"I've always said that a carpet should only ever be made of the best wool. But now that I see it up close, a carpet of duergar corpses has a certain charm to it."
"Look at this shield. You might like it."
"Hmm. Nice one indeed, dear. Why, the spikes are poisoned! Thank you, Rizdaer, I knew you cared!"
Salomeya glanced at Lena in mock triumph, but the ranger was not paying any attention. She collected her arrows and sat quietly back.
"You all right, miss? You look a little peaky."
"I'm fine, Nikosh, thanks. Don't mind me."
"Are you sure? 'Cos you've been peaky ever since... well, you know. Sorry to bring it up, but, um, the spider room."
Lena did not reply.
"I, um... I'll go and help search the bodies, shall I?"
"Yes."
Lena closed her eyes and took a few breaths. She only heard about it second hand, but apparently her screams while in the Chamber of Silk were truly terrifying. And, reportedly, Rizdaer went completely mad with fury and fear, insisting that Lolth was tampering with the trial to punish them both and suchlike. The trial was over, but the embarrassment remained, all the worse because the scenes could repeat in the Underdark.
Underdark... Rizdaer said he didn't want to go back to his old life, but he also hated everything about the surface. Lena looked at the beautiful drow, drinking in the sight of his every graceful movement. She felt they've made so much progress. She felt he was almost ready to recognise his own wants and to act on them. But she couldn't be sure. There was always the hideous possibility that he was simply doing what he guessed she wanted him to do, because that's what a drow male does. She thought of the moment they shared at the monastery roof. But even so... Tired to the bone, she let out a deep, frustrated sigh.
"Drow females sigh after taking their pleasure from a male. Surfacers seem to have other reasons."
Lena massaged her temples. "I'm worried, Rizdaer. We're headed to the Underdark."
"Yes. So am I. I... I want to show you the beauty of it, but..."
"Beauty?"
"Oh, yes. The fluorescent moss reflected in pools. The veins of mithril, or the gems in the bluestone. But all I can think of is that you'll be a foreigner there, and being a foreigner in the Underdark is a death sentence."
"Pah, 'death sentence.' People explore the Underdark all the time! I'm sure we can handle it."
Rizdaer frowned, his special I-will-never-get-you-surfacers frown. "Then what are you worried about?"
"Spiders."
"Spiders?"
"Spiders."
"Spiders." Rizdaer looked at her for a moment in stony silence. "Spiders," he said again, in a heavy voice. "There's creatures in the Underdark that can strip your very identity away, turn you into a golem. There's places where the air turns to poison when you approach. There's entire cultures that hunt people like you for sport and social position."
"Yes, I've heard."
"And you're afraid of spiders."
"Yes, I am."
"Mi- Lena... You're... You're a mystery. You really are, and I think you always will be. I can never hope to understand you."
It was her turn to frown. "What's not to un-"
"How? How is it possible? How can a woman be at the same time so strong and so delicate? How can you be so tough, and yet so soft? How?"
Lena massaged her temples again. "I'm sorry, Rizdaer, I guess the drow concept of fear is probably different. I didn't mean to upset you."
He stared at her. For an inexpressive drow, he positively gawped at her. The he shook his head in exasperation. "Do you want me to massage your head for you? I've been told I'm acceptably good at that."
Lena glanced at the others. Nikosh was examining gemstones under torchlight, while Salomeya and Diriel found some duergar who were not quite dead and were now testing the poisonous shield on them. It was the most harmonious she's ever seen these two. They really seemed to be having fun.
"Uh... yes, please. Thank you."
Rizdaer moved behind her and she leaned her back against him. It was no different than leaning against a stone wall, really. But she could remember him on the roof, and if she closed her eyes she could perfectly recall the sight of his body as it was that night. She wanted him so much... her whole being ached with that desire, and when his fingers brushed at her neck she had to let out a small moan and rub her thighs together.
"Mistress, are you all right? I mean- I'm sorry, Lena, I just..."
"What? What's wrong, Rizdaer? What did I do?"
"You... made a sound."
"Well, yes, because you touched me and... wait. Don't tell me. Drow women don't make sounds when... when they feel pleasure?"
"No."
"No. That's probably a sign of weakness, showing the male that he has some impact and his actions matter. Or some such."
"More or less." Rizdaer relaxed, but did not try to touch her neck again, setting down to minister to her temples instead. It was still very pleasant, but not as arousing and in time Lena relaxed, too. There came a few other groans, but they were the sounds made by the dying duergar. They ignored them.
"But you had a human lover. Didn't she... make sounds?"
"She did, a little. But not like that. She was always afraid her husband would hear, too." Rizdaer moved his fingers to a different point on her head, and it was amazing how he could just brush the headache away. For a long moment she just enjoyed his touch.
"Lena..." he whispered. It was a strange, hesitant whisper, almost scared.
"Yes, Rizdaer?"
"What is it that you want? Please, tell me. What is it you want from me?"
She turned to look into his eyes. "Rizdaer, I told you this before. I only want you to do what you-"
Rizdaer closed his eyes and took a deep breath, so deep to be almost a gasp. He held up his hand and just hovered there above her for a moment. When he looked at her again, all his feelings were once again locked away in the dark vault of his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Mistress, I meant about the Underdark," he said, the lie almost tangible in the air. "And the spiders. Do you want me to scout far ahead and kill all spiders I can find before you see them?"
Lena disentangled herself from him, her heart whimpering at both the lost contact and the lost ground. "No, thank you, Rizdaer, that sounds like you might get separated and that's too risky. I'll be fine. Now that everyone knows of my problem and will factor it in," she added, bitterly.
She stood up, adjusted her gear, and strode towards the others, taking care not to look back at him. "Playtime's over. We're heading out."
Diriel prodded the last dead dwarf with his boot. "Convenient."