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They had turned in for the night. Spent the day mostly scouring the wasteland, dodging shadow blights and various other shadow touched creatures. Abraxis was seated on an empty crate by the fire, plucking at the strings of his lute, under the dome of moonlight around the inn. He didn't dare speak, not many of them wanted too at the moment while Halsin brewed a tea he swore would help with the long term irritation around their throats. Having been caught up in a small ambush on their way back, near the potter’s house. Meazels, someone else had called them after seeing the burned thin skin around their necks.
Lucky to have made it out with their lives, according to the refugee that named them. Adding on that of course the group wasn't the average sort and probably handled it with ease. Gale had taken the worst of it and even that hadn't been that bad. Maybe it was that bruises showed easier on humans than the other three.
“Here we go, fix you up good as new,” Halsin mused with that kind smile of his as he set the steaming up next to him.
“Thanks,” he rasped, propping the lute next to him.
Reaching down he took the cup, bringing it to his lips. Shoulders relaxing slightly as the subtle mint reached his nose. Warm and soothing. For a moment he thought back to childhood. The caretaker that checked on him when he was sick. She was more a mother than his actual mother. The raw scratch in his throat melted away as he sipped the tea. Even the split on his knuckle softly sealed itself. Here he had caught the corner of the broken house after flourishing his blade. With the tea gone, he eased himself to the ground with a soft groan. The tea had helped his throat and little else. He just needed to sleep off the ache of the earlier blight fight. The one that ended with him body-slammed off the ledge of the broken tower.
Thank the gods he could take a fall like that.
Reaching over he grabbed his lute again. Settling in and continuing the soft plucking. Just some soft music to put the team at ease.
“Must you always play that,” Lae'zel chided from her bedroll by the fire.
“You drank Halsin’s tea,” he smirked.
“As did you. You will not be singing at least tonight, I hope.”
“You make it sound like I'm not good,” he teased in mock offense.
“Chk.”
Abraxis snickered a little to himself. The Gith was always funny to prod. Even if they had gotten off on a rough foot both on and off the nautiloid. He was used to the disrespect his kind got, and they were barely more than strangers at that point. Fought their way off that ship together.
“I've heard far worse, from Bards no less,” Astarion commented, coming back from wherever he had been.
“Thanks, buddy,” Abraxis quipped.
It earned an eye roll from the vampire as he went to his tent, pretending like he wouldn't be eavesdropping from it on the night's conversations.
“You aren't planning on taking Gale out tomorrow again, are you?” Shadowheart asked, taking a seat on a different crate.
The way her eyebrows pulled told him she had seen the wizard shuffling into camp. He shook his head.
“He's great on the roads for some, but with the volatility of his orb. I don't want an accident to happen. I need him rested up for Moonrise. He'll want to be in his best shape, in case…”
Shadowheart nodded solemnly. No one wanted to acknowledge the possibility. And still, his eyes wandered to Karlach's tent. He didn't see her over there. He knew she was probably trying her best to brainstorm a way to fix her engine over by the forge with Dammon. For as much as she pretended to be fine with the ticking clock, he knew she wanted to stay. He wanted her to stay.
“I plan to survey the Toll House tomorrow,” he finally continued, turning back to the growing crowd. “Halsin mentioned that's the area that the Waning Moon is…which we promised to sus out for the freak with the white raven. Can I tap you in?”
“Of course,” Shadowheart nodded. “Something about that all just feels…off.”
“Everything around here does.”
“Look, as long as I don't have to play hide-and-seek with another shadow child, you can count on me.”
“And here I thought Lae'zel hated that more.”
“It was you that wanted to play a silly game with a spirit child,” Lae'zel rolled to her side to face him. “And nearly got us killed.”
“Oh, come on now, we had the shadows handled,” Abraxis argued.
“Your soft spot for children is a liability.”
He opened his mouth to retort, but stopped himself. Eyes scanning the others. That was a bomb of its own. Coming to the defense of his choice for such a small interaction. Because of his own childhood.
“He wasn't fully shadow,” he finally settled with a shrug. “He clearly wanted some company. What did it hurt to spend a bit with him. We found those other Gith’s there, did we not?”
“Bodies of those likely hunting us. Especially after what you did to the creche.”
“Okay, I apologized for that. And besides, they were going to kill us. Don't think I take what happened lightly. Githyanki kids or not, there were kids in there. I made a stupid choice that nearly cost us all our lives and cost all of theirs.”
“Yet, you speak of my kind, yours are not so better,” Lae'zel cut, eyes going from him to Karlach.
Abraxis clenched his teeth, refraining from arguing further.
“Oh woah now, I feel like I just walked into a fight about to happen. I only enjoy pinning one of you down,” Karlach said with a laugh, though her eyes bounced between him and Lae'zel. “And Lae'zel scares me too much for it to be her.”
“We were talking, tomorrow's plan,” Shadowheart eased in.
“And the grump over here was unhappy? Shocker, that.”
“Not exactly, we got on the topic of Oliver and,” Shadowheart mimed an explosion with her hands.
Karlach made a noise, settling next to him. She playfully bumped his shoulder.
“Need a minute, Soldier?” She asked quietly, her voice softening on the nickname.
“No, I'm okay,” he forced a soft smile.
“Good, ‘cause I would have waited, but after today, I figured what the Hells. Survived another day in these cursed lands. Managed to convince Ide to slip me a few bottles.”
“Of all the folks around, still baffles me they let children handle the alcohol,” Gale groaned as he joined them.
Abraxis winced when he saw the man’s bruised face, grotesquely morphed by the dancing flames of the fire. Wyll joined moments later.
“Those kids can handle the likes of most. It's not ideal but it keeps them occupied. Gods know they need the distraction in this place. Can't exactly set them loose.”
“Look, you know I'm a girl down for charging into most fights, but can we lay off the existential shit for the night? I just defused a bomb and don't want to risk re-ignition,” Karlach commented, cracking the seal on the bottles she had, slowly passing them around.
“What's the label, bartender?” Shadowheart dared to joke.
“Shit, I don't know. Told her to grab a few bottles, didn't matter what. Bottoms up, Soldier,” she added, handing him the bottle she kept by them.
He took it carefully, sliding his lute to the side before taking a swig from the bottle. Little acrid and likely shouldn't be being drunk. Good igniter if they needed one for sure. He wasn't the only one that felt that way apparently. Wyll had a twisted look and he thought Gale might start breathing fire the way he was coughing.
“Ah, c’mon now, it can't be that bad,” Karlach teased.
“Some of us have a refined palette, Karlach,” Wyll choked.
“Chk, you all whine too much.”
Lae'zel took the bottle resting closest to her and took a drink. Much larger than anyone other than Karlach might have been ballsy enough to take. The Gith quickly realized the error in doing so, but clearly couldn't bear to acquiesce. Choking it down even as her ears seemed to twitch with disgust.
“This is going to fuck us up,” Shadowheart warned.
“I have to agree with Lae'zel this time,” Karlach argued.
Abraxis’s hand shot out to stop the bottle, “I am actually concerned this might be a fire hazard.”
Karlach scoffed and pointedly counted, “Let's see; one, two, three, four. Four people with magic. I think if I burst into flames I'm more than covered. Besides, was it not you who said a little fire didn't scare you?”
His face flushed the orchid shade of his skin brightening at the cheeks, using his own flirtation against him from a private moment.
“This stuff tastes highly combustible,” he doubled down. “To the degree I am worried about.”
“Taste lots of combustible fluids often?”
He bit his lip knowing she knew he wasn't brave enough to make the joke out in the open. Though they maintained eye contact long enough for him to see that teasing spark.
“As a matter of fact,” he sputtered. “Yes, breaking and entering causes you to want to check your supplies.”
“Is that what we are calling you coming to my tent?” She goaded.
Gale snorted his second swig off his bottle, out of his nose. Astarion let out a laugh from wherever he was and Karlach got the bottle out of his hands with ease. She gave him a wink as he deflated, resting his head back against the crate. Hearing his horn tips scrape against the old wood.
“See, worried about nothing. As flaming as usual,” Karlach proclaimed.
“Finally,” Lae'zel mused, “you've shut him up with public talk of your mating rituals.”
“Oh, no, slow down there Lae'zel,” Karlach laughed. “It's just a bit of fun between us. Nothing that commitment fueled.”
***
They were up way too late at this point. Not that any of them were in their right mind to comment on it. Except Halsin, who had simply looked at them all sprawled around the fire and sighed. Gale had fallen asleep probably half an hour ago, Astarion stumbled away muttering about finding something to cut the alcohol with, Wyll might have mumbled something about going to bed.
Abraxis had since shifted himself, at her light beckoning, so his head was in Karlach's lap. He didn't mind it and knew she just liked being able to touch again. She ran her fingers lightly along his hairline and then the base of his horns. He was about to fall asleep himself when he felt her shaking under his head. Opening his real eye, he looked up at her.
“I've got it,” she giggled.
“Got what?”
“I've figured out Shadowheart’s perfect nickname,” she slurred around the laughter.
“I already told you,” Shadowheart swayed on her crate. “Shadowheart is fine.”
Karlach's giggles got a little harder.
“Out with it,” he grinned, wanting to know what had her so tickled.
She let out a loud, slow breath, speckled with more giggles, “Shart.”
As soon as it was out she was laughing harder, head back, a slight snort to the laugh. With her laughter being as contagious as it was, and the nickname she dared to just speak, he began laughing as well.
“Ha, ha,” Shadowheart murmured. “Haven't heard that one before.”
“How do you know you have?” He laughed.
The half-elf pressed her lips together in a line as he and Karlach continued to laugh. Each time one of them started to calm down, the other's giggles set them right back off again.
“I know they are being juvenile,” Lae'zel spoke, propping herself up to look at them. “But, I do not understand. What is this...Shart?”
Karlach lost what little balance she had managed to remain sitting upright then. The next unstoppable fit of laughter erupting from the two tieflings. Abraxis felt tears rolling down the sides of his face as his ribs protested with the intensity of the laughter.
“It's when…” Karlach tried around her laughter. “Have you ever….”
“I can't breathe,” Abraxis wheezed.
“Karlach, no,” Shadowheart’s eyes were closed as if praying.
“Karlach, yes,” Abraxis encouraged.
The death glare from Shadowheart had him dissolving into another hard fit of laughter.
“Finish your explanation, Karlach of the Hells,” Lae'zel pressed, frowning.
“Okay, so,” Karlach tried again, around soft giggles. “You know about rip–”
“Karlach, I swear to Shar,” Shadowheart warned. “It's a juvenile toilet joke, Lae'zel.”
Lae'zel hummed, still confused but seemingly satisfied for the moment. They all knew the Gith would wait until the most inopportune time the next day to press for a more proper explanation. He and Karlach finally actually eased into sporadic giggles that were truly starting to die out for good.
“Well then, I will be in my tent if anyone needs me,” Shadowheart said, shakily getting to her feet and moving in jutted, zig-zag movements towards her tent.
Abraxis was content to lay in the dirt. He couldn't hardly manage a thought of combating the wobbles of bad alcohol himself. Karlach seemed to be thinking the same as she made no attempt to move either. And eventually, exhaustion and booze finally took them for the night.