The kiss exchanged between the two elves of the group remains unspoken for the next week. Actually, a lot remains unspoken between them for the next week as Astarion's been avoiding Delphie for anything other than mission-related objectives. He can see the toll it's taking on her. The constant look of sadness in her eyes every time they meet. The way she's slacking in spellcasting practice with Gale and Wyll. Any time he sees her, his unbeating heart shatters a little more and it makes him mad beyond all hells. Of course, he pushes away the only person who cares for him. Why wouldn't he?
The walls he's built around himself for centuries have been slowly crumbling in her light. He feels things for her he hasn't felt for anyone before and it scares the hells out of him. What once began as a simple protection plan for him turns into a twisted web of unspoken feelings and the fear they evoke in him. That kiss they shared made him realize what he was getting himself into and as soon as he woke the following morning, he built his walls back up just as fast as they fell.
And now they're here...on the support beams of the Shattered Sanctum...scouting...just him, Gale, and Delphie, while the rest of the party gathers information outside. How lucky for him...
"Remind me again, why we're doing this? I mean, I'll never turn down a chance to kill some goblins, but..." The pale elf whispers, giving all his attention to Gale.
"We have to rescue Halsin." Gale raises an eyebrow in confusion.
"Who?"
The rogue's words cause Delphie to slap her hand against her scales.
"The druid! Were you even listening at the grove?" She doesn't take her eyes off the ant-sized goblins under them.
Astarion rolls his eyes, fiddling with one of his daggers. "Why would I listen to a group of cowards?"
Delphie doesn't even know she's holding her breath. These are the most words he's said to her in the past week. She blinks her eyes before putting on her most sincere face and turning towards the man behind her. "Astarion, we've been over this. They're survivors, not soldiers. Not to mention Halsin might have the answers we've been searching for."
If Astarion's heart was beating, it would've skipped a beat at the mention of his name. Gods he misses their nightly conversations. "Well...if he can give us answers...I suppose we can rescue him."
Delphie gives him a dirty look before turning back toward the goblins they're spying on. She bends to the beam they're standing on and allows Vesper to slither off her wrist and down the long columns.
"Vesper, lend me your senses. Yth xkhat ir."
As Vesper slithers around the camp, Delphie's eyes glow white and she sits stiller than a lion readying to pounce on its prey.
"Well, what do you see?" The pale elf's impatience gets the best of him. He honestly wants to bathe in these goblins' blood and then return to camp where he can attempt and fail to drink away his problems.
"It seems the control she has over the snakes gives her the abilities of a find familiar spell. Right now, she can hear and see everything Vesper can, but she'll remain blind and deaf in her surroundings until she commands her to stop."
Vesper travels throughout each of the rooms in the sanctum. In the main room, a goblin priestess preaches that by serving the Absolute, you may be chosen. The snake travels up some stairs, past a man getting tortured, and a priest of Loviatar. One more room down is the bard, Volo, trapped in a wooden cage. Farther down, three goblins guard a door leading to the worg pens. The snake slithers up and over a wall, catching parts of a drow's conversation with one of the goblins, regarding a recent failed mission. Circling back towards the main chamber, Vesper catches a glimpse of a hobgoblin preaching to the Absolute with a handful of goblins. Delphie relays the information back to Gale and Astarion.
"Gale, you inform the others," The ranger starts off. "We'll have to split up if we want to make sure everyone safely makes it back to the grove. Astarion and I will create a distraction with the goblins. We'll go after the priestess. I know stealth isn't your guys' area of expertise, but this will only work if you guys can sneak up on them. Break them off in small areas if you can. Get to Volo first, then Halsin. We'll meet you in the worg pens."
Gale nods in understanding, slightly concerned about her plan. "How are you going to distract them?"
A smirk creeps upon the elf's face - one that causes Astarion's stomach to knot. "With a little draconic chaos."
With those words, she pulls a wavy glass vial out of her backpack. She pops open the golden feather cork and swallows the viscous light blue liquid in one gulp with a wince. Suddenly, she feels lighter than air and gives the men behind her one last mischievous glance as she pulls out her bow and an arrow, jumping off the wooden beam. The men watch in horror, worried about her lack of sense in this situation.
Goddess. It's the only way to describe her as she descends gracefully to her feet. Time seems to slow as her curls flow behind her. She shouts her command to the snakes as they lunge off her arms to two of the goblins below her. The sharp, metal tip of her arrow glistens in the light emanating from the torches. The arrow wisps past the two goblins and pierces through the priestess' arm, decorating the ground in the crimson color of her blood. Delphie's silky green and gold split skirt blows in a nonexistent wind as her bare feet hit the cold, stone floor of the temple. The emerald orbs of her eyes shimmer as she looks down at the wretched creatures in disdain.
As another goblin runs after her with his ragged handaxe held high, she draws back another arrow. With one eye closed she aims at the goblin's head. Delphie watches as he immediately drops to the ground in the blood gushing from his forehead, the scimitar sliding across the stone floor. For a moment, the pale elf above her loses focus as he watches her effortlessly dodge multiple arrows. However, he also sees the animalistic look that she gradually gets in her eyes during heated battles. It only intensifies as the tip of one goblin's arrow grazes Vesper's back. The slight distraction allows one of the warlocks to cast a hex on the wood elf.
Astarion snaps out of his odd trance, realizing Gale has already left, and slides down the ladder, vanishing into the shadows. Before the goblins notice him, he strikes both of his daggers into the war drum they use as an alarm, alerting them of his presence. One of the goblins in front of him slashes at his arm with her filthy scimitar. He winces for a moment before gathering his footing. In response, he flashes his fangs at her as he drives both of his daggers into her abdomen, watching as the blood sprays once he removes them.
The goddess of an elf below him continues to fight the priestess. Delphie dodges one grimy hand of electric currents, twisting out of her reach with the grace of a dancer. However, she loses focus once again as Pax is slashed at. The priestess takes her chance and grasps the elf's bare arm, sending a current of electricity through her body. The ranger yelps out in pain and clutches her stomach, catching Astarion's attention. She pushes the priestess away from her, aiming another arrow in her direction. The priestess grins at her with rotting teeth as she dodges it, watching eagerly as the ranger clutches her abdomen, feeling the effects of the hex put on her.
Above her, Astarion finds the goblin concentrating on the hex. He stealthily disengages from both of the goblins flanking him and releases an arrow at the warlock. The arrow makes purchase, taking a chunk of flesh out of his arm, but the goblin manages to maintain his concentration on the hex. The pale elf grits his teeth, seeing the ranger continue to clutch her stomach as the priestess approaches her slowly. The distraction allows the two goblins behind him to sneak up on him, driving their blades across his back.
Before he can even attempt to get off the ground, the priestess holds out her hands and sets the ranger on fire. The pale elf feels his hands clench around the hilts of his daggers. The wood elf had nothing on, but a thin, silk dress...she has surely been reduced to ash. The priestess jumps onto the ledge he's standing on and his eyes widen, noticing despite the injuries from other attacks, Delphie is unscathed by the flames. She appears to have absorbed the fire as flames dance in her eyes.
When it appears that all hope is lost, Delphie's feet lift off the ground as she floats in the air, the flames in her eyes continuing to dance. Her battered face seems to be held up by a string. "Confn vykladei." Astarion barely hears her speak, but hears the clatters of the goblin's weapons as they hit the ground. The hairs on his neck stick up when he sees her curls blowing in a nonexistent wind once again. Hundreds of snakes begin to infiltrate the ritual area of the Shattered Sanctum. The humanoids in the room watch intently as the snakes slither up and around her body. One by one, they begin to shed off a light blue luminescent glow.
"Tluog ve dout dastudr." The sight is so beholding that it distracts everyone in the room. The elf's injuries rapidly heal and the scales on her head begin to glow in sync with the snakes. "Troth, Astarion." She whispers as Vesper and Pax slither their way out of the mound of snakes wrapped around the ranger's tiny body. They slither their way to Astarion and take their places around his forearms. The snakes begin to radiate white light from the beautiful patterns on their scales and the pale elf suddenly feels a warmth, as if he's being protected by an angelic presence.
"Svantraakul pacore." As soon as the words escape her lips, she faces her head and palms towards the ceiling. White and purple waves pulse from beneath her, filling the room with a loud crack of thunder and sending the remaining goblins flying at a pace so fast that their necks snap before they land on the ground. Delphie falls on her hands and knees, the snakes quickly slithering back to their homes.
With the remaining strength he has, Astarion pushes himself to his feet and limps over to her. "What the hell was that?!"
A soft chuckle escapes from Delphie's lips as she looks up at him. She stands up and turns towards the pale elf's back. The ranger closes her eyes and places a gentle hand on the area he is bleeding from. "Seisu ezoukeic." Astarion is shocked. She no longer needs to practice the chant Shadowheart taught her. The wood elf has taught herself how to use healing spells within the weave of her own magic. Once Astarion can no longer feel the pain, he turns around to face her. "I saw you were hurt and I made you a promise."
Gods, Delphie why the hells are you like this?
"Like what?"
Astarion doesn't realize he said it out loud. He remains quiet, remaining stoic in appearance, though he is crumbling inside.
"Like what, Astarion?" The wood elf's tone becomes offensive as she repeats her question. She crosses her arms over her chest, waiting for his answer.
You treat me with such kindness. You care. Why do you care?
"It doesn't matter." The words that come out of his mouth are like a poison that continues to spread through the wood elf's body, causing her to grow more frustrated with him.
"Actually, it does. You can't just kiss somebody like that and avoid them for a whole fucking week!"
The muscles in Astarion's jaw tighten. She's right. He knows she's right, but he can't admit it. His stomach twists and turns into a forever-tightening knot. He's never seen her so disappointed with him.
"Do you know how hard this is for me?" Delphie's voice starts to quiver, but she refuses to let tears fill her eyes. The vampire spawn tears his face from hers and stares at the ground. "That night in the forest, we both let our walls down. I shared something with you that I've never shared with anybody else before. I let my walls down and I kept them down because, despite every single godsdamn stupid thing you do, I still trust you."
A part of him desperately wants to reach out to her, but his inner turmoil prevents him from doing so.
"Your walls come down for two seconds and you put them right back up again. You're not alone in this, Astarion. Stop pushing me away."
The words spilling from her mouth like vomit finally hit a chord in him. He whips back around and gets close to her, expecting her to flinch, but to his surprise...she doesn't.
"Don't you understand? Every time I put my trust in someone, they stab me in the back. I've gone through centuries of torment and abuse. Centuries of living in the shadows." Astarion can hear his voice betray him as it cracks under the weight of the pressure he's feeling.
Delphie holds his face in her hands - a lingering touch that he's become addicted to and has longed for the past week. "But you don't anymore, Astarion. That's what I'm trying to say," Her voice is barely a whisper as her voice slowly breaks apart. "I know you're scared. I am, too. And you're right, I don't know what it's like to live in the shadows, but I lived twenty years of my life in my own shadows. In forests, away from any type of human interaction. I can't imagine going through centuries of torment and abuse, but half of my life that's all I've known."
A shaky breath escapes from Astarion as she lets go of his face to point to her forehead. "The scars that turned into scales, Astarion? My own mother would use grated metal to brand me as punishment. Over and over and over again." The tears she's been trying to hide betray her, slowly welling up in her large, doe eyes. "Remember when you told me that we were more alike than you thought? You have no idea."
Astarion doesn't have to look down to see Delphie's hands reaching for his own. He so desperately wants to hold them, but he can't. And they're not alike. He only said that to gain her affection. She's worth way more than him. Their companions need her...they don't need him.
"You're not a monster, Delphie. You haven't lured thousands of people to their deaths. You have every single godsdamn right to not trust me. What I saw just a few moments ago...you were like an angel. You don't kill, Delphie. You bond. You bond with your scaley little creatures. We're nothing alike." The last three words are so bitter, he feels bile churning in his stomach. He begins to turn away, unable to look her in the eye once again.
"But you have the ability to bond, too." Her voice is tender and wet, choking back the waterfall ready to burst through her tear duct.
Astarion barely glances back at her, his own eyes beginning to feel vaguely damp.
"That night, you made an unbreakable bond with Pax." Delphie dares herself to approach him, forcing him to fully look at her. "The snake that would never leave my side, willingly obeyed your commands because you created a bond with him. You want to know when I knew for a fact I was able to trust you? It was that moment. Vesper and Pax never trust anyone but me."
"Then Pax is as stupid as you are." It hurts him just as much as it hurts her. He regrets every single word. Before Astarion walks away she sees the glint of pain and regret in his eyes.
He's unaware he's walking away, but the sound of bare feet smacking against stone doesn't even stop him. Suddenly, he feels a familiar weight topple over him. It's just like the first day they met...only this time, she isn't aiming an arrow at his face or commanding her snakes to prepare to attack. There isn't even that animalistic look in her eyes. In its place is just a lingering pool of softness and vulnerability that Astarion wishes would stop. Her hands are pinned against his shoulders, shaking as if her arms will snap at any moment.
"Stop lying to me!" All sense of tenderness in her voice is gone. In its wake is a million pieces of shattered glass digging into Astarion's gut. The man is rendered speechless and for a moment, all he wants to do is hold her in his arms. "I don't know why I'm the way I am, but I can't stand to see you beat yourself up like this. You can give up on me all you want, but I won't give up on you." Delphie's arms finally give out from underneath her as she falls into Astarion's chest, sobbing. "Please, Astarion. Let me in."
The pale elf tenses as a drop of water trails down his cheek. "I can't." He croaks.
In an attempt to reach out again, she takes his face in her hands. "Yes, you can. What are you so afraid of?"
The soft touches. The gentle words. It becomes too much for him and he snaps, his entire body tensing and resisting the urge to burst into tears in front of her. "Godsdamn it, Delphie! Why are you pushing this so far?!"
"Because I care about you." The elf's voice was so fragile as if it could shatter with the smallest gust of wind. "As much as I deny it. As much as I want to keep denying it, I can't. That scares me more than anything because I know that the cult of Bhaal has ears everywhere."
The vampire spawn's tension subsides as he finally relaxes into her touch. Suddenly, it dawns on him...so does Cazador.
"And I know you care about me, too. You don't have to say it because I already know." She's reading him like an open book and it confuses him. He's always kept his book locked with no key to be found, yet she found it somewhere, somehow.
"I-" A part of him wants to tell her he cares, too, but the words won't form in his mouth and he freezes.
"Sometimes, I can tell when people are lying by looking into their eyes. You lie a lot, but I know you do it to protect yourself. I do it too...although, you're better at it than I am." Delphie gives him the smallest smile as one of her tears falls onto his cheek, making him flinch. "I'm not the best at this kind of stuff and I can't stop you from pushing me away, but I'm here for you."
With the last few words she speaks, she slowly stands up and begins to walk away. However, she stops when a familiar cold grasp grabs her hand.
"I just needed a hand to get up." He's lying again, but he knows she's seeing through his facade with the soft, crooked smile that plasters on her face as she pulls him up. "Delphie," The wood elf searches his eyes in desperation to know what he's trying to say, but he still can't tell her and lets out a somewhat frustrated sigh."We should probably go. The others are waiting for us." Delphie slowly releases his hand and nods gently, biting her lip as she begins to lead the way.
***
Lae'zel makes a spectacle of killing off the last goblin, her longsword slicing the worg tamer's head clean off in one swipe. Astarion and Delphie enter the worg pens just as the bear in the center of the room transforms into a beefy druid. It's Halsin. After introductions, Halsin informs them of his research on the parasites, recalling that they seemed to have originated from Moonrise Towers in the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
Much to Astarion's already bubbling irritation, Delphie proposes the druid tag along with them on their journey, which he only agrees to after he takes out the three leaders of the Absolute. The pale elf pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out an exasperated sigh when Delphie tells him they already defeated one and offers to aid him in the battle with the other two. He watches as she talks to Halsin as they come up with a plan to ambush the drow next.
Every few moments, her eyes connect with Astarion's, giving him a gentle smile. 'I'm not the best at this kind of stuff and I can't stop you from pushing me away, but I'm here for you.' Her words echo in his mind, causing him to lose all sense of his surroundings for a moment. He was such a dick to her, ignoring her like he was. Calling her and her snake 'stupid', when she had just rescued his ass. Walking away from her when she was only trying to help. Yet, she's still defending him. Protecting him. Trying to understand him. Why him? Is it out of pity? Does she feel bad for him? Was she telling the truth?
The way she tackled him and pinned him to the floor of the temple like she did when they first met...he'd never seen that look in her eyes before. She was so hurt, yet so determined. She was trying. She still is.
"Astarion, are you ready?" The ranger's soft-spoken words break him from his thoughts.
The vampire spawn immediately puts on the mask he so easily hides behind and gives her a playful smirk. "To spill some blood? Darling, I'm always ready." For a brief moment, the mask falls as he gazes into her eyes. The shining emeralds in her eyes are glistening like crystals. The gradual heightened waves of the ocean and the bending of trees in a growing wind fill them. Her exterior demeanor is calm, but inside, she's brewing up a storm of complex emotions and unresolved feelings.