Chapter Text
“Alright, what about these ones?” Gale points to another set of footprints near the fire. Since coming back to camp they’d made a proper game of figuring out who’s been where around the place. So far Tav had gotten all but two right. She’d picked out Halsin’s, they were about the same size as Karlach’s, but straighter; and Wyll’s, the weight being kept on his back foot. No, the ones she’d struggled with were Astarion and Shadowheart. Both walked extremely light on their feet, and at least one of them had to be wearing the wrong shoe size on purpose. A stealth method, maybe?
And now Gale’s just being cheeky. She grins, rolling her eyes “Those belong to Scratch.”
“Incredible, a true professional.”
“One of the best in the High Wood,” she puffs her chest, playing into the bit.
“Really now?”
“Mhm, practiced and everything.”
“I don’t know, I think I’ve proven myself adequately stealthy thus far.”
“Please. I could find your creaky knees anywhere.” She teases him.
“Prove it,” He baits her.
“Alright, maybe I will. I bet I’ll find you before Astarion finishes his night time routine.”
“Well, if it’s a wager now we need proper stakes. Should I win you’re…” he pauses, thinking “on scullery duty for the next tenday.”
“And if you should lose?”
“Well, my well traveled tracker, that is for you to decide.
She blanks, opting to stare at the middle ground as she thinks. A grin quirks on her lips as she shakes her head, still unable to think of something “I dunno, I’ll come up with something later. Now, go on, I’ll even give you a head start.”
Gale presses against the trunk of a tree, he can hardly see a thing. Was this a good idea? Probably not, but it was all in good fun.
Overhead Tav lurks, silently watching from the boughs. Like she said, he wasn’t hard to find. Just follow the sound of cracking knees.
Now she just needs to distract him… A tossed stone a ways away is enough to snatch his attention. Deftly she shimmies down the branches, quick to grab the last one when her foot slips-
She’s falling.
Grab, grab, bark, limb-
Her arm jerks when she catches hold, just barely rustling the leaves of the branch. Before Gale can properly notice her she flips over the branch, grounding the landing with one foot, then the other. With a wolfish grin she bounces, using the momentum of the landing to leap back up at him.
Gale freezes, eyes wide, body tense as he lets out a cry of fright. He kilters completely off balance, oblivious to the cushion Tav makes with a hand behind his head before crashing Into the brush “oof-!”
He hears her laughing before he can properly see in the dark and would sit up if it weren’t for her almost pinning him to the ground. She props up on her palms, looming over him, cooing in delight “Got you~”
He can’t help the tiny chuckle that puffs from his nose. “You did, you did.”
Tav takes note of the glimpse of blue in his brown eyes that tips her mirth into concern. It was only for a moment, but still she checks. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” She gives him a quick look over, making sure their little game hadn’t gone too far.
“Yes, yes, I’m quite alright.” He reassures. She moves off him and takes his hands to help him up. The little twigs in his hair are adorable. And the way his cheeks had gone a light pink, his nose smattered with a small smudge of dirt from his clumsy wander in the dark. Gods, he’s handsome. “What?” He asks.
She’d been caught staring. “Hm? Oh, you have something here,” she smiles, tapping the side of her own nose.
“Oh,” Gale rubs his face, only managing to get a part of the spot before smudging a new one just beside it. “Did I get it?”
“Almost, it’s just right- no, stop!” She laughs, catching his hand. “You’re making it worse.” Hooking her sleeve around her thumb and giving it a quick lick she sets to work fixing the growing smudge. It proves stubborn, prompting her to hold his cheek with her other hand. Gale leans into her touch, to make getting the dirt easier, certainly. She can’t help but notice the small beauty marks that hide just in the hairline of his cheek. She could count them if she wanted to, know them one by one, but the dirt is gone, and there’s no more time. When she’s done he puffs that small laugh through his nose, a small smile forming.
“Thank you,” he says.
“Of course!” She’s quick to reply, lowering her hand from holding his face. She thinks about how cool his cheek must feel now, chilled by the night. She could fix that. Just reach up and-
“Well, shall we go see if Astarion has finished his routine?”
Tav blinks “Right. Right, yeah, follow me.” She turns sharply, leading them down the sort of game trail they’d made.
It’s not until she hears him scrape the ground and stumble that she realizes he wasn’t with her. “Are you alright?” She turns back to check on him.
“Yes, just, well, it’s dark, and the very roots themselves have seen fit to bring me to an early grave, it would seem.” He grumbles, trying to brace on a tree trunk.
“What do you- oh! I forgot!” Her palm smacks into her forehead. He can’t see. “I’m so sorry, here.” She hurries over before presenting him with the crook of her arm.
“No, I’ve got it. Just give me a moment-“ his voice is thrown when he tests the water at another step and fails, lurching forward off balance. Remaining unclaimed by the dirt he concedes “Very well,” his hold on her arm is warm and light “lead on then.”
This isn’t the way it’s usually done. On another night he would offer his support, allow her to draw as near or far as she pleased, always ready to bask in whatever she gave him. He would be a gentleman, staving off unseemly vagabonds and passersby as he walked her home.
For now this will have to suffice. Besides, her other hand resting on his arm is nice. Especially with how pleased she looks with herself.
Tav can feel the gentle hold of her arm tighten. Arm in arm, they’re walking back arm in arm. She chances a glance up at him and is met by that soft fond expression he so often wears. She can feel a warmth crawling up her neck before she flits her eyes away, swallowing dryly. Corellon’s Cloak, he’ll be the death of her.
“Ah, there you two are!” Karlach is eager to greet them as they make it back to camp “I was worried something had happened to you,”
“I don’t know, by the state of Gale’s hair I’d say something happened.” Shadowheart is quick to the rib. Tav can feel her ears burn, gods why?
Gale reaches up, confused by the two as he pulls from his hair “Merely an… unfortunate encounter with local shrubbery, I’m afraid. Such are the dangers of a night time walk”
“Right. And Tav’s always that shade of red,” Karlach insists, shit eating grin and all.
“Knowing those two, a dull walk really is all it was.” Astarion grouses, patting a few drops of some kind of serum into his skin. Would a little decent gossip in camp really hurt?
“Hah! I told you. Back before he’s even fluffed his pillow.” Tav declares, trying to change the subject.
“Excuse me?” His indignity goes unaddressed.
“Hm, it would appear you were right.” It was a close call, a few moments more and she’d have lost. “Have you decided what you’ll claim?”
The bet! She’d forgotten all about her end of the wager. They continue making their way toward the small sitting space. “Hm, I’d like for you to read to me, if it’s all the same.”
“Of all the things you could ask of me that is your request?” Humor mixes into his bafflement as she sits him down. She’s already hurried to the chest, digging through the junk and treasure.
“I am but a simple person, Gale,” she returns, holding a book out to him. It was something closer to a short story or novella compared to the tomes he was used to. She isn’t sure what it says, reading’s never been her specialty, but it looked similar to books read to her before.
“I see. Well, if it’s what you wish,”
“It is.” She eagerly grabs another sitting log and a comb before perching behind him.
He clears his throat, “The Daring Duergar. Chapter One, Significant Psionics.”
Concentrating is going to be difficult work with her fingers working the twigs and leaves from his hair, but he’ll manage.