Heart to Heart

Chapter 26

"Well, we're here," I said, admiring the infrastructure of Wyrm's Crossing. Karlach was practically fuming in her boots as she too admired the place her enslaver resided.

"Where is he? I want to fucking rip his throat out with my teeth," she hissed.

"Now, Karlach, I don't think the people here would appreciate you doing that. In public, that is. In private, that's a different story."

"As long as you're the one to watch it all happen, that's all that matters."

We headed into the area and started to wander about, taking in the sights and different people walking around. While the area we were in before we went to Baldur's Gate had a lot of tieflings, there was a decrease in their numbers here. They were mostly either human or what appeared to be human. Some were elves, half-elves, some even what looked to be Drow. I never felt so out of place until now. I think Karlach felt the same as her tail intertwined with mine, bringing me close to her.

"We're going to be alright, Karlach," I whispered to her.

"C-Can I hold your hand?" she asked.

I nodded and she grabbed onto my hand. She was trembling and how she gripped my hand meant she was severely on edge. All eyes were on us as we walked past crowds upon crowds of people. However, something from the corner caught my eye. A child was running with a group of friends, waving something in the air. Their laughter seemed to be rooted in something else. Stopping, I watched as they disappeared down a street. I proceeded to go after them, dragging Karlach with me.

"Y-Y/N, where are we going?"

I followed the kids quietly, but made sure we had a good enough distance to where it didn't seem suspicious to the children. Karlach, not even seeing them, was trying to drag me back to where we were. But even my pursuit to follow these kids appeared to be stronger than Karlach's.

"Y/N!"

We emerged from an alley and we stood before a grand circus. I figured if those kids were laughing about something, there had to be something entertaining here for them.

"A circus? Can we go?" Karlach asked, practically beaming now.

"I haven't seen you this excited since Dammon tuned up your engine."

"I haven't been to one of these in, well, forever! I believe the last time I went was with my mum and dad."

I gestured towards the circus, "Lead on, Karlach."

Now it was her turn to drag me around as she charged head first into the area of the circus. There was a lot of stuff to see and do. Although, I can do without the clown. The way the face paint looked, I'm surprised that more kids were happy to see him rather than fear him. The smile always looked fake, plastered on even, not genuine. But if it brought a smile to Karlach's face, I'll do anything to see it and protect it.

It seems the events of the circus were a fleeting moment in my brain, because all I could focus on was Karlach and how she was happier than a clam. She loved seeing and experiencing everything the circus had to offer. It made my heart swell and beat fast whenever she'd turn to face me. There was this twinkle in her eyes as she stared into mine. Her smile, while it wasn't as wide as it was before, but it looked genuine. Like she hadn't experienced happiness since Avernus, which was true. She hadn't experienced true happiness ever since Zariel had taken her from Gortash.

Gortash. The thought lingered from the back of my mind and to the front of my brain. My hands turned into clenched fists at just the thought of him selling Karlach made my blood boil, more so than it ever did. What was this? Sure, I could empathize with Karlach and understand why she wants to get back at him, but it was as if I was in Karlach's position. I could feel her rage, her anger, her desire to get answers from him. I even felt her feeling of betrayal. How she trusted this man to uphold his duty as she upheld hers to the utmost care. Only for everything to come crashing down the minute he sold her to Zariel. It was as if I was being the one sold as well.

"Y/N? Y/N?" she waved her hand in front of my face.

"Y-Yeah?" I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Everything ok?"

"Y-Yeah. Sorry, I kind of just dozed off."

"This placing tiring for you?"

"Kind of. I was never one for crowds."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"You were just happy," I smiled, remembering the smile she had a few moments ago. "I didn't want to ruin it."

Another smile returned as she held onto my hand, rubbing the back of it with her thumb.

"You still could have told me. Besides, I've seen and done everything I wanted to do here. And by the looks of it, the sun is going down. We can find Gortash tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I want to get a proper night's rest before beating the shit out of him. We're going to need all the strength and rest we can get."

I nodded and we walked out of the area together, looking for an inn as the sun was going down. Reaching a local inn, we were able to get a room where there were two beds instead of just one. I'd rather want the one bed, but since we have been traveling together, we've mostly been sleeping either beside one another or ending up being entangled in one another's arms. Stepping into the room, I set my things down and so did Karlach.

"Which side do you want?" she asked.

"I'll take this side," I said, pointing to the bed on the right.

"I guess I'll take the window," she said.

"Do you not want the one by the window?"

"No, it's fine. I can see the city lights," she crouched down, admiring the lights.

"Yeah. Well, I'm going to turn in."

"See you in the morning, Y/N," Karlach said, as she was getting ready for bed as well.

I laid down on the bed and faced the wall, staring at it. I heard footsteps walking around and before I knew it, I felt her presence behind me.

"If you ever get lonely at night, you can always crawl up to me."

"I might take you up on that offer," I chuckled.

"I wouldn't mind it," she said in a soft voice I never heard come from her.