Greetings, beloved readers! We are back with another Dag AU chapter, though there won't be any Dag fights in this one. Instead, we'll get a taste of a Pathfinder campaign and some post-session fluff. Soulfulbard came up with the name for Pyrrha's Cleric. The others are names I came up with on my own. Much of what happens in their session is based on dialogue and situations from Pathfinder campaigns I've been in. I'm not sure what that says about me and the people I hang out with… Enjoy!
"Ren, are you trying to get us arrested?" Ruby asked, gaping as Ren picked up his twenty-sided die (d20, for short). "Why do you even want his shoes?!"
"They have gold buckles on them. Kurrel likes gold," Ren said simply as he rolled. He checked his Sleight of Hand bonus. "Twenty seven."
Jaune rolled his d20 and shook his head. "The shopkeeper spots you. 'Oy, what da 'ell are ya doin,' ya scrawny lizard?!' He kicks you in the face. 'Guards! Someone get tha dirty Kobold!'"
"Hmph! That's racist," Nora muttered in her raspy Half-Orc voice. "Grenda doesn't like racists!"
Ruby looked at Pyrrha. "I vote we act like we don't know them."
Pyrrha nodded. "Agreed. Delphine quietly takes a few steps back, keeping Grenda and Kurrel within sight."
"Toriel and Drei leave the marketplace," Ruby said bluntly, referring to her Druid and wolf respectively. "And we don't look back."
"You know, if you'd been willing to turn into a bird and snatch some rings…" Ren muttered.
"I'm Neutral Good, Ren! I can't steal."
"Should've gone Chaotic Neutral. It's the best alignment," Nora commented. "You just do whatever you want."
"But we're supposed to be heroes," Ruby protested. "Isn't that how this works?"
"Not necessarily," Jaune explained. "I've been in some evil campaigns in the past. In Pathfinder, you just do whatever's in character and try not to die."
"This is why we keep telling you to join the Dark Brotherhood in your Oblivion game," Pyrrha added. "They have the best missions."
"Oh, fiction! Why must you make evil deeds look so fun to such a pure, innocent soul?" Ruby lamented.
"You never have a problem snatching extra cookies whenever you come over," Jaune said, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"That's not an act of evil. It's an act of necessity!"
Pyrrha chuckled softly at her friends' antics. This was her first time playing Pathfinder, and she was surprised at how fun it was. True, she had been expecting a good time, but the sheer number of times she and the others had nearly died laughing shocked her.
The best moment so far had been when they were at a temple where the god was present and watching. Ruby had said "I get down on my hands and knees. Does he like that?" and didn't understand why everyone else started falling out of their chairs laughing until Pyrrha was able to explain. Her young face had turned even redder than her cloak.
Nora, meanwhile, was thrilled with just how open Ren was being. When playing a mischievous thief, her best friend took on a talkative, joking persona that even she rarely saw. Also, she had never seen or heard Ren laugh so hard. It was something she could definitely get used to.
Jaune was just happy that everyone was having fun. Though he was a Pathfinder veteran, this was only his second time being the Game Master for a campaign. In his opinion, campaigns weren't meant to be taken too seriously and could be considered a success if the players fell into laughing fits at least three times per session. Pyrrha's unrestrained laugh, so different from her usual quiet chuckle, was more than enough to justify these numbers.
"You hear guards pushing through the crowd," Jaune continued. "They are close to where you are."
"I run for the nearest shadowy area," Ren said.
"Make an Agility check. There's a pretty big crowd."
Ren rolled his d20. "Seventeen."
Jaune rolled and nodded. "You get to the alleyway unharmed."
"Okay, I'm going to sneak away." Ren picked up his d20 once again.
"Are any of the guards near me?" Pyrrha asked.
"Uh…" Jaune glanced at one of his charts. "Where are you standing?"
"Near the fruit stand."
"Okay, then yes. Two are."
"I walk over and say 'Pardon me, good sirs. Would you like to receive a blessing from Erastil?'"
"Roll a Charisma check."
Ren managed to get his character to safety thanks to Pyrrha's intervention, but the party was forced to leave town. Ruby's character made sure to let Kurrel know how she felt about that.
"Well, we're gonna have to find another lead to finding that sorcerer. I hope the close look at those shiny buckles was worth it."
"I'll be back for them!" Ren vowed.
"I could've taken those guards," Nora muttered. "Grenda's club is thirsty for blood!"
"Save it for the necromancer," Pyrrha said soothingly. "And the undead horde."
"We won't be fighting the necromancer yet," Ren protested. "We'd die immediately. I almost died when that tavern wench stepped on me in the last town."
"That's what you get for having a small-sized character, Lotus Lizard," Ruby teased.
"None of these Lotus names will ever catch on!"
The game continued through a long, drawn-out battle with a group of drow. At one point, Nora rolled a Natural 1 on her d20 and ended up bashing Ruby's wolf in the head. Pyrrha's Cleric had to intervene quickly in order to keep the animal from dying. It was an incredibly close battle, but they won. It was past midnight when Jaune decided to end the session.
They packed up their character sheets and dice before parting ways. Ren and Nora went to their building while Ruby and Jaune followed Pyrrha back to her room, where they would be spending the night.
"Oooh," Ruby said as she peeked in. "College dorms are so small! How do you fit everything in it?"
"Organization and management," Weiss said from her desk, not glancing away from her laptop.
"Are you doing homework on a Friday?" Ruby asked, tilting her head. "You really should have more fun."
"I'll be at Dag in the afternoon," Weiss shot back. "That will serve as my break."
"Do you sleep?" Ruby asked, leaning over the older girl's shoulder to look at her screen. "It seems like you're always just lugging that laptop around."
"O-Of course I sleep, you dolt!"
Pyrrha rolled her eyes, exchanging a knowing smile with Jaune. By this point, she knew her roommate well enough to recognize when she was truly angry and when she was simply irritable and flustered. The white-haired girl seemed to get flustered a great deal whenever Ruby was around. It was pretty cute, but Pyrrha refrained from teasing her, knowing that a retaliation relating to her and Jaune would immediately follow such an action.
"So, where should we…?" Jaune asked, trailing off as he looked around.
"Ruby can sleep in my bed. You can have the futon. I'll take the floor," Pyrrha replied promptly.
Jaune frowned. "This floor looks kinda uncomfortable."
"I'll be fine," Pyrrha assured him, her heart warming at his concern. After that Pathfinder session, she felt even closer to Jaune than ever before. His face had come alive while narrating the story in a way that practically required Pyrrha to smile. He adored games, particularly roleplaying or strategy games. He always got a look of excitement and concentration on his face whenever playing, and Pyrrha was completely enamored with him when he was like that.
Pyrrha prepared the futon while her guests used the communal shower down the hall and changed into their pajamas. Ruby climbed up into Pyrrha's lofted bed. "That was a good session, Jaune. Thanks!" She yawned. "Night, everyone." Judging by her breathing, she fell asleep almost immediately.
Jaune lay back on the futon, trying not to grimace at how thin the blankets were. He was wearing sweat pants and a tee shirt, which were not nearly enough. He got cold very easily and usually wore special fleece footie pajamas that his aunt gave him every year for his birthday. However, his sisters had adamantly told him that wearing bunny footie pajamas when sleeping over in his crush's dorm room was absolutely out of the question.
As a cold draft hit his toes, he regretted listening to them.
Pyrrha, meanwhile, was bracing herself for a long night. Though she had vacuumed the floor, Jaune had been right in his assumption that it was not the least bit comfortable. She had only one blanket, which she couldn't put under her to make the floor softer, since the building's heaters wouldn't really start working until winter and she would need as much covering as possible to keep warm in the meantime.
An hour passed. She heard Weiss go to bed and sighed, finally giving up. If she couldn't sleep, perhaps she could get some homework done or check the Dagorhir forum.
"Pyr?" Jaune called quietly when he noticed his friend getting up. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Pyrrha replied. As the light from her screen caused the room to become a little more illuminated, she noticed that Jaune was trembling. "Are you?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah," Jaune replied. "I just get cold really easily."
"You can use my blanket," Pyrrha said. "You were right about the floor."
Jaune frowned. "Are you gonna stay up all night? You won't be able to do much on the field tomorrow."
"I'm used to getting by on little sleep."
"That's not encouraging." Jaune picked up the blanket and put it on top of the one he already had. It didn't help.
Pyrrha looked at the Dag forum. Barty had posted an update a few hours ago stating that there would be a weapon-building session at his house soon with a discount for members. I can finally have my own javelin and shield! she thought.
After a few minutes of checking for more updates, she glanced over at Jaune. Her brows furrowed when she saw that he was still shivering. "Don't you have warmer pajamas?"
"Uh, yeah," Jaune muttered. "I, uh, forgot them."
"Hm." Pyrrha hesitated, gathering her courage to voice an idea that would potentially allow both of them to get a good night's sleep. "Well, the futon is large enough. Maybe, I could…" she trailed off.
It took a few seconds for Jaune to realize what she was asking. It took a few more seconds to remember how to speak. "I mean… You wouldn't find that awkward, or anything?"
Was that a hopeful tone that Pyrrha was catching in his voice? He didn't sound put off, which encouraged her. "I mean, we're friends, so I don't mind. Ren and Nora apparently sleep together all the time." She didn't mention her suspicion that those two were one confession away from being practically engaged.
"W-Well, if you don't have a problem with it…" Jaune stammered, scooting over to give her some room. His heart was thumping louder than a red sword smacking a shield. He hoped that Pyrrha wouldn't be able to hear it. His breath caught as the bed sank down and she moved close to him.
Pyrrha hesitated when she was a few inches away from Jaune. "Is it okay if I…" She extended an arm questioningly. "I mean, if you're cold-"
"Yeah, sure!" Jaune said, his mouth going dry as he felt a slender, muscular arm drape carefully across his midsection, followed closely by Pyrrha's cheek on his chest right below his shoulder. He took a deep breath, trying to loosen his incredibly-tense muscles.
"This isn't uncomfortable for you, is it?" Pyrrha asked, noting how stiff he was. What was I thinking? This was a terrible idea! She started to withdraw her arm, only to feel his large, warm hand on her wrist. Her cheeks heated up and she looked up at him. He was still tense, but there was a smile on his face, if a slightly shaky one.
"I'm fine, Pyr. I'm just not used to this. Don't worry, though." He kept his hand on her wrist, feeling her rapid pulse. It was going nearly as fast as his heart was. "Are you good with this?"
"Yes." Pyrrha's response was immediate. Despite her nervousness, she honestly felt more content than she could remember feeling in a long time. It was a sleepy, warm contentment that she thought could easily last the whole night. She could feel her friend's chest rising and falling under her head and his soft, slightly-calloused hand tenderly holding her wrist.
A sudden surge of happiness went through her and she snuggled closer, nestling against Jaune's side while softly nuzzling into his chest and turning her loose grip on his midsection into a gentle, one-armed hug. She could feel lingering cold shivers going through him, though they were lessening due to their close contact.
Jaune barely kept from gasping aloud when the distance between him and Pyrrha suddenly closed. He cautiously returned the hug, draping his arm overtop hers while pulling the blankets over them both. He heard her let out a happy sigh. As if a switch was flipped, the tension in his muscles vanished and he was able to rest comfortably on the futon, his head sinking into the pillow.
The coldness he had felt before already was a distant memory. In fact, he couldn't remember feeling warmer. A fantasy went through his head of what would happen in winter. They could sit in front of the fireplace and doze on the couch, nestled under several blankets while the snow fell outside.
Wow, I'm cheesy, he realized with a rueful smile. Still, something told him that Pyrrha wouldn't have any objections to something like that. As he lay there, all of the doubt from the past few weeks began to rapidly dissipate. If she hadn't been so close to falling asleep, he probably would have bent down to kiss her at that moment
As he allowed Pyrrha's warmth and gentle contact to lull him closer and closer to sleep, he made a decision. Tomorrow, he thought. I'll tell her tomorrow.
"Goodnight, Jaune," Pyrrha murmured, her voice heavy with drowsiness. It usually took a half hour or more for her to fall asleep, but being near Jaune was making her feel so incredibly peaceful. She almost didn't want morning to come and spoil this moment.
"Night, Pyrrha," Jaune replied, biting his lip at how sweet Pyrrha's sleepy voice sounded so close to his ear. Though he felt like he was tingling all over, he had no trouble falling asleep soon after.
Meanwhile, up in Pyrrha's bed, Ruby was covering her mouth to stifle her delighted giggles.
One of my biggest pet peeves in romance is dragging stuff out unnecessarily when there's basically nothing stopping the couple in question from getting together. It's right up there with getting the couple together right before killing one of them *glares menacingly at Rooster Teeth*. So, I will not be doing that. Expect total fluff in the next chapter, and probably in more chapters after that because I really don't want to end this after they get together. We'll need some established relationship cuteness as well, don't you agree? And maybe I'll work in more of the other ships here… Well, we'll see what happens.
Please review, but don't flame. Don't be a Cinder. Peace out!