paixaorpg | Of Sky Pirates, Imperials, and Heartless [active]

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Of Sky Pirates, Imperials, and Heartless [active]

Character(s): Balthier, Fran, Larsa, and Gabranth
Content: How many FFXII characters does it take to get in a fight with Heartless? Probably about four.
Setting: K7ish
Time: ETERNAL NIGHT
Warnings: None

Flood of ravenous creatures or no, Balthier hated being forced to stay in one place for too long. He'd rather brave the horde than remain cooped up in a room the entire time. And who knew when the onslaught would cease? They had already had a week of complete darkness, hadn't they? Who was to say this couldn't last another?

He hadn't planned it to be a long walk. The sky pirate may have been a bit stir crazy, but he was hardly suicidal. He imagined Fran would enjoy the outing as well, though blue skies would have been preferable for them both.

Sadly, he had underestimated the amount of Heartless swarming about. The yellow eyes glowing in every direction imaginable reminded him never to make that mistake again.

"Looks as though we might be in for a little trouble."

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As far as outings went, it was a little lackluster, truth be told. But there was only so much one could do cooped up inside, and viera weren't really built for that sort of thing anyway. Give her clear skies and a place to roam, and she'd be quite happy.

A... clear not-quite-sky in seen that had never had one? Well, it would have to do, and with things so dark her ears were the best warning system they'd have. Inconvenient, but tolerable.

"At least they've given us targets to aim at."

Just aim for the little spots of yellow light.

Quite like Balthier and Fran, Larsa had decided to take a walk in the eternal darkness that had settled around the city. He'd never experienced anything quite like it and the idea was rather a bit disconcerting. On the one hand, at least the shadows could be seen a little easier via their bright yellow eyes, but on the other, he could barely see where he was going and he was no mage.

Still, he'd managed to slip out at one point and was a bit of a distance out when he heard rather familiar voices. Stepping closer, he drew his sword as he called out to the people he thought he knew.

"Balthier, Fran? Is it you whom I hear?"

Slip out though Larsa may have, he had not done so alone. Gabranth still had his orders, still had someone to protect and he would not leave his young lord alone again. Moreso when the city itself seemed to have grown extra pairs of yellow eyes all over the place.

Easy to kill creatures, but that didn't mean they were harmless. And with the darkness, at least the sound of metal moving against metal would make him easy to hear if not see.

But he'd stay silent for now. He was uninterested in speaking to the sky pirates.

There was that, at least. It was a wonder the Heartless managed to keep up their numbers as well as they did. With those bright eyes and dark bodies, they'd be visible in any light. Then again their numbers might have been the reason for their survival to begin with.

A familiar--and somewhat surprising--voice cut through the shadows, and Balthier inclined his head in the Larsa's direction. "Ah, it seems the cavalry's been called in advance. I hope you won't mind lending a sword arm. We might have need of one soon enough," Balthier replied, a confident smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Good to see a familiar face. As well as one can see, of course."

How they managed to keep their numbers was something Fran didn't understand. Nor was it something she was inclined to find out. She could quite happily do without that sort of trouble.

"Just in time, I would say," Fran added, her ears twitching in the direction of Larsa's voice. "Better to have them now then not when they are needed."

And it was maddeningly hard to pick out how many Heartless there were just at the moment.

The sound of Gabranth's armor had been welcome, even if Larsa had been trying to go out alone. At the response from Fran and Balthier, the young prince's face split into a smile, though it was impossible to see in the darkness.

"I do not mind, though I believe you both are more than capable without my aid," he responded to his friends, swinging his sword into one of the heartless anyway. Fran and Balthier were expert warriors and normally wouldn't have needed any help, but Larsa knew this city offered much worse things than those of Ivalice, particularly in the sheer quantity.

"Barring attacks by shadows, how have you both been?"

How had they been? What difference did it make? True, they were of Ivalice as sure as both he and Larsa were. But that hardly meant that he cared for them. Perhaps it was for whom they kept company with and perhaps for the utter disregard for the law that their kind had. Perhaps it was both at once. But he still had no inclination to leave Larsa alone and so he would stay.

But he would yet remain silent, and tend to the creatures milling restlessly around them, swords biting silently into the shadows.

More than capable perhaps, but Balthier wasn't about to gamble with his and Fran's lives against an opponent that seemed to quite literally be in its element. Especially considering they had only fought against the creatures once before. Not an ideal situation, this. "Aside from the occasional spot of trouble, I'd say we've been having a better time than most." There were fewer people set on capturing the pair of them than in Ivalice, for example.

The sky pirate aimed his gun and fired, the loud crack of the gun halting the conversation until Balthier saw a pair of glowing eyes fade into the dark. "Managed to keep out of the eyes of the more unsightly members of society," he continued. "Hopefully the would-be puppet masters as well."

Not just an opponent that seemed to be in its element. An opponent of unknown numbers. And from what little Fran could see, it didn't seem likely they'd be seeing an end to them anytime soon. Familiar, in some ways, but yet inconvenient.

"So I would hope." She had no real love for those who would try such things, and little interest in seeing Occuria reborn.

"It is glad i am to hear that," the young prince murmured, slicing through one of the shadows quite easily and turning to another pair of glowing yellow eyes.

Much as Larsa knew it would unsettle his stoic guardian, he also didn't like the silence radiating from the man. "Myself and my guardian have also been met with little opposition. Why are you remaining so silent, Gabranth?"

If Balthier and Fran hadn't known he was there already, Larsa would have to suggest they get their senses checked. The Judge Magister wasn't exactly difficult to hear.

"There was little to say," Gabranth answered simply. Larsa had been answering the few questions the sky pirates had had admirably enough and he was not always particularly given to conversation.

Not that he couldn't manage such things, of course. Just that he hadn't seen a real need to do so just at the moment. Should it be wished of him, he might manage to do so yet. But that could wait for a moment yet. He was, after all, still a little unsure about what to make of his young lord conversing so freely with the pair.

Oh, Balthier had heard Gabranth well enough, but he knew the Judge Magister wasn't like to speak with either himself or his partner, and, in a situation such as this, the sky pirate would have rather not ended up accidentally driving off another sword. But, with the presence of the young prince (or emperor, as Balthier knew him), perhaps they wouldn't need to worry about that.

"Now I wouldn't say that," Balthier replied to Gabranth, though as he continued it was clear he was starting to talk to both the Judge and his ward. "There are plenty of things to talk about. The only problem is the timing. A discussion of greater length is in order once we've rid ourselves of some of these pests, wouldn't you say?"

With ears such as Fran had it had been all but impossible to not hear Gabranth lurking somewhere behind Larsa. Fitting, really, all things considered. Nor did it come as a surprise that he saw little to speak of with them.

They'd need to see if they could change that matter.

"I would say so," she agreed with a nod.

"Perhaps then we might be able to speak of the time that has passed, not the shadows that creep upon us," Larsa commented easily, as though this were merely an easy jaunt in the park and not a dangerous situation. "Of course, if the topic were lighthearted, we might be able to speak of it now."

The time that had passed? An innocuous enough topic, and one that might well be intriguing given the oddities of the place. True, he would far have preferred to not be discussing the matter with who he would be, but the alternative was not a choice he wished to make. Not with things such as the were and perhaps not even had they not been.

"Perhaps we might."

A fair enough place to start. Balthier was curious as to when Larsa had arrived in the first place. Had he just somehow managed to miss any entry the boy might have made? Considering how busy things were getting these days, it certainly seemed to be a possibility.

"In that case, I suppose the easiest start would be to ask how and when you managed to stumble across this fine, domed city."

If Bathier had then Fran had as well; she had hardly been aware of Larsa's presence until only moments ago. Strange, but not unheard of in a place this size. Or in a place with such problems as Paixao seemed to have of late.

"A good place to start."

Larsa had to think about that one for a few moments, felling a few of the heartless as he considered just how long it had been since he'd arrived. He hadn't really done a good job of trying to find who else resided in the city as his main concern had been Gabranth for a while there.

"A month or two, perhaps even three, if I am not mistaken," he answered finally. "I assume you both have resided here longer?"

Had it been that long? Time had gotten a little confused shortly following his stay with the Organization. But he knew that he had been in the city longer than his charge, for what little it may have been worth.

"I believe that is correct," he answered with a nod. He would have preferred the confusion to not be there but it was a matter he could not help.

Longer than he had first imagined then. A bit of an embarrassment, that. He would have to keep a closer eye on the journals then. Wouldn't want to miss another familiar face's arrival due to a moment of negligence.

"Quite a bit, really. Longer than we would have liked." He'd been separated from his ship for far too long.

Indeed not. Not all familiar facea were friendly and it was better forewarned than not. They had less freedom here than elsewhere; fewer places to escape to. But it was easy enough to stay away from someone if you tried.

Provided you knew they were there in the first place.

"It seems we must wait here a while yet."

Larsa knew how the sky pirates felt about being away from their ship and made a silent vow to aid them as he was able to. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be very much in a place like this, but at least the effort would be made. That was worth something at least.

"Perhaps you are more aware of the situation than I, but regardless it is good to have allies in such a place as this."

Even if Gabranth wouldn't recognize them as such, Larsa himself would

Allies. A good thing to have regardless of the situation. And yet, he was uncertain that he wished to consider those they were speaking so as such. But the choice was not his. Should Larsa wish to claim them as such then he would not argue.

And yet he did not have to like the fact.

"Aye," he answered with a nod.

A true enough statement, especially in situations such as these or when unexpected visitors happened to show up nearby. He decided he would keep quiet about the mad doctor's earlier appearance. Why bother telling the boy something that no longer had any bearing?

"So, exactly what have you and the Judge Magister been up to while you've been in the city?" he asked.

Remaining fairly quiet, if you asked her. But apart from that, only they could say. She could not hear what had not been said, after all.

"Good indeed," she answered with a nod. They had themselves, of course, and always would, but more was not a bad thing.

Larsa hesitated slightly at Balthier's question. A lot, honestly, but nothing he was really in the place to divulge at this point. That would be delving too much into personal happenings, especially for the Magister himself, and could lead to awkward questions. Best avoid that for now.

"Paixao has graced us with few happenings for the moment," the prince answered finally. "It has been a welcome change from the constant shifting in Ivalice." And the growing threat from his brother. "I hope this city has been kind to you both, as well."

'Few happenings'. Aye, true enough, but those few were certainly none he wished to speak of. That they had happened was enough, and certainly the skypirates hardly needed to hear of the trails and tribulations he had suffered. They hadn't before, after all.

"Welcome, even should it ring hollow."

Few happenings? Bit short of an explanation, that, but if that was the case, then that was that.

"It's been fine enough, save for a short trip to an island not too long ago--and now, of course. Best you keep away from there for awhile. It's not quite the paradise it at first seems."

Although now that he thought about the boy's words, there was something there that bothered him. "Constant shifting, you say? I hadn't thought my absence that long. How fared Ivalice, last you saw?"

"Not a place one should go, without being ready for what lurks there."

She had to admit it did have possibilities though. Even should they be ones that two people alone could hardly grasp at. Best to wait until some adventuresome soul brought back something more of the place past 'plagued by shadows'.

"An island?" Larsa questioned with interest, but he put that aside for the moment, focusing on what was offered to him.

"Ivalice was in turmoil." The prince glanced in the direction of Gabranth's voice, unsure of how much he knew or would care to know of Ivalice's doing. "Though I believe peace was not far off the horizon." With luck, they'd be able to figure out that he was talking about Bahamut, but no matter if they didn't.

"For yourselves, was Ivalice the same or different?"

He knew what he'd seen, at the least. The growing turmoil that boded no good. War was on the horizon, as it had been for some time. When it would break was something he couldn't guess, but perhaps it was of less importance at the moment. Ivalice was worlds away.

"I know not of peace, but there was turmoil."

"An island indeed. Hidden behind a door, in fact. An island that leads to another island... who would have thought? But it's as Fran says. Beautiful place for a vacation, but dealing with a similar infestation to what we have now," he explained.

Balthier frowned, confusion showing on his face as he looked to his partner. The Ivalice Larsa described seemed closer to the one they faced while on the Bahamut than any other. Gabranth Balthier had known to be from his and Fran's past, considering his fate had been the same as the Doctor's, but...

The sky pirate sighed, his hands on his hips as he shook his head. He was beginning to tire of these time differences. "Different, though not too far off. Leaning more toward the peaceful side of things."

"Perhaps there is a chain of such?"

It would be a rather strange arrangement but who was to say that wasn't how this world worked? After all, the place had called people from different times, odd though it still was to think about. Strange rules for a stranger place.

"A welcome peace, through there is still work to be done."

Sounded like the prince was in the middle of the timelines, a revelation that piqued his interest in the same breath as it made him wary.

"When we are better able to see each other, I wish to confer on that peace," he commented in what he hoped would pass for calm curiosity. He knew of his brother now, knew what Vayne was capable of, and he needed to know how Arcadia and Ivalice were faring.

"In the meantime, I also wish to learn more of this island you have seen."

The mention of peace, welcome though it might have been, was odd to Gabranth's ears. Peace may well have come to Ivalice in time but he could not see how, yet. Things were still too unsettled for 'peace' and Vayne was one to see peace only in the defeat of his enemies.

But again, he would settle for silence. The conversation was not directed at him.

Balthier was hardly fooled by the boy's tone, if only because he was from the time he was from and knew the result of the battle. He'd rather not be the one to tell Larsa the fate of his brother--twas a duty he much, must preferred to leave to others--but if that was to be the way of it...

Well, the gods be with him, the question wouldn't come up, unrealistic hope that it was.

"Seems to be the tropical sort," he explained, deciding to ignore Larsa's first statement for now, "fairly green, a fine looking beach... Can't say I saw any people milling about. Likely they left as soon as possible considering their company." Though in what way they ended up leaving was still up in the air.

"A decision for which they cannot be blamed," Fran added a moment later.

No matter what the place had been it was certainly no paradise now. How and why it had come to that end? She knew not, and had no interest in learning. Leave that to the scholars and historians. She would leave the shadows to their hunt.

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Of Sky Pirates, Imperials, and Heartless [active]

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ffff late

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Iiii am giving this a guess based on week changes \o/

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