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“By Moonmaiden’s grace, I can’t believe it’s finally over,” Kallista murmured, wiping blood off of the corner of her mouth. Now that the Netherbrain was gone, it didn’t quite feel real to the tiefling paladin. And now that the adrenaline high was beginning to wear off, she felt almost ready to collapse. “The city is free.” Ahead of them stood a dock, and the slowly setting sun was beginning to inch closer to the horizon. After the harrowing fight, the sunset was a welcome sight. They had saved the city, and possibly all of Faerun, from a grisly fate.
After fighting through so many difficult battles, including helping free Astarion from Cazador, and fighting her own father in the House of Hope, the Netherbrain felt like just another obstacle. Less emotionally draining, but certainly more harrowing.
What was she to do now that her father—Raphael—was dead and no longer seeking the Crown of Karsus? She had her half sister to deepen a relationship with, and her mother to reconcile with after so many years of abandonment and trauma, but there was also Astarion and the relationship they had developed. He was going to need her alongside him, and she didn’t intend to leave him.
“It was not by the grace of the Moonmaiden that we vanquished the Netherbrain, but by our own might,” Kallista heard Minthara pipe up from behind her and she chuckled a little. Of course Minthara would interject with such a remark.
“It’s done, the Netherbrain is defeated,” Lae’zel said, “Along with the Grand Design—praise Mother Gith.”
Shadowheart coughed, and bent over, finally having a moment to catch her breath. “Ugh…Should have learned how to bloody swim. Can’t believe I almost drowned at the last hurdle.”
Wyll looked at his hands in disbelief as he stepped up alongside the rest of the group. “My powers…They’re draining, just like Mizora said they would. A small price to pay, in the grand scheme of things.” A grin made its way onto his face. “The city will cheer us—but it is the triumph itself, the very smiting of evil, that should lift our hearts.”
Kallista was glad they had managed to free Wyll from his pact. Having just only recently freed her and Mahina’s mother from her prison in the House of Hope, any opportunity to break free of the shackles of the infernal was one she would take. It freed up Wyll’s entire life for him.
From the back of the group, Jaheira spoke. “And the tadpoles have fallen silent, I take it? Good. A mind flayer wouldn’t make for much of a heroic statue.” Her gaze shifted very briefly to the illithid Orpheus, who walked towards them.
Even when my time in the Prism stretched out like eternity—when escape seemed impossible, I never lost hope, Orpheus said. I knew that my destiny was to liberate my people. To return to them, triumphant. I was wrong.
He faced Kallista then. It seems I can fulfill one part of my destiny. My people will be liberated, but I cannot return to them. Not like this. You helped me destroy that abomination. Now, help me destroy myself. You must kill me. With that, he brandished a shortsword which he offered to Kallista, who took the weapon with hesitation.
Orpheus cast his tentacled gaze upon Lae’zel then, and Kallista lowered the shortsword. Whatever he had to say was clearly important.
But first, Lae’zel, I need your promise. Carry my hope, carry my burden. Call my dragons, Quulos and Quuthos, and ride to the Astral Sea. Destroy Vlaakith, release our people. Be our future and our legacy.
Lae’zel looked a little uncertain, and Kallista saw her gaze shift towards her, as if to ask one final time what she thought that Lae’zel should do.
Kallista put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “It’s your choice. But, for what it’s worth, I think you should do this, Lae’zel. Your people need you. And then when it is done, perhaps then you can return to Faerun and continue to craft a new fate.”
Lae’zel looked at Kallista and nodded. “It will be done. I will never be free while my people are still bound by Vlaakith’s chains.”
Enough talk, interjected Orpheus. Give me my freedom, freedom from this form.
Kallista lifted the shortsword and glanced at Lae’zel, who simply nodded slightly, before turning her head away. Moonmaiden, Selûne, she who guides—guide Orpheus onto more peaceful planes, she prayed silently, before she leaned down and drove the blade into the mind flayer’s heart.
Gith’ka tavkim krash’ht, Orpheus murmured as his form fell limp upon the ground.
Lae’zel moved forward to stand alongside Kallista, and looked up at the sky. “Quulos!” she shouted. The sky trembled with the roar of a dragon as she did so. A large, perhaps adult or ancient red dragon landed on the ground in front of them. She turned to Kallista and offered a sad smile. “I can never forget you. Your name will be etched in our slates. You will be called Mla’ghir— liberator.” With tha, she hopped up onto Quulos’ back, looking fondly at the companions she had been traveling with for so long.
Kallista gave Lae’zel one brief nod, before the githyanki instructed the dragon, “To the skies!” He lifted her up out of sight after only a few moments, with one last roar echoing out in the air.
“The githyanki are leaving,” Shadowheart observed. “It would have been hard to imagine parting ways with them peacefully, once.”
With the githyanki gone, there was nothing left but the silence of the city, smoldering, waiting to be rebuilt. It seemed, however, that Gale’s mind was elsewhere as he walked alongside her, his hand entwined with Lillith’s, the tiefling draconic sorcerer they had also encountered in their travels. She had managed to steer Gale away from many bad decisions up to this point.
“The crown—it’s somewhere in the Chionthar,” Gale muttered. “If I salvage the stones, I can reforge it. The power of Karsus would be in my hands.”
Lillith looked at Gale with an expression of concern, her blonde brows furrowing. “Gale…”
“But what then? What would I do with it, once I have it?” Gale asked aloud, more to nobody in particular.
Lillith took Gale’s face in her hands and forced him to look at her. Kallista let out a chuckle at that. It figured that Lillith would hold him accountable. There had been moments where Kallista had worried for the wizard, but Lillith had done a very good job of keeping Gale in check thus far. “Such power was not meant for mortals,” Lillith replied. “Retrieve the Crown, and give it to Mystra, as she asked.”
Gale chuckled and squeezed Lillith’s hand. “Sage and timely counsel as always, and I intend to heed it.” He pressed a kiss to Lillith’s temple. “A wise man learns from his mistakes, and strives not to repeat them. I shall bring the Crown to Mystra. She’ll cure me of my affliction, and I’ll finally be free.”
“Better yet, you’ll be her Chosen again,” Kallista pointed out.
“And a more deserving one this time around,” Gale replied. “If this adventure has taught me anything, it’s that there are things in this world far more valuable than power.” He wrapped an arm around Lillith’s waist and pulled her in closer to him. “Besides, I’ve grown fond of this merry band of ours and I’d quite like to see what happens to it.”
Lillith smirked. “Me too, Gale.” She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.
“I’m sure Mystra will summon me soon enough, but until then, I propose we celebrate our victory the mortal way—with a drink in our hands and reckless abandon in our hearts,” Gale remarked, and slid his hand into Lillith’s.
Wyll looked relieved. “A nip, a dance and a song? Don’t mind if I do—I think we’re due an evening’s reprieve. What’s our leader have to say?” he asked and glanced Kallista’s way.
“A celebration sounds perfect,” she said.
Kallista turned after she felt a hand slipping into hers—Astarion’s, no doubt—and faced her lover. “I—I can’t feel the tadpole,” he said with a tone of disbelief. “It’s gone! We’re free!” He took both of her hands in his and leaned his forehead against hers. His elation was enough to finally break her battle hardened mood down into a smile. “And I’m still standing in the sun. This is incredible! Maybe whatever it changed in me was permanent? And we didn’t even have to turn into mind flayers to do it!”
Dread made its way into Kallista’s stomach then, and her gut coiled in anxiousness. Oh, Selûne protect him— the sun.
As he said this, the dragons ridden by githyanki disappeared into portals to the Astral Plane, even as the city beneath still burned with the fires of battle.
“Now there’s a sight to see,” Astarion piped up. “Not that I’ll miss them.”
“I think a celebration’s in order,” Kallista said with a relieved grin, though her stomach still roiled with anxiety. She focused for a moment in the way that had become almost second nature to her, and couldn’t feel any of the psionic influence of the mind flayer tadpole that had been plaguing her mind for so long.
It made sense, given that the brain was defeated, but…
“Yes! We should see if the Elfsong’s still standing,” Astarion said gleefully. “I won’t imbibe, but I’ll be happy to be away from here, and in your company,” he said to Kallista. “I honestly don’t mind what we do, once we get—ow!” His previously happy sounding statement was cut off as he looked down at his hands, which he had abruptly yanked out of Kallista’s own.
“Astarion, love, what is it?” Kallista asked, and then her heart caught in her throat as Astarion looked down at his hands, which were beginning to sizzle painfully as if boiling. Embers began to flicker off of his face, which had a bluish glow about it in some parts. Without the influence of the tadpole to shield him from the rays of the sun, he was no different than Petras, who he had himself held in a ray of sunlight to threaten.
Moonmaiden, no. I can’t lose him.
“What the—oh, gods. Oh no,” Astarion said in a shaky voice. His skin continued to sizzle and he looked at all of the members of the party. “Well, it was nice while it lasted…” His voice sounded pained. “Argh! I’m sorry, I—I have to go!” He immediately took off running to another part of the dock.
“ Astarion !” Kallista screamed, and reached out towards him, but he was already out of her reach.
“Astarion—!” Gale shouted. “Cured of one affliction, only to be reclaimed by another. The sun is no longer a friend to him, but we must be. He’ll need more solace than shadows can provide.”
“Poor Astarion,” Shadowheart said, shaking her head in pity. “How he loved the sun—if only the feeling was mutual. “I hope that isn’t the last we see of him.”
“It won’t be,” Kallista said firmly, if also a little snappishly, her temper aggravated by the stress.
“Astarion is cursed to flee the sun as I am cursed to walk in it,” muttered Minthara, leaning against her greatsword. “Do not belittle him with pity. He is a survivor, and will thrive upon what bounty the darkness provides.”
Kallista’s attention was half focused on Astarion as he ran, and half focused on Karlach, who had suddenly fallen to her knees. “We’ve got her,” Wyll said, immediately kneeling down by Karlach. “Kallista, I know you’ll want to check on Astarion.”
Kallista’s gaze drifted to the direction she had seen Astarion running in—it looked like he had ducked into a side alley. She made a mental note to go track him down in a moment or two.
“Ngh…Soldier, go after Astarion. He’s…got more time than I do. I’m burning up,” Karlach ground out. “We did it. The city is going to be all right, and so are you.” The flames increased in intensity, and though Kallista was close to Karlach, she didn’t dare to touch her. “Engine’s finally cooked. Held on just long enough.” Sweat rolled down her cheeks. “So, h-how’d I do?”
“No, Karlach! Stay with me! We can still save you,” Kallista said, kneeling down.
“Careful—hot,” Karlach muttered, her breaths coming in heaving pants. “How’d I do? Spectacular,” she said. “You’ve been such a great friend to me, Kallista,” she said. “I love you. Gods! Goodbye sun, goodbye sea. Goodbye.”
Wyll shook his head, tears filling his eyes. “No, stop, I won’t allow this. Karlach, you’re coming with me, back to Avernus.” To Kallista, his expression was firm and resolute. “We can’t let her die. Not like this, not now.”
“You can’t!” Karlach replied.
“Go, Karlach,” Kallista begged. “Wyll will be with you. You won’t be alone anymore.”
“So, what do you say?” Wyll asked. “Die here, now, or live on with the Blade of Avernus at your side? Zariel won’t touch you, I swear it, Karlach.”
Karlach let out a resigned sigh, as if accepting defeat. “Fine. I’ll go, Wyll. With you,” she managed to choke out. “But we have to go— now ! I can’t hang on much longer.” Karlach doubled over in pain once again.
Shadowheart pulled out a spell scroll of Plane Shift as well as a tuning fork. “Go, now, both of you. Be safe and be well,” she said, and in a burst of silvery-blue light, both Wyll and Karlach disappeared. She pushed a lock of her white hair out of her face. “Gods, I wish we could have given her more of a sendoff than…well, that .”
She looked at Kallista and gestured in the direction Astarion had run off in. “Go on. I know you want to go find him. We’ll reconvene at the Elfsong,” she said. “Karlach has Wyll now. But Astarion needs you .”
Kallista nodded without a second thought and tore off running, her armor clanging as she did so. Her hair was matted with sweat and blood and every part of her ached as it came down from the high of battle but her only thought was to find him. The city was still in chaos anyway, so it wouldn’t matter if she shouted for him. The last of the mind flayers were still being taken down by soldiers and daring commoners.
“ Astarion! ” Kallista shouted. “Where are you?”
She ran down a set of stairs and nearly tripped over her own feet at least twice, her eyes beginning to run hot with tears. What if she hadn’t found him in time? What if her delay led to her finding him burnt up in the street? If that happened, she would never forgive herself. “Selûne, please,” Kallista sobbed aloud. “I will do whatever you ask, I will ask for nothing for myself, except this—except for him. Please, let him be alive.”
After righting herself again, Kallista took off running again in the direction she had estimated him to have run. “ Astarion! ” If there was ever a time that she wished she had the psionic abilities of the tadpole, it was now. “Love, answer me!” Her throat was raw with screaming, and she coughed, as the air was thick with smoke.
From his place in an alleyway, Astarion slid down the wall, his breath coming in spurts. By the gods, it hurt. The smell of his flesh burning nearly made him wretch. In previous years, before being turned, the most he would have had to deal with during the daytime was a sunburn that would cause some redness and irritation. And now here he was, hunched against a wall like a feral cat.
Tears of frustration pricked at the corners of his eyes. He didn’t regret making the choice he did—he was a better man for it. By not becoming the Vampire Ascendant, he had broken a cycle of abuse that likely spanned years—even centuries. It let him retain who he was. It let him treat Kallista how she deserved to be treated—as an independent, strong, beautiful woman who loved him freely as he was, and not an object to be used.
And the Netherbrain had needed to be defeated, for the sake of everyone on the Sword Coast. While his past self had been keen to manipulate the brain to his own ends, now he only wanted to be by Kallista’s side. Wherever that took the two of them. If his past self could see him now, he would have scoffed. Cazador would have thought him weak—and he had said as much. The choices that Astarion had made were worth it, but the loss of the sun on his skin was too big of a blow.
With a pained laugh, Astarion recalled the morning after he and Kallista had had sex in the woods and he had basked in the sunlight. For all of its trouble, the tadpole had given him a gift that he had not experienced in centuries. Back then their relationship had been merely transactional from his side—a way to ensure that she would protect him, yet another transaction in the line of one night stands. He would have been lying to himself if he had said he wasn’t attracted to her even then, but his mind had been in survival mode for much of the beginning of their journey.
He had been able to enjoy the kiss of the warm sun on his face and his entire body, and he had felt free, and now he was once again relegated to the dark. Astarion was thankful that the city was still in chaos and nobody was paying attention to him. They were too busy dealing with mind flayers and other members of the now defunct cult.
Astarion looked down at his hands which were no longer actively burning, but were still smoking and sizzling in spots. “Gods…this is my life now, I suppose.” He had been trying to hold back his emotions for a while, but after looking at his burns, he wept.
Kallista continued to run throughout the Upper City, her gaze darting from left to right. She briefly caught sight of Dame Aylin bringing her sword down upon a writhing illithid, and she ran over to the daughter of the Moonmaiden, who was covered in blood much like Kallista was.
“Ho, favored of the Moonmaiden, savior of Baldur’s Gate!” Aylin called and waved a hand. “What brings you this far into the city? My darling Isobel and I are disposing of the remaining refuse.” She spat on the dead mind flayer at her feet.
Kallista did manage a smile, though it was a tentative one as she felt as though she was about to break down. “It might be a bit of a stretch, but—have you seen Astarion?” she asked.
“Your love?” Aylin asked, and then appeared to ponder for a moment. She gestured with her sword. “You may find him in the nearest alley. He sought shelter from the sun.”
Kallista lowered her head in a thankful bow. “Thank you, Aylin. Please send my thanks to your mother. I can pray to her, but I would say the message directly from you might be more effective.”
Aylin shook her head. “My mother hears all prayers. She has heard yours, I can guarantee.” She smiled softly. “Now go to your darling.”
Kallista nodded, and jogged off in the direction that Aylin’s sword had pointed. There were far too many alleyways around, she thought to herself. “Astarion, love, please—” she shouted. “—Please, answer me!”
Kallista’s heart immediately caught in her throat when she heard a muttered, “I’m over here.” from a familiar voice. It came from a shaded alleyway in the Upper City, a place she had grown up. This was home. And yet what had felt for so many years like a warm, comforting embrace now seemed like a cold, viselike grip on her heart. If this city and its heartless walls had taken Astarion away from her right at the moment of victory, she would never have forgiven herself.
Kallista immediately ran to Astarion and threw her arms around him, her armor scuffing against the dirt. She buried her face in his shoulder. He smelled somewhat of burning flesh, though that smell was undercut by his usual smell of rosemary, bergamot, and brandy. “I was so worried—” she sobbed. It was perhaps a little undignified, but she didn’t care. Selûne had answered her prayers. He was alive. “Astarion…”
Astarion’s skin was peeling as if he had received a very bad sunburn, and it was still fizzling in places, but he was alive. Kallista took his face in her hands and pressed kisses all over his cheeks, forehead, nose, and lips. “By the Moonmaiden, don’t terrify me like that again. Are you all right, love?” With that, she removed the cloak she was wearing and plopped it atop his head. Parts of his face were still singed, but being in the shade of the alley appeared to help him at least somewhat.
Astarion nodded and brushed his lips over Kallista’s in a comforting kiss. “Yes, I’m quite all right, my sweet. We might need to hide a little low in the shadows so I don’t become a pile of ash, but if we can get back to the Elfsong, I should be all right.”
“By the Moonmaiden…I love you so much, Astarion,” Kallista said abruptly, and kissed him once more on the lips. “When I thought that I had let you run off without saying goodbye, and thought of you being turned to ash, I—” Her fingers drifted over the parts of his body that were still recovering from the burns from the sun. “I would never be able to forgive myself if I let you die.”
Astarion wrapped his arms around Kallista and leaned his forehead against hers. “I suppose…loving you the way you deserve to be loved is the price I pay for never being able to walk in the sun again. It was you that kept me from repeating the cycle of abuse.”
Kallista shushed him immediately by pressing another kiss to his lips. “I promise, we’ll find a way to make sure that you walk in the sun again.” She then dropped her hands away from his face to dig around through her pack, pulling out four separate vials of aloe oil. “Now hold still. I’m going to put this on your wounds.” With that, she dumped the aloe oil on her hands and rubbed it over the sore, aggravated burns on his body.
Astarion let out a shaky sigh, ever so slight. Kallista pushed a lock of his curling hair behind his ears as she tended to his wounds. “Are you all right?” she asked.
“Aside from nearly burning to death, yes,” Astarion replied, and Kallista rolled her eyes. If anything, at least that was how she knew that he was okay—he was making jokes. “So when do we go back to the Elfsong?”
She tugged the cloak over his head to a greater degree. “The sun is almost down, but I think it’s best that we be careful.” With that, she helped him up into a standing position. “Come with me.”
The two then began to duck through darkened alleyways, avoiding whatever glimpses of sunlight that might shine on them. It helped somewhat that it was evening, but making sure that Astarion didn’t burn was still difficult.
As the pair shuffled through another alley, the setting sun brushed against Astarion’s skin and he let out a wince of pain. “I—”
“Just a little further, love. And then we’ll be safe,” Kallista coaxed.
After another fifteen minutes, the two had entered the Elfsong Tavern, which was in chaos, especially considering the aftermath of the defeat of the Netherbrain. Kallista urged Astarion upstairs, not wanting to draw more attention to them than necessary at this moment.
Once they were into the rented upper floor of the Elfsong, the group’s other companions greeted them.
“Kallista!” Mahina—her half sister—exclaimed. “Everyone’s okay. We’re more or less just licking our wounds at this point, but at least it’s all over.” Mahina ran over and threw her arms around Kallista, who returned the embrace.
“Astarion’s been through the wringer,” Kallista supplied quietly to Mahina. “Much of my attention’s going to be on him for the time being. If anyone has any questions for me, they can wait a bit.” Mahina simply nodded and headed off to speak with Shadowheart about something, as Kallista withdrew from her embrace.
Kallista wrapped an arm around Astarion’s shoulders, leading him off in the direction of the bath in the corner, pulling the dividers around to cover them. She began to take off her armor, which was covered in sweat and blood. Astarion’s skin was still singed in some places, especially on his face, so she rubbed a little more aloe on his forehead and cheeks. He leaned into her touch like a cat and smiled softly. Rain began to fall outside, and the gentle rumble of thunder followed.
Perhaps the rain was aiding in quenching the fires out in the city. One could certainly hope.
After Kallista had removed the last of her armor, she began to help Astarion out of his armor. He offered no resistance. “The bath should be plenty warm,” Kallista said. Sure enough, the bathwater was full of soapy bubbles and a light haze of steam wafting about. After a moment or two, she shucked off the last of her clothes and then stepped into the tub. “Come here,” she said and gestured for him to join her.
Astarion glanced behind him briefly to ensure the dividers were in place, and when he was certain of it, he then disrobed, stepping into the tub with Kallista. Even covered in bubbles, face flushing due to the heat of the water, she was still beautiful. He reached up and pulled the tie out of her hair that kept it in its usual bun, and her hair fell around her shoulder in waves. “You’ve got blood in your hair, my sweet,” Astarion murmured.
He went to lift his hand to grab the small jar of shampoo so he could wash Kallista’s hair, but her hand reached it before he did. “You sit right where you are,” she said. “I’m going to wash your hair first and clean you off, and then you can dote on me all you like. You did just get partially burned by the sun, may I remind you.”
Astarion leaned back against her, his back against her chest. His head fell back slightly as Kallista’s fingers began to massage over his scalp gently. His eyes fluttered shut as she let the shampoo slide through his hair. “That feels nice,” he murmured quietly enough for only her to hear.
In the hot water, his body was cool against hers. Kallista rubbed the shampoo into his hair more, and watched the blood slowly wash out of it and into the bubbly water. She then turned her attention to gently wiping off his face with a clean cloth, dabbing carefully at the spots where his skin had been the most singed. The aloe appeared to have helped it somewhat, but there was also blood elsewhere on his face. Neither of them said anything as she continued to clean him up.
It wasn’t long before Astarion was fully clean, and then he turned around in the tub to face her. “Now it’s your turn.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, before he reached over to the shampoo bottle. Astarion then began to wash Kallista’s hair silently for a good few minutes before he spoke. “Thank you…for coming to find me,” he murmured.
Kallista turned her head to glance at him as best as she could from the angle she was sitting. “You don’t need to thank me for that,” she said. “I’ll always come find you, no matter what. I’ll be there whenever you need it.” His lips quirked up in a smile and he pressed a kiss to the side of her neck.
“I’ll thank you for it nonetheless.” Astarion continued to clean her off, and then pressed a kiss to her shoulder. She shuddered a little, almost involuntarily as he did so, and he chuckled. “At least we’ve got you cleaned off now.”
Kallista tipped her head to the side slightly, exposing her neck as another rumble of thunder was heard outside. “You can feed, if you need to. I know all that probably took a lot out of you.”
She heard the slight hitch of a breath from him—it was still so odd that though he didn’t need to breathe, he still occasionally made such sounds. “Well…” He chuckled. “If you say so. I’ll be good, I promise.”
With that, he sunk his fangs into the pulse point of her neck and drank. The feeling when he fed was always a numb sort of pleasure, but by now she was used to it. After a good few gulps, he pulled back, and his voice was shaky as he wiped at his mouth. “How do you feel?”
This was much more different than the first time he had fed from her, when his desire for her blood was overwhelming, considering he hadn’t fed off of, as he put it, “thinking creatures” before. By now she was used to it, and he knew when to stop. Nonetheless, even if she wasn’t feeling woozy, he would always be sure to check in on her. Kallista smiled and intertwined their fingers, giving his hand a squeeze. “Keep going. However much you need. I’m doing okay.” She pressed a kiss into his now newly shampooed hair. It smelled like roses.
“If you say so,” he murmured hoarsely before returning to her neck. Kallista’s tail drifted towards one of his hands involuntarily, and she heard him chuckle against her neck. “Hm…look at you.” He ran one finger over part of her tail teasingly. “Maybe later, my sweet. The bath isn’t the best spot for such activities, and we’ve both had a long day.”
Kallista fought back the urge to let out a frustrated groan, but continued to let him drink. Her eyes closed, as the pleasurable numbness spread. And then just like that, Astarion withdrew from her neck, and pressed a kiss to her shoulder, before running his tongue over the bite marks to heal the wound. “There. Thank you as always.” With that, he ran a finger teasingly over the base of one of her horns, and she stared at him pointedly as she shuddered. This was just cruel.
“Now that the two of us are cleaned up properly and I am not frying in the sunlight, I think we are overdue for some rest.” Astarion smiled softly. If he was still feeling any mixed emotions over not being able to walk in the sun anymore, he wasn’t showing it. With that, he stepped out of the tub and then extended a hand out to her to help her out. Kallista took the offered hand, and stepped out.
The two dressed in their evening camp clothes, and before Kallista could move the dividers, Astarion abruptly pulled her to him, his arms wrapping around her in an embrace. “I love you,” he said softly into her ear. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.” Kallista pulled her head out from where it was wedged against his chest and looked up at him.
“I love you too,” she replied, and kissed him softly. “Let’s get some rest.” With that she moved the dividers, and while still holding his hand, made her way towards her bed in the less inhabited corner of the shared upper floor of the Elfsong. “Stay with me tonight, why don’t you?” she asked, and threw the covers back on the bed.
By now, everyone else had settled in for the evening. Mahina was murmuring something to Shadowheart who simply nodded, before the two went their separate ways for the night..
Astarion slid into the bed before Kallista could say anything, and rested his head on one of the two pillows on the bed—the two weren’t strangers to sleeping in the same bed, after all. He opened his arms in a “come here” sort of gesture, and Kallista sighed, though she managed a smile. How could she say no to him? With that, she settled in beside him, the cool temperature of his body against hers a counter to the warmth left over from the bath. It was nice, though. She did run just a little hotter than most thanks to the blood from her father, though not to the extent that Karlach had while on the Material Plane.
Astarion let out a contented sigh. “We’ve had quite the long day, haven’t we?” he asked as his fingers ran through her hair, combing out any remaining tangles. “Tomorrow we’ll see just exactly how things in the city are. There will be a lot of rebuilding to do, I’ve no doubt. And everyone will want to speak to the saviors of Baldur’s Gate. Still…we survived. I’m here, and I’m with you, which is what matters. We’ll have to figure out what we’re going to do after all of this is overwith and everyone goes their separate ways, too.”
Kallista leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes. She knew that he always preferred when she slept facing him instead of away, so he could kiss her forehead. It was a small thing, but incredibly sweet. She tangled her feet with his under the blankets.
“Anyway, enough pillow talk,” Astarion said. “Sweet dreams, darling. See you in the morning.” There was a little bit of shifting as he got comfortable, but before long, his eyes were closed as if he was trying to urge himself into sleep. He would occasionally make himself breathe though he didn't need to, as he knew it was something that would help her fall asleep quicker. Kallista rested her head on his chest. She didn’t hear a heartbeat, but she knew that he could feel hers pumping strongly as he held her. In a way, they both helped each other fall asleep with such sounds.
Astarion shifted a little again trying to get more comfortable, and pressed two more kisses to her forehead. He rested his chin atop her head, and before long, Kallista could tell he had fallen into a trance. She herself felt the tug of sleep, and gave herself over to it. In the morning, they would greet the day, but for the time being, the two rested under the approving gaze of the full moon that was peeking through the storm clouds and the windows. And then maybe someday she would be able to find a way for Astarion to feel the kiss of the sun once again.