Fine Threads

I woke to Kagha laying beside me. Her breathing slow and even, one arm draped loosely across my torso. Even in sleep her fingers moved faintly against my chest. The mattress held firm beneath us when I shifted. There was space to stretch—a lot of it—and for a moment I simply lay there, staring at the canvas ceiling, appreciating my new dwellings.

I eased out from beneath Kagha’s arm and dressed quietly. She stirred but did not wake. I looked at her one final time taking in her sleeping form before open the tent flap. When I stepped outside, the air carried the coolness of early morning, thin light slipping in from the cave mouth and cutting across the stone floor. Teela remained coiled atop her rock, scales catching the faint glow. She watched me in silence, unblinking, taking measure.

I inclined my head.

Her tongue flickered out once in return.

An alliance was building between us.

Across camp, Karlach’s bivouac shimmered faintly with residual heat. She was still asleep, snoring hard enough to echo faintly off the cave walls.

As I crouched near the dead fire and coaxed the embers back to life, the tent at the edge of camp shifted.

Shadowheart stepped into the open, braid loose over one shoulder, expression softened by sleep. She noticed me immediately and crossed the distance without hesitation.

“Morning,” she murmured, brushing a quick kiss against my lips. “How is the new tent?” Her eyes flicked toward it. “Did domestic comfort suit you?”

“It did,” I said. “Kagha made it cozy.”

“Sweet of her,” Shadowheart replied, in a tone that suggested she had several thoughts and had chosen not to say any.

A second tent flap rustled.

Lae’zel emerged in a smooth, deliberate motion. Her gaze swept the camp once, assessing. It paused on me, then on Shadowheart standing close at my side.

She approached without haste. When she reached us, she gave me a small, respectful nod.

“You slept?” she asked.

“I did.”

“Good.”

Her attention shifted to Shadowheart.

“If the cleric finds herself unable to relieve you another time,” Lae’zel said evenly, “I am prepared to assume her duty.”

Shadowheart blinked once but did not back away.

“I’m glad you’re eager,” she said sweetly. “And that you’re enjoying your new hobby. But don’t count on it.”

Lae’zel folded her arms. “There is no shame in understanding one’s place. I merely state that it would not inconvenience me, should your body fail to match his endurance again.”

Shadowheart’s cheeks warmed despite herself. “How gracious of you.”

Lae’zel nodded in misunderstanding. “No grace is required. Only the desired result.”

“Oh absolutely,” Shadowheart replied. “No grace at all.”

Their eyes held for a beat. Not hostile. Not quite friendly. Something inbetween. Progress!

A loud inhale shattered the moment.

“Gods— I feel fantastic!”

Karlach shot upright from her bedroll, stretching her arms high and rolling her shoulders with a satisfied groan. The faint hum of her infernal engine pulsed bright and steady.

“What did you do to me, soldier?”

Her expression shifted as memory began to surface.

“Oh no. No, no. Don’t tell me—YOU!”

Her eyes locked onto me.

“You set me up!”

Lae’zel’s gaze sharpened instantly. “Did you—”

Shadowheart ended the thought. “—subject her to the same arrangement as with us?”

“No,” I said. “I just arranged a massage.”

The silence that followed was deeply skeptical.

Karlach ran a hand through her hair. “You could’ve warned me.”

“You would have refused.”

“…Yeah. I would have.”

“And you did not protest when I left.”

She scowled. “That’s not the point.”

“So you disliked it?” I said mildly.

She exhaled heavily, shoulders slumping. “No. It was good. Beyond good. It was the best damn massage I’ve had, alright?”

“That’s what I thought.”

As Karlach opened her mouth to continue, her eyes shifted over my shoulder.

And froze.

We all turned to see the culprit.

Kagha.

She was already halfway across the cave, approaching without a sound. None of us had heard her. Minthara’s spidersilk armor clung to her frame, refitted with impeccable precision. The webbed pattern trailing down her arms caught the cave’s dim light as she moved, defensive layers of silk had been re-threaded into a tight form fitting corset and shorts, drawn tight along her waist and hips, the neckline adjusted to show off her generous chest.

Karlach—somehow—flushed a deeper shade of red.

“I trust you do not object,” Kagha said calmly as she reached us, “—to my refurbishing of the drow’s armor. It seemed… fitting.”

I took her in once, then again. Copper hair fell straight down her back, framing her gorgeous face. The spidersilk enhanced frame while leaving her movements light and silent. The stealth bonus paired perfectly with her Gloomstalker class. She looked every bit the hunter—deadly, devious, and delectable all at once.

“Nope,” I said. “Definitely the right choice.”

Lae’zel gave a short nod. “Light armor is of no use to me. No Objections”

Shadowheart circled slightly, examining the silk with quiet interest. “It suits you. Though darker tones might make it really shine. We may find dye below.”

Karlach had subtly shifted half behind Shadowheart.

“Karlach,” Kagha said gently, tilting her head. “Do you have any qualms?”

“No,” Karlach replied too quickly. “It’s—I'm fine.”

“If there is lingering discomfort from yesterday, just say so” Kagha continued gently, “I possess oils that would soothe—”

“I SAID I'M GOOD”

She cleared her throat. “Just… it looks good on you..”

Shadowheart coughed softly into her hand. Lae’zel studied the cave wall with professional detachment.

Footsteps echoed from the outer path.

Wyll entered first, offering Kagha a courteous incline of his head as he took in the new armor. “Kagha. A striking choice. Say, you seem more imposing today.”

Dammon followed close behind. He gave a courteous nod upon entering, but his eyes were immediately drawn to Karlach, studying her glow.

“Your engine’s running fast,” he said plainly. “Faster than last night.”

Karlach stiffened. “What!?”

“It is beating harder,” Dammon continued. “To have gotten so much worse in just one night.. you should not delay.”

Karlach’s flush deepened again.

“I’m fine, Dammon. It's just... allergies.”

He raised a brow. “No, it's definitely louder and more irregular as well. Should I check, just to make sure?”

Kagha’s expression flickered with brief panic as a flush spread across her cheeks. In despair she hastily buried her face in her hands with a defeated sound.

I clapped my hands once, cutting through the growing tension and sparing her a heart attack.

“You heard him team, let's move!”

Lae’zel raised her chin. “We depart.”

Shadowheart offered a faint smile. “Lead on.”

Kagha’s face settled into her calm smile. “As you wish.”

Karlach released her face with a deep exhale. “Let’s get out of here.”

Pale light from the cave mouth stretched farther across the floor now, promising open sky beyond the threshold. The camp was awake, spirits high, the path ahead clear, even if the place we were heading offered no such light. Next stop—the Underdark.