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After making a mess of the simple task of delivering a package in a tiny village outside of Hupperdook, the Mighty Nine find themselves back in the city and scouting the closest bar around. Jester rolles her eyes at Nott as they enter the first best place they could find.
”-See, if we'd only attacked them first instead of trying to bargain we'd have had the element of surprise and-”
”It was your bomb that almost killed us!” Jester shoots back, hands flying up in frustration.
”Well, it was for a good reason, I was trying to save us from the bandits, of course.” Counters Nott, gesturing with equally lively hands.
”The bomb might have been slightly excessive.” Caduceus says.
”Agreed.” Caleb nods, face still dark with soot.
Yasha has just finished wiping the soot off her own face and hands her napkin to Beau when a surprised voice cuts through the noise within the bar.
”Nott? Beau?”
Everyone turns around to see the speaker and although the rest suddenly seem excited, Yasha can't really put a name to the face of the dwarven woman standing in front of them. She has an ale in hand and gives the group a small, crooked smile when Jesters face lit up.
”Keg!” She says cheerfully.
Ah, that sounds familiar. She'd heard about Keg although they'd never really formally met. But she'd helped the group in rescuing her, Jester and Fjord back when... Yasha looks up and quickly blinks away the wetness in her eyes at the thought of Molly. She feels a careful hand wrap around her wrist. Beau. She looks down at Beau and their eyes meet for a second. I see you. Then Beau pockets the napkin and moves over to greet Keg. Yasha stands quietly off to the side while they all exchange pleasantries.
”-And you're Yasha, right?” Keg says after having greeted everyone else and offers her hand.
Yasha nods and shakes her hand.
”Thank you for... Well, you know.” She looks down at her feet. The whole incident still makes her insides recoil.
”So, what are you doing here?” asks Beau, quick to change the subject. Yasha breathes out.
”Business, mostly. Export gig, getting metal from here to there...” Keg says, she sounds a bit sheepish when talking to Beau. ”It's a good gig. Pays well, we get to see the sights...”
She shrugs and smiles a bit, having a hard time meeting Beau's eyes. Yasha notices a faint blush on the dwarve's cheeks. Oh.
”Join us! We were just getting something to eat.” Jester says and waves everyone to a nearby table.
Nott starts asking questions about the business and if they'd had problems with bandits lately, seeing as her specific set of skills isn't truly appreciated in her current position... Before long, everyone has received their choice of drinks and food.
Just as Jester finishes recounting their last adventure with some added details here and there that no one cared about enough to correct, Keg looks at Beau and asks:
”...So, will you stay here for a bit or...?”
”OOOooohh...” Jester and Nott exchange some very pointed looks, then direct those looks in turn towards Yasha, Beau and then Keg.
Fjord is quick to point out the need for more drinks then and Caleb follows him quickly, saying he probably will need help. No one is really offering an explanation, so Yasha simply looks questioningly around the table. Caduceus is unperturbed, still enjoying his meal. Beau, who had been taking an extremely long sip out of her ale, puts down her drink and sneakes a glance towards Yasha. Their eyes meet for a hot second before Beau lookes away. A few more seconds of quiet, then Keg's eyebrows shot up.
”Sorry, are you two together...? Oh, sorry, I didn't mean-”
”No, but-” Beau starts to say at the same time as Yasha responds with: ”...No?”
Silece again. Beau turns to look at Yasha again and for only a short moment, she seems taken aback. Then Yasha sees something shift in Beau's expression and a feeling of discomfort spreads through her stomach as, suddenly, Beau is sporting a carefree smile instead. They have been around each other for long enough now, she knows when Beau is being deliberate.
”Nooo, of course not! And well, I guess will be staying the night at least, but since you're here... I mean, it's not often we get to meet old friends.” Beau's eyebrows wiggle at the words, then she smiles again and takes another sip of her drink, making a show of licking the ale of her lips. Yasha feels that at her core. ”Early day tomorrow? How about we make sure to celebrate properly?”
”Yes! Cheers!” Nott exclaims and turns to the bar. ”Fjooord! Get a move on!”
As both Fjord and Caleb return, Beau moves over to sit beside Keg. Caleb takes her place and makes himself comfortable with his beer now that the conversation has split up. Fjord, Jester and Nott get caught up discussing the outfit on one of the performers in the bar and Caduceus seems content listening to them. Yasha turns to Caleb.
”This... Keg... Person... Seems like she is a bit... Taken with Beau?” Yasha asks, her eyes glancing up at the blushing Keg laughing at something Beau is saying. Beau's face brightens at her laugh and she nods wildly, letting her hand fall on Keg's leg as she continues her story.
”Um, and old flame might not be the exact terminology for it but they definitely... Uh... Connected.” He says and his cheeks and ears turn the same shade of pink as Keg's.
”Uh-uh...” Yasha says and glances down at her ale. It's not like she's been actively wooing Beau, she has no reason to feel this... Bothered by it. Besides, they both responded that they weren't ”together” when Keg asked, although Beau had added a ”but” and might have said... What? What had she been thinking of saying?
”Does it bother you?”
Caleb's quiet voice manages to startle her out of her thoughts. She looks up at Beau – now leaning on her hand and batting her black eyelashes as she listens to Keg – and clears her throat.
”No, it shouldn't.”
”That's now what I asked.” He says and smiles gently at her. She knows pity when she sees it.
”Well, I could ask you the same.”
It caughts him off guard. She feels him stiffen besides her and immediately feels bad.
”-I'm sorry.” She amends quickly and drops her head.
It takes a few seconds before he relaxes again and she dares to lift her head. As she does so, she finds Beau looking intently at her. They stare at each other for a moment, the room seeming to slow down and Yasha feels her chest expand to the verge of explosion. Those blue eyes. Those plotting eyes. When Beau looks away, it feels like she severs a lifeline and Yasha is falling. Beau gets closer to Keg, says something in her ear then takes her hand and walks out of the bar.
Caleb, who clearly has noticed the whole exchange, let's out a pained groan and taps his ale against Yashas. She nods in agreement and downs the rest of her ale.
* * * * *
Early next morning she finds Jester in the bar waiting for breakfast and doodling in her book. As Yasha gets closer, Jester lets out a gigantic yawn.
”Good morning, Jester. Did you sleep well?” She asks as she orders something to drink and settles down beside Jester.
”No!” Jester groaned. ”They were so loud!”
”...They who?”
”Keg and Beau!”
”They, uh... Slept in your room?” Yasha asks and receives her drink.
”That is what they didn't do!-”
The sip Yasha had just taken gets caught in her throat and she starts coughing violently. Jester starts hitting her back and telling her to raise her arms.
”Wha-?” Yasha tries to ask in between all the coughing.
”-They were drinking and talking loudly until the morning. I barely slept a wink!” Jester finishes her sentence as she keeps hitting Yasha on the back and shakes her head in disbelief. ”Hey, are you alright?”
Yasha manages to settle her coughing fit and let's out a short laugh instead.
”Oh.” She coughs again. ”So that's what- I'm fine. I'm fine.”
They eat their breakfast in comfortable silence after that. Jester finishing up some details on her drawing and Yasha replaying the events of the night before. When the others join, Jester excuses herself to go pack her things. Beau is the last one to appear, stretching like a cat as she approaches the table. For a while, they plan the day and then the others go get ready for adventure, leaving Yasha alone with Beau.
A long, awkward silence stretches between them. Beau is the first one to get up to flee the scene.
”So-” Yasha says and Beau halts her steps. She doesn't move as Yasha gets up from her seat and walks up to stand behind her. ”...Did you have a good night?”
”Oh, the best.” Beau crosses her arms and turns to look defiantly at Yasha, the boasting tone of her voice completely see-through. That cocky smile in place. Like armour. ”What can I say, Keg has a magic tongue, if you know what I mean. Kept me up all night.”
Beau knows she knows, Yasha sees her own amused smile reflected back to her in Beau's eyes.
With the most careful of movements, Yasha reaches out a hand and puts it on Beau's wrist.
”I'm sure.”
The cocky smile drops and they stare at each other as Yasha gives a little squeeze and drops her own smile. I see you.
They hear Jester voice calling them and the world materializes again around them. Beau smiles, her cheeks darkening, and pulls away from Yasha and starts walking back to the group. Yasha follows her.