Fic: Ashe/Penelo, The Sleep of the Innocent
So, first in what will probably become a line of fics exploring assorted lesbian relationships in FF12, because they are not often written and I wanted to see if I could make it work. This one only sort of gets there in the making it work category, since it’s all sort of just tumbling around in Ashe’s head, but I like how it turned out. Oddly, I feel more comfortable with this than any other pairing I’ve ever tried to write Ashe in. I have yet to wrap my mind around what Penelo’s take on this would be, though.
Hooray for writing fics in a little notebook while eating lunch at California Pizza Kitchen with mom and grandma. I kid you not. It hasn’t been edited much from that, either.
I’m not sure why headcanon = Ashe never sleeps.
Special thanks to logistika_nyx for planting this idea in my head. It never would have occured to me otherwise.
Title: The Sleep of the Innocent
Characters/Pairings: Ashe/Penelo, sort of
Rating: PG, I think?
Summary: Penelo sleeps; Ashe ponders.
The night was pleasant, if only for the protection the tent provided from the chilling wind. Outside, the stars shone down on blades of grass that trembled in the breeze. Inside, Ashe lay awake, staring with an intensity born of boredom more than interest at the tent flaps matching the undulations of the air.
It was by some grace or curse, which one she was not certain, that could still hear the soft, even breathing of the girl laying beside her. Ashe broke the otherwise steady sounds of wind and quiet breaths with a sigh as she rolled onto her side, turning attention from the tent to the girl.
Penelo slept the sleep of the innocent. It was a gift Ashe felt she should have as well; she had done nothing to deserve her hardships. Alas, here she was, caught between alertness and nightmares, denied even the company of the girl with whom she shared her tent.
The princess was torn with waves of envy for the peasant girl, she who could roam as she pleased, she who could take each day with a smile, she who was granted the mercy of a decent night’s sleep. In that moment, all Ashe wanted to do was shake the girl awake, to make her sit with her and listen to all of the princess’ complaints and troubles and share the pain, but yet she could not bare to do so; where her hand had moved to shake Penelo from her peaceful slumber, it instead brushed ever so gently over strands of smooth, golden hair. It only added to Ashe’s bewilderment when she noticed a faint smile appear on the girl’s lips.
“Sleep,” she finally whispered, with a hint of a smile no one would ever see, “You don’t deserve my curse.” Looking at Penelo, it was hard to believe that only two years separated them; nobility and catastrophy had aged Ashe beyond her years and she wondered (oh so desperately wondered) what it must be like to be a normal girl of seventeen, or nineteen in her case, not a princess, not a widow, not an outcast in the land she was intended to rule. She regarded the sleeping Penelo with a look that was neither frown nor smile, a torturous mix of envy and curiosity. How much could she learn from this innocent girl that lay next to her?
“Penelo,” she whispered, unsure what she had been planning to say, if anything at all.
Suddenly, Penelo rolled and in the same motion slung an arm over the sleepless princess and snuggled into her. For a brief moment, Ashe wondered if it had been in response to her, but no, the girl was still sound asleep.
“Penelo?” Ashe tested, though she knew she would get no response. While her own heart fluttered, the girl’s breathing was as relaxed and rhythmic as it had been minutes before. Another sigh issued from the princess; how dare she hope?
“Mama,” the girl murmured through layers of sleep, and Ashe fought the urge to laugh as she closed her eyes and relaxed into her companion’s warm embrace.
Clearly, it was she who was guilty for finding herself pleased to be wrapped in Penelo’s arms.
[edit]So I just skimmed back through the game script and discovered that I was not misremembering that Fran and Ashe basically never interact with each other with the exception of jointly providing occasional exposition. I guess I have my work cut out for me as a fanfic writer, huh? I'm not sure what to make of that pairing. All thoughts on it thus far have turned Fran kind of scary. We shall see.
In other news, Fran/Penelo is obvious when you're looking for it! I was surprised how much there actually would be to work with there. Somehow it's simultaneously too obvious and too far-fetched to be especially interesting, though.
Hooray for writing fics in a little notebook while eating lunch at California Pizza Kitchen with mom and grandma. I kid you not. It hasn’t been edited much from that, either.
I’m not sure why headcanon = Ashe never sleeps.
Special thanks to logistika_nyx for planting this idea in my head. It never would have occured to me otherwise.
Title: The Sleep of the Innocent
Characters/Pairings: Ashe/Penelo, sort of
Rating: PG, I think?
Summary: Penelo sleeps; Ashe ponders.
The night was pleasant, if only for the protection the tent provided from the chilling wind. Outside, the stars shone down on blades of grass that trembled in the breeze. Inside, Ashe lay awake, staring with an intensity born of boredom more than interest at the tent flaps matching the undulations of the air.
It was by some grace or curse, which one she was not certain, that could still hear the soft, even breathing of the girl laying beside her. Ashe broke the otherwise steady sounds of wind and quiet breaths with a sigh as she rolled onto her side, turning attention from the tent to the girl.
Penelo slept the sleep of the innocent. It was a gift Ashe felt she should have as well; she had done nothing to deserve her hardships. Alas, here she was, caught between alertness and nightmares, denied even the company of the girl with whom she shared her tent.
The princess was torn with waves of envy for the peasant girl, she who could roam as she pleased, she who could take each day with a smile, she who was granted the mercy of a decent night’s sleep. In that moment, all Ashe wanted to do was shake the girl awake, to make her sit with her and listen to all of the princess’ complaints and troubles and share the pain, but yet she could not bare to do so; where her hand had moved to shake Penelo from her peaceful slumber, it instead brushed ever so gently over strands of smooth, golden hair. It only added to Ashe’s bewilderment when she noticed a faint smile appear on the girl’s lips.
“Sleep,” she finally whispered, with a hint of a smile no one would ever see, “You don’t deserve my curse.” Looking at Penelo, it was hard to believe that only two years separated them; nobility and catastrophy had aged Ashe beyond her years and she wondered (oh so desperately wondered) what it must be like to be a normal girl of seventeen, or nineteen in her case, not a princess, not a widow, not an outcast in the land she was intended to rule. She regarded the sleeping Penelo with a look that was neither frown nor smile, a torturous mix of envy and curiosity. How much could she learn from this innocent girl that lay next to her?
“Penelo,” she whispered, unsure what she had been planning to say, if anything at all.
Suddenly, Penelo rolled and in the same motion slung an arm over the sleepless princess and snuggled into her. For a brief moment, Ashe wondered if it had been in response to her, but no, the girl was still sound asleep.
“Penelo?” Ashe tested, though she knew she would get no response. While her own heart fluttered, the girl’s breathing was as relaxed and rhythmic as it had been minutes before. Another sigh issued from the princess; how dare she hope?
“Mama,” the girl murmured through layers of sleep, and Ashe fought the urge to laugh as she closed her eyes and relaxed into her companion’s warm embrace.
Clearly, it was she who was guilty for finding herself pleased to be wrapped in Penelo’s arms.
[edit]So I just skimmed back through the game script and discovered that I was not misremembering that Fran and Ashe basically never interact with each other with the exception of jointly providing occasional exposition. I guess I have my work cut out for me as a fanfic writer, huh? I'm not sure what to make of that pairing. All thoughts on it thus far have turned Fran kind of scary. We shall see.
In other news, Fran/Penelo is obvious when you're looking for it! I was surprised how much there actually would be to work with there. Somehow it's simultaneously too obvious and too far-fetched to be especially interesting, though.