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For a base in the erudite quarter it had been an absolute steal. Granted it came with everything, and the seller had stressed everything the last tenant had left. That was a small issue to have a settled address and place to be that did not require an exorbitant amount of gold a month in rent. Quite a lot of junk was thrown away along with a mountain of trash. Everything else that they hadn’t known what to do with went into a spare room until they could be bothered to sell it for some gold or pitch if it turned out to be worthless.
Until a new addition to the team needed a room.
“It’ll take some time for you to get settled in, but it will be a nice space with a good sized closet once we get all this cleared out.” Drake said unlocking the room.
“Oh goodness, I’m not sure that there is actually a floor in here. I’m not sure it’s safe to take my bag of holding inside the door. Multi dimensional unteathering and all that.”
“I don’t know; it could mean a nice vacation to the astral seaside.” Drake quipped back as he stepsd into the disaster of a storage room. Only two steps in he came to a stop against piles of boxes and overflowing filing cabinets.
“What are you nerds going on about?” Kima picked up one of a set of three chairs and set it outside of the room as Allura set her bag down and tossed her long hair over her shoulders and out of the way.
“When you have two extra dimensional things and put one inside of the other it causes the magic to malfunction. The part of the spell that constrains the expansion of the space fails and they grow and merge creating a tear that opens onto the astral sea. This usually affects a good sized area around the two objects as well so if I put my bag of holding in this room that jokingly looks as if it may also have an expansion spell on it then there is a chance all of us and everything the room and my bag would end up in the astral sea.” Allura’s face reddened as she bit her lip.
“…Right. I followed some of that I think.”
Drake patted Kima’s shoulder. “It’s Wizard banter. Don’t worry too much about it.”
“And the astral sea is what exactly?”
“Not a fun place to be if it’s not your home plane. Lots of monsters and nothingness.”
“A whole lot of nothing and monsters. Sounds like a wet version of the fields around westruun.”
“There is no water,” Drake called over his shoulder.
“What? Then why is it a sea?”
“Because the Wizard that discovered it thought it was poetic.” Allura took a small sextant handed to her and looked it over before carefully setting it down in the start of a “to be pawned” pile.
“Uh-huh.”
“Don’t give me that look. I’m not personally going around and giving things odd names.” Allura laughed and added an old pair of boots to the slowly growing pile.
“What look? I don’t have a “you wizards are crazy” look.” Kima grinned and reached for a book on a shelf just out of reach. Allura reached over her shoulder and grabbed it easily.
“Show off.” Kima grumbled side stepping out from under Allura’s arm
“You have a face that clearly conveys your thoughts on wizards, and I don’t think it’s a terribly flattering opinion.”
“If you two don’t quit flirting,” Drake huffed, stacking bother box to make the start of a trail into the room.
“I’m not flirting. Just because I’m a lesbian doesn’t mean it’s flirting every time I talk to a girl.”
“It doesn’t have to mean that. Regardless that for you it pretty much always does.”
“I’m not flirting right, Allura?”
“If you are, it's highly ineffectual.” Allura busied herself with a small box filled to the brim with old unused corks.
“See!” Kima motioned to Allura in evidence despite the unimpressed look on the dwarf’s face.
“Anyway, you have to admit some of it is insane. An astral sea that’s not wet, a spell to make people uncontrollably dance, one to make you jump like a cricket. Some of it is super wacky.”
“There’s also a spell to make you laugh. And I think one to make you smile too. They’re more childish pranks obviously.”
“Obviously. You doing ok Drake? Do you need a life line?” She looked over her shoulder where Drake was sorting through a box of papers for anything potentially hidden among illegible scribbles.
“It’s not that bad, Kima.”
“S’pretty bad.”
They worked in relative quiet for a short time before Allura stood and paused looking for something more interesting than old ledgers. With a muttered sentence and a dancing gesture of her fingers she looked around the room, eyes glinting with magic.
“What’s that?”
“Junk probably. I have no clue what you’re looking at, lass.” Drake looked up and craned his neck for what she may have spotted.
“It’s magical junk if so. There’s something that’s radiating enchantment magic.”
“That sounds like trouble.”
Allura was already trying to squeeze her way through the dresser, table, stacks of old papers, and boxes of collected jumble.
“It could be something worth selling. Add a bit to the party funds to get the roof redone.” She wedged herself in and sat on one of the stacks to reach up to the dusty little shelf where a sweets tin sat just outside of the light pouring in from the window.
It’s a slight stretch, but in short order she held it triumphantly over her head. “Got it!”
“Now can you get back with it?”
“I could throw it.”
“I’ve seen your hand eye coordination. I don’t feel like taking a magic tin to the face, Allura.”
“That wouldn’t depend on my hand eye coordination.” She slid off the box kicking up a small cloud of dust.
“You’d still be the one throwing it.”
“Keep it up and maybe I’ll aim to hit you in the head.” She was momentarily stuck between two pieces of furniture; her shoulders slipping through where her hips could not.
“Violent little wizard. Seem a little jammed there. Need a hand?” Kima laughed as Allura tried unsuccessfully to pull herself free.
“I’m—fine.” She tried to squeeze through sideways but wedged stuck just the same.
Kima had to turn away in an attempt to smother her laughter.
“Oh hahaha. Laugh it up.” Allura pressed against the wardrobe in an attempt to give herself breathing room.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have been the one to go after the tin, lass.”
“I can make it.” She set the tin down and tried to use her arms to help her get through.
“Come on, let me give you a hand, Allura. Grab your tin.” Kima reaches out and took her free hand to tug her out.
It took several tugs until, with a grunt, Allura came free and was dragged halfway out of the room. Kima knocked into Drake who broke her fall but Allura landed elbows and knees first on the floor with the tin popping open and spraying a fine dust about her head.
She coughed and spluttered as she tried to get up before a strong pair of hands helped her to her knees. Out of the fine cloud she could take in a deep breath that sent her coughing again.
“You ok, blue?” Kima asked as she brushed loose hair out of Allura’s face. Her eyes blinked open to find Kima looking down at her with concern. Had her eyes always been so golden?
“I—I’m alright?”
“You sound really sure about that. Can you stand?”
“I think so.” She held onto Kima’s hands to help her up and her face warmed with a blush. Her hands were so strong and just the right amount of rough from all the hours of practice with martial weapons.
Kima gave her a questioning look and Allura was certain she’d never seen such a cute expression on anyone. From her warm brown skin to the puff of curls where her hair was gathered at the back of her head, and the cant of her hips as she stood with such easy assurance.
Allura would be lying if she said she had never noticed how distracting Kima was, but suddenly it seemed so much worse. Perhaps it was the light from the window highlighting her cheekbones and nose. She really did look like a work of art didn’t she? Her lips looked as if they’d be so soft to kiss, and with the idea Allura found her own lips parting as she leaned forward just a fraction.
“I think it’s time for a break. What happened to your tin?” Kima stepped back, and as is breaking from the influence of a spell Allura shook herself back to her senses.
“Hmm? Oh it’s right here…what happened to the powder in it?”
“It’s in your hair, and on your dress. You might need a shower.” Kima lightly dusted Allura’s shoulder a puff of oddly colored dust seemed to rise from her dress.
“Well…that’s unfortunate. I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok, Allie. It was probably nothing important. Come downstairs and have some lemonade. Your face is all red.”
“Don’t mind me, I just got sat on by the paladin wearing twenty plus pounds of armor.” Drake stood, rubbing the back of his head where it likely hit the floor in the hallway. “If she’s having an allergic reaction she should probably go ahead and shower to get whatever that was off. If it was an enchantment item there’s a non-zero chance it was enchanted itching powder which would be about par for the course.”
“Why would you enchant powder to itch?”
“All magic items are enchanted, not all magic items use enchantment magic. Just leave it at that.” Drake sighed heavily and looked Allura over critically.
“Maybe you should shower, blue. Are sure you feel alright?” Kima put her hand to Allura’s forehead and she thought her heart might burst from the caring tone and gentle touch.
“I’m fine, but yes I think the shower is a good choice. S-save some lemonade for me.” She clutched her bag to her chest and hurried to the bathroom down the hall. She swore she could feel Kima’s eyes on her ass and the thought really shouldn’t make her skin tingle the way it did. What had gotten into her?
In the large bathroom mirror she can’t come up with a decent excuse for the deep flush of her cheeks, the rapid pace of her heart, or, most damningly, the wet heat between her legs.