shiva_dancing_backup | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: Quistis and Blank
What: Payment for the performance.
When: Day after the show.
Where: Balamb
Warnings: None yet!

Late morning, early afternoon, Quistis made her way towards the Prima Vista. The evening had gone very well, and everyone who had attended had really enjoyed it. There was a lot of buzz about Garden, a happy yet peaceful excitement that hadn't been there in too long. She had missed seeing all the students gossiping, chatting - be it about the play itself, certain actors or actresses, or whatever flirting had gone on between SeeDs or cadets that night.

With a light step, Quistis approached the Prima Vista. She felt that she owed it to the group to thank them personally, not to mention thanking Blank for agreeing to make the visit. Standing by, she hoped that someone would be around to talk to.

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Blank set his rag down and turned to the source of the voice, bringing up a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. He smiled it return. "My afternoon just got a whole lot better for seeing you, Ms. Trepe."

He hopped off the edge of the airship and made his way over to her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Quistis flushed softly at his comment, but shook her head slowly - it was probably just the sun that was making her warm. She'd gathered herself together by the time he was near her, and she held out a hand to over the envelope. It was a decent thickness, and contained more than double the amount of Gil that they had agreed on. After all, that little date could hardly count as any kind of payment.

"I came by to thank you for the performance last night, and to pay you for the pleasure."

Blank took the envelope from her and caught her hand with his free one, drawing it to his lips to kiss the back of, smiling against it. He let it go and opened the envelope, raising an eyebrow at the contents, even though it was hard to see with that blasted bandana in the way.

"There's too much here, Ms. Trepe..."

Quistis took a deep breath, desperately wishing she could make the heat disappear from her cheeks - her face was definitely flushed pink. She just stared at him for a moment before blinking down at her hand.

"I think we've paid you just the right amount." She smiled as she said it, knowing fine well she'd given an extra bonus. But they deserved every penny of it.

"Well..." Blank once more looked at the contents of the envelope, and then back to Quistis. The money would come in handy that was for sure. The problem with being a thespian thief was that you never really knew when the next meal would come. "... If you're sure, thank you. The pleasure was all ours."

"You are very, very welcome." Quistis smiled, practically beaming, and feeling like she was probably staring she quickly looked away, focusing on the Prima Vista. "You all played very well..."

"And it would be nice if you came back soon." She glanced at Blank, "If you all would, come back again some time for us."

"We all enjoyed it. The crowd was great, so engaged and well behaved. You should be proud. Best group of youngsters I've seen in a long time." Blank grinned at her, pocketing the envelope.

"We'll come back whenever you want us." Another smile. "hey, want the guided tour while you're here?"

Quistis beamed at the compliment - after all, she was a very professional woman, and it really warmed her to hear that she was doing a good job. "Well, thank you very much. We do our best."

"Guided tour?" She blinked, and glanced up at the Prima Vista, "I'd like that."

Blank took hold of Quistis' hand. The Prima Vista really was his pride and joy. To many it was just a fancy airship, but to him it was everything. It was something he could call his own, something he had worked hard for.

He took her down below deck, straight to the stage. It looked a lot smaller when it wasn't opened out like it had been during the show. "Well, this is where the magic happens. The built in stage."

Quistis was struggling to hide her excitement by this point; the whole ship fascinated her, and all this acting business. She felt like a little girl being granted a dream come true, and it was beginning to make her feel a little giggly.

"It looks so much smaller..." Really, she was quite amazed at how compact the place could be. She was grateful Blank was holding her hand, otherwise she'd be off looking at things, running on the stage, and generally being entirely unprofessional.

"Heh. It really does, huh?" Blank continued to lead Quistis through the ship. "That's where the band play. Great bunch they are, wouldn't be the same without them, they really add to the play."

He was trying not to rush, but it was hard, he just wanted to show her everything. He led her to the sleeping area. Hammocks and bunkbeds and blankets on the floor. It wasn't elegant living, but to him it was a palace. "This is where we sleep."

Quistis could only agree about the band, and she nodded with a smile, "They were very good."

But in the sleeping area, she felt slightly concerned. Glancing at the blankets on the floor, she couldn't help but give his hand a slight squeeze, "Doesn't it get...uncomfortable?"

"Huh? Oh no, not really. Beats sleeping in the gutter." Now those were memories he didn't much like recalling. The street was no place to live. The Prima Vista may not be perfect, and the Clocktower even less so, but it beat the streets.

"We swap around so no one has to sleep on the floor more than one night in a row. Sometimes we even double up to make things more comfortable."

Quistis let go of his hand for a moment to slip her phone from her pocket - for security reasons and work reasons she had to always keep it on her - just in case Squall, or anyone else, needed anything.

Quickly, she made a note on her phone, "I think we need to do something about this." Her voice was almost stern, but when she put the phone away she turned to smile at Blank.

"Oh, it's fine, really. It's all part of the job... the lifestyle... All a part of being a Thespian Thief..." He paused then, eyes widening as he looked at Quistis. The words had spilled from him so easily...

"W-what I mean is, a Thespian... stealing the hearts of those who watch us."

"Thief?" Quistis caught the way he said the word, and the way he panicked in trying to correct himself. Her arms folded tightly across her chest, and her toe tapped somewhat impatiently.

Then her eyes cast about the small space, and she raised a brow towards him. "Thieves, you say?" Her lips twitched, but were still nowhere nearly smiling, "I'd have to say, Blank, you're all far better thespians than you are thieves."

"Well... we are actors more than we are thives... have been for quite a while. And we don't steal for the fun of it... well, not very often. Mostly food, or a few gil here and there, and mostly from the stuck up nobles..." Way to dig a deeper hole, Blank.

Quistis' face fell for a slight second: she wasn't noble, but people had been known on occasion to think that she was slightly stuck up, and she really didn't want to think that Blank lumbered her under that heading.

"You clearly don't steal enough to warrant buying better beds, in any case."

"We steal enough. We like to keep things simple. And those stuck up nobles in Treno... they just look down on the slum kids like they're something they stood in... they deserve to lose a few gil just for their attitudes..."

He sighed, rocking on his feet. "Sorry... Guess I'm not quite the kind of guy you thought I was, huh?"

Quistis took another look around the room, at the bunks and the blankets laid out on the floor. She only turned to glance at him over the top of her glasses, "No, not entirely." But there was an amused smirk on her face. Okay, so he was a thief, but it was actually pretty exciting; so long as he didn't steal from her.

Blank pulled out the envelope, and attempted to hand it back to Quistis. He didn't want her to think that he and the others meant her or Garden any harm. "Here, take it."

Quistis looked somewhat alarmed by the gesture, and lifted a hand, pushing the envelope back towards him. "Blank, you earned that. You deserve it."

He frowned, looking down at the envelope and then back at Quistis. "If you're sure..." He once more pocketed it. "I just don't want you to think we'd rob you or your students blind."

He sighed and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Quistis' cheek.

Quistis was about to reply when he kissed her cheek, and at once flushed red. She cleared her throat and stammered, glancing away, "Of c-course not. You deserve it... All of it."

Blank was once more smiling again, once more taking Quistis' hand in his own. "Come with me."

He led her out onto the deck, over to the wheel. "Care to fly?"