[The whole 'special relaxation package' pitch had been a bit too convenient for Balthier's liking. As with many things, he had taken it with a grain of salt, unwilling to trust anything he was told given the current political climate. When he passes through the entryway to find the pool already occupied, he suspects he had been right to be cautious— though he quickly recognizes the figure reclining in the corner, humming to herself.]
Alisaie, fancy finding you—
[His greeting is interrupted as she gasps and bolts upright; his first thought is that he might have startled her, but her attention isn't on him in the least. She's thrashing her way through the water towards something, a figure that is shapeless and indiscernible to him even as he squints, but the sudden and violent nature of her reaction has him moving quickly towards the water's edge, alarmed.]
alisaie glances briefly over her shoulder toward balthier, and while she likes the guy well enough (he's certainly seen into a painful shard of her past), he won't keep her from reaching her grandfather. no, it's been too long, her heart aches at the sight of him, at the sweet, familiar sound of his voice..
how could she resist?
turning back to her beloved grandsire, alisaie dives forward again, reaching for his warm, familiar hand, though it feels.. strange. cold.. ]
[He calls her name once more, the urgency in his voice heightened, but it doesn't seem to reach her. It matters little— he's already in motion, the entire situation feeling far too wrong for him to simply stand by, and he has never been one for inaction. He's all but deaf to the splashing of water as he lands in it just behind her, still fully clothed, reaching out to grab hold of her upper arm firmly enough to at least give her pause, though she could still certainly pull away with ease.]
Whatever this thing is, it's not your grandfather, you must believe—
[He cuts himself off as his gaze falls on what had previously been an indiscernible figure, now taking shape to become someone far more familiar to him.
"Pirate scum of the skies," the bespectacled figure before him remarks, condescending and yet somehow still affection, and Balthier lets out a sharp tch as he shakes his head as though to clear it.]
[ but she knows it, now, in her heart, however much she does not want to admit it. she can feel her grandfather's touch, and it is icy, unfamiliar, nothing like the feel of his warm, worn hands. ]
But..
[ balthier's hand on her arm is strong and sure, her mind is beginning to clear, but the siren, it seems, is quite displeased with this turn of events. that, or she is now near enough for it to strike - the shadow beneath the water surges, wrapping around her, and with a shriek, pulling her beneath the water. ]
[Perhaps he should have foreseen this turn of events. Whatever it was that was responsible, clearly it wasn't going to be pleased about having its game interrupted.
There's no time to think; he moves quickly, lunging forward the moment Alisaie is pulled beneath the water, and while his target is unclear— and they're in far too close quarters for him to even consider risking taking a shot at it— it's Alisaie he reaches for. The siren strikes at him in turn, indiscernible shadows wrapping around his arm to try and wrench him away, but he manages to reclaim it and engages in a struggle with the creature itself.
His vision is blurred by its swift movement beneath the water and the poor lighting, but it distinctly does not look like his father any longer, and he imagines Alisaie will no longer see her grandfather, either.]
Let go of her!
[He's made himself nuisance enough, at least, that its hold on Alisaie begins to loosen, enough that someone with her fighting spirit might break free.]
[ it all happens so quickly, and alisaie thankfully has very quick reaction time, but even she is a little shell-shocked for a few brief seconds while she is pulled under, and balthier intervenes. there is no small amount of abject shock in her expression when the mage of her grandfather melts away.
but she feels it when that grasp loosens, and alisaie takes her opportunity to kick free and dart away; she's quite fast beneath the water.
she is also unarmed, but thankfully her magic will come to her with or without her rapier and focus on hand. beneath the water, it is very easy for her to summon a handful of sharp icicles, which fly through the water to strike the beast in multiple places, earning a pained roar, its grasp on balthier now slipping as well, its gaze flitting left and right, searching for an escape route. given its method of drawing in prey is a lure, alisaie can only guess that open combat is not its strongest suit. ]
[She offers him just the reprieve he needs; those icicles strike the creature hard and give Balthier the opportunity to pull free and resurface, dragging in a deep breathe of air and swallowing it down. It flails in response, but Balthier quickly moves to seize a decorative rock from the side of the spring and uses his alchemy magic to quickly transmute it into a stone blade, following up Alisaie's attack with a wide swing that sends the shadowy siren back beneath the water.]
[ the siren is beginning to panic now, and it roars in pain when balthier's blade hits home, and rather than attack it now instead turns around, tensing to bolt.
she does not hesitate. alisaie considers electricity, it would be quite easy to reach it with a bolt, but she risks electrifying the water and shocking them both, so.. ice again it is. rather than ice spears this time, however, alisaie instead freezes the water around the siren, effectively hemming it in in an icy gaol that snags it in place. TETHER FOR THE WIN!!
[Nicely done— he'll have to applaud her on that handy trick of hers later on. With the siren frozen in place, he only offers a quick nod of confirmation before surging forward, blade swinging forward in an elegant arc that, in different circumstances, might have hewn a lesser creature in two. The siren, however, is no typical foe— one of Celliwig's many challenges, instead, and as such, even as it panics and lets out a shrill cry of pain, it begins to dissipate.
Rather than stain the water with blood, it leaves foam on the surface, the only remaining proof of the fae obstacle that has been conquered.
Letting out a long sigh of relief, he lets his swordarm drop, the blade sinking beneath the water as he looks towards Alisaie.]
That could have gone far worse. Clever trick, that ice.
[ alisaie might be preening more, had she not just been manipulated by a beast taking the form of her dear, dead grandfather. normally she is quite the peacock when it comes to her prowess with magicks, but she finds that right now she is, unsurprisingly, not in the mood.
but she is grateful. ]
What a monstrous thing that beast was, to prey upon others in so cruel a way..
[His gaze narrows, moving to where the beast had been. There is no longer anything standing before them— no Dr. Cid, and certainly not the grandfather Alisaie had seen. He frowns, lips twitching faintly to one side.]
Certainly a challenging trial for many, depending on who or what they might see. They seek to rattle us, but I think we've just proven we're not to be taken in so easily.
[Even if it had taken the two of them to manage. Balthier doesn't know that even the strongest-willed individual would have been able to resist, if they had been on their own. If he himself hadn't been focused on assisting Alisaie, he certainly would have bought into it long enough to risk failure, whatever that meant in this situation.]
.. well, I was all but a sitting dodo until you came along.
[ she says, begrudgingly, but it is the truth, and she shall give credit where it is due. with the image of her loving grandfather before her.. she would have fallen right into that beast's teeth and claws. ]
I appreciate the assistance. Rest assured, it will not happen again.
[Alisaie has proven herself to be quite clever during their brief meetings, certainly the sort of person who's quite capable of taking care of herself, by and large. He gives her a nod of approval before he begins to slog his way towards the edge of the water, the weight and resistance of it starting to make itself known now that the adrenaline brought on by an urgent situation has begun to fade.]
For now, I think we both ought to quit this place, don't you? Suddenly no longer in the mood to enjoy the springs, for some reason.
[ dead siren bits do tend to spoil the hot springs. :(
and alisaie is much in agreement. this experience has been harrowing enough for one day, and she is more than looking forward to some time alone to reflect, and maybe sneak in a good, frustrated cry once no one is around to see it. for now she follows balthier's lead. ]
Did you.. see someone in it, as well?
[ she asks, while climbing from the water's edge, and momentarily catching herself, because what she's asking is quite personal, isn't it? she only remembers her manners after the fact. ]
[His answer is direct and almost immediate, though he shakes his head in response as he neglects to give any names or state their relation to him, pulling himself out of the water with less grace than he would like.
Soaked-through leather is, truly, miserable. He needs to stop finding himself submerged while fully dressed— it's been an unintentional but thoroughly unpleasant theme since his coming to Avalon. He tosses his impromptu stone sword aside, letting it fall heavily to the ground.]
One best left in this room, I think. Do you have any belongings we ought to collect before leaving?
[ fair enough, balthier. alisaie does not like to talk about painful things either. not only does it bring heartache, it makes her feel.. vulnerable, and weak, even if that seems ridiculous, even if she would not apply such feelings to others. but she never claimed not to be a hypocrite sometimes. ]
No.
[ and she's thankful for it, because turning back to those waters is the last thing she wants to do right now. ]
Thank you.. for helping me.
[ even though he, too, was seeing something difficult. ]
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Alisaie, fancy finding you—
[His greeting is interrupted as she gasps and bolts upright; his first thought is that he might have startled her, but her attention isn't on him in the least. She's thrashing her way through the water towards something, a figure that is shapeless and indiscernible to him even as he squints, but the sudden and violent nature of her reaction has him moving quickly towards the water's edge, alarmed.]
Alisaie!
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alisaie glances briefly over her shoulder toward balthier, and while she likes the guy well enough (he's certainly seen into a painful shard of her past), he won't keep her from reaching her grandfather. no, it's been too long, her heart aches at the sight of him, at the sweet, familiar sound of his voice..
how could she resist?
turning back to her beloved grandsire, alisaie dives forward again, reaching for his warm, familiar hand, though it feels.. strange. cold.. ]
Grandfather..
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[He calls her name once more, the urgency in his voice heightened, but it doesn't seem to reach her. It matters little— he's already in motion, the entire situation feeling far too wrong for him to simply stand by, and he has never been one for inaction. He's all but deaf to the splashing of water as he lands in it just behind her, still fully clothed, reaching out to grab hold of her upper arm firmly enough to at least give her pause, though she could still certainly pull away with ease.]
Whatever this thing is, it's not your grandfather, you must believe—
[He cuts himself off as his gaze falls on what had previously been an indiscernible figure, now taking shape to become someone far more familiar to him.
"Pirate scum of the skies," the bespectacled figure before him remarks, condescending and yet somehow still affection, and Balthier lets out a sharp tch as he shakes his head as though to clear it.]
It's not real!
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[ but she knows it, now, in her heart, however much she does not want to admit it. she can feel her grandfather's touch, and it is icy, unfamiliar, nothing like the feel of his warm, worn hands. ]
But..
[ balthier's hand on her arm is strong and sure, her mind is beginning to clear, but the siren, it seems, is quite displeased with this turn of events. that, or she is now near enough for it to strike - the shadow beneath the water surges, wrapping around her, and with a shriek, pulling her beneath the water. ]
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There's no time to think; he moves quickly, lunging forward the moment Alisaie is pulled beneath the water, and while his target is unclear— and they're in far too close quarters for him to even consider risking taking a shot at it— it's Alisaie he reaches for. The siren strikes at him in turn, indiscernible shadows wrapping around his arm to try and wrench him away, but he manages to reclaim it and engages in a struggle with the creature itself.
His vision is blurred by its swift movement beneath the water and the poor lighting, but it distinctly does not look like his father any longer, and he imagines Alisaie will no longer see her grandfather, either.]
Let go of her!
[He's made himself nuisance enough, at least, that its hold on Alisaie begins to loosen, enough that someone with her fighting spirit might break free.]
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but she feels it when that grasp loosens, and alisaie takes her opportunity to kick free and dart away; she's quite fast beneath the water.
she is also unarmed, but thankfully her magic will come to her with or without her rapier and focus on hand. beneath the water, it is very easy for her to summon a handful of sharp icicles, which fly through the water to strike the beast in multiple places, earning a pained roar, its grasp on balthier now slipping as well, its gaze flitting left and right, searching for an escape route. given its method of drawing in prey is a lure, alisaie can only guess that open combat is not its strongest suit. ]
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Quickly, we must finish it off!
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she does not hesitate. alisaie considers electricity, it would be quite easy to reach it with a bolt, but she risks electrifying the water and shocking them both, so.. ice again it is. rather than ice spears this time, however, alisaie instead freezes the water around the siren, effectively hemming it in in an icy gaol that snags it in place. TETHER FOR THE WIN!!
but it won't last long. ]
Now!
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Rather than stain the water with blood, it leaves foam on the surface, the only remaining proof of the fae obstacle that has been conquered.
Letting out a long sigh of relief, he lets his swordarm drop, the blade sinking beneath the water as he looks towards Alisaie.]
That could have gone far worse. Clever trick, that ice.
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[ alisaie might be preening more, had she not just been manipulated by a beast taking the form of her dear, dead grandfather. normally she is quite the peacock when it comes to her prowess with magicks, but she finds that right now she is, unsurprisingly, not in the mood.
but she is grateful. ]
What a monstrous thing that beast was, to prey upon others in so cruel a way..
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[His gaze narrows, moving to where the beast had been. There is no longer anything standing before them— no Dr. Cid, and certainly not the grandfather Alisaie had seen. He frowns, lips twitching faintly to one side.]
Certainly a challenging trial for many, depending on who or what they might see. They seek to rattle us, but I think we've just proven we're not to be taken in so easily.
[Even if it had taken the two of them to manage. Balthier doesn't know that even the strongest-willed individual would have been able to resist, if they had been on their own. If he himself hadn't been focused on assisting Alisaie, he certainly would have bought into it long enough to risk failure, whatever that meant in this situation.]
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.. well, I was all but a sitting dodo until you came along.
[ she says, begrudgingly, but it is the truth, and she shall give credit where it is due. with the image of her loving grandfather before her.. she would have fallen right into that beast's teeth and claws. ]
I appreciate the assistance. Rest assured, it will not happen again.
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[Alisaie has proven herself to be quite clever during their brief meetings, certainly the sort of person who's quite capable of taking care of herself, by and large. He gives her a nod of approval before he begins to slog his way towards the edge of the water, the weight and resistance of it starting to make itself known now that the adrenaline brought on by an urgent situation has begun to fade.]
For now, I think we both ought to quit this place, don't you? Suddenly no longer in the mood to enjoy the springs, for some reason.
[There's dead siren bits in that water. :|]
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and alisaie is much in agreement. this experience has been harrowing enough for one day, and she is more than looking forward to some time alone to reflect, and maybe sneak in a good, frustrated cry once no one is around to see it. for now she follows balthier's lead. ]
Did you.. see someone in it, as well?
[ she asks, while climbing from the water's edge, and momentarily catching herself, because what she's asking is quite personal, isn't it? she only remembers her manners after the fact. ]
You - need not answer if you prefer not to.
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[His answer is direct and almost immediate, though he shakes his head in response as he neglects to give any names or state their relation to him, pulling himself out of the water with less grace than he would like.
Soaked-through leather is, truly, miserable. He needs to stop finding himself submerged while fully dressed— it's been an unintentional but thoroughly unpleasant theme since his coming to Avalon. He tosses his impromptu stone sword aside, letting it fall heavily to the ground.]
One best left in this room, I think. Do you have any belongings we ought to collect before leaving?
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No.
[ and she's thankful for it, because turning back to those waters is the last thing she wants to do right now. ]
Thank you.. for helping me.
[ even though he, too, was seeing something difficult. ]
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[Having her to worry about had likely been his saving grace. Either way, they're in an excellent position to call it square.]
Now, to somewhere decidedly less humid. Hungry?
[Without further questioning, he offers her his arm. Let's go, small friend.]