Despite its most of its population consisting of pirates, Ashe finds the port at Balfonheim rather endearing at times, it is colourful at the very least. And because defeating the Bahamut is not going to be an easy task the party decided to divide and each person shop separately for provisions, Ashe browses the tecknik shops but gazes upon the shelves with an air of boredom, barely reading the characters on the manuscripts she counts her gil again, they were quite fortuitous ascending the Pharos at Ridorana and have plenty to spend on this occasion,Scripts, scripts and more scripts…is there anything more uninteresting?
'Ashe,' A voice says from behind her as she listlessly rubs her finger across the edge of a display window, it is in fact filthy and leaves a dark stain on her fingertip, 'it is a wonderful day outside, too wonderful to fritter inside dank and gloomy shops…' he continues
'So perhaps we should have a picnic then?' she says satirically, 'never mind the Bahamut, if the sun is shining then who are you to defy the weather?'
'I am a man who knows the worth of spending an afternoon outside in the fresh air rather than wasting it away in a cell,' he says nonchalantly,
'Then what do you suggest we do, Balthier? She studies his reflection on the glass in front of them as it flickers in the poor lighting of this claustrophobic shop, expecting a tease for her conspicuous wording or at least that characteristic smirk,
'I propose,' he answers carelessly, 'that we go shopping.'
Of all the things…
She sighs as he commandeers her unwittingly towards the exit,
'We are shopping…' she begins in protest, but he cuts her off with a disdainful laugh,
'I meant properly,' he opens the door for her and gestures that they step outside; then dragging her over to the bazaar stalls he starts to paw zealously through a tray of beaded jewelry, slipping rings on and off his fingers in a transaction which Ashe highly doubts the legality of,
Only Balthier…
She sighs and begins to walk her fingers gently up his back as he drags forwards another tray of bracelets,
'Can we not move on?' she purrs in his ear, hoping to manipulate him, but he takes her hand and fondly slips a coloured glass ring onto her finger, alike to the ones he sports on his corresponding hand,
'I'll not be swayed that easily, princess' he chuckles while removing her wrist guard, 'perhaps men of weaker resolution bend under that pretty pout of yours,' she flushes slightly and he drapes a charm bracelet over her wrist, 'but I am made of firmer stuff.' He delicately fastens the clasp and lifts her arm up to study the adornment in the light; it is a fine silver chain with small life crystals hanging off the links, they glow with magik and chime sinuously against each other as she drops her hand,
'Very well,' she announces, turning to pull a gold hoop from the display, 'come over here then…' his eyes glimmer with intrigue as he takes an obedient step towards her, she slowly removes one of his earrings and replaces it with her chosen replacement. The torturously slow pace combined with her hands stroking down the side of his face and neck takes his mind to some very illicit places, and only when her hands drop away can he think straight again, 'what do you reckon?' she says pointing towards a cracked mirror stood on the stall, he peers into it and laughs at the sight of himself,
'I think it's positively garish' he swiftly removes the brash earring and replaces it with his own choice, a tiny charm carved from a piece of bone, 'better no?' he proposes to her as she childishly slides a ring onto every finger and flays her hands in contentment,
'Perhaps…' she says indecisively, changing a ring from her thumb onto his little finger, he docilely lets her toy with him as she swaps around their accessories,
'Perhaps?!' he cries, 'it's undoubtedly a considerable improvement,' he twists his had slightly to show her this supposed enhancement,
'It's an improvement upon your tastes…' she says thoughtfully,
'And what in Ivalice is wrong with my taste!' he snaps playfully,
'Shouldn't we be moving along now?' she suggests as she tries to back away from him and disappear into the crowds,
'Come back here you!' he grabs her hand roughly and drags her bejeweled fingers back towards the stall, 'for one you're about to steal several hundred gil's worth of rings, and for two I'll not stand idly by while the princess in the pink leather skirt three inches short criticizes my taste,' she pulls the rings hastily off her fingers and dumps them back in the basket under the filthy glare of the vendor,
'Leave it be. Please, lets go,' she begs him, wanting to get away from this place quickly before they are accused of more theft and end up in a lot of unnecessary trouble,
'Not before you admit that my taste is flawless,' he smirks as his grip tightens around her wrists and his fingers softly brush the underside of her palms, so she leans into him and pulls her hands back, which draws him closer as she tilts her chin up determinedly,
'Never.' She whispers, their lips drawing painstakingly close as a burly man with a barrel on one shoulder barges into them, knocking Ashe's hands from those of her captor upon which she finds means to weave further down the busy street. She is inevitably halted after only a brief stint of freedom by a finger hooking round the back of her waist belt, stopping her next to a stall piled high with assorted trinkets, he draws her back and curls himself around her, running his hand down her side and across her hip,
'You'll have to try harder than that to get rid of me…' he murmurs just behind her ear, disturbing her hair slightly as he breathes into it,
'Balthier not here,' she replies urgently 'someone could see' he casts an eye across the display and casually plucks a necklace from the pile with his spare hand (the other remaining tightly wrapped around her stomach), it has two cast white-gold plates deigned to curve around the base of the neck, in the center it joins an engraved pennant which tapers down in a number of overlapping shapes, the last of which being a down turned arc that extends out of the sides forming two small 'wings' that point out from the shape as underneath it holds a round pinkish stone inset in another ring of silver; Ashe curses that she insists on wearing that high-collared neck brace all the time because it is astoundingly beautiful and she would have liked to try it on,
'Pretty isn't it?' he asks rhetorically, slowly unwinding her from his grip and trailing the stone gently across her palm as she begins to worry about the time they've wasted, and if it has been noticed that they are missing. She is peering desperately through the crowds to see if she sees anyone she recognizes when suddenly she hears an airy trill by her side, distracting her from her fretting she snaps her head around and realizes he has come across a proper Arcadian whistle, and is testing its tuning between rapid discussions with the vendor,
He's probably lost that exquisite necklace among the rest of that junk now…
'How much?' she suddenly interrupts their barter, meaning for the pipe, and he gives her an amused glance for speaking so curtly to the domineering woman very obviously running the stall,
'Two thou,' she spits in a hoarse and smoky voice, it is a fair amount but Ashe is feeling whimsical and hands the gil over as the disheveled woman smiles satirically, 'have a nice day.' Ashe studies the little pipe as she strides down the street towards the Whitecap, their arranged meeting point, and Balthier hops alongside her merrily twisting his new rings around on his fingers,
'It's not worth that much,' he says to her with conviction,
'Perhaps…' she replies carefully; then suddenly stops in the stream of people and holds it out to him, he raises his eyebrows with pleasant surprise despite knowing she intended to give it to him; he gently takes it into his own palm and bows his head at her in thanks, wearing an uncontrollably ecstatic grin as they catch sight of the others sitting around a table outside the tavern.
'Hey, we were just wondering where you guys got to,' Vaan says cheerfully as they approach, amidst a pile of feathers, as he is helping Fran re-flight some poison arrows they have salvaged from previous battles,
'Well, Vaan,' he laments, 'you know what women are like with shopping…ah!' Ashe cuffs him roughly around the back of his head,
'Balthier you are the worst liar in Ivalice,' she chides, 'I am not the one here with a jewelry fixation,' she grabs his hand and holds it up for everyone to see, 'look,' she says waving his fingers about, 'more rainbow-coloured candy-rings…' he snatches his hand back promptly and storms over and sulks in the shadows,
'No way to treat a leading man…' he mutters darkly, 'no way at all.'
I know this one's not so fluffy but I promise the next will be a fluff-athon on toast :)