Chapter Two: Cultural Misunderstandings, propositions gone awry

Fran made her own, more sedate way, towards the aerodrome exit only to find that the would-be gentleman sky pirate was still there.

' The dictates of gentlemanly behaviour require me to ask if you have money for room and board?'

He inquired leaning casually against the vacant commercial flight desk and playing distractedly with the cuff of his shirt sleeve.

' I will manage thank you.'

Fran continued walking past the empty check-in desks for commercial and private flights and towards the noise and bustle of the Port.

The Hume dropped into step, though he was forced to trot to keep up with her longer strides.

' Then I will dispense with the ways of gentlemen and get straight to the piracy.'

Fran stopped and looked down at the Hume quizzically, ' I do not fathom your meaning.'

The Hume sighed and plucked nervously at the immaculate cuff of his shirt sleeve.

'I have been thinking while we travelled together.'

'No.' Fran said flatly.

The Hume blinked at her, ' But I haven't even – '

' You are young and I have found that the males of your kind can not help themselves at your age, so I will be kind and say only no.'

' My age again?'

The Hume frowned clearly puzzled, but that confusion began to slide quickly towards annoyance.

' Now, my dear Viera, I may not be as old as the Cerobi Steppes as you claim to be, but I assure you I know how to handle myself when the moment comes.'

Fran found his allusion to her age and his language crass in the extreme when discussing such a matter, but she had found that Humes, particular young male Humes, were like to be as such.

Fran, who had started walking quickly out onto the streets turned and glared down on the Hume who was all but chasing after her in his lust.

' I am no painted lady to satiate your appetite.'

'Painted -?' He began before, much to Fran's consternation, he doubled up with a sudden fit of laughter.

'You thought I meant...'

The Hume struggled and failed to regain his composure and fell back to laughing leaning drunkenly against a stack of packing crates in the alley leading to the port's Gallerina Marketplace.

' You would laugh at me?'

Fran did not know if he meant insult, or if he had in fact run quite mad.

'No, no.'

He gasped, ' Forgive me.'

Waving a ring-bedecked hand to her in apology he tried valiantly to stand straight and meet her eyes.

' I think, my dear Viera, we have been speaking at cross purposes. I was not attempting to proposition you for some tawdry act of carnality at all.'

' But you do have proposition for me?' Fran was certain of this at least.

The Hume nodded vigorously clearly still tickled by her misreading of his intent.

' Yes, yes. I saw how you handled that sword back on the Purveema. I have seen few outside of the Imperial army do better.'

' I have long since mastered most Hume weapons.'

Fran could not see why this should so interest the Hume and her curiosity, for better or worse, demanded she stay to hear his reasoning.

'Even better then.'

Fran watched as the Hume played once more with his cuffs, stopping to mutter something about a lost button.

'I have just embarked upon the opening chapter of my illustrious career as gentleman sky pirate through the time honoured method of killing my captain.'

The Hume gesticulated grandly still frowning over his cuffs.

' Alas there is the small matter of the equally time honoured pirate tradition of retribution by those who, either because he owned them money or misplaced loyalty, feel it necessary to avenge Remus with the spilling of my blood.'

Fran found her brows rising, ' A paradox. How can it be tradition to usurp a captain's position through bloodshed yet other pirates will persecute those who do so?'

A smirk is part answer; the Hume rests his hands on the twin belts heavy with full pouches that encircle his waist.

' Pirates can be a contrary breed. For the most I think the motivation is any excuse to perform acts of wanton violence.'

'And you tell me this why?'

The Hume blinks, gathering his thoughts, 'Ah, straight to point. I like that.'

Fran waited as the Hume appeared acutely uncomfortable for a brief moment while he considered his next words.

' Considering my actions of this night I find myself in need of a bodyguard.'

' Pardon?'

Not meeting her eyes the would-be pirate spoke down to his leather sandals; suddenly acting his age.

' You have professed yourself an expert in all weapons, and I have witnessed the fact. I would employ your services as a guard of sorts, at least until my claim to the Strahl is ratified by the pirate king Nylous.'

In forty-seven years Fran had been asked by Humes to tell her Viera secrets.

She had been asked to be life companion to those who would ask nothing of her but her company; begged to reveal the truths of the Green Way to the few Humes that would learn of it.

She had been propositioned for every lewd act conceivable and even employed as a gardener. Never had she been engaged as bodyguard.

'I have plenty of Gil.'

He added somewhat desperately, rather foolishly jangling his Gil pouch filled to bursting with the Gil stolen from the pirates at the slave auction.

' You would ask me to protect you? For how long?'

Not that Fran had much interest in time. Its passing was a certainty. Already sundered from her Viera calling what she did with her allotment of it out in the Hume world was of little consequence to her.

' As I said, once Nylous has accepted that my claim to the Strahl is valid and Remus died in the proper method, by that I mean, killed by his own first mate, then no pirate can justify killing me for sport.'

'You sound as though you quote scripture.'

'As matter of fact I do. Pirates have a code. Hardly the legislature of the Empire, but even pirates need some law and order.'

'So you would seek out this Nylous?'

The Hume sighed. Looking oddly furtive.

'Eventually, sadly it is not as simple a matter as just telling my tale and asking Nylous to accept it. If I want to be pirate by right I will have to bring Nylous a worthy gift.'

' A bribe, you speak of.'

The Hume shrugged. ' He is a pirate king, after all. Though in my experience all kings, and Emperors, have their greed in common.'

'So you must act the pirate and steal gift for this Nylous before you can be called pirate?'

' Precisely. You catch on quick, you could be a pirate yourself.'

Fran considered the turn of fate that had thrust her and this eccentric youth together and offered up, as it was want to do, a new diversion for Fran to follow while she waited out her time.

'Very well, Hume. I accept your proposal. I will assist you.'

The youth gave her a smile as radiantly happy as a sunrise and as young and innocent as a spring sky.

'Marvellous. I sense that this will be a lucrative partnership for us both.'

Fran merely quirked an eyebrow, tossed her long spiderweb fine hair behind her and started off towards the nearest Inn. Her new charge trotted valiantly to keep abreast with her.

'By the way, as I said before, my name is Balthier, not Hume. Balthier is the name of a Leading Man, Hume does not distinguish me from anyone.'

'Leading Man, say you? What of the Gentleman Pirate?'

He smiles, ' I am that too; Leading Man in my own adventures, gentleman and pirate by profession. It all works out rather nicely wouldn't you say?'

' Indeed, and I am Fran, not Dear Viera.'

The Hume -Balthier – smiled at her with all the contentment of a puppy.

'Fran.'

He purred the single, simple syllable of her name.

A name she gave to precious few Humes. As he did so Fran was not as surprised as she thought she would be to find that the sound of his voice speaking her name pleased her.