A/N! Hey, I know these chapters are coming slow, but I plan to finish this story. My ff7 one is sort of taking priority XP. Sorry, but thanks for reading!


The ship gave a sudden lurch, and I was thrown off the bed and into the hallway. I landed awkwardly on top of my broken arm, which woke me up faster than any potion. The ship steadied itself, and a pair of delicate toes and heels came into view. I followed them up the long legs, and sleek body to a delicate face- expressionless as always. My pained frown set.

"If the ship is swaying about so much, don't you think it would be a better idea to be behind the wheel?" her eyes narrowed just slightly. "Steering?" I clarified.

"My trade lies in navigation, not flying such a stubborn vehicle." I loved the way she personified inanimate objects. "That job is better suited for someone just as stubborn." I tapped my hand on the floor, and frowned as i noticed the thin sheet tangled around my legs instead of more preferable parts of my body.

"Why, I didn't know there were others on the ship with us." A pair of breeches were dropped onto my head.

"Then you will have to suffice." I tugged them off my face just in time to watch her walk away. She seemed less…friendly, per say, than when she'd soothed me to sleep.

Outside were clouds. When I would wake up in my room in Archadia, I would look outside my windows and see the side of another building. Yes, it was a pretty little building, but still just that.

I stood, and slipped into the slim-fitting leather pants. Wherever Fran acquired them, and how she'd guessed that I would need them were mysteries to me, but I was grateful. Though my old attire, which I had yet to see again, could have done the job as well, I fit better into these. How was it that a viera I just met could pick out clothing for me better than I myself could?

I pulled the cotton over my head and saw through the thin fabric, more white. I tugged it the rest of the way down onto my shoulders and approached the window. Blue skies obscured by masses of white and gray. How many miles above the earth were we? I could see no land at all, but my reflection smiled back at me. I watched as my arm reached up and fingered the dangling studs on my ears.

'You're really in an airship, Ffamran.'

The ship suddenly lurched down, and I felt my feet stomp as they hit the ground again after a moment of zero-gravity.

"By the gods, Fran!" It must have been her way of beckoning me. I stormed into the pilot's room and ushered her out of the seat. "How is it that you built a ship, yet have no idea how to fly it?"

"I beg to argue that I have some idea. Otherwise we would be buried in the Sandsea by now."

"The Sandsea? Where are we going?" I asked, sliding into the leather seat. I reached for the wheel with both hands, and my broken arm quivered in protest. It was suddenly reeled in and fastened into a sling, with the swift expertise of my new viera accomplice. I blinked down at my arm in pleasant surprise, then flashed her a dazzling smile.

"Why thank you, my dear."

"I have tied and killed a many creatures that way." She added, as if reading my mind. Reminding me that she had not yet agreed to accompany me across Ivalice. Maybe reminding me not to call her 'my dear'.

I cleared my throat, forcing my smile to remain just as genuine.

"The Sandsea was it? Are we flying above it now?"

"We have already flown past it. You may land the ship where you see fit."

"Land it? Why?"

"Do you have further plans already?" I frowned. Further plans? "If you are to be a Sky Pirate, yes?"

"Ah, planning then, I understand."

"Do you?" She murmured. Her accent practically drowned out the phrase, I could have mistaken it for a sigh.

I descended blow the cloud line, and came dangerously close to crash landing on a dune. Fran's ears straightened up, but she said nothing until I circled over a flat clearing and landed the airship, like another word could cause me to fault and crash.

She leaned past me and her hands flew over the dashboard, rapidly flicking off lights and switches until the ship quieted. I picked out some of the keys as the shut off for the Glocair Rings, and another to lock the landing gear, but for the most part, the ship's inner workings were impossible. This was, after all, a fresh new model. Nothing like the one-person fliers I'd been presented with.

Her braid almost flicked me in the face as she turned and left the room. When I heard the stairwell being lowered, I jumped from my seat to follow her.

A hot breeze buffeted my face, and I drew my good arm up to shield my eyes from the desert sun's glare. It was momentarily obscured as something flew my way- wait, as what-!

A heavy gun fell against my arm, and followed me to the sand.

"Ahh…! Why is it raining guns?"

"You fight with one, yes?" Fran called. She stood a good distance away, with a weapon of her own in hand. A longbow, made of fine wood and a matching quiver over her shoulder. I was afraid to answer.

"Well, as we saw before, I'm also quite talented with my fists. But why would I need…" She looked away from me and scanned her eyes over the expanse of sand, and the moving dots that were monsters foraging in the distance.

"I have been trapped inside the cities far too long. I wish to hunt." She looked at me with her head shifted off to one side. "To knock and arrow, and watch it kill something." Probably one of the most personal thoughts of her's she'd revealed to me. And I almost fell over then, weak at the knees. She started walking, her heels sinking far into the sand with each step.

I swallowed heartily and followed.


We were supposed to have respect for the wild living things. We killed only for food, as the wild things did, and called for the Wood to take their spirits. We were in a balance with the wild place in which we lived.

But I was no longer part of that 'we'. I had left we ages ago. I was now just I.

Unless that damned hume had anything to say about it.

Even after I spoke of killing, he followed me like a lost fawn! It did not detter him from me in the slightist! Then again, it would be unwise to leave him by himself on the ship. The possibilities of catastrophe were endless. He caught up after a minute or so, awkwardly holding his gun in the crook of his sling like it were a Hollister.

"Hunting then? I was taken hunting before, but it was for good sport." He tapped his gun, rocking it into his hand and frowned at it, as if it were off weight. "I never did like it. Of course, it was tallied for points and goals and such. Never for just the actual…pleasure?"

"We'll see then if you like it." I said.

"At least the company is better." He retorted happily. Now why did that offend me?

We left the ship far behind, until the pale silhouettes of distant hunting game breached our view. As we approached closer, Ffamran steadily lingered behind me, not so much as to use me as a shield, but to prolong the close proximity of the monsters and himself.

"Fran, you're going to use an arrow, how much closer must we get?" The nervous hume whimpered. Though I was content with where we currently stood, that remark urged me to step on.

"Not far." I assured him. Also, my intention to come hunting was not for pelts or food. It would be for the uncanny thrill of killing something, something that had been banned in the Wood. I wanted to be close.

Once we were at the desired range, I knocked an arrow and aimed it at an unsuspecting wolf. I downed it with a quick stroke.

"Well, impressive, I suppose." Ffamran congratulated. He frowned as I pulled the arrow from its side and left it. Expecting a snide remark, he instead looked at me excitedly.

"I'll have to top that then." He raised his shotgun, more than awkwardly against his shoulder and closed his left eye to aim. What was he even trying to shoot? I thought he was taking aim at a large boulder at first, until that boulder turned to face us.

Startled, Ffamran pulled the trigger and fired off a sloppy bullet towards the large creature. The bullet skirted across the rocks at its feet, but that was enough to enrage the hostile dinosaur. It threw open its jaws and roared before it started lurching our way with increasingly powerful strides.

Though this monster had pale scales to match the desert terrain instead of dark skin to bled with the jungle shadows, it reminded me of a strikingly similar situation I'd faced when I still belonged to the Wood. When I was still under her protection. In my haste to turn and flee, my heel caught a rock and I couldn't catch myself.

But someone else did.

Ffamran hefted me back onto my feet with his single arm, somehow balancing his gun with his other.

"This is not the time to be clumsy, dear!" He stammered, even more frightened than-

The ground tremored beneath us, reminding us of the fast approaching threat, and we picked ourselves us and ran. Eventually the dinosaur grew bored of the chase, and retired from us to pursue a pack of wolves instead.

Ffamran and I continued on for a few more unsteady yards, then dropped under the shade of a thin aloe tree. The sun was no longer so high over our heads, but had shifted to the side of the sky, glowing orange instead of white.

"Well, that's another reason why I dislike game hunting." He panted, leaning his head back so the sweat rolled down his neck instead of eyes. "Too many times do they do the chasing instead of…Fran?" My ears twitched, but I refused to look at him for some reason. He persisted. "Fran, is…does your stomach hurt?"

I'd wrapped one of my arms around my torso, as if trying to protect it. I unwound it, then snapped at myself for so obviously correcting myself.

"No." I said.

"That's good. Mine hurts for all that running." He paused, waiting for me to respond it seemed. He crossed his legs and faced me. "Aren't you angry with me?"

"No." I repeated, tightening my grip on the sand under my nails. I ment to say yes, but I truly wasn't mad yet. Other emotions had taken priority. I involuntarily shook, only for a moment before I caught myself and strained my muscles to remain still.

"Maybe I'll get some firewood." Ffamran suggested. "It is late, and we might as well rest for awhile." Just as he started to stand, he rocked back onto his legs and sat.

"Are you finding it difficult to get to your feet?" I snipped, my anger building. He shook his head, smearing away the knowing smile on his lips.

"No, it's just, ah…It's still bright out." He waved towards the descending sun. "I'll get it later. Besides, I don't think I'll leave you right now."

"Why is that?" he shook his head.

"No reason." And leaned back against the tree. I watched him for minutes, but he ignored me through his closed eyes and promptly dozed off.

If he was trying to be reassuring, he was failing. How did he expect to guard me if he were fast asleep like a freshly hatched chocobo chick? For a hume that had attracted so many females, he was quite unattractive himself.

I would not admit to myself that I was relived for his company. But that was the truth. Even if he was unconscious, and I would have to save him if another creature attacked, I was not alone. I suppose I was grateful for that.

And offended.

Whether he thought I needed his protection, or was just being lazy, I did not approve of his decision to sleep.

Eventually he did leave for fire wood, by walking in a radius of ten yards from the campsite, picking of twigs and eventually stripping the bark on the trees. He occasionally yelped from pricking his finger on a splinter, and I watched, unsure whether to be amused or annoyed, as the armful of kindle scattered in the sand again.

"Have you never left the city?" I inquired.

"Of course i have!" He protested. "But when I did…there was usually a well stocked airship within walking distance, and some servant could fetch it for me with a snap." He piled the sticks in front of us, and began arranging them by stabbing them into the ground so that some stood straight up. "Of course, the servants also made the fire…which was built by imported wood that never even touched the ground." It made sense then as to why his 'fire' looked something like out of a play. It looked pretty, but it would not be effective at all. Ffamran encircled the twigs with various stones before leaning back and nodding. "There. Decent for a first time, if I do say so myself."

"Please don't." I stuck my leg out and kicked the sticks down. His mouth dropped open wide.

"Wha- Fran!"

"I only used as much force as the wind will. You must dig a hole first."

"It was perfec-"

"A hole." His dark eyes hardened on me, before he knelt down over the fire and dug his hands into the loose sand. A moment later, he yelped and his hand flew to his mouth.

"A rock!" He whined. He caught my blank stare and removed his sore finger from his lips. "Uhh…It will be good to circle the fire with…"

Once he had a sufficient hole, he dropped the sticks back down and replaced the rocks.

"Now, how do we light it…" He muttered, picking up two rocks. He slid them against one and other, producing a sharp hissing sound, but not even a wisp of smoke. But Ffamran was not easily deterred. His eyes set, and he smashed the rocks together again, this time producing a quick spark. I sighed, and pointed a nail at the center of the pit.

"Fire." I spoke, just as he drowned my voice out by clashing the stones together once more. The fire erupted in the pit, instantly latching onto the dry branches to produce an orange flame.

"Ha!" He snapped triumphantly, raising the rocks overhead before looking to me for approval. I rolled my eyes and stretched my hands out to my fire.

My urge to hunt had drained when the wild monster had chased us, so we ate smoke and cold air that night. Ffamran had a way to distract himself from his hunger though- by talking.

"And I shook my pursuers by flying between the alleys!" He boastedhopefully concluding what had been an obviously fabricated and well-practiced story.

"Was this before you were shot?" I asked. His face paled.

"I failed to mention that detail. How did you know?" I nodded to his swollen shoulder.

"I noticed the wound when I changed your cloths."

"You mean when you got me naked?"

"It was fresh, and your story fails to account for the air guard's…trigger-happy nature." The expression made him smile, and he remained doing so as he looked away from me.

"True, Fran, I was shot, but that allowed me to escape."

"Your luck is well accounted for." At this, his smile faded. I wasn't bothered by it, just curious. "Is it not?" He accidently inhaled a breathfull of smoke, and coughed painfully.

"Ah, well…most of the time. But my Father's will often times…imposed on it, you could say."

"You mean to say he is the source of your misfortune?"

"If I have anyone to blame…then yes." I focused on the crackling fire, noting how the wood would soon be gone. Someone would have to get up for more. Or I could simply set this tree on fire…

"I didn't want to be a Judge, Fran." He murmured. My ears twitched in the direction of his voice, though I gave no outward inkling that iw as still listening. He didn't seem to care anymore. He just needed to speak.

"I held that position for…three days? Less. I already knew the system was corrupt, but my Fa-" He unintentionally swallowed then, accidently interrupting himself. "My Father," He continued. "has gone insane. Talking to things that aren't there, speaking to rocks that are there…ordering certain people to disappear…" Ffamran kicked a piece of wood into the fire angrily. Those last few words seemed to stick, like they held a more...personal meaning. "I had to leave. Not just my home, but Archades too. That whole city held too many bad memories for me. Too many bad people…" I closed my eyes knowingly.

It was more than likely due to where he lived…and the humes that were close to him often. I had known fine people in that city, but also a fair share of scoundrels.

"And you?" He said, staring intensely into the fire before catching my eyes. "Why would you leave the forest when it's so peaceful? Or is that it? Too peaceful?" My eyes hardened, and he saw it.

"That does not concern you." The words flowed off my lips many times before, but this time, I somehow predicted his response. He took it personally.

He frowned angrily.

"What! Why would you say that? We're sharing a fire, I just told you my reasons for leaving-"

"I was unaware I was under a contract." I interrupted. "Speak all you wish, but I am not going to do the same."

He then turned his back towards me and laid down on his side. He couldn't have been more obvious that he wanted to end the conversation.

"Fine. I'll remember that next time." He said from over his shoulder.

"Please do." I whispered back. A log from the fire then dislodged itself from the rest, and fell apart onto the scorched dirt in a pile of ash, and the fire extinguished.