Chapter Text
“You know, I would never have thought of you as an actor”, Shadowheart mused.
She crossed her legs, contemplating her - near empty - glass of wine.
It had been three years since the fall of the Absolute, yet their little ragtag group still held strong : though they had stopped adventuring together, they managed to meet up once every couple of months. This time, they had come to Waterdeep on Gale’s invitation : all but Lae’zel and Halsin were now cramped around a small table in his favorite pub by the docks.
Gale smiled easily. “Oh, but I have been known to dabble in poetry on my own time. What is theater, if not the canvas of the soul ?”
“Right”, Astarion said,”but what she meant was that you’re a terrible liar and anyone can see it on your face, plain as day. Don’t you remember the Zentharim incident?”
Sofia snorted and hid her face in her pint as Gale gave her a dirty look, his cheeks turning red. Only Astarion and she were present at the time ; he would have been lucky if the vampire had not been a terrible gossip. He had been teased for months on end.
“Anyway, it is only a small production, but I am very glad you are all here to witness it on stage this weekend.”
Karlach rose from her chair and clapped him on the shoulder. “Gods, I’d love to! Next round’s on me, magic man!”
The others assented and cheered as she weaved between tables over to the bar, almost disappearing in the crowd.
“Isn’t this Elise woman playing in it too?” Wyll asked with a sly grin. “The one you fancy?”
The flush was now creeping down Gale’s neck, as far as Sofia could see. She felt a bit hurt that he had confided in Wyll and not her, though they talked often - every other day, really. She had thought he told her everything, from what creative cheating scheme his students had come up with this week, to the latest recipe he had tried - but it appeared they weren’t close enough for that type of confidence.
She downed the last of her ale, feeling suddenly very tired.
“She’s ah, well, she teaches a seminar on the ethics of conjuration magic, which I happen to take great interest in, and she’s new to Waterdeep so I offered to be her guide, we got to talking and…”
“And you want to fuck her, is what you meant to say.”
“Astarion, play nice,” chided Sofia.
He rolled his eyes. “What? I’m right.”
“Did I miss something?” Karlach asked, returning to their table pints in one hand and a bottle of Fire Wine in the other.
“Only that Gale is in love.”
“What? I am not!” he sputtered, his face turning a lovely shade of tomato red.
“Wow, congratulations! Who's the mysterious sweetheart? What are they like?”
“Her name is Elise, we've met a few months ago. She's… nice.”
“I hope that's not how you are serenading her.” Astarion snickered before serving himself a glass of wine fuller than polite company would tolerate.
“For the love of - !”
Sofia felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Shadowheart, her silvery cleric garments faintly glimmering in the dim light.
“Want to get some fresh air?”
She nodded, and grabbed her glass before following her friend outside the pub.
Though the sun had long set, the air was still comfortably warm : nothing like the heat that had plagued them earlier - thank Gale for the cooling charms.
They walked around the entrance, avoiding smokers and a group of people playing dice on the ground. When they found themselves in a secluded spot, Sofia turned to Shadowheart ; her friend was meaningfully staring at her, waiting for her to talk first. Of course, she knew very well why : she had not forgotten her drunken confession, ages ago, under very similar circumstances.
They were celebrating in Baldur's Gate - it was mere months after their victory and Gale had just returned the crown of Karsus to Mystra, finally getting rid of the bomb ticking in his chest. He was downright plastered, paying round after round of drinks to the whole bar to the astonishment of his friends : who would have ever thought Gale a party animal?
He'd raised his glass to a tiefling girl who had been flirting with him the whole night and winked, before downing the shot and kissing her full on the mouth.
Sofia had felt suddenly sick and had to flee the sight of their wandering hands, lest she puked on someone's shoes.
“I'm okay,” she told Shadowheart, who raised a dubious eyebrow. “Really! I don't have feelings for him -”
“ - anymore -”
“ - and he's my friend! I am very happy for him!”
The cleric stayed silent, swirling the contents of her glass.
Sofia really felt she had overcome whatever feelings she had had for Gale - three years had passed, after all. Maybe she had felt a twinge of something - jealousy, surely, that he was moving on with his life while she remained on her own. Sadness that he hadn’t thought to confide in her. But that was it.
“If you’re sure…”
“I am,” she nodded.
“Then don’t come crying to me when you get your heart broken, again. I’m out of whiskey anyway.”
Sofia smiled and swatted her friend’s arm playfully.
“What about you, then? How is your… situation… going?”
“You mean Lucia?” Shadowheart shrugged, but her lips twitched in a frown. “I thought… oh, this is silly.”
“Never.”
“We’ve been seeing each other for three months, and I really thought we were, well, an item. So I asked her to come along for the trip, and she freaked out, and now…”
She finished her wine in one go and nodded towards the entrance of the bar.
“Come on, let’s go back inside.”
A few hours later, the party was in full swing ; the pub felt even more cramped, if it were possible. All of them were starting to get rather inebriated - even Karlach was tipsy. Shadowheart, Astarion and Gale were playing cards while Wyll sat at the bar with a rather handsome ranger ; Sofia and Karlach were spying on him, giggling every time their friend “inadvertently” brushed his arm.
“Careful, wizard, or you won't have a tower to come back to!” Astarion taunted.
Gale squinted at his hand - a losing one, from what Sofia could see - and groaned.
“I know you cheated!”
“Ha! And what proof do you have, my friend?”
The vampire tipped back the rest of his wine, a lazy smile lighting up his face.
Shadowheart shrugged. “I did cast Protection from Evil, y'know.”
“And now I get to sleep in your bed while you sleep on the couch. Fair. And. Square!”
“Hey! I'm the one… who's sleeping on the couch.” Sofia protested, slurring a little. She could see her friend smirking from across the table.
“Well, then you’ll have to share, won’t you darling?” Astarion said, batting his eyelashes and pouting in his most innocent expression. “I’m sure Gale won’t mind in the least.”
Face flushed with alcohol, Gale was looking anywhere but in her direction. She frowned, helping herself to another glass of wine : she needed to drown out the knot in her stomach and the knowing looks of her friends. Why were they staring at her? Was she supposed to answer?
“I have to warn you, I snore,” she blurted out.
“Oh, we know,” Shadowheart said, “we did spend an awful lot of time camping together.”
“And you talk in your sleep,” the sharp-eared vampire added.
“I do not!”
“I will face this trial with bravery,” Gale said quietly, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips, “but you do know there is a potion that would help? I could procure it, should you so wish. Interesting fact, it is made with-”
“Right, thank you professor, who’s in for another round of Diamondback?”
Sofia couldn't sleep. She was lying on the edge of the bed, not daring to move a muscle, staring at the book-filled shelves dimly lit by the moon. She could feel the heat radiating off Gale - alas, the spare couch was not big enough to fit two persons comfortably. The distance between them felt so small, almost insignificant.
Why was she feeling so conscious of him? They were friends, had been for the past three years and what little feelings she'd had for him were long gone. She had even been in a relationship at one point - though it hadn't worked out, she had been genuinely in love then. Yet here she was, unable to sleep, every nerve strung and cursing Astarion who was probably sprawled across Gale’s bed, nonchalantly flipping through every book in his library. Perhaps it was only the alcohol that made her head swim.
She felt the mattress shift beneath her and dip a little, making her position even more precarious : now the gravity pulled her towards the center of the bed, where Gale had rolled over. She inched even closer to the edge ; if she didn’t, she’d find herself slipping into his arms. Which would be weird, wouldn’t it?
A sudden creak upstairs startled her and her flinching proved enough to disrupt her fragile balance : with a yelp, Sofia fell on the floor. Loudly.
“Are you okay?” asked a sleepy voice from the bed.
She was never getting up again.
“Sofia?”
Mortified, she got back onto the mattress, massaging her probably bruised shoulder. She stared at the duvet, not daring to look at his face.
Feeling her lying down again, Gale cracked one eye open.
“‘m fine,” she grumbled.
He patted her head and forehead groggily and Sofia thanked the gods that the room was really dark, because she could feel her cheeks grow redder by the second.
“I don’t feel a bump,” he said, and closed his eyes again. “You’re all good.”
But he did not scooch back to his side of the bed, oh no. He stayed exactly where he was, leaving her no choice but to, well, spoon him.
Would Astarion feel it if she spiked his wine?
Sofia must have fallen asleep at some point, because she woke to the bright light of the sun and the smell of pancakes emanating from the kitchen. She was alone, which was a relief : it would be hard enough to face Gale without finding herself tangled with him in the sheets, her legs draped over his, the comforting heat of his skin against her cheek.
Of course, she didn’t feel particularly rested, but she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep now, so she rose and took the direction of the kitchen.
Both Gale and Karlach were busying themselves chopping onions, lard and leek - after all, the wizard had always insisted on healthy, balanced meals, even in the middle of the Shadowcursed lands. Sofia still recalled the taste of a weird vegetable he found once, that turned out to be some kind of cursed carrot. It was disgusting.
Gale spotted her and smiled, waving his Mage hand while stirring the pan.
Sofia’s shoulders sagged in relief. He wasn’t being awkward or flustered, that was good, right? She was the only one acting weird. For no good reason.
Really, it was only that Elise business that had disturbed her otherwise friendly perception of Gale. It was going to return to normalcy, because she was going to be normal. Right. Act normal.
She waved back, a tight-lipped smile plastered on her face.
“Anything I can help you with?” she asked.
“Ah, no, it’s alright!” Karlach answered, waving her huge kitchen knife around - though in her hands, it almost looked like a toy. “Slept tight, soldier?”
Sofia stared hard at her friend, avoiding Gale’s inquisitive gaze.
“Just fine,” she lied, “and you?”
“Eh, Shades still grinds her teeth, can’t say I’ve missed it. But the bed was sooo soft and bouncy!”
“I charmed it specially for you,” Gale winked.
She couldn't help but think that maybe he could have enchanted their bed to be wider. Oh, well. She wasn't going to tell him that, anyway.
Feeling a bit restless, she grabbed the plates and started to set the table as the Mage hand followed her along, carrying the cutlery.
“Darling, you look absolutely dreadful.”
Sofia almost dropped a plate in surprise. Cursing the sneakiness of the rogue-slash-vampire, she turned to see Astarion on her left, a smug smile barely disguised on his face.
“Did you not sleep well? Oh my. I rather thought you would be in good company. Did you not enjoy one of our dearest professor's lectures?”
“I happen to find them rather interesting.”
Astarion clicked his tongue. “Of course you do.”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
He sent her a pointed look, but chose to lounge on one of the chairs instead of answering - and helping. After a beat, Sofia got back to setting the table. What had gotten into all of them lately? First Shadowheart, now Astarion ; this was unsettling, to say the least. She knew both of them met frequently to gossip - sorry, “share quality wine that you heathens cannot appreciate” - but did they have to bring back age-old confessions just for the kick of it?
She did not have feelings for Gale. He was her friend. Even when he spent the night pressed against her, his soft breath tickling the nape of her neck.
“And how did you find my bed, Astarion? Was everything to your liking?”
Sofia nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Well, you should invest in silk sheets, dear. It would do wonders for your skin.”
She stood back to Gale, putting down the last plate, not daring to turn around as the vampire's malicious gaze turned back to her.
“Sofia dear, you are turning all red. Is the image of Gale's bed too much for your prudish sensibilities?”
“Prudish?” she choked.
“Why would it- never mind, I was only looking for a clean dishcloth.”
He left as swiftly as he came.
Sofia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
“Tell me Astarion, what would you prefer?”
“Hmm?”
“A stake? A Divine smite? Or would you rather be tied up outside until the sun rises ?”
“So gruesome, darling. How about you tie me up to your bed first?”
She glared at him so hard she could have drilled a hole in his head.
He should have been glad Wyll chose this instant to come down, otherwise she was ready to pounce at him armed with the favour of her goddess.
“Am I interrupting anything?” he asked, vaguely worried.
“That depends, did you have any plans to witness a murder this morning?” Sofia huffed.
“Come now, I thought we agreed not to kill him solely on the grounds of being insufferable.”
“Gasp!” Astarion exclaimed, raising a theatrical hand to his forehead, “I knew you’d defend my honor, Wyll!”
In a blink, he crossed the room and grabbed his friend by the shoulders, pretending to use his body as a shield.
“Away now, you monster! Before you taste the blade of Avernus!”
Sofia let out an undignified snort, trying to suppress the laugh bubbling up in her chest. Had he really said that?
“What? …Oh, get your mind out of the gutters, you.”
“Ha! You’re one to talk! Now let go of him so I can murder you.”
Wyll seemed torn between teasing Astarion and appeasing the situation, but as Karlach left the kitchen with a truly humongous amount of pancakes, he decided on the latter.
“Come now, kids, breakfast is served!”
“Mine's not,” the vampire complained. “Sofia, would you terribly mind reminiscing about the good old times and lending me your neck?”
“As long as you don't make us watch,” Gale sternly reprimanded, putting down a plate of lard abruptly in front of him.
“Don't be crass.”
As he sat down in front of her, Sofia piled scrambled eggs on her plate, ignoring his blinding smile. The change from his nocturnal rhythm didn't seem to phase him most of the time, but she knew that it was harder to find the proper nutrition during their little gatherings, especially when they strayed far from the countryside where he could at least hunt. Gale had managed to procure pig's blood from his butcher, but that only alleviated his hunger partially.
Perhaps she should accept his request, for once ; Shadowheart would complain, but she would still cast Restoration on her.
She ate a forkful of syrupy pancake as Astarion twirled his wineglass, before deciding : “if you truly need it, you can bite me. After breakfast.”
A flash of surprise crossed his features, quickly replaced by a roguish smile ; but the soft look in his eyes betrayed his gratitude.
“So,” Gale started, “I have a class early afternoon, but you lot are free to roam as you please. I should be back around six, then we'll go to the marina together. Is that alright?”
All of them nodded between mouthfuls of breakfast. His cooking was excellent, as always, and Sofia was having a hard time not shoveling the food directly into her face.
“Mind if we come and see you, professor?” Karlach asked eagerly.
“Of course! I don't think all of you could fit, but-”
“I'll pass,” drawled Astarion, followed by Shadowheart's muffled “me too”.
“I have a… meeting, sorry.”
“He means a date!” the tiefling elbowed Wyll, who answered with a coy smile.
“Not a date,” he corrected. “We are simply going for a stroll.”
“Oh, you must see the view from Mountainside! It overlooks the whole city, it is truly gorgeous. And wander through the stalls in Southside; I know the most excellent cheesemonger- when we're done eating, I'll show you the map!”
Sofia couldn't help but smile as Gale went on excitedly about the best sights of the City of Splendors and his recommendations of pastry shops. When she turned back to her plate, she noticed Shadowheart's pointed stare.
What?, she mouthed. Her friend raised her eyebrows meaningfully and nodded in Gale’s direction. Sofia rolled her eyes in response. She was reading too much into this, as she usually did ; there would be no escaping it until they left Waterdeep. Perhaps if she found a convincing enough reason…
An hour later, Karlach and Sofia were seated in Gale's office : a spacious room with bookshelves up to the ceiling - not unlike his own library - but sparsely furnished. A massive wooden desk had been aligned with the only window and two cushioned chairs sat in front of it ; magelights diffused a soft, orange glow above their heads.
“It's mostly theoretical, I'm afraid you'll find this a little boring,” Gale explained apologetically after going over his notes.
Knowing how fidgety Karlach could get when she was idle, Sofia suspected that the issue would not be the content of the class, but sitting for three hours ; the paladin herself had not studied much of the Illusion domain, her focus being on the spellcasting itself.
“You, boring? Perish the thought,” she jested, and he answered with a wink.
“Oh, good, you will be ready for the quiz at the end then.”
“I am not above bribing my professor to get a good grade, you know.”
“Sofia! Is that how you got your diploma?” Gale gasped as he put his hand above his heart in mock outrage - Astarion truly was a bad influence. “I'm appalled ; I should write to your rector to have it revoked.”
“You wouldn't dare.” she threatened, leaning over the desk across from him.
“Watch me.”
He matched her stance, eyes twinkling in amusement. For a moment, they stared at each other, masks of anger breaking as smiles tugged at their lips ; until Karlach cleared her throat, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other.
“Uhh… Do you guys need me to leave?”
They both turned to her, startled ; Gale was the first to step back, his face tinted in reds and pinks.
“Actually, we all need to leave, else we will be late to class,” he corrected. “Shall we?”
With a hastily cast Mage hand, he grabbed a few books from his desk and opened the door for them.
The auditorium was already full when they entered. Karlach and Sofia managed to find seats in the unusually crowded first row ; next to them, students were inking their quills, their rolls of parchment so long they curled under the tables. As soon as Gale began talking, the chatter quieted, replaced by the scratching of quills ; it was almost impressive to witness. Not that the classes Sofia had attended had been unruly, but this level of reverence she had never seen, especially when she remembered how their companions had been quick to escape his monologues when they were still traveling ; as they had today.
As Gale delved into the subject - the impact of the environment when casting a spell - she found herself listening with rapt attention. The tone of his voice, low and confident, his hands moving animatedly to illustrate what he was saying, his gaze boring into the crowd of students ; everything about him was captivating.
He grabbed a piece of chalk and started to draw an example of a topographic map ; she followed the trajectory of his hand, the ridges of his knuckles against the black board, the chalk crumbling between his fingers. Someone asked a question that she barely heard.
“Very astute, miss Leclair,” he praised the student who appeared to be furiously blushing. “Indeed, in that case, it would be better to change locations - if you're able, of course.”
Karlach had started doodling on a slip of parchment she’d borrowed - the drawing an impressive likeness of Gale wearing a pointy wizard hat.
“Of course, adaptation to your surroundings is a skill to hone, especially when one finds themselves on a battlefield ; which is why you need to practice your reactivity in unknown terrain. We will have a practical training in the course of the semester-”
“Professor, will this be part of our grade?” a student interrupted with his hand uselessly raised.
“Is there any extra curricular work we could do?”
“Are we going to fight each other?”
“Come on Elaine, you know you're going to lose-”
“Fuck off, Marcus-”
Gale impassively stared at the two students that had started bickering, until they noticed the quiet surrounding them and fell silent.
“Sorry, professor Dekarios,” one of them - Elaine - muttered.
“As I was saying, though the topography of the terrain has proven to be the most impactful on this type of illusion spellcasting, researchers have found that…”
Sofia's mind wandered back to his hands as he traced the jagged edges of an imaginary rocky terrain in the air. Three years to forget that she had once felt her heart fluttering as they shared a moment in the Weave. Three years to erase how their hands slotted perfectly together as they braced to face the Absolute.
How easy it had been to make her resolve crumble, as if she'd never really been over him in the first place. And for what? Jealousy? Hells, but she ought to be ashamed.
It couldn't be love, Sofia decided a moment later as she watched him draw a graph on the white board. It simply had been a while since she last went on a date, and the reminiscence of old inclinations had gotten her overactive imagination running wild ; she was longing for warmth and touch, but not his.
Shadowheart would understand if she explained this, right? Not infatuation, just… misdirected lust. Simple as that.
“Studies have found that spell components in the range of an Illusion spell casting tend to lose in efficiency, since particles of their connection to the Weave are absorbed even when they are not directly used in the spell. Which is why your professors recommend practicing spellcasting in cleared, controlled environments ; but I find that casing the components in sussur boxes works just as well. Of course, with enough practice, you will be able to fine-tune your casting to avoid such inconveniences.”
Sofia let out an undignified snort of laughter at the thought that, yes, sure, whatever shall I do with priceless diamonds that I can't cast magic with, poor me, and met Gale's eyes as he turned to her. But he didn't look upset by the affront ; he raised a quizzical eyebrow at her, the shadow of a smile playing on his lips before he embarked on the subject of magically-controlled impedance.
Feeling heat creeping up her neck at the thought of being caught, Sofia lowered her gaze to her hands, laying uselessly on the desk. Karlach was still scribbling ; as she peeked at the parchment, she noticed the portrait her friend was drawing furiously resembled Shadowheart. The sketch of Gale was finished, his pointy hat adorned with a star on top of it like the caricature of a wizard.
“These are good,” Sofia remarked, voice barely above a whisper.
“Thanks, soldier. Want me to draw you next?”
“As long as you don't give me the same hat…”
Karlach flashed a bright smile at her and inked her borrowed quill.
When she dared to look up again, Sofia briefly met Gale's eyes as he clasped his hands together in a small cloud of chalk.
“Well, that's all for today. Thank you for your attention and don't forget to practice for the test!”
In a sudden flurry of movement, all students got up from their chairs and started packing ; a few of them were already elbowing their way to the center of the auditorium, to Gale's desk. He patiently answered their questions one by one, even when unrelated to his subject (“where did you buy your robes? They look exquisite on you, professor” - that had Sofia rolling her eyes). Only one lingered as the group departed - a rather handsome and very tall young man, nervously fiddling with the strap of his bag.
“Professor, I was wondering if, uh, if you were free for a drink, after this?”
He peered at Gale from under his lashes, blushing from head to toe, as Sofia watched him, flabbergasted. She turned to the tiefling to find her holding back a nervous laugh, one ink-stained hand pressed against her mouth.
To their surprise, Gale remained calm and collected ; no sign of panic crossed his features as he offered the student a kind smile.
“I am very flattered, Mr Gaering, but as one of your teachers, I must remain impartial, as I am sure you understand.”
“I'm so sorry-”
“No need to worry.”
The young man mumbled a “sosorryhaveagoodday” and hurried up the stairs, so fast he must have been carried by a Haste spell.
A pair of pointed looks and mouths agape turned to Gale.
“Does this… happen often?”
“Did he really invite you on a date?”
“Fuck, man, that's insane!”
“It's not that common,” he shrugged, “but it has happened in the past, yes. Something about Illusion spellcrafting must get them hot and bothered.” He smirked as he gathered his books and notes, before adding with a wink : “or perhaps they enjoy the rugged good looks of one of the saviors of Baldur's Gate!”
“Rugged?” Karlach snorted, at the same time Sofia repeated “Savior?”, “mate, I know you sleep in a feather bed.”
“And you almost blew us all to kingdom come! Twice! Or was that an illusion, too?”
“Come now, let's play nice-”
“You know what's nice? Your enchanted bubble bath.”
“When did you-”
“Woke up early this morning,” Karlach explained. “I saw you two lovebirds still snoring on the couch, so I turned back. Loved your floating duckie, by the way.”
An odd expression crossed Gale's face.
“It's Tara's,” he said slowly. “Anyways, I believe we're expected at the pub. Shall we?”
He opened the door and gestured for them to go ahead. Sofia stayed silent as she searched his face - for what, she wasn't sure. Thoughts swirled unbidden in her head as he steered them in the opposite direction, a hand gently pressed against her shoulder.
“It was fascinating,” she blurted out the blue. “Your class, I mean. I learned a lot - even though it doesn't apply the latest essay of Kirschenkranz on spellcrafting theory and how the Weave applies to inert objects.”
“I'm pretty sure this essay has been disproven already. It doesn't even take into consideration the influence of spoken word in the airwaves and the consequences of such vibration!”
“Have you read it? This is quite literally the second chapter,” Sofia scoffed.
“Have you? This is not what she explains throughout the fourth chapter and in the second annex-”
Karlach groaned loudly. Fuck, but the walk to the bar promised to be infinite.