AUTHORS NOTE : Hi! :3 This is my Debut fic! It's a little thing I cooked up on my typewriter (I'm not old TT_TT) and I was like " time oh yeah."
The premise is that Larsa and Balthier... they do stuff. They do stuff in the woods. And everyone has caught on except for one little hume girl~ Forgive me if it's messy ;o; !
Well, enjoy!
Disclaimer : Final Fantasy 12 belongs to Square Enix. Not me.
It was beautiful out. The sun was shining, and the birds and critters in the air were singing, the werewolves weren't annoying anyone, and the wind was just right to make it the perfect temperature. Penelo, Ashe and Vaan were the only ones taking this time to relax, and sprawl out in the sun on the grass, play tag and childish games behind bushes and falling asleep everywhere. Basch was pretty busy moping and killing things that got near the camp, Fran was sharpening her bows and playing target practice with trees and rocks, which she could puncture very well with all manors of different techniques. And Balthier and Larsa were…
Wait, where were Balthier and Larsa? They had gone off a while ago, in order to go do… something, but Penelo wasn't sure what or why.
"Hey, Vaan?" she asked, sitting up, and tilting her head.
"What?" he asked, not even bothering to move.
"Where did Larsa and Balthier go?"
Vaan thought for a moment, actually bothering to sit up, and fold his legs, the breeze running through his sandy hair.
"I- I dunno. Ask Ashe. She might know."
Penelo frowned, turning to the girl on her left.
"Do you know where they went?" she asked, her hands on her knees and her legs stretched in front of her.
The princess shook her head. "I don't know where they went. All that I know is they left some time ago, and they have not yet returned."
Penelo sighed.
"Jeeze, Penelo, with so much attention that you pay to Larsa, you would think that you would know where he is every second of the day."
This only made Penelo sigh harder.
"You know, Vaan, I don't have to know where he is all the time…"
With that, Penelo stood up and skipped off, going to ask Basch where they were.
"Hey, uh, Basch?" she asked, her hands folded behind her back, leaning forward to try to see Basch's face.
"What is it, Penelo?" he asked, looking up.
Whenever the girl asked for something or approached him, it was never good. It was always asking him to do something. It wasn't that he didn't like Penelo- No, Basch had grown to enjoy the company of all of the group, but Penelo was always asking questions- Yes, she was good at combat, and yes she was good with many things, but she was always wondering where everyone wa-
"Where are Balthier and Larsa?" she asked, blinking, a smile on her face.
Basch shook his head the same way Ashe did.
"I do not know, but they went somewhere together. Why don't you ask Fran?"
Penelo nodded and turned- but she turned back around and nodded. "Thank you, Basch."
Basch couldn't help but smile. Penelo was nice, and she seemed a little oblivious to the things that Larsa and Balthier got into. But she would find out in her own time… or Fran would tell her, very coldly, and hurt her feelings totally. It almost made him feel guilty for sending her off to the rabbit woman…
Nonetheless, Basch was not going to tell her.
Penelo approached Fran, barely dodging an arrow that had reached its trajectory, but Penelo was too absorbed in figuring out where the young Solidor and the Sky Pirate were.
"Say, Fran?"
"… Yes?" she replied, turning to Penelo as she loaded her bow, pulling back on it and prepping to fire.
"Where are Balthier and Larsa?"
Fran was caught off guard by the question. Surely by now the girl would have figured out what the two were doing all the time-
"… They went out into the woods.". In the beginning, it was in order to train Larsa, because he was the youngest in the group, and large animals liked to pick on him especially. That was their original plan, the first time. After that…
"Oh…" Penelo said, biting her lip.
"They do that an awful lot, don't they?"
Fran lowered her bow and arrow now, awestruck by how unaware Penelo was to Larsa and Balthier.
"Do you know what they do out there, Penelo?"
Penelo shook her head, her smile still bright and shiny as a pile full of Gil. Fran pulled her arrow and bow back up, planning to fire it straight and true into the forest. She pulled back, narrowing her eyes.
"Larsa and Balthier..." she let go, waiting to hear the click of the arrow. "Go out to the woods and-"
"Hey! What was that for?"
"Are you quite alright, Balthier?"
The two emerged from the woods, an arrow in Balthier's left hand, and Larsa's hand in the other.
"If I knew that the firing squad would be our welcoming party, we would have stayed out there longer."
He handed it to Fran, and took a small moment to kiss Larsa's head- Larsa just blushed, hoping Penelo didn't see it- And she didn't.
"Wanna come do stuff with us, Larsa?" Penelo asked, rocking on her heels and gesturing to where Vaan and Ashe were stretching- The three planned to go explore around, although it was more like Vaan wanted to go do explore, and Penelo wasn't going to get left behind, and Ashe had nothing better to do.
Larsa smiled and nodded.
"I would very much like that, but I must attend to something first, and I will catch up with you soon."
Penelo nodded and ran off back to Vaan and Ashe.
'Funny…' she thought, rocking on her heels again, waiting for Vaan to get his backpack of stuff ready to go. 'Larsa and Balthier are always kissing parts of eachother… I guess training or whatever out in the forest has gotten them really super close!'
Penelo was certainly not wrong, but she was by no means correct, either.
"So where were they?" Vaan asked, and Ashe titled her head.
"Oh, you know, out in the forest doing stuff."
The trio seemed content with that answer, although Vaan and Ashe were more aware of the underlying concept of their little trips, even though they hadn't fully grasped the meaning yet.
Balthier waited for Penelo to leave before picking Larsa up, and kissing his forehead. Larsa craned upwards, and kissed Balthiers neck. He wanted to kiss his lips, but the Viera was there, and he did not want to be rude.
"Excuse us, Fran, I'm sorry to intrude..." he said, nodding in her direction, trying to pry Balthiers mouth from his body for a moment.
"It is not a problem. I see your love for eachother, it is clear."
Larsa blushed, and looked up at Balthier, smiling sweetly at him.
"But why the Hume girl does not understand…"
Balthier coughed, and Larsa looked distressed.
"What? Ashe doesn't know?" Balthier asked, holding Larsa closer to him before holding his waist again, setting him on his shoulders.
Fran turned away from them, walking and grabbing an arrow from a tree.
"No... She doesn't realize what you both do out there."
She walked away fully, going to practice her archery in peace.
"I do not see why Ashe hasn't figured it out yet... I think the whole group has... Caught on." The Solidor said, more to himself than anything, unaware of the emphasis that Fran put on 'she'.
"Maybe we have to set something up at the right moment, wouldn't you agree?"
The boy laughed.
"Ooh, very dangerous of you- What scandal, a Sky Pirate and a Royal Solidor…"
"An Underaged Solidor Boy… Very risqué indeed… What would the Archadians say!"
Larsa climbed down, laughing, riding on Balthier's back, and he pecked him on his cheek before beginning to walk the same way the trio went before they left.
"No-" Larsa snapped, stopping Balthier from walking by pulling childishly on his shirt.
"Do you just want to go back to the tent?" he asked the boy,
Larsa nodded, and Balthier pulled the boy down and carried him bride-style, excited for what would happen when they got settled in the tent.
"Do you think Larsa is coming?" Penelo asked, just as they were turning around to leave. The trio had been on the plains for hours, and the sun was beginning to set- The sky was washed with a beautiful haze of orange and purples.
"No, Penelo, I don't think he is. Now will you stop asking?"
Vaan frowned and lead the other two girls, and Ashe got in pace with Penelo.
"Do not worry; I am sure Larsa still has things to address."
By the time the three got back to the camp, it was getting late.
The air had cooled and the slight mist drawn to the area had begun to roll in, very slightly.
It was the kind of mist that inhabited outside of the steppe, and gave most creatures and ceourls headaches, and did not draw greater beasts in.
Still, it made Fran and Larsa anxious about attacks from espers.
Penelo assumed that Larsa was sleeping in Balthiers tent because he was scared, and any noise coming from there was just the wind playing tricks on her mind.
In fact, that's what Penelo assumed every night.
By the next morning, Penelo had woken up last- She always slept in.
Emerging from her tent, she stretched and smiled at Vaan, who had probably woken up before her.
"Hey!" she said, running towards him.
"Where's Lars-"
He already knew what she was going to say.
"He went to go take a bath."
She pouted.
"And Balth-"
"Also taking a bath."
".. Oh." She sat down next to the boy, and began to look around.
"Where's Ashe?" she asked finally, smiling.
"Oh, Ashe left a little while ago to take a b-"
Just then, from the woods, emerged Ashe- She was blushing, and she didn't look like she had bathed or anything.
She walked straight up to Fran and whispered something to her.
Fran just shook her head and seemed to be smiling.
Ashe nodded to her, and went over to Basch. He did something similar and went back to what he was doing.
Finally, she pulled Vaan aside and tried her best to be quiet. Penelo strained to listen into their conversation, curious as to what Basch and Fran and Vaan knew about whatever happened to Ashe.
"I walked…. again"
"W-what! Again-.. You would think... I mean really!"
Penelo sighed and began to walk into the woods, dying to figure out what was going on.
'Maybe it has to do with Larsa… Or Balthier!' she thought, totally clueless as to what she was about to find.
'I don't know, but if no one is going to tell me…'
"Ah! Penelo N-!" Ashe stammered, trying to run after her-
But it was too late.
"B-Balthier... A-Aaah…"
That was definitely Larsas voice. Was he hurt? Maybe in troub-
"Oh, Larsa, where did you learn that?"
"Ah~ Ny…"
She heard sucking noises, and noises of skin hitting and moans and whines-
As Penelo got closer, her heart stopped, and she hid behind a tree, eyes peeking out to see something she wouldn't expect in a million years.
Larsa and Balthier. We're they nake-?
Oh, in the names of the Goddess Miriam and His Majesty DynastKing Raithwall- they were.
Penelo thought for a moment.
Over near Eruyt... When Fran came from their camps blushing… And when Basch and Vaan upwardly refused to share a room with Larsa and Balthier on the Air ships…
This was it.
This was the memo that Penelo was missing.
She reached a hand over her mouth to stop her gasp. She felt something wet and hot against her hand, and she pulled it away to inspect it.
Was her nose bleeding? Oh, yes, crap- It was. She didn't even know why...
She turned away, slumping to the side of the tree, trying her best to be quiet-
At least she had gotten what everyone wanted her to.
She stood up, pale as a ghost, and walked towards camp, brushing past Ashe and Vaan, who were fumbling to get away from the woods.
Fran turned to Basch, who was shaking his head.
"…. At least she found out."
xD My favorite in this fic is top def Fran.
Please review! I have a lot of fanfiction waiting in the wings of different series and pairings if this one is any good! :3