Work Text:
When Beau, Caleb, Caduceus, and Fjord went into Shady Creek Run for some sort of fact finding trip, Yasha went north. She didn’t have great memories of Shady Creek Run, and she wasn’t great at talking to people, anyway.
She arrived in the Blooming Grove around nightfall, calling out so they wouldn’t think her a burglar. She’d tried toSsend to them beforehand, but that spell might only work with the rest of the Nein. The firbolg that poked her head up from a field of flowers in response was unfamiliar. Unless one of the Clays was in disguise as another firbolg, but Yasha can’t imagine what use that would be. Still, Yasha was hesitant to introduce herself, just in case they’d already met before.
The firbolg, her fur a darker brown and features much rounder than the Clays, stood up and revealed that she had a child slung to her front, sleeping. “The keepers of this place are inside. Are you visiting someone or bringing someone here?” she said. Her voice was low and soothing and it made Yasha love her immediately.
“I’m just visiting. Not anyone dead. I’m a friend of Caduceus’s.”
The firbolg suddenly looked crestfallen. “I’m afraid you just missed him - he left on some sort of business in town. I’m Nila.” Nila reached out a hand to Yasha, not seeming to care about the dirt. Which, admittedly, Yasha didn’t, either.
“Oh, I know - I’m with the group that’s meeting with him. Or my wife is. I’m not great at fact finding.” It belatedly occurred to her that it might be strange to visit the Clays without Caduceus here. She didn’t really have any reference - the Dolorav tribe lived in each other’s pockets by necessity, and she wasn’t going around visiting anyone’s parents with the circus. She knew Yeza and Luc pretty well now, and the biggest issue with visiting the Ruby of the Sea alone would be explaining that it wasn’t sex.
Nila seemed to take it in stride, at least. Or maybe she didn't’ have time to react before a smaller dark brown firbolg darted out, shouting dinner and then latched onto his mother’s leg.
“I’m supposed to tell you to come inside for dinner,” the child said into his mother.
“Yes, I heard.” Nila still sounded calm, so maybe she always sounded like that.
The child seemed to notice that Yasha existed right around then, and popped up.
“I remember you - you’re the big lady!” Which, typically, yes. But she was still much shorter than his mother or the Clays. “When they stole me, there was a big lady, a blue lady, and a green guy.”
She suddenly realized where she’d heard of Nila before - from Beau and Caleb and Veth, back when they were talking about how they’d rescued them before.
“Sorry for not recognizing you - I don’t remember a lot from that time,” she said.
“It’s okay, I’m much bigger now, and I don’t like thinking about that time too. I don’t know if I’m supposed to call you dinner.
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Nila said, leading her child towards the cottage. “Come in, you should join us.”
Yasha followed diligently behind. She’d been back in the Clay family home since it had burned, but rarely - she still braced herself for the smell of burned thatch, and then breathed out when it was a simple cozy home.
“There’s more than enough. I always cook for the kids, even when they’re away. Habits, I guess,” Constance said as a greeting as they entered.
“They’re all gone?”
“Mmm,” Constance said, as they sat. “Sorry, did you have to talk to Colton or Clarabelle? Calliope is going to be a little longer, but the other two should be back within a day or two.”
“Oh. No, I didn’t have to talk to anyone.”
Constance gave her a strange look, but didn’t ask about it. She changed her focus to Nila, asking her about her journey. Every so often she’d be sure to include the son, whose name was Asar, and Yasha into the conversation almost effortlessly. She’d had the same job as Caduceus did, Yasha realized. Of course she was good at putting people at ease.
“We’re planning to break into Fjord’s old orphanage soon.” It was only after she said it out loud that Yasha realized that it was a little out of place.
“Caduceus mentioned something about that, yes,” Constance said.
“Where I’m from, if we come across any foundlings or orphans in the Wastes, we adopt them as family without question. Grown people, too.” She’d been found that way, once. But that seemed a little bit too much to say. Of all of the orders she’d obeyed, then unthinking acceptance of new family seemed the most sensible.
Constance nodded slowly, but Nila was the one to speak up. “My clan has done the same for other firbolgs.”
“Yeah. We’re not that picky. Weren’t. Mostly humans, though. The occasional drow, but sometimes they’d end up being missionaries. But as a clan, we’d adopt them all.”
“How many are in the orphanage?” asked Constance.
“Around fifty.”
“So you cannot adopt them all.”
“I don’t know if me and Beau should adopt any. I don’t understand why the orphanage exists in the first place, but I — neither of us had great parents. We don’t know what we’re doing.”
“Oh, none of us do,” Constance said, putting her hand on Yasha’s.
“It’s why I came here. I don’t even know what a normal family looks like. I never really spent much time with them.” Yasha didn’t think she could be like Marion or Veth. But maybe she could imagine being like the Clays.
Something in Constance’s look softened. “You’d have to wait, but I don’t think you have time. I can tell you stories, or give you advice?”
Nila hummed a little, bringing the focus back to her. “After the meal, we should go back outside. Constance, could you watch Asar for a while longer?”
Yasha concentrated on finishing the food, then followed Nila back out to the garden.
“I came here to pick up new smells for my smell bag. It helps me make decisions.” Nila took out a small sack and handed it to Yasha. “I think it may help you.”
Yasha opened it up and sniffed it - the smell was a mix of sweet rot and woodsy musk, certainly fragrant. She waited a moment. Nothing happened. She looked up at Nila.
“It works differently for everyone, from what I understand. But you have to ask a question first. What is your worry?”
“That we’ll mess up.” She didn’t think she’d become like the Skyspear or Beau like her parents, but there were plenty of other ways to mess up.
“You will. Or maybe you’ll fail by someone else’s rules. But it sounds like they will be better off from your mistakes.”
“That I’ll pick wrong. How are we supposed to pick?”
Nila shrugged. “The smell bag works best on simpler questions, in my experience. With your people, was one person expected to care for all of the children?”
Yasha thought about it. It was rare to even find one living child alone in the Wastes, much less dozens. “I don’t think so. People would volunteer according to their need, and the children themselves could have a say, or decide that they didn’t need a parent.”
“It is likely that some of the children at the orphanage will feel the same. And you are not the only one involved. The little goblin seemed to care for children.”
Yasha thought a little bit on whether or not to explain about Veth, but then decided it wasn’t the point.
“Yeah, plus Beau will probably keep me from taking too many.” She had done that with the puppies at least - they only ended up with three.
“If you find children that do not have a place, you can bring them to my people. I came here with the question of whether or not I should have another child, and I think I have gained my answer.” Nila held out her hand again, and Yasha remembered she was still clutching the smell bag.
“Do you mind if I have another go?” she asked. Nila smiled and pulled back her hand.
Yasha breathed in again. It smelled the same, but there was something more comforting about it this time. Not like it held all the answers, but maybe she only needed a second to clear her thoughts.
“Okay. I think I’m good. Thank you.” Yasha handed back the bag to Nila.
“You are clearly a mighty warrior - you will be able to guard your children against slavers and other dangers,” Nila said, as assurance.
Yasha hadn’t even thought to be afraid of slavers. She spent a moment with her new worries, walking a little absently towards the cottage. Then she took in the sound of the feet on the ground, whatever insects were making noise and the general smell of the garden. She and Beau would be able to handle that.
“Why don’t you have some time with Asar tonight? You can practice trying to get him to bed,” Nila said serenely.
Yasha agreed, already feeling more confident. She might not be able to be a parent like Veth or Marion or even Constance, but she could be a parent like Nila.