[Final Fantasy VI] An Honest Living
Title: An Honest Living
Status: Complete
Fandom: Final Fantasy VI
Characters/Pairings: Locke, Setzer, Celes
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, references to adult situations
Notes: 452 words. Written for intorporeal's request.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VI belongs to Squaresoft. I own neither the characters nor the setting, nor do I gain any profit from my fanfiction, which is purely for my own enjoyment.
Summary: Locke and Setzer debate the merits of their professions.
"I beg your pardon?" Setzer scowled at the young man who lay sprawled on one of the couches in the Falcon with his scarred and muddy boots resting on the plush red velvet. "Gambling is at least an honest living, unlike thievery--"
"That's TREASURE HUNTING!" Locke roared. He half-sat up, glaring ferociously.
"Keep it down," Celes snapped from the balcony above them. "You boys want to stay up all night, that's your business, but don't keep the rest of us awake!"
Locke grinned up at her. "Love you too, sweetheart."
Celes flicked her hand dismissively and stalked away, boots thudding on the hardwood flooring. Setzer smirked and mimed cracking a whip. Locke gulped down the last few swallows of whiskey in his glass, scowling.
"Ahem." Setzer poured more wine into his own glass, sipping slowly and savouring the rich and complex flavour. "As I was saying, gambling is a respectable profession. Steal--um, your habit of, er, liberating unusual items from their rightful owners is not. They're two entirely separate things."
"Please. Gambling is like holding up a bank. No class to it. No real skill. Just mark your cards and hope the other poor bastard is too drunk to notice you're cheating him for all you're worth." Locke ignored Setzer's squawk of dismay and sat up to pour himself more whiskey. "Treasure hunting, on the other hand, requires delicacy, planning, and balls of brass. There's nothing quite like walking out of Vector with half of Emperor Gestahl's personal art collection in your pack and no one the wiser."
"Ah, but my winnings can be displayed openly."
"And in such a tacky way." Locke gestured at the gold-plated roulette wheel on the table.
"What would you know about tacky, you uncouth oaf?" Setzer demanded. "You've got your muddy boots on my sofa!"
"Red velvet is tacky unless you're running a brothel, in which case I'm taking Celes, Terra, and Relm off this thing as soon as humanly possible. You can keep Edgar, though."
Setzer pursed his lips and studied the sofa critically. He had made that same argument to Daryl when she was outfitting the Falcon, but there was no reason he should admit that. Besides, Daryl had looked great lying naked on it. As that was not a topic he cared to discuss with Locke, though, he groped for a change of subject. "So what, exactly, did Emperor Gestahl have in his personal art collection?"
Locke grinned. "Let's just say, the fine society ladies of Jidoor would faint in shock."
Setzer waved a hand. "Oh, I'm sure they've done more and worse, it's just that they don't talk about it."
The treasure hunter laughed. "Well, there was this one piece..."
Status: Complete
Fandom: Final Fantasy VI
Characters/Pairings: Locke, Setzer, Celes
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, references to adult situations
Notes: 452 words. Written for intorporeal's request.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VI belongs to Squaresoft. I own neither the characters nor the setting, nor do I gain any profit from my fanfiction, which is purely for my own enjoyment.
Summary: Locke and Setzer debate the merits of their professions.
"I beg your pardon?" Setzer scowled at the young man who lay sprawled on one of the couches in the Falcon with his scarred and muddy boots resting on the plush red velvet. "Gambling is at least an honest living, unlike thievery--"
"That's TREASURE HUNTING!" Locke roared. He half-sat up, glaring ferociously.
"Keep it down," Celes snapped from the balcony above them. "You boys want to stay up all night, that's your business, but don't keep the rest of us awake!"
Locke grinned up at her. "Love you too, sweetheart."
Celes flicked her hand dismissively and stalked away, boots thudding on the hardwood flooring. Setzer smirked and mimed cracking a whip. Locke gulped down the last few swallows of whiskey in his glass, scowling.
"Ahem." Setzer poured more wine into his own glass, sipping slowly and savouring the rich and complex flavour. "As I was saying, gambling is a respectable profession. Steal--um, your habit of, er, liberating unusual items from their rightful owners is not. They're two entirely separate things."
"Please. Gambling is like holding up a bank. No class to it. No real skill. Just mark your cards and hope the other poor bastard is too drunk to notice you're cheating him for all you're worth." Locke ignored Setzer's squawk of dismay and sat up to pour himself more whiskey. "Treasure hunting, on the other hand, requires delicacy, planning, and balls of brass. There's nothing quite like walking out of Vector with half of Emperor Gestahl's personal art collection in your pack and no one the wiser."
"Ah, but my winnings can be displayed openly."
"And in such a tacky way." Locke gestured at the gold-plated roulette wheel on the table.
"What would you know about tacky, you uncouth oaf?" Setzer demanded. "You've got your muddy boots on my sofa!"
"Red velvet is tacky unless you're running a brothel, in which case I'm taking Celes, Terra, and Relm off this thing as soon as humanly possible. You can keep Edgar, though."
Setzer pursed his lips and studied the sofa critically. He had made that same argument to Daryl when she was outfitting the Falcon, but there was no reason he should admit that. Besides, Daryl had looked great lying naked on it. As that was not a topic he cared to discuss with Locke, though, he groped for a change of subject. "So what, exactly, did Emperor Gestahl have in his personal art collection?"
Locke grinned. "Let's just say, the fine society ladies of Jidoor would faint in shock."
Setzer waved a hand. "Oh, I'm sure they've done more and worse, it's just that they don't talk about it."
The treasure hunter laughed. "Well, there was this one piece..."