smolgloves

[smolgloves]

Freya remembering that time he licked her clean and was that close to his fangs lol

The Crow and the Mouse

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Masterlist |

Summary: The tiefling kids cause a commotion that only stresses Freya out even more.

Tw: dehumanizing language and Angst

Taglist: @sm0lprism @smolkuriboh27 @g-tr4sh @empressxmachina @rose7420 (let me know if you'd like to be added or taken off)

The Journey to the inn was nothing but a blur as the children headed to their destination; Freya couldn't so much as twitch without Mol harshly squeezing her to keep her in check. As her eyes darted around, Freya thought she would catch a glimpse of Lilia fluttering nearby but keeping out of sight, though she wasn't going to hold out hope that the pixie was going to actually save her. She likely wanted to laugh at Freya's misfortune.

Warmth that should have felt like the heavens hit her skin as they rushed inside. Mol held Freya more closely to avoid other tieflings from catching sight of her, however, she did not expect one to step in her pathway.

“What's going on?” A tiefling with long violet locks asked in a frantic voice. “Are you running from something?”

“N-No, Ms. Alfira,” Replied the boy. “Just p-playing a game.”

Her orange eyes at Mol's hand. “What do you have there?”

Freya tried to cry out for help only for the air to be squeezed out of her lungs. “Nothing!”

“And certainly not a tiny person.” The shy kid sputtered out.

Freya didn't need to see Mol’s face to know she was staring daggers at that kid, her fingers twitching as if trying not to ball them into tight fists.

“A what?” The woman stepped closer to Mol. “Show me.”

“It's just an old doll we found.” Mol replied. “Probably belonged to a kid that died from the curse! No one will miss it.”

“Then show me.”

“No!” She jerked away from Alfira, making the borrower's stomach flip. This was getting ridiculous, the longer this kept going on the more likely Freya was going to get hurt. She had to do something! In a moment of desperation, Freya bit down on the pad of Mol's thumb, increasing the pressure until she could taste blood. The metallic taste made her sick, but she refused to let go!

With a yelp, the young tiefling's grasp loosened and Freya dropped to the floor. While the fall wasn't fatal, it certainly wasn't graceful. She landed on her side and cried out as pain shot through her elbow, but Freya forced herself to her feet, staggering away before Mol could snatch her up again. She pulled out her peashooter and aimed for the child's eye. “Grab me again, and you'll go blind!”

“Why you-!”

“What is the commotion about?” The voice of an older woman cut through the inn, silencing any chatter nearby. “This is not a park to frolic about!”

Eyes shot over to them, sending chills down the tiny girl. The soreness and exhaustion prevented her from running. Freya stole glances around the room, hoping to find her friends amongst the small gathering of people but they weren't here! The knot twisting in her belly went from discomfort to down right pain at this point. Where are they?

“Oh?” Soft steps made the old floor creak from behind, Freya spun around to meet an older woman with shoulder length white hair pushed back behind her pointed ears. The leather armor she bore looked more regal than the armor she had seen before, with an emerald green hue and bits of gold embroidered in the front, Freya speculated that she was the leader of this group. Upon seeing her, the woman's expression softened. She dropped down on knee, and reached out with a slender hand; Freya however, flinched at the stop but the woman stopped before she got too close. “You look like you've been through a lot, my small friend.”

Understatement of the bloody century! She desperately wished she could turn invisible and scurry off to hide in the walls. It was so easy to forget she was powerless when Freya was with her friends, but the lingering eyes stabbing at her back became a friendly reminder. It wasn't fair, she wanted Tav, or Astarion, or anyone of her companions with her right now!

“Hey!” The shrill voice now fueling Freya’s

ire. Oh, so now that gods damn pixie decides to show up? If her shaky hands weren't going to fuck up her aim, she would have shot her out of the air!

Lilia stopped directly in front of the woman's face, a grin plastered on her face. “Hi, I'm Lilia, that's Freya, I was helping her find her friends, when that child grabbed her, said something about making a profit off her.”

“Quiet you pest!” Mol stomped over and tried to swat at Lilia, but she easily weaved in the air.

“Enough!” The woman barked out. “We will not be selling borrowers like they are trinkets. Do you understand me, child?”

“Fine.” The child scoffed, her eyes leaving a burning glare on Freya. “She looks too banged up to be worth much anyways.”

“Good.”

“Come now, children. Let's leave the tiny ones be.” Alfira ushered the children away, but Freya felt far from safe. Whispers of the others made Freya shrink back. Stop staring! She wanted to yell out, but it felt like her lips were glued shut.

“Let me take you somewhere more private.” The half elf spoke as if she was reading her mind. “We can have our cleric see to your wounds.”

Meeting another person? Sure why not, let's tell the entire inn about the borrower! It didn't matter anymore, her heart ached as much as her bones did at this point. Freya didn't protest when the woman's hand inched closer, all she did was stiffen up when calloused fingers wrapped around her to lift her up. Freya sat in the middle of her palm, her other hand coming around to act as a wall to shield her from prying eyes. The way this woman held her was reminiscent of how Halsin had handled her. Where was that gentle giant when she needed him the most?

It was a short walk upstairs where they entered a room that was tidier than the rest of the inn. The doors to the balcony were open and standing outside was a silver haired woman with her back to them. Her hands waved gracefully in the air to produce a small burst of light into the air.

“Isobel.”

The other woman turned around to reveal a youthful face. She was beautiful, like she had bathed in the moonlight. Blue eyes that were accentuated by the dark makeup flickered between the pixie and borrower. “I see we have some unusual guests.”

“This one got into some trouble with the children, patch her up would you?”

Isobel smiled softly at Freya. “But of course.”

After being deposited on the balcony table, the elf gave Freya a half smile. “I'll be back after you rest up, then we can discuss what you wanna do after that, alright?”

She gave the faintest of nods as her words were trapped in her throat. It wasn't the best plan, it was the only one Freya had.

Once she left, Lilia hovered over to Isobel, her eyes darting between the cleric and magic that encircled the inn. “Whoa, so did you make all this?!”

“In a sense,” She chuckled and slipped over to Freya. “The moon maiden has given me the power to aid to keep Shar's curse at bay. I thank her for her service.”

Selûne, a goddess who wasn't unfamiliar to Freya; she had seen old statues and readings before, but she had mostly heard it whenever Shadowheart had been unfortunate enough to lay eyes on it. The snide comments and glares she would give a statue was burned into her memory. Freya closed her eyes as Isobel reached out to heal her, magic seeped into her bones. She tried to pretend it was Shadowheart who was actually healing her, though the moon maiden's magic felt stronger, closing up her wounds faster than Shadowheart ever did.

“There, now how about we get you some water?” Isobel asked with a smile. “I'm sure traversing through the curse has left you two parched.”

“It was just another stroll for me.” The pixie snickered. “For her, not so much.”

“Right, I'll be back then.” As Isobel stepped away, Freya could no longer avoid the tears that pricked her eyes, they came crashing down like a waterfall. Why weren't they here? Were they still looking for her, did they die in that fight? With the hope of a reunion dying off, it became clear that Freya may be stuck here forever. Alone in a place that was a shell of her old home.

“Didn't expect you to be this quiet.”

That grating voice was the fuel to the growing rage within Freya, she glared up at the easygoing smile she gave her, the source of her anxieties just standing there without an ounce of remorse. Freya jumped to her feet to meet the pixie face to face. “I should rip your bloody wings off!”

“Whoa, someone's pissy.” She replied, taking a step back.

“You say that like you didn't just endanger my life!” Her rage grew hotter, as if she could burst into flames like Karlach has before. “You had no right to do that to me!"

Lilia remained unfazed. “I don't get you, Freya. A borrower who travels with big people, yet you cower when children and grannies spot you?”

“That's different!” Freya snapped. “I know them well enough that they wouldn't hurt me! These people…” Her eyes wandered off the balcony to see refugees and soldiers going about their evening, as if a sense of normality would distract them from the curse kept at bay. “I have no clue how they'd react to me.”

Silence fell between the two, there was no point in convincing a pixie that being around larger ones was dangerous for her. Unlike Freya, she had magic and wings at her disposal in the event someone tried to hurt her. Freya had to rely on her stealth; a skill that seemed to be depleting since being with Tav.

“I'm sorry.” The sincere words sounded foreign coming from Lilia, but Freya looked up to see her wings drooping below her shoulders, the downcast gaze not able to hold Freya's eyes. “I shouldn't have pushed you out like that.”

“Thank you.” There were still a lot of questions Freya wanted to ask, she wanted to understand Lilia's reason, but her thoughts were interrupted by soldiers running towards the front. As Freya followed them, she spotted the older woman standing at the entrance, blocking the path of a familiar group.

“Wait… that's-!” Vines that were summoned by the woman wrapped around the halfling's legs. “TAV!”

Her heart would have skipped a beat if the start of a fight was brewing, her companions may have been powerful, but they were outnumbered! Freya ran to the edge and pulled out her grappling hook, there was no way her tools would reach the ground from this height but if she jumped first she could hook it onto something closer to the ground… hopefully.

Adrenaline stopped any second guesses as Freya lunged forward, but instead of falling, the young borrower found herself gliding through the air, her waist was hooked by slender blue arms.

“You're not going to get very far if you're a stain on the ground!” Lilia gave a wry smile over her shoulder. “I think it's about time we return you to your friends over there.”

The descent made the winds fly through her blonde hair, so this is what it felt like to soar through the sky; gliding gracefully as she descended to the lower level. She

No amount of swinging from a rope or riding on a friend's shoulder could ever compare to the way Lilia soared past onlookers.

“Wait!” Freya shouted as they rushed over to the woman; her heart tried to lodge into her throat as she locked eyes with the giantess, but she quickly swallowed all fears. “These are my friends!”

“Freya!” The vines kept Tav from running to her, but they mustered all their strength to break free, only to be cut off by the woman.

“In case you aren't aware, your friends are infected with mind flayer parasites!” Her hand reached for her belt and grabbed a bottle containing the very parasite that yearns to infect her friends.

“Yes, I'm aware, but they're different.”

She narrowed her eyes. “How can this be?”

“With this.” Shadowheart stepped forward with the artifact in hand. The proximity caused the vile creature to writhe and wither away into a sad pile of flesh.

“What a waste.” Mumbled the familiar voice of a vampire.

“But how?!”

“I wish we could say more, but this thing is stopping the parasites.” Tav replied back. “But we know Moonrise Towers will have the answers.”

Suspicion fleeted from the elder woman's face, it became evident an idea sprouted in her head. “Then I suggest we discuss plans in the inn after you get reunited with your little friend.” She glanced over to the tiny being with a softened smile. “It seems you lot have some catching up to do.”

“We certainly do,” Tav nearly choked on their words while their eyes stayed glued on Freya. “Thank you… Jaheira, right?”

“Jaheira?” Was Freya in the presence of the actual High Harper?! No fucking way, this couldn't be. Her eyes danced over to her companions until they met with Karlach's, the giddiness radiated off of her as much as her fire did. Freya turned back to Jaheira with a hoard of questions in hand, but it seemed the forced smile on her lips told her that Jaheira wasn't keen on retelling her tales sung by bards right now. Amazing! She got to meet the Blade of Frontiers and now the High Harper on this journey! What's next, Minsc of Rashemen?

“I'll pour you a glass of wine once you're settled.”

After disbursing, time felt slow. She stared back at Tav, their face was contorted with a range of emotions. Pure joy, bewilderment, and teary eyed were just some of the ones that she picked up.

“I thought you died…”

“I'm lucky I didn't.” She gave a smile to fight back her tears as she looked back at Lilia. It seemed the pixie really did keep her word, perhaps the stories about them being trickers were just that. She would have twisted to give a hug but Lilia's arms began to tremble.

“Well, can you take your pet,” She pouted. “I don't have Hill Giant strength!”

Heat rushed to Freya's cheeks and she was about to scold the blasted fey for that remark when Tav cupped their hands right below the pair. “It would be my pleasure.”

Freya was practically dropped into the palms of the halfling. The familiar warmth from them brought tears to her eyes; it was almost surreal to be back in their hands again. By the gods how she didn't want to leave the comfort of their grasp again, and it seemed Tav shared the thought as fingers curled around her petite body and pulled her close to their chest. Freya gripped onto their robes to hear the pounding heart within them. Perhaps it would have soothed her to sleep if it wasn't for her other friends chattering.

“A pixie, an honest to goodness pixie!” Astarion giggled.

Karlach crouched down with a bewildered gaze locked on the fey. “Whoa, I never thought I'd see one of your kind!”

It seemed Lilia matched her excitement when she took one look at Karlach as he zipped Right up to her face. “Wow, you're hot… like actually on fire!”

“I'll take that as a compliment.” Karlach replied with a chuckle. “Don't get too close though, wouldn't want to singe your wings off.”

Lilia leaned even closer to the tiefling, there was no way she wasn't feeling the searing heat now. “Oh, I'm not sure it would be the end of the world…”

“Perhaps, you don't have to risk your wings yet,” Shadowheart chimed in, she pointed off to a small stable where a tiefling was pounding a hammer against an anvil. “I believe that's Dammon over there.”

“Dammon!” Karlach sprung up to her full height and ran towards him, causing the pixie to tumble backwards to avoid getting smacked by the tiefling.. “Maybe he found a way to fix my engine!”

“Engine?!” Lilia called out. “What does that even mean?!”

With a chuckle, Shadowheart began to follow Karlach. “Why don't you join us and I'll explain everything about our fiery friend.”

Lilia flew towards the cleric like an arrow in the sky. “Don't have to ask me twice!”

“She's an interesting character.” Tav mused while watching them.

“She was rather annoying if I'm honest.”

“Seems like you two have a lot in common then.” Astarion snickered.

“I beg your Pardon?!” That haughty attitude nearly made the borrower leap out of Tav's hand; four inches be damned, she was determined to wipe that smirk off his face.

But Tav had other plans as their fingers latched onto Freya's waist. “Perhaps we can hold off on the rivalry for a moment and talk with Jaheira?”

“Oh I would, darling, but all this traveling has spent my energy.” Astarion feigned a loud yawn that accentuated those fangs. Oddly enough Freya found herself staring intently at them.

“I'm rather exhausted too.” A sigh escaped her lips, she glanced back at Tav with a small pout. “Can't we make camp first.”

Although a debate swirled on their face, they softened at Freya’s words. “You two head back, I'll catch up later.” Tav said as they handed Freya over to Astarion. “But I want you to tell me everything that happened while you were gone.”

Freya shot them a smile. “But of course.”

As Tav shuffled away, their eyes seemed to have trouble being pried off of the borrower; not that Freya had a problem with that, she'd probably let them watch every moment of her life after the day she just had!

However, Astarion broke her away from her thoughts when he brought her up to his face, a mischievous fire igniting in those red eyes. “Let's get you a drink, darling.”

[smolgloves]

"Cerberus Appeased" Three heads, but only two hands? What's a simple Chthonic god to do...

[smolgloves]

The Crow and the Mouse

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Masterlist |

Summary: The tiefling kids cause a commotion that only stresses Freya out even more.

Tw: dehumanizing language, blood and Angst

Taglist: @sm0lprism @smolkuriboh27 @g-tr4sh @empressxmachina @rose7420 (let me know if you'd like to be added or taken off)

The Journey to the inn was nothing but a blur as the children headed to their destination; Freya couldn't so much as twitch without Mol harshly squeezing her to keep her in check. As her eyes darted around, Freya thought she would catch a glimpse of Lilia fluttering nearby but keeping out of sight, though she wasn't going to hold out hope that the pixie was going to actually save her. She likely wanted to laugh at Freya's misfortune.

Warmth that should have felt like the heavens hit her skin as they rushed inside. Mol held Freya more closely to avoid other tieflings from catching sight of her, however, she did not expect one to step in her pathway.

“What's going on?” A tiefling with long violet locks asked in a frantic voice. “Are you running from something?”

“N-No, Ms. Alfira,” Replied the boy. “Just p-playing a game.”

Her orange eyes at Mol's hand. “What do you have there?”

Freya tried to cry out for help only for the air to be squeezed out of her lungs. “Nothing!”

“And certainly not a tiny person.” The shy kid sputtered out.

Freya didn't need to see Mol’s face to know she was staring daggers at that kid, her fingers twitching as if trying not to ball them into tight fists.

“A what?” The woman stepped closer to Mol. “Show me.”

“It's just an old doll we found.” Mol replied. “Probably belonged to a kid that died from the curse! No one will miss it.”

“Then show me.”

“No!” She jerked away from Alfira, making the borrower's stomach flip. This was getting ridiculous, the longer this kept going on the more likely Freya was going to get hurt. She had to do something! In a moment of desperation, Freya bit down on the pad of Mol's thumb, increasing the pressure until she could taste blood. The metallic taste made her sick, but she refused to let go!

With a yelp, the young tiefling's grasp loosened and Freya dropped to the floor. While the fall wasn't fatal, it certainly wasn't graceful. She landed on her side and cried out as pain shot through her elbow, but Freya forced herself to her feet, staggering away before Mol could snatch her up again. She pulled out her peashooter and aimed for the child's eye. “Grab me again, and you'll go blind!”

“Why you-!”

“What is the commotion about?” The voice of an older woman cut through the inn, silencing any chatter nearby. “This is not a park to frolic about!”

Eyes shot over to them, sending chills down the tiny girl. The soreness and exhaustion prevented her from running. Freya stole glances around the room, hoping to find her friends amongst the small gathering of people but they weren't here! The knot twisting in her belly went from discomfort to down right pain at this point. Where are they?

“Oh?” Soft steps made the old floor creak from behind, Freya spun around to meet an older woman with shoulder length white hair pushed back behind her pointed ears. The leather armor she bore looked more regal than the armor she had seen before, with an emerald green hue and bits of gold embroidered in the front, Freya speculated that she was the leader of this group. Upon seeing her, the woman's expression softened. She dropped down on knee, and reached out with a slender hand; Freya however, flinched at the stop but the woman stopped before she got too close. “You look like you've been through a lot, my small friend.”

Understatement of the bloody century! She desperately wished she could turn invisible and scurry off to hide in the walls. It was so easy to forget she was powerless when Freya was with her friends, but the lingering eyes stabbing at her back became a friendly reminder. It wasn't fair, she wanted Tav, or Astarion, or anyone of her companions with her right now!

“Hey!” The shrill voice now fueling Freya’s

ire. Oh, so now that gods damn pixie decides to show up? If her shaky hands weren't going to fuck up her aim, she would have shot her out of the air!

Lilia stopped directly in front of the woman's face, a grin plastered on her face. “Hi, I'm Lilia, that's Freya, I was helping her find her friends, when that child grabbed her, said something about making a profit off her.”

“Quiet you pest!” Mol stomped over and tried to swat at Lilia, but she easily weaved in the air.

“Enough!” The woman barked out. “We will not be selling borrowers like they are trinkets. Do you understand me, child?”

“Fine.” The child scoffed, her eyes leaving a burning glare on Freya. “She looks too banged up to be worth much anyways.”

“Good.”

“Come now, children. Let's leave the tiny ones be.” Alfira ushered the children away, but Freya felt far from safe. Whispers of the others made Freya shrink back. Stop staring! She wanted to yell out, but it felt like her lips were glued shut.

“Let me take you somewhere more private.” The half elf spoke as if she was reading her mind. “We can have our cleric see to your wounds.”

Meeting another person? Sure why not, let's tell the entire inn about the borrower! It didn't matter anymore, her heart ached as much as her bones did at this point. Freya didn't protest when the woman's hand inched closer, all she did was stiffen up when calloused fingers wrapped around her to lift her up. Freya sat in the middle of her palm, her other hand coming around to act as a wall to shield her from prying eyes. The way this woman held her was reminiscent of how Halsin had handled her. Where was that gentle giant when she needed him the most?

It was a short walk upstairs where they entered a room that was tidier than the rest of the inn. The doors to the balcony were open and standing outside was a silver haired woman with her back to them. Her hands waved gracefully in the air to produce a small burst of light into the air.

“Isobel.”

The other woman turned around to reveal a youthful face. She was beautiful, like she had bathed in the moonlight. Blue eyes that were accentuated by the dark makeup flickered between the pixie and borrower. “I see we have some unusual guests.”

“This one got into some trouble with the children, patch her up would you?”

Isobel smiled softly at Freya. “But of course.”

After being deposited on the balcony table, the elf gave Freya a half smile. “I'll be back after you rest up, then we can discuss what you wanna do after that, alright?”

She gave the faintest of nods as her words were trapped in her throat. It wasn't the best plan, it was the only one Freya had.

Once she left, Lilia hovered over to Isobel, her eyes darting between the cleric and magic that encircled the inn. “Whoa, so did you make all this?!”

“In a sense,” She chuckled and slipped over to Freya. “The moon maiden has given me the power to aid to keep Shar's curse at bay. I thank her for her service.”

Selûne, a goddess who wasn't unfamiliar to Freya; she had seen old statues and readings before, but she had mostly heard it whenever Shadowheart had been unfortunate enough to lay eyes on it. The snide comments and glares she would give a statue was burned into her memory. Freya closed her eyes as Isobel reached out to heal her, magic seeped into her bones. She tried to pretend it was Shadowheart who was actually healing her, though the moon maiden's magic felt stronger, closing up her wounds faster than Shadowheart ever did.

“There, now how about we get you some water?” Isobel asked with a smile. “I'm sure traversing through the curse has left you two parched.”

“It was just another stroll for me.” The pixie snickered. “For her, not so much.”

“Right, I'll be back then.” As Isobel stepped away, Freya could no longer avoid the tears that pricked her eyes, they came crashing down like a waterfall. Why weren't they here? Were they still looking for her, did they die in that fight? With the hope of a reunion dying off, it became clear that Freya may be stuck here forever. Alone in a place that was a shell of her old home.

“Didn't expect you to be this quiet.”

That grating voice was the fuel to the growing rage within Freya, she glared up at the easygoing smile she gave her, the source of her anxieties just standing there without an ounce of remorse. Freya jumped to her feet to meet the pixie face to face. “I should rip your bloody wings off!”

“Whoa, someone's pissy.” She replied, taking a step back.

“You say that like you didn't just endanger my life!” Her rage grew hotter, as if she could burst into flames like Karlach has before. “You had no right to do that to me!"

Lilia remained unfazed. “I don't get you, Freya. A borrower who travels with big people, yet you cower when children and grannies spot you?”

“That's different!” Freya snapped. “I know them well enough that they wouldn't hurt me! These people…” Her eyes wandered off the balcony to see refugees and soldiers going about their evening, as if a sense of normality would distract them from the curse kept at bay. “I have no clue how they'd react to me.”

Silence fell between the two, there was no point in convincing a pixie that being around larger ones was dangerous for her. Unlike Freya, she had magic and wings at her disposal in the event someone tried to hurt her. Freya had to rely on her stealth; a skill that seemed to be depleting since being with Tav.

“I'm sorry.” The sincere words sounded foreign coming from Lilia, but Freya looked up to see her wings drooping below her shoulders, the downcast gaze not able to hold Freya's eyes. “I shouldn't have pushed you out like that.”

“Thank you.” There were still a lot of questions Freya wanted to ask, she wanted to understand Lilia's reason, but her thoughts were interrupted by soldiers running towards the front. As Freya followed them, she spotted the older woman standing at the entrance, blocking the path of a familiar group.

“Wait… that's-!” Vines that were summoned by the woman wrapped around the halfling's legs. “TAV!”

Her heart would have skipped a beat if the start of a fight was brewing, her companions may have been powerful, but they were outnumbered! Freya ran to the edge and pulled out her grappling hook, there was no way her tools would reach the ground from this height but if she jumped first she could hook it onto something closer to the ground… hopefully.

Adrenaline stopped any second guesses as Freya lunged forward, but instead of falling, the young borrower found herself gliding through the air, her waist was hooked by slender blue arms.

“You're not going to get very far if you're a stain on the ground!” Lilia gave a wry smile over her shoulder. “I think it's about time we return you to your friends over there.”

The descent made the winds fly through her blonde hair, so this is what it felt like to soar through the sky; gliding gracefully as she descended to the lower level. She

No amount of swinging from a rope or riding on a friend's shoulder could ever compare to the way Lilia soared past onlookers.

“Wait!” Freya shouted as they rushed over to the woman; her heart tried to lodge into her throat as she locked eyes with the giantess, but she quickly swallowed all fears. “These are my friends!”

“Freya!” The vines kept Tav from running to her, but they mustered all their strength to break free, only to be cut off by the woman.

“In case you aren't aware, your friends are infected with mind flayer parasites!” Her hand reached for her belt and grabbed a bottle containing the very parasite that yearns to infect her friends.

“Yes, I'm aware, but they're different.”

She narrowed her eyes. “How can this be?”

“With this.” Shadowheart stepped forward with the artifact in hand. The proximity caused the vile creature to writhe and wither away into a sad pile of flesh.

“What a waste.” Mumbled the familiar voice of a vampire.

“But how?!”

“I wish we could say more, but this thing is stopping the parasites.” Tav replied back. “But we know Moonrise Towers will have the answers.”

Suspicion fleeted from the elder woman's face, it became evident an idea sprouted in her head. “Then I suggest we discuss plans in the inn after you get reunited with your little friend.” She glanced over to the tiny being with a softened smile. “It seems you lot have some catching up to do.”

“We certainly do,” Tav nearly choked on their words while their eyes stayed glued on Freya. “Thank you… Jaheira, right?”

“Jaheira?” Was Freya in the presence of the actual High Harper?! No fucking way, this couldn't be. Her eyes danced over to her companions until they met with Karlach's, the giddiness radiated off of her as much as her fire did. Freya turned back to Jaheira with a hoard of questions in hand, but it seemed the forced smile on her lips told her that Jaheira wasn't keen on retelling her tales sung by bards right now. Amazing! She got to meet the Blade of Frontiers and now the High Harper on this journey! What's next, Minsc of Rashemen?

“I'll pour you a glass of wine once you're settled.”

After disbursing, time felt slow. She stared back at Tav, their face was contorted with a range of emotions. Pure joy, bewilderment, and teary eyed were just some of the ones that she picked up.

“I thought you died…”

“I'm lucky I didn't.” She gave a smile to fight back her tears as she looked back at Lilia. It seemed the pixie really did keep her word, perhaps the stories about them being trickers were just that. She would have twisted to give a hug but Lilia's arms began to tremble.

“Well, can you take your pet,” She pouted. “I don't have Hill Giant strength!”

Heat rushed to Freya's cheeks and she was about to scold the blasted fey for that remark when Tav cupped their hands right below the pair. “It would be my pleasure.”

Freya was practically dropped into the palms of the halfling. The familiar warmth from them brought tears to her eyes; it was almost surreal to be back in their hands again. By the gods how she didn't want to leave the comfort of their grasp again, and it seemed Tav shared the thought as fingers curled around her petite body and pulled her close to their chest. Freya gripped onto their robes to hear the pounding heart within them. Perhaps it would have soothed her to sleep if it wasn't for her other friends chattering.

“A pixie, an honest to goodness pixie!” Astarion giggled.

Karlach crouched down with a bewildered gaze locked on the fey. “Whoa, I never thought I'd see one of your kind!”

It seemed Lilia matched her excitement when she took one look at Karlach as he zipped Right up to her face. “Wow, you're hot… like actually on fire!”

“I'll take that as a compliment.” Karlach replied with a chuckle. “Don't get too close though, wouldn't want to singe your wings off.”

Lilia leaned even closer to the tiefling, there was no way she wasn't feeling the searing heat now. “Oh, I'm not sure it would be the end of the world…”

“Perhaps, you don't have to risk your wings yet,” Shadowheart chimed in, she pointed off to a small stable where a tiefling was pounding a hammer against an anvil. “I believe that's Dammon over there.”

“Dammon!” Karlach sprung up to her full height and ran towards him, causing the pixie to tumble backwards to avoid getting smacked by the tiefling.. “Maybe he found a way to fix my engine!”

“Engine?!” Lilia called out. “What does that even mean?!”

With a chuckle, Shadowheart began to follow Karlach. “Why don't you join us and I'll explain everything about our fiery friend.”

Lilia flew towards the cleric like an arrow in the sky. “Don't have to ask me twice!”

“She's an interesting character.” Tav mused while watching them.

“She was rather annoying if I'm honest.”

“Seems like you two have a lot in common then.” Astarion snickered.

“I beg your Pardon?!” That haughty attitude nearly made the borrower leap out of Tav's hand; four inches be damned, she was determined to wipe that smirk off his face.

But Tav had other plans as their fingers latched onto Freya's waist. “Perhaps we can hold off on the rivalry for a moment and talk with Jaheira?”

“Oh I would, darling, but all this traveling has spent my energy.” Astarion feigned a loud yawn that accentuated those fangs. Oddly enough Freya found herself staring intently at them.

“I'm rather exhausted too.” A sigh escaped her lips, she glanced back at Tav with a small pout. “Can't we make camp first.”

Although a debate swirled on their face, they softened at Freya’s words. “You two head back, I'll catch up later.” Tav said as they handed Freya over to Astarion. “But I want you to tell me everything that happened while you were gone.”

Freya shot them a smile. “But of course.”

As Tav shuffled away, their eyes seemed to have trouble being pried off of the borrower; not that Freya had a problem with that, she'd probably let them watch every moment of her life after the day she just had!

However, Astarion broke her away from her thoughts when he brought her up to his face, a mischievous fire igniting in those red eyes. “Let's get you a drink, darling.”

[smolgloves]

Think I'm gonna do a tag list for my fics now. Let me know if you want to be added or taken off.

[smolgloves]

Oh my god, the action! The banter! Just!!!

Bite-Sized (17) - A BG3 G/t Fanfic

This contains g/t (giant/tiny content) so if that isn't your thing, then I suggest you stop reading. Thank you!

Read on AO3

Chapter 1 | Previous chapter| Series master list

Summary: Ria, now having been captured by Gandrel, is literally at the Gur's mercy. All she can do now is hope that a certain vampire spawn will come to her rescue.

Pairing: Astarion x f!borrower!oc (Tav/oc) (slow-burn)

Warnings: Violence, blood, gore, vampire things, death

Word count: 4.1k

Taglist: @whatthisfemsheplikes @alexcutecolly @rose7420 @empressxmachina @taters169 @feral-sins @smolgloves @smolkuriboh27 (if you want to be removed or added to the taglist, feel free to let me know!)

Searing hot pain stabbed through Ria’s arm as she struggled helplessly in the thin string that was wrapped around her torso. Her arms were wrapped behind her back and an open wound leaked crimson out of her right arm.

Gandrel had softly nicked her flesh shortly before tying her up and laying her down on the ground several minutes ago. He had apologised profusely throughout the entire process, and all Ria could do was watch with horror as the giant man set her up as bait against her will.

A part of her felt bad for Gandrel. It seemed that he was, at his heart, a kind man who was only seeking revenge for whatever atrocities Astarion had inflicted on his village. But, despite this, she was also in a terrible predicament and tied up against her will with her own blood now staining the floor. She knew Astarion would no doubt pick up her scent, so a rescue of some kind was inevitable. Still, it did frustrate her that despite all her training with Lae’zel and her newfound magic, she was still only a borrower helpless to the whims of the giant beings that towered over her.

“Gandrel, you don’t have to do this,” she shouted up at the giant man. “Just let me go, I’m sure we can figure something out.”

Gandrel turned his gaze downward to look at the small borrower huddled on the ground, his expression softening.

“I am deeply sorry for all of this,” he said gently, his brows knitting together. “But this is necessary for capturing Astarion. The spawn has been evading me so seamlessly since I began my search. This is my last chance to finally capture him and make him pay for his sins against my people.”

“Whatever Astarion did I’m sure it can’t be worth this,” she retorted.

Gandrel exhaled a deep sigh. “What he did was unforgivable. I can’t let him get away from what he’s done to me and my family.”

Ria’s eyes widened. “Family? What did he do?”

Gandrel’s gaze flicked away from her, and the pain that was reflected on his face was as clear as day. Whatever Astarion had done, it had obviously been so bad it was hard for the Gur to even talk about.

It seemed that no matter what she said, Gandrel wasn’t going to let her go. Her only chance of escape depended on Astarion coming to her rescue, and for the first time since meeting the vampire, she hoped that his keen nose would hurry up and pick up her scent soon.

***

The last rays of the afternoon sun were rapidly disappearing as Astarion continued to meander through the thick of the woods. A borrower out alone foraging in the wilderness seemed like a foolish notion the more he thought about it as leaves crunched underneath his leather boots.

Why did Halsin allow her to travel alone? She’s so pathetically tiny, anything could happen to her.

Astarion surprised himself by his own thoughts and his forehead creased. Why was he so concerned about the borrower to begin with? It wasn’t like he cared about what happened to her.

Despite all of this, the feeling refused to leave his mind and it continued to fester away inside of him like some hideous disease. His sanguine eyes trailed over to the clothing that he had fashioned for her that were now gripped in a tight fist.

And yet, I made these for her…what was I thinking? Has the tadpole consumed half of my brain?

His thoughts were interrupted as a familiar yet salivating scent engulfed his senses. Almost immediately his ruby eyes dilated and his stomach lurched. He recognised that tantalising scent anywhere, there was no mistaking the almost hypnotic trance that the smell placed him under.

It was Ria’s blood.

Wetting his lips, the bloodlust almost took a hold of him as he bolted in the direction of the mouth-watering fragrance. Steeling himself, he attempted to shake himself out of the blood-crazed trance he was under and tried to think rationally. He could smell Ria’s blood, which meant only one thing – she was in danger.

But if he found her, would he be able to control his hunger? It had been some time since he had tasted Ria’s blood, yet his throat burned as the memory flooded his brain. While he had only had a mere drop of her blood, she had tasted like sweet ambrosia, the food of the gods. After all the bandits and evil-doers he had feasted on, nothing could compare to her blood. It wasn’t the same.

Perhaps he could go back and fetch Halsin. The archdruid, in his bear form, would most likely have no trouble in finding her. But every moment he was away from Ria the higher the chance of something bad happening to her – if he went back to get Halsin, by the time they reached her, it could be too late.

Stifling a growl underneath his breath, Astarion decided that he would go find Ria himself – he could keep his bloodlust under control. It was only a little bit of blood; he could manage it…surely.

As he continued to follow the scent, his stomach continued to growl loudly and he quickly slapped a hand over his abdomen. He would not allow himself to be controlled by his insatiable hunger for blood – he could overcome it, he had to, for Ria’s sake.

He hoped he wasn’t too late.

***

“There are no vampire’s out here. It’s dark, none have come. Surely if my blood is that irresistible there would be vampires from far and wide lining up by now!”

Gandrel lowered his head to meet her gaze and frowned. Some time had passed now since he had inflicted the small cut to her arm, the sun had almost set, but fresh blood continued to drip down her arm and stain her already ragged clothes.

“Not much time has passed, the spawn will come.” He dropped to one knee, his expression crestfallen. “It shouldn’t be much longer now.”

Ria gritted her teeth in frustration and gave one final attempt at freeing herself as she thrashed against her restraints. It frustrated her that what was a mere piece of string in the eyes of a human was enough to render her utterly helpless. The sheath to her dagger pressed against her hip, reminding her that if only she could reach it, she could free herself, but then again, if she managed to free herself Gandrel would simply capture her again.

“I don’t care what Astarion did to your village,” she snapped, fire igniting in her belly. “I do not consent to this. This is my life you’re playing with, and you’re letting me bleed out. You can’t justify this.”

“Please don’t make this harder for me than it already is,” Gandrel replied, his face contorted with guilt. “This is my last resort. I’m so sorry. I promise to heal you once I have Astarion.”

Ria bit back a scathing reply, knowing all too well that bad-mouthing the Gur wouldn’t achieve anything. She grunted in frustration and gave one last thrash against her bonds but to no avail. She glared daggers at the giant man that loomed over her, his eyebrows knitted with concern and guilt.

Small earthquakes began to vibrate through the ground, jolting Ria out of her thoughts. The vibrations could only mean one thing – someone was coming.

Please be Astarion…please.

Gandrel’s eyes flew wide open as his eyes flicked to the opposite side of the clearing. He hastily ran to the cover of the bushes and trees, concealing himself amongst the foliage with his weapons at the ready.

She sucked in a sharp breath as she waited for the owner of the tremors to appear. Sure enough, a familiar pale elf stepped into the clearing, his ruby eyes wide with panic as he frantically scanned the ground.

“Astarion!” she shouted, her voice raspy and sore.

Two crimson orbs snapped to her location and within a matter of seconds Astarion was towering over her, dropping down to one knee as he wasted little time in removing the string that was tied around her body.

“Ria,” he breathed, concern and worry painted all over his face. “Are you-”

He paused as his eyes fell onto her wounded arm, her blood was now drying and clotting over the wound, but there was still a lot of it that had dripped and trailed down her skin.

Astarion’s nostrils flared and his pupils noticeably dilated. His large fingers that were hovering over her tiny frame trembled and twitched against her skin, as if he was exercising a great deal of restraint on his own movements. He licked his lips as his gaze remained locked on her bloody flesh wound.

“A-Astarion.” She shakily rose to her feet and tentatively stepped back from the giant vampire. “I need you to focus. You’re in danger right now.”

More like I’m the one in danger.

Astarion swallowed thickly and pulled his hands away from her.

“I-I’m sorry, it’s just your blood,” he said breathlessly, his eyes still hovering over her wound, “it smells so good.”

“Focus!” she exclaimed, panic rising in her chest as he continued to look at her hungrily. “I need you to get a grip. I know you can resist it. You’re in trouble, Astarion. There is a Gur after you.”

Upon hearing the mention of the Gur, this seemed to bring Astarion out of his bloodlust for a moment.

“A Gur? Here?” His eyes scanned the area frantically. “Did he do this to you?”

Ria nodded weakly, clutching her bloodied arm. “Y-yeah…he used my blood to lure you out here.”

An arrow suddenly whizzed past Astarion’s skull and brushed his perfectly groomed curls. A snarl ripped through the vampire’s throat as he leapt to his feet and turned on his heel to face who had shot the arrow.

“I’ve finally found you,” Gandrel said, emerging out from his hiding spot in the bushes, his hand gripped firmly on his crossbow. “After all this time, I can make you pay for what you’ve done.”

Astarion simply smirked at the Gur, as if the mere presence of the man didn’t faze him in the slightest. “You might want to improve your aim, Gur. I know your people aren’t exactly well known to be very quick-witted.”

Despite her feelings towards Gandrel, she was still appalled at Astarion’s blatant racism towards the Gur. The sheer audacity of the pale elf clearly knew no bounds and Ria wasn’t even that surprised by it anymore.

“Ah, a sharp tongue you have, Astarion,” Gandrel responded, moving in closer towards them. “It is a shame you won’t have much to say when I take you back to Baldur’s Gate.”

“You did this to her,” Astarion snarled, fury igniting in his ruby eyes. “You sick bastard. There was no need to hurt her to get to me.”

“Unfortunately, involving the borrower was necessary to find you,” Gandrel replied.  “You have been incredibly elusive up until now. And it brought me no pleasure in hurting the borrower.”

He paused, fully processing Astarion’s words.

“Wait, why would you, a vampire spawn, care about a borrower? This is merely but a snack for monsters like you.” Gandrel’s brow furrowed as he attempted to understand what was happening in front of him between the borrower and vampire spawn.

“That is none of your business, Gur,” Astarion growled. “I think it’s time we stop talking and start fighting, don’t you agree?”

Thunderous tremors rattled through the ground as Astarion lunged towards Gandrel with his fangs bared, and Ria took that as her cue to find some cover away from the fighting giants before she got trampled on. While she had lost some blood, she still had enough energy to scamper away and she kept running until she found a large toadstool to hide underneath.

Panting heavily, she turned her neck upwards to witness the gigantic battle that was happening before her very eyes.

Astarion was utterly ferocious and feral in his movements. Growls and snarls continued to tear through his chest as he fought Gandrel, who, while being a monster hunter, was having trouble keeping up with Astarion. It occurred to Ria that the last time she had seen him in this bloodlust-crazed state was on the first night that they had met, when he had been intent on eating her. Now, ironically enough, he was fighting for her own life instead of trying to end it.

It was if Astarion was being possessed by some other worldly entity as his movements were so sharp and vivid. He seamlessly dodged each of Gandrel’s attacks and delivered a swift slash to the Gur’s arm with one of his daggers.

Gandrel cried out in pain, clutching the side of his arm as he glared at the pale elf.

“You shouldn’t have involved her,” Astarion said darkly, licking the blood off his dagger. “That was a grave mistake you won’t be repeating again.”

“You are certainly strange.” Gandrel’s breaths were heavy as blood ran down his injured arm. “But I am afraid to say you are the one who won’t be walking away from this fight.”

Gandrel reached into his pack and pulled out a vial of water. There appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary about the water, except a faint, radiant light that seemed to be omitting from the water itself. He suddenly tossed the vial towards Astarion and it exploded immediately on impact.

Astarion howled in pain and stumbled backwards as the water appeared to be burning through his skin like it was some kind of potent acid. The water, whatever it was, was so strong that Ria could hear it sizzling through Astarion’s skin from her spot underneath the toadstool.

“Astarion!” Ria cried.

“Holy water, it always does the trick.” Gandrel wiped the side of his mouth with the back of his hand before readying his crossbow with another arrow.

Ria watched with utter horror as Gandrel prepared to shoot, his crossbow now aimed perfectly at Astarion’s head. She wasn’t sure if vampires could survive that – tadpole or not – and if she didn’t do something now, this could be it for Astarion.

An unknown energy began to fill her chest as magic crackled at her fingertips. Rage and pure anger filled her entire body as she glared at Gandrel’s towering form. And then, as if her body was acting on its own, she vanished from her spot underneath the toadstool in a flurry of magic and was suddenly eye-to-eye with Gandrel.

She was levitating in front of Gandrel, almost as if she were flying, by some form of magic. Sparks flew from her hands as she channelled all her blinding rage, and putting her hands together she shot a bolt of electricity straight into Gandrel’s face.

“Ah-!” The bolt of electricity made him stumble backwards, his moustache and beard completely frazzled and singed at the ends as he reeled from the electricity.

As soon as it had come, the magic coursing through Ria’s veins soon faded, and she softly floated down onto the ground and flopped onto her side from exhaustion. While her magic was certainly not enough to stop the Gur, it would at least give Astarion enough time to gather his senses.

Astarion lunged towards Gandrel with his fangs outstretched, aiming for the throat. Gandrel was still somewhat stunned from Ria’s magic and did not react as the vampire spawn buried his teeth into his jugular.

Rather feebly, she craned her neck upwards and watched as Astarion drained Gandrel of every drop of blood that was in his body. While she had witnessed him do this in the past, it still didn’t shake away the fear and terror she felt as she watched Astarion feed. It was just yet another reminder of his true nature.  

It was clear that Astarion was ravenous as he continued to drain the Gur. Gandrel’s skin quickly grew very pale as he continued to feed, the audible gulps from Astarion as he swallowed each drop of blood were the only sounds that could be heard in the dark clearing. Finally, Astarion pulled away from Gandrel’s neck and released a very happy sigh of contentment.

The corpse thudded rather violently to the ground as he dropped it, and the sheer impact of it made Ria’s body bounce from her spot on the ground. Blood was smeared all over Astarion’s mouth, with some down his neck, a sight that Ria was somewhat getting used to. Still, the sight of all the blood never failed to make her stomach churn and she quickly began to feel nauseous.

“Ria!” Astarion quickly kneeled, hovering over her with concern. “Are you alright?”

He gingerly offered her his index finger and she grasped onto it without a second thought, using his finger as leverage to pull herself back onto her feet.

“A bit of blood loss never hurt anyone,” she replied shakily. “Well, maybe except for Gandrel.”

A small chuckle slipped past his lips. “You need healing. Fortunately for you, I have a Potion of Healing on me.”

He offered her his open palm and she clambered onto his pale hand, still gripping onto his index finger for support as he brought himself to his full height.

He reached into his small daypack, pulling out a Potion of Healing, and gently tilted the bottle towards where Ria stood on his hand. A small trickle of the potion oozed out of the top and Ria hastily inhaled a few drops at the lip of the bottle. The potion set to work and immediately healed her bloodied wound, the only evidence remaining was her own dried blood that had caked across her skin.

There were obvious burn marks across Astarion’s skin from the holy water, but now that he had fed, his wounds were already starting to heal somewhat.

“Are you okay?” she asked gently. “You were hit with holy water.”

“I’ve been dealt much worse,” Astarion replied quietly, implying there was a lot of truth to his words, and she was hesitant to ask what could be worse for a vampire than being hit with holy water. “But…you saved me back there. With your magic. By the gods, that was…!” His voice trailed off before he could finish his sentence and he hastily cleared his throat.

“That was…incredible. Thank you for helping me back there,” he said quietly.

Ria’s eyebrows nearly shot right off her forehead. “Are you complimenting me and thanking me? I think that holy water might’ve messed up more than just your skin.”

Astarion shook his head and suppressed another chuckle. “No, I mean it – that was amazing what you just did. It was like what you did to Minthara, except this time, you were…flying. And this is saying something, because I’m not usually impressed by people – especially by people of your stature.”

“And here we go again with the borrower racism,” she laughed. “You just had to throw that in there.”

“But of course, darling,” Astarion smirked deviously, ruffling her head with the tip of his index finger. “You shouldn’t expect anything else at this point.”

“You also saved me,” she said, growing serious now. “You came to my aid…again. I’m starting to think you like me more than what you let on.”

“Oh, my dear, let’s not get ridiculous,” he retorted, but his gaze seemingly avoided hers as if he was hiding something.

“Whatever you say,” she grinned. “But, in all seriousness, why was that Gur hunting you?”

“Cazador most likely sent him after me.” He exhaled a long sigh through his nose, his brows furrowing at the mention of his vampire master. “If he sent one after me, there will be others, I’m sure of that.”

“No, I mean, Gandrel mentioned that you did something to his village,” she said, her tiny hands softly grabbing at his finger. “What did you do?”

Astarion narrowed his eyes as his fingers twitched around her tiny body. “I didn’t do anything! I was kidnapped. It seems like Cazador wants me back. Only he would know to send the Gur after me.” He faltered, as if he was considering withholding the next few words he was about to say.

Exhaling a deep breath, he continued. “I was a magistrate before I was turned. I suppose there was a ruling that I had made that the Gur weren’t happy with as it was a group of them that attacked me that night in Baldur’s Gate.” His gaze flicked back to hers as his expression fell. “I would’ve died had Cazador not appeared and saved me.”

With her strength returned thanks to the Potion of Healing, she stood up straighter on Astarion’s palm, but she still gripped firmly onto his cold finger. Of all the things to expect, she certainly hadn’t expected Astarion to be a magistrate.

But then again, that might explain a few unpleasant aspects of his character.

“What kind of ruling did you implement?”

Astarion heaved a sigh. “Oh, I don’t remember. It was a long time ago – 200 years of torture and enslavement will do that to you.”

Her brows narrowed; concern highlighted across her features. The more she learned about Astarion’s past, the more she felt a wave of sympathy wash over her. She was still unsure about his position as a magistrate – after all, what kind of ruling had he made to warrant that kind of violence? Regardless of what had happened in the past, it didn’t change the fact that he had been enslaved and tortured – so badly, in fact, that he couldn’t even remember what he had done as a magistrate. Her heart panged for him.  

“He saved you by turning you into a vampire spawn?” she said quietly.

“Well, he didn’t mention the ‘slave’ clause at the time,” Astarion replied with a rather snappy edge to his words. “And now he sends a Gur monster hunter for me? It’s a message. He’s reminding me of his power. Even in the middle of nowhere, he can reach me. And he wants me back.”

“We’ll just have to show that old master of yours we mean business,” she responded firmly, giving his finger a gentle pat in reassurance. “And if he sends any more Gur after you, I’ll fry them to smithereens. Once I can get a handle on this wild magic.”

Astarion almost threw back his entire head as he laughed. He laughed so hard it nearly jostled Ria from her spot on his palm and she frantically clutched at his fingers for support.

“Oh, my dear, now that is simply adorable,” he chuckled. “You seriously think you can stop more Gur if they come?”

“Maybe not by myself,” she said. “But once we let the others know, they can help, too.”

“No!” Astarion exclaimed, his eyes wide with panic. “We can’t let the others know about this. They could see this as a liability and use that as an opportunity to get rid of me. Do not breathe a word of this to anyone.”  

Ria blinked, rather surprised by Astarion’s explosive response.

“Okay, if you’re sure about that. I still think they will help.”

A moment of awkward silence passed between the two of them. Astarion cleared his throat, his gaze now staring at the ground, as he used his other hand to fish something out from underneath his armour.

“I…I have some things for you.”

A crease formed between her brows as she stared at the objects that Astarion had pulled out from underneath his armour. Her eyes widened as she realised what he was holding were tiny clothes – borrower-sized clothes.

“I simply could not allow you to walk around in those hideous rags anymore.” He presented the articles of clothing in an open palm in front of her. “You truly have no fashion sense, my dear. I mean, just look at those rags – ugh. It’s horrendous. I took it upon myself to fix your gods-awful clothing choice. You can thank me later.”

The tiny clothes that Astarion presented to her were perfect – they weren’t too dressy, not a skirt to be seen – there was an elegant long-sleeved top, a short-sleeved top, shorts, and some longer pants to help keep her warm during the colder months. The fabric was a significant improvement from her current clothes – well, just about anything was an improvement from what she was currently wearing – and they appeared to be rather sturdy in structure and threading.

“You made these yourself?” She picked up one of the tops and ran it through her fingers, marvelling at Astarion’s handiwork. “Astarion, these are incredible. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Astarion replied. “Think of this as a proper apology for…well…everything.”

She gave his index finger an affectionate squeeze with her hand and gazed at him fondly.

“Apology definitely accepted.”

[smolgloves]

Lmao that's so real! Thank god for shrink ray island!

I just remembered that when I was ten, I had to read a library book. So I chose a book called shrinking violet, thinking it would have a girl shrink to stimulate my gt trash brain, but I was EXTREMELY disappointed that it had no shrinking in it what-so ever!

[smolgloves]

Thumblina-esque character, except she wears jumpers 24/7 and has a bumble bee sidekick

[smolgloves]

I just remembered that when I was ten, I had to read a library book. So I chose a book called shrinking violet, thinking it would have a girl shrink to stimulate my gt trash brain, but I was EXTREMELY disappointed that it had no shrinking in it what-so ever!

[smolgloves]

Sleeping on a giants chest will cure me

[smolgloves]

Climb on up for a big kiss

[smolgloves]

BESTIE IS MAKING IT BIG!!

*Coughs*

!!Black and white blood imagery + a slice of meat!!

🔉Sound on🔉

@sm0lprism ‘s OC, Ria again but sillier

[smolgloves]

Actually real

am I funny yet

[smolgloves]

THIS IS SO SO SO CUTE!!!!

Mama a girl behind YOU ‼️‼️

Astarion and @sm0lprism ‘s borrower OC Ria’s first meeting 🫣

I Had fun with this! I hope I did Ria justice 🍁

[smolgloves]

"Khain got into a rough spar- but luckily his princess, Serphina, wasnt hurt on the fall down"

hiii frens im alive & still working on the comic for these characters~ its just slow going, enjoy this for now!! i got tired on the second one fhgnejslkfb

[smolgloves]

New year, new pc. Picks you up off the street-

[smolgloves]

Fairytales

[Masterlist] chapter 1 | Chapter 2 |

Summary: Freya gets help from a unique person

Tw: Mentions of death, grief, mishandling of a tiny, trafficking mention, and dehumanizing language

There were stories about beings as tiny as a borrower that Auntie Ara would tell, beings that lived in the feywilds where they could fly and use their magic to their heart's content, only venturing out to Faerun to cause mischief. It always seemed like a fairytale but Auntie insisted she was telling the truth; hells, even her father claimed the stories were true but she never believed them. That was until she was staring at a pixie who stood right before her.

The first thing Freya noticed was the curious look that the pixie had. Her silver eyes reminded her of a tranquil lake that reflected the moon's soft glow, a major contrast to her hair, which exhibited wild green dreadlocks that just brushed over her shoulders. Freya had heard this was a style meant to mimic gorgons but she had once heard Astarion and Shadowheart snicker to themselves once, claiming the look resembled a rat's nest.

As the pixie inched closer, Freya could see a comforting light radiating from her powder blue skin. Her skirt was like wilted rose petals, the color had been drained from time, Freya wondered if she had been stuck in the shadow cursed lands for some time now.

“What happened?” She asked.

“Oh, you just fell from the sky while I was relaxing by the lake; you're lucky I was there, otherwise you would have gone splat!" She giggled.

“You were just ‘hanging out’ by the lake, in these lands?”

“Why not? The shadow-curse doesn't affect me.” Despite her casual tone, a smirk formed upon her lips. “Unlike you, I don't need a shoddy ring to travel around here.”

Freya ignored the insult when she was reminded of the ring, her hands immediately began patting her hips, lifting up the brown shirt to only find a deep bruise wrapped around her waist. “What happened to the ring?”

“I threw it into the lake.”

“What?!” The aching pain in Freya's body was ignored as she jumped up to her feet. “I needed that!”

The pixie just rolled her silver eyes. “You wouldn't last a minute with that rusty excuse for jewelry, it barely had magic left in it.”

“It was better than nothing!” Freya snapped back, staring back at the pixies smug face that rivaled Astarion's only fueled her anger more. “Go get it, so I can find my group!”

“Group?” She bounced over to Freya with wide eyes. “There are more borrowers in the shadow cursed lands?”

“They're not borrowers, they're larger beings.” Freya huffed out.

“I thought your kind hid from the big ones?” The pixie stated. “How'd that come about?”

“It's a long story.”

That smile on her face only brightened. “You know, I know a place that they could be at. If you want, I could help you.”

Stories of pixies warn about making deals with them, to say Freya was suspicious was an understatement. “Why help me?”

“Call it an apology for throwing that ring in the lake. Besides, I'm curious about your group, perhaps you can tell me about them while we travel.”

“Alright, fine.” Freya could tell this pixie was hiding something, the last thing she wanted was a fey going near her friends, but what choice did she have. Right now, she would just keep her guard up and hope she can part ways with this fairy before she could do something.

“Great! We just need to get across the lake.” She yanked her by the arm and rushed towards the burrow’s exit before stopping. “By the way, what's your name?”

“Freya.”

“I'm Lilia, now stay close to me!”

~~~

There was probably no fairy tale in the world to prepare Freya how bloody annoying Lilia would be! She buzzed around her head like a mosquito; if it wasn't for her light, she would have attempted to swat her away! Why did she insist on flying?

“So let me get this straight,” Lilia hovered in front of the borrower, looking at her instead of keeping her guard up. “You're traveling with a bunch of big ones but they all have mind flayer parasites in them?”

“All but one.”

Lilia plopped down on the ground, giggling as she spoke. “Are you worried they'll turn and eat you?”

“At this point, no.” Freya replied as she continued to march past the pixie.

For the first time since meeting her, Lilia did not giggle like a schoolgirl, but instead let out a heavy sigh. “You do know that conversations aren't supposed to be so one sided?”

Stopping in her tracks, Freya whirled over to Lilia. “No offense, but I’m not very forthcoming to random fey that are living in cursed lands.”

Instead of lashing back, Lilia trotted over with a smirk on her face and a hushed tone in her voice. “Oh, that's what it is, you think I'm going to do something with your friends, gonna lead them to their dooms?” She threw back her head with a cackle. “Trust me, I have no intentions on dealing with soon-to-be thralls!”

“Good.” Was all Freya could say as she kept walking; the familiar sound of buzzing came behind her, Lilia was at her side in a flash.

“So tell me why a borrower and big ones are traversing through the shadowlands?”

Freya pinched the bridge of her nose; there was going to be no end to her questions. “They think they'll find a cure at Moonrise towers.”

The flutter of her wings took an immediate halt. “Moonrise?”

Freya studied the shocked expression on the pixie’s face. “Is there a problem with that?”

“Just that Moonrise is heavily guarded by the curse.” Lilia stated. “They would need more than magic and torches to get there.”

“All the more reason to get back to them.”

~~~~

“Here we are!” Lilia exclaimed.

A soft glow radiated from a quaint little inn, swallowing up the surrounding area, time had faded the brick building, yet it still stood tall amidst the world around it. As they entered the area, Freya felt the lingering curse slip away, it was like coming up for air after diving into water. They made their way down a rocky path, taking in the tranquil setting. That was until the sounds of sobs came shuffling their way.

Despite her travels with the larger beings, the borrower's instincts did not die easily; every nerve stood on end when the tremors shook the ground.

“Oh, Danis!” A woman's voice cried out.

Instead of sharing her fear, Lilia glanced over her relaxed shoulder to Freya. “One of yours?”

Absolutely not! Freya almost snapped out, but her words were replaced with actions, quickly shoving the pixie into a nearby bush as the woman wandered over.

Ducking into the Foliage, Freya was met with the wide eyed stare of Lilia. “By Titania's grace, what was-!” Was all she could get out before Freya practically slapped her hand over her mouth. She could feel her lip curl against her palm, as if she wanted to bite her but thankfully decided against it after Freya pulled her closer.

Her breath was still as the woman sobbed for this Danis, those steel eyes locked onto her, while her face was buried in her palms, Freya could make out black horns protruding out of her lightly colored hair. A tiefling, but something seemed familiar about her. She wouldn't have been one of the refugees would she? It didn't matter, she wasn't part of the group, she couldn't know about Freya.

Eventually, the crying woman wandered off; with the knot in her stomach becoming undone, Freya let out a sigh. Her shoulders relaxing, she was safe, for now.

Gossamer wings flicked against Freya's arm in an attempt to burst free, she glanced over to meet the glare of the pixie she still had locked in the most awkward hug of all the realms. With a sheepish grin, Freya loosened her grip, letting the pissed off fae break away.

“What was that about?”

“She wasn't the tiefling I know, trust me.”

“But maybe she could have helped you.” The look of pure disbelief plastered on her face.

Freya had to suppress a scoff that threatened to slip out of her mouth. “Look, if I don't know a larger being, I don't make myself known. Besides, that woman seemed to be dealing with her own problems, better to leave her be.”

Lilia's eyebrow raised up like Freya's reason was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. Her mouth opened ready to argue until the tremors returned.

“Are you sure we should steal from Bex?” A child asked.

“Yeah Mol, she seems very upset.”

“Don't tell me you two are going soft!” Mol snapped. “Now’s the perfect time to strike while she cries over her lover.”

Okay, now that voice sounded really familiar. Freya stalked over to the edge of the bush to get a better look at the youthful voices. She saw three tiefling kids: A nervous one who bore a brown cap; a curly haired boy; and a little girl who had a bandage over her eye leading the pack.

“I know those kids!” Freya breathed out.

The pixie scampered over to Freya's sighed, a smile etched on her face. “Really?!”

“Well, not personally, but I know they were refugees that Tav helped out.” Her mind flooded with all sorts of scenarios, if the refugees were here then Freya can breathe a little easier knowing she isn't walking into a trap. Hope finally began to pump through her veins, if the refugees made it to this point then surely the others would stop here! Maybe they're already here!

“So if your friends helped them out they must be good.” Excitement laced Lilia's voice.

“Good enough to not be a major threat at least.” Freya corrected.

“Then you should ask them for help!”

“I don't think-!” Freya’s words were cut off with a hard shove to the back, thrusting her out of the safety of the bush and at the feet of the tiefling kids!

“What's this?” Mol snatched Freya up before she could scramble to her feet, keeping her arms pinned in a loose fist. No amount of squirming and fighting was going to get Freya out.

“What is that?” Asked the curly haired tiefling.

“It's one of them borrowers!” A wicked gleam caught Mol's eye. “Word says they're worth a few coin.”

“You can't!” Despite the futile attempt, Freya kept trying to break free. “I need to-!”

A red thumb pressed into the borrower's face, sealing off her protests. “Save the sob story for someone who cares, blondie.” She turned to her friends with a smirk. “We need to get back to Mattis, someone will buy a borrower here.”

As the children headed back to the building, Freya let out muffled screams that were a mix between calling out for help and cursing at the dimwitted pixie who got her into this mess!

[smolgloves]

Here's another two panel one! (*^▽^*)

Not really much of a story on this one, I just wanted to draw today, so it's all up to interpretation for you guys!

Though I might come back and edit if I think of a good scenario.(*^_^*)