Chapter Text
Sin looked at the night sky with slight incomprehension. Yes, the morning after the first night in a long time without a larva or a god of murder in her head was simply delightful, especially with Astarion at her side. Breakfast, during which they together decided on the direction for the near future, brought the much-desired confidence in the next day, that neither of them would be left alone with their demons anymore.
And then Advisor Florrick knocked on the door. And everything somehow went, um, quickly. Some business, something to sign, someone to yell at, another to intimidate, well, the usual government processes. The elf, however, did not quite understand how she related to the revival of Baldur's Gate, but she was not given time to think about it. It came only now when the sun went down and she fell onto the bed in her chambers. Astarion plopped down next to her with some scroll in his hands. At first, he was still reading what was written, but at some point, he froze and stared into space.
‘What happened?’
‘We need to escape from here,’ Sin answered in the same tone.
The scroll flared up in the vampire's hands.
‘Urgently.’
They were silent for a while. Then Sin raised herself so that she could rest her head on his shoulder.
‘So... Do you have any rumors about the sunscreen?’
Astarion snorted.
‘If I had, I would have stolen you last night and gone after it.’
Sin smiled and kissed him softly on the cheekbone.
‘So here it is. Tomorrow we will wrap you in a curtain and go to Gale.’
The vampire winced.
‘Why to him?’
‘Because he was smarter than us and was concerned about his well-being first and foremost. Gale took the Sorcerous Sundries, there might be useful books there.’
Astarion sighed tragically:
‘Okay,’ and fell onto the bed. Sin immediately settled on his chest. ‘But I will need some kind of moral compensation for having to talk to him.’
‘Why is this? You will stand, wrapped in a curtain, and I will do the talking. It is I who will need moral compensation.’
The vampire grinned.
‘Let's agree that we will both need compensation.’
‘Mhm, and what do you suggest?’ Sin pulled herself closer to his face to look into his blood-colored eyes.
‘What will happen if we scare those books that the librarian holds?’
‘Ha! I thought you were going to suggest arson. Has this creepy vampire really become softer?’
‘Me?’ with one easy movement, he turned the elf onto her back and found himself on top. ‘Softer? Don't confuse the definitions, I just know how to appreciate knowledge when it's not wrapped in the shell of a pompous magician.’
‘Yeah,’ Sin answered with a sly smile. Astarion's eyebrows crept up in fake offense.
‘You will pay for your disbelief,’ his hands closed on her wrists and pressed them tightly to the headboard.
‘Oh, really. I'm shaking with fear. Just don't bite me, oh bloodthirsty vampire,’ Sin sighed too theatrically and squirmed under him.
‘It's time to teach you manners, again,’ Astarion left a kiss on her lips.
‘Oh, please,’ Sin purred, throwing her head back, allowing him to continue the path of kisses straight to her neck.
Astarion was too busy to answer.
***
‘Gale, we need your brains.’
‘Can I go at least a week without someone trying to encroach on my brain? We just got rid of the tadpoles, Sin, honestly. And why do you have to climb up on my desk for that?’
Gale waved his hand in displeasure and then began to quickly remove the most valuable papers and scrolls from the elf's greedy hands.
‘Because it's convenient and you won't be distracted from me,’ she squatted down in front of him to be face to face with the offended wizard. ‘Do you know of any artifacts that would protect from the sun?’
Gale glanced briefly at Astarion, wrapped in dark cloth in the corner, then looked back at the elf.
‘If you help me get the crown from the bottom of the sea, then I can spare some time for…’
‘Why are you doing this, I’m just asking, I’m not asking you to get the artifact, we can handle it ourselves just fine,’ Sin interrupted him, picking up the paper press in the form of a griffin from the table. Gale jealously snatched it from her hands. The girl pouted.
‘Did you know that the sun’s rays don’t reach the bottom of the sea? Astarion could really help in this endeavor.’
‘Yeah, I have nothing better to do,’ the aforementioned light-sensitive and generally sensitive elf snorted from his corner.
Gale held out his hand in his direction as if to say, well, why should I help him then?
‘Gale, ple-e-e-ase,’ Sin folded her hands in a pleading gesture and widened her eyes. ‘Just give us some books that might talk about this…’ The longer the wizard looked at her, the more his eyebrows moved closer to the bridge of his nose. Oh yes, it was a surefire trick. No one can resist these puppy eyes.
‘Ugh, okay. One second.’
He closed his eyes, frowning again. He froze like that for a few seconds and then began waving his arms, playing the weave as well as Sin on the violin. Three books, quietly rustling their pages, landed on the table.
‘If there is something in the local library, it will be in these books.’
Sin examined the spines with a bit of doubt. Quite thick spines. No, she liked to read, of course, but, if she had to choose, she still preferred oral folklore. The first book was about the drow and their attempts to crawl out of the ground. The second was called by the name of a necromancer. Sin was almost sure that it was a necromancer. Just if you change the letter in the last name, you get one equally famous worker in the erotic industry, but Gale would hardly keep such books with him. Although ...
But it is not so important. The last one was about vampires and was written on behalf of a priest of Selune.
‘Wonderful, thank you very much.’
‘What wouldn't you do for your friends,’ Gale answered with a sigh, then his gaze shifted to the approaching vampire, then back to Sin. ‘Be careful out there, okay? I plan to gather as many members of our wonderful company as possible after I stop being a walking bomb, and celebrate this event well.’
Sin snorted.
‘You won't get rid of us that easily. Here,’ she said to Astarion, who she loaded with books, ignoring his indignation.
‘I really count on it, because no one has seen Withered since the destruction of the brain. Just... Remember that your blood, like your entrails, is normally inside your body.’ Sin rolled her eyes, and Astarion muttered something unkind. They were about to leave when Gale added:
‘But internal bleeding comes with different rules! Wait, maybe take Shadowheart with you? Guys?’
Sin and Astarion had already passed through the portal and found themselves in the main hall of the store.
‘Oh, he's so cute worrying about us,’ Sin said, taking one of the heavy books.
‘About you,’ the vampire corrected her.
‘About me,’ she nodded in agreement. ‘Well, now it's time to start reading.’
Astarion smiled wryly.
‘Really?’
Sin mirrored his smile.
‘Oh, right.’
Carefully, without attracting attention, they approached the busy librarian. There was an almost perfect silence here, as only a store could have. Stopping near the books, Sin, at the top of her bardic lungs, said:
‘Listen, have you already started reading that ‘Volo's Complete Guide to the Customs of the Nymphs’ that I recommended to you?’
The librarian turned sharply to them, her eyes full of horror. Astarion answered just as loudly:
‘Oh, yes, interesting reading, especially the chapter...’
He didn't have time to finish. The air suddenly smelled like after a thunderstorm, the librarian dove under the counter, and then there was an explosion.
The two elves pulled back, holding on to each other and the precious, unexploding books. The moment that had happened was sinking in. Then a disheveled librarian appeared from behind the counter.
‘You…’ she hissed, but the elves were already flashing their heels, laughing loudly.
They didn’t stop running out of the tower. At some point, the escape turned into a chase after each other as they flew to their quarters. They ran through the ruined city as if nothing terrible had happened, as if they were just two idiots in love, and the world around them was in perfect order. They laughed, dodging at the last moment from under the hooves of oxen and horses, ducking under huge beams carried by builders, sometimes knocking over turrets of boxes, thereby earning indignant cries from the workers.
It all didn’t matter. After all, they were finally free. Free to choose their own path.
They flew into the room through the window, throwing their books on the table, huddled in a corner where the sun's rays did not reach, throwing back the cape that protected pale vampire skin. They stopped in each other's arms, breathing heavily. And in this darkness, there was light in their eyes.
‘You know, when I said arson, I didn't mean it seriously.’
‘How was I supposed to know they would explode?’ the vampire answered her capriciously, and then they laughed together.
Sin looked at that wide smile and realized that it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. Well, his moans of pleasure came in second place. Okay, maybe those sounds were in the same place.
’You are beautiful, my little bead,’ Astarion said on an exhale, moving away slightly to see her better.
‘You are magnificent too,’ Sin answered, adjusting his collar.
‘Of course,’ the vampire easily agreed, but his tone cut into the elf's ears.
‘You don't believe me,’ she said in horror.
‘Of course I do, why would you think so?’
‘Because I know you,’ the girl approached him, pushed him onto the chair, and settled on his lap. ‘You are beautiful. In appearance, of course. But that's not all.’
‘M-m-m, go on,’ Astarion's hands settled on her hips as if they were his property.
‘You are the sweetest boy,’ she placed her hands on his collarbones. ‘You are smart, cunning and... You can be kind when you are not afraid.’
Astarion snorted, trying to brush it off, but the act left him just as quickly. Cherry eyes looked up at Sin.
‘You know, I'm so hopelessly in love with you, it's scary.’
The elf leaned closer to him, so their noses touched.
‘I know. I feel the same way.’
Their lips touched, cold on warm, but equally soft. Their tongues met, moving knowingly, Sin bit his bottom lip lightly and pushed her hips forward. Astarion exhaled slowly, trying not to lose control. Now that they had all the time in this world...
‘And if there's nothing in these books,’ he whispered against her lips.
‘We'll find other books.’
‘And if...’
‘Faerun is big, we'll find other libraries.’
‘But...’
‘I have good night vision.’
Sin's mismatched eyes met his.
‘Hey. I'm not leaving until we piss each other off so much that we can't be in the same room. And even after that, I plan to pester you with letters. An elf's life is long enough, you know.’
Astarion smiled faintly.
‘We'll find a way,’ he said a little more confidently.
‘We'll find a way.’
They spent a minute in silence, just enjoying each other's company. Then Sin suddenly frowned.
‘Listen, I don't know how old I am. Do you think we'll be killed right away if we look into the Temple of Baal, or if we'll have time to rummage through the archives?..’