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Caleb’s only just cast Leomund’s Tiny Hut when Beau makes her way over to Caduceus and says. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Of course.” Caduceus smiles and waits for her to speak, but Beau’s mouth doesn’t open and her jaw is set. “Shall we speak outside?”
Beau nods, eyes darting around before she pushes through the edge of the bubble without another word.
Caduceus could raise an eyebrow, could ask the nearby Jester “what’s going on?” and if Beau was injured in their recent skirmish, but Beau’s a pretty straight shooter and with only a normal tinge of worry, he follows her out of the bubble.
He finds Beau leaning against a nearby tree and his first thought is that, yes, she must be injured. The tree holds her weight as her fingers jitter across its bark. But she doesn’t hold herself. In fact, it seems like she is doing her best to keep her hands away from her skin.
“What can I do for you, Ms. Beau?”
She stares at him and her jaw tenses. But she does not say a word.
Her hands still jitter though, as though tapping out an answer in a language Caduceus cannot understand.
“Where is the injury?” He takes the initiative. His voice is calm as ever; he has done this so many times before, especially after meeting his new friends.
“It’s not…” Beau’s voice cracks and her eyes dive to the ground.
There’s silence for a moment and then Beau clears her throat.
“It’s not an injury.”
Now that makes Caduceus tilt his head, because Beau certainly seems injured. Her eyes are still on the ground, her fingers still jittering even peeling away some of the tree bark, and now her foot has joined in, tapping out a beat on the ground. Dirt rises around it with each subsequent step. It clouds the edges of Beau’s robes, but she doesn’t even seem to notice.
“I’m afraid I misunderstood- misunderstand.” Caduceus gives her a sympathetic smile even though her eyes are not on him.
It’s in that moment that Beau’s head jerks forward, a vein in her neck pulses, and her hands come away from the tree. They twist; flapping back and forth for a second before she slams them back down with all the force he’s seen her use while stunning an enemy.
There are two deep grooves in the tree now.
This does not dissuade Beauregard, though, if she notices at all.
“Sorry.” Her voice is hardly a whisper.
“No need to apologize.” Caduceus takes a tentative step towards her. And when she doesn’t react, he takes another. “I would like to know what’s got you so riled up, though.”
“Yeah, so would I.” There’s a confidence to her words that almost sounds like an improvement. It’s almost the kind of snark Beau might hurl at Caleb. And that almost trick’s Caduceus, but, well, he’s very perceptive.
And this isn’t snark; it’s self-deprecation.
“Maybe we can figure that out together.”
Beau’s head snaps up, her eyes are on him now.
“I didn’t call you out here for a therapy session.”
“My apologies,” Caduceus raises his hands. “Why don’t you tell me why you did call me out here?”
Beau’s eyes flash away from his and find their way to her hands as they continue to pick away at the tree bark.
“I need you to cast Calm Emotions on me.”
“Well, you do seem a bit agitated but…”
“Just do it!”
A blue head pops out of the bubble.
“Everything alright?” Jester’s sing-song voice belies the clear worry in her eyes.
“Everything’s just fine.” Caduceus smiles.
Jester doesn’t seem convinced, but she pulls her head back into the bubble, leaving Beau and Caduceus alone once again.
Caduceus has it in his head to argue. Casting a spell without knowing the reasoning why doesn’t seem like a good idea, but Beau is clearly agitated and as he looks over at her, he sees that she is now slowly rocking back and forth, her head just barely tapping the tree she still clings to.
“It’ll only last a minute.” He says as the magic fills the air.
“That’s all I need.” Beau’s breath is already evening out. Her hands come away from the tree and find each other.
Caduceus only watches as Beau slips to the ground, legs crossing into what is certainly a meditative position.
He counts in his head as the seconds tick by and Beau becomes completely still. And then, just as the minute mark passes, Beau’s eyes flutter open and, almost sleepily, she stands. Her fingers twitch at her side, but otherwise she seems... Caduceus finds himself lost for words.
This isn’t normal Beau. The singular step forward she takes is stiff and she holds her body tight like she’s scared her limbs may fly away if she isn’t careful. But she isn’t panicking, not like before.
“Did it help?” Caduceus asks anyway.
Beau doesn’t answer. She blinks, slowly, and takes in a soft breath. Caduceus doesn’t think he’s ever seen her look so tired.
And just when he’s about ready to nod and motion her back to the bubble, Beau squeaks out a response.
“That happens sometimes.” Her words are choppy and he can tell they are coming from deep in her throat, muscle memory trying to push them down. “A lot when I was a kid. Less now. But, um, yeah.”
He waits. She’s not done, but her throat has tightened, trying to choke the words.
“It’s like I’m vibrating under my skin and there’s all of this fluttering in my chest and I can’t figure out why. Makes me want to scream.”
“That sounds very difficult.”
“Yeah.”
“Your hands,” Caduceus starts and before he can say any more, Beau pulls her hands behind her back. “No, I didn’t mean…”
“Supposed to keep still when meditating, but, uh, they just seem to have a mind of their own.”
“Did it feel good?”
Beau squints. “To what? Meditate?”
Caduceus shakes his head. “No. With your hands. To shake them or play with them. Let them be, you know, free.”
Beau shrugs. Her hands are still hidden. “I don’t know. A little. But the monks and the medics back in Kamordah, they didn’t think that was a solution.”
Now it’s Caduceus’ turn to shrug. He’s seen a lot of injured people in his time and Beau doesn’t seem injured, not exactly.
“You seem a little stuck.” He says. “Like all this energy has built up and needs somewhere to go.”
“I guess.” Beau has crossed her arms. She’s doing that thing she does, trying to make her biceps look bigger; it reminds Caduceus a bit of a cornered cat bristling at his approach.
“You know none of us would mind it, you letting out a little excess energy.”
This seems to make Beau stop, her eyes flickering for a second and then meeting Caduceus’. She pulls a hand out from behind her back and in what little daylight is left Caduceus can see that her fingers are twitching.
The tantalizing concept of maybe hangs in the air. And though Beau is not a skittish faun that is what Caduceus thinks of as he watches her watch him.
He smiles. Beau does not reciprocate, but that’s just fine. He can smile enough for the both of them.