dreamtidelogs | (no subject)

Who: Balthier and Ashe
What: Explanations and retrieving Ashe immediately after her arrival. (Backdated a few days.)
Where: Kaipo.
Warnings: Well, someone is getting slapped, that's for sure.

[Balthier had chosen to approach the oasis town as one might approach a gaping pit said to be filled with venomous snakes -- that was to say, he approached with extreme cautious, shoulders stiff as he remained alert and took care to keep his expression carefully blank. He made his way towards the tavern with long strides, appearing quite at ease despite the unrest that hid behind his forced calm.

It wasn't that the princess intimidated him. Far from it. Any verbal lashing she cared to give, he had always been able to take it with relative grace and often turn it back on her just as sharply. Still, their exchange over the linkshell had been too short, too clipped, too cold and too formal. Nothing like what he would have expected -- although he had to admit that Ashe often did manage to surprise him, he wasn't certain this was how their reunion was supposed to be. The mannerisms she displayed had been familiar, and he had not expected Ashe to put on her best state-affairs face with him.

He took care to straighten his cuffs one last time before entering the tavern, gaze sweeping over the assembled patrons as he sought out a familiar face.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The formality had been only to hide her true feelings. To hear from someone else that Balthier was here had hurt even more than the fact that he'd decided to announce that he was alive by letter delivered via Vaan. She was good at it now, masking her emotions behind a facade of neutrality and royalty. The Queen was better equipped to deal with the sudden reappearance of Balthier Bunansa without getting into hysterics.

It wasn't as though she had expected anything. Balthier was a free man, one she couldn't even think of tethering. So to have these sorts of feelings were, at best, ridiculous. She knew this. Knowing didn't make it easier.

She was sitting at the same table she had been at when he'd contacted her, her linkshell closed and one hand clasped over it. Before she saw him, her emotions were plainly displayed, worry and deep contemplation. The movement at the door caught her eye and when she looked up, the mask came on, and she met his gaze only briefly before turning it back to her table. ]

[The slightest hint of a frown pulled at his lips as she met his eyes and promptly looked away. His face quickly returned to neutral as he closed in on the table where she sat, bowing his head briefly before gesturing towards the empty seat across from her.]

Princess. May I?

You may. [ Ashe straightens as he sits, drawing her mug closer and wrapping both hands around it. ]

[He slides into the seat easily, sitting up straight and letting his own beringed hands come to rest on the table in front of him.]

I'm glad you were fortunate to arrive somewhere so hospitable. Most of us were not so lucky.

[ Small talk it is, then. Agitation flickers across her eyes for a moment, but she nods, her tone carefully cool. ] And where did you arrive?

[Small talk is nothing short of painful, not to mention awkward, but for a man who prides himself on his catchy turn of phrase, at the moment, more meaningful words are lost to him. He gestures vaguely with one hand, fingers spread.]

The Underworld. Lava as far as the eye can see. A number of people all arrived there at once; thankfully, the dwarves came to our aid, or else we wouldn't have lasted as long as we have in this world.