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"Oh, Tav." His mother sighs as she comes back into the room, a silver platter with some manner of fragrant, roasted meat atop it. She sets it down in the center of the table and moves over to Tav, raising her hands to cup her face. "I’m so very glad you’re here, my dear. Sit, please! Make yourself at home." |
Tav returns her smile, sinking down into the seat at the table beside Gale as his mother moves to sit across from them. |
"I’m very happy to be here. I’m sorry that this is the first time we’ve spoken—we haven’t had very much downtime in the past... gods, has it only been a few weeks?" She blinks, taken aback—it feels like they’d been in the thick of it for months, at the very least, but when she tries to piece together the actual days and nights, that’s the closest guess she can come up with. She glances over to Gale, who dips his chin in a tiny nod. Weeks, then. |
What a difference a few weeks, a few tadpoles and more than a few near-death experiences can make, she marvels. |
She blinks the thoughts away and looks back to the older woman. |
"Well, regardless—it hasn’t been very long, but from what Gale has told me, I’m honored to finally get to meet you, Ms. Dekarios—" |
"Oh, sweetheart; Morena, please." His mother reaches over the table to set one hand over top of Tav’s, leaning forward with a kind smile. "No need to be so formal here. From what Tara tells me, you’re practically family already." |
Warmth floods through Tav, and she squeezes Morena’s hand in hers. Gale jolts a little at her side, sitting up straighter all of the sudden. |
"Oh," he mutters, his brow creasing in a frown. "Oh, bollocks, I should have—" |
"Gale!" Morena gasps and smacks his arm in reproach. "Don’t use that kind of language in front of company—" |
"Sorry, mother," but he’s already pushing his chair back from the table, smoothing his hands down the front of his robe as if searching for something. A pocket that—Tav knows, from experience—doesn’t exist. "Tav’s heard leagues worse over the course of our little adventures together, I assure you—" |
"Not from you, I hope." Morena narrows her eyes at her son. |
Tav cuts in before Gale can open his mouth to respond. |
"Your son was a perfect gentleman, Ms. Dek—Morena." She says quickly, and Morena visibly deflates a little, the warm smile returning to her face in an instant. |
"Of course he was," she says with a nod. "Just like I raised him to be." |
Gale catches Tav’s eye and winks and it sends a quick bolt of heat through her. She flushes, shifting in her seat a little, and looks away from him. |
A perfect gentleman, she thinks hazily. Especially when he wasn’t. |
"Regardless of my occasional slip of the tongue," Gale continues, and Tav shoots him a quick look to see he’s still smirking at her, the bastard. "I had nearly forgotten—well, forgotten is quite right, because how could I? An impossible notion, really. It’s just that what with everything that’s been going on—" |
"Gale, sweetheart." Morena cuts in calmly. |
It stops his spiraling in its tracks, and Tav watches with a wry amusement as he takes a quick breath, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. |
"Right," he grins at them both, but Tav can see the flush rising to his cheeks as he moves around the table to stand beside her. He extends a hand out to her and she takes it, letting him help move her chair for her so that they’re standing together now, hands clasped tightly between them. |
"Mother," Gale inclines his head towards Morena, who’s watching them both with wide, curious eyes. "I know you and Tara have spoken about the two of us—apparently—and I know that I told you that I was bringing someone special home to see you, but I don’t think—that is, I don’t think any of that properly conveyed the true magnitude of just how special she is. Or," he squeezes Tav’s hand in his own and glances down at her, eyes dark eyes warm and soft and filled with so much emotion it makes her heartbeat stutter in her chest. "Just how much she means, to me." |
Morena is quiet, watching them both, taking great effort to keep her face neutral even as her eyes widen with dawning understanding. |
"She’s—" Gale’s still looking down at her, his eyes drifting over her face as if he were studying it, committing it to memory. When he speaks his voice is quiet, as if he’s forgotten that there was anyone other than the two of them in the whole world. "Well, she’s everything. More than everything, really, if such a thing could be conceived of." |
Tav leans back against him, lets her shoulder press against his chest, and sweeps her thumb over the ridges of his knuckles where their hands are clasped together. She blinks up at him, slowly, not wanting to interrupt, but also keenly aware that they aren’t the only people in the world, nor this room, at the moment. |
He takes another moment just to look at her before inhaling sharply and looking away, back up to his mother. |
"What I’m trying to say—and making a right mess of it, clearly—is that I love her; truly, and with all of my heart. And, against all odds and for reasons that defy understanding even by as keen a mind such as my own, she seems to feel the same." He takes a quick, shuddering breath. "And before we came here—just days ago, really, gods— I... well, I asked if she would like to join the family, as it were. Officially." |
Morena lets out a tiny gasp, and when Tav glances back to her there are tears shining in the older woman’s eyes, her hand pressed against her mouth. |
Gale squeezes her hand in his and continues, his own voice beginning to waver. "And—once again, for reasons I cannot even pretend to understand, she agreed. So—" |
That’s enough for Morena, it seems; she leaps up from her seat at the table with a cry and rushes around to pull the two of them into a crushing embrace. |
"Oh, Gale!" Morena sighs, pressing a flurry of kisses to both their cheeks. Gale laughs, wrapping an arm around each of the women and holding them close. Tav can see the shimmer of tears in his own eyes, and she smiles at him before ducking her head. |
"Oh, Tav." Morena pulls back from them after a moment, resting both hands on Tav’s shoulders to hold her apart from her so that she can look at her properly. "Is it true? Did he—did you—are you?" |
Tav laughs. "Yes, Morena. It’s true." |
"Oh," Morena’s voice wobbles as she pulls her into another tight hug, and the two of them stay that way for a moment, locked together and swaying slightly, before Morena pulls back, her eyes bright and shining. "Oh, that’s so wonderful. Truly, truly wonderful. I have to tell Tara, I have to—oh my." She cuts herself off with a gasp, glancing back to Gale before taking a step back. "You two just stay here a moment, I’ll be right back." |
She hurries off, dashing out of the dining room and disappearing up the stairs. Tav looks over to Gale, her brows knit in question, but he just shrugs one shoulder and holds a hand out to her. She takes it, letting him pull her close, relaxing into the solid warmth of him. |
She sighs as she settles into his side, and he brings his other hand up to hook two fingers under her chin and gently tip it up so that he can kiss her, slow and gentle and tender in a way that makes her chest ache, and her fingers curl into fists in the fabric of his robe. |
His hand tightens on her waist, fingers flexing and digging into the soft curve of her hip for just a moment before the sounds of footsteps descending the stairs forces them to pull apart. |
Tav’s heart is beating hard in her chest as she straightens, a little dazed. Gale shifts and clears his throat quietly at her side—she’s relieved that it’s not just her who seems to be so affected by the simplest touch from him. The reality is beginning to dawn on her, somehow more now than when she’d first stepped through the circle: she was here, with him, at last. They were free, and they were together. |
And as lovely as meeting Morena was, and getting a small, brief glimpse into a piece of Gale’s world that was virtually unknown to her, she found herself suddenly very aware of the fact that at the end of the day he would take her home, and it would be just the two of them. |
She forces her thoughts away from that train of thought as Morena rounds the corner and comes back into the dining room, a small, ornate wooden box held in both hands. She steps up to the two of them, beaming with pride and warmth, and holds the box out towards Tav. |
"I don’t know if it’s to your tastes," she says quietly. "And, truly, I should have been giving this to Gale, had he thought to speak to his own mother about something as important as proposing," her gaze flickers up to her son with teasing reproach. "But... well. If you are truly going to be joining the Dekarios clan, then it should be with this." |
Morena carefully opens the little box. Perched inside on a velvety soft cushion is a ring made of delicate white gold, a thin, simple band that centers around a brilliantly cut amethyst, the deepest shade of purple Tav has ever seen, shining and beautiful. It is simple and elegant, the dark stone reflecting and glittering with the warm flickers of light from the room around them. |
Gale’s chest presses against her back as he leans over her to peer down at the ring with a furrowed brow. |
"I—what? Mother, what is this?" He asks. |
"It was your grandmother’s," Morena tells him. "My mother, Anora. It’s been in the family for generations and I’ve been... well, I’ve been saving it, for you." |
"And you never once thought to tell me this?" There’s no hurt or accusation in his voice, only confusion. "Why have I never seen this before?" |
Morena smiles at him, soft and sad. She starts to say something and then stops, taking a slow, shuddering breath to collect herself. She raises one hand to cup the side of his face. |
"Because, my beautiful, brilliant, beloved boy," she says gently. "Because I didn’t think my heart could have survived if one day I had come to visit you at that temple and found it had ended up on an offering plate to your... goddess." |
Tav can feel Gale’s body go tense for just a moment before he swallows and slowly relaxes. |
"I see." He says after a brief pause. "In hindsight, probably a wise decision." |
"The only kind I make," Morena says softly, and Tav can’t help but smile at how much of Gale she can see in his mother. |
Gale let’s out a breathy laugh, and Tav wonders if he hears the same. "Thank you, mother, for... holding on to it, for me." |
Morena beams up at her son, her brown eyes—the same eyes, Tav thinks—warm and kind and sparkling. "Of course, dear. I always knew you would come to your—" She catches herself, once more, and drops her eyes away for a moment before looking back up to Tav and pressing the box into her hands. "Well, regardless: this belongs to you, I believe." |
"Thank you, Morena." Tav breathes, carefully taking the box from her. |
Morena closes her fingers around Tav’s for a moment and tilts her head to look her in the eye. "As long as you promise me one thing." |
"Mother," Gale sighs, half-exasperation, half-warning. |
But Tav tilts her head so that she meets Morena’s eyes and waits. "Yes?" |
Morena’s voice is firm. "That this ring never ends up in that awful, gaudy temple." |
Tav would have laughed, if the look on Morena’s face hadn’t been so deadly serious. She wants to tell her that if she had her say she would never set foot anywhere near the House of Wonder—or any other temple of Mystra—for the rest of her life. Given the circumstances of her lover and his chosen calling, however, that seemed unlikely to end up working out for her. Still, she fully intended to give it her best attempt. |
Tav holds Morena’s gaze and nods. "I swear it on my life, Morena Dekarios." |
Morena studies her face for a long moment before nodding, satisfied, and pulling her hands away. "Well, that’s good enough for me. There—try it on then, sweetheart, see if it fits alright." |
Tav holds the ringbox in her hand, staring down at the glittering jewel and delicate band. It’s beautiful—truly beautiful. She lifts the ring out of the box with care, then stops, suddenly feeling at a bit of a loss. Her hands are trembling as she stares at it, and she raises her eyes to Gale, a silent plea. |
Gale steps forward and covers her hands with his. "May I?" |
Tav nods, her throat suddenly feeling dry. |
Gale takes the ring from her, inspecting it himself for one long moment before shifting to take her left hand in his. He holds it there, waiting until she lifts her eyes to his. She flattens her fingers in his hand and nods, and he keeps his eyes on hers as he slips the delicate ring over her finger. |
It slips into place with one smooth motion, as if it was always meant to be there. |
Tav stares at the ring on her hand, her heart thudding almost painfully inside her chest. |
"A perfect fit," Gale murmurs, his eyes still on hers. He hasn’t so much as glanced down at the ring on her hand. |
The intensity in his eyes catches her and she inhales sharply as warmth spreads through her, starting from where he holds her hand in his and blooming down through her body. He strokes his thumb over her knuckles—an innocent, innocuous gesture that nonetheless sends a spark through her, and she feels herself drawing towards him as if pulled by an invisible force. The constant tether between them, pulled suddenly taut. |
"Oh," Morena whispers, and the thread of tension breaks. |
They both turn to look at her, and Morena is beaming at them, both hands pressed to her mouth, her eyes shining. She tries to speak but no words come, and she just shakes her head, looking between the two of them. |
After a moment, she finds her voice. "Well—let’s eat, before all of this gets cold. And no, Gale, you may not just "warm everything back up’—I am still scrubbing the scorch marks from the last time off of my good silver." |
"That was one time, mother." Gale rolls his eyes and sinks back down into his seat, but he keeps his hand in Tav’s. "And I was nine." |
"My point remains." Morena declares. "Food is best eaten fresh. And we have so much to discuss—tell me, Tav, are you thinking of a spring wedding, or summer? Or—ooh, winter could be lovely, we could get you an absolutely stunning fur-lined satin cloak that would just look lovely with your hair—" |
Tav does her best to keep up with Morena’s machinations, although she quickly learns the best course of action is to simply let the woman talk her own plans through. She seems to talk herself into and out of several different venue options over the course of their meal, and Tav is happy to let her do so. |
Whatever the plan may be, it seems that it will require a good deal more planning than Tav has the capacity to put into it, in this particular moment. Gale wasn’t lying when he said that the Dekarios clan was spread far and wide—not to mention her own friends, now scattered along the Sword Coast and beyond. |
She wonders how Morena would feel about a nighttime wedding, so that Astarion might attend. |
Or what the seasons are like in Avernus. |
Eventually the conversation shifts away from wedding plans, and Gale does his best to recount to his mother as sanitized a version of their adventures as he can. Tav finds herself filling her plate up with seconds as he does, trying to be as quiet as possible as she ladles another helping of roasted vegetables from the bowl. |
Morena gives her a wink as she does, clearly thrilled to have someone in her home to cook for again. |
"You know." She beams at her. "I may not be able to bend the Weave to my every whim the way my son can, but I’ve always liked to think that this is my own, personal magic." |
Gale hums in agreement. |
"The very first I ever learned." He says, smiling fondly. |
"And you took to it as a fish takes to swimming, as always." Morena smiles back before she pushes herself back from the table with a clap of her hands. "Now: Who’s ready for dessert?" |
They stay for a long time, gathered around his mother’s small table, sharing stories and memories and soaking in the joy of each other’s company. Until the sun has long since dipped beyond the glittering horizon, and until their voices are nearly hoarse. Scratch is sleeping soundly by the door, content with the plate of meat scraps that Morena had provided him. |
When his mother can’t stifle her yawns any longer, Gale finally insists that it’s time for them to take their leave for the night. |
Morena is reluctant to see them go, gathering them both in lingering hugs as they slowly make their way back towards the door. |
"Alright, alright, I’ll let the two of you get going." She says, her voice growing tight. "Just... promise me one thing, before you go." |
"Ilmater’s ashes, mother, another promise?" Gale says wryly. "I’ve lost count of them by now." |
"Hush, you." Morena shoots him a playful glare. "I’m talking to Tav." |
"Yes, Gale, hush." Tav teases. "Your mother and I are talking." |
Gale tips his eyes to the sky and heaves his shoulders with a dramatic sigh. "Oh, I’ve really done it now. There are two of them. Elminster preserve me." |
Morena ignores him, taking Tav’s hands once again in her own. "Just promise me you won’t let him wall himself up in that stuffy old tower again, will you? It isn’t good for him—he needs the fresh air every once in awhile, the sun on his skin—" |
"I’m not a houseplant, mother!" |
"I promise," Tav laughs. "We’ll be back for another visit in no time, once we’ve gotten settled in." |
Morena nods. "And no more apocalypses, if it can be at all helped, please. Although," she inclines her head and gives Tav a conspiratorial look. "I know how difficult that may be, with this one." |
"Yes, yes." Gale puts one hand on Tav’s waist and begins gently steering her towards the door. "Lovely catching up, mother. I’m going to take Tav home, now; back to my stuffy tower." |
He jests, but the two of them linger when they bid each other farewell for the night, embracing each other tightly. Morena presses a firm kiss against his cheek as he pulls back, and her eyes are misty as she watches them go. |
The night air is cool but comfortable as the three of them make their way back to the Sea Ward, and Tav tucks herself into Gale’s side, letting him lead her by the arm he has looped around her waist. |
They walk in comfortable silence, enjoying the bright stars above and the glittering lights of the city at night, and she’s almost surprised when he slows them down. It doesn’t seem to have been that long, yet already they’re standing in front of a rising tower of smooth stone, glittering firelight casting a warm glow through the beautiful stained glass windows that dot along every floor. |
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