a gambler meet
Setting: The Cafe Ersesat at F6
Time: Late afternoon/early evening
Warnings: None at the moment

From time to time, even a man who was as upbeat as Setzer felt the need to simply sit and think. The fact that he'd chosen to stop at place that just happened to sell an assortment of alcohol was just sort of an added incentive. And in any case he wasn't really paying attention to the half-full glass in front of him, instead idly shuffling his cards.

Between the monsters and assorted other difficulties of the city things had long since stopped because interesting and had become a bother. He hadn't seen Locke for quite some time either, which meant he was the only Returner around and thus the only one he could trust should it end up that someone needed to take Kefka down. And then there was the lack of a sky. He'd always felt most at home in the skies with the wind blowing through his hair and here he was not only grounded but trapped in a city that was far too small to accommodate his wanderlust as well as himself.

And he couldn't do a damned thing about it.

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He needed a place to wait until Fran returned, and this cafe seemed just as good a place as any. Balthier strolled into the restaurant taking a seat and staring distantly out the window. Fran didn't need Balthier's help in taking down a few foes, but something struck the man odd about these particular ones. Sky pirate's instinct he supposed, and one that he had come to trust over the years. He scowled. No, Balthier didn't like the looks of things one bit.

But after awhile, his expression lightened again. No need to be worried. Fran was armed well enough and was only going to investigate. She would be done quickly, sure as could be, he need only wait. The man crossed his arms over one another as he leaned against the table. "I think I could use a drink," he said to the server who had just come by his table. "I'm not feeling very picky today. I trust you'll surprise me?"

"Yes sir," the young girl stated before walking away.

Well now, here was something interesting. Another weary wanderer perhaps? Or maybe something else? One thing was sure though - whoever the man was, he'd provide someone to talk to at the very least. A fresh hand to wash away the boredom of this one, at least for a time.

And so, with one last shuffle of the deck before before he disappeared it back into the appropriate pocket, Setzer headed on over to where Balthier was sitting.

"Mind if I join you?"

Balthier tapped his fingers against the table in slight impatience, gaze trained on what lay beyond the window, scanning the crowd for the even the slightest trace of his partner. He still couldn't help his worries, it seemed, no matter how much he wished to simply rid himself of them.

Luckily, a distraction seemed to find him, and he looked over at the silver-haired man and gestured to the seat nearby. "Be my guest," he offered, taking a moment to examine the stranger's face a little more closely. Perhaps not so much a stranger...

"I believe I've seen you before. Or at least we've spoken with one another once or twice over the journals?"

Ha! So he'd made enough of impression to be remembered. Not bad. Not bad at all.

"We have," he answered, a smile settling onto his face. "The name's Setzer."

Now. To see how well this banished thoughts of how he was all but alone in this desolate skyless place. The hands were dealt; time to ante up and see how the cards lay.

Once last glance out the window and he was focused on Setzer again. "Balthier," he replied. "And what brings you to this table? Not that I mind the company, of course."

"Curiosity, mostly." Along with mild boredom and slight worry for what the future might hold. And as always, there was the annoyingly insistent itch that being stranded and grounded always caused. But short of tearing a hole in one of the domes there wasn't much he could do about it and he just didn't have that kind of power.

Or any sort of urge to attract the sort of attention that would likely attract. Yes, he had a slight daredevil streak but it didn't run to something quite that flashy.

"Besides, playing hands solitaire gets old after a while."

Balthier could understand that. There were many a person in this place who had captured Balthier's interest, and he intended to learn more about them at some point (although it would instantly be put aside should any leads off this island come across).

"I can only imagine." The sky pirate couldn't say he cared much for card games, but solitude and idleness were two things he'd rather not face. "Would be better had I more mobility, but sadly it seems my ride has found better things to do," Balthier continued with a short shrug. "I wouldn't suppose you have anything?"

"I'm afraid my wings didn't make the trip with me," Setzer answered. Which left her in the hands of people who while they were his friends, couldn't necessarily be trusted to keep her running properly - there were certain drawbacks to being the only (living) airship mechanic in the world, after all. But with luck they'd manage to keep her flying until he got back.

He wasn't sure he could survive having his wings taken away again.

"And if she were here, I don't think she'd fit inside the domes."

Wings--? Ah, that was right, Setzer had said before that he'd had an airship. Balthier brightened considerably. Finally, someone who understood the cage that was being without a sky. It seemed an exaggeration, but the sky was freedom to the pirate, and to be without it altogether was almost unbearable.

"A bane to all men," Balthier replied, "I still can't say I see the point of them in the first place."

Protection, he had heard, but they could easily have just used a paling in that case. And, if they hadn't the technology or magick to create one, they could simply have used a fortified wall. While there might still be problems with aerial beasts, outside the domes seemed safe enough. Enough sot to wait out there in the long line to the city proper.

"To be a inconvenience to men like us, perhaps." However, even a brightly jeweled trap was still a trap all the same. "Or maybe there's something out there they don't want us finding."

Which wasn't precisely a comforting thought either. After all, of the relatively few reasons to keep someone from finding something most of them were of the 'not at all good' variety. Finding out what that something might be was more his style than blowing holes in the domes but it still required an airship and some good dependable back up - and he had neither.

Balthier frowned, but the twinkle of adventure could be found in his eyes. A trap was precisely what this was, but that second prospect... Now that was something that interested him. Yes, it was true that items and other things hidden away tended to be put there for a reason, but so did treasures, and if these people thought that gold and jewels were so expendable as to make them part of the scenery, Balthier was curious just what their treasure would be.

A goal, then. He'd try and fish for a little more information first (he wasn't fool enough to go chasing after phantoms), but he was ready to get some use out of this skyless bore.

"Who knows?" Balthier settled back into his seat, "There are plenty of mysteries here and little in the way of answers. Unless you know anything else?"

"I'm not a treasure hunter by nature," Setzer answered after a brief pause. Had fallen in with a self-styled treasure hunter perhaps, but that hadn't rubbed on him just yet. And really, he'd never been in it for the monetary rewards. It had always been the thrill and nothing more.

But even he wouldn't deny that in the end money was what kept the Falcon in the sky, kept her running for as long as he needed her - and he'd never stop flying as long as he lived.

"And I'm afraid I don't know very much about this place, past the basics. You?"

Balthier smirked slightly; that was a nice way of putting it, but Balthier preferred to call it what it was unless discretion was necessary. "I know about as much as you do, I'm afraid, as well as the general city information that gets thrown about on the journals. Haven't really had much reason to ask." Until now.

"Then again, I'd much prefer to keep out of this place's problems. Not really my place to interfere, now, is it?" Of course, it stood to reason that should some act be perpetrated against himself or Fran, there would be retribution, but as it was, there seemed little to gain from conflict. Not when it was a lose-lose situation.

"Unless you intend to tempt fate, that's probably the safer route."

Admittedly, he'd made a habit of routinely tempting fate on his own world, before it fell to ruin but that was neither here nor there. Besides, the Empire had been easy enough to outrun - outfly, rather - and the 'ships' they sometimes sent after him were all to easy to take down. Clearly Gestahl hadn't put much effort into his aerial defenses.

"Besides, I'd prefer to have some sort of wings before trying to interfere."

He didn't have to worry about tempting fate. It had its own way of finding him. He'd just rather keep it from meddling for as long as he possibly could.

Balthier nodded. "As well as a place to take flight in," he added, gaze sliding toward the window. The painted sun had moved lower in the sky. His mood sank. He wasn't sure just how much time had passed, but he did know that Fran hadn't returned yet, which bothered him. She should have been back back by now.

"I don't think I ever asked you how long you've been here," Balthier continued, attempting to forcibly tear himself from the problem. But he couldn't stop himself from glancing out the window every few seconds to see if she was coming.

"And a place to fly in," he agreed. No good having wings if there wasn't room to spread them.

"Long enough to know that I'd much rather be anywhere else, but not long enough to expire from boredom." He'd done his best to try not to assign any sort of concrete number to the amount of time he'd been stuck in this place - that he was here was bad enough, no need to have a reminder of just how long it had been. Months at least, of that he was sure.

More than long enough for one game to last.

That really didn't help too much, but he supposed it was an answer. It wasn't as though Balthier had any real idea how long he had been here, so it was likely that Setzer didn't either. But he couldn't help but snicker at the answer. He found it quite amusing.

"That sounds about right," he returned with a slight grin.

If he'd been more philosophically inclined Setzer would have wondered if anyone here knew exactly how long they'd been here. But he'd leave the philosophizing to men better suited to it. He knew all he cared to and that was enough for him.

"I take it you feel the same?"

"Similarly enough," Balthier replied. Before Setzer had so kindly handed him a goal, the place had been quite boring (as well as a bit annoying), and the natives hadn't been too interesting either. There were puzzles to be put together to be sure, but they didn't lead to anything good.

There was a smile and a nod from Setzer at that. He'd expected that might be the case.

"So what brings you out here?"

The question was mostly intended to mean 'to where we're currently sitting' but Setzer wasn't exactly picky when it came to answers.

"Me? Just waiting for someone," he replied. He frowned briefly.

Where is she? She should be back. This is becoming worrisome. Fran will be fine.

And then it was hidden away once again. "And what about you? Just keeping busy or waiting to speak with someone as well?"

Even with Balthier's frown being quickly hidden as it was, Setzer still managed to notice. Oh, he had no intention to ask about it just yet - it was hardly his place to ask about another man's problems if they weren't brought to the table - but he noticed it all the same.

"Just keeping busy, really."

Not quite the truth but close enough.

"Understandable. I think we'd all like to keep the day-to-day doldrums as far away as possible," he replied.

After a moment, he pulled his journal out, typing something up quickly before putting it away again. Best to be cautious.

"Just leaving a note," he explained, figuring the gambler had been watching. And it was the truth, really.

"You're probably right." Everyone in the city most likely had their own methods of dealing with it. No matter what they were or how successful at it they were - he himself would likely fall into the 'not so successful' category.

"To the person you were waiting for?" He wouldn't have asked if Balthier hadn't mentioned but since he had, well it called out for some sort of answer. Regardless of what the answer might turn out to be.

Balthier nodded. "Yes, to her, or, I suppose, to anyone who's seen her around," he explained. He'd take any answer, really. It would put him at ease, at least.

Missing friends. Setzer could certainly understand that at least. And if his help could be of any use, he'd gladly offer it.

"What does she look like? Perhaps I could help you find her."

Better two sets of eyes than one, after all.

Someone to help? Well, he'd take it where he could at the moment, considering the situation. "She'd be quite hard to miss, being the only viera around," Balthier began. "Tall, with long, white hair, and the ears of a rabbit."

He figured description beyond that would likely be unnecessary. He hadn't seen anyone else like that in Paixao, at least. Not unless he was missing something.

Setzer just nodded at the description. Admittedly, the picture he was forming in his mind was rather strange but he was hardly going to admit that. Besides, it wasn't like he hadn't seen strange things already in his one world.

"I'll let you know if I see her."

And really, the was the best he could do for the moment.

Balthier shrugged a little. "I doubt it'll come to a search" hopefully, "but the effort's appreciated." He did feel a little more at ease now that the message had been posted. She'd respond in due time, he was sure of it, otherwise someone else would find the message, still otherwise, Setzer would contact him. As far as he was concerned, there really wasn't all that much to worry about. Things would take care of themselves in due time.

"Better to have someone helping to look anyway," Setzer answered with a smile. After all, that had been the case when he'd been looking for his friends.

Or rather, when his friends had found him. But it didn't matter in the end. He'd help out here, and that was that, as far as he was concerned.

Balthier smirked and nodded, opening up his journal to see if Fran had come across his entry yet. Instead, he found something else. He immediately frowned, reading it over and replying quickly before he got to his feet. "I'm afraid we'll have to continue this conversation later," he said quickly before he started to head for the door.

Wherever she was, he needed to get to her fast.

Well now. That was certainly a rather hasty exit. Either he'd found something about the whereabouts of his ladyfriend or he'd found some pressing business elsewhere. And while he couldn't help with the one he could help with the other.

"Will you be needing some help?"

"Help if you want," Balthier called over his shoulder as he made his way out the door. He had switched to voice posts to try and get Fran to calm down a little, but that didn't seem to be working very well. He was more focused on that really than Setzer at the moment, though it was likely the sky pirate would appreciate the man's efforts in the future.

Setzer couldn't help but grin at that. He had a vague feeling that whatever this turned out to be it was going to be interesting, and he'd never been one to ignore his feelings. Besides, much longer without some sort of excitement and he might well stagnant.

"Then I'm coming," he decided, leaving on of his few remaining shards of magicite on the table as payment for their drinks before following Balthier out the door. What type of game this would turn out to be he wasn't sure just yet, but it would be worth the risk.

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A pair of men without a sky [Active]

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