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The winds howled in the warm summer night, cascading grass waves and swaying leaves and seeds danced around the moonlight. It was peaceful, right before the light of dawn would stretch far across the horizons. The only light for miles around were the stars and the dim light of the fireplace roaring in the abandoned inn they were at.
The people who lived here were cowards to leave at the sight of goblins- they weren’t even feral, they were traders! Still, their lost was their gain, the goblins as well.
The land knew what others did not, Ashley knew enough about weather patterns to know that much.
She’d be a poor excuse for a sister to her siblings otherwise. A storm would be rolling in this afternoon, a nasty one by the looks of it. She glanced over to her Alma, who seemed to be using this time to cure and smoke some of the meat they had caught on their way there.
She was a peculiar one, but a good noodle. She tried to get chores done while others rested. Tori and Hamlet tended to try reading a book while on watch.
Her other two friends were snoring away in their blanket pile, they had been exhausted lately, and while the case they were on went cold at the moment, they didn’t stop the two from their awkward will they won’t they relationship.
Nor the insessent need to investigate things they really shouldn’t.
Still, it was worth it in the moments that things were quiet. She wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world.
“Lei-Lei?” Alma said, voice soft. She couldn’t help but feel warm at the nickname. It had taken Alma the longest out of everyone to warm up to her. “You’re up early.”
“I’ve been up for a while, I just like the quiet dear. You seemed to be in the zone so I didn’t want to startle you.” She knew well enough Alma needed her own quiet time like she needed quiet time.
“Thank you.” Alma said, her voice soft. “Breakfast will be ready soon. The air feels wet, so it might rain.”
“Yeah, it would be best to stay here for another day. It’s gonna be a heavy storm, I can feel it in my horns and my tail.”
“Do you think Sherbert will be okay? He hates storms.”
Knowing the goat couldn’t give less of a shit then an ant seeing a piece of dirt, she smiled as she spoke. “The goat will be fine Alma, I promise. He’s got lots of food and water and a place to go potty back at headquarters.”
“Will you be fine though?” Alma asked, voice worried.
What?
“Yes? Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
“You always cough a lot or get sick when we’re in damp places for too long. Will you… be okay? We can try and keep you in the dryer places.”
Sick? Coughing?
Scratching her head, Ashley couldn’t help but frown a bit. She’d always been fairly healthy, and as far as she knows she hadn’t been sick at all since the Union had gotten together.
What did Alma mean by sick?
“Hold it, What do you mean by sick?”
“I mean you turn redder and get really hot- moreso then usual.”
Blinking she took a moment to figure out what she meant. She was a tiefling, she ran hot, that was a given.
But to be hotter?
“Alma, dear. You know I am a tiefling, right?”
“…yes?”
“Alma dearest, my soul is made of hellfire. I wasn’t sick, I was just trying to get warm again. I’m resistant to getting sick.”
Ashley couldn’t help but laugh when Alma’s cheeks turned pink at that. “O-oh, I-“
Scoooing up Alma, she laughed and smiled, placing a kiss on her head. “You try and guard our weaknesses, I get it pipsqueak. You’re fine, I promise. Let’s go wake up the lovebirds, okay?”
Feeling Alma nod and wiggle free, she smiled at the soon to be yells of Tori and Hamlet’s denials and teen angst. She couldn’t care less about if they were dating or not.
Sometimes the simple things in life brought the most joy, and sometimes those simple things are an inside joke.