#faust fic

Sick Days

A frustrated groan woke Faust from her nap, jolting her out of her comfortable dreams of skinks and warm knitted sweaters.  With a loud yawn, she stretched herself out, glancing over at the kitchen.  The shop was closed today, Asra out gathering ingredients to help the Apprentice get over their cold.  It had laid them low for the last week, the constant coughing sending both Asra and Faust darting from the room to try and find the cold remedy tea.  The Apprentice had already told them, in no uncertain terms, that if they never tasted elderberry again before they died it would still be too soon.  Asra had laughed at that, slipping the spoon of said elderberry syrup into their mouth mid-protest.

The frustrated groan came again, and Faust sighed as she slithered off her warm perch and across the chilly countertop.

Cold.  Cold.  Cold.

The apprentice was standing in the kitchen, one of Asra’s colorful blankets wrapped tightly around them.  Their hair was a messy, nose still red and runny from the cold they just couldn’t shake.  Faust could also see the dark circles under their eyes, a testament to the sleepless hours they’d spent trying to still their coughing.  They shuffled almost aimlessly around the kitchen, opening different cabinets, then shutting them again with an annoyed grumble.

“Come on, where is it?”

Friend?  Faust slithered over to the counter in front of them, cocking her head to the side.  Shouldn’t be out of bed.

This earned a laugh, a raspy sound that dissolved into a coughing fit.  When they finally could speak again, they sent her a weak smile.  “I know, I know Faust.  But I’m dying up there.  I hate not being able to do anything.”

Faust leaned up, nudging their hand gently with her head.  Rest!  Friend needs to get better!  Back to bed!

“I’ll go, I’ll go,” the Apprentice protested with a sigh.  “I’m just trying to make some tea.  I don’t want to wait for Asra to do it, he’s already doing so much.”

Faust gave them a pointed, red eyed look.  Asra is worried.  Wants you to get better.

“I feel like a burden,” the Apprentice admitted softly, lowering themselves into a chair.  “He’s already spent so long carrying for me when I didn’t remember…”

Faust quickly slithered over to the table, bumping the Apprentice’s cheek with her nose.  Stop that!  Not a burden!

When the Apprentice didn’t reply, Faust slipped around their arm, giving them a tight, comforting squeeze.

Friend will never be a burden.

“Hello?”  Asra’s voice rang out in the shop, the white haired magician appearing in the kitchen doorway a few moments later.  Concern washed over his face when he saw the Apprentice sitting there.  “Are you alright?  You should be resting in bed.”

They chuckled, shaking their head.  “Faust was just telling me the same thing.  I was just trying to make some tea.”

Asra smiled softly, setting down the ingredients he’d gathered.  “Well why don’t you help me make some and then we head back upstairs and read for a few hours?”

Jealous

Something was new, different, and Faust wasn’t sure she liked it.  Sure Asra seemed more cheerful than normal, but he was distracted.  Way more distracted than normal.

He’d tripped and fallen into the cave lake yesterday, grabbed the wrong set of ingredients, and now he had cooked a blue tailed skink instead of a blue tongued skink.

The outrage.

Asra.  She whined, poking the skink with her tail.  Sure it wasn’t the end of the world, but blue tongued skinks tasted so much better than blue tailed skinks.

“Ah, sorry Faust.”  Asra smiled sheepishly, running a hand through his hair.

Distracted.  She curled up his arm, poking his cheek with her tail.  Why?

He waved a hand, face turning read.  “It’s nothing Faust, really.”

Hmm…  She poked his cheek with her tail again.  Repeatedly.

Why?

Why?

Why?

Asra burst out laughing, uncoiling her from around his  neck.  “It’s nothing Faust, really, I just have a date.”

Faust froze, mouth dropping open as she stared at him.  What?

Faust was totally not sulking, totally hadn’t been sulking ever since Asra left for his date.  She had a perfectly good reason to be tucked into the bed with the covers pulled up around her totally ignoring the world.

Stupid Asra.  She mumbled to herself.  Stupid date.

Below her the door slammed shut and forced herself not to perk up.  It was just Asra, coming home from his date.  And while she was still totally not sulking she was totally not going to greeting him like everything was normal.  Like he wasn’t trying to replace her.

“Faust are you up here?”  Asra’s voice was followed a minute later by him flopping onto the bed next to her.

She let out an annoyed hiss, pulling the covers up over her again.

“Are you sulking Faust?”

No.  Came her muffled reply.

“I think you are,” Asra teased, poking her through the covers.

She playfully snapped at his finger, causing him to pull it back with a laugh.

“Oh come on Faust, are you jealous?”  Asra carefully extracted her from under the covers, putting her on his chest as he flopped back onto the bed.

No.  She stuck her tongue out at him.  Not jealous.

He laughed, tapping her on the nose.  “Yes you are.  You’re acting the same way you did when I adopted the stove salamander.  And when we fostered those baby snakes.”

Pausing, he carefully picked her up, maneuvering her so he could look her in the face.  Which actually took a couple minutes because she kept trying to wiggle out of his grasp.

“Faust, Faust.”  Asra couldn’t help but laugh as she did her best noodle impression to try and slide out of his hands.  “Come on Faust.”

Not sulking!

“Oh yes you are.  You’re jealous I had a date.”  He laughed again as she turned to face him, bumping his nose with her.

Replace me!  Faust glared at him, sticking her tongue out at him.

“I’m not going to replace you Faust,” he protested, trying to hide his laughter.

It was really hard for Faust to look threatening or mad when she was only a little bigger than a shoestring.

Replacing me, Faust whined, bumping his nose again.

“I’m not going to replace you,” Asra repeated, putting his back down on his chest.  “It was just a date Faust.”

She paused, studying him.  She knew that look, she’d seen it on countless customers who came in asking for readings and to know if they’d be together forever.

Asra was love struck.

Dummy.  She slithered up to curl around his neck.  Big dummy.

Of course whoever this person was would have to get her seal of approval.  But anyone who could make her Asra this happy couldn’t be that bad.

“Do you want to meet them Faust?”  Asra asked with a laugh.

Faust pretended to consider it, then nodded.  Need to make sure they deserve you.

Asra chuckled softly, running a hand over her scales.  “Alright, alright, I’ll take you to meet them tomorrow.”

Faust totally wasn’t nervous, just like she hadn’t been sulking yesterday.  She just naturally had enough energy to be almost quivering against Asra’s neck as he walked through the market.  Why would she be nervous?  Heck, the person Asra was dating should be nervous!  They needed her approval in order to continue dating her Asra!

“Alright Faust, here we are.”

Already?  She ducked her head under his scarf.

“Come on Faust, it’s just the baker’s.”  Asra didn’t bother to hide the laughter in his voice.

Bribe me.  Faust mumbled, not moving.

“Fine, fine, we can get some bread to share too.  After you meet them,” he said, swinging the door open.

Faust paused, then poked her head out from under the scarf.  Dating baker?

It was Asra’s turn to pause before he started laughing.  “No, no, this is just where we met.  Thought it’d be fitting for you two to meet here to.”

“There you are Asra!”

Faust jumped at the new voice, slowly turning to look at the person.

Oh.

She could totally see why Asra liked them.  Not only were they his type (she’d seen him mooning over a couple people over the years), but that magic.

“You must be Faust!  Asra’s told me all about you.”

With a huff, she let them pick her up, studying them as they studied her.  Hi?

“Well hello to you too.”  They laughed and she saw Asra turn red out of the corner of her eye.

Hear me?  Only Asra and their large friend could hear her.

“Yes?  Am I not supposed to be able to hear you?”  They cast a questioning look at Asra, who simply laughed.

“Seems like you two already like each other if you’re able to pick up on her speaking that quickly.”  He shot a look towards Faust.

“Oh wait, that’s right!”  They handed Faust back to Asra before rummaging in their bag.  “I got you this!”

(Alrighty y’all, as the title suggest this one is super sad/has spoilers for the Death Chapter.  @ bh-chaotic requested angst on Lazaret, so here’s my best shot!!)

She knew they were back in the city before the shoreline appeared on the horizon.  Dark plumes of smoke covered the sky, filling the air with a strange, thick smell.  Faust let out a small hiss, tucking her nose under Asra’s scarf.  The ride back home had been tense and it didn’t help that they were some of the only passengers going into Vesuvia, rather than leaving it.

Home?  She asked softly, squeezing Asra’s neck softly.

“Soon Faust.”

She could feel the tension in his body as he ran a hand over her scales.  Every part of him was taunt, his magic almost to the point of snapping.  But if she hadn’t been so close to him she wouldn’t be able to tell, his face an impartial mask as he stared at the horizon.

Friend’s there?

She missed their friend, missed the happy times in the shop, and wished all three of them had left the town together.  Maybe then dread wouldn’t be hanging in the air like the smoke clouds.

“I hope so Faust.”  Asra’s hand drifted to his pocket, to the tarot cards.  “I shouldn’t have left them here.”

It was because of the cards that they had returned to the town.  Because of the reading he’d done for their friend.

Because of the Devil that leered up at them no matter how many times Asra shuffled the deck.

The ship captain’s voice broke through the silence.  “Alright everyone, we’re only docking for a few minutes.  I don’t want to stay here longer than I have to.”

Asra let out a soft sigh, patting Faust on the head as he picked up their bags.  “Alright Faust, let’s go home.”

The shop was as vacant as the city streets when they arrived.  Faust had only seen two other people on their way from the docks to the market, and neither had acknowledged Asra as he walked past them.  Faust had looked at them curiously as they walked past, then ducked her head back under Asra’s scarf.  The people had carried that same strange scent with them, the one that permeated the smoke above.

“The wards are still up,” Asra said softly, a tiny bit of hope in his voice.  “Maybe…”

Faust perked up as he undid the wards.  Their friend would be inside, everything was going to be fine!  They were going to have skinks for dinner and flop into the blanket pile in front of the fire.  Everything was going to go back to normal.

Inside the shop was dark and cold, familiar scents seeming dulled and lifeless.

Friend?  Faust dropped onto the shop counter as Asra called their name.

Flicking out her tongue, she tasted the magic in the air, trying to figure out how recently their friend had been there.  Further in, she heard Asra going through the rest of the rooms, the panic in his voice growing by the minute.

“They’re not here!”  Asra came back into the main room of the shop, running both hands through his white hair.  “They’re not here, they’re not here, why aren’t they here?  I shouldn’t have let them stay, I shouldn’t have left them.”

Faust quickly wound up Asra’s arm, gently hitting his cheek with her tail.  Stop.  Worry won’t find them.

Taking a deep breath, Asra nodded.  “Right.  Just because they’re not here doesn’t mean something happened.”

Spell?  Faust suggested, cocking her head to the side.  Find.

Asra nodded again.  “Tracking spell, right.  We’ll find them.”

Quickly he grabbed the ingredients, Faust lending her help as they cast the spell together.

“Please be safe,” Asra murmured.

Faust hadn’t expected the spell to lead them back to the docks.  The ship they had come on had already left, but there were other boats there too, boats filled with people with red eyes.

Asra pressed a hand over his mouth.  “No...please.”

They ended up bartering some of the bread they’d brought home for one of the boats, though the man they borrowed it from refused to head out with them.

“Don’t know why you wanna go out there.  No one goes to Lazaret by choice.”

But that’s where the spell led them, both snake and magician silent as the waters propelled the boat forward.

“I shouldn’t have left them,” Asra breathed, the boat coming to rest on the grey sands.

The spell stopped as they hit the sands, Asra staring down at it.  Silence stretched across the island, the cold, unnatural silence just before something snapped.

“No.”

The word was soft, so soft Faust almost missed it.  Asra dropped to his knees, digging into the sands.

Into the ash.

“No, no please!”

He dug into the ash, trying to find something, anything, to prove the spell wrong.  They couldn’t be here, this couldn’t happen.

Red speckled the grey sands as he dropped his head to his knees.  Faust curled around his neck, his shoulders shaking with heart racking sobs.

(It’s short, but I hope you like it)

Sleepy Shenanigans

“Faust?  Asra?  Are you here?”  The Apprentice’s voice rang out through the shop.

No.  Faust muttered to herself, snuggling closer to Asra’s warmth.

They’d been up really late the night before working on a new spell and gathering ingredients and she had no plans of actually leaving the bed today.  Asra groaned softly, shifting back the covers as he peered sleepily around the room.

No,  Faust whined, quickly chasing after the warmth the covers provided.  Not here.

“Guys?”  Their voice carried up the stairs, followed a few moments later by their footsteps.

“Upstairs,” Asra called sleepily.

Faust nosed Asra’s cheek, then slid under the the pillow for more warmth.  Which was a mistake as Asra lay his head back down on her.

Ow, rude!

“Oops, sorry Faust.”  Asra chuckled as he sat back up, rescuing his familiar from the pillow.

Faust sleepily stuck her tongue out him, causing a laugh from the Apprentice who’d just reached the top of the stairs.

“Did you two stay up too late again?”  They laughed, sitting down on the bed.

“Late is a matter of perspective.”  Asra let Faust curl around his neck, then leaned over.  He wrapped his arms around the apprentice’s shoulder dragging them back into the bed.

Their yelp turned into laughter as they landed on Asra’s chest.  Faust let out a squeak, quickly dodging out of the way of the ensuing cuddle pile.  She scooted up to the safety of the pillow, shaking her head as the Apprentice leaned down to kiss Asra.

“Mmm,” Asra hummed sleepily.  “That’s a good morning I could get used to.”

“Maybe you should sleep in more often then,” They replied, chuckling softly.

Saps, Faust muttered, flicking her tongue out at both of them.

This earned another laugh and the Apprentice stretched up to give her a good morning scratch under the chin.

“Sorry Faust, did I wake you?”  They smiled softly as she flicked her tongue out at them.

Yes.  She stated, then leaned into their hand.  But forgiven now.

“So, are you two going to actually get up today?”  They teased, flopping back down on the bed next to Asra.

Asra hummed as he pretended to think about it.  “Depends, do you want to join us?”

Oh no.  Faust knew exactly where this was going.  She did not have time for shenanigans this morning.

“Well, I have nothing planned for the day.”  The Apprentice grinned at Asra playfully.

Sour!

Humans were very, very weird, Faust thought to herself.  The shop was closed for the day so Asra and the Apprentice could go on a date.  Personally she’d spent all day curled up in her blankets in front of the stove in her sweater to try and ward off the cold.  She had just started to doze off when Asra and the Apprentice came back in, laughing and carrying on and waking her up.

Rude.  She yawned, then slithered out of the kitchen and into the main shop.

Bags were all over the counter, forcing her to have to maneuver through a maze of paper bags and packages.  She could hear Asra and the Apprentice laughing from somewhere in the mess of packages, and then a sound that she quickly recognized as kissing.

Gross.

“Oh, hi Faust.”  Asra reached down, scooping her up.  “Did we wake you?”

Loud!  She whined, then playfully poked Asra’s cheek with her nose.  How was date?

“Asra took us to get our fortunes read.”  The Apprentice laughed, elbowing Asra playfully.  “Though I think he had more fun casting the glamour.”

Asra chuckled softly.  “You look good in rainbow leopard print.”

Faust rolled her eyes, bumping her nose into Asra’s cheek again.  Romantic fools.

That earned a laugh from both humans.  Asra wrapped Faust around his neck as both he and the Apprentice started unpacking their packages.

Judging.  She said, poking a package of shop supplies.  Supposed to be date.

“We needed a few things for the shop Faust,” the Apprentice said with a chuckle.  “And since we were out in the forest anyways…”

Making out in lake.  Faust gave both of them a pointed look.  That was the exact reason she didn’t go into the cave with them anymore.  Lovey-dovey fools always started making out in the water.

Laughter rang out through the shop as neither magician even tried to deny it.  Faust would never understand humans in love.

“Oh Faust, I got something for you.”  The Apprentice grinned cheerfully, heading back into the main shop.

Bribe?  Faust perked up, poking Asra to go follow the Apprentice.

Asra chuckled softly, heading back into the main shop as well.  The Apprentice was rummaging through various bags, muttering to themselves.  

“Which bag, which bag.  Asra, where’s the bag from the candy shop?”

Candy?  Faust was very excited now, positively bouncing from her perch around Asra’s neck.  Sugar!

“You gave it to me for safe keeping,” Asra said with a laugh, fishing the bag out of his pocket.

He passed it to them with a smile, Faust watching curiously as the Apprentice fished out a gummi skink from the bag and passed it to her.  She studied it curiously, cocking her head to the side.

“Go on, it’s snake safe.  Asra and I had them custom ordered.”

Her eyes lit up and she shot forward, snapping the gummi skink of their hand.  The moment it hit her tongue her eyes went wide.  Her face scrunched up and she ducked her head into Asra’s collar.

(@ puffypotionsagainstddlg requested this fic, and I swear there’s no angst this time)

Faust was decidedly lost.  Completely and utterly, hopelessly lost.  The palace was too large for her tastes, who needed this much space to live?  And her opinion totally wasn’t colored because she had been searching for her friend for at least an hour.

Slithering across the cold marble floor, she paused to taste the air, trying to figure out where her friend could have gone.  There were so many different scents, so many different people who had wandered through this single hallway.

Lost!  She whined loudly, thunking her head against the wall.

Of course her friend had to be invited to the palace while Asra was out, literally right after he left too!  And of course Asra had asked her to keep an eye on them.  So she couldn’t just go home and curl up in a sunbeam.

Have to be responsible, she muttered.  Good, responsible Faust.

With a short huff, she started back down the hallway, testing the air every now and then to check for her friend’s scent.  Her progress was slow going, having to duck behind potted plants and doors whenever someone walked past.  Snakes weren’t normally found in fancy palaces, and most people couldn’t hear her to realize she was Asra’s familiar.

Last time she’d been here, she’d gotten chased out with a broom.  The cook was mean.

Suddenly a familiar scent caught her tongue and she perked up.

Friend!  Friend was here!  Finally, her first clue as to their whereabouts.  Honestly, she was beginning to think Asra had taught them his disappearing act.

The trail led them down another hallway where there was, thankfully, less foot traffic.  Even still it was somewhat slow going, other people had been through here and she kept losing the scent.

Next time, tying self to friend.  Faust muttered to herself.  See if they could escape her then, double knotted to their arm.

A cold wind hit her and she froze, eyes flickering towards an empty hallway.  She could see the staircase that led down, farther into the bowels of the castle.  Her friend’s scent wasn’t coming from the staircase, but something was there.

Cautiously, she slithered over to top of the staircase, cocking her head as she peered down.  The air was completely still, chill seeping through her scales.  The scents of ash and strange magic surrounded her as she stared down the stairs.

And two red eyes blinked back.

NOPE!  

Faust shot away from the staircase, so quickly she almost hit the other wall.  That was not something she was touching with a ten foot pole.  Whatever that was it could stay down in that ashy part of the castle, far, far away from her and her friends.

It took her a moment to catch her breath, eyes never leaving the staircase.  A part of her wondered if Asra knew what was here, if he too had felt the magic.  But then he wouldn’t have left it here would he?  And when would have he have sensed it?  They hadn’t been back to the palace since the night of the fire.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she quickly found her friend’s scent again.  She was going to find them, tie herself to their arm, and never let them out of her sight again.

Well, it’s still heartbreaking, but there’s some comfort here too (WARNING DEATH CHAPTER SPOILERS)

Comfort

“I shouldn’t have left, Faust.”  They were the first words Asra had spoken since they’d gotten back from the island.

Faust curled around his neck, giving him a soft squeeze.  They’d spent forever in the bath, washing that horrid ash off, but she could still feel the grit in her scales.  She knew Asra did too, she saw the way he rubbed his arms, played with the bandages on his fingers.

“I should have tried harder to convince them to come with me,” he said, curling around the shirt he clutched in his hands.

It had been one of theirs, Faust could still smell them on it.

Asra.  She hissed softly, nuzzling his cheek with her nose.

She didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to help.  All she wanted was to go back to a happier time, before the weird sickness.   Before their trio became a duo.

Before she watched their friend vanish on the horizon.

“If I had been here, maybe I could have…”

No.  She bumped her nose into his cheek, causing him to give her a startled look.  No thinking like that.

With a plop she fell off his shoulders onto the shirt, stretching up and booping him in the nose.  Friend wouldn’t want you sad.

Asra let out a soft sob, then pulled her into a hug.  “But what are we going to do Faust?  They’re gone!  They’re gone and I can’t…I can’t get them back.  I should have come back sooner.  Shouldn’t have ever left them here alone.”

Not your fault.  Faust repeated, allowing him to hug her.  The day had be too filled with volatile emotions already for her to get upset about who was squeezing whom.  Didn’t know.

They’d had this discussion before, on the ship back, when they found the shop empty, and on the way over to that horrible island.  Neither had been in the state to talk after they left the grey sands.

Asra pulled back, rubbing his eyes.  He let Faust slid back onto his shoulders, leaning his head back against the wall.  “I don’t even know what to do Faust.  I just…can’t accept they’re gone…”

She curled around his neck again, giving him a light squeeze as she rested her head in his hair.  They sat like that for what seemed like hours, the salamander keeping the fire crackling in the stove.

Suddenly Asra jolted, almost sending Faust tumbling off his shoulders.  She let out an annoyed hiss, curling a little tighter as he jumped to his feet.

“Faust, I know what to do!”

Sweeping his head out his eyes, he made his way back to the main room of the shop.  The palace’s letter still sat on the counter, crumpled and torn from when Asra had stepped on it searching through the shop.  Shifting his shoulder so Faust could see the letter to, he pointed out one the of the lines.

“They’re looking for the cure, Faust.  For him.”

Faust frowned, cocking her head at Asra.  But…won’t help friend…

He bit his lip, obviously fighting back the wave of emotions.  “No…but…the palace library.  It has books that I don’t.  Maybe…just maybe there’s something there that can help…”

His hand clenched around the wrinkled paper as he squeezed his eyes shut.  “Even if it means dealing with him again…”

Bring friend back?  Faust rubbed her head against his to comfort him.  She wanted nothing more then things to go back to normal, but was it even possible?

“I don’t know, Faust,” he said softly, replying to her unspoken concerns.  “But…if there is even a chance.  I have to try.”

Aw thank you so much!  I was so nervous when I first posted them and I’m so glad you guys enjoy them.   I only have a short one right now, but I hope you guys like it.  :D

Fireside Chat

Winter was by far Faust’s least favorite season.  As a creature of the cold blooded variety, she much preferred warm summer days where she could stretch out and warm her scales beneath the sun.  Fall too was nice, especially when Asra took her with him when he traveled to places where the leaves changed color.  Spring was good for business, so many people coming into the shop for allergy cures or help with their spring time romances.  But winter?  Winter was cold, even when huddled into her favorite sweater.  Asra had taken her to a place up north once, with the horrid white stuff called snow.  Just thinking about it made her shiver.

Though it had been really funny to watch Asra and the Apprentice have that snowball fight.

Currently, winter found Faust up north again, curled up in front of the fireplace in a cabin Asra had rented.  They’d been up here for a week, trying to find some rare ingredients for a customer back home.  Asra and her had been working out in the forest to gather not only the rare ingredients, but other ingredients for the upcoming holiday season and now she was so cold she couldn’t move, even with her favorite sweater.  Once they’d gotten back, Asra had put her in the pile of blankets by the fireplace.  She could hear Asra moving in the kitchen, but didn’t know what he was up to.  Right now she wanted to just focus on getting warm again.

The teapot whistled in the kitchen and a few minutes later she heard quiet footsteps make their way into the room.   Asra slipped into the blanket pile a few moments later, setting a cup of hot tea next to her.  As quickly as she could, she wrapped around it, letting out a content hum.

Warm.

Asra chuckled softly, picking up tea cup and snake and shifting them closer to the fire.  “Sorry to keep you out in the cold so long today Faust.  I just wanted to find those ingredients before we went back to Vesuvia tomorrow.”

She perked up at that, tilting her head to look up at him.  Home?

While she loved traveling, she did miss the shop, and their friend they’d left there.  She knew Asra did too, even if they didn’t fully remember him.  Being at home with them rough, especially on the magician.  She’d seen the pain in his eyes, the brief moments he’d thought they remembered, only for the headaches to return full force.

Ingredients help?  She cocked her head to the side.  Was that the reason they’d spent so long up here?  Friend remember?

Asra sighed softly, a sad smile on his lips.  “Maybe Faust, I don’t know.”

He paused, taking a sip of his tea.  “A part of me is afraid they’re never going to remember, or that if they do, it won’t be the same.”

Warmed enough to move again, she slithered up his arm, bumping his nose with hers affectionately.  Friend will remember.  Will be alright.

Her tongue flicked out, accidentally tickling his nose and causing him to sneeze.  She let out a startled yelp as the motion upset her balance, sending her tumbling back into the blanket pile.

Rude.

“Sorry Faust!”  Asra laughed, rescuing her from the blanket hoard and helping her orientate herself.

Once she was settled, curled up on his chest and warm, they both relaxed again in front of the fire.