In My Blood

Chapter 1: The Facade

The man holds Delphnye's stare for a moment with a look of shock...and astonishment? It's understandable why he would be impressed. She's almost a foot shorter than him and very thin. However, her looks are deceiving as she has more strength than one would think. Even with her impressive strength, the man could've easily been able to overpower her if it weren't for the fact that his life could end with the twitch of a finger. He glances over to Shadowheart who had just come out of hiding.

"Who are you and why are you hunting us?" Delphnye spits at him, her teeth still bared like a rabid animal.

"What are you talking about? I had cornered one of those brain things. I saw you kill them earlier and I was going to ask for your help. Seems I was wise not to." He squirms underneath her but is careful not to make any sudden movements that she would perceive as a threat.

Delphnye keeps her bow steady and holds his gaze. In her peripheral vision, she witnesses a boar dart out of the foliage behind them. "You're lying. Answer my question. Who the hell are you and what did you do to us?"

"Are you really gonna stand there and watch her use my head for target practice?" The man turns his head to the half-elf who is watching the situation with a blank face.

Shadowheart shrugs. "Better you than me."

The wood elf presses her knee into his chest, knocking the wind out of him for a brief moment. "I won't ask again."

"Fine. Fine. Fine. Just to be clear, I was the one trapped in the pod, while you two were scuttling about on the ship." The man gasps as she slowly lowers her knee back to the ground.

They begin their staring contest again, emerald eyes meeting ruby. She loosens the tension on her bow and puts the arrow back in her quiver, but remains on top of him. "Vesper. Pex. Confn." The snakes snap their teeth at him one final time before slithering to Delphnye and coiling back around her arms.

The man considered switching their positions, but those snakes seemed to be protective of her. He couldn't take the risk of them biting him...although, it wouldn't be the first thing to bite him...but he knew nothing of snakes, only that some excreted lethal poison through a single bite. There was no way either of them would help if he were to be poisoned and he wanted to live. So he chooses his words and actions carefully as she begins to stand up.

He opens his mouth to speak as she holds a hand out to him, the rays of the sun making her glow like a goddess. A strange warmth fills him as she helps him to his feet. Then, came the pain. Flashes of images flood their minds from distant memories: him prowling dark, busy streets and her running barefoot through the forest with a small winged beast beside her. Both of them try to hold on to the memories, but they fade, leaving them both with a lingering stare.

"What was that? What's going on?!" The man breathes heavily, displaying genuine concern and fear.

"You have one, too." It's almost a whisper. Almost as if for the first time in a while, she felt genuine guilt towards attacking another humanoid being. She notices she's still holding his hand and immediately lets go, breaking the stare and fixing her eyes on the ground. "I believe it was the worm. I've experienced this before with others like us. They seem to allow us to see each other's memories."

"Well, that explains things somewhat."

Delphnye finally forces herself to make eye contact with him again. "I'm sorry." She isn't used to this much interaction with people. It's weird. Sure, she had encountered her fair share of people, but she lived alongside the wildlife outside of Rivington. Apologies are a foreign concept to her, but the guilt of the encounter still weighs heavily on her. "I honestly thought you had far more nefarious plans for us."

Within moments, all the sincerity in his eyes disappears. He's back to hiding behind a facade. "No need for that, darling. Your intuition was correct. In fact, I was planning to decorate the ground with your innards as well. I'd say we're even, now."

All of the guilt Delphnye felt fades away in an instant, but she can't shake the feeling that there is something more behind those ruby eyes. It intrigues her and she can't figure out why.

"My name's Astarion. I was in Baldur's Gate when those beasts snatched me." His words break her from her thoughts. She looks over at Shadowheart who is watching the whole situation with her arms crossed, a disapproving look etched upon her face. She's finished with him and she wants to leave, but for Delphnye, she couldn't say the same.

"Delphnye. I resided in the forests outside of Rivington."

"Ooh, an outlander are we?" He approaches Delphnye with a flirtatious smile, practically towering over her. With any other person, the wood elf would immediately retaliate, but there's something different about him. He no longer felt like a threat to her. In fact, she feels safe being this close to him, but he just admitted to planning to kill her moments earlier. So, why isn't he registering as a threat to her?

"I suppose so." Delphnye's response is dry and disinterested, but she knows her face says otherwise.

"Well, Delphie-" Astarion begins as he finally backs away from her.

"Delphnye..."

"I like Delphie better. It...suits you." Delphnye rolls her eyes, unaware of the smile tugging at her lips. "So, do you know anything about these worms?"

"I know just as much as you do." She sighs, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I suppose it's not common knowledge." Astarion shrugs. "These worms are already affecting me. I can already feel it. Now what to do about it..."

Before Delphnye can even process the words coming from her mouth, she speaks. "You should travel with us. Better odds, I'd say." Shadowheart, who up until this moment was staring off into space, meets eyes with Delphnye in disbelief.

"You know, I was ready to go this alone, but maybe sticking with the herd isn't such a bad idea...and you seem like a useful person to know." Although Delphnye is no longer staring at Shadowheart, she can feel her eyes roll. "All right, I accept. Lead on." He finishes his sentence with a bow.

And with that, they begin walking again.