Critical Role Campaign 2 Oneshots

3: Yasha & Jester & Beau

Today was not going well.

The information the Nein gathered from the latest tavern led to another gnoll encounter in the surrounding forest of the empire. Not out of the ordinary, but the sheer number and skill of the lot was severely understated. From the fight itself or the clean up after it's unclear, but the slop of what Yasha hoped was just congealed blood and not actual flesh being brushed out of her hair by Beau splattered onto the forest floor.

Not that she minded the grime, but the needless tugging on her hair was starting to bother her. Why brush it out now when she can tie her hair back to scrub it out later when they settled by water. Yasha continued to hold steady with Beau tugging on the ends of her hair and Jester finishing wrapping a couple bandages around her ankle.

Now this was where her day really took a dive. Yasha managed to roll her ankle on a loose rock just outside the gnoll's cave entrance. Not fighting, not running, simply walking out from the finished fight. There was no pride in a wound that was as lame as that. A healing hands wouldn't have even helped. It was just a nuisance.

Jester had only noticed when Yasha was trying to wrap it herself, just to keep the swelling down.

"Yashaaaaa~!" Jester drawled as she marched over to where Yasha was currently sat, "Why didn't you say anything? I don't have spell slots yet but sheesh!"

Jester immediately reached down to grab the leftover bandages and smack Yasha's hands away. She sat down, spreading out her skirt and ruffles around her so it laid flat.

Patting Yasha's leg, "Let me know even if it's something small okay? How did you even hurt your ankle, I didn't see you get hit?"

"Rolled it walking out." Yasha said simply.

Jester pursed her lips as she looked over Yasha. Her eyes squinting as she noticed the mess in her hair. She moves to rustle in her haversack she pulled down with her until she pulls out a wide toothed comb with a flourish.

"BEAU." Jester half-shouts

Beau startles from her spot close to the fire. She had just gotten back from getting more firewood with Fjord and was in the process of undoing her various laces on her monk boots.

"Gods, Jess what's wrong?"

Jester motions for her to come over and Beau obliges, finished kicking her shoes off and walking over barefoot. Beau notices the half-done bandages around Yasha's ankle and frowns a bit.

"What happened there?"

Yasha gives a bit of a huff, "Rolled it. It's not bad."

Jester puffs out her cheeks and continues to scowl, "It doesn't matter how bad it is, you gotta let someone know so you aren't sitting here by yourself hurting."

Jester holds out her comb to Beau and gestures to Yasha.

"Beau, can you work on getting the crusty, bloody, gnoll-y bits out of her hair?"

Beau froze as soon as the comb entered her hand. She glanced at Yasha.

"Uh... You cool if I brush your hair out Yasha? I'm not really good with hair..."

Yasha's mouth twitched into a slight smile seeing Beau's hesitation.

"I don't mind, but I really don't think it's necessary. I can just wash it later—"

Jester cut her off, "Yasha will all my love, you have gnoll guts in your hair and it's gross and smelly, please let Beau clean it out for you." She gave Yasha her best puppy dog eyes.

With a sigh, Yasha untied the half up she had and tried to shake it out. The remaining braids clumped together and the beads clinked lightly as they hit one another. Had the situation been any better, Beau might have chuckled at how disheveled she looked.

Beau moved to kneel and rock back on her heels to settle behind Yasha. Picking up on of the braids, she rolled it between her fingers gently.

"Want to take these out as well?"

Yasha moved to start undoing a small pouch from the side of her belt and opened it to reveal more beads, some made of carved wood and other polished and needled stone. There were a couple that appeared to be light metal spirals that one could wrap around a strand of hair rather than be woven in.

"We can put the beads in here and I can pick new ones," Yasha gently held her pouch in her lap as she moved to start undoing one of the braids, already pulling a studded silver bead from her locks and dropping it into the bag.

The both of them continued to undo the mass amounts of braids and tangles as the late afternoon started to bleed into a starry night sky. Jester continued her mission of wrapping Yasha's ankle, even going as far as drawing a small meadow of flowers along the side. Giving her ankle a small pat, Jester moved lay down next to Yasha and Beau, smoothing her skirts out once more.

Beau was still struggling on a few pieces of hair, Yasha not completely masking the few winces from the tugging on her scalp. She was not kidding about being poor with hair.

As it was getting later in the night, Yasha decided to forego the usual mass of smaller braids and left dreads but rather to a swift single braid from the front of her scalp across the top and coming down in layers to her mid back. Craning her sore shoulders back to continue holding the strands, she felt smaller and warmer hands lay over top of hers.

Beau took the strands she was working into the braid around the base of her skull and continued the braid down.

"I can do simple braids, you've already done the hard part for me," Beau says lightly as Jester is starting to doze off next to them.

Yasha hums and slouches her head forward so she can have an easier time seeing in the dull firelight. Beau still twists a couple beads in so it's not totally bare. It was definitely a plain braid but it was a little more jazzed up with the several blue and purple beads threaded in.

Tying it off with a piece of leather, again from Yasha's belt, and patted her shoulder before Beau stood up and stretched. The fire was dying low and the faint crickets and other wildlife were serving calm background noise for the night. Glancing towards where the rest of the party lays, she sees Fjord give her a nod and gestures, signaling he's on first watch.

After coaxing Jester closer to the fire, even going so far as to lay her bedroll out for her, Beau and Yasha settle close. Jester's steady snoring falls into the ambiance of the night.

"Thank you," Yasha whispers and lays facing the sky.

Beau glances over to see the other woman's pale face in the dying light of the fire and the increasing moonlight. It was a rough day for Beau too. A slight twinge in her back told her she might have over done it a bit, but all was well right here, right now.

Facing up to the sky, Beau whispers as well.

"Of course."

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A/N

Hello all!

As we're getting started on this motley book I just wanted to pop in quick to say hi! & I'm open to some suggestions for future chapters.

See you soon!

-hibbleo