0TP Meme: A Poor Choice Indeed
NOTE: This is a repost from last week; I've separated the three fics into three separate entries for my own archiving purposes. ff_press, please ignore. Original post is here for anyone who wants to read the original comments. I'm sorry for the confusion.
A Poor Choice Indeed
Fandom: FFIV/FFXII
Characters: Rydia, Edge, Ashe, Balthier
Rating: PG
This is a combination of two prompts, but the story begged to be told.
Prompt: 7 (Rydia), 5 (Ashe), "strip poker"
Prompt: 9 (Edge) and 12 (Balthier), "... Yeah, that ended well..."
"I am not entirely sure," the strange woman said, "that this is the best way to settle this particular problem."
Rydia sent an angry sidelong glance towards her partner, hoping Edge could feel the heat of her fury through the crowd of people that had gathered. "Personally," she replied, "I'm pretty sure it's the worst possible way to settle this. We're probably going to get kicked out."
"That is the least of my worries," the woman mused, craning her neck to get a better view. Rydia, frustrated and fed up, decided to stand on her chair to see over the ears of the viera in front of her.
Edge was sitting at a table across from the man who'd introduced himself as Balthier, shuffling a deck of cards. Balthier looked perfectly relaxed in his seat. To the side sat the unknown man who'd challenged them both over the hunt, glaring angrily and drinking some kind of toxic-colored concoction. Someone in the crowd had bought the table a pitcher, apparently -- Rydia knew she and Edge didn't have any money. That's why they needed the hunt so badly.
"What in the world are they going to gamble with?" she asked, almost idly. "We're broke, but Edge must have anted up something."
A man beside her turned and said, quite simply, "They're playing for clothing, I think."
Beside her, the strange woman buried her face in both of her palms. Rydia sank down into her chair, mortified. "This is an absolute disaster," she said with a groan.
The woman nodded. "All this over a hunt." Her hands dropped from her face. "There are plenty of hunts," she snapped. "And plenty of rewards. We do not need the recompense so badly that we must... embarrass ourselves." The last two words were a hiss, and Rydia knew they were directed towards the man in the center of the Sandsea; she quite imagined them steaming on their way out of the woman's mouth.
"We don't have to watch," Rydia said apologetically. "I'm Rydia, and I'm really sorry my partner is such a hothead. Let's go somewhere else and leave these idiots to it."
"I am Ashe," the woman offered. Her eyes flicked over Rydia, musingly. "Perhaps we can take care of this problem ourselves."
A slow smile spread across Rydia's face. "You make a pretty good point." She eyed the sword hanging at Ashe's side. "I assume you're not wearing that for show?"
Ashe bristled momentarily, but then noticed Rydia's contemplative look. "I can certainly take down a mark," she said slowly.
"And I'm a magic user." Rydia hopped off of her chair and held out a hand. "Ashe, it's nice to meet you! Let's go kill ourselves a giant wolf."
Ashe glanced across the room. "And our... unfortunate partners?"
Rydia waved a hand in their general direction. "If we hurry," she said, "we can take care of it before they even realize we're gone."
"Hmm." Ashe pursed her lips; she seemed undecided, but there was a gleam in her eyes Rydia liked. She leaned forward.
"Edge wears a lot of layers," she murmured into the other woman's ear. "This game could go on all night."
Ashe blinked, but then a very small smile flicked across her face for a moment. "He will have a worthy adversary," she murmured back, seemingly amused. "Balthier's overly ornate outfit may have never been so useful."
The crowd swelled for a moment in excitement, and Ashe seemed to refocus her attentions; she reached out in reply and shook Rydia's hand. "I think it will be a pleasure working with you."
- - -
"That seems to be the last of the crowd," Balthier said slowly, "and I don't think I see our companions anywhere."
Edge glanced around from the safety of the corner in which they'd hidden. "Is there an upstairs? An inn or something? Could they have gotten a room?"
Balthier's lip twitched. "I certainly hope not -- or if so, I hope it's unlocked."
Edge chuckled. He glanced around the room again; Rydia's green hair should have been easy to spot. In fact, anyone's hair would have been easy to spot in the Sandsea right now, because it was totally empty. There was no more denying it: The girls were gone, and he was stuck, half-clothed, in an unknown empty bar with another half-clothed man.
"Yeah, this ended well," he groaned, mostly to himself.
"At least I managed to keep my pants," Balthier said, the twitch growing into a full-grown smirk.
"Get stuffed." Edge tugged at the silk he'd haphazardly tied around his waist, wishing desperately that it was just a bit less... see-through. "Being entirely topless isn't exactly something to brag about, Mister Tiny Nipples."
"That was my best shirt," Balthier said, wistfully. "I had a Demon's Straight. I thought that was good enough."
"Not against Corona's House," Edge pointed out, rather nastily.
Balthier bristled, his bare shoulders straightening. "I don't recall being the one who wagered shoes on a Two-Pair."
"That's why it's called gambling!" Edge threw his hands up in the air, then lowered them hastily to tug the wrap of silk back into place. "Anyway, at least we won the hunt out of that bastard."
"By pooling our resources," Balthier reminded him. "Your cape, my belt."
Edge rolled his eyes. "But we won," he insisted. "So now we just have to find our darling partners, and we can go."
Balthier raised an eyebrow. "If I were you, I'd find myself a pair of trousers first."
"Yeah, yeah." Edge brushed him off. "Rydia'll figure something out."
The door to the Sandsea jingled open; both men turned, and then froze. Rydia and Ashe entered, both looking a bit dusty and battered; Rydia was laughing at something, and Ashe had in her hand a long tuft of fur.
"You didn't," Edge said in disbelief. Rather loudly.
The women turned as one. Rydia's jaw simply dropped; Ashe's tightened, and her face paled. A few tense seconds passed -- and then Rydia burst out into a peal of laughter.
"You didn't," she repeated between giggles, shaking her head. "Oh, Edge, your pants."
"Well," Edge grumbled, "at least you can buy me a new pair now."
- - -
A Poor Choice Indeed
Fandom: FFIV/FFXII
Characters: Rydia, Edge, Ashe, Balthier
Rating: PG
This is a combination of two prompts, but the story begged to be told.
Prompt: 7 (Rydia), 5 (Ashe), "strip poker"
Prompt: 9 (Edge) and 12 (Balthier), "... Yeah, that ended well..."
"I am not entirely sure," the strange woman said, "that this is the best way to settle this particular problem."
Rydia sent an angry sidelong glance towards her partner, hoping Edge could feel the heat of her fury through the crowd of people that had gathered. "Personally," she replied, "I'm pretty sure it's the worst possible way to settle this. We're probably going to get kicked out."
"That is the least of my worries," the woman mused, craning her neck to get a better view. Rydia, frustrated and fed up, decided to stand on her chair to see over the ears of the viera in front of her.
Edge was sitting at a table across from the man who'd introduced himself as Balthier, shuffling a deck of cards. Balthier looked perfectly relaxed in his seat. To the side sat the unknown man who'd challenged them both over the hunt, glaring angrily and drinking some kind of toxic-colored concoction. Someone in the crowd had bought the table a pitcher, apparently -- Rydia knew she and Edge didn't have any money. That's why they needed the hunt so badly.
"What in the world are they going to gamble with?" she asked, almost idly. "We're broke, but Edge must have anted up something."
A man beside her turned and said, quite simply, "They're playing for clothing, I think."
Beside her, the strange woman buried her face in both of her palms. Rydia sank down into her chair, mortified. "This is an absolute disaster," she said with a groan.
The woman nodded. "All this over a hunt." Her hands dropped from her face. "There are plenty of hunts," she snapped. "And plenty of rewards. We do not need the recompense so badly that we must... embarrass ourselves." The last two words were a hiss, and Rydia knew they were directed towards the man in the center of the Sandsea; she quite imagined them steaming on their way out of the woman's mouth.
"We don't have to watch," Rydia said apologetically. "I'm Rydia, and I'm really sorry my partner is such a hothead. Let's go somewhere else and leave these idiots to it."
"I am Ashe," the woman offered. Her eyes flicked over Rydia, musingly. "Perhaps we can take care of this problem ourselves."
A slow smile spread across Rydia's face. "You make a pretty good point." She eyed the sword hanging at Ashe's side. "I assume you're not wearing that for show?"
Ashe bristled momentarily, but then noticed Rydia's contemplative look. "I can certainly take down a mark," she said slowly.
"And I'm a magic user." Rydia hopped off of her chair and held out a hand. "Ashe, it's nice to meet you! Let's go kill ourselves a giant wolf."
Ashe glanced across the room. "And our... unfortunate partners?"
Rydia waved a hand in their general direction. "If we hurry," she said, "we can take care of it before they even realize we're gone."
"Hmm." Ashe pursed her lips; she seemed undecided, but there was a gleam in her eyes Rydia liked. She leaned forward.
"Edge wears a lot of layers," she murmured into the other woman's ear. "This game could go on all night."
Ashe blinked, but then a very small smile flicked across her face for a moment. "He will have a worthy adversary," she murmured back, seemingly amused. "Balthier's overly ornate outfit may have never been so useful."
The crowd swelled for a moment in excitement, and Ashe seemed to refocus her attentions; she reached out in reply and shook Rydia's hand. "I think it will be a pleasure working with you."
- - -
"That seems to be the last of the crowd," Balthier said slowly, "and I don't think I see our companions anywhere."
Edge glanced around from the safety of the corner in which they'd hidden. "Is there an upstairs? An inn or something? Could they have gotten a room?"
Balthier's lip twitched. "I certainly hope not -- or if so, I hope it's unlocked."
Edge chuckled. He glanced around the room again; Rydia's green hair should have been easy to spot. In fact, anyone's hair would have been easy to spot in the Sandsea right now, because it was totally empty. There was no more denying it: The girls were gone, and he was stuck, half-clothed, in an unknown empty bar with another half-clothed man.
"Yeah, this ended well," he groaned, mostly to himself.
"At least I managed to keep my pants," Balthier said, the twitch growing into a full-grown smirk.
"Get stuffed." Edge tugged at the silk he'd haphazardly tied around his waist, wishing desperately that it was just a bit less... see-through. "Being entirely topless isn't exactly something to brag about, Mister Tiny Nipples."
"That was my best shirt," Balthier said, wistfully. "I had a Demon's Straight. I thought that was good enough."
"Not against Corona's House," Edge pointed out, rather nastily.
Balthier bristled, his bare shoulders straightening. "I don't recall being the one who wagered shoes on a Two-Pair."
"That's why it's called gambling!" Edge threw his hands up in the air, then lowered them hastily to tug the wrap of silk back into place. "Anyway, at least we won the hunt out of that bastard."
"By pooling our resources," Balthier reminded him. "Your cape, my belt."
Edge rolled his eyes. "But we won," he insisted. "So now we just have to find our darling partners, and we can go."
Balthier raised an eyebrow. "If I were you, I'd find myself a pair of trousers first."
"Yeah, yeah." Edge brushed him off. "Rydia'll figure something out."
The door to the Sandsea jingled open; both men turned, and then froze. Rydia and Ashe entered, both looking a bit dusty and battered; Rydia was laughing at something, and Ashe had in her hand a long tuft of fur.
"You didn't," Edge said in disbelief. Rather loudly.
The women turned as one. Rydia's jaw simply dropped; Ashe's tightened, and her face paled. A few tense seconds passed -- and then Rydia burst out into a peal of laughter.
"You didn't," she repeated between giggles, shaking her head. "Oh, Edge, your pants."
"Well," Edge grumbled, "at least you can buy me a new pair now."
- - -