Author's Note: Where did Vaan and Penelo live? I know they lived together, but where? I'm assuming Lowtown for this stories purpose.

This chapter deals with BalthierxAshe. Also implied VaanxPenelo, as well as the platonic relationship between Ashe + Penelo.

( M A S Q U E R A D E )

Chapter Seven: The Compensation

Rabanastre's Lowtown

The Day after The 8th Fleet is Destroyed

Five Months Before Vayne's Defeat

The group of unlikely companions had decided to lay low in Rabanastre. Thankfully for them, the youngest of the group shared a small, three-roomed home in Lowtown. The house had been owned by Penelo's rather large family, but they had all passed away during the war, leaving the house to the sole survivor of the family. Yet the two bedroom, one living room 'house', as Penelo described it, was not exactly a house. The walls were made of clay and wood and had holes to the outside where anyone could look inside. However, privacy to the poor living in Lowtown was a luxury none of them could afford, and Penelo and Vaan seemed relatively proud of their home. One of the biggest apartments in all of Lowtown, they had said. And the party could stay as long as needed.

The conditions were less than favorable for a Princess, but Ashe was now used to such rugged accommodations. However, even when she was facing the worst and living in the sewers, she still was able to have her own room. The problem facing her once she stepped inside Vaan and Penelo's home was this: they could easily fit two to a room, but she would obviously be denied a room to herself. As the rest of the party was presented a tour by the excited Penelo, Ashe hung hesitantly in the doorway. Of course, she didn't wait long; the home was so small that the six of them could barely fit into the living room.

Penelo immediately saw Ashe's discomfort and, to the Princess' surprise, approached her. The girl's smile was timid yet bright, and she folded her hands in front of her as she stepped before Ashe.

"I know this isn't exactly what you're used to," Penelo explained, her tone apologetic yet soothing. "But I promise that if you give it a chance, you'll find that it really is quite charming. I'll take good care of you."

She enjoys playing hostess. To this, Ashe allowed a tiny smile to creep across her lips, but she wasn't sure Penelo detected it. The gesture was Ashe's way of acknowledging Penelo's kindness, but the hard years had wiped away Ashe's ability to smile.

Funny, Ashe thought, suddenly reminded of Vossler. These difficult times have destroyed my ability to smile and cry.

To the Princess' shock, Penelo suddenly reached out and seized Ashe's lifeless hands. Before she could react, she found herself being pulled further into the tiny house, stumbling from surprise and lack of proper footing. Penelo yanked her towards the bedroom to the left, forcefully pushing past a bewildered Vaan as she did so. Once Ashe had managed to regain her composure, Penelo released her hands. She motioned to the dimly lit room, which contained two unattractive beds and a single dresser.

"This can be your room," Penelo chirped, stepping back out into the living room. Ashe took a quick peek into the room and then turned her gaze back to Penelo. "And- because you are not exactly accustomed to this kind of living- you can pick whoever you want to bunk up with you."

All eyes turned expectantly towards Ashe, who drew in a sharp breath and contemplated her decision. Penelo moved to Vaan's side and took the crook of his arm, signifying that she preferred to room with Vaan. Ashe moved her eyes to the three remaining candidates: an extrovert and rather selfish male, a quiet and seemingly cold Vieran female, and an older man whom she didn't fully trust. Ashe's options felt her with a disappointed taste in her mouth, and she didn't bother concealing the frown that crossed over her features.

Penelo's happy-go-lucky attitude faltered, but she quickly pushed up the personality again. Outwardly desperate to keep her Princess happy, Penelo turned and randomly pointed in the direction of the three candidates. They all looked to see who Penelo pointed at:

Her finger pointed closest to Balthier.

To this decision, Balthier smirked and cocked his head to the side. His gaze traveled from Penelo's outstretched hand to Ashe's stunned face. He folded his arms across his chest and his devilish grin widened.

"Princess, please," he scolded with a cluck of his tongue. "Try not to look too disappointed; I fear you may just hurt my feelings."

Quickly shaking the dispirited look from her face, Ashe nodded in the general direction of her new comrades. "It matters not. If you will excuse me, the hour grows late and I find myself weary. I will retire for the evening... Goodnight."

She turned hastily on her heels and entered the crawlspace-of-a-room, closing the wooden door as quickly as she could and leaving herself surrounded by darkness. Blindly, she shuffled forward until she came across the first bed. She sat down upon the wiry mattress and promptly removed her red and gold boots as well as her golden leg armor. The coolness of the air felt good on her damp legs, and she quickly wiped away the perspiration that had formed on her skin. She removed her white topcoat as well as her arm bands, tossing them carelessly across the darkened room. Lastly, she removed the black garment that wrapped around her midsection. She now felt chilled and clad in her pink skirt and thick white bra-like top, but there was no way she would be able to sleep in all her armor and clothing.

Hurriedly, she slid beneath the sheets on the bed. She sighed deeply, wondering how it was possible that laying down could feel so good. Letting her tired eyes flutter closed, she found that Vossler's cold face filled her mind. Ashe rubbed angrily at her eyes, willing Vossler from her memory. She vowed to never think about him again, for her blood burned violently inside her whenever she did think of him. Instead, she focused on the smiling, innocent face of Penelo. It was strange, but Ashe suddenly found herself jealous of the younger female, and wished she could be as happy and easygoing as her. With another sigh, she rolled over onto her stomach, letting herself drift off into much needed sleep.

Someone laid down on her bed with her, and Ashe was stirred awake by the feeling of the close presence of another. When her groggy mind allowed her to realize that her personal space had been invaded, her eyes shot open and her body jerked away. When she moved and gasped loudly, the intruder sat up quickly.

"Oh, sorry," came Balthier's hushed and genuinely embarrassed voice from beside her. "I did not realize you were in this bed."

Flushed, Ashe tensed her body up.

"If you'll excuse me," Balthier muttered, fumbling beneath the sheets in the dark. He slid across the tiny bed, desiring to move over Ashe and make his way to his own. Ashe clutched her arms protectively over her chest, and she allowed Balthier to make the awkward move over her still body. She held her breath, feeling almost annoyed by the situation. After all, all she wanted was to sleep. Her annoyance changed to surprise, however, when she felt one of Balthier's hands graze provocatively across the width of the skin on her bare stomach. She tightened her abs and shivered by the foreign contact, unsure if the touch had been accidental or not.

When he exited the bed, he moved to the corner of the room and lit a candle. Ashe immediately sat up, clutching the sheets up to her neck.

"What are you doing," she breathed out loud.

Balthier sat down onto the edge of his own bed and leaned forward, resting his elbows onto his knees. He watched her intensely, and Ashe felt extraordinarily vulnerable.

"It's not time for sleep just yet, Princess," the sky pirate told her, tilting his head to the side. "We must talk."

She shook her head in response, trying to remove all grogginess from her mind and body. "Talk? I think not. I was already sleeping, you see, so I am going back to sleep."

With that she laid back down onto her side, keeping her back to him and drawing the covers up almost completely over her head. She forced her eyes closed, planning to ignore anything he might choose to say. She could not, however, ignore his next comment:

"I do expect payment for being your chauffeur thus far, Princess."

Wincing, Ashe rolled over to face him. "Was the dynast-king's treasure not enough to satisfy your thirst?"

He scoffed at her, running a slender hand through his cropped blonde hair. "As I said before: I prefer treasure with wealth you can measure."

To this comment she sat up, keeping the sheets up across her chest, and openly expressed her concern. "I am afraid to admit that I have no wealth to speak of at the moment."

He raised a golden eyebrow and she noticed his eyes dropping from her face down to her hands. He pointed towards her. "The ring?"

Rasler's ring? The thought of giving up her most prized possession frightened her, and she released the sheets in order to hold her hands up and examine the ring.

"Must you take this? Something else, perhaps?"

He raised a hand to his chin and pretended to think hard, all the while leaving Ashe anxious for his answer. Finally, a wide grin spread across his face and he snapped his fingers. "I know! A little taste of royalty."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not asking for much," he informed her, his grin still wide. "A small, simple kiss. Is that so much to ask?"

She paused, his request of payment had completely thrown her off. She didn't know what to think or say. A kiss, how absurd! "I..."

"You could always give me the ring instead," came his coy reply.

Again she played with the ring on her finger. The idea of giving it to a pirate scared her more than she knew possible, and she sucked in a sharp breath and gave him a timid nod. "Alright; One kiss."

Once she had given him verbal consent, Balthier's grin faded into a pleasant expression. He moved from his bed to hers, choosing to sit to her left. She folded her arms defensively over her chest and obediently leaned towards him, keeping her head tilted slightly to the side. He leaned in as well and brushed his lips against hers, and she let herself kiss back.

His lips were considerably warmer and softer than Vossler's had ever been.

The kiss was tender; something she had not expected. She had almost thought that he would have tried to take advantage of her right then and there, but she had been wrong. He was a gentleman and true to his word: A small, simple kiss was all that he wanted. When he pulled his face away from hers, she could still feel the presence of his mouth on hers. Suddenly, she felt an urgent desire to kiss him again. Not understanding her impulsive feelings, she turned her head down and away from him, letting her soft hair fall into her face.

She recalled the first time she allowed Vossler to kiss her, and how she ended up sleeping with him in order to drown away her pain. Ashe wanted to reach for Balthier and drown her pain away in the same way she had with Vossler.

You do not need him, she tried to convince herself. You are strong enough to be on your own.

She lifted her head slightly to look at him and was stunned to see an affectionate expression on his handsome face. The look was something she had never seen on him before, and all at once her heart ached for him even more.

Not caring if she was once again swept down into the depths of self-pity, Ashe found herself closing her eyes and leaning in for another kiss.

Yet Balthier stopped her advances by putting his hands onto her shoulders and gently pushing away. Bewildered, Ashe opened her eyes and met his gaze.

"Goodnight, Princess," he told her with another soft smile. With that, he moved from her side and over to his bed.

Feeling humiliated and rejected, Ashe laid back down onto her side and shut her eyes tightly. At least I was able to keep my ring, she thought sadly. At least I will always have that.

Three Days Pass

"Compensation- is that what you want?"

"Straight to the point, aren't we? I like that," Balthier's voice held a sexual undertone, and Ashe briefly wondered if he would request another kiss- right there in front of everyone. She eyed him sharply, mentally daring him to be so bold as to request another 'taste of royalty'. Her surprise was great when he made his request:

"Compensation? How about the ring?"

He instantly held his hand out, keeping his eyes locked onto hers. Ashe inhaled sharply, her shock so great that she nearly felt dizzy. She knew that everyone was watching her and waiting for her decision. I must have heard him wrong, she thought in horror. He would not have requested the ring after the kiss I gave him instead!

"This? Isn't there something else," she implored, referring to the kiss they had shared. She waited, trying to stare him down with the anger that resided in her eyes.

"No one's forcing you," came his nearly cold reply.

And I have no choice; if I wish to continue my journey I must compensate him with what he asks for.

With a grunt, Ashe removed the ring from her finger and dropped it into Balthier's expectant hand. Her face red with rage, she turned away from him, ignoring whatever words came from his mouth. Her disgust of the situation was obvious to all, yet nobody other than the pirate and the Princess knew exactly why she was so upset.

Still, she admired his wittiness and cleverness. He had stolen a kiss from the Princess as well as her ring; it was something nobody had done before. That deserved a small smile, which she secretly gave him.

Author's Note: On the next episode of Masquerade: Vaan receives an unexpected gift and Larsa makes a daring promise to his new lady friend. VaanxAshe and LarsaxPenelo.