Balthier grimaced as the grey waters of the Garamsythe Waterway splashed around his feet as he crossed an unavoidable puddle, unable to hide his disgust any longer. Curse Vaan and his insatiable need to help others. If not for the decent enough bounty and his fondness for the boy, Balthier never would've lowered himself to trudging through sludge in search of the White Mousse.
A Gigantoad came charging up the nearby staircase and towards him, snapping him from his reverie. By the time his Betelgeuse was raised and ready, the creature was almost upon him, making it an easy shot and an easier kill. A mocking whistle came from behind him. He turned to face the whistler with a barely masked glare, his patience worn thin.
"Well done Balthier." You grinned at the pirate from your perch on the railing. "For a moment there, I thought your aim might've been off."
Balthier scoffed, fixing his cuff. "I never miss."
"You miss those skeletons all the time!"
"They are hard to hit." Vaan chimed in, receiving a glare from you.
You ignored Vaan as you stared intently at Balthier. "You know what? Let's swap weapons next time we end up in a place with skeletons. I'll prove how easy it is!"
He rolled his eyes and descended the staircase the toad had come up, cringing as the deeper water sloshed against his feet. "Vaan. Are you certain that this is the right way?"
Vaan nodded, stepping into the water. "Sorbet said it'd be in the West Sluice Control, which is just around that corner." He pointed down the flooded tunnel to their right.
"I should've stayed back with the others…" Balthier grumbled, receiving a light punch to the shoulder.
"But then you wouldn't get any of the reward!" Vaan laughed, heading off down the tunnel. A loud splash caused him to turn back, sword raised, expecting to see some form of beast. The sight that greeted him caused a fit of laughter to escape. Balthier stood awkwardly bent at the waist, his chest almost at his knees, with you perched on his back.
"[Name]… What are you doing?" Balthier ground out, water dripping from his sleeves and face. The step he had taken to keep from falling on his face had unfortunately caused a large splash, drenching his front.
You shrugged, wrapping your legs around his waist, cringing as the water from his clothes seeped into your leggings. Thankfully, his leg had blocked most of his waist from the splash, keeping you from becoming entirely soaked. "Why do you think I was walking on the railings all the way here? For fun? I didn't want to get wet and dirty!"
"Neither did I."
"Too bad!" You grinned as you settled your arms around his shoulders, easily hanging off his body.
Vaan, having recovered from his fit of laughter, called out, "You two coming? Besides, the sooner you get moving, the sooner you'll get dry!"
After a moment, Balthier sighed and begrudgingly moved forward while you giggled happily. Pulling a piece of cloth from your pocket, you wiped the water off Balthier's face before leaning over his shoulder and lightly pressing your lips to his cheek. "Thank you!"
"The things I put up with…" Balthier muttered, slipping his arms under your legs as he waded down the tunnel.
~~~
The target was surprisingly easy to take care of with the aid of healing supplies. After pressing some eye drops into Vaan's hand, you turned to Balthier, barely suppressing the smirk that threatened to show on your face as you watched him attempt to squeeze water from his sleeves. Tapping his shoulder to gain his attention, you spun around before grinning at him.
"Look! Not a spec of dirt on me!"
"I would expect that; you hardly fought at all."
You stuck your tongue out at the sky pirate. While he had a point, you still wanted to emphasize the fact that he was soaked through while you weren't. "You needed the supplies! You would've been in trouble if not for my items!"
Having swallowed the herbs, Vaan walked over to join you. "Ready to head back?"
"Almost." Stepping around Balthier, you jumped on his back once more. "Ready!"
Vaan nodded and started back down the tunnel. Once he was a short distance away, Balthier glared at you over his shoulder.
You grinned back at him. "What?"
The glare turned into a smirk as he cocked an eyebrow. "If you're so desperate to ride me, why did you not just say so?" A light blush dusted your cheeks, causing a light chuckle to escape him. "But that might require you getting a tad filthy, I do hope that won't be an issue."