A few hours later, they disembarked in the bustling Bhujerban aerodrome. Ashe had seemingly reverted to her previous behavior, regarding him with her usual air of self-righteousness that he secretly adored. But it seemed like she wasn't so much angry with him as she was on a mission to get the Strahl back come hell or high water.
She walked about in that defiant manner only those born with blue blood seemed to be capable of. Her hands on her hips, the Princess gazed around the aerodrome and finally settled her eyes upon him. "Why don't we see if Durio's moored the ship here? We might save ourselves a great deal of trouble."
He shook his head and moved his hand to the small of her back to guide her to the exit. "He's not that stupid. He probably has it stashed in a private hangar near the estate. I suggest that we find an excuse to sneak about before we are expected at the ball."
She did not seem to outwardly object to his current hand placement, but her last aerodrome performance that morning had drawn quite a bit of attention. Perhaps she was allowing it for the sake of their mission. Ashe gripped her garment bag tightly and let him lead her out into the bright sunshine.
"Do you even know where we are going?" she inquired with some measure of disdain, and Balthier found the word "Divorce!" floating through his myriad thoughts.
He let his fingers drift up and down her back as they walked through the crowd. Spotting a very nattily dressed man, his equally nattily dressed female companion and an entourage of utterly bored domestics standing together just outside the entrance, Balthier gave his companion a gentle push in their direction.
"I believe we'll be traveling with this lot," he muttered as they approached the group. The man gave him a broad smile, and his lady friend gave Ashe the once over, to the Princess' thinly veiled displeasure.
"Hullo there! That time of year, eh?" the man said genially, reaching over to clap Balthier on the shoulder. It appeared that they had succeeded in giving off a definite air of wealth, and the sky pirate was amazed at how quickly it had worked. Obviously this man was an idiot.
"Afraid the wife and I couldn't make it last year, dreadful shame," he replied, squeezing Ashe around the middle, and she very slowly let her body relax at his touch.
For her part, his new wife smiled at the wealthy pair. "I don't think we've been introduced. Alene Shellore and this is my…" Balthier squeezed her tighter. "This is my husband, Cullen Hetterick."
The couple nodded in acknowledgment. The other man draped an arm over his companion's shoulder. "Erfe Malanga, of the Passchendale Square Malangas…and my beautiful wife, Renata," the man offered in introduction. Balthier had to withhold a chuckle. The Passchendale Square Malangas were notorious in pirating circles as one of the easiest families to steal from in Archades. He'd have to hold back the urge to snatch the rings off of the man's fingers. There was other pressing business to attend to first.
Balthier released Ashe and gave Erfe a hearty shake, nearly wincing at how easily he could snatch the jewelry from the man's hand. "We received our invites a bit late, so we were unable to procure accommodation. Not to mention that we didn't have time to reserve a transport to the mansion…"
Renata seemed to be distressed at their lack of preparation, but her husband continued to be a pompous twit. "Then you will accompany us to the estate! Plenty of room!" This was almost too easy, the sky pirate thought to himself.
The sucker shooed one of his many servants off to hire a small transport ship for them. Balthier made small talk with Erfe while Ashe did her part to chat with Renata, although Mrs. Malanga appeared to be as interesting as drying paint.
The man was apparently fond of milk from a specific Garif nanna ranch and had it specially imported three times a week, while his wife spent the entirety of her conversation complaining about the way her shoes hurt the arches of her feet. The couple did not inquire the slightest bit about Lord and Lady Radovan, to Balthier's amusement. Typical snotty, self-absorbed aristocrats, he thought.
The overworked and most likely underpaid servant returned moments later. "My lord, there is a sky cab waiting at the end of the lane…"
Erfe scoffed at this. "We are to walk all that way? Are you mad?"
Ashe worked some surprisingly diplomatic magic on Lord Malanga. "It's such a beautiful day. Surely we could endure it? Unless your feet are in pain, Renata?"
Erfe ignored his wife's clear distress, and Balthier and Ashe followed the entourage up the hilly street away from the aerodrome. The sky pirate could not wait to praise his faux spouse for her superior schmoozing abilities, but he supposed they would have a moment to rest once they were shown to their accommodations at the estate.
They were ushered into the sky cab and flew over the floating land towards Sir Merritt's estate. Lord Malanga had seated himself next to Ashe, and Balthier had to endure the heady perfume worn by Renata at his side. It made him dizzy, but not so dizzy as to not notice their new friend's eyes drifting continually down Ashe's dress to gape at her chest.
The Princess seemed well aware of this unwanted attention, and she kept looking to him in a near panic. Balthier nodded at her, willing her to endure the ogling. For her part, Renata made no attempt to stare at him, as she was far more interested in picking small bits of fluff from a tiny hole in the cab seat.
Finally, the ride was over, and he could tell Ashe was holding in a sigh of relief. Of course, as they disembarked, Erfe "accidentally" brushed a hand against the Princess' rear end as she rose from her seat. Luckily enough, Lord Malanga did not receive a punch in the face from one of Ashe's shaking fists.
The pair followed their new friends to the grand foyer of the mansion, and Balthier caught the Princess rolling her eyes at a giant portrait of Sir Merritt that adorned the airy room. He was pictured astride a glorious golden chocobo with adoring women looking up at him in wonder. Balthier wondered how much such a portrait cost and seriously considered commissioning one the next time he obtained a decent amount of gil. Perhaps he would include a likeness of Her Majesty in the crowd of women. The Malangas were escorted off to rooms in the north wing of the mansion as a harried butler approached them.
Balthier did not envy the man's job. "Lord and Lady Radovan. Terribly sorry, but we did not have time to write ahead to reserve accommodation. Surely there is a space for us tonight?" he inquired as kindly as he could without betraying his arrogant aristocratic exterior. Ashe presented their invitation, and he could see her crossing her fingers behind her back.
The butler barely glanced at the invite, and he called over an equally stressed young porter. "Please escort Lord and Lady Radovan to the Tonberry Room, and make sure they have everything they require." The porter nodded, and he gestured for them to follow him.
Ashe began to hoist her garment bag, but the porter quickly snatched it himself as it would be unbecoming of a lady of her stature to carry her own things. Balthier tossed the porter his own small bag as well as long as the service was being provided. They were led down an ornate hallway filled with numerous medals and achievements dedicated to Sir Merritt, none of which were obtained without some measure of bribery.
They climbed a marble staircase, and the porter took them to the end of another hall. "Sorry it's so far from the ball room, my lord. But this is one of the only rooms left…" the busy young man muttered as he unlocked the door.
Balthier was impressed with the accommodations offered to those who were in no way, shape or form actually invited. There was a large bed that one would probably need a ladder to climb into with fluffy chocobo down linens. There was a writing desk, a small bar, a vanity with a floor length looking glass, a private bath, and a marvelous view of the Bhujerba skyline. He wondered if Marquis Ondore himself enjoyed such a view at his estate.
"Yes, I suppose this will be satisfactory," Balthier replied haughtily and handed the man a decent tip for his trouble. The door was closed behind him, and Ashe leaned against the vanity in exhaustion.
"I cannot believe how easy that was," she said incredulously, bending down to take off her shoes. She tossed them in a corner haphazardly and picked up the garment bag and began unpacking it in no particular order. While she managed to hang her dress on a hook on the wall, Balthier was disgusted by the way she was casually tossing makeup and accessories onto the vanity. It appeared the Princess was a slob. How had he never noticed this?
Balthier grunted at his companion's behavior and slid off his own shoes. He made a very distinct point of setting them by the door neatly, and he began arranging his own items on the writing desk for later that evening. She did not appear to be noticing the example he was setting as she continued rifling through the garment bag.
Finally satisfied with his unpacking, he walked over to the bed and flopped down on his back. It was nice to have some quiet after enduring that dreadful couple's behavior. Ashe opened the door to the bath and tossed some toiletries onto the sink and counters for her use later.
When she emerged again, she saw him lying on the bed and smirked at him. "Don't get too comfortable. We'll need to get dressed soon."
Balthier grinned wickedly and patted the comforter beside him. "What? We still have time yet. You don't want to consummate our blessed union? Try for an heir again?"
She scowled at him and opened a bottle of some liquor at the bar. "Not a chance, pirate," she replied and poured two drinks. "I definitely need this. I'm not used to lying about everything like some common criminal."
"You've done very well so far, Princess. I must say you missed your calling in the professional con artist community."
Ashe set a glass down for him on the nightstand and moved to look out the window, sipping on her drink. "This is not where I expected to be right now," she said quietly.
He sat up and leaned back against the headboard. "I know. But just think of it this way. Tonight you will attend a lavish ball full of mindless dopes. The hors d'oeuvres will be stellar, the music enchanting, and your date? Well, he'll be the handsomest fellow at the ball. Dozens of men like that blowhard Malanga will wish to bed you but will quake in fear of upsetting your husband." She groaned at him, and he swung his legs off the bed, taking a moment to down the liquor.
The alcohol buzzing happily through his system, he grabbed his shoes and put them on once more. "Very well. We'll find my ship, and then we can leave."
She finished her drink and set the glass down on the bar. "Where are you going?"
"We have a good hour or so before we need to even bother getting dressed. I was hoping to pilfer the guest list to see if Durio's here under an alias," he explained as he headed to the door.
"Well, then I'm coming with you," she replied.
He shook his head. "No, Princess. I don't think you're as stealthy as me. Though your performance thus far has been incredible, this is a job for a leading man alone."
Ashe crossed her arms. "What am I supposed to do?"
He opened the door and turned back to look at her. "Go mingle I suppose? But stay away from that Malanga…"
Balthier saw a twinkle in her eye at his comment. "What? Are you worried I might be unfaithful?" She approached him and wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice returning to that sweet affectation she used in her acting. "Darling, one fake romance is enough for me."
The sky pirate really wanted to consummate the marriage at this point. However, the image of Basch chasing him with a broadsword won out, and he fled the room, Ashe's laughter echoing down the hallway after him.