A/N: AAAHH! I got a review from Mariagoner! I mean...(coughcough)...it sucks to be back at school, after a writing filled break. Mostly for Pray for Rain, but hey. These both are terribly fun to write. Whee! I got a laptop, so updating will probably be quicker from now on. And no worries, this isn't drawing to a close as fast as you think it is. There certainly won't be twenty more letters (don't hold me to that one), but there is still some serious development, and as you might guess, some serious time has to pass before...well...just read the damn letter!

Yours Truly:

Dear Larsa,

As soon as I saw the Balfonheim postage stamp, I knew it was you. I didn't even take a moment to look at the handwriting before I ripped the envelope open. But as I began to unfold your letter, I took a glance at the stamp and realized that it had been sent almost a month ago.But luckily, your letter found me in a better state than when you left.

At the Queen's own urging, I took on a job at the Royal Palace, working in the kitchens in the morning and afternoon. Because I am Ashe's friend, I get to dine with her in the evenings, usually before having a "tea" and discussing our day to day lives. It's nice, really, to have a friend. For the week between when you left and when I got a job, I was the loneliest I had ever felt in my entire life. I still sleep at the Sandsea every night, though Ashe has offered me a room. It feels like my home now, so I'll take what I've been given and run with it. Now that I'm comfortable somewhere, I'm not about to pick myself up and move, even if I would be living in the Royal Palace. If I couldn't move back into Lowtown, there's no way I could move to someplace as unfamiliar as the Palace itself.

And as for the job itself, I really don't mind it. At first, I was resented because of my special treatment for being close to the Queen, but I think I've been accepted into their mini-community, within the kitchens. I don't have a specific job title, but lately I've taken to preparing the vegetables, which is fine with me. I'd rather do that than handle raw meat any day. Yuck. We had fish for lunch a few days ago, and it stunk up the whole kitchen. It was awful, but after a day or so of more cooking, the smell was gone. Thank goodness.

It's nice to know that all is going for you, as well. I'm glad to know that you are getting stronger, as I knew you would. Balfonheim, as initially repulsive as it is, turned out to be one of my favorite cities throughout all of Ivalice, save for maybe Rabanastre itself. I've never really been that close to the ocean before, only rivers and lakes, so it was nice to actually smell the saltwater on the wind and visit a true coastal city. And the people in the city, well, the whole town's hearts seem to beat only for freedom and the process of maintaining that freedom, even after they lost their leader. Have they taken on another leader since Reddas? When our party visited, there were quite a few people who opposed Reddas and his ideas. I wonder if his opposition has taken over since...Even so, Larsa, my faith in you to reach these people never falters, even if they are pirates. Just because they are pirates doesn't mean that they don't recognize a good leader when they see one. On the contrary, I'm sure that because they are pirates, they respect good leadership. After all, I know a few sky pirates myself.

Speaking of Vaan, I heard from him a few days ago. He and Ada were in town to stock up on supplies (I didn't see Fran or Balthier, now that I think about it. I wonder if they're still traveling with them after all...), and I managed to find them at the East End before they left town again. I must say, up close Ada is strikingly beautiful. She almost resembles a porcelain doll in the way her features are delicate and dainty, though it's clear she's been abroad for a while now. The two seemed quite exhausted, and although I suggested that they stay a few days and rest up, Vaan waved his hand and insisted that they get on the ship again as soon as possible. In retrospect, I'm beginning to wonder if they're on the run, though I don't really like to stop and think about things like that. I did find out, however, that Ada was born to a Kiltias named Lena on Mt. Bur-Omisace, though when she was six her mother left the mountain to raise her daughter in the Westersand, but was far too attached to the mountain and her faith and left when she was ten. It's a sad story, I must admit, but Ada still holds it in her mind that her mother is alive and well and waiting for her on the mountain. At that moment, I shared a glance with Vaan, and I realized something. Though Ada's mother probably didn't survive the attack on Bur-Omisace more than a year ago, she is allowed to have something that you and I and Vaan and Ashe are all denied.

She's allowed to hope.

And we, on the other hand, are all certain of our orphanage. And I still haven't managed to figure out whether it's better to hope and then be let down, or to have never hoped at all.

Yours truly,

Penelo