A/N: Ah another chapter. This is pretty much just me being mean to Balthier and using Fran to do my dirty work. Toward the end I came up with why Balthier constantly refers to himself as the leading man, but it turned out really stupid sounding but I didn't know how to change it so bear with it lol.

Hope you enjoy it either way and please review when you finish! Thank you!

It seemed their plundering had been worth it. They had made millions of gil by selling the gold and gems all over Ivalice, still keeping some for themselves of course. Though Fran had no physical need to eat, but still she did indulge herself in some of the delicious meal that Balthier had had the inn prepare for them. Giant slabs of meat and vegetables and sauces and the best desserts that was available, all finely cooked and delicious. Fran had a particular fondness for the sweet cakes.

And as she had expected, Balthier was positively starving. It seemed he indeed loved to eat, but was too stubborn to admit it. He was careful not too spill anything on his new embroidered vest he had recently bought from an Archadian merchant that was passing through the Tchita Uplands. He complained it was uncomfortable, but still he insisted on wearing it. Fran nibbled on the delicious carrot cake as she watched him try to politely stuff his face.

"I told you that you needed to eat more," Fran commented as he drained his bottle of imported Bhujerban mahdu. Balthier laughed.

"You always have to be right don't you?" Balthier joked. Fran helped herself to a bottle of mahdu as well. Might as well celebrate right.

"But of course."

She had not drunk alcohol before. It tasted odd and burned the back of her throat, but she had to admit she enjoyed it. She sighed. What would her sisters think of her if they saw her now? Drinking and stealing like a filthy Hume. They'd be horrified and utterly disgusted. She wondered what they were doing as of now in the Wood. Fran couldn't help but feel lonely without them.

"You okay Fran?" Balthier asked, noticing the sad expression. He was an idiot at times, but he was indeed observant,

"I was thinking of the Wood, and of my sisters," Fran explained quietly as a waitress came by to clear some of their plates from the table.

"You have siblings?"

"Yes. My elder sister, Jote, is leader of the Viera. My younger sister is Mjrn. She is a sweet child." Fran stopped herself before she started reminiscing and causing herself to be more depressed. She tossed her plate into the pile. The waitress came by to pick up more plates as they were quickly accumulating and Balthier flashed her a dashing, flirtatious smile with his thanks, causing the woman to blush. Fran rolled his eyes. It seemed wherever they went, he would flirt with every tavern woman, so long as they had some spark of beauty.

"You should not do that," Fran remarked on his annoying habit.

"Do what?" he asked, confused, putting down his fork thinking she was talking about some eating habit he didn't realize.

"Flirt with every woman you see."

"I don't flirt with you do I?" The old wish of wanting to punch him in the face was resurfacing.

"Every place we have gone to, you always flirt. It is annoying," Fran grumbled, glaring at him.

"But that's what the leading man is supposed to do," Balthier smiled, sipping the last little bit of his rich brown mahdu. Fran raised an eyebrow.

"Pardon?" She was praying she hadn't heard probably the most idiotic thing to leave the man's lips as of now. "Leading man?"

"It's the leading man's job to spread a little of his charm wherever he goes, don't you agree? Of course, my love will be given only to one," Balthier explained. Fran, for the first time in her life, laughed. He looked back shocked at the fact she was laughing and at him.

"A leading man? You? Of what? It doesn't make any sense at all? You are delusional," Fran chuckled down as she tried to quell her laughter. Balthier shot her a glare.

"Shut up. Besides, they," he pointed behind him to a waitress who was helping another customer, "don't mind at all. Maybe you're jealous and secretly find me irresistible?" Balthier suggested, bracing himself.

"Irresistible? You are annoying, arrogant, you are centuries younger than I, you wear too much jewelry, you have the urge to run everywhere, you obsess over your clothes, you lie, steal, and gamble, you drink though you are underage, you fiddle with your damn rings whenever you are upset, which drives me mad, you almost shot me before, you don't look where you are going, you are overconfident, bratty, and all together an absolute headache!" Fran stopped to catch her breath; she had not expected herself to rant like that. She glared back up at Balthier who looked like he had just been hit in the face with a fish.

"What the hell? You really don't like me, do you?" Balthier sighed, his appetite lost. He started to roll around some of his vegetables with his fork.

"I have to like you somewhat to endure your company," Fran said, know feeling a little bad. "So where did you come up with this idea of the leading man."

"Books," Balthier said vaguely, his cheeks growing pink. Fran persisted.

"Books? Tell me what kind of books and I'll take back everything I said," Fran smiled, feeling the answer would be rather enjoyable. Balthier grumble and chugged down a bottle of mahdu.

"My sister Angeline romance novels." Fran nearly choked on the piece of bread she was eating.

"Your sister's-"

"I had finished reading all of my books and near all the books in our study. So my sister offered her books." Balthier explained rather embarrassed, refusing to look at the Viera. Fran resisted more chuckles. She never would have expected this. She wanted to make a comment, but had to stop and cover her smile.

"She kept ranting how they were the ideal and its everyone's fantasy to find their prince charming or whatever it was supposed to be. So why not be one? Besides, you get many perks this way. I can assure you the bill will be fifteen percent less."

"You are indeed a strange one, evil as well. You seem like you were close to your sister?"

"Yes. I was the youngest in my family and my two elder brothers hated me or failed to acknowledge I was even alive. But my elder sister practically never left me alone, doting on me constantly," Balthier explained rather sadly, finally finishing on his plate with a content, full stomach.

"That was, as Jote told me, how I was with Mjrn. Was your sister upset about your leaving?" Fran remembered she acted like a loving mother in her sister's stead for Mjrn. She again missed the Wood.

"She didn't mind. She passed away about six years ago. She was the last of my siblings to pass, since the plagues did hit Arcadia as well as Dalmasca, though not as strongly." Balthier got up from the table to go pay the bill. He did not feel like talking any longer, for he had already spoken more than he really wanted to say to her.

Balthier had the strange ability to make Fran feel absolutely horrible without much effort and she hated that fact. She hated not knowing anything about him until it could strike a nerve with either of them. Fran made a promise to herself she would learn as much as she could as she traveled with him. She downed the rest of her mahdu and joined him. She rolled his eyes as he tried to seduce the waitress into a discount.

A/N: If I remembered right, the plagues that killed Vaan's parents happened before Dalmasca fell to Arcadia so thats how Balthier lost his siblings. Wanted them to perish. It took me forever to come up with the whole leading an backstory. It came out so bad, but you don't just all of a sudden start calling yourself the leading man. So his sister influenced him since he read far too much. And I think I had too much fun making Fran be mean.

Anyway, I hope you continue to read and I hope you enjoyed. Please review if you can. Thank you!