Chapter 7

Everything hurt. Tav drew in a sharp breath and held back a grimace at the stabbing pain in her side. Yet again, she was an idiot. Most others had already turned in for the night but Tav was restless…and reckless apparently. A few left-over rogue goblins had caught her off guard while she as in the river cleaning herself of the grime and blood from the last few nights. One of them had gotten a good stab at her side before she could silence them with a few quick blasts. The last of her magic for the night after their long day. At least the stab was clean and managed to avoid anything serious.

It was almost comical, she thought as she continued her stumbling walk back to camp. The idea that the sheltered noble woman she was a month or so ago was now tramping through the woods holding a stab wound thinking it wasn't too bad. The old her would have never thought it possible. Tav almost smiled thinking of what her mother would say should she see her walking home right now. Her once porcelain skin that her mother once mocked her for being too freckled was becoming quite littered with scars. Her eyes were now mismatched, the absolute symbol was branded into her and two puncture marks had become nearly permanent fixtures on the side of her neck. Yes, she was quite a sight now.

Tav looked ahead and spotted the soft light of their campfire and sighed. Nearly there. It wasn't very late, most likely she would run into Wyll or Gale on watch. Thankfully, either could be talked out of noticing her pained face and she could slink off to her own tent to deal with the result of her own bad judgement. No way she could face another lecture from Lae'zel, not right now at least.

"What do you think you are doing?"

A hand quickly covered her mouth and captured her gasp, pulling her back and into a solid body. Damnit.

Tav stepped forward and out of the hard grasp of their resident vampire. She couldn't hold back the look of pain this time as her movements tore at the wound.

"Shit. What in the hells did you get up to? You're bleeding like a stuck pig."

"No shit," she bit back and slapped her hand back against her side. "I'm not that unobservant."
"Are you sure?" Astarion snapped back. "The open wound on your side would prove you otherwise."

"Shut up." A lame comeback but her brain was slowly starting to misfire with pain and slow blood loss. "How did you know I was here anyways?"

"Oh please," he scoffed and stepped back. "I'd know that blood scent from miles away."

Tav groaned. Right. Idiot. Of course he would. "Fine. Thanks for checking in but I'll be on my way now. Got some patching up to do."

Her dramatic exit was ruined when her foot caught a tree root and she nearly ended up face first in the dirt. Once again, his lighting fast reactions saved her. His arm caught her waist and pulled her upright.

"You can't walk five feet without ending up in some trouble," he muttered. "How did you ever make it before me?"

"Believe it or not, I did just fine in the Upper City. But then again it was much easier to avoid goblin ambushes from the tea rooms," she snapped.

"Little princess is far from the Upper City now," he sighed. "Well, come on. I'm sure we can find a potion somewhere to get you patched up. You are becoming distracting."

With more care than his words suggested, Astarion guided her back to camp. They were able to sneak past Gale on watch with ease and into her tent.

"Gods, they got you pretty deep."

Tav pealed away her tunic, leaving her stays and looked at her bare side. He was right. It was a bloody mess and was deep but once cleaned and healed, it wouldn't leave much of a mark.

"How did they even catch you?" he asked as he handed her a small healing potion from her bag.

She took the potion and downed it quickly. It was enough to stop the internal bleeding and slow down the blood loss but not enough to fully close the wound. "I was bathing and they came up when I was under the water," she admitted. Not her finest moment.

"Lucky goblins," he mused aloud. His red eyes swept over her half bare body. Tav rolled her eyes and started to dress the wound.

"They're dead now so not sure it was worth it."

"Darling," he looked her up and down then handed her the last bit of dressing. "Seeing that any day is nearly worth it."

"Nearly?" she scoffed.

"Well, you aren't me so…nearly," he shrugged and waved his hands dismissively. "Here, let me."

He must have noticed her struggling to finish. Shooing her away, Tav groaned but relented. His deft fingers made easy work of it and soon enough she was shrugging on her oversized sleep shirt and tucking into her bedroll. Swiftly, he settled down beside her. She raised a brow but didn't say anything.

"Got to make sure you don't run off and do something else completely half-witted tonight," he muttered, shuffling around to get comfortable. Tav sighed but didn't argue. Her trance seemed to come easier to her for once.

The night was crisp and cool, the remnants of winter faded with each passing day. The streets were still fairly busy with people just getting off of work and heading home. Gentle chatter filled the silence that had settled between them since they left the Siren. Astarion tossed his coffee in a passing bin and shoved both hands in his overcoat pockets. The temptation to reach for the hand swinging so close to him was overwhelming. Tav walked in an easy stride next to him following him back to his home to follow through with his promise. Their walk was peaceful, almost natural he mused. It felt good to be stalking down the road by her side again.

Early on, he had hung near the back of their group, always keeping an eye out for attackers. Later, he found himself finding a solid position at her right side. Always acting as her weapon ready to attack at her signal. After their first adventure they stayed side by side. Her small right hand nearly always clasped in his, his main blade hand still open and ready should they come across trouble on their journeys.

Over the centuries it had become more comfortable to walk through the city without her hand in his. The first few decades were terrible. Each corner and narrow street reminded him of Tav in someway. The first time he walked through the Lower City with Adeline and Catiana had brought back some memories as both girls refused to let go of him. Like tall children, they clung to his grasp as they wondered the streets together, learning how to survive side by side with the very thing that tempted them all. It was very different from walking hand in hand with your love.

"So, you must live near by to bother visiting nearly every night." Tav mused aloud.

He nodded. No need to tell her he'd travel to the ends of the realm to be near her again. The luck he had that she worked and assumingly lived within walking distance? Maybe he ought to occasionally pray to someone for the stroke of luck. "Fairly close. I'm no longer the wayward traveller I had been in my youth."

"You a traveller?" she stared at him in disbelief. "Like back-packing or hoping from five-star hotel to hotel room? Either way I can hardly image that." Tav elbowed him gently then crossed her arms, rubbing up and down on her naked arms to warm herself.

He shrugged out of his overcoat and dropped it on her shoulders before he answered. A quick shocked look cross her face but she said nothing. "More the former, less of the latter. I had spent many years living on the road all around this area. Adventuring was much more normal back then."

Tav pulled her arms into his jacket and wrapped it tightly around herself. "You've said you've been around for awhile. How long is a while?"

"A long, long while. General rule is to at least take someone out for dinner before you start discussing a person's age," he teased.

She waved her hand to dismiss his idea but her grin widened. "Or friends tell friends things like that."

"Never said we couldn't go as friends." His practiced coy smile crawled over his face. Leaning into her, he whispered to her. "Unless you are ready to dump Perky."

"Har, har. Nice try."

"Can't blame me for checking."

Soon enough, Astarion stopped them both at an elegant but understated storefront. Tav craned her head over to see the hanging wooden sign with metal work that simply read Ancunin with Bespoke Tailoring under the name in beautiful written filigree.

"I've past by this store so many times. It never crossed my mind it was yours," she explained when she followed him into the vestibule. He held out his hand and she shrugged out of his coat, handing it to him. "But it suits you."

Astarion look around the open store room, taking in all that she was seeing for the first time. All in all, it was fairly simplistic really. Almost all deep original wood and emerald walls. Shelves on one long wall held a wide supply of sample fabrics and several examples of his work sat on forms, waiting for his final touches.

"It's been good to me over the years," he agreed. It was delightful, seeing her walking around his store. He could tell she wanted to run her hands over everything but settled on holding them behind her back as she meandered. "You can touch anything, you know."

A nod was all the agreement she gave. He leaned against one of the counters watched as she stalked around the showroom, stopping and running a light touch over a few of the suit jackets and fabrics in awe.

"Think this is my colour?" she held up a vest in an obnoxious orange print one of his clients insisted on ordering in. It was ghastly against her fair freckled skin and soft rose-coloured hair.

He visibly shuddered. "Gods put that down before I pluck out my eyes."

Tav threw back her head and laughed but did as he said. "Alright, I guess you're right."

"Hm," Astarion paused and scanned the room. Ah, there. On the shelf was something much more suited to her completion. He pulled it out and held it out to Tav. "This is what I would suggest for you instead."

She pulled some of the bolt off and held it over her arm. "Perfect."

"Hardly perfect but better." The bolt was placed back and Tav wondered off again. When he looked up, she had pulled a pair of trousers up to herself, looking into one of the many mirrors.

"Would you like a drink while you pick apart my work?"

She grinned in the mirror. "Yes please. None of the stuff I sold you though. Had enough of that at work lately."

"Drinking on the job, are we?" he asked. He walked over to his work bar and poured her one of his better whiskies.

"Some days I'd love to but no. We had a new vendor come into the Cloak so we had a work meeting where we had to test them all. You've bought some of the better of the bunch." Tav replaced the trousers she had found and found a seat in one of the plush leather wingbacks. Astarion stared her over and handed her the glass.

"Thank you for that, by the way." He took a seat in the chair across from her, his own glass in hand.

She took a long drink and smiled at the taste. "It's my job. Glad I could help."

"Do you like it?" He took his own sip and leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

A shrug. "The whiskey, yes. The job? It pays the bills. Not my dream job, but it works. Percy's friend's partner owns the Cloak and offered me the job when he heard I was moving to get us set up here."

"Hm." Damn Prudence. "And the Siren?"

Tav swirled her drink and took another sip. "I needed some more hours. I've worked at many places like the Siren. What about you?" she tilted her head and swept her hand over the shop floor. "How did you end up here?"

Astarion leaned back and crossed his one leg. "It's been part of my repertoire of skills for a long time. I used to be a magistrate- way back when- and would emborder to pass the time or repair some of my own things when money was tight." Or if his things were torn by his tormentors. He took another quick drink. "One thing led to another and I fell into it, essentially. Thankfully it's a skill that has remained timeless. I've always been busy. It's kept a roof over my head and comfortable for centuries."

She leaned her head back against the chair back and let out a short, dry chuckle. "Centuries," she echoed. "And it's been the same pretty much?"

He shrugged. "Styles change, fabrics change, clients don't."

Tav finished her drink and stood then strode over to the main riser. "So, you take their measurements, show some ideas and make their clothes?"

"Yes. Something along those lines." The rest of his drink was forgotten. He placed it on the table next to him before walking over behind Tav. He glanced over her shoulder and spoke to her reflection. "Some client's I've had long enough I know their styles. Most let me create what I want. A benefit to being well established."

Tav's reflection straightened her back and a coy smile crossed her face. Wonder where she got that, he mused. "So, what would you do with me?"

Many, many, many things. Images quickly flashed in his mind of some of the many things he would want to do with her. His lips tugged upwards. "Now darling, I thought we agreed on dinner first."

She spun around and slapped his chest hard but her laugh and the smile on her face countered it. "Serious now. I think I could rock a suit. What do you think?"

"Never. It will be over my dead body that I would put you in anything other than a gown, love. It would be a waste of a such a beautiful figure."

The tips of her ears turned a delightful shade of pink and Tav turned away again. "Charmer."

He shrugged. "Nothing but the truth, dear."

In the mirror, Tav turned side to side. Her rumpled black jean shorts and ill-fitting tee did nothing for her figure. Still, Astarion could easily picture the options of things he would design for her.

"I would be horrible at this," she admitted. "I've got no style what so ever. Plus, I'm terrible with numbers. I'd probably mix up everyone's measurements."

"Oh? That's surprising."

She shrugged. "I've learned ways to memorize things instead but when I see them written down, I usually invert everything."

"Resourceful," he remarked. "Honestly, taking measurements at this point is superfluous. I've done this long enough that I can size anyone. It's mostly for show whenever I do."

"That's a pretty good party trick," she chuckled. "Much better than mine."

"What can you do?"

Tav turned around again and shook her finger at him. "I'm not drunk enough for that yet. Now show me."

Astarion dropped his arms and circled her. He rattled off her numbers. Neck, shoulders, bust, hips, waist, arms, legs.

"Pretty close," she said. "Waist seems off but," she patted her stomach. "I've been eating too much food from the Siren so it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Balderdash. You are perfectly suited. And of course I am not 'off'." He grabbed a nearby tape to measured her. It had been so long since he was this close to her. Tav remained stock still, completely unaware of the battle of wills going on inside of the vampire before her. Astarion nearly groaned at the scent of her so close, her neck right before him. The taste of her still burned into his memory and it called to him. It was some of his fastest measuring. Even with her baggy shirt hiding her figure, he was still spot on.

"Doubting my talent?" he asked. His hands remained near her hips, holding onto the tape and checking the number again. She shook her head and blew out a deep breathe. He hadn't noticed she had held it the whole time.

"Never." Her violet eyes met his and they seemed to bury into him. A stillness stretched out as neither of them moved. In his ears, he could easily hear her heart thundering and gathering speed. Her lips parted. Her mouth formed half-words as they reached for the words she wanted to say. The tip of her tongue darting out just enough to moisten her lips, and with a sharp breath and without a second thought, he leaned toward her. Tav broke the spell, stepping back and out of his gasp.

Astarion reared back, bunched the tape up in his hands and tossed it onto the table. His hands opened and closed, trying gain control of himself once again. Tav didn't say anything but had jumped off the riser and walked back over to the chairs, where her bag of extra wet clothes was still sitting.

Right. The whole reason why she was here.

"So," she started. Her voice trembled just a bit and she gave him a weak smile. "Where can I wash these so I can get going? It's getting late."

A hand raked through his hair and he nodded. "Right. Back here," he strode to the back of his shop, back into his messy work room and further still into the wash room. She followed him, her bag clutched in front of her and her eyes darting around the rooms, taking everything in.

"Let's get those washed," he announced.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Tav rubbed her hands together to warm them up as the late-night winds picked up, trying to feel for the small keys in her hand and open up her apartment. She shoved back the long arms of her borrowed coat- Astarion's, of course. He insisted she not leave without it.

Home, finally. Now to hide under the covers and escape her idiotic moment. Tav slipped into her tiny apartment and bolted the door shut behind her.

What were you thinking! She pushed her bangs back and rubbed at her eyes.

After…whatever that was, Astarion had been an absolute gentleman. He had found a pair of trousers and an extra shirt for her to wear while she washed the three changes she had in her bag. Earlier, she had brought a few sets of clothes and had hoped to ask Nettie to let her wash some clothes at the manager's apartment.

Instead, she had followed Astarion home and made a complete fool of herself.

The gentle hum of her fridge created a rhythm Tav tried to focus on. It didn't help. She felt the tips of her ears redden. Tav sighed slid down the length of her front door and sat on the floor, resting against the cool wood and letting her head fall back with a thud.

Astarion had rushed out of the room after setting her up, claiming he had a few calls to make for work. It was getting late and she was keeping him up. Another idiot move. As quick as she could, Tav finished her washes and shoved her freshly cleaned and dried clothes back into her backpack. Sneaking out had proven difficult. Of course, he was one step a head of her, meeting her near the storefront door before she could bolt out and into the night. Jacket in hand, he draped it over her before walking her outside. A cab already waiting outside to take her the short drive home.

His parting words still rang in her head. Sleep well, love.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

She was being a fucking tease. Her own words tumbled through her head- none to gently reminding everyone she is engaged- and yet when he stood close, his hand ever so gently brushing against her hip…

But…

It just felt…right? Didn't it?

The thought echoed in her head but she physically shook it away. Friends. She insisted they were friends. He agreed they are friends. He had been an amazing friend to her so far and she honestly enjoyed his company. Percy had once commented that she gave away her friendship too easily but she couldn't help it. Something inside of her just knew when people clicked with her. Percy hadn't noticed, but she equally avoided people just as fast. When something or someone felt right, why wait?

All we can do is apologize and forget.

Forgetting. Good idea.

Tav pushed against her front door and crawled her way to standing. She shoved her hand into the coat pocket to grab for her phone and a piece of paper caught her fingertips. Tav pulled it out and couldn't help but grin at the writing.

Bill for Dry Cleaning Service: Dinner at Ruise. Friends? With his phone number elegantly scrawled over the post it.

Tav pulled out her phone and quickly texted the number, shaking her head. He always knew what to do to cheer her up, even from herself.

Ruise sounds perfect, friend.

Tav shrugged out of his coat and tossed open her bag, dumping her clean clothes onto the couch. She was walking to bed when her phone pinged.

It's a date.

Hello! Thanks to the few continuing to enjoy this story. Letting anyone who gets this far know that the next few weeks may be inconsistent. Good news- I finally got a permanent contract but bad news is my creative brain has suffered. I am trying to carve out time to write but for the next month that may be a bit hard! But please stick with me! I've got it all mapped out and excited to get back into writing again.