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One of the best things about being a lich was that it finally gives Lup the ability to drink Taako under the table.
For the first hundred years of their existence, Lup had stayed neck-and-neck with her brother. Some nights, he passed out just before her, or vice versa, but they’d always balanced out in the end.
Now though, with her magic boosting her new physical form, it takes an obscene amount of alcohol to have any effect on her.
She’s at a bar in Neverwinter with Barry, Taako, and Kravitz. Taako made a joke about a double-date, but Lup ignored him. At this point, even just reunited a few months earlier, there’s too much among them to be just a date. She and Barry are Kravitz’s newest recruits, which means she’s spending more time with Taako’s boyfriend than he is (much to his despair.) There are already three empty bottles of liquor on the table, and they’re working through another one.
Taako is just drunk enough to be loose, and he’s taking full advantage of it to drape over Kravitz.
The bounty hunter, at this point, is used to Taako’s public displays of affection, and endures it with only a slight flush.
“You guys are gross,” Lup tells them, just to see the flush deepen.
Taako lazily flips her off. “I had to watch you and Barry being sappy for decades, in the closest possible quarters,” he says. “At least you don’t have to live with us.”
“Thank the fucking Raven Queen,” Lup says. During their years before the IPRE, Lup had to overhear Taako having sex a half dozen times, and it was the worst. Her brother, she says with all the love in her heart, is a wanton slut.
“You’ve only been working for her for two months,” Taako points out. “Is she really worth swearing to?”
“I picked up the habit from your boyfriend,” Lup says with a shrug. “Besides, she’s a cool lady. Not the worst person I could swear on. You’d dig her style. Lots of feathers, but in a dope way. Krav, you should bring Taako by sometimes.”
“Gods, no,” Kravitz says.
“Come on,” Taako pleads. “I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Barry and Lup snort is perfect synchroncity.
“Absolutely not,” Kravitz says.
“Yeah, but—” Taako says, leaning into Kravitz’s space, but he’s distracted when the band starts a new song. “Pumpkin, come dance with me! I love this song!”
“No one else is really dancing,” Kravitz points out stiffly. “Besides, I’m not very good dancer.”
“You know, they say that your dancing is a sign of what kind of lover you’ll be,” Taako tells him. “So I doubt that. I bet there are lots of hip wiggles to make up for the blushing and stuttering. Once you get into it, I’m sure you’ll be amazing. Take charge of me on the dance floor, bone daddy.”
Lup bursts out laughing.
Taako employs his best seductive expression. It is, after more than a hundred years of practice, extremely good. Lup’s never been quite as sleek as Taako. She always preferred to ask people upfront to fuck her brains out, and was rarely disappointed. Taako likes to twist and imply until the other person is begging for it.
Kravitz, it seems, is not immune.
When he opens his mouth to respond, though, they’re interrupted.
“Wow. You’re Lup, aren’t you?” There’s a young paladin standing by their table. He’s wearing shining armor that looks like it’s never seen a day in battle, and his face is unmarred by the scars he’ll pick up in the trade along the way. Though his appearance is close in maturity to Lup and Taako, as a human and someone who didn’t travel the stars for a century of repeating years, he’s clearly fresh to this life.
“And I’m Taako,” Taako says. “From TV.”
“I didn’t expect to meet any of you in person,” the paladin says, but his eyes are locked on Lup. “This is amazing. You’re even more gorgeous than you were in the visions.”
“Uh, thanks,” Lup says. This isn’t her first run-in with hero worship, but there’s a bold flirtation in this kid’s voice that she doesn’t love. She prefers her hero worship to provide some healthy distance.
“Was it really all true?”
“You bet,” Lup says. “Now, I’m sort of having a family night here. Do you want me to sign your shield or something?”
“I was hoping you’d have a drink with me, actually. My name’s Charl.”
Lup raises her eyebrows and then gestures to Barry. “This is my literal boyfriend. If you saw the story and song, you know that.”
His eyes flick to Barry and back dismissively. “Sure, right,” Charl says. “We can talk about it over a drink.”
“Uh, no,” she responds. “That’s not happening.”
“Come on,” he says. “Everyone knows you only ended up with that guy because he was the only male not related to you on the ship. You’re not on the Starblaster anymore, babe. You could have your pick of men. Real men.”
“Come on, let’s dance, my boo,” Taako says, tugging on Kravitz’s arm.
Kravitz follows, but he looks back at the standoff at the table. “Shouldn’t we—”
“Uh uh,” Taako says. “I’ve seen that look before.”
Lup barely registers their departure. “Excuse me?” she asks quietly.
Charl smiles in what he clearly thinks is a charming manner. “I mean, look at you. Then look at him. You deserve better, babe. You deserve a badass, not this nerd.”
She almost laughs incredulously at this kid’s fucking nerve, but then she glances at Barry and sees the blush on his cheeks. And shit, that’s embarrassment. That’s shame.
After the umbrastaff was destroyed to free her, Lup had to find a new wand, and it’s sadly less dramatic than the umbrella would have been when she stands up and levels it at the punk. “EXCUSE ME?” she repeats.
Finally, Charl seems to realize she’s not on board with his flirtation. “I just mean that you’re awesome. And he’s… Come on. Look at him.”
“If you don’t back the fuck up right now, I’m going to send so many magic missiles into your face that you will lose your fucking eyesight, if not your fucking life,” she snarls. “This man,” she says, gesturing to Barry, “is the love of my goddamn life, and I won’t hear anyone disrespecting him.”
“Chill out,” Charl says.
Lup is seeing red. “If it wasn’t for him, your whole planet would have been destroyed. When the rest of us had forgotten or were lost, he was the one who kept fighting those last ten years. Do you know how many times he died for us all? How many times he died for me? Look at your fucking shiny armor. Have you ever actually fought anyone in your life? Do you even know what it would mean to die for someone?”
“I’m just saying you don’t have to stay with him out of guilt, or whatever,” Charl says. His hands are both up in a non-threatening position, but his stupid face still makes Lup want to commit murder.
“You don’t know anything about us,” Lup says. Her fingertips crackle as her wand charges for a nasty spell.
“Okay, okay,” the paladin says. “Geez, I’m sorry. You can’t blame a guy for trying, right?”
“Get out of here,” Lup instructs.
He bolts.
Lup is poised to follow (she realizes, watching him run, that she still wants to see what he looks like with his hair on fire), but Barry reaches out to touch her arm. There aren’t exactly tears in his eyes, but he looks like crying isn’t a far-off possibility.
“Shit, babe, are you okay?” she asks, sitting back down and scooting her chair over so she’s right in his face. “You know he’s full of shit, right? There’s not a single person on this plane—hell, in the entire multiverse—that I’d pick over you.”
Barry reached out to cup her cheek with one hand. “I know.”
“Maybe we should pull a Taako and be a bit more public about us,” Lup says.
“You want to hold hands and walk down Main Street?” Barry asks with a laugh.
“I was thinking more like you could eat me out on the bar over there and show the whole fucking room why I’m with you,” Lup says.
Barry turns a delightful bright red. Even better, the look in his eyes says that he’s considering it.
“Seriously, babe,” she continues. “He doesn’t fucking know us.”
“I know,” Barry says. “It’s just…”
She waits a moment, and then pokes him in the arm. “What?” When he doesn’t immediately respond, she pokes him four more times in quick succession.
“Okay, geez, you’re stronger than you think,” Barry says, grabbing her finger and then shifting so he’s holding her hand.
“I know exactly how strong I am,” she sniffs. “Now talk, buddy.”
“I know how much you love me,” he says seriously. “I survived a decade alone in my lich form just on the memory of our love. You’re the most solid thing in my existence. I’d never doubt that.”
“Mhmmm,” Lup prods, though she’s pleased.
“I just sometimes wish I could be someone that other people see as worthy of you,” Barry says, words tripping out in a jumble.
“Okay, first of all, I love you, and thanks for telling me,” Lup says. “Second, what the actual goddamn shit, Barold? Since when have you ever seen me giving a flying fuck what anyone thinks?” She shakes her head, feeling some of her blonde hair slip loose of its braids. “My dude, you’re hot as hell, and I constantly daydream about smooching your adorable face. Besides, even if you weren’t a hunk of man, you’re the kindest, cleverest, sweetest person I’ve ever met, and I’m lucky to have you.”
“Nerd alert,” Barry teases quietly.
She leans forward and presses their foreheads together. “Shut up,” she says.
“Never,” he says.
“I love you, Barry,” she insists.
“I love you too, Lup.”
When Taako and Kravitz finally venture back to the table, Lup and Barry are still wrapped around each other. Their chairs are pressed together, and Lup hasn’t gone a single second without touching him in one way or another.
“Get a room, kids,” Taako says, as though his hand isn’t blatantly resting in Kravitz’s back pocket.
“Fuck off,” Lup says, not looking away from her lover.
“Lup, I was surprised you didn’t kill that man,” Kravitz says. “Could this finally be that restraint we’ve been talking about?”
“Nah,” Lup tells him, giving Barry a quick peck on the lips. “I just have my priorities straight.” Then she glances at Taako and gives him an exaggerated wink. “You want to go a walk around town a little later, bro? Do some sight-seeing? Try to make some new friends?”
“I’m always down for some murder bonding time!” Taako crows.
“Please don’t kill anyone,” Kravitz says, sounding pained. “Barry, do something.”
Barry just laughs. “I don’t tell Lup what to do. I wouldn’t try to control her even if I thought I could.”
“He likes when I get wrathful,” Lup adds.
With a shrug and a blush, Barry agrees. “I really do.”
As Lup dives back in for another, longer kiss, she hears Kravitz groan in the background. "Welcome to the family, cupcake,” Taako tells him.