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It was cold—he was cold. The Paramina Rift was nothing but snow and ice and they were lost in it… for the time being. At the moment, the group rested in the Path of the Firstfall. A glowing blue crystal turned slowly where it floated on the opposite side of the valley. A few refugees that had also gotten turned around in the Rift wandered about the slight safe haven. Mount Bur-Omisace still seemed so far, and without a map… Well, that was why they were lost.
Balthier shifted to try and achieve a bit more comfort and was actually quite amused to find that his lower half had gone numb. Maybe he was experiencing a severe case of frostbite? Logic would argue that it was the cold, but the real reason was that his thighs had become pillows for two Rabanastran orphans. The Kiltias had been kind enough to provide them with a few blankets, two of which were draped over the blondes the sky pirate currently babysat.
Fran stood not too far away, her eyes closed and head slightly bowed. Farther down the rock wall was the fallen captain standing guard over the young princess and even younger prince, both of whom were sharing a blanket.
There was a sudden unpleasant, and loud, noise from the sky pirate’s stomach and he shifted his gaze back to the Viera. Her eyes were now open and he could see a hint of amusement in the sharp crimson. The orphan on his left thigh sighed before he could comment, quite possibly disturbed by the gurgling and whining of the man’s stomach. Vaan’s brow furrowed and Balthier had to reroute the boy’s hand from its current upward path.
His entire way of living had been turned around ever since meeting the young thief at Vayne Solidor’s fete. ‘To let myself get pushed around by this one… I thought I did the conning.’
The boy could very well hold his own against most dangers, but he still caused more trouble than he was worth. And his actions lacked finesse. Several weeks ago, passing through the Giza Plains during The Rain in order to reach the Garif, Basch had been forced to rescue Vaan from quite possibly drowning. Trying to keep his distance from a Thunder Elemental, he’d slipped off the edge of the path and into the water. That misfortune set them back quite a bit.
Balthier let Vaan’s hand fall from his lax grip and tilted his head to stare up at the figure that had approached him. In Basch’s palm was a piece of fruit. Balthier chuckled, “Heard it all the way over there then? I must admit, I’m quite disappointed that I’ve allowed myself to go so long without some form of sustenance.”
The slight twinkle in the sky pirate’s eyes and his coy smile told Basch the spoken words held a deeper meaning. “I apologize. I am only able to slake the hunger of your stomach,” he replied with a brief smile of his own.
“Maybe another time.” Balthier took the piece of fruit and looked it over, his grin slowly fading. “I don’t think this will do…” he sighed. “Is there no more?”
“That was the last I carried,” Basch admitted.
“Should I pickpocket our young thief then? I’m sure he has a fair share of goods hidden somewhere on his being.” Balthier took a bite of the fruit after his comment and could feel his stomach already rejoicing even though he’d just been complaining. The knight took his leave after witnessing what appeared to be a look of ecstasy on the other’s face. He returned to his place near the Lady Ashe and Lord Larsa.
Snack finished, Balthier closed his eyes, thinking a nap would do him some good; Penelo adjusting on his leg in order to become more comfortable killed that thought. She had turned over and was now facing away from the man.
“Heh… Take a look at this…” The murmured exclamation came from the sleeping Vaan.
‘Ah. Happy dreams, how I’ve missed them.’ The sky pirate grunted softly and took the boy’s hand from his groin; he’d been unable to prevent contact this time around. ‘Makes me wonder if he’s really sleeping.’ He interlaced their fingers and cleared his mind in hopes of trying to gain even a few minutes of rest before they set off again.
“They look so content,” young Larsa smiled. “I’d feel awful waking them.”
“We should get moving, though,” Fran reminded him. The trip, after all, was because of his suggestions and persuasion.
Basch sank into a crouch beside the resting trio and placed a hand to Balthier’s shoulder, giving it a slight shake. The other man’s eyes slowly slid open, but only halfway. Ashe had circled around to the other side and was trying to rouse Penelo.
“…Heavy.” Balthier looked to his right and found a blonde head rising from his shoulder. “Still heavy…”
“Down,” the Viera instructed him.
The drowsy golden-eyed gaze dropped and the sky pirate smiled faintly. While he’d been asleep, Vaan had crawled into his lap, seeking warmth and a more comfortable position. It was obviously what Penelo had also attempted to do, but with more modesty.
Moaning after being nudged to awaken, Vaan pressed a hand against Balthier’s chest and the other atop his shoulder. He pushed himself onto his feet, stumbling backwards slightly and against Basch’s chest. “…I’m up.”
“We can see that,” the sky pirate scoffed, rising to join their ragtag group. His legs protested greatly, but he played off his discomfort by bending slightly at the waist to dust off his clothes. “But are you awake?”
A sleepy glare was shot in the man’s direction. Balthier returned it with a disarming smile. ‘Maybe I should think about returning our Lady’s wedding band.’ He’d found himself a diamond in the rough and had every intention of polishing it as much as possible so that it could shine even more brightly.