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The tavern had slowly winded down from the chaos it contained only hours prior, quiet in a way that almost felt homely. The air felt like it had a breath and a pulse all of its own, humidity from the sickly summer night drifting in from a door that just didn’t quite keep out the draft. The fire from the dwindling lights gently keeping the bar alight, did its best to combat the seeping chill.
Velrisa nursed a cooled glass of water from the bar, ice cubes clanked softly as the liquid shifted with her steadying breaths, idly reflecting and unwinding from the week's travel. Another treacherous and dangerous adventure complete, with a night of celebration to commemorate it all. It was amusing to watch her other party members completely lose all sense at the bottom of a drinking glass. They had all managed to wander off, whether that was to their rooms or some garden, she didn’t care to know.
She blinked and felt her eyes grow marginally heavier and took another sip of her glass to wake up again. She truly preferred water over any other drink a tavern could offer. The haziness that came with drinking never really enticed her. It was better to keep up her senses, stay aware and very, very sober. Whether that was a result of her necessity to be proper or the sickly fear that they all might leave her behind if she wasn’t quick enough to follow, she also didn’t care to know.
Logically it was just a fear, they needed her there, on every trek, they’d probably die with the risks they constantly took, she reasoned. It didn’t change the fact it felt empty to only just be needed, and it wasn’t as if she’d done much to make them want her around either. She could stick around with them though, which was better than nothing.
Taxi’s gangly arms slumped onto her head and shoulders, surprising away the growing unease. Her brow stopped its creasing and her foot quieted its insistent tapping pattern. The scent of alcohol on his fur did little to dissuade her opinions on the stuff.
“How are you feeling Taxi?” Her tone was even.
“Velrisaaa...” He drew out her name into whine, slurring each syllable. “Why’d the music stop?” He pouted.
“I believe they’re done for the night Taxi. “They have to go to sleep, much like we should be, it’s getting quite late.”
“I don’t want to go to sleep.” He drew his arms around her almost like a hug. His head pressed against the top of hers. “I don’t want to go to sleep…” He said it again in an unhappy murmur.
“And why is that?”
If she were a less kind woman she would have left him there, shrugged him off, went to her room and comfortably settled into the sleep she’d been avoiding just as vehemently, but the pair had saved each other's hides too many times to let herself leave him for dead in a tavern. Curse those pesky appreciations. She cared for all of them far more than she ought to, or would get back.
She wasn’t exactly uncomfortable with the hold, if anything it was comforting. It was just a bit strange to have him practically hanging off of her. She hadn’t really ever gotten this kind of affection, besides the rare bear hugs Ander could crush her into. Those she loved next to most anything, but this was a nice placeholder. She pet Taxi’s arm idly. His fur was warm and despite the whiskers poking into her scalp, she couldn’t help but breathe out a sigh made of contentment.
He didn’t answer the question and slid out the embrace landing in a heap into the barstool next to Velrisa’s. He slumped over the surface of the bar, he looked like he was just as likely as to start curling up onto it. It would have been cute if he were an actual kitten and not a grown man who drank too much.
“It’s just as tiring these days.” He said the words in a murmur similar to before, just loud enough to be heard by the other.
Velrisa cast a look downward, a hand spinning a thick lock of purple hair thoughtfully. That, she could understand. Being abandoned by the deity she’d pledged her life to for the most horrible mistake her lack of judgement could have made, didn’t exactly manifest the most pleasant dreams.
Velrisa laid a steady hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He met her eyes with a weary smile and leant into the touch. If she made any guesses she would have thought the small sigh he released to be a quiet humming purr.
A barmaid interrupted the moment by poking her head out from the backroom to give them confused looks.
“Ah, sorry I didn’t know there were still folks about now,” She strode behind the bar and grabbed a dirty glass from atop a vacant seat.” ‘round this time everyone’s usually heading out and cleaning up.” She polished it mindlessly with a rag from her pocket. “We’re set to be closing soon though, so unless y’all have got rooms, it’s about time to be heading out.”
“I would like two drinks please.” Taxi interrupted the woman. Drunkenness clouding the usual sense he held. “One for me and for the nice purple tiefling next to me.
“I’m very sorry about him, just ignore him, he’s had too much.” Velrisa traded an apologetic look. The barmaid waved it away, likely used to seeing drunkards be difficult each night. “We’re about to start heading up in a second.”
“Vel…” Taxi whined again “I don’t want to sleep…”
“Yes, I heard you the first time you said that, Taxi.” She stood, attempting to pull his arm over her shoulder, he really was in no state to walk up stairs alone. Her hands were deftly swatted away.
“Something strong please.” He continued.
“I’ll get that for you.” The barmaid met Velrisa’s now half annoyed and pleading look and whispered, a hand shielding her mouth from the tabaxi. “No worries, lass I’m just getting water.”
“Wouldn’t he notice?” Velrisa whispered back.
“It works most of the time.” She shrugged and walked off.
“Thank you.” she mouthed the words and moved back toward her seat.
“Your plans are foiled.” Taxi smirked triumphantly at the other. Holding his head up by his elbows. He looked one small push from toppling over into a furball on the floor.
“I guess they are, you’ve gotten us alcohol.” She shrugged wearily.
“You and your pretty hands won’t be taking me anywhere.” He giggled to himself, The barmaid snorting herself as she placed tankards in front of the pair, which he greedily picked up. Velrisa watched him for a moment before taking a sip of her own.
“So how long have you been together?” The barmaid propped herself up by an arm on the counter.
“Only a couple months, it definitely feels a lot longer though.” Images of her and her party’s travels floated through her mind. She smiled in appreciation of them.
“He’s lucky to have someone with a bit more sense around. Can’t imagine someone like him taking two steps without some help.” She jutted a thumb toward him with a laugh.
“I can hear you, you know.” Taxi interjected and this time was properly ignored.
“Well I'm in charge of most of the healing so I suppose, but,” She cast a warm glance toward Taxi, watching him try to stand on his own accord, the tankard of water empty and forgotten on the bar. “He can hold his own, he’s pretty strong-” He stumbled and nearly fell forward. Velrisa lunged forward and caught him just in time.
“At least most of the time.” She let out a groan trying to support his weight, for someone who seemed to be majority fur, he was hefty when he was handing over his complete weight.
“I’ll take your word for it, lass.” She snorted again. “If he were my boyfriend, I would have just left him here.”
“Oh no, he’s not-” She felt her cheeks go bright pink but her protest was interrupted.
“I’m going to finish cleaning up the back since y’all seem to be heading off.” She grabbed the last mugs littering the bartop and pirouetted toward the door. “Have a good night! Don’t stay up too late with him.” She flashed a wink and then disappeared inside.
Velrisa turned an even more violent shade of pink and nearly dropped Taxi.
“She thought you were my girlfriend.” Taxi teased, laughing practically like a madman.
“Don’t get any ideas Taxi.” She let him drop this time, hearing him land with a satisfying thud.
“You’re so mean to me, darling.” He groaned from the floor.
“That’s not my name.” Velrisa attempted to wipe the blush from her face, before crossing her arms.
“My lovely devil.” He drew out the words, gauging for some kind of reaction. Velrisa threw her head to the side, trying to look anywhere but him. “My little lavender.” She felt her tail whip in surprise as fluster took over her mind.
“Alright tha- that’s enough.” She snapped, embarrassed. “You can find your own way to your room.” Velrisa strode past where he lay helpless on the floor.
“Nooo...” He reached an arm weakly after her. “I’m sorry, I can’t get up.” She eyed him over with a glare then conceded with a sigh to give him a hand. Curse those pesky appreciations.
Getting him up the flight of stairs was an ordeal to rival their most difficult fights. Velrisa was no light lifter, her strength was equal, if not surpassing, to Mountain’s heaviest hits, however whaling on an enemy, war hammer ablazing, was significantly more simple than herding a drunken fool up stairs, especially since he adamantly refused to let Velrisa pick him up and carry him over her shoulder.
Tumbling onto the landing with clumsy steps revealed the couple’s next problem.
“What do you mean you lost your room key?” Velrisa heroically restrained herself from letting him drop again.
“Well I gambled it off, I didn’t really ‘lose’ it.”
“WeeJas help me.” It was simple to forget she’d lost her god's support. The words stumbled out easy, like habit, leaving a pang in her heart. “Just come on.” She started forward again, trying to rid those thoughts out of her way.
“Where are we going?” He held onto her like she was a piece of driftwood in the middle of the ocean, the only thing keeping him afloat, which she practically was. He leaned just a little too hard in every direction to be balanced on his own.
“You can just sleep in my room Taxi.” She watched his eye’s go as wide as saucers. “It’s really not that big of a deal.”
“I can’t just sleep in your room.” He whispered it urgently, shoulders suddenly poised and glancing around like someone would be jumping at the chance to start some scandalous rumor about them.
“You can take the bed and I'll just take the floor.” She ignored his protests and continued dragging him down the hall.
“I can’t sleep in your bed.” He looked like he was about to bolt, eyes shifting down each side of the hallway.
“Well it’s not mine, it’s the inn’s.” She rooted through her pockets in search of the key she’d been granted, and pulled it out with triumph.
“It’s not proper.” He complained just a little too loudly.
“When have you ever worried about being proper?” She raised an eyebrow.
“I worry about everything Velrisa, it’s my thing. Besides, I need to be a gentleman, I can’t sleep with you.”
“Why would you phrase it like that?” She held a hand over her chest a little scandalized. “Besides you’ve never been a gentleman your entire life.”
“Then how did I get Oriana huh? I have my moments.” Taxi’s face lit up with a sense of pride that Velrisa did everything to not roll her eyes at.
“And this is not one of them.” She opened the door with a weary sigh.
Velrisa gently led Taxi to the bed where he unceremoniously flopped onto, a groan emanating from where his face met the mattress. She looked at him for a moment before taking the opportunity to don her armor and make herself a spot to sleep. Even if there was a catman in her room, she didn’t want to deal with the kink in her neck that came out of the clunky sleep that armor as sleep garbs wrought.
He still hadn’t moved from the position she originally dropped him in, besides subtle breaths at least, but it couldn't have been comfortable. Taxi’s legs dropped off the side. He laid on his stomach with his arms straight out from his sides as if he were in freefall. His face seemed to not want to move from where it lay directly flat against the bed. It was just pathetic enough that she decided to take pity on him and help slightly. At the very least it would ensure the party wouldn’t have to endure Taxi’s complaining about sleeping wrong in the following morning.
“Taxi at least take off your armor and properly lay on the bed.” He rolled over onto his back and leaned his head to look at her.
“Too much work.” He groaned.
“So you’d rather sleep in your armor? The entire time I’ve known you I've never seen you wash it.” She crossed her arms from across the room. He grumbled but started to comply. ‘Started’ was actually too kind a statement to grant. He clawed at the leather buckles that kept the pieces attached without much progress. With yet another weary sigh Velrisa walked over and grabbed his arm, unbuckling it with ease.
“First you bring me into your room and now you’re stripping me of my armor-” The icy glare from Velrisa very quickly silenced him and wiped the drunken smile off his face.
“The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner I can extinguish the lamp, and the sooner I can sleep.” She moved to his other arm which he lifted to her with no resistance. “I didn’t plan on staying up all night.” It came out a little shorter than she meant.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine Taxi.” She softened just slightly. “I wasn’t going to just leave you behind.” The sentence did not come out with any of the bitterness it held in her mind, she didn’t let it show. Maybe she couldn’t guarantee that the gnawing fear that everyone would leave her behind, wouldn’t become reality. Maybe, just maybe though, if she extended the hope, it could be granted to her. It was desperation above all else.
Taxi seemed to catch the weight of the words just enough to catch her eyes for a second. She allowed herself to stare back for a handful of seconds before averting her gaze to the next buckle across Taxi’s shoulders which held a leather cuirass in place. Taxi, however, did not seem to do the same and continued to stare.
Velrisa felt her hands stumble slightly, the pressure of being watched knocking her focus. She suddenly became very conscious of where she was, how close they were. She sat next to him on the bed as he still laid on his back, leaning over him to see where the knots and buckles lay. Every so often her hands would brush soft fur from his neck and shoulders- And he was still staring. She felt the subtlest bit of heat crawl across her cheeks.
After what felt like years, she undid the final buckle and moved quickly back from the closeness previous.
“Alright, you should be able to get yourself out of the armor now.” She sat straight up on the edge of the bed facing away from him. She heard him comply with that and shake off the remaining pieces, tossing them into a pile in the corner by the bed. She sat up robotically and moved to the lamp which housed a small ember, emanating a warm orange light throughout the room.
“You’re too nice to me Vel.” Taxi murmured. She didn’t know how to respond to that. With a sigh she put out the flame.
“Goodnight Taxi.” She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow she’d laid on the floor.
When Velrisa woke up it was dark. She blinked twice trying to take in her surroundings. It was a rare dreamless night, but she was no stranger to waking up at odd hours with no chance at more sleep until the next coming of night.
A strange sound was emitting from behind her. She stiffened quickly and her mind raced to detect danger nearby. Months of watch shifts had drilled this habit into her but... It was crying. Her body relaxed into concern, the only person it could would be Taxi, unless someone else decided to break in and have a cry. She sat up to peer at Taxi on the bed, with the noise of her shifting the noise the crying immediately silenced.
“Taxi, are you alright?” His back was turned to her.
“Go back to sleep Vel.” His voice sounded strained and slightly scratchy. Velrisa moved to sit on the edge of the bed and slowly reached her hand out.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“It’s just bad dreams, I’ll be alright.” Velrisa gently laid her hand on his shoulder from across the bed.
“You don’t have to be, I know more about bad dreams than you think.”
“Do you know how to stop them?” he asked.
“Not that much unfortunately.” She tried for a weak smile as he turned over to face her. “I’ve heard talking through them works though.”
“I just- “ He paused for a moment searching for the words. Velrisa waited patiently. “I always feel like I’m the weakest link in our team. I don’t measure up to everyone else, and that one day everyone will leave me behind.” He stopped again as Velrisa processed what he said. “That’s what the dream was about, everyone left me behind.”
“I know how you feel.” she whispered.
“How could you possibly feel like that?” His eyes narrowed in confusion. “We need you. We’d have died twenty times over without you.”
“I know I’m needed, not wanted, and I’m… ” She paused, “Fine with that, I’ve accepted it. It doesn’t make me any less replaceable. One day you’ll all find someone who can do what I do and you want, and I’ll leave.”
“Vel…” Taxi started.
“You’re stronger than you believe Taxi, you see yourself as the weakest link but I promise no one else feels the same towards you.” Her hand settled onto his shoulder. “We wouldn’t have taken down Brendon without you, or even gotten Sylnan back.” He was quiet. “You’re no weakest link.”
“The same goes for you Vel.” Taxi finally whispered back quietly.
“Sure.” She smiled even though he wouldn’t be able to see it through the dark of the room. It was more to convince herself in the first place. “You should go back to sleep, Taxi.” She decided, before he could press the issue.
Despite her shared dread for the risk sleep brought and every emotion it brought with it, she began to stand.
“Please just keep me company a little longer.” He grabbed for her hand and held it. Looking up at her with pleading eyes.
“I’m not going anywhere but the floor Taxi.” She tried for a comforting smile. For all the healing she’d ever done, it was difficult to hold the comfort part of it. She much preferred the ease of magic. This left her feeling uneasy and unsure, it felt like a maze of eggshells; one step and he could break, she didn’t want to hurt him but she had seemingly a natural affinity for hurting as of late.
“Just until I fall asleep?” He didn’t let go of her hand, instead squeezing it just barley tighter.
“Alright…” She let out a breath and shifted to sit in a more comfortable position.
They sat in silence for a moment. Velrisa couldn’t quite tell if it was awkward or peaceful. They certainly were breaking down quite a few boundaries on this particular night. She felt a growing appreciation of the other. She might not have ever said it to his face but she admired that he trusted her enough to see him like this, it took strength to be as such, and he definitely possessed strength.
“Whenever I had trouble sleeping as a girl, Ander always used to sing me lullabies.” She felt the words stumble out, trying to fill the silence.
“Really? He doesn’t seem like the type to sing.”
“Yeah,” She smiled to herself. His tough exterior always contrasted the gentleness he had. Only a select few had ever really seen it, she was very happy to be among those numbers. “Especially with that new arm of his and all those scars, but he has a nice voice.”
“What'd he sing to you?”
“Just standard lullabies really, a hymn or two on certain days.”
“I can’t really imagine it, he’s kinda scary.”
“He’s only like that because he’s defensive of me.” She remembered the glare Ander had given Taxi during the days they had visited him in the city. Defensive may have been putting it lightly. “I could try to sing you one, I might help you sleep.”
“You’d do that for me? Velrisa you’re going to make me cry.”
“It’s just been a while since i’ve last sung, just don’t judge me too harshly.”
“I could never.” His eyes went wide and he shook his head.
She started on the one song she remembered in full. It felt sad to admit she only knew the full lyrics to one song. As a girl she could sing along to every verse Ander let out, but people grow up, and memories fade. As long as she remembered one, she could hold on to that happy space.
It had been quite a long time since she last sang. She felt her voice fall flat and falter on more than one occasion. She didn’t really get many opportunities to practice along constant adventures. Some days she ended up so exhausted she could barely even talk, much less sing.
Slowly the song came to a steady close. She opened her eyes without even realizing she had closed them in the first place, and saw Taxi staring up at her alight with awe.
“Your voice is beautiful.” He blinked slowly, the song clearly achieving its goal of lulling him to sleep.
“Thank you, now go to sleep.” She teased, but couldn’t help but smile.
“You should sing more often, I think I'd kill to hear you again.” He settled into the pillows on the bed, much like an actual cat would, almost curling up. It would have been cuter if it had been an actual cat but he made it work.
“I’m not exactly going anywhere anytime soon, you could ask me to sing if you ever have trouble sleeping again.”
“I just might take you up on that, be warned”
“Well at the very least you’re going to have to wait until tomorrow” She idly ran her knuckles across her neck. She could feel her throat grow a little strained and scratchy from the lack of practice. Nothing a little water couldn’t fix at least.
He hummed back non committedly face burrowed into pillows teetering on the edge of sleep. Velrisa waited for a few quiet moments before seeing his breaths draw long and steady in slumber. She gave him a weary smile that she knew he wouldn’t see before attempting to pull away to her spot on the floor. She’d long forgotten about their hands held together which kept her from slipping away.
His grip on her hand was secure, and while not crushing, she was half afraid that moving would make him wake up. With the trouble it took to lull him to sleep, she wasn’t particularly interested in taking that risk. Steadily she shifted to lay atop the covers next to him. Facing him in the dark she watched his chest rise and fall for a few more beats. It felt strangely intimate, being so close next to someone else. Their hands intertwined and held close to his chest.
The air had a pulse and breath of its own and comfort lined the air between them. Seeing this different side of Taxi was interesting. It felt grounding to know she wasn’t the only one who was afraid of being left behind. The only one who avoided sleep because the nightmares were just too much.
The closeness felt safe and with eyes growing heavy she drifted away into a quiet peaceful sleep next to Taxi.