Vampires don't do Yoga - TrainingAnteater14 (2024)

Chapter 1: Escape from the Nautaloid

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BAM

Astarion was jolted into consciousness by a hard whack to the forehead. He winced and grabbed his head with one hand while squinting at his surroundings. He found himself being held in a hard clear casing. He first tried shoving on the walls of the pod to try to break free, when that failed he felt around for a latch but found it seamlessly integrated into the soft fleshy interior.

BAM

He felt the whole room drop as he was slammed into the side this time. As the room tilted he could see a whole slew of items begin to slide across the room straight towards him.

SMASH

A large table covered in glass objects crashed straight into the corner of the pod. Astarion felt the pod had weakened from the blow and punched it further from the inside.

BAM BAM BAM

It loosened slightly but he needed more power. He felt around the inside of the pod for something, anything he could use as leverage. The flesh of the pod was warm and pulsed as though it was alive. Perhaps it bleeds he thought to himself. After a moments' hesitation, he decided it probably wasn't sentient, was it? He braced himself and closed his eyes tightly as he leaned to bite into the side of the pod.

Lukewarm inky liquid flowed into his mouth. He stifled a gag. The pod bled a deep blackish blue that stained his lips and chin. The liquid was bitter and left a rotten taste in his mouth, but it worked, the pod was looser and he felt much stronger. He used his new found strength to force his dagger hard into the weak point.

CRACK

He was free.

Assessing his surroundings, he was on what appeared to be a living ship. He was about to exit into the next corridor when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He quickly slinked to the darkest corner of the room to hide.

BOOM

Astarion's pointy teeth bit back a laugh as a blur of purple went flying backward.

"That's enough exploring for me." The man said lying prone, eyebrows slightly singed after having the vat blow up in his face. He grunted and dusted himself off, then pulled out a staff and began making markings onto the floor. Suddenly the man disappeared into a purple light and Astarion was alone again.

Chapter 2: The Octopus has landed

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A gentle warmth surrounded Astarion, he struggled to open his eyes to the brightness. As they adjusted he suddenly realized he was lying in a grassy field fully exposed to the mid afternoon sun. Adrenaline shot through him and he instinctively leaped for the nearest shadow.

After regaining some sense of calm he noticed his left elbow was still exposed, but to no effect. He should have been long dead by now.

His blood rushed with anxiety as he rolled up his sleeve and let his whole arm free, body buzzing with excitement, instead of burning he felt an incredible soft warmth. After exposing his other arm he felt confident enough to step out into the sun.

It felt amazing. It had been hundreds of years since he'd seen the sun. Everything was so much brighter and more colorful than he could have imagined.

He eagerly removed his shirt and let his whole body bathe in the light. The bright green grasses waved in a light breeze beckoning him. He waded into the field and laid down arms out, taking in the wonder.

He could have stayed there forever but his joy was interrupted by a faint echoing voice. He briefly considered ignoring it but his suspicious side always won and he rolled into a crouch to investigate the sound.

"H-Hello-oh-oh?" The echo came from a familiar purple light in a nearby rock. "Is someone there-ere?" A hand jutted out from the rock, "A hand? Anyone?"

Astarion approached the hand. He could help, but what would he get out of it? He considered his new found freedom and wondered what else he could do. He gently touched his fingers to his lips. After centuries eating rats and with the foul taste of the pod still lingering on his tongue, now was the perfect time to test his new limits. He kneeled down and grabbed the hand and took a small bite of the wrist. The flavor was delicious.

"Ow! Did you just bite me!?" The hand flicked Astarion in the nose , " Perhaps I should have clarified, I need a hand. Pull me out will you?"

Astarion sat back on his heels and rubbed his nose. He could stop, but it was his first taste and the flavor of sentient blood was more delicious than he anticipated. High on his new freedoms he bargained with himself, perhaps just one more bite, just to make sure he could, then he would help. He leaned in to take another drink but then stopped. Suddenly the blood turned hot and his stomach burned. The burning spread like electricity through his veins and his head ached. Spots formed in his eyes tunneling his vision.

He was poisoned.

The joyous feeling was gone, anger fueled him now. That conniving purple bastard better have the antidote. He focused his fading vision on the hand and pulled hard.

"Oof!"

He must have been stronger than he remembered as he pulled the man from the light with such strength he landed right on top of him.

"For a moment there I thought- ..." Gale stopped mid sentence as staring directly into Astarion's deep red eyes. "er- ... Hello." He found himself momentarily speechless. The moment passed quickly however, and he cracked a huge smile as he recognized the curly white hair.

"Say, I know you, don't I, in a manner of speaking of course, you were on the nautaloid as well! I can only assume you too were on the receiving end of a rather, unwelcome insertion in the ocular region? You don't happen to be a cleric by any chance?"

Astarion's vision blurred. The heavy weight of the wizard and the combined poison in his veins made it impossible to maneuver away. He furrowed his brow and attempted to glare as the purple blob rambled on.

"Ah! Apologies for my ill-manners, thank you for pulling me out of that stone. I'm Gale of Waterdeep, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance my friend." The wizard stood up, dusted off his robes and reached out his hand to pull Astarion up.

Finally an opportunity, Astarion grabbed the wizard's hand and pulled him back down towards his dagger. He brought his lips to Gale's ear. " You.. poisoned me.." he croaked out with a whisper.

"Poison? Surely I would remember if... " Gale looked closer at his rescuer, a stain of blood dripped from the corner of his lips to his chin and a glint of fangs showed between scowling lips. Surprised, Gale added the evidence to the bite on his wrist, "Did... Did you drink my blood?"

"Obviously..." Astarion replied, his voice was cracked and dry but still laced with attitude. "Now fix it...or die."

Chapter 3: A Symbiotic Relationship

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"You knotty pated fool! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" Gale exclaimed, his words were scolding but his tone was of glee. He had always suspected something like this could happen but to see it in practice was positively thrilling.

"It's only a theory" He said, analyzing Astarion up and down, "I suspect your body is rejecting the weave you adsorbed."

"I don't care what it is, I just want it fixed." Astarion pressed the knife closer to Gale's side.

"If you want me to help you'll have to put down the knife." Gale replied confidently. The excitement of this new discovery overrode any sense of fear. Astarion lowered the knife ever so slightly. "Excellent, now I want you to relax as much as possible."

Astarion mostly complied, relaxing his grip on Gale's arm, but he held on to the knife.

"Good enough" Gale said and got to work rubbing his fingers together. Small sparkles of blue and purple leaked from his finger tips as he kneeled over and reached out to brush Astarion's limbs. He worked quickly in a sweeping motion as if moving something unseen. He moved from Astarion's chest to his finger tips and then from his head to his toes.Then he stepped back.

"There, how does that feel?" Gale asked.

Astarion felt immediate relief. He flexed his fingers and realized he felt stronger than ever. "Better..I think" he instinctively lied.

"Hmm, curious..." Gale replied, "I would have expected you to feel more power in your Flexors or extensors.". Astarion quickly checked Gale's face to see if he suspected the lie, but it appeared he was lost in thought. "No matter, it was only a theory." Gale reached down again to offer his hand to help Astarion up.

Astarion scowled and batted the hand away. He nimbly got to his feet on his own. Gale quickly followed, "Glad to see you're doing better already! Now, about that parasite, are you aware that, after a period of EXCRUCIATING gestation, it will turn us into mind flayers?"

Astarion looked over at Gale, it was such a shame this extra power came with such an annoying price.

" You wouldn't happen to be uncannily adroit with a knitting needle perchance?” Gale asked.

Astarion responded with a smirk, "That just so happens to be my specialty." As he twirled his dagger between his fingers.

Gale paused a moment considering the option, " Perhaps we should look for a healer first." Gale suggested.

“Your loss.” Astarion flipped the knife and tucked it into it's holster. “Lead the way." Astarion extended his arm with a half bow gesturing to Gale to pass.

"Most Excellent!" Gale swung his arm in triumph, "I'm certain our search will prove fruitful now that there's two of us. Afterall, a parasite shared is a parasite….. halved! ....Or...something to that effect.." He walked ahead and turned to Astarion with a grin.

Astarion returned a half smile, he could always kill him later.

Chapter 4: Becoming a Mindflayer

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Dusk had fallen on the camp. Gale was headed back to his tent when a blur from the bushes was suddenly around his neck pulling him backwards.

"AhMph!" A cold hand muffled Gale's shout as he was dragged backwards into the woods.

When the light of the campfire could no longer be seen, he was thrown down onto a nearby log. His kidnapper stayed behind him but dropped the hand covering his mouth and allowed him to speak.

"ASTARION! WHAT IN THE G-Mph!" The hand muffled him again.

"Speak softer my friend or I'll remove your vocal chords before you can say fireball ."

"Astarion." Gale was irate, hissing a forced whisper, "What. In the Gods."

"Gale dearest, I need your help."

"Ah yes, I see, of course!" Gale raised his voice just enough to show his annoyance. "So naturally you plan to curry my favor by kidnapping me, instead of something far less influential, like perhaps mentioning it at camp with everyone else."

"But Darling, You're the only one I can trust ." Astarion's voice dripped with sarcasm as he flashed a look of false helplessness.

Gale read between the lines. Translation: You're the only one I knew I could easily overpower. He shook his head and let out a disappointed sigh. "Fine. What is it?" he relented.

"About our mutual friends ." Astarion tapped Gale's temple, " Is there perhaps a potion or spell that could slow down the ... transformation ."

Gale's focus promptly shifted to the fascinating suggestion. "An intriguing idea, I've mostly been looking into preventing it completely, but perhaps that type of partial solution might prove more fruitful." He continued thinking out loud, "it certainly would be a far simpler task to find something that could hinder metamorphosis than halt it. Yes, that could be very beneficial! Enough time to, take care of things before the inevitable transformation might just be the stop gap needed until we find a more permanent solution." His attention shifted back to Astarion, "All that aside, why do you ask? This is the first I've seen you interested in a cure. Perhaps are you experiencing new side effects?”

“Yes."

"And?" Gale waited expectantly for more details.

Astarion picked his words carefully, "My skin… it's turning inside out.”

Gale flinched but his curious mind helped him recover quickly, “You've entered into the first stages of ceremorphosis? I would have expected the process to occur far more rapidly. How long has this been going on? Can you describe it? I thought for sure it would be excruciating but you seem to be holding up well. What does it feel like exactly? If it's happening this slowly perhaps a spell to hold shape would do something. Oh! Or maybe even a salve! Ah, but I'd have to see to know what might work best. Would you be willing to show me your transformation thus far?”

So. Many. Questions. Astarion gritted his teeth ignoring all but the last one. He guised his emotion behind a sultry reply and stepped out in front of Gale, “Try not to fall in love darling” he gave a flirtatious half smile while gingerly removing his cloak, opening his arms so Gale could see his body in full display.

Astarion's nose cheeks and ears were flushed and his back and shoulders were bright red, small flakes of skin already peeling off him. Upon revealing this, he noticed immediately that Gale was pursing his lips to hold back a smile. This was not the reaction he preferred. He dropped the flirtatious facade and folded his arms narrowing his eyes into a glare, “No need to be smug.” he hissed, “Just tell me what it is already.”

Gale replied, “You have an accute ultra-violet radiation burn. It happens when epidermis is over-exposed to the sun’s rays. It's colloquially know as a sun burn .” Gale’s voice was respectful but shaky as he tried his best to hold back a laugh. “And I do have the perfect remedy for just such an ailment.” He reached for his alchemy bag.

Astarion swiftly grabbed his arm" Not. So. Fast.” As compliant and defensless as Gale seemed he still didn't really trust him. “ I'll get it for you.”

Gale gave a friendly smile. “I understand." He said as he lifted his hands in surrender, "It's the aloe vera extract, it will help cool and soothe as well as retain moisture to make for easier recovery.”

Astarion pulled out the small vial and moved to drink it.

“Ah! Not like that, you have put it on like a salve. Here.” Gale reached to help.

“Don't. Touch me.” Astarion growled, slapping his hand away. He moved to pour the aloe into his hands.

“Appologies." Gale retracted. "Have you really never been sun burnt before?” Gale asked curiously.

“I'm a vampire . I haven't even seen the sun in centuries.”

“Centuries you say? How intriguing. What was that like? ” Gale inquired.

Astarion was not in the mood for sharing and frowned, ignoring the question. He coated himself in the aloe salve, “How long must I wait until I'm cured?”

“It might take a few days. Although technically speaking it doesn't cure, just soothes. Usually you'll lose a few layers of skin before revealing a slight tan. You'll want to protect yourself from the sun until then, I could loan you a hat if you'd like, although, now that I think about it, Shadowheart could probably cure you instantly.”

Astarion immediately stopped and glared at Gale again, “You couldn't possibly have mentioned this first ?” He tossed the remains of the aloe vial back at Gale and haughtily walked off back towards camp to find Shadowheart.

Chapter 5: All Thumbs

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From the corner of his eye Astarion could see Gale crouch down and approach a locked chest. His nose wrinked in disgust as Gale gracelessly plunged the lock picks into the keyhole and wriggled them around haphazardly.

SNAP
Gale sighed and produced another set of tools to repeat the attempt.

SNAP
*sigh

SNAP
*sigh

SNAP
*sigh

SNAP
*sigh

SNAP
*sigh

SNAP
Gale sighed again as he aimlessly jabbed more of the metal instruments into the lock.

SNAP
*sigh
Gods above, Astarion watched in bewilderment as Gale produced yet another set of lock picks.While Astarion usually enjoyed watching disarrangement unfold, he had his limits. At this point, he was sure one of the picks would break off in the lock requiring nothing less than a crowbar to get it open.

Astarion moved above him, “Stand aside before you hurt yourself." He said and placed one hand on his hip while opening the other expectantly to accept the lock picks.

“Why?" Gale replied defensively, "So you can pilfer my loot right from under me? I think not.” Gale turned back to the lock, this time repeatedly stabbing it.

“That's a risk you'll have to take my friend. Gods know if you continue as you are, no one will have it.”Astarion replied.

SNAP

Gale sighed again and relented, “Fine. I have no qualms with parting from a portion of the contents, if only to spare the loss of additional picklocks. Should you happen upon any variety of enchanted items however, I simply require first choice of possession.” He bargained, handing Astarion the lock picks.

“You know I can't make promises like that.” Astarion drawled, and in one swift motion the chest is open.

CLICK
"There, see? Easy.” He smirked.

Inside are a few hundred gold, a healing potion and a magic scroll. Astarion pocketed the coin and casually tossed Gale the rest. “Call on me sooner next time darling.” he said with a wave and casually walked away.

Chapter 6: Vampires don't do Yoga

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Astarion returned to the camp late from an unsuccessful hunt. His hair was mussed with sticks and leaves and he was covered in tiny scratches.

He had climbed into the trees earlier that evening to hopefully stake out a wild boar or other local wild life but had inadvertently started a turf war with a squirrel. After giving up trying to win the argument with the damn tree rat, he decided to clean off by the river and sleep off the frustration.

The slow moving water reflected the moon like glass. He approached warily, dipping his hands in and quickly splashing his face. To his surprise he felt nothing. Instead of the usual burning acid he felt a refreshing cool. At the discovery of another new freedom, he eagerly strips down to swim.

It had been over 200 years since he’d swam anywhere but it came back to him easily. He dove down under the surface and maneuvered with ease. As he moved to resurface a large trout swam in front of his mouth.

Normally he wouldn't be interested in fish as their flavor was less than palatable and they were a pain to catch, but today he was hungry and frustrated and this one was so close it was taunting him. Unable to resist, he grabbed the fish between his teeth and caught it.

Proud of his victory he stood up out of the water triumphantly, slicking his wet hair back with one hand.

“Pfft!”

His ego quickly deflated and his eyes narrowed into a glare at the sound of a snicker.

Gale was standing calmly on the beach, arms and legs outstretched in a Warrior 1 pose.

Astarion walked to shore, removing the fish from his mouth so he could retort, “Find something amusing do you?”

Gale leaned sideways lifting his arm up into a triangle pose. “Oh Astarion! I was so lost in thought I failed to see you there! What brings you to the riverside shore this fine evening?”

Astarion noted the obvious redirection and replied sarcastically, “To enjoy the view.” He rolled his eyes and threw the question back to Gale, “What brings you here so late?”

“Just exercising my mind-body connection by doing a few Sun Salutations. Care to join me?” Gale moved to pull out a second mat.

Astarion scoffed at the word Sun-salutations but sat on the mat anyway. “I have no interest in greeting the sun.” He declined.

“it's not really about saluting the sun, it's called yoga and is actually a series of body weight poses that enhances concentration, strength, flexibility, and relaxation and prepares the body for meditation. ” Gale explained.

“Vampires don't do yoga.” Astarion replied with disgust. He turned his attention to the fish he caught and took a deep bite.

Gale snickered again and moved into a Warrior 2 pose.

Astarion glared at him, “Alright, out with it.” He commanded.

Gale wavered, debating how to reply. “It's just… you reminded me of a friend of mine.” He replied honestly.

Astarion skeptically acknowleged the answer. "Not the usual I'd expect from a compliment, but I'll accept it.” he said and went back to the fish.

Gale started shaking, holding back laughter again as soon as he saw Astarion bite into it.

“What now?” Astarion demanded, unamused.

“She… she’s… she's a cat…” Gale spat out between shakes of silent laughter, "so much... like her..."

SPLAT
Having gotten his fill from the fish, Astarion threw the remains at Gale's face.

Undaunted, Gale wiped away the slime and continued “She's…. She's a tressym really….Tara, she's… very intelligent… smarter than most! “

Thoroughly irked, Astarion got up to stalk back to his tent.

“Wait, don't leave! It… it really is a compliment!” Gale called after him between fits of laughter.

Chapter 7: We don't talk about our feelings

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Astarion returned A primer on mythical beasts to the camp chest and rummaged through the remaining contents. Aside from a few undelivered letters he didn't find anything of interest. Knowing Gale must have something more than A is for Azuth , he opted to blatantly trespass into the wizard's tent for more stimulating reading material.

Upon entering the tent, he found a coat rack and a line of old boots near the entryway. Beyond was a small room packed with bookshelves, made complete with study table and soft armchair. At seeing this, Astarion felt compelled to double back and circle the outer perimeter. Re-entering the tent confirmed his suspicions: it's bigger on the inside.

He entered the back room and began perusing the shelves for an appealing title.

At that moment, Gale stumbled in, couging and sweating profusely. He partially ripped off his robe and collapsed onto his side near the entryway. He tipped over one of the boots, pulled out a small necklace, and held it to his chest. Glowing purple light escaped the artifact then fizzled out.

Gale exhaled in relief and rolled onto his back closing his eyes.

“Oof!” Gale coughed out a wind of air as Astarion swiftly kicked him in the side.

Gale snapex his eyes open to see Astarion, already clutching several books, squinting down at him in disgust. “What was that for!?” Gale yelled out.

“Just checking you're still alive.” Astarion smirked.

“Very much, no thanks to you.” Gale retorted.

“I'll just be on my way then. ” Astarion sing-songed back to him and moved to shuffle around the prone wizard.

“Wait” Gale reached out weakly to try to stop him from leaving.

Astarion bristled and dodged the hand. Half expecting to be confronted for the mild larceny, half concerned Gale might want to talk about feelings or something personal.

Gale's voice dropped to a more serious tone, “I can explain, I should explain...”

“Explain what Gale?” Astarion feigned ignorance, backing toward the flaps of the tent.

“I… er…” Gale faltered and his tone changed again as he decided against sharing this particular bit of information just yet. Instead he replied, “You should know, The Evil Eye is best read as a continuation of a series, you'll get far more out of it if you read A Brush with Evil beforehand.”

Astarion wa nearly out of the tent but turned to have the final word, “Is that an invitation to return my dear wizard?” He gave a sly smile and exited before Gale could reply.

Chapter 8: Conjuring a Smile

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Exhausted from a day of fighting, Gale was relieved to finally return to the quiet solitude of his tent. After quickly changing into his most comfortable attire, he slumped down onto his bedroll. Not quite ready to fall asleep, he let his mind wander and absently conjured an image of Mystra from the glowing stands of weave.

“That's a neat trick.” Astarion commented from the nearby armchair, peering over the top of his book.

Gale jumped up in surprise and quickly dissipated the illusion. “Good Gods Astarion! If you're going to come and go as you please, at least a hello wouldn’t be remis.” Gale exclaimed.

“Hello you. ” Astarion replied and returned to the book.

“Comfortable?” Gale asked, annoyance growing.

“Quite.” Astarion crossed his leg and turns to the next page of his book.

“Are you going to be leaving anytime soon? I was looking forward to the somnolence.” Gale said.

“Don't hold back on my account.” Astarion teased with a smirk, “I’ve seen people do far more deviant things than just relaxing with an image of a woman's face.”

Face flush with embarrassment, Gale replied with frustration, “I wasn't planning on- I'll have you know, she's not just a woman , she's the goddess of weave! And I’m sure you didn't mean to insult my entire religion but suggesting a five finger shuffle with an image of Mystra is all but blasphemous!”

He huffed and brought his voice back down, “Besides, I'm far more talented a wizard than that. Mystra is weave, it all naturally wants to take her form. Just the slightest coaxing is all that's required to form her appearance. A talentless hack could conjure the face of Mystra!”

Gale digressed, “ A real test of talent would be too conjure up an image of someone else's face.”

The thought experiment began to take his mind elsewhere, “ Yes… that would be much more difficult. To not just conjure an image, but a perfect replica in the weave would be quite a challenge indeed…”

Gale continued, “I suspect it would only be a matter of displacing that which is most familiar… “ Gale faltered, glancing over at Astarion. He was expecting Astarion to be covering his ears or rolling his eyes by now, but instead was shocked to find Astarion has long since put the book down and was listening intently to every word.

When he heard Gale pause Astarion stood up and asked earnestly, “Can you do my face?”

Astarion, disgusted at hearing the eagerness and vulnerability in his own voice, quickly turned to pick his nails and followed up with,”Only for fun of course … To put your theory to the test and all that.” He flourished his hand at the last few words.

Gale didn't need any convincing to showcase his extensive talents and immediately rolled up his sleeves, poising his hands on either side of Astarion. “You'll feel a slight tingling.” He said and he hovered his hands a few inches from Astarion's arm. “Ready?” He asked with a grin.

Astarion braced himself and noded, “As I'll ever be” he replied.

Purple plumes billowed out from Gale's hands and onto Astarion's arms. The sensation snapping through his body felt similar to when he was poisoned by Gale's blood, but the feeling was much weaker, closer to a static shock than the burning lightening he felt before. He clenched his jaw and allowed Gale three seconds before interrupting, “That's enough.”

In those three seconds, Gale pulled the weave up through Astarion’s shoulders, neck, and finally through the top of his head, just in time. “A perfect replica in the weave.” Gale said proudly as a glowing purple head formed in the palm of his hand.

“Fascinating .“ Astarion jumped all around Gale's arm, looking at his own face from every angle. “Can you make it do other things, move around and what not?”

Gale pondered the thought, “I'm not entirely certain how best to manipulate the image , although I suppose with a live input it could be done fairly simply.”

Astarion looked at him like he'd spoken nothing at all.

Gale corrected, "Er, that is to say, I'll need to touch you to make it work, the closer to your face the better the effect.

“Ah” Astarion replied. He hesitates but the opportunity seemed worth it. He stepped closer and allowed Gale to reach out.

Gale lightly placed his hand on Astarion's neck and let his thumb gently brush his cheek. Gale gave Astarion a soft smile and looked at him with the sparkling eyes of a lover, but all Astarion could think about was how easily Gale’s fingers could wrap around his neck and squeeze before he could ever reach his daggers. All fear faded to the background however as soon as he saw the conjured image looking directly back at him.

Astarion tilted his head back and forth and watched the image do the same. He parted his hair on the left and then again on the right, held open his mouth and looked at his teeth. He glared, then pouted, smirked, and smile. He laughed and smiled even broader when he saw his own face beaming back at him. “ Fascinating .” He exclaimed again, “I really am a handsome devil aren't I?”

Chapter 9: Beggars can't be Choosers

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Astarion was arranging a few bottles on his side table when Gale stumbled over to him looking quite ill. He wasn't as bad off as the first time Astarion saw him like this, but was clearly struggling to stay upright. Just as Gale was almost close enough to say something, he winced and tripped over one of the decorative pillows, falling straight towards Astarion.

Astarion, seeing the look of pain on Gale’s face, felt a jolt of emotion that caused him to hesitate for a whole second before stepping aside to let Gale fall face first into the tent.

“Ouch.” Gale said flatly. The small pile of rosemary scented rags did little to soften his fall. He rolled onto his back to look at Astarion. Moisture already beading on his forehead, he wiped it away and winced again before asking, “You wouldn't happen to have any magical artifacts to spare would you? I seem to have run dry.”

“Suppose I did, what would I get out of it?” Astarion asked as he used his foot to push Gale's sweaty body off of his bed.

“My eternal gratefulness?” Gale asked hopefully.

“I was thinking something with a bit more substance.” Astarion replied.

“Perhaps I could owe you one?” Gale asked, pleading with his big wet puppy dog eyes.

Astarion scoffed, but still caved to the request. “Fine.” he grumbles. He slinked to the corner of his tent and pulled out a small gilded chest. Inside he sifted through the piles of gold coin to pull out a necklace. “Here, I lifted this off of Withers earlier.” he said as he handed Gale a small amulet.

“You what?” Gale asked in surprise. He took the necklace but quickly handed it back, “This is far too valuable, don't you have anything a bit less useful?” Gale asked, “Say what about those gloves you have on?”

Astarion moved his gloves far from Gale's reach and glared at him, “Absolutely not!” He spits out. “You must be really sick.” he said spitefully. He mumbled something about beggars being choosers but returned to the chest anyway, and pulled out a small green ring, “Here, this should suit your tastes. I earned it from a disgusting tasting ox, it's useless.”

He handed it over and Gale inspectrded it for a moment, “Halsin might beg to differ, but it's far better than losing Speak with Dead.” he said as he held the artifact to his chest.

As the purple light faded, he relaxed, “Thank you Astarion.” Gale says. He sat up and looked at Astarion earnestly, “Really. You didn't have to help me but you did, I appreciate it.”

“I didn't do it for free.” Astarion replied, folding his arms over his chest, “You owe me.”

“Sure, sure.” Gale said with a boyish grin and a flourish of his hand, “Your wish is my command.”