when things break bad...

[ldfsh]

Bad End AU Meme

Sometimes you want a fix-it AU. You want everyone to live, to be happy, to find love, so on and so forth. You want the bad guy to lose early, for victory and triumph. Those are great things. Those are happy things. But sometimes terrible things happen to good people and you want to get catharsis through making some characters suffer. We understand. We really do. Sometimes no one wins. Sometimes the villain wins. Sometimes even if the heroes win everything is for naught. Sometimes, things just don't end happily.

• Top level your character. Include any details you might think are relevant. Or don't. As always, we're not the cops.
  
• Reply to other people's top levels!
  
• Have fun!

Comments

[portolan]

Balthier's grin falters as he sees David's ears drooping and his shoulders curling in. They shouldn't stay here tonight, even if they should stay nearby.

"I'm going to take these two," he bounces them as he says it, getting shrieks of delight, "And ask about the airship, and then we can go make camp back on the plains. Do you want to accompany me, or wait for me? You don't have to speak to anyone. They'll be used to me doing the talking."

[helpdesk_hero]

To leave the man, the one who David felt was his charge, would not be acceptable. No, being here was very important. So he had to stick around. To adjust to this new status of things.

"I shall accompany."

[portolan]

Balthier nods, but resolves to make quick of this task. He asks the children where their parents are, following their chattering directions. More hugs are exchanged, he nods, then returns to David's side.

"There's an airship going out in two days, and they should have room for us. They've invited us to eat with them tomorrow if we want to." They'd invited them tonight too, but he wasn't sure that was a good idea.

[helpdesk_hero]

"This sounds like a good plan. Will the airship take us where you intend it?" he asks.

Because he does care. He is interested in this.

[portolan]

"Yes, though it's making a stop first. We'll see how you're doing; we can always stay on the ship for that." Because Balfonheim was definitely going to be overwhelming. There were wilds nearby, at least.

He starts back toward the edge of the caravan but pauses. "Do you want to see the books today? Or wait?"

[helpdesk_hero]

Books? David's ears straighten at last with that information. There were books around? He's quite excited.

"I see no reason to delay."

[portolan]

Books were enough to quell some of the discomfort. Balthier smiles quietly. Well, noted.

He veers their path to a middle aged woman, her wares not set out, but it only takes a few compliments to get her to fetch them. A small collection, maybe fifteen in all, but he suspects to David it's a bounty.

[helpdesk_hero]

Beyond a bounty. He's only had three books before, and so having more was better. Truthfully he takes a lot of time and care in looking them over and getting a feel for their contents. Only then does he look to Balthier.

"Would I be able to borrow some Gil? I will find a means to repay you."

[portolan]

It's its own sort of joy to watch David so engrossed, and Balthier suspects this will be a good bolster against the overwhelm the next few weeks will certainly bring. At David's question, though, he grins. "I had planned on it."

Not worth arguing that David hardly owes him. Balthier will just forget to collect.

[helpdesk_hero]

"May I ask for two then?" David asks. He has five he wants, but he's going to select the two that are most likely to help him, which are both political. They will help him learn this world he thinks.

The fun things he could live without.

[portolan]

He looks David over, weighing what little he knows about him. "Get whatever you like," he says. "I need to rebuild my library anyway." Or add to it, if the kids got the ship away like he hoped. He's not ready to go back there, though.

Besides, nothing here is very costly.

[helpdesk_hero]

People compared Viera to rabbits in many ways, and most of them were highly flawed. The shared ears hardly made them such. But there were some mannerisms that could be strikingly similar. In this case there was the high and erect posture of the ears, but without the stressed casting about for danger. And then there was his nose, which was twitching with actual delight.

"They are very many for us to carry."

[portolan]

Balthier manages to stifle a laugh that David wants all of them. Good. An appetite for the world is better than anything else.

"We'll have space on the ship, and I have storage in Balfonheim. We'll need to see about getting our own ship again, too, so we'll have somewhere to put them eventually."

He raises a brow, smile spreading at the way David's nose twitches. He only saw that happen to Fran a few times, but he knows what it means.

"Also, I know this is hard to believe, but you may decide you only want to read a few of these once, and then we can resell them, just like this vendor is doing."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Resell?"

David doesn't understand this concept. So he shakes his head and chooses only four of the books for now, including one about sky pirates. He has no clue that it was a fiction

[portolan]

"We will cross that bridge when we get there," Balthier says, handing money over to the woman and thanking her again. "You ready to go set up camp? Or do you want to stay here a little longer?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"I am ready," David said, offering the books over. He was the one who carried most of the gear for camping. And he took most of the charge of doing so.

"You are certain you do not wish to stay here with the other Humes?"

[portolan]

Balthier takes them without thinking anything of it. He's used to carrying his own weight and hasn't had much chance to. Besides, he's feeling stronger lately.

"I know this may be hard to believe, but this is a little overwhelming for me as well. It's been awhile."

[helpdesk_hero]

"You seem suited to the energy," David pointed out, his voice a low whisper. "And I have not given it to you."

[portolan]

"You forget my partner for a long time was a Viera too," he says gently, a hand absently coming to rest briefly on David's arm. "I have need of both, and we will have more humes than we know what to do with in the coming days."

[helpdesk_hero]

And she was different from him. Which was of course reasonable, to be different. But he accepts all of this and nods.

"If this is your wish, I shall see it through."

[portolan]

"Your wish counts too, you know," Balthier says, even as he takes the books and starts heading toward the edge of town. "We are equals."

[helpdesk_hero]

Equals, huh? The Viera considers that.

"Yes, as you say," he says at last as he walks with Balthier. "I shall still set up the tent, if you wish."

He had gotten very good with that. Cooking was also something he was happy to do, but being invited to dinner meant that he couldn't really take that task tonight.

[portolan]

"What do you wish? I'm not quite as much of an invalid as I was," he says with a small smile. "I'm happy to help, or to leave you to it."

He's not entirely comfortable with David doing as much of the work as he does, even if he knows he has to heal before he takes on more. It's good someone else is cooking tonight, and that he could help with the books.

[helpdesk_hero]

"I wish to look at the books," he admits a bit shyly. But he's supposed to be pulling his weight. And that means doing work.

[portolan]

"I'll set up tonight, then." So they wander back, and he leaves David to it while he sets things up. He's a little slow, but not unskilled, and when he's done he comes to perch near David. "So? How is it? What new wonders have you learned?"