#OH BOY THIS WAS A LONG ONE

[glitterandmoondustofficial]

And Onto Further Stillness

Chapter 12

Notes:

Characters: Yrelia, Gale, Tara Rating: Teen Warnings: Some language, illness Notes: I actually rewrote this chapter about one million times. This was originally going to be posted before chapter 11 but I decided to post pone it to polish it more. They were originally going to get into one of their rare arguments but it just did not make sense as far as their personalities go. It's not that they don't have minor arguments, as rare as they are, it's just in this instance it didn't make sense.

Yrelia woke up midmorning with a hell of a cough. She groaned and rubbed her throat. It felt raw. She sniffed, barely able to breathe through her nose. Her head pounded and felt hot. She was sweaty, the sheets and her nightgown felt damp.

Ah, so she was sick. 

She sat up and coughed again. She cursed under her breath before rubbing her face. A cold had taken hold of her and she was irritated by it. She must have picked it up from her nephews or maybe Gale brought something home from the Academy and gave it to her. Children were riddled with diseases. 

She moved to get out of bed to wash her face but the door opened. She jumped, her heart racing, not expecting anyone in the tower but herself. 

“Ah, my darling, I see you have awoken.”

“Gale,” she breathed as he stepped into the room. “You scared the hell out of me. What are you doing here?” She coughed. “Why aren’t you at the Academy?”

Gale walked to the bed and smoothed out her hair. “You were coughing all night,” he explained. “So I took it upon myself to stay home. I explained to the Blackstaff that you are ill and require my care.” Yrelia stared at him in shock. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You stayed home from work because I have a cough?” She questioned slowly. 

“Yes?” He smiled at her. “Is that not what you’re supposed to do for your fiancée?”

Yrelia clenched her jaw, feeling incredibly awkward. “Beloved, I appreciate it but it’s just a cough, there’s no need for you to stay with me,” she said and then coughed. It hurt like hell. “I can handle this, I promise.” She coughed again. 

“By “handle this” do you by chance mean that you would be going about your day as normal and not resting?” She didn’t answer him. “And that is why I stayed home, my love.”

“You’re saying you stayed home because I won’t let a cough stop me from doing chores?” He grinned. “Gale, I assure you that this is-” she started to cough. 

He sighed. “You expect me to just leave you like this?” He asked softly. 

“Yes,” she said before having another coughing fit. “You don’t need to stay here all day while I rest.”

“Oh-ho! So you think you’ll actually convince me that you’re going to rest if I leave you here on your own.”

She groaned. “I will not do anything today, so go do what you love instead of worrying about me.”

“Who do you think you’re trying to fool?” He asked with a grin. “I was there when your hip was crushed and then you insisted on marching on the next morning.”

“That’s different.”

“I was also there when you narrowly avoided your head being chopped clean off and you continued on with blood streaming down your chin and neck.”

“It was just a scratch.”

“And how could I possibly forget when you so very delicately broke your ankle? How you tried to hobble on like it didn’t bother you and it took Lae’zel picking you up and throwing you over her shoulder to stop you from carrying forward?”

“What’s your point?”

“ My point ,” he cleared his throat like the academic he was, “is that I have good reason to believe that you will not rest if I go to the Academy today.” 

She huffed. “It’s just a seasonal cold,” she said and sniffed. “I’ve battled far worse things than the sniffles.” She sniffed again. “You can’t not educate your students because I’m under the weather.”

“My darling Yrelia,” he said firmly and placed his fists on his hips. “I’m afraid I must put my foot down and insist. You are quite ill and it is my job as your husband to take care of you.”

“You can’t call yourself my husband because you think I’ll get flustered and give in.” 

“I think whether I can or can’t do that depends on if it worked.”

She stared at him. “If you leave you’ll just use Tara and watch over me through her, won’t you?” He grinned at her. She laid back with a sigh. “ Fine . Your wife is giving in.” She coughed and rubbed her throat. 

His grin softened and he kissed her forehead. “Good. I will bring you breakfast and tea. Relax and I’ll serve it to you.” 

Gale left but not without another kiss on the forehead

Yrelia sighed and looked around the room. Things were untidy and it bothered her. It wasn’t a mess but laundry needed done, there were books around the room that needed to be put away, their bedding needed to be changed, the floors needed swept and mopped, the fireplace needed the ashes cleaned out, the sheepskin rug needed to be properly beaten, her nightstand was frightfully disorganized and needed to be wiped down. 

She groaned and started to stand up. 

“Yrelia.” She jumped at Gale’s voice. She looked around and saw Tara staring at her. “Don’t get out of bed,” he said through her. 

“You know, many people believe it’s an invasion of privacy to spy on your spouse.”

“Absolutely. However, I know you and your unwillingness to rest.”

“How does Tara feel about this possession?”

“This is not the first we have done this nor will it be the last time. Stay in bed.” 

She huffed and got back into bed. She reclined against the pillows and sighed. She felt uncomfortable with her untidy room. Again, not messy. Untidy . Disorganized. Needing a good once around. 

“Miss Rosewood,” Tara sighed. “There is no need to spend your energy on anything other than healing.”

“It’s just a cold,” Yrelia said and cleared her throat. “I’ve worked under far worse conditions.”

“And now that Mister Dekarios is here, you will never do that again.”

Yrelia sighed and then sniffed. She hated the idea of not being productive. Not cleaning or cooking or hunting. Not taking care of her partner or making sure he can relax when he comes home from work. She shouldn’t rest. She can’t rest. The last thing she needed was to be a burden upon the person she loved more than anyone. 

Surely Gale would understand that it’s simply not in her nature to let an illness get the better of her. Illness, stitches, broken bones, those were nothing! She started to get out of bed again when the door opened. 

“My lady,” Gale sighed with a tray of food. “I requested that you stay in bed. You must rest or your illness will worsen.”

“It’s just a cold, Gale, I can easily do our household chores. They don’t cause any strain, I swear.”

“Absolutely not,” he said firmly. “Please get back in bed.” She sighed but did as she was told. “You know, darling, most people would love to have breakfast brought to them while in bed. They also like to rest when ill.” He walked over to her. He kissed her forehead. “You have a fever. Even more reason to stay in bed .”

“You know, it’s sexy when you’re demanding.”

“While I appreciate the compliment, that won’t work on me when you sniffle halfway through it.” She scoffed in response. Gale placed the tray of food in her lap.“My dear lady, all that I ask is that you rest and allow me to take care of you.” Yrelia sighed. She wondered if he knew how big of a request that was. “I have spent years perfecting the art of healing soups,” he started again. “You’ll have the honor of being the first to try one. My mother refuses to share her recipe with me, she says I’ll get the recipe when she passes. I think that’s a bit ridiculous but it’s her recipe and you know I am about my own. The soup contains…”

The first to try one. 

Yrelia stared up at her fiancé with a bit of familiar sadness as he went into the details of the soup. He hadn’t had anybody, just as she hadn’t had anybody. He just wanted to take care of her. Was this something he had ached for in his loneliness? Something he had silently desired while he was with Mystra. A lover to care for, a lover to mend.

“I also have a wonderful tea for your throat,” he continued. “It works wonders on my own when I’m not feeling my best.” He sat on the edge of the bed and then kissed her brow. He reached for the teacup with tea in it. “It is a lemon tea blend,” he explained. He grabbed the jar of honey and poured the honey into a spoon. “Now, don’t worry, my love. I pay close attention to how you make your tea. I know exactly how much honey you prefer.”

She knew he did. He was so good to her. Too good for her. She watched him stir the tea, a determined look in his eyes staring through the glasses she had finally convinced him to get. Hair pulled back, beard freshly trimmed, first two buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up his forearms. She sighed. He would be damn near irresistible when she couldn’t press him into the mattress and ride him until he was unable to speak in complete sentences. 

He handed her the teacup and she took it into her hands. It was such a pretty set. A dark purple with gold stars painted on. She had wondered if there was actual gold in the paint but didn’t want to ask Gale and find out there actually was. She sipped the tea and sighed. He really did get the exact ratio perfect. Yrelia then tried the soup and it was, again, perfect. He was putting every remedy she had ever given to Cyr to shame. He was leagues better than she had ever been. 

“The soup isn’t nearly as well done as my mother’s,” he spoke up as she ate. “Hers was a miracle cure. I’m still not sure what she puts in that soup to make it so incredible, so my own humble recipe will have to do.” She swallowed to tell him that his soup was incredible but he spoke up again. “Although, I’m sure I could convince her to give me the recipe if I told her that you’re the one who is ill,” he mused. “No, it’s more likely that she would come here and insist on taking care of you herself,” he mumbled. “Bah, that’s not important,” he said and leaned in and kissed her forehead. “How are you feeling? Don’t leave out any details. I need to know what to tell the apothecary.”

“Apothecary? Gale, my beloved, it’s just a cold. There’s no need to bring home medicine for me. I’ve handled far, far worse than this.” He smiled at her. “You’re going to go anyway, aren’t you?”

“I do have a bit of a rebellious streak from my youth still left within me.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Now,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a notepad and pencil. “Fever.” He wrote something down. “Congestion.” He wrote again. “Cough, fatigue, headache.” He continued to write. “Did I miss something?” She stared at him. “Ah! Yes, of course. Irritability .” 

She groaned and rubbed her eyes. “I’m not irritated,” she lied. 

“No, you’re ill,” Gale said matter of factly. He picked up the tray of empty dishes and stood up. “And you would do well to hydrate and rest. I recommend sleeping. When you wake I’ll bring you something to drink.” He started to walk out of their bedroom. “While you’re asleep I will pop on over to the apothecary to have them create the perfect medicine for you.” She opened her mouth. “Do not think for a moment that you will be left alone. Tara will be here the entire time watching you and will be reporting back to me when I arrive home.” He paused for a moment. “Perhaps I should invest in sending stones for the two of us. It would be good in emergencies and…” he started to mumble about the benefits of the stones. 

“Darling…” she called him away from thinking out loud. 

“Oh, right, of course, dearest. You need peace and quiet , not me rambling about in our bedroom. I will leave you to rest. I will check on you periodically to make sure you don’t need anything.” He walked out of the room. “I love you,” he called before closing the door and started to speak of sending stones again as he walked away. 

Yrelia stared at the heavy wood bedroom door before sighing. He truly was too good for her. She shifted from her spot on the bed, feeling restless and anxious. She looked around the room, picking apart everything that needed to be done. Surely he would allow her some wiggle room? The sheets needed to be changed and he couldn’t expect her to be sick and sleep on dirty sheets.

She cleared her throat and leaned back for a moment, trying to listen to the exterior door closing. She waited mostly patiently, she was just going to change the sheets. Just the sheets.

And a clean comforter. 

Yrelia did buy a new comforter for the two of them. It had the prettiest floral pattern that she had been so excited about that she bought it without thinking. She immediately regretted the decision, chastising herself for making such a frivolous purchase. But then Gale told her loved the blanket when she brought it home and that he thought that they should buy more decor that she liked to decorate the tower with. She had started to cry and he panicked, thinking he had said something wrong.

She heard the front door close while she was lost thinking about how supportive Gale was. She blinked and looked out the balcony doors from the bed and sighed. She removed the blankets off of her and stood up. She sniffed loudly and let out a pathetic sigh. 

“Miss Rosewood,” Tara said from her spot on the chaise. “What are you doing right after Mister Dekarios leaves the house?”

“Erm, I’m…going to the bathroom?” Tara gave her a flat look. “I cannot stand to be in the bed with dirty sheets any longer.” She said and started to pull the bedding off the bed before Tara could say more. “It’s just changing the bedding, Tara, it requires zero effort.”

“You know that I will be informing him of what you’re doing?”

“Do you have to?”

“He asked that I do since he knew you would try something like this.”

Yrelia groaned but continued to change the bedding. Soon the dark colored sheets and purple comforter were switched for cream colored sheets and her floral blanket. All the pillows were fluffed and cases were replaced. Perfect. Gale would understand that she simply needed to change their bedding for her sake. It was fine.

Only she was incredibly hot now and that caused her to work up a bit of a sweat. She swallowed and rubbed her temple. She needed to take a cold shower. 

She had heard of Waterdeep’s clean water that was as easy as a “turn of a knob” but she didn’t believe it until she saw it. To say her life had been changed drastically when she took her first shower would be an understatement. Baths really couldn’t compare. 

She washed the sweat off her body and tried to cool down. She would be fine before Gale returned home. Completely fine. Not at all too hot and definitely not too thirsty.

“My love,” she heard Gale from outside the bathroom. “Could you tell me how our bedding changed?”

She was silent. “A ghost?”

She heard him sigh. “Yrelia.”

She turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She walked out of the bathroom and was met with a fairly annoyed Gale. She gave him an awkward smile and he sighed again.

“Beloved,” she started and he raised his brow at her. “The sheets needed to be changed,” she continued. “I didn’t want to lay on dirty sheets anymore.”

“Why didn’t you ask me to do it before I left?” She stared at him. “I am perfectly capable of changing sheets, my lady. Just as I am capable of every other chore within our home.”

“I know that you’re capable of doing it,” she said. “I just wanted to do it myself.”

“Well, as commendable your work ethic is, you’ll need to tone it down until you are back to health.” He walked behind her and grabbed her shoulders gently. He started to lead her back to their bed with clean bedding. He grabbed a hair tie from her cluttered nightstand and began to braid her wet hair. “You must rest, my love,” he said as he finished braiding her hair. “Now I know for certain that I cannot leave this tower.”

“Gale, don’t be silly. All I did was put clean bedding on our bed and take a shower,” she reasoned. She pulled away and turned to look at him. “You can’t put your life on hold because I have some bug that will be cleared up in a short amount of time,” she tried.

“It will be “cleared up” if you actually rest, Lia, and take the medicine I brought home for you. Now, please get into our bed and rest.”

She groaned but took off her towel. Gale took the towel from her and watched her as she climbed into bed. She sighed, content that her naked body was on clean sheets. She watched Gale pick up a bag that was on the foot of the bed and reach into it. He pulled out two brown bottles. He looked at the labels as he walked to her side. He set one on the nightstand and uncorked the other.

“This one's for you to take during the day and the other at night,” he explained. He handed her the bottle and she sniffed it. Her nose scrunched up as he brought a small cup from the bag. He took the bottle from her and poured some of the orange liquid into the cup. He handed her the cup with an expectant gaze.

Her nose scrunched again before she drank the disgusting liquid. “Ughhhhhh,” she groaned.

He took the cup from her and then kissed the top of her head. “How are you feeling?”

“Like my betrothed just tried to poison me.”

“Still irritable! Perhaps a nice nap will do you some good!” Yrelia groaned. She rubbed her eyes. “Would you like some water to wash down the taste?” He asked with a calm smile.

“Yes, please.”

Yrelia watched him walk out of the room and collapsed back onto the bed in a huff. Fine. Maybe she was irritated. Maybe she was a bit peeved. Maybe she was even a tad annoyed. Gale very clearly did not understand that there was no need to baby her when she was feeling just slightly under the weather. It was just a sniffle, it was just a cough. 

So what if she got a little hot while changing the sheets! It happens to the best of people. Maybe the tower just needed to be aired out because it was warm from all the chilly nights where Gale insisted on a fire. She’ll ask Gale to open the balcony doors. She may be hot but she wouldn’t go to the balcony while naked. The only person who needed to see her naked was her future husband.

“I’ve returned, my love,” Gale said and walked into the bedroom. “And I see you actually stayed in bed this time! Quite the mountain to overcome, I’m sure.”

“Are you going to be mean to me this whole time?”

“Are you going to continue to try to get out of bed?” She didn’t answer. He walked to her and handed her the glass of water. “Some water,” he said and bent down and kissed her lips. “And a kiss.” Yrelia watched Tara fly to the chaise. Yrelia stared up at Gale. “She is here to watch over you in case you take a turn for the worse.”

“Funny way of saying she’s spying on me,” Yrelia said flatly before sipping her water. “Can you open the balcony door? I’m hot.”

“That would be the fever,” Gale said. He walked to the glass doors and opened them. “I’m afraid they won’t be open for very long. Looks like rain.” He walked to her again. She handed him the empty glass of water. “Now, my dearest love, please try to rest. If you insist on not sleeping, is there a book I could grab off the shelf for you?”

Yrelia sighed. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “Do you mind? I’ll take whatever you give me.”

“I don’t mind in the least and that is a very confident statement, my lady. You are aware of the books that your loving future husband owns? Do you want me to start alphabetically or chronologically? I could also find my many textbooks from over the years. Some of them are elementary levels of simple cantrips that I had mastered by age six. Natural talent, of course. I drove the other students and the professors completely mad once I entered Blackstaff Academy.” 

Yrelia smiled fondly at him. She really did love him so damn much. Her irritation vanished and she held his hand in hers. He smiled and kissed her knuckles. 

“Like I said, I’ll take whatever you give me. Whether it’s one of my trashy novels or one of your textbooks,” she said. “You’ll probably have to read those to me, though.”

“Perhaps another time,” he said and kissed her nose. He stood up and walked to the bookshelf and pulled out a book. “I think you’ll enjoy this one,” he said and handed her a book. “It has all the elements that you enjoy but it’s from my collection.” She smiled up at him as he handed her the book. “Now, my love, I will leave you to relax. Please do not hesitate to call me for anything.”

After Gale left, Yrelia settled into the bed. Perhaps she could relax. Perhaps she could simply read this novel that Gale wanted her to read! 

And she did, she reclined on her bed and read the novel Gale gave her and realized he also had some romance books. She was quite curious to see what other books he had. She hadn’t gone through most of his books, seeing there were so many. Her love had a whole library of books. She smiled, thinking of their first time and how he seduced her with a book.

Her head started to hurt after about two hours and she set the book aside. She muttered about just a nap before promptly falling asleep. 

She had hoped it would be a restful sleep, but unfortunately she was far too anxious for that. She had nightmares. Her family berating her, beating her, screaming at her to leave and never come back. Cyr telling her he no longer wanted her around because she had decided to rest. Gale leaving her, calling her a burden, telling her he no longer loved her.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.

She woke up slowly, tears rolling down her face. She sniffed and let out a painful, dry cough. She cursed, feeling hot and lightheaded. She looked around the room and her stomach clenched at the mess. Tara was sleeping on Gale’s side of the bed. Her heart raced as she silently cried.

She needed to get up and fix the room.

She heard thunder in the distance and got out of bed. She swayed before stabilizing. She let out a breath, finding her robe and slipping it on, and walked to the balcony doors, feeling the breeze and smelling the scent of the sea and rain. She closed the balcony doors with a sigh. 

She then started around the room quietly. She first started with her nightstand. Organizing the books, the lamp, the hair ties, the headbands. Wiping off the dust and fallen hair from her head. She let out a sigh, feeling relieved that it looked so much better.

She then walked to a pile of books and started to place them back on the shelves, her hands shaking as she felt herself cry again. Just need to organize the books, just need to make sure that everything was in its proper place. 

She felt sweaty, hot, and lightheaded. There was a voice in the back of her head yelling at her to lay down, that she was pushing herself too hard. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t dare. She had already slept and that was already too much. She let herself believe that it would be fine, but it wasn’t. 

Her ears rang as she walked around the room as quietly as she could. The scattered books were put on the correct shelves and she was on her last few.

“Lia,” she heard someone call her, their voice straining and full of concern. She ignored them, she couldn’t stop, she wouldn’t stop. “ Yrelia ,” the voice said, far more stern. She stopped that time. She looked at Gale and she could see the blatant worry on his face. “What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry,” she immediately said with panic in her voice. He blinked and that concerned expression deepened. “I’m almost done with this and then I’ll start on-”

“Yrelia,” Gale interrupted. “The only thing you need to do is rest,” he said and took the books out of her hands. “My love, you needn’t cry, please just come to bed.” He set aside the books haphazardly and grabbed her hands. 

“No, no, I can’t,” she cried softly. “I can’t. I have to…” she sniffed and let out a pathetic sob.  

“Lia,” Gale breathed. “Lia, it’s alright. You’re going to be alright. Come, follow me to bed.”

She shook her head and sobbed. “I can’t, if I do then…” she hiccupped. 

Her head hurt, her throat hurt, everything was hot, and her legs felt weak. Her knees gave out and she started to fall. Gale caught her. His voice was muffled, it felt like there was cotton in her ears. She felt light, like she was weightless. She softly cried, mumbling apologies.

The next thing she knew was she was laying down, her head rested against a cool pillow. A cold hand touched her face and she sighed in relief. There were more muffled voices; three of them in fact. She slipped in and out of consciousness, until she finally fell into a fever dream filled sleep.

She started awake when she heard a loud crack of thunder. Her heart raced and she stared out of the balcony doors. It was completely dark outside, no sun, moon, or stars for her to see. Just lightning in the distance. She tried to remember what had happened. Didn’t she go to sleep after reading that book?

She turned onto her back and raised her hand to her forehead. She coughed and rubbed her throat.

“Ah, I see that you’re awake,” she heard Gale say. She looked to her side and saw him sitting in a chair next to the bed. He had a book in his hands and a cup of tea was set on her nightstand.

“What happened?” She croaked. “I don’t remember.”

“No, I’d expect not. You were fairly delirious when I found you,” he said with a sigh. He closed the book and set it next to the teacup.

Yrelia tried to think about what happened. “Delirious?” She questioned. “I thought I fell asleep after reading the book.”

“I’m afraid not, my love. According to Tara you woke up and started walking around the room, trying to organize everything. You were mumbling to yourself and barely able to walk without tripping over yourself. She called for me and when I tried to pull you into bed, you collapsed.”

Yrelia stared at him for a moment and the memory started to piece itself together. She covered her face with her hands. “Shit,” she groaned.

“Indeed,” he said and leaned forward. “You were apologizing to me as if you had done something wrong.” He frowned. “I couldn’t imagine what it was exactly for. You had done nothing offensive other than trying to rest.” He sighed sadly. “And then it dawned on me, and I felt like a fool for not realizing it earlier.”

“Gale-”

He held up his hand and she closed her mouth. “You weren’t allowed to rest before, were you? When you were alone on your farm, when you were the one raising Cyr.” 

She frowned deeply. “No,” she said, her voice straining in pain.

She couldn’t rest. If she rested then her chores would back up. Cyr wouldn’t have been taken care of. She needed to be useful, she couldn’t be more of a burden than she already was. 

“Didn’t you ever wish someone would take care of you?”

“I did when I was younger,” she said sadly. “But it never happened. It probably took too long for me to accept that it wouldn’t happen. Hope is the damndest thing.”

“I’ve always found it admirable that you remain hopeful and don’t give into despair,” he said. “Without you there, I’m not sure any of us would have made it out without becoming Mind Flayers. You’re incredibly strong, Lia, and it’s your hope that makes you that strong.” She didn’t respond but tears formed in her eyes. “I have seen you come out victorious on the battlefield countless times. I have seen you unscathed from attacks that could have killed you. You are the most incredible person I’ve ever had the fortune of knowing. You are who led us to victory. Your work ethic is commendable, your perseverance is inspiring.” He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I love you. Fully, intensely, ardently. You are the sun in my sky and everyday I thank the gods that you are here in Waterdeep with me, but, my love, you must learn to rest. The last thing I want is for you to push yourself to the point of suffering.”

She slowly blinked, her wet eyelashes brushing against her skin. She let out a breath. “I’m afraid it’s going to take more than a few months to accept that.”

“I know,” he whispered. “It’s ridiculous to think you can easily change your habits after so long.” he picked up her hands and kissed them. “There is nothing more that I want than for you to be comfortable here,” he said with the sweetest and saddest eyes. “I had hoped that in bringing you here you would be happy, healthy, and rested. All I want for you is for you to feel comfortable enough to rest, to allow me one day to take care of everything while you do nothing. I want to make your life easier. From the time I decided I wanted us to be more than simple companions I was determined to make your life even the slightest bit easier.” 

Yrelia frowned and her bottom lip wobbled. Of course she had noticed. She had noticed from the very beginning. Every little thing he had done to ease her tireless nature. He did whatever he could for her when they were still figuring out their feelings for one another. 

The way this man loved her made her feel like she was cheating at life. 

“I love you,” she cried. “I’m sorry that I’m so stubborn.”

He laughed. He pressed a kiss into her knuckles. He released her hands and took her face in his hands. “You are without a doubt one of the most stubborn people I’ve ever had the honor of knowing.” A light sigh came from his chest. He kissed her cheeks. “However, we wouldn’t be here if not for your stubbornness, so it would be ungrateful of me to even dare come close to insulting such a wonderful facet of your complex personality.” 

She sniffed and she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Tears rolled down her cheeks and he rubbed her back slowly. She softly cried. She was so tired, she felt so awful. Years and years of tireless work, of taking care of others when she begged the gods to send her someone who would take care of her just once. 

She had forgotten what it was like to be loved. Cyr had loved her like a mother, but just like a child he had found his partner and grew to love her more. She didn’t resent him, but it made her feel so lonely. Her last love affair made her wonder if he had ever truly loved her. Her first love made her wonder if she had just been someone to pass time with. 

After all this time of wondering what it was like to have someone make her priority, she had found that and she tried so hard to fight it. It was all she knew. Years of praying for help, for love, for care, and she couldn’t accept when it was given to her freely because she was convinced she would be a burden if she had. 

She knew it was ridiculous, she knew it was a panic response from years of neglect, from years of her putting everything and everyone else before herself, but did that matter? Did it matter that she had never put herself first? Was she truly so lost in love that she didn’t know how to respond to it?

She thought of her time in Waterdeep, of being with the person she loved more than anyone. His attempts to care for her and his attempts allow her to rest. How he had tried to convince her to not hunt after such a short time of being home. All the meals he insisted on cooking for her, all the times he would sit her down with a glass of wine while he flitted around the tower, doing all of the chores while Tara distracted her with conversation. 

He so badly wanted to take care of her. He wanted to take care of the person he loved and she knew it was because he never had the chance to do so before. To bring his partner into his home, declaring they would never have to lift a finger, and dutifully sitting them down with a kiss and working around them with bright eyes and a joyous smile. 

Yrelia pressed her fingers into Gale’s clothes. She wanted to apologize for worrying him, for being so stubborn, for not allowing him to do what he so dearly wanted, but she knew he didn’t want an apology. He wanted her to accept that he loved her beyond comparison and that all he wanted was to take care of her. 

“I have a question,” she croaked. 

Gale hummed and stopped rubbing her back for a moment. “What is it?”

“Who was the third person in our room? Or did I imagine that because I was delirious?”

“You didn’t imagine it. Tara brought a doctor here to examine you,” he said softly. Yrelia pulled away from him and Gale started to wipe the tears from her cheeks. “There seems to be a fairly virulent virus going around the districts. Some people don’t have symptoms while others have very intense ones. Some have even passed from the disease,” he explained. “It’s possible that I brought it home from the Academy with no symptoms, it’s also possible you caught the virus while you went on a hunt, or maybe you caught it from our nephews or their tutors.” He sighed. “At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter how you became ill. What matters is you resting and overcoming whatever virus this is.”

“That explains why the medicine you brought home didn’t help much,” she mumbled and rubbed her temples. 

“It does,” he agreed. “It seems the best thing for you is to-”

“Rest and let you take care of me?” She tried a smile, but it had to have looked weak and tired.

“Precisely.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

She sighed, holding onto his arms and rubbing them with her thumbs. “What time is it?”

“Approximately 10:15,” he said. “You’ve been asleep for hours,” he explained. “After the doctor cleared you, Tara and I have been watching over you. Is there anything that you need? Food? Water? A shower?”

“I…I want to be selfish.”

“I think you of all people can be selfish, Lia, but how so?”

She swallowed. “Come to bed,” she said softly. He blinked like that surprised him. “I know I’m disgusting right now but I want to lay with you.”

“I think “disgusting” is a bit too harsh, my love,” he said with a soft chuckle. “But I will gladly join you in bed.” She tried another smile and he sighed lightly. He kissed her forehead before standing up and starting to undress. “Now,” he started with a clear of his throat. “If you have decided to give in to my unreasonable demands of resting, then you should be prepared for tomorrow.”

“Wow, still being mean to me when I’m sick,” she fake coughed. 

“Hm, yes, I’m terrible.”

She smiled softly. “I guess that means you’re staying home tomorrow?”

“I’ve already contacted the Blackstaff and told him I would be taking care of you. Apparently the entirety of the Academy is invested in your health and recovery. I would expect flowers.”

She stared at him before blinking. “Beloved, how often do you speak about me at work?”

“I don’t see why that’s relevant,” he said with a teasing smile. 

She laughed softly. “I suppose you're right,” she said and smiled as he climbed into bed next to her. She immediately curled into him. He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her hair. She closed her eyes and breathed. “I meant to tell you,” Yrelia said softly. “Your soup was incredible, love. The best I’ve had.”

He didn’t answer at first and Yrelia wondered if he had fallen asleep. “Thank you,” he said. “That means a great deal coming from your lips.” She pressed her lips into his neck. “I’ll have to let everyone know that I made a successful soup, perhaps it will become as popular as my mother’s.”

“It’s popular with me,” she said with a smile. 

He held onto her tighter. “That’s enough for me.” He pressed his fingers into her bare back. “Get some sleep, my love, you deserve it.”

She hummed but said nothing more. She closed her eyes, breathing in Gale’s scent, and promptly fell asleep.

******

“Beloved,” Yrelia laughed. “You truly are one of a kind.”

“Are you making fun of me?” Gale said before coughing. 

“I am, but out of love, I assure you.” She grinned at him. “I told you to stop kissing me so much.”

He groaned. “It was a completely unreasonable request, Lia.” He coughed again. 

She let out a breathy chuckle. “Well, I have brought you the soup I used to make for Cyr,” she explained with a grin. She set the tray in his lap. “And some tea for your throat,” she continued. “And also medicine from the apothecary.” She grabbed the bottle and poured it into the cup. “Here you go, my love.”

He took the cup from her hands and drank it. He made a disgusted expression and stared at her like she betrayed him. She leaned in and kissed his forehead. “Eat, darling. I will stay here and read poetry to you while you do.”

“I’d rather you lay with me,” he said pathetically. “I am suffering withdrawals from the lack of your body against mine.”

Yrelia let out a loud laugh. “Oh? Is that so? Then I suppose I will have to get in bed with you. After you eat, of course.”

He sighed. “Yes, of course,” he mumbled before starting to eat. 

She kissed the top of his head and sat down. She grabbed a small book of poems as Gale ate his meal. Yrelia sighed lightly, her heart full and her mind calm. She realized that taking care of him was far different from her farm, and that she understood Gale’s need to take care of her. 

“I love you,” she said with a warm smile. “I’ll always be here to take care of you.” 

She picked up Gale’s hand and kissed it before opening the book and starting to read it aloud. 

[crowdsourcedloner]

18. What kind of person could they become in the future? What are some developmental paths that they could take, (best, worst, most likely?) what would cause them to come to pass, and what consequences might they have? What paths would you especially like to see, and why?

thank you for the ask @arasnealashandr!

oh dear this is gonna be long

Nailah was on the path of becoming a death seeking mercenary for a long time before the events of the story. She was self destructive, reckless, and refused to let anyone know so much as her name. Had she continued along this path (and not met the Scions), she likely would've taken the most dangerous job she could find and disappeared without a trace. Had she never met the Scions but started to open up to those around her, she likely would've become a simple wandering mercenary who keeps to herself. It would be very difficult to not fall back on her old habits without finding a close companion or three to keep her company, and she still would be very slow to trust. As a pretty canon compliant Warrior of Light, she does end up finding people who she can lean on and trust, but it's a long journey to get there. She still struggles with self destructive tendencies and trust after everything is said and done. I would most like to see a future where she comes to terms with everything she's been through and grows past her survivors guilt, or at least becomes less harsh towards herself.

Yomi has the potential to become an incredibly kind woman, looking after and taking in whoever needs somewhere to stay with a warm meal and clean bed. Her biggest conflict towards this is her own innocence, and how she overcomes it would determine her future. If she has her innocence and kindness blind her, she could be be taken advantage of with no way out (think trusting bandits or shady criminal organization members, only to be betrayed). If she swallows her heart and becomes cold, she'll lose a big part of what makes her Yomi and struggle to find happiness or fulfilment on her own. If she never faces the inevitable conflicts that she longs to avoid and continues in blissful ignorance, she'll stagnate in one spot, never learning more about the world that entrances her so. If she learns to balance her kindness with caution, she could open up an inn or teahouse down the line and become a beloved staple of her community. I am partial to the last one, of course. Yomi is young and naive and may stumble on the way, but she is more resilient than she seems.

Verre could be a brilliant engineer, should she overcome her guilt and grief. She rarely shares her findings as it is now, but her notes and practical knowledge of how magitek works could help people. She could join Cid's Ironworks, or she could be recruited by Ishgard's Skysteel Manufactory, or she could create her own publicly facing workshop and take on apprentices. Her biggest hurdle to all of this is her fear for what her finished projects could do. She's learned most of what she knows from disassembling magitek reapers and the like, so she's adept at fixing weapons of war, but she can't cope with the thought of all the blood that would be on her hands. The worst possible future for her would be her dropping engineering entirely and hiding from something that brings her joy out of the slight possibility of causing harm. I would most like to see her become a sky pirate mechanic, working on her own airship alongside mammet crewmates and sailing the Sea of Clouds.

Zezene is driven by greed and generosity in equal measure, so their future will shift depending on which they indulge more. If they fall to pure greed, they'll become a phenomenal thief with a bursting treasure vault, but they'll lose the people they look after and consider family from neglect and avarice. If they become too generous, they'll risk stealing more valuable items in an attempt to provide for their family and end up caught. If they maintain some amount of balance between the two, they'll be able to keep both their family and their sticky fingers out of trouble. I would most like to explore Zen failing a heist and coming to a sharp realization of what they risk on every thieving trip they take, and weighing the risk versus the reward of providing for their loved ones.

[kenchann]

king of snork mimimimimi-ing

[saewokhrisz]

"i woke up in the middle of my surgery

and i watched them botch my heart"

[spielzeugkaiser]

I am back for a hot second with the baby! Let's be real, Geralt gets a lot of heat in this au, but I do think he was very clear about what he could and couldn't be for Jaskier when they started this thing. Listening to this song later, and realizing that Jaskier was already in love with him at this point ... uff. Also a song about sacrifices in this au, from Jaskier??? *chef's kiss* also let's not think about essi in this au let's not let's just ignore this

[chronicowboy]

we as a collective do Not talk about this line delivery nearly enough and for good fucking reason, i'll kill bradley james for this one line alone. he's just a little boy :'((

[jellydragons]

been watching a lot of hermitcraft recently and am happy to report that i am hopelessly endeared by these little goobers 💕 they’re like bugs to me

close ups under the cut!

gonna be real this was absolutely just me taking the opportunity to get my grubby lil mitts all up in their character designs lol i heart interpreting mc skins

[spaciebabie]

Springtrap but he carries me bridle style into bed with him and showers me with kisses

you're onto something.....

life could be dream

[elizabethzoopzoop986]

I hate this fucking manga how am I supposed to have a life and write essays about shit when I sit down start to think and all that comes to mind is some gay little toilet freaks istg it’s a hard knock life

[turtleblogatlast]

Big Mama must have lost some serious standing in the yokai underworld because it’s gotten apparent that she keeps being beaten by a small group of teenagers and the occasional rat man, and when it’s not them then she’s taking L’s from her own schemes working against her.

And in the ensuing power vacuum, the Hamatos accidentally become the most feared crime family known to all the big bads of the Hidden City.

After all, they’ve publicly outplayed Big Mama multiple times, a couple of them have taken out the heads of two of the most well known criminal organizations, one took out Heinous Green, two are responsible for the destruction of Witch Town, they have ties to both the infamous Baron Draxum and Captain Piel, they won the Doom Dome death race, they’re Battle Nexus Champions, they’ve displayed insane feats of power and defeated impossibly strong enemies, most of them have been to jail, and they regularly mingle with humans.

You can just imagine the notoriety they’d accumulate from word of mouth alone.

[3liza]

i have another pet tip, for all pets not just dogs: take them to the vet young and/or soon after you adopt them, BEFORE something is wrong with them. either book a basic wellness appt for checks (no shots or procedures) or just ask the vet if it's ok if you drop by with the pet either on leash or in a carrier and just get as far as the waiting room or outside the clinic if they're still doing COVID airlock protocols or busy. plan for this to take several hours. let the pet approach the vet office entrance and hear/see/smell the waiting room, windows into the room, the door, all the spots around the door, etc. engage positively with them if they're feeling interested, soothe them if they're nervous, and give high value treats if possible. maybe assign a super S tier treat JUST for the vet (bacon, shrimp, stinkiest cheese, whatever). feeding them can short circuit their anxiety loops (not all the time for every animal, but as a general guideline). even a single positive exposure to the vet office environment will help next time you bring them in. a treat jackpot for every time they act brave and explore further is a great technique

vet visits aren't just more pleasant when the pet is not freaking out, they're safer for the vet and safer for the pet, not just because animals injure themselves and humans when scared, but also because it's a lot harder to examine a panicky cat or aggressive dog. if your pet is sick and you bring it to the vet and the vet needs four techs just to restrain it to take a temperature, that vet is not going to be able to get a good observation of the symptoms. they won't be able to get a baseline blood pressure or heart rate. panic alone can kill small animals like rabbits and birds.

when you meet the nurse or tech or vet at an appointment, pass them some of the special treats and ask them to feed some to the animal if the animal is willing to take them and it doesn't interfere with the appointment. vets are usually able to spare a couple seconds to do this to make the visit easier and the next visit even easier. i did this for my dog and he thinks the vets are his best friends even though he's had multiple surgeries, vaccinations, exams where he was nervous or uncomfortable, etc.

not all animals can be acclimated to the vet but most can. in an emergency it can make a huge difference whether your pet is a behavior case when you bring them in to the office or not, which is not the vet's fault but a factor of animal behavior. you can plan for it and make it easier on yourself!

edit: buying a muzzle in your dog's size and getting him used to it is an even bigger bonus tip. vets will love you for this. even good dogs sometimes need a muzzle. pain and fear do weird things to animal behavior

[laurents-secret-diary]

oh damen we're really in it now.mp4

[shhroomer]

I love this orange airpod

[reineydraws]

had to draw this to understand the way i feel about him now that the manga's ended. 🥲 on that note: if you like hawks and his ending, maybe don't read my tags lol. it's not bashing (imo) but they're not v nice. 😅

bg + unobstructed pose under the cut!

his expression's a lil different 'cuz i only changed the merged layer, all the lighting effects already flattened onto it. 💀 alas.

[hesztia16]

Promt:

Bruce kept trackers in the people he loved. Ever since Dick was a young boy prone to get kidnapped. Some with consent, some… not so much. But it was a crime he was willing to commit, if only for the way it calmed his nerves when he looked at the little dots on his screen.

Alfred, in the kitchen, working tirelessly on lunch.

Tim, in Drake Manor (much to his annoyance, but he was working on that one), probably enjoying the weekend before school.

Dick, in Bludhaven (again, much to his annoyance) spending his day off with some friends in a coffee shop.

Barbara, in the library, helping visitors.

And the one little dot that always pained him to look at, but couldn’t bring himself to disarm, right above-

Where is it?

There.

Why in all Hell’s name was his son’s body in the hospital instead of the cemetery?

[quirkylilcumlord]

current-dan and phil as a concept is absolutely beautiful. two gay 30 y/o men dressed in church attire, wearing sharpie whiskers, slitting each others eyebrows (poorly) and just generally doing strange shit to help people in need. this is what god put us on this earth to do.