Written for Springkink, Prompt: FFXII, Penelo/Basch: friendly kidnapping, "Basch thought that, perhaps, Penelo was enjoying her role as Sky Pirate a bit too much."

Criminal Record

..: An Innocent Request :..

Almost a year has gone by since Basch had last seen Penelo and Vaan, but the moment Larsa handed him a letter, he recognized Penelo's cursive script. And while the request she made of him was not possible, her letter brought good news about Balthier and Fran and made mention of pirating exploits that the four of them planned during the month before Ashelia's coronation. It would be heist of some sort — something Balthier had found — and they were heading to Bervenia.

When Basch saw Penelo a few weeks later, the first thing he noticed was how her confidence had grown, and how even though Vaan was growing into a leader, it was Penelo who carefully coordinated their activities. She wasn't any taller but her braids now trailed down the length of her back, and while her style of dress made use of ample lengths of cloth, the tailoring showed skin in places that even Rabanastrians would find shocking. Basch said nothing that might be mistaken for disapproval as he trained the gaze of his eyes to remain upon her face.

And when it was time for him to return to Archades with Lord Larsa, Penelo skipped across the deck of their airship to give both of them hugs and kisses. It was just a simple friendly gesture from a Rabanastrian who was always free with her affections, but even now Basch remembers the feel of her fingers against the back of his neck and her weight pressed against his chest and his bare hand against the warm skin at the small of her back.

It was then that she briefly brushed her lips against his own, all of this happening shortly after she had squeezed Larsa tightly and peppered his hair with kisses.

Perhaps Basch had been thinking how funny it was that no one other than Penelo could get away with showering affection on Larsa as if he were a child, and then, just before she left, Basch asked her to write to him.

"Write me letters, Penelo. Tell me what you are doing."

His words surprised him the moment they left his lips and, from the look on the young Lord's face, his request also surprised Larsa.

"Of course!" Penelo said and she blew both of them kisses. She skipped off the deck of their ship.

..: A Record of Misdemeanors :..

A few months later Penelo sent Basch a letter that detailed a petition for a hunt she and Vaan were planning to accept. It would take them to the Cerobi Steppe and she hoped to find rare gemstones and receive dragon scales as part of her payment.

Cerobi is not so far from Archades, she wrote, just in case you're in the area during the first week of Gemini.

Basch chuckled to himself when he read that last sentence. A Judge Magister on a posted hunt? That would cause an amusing scandal. He smiled as he folded the letter and placed it safely in its envelope. Penelo still remembered how to make him laugh.

Additional letters arrived regularly as months turned to seasons turned to years. Some described petitions for hunts that she and Vaan were considering; others provided details of heists or quasi-legal activities that she was planning with her band of sky pirates. Basch read each letter twice when they arrived and then filed the new letter with all of the rest, keeping them in a securely locked drawer in his desk, a place where he was certain that no one else would see them and learn that he corresponded with someone is wanted by the law.

If she only stuck to hunts, it wouldn't cause a problem. Most hunts fell into a grey zone of legalities but the activities of hunters and clans were usually ignored by law enforcement in most nations. The heists, on the other hand, were legally defined as crimes even when staged in lawless or abandoned areas. And, when in the middle of a center of population, those acts were felonious no matter how one attempted to define them.

When Basch read her letters while sitting in his study, he wondered why Penelo would write in her own hand such exacting details of crimes she was about to commit. Although he wasn't obliged to share such information with other principalities and nations, some of her pirating activities took place within Archadia's borders. It concerned him that she openly confessed these details in letters mailed to an office of the Judge Magister of the 9th Bureau, Intelligence.

When he had the chance during one of his official visits to Rabanstre and Queen Ashelia, Basch took the opportunity to ask Penelo. Ashelia always managed to arrange special private dinner parties that were not listed on the official agenda of his state visits. This particular dinner party had a guest list of more than a dozen friends, most with notorious names and faces.

After dinner, Basch made a point of inviting Penelo for a walk in the queen's garden. He thought it gentlemanly to offer his arm as he led her beyond earshot of the other attendees.

"I want you to know that I always enjoy receiving your letters but I sometimes wonder why you provide incriminating details of your doings."

When she playfully bumped her shoulder into his arm, he worried that she wasn't taking him seriously.

"Basch, I'm just keeping the Archadian Ministry of Law informed of my activities."

Clearly, she was not mindful of his warning.

"You do realize," he said, "that even under Emperor Larsa's rule, I still remain chief arbiter and enforcer of law within the Empire and hold all the responsibility that comes with the position."

"Of course I do." Her tone was sassy, matching the expression on her face. "Do you think me as stupid as Vaan?" she added, sticking out her tongue as final mark of punctuation.

"I don't." He didn't but he still did not understand. Penelo was playful but she had never been a reckless person, at least, not during the year she traveled with him while helping Ashelia regain her throne. So why did she tell him these things?

"I still do not see why you send me details of activities that could get you arrested," he said.

"Do you plan on arresting me?" Head cocked to the side, she looked up at him. He swore it was a challenge.

"I… Of course not." Of course he didn't. Shoulders straightened, he settled her hand upon his arm in a position a little more formal and a little more proper for an older gentleman escorting a young woman through a garden.

He thought he heard her giggle but when his cast his eyes upon her, her expression was calm, pleasant, and befitting for a stroll through the queen's flowers.

"Penelo," he said softly, "of all the things you could do with your life, I often wonder if this…" Did he honestly think poorly of her for being a pirate? He didn't want to appear a hypocrite. He paused and restated his words. "As your fame grows to match the bounties of those with whom you keep your company, even I can make no guarantees about your safety."

"But your brother had thugs like Ba'gamnan on his secret payroll. You've met Ba'gamnan. He would've been a wanted criminal if it weren't for the old Gabranth's protection."

Basch stopped. "The new Gabranth uses different methods to get his work done."

She let go of his arm and turned to face him. "Well, then how do you expect to get real information about actual criminal activities and clandestine plots to overthrow governments?"

"I…" If this is what she wants to do, why had she only sent him details of her own exploits? "I expect that, of all people, you would pass information to me if you felt I should know."

"I would." She shrugged.

"This still does not explain why you send me detailed descriptions of illegal activities that you plan on performing."

"I just want to keep you apprised of my activities."

She looked so earnest as she said this. Basch wondered if she said this in jest or if her words were truly serious. "But why?"

"Because…" She huffed, looked away.

Basch followed her gaze back across the garden to where the others where standing. Balthier was currently flirting with Queen Ashelia. He heard Penelo sigh again.

"Because… Because I assumed that you would send a message back to me if you knew that I was about to walk into serious trouble. Or you would find a way to help me out."

"Oh, Penelo." At that moment Basch felt the urge to hug her but he only brushed the tips of his fingers against the side of her arm. "I could find myself in a lot of trouble, as could Larsa."

"I know. I just thought…" She squinted and looked away. "I realize you can't."

He thought it all right to take hold of her hand. So he did and he squeezed her fingers as he spoke. "If you ever want to visit Larsa — and me — just send a note to let us know when you're coming to Archades."

Penelo made that silly, girlish smile Basch remembered from a few years ago, back when she was a little less bold and not entirely sure of herself, back when all of the world appeared very large in her eyes.

She returned to his side and they continued their leisurely walk through the flowers. "Thanks Basch, but aren't the two of you a little too busy and a little too important to entertain someone like me."

He pulled her hand to his arm as they continued down a meandering path. "I think we can easily add you to our official schedule."

"We'll see." And then she fell silent as they stepped around a fountain and down another meandering path that sent them back in the direction where everyone else was gathered.

The evening dessert breeze cooled the air.

"But," she said, "if we ever cross paths inside a dark cavern or within Imperial crypts guarded by military elite, don't be surprised if, in addition to escaping safely with my stolen loot, I also happen to steal something directly from you."

Her tone of voice was so confident as she declared such a ridiculous thing that Basch couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud. "And what would you steal from me?"

What happened next was not at all what Basch had expected but, in retrospect, he should have seen it coming.

"This!" She half-stepped in front of him to block his path and leapt forward on to her toes, placing one hand on his shoulder, the other behind his neck, and mischievous lips right against his own, staying longer than a second but not long enough for him to discern her intent.

"See?" Trickster eyes flashed as she rocked back on her heels. "I stole something from you already, right under the nose of the honorable Judge Magister." She poked him in the chest.

Before Basch could say anything in response, Penelo turned a pirouette and skipped down the path to where Ashelia was entertaining a noble band of pirates. He scratched the stubble on his chin: an attempt to hide a wide grin as he walked into their view.

..: Grand Larceny :..

The commotion in the temple courtyard echoed down the corridor. Basch was certain of what he would find. He read her exacting details a week earlier when the letter arrived, but when he filed it away he never thought…

The ground shook hard and as his foot slipped when he made his next step. He cursed himself for being dressed as he was. Increasing his pace for the last twenty yards, his armor clanked and clattered while his heavy cape snapped in the air behind him. Basch sprinted.

He could already smell the Mist. A flash. The heat of flame. A yell. More shouts. A scream. Metal against stone in the uncoordinated footfalls of soldiers. The bellowing of a commander.

"She ran toward the entrance!"

"No! Other entrance. Left! Move left!"

And just as Basch rounded the corner of the corridor, something hit him hard, fast. Screamed "Dammit!"

Braids. Penelo. Readying another—

"Stop!" He clenched her upraised hand; hard, too hard. "Penelo! Stop!"

Hit with a mote, he would never get her out in time.

He was still gripping her hand—gripping too tight, he knew it too tight. "Don't!"

That's when she looked up at him and bit down on her bottom lip to hide her smile.

All Basch could think as the hoplites stomped toward them was how bittersweet a prize it was to see her smiling face at a time like this.

Without thinking, he grabbed her shoulders and spun her around, holding her back against the hard metal of his cuirass. His hands firmly held her still.

"Your Honor!" The commanding hoplite raised his hand, halting the soldiers behind him. "We did not realize the 9th was involved."

"She's disarmed," Basch said as he pulled Penelo's staff from her hands. "And she knows better than to challenge a Magister."

"Do you need us to take her into custody?"

Basch kept one hand firmly on Penelo's shoulder. "No need. I'll take care of this one."

The commander saluted him and the other soldiers stood at attention.

Basch inhaled once and gave Penelo's shoulder a firm shove back down the corridor, back in the direction from which he had come.

Behind him, he swore he heard one of the hoplites say, "Seems the Boy Emperor has reinstated the Magisters' trial by swift execution."

After he turned the next corner in the corridor, he was certain that none of the hoplites were following them. They were merely members of a local militia and the Imperial Elite far outranked them. A magister outranks them all.

Basch eased their pace and loosened his grip on Penelo's shoulder.

"That was too close." His breath was heavy beneath his helm.

"Agreed."

"Sweet Mateus, Penelo! I still have to get you out of here and that is not going to be easy."

"It can't be that hard." Penelo reached for her staff. He lifted his arm above his head, holding her staff above her grasp.

"They only way out is through the temple plaza to the main gate and there, on the road, just beyond the gate's pillars, are two dozen Imperial Elite on high alert."

"What are they doing there?"

Had she really just asked him that? "Penelo, I had to command my own guard to let me enter this pandemonium alone without them accompanying me."

"Since when can anyone other than the emperor challenge the orders of a magister?"

He stopped. Weighed his words. Waited to see if she understood how serious this situation had become. His own men would come looking for him soon, not wanting to risk the death of another magister.

When her face started to show regret, he almost handed her staff back. Almost. But he couldn't chance that the Imperials thought her armed and dangerous. They might not heed his call for them to stand down.

The corridors were now silent; the hoplites must have retreated. But Basch knew he was running out of time. They had no more than a minute to devise a plan.

First he needed to understand what had happened.

"At sunrise this morning while I was en route to Bhujerba, a message was sent to me saying that a colonel of this provincial territory's militia was taking immediate action to secure this particular temple after receiving a tip about a very daring robbery." He stooped down to look Penelo in the eye. "A robbery that precisely fits the details sent to me in your last letter."

Penelo grimaced. She nervously shook her head. "It was a good thing you got here in time, even if it does mean that the Akademy's finest are waiting for us — me — with swords drawn."

"Penelo?" Basch put his hand on her shoulder. Shook her. Held her attention. "The colonel's details matched word for word what you wrote in your letter."

He waited. Studied her eyes.

"So… something must have gone wrong." She shrugged. "I guess."

"Word for word." He repeated. "What is going on?"

She said nothing. Pouted. Looked away.

"There better be a very good reason for this."

No response.

"Fine. I'll do what I can, but you have put yourself in a very difficult situation." He hated saying that to her. He touched her cheek with his gloved and plated hand. It felt wrong. "You do as I say once we reach the gate by the road. You will have to trust me and, believe me, the rest of this day will not be easy for either of us."

He pushed her forward, but not hard.

"I think this was not a random occurrence. How could a colonel in a provincial militia know the contents of my private mail? You think it just a lucky guess?"

"Maybe…" Penelo said as they reached the door at the corridor's end.

He let her open it.

"Or maybe not."

And, as the door swung open, he heard a familiar whirring hum. A ladder hung from the air, strung from an invisible ship.

Gleaming, Penelo turned to look back at him. "Hurry!"

At that precise moment in time, Basch saw no point in asking or arguing or waiting to understand. All he knew was that they had less than a minute or two for Penelo to scramble up the ladder while he hauled himself up behind her, dressed in full plate. He expected his guard to enter the plaza soon. Although he told his men to wait, they would only do so for no more than ten minutes.

..: A Kidnapping :..

"Hey, old man, you need to loose this armor if you're on the run with us." Vaan closed the hatch behind him.

With both of them safely aboard, Balthier turned his back and strode off into the cockpit. "Don't make yourself too comfortable, Your Honor."

"Just ignore Balthier," Penelo said, "He's upset because this mission doesn't include a Dalmascan rendezvous."

Basch removed his helm and before he could ask, Penelo's fingers worked the leather tongue of his belt out of its buckle. Vaan took hold of his swords.

"We need to get all of this off of you." Penelo bent down to unfasten his greaves.

Vaan took his helm and stowed it with his weapons on the bunk that lay just behind the bulkhead.

"No one has explained any of this to me." Basch looked at Vaan for an answer while Penelo busied herself as if his squire.

"Penelo hasn't told you?"

"No time to tell him, Vaan." Penelo tugged at his left gauntlet. "Not when I had to create a diversion while the rest of you got the ship."

Basch helped her remove his other gauntlet. "No time to tell me what?"

"We…" Penelo hesitated. "…needed to kidnap you."

"Kidnap me?" He braced his legs as he felt the airship sway and bank to the left.

"We're sky pirates!" Vaan mockingly threw his hands in the air.

"Vaan, help me get all of this off of him!"

Whatever dangerous game they were playing, no one was telling him, at least not now. Basch let Vaan and Penelo strip him of everything but his leather trousers.

Barefoot and still unsure of what was going on, he let Penelo lead him to one of the small cabins in the back of airship. When she motioned for him to sit on the bunk, he finally spoke the words that had been on his mind.

"Penelo, why do I suspect that if I were to see that scrap of information passed to one particular colonel in one particular provincial militia, it would bear the mark of your hand?"

..: A Ransom :..

After Penelo brought him something to drink and took the time to explain what was happening, their immediate situation made more sense but something about how this plan of events set against the larger backdrop still confounded Basch.

"You still haven't told me why, for all of these years, you diligently send me letters that provide exacting details of plans that result in, in… in grand larceny?'

"Because someday you'll just have to arrest me."

Her words still didn't make any sense. He watched her as she fixed her braids, adjusted her halter top, and straightened the lacing that crisscrossed the otherwise exposed curve of her hip.

He blew out his breath between pursed lips. "Is there something that you have been failing to tell me?"

Penelo shrugged and looked at him like it was all very obvious.

"I still do not follow." He leaned back and did his best to stretch his legs in the cramped cabin.

"Well, you finally did arrest me this time." She bent down to fetch something from under the bunk. A canvas bag. "Or, at least you tried to arrest me."

"I think my role in this play was forced by other authors of this script."

"Basch, what matters is that you are here. I explained it all a few minutes ago. Kidnapping you is the only way we can get you to meet the informant."

After stuffing a pillow behind his lower back, he leaned his head against the wall. How did that shy, hopeful girl with nothing but a bow and elementary knowledge of white magick turn into someone who now specializes in espionage logistics?

He watched as she counted a sizable sum of gil and strung the coins in bundles, stuffing each bundle in a canvas sack, one by one. During that year with Ashe, he had trained Penelo in reconnaissance, surveillance, and infiltration. All of that was necessary. It was what he knew and what they needed to do. He had his doubts at first but she was persistent and she proved to be good at it, using no more equipment than what they could find in the field.

With his eyes closed, Basch could still see that pigtailed young lady who idolized Dalmasca's knights. She would sneak up on him each night by fire, trying to scare him by walking so silently he didn't notice until her hands were upon his neck. And when they would break during the noon heat, she would cajole him into sparring with her. Now she's arranging international schemes for covert operations between Archadia's 9th and the Rozarrians.

"Penelo?"

She looked up as she continued counting coins. He waited.

"Next time, could you let me know what I'm getting into?"

"Does that mean you'll still read the letters I send you?"

"So that is what it has all been about."

"Sometimes." She tied a firm knot in last string of coins. "And sometimes not." She shrugged. "Sometimes I'm just letting you know I'm up to, like you asked."

He had. He couldn't fault her for that.

"How long have you been doing this kind of work?"

"After Balthier came back. Not much the first year. A lot more after that."

"I never thought that Balthier would work for the Rozarrians."

"It keeps him in Al-Cid's good graces." Penelo gave him a devilish grin. "Sometimes Al-Cid even lets Ashe negotiate with the infamous sky pirate all on her own." The tone of her voice made quite clear that she meant something other than the standard definition of the word 'negotiate.'

Basch stretched and sat up, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Although I head the 9th, there are certain affairs of state that I do not deem necessary for Archadian records."

"Really?" Penelo dropped the last string of coins into the sack. "I think you've missed many opportunities for real intelligence about what is actually happening beyond the Imperial district in the center of Archades. That even includes some things that are happening right under your nose."

"Did you really mean to say, 'right under my nose'?" After the words left his month, he realized he probably shouldn't have said that, or not in the way he emphasized certain words.

After a few seconds of heavy silence, he asked, "And you are sure that this information is reliable?"

"Believe me, we checked. Multiple times. We wouldn't have taken a risk like this if it we weren't sure."

"And the freighter?"

"The captain is someone Balthier knows. Trusts him even, if you can believe it."

"Trusts?" Basch laughed. "So, Balthier is finally learning to play nice with other pirates and shady operators?"

"You're terrible." Penelo punched him in the arm. "The freighter captain thinks this is a real kidnapping and ransom. He's going to pretend to give us some trouble and then he's going to take you into protective custody and collect his reward at the Archadian border. One of his crew, a man named Cerik, will be assigned to keep guard over you. What that captain doesn't know is that Cerik plans to pass you some information."

"How do you know Cerik's information is any good?"

"He came through for us on something related."

"Is it something I need to know?"

"You already do — what we swiped this morning from underneath that temple."

"This really seems like an awful lot of trouble for—"

"Basch, when you hear what Cerik has to say and the names he is going to name, I think you will understand why he hasn't given the information to us sky pirates and why he wanted to arrange a private chat with to the head of the 9th."

"What price will he exact from me in exchange?"

Penelo shrugged. "You'll find out. Protection, probably. Although he's already getting rich off of this so don't let him ask you for more money."

"How much is he getting?"

"Thirty percent of what Vaan stowed in cargo just before picking you up."

"What exactly did you steal?" He leaned forward, resting his elbows near his knees.

"All I'll say is that thirty percent of that treasure is worth more than ten times your Imperial ransom price."

He doesn't remember breathing. Just sitting. Staring at Penelo. Wondering if he heard her right. He expected this sort of situation from Balthier, but Penelo? A handful of years passes, and now she is playing a more dangerous game than he would have ever expected.

"Don't look so stunned, Basch. It's the life of rogues and pirates. Anyhow, I think Cerik and the Archadian government put together grossly undervalues your worth."

"I think it is better for all of us that I'm not worth a king's ransom plus half his kingdom."

"Then I'll have to keep secret what price I'd pay for you." Penelo sat beside him.

:

For a long while he just sat with her in silence.

At some point he took her hand.

After a little while he let his head rest against her shoulder. He nuzzled the tip of his nose against the soft skin of her neck.

Some point later she kissed him, and although this wasn't how he ever expected it would happen, he wanted to feel her warm lips against his.

He wanted to feel the touch of her hands against his skin, the weight of her body against his own, her fingers at the nape of his neck.

:

"Hey, Penelo! Stop torturing the prisoner." Vaan. Still the same, although he was smirking this time. "Doesn't this break one of those new international treaties?"

"Vaan, we're sky pirates. That means we don't pay attention to international treaties."

"Clearly." But this time Basch saw Vaan grin directly at him. "We're about to dock with the freighter. Get him ready for transfer." Vaan slapped the doorframe with his palm as he left.

"So…" Basch swung his legs over the side of the bunk. "I guess I have to trust that you aren't selling me to a caravan of slave traders."

Penelo hugged him, squeezing him tightly. "I wish I could go with you, but… not this time."

"You'll soon have a bounty on your head to rival Balthier's."

"We pirates manage only to get caught by people who can grant us pardons or secretly let us escape."

Basch felt the ship jolt and shudder once, twice. Docked. He only had time to quickly give her one kiss before he stood and let her manacle his wrists and chain his ankles.

..: An Imperial Pardon :..

Basch walked through the edge of the reflection pool in Lord Larsa's private rooftop court as he read a letter from Penelo that had just arrived. He read the end of the letter twice.

By the way, in your last letter to me, you wrote (I quote), "You have grown very daring and I think that, perhaps, you are enjoying your role as a sky pirate a bit too much. I want you to know that I am concerned for your safety. I ask you to consider the serious nature of what would happen if you were caught by someone less appreciative of who you truly are. Please think this over before you plan your next activities."

Let me be blunt: Basch, I hope that you are able to find time to meet me on 17th Sagittarius at 4:00 in the afternoon while I am exiting north gate of the Henne Mines. When you arrive, it will be clear that I need an escort out and perhaps you might try arresting me while dressed as the Honorable Judge Magister Gabranth. But, this time, you'll need to think of a clever place to take your prisoner. I expect to see you, and while I might feel tempted to steal something from you, I promise that I'll also have something to give you in return for your troubles.

Much love,

Penelo

Basch chuckled to himself as he reread the last few lines. Absentmindedly, he put the letter to his lips as he continued to walk along the edge of the pool.

"Gabranth?" Larsa gave him a questioning look.

"Nothing." He folded the letter and stuffed it back into his envelope.

"Did you find time to handle that unfortunate matter with the Rozarrian diplomat?" Larsa asked as he returned his attention to the documents spread out before him on his desk.

"Handled, my Lord. Rozarria sends their apologies. And Al-Cid sends his thanks for our discrete handling of the situation. He also mentioned that a new diplomat will be posted here in Archades after clearing a review."

"Have you traced where that magicite was coming from?" Larsa asked. "That diplomat was smuggling a very high grade of magicite out of Archadia. Do you think he…" Larsa tapped the top of his quill against his lip.

"I don't know yet. But my Rozarrian contacts confirmed that the he was selling the magicite to a rebel faction in Rozarria, near the Dalmascan border. But, I have received some reliable intelligence suggesting that our answer about the magicite's origins lies within the Henne Mines. Probably one of the workers."

"Zargabaath's fleet is not far from there. He could dispatch some men to look into it."

"No need to bother him, my Lord, I'll take care of it myself."

Larsa put down his pen. "I hope this doesn't involve another kidnapping."

"Not this time. But it might require an Imperial pardon."