Stone 2

The world was hell. Officially. Was this some kind of trial? Vaan began to make out low conversation and the more he roused the more intelligible it became. Groaning, Vaan opened his eyes and tensed when he found the man standing over him.

“Well, looks like sleeping beauty had finally woke.” Vaan looked around quickly, realizing that they were still in the waterways. The small group were camped out on an elevated ledge where monsters and rats were unable to reach, and those that flew were easily taken care of.

“We need to move.” The woman spoke up, walking over and standing by the man.

“I would have liked to have left a while ago myself.” The man said as Vaan slowly rose to his feet.

“You’d better not try to run again.” Vaan scowled and crossed his arms. The man shrugged off the gesture, not at all bothered by it.

“We’d better get going. The waterways here are crawling with monsters. Our presents seems to be bringing all sorts out of the woodwork.” Vaan looked around, fully aware that he was the new kid on the block in the situation. He’d never ventured far into the waterways, thus why he hadn’t been aware of the monsters.

Vaan spotted the passageway nestled between two columns, despite the opening was bathed in darkness the blonde made a run for it.

“Hey! Boy!” Vaan dashed into the opening, not slowing down despite being completely blind. Vaan could only hope he didn’t run into anything, monster or wall. Vaan heard his pursuer again, yelling up at him but Vaan pushed his feet to move faster when a dim light appeared. At the light Vaan saw that their was a turn and took it at a high speed.

“Are you trying to kill yourself!” Vaan growled.

“No! But I’m not being kidnapped!” Vaan found a short flight of stairs and quickly made his way down it, but as soon as he touched base a heavy weight fell onto him, locking his arms to his sides. Vaan cried out and crashed hard into his chest, jarring himself from the impact to the ground when his chin slammed into the masonry.

Vaan groaned as the man shifted on top of him, arms still locked around him.

“You are really becoming a pain.” Vaan groaned again, though this time in woe of having been caught again. The man rose to his feet and jerked Vaan to his feet. Vaan wobbled up and quickly spun around, attempting to punch the elder. The man maneuvered back to avoid the amateur swipe. Grabbing both fists Vaan gasped when he crossed his wrists and held them there down low and squeezing.

“Ow! That hurts!” Vaan hissed and the man chuckled.

“You wouldn’t have this problem if you’d stop trying to escape.” Vaan glared bitterly. The woman came jogging down the steps and the two looked at each other. The man made a motion with his head.

The woman walked over and stood behind Vaan. Vaan could do nothing as his aching wrists were handed over toward the strange bunny-eared woman and then there it was.

A sharp tug and his fists were stuck together with a binding. Great. Now he really was stuck. It’d be a little difficult to run with his arms crossed behind his back. The man smirked as his hand went to his hip.

“If only you’d behave.” Vaan growled.

“You wouldn’t behave either if someone was trying to kidnap you!” The man shrugged.

“Well, since we are going to be together for a while, we might as well get to know one another.” Vaan sighed irately and shifted his wait onto one foot.

“I’m Balthier, Sky Pirate by trade.” Vaan gasped and looked sharply at Balthier.

“Seriously?”

“Why did you think we’d broken into the palace treasury? For our health?” Vaan pouted and Balthier chuckled. The boy was a lively kid.

“The Viera behind you is Fran.” Vaan looked at the woman as she walked over from behind him to stand near Balthier.

“What’s a…. Viera?” Balthier shook his head as Vaan openly stared, most notably at Fran’s ears. Fran crossed her arms and looked back at Vaan before turning toward Balthier when he spoke.

“Explanations later, we’ve got to get moving. The longer we stay the more dangerous this area becomes. So you’ll have to stay close to me.” Vaan took a step back and Balthier sighed as he walked over and grabbed Vaan’s arm, dragging him to follow.

“I can’t unbind you or give you a weapon, so you understand why it’s like this.” Vaan glared as he was forced to follow and the group went back up the steps Vaan had fled down.

“You know, if you keep making that face it just might get stuck that way.” Balthier noted as the trio pushed onward and Vaan grunted indignantly.

“Well you’d be making this same face if you were being kidnapped.”

“Oh?” Balthier cocked an eyebrow.

“I would, would I?” Van tugged his arms as a warning and Balthier sighed before pulling the boy hard and making him stumble forward.

“Hey!”

“We’ve got to move.”

Vaan actually found it in himself to remain quiet for a while and even stopped resisting. Since his being a pain in the ass plan to escape didn’t work, he was going to go with them until they let their guard down and then run for it. Maybe he’d even be able to sneak off at some point. Balthier had already stopped tugging him around, though he walked in stride with the blonde to keep an eye on him. Damn that guy for being so cautious.

Vaan just needed a diversion…

The clash of metal and the cries of fighters made the trio pause. Vaan gasped when he saw a bunch of Imperial soldiers ganging up on a woman. He glanced back at Fran and Balthier who seemed to be watching a moment as well. Vaan cursed, he was torn between wanting to help the woman and wanting to run! It was his perfect chance! They were distracted! The woman barely, but managed to evade a strike of a sword and stabbed the soldier. Vaan grit his teeth and stepped forward.

Balthier saw Vaan’s intent immediately and grabbed the boy, jerking him back and silencing whatever the kid was about to say.

“Oh no you don’t.” Vaan glared at Balthier.

“Why not?! She’s in trouble!” Balthier grabbed Vaan and nodded to Fran as the two quickly went back the way they came to take another route, preferably one without any possible trouble. It was pretty obvious the woman must have been an insurgent, and Balthier would have none of that. He would not get involved in something that he threw aside so long ago.

“We’ll take another path. Fran?” The Viera nodded as she turned to start leading another way.

“This way.” Vaan, in irritation started to struggle around just to demonstrate how against the idea he was.

“What makes you think you have the right to decide what we do, hm? And you can’t throw a tantrum when you don’t get your way either. You’re being kidnapped, remember?” Vaan glowered bitterly at Balthier’s back.

“I can’t believe you left a girl in trouble like that. You’re almost as bad as the Imperials.” Vaan muttered as he stared down at his feet, gasping when he walked into Balthier’s back and jumping a little. Balthier sighed.

“I’m a Sky Pirate. An outlaw. The last thing I need is to add conspiring with Insurgents to my list.” Vaan glared.

“More like heartless monster." Balthier started walking again, tugging Vaan after him.

“It’s Balthier.” Balthier reminded.

Vaan begrudgingly found himself towing after his captors, bitterly resenting Balthier’s cold heart. Vaan had always wanted to be a Sky Pirate, but never one as heartless as Balthier. Who knows what happened to that girl by now!

“We’ll have to be careful from here on out.” Fran motioned toward a long, dark, narrow passageway being held up by wooden beams.

“Old and rusty. Just the way I like them.” Balthier stated offhandedly as he began to move into the tunnel, feeling a light breeze brushing over his skin.

“Good to know we’re getting out.” Vaan followed on behind Balthier, getting quite sick of staring at the back of the pirate.

The tunnel was a long, dark, sweltering hell. You’d think that having a breeze would make it better but even the breeze was warm. Vaan continuously tried to rub at the sweat dribbling down his face and once blinking his eyes rapidly when some liquid tried to make contact with his right eye. Vaan groaned and Balthier muttered something. From up ahead around a bend Fran called back.

“We’re almost there. I can see the light.” Balthier pulled Vaan along.

“About time. I need a shower.” Balthier glanced back at Vaan’s miserable situation and made a note to let the kid have a shower too. Given he could trust the little rat by himself in the shower.

Vaan gasped when they made it close to the bend and the dim light filtering through the inky darkness and splaying on the ground was the promise of heaven. Balthier moved around the bend and both paused when they saw a large wall a ways down, the light seeping through cracks of what appeared to be a large metal door that was propped open ajar. Fran was already over there and inspecting it. The two reached the door, feeling the light breeze struggling through the cracks. Fran looked toward Balthier.

“It’s stuck.” Balthier released Vaan and walked up to the door. The door was open about three or four inches. Really, just enough to tease with the illusion that you might be able to squeeze through-if you were anorexic. Trying to move it Balthier was rewarded with not so much as even a budge.

“Hm…” Balthier looked toward Vaan.

“You boy.”

“It’s Vaan.” Balthier motioned for him to come over and the blonde hesitantly stepped toward the two.

“You’re a clever little thief. How do you think we could get out of here?” Vaan scowled and shifted his hands what little he could.

“Why would I help someone trying to kidnap me?” Balthier sighed.

“If you do, I’ll untie you.” Vaan thought on it a moment. This was exactly what he was waiting for but he didn’t want to chance seeming suspicious. Getting his hands free was the first step toward some kind of trust, and then eventually-escape. Once they trusted Vaan to not escape they slowly give him more and more freedom until he could disappear. At least, that’s what Vaan’s gamble was. Finally Vaan nodded.

“Okay.” Balthier nodded and walked over behind Vaan.

“Good to hear. It’s too hot in here.” Balthier released Vaan, watching the boy move over toward the door and inspect it. Vaan knew already it wouldn’t budge from watching Balthier, but he had another plan.

Going over toward the other side of the door Vaan knelt down on the ground and with only the streams of light escaping the cracks around the door seam he was able to make out extremely rusted and weather worn hinges.

“Do either of you have a knife?” Balthier shook his head and raised his hands as Fran stepped forward and offered an arrow from her quiver.

“Will this help?” Van looked took the arrow and looked at the tip. It wasn’t as good as the flat edge of a knife, but it’d work-hopefully.

Going to work Vaan tried to work his way through the rust to try and lift the middle of the hinge out. It was frustrating to work with what he had and what felt like must have been a half hour later Vaan cried out in triumph. Both Fran and Balthier looked over toward the boy as he stood and started on the higher hinge.

“Once I get this one done we’ll be able to just watch the door fall.” At this, Vaan paused.

“Can you guys brace the door so that it doesn’t flatten on me?” Seeing as how the door was heavy iron, it was natural that being already cracked open it’d fall inward, especially with the winds help. Both Fran and Balthier leaned against the door as Vaan worked.

“Ah! Damn it!” Vaan cursed when he slipped with the arrow and stabbed his hand. Vaan wiped the swelling blood on his pants mindlessly before re-taking up his task.

“Okay, when I say, move back.” Vaan got the hinge almost completely out.

“Okay, now!” The binding popped out and all three moved back from the door that chased after them, crashing with a resounding bang. The three were immediately bathed in the blinding hot desert sun that was typical of the weather surrounding Rabanastre. The trio stepped out and Balthier sighed.

“Out of the water and into the frying pan.” For surrounding them was nothing but tall rocky mountains and ferocious sand winds.

“Oh! I know this area!” Vaan declared and looked toward his left. There used to be an old plant out here that cleaned out the sewage but it went out some years ago. It was all abandoned now.

“It’s a really long way, but if we follow this path we’ll make it back to Rabanastre.” Vaan paused and looked at them, second guessing himself in his assumption.

“I mean, if that’s where you’re wanting to go.” Balthier grabbed Vaan’s arm.

“You mean where we’re wanting to go.” And with that Balthier started to tote Vaan once again while Fran took back her arrow.

“You’d better not lead us in circles or we’ll all die.” Vaan made something akin to a pouting face, and would have crossed his arms like a petulant child if he’d been able to.

“I’m not stupid you know.”

But still, his arms were free, and Vaan was going to take full advantage of the freedom.