"Fran, PLEASE."
"No."
"Fran..."
"No."
"Just for a little whi-"
"Balthier, do you honestly think we can afford to stop in Balfonheim with the Strahl in this condition?" Fran said, flustered. "We're going straight to Rabanastre."
"But-"
"No."
Ignoring her, Balthier reached for the Navigation panel. Fran slapped his hand.
"Fine!" Balthier said, slamming his hands down on the armrests of the co-pilot's seat. He stood up and shot Fran a dirty look. "Since when did you become the all-deciding captain?" Fran rolled her eyes, and Balthier stormed towards the back of the Strahl. Fran sighed loudly.
"Balthier, come to your senses. Come back up here."
"No."
"Balthier..."
"No."
"Balthier!"
"Why don't you come back here?"
There was a slight pause.
"You are so immature," Fran said, mostly to herself.
"Am not."
"Get up here! And yes, you are!" she yelled back. As soon as we land in Rabanastre... she thought.
"...Am not."
Fran sighed loudly in frustration as Balthier crossed his arms defiantly, sitting in the back near the engine. He wasn't going up there.
"Balthier...come up here... something's wrong with the Strahl...the controls aren't responding," Fran said.
"Liar," he shot back. She wasn't getting her way. He stayed put.
"Balthier, the entire control panel is broken!"
"Liar." He wasn't going to budge.
"I swear..." Fran hissed under her breath as she searched for the problem.
"Why don't you come back here?" Balthier said with a sarcastic tone, arms still crossed.
"No." She wasn't going to let him win this childish game.
"Come back here."
"No!"
Sometimes she wondered what made her stay with that fool of a pirate.
Silence.
"Fran, come back here...the Strahl's on fire."
"Liar." Did he really think her that much of a fool?
Balthier stood up. "The Strahl is on fire, Fran!"
"Liar."
"Fran! THE STRAHL. IS ON. FIRE!"
Fran looked back.
The Strahl was on fire.
Fran leaped out of her seat and rushed towards Balthier, who was scrambling around, looking for the fire extinguisher. Fran raced into the engine room, dodging the flames.
"Are you mad?!" Balthier shouted, still searching for the fire extinguisher. He heard a metal clink and then a rush of wind as a cloudy foam doused the flames. With the threat vanquished, Balthier walked into the engine room. Fran stood there with her arms crossed, holding the extinguisher and glaring at him. He walked in further, and lamely stamped out a small flame with his foot. Fran exhaled heavily through her nose, her ruby eyes smoldering. Balthier looked at her meekly.
"Told you."
Before Fran threw a feral fit, the Strahl suddenly lurched, knocking them both off their feet, and suddenly it went into an all-out dive.
"You didn't put it into autopilot?!" Balthier shouted at Fran.
"I told you the control panel was broken!!" she snapped back.
With a deafening crunch, the Strahl crashed head on into the ground, sending the bickering duo flying towards the cockpit. Bruised and seething, Fran crawled out from the wreckage, dragging Balthier with her. The two stepped out into the Dalmascan Estersand and gazed at the smoking Strahl.
"Well," Balthier said, "at least we're close to Rabanastre."
Fran looked at him and their eyes met. She squared her shoulders with his and slapped him hard across the face, then turned away and began to walk.
I guess I deserved that, he thought, massaging his jaw. He sighed.
"You win," he said simply, and followed his partner up to the city.
