Chapter Text
With the Elder Brain being reduced to only a little bit more than an unpleasant memory, Korrilla returning to her duties, and the Crown of Karsus finally resting in Raphael’s possession, you closed that chapter of your life by doing what any reasonable person would do:
You submitted a vacation request.
“To us, the heroes of Baldur’s Gate!” Wyll exclaimed, raising his mug high.
“To us!” you and the rest of your companions echoed, glass and metal clinking together in a chaotic chorus.
The moon hung bright overhead, the sky was clear, and for once none of you were in any immediate danger, at least for the night.
Shadowheart had dragged out extra crates for seats, while Wyll prepared a spread of delicious snacks for everyone. Halsin came with a handful of fresh fruits and a big smile on his face. Lae’zel and Karlach drank most of the alcohol and were napping against the other’s shoulders by the end of the night. The wizard and the rogue were nowhere to be seen for the most of it, and had only emerged midway through the celebration looking a little bit tousled.
The celebration went on cheerily. No one was bleeding, cursed, or sprinting for their lives, and that alone made the night feel unreal.
By the end of the celebration, the fire had burned low and the rest of the others had returned to where Withers had initially found them.
You still had one more night before you start residing at the House of Hope full-time, and you intended to enjoy the last of your vacation to its fullest.
So, you lingered down by the river instead.
Withers stood nearby, quiet as always. You claimed a log close to the water with a platter piled high with tiny cubes of Waterdhavian cheese and a bottle of Suzailian Sweet balanced precariously between your boots.
After stuffing your mouth with most of it, you politely held out the platter toward him in offering. Withers’ lips (if there were any in the first place) thinned at the sight, the clearly ‘borrowed’ platter of cheese from the main table had been reduced to nothing but a pile of half-melted lump of cheese, and you looked far too pleased with yourself about it.
“Is that thy supper?”
You nodded and swallowed quickly. “It’s my special celebratory cheese dinner.”
To that, Withers declined with a polite wave of his hand.
You only shrugged at his refusal. His loss, truly. More for you.
Without hesitation, you popped three cubes into your mouth before chasing it down with a long gulp of Suzailian Sweet. The wine burned pleasantly on the way down, perfectly warm and sugary.
The both of you enjoyed the silence of night, until finally the Avatar of Jergal himself finally broke the silence.
“What was thy reason behind the choice to meddle with the fiend?” he asked.
You rocked back on your heels, gaze drifting up to the stars. Out of everyone, he was the one you trusted most with the truth.
After draining the last of your wine, you shrugged.
“Well… I needed somewhere to land after everything. Something more stable than returning to sleep in the forests and abandoned crates. Besides, someone should keep an eye on the Crown, right? We wouldn’t want him doing something terrible with it. But I have high hopes, perhaps there is a good heart somewhere in him.”
You shot Withers a small, conspiratorial wink.
In return, the Avatar of Jergal didn’t say anything, but you had spent enough time with him to know that it was a silence of approval.