[ It's nice to see her perk up. But he also knows the hunger in that look. Vaan never lost it, and Balthier has seen a hundred other excitable youth eyeing some ship or other. She'd steal it right this minute if she thought she could operate it. Which pulls a laugh out of him. ]

Indeed, it's like a small ship. It's not tethered to me persay, but it requires training in both magick operation and flight steering that I confidently assume no one else here can access. I could teach someone, of course, but it would take time.

[ He leaves the last bit lingering, watching Alina's hunger. He wants her to have a reason to stay, something to work toward. It's selfish. He enjoys her company, for one, and for another he sees himself, young and lost. A powder keg waiting to explode. What he would have given for someone to have cared about him, someone who wasn't Ba'Gamnan or his father, waiting to betray him.

He'd found that in Fran, of course. But that was different -- friendship. He'd wanted a mentor.

He wasn't that much older than Alina; was this even an appropriate relationship to pursue? He didn't know, but it was already out of his mouth. ]

This one technically belonged to my partner. [ He puts a gentle hand on the side, as if it were a creature, or a memory. ] I don't know if she named it -- she never said. Not everyone has one on Ivalice, no, but it is certainly not the only one.

Now the Strahl, my airship, she was one of a kind.

[ He stoops down, fingers laced. Alina may recognize the gesture from mounting a horse; he means to help her get in the back seat. ]