By: Mad Mary Kidd
Pairings: None
Rating/Warnings: K. No warnings, no spoilers
Disclaimer: Standard
Intro: Ashe can't stand all this messing around. Oneshot
Silly Games
"Ah, silence is golden!" said Balthier, looking amused. Penelo giggled. Vaan looked murderous. He mouthed something, something that would have been extremely loud had he not just been Silenced by an Ogir-Yensa.
"I'm sorry, what?" asked Balthier politely, cupping a hand to his ear. "Didn't quite catch that, Vaan, you'll have to speak up." Vaan mimed something rather violent involving his Zwill blade being rammed up somewhere quite painful, and then pointed meaningfully at his throat.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand you," said Balthier. Ashe was tutting impatiently behind him. "What does he want, Penelo? Can you understand him?"
Penelo bit her lip, torn between sympathy for her friend combined with the knowledge that he would definitely get his own back later on, and continuing the joke. Vaan glared at her, inadvertently tipping the balance in Balthier's favour.
"I don't know, Balthier, he's not making any sense," she said, grinning at Vaan who pointed at her with one eyebrow raised to mean, 'I'll get you for this'.
"We haven't got time to play games," said Ashe suddenly, stepping forward. "Vox," she said, aiming a hand at Vaan.
"What did you do that for?" asked Balthier. "We were only having a bit of fun."
"You were being childish. We need him to be able to cast Magick in case we're attacked," snapped the Princess.
"Thanks Ashe," said Vaan, massaging his throat.
"Don't thank me. It was necessary," she sniffed, and stalked off.
"She's got a particularly vicious bee in her bonnet today," remarked Balthier dryly, though he was careful to make sure she was out of earshot before he said it.
"That was really immature, Balthier," complained Vaan. He sounded like an overtired child.
"One takes one's amusement where one can," replied the pirate, idly toying with his gun. "Come on, or we'll be left behind."
--
"What's the matter? We were only messing about. God knows we've had precious little enough reason to laugh of late."
"You were being stupid. We need everyone at their best," said Ashe quietly.
If she was honest with herself she didn't know why watching Balthier play with Vaan and Penelo irritated her so much. She had a lot on her mind, that was true enough; perhaps that's all it was. If she was really honest, she hated the thought of having to rely on pirates and cutpurses, and that they might be entertained as a result of her quest, however inadvertently, irked her.
"I agree. And everyone will work together better if we can relax a bit among ourselves," said Balthier. "I think, and forgive me if you disagree, that that's more important than temporarily losing the skills of one Magick-user whose strengths, I might add, do not lie in those areas, and who can be cured at any time." She knew he was right, but that just irritated her further. It didn't help that he always sounded so damn smug! She wondered what he'd do if she punched him, and unconsciously clenched her fist.
"We are taking this seriously," said the pirate suddenly. "We all have as much to lose as you."
"I'm not in this for the loot, unlike some," said Ashe pointedly. "I have a throne to reclaim and a country to see through a war."
"True enough," said Balthier, "true enough." With that he fell back again, to tease Vaan and Penelo once more, and Ashe was left with the distinct impression that she'd offended him.
What surprised her the most was that she was sorry she had.
Owari