Her idea was so touching: a scene where her Durge Eldari, still battling her urges, tries to break up with Astarion in order to protect him. But Astarion, of course, assures her he's not going anywhere.

I loved getting to bring this moment to life for her 🥹

I think this is my sixth creation on Blender now, and I was so thrilled that I got to learn something new in creating those teardrops! I'm also slowly getting a little more familiar with lighting, so that's been a lot of fun to play around with 😁

It had only been a few days since Gale left, but the tower had felt hollow without him—its familiar warmth dulled, the silence too heavy without his voice filling it. You enjoyed the freedom at first, moving through its rooms as you pleased, but it hadn’t taken long for that freedom to feel like absence, for you to notice how lifeless it all seemed without his laughter, his footsteps, his quiet hums as he read in his study.

On the evening of his return, you prepared everything with care—a simple dinner, but plated neatly, candles lit on the table so their soft glow warmed the room. A vintage bottle of wine rested uncorked, one you knew he would appreciate. The tower smelled faintly of roasted herbs and wax, and the quiet anticipation of his arrival buzzed in your chest.

He was never late. You knew him too well; he would be hurrying home, eager to see you.

When the front door finally opened, the sound was like the breaking of a spell. You glanced up from your book where you sat perched at the dinner table, snapping it shut as the faint thud of boots against wood announced him.

Gale stepped in, hair tousled from wind and rain, his cheeks kissed pink by the cold. The faint shimmer of dampness clung to his shoulders from the drizzle outside, but his eyes lit instantly when they met yours. His coat and pack hit the floor in a single motion, forgotten, and in the next breath, he was across the room, sweeping you into a fierce, all-encompassing hug that knocked the air from your lungs.

You chuckled softly, your arms looping easily around his neck, fingers tangling in damp curls as you felt the solid press of him against you. His desperation made you grin, even as it pulled at something deep in your chest.

“My love,” he breathed against your ear, voice low and roughened from travel, hands gliding up your back in a motion so achingly familiar, yet so utterly possessive that it sent a shiver racing down your spine.

“Gale,” you echoed, pressing a soft kiss to the warm column of his neck. He shuddered under it, his breath stuttering faintly, and you smiled at the power of such a small touch.

“Words fail to describe how much I missed you,” he murmured, his lips brushing your skin, kissing up along the curve of your neck, trailing toward your jaw before capturing your mouth with a hunger that startled you.

His hand slid to your jaw, tilting it gently, and then his tongue pressed insistently against your lips. You gasped, surprised by the sharp edge of longing in the kiss, tensing slightly in his arms, but he only grinned against your mouth, the curve of it wicked and utterly sure of you.

His grip on your hip tightened suddenly, fingers digging in just enough to make your breath catch, before his arm swept firmly around your back, pulling you even closer. His other hand squeezed your cheek, thumb brushing tenderly despite the roughness of his kiss—a blend of craving and affection that made your knees weaken.

“You missed me too,” he smiled softly against your lips between kisses, his voice low, dark velvet laced with satisfaction.

Your breath hitched, your fingers curling tighter in his hair, and all you could manage was, “I did,” your voice trembling against his mouth as his wandering hand pressed lower, his touch both familiar and electrifying.

Gale hummed deep in his chest, pleased, his lips crashing back against yours with renewed insistence, tasting of rain and wind and the road home. His kiss was no longer polite, no longer restrained; it was full of days spent apart, of restless nights without you, of longing distilled and sharpened until it became need.