"You have many scars." It was a simple statement, one she gave a few days after their last talk. Ashe had hoped perhaps three days would have proven enough time for him to sort his thoughts. After all, she had never claimed to be patient.
They were together, yet not. Was it wrong of her to want to know more about him?
"And you have very few," he replied lazily, running idle patterns with his fingers across her bare chest. He had left her right after less often, instead choosing to remain next to her after they made love. She was convinced it had to do with him knowing she had grown to… well, she would not admit that again, not until he was ready, and gods was it taking him a while to make up his mind. As he propped himself up on his side, he continued. "Tell me about yours."
"My scars?" Ashe asked, turning her head to look him in the eyes.
He nodded. "You see, Princess, each scar is a souvenir, a little reminder of an incident in the past. Start with this one." His fingers brushed across a small mark on her should shaped slightly like a triangle.
Ashe reached up and touched it herself. "I had to be about seven or eight. I thought I could make friends with a new chocobo in the stables. I refused to give up, and it made its dislike of me clear."
Balthier chuckled softly. "Stubborn even as a child." His hands ran down her arm to her wrist, where a long scar ran horizontally. "And this one?"
"Ghis… made my cuffs special. A large glass shard caused that."
"That bastard…" his voice was growl.
Ashe shook his hand off her wrist and took it in hers. "It doesn't matter anymore." She took his hand and placed it on a scar she though would've been the first he asked of: the thin line on her inner thigh. "This was from Rasler, and no it wasn't anything like that. We had been sparring and he tripped and the sword caught my leg."
"I was planning on getting to that one…I just hadn't planned on tracing it with my hands." Balthier's eyes shone. "As for Rasler…Was he always accidently falling into you?" he asked with a smirk. "Because I cannot imagine your sure footed battle trained prince 'accidently' losing his footings. Did his face land in your chest?"
Ashe gave no answer, just raised an eyebrow. "That was my last scar. Now it's your turn." She waited for him to lie across the bed, then positioned herself. Her fingers danced across his collar bone, where a red circle normally hid behind a large collar. "What caused this?"
"Childhood illness. Some version of a pox, I believe. I seemed to too often scratch at that spot, and it remained when the others faded."
"Then what of this one?" Her fingers grazed lightly over the faint 'x' on his chest, a scar that had long captured her interest.
"That is... Not so pleasant a memory."
Ashe didn't press it, instead moving to the next scar.
"And what of this one?" Her finger traced a mark on the front his lower thigh.
"That is from a very angry dog of one Lady Lucile, who did not appreciate my skills as a thief." The pirate flipped himself over, knowing many of his scars were on his back.
Ashe laughed lightly. "And this one?" She traced a scar from his lower back to his shoulder blades.
"That," Balthier chuckled, "is from Lady Lucile. And yes, it was something like that."
At that, Ashe puckered her lips. "Hmmmph."
"What? Princess… come now, you knew there were a plethora of other women in my life. Don't tell me this is upsetting to you."
"Of course not." Her tone was cooler than she intended. "I just think that if she is allowed to leave a 'souvenir' I should be able to."
Balthier rolled to his side. "Ashe…"
"It's fine."
"If it helps, Lucile was not even that interesting… it got me out of theft charges and that's all it was."
She shook her head and continued, her fingernails digging a bit too hard into his skin. "This one?" She pressed down on his shoulder blade.
Balthier sighed. "It's from the same event as the one on my chest… they're from my father."
Her eyes widened, and she gently placed a light kiss on the mark. She did not know his father, but if she ever met him…
He seemed far off for a few moments. "I think, perhaps, I will need to tell you about him… my past… I think then… we can discuss exactly what this is and what it's become. I know that's what you want, and the time you've given is most appreciated, but it's not the right time to share. Until then… do not mention or inquire about it. It would mean a lot to me if you did that."
Secrets once again… he had said not everyone had secrets like his. What in his past hurt him so?
"I think I can do that. Now… I still wish to leave a mark on you."
His eyes widened and he smirked knowing she was trying to lighten the mood, for which he was grateful. "I hadn't pinned you for-"
"I was thinking a different sort of mark." She climbed onto him, and her lips began to suck on his skin.
"Oh, you wish to mark me that way? Just make sure you keep it where Basch won't see."
"Basch could literally walk in here while we were stark naked, like now, and it a situation such as this and still have his doubts we were having sex."
"He just doesn't want to believe it, more like. But enough talk of Basch… I fear anymore would kill the mood."
With that, Ashe began leaving her mark on the pirate, and by the end he had left his mark on her as well.