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The sudden intrusion of a small Halfling foot in the vicinity of her neck dragged Yasha to the edge of consciousness. She blinked, trying to gauge her surroundings. That’s when the foot shifted again. Those were definitely little toes in one nostril. She was certainly awake now. She took hold of Luc’s foot and moved it, tucking closer to his body and away from the edge of the dome. She sat up, her sleep completely chased away, brushing some of the dirt and sand left behind by Luc.
A glance to her side let her take stock of the others in the dome. Marion and Jester were curled on the far side from her, Marion’s face tucked against the top of Jester’s head. Her tail was wrapped around one of Jester’s arms. Jester's own tail snaked over Marion's side and waist, the tip twitching in her sleep.
To their immediate right, Caleb was sound asleep, yet even in sleep, Yasha could see the tension in his limbs. He had never been the most restful sleeper, too many memories that were worse than nightmares. Something they had in common. Yet, usually, in sleep there was a more lax mood to him in sleep, especially if Veth was next to him. His demons had clawed too close too many times in the past day for even Veth's presence to ease his mind.
Veth had fallen asleep one hand around her crossbow, although it wasn’t loaded, the other reaching across her family. Yeza was next to her and Luc’s body was half sprawled over them both. His head was next to his mother’s shoulders, his upper body across his father, feet sticking out. That explained how Yasha had ended up with a foot in her face.
As she looked to her other side, she already knew an empty space would greet her at the very edge of the dome. She knew instinctively that the comforting warmth she’d fallen asleep next to wasn’t there anymore.
Standing, the shock of heat caught her off guard as her head and shoulders moved out of the barrier of the dome. It had been the first thing to hit her when she, Beau and Fjord had tumbled out of the Happy Fun Ball earlier. The heat was almost suffocating, filling their lungs and leaving them with stagnant and persisting heat inside and out. It was a huge shock to the system after so many days spent in the most frigid of conditions.
Caduceus and Fjord were sleeping a few feet away, outside the dome. They’d volunteered to remain outside. A tight fit with their usual numbers, the dome would never hold them all now. Caduceus had been the one to fill them on their missed time. A few minutes spent in the ball for them, consisting of a hurried search through the study for any texts on Aeor (frustratingly futile that had left Beau cursing about wasted time) and a hurried jog past dried dragon bones, had been almost six hours for their friends. In that time, they’d been thrust into a random part of an anomalous city of metal and molten rock. A good chunk of that time had been spent looking for a safe space to claim their rest, eventually finding it in an old building, seemingly long abandoned.
Once they’d found this space, Caleb had put up the dome, he and Jester passing out almost instantly, their bodies needing it the most. Luc had been quick to follow. As Caduceus had told them, he and Veth explained as best they could to Marion and Yeza what they were doing. It had been a fine line, to fairly inform them of why they had to be ripped from their homes while keeping them ignorant of more agonizing details. But if Caduceus thought they skirted that line just the right amount, it was probably true.
By the time the Fun Ball trio returned Caduceus was the only one still awake, taking a solemn watch outside the dome. After he’d filled them in, Fjord had offered to take the next watch instead of waking the others. But if Fjord was asleep now that meant…sure enough, there was Beau, sitting by the solitary window in this room. Frumpkin was settled in her arms, both their gazes fixed outside.
As Yasha approached, Frumpkin looked over first. With a soft ‘melp’ he jumped from Beau’s arm, padding between her legs. She scratched under his chin, letting him nuzzle into her hand.
“What are you doing up?”
“I had a wakeup call in the form of a tiny foot.”
The low timbre of Beau’s chuckle trickled a cool ease onto Yasha’s shoulders. She settled into the space behind Beau, pulling her closer. With a slow rise and fall of Beau’s shoulders, she relaxed back, into Yasha’s space.
“Won’t you be warm? Being this close?” Beau asked.
Yasha shook her head, tucking it against Beau’s shoulder and neck. From the way Beau twined their fingers together, she didn’t seem to mind either.
“I’m sorry you didn’t see more of the Happy Fun Ball,”
“Eh. It was probably for the best. Everyone seems very worried about the things inside there.”
“Nah, we totally could fuck up anything in that ball.”
Yasha hummed, pressing a smile against the curve of Beau’s shoulder. “You think?”
“Yeah. Everything in there is built to stop magic. They’re not designed to handle us.”
“Maybe we’ll get another time.”
“When we don’t have a hundred crises to deal with at once.”
“It certainly does seem like we’ve been on the run constantly the last few weeks.”
“Not every day,” Beau reminded her, glancing back with a sly smile on her lips. She gave their hands a quick squeeze.
Beau’s smile pulled a matching one from Yasha. She ducked her head to kiss the curve of Beau’s neck.
“Last night feels so far away after everything that happened today.”
“It feels like it has been two weeks at least,” Beau hummed in agreement.
“If I’d known all this was going to happen I would have stayed in bed longer.”
“Caleb might have cancelled the tower with us still in bed,” Beau chuckled at the thought.
“It would have been worth it, for those extra minutes with you.”
Beau gave a soft gasp, one absolutely loaded with mock surprise, “Yasha, are you trying to seduce me?”
“What gave it away?” her voice was low, just enough of a whispered timbre to vibrate the air against Beau’s ear. Where their hands were twined, Beau’s grip tightened. She leaned her head back, meeting Yasha’s eyes. Yasha kissed her cheek, her temple, the edge of the line of her undercut.
“Mmh, I’m supposed to be keeping watch,” Beau said, not that she really sounded like she was complaining.
“I’m not stopping you,” Yasha’s lips dipped to the hollow behind her ear.
“You are though.”
Yasha indulged herself a few moments more before relenting when Beau gave a low, “Yaaasha,” She settled against Beau’s back, joining her watch silently. Twenty minutes or so later, they watched a distant, yet brilliant flaming streak passed over the city, burning wings and tail reflexing on the very top of domed bronze towers.
“Wow, what was that?”
Beau’s eyes narrowed in thought for a moment. Yasha could almost see her mentally flipping through books in her mind.
“Maybe a phoenix? I’m not sure. Never saw one before. Only read about them in the Soul.”
“Are those common in…where ever we are?”
“If we are in the fire plane like Caleb suspects, then, yes.”
“It's so hot here. Where else could we be?”
“There’s one other place that could look like here, that I know off. Somewhere on the Nine Hells.”
“How bad would it be if that is where we were?”
“Let’s just say I can’t wait for the others to wake up so we can get out of here. If this is a city on the fire plane, they at least have some track record for trade attempts with the material plane. We could maybe pass ourselves off as travellers if anyone were to discover us. But the Hells, they’re supposed to be just one layer of awful after the other. And you having celestial blood, I really don’t want to find out how anyone from the Hells would react to that.”
“That was an ‘out of the boiling pot, into the fire’, kind of choice, huh?”
“Was that a pun?” Beau chuckled.
“Was it good?”
“No,” but she was still laughing. “Hey,” Beau said, once she calmed herself, “I kind of heard you and Jester calling out for the Storm Lord.”
“Oh,” A faint pink coloured Yasha’s cheeks, “You did?”
“How’s that been? Have you talked to him?”
“I- I don’t know. It’s not like with the Traveller.”
“I don’t think any god is like the Traveller and that’s a good thing.”
“Maybe. But sometimes, he gives me, dreams? I guess.”
“The Storm Lord?”
Yasha nodded.
“Had any recently?”
“Um, there was one, about the sword Kima gave me.”
“It is fucking cool.”
Yasha’s smile was fleeting and Beau picked up on it.
“Isn’t it?” She asked.
“No, no,” She said quickly, “It is definitely cool. I just don't,” She lifted her hand and grasped at the air, “quiet get it.”
“Didn’t you use it on our date?”
“I did, but I feel like I’m not- uh, tapped into it fully. It’s like,” she took a breath, “like it doesn’t want me.”
One of Beau’s hands reached up to cup Yasha’s cheek.
“I know that sounds stupid.”
“No.” Beau’s voice was firm, yet so gentle, “Of course it doesn’t. I don’t know how I’d beat a sword’s ass, but I’d figure out if you wanted me to.”
Yasha’s smile came easier this time, staying longer, “This is something for me to overcome.”
“You said it was in a dream with the Storm Lord. What happened? Maybe he’s giving you a clue how to unlock the sword’s power.”
Yasha closed her eyes for a moment, recalling the dream, “It was in the ground. And when I tried to walk towards it, it didn’t get any closer.” She opened her eyes, “And you were there?”
“Oh, one of those dreams?” Beau wiggled her brows.
Yasha laughed, pinching Beau’s side, “The others were there too. You were calling for help. But I couldn’t without the sword.”
“You’ve never needed a sword to help us, Yasha.”
“But it does help killing things.”
“That’s fair.” Beau nodded. She lifted their joined hands, kissing Yasha’s, “But your swords don’t define what you can do. In the Soul, when they’re teaching how to use weapons, they say we have to use them as an extension of ourselves. The weapon doesn’t define the attack. We do and any instrument we use is simply an expression of that. You make the sword, not the other way around.”
“I think I get it.”
“I know you’ll figure it out.”
“That makes one of us.”
“Nah, that makes the nein of us. We all believe in you. You’re going to save us all one day and when you do, it’s going be because of who you are and not because of any sword. No matter how dope it looks.”
“Thank you, Beau,” Yasha said because she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
It wouldn’t be long before the others started to stir and they’d have to be on the move again. A dozen enemies waiting to chase them and to be chased. Families to protect. A world to save, then an empire. It was going to be a hell of a time for Mighty Nein. And there was no one else Yasha would rather face it with than the woman in her arms.