Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Is Karlach sure she dropped her ring here?” Evie asked, tired and bored.

“Positive,” Gale replied. “She had it during the fight with those Paladin imposters and didn’t have it at camp that night. And before you try to wriggle out of it again, the ring casts Invisibility at will so - yes, we do need it.”

“Fine,” Evie sighed and continued wandering around the toll house’s central room, half heartedly opening desk drawers and pushing furniture around. Karlach had sprinted through nearly every room in the building after that fight though. The ring could be anywhere. She hoped that whatever entity had taken the fake Paladin’s bodies hadn’t also made off with the ring. 

Evie let her fingers idly brush one of the walls as she walked past, her mind elsewhere, until she felt a strangely large gap. She looked at her hand and noticed a perfectly cut rectangle in the wall, too small to fit more than three of her fingers. When she pressed against the side of the rectangle, a button compressed under her touch and a panel the size of a door swung open from the wall. 

“Secret room,” Evie sang under her breath. She was disappointed that the room was no larger than a coat closet but her heart lifted again at the runes painted everywhere, including the back of the door. They were possibly some kind of fey writing but Evie wasn’t fluent in most of the exotic languages.

“Gale! Come look at this!” Evie called out and stepped into the tiny room to look closer. Her nose was practically pressed to the wall to study a grouping of small symbols when Gale arrived.

“Did you find - oh,” he stopped in the doorway and took in Evie’s discovery. “Distinctly not a ring.”

“Do you recognize these runes?” Evie asked.

Gale had to squeeze in beside her to fit in the room and as he did the door closed behind them, blocking out any light.

“I’m not sure,” Gale said. “Some of us are merely human, with all the limitations that designation brings. Namely, not being born with Darkvision like a half-elf.”

Evie sighed. “Wizards…can’t think of a spell that’s not written down in front of them.”

She pointed above their heads and two bright orbs began hovering just below the ceiling, bathing the room in warm yellow light.

“Happy? Your own reading lights. Now can you read any of these? They look fey to me.”

Gale’s eyes traveled quickly over the writing. He could cross his arms and pout all he wanted but Evie could see he was intrigued. “I suppose these weren’t covered in your sorcery studies,” he said. “Ah, of course. You’re too good to crack open a spell book.”

“I’ll have you know I’m very well educated,” Evie said haughtily. “I went to university in Neverwinter. Outside Neverwinter, really.”

“I’m sure the institution appreciated the new library your parents purchased for them,” Gale said with a smirk. 

“It was a new dormitory,” she answered. Evie could tell Gale wasn’t sure if she was kidding. Good. She didn’t want to admit that it was a library.

“It seems they taught you well, at least. This is Sylvan actually. I’m foggy on the finer points of the language but this -” he pointed to one of the larger runes. “Is something similar to ‘containment.’ And this…mmm, we might translate it as ‘to hold’ or ‘holding’.”

“Where’s the door handle?”

“This one is quite tricky,” Gale leaned in closer to a marking. “Read one way it might mean -”

“Gale,” Evie said sharply. “There’s no handle.”

The door was perfectly smooth on this side. No knob to turn, no hidden buttons or latches. Not even a visible hinge. 

Gale looked between the space they had entered and the runes on the wall. “Ahh, of course there’s no handle on this side of the door. This is a cell. So those Paladins could contain someone if they needed to. These runes probably keep anyone from using magic to escape too.” He seemed pleased at deducing the purpose of this small hidden room but his face fell when he realized what that meant for them.

“You locked us in a cell? ” Evie asked with rising panic.

“Me? You walked in here first.”

“You let the door close behind us.”

“Let’s not lose our heads,” Gale said although he looked like he would prefer some room to pace. “Everyone knows we came to this building. If we don’t make it back for lunch they’ll come looking for us here. That’s - at least an hour. Probably two.”

“Oh, gods, ” Evie let her forehead thump against the wall and closed her eyes. “I didn’t even want to come here and now I’m trapped in a coffin for two hours.”

Gale smiled without mirth. “At least we’ve got company. I can teach you some Sylvan.”

“Thanks,” Evie sneered. “I think I’d rather be with my own thoughts than receive a ‘Gale Lecture.’ Ugh, fine. I’ll draw a line down the middle of the cell and take the left two feet of space, and -”

“That’s not going to work.”

“Fine, you can have the left.”

“No, I mean -” Gale’s words were lost in a sudden grunt of pain.

Evie was about to ask what the problem was but the magic inside of her knew before she could speak. This time she didn’t even need to lay her hand over Gale’s heart to feel it. A wave of darkness crashed over her as it searched for something to consume. The hunger wasn’t strong enough to reach inside of her own power but Evie could detect anger that it had been denied. When the initial wave passed over her, a quick chill traveled over her skin making her shiver.

“Shit…” Evie whispered, stunned. Then louder. “Shit! Gale! What were you thinking? You left the camp without an arcane item on you? You couldn’t just wear a ring?”

“I shouldn’t need it so soon,” Gale winced and pressed both of his hands to his chest. “I only just took the energy from that locket this morning. Their power is wearing off faster and faster. Besides, there’s nothing left at camp right now. Shadowheart promised to bring me something by tomorrow.”

“Uh -” Evie could feel herself starting to sweat a bit. A combination of fear and pressing up against a man who could explode and rip them to pieces at any moment. “How soon do you need to consume something?”

Gale closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. “It’s hard to be an expert on something like this but my conservative estimate would be as soon as possible.”

“How soon is ‘soon’?”

“Now, probably wouldn’t be too ambitious.”

Evie swore again. They had left their heavy packs in the front room of the toll house. Her necklace was just silver, purely sentimental and not imbued with any arcane energy. Her armor was really no more than a padded jacket and Gale’s was much the same. There was nothing in this small room except one wizard, one sorceress, and the clothes on their backs.

“Okay, just think,” Evie fought to keep her voice steady. “You’re good at that, right Gale? You’re the brains of the group.”

“What does that make you?” he ground out through gritted teeth.

“The beautiful one,” Evie said earnestly. “So put all that studying to use. Help us survive until we get rescued.”

“Uh,” Gale seemed to be struggling for full breaths. “I don’t know. I never found any spell that would sate the orb. I'm a bit worried about how it would react to my spell casting right now actually.”

Evie snapped her fingers. “Alright, I’m a sorcerer which means I’m imbued with magic. Maybe that’s something. Could feed you some delicious hair and fingernails.”

Gale managed a small smile through the pain. “I know you’d enjoy spitting on me but I don’t think I’d want someone spitting directly into my mouth before I die. Insult to injury and all that.”

Good, he could still joke a bit. Maybe they had time.

Evie grinned too, trying to keep Gale engaged instead of focusing on the pain. “Please, there are more enjoyable ways of getting my saliva into your mouth.”

Silence dropped over them both like a heavy shroud. The dark look in Gale’s eyes as he stared at her told Evie he was picturing the same thing she was. She was also certain he wasn’t going to do anything about it on his own.

Evie had to swallow thickly before she was able to speak again.

“Gale…” she said softly. “Kiss me.”

“No,” Gale didn’t sound surprised at her suggestion. “Despite all of your jokes I don’t actually eat arcane items like they’re bread rolls. I don’t think it would work this way.”

“Then think of a better idea. Right now.”

Gale opened his mouth to answer but suddenly grabbed his chest and tried to suppress another groan. Evie was fairly certain the black tendrils reaching up from his chest were darker than before.

“I was kidding, I know you have nothing,” she continued. “We can start slow and see if it has any effect first. If it doesn’t stabilize your orb at all -” she shrugged. “It was just a kiss. It doesn’t have to be dramatic. And if it does stabilize your orb then we live so I support that plan.”

“I’m not sure I can do this,” Gale said slowly.

“You can’t just kiss me?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You do want to kiss me?”

“Evie -” she was becoming well acquainted with the sounds of exasperation he seemed to reserve just for her. “I’m all for going head first into an interesting idea but don’t you think it’s a bit - excessive?” 

Evie rolled her eyes with an aggravated sigh. “Gods, it’s just kissing. And personally, I would rather kiss most people than die. So unless you do want to explode and kill us both -”

Gale’s lips were pressed against hers before she could finish. Evie very quickly lost track of her own body and was only distantly aware of Gale’s. His hands were warm as they cradled her face and his lips were soft but his kiss was insistent. Like he was trying to prove something. She thought Gale was about to pull away before he leaned back in to kiss her again and Evie had to stifle a groan in her throat. This was a life saving kiss, like mouth to mouth resuscitation. She didn’t need Gale thinking this was an elaborate scheme to be near him.  

When Gale did pull away Evie batted her eyes open slowly like some ridiculous princess from a fairytale being woken from slumber by a kiss. It had been her idea but as she stood in front of Gale, still so close to his mouth and his big brown eyes, Evie found she had no idea what to say. Gale seemed a bit surprised by what he’d done as well. 

It was just a kiss. Even if Gale made her a little crazy sometimes, he was still her friend. Evie had kissed much worse and survived (she had once kissed a man who was, technically, a clown). It shouldn’t matter all that much if they both just agreed it was nothing. Still - they had crossed a line they could never come back from. 

“I think you’re supposed to kiss me with tongue,” Evie managed to say.

“Right,” Gale said automatically, blinking fast. “Right. I suppose I should -”

Evie stared at his mouth while he spoke. “Just come here,” she said and pulled Gale down by the back of his neck to kiss him again. She wound her arms around Gale’s neck which was not proper resuscitation technique but - well, she wasn’t a doctor.

Evie had assumed that Gale had spent most of his life with his nose buried in a spell book, so devoted to studying the theoretical that one intimate touch from a real person would turn him into a bumbling wreck. When his arms wrapped around Evie’s back to hold her close and he tilted his head to deepen their kiss she suddenly remembered - Oh. Mystra. Gale probably hadn’t become the lover of a goddess by being too shy to kiss anyone.

There was only a moment for Evie to wonder if she was in over her head. Then Gale’s tongue was sliding against hers and Evie made an embarrassingly needy sound against his mouth. Apparently Gale hadn’t become the lover of a goddess without actually knowing quite a bit about kissing someone. It seemed to be some dance that only Gale knew all of the steps to. He knew exactly where to push or pull back and even though he was kissing Evie like he was starving for her, it never felt like too much. It felt absolutely filthy but only like he intended it that way. 

She just tried to follow and hoped she wasn’t embarrassing herself. Evie knew this was purely practical, medically necessary kissing but she couldn’t help pausing for a moment to take Gale’s full bottom lip between both of hers and ever so slightly biting down. Gale groaned in response and the rush Evie felt as he held her tighter was like summoning magic.

They were both short of breath and attempting to hide it from the other when they broke apart. Their lips had broken apart but Evie and Gale stayed wrapped up in each other like vines, bodies pressed together from their knees to their chests. 

“Is it working?” Evie asked.

Part of the orb was visible over the top of Gale’s collar and there was a faint purple glow to its outline. A small sliver of magic keeping it fed.

“Am I a genius?” she said in awe.

“I doubt it,” Gale said but he sounded fond. “Although…you have helped me. I’m just not sure it’s enough.”

Evie placed her fingertips against the orb and felt familiar magic under her touch. “I’m not too proud to admit you’re a fine kisser but I only have so much to give. And I don’t know where else you’re supposed to put your mouth.”

Shadowheart was always begging Evie to have a little bit of subtlety and tact, to think for even a moment about how her words would land on others. If Evie survived, she vowed that she would go to Shadowheart straight away and promise to change her ways. Hot embarrassment roiled in Evie’s stomach even as something warm and inviting settled lower inside of her.

Her words hung there for a moment before Gale stepped away, almost instantly hitting the opposite wall.

“I think this is enough,” he said. “Yes, I feel better already. Amazing actually.”

“Gale…”

“Thank you so much for your kindness, Evie, I will certainly never forget it. But I think you’ve done more than I could ask for. Probably more than I should have.”

He rubbed at his chest again and his smile didn’t reach his eyes. He was very clearly still in pain.

Evie started pulling off one of her boots.

“What are you doing?” Gale asked.

“I thought it would be awkward to stand with my pants around my ankles and my shoes and socks still on.”

Gale laughed a bit hysterically and touched her wrist to stop Evie from removing her other boot.

“I can see that this has spiraled a bit out of everyone’s control already but that is far, far beyond the bounds of something I would ask from you. I assure you I can wait until our rescue. You’ve practically already brought me back to equilibrium already.” 

“You’re not the only magic user here and that -” Evie jabbed her finger at the orb. “Is not alright. I can feel it. We’re going to be in this room for at least two hours and you’re not getting an arcane item any earlier than supper tonight. Are you going to last that long?”

A muscle twitched in Gale’s jaw. “I have to.”

“I’d rather not gamble with my life,” Evie said. “Look, we’ve all been with people we weren’t - you know - in love with, but -”

“I haven’t,” Gale said sternly.

Evie froze, caught off guard by her own blunder. “Oh…I’m sorry. I wasn’t…I wasn’t trying to tease you.”

“It’s alright,” Gale said. “Please forget about it. And forget about the next phase of your absurd plan.”

“I swear I would never hold it against you,” Evie promised. “It would never have to leave this death trap closet. In fact, I might actually prefer that. And I swear that I don’t mind if you don’t. You’re a good man and you’re my friend and I…ugh.” It was hard to be this sincere for this long without becoming shy. “I trust you, Gale. And not to keep harping on this point, but I really want to live.”

She knew it was over when Gale stopped to consider without fighting back right away. 

“What about you and -”

“There’s no one else right now,” Evie cut him off swiftly. “And I’d actually rather blow up than talk about it.”

Gale nodded. “Fair enough. I still feel like I would be taking advantage of you.”

Evie rolled her eyes. “It was my idea. And it’s sweet that you’re a romantic but I’ve personally let people go down on me for much worse reasons than this.”

She tried to maintain steady eye contact even though Gale’s eyes were so dark they seemed practically endless. Gale looked the way he did before he wove some complicated strand of the Weave and that rapt attention made Evie’s cheeks burn with heat. His eyes tracked her movement as Evie leaned down and pulled off her other boot.

“Is this alright?” she let her shoe drop beside the first. Gale seemed like he might protest but he pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded. “Good.”

Evie shrugged her jacket off next. As she undressed she felt Gale’s gaze as surely as if it were his hands roving over her body instead of his eyes. They were forced to stand so close, she could always feel the warmth of him right beside her. A bit of Evie’s daring slipped away as she dropped her pants onto the pile of clothing. Anticipation coiled inside of her stomach but so did nerves. 

As she stood in her shirt and underwear, Evie’s fingers traced her waistband and she forced herself to make eye contact again.

“Take these off for me?” she asked quietly. She wanted it to sound alluring but truthfully she wasn’t sure if she could do it herself without a push from Gale. Just some amount of buy-in that would make her feel less alone.

Gale silently closed the small space between them and placed his hands on her hips. He waited with his fingertips poised between the waistband and Evie’s skin. Just one movement and the clothing would slide off of her. Evie had to tilt her head back to look at him properly and her pulse thudded madly.

“Are you sure?” he asked. The deep tenor of his voice struck Evie’s gut like an arrow.

“Positive.”

Then she was bare from the waist down, her underwear discarded with her other clothes and her final reservations. Gale only looked into her eyes but Evie found she couldn’t meet his gaze. She would have felt less exposed if he had just looked at her body.

He leaned in to kiss her again and though Evie hadn’t anticipated it, she was a little more at ease on this familiar ground. She didn’t want to think about how kissing Gale had become familiar.

“Trying to get more magic?” she asked breathlessly.

“Yes,” Gale pressed his answer against her throat with another kiss there before sinking to his knees.

It was surreal to watch him kneel in front of her like this. He was really going to go through with it. Whether it worked or not, this moment in this cramped room would always have happened. 

Some part of Evie worried that it would work and she would have to spend every day of the rest of this journey knowing that she’d been intimate with Gale. Every time they looked at one another, they would both know. And know that the other must be thinking of it too. She wasn’t actually too concerned about it not working anymore. If Evie had to die today, going out with a handsome man between her legs probably wasn’t a bad way to do it. At least then no one might accidentally find out.

Gale pressed a kiss just below her navel and Evie’s abdomen clenched in response.

“Why did you do that?” she asked and her body clenched again when Gale looked up at her from his knees.

“Why did I kiss you?” he asked uncertainly.

“I just…I didn’t think you’d…warm me up, I guess.”

His hands glided up her legs to grasp her gently near her waist. “This is about as far from ideal as any sex has ever been, but…I don’t want you to feel like you’re being used. You’re my friend. And I care for you. Even when you’re being impossible. I can’t believe I’m saying this to you but I…I like helping my partner enjoy themselves. Actually our lives depend on me helping you enjoy it as much as possible.” 

Evie exhaled loudly, grateful Gale wasn’t in a position yet to know the way his words affected her.

“Does it bother you?” Gale asked as he kissed her again.

“I don’t mind.” Then she added, more boldly than she felt, “How about you just keep going and I’ll tell you if you need to stop.”

Gale smiled rakishly against her hip. “Yes, my lady.”

Her breathing changed from the moment his mouth was on her. The air in the room seemed remarkably thin as his tongue caressed her. Evie felt stupid for thinking of kissing earlier as crossing a line when this was absolutely hurtling head first over one. Gods, Gale was going to know how she moaned forever now but hiding the sound wasn’t an option. Her shallow breathing had quickly given way to a steady stream of quiet keening under his touch. Evie tried to bury them in her chest but reducing her volume did little to mask how she felt. 

For all of his protests, Gale was not tentative here, the same as when he had kissed her. His lips and tongue were focused on her completely and he seemed to choose each move with great intent. Evie wondered if he had some way to read her mind as he moved exactly where she wanted him most. Though even an amateur could have heard which spots made her react the loudest. She was doing a truly terrible job of staying quiet.  

Evie distantly thought of asking if it was working but when she chanced a look downward she could see the orb glowing purple, stronger than before. Also if she asked, Gale would have to stop to answer and that wasn’t ideal.  

She had laid her hands flat on the wall beside her but managed to focus just enough to unstick them. Evie sank her fingers into Gale’s thick hair and the way he moaned against her body forced her to close her eyes against the intensity of it. Gale didn’t rush her but he did gently ease her towards a smaller cresting and release that made Evie shudder and a broken cry escape her.

“Gale -” she whimpered pitifully.

“Hang on -” Gale muttered before he grabbed Evie behind her left knee and hiked her thigh up onto his shoulder. When he put his mouth back on her at this new angle, Evie’s head fell back against the wall behind her but she barely felt the impact. Her world had narrowed down to Gale’s hands gripping her legs and his tongue laving over her flesh.

This wasn’t just being touched, just receiving pleasure. It was being devoured. Evie stopped trying to suppress her sounds. Rather, she completely lost the ability to stop them. Every exhale left her as a loud whine of need. Gale’s name rose and fell from her lips over and over. She wondered for a moment if Gale might be tired - Evie didn’t even have to do anything and she was exhausted - but he didn’t seem to lose energy for a moment.

Evie had only managed a few downward glances at what Gale looked like and each one had been seared into her memory like a brand. When she thought she might not last much longer, Evie forced herself to watch. Her whole body pulled taut when she really looked at Gale. He looked like a debauched angel with his face buried between her legs and his broad hands dimpling her flesh. The strands of magic that marked his cheek glowed bright with power.

Just then, Gale lifted his eyes to hers, the irises very nearly black. He obviously knew how to touch her but that eye contact, that moment of connection, was what finally pushed Evie over the edge. The lights she had conjured above their heads dimmed and flickered for a moment as Evie reeled and cried out. Her grip on Gale’s hair tightened and he pressed in closer, Evie’s leg lifting higher as he chased every drop of her. 

She thought Gale must want her a little if he was willing to do this. But the fact that he needed her was what made Evie feel lightheaded in that moment. It made her stand still even while Gale took his time to savor her, slowly tipping the intensity over from so much to too much.

He didn’t stop until Evie winced. “Ah - please.”

“Sorry,” Gale said and rubbed her leg apologetically. “Sorry.”

Gale helped her lower her foot back to the ground. He leaned his forehead against her stomach, panting while Evie thoughtlessly pet his hair. She didn’t realize that the corrupted Netherese magic had been crowding around the edges of her mind until it was gone. Now she felt blissfully clean and content.  

“Here,” Gale had retrieved her underwear from her pile of clothing and held them for her so Evie could step into them. He muttered something magical and in an instant all of the sweat and the slickness between her thighs had disappeared. Evie hoped the sound she made at the loss seemed surprised instead of dismayed. 

Gale groaned as he sat against the closet’s opposite wall, slowly unbending his knees and stretching his legs. He must have cleaned himself up too but he couldn’t undo the way Evie had mussed up his hair. Or the sudden new plumpness to his mouth. 

“Come here,” he offered a hand to her. “You look like you’re somewhere else.”

The only way for Evie to fit was to sit in his lap, her knees bracketing Gale’s hips. They had passed any reason for awkwardness a long while back so Gale didn’t protest when Evie leaned against his chest. Evie didn’t protest when Gale wrapped his arms around her to hold her. She shifted forward under the guise of getting more comfortable and so what if she ended up tucked more securely against Gale’s shoulder.

Evie’s thoughts were scrambled and her limbs felt like jelly and she appreciated that Gale could see that on her. It felt nice to be held and anchored to another person’s body even as Evie felt like she was floating away from her own. 

“So that must be - what? At least an hour and a half down, right?” Evie said. Her breathing still hadn’t completely slowed yet. The muscles in her thighs were still quivering.

Gale laughed and Evie liked being able to feel it move through him.

“I hope it didn’t feel that long,” he answered.

“I think I was a little unstuck in time there for a bit.” She pulled back to look at Gale fully. He really did have lovely eyes. “I could help you too. If you wanted. I mean, since we’re already here.”

“I’m not sure it’s wise to get the orb too stirred up after I just finished sating it.”

“Are you sure?”

Evie just barely shifted her hips and Gale hissed and clenched his teeth as she rubbed against the hardness pressing up against her. Knowing that she was the cause of it lit a new flame of desire inside of her.

“No, I’m not sure,” Gale said. “But it would be a shame to waste what you’ve done for me the moment after you’ve done it. Honestly…it feels strange to even thank you -”

“I understand,” Evie cut in. “I think you, uh - showed your appreciation very well. You don’t have to say anything.”

“I think you know by now you can’t stop me from saying things.” He smiled wistfully as he swept his thumb over the apple of her cheek. “And I am grateful to you. I hope this doesn’t change anything between us.”

“Of course it doesn’t.” Evie smiled and buried the way she felt about his words somewhere deep and still that even she couldn’t peer into. “Nothing we do in this room counts, right?”

“Right,” she saw Gale’s eyes flick down to her mouth. “Nothing in here counts.”

++++

Logically, Karlach knew that Zariel’s dogs were gone from this building. No one was going to hurt her here or take her back to Avernus. Still, the flames inside of her flared hotter as she approached.

“Hey,” Wyll said beside her and shot her a winning smile. “Evie and Gale are probably fine. And if anyone hurt them, we’ll catch the bastards together.”

Nerves and the urge to solve this by punching something still swirled in Karlach’s chest but she tried to smile at him anyway.

“I know. Thanks.” She had a little trouble believing someone as good as Wyll could really exist most days. 

They didn’t see or hear anyone in the tollhouse when they entered but Evie and Gale’s bags were sitting on the floor near the door. At least they had made it to this location.

“Evie?” Karlach called out. “You hiding somewhere, kid?”

She and Wyll looked at each other as they both heard some sort of scrambling and banging around, like an animal trapped in a wall, and then a feminine voice.

“Here!” Evie sounded muffled. “We’re in here!”

“Where is ‘here?’”

“The main room! The big one!”

They moved into the larger room but still saw no sign of the others.

“Karlach?” Evie called out again. “Are you still there?”

“Evie? Are you...in the walls?”

“Yes!” Overlapping voices now. Both of them were stuck?

“There’s a handle along the western wall,” Evie said. “It’s recessed into the wall, you can barely see it if you don’t know it’s there. If you press on the right side of that opening, you’ll feel a button for a latch.”

Wyll smoothed his hands along the wall until he found the latch Evie described. When the lock clicked, a hidden door swung open into a room no larger than a closet, covered in strange markings. Gale and Evie were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the floor, blinking against the bright daylight.

“The sun!” Evie cried out, shielding her eyes. “I started to think outside was just a dream I’d had.”

“What is this thing?” Karlach asked. She’d never seen writing like this anywhere.

“How long have you been in it?” Wyll held a hand out to each of them and pulled Evie and Gale to their feet. Both of them groaned as they stood up straight.

“Our working theory is prisoner storage,” Gale rotated his shoulder and grimaced. “A place for Zariel’s agents to hold people they were transporting. We were stuck because there’s no handle inside and it’s been covered in powerful containment runes.”

“Hells,” Wyll shook his head. “A cell that one person can barely sit down in. That’s diabolical.”

“Fucking hell,” Karlach breathed. “I am…so fucking sorry, you two. If I hadn’t lost that damn ring you wouldn’t even be here. You were just trying to help me.”

“That part is your fault,” Evie said, ever the diplomat. “But don’t worry about the rest. Gale is the one that trapped us.”

“For the last time -” Gale began before Evie started sniping right back at him. Karlach couldn’t help feeling guilty though. She knew how Evie and Gale got on - they must have been at each other’s throats for hours.

“Okay, break it up, break it up,” Karlach said loudly over them. “Let’s just get you two back to camp and out of each other’s hair. Gods, you’ve been here half the day. You must be starving.”

For some reason Evie smiled broadly and Gale looked away like he was studying something on the other side of the room.

“Actually, I had enough snacks on me to share with Gale,” Evie said sweetly.

“Yes, our Evie is a…a generous soul indeed,” Gale nodded.

“Well, that’s…good,” Wyll seemed to take in the peculiar energy and not know what to make of it either. “So did you find the ring?”

Evie rolled her eyes with a long suffering groan. “Oh my gods, Gale didn’t even -”

“Evie was very unhelpful -”

As their overlapping voices filled the room, Wyll looked over at Karlach and shrugged.

“Sorry for setting them off again,” he said quietly to Karlach, although Evie and Gale had already turned their attention away from him and wouldn’t have noticed.

Karlach just shook her head. “Don't worry, mate. It’s impossible to keep those two off of each other.”