Chapter Text
The night sky of Mt. Bur-Omisace was quite a sight: the protection granted by the Gran Kiltias to the whole place extended as far as to the weather, making the summit of the mountain permanently sunny. The absence of heavy clouds allowed for a particularly clear sky once the sun had set, full of stars and which were not hidden by tall buildings or other similar constructions as it was the case in Dalmasca or Archades.
Being a sky pirate, it should come as no surprise that Balthier loved looking at it; however, since he found himself dragged in the whole mess of Princess Ashelia's affairs, they had been inside airships, locked in dungeons, inside mines and camping in open areas when traversing deserts and plains - so one could not afford to long for the stars in such locations, always alert at the presence of enemies or fiends - but there, for the first time in a long while, they were safe. They could effectively relax.
They had been given simple accommodations by the Gran Kiltias - with the great number of refugees from the war seeking protection there, it was understandable that only Ashe and Larsa had been invited to rest at the shrine, leaving the rest of the party to share the barracks like many of the people living there did every day. Fran and Penelo took one, and Vaan, Basch and Balthier were assigned another. However, despite needing to sleep in order to travel to the Stilshrine of Miriam the following day, the sky pirate couldn't bring himself to fall into deep slumber.
Would Ashe really give up her ambition concerning nethicite? Somehow, Balthier could only muster little faith in the princess' words and resolution; he had seen how eager she was to obtain such power, and the news of Emperor Gramis' death and the certain conflict that would follow at Vayne's hands did nothing to diminish his doubts. Despite arguing he was just there to see how the events would unfold, Balthier now was strongly hoping to influence Ashe somehow or upright prevent her from taking more drastic measures.
He had been alone, sitting in an empty area close to the stairs which lead to the upper level and to the path that would eventually reach the main shrine. He heard footsteps in the dark but his eyes, already used to the lack of light but that from the stars, were quick to recognize the figure approaching due to its peculiar size and weight.
"Can't bring yourself to rest either, captain?"
"Aye. Vaan snores as loud as a pig. And I am not usually one to complain, given how used a soldier becomes to sharing barracks with a good number of really tired men," Basch smiled thinly, moving up to where Balthier was and proceeding to sit down, although he stopped in the middle of his actions, "Would you mind my company?"
"Not at all," replied the thief, smiling broadly in contrast to the knight's more controlled nature, "I believe I have been alone with my thoughts for enough time. Thinking too much has never brought me good fortune."
Basch seemed to analyze the words, searching for hidden meanings there and finding none, finally sitting down; they were both silent for a while, and eventually the older man raised his head, looking up at the sky and sharing Balthier's apparently favorite landscape for the moment. "Have you had any news from the shrine?"
"No," Balthier shook his head, shifting his gaze towards the knight at his side who was obviously interested in the princess' well-being, "We best take our leave by morning, because someone is surely coming to fetch Larsa... And I would loathe to be in the presence of more judges and imperials."
"I share your feelings," Basch agreed, and then he too turned to face his companion, "Tell me, Balthier. Did you... Did you know something about the late emperor and chose not to tell us? Because earlier, when we were about to reach Mt. Bur-Omisace... You were surprisingly harsh to Lord Larsa."
The younger man paused, recalling their earlier hours and what precisely he had said to Larsa; a small, humorless smile crept up on his features, followed by a nonchalant sound. "I am hardly omniscient, Basch. I had no idea of the political situation in Archades and I try to keep as far as I can from their business. I do know, however, something about family issues," his gaze hardened a bit and he saw the knight recoiling slightly, startled from the sudden turn in their conversation "A subject that is not unfamiliar to you as well, I presume."
"...No.", Basch replied eventually, letting out a small and pained sigh, though the emotion was barely noticeable for one not paying close attention, "You have met Gabranth before, the day you freed me from Nalbina. The fact that I am a Dalmascan knight and he is an Archadian judge is more than enough evidence."
"True," the pirate nodded, his voice neutral. He had witnessed the conversation between Basch and his twin before Fran dropped his cage to the ground and allowed their escape from the dungeon. Despite Basch's unkempt appearance, the facial resemblance was hard to miss, "I lack an evil twin brother, but I have had my share of problems where blood relations are concerned."
The captain noted how Balthier refused to give more details, and politely declined to press for more. He sighed, turning his head to the sky once more and sharing a few minutes of complete silence with the other man, but eventually he spoke up again, "Your trust does not come easy," he observed with a small smile, unable to refrain from comparing Balthier with himself - where the sky pirate took his time before trusting someone, Basch had already made the mistake of blindly following the wrong man before, "Perhaps I should learn something from that."
"You would be terribly lonely, captain."
"You have Fran."
"But I walked alone for some time until we met. And even after that, I did not place my trust on her so quickly," Balthier offered the explanation, surprising himself as he did so. His expression changed and his eyes softened, a smile lighting up his unusually stern face that night. Basch, of course, noted such difference.
"Are you and Fran...", he paused and then seemed to rethink his words, something that made the sky pirate grin widely; he obviously enjoyed causing some discomfort in his friends. "What is your relationship with Fran?"
"Bravo, captain. For a second, I thought your gentlemanship would keep you from asking." Balthier grinned and, despite the intimate nature of the question, he was indeed amused. The more tanned man ran his fingers across his shirt's cuffs, cleaning them from dust in his very distinctive manner and turning his head to face the knight at his side: he looked almost... Embarrassed?
"You need not answer, Balthier. I was..."
"Fran and I are soulmates," the younger man replied with ease, chuckling at Basch's surprised expression. He leaned back, supporting his weight on his arms, and looked up to the sky once more, "We have the same desires; we both long for freedom and our pursuit cost us our pasts."
Basch nodded solemnly. Just a couple of days ago, they had visited the Eyrut Village, home to the viera, and the entire party had seen how troubling it was for them to accept the idea of a viera living among humes. Fran no longer had a family, and the wood did not welcome her anymore; although Basch had lost his home country and then his adoptive one after that, he still managed to find solace among equals - something Fran would never be able to do again.
"I see," the older man replied at length, his voice grave and thoughtful. Balthier knew his travelling companion had been thinking about his words and about what he saw in Fran's homeland, most assuredly. He was not, however, expecting the next words from the captain, "I no longer hope for such love and companionship in my future. In fact, if I see Dalmasca restored one day, I shall think my purpose in Ivalice fulfilled."
"Love?" Balthier inquired back, then laughed when he realized the implication of his earlier words. The sky pirate was quick to gesture with both hands, signaling he meant no disrespect to the other man's confession and threw his body back to a regular sitting position, "You misunderstand me, Basch. When I say Fran is my soulmate, I mean that we are very similar at our cores and sometimes I feel as if we could have been one single creature. But we have no romantic inclinations toward each other."
That surprised Basch: the look on the captain's face was enough to make Balthier grin widely again, obviously amusing himself at the expense of the other man. He raised one hand and tapped gently on the knight's shoulder, almost as if apologizing to have mislead him into such assumptions.
"I honestly thought... I mean... Even the children..."
"Ah, yes. I imagine most of you must have drawn such conclusions. After all, a pair of sky pirates, one dashing leading man like myself and a beautiful, elegant viera like Fran... We certainly must look fetching."
"Balthier, you are one..."
"Devilish handsome man. Thank you captain, I am quite aware." Basch gave up and just laughed, feeling the tension between them evaporating. While he certainly had blushed from embarrassment earlier, the way Balthier conducted their conversation subdued any awkwardness that could potentially be installed between them, "Also infuriating, irksome and prone to evading the subject at hand on an extremely consistent basis, or so I have been told."
"Charming personality traits, no doubt."
"Well, the women certainly love to think they can redeem a man like me. You, on the other hand, would be a simple job for them, since you present so many qualities already," Balthier grinned, then drew one leg up and hugged it, remaining in that casual position while Basch was still sitting upright, very soldier-like, "And that is precisely why my relationships with them never last: I do not want to be tamed. But I would be willing to bet all the bounty on my head on a lifelong marriage for you, my dear captain."
"I'd like that," Basch said, smiling to himself before adding, "But I'd have liked that back when I was an honorable knight, perhaps still living in Landis... But today I cannot possibly bind someone else's fate to my tainted reputation."
The sky pirate was visibly taken by surprise. He knew the soldier blamed himself for King Raminas' death, for Ashe's struggles, for Reks' early demise, for the shame his alleged fame as kingslayer brought to his travelling partners - where Balthier lost no time mourning over past disgraces, his companion certainly provided more than enough remorse for at least a party of ten people. His determination was unshakeable, of course, but the sorrow cemented within him was astonishingly profound.
"Well, you are lucky to have me then," the tanned man replied eventually, offering a smile, "I already have a bounty on my head, after all. My reputation is hardly something to vouch for and it was entirely ruined by myself."
Basch had to chuckle then; Balthier's smile was broad and proud, mirroring the offhanded support his words offered behind their usual playful nature. The captain sighed, his lips still curved slightly upwards when he reached for the other man, placing his heavy and calloused hand on the sky pirate's shoulder and squeezing him gently.
"Thank you, Balthier," he said and moved to stand up, dusting his clothing off and then bowing slightly, "As I said, I know your trust is not easily gained. I appreciate you making an exception."
"I recall no exceptions, captain. You see, when you free a thin, hungry kingslayer twin from his cage and he manages to stay alive battling fiends despite being weak and unarmed... Well, you keep a close eye on him. You had your trials and you conquered them, Basch. The merit is yours."
The taller man was speechless then, visibly surprised by Balthier's undisguised praise of his character and moral strength. The knight could tell that their initially distrustful relationship had evolved to something much deeper, and perhaps they had only realized that now. Basch may have never considered the thought of working alongside a criminal when he was younger, but neither had Balthier predicted the day he would be following the agenda of a royal member of the Dalmascan line and fighting for honorable goals.
"Good night, Balthier. You'd best rest while you can."
"Aye, captain. Good night to you too."