.
.
It starts with a meager tap to the shoulder.
Coals wasn't a stranger to physical touch. That is to say, she was more used to sharp pointy things instead of gestures of affection. It was easy to wear forty layers of clothes and call it good. And then the Clovers started up their weird head patting and hugs shenanigans that left the gunslinger disorientated and annoyed.
The Two Daggers wasn't busy, but it did have its fair share of courageous drunks who wanted to chat her up. Thankfully, Nora's throne was the counter where Coals was. No one liked being around the gnome more than necessary. Thus, the lycanthrope made her hiding place in plain view right next to the bars insane head case.
When she turned to see who it was, she was only half surprised it was Riam. The group was moving about the bar in varying states of 'piss drunk on the floor' and 'my money means nothing to me time to gamble'. She saw Dominis chugging a keg earlier while Lithos helped raise the betting pool. The others were god knows where creating god knows what fuckery.
Still. Riam was smiling at her.
"I'm going to head to bed early." He glances at her drink for a moment, "You going to be okay?"
That was another thing. It was always you okay and how are you feeling and no you cant chase after assassins you'll get yourself killed.
"I'll be fine." She looked at his hand. It was still on her shoulder. He noticed too, retracting it slowly and with the aura of caution he'd adapted to since lycanthropy was thrown in the air. The lack of warmth on her shoulder was dizzying.
"Okay." He gauges her for a moment. Hesitates, then says, "Good night."
"Good night."
She watches him go, an ache settling in her chest that hadn't been there before.
.
.
It happened again while she was getting ready for bed.
She liked the safety of many blankets. Sleeping curled up in trees while on the road was less than ideal when soft, fluffy beds were there and available. She put it on the long list of things keeping her from high tailing it out of town. She liked beds.
And then Edward, who had been climbing into bed himself said, "Coals, your hair."
She almost ignored him. She was already half buried in blankets and it was warm dammit. But Edward hardly spoke unless it was worth his time. And she honestly didn't think her rats nest was worth mentioning.
"What about it?"
He's looking at her, his lips titling upwards slightly, "You've got a twig in it."
She swears and runs her hand through her hair. She must have looked like an idiot, petting through her hair, because Edward starts to smirk at her. She scowls.
"Are you lying?"
"No." She sees a bit of teeth in his smile. "Here, let me."
He reaches over and Coals can feel everything in her screech to a stop. The weight on top of her head is different than her own hand there, different than a passing head pat. It's warm, warmer then blankets and it's just as nice. A gentle feeling of safety and the pleasant feeling of someone carding their hand through your hair. Her brain short circuits and she really can't remember what was stuck there to begin with, just that it felt so-
The hands gone. She blinks, eyes heavy as Edward holds out the innocent twig.
"Found it." He says.
She wishes he hadn't.
.
.
Lithos was the worst.
He was the worst in a way that Coals liked. She liked that he kept to his business and she likes how he didn't pry unless he felt it was desperately necessary. But when it came to that, he was the worst. He could jab at open wounds with careful words all day long to get what he wanted. Or in most domestic cases, tease her until she died.
She was trying to make a gun, a pistol that'd held if her old rifle ever broke again. It was a long laborious process that demanded too much time and too much money. Lithos kept her company, mostly out of sheer boredom. Which had started their usual terrible shenanigans of trying to rob the place blind and ending up lighting her prototype up in combustible liquid and-
"You could say things got pretty heated, eh?"
She drags a hand over her face. The blacksmiths shop was smoking in front of them. The tiny gnomes who owned it were making a ruckus out front with the guards, calling them all sorts of names. Lithos had blamed them after all and Urin the blacksmith was an absolute idiot.
Coals was miserable. The gun had almost been complete dammit. And her glasses were smudged to shit with soot.
"Just great." She complained. "There goes three hundred gold."
"And a blow dart." Lithos whistles appreciatively. "Do you think they'll find it in the wreckage?"
She shoots him a dry look, but probably looks like a gremlin without her glasses on. She was trying to clean them off on her shirt, but everything was covered in soot. It was just a horrible blur of colors around her that was giving her the mother of headaches.
"Here." Lithos was a lot closer then she thought he'd be. "I've got a handkerchief."
"Since when do you carry those?" She asks, but lets him take her glasses. He moves a bit and she can tell he's giggling, "What?"
"Your face. You're completely covered in that stuff."
"Yeah well," She sniffed, "You set off a liquid fire hazard."
"Oh my god, stop whining." He laughs, his handkerchief suddenly in her face. She sputters indignantly, nasty words on her tongue dying out. The clothe was way to close and she closed her eyes, feeling it brush her cheeks, forehead, Lithos laughing all the way and 'geez, in your hair too?'
He brushed her fringe out of her face, his hand resting on top of her head like a painter staring down a canvas. She could barely hear the commotion nearby over her heart ringing in her ears. Gentle, fluttering touches across her face. It almost tickled, it was soothing, like a breeze like a pillow like a-
"I got most of it." Lithos pulled back and looked her over. Apparently satisfied, he handed back her glasses and said, "We don't need any dirt covering up your explosive personality, don't we?"
She glared. Lithos was the worst.
.
.
Coals liked to stay out of harm's way.
Typically, if Dominis went down then it was Teddy they relied on to absolutely wreck whatever they were fighting. Except they were goblins, and goblins come in hoards, and Dominis is one guy who has the motor control of a fish trying to rip toddlers off his legs. Teddy was too far away and when he dropped to his knees Coals was already resigning to her fate. A good hunt meant she stayed on two legs. A bad hunt meant she got on four.
Her claws made very short work of the little monsters.
It wasn't pleasant, to feel grimy blood and dirt over her hands- weirdly twisted and misshapen claws- but she felt the need to extend one to Dominis anyway. He looked put out, sitting on the ground. Probably upset he didn't win the bet to hunt the most. She sympathized, only because the losers had to eat cinnamon like fucking morons.
"Hey." She holds out a- claw. "Need a hand?"
He looks at what used to be her hand and she winces. It really wasn't pleasant and the longer he stared the dumber she felt about it. She wouldn't want to touch that either.
Before she could retract and crack a lame joke about it, he reached out and grasped it. It was an awkward hold and by no means comfortable, but his hand was huge. It was easy not to get intimidated by larger creatures when sometimes you were the larger creature. But the scary, bloody claw completely disappeared in his grip along with the drowning negativity following it. She barely felt herself help him up, the nice encompassing feeling surrounding her hand making her feel weightless, powerful, and protected. It felt wonde-
"Thank you." He released his hand to pick up his morning star, making his way around the pile of dead things to rejoin the others.
She wipes her claw on her pants and follows.
.
.
Teddy was all about team friendship
Coals wasn't religious but thanked whatever god decided to whisper Wicked Clovers into her ear instead of something stupid like Beach Buddies. Clovers sat a lot easier in her head then associating Lithos and his darts with buddies. It got them brownie points with Thedra, it got them reputation in areas, and they sounded cool. It was fine the way it was.
"Teddy, what are you doing."
"Oh!" The half orc perked up from her bed- covered in papers everywhere- oh god if those were Lithos he was going to have an aneurysm. "I was drawing pictures. I'm not very good. Do you think Lithos would give me lessons?"
She can't make words for a moment. "Are those his?"
"Maybe."
She winces, because Teddy always had the amazing ability to prove how much worse a situation could get, even when it was beyond help. The turtle incident was a frequent tease lorded over the druid.
"But!" The orc clapped her hands, staring down at her work contently. "I think he'll like this, so it doesn't matter. I'm sure it'll be okay."
"Did you ask?" The dryness in her voice could have evaporated the White Basin.
"No." A cheeky grin was thrown her way. "Wanna see Shadus with a dick for arms?"
Coals sputtered, tripping over her two feet and knocking into the mirror. A thousand scenarios of shattered glass and twisted feet ran through her head. Her back hit to floor and knocked the breath out of her, her hands grappling the mirror before it joined the last one on the ground.
Teddy was already at her side, desperately turning red from trying not to laugh, "Need help?"
She nodded, lifting the mirror up into the druid's hands. Teddy set it aside before reaching a hand out to her. She hesitated to take it, beating her pride to Edwards voice lecturing her 'accept help you stupid recluse'. She took her hand.
It felt like an electric shock. All energy and boundless strength as she helps her to her feet. The handhold felt like a promise, the grip was weighted and grounding. Caring and resolute and so damn-
"Well!" Teddy couldn't hide the red building on her cheeks well, even when bringing her hand back to her side. Her other found itself going nervously through her hair. "Better go find Lithos. I'll catch you later?"
"Yeah." She says. Teddy leaves and her hand closes into a fist. The ache is still there, like a pit that keeps growing bigger. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
It was fine the way it is.
