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Blistering heat.
It was the kind of night that weighed heavily upon your body. The air was scorched from the sun during the day, no breeze drifted across the plains, no plant life created cooler patches on the ground.
It was all dust, cracked crevices and clay.
It had been a tough day, travelling through this brazen environment. The only relief being Skulduggery, Erskine and Ghastly who were proficient enough in their elemental magic to draw water out of the air to refill their waterskins.
Aside from that, everyone was left to their own devices to keep themselves cool. Which was no easy feat considering the gear they were laden with.
The cover of night offered no relief, no brief escape from the heat and it was starting to feel like an endless torment.
They had settled in a makeshift tent, the air thick and unmoving as it continued its suffocating dominion over the team.
Bedrolls stuck to skin. Boots had long since been kicked off in silent protest. Nobody was sleeping. The Dead Men lay scattered in varying awkward positions, hoping that the further they spread themselves, the less heat could entangle around their bodies.
It wasn't exactly working, but any attempt was better than none at this point.
Then a voice broke through the darkness, “Ugh- I can't take it anymore- it's too much!”.
The men blinked into the dark, there wasn't really any use in acknowledging such a complaint. None of them could really do anything about it…
Erskine glanced over as Elsie sat up, her braided hair frizzy from the humidity, “What are you-”, his sentence was cut off short as he watched her start to pull her overshirt off over the top of her head. Then came the trousers until she was just in her undergarments.
The small vest and short simple pair of bloomers clung to her damp skin, nearly translucent in the moonlight that cut through a gap in the canvas. The way the fabric hugged her figure created a silhouette that was far too provoking…
“I'm going to die… my brain will be cooked in my head before I even wake up”, she groaned as she kicked the hefty bedroll away.
A choked gasp came from Hopeless as he looked over at Elsie, quickly turning away again after realising he had probably seen too much. Nobody else dared move, lest it be too obvious that they had also probably seen too much for it to be considered decent.
Getting to her feet, still grumbling under her breath, Elsie looked around and her eyes landed on a loose, oversized linen shirt. Saracen’s. Perfect.
She made a beeline for it, “Don't mind if I do~”, she sang with a grin as she grabbed the shirt and dragged it back to her own little corner like a dragon hoarding treasure.
“Now hold on a minute-”, Saracen had started to protest, but it was too late. The shirt had been commandeered.
It was light enough to use as a blanket without getting ridiculously warm, so Elsie sank back down to the floor and let it float down on top of her, across her back and shoulders. A little relieved sigh escaped her lips.
“Much better…”, she whispered blissfully as her muscles finally relaxed against the canvas floor which felt a lot cooler- albeit harder- without the bedroll underneath.
The tent was dead silent.
Until Dexter let out a laugh and shook his head, “Well Saracen, you put up an amiable fight. But it was no contest”.
Hopeless continued to stare into the abyss of darkness he had rolled into. It was far too hot for him to have to process the half naked woman sleeping just across from him in this small makeshift tent. He scrunched his eyes closed and figured the best way to handle it would be to force himself asleep as quickly as possible.
Anton said nothing, but his breath came out in a quiet laugh as he studied Saracen’s grief stricken face at his shirt being captured.
“Are you not going to get it back?”, Ghastly teased with a smirk as he glanced over at Elsie, “You should strike while she is still vulnerable”.
“You dare try you'll see what happens”, Elsie warned as she opened one eye and glared over at Saracen challengingly.
He held up his hands in surrender and shook his head, “No, no it's fine… please go ahead. Who needs boundaries anyway? Not me that's for sure”.
Dexter and Erskine snorted against their hands, trying to stifle their laughs as Saracen had no choice but to relent to Elsie's desires. It was too hot to be bickering over something so insignificant.
Skulduggery, had had enough at this point and he let out a long sigh, “You are all ridiculous”, he stood up and left the tent to go and sit by the dwindling embers of the fire they had used to cook dinner, clearly unimpressed at his peaceful thinking time being interrupted by jests and half quietened laughter.
Anton then spoke up softly into the gloom, “Alright, come now… we should all try and get some sleep. Elsie has the right idea… stay cool whatever means necessary”. He removed his own shirt and put it to the side, ensuring it was out of harm's way for any other thieving hands.
Dexter shrugged, “I took mine off ages ago… still boiling hot. But if I manage to fall asleep, I will let you know Shudder”.
Erskine smirked and settled back down against his own bedroll. Despite the heat, he couldn't sleep without it, “I can't wait to see how Saracen handles further negotiations in the morning”.
At this, Saracen rubbed his hand down his stubbled chin and scoffed, “There won't be any negotiations… it will be a peaceful accord, in which my shirt will be returned to me. Right Elsie?”, he called out cheerfully.
The voices quietened to await a response.
Out of the corner where she slept, they could hear the slow gentle breaths coming from Elsie. Now fast asleep, despite her heat flushed cheeks.
She looked soft, content, and devastatingly peaceful. The men all exchanged glances at each other, smiling fondly. One by one they settled down to try and get some well earned rest before heading off once more the next day.