Piper woke the next morning with a hangover and a vampire draped around her. She winced as she blinked, finding herself in Astarion's tent. Confused, she remembered the night before and their time together. As first dates went, it wasn't the worst, even if it started out strangely. When she shifted, the arm around her tightened, bringing her closer to him. She groaned lightly, the movement making her head swim.

"I'm not drinking wine ever again," Piper complained into the pillow as she brought the blanket over her head. She felt Astarion laugh behind her, keeping her close to his chest. He said something, but without the magic, she couldn't make it out. "Maybe I shouldn't cast the damn spell today and just sleep. Halsin doesn't want to talk to me about Moonrise anyway."

Astarion reached around her and grabbed her necklace, saying the quick incantation for her as she sighed. He let the pendant fall before resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Is that better, darling?" he cooed.

"I have the worst hangover," Piper answered, peeking up at him through her eyelashes. He frowned as she stayed still. "But I can understand you at least."

"I've heard my voice can soothe all ails and wounds," he insisted, hoping to soothe her as she twisted her face in discomfort. "I'll get the cleric."

"Thank you," Piper whispered, hiding fully under the blanket.

Astarion stepped out of the tent to see the camp a little messy but not completely destroyed as he would have expected. It seemed that the tieflings were at least gracious guests and cleaned up a little before they left. He noted that Halsin had stayed behind, resting near the stream that emptied into the river. He turned to head to Shadowheart's tent when he saw Gale already preparing the morning meal.

"Ah, good morning," Astarion remarked, a little startled to see the wizard in the middle of camp. "I hadn't expected you out so early."

"You're not much of an early riser," Gale remarked, focusing on the task at hand. Astarion faltered, surprised at his curt tone. They didn't generally get along, but Gale always took the high road and usually quoted something poetically at Astarion when they argued. This felt different.

"I generally just keep to my tent, that's all," Astarion informed, inching away from the brooding wizard. "I'll have Piper replace the wine you gave her."

"Hm," Gale hummed as he continued. Astarion pursed his lips and walked away, making a mental note to have Piper speak to the wizard to find out what was going on. Not that he really cared, but it would be good to know what was happening.

As Astarion grew closer to Shadowheart's tent, he saw that the cleric was already awake as well, tending to the few plants she had picked up along their travels. He cleared his throat, hoping to catch her attention. She glanced up, rather confused by his presence.

"Astarion," she greeted, placing the watering can on the ground. "You don't usually seek me out. What do you want?"

"Piper had quite a lot to drink last night, and she's feeling rather hungover. Do you have any clericy cures that she can use to help her out?" he wondered, waving his hand about. Shadowheart raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Is that what you two were out doing last night?"

"Yes, we had a little wine night in the woods, and she had nearly two full bottles by herself."

"Well, that would explain why Gale's been a bit mopey today," Shadowheart remarked before ducking in her tent. Astarion glanced back at the center of camp where Gale was irritably making breakfast. "Here, have her drink this and she'll feel better in a little bit. Anything else she might need help with?"

"Ah, no, we only drank until we were drunk and crashed in my tent. Fell asleep immediately," Astarion reassured as Shadowheart nodded.

"If she doesn't feel better with that potion, have her come see me. She might need a stronger draught," she informed as she handed the flask to him. Astarion nodded with a smirk.

"Gale's feeling a little jealous then?"

"Please don't cause drama, Astarion. Piper isn't the only one with a hangover. Now go help her out."

Astarion quickly returned to his tent, ignoring Gale on the way back. While he did want to tease Gale, as was his way, Piper's needs came first. While he had started something of a relationship with her, she had said some concerning things the night before. It was true that they had only known each other for a week, but he generally lured people in over a few hours. This had felt like ages to him. Now that he had her where he wanted her, he needed to show her that this is where she wanted to be.

He gingerly opened the tent flap to see Piper had curled in on herself under the blanket, most likely to block out the light. Quietly, he made his way around her and sat with his knees at her back. She hummed contentedly, relaxing slightly in his presence. That was a good sign at least.

"Darling, I have a potion for you to drink," he murmured, tapping her shoulder lightly. Slowly, Piper emerged from the blanket and sat up, her eyes squeezed shut to keep out the painful light. Astarion opened the bottle and carefully placed it in her hands. "Drink all of it, and you'll start to feel better."

Piper downed the draught in a few gulps, eager to recover. Once the bottle was empty, she handed it back to him before returning to her curled up position. She made sure to lean against him, feeling his body next to hers and found it comforting. He sat next to her as her back aligned with the side of his leg, and he ran his hand along her arm.

"What was that I drank?" Piper asked after a few minutes.

"Not a clue, but Shadowheart said that it would make you feel better," Astarion answered with a shrug. Piper sat up and turned to him.

"She was right," she admitted before she stretched. "I'm going to need that recipe."

"Maybe you shouldn't drink nearly two bottles of wine in a night."

"I suppose that's the responsible thing to do."

"Ugh, don't say that. I don't want to be seen as the responsible one."

"Don't worry, give it a few days. I'm sure everyone will remember just how reckless and spontaneous you are," Piper smiled and then yawned. "I'll be the responsible one spending her days here, studying the language and druidic magic."

"Ah, about that," Astarion began as he cleared his throat. "I would wait a couple days before asking Gale for anything, darling."

"What? Why? Is he alright?"

"Oh, I'm sure he'll tell you he's perfectly fine. Just trust me on this one, I'll find you a book you can translate in the meantime."

"Alright," Piper muttered, knitting her eyebrows together. "It wasn't something I did, was it? Because I can apologize."

"You've done nothing to offend the wizard," Astarion replied, placing a hand on her knee. Piper exhaled and nodded.

"Alright. I was worried it was about the wine or something. I really do mean to replace it."

"No, I mean to replace it. I'll buy him some at the next trader we come across, I already told you."

"Fine," Piper replied with a sigh. "Do you think it's alright if I go out and join everyone for breakfast?"

"I think it would be strange if you didn't."

"But Gale-"

"Is irritated with me, and I don't want him to be irritated with you," Astarion finished with a groan. "It's something between us that I will get sorted, and if he takes it out on you, then there will be one less wizard in the group."

"Astarion, come on. We need Gale as much as he needs us."

"Fine," he teased before standing. "But I do think you should go get some breakfast. Up you get."

"Was everyone else awake?" she wondered as Astarion helped her to her feet.

"Shadowheart was. Karlach was still snoring, and I didn't see Wyll or Lae'zel. Halsin was asleep as well," he explained as Piper nodded.

"I didn't realize he stayed the night. We'll have to get him situated with a tent if he's going to stay," she reminded, tapping her chin. "He could take mine if I can stay with you."

"Oh, darling, I don't know," Astarion drawled out, hiding a smirk. Piper rolled her eyes, still waiting for an answer. "I suppose that would be alright. It's not like you make much use of your tent, anyway. Seems to me that you've slept in or around my tent more often than not."

"Then I'll let Halsin know after breakfast when you all head out again," Piper smiled as Astarion started to guide her out of his tent. "Oh, I'm excited to learn new things from an archdruid. I don't have much of a reference of what that would mean, but it's exciting nonetheless."

"I agree. Why don't you ask our guest if he'd join us for breakfast?" Astarion suggested, pointing out Halsin's meditating form. Piper nodded once before she walked towards the archdruid. Astarion inhaled before heading to the campfire.

"Morning!" Karlach called out, sitting across from Gale. The wizard ignored Astarion as he served a helping to the tiefling. "You sleep okay? Saw you had your own guest last night."

"A little hungover, but not too bad. Piper was not feeling great, but Shadowheart lent a helping potion," Astarion answered cheerfully as Karlach chuckled.

"I saw her juggling those wine bottles last night. She didn't drink all of those, right?"

"No, only one and a half, give or take," he reassured. Karlach shook her head, glancing over at the woman talking to Halsin.

"I think we should keep an eye on her for a while. I'm a little worried about her," she admitted as Astarion and Gale turned to her.

"She seems fine to me," Astarion remarked, checking on Piper before looking back at Karlach. The tiefling rolled her eyes as she leaned forward.

"She died yesterday, well, two nights ago, right? And the first night she's back, she drinks herself into a stupor? I don't think that's good for her," Karlach informed before shrugging. "I'm not saying that there's anything wrong. Let's just make sure that she has the support she needs."

"She was talking about learning Common last night so she didn't have to rely on the pendant all the time," Astarion mentioned, staring at the ground. "I think she wants to make an effort to make a life here."

"That's a good sign," Karlach replied. "I wish there was an easy way to get her back home, though."

"We still might find a planecaster," Gale reminded.

"She doesn't know which plane she's from. How is she supposed to tell the planecaster where to send her? They could send her somewhere else entirely," Astarion countered, resting his elbows on his knees. "A part of her wants to go home, but she says that if she's gone too long, then she'll have to start over there anyway."

"Well, that doesn't make any sense," Karlach scoffed. Astarion shrugged.

"Her world is different. Everything is categorized and recorded, and having certain things reversed is a painful process. She said that there's a high likelihood that she's been declared dead. If that's true, then her home and her belongings are gone. She didn't elaborate on where they would be, just that they were gone," Astarion explained, hanging his head. "Her job has most likely replaced her already as well."

"She did mention that," Gale sighed. Karlach frowned, staring into the fire.

"It sounds like she might be happier here, but what do I know?" Karlach said grumpily. "Sounds like the two of you had a nice long conversation last night."

"We just talked in the woods, if you must know," Astarion replied coolly as Karlach chuckled. Then she looked past his shoulder with concern. "What's wrong?"

Astarion followed her gaze to see Halsin and Piper still talking, but the archdruid had raw anger running off him. Piper was also covering her neck, looking incredibly stressed. Oh, he was a fucking idiot. He had forgotten to heal her bite marks before letting her leave the tent.

"I'm going to see what's going on," Astarion told them before he abruptly stood, practically running to Piper's side.

Halsin saw him coming and turned his fury to him in an instant. Astarion faltered for a moment before reaching Piper, who still held her neck to hide the marks. It was too late to hide them from the archdruid, but she wasn't sure what else to do. He wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder, expecting the druid to be angry with her, only to find that Halsin wasn't upset with her. In his eyes, Piper was the victim.

"I will give you one chance to explain what she has on her neck," Halsin stated through his teeth as Piper glanced between the two of them.

"I told you, it's fine," she insisted before Halsin shook his head.

"I want to hear it from him," the druid argued, staring Astarion down. The rogue clenched his jaw, realizing that he was going to have to come clean.

"Bite marks," Astarion answered plainly.

"These are fresh from last night at the latest," Halsin continued as he watched Astarion. He saw the rogue's red eyes and elongated teeth, but the only thing that didn't make sense was the sunlight. He was standing in daylight next to him without even a spark. "Did you feed from her while she was drunk?"

"I gave my consent before I started drinking," Piper clarified. Halsin took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Astarion stared at the druid, wondering if this was going to be how he died. Well, Piper would probably pay Withers to bring him back. Probably.

"Yes, and she was the one who asked that I bite her last night," Astarion added as Piper nodded. Halsin placed his hands on his hips as he thought. "Besides, what we do is hardly any business of yours."

"Silvanus has decided that Piper is a part of the grove's circle. My circle. While it is true that what you do is your own business, I also must look out for my fellow druids," Halsin explained before gesturing towards her neck wound. "And finding vampire bites is extremely concerning especially if the vampire can walk in the sunlight."

"Even when she consented?" Astarion countered. Halsin glared as he crossed his arms. The rogue tilted his head before he noticed how shy Piper was being. Halsin wasn't only talking about last night. Piper must have let something else slip. "Oh."

"Oh," Halsin repeated.

"I will admit, it was a moment of weakness for me, and one I sorely regret. And one that Piper and I have already discussed," Astarion argued, referring to the first time he had bitten her.

"And what if you have another moment of weakness? What's stopping you from biting her in her sleep again?" Halsin demanded, trying to keep his voice low. While this was an intense conversation, it didn't need the entire camp involved. At least, not yet. However, anger surged in Astarion as Halsin bore down on him.

"I had been starved for nearly two hundred years, druid, living off of rats and bugs. After not catching anything in the woods for days, Piper was too tempting by herself in the open. I never meant to hurt her, I only needed to curb the hunger so I could find something else to eat," Astarion hissed, pulling Piper closer to him. Halsin's anger disappeared slowly with his words as his face went neutral.

"Then that is understandable. Not acceptable, but I understand your reasoning," Halsin informed calmly as Astarion scoffed.

"You seemed to be very antivampire."

"Vampires are undead, therefore against the laws of nature. I am not antivampire, as you say, but I have seen vampires slaughter scores of people before. I am merely cautious when it comes to dealing with undead people such as yourself," the druid replied before sighing. "And seeing Piper with those marks after seeing her death the other day sparked a fury within me."

"I suppose I can't fault you for that last part. I did mean to heal it before she came out of my tent, but I was more concerned about her hangover," Astarion mentioned as Piper rolled her eyes.

"It's not even bleeding anymore. It's just two scabs now," she insisted before she looked up at Halsin. "It's definitely not something that's stopping me from learning more about druidic magic today, if you're still willing to teach me."

"I will teach you whatever you wish to learn," Halsin reassured as he let out an exasperated breath. The druid turned back to Astarion. "Do they know of your predicament?"

"Erm, no," Astarion answered as Piper frowned. "And I'm not exactly sure I want them to find out after your reaction, druid."

"The longer you put it off, the worse the reaction is going to be. Especially if they find out by bite marks," Halsin reminded, gesturing towards Piper. "Regardless, as you stated, it's none of my business."

"Exactly," Astarion nodded finitely.

"You will have to explain what this conversation was about though, it seems that your companions have been curious," the druid pointed out. Piper looked around Astarion to see the rest of the group trying to look like they were minding their business. "Just a suggestion."

"That's all you," Piper groaned as Astarion rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you could come up with something," he countered as she smirked.

"Maybe I'll show off my neck and tell them you bit me while I was drunk, which was why Halsin was upset," Piper suggested. Astarion frowned as the druid hid his laugh behind a cough. "While you talk to them, I'll figure out how to heal these marks."

"I can assist with that. Healing magic is a druid's bread and butter," Halsin informed as Piper grinned. Astarion grimaced before he relented.

"Fine, I'll figure something out on my way back," he groaned as Piper grabbed his hand.

"While this might not be the best time, please consider telling them. It'll be easier in the long run," she urged. Astarion gave a short nod before leaving.

Astarion heard Halsin start to teach Piper behind him as he walked back to the campfire. He pointedly ignored Gale's shit eating grin as Karlach immediately started her teasing. He quickly sat down and shook his head.

"Looks like you got in trouble," Karlach pestered as he rolled his eyes.

"Piper apparently had a couple scratches on her when we were drunk in the woods. Halsin was concerned that something had happened," Astarion reassured as he felt more eyes on him. "It was dark, alright? I tripped, she tripped, there were branches everywhere."

"Is she alright?" Karlach wondered, equal parts confused and concerned.

"You saw her. She's fine. Halsin seems to think since his druid god gave her magic, she's under his protection, or whatever," Astarion complained as he waved his hands about.

"I think we're all going to be a little over protective about her for a while," Karlach admitted as she shrugged. "It's good that she wants to get stronger, though. And you said she wants to learn Common?"

"That's her plan, let's see if she can stick with it," Astarion chuckled. Gale smirked as he ate.

"I think I have a couple reference books she can borrow if she would like them," the wizard offered. Astarion hesitated a moment, waiting for a biting remark before nodding.

"I think she would like that."