Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Gods did her chest hurt. 

Karlach could feel something grind uncomfortably inside her engine as flames peeled off her skin. It hurt like shit and it was fucking hot as all the fucking Hells. She was pretty close to jumping in the nearby river and risk getting caught out just for some relief. The tiefling drew in some deep breaths, trying to calm her racing mechanical heart. It took a few minutes, but eventually the flames subsided.

Now it was just her, still broiling hot, sitting on a rock stewing about the latest dogs Zariel sent after her. ‘ Paladins of Tyr ’ her ass. It wasn't even a tenday and this was her third attempt already and honestly it was starting to get annoying. And exhausting. Her engine had started sputtering ever since she crashed on the material plane and it was really slowing her down. At least the Blade hadn't shown his face again. Yet. He was as persistent as he was clueless, thinking she was a devil. As fucking if.

On the bright side, she was here. On the material plane. Blue sky and green grass and birds and plants and Gods it felt so good to be alive. And she had a plan! 

She got through step one of her plan swimmingly; get far away from anything with tentacles . That part had actually been pretty easy. Well, except for the almost dying in the crash bit. Or, that part was easy, since it just kind of… happened, but it wasn’t very pleasant.

Step two was also going pretty well. Well the not burning anything down part at least. The staying calm part was a bit difficult considering all the damn bastards Zariel keeps sending her way. But Karlach thought she was doing well. All things considered.

Which meant all she had left to do was—

Suddenly, she felt the hairs on her neck stand on end. No way did she just fucking jinx herself. Dread filled her stomach and ice crept up her spine. She got the distinct feeling that she was being watched by someone. Or something. It reminded her of when she found herself two steps away from an ambush, but something was different, it was like—

“Are you okay?”

Karlach jumped in her own skin and onto her feet. She whirled around to see the source of the voice. The hellion was met by a stranger standing a few feet, looking at her passively.

Upon closer inspection the stranger was in fact a small tiefling with pale blue-gray skin and short, shaggy dark hair. Karlach had to have a foot or more of height on them, even factoring in their swept back horns. Their face bore an unreadable expression and a long scar running down their right cheek. It seemed like they were wearing dark padded armor but it was difficult to tell given they were being positively swallowed by their ragged, black cloak. Most striking were their eyes. 

They had those dark eyes, black voids really, that weren’t too uncommon for tieflings but their pupils were ringed by a mesmerizing blend of violet and pale green. She recognized them, she remembered seeing them peer out from the darkness of the ship.

“Fuck me, it’s you, from the Nautiloid,” Karlach said enthusiastically, totally forgetting the original question, before her lips tugged into a scowl, “Please tell me I found you before those so called ‘Paladins of Tyr.’”

Karlach practically spat out the last bit, maybe a tad too aggressively. The stranger seemed unfazed, tilting their head and glancing away as they flicked their tail. After a moment their cloak rustled and they abruptly tossed a sword and scabbard onto the ground. It clattered unceremoniously at her feet. Karlach peered down for a moment before looking back at the tiefling in confusion.

They were staring back at her owlishly. When their gazes met the stranger nodded at the blade. She took the cue, kneeling down to take it from the ground, unsheathing it partially to reveal a familiar blade. That bastard’s great sword. There was still some blood on the damn thing and it reeked of sulfur and flame. Karlach looked back at them in amazement.

“You stole this?”

“No,” they replied, “I took it from his corpse.”

Karlach was speechless for a moment, a mixture of fear, amazement, and confusion swirled in her stomach. This person just took on someone (semi-convincingly) posing as a Paladin.

“Why?” she asked quietly.

“I saw them hurting you,” the tiefling answered after a beat. They stated it like it was just simply a fact.

“But… you barely know me.” 

The stranger took longer this time to think before responding, “Do I need to know you in order to help you?” 

Their voice had the slightest tinge of something this time. There was something very genuine about it, like they really wanted to know. It caught Karlach by surprise.

“I guess not… Thank you, this means a lot,” she said, sheathing the blade back into the scabbard fully. “I’m Karlach. And you are…?

Karlach gave them the space to answer. They seemed to mull over their words just a bit longer than most. She found it rather endearing.

“You can call me Dusk,” came the curt reply, but the way they said it was off. They spoke hesitantly, like they were hiding something. Karlach wasn’t going to judge them or say anything on the matter really but they continued regardless, “I don’t remember my name.”

That was… surprisingly candid. 

“Did you bump your head a bit too hard and forget some stuff? Or maybe it’s the uh… well ya know,” she said, awkwardly gesturing at her temple with her claws.

Dusk watched her hand motion quizzically before repeating it with their own trimmed claws, “Know what?”

“The uh— little brain worm thingy mindflayers stick in people’s eyes.”

The small tiefling frowned at her. They stood stock-still aside from their tail which swished from side to side anxiously. Dusk seemed lost. 

“I don’t remember those things, the mindflayers, sticking anything in my eye. But when I was on the sh— the nautiloid, it kept feeling like something was tugging on my mind but it stopped once I ended up here,” Dusk slowly explained. They hesitated as they spoke, like they were unsure if they were using the terms correctly.

Karlach felt the realization bubble into her mind; Dusk had forgotten more than just their name. She realized just moments before they dropped the sword on the ground they probably had to piece together what she was saying with context alone. They probably had no fucking clue who Tyr even was.

“That sounds like one of little bastards, a worm. Do you remember anything from before the ship?” She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. The tiefling shook their head.

“When I woke up on the nautiloid… I couldn’t remember who I was, or anything else really,” Dusk replied slowly. They shrank in on themselves anxiously, practically being swallowed by their ragged cloak. For a moment it seemed like they were going to continue speaking but then their eyes slid out of focus. Then they flinched, wholebodily,  the anxiety in their eyes morphing into fear.

“I’m sorry, I— I shouldn’t be here. I need— I have to go,”  they spoke quickly, their voice strained. Dusk pivoted on their heels to walk away with their dark cloak unfurling as they turned.

Karlachs chest clench. She didn’t want to be alone. Dusk was certainly odd, but they were the first person she’s met who wasn’t afraid of her. Or trying to capture her. And they were clearly running from something too. She wanted to help them, like they helped her.

“Wait!” She cried out. Karlach reached forward unthinkingly to grab Dusk’s dark, ragged cloak and immediately regretted it. The elation from meeting the tiefling mixed with the panic with their sudden departure must have put her engine into high gear. As soon as Kalach’s hand touched the fabric it ignited with a small burst of flames. She recoiled immediately, her panic intensifying.

Dusk had abruptly stopped after they felt the brief tug of their cloak before Karlach had ripped her hand away. They turned sharply, their eyes widening as they saw the patch of fire. 

“Oh, Gods! I’m sorry I just– Fuck!” the words tumbled out of Karlach’s mouth as she tried to find something to smother the flames with. Her boot wasn’t an option she wanted to risk and she wasn’t sure rolling would help either.  She was stuck in indecision, but luckily Dusk was not. 

They moved to take a step forward and in an instant they vanished, leaving just a cloud of curling darkness and fluttering embers. Karlach wasn’t sure how much more her mechanical heart could take as it seized in response, only to be startled by the sound of splashing behind her. She whipped around to see Dusk pulling themselves up to kneel in the nearby stream, soaked. The same shadowy mist they left behind was peeling off them, mixing with the smoke of the quenched flames. 

“Are you alright?” Karlach called as she jogged over. Dusk nodded as they pushed wet hair from their eyes. She had to resist the instinct to help them up as they moved to climb out of the water.

Dusk looked pathetic as they inspected their cloak. A large half circle was burned away. Luckily it didn’t look too out of place on the worn, black fabric. The rest of their clothing clung to them, dripping wet. They looked even smaller like this, half-starved even. Like one of the stray cats Karlach would see in alleyways when she was younger.

The small tiefling looked up at her with a furrowed brow, “You’re on fire.” 

Karlach was unsure if they meant that as a question or if they were merely saying it in observation. Regardless, the notion seemed to have distracted them from their previous panic.

“Yea uh… Got an infernal engine for a heart,” she explained. The barbarian rapped her knuckles on her chest, “Keeps me going, let’s me run hot as the Hells. Damn thing’s been acting up since I left Avernus though, going to send something up in flames on accident at this rate. Or well, I guess I already did that…”

As her sentence began to trail off, Dusk’s hand darted out before Karlach could stop them. They’re fingertips brushed her scarred skin briefly, the water on their skin sizzling on contact, before retreating. Ten years of loneliness had really gotten to her, the small touch alone made her practically giddy. The happiness was short-lived as it was replaced with concern.

“Woah, soldier! You need to be careful. I don’t want you to sear your fingertips off just ‘cause you're curious.”

Dusk inspected their fingers as she spoke. Karlach noticed they had a pinkish red tint to them now, but were otherwise unharmed. Thank the gods.

“Listen, Dusk… I’m sorry, again, about your cloak. You’re the first person I’ve met in years who's been genuinely kind to me and uh… I don’t know. I didn’t want you to just run off. Be easier to get this worm issue sorted if we stuck together, ya?” she said trying not to sound too desperate while still being sincere. Karlach wasn’t trying to be deceitful. She just didn’t want to be alone anymore, the worm thing was just a convenient excuse.

They tilted their head as they thought. Dusk's brows pinched together and their tail began to flick once more. They abruptly clutched their hand to their chest as they went to speak,

“You need to get your engine fixed,” they said flatly, their dark eyes flicked to her chest briefly. Going by context Karlach realized that they might have meant it as a question. She was a bit taken aback by it, wondering if Dusk had missed what she just said.

“Yeah, but obv– unfortunately I can’t see my usual mechanic,” she replied, trying to be casual. Karlach didn’t particularly enjoy discussing her engine, to be honest if she never had to speak of Avernus ever again it would be all the better. “Hopefully someone in Balder’s Gate knows their way around infernal machinery. Place is filled with all kinds of folks and their weird hobbies. Just need to get there in one piece.”

Dusk perked up slightly at the mention of the city. Karlach could see a flicker of recognition in their dark eyes, only to be flooded again by anxiety. 

They hesitated a moment, like usual, fidgeting with their fingers before they responded, “I want to help you-- help us get this thing out of our brain and help you fix your heart, but… traveling with me would be dangerous. I don’t want to– I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Well, if you didn’t catch much of me and those ‘Paladins’, then I’m sure you can tell by my good looks I’m pretty good in a fight. Zariel didn’t use me as her personal attack dog for nothing,” She said, her voice catching at the mention of the Archdevil. “And you seem pretty good in a fight, taking on that smuck by yourself. I’m sure we can handle whoever’s been troubling you.”

The tiefling frowned, looking down at their hands, “It’s not that, it’s—” Dusk raised their eyes again. Their dark eyes were impossibly deep. Their voice became a tight whisper, “It’s me. I’m dangerous.”

Karlach was surprised to hear that, to say the least. The tiefling in front of them looked so small, so malnourished, she was pretty sure she could snap them in half.

“You’re… scared you’re going to hurt me?” she asked, trying to understand.

“Yes, I–” Dusk hesitated as they replied, “I have these… impulses. They compel me to hurt people, even if I don’t want to.” 

As they finished speaking they looked away, as though they were too ashamed to look at Karlach after the admission. Dusk moved their hands to clutch their biceps, their tail curled around their legs, hugging themself. 

Karlach was sure they expected her to be afraid, and a small, part of her was. Having someone tell you that part of them wants to hurt you didn’t exactly invoke pleasant feelings. But in the end, she was mostly just sad. She could barely fathom how distressing it must be to wake up and not remember anything. But this as well? To wake up in an unfamiliar, hostile place with no memories and all you had was something compelling you to do harm. 

Well, Karlach actually found it to be somewhat relatable when she framed it like that. 

“Your… urges, are they the real reason you attacked the paladin?”

“No,” They said firmly. Dusk’s face twisted into an angry scowl briefly, “I didn’t want him to hurt you, or anyone else.”

“Have you hurt anyone without wanting to?”

“No… Not yet.”

Now it was Karlach’s turn to mull things over. Dusk just stood there like a statue, staring down at their boots, awkwardly waiting for her to speak.

“Well look,” she said awkwardly. She wasn’t quite sure of what to say. “You’ve said it, and that took a lot of guts. Seems like you also got a good heart, maybe an iron will to boot, and that’s good enough, yeah?”

Dusk looked up at her, brows furrowed, their eyes searching her face. 

“Are you sure? That you’re okay with me coming with you?” 

“Plenty sure. Just two runaways against the world… Got a nice ring to it, don't cha think?,” Karlach replied with a smile. 

Dusk’s expression became unreadable as they glanced away, mulling over what Karlach had said. Eventually their gaze flicked back to her and they gave a slight nod, returning Karlach’s smile with a small one of their own. A tiny pull at the corners of their mouth matched with a newfound brightness in the violet of their eyes. It was the first smile she’s seen grace their face. 

And it made something in Karlach’s chest flutter in such a delightful way.

Chapter Text

“Do you think he’s okay?”

The dog was still following Dusk. Not that they minded the company. Scratch was a good dog, or at least Dusk thought he might be. It just seemed correct. He’d started following them not long after they found him with his… previous master, despite the warnings the tiefling gave him.

“Who?” Dusk asked.

“The wizard that we met yesterday,” the dog said, “The one that smelled like a cat.”

Ah the wizard… Dusk also couldn’t remember his name

"Probably, he seemed capable."

"I hope we see him again," the dog chuffed, his tail wagging slightly at the thought.

"You just like him because he gave you cheese."

"Yes! And he was nice to us."

Dusk couldn't argue with that. He had seemed nice enough. But he was too weak. Dusk could have easily sent their knife into his neck before he could even attempt to reach for his precious magic. 

So Dusk had left him to his own business. Something to do with a rift. They don’t even recall what he’d said as they departed. They were too busy trying to muffle the rattling in their mind, pushing away the thoughts of ripping off his arms and watching him bleed out. Images of blood soaked pages flickered in their mind. Ruby red mixed so well with shimmering arcana.

The tiefling sucked air through their teeth as the images flooded back. Dusk reached out and ripped a branch from a nearby tree as they walked past. The twisting crack it made was pleasant. It was easy to imagine it was bone and meat instead, but the pleasure the fantasy brought was fleeting. It wasn’t real, but it was relieving.

Dusk began to methodically dismantle the branch as they walked. First the leaves were plucked away one by one. Then the small twigs that branched from the main limb. The snapping sensation was nice, like fingers. 

A wave of self loathing washed over them. They shouldn’t be enjoying this… not while thinking like that.

But it felt so nice.

The sound of yelling snapped Dusk back to reality. It was coming from somewhere nearby and by the sound of it it was some kind of altercation. A violent altercation. The shadows in the head eagerly snapped to attention with the potential promise of carnage so nearby. 

They should leave, best to not to push their luck. But they didn’t want to run off. They wanted to help. They were in control.

“Wait here, out of sight. I’ll come get you when it’s safe. If I’m not back by morning, leave,” they whispered to the dog, holding out what remained of the branch for him to take. He whined nervously but ultimately relented, laying down with his newfound stick.

They crept forward towards the commotion, flitting through the shadows to perch up in a tree. By time Dusk got close the argument seemed to have come to a close and a tall tiefling woman stormed from a nearby building with a trio of varying disciplines trailing behind. The ranger hailed her with arrows, one sinking into her shoulder, but it did nothing to slow her escape. 

The tiefling looked angry and… afraid. Very afraid as she ran off into the woods. 

And also very familiar.

Dusk realized they had seen the tiefling on the ship. The two of them had locked eyes while Dusk was slinking around. Their urges had been all too eager to compel them to harm her. So they fled, almost immediately. Dusk felt bad about that, even though they didn’t even know her. She had flashed them an excited, bright smile and waved right before they disappeared back into the shadows. She seemed nice and Dusk had just left her.

Maybe they could help her now.

These people were clearly out to get her. Dusk may not know her but their intuition reasoned that she was the victim here. Perhaps there was something they could do to make up for abandoning the woman on a burning ship.

Dusk gazed back down at the assailants from their perch. The three spoke quietly with one another before splitting up, two heading back towards the building while the human, their little ringleader, went about searching the surrounding woods. Alone.

Perfect.

It was too enticing to resist. The tiefling slunk through the shadows, following him as he walked deeper into the thicket. The darker part of their mind delighted in this. In watching him traipse through the woods, thinking the only danger he had to fear was long gone. A delectable fool he was. 

Dusk shuddered inwardly at that. They were doing this to help that tiefling… and to take the edge off. But they didn’t want to revel in it. Well that was a lie… they did want to, but they shouldn’t. They knew that. Should know that. They were just going to kill him to help her. They weren’t going to pin him down with his own greatsword and peel away his armor. And then his skin. And then his meat. And then run their claws through his innards while he was still breathing.

They were not going to do any of that.

The tiefling steeled themself. They needed to keep things simple so it didn’t get lost in their mind. First, they’d kill him, quickly, cleanly . Then they’d go find that tiefling. Then they’d help her.

Easy plan, simple to remember.

Dusk began to close the gap, creeping up behind the man. His armor would be annoying, even if they got close enough they had no idea what manner of padding he had beneath it. No matter, there were still plenty of places to sink their blades into. Just might not be as quick as they initially wanted it to be.

His sword would certainly make things easier.

The tiefling stood up fully, summoning their knife into their left hand. Dusk was well out of his sword’s reach as they stepped forward, purposely snapping a twig under their boot. The human whipped around, sword drawn. He got a few precious seconds, and he wasted each and every one of them just standing there, like a rabbit caught in a wolf’s sight. Maybe this would be quick.

“ Drop ,” they Commanded. His will crumbled like paper, his hands letting his sword clatter uselessly to the ground. The human didn’t have the time to gather his wits as Dusk rushed forward, grabbing the front of his armor and plunging their knife into the gap at his collar. He yelped pathetically as they shoved him to the ground, pulling their blade back before lodging it behind his knee cap.

He was begging at this point or maybe he was just choking on blood or wailing. Dusk wasn’t really listening, they were trying to stay focused while their urges clawed at their mind. They swiped his greatsword from the ground, their tail lashing as though they could swat away the visceral fantasies flooding into their thoughts.

Dusk stalked over to the human. He was trying to crawl away, his upper body twisted as he desperately clawed his way forward. Their knife was still wedged in his knee, rendering it a useless, bloody mess. It was adorable, watching him struggle. They pressed their boot into his back, bearing their weight down on him. They could hear his vertebrae crack under the pressure.

“Hold still. You don’t want me to have to cut twice,” they said calmly as they adjusted their grip on the sword, letting their muscle memory do all the work. Part of them hoped it would take two swings. Or three. Or four. 

But their hands and their shoulders knew all the motions all too well.

-   -   -   -   -

Karlach was nice.

More than nice. They didn’t really have the words. She had this contagious sort of energy that Dusk felt drawn to. Enthusiasm? Maybe that was it.

Strong too. They were fairly certain Karlach could snap them in half rather easily. That was good, for someone like Dusk. Their mind was quiet now, well not silent, but quieter than usual. But it was only a matter of time before their urges came back. It already flared up eagerly when they were talking to Karlach. 

They haven’t lost control… yet, but it felt like it was inevitable. Like putting a pot of water over a fire. Eventually it will come to a boil. It was just a matter of time. They wish they knew how to put the fire out. Permanently.  At least Dusk could feel safe knowing Karlach could fight back. 

And she certainly looked like she could fight well. Dusk imagined you don’t get that many scars without tearing up your opponent. Karlach had all different manner of scars too. Burns, scrapes, cuts, nicks, gouges. They were curious, but hesitant to ask.  She had a cut across her chest that reminded Dusk of their own scars, the ones hidden under her armor. The ones that made their stomach churn and heart race whenever they noticed them. Dusk thought it best to not bring it up for now, in case Karlach felt the same way.

It was also nice that she was literally on fire. Well, maybe not always on fire, but she was burning hot. Certainly would discourage any fantasies they might have about wrapping their hands around her neck.

Now they were making their way back to the building. It was a toll house apparently. They both figured it was better to suss out the place and try to clear out the other ‘Paladins’ before going to sleep. But when they finally arrived however, the bounty hunters were nowhere to be seen which was… somewhat disappointing.

Dusk was ashamed to admit but they were a bit eager to sink their blades into the remaining pretenders. It would sate their hunger for a little while longer and, more importantly, make Karlach happy.

They did leave some of their supplies though, as well as whatever the previous inhabitants left behind. It would be nice to pick through later. Some potions and bread and cheese and—

Abruptly, Dusk remembered.

“I’ll be right back,” they said, exiting the toll house and scampering off into the thicket. Karlach said something as they left but it went in one ear and straight out the other. They kept their eyes to the ground, letting their feet retrace their steps as they avoided tripping on the network of crisscrossing roots. 

Scratch perked up immediately when Dusk came into view, still near where Dusk had left him. He wagged his tail happily, “You’re back! I was worried about you, Friend.”

“I was only gone for a little while,” Dusk murmured, holding out their hand. The dog eagerly stepped forward to accept his well deserved ear scritches.

“Well, I was still worried,” the dog huffed. He then began rapidly sniffing the air before nosing their cloak curiously, “You smell weird.”

“Weird?”

“Nice weird. Like… a kettle that was over a campfire,” Scratch said thoughtfully, pawing at the fresh burn on their cloak.

Understanding fluttered into Dusk's mind, “Oh, I met someone. I’m going to travel with her. You can join us, if you like.”

“Someone new? How exciting!” the dog barked cheerfully, trotting circles around the tiefling, “Can I meet her? I want to meet her, where is she?”

His enthusiasm was a tad overwhelming but it did put a small smile on Dusk's face. Scratch was still rattling off questions as they knelt down to grab the stick.

“You can show her your stick,” they said, gently tossing it to him. He snatched it from the air and continued with his happy prancing as Dusk made their way back to Karlach.

When they reached the exterior of the building Scratch trotted ahead, sniffing all the odds and ends curiously. It was charming watching him try to investigate while still holding the branch in his mouth, bumping it into everything.

“I’m back,” Dusk said when they got to the doorway. Karlach had been investigating some boxes under the stairway and startled immediately, shooting upright and slamming her head against a support beam. She hissed while taking a step back, rubbing her head with her hand.

“Hells, soldier, you scared the shit outta me,” she wheezed with her eyes pinched shut in a pained grimace.

“Sorry,” they said, stepping into the building. Scratch padded up next to them, his stick poking into their thigh as he looked at the hellion curiously.

“It’s alright, though we might need to get you a bell or some—” Karlach stopped mid-sentence as she dropped her hand and opened her eyes, her gaze snapping from Dusk to Scratch. She gasped, “Oh. My. Gods. That’s a dog.”

She looked quite happy, a big smile brightening her face that she attempted to hide with her fingers. Scratch perked up, his tail swishing happily as the tiefling’s did the same.

Dusk pointed at the dog beside them, “This is Scratch,” and then to their companion, “and that’s Karlach. Be careful, she’s on fire.”

The warning didn’t seem to dampen either of their enthusiasm. Scratch trotted up to Karlach, snuffling curiously while still holding his stick in his mouth.

“Awww, aren’t you just just the sweetest little darling,” She cooed, holding out her hand for him to investigate. She kept it a safe distance from his curious snout, pulling back when he got too close, “Sorry, fella, but Karlach is not pet safe at the moment.”

There was a melancholy about her now, underneath the delight. It didn’t sit right in her expression. Dusk frowned. They flicked their tail as the rusty gears churned in their mind. After a pause they stepped up to the dog, their hand reaching to grab the stick in his mouth, giving it a gentle tug.

“Let me borrow this,” Dusk murmured.

At first Scratch stubbornly held tight, giving only a slight grumble in reply. The small tiefling gave another gentle tug, insistent, and he begrudgingly relented. They stepped outside, walking over to the water barrel and peering inside before plunging the stick into the collected rainwater. 

They shook off the excess outside as they walked back, sidestepping Scatch who was eyeing the branch eagerly.

“Not yet,” Dusk scolded the dog as he reached for it, pulling it away from his teeth. They stopped next to Karlach, holding the stick out for her, “Here.”

“Uh, okaaaay,” she said with uncertainty. Karlach carefully took the stick in her hand. It hissed briefly as steam ripped out of the bark, but it remained blissfully unignited. The three of them stood there looking at one another as Karlach held the stick awkwardly, looking up at Dusk pleadingly for some kind of direction. Wordlessly, they reached for the branch wrapping their hands around its midpoint.

“Don’t let go,” Dusk said softly when Karlach went to hand it off to them. They pulled the stick until it was hovering over the dog’s back, “There.”

Dusk looked up at Karlach who still seemed quite lost. They looked back down at their hand, pulling the branch to be over Scratch’s shoulders before pressing down gently, pushing the stick slowly along his back in a soothing motion.

“Oh,” Karlach whispered as Dusk withdrew their hand. She repeated the motion hesitantly. And then again, and again as Scratch began to wag his tail once more. 

The sadness evaporated from her expression. This was nice. Dusk enjoyed seeing their friends happy. Or their traveling companions? They weren’t really sure, they couldn’t really remember what having either of those was like. Scratch called them friend but they didn’t know if Karlach felt the same way. Dusk would like to be her friend. She seemed like a good friend. Whatever that meant.

“Thank you, Dusk,” Karlach said, snapping Dusk from their thoughts. Her eyes were a bit glassy but she still looked quite happy.

In an act of pure befuddlement Dusk forgot how to make thoughts into words. So they just kind of stood there silently for a moment. Eventually Dusk settled for sharing a soft smile with her instead, hoping she’d understand. It seemed like she did, because Karlach returned it with one of her own. Big and bright.

-   -   -   -   - 

“How do we get to Baldur’s Gate?”

The three of them were seated in front of the tollhouse’s lit fireplace, eating some cheese and bread and dried meat. Well, Karlach and Scratch were enjoying the dried meat while Dusk shied away from it. Something about the texture made them feel uneasy and they wanted to enjoy the small reprieve from their urges they were experiencing. The cheese was nice though. Tasty and satisfying to pull into small pieces. These ‘Paladins of Tyr’ had excellent taste in cheese, in spite of everything else about them.

“We can just follow the river there, simple,” Karlach replied with a grin before tossing Scratch a small piece of jerky.

Dusk chewed thoughtfully before speaking, “Which way?”

“Downstream, the city sits just before the mouth of the river.”

That tickled something in their mind. Dusk closed their eyes, resting their chin on their knees, trying to let the memory come into focus.  A large bridge spanning a wide river, tall enough for boats to pass underneath and wide enough for businesses to line the crossing. The waters below dark, beckoning.

“It’s built over the water,” Dusk said.

“No. Well, yes,” she tried to clarify, “You’re probably thinking of Wyrm’s Crossing. It does span the river, and it’s technically a part of Baldur's Gate, but it’s not the Baldurs Gate.”

Dusk nodded in response. That seemed right. They could remember winding streets and tall, looking buildings. Too maze-like to fit onto a bridge. They could remember walking through a city, but it was all hazy, none of it stuck. As soon as an image of the city streets materialized in their mind’s eye it melted away.

They sighed through their nose, deciding to try again later. Dusk could feel a tension building in their skull from trying to wrestle with their amnesia. Really they should know better by now, it wasn’t something they could really force.

“Is it big?” Dusk inquired curiously. They thought it was big, but they wanted to know .

“One of the biggest cities on the coast,” Karlach answered, pride leaking into her words. “It’s got everything a big city could want; districts, winding streets, huge markets, cozy inns, and great fucking food.”

She looked so happy talking about her home that it made Dusk smile, like her happiness was contagious.

“What’s the districts?” they asked after thinking over what she had said for a moment.

“Pretty much your usual fare for a city; an Outer City for the slums, an Upper City for the rich, and a Lower City for everyone else. And of course Wyrm’s Crossing, for the bridge.”

“Where did you live?”

“Spent most of my life in the Outer City, running around like a little shit,” she replied, somewhat wistfully. “Moved up to the Lower City for a little while before… well everything went to shit. But it was nice, I’ll be happy to get back to it.”

Dusk nodded as they took another bite of their cheese. They supposed getting put on a weird flying ship and having a worm put in your brain then crashing into the middle of nowhere with bounty hunters on your tail was very ‘going to shit’.

“What’s the Upper City like?” 

Karlach scoffed playfully, “Your usual fancy schmancy shit. Big guilded houses, polished business fronts, clean streets, and folks with more money than they’ll ever know what to do with. Beyond going to the Wide, I’ve never been there much m’self. Well, besides when my old boss wanted to do business.”

The hellion spoke the last sentence rather bitterly,  and Dusk failed to pick up on that before their next question tumbled out of their mouth.

“Zariel had you go to the Upper City for business?” they asked genuinely. The tiefling was trying to desperately contextualize all the disparate pieces in their mind. The name sounded familiar when Karlach had mentioned her before but Dusk couldn’t quite recall wh—

Karlach’s strangled scoff broke they’re train of thought, “I did not work for Zariel . If that bitch had it her way I’d never see the city streets again.”

Now Dusk was truly confused. They hugged their legs tight to their chest as they pressed their cheek into their knee. Did they forget something she had said? They must have misunderstood something at the very least. Dusk tried to sift through their mind for what they missed, shoving aside the murmuring urge to grab the greatsword and send it careening through the tieflings collarbone. Even with the unwanted thoughts disregarded, thinking was proving difficult. 

They felt like they were waist deep in water, trying to sift through a river bed. And even when they found something worthwhile, they could only hold so much at a time. Once they let go of a thought, it was gone. They’d have to go through all the effort to regain their idea all over again. If they even could remember any of it.

Dusk was snapped out of their head by an airy, whistling sound. They realized it was Karlach forcing a stream of fire through her teeth. She was scowling, practically glaring at the dwindling fire while the tip of her tail flicked angrily. The tiefling was obviously very upset. Dusk felt guilt settle into their stomach like ice. They had gotten so caught up in their own confusion they failed to even notice her reaction. It must have been  minutes since Karlach had last spoken and Dusk had just zoned out like an idiot.

“I’ve upset you,” they murmured slowly, lifting their face slightly from their knees, “I’m sorry.”

Karlach whipped her to look at Dusk, the anger in her eyes melting into something softer.

“No, no, it’s alright,” she sighed, running her fingers through her mane of hair. “For a moment I forgot you’re an amnesiac. I’m used to people knowing who Zariel is. And plenty of them like to accuse me of working on her behalf, willingly.”

Dusk’s frown deepened at that. Maybe that explained why there were people trying to hunt her down.

Karlach let out another sigh, this time exhaling through her nose, “How’s about I give you the whole Zariel and the Nine Hells run down tomorrow? I’m beat and I don’t want to get all heated before bed.”

She tapped her sternum to accentuate her point, flashing Dusk a small smile.  The idea delighted them, in a way. Like Karlach was letting them in on a secret of some kind.

“Okay,” they said softly, “that sounds like a plan.”

Chapter Text

Karlach woke to the sound of creaking wood and something… shuffling? Rustling? She couldn’t really tell, but she could see a figure moving around past her eyelids.

“Dusk?” She mumbled. Gods, what she wouldn’t give for ten more minutes of sleep right now. 

When Karlach heard no response, she peeled her eyes open to see Scratch standing next to her bedroll. His entire head was shoved inside the bag that Karlach was pretty sure held the jerky Dusk found last night.

“Hey, no! ” She hissed. “Get your snout outta there.”

Not that she minded sharing with Scratch. He was a good dog. That being said, he doesn’t get to eat the whole damn thing by himself.

The dog pulled his head free to look over at her. Little rascal didn’t even look a little bit guilty. As soon as she made eye contact with Scratch, his tail began to wag. He scampered over to her, eagerly invading her space. 

Karlach shrank back as he shoved his nose in her face, trying to wave her hands gently to shoo him away, “Woah, buddy. No touching, remember?”

Scratch tilted his head a full ninety degrees as he listened to her. He then promptly sneezed in response, right in her face, before backing away from her. 

Gross, but she’d let it slide. If only because he was so cute.

The dog walked over to where Dusk’s things were placed, dramatically flopping onto the floor besides their pack. Karlach glanced around. All their things and their dog were here, but no tiefling. They even left their weapons here. They wouldn’t just leave everything behind... right?

Dusk probably just went out for some fresh air. They wandered off yesterday and came back. Today would be no different. 

The loneliness still clawed at her chest despite it all. 

Karlach sighed as she tried to rub the stress and exhaustion from her eyes, her tail flicking anxiously. No use in wallowing in it. She might as well get ready for the day.

Packing her things wasn’t the most fun way to start the day but at least Scratch’s attempts to slowly creep back over made it interesting. Everytime she’d glance over at the dog he’d be laying down, perfectly innocent, and somehow just a little bit closer. 

As Karlach finished up stowing her bedding away, she heard a strange, soft hissing sound. She looked up to see a familiar curl of black mist where Dusk’s dagger once was. Scratch seemed very unfazed, deciding to playfully bite at the smoke before giving up and simply pawing at the last remaining tendrils. 

Karlach was unsettled though. The pleasant surprise of seeing her friend's magic in action was replaced by the anxiety of the implications. People didn’t just magic a knife into their hands for fun. Something was wrong.

She reached for her greataxe as her thoughts raced. They could be in danger and Karlach had no fucking clue where they were. This forest was huge.Gods, maybe she could have Scr—

“Wow, I can’t believe Cyrel was right. You really did have the nerve to come back.” 

Karlach whipped around to see one of Ander’s blasted friends standing in the doorway of the tollhouse. The halfling stood there with bow in hand, scowling at the tiefling. 

Unreal. She supposed hoping these two would get fucking lost was really too much to ask. Karlach could already feel her temperature rising as her engine sped up in her chest.

“I have some nerve?” Karlach scoffed, “I’m not the one spending days trying to drag a tiefling back to an Arch-fucking-devil. You could’ve just walked away from here, y’know. No way in hells am I going back and no fucking way you’re getting me there either!”

“Save your breath!” the ranger hissed, “Fat chance we’re letting you walk away after what you did to Anders.”

“All I did was defend myself!” Karlach snarled back, her tail lashing angrily. Maybe if the bastard didn’t try to grab her she wouldn’t have given him an ax to the ribs, fucking prick. He wasn’t even that hurt. Stupid fucking armor.

“And then you hunted him down in the woods and fucking mutilated him!”

What. The fuck?

Karlach was a bit taken aback by that statement. Because, like hells she did. She went off the go angrily stew on a rock for an hour and then she met—

Dusk.

Well… in all fairness, they did admit to killing him. 

The hunter took her momentary confusion as an opportunity. She quickly drew her bow back but before she could anything there was a blur of white as Scratch lunged at the halfling with a snarl. His teeth snapped at open air as the hunter narrowly dodged his bite, her shot embedding itself uselessly into the wall.

Scratch skidded past her, scrambling to a stop with his teeth flashing and his hackles raised. She swore under her breath as she sent another shot flying before Karlach had time to react. The arrow splintered behind the dog with a flash of magic, brambles bursting through the floorboards, tangling around Scratch’s legs. He yelped in surprise as he struggled against the entanglement, but the more he pulled, the tighter the grip became.

The halfling scoffed, “Since when does the pet have a pet?”

That sent Karlach’s temper over the edge. She wound her greataxe back before swinging it forward with a yell. The slippery fucking shit dodged again, and the tieflings weapon slammed into the floorboards with a satisfying crack .

As Karlach went in for a second swing she suddenly felt magic buzz over her skin. Her ax stopped midswing as her joints suddenly locked into place. She couldn’t move her limbs, or any of her muscles for that matter. She felt like she could barely breathe. 

The tiefling tried to will any part of her into motion but it was relatively useless. The most she could get were her eyes to move and a few twitches of her fingertips.

She saw something shimmer in the corner of her eye. Her gaze flicked over and she finally noticed the problem. Two seconds too late of course. The bleeding spellcaster was perched up in the loft above. She fucking magicked her in place. Seriously? That was some fucking bullshit. 

The halfling stalked over and plucked Dusk’s short sword from the floor. She tossed the scabbard onto the floor as she flipped the blade experimentally in her hands. 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Zariel can have someone put you back together when you get home. Or maybe she’ll give you another replacement. Won’t that be fun?” the so-called ‘Paladin’ said mockingly with a grin.

Karlach tried again to pull against the magically restraint but it was no use, she was trapped. Her insides churned with a mixture of fear and anger. Like hells she was going ‘home’.  Back to her prison more like if she didn’t find a way to pry herself free. 

Panic started to claw its way into her chest as the hunter took a step towards her. No sooner did her heel click onto the floorboards did the blade dissolve in her hands, leaving behind nothing but twisting smoke. She froze staring down at her hands in confusion, her fingers brushing against the tendrils of darkness.

As the woman stared down at her empty hands, Karlach watched the shadows behind her warp slightly, coalescing to loom over the unsuspecting halfling. Suddenly a dark, clawed hand reached from the darkness and clamped over the woman’s mouth. The attacker lifted her off her feet effortlessly, ratcheting her head back to expose her neck. The halfling didn’t have time to react as her assailant’s knife hand appeared just as quickly, running a blade over her throat in one quick pull.

The spray of blood was actually quite impressive.

She struggled a bit longer, choking on her own blood as she desperately tried to bring her trembling hands up to her bloodied throat, soft magic flickering at her fingertips. But it was no use. Her assailant brought their blade down through her wrist, pinning one hand to her chest while the other was caught in the grasp of their clawed hand. The ranger tried to scream, or wail, or maybe even speak, but all that came out was a sharp gurgle of blood. 

When it became obvious that she had no more struggle left in her, the shadowy figure threw her to the ground, tossing her aside like she was nothing.

 Karlach finally got a good look at the attacker. In hindsight it was obvious, like really bleeding obvious, but in the moment she was shocked to see Dusk’s piercing gaze flick over to her. 

They looked different. Darkness clung around their arms, sharpening their fingers into long claws. It peeled off their cloak in a hazy shroud.  And their eyes were narrow, with a strange look about them. A lot colder than Karlach recalled. Like a predator. She could feel the dread settle in her bones and crawl under her skin as she met their gaze.

Their expression softened a bit after a moment before they were suddenly assaulted by a blast of freezing light. Dusk recoiled, shuddering out puffs of foggy breaths. Ice clung to their cloak and armor, stiffening their joints and crackling at the slightest movement. They snapped their head up to the human in the rafters, their eyes narrowing once more.

Dusk leapt forward, their form dissipating into dark, swirling mist and fluttering ice. Karlach saw them reappear right next to the mage, their shadowy claws swinging towards her as the ice peeled of their arms. In a panic, the spellcaster pushed her hands forward as magic rolled off her tongue, but like her ally, it was a bit too late. Dusk’s claws had already hooked onto her cloak. When the Thunderwave sent the tiefling hurtling backwards, they pulled the human with them. 

The two tumbled down from the loft, slamming into the floor of the tollhouse. As soon as they hit the floor the magic that was holding Karlach in place fizzled away. She stumbled forward unceremoniously as her body suddenly went back into motion. It took a moment for her to gather her wits, her bones were practically buzzing and she barely had any feeling in her hands. 

She heard a groan to her right and glanced over to see Dusk, who was leaning on their forearm as they held their head in their now bare hand. They were completely dazed, and totally defenseless as their blade rested uselessly meters away from them.

The mage took advantage of the situation, leaping to her feet as she drew her closed hands up, conjured flame licking out between her fingers. The metal machinery in the hellion’s chest seized briefly before kicking into high gear. The girl may be a fast spellcaster, but Karlach was faster. 

The tiefling closed the gap in two quick strides, swinging her greataxe to collide into the girl’s ribcage. The fire flashed uselessly in front of her as she crumbled to the ground once more. She whipped her head around as she wheezed painfully, catching a glimpse of the barbarian taking her second swing. This time her weapon sunk into the space near her collar bone, splitting her chest open with a crunch, the splatters of blood that met Karlach’s skin fizzled into steam and dust. The spellcaster gave into death much more quickly than her companion, her breath stuttering to a stop almost immediately.

The tiefling’s eyes searched the room rapidly looking for any other surprises. But none were to be found. It was just her, her friend, and their dog. She was safe. They were safe now.

But her damn engine was still churning in her chest, her fear and anger bubbling up under her skin. She was practically shaking. She couldn’t have a single day of fucking peace could she? That bitch has probably already found some new dogs to chase after her. Un-fucking-believable. Was ten years really not enough? 

“Karlach?”

She snapped her head up at the sound of Dusk’s soft voice. They had come forward to stand next to her, not too close, but close enough they could definitely feel the heat. The tiefling looked more like themself, no more shadows peeling off their cloak or clinging to their hands like sharpened claws. Their eyes had also returned to how they usually looked, soft and deep.

“Sorry, soldier. I just—” she struggled to speak between the pain in her chest and the torrent of emotions in her stomach, “Fuck them. Fuck Zariel . I won’t go back. I’m never going back.”

“To Avernus?” They asked.

“ Avernus ,” Karlach confirmed bitterly, angrily, before continuing  “And if any of mummy’s little friends think they can pick up where the others left off… they’re going to find nothing but piles of ash.”

Dusk’s expression became more serious, “Zariel won’t get her claws on you again. We’ll make sure of that,” they said, that strange glint returning to their eyes briefly.

“That’s right, she won’t. She can’t. She couldn’t even lay a finger!” She punctuated the statement with a swing of her greataxe, sending it through a nearby crate and rendering it into splinters.

Gods that felt good. Karlach felt a small bit of tension inside her unwind as a hysterical laugh bubbled up in her throat. She sent her weapon flying through another crate. And then another. And then through a table. She just kept going, unthinkingly dismantling the tollhouse piece by piece until she felt an uncomfortable pull in her chest, and the muscles in her arms screamed for rest.

Karlach wasn’t even sure how long she had been at it. The building's interior had been reduced to smoldering piles of splintered wood, the floors and doors littered with gouging cuts and scorch marks. 

That was nice, just cutting loose and smashing some shit. Her head felt a lot clearer though her lungs certainly didn’t. The tiefling huffed out a cough as she breathed in the hazy blanket of smoke that surrounded her. She hadn’t ever had the chance to do this in Avernus. Karlach had to settle for taking her frustrations out on demons and it just really wasn’t the same when you were fighting for your life. 

She could never risk letting her guard down, even for a second. But she wasn’t in Avernus anymore. She wasn’t surrounded by constant danger. Even if there was something menacing afoot, she clearly could rely on Dusk to back her up.

Holy shit, Dusk. She totally spaced them out during her little rampage.

Karlach looked around. Lots of smoldering wood but no gloomy tiefling. None of their things either, or her things, or Scratch for that matter. She let out another cough as the smoke tickled her lungs, rushing out the doorway to breathe in some fresh air.

The tiefling drew in some deep breaths of outside air, blinking a few times as her eyes adjusted to the morning light. Then her eyes almost immediately found Dusk. They had seated themself on a small crate they’d set out in front of the tollhouse, with both of their belongings laid out around them and Scratch using Karlachs pack as a pillow of some sort. 

Dusk had a twig in the hands that they were fiddling with absentmindedly while they looked over at her. They briefly paused to give her a small wave which she returned with a much larger one of her own before jogging over to them.

“Hey, you,” the hellion said somewhat breathlessly as she stepped up to them.

“Hi,” Dusk replied flatly, a delighted shine in their eyes. “Have fun?”

“It was a literal blast. How do I look?”  Karlach asked as nonchalantly as possible. She probably looked fucking crazy right now but she was desperately trying to play it cool. That was… difficult given the current circumstances. The hellion shook out her hands as Dusk contemplated what to say, ignoring the slight tickling sensation of the dying flames flickering off her skin.

“Hot,” was their answer. 

While Karlach figured they were probably being literal, the loneliness inside her made happiness buzz under her skin. She felt her mechanical heart speed up ever so slightly. Thank gods she was already red. It felt really nice to hear but she wasn’t going to read too far into it. And she definitely wasn’t going to catch feelings for the small, dark and mysterious tiefling she literally just met. Even if they did quite possibly save her skin.

Definitely not.

“Careful, soldier. If I burn any hotter, I might explode,” she said with an easy going smile. Gods, why did she say that? Why was she flirting with the first nice person she met??

Dusk frowned at that, glancing away. Good thing Karlach wasn’t reading too much into what they had said or that reaction might’ve stung a bit. Their frown quickly melted into their usual neutral expression as they thought, the tip of their tail flicking slightly.

“Oh,” they said after a moment. Dusk’s pale blue face became a warm lavender as their gaze returned to Karlach. They flashed her a bashful smile before their face became serious once more, “But please don’t actually explode.”

Oh, wow did they look cute when they blushed. Karlach decided to store that thought away for later, when she wasn’t talking to said blushing tiefling.

“Don’t worry, I have no plans of combusting in my future,” she reassured. Now she just needed to find a mechanic to make sure she stuck to that particular plan.  Karlach had way too many things to catch up on, including potentially spending time with an adorable tiefling. She really didn’t have time for infernal explosions right now.

Dusk simply nodded in response, their small smile returning to their face. They went back to picking away bark piece by piece. Karlach wondered if it was some kind of habit of theirs. She recalled watching them pick their cheese into smaller and smaller pieces as they ate.

Then she remembered what they had said the day prior. About having some weird condition, curse, thingy that compelled them to hurt people. Maybe they did this to cope, or just keep their hands busy. Idle hands is a devils worshop or whatever the fuck the old bitties in her neighborhood used to say. Either way Karlach could sympathize. She could always go for a little dismantling.

Perhaps a little destruction of property would help them feel better too.

“Want to give it a try, soldier?” She asked, tilting her head to the tollhouse. It was in rough shape and smoking a bit, but there were still plenty of crates stacked around that Karlach hadn’t reduced to smoldering splinters.

Dusk paused what they were doing and looked over at her with a quizzical look in their eyes.

“Smashing some stuff! No sense in me having all the fun,” Karlach answered the unspoken question. She flashed Dusk a wide, hopefully not too unhinged, smile as she flipped her ax in her hands to offer the handle to them.

Dusk seemed intrigued. They hopped down from their seat, tossing the stick to Scratch. Dusk reached out to take the weapon, but as soon as their hand touched her greataxe, they flinched violently. The tiefling ripped their hand away, clutching it to their chest as they took a hasty step backwards.

“Thank you, but,” they mumbled hesitantly, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Ah, right. In hindsight this seemed like an obvious flaw. Karlach supposed offering them her big fucking weapon might be a bit like tempting a starving wolf. Still, it was sad to see them deny themself of something they might enjoy out of fear that something bad might happen. Dusk had every opportunity to attack her last night and during their tussle with the rest of the washed up ‘Paladins’, but they didn’t. She trusted them not to do anything, probably more than they trusted themself.

“Hmm, hows about we do this,” Karlach said as she staked the greataxe into the dirt with one decisive swing, “I’ll leave this here for you. Then I’ll take that bastard's great sword and go stand with Scatch a reasonable, safe distance away while you rip stuff up.”

Dusk looked a bit hesitant. They fidgeted their fingers and swayed their tail slowly as they mulled over Karlachs proposal. They seemed nervous but ultimately gave a small nod in agreement. They mumbled something to their dog and gestured at Karlach. Scratch hopped to his feet as Karlach gathered up the blade, happily trotting behind her as she walked over the stand by the tree line.

It took a bit more effort for Dusk to leverage her weapon out of the ground. Once they finally pried it from the dirt they staggered back a bit clumsily. It was pretty adorable for a would-be cold blooded killer. When they walked over to crates they paused for a bit, their tail flicking nervously as they stared at them.

Dusk then nervously glanced over at Karlach, who flashed them a smile and a thumbs up. They tried to return the smile but the confidence really wasn’t there. The small tiefling turned back to the crate, lifting the greataxe up awkwardly. 

Karlach suddenly had the thought occur to her that she maybe should’ve given them some greataxe pointers before walking away. That concern was dashed as Dusk slowly adjusted their grip and then, with almost well practiced efficiency, quickly pulled the weapon back before slamming it into the crate. 

It wasn’t as damaging a blow as Karlach’s had been. Despite having good form, Dusk just didn’t have the same power to back it up. It took a few more hits for the wooden box to crumple into a pile of broken wood. They moved onto a barrel nearby, the tip of their tail swishing happily behind them.

“I think we can call this a success. Wouldn’t you agree, Scratch?” Karlach said to the dog next to her as they watched their companion gleefully split open an empty barrel. 

The dog chuffed in response, looking up at her expectantly.

“I’ll give you back scratches later. Promise,” she said quietly as she looked down at Scratch, like the dog could be reasoned with. He simply huffed in response and the two both returned their attention to their friend.

Right as they threw her greataxe right through the building's huge barn door. 

As soon the weapon left Dusk’s hands their face twisted in anticipated dread, wincing as the ax hit the door. The thing was already worse for wear after Karlach chewed it up from the inside, causing the impact of the greataxe to punch a rather satisfying hole in the wooden door. 

Well it was satisfying for a split second, before a rush of fire leaped out, stoked by the fresh gust of air. Ah, shit. She did leave the inside a smoldering mess.

Anxiety seized in Karlach's chest. Dusk squeaked as the flames reached towards them, disappearing into a swirl of black smoke. They reappeared in front of her looking a bit like a startled cat.

“Are you alright, soldier?” Karlach asked as she hastily looked them over. 

Dusk simply nodded in response, though they definitely seemed shaken by the experience. At least they were okay, no burns or anything.  They watched the fire curl back into the doorway before turning to her, their face pinched with remorse.

“Sorry that I, uh,” Dusk winced once again as the door fully collapsed, the building coughing up even more smoke and flames, “threw your greataxe into a burning building…”

“Don’t sweat it, soldier,” Karlach replied, waving her hand slightly at the wrist. Damned thing was pushed into her hands back in Avernus and she wasn’t about to miss it. Was weirdly nice, watching it get swallowed up by an inferno.

“Still, I shouldn’t have just… thrown it.”

Karlach scoffed, “Nah, that thing was just trash I picked up in Avernus. Now I can use this nice great sword you gave me. Just don’t throw this one in there, otherwise I’ll have to make do with a short sword and that would just be embarrassing.”

Dusk didn’t look wholly convinced of their own innocence in the matter but still acquiesced with a small nod.

“Don’t worry about it, really. Besides, wasn’t it nice to let off some steam after dealing with those ignots ?” Karlach said cheekily. She definitely felt a lot better despite the fact that there was still a little fire peeling off her skin. Fucking infernal engine. Damn thing was still cranking in her chest, giving her very literal heartburn.

“It was pretty nice,” Dusk agreed quietly. The tiefling let out a contented sigh. They seemed a lot more relaxed now, the tension in their face and shoulders had softened considerably, but not entirely.

Dusk tilted their head slightly as they gazed at the burning building, “I know this is supposed to be an important building but this is very relaxing to look at.”

Karlach chuckled at that, “It is kind of like an oversized campfire, huh?”

Dusk hummed affirmatively in response.

The hellion took to staring at the flames as the two fell into a comfortable silence. It was nice, just standing around doing nothing. Just looking at a damn big fire. Damn big fire that she started. 

Shit. 

That was certainly something she had been trying to avoid, but she didn’t feel particularly that bad. Tearing that place apart really made the weight in her chest feel ten times lighter. And she’d already set Dusk's cloak on fire. Burning a whole building down was the logical next step.

Karlach then felt Dusk’s tail brush up against her own. She glanced over to look at her companion. They were looking up at her with a question in their dark eyes. Ah, she was thinking too loud.

“Oh sorry, was kinda lost in my head there for a moment,” the tiefling said sheepishly.

“What’s on your mind?” Dusk asked neutrally, but something in their eyes made it sound much sweeter. Karlach reached up to rub the back of her neck.

“Just kinda realized I failed step two of my three part plan just now,” Karlach said wistfully. “Ironically step three is going quite well.”

Dusk returned their gaze to the fire as they mulled over what she said before asking quietly, “Your plan?”

“Oh yeah. Simple three step plan, really. Step one was extremely easy, just get the fuck away from those tentacled freaks,” she said was making a check mark motion with her hand. “Step two was, uh, avoiding setting anything on fire and well...”

As if on cue part of the tollhouse’s roof collapsed, unleashing a brief column of wild, dancing flames before it returned to its mild inferno. The two of them returned to silence as they gazed into the fire once more. Damn, Dusk was right, this shit was pleasantly mesmerizing. She could probably spend the rest of the day just sitting here watching it with them.

Which reminded her, she promised Dusk an explanation on the Hells. Karlach kind of hoped they wouldn’t mind if they shelved that topic for now. She really didn’t want to even think about—

“Step three?” their question interrupting Karlach’s thoughts.

“Huh?” she asked, a bit stupidly. 

“Of your plan,” Dusk clarified.

“Oh! Right, right,” the hellion said, remembering what the two of them had been talking about. "Step three is finding friends who don’t mind a tiefling who talks to herself a lot.”

Dusk’s tail flicked slightly as before they responded, “But you haven’t done that.” 

They seemed confused, which confused Karlach in turn.

“Soldier, you're breaking my mechanical heart here. I thought we bonded over killing Zariel’s little rats. We’re almost best friends at this point.”

“I’d like to be friends,” they said rather quickly, Dusk's version of enthusiastically Karlach imagined. “I’m only one, though.”

Karlach smiled warmly in response before scoffing playfully, “I can’t believe you’re discounting Scratch’s contribution to our little trio”

The dog perked up at the sound of his name, wagging his tail ever so slightly. He turned to look at Dusk expectantly. The tiefling reached out to scratch his ears as they mumbled a soft apology.

“I’m sure he forgives you for the transgression,” Karlach said, watching the dog lean into the small tiefling as they patted his side.

“To be honest, I don’t think he was paying much attention to us,” they replied as they picked out so stay brambles from Scratch’s fur.

 Karlach barked out a laugh before speaking with faux solemnity, “He does have more important things to do than listen to us prattle on.”

“Like what?”

“Look adorable, for one."

Dusk laughed in response. It was more of a stiff chuckle really, but a laugh was still a laugh in Karlach’s books. And it was rather cute they way their nose scrunched up ever so slightly.

This was nice. She could get used to this. Having friends, spending time with them.

As if on cue Karlach felt an uncomfortable grind in her chest. Way to kill the mood, piece of junk. At least she’d finally cooled down. Not as much as she’d like, but still.

“Want to head out, soldier?” she asked, trying to ignore the tightness in her chest as she spoke.

“Sure,” Dusk replied, passing their hand over Scratch’s fur one last time before stepping away from him, much to the dog’s displeasure. “Where to, again?”

“Towards the River Chionthar would probably be a good start,” Karlach suggested. 

They needed to find a solution for their problematic passengers and she needed a mechanic and Dusk needed… help of some kind. She didn’t really know where to look for any of those things, but she did know how to get them to the city. They could figure out the rest later, or better yet, stumble into something along the way if they were lucky enough.

Dusk gave a small nod in agreement, “You lead and I’ll follow.” 

So Karlach led, with her friends right behind her.