Correspondence

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edited all the other chapters. you might want to read those first.

"Here is your breakfast."

"Thank you Lindsay." As the maid turned to leave, Ashe for some odd reason found herself calling out to the girl , "Is there, perhaps, any mail for me?"

The maid shook her head apologetically. "No milady."

It had been more than a week already and there was still no reply. Vaan's letter would come by now, and Ashe had, oddly enough, begun to feel the small pang of disappointment grow larger each day the mail arrived without it. Perhaps she had missed her friends more than she would admit.

Throughout the week, Vaan's words had echoed through Ashe's mind and though she honestly should have been focusing on all the other things that she had piled up on her desk, she couldn't help but imagine some kind of fairytale-like, rejuvenation of a festival that would save the city, or at least bring smiles to more people's faces. She knew that wasn't things worked, but the image was seductive and stuck in the background of her every thought.

Ashe stared at her breakfast before taking a few bite half-heartedly, but she somehow wasn't feeling all that hungry to begin with. The all-nighters that had been pulling lately combined with the lack of results in negotiating with Archadia had been starting to wear her down, to the point she almost felt suffocated in the room.

Without another thought, Ashe quickly stood up and put on her traveling coat. She needed to get out.

o0o

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She found herself at the Muthru Bazaar, recalling Vaan's words about watching one of Penelo's dances. It her rush to get out, however, it had only occurred to her when she got there that she had idea of knowing where Penelo could possibly be, or if she was even working today.

"Ashe? Is that you?"

Ashe turned around to the familiar voice and stopped completely, almost unable to recognize the girl-or rather, woman, that Penelo had become. She didn't thinks six months was a long time, but seeing how Penelo changed brought an odd sense of nostalgia. Just a half a year ago, Penelo had been naught more than a child, so much that when Ashe had discovered the younger girl's age of seventeen, she had been disbelieving. The Penelo back then had been so innocent, so optimistic, so young, and even though she had proven her skill several times over, Ashe had still wanted to protect the girl, and mother her a bit.

But this Penelo was different; she had lost the two braids and instead had pleated her long locks into one long tail down her back, making Ashe slightly jealous as she compared the glamorous hairstyle to her own chopped, unfeminine short locks. More than that, she was amazed at the growth that had occurred since their last meeting. This Penelo stood taller and had definitely lost of her shyness. Ashe couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious. What of herself? Had she changed as well, grown any?

"Penelo, it's good to see you," Ashe replied and before she knew it, she was pelted with a tight hug from the younger woman.

"Ashe, it's been too long!" Penelo said when she finally pulled back from the hug. Ashe couldn't help but get affected by the girl's enthusiasm and felt herself starting to feel lighter. "What are you doing here?"

"I recalled one of Vaan's letters saying that you worked here and dropped by."

Penelo grinned. "Well, I'm glad I caught you then. I don't have work for another half-hour; do you have the time to catch up?"

Ashe smiled in return. "Of course."

She found herself being led by Penelo through the crowds until they were in a less chaotic area. Children running across the square, street vendors hustling for customers, the noise of it all was oddly comforting to Ashe. Perhaps she had been in the castle for too long.

"So how have you been?" Penelo asked once they got themselves seated. "I mean, you're looking a little pale. Are you sick?"

Ashe smiled at the other's concern. "I'm fine... maybe just a little sleep-deprived, but I don't mind that. Tell me about your life instead. I feel a little terrible that I haven't kept in contact."

"Don't worry about that, you've got a country to run," Penelo replies. "But yeah, it's been a little weird how quickly we've returned to our normal lives. I mean, it's a little different now that Archadia's gone and there aren't all these ridiculous curfews, but you know. I'm still dancing. Vaan's still loafing around. It's like... the whole adventure didn't happen."

Ashe twisted her mouth wryly. "I can't say I feel the same, but I can understand the feeling. Though I'll admit, I'm a little surprised that Vaan didn't immediately run off to become a sky pirate. I had assumed I would be seeing his name in the headlines when we all returned."

Penelo giggles. "Yeah. I know. Vaan can be a lot of talk sometimes, can't he. But actually... well, we can't really afford to go off on adventures just yet. We don't have the money to travel around for more than a week and..." Penelo paused, her face growing slightly grim, "... after what happened... with Balthier and Fran... Well, I'm not really sure if Vaan really wants to try just yet."

Ashe felt her heart constrict at their comrades' names and for a moment, the sunlight became a bit too strong and prickled at her eyes. She blinked furiously at the itch but it remained.

"We never held a funeral..." Ashe finally said into the silence that had developed in those passing seconds. Penelo sighed, not a tired, frustrated sigh, but one full of sadness. When she responded, her voice was equally soft.

"We never found their bodies."

And that was that.

o0o

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The conversation turned to the other topics and quickly, the half-hour passed by. Penelo said her goodbyes, invited Ashe to come over anytime, and left for work, leaving the woman alone to sit and just think for a while. She had enjoyed Penelo's companionship, but had still unable to relax completely, knowing that there was work that needed to be done. Nonetheless, she was already feeling better, near rejuvenated, and when she stood up to walk back to the castle, her shoulders felt lighter than they had for weeks.

Only one topic lingered in her head.

We never found their bodies...

Brief recollections of the two sky pirates flitted through her mind, and she found herself longing for Balthier's ridiculous sense of confidence and Fran's taciturn wit. Enough time had passed that the emptiness caused by their absence was only that: emptiness. No, she hadn't cried for them in months. It was just...

We never got to say goodbye.

She stopped.

Now that was an idea...

o0o

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"It is recorded in our history that before, when the desert was still water, we would celebrate the passing of our loved ones by lighting up lanterns and floating them along the river, as if we there with our beloveds as we wished them safe journey into another life."

It had been two weeks since Vaan hadn't replied to Ashe's letter. He had gotten into a bit of a slump, unable to think of any good response to her letter, and when Penelo came home announcing that Ashe had paid her a visit, it had only gotten worse. Why had Ashe visited Penelo and not him?

Then, today, guards had started to gather the everyone to the main street, saying that the queen was to make an announcement of some and Vaan had been brought to the middle of the crowd, close enough to be able to make out the features of her face.

"When the water dried up into sand, that day was discarded. However, recently, we have all lost people dear to us and I think more than ever, we need such a celebration. Which is why, I announce that a month from today, we shall bring back our Lantern Festival. As for how we will pass along our lanterns... well, that will be revealed. In the meantime, Migelo of Migelo's Sundries has been named Head Co-ordinator and any concerns should be addressed to him. Thank you."

Vaan watched as Ashe bowed her had and quickly moved off the platform. She certainly wasn't as eloquent as Vayne had been in his speeches, but her words still brought in him an odd sense of anticipation. He could feel it in the crowd, all around, hesitant confusion mixed in with murmurs of curiosity and excitement. What a fool he has, unable a write a simple letter when it turned out, she hadn't needed his advice at all.

Vaan turned and navigated his way out of the crowd, his eye still seeing images of the queen, head held high, a determined look on her face. In the sunlight, the rays lighting a golden hue over her strong frame and fair face, she had been undeniably beautiful. It was an image Vaan wanted to keep in his mind for a while.

When he got back to the apartment, curiously enough, there was a letter waiting for him on his doorstep.

Ashe?

He picked up the envelope and took the letter out.

Vaan,

Your idea of a celebration ended up inspiring me and I'm very grateful for your suggestion. I'm sure I would have never thought of this on my own otherwise. Now, I can only hope this will be what the city needs. At least for me, I just want to be able to say goodbye to those two properly.

Keep in touch, Vaan. I hope to hear from you soon.

Ashe

Suddenly, it clicked. The reason why she had chosen this tradition to celebrate. For a moment, Vaan stood there, eyes going over the letter but not really reading it. Those two... if they could see him now, what would they think?

He went inside and headed straight for his desk. He picks up a piece of parchment and starts to write.

o0o

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author's note: I didn't think I would ever update this story. See, my laptop sort of imploded on me and I lost all my files on it. But when you're off from college for a month, it's really amazing the things you find yourself doing. I hope you enjoyed the update. And if I ever mix up present and paste tense, please tell me. I've noticed that I kept doing that while writing, and I have no idea why.