Just a small little heads up, this drabble is based around my headcannons and thus the thief is a girl. The first Final Fantasy doesn't give much room for cannon-ness anyway. Lastly, Light is the name of the Warrior, Zann is the Black Mage, Tomok is the Red Mage, Choden is the Monk, Sara is the Thief, and while she isn't mentioned in the story Floe is the White Mage. Enjoy!
Pravoka was a peaceful town now that the pirates were gone. Zann looked up from the spell tome he bought, smiling as he watched kids play in the town square. It was nice they were staying here for a few days. Light said it would be best for everyone but the Black Mage had a feeling it was because the warrior wasn't too fond of traveling by boat.
It was nice to continue traveling with them. When all six of them met up and started their journey it made him happy to be a part of the group. Then they found the four Light Crystals. Zann placed his hand over his bag, feeling the weight of his dimmed Earth Crystal grow. When they had found the Crystals Zann worried that Tomok and Sara would leave them, having not been blessed with one. Thankfully, the Red Mage and thief remained with them on this long journey.
Zann gasped as he felt the hat that hid his face lift off his head. "Finally! The quick thief Sara has snatched the fabled hat of Zann!" The blond hair thief boasted as she put the mage cap on top of her bandana. Her purple eyes stared at him as he looked at her in shock.
"Sara!" Zann yelled, jumping up to reclaim his hat, dropping his spell book in the process. He quickly put it back on, glancing to see if anyone had seen his face.
"Why?" She asked as Zann reclaimed his book. "You're not hideous, so why hide you face?" In fact the Black Mage was gorgeous. He turned and looked at her, puzzled. She didn't know the reputation Dark Elves had?
"I'm…my race isn't exactly known for being good." He admitted, dusting off the Ice spell book.
"So?" Sara asked, putting her hands behind her back and moving so she was in front of him. The thief bent down trying to see his face again. The hat's enchantment though showed only a vague face shape that was blacked out in shadows. A pout crossed her full lips at that. "You're a Warrior of Light charged with the protection of the Earth Crystal. You're Zann. Whatever you race is known for it doesn't define you." Sara said with a large smile.
"…Thank you." Zann said after a moment, his smile going unseen by her.
"Of course! I am the leader of the group!" She sang. "Have to keep everyone's spirit up!" Zann let out a snort at her statement, remembering when she shoved Light towards a zombie in the Chaos Shrine screaming that he was the leader and to protect her. "See you later! Gonna see what goodies they have in the Armory." Sara waved to him as she started to leave. Zann lifted his hand and gave a small wave to her, curling his fingers into his palm once she was out of sight.
He sat back down on the bench, putting the book next to him. Slowly, he removed his glove, staring at the charcoal skin it revealed. Zann had never been a fan of his race, growing up to believe he would become evil and watch as others like him did horrible things. He never wanted that for himself, that's why he left home and moved to Elfheim. While he didn't live inside the town it was better than with other Dark Elves.
Sara's words filled his head and he smiled. She was right. He was Zann, a Warrior of Light. If the Earth Crystal chose him as its protector even though he was a Dark Elf, then not all of his kind are evil.
Sara let out a deep breath as she removed her chest bindings. It felt nice to breath properly again. She ruffled her short hair then slid on a green shirt, kicking her bindings off to the side of the inn room. Tomorrow she'd go out and train some more, maybe she could get Choden to go with her and show her that move he was working on. It would be so cool to see him flip an Ogre with his bare hands!
A gentle knock at her door interrupted her daydreaming. "Coming!" She called, grabbing her dagger in case it wasn't a friend. Sara cracked the door and then beamed at seeing who was outside. "Zann! Come on in!" She opened the door wider and let the Black Mage inside. The blond shut the door behind him and put her dagger back on the bed side table. "What's up?"
She quickly noticed that he was pointedly looking away from where her bindings were resting. Sara let out an embarrassed laugh and kicked them under the bed. His body relaxed slightly at seeing her at least having minor manners, very minor.
"I wanted to thank you again, for what you said." Sara grinned and scratched at her cheek, looking away with a blush.
"Like I said it was-" She stopped talking as she looked at him. Zann had taken off his hat when she wasn't looking. Sara took in the sharp angles of his face, admiring the way the white, swirled tattoos covered the sides of his neck and reached just above his jaw line. His black hair was in long curls that reached just past his pointed ears, making his bright yellow eyes pop even more. Zann smiled, his white teeth all slightly pointed.
"This reminds me of when I first found out you were a girl." He said, remembering how he was stunned into silence. Sara chuckled breathlessly and nodded weakly.
"Yeah, still sour about that." She said taking a step forward as her hands twitched at her sides. Zann knew that habit; she did it whenever she saw something she wanted to touch but restrained herself. A pale pink dusted his cheeks and he found himself nodding.
"Go ahead." He said, watching her purple eyes sparkle. Her hands were warm as she touched his cheeks. Slender, calloused fingers rubbed under his eyes and down the dorsum and sides of his nose. He closed his eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair then traced the shell of his pointed ears. Zann grabbed her wrists lightly when she started to trace his tattoos.
"What do they mean?" She asked, looking from them to his eyes.
"They're given to boys when they've become men. It's the chief's wife's job to give them. We have no say in what they look like or where they'll be."
"Did she give them to you?"
"No, my mother did. She said that swirls are symbolic of change, she wanted me to be more than another Dark Elf." Sara smiled and pulled her hands away.
"You're more than just a Dark Elf, you're Zann." She blushed and looked at her feet then back to him. "Thank you, for letting me see you." Zann nodded.
"Of course…Sleep well Sara." He said putting his hat back on.
"You too." Sara said, following him to the door and closing it behind him. She let out a sigh and put her back to the door, looking at her fingers. She couldn't believe Zann did that, let alone allow her to see him up close.
Zann, on the other side of the door, leaned against it. He was very thankful for his hat's magic as he knew he was blushing. It didn't help that when he closed his eyes he could still feel Sara's fingers exploring his face. He doubted he would get any sleep tonight.