Sunlight and fresh air had never really been luxuries, but since entering the Sochen Cave Palace Ashe realized how much she had taken such things for granted. The decaying underground chambers were full of nightmare-inducing creatures, but it frightened her more when they entered empty rooms that still bore traces of some past glory. Would the Royal Palace in Rabanastre ever slip away into forgotten ruin? The thought made her blood run cold. She shook her head and cleaned some sticky blood from her blade as they moved from what had probably been some ancient king's bedchamber into a chilly cavern, stalactites hanging from the ceiling in jagged points.
It seemed devoid of fiends, and since they had been traveling for the better part of the day, it would be good to rest. She noticed a small spring creeping lazily through one edge of the cavern, and she felt her spirits lift. It would be good to splash some cool water on her face and limbs since they'd all gotten filthy as the hours passed. Vaan seemed equally excited and bounded ahead, tossing his sword to the ground. "Finally, some water!" he cried, and Ashe smiled at his enthusiasm.
Balthier brought up the rear, and Ashe watched the sky pirate's face morph into a look of terror. "Stop! Don't go in the…" he warned, but it was too late. Vaan was already wading around in the spring, eliciting shrieks from Penelo as he splashed her playfully.
"What's wrong?" she asked, but Balthier was already rushing over. She watched him wave Fran over to him. The Viera appeared equally worried, and all Ashe could do was stand in confusion with Basch. Fran urged Penelo to sit down and began casting curative spells on the girl. Balthier took Fran's bow and held it out, urging Vaan to grab hold of it. The boy ceased his splashing and grabbed the bow and sat down at Penelo's side, dripping wet and equally confused.
Balthier turned to face her. "Ashe, you need to start curing him, right now. And do not touch him." His face was serious, and she hurried over and began chanting the incantation. The sky pirate shook his head. "The water in these caves has some sort of acidic property. It's not fatal, but it's certainly unpleasant."
Vaan raised his eyebrows and let the cure spell wash over him. "It felt like water to me."
Penelo nodded and shook some droplets from her hair, causing Fran to back away. "Yeah, what are you talking about?" But not another second passed before Vaan doubled over in pain, and Ashe gasped. Red welts were forming all over the young man's skin, and soon Penelo began to moan in agony as well.
She cast another cure spell, but it seemed to have no effect. "Balthier, why isn't it working?"
He was digging through his pack for potions, setting them on the ground in front of the children, but he would not get any closer. "It only dulls the pain. They'll need a special salve." Ashe continued her chanting, and based on the moans from Vaan and Penelo, she wondered how much worse it would be without the restorative spells and potions. At the rate the children were downing the potions he placed before them, they would deplete their reserves in hours.
"Where might we find the salve?" Basch asked, adding his supply of potions to the increasing number of empty bottles on the cave floor. She watched the sky pirate meet his partner's eyes, and Fran nodded sadly.
Balthier continued digging through the pack in frustration. "In Archades. I know where I can find some, but we'll need to pool most of our gil." He set down their entire supply of remedy bottles in front of Vaan, who began pulling the stoppers off hurriedly. The mere action seemed to cause him a great deal of pain, and Basch knelt down to assist him. The children were in no condition to travel. The sky pirate looked to Fran again and sighed. "I can be back by tomorrow afternoon. Just keep curing them. It won't do much for the welts, but it's all I know."
Ashe's eyes widened in realization. "You're not going by yourself!" The fiends in the palace had been horrific thus far, and the thought of Balthier going on alone with just his gun and not a potion to his name would be suicidal. "I'm coming with you."
"My lady," Basch interrupted, "perhaps I should go. Your curative abilities are far better than my own." Ashe could also tell from the warning look in the knight's eyes that he would sooner stab himself than see her go off alone with Balthier. She suppressed a smile at that and turned to the sky pirate. He seemed to be miles away, probably figuring out the best shop in Archades to obtain the salve.
Fran noticed Balthier's lack of focus and took a quick respite from her spell casting. "Captain, your face is better known than hers. Perhaps it is best you remain here and assist me." She turned back to Penelo as the girl cried out in pain, and Basch grunted his assent. Balthier was already pulling their pouches of coin from the others' packs, and she accepted a few potions that Basch held out to her insistently. It wouldn't do to get killed while trying to help their companions.
Balthier slung his gun onto his back and handed her one of the smallest packs that he had added the group's entire supply of money to, along with his spare pouches of shot. "A leading man knows when cowardice is the road to survival. We only fight if we have to." He looked at Basch and smirked. "I'll have her back safe and sound by tomorrow afternoon." The sky pirate exchanged one last glance with Fran, and he started forward. Basch looked down and continued pulling stoppers off for Vaan and Penelo. She looked at the children sadly and hurried off to match Balthier's long strides.
The next few chambers were devoid of fiends, and she was grateful for it. She hadn't had much time to talk with Balthier since he had told her about his former life, and she could tell that he was a bit on edge. She wondered how much of that was due to Vaan and Penelo's condition and how much was due to going back to a city he had abandoned. "How long until we reach the city?" she asked quietly, their footsteps echoing in the dank cave.
"Another hour. Should be about nightfall by then."
He was obviously not feeling very talkative, which was strange for him. She didn't want to pry, but they were in this medical mission together now. "Will we have enough gil for the salve?"
"Don't need the gil for that," he replied in a snotty tone of voice that infuriated her.
His answer was startling. What was the gil to be used for then? "There's more than 25,000 gil in this bag, more or less! Vaan and Penelo are sick, and you're using this as an excuse to buy something nice while you're in the city? I can't believe you!"
He stopped walking and sighed. His eyes were rather weary when he turned back to face her. "You'll understand when we reach the city. Just trust me on this. I'm not exactly giddy about the old homestead myself." She felt bad then for accusing him unjustly, and the rest of their journey through the cave was silent, save for a fiend encounter or two. They finally emerged into the waning sunlight, and where Ashe had expected a grand city, she saw only a slum.
"This is not Archades, is it?" she asked quietly. The smell was not much of an improvement on the caves, and she saw only rows and rows of tents and dilapidated stone buildings. She saw a small child sitting on the ground, and his eyes grew large as they emerged from underground. Though he looked feeble, he was on his feet and off racing before she could say another word.
"Wonderful. Place hasn't changed a bit," Balthier muttered darkly. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward, and she realized she'd been gawking. He led her down the narrow cobblestone alleyway, and she felt eyes on her, as if the walls were watching them pass. She inhaled sharply as they rounded a corner, and she saw enormous buildings reaching up into the heavens. So this truly was Archades. She barely had a moment to register the sights of the slum around her as Balthier continued to drag her through the twisting alleys.
They reached a large bridge spanning a river, and instead of going across, the sky pirate pulled her down a set of stone steps. Before they reached the bottom, he stopped her and trapped her against the wall. She clutched the bag of gil against herself protectively. "What are you doing?" she hissed as he placed an arm on either side of her head. She wondered if it would have better for Basch to have gone in her place. Balthier wouldn't dare pull such a trick on him. Ashe could feel her breathing quicken at his close proximity, and she hoped he wouldn't notice. When he'd caught her hand on the beach that day, it had felt like a spark racing through her. Now having him so near was causing that same reaction, and she wished she could ignore the growing weakness she was experiencing around him.
He grinned at her reaction. "We're just having a chat. Count out 5000 and hand it to me," he replied, and she realized what he was doing. He was standing in such a way that he was blocking her from the eyes of any peeping citizen on the stairs above him. She was able to remove the gil from the bag, and she held it out to him. He grabbed it quickly and moved back from her with a wink and marched down the rest of the stairs. There was a whole series of tents under the bridge and a few small rafts and boats tied to posts at the river's edge.
Balthier walked right up to one of the boats and began examining it, leading its owner to slink up. It was a teenaged boy with long, gangly limbs and when he spoke, Ashe noticed that half of his teeth were missing. She was horrified at the way the Empire allowed its people to live. "Here to Trant in an hour. Mine's the swiftest one you'll find, sir," the young man said proudly.
She watched the sky pirate eye the little boat suspiciously and then he rose to his full height and looked down at the boy with a sly grin. "Here to the estates at the edge of Tsenoble in half an hour and you get 5000." He wiggled the small pouch of coins in the boy's face, and Ashe could see the wonder in his eyes. She wondered if he'd ever seen so much money. And the estates? It didn't sound like an area with shops. Was Balthier going to rob a doctor? She kept her questions to herself as the boy held out a filthy hand to help her into the boat.
Darkness was falling quickly over Archades and the slums on its outskirts, and the night air was rather chilly. The boy piloted the boat skillfully as they skimmed over the dark waters. Slowly the river wound its way north away from the slums. There were acres of fields stretching off until they reached the beginnings of the skyscrapers. A quick glance over to Balthier revealed a very nervous sky pirate. His foot was tapping the bottom of the boat, and he kept flicking his eyes forward up the river and then sometimes at her, and then to the tallest buildings in the center of the city. Shouldn't they be heading toward those buildings? And why was he so nervous?
Gradually, the fields of crops gave way to vast lawns and large, beautiful mansions. These must be the estates, she thought. It appeared that the wealthiest Archadians maintained grand plots of land away from the noisy city, and she couldn't help but notice the contrast between these land holdings and the pitiful tents of the slum dwellers. The boy turned to Balthier. "Any place in particular, sir?"
Balthier was startled out of his thinking, but he quickly reverted to a show of indifference. "The old Bunansa estate," he muttered. The name sounded so familiar, and as the boy nodded in acknowledgment, Ashe remembered. Cidolfus Demen Bunansa…Balthier's father. And Balthier's name as well. They were breaking into his own house? Would his father be at home? She opened her mouth to speak, but the sharp look Balthier gave her was enough to silence her query. The boy didn't need to overhear anything.
The boat glided through the water to an old rickety wooden dock, and Balthier hopped out first. He helped to pull her up, and he tossed the pouch of gil down to the boy. "Thank you, sir. Thank you!" the boy said excitedly. "Shall I wait here?" Balthier promised the boy 10,000 gil if he returned at daybreak, and the boy nodded eagerly as he paddled away. The sky pirate smiled slightly and gave the boy a quick wave before turning around and walking up the dock towards the well-manicured lawns of his former home.
The darkness covered their movements, but even from across the gardens, she could see a light on in a room at the back of the large house. It was made of solid, polished stone and had three floors and large windows. The lawns were impeccably kept, and the scent of dozens of flowers floated from the gardens. So this place had been where he'd grown up. She wished she had time to explore the vast grounds, but Balthier did not appear happy to be there at all.
He crept up to the large set of double doors at the rear of the house and waited for her to catch up. "He always kept a stock of medicines in the house, but it's best we not try heading back for the cave until morning. We will stay here tonight. Does that bother you?"
She could hear the hesitance in his voice and wanted to pat his arm in some measure of understanding, but she could not. Ashe knew it would be hard for him to stay in the home he abandoned, but it seemed to be the only way to help Vaan and Penelo. "Yes, that is fine. But will your…is Cid at home?"
The sky pirate rolled his eyes. "I should think not. He lives at the lab. Unless he's changed in the past few years, which I highly doubt, there are only two people at home. But they keep the house in good condition. The Archadian way, you'll find. All grand estates without a soul to inhabit them but the hired help. Overblown status symbol. Anyhow, it's best you not tell these people why we're here." She nodded solemnly as he closed his eyes and took a few breaths. He opened his eyes and knocked sharply on the door.
They stood together for a few tense moments, and she noticed Balthier clenching and unclenching his fists. She now understood the looks he and Fran had exchanged before they had departed earlier that day. The sound of locks being unbolted drew her attention, and the old wooden door creaked open, warm light pouring out onto the landing. "Master Ffamran! I cannot believe it!"
The voice belonged to a frail old woman, her hair covered with a scarf and her thin form draped with a woolen shawl. She stepped forward, squinting up at Balthier with a look of utter joy on her wrinkled features. The woman held out her gnarled hands, and Ashe was stunned to see Balthier's face soften as he embraced the woman. The Princess felt like she was intruding on a very personal moment, but Balthier seemed to sense her discomfort and he moved back to stand at her side. "It is good to see you, Hestia," he remarked, and Ashe had never heard such tenderness in the sky pirate's voice before. Clearly this woman meant a lot to him.
"It's been so long. And your father never said where you went. You've had us worried sick these past few years!" the old woman cried, tears filling her eyes. "Come out of the cold now, both of you!" Balthier nodded for her to go in first, and Ashe stepped inside. It was a large kitchen, nearly devoid of the usual pots and pans that signaled habitation, but there was a fire burning and a book open on a side table. Hestia was clearly a housekeeper or caretaker. But she had called him by a different name. Balthier had not only run away from his home but his name as well.
Hestia locked the door and moved to fetch a kettle. "I will make you both some tea. Rolan should be home any moment, he'll be so happy to see you!" She shooed them over to the table and made them sit down once she had the kettle on the stove. "Where in Ivalice have you been, Master Ffamran? I was out having your judge armor polished, and by the time I came back, you'd scampered off! And your father said not a word! How long has it been?"
Balthier sighed and stared down at the table. "Four years."
The old woman brought a hand to her cheek, and Ashe understood why Balthier treated her so kindly. The woman truly loved him. "Bless me, it really has been that long. Not a day goes by that I don't think of you. I am so glad to know you are still alive. Won't your father be delighted to know!"
The sky pirate looked up sharply. "Do not tell him I was here. Under no circumstances must he know."
Where Ashe expected the old woman to be surprised, she was not. Instead, Hestia winked and set down mugs of hot tea for them both. "Our little secret then. Always figured you and he had some big falling out. You wanted to be a pilot, but he only thinks of his own advancement. Poor devil doesn't come home but once or twice a year." Clearly Hestia had no idea what sort of nefarious business preoccupied Balthier's father. The old woman sat across from them and smiled. "So I suppose I am not allowed to know what errand brings you and your…friend here tonight?"
Ashe felt a blush creep into her cheeks then at Hestia's insinuation and the old woman raised an eyebrow shrewdly. Perhaps it wasn't so strange to see "Master Ffamran" at home with a young lady? Balthier waved his hand casually. "Just in the neighborhood, you could say. Hestia, I'd like you to meet Amalia. We're pilots together in the Imperial fleet."
From the look in Hestia's eyes, Ashe knew the old woman wasn't buying it, but Balthier didn't seem to mind at all. The Princess held out her hand and was surprised at the woman's firm grip. "It's wonderful to finally see Balth…I mean, it is great to finally see where he grew up." Her verbal slip did not go unnoticed, but Hestia smiled warmly.
"It is good to have visitors, Amalia. House Bunansa is as quiet as a tomb these days. Well, I won't keep you from your business, Master Ffamran. I shall go make up rooms for you. Hopefully it won't be too dusty. Would you prefer your old room, sir?" Hestia inquired. Balthier nodded, and the woman bowed politely. She moved over to him and placed a hand on his cheek. "It is truly a miracle that you are here," she whispered and headed off, her slow shuffling footsteps trailing off.
Balthier watched Hestia walk away, and Ashe could only describe him as heartbroken. He turned to face her, and she was surprised to see that his eyes were slightly wet. He coughed then, rubbing a hand over his eyes, and he stood up from his seat. "More tea?" he asked, and she shook her head. He deposited his cup in the sink, and she truly felt like she was intruding. He cleared his throat. "We'll have a much nicer evening than Vaan and Penelo. Better make up some story about monsters or robbers while we sleep on real mattresses with chocobo down blankets tonight."
Ashe smiled in return and rose from the seat. "Do I get the grand tour?" she asked gently as he took her teacup from her and placed it in the sink beside his own.
He smiled genuinely and began walking out of the kitchen. "Sure. Self-guided only," he teased, waving his hand around. She followed him into a large hall, a beautiful staircase with marble steps leading to an upper floor in the center of the room. "Enjoy your tour. I'll have Hestia draw you a bath. I'll be hunting around for the salve." He trudged up the stairs, and she watched the way his hand lingered on the banisters and the way his eyes drifted to the paintings on the walls.
The hall was very austere in comparison to the warmer kitchen, and she decided to do a bit of exploring. Most of the doors on the ground floor were locked, but one door off the hall was not. Hestia had probably been in there earlier since there was a fire burning, and the room had been recently dusted. There were shelves and shelves full to bursting with large books, and Ashe was reminded of the library at the palace in Rabanastre. Her eyes were almost immediately drawn to the mantle over the fireplace that carried nearly a dozen model airships. She moved to touch one of them when she noticed the large painting that hung over the mantle.
It was clearly a family portrait, and it reminded the Princess of all the official portraits she had sat for in her youth. In the center, a woman was seated in a chair. She was rather lovely and had light brown hair that fell to her shoulders. She had round, rosy cheeks and although she wasn't smiling widely, Ashe recognized the grin as one that Balthier so often wore. On the left side of the woman was a man that was the spitting image of Balthier, but on the heavier side. The man, obviously Balthier's father, had a dark beard and spectacles, but the same lighter hair color that Balthier had. His eyes were sharp and intelligent, and his hand was lovingly perched on the woman's shoulder. It was hard to believe that such a friendly looking man was the nethicite-obsessed person Balthier had warned her about.
Ashe then had to bite back the smile that was threatening to spread across her entire face as she studied the third person in the portrait, a boy of no more than seven or eight years. The eyes were as shrewd as his father's and he had his mother's amused grin. He had one hand perched on his mother's shoulder in clear imitation of his father and the other hung at his side. The trio seemed to be sharing some private joke that the portrait viewer could not be privy to. "A very different time."
The Princess jumped at Hestia's voice, but she relaxed as the older woman approached. Hestia reached up a hand and let her fingers drift over young Balthier's painted image. "Even then, you knew Ffamran was going to be something special." Ashe remained quiet as Hestia gazed up at the portrait with longing. Her hand moved over to the image of Balthier's mother. "Going on ten years now. She was so full of life…he never did seem to understand it." The Princess didn't know if Hestia meant Balthier or his father.
There was a noise of a door opening out in the hall, and Hestia moved away. "That will be my husband. Your bath is ready, dear. Just ask Ffamran where it is." Ashe nodded and watched the woman walk slowly out. She turned back to gaze at the portrait on the wall and an overwhelming feeling of sadness crept into her bones.
The hall was empty when she emerged from the room, and she took the stairs up to the second floor. The floors upstairs were lushly carpeted and beautiful paintings lined the walls between each doorway. "Balthier?" she called quietly, hoping to not alert Hestia downstairs.
He emerged from a room at the end of the hall. "Ah, sorry. I hope you had fun. I'm still working on the salve." He approached her and opened a door close by. "This way." She followed him into an impeccably kept room with a large four-poster bed, a vanity, and its own washroom. Ashe could smell something floral coming from the washroom, and Balthier grinned. "Bet you haven't had a proper lavender bath in a while, Princess. Well, I'll leave you to it. I'm just across the hall if you need anything. I told Hestia not to bother with breakfast in the morning, but don't be surprised if she's in here with eggs and toast at the crack of dawn."
She held the door frame of the washroom as he retreated, and she desperately wanted to call him back. But she was too late, and he'd already departed, the door clicking shut behind him. She couldn't help but think of her other companions spending the night in the damp cave, and as she enjoyed the warm lavender bath, she felt incredibly guilty. But it felt so good to soak in the tub, and she decided to enjoy the luxury. Hestia had left a silk nightgown and a thick cotton robe for her, and Ashe truly felt pampered. She had not enjoyed such things since everything had turned upside down in her world. She imagined that Balthier was having a similar experience.
Ashe sat at the vanity and ran the comb Hestia had set out through her hair. Her eyes caught on a small frame turned face down, and she picked it up. Her heart sank as she saw the same woman in the portrait downstairs, but her full cheeks had sunken heavily and she looked incredibly tired. The artist had chosen to portray her as she truly looked. Her face was still warm and had the characteristic grin, but it appeared that his mother knew the joke was on her this time around. She was only joined by one person in the portrait, her son. Balthier was tall and mostly arms and legs at that point, and he wore a dark military like uniform, probably from whatever school he had attended. It must have been the last picture of his mother before she passed. Where his hand had rested on her shoulder in the other picture, he now seemed to be gripping tightly, as if he already knew what was to come. And his friendly face was now neutral and seemingly wiser than any twelve or thirteen year old boy's face should have been.
She picked up the frame and brought it with her. This house was probably full of memories for Balthier, and some part of her thought that he needn't spend this night by his lonesome. She couldn't imagine spending a night at the palace alone after all she'd lost, so perhaps he needed some measure of comfort. Clutching the frame against the robe, she padded into the hallway and listened at each door for Balthier. She heard some muttered curses coming from one room, and she knocked gently.
When he didn't answer, she let herself in quietly. This had apparently been Dr. Cid's study as there were scattered notes everywhere, dozens of books piled high on the floor, and vials of various liquids still in their stands on the tables. Hestia did not frequent this room as often as there was a fine layer of dust on top of everything. Balthier was nowhere to be seen, but she could hear him fumbling with something in a storage room just behind a large bookcase.
His voice called out in a mildly irritated tone. "I am not skin and bones, Hestia. I don't need anything. Bring that to Amalia, alright?" He wandered back into the room and was rather startled to see her. "Oh, sorry," he stammered, and he seemed to stare a bit longer than she thought was appropriate. And then she realized that she had just wandered about his home in a dressing gown. He looked at her curiously. "Something wrong?"
"Oh," she mumbled, feeling embarrassed at interrupting. "No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to see if you needed any help."
He sighed and sat down in his father's chair, a cloud of dust flying up at the movement. "He changed the combination. I don't know why I thought he wouldn't. Must be the only reason he comes home."
She walked over and sat on the corner of the desk facing him. "What combination?"
Balthier rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "To his stores of medicines and poisons and all that. It's going to take me hours to listen for the clicks. No one but my father would have a fourteen number combination!" She was about to smile until she saw his face fall, clearly kicking himself internally for referring to Dr. Cid as his father. She'd gotten the impression from their conversation on the Phon Coast that the nethicite-crazed scientist who worked at Draklor was not the same man, at least in Balthier's estimation.
She didn't know what to say, so she moved off the desk to set a hand on his shoulder. He moved to seemingly avoid her pity, but his eyes caught the frame in her hand. She wanted to hide it behind her back, knowing it would probably bring him even worse memories, but it was too late. "Where'd you find this?" he inquired.
"On the vanity in the other room," she answered. His fingers trailed over her hand as he pried the frame away from her, and her skin tingled at his touch. She watched him turn the picture over and saw his mouth quirk up slightly at the sight of his mother. He didn't seem as upset as she thought he'd be.
He traced the curve of his mother's face with his finger and smiled. "That sure was an awkward stage. It took me quite a while to grow into those long skinny legs."
She stood beside him and clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. "The artists at the palace were far kinder to me in my adolescence. I look like a miniature adult in most of my official portraits."
"I'd love to see those," he remarked quietly. "Only fair after you saw this sorry excuse for a leading man. Let's just say I was a leading man in training in those days. Damned uniform didn't do me any favors either." His fingers had not yet moved from his mother's image, and she was surprised that he was letting her witness this other side of him.
"I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll let you be," she mumbled, but he caught her hand before she could move away. He let his fingers move from the portrait to intertwine with hers. His eyes drifted up to look at her.
"Thank you for bringing this," he said, setting the picture down on the desk. He gave her hand a squeeze and rose from the seat. Clearing his throat, he seemed to realize that they were standing a bit close, but he didn't move away. "I can't believe Hestia gave you my old robe. I thought it was a bit long on you."
"What?" she sputtered, looking down at the cotton robe. He gave her a gentle poke just over her breast, and she was about to protest when she noticed the initials F.B. stitched onto a pocket there. "Oh."
Balthier chuckled. "Ffamran's not exactly a tough name for a pirate." He put his arm around her shoulder jovially and led her to the storage room. "Come on, you can give me a hand with this combination."
Working together and taking turns listening for clicks in the lock, they were able to get the room open within the hour. There were several shelves full of tiny vials labeled with some nearly unintelligible scrawl, and Balthier sighed. "Mother always wanted him to take a penmanship refresher, but Rozarria and Archadia would sign an eternal peace treaty before Cid Bunansa would be broken from his routine."
She grinned. "What are we looking for?"
He looked down at her in surprise. "Shouldn't you get some sleep? It could take hours. I don't want to deprive Her Majesty of her beauty sleep. You're awfully grouchy in the morning."
Ashe snorted and shoved her way past him. The room was very tight, and there was only about the breadth of Balthier's shoulders in width between the shelves. She moved to the farther end of the room since she was smaller and could maneuver easier there. "Just tell me what the salve is called, Balthier. I'm sure Vaan and Penelo would appreciate our haste in this matter."
He chuckled at her and his eyes began scanning the shelves just above him. "Unguentum Sochenis, I think. Something like that. Never paid a bit of attention in courses that weren't about airships or mechanics, I'm afraid."
She nodded and repeated it to herself, whispering it again and again as she surveyed the shelves. It looked like a cockatrice had scratched the lettering onto the various vials and jars, and her eyes were already straining by the third shelf. On the fourth shelf she found something that might match the words Balthier had said. She pulled the jar from the shelf and held it out to the sky pirate. "Unguentum Sochenis?"
He moved over and instead of taking the jar from her, he simply grabbed her wrist and held it up, examining the jar's label. She felt her hand grow a bit sweaty at his closeness, and she begged every deity she could name that she wouldn't be foolish enough to drop it. "Could be," he mumbled, pointing to the label with his finger. "If that's a t and not a d like it looks like. What do you think?"
She pulled her wrist down a bit and held the jar up closer. "It could be a t," she reasoned, "and is that Sochenis or…" Ashe had raised her eyes to his only to find that he was staring at her intently. She tightened her grip on the jar and held on for dear life as Balthier leaned forward and closed the space between them, his lips brushing softly against hers. He moved his other hand to her waist and pulled her against him, and she kissed him back eagerly as she got over her initial shock.
He pulled the jar from her hand and set it down on the shelf roughly and pushed her back against the farthest shelf, the movement rattling all of the vials in the case. He held her face in his hands, and she wrapped her arms around him, and she wondered why it felt so right to be doing this with him and at this particular moment in time. He moved to slip a hand inside the robe, causing her to jump back against the shelf in surprise at his enthusiasm. The sound of several vials tipping over drew a laugh from them both, breaking them apart. Ashe struggled to catch her breath, and Balthier leaned his forehead against hers. "You have no idea how glad I am that you came instead of Basch."
She laughed again and pushed him away from her. "I don't think Basch would have fit in the bathrobe."
He groaned loudly and moved to pick up the jar from the shelf. "That is the last thing I wanted to picture in my mind right now, Princess. So thank you for that." They moved out of the room, and he held the jar up to a lamp in the office. "Unguentum Sochenis. Good eye." They just stared at each other for a few moments, and she wanted nothing more than to continue what they had started. But he seemed to read her mind. "I know, I know. Bloody awful timing. I'm sorry."
"I'm not," she replied, and she knew in her heart that she meant it. She'd borne witness to a very different side of the man she traveled with, and though she'd been smitten with Balthier the sky pirate for some time, she realized that Balthier the man was far more appealing. Ashe knew that she wouldn't get to see much of that once they rejoined the others the next day, and it saddened her.
He set the jar down and moved back to her, settling his palm against her cheek. "Thank you for coming with me." She leaned up to kiss him, but he smiled and held her back. "You're going to sleep before I take my damn robe off you." He turned her around and pushed her out the door and across the hall. "Just think of how Vaan and Penelo are suffering. Think of how bored Fran must be with only the Captain to talk to!"
She chuckled and tugged him down to her anyway. They broke apart at the sound of footsteps on the stairs down the hall, and she opened the door to her room. "Good night." He gave her a wink and hurried down to chat with Hestia. She closed the door and leaned back against it, knowing that she had probably just added a solid ton of complexity to her already difficult journey. Shaking her head, she settled in for the night, enjoying the comforts of a real bed for the first time in ages.
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"Amalia, dear. Something to eat!" Hestia's voice rang clear through the room, and Ashe sat up. The woman was already setting down several plates full of food. "Take your time eating. Ffamran always takes ages getting ready in the morning, always has." Hestia moved over to stand near the bed and gave her a conspiratorial grin. "Just between you and me, that boy is a bit stuck on himself."
She laughed. "He certainly is. And thank you so much for everything." Hestia bowed kindly and departed. Ashe surveyed the delicious looking breakfast that the old woman had prepared, and her first thoughts were of her companions back in the cave, only bread and cheese for them to eat. Ashe did her best to wrap some of the food in some handkerchiefs she found in the room and added them to her rucksack. Hopefully Hestia wouldn't notice or care too much. She ate her fill and dressed for the day.
Balthier was just emerging from his room when she came out, and he beamed when he saw her. "Good morning, Princess." She felt her cheeks redden, and she wondered how on Ivalice they'd be able to hide their evolving relationship from the rest of their party. He greeted her with a kiss and a wink. "May as well while we still can, yes?" He held out the salve, and she added it to the rucksack. He gripped her hand in his as they descended the stairs. Balthier took one last glance around the large hall and smiled. "Our little toothless friend is waiting."
They moved into the kitchen, and he paused. "She'll be furious with me, but can I leave some of that gil for Hestia and Rolan? It's too bad you didn't get to meet him…he's got a lot of great stories." She held the rucksack out, and he took a few pouches of gil and left it on the table along with a note he must have written during the night. He leaned down to kiss her once more, and she had to force herself to break apart from him. He smiled again and gave her nose a tap with his finger. "We're going to have to figure something out."
The Princess and the pirate walked the path back down to the docks, and Ashe was awed by how beautiful the gardens and lawns were during the day. It was a truly stunning estate, and it was a shame that no one lived there to really enjoy it. Their boatman was eagerly awaiting them on their arrival, and he paddled them back to the slums quickly. Balthier gave him 10,000 gil as promised, and Ashe finally understood why Balthier had been so insistent about bringing so much of the group's money. As they walked back to the cave entrance, he told her that the 10,000 would also buy the boy's silence.
The journey back through the caves was very difficult, and she noticed that Balthier stood rather close to her while they battled fiends. He'd definitely have to cut down on that if he didn't want Basch to grow suspicious. They finally reached the rest of their group, and Ashe was cheered to see that Vaan and Penelo had managed to fall asleep. Fran greeted them, and the Princess opened the bag to pass around some of the food Hestia had prepared. The Viera raised her eyebrows, and Balthier nodded. Basch did not question the food's origin, and he ate heartily.
Vaan and Penelo seemed to smell the food as well, and they rose. The welts from the water had not swollen thanks to the large pile of empty potion bottles that littered the entire floor of the cave. Balthier tossed Vaan the jar of salve, and he and Penelo nearly knocked each other over digging the slippery cream out to slather it on their reddened skin. "So how'd you guys get this?" Vaan asked as he rubbed the cool cream on his face.
Ashe looked down at the sky pirate in a panic, and luckily, Balthier was a skilled liar. "An old friend…or so I thought! 15,000 gil for the salve and then another 5,000 to sleep on the floor of his filthy hovel. You better appreciate the suffering the Princess and I endured to get that stuff!" Vaan and Penelo began thanking them profusely, and Balthier gave her a wink. The Princess bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, remembering the soft sheets and lavender bath she'd enjoyed last night, amongst other things.
Fran seemed to notice the charged interactions between her and Balthier, and she looked amused. Luckily enough, Basch was still eating and did not seem to catch Balthier's lie. Ashe watched the children's pained faces turn to smiles once again, and despite the hardships that lay ahead, she knew she wasn't facing them alone.