In The Eyes of Destiny (D&D 5e Fic One Shots)

At First Sight (His POV)

This chapter is a direct collab with FireStorm. I had asked him what his thoughts were when Baldric first laid his eyes on Ashtai. He responded with the first half of this piece (this chapter -edited by moi).

I wrote the second half in response (next chapter). Keep in mind that they take place simultaneously. Enjoy  ♡

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The tiefling wandered the markets, looking tired and thrown together.

Nights of hopping from tavern to tavern, home to home, bed to bed was wearing on him, and all he wanted was a good night's sleep. A cloak covered his face and horns, obscuring him from the hustle and bustle of other's lives; more like a shadow than a man. Something he was not accustomed to.

"HEY YOU STOP!" a voice called from behind him.

Baldric flinched in the middle of the street, stopping momentarily, frozen in fear as a young boy ran in front of him with a stolen loaf of bread and into a nearby alley as three large men pushed past him in pursuit.

His heart was pounding as he brought his hands up into the light - still blue. The makeup was holding up despite the heat. He quickly picked up his pace through the crowded streets, searching desperately to find a place to rest. Coming upon a crate next to a fruit stand, he sat down to catch his breath and calm his nerves.

"I cannot keep living like this..." he muttered under his breath with a slight smile, the irony of his situation not lost on him.

Gaining his composure some time later, he got up from the crate and scanned the crowd, before taking a silver out of his pocket and handing it behind himself to the lady at the fruit stand and grabbing a pear before quickly making his way back into the chaos of the crowd.

Taking a bite of the green fruit, the form of a woman caught the corner of his eyes. And the part of her that caught him were the tattoos he saw peeking through the edges of her clothes.

Slowly turning as not to draw attention to himself, he waited for the moment when the wind would blow her long hair, exposing the exquisite figure underneath. He stood in awe, something that did not happen to him often, and allowed his eyes to trace the lines of her form.

She soon left the stand she was at and he, throwing all caution to the wind, followed. Taking another bite of the fruit, he kept in step with her.

"Now this is exciting...." he whispered to himself, as he stayed several paces back trying to get a better glance at the art that was the beauty of this woman.

As she stopped at a stand off the side of the street, Baldric's tail flicked under his cloak, a tell he had not mastered hiding quite yet. He stepped off into an alley, waiting for her to turn in his direction; He just had to know...

Once the woman finished her shopping and began walking with the crowd he finally got a glimpse of what he wanted to see... Her eyes. Eyes that have read a thousand books, studied a hundred faces, but had the lust to see so much more. For the first time in years, his heart skipped a beat as he couldn't help but to follow her yet again.

He was not paying attention to staying hidden, only paying attention to the damning curiosity overwhelming his mind. When he noticed she was headed towards the upper city, he quickly turned into an alleyway before cursing himself and his thoughts.

"Baldric you idiot, have you learned nothing? Be patient."

And with those settling into his mind, he made his way in the opposite direction towards the inn - he needed to get some sleep.