Thanks for the correction. I started actually writing this when I got to Phon Coast and actually started taking notes on them, and I didn't actually write about the early portion of the game until about a month after I beat it. Sigh.

I think it's possible to ship both Bal/Fran and Bal/Ashe. My impression of Bal/Fran is that they had to have had a sexual thing going on at some point. And hey--pirates aren't exactly known for their strict morals and adherence to social norms. Threesome is definately possible (hey, it worked in Skies of Arcadia...).