~~~!~~~!~~~!~~~
" Good work today, soldier."
A quick, solid hand slapped across Tav's back, nearly knocking her off her log seat and tumbling into the fire. "Oh, shoot, sorry," Karlach quickly apologized, holding her hands out to the side like she wanted to correct her action but knew anything more than a quick tap would singe her companion.
Tav waved her hand and smiled. Didn't need to let the poor kind hearted woman know how close she was to choking on her food at the moment. "It's okay," she nearly gasped out. "I'm just a terrible lightweight. Mother used to say that a light breeze would knock me over and mess up my form." Tav shrugged. "She was right."
"Well, lightweight or not you carried it out there! The way you blasted that goblin over the edge! Oh and when you were able to explode the four at once! That was my favourite. Oh and-"
"I think our sorcerer friend gets the idea, Karlach." Gale strode over to the fire with his own meal in hand. His voice betrayed his annoyance at the situation. Tav took a bite of hers and had to stifle a small grin at the peeved look on the wizard's face. "You should let her eat and rest. Seeing as she's all tapped out now, after all."
It was in her best interest of the party's morale to leave the comment there. No need to pick on him anymore. Gale normally was the bolder magic caster of the group but for most of the battle he had been fighting in an area unfortunately covered in enchanted vines and several times had a slippery liquid tossed in his path that slowed him down. It hadn't taken much time to notice that their main caster was occupied and Tav decidedly shifted from defensive to offensive magic. Something until now, she hadn't had to show.
Tav chose to ignore the jab from the sullen wizard and just silently nodded her agreement.
Someone else in their party was not as tactful.
"Well, someone had to cover us seeing as you decided to spend half the fight laying down."
Tav slapped her hand over to mouth to stop herself from laughing outright. Gale shot her with a menacing look. Astarion sauntered over and sat at the fire, looking at his nails as if they were the most fascinating things in the lands and completely ignoring the time-bomb of a wizard who was growing redder by the moment.
Gale huffed and stormed back to his tent. "Godsdamn, see if I don't decide to take a lay down next time you need to be saved, vampire."
"Really?" Wyll looked between the pair from his spot. "Did you really need to say that?"
"Well, no," Astarion looked up lazily. "But it was fun though." A small glint of his fang peaked out from the devious smile.
"The vampire spoke the truth," Lae'zel muttered. "The wizard did make a poor choice of location. A mistake hopefully he does not make in the future as it did put strain on our tactics." Her sharp yellow eyes rounded on Tav who shrunk into herself as the conversation went on. "It was fortunate that we learned that we had another to take his place." She paused and her brow furrowed with plans in her head, most likely. "Although, it would have been advantageous to have known this going into battle before hand. Is there anything else you have been keeping from us?"
Tav shook her head. "No. That's about it. I'm a bit weaker since we were infected but I am well trained and growing stronger again." Picking at her food her cheeks reddened even more. It felt like her mother's serious golden eyes were on her, expectingly. Not like she had spent decades training daily. "I am brass draconic line, so I am fairly apt at fire magic but in training I focused on a fairly well-rounded arsenal of spells."
The githyanki grunted her agreement and seemed to make a mental note. Tav sometimes wondered what plans Lae'zel had in her head. She was always so calm during their fights, unlike Tav. Half the time she was either casting defensive spells to cover her companions or awkwardly dodging anyone who came close enough to catch her with a weapon. And they did catch her, fairly often much to Shadowheart's dismay. Her training may have been intense but it couldn't live up to the chaotic nature of a true battle.
They ate in relative silence after that. Everyone finishing their meal then heading back to their respective tents for rest. Gale was right though, she was exhausted. It was the first time since waking up on the beach that her magic had been well and truly depleted. And it felt terrible.
She said her goodnights and very slowly picked her way over to her own sloppily made tent. At least it had stayed up since they had made camp this time. That often was not the case. And she only saw one of her companions stop by and fix something she had done. A missing support line, Tav mused.
I'm to tired to even change, she though then fell to her knees and then let the rest of her body collapse onto the hard ground, barely even out of the doorway to her tent. Her pillow too far away but she was too tired to care. The ground was good enough, she told herself.
Tav was nearly in her trance after a few minutes but someone stepped on the side of her foot, obviously not expecting a body in the doorway.
" Shit."
A groan ripped through her, somewhat because of the pain but mostly because it tore her from her near trance. It took nearly every last ounce of energy to roll over and open her eyes to her visitor.
"Sorry, darling." Astarion's whispered.
"Did you need anything?" she half moaned; half whispered out. Was she sulky because her rest was disturbed? Yes. Her mother often compared her to a petulant child when she was overly tired. "I'm too tired to give you anything tonight, Astarion."
"Dear, even I am not that selfish to take from you when you look as ghastly as you do now."
Tav rolled her eyes and tried to shift back into a resting position but her tight lightly armoured garb made it difficult. Damn her waking self for insisting on wearing something to try and help with the minor dagger wounds she usually earned. Lesson learned. Fight naked.
"Oh, that would be a good show, darling. Don't stop on my account."
Shit. She had said that out loud. "What?"
He hmphed and Tav was sure he was looking down at her with crossed arms. "Well, knowing you and how you needed four people to help you into your idiotic armour earlier, I figured you might need a hand to get out of it. Seeing as sleeping in it wouldn't leave you actually rested."
He wasn't wrong. "Fine," she let but didn't make a move.
Astarion deftly and quickly untethered the contraption and the weight quickly came off her torso.
"You're good at that," she whispered, drunk on sleep deprivation.
He chuckled and moved the armour to the side. "Centuries of practice, dear. I can show you the rest of my skill set another time."
"I'd like that," she muttered. "You're a pretty good shot. Maybe you could teach me."
"Not that talent, but yes I am." He slowly started for the opening in her tent.
"Mhmm. Thanks, by the way," she offered before he left.
"For what?"
Tav pulled her pillow closer to her and rubbed her face against the itchy thing. "For covering me today. I couldn't have done that without you. Don't think I didn't notice."
If he said anything, she didn't stay awake long enough to hear.
~~~!~~~!~~~!~~~
"Accountant?"
"Not penny pinching enough."
"Professor?"
Tav cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes, staring intently at the person of their discussion. "Possibly? He seems fairly educated. A bit know it all-ish."
"He seems swanky. Model?" Nettie offered without looking up from her drink pouring. Bottles clinked as she moved around behind the bar.
"Hm. Pretty enough, that's for sure." Tav put her elbows on the counter and rested her chin on her interlocked fingers. This was fast becoming their favourite game going into the second week since Astarion had become a feature in Tav's section.
"My bet's on ghost writer," Victor added.
Nettie rolled her eyes. "Gods help us. We have enough of those around already. No."
"No," Tav echoed. She stood up and fanned herself with her hand. Damn, why was she always so hot. Her entire life her body temperature seemed to run warmer than most people. Percy teased that she must have some fire in her blood. He usually ended up sneaking away from her as soon as he could when they were able to share their bed.
Might as well get back to her job before Tiny stepped out and ripped her a new one. Tav checked in with the three other tables in her section, avoiding the topic of their discussion for as long as she could. It was pointless, sure. She would have to stop and speak to him sometime soon.
Tav walked back to the bar and poured out a nicer bottle of wine she had bought at her other job from the tip money their first night. Astarion had choked down the house wine for the first few nights without any complaints but she couldn't make him suffer any longer.
If he knew she was approaching him, he did not seem to let on. He didn't look up to greet her when she snuck up and placed the glass on his table but the chair across from him did seemed to move back on its own accord. Tav chuckled and looked around for Tiny before she sat down.
Today he was in his usual set up. Phone opened to some sort of calendar app and workbook out. Normally when she glanced over the pages, his unique old-style script was all over it but today…
"That's beautiful," she said in awe. On the page was a clothing sketch done of an ethereal looking dress on a faceless model.
"Hm. Not quite sure it is. Something isn't working," he mused without looking up. A curl of white hair had fallen into his face and Tav had to stop herself from pushing it back in place. He added some strokes then paused again and frowned. Astarion quickly ripped the page out of his sketch book and crumpled it up. Tav flinched at the sound and reached out to grab the discarded piece.
"What did you do that for? It was pretty!" she carefully smoothed out the page.
Grabbing for his wine glass, he took a quick drink and finally looked at her, slightly stunned.
"Dear, it's just a quick sketch," he waved his hand in the air. Dismissive. "Hardly worth keeping. It wasn't working so best to start fresh."
He flinched at the look Tav pinned him with. "Honestly, darling. I've been at this for a long while now, it was just a quick draft of an idea. Nothing to fawn over."
"What do you mean? This is so pretty!" She studied the image closer then turned it for him to see. "Is this what you do? You're an artist?"
He snorted indignantly and took another drink. "Gods, no." The disgust that crossed his face made her giggle. "Not that kind. I'm a tailor, dressmaker, designer. I specialize mostly on suits nowadays…have for several decades now but I'll still do a few dresses a year for special clients." Astarion paused and cocked his head to the side and glared at the drawing she held in her hand again. If looks could kill the drawing would have been up in flames. "I've been a bit tapped out for design inspiration for gowns in the last century or so, admittedly."
Tav bit her lip and held the page back out to him before it combusted in her hand. "Well, if these are just sketches, I could only image how stunning they are in real life. You seem to know what you are doing."
Truly, she could only dream of such finery as the dress in the picture. Somehow, the idea that he could create something like it seemed like something that would come naturally to him. Designer was not on their list, but it seemed to suit him. Make sense, the fine clothes and haughty air about him at times.
"That I do," pride seeped into his words then a scowl quickly marred his face. It wasn't the first time Tav noticed the fluidity of his movements. He was liquid in his expressions and movements, absolutely fascinating to watch. "Whether or not some of my new clients believe that I know what I am doing is another matter." He crossed his arms and groaned. "Honestly, they are almost all idiots," he whined like a petulant child.
Tav pulled back and laughed. "Right. Poor you, surround by such uncultured fools."
He snorted at her tone and took another drink. "See now, you see my plight," he tipped the glass of wine towards her and Tav fake clinked her own imaginary drink to his.
Astarion leaned back into his chair and the coy smiled she was getting so used to crept back in. "Well, you are always welcome to come by the shop," he said casually. Too casually. "I think I could show you the ins and outs of it. Can show you all of my talents." A wiggle from his brow made Tav roll her eyes. She couldn't expect any less. This conversation was probably a record length without any flirtation from him. He grabbed back the piece of paper and folded it under his workbook.
Tav rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair, mirroring his stance. It hurt to see the discarded drawing on the table being tossed to the side but it seemed wrong to ask to keep it. " Talents? Oh, I'm not sure I could ask that of you. To give up your time? Perish the thought."
"Har, har," the response was as dry as a desert.
Tav mulled the idea over then answered truthfully. "Fine, maybe." She inclined her head to his drink. "Need another, tonight?"
"If you are offering, darling. Just one more though. I've got a busy night a head of me, unfortunately." His nose crinkled up in annoyance and flicked his wrist up to look at his watch. "Spring Gala season is going to be the death of me."
Tav found herself chucking once more and walked back to the bar with his empty glass. She was doing that a lot more often in the last few days, generally- as much as she hated to admit it- while she was joking with Astarion.
Why he insisted on spending his nights slumming it in her pub, she couldn't fathom. No actually, she could. Tav bit her lip at the thought. While he made her laugh often enough it was usually a red blush that came from conversations with him, the damn flirt. He seemed to take some sort of joy out of making her face as red as it could go. At least, to Tav's relief, it seemed like he was just a natural flirt. No need to think it was just for her. He flattered and threw around his words for all of the staff, and some customers as well.
Taking a deep breath to recenter herself, Tav walked back to his table and presented his glass. His white-haired head seemed buried in work by the time she returned and she quietly placed his glass down then walked off to see her next table.
The shift seemed to fly by quickly, customers picked up quickly and shuffle in. Astarion waved her over an hour or so later, nearly at 10 on the dot to pay.
"Have a lovely night, love," he repeated his usually farewell as he finished his bill and passed it over to her.
Tav felt a flush run through her at the comforting farewell. It was nice, hearing it. "Goodnight, Astarion. See you tomorrow?"
It startled her when an honest scowl crossed his face. "No, unfortunately. I am fully booked tomorrow and can't get out of any of them."
"Oh." Tav let out. He had become such a staple in her night and it was odd to think he wouldn't be in his normal seat. His brow seemed to raise at the sound of honest disappointment at the information.
"I should be able stop by in another night," he winced. "Maybe two." He gathered the few things he had laid out on the table and headed out into the night.
She wandered off when her name was called to another table and it wasn't until she returned to wipe off his table that Tav found it.
He had left his sketch for her on the table. The face had been added where it was blank before. Her. Soft details were added to the drawing, her eyes, her nose -Tav crinkled her own nose and wondered if that was actually what it looked like to others- her face shape -long and angled. Hair drawn up in an elegant updo, soft yet alluring. Long ears left uncovered by her hair unlike her usually style. As a child, she had been mocked often enough by the humans that surrounded her, reminded her that she was different from them whenever they could in the way children often did.
How was he able to capture so much in such a simple drawing? Practice, most likely. He alluded that he was a few centuries old at least more than once.
A bitter voice in the back of her head peeked out. Half of the waitresses in the Gate probably have pictures like this from him.
Still. Tav blew a stray piece of hair away from her face.
Hello, beautiful. That soft voice crept through her mind again.
Not an artist her ass. The picture was carefully tucked away in her apron.
Past scene dedicated to Gale who spent half my first campaign on the ground prone from hazards