#so much was going on in there. tav got naked and then started a fight. breaking hope out took two attempts because

[wizardnuke]

i do have to say i think that the house of hope run is my favorite part of the whole game

[succubusdaydream]

By The Grace of The Moon || Astarion x Werewolf!Selunite!Tav PT3

AN: Hiiii, part 3 is heeere! Not a lot of Astarion action but I loved how it turned out. I rewrote this one twice and I'm finally happy with it :3 enjoy my bbys <3 once again, possibly ooc characters

Part 1 || Part 2

Word Count: 3402

                “Shadowheart! Shadowheart wake up, damn you!” His voice rang throughout the camp and he rushed for the women’s tent. “Tav’s hurt, wake up!” In his arms was the body of their leader, his shirt tied around the large slash on their stomach as their blood soaked it. His breath was heavy as he laid them down on a bedroll near the smoldering campfire. A groan sounded from behind him as Shadowheart emerged from her tent.

                “Astarion, do you know how late it is? What are you yelling-“ As her eyes caught the scene in front of her, she quickly rushed to his side. “What in the hells happened to them?” She quickly untied the bloodied shirt, not allowing their nakedness to phase her. She hovered her hands over the wound, mumbling healing spells as she tried her hardest to mend the large wound.

                “I-I don’t know. I went for a walk, and they were just lying in an empty field. They wouldn’t wake up.” His voice was frantic as he tried to go over any possibilities. What were they doing out so late. Why were they naked? Were they taken from their camp by bandits. He just wanted something to eat and now he had carried their leader’s bleeding body miles back to camp. Their scent was familiar, and they smelt of herbs and… dog? No. It can’t be. But…their wound is in the same spot. The same spot as where I sliced that large wolf only an hour ago.

                Gale’s sleepy self soon joined them, hearing the commotion and rushing over as well. “Mystra’s eyelids! What happened to them?” He echoed Shadowheart’s question, and his hands started to glow with magic. He could sense Tav’s own magic, though it didn’t feel like that of a wizard or any other class. No, it felt more… wild. He could feel traces of Selunite magic.

                “Astarion, what were you doing in the woods so late?” He said he was walking but I don’t believe him. Shadowheart glared quizzically at him as the wound on their leader’s chest started to close. “And give us the truth, Astarion.” He stepped back, preparing himself for the worst.

                “I… I was… I was looking for something to eat. I just needed…. well… blood.” And with that, the rest of the group realized what he was. A vampire. Gale suddenly let out a laugh, snapping his fingers and pointing at Astarion.

                “I knew it! Hah! I had my suspicions, that boar we found the other day had puncture wounds on its neck and you were very dismissive.” Gale only briefly celebrated his proven theory before turning back to Tav’s body and continuing to help Shadowheart. “Now, with how loudly you ran into camp, I can assume you didn’t do this?”

                Astarion shook his head. “I… I don’t think I did? I was tracking boars and scared them off. Then a large… wolf appeared out of nowhere and chased after them.” He paused. It had to have been them. “I think our Tav here is also hiding a secret from us. I got into a fight with the wolf and cut it’s stomach open. I followed its trail and found Tav in that field, lying in their own blood.”

                “A wolf? Are you trying to say that Tav is… a werewolf?” Shadowheart scoffed before thinking about it. With their worship of Selune, it would make a little sense. They also haven’t told us much about themselves. She sighed and retreated to her tent, quickly emerging with a roll of bandages. “Their wounds are pretty much healed. They’ll need to take it easy for a bit though.” Why did they have to be a wolf? I hate wolves.

                “We’ll have to ask them more about it when they wake up. For now, we’ll let them rest.” Gale wrapped their leader’s stomach in the bandages Shadowheart brought out. And after, he stood up, groaning as his knees popped and before returning to his tent. Shadowheart stood up too, walking to Tav’s tent and grabbing a blanket and clothes.

                “If they are a werewolf, I’m sure they’ll feel better sleeping under a full moon.” Her voice was low as she dressed them and covered them with their blanket. “Get some rest, Astarion. They’ll be fine in the morning.” And with that, she too returned to her tent. It would only be a few hours until the sun would rise, and with how much magic and energy everyone used yesterday, they all needed as much sleep as they could get.

                “Right. All better.” His voice was low, and he sat next to Tav’s sleeping body, listening to their shallow breaths, and watching their chest slowly raise. Why? Why do I care so much? I’m sure without them, the others would be enough to take down Cazador. So why does my chest feel tight? Was I crying while carrying them back? Questions raced through his mind as he looked up at the moon. Selune. If Tav is a follower of yours, help them recover faster.

---

                Your head was pounding and the brightness on the other side of your eyelids wasn’t helping. You groaned and held your hand up, blocking out the light as you tried your best to open your eyes. The sun. Am I still in that field? I thought I heard… A gasp left your lips as you shot up. “Astarion?!” Oh gods! Is he okay? I threw him to the ground and just took off!

                “Ahh, I see our little run away is awake.” You turned your head and was met with Gale stirring a pot over a fire. “Did you sleep well? Breakfast in almost ready.” He met your gaze before pointing to your stomach. “No blood, I see. Hope that means you’ve fully healed?” You didn’t know how to respond. When did you get back to camp?                 Ignoring Gale’s questions, you fully sat up and realized your clothes. How the hells did I get back here? “What happened? The last thing I remember was…” No. If I tell him, he’ll figure it out. “I went for a walk.” You didn’t want to lie to your friends but if they find out, they’ll leave you.

                Gale scoffed and gave you a knowing look. “Now, Tav. You and I both know that’s not true.” He turned in whole body to you and his face changed to a softer expression. “You can trust us, Tav. I hope you know that. We’re in this whole ordeal together now.” His gaze drifted behind you as footsteps sounded through the camp.

                “Well, good morning. I hope your feeling better.” Shadowheart took a seat next to you, glancing to your stomach. “You seem better. And I do hope you plan on giving us the whole story of your eventful night.” Do they already know? Can I even keep this lie up?

                “Where’s Astarion? Is he alright?” Your mind was now racing with even more questions. Where is your mate? Is he hurt? Was it his voice you heard or were you just wanting to hear him. “I thought I heard him last night. Is he here?” Your head looked in his tent’s direction, the flap of it up and his scent not strong enough for him to be present.

                “He went to… find something to eat. We found out something interesting about both of you last night.” Shadowheart’s head pointed in the direction of the woods. “I’m sure he’ll be back soon. But first, your explanation.” There really is no avoiding it now. There’s no other way out of this.

---

You shouldn’t have been out so late. Not with everything that was going on in your village. The farmers had been losing livestock to wild animals for months now. Wolves, they suspected. Even with all the fences and guarding, they lost many of their animals.  But here you are, walking a back woods trail in the dead of night. It was quiet, only owls and insects could be heard.

You always liked the night. The quietness made it easier to think. You also enjoyed the way the stars and moon lit up the trees. It’s why you went for a wolf tonight. The moon was high and at its full brightness. You admired its beauty while sitting near a stream, body sat on a rock and feet dipped in its water. You weren’t really thinking about much, just tired.

Along with the farmers in your village, the women would garden and weave clothes. Some even made jewelry and other smaller trinkets. There were also the hunters, like your father. He had been busy the past few weeks with trying to capture whatever was killing the livestock. Your mother was also busy. Since your village couldn’t sell their meat or good animals, the women had been making more clothes and working harder to get their gardens nice and grown.

You really shouldn’t have been out right now. Really, what were you thinking. But you’re young and have your whole life ahead of you. Too young to truly grasp the concept of being harmed, or worse. So when you heard the howl of wolves, your blood ran cold. It sounded close and what made it worse was the footsteps that followed them. Then the voice came. It was deep and nearly right behind you.

“Well, well, well. Look what we have here, boys. What a cute little one. What’s got you so far from home?” Turning around, you were met with a large man who was covered in scrapped clothes. His face was home to scruffy beard, and he looked dirty, like he had been wandering around for a while.

From the trees behind him emerged two large wolves. They stood on his sides and licked their large teeth, growling lowly. Their eyes seemed to glow under the light of the moon, the stream water reflecting in their eyes.

“Who… who are you?” Your voice was panicked as you stood up and looked around. “I don’t have anything on me.” You had left your home in your nightclothes. It wasn’t too cold, so you hadn’t grabbed a coat. Just your nightclothes and boots.

The man laughed as the wolves circled him. “We don’t want anything from you. Well, not necessarily. We’ve taken plenty of your town’s livestock to keep ourselves up till the next village.” Who was this guy? Another hunter? It could explain the wolves at his side. Or maybe they were druids? But you thought they were supposed to be nice? “No, but we could make use of you yet. Our pack numbers are starting to dwindle.”

Pack numbers? Our pack numbers? There’s no way. You thought Lycans were legend. Do they really exist. “Use of me? Pack?” You took a step back, trying to find the best direction to run away from the man and his ‘pack.’ “I don’t understand.”

He laughs again, his eyes darkening as he steps forward. And has if reading your thoughts, he shakes his head. “You can try and run, kid. But my boys here haven’t had a fun chase in a while.” The wolves growled louder, almost expecting his next words. “Why don’t you give them a good chase.” He tilts his head, his smile growing and showing sharp teeth. “We’ll even give you a head start. One… two…”

Tears were finally falling from your eyes, and you quickly ran past the group. As you did, the wolves snapped their jaws at you, causing you to scream and push your legs harder. Your vision blurred as you ran in the direction of your house. You could just barely see the lights of your village when you heard the howls behind you.

“Ready or not! Here we come, little pup!” The thudding of their paws behind you grew louder as you cried out. Your screams echoed through the air as you broke the tree line. You yelled as loud as you could. Crying out for your mother and father. You could see your house just over the field. And from it, the back door opens. Your mother stood in her night robes, peering out before shouting for you.

As she called out to you, the thudding became louder and howling grew closer. And soon, your small body was knocked to the ground as you cried out. The wolves as caught up to you and the man approached quickly. “You’re faster than I thought, puppy. But I’ve won our little game. Now you’re ours.” The wolves kept they’re large paws on your legs as the man reached down. You could hear your mother crying out for your father, telling him to grab his bow or sword.

You cried out as the man took your arm in his, running his nose across your skin and inhaling your scent. “You really do smell sweet.” Tear ran down your face and you thrashed your body, begging the man to let you go.

“Please! Please I don’t understand! What did I do?!” Your pleads were cut off as he opened his mouth, once again exposing his large sharp teeth. “No! No please- AHH!” He sank his teeth into your flesh with a groan and the wolves howled. Blood ran down your arm as your screams rang through the village. Behind you, your fathers’ shouts reached your ears.

“Gets the hells away from my child!” There was a whistle in the air and right after, one of the wolves let out a yelp as an arrow lodged itself into its neck. With its weight off one your legs, you started thrashing. More arrows flew through the air and the other wolf soon took a hit as well. With both his wolves taken out, the man quickly withdrew his teeth and stepped back, a smirk of his face as the blood ran down his chin.

“I’ll be seeing you soon, little pup.” In your blurred vision, you saw his body change with the cracking of bones. His large, shifted form quickly turned and bounded away, howling as he did. Your father quickly slid to your side, tossing his bow down as others from the village left their homes at the sound of your screams. He quickly took your arm in your hand, examining the bite mark.

“Tav?! Tav, love I need you to focus on my voice!” Your ears were ringing and everything was loud. Your body felt like it was on fire, and you writhed in the grass, ignoring your fathers’ words. Soon, hunters from the village were gathered, their swords and bows in hand as they asked what was going on. “The creature that’s been eating our livestock wasn’t an ordinary wolf. It was a Lycan.” He pointed in the direction the man, no, the Lycan ran in and soon the hunters were running after him.

Your screams turned to simple whines and groans as your father looked at your arm. Your breath was rapid as your vision continues to darken. Were you dying? Is that what’s happening? You didn’t want to die; you were only a child. Your tears never stopped, even after your mother joined your father and demanded you be taken inside, her cries for her baby echoing just as loud through your village’s street.

---

Gale and Shadowheart stared in shock as you recalled the origin of your curse. Your fingers wrung together as you continued. “The village never found the Lycan that bit me. They searched for weeks but… they never found him, and he never came back.” Your breath hitched, “They then tried to call for… for my execution. I had been bitten by a Lycan and was now a monster surrounded by hunters. It was only a matter of time before the bit settled and I made my first shift.”

Galed gasped. “They tried to kill you?” You nodded.

“One month later, I had my first shift. My parents locked me up with chains and magic in hopes that I wouldn’t rampage through the village. It worked but every time, they said they hated seeing their only child chained up, howling, and crying in pain.” You sniffed. “My mother said that the sound of my bones cracking would haunt her dreams and when the full moon was a week away, she could barely look at me.”

Shadowheart was the next to speak. “Is that why you worship Selune?” Of course her first question is about Selune. Still, you chuckled and nodded.

“My parents tried every cleric, paladin, and healer they could find. There was no recorded cure for Lycanthropy. So, a cleric of Selune suggested we try and pray to her. She said she could almost see the reflection of the moon in my eyes, even in broad daylight. So, my parents took me to a temple, devoted to any god. They made offerings and prayed almost every day.”

Your voice went quiet, and you waited for either of them to speak. When neither of them did, you continued your story. “For a while, we didn’t know if it worked. We saw no sign from Selune. Until my next shift. The pain I felt wasn’t as bad as previous shifts, and after it happened, I was in control. I didn’t snap at my parents or try to break my chains. I was finally back in control of my own body, instead of being… almost like an observer. Like someone else was the pilot of my body.”

“So the moon goddess answered your prayers. How could you tell?” Gale’s voice reached your ears, and you looked up. Both him and Shadowheart were leaned in, listening intently to your past.

“My mother said that during that shift, it seemed like the moon was brighter. She said the light through the window made it seem like I was glowing. And when I was fully shifted, Selune’s symbol was in my fur.” You picked up a nearby twig, drawing the symbol in the dirt in front of you. “She said it looked almost like a crown, and we knew that she heard our prayers.”

You sat back and sighed, a sign that you had finished your story. Gale and Shadowheart were left almost speechless. Gale whistled and leaned back as well. “Well… that was quite a story. Now though, when you shift, you’re in full control? We don’t have to worry about you rampaging?” His words were light, he knew that you were in control, but you’re sure that hearing it would make him feel better.

With a chuckle you answered him. “No. No we don’t have to worry about that. It only hurts a little bit but with Selune’s blessing I am in full control. My parents and I have been devoted to her ever since.” A smile crossed your face. “I truly thought my life was over. Lycanthropy may be a curse, but Selune turned it into a blessing for me. When I gained control, I was able to help my village. During each shift I would hunt for my village. Providing meat for them to sell in the city each month. I would protect the livestock and everything.”

Shadowheart looked at you with pity. “You must miss them. Your family.” You nodded. You were in the middle of a hunt when you were taken. The last thing you told your parents was that you’d see them at sunrise. It had been a week since then. You missed them terribly.

“I do. I never expected something like this to happen. I mean, who does?” You chuckled and stood up, shaking yourself off. “Good news is my shifting hasn’t changed because of the tadpole. I’m still in full control.” That seemed to ease their minds. Something else was on your mind though as you looked around. “You said Astarion went to find something to eat? What did that mean?” Please don’t tell me it’s true. Tell me I imagined it.

Gale looked at you knowingly. “I’m sure you already know the answer to that, Tav. He told us he uhm… ran into you.”

Your eyes drifted off and your breath hitched. “So it’s true? Astarion’s a vampire?” You took a step back and your breath hitched. So Selune has given me a vampire mate. Have I truly upset her? Did I do something wrong.

As thoughts ran through your mind, a voice sounded from behind all of you. “Sorry to disappoint you, Darling.”

---

Part 1 || Part 2

Masterlist

Tag List: @saturns-angel @bdudette @simon-e-mallory @caskyywrites @emo-with-headphones

[imperator-titus]

Ghost from the Past [Part 3]

I'm a menace to society

anyway please let me know what you think as I try to decide on some things. I love talking about The Gang and also my tavs <3 (please I'm lonely, I nearly fucking died when I got the notifications for some Ao3 comments I got recently)

please let me know if you'd like to be tagged in updates!

[edit: I fucked up the preposition in the title after 2 parts, I'm an embarrassment]

(Prev)[Part 2] (Next)[Part 4] [Master Post]

[Gif by harmtist] (I hate trying to find relevant gifs but it looks so naked without them lmao)

Eletha was eternally grateful that Bonnet caught up when she did. Of course, she was mainly worried about the poor bear, all alone, and such a scaredy-cat of a brown bear. Then the less-important and self-centered reasons: her tent and bedroll, her journals, and her collection of rare bits and bobs. Among that rare collection was a potion that made her hair grow back faster. After her night as a sentient campfire, there was the unfortunate stage of hair regrowth.

If she was alone, she wouldn’t have bothered with the potion. Eletha was very much comfortable being bald and every stage in between. However, she received a variety of comments about her appearance when everyone started their day. She could handle the ribbing, it was kind of funny, and laughing about it made it less serious.

To her surprise, Eletha was most affected by Astarion’s reaction. He managed to cut off his unrestrained laughter after a split second, the rest muffled by his hand clamped over his mouth. Wyll smiled and told her to ignore him, and Eletha smiled back and reminded him that she was well aware of what a cock Astarion could be. But despite her confidence or their reassurances, she sipped from the potion and wrapped a green scarf around her head. To keep the sun off, obviously, not because she was embarrassed.

Astarion kept trying to make it fall off. Eletha kept catching him. At first she was annoyed, but then it became a game. It felt like old times. Chasing each other through the forest, trying to snatch ribbons off each other’s belts. Sneaking up on one another and trying to steal something from a pocket or pouch.

After a conversation with some of the refugees, Astarion dangled a pendant in front of her face. His eyes sparkled with delight and his lips were pulled into a smug grin as he cooed, “Missing something?”

Eletha didn’t even bother checking the pouch attached to her belt, she’d recognize that pendant anywhere and it was one of a kind. Even with her quick reflexes, he managed to pull it away in time to avoid her snatching grasp. Astarion wagged a finger, tutted, and shook his head, a deadly combination.

Eletha lept at him with her whole body, forcing him to the ground. They fought, thankfully bare-handed, and rolled around in the dirt like two starving dogs fighting over a bone. The pendant flew out of Astarion’s grasp, but Eletha continued her onslaught of creative elvish insults and minor blows.

At one point, much to everyone’s amusement, Eletha was sitting on his chest and pulling on both his ears. He screeched like a cat whose tail was caught in a door as she yelled at him for being a ‘stuck-up brat’ and a ‘light-fingered liar.’ Astarion overcame her weight, flipped them both, and landed on top of her. His hands crushed her wrists down into the dirt above her head while his hips pinned hers and one knee was pressing hard into her inner thigh.

They were both panting, fire in their eyes. Eletha didn’t relent and used all her strength and leverage to break free. Bearing his teeth, Astarion put more weight on her wrists and she had no choice but to wince as they threatened to break. Shocked, he let go.

Everyone around them was pointedly looking away now. The fight had become a little too intimate, but while they were in it, they didn’t notice. All they’d seen was how much they wanted to shove the other’s face into the dirt.

Astarion got up and dusted off his hands sheepishly. His eyes flicked to the audience, checking his surroundings. With a nervous theatrical lilt of laughter, he offered his hand to Eletha. “What fun! Nothing like rolling around in the dirt with your friends to get one’s blood pumping, yes?”

Eletha took his hand and squeezed his hand much harder than necessary. She struggled to get up, even with his help, which started off as just a show and then he had to commit to it. His knee on her thigh had put her whole leg to sleep and couldn’t support her weight.

“I managed to find your necklace, but I’m afraid its-” Gale started, diffusing the tension with his sudden presence. In his outstretched palm was the pendant, but in two pieces. Eletha took it from him delicately and held the piece in its original place. “Perhaps we can find a jeweler in Baldur’s Gate.”

Eletha laughed as she put it back in her pouch and had a gentle smile for him. “It’s very old and just a thing, it’s fine. Thank you for your concern, Gale.”

Karlach fell in step with Astarion as Eletha and Gale walked ahead, talking about something or other. As he was trying to rub the soreness out of his ears, she asked in a hushed voice, “Do you think you two, ya know… went at it when you were younger?”

Astarion scoffed indignantly. “Your friend clearly has a bone to pick with me. What could possibly make you think we’re old lovers?”

“I dunno, that looked a lot like flirting from where I was standin’... The way you were lookin’ at each other, thought we’d hafta pull you apart before we got kicked out for indecent exposure.” Astarion tittered, holding out his fingers so he could check them for chips and dirt. 

“Karlach, darling, I think you’re a little pent-up and in need of glasses,” he told her with a punctuated laugh. Darkly, eyes narrowed, he added, “That was close to bloodshed.” 

“I’ve known plenty of people who have a brawl before a fuck.”

“Ooooh. Do tell me more,” Astarion pleaded coyly, drawing out the words carefully in a seductive beat. Karlach smirked at him and rubbed her chin as she considered.

“Well, I knew this vampire once-” Astarion rolled his eyes.

“Ugh, I thought you were serious.”

----

Sometimes Astarion joined them at the fire, other times he chose to sit in front of his tent and read while drinking wine. Their camaraderie could be a bit… much, but sometimes loneliness gnawed at his heart and he braved their stupid jokes and stories, sipping vinegared wine while they ate food that would turn him inside out. 

When he chose to sit alone, sometimes they’d come up one by one to have a little chat. It was much easier when he only had to keep one person entertained, enthralled by his charm and beauty. Sometimes something personal would come out, like Cazador and the things he had to do to survive as a spawn. Like a coward, he would slink away into his tent or out into the woods so he wouldn’t have to explain it again to the next person or expand on the story. Thankfully, they handed the stories off to each other, sparing him having to revisit the same horrible memory over and over again.

The stories made them treat him a little more softly, made them more protective. They turned Eletha from ice to, well, a person capable of more than two facial expressions. 

That night, he watched them, thoughts roilling in his mind like a building storm. Karlach, annoyingly, was right. In hindsight, he was a hair away from either ripping Eletha’s throat out with his fangs or slipping his tongue down it while crushing their hips together. Their tussle required no active thought, it was pure instinct. An instinct more refined than basic survival, it was practiced, like a dance. They knew each other’s moves, knew exactly how to strike. He knew how to annoy her just enough to come at him with her hands and not a stake. She moved like she knew he meant no harm, hurt him just enough in just the right way to bother but not damage.

But she hadn’t expected him to push past his victory, to dominate her, to hurt her. That had shocked him out of it, the pain in her eyes.

He couldn’t deny it, though. Before that pain, there was something like lust in her eyes. Something pleaded with him, screamed at him, to get closer. He’d smirk as he caught a softer version of that look in her glances.

In his mind, there was no denying it; she wanted him and she was willing to wrestle in the dirt just to touch him.

So when they were all done with their meal and Eletha was getting ready to turn in, he approached her. He’d thrown on another splash of his special perfume, just to make sure no other scents shone through, and made sure his nails were clean and neat. Frankly, she looked like a mess, but that would never stop Astarion. He was surprised to see her hair already mostly back, but sometimes the gods threw you a bone. Not like he ever turned away a potential mark just because they didn’t have hair.

Putting on his softest smile, using his gentlest, most loving tone, Astarion said softly to her, “I thought you could join me for a… hunt.”

Eletha quirked an eyebrow at him. Her stance wasn’t exactly open, but it wasn’t guarded either. She was simply going through her things. “What makes you suggest that?”

He let out a little practiced laugh and bobbed his head in fake thought. “I don't know… old times sake?”

Scoffing lightly, Eletha turned her attention back to her things. “Funny. You used to scare the prey away.”

Astarion clicked his tongue and let out a soft ‘aww.’ “How sweet. Was I soft of heart?”

“No, just a jerk.” she said good-naturedly. It was either the beer in her hand or he was undoing the damage that fight had caused. He laughed.

“Good to know the vampirism didn’t change me too much.” 

“I’m not going to be much help,” she said, indicating her drink.

“That’s fine, just try not to scare the prey away.” It was a weak joke, but she chuckled anyway, albeit into her mug. “Get ready. I’ll wait for you.”

Against her better judgment Eletha got ready and went to meet him. At least one of them was sober, although she considered him just as much a liability. It scared her how easy it was to run back into the arms of familiarity, even if those arms had forgotten her.

She wasn’t exactly surprised to find Astarion shirtless, but it wasn’t unexpected either. The surprise was that it didn’t make her mad. With a lazy smirk, she said in elvish, “What are you doing?”

“I admit, I lied. You were the prey.” Eletha shook her head as she unnotched her bowstring. With false offense, he asked, “What? You don’t like what you see?”

“It’s okay. You clearly didn’t let yourself go when you got to the city, but I liked you when you were a little soft.” She chuckled again before taking a swig of beer from her waterskin.

“What’s so funny?” Astarion was actually a little self-conscious now. No one had really critiqued his appearance before except for ‘you seem a little pale’ and ‘what a strange color your eyes are.’

Clearly amused and lacking any judgment, she asked, “What are you actually trying to do?” 

Playing innocent, he responded, “What do you mean?”

“This might rankle you a bit, but you haven’t changed that much. You’re not actually as charming as you think you are, it just comes back around, like a kitten that’s so ugly it’s cute. Or how you love to get your fingers into things and mess with shit, get into places you shouldn’t be. And you always have some weird plan to get something, and I’d always have to talk you out of it, because it’s usually dangerous or stupid.” She laughed again, mostly to herself. “So what do you want?”

Caught red handed, he stopped pretending to be the romantic lead in a smutty novel and scoffed. “Sex, obviously.”

Eletha clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Nope. Whatdya want from me?”

Exasperated, unable to believe this was how his plan was going, he let out a sharp ‘hah!’ “How is that answer wrong? You can’t know what I want unless I tell you.”

“Because I can tell.”

“Fine. What do I want?” Eletha walked up to him, so close he could smell her malty breath, feel its warmth against his bare chest. Those mismatched eyes, blue and gold, stared into his with a clarity they shouldn’t have right now.

“You want me to love you, so I’ll protect you, because I can’t imagine life without you.”

“You- That’s-” He held up a finger in protest, then sighed as his head sagged to the side in defeat. “How did you figure that out so quick?”

“So how were you thinking this would go?” Eletha asked, ignoring his question and taking another swig instead.

“I thought that, if you knew me before, when I was even younger and undoubtedly more beautiful, that you obviously dreamed of having me. What better way to curry favor than making your dreams come true?” He pitched his voice down to simulate lust. “That little scrap we had… I could tell how much you wanted me. I would have had you crying my name out like a prayer if we were alone.”

“Corellon’s balls, Star.” Astarion’s mouth fell open slightly in shock, surprised that she was immune to his charm. Eletha tilted her head back to offer a silent prayer for strength to the sky. Taking in a deep breath, she faced him again. “Come on, let me have it. What else is in your quiver of tricks?”

“Oh? Just need a bit more enticing? I can do that.” His face changed back to sultry. “You’re my little treat, with her cheeks all flushed. How about I taste… other parts of you?”

“You can do better. Next.” Eletha took a swig of her beer as he chose his next words.

“Every part of your perfect body whispers temptation. It’s as if the Gods made you just to ruin me.”

“I‘ve looked in a mirror lately, the only thing ruined in this situation is me and your bad pick-up lines,” she said, chuckling under her breath. Astarion huffed in frustration, but quickly composed himself. “I’m running out of beer, you get another try.”

“How about if I said these little words… Everyone’s favorite…” His perfect ears could hear her heartbeat speed up and it made it easy to put on a delicate smile. Schooling his tongue, careful not to sound the least bit harsh, he gazed into her eyes and said, “I love you.”

Eletha froze. Almost actually, with how cold her demeanor became. Astarion took a hesitant step back, as if easing away from a dangerous animal. Then the chill in her eyes melted to hurt and she could no longer look at him. She looked… ashamed, as if he’d ridiculed her and she knew every word was true.

Somehow, this had gone very wrong. This little meeting was meant to solidify her as his champion. The group respected her. A seasoned adventurer, she was sharp and had many skills. 

And he continued to throw away any good will he managed to earn. 

“I-I’m sorry, Eletha, I-”

“Lorelai,” she choked out, tears rolling down her cheeks. “When you knew me, my name was Lorelai. You called me Lori. You were the only one I let call me that.”

“I…” Not exactly what Astarion expected to come out of her mouth. He was expecting another tussle. Actually, another fight would have been preferable, even if it finally ended in bloodshed. At least then he could relieve this tension building inside him. 

Thankfully, she didn’t stick around long, saving him from being stuck in this incredibly awkward situation.

“I’m too old for this,” she managed to say, taking a shuddering breath. “I can’t… I can’t do this right now. I’m sorry. I can’t.”

Astarion didn’t really want to make her stay, but he made a show of running after her. Maybe he did want her to stay, just for a bit, just so he could ask her about the Astarion she knew.

Eletha crept into the camp on quiet hunter’s feet, trying not to wake anyone, but she didn’t expect to find Gale sitting by the fire. His face became serious, clearly aware that she was upset. She debated waving him off and going to her tent, to sob into Bonnet’s fur, but something about him drew her to sit beside him at the fire. Her tears glinted in the flickering light until she wiped them away with the back of her hand. Gale offered her his cup of wine and she downed it greedily, despite not appreciating the taste.

“Sorry,” she told him, handing back an empty cup. He picked up the bottle on his other side and refilled it.

“It is just as well. I couldn’t get the cork back in,” he joked lightly before taking a modest sip. “What troubles you?”

“You loved Mystra,” she said, not really a question. Gale hummed. 

“I did. Very much.”

“And one day she was gone.”

“Indeed. Not one of my best days.”

“Did you ever feel like… you were past it?”

“I suppose. But the grief would come back. Perhaps I felt myself free of the pain out of obstinance, defiance. But I have not had as much time as you. Maybe I would be past it by now.” Eletha bowed her head, causing her silent tears to drip from her nose. He offered her a handkerchief and she took it much more politely than the wine.

“I spent decades imagining the moment I saw him again. All the things I would say and do. I’d tell him off, we’d probably scrap about it, then we’d laugh and take up a table in a tavern somewhere so we could swap stories.” She laughed, but it was sad, filled with regret. “Maybe I could have accepted him forgetting me. I haven’t seen him in… 230 years? I was 35 then. I had long hair and two blue eyes, and not nearly so many scars. It’d be easier if he was completely different, but I can still tell it’s him. I wanna break his skull open and hold him so tight he can never leave again.”

“That sounds difficult.” Eletha snorted and Gale blushed. “I apologize. That wasn’t exactly one of my best observations.”

“No, it’s accurate.” He offered her his cup again. She took only a modest sip this time. “I’m a little old to be having my heart broken again by an old sweetheart.”

“Maybe it would be best to talk to him, even if he cannot remember your shared past. It certainly seems to weigh on you.”

“Hmm… every wizard I ever met gave either really great advice, or really bad advice…” She smirked at him. “You seem like you give at least decent advice.”

“I admire your confidence in me. My original idea was that you should give him a good stab and call it even.”

“It might still come to that.” Eletha patted him on the shoulder and, as she got up, planted a kiss on the top of his head. “Get some sleep, Bhin. I didn’t live this long to be taken out by a sleepy wizard.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Gale responded dutifully, with a playful smile on his lips and in his eyes.

Against her better judgment, Eletha picked up some more beer and a bottle of wine. Then, she headed into the woods once more, her bow slung over her shoulder.

“You could at least bring them back,” she said after a moment of watching Astarion feed on a stag. He startled, eyes reflecting red light and his fangs extended. Despite losing his claws to the tadpole’s influence, he still held them out, ready to strike. Then he shrank, like a chastened dog. 

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m not going to get through this sober, and I can’t keep getting drunk.” Eletha found a rock, brushed it off with a rag she always kept in her belt, and sat down. As she took out her pipe, she gestured towards the deer. “Go on, don’t want it going to waste.”

Astarion hesitated. Very few people had seen him feed on anything, and he wasn’t very fond of those people or that experience. But Eletha didn’t seem particularly interested in the activity and devoted her time to lighting her pipe and drinking.

When he was done and approached her, she held out the bottle of wine. “If you’re still thirsty.”

Very slowly, as if it might be snatched away at the last second, he reached out for it. “I don’t know what I said to upset you, but-”

“Just sit and shut up for once,” Eletha cut him off, making room for him on the rock. When he didn’t sit, she smacked it repeatedly until he obeyed. She took a few large gulps of beer and a long pull on her pipe before clearing her throat.

“We grew up in the Dales. I’m a little older than you, but we were always… sort of friends. We were… weird. Not enough that people disliked us, but enough that we didn’t really fit. So we were friends. You would be a jerk and then be sweet. Like you’d tell me my mother cut my hair weird and then go steal a hat to hide it. You’d sneak into people’s caravans and move stuff around, take something insignificant and put it in someone else’s caravan, shit like that. You had the weirdest sense of humor, but I always said off-putting stuff and you’d laugh.”

Eletha paused to take a drink and think. Astarion thought it prudent to shut up for once, as she instructed. He could take her, but a drunk in close range with a knife wasn’t exactly a fight he was eager to start.

“We were each other’s first kiss. And no, it’s not some sappy story where you’ve been my one and only all this time. But it mattered. Not to feed your ego, but… I don’t think I was ever as happy with someone as I was with you.” Astarion smiled brightly, but he turned his head so she couldn’t see. “You always wanted to leave and go to Baldur’s Gate. Moving around the Dales wasn’t good enough for you, you wanted to be a real adventurer. You’d spin exciting stories of what we’d do together. It was always us against some monster or villain.”

It was a little worrying that she felt the need to drink an entire skin of beer before she could continue her story. Her voice became distant, strained, as if she was trying to keep the anger out of it. He could hear how hard her heart beat, how deliberate she breathed.

“The last day I saw you was your 30th birthday. I… I did everything I could think of that would make you smile. A new set of lockpicks. I cleaned every caravan until it looked brand new to afford you a good sword. I made your favorite food, bought your favorite wine… We spent the day at this… pristine lake. I can still smell the flowers blooming in the trees…” Eletha cleared her throat. “In the perfect darkness of a new moon, with just the stars in the sky, we had the best sex of my life. Like… real, passionate, ‘make love’ sex. Maybe it wasn’t that great, being young and all… But I really loved you.”

Astarion didn’t know if he’d ever let someone talk so long uninterrupted. At first he had to fight the urge to start thinking about something else, but as she went on, he got wrapped up in the story. Like a bard’s song, he could feel the impression those memories had on her. He desperately tried to touch the memory in his own mind, as if it might be within his reach now that he knew it was there. 

Eletha sniffled and wiped away her tears on her sleeve.

“The last thing you ever said to me was ‘you’re a fucking menace.’ You’d said ‘I love you, Lori, more than anyone should be allowed to love anything. I wish this moment could last forever.’ And I told you ‘I want to eat you so you’ll always be with me.’” She tried to drink more of her beer, but it was gone. Slowly, Astarion offered her his wine. She took a large swallow and passed it back. “I still can’t believe that’s the last thing I said to you. The next morning you were gone. Mother convinced me to stay, said ‘Honey, if he wanted you, he would’ve taken you with him.’

“I… spent a long time… hating you. For- … For what you did. I hated how much I still loved you. I thought I knew how much something could hurt, and that I could handle it… And then I saw you again. And you didn’t remember me. I can’t deliver my grand monologue on how much damage you left behind. My feelings are… meaningless to you. You were everything to me, you’re… a part of me, forever, and I’m a stranger to you. 

“Then you crush me all over again with ‘I love you.’ … At least I know this time it’s a lie.” She sniffled again. “I wanted so desperately to take out all my pain on you. To have you fall to your knees and beg me to forgive you. But now I can’t even be mad at you. It’s not fair to be mad at you. I can’t accept an apology, because you’re not the person who owes me one. The boy that broke my heart is gone. I’ve spent over two centuries, alone, hating and loving a ghost.”

Astarion opened his mouth, and luckily for him, the first thought in his mind didn’t escape his lips. He chuckled lightly, a twinkling laugh that practically sashayed through the air. “To think, I was the one who got away. If you were a bard, imagine the songs I’d inspire.”

It wasn’t the best response. He probably should have been stabbed. The tadpole in his head started to squirm and tingle, a sign that their little stowaways were trying to connect. It stopped suddenly, just as suddenly as the bouquet of her blood hit his nose. Her hand unclenched to reveal that her nails had dug into her palm, causing it to bleed.

“I think we both have stories that could turn a bard’s ballad sour,” she started hollowly before getting up. She approached the exsanguinated deer and crouched to pick it up. “Maybe I’ll tell you mine someday.”

Astarion understood that there would be no argument. He had a lot to process already.

When they got back to camp, they found Gale fast asleep by the fire in a rather uncomfortable-looking position. Astarion clicked his tongue. “How embarrassing. What do you see in him?”

“Humans are so cute when they’re asleep,” she explained casually, putting down their ‘catch.’ “They’re also very enthusiastic, if a bit… uneducated.”

“I see. He was out bedding goddesses, so he must be good in bed.”

“Oh, so you did get a little smarter,” she teased, smirking. He shot her a glare, which she shrugged off. “Hey it’s been a while. I’m willing to give it another try.”

“How long is a ‘while’, exactly?” he asked curiously. She actually appeared to be thinking about it.

“Hmm… It’s 1492, right? I was… about 220? 50 years sounds about right.” Astarion was horrified, then a little smug, then horrified again. She patted him on the shoulder. “Yeah. You think about that one.”

He watched her carefully rouse the wizard with soft words and soft touches. He was much bigger than her, but she was a little muscular for her size and used to carrying around her kills. Gently, she led him back to his tent and Astarion took this opportunity to slip into his own.

[tinariva211]

Time to dump lore about my Tav

You'll get a full body ref sheet soon

Calling Den (Caldin) Hidden Grotto is a female Tabaxi, mostly male presenting, so she goes by She/They pronouns. Unless you see her naked, you'd never actually know she's female anatomically because her bust size is so small and she has a not too curvy waist.

Caldin is a simp for the Mind Flayers, unapologetically hopelessly a drowning simp. They take and preserve brains from every person they kill to sneak to The Emperor when everyone else is asleep.

My favorite part about their story is that they have a bag of holding and instead of killing any Mind Flayers they come across they shove them in the bag and put brains in there to feed them. The Emperor definitely does not approve, and neither does Lae'zel, but let's her be who she is. The group doesn't like it either, but the Mind Flayers can't leave the bag unless Caldin pulls them out, so they aren't too worried.

Caldin knows about The Emperor right away. She doesn't know why, neither does The Emperor. So they have a long conversation inside the artifact on the first night about how to proceed. It actually starts out as a hostage situation/interrogation because The Emperor doesn't know if he can trust Caldin, seeing as they only just met and he has a LOT riding on the alliance of the group. No spoilers, things happen and he decides she's no threat at all, just weird. And the adventure continues.

Astarion and Caldin will become best friends by act 2.

Caldin is a Bard Rogue in the Thief class. They perform very well on any instrument and actually have a beautiful singing voice. They might even be part Siren, because of how well they can charm when they sing. They can also conjure special instruments like electric guitars, which wouldn't normally make sense in this universe, but Caldin can conjure any instrument and has vague memories of electric guitars and Rock & Roll that they can't explain. (I'm going the Isekai route here)

She is very easy to trust people she shouldn't in act 1 and becomes sassy and a brat towards most people she doesn't know in act 2.

Zevlor will be a target of her Mischievous behavior and so will Rolan. She's going to love messing with them. This is how Astarion starts to like her.

Caldin will also notice right away that Astarion is a vampire and will go out of her way to provide him blood however she can. After hearing that he likes spicy food she'll start to spike any blood for him with spicy things. He will find this amusing.

Caldin loves to climb and jump around, this will cause problems. She also loves to steal and hoard things in her bag of holding, this will be a BIG problem for her in some cases.

She will keep a journal of every day's events and how she felt about certain things that happened. Keeping certain people's name a secret in case it ever got lost or stolen. In the journal there will be details about the Mind Flayers in her bag of holding and how she tries to communicate with them to make sure they're alright and see if they actually need anything. Because she shoves so much shit in the bag, they are actually quite content to stay. Omeluum will not be put in the bag, only Mind Flayers who try to attack and can't be swayed to be non hostile are put in the bag. They each get unique names given by Caldin and they will be noted as arguing sometimes about who Caldin likes best. The Emperor will find this amusing to behold, but will be exhausted of most of Caldin's antics. He'll be used to it by act 3.

And no one will find this out, but she is the only survivor of her clan. She has no home to go back to. When she was abducted and brought aboard the Nautiloid, her clan was slaughtered by monsters. She was taken during the fight and saw her clans end as the Nautiloid flew away. She does not blame the Mind Flayers because they were already losing the battle and she had been running to safety on orders to retreat anyway.

And finally, Caldin is an orphan who never had parents or any kind of family other than the clan. But she had no real friends before their fall. This is actually a chance for her to make her life.