Chapter Text
Even in the half-tamed wild of abandoned farmlands leading up to Rivington, there are plenty of places one can rest that are more comfortable than a companion's back. At Karlach's request, however, Solistre finds herself seated cross-legged on a fire-proof cloak draped over the tiefling's broad back, levered up and down by powerful arms in push-ups. Heat simmers under her, seeping through the cloak the longer Karlach exercises, but it doesn't bother her. Karlach knows when to stop before she accidentally burns her favourite training weight and earns a disapproving frown from Shadowheart. Again.
While Karlach's steady breaths grow heavier, Solistre studies the spellbook spread over her lap – or, more accurately, the thin journal where she has jotted down several spells that Gale suggested she prepare, old and new alike. Their infrequent lessons on the Weave had turned into a small study group between herself, Gale, and Wyll, where they share their own repertoire and coordinate spellsets to bolster one another in combat. It has become a hobby to pass time on the road – refining strategies to claw every bit of advantage they can – and it is a thrill to experiment in the heat of battle.
Solistre murmurs quietly, hands cutting in swift yet leisurely arcs that would send Gale into a perfectionist's fit. She casts the spell, and Karlach freezes mid-rise beneath her. Good; she hasn't become rusty in her disuse of the hold spell. It isn't her favourite to deploy, preferring to have her mind focused on combatants' movements and the general flow of battle, not split apart to keep just one foe out of play. Still, every spell has its time and place, and some practice never hurts.
"Fight it," Solistre tells Karlach, and she feels the mental pushback immediately.
Karlach's ferocious will slams its fists against her cage, and her brows furrow in concentration. She bears the brunt of each mental blow stoically, until she feels her breaths deepening under the strain, and the beginnings of pain echoing through her skull.
She holds on a few seconds longer, sweat beading on her temples from the effort of keeping barbaric rage from breaking through, before releasing her grip on the spell. Unbound, Karlach shoots up with such unexpected force that Solistre tumbles off her back, landing on the ground in an undignified heap.
Karlach bursts out in laughter, and a chuckle rumbles in Solistre's throat as she pushes herself up. Her mirth turns into a faint growl when Karlach slaps her back hard, nearly sending her back to the ground.
"Could've warned me, you know."
"No one will warn you in battle."
"Yeah, yeah. But we're not in battle now, are we?" Karlach falls onto her back dramatically, sprawled out on the grass beside her tent. She takes deep breaths, the engine in her chest glowing a bright rhythm in the wake of exertion. "Ugh, I was trying to beat my record. Now I gotta start over."
"Shame," Solistre replies, nonchalant as she picks up her journal, patting off its covers and pages carefully. This book is getting a little worn, its pages feeling too loose for her liking; she makes a mental note to pick up a new one in the city. "Looks like I'll have to sit on you again."
Karlach laughs again, waving her off. "Next time. I wanna start fresh."
Solistre shrugs, snapping her journal shut. "Then I suppose my services aren't needed for–"
She stops abruptly, ears snapping to attention at a sharp, nigh-inaudible cry in the distance. Before Karlach can ask, she melts into the shadows, flying to the nearby shed in a heartbeat. The small dagger strapped to her ankle flashes in her hand as she materialises from the dark, blade raised to eliminate the source of Shadowheart's distress – only to find her partner kneeling on the hay-strewn floor, hand gripping her wrist, just beneath the vicious flare of her incurable wound.
Isobel has an arm around her shoulders, holding her steady while the curse-pain subsides, leaving Shadowheart's white-knuckled fist trembling. Aylin kneels before them silently; a smaller figure out of her armour, but no less intimidating and powerful, a source of comfort for her allies.
Kneeling beside Shadowheart, Solistre sheathes her blade as Isobel pulls away to give her room. She reaches for the scarred hand, which clasps hers instinctively. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I'm fine." The soft reassurance turns rough when Shadowheart scoffs, "I suppose Shar was eavesdropping."
"We were just discussing our plan to search for Selûnite enclaves in the area," Isobel explains, when Solistre looks over curiously. "And we invited Shadowheart to join us, if she is so inclined, after this Absolute threat is ended. Then…" She gestures at the curse-wound.
"Spiteful witch," Aylin spits, voice laced with disdain. "A mere thought is enough to invoke her whip. She wants not believers, but slaves to her cause."
Shadowheart's expression darkens beneath the shade of her bangs, newly moon-kissed to a shade of silver. Solistre reaches beneath it, cupping her cheek and turning her face away from the attention. Shadowheart's smile is weak, and fades quickly.
"Come, let's get back to the tent."
The grip on her hand tightens in acquiescence, and Solistre helps Shadowheart to her feet. They bid Isobel and Aylin goodnight, and Shadowheart's hand falls away from hers in a picture of normalcy, shoulders straight as they stroll through the camp. Solistre makes a detour to Karlach's tent to retrieve her spellbook, waving in reassurance at the tiefling's concern, and nips back into Shadowheart's tent.
She finds the half-elf sitting at the foot of her bedroll, rubbing distractedly at the puncture in her hand. When Solistre settles beside her, she says, "I hadn't agreed to help them. I don't even know if I want to join them."
Green eyes meet hers, exasperated and helpless. "All I thought–, I just looked at Aylin. Remembered how close I was to…"
She drifts off, but doesn't have to finish. Solistre had seen those brooding stares she'd given Dame Aylin across the camp, always worrying at her incurable wound or the wrist below.
"But you didn't."
"Only because all of you were there."
"All we offered were words." Not all helpful words, Solistre remembers with a pang, but pushes the memory away. "You threw the spear away yourself. Do not diminish the strength of your own will."
Shadowheart holds her gaze, troubled, before averting her own eyes. She takes a deep breath, and gives an unconvincing nod. "I won't."
She forces another smile, and Solistre wishes she would stop. But she offers no protest when a callused hand reaches up to her face, a thumb stroking her cheek.
"Thank you."
Solistre kisses her warm palm in reply, and wonders what unspoken trouble lies beneath the weight in Shadowheart's gaze.
By the next night, they have travelled another day closer to Rivington and its larger city of Baldur's Gate. Most of their party is in high spirits, anticipating the comforts available within the city's walls, and planning out supply runs to their favourite stores. Their druids lament the prospect of being trapped in the crowded city, while Lae'zel listens to both sides impassively, concerned only with her meeting with Voss.
Solistre looks forward to soft beds and warm baths, while Shadowheart listens quietly to their companions' chatter, having no recollection of the city proper. She keeps mostly to herself through dinner; when they have dispersed from the campfire with full bellies and lazy yawns, she catches Solistre on the edge of the woods, before the drow can disappear for her nighttime stroll.
"I…want to ask a favour," Shadowheart says, voice low.
"Ask it," Solistre replies, equally quiet. She sets a hand on the small of Shadowheart's back, guiding her deeper into the woods for privacy.
"There's something I've wanted to do for awhile. Something that might help me put her in the past."
Solistre nods slowly. "Do you still feel her influence?"
"No. Not directly, but…" Shadowheart's pace slows, and she touches her scarred hand unconsciously. "It haunts me. In my dreams, when I'm asleep. In my thoughts, when I'm awake. I keep trying to put it behind me, but I can still feel the Shadowfell all over me. Still hear her words in my ear, as if she'd just spoken them. I feel…unclean."
"It will take some time before you stop feeling its taint." Solistre looks over, catching her partner's gaze. "And we will find a way to free you from her – completely. I swear it."
A faint smile. "I hope we will. But that might still be a while yet." She stops walking, and Solistre turns to face her. "It is time I start reclaiming my life. Make my own decisions, without a goddess to intervene."
She reaches up to her silver bangs, then averts her hand at the last moment, passing it off as a casual wave. "I want to start doing things for myself. Just me. And…I'll need your help for what I have in mind."
"You will have it. What do you need?"
Shadowheart hesitates for a second, shifting on her feet. "Just wait until the others are asleep, then come with me. There's a place we can go, down the coast a little."
"Down the coast?" Solistre cocks her head. "Are we going fishing? Or will we have a drowning 'accident' there?"
She breaks into a laugh, stumbling back when Shadowheart shoves her by the shoulders.
"No! Why would you even–" She breaks off with an exasperated sigh. "You know I can't swim. I think it's time I remedied that. And washed off Shar's bile at the same time. I need to take back control. Seize what I've been denied."
"I suppose you want me to help you learn?" Solistre asks, swallowing her mirth, and receives a nod in response. "Do you know how we teach children to swim in the Underdark?"
"Let me guess…" Shadowheart taps a finger at her chin, making a show of thinking it over. "You throw them into the water."
"We throw them into the water," Solistre repeats. "We also laugh when they flail about, and make bets on who will drown."
Shadowheart stares at her drily, not a single doubt as she says, "You're lying."
Solistre shrugs. "It's how I learnt to swim."
"You're not throwing me into the water."
The steely edge in Shadowheart's gaze makes Solistre want to tease her further, but she relents. "I won't throw you into the water."
"And you will keep me from drowning."
"I will keep you from drowning."
"And you won't laugh when I flail about in the water."
"I won't laugh. Much."
Her grin disappears when she falls back on the forest floor, winded from Shadowheart's full frontal charge. But it doesn't stop her from wheezing in airless laughter and clutching her stomach, which pangs with a dull ache from its impact with Shadowheart's arm.
"You are so annoying."
"Yet here you are," Solistre chokes out.
Shadowheart's scowl lightens the longer she stares at Solistre, until she heaves a sigh and bends down to pick her up. "Here I am. For better or worse."
Slipping away from camp in secret is unnecessary; they have disappeared into the night often enough that no one in camp bats an eyelash anymore. It is now simply a matter of fact, rather than a source of gossip or subtle teases as it had once been. Perhaps the significance of her endeavour is what contributes to Shadowheart's tension, her grip on Solistre's hand tighter than usual as she leads the way through the woods. But it doesn't take long for her fingers to relax, then let go when she jogs ahead to scout a suitable site for her maiden swim.
When she returns, a smile sits on her face as she waves Solistre forward, following a slope down to the secluded section of beach she has chosen. A cool sea breeze greets Solistre as she strolls down, slowing to a stop on the sands when Shadowheart turns around to face her.
"This will do. Take off your clothes."
An expected turn of events, but the command – in all its casual confidence – makes Solistre's lips curl. "I'm starting to think this is just a ruse to see me naked."
Shadowheart matches her smirk. "And if it is?"
"You could've just asked, you know."
"Oh, I know. But I like making you work for the things you want." Her smile grows wider when Solistre raises a brow. "Come on, don't make me wait."
"You first."
A chuckle. "Are you shy?"
"What if I am?"
"Then I'll know you're lying. But fine. Turn around."
"Really? There's nothing I haven't seen."
"Pretend." Shadowheart waves a hand insistently. "Go on, turn around."
Solistre heaves a loud, put-upon sigh, and turns around. She waits patiently with arms crossed, listening to the rustle of fabric behind her, not imagining clothes being pulled down fair, supple skin notched with trophies earned from battle...
"You haven't even attempted to peek. I'm a little offended."
Cocking her head at the obvious bait, she decides to bite, and looks over her shoulder – jerking aside to dodge the underwear flying towards her face. She spreads her arms wide, a picture of mock indignation. "Do you want me to pretend or not?"
"I said, pretend like you haven't seen me before. Not pretend that you're chivalrous."
"Oh, good. I don't know the meaning of chivalry."
Her eyes rake over Shadowheart's naked figure – sturdy shoulders leading down to a tapestry of scars both old and fresh, draped over firm muscle that have saved and protected her in battle a dozen times over. How rare it is, Solistre realises with a pang, to see her like this without blood half-dried on dirt-streaked skin, without flesh torn open or bruised.
"I can tell."
Red eyes flick up to green, shaken from their silent reverie. The mild pressure over her heart lightens, and Solistre mirrors the tease on Shadowheart's lips.
"Your turn."
Shadowheart doesn't bother to hide the hunger in her gaze, and Solistre doesn't bother to play coy. All smooth motion and deft fingers, she strips off her sleeveless black top and steps out of her pants, pulling off her underwear at the same time. She straightens herself, waiting for green eyes to finish their circuit over her body, then tosses her clothes aside with affected nonchalance.
"There. Happy?"
"Quite," Shadowheart concedes. She indulges in another long look, then turns towards the sea, beckoning her partner forward.
Solistre follows close behind as she walks farther out, the surf washing over their ankles. But Shadowheart stops dead in her tracks when the water reaches mid-calf, and she takes a few steps back.
"You're doing fine."
"I'm barely in the water." Shadowheart waits, almost deathly still as the tide crashes over her ankles. "I–, I don't know if I can do this."
"It's easier than you think." When Shadowheart doesn't reply, eyes fixed on the rolling waves with trepidation, she continues, "Look at it this way – it's just water. There's nothing to be afraid of."
"I'm not afraid of the water, Sol," Shadowheart bites at her, sounding a touch frantic as she starts to ramble. "More the drowning, and the things that could be hiding under water, and the drowning, and the cold. Did I mention the drowning?"
"I shouldn't have mentioned drowning before, should I?"
"Maybe you shouldn't have."
Solistre chuckles under her breath, though Shadowheart seems much too distracted to notice it. She moves in front of her partner, drawing that nervous stare onto herself when she raises her hands between them.
"Come. I won't let you drown." She smiles when Shadowheart's eyes meet hers. "I promise."
A moment's hesitation, and those strong hands come to rest in hers. She clasps gently onto fingers holding her too tightly, brushing her thumbs over knuckles threatening to turn white. "Stay calm, love. I'm here."
Shadowheart draws a deep breath, and expels it from her chest forcefully. "Let's do this. Just…stay close to me."
Solistre moves backwards with slow steps, Shadowheart matching her pace. The waters reach up to their calves, knees, hips, and just as it covers Shadowheart's chest, Solistre's feet start kicking beneath the water to stay afloat.
"Keep walking. You'll feel the weight lift soon."
She receives a squeeze on her hands, but no protest, no demand to return to shore immediately. Solistre feels a tinge of pride when Shadowheart follows her, with steady steps and a determined furrow between her brows, until a faint gasp escapes her. She must have lost contact with the shore under her feet.
"Deep breath. Fill your lungs – it helps you float."
With a gentle tug, Solistre guides Shadowheart forward to float on her front, then her back, always with one hand clasped in hers. The stiffness in Shadowheart's body slowly melts into the waters as she gazes up at the sky, where the bright moon keeps its silent vigil amid a sea of stars. When she seems comfortable enough, Solistre coaxes her back under the water for breathing exercises, then leads her around the shallow waters to start swimming proper.
Shadowheart takes to it easier than expected, and soon releases Solistre's hand to practise by herself, swimming back and forth in a short circuit. When she seems secure in the little routine, Solistre wanders out into deeper waters by herself, diving beneath the surface and cutting up in intervals, losing herself in the motions. It has been a while since she'd let go like this; shedding every burden on her shoulders, to just be in a world of her own. No problems, no obligations. Just a time to live, to breathe. Shadowheart couldn't have chosen a better way to start reclaiming her life, and spend the time together.
At the thought, Solistre swims back to her partner. Breaking through the surface, she promptly receives a shock of cold water across the face. She flinches back, Shadowheart's laugh reaching her ears as she wipes the water from her eyes, squinting at the impish grin on her partner's lips.
"Oh, now you've done it."
Green eyes widen when she retaliates with an even bigger splash of water, but it doesn't deter another laugh from Shadowheart, who starts the war in earnest. Solistre swims circles around Shadowheart, trying half-heartedly to avoid the splashes of water as her partner chases after her with audible glee. She fights back with tiny rainstorms of her own, then dives under when Shadowheart aims a counterattack.
Solistre swims towards Shadowheart's legs beneath the water, and closes her arms around them. She waits for a second, allowing the realisation to sink in; a hand has reached down, grazing the top of her head, when she yanks Shadowheart down with her. Her partner flails, then clings onto her shoulders reflexively, nails digging crescents into her flesh. She brings their lips together, trying to calm Shadowheart as she kicks under them, bringing them back to the surface.
Shadowheart gasps when her head breaks through the water, and slaps at Solistre's shoulders. "You scared me!"
"Sorry." Holding her close, Solistre kisses her again, tasting salt on lips which part for her, a hint of heat in their brief exchange. "I'll warn you next time I try to drown you."
Another slap on her shoulder. "Annoying."
"Demanding." Solistre places another peck over Shadowheart's begrudging smile, before letting go.
They swim a few more laps together, before Shadowheart moves towards the shore. Solistre hangs back, watching water fall off her lover's body in cascades, etching the image into memory before following her onto land.
Shadowheart settles on a rough stretch of beachrock, eyes on Solistre as she slicks white hair back on her head, and joins her partner on their chosen perch. A satisfied sigh leaves her lips as she leans back on her hands, head tilted up to the night sky, eyes falling shut. For the longest moment, nothing exists but the gentle crash of waves upon the shore, the whisper of the breeze in her ears, the trickle of water down her skin, and the warmth of her partner's hand over her own.
Shadowheart shifts beside her; at the touch on her arm, Solistre looks over, finding her partner seated much closer to her.
"Thank you. For coming with me."
Solistre hums, allowing gentle fingers to close over her jaw, pulling her close for a kiss.
"The truth is," Shadowheart whispers against her lips. "I did want to see you naked too."
A laugh rumbles in Solistre's throat, dying out when Shadowheart's hand slides down to rest over her chest. She wonders if she can feel the rapid beat beneath her ribs. "So I was right."
Shadowheart smiles as she trails her knuckles between Solistre's breasts, tracing an invisible line down to her stomach. "For once, yes."
Solistre's retort is stifled by the mouth over hers, firm and demanding. She presses back with reciprocal heat, drawing a deep hum from Shadowheart's throat as she runs her hands unabashedly over slick skin; sliding down her sides, over the jut of her hips, palming one muscled thigh before reaching back to grab her ass.
Shadowheart jerks forward with a laugh, smothering her partner's grin with her lips. She clasps Solistre's nape, sliding an arm around her waist; the drow finds herself being guided forward, pulled to her hands and knees over Shadowheart.
Then it sinks in; what they are doing, and where.
"Wait," Solistre breathes, pulling back. "Wait."
Shadowheart blinks, looking puzzled – and a touch uncertain.
"Right here?"
Shadowheart glances about the empty beach, mouth curling in amusement. "Too open for you?"
"No. It's just that…" She shifts her legs – feeling the grit of the rock against her knees, the thin grainy layer on the soles of her feet. "There's so much sand."
"It is a beach," Shadowheart chuckles. "Would you like to stop?"
The reply is instant, "No."
"Then stop complaining, and put that mouth to good use."
Solistre growls, giving in to the incitement. Her mouth crashes into Shadowheart's with near-bruising intensity, earning an approving groan. She pulls back with a bite on the lip, and stares into hooded eyes darkened by desire, fluttering shut as she drags her hands up the length of Shadowheart's ribs, brushing her thumbs beneath the swell of her breasts. Solistre waits for a reaction, a demand of pleasure in a certain way, an attempt to tug at the reins placed in her hands; but Shadowheart merely looks back at her in the lull, pulling her down for another kiss, an offering she claims by delving past moist lips.
Solistre nips at her as she withdraws, getting a smile as she traces the curve of Shadowheart's jaw with lips and teeth, nibbling her way down the soft skin of her neck. Shifting her weight to settle comfortably between firm thighs, Solistre kisses down Shadowheart's chest, palming her breasts before taking one into her mouth. Shadowheart breathes out a sigh, fingers threading through white hair as she archs into the touch. Solistre drags her tongue over one stiff peak, rolling the other between her fingertips, and gets a sharp moan when she sucks hard and pulls away suddenly.
She smiles back at green eyes burning into her, almost with an accusation, and she places a placating kiss on the other breast before moving farther down. Solistre charts the expanse of Shadowheart's muscled abdomen with her mouth, running the tip of her tongue over the scattered assortment of scars, leaving little red marks that make Shadowheart flex beneath her teeth. A smile sits on her lips as she follows the slope of muscle down, shifting her own weight to match the target of her attentions–
She jerks up suddenly when her knees slide off the rock, and Shadowheart startles along with her. Eyes that had slid shut in contentment fly open as she grips Solistre's shoulders, watching her shift back onto the rock.
"What's wrong?"
"Fucking sand," Solistre curses distractedly, dragging her knees over the rock's edge to dislodge the sand.
"Oh, stop. It's not that bad."
"It is," Solistre hisses, though without malice. She glimpses an exasperated smile on Shadowheart's lips when she rises to kiss her love, reaching down to pull one thigh aside.
She sates her tongue with the taste of Shadowheart's mouth instead, while her fingers ghost over the wetness between her legs. Solistre kisses away the whisper of her name on Shadowheart's lips, fingers moving in shallow strokes to coat them in slick desire, before reaching up to coax that little bundle of nerves awake. She presses her lips to Shadowheart's throat, feeling the moan within as Shadowheart moves against her, seeking more friction that she gives willingly, circling harder against her clit.
Shadowheart's breath hitches when Solistre's teeth leave a reddened spot over her clavicles. "Sol."
Obeying the unspoken request, Solistre runs her fingers between damp folds, massaging gently as Shadowheart grinds harder against her hand. The grip in her hair tightens, and she smiles into the curve of Shadowheart's shoulder, slipping one finger in. The moan that leaves Shadowheart's throat is almost delicate as Solistre sinks knuckle-deep, and starts thrusting languidly.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you."
Solistre muffles her laugh against Shadowheart's shoulder, laying a kiss on bare skin. "And if I am?"
She feels Shadowheart take a breath beside her ear, then exhale without speaking. Solistre indulges herself a little longer, feeling Shadowheart's hips grow impatient against her, then surrenders to their mutual desire. She sinks another finger in, hungry for what she'd waited for weeks, for months. Since their first wine-sweet kiss had left her dreaming of Shadowheart's warmth on her lips.
Breath hot against Shadowheart's ear, she rasps, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this. To feel you."
A weak laugh. "I think…I have some idea."
She cuts off in a moan when Solistre curls her fingers, finding the sweet spot that makes her back arch.
"There you are," Solistre purrs, feeling Shadowheart shiver under her. She digs in, eliciting a whine as Shadowheart grips her wrist, eyes wide and shining with want. "Did you like that, sweet thing?"
Shadowheart meets her smile when Solistre starts pumping into her firmly. "More."
The flutter in Shadowheart's breath belies the hardness underpinning her demand, the need to take what she wants, and it snaps Solistre's patience for her own game. She catches Shadowheart's waiting mouth with her own, kissing between moans and gasps that grow more frequent with her fingers delving harder into Shadowheart, turning slicker the longer Shadowheart writhes and clenches around her.
Nails dig into Solistre's back as she pushes her thighs up against Shadowheart's, spreading her wider while her hand works tirelessly between, fingers and palm coated with her love's desire. Shadowheart rolls against her hand, matching her rhythm even as her breaths are shot through with cries growing higher in pitch. Her thighs clench as she starts bucking against Solistre, who pins her down with her own weight, thrusting feverishly into her wetness.
Shadowheart's body coils ever tighter beneath her, and Solistre lifts her head to watch verdant eyes slam shut as she comes apart, head thrown back, one final cry tearing through trembling lips. Solistre presses a kiss to her bared throat, suckling gently while she guides Shadowheart down from her high, fingers massaging muscles that slowly unclench around her.
She cannot help the smile on her lips as she retraces her path down Shadowheart's body, kissing water and sweat from her skin, feeling her chest heave under her mouth. As Shadowheart's breathing evens out, body relaxing onto the rock beneath, Solistre slips her fingers from Shadowheart, earning a slight twitch upon her withdrawal. She showers kisses over Shadowheart's face; lips pecking over her cheeks, eyes, nose, until green irises peek out beneath half-shaded lids.
"Hello there," she croons. "Come here often?"
A soundless laugh falls from Shadowheart's lips, which reach up to meet Solistre in a soft, sweet kiss. Shadowheart keeps her enraptured with little kisses, though she doesn't miss the way her lover's hands glide down her body, palming the curve of her ass before dipping down to her inner thighs. When nails drag up her skin, Solistre tenses.
"No. Wait."
Shadowheart stops immediately, searching her eyes for a rejection, but relaxes when she finds none. "Are you sure you still want to wait?"
Teasing fingers ghost over the dampness between her thighs, but Solistre forces herself up, unable to bear the gritty sensation on her lower legs any longer. Defying Shadowheart's attempts to hold her down, Solistre slips out of her embrace and runs back into the water, letting the tide wash the sand from her legs. Only when she is satisfied does she walk gingerly across the beach, back to where Shadowheart has propped herself up on her elbows, shaking her head as Solistre approaches.
"Dramatic."
"It's uncomfortable!" Solistre protests, kneeling down to let Shadowheart's outstretched hands close over her arms. "You try kneeling on–, all this sand–"
She tries to argue between Shadowheart's kisses, but gives up when arms wrap around her torso and pull her back down. This time, a thigh finds its way between Solistre's legs, callused hands sliding down her sides to grip her hips, guiding her down to rest slick heat against hard muscle. Hands braced on Shadowheart's chest, Solistre parts her legs farther and angles herself just right, pressing down for a sliver of relief from the pressure alone.
A shiver runs from the point of contact up the length of her spine, and her head tilts back, a sigh falling from her lips. Shadowheart watches her with a smile, hands sliding up the plane of her toned stomach, cupping her breasts comfortably in both palms.
"How long have you gone without?"
"Too long," Solistre groans, pressing down against Shadowheart's thigh again. She opens her eyes that have fallen shut in pleasure. "It's your fault."
It isn't. Of course it isn't. Her mind had fallen into a dark place months before her abduction by mind flayers, and her body had shut down without a will to control it. Desire lay dormant, thought dead, when the instinct for survival took precedence. And yet, even now, when survival is all but the main force that drives her forward, all it had taken was someone who pries a little too much, smiles a little too sweetly, cares all too deeply to awaken the desire for intimacy.
Perhaps it is Shadowheart's fault, in a sense; to make her start wanting again, when she had thought herself fallen so far from such luxuries. So she doesn't take back the accusation – if only to watch Shadowheart's mouth cock into an impish smirk.
"Well then, I'll have to make it up to you."
She lowers her hands to Solistre's hips, moving them back and forth at a languid pace, until the drow starts rocking against her in earnest. Moans escape the cage of her throat, as Shadowheart's touch wanders from her hips – caressing the flexing muscles of her thighs, fingertips sliding up to caress the scars on her body as her tongue had on Shadowheart's, committing each to memory. Reverence falls away when Shadowheart moves up to squeeze her breasts with delightful pressure, then glides up her neck to cup her face.
Solistre looks down, finding adoration and heat simmering in those darkened eyes. She smiles, heart thrumming from Shadowheart's gentleness, and kisses the warm flesh of her palm. Holding Shadowheart by the wrist, she runs her tongue up the length of two fingers, and lowers her mouth over them. Shadowheart doesn't miss a beat – pressing against her tongue, curling both digits just enough for her to sink down to the knuckles, hooking playfully on the bottom lip when Solistre drags her mouth back up. Eyes locked with Shadowheart's, she licks one last line between wet fingers, then guides them down between her thighs.
Shadowheart wastes no time; plunging knuckle-deep, she sets a hand over Solistre's chest for support while her partner cries out, nearly folding over from sudden fulfilment. She thrusts hard from the start, matching Solistre's pace as she rocks her hips down, riding her source of pleasure. Solistre grinds hard against Shadowheart's palm, hardly aware of the broken pants and moans escaping her throat, her world narrowed down to her lover's fingers – how they fill and stretch her, how they curl and thrust as her hips demand, how they push her ever closer to that sweet, sweet edge.
"Take me." She lapses into her mother tongue, shuddering from relentless thrusts into her warmth. "Claim me. Make me yours–"
She breaks into a guttural moan as her muscles lock up, Shadowheart sitting up to clamp an arm around her waist, holding her in place while she falls over the edge.
When she comes to herself, it is with Shadowheart's face nestled against her neck, twin digits slowing between her thighs, while she clings much too tightly to Shadowheart's silver hair and toned back.
Shadowheart tilts her head up, lips brushing against Solistre's ear. "You are already mine," she whispers in Drow, sending a shiver down her lover's spine.
Solistre's heart threatens to race again, and she takes measured breaths to calm it down. She squeezes Shadowheart gently in her arms, before loosening her desperate grip on her lover, while kisses travel down her shoulder. A brush across her sensitive nerves below makes her jump, and she slaps at Shadowheart's back, feeling teeth on her skin when the half-elf breaks into a laugh.
Shadowheart brushes back damp tresses sticking to her jaw, and kisses her softly. "Was it worth the wait?"
"Yes." Solistre holds her breath when the fingers pull out of her. "But I'm choosing the location next time."
"Next time, hm?" Shadowheart places glistening fingers in her own mouth and sucks them clean with deliberate slowness, eyes locked with Solistre's. "I look forward to it."
With a low growl, Solistre cups her jaw and pulls her in for a kiss, dipping in for a taste of herself on Shadowheart's tongue. An approving hum against her lips, and Shadowheart pulls back to gaze at her, with a smile that turns Solistre's heart softer than she had ever thought possible.
"I love you."
"I love you too," Solistre whispers, and seals it with another kiss. She lingers long enough for Shadowheart to steal another, then rests their heads together in quiet bliss.
Minutes slip by, then Shadowheart utters, "I don't want to go back. Not just yet."
"Then don't," Solistre croons, resting her arms around Shadowheart's shoulders. "Stay and kiss me until the sun rises."
Lips parting in a playful smile, Shadowheart shifts under Solistre, laying the drow carefully on her back. "I'll give you more than kisses before the night is done."
Hurrying through camp with a cloth bundle of sandwiches Gale had saved for them, Solistre ducks into the only tent that isn't in the process of being disassembled, pulling off her hood in its shade. Shadowheart spares her only a passing glance as she ties a bedroll to her rucksack; she has packed all her belongings and donned her armour, but her long silver hair still flows past her shoulders, unbound.
"Looks like we'll have to eat on the road." Solistre sets the bundle atop their packs, then grabs the brush from Shadowheart's hand, kneeling behind her.
"We shouldn't have stayed out so long," Shadowheart sighs.
Solistre hums, brushing back silver locks and starting to braid them with practised ease. Shadowheart may be right – they had returned to camp so late the night before, that they'd overslept from exhaustion and missed out on breakfast around the campfire. Still, even though their morning had started in a frenzy of packing, Solistre can't find it in herself to regret their night together.
"And there's so much sand in my hair, I swear I picked up half the beach while we were there."
Solistre laughs quietly, feeling the tiny grains rasp against her hands while she braids Shadowheart's hair. Not for the first time, she gives silent thanks that Shadowheart had abandoned those accursed chains that would've made the task twice as tedious. "Is this why you took so long?"
"I was trying to brush it all out," Shadowheart grouses. "Is there a lot left?"
"No, it's fine. No one will look at your hair that closely."
"And if they do?"
"Who cares? They will think we…snuck away to make sandcastles or something."
Shadowheart snorts. "What, by dragging my head over the sand?"
"Or you could tell them I tried to kill you and bury your body on the beach," Solistre says airily, tying off Shadowheart's braid. It's a little messy in her rush, but still presentable.
"Should I be worried that it sounds more believable than sandcastles?"
"That's not true." Solistre moves to Shadowheart's front, combing down silver bangs with her fingers. "I could never bring myself to kill you. Not somewhere so open, at least."
She has to bite down a laugh when Shadowheart scoffs and slaps at her shoulder. Taking her love by the chin, she brings their lips together in a soft kiss, and pulls back before they can get lost in each other. Solistre takes a moment to look Shadowheart over – noting the beginnings of shadows under her eyes, in an otherwise peaceful expression.
"Do you feel better?"
"After last night? How can I not?" Shadowheart replies, incredulous. "My spirits are…thoroughly lifted."
She sets a hand on Solistre's waist, where leathers and armoured gloves form a barrier between their bare skin. Searching Solistre's eyes, her smile wavers. "And you?"
"I feel good. Better than I have in ages." Her breath catches quietly in her throat, when Shadowheart's smile returns in full. "I wish last night didn't have to end."
"Me too. I suppose you'll have to take me…swimming again."
The hand at her waist clasps her belt, and Solistre allows herself to be drawn in, brushing their lips together. "And more, I hope."
"Much more," Shadowheart murmurs. Her arm winds around Solistre's waist, tugging her close. Their mouths collide roughly; Solistre's leathers bump against Shadowheart's sturdy breastplate, and she looses a faint moan when Shadowheart tilts her head, deepening the kiss.
"Hey, girls!"
Karlach's voice booms outside their tent. A sigh and chuckle mix together on panted breaths, and they draw together again, hungry and seeking.
"Gale's starting to grumble about keeping the portal open. You need help taking down the tent?"
Shadowheart manages to pull away, bottom lip caught between Solistre's teeth. "Yes, please," she calls back. "We'll be out in a minute."
A gloved hand cups her cheek, and Solistre feels like a simple, lovestruck fool as she gazes back into verdant eyes. With a fond smile and a stroke of the thumb, Shadowheart moves away from her, and she is content to let go.
Her love is right – they will do this again, just as they will have each other in the days between.