Balthier x Penelo: Lady and the Tramp (1sentence)
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Pairing: Balthier Bunansa x Penelo
Theme set: Beta
Title: Lady and the Tramp
Rating: K
Warning[s]: Spoilers for the end of the game
Notes: Final Fantasy and its characters © Square Enix
#29 - Jewel
She really wants to keep the handkerchief, as it's the first real token of attention a man has ever given her, but she knows that giving it back might get her a chance to know him better, and so she calls out to him for the very first time in the aerodrome of the sky city.
#08 - Whiskey and rum
"None for you, my underaged dear," he says while lifting the bottle out of her hands, and she's secretly pleased when he doesn't bother to wipe the rim before raising it to his own lips.
#28 - Jousting
Initially, she he was too intimidated to ask Basch, Ashe had other things on her mind, Fran was still an enigma, and Vaan had no more experience than Penelo herself, so she asked Balthier to help her train for more license points, though they kept up the habit even after the initial obstacles with the other team members were overcome.
#13 - Bias
Perhaps it's her honest trust in him -- with no skepticism of the no-good pirate, no wariness of the notorious ladies' man -- which makes him actually want to live up to that trust, which is something he hasn't wanted to do for anyone in a long time.
#26 - Jump
She peers nervously over the edge into the bright blue depths of thr sky beneath Bhujerba, and nearly has a heart attack when she is jolted from behind, while a laughing, velvety voice advises her about the dangers of falling.
#16 - Breaking
Hearing a groan behind her, she turns to see that she's caught Balthier in the ribs with the long handle of her lance, and though she's mortified to see him bent over in pain, she's relieved when he still manages to crack a strained smile and congratulate her on the strength of her swing.
#03 - Wishes
She tucks away a part of every meal "for later," but the knowledge that she likely picked up the habit while struggling in the streets following the Archadian invasion makes him wish she wouldn't do it anymore.
#04 - Wonder
"Did you ever wonder what it would be like to live in a fancy house with loads of money, and never have to worry about anything?" she asks him, not guessing the full meaning behind his negative reply.
#05 - Worry
She notices how he'll sometimes start raking his hands through that hair which he normally tries to keep so pristine, and it's then that she doesn't ask questions, but simply sticks as close to him as possible and grips her weapon tightly.
#06 - Whimsy
It didn't matter if everyone had been invited, and she and Balthier were the only ones interested enough to show up to the mummer's performance -- she'd be darned if she wasn't going to pretend it was a date.
#10 - Weddings
Ashe is telling her a story about the day of her wedding, and even though Penelo knows that Lord Rasler had silver hair, the only image she can summon is one of a man with brown and gold.
#15 - Breathing
She doesn't know black chocobos have different temperaments than yellow ones, and his fingers slide off the slick material of her jumper when he tries to pull her back, so he's forced to throw his whole arm around her waist and yank her against himself, after which he mistakenly attributes her shaky breathing to the shock of nearly becoming bird food.
#18 - Balloon
He forgets to tell her to turn off her fire-weakness gambit, and when the blast from the water elemental sends her sprawling in front of him, the collateral dousing he receives from the attack feels like nothing compared to the wave of guilt which has already crashed over him.
#45 - Natural
He's pleased at the way she looks up to Fran, and she's pleased at the way he plays big brother to Vaan, though neither of them stops to wonder why it is that they should want the other to get along with their closest friends so well.
#47 - Valiant
Her shoulder is alternating between bouts of pain and numbness, but she bites her lip and puts up with it, because if Balthier is so tired that he will fall asleep on her shoulder without even asking permission, he must need the rest more than she needs to feel her arm.
#12 - Blessing
The thunder crashes and the Gil Snapper roars, but the voice of Penelo casting green spells of protection over him overrides all the ruckus in Balthier's ears.
#33 - Stupidity
One of the Garif observes the closeness between Larsa and Penelo, remarking that she might one day find the idea of princess-hood appealing, which Balthier thinks is ridiculous given the fact that she's so much older than him, until he remembers that the age difference between Larsa and Penelo is the same as that between Penelo and himself.
#23 - Question
"You ever notice how long it takes Balthier to get a shot off?" Vaan asks Penelo, and the "he" in question grins when he hears her cool reply: "It's because he takes the time to line up his aim, or haven't you noticed how he never misses, either?"
#38 - Sojourn
Gurdy tells them that chocobos can take two riders at a time, and when Vaan instantly claims her as his riding partner, she involuntarily shoots a wistful look in Balthier's direction, only to see him doing the same in hers.
#27 - Jester
She frowns because she's honestly scared and she wishes he wouldn't joke about only losing a few limbs to the monsters in the jungle, while he frowns because he knows she's scared and he's failing at trying to make her not be.
#21 - Quiet
She can't decide whether to be insulted or flattered that she's the only one whose voice he won't imitate with that fancy little contraption of his.
#25 - Quitting
Her knees finally buckle after that last attack, causing Ashe to give the order to retreat, and Balthier, who is the strongest out of the three of them, scoops Penelo up in a hurry, so that the last thing she remembers is the scrape of his rings as his arms hurriedly slide under hers.
#34 - Serenade
Balthier had some trouble remembering the words to the tune called Raise when they had first learned it, but he's singing it perfectly as her eyes flutter open and she sees him leaning over her, a silhouette with spiked hair and a narrow waist outlined against the cloudless sky.
#30 - Just
Penelo hides her face and refuses to speak to him on the Road of Verdant Praise, and upon hearing from the moogle merchants how one of the viera had said something very unkind to her, Balthier has to bite his tongue to keep himself from saying some very unfair things about the whole blasted clan of them.
#01 - Walking
"They give her the most unsightly blisters, you know," Balthier whispers when he sees Penelo glancing between Fran's exotic metal heels and her own more practical boots, for even though it's not a very gallant thing to say, he feels the sudden need to let her know that Fran isn't his muse or his goddess or anything else that people assume about the two of them.
#48 - Virtuous
No one can make a lie sound as believable as Balthier can, and she feels vaguely guilty for being so proud of this talent of his.
#17 - Belief
It does make her wonder, though, whether she should believe in all the pretty things he's been telling her on an increasingly frequent basis.
#42 - Neutral
Larsa objects to Penelo's request that Balthier be the referee for their footrace, on the grounds that neutrality is necessary in such a role, and Balthier reflects that being raised in politics had given Larsa keener insight into hidden agendas than most boys his age.
#31 - Smirk
The way this Jules person smirks at Balthier, as if he would like to do him harm if possible, immediately makes Penelo dislike him, which is unusual because she rarely makes snap judgements about anybody.
#19 - Balcony
He positions himself beside her as they walk down the streets of Tsenoble, because while the gentry might scowl at a simply dressed girl from Dalmasca, they might be less inclined to do so if they see her in the company of one of their own.
#02 - Waltz
He moves his feet in a quick 1-2-3 motion as they pass a pair of street musicians, and explains that it was a song he used to hear in his father's house, and that he'll have to teach her the steps someday.
#20 - Bane
The way she stops everything and delivers the final blow of her Resplendence attack with just a touch of her finger is unreasonably adorable -- so adorable, in fact, that watching her do it nearly makes him miss his own Quickening turn, and he has to scramble just to get a Fires of War off in time.
#37 - Soliloquy
She whispers the name Ffamran to herself, liking the musical sound of it, and the image of the sweet, blonde Archadian boy it conjures in her mind.
#24 - Quarrel
"Are you sure you want to give such a big weapon to such a small girl?" the shopkeeper asks, looking doubtfully between Penelo and the Giant Stonebow they've just purchased, but Balthier scowls and assures the merchant she can handle it.
#14 - Burning
"I heard that Balthier guy has himself a new girl," she overhears one of the Balfonheim pirates saying to another, and she turns red to her ears when he goes on to describe the lady as a blonde little thing with the cutest set of pigtails this side of Bancour.
#41 - Nowhere
"You'll have to remind me where your Migelo keeps shop," he tells her on one of their trip into the city, and adds meaningfully, "There's something I'd like to talk to him about."
#22 - Quirks
She thinks it's cute how disgusted Balthier is about the Orthros's preference for women, and how he reminds her to call for him if the nasty thing gets too pushy.
#44 - Near
The mists of Giruvegan try their best to dishearten any who venture into them, but as long as she can put her hand out and feel the raised patterns on his vest, even if she can't see them, she can feel nothing but hope.
#07 - Waste
"Don't count the steps, it's a waste of energy" he tells her on the stairs of Pharos, but that doesn't stop him from counting the number of times her braids bob up and down in front of him.
#35 - Sarcasm
"Oh dear, how shall I ever recover from the shame?" Balthier remarks drily when Rikken kids him about the feathered ribbon that can be seen tied around Balthier's wrist, peeking out from underneath the crisp white sleeve.
#36 - Sordid
"It's not like that, you pervert!" cries Penelo, not handling the teasing from Elza nearly as well.
#50 - Defeat
She wants very much to scream when she sees the Bahamut go down, but she knows Balthier would be upset if she crashed his ship because she was too busy crying over him.
#39 - Share
After Penelo's return, the regulars at Migelo's shop wonder what happened to make the formerly cheery girl become so pale and quiet, but she will never tell them.
#40 - Solitary
"Aren't you going to make one for Fran?" Vaan asks, and she looks down in surprise at the memorial candles she had been preparing to take to the crash site -- she had written Balthier's name on both of them.
#32 - Sorrow
She bitterly wonders where that handkerchief is now that she is really needs it.
#43 - Nuance
In her letter, Penelo tries to sound casual when she mentions Balthier's return, but Larsa knows how hard she must have prayed for it to happen, because he has seen the tearstains on her previous letters to prove it.
#46 - Horizon
She looks at the note written in the oh-so-elegant hand which has made her world so suddenly, dazzlingly bright, and thinks that she's never heard a name as lovely as Bervenia.
#11 - Birthday
Forever after that, Penelo would hold that day in her memory as the day she came back to life.
#49 - Victory
She nearly breaks her legs trying to jump out of Vaan's little airship before it touches ground, but because the long-absent man for whom she made the leap is there to catch her, she finds that she is just fine after all.
Pairing: Balthier Bunansa x Penelo
Theme set: Beta
Title: Lady and the Tramp
Rating: K
Warning[s]: Spoilers for the end of the game
Notes: Final Fantasy and its characters © Square Enix
#29 - Jewel
She really wants to keep the handkerchief, as it's the first real token of attention a man has ever given her, but she knows that giving it back might get her a chance to know him better, and so she calls out to him for the very first time in the aerodrome of the sky city.
#08 - Whiskey and rum
"None for you, my underaged dear," he says while lifting the bottle out of her hands, and she's secretly pleased when he doesn't bother to wipe the rim before raising it to his own lips.
#28 - Jousting
Initially, she he was too intimidated to ask Basch, Ashe had other things on her mind, Fran was still an enigma, and Vaan had no more experience than Penelo herself, so she asked Balthier to help her train for more license points, though they kept up the habit even after the initial obstacles with the other team members were overcome.
#13 - Bias
Perhaps it's her honest trust in him -- with no skepticism of the no-good pirate, no wariness of the notorious ladies' man -- which makes him actually want to live up to that trust, which is something he hasn't wanted to do for anyone in a long time.
#26 - Jump
She peers nervously over the edge into the bright blue depths of thr sky beneath Bhujerba, and nearly has a heart attack when she is jolted from behind, while a laughing, velvety voice advises her about the dangers of falling.
#16 - Breaking
Hearing a groan behind her, she turns to see that she's caught Balthier in the ribs with the long handle of her lance, and though she's mortified to see him bent over in pain, she's relieved when he still manages to crack a strained smile and congratulate her on the strength of her swing.
#03 - Wishes
She tucks away a part of every meal "for later," but the knowledge that she likely picked up the habit while struggling in the streets following the Archadian invasion makes him wish she wouldn't do it anymore.
#04 - Wonder
"Did you ever wonder what it would be like to live in a fancy house with loads of money, and never have to worry about anything?" she asks him, not guessing the full meaning behind his negative reply.
#05 - Worry
She notices how he'll sometimes start raking his hands through that hair which he normally tries to keep so pristine, and it's then that she doesn't ask questions, but simply sticks as close to him as possible and grips her weapon tightly.
#06 - Whimsy
It didn't matter if everyone had been invited, and she and Balthier were the only ones interested enough to show up to the mummer's performance -- she'd be darned if she wasn't going to pretend it was a date.
#10 - Weddings
Ashe is telling her a story about the day of her wedding, and even though Penelo knows that Lord Rasler had silver hair, the only image she can summon is one of a man with brown and gold.
#15 - Breathing
She doesn't know black chocobos have different temperaments than yellow ones, and his fingers slide off the slick material of her jumper when he tries to pull her back, so he's forced to throw his whole arm around her waist and yank her against himself, after which he mistakenly attributes her shaky breathing to the shock of nearly becoming bird food.
#18 - Balloon
He forgets to tell her to turn off her fire-weakness gambit, and when the blast from the water elemental sends her sprawling in front of him, the collateral dousing he receives from the attack feels like nothing compared to the wave of guilt which has already crashed over him.
#45 - Natural
He's pleased at the way she looks up to Fran, and she's pleased at the way he plays big brother to Vaan, though neither of them stops to wonder why it is that they should want the other to get along with their closest friends so well.
#47 - Valiant
Her shoulder is alternating between bouts of pain and numbness, but she bites her lip and puts up with it, because if Balthier is so tired that he will fall asleep on her shoulder without even asking permission, he must need the rest more than she needs to feel her arm.
#12 - Blessing
The thunder crashes and the Gil Snapper roars, but the voice of Penelo casting green spells of protection over him overrides all the ruckus in Balthier's ears.
#33 - Stupidity
One of the Garif observes the closeness between Larsa and Penelo, remarking that she might one day find the idea of princess-hood appealing, which Balthier thinks is ridiculous given the fact that she's so much older than him, until he remembers that the age difference between Larsa and Penelo is the same as that between Penelo and himself.
#23 - Question
"You ever notice how long it takes Balthier to get a shot off?" Vaan asks Penelo, and the "he" in question grins when he hears her cool reply: "It's because he takes the time to line up his aim, or haven't you noticed how he never misses, either?"
#38 - Sojourn
Gurdy tells them that chocobos can take two riders at a time, and when Vaan instantly claims her as his riding partner, she involuntarily shoots a wistful look in Balthier's direction, only to see him doing the same in hers.
#27 - Jester
She frowns because she's honestly scared and she wishes he wouldn't joke about only losing a few limbs to the monsters in the jungle, while he frowns because he knows she's scared and he's failing at trying to make her not be.
#21 - Quiet
She can't decide whether to be insulted or flattered that she's the only one whose voice he won't imitate with that fancy little contraption of his.
#25 - Quitting
Her knees finally buckle after that last attack, causing Ashe to give the order to retreat, and Balthier, who is the strongest out of the three of them, scoops Penelo up in a hurry, so that the last thing she remembers is the scrape of his rings as his arms hurriedly slide under hers.
#34 - Serenade
Balthier had some trouble remembering the words to the tune called Raise when they had first learned it, but he's singing it perfectly as her eyes flutter open and she sees him leaning over her, a silhouette with spiked hair and a narrow waist outlined against the cloudless sky.
#30 - Just
Penelo hides her face and refuses to speak to him on the Road of Verdant Praise, and upon hearing from the moogle merchants how one of the viera had said something very unkind to her, Balthier has to bite his tongue to keep himself from saying some very unfair things about the whole blasted clan of them.
#01 - Walking
"They give her the most unsightly blisters, you know," Balthier whispers when he sees Penelo glancing between Fran's exotic metal heels and her own more practical boots, for even though it's not a very gallant thing to say, he feels the sudden need to let her know that Fran isn't his muse or his goddess or anything else that people assume about the two of them.
#48 - Virtuous
No one can make a lie sound as believable as Balthier can, and she feels vaguely guilty for being so proud of this talent of his.
#17 - Belief
It does make her wonder, though, whether she should believe in all the pretty things he's been telling her on an increasingly frequent basis.
#42 - Neutral
Larsa objects to Penelo's request that Balthier be the referee for their footrace, on the grounds that neutrality is necessary in such a role, and Balthier reflects that being raised in politics had given Larsa keener insight into hidden agendas than most boys his age.
#31 - Smirk
The way this Jules person smirks at Balthier, as if he would like to do him harm if possible, immediately makes Penelo dislike him, which is unusual because she rarely makes snap judgements about anybody.
#19 - Balcony
He positions himself beside her as they walk down the streets of Tsenoble, because while the gentry might scowl at a simply dressed girl from Dalmasca, they might be less inclined to do so if they see her in the company of one of their own.
#02 - Waltz
He moves his feet in a quick 1-2-3 motion as they pass a pair of street musicians, and explains that it was a song he used to hear in his father's house, and that he'll have to teach her the steps someday.
#20 - Bane
The way she stops everything and delivers the final blow of her Resplendence attack with just a touch of her finger is unreasonably adorable -- so adorable, in fact, that watching her do it nearly makes him miss his own Quickening turn, and he has to scramble just to get a Fires of War off in time.
#37 - Soliloquy
She whispers the name Ffamran to herself, liking the musical sound of it, and the image of the sweet, blonde Archadian boy it conjures in her mind.
#24 - Quarrel
"Are you sure you want to give such a big weapon to such a small girl?" the shopkeeper asks, looking doubtfully between Penelo and the Giant Stonebow they've just purchased, but Balthier scowls and assures the merchant she can handle it.
#14 - Burning
"I heard that Balthier guy has himself a new girl," she overhears one of the Balfonheim pirates saying to another, and she turns red to her ears when he goes on to describe the lady as a blonde little thing with the cutest set of pigtails this side of Bancour.
#41 - Nowhere
"You'll have to remind me where your Migelo keeps shop," he tells her on one of their trip into the city, and adds meaningfully, "There's something I'd like to talk to him about."
#22 - Quirks
She thinks it's cute how disgusted Balthier is about the Orthros's preference for women, and how he reminds her to call for him if the nasty thing gets too pushy.
#44 - Near
The mists of Giruvegan try their best to dishearten any who venture into them, but as long as she can put her hand out and feel the raised patterns on his vest, even if she can't see them, she can feel nothing but hope.
#07 - Waste
"Don't count the steps, it's a waste of energy" he tells her on the stairs of Pharos, but that doesn't stop him from counting the number of times her braids bob up and down in front of him.
#35 - Sarcasm
"Oh dear, how shall I ever recover from the shame?" Balthier remarks drily when Rikken kids him about the feathered ribbon that can be seen tied around Balthier's wrist, peeking out from underneath the crisp white sleeve.
#36 - Sordid
"It's not like that, you pervert!" cries Penelo, not handling the teasing from Elza nearly as well.
#50 - Defeat
She wants very much to scream when she sees the Bahamut go down, but she knows Balthier would be upset if she crashed his ship because she was too busy crying over him.
#39 - Share
After Penelo's return, the regulars at Migelo's shop wonder what happened to make the formerly cheery girl become so pale and quiet, but she will never tell them.
#40 - Solitary
"Aren't you going to make one for Fran?" Vaan asks, and she looks down in surprise at the memorial candles she had been preparing to take to the crash site -- she had written Balthier's name on both of them.
#32 - Sorrow
She bitterly wonders where that handkerchief is now that she is really needs it.
#43 - Nuance
In her letter, Penelo tries to sound casual when she mentions Balthier's return, but Larsa knows how hard she must have prayed for it to happen, because he has seen the tearstains on her previous letters to prove it.
#46 - Horizon
She looks at the note written in the oh-so-elegant hand which has made her world so suddenly, dazzlingly bright, and thinks that she's never heard a name as lovely as Bervenia.
#11 - Birthday
Forever after that, Penelo would hold that day in her memory as the day she came back to life.
#49 - Victory
She nearly breaks her legs trying to jump out of Vaan's little airship before it touches ground, but because the long-absent man for whom she made the leap is there to catch her, she finds that she is just fine after all.