The scent of old parchment and leather filled the air of Talin's study. The candles cast flickering shadows across the stacks of tomes lining the shelves. Talin sat behind a large, ornately carved desk. An old book lay neglected before her. She was lost in thought. Her gaze fixated on the flickering candle, its light reflecting in her troubled eyes preoccupied by the recent discoveries about Astarion. Guilt gnawed at her. He'd confided his reluctance to confront his past, yet she'd unearthed the truth about his parents. Now, she wrestled with a dilemma: should she bury the information, respecting his wishes, or risk his anger and who knows what else by revealing it?
Unable to settle her racing thoughts, Talin approached the bookshelves and reached for the nearest book, her fingers brushing the worn leather cover. With a sigh, she placed it back on the shelf, the neat row failing to calm the tempest within her.
The creak of the study door broke the silence. Talin spun around, a flicker of surprise crossing her features before a bright smile stretched across her face. "Astarion!" she exclaimed.
Astarion, his face softened with a smile, sauntered across the room. "There you are."
He reached out, attempting to wrap his arms around her in a familiar embrace. But Talin flinched, a barely perceptible wince contorting her face for a split second. It was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the same bright smile. Astarion, however, didn't miss it. His smile faltered, a flicker of concern flickering in his crimson eyes.
"Talin, what is going on?" he asked, his voice losing its usual playfulness.
Talin let out a nervous chuckle, the sound lacking its usual charm. "What do you mean?" she countered, avoiding his gaze and brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She tried to look busy by rearranging the books, meticulously shifting them a fraction of an inch.
Astarion didn't respond immediately. He simply stood there, his eyes searching hers, the question hanging in the air. "You've been acting strangely of late. It's almost like you've been avoiding me."
She denied the remark, but did not turn to face his gaze. "Nonsense. I've done no such thing. It must be your imagination."
"Really? Then why do you flinch every time I touch you? Or is that my imagination too?" he countered.
Talin fidgeted under his unwavering gaze, the forced smile fading from her face. Her eyes darted around the room, desperately seeking an escape. "Probably," she stammered, clutching at straws. "or perhaps, you've mistaken my excitement for flinching," she tried to force another smile.
Astarion raised an eyebrow, a single, sardonic arch that sent a tremor of apprehension down Talin's spine. The amusement in his eyes had been replaced by a cold glint. She knew he didn't believe her for a second.
With a defeated sigh, she turned to face him. "Fine, I may have done something, without telling you," she admitted.
Astarion's posture softened slightly, replaced by a cautious curiosity. The worry that had flickered in his eyes earlier returned, now mingled with a tinge of intrigue. "What did you do?" he asked, his voice gentler now.
She cleared her throat. "I did a little digging in the library, and found an old record containing information about… you," Talin confessed, her voice barely a whisper. "It was a record of Baldur's Gate authority figures. Magistrates more specifically."
Astarion's face contorted in surprise, a flicker of frustration flashing in his crimson eyes. "What! Why would you do that?" he demanded.
"I…I just wanted to know," Talin stammered, her earlier confidence waning. "I got curious, and you wouldn't tell me anything about your past."
"Tell you what? Things I don't remember?" he snapped.
A flicker of remorse crossed Talin's face. Astarion's frustration morphed into simmering anger. "Well, you obviously found something that made you recoil every time I touch you," he pressed, his voice low and dangerous. "What is it, Talin? Did the record paint me a picture so monstrous you can't even stand to be near me?"
Talin recoiled slightly, her eyes widening. "No–no, it's nothing like that!" she stammered, desperately trying to regain control of the situation. "I don't feel that way. Besides, you've done far worse things than-"
He cut her off. "Oh! Worse than what? If you're trying to pay me a compliment, you're doing it terribly," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Talin ignored the sarcasm, her focus solely on repairing the damage she'd caused, "It's just… you were different from the person I know," she said. "Honestly, I didn't even know what I was expecting, but surely not that you'd be a strict upholder of the law enforcing it with an iron fist," her words trailed off as she saw a flicker of something unexpected cross Astarion's face. It was a fleeting expression, a mix of surprise and a strange sort of emptiness, as if the man she knew was grappling with the ghost of someone he couldn't remember. It was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by anger.
"It was more than two hundred years ago, Talin! Two hundred years of torture. Who I was died that night when Cazador turned me into his spawn and took everything," he said, his words holding a desperate plea.
Talin stood there, a guilt gnawing at her gut, "I know, I'm sorry," she mumbled, the words falling flat in the face of his overwhelming pain. "That wasn't all I found out. There were names…" she hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper.
Astarion's gaze met hers, a storm of emotions swirling within, recognition, a flicker of terror, and a deep, agonizing sadness. He didn't need her to finish the sentence, he already knew.
"They were your parents' names." Talin finally choked out, the weight of the truth heavy on her tongue.
"My pa…" he stammered, the word catching in his throat. His voice, raw with a mix of anger and a deep-seated betrayal, filled the room. "So you decided to delve into matters I explicitly told you I wasn't ready to face? Without me?"
"Look, I did all the heavy lifting for you," she argued, a hint of defiance creeping back into her tone. "Why are you making such a big deal out of this? Shouldn't you be happy to know the truth instead of doing all the searching?"
"Happy? Oh I'm thrilled," he said sarcastically. "Delighted that you decided to exhume my past without even including me."
For a moment she was speechless.
"You lied to me, Talin manipulated me into thinking you were enjoying the city while you went behind my back. And now you think I should be ecstatic about this?"
"Oh you would know about it, wouldn't you?" she retorted, her voice sharp. It was a low blow, a reference to a past deception of Astarion's, one they'd both agreed to move past.
He flinched at her words, a grimace flashing across his face. "Oh no, you didn't…" That was a part of his past he wasn't proud of, a time before he'd broken free of his manipulative tendencies. He clenched his jaw, as he held his gaze on her.
Talin, momentarily fueled by anger, pressed on, "Why are you making this more difficult than it is? Why is it always difficult with you?" she demanded, her frustration boiling over, "I'm doing this for you! For us. Can't you see that? You can finally get your life back."
"You don't get to make such decisions for me!" he growled. "This is about my past, and I get to choose when and how I confront it."
Frustration bubbled over, and she threw her hands up in exasperation, "Argh! I can't believe you're acting like this!" Her anger reignited, fueled by his rejection. "I'm done!" she declared, her voice tight with unshed tears. Without another word, she stormed towards the exit, her anger momentarily eclipsing her concern for him.
"Where are you going?" he asked. A wave of conflicting emotions swirling within him as he watched her go.
"Away from you!" she shouted back without looking, her steps quick and determined as she fled the study.
A frustrated sigh escaped his lips. "It's daylight, you know I can't follow," he said as he chased after her.
"Well that's the point, genius!" She flung herself at the heavy door at the Grand Hall entrance, yanking on the handle with surprising strength. It barely budged. Her small frame bounced off it with a huff, more flustered than angry, the comical image momentarily breaking the tension.
Astarion, despite the anger he felt, couldn't help but find that amusing. He found her determination and fiery spirit endearing, even when it landed her in these predicaments.
Thalion's voice cut through the tense silence hanging in the hallway, "What is all this racket?" he inquired, appearing around a corner.
Astarion flinched slightly, caught off guard, "Ah, Thalion," he greeted, forcing a smile.
"I apologize," Astarion stammered, gesturing vaguely towards the closed door. "We had an argument, and she… chose to apologize by storming out and slamming the door in front of me. Or at least tried." He couldn't help but add a touch of sarcasm to his explanation, his earlier anger still simmering beneath the surface.
Thalion's eyebrows shot up in mock surprise, "Ah!" he exclaimed, his voice trickling with amusement. "Well that didn't take long. You'll get used to it, eventually."
Thalion gave him a knowing nod and disappeared back around the corner, leaving Astarion alone in the hallway with a head full of questions and a renewed sense of concern for Talin.
He ran a hand through his hair, his initial anger giving way to a gnawing sense of unease. He couldn't deny there was a part of him, a small and fragile part, that was curious. Curious about the truth Talin had unearthed.
But his anger, though diminished, still simmered. Her disregard for his wishes, the way she'd barged into his past, it stung more than he cared to admit.
With a muttered curse, Astarion stormed back to the study. He wouldn't chase her into the sunlight, but he needed to clear the air, even if it meant waiting until nightfall to confront her properly.
He didn't know when he would speak to her again, or what their conversation would hold. But one thing was certain, the revelation about his past had cracked a chasm between them, and it remained to be seen if they could bridge it.