#c: gatekeeper

“About as much as I consider trying to understand your druid magic.” A cop out that earns a small huffing laugh from Gatekeeper. Shifting her hood back to uncover her short curly hair, she attempts an unamused look.

“Sometimes I do, yes. But then I remember how everyone trails after him as if he’s handing out blessings from the Lightweaver herself. No doubt he’d try to get Karasi to teach me all about her magic Voice nonsense,” Persephone admits, unable to resist giving Gatekeeper anything she asks for.

“It’s safer there though, and much less stressful than having to keep on our toes for all those enemies you and Cass manage to make.” The barb earns an indignant noise from Persephone. Setting aside her neatly organized piles of herbs, Gatekeeper turns to face her fully.

“I know you worry about us, we could visit and catch a break for a while if nothing else.”

Persephone makes a noise of disgust and shifts closer to her girlfriend, before hesitating and shifting back to where she had been previously. The line of questioning was getting to her then, hardly anything could stop the tactile woman from twisting their fingers into a loose hold whenever she could. A change of topic was in order.

“Cass wanted to to try and offload some of the items from that last clan as soon as possible, said something about a sorcerer swearing vengeance?” Gatekeeper brushes a hand along a pile of Chickweed before gathering it up into a pouch at her waist. Persephone lets out a heavy, frustrated sigh and starts gathering up some of the other herbs.

The two trail silently back towards where they had set up their small camp, brushing from shoulder down to loose hands. Gatekeeper was content in closeness, it was Persephone who needed solid touch as often as possible. Only when they reach the edge of camp does Persephone fit their fingers together gently. Gatekeeper returns the gesture with a small squeeze, her customary response and an apology all mixed in one.

They settle the herbs into their respective piles in a dry corner of their shared shetler, before Persephone begins unbuckling her belt of daggers and pulls her dark cloak from her shoulders. It all falls in a messy pile next to the bedrolls laid out for the two of them. She yanks the band from her braid and shakes her head, loosening the tightly woven braid and sitting down heavily on the bedrolls.

“If we pass near Percy’s clan, we can stop by for a while, but I won’t stay if he insists on telling me all about my destiny or how we need to bring Venatici back to the clan. Poor guy just wants to be left alone, I don’t get why he won’t get over that,” Persephone allows quietly, not looking up at the druid who’d turned to focus on her when she began speaking.

Gatekeeper brushes her hands off against her dark pants, removes her cloak and places it neatly next to her dark headdress she had decided against wearing that morning. She then moves over to drape herself across Persephone’s lap, the other’s hands coming up to wrap around her waist immediately. She tucks herself neatly under Persephone’s chin, her own arms circling her girlfriend’s waist.

“We don’t have to, I just wanted you to be able to rest and not be on guard at all hours for a bit. It’s not healthy for you,” Gatekeeper mumbles the words quietly into the tanned collarbone in front of her.