#spawnmade

❝ did you miss me? ❞ to gale

Gale's heart nearly stopped in his chest when he saw Astarion and the others bursting through into the temple where Orin held him captive. It had been a long and tortuous time, and he had been surprised that Orin had even spared him the way she did.

With the Bhaalspawn finally fallen, Gale can hardly keep himself from falling forward and into Astarion, wrapping his arms tightly around him as he burries his face into the vampire's neck. He tries to speak at first, but his words are caught in his chest as he struggles to find what to say for once.

The result is a soft, shuddering sob while his hands cling desperately with shaking fingers into Astarion's back. Finally, he let's out a shaky breath and finds his words, though they only come out in a whisper for fear of saying them too loud would break him.

The vampire was no fool and if Halsin had not been so alert he might have noticed but when it came to Astarion Halsin prides himself in his awareness. “First when I complimented the way you had taught Yenna prestidigitation. It was a kind thing for you to do, and you were patient with her.” Astarion had scoffed rather than let Halsin praise him much. It was as if he didn’t want others to know when he was being kind or generally good. Even without the threat of his deceased master learning about it, Astarion still preferred to hide his good deeds.

“And then when we were writing Gale back - you actually said you missed him, which was a surprisingly sweet thing to say.” And Astarion had almost snarled at him for it. “And now - it was kind of you to promise to hunt down any other monsters in the area.” The Orphans had been reassured, Halsin felt. And it was a more positive way for Astarion to call himself a monster and Halsin had to let it slide.

It had unnerved her, to wake up and find she was not the only one still up at this time of the night — or up again in her case, she was unsure if Astarion had slept at all, he certainly did not look like he had embraced the comfort of a proper trance so far this night. She almost snarled at him to mind his own business, to not take sleep for granted when he could indulge at it every single day without cowering in front of the same fear that plagued her whenever the EXHAUSTION set in. There was something deeply wrong with her, with her mind and she could not risk letting it run loose on its own, not in the company of her allies. It had sought her out again this night and she had awoken from uneasy dreams soaked in sweat though somewhat relieved when her hands had come up clean. No BLOOD had been spilled tonight. Perhaps her dreams had truly only been dreams. The only reason she did not respond to his inquiry with simple snark was because she spotted something in his eyes ... not quite recognition of her circumstances but the faint idea of familiarity. Familiarity with what? Her situation? Watching someone else struggle like this? She did not know. Perhaps she was not the only one with nightmares in this camp after all.

Send ❤️ + a URL and I’ll write something nice about them/their blog! - @spawnmade

Oh where do I start?? honestly? Jay is an absolute *gem* - they've been welcoming and let me get my footing again in writing on Tumblr. I do not know if I can honestly say I'd be enjoying Halsin this much if not for Jay giving me the chance to start with!

Every little gasp seemed to make Astarion's eyes almost cross, that intake of breath and that hungry little way that his mouth moved - he couldn't reach him, not the way Halsin's hand had settled between his shoulder blades to press him down. It was loving, the way his thumb stroked over Astarion's spine with each thrust - but that mouth. It was distracting. Halsin knelt behind him, Astarion spread gloriously before him on the bed, pale skin glistening - and all his rogue's body did was positively beg for more. "My love," Halsin crooned as he guided one of Astarion's legs a little bit to change the angle just so before he pressed a kiss to Astarion's shoulder. "They're going to hear you." He teased fondly, well aware that his own deeper groans and moans had only fed off Astarion's.

Lucanis doesn't know what's happening when it first begins. All he hears is a commotion outside his cell, and he stands to walks over towards the red barrier to try and hear what is happening. His demon, ever curious, hangs over his shoulder with coiled anticipation.

"Fight?"

"No, not now, not yet..." Lucanis says, cautiously hopeful as he listens to the commotion, catching shouts and gathering what is happening.

His captors are in a panic as he hears talks of people breeching the Ossuary. And one of them is a Crow. Could it be? Could they be coming for him?

For the first time in the past year of imprisonment, torture, and experimentation at the hands of the Venatori, Lucanis feels a shred of hope in his chest. Perhaps they don't know he's captured, perhaps it is someone coming to finally finish the contract (Illario maybe? Would he?), regardless he's not going to let the chance slip by.

The barrier on his cell begins to flicker, flutter, and then completely disappear. Already, there are guards coming towards him, and he can feel Spite's rage and thirst for revenge like lightening in his veins.

He thirsts for revenge too.

"FIGHT?"

"Yes, now!"

With those words, he can feel Spite's satisfaction as they begin to tare through the Venatori. It's more difficult without his blades, but Spite gives him the strength to fight through it.

Somewhere along the way, he acquires blades from a fallen Venatori and he continues to fight his way out until he comes to a room with a giant crystal formation in the center there are Venatori surrounding it, likely trying to rebuild their wards. Then Lucanis can hear voices coming from the other side, beyond the door...

One voice sounds almost familiar...

As he hears the others burst through the door, Lucanis takes advantage of the distraction and spreads his wings, Spite's wings, launching himself into the air before crashing through the crystal and right into one of the mages.

He doesn't stop with that one, taking the others out easily before he stops and turns around, eyes settling on his saviors.

Lucanis' heart nearly stops and his breath catches in his throat as he gazes upon a familiar pale face and piercing red eyes, white hair dancing wild around the elf's face.

"Don’t be shy. You can tell me what you’ve been thinking."

Moments like these are rare.. There is quiet in the camp as the others have either taken the opportunity to rest in their own tents, or gone off to scout and see what else can be done before they depart to the Shadowlands.

But it's quiet, and it's empty, and Jaez is, for a moment, left alone with his own thoughts.

Thoughts of the fleeting memories of his past in his head that are starting to become more numerous, starting to piece together and make sense. Everything had started to come more into focus when that wretched little creature who called itself his butler had shown up after what had happened to the other bard.

One name keeps haunting him. When he's not dreaming of the Guardian, whom he certainly doesn't trust, he's hearing a name in his nightmares. Repeated over and over, as if the very name is creating who he is, forming him, shaping him into what he will be.... and then nothing. As if he was given up on, incomplete, or made wrong...

His thoughts are interrupted when he hears Astarion's voice behind him, jumping a little as he's startled from his stream of dark consciousness.

"You sure you want to know?" He asks as Astarion settles down beside him. Seeing that the elf isn't going to just let it drop like that, Jaez sighs and hangs his head, looking down at the ground they sit upon for a moment before speaking.

Send on a ✏️ for an incorrect quote (some crack for anyone who needs it) | @spawnmade

Astarion: Heh, Gale sneezes like a girl.

Gale: How about I pound you like boy?

Gale: That didn’t come out right.

-

Astarion: This date is boring!

Gale: This isn't a date. I said I was going to the store.

Astarion: Then why did you invite me?