Disclaimer: I own nothing. Plus the idea of Reks banning Penelo from whoring herself came from Qwi-Xux (i hope you dont mind )

A/N: Do people still read this? Oh well. Anyways, the reason this is up a day early is also the same reason why this chapter is filled with a bit more wangst than usual. Tsk. I'd switched shifts with my co-worker last week and was supposed to take over her shift today this morning. Blew it. My employer had to ring me up and demanded (albeit in a very nice way) where the hell I was.

I feel so bummed. and sigh I see her tomorrow. Yippee...

So yup, Misery loves company and this became my own pity party. D

Oh and before I forget,

Oreo cookies and milk for my wonderful reviewers: Qwi-xux and VTD.

Ps. Strawberry Peak Freans to whoever can identify the monster in 'Her Knight' ;D

Reservoir of Regret

The scuffles are occurring more and more often lately. Penelo purses her lips in concentration as she cleaned the wound. The patient's brow knit together and Vaan gives a pained hiss when she finally manages to yank the last sliver of glass out of his sides. He grunts his thanks and she casts a quick cure spell to numb the pain first before working on stitching and bandaging the cuts as quickly as possible. A clammy hand weaves clumsily into hers and startled, she grasps it back as if it were a lifeline.

And as she tucks the blankets closer to his shivering body she tries to once again convince herself that this is necessary to survive. She knows it's sickening but this has become her weekly ritual and every night she prays Vaan won't hold it against her. She only wishes she hadn't promised Reks so hastily when he banned her from 'dancing' in the streets for gil all those years ago.

Our Daily Schedule

Vaan stared at the ceiling, shifting to find a more comfortable position on the rickety bunk. The once rhythmic thrum of the ship's engine was now deafening and he hadn't a clue why. All he knew was that he was awake and extremely bored. Frustrated, he swivelled round, his eyes --already adjusted to the dim light—quickly coming to rest on the snoring form of his partner in crime in the bunk below. But before he could so much as stick out his foot she cracked open an eye and grinned.

"So you wanna sneak into Balthier's room and swap his shower gel with hair wax again?"

Wraith

It seemed her life was bleeding away, and for all of Penelo's hysterical pleas, she couldn't seem to force a spark of recognition back into her mother's face. Unlike the others who died immediately after becoming infected, the plague had crept slowly upon Sadrin. It wasn't until she'd collapsed one night at the bottom of the stairwell that the two realized numbly Penelo's mother had contracted the fatal disease and by then it was too late, the delirious attacks followed immediately the morning after, leaving behind the wasted shell wheezing before them now. Her face was ashen, her cheeks sallow, her eyes blank and her breath short as her fist clenched weakly at her sides.

Penelo closed her eyes. She needed to scream, kick some doors, cause some damage. Anything! She felt so many emotions she thought she would burst from containing it all. Vaan pressed his hands against his friend's heaving shoulders as sobs began to wrack her thin frame. "Penelo," he breathed, his frightened gaze seeking her tear-glazed eyes.

The only response he got was silence, and beneath them, Sadrin lay dying.

Awkward First Times

When Ashe breezes into the ship's storage and finds the two canoodling orphans meshed up together on the side of the wall (both making wet sucking sounds at that), she stares impassively down at their looks of embarrassed horror, grabs the mop and pivots wordlessly out the door. They both blink.

"Now, where were we?"

Inconvenient Habits

Because Penelo doesn't approve of anything associated with the profession of pick pocketing –especially since nowadays Vaan's always trying to test the limits by exclusively harassing the imperial guards – she approaches said thief in Lowtown, with a long list of complaints and possible bribery. Except that when she does, she catches Vaan as he's handing out several pieces of sweets to the younger orphans and finds that the look of absolute adoration on the children's face as they suck greedily away at their candies kills all the words she'd planned to have with him before they can even leave her throat.

And Forgive Us For Our Trespasses

The fact that Fran is chuckling at him with such unrestrained amusement is the only thing – well, that and possible rebukes from Ashe– that keeps Balthier from ending the two sniggering teens' life right now, as horrified, he stares at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and discovers that ribbons and braids are so not his style.

Her Knight

Vaan is very protective of the things he considers his own, few as those things are in the world.

Penelo has always been one of those few things, though the blonde would protest if confronted with the fact out loud.

But the truth is the truth, and Vaan admits that it's just the way he is, how he always will be.

So he steps in front of the attack like it's the most natural thing in the world.

Later, after Basch has pulled out all the needles, bandaged him up all nice and neat and Balthier's finished laughing himself hoarse, the dancer finds her big overprotective idiot and cuffs him over the head, saying, "Next time, just tell me to duck, dummy."

Boys Need Leashes

Penelo always prided herself for being the non-jealous type but when Kytes barges into Migelo's one morning, eyes wide and mouth agape, she finds herself disturbed at how quickly she saw red and how easy it is to simply reach out, twist Vaan's ear and say, "I'm sorry, but what's this I hear about you hugging some older chick in the waterways?'

We are Celebrities

When they spy their first Wanted poster he feels like it's his coming of age, he's finally crossed the threshold from boy to man. Vaan ogles reverently at the familiar faces staring back behind the glossy sheen and feels his heart accelerate with the sheer exhilaration of their find. He sneaks a peek at Penelo and the emotion increases ten folds when he sees her face split into the biggest grin ever, her eyes bright with delight. They've finally achieved their goal, their dream, to become respected, mature, memb-

"Yes, I knew it!" she crows. "My reward is bigger."

"What!"

Drowning in Quiet

If someone had told her she'd be her now, she would've laughed it off as impossible; things like this did not happen to Rabanastre orphans. She was certain of that.

But here she was, leaning over the sickbed and tending to the only person left she'd ever call family slip further into deliriousness. The venom was spreading and fast. She'd need to dress his wounds stat then quickly bundle him up in all sorts of garments to sweat out the poison.

When she's done, she carefully tucks the salve away and flits anxiously around the cot, gently sponging his damp forehead. And despite her great relief to see him drifted off, his breathing is still shallow and already, dark purple bruises are beginning to form underneath his eyes. Immediately her eyes well up. Penelo blinks the moisture away furiously because Vaan's always complaining how he hates the sound of her crying the most but somehow the tears kept on coming.

She hates the silence.