-In your absence, I seek you-

Her head was full, and Penelo suppressed a groan. She recounted the things that had happened to her.

The Mist is going frenzy, leaving much of the creatures around Ivalice to remain in berserk or over-soul mode and causing much panic which in turn equals to extra work for Ashe, Larsa and Basch.

And it was in these scenarios, Vaan chose to go missing. He had left behind a piece of paper that he got from the mail from Shiva knows who. Penelo had taken the paper, and gave it to Fran who tells them that it was an insignia. They went to the Garif Chief to ask about said insignia, who informs them that it was most definitely not from Ivalice. Instead it came from a world where magic is supposed to come from; the land where the god of discord is fighting the god of harmony. It's not the god of discord's insignia, so perhaps the Viera might know whose insignia it was- since the Garif Chief says that the knowledge of this was passed to both Viera and Garif by the Occuria.

Oh, and there's things from Vaan's dreams that are called manikins, which are supposedly moving crystals taking form of the memories they have inside of them (no idea how they got there though, Penelo hopes it wasn't painful. For Vaan's sake)

It's pretty obvious that whatever trouble Vaan's gotten caught up into is something complex and big.

Why was it always something big?

Golmore Jungle was located on the other side of the Ozmone Plains; they have a long walk back to get there. Penelo was expecting some more creatures to fight due to Mist issues- or worse, more manikins. But bless the Garif war-chief Supinelu who sent out patrols daily to the Ozmone Plains, it seemed like their first encounter would be the last- for now. But with the lack of creatures to fight to fill in their journey, left it filled with uncomfortable silence.

Very, very uncomfortable silence- Penelo cringed.

Fran and Balthier were like two peas in a pod; she knows how well they each know the other; and they were pretty much a well formed team (well enough to become one of the most wanted pirates known across Ivalice, much cause of Ashe's headache). They've never had this- this indescribable tension that sat like an unshakeable wall between them! It was nothing like their usual behavior. What the heck had happened between them? Granted even she and Vaan used to have their own fights but it never amounted to the point they were down-straight avoiding each other's eyes! It-

"Penelo!"

?!

Everything remained a blur then- all that's left was the sudden pain she felt. Then, Penelo screamed.

The ground disappeared from her foot- where was it? She heard arrows whizzing past her ears, and she flopped down to her knees, head still trying to recover from the sudden imperative attack. A loud thud came beside her, and her eyes met the flopping winged yet featherless body of a Zu, filled with arrows and bullet holes; the former insanely more in number than the latter. Green invaded her vision, she sighed at the soft touch of a cure magic heal her bleeding shoulder. Apparently the Zu had grabbed hold of her shoulder with its claws and tried to fly off with her. She grinned weakly at her company, "Sorry 'bout that. 'm all right now."

"Where have you been lost dear? Heads up in the clouds?" Balthier chided, "Good thing you're in good company."

"As good as any other I'm sure." She shook her head and her shoulder, wobbling as she tried to stand. Fran held her shoulder as she straightened her legs and stood.

"Fran?"

The Viera had gone eerily silent, and spoke, "The Mist worsens as the roads further goes- I fear for the misplaced control of mine."

Penelo looked at the road, up ahead; true to Fran's words; the green fogs of Mist were oozing out to the wild from what she assumes were bushes- probably from the hidden entrance of the Henne Mines. They'll have to pass that to get to Golmore Jungle. And judging by how many arrows were in the dead body of the Zu, Fran had fired way too much arrows for her liking- to which she deemed as a slip of her hold on her self control; at least, that's what Penelo thought.

The Mist was that bad?

"You'll be fine," Balthier suddenly says, "To fear the Mist so soon- highly unlikely of you Fran. You held on well on your control through the Nabreus Deadlands, I doubt you'll lose it here. Thick they may be, but they are scattered about- not like with our royal highness' nethicite shards." Fran does not respond for a while, but she then nodded. Her head rose to stare at her partner, "I hold you to your words Balthier- bear in mind to do so to mine."

'To mine', Penelo wonders; does that mean Fran has mentioned something to Balthier like this before? Offering a piece of advice to Balthier? Was that it? Had Balthier said no to her words? Was that why they both seemed to act so drifted off?

"A conversation that's best left for later." Balthier suggested; and in the process, breaking Penelo's train of thoughts; "Let's get a move on, shall we? I doubt our little friends will like the wait." He pointed his gun the three werewolves emerging from the same bushes the mist were coming from. The dancer gulped and gripped her staff.

"They're not exactly little Balthier…"

"Faced with your weapons and level; yes they are."

-If the Mist is the cause of all this, then seek out its source is a must-

Penelo ran after Fran, making sure to keep in range with Balthier as she unleashed a Cura spell. She leapt and then casted an Aero spell- the werewolves were knocked back. Then she jumped back to avoid their upcoming attacks. Both of her long ranged friends fired off their weapons, finishing the job as the creatures goes down and dead on the ground. It was a good thing she picked a Cherry Staff as her weapon, most of the creatures here were fairly weak towards a strong Aero spell, even in over-soul mode. Penelo poked them with her staff; just in case; then she started to pick up the loot.

"It seems that you've yet to lose touch in the looting ways."

"Pretty much," Penelo grinned, "We'll need it after all. But I'm not as good as Vaan when it comes to picking which loot is best to pick- yet at least."

She watched the body fade into the Mist and she shifted her attention to Fran to check up on her. If she had turned to Balthier, she would've noticed how tightly he was gripping his gun, flinching ever so slightly at a simple mention of a name. However, she did noticed that once they had entered the Henne Mines; when they were ambushed by a group of purple panthers, Balthier had shot them down as if he had drank from a bottle of Bacchus's Wine.

-And to seek its source is where the most Mist dwells-

They were practically drained out their energy just getting to the entrance of the village, what with the jungle's inhabitants being less than friendly and more berserk-ed with bloodlust.

"A lot more monsters than I remember." Penelo huffed out as she fell to her knees. "I've yet enough strength to open the gate, tis' odd, for She does not lock her doors." Fran mummers with her hands waving around in the air, "Do you have Lente's Tear given by Jote?" "Yes?" Penelo rummaged through her bag, "I'm sure it's around- Ah!" She found the necklace all right, but beside the necklace, in a tiny pouch bag she slipped in her bag just when there was too much enemies around them, was glowing with yellow light. She took both the pouch and the necklace, and held it in each hand. She set the necklace on her lap; then took out the contents of the bag- the paper Vaan left behind- the one with the insignia.

"Wha? The insignia…"

Fran picked up the necklace from Penelo's lap, "Tis' not the works of Lente's tear." "Let me have a look at it," Balthier held the paper and lifted it up to his eye. "Must be the Mist," He looked around then returned the paper to the girl, "Best to get out of here soon, the quicker we find out what this is, the better. How are we coming along with your village's door Fran?"

The Lente's Tears was a necklace with a tear-drop shaped like pendant, which Fran used as one would use a chalk on a chalk board, and began drawing the glyph to unlock the pathway. Not moment later on, a soft glow signaled to them- the path was open. Fran turned and handed Penelo the necklace, "We seek Jote, who hears the Green Word for whose insignia we have and why it glows." "We find who it belongs to, and we find who took Vaan right?" Penelo breathed out in anticipation- they were coming ever closer to finding Vaan. "Or an acquaintance of his," Balthier speculated, "Could be a foe or an ally. Best to see for ourselves before we make out the score."

The rustle of the leaves follow their footsteps as they walked on the path. Penelo remained silent, occasionally kicking up the leaves, "Are you all right Fran? Meeting your sisters again after a while…" "I am fine; there is no need to worry." Fran mumbled back, "If we are to see her, we ask and leave as soon as possible- there is no reason to linger and dwell."

-Where is this Mist infested place though? It spread all over Ivalice-

"The Viera who has abandoned Her embrace, are considered Viera no more. Humes are not allowed to walk on Her sacred grounds- leave at once."

"I seek of Jote, the elder of the Eruyt Village."

"She is of no obligation to see to your request, please leave at once."

"Do you think we'll get to see Fran's sister?" Penelo questioned the man beside her, "I don't think they'll let us in anymore." "Last we've been here we just waltzed in like it's a park." He mused, "Probably something to do with the Mist. Show her the paper Penelo, maybe she'll be convinced." "I'm not sure how a glowing piece of paper will convince her to let us in…" Penelo stared at her pouch, now tied around her like a belt. "No," Balthier shrugged, "but it does seem like worth the try- better than waiting around doing no good."

When Penelo let the paper out however, it glowed even stronger than before, emitting bright light that was pretty much what Penelo deemed on the scale of 'Shiva that's horribly blinding.' A gust of wind blew and encircled her, with leaves dancing about, while a soft hymn of nature drifted by her ears. Was that the Woods? She wondered, she turned to Balthier and Fran in worry.

"The Wood speaks," One of the viera guard says, "She asks for the glyph."

"Tis' not a glyph- an insignia is it not?" Another viera speaks from behind the guard, a priestess by the looks of it. Not that Penelo knew much about viera fashion and their significance other than their shoe-wear.

"Jote is high above among the trees, proceed to her immediately."

"Turns out the paper helped after all."

-It is true, not only so, we do not know what we are facing-

Eruyt Village was just as beautiful as Penelo remembered it, peaceful and serene. It was heaven compared to the darkly lit streets of Low Town (though it had much improved since Ashe's rule), where the mood hardly matches with majority of Penelo's selective favorite dance routine. She preferred to sway with soft and relaxing music, compared to the upbeat rhythm of Vaan's dance when he joined in for fun months ago.

"I've never said it before, but your village is beautiful Fran." Penelo said, "Can I ask you why you left?" Fran turned around to Balthier who was walking a bit slowly, eyes a bit unfocused before answering, "Peace it has, but curious I was of Ivalice. I had no care for the constant life in the village, for I long for something new, for what I deem as freedom."

"I'll be a sky pirate, free to go where I will."

"You are…" Penelo smiled, "very adventurous huh? Just like Balthier, and Vaan of course. I'm not really like him though. I love a good adventure now and then, but I like just sitting around and having to not worry about the dangers of a journey a bit more."

"Then perhaps you are well more suited for the Viera ways."

"Huh?"

"But a Viera lives long, and perhaps in time, you'll find that the Viera ways are not as you see."

"…"

"…"

"Fran…" Penelo softened her voice, "Did you ever regret leaving the village?"

"At times," Fran quietly says, "But… The sky and lands have held much appeal to me all these years, I've yet tire of it. I am content."

I don't- not really.

Penelo smiled and nodded, Vaan would've probably said the same- along those lines anyway.

-We'd be rushing in blindly; a risk I am ashamed to say, fear to take-

Jote was waiting for them outside her hut when they came, wearing a troubled expression that faded off as soon as she spotted them coming.

"You have the insignia yes?"

Fran turned to Penelo, nodding her head. She handed the glowing pouch to the elder, and stepped back. Jote turned it in her hands, and slowly extracted the paper from the insides. The light had dimmed to a soft yellow glow, shining in the viera's hands. The winds; or perhaps the Woods, Penelo thought; swirled around her and she raised her hands, the hymn that Penelo heard echoed again in the air. A bright light emitted from above- once it faded away, Jote's face scrunched up in worry.

"Tis' an insignia belonging to Lady Cosmos, of the magick world. Where does this paper come from?"

"I don't know, it was just-" Penelo sighed, "Wait, Cosmos?"

"Cosmos of the magick lore. Cosmos, the goddess of harmony against the god of Discord," Jote explained, "Two divine powers locked in endless struggle, each seeking to reign supreme. Long has the world played stage to their violent conflict, now at peace, now teetering on the verge of annihilation. Scars of battle run deep, but such is the way of their world, until their battle comes to an end, only to be renewed once more- for one cannot exist without the other."

"Combined with the other half from the Garif and you'll have a battle of chess between Cosmos and Chaos," Balthier pondered, "What of the hand-chosen warriors? The manikins? Not to mention the Great Will and Shinryu, what are those?"

"The hand-chosen champions; cut from a cloth different from those which form the fabric of the world. Helpless but to do as bid, waging battle after endless battle for the gods who called them, granted neither respite nor reprieve. The Shinryu is the god of renewal and balance, and so to balance out the universe he fulfills the requirement of having both Harmony and Discord, thus renewing battle after battle. The Great Will is what we call the way of renewal. As for the manikins, tis' not mentioned in the lore- thus is what the Viera know."

"How do you summon the warriors?" Penelo asked.

"Through this," Jote mummers as she handed back the paper to the hume, "This is summoning magick. To summon to the side of Harmony, for the caster is Cosmos herself."

-Lady Ashe, we'd best gather more information than before we take action -

Penelo was sitting at the round bend center of the village, eyes wide and body still shivering at the information she had received. She sat at one of the benches, near the running water of the stream, silent as a mouse. Balthier on the other hand, had left- as to be expected of him. She knows not where he had gone; perhaps she should have been a bit more concerned, yet Fran knows that he needs the time and space. Tis' not each day one find their desert flower whisked away to be a champion destined to die over and over in an endless battle.

Then again, not many desire the desert flower that she speaks of.

"What of the Mist, Jote?"

"You have been to the outside world have you not? You have seen the Mist and its antics. The Viera in Her embrace are protected from causes of such antics."

"Only as Her doors are locked," Fran interjected, "I had to use Lente's Tears to open the gate way. Tell me Jote, for I know not of Her doors to be locked since before the rule of the Hume-king. What has gotten Her as distressed to lock the gateway when her paths are always opened to the viera in her embrace?"

"Have you wondered that perhaps, She locked her gates as her daughter who abandoned her comes to seek her knowledge?"

"Tis' not the case, no longer can I hear the Green Wood, but I feel Her distress," She insisted, "Jote tell me, what has gotten Her in such a way? Is it the Mist?"

Jote remained silent.

-But my people; to wait is a high price, Lord Larsa!-

"The Mist and the insignia are connected." Fran stated, as they made their journey through the Ozmone Fields once more, the roads freshly void of creatures due to Garif's action from their patrol, spending time fighting creatures to clear the roads. "I thought so," Balthier reckoned, "Your kind seemed much too eager to let us through once they've seen the glowing paper."

"Something is leaking into Ivalice, and mixing into the Mist and causing it double in amount and ferocity. Tis' the cause of the queer works of the weather and creatures running amok."

"I'd warren that the foreign object causing this mess comes from the world where these gods battle."

"And somehow… Vaan's connected to all this… isn't he?" Penelo gripped the paper in distress, "I… You don't think he's… one of the champions… do you? I mean! He could be a messenger for all we know a-and-!" "Perhaps," Balthier interrupted her, "but with what we've seen about his manikin form… I'd say we'd best think of him as one of the pawns in this game."

"So… What now? Should we report to Ashe about this? She's dealing with the Mist right? Shouldn't she know or…?"

"Kupo! Kupo! Nono's sure Nono didn't imagine that!"

"Huh?" Penelo looked up, Nono the Moogle was frantically walking around the anchor of the Strahl, still invisible from sight. "Isn't that… Nono?"

"Frantic," Balthier commented, "Something must be wrong with the engine."

"There's someone here kupo! Someone on the s-"

"Gyaaah!"

-It is, but better vitality than violence. We'd best get on with the defense plans instead. -

Preview:

"We really probably should tell Ashe about this…"

"Not with those guards we're not."

It's chapter 7 already! Thank you for sticking around and being so patient with this. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 7! It's a bit mediocre, but with Chapter 6 being quite confusing, I thought this was needed- however sad and low quality it is.

This story is confusing and rushing, right? I'm terribly sorry about that (along with the amounting grammatical errors and vocabulary usage), I'm going through a slightly dramatic rough point in my life. On the other hand, the fandom for this pairing seems relatively lonely…

Also, there's a multitude of FFXII words here like places of names and others. The Bacchus' Wine is a drink that gives the status effect of 'Berserk' where the character goes in rage and bloodlust. When a creature or enemy goes 'Berserk' it is dubbed as an Over-Souled creature. Eruyt Village is the viera village for women, the males are known to be located in another area. But since they are both viera, they have the same hand in knowledge. To loot is to pick up items from the fallen enemies- like how you get a potion or pelt after defeating creatures you see in FF lands. Any questions or comments are most welcomed and appreciated- thank you!

Review reply corner:

AbsoluteMangaQueen: Yes, it would've! Perhaps I'll save that idea for a next story! :D Oh, since it's updated monthly, it's around 3000 words per chapter, give or take a hundred.

Bearchiy: Yeap, I was busy so I couldn't get enough time to edit the chapters properly. So I gave it to my little sister, and she messed up the order of uploading and editing. But in her defense, I wasn't much of a good teacher for her. I'm terribly sorry about that! Both chapters have already been fixed! Thank you for noticing!