-X-

They'd been flying for a good few hours when Penelo's determination finally broke, and she was forced to admit that there was simply no avoiding it – she was going to have to vomit, be it there in the cockpit for all to see or somewhere more private. Certainly there was no contest in her mind as to which was the more appealing option; quite apart from the threat of Vaan's undying amusement, and their sky pirate host's disdain, Penelo had no desire to make a spectacle of herself in front of Ashe (for although she was a mere two years younger than the girl, and was every bit as capable if she did say so herself, Ashe was her Princess... her Queen someday, if things went as well as everyone hoped).

Slowly, ever so slowly, Penelo unclipped her seat belt (which everyone else had already done almost immediately after take off – except Balthier and Fran, who'd been content to do without seat belts at all) and rose unsteadily to her feet. If anything, standing just made her feel all the more nauseated, but luckily everyone was too absorbed in their own activities to take much notice of the chalk-white orphan girl at that precise moment.

She made her way on legs of jelly to the front seats, where Fran and Balthier were answering a string of eager questions from Vaan on the dynamics of piloting an airship – with varying degrees of patience, it had to be said. Though she hadn't given him much thought beyond compulsory gratitude and instinctive caution, it was glaringly obvious that Balthier was not a natural-born teacher.

Her childhood friend barely glanced up when she approached the pilot and co-pilot chairs, a fact Penelo found both an irritation and a relief. Balthier, on the other hand, turned his attention to her readily, and she was struck by the clear notion that had she not interrupted when she did, the suave and sophisticated pirate might have done something drastic. That emphatic look of weary annoyance in his eyes was one she would recognise anywhere, for although Penelo loved Vaan like he were her own brother, she wouldn't deny that his was a presence that could grate on the sturdiest of nerves – especially when he got going on the topic of sky pirating, airships and everything in-between.

"Something I can help you with, sweetheart?" Balthier inquired politely, his smirk managing to affect both confidence (bordering on sheer arrogance) and gentlemanly charm. So smooth was that smile, so disarmingly glib, that she even forgot bristle at his use of the endearment 'sweetheart'.

"I was wondering..." Penelo trailed off momentarily, feigning interest in whatever it was that Fran was in the process of explaining to Vaan (something about 'glossair rings'?), in order to disguise the fresh wave of nausea that rolled over her. "Is there a bathroom on this ship?"

Something flashed in Balthier's green eyes at her words, some kind of understanding that could almost, perhaps, have passed for sympathy. But it was gone practically the second she registered it, leaving her to wonder whether she'd really seen anything at all.

"Yes, of course," he replied smoothly. "Head down the corridor, take your first left, second right, then forth left and it's the door at the end of that passage."

Penelo, who'd been too busy trying to quell her stomach to really pay much attention, nodded sharply before beating a speedy retreat – she was running out of time, and fast. Resolving to figure it out on her own if need be, rather than waste any more time, she stalked past the two rearmost seats (where Basch and Ashe were in heated discussion over the best strategy to tackle Raithwall's Tomb) with barely contained haste. After all, she reasoned, how big could the Strahl really be?

The answer to that question, as luck would have it, was very big.

-X-

When the girl didn't return from the rest room after twelve and a half minutes (yes, he had in fact been counting, mainly to distract himself from Vaan's inane queries – and on that note, how could one boy be so frustrating?), Balthier knew his earlier suspicions to be correct. It was, therefore, with no great regret on his part that he rose from his seat and excused himself, ignoring the knowing look Fran directed his way and being ignored by their young guest – the boy had picked up pretty quickly that Balthier was not an ideal subject to pose his questions to, and had instead become more interested in interrogating Fran, who, of the two of them, had the more natural talent for teaching.

Relieved to be free of Vaan's incessant talking, Balthier made his way with swift efficiency to the bathroom he'd directed Penelo to.

It took him less than a minute to reach the specified door, and to his surprise he found that the girl was nowhere in the vicinity. He knocked on the door several times, eventually trying the handle only to discover the lock wasn't engaged and Penelo wasn't inside – and hadn't been at any point in the recent past judging by the lack of any telling evidence to the contrary.

Odd...

Closing the door behind him, Balthier left to look for her, figuring that at least he now had a legitimate excuse for not returning to endure Vaan's slow and painful dissolution of all his patience.

-X-

Decided I might as well finish what I started. I don't like doing things by halves.