Nyx and Astarion PoV. Some (literal, LOL) steamy stuff, but no requirement for censorship.

The spider convoy was received with stares and grins - after the mandatory screening, of course. Everyone gathered for the spectacle and the theatrical announcement of supplies confiscated while they were unloaded. Both the quartermaster and chef were most pleased, especially considering the amount and variety of goods. From sorely needed arrows to luxury herbs and spices. Gale was already negotiating to buy some off the chef.

Nyx smiled as she passed the gaping wonder of the children, hiding behind their parents or friends, watching the spiders in awe and mild trepidation. Some of the crowd was even in the mood for light festivities to celebrate the occasion. Nyx stealthily retreated to her room.

---

By the Abyss! Does he need to be so... verbose?

Nyx huffed at the scroll's instructions, Talk about long-winded. Where is my pencil? Let me fix this...

Nyx adjusted some wording, but most of her edits were simply to remove the extended waffling. She rolled her eyes smiling at the parchment.

"There you are, my sweet."

Nyx glanced at him briefly, he was leaning against the washroom door frame. His eyes flitted to her setup on the table in front of her and gave her a quizzical eyebrow.

She quipped, "You'll see," and he crossed his arms waiting expectantly.

Nyx confirmed the scroll's requirements;

Barrelstalk mushrooms for 'Fresh Water', check,

Coin for 'Source of Copper', check,

Burning candle for 'Source of Heat', check.

She undressed to her smalls. Astarion made an appreciative noise and roamed his ruby gaze over her. She ignored the slight blush on her ears as well as the knowing grin on his lips, stepping into the elongated barrel-like bathtub. She cleared her throat and recited the spell's incantation, "Nimbostratus pluo," and made an upwards waving motion with her hands.

A small puffy white cloud materialized over her head. She reached into it, wetted her fingers and used its water to outline the bathtub rim. Then she clapped twice. The cloud shivered and expanded until it covered the entire inner surface of the bathtub. It grumbled angrily and Nyx pressed her lips together, giving it a wide-eyed look. It settled and a steaming drizzle fell from the little cloud.

Nyx braced herself at first, but the water was, Nice.

Astarion made a small applause, "Bravo", and she flourished a bow.

She elaborated while undressing fully, "Tav gave me a scroll that Gale wanted to test."

Dammit, where did I put the soap? Forget the most important thing.

Both her mind and her mouth yelped when cold hands settled around her waist. He chuckled behind her, but they both froze when another disapproving rumble came from above and the cloud turned black.

Nyx said in a small voice, "I'm not sure if it was meant for two."

They waited and it settled again. She turned to his smug expression and asked, "How's the running water?" He flashed her a grin and tracked the rivulets coursing down her body.

Good thing the water's already hot.

He tilted his head and remarked looking up at the cloud, "He can be an insufferable know-it-all, but I think he outdid himself here.", he added quickly, "Don't tell him I said that."

Nyx hmmed smiling and said, "I already warned Tav that if this experiment of his scalds my ass, I'm going to give him a very close shave with my knives."

Astarion barked a laugh, "I would dearly like to see that."

She snorted and searched for her soap bar again, "Ah, ha", she magically yanked it from top of her towel on the nearby table.

A thoughtful gaze watched her lather up the soap bar and he mulled, "You know, your magic is quite versatile. Have you ever considered gaining more control over it? To utilize it fully?"

He took over lathering her body and she could feel her blush burning through the water, his knowing grin waiting for her reply. She said with her soapy hands in her hair, "I'm not sure if it was meant for control", she mused at his frowning. His roaming hands were terribly distracting, and she scrunched her nose in thought, "It is meant for destruction, to be unleashed, so to speak. Besides, I won't even know where to start learning techniques for that level of control. Keetjah and Sanika were as powerful as they come in their respective disciplines."

She retrieved the bar from him, and he replied while she washed her legs, "Alright, humour me. If you were able to control it fully, what would you do?"

"I would likely loose myself to it," she paused to straighten. Then gestured with the soap to him and he nodded smirking. She washed his chest and continued, "My entire identity would become the power, and I'd cease to be me. Probably driven mad at some point too."

"You speak with such certainty."

She shrugged, "Power is like a poison for which the only antidote is more power. It becomes an all-consuming... obsession", she gave him a sidelong look, "Why?"

"I'd have thought you'd like to rid yourself of Streeaka Valsharess'uh."

"By potentially becoming her?", Nyx shook her head, and he regarded her silently. She continued, "No. I'd like to think that when I do eventually come to face her, I wouldn't need to sacrifice myself in such a way. That cost is too high and neither do I want to become the thing she always meant for me to be."

Whatever he thought of that, it didn't show on his features.

She motioned for him to turn around, he smirked and did so, "Go ahead, my dear."

She placed a hand on his shoulder, waited for the tension to abate before washing his back, and said onto him, "I'm confident we can free you from Cazador for good. Especially with help from the others," she paused for a moment and probed tentatively, "Have you mentioned it to Tav?"

"Briefly, but enough for her to likely agree with your sentiments," he turned, and she handed the soap back to him.

"Good, that's good," she motioned to climb out of the tub and quipped, "Don't mind me, I'm getting wrinkly. Stay as long as you like." She peered over to the barrel stalk mushrooms and added, "Plenty of water left."

He handed the soap back to her. She dressed and slipped into the bedroom to retrieve her sketchbook.

She sketched the pattern of his scars while he enjoyed the rest of the warm drizzle, his eyes closed.

A different way to bask, she mulled, and her pencil found its way between her teeth. The blush touched her ears again when she realized she was literally gawking at him all wet and steamy.

He grinned. Eyes still closed he lulled, "Enjoying the view, my sweet."

She scoffed, "Like you don't already know." His chuckle receded while she went back to the bedroom. She tore the page form her book and set it down on his bedside table. She snorted amused at noticing the beds themselves have made their way right next to one another. She proceeded to get ready for hers.

"Darling, how do I make it stop?"

"Blow out the candle."

She was sitting on her bed, beneath the covers when he appeared with her towel around his head, flashing her a wicked grin. She rolled her eyes, He is clearly; either well accustomed to, or very comfortable with prancing around naked.

She settled herself under the blankets and watched him get dressed, grinning like an idiot. She hid her widening smile behind her hand at his bright blue smalls.

--- --- ---

She had fallen asleep by the time he got dressed, or at least half-decent. Astarion studied the sketch she'd left for him.

These markings... Their creation still haunts my dreams.

He could appreciate Nyx's remarks about them being ritualistic in nature. Another sign of his weakness and humiliation. Cazador's signature that he was his eternal property. He curled his lip and set the parchment down. After seeing them for himself, he simply had to know what they truly were, and he had an inclining of who might have those answers.

Who better to ask about infernal than the devil himself?

He sighed and snuck into his own bed.

A newfound longing wrestled within him while he lay on his side in the gloom. A different puzzle entirely, yet this one he had created himself. He wanted to reach out to her again, draw her near, hold her to him, But therein lies the problem.

He had a plan. A nice simple plan. Oh, and how little he knew what he had gotten himself into when he agreed to her proposal of 'wanting to have more with him'. He huffed and rolled onto his back glancing at the ceiling.

It was supposed to be an alliance, a tactical alliance. Easy and instinctual.

Shadowheart's words mocked him again, "You keep telling yourself that."

He did, but he didn't believe it. The whole plan had fallen off a cliff along the road. After it had developed into more. More than he could have imagined. Surpassing all his expectations; demolishing what he thought he knew about people.

I am a fool.

Now that he could believe, he was a fool; twice over. Once for being fooled by his own illusions, thinking he could go along with this plan and make her fall deeply in love with him. That there would be no consequences, or at least none he would care about. Twice a fool for realizing; realizing that he was the one falling for her instead.

He listened to her sleeping breath, turned his head and tracked the light outlining her form. His chest stirred again. Fluttering feelings he didn't even know he could feel for another. He tried to resist, but its temptation kept growing. The ease he felt in her presence, finding comfort in who she was and how she treated him.

Like a person.

Instead of a means to an end - like he was for Cazador, and for so many others before. The endless soiree of lovers he had endured over the last two centuries. All so that Cazador can have his prey.

Lovers, he scoffed at himself, staring across the room out the window. The light of the protective dome diffusing into the room akin to the moon's rays. He can't even remember a handful of their faces or names, let alone call them lovers.

And what does that mean? Especially when compared to her?

All those previous 'lovers' have merely become passing ships in the night on their way to Cazador's final cold embrace.

But not her.

He rolled onto his side, his gaze resting on her again.

Little huntress, I am becoming enamoured with you. I don't know what to do about it.

And he was finding it harder to pretend otherwise.

--- --- ---

She awoke to him fully clothed and reading across from her. The book resting against his leg, propped up at the knee. He was a voracious reader, and she wondered how many books he must have read. He had likely forgotten about more books than all those she had read in her lifetime combined.

"R'hunni'vah."

"Bellinor."

They grinned at each other. He set his book aside and lulled onto her, "Thank you, my dear, for the sketch."

She frowned for a moment, nodded and smiled. She ventured carefully, "We could ask Karlach or perhaps Wyll to help decipher it? Clive has a few contacts too."

Consideration furrowed his brow, "No, I would prefer to keep this between us for now."

She inclined her head and sat up to stretch.

She found him watching, his sly smile spreading on his lips. Her eyes narrowed and she motioned towards him, leaning sideways over the bed onto both her hands.

Amused, he met her halfway for a lingering kiss and purred, "No fever? I'll have to remedy that." He gathered her around her waist slipping his hands under her lose sleepwear. She hooked an arm around his shoulder when he draped her over his leg like he had the book, her legs resting on the bed next to him. Her breathing hitched when his one hand cupped her breast and the other glided down her side, across her back, under her pants and over her rear. She huffed annoyed at his state of dress beneath her hands.

His fangs teasing at her neck, she pointed out, "It's hardly fair when you're already geared up."

He chuckled into her neck, "Who said anything about this being fair?", he nipped at her skin.

Oh? So, that's how it is, hmm?

She nipped at his ear, receiving a satisfactory muffled groan from him. He pressed his fangs into her neck, and she returned the pressure at his ear with her teeth. He grinned into her skin and licked his way back to her lips, making sure that she was going to be terribly distracted again. Her mind preoccupied for the rest of the day with thoughts about his roaming hands and those kisses.

---

Nyx heard Astarion drawl outside their room, "So, Gale. How was your night with Tav?" 

Oh no. Seriously Astarion? You're going to go there?

Astarion continued , "Did you have a long hard debate?"

Nyx chocked into the open wardrobe, By the Abyss! He just did!

Gale sighed and responded, "I'm going to ignore that, you just envy the depth of our bond, because you're of a shallower inclination." 

Astarion actually snorted, Nyx couldn't believe her ears. She literally had to clap her hands over her mouth not to burst out laughing.

Astarion quipped unperturbed, "I'm sure she'll describe it as adequate. Fortunately for the both of you, you at least have your magic to make up for it."

Oof ow, Nyx snickered into the fabric as she pulled on the last of her armour.

Gale's rankle accused, "Like your indecent late night visits to Nyx's tent?"

"Hah! I'm sure she was very pleased at my indecent arrival."

Nyx covered her whole face in her hands, Wow, just wow.

"That is no way to refer to a lady!"

"But I wasn't referring to her, now was I?"

Nyx said stepping from the door into the hallway, "Alright you two, we get the message. Or would you like me to fetch Clive so that things can get really indecent for everyone involved?"

Nyx levelled a warning look between them, holding Astarion's gaze in particular.

A sly grin split his face, and he replied silkily, "No need for incivility, my sweet."

Nyx narrowed her eyes at him, amusement on her lips. She caught Tav's gaze from the other doorway and they shared a wink. Tav proceeded to snatch Gale and locked him into a kiss.

"Ugh, honestly", came Astarion's disgust, "Try to be civilized and refrain from slobbering over one another for all to see."

Tav proceeded to drag a grinning Gale back into the room and closed the door. Astarion made another noise of disgust then sauntered down the hallway. Nyx shook her head. However, something occurred to her, and she scrunched her nose, Did the 'shallower inclination' part include me too? ... How rude, and she snorted.

---

Tav and Jaheira laid it out for them, along with commentary from the others. Operation RIP was going to run similarly to Operation Camp Gob. They were to infiltrate Moonrise Towers under the guise of True Souls, gather as much information about the situation there, and locate the tieflings that were captured after their caravan was attacked. Wyll was also interested in any news about the Grand Duke.

Tav was particularly concerned about the Nightsong relic falling into the hands of Ketheric Thorm, especially when he already had an army at his disposal, "He is several steps ahead of us and I'd like to level the playing field - preferably eliminate his advantage entirely. Then with the help of the Harpers we might be able to dismantle the rest of his plans."

Jaheira's eyes shone with approval.

Dammon along with assistance from Gale and Wyll were applying enchantments to the groups' weapons. Nyx, Astarion, Wyll and Lae'zel opted for force-based enchantments, whereas the rest chose radiance.

Nyx picked Dammon's brain while he worked on her knives and bow, "Would it be possible to modify my throwing knives to administer poison multiple times, without repeated application after each dosing?"

Both Gale and Dammon's brows knit in unison. Gale stroked his beard, "A syringe would achieve that."

Lae'zel scoffed, but Dammon's eyes lit up. He twirled one of Nyx's throwing knives in his hand, "Yes, that could work." His finger tracking a line down the length of the knife and he said, "Let me try a few ideas and I'll let you know."

Nyx replied smirking, "Another Devious Dammon special coming up?"

He gave her a sheepish grin and nodded.

They gathered at the fountain waiting to set out. Tav and Halsin were conversing. Halsin has decided to remain at Last Light Inn.

He was eager to continue with his progress in communing with the spirit of the Shadowlands, "I can sense Thaniel, but he is unresponsive. I would like to determine why, and how to reach him."

Tav ventured, "You speak fondly of him."

Halsin's eyes softened, "Yes, he and I were friends when I was a child." Tav's brows climbed into her hairline and Halsin continued, "He remained a child as I grew older, but we would talk often until the curse blighted the land. He fell silent and I have not had the power or the opportunity to help him since."

"Until now.", Tav said smiling and Halsin returned the gesture. She chewed her lip and Halsin answered pre-emptively, "The seal I placed on your memories remains with you. You do not need to be in my presence for it to work."

Tav's shoulders slumped in relief.

Astarion sidled next to Nyx, "It's all very, twee, isn't it?" Nyx gave him a questioning look and he continued, his eyes fixed on Tav and Halsin, "Waving a magic wand and 'poof'", he motioned with his hands in an upward fashion, "The horror ceases to exist."

"From my experience, it won't stay that way."

He hmmed, "A delay of the inevitable is still something, my dear." He sighed dramatically and waved a lazy hand in their direction, "One of the benefits of having an Archdruid at your disposal."

Nyx snorted, "Perhaps, but when the horrors come knocking, who knows how much they have grown while you weren't looking."

He tilted his head and conceded with a nod, "Or how badly timed their knock would be."

Nyx made a sound of agreement. She met his gaze, searched for his hand and gave it a squeeze.

He returned a lopsided grin.

Footnote:

Latin incantations

Nimbostratus: Flat, sheet like rain clouds

Pluo: Rain

I am aware that 'full elves' trance, but 'Haunts my trance' simply doesn't sound right...