Ghosty Art

(CW: brief mentions of torture, ptsd)

(also this is not proper writing, i just quickly wrote a post with the scene for context if anyone's interested in them suffering and being gay)

Late afternoon, somewhere between River Hug and Harlow's warehouse to the south...

The Hateful Six were ambushed on the way back to the capital of Bratar. At first it seemed like it was a group of dust elementals that had been terrorising the plains but just as we finished them off, we found ourselves surrounded by mercenaries and a couple of familiar faces.

Marcya, Lemmiwink's greatest rival and enemy, had found us once again, and she brought some bounty hunters and mercenaries. Lehiri had already taken a beating from the elementals and, after a few arrows and two handcanon shots in the chest, they fell. For the first time in the campaign.

That alone already got some of the group worked up. Lemmiwink almost ignored his rival to focus his wrath on the bounty hunter that had downed Lehiri, even scorching him into a corpse after he fell unconscious. Kelp, too, fried a few mercenaries and the bounty hunter himself after a much well applied Lightning Bolt. Even Morgana, who has only recently joined the group, healed Lehiri and cast Sanctuary on them.

But as Lehiri rose from unconsciousness, a tall shadow emerged from their body, the distorted figure of their former (deceased) Master - whose conscience had made itself known in theirs to a few times - held them up by the head before striking them three times: in the face, in the chest and in their ears.

His form was not solid enough to land the last hit but the damage was done. Lehiri lost all senses but hearing. Completely blind and without any sensation of touch, they spiralled back into their worst moment: when they were held captive in a torturous sensory deprivation chamber, and left to rot for months. They fell to the ground in a panic attack, completely unaware of their surroundings as some of the party finished off the remaining enemies or convinced them to flee.

Kelp rushed to them, falling to his knees next to them, held their face like he's done a dozen times to ground them and started telling them that they're safe, they're not in that chamber anymore, he's got them. Lehiri got desperate, they believed they were hallucinating his voice in their descent into insanity until Kelp joined their minds, an ability unique to him, and showed them that he was holding them, his forehead resting against theirs, all the others were here, they were safe.

As he held them tight and caressed their hair, the group began discussing the next steps. Iorverth, Lemmiwink's dragon and friend, curled up around Lehiri protectively (and not even letting Lemmiwink himself approach). A few incantations were cast on them, unsuccessfully. Ekvir said that they should head somewhere safer, and the group decided to go back to the Sandhawk Legion's camp.

Kelp, still holding them, recast 'Share Thoughts' but the spell was running out. Just before it broke, he tightened his hold a little more and kissed their forehead, the rushing, anxious thoughts of they are too important/they’re my person, I HAVE to fix this as their link breaks. He didn’t leave their side, describing to them everything that was happening around them. His voice was the only thing keeping them from falling into despair again.

All images feature Lehiri.

First row: all canon. 1st and 3rd panel feature Ekvir. 2nd has Kazer. Both were fuck buddies with Lehiri in the past, almost friends with benefits but not quite.

Second row: non-canon (or not specifically canon) Kelhiri from my previous little comic.

Third row: canon Kelhiri when they got together in Nereo; Lemmihiri hug (I couldn't leave Lemmiwink out, so paternal/protective hug is in!); lastly another non-canon Kelhiri.