Chapter Text
Astarion stood outside of his tent, kicking a rock around and looking rather disappointed with his cheap bottle of wine. Not that anyone could blame him - wine isn’t anything close to blood, and blood had been unusually scarce for most of the week. He wasn’t a stranger to starving, but since the tadpole had allowed him to indulge to his heart’s content with no threat of punishment over his head, he had become incredibly used to overindulging whenever he got the chance.
“I’m curious about how it works.”
He looked up and saw Tav stepping out of the tree line, carrying a few small critters she’d hunted for the camp.
“You’re curious about how what works… wine? It gets you drunk, darling.” He held up the bottle and swirled it playfully.
Tav chuckled at the gesture, then clarified. “I know wine gets you drunk, stupid. But does it get you drunk? Does drinking anything other than blood, or eating anything for that matter, do anything at all for you?”
Astarion thought for a moment before answering. He couldn’t recall anyone ever asking him that before, and he had never paid much attention to how he felt after eating or drinking something that wasn’t blood.
“Honestly, dear, I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it. But I’ll do that right now, just for you.”
He sauntered over to Tav, and passed her the bottle of remaining wine before continuing. “I suppose… food is food in terms of what supplies energy, but the only thing that satisfies me is blood. And the only kind of blood that gives me a true, albeit brief, respite from that gnawing vampiric hunger is human blood.”
“And the alcohol?” Tav quipped.
“Difficult but not impossible for me to get drunk. Although I’m not sure if that’s because of my condition, or because my tolerance is fucking astronomical at this point. That’s my fourth bottle.”
She seemed satisfied with this answer, taking a swig of the wine and swishing it around in her mouth before swallowing. It had an earthy, wooden taste, and a tang that came from being aged in the barrel slightly too long. “Aged” was a generous term that implied intention… This wine was more “left and forgotten about.”
“This is shit,” she commented.
“Of course it’s shit, but we make do with what we have, don’t we.”
They spent a few more moments passing the bottle between each other before Halsin approached.
“I was wondering where you wandered off to, Tav. I see you’ve managed to find something for the camp?”
“Yep, not much but… we’ve made do with worse, haven’t we? Remember the night of wine and fish heads?” Tav giggled as she remembered how tired they were that day, and how they had practically nothing, but were so passed the point of exhaustion and hunger that all any of them could do was get as drunk as possible.
Halsin gave a half-smile at his own version of the memory. “We certainly have. Not something I want developing into a pattern, however.”
Astarion turned towards Halsin, preparing to say something obnoxious. “Aren’t Druids supposed to be vegetarians? With the respecting nature thing and all that…” Annoying Halsin had become a favorite pastime for Astarion, but it was out of endearment.
Halsin let out a short laugh, “I’ve known quite a few vegetarian Druids, but I can’t say I’m one of them. You think I look like this because I avoid meat?”
“Good point, you are unsettlingly enormous,” replied a slightly swaying Astarion.
“Be nice.” Tav shot Astarion a look and held out her catch for Halsin to take. “Make something tasty out of these, I’m out of ideas.”
“As you wish.”
Halsin headed back over towards the fire to start preparing the meal. Among his many talents was the ability to make something delicious out of anything, regardless of how few ingredients were available.
“You know…” Astarion leaned in close to Tav, almost uncomfortably so. “I can’t help but wonder what a serving of Halsin would taste like… He’s so huge, I doubt he would even notice if he were missing some blood.”
Tav elbowed him hard in the ribs, hiding another giggle. “Gods, Astarion, that’s awful.”
“What? Don’t tell me you disagree with me. Look at the bastard, he’s got more blood in him than all of us combined!”
“Shh!” Tav playfully covered Astarion’s mouth as they both knocked each other around in a drunken stupor. “You are not eating Halsin!”
“I can hear both of you quite clearly,” shouted Halsin from the fire pit.
Tav and Astarion both exploded into a fit of laugher and darted back into their respective tents.
***
The next morning, Tav awoke with a splitting headache and an amused-but-irritated Halsin by her side. “You overdid it again,” he said as he handed her yet another hangover potion.
“I know, I know… I’m not used to it yet…” Tav’s stomach flipped as she swallowed the potion. “I just wanted to loosen up a bit…”
“I’m not sure Astarion is the best to loosen up around.” He handed her a small cup of last night’s wine, which she would have spit out if the Druid weren’t holding her jaw shut. “Nope, swallow it. Hair of the dog, you’ll feel better a bit quicker than with just the potion alone.”
She fought a gag and gulped it down. “Gods that is disgusting, I’m never drinking that again.”
He laughed at her reaction, smoothing her hair back as she laid back down. “I’m sure you mean that now, but Astarion will probably convince you to consume something just as vile, if not worse.”
“Do you have a problem with him? I mean… you seem quite tense about him. He doesn’t seem to mind you, in fact, I think he quite likes you,” Tav replied.
Halsin looked uneasy, not wanting to have this conversation but realizing there wasn’t away around it. He had to speak his mind sooner or later. “I don’t want to have a problem with him… but I don’t like his influence on you. Every time you’re around him, you end up completely incapacitated. You need to stay sharp around here… around him.”
A look of annoyance crossed Tav’s face as she listened. “You’re not my father, you know. You’re not in charge of who I’m friends with, and I never asked for your approval.”
“I know, I know that. Believe me, the last thing I’d ever want to do is restrict you in any way, but… Tav, he’s a vampire. He was literally created to manipulate and hunt other people. He may not even realize he’s doing it at times. I just want to make sure you understand-“
Tav cut him off. “I understand completely. Astarion isn’t a danger to anyone in this camp, and he’s certainly not a danger to me. Even if he were, I could easily handle him.”
She stood up and gathered her hunting gear, intending to spend most of the day in the woods. “I’m going to find more food, it’s scarce pickings out here and I need to start early.”
“Tav…” Halsin watched as she stormed out of the tent, and back into the tree line.