#tcb: vesper

[thecagedbard]

Chapter 38 out now. Have bad screenshot for attention. c:

[chartedrights]

Been thinking a lot lately about how you can compare Spies are Forever to James Bond on a lot of levels, esp the more recent ones and especially Casino Royale and I’ll be way more coherent in the morning but may I just say. Owen as a direct analogue to Vesper Lynd.... ty TCB for my rights

[thecagedbard]

Inspired by @mistercrowbar and @for-tymora

I can't draw but I have fashioned my character in another game to look like my tav (in reality Vesper was made to look lik this character) so have some tav!jammies the only way i can give you. ft: camp!vesper, stealing people's shirts shy!vesper in something astarion would probably put her in post game/fic!vesper in something just that much more comfortable.

[thecagedbard]

[thecagedbard]

Why was this so difficult for me to put together. Makes me feel like sometimes I don't know the characters as well as I thought I did. Including Vesper.

If you're interested in doing it this is the original template: https://x.com/Valc0_/status/1742627495826829718 and the OT3 that I used can be found in other tweets.

[thecagedbard]

[thecagedbard]

[thecagedbard]

[thecagedbard]

I know why i have such a block when it comes to finishing the caged bard. because it means finishing it.

yall.

I've only finished the game ONCE.

one time have I send the ending of bg3. now I've got to go on just those memories (almost a year old btw) and deliver something great.

im about to queue up 100+ unhinged Vesper things.

because it isn't the end.

at least not for her.

but I just gotta finish this first.

I keep wanting to push her to this final piece o can see but then remember for the story it's not even been 6 months since she was in her terrible situation.

I don't want to be unrealistic but we may get that way for a while.

[thecagedbard]

Escape the Nautiloid

[thecagedbard]

Chapter 39: Blood in the Cut!

They've been warned of Orin's interference twice now, it's time to put those theories to the test. Of their companions, who would be the worst to be kidnapped...or is it one of the Tadfools at all?

[thecagedbard]

「 ✦ The Caged Bard ✦ 」

Faetrala Family, in birth order Octavius, Yasmine, Azelie Ariane, Marcel, Rosalie Kylian, Arnaud, Hadrien Elenore, Lothaire*, Valere Opal, Perris, Vesper

「 ✦ Vesper's Dream Guardian ✦ 」

He used the first face, the one that popped up the most. But when she admitted it was a face she could never trust he took the one that brought comfort in nightmares. Issac Palroy / Sexton Hofcort

[thecagedbard]

The Caged Bard: Ascended

Aftermath of Ascension, an alternative to chapters 31 & 32 of The Caged Bard.

Vesper was kidnapped by Astarion's spawn siblings, after a beating and being fed a potion of Feign Death she was left in one of the palace's bedrooms for her companions to find. When a resurrection ritual fails and she isn't there to talk him down, Astarion takes Cazador's place within the ritual.

“Astarion?! What have you done?!

After being kidnapped in the woods by Cazador’s other spawn, Vesper recalled being hung in the kennels, tortured by the skeletal guard named Godey while she was questioned by the vampire lord himself about Astarion’s whereabouts. She could recall spitting in the high elf’s face, his words about giving her the treatment of his ‘favourite’ child.

She even recalled as one of the spawn rescued her, giving her a potion that would feign her death.  Not that it had mattered, she had broken bones, severely bleeding wounds, and two hungry spawn that couldn’t take their eyes off of her. A potion to feign death wouldn’t do much beyond dull her to true death if her companions didn’t make it in time. She’d had no issue drinking the bottle’s contents, even if it was poison it would make the pain stop. 

Vesper, the bard of the tadpole’d adventurers, wouldn’t know that her companions made it. She wouldn’t hear the wail of her own sister or the shouting from Astarion when the resurrection Jaheira attempted didn’t work. She didn’t feel the kisses against her face as Halsin promised they would see her to rights with Withers. 

By the time the potion was allowing her to move she could only twitch as the pain returned, but was also new. The bard could barely sputter a word as the world began to darken, “Please,” she managed to breathe out, and only then did the pain end. A hand, warm against her clammy skin, pushed red hair back, “They gave up on you…willing to leave you here. I would never…will never, you will never leave my side,” she heard whispered before the pain returned, as fangs returned to her throat.

When she reopened her eyes the world looked different, gasping she sat straight up and grabbed for her throat.

“Vesper,” she turned to the voice that spoke, surprised to see an ever familiar rogue standing in the doorway. “You came?” she said softly before her lip began to tremble. Astarion rushed towards the bed, standing at the edge he nodded as he swiped a thumb under one of her eyes, “Of course I did my love, I wouldn’t leave you to a monster like that. Easy now,” his smile held tension as he barely met her eyes, “you’ll stress your body before it’s ready.”

“Ready?” she asked before coughing to clear her throat. There was an ache that hadn’t been there before, the hand that held the side of her throat rotated towards the front, “Yes,” he said as he pulled her hand down, “I’ve managed to find something for you to feed on. It should keep that nasty ache away…you’re feeling it are you not?” Still holding onto her hand he gave a rather forceful tug and indicated towards the end of the bed.

The bard finally took in the room, they were still within the palace. The same gaudy decor decorated this room, “Astarion,” her voice small, soft, “why are we still here?” He frowned when she didn’t immediately pay attention to what he wanted her to, “Why shouldn’t we be, pet? It’s to be ours now…”

Vesper frowned as she turned to look at him, his hand lifted to physically move her chin so she would look down, “Put these on. We’ll go find the others and you can receive the apologies they all owe you.” Licking her lips she nodded and waited for him to step away before she asked, “What happened—while I was unconscious, what happened?”

Astarion paused as he walked towards the door. His armor sat in front of a vanity before he stepped up to it and bent to admire the reflection in it. She inhaled sharply. Astarion had a reflection. “No,” she whispered. At first the rogue looked in her direction through the mirror before chuckling to himself and turning, “Yes, pet, I completed the ritual. For us, for you…who but an Ascended Vampire Lord could bring someone falling from the precipice of death back to life.” The bard stiffened before she climbed from the bed. Rounding the corner the vampire lord held a hand out to her before indicating the mirror with his other.

As she walked up to it, she turned and exhaled a stuttering breath, it was only him. He didn’t look back to the mirror as she felt watched his hands reach up to nothing while feeling them in her hair, “Don’t fret, my little love, I shall care for you, and your unruly curls,” he said before reaching and turning her chin once more, “they wanted to leave you here. To die…I’ve given you something so much better…you will remain just as beautiful as the first day I told you I loved you.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The top floor of the Elfsong was filled with mourners as they returned. “Astarion,” she heard Halsin call to the high elf before seeing him freeze. The druid looked at her before looking at the new vampire lord then back again, “I do not…”

Ariane had rushed from the back as soon as she’d heard the rogue’s name, her hands covering her mouth, “Astarion!? What have you done?!”

“I did what none of you could!” he shouted as he threw his gloves to the ground, “You!” he pointed at Ariane, “You just left her there! Made no attempt to bring her back here, no attempt to heal her! And you!” Astarion turned to Jaheira accusing the High Harper of announcing the bard dead before they’d tried everything they could. As he shouted Vesper shrank back her back finding the door. She looked at the others in the room, Gale too coming from the back room his arm now wrapping around a weeping Ariane, Karlach was dumbstruck as she looked the elven bard over, when their eyes met the barbarian covered her mouth. As though their meeting was the final tick of boxes that proved her assumption correct. Shadowheart and Wyll were shouting back at Astarion now, though Vesper couldn’t hear them. A ringing in her ears had begun where it used to be the pounding of her heart or the rush of blood in her veins. 

When a hand laid against her shoulder she gasped and looked up. Perris, her twin brother stood in front of her, “Birdie,” he spoke softly barely moving as she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his shoulder. It wasn’t long before she tensed though, underneath the smells of coal and paint she got a whiff of something iron. Her head was just turning to nose against his shoulder when she was pulled back quickly, “Not now, Perris,” said Astarion before he roughly turned her to face him, “she’s still newly turned. I wouldn’t wish for her to do something she’d regret.”

“She wouldn’t hurt me,” her brother tried to protest but Astarion shook his head, “Not intentionally perhaps,” the rogue replied, “but she’s still starving and having you too close–”

“Astarion, she can feed on me if she wishes,” a new voice joined and slowly Vesper turned to look up to the wood elf that had joined them. His face was drawn as his eyes roved over her face, “I will sacrifice the strength she needs. I can restore myself afterwards.” 

Vesper had to admit, it was like moving through mud still. Unless she was close, all of her senses were dull, her limbs felt heavier than when she wore the collar given to her by her former abuser. But she still lifted her eyes towards Astarion who’s hardened gaze stared at the druid, he looked down at her and tilted his head, “What will it be pet?”

“She isn’t your pet!” shouted Ariane from somewhere behind Halsin, the vampire lord rolled his eyes before he looked back down at her. “What shall it be, my love?” he asked quietly. “I’m so hungry,” she whined, guilt washing over her as the rogue practically cooed, “I know my dear. Soon it shall pass. We’ll come to you tonight, Halsin…but I think you should think longer on how you abandoned her so easily before.”

“I did not–”

“You did…whether you knew if she were dead or not, you abandoned her in there in that room,” Astarion said as he tucked the shorter elf just under his arm. 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

He insisted she try and meditate, that it would ease some of the pain as her body completed the transition.  But when he’d left her brother slipped into the room, “Birdie?” a childhood nickname based off the meaning of her elven, or rather fey, name. Sitting up, Vesper saw Perris as he knelt next to the bed. She reached out and gently moved his red curls from his face before he sat down on the bed next to her, “Ariane’s told all of us to go back to the house…I don’t want to leave you though.” 

“It’s probably safer,” she said as she put her cheek against his shoulder as he shrugged, “So?” he answered. “When has safer ever meant anything? It was safer for you to remain in the sailboat with me a decade ago and yet you went with Vale to the brothel.  I’m not leaving you alone again,” his head fell and bumped against her own, “I don’t want to risk losing you ever again.”

Astarion had warned her of crying, how it would spend what little energy she had. The snack he had brought had been a half dead servant he’d found trying to run off with the silverware, most of the blood had already been drained and before they died Astarion had pulled her from them. But even with his warning it didn’t stop the tears from falling down her face.

“You’re cold, Vesper,” Perris said, and the bard nodded, “Yeah…I’m dead.” Her twin lifted his head, turning to look at her, “Not really…you’re–”

“She is a vampire…or rather, my consort,” both elves looked up as Astarion re-entered the room. “It’s quite dangerous to be so close to a newly born vampire. Though I do applaud my darling’s strength of will, not sure whether I would have been able to be so close just hours after my arising.” Vesper licked her lips before speaking, “I would never her Perris.” “I know!” answered the rogue as he sauntered forward, “Not willingly, of course you wouldn’t. He’s your family and you love him…however,” his hand curled around her face, his grip a modicum tighter than normal, “without the tadpole it might not be as easy. It will take time before you can be around them once this is all over.”

“No!” whispered Perris before he looked at his sister then back to Astarion, “Turn me. I don’t…I don’t want to be without her again.”

“What?” Vesper hissed her head jerking away from Astarion’s touch, “Absolutely not!”

She didn’t see the knowing smirk on Astarion’s face before he turned to Perris, “It isn’t an easy ask, a less easy answer.” Vesper looked up to Astarion, “It’s a very easy answer! The answer is no!” Astarion’s eyes cut to her before he looked at Perris once again, “I will have to weigh the pros and cons you understand…you should be allowed to live  your life, not bound to the darkness like your sister will be from now on. I cannot say if the gifts of the ritual we be granted to her…only time will tell.”

Perris nodded, “Just…I know what I want. I want to be with my sister…even if that means–”

“Being my spawn?”

When her twin nodded Vesper looked between the two of them, “Perris,” she said, her voice barely over a whisper. “There, there, my love,” a hand smoothed over her head, “he doesn’t wish to lose you again. Neither did I…can you truly blame him? I never would have suggested it but it is what he wants.” Perris nodded, his head popping up as his name was called from the other room, “We’ll talk about it later. I’ll think on it, but I don’t think my choice will change.” Astarion nodded resolutely as the ginger haired eladrin stood to leave.

Once he was gone Vesper pulled her knees up to her chest. Her arms wrapped around her legs as Astarion sat down just before her, “I didn’t want that…I don’t want him–”

“Why are you against him remaining at your side?”

“I’m not! I just…would you choose this life for anyone who wasn’t already dying?”

“I would allow those that choose this life to do so…and I will be a far better…maker than Cazador was. Neither of you will starve while with me, you’ll never be alone again, darling, this is a very simple thing I can provide. Life eternal, family at your side…I would give you anything, don’t you know that?” Vesper watched him, there was very little light in the room, so his visage was cast in grey as he looked her over, “There is only one thing I’m upset about,” he said with a sigh, “the loss of your eyes…I’m afraid your eyes are as red as my own now…”

There was a shout from outside their shared room before the door slammed closed, “Don’t mind them, pet, they’re simply upset over how things have gone. Coming to terms with more disappointments in themselves.”

“Did they really not try anything?” 

Astarion sighed as his hand fell from where it trailed against her arm to the bed, he turned and looked towards the curtains that cut them off from the rest of the floor, “They attempted to resurrect you once and then decided to leave. They didn’t try to heal you, they made no attempts to carry you from that place…they would have left you.”

She was quiet as she lowered her face until her mouth pressed against the blanket around her lower half, “Even Halsin?” He nodded, slowly, “Even him…though,” he turned back to her, his hand again resting on her head, “perhaps it was his grief…I believe even he wrote you off for dead at that time. I just couldn’t give up the hope that you weren’t yet…that there was a fragment of you remaining and then when I returned you were breathing. Shallow…but there was breath, and twitching…I did what had to do to save you.”

She grew quiet after he spoke, her eyes on his chest, the clothes he’d found somewhere within the palace. Vesper know there were going to be changes to her being after this adventure, but becoming a vampire’s spawn had never been on her list of ‘could happens.’  She thought back to Moonrise, how lost she had been when Astarion had died to Myrkul’s avatar and how even when he’d been beside her after being brought back—

Her head slowly lifted, “You could have gone to Withers…”

[thecagedbard]

Scenes from the Nautiloid - III. The Cleric

Vesper knew that this githyanki warrior that led her was not happy with her choice of saving the woman in the pod. But it she had allowed the alien woman to rush her through two other podded areas and in this one there was only the one, none of the other people had been shouting and beating against the pod like this woman was. “We do not have time!” the sword-wielding gith shouted and Vesper flinched.

“I’m not that good in a fight! You said it yourself you were surprised! If we run into something more difficult than imps...she could be of help to us!” the pale drow said as she looked back at the gith who huffed in frustration, “Then hurry.”

It was all she needed. She wasn’t sure if the woman in the pod was a decent fighter, if she could even be trusted not to kill them, but through the distorted glass it looked like she wore armor all the same. Something Vesper certainly didn’t have. If she never had to touch another fleshy door she’d free every living person on this ship, she thought as the door opened. A woman lay dead just feet away from the opening, Vesper looked back at the gith who watched her impassively.

She wasn’t going to be any help.

Quickly Vesper looked through the woman’s pockets, apologizing to the corpse as she ran her hands over the front of the dead woman’s clothing before pocketing the key and moving forward. Another dead body and she found a stone with odd sigils on them, not that she’d be able to read them if they ever were recognizable. The gith kicked open the chest that was near and began rifling through the bags it held while Vesper rushed back into the original room.

“I found this!” she said to the pod as the woman inside continued to beat her fists against the glass, “Good! Try it in that contraption over there!”

The drow turned and ran her hands over the device, gritting her teeth at the feel of it before she found a socket the stone might fit. Placing it into the socket her hand lay over it as she looked the device over, she was just about to call out for assistance when a wave of recognition washed over her. She only had to will it and it would open, she had the authority.

Licking her lips she looked at the pod before back to the device and sucked in a deep breath as her eyes closed. “Open the pods,” she demanded and as she finished her command she felt something—the tadpole—burrow deeper. A pain bloomed through her skull as she doubled over the console but she heard the hiss of the pod as it opened.

What had she done?

[thecagedbard]

💚 Foreplay - What do they consider foreplay? Do they enjoy it, and how much will they tolerate?

Foreplay is definitely still new for Vesper. But as she sees it there are two different kinds between her two lovers.

Astarion: He's kind, but when he's plying for sex he gets a little more sweet. Lingering touches to her sides, whispers against the shell of her ears. Oral with Astarion, whether receiving or giving, is a portion of sex. Like a position that could change in the middle. With him there's an anticipation that excites her more than even penetration. Halsin: The druid is a practised hand and with him there seems to be a goal of orgasming once, preferably more than once, so that nothing hurts during sex. Considering her history that much pleasure can easily make her overly sensitive, but Halsin's praises in her ear make her want to go further. It's so much nicer to hear kind things said to her during sex than the vitriol that used to be shouted at her.

Sinday Character Asks - answers will likely be giving in the context of my fic.

[thecagedbard]

POV: You're trying to ascend so you can be the one to protect your lovers, but they (and your new family) just want you to live a life you're proud of.