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The cleric sighed. "Come on then." |
Shadowheart was grateful to be traveling with people who knew her enough to hold back any desire to comfort her. Anything gained from such orations would be overshadowed by pure humiliation. She did not want to be told anything but what was being cooked and what they had all accomplished. |
Thankfully, her party had chosen from one of those topics when seeking her aid. Even Wyll had somehow managed to restrict himself to an overtly concerned stare. How could anyone look so damned caring with the visage of a devil? |
, aside from Karlach. |
And so it was that the half-elf found herself not wanting to jump into the Chianthor, and able to almost finish more than half of a meal. She’d retreated to her tent to eat, content to watch her comrades talk amongst themselves. The woman could almost feel Selune reminding her that these people, even her bloody cunt of an ex, were her family now... in a way. She allowed that thought to echo throughout the chambers of her mind until it warmed her, just a little. |
The Selunite was just putting aside her plate when Lae’zel opened her tent. |
The wounded woman scanned the tent warily as if it were filled with traps. |
"Apologies. You have not finished." The flap closed. |
"Wait." Shadowheart rubbed her hands clean on a towel. "You caught me just in time, If I eat anymore I’ll burst. Come in." |
The gith returned, peering quietly at the woman and then at her plate. "Has your appetite worsened? I am usually impressed at how many of our supplies you can eat through, despite being so unimposing." |
Shadowheart blanched and tried to swallow her irritation. "You monitor my eating habits, do you?" |
The warrior moved to enter and sat in front of her, careful to leave the injured leg outstretched. "I monitor everything. I only remember things that seem significant." She looked the woman up and down, seeming to be working something out in her head. "When you gave your heart to your new goddess there was something different about you, though I could not put my finger on it." |
"Are you talking about my hair?" |
Please be talking about my hair. |
Lae’zel looked slightly confused. "No." She crossed lean, muscled arms in front of herself. "You were radiant, not unlike Githyanki women who are soon to conceive." |
Shadowheart stole a glance at the gith’s arms, as she had a million times before. "So...I looked...pregnant?" |
The woman’s face contorted into a familiar grimace as she growled. "Sometimes I consider whether you are intentionally misunderstanding me." She sighed and then closed her eyes before resuming in a calmer tone. "I am saying that you seemed changed. Your soul seemed ...unburdened." |
Shadowheart felt the familiar lurching sadness coming on. "...Why are you bringing that up now?" |
The gith looked down at the half-cleared plate. "Because now you are clearly unwell." She then reached out and swiped an errant tear that Shadowheart had not yet noticed. A small part of the elf mindlessly wanted to lean into the gith’s hand, if only to obtain a shred of comfort, but it was thankfully gone just as quickly as it had appeared. |
Of course. The gith was simply worried that the parties would become unbalanced or that the cleric would drag behind... Or perhaps she found her wanting... boring, or weak. Just like Tavlin did. She squeezed her hands closed until they hurt, to bite back her tears. "I’m going to be back at it tomorrow. You don’t need to chastise me." |
Lae’zel frowned. "So you have recovered?" |
" She barked, a bit louder than she’d intended. "Besides, it seems that you’ll have much more than me to worry about if I don’t see to that." She pointed to the poorly bandaged wound on the woman’s calf. "Or have |
The gith opened her mouth to say something, but mused unhappily before moving closer to the healer. |
Shadowheart unwrapped the makeshift tourniquet and the bandaging underneath. It looked like she’d been speared straight through. |
"How in the hells did you walk on this?" The elf murmured as she drew on her power to begin cleansing and closing the gash. |
"The same way you will return to the battlefield tomorrow." |
Pale hands shook as Shadowheart glared. "Limping?" |
Lae’zel glared back, but without a shred of malice. "With tenacity." |
This unnerved the elf. Again there was that queer feeling from earlier. Had she not been paying enough attention? Since when did Lae’zel...empathize? |
"You would compare |
wound to my hurt feelings? Watch it, it almost sounds like they matter to you." |
The gith winced ever so slightly as Shadowheart finished up. "I do not imagine I know your feelings, or whether they are in any way useful. But it might surprise you to know that it pains me to see you suffer." |
Shadowheart was stunned yet again, pulling her hands back into her own lap as she hung her head. How had the gith, of all people, managed to say |
exactly the right thing |
? As the bitter tears clawed their way to the surface, the cleric tried to find fault with the woman, the words, anything at all so that she could hold a little tighter to her feelings of loneliness. That had been her way, after all, for such a long time. |
The tears fully flowing then, she looked up to see that Lae’zel was now sitting on her knees, watching her solemnly, her eyes reflecting the moonmotes dancing in the air. |
"It was not my intention to upset you. I will take my leave." The auburn-haired woman rocked on her knees as if to get up, only for Shadowheart to clamber forward and grasp her wrist. |
When the gith did not immediately yank it back, the half-elf looked up. "You haven’t upset me. You’re right, I’m... not doing well. But there is much to do and I can’t stand to sit around crying any longer. It’s pathetic. Thank you for not saying so." |
Lae’zel smirked. "You are welcome. I do not have to tell you what you already know - indolence breeds madness. And we two have been betrayed by much greater powers than our self-indulgent leader, only for the better. Let your vengeance be found by surpassing them in every conceivable way." |
She turned her hand inward and grasped Shadowheart’s wrist in turn. |
The cleric felt the comfort from that small gesture work its way up her arm. "Thank you." |
The gith nodded dutifully and rose, stepping out of the tent only to pause at the entryway. |
Shadowheart wiped her face. "Something else?" |
The gith flexed her shoulders. "...if my fleshbound mate had acted as yours did, only to discard me in front of their new lover, I would have likely killed them. As our leader saved my life, I would have simply maimed them. And if you say the words, I may still...." Her hand balled into a fist. "And leave them at your mercy as the only healer capable of repairing it." She sounded deadly serious, and Shadowheart had not known her to improvise very greatly on that theme. |
been upset with Tav on her behalf? The poor elf was still digesting the gith’s |
This night was so very resplendent with surprises from the gith that Shadowheart could only ask, "what would you take?" |
The gith did not turn to face her but was clearly mulling it over. "Both hands. Thoroughly mangled. They could not so much as wipe themselves." |
The cleric had no intention of siccing the gith onto Tav, but the offer warmed her so that she couldn’t help the small bubble of laughter that tumbled out. She did not know what Selune would think of the thrill she felt at the thought, but she did not care at the moment, she wouldn’t actually ask her to do it after all. |
"I’m afraid that won’t be necessary. Torture is no longer an activity I enjoy, but I actually really...really appreciate it." |
Lae’zel did turn then, smiling fiercely as only she could. "And yet you giggle at the idea of it. Changed though you may be, you have always had a warrior’s sense of humor. Think on that, and channel your righteous fury." And she was gone. |
Shadowheart watched the woman intentionally bump shoulders with Tav on her way back to the others and found her cheeks heating up. Tav looked so..small next to the gith. She had never noticed since she and the half-drow were the same height. |
Why was she feeling so warm? She did not want to dwell on it for long, only to go to sleep with that gentle heat running through her. |
It was certainly nice to have...friends. |
Shadowheart somehow forgot how all-encompassing the day-to-day of liberating Baldur’s Gate from its innumerable oppressors was. She had hardly had time to think on anything, much less her separation. It was harder at night, but a warm meal and a few passing words from her companions, not least of all Lae’zel, kept her moving forward. The gith had not said much more about Tav, but had accepted the half-elf’s offer to meditate together at night sometimes. An idea the cleric had cooked up after having the closest thing to restful sleep since Tav had left her. Something about the gith’s presence was simply grounding. |
Still, the pain lingered, as it was wont to do and she had a new scar to add to her collection. Not unlike her old scar, it flared at varying intensities at the most confusing and bewildering of times. And some more expected, such as when she’d feel herself stepping into the light. |
Such as now, as she and their merry gang were meant to entertain themselves as Tav and Minthara made googly eyes, or the evil drow equivalent, at each other while they perused the local circus. |
They had just put a permanent end to that insufferable hag, and Karlach had asked if they could return to Rivington to try and see the performers. And even this odd, cavalier version of Tav could not deny the World’s Okayest Moribund a bit of a treat. |
Sweeter still was a rare day when all of their party were on an outing together. |
Karlach, Astarion, Gale and Wyll were gambling unsuccessfully with a true-to-life Djinn. |
Halsin, Minsc, Boo, and Jaheira were having an intense conversation in front of a caged Displacer Beast. |
And who cared wherever the hells Tav and Minthara got off to |
Except Shadowheart did. Just a little. |
As she hung back near the entrance, she watched as Tav tried to convince Minthara to do a love test with them in front of a Dryad who just watched them serenely, with perhaps the slightest bit of concern. |
Shadowheart’s soul was not so moonlit, that she could not enjoy seeing the two drow having a bit of trouble in paradise. But it was supposed to be. |
She frowned when it appeared that Minthara finally consented, and the two held hands, a stupid fucking beautiful smile on Tav’s ...hideous... face. It |
hideous. Well, it |
be! Half-Illithid c- |
"Do you think if you stared any harder the two under-dwellers might burst into radiant flame at the compulsion of your goddess?" |
Shadowheart jolted and faced Lae’zel who’s eyebrow was raised curiously. |
First the obvious joke was one thing, and it had been |
. But then the embarrassment of being caught out was another. And then finally, the gith had bizarrely elected to wear something besides armor...and to come at all. When they’d been preparing to leave, she had not seen her and so had assumed she’d find this sort of revelry a waste of valuable time. |
The auburn haired woman tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. |
Shadowheart realized she’d been quietly gaping at her and pivoted as quickly as she could, clearing her throat. "Are those Wyll’s clothes?" |
The woman stood before her, gigantic greatsword strapped to her back, in that easily recognizable getup. To say it looked better on the gith would be an understatement. She’d grown her hair out since she’d renounced Vlaakith and it settled halfway down her back. She still kept half of it pinned up, but it was much wilder, only a few of the bejeweled braids remained. |
The top part of the two piece outfit was understandably loose, but allowed an entirely too clear view of the woman’s taut midsection in the light of the noonday sun. The pants were also cut a bit lower at the waist than the ones she usually wore and so she could see the ludicrous V of the gith’s hips. Shadowheart blinked. She’d always looked like that and walked around practically naked at camp. Why was this any different? Why was she so keen to simply... look? |
"Wyll had no further need of them." |
Shadowheart’s brow furrowed. The man himself was wearing something a shop owner had basically thrust upon him after they’d saved him from being assassinated, but that did not explain her attire. |
"So he gave them to |
The gith nodded. "Yes. He mentioned that it might be off-putting to wear armor to a...cir’kose. And I am not unaware that your kind find my clothes odd, despite the structure and freedom of movement they provide." |
Shadowheart briefly considered how much of an improvement this outfit was. She supposed the lack of suggestive leather straps was, well, something. Also, odd was not |
the word she would have used. |
Why does this puzzle you so? Does he not strike you as the type?" |
"Him giving you the clothes off his back is the least surprising thing about it." |
The gith frowned. "And what is the |
"Um. Quite literally everything else?" The cleric chuffed, shaking her head. "I didn't even know you two were close." |
"Do not presume to know the status of my acquaintanceships, Selunite. I tasted Wyll while we still trekked the Faerunian wilderness." |
Shadowheart’s eyes became saucers. "You |
She pointed at the gith. |
Gesticulated bizarrely. "Wyll??" The woman sputtered. |
Lae’zel rolled her eyes. "I had a need and came to appreciate his apparent good taste. He was adequate and has been ...attentive since, though I only bedded him once." |
Shadowheart had obviously assumed that her companions had dalliances with one another that she had not known about, but Lae’zel and Wyll... that- |
The cleric’s mind flashed with an image of Lae’zel taking the Blade for a ride - clawed hand gripping his jaw - which left an incredibly sharp, bittersweet taste in her mouth. Another flash of the gith, glistening and panting and moaning and underneath |
"I made the same offer to our leader." |
Otiluke’s sphere in her veins, that. And not a moment too soon. |
"They had already made a choice to pursue you. I do not think you had yet even spared them a curious glance." |
Shadowheart winced. |
Undeterred, the gith continued. "I thought them foolish. Juvenile. To commit oneself so fully to a stranger. Further still, you were half the woman I was, and even less a warrior. " |
Shadowheart balked, her stomach turning. Was the gith trying to gloat? Twist the knife? After all this time? She spat, "I do wonder where you’re going with this." |
Lae’zel ground her heel into the ground, a low growl in her words. "I was not wrong about Tavlin.." |
Shadowheart snapped to look at her. |
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