Disclaimer for this vignette and all those following: I'm not the creator of Final Fantasy XII. The game is the property of Square Enix and all people working on the team for this game. ^U^

Title: "Engine Troubles"

Rating: K+

Word Count: 674

Characters: Fran and Balthier. A bit of obvious Fran/Balthier. *snort*

Description: The Strahl, being the fickle darling she can be, is having a bit of engine trouble. The two well-known sky pirate begin repairs, as well as the usual playful exchange of words.


"Put these over there, my dear," he says casually, handing her two very oily wrenches. She takes them, unafraid of messes or stains, and places them on a thick cloth before turning her attention back to her partner. He is currently absorbed with repairing his beloved Strahl, lying under the engine to try and fix one of the many problems that she's had of late.

"Oh, this ship," he mutters with slight disdain from under the machinery. "She never gives me the time of day."

"Better to get a new one then?" Fran teases with a tiny, unseen smile on her lips.

He wheels out from under the engine to look at her in disbelief. "Fran, are you mad? I couldn't possibly give her up!" She looks at him in amusement before he wheels back under, asking for another tool and a few bolts, and then he continues on. "She's an indispensable part of our crew like you, my dear."

She blinks slowly once and looks down at him, or the part of him that's visible, and raises an eyebrow.

Sensing her question about the comparison somehow, he elaborates. "Just like you, she's been through many a rough patch. Battles, pirates, unforgiving weather; it's all part of the profession. She's a good fighter and she does her job well, but she hardly ever speaks a word so you can't figure out what's going on unless you do a little digging."

Fran shakes her head slightly, tempted to make a small eye roll at how this comparison was panning out. He's probably smirking under there.

"There's a trick to everything I suppose," he drawls. He wheels out from under the engine again, stands up and dusts himself off, even though there's not much good in that. He's covered from head to toe in black stains, and he'll probably commence complaining about another good shirt ruined in the next few minutes.

He hits the test switch on the engine, but an almost unbearable groan emits from it and he shuts it off with a few curses under his breath.

"At least I don't get this amount of complaining from you," he says nonchalantly.

She breathes out a tiny chuckle, smiling just a little. "But you, sky pirate, never cease complaining."

He turns to face her, mock hurt on his expression. "Why Fran, you wound me. The leading man is obliged to complain about a few things isn't he?"

"Indeed," she says, grabbing the toolbox. "But he is also obliged to do something about it, is he not?"

Mock-grimacing, he playfully snatches the toolbox from her hands and lays back down so he can get under the engine. "Hmph. And of course, unlike this ship, you usually seem to be in the right."

"The leading man's partner must know how to be useful," she says plainly, cleaning off the tools that he's made a mess of.

"Ah-ah Fran," he says, ticking a finger back and forth from under the engine. "The leading lady must know how to be useful." He wheels out from underneath once more, looking up at her with an expression she can't quite name, though he's still wearing that smirk and speaking in the same way as before. "And in all honesty, I have yet to see you fail such a role."

She looks at him and looks at him, the silence stretching on. His smirk softens a little, almost as if he's the only one here, and then disappears under the engine to return to his work. She keeps looking for a moment, a small part of her suddenly feeling just one degree more lonely without that look, and then sits nearby and waits, handing him the occasional tool. She sighs, thinking about the ridiculous man before her who is arrogant and rash and so unlike many other Humes that exist in this world.

And she is happy that of all places in the world, she's with him here on his complaining ship, listening to his Arcadian accent drawl out excuses and general silliness laced with dreams.


Author's Notes: I'm doing these vignettes for no particular reason at all; just my own satisfaction. I've wanted to do character interactions for all these guys for a while, and now is my change. I don't usually put descriptions before my vignettes, but I might as well because things will get a little disorganized if I don't slap anything on the top of the page. I'll try to keep these short too. Other than that, I'd love to hear what you think. I will be making interactions between all characters, so *cracks fingers* get ready for some nonsense. XD Next up is a chapter about interaction between our dear Viera and the stone-face queen of Dalmasca, oh boy oh boy.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!