Author's Note: When I say "Penelo", I want to say Penelopy. Or pillow, depending on how much sleep I'm lacking. Once, I said pop-sicle.

Rating: K
Character(s): Penelo
Summary: It's not about getting what you want, but wanting what you get. What bothers Penelo is that being content doesn't bother her.

To Each His Own
Chapter Two: To Be Content
By: Mazzie May

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It's not that Penelo doesn't like sky pirating with Vaan. That's not it at all, because she does like it. They have fun. They go exploring, they discover things. It's not a matter of whether she likes it or not. She just doesn't really… want to. In fact, she wants to so little that whenever they're back in Rabanastre, she goes back to the shop and helps Migelo out instead of planning the next adventure with Vaan.

Currently, she's behind the counter, playing with some Storm Crystals. They do these cool little magnetic things that always keep her mind off things because playing with the little Magick pebbles is mindless fun. Of course, if a costumer came up with a purchase, she'd snap to it right away. But in the mean time…

"I want that!" She looks up from the pyramid she's making to the voice's small owner. A young boy, tugging on his mother's skirt. Pointing to a box of Polished Pebbles.

The mother smiles and reaches out, grabbing a box. Penelo nudges the Storm Crystals to the side and smiles. "Hi there! Find everything okay today?" The traditional Migelo costumer purchase greeting.

"Yup!" the boy chirped, beaming at the box.

Penelo makes a show of eyeing the box. "Polished Pebbles, eh?" She looks down at his smiling face mock-suspiciously. "What do you want these for?"

He covers his mouth, stepping behind his mother's skirt, giggling, playing. "I dunno," he drawls out.

She sets the box down and smiles at the mother as she takes the bills. "You don't know?" she gasps down at him.

"Nope!" He takes the box. "Haven'cha ever just wanted somethin' 'cause you wanted it?"

He giggles again before he begins skipping out of the store, clutching the box. The mother thanks her again following after him.

Haven'cha ever just wanted somethin' 'cause you wanted it?

He left before she could answer. She picks up her Storm Crystals and starts arranging them again. Has she ever wanted something for the sake of wanting something. She glances around the room at all the people picking things up off shelves, smiling at the item. Their mouth's move.

If you don't want it, I'll take it!

This is cool, you think she'll want it?

Nah, I don't want it.

Want. She drops her eyes down to her Crystals. Want. It's probably better that the boy darted out; he wouldn't have understood when she told him 'no'. She doesn't want anything, really. She likes a lot. She liked going out and adventuring with Vaan. She likes navigating an airship. She likes volunteering at Migelo's.

Through everything that has happened, Penelo has always been content. She's never needed a change. Certainly never wanted one. She likes the changes that were made, she likes being apart of the team that put Lady Ashe rightfully in her throne. She didn't want to go on the adventure, but Vaan did and she liked Vaan, liked being around Vaan, so she went, too. She didn't have to go. And she extremely liked meeting Larsa.

She places the last Storm Crystal onto the pyramid and sighed. She didn't seek any of it of it out. She fought because Vaan was fighting, no other reason. She didn't like the Empire or the war, but she never wanted to do something about it, not personally.

That's the problem with the problem, she sort of realizes, sort of reminds herself. Penelo doesn't have a temper, as far as she knows. Customers are sometimes rude and she's met nasty pirates and been in even nastier situations, yet she remains pleasant, accommodating, not quite eager to please but helpful. People who want things get angry, express themselves. She only remains there, ever content.

Vaan skids into the shop, Kytes laughing at his side. She smiles at them, not even wondering where he's been. She knows he's come to tell her of their next destination. Kytes pops up behind the counter with her to help a costumer as she walks off to the side so Vaan can tell her where-to.

"Actually," he says with a smile. "I don't have any place in mind." He tossed down a map of the continent to the east of Ivalice and placed his hands on both sides horizontally, holding it flat. "Your pick. Where do you want to go?"

Things are awkward the next couple of days because she only stared at him before answering, "I don't want to go anywhere," and he takes it the wrong way.

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Author's Note: I had some problems with this one because the thought of "Being content with content" could be expressed in several ways and I'm pretty sure I got caught up in all of them. I tried to stick to the 'want' branch, but I might've missed a loose thread or nine. Regardless, she really doesn't seem to have much purpous in the game. I liked her and all (sort of), but she's just a girl that works in a store and got kidnapped for the wrong reasons. You have an airship, Balthier. Take her home before she gets hurt. Vaan next chapter.

R&R please, commentary always appreciated.