Ashe staggered out of her bathroom completely flushed. She loved lounging in a hot bath but she always felt as if she had just been boiled when she got out. Her skin was hot. Too hot, she needed to cool down and fast.
As she was alone, she let the bath robe she had been wearing drop to the floor and she collapsed onto her bed, letting out a happy sigh as she felt the fresh air and cool linens on her bare skin.
She lay there, steadily reducing in temperature, trying not to fall asleep before she could change into her night-clothes. Focusing on it so much in fact, she failed to hear the balcony door open.
She did hear the low whistle thought.
"Well now, that's what I call a welcome home!"
"Ashe managed not to scream but she did let out a loud gasp as she sat up in shock to see Balthier standing just inside the balcony door, looking very pleased with himself.
"Is this how we're greeting each other now? Because I like it." Ashe's eyes lit up with fury, and she hurried to wrap herself up in her bed sheet to hide her nakedness.
"Balthier!" She cried out, scandalised. "What are you doing in here?! You can't be in here, I'm naked!" At that, Balthier could only let out a loud laugh.
"Ashe, are you serious?" He asked. "I must have seen you naked a hundred times. I know every inch of your body intimately. I have licked your skin until you were left trembling, and now you're acting as if it was Vaan that's walked in on you now instead of me."
Ashe's face was no longer red from the heat of the bath, but through sheer embarrassment.
"Those were different circumstances and it still doesn't make this appropriate." She said with as much dignity as she could muster. She tried to stand, with the intent of getting her robe, but forgot that she was wrapped up in a rather large bed sheet which was still partially tucked in, and she fell back down in a heap. Balthier started laughing again.
"Turn around." She glared at him. The Pirate simply crossed his arms and stood his ground.
"No."
"Turn around!" Ashe demanded again,
"Grow up!" He replied with a smirk. By now Ashe had managed to get off the bed, sheet and all. She scowled at the defiant Pirate.
"Ashe, you may not want me to see you naked right now," He began, "But you forget I can see you naked anytime I want." Ashe's scowl turned into a frown of confusion, and Balthier decided to demonstrate.
He closed his eyes and adopted a blissful expression.
"And behold, naked Ashe!" A grin spreading to his face at both the mental image and at imagining the real Ashe's current expression. His daydream wasn't far off as the Queen was gaping at him in dismay.
"Balthier!" She yelled, but that only encouraged him further.
"Ah, and now you're doing cartwheels." He said, eyes still shut. His grin was so ridiculous that in spite of herself, Ashe couldn't restrain the giggles that were starting to come through.
"Balthier, stop it!" The Pirate was having too much fun teasing her, however.
"Sorry, Princess, but now you've multiplied and I'm being surrounded and carried through the streets by hundreds of completely nude queens!"
Ashe had had enough of this and decided to fight fire with fire. While he still had his eyes closed, she dropped her sheet (for she couldn't really move in it anyway) and strode right over to the Pirate and kissed him with ardour. It took him by surprise for a second but he quickly started returning her affections with equal vigour. After all, a real naked Ashe was a million times better than anything he could conjure.
"Come now, what game is this?" He found himself asking between spare breaths, trying to hold onto her as Ashe began to hastily remove his vest and shirt.
"Shutting you up." Came the breathy reply. "And levelling the playing field." As she pulled him down onto the bed with her, Balthier managed to sit up for one last question.
"Seriously, is this how we're going to be greeting each other from now on, because I really like it!" Ashe could only groan.
"You talk too much, Balthier." She moaned before kissing him once again. "Welcome home."