Chapter Text
Caleb sat at his desk leafing carefully through the new tome that had found its way into the possession of the Dwendalian National Museum. The anonymous donor claimed that it originated from Draconia and had significant magical properties to it. This piqued the museum’s interest, as Draconia had fallen over 300 years ago now, and artefacts from the ruins were rare nowadays. As its resident Magical Archivist, Caleb had been tasked with verifying the claim and deciphering what properties it contained. So far, it hadn’t yielded much but Caleb had a nagging suspicion that the book was hiding something. He tapped his pen on his cheek thoughtfully, looking over the notes he had written so far. Now if only he could figure out how to unravel the mystery...
BANG!
The sound of the door to his office bursting open with force made him jump, resulting in a crack to his head from the filing cabinet behind.
‘Scheisse!’
Wincing and rubbing the sore spot he looked to see who had invaded his space and was greeted by a welcome site.
‘Beauregard, you’re back I see’.
Beau smirked, walking over and giving him an elbow to the side.
‘Yeah, nice to see you too man’, she glanced at the tome on his desk, ‘What’s this?’.
‘Ah, it’s a gift to the museum. We believe it is from Draconia and I’ve been studying it trying to figure out its purpose’, Caleb explained with academic fervour, ‘There are definitely some magical components, so far I’ve identified transmutation and abjuration properties, but there’s something else, I can feel it. I was just in the middle of figuring out the next clue when you unceremoniously welcomed yourself into my office’.
Beau nodded, ignoring the sly dig, clearly intrigued herself, ‘That sounds interesting, though outside the realm of my expertise unfortunately.’
‘Ja, I’m sure it pains you to say that’, Caleb chuckled as Beau grimaced at him, ‘Anyway, how was your trip to Marquette, find anything of import?’
Beau sighed, and dropped into his only other chair dramatically, ‘No, it was a complete waste of fucking time. We went to the middle of the desert hoping to find evidence of a Pre-Calamity city and we found nothing. Dairon found some coins dating about 210 years based on its iconography but other than that we came up empty.’
‘I’m sorry Beauregard, I know everyone on the dig team was excited about the possibilities the site entailed’.
She gave a half-hearted shrug in response, ‘Comes with the territory, not every site has the archaeological potential of Aeor. Besides, at least I got a killer tan out of it’.
She pushed back the sleeves of her leather jacket to showcase her new sun-kissed glow. Caleb gave a brief once-over, before turning back to his notes.
‘It looks lovely Beauregard, though I’m sure Yasha will appreciate it more than me’.
A quick glance up showed a flustered looking Beau before she reached over and gave him a smack.
‘What have I told you before about me and my sex life?’.
Caleb leaned away from her, holding his hands up in surrender, ‘None of my business I know’.
She huffed, ‘Good, glad we’re in agreement. Though saying that, you might want to stay over at Veth’s tonight, I have some plans to make up for my being away for two months’.
Caleb covered his face exasperated, ‘And you couldn’t have sent me a warning ahead of time?’
‘Hey man, Veth loves having you over so I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal.’
‘Ja, I suppose you’re right, but still next time inform me ahead of time’.
Beau handwaved him off, ‘Sure, sure don’t get your knickers in a twist. Anyway, I came in because I need a favour’.
He raised a questioning eyebrow, ‘What kind of favour?’.
‘Nothing major’, she assured him, though her rush to get it out worried Caleb, ‘I just need someone who specialises in arcane matters to assist me on my next dig. Naturally, I thought of you’.
There it was.
‘Beauregard, you know I’m not a field researcher,’ he gestured to his weak, skinny form, ‘I don’t have the build for it and I’m happy here analysing what you bring back. Why don’t you ask Wulf, it’s more up his alley?’.
Beau scoffed, ‘Even if I wanted Wulf to come, which I don’t, he’s not available right now. He’s busy setting up an exhibition on the Empire’s military history, and the Head Curator doesn’t want to take it off him.’
‘What about Astrid or Essek, they’re both experienced researchers’, Caleb asked desperately.
Beau laughed, ‘Essek? He’s weaker than you, no offence, and as for Astrid,’ she paused trying to think of a reason, before settling for the petty one, ‘I don’t like her, and I can’t work with people I don’t like’.
‘She’s not that bad Beauregard, and you’ve worked with plenty of people you don’t like,’ Caleb protested.
‘Whatever. Point is I want you and I’m not taking no for an answer’.
Caleb slid down the back of his chair, defeated, ‘I can’t get out of this can I?’.
Beau gave him the smile she wore whenever she got her way, ‘Nope. If it helps though you’re not the only one I’m enlisting’.
Caleb dreaded to know who she was bringing but asked anyway,’ Who are our fellows going to be?’.
Counting on her fingers, she listed off the team, ‘Well there’s me, you, Veth, Cad and Jester are coming as healers, and then Fjord and Yasha for security.
Caleb nearly didn’t hear that last part, as Jester’s name put him into a state of tunnel-vision. Jester! Why did it have to be her? Ever since her arrival at the museum last year he’d been harbouring a crush on her. He’d only managed to cope because they rarely interacted, what with her being in the Restoration department. He knew she had healing capabilities, as she was one of the registered first-aiders but still. It had never occurred to him that she would be enlisted for a research project, and now he had to spend every day around her?
‘Hey Caleb, you ok?’.
Beau jostling his shoulder pulled him out of his spiral.
‘Hmm, ja, no I’m good Beauregard,’ Caleb collected himself as best he could, ‘So, when do we head out?’.
‘End of the week, so get yourself sorted before then. Right, I’m off to hand in my paperwork and then go see Yasha. See ya later Widogast’, and with that Beau left, leaving a shocked Caleb behind.
Closing the door, he leaned against it, head in hands. Only Beauregard could cause this much chaos in his life. Lurching towards his desk, he tried to find solace in the tome he’d been studying just moments before. Unfortunately, a certain blue tiefling kept entering his thoughts.
‘Fuck’.
This was going to be torture; he just knew it.