A/N: Hello once again! I thank you all for the reviews thus far. I understand if this story seems to start out kind of slow, but I just needed to give a proper background for whats going on. Things are going to kick into high gear very soon!
Chapter Two
The Sandsea was just as busy tonight as it was any other night. The 'who's who' of the clans and the gangs were all there, showing off the things they bought from their latest payout. Sky pirates took up space at the bar, talking over one another while drinking mug after mug of Rabanastre Draft. Made men sat at their respective tables, conversing among themselves on topics from family, to who needed to be 'whacked'. The Nasty Bangaa Band provided the musical entertainment, playing a popular jazz tune everyone knew. Tobacco smoke lingered in the atmosphere, creating a foggy visual effect mixed in with the natural low lighting of the room. Casual civilians took to the dance floor, swinging the night away. The place was the same as Balthier had left it. He and Fran navigated their way through the crowd, after coming in through the back. That was the entrance used by those with 'special privileges'. Balthier made not have been a made man, but his exploits as a sky pirate and his way with words had placed him high on the popularity scale. For the occasion, Fran wore a curvy backless black dress, which naturally enhanced her already enchanting features. Balthier personally picked it out for her which she found both predictable and thoughtful.
Finding their way to the bar, Balthier and Fran sat down where they saw Tomaj behind the counter. They watched the man serve a couple of drinks before saying anything. Balthier took out a gil, flipped it into the air and watched as it landed in the Dalmascan rum Tomaj had in his hands.
"I think I'll have that for tonight my good man," he proclaimed, while adjusting his hat.
The skinny club owner turned to Balthier, shaking his head. "Somethings never change huh?"
Balthier shook his head. "If they did, then what would be the point of anything?"
"Touche." Tomaj handed him the drink.
"Hey!" shouted an angry (and kind of drunk) patron. "That was mine!"
Baltheir placed a hand on his neighbor's shoulder. "How about the rest of your drinks are on me for the rest of the night? There's no point in two civilized humes fighting one another."
The man paused, his red eyes trying to formulate some kind of clarity. "Gnh, fine."
Balthier patted the man on his back. "You made a smart decision my fellow drinker. Tomaj! Drinks for my newest comrade!"
"Sure thing." Tomaj relayed the news to one of his bartenders and then gestured for Balthier and Fran to follow him. "Come with me to my office, we'll discuss business there."
Balthier picked up his glass, and handed to Fran. "Hold on to this. My performance requires for me to have free hands."
Fran rolled her eyes. "Whatever will you do without me?"
"That's the spirit." Balthier stood up, and followed Tomaj with Fran in tow. As they started to walk, Balthier methodically arranged his hands in variety of ways from adjusting his hat, fixing his suit, and playing with his cufflinks.
They traveled through the kitchen and into a small hallway with the back exit on one end and Tomaj's office on the other. Inside the office, Tomaj sat behind a desk filled with a mess of papers. Balthier and Fran sat in the two velvet seats in front of the desk. After clearing the area, Tomaj leaned forward and smiled.
"How are you holding up my friend?"
"Pretty good, considering one of the underworld's most powerful bosses is trying to capture me," Balthier took back his glass and continued his drinking. "Please tell me you have something for me. A hunt, some freelance work...something."
Tomaj shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know if I have anything at the moment, Balthier. I must admit, its kinda surprising to see you struggling like this. But then again, if you're on the run, then it would be hard for anyone to make a living. This reminds me..." Tomaj's face became serious. "The Boss' men are in town. They were even here tonight, asking around for you. Since many of these gangs are tired of The Boss' iron grip, nobody has said a peep. To be honest, there are those who want to take him out of the picture. The only problem is nobody knows who he is, or where his base of operations is located."
Balthier stared at a painting of the Rabnastre skyline on the wall. "Well as you know, I need three million gil as soon as possible. Hopefully, when I finally give it to The Boss, he'll keep me alive."
Tomaj tilted his head to the side. "How did your father end up owing The Boss that much money?"
Balthier sighed. "He claims that he was funding my father for a secret project involving Nethicite. His men wouldn't give me the exact details, but it kinda makes sense since he supposedly died from Nethicite poisoning..."
"Well if any hunts come up or a job that needs to be done, you'll be the first to know. Things would have been much easier if you still had the Strahl. Most jobs these days involve some kind of long distance transportation." Tomaj looked at Fran. "Now she on the other, she could make a killing on her own..."
Fran's glare intimidated the club owner into changing the subject.
"I'll hook you up with a residence for as long as you're staying here. You know, the castle is throwing a ball tomorrow night. It'll give you the chance to unwind, and stay away from this area for a little while. I can get you in, even though you'll have to go under an alias."
"A little role playing eh? I think I can take a fancy towards that. What do you say Fran?" For the first time today, Balthier's spirit seemed to be lifted. And of course, Fran wouldn't disappoint.
"Just as long as you don't introduce me as your faithful concubine."
"Darling, the situation called for an explanation."
"If you wasn't so busy trying to stare up my dress while claiming to be fixing my stockings, we wouldn't have never gotten into that mess."
Bathier grinned. "You remembered. This means I made quite an impression on you."
"Oh you made an impression alright..."
Balthier turned to Tomaj. "Count us in," he said. "A little dancing and mingling will do us some good."
And some good old fashioned 'borrowing'...
Vaan and Penelo made their way to Migelo's shop, satisfied with today's earnings. Due to the upcoming ball, there were plenty of potential customers in town, preparing for Princess Ashelia's appearance after two years of seclusion. 'Lower class' citizens such as themselves barely saw any important figures of Dalmasca anyhow, but you know things are sour when the upper class citizens don't even get a glimpse of the princess. Vaan could relate to the princess' sorrow; he lost his brother Reks to The Ivalice War. If it wasn't for Penelo and little Kytes, he would've shut himself from the world completely. Their support created a great amount of enthusiasm in Vaan. Every day he trained his body to get stronger, everyday he found ways (both legally and illegally) to put money in his pocket. He even affored to buy himself and Penelo some shoes of decent quality.
Migelo did what he could to help the children earn their keep, but he was a busy bangaa with ties to the government. In fact, Migelo was preparing to cater the royal ball tomorrow. While the castle had its own chefs and supplies, Migelo was a natural when it came to organizing a party. He was also a one of a kind chef, whose recipes few could replicate.
Vaan and Penelo entered the back of the store, where Migelo was busy going over a couple of papers. The two newsies stood in the doorway until the older bangaa finally looked up.
"Vaan, Penelo" he greeted. "Just the people I wanted to see."
"Really?" Excitement began to well up inside of Penelo as she and Vaan entered the room.
"You have another one of your errands for us to run?" Vaan sighed at the prospect of having yet another minor task for him to do, especially one that required him to travel across town.
Migelo paid no attention to Vaan's attitude. "Why on the contrary, Vaan. Two of my men called out sick for tomorrow event, so I'm going to need some extra hands..."
Penelo thought she was going to faint. "You mean we get to go to the palace! I must be dreaming!"
Migelo laughed. "Dreaming you are not little one. I have already picked out some proper clothing for the two of you to wear. Try them on, and tell me what you think." Migelo handed each one a pair of identical clothing.
Penelo unfolded the outfit and saw that it was a white button shirt with a black bow tie and black skirt. Vaan had a similar one with black pants. Both outfits came with a black vest.
"So basically we're waiters?" Vaan raised an eyebrow.
"Don't be so negative!" Penelo slapped Vaan lightly on the shoulder. "Migelo, we'll be honored to come to the palace with you!"
Migelo cracked a smile. "I knew the two of you wouldn't disappoint me. Kytes told me that the two of you sold out your newspapers today. You two take the night off, as well as tomorrow morning. That will give you a chance to unwind a bit before the ball.
Vaan shrugged his shoulders. "I can deal with that. I'll just practice my sword fi-"
"Vaan!" Penelo shouted, with her hands on her hips. "Don't tell me you're going down to the sewers again! You know how dangerous it is! And on top of that, you're walking around with a sword you don't have a license for!"
"Shes right," agreed Migelo. "The last thing you want is to get in trouble with the police."
"I'm not going to get into trouble for anything!" Vaan yelled. He then gave Penelo a look for ratting him out. "And for your information, I know how to take care of myself!" With that said, Vaan walked out of Migelo's office.
Penelo was quiet for a moment before saying anything. "He can get a little touchy sometimes."
Migel shook his head slowly. "Hume boys all want to grow up too fast. That's why they die young."
Penelo sighed. "I hope he doesn't become one of them..."
The clanging of sword upon sword could be heard throughout the west wing of Rabanastre palace. For nearly two hours Ashe and Basch was sparring without taking a break. This was a test of Ashe's endurance and will power, to see if she can hold her own against the toughest of opponent's for an extended period of time. Ashe was Basch's finest student, as well as one of his most challenging opponents. Basch felt this training created a positive outlet for Ashe to release her stress and forget about her anxieties. He was glad she was recovering from her dual loss, and hoped Rasler and the king blessed him for his involvement. If the senate didn't take over, Ashe would be queen, which was something he would've preferred. He didn't like the senate and their political ways, always making behind the door deals when it came to the business of Dalmasca and her people. Ashe's rule would have given the kingdom integrity, something that hasn't been seen since her father.
After practice, the two sat down next to each other, catching their breaths. Basch watched Ashe from the corner of his eye. She was exceptionally beautiful, even after a sweaty sword duel with her brown hair mashed to her face. Like Ashe, Basch preferred the sword, though he was an excellent marksman. In The Ivalice War his rank was captain, and after the war he stepped down from the position to personally ensure the safety of the princess. So far he didn't have to do that much protection, with the exception of Ashe's imagination when it came to outside these palace walls. She wanted to travel unconventionally; walk the world like some kind of vagrant. She wanted to converse among the locals, and observe the sky pirates and the rest of the riffraff. She wanted to experience what she called 'true freedom'. He could understand why she felt this way, but it wasn't in her responsibilities to leave her people in such a way. He told her as much and surprisingly enough she didn't protest. That's what he admired about his favorite student: she always listened.
"Basch," Ashe began, after putting down her towel. "If you were in position to, would you marry me?"
Embarrassment struck the Landis native like a lightning bolt. "P-princess!" he began to stutter, his face turning red. "I could never do such a thing! It's not right to-"
"Calm down 'Sir Loyal Knight of My Late Father and Husband'" Ashe giggled. "I was only asking a hypothetical question. I know where you stand on the subject. Personally, I view you too much like a brother to even imagine such a thing. But, if it meant that I wouldn't end up with someone like say...Emperor Vayne, would you do it?"
Basch was quiet for a long time before he decided on his answer. "Princess," he began. "I would do whatever it takes to ensure the safety and integrity of you and the people of Dalmasca. Vayne probably desires your hand in marriage in order to annex our land. I always felt he was more like his father than anything. The senate is probably suggesting such a thing because of the pay out Vayne promised. I don't know if such a thing is true, but it wouldn't surprise men if it was. Do not worry about such trivial things at the moment. We are now in a state of peace; enjoy it while it lasts."
Ashe nodded. Any day they could go to war with Archadia, or any other nation that wants to pick at their injured state. Dalmasca had to remain strong, and she had to show her people how to do such. For that, she thanked Basch for reminding her as such.
"You ready to go again?"
Basch laughed. "Princess, with stamina like that, you would have been the perfect soldier."
"Either that or make one lucky man very happy..."
Ashe giggled again when she saw Basch's face turn tomato red. She could get used to this whole embarrassment thing.
A/N: With all this teasing of potential Balthier/Fran and Basch/Ashe, you may be wondering when some actual Balthier/Ashe will come into play? Well, look no further than the next chapter!