Chapter Two – New Clothes, Nicknames and Stolen Apples

"So what you are meaning to say is that my world has somehow been copied into a game that people in your world play for entertainment? And that you have somehow been transported here overnight?"

"Yes! God, I've explained it a million times!! You're meant to be smart, so catch on already!"

"Sorry, but I'm finding it a bit hard to swallow, really. Do you think she might possibly have heatstroke, Fran?"

"She is speaking the truth."

"Ah. Wonderful."

Balthier frowned at Jessica thoughtfully. She gave him a baleful stare in return. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?" the sky pirate suddenly asked her in a plaintive tone of voice. "What have I done to offend you?"

"I… just don't like you, okay? Not every female on the planet has to fall into a swoon at your feet. Accept it and move on."

"You cut me to the quick, Miss…" He frowned. "I haven't asked your name yet have I? How rude of me… What are you called, then?"

"Jessica Blake."

"Jess? Jessie?"

"Jessica."

"You really aren't making this easy, you know."

"Was I meant to?"

Fran watched the two of them bicker with a slight smile on her face. This was really quite amusing. The girl definitely didn't like Balthier very much. The tall, beautiful viera stood up and looked at Jessica. "Will you be wanting some different clothes? Those aren't really suitable for everyday wear."

Jessica bit her tongue so as not to blurt out that the viera's clothes (if they could even really be called that) weren't exactly suitable for daily wear either, unless one spent one's days working in a strip club. Instead she nodded and stood up. Anything to get away from Balthier and his too amused pale green eyes…

XxXxXxX

Jessica stared into the long mirror inside Fran's room, chewing her lip and trying to work out whether she liked her new clothes or not.

Well, they were very Final Fantasy XII-ish. She would sort of blend in among the bizarre outfits of this world. And at least they were black. Jessica frowned uncertainly.

"You look fine," Fran said calmly, watching the younger woman. "It suits you."

Jessica turned around and gave the viera a worried look. "Are you sure? We don't really wear stuff like this in my world… or well some people do. But I don't."

"You really do look fine. I promise."

Jessica turned and looked into the mirror again. The girl she saw in there was a very different girl from the one she'd seen in her mirror yesterday. She wore a white linen shirt with the sleeves ripped off, laced at the throat, tight black leather trousers (she swore never to compare them to the ones Balthier wore – how would she be able to criticise him now that she wore nearly the same clothes as he did?) and a long, sleeveless, black leather jacket, which came down to about mid calf. On her feet were black zip up combat boots and around her left wrist and right upper arm wear a pair of wide black leather bands/bracelets. That was normal enough, except for well, the shirt had a big chunk taken out of it so most of her midriff was laid bare, and the jacket had some sort of strange design etched on the back. Other than that it was fine. Except… Jessica really didn't want to see Balthier's face when he saw her wearing it. He would smirk, she just knew it.

She sighed and turned around towards Fran. "I guess I'm ready then. Thanks for the clothes, Fran. I really appreciate it."

The tall viera warrior smiled slightly. "It was no trouble. I don't mind helping you, Jessica. Now, lets head back to Balthier. No doubt he will have gotten you something to eat by now."

XxXxXxX

Balthier, in fact, had completely forgotten about getting Jessica some food. He was sitting in the cockpit, with his feet on the flight deck, looking at a map and eating an apple. He looked around as the two women came back into the room, and what he did next made Jessica really want to kill him.

He smirked.

"What a lovely outfit, Jessie," he said brightly, sliding his feet off the deck and standing up. "It suits you." His eyes slid up and down her body appreciatively. Jessica suppressed the urge to steal his rifle and fire it point blank into his stupid grinning face. Instead she stepped around him and sat down, nicking one of the apples from their bowl on the flight deck and flinging herself into one of the seats.

"Don't call me Jessie," she said flatly.

"Why ever not? And those are my apples, thank you very much," he added, stealing the apple before she could take a bite. "You promised me breakfast," Jessica retorted, taking her apple back once more. She sank even white teeth into it, biting off a bit, and chewed thoughtfully. God, it was delicious, crisp and wonderful. "I hate being called Jessie," she said, once she'd finished her mouthful. "Don't do it."

"You steal my apple, you deal with the punishment," Balthier said flippantly, sitting back down, picking up his discarded apple and munching into it. "I'm calling you Jessie from now on."

Jessica groaned. "I think I'll just go back out and die in the desert, thanks."

"Balthier," Fran said quietly, going back to her earlier job of fiddling with the flight deck in preparation for launch. "Be nice." To Jessica, she said, "He's rather possessive about those apples. Sorry."

"I am being nice," Balthier protested.

"If this is nice I don't really want to see obnoxious," Jessica commented, taking another bite out of her apple. Balthier gave her an injured look. "You think I'm obnoxious?"

"Haven't I made that clear already?"

Fran closed her eyes. "Could you two please go argue somewhere else? And can you eat those things more quietly? My ears are very sensitive to sound."

"There is no quiet way to eat an apple," said Balthier and Jessica at exactly the same time. They glanced at each other, then Jessica looked away, out the window, blushing for some unknown reason. Balthier smiled.

"Where are we going?" Jessica asked after a little while.

"Back to Rabanastre," Balthier answered her. "If you are going to be staying in Ivalice, Jessie, then you'd better get equipped and start learning how to fight. Or else you'll be killed and then I'll be ever so upset."

"DON'T CALL ME JESSIE!!! And I won't accept any charity from you, you jerk."

"Jerk? What did I do to deserve that? And you already have accepted charity from me, or hadn't you noticed that you're wearing different clothing from the ones you arrived in?"

"Shut UP, Balthier."

Fran sighed. It was going to be a long flight.

A/N: Sorry if Balthier's a little OOC. I did my best.