pyrettawychwiggin

[pyrettawychwiggin]

ik i just run a tumblr smut page BUT!!!

FUCK ICE, free palestine, free congo, FUCK trump, FUCK musk, no one is illegal on stolen land, and if u disagree, FUCK YOU TOO!!!

i’ve said this before but if u support that fuckass orange in office, idc if ur a silent follower or ur like is ur only form of interacting with me, just know, i don’t want it!!! and u are a terrible person!!! 😛

[pyrettawychwiggin]

stop being silly in front of me

[pyrettawychwiggin]

[pyrettawychwiggin]

I am a huge fan of retiring to my quarters

[pyrettawychwiggin]

💯me when I was still storm chasing

[pyrettawychwiggin]

I wish I was sorry

[pyrettawychwiggin]

There’s two ends of the horror spectrum

[pyrettawychwiggin]

Me: We have a tornado watch. . .

Friend: DON'T—

Me, already walking out the door:

[pyrettawychwiggin]

'Blood & Brine' (Astarion x Tav/Z'Bryna) Chapter 3 - Red, Red Wine

This story will be told in snippets, loosely based off my own playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3. Some chapters will be shorter than others; but I'm just doing this for fun, so hopefully, y'all enjoy it.

Warnings: mentions of blood (and drinking blood). This chapter is PG-13, but as the story continues, it will get...a much higher rating. Be warned, y'all.

Z'Bryna's Character Sheet

It had been days since Z'Bryna and her band of misfits had first made camp. They'd seemingly managed to do everything but finds answers about the tadpoles in their heads - it seemed as though everyone they passed by needed aid of their own, and Z'Bryna being the bleeding heart she was, couldn't help but get involved.

Of course, she managed to get a nice story or two out of it, so how could she complain?

After a long day, She'd curled up on her bedroll for a much-needed full night's rest, but despite her exhaustion, she found herself tossing and turning.

Just as she breached the precipice of slumber, she heard the distinct sound of soft breathing, and she detected the presence of another closing in on her slowly, but surely. As soon as she felt the tingling of someone's warm breath near her collarbone, her eyes shot open to see a flash of snow white curls and wide red eyes looking back at her.

Astarion had his hands on either side of her head, and was leaning forward towards the side of her neck. As he moved away from her, she could see him attempting to think up some excuse. Finally, he simply said, "...shit."

"What the hell?" Z'Bryna pulled herself to her feet and took a few steps back from the elf.

"I-It's not what it looks like!" Astarion stuttered. This was the first time Z'Bryna could recall seeing the rogue flustered. "I wasn't going to hurt you, I just needed - well...blood."

"What...?" Z'Bryna raised an eyebrow, ready to wild shape at the slightest sign of threat. She approached him slowly, truly taking in the man before her.

Bite marks scarred into his neck, blood red eyes - and fangs... Z'Bryna shook her head in disbelief. I can't believe I never noticed before.

"You're a vampire," she said, finally. "When's the last time you fed?"

"I feed all the time, just-" he stopped, an uncomfortable thought - or perhaps memory - flashed across his expression faster than a blink. "Not on any kind of...humanoid creature. I feed in rats, deer, kobolds - that sort of thing."

"So if you can live off of animal blood, why try to make me your own personal wine goblet?" Z'Bryna was only half-joking, but she was genuinely curious.

"Animal blood doesn't have the same effect. Humanoid blood is power for a vampire," Astarion shook his head, averting his eyes. He hadn't expected to talk about this in length with anyone, much less some druid he'd only met days prior. "Or so I've heard."

"You mean to tell me you've never had human blood before?"

"Never." He folded his arms, closing himself off; he clearly didn't want to elaborate. "I don't expect you to believe me. I say we just forget the whole-"

"I believe you."

Astarion's words caught in his throat as he looked her in the eyes for the first time since the beginning of their conversation. He hadn't expected her to trust him so easily.

"So you're telling me drinking my blood will make you stronger?" Z'Bryna stared into the lapping flames of the campire.

"In a word, yes."

"Alright, then." Z'Bryna let out a deep breath, hardly believing what she was about to do. "Let's see what you can do, then."

"What?!" Astarion's jaw dropped. He waited for her to say she was only joking; to pull the metaphorical rug from under his feet, but she simply took a seat on her bedroll and started shifting her hair to the side, her back turned to him.

"Well, how else would this work?" She asked, looking at him from over her shoulder. Her wide tanzanite eyes peering at him from over her bare shoulder, neck exposed and lips slightly parted made him feel suddenly parched. She looked pensive for a moment before she spoke again. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You're kidding, right?" Astarion rolled his eyes incredulously. "And get myself staked through the heart? Not likely."

"Come on," Z'Bryna sighed and gave the vampire a crooked smile, hoping to ease the tension. "You know your heart's safe with me."

Astarion gulped and approached, kneeling beside her. Outwardly, she seemed calm and unbothered, but the flushing of her cheeks and quickening of her breath gave her away. She was either nervous or aroused; he wondered if she could possibly be both. With a dashing smile, he snaked one arm around her back, the other sliding up to cradle her head to the side. He moved slowly and smoothly, as if any sudden movement might send her running.

"Not a drop more than you need, right?" Her voice was merely a whisper, her previous confidence somewhat diminished to nervous uncertainty.

"Of course," he crooned, his breath on her neck as his lips hovered mere inches away sending a shiver up her spine.

Then, she felt the sharp sting plunge into her neck, drawing a sound from her lips more musical to Astarion's ears than any song he'd heard her hum or whistle; a soft, gasping cry followed by what could only be described as a sigh of ecstasy. Her body surrendered to his embrace entirely, his arms holding her steady as he lapped at the viscous red blood - sweeter than any wine he'd ever tasted. He could feel the tingling of her skin, the pulse of her heart on his tongue, and her breath against his ear was pleasantly icy compared to the heat of his own body in the moment. She was light as a feather. She was milk and salted honey. She was divine.

Z'Bryna attempted to keep any further noises down so as to not wake the others, but the feeling of Astarion's nimble fingers spreading across her back, the soft tickle of his silver hair on her cheek, and the lapping of his tongue against her skin as he drank her in made her feel as though she'd had far too many glasses of wine. Her heartbeat pounded in her head, and her arms and legs began to feel cold and tingly. As her vision blurred, she realized she had no idea how long she'd let him feed for, but she knew it needed to stop - and soon. No matter how blissfully wrong the moment felt.

"-starion..." her voice was a horse whisper. He could hear her, but his body wouldn't obey as he clutched onto her viciously with a grunt.

"Astarion, stop," she croaked. "You're t-taking too much..."

"Ah'," he gasped, barely managing to rip his lips from her neck, tossing his head back with an involuntary moan. As his vampire eyes looked out to the skies, he let out a single incredulous chuckle; the stars never looked so bright as they did in this moment. The sounds of the wilds around them were louder and clearer than ever before, and he felt as though he could hold his own against a small army with his newfound strength. "Incredible."

As his senses returned, he realized, he was now sitting on her bedroll with her leaning up against his shoulder, fading in and out of consciousness. His arm kept her stabilized against him as he tilted her cheek up to make sure she was at least able to speak. He pulled a satchel of pomegranate juice from her pack and it held it to her lips, tilting her head back to allow her to drink.

"Sorry, my dear," he tutted, only slightly embarrassed by his lack of control. "Stopping was a little harder than I'd expected. Are you still with me?"

"Mmhmm..." She nodded groggily. She raised her hand on front of her to conjure a soft, turquoise light before moving the glow to her chest. In an instant, the colour flowed to her cheeks and light returned to her eyes. "There. Good as new."

"You can do that?" Astarion raised an eyebrow.

"Apparently I can," she giggled. "I wasn't sure that would work. Anyways, how do you feel?"

"Hah - I feel strong, I feel..." theirs eyes met for a moment as he realized he hadn't stopped holding her. "...happy."

"Don't feel like you need to keep everything to yourself next time," she said with a yawn, slowly moving away and curling up on her bedroll. "You can trust me."

After making sure she could manage on her own, Astarion bid the bard goodnight before stalking out beyond the trees; to hunt, to think, and to take advantage of his newly-honed senses. He attempted to focus on his hunt, but Z'Bryna's words circled his mind.

I believe you.

She shouldn't.

Your heart's safe with me.

It's not my heart she should concern herself with.

You can trust me.

No I can't. And nor should you trust me.

Thanks for reading, folks!

He attempted to brush off the tight feeling in his chest as a side effect of the blood, but something told him that his already strange situation just become a lot more complicated.

~ Pyretta Wychwiggin

[pyrettawychwiggin]

Lae'zel's character and her entire situation at the beginning of the game becomes so much more funny when you find out she's 22. It makes so much sense. Imagine you're 22 and you're exposed to this dangerous toxin or chemical or something - but not to worry, you learnt that this can be easily fixed, you just need to dial 911 real quick. Common knowledge. Everyone knows that. You learnt that in kindergarten, it's up there with fire alarm drills.

But the people you're stuck with have no concept of modern medicine and when you say "let's go to the hospital" they will say shit like "i think they kill people at the hospital" and "we should ask this swamp lady" or "this guy over there told me about this homoeopathic healer kind of guy but he got abducted" or "this random bard wants to help" and "I'm not going to dial 911 because I don't want the government to know my home address" or "maybe we should consider a deal with Satan". And then a bunch of them KEEP consuming the chemical because it makes them "stronger". One guy might explode for unrelated reasons. You have a few days before this situation is getting critical and suddenly they're solving crime and doing general charity for the community.

And FOR SOME REASON you still try to help these idiots and you STILL want to help them get the cure even though they all keep insisting the "doctors" at the "hospital" might try to "kill them" and they don't have insurance. And you keep telling them to just. go. to. the. hospital. before the time runs out and you all die very horribly of a very treatable condition.

And also you're 22 in a foreign country and you're responsible for shepherding this gaggle of idiots who are all ranging anywhere from 24 to 240 years old.

[pyrettawychwiggin]

'Blood & Brine' (Astarion x Tav/Z'Bryna) Chapter 2 - Icebreaker

This story will be told in snippets, loosely based off my own playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3. Some chapters will be shorter than others; but I'm just doing this for fun, so hopefully, y'all enjoy it.

Warnings: none, really. This chapter is barely PG-13, but as the story continues, it will get...a much higher rating. Be warned, y'all.

Z'Bryna's Character Sheet

As the sun had started to disappear beyond the wilds, Z'Bryna and her newfound companions sat casually around the roaring campfire in complete silence; five complete strangers in the same impossible situation sharing a meal of meat, cheese and wine, trying not to focus on the impending sense of doom lurking behind their eyes.

Z'Bryna idly scribbled in a parchment notebook; the doodles and scribblings of a bored Druid, a welcome distraction from the uncomfortable silence and tension.

Gale chewed on an apple as he read his book, seeming to have no issue with the calmness of the moment. He seemed perfectly content to enjoy his reading by the fireside.

Lae'Zel tore into a drumstick with her teeth, eyeing each companion warily, clearly irritated that they were even making camp at all. Every bone in her body was pulling her to get back to finding a Crèche, but she was stuck with this band of fools, resting when they should have kept moving. Her eyes met those of Shadowheart's and narrowed when she realized the half-elf was unabashedly glaring at her while she sipped her wine. The gith let out a 'Chk!' of irritation while Shadowheart rolled her eyes and turned her gaze elsewhere.

Astarion, who chose to only drink a full-bodied red, enjoyed the dynamic between Lae'Zel and Shadowheart, clearly amused by the silent exchange. Once they started ignoring each other again, his shoulders slumped as he was overcome by a wave of boredom. Finally, he broke the silence.

"Here's a little thought experiment."

Everyone looked warily at him, waiting for him to continue.

"If you could choose how you wanted to die..." he was met with judgemental silence. "...what would it be? How would you want to go?"

His complete nonchalance while bringing up such a grim topic out of the blue had everyone raising their eyebrows, shaking their heads and rolling their eyes, but in the silence, each companion couldn't help but give the question some serious thought. One thing was certain; no one wanted to be lost to the mind-flayer parasite.

"I will die in battle - as is expected of any kith'rak." Lae'Zel spoke proudly with little hesitation. "Any other death would be unbecoming of a Githyanki warrior."

"I don't care how I die - as long as my goals are achieved." Shadowheart spoke curtly, but therebwas a true answer she was holding back. She returned to her wine, making it clear she had no further desire to engage with the subject.

"Alright, then," Astarion chuckled and shrugged. "Keep your secrets. And you, Gale?"

"Old and grey in my sleep, of course," the wizard nodded contentedly. "These days, few are afforded such a luxury - I hope to be one of the few."

"Well. How disappointingly, and expectedly, dull," Astarion sighed, checking his nails as if to blow off Gale's answer. "It seems Lae'Zel is the only one to have any real vision. Pity."

"Ask stupid questions and expect stupid answers, Astarion," Shadowheart chided condescendingly before rising to her feet. "I'm going to bed before any other pointless questions are asked of me."

"I suppose getting some rest would be wise right about now; long day ahead of us," Gale cleared his throat and bid goodnight to Z'Brya, Astarion and Lae'Zel, lumbering back to his own tent with a yawn.

Lae'Zel returned to her tent without a word, settling down to mediate before a long night of training, leaving Astarion and Z'Bryna alone by the fire.

"You really know how to get on people's bad side," Z'Bryna chuckled, taking another swig of Chultan Fireswill. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were doing it on purpose.'

"And what purpose might that be?" Astarion feigned being insulted, but there was laughter in his eyes.

"Entertainment, I'd imagine," Z'Bryna grinned. "Not that I blame you. Could use a laugh or two these days - seeing as how any day might be our last."

"How...grim." The elf folded his arms and tilted his head. "If it's any consolation, if I see any sign of a tentacle, I'll stop that pretty little heart of yours."

"Heh - never thought I'd be relieved by someone promising to kill me." Z'bryna shook her head in amusement. "But, I do appreciate the sentiment. Oddly enough."

"I'm open to suggestions. Knives, poison, strangulation - whatever you'd prefer." Astarion's eyes twinkled, curious as to how Z'Bryna would react; he found himself pleasantly surprised as she gave the matter serious thought for a moment before asking him how he would want to die if given the choice. "I don't think poison is for me; nor stabbing, come to think of it. I always thought decapitation was a fine choice. One good swing and then...nothing."

"A death that's quick and dramatic. I can respect that," Z'Bryna chuckled. "I think...poison would be the way to go for me. A little deadly nightshade and I could just drift off to sleep."

"Ah, yes - deadly nightshade can be deliciously fatal." Astarion grinned, thoroughly enjoying the thought experiment. "But of course, this is all hypothetical."

"Agreed," Z'bryna sighed and nodded, her expression turning serious. "I won't allow it to come to that - we'll find a way to cure ourselves before that happens."

Astarion's eyebrows raised slightly at her conviction. He almost believed it himself for a moment.

"We should get some rest. Go ahead and sleep, darling; I'll take the first watch." The nickname spoken so casually made Z'Bryna's skin tingle. She shook her head in disapproval of her own reaction; now wasn't the time to fawn over honeyed words and pretty faces.

"Are you sure you don't want to get some rest yourself?" She asked.

"I don't really...sleep much, anyway." He spoke as if there was some sort of underlying joke in the mundanity of his words, but she thought nothing of it.

"Alright, then. If you're sure." Z'Bryna stretched out on her bedroll and started to close her eyes. "Thanks; I'll sleep better knowing someone's keeping an eye out."

"Sweet dreams."

As the druid drifted off into a peaceful and much-needed slumber, the elf's eyes glanced over her face, slowly trailing down to her neck; exposed, vulnerable, and tempting.

Funny little lamb. She's far too trusting. He grinned, quietly returning to his own tent and looking out into the night with watchful red eyes. Good. I can use that.

Thanks for reading, folks! Stay tuned for more ♡

~ Pyretta Wychwiggin

[pyrettawychwiggin]

[pyrettawychwiggin]

'Blood & Brine' (Astarion x Female Tav - Baldur's Gate 3 Fanfiction)

- Table of Contents -

(Above image by @feyspeaker)

Readers be warned: this fanfiction is full of heavy spoilers from the main campaigns of Baldur's Gate 3. If you are wanting to be surprised at the events of your own playthrough, I would bookmark this series to come back to when you have had the chance to play the game yourself.

See the List of Chapters/Links Below:

• Character Sheet (Z'Bryna Umberlee) - a quick summary and rough rundown of my Tav.

• 'Washed Ashore' (Chapter 1) - after her harrowing experience aboard the Nautiloid, Z'Bryna finds herself washed up on a beach completely alone. She hears someone calling for help and decides to investigate, for better or for worse. (SFW, introductory, some mild language)

• 'Icebreaker' (Chapter 2) - Astarion, bored to tears during the first evening with his new companions decides to stir the pot with a grim topic out of the blue. (SFW, slight mentions of violence)

• 'Red, Red Wine' (Chapter 3) - Astarion's hunger gets the better of him as he decides to upgrade from his usual diet of rats and stags; he didn't account for his prey to be such a light sleeper, however. (Mostly SFW, blood, passing mention of arousal)

• Chapter 4 - Coming Soon...

Thanks for reading, folks!

~ Pyretta Wychwiggin

[pyrettawychwiggin]

'Blood & Brine' (Z'Bryna Umberlee Character Sheet)

Name: Z'Bryna Umberlee

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Pansexual

Eye Colour: Deep Purple

Hair Colour: Dirty Blonde

Main Class: Druid (Circle of the Land)

- with a focus on coastal spells

Secondary Class: Bard

Preferred Instrument: Primarily singing. The lyre is her best instrument, but she can play a little bit of everything.

Preferred Weapons: Trident & Magic

- she's particularly adept at water, lightning and thunder spells.

Preferred Wild Shape: Leopard (originally a small cat when she was an early-level druid).

Background: Outlander

Gods/Goddesses: Silvanus, though she has a healthy respect for Selûne, and a cautious fascination with her namesake, the goddess Umberlee.

Love Interest: Astarion (and a little Halsin)

History: Z'Bryna was born in Baldur's Gate to parents who left her on the deck of a large fishing boat as a newborn. Her biological parents are unknown to her, as is the reason for her abandonment. The sailors who discovered her the next day were shocked to find her there alive, considering a large storm had raged all through the night.

Most of the crew were wanting to take her to the orphanage, but one fisherman decided to take her in. He and his wife had recently lost their firstborn to sickness, and he decided the strange happenstance to be a sign. He doted on her, but her mother never really accepted her. When she eventually had another daughter of her own 10 years later, Z'Bryna became an afterthought in her eyes, basically ignoring her from then on.

Z'Bryna spent most of her days playing music and working on the fishing boats with her father doing basic grunt work - swabbing decks, delivering messages, that sort of thing.

Her adopted parents had no idea she was a druid, and when she first shifted into a cat in front of them at the age of 13, her life was forever changed. Her mother insisted she be sent away in fear of her being 'wild' and 'dangerous.' Though her father tried to talk sense into her mother, Z'Bryna decided to leave a note one night and disappeared, never to be seen by them again. To separate herself from her adoptive family, she decided to take the name 'Umberlee',' effectively leaving her old life behind for good.

She was heartbroken at first, but she found solace in the animal friends she made along the coast. She would hear tales of the distant areas from the seagulls, listen to the wisdom of the elder sea turtles, bask in the sun and hunt with the small wild cats around the edge of the forests; she found herself cut off from civilization, but never lonely. The young druid decided to live on her own in a cave by the seaside, a day's walk away from the city limits, focusing on teaching herself how to use her druidic magic to survive the wilds.

She would return to Baldur's Gate 10 years later to make a life for herself, starting as a bard at The Blushing Mermaid in the lower city. While solitude had it's perks (and though she was never truly alone with her animals friends, she found herself yearning for the hustle and bustle of the city. It was during these times she became particularly adept at using her stage presence to attract more patrons and manipulating them for money, food, drinks and gifts, earning her the nickname 'The Blushing Siren.' Though many assumed her to be a courtesan, she rarely slept with her patrons unless she really felt the desire to.

Before she was taken aboard the Nautiloid, she had been working at The Elfsong Tavern as a bard and barmaid. The owner agreed to let her work for room and board, but this meant her only source of income were the tips she earned from the patrons.

The last thing she remembers before her abduction was sitting atop the docks on her day off, playing her lyre.

Personality: Z'Bryna is a sucker for attention and loves the finer things, seeing as how she rarely had access to such things before she returned to the city. Decadent foods, shiny baubles, and juicy gossip make her world go 'round.

She has a fascination for the world around her, and is determined to learn the story of most everyone she meets. Though mostly well-meaning, she can be a bit of a troublemaker, and if there's no drama to be seen, she just may stir some up herself. She enjoys a little chaos from time to time.

She loves to use her wild shape and magic skills to create spectacles and make a dramatic entrance whenever possible. She has a soft spot for all animals, but she finds children repulsive. She would never go out of her way to harm a child, but she wants as little to do with them as possible.

Unsurprisingly, she loves rivers, streams, waterfalls, oceans and seas; she's happiest by the water.

Chapter One --->

~ Pyretta Wychwiggin

[pyrettawychwiggin]

Replaying Baldur's gate with my husband and company. Shadowheart and I have bonded over being the only other sane people in that game.

[pyrettawychwiggin]

Vampyric druids transforming into their wild shape like:

[pyrettawychwiggin]

'Blood & Brine' (Astarion x Tav/Z'Bryna) Chapter 1 - Washed Ashore

This story will be told in snippets, loosely based off my own playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3. Some chapters will be shorter than others; but I'm just doing this for fun, so hopefully, y'all enjoy it.

Warnings: none, really. This chapter is barely PG-13, but as the story continues, it will get...a much higher rating. Be warned, y'all.

Z'Bryna's Character Sheet

"Help!"

What in the hells...

"Hello? Anyone?!"

Z'Bryna turned to face the source of the noise; distant shouting from beyond the wreckage of the Nautiloid. A man's voice was calling for help.

I'm definitely not safe, yet. I really shouldn't be following the sounds from some stranger, but... She gulped nervously. I'm not so sure I'll make it out here on my own - especially if I come across anything bigger than one of those little brain creatures.

Against her better judgement, Z'Bryna steeled herself and started to follow the source of the shouting.

I hope this stranger is friendly...that Githyanki woman wasn't exactly nice, but she was a far better fighter than I am, and who knows where she landed; if she's even still alive...

Just up the dusty road and around the corner by the cliffs, she spotted a figure; a high elf with pale hair and even paler skin. He seemed to be peering over the tall grass, shifting nervously. He heard her coming and made deliberate eye contact with her, motioning for her to come hide with him. She swiftly skittered to his side and tried peering through the grass, but she couldn't see anything. Yet.

"It's another one of those things - those brain creatures," she whispered. "You can kill it, right? Like you killed the others?"

Oh, hells. All this for a brain creature. This man might need help more than I do...

"Well, that I can handle" Z'Bryna sighed in cautious relief. "Wait here."

She turned to face the space beyond the grass and gripped her wooden quarterstaff, taking a deep breath and emerging, leaping into the clearing, ready to strike, when she found herself face-to-face with...a boar.

Just an ordinary boar.

Hah. You really gave us a scare, friend. She reached her thoughts into the mind of the trembling boar, who stamped the dirt restlessly. It's dangerous, here. Clear off!

What do you think I was doing?! The boar replied with an indignant snort, darting off and disappearing beyond the hills. Z'Bryna's eyes followed him as she leaned on her staff with a puff of relief.

Her relief was short-lived, however, as she found herself suddenly thrown to the ground with a dagger to her throat. She glared up into the high elf's glistening garnet eyes, his lips curved into a wicked grin, his previous aire of helplessness nowhere to be found.

"Don't move," he hissed. "You're going to tell me everything you know; that is unless you want to die here in the middle of nowhere."

"Bold words coming from someone with a dagger to his manhood," Z'Bryna scoffed.

"What?!" The elf gasped, looking down for just a moment. He barely had the time to register she was only holding a twig against him before he received a swift headbutt to the nose, knocking him flat. "Agh! You little-"

Before any insults could be uttered, both Z'Bryna and the elf cried out as the tadpoles behind their eyes sprung to life, connecting their minds against their will.

Z'Bryna spied fragments of memories. The dim firelight of a city's stone streets at midnight, the scent of ale and sweat, the echoing of menacing footsteps down a dark allyway, the familiar sensation of a pit in one's stomach before some terrible deed, and hunger unlike any she'd ever known.

For the pale elf, his senses were flooded with the scents of the forest and the gentle humming of a wooden flute, the soft grass and earth beneath an ever-changing druid's feet, the yearning for something beyond the peace of the wilds - for adventure.

Then, silence.

The two looked at each other, panting, uncertain of how to proceed. Z'Bryna shook her head and dropped her staff to the ground at her feet.

"You were taken, too, weren't you?" Finally, she broke the silence. "If you're also...infected, perhaps we need not be enemies."

"Perhaps you're right," the elf rose to a normal stance, tucking his dagger back in it's sheath at his hip. His eyebrow raised and the rest of his body seemed to relax somewhat. "I nearly decorated the dirt with your innards. Apologies."

"Right," Z'Bryna rolled her eyes. "Anyways, my name's Z'Bryna. Z'Bryna Umberlee."

"My name's Astarion," the elf bowed with a confident flourish and a wicked grin. He stood with the posture of a noble, and carried a haughty aire about him that reminded Z'Bryna of the cityfolk she'd once performed for back in Baldur's Gate.

I can't tell if I'm relieved or concerned to have him along with me on this journey, but his resourcefulness may come in handy. Besides... She nodded to her new companion and they started to make their way down the path. Everyone has a story to tell, and no story should ever go to waste.

Thanks for reading, folks! Stay tuned for more ♡

~ Pyretta Wychwiggin