Flawed but Perfect

By Pinoko K (pinokokisaragi at hotmail dot com)

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XII, its characters, locations, and in-game dialogues belong to Square Enix. This is only for my own amusement.

A/N: This is easy to write, but very hard to edit. The emotions are poignant – if you read carefully and read between the lines, but I had to maintain the subtly and staying true to their characters. Hope you like it.

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Chapter Ten – Over a Glass of Wine

Balfonheim Port was a bustling town full of colorful characters; mostly pirates, both of the sky and of the sea. The local bar in town did not disappoint. Located right by the sea in the main town square, with its shuttered windows wide opened to provide one of the best views to the busy port, the bar was hardly ever empty. Patrons loudly discussed their adventures, engaged in heated debates over whoever had the most treasures in heated debates, or perhaps exchanged some latest information in not-so quiet hush.

But all those noises fell to deaf ears to the princess of Dalmasca. There she was, sitting at an empty corner table by the opened window, her eyes locked on shimmering surface of the ocean, yet unfocused. Her mind felt as heavy as one of the anchors that had just dropped down to the ocean floor.

A war might be inevitable. The Marquis had been preparing his troops, even seeking alliance with the Rozzaria, playing right into Vayne's hand. If only she had the Dusk Shard… If only she had Nethicite on her side to force Vayne to the treaty table.

The Lady Ashe had covered many grounds for the past months, on the trail of the Stone once passed down from her ancestor, the Dynast-King. Just when she'd thought she could bring an end to it, to smash it in pieces, the Dusk Shard had slipped through her fingers, gone with Doctor Cid. The doctor had revealed his next destination, Giruvegan, and even hinted that she might find more Nethicite there. It all sounded too good to be true, smelled more like a trap. But it's a risk she simply could not afford not to take. The Dusk Shard in Cid's hand was no different than it being in Vayne's possession. If she couldn't retrieve the Stone and destroy it, she might have to find more Nethicite to tilt the balance the power back to her side.

Such power of the Stones, she feared it, yet she desired it, that much she could no longer deny. She wanted the power… For Dalmasca.

"It's customary to buy a drink if you wish to occupy a table." Ashe looked up to find Balthier placing two glasses of wine on the small wooden table before inviting himself to take a seat across from her. "Try it."

Ashe took a quick skeptical look at the drinks before she glanced back up at the sky pirate. He met her gaze calmly and cocked his head to the side, raising one of his eyebrows. There was a not-so subtle mischievous glint in his eyes; the princess wasn't too sure if she would want to find out what he had in mind.

The sky pirate picked up his own glass, raising his drink toward the princess as a silent toast, and took a sip rather elegantly. "Elegant" was hardly the word Ashe would think of to describe sky pirates, or any pirates for that matter. But Balthier was an exception. Perhaps it was due to his upbringing as a noble in Archades. Regardless, it showed all too effortlessly in his postures, the way he walked, and even in the way he cast spells. Although, of course, the princess would never admit to observing the sky pirate so closely to notice that. Never.

"It's not poisonous." The corners of his lips curled up in amusement.

That man never gave up. With a sigh under her breath, Ashe reluctantly picked up her glass by its stem. Humoring him she might be, but the Lady Ashe did everything in perfection, including wine tasting. She was not about to simply taste it. Instead, she held the glass up to the window, letting it basked in the warm sunlight. Rich and brilliant red shone through the liquor as the princess observed the clarity and the color of the wine. Satisfied with her initial inspection, she then brought the glass back down, holding it in front of her, and swirled it with several gentle flicks of her wrist. The dark red liquor lingered on the inside of the glass as the aroma of the wine dissipated. The princess held the glass closer and smelled the unique aroma from the wine, utterly oblivious to a pair of keen eyes that had been observing her every move across the small table.

Something clicked inside her. The smell reminded her of a place where she'd once known so well. She brought the glass to her lips, but not to taste its content. With her eyes closed, she inhaled once more, allowing the familiar smell to bring her back in time.

And it did. She couldn't quite hide the smile spread on her lips when she recognized the origin of the wine.

"Dalmascan brew." She looked up at her companion for a confirmation, unaware that her usual solemn face was lit up, making her look more like a young woman she was.

"Very impressive, Princess." The sky pirate complimented with a smirk spread on his face. "And you haven't even tasted it."

"They sell it here?"

"No." Balthier shook his head and swirled his own glass. "My own secret stash stored in the backroom. Bought them from the Sandsea in Rabanastre."

"You have your own wine collection stored in this bar?" Her eyes widened in wonder. The sky pirate never failed to surprise her.

"Why not?" He chuckled at her expression. "It's amazing what gils can buy you, storage included. And it does come in handy."

"This 'comes in handy'?" She gestured her wine glass.

"Oh, to be sure." He took one leisure sip from his glass before he continued. "To cheer up a sad princess, for example."

"I…" The light on her face extinguished in the blink of an eye. She placed the red liquor back on the table, still untouched, searching for proper words. "I thank you for your kind gesture."

The sky pirate, too, put his glass down and leaned back on the chair, resting his elbows on the armrests, his long fingers laced loosely in front of his chest. His eyes dropped down to his own wine, seemingly lost in his thought for a brief moment.

The bar was still as busy as ever, but neither of them minded the noise, nor did they seem to notice anyone around them. Ashe felt as though their little corner table were isolated from the outside, that the entire Ivalice only had the two of them. Strangely enough, she didn't mind that idea…

"Don't mind Cid." He started quietly. "He has a way to get to people's head."

"Just like you?" Words flew out of her mouth in a whisper before she could stop herself.

But it was too late.

It was meant to be no more than a private thought. Ashe could only hope the sky pirate didn't hear it. Yet the genuine confusion etched on his face suggested otherwise. The princess hastily reached for her glass and took a long sip of the wine, turning her full attention back to the ocean outside the window. Cool sea breeze felt cuttingly cold against her burning cheeks.

Thankfully he didn't pursue the subject. His confused expression soon turned into an unreadable one; his eyes never left her profile. Perhaps he understood her meaning. Yet, some things were best left unsaid…

The wine felt warm through her throat and down her belly, a nostalgic bit of rich and somewhat sweet taste left in her mouth. She took a deep breath in futile attempt to clear her mind. The salty smell of sea breeze reminded her of Phon Coast. Of Hunter's Camp, where her heart had been heavy, her mind clouded. Just as she was right now.

Hunter's Camp… A question he had never answered…

"Do you, too, think I lust for the Nethicite's power?" It was a question she had always wanted to ask him ever since that day at the Hunter's Camp. His father certainly thought so. But what of him? Ashe unconsciously held her breath, waiting for his reply.

And quietly it came. "Do you, Ashe?"

She angrily whipped her head around and glared at the sky pirate across the table. "Is that why you accompany me? To make sure I destroy the Stone with the Sword of the Kings? Am I naught but a power-hungered princess to you?"

Disappointment laced with bitterness clouded her judgment, compromising her composure. Cid's accusations she could ignore, but Balthier's opinion? For reasons beyond herself, it weighted far more heavily than it should.

The sky pirate didn't even bat an eyelash at her sudden outburst; his face remained neutral, his thoughts unreadable. But something in his eyes changed for a fraction of a second; a glimpse of an emotion surfaced. Guilt?

Again, his answer came just as quietly. "No." His eyes on hers softened.

The flame of fury inside her died down as abruptly as it had started, leaving the princess feeling extremely foolish for the unexplainable outburst. Still, she stubbornly clung onto her pride. "'No' to which question?"

"All of them."

"All?"

"Yes. All." He confirmed with a meaningful nod. A sigh of relief was released through her lips. The princess wasn't aware of that; the sky pirate, however, was.

Ashe glanced down at the wine glass in front of her once again, unsure if she should even ask the next question she had in mind. He might have sensed her struggle, as he patiently waited for her to continue. It was a delicate question, one almost too delicate to be mentioned. But she'd been wanting to know. And the wine in her bloodstream might have given her enough reason to thread across one invisible fine line. She gingerly lifted the glass up and took another much-needed sip.

"Tell me, then: why do you help me?" She looked up to meet his gaze and briefly caught another flicker of emotions in his eyes. Although, soon enough, it was his turn to look away and study his glass of wine.

Silence weaved through between the pair for what seemed eternity.

"Compensation?" Ashe offered as a probable answer he had yet to give her, though a hidden small part of her was sorely disappointed at this practical notion. "What more could I have given to you?"

Balthier chuckled at her presumption and shook his head. Slowly, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the small table, closing the physical gap between them. "Am I naught but a profit-driven pirate to you?"

Ashe could smell his fragrance traveled across the proximity, bringing her back in time to the very first gun lesson. The feelings of being enveloped in his arms: warm and secured…

But it was a leisure she could not afford, a fantasy she could not attain.

She hastily pushed herself away from the table and leaned back on her chair, putting as much distance between them as possible. Gentle sea breeze fresh through the opened window diluted his scent and cleared her mind. Why she kept remembering that lesson was beyond her. And she wasn't too eager to dig deep inside to find out the answer.

"Well. Am I?" The sky pirate beckoned, dangling his wine glass from his fingertips before he took a sip of the dark red liquor.

"… No."

And then, there was a smile on his face. Not his usual cocky smirk, but a genuine smile. And the princess found herself drawn to that expression. "Glad to know." He put down his glass and met her gaze.

"So why do you help me?" Again she asked quietly, almost in a whisper, pushing for an answer, hoping to unveil one of the many mysteries regarding this man. She would like to hear his heart, if only he would speak the truth.

And there was yet another flicker in his eyes. Then, much to her dismay, his smile faded as it was replaced by his usual smirk. "I am here to see how this little story unfolds, Princess. Any self-respecting leading man would do the same."

A well-rehearsed line with the usual dramatic flair. His words might have been a jest to mask the true answer, just as his smirk was to hide his emotions; she'd deciphered him that much by now. Yet, the princess couldn't quite quench the unexplainable disappointment. Still, she maintained her composure admirably well, masking the fact that she was silently berating herself for a momentary weakness.

Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca tolerated no weakness.

"…Of course." Her words were as dry as the deserts of Dalmasca.

"You have your role, I have mine…" He trailed off and paused for a moment. "And you play yours well, Ashe."

"Do I?" She looked straight at his eyes with her chin up, her solemn but regal aura was not to be mistaken.

And his smirk only spread wider. "I don't expect anything less from the future queen."

No, he shouldn't expect anything less from the future queen. Nor should she expect anything more from the sky pirate. The princess swallowed a sigh of frustration and reached for her drink. Had she paid attention to the man across from her, she would have noticed his mask had slipped off ever-so slightly, a hint of regret lingered briefly in his eyes.

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Originally posted on 06-08-07