Disclaimer: I do not own FFXII or any of the characters, and there is no financial gain.
Halim couldn't help but think that this Judge Ghis must have been as unhappy to be at the Marquis' estate as Halim himself was to have him. Gatherings such as these were a painful necessity, both men had been playing this game long enough to know that. Still, he was intrigued as to what could possibly be causing an old socialite to avoid the crowd. Halim made his way across the crowded room to the long-suffering Archadian who had been nursing the same glass of wine for over an hour.
"If our madhu isn't to your taste, Your Honor, I can have something more suitable to your palette brought out."
The Judge's mood seemed to degenerate even further upon realizing the Marquis was addressing him directly. He set the glass down on a nearby table, the gloved hand moving to an embellished handkerchief stuffed halfway under the sash around his waist.
"Your wine is pedestrian. The altitude here is what I find taxing."
Halim found forcing a smile on this occasion to be much harder than he expected.
"I'm curious, Judge Ghis – are you not the commander of an entire fleet of Airships?" He earned a look of utter contempt for shallow coy tone that couldn't mask a hint of impudence.
"Even the Archadian fleet needn't ascend to this ridiculous height." the Judge scoffed, wiping the sweat from his brow
"Then please, retire for the night, Your Honor. I will send for servants to assist with y-"
"Do you think me some green whelp, fresh out of the den, tail between my legs?"
The sudden interruption surprised the Marquis but he was usually fast enough to respond in kind – however it was the Judge's level of condescension that gave him pause. He rested his cane firmly on the ground, folding both hands on top. Ghis never stopped staring, gray eyes peering at him along with a grin that gave the Marquis a sudden urge to strike it right off his face. Halim cleared his throat and ordered the tension out of his shoulders.
"I've obviously offended you somehow, Judge Ghis. For that I apologize."
"Neutral though you may be, Archadia still has an interest in Bhujerba's exports. Do not attempt to spoon feed me your niceties in some foolhardy attempt to sugar my tea. Your..." Ghis paused, eyes darting to the side in a split second of thought before fixing back on the Marquis. "...madhu is quite saccharine already."
The two shared an uncomfortable smile, and Ghis folded his handkerchief neatly before sticking it back under the sash once more.
"Still – the air is thin and the heat intolerable. I'm eager for my eventual return to the Leviathan, as no doubt you are as well."
The Marquis and Judge shared a look that spoke of honest, mutual disdain. It was a relief for Halim; neither of them had the time or patience to pretend. That game was for the socialite with no foundation to back a genuine display of dislike. In that instance Halim knew that if nothing else when dealing with this Archadian, he wouldn't have to worry about lies. A rare thing indeed.
Ghis fanned himself, breaking eye contact as he began to move towards the door. The Marquis followed beside him, moving through the mixed crowd of the wealthy, upper-class, and military. They seemed to step aside for Ghis faster than they would have for him; the Marquis had no doubt it was out of desire not to be poked by the Judge's sharp pauldrons. The smooth slope of the decorative feathers couldn't mask their sharp ends.
Once at the door, a standing guard opened it and stepped aside for the two men, the Judge exiting first and looking down the hallway at the set of stairs that awaited him. The Marquis observed the glare the Judge reserved just for the flights that he had to climb to reach his room in the estate.
"Have attendants waiting in my room." the Judge ordered, waiting for the dull roar of the crowd to vanish as the door behind them was shut. Once completely cut off from the noise of the crowd, he let out a sigh that the Marquis felt had been hanging in his lungs since he had arrived.
"I expect them to keep my armor tidy and have it waiting upon sunrise." the Judge said as he began to walk towards the waiting stairs.
"It will be in fine condition, your honor, you have my assurance. Of course, if anything were to happen, I would have my smiths on it posthaste."
Ghis glanced at him, the sour smirk returning to his face. "I would sooner return to Archades in my housecoat. If the armor is damaged you will receive an invoice in three weeks time that I expect to be paid." He paused, bringing a hand up to his forehead to wipe away more sweat. "The cost of repair wouldn't hurt your profits, I assume? I do hope the magicite export is healthy."
The Marquis narrowed his eyes, stopping at the foot of the stairs. Ghis took two steps up before realizing he wasn't being accompanied and stopped, turning to look down at the other. The Marquis forced the annoyance to pass and was quick to brush the Judge's comments aside.
"As Archades is aware of, no doubt."
Ghis' eyebrow perked, and he tapped his fingers along the helmet he held under his arm.
"No doubt."
The Judge turned, and began a slow ascent up the steps, armor clapping together rhythmically. Halim took the time to watch him reach the top of the first flight, a journey that took nearly three minutes with the slow pace of the armored man. The servants wouldn't reach his room in time, not now with the Marquis' slacking – but Judge Ghis would know that Bhujerban laziness wasn't to blame.