Closed to @divinestrike

[pale_elf]

[It had been few weeks of travel since they left the Grove behind and Astarion spent most of his time fighting and preparing for the Shadow Curse and all that it seemed to involve. The original goal was to travel through the underdark after dealing with the Myconids, the durgears and all that nice stuff. He even found himself deeply amused by the little tower exploration and how one of the robot guardians just... hugged one of his companions. Whoever build them had to be a true, lonely loser. A spectator here, a dwarf saved from mushrooms there, the area was secured with Nere dead and... it turned out the elevator was stuck. Days worth of work- WASTED! Katlach had been lucky in getting a new armor from the forge, but all Astarion got was a laughing amulet that refuses to get off him.

After some discussion, traveling on the surface seemed like the best possible option, even if the mountain opass was guarded by Lae'Zel's people and they seemed rather hostile and dangerous. A daring escape from a killing githyanki machine, an encounter with Elminster and many other problems later they were finally on the right road fortheir destination.

And Astarion's Anxiety was only growing the closer they got to Baldur's Gate. Not only now they traveled with a druid, someone who probably saw him as an insult to natural order, but as soon as they passed whatever awaited them in the Tower... he would be within reach of Cazador once more. Needless to say, his need to reaffirm himself as a valuable team member kept increasing the more they traveled.

It was with absolute delight that he recognized some familiar roads during one of his hunting trips, and for once he didn't even mildly protest when the good souls in his group stopped on their tracks to help some villagers in danger. No. He gathered some valuable things, threw in his bag some other things he looted during his journey and proceeded toward Candlekeep. He could remember Cazador talking about lovely crypts right under the old fort and an old entry that allowed to pass through some cracks between the walls. He left the camp at night with the excuse of food, set down his trap, and waited.

The sun was already setting on the horizon and the group's tents had already been set down when he finally approached his prey. How many days had it been since he last tried to flirt with the Cleric of Selune? Probably too many. He smirked, leaned against the tent like he had a real support and tilted his head to the side, trying to give himself a mischievous but also... almost affectionate expression.</small>]

Well, good evening, darling. It's been far too long from the last time we had a private chat, wouldn't you agree?

Comments

[divinestrike]

It wasn't an insult. I actually rather like Halsin.

[Well. She liked what she'd gleaned from him so far. The serious and the stoic. His interest and love for nature. She did think he had a lot tucked away inside of himself and though she often pried the others, she didn't feel brave enough to do that with him. It didn't help that he technically wasn't one of them, and she thought it was better to keep him out of that as much as she possibly could. She was thankful for his guidance, but when it came to the tadpole, he didn't need to be any further involved.

Probably safer for him that way, too. Halsin was, as she considered it, entirely an innocent party. Nothing they did was to fall back on him and Nepione felt very adamant that it never got to that point.

Still, listening to Astarion list off all of the reasons he didn't want to be compared to the druid was... amusing. She made a note not to do that again, despite the way once he was done, Astarion was back to his sly little self. And then some.

"...I'm just glad to be here with you."

Before she could even stop it, she loosed a breath of equal amusement. Yes, of course he'd be saying that.]

I'll do my best. [She reassured him, though suspected it probably wasn't actually reassuring at all.] I'm not very good at those things, but I think as long as we're not in haste, it shouldn't be a problem.

[She followed him with a healthy amount of caution, trying to commit to memory the path they were taking, so they'd be able to take it on the way back as well. And just to make certain, she left some odds and ends behind. Not food or anything like that which would have been picked up by the surrounding wildlife, but more or less, items of her own, which really had no value. In short, a practical trail for them to follow back.

At least until they reached their ultimate destination that he'd spoken of before. The narrow crack that she'd likely be able to squeeze herself into without too much difficulty, and she could only be thankful that she was as small as she was. Whether he'd have the same blessing or not, she couldn't say. He was certainly taller than her, though decisively not as tall as Halsin or Karlach.

He was probably going to be fine, though.]

[pale_elf]

I will not take it as an insult because that means you also like me, then.

[Serious and stoic and boring. Gods, that man was just standing there in the camp, clearly knowing more about the Shadow Curse than he actually shared with others and not saying anything that could be useful to the group. Astarion wasn't feeling too guilty about having him involved with them, it was clear the druid had his own businesses near Moonrise tower and as far as the vampire cared that was enough to throw him into the fray as well. Hell, if he did anything to cause the curse they were going to deal with, he better do all in his power to fix it for them.

But that was beside the point. The vampire didn't trust the elf and things weren't going to change anytime soon, especially as they entered the lands of Blood Scarcity, the dude still held on his secrets, and Astarion knew his hunts were going to become more dangerous since his targets were going to be sentient people with weapons.]

Oh, I know you will. [His tone was calm, reassuring, he heard her breath and decided to slide in between his small wins when it came to their situation.] And fear not, we can cover each other's weaknesses. This is my specialty, after all.

[He put more caution in his movemens than he actually needed while sneaking inside, studying the shadows and sniffing the air with wariness even if he knew nothing was there for them. Not with the main big door of the library being blocked by two large steel locks and the entrance too uncomfortable for anything. Everything he left in front of the crack, little branches and leaves, was still in the same position as well, meaning no one entered since he left.

Still...]

We better stay alert. My dinner was over there last time I checked, something must have carried it away. I don't see anything move inside here, you look around and I will keep guard at the door. Look if we can find anything good.

[Just to add some tension, to make things more exciting. The man grabbed his daggers and prepared himself to strike in case anything decided to make his presence known and... gave her space to move around. fortunately enough magical items didn't deteriorate as fast as normal books, so leaving scrolls just slightly sticking out of books was enough to make them more or less visible. Trinkets barely dangling from their hiding spots were also around and he knew most of those things were barely worth any money, but he did slip in a few things she could probably enjoy.

A scroll of speak with animals was probably the easiest one to find, considering Scratch and an Owlbear pup joined their camp he suspected the cleric could want to have a chat with them. For the other scrolls... it was all arcane or druidic things that he put together while exploring and gathering by himself when he had to scout ruins before the others. There even was a lovely silver necklace with a moon pendant, just... perfect. Right?

But that was all for her to discover, he was merely going to... wander around and look for monsters and creatures that weren't really there.]

[divinestrike]

[Of all the things she was the moment she got a better look at exactly what they were looking at, Nepione was alert. And a little in awe. Of course, get her in a place with books and that was almost immediately to be her nearest interest, even if she couldn't fully understand what she might have been looking at, which happened more often than she would have liked for it to. The unfortunate side-effect, perhaps, to not being more scholarly in that respect. Had she stayed in the temple, her grasp on words and language probably would have been considerably better.

When she saw him remain on guard, she watched him for only some moments before she took the time to look around, the glow of her eyes helping in the somewhat more dark and foreboding atmosphere they found themselves in. It didn't take her long to station herself at the plethora of spines, tilting to read the titles that she could make out, just in case she found anything particular of note. In truth, each volume likely was, but it wasn't as if she could simply take each one back with her. One had to be a bit particular when it came to reading material.

Scrolls were always a welcome find, at that. Amazing that they survived for so long. She'd have to ask Gale later if maybe there was simply no expiry when it came to such things. Later. In the interim, carefully plucking one book at a time in an effort to not damage anything she found, she went through them painstakingly one by one.]

It's incredible that some of the things here are in such good condition. [She found herself commenting quietly as she carefully made for packing some of the scrolls away in her relatively sparse stash for this particular outing.] Would that I could take all of it back with it. Gale may get some use out of some of these, too. Or anyone else who might see fit to use them. Could probably use some of it to bolster our coffers, too. Not that I think we're in dire straits just yet, but a little comfort would go a long way in boosting morale.

[Casting a look over her shoulder in the last direction she'd seen him in, she continued.]

You're all right back there, yes?

[pale_elf]

[From Astarion's point of view, a man used to his master and his guests' splendor, that was little more than an awfully moldy library, something more like the rooms where Cazador locked him and his siblings away when they didn't satisfy him completely. The books were ruined by the humidity in the air, the wood of the bookshelves was barely holding itself together and the floor... there were some spots where he could almost feel it move under his feet, but that had to be his imagination: structures like this were built to last and even if his senses alerted that something wasn't okay, things were not an immediate danger.

He merely kept walking around the borders of the room, his eyes studying the decayed portraits that has been eaten away by time. Old curtains and drapes lost their color and luster, everything had a familiar smell of death and while he knew people already raided that place multiple times... well, no one moved there in a long while.]

Mh?

[Ugh, Gale. He didn't want the stupid lustful wizard to put his hands on things Astarion either bought of found, but he wasn't going to rain on her parade. At least he could step in and say something so she wouldn't ask too many questions to him.]

Depends. Is it something magical? Not a surprise, then. Magical items tend to be better preserved. Either the enchantment keeps them togeher or the materials used to craft them are inorganic and prevent molds and rot to take over. Been around enough ruins and abandoned places to be surprised by anything. If you found clothes or an actual normal book that have not been eaten away, though, you have my interest.

[He knew that beside the items he put around, the rest was pure trash. Was he happy it could be sold away? No. Was it for a better cause, the protection of his own skin? Yes.]

All good, you keep doing whatever you're doing. Nothing is really here. [An pause as he stopped in front of the locks he put in place himself to keep the room safe from outside invadors. A waste of good items, but at laest he could- ooh, he could work on a story for the place. Add some mystery.]

Whatever was inside? It went out. The room is locked from the inside and the wall crumbled toward the outside, so whoever was here? It left. Who knows what we would have seen here one hundred years ago... this place was destroyed by doppelgangers, you know?

[Probably yes, but this was generic conversation as he movedd from behind a bookshelf to enter her field of view, crossing his arms and leaning against it.]

[divinestrike]

Well.

[What a spoilsport, but maybe she deserved that. Where likely others are more inclined to be enthused about more exciting things, it must have seemed rather mundane for her to be keen on books. Books that were clearly aged and no longer suitable for reading material, no less. But it somehow seemed perfectly her, the self-proclaimed royalty of the boring.

Still, it was nice to listen to him talk about things that he clearly knew plenty about. It was something she'd occasionally regretted. Talking with him was sometimes challenging and she didn't always know what to say to him or how to say it. So being able to have a conversation, even one where he was explaining how magical artefacts remained in place, was an improvement.]

I guess you're right, but I still think it's neat. There are so many things in this would that don't last. I really admire things that do. It's an amazing resilience. Worthy of admiration.

[It was about then that she found the necklace, which she carefully extracted from between pages she was certain would crumble if she touched them overlong. With the same gentleness, she lifted it for a better look.]

Oh, look at this. Hardly looks aged. I wonder what it was doing here, though. A shame I didn't find a note along with it. We'd know if there was someone we needed to return it to. Could see what price this would fetch, too, but it's awfully pretty.

[Was it in bad form to keep it? Turning more properly, she lifted the necklace for him to see, filing away somewhere in that head of hers that whatever they'd come her after had simply left. It just meant they'd have a short-lived trip in, probably. Didn't seem there was really too much of use.]

See what I mean? We'll take this and then we can go. Best not to tempt fate by staying around for too long, eh?

[pale_elf]

I suppose so. Things flow by so fast when you stop to look around, my dear, as an elf I assure you the world itself tends to rot around you. I cannot quite disagree with your words, things that survive are... worthy of our interest.

[Oh, she found the little necklace. Good, he chose that one on purpose and from the gleam in her eyes the vampire could tell it got the cleric's attention. He was silent, looking down at his perfectly filed nails. Even if be broke them, even if he cut his hair or tried to change his appearance things would just go back to how he was in a matter of day or two- or that was the norm beside the tadpole. Who even knew if with his messed up body he'd still just... regenerate.

He pretended to pass his eyes over the silver trinket that was put in place for that reason and the vampire offered a shrug. Oh, no, he wanted her to keep it, a reminder of their little adventure together, something overly sentimental and naive.]

Probably not more than two gold at the market, not worth it if you like it. [A lie, it was enough to cover a full day worth of supplies for one person, but that wasn't something the maiden needed to know. It wasn't like he could eat anything people bought in normal markets, unless they had livestock.] If you like it, why not keeping it? Knowing how people work, maybe it was left behind by someone wanting to surprise someone else and... whoever you wanted to return it to is probably gone by now. Just a bit dead.

And I mean, I wouldn't mind spending more time with you, after all we-

[He squinted as his ears registered something crack under them, a distant sound of wood starting to fall apart? What? He barely had time to register that before the floor started to basically open under their feet, his instinct pushing him toward the woman instad of back toward safety before he could even process how stupid his body's choice was.]

[divinestrike]

Oh. I guess that's all very much a possibility.

[The idea that whoever owned anything in this place was likely very much passed on. A sad realisation, honestly. As she thought back and reflected on his other input, she had to admit that what she'd said was likely insensitive. A bright idea, it sure was, to say that she admired things that survived and lingered.

If he hadn't been turned, she had to imagine that his life would have been very different. He certainly wouldn't have been in a musty, mildewed collection of Candlekeep history.

Still thinking about what to do with the necklace in question, she frowned just a touch, clearing her throat.]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean—

[Whatever more she might have gotten out died then and there when she heard the peculiar splitting of wood. At least it sounded like wood. It wasn't good, whatever it was. She hesitated to even move a touch more in response to it because she had yet to narrow down the source of it.]

—Astarion...?

[She began, the uncertainty leaking into her tone. The moment she began to feel the floor give out beneath where she stood, she tried to make herself seem as small as possible, and at the last minute, a last resort kicked in survival instinct. As Astarion began to close the distance between them, she reached out for him, clutching onto him, forgetting kindness, forgetting the sometimes brutal nature of her claws.

But she was going to guess it was the last thing either of them were going to be thinking about.]

[pale_elf]

[For a moment everything was hell. If Astarion still had a heartbeat, she'd probably feel the sheer panic from the sounds of his chest alone. The floor was failing them and falling under their feet, the only thing he could do was wrapping his arms around her frame and holding her as close as possible, using his own body as a shield and ignoring how her claws found their way in the delicate flesh of his back. Still moving by instinct, he pushed her above him and cushioned her fall, fortunately enough they were falling with the floor and that slowed things down well enough that he didn't hurt himself too much- but the vampire jumped when he felt the large wooden shelves hit the ground at their sides, miracolously missing them by inches.

He found himself breathing in the dust, almost a mechanical action considering he didn't quite need that, and pushed a couple of dusty books from above them. Shit. Shit. They were in the Catacombs below, weren't they? This wasn't planned, at all, and he had no idea of what to expect from that point on. To let his frustration on, he simply addressed the first thing that caught his eyes as he stared up at the now open ceiling.]

Wooden beams? [His voice was an high pitched, indignated one as he tried to assest if they were both still fine.] Who the fuck uses wooden beams for the structural integrity for something that has to be undergound? In a fucking humid and wet place? I bet they didn't even treat the wood against mold or termites I-

[Right, he had to be in control. He tried to push himself up, sitting in the dust and looking down at the Tiefling. That was as close as they evver got so far, but this wasn't how he planned to get her between his arms. He supported himself with one arm and wrapped the free one around her shoulders.]

You... are you okay?

[He was only half listening, his nose already focusing on a new entire set of smells and the sounds around them. He could still feel the place assest around them, so it was hard to tell if anything else was around them at the moment, but he was on guard already.]

[divinestrike]

[It all happened relatively quickly. Even as she played it all back in the moments that followed, she couldn't quite get the sequencing right. She marginally knew what had happened, however. Something about dire circumstances changed people. She wasn't sure she could remember the last she'd clung to anyone like that. Maybe... her childhood? Simpler days and times before she really understood what she was. Who she was. And the consequences for that.

When they both finally came to rest, she realised a few things. They had come dangerously close to things being particularly more an emergency. She had no idea where they even were or what to expect. And it was very, very possible for her to be frightened, where she had developed previously a rather nonchalant attitude when it came to her own safety.

The fierce racing of her heart she thought was so palpable that she almost didn't hear him when be started his well-placed criticisms of the building. She knew he was making noise for certain, but hadn't quite yet made out the words. It was only when she felt the contact of his arm that she started paying attention again.

Was she alright? Debatable. Nepione didn't even know yet if she was injured in their fall. Probably not, but with panic in her veins, she couldn't feel much except that.

At first, she simply nodded, trying to remind herself to speak as she looked around, not in the biggest hurry to separate herself from him. If there were any aches and pains, she certainly couldn't tell yet. Carefully shifting her hold, trying to conscientiously loosen where she'd gripped him, she sucked in a sharp breath.

Well, that was still going according to plan.]

Y... yes, I think so. [She began slowly, still adjusting to their new surroundings.] What about you? Everything in one piece?

[pale_elf]

[It happened quickly, but the man's reaction times were much better than the average and that really went to his advantage. Perhaps he was beating himself up, silently cursing his bad luck and taking a mental note on the fact that if he ever picked a new location for a 'date' he was going to jump around every possible corner to make sure the floor could at least support their weight.

He sniffed the air to make sure there was no scent of blood, then tried to fully assest the damages. He was hurt, yes, but his body was still fully functional, if his bones were cracked they would recover and his armor protected him from any sharp shard of rock and splinter. With a 'oh' he realized a pointy piece of wood was dangling above them and instinctively pushed himself and the cleric to the side to make sure he was safe from accidental stabbing.

I'm good... I'm good.

[He didn't let her go, part of his brain knew it was the natural normal reaction of someone pursuing another, but at the moment he was more processing the fact he almost accidentally killed their de facto leader. How was he even supposed to go back to camp if anything happened to her? He was going to lose... everything. The vampire took another deep breath, trying to hold any hiss of pain when she removed her claws from his flesh, and focused on her.

Priorities, priorities, he could think about how scared he got for a moment once they were safe.]

Try to get up, mh? I'll give you support, dear. I...

[His senses were sharp and he could still pick sounds from around them, distant but present. Whatever was lurking below Candlekeep, they just alerted it lunch was ready. Now making sure she got out of that mess was a priority- he could probably misty step back to the surface, there was a plank that was just the right angle for him to jump, but... but she was his literal life insurance.]

You don't know any spell to jump around, right? [Note to self, part two: making sure to keep a misty step, a feather fall and a jump scrolls with him if they ever managed a second 'date'. He reached to caress his cheek, taking advantage of their closeness but not lingering in the contact for too long.] It's okay, I got you covered, but we can't stay here.

[His hands were already moving toward the daggers, whatever was in the catacombs was moving toward them. Slowly but steadily.]

[divinestrike]

[And 'good' probably meant they he wasn't very good at all. Or that he was as good as she was, which was... to say that she wasn't particularly good either. As the adrenaline finally began to wear off, she realised that whatever hurt she couldn't quite identify just yet. There was aching, without doubt, though it could have simply just been from the fall itself, though Astarion had certainly taken the brunt of the damage. In the back of her mind, she knew she'd have to have a talk with him later on about that. Gratitude, of course, but a little scolding, too.

As she made her way slowly onto her feet, she realised some of the ache came from there. Poor landing, perhaps? Nothing she couldn't handle. Again, when she compared it to whatever he'd endured, it seemed silly to even make mention of it. So she didn't. For just some moments as she steadied herself and acquainted herself with that little sliver of ache, she strengthened her resolve. She was their leader. She had to be better.

When she felt a little more confident, she didn't completely shrug him off, but she did attempt to put a little distance between them. Tilting her chin up to eye where they'd fallen in from, she took note of the plank that lingered above them. No way she was going to casually make it up there. Wasn't like he could just take her with him either. If they'd had Gale—

Well. If they'd had Gale, he likely would have frowned over this entire ordeal.]

Mm... Not the way that you and some of the others do, no. [She admitted with some thought.] Maybe you should go back and get the others. I can handle myself here for a little, I'm sure.

[She wasn't sure, but she couldn't, in good faith, put him at risk any further on her account. She wasn't inclined to say it, but she always prioritised their safety over her own. If she did admit to it, she could just imagine what the reactions would be.

As if she meant to reassure him, she turned her attention back onto him, providing a very gentle pat to his chest.]

[pale_elf]

[It was a 'good' he could handle. Thanks to Cazador his pain tolerance reached insane levels, if he was the one under the masochist priest's lashes in the goblin camp, he would have been just fine and dandy. Probably. Still complain loudly about it, though. Right now his focus was the Tiefling, and he could tell something was off. Her posture wasn't normal, her weight was unbalanced and he was too used to study his enemies for their weak spots to miss such a tell.

The vampire cursed under his breath, looking around and checking how many sides were exposed to danger. Two doors, both old and probably ready to crumble, and no clear idea from where the sounds he was hearing were coming from. Note to self, third thrilling installment, never leaving the camp without a potion of giant strenght. Were those repulsive? Absolutely with the fingernails of some giant floating in them. Were they expensive, yes. Were they worth the price? Absolutely, considering what he was going to try to do.

In any other situation he would have rejoiced at the pat against his chest, a step in the right direction, but all he could do was reach for her hand and give it a quick, short squeeze.]

It's okay. I got you.

[Simple words as he made sure she could at least stand on her own, he didn't need to make things worse, and he rushed toward one of the doors in the attempt to push one of the bookshelves that fell with them against it. Astarion's back cracked in protest and he had to thank his vampiric resistance as he painfully moved it against the rotten wooden panel- oh to be actually more like Haldin, what wouldn't he give for some real muscles.

He didn't even care if he was far from charming as he grunted and pushed in the effort, survival came before any seductive dance in his priority list.]

I'd come back to- huff- a dead you. Hide. Something is coming and I doubt it's planning to have tea with us.

[THe time for sweet small talks was over. The vampire made sure his healing potions were within reach and, hoping the wooden shelves would work well enough as obstacles, ran to the other side of the room, trying to get ready for a surprise attack as soon as the door opened. He had... some special arrows with him, but there wasn't enough room for ranged attacks in there, so his only option was direct combat and trying to be really good at it.

He took a deep breath, being mostly silent and merely nodding his head toward the pile of debris, inviting her to take shelter. He was going to protect her or die trying- not that he had many more alternatives, returning back without her would have beeen a death sentence as well.

[divinestrike]

You want me to—

[Hide. He wanted her to hide? Her, of all people. Although she understood that if she couldn't provide her best, whatever the reason might have been for such a thing, then all she was, was a vulnerability. Astarion didn't much care for those kinds of things and she wasn't exactly proud to be one at the current moment. Pursing her mouth to keep herself from arguing with him, she decided that he had the right of it. In this, she wouldn't be immediately practical. She could swallow a little of that misplaced pride of hers to give them a little longer to survive.

Instead, Nepione loosed a quiet sigh and when he indicated the pile of debris, she gave him just a moment's look. One that said she didn't approve, but she wasn't going to protest against it either. At least, not in the precise moment.]

Don't do anything reckless.

[Which seemed like a stupid thing to say because he often did things that were reckless, probably for what she imagined he wanted to refer to as the 'thrill' of the situation. With as much care as she could muster, she carefully used the pile of debris, fitting herself just so that she could take some kind of safe refuge there. Oh, to be a wizard who could have simply conjured things to take her place, or even powers of necromancy (though that seemed in bad taste, considering current company).

From where she posited herself, she could see well enough, feel the little flutter of anxiety at the small of her back, which made it fairly easy to ignore whatever was going on with her after their fall. Everything else could wait until later. She thought about the other things she had at her disposal. Radiant magic, she supposed, simply little spells that were quite possibly effective on anything that might have been down here. Things lurking in the dark always seemed to have a dislike for it.

Something was better than nothing. She couldn't go running a race, but she could still tap into what she had to begin with.]

[pale_elf]

Yes.

[A short, short reply as he leaned against the wall, trying to feel vibrations and focusing on the sounds after closing his eyes. The steps were slow, but approaching, and he could tell there was more than one creature approaching. A distracted nod was offered in the woman's direction. Reckless had been getting there in the first place, now he had to focus on getting them out. And fast.

The blades danced between his hands, the only enchanted dagger weighting heavily in his dominant hand because he knew his only chance was there if he was faster than his opponents and-

And a scream echoed through the walls. The chilling cries of more than a child, so vivid and 'real' he could almost imagine the face of kids crying for their parents in front of him and while he had been more than ready to leave Arabella to die back in the Grove... he knew very well the cleric with him had a bleeding heart and this was going to affect her. Still silent, he raised one hand in her direction to invite her to stay put and got ready. The little ones were faster and deadlier from what he could remember: their strenght was minimal but they were smaller than the average person and he was going to aim down in order to hit them.

Shit, he couldn't even Fire Bolt one of the wooden shelves and let the undead burn into a fire, maybe he didn't quite need to breathe but wet and moldy wood was going to create far too much smoke for his companion. A sigh and a whisper as he focused for another one of his little cantrips, summoning a sheep as Minor Illusion on the other side of the room and casting True Strike on his blades.

With preparations done, he only moved when he heard the wooden door open, barely supporting itself on its hinges. Zombies, as suspected, and while the first one of them went down with a single strike too the head, he found almost immediately that he had to step back since there was at least five more adult ones, probably scribes or old men in life, and two kids that had been buried with ceremonial robes, probably young souls claimed by illness in tender age.]

[divinestrike]

[It chilled her right down to the core. It was only a sound and she almost felt petrified by it. Almost. To define her as having a bleeding heart was probably altogether too accurate. Against realistic judgement, she'd wanted to go very out of her way to save every single individual along their journey that she could. Despite that want, however, she also knew that such just wasn't possible. It didn't make it any easier to face, however. As a result, a good deal of silent guilt sat upon her shoulders for every life she couldn't save, though she knew very well that she wasn't living much if she continued that poor habit.

Someone like Astarion, however, she didn't think would understand that. Or much of anyone else, given that she could not simply change herself so abruptly.

She watched the way he lifted his hand to keep her in place, though found it ironic that he likely knew it just wasn't her style. She couldn't stand just huddling where she was. But for the time being, perhaps for his own peace of mind (if that was even what it was), she opted for keeping herself marginally out of harm's way. Eyes intent on the door as it opened, she couldn't see particularly well with Astarion upfront and centre. But when he stepped back, she felt her breath catch ever so lightly.

It was a bit more than she was expecting to deal with. She could handle one or two on her own, but all of them... Well, between the two of them, they'd likely be fine. She took count of what they had against them. A total of seven? So far, anyway. Shifting ever carefully, she drew up a hand and murmured as quietly as she could manage an incendo beneath her breath.

He probably wasn't going to protest if a radiant like streak of Sacred Flame immolated one or two of them. Chances were it wouldn't be nearly as difficult to deal with as opposed to using real fire. And chances were, given they were undead, she was in a unique position where she had the advantage, even whilst injured.]

[pale_elf]

[He wasn't naive enough to believe there was any child that needed saving out there, the cries and the pained moans were nothing more than a natural lure to bring preys to the cemeteries and let them be devoured by the undead. He didn't know when it started, from his very limited knowledge it had something to do with how in ancient times children were left exposed to the elements when deformed or with other problems- or so the legends went. The desperate cries of the children echoed through so many nights, in so many different places, they taught their cursed selves how to attract unfortunate, kind hearted souls.

Astarion was not going to let any of them turn him or his companion into a meal.

And no, he wouldn't understand Nepione's need to save everyone, but he was going to use it for his own gain at some point. If they survived the night. This was the first wave of zombies, but who even knew how many were out there between this room and their freedom? Didn't matter, it was too many anyway and the only way to handle that was doing the smart thing and taking them down one at the time.

He felt one of the kids's teeth try to bite through his leather armor and he went down with his elbow, trying to smash it away. Too short to be comfortably in range of his weapons as he was threatened by other creatures, annoying enough to get in the way of his movements, though. At least his entire body was covered in padded leathers and the dull teeth of a child were doing no damage, he just had to keep the big ones away from his hands and his neck.

He took a big step back, another, and used the full length of his arm to charge a slashing attack, hitting the scirbe in front of him as hard as possible and fortunately enough sending his head rolling on the ground. Okay, those were rather old creatures, weren't they? He got it, he just had to-]

Eck!

[The radiant damage was both welcome and not, mostly because it gave him a massive scare. As undead, he was still used to fear that kind of energy and he found himself jumping back and using misty step to teleport on a nearby shelf. Shi- he wasn't supposed to step away, even if two of the undead were falling down- his illusion was sent forward, baaing and bouncing between the creatures and offering a small distraction as he jumped down and, dashing as fast as he could, charged his next target.]

[divinestrike]

[She cringed. Hurting Astarion wasn't really a part of the plan, but she knew that if she was louder than she had to be, it'd attract attention in her direction, which ultimately only would have made things more difficult for him. Considering their current location, they had limited options on where they could get to. Well, she did. Astarion could have made a mad dash for it and likely would have been just fine.

She had to trust that she hadn't gotten him in the crossfire, but imagined there were going to be more than a few apologies she passed in his direction after all was said and done. She also made a note that late night excursions with Astarion, much less anyone else, were entirely out of the question. It was difficult enough with four. Having only two felt... not impossible, but the kind of challenge that Nepione didn't want.

Perhaps that was simply cowardice.

Peeking out from her little place of shelter to get a better look at Astarion, she resisted the temptation to actually unveil herself.]

I can take a few from here. [She rose her voice just enough for him to hear. No sense in completely hiding and maybe they wouldn't find her regardless. Or at least, they might not have found her easily, which really seemed like the bigger priority here. She could buy Astarion time or play distraction. Dangerous manoeuvres, but certainly not out of the realm of possibility.] But I can only do one at a time.

[She wanted to say he should have been all right, but she wasn't in the market of dealing false promises. In fact, she didn't much like promises at all.]

I will wait until you're open.

[Because that way, she wouldn't have caught him unawares again. So she kept herself ready and braced, attentive to his swift and sly movements. For all that Astarion looked terribly soft and delicate, almost doll-like, when he moved, he was so precise that had they been on opposite sides, she'd had plenty to fear from him.]

[pale_elf]

[Well, she missed him. Barely. His was just a natural reaction out of innate, old fears. Radiant damage hurt so much, every time he received it. Cazador made sure he couldn't die, of course, but the amount of times he had to deal with not so kind clerics still marked him. No time to waste, though, as he moved again to dodge a hand that was trying to grab him, the last thing he needed was to get stuck in place with corpses that wanted to take a chunk off him.

The man used his agility to avoid a couple of attacks, even if he got it by one of the zombies when it tried to grab his hair and slapped his face instead. Little red ripples of blood, his last meal had been recent, fell from his cheek as he returned the favor by swinging his dagger and planting it inside the corpse's head, sending it on the ground.

Okay, he heard the girl, now he just had to make sure the focus of the zombies stayed on him or his bouncing sheep.]

Ah. Uhm... [His eyes moved toward one of the little ones, distracted by the minor illusion. He opened his hand, fully open, in their direction and pretended to shoot something from the palm.] Divine... retribuition blast!?!

[Those things weren't probably smart enough to call out his deception, but he wasn't going to take any risk and attract the attention on his partner. He was good at being loud in more than just the bed, hopefully this wasn't going to attrack more enemies to their doorstep.

Right after that, hoping that Selune decided to give her cleric a hand, Astarion grabbed his secondary knife and tossed it in the other toddler's direction, aiming at its skull: the big ones he could keep in check, the little zombies were too quick and sneaky to leave them unattended. If he could hear her thoughts, he'd be glad to see some respect in them, but he was too busy feeling goofy and careless for his standards while he tried to dance between hands and teeth trying to claim him.]

[divinestrike]

[If it had been literally any other situation than the present one and he'd pulled some kind of 'Divine Retribution' rubbish, she most likely would have laughed. Those two words coming out of his mouth made about as much sense as it would have for Nepione to express some kind of joy over the harming of another person. He sounded ridiculous, but she understood exactly what he was doing—drawing attention off of her because unlike him, she didn't have the same agility. He was far better suited for such matters. Wiry and graceful, Astarion was, much to her dismay, often very eye-catching.

For obvious reasons, she made certain not to tell him as much. He certainly never would have let her live it down if she had.

She took what he offered her so prettily, however. As he regained attention (and perhaps some confusion, provided the undead were even capable of such things), she used that opportunity to conjure a flame of warm radiance, which she propelled from her hiding space, slamming a Guiding Bolt into one scribe who shrieked in an eerie wail as he crumpled down into a mess of...

Well. She would have likened it to something like dust with a bit more weight. Magic was not usually nearly as flashy, but for all that she could have simply slammed the spiked end of a mace into the gaunt jaw of a zombie, she didn't exactly care to. Bloodletting was not her favourite pastime and she couldn't have claimed she was particularly good at it.]

Astarion, be careful—

[She didn't need to say it, but it warranted repeating. It wasn't just the zombies, after all, that he had be watch out for. It was also anything she might have done. In retrospect, they were the least likely to cohesively work together. She represented so much of what put him at a grave disadvantage.]

[pale_elf]

[Was he supposed to read her mind know which spell she was about to cast? No, generic rubbish divine trash was much more his style and at least it served the purpose, drawing the attention back on him and not toward the potential source of magic, if he had to pay the small price of looking like an absolute fool to keep his life unsurance alive so be it. From his point of view, he was a mess in his movements, mostly because he had to balance himself between multiple enemies right now and didn't even know how many were still heading in their direction, if any.

With one dagger away inside a dead kid's skull and only one blade at hand, he found himself lifting one foot up and using the bottom of his boots to kick one of the enemies' stomach with it, pushing it against the wall and cracking its head. Not the best idea since that gave another undead the opportunity to reach for his ankle and block it mid air.]

Well, fuck you too, skullface!

[No grace as he bounces on his only free leg, stabbing the creature repeatedly until it fell to the ground and moving to face the next shadow that entered through the door. He had to stay focused and make sure none of them passed after him. Feeling a bit of fatigue already, he did spend two days without meditation after all, the vampire cursed knowing Friends instead of Blade Ward, a little cantrip like that would have helped immensely when, despite dodging almost everything, he kept being hit.

The vampire wasn't too sure on how he did it, but in the end he kept stalling every undead who walked in and, despite having to drink a potion to sustain himself, managed to toss a last body into a corner and claim a small victory for the moment. The sheep he summoned popped away mid jump and he bent his back forward, resting his hands against his knees and trying to recover a bit.

This. Is not. How I hoped our date to go.

[And they still had to find their way out.]

[divinestrike]

[If she had been a different kind of person, she suspected she could have watched him for hours without tiring. Not that he would have felt much the same, of course. He really was the one carrying them here, which, as... a cleric, that was not supposed to be how it was meant to go. That was to say, her behaviour was downright shameful, though she suspected he wouldn't have agreed. Keeping her safe was likely somewhat paramount, it seemed, though she had never wanted that kind of importance placed upon her.

She really only ever wanted to be some insignificant priestess who travelled the continent, helped people along the way who were in need, and went about her business with giving up little more than her name.

How things had turned so rapidly.

When he tossed aside the last body, she found herself eyeing the doorway intently, wondering if that was the last of them. How many had there been, again? It was so difficult to tell with the remaining viscera that littered the ground. Astarion looked as though he'd seen better days, despite the idea that his features had largely remained unchanged. If anything, he simply looked tired. Or whatever an elf's equivalent was.

She took a moment more to assess and slowly—carefully—moved from her hiding spot, though when she heard what he had to say, she paused. Weren't they here to go chasing after food for him?]

I'm sorry, what?

[At what point had this been a date?

Although it really wasn't the time to get into all of that and she knew that, so she decided not to address it any further. Remaining painfully still, she tried to focus on what she could hear, if there were any additional approaching footsteps. Maybe they were lucky and that was the end of them.

Wouldn't that be nice.]

[pale_elf]

[He could go on for hours in certain activities, sure, but fighting wasn't one of those. He could stike poses for her, thought, if he knew she enjoyed watching. He took a deeop breth, more a mental reaction than a necessary one, and straightened his back before staring toward the darkness for a good long moment: there was nothing his vision could pick up between the shadows, no further sounds of movements nor zombiest moving in. They were... momentarily safe? Good.

He took a few steps back, still not turning his back to the entrance, and then turned in the cleric's direction, kneeling right in front of her and making himself small. Hopefully they were going to have a good moment of respite, because Astarion didn't know if he could take wave after wave of random shamblers.

Yikes, he was covered in the dry remains of all the things he had to stab down, he needed a shower so badly right now. Oh, that was probably the only thing he missed of his old life, running old water. Not that he had any intention of going back, but perhaps if they could stop by an inn...]

Don't think too much about it..

[A simple comment waving his hand and dismissing her thoughts. He wasn't going to court too much until they were safe. But speaking of the little things- he reached to his own cape, taking it off and passing it to the cleric. Carrying her around was out of question and leaving her exposed in any way was against his interests, so...]

I will go scouting to find a way out. I'm more efficient if I can snipe them from the shadows and open us a path. Traps and such will also be easier to deal with if I'm alone. You just... stay safe, okay?

[He didn't even have to try to sound too worried, he was genuinely afraid to let her down. Mostly because his head is going to fall if she got even more hurt. All he could offer was his cape to keep warm as long as she had to wait and pray that the crypt didn't reserve them any terrible surprise.]

[divinestrike]

I don't...

[Well. She didn't think he should go on his own, but he seemed fairly intent on what he was doing. When he offered his cape, she spent some moments simply eyeing it before she begrudgingly accepted. His explanation was perfectly logical as well. It wasn't that it was personal. It's that he was doing what was best for all of them in the long run. And if he could find a way out, then it'd be easier for them to make their way back up and out.

It'd also give her the time to more properly look over herself and see what she could do to tend to her own injuries. As she shifted, she offered him a nod.]

I won't go anywhere. I'll stay right here.

[Not that she thought she was getting anywhere quickly. Even if she handled the pain, it wasn't going to completely fix it. Healing never worked like that. It only worked well enough to get them through a situation. Nights at camp were really the ones best for rest.]

I know I said this already, but I do mean it. You can't do anything reckless. Scout, find a way forward, secure it if needed, and come back. I won't know how to explain to the others if something happens to you because of me.

[It was a rare showing of her true thoughts. Her true vulnerabilities that she didn't much like the others to know about. That idea that she found them all to be her responsibility. And if something happened to any of them, it was because she hadn't been enough, that she hadn't done enough. It would have called all of her credibility into question and considering she didn't feel she had much to begin with, she didn't feel she could afford to lose any.]

[pale_elf]

[That... was incredibly in tune with his own line of thoughts, even if Astarion was more survival oriented than her. He couldn't explain to the others why he returned alone and why the Good Girl was no longer part of their ranks, true, but it wasn't out of guilt, it was out of sheer survival instinct. He needed the group, he needed them, especially if he wanted to reach Baldur's Gate and somehow escape Cazador. It wasn't like his master was one who let his toys slip away, after all...

He let out a small sigh, curled his lips up on one of the corners and offered a somewhat amused expression.]

Isn't that what I should tell you? I promise I will be as silent as a shadow. We're just one floor underground so it's just a matter of finding the stairs up and... once you're safe up there I'll come back here, Misty Step my way up, unlock the door and we can escape from where we came from, mh?

Or, if I find a rope, I'll just... jump up and help you climb.

[He tried to sound warm, but the practicality in his tone was still present. They needed a way out and he was going to make it, now he just had to find out how. Hopefully the crypts weren't as large as he feared. The man winked in her direction, asked a 'no good luck kiss?' and then got up, his hands patting the leather armor in order to get rid of at least some of the dust and various body parts that covered him.

His big advantage with the undead was that he could easily mix between them, they wouldn't detect any heat or presence if he slowed down and took his time, but the place was cold and his knowledge of Tiefling biology too limited to know if Nepione was going to struggle for it. Fire resistance was a thing and he remembered something about cold and electricity too but it wasn't something he ever had to study since in Baldur's Gate they were relatively rare and if he had to lure them to his master because he wanted an exotic meal... well, Astarion used his body as a weapon, not spells.]

I'll be back.

[And with that he was gone, a cat shaped minor illusion trotting ahead of him to attract the attention of any creature in range and his vampiric self crawling in the shadows. Needless to say, the entire exploration was a long and painful ordeal. Every other corner there was a group of zombies and he had to painfully find the best spot where to hide, send his little illusion forward in order to make them turn away from him and then take them down one by one with arrows. Exposing himself to recover what he used and refill his quiver was unpleasant, but fortunately enough he spent the past two centuries living between the shadows and even if slowly he was making progress.

Traps were ever present, he lost a good amount of arrows triggering them from a distance to unleash their fury on undeads that were wandering through the corridors -bastard seemed to know where not to step despite their brain being literal mush-, and few corridors were blocked by debris. There were fortunately enough some studies where he got some extra supplies, even if he wasn’t really sure if any of the potions still worked -only one way to find out- and he had the extreme luck of using the last Speak with Dead spell on a scribe that actually replied to him. And gave him directions.

Almost an hour was spent clearing the way, no matter if the path itself wouldn’t take more than 15 minutes walking normally, and he felt like sending a kiss to the night sky when he finally surfaced on ground level and managed to see the stars through a hole in the walls. Illusions were thrown all around the place to lure eventual motion attracted creatures. Nothing. Another couple of Minor illusions were used to generate sounds around and still nothing.

Astarion waited a good five more minutes just trying to spot anything that could be a danger before rushing back to his cleric. Now he had to get her up, use his last spell to cast invisibility on her, then rush back once more and unlock the door to let her out. He.. he got this. He looked like a walking disaster when he appeared back in the room where he left Nepione, desperately needing a bath, but they were still alive and that was what mattered.]

Can you walk? I think we’re… safe.

[divinestrike]

["No good luck kiss?"

She loosed a breath that was very nearly amused. No. Certainly not in the precise moment. But perhaps when all was said and done... After all, Astarion had certainly gone out of his way to take care of her. She likely could have surrendered one to him. It was something worth considering, though she had never been in the habit of such things.

The rest of what he had to say was reassuring. He sounded sure of himself and it was one of the rarer times that she appreciated what she'd often interpreted as 'arrogance' coming from him. Even then, however, she'd decided relatively early on that he had every right to perceive himself in such a way.

When he told her he'd be back, she offered him a short little nod, watching him disappear into the darkness with a... strangely heavy heart. Despite knowing he could take care of himself, in the same way her nerves fluttered each time they left companions back in camp, she found herself with the very natural worry and concern. If only because she couldn't control everything that happened. Not being able to feel in control was a terrifying thing. At least with control, she could suspect what the consequences might have been. Prepare herself. When she had no such power, she couldn't even pretend that she had a plan in ready.

The stay on her own was... quiet. A little uncomfortable. The same level of discomfort she'd oft found when she was in her solitude at camp. Thinking about the path they were on, how far it would lead them, where her responsibilities lied, what would happen if she somehow didn't make it along the way, and realising she had piece things together in such a way that if such a thing did come to pass, it was paramount that the others would be able to travel seamlessly forward without her.

But those were the kinds of darker thoughts that Nepione hid beneath the surface of her seemingly unending optimism. It was so very important that she did not expose too much of that, if any. Better that they thought better things of her.

Drawing Astarion's cape around herself in an effort to keep the majority of her warm, she listened to the emptiness that made itself her most intimate companion and when she deigned that she was likely safe enough to remove herself from the debris, she carefully did so, trying to remain as light on her feet as possible. She'd need the space and relative 'comforts' to look herself over. It was likely little more than a sprain. Perhaps a muscle pulled. Abrasions at worst. Well, broken bones, really, though she suspected likely nothing so severe.

Whatever it was (something she could establish at camp later on), a simple healing alleviated the pain as she sat on the ground, bundled up in not much. She was considerably better with heat, admittedly. Cold was a challenge and to her, it was the real foe. Better that she didn't wear anything heavier. It wasn't hard to imagine the way metal seemed to absorb the cold. Her hard leathers were a wise choice on this occasion.

In time, she lost track of it. Not that she ever had it to begin with. Wondered where the position of the moon was. Longed for it in her own way. Wondered how far Astarion had gotten. But she never quite got to the part where she had cause for concern, for at some point as she waited for the return of the only friendly undead. When he did finally make his return, she had long since had her knees pulled to her chest, burying her face in her arms, his cape securely atop her. His voice, however, startled her so soundly, that she was roused just about immediately.]

Oh—

[As she took the next breaths to more better concentrate her gaze on him, Nepione stretched her arms above her head and she offered him an initial nod to answer him.]

Mhm. [She continued, waiting for her words to continue. Clearing her throat, she somewhat unsteadily made her way to her feet, though it had nothing to do with pain and everything to do with her impromptu nap.] I should be fine. A little cold, but I can endure that. I'm mostly just glad that you're safe.

Here— [As she carefully drew his cape from her, she offered it over with the smallest curve of her mouth.] What did you find?