Work Text:
Silver, iridescent blood seeped from Prince Orpheus’ illithid form and drip-dropped from the ornate blade still in Briar’s hands. She took no thrill from this kill, nor did she offer this corpse to her unholy father. Instead of a rush, her heart panged. Not for Orpheus - to pity the dead was a foolish pastime - but for Lae’zel.
Though their journey started contentiously, the githyanki warrior quickly became one of her most reliable allies. They fought shoulder-to-shoulder in battle, as synchronized as as sisters-in-arms. Even outside of combat, Briar found an unexpected source of support in Lae’zel. A friend.
Briar knelt to wipe the sword clean on the hem of Orpheus’ mindflayer garment. She then offered it to Lae’zel with a solemn, reverent bow of her head. Though she wouldn’t soon forget the githyanki prince’s sacrifice, truthfully he was nothing to her. But he’d been important to Lae’zel - and so in a strange way, he meant something to her too.
She felt weight of the sword leave her hands as Lae’zel accepted the offering. Briar slowly rose, meeting her friend’s somber eyes, and that squeezing sensation in her chest - as if a great serpent had wrapped itself around her heart - intensified.
“I can never forget you.” Lae’zel began, an almost imperceptible falter in her voice. Briar’s face began to warm and she clenched her jaw as she felt a sharp prickling in the corners of her eyes.
Looking into the githyanki woman’s eyes, she had the chance to appreciate much she’d grown - and how alike they were. Briar couldn’t remember much, but she imagined she’d probably been similar to Lae’zel as a young woman: combative, brash, overzealous.
A lot had changed since their first meeting; Lae’zel was still passionate but she’d matured a great deal. Softened, even - though she daren’t say that aloud to her. Likewise, Briar’s sharp edges had been smoothed by the love and support of her traveling companions. They’d all been together for so long, it was hard to imagine saying goodbye.
“Your name will be etched in our slates where you will be called Mla’ghir - liberator.” Lae’zel continued, her tight-lipped expression turning up into a small bittersweet smile. Her fierce, cat-like eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “But to me, you will be known as a defier of gods, a capable leader, and an unwavering ally… and most importantly: a worthy friend.”
Orpheus’ red dragons alighted on the docks behind Lae’zel, the beating of their great wings blessedly drying her godsdamned watery eyes. Briar’s insides swirled with the sincere parting words she wanted to say - but couldn’t. She already had a difficult time with her words, and to make things worse her brutal programming seemed to override her every time she tried to open her mouth. The best she could manage was a faint smirk.
Lae’zel’s eyes hovered over their companions behind her, nodding to each of them in turn. Then she approached Briar, holding out her hand. “Keep your blades and mind sharp, istik.”
Briar returned the gesture, clasping forearms in a warrior’s handshake. Her throat closed up as the pinching sensation in her tear ducts returned with a vengeance. “You too, Lae’zel. Beat Vlaakith’s ass.”
Lae’zel furrowed her brow with a determined nod and pulled away, striding over to one of the two dragons. She gave instructions to one and then clambered atop the other, dragging her gaze from the ruined city, to the group, and finally to the horizon. The first dragon lumbered over to Orpheus’ body, carefully picking it up in its talons. With the prince secured, the githyanki warrior let out a cry of, “To the skies!”
“Thank you,” Briar whispered and mashed her wobbling lips together. She bit down hard on the inside of her cheek and scolded herself: former Chosen of Bhaal, getting weepy over a goodbye? This was not the last time she’d see her, after all. She only hoped Lae’zel would bring Vlaakith’s severed head back as a souvenir - so she could piss on it.
Letting out a rough chuckle at the thought, Briar gave her one last salute as the dragons took flight. Her gaze was trained on Lae’zel until she was naught but a blurry speck being swallowed into a swirling portal.