| Ficbit Challenge 6
One-
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| "Balthier? Balthier? Bal--" Vaan ducked under the lintel into the cockpit
and broke off abruptly. The Strahl's engines were running,
but no one was home; all six of the passenger seats were empty. Vaan frowned,
turned around, remembered to duck just in time, and went back out. "Hey,
Fran, I thought you said he was in the cockpit."
"He is," Fran said, not looking away from the manifest she was patiently inspecting. "Perhaps you did not look closely enough." "Huh," said Vaan, turning around and ducking back in. This time, adequately forewarned, he spotted Balthier's disembodied legs poking out from under the captain's console. "Hey! Balthier!" No answer. "Balthier!" Vaan said again, lightly kicking Balthier's foot for emphasis. Balthier's legs jerked and there was a loud metallic clong from inside the console, punctuated by a pained grunt of surprise. Vaan winced. After a moment the Strahl's engines powered down. The resulting sudden silence made Vaan's ears ring. "... yes, Vaan?" Balthier said, his voice made hollow by the console. Vaan frowned. "If you couldn't hear me because of the engines... then how'd you know it was me?" "How indeed," said Balthier. Something inside the console went ping. "Was there something you needed?" "Fran says we're all loaded and ready to go whenever you're done toying with the engine," Vaan said. "Toying," Balthier said disdainfully. Whatever it was that had gone ping went ping again. "Tell Fran that if the oblique reverse thrusters misfire and send us in a degrading leftward spiral down onto the Estersand, I shall use every last minute of life left to me reminding her that I told her so." "Okay," Vaan said dutifully, turning around and going back out. "Hey, Fran?" "Yes?" Fran said. "Balthier said that if the unique somethings misfire and kill us, he'll... uh... tell you so." "Of course he did," Fran said, not apparently caring. |
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