Fourth Wall

Fourteen: The Path

Chloe thought of Astarion more than she'd care to admit over the following few days. Thanks to Halsin's healing and a hefty amount of nasty potions, Chloe was able to continue the journey with the party after only a day or two of rest. The next couple days were uneventful as they made their way back through the forest to the edge, near where Halsin told them the path to Moonrise Towers would begin.

As they walked, Chloe thought of the last thing Astarion had said to her. "Don't be surprised if you never see me again. I'm an untrustworthy snake, you know?"
A small and childish part of her wanted to be angry that he had been honest; she might truly never see him again. She was angry that he'd proven everyone right.

But he hadn't truly...

Because he had saved her. And the prisoners, despite initially putting them at risk. And then he had chosen to see them home.

So in the end, Chloe couldn't really bring herself to be angry. Only disappointed that he had wanted to leave.

She hadn't realized just how much she had come to rely on his presence in the last few weeks until it was gone. Now when they crossed any sort of decision and discussed amongst themselves, Chloe's mind would automatically fill in what she thought his snide voice would say if he were there.

He had a way of seeing a situation differently than everyone else, and that was a quality she found herself missing.

She knew it was ridiculous. She hadn't even known the man for a month, though at this point it had been probably close to two weeks since she'd woken up in the game. And he wasn't exactly the most friendly or supportive companion.

But Chloe missed him nonetheless.

The five of them were walking in relative easy silence through a dirt trail in the forest. Chloe approached Halsin, her white head of hair barely reaching his shoulder as she sidled up beside him.

"Your color is much improved, little Druidess." Halsin commented, his voice warm with approval.

Chloe beamed up at him. She didn't blush at every one of his compliments like she used to, but she could admit it was a nice change of pace to have someone around who was so friendly and warm. She loved Shadowheart, Lae'zel, Wyll and Astarion, but none were as jovial as Halsin.

Well, except Wyll, on rare occasions when Chloe could convince him to dance with her around the fire while she sang hip hop songs that none of them knew.

She nearly giggled aloud at the memory of locking arms with Wyll and swinging around the fire, their feet dancing in time with the rhythm of Shadowheart, Halsin and Lae'zeal's clapping and Chloe's shouted lyrics of, "To the windowwwwww! To the wall!!"

They were almost out of the forest, and Chloe was excited to see the open world again. She didn't have anything against the forest, but after spending time in a dungeon she wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to the sun.

The sun... she thought, thinking back to Astarion's poetry. He said he'd written most of it about the sun. She couldn't imagine not having seen it for two hundred years. She shook her head to clear her thoughts of the pale elf.

"Thank you. A testament to your healing skills," Chloe complimented back, earning a surprisingly shy smile.

She took a deep breath. She hadn't asked about Astarion again since the first time after she'd woken. She didn't want anyone to know how often he was on her mind.

"Halsin," she began delicately. "I never got a response before...about why you're with us. I thought you'd want to get back to the Grove, to your people."

Halsin nodded his head, a pensive look coming across his face. He scratched the back of his neck, which was now healed from the burns he received fighting the goblins.

After a moment, he responded, his tone soft and gentle.

"Sometimes, there is a voice in my head. Not truly something I hear, but more something I feel. It guides me." He paused, taking a deep breath. The warm wind rustled his long hair.

"When you freed me from the cage, I felt it. This sense that there was something more I needed to learn from you. And the more I learn of you, the more I think I made the right decision."

Chloe's curiosity was piqued. It certainly wasn't an answer she'd been expecting.

"How so?" She couldn't help but ask. Halsin once again took a long moment before answering.

"Your companion Astarion, for example. I've gathered that the two of you hid his true nature together." He glanced sideways at Chloe.

"Well...Yeah, I guess that's true. I didn't think he was a danger to us, and it wasn't my secret to tell..."
Chloe trailed off, feeling more than a little ashamed of having not been totally honest with her other companions.

"It is not a judgement, worry not. I only meant that it is a clear pattern that you see people for who they are, regardless of what they are." Halsin said, his voice comforting.

Chloe thought about his words for a moment, then slowly nodded her head.

It was true, she realized. Even when she hadn't been able to read his thoughts with the tadpole, she had known that Astarion was more than he appeared. She'd known since the beginning.

"In summation, I want to know more. Wherever our path leads us, I know that it is right." Halsin concluded with a slight nod of his head. Chloe admired him. He always seemed so sure of himself. Chloe rarely ever felt sure of herself anymore.

The two continued walking in silence for a moment.

"If it helps... I told the group about Moonrise Towers before Astarion left. He knows where we're going. There's still a chance he might beat us there, depending on how much trouble we run into on the path." He looked around them at the landscape, then up at the sun.

"We make good time now, but if I know anything about the road from here to Baldur's Gate, it's that anything can happen."

Chloe's heart suddenly thundered at the mention that Astarion might return, but she quickly squashed the feeling before it could show on her face.

He left, she told herself. He left and he said I'd probably never see him again. I have no reason not to believe him. He's gone.

Chloe simply nodded, avoiding Halsin's gaze. She had no idea why he'd chosen to tell her that just then, and she felt strangely exposed.

"Thank you," she said softly. "The others don't understand...I guess they didn't really get a chance to warm up to him. And that's fair, he's not exactly a chummy fella." She joked, though it hurt more than tickled.

Halsin let out an amused huff.

There was a beat of silence again.

"Your speech is strange. The others have talked of your origins in clipped whispers but I never quite catch it. Where do you hail from?" Halsin asked curiously, hair falling forward slightly as he craned his neck to look down at Chloe. She laughed a little, glad for a change of subject.

"It's going to absolutely blow your fucking mind," she giggled behind her hand.

It took until sunset to wade through all of Halsin's questions about her life in the "real world," and the various mechanics of said world. As they made camp, Chloe answered every inquiry fired at her.

The others sensed their opportunity to ask all the burning questions they'd been holding back, and the five talked and laughed until the moon was high in the sky.