Fanfiction imminent!
Title: Inevitability
Characters/Pairings: Balthier/Fran,mentioned Vaan/Penelo
Rating: PG
Warnings: None, really.
Summary: Years will pass, no matter how anyone tries to stop them.
Disclaimer: They does not belong to me.
If there is one thing in Ivalice that is inevitable, it is time. Unless of course you’ve been battling an enormous wyrm with a penchant for casting stopga on your entire party. And when that happens, you can’t exactly enjoy the fact that you’re not aging.
It had been forty years to the day since the Bahamut, and time had taken its toll. A peace of sorts had come over Ivalice for the time being, Al-Cid doing his best along with the Queen and her sons and Emperor Larsa, as he still remained, to keep the three nations from any sort of major conflicts. Most Dalmascans had still not forgotten the Archadian occupation and the murder of their king, so there were still a few squabbles along the borders, but so far nothing like the evens of forty years prior had come to pass.
Vaan and Penelo still lived in Rabanastre, their children grown with children of their own, and were widely respected by most of the children of Dalmasca as some of the best storytellers around. Vaan was renowned as the best hunter Clan Centurio had ever seen, and some still sought his aide when a fierce mark showed up. Sometimes he would travel with his son and his party to the site and aide them in the defeat of the monster, although he preferred now to travel the many regions of Ivalice on the airship he and Penelo had bought for themselves.
Basch was retired, but still lived in Archades with Larsa to fulfill the promise to his fallen brother. Now however, he was free to travel and visit his Queen when he wished, and he and Ashe would talk about the past and enquire as to the events in the others realm since they had last seen one another.
The Strahl still flew, albeit with a few more quirks than there had been, and she could probably do with a fresh coat of paint. The moogles worked diligently to keep her flying, and fly she did, although she didn’t participate in nearly as much piracy as she had in her Captain’s prime. Balthier knew he was getting to old to keep up the little pirating he did, but felt far to stubborn to retire with the enormous amount of spoils he had gathered over the years. He ignored the face in the mirror that now resembled his father’s, or at least the face his father would have had had he not become obsessed with the nethicite and reached the age Balthier was now. Though his hair was fast turning white and he felt himself growing tired, he kept up the appearance of the leading man and still had a commanding and handsome air. But he was old.
And Fran hadn’t aged a day.
She still had the flawless caramel-colored skin she had had the day he’d met her, when he was eighteen years old and still bearing his given name. She moved with the same sort of feral grace she always had, and was as tireless in any sort of battle as ever. He’d reflected for a moment how long she would stay as his partners, since a Vierra’s time was so much longer than that of a Hume. But she’d stayed with him more than forty years. He had to admit that it perplexed him.
Now, as he reclined in his chair on the bridge of the Strahl, he thought again vaguely about retirement. Not in Archadia, gods knew. Rabanastre appealed to him slightly. They did have a rather good tavern there, he seemed to remember. Surely the queen would find him a good home, too. A large house, with room for his bounty and a private hangar for his beloved airship.
Fran walked in at that moment, taking her seat beside him and doing something with the controls. She checked the readings, tapped on a few keys, and stood again. “Penelo sent a message. She wants to know if we’ll make an appearance at their youngest daughter’s marriage.”
“Which one is that again?” He answered absentmindedly, rubbing his temples.
“The one called Amalia.” She replied. “The fifth of their children.”
He sighed. “Yes, yes, tell them we’ll come. We’ve been there for all the others, I see no reason to stop now.” Another reminder of the time that had passed. Fran moved to go back to the engine room, but stopped and looked at him.
“You are pensive again,” She noted.
He tilted his head back to look at her. “Nonsense, Fran. When have you known me to be the sort to be pensive?”
“Longer than you would guess,” She replied, not moving from her spot. “You worry far more than you used to.”
“Well, if you couldn’t tell, I’m not exactly in the same sort of condition I used to be.”
She looked at him for a moment, her face unreadable. “So you worry about your age.”
“I suppose the Vierra don’t have that sort of problem, would they? You’re far older than I, and you still look like you did the day I ran from home.”
“It is true that the time given Vierra is long, but I too contemplate the ways I have grown over the years.”
He scoffed. “You see, Fran, once we Humes reach a certain point, we don’t quite grow any more. We become decrepit and senile.”
“And you believe this happens to you now, do you?” She smiled. “ I see. You believe that you are no longer worthy to travel in a company such as mine.” She made a soft noise that reminded him of a laugh.
“Technically, Fran, as the Strahl is mine, you’re traveling in my company.”
“But I have hit the mark, have I not?”
He said nothing for a moment. “I must admit, I do wonder why. With a reputation like yours, I’m sure you could afford much better company than an old Hume and some moogles.”
“Your logic perplexes me. I do not understand why I should leave a companion I’ve grown close with because his hair now resembles mine.”
Balthier thought a minute. “That was a joke, wasn’t it? Or at least sarcasm. You have been around me too long.”
“I’ve learned much in my time away from the Wood.” She paused. “But let my words be of some comfort to you. If you fear that I would leave you because of your Hume frailty, rest assured I would have done it long ago.”
“Frankly, I don’t know whether to be comforted or insulted.”
“You appear to me no different now than you did when you and I first crossed paths,” She continued. “Although you are now wiser than you once were.”
“That and the hair,” Balthier sighed.
Fran said nothing, just turned and continued back to the engine room. “We make for Rabanastre. Oh,” She said, remembering something. “If you are planning for our retirement, I would have you consult me first on the location. Although I hope you know me well enough to determine a place I would find suitable.”
With that she disappeared into the depths of the ship. Balthier leaned his head back on the seat and sighed. So, to Rabanastre, then.
Characters/Pairings: Balthier/Fran,mentioned Vaan/Penelo
Rating: PG
Warnings: None, really.
Summary: Years will pass, no matter how anyone tries to stop them.
Disclaimer: They does not belong to me.
If there is one thing in Ivalice that is inevitable, it is time. Unless of course you’ve been battling an enormous wyrm with a penchant for casting stopga on your entire party. And when that happens, you can’t exactly enjoy the fact that you’re not aging.
It had been forty years to the day since the Bahamut, and time had taken its toll. A peace of sorts had come over Ivalice for the time being, Al-Cid doing his best along with the Queen and her sons and Emperor Larsa, as he still remained, to keep the three nations from any sort of major conflicts. Most Dalmascans had still not forgotten the Archadian occupation and the murder of their king, so there were still a few squabbles along the borders, but so far nothing like the evens of forty years prior had come to pass.
Vaan and Penelo still lived in Rabanastre, their children grown with children of their own, and were widely respected by most of the children of Dalmasca as some of the best storytellers around. Vaan was renowned as the best hunter Clan Centurio had ever seen, and some still sought his aide when a fierce mark showed up. Sometimes he would travel with his son and his party to the site and aide them in the defeat of the monster, although he preferred now to travel the many regions of Ivalice on the airship he and Penelo had bought for themselves.
Basch was retired, but still lived in Archades with Larsa to fulfill the promise to his fallen brother. Now however, he was free to travel and visit his Queen when he wished, and he and Ashe would talk about the past and enquire as to the events in the others realm since they had last seen one another.
The Strahl still flew, albeit with a few more quirks than there had been, and she could probably do with a fresh coat of paint. The moogles worked diligently to keep her flying, and fly she did, although she didn’t participate in nearly as much piracy as she had in her Captain’s prime. Balthier knew he was getting to old to keep up the little pirating he did, but felt far to stubborn to retire with the enormous amount of spoils he had gathered over the years. He ignored the face in the mirror that now resembled his father’s, or at least the face his father would have had had he not become obsessed with the nethicite and reached the age Balthier was now. Though his hair was fast turning white and he felt himself growing tired, he kept up the appearance of the leading man and still had a commanding and handsome air. But he was old.
And Fran hadn’t aged a day.
She still had the flawless caramel-colored skin she had had the day he’d met her, when he was eighteen years old and still bearing his given name. She moved with the same sort of feral grace she always had, and was as tireless in any sort of battle as ever. He’d reflected for a moment how long she would stay as his partners, since a Vierra’s time was so much longer than that of a Hume. But she’d stayed with him more than forty years. He had to admit that it perplexed him.
Now, as he reclined in his chair on the bridge of the Strahl, he thought again vaguely about retirement. Not in Archadia, gods knew. Rabanastre appealed to him slightly. They did have a rather good tavern there, he seemed to remember. Surely the queen would find him a good home, too. A large house, with room for his bounty and a private hangar for his beloved airship.
Fran walked in at that moment, taking her seat beside him and doing something with the controls. She checked the readings, tapped on a few keys, and stood again. “Penelo sent a message. She wants to know if we’ll make an appearance at their youngest daughter’s marriage.”
“Which one is that again?” He answered absentmindedly, rubbing his temples.
“The one called Amalia.” She replied. “The fifth of their children.”
He sighed. “Yes, yes, tell them we’ll come. We’ve been there for all the others, I see no reason to stop now.” Another reminder of the time that had passed. Fran moved to go back to the engine room, but stopped and looked at him.
“You are pensive again,” She noted.
He tilted his head back to look at her. “Nonsense, Fran. When have you known me to be the sort to be pensive?”
“Longer than you would guess,” She replied, not moving from her spot. “You worry far more than you used to.”
“Well, if you couldn’t tell, I’m not exactly in the same sort of condition I used to be.”
She looked at him for a moment, her face unreadable. “So you worry about your age.”
“I suppose the Vierra don’t have that sort of problem, would they? You’re far older than I, and you still look like you did the day I ran from home.”
“It is true that the time given Vierra is long, but I too contemplate the ways I have grown over the years.”
He scoffed. “You see, Fran, once we Humes reach a certain point, we don’t quite grow any more. We become decrepit and senile.”
“And you believe this happens to you now, do you?” She smiled. “ I see. You believe that you are no longer worthy to travel in a company such as mine.” She made a soft noise that reminded him of a laugh.
“Technically, Fran, as the Strahl is mine, you’re traveling in my company.”
“But I have hit the mark, have I not?”
He said nothing for a moment. “I must admit, I do wonder why. With a reputation like yours, I’m sure you could afford much better company than an old Hume and some moogles.”
“Your logic perplexes me. I do not understand why I should leave a companion I’ve grown close with because his hair now resembles mine.”
Balthier thought a minute. “That was a joke, wasn’t it? Or at least sarcasm. You have been around me too long.”
“I’ve learned much in my time away from the Wood.” She paused. “But let my words be of some comfort to you. If you fear that I would leave you because of your Hume frailty, rest assured I would have done it long ago.”
“Frankly, I don’t know whether to be comforted or insulted.”
“You appear to me no different now than you did when you and I first crossed paths,” She continued. “Although you are now wiser than you once were.”
“That and the hair,” Balthier sighed.
Fran said nothing, just turned and continued back to the engine room. “We make for Rabanastre. Oh,” She said, remembering something. “If you are planning for our retirement, I would have you consult me first on the location. Although I hope you know me well enough to determine a place I would find suitable.”
With that she disappeared into the depths of the ship. Balthier leaned his head back on the seat and sighed. So, to Rabanastre, then.