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Astarion was properly blood drunk from the minotaur. Sure, no one told him to bite it. He simply saw an opportunity and took it. As drunk as the bear made him the minotaur left him absolutely soused.
Wyll and Gale teased him the entire trek back into camp. Poking fun at the usually posh elf's slurred words and sloppy demeanor. They honestly couldn't help themselves. Lae'zel, on the other hand, simply wanted the excursion to be over.
"My, what will Tavarti say when she sees you like this, hm?" Gale teases.
Astarion scoffs. "Who cares what that *hic* god fearing idiot has to say? I despise that woman." He tries to push himself up off of Wyll but fails the attempt. "Always looking at me with that face...telling me what I can and cannot do..." He trails off muttering inaudibly to himself. Gale regrets bringing up the subject. Wyll snickeres and gives him a knowing look.
Speak of the devil, or perhaps angel, the paladin herself is waiting for them as they come back into camp.
"Dear lord, I knew I should have went with you."
Gale couldn't really argue with her. He simply shrugged as Wyll passed the pale elf over to her for some much needed healing. Gale sometimes worried for Tavarti. The last time Astarion ended up so blood drunk, he and Tavarti got into a rather heated argument. This time Astarion seemed in a much fouler mood. Gale hardly trusted the spawn on a good day.
"I'll see to him and then take first watch. You all get some rest." Tavarti offers Gale a comforting smile and the wizard can't help but worry a little more.
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Gale wakes up to strange sounds later that night. He tries to go back to sleep, but he keeps catching bits of what sounds like a heated argument. Worry begins to worm itself into the forefront of his mind. What if Astarion and Tavarti had gotten into an altercation? Would he dare hurt her in his inebriated state? Gale tossed and turned over on his bedroll a few more times before settling on his back. The noises hadn't stopped. What would he do to her given the chance? He finally gives into his anxious curiosity and peeks his head out of his tent.
Had Gale asked what Astarion would do to her? He regrets that line of questioning now.
It was like a surreal dream, or perhaps more an illthid nightmare. Astarion was panting and laughing like a beast. One of his hands was on the back of Tavarti's neck, pinning her in place. His other pinning her arm behind her back. Tavarti is on her knees whining and moaning into her one free hand.
They hadn't noticed him yet. What was this? Should he do something? Should he stop this? Before he can work up the nerve to do...well, anything, hears a sharp hiss to his right. He looks over and sees Lae'zel glaring at him. She's laying on her stomach on her bedroll outside her tent, simply....watching this happen?
Mystra, what on Faerun is happening right now?
"Pleasant change of pace, wouldn't you agree?" That was Astarion's (still quite blood drunk) voice. He's towering over her- his hips snapping hard and fast against hers.
"O-oh, for the love of- just. A-ah! Just- just shut up already." The paladin sounded frantic and embarrassed. A little pissed off even. Her face was bright red, but she didn't seem in distress. No, she was trying her best to keep quiet despite the vampire spawn's spirited efforts.
Astarion laughs and jerks up one of her legs, changing the position and causing her to twist on the ground rather roughly. She lets out an offended sounding noise and her lover responds with another laugh. Gale could see where their bodies met in this position. Hear the loud, wet joining of their bodies. He feels his face grow hot. This entire scenario was wrong for so many, many reasons.
It looks rough and animalistic. Gale still wonders if he should say something. Perhaps go back to sleep and pretend he saw nothing. Pray the tadpole devours the part of him that remembers this. He sends another nervous glance over to Lae'zel who is still just...observing.
Dropping her leg, the vampire spawn leans forward to grab at Tavarti's face and pulls her towards him. Reaching for a kiss. Tavarti pulls away. Frustrated, the spawn grabs at her face again and forces her mouth to his. The kiss is violent and deep. Teeth gnashing and biting . Hot pants being passed between the two of them. Tavarti pulls away again and pushes Astarion back. The elf lets out a frustrated growl in response.
The pale elf roughly flips his partner over and wastes no time pushing himself back in with a satisfied groan while Tavarti whimpers into her hands. He grabs her by the back of the head and pulls her close to him. She turns her head away again, this time to pout.
"I hate it like this."
"I know you do, darling."
Tavarti lets out a frustrated noise- pushing against his chest as he holds her close; lavishing her neck and collar bone with his mouth. The knight lets out a loud moan despite herself and Gale feels his entire body flush. It looks like the spawn is devouring her. Gale holds his breath expecting him to bite her, yet it never comes.
He watches their beastly pace with a morbid curiosity; unable to look away. Suddenly, the gaps of their strange relationship were becoming uncomfortably clear. Gale knows he shouldn't be watching this, but he can't look away. He just tells himself its curiosity. How and why does their relationship work? This inexplicable, unholy union.
Sex apparently. Sex is how it works.
The rhythm of their bodies becomes even more frantic and...Astarion begins to whimper? He's saying something and Gale can't help but lean in to hear him.
He realizes he's muttering. "Please, please, please" Whether to Tavarti or the Gods, the wizard is unsure.
Tavarti has her hands braced against the elf's shoulders, as if ready to push him away."Haven't you had enough today?"
"N-not- ah- that. Please." He practically whines. Grinding into the woman with obvious need.
Tavarti lets out a frustrated groan and looks away from him. Gale feels his heart stop as she glances over in his direction, but if she notices him she doesn't let on.
With a sigh, she grabs Astarion by the hair and brings him in for a kiss. The kiss is long and deep- whereas the other one was beastly and consuming, this one is passionate and surpringly tender. When she pulls back there is a string of saliva hanging between the two; firelight gleaming off of it, looking like molten light. She licks the wet from her lip before pushing her lover's head towards her neck and he hears Astarion whimper again. She whispers something he can't catch into the spawn's ear; then there's her cry as he finally bites down into her.
The two fall back towards the ground hard as Astarion continues to fuck the knight into the cold ground, his mouth still on her neck. Gale almost stands up to stop it before he hears the sounds she's now making. Tavarti is in ecstasy beneath the monstrous man. Her hand still in his hair, holding him tightly against her neck as her other strokes the jagged landscape of his bare back. He sees the blood run from the spawn's open mouth down Tavarti's neck. The scene is like some morbidly debauched painting in the firelight. Gale dare almost call it romantic. In a twisted, macabre sort of way.
When the two finally stop moving, all that's left is the sound of their labored breathing and the crackling of the fire. Astarion pulls back into a sitting position with Tavarti in his lap. His head hung low, his face hidden by a curtain of snow white hair with only his bloodstained mouth visible. Tavarti leans her head back, trying to catch her breath- leaving her freshly wounded neck open and plain to see. The sight of the deep, bloody punctures in her neck causes a slight wave of nausea to pass over the wizard.
Before long, Astarion is leaning into Tavarti's neck and Gale notices he is shaking. He may be imagining it, but he swears he almost hears him whimpering.
Tavarti wraps her arms around the elf's neck. She closes her eyes and her hand drifts to his back where she begins gently stroking. He could not hear the words, but she was whispering to him. She was comforting him. Gale expects the spawn to do as he always did. Shove the woman away. Spit venom at her. Belittle her. Instead, he continues to shake, holding her close to him. As if she would be taken away at any moment. She was comforting him and he was allowing it.
Gale definitely wasn't supposed to see this.
Gale glances back over to Lae'zel who has lost all interest now that the couple was acting so tenderly. She's turned over on her back picking her nails as if they hadn't just watched two of their companions coupling like beasts in the wild without their knowledge.
"I need to wake Lae'zel for next watch. Wait for me in my tent?"
Shit, Tavarti was getting dressed now. Gale went still and looked away. Hoping she wouldn't notice him. If she did, hopefully she'll assume he was asleep. Lae'zel did nothing.
"Ah. You're awake."
"Yes. Are you done?"
"I...uh, yes." Tavarti clears her throat. "Ready for your watch?"
"Not like I was going to get much rest anyway with all those noise your rutting produced."
Tavarti sounded understandably embarrassed. "S-sorry about that. Need anything from me?"
"Peace and quiet." The githyanki stands up and walks towards the fire. The knight let out a long sigh and turns to follow her. There's a pause before she speaks.
"Good night, Gale."
Mystra help him.