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

A Moment of Weakness

"Can we just talk about this?" Baldric asked, his voice slightly strained, the red of his eyes looking down at the pouting form of Ashtai.

The kalashtar sat in the middle of the room on the fur rug, half undressed, her small feet tucked under her bottom and her hands in small fists on the ground in front of her, "No."

There was a faint glimmer about her, just the slightest look behind the veil of her mind.

"Little One, I swear that I didn't mean to drink the last bottle of that wine. I just got carried away with Aros and totally forgot to make sure there was some left."

He felt a little exasperated, but couldn't help but chuckle at her angry form. It was hard to take the anger of someone so small, seriously. But he knew better than to say that outloud.

It's not funny.

Her voice echoed in his head and he stopped chuckling. He had momentarily forgotten she could do that.

"Fine, Little One. I'll go get more."

"Good. I expect you will."

He knew there was nothing he could do when she was acting this way. You could take the girl out of the palace, but you couldn't take the palace out of the girl.

Donning his blue makeup and leaving her pouting in firelight, he made his way out into the darkening town to hopefully find another bottle of the white select she loved so much. Perhaps the tavern? Or maybe he could swing by Aros' home and get one of his. He did mention he had some as well.

While she smoldered in front of the fireplace, trying to concentrate on her spellbook, she couldn't help but think back to when the two of them had first crossed paths. The way his eyes made her feel. And now, every day, she got to feel that again and again. She still refused to put a word on it because the last thing she needed was Inara to get an upper hand, but she could not help but remember his eyes, always.

When he finally returned to their room, he found her sitting in front of the fireplace with a book on her lap and ink and quill at her side. She was muttering gently to herself, spells most likely. Unlike him, she did not come across her magical powers naturally.

He closed the door behind him quietly and set down the bottle. She was too lost in her studying to notice, but he took the moment to take her in once more. He found himself watching her most days, even the most mundane things could bring out the spark in her eyes.

It was maybe a trick of the light, but in his intense gazing, he picked up what looked like the form of wings, ethereal and slow moving at her almost completely bare back. He thought he had noticed something similar before, but it wasn't until this moment when he really looked at her did they become more real to him.

Taking off his robe, he made his way over to her. The smell of her perfume danced up to his nostrils and he took the moment to kneel down and kiss her shoulder. There was a gentle gasp and he thought he caught a glimpse of her eyes glowing in that moment before going dark again.

Ashtai was not prepared for the feeling of his lips on her skin. No defenses up, no witty comeback, just her body's pure reaction to the touch of another person.

Her response to him made something roar deep inside his chest and he kissed her again, this time on the unmarked line of her neck, watching her eyes glow and then dim with each touch.

"It's time to sleep, Little One. Dreams await you. You've been up since dawn," he breathed, tearing himself away from her shoulder and picking her up in his arms bridal style.

Her moon-coloured waves twisted towards the floor as he carried her to her bed, her bare skin even darker in the low-lit room, save for the glowing of her tattoos.

"You know I do not dream, Baldric. I cannot dream."

Tucking her in, he kissed her head and whispered one last thing into her ear, "Then, I will dream enough for the both of us."