Absolute Chaos

"Oh... It's that time of the year. Did I really spend that long outside?"

The answer is yes. When out collecting herbs, you had seen a couple of pretty birds and flowers and decided to sit down and doodle them. You hadn't noticed the time that passed when you were done. You also had not accounted for that much time outside today, and did not use any kind of protection against the sun. Now here you are, back to the inn, looking at the mirror in the shower room, you noticed just how red your arms are.

Summer and sunburns are basically synonyms for you, you never liked the texture of most sun protectors, and even if you used those most of the time, your skin still ended up all red. However, it is not summer yet. You will still need to wear long sleeves for a while, which will just make everything worse.

You sigh and get your nightgowns from your room, looking over at your roommate and partner.

"The shower will have to be cold tonight. Do you still want to join me?"

Molly, who was shuffling his deck, grabs his own nightgown and give a chaste kiss to your lips.

"Of course I do."

You shower together under a pretty cold stream of water. Once you are both done and dressed for bed, Molly gently takes your arm in their hands, careful to not touch the red skin.

"Ouch, you were really focused on your sketching, weren't you?"

"Yeah, those birds were beautiful. I just wish I would have had colors to bring them to life more. They're prettier with colors."

"Well, how about you show me what you drew?"

"Sure!!" You take your sketchbook from the nightstand and open it to the pages you doodled in, full of birds and flowers.

Molly sits next to you, making sure your arms stay clear of contact. "Those are really pretty, love. I can understand why you lost track of time. The details on this one are immaculate" she points to one of the bird heads.

"Yeah, I'm honestly surprised at how close I was able to get without scaring the bird!"

"I'm glad you had fun while the sun was cooking you. Now, you look exhausted."

He press a gentle kiss to your forehead. "How about we call it a night?"

"I'm okay with that." You close your sketchbook and put it down on the nightstand.

"Can we cuddle?"

"Always."

This is your third month with the Mighty Nein. Despite being unsure at first, this group has been a lot of fun to be a part of. The last couple days had been quiet, and now, in the middle of the night, you find yourself struggling to fall asleep. Yasha, your roommate, seems to be asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, you quietly go downstairs.

The lights are dimmed. The bar is still open, but there are only a couple patrons present, and you feel like most of them are probably here for similar reasons to you. You sit down next to a window and open it a crack, feeling the cool breeze on your skin. You close your eyes to appreciate the sounds of nature before hearing familiar footsteps. You partially open your eyes to look in their direction and are met with the sight of a surprised Caleb walking towards you.

"You weren't able to find sleep either, I assume?"

"Yeah..." You close the window and gesture to the seat in front of you. Caleb sits down, observing you for a moment.

"What brought you here?"

"I miss home... Just a bit. I like being here a lot. You have your own quiet comfort, even if you don't notice it, Nott is very endearing, Jester is lively and fun to be with, Yasha is surprisingly gentle, Fjord feels like a big brother, I admire Beau's confidence, and Molly..." You smile and look towards the window, feeling your cheeks flush at the thought of the Tiefling. "I think everyone knows what I think of him..."

"But sometimes, it is not the people you are missing, but the environment."

"Exactly. It was definitely easier, and... More boring for sure, but not always bad I guess. It'll pass, I'm sure of it. What about you, what keeps you from sleeping?"

The wizard lower his eyes, his fingers tensing against his bandages. Frumpkin rubs his face against Caleb's. "There is a... spell. I wanted to look at more closely..."

"I... See. Well, I am no wizard, but what is that spell for?"

"It's... Complicated."

You stare at him for a moment. "Caleb, you're a terrible liar. Just know that I am more than happy to keep you company. Whatever it is that's keeping you up."

"Thank you."

The two of you sit in comfortable silence for a couple minutes before the wizard looks at you again.

"I... Was having nightmares. And Nott is asleep. That's why I came down here."

"Oh, I see... Any details you want to share?"

He shakes his head.

"I see. Hm... I usually make myself chamomile tea and write down my nightmares. It helps to put things into perspective. Helping me realize what's real and what isn't."

You see Caleb smile. A tired smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, but for Caleb, that's already a lot. "That is some good advice."

A yawn escape you "Well, I think I'm ready to go back. Are you?"

"Ja"

It is a night of celebration in the town. You are all exhausted from the battle, but after a couple drinks, most of you have been getting into the spirits. You however, have not been able to properly enjoy everything. It's not something you're used to. Getting into such dangers. And while everyone came out of it alright, some of your comrades almost died in front of you. You were starting to reconsider this lifestyle.

"I need somewhere more quiet..." You mumble to yourself.

You raise from your seat and get trough the jolly crowd. You walk for a couple minutes before finding the central fountain of the village, deciding it's a suitable place. Far enough to be peaceful, but close enough to faintly hear the music from the inn.

You sit down on the fountain edge and look up at the sky. The stars are shining brightly in the night. After a moment, you hear a familiar jangling of jewelry that make you raise your head and smile at the Tiefling.

"You alright love? You seem a bit shaken up."

You nod "I'm fine... I think... I just-... I wasn't expecting to see you almost die! I didn't think things would get so intense! Don't get me wrong, it was fun for the most part, but... How do you do it? How can you be so cheerful when all of us are injured and got so close to death just an hour ago?"

"Well, no one wants to ruin a good party atmosphere! But truly, this is quite usual for us. Not too far off the carnival lifestyle when you think about it. We cherish what we have and live every day like it's our last! For the most part at least. This life isn't for everyone, but I think it's the best kind of life. And it pays well!"

That gets a chuckle out of you. "It is quite nice to be treated like heroes. But... I'm not sure if I'm cut out for this. I think... I think I'll need a few more adventures with you and the group to know if I am."

"That's the spirit! Sticking around is the best way to know if it's for you."

He bends down, giving you a gentle kiss on the forehead before extending a hand to you.

"The stars are beautiful tonight. It would be such a waste to leave without giving them a show. So, may I have this dance with you?"

You nod enthusiastically, taking her hand and immediately getting pulled up. "I would love to"

They lead you in a frantic dance, laughter echoing trough the mostly empty streets. He twirls you around, lifts you off the ground, dips you and at some point, you're unsure if you're following the distant rhythm or her own, but you couldn't care less.

A few minutes passes and they slowly come to a stop. Sitting you down on the fountain edge and joining you, both of you catching your breath.

"Feeling better yet?"

"Yes! And more exhausted!"

"Good. Well then, it seems the festivities have calmed down a bit. Care to join us back inside?"

You look up at the twinkling stars one last time, gently taking Molly's hand.

"Sure. And thank you. For this."

"It was nothing."

It had been a few weeks since you joined the Nein now. You had originally decided to join force for a common goal, and ended up sticking together after. Being an artist, you had quickly befriended Jester, bonding over your love for art and often doodling together. Today was a regular afternoon, your friend was observing your outfit and all of its complexities and you were explaining how each layers worked when she raised up.

"That's a very nice outfit, but it certainly won't be practical for longer travels. Let's go buy you a new one!"

The Tiefling took your hands and lifted you to your feet, you both took the time to ask if anyone else wanted to come, but it seemed they had other needs. Jester lead you to the village's best clothings shop, and you immediately felt a shift in the atmosphere.

"Jester, are you sure we can afford these?"

"Of course! I'll pay, don't worry."

So now, with what felt like an endless amount of possibilities and the rest of the afternoon in front of you, you began your search for the perfect outfit. You started by picking up the cheapest clothes you could find, those in the sale section. A couple tops, a few pants, a singular bag, when you went to try them, none of it felt right. It dawned on you the reason they were on sales was probably a fabrication mistake, so they were lower quality. You sigh before putting them back and looking in the regular clothes now. You tried looking for the cheaper ones, but nothing felt quite like your style. After a bit of browsing, you slowly find what you want. A dark blue shirt with long sleeves and frills at the end, a nice, light blue cloak, teal, slightly oversized pants, and a heavy belt. Getting out of the changing room, Jester's eyes immediately light up.

"Oh my Traveller, you look so pretty!! This suits you perfectly!!"

"Really? I think I like it too. It feels... Lighter in a way. Are you sure you can pay for it? Together, it's ten gold pieces..."

"That's alright! I just got some yesterday!"