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The Mighty Nein were, to put it mildly, sloshed.
Fresh off the rescue of a crownsguard's daughter from a vampire (long story), they made their triumphant way back to the town, and delivered the young lady to her father. Tears were shed all around, and the crownsguard very generously pressed a fat purse into Fjord’s hands as they left.
Most of that gold was now spent, piled around empty bottles and glasses, food and snacks. Sure, there was booze enough in the Tower, but there was something about gathering supplies that released some tension. It had been a long time since they had felt secure enough to relax like this.
No one was quite sure who came up with the suggestion, probably Beau, wait maybe Veth? But they circled up for a game of Truth or Dare.
“I’ve never played this game, Beau!” Jester said excitedly, rearranging pillows and cushions for them to sit on. “What are the rules?”
“Not really rules, you just take turns asking each other Truth or Dare. If they pick Truth, you ask them a question and they have to answer honestly. If they say Dare, then you give them something silly or embarrassing to do!”
Fjord took a deep drink from his glass. “What if we don’t want to answer, tho? Or lie? Who’s gonna stop us from lying?” It was a good question, and they all considered it.
Caleb spoke up. “If we don’t want to answer the question, or do the dare, you have to take a shot of Jester’s milk.” Groans and sounds of disgust all around. The milk was warm and slightly chunky, and was that a fly floating on the top?
“Oh! Oh! And to make it extra interesting, i’m casting Zone of Truuuuth!” Jester said dramatically, casting the incantation. “So now you can’t lie!”
“Now we’re talking, Jessie!” Beau said. “Now come on, who’s first? Veth? You wanna go?”
Veth looked around the circle. “Hmm. Fjord?”
His arm was slung around Jester’s shoulders, and he coughed nervously. “Uh-huh?”
“Truth? Or Dare?”
“Umm. Truth, I guess?”
“Oh come on, bor-ring!” Beau threw a copper piece at his head that struck right on his ear. “Haha, oops!”
“Ok ok let’s see. You get to choose an animal to be true polymorphed into. What do you pick?” There were nods of appreciation at Veth’s question.
“A dolphin, of course!” He answered with no hesitation. “Come on, girl, at least make it difficult! Ok, Yasha.”
The tall, pale woman flushed a bit when everyone turned to look at her. “I’ll say Dare, I guess.”
“Oooh I was hoping you’d pick Truth. Hmm. Show us your best dance moves, why dontcha?”
Everyone howled with laughter. No one had ever seen her dance before. Did Yasha dance? Jester began to clap her hands in a simple rhythm, and Yasha frowned and waved her hands in front of her. Her head bobbed from side to side a little and she stopped after a few moments.
“Are you washing windows or dancing, Yashie?” Veth chuckled from the floor, where she had fallen off her cushion.
“Hey, dancing wasn’t really a thing in my tribe!”
“I’ll have to teach you some moves!” Beau said. “Not like that, guys, come on! Yall are so nasty!” Their laughter was friendly, warm, comforting.
Beau wiped tears from her eyes. “Okay, Yasha, now you ask someone else.”
“Caleb?”
“Ja?”
“Truth or Dare?”
Apprehensively, he said, “Truth?”
“Where do you want to retire? When we’re done with all of this?”
The solemn question took them all a little by surprise, and they collectively drank while Caleb thought.
“I’ve been thinking I would move to Rosohna, to the Xhorhaus. There’s good studying there, I could learn so much.”
“And a hot boy wizard down the street isn’t a bad perk either, huh?” Jester jibed, waggling her eyebrows and causing him to flush scarlet and splutter.
The game progressed noisily and comically. Fjord drank from the milk instead of taking off his pants, and Beau did as well when asked which man she would smooch for a distraction during a heist.
An hour or so later, the game had wound down. Beau and Yasha were wearing each other’s clothes. Fjord was stripped to the waist and had obscene drawings plastered all over his chest and back. Veth was wearing Frumpkin like a hat, and Caduceus, who had proved hysterical at both coming up with creative dares and silly questions, was wearing all of his clothes inside-out.
Most of the Nein had grabbed blankets and cuddled up where they were at, heads in laps or on pillows, arms draped comfortably around one another. Caduceus was stretched out on a sofa that was much too short for him, but judging by his snores he was comfortable enough.
It was just Caleb and Jester awake. He blinked at her and grinned. “One more for me, ja? And then I will go to sleep, I think.”
Jester grinned back. One more question. It had to be a good one.
“Are you secretly in love with me?”
The atmosphere changed in an instant, making her catch her breath. He closed his eyes under a furrowed brow. A slow exhale, and he grabbed the last of Jester’s milk and downed it.
“Oh no, Caleb, that is going to make you sick, no no, don’t do that, ew…” too late.
That was not the response she had been expecting. A simple “no” or “yes” would have sufficed, since she knew everyone was in love with her already. But that was, that was something.
He picked a rock out of his mouth and threw it in a corner. “I will have the cats bring you some new milk, that was truly vile.”
They stared quietly at each other for a few long moments, listening to the quiet breathing and sniffs from their friends asleep all around, and the pattering of fey cats through the walls.
Finally, she whispered, “Why won’t you answer the question, Caleb?”
“I thought it was my turn to ask you?”
“Caleb.”
“Truth or dare, isn’t that the game?”
“Caleb, why won’t you just answer me? Do you actually-“ her heart stopped in her chest.
Did he?
She sorted through her memory.
He wanted to hold her hand when he went into the dodecahedron for the first time.
He trusted Artagan and was her biggest support though TravelerCon.
A polymorph always when she needed it. Being dinosaurs and orcas and bats and mammoths. Bags of gold dust eagerly dug into. Hunting for pearls together. Learning spells just for her. Der Katzenprinz.
Hugs that smelled of campfire and home and peace.
And all those times where she thought she saw him staring, tender and smiling. She never understood why the Nein thought he was so serious, every time she looked at him he was smiling- because- because he was looking at her.
“-love me?”
His heart was in his eyes. Something clicked in her mind and it all made sense. His self loathing mixed with selfish desire, a troubled past seemingly preventing a hopeful future. Never feeling worthy, never feeling enough...
“Truth or dare?” She whispered.
“Dare.”
“You know what I’m going to ask.”
The curtain had been pulled away, the canvas stripped bare. There was nothing left for him to hide. Caleb moved forward, not taking his eyes off her face. One hand reached for her waist, the other settled on the back of her neck. He waited, taking in every freckle, every spot, she could feel him memorizing her face, memorizing this moment, storing it in his keen brain. The intensity made her flush, and her eyes dropped to his parted lips. Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, he moved forward.
When she had kissed Fjord, it was being in a safe harbor. It was comfortable. Secure. He was always so tender and gentle, like she was a porcelain figure to be protected.
But Caleb brought out an inner fire she tried to keep suppressed. He encouraged every movement she made, matched her intensity with his own. He reveled in the power she wielded. This was passion as Fjord had never shown her.
After several minutes, they broke apart, panting a little for breath. Jester readjusted her hair and Caleb did up his top shirt buttons where they had come undone.
A soft grin. “Truth or dare, Jester.”
“Dare.”
He stood up, took her by the hand, and led her further into the Tower, leaving their sleeping friends behind.
They would definitely have to play Zone of Truth or Dare again.