Pirates with secrets...
Characters: Balthier and Fran
Progress: Complete
Summary: Fran helps Balthier hear the call of the wild
Location: Treno
Date: May, 1803
Warnings: Balthier's foul mouth and nudity. Of course.
Fran was worried about Balthier. Even though he finally seemed to be making friends and fitting in better in this... Gaia, she was sure he was still far from happy. She feared a lack of wings and a lack of the sky's voice were the main cause of this unease.
She made her way over to him, handing him a bottle of beer and a loaf of bread she had acquired, and sat down beside him. "You believe we shall find suitable wings in this realm of darkness?"
Having not mentioned anything concerning his... conversation with Vayne, Balthier blinked up at Fran as he rolled those magicite stones around on the bed. They'd gotten a small room at an inn, enough for the two of them, but he was intensely interested in what he could do with those stones. Still, he wasn't planning on using both. Just the one Vayne gave him.
"Hmm... perhaps adequate. We shan't find anything on the scale the Strahl is on... but we might find something." He gave a slight shrug.
Fran watched Balthier as he toyed with those stones. Hadn't there only been one before? She scrunched up her nose a little, but didn't speak on it.
She seated herself down on the very edge of the bed. "So... This Doctor Tot... He resides in an observatory tower?"
"Mm. Some young girl told me via those odd little devices," he murmured, scratching his nail at the surface of one of the stones, looking at the dust it left on his fingertip. "Hmm..." It vaguely looked like the dust from nethecite, only different in colour. Balthier shifted slightly, putting the stones away before leaning against her, swigging his beer.
Fran instantly threaded her fingers through Balthier's hair, a natural response to his leaning. She rested her chin on of of the Hume's head. "The Sky? Does she find you? Her voice?"
Balthier fell silent, shifting away from her, standing to cross to the window, swigging his beer again as his hand slid into his pocket. He remained quiet for a long time, silently contemplating the ever-dark sky outside. It was such a despressing sight. He loved seeing the sky brightly lit and the sun shining. This was just... dark.
Finally thinking of something to change the subject to, he tilted his head a little. "Isn't it odd how it is always night here?"
That was answer enough for Fran. With a sigh, she pulled herself to her feet, crossing the room to stand behind Balthier. Heeled Vieran shoes left her tall enough to rest her chin upon his shoulder, her arms curing around his waist. "It is most strange. Much like Burmecia is eternal rain, Treno is eternal night. Does Gaia have no ordinary weather?"
"I dislike this place. Burmecia, Alexandria, Treno. Each place has only served to depress me more and more," he murmured, settling back against her, leaning his head to rest with hers. A sigh came out and Balthier drank from his bottle again, the hand in his pocket toying with a few spare gil. "I would rather spend a week in the Paramina Rift than even a day longer here."
Fran gave a soft, gentle laugh. "Mm. And were we stranded in the Paramina Rift right now, I am sure you would wish to be somewhere else. And so on. You, Hume, are never satisfied with what you have." She teased, her tone relaxed and almost playful.
"Ever the jokster, hm?" He broke from her grasp, sighing as he finished the beer, setting the bottle down and heading for the bathroom, intent on showering and sleeping. It was becoming almost natural for him to play things blandly these days. Usually, given a night with nothing to do, he'd have been out seducing whichever young woman or man attracted him. Now... well, he was certainly dissatisfied with what he had.
Fran gave a sigh. "Balthier..." She paused, lost for words, not entirely sure how to finish her sentence. She reached out her hand to him. "Come."
Looking over his shoulder at her, he frowned, having half unbuttoned his shirt on the way to the bathroom. Sighing, he turned to face her, burying his face against her neck as he curled his arms around her waist, his hands resting on her lower back. He couldn't think of anything to say. He just needed her comfort.
Once more Fran's fingers found Balthier's hair, petting and stroking lightly. After a few moments she broke them embrace. "Take a walk with me?"
He frowned at her, a pout forming on his lips. Still, he buttoned his shirt and took up his gun, strapping it to his back and running his fingers through his hair, heading for the door.
Fran followed him towards the door, offering her hand to him once they had left their room. "I shall not take you far. Just a short distance."
Crossing his arms, he almost refused to take her hand before giving a childish sigh and grasping it. "Why must we even go anywhere? I have had my fill of exploring this... shithole. It is far below my standards." Treno was a very, very nice place. Still, it was no Archades. It never would be.
"Who said anything about exploring Treno, hm?" Fran replied, keeping hold of his hand as they walked towards the city's entrance, where the fountain was situated.
He gave her yet another pout, mostly because his mood had slipped into being on the verge of a childish tantrum. He always ended up quite childish around Fran. Noticing the fountain, he rolled his eyes a little. "Rabanastre's fountain is far better."
"Then it is a good job you do not need to look at it." Fran replied. "Sit." It wasn't so much of a suggestion as an order. She pointed at the edge of the fountain.
With an indignant sigh, he sat down with a childish huff, pouting up at her. Around everyone else, he was always so cool and collected. Around Fran... well, he was a brat.
Fran crouched in front of him. "Now then... Close your eyes." She said, giving his nose the slightest of pokes.
Balthier closed his eyes, frowning a little and crossing his arms, feeling pretty damn rediculous. "Fran... I feel silly..."
Fran gave a soft laugh. "No one is watching you. Now... relax and concentrate." She threaded her fingers through his hair once more. "Just listen... Tell me what you can hear."
"Water," he replied blandly, frowning more. It was the only sound loud over her voice. Water from that damn fountain. It was rather distracting, to be honest.
Fran gave his ear a gentle flick. "Listen harder. Tell me everything you can hear."
"Water. Your breathing. People. A general, unpleasant din from the city." He gave a shrug, opening his eyes to look at her.
Fran gave a chuckle. "Come on, no peeking. Close your eyes again."
Balthier frowned at her. "This fountain is irritating me, Fran. I do not know what you expect me to hear with the din of this water behind me."
"Block it out. Concentrate on the other sounds. Less, you wish us to move elsewhere?"
"Anywhere. Gods, I dislike this fountain." Displacing anger onto inanimate objects. Mature. Standing, he grasped her hand again, pouting at her.
Fran frowned a little and laced their fingers together. She led him through the city to a quiet, secluded spot.
Balthier sighed, leaning against a wall in their quiet little place, closing his eyes again, out of choice, this time. Taking a slow breath, he concentrated, trying to hear something that was beyond the din.
Fran took his hand. "Listen. Listen to everything." She whispered, resting his hand against her chest, tapping his fingers against her to the beat of her heart, before resting her free hand on his chest to do the same thing.
Instinctively, he continued to gently drum his fingers to the rhythm of her pulse, against her chest. His breathing shallowed as he felt his own heart speed up, feeling the rush of the call. The need to fly. The voice of the sky. Almost like the Green Word to the Viera, it was like a voice only his ears heard. He was sure it was something all true pirates heard, but the call felt strong. Intense. And slowly, a smile spread on his lips.
Fran smiled, continuing to tap her fingers over his heart, her tapping increasing with his heartbeat. She leaned in, pressing a feather-light kiss to his lips.
The instant he felt her lips, his free hand came to rest at the base of her skull, pulling her into a firmer kiss, his other hand pressing to her chest.
Fran purred against his lips, cupping his cheek. "Do you hear her? Does she whisper your name?"
"Yes..." he whispered against her lips, slipping the hand from her chest to her waist, kissing her more. Almost as if they were really lovers and not just friends with a benefit here or there.
Fran kissed him again, before resting her forehead against his, still cupping his face in her hands. Her eyes were closed, a entle smile sat upon her lips. She looked more contented than she had since they arrived here.
Brushing his slightly parted lips against hers, he looked at her through lidded eyes, his breath slightly shallow. "Is it just me... or did we just kiss like we actually give a damn?"
Fran blinked her eyes open, lashes fluttering as her gaze found Balthier's. She brushed her thumb against his lips, smiling softly. "You tell me."
He laughed lightly against her thumb, nipping it gently. "I asked you." He smiled, batting her hand aside and leaning in to kiss her again, his hands both settled on her waist.
Fran flushed bright, though it was barely noticable against her darker skin, especially in the darkness of Treno's constant night. Her eyes once more fluttered sht as she returned the kiss. Balthier tasted of the alcohol he had been drinking and something distinctly... Balthierish.
Kissing her a moment longer, he pulled away, only after getting a quick grope of her backside. "Come. Let's return to the inn and perhaps I will sleep easier." He smiled at her, slipping away as he headed towards their current residence.
Fran gave a soft laugh befoore following him. She felt calm that Balthier seemed more at ease. "If you snore, I shall kick you from the bed."
"Hmph. Says she with the snoring problem." He winked at her, smiling as he headed inside the inn, stripping on the way up the stairs, winking at the woman running the counter. She flushed bright but he just chuckled and headed to his room with Fran.
Fran shook her head. Laughing as she climbed the stairs. Once back inside their room, she slipped her shoes off, wiggling clawed toes against the hard wood floor.
Stripped down to just his jewellery, Balthier moved to her, gently lifting her decorative headgear off, setting it on a nearby table. "You will have to one day show me the secret of removing this armour," he teased, smiling at her, entirely unashamed of his nudity.
Fran smiled and reached back to unclasp her hair, letting the long, ivory locks fall free. "You are a man of skill. You can work your way around an engine, yet a tiny piece of clothing escapes your knowledge." She teased. "You wish for it to be removed, you remove it." She challenged.
"Hn, I could easily bed you without removing it," he muttered blandly, smirking at her. Making his way to the bed, he stretched out on it, tucking an arm under his head.
"This is most true. There have been times when you have done just that." Within seconds, Fran had the armour unfastened and removed, before crawling onto the bed to lay beside Balthier.
"You make it sound as if we have some sort of on-going affair. Is it not that we simply turn to each other when nothing else is available?" He glanced towards her, but said nothing more. This was how he expected their relationship was. Nothing more than a helping hand or two when needed.
Fran turned onto her side, facing away from Balthier so he could not see her face. She curled her arm around her pillow, letting out a soft sigh. "Of course, love... a last resort..."
Balthier sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "Would you say it was something else? Something... more?" He didn't know how she saw their relationship. He wasn't brave enough to ask. He'd known her far too long to wish to risk the friendship they had. It was a deep bond he didn't want to lose.
"Not if that is how you see it." Once more Fran was falling into her usual act of letting things go Balthier's way. Always keeping her thoughts and voice to herself to let him believe what he wished.
He sighed angrily, shifting to turn his back on her, after pulling the blanket over them both. "You try my last nerve," he muttered in an obviously annoyed tone, closing his eyes.
Fran sighed, hugging her pillow against herself. "Then what would you have me say, Balthier?"
"What you want to say. You never do." He frowned and sighed again, soon falling silent. He had nothing left to say.
"I speak often. Mayhaps you just do not hear me." The Viera replied, curling up so her knees rested against her chest.
"Not everyone is able to hear words that are unspoken, Fran. Not everyone is Viera," he murmured, frowning as he stared at the wall.
"I just do not see why we must label everything." Fran pulled the blanket down a little and shifted to sit. "Must we really label our relationship? Why must we force it to fit into a category? Cannot it simply be as it always has?"
"I did not ask you to label it. I simply asked if you saw it as something more than... thank a quick fuck every so often," he replied, his eyes narrowed at a single spot on the wall.
"Then... yes." Fran replied simply, pulling the blanket around herself where she sat.
Shifting to lay on his back, Balthier looked up at her, frowning a little, though he tended to frown a lot whether he was mad or not. "What do you see it as, then?"
Fran shook her head. "I do not know. Yet it is far more than some somple fuck. You... are my partner, Balthier, you are the one person I trust with my life."
"You trust your sisters the same, do you not? Were it one of them in my place, you would trust them to give you the aid in combat I do." He shifted slightly, sighing as he tried to get comfortable. "You would trust one of the four we journied with, correct? I am just a single Hume. Nothing particular about me."
Fran reached out to touch Balthier's cheek, brushing the back of her fingers against his skin. "Foolish boy." She murmured, pulling away and shifting out of the bed to stand.
"Where are you going?" He shifted to sit up, frowning. He hated it when she called him a boy. Like he was some sort of child. Still, he knew just how much of a child he acted sometimes.
"Nowhere." Fran murmured, moving over to sit on the window ledge, looking out at the dark city, illuminated by street lights. The fact that she was naked didn't seem to bother her. A sad look lingered in those crimson eyes.
Balthier pouted a little and wrapped the sheet around himself, shuffling over to her and curling his arms around her, wrapping the sheet around them both as he kissed her head.
Fran rested one of her hands on Balthier's wrist, yet, she couldn't find any words to speak. What could she say? That she loved him far more than was appropriate?
"You know... we've been together for seven years and neither of us has killed the other. That's a record." He chuckled lightly, nuzzling between her ears.
Fran gave a soft laugh. "I've thought about it." She teased, the sadness being replaced by contentment.
"As have I. There have been times I've come home and you've been there, nagging me and I thought 'just a pillow to the face while she sleeps'," he teased back, kissing her head again.
"I better sleep with one eye open from now on." She reached up an arm, hooking it awkwardly around Balthier's neck, leaning back against him more.
Nudging her out of the way, he shifted to sit behind her, his legs either side of her as he curled both his arms and the sheet around her, resting his head against hers. "I'd never. You know you are the only person I trust."
Fran settled back in his embrace. "Balthier..." She paused, sighing. "What.... where... where do you see us? What... are we?"
"You're my partner, Fran." He frowned, trying not to make it bigger than it was. "I... only trust my life in your hands. Certainly, I care for others, a rare few... but you are my best friend. My worst enemy. You're... you're mine," he mumbled, resting his forehead against her shoulder.
Fran smiled softly, resting her head against his, her eyes fluttering shut. "Yours, hm? I think I can live with that."
"Mmn, well, you've got the rest of my life to put up with it. No backing out of this partnership." He smiled and nipped her ear affectionately. "You and I, we'll always be together, right?"
"Always, love." Of course, Fran didn't voice her fear of them being parted. There was always the chance one of them could vanish, return to Ivalice, at any time.
"Good..." He settled against the wall, looking out of the window as he held her against him. He really did love her, so damn much, and it was moments like this that made him feel like she might almost feel the same.
Fran shifted, turning her head enough to press a soft kiss to Balthier's lips. He really was the most beautiful Hume she had ever met.
Balthier smiled and kissed back for a moment before settling down more, nuzzlign her. "Shall we stay here to sleep? I am quite comfortable..."
Fran gave a nod, before settling her head on Balthier's shoulder, closing her eyes. "Tomorrow we shall seek out this Doctor Tot. And then... we find our wings."
Balthier smiled and kissed her head. "Alright." He closed his eyes, holding her close as they sat in the window of their room. Even f this was neither Ivalice nor the Strahl, he finally felt just a little more at home.
It didn't take long for Fran to fall asleep. The warmth of Balthier's embrace, the scent of his skin, the sound of his breathing. It was enough to lull her into a contented sleep.
Progress: Complete
Summary: Fran helps Balthier hear the call of the wild
Location: Treno
Date: May, 1803
Warnings: Balthier's foul mouth and nudity. Of course.
Fran was worried about Balthier. Even though he finally seemed to be making friends and fitting in better in this... Gaia, she was sure he was still far from happy. She feared a lack of wings and a lack of the sky's voice were the main cause of this unease.
She made her way over to him, handing him a bottle of beer and a loaf of bread she had acquired, and sat down beside him. "You believe we shall find suitable wings in this realm of darkness?"
Having not mentioned anything concerning his... conversation with Vayne, Balthier blinked up at Fran as he rolled those magicite stones around on the bed. They'd gotten a small room at an inn, enough for the two of them, but he was intensely interested in what he could do with those stones. Still, he wasn't planning on using both. Just the one Vayne gave him.
"Hmm... perhaps adequate. We shan't find anything on the scale the Strahl is on... but we might find something." He gave a slight shrug.
Fran watched Balthier as he toyed with those stones. Hadn't there only been one before? She scrunched up her nose a little, but didn't speak on it.
She seated herself down on the very edge of the bed. "So... This Doctor Tot... He resides in an observatory tower?"
"Mm. Some young girl told me via those odd little devices," he murmured, scratching his nail at the surface of one of the stones, looking at the dust it left on his fingertip. "Hmm..." It vaguely looked like the dust from nethecite, only different in colour. Balthier shifted slightly, putting the stones away before leaning against her, swigging his beer.
Fran instantly threaded her fingers through Balthier's hair, a natural response to his leaning. She rested her chin on of of the Hume's head. "The Sky? Does she find you? Her voice?"
Balthier fell silent, shifting away from her, standing to cross to the window, swigging his beer again as his hand slid into his pocket. He remained quiet for a long time, silently contemplating the ever-dark sky outside. It was such a despressing sight. He loved seeing the sky brightly lit and the sun shining. This was just... dark.
Finally thinking of something to change the subject to, he tilted his head a little. "Isn't it odd how it is always night here?"
That was answer enough for Fran. With a sigh, she pulled herself to her feet, crossing the room to stand behind Balthier. Heeled Vieran shoes left her tall enough to rest her chin upon his shoulder, her arms curing around his waist. "It is most strange. Much like Burmecia is eternal rain, Treno is eternal night. Does Gaia have no ordinary weather?"
"I dislike this place. Burmecia, Alexandria, Treno. Each place has only served to depress me more and more," he murmured, settling back against her, leaning his head to rest with hers. A sigh came out and Balthier drank from his bottle again, the hand in his pocket toying with a few spare gil. "I would rather spend a week in the Paramina Rift than even a day longer here."
Fran gave a soft, gentle laugh. "Mm. And were we stranded in the Paramina Rift right now, I am sure you would wish to be somewhere else. And so on. You, Hume, are never satisfied with what you have." She teased, her tone relaxed and almost playful.
"Ever the jokster, hm?" He broke from her grasp, sighing as he finished the beer, setting the bottle down and heading for the bathroom, intent on showering and sleeping. It was becoming almost natural for him to play things blandly these days. Usually, given a night with nothing to do, he'd have been out seducing whichever young woman or man attracted him. Now... well, he was certainly dissatisfied with what he had.
Fran gave a sigh. "Balthier..." She paused, lost for words, not entirely sure how to finish her sentence. She reached out her hand to him. "Come."
Looking over his shoulder at her, he frowned, having half unbuttoned his shirt on the way to the bathroom. Sighing, he turned to face her, burying his face against her neck as he curled his arms around her waist, his hands resting on her lower back. He couldn't think of anything to say. He just needed her comfort.
Once more Fran's fingers found Balthier's hair, petting and stroking lightly. After a few moments she broke them embrace. "Take a walk with me?"
He frowned at her, a pout forming on his lips. Still, he buttoned his shirt and took up his gun, strapping it to his back and running his fingers through his hair, heading for the door.
Fran followed him towards the door, offering her hand to him once they had left their room. "I shall not take you far. Just a short distance."
Crossing his arms, he almost refused to take her hand before giving a childish sigh and grasping it. "Why must we even go anywhere? I have had my fill of exploring this... shithole. It is far below my standards." Treno was a very, very nice place. Still, it was no Archades. It never would be.
"Who said anything about exploring Treno, hm?" Fran replied, keeping hold of his hand as they walked towards the city's entrance, where the fountain was situated.
He gave her yet another pout, mostly because his mood had slipped into being on the verge of a childish tantrum. He always ended up quite childish around Fran. Noticing the fountain, he rolled his eyes a little. "Rabanastre's fountain is far better."
"Then it is a good job you do not need to look at it." Fran replied. "Sit." It wasn't so much of a suggestion as an order. She pointed at the edge of the fountain.
With an indignant sigh, he sat down with a childish huff, pouting up at her. Around everyone else, he was always so cool and collected. Around Fran... well, he was a brat.
Fran crouched in front of him. "Now then... Close your eyes." She said, giving his nose the slightest of pokes.
Balthier closed his eyes, frowning a little and crossing his arms, feeling pretty damn rediculous. "Fran... I feel silly..."
Fran gave a soft laugh. "No one is watching you. Now... relax and concentrate." She threaded her fingers through his hair once more. "Just listen... Tell me what you can hear."
"Water," he replied blandly, frowning more. It was the only sound loud over her voice. Water from that damn fountain. It was rather distracting, to be honest.
Fran gave his ear a gentle flick. "Listen harder. Tell me everything you can hear."
"Water. Your breathing. People. A general, unpleasant din from the city." He gave a shrug, opening his eyes to look at her.
Fran gave a chuckle. "Come on, no peeking. Close your eyes again."
Balthier frowned at her. "This fountain is irritating me, Fran. I do not know what you expect me to hear with the din of this water behind me."
"Block it out. Concentrate on the other sounds. Less, you wish us to move elsewhere?"
"Anywhere. Gods, I dislike this fountain." Displacing anger onto inanimate objects. Mature. Standing, he grasped her hand again, pouting at her.
Fran frowned a little and laced their fingers together. She led him through the city to a quiet, secluded spot.
Balthier sighed, leaning against a wall in their quiet little place, closing his eyes again, out of choice, this time. Taking a slow breath, he concentrated, trying to hear something that was beyond the din.
Fran took his hand. "Listen. Listen to everything." She whispered, resting his hand against her chest, tapping his fingers against her to the beat of her heart, before resting her free hand on his chest to do the same thing.
Instinctively, he continued to gently drum his fingers to the rhythm of her pulse, against her chest. His breathing shallowed as he felt his own heart speed up, feeling the rush of the call. The need to fly. The voice of the sky. Almost like the Green Word to the Viera, it was like a voice only his ears heard. He was sure it was something all true pirates heard, but the call felt strong. Intense. And slowly, a smile spread on his lips.
Fran smiled, continuing to tap her fingers over his heart, her tapping increasing with his heartbeat. She leaned in, pressing a feather-light kiss to his lips.
The instant he felt her lips, his free hand came to rest at the base of her skull, pulling her into a firmer kiss, his other hand pressing to her chest.
Fran purred against his lips, cupping his cheek. "Do you hear her? Does she whisper your name?"
"Yes..." he whispered against her lips, slipping the hand from her chest to her waist, kissing her more. Almost as if they were really lovers and not just friends with a benefit here or there.
Fran kissed him again, before resting her forehead against his, still cupping his face in her hands. Her eyes were closed, a entle smile sat upon her lips. She looked more contented than she had since they arrived here.
Brushing his slightly parted lips against hers, he looked at her through lidded eyes, his breath slightly shallow. "Is it just me... or did we just kiss like we actually give a damn?"
Fran blinked her eyes open, lashes fluttering as her gaze found Balthier's. She brushed her thumb against his lips, smiling softly. "You tell me."
He laughed lightly against her thumb, nipping it gently. "I asked you." He smiled, batting her hand aside and leaning in to kiss her again, his hands both settled on her waist.
Fran flushed bright, though it was barely noticable against her darker skin, especially in the darkness of Treno's constant night. Her eyes once more fluttered sht as she returned the kiss. Balthier tasted of the alcohol he had been drinking and something distinctly... Balthierish.
Kissing her a moment longer, he pulled away, only after getting a quick grope of her backside. "Come. Let's return to the inn and perhaps I will sleep easier." He smiled at her, slipping away as he headed towards their current residence.
Fran gave a soft laugh befoore following him. She felt calm that Balthier seemed more at ease. "If you snore, I shall kick you from the bed."
"Hmph. Says she with the snoring problem." He winked at her, smiling as he headed inside the inn, stripping on the way up the stairs, winking at the woman running the counter. She flushed bright but he just chuckled and headed to his room with Fran.
Fran shook her head. Laughing as she climbed the stairs. Once back inside their room, she slipped her shoes off, wiggling clawed toes against the hard wood floor.
Stripped down to just his jewellery, Balthier moved to her, gently lifting her decorative headgear off, setting it on a nearby table. "You will have to one day show me the secret of removing this armour," he teased, smiling at her, entirely unashamed of his nudity.
Fran smiled and reached back to unclasp her hair, letting the long, ivory locks fall free. "You are a man of skill. You can work your way around an engine, yet a tiny piece of clothing escapes your knowledge." She teased. "You wish for it to be removed, you remove it." She challenged.
"Hn, I could easily bed you without removing it," he muttered blandly, smirking at her. Making his way to the bed, he stretched out on it, tucking an arm under his head.
"This is most true. There have been times when you have done just that." Within seconds, Fran had the armour unfastened and removed, before crawling onto the bed to lay beside Balthier.
"You make it sound as if we have some sort of on-going affair. Is it not that we simply turn to each other when nothing else is available?" He glanced towards her, but said nothing more. This was how he expected their relationship was. Nothing more than a helping hand or two when needed.
Fran turned onto her side, facing away from Balthier so he could not see her face. She curled her arm around her pillow, letting out a soft sigh. "Of course, love... a last resort..."
Balthier sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "Would you say it was something else? Something... more?" He didn't know how she saw their relationship. He wasn't brave enough to ask. He'd known her far too long to wish to risk the friendship they had. It was a deep bond he didn't want to lose.
"Not if that is how you see it." Once more Fran was falling into her usual act of letting things go Balthier's way. Always keeping her thoughts and voice to herself to let him believe what he wished.
He sighed angrily, shifting to turn his back on her, after pulling the blanket over them both. "You try my last nerve," he muttered in an obviously annoyed tone, closing his eyes.
Fran sighed, hugging her pillow against herself. "Then what would you have me say, Balthier?"
"What you want to say. You never do." He frowned and sighed again, soon falling silent. He had nothing left to say.
"I speak often. Mayhaps you just do not hear me." The Viera replied, curling up so her knees rested against her chest.
"Not everyone is able to hear words that are unspoken, Fran. Not everyone is Viera," he murmured, frowning as he stared at the wall.
"I just do not see why we must label everything." Fran pulled the blanket down a little and shifted to sit. "Must we really label our relationship? Why must we force it to fit into a category? Cannot it simply be as it always has?"
"I did not ask you to label it. I simply asked if you saw it as something more than... thank a quick fuck every so often," he replied, his eyes narrowed at a single spot on the wall.
"Then... yes." Fran replied simply, pulling the blanket around herself where she sat.
Shifting to lay on his back, Balthier looked up at her, frowning a little, though he tended to frown a lot whether he was mad or not. "What do you see it as, then?"
Fran shook her head. "I do not know. Yet it is far more than some somple fuck. You... are my partner, Balthier, you are the one person I trust with my life."
"You trust your sisters the same, do you not? Were it one of them in my place, you would trust them to give you the aid in combat I do." He shifted slightly, sighing as he tried to get comfortable. "You would trust one of the four we journied with, correct? I am just a single Hume. Nothing particular about me."
Fran reached out to touch Balthier's cheek, brushing the back of her fingers against his skin. "Foolish boy." She murmured, pulling away and shifting out of the bed to stand.
"Where are you going?" He shifted to sit up, frowning. He hated it when she called him a boy. Like he was some sort of child. Still, he knew just how much of a child he acted sometimes.
"Nowhere." Fran murmured, moving over to sit on the window ledge, looking out at the dark city, illuminated by street lights. The fact that she was naked didn't seem to bother her. A sad look lingered in those crimson eyes.
Balthier pouted a little and wrapped the sheet around himself, shuffling over to her and curling his arms around her, wrapping the sheet around them both as he kissed her head.
Fran rested one of her hands on Balthier's wrist, yet, she couldn't find any words to speak. What could she say? That she loved him far more than was appropriate?
"You know... we've been together for seven years and neither of us has killed the other. That's a record." He chuckled lightly, nuzzling between her ears.
Fran gave a soft laugh. "I've thought about it." She teased, the sadness being replaced by contentment.
"As have I. There have been times I've come home and you've been there, nagging me and I thought 'just a pillow to the face while she sleeps'," he teased back, kissing her head again.
"I better sleep with one eye open from now on." She reached up an arm, hooking it awkwardly around Balthier's neck, leaning back against him more.
Nudging her out of the way, he shifted to sit behind her, his legs either side of her as he curled both his arms and the sheet around her, resting his head against hers. "I'd never. You know you are the only person I trust."
Fran settled back in his embrace. "Balthier..." She paused, sighing. "What.... where... where do you see us? What... are we?"
"You're my partner, Fran." He frowned, trying not to make it bigger than it was. "I... only trust my life in your hands. Certainly, I care for others, a rare few... but you are my best friend. My worst enemy. You're... you're mine," he mumbled, resting his forehead against her shoulder.
Fran smiled softly, resting her head against his, her eyes fluttering shut. "Yours, hm? I think I can live with that."
"Mmn, well, you've got the rest of my life to put up with it. No backing out of this partnership." He smiled and nipped her ear affectionately. "You and I, we'll always be together, right?"
"Always, love." Of course, Fran didn't voice her fear of them being parted. There was always the chance one of them could vanish, return to Ivalice, at any time.
"Good..." He settled against the wall, looking out of the window as he held her against him. He really did love her, so damn much, and it was moments like this that made him feel like she might almost feel the same.
Fran shifted, turning her head enough to press a soft kiss to Balthier's lips. He really was the most beautiful Hume she had ever met.
Balthier smiled and kissed back for a moment before settling down more, nuzzlign her. "Shall we stay here to sleep? I am quite comfortable..."
Fran gave a nod, before settling her head on Balthier's shoulder, closing her eyes. "Tomorrow we shall seek out this Doctor Tot. And then... we find our wings."
Balthier smiled and kissed her head. "Alright." He closed his eyes, holding her close as they sat in the window of their room. Even f this was neither Ivalice nor the Strahl, he finally felt just a little more at home.
It didn't take long for Fran to fall asleep. The warmth of Balthier's embrace, the scent of his skin, the sound of his breathing. It was enough to lull her into a contented sleep.